Chapter 285: The Centaurs in the Swamp Clearing

Jilannis Galanord was the Chief Mage of the Hailan Empire, after all. Her strength was by no means limited to combat.

Just two hours later, a small troop of Centaurs resting in a swamp clearing was clearly visible on the image she projected. From the looks of it, they were completely unaware that their position had been exposed.

"That should be them," Sera said, standing to the side with her arms crossed as she carefully examined the image. "See the leather they’re wearing? It looks pretty much the same as what was on that corpse."

"And honestly, there probably isn’t another group of Centaurs in Delusional Land."

"Is it possible that the corpse was left behind after a fight between two groups of Centaurs?" Aive asked. "After all, they’re nomadic..."

Sera shook her head in disagreement. "Aive, whether a tribe’s lifestyle is nomadic, as you southerners call it, or hunter-gatherer, they always follow one basic principle: go where life is easier."

"This dense forest and swamp in Delusional Land... Forget Centaurs, even humans and horses wouldn’t want to set foot here. Why would they choose to migrate this way, let alone start fighting over it?"

"I’m sticking to my assessment: this troop of Centaurs ran into other bandits while migrating and was driven over here. Hey, Elf, can that Magic of yours transmit sound?"

Jilannis shot Sera a displeased look. "First of all, you should at least call me ’Moon Elf,’ not ’Hey, Elf.’ Secondly, that’s a different Magic. If you wanted to hear them speaking from here, you should have told me beforehand."

"It’s not too late if you want to listen now, but I think it would be better for you to go and talk to them in person."

Sera didn’t really want to sit around watching a magical surveillance feed, though. She was more surprised that Jilannis actually had a way to transmit sound all the way here. To prevent the Centaurs from leaving at any moment, Ron had the team pack their gear and set out immediately, while Quest, Seymour, Yelena, and a few others followed slowly with Klade’s main force.

A Centaur’s physique, strength, and agility were on a completely different level from a humanoid’s. If Seymour and the others who couldn’t adequately protect themselves weren’t careful, they could easily end up with broken bones, which would only add to Aive and Victoria’s burden.

"Centaurs are practically humanoid monsters. They have the skills of a humanoid but the body of a beast. Sera, are you confident you can take them on in a direct confrontation?" Silvia asked teasingly as they walked.

"Of course! Back in my tribe, even the weakest warrior could easily beat a Snowfield Centaur senseless!" Sera might have been boasting, but it was also a show of confidence. "If a fight really breaks out, I’m keeping one alive to be my mount!"

"Centaurs do make excellent mounts—if you can actually tame them," Jilannis said, hovering in mid-air without any regard for conserving her Magic. "But I should remind you: most Centaurs on this continent are an unruly lot, accustomed to their freedom. If you want to ride one, you’d better make sure you don’t get thrown off first."

"Ah, I see them. They look like they’re preparing to move out. You’ll have to hurry if you want to catch them."

As it turned out, having an eye in the sky made a huge difference. Under Jilannis’s guidance, Ron and his group quickly found an advantageous position and concealed themselves.

Almost no one ever came to this part of the swamp, and the vegetation was incredibly lush. In a clearing ahead, a troop of about twenty Centaurs could be seen erasing the traces of their encampment.

The ground here was muddy and slick, and the Centaurs were clearly unaccustomed to such terrain. They had to step carefully to avoid slipping or sinking into the mire, which made their cleanup work proceed at a snail’s pace.

It was obvious they were hiding from something. Ron could see they had fire-starting materials among their supplies, yet there was no trace of a campfire or torches. They were clearly afraid the smoke would attract trouble.

"Faster, hurry it up!" a female Centaur holding a bronze spear commanded her kin. She wore more numerous and ornate decorations than the others, marking her as their leader. "We’ve already rested here for three whole days! If you don’t want those Beastmen on our trail again, then be quick about it!"

Zandia swished her equine tail in frustration. ’Leading my tribe into this notorious swamp was an act of pure desperation. That fat human in Fromm Town actually refused to shelter us! And after we’d presented him with such a generous gift!’

’Those were masterfully crafted leather goods the tribe had spent years accumulating! Even the outlaws of the Gobi wouldn’t have been able to refuse them! And yet that Victor was only willing to purchase them, and still demanded we leave immediately?!’

’What truly made me fume was that our tribe’s mortal enemies, those Beastmen from the Split Tooth Tribe, had also "coincidentally" migrated in this direction! Those barbaric fools had taken advantage of my negotiations with the town’s mayor to raid our camp, stealing nearly all our water and killing many of our kin!’

For a moment, when no one was looking, a flicker of terror crossed Zandia’s otherwise gaunt and resolute face. ’When Father entrusted the tribe to me, he never said I’d have to face anything like this!’

A cold wind whistled through the gaps in the dense forest, blowing into the clearing. It was a perfectly normal occurrence, but Zandia was suddenly jolted from her thoughts.

’A scent... an unfamiliar scent!’

She whipped her humanoid torso around to face a certain direction—the direction of Ron’s group—and, raising her bronze spear, she bellowed, "Who’s there?! Show yourselves!"

Her cry instantly alerted all the other Centaurs. They immediately dropped what they were doing, drew their weapons, and fell into formation. Aside from a single young Centaur who panicked and slipped in the mud, the entire tribe’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point as they awaited the imminent threat.

However, as the sound of rustling bushes accompanied the newcomers’ appearance, Zandia’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when she saw the source of the unfamiliar scent.

It was a small party of seven, composed almost entirely of humans, not the ugly Beastmen of the Split Tooth Tribe. Beyond that, she even saw two Elves and... a goblin?

"I told you! I told you all, but nobody listens to me!" the goblin shrieked, his voice so loud that Zandia found it grating even from a distance. "You’ve all been bewitched by that Elf!"

"We’re upwind! How do you expect to sneak up on your prey hiding upwind of them?! Huh?!"