The centaur girl blinked her long eyelashes, hesitated for a moment, and spoke in a very soft voice, "My name is Elu. I'm not a monster."
Hearing her self-introduction, Vlad was slightly surprised.
"Monster? Has someone called you that before?" he asked.
Elu nodded sadly. "Yeah…"
"They beat me, drove me away, and called me a monster."
"I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I was just hungry and wanted to ask if they could spare some food."
Elu slowly hugged her legs, her expression filled with sorrow.
At that moment, Vlad understood why she hadn't listened to his earlier advice and continued hiding in the house.
Suddenly, Vlad asked, "Elu, have you always been like this since childhood?"
"Yes. I was born like this, so my mother never let us go outside."
Vlad's eyes lit up. "Us?"
Elu's eyes flickered with panic. She quickly corrected herself, "No—you misheard. I meant me, not us."
Vlad looked at the nervous girl. It was obvious she was trying to conceal the existence of other centaurs. Their living conditions must have been very difficult.
"Elu, don't worry. I won't hurt you. You can see that I don't hold any prejudice or ill will toward you, right?"
A red light flickered in Vlad's eyes, and there was a subtle charm to his voice.
At the same time, a stream of spiritual energy flowed gently toward Elu, gradually soothing her nervousness.
Her tense expression softened. Looking at Vlad's handsome face, she felt a strange sense of trust.
"You're a good person." Elu blinked and smiled at him.
A good person? Vlad, who had just been given an unexpected compliment, could tell this was her sincere belief.
Apparently, to her, someone who simply didn't treat her with prejudice already counted as a kind person.
He couldn't imagine what kind of life she had lived before.
"Can you tell me more about yourself? Maybe I can help."
Vlad gently lifted her arm and pointed his finger at her injuries.
The wounds left by the explosion were still bleeding, but as soon as he channeled his energy, the bleeding stopped. The cuts began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In just moments, the scabs fell off and were replaced by tender, new skin.
"That's amazing! Is this magic?" Elu looked at the miraculous healing happening on her body in disbelief.
Then, as if remembering something, her expression became conflicted.
Seeing her frown, Vlad asked gently, "Is something wrong? If there's anything I can do, tell me."
"I…" Elu hesitated, clearly struggling with something.
After a long pause, she finally seemed to make a decision. "Big brother, can you save my mother? She's seriously injured… she might die soon."
As she spoke, she clutched the hem of Vlad's clothes tightly, desperation in her eyes.
"Of course. But you need to tell me what kind of injury she has—otherwise, I can't promise I'll be able to heal her," Vlad replied.
Elu's expression brightened, and she quickly explained.
Not long ago, her mother had gone out to search for food. Unfortunately, she was discovered by a group of hunters, who launched a vicious attack.
Though she managed to escape their encirclement, she was gravely injured.
Her mother had hoped her centaur body's resilience, combined with some magical herbs, would be enough to recover.
But unexpectedly, the hunters' weapons had been poisoned.
Although the poison hadn't killed her instantly, it had been slowly eating away at her strength, torturing her day by day.
After hearing the whole story, Vlad didn't hesitate. He said firmly, "Take me to her. I might be able to help."
"Mhm!" Elu nodded excitedly, then galloped off into the forest on her slender legs.
She ran as swiftly and gracefully as the wind.
No matter what lay ahead—thick trees, ditches, or rocky paths—she dodged them effortlessly without losing speed.
Watching her run, Vlad became increasingly curious about the centaur race.
Every so often, Elu looked back to make sure Vlad was still following her. She worried she might be too fast and he'd fall behind.
But seeing him keep up so easily gave her peace of mind.
"We're here."
A short while later, under Elu's lead, Vlad arrived at the base of a cliff.
"Follow me."
Without hesitation, Elu ran straight toward the steep rock wall. Vlad was startled, but before he could say anything, her figure vanished.
Puzzled, Vlad reached out to touch the cliff face.
The moment his index finger touched the surface, it felt like touching cold water. Gentle ripples spread outward from his fingertip.
"A barrier?" he muttered in surprise.
"Big brother, come in quickly!"
As the barrier rippled again, Elu poked her head back out, looking anxiously at him and urging him to hurry.
Sensing her urgency, Vlad didn't delay.
After stepping through the barrier, a shallow stream appeared before him. A dense jungle stretched out beyond it, its foliage thick and lush.
But something felt off—the entire forest was unnaturally quiet. Not a single sound of wildlife could be heard.
"Something's wrong," Vlad said with a frown.
For some reason, a strange unease crept over him.
Elu's conscious effort to avoid the forest only confirmed his suspicions, but Vlad held back from questioning her for now.
They followed the edge of the forest, crossing the stream and heading northwest.
Eventually, they arrived at a dilapidated wooden house.
Though worn and weathered, it still offered shelter from wind and rain.
Judging from its condition, the house had stood for quite some time.
Just before Elu opened the door, a weak voice called out from inside:
"Leya, where's your sister? I haven't seen her recently…"
It was a woman's voice, fragile and trembling with pain.
"Mom, you're awake! Don't move—I'll help you." A joyful girl responded.
After the sound of some rustling, the woman spoke again.
Clearly, the girl wasn't used to lying, and she struggled under her mother's questions.
"Ah… Sister went to borrow food. She'll be back soon."
"Don't lie to me, Leya. I may be hurt, but I'm not stupid. They can't even feed themselves—how could they give us food?"
"Leya, tell me the truth… Did your sister sneak out again?"
"I remember the last time I woke up, her face was a bit red and swollen. Was that from sneaking out?"
The woman's rising anxiety triggered a fit of coughing.
"Mom! You're coughing up blood!"
Hearing the panicked voice from inside, Elu—who had been hesitating at the door—couldn't wait any longer and pushed it open.