Saving The Monster Race Starts With Breeding The Elf Village

Chapter 357: Who’s That Damn Intruder?!

Sensing the sudden vulnerability of her commander, Poppy moved instantly.

She reached up, wrapping her arms tightly around Sigrid’s torso from behind in a comforting hug.

"It’s alright, Sigrid." Poppy whispered softly, her voice thick with emotion. "It’s alright. Your Queen is right here with you."

The words seemed to snap Sigrid out of her reverie.

She turned her head and smiled at Poppy.

"Thank you, my lady."

She straightened, her confidence returning.

Then she looked back at Luca.

"You’re observant, Hero. And you’re right. Compared to the males, who rarely face any danger at all, the female centaurs have certainly suffered more."

Luca opened his mouth to argue—it seemed so unfair, so much like the elf village where the females did all the work while the males lazed about like kings—but before he could speak, Sigrid raised a hand.

"But it’s alright, Hero."

She stood tall, her chest thrust forward with pride.

If her armor hadn’t been in the way, Luca imagined there would have been quite a distracting bounce.

"Even if the males volunteered—even if they begged to take on these duties—we would never accept it."

Luca blinked. "What? Why not?"

"We simply don’t trust them to protect the queen."

Sigrid said, a bitter smile crossing her lips.

"They wouldn’t give their whole hearts to the duty. And there’s no way we could entrust Lady Poppy’s safety to anyone whose loyalty is divided."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the centaurs.

"Absolutely not!"

"No way I’d let those guys near Lady Poppy!"

"They’re better off staying in the village and lazing around!"

"Their cowardice is an insult to everything we stand for!"

Luca listened, his expression thoughtful. It became abundantly clear to him that the gender relations here were just as fractured as those in the elven territories—perhaps even more so.

But then Sigrid chuckled, a sound that surprised him.

"And as for the female centaurs losing their lives on these missions?" She stuck her nose in the air with undeniable pride. "We don’t mind."

The other centaurs straightened as well, their human torsos pulling up, their horse tails lashing with dignified authority.

"Every sacrifice..." Sigrid continued, her voice ringing with conviction. "...is a stepping stone. Every life given is a step forward for the queen."

"From the moment we’re born, we know our purpose in life: to dedicate ourselves completely to her protection."

She looked at Luca, her eyes blazing with conviction.

"Death in service to the Queen is not a tragedy. It is the greatest privilege a centaur can ever achieve."

Not a single centaur disagreed. Not even Thea, who had seemed the most reasonable and level-headed of the group, simply smiled as if she shared the exact same sentiment.

They looked like glorious knights charging into battle, knowing that even in death, they would be welcomed into paradise for their service.

For a moment, even Luca felt a sense of awe.

’This...’ He realized. "...is what true knighthood looks like. The willingness to give your life for your queen without hesitation.’

But there was one person who vehemently disagreed.

SMACK!

Poppy’s hand connected with Sigrid’s shoulder, the sound sharp in the quiet air.

Her face was scrunched up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Stupid Sigrid!" She cried. "Don’t say things like that!"

Sigrid blinked, startled. "My lady?"

"I appreciate all of you protecting me! I really, truly do!" Poppy’s voice wavered. "But if you go and sacrifice yourselves, then..." Her lips trembled. "Then I’ll just become more and more lonely."

She shook her head violently, as if trying to physically reject the thought.

"I forbid you from sacrificing yourself! You’re supposed to serve me until the very end!"

A gentle smile spread across Sigrid’s face. "Of course, my lady. I’m not planning on throwing my life away anytime soon."

Poppy’s expression softened, a sad smile replacing the fierce frown.

"Good. That’s good."

Luca found himself smiling despite himself.

’So the queen cherishes her knights too.’

He had initially thought that Poppy might not fully understand the depth of her knights’ devotion, that she might take their sacrifices for granted.

But seeing how much she cared, how the mere thought of losing them brought her to the brink of tears—he realized he had misjudged her.

The centaurs themselves seemed moved by their queen’s words, their chests swelling with pride and affection.

Their queen loved them. And they loved her back. It was a beautiful relationship.

Sigrid cleared her throat, realizing they had gone off-topic.

"Forgive me, Hero." She said. "We seem to have wandered from the matter at hand."

Luca waved dismissively. "It’s fine. I’m learning a lot about your people."

Sigrid nodded, then took a deep breath.

"Anyway, about a month ago, Lady Poppy went on another one of her expeditions."

She paused, her eyes narrowing as she glanced back at Poppy, who suddenly looked very guilty.

"But this time...she went out on her own."

Luca’s eyebrows shot up. "On her own?"

"Apparently." Sigrid said, her voice taking on a slightly sharp edge. "Lady Poppy wanted to explore the continent without any accompaniment whatsoever."

The other knights joined in, fixing their queen with stern, reproachful gazes.

Poppy shrank under the collective weight of their disapproval, her earlier pride deflating like a punctured balloon.

"She charged out of the village without telling anyone." Sigrid continued gravely. "And to make sure her plan was foolproof, she stuffed pillows under her bed to make it look like she was still sleeping, so that no one would notice she was gone and chase after her."

"I had no choice!" Poppy immediately jumped to her defense. "You never let me go anywhere on my own! I had to trick you!"

She crossed her arms, a smug smirk spreading across her face.

"And it worked perfectly, didn’t it? You all fell for it. That’s your fault for not being clever enough to catch me."

Sigrid’s voice dropped an octave. "Lady. Poppy."

Poppy’s bravado crumbled instantly. She hunched her shoulders, looking down at her feet, and mumbled.

"Sorry, Sigrid."

She looked around at the other centaurs.

"Sorry, everyone. I won’t do it again."

A collective sigh of resignation rippled through the group.

What could they do with a queen who acted on whims like this?

Sigrid shook her head, then turned back to Luca, who was watching the entire exchange with undisguised amusement.

She sighed again, slightly embarrassed, but pressed on.

"Anyway, Lady Poppy successfully escaped. She had a wonderful time traveling from place to place on her own."

"I did! I went everywhere!" Poppy perked up immediately, bouncing on Sigrid’s back.

"I saw rivers so clear you could see the fish swimming!"

"I saw flowers that bloomed in all the colors of the rainbow!"

"And I saw a bird, a blue bird with a red crest that was so beautiful! I just sat there watching it for an hour!"

She was practically glowing with enthusiasm.

"Normally, I never get to see those things because there are always so many knights around me, blocking my view. But when I was alone, I could see everything!"

Luca found himself smiling at her excitement. She really had enjoyed herself.

The knights, on the other hand, looked increasingly aggrieved.

The thought of their Queen wandering the continent alone, exposed to all sorts of dangers, made them feel like they had failed in their most sacred duty.

Several of them made mental notes to never let such a thing happen again.

"Fortunately, despite everything, Lady Poppy had a good time for the first few days. No unfortunate incidents occurred."

Sigrid paused, her gaze sharpening as she fixed it on Luca.

"That is...until she reached the elf village."

Luca’s heart stopped. "What? She went to the elf village? When?"

He racked his brain, trying to remember if any of his wives had mentioned a visit from the centaur queen. But nothing came to mind.

"She didn’t actually interact with any of the elves." Sigrid clarified, noticing his confusion. "Lady Poppy, you see..."

She glanced back at her queen with an awkward expression.

"She’s actually quite shy."

Poppy’s face immediately turned crimson. "Sigrid! Don’t—!"

"When she’s on her own." Sigrid continued, ignoring her queen’s protests. "She finds it very difficult to approach people. She usually ends up hiding away instead."

Luca blinked. "Really?"

"The only reason she’s able to speak to you now is because we’re all here with her."

Sigrid truthfully spilled her queen’s secrets. "She draws strength from our presence."

"Stop lying, Sigrid!" Poppy shrieked, jumping up and down. "That’s fake news! Pure slander against your sovereign!"

"I am perfectly capable of conversing with anyone I want, completely on my own!"

She locked her furious gaze onto Luca, pointing an accusing finger.

"Don’t listen to a single word she says, human! It is complete and utter nonsense!!

She then spun around, pointing at the other centaurs who were hiding soft giggles behind their hands.

"Treason for all of you! You’re all going to the dungeons! Dungeons I say!"

Luca cracked a smile. The mental image was simply too perfect.

Here she was, acting all high and mighty with a literal vanguard of sword-wielding behemoths backing her up.

But the moment she was left alone in the woods, she probably cowered behind a rock, peeping her head out in absolute terror like a lost puppy.

The reality suited her flawlessly.

Sigrid shook her head fondly, clearly enjoying teasing her queen despite being her loyal knight.

"Because of that." She continued. "She didn’t go to the main area where the rest of the elves were. Instead, she went to a lake near the outer borders of the village."

Luca raised an eyebrow. "A lake?"

"Lakes are usually sites of contamination." Sigrid explained. "Lady Poppy along with the previous Queens always purifies them when she encounters them."

"But in this case, it seemed like she also wanted to take a bath."

At this point, Sigrid’s expression turned remarkably dark.

The surrounding knights bristled with palpable fury, their hands instinctively drifting toward their weapons.

Luca felt his muscles tense; he knew the turning point of the story had arrived.

"That was the exact moment..."

Sigrid said, her voice dropping into a cold, hard register.

"...that an intruder stumbled upon her while she was completely unclothed in the water."

Luca’s mind raced. An intruder? A male elf?

"The intruder didn’t just stumble onto the scene. He stayed. He watched my Lady while she was entirely bare, swimming in the lake."

"Mmm—!"

Poppy let out a small, pathetic whimper, covering her entirely flushed face with both hands, looking like she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole.

Thea stepped up, gently patting the trembling Queen’s back.

"But it gets far worse." Sigrid said, her voice turning completely glacial. "The intruder not only saw her but also..."

She paused, her jaw tightening.

"He violated her!"

Luca’s heart turned entirely cold.

Up until this point, he had assumed some perverted male elf had simply peeped on her and run away.

But to hear that this innocent, sheltered, completely naive girl had been violently assaulted while trying to enjoy a moment of freedom made him sick to his very core.

He was already calculating which male elf it could have been, ready to march back to the village, dig up their remains, hack them into loose pieces, and piss on the scraps.

"Which male elf was it?" He asked, his voice cold and steady. "Tell me. I’ll dig up his remains and present it to you to spit on."

Sigrid’s eyes met his. There was a strange intensity in her gaze, a mixture of anger and something else—something he couldn’t quite identify.

She raised her arm, her finger pointing directly at him.

"The intruder..." She announced. "...was none other than you, Hero."