The Understated Dragon Lord novel Chapter 408

After getting a rise out of Daniel, Beauty turned to Soldier. "You lost the bet to the country kid. You agreed to it; now kneel down and call him 'grandpa.'"

"Lady, I haven't lost!" Soldier flatly refused to concede defeat. Falling to his knees before a country kid and calling him 'grandpa' was unthinkable for a man of his stature.

Seeing Soldier's defiance, Beauty’s previously amused expression turned thunderous. As the witness, his refusal to own up to the loss was a slap in her face.

Beauty's face darkened as she challenged him, "Are you trying to weasel out of the bet?"

"Lady, I would never! In my whole life, I've never backed out of a lost bet!"

"If you're a man of your word, then now that you've lost, get on with it! Kneel down and call him 'grandpa!'"

"Lady, I didn’t lose!"

"Didn't lose? He ordered the hen to peck you, and it did just that. Everyone saw it; your own men saw it. Are you still going to play dumb?"

"The hen did peck me, but that doesn't prove it's listening to him! What if—just what if—it's pecking me because I caught it and it's holding a grudge against me for the stew pot?"

Soldier's excuse was a stretch, but not completely unreasonable. Beauty didn't immediately take sides but turned to Daniel instead.

"Soldier claims he didn't lose. What do you say?"

"If he insists he didn't lose, then let's keep playing! I can play until he admits he's lost. That hen can peck through hard stone. Is Soldier's butt tougher than that?"

With that, Daniel looked at the hen and cheerfully ordered, "Go! Keep at it! Peck his butt nonstop until he admits defeat!"

At his word, the hen ceased moving.

"Now do you admit defeat? Have you lost?" Daniel asked Soldier.

"I don't admit anything! I haven't lost! The hen pecking me is not because it listens to you; it has a grudge against me! If you want me to admit defeat, you'll have to make it do something harder. Otherwise, you're the loser, and you'll kneel and call me 'grandpa!'"

Soldier didn't see it as being unfair; he was just using the rules to his advantage.

"Something harder? What do you mean?"

Soldier's gears turned quickly, and he came up with an idea on the spot. "Have it solve a math problem. I'll make up the problem, and you get it to solve. If it answers correctly, then I'll concede. If it gets it wrong, then you lose!"