novelraw Chapter 180: The Mysteries of the Centaur Race
Chapter 180: The Mysteries of the Centaur Race
"Xi Yate?"
The Centaur girl appearing before Fisher's eyes was exactly that Xi Yate from the New Party's Southern Continent Protection Association. Fisher also hadn't expected to be able to see her here. After all, it was previously mentioned that although the geographical location of the Klein Mountains was in the direction of Saint-Nazareth University, the actual distance was extremely far apart.
At this moment, Xi Yate was wearing tight-fitting hunting clothes characteristic of the Centaur Race. These clothes fit extremely well. Not only did they simultaneously wrap around both their human body and horse body, but they also minimized the air resistance received by Centaur demi-humans when running to the greatest extent. At the same time, female Centaur demi-humans would, like Xi Yate, tie a head of long hair into a hair knot that wasn't easy to come loose.
A Centaur like this lacked a bit of the tranquility of a normal lady compared to usual times, but it brought viewers a wildness feeling exactly like the vast and boundless prairies of the Southern Continent; it was an equally beautiful type.
"Fisher! Why are you here? This is... ah re, the appearance of this demi-human looks a bit familiar... isn't this the female student who walked into the office last time?"
Skipping over the changes currently on Jasmine's body, Xi Yate carefully sized up the restrained Jasmine in front of her, and abruptly asked Fisher as if she remembered something.
This sentence truly frightened Jasmine. After all, she now knew there were still many humans capturing her. Consequently, she hurriedly covered her small face, shaking her head in a panic and quibbled.
"I'm not, I'm not... I'm not the female classmate you saw in the office before..."
This appearance of "revealing truth by trying to hide it" made Xi Yate laugh. Fisher walked to Jasmine's side and gently patted her head, making her let out a "squeak" sound while hiding behind Fisher at once so she wouldn't let Xi Yate see her face.
Fisher explained his and Jasmine's situation to Xi Yate. He also had no idea how Xi Yate ran all the way over here."I have already resigned from Saint-Nazareth University, and because of her demi-human identity, she is also being wanted by the Naris authorities... What about you? How did you run all the way from so far away to the Klein Mountains here?"
"Ah, it seems we're all doing terribly..."
Xi Yate cast a sympathetic glance at Fisher, and sequentially put the curved bow still hung on her shoulder behind her first. The quiver behind her swayed, containing several types of arrows of different lengths. Two hunting knives were also equipped at her waist.
She trotted with her horse hooves to the front of that already-dead wild boar, backhandedly pulled the arrow out, looked up at Fisher and said.
"I happened to hit a piece of prey. Otherwise, how about we eat it together tonight? I can't finish it all alone, and bringing it back is too far..."
Fisher nodded and walked to her side, helping her drag that wild boar towards the direction of their camp. Their camp wasn't far from here; actually, they arrived shortly after.
After arriving, Xi Yate placed a hand above her eyebrows. After sizing up a circle around that well-organized camp, she praised Fisher's ability to tidy up a camp.
"Wow, your hands are very deft. Usually in the wild, I casually put together a few tree branches or something and that would suffice for the night."
Fisher tossed the wild boar onto the ground backhandedly. At this time, he finally had an opportunity to ask what on earth she came here for.
"So, why are you here?"
"For what else, exactly like you, I'm also unemployed."
Once she spoke of this, Xi Yate's small face turned bitter. As she spoke, she drew a small bag from her waist. Inside were not only knives for shaving and cutting meat, but also several small bottles. According to what Xi Yate said, inside were salt and spices from the Southern Continent.
Jasmine squatted beside them, watching Xi Yate proficiently drain the blood and shave the hair of the dead wild boar. She couldn't easily accomplish this kind of thing. She even had to hesitate for a long time just to hunt. As expected, she was still suited to waiting in the ocean trench for people above to throw fish down for her to eat.
But Mother had said that Whale-kin were creatures at the top of the food chain in the ocean, and she only needed to train properly to become a qualified Whale-kin.
Consequently, Jasmine forced herself to squat beside Xi Yate, watching her drain blood and handle the pork, exercising her own courage... although she really didn't know whether it was of any use or not.
"Unemployed? You can also be unemployed? The New Party invited you back from the Southern Continent..."
"Mhm, accurately speaking, it shouldn't be considered unemployed. It seems the people from the New Party encountered some trouble recently; many people are investigating them. Although they seemingly haven't found anything yet, everyone is busy running up and down. Who could remember there's still a cute Centaur girl waiting for them to deliver food in the house beside Saint-Nazareth University?"
Good heavens, it turned out the New Party had completely forgotten they still had a Centaur demi-human living here in order to deal with the royal family's investigation recently.
With no one delivering stuff, solely relying on those vegetables Xi Yate planted in the courtyard herself wasn't enough to eat at all. Therefore, Xi Yate could only regress to the tradition of the Southern Continent, coming out to hunt and find food.
"What about you two? Why did you run to these battered mountains? Even if this... hey, what demi-human were you again?"
"W-Whale-kin!"
"Ah, Whale-kin, huh. No wonder she looks a bit like the whales seen in the Naris Museum... Since she came from the sea, this is my first time seeing one..."
Xi Yate cast a glance at that pretty whale tail and ears on Jasmine's body, saying so. Actually, it wasn't that the Southern Continent had no aquatic demi-humans, but those demi-humans all survived in freshwater and couldn't live in the sea.
Regardless of freshwater or saltwater, a sovereign-level creature like Jasmine that could survive even after coming ashore, it was still her first time seeing one.
"P-Please take care of me, my name is Jasmine."
"Ah, my name is Xi Yate, there's no need to be so polite."
Xi Yate was amused by Jasmine's cute and restrained appearance. She smiled amicably at her, making blushing Jasmine relax quite a bit.
Fisher at the side didn't say it in too much detail. He merely told Xi Yate that he and Jasmine were conducting combat training deep in the mountains, and that they might use it later on.
After hearing it, Xi Yate nodded, not asking much, merely continuing to handle the pork.
Very quickly, a piece of pork was handled by Xi Yate into the appearance of raw meat sold in the market. Her movements were extremely fast. She still had to use spices to marinate the raw meat, saying doing this could make the roasted flavor even better.
Fisher-Who-Cannot-Cook-Benavides watched Xi Yate operate the entire time, just like he was reading a heavenly book. He just felt what Xi Yate made ought to taste quite a bit better than his own. The only thing he could do was help Xi Yate start a fire on the side.
"The pork is ready!"
Not waiting for long, Xi Yate placed the cut wild boar on a roasting rack over the flames, speaking rather proudly to the Fisher duo.
"Just wait and I'll let you taste the craftsmanship of the Centaur who is the best at cooking in the Centaur tribe, just watch."
She rotated the skewered pork on the roasting rack with quite a bit of rhythm. Fisher didn't have much reaction, but rather it was Jasmine watching that sizzling, oily pork while continuously gulping her saliva. It was as if she couldn't move her gaze away, asking Xi Yate "when can we eat" with her gaze at every moment.
Seeing Jasmine blankly watching her roast meat, Xi Yate gave her the first roasted portion to eat.
"Mhm, it's roughly ready to eat. Jasmine, this portion is yours."
"Ah, thank you!"
Xi Yate took the largest portion and gave it to Jasmine, subsequently taking a portion for herself and giving one to Fisher. He took a small taste, discovering the flavor of this Southern Continent specialty seasoning was extremely decent, it was just that the flavor was relatively stimulating. It required quite a long time to get accustomed to it before one could experience the deliciousness of this spice.
The understanding and considerate Xi Yate put less in, so Fisher felt the taste was very good.
"Speaking of which, do you know how to see patients, Fisher? After staying in the West Continent for a long time I always feel my body is not too comfortable..."
While eating the meat, Xi Yate suddenly put down the bone in her hand. After washing her hands with the stream water, she asked the adjacent Fisher as such.
The flames of the fire slightly flickered. At this moment, Xi Yate was kneeling and sitting on the ground. Her four horse hooves were exposed due to the nature of her sitting posture, but the body of her horse half was still draped with a tight-fitting robe.
"Where are you uncomfortable? I am not very knowledgeable regarding Centaur demi-humans, I can only help you take a look first."
Fisher also put down the food in his hand and walked to Xi Yate's side.
And Jasmine, who was eating meat nearby, watched Fisher walk towards that Xi Yate who was kneeling and sitting on the ground wearing a smile. That Centaur lady's figure was vigorous and beautiful, and with a slight flick of her ponytail behind her, it brought a kind of wild beauty.
Jasmine's ears twitched alertly. Subsequently, the cheeks on her small face also puffed up. She rapidly finished eating all the food in her hands, and then silently followed behind Fisher, watching Fisher's actions.
Fisher turned his head to look at Jasmine who followed over, but saw her wearing absolutely no expression, merely "staring" at his fingers and actions. Why did it feel like there was an implication of monitoring?
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he looked toward Xi Yate. Xi Yate pointed to her own stomach, and said with some distress.
"Recently I always feel my stomach is sometimes uncomfortable, and there is also an exceptionally exhausted feeling. Could it be because I haven't exercised for too long? These few days, once I exercise my entire body feels uncomfortable..."
Fisher didn't directly reach out to touch her body, lest Jasmine behind him instantly knock him out unconscious. He gently touched his walking stick that lit up with splendor onto her body, and in the next second, a faint radiance extended along her body, very quickly illuminating the mana circuit and various organs on her body.
When in the Southern Continent examining Raphaela's body, Fisher had also used this method, able to clearly see the structure inside the biological body.
It was at this time that Fisher finally figured out what the body structure of a Centaur was like for the first time.
The body of Centaur demi-humans had two parts in total, namely the human-like upper body and the horse's lower body. The organ structure of the upper body had a massive difference compared to humans. Their reproductive system and urinary system were both in the horse's lower body, so the structure of the upper body looked somewhat vacant.
Moreover, Centaurs possessed two hearts, simultaneously bearing the movement consumption and blood supply of the two parts. It seemed because ordinary running and movement burdened them immensely, this kind of situation appeared.
Usually when they weren't moving, the heart in the upper body had a normal speed, and the beating speed of the other one would slow down. Once they began to move, the two hearts would fire on all cylinders simultaneously, providing them with explosive movement capability exactly like the core of a steam engine. Additionally, their body structure was also indeed extremely suited for running.
From the radiance transmitted back by the walking stick right now, the beating of that heart in her horse body was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, just like it was somewhat unadapted after abruptly being activated. It was the exact same as how humans who hadn't exercised for a long time would feel uncomfortable in all sorts of ways and generate feelings of unadaptability after abruptly doing intense exercise.
Fisher's gaze continued downward, sweeping past the other organs inside her body to see if there were any other problems. The result was that moving to a location somewhat toward the back, right when it was about to approach the reproductive system part, Xi Yate noticed Fisher's line of sight. She was instantly somewhat shy, her face reddening. She hurriedly stood up, shaking off Fisher's walking stick placed on her body, making the shapes of those organs on her body disappear.
"Hah... How is it? Is there a result?"
She asked somewhat unnaturally, and her horse hooves also jumped, diverting the temperature of the atmosphere a bit.
Looking at the shyness on her face, Jasmine slightly pouted her mouth, casting a glance at Fisher. Seeing he had no special expression and instead merely picked up his walking stick, only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"Mhm, roughly it's because you have two hearts, and the second heart hasn't been used much during this time in the West Continent, so when abruptly entering a state of movement again it will be somewhat unadapted. I didn't see any other problems."
Fisher retracted his walking stick, making a simple conclusion regarding her symptoms. But he couldn't guarantee it was correct either, merely telling Xi Yate to come find him if it got worse later. After all, the people of the New Party couldn't be counted on now.
Xi Yate sighed, touching the horse muscles behind her with some distress, and sighed.
"It looks like I'm still suited to surviving on the prairies of the Southern Continent. At that time, I ran on the grass every day, and incidentally could also teach the foals of my tribe to learn how to fight and run. It's much better than staying here eating dirt!"
"Fight?"
Jasmine instantly heard the keyword within her words, shifting her gaze away from Fisher and looking at the heroic, valiant, and rather spirited Centaur girl in front of her.
To tell the truth, Jasmine actually very much envied this kind of brave lady, because she herself couldn't be as brave as her.
Ever since Fisher helped her, Jasmine had secretly sworn to work hard and cheer up to become much stronger. Therefore, she subconsciously let out this questioning word.
Jasmine's words attracted Xi Yate. She nodded and laughed.
"Hmph, don't just look at me being a female Centaur, I am very adept at fighting. Of course, I'm also adept at teaching others... Just now Fisher said he was teaching you to fight? If you ask me, right now you don't need to learn combat techniques, but rather need to establish the courage to fight first."
Fisher's eyes shifted slightly. Actually, he brought Jasmine here precisely to train her courage. Because only by possessing the courage to face reality alone instead of hiding could Jasmine truly achieve balance.
Previously he merely roughly told Xi Yate they were doing combat training, never expecting Xi Yate could point out Jasmine's problem.
Fisher had no objections regarding Xi Yate's review, but instead focusedly listened to her thoughts.
After all, Fisher himself was merely a dabbler regarding close combat. Otherwise, Eliog wouldn't have been sighing and groaning at his training previously. Having a professional teacher able to offer opinions now might not be a bad thing. He didn't want to yield zero results these few days and then bring Jasmine, who could lose control at any time, to the Healing House.
After listening to it, Jasmine cast a glance at Fisher. Upon seeing him nod his head, only then did she earnestly ask Xi Yate.
"T-Then how can I possess the courage to fight? I... Every time I think of fighting I want to hide. I don't want to get into a conflict with someone else at all..."
"Courage isn't encouraging you to get into conflicts with someone else, but rather it lies in cultivating your ability to welcome challenges. The body structure of Centaurs is actually extremely unsuited for running. You see, our upper half is like a human, and our lower half is a horse. Once those young foals begin to run, the scenery flying past along the way, the fierce winds assaulting their faces, and the uncontrollable force forcing them to fall backward will become the source of their fear..."
Under Xi Yate's description, only then did Fisher realize Centaurs were actually not born knowing how to run. Compared to the horses in nature, this demi-human still required training to run normally. Once they began to run, that humanoid form that didn't fit a horse's shape would feel discomfort. They needed training to use the correct running posture.
"Therefore, they need to fall over time and time again on the prairie, their skin getting cut by the wind time and time again before they can learn how to run. From halting their steps at the very beginning, to running blindly with their eyes closed not daring to face it later on, to proficiently accelerating their run at the very end."
"You need to believe in yourself. Exactly like how when Centaurs see a prairie, they can't conceal the desire to sprint wildly in their hearts... Since Jasmine is a demi-human from the ocean, and furthermore a demi-human species that calls itself an overlord like a whale, you definitely won't be forever stagnated in timidity and fear..."
The more Jasmine heard, the brighter her eyes became, as if moved by the spirit Xi Yate described when Centaurs trained to run. Her tail flicked up and down, waiting for Xi Yate's teaching.
Xi Yate smiled slightly, looking at the Klein River down the mountain, and subsequently looking at Fisher. She spoke somewhat unnaturally.
"Mhm, to put it simply... err... I'm not saying the combat methods Fisher taught are bad. What I'm saying is... is there a possibility... since Jasmine is a demi-human from the ocean, would training within the water be much better?"
Facing Xi Yate's seemingly unintentional questioning, Fisher opened his mouth, yet for a moment was unable to retort. Because he felt what Xi Yate said was very reasonable.
Whale-kin couldn't stay on land for long. Living on land placed a massive burden on them; every once in a while they had to return to soak in water for a long time, much less still needed to undergo combat training...
Once this logic was sorted out, the atmosphere instantly quieted down. Only Jasmine blankly cast a glance at Fisher, and then cast a glance at Xi Yate.
Afterwards, she seemed to realize something. She immediately explained to Xi Yate on Fisher's behalf with a blushing face.
"Teacher Fisher's training is very effective... and he also helped me a lot. I am much braver than before!"
"I know... I really didn't mean Fisher teaches poorly..."
Waiting after Xi Yate's words finished, Fisher let out a faint sigh that was undetectable. He looked at Jasmine beside him and concurrently said.
"What Xi Yate said is correct. My understanding of combat training is indeed not great. After all, I had also only just started learning previously. Starting tomorrow, let's follow what Xi Yate said and go try in the Klein River."