Chapter 243: Victorious Return

In a small, unassuming village, the air was extremely tense. There were a bunch of terrified humanoid dogs that could be seen kneeling to an evidently annoyed human. They even looked as if they had seen a ghost. 

Josh couldn't help but scoff. These people sure had some gal to try and trick him! They had brought him a fake bone. Did they really believe that he was that naive?! The village chief was the first to move. 

He threw himself at the bone fragments that were strewn on the ground while shaking and crying. He looked like he was trying to piece it back together. Why?! 

"What are you doing?" Josh asked, perplexed. This guy's acting was so good. 

"This really was the ancestral bone, Sir! It was just brittle because of how old it is. Maybe we can repair it and—." The chief said in a trembling voice.

At that moment, people began to show reactions as they gasped in shock and cried looking at the bone dust. They were akin to small puppies that had their treats taken away from them. 

"Whatever. Just bury it anywhere. I don't need it." Josh disregarded the damage he had caused. Perhaps it was history, but this was only a simulation. There could be infinite new 'history' pieces appearing at any given moment. 

The chief was now looking at the bone dust in his hands akin to a treasure. He looked torn, not knowing what to do. Josh didn't know what to do with them, so he just left them there as he began leaving the village. 

But he had only done a few steps that the chief had come back to his sense and had come kneeling once more. "Sir, please accept us in your pack! We'll do anything! We'll fetch anything for you. We'll clean your fur, we'll—"

"Fine, whatever. From now on, you guys are my subordinates, I guess." Josh didn't especially care about them, but they could prove helpful. Apparently, there was going to be a war. He would need information about that. 

The gray husky insisted on accompanying him as a personal servant and guided him on the way back. Soon enough, they passed by the cabin of the old Neapolitan mastiff. As soon as they did, he exited from his house and began shouting at them. 

"You liar! I thought you said they were your enemies! Now you are walking together?! What is this?!" He began criticizing. 

"Old Politan, let's not fight. How about you join us? I already swore loyalty to him, and you should do the same." The chief recommended. 

"What?! Why?! Do you take me for a pushover?! I'm a descendant of a hero! My ancestors defeated some scaly devils long ago. There is no way that I will ever submit to anyone and!—" The dog suddenly shut up. 

His eyes were transfixed on Josh's hand that was holding the small dino. He had removed the cloth covering for a second, revealing his pet in all its glory. The dog's reaction was pretty hilarious. How would it react to the mammoth one instead?! 

"W-w-what?! This is a scaly devil! H-how are you able to?!" He seemed to have had his whole world flip on him. 

"So, how is it, Old Politan? Will you join or not?" The Hard-Paws chief gave an ultimatum while teasing. 

"Of course I'll join! I'll fucking join! Sir, from now on, I'm your loyal dog! If you order me to bark twice, I won't bark thrice!" Old Politan was so enthusiastic! His tail could even be seen flapping behind his back. 

That's when the chief whispered to Josh's ear. "Sir, he's a bit silly, but he's always remained neutral and is the official organizer of the event to decide our next ruler. It's a good thing that he's coming with us." He winked as he said that. 

The more Josh heard, and the more complicated this all felt. He couldn't help but wonder how long this Floor would last. Was he supposed to unify the different dog clans? What a pain! It was a good thing he had brought lots of bones for bribes. 

As they finally came back to the Heroic-Paws Village village, they realized how tense the atmosphere was. Saint Bernards began whispering when they saw him come back: 

"He's the one that caused our fall."

"The chief is under so much pressure thanks to his worthless son."

"I wonder how the negotiations will turn out."

"Wait, isn't that Old Chief Husky from the nearby village?! What is he doing here?!"

"This son of a bitch betrayed us and went to collude with the enemy!"

"But why would that bitch be here then? It doesn't make sense." 

"Perhaps it was a scheme all along." 

"Wait, look! Is that Sir Old Politan?! What is he doing here?! He never exits his hut." 

Josh gave a wry smile. If they could move their arms with 1% of the energy they used to wag their tongues, they would have conquered the world already! He went toward his father's house and decisively entered. 

Inside he found his father along with the other elder members of the village. Their faces were bleak as they faced a small wolf with a pink ribbon in her (?) fur. This had to be the girl that had supposedly betrayed him, right? 

On the table between them, there was a scroll with a small bottle of ink nearby. There was a single paw print on it with room for more signatures. 

"Hey, you guys." Josh relaxedly greeted. For him, these elders could as well be air. 

"Y-you! It's your fault that! If not —" That's when that complaining one elder noticed Old Chief husky along with Old Politan. He seemed to despair as he jumped to conclusions, and he wasn't the only one. 

"Even Old Politan is here to support us surrendering. Why?!" 

"I can't believe this is how our long tradition ends. We failed our ancestors."

"If only we were more careful. It's normal for youth to succumb to the charms of a temptress, and we are as much to blame." One sighed, seemingly forgiving Josh. 

Her, a temptress? That was some very hairy temptress for sure! Please, would Josh even look at such a basic dog? No way! It had to be at least a fantastic being like lady Wolfie from that one novel he used to read back on Earth religiously. With her white fur, incredible divination magic, and…— 

That is when the girl husky turned toward their small group. 

"Father, what are you doing here? Wasn't I supposed to be in charge of the negotiations?" she asked, puzzled. Seeing her relaxed expression, she seemed to be convinced of their victory, but she wasn't gloating either. 

Her father nodded at her and then seemed to think of something important. He turned toward Josh and dropped to the ground. "Sir, please accept my daughter as a wife! No, a concubine will do! Actually, you can do whatever you want with her! She's a very good girl!"

Everyone in the room turned speechless as they stared at the scene. What the fuck was happening?! Old Chief Husky was renowned for his love for his daughter. Had he gone crazy?!

The girl in question was the most flabbergasted. Her father had always told her that she would be free to love whoever she wanted. 

Why was he acting like this now?! Also, when had that fool become so confident?! But, Josh didn't care much about their reactions. He was already planning his next move...

————

[A/N] Finally out of what I call Priv-Hell ^_^v. As requested: Wolfie Cameo. A bit obvious but still haha. 

Creator's Thought

That moment when your own father is way too insistent to give you over to a total stranger. I realized that I had grossly underestimated how much these NPCs loved bones as well as heroes. Anyone defeating dinosaurs was worthy of such title in their eyes. Naturally, the man wanted the best for his daughter! It just happened to be me according to his logic.