Chapter 80
There were clues leading to the Archer left behind in various places . Libra felt suspicious as she followed the clues . As they led closer and closer to the Archer, Libra’s suspicions became convictions . There was no doubt about it…This trail was intentionally left behind . It was devised to such an extent that an ordinary person probably would not realize it, but if it was Libra, she would definitely put the pieces together .
She did not know his intentions, but it seemed that the other party was specifically looking for her . In that case, there was no other way . She would have to accept the invitation and ask him about his true intentions .
There were no signs of traps . After analyzing the terrain, temperature, and sound within a radius of several kilometers, she was certain that no traps had been set .
The Archer was an expert hunter . Although Libra would not lose at a long-range, the Archer’s true skills lay in the abundant knowledge of utilizing the terrain to set up traps . Furthermore, it was his role to compensate for offensive arcane magic which Ruphas was bad at . In fact, his favored form of attack was actually arcane magic, not arrows . Therefore, his reason for using an actual arrow was none other than to leave a clue .
However, Libra did not choose to return . If she chose to return now in order to call Ruphas and allowed the Archer to get away, everything they had done up to this point would go down the drain . If he seriously tried to get away, it would be difficult even for Libra to find him . Given his mobility, it would be easy for him to leave the capital while she was returning to Ruphas . Since the other party was practically inviting her, she might as well just follow through with it .
Having decided thus, Libra continued to follow the clues along with Karkinos . Faint footprints, traces of trampled grass, and body hair fallen in the undergrowth…Even with just a handful of such clues, Libra could accurately arrive at the destination . After searching for a while, she came to a dense forest . There were many objects to provide cover . This was the favored battlefield of the Archer .
“You have come, Libra . ”
“Sagittarius?”
As she turned towards the sound of the voice, there was a young man standing there . It was the commentator for the hunting festival, a man named Chiron . However, this was just an illusion created by arcane magic . Seeing through the illusion, Libra called out his name without hesitation .
Hearing her response, the Archer—Sagittarius smiled in satisfaction and shook his arm . Then, the man vanished and was replaced by a half-man, half-horse magical beast . The lower body was a horse, while the upper body was a muscular man . This was the true form of Sagittarius .
His black hair was cut to a flattop, while thick eyebrows framed his sharp eyes which were hidden behind sunglasses . He had the dignity of a skilled hunter . With a cigar in his mouth and an unshaven beard, he looked to be in his late forties by human standards .
He was wearing a full-body robe . Libra knew it was an item which was created and given to him by Ruphas . Its effect was by no means great . It did not improve defense much and did not grant resistance to any attribute or abnormal status . However, it could change color to blend into the surroundings . It was a great equipment for stealth, but it was useless before Libra who could locate a creature by its breathing and heat signature .
“How unusual . For you to reveal yourself like this, when you rarely ever show yourself to others . ”
“……”
“You once said, ‘To be the ideal hunter is to hunt the prey down before they realize they are being hunted . ’…You almost never show yourself even to your allies . For someone who kills enemies from afar like a shadow, your current behavior is really puzzling . ”
Although both Sagittarius and Libra were long-range attackers, there was a difference in their approaches . Libra’s approach was to seek and destroy . She was a slaughtering machine that chased down the enemy relentlessly, overwhelming him with massive firepower . In other words, despite being a long-range attacker, it was Libra’s style to proactively engage on her enemies without reservation . Her long-range attacks were not meant to fight the enemy at a distance, but rather to finish off a fleeing enemy or to cut off an escape route .
Sagittarius, on the other hand, was the opposite . His race—the centaur—was the perfect sniper who kept a distance from the enemy with its high mobility while continuously attacking the enemy from his blindspot .
Libra would start with a warning, letting the enemy recognize her so as to incite fear and pressure . However, Sagittarius would not do this . Without warning, he would take down a defenseless foe with one shot . He was basically an assassin . Libra was a professional combatant, but he was different . He was a professional killer .
Someone like him…Whenever he appeared before others, he would always disguise himself to hide his true form . Yet he was appearing like this now . This was what puzzled Libra . Did he appear like this because he did not feel threatened in the presence of comrades? No, if that was the case, he would have appeared before Ruphas directly . But since he did not do so, his appearance before Libra was unlikely to be a matter of “Come, let’s be comrades once more . ”
“…The current me have neither the right nor the face to appear before Ruphas-sama . That’s why I called for you . ”
“I can assume from those words that you are undertaking an action that is unfavorable to the interest of the master . ”
“It’s fine if you take it to mean that way . But first, I want you to listen to me . ”
The eyes of Libra and Sagittarius met and sparks flew . Karkinos, who was completely left out and unable to intrude in this atmosphere, could only sit down and lean against a tree in boredom . After all, he was a person who could serve no other purpose besides being a shield .
“I’m currently working with Leon . ”
“…With that traitor? Let me hear your reason . ”
Before she even verified the truth, Libra was already holding a machine gun in her hands . The implication was that she would shoot depending on the answer . However, Sagittarius’ expression did not change . It was an iron mask comparable to a golem like Libra .
“There is almost no difference between beastkin and magical beasts, yet we centaurs are classified as magical beasts . Do you know why?”
“Because centaurs are not bipedal . The definition of humanoids in this world uses humans as a base form . While there could be some appendages like wings, humanoids are defined as creatures that can coexist with humans without being too different in shape . To be more precise, those who were created to resemble the goddess are labelled ‘humanoids’ . Therefore, if one’s form deviates too much from the base form, it cannot be considered ‘humanoid . ’ This is why you centaurs are not considered humanoids . Merfolk are classified as magical beasts for the same reason . ”
“Indeed, but we centaurs do not abduct women like orcs and we do not actively attack people . We just live our lives quietly . Centaurs can coexist with humans . And yet we are viewed with hostility…merely because we are considered magical beasts . ”
Centaurs were gentle and thoughtful magical beasts . In a way, their calm and intelligent nature made them more suitable to be considered a civilized race than some humanoids such as the beastkin . In fact, the elves honored them as sages of the forest .
They were intelligent, quiet, and gentle . Although there were rare exceptions like Sagittarius, centaurs were basically pacifistic creatures that posed no danger to anyone . However, they were seen with hostility by humanoids other than elves and were even attacked in certain situations . This was because the humanoids were taught to consider all magical beasts as dangerous in the current world .
“I’ve been thinking that I want to change the current world . And now I have a reason to do so . ”
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