Chapter 360: Pursuer and Pursuer

Pergrande had no idea how long she'd been unconscious. When she finally came to, a bright light was shining directly into her eyes.

"It's too bright! It's too bright!" The Priest, her mind still stuck in the moment before she passed out, immediately let out a pained cry. "Tyr!"

"Tyr? Where's Tyr?" A sturdy stranger's silhouette blocked the midday sun. "Hey, are you awake?"

Pergrande's senses slowly returned. As her vision cleared, she saw a young female Centaur holding an earthenware bowl filled with half-melted snow.

"Good, it seems you're fully awake. Here, drink some water first." The Centaur handed over the bowl and had another Centaur bring some dry rations. The food was so coarse it would barely pass for Centaur fare, and for Pergrande, it tasted like chewing wax. But she was in no state to be picky.

"Finally… I'm alive." After devouring an entire adult Centaur's meal in one go, the Priest nearly choked to death. She pounded her chest with her fist, finally catching her breath after a long moment. "Thank you. Thank you for your generosity!"

Although most Centaurs belonged to the Chaos Camp, they were kind by nature. Pergrande considered herself incredibly lucky to have run into them.

"You're a Priest from the Molten Iron Barrier, aren't you? Even we have heard of your Religious Order's achievements on the battlefield against demons," the Centaur said with a friendly smile. "We found you passed out in the snow. Are you heading north? We might be going the same way!"

"Nor… Yes, I'm going north," Pergrande quickly affirmed. "I am indeed a Priest from the Molten Iron Barrier. You can call me Pergrande. I'm heading there on an urgent mission."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Pergrande. I am Zandia, the leader of this tribe." The Centaur kindly helped her up. "Where exactly are you headed? Rose City? Carolina? We only migrated here recently, but we're still fairly familiar with the roads."

'They just migrated here? No wonder I've never heard of them before. Maybe I can use their help to shake off my pursuers?'

Pergrande mulled this over, but her expression didn't betray her thoughts. "I'm headed to Delusional Land. Have you heard of it? A new territory was established there recently."

"You mean the territory established by Lord Ron?" Zandia looked at Pergrande, pleasantly surprised. "What a coincidence! We're also preparing to go there and seek his protection!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Zandia realized her blunder and quickly tried to backtrack. "O-of course, that's just us seeking his protection. You, on the other hand, must be representing the Molten Iron Barrier to negotiate with them, right?"

"You could say that," Pergrande replied with a bitter smile. "Might I have the honor of traveling with you?"

"We would be delighted! However, it looks like you're having trouble with your feet. Why don't you ride on my back? We can leave right away!"

These nomadic people, who came and went like the wind and cherished their freedom, were unlikely to get involved in the conflict between Pergrande and the Religious Order. Still, just to be safe, Pergrande warned Zandia, "Thank you, Miss Zandia, but I suggest we leave as soon as possible. A group of Devil's Believers disguised as members of the Religious Order are hunting me. If they catch up to us, it could cause additional trouble for you and your kin."

"Do they have mounts?" Zandia asked.

"They do," Pergrande said after thinking for a moment. "But warhorses can't travel fast in this terrain, and pack animals are slow. They have no other means of transport."

"Then there's no problem!" Zandia's tense expression instantly relaxed. The young Centaur leader let out a high-pitched neigh. "Alright, everyone, prepare to leave!"

Zandia had grown at an astonishing rate since leaving the Gobi Desert. Now, not a single voice in the tribe opposed her. At her command, the Centaurs immediately sprang into action. Zandia crouched down for Pergrande to climb onto her back, and they quickly galloped away from the troubled area.

"Miss Zandia, where is your tribe from? Forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard of you before." A thousand thoughts flooded Pergrande's mind as she savored the long-lost feeling of freedom. Riding on a Centaur's back was an experience she'd never even dreamed of, but right now, there were still things she needed to confirm.

"Do you know of Cloud Port? We used to live in the Gobi Desert between it and Delusional Land," Zandia explained, her words clear even as she galloped at full speed. "The northern climate has become increasingly harsh over the past few years, so we decided it was time to migrate."

"But who could have guessed it would snow this heavily in the south?"

"So, you're planning to go back?"

"Go back? We'll never go back! Even with the snow, food isn't too hard to find here in the south. The Gobi is a different story. We're going to Delusional Land for another reason."

The Centaur leader sighed. "To be frank, you have people hunting you, and we have people tracking us. They're Centaurs, just like us, except…"

"That bastard Kolzim and his lackeys!" snorted a Centaur galloping beside Zandia. "Zandia has made no mistakes. In fact, she's the one who has led us this far—and they want to oust her just to take power for themselves!"

"What's there to fight over…?" Pergrande didn't understand. She glanced at the surrounding Centaurs. There weren't many of them. 'Even if the rebels have a similar number, that's only a few dozen in total. Is that kind of power really worth anything?'

"They're not here now, so didn't you part ways? Why are they still tracking you?"

"They have no intention of parting ways!" Zandia laughed. "We slipped away a few days ago, while they were sound asleep! Don't worry. This heavy snowfall has covered our hoofprints. It won't be easy for them to track us!"

"By the time they find us again, we'll probably be almost at Delusional Land!"

Zandia was quite proud of her tactic of leaving without a word, but reality was unlikely to be so kind. Less than half a day after Zandia and the others had departed, six robust Centaurs arrived at the very spot where Pergrande had been found unconscious.

"They were here for a while, but we're still too late." The leader of the group was none other than Kolzim. He angrily threw the rations in his hand into the snow. "That cunning little bitch!"

"We have to move faster!" Kolzim's gaze swept over his followers. "Don't worry, I've already figured out where they're headed! We'll take a shortcut!"

"You won't be taking any shortcuts."

Just as the six Centaurs prepared to leave, the sound of a horn blast echoed. Kolzim's pupils shrank. He saw droves of soldiers and Priests swarming them from three directions like a black tide. Their leader didn't even come up to Kolzim's knee, but his aura, honed by years of command, was enough to make the Centaurs' hearts palpitate with fear.

"Who are you people?!"

"Who we are is unimportant." David Hamilton Sred pulled his beast-pelt cloak tighter around himself and gestured for his men to surround the six Centaurs. "The Positioning Magic indicates Pergrande left with a group of Centaurs. That would be you, correct?"

"Listen here, you savage creatures. I will only ask this once: Where is the woman, Pergrande? Where have you hidden her?!"