The Kobold pups’ voices rang out from the village square as they trained like they always did day in and day out.

“Gauh!” (Deyah!)

“Kyuaann.” (Too slow!)

In response to the black Kobold pup’s right hook, the white and brown Kobold pup raised his left arm to deflect the attack and closed in on his enemy’s space!

With nary a pause, the young Kobold’s right elbow shot up as he rotated in a semi-circular trajectory and hit the black and white Kobold in the chin.

“Guuuuh!?”

“Wauaah!” (Gotcha!)

The white and brown Kobold pup then proceeds to extend his right arm to deal a backhand blow to his opponent’s face, but the other pup tilts his head and avoids the attack.

However, just as he evaded the attack, he was given a direct hit near the left clavicle…

“Kuah, uu… kyuun, gusuh.” (Kuah, uu… it hurts, sniff)

The black-furred Kobold pup who had received an elbow to the chin and a downward back fist to the collar bone crouched down with his tail curled up as if he were going to cry.

“Gaouwau.” (That’s enough.)

“Ofuu, gauaru… Kuu voaoo.” (Wait, Knuckle… both of them are still standing.)

Knuckle, who had been overseeing the training of the other Kobold pups, was about to announce the end of the sparring match when the tall, skinny Kobold standing next to him prevented him from doing so.

“Waoan, gurukuauoo…” (Blazer, even if I let them continue…)

Knuckle was about to voice his opinion but he was dumbfounded when the spectacle caught his eye.

Just as soon as the white and brown Kobold pup hesitates in giving the finishing blow when he sees his crying opponent, the black-furred Kobold pup thrusts his right hand into the ground and launches a half-moon somersault kick!

“Kuruaaah!” (This is payback!)

“!? Gyauuh, uu… ah.”

The unexpected kick hit the white and brown Kobold pup squarely in the chin and sent him stumbling back. Not letting the opportunity pass him by, the black Kobold pup hurriedly got up on his feet after the somersault and dealt the winning blow on his opponent.

“Gaooah!” (Seiyah!)

“Guu, kyuuu…”

The white and brown Kobold pup couldn’t dodge because of the pain from the earlier blow, so he was struck on the face and fell to the ground. This time, his loss was not just because he was caught off-guard, but because he was truly overwhelmed…

“Wau, kuruuah! Woauguruua, guuaaon!!” (Oh my child! Hey, your child’s playing dirty!!)

“Uu~, gauaoooouh, wafaaou~” (Well I can’t make excuses for my child, but you’re a sore loser, aren’t you~)

“Uwoon, gauo!” (Alright, that’s enough!)

As she stopped the two mothers from arguing outside, the spear-wielding Kobold whose limbs and the tip of her tail were covered in white fur approached the two pups.

(Sometimes, I wonder why I have to be the one to scold these people who are older than me…)

Lancer sighed at the thought. Although she was on the same rank as her best friend Dagger among the females in the village, all the other females regarded her as the arbitrator of the pack even though she was younger than them. It was usually a task reserved for her friend who was the Boss’ relative, but…

(Even if I asked her to take over… she’s the one who’s more likely to cause trouble rather than fix it.)

As she imagined her best friend happily lighting up a fox fire, Lancer picked up the white and brown pup who was groaning while he lay sprawled on the ground and brought her hand to his injuries.

“Ruu, kuruaonn.” (Gather, Healing Light.)

“G-guu… ua…”

A warm, faint light appears and heals the bruises and injuries on the pup’s chin, face, and mouth.  

“Kyua, garuoaan.” (You too, come over here.)

“Waoon.” (Okaaay.)

Lancer beckoned to the black-furred pup and after she had healed his injuries, Blazer approached him and patted the child’s head.

“Wafuh! Garuu?” (Wafuh! Master?)

“Kuuaoon rugau, garuou waouru… woan?” (You won, kid. But remember that you won’t win so easily next time, got it?)

Blazer turned his gaze to the white and brown pup who was pouting as he sat on the ground. Even though they were merely playing and training right now, this generation of pups were already competing for their ranks, so if one lost a match, they would naturally feel down.

“… Waon, garuu.” (… Yes, Master.)

“Giuruvofu, gurugaiiu kuuorua… garuaa voruau.” (You shouldn’t be careless; you’re lucky this wasn’t a real battle… so work hard to be as strong as you can, alright?)

Unless one was lucky, there would be no next time if they failed in a real battle. They would merely die and their corpse would return to the earth… There also aren’t many options to win during an actual battle, so training the pups from a young age was essential to hone their survival skills.

“Ruoaau, waoan?” (Can we move on to the next match, Blazer?)

“Wau, uwon…” (Yes, please…)

After getting confirmation from Blazer, Knuckle selected the next pair of pups with equal strength who were going up in the following match. Meanwhile, Lancer led the two pups who had just finished their mock battle and led them to their mothers.

Behind the group of waiting mothers, Easteria Forest stretched on and was beginning to show signs of changes in early autumn.

This was a busy season for all species, as they were either preparing for hibernation or stocking up on walnuts, tree nuts, and other necessary supplies to get them through the coming winter.

The Kobolds are no exception either, as they have to compete with the Grey Bears and other magical beasts and animals that are also roaming the forest in search of food.

Moreover, the autumn season was also the mating season for Kobolds, so most of the single males were busy catching prey to impress the females with their strength, and, if necessary, were also preparing to fight against their love rivals over their potential mates.

(Well, it doesn’t affect us anyway~)

Lancer thought to herself as she looked at her restless, unmated brethren.

The prime age for mating was around 3 to 4 years old, and by the time they reach 6 years old, they were expected to already be mated, so only the 3 to 6-year old Kobolds who are single or have lost their mates were busy looking for mates during this season.

Coincidentally, her childhood friend’s mother who had lost her mate was still at the age where she was eligible to find a match, so she was still considered a potential mate.

(Ah, now that I think about it… this season isn’t unrelated to me either.)

But of course, just like last year, said childhood friend had once again put Lancer in charge of fending off the unworthy males approaching his mother.