Saving The Monster Race Starts With Breeding The Elf Village

Chapter 361: Reasonable And Unreasonable Centaurs

Just as it seemed like the situation was about to spiral out of control, Sigrid closed her eyes.

She stood there, perfectly still, her expression unreadable.

The other centaurs looked at her, waiting for her command. She was their commander. Whatever she decided, they would follow.

Finally, she opened her eyes.

"If anyone else had done what you did to Lady Poppy—"

She said, her voice calm but carrying a hint of steel.

"—we would have no choice but to cut them down on the spot."

The other centaurs nodded in grim agreement.

"Whether they ran north, south, east, or west." Sigrid continued. "Whether they fled to the human continent or the depths of hell itself, we would chase them."

"We would not rest until we brought back their severed head."

A cold chill ran down Luca’s spine. He wasn’t particularly scared by the threat.

But the sincerity in her voice, the absolute conviction, told him that she meant every word.

"What you did was the most blasphemous thing one could do to our queen. You took her innocence. There is no way our brigade, who exist solely to protect her could let such a sin go unanswered."

The centaurs shifted, some of them reaching for their weapons.

’So this is it.’ He thought. ’After all that talking, all that explaining, they’re still going to—’

"But."

Sigrid’s voice shifted.

The centaurs looked at her in surprise.

"Unlike the other males of this continent." Sigrid said, changing her tone. "You know nothing of our traditions. Nothing of our culture."

"You don’t understand what we cherish, what we hold sacred...or what we consider unforgivable."

She let the silence linger.

"You are an outsider, Hero. An exile from another world. You arrived here knowing nothing of our history, our customs, or our taboos."

Her blue eyes met Luca’s.

"You acted out of ignorance, not malice."

Quiet murmurs spread through the gathered centaurs.

Some of the younger knights exchanged uncertain glances, while the older veterans including Thea slowly nodded in agreement.

"From your perspective." Sigrid continued. "You simply went to bathe and were suddenly charged by a unicorn. You defended yourself, believing your life was in danger."

She turned to the others.

"Had any one of us, fully aware of our customs, committed such an act, there would be no excuse."

Her voice remained firm.

"But he is not one of us."

"He could not have respected traditions he had never been taught."

"The circumstances matter. The intent matters."

Luca blinked. "So...you’re saying...?"

"I’m saying that while what you did was wrong, it was not evil." Sigrid’s voice softened. "And there is also the matter of what you have done for us."

She looked at him with a hint of respect in her eyes.

"You are the Hero sent by the Goddess to save us from the human invasion. And you succeeded."

"You created a path of destruction, a warpath, just to protect us."

Her voice grew louder.

"If you had not existed, we would have been ambushed by humans sooner or later."

"We would have been treated like toys, like pets. Human nobles would have put saddles on our backs and ridden us like cattle."

A shudder ran through the centaur ranks.

The thought of it of being forced to carry humans like common beasts of burden was a nightmare they had all feared.

"That would have been the most horrible disgrace imaginable." Sigrid said gravely before looking at Luca with relief.

"But because you intervened, because you pushed back the invading race, we live in peace today."

She lowered her head. "For that, you have my gratitude."

She looked at her fellow centaurs. "And not just my gratitude. The gratitude of everyone here."

It was her subtle message to bow down as well and give Luca the respect he deserves.

Thea was the first to follow, bowing her head in respect.

The older, more experienced centaurs followed suit.

They had lived long enough to understand the bigger picture.

They knew what Luca had done for them.

The younger centaurs hesitated. Their pride was wounded. Their queen had been violated.

But under Sigrid’s stern gaze, they too bowed their heads—reluctantly, grudgingly, but they bowed.

For a long moment, the entire brigade of centaurs stood with their heads lowered, showing respect to the man who had saved them.

All except Poppy, who was still glaring at Luca with undisguised indignation.

But no one could force her to bow if she didn’t want to.

Luca himself was stunned.

He had expected stubbornness. He had expected pride. He had expected them to refuse to see his side of things.

But instead, they had listened.

They had understood.

They had acknowledged his ignorance and his contributions.

’Nyx was completely wrong about them.’ He thought. ’The centaurs aren’t stubborn at all."

’They’re probably the most understanding race I’ve met. Even the elves were more stubborn back then.’

When Sigrid finally lifted her head, the other centaurs followed suit.

Some of them still looked aggrieved, but they were no longer reaching for their weapons.

"Normally, an act like yours could never be excused, regardless of the circumstances."

She spoke slowly so everyone could hear.

"But you saved every life in this realm. And as the Goddess of Equivalent Exchange states in her scriptures, the debt of your offense and the debt of our salvation cancel each other out."

Luca’s face broke into a huge, excited smile.

"So...we’re good? I’m forgiven?"

"You are forgiven." Sigrid confirmed smoothly.

"Thank...fucking....god...."

Luca let out a massive sigh of relief, already thinking about how easy the upcoming alliance negotiations were going to be.

"However..."

Sigrid added, taking a step forward as her hand slowly reached down to the hilt of her sword.

"While you are forgiven...the offense cannot simply be forgotten."

Luca’s smile instantly froze. "Wait, what?"

SCHWING!

Sigrid drew her long, gleaming blade in one fluid motion, holding it straight out toward Luca’s chest.

"What are you doing?!" Luca sputtered, taking a half-step back. "Didn’t you just say I was off the hook?!"

"Your life is not forfeit, Hero, and we harbor no hatred toward you."

Sigrid explained calmly, her eyes narrowing with absolute warrior discipline.

"However, Lady Poppy’s honor was still tarnished. If we simply walk away without addressing it, the dignity of the royal bloodline will be ruined forever."

Poppy vigorously nodded her head in agreement from the back. "Yeah! What she said!"

"As her First Knight." Sigrid declared, lifting her sword higher. "It is my sacred duty to reclaim my queen’s dignity. And the only honorable way to do that...is through a formal duel!"

The centaur knights immediately burst into cheers, stamping their hooves against the ground in rhythmic approval.

"Duel! Duel! Duel!"

"Reclaim out lady’s honour!"

"Fight on, Commander!"

To them, this was the perfect outcome—no hatred, no murder, just an honorable battle to settle the score.

Luca pressed his palms to his forehead, feeling a massive headache coming on.

"Come on, guys! Can’t we just forgive and forget?! Why do we have to swing swords around?!"

"As I stated." Sigrid replied coolly, raising her blade into a high guard. "You are forgiven. But a knight cannot simply forget a stain on her ruler’s honor."

"Now, draw your weapon, Hero! Let us fight for the Queen’s honor!"

Luca stared at the gleaming steel pointed at his face, completely baffled by how he had managed to talk his way out of an execution, only to end up right back at square one.

’They’re reasonable about everything else.’ He thought. ’But when it comes to honor and tradition, they’re like boulders. Immovable.’

But then a thought struck him.

A rather mischievous thought to persuade them to not fight him.

He started chuckling.

"Haha..."

It was a quiet chuckle at first, barely audible.

But it grew into a full-bodied laugh, his shoulders shaking as he wore a mocking, almost infuriating smile on his face.

"Hahahaha!"

The centaurs exchanged confused glances.

Sigrid’s eyes narrowed warily. "Something amusing, Hero?"

Luca looked up at her, that same infuriating smile plastered across his face.

"No, no. It’s nothing." He shook his head, still grinning. "I was just thinking..."

"Thinking what?"

"That even if we dueled right now..." He met her gaze, his eyes glinting with amusement. "It would be completely pointless. For you, at least."

Sigrid’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean." Luca said, spreading his arms. "You’ll never win."

A hush fell over the crowd.

The centaurs stared at him, their expressions shifting from confusion to offense.

How dare he say that to their commander?!

To the woman who had led them through countless battles?!

"I’m not trying to mock you." Luca continued, his tone surprisingly sincere. "I’m sure every single one of you is a formidable warrior."

He pointed at Sigrid. "Especially you, Sigrid. The way everyone looks at you with respect, the way they wait for your decisions...it’s clear you wield tremendous power in that blade of yours."

Sigrid’s chest swelled with pride at the acknowledgment.

The other centaurs nodded in agreement, their earlier offense tempered by the recognition of their commander’s skill.

"But." Luca said, his smile turning sharp. "You have to understand who you’re facing."

He tapped his chest.

"I’m the Hero sent by the Goddess herself. I single-handedly stopped the invasion of an entire continent. The same continent that was going to cross the sea and enslave every single one of you."

The centaurs’ expressions flickered.

"The Goddesses on the human side had to send a bunch of heroes just to handle little old me." Luca’s voice dripped with dark amusement. "So tell me, Sigrid...how exactly do you plan on defeating me?"

He leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Do you really think that’s possible?"

Silence.

The centaurs exchanged nervous glances. The fire that had been in their eyes moments ago flickered and dimmed.

Now that they actually thought about it, fighting Luca was utterly insane!

This was a man who had thousands of deaths beneath his hands. He had massacred his way to peace on the human continent.

He was not like the warriors here, who fought for honor and protection.

He was a force of nature—overwhelmingly powerful, utterly merciless! 09

Thea, in particular, knew this better than most. She had been there during the meeting.

She had seen how the Vampire Queen, the Dragon Queen, and the Ogre Queen herself had been powerless when Luca approached them.

Warriors as mighty as they were had been toppled like children playing with dolls.

Even Poppy, who had been so adamant about punishing Luca, now looked hesitant. She tugged at Sigrid’s arm, her eyes wide with worry.

But Sigrid herself?

She didn’t flinch.

She stood tall, her expression unwavering, her eyes meeting Luca’s without a hint of fear.

"It does not matter, Hero."

Luca blinked. "It...doesn’t matter?"

"No." Sigrid’s voice was calm, steady. "Whether I win this fight or lose, it doesn’t matter to me at all. I’m doing this out of formality. To regain my lady’s honor."

She raised her sword higher, the blade catching the sunlight.

"Even if I know I’ll be beaten by the end of it, I’ll accept my loss with grace. But the most important thing..."

Her eyes hardened.

"...is that I fight you. No matter what."

Luca stared at her for a long moment, a flicker of grudging respect passing through his eyes.

She’s serious.

He decided to push harder.

"What if the battle isn’t just about winning or losing?"

He asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone.

"What if I take this opportunity to smack you around? Use the blunt side of my blade to hit you here and there?"

He gestured vaguely at her body. "I’m not talking about simple smacks, Sigrid. These are hits from a Hero. I’m pretty sure a few broken bones would be the least of your worries."

A ripple of unease passed through the centaur ranks. They didn’t doubt his words for a second.

From the rumors they had heard, if he used the blunt end of his blade on Sigrid, she would be lucky to walk away with just broken bones.

But Sigrid didn’t budge.

"Even so." She said, her voice steady. "I will proceed."

Luca’s eye twitched. "Even if you end up with injuries that won’t heal properly for months?"

"Even so."

"Even if I use the edge of my blade instead?" Luca’s hand moved to his sword, slowly drawing it. "What if I start slicing you?"

"What if it only takes a single second for me to cover you in wounds so deep that your blood pools at your feet?"

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"What if I cut so deep that I can see your organs?"

Poppy’s face turned white. "Sigrid, please—"

"Even so." Sigrid’s voice didn’t waver.

Luca pressed further.

"What if I slash your face? Leave you with scars so horrific that you can’t even look at yourself in the mirror?"

"Even so."

"Even if you lose your beauty? Your dignity?!"

"My dignity..." Sigrid said, her voice ringing with conviction. "...comes from serving my lady. Not from my appearance."

"If I have to bear scars to reclaim her honor, then I will wear them with pride."

A murmur of admiration rippled through the centaurs.

"So cool..."

"So, that’s what it takes to be a Commander..."

"She’s my idol!"

The younger ones looked at their commander with newfound awe. This was what a true knight looked like. This was the ideal they aspired to.

Meanwhile, Luca felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple.

She’s not breaking.

So, he decided to go for the kill.

His playful facade vanished, replaced by an aura of glacial menace that seemed to drop the temperature in the clearing.

He took a single step forward, and the sword in his hand radiated pure malice.

"What if I stop playing games?"

His voice was a whisper that carried to every ear.

"What if, the moment we begin, I don’t bother with a duel at all? What if I simply appear before you and drive this blade straight through your heart?"

He leveled a finger at her chest.

"No fight..."

"No honor..."

"Just a quick, messy end to your story. Would you still take that step forward? Or would you finally see the stupidity of this and back down?"