Chapter 90: Harvest in the Forbidden Forest
Chapter 90: Harvest in the Forbidden Forest
During a break in their practice, Liam asked Bettie why she was willingly teaching him these things. It wasn't that Liam was overly suspicious, but after witnessing the Wizarding World's general tendency to hoard knowledge, he simply didn't believe in free lunches.
Upon hearing Liam's question, Bettie looked serious and said, "Because we need more allies. Follow me, and you'll see why."
Bettie then led Liam to the base of a giant tree and waved her hand. The tree extended a branch, forming a circular platform. The two of them stepped onto the platform, which slowly rose to the treetop.
Once at the treetop, Bettie pointed in a direction and said, "Since this place is called the Emerald Dream, it naturally has its share of nightmares. Our Centaur tribe lives in the Forbidden Forest, and one of our most important tasks is to eliminate these nightmares."
Liam looked in the direction Bettie was pointing and noticed that the area of forest there was markedly different from the rest. The rest of the forest was vibrant and full of life, but that particular area was dark and lifeless.
"What is that?" Liam asked, pointing to the distinct patch of forest.
Bettie began to tell the story, starting from the beginning, from the Centaur society itself.
"We Centaurs are the only permanent intelligent inhabitants of this Forbidden Forest. Since ancient times, wherever we live, we must maintain the natural balance of that forest. The male Centaurs in our tribe are usually responsible for hunting, gathering, and external activities, which is why humans generally only see them. However, Centaurs are a matriarchal society, and female Centaurs usually don't leave the village. They are responsible for the safety and health of the tribe. Additionally, because male Centaurs can sometimes be unreliable, the leaders of the tribe are females."
"Most importantly, while male Centaurs excel in Divination and combat, females are skilled in communicating with nature and can master Nature Magic and the Emerald Dream Communication Method more proficiently than males."
Seeing the confusion in Liam's eyes, Bettie paused and asked kindly, "Foal, is there anything you don't understand and want to ask?"
"Perhaps it's a bit presumptuous, but in the textbooks I've studied, it only mentions that Centaurs are skilled in healing magic, archery, Astronomy, and Divination. It never says anything about other abilities."
"Ha." Bettie flicked her tail dismissively. "Most Wizards see other beings as if they were blind, and they never bother to investigate the truth. As far as I know, your Ministry of Magic even has a ridiculous Centaur Liaison Office. But since its establishment, no Centaur has ever visited."
After mocking the foolish Ministry of Magic, Bettie continued, "We lived peacefully in this forest for centuries without any major issues, but about forty years ago, something significant happened."
"Something significant? What happened? I know that this period was also a dark time for human Wizards. Is there a connection?" Liam asked curiously.
"Very likely. The trouble was caused by a dark creature: the Giant Octo-Eyed Spider. They began to reproduce rapidly here. You see, they have no natural predators in this forest, leading to their population growing exponentially. This, in turn, caused devastating damage to the local ecosystem."
At this point, Bettie began to paw the ground unconsciously, looking very angry. "Our ancestors first discovered traces of the Giant Octo-Eyed Spiders, but there was only one at the time, so no one took it seriously. Later, for some reason, another one appeared and mated with the original. By the time we noticed, there were already too many of them to eliminate completely."
Bettie grew increasingly agitated as she spoke, but when she realized Liam was beside her, she gradually calmed herself and continued, "You see, even though the Centaurs in the Forbidden Forest are the largest group in all of Britain, we only number about sixty. We are completely overwhelmed when facing hundreds of giant spiders. So, we can only contain their movements and kill any that venture beyond the designated area.
However, this containment zone has been expanding. The dark aura and destructive hunting they engage in have killed off the natural life in that area. This is reflected in the Emerald Dream as the desolate forest you saw."
"Why don't you tell Headmaster Dumbledore? I think the headmaster could solve this problem", Liam said, a bit puzzled.
"This is a matter of natural balance, something that concerns Centaurs like us or those recognized by the Emerald Dream. It's not something that should involve other wizards. Besides, we have an agreement with the wizards: the castle and grounds belong to the school, and the Forbidden Forest belongs to us. Neither side should interfere in the other's domain."
Well, that's a political issue that's hard to continue discussing. But when Bettie mentioned that the troublemakers in the Forbidden Forest were Giant Octo-Eyed Spiders, Liam suddenly felt like today was his lucky day. He quickly said to Bettie:
"I need to create a magical artifact, but I'm missing the necessary materials. After some thought, I realized that only the Giant Octo-Eyed Spiders in the Forbidden Forest can provide what I need. I figured that since they are not native to this area, killing them wouldn't disrupt the local balance."
"Really? From what I know, humans tend to be driven by self-interest, so you mean to say that you will join the effort to eliminate the Giant Octo-Eyed Spiders that are disrupting the ecological balance of the Forbidden Forest, right?" Bettie said, looking somewhat pleased.
"Yes, ma'am", Liam nodded, confirming her words. Bettie then added, "But you're just a second-year wizard. I'm curious what you have that could help you take down those troublesome Giant Octo-Eyed Spiders. I know what the average wizard of your age can do, and I don't think that would be enough in this conflict."
"Um..." Liam thought for a moment and decided to reveal some of his capabilities to ensure cooperation.
"You saw me summon some magical plants last time, but I can summon far more than you saw. Given time, I can even create a plant army. They can't move, but that's the only issue."
Bettie nodded in agreement, "When we first met, your plants gave me a dangerous vibe. I believe they have combat potential."
Seeing Liam's hesitation, Bettie added, "I know your abilities might make others envious, but in the Forbidden Forest, whether it's us Centaurs or the Unicorns we've called for help, we are different from humans. We will not covet our allies' abilities, nor will we envy their strength. We can swear by the name of nature that we will not reveal or covet anything we see."
As Bettie spoke, Liam felt a strong connection between her words and the Emerald Dream. He could sense that breaking this oath would result in the retribution of nature.
Liam felt a bit embarrassed, "Ma'am, this..."
Bettie was quite relaxed, "As our first human ally in fifty years, only a binding oath like this can put everyone at ease. Besides, as long as we don't break the oath, nothing bad will happen, right?"
Liam was deeply moved. He felt that the greatest gain from his visit to the Forbidden Forest was the friendship of a Centaur.
(End of Chapter)
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