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Chapter 39: Centaur
Chapter 39: Centaur
Liam was startled by the voice, which belonged to an adult woman but was unlike any professor he had ever heard at the school.
At least she could speak, which meant there was a chance to avoid a pointless fight. Gathering his courage, Liam shouted, "I have no ill intentions and don't wish to harm anyone. I can leave the forest right now."
"Hey, hey, no need to be so tense. I just wanted to thank you for helping the Unicorns." As she spoke, a figure emerged from the underbrush.
"Centaur!" Liam whispered in surprise. This was a female Centaur, a character he had never encountered in any of the stories. But then again, Centaurs don't grow out of the ground; why should they only be male?
The female Centaur appeared to be in her thirties, dressed in fine brown leather armor. A black mace hung from her belt, and her horse half was white, with a round shield and a bow and arrows slung on either side of her body.
Seeing that she wasn't holding any weapons, Liam relaxed and put away the Plants to show his friendliness.
She walked up to Liam with a graceful stride, then bent down to speak to him. "Mars is beginning to brighten, and everyone believes it's a terrible omen. They stubbornly think that the will of the heavens cannot be defied. However, I believe that sometimes helping the innocent is our duty and part of the will of the heavens. That's why I came out today, and here I found you healing that Unicorn."
"That's what I should do. After all, any normal person with the ability to help would do the same for the forest spirits when they see them in danger", Liam replied, looking up at her.
"Yes, what do you think could have attacked the Unicorn?" the female Centaur asked.
"I'm not sure, but the injured Unicorn seemed to have lost a lot of blood."
"Heavens, this is terrible. Could this Prophecy be true? But Centaur Prophecies have been wrong before. I hope this one is too", the female Centaur muttered to herself, looking up.
Liam noticed that the Centaur seemed lost in thought and spoke up. "Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Liam; Liam Liang, a first-year student at Gryffindor College. I was out on a night walk and came across some silver liquid. Out of curiosity, I followed it, and by chance, I healed that Unicorn."
"This wasn't a coincidence. Unicorns don't easily trust humans", the female Centaur said. "I'm Bettie, from the nearby Centaur Tribe. I'm here to protect these Unicorns from external Dark Forces. Since Unicorns don't trust males, I was chosen to protect them."
"But why did the Unicorn allow me to heal it?" Liam asked, puzzled.
"Simple. One, you're still a foal. Unicorns can barely tolerate males who haven't reached puberty. Two—" Bettie looked up at the sky.
"I can sense a great deal of Life's gratitude towards you. You've saved thousands, if not millions, of innocent Lives. I can even feel the gratitude of nature for your battles against destructive, unnatural monsters, though this Nature's Gratitude is a bit different from what I'm familiar with. My reason tells me this is unlikely, but I believe the secrets the stars have shown me about you are true. So, it's understandable that Unicorns would accept a Friend of Nature like you."
Bettie leaned closer, examining Liam. "I'm very curious, little one. How did you manage this? Our leader has fought for nature all his life, and the Nature's Gratitude he received is far less than yours. Not to mention the Plants that seem to be favored by nature and are helping you."
"Um, I have my reasons, so I can't tell you exactly what I've done. I can only say that what you saw is real", Liam said, a bit embarrassed.
"As long as it's real, I believe I can trust someone who has received Nature's Favor. Rest assured, I won't tell anyone what I saw. After all, everyone has their secrets", Bettie said seriously. "But as a student, you shouldn't be out here, let alone so close to the dangerous core of the Forbidden Forest. I'll take you back now."
With that, Bettie brought out a large basket from behind the tree and placed Liam inside. (Don't worry, I was planning to use it to collect dry grass for my bedding, so it's very clean.) She then hung all her weapons on one side and the basket on the other.
Liam found that Centaurs were indeed a nature-loving race. Even as Bettie jogged, she skillfully avoided the dense branches blocking the path, moving through the forest as if it were flat ground.
"By the way, when I mentioned the Prophecy after you said the Unicorn lost a lot of Blood, what did you mean? Of course, if this involves a secret of yours or your people, just ignore the question", Liam asked, adjusting his position in the basket.
"That's not a secret. Let me think about where to start. Do you know what Unicorn Blood is used for?" Bettie asked.
"No", Liam replied, a bit puzzled. "In Potions, we only use their horns and tail hair. I've always been curious, but the books I've read suggest that using Unicorn Blood is an evil act."
"That's because attacking a Unicorn to obtain Blood is a cruel act. The most powerful magic is gained by draining a Unicorn of its Blood, but it is also the most evil act", Bettie explained. "Only the most cruel and evil individuals would commit such a great sin. They want to defy the laws of nature and prolong their abnormal lives."
As she spoke, Bettie shuddered, as if she had encountered something terrifying.
After a moment, she continued, "As long as you still have a breath, Unicorn Blood can restore your life. However, it will also bring the curse of nature. The drinker will have a half-dead, cursed life."
"Such a choice, worse than death, is likely to be made only by those who desperately need to prolong their lives and have no other options. As far as I know, the Philosopher's Stone is hidden in Hogwarts Castle, so—"
Liam was about to finish his sentence when Bettie put a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.
"We see Mars shining bright again. I think you know what this means, but please don't say it aloud. We don't want to get involved in your Wizard affairs for now. Besides, you're still a foal and shouldn't be burdened with such matters."
By then, Bettie had reached a path less than 20 meters from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She lifted Liam out of the basket and set him on the ground.
"I don't want to meet anyone else. You can walk the rest of the way by yourself", she said. She then took a small silver ring from her quiver and tossed it to Liam. "You helped the Unicorn, and I want to thank you on their behalf. If you ever have the time to visit Greece, there's a Temple of Chiron on Crete. This ring will show you the exact location. If you present this ring, my teacher will give you the reward you deserve."
With that, Bettie turned around, flicked her tail gracefully, and walked back into the forest.
(End of Chapter)
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