16. Food or Mate?

"Oh! This guy even created a shed for his mate." Hilda was observing its every movement from a distance.

The centaur had brought the doe with him and tied it under the shed he had created at the side of the tree. Hilda wasn't sure if it was because the doe was in heat. When she rubbed herself with the centaur, the centaur giggled weirdly.

The centaur even brought some kind of special grass and fed it to the doe. While she was eating, the centaur lit a fire and roasted what looked like a rabbit.

"So, the centaur is not an herbivore." Hilda had noticed the centaur was a little too excited about his surroundings. She also noticed that the bow and the spears it might be using were kept a little distance away from him.

"Now is the time." Hilda checked the wind and moved to the downwind. She kept herself out of its sight and…

[Aqua Bind]

Hilda waited for the water rope to shoot out and wrap him. However, nothing like that happened. 

"What the…" The sudden water bubbling from the ground startled the centaur, who looked at the nearby ground. "Is this place an underground spring?"

[Ground Spike]

The centaur jumped up from his spot and grabbed his spear. However, looking around him, he pointed the spear at the ground, where the ground had also started bubbling. 

"A blood mole worm?" He didn't hesitate to thrust the spear at the place where the earth was bubbling. He had heard about the terror of the mole worm. 

They would latch onto the bodies of unsuspecting creatures resting on the ground and suck the blood out of them. He even heard rumors that the worm could even suck the blood out of a horse.

"But this thing was supposed to be in the prairie only, where the underground isn't riddled with the roots of big trees like this forest."

The centaur was visibly surprised, but someone else was even more shocked. "What the hell is happening? Why is it not working?" Hilda couldn't think of a reason. The three bars at the side of her sight were enough to confirm that she had enough mana in the bar. "Then why?"

Hilda was sure there was some reason she was missing. However, she also understood that this was not the time to worry about that. She jumped out of the bush and lunged at the centaurs. 

"Ah! A gnoll beast." When Hilda emerged from the bush, the centaur noticed and threw the spear at her. The spear was fast but wasn't fast enough to hit Hilda. 

The centaur didn't even hesitate. He ran in the direction where the bow and arrow were left. It wasn't hard for Hilda to catch up.

To her surprise, he didn't go for the weapon at all. As soon as he noticed Hilda was catching up, it stopped, turned 90 degrees, and ran away.

"This one looked like a coward." Hilda's constitution was 40. Naturally, her movement was much faster. She had no problem keeping up with it.

"Please leave me alone." 

"If I leave you alone, what will I eat?"

"There is a deer herd near here; you can eat deer."

"Rather than that herd leader, you are easy to beat."

"I can lure a few of them away to eat."

Hilda paused; she looked at the centaur still running and yelled, "Stop if you don't want to die."

"You will kill me if I stop."

[The host had activated <Dominance>

Subordinate: 00

Adversaries: 02

Time limit: 04.59]

"No…" The effect was a little too much for the centaur. He failed to control his speed in time and stumbled. 

Before it could stand back up, Hilda cast a shadow on him. "How can you understand what I am saying? Even the gnoll tamer couldn't understand me."

"It is because you are talking human language with a beast tongue." 

Hilda wanted to pay attention to what she was saying; however, his position as he tried to kowtow in front of her was too comedic. He was trying to put his head on the ground. With his hand and front leg on the ground, his ass was raised in the air.

"Mmhhh… Stand up." Her words worked like a charm. "What did you say? Am I talking human language or the beast language?"

"You are talking with human language but in beast tongue."

"Do you think what you are saying makes sense?" Hilda paused momentarily, asking, "How do you even know that?"

"That…" He checked his body before explaining, "Even if I look like this, I am a centaur."

"I can see that."

"No, No." He straightened his back and put his hand on his chest, adding, "I am the son of a leader of the prairie, Lord Rove, the merchant king of the great tribe of the prairie."

"Okay." 

"No. No. No. You don't understand." Hilda couldn't understand why he looked so frustrated. He continued, "I might look like this, but I am the son of a true centaur. My father is a true centaur."

"Oh!" Hilda paused, asking, "Your father is a horse, and you are a deer." Although Hilda understood what he was trying to say, for some reason, he didn't look happy with the choice of her words. "How does that work?"

"My mother…" He wanted to say it out loud, but the clenched fist conveyed his true emotions.

"Forget about it. I don't want to hear about your family problem." Hilda shook her head, asking, "But how could you understand me?"

"It's because my father taught me to talk in different languages. Being able to communicate with various customers is one of the primary characteristics of a merchant. I can even say a few words in the dragon tongue, but that would need a lot of mana."

"And here you are, abducting mates from the herd and fucking them, maybe?"

Hilda wasn't sure if that was his intention, but his blushing human face confirmed that she wasn't wrong. 

"It's the season."

"What mating season? Why didn't you find another centaur?"

The sad face was enough for Hilda, but he continued explaining, "I am not a true centaur. My father always said I am also a centaur; they have never…"

"You are a centaur." Hilda didn't add that the system thinks of him as one.

Hilda's words really touched him. "Even a gnoll beast like you can understand it. But my brother and sisters…"

"Hilda."

"Sorry?"

"I have a name. It is Hilda." 

"You! A gnoll beast! But I thought a gnoll couldn't have a name unless they were given one. And you are a gnoll beast! How could you!?"

He ultimately disregarded her glare and continued, "Even I didn't receive my ceremonial name! How could a mere beast…"

"Why am I even talking to my food?" 

"I am sorry. I am sorry. Yes, Madam Hilda! No, no. A gnoll beast doesn't have any genders. What should I call you? It…"

"Hilda will do."

"Hilda, Hilda. Are you hungry? Should I prepare some food for you?"

"Food!" Hilda sat down. To begin with, she wasn't hungry and had all the energy she needed. Her body hadn't tasted anything, so Hilda was craving to taste some blood and meat. But, now that she found something more substantial, she couldn't care about hunting. 

However, the centaur didn't allow her to express it before it ran to its shed and returned a rabbit and a monkey. 

'Who doesn't like free food.' Hilda didn't hesitate to gobble down all of them in less than three minutes. "You have cleaned them up!" It was then Hilda realized that she was somewhat addicted to the taste of blood.

"You are not going to eat me then?" 

Hilda ignored him, asking, "You know which way the desolated land is, right?"

"Of course. We trade with both the creatures of light and darkness—humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, beast kins, and even dragons. As long you need something, we will sell it to you."

"That is not what I am asking." Hilda glared at him as she slowly stood up, "Or do you want something in return for the information? Are you saying sparing your life wasn't enough of the payments?"

"In that direction." he pointed south.

"I just say a big city in that direction. Are you trying to get me killed?"

"No, no, no. That city is Olmo. It is better to avoid that place right now. Recently, a young saint candidate has been killed by the creature of darkness, so many people from the church… were… gath…" He couldn't get to complete his words before his eyes went round.

Hilda ignored his expression, "If you avoid that direction, where should I go?"

This time, he ignored her question. "Are you the one who had killed the saint, didn't you?" 

Hilda looked at him, wondering if she should come clean. However, the moment she realized what had happened when she had put her faith in one, she decided against it.

"Do you really think a gnoll beast even does that?"

"That!" His facial muscles relaxed when he realized what she was trying to say. However, he wasn't expecting his following words.

"I know who did it. Do you want to meet her?" 

As soon as their eyes met, he felt a shiver down her spine. They didn't look like someone who could hold a conversation but like the eyes of a predator.

"Are the cities that the beast horde attacked in that direction?" All he could do in response was nod. "Good, then you can lead me to the desolate land."

"Me?" He shook his head desperately. "I don't know that way. I never went to the desolate land. I have never been outside the prairie. I just came here because I was looking for a mate."

"Aren't you a merchant? Aren't you supposed to know about the geography?"

"But, I…"

"If you are not good enough to lead me, tell me one good reason why I should let you live."

"I…" There were thousands of reasons he wanted to give her, but the only words he could say were, "Okay."

"Good. You can rest now. We can leave tomorrow. And if you try to run away…" Hilda didn't complete her words, but the smile on her face looked anything but cordial to him.

"Where are you going?"

"You can look somewhere else. I will be staying at the shed tonight."

"But my mate!"

Hilda was already standing in front of the shed. And she was standing close enough for the doe to rub itself against her.

"What is it doing?" Hilda looked at him. "You fed it something, didn't you?"

"That…"

"Is that an aphrodisiac?" 

He shook his head.

 "Spit it out."

"That would make sure it would get pregnant."

Hilda sighed. On the other hand, the doe didn't care who she was and continued to rub herself against her. It even tried to smell her penile sheath.

Hilda, too, could smell a sweet smell coming from her. It was like the pheromone, black mane, and her other mate gave off. However, it was much sweeter and more potent.

Hilda wasn't sure if it was because of the smell or the doe, who was constantly nudging the opening of her penile sheath, that her pink penis started to come out.

"You can't." He said it with his face masked with horror.

"Why?" Hilda couldn't help but entertain such thoughts.

"That is my mate."

"Didn't you just abduct from that herd?"

"But you are a gnoll beast, and it is…"

"So what? Wasn't your centaur father fancied your deer mother?"

"That…" He wanted to say something, but nothing came out. 

"Go away, now." As the smell had ignited a flame in her penile sheath, she could not bring herself to hold a conversation. "I will get you another mate tomorrow." Hilda looked at the doe before her, adding, "I might get an entire herd tomorrow."