It was the first time in a long time that Gawain had returned to the Forbidden Forest.

At the lake before, Ferencze had already told him that things weren't going well with the centaur tribe. But Gawain believed that the situation of the centaurs would not be in such a situation at that time.

"Come with me, don't look around. ”

Margaret was half a body ahead of Gawain, and walked towards the settlement first.

Many torches were lit.

Gawain saw many familiar faces, the always melancholy Ronan, the rudely bandaged right arm, the unruly Bane, and a few other centaurs who he only had a general impression. At this time, they were not much better than Margaery, and their naked upper bodies showed many dripping wounds.

Many of the wounds are an unhealthy yellowish-green color, with shallow pus.

"It seems to be... Attacked by some claws or fangs?"

Gawain guessed cautiously, but the light was too dim and he was too far away to make a judgment for a while.

The horses also noticed Gawain, but only glanced at them indifferently.

Only the white-blond-haired Ferenze was as gentle as ever, and even though the corners of his mouth twitched in pain, he still raised his hand and waved it to greet him.

"That dirty dog mongrel, poof!"

Margaret cursed under her breath and led Gawain closer to the outside of the tent where Ronan had been staying. At the door of the tent, there is still the very quaint stone brazier.

The fire of the Gublai was burning vigorously.

Even to this day, Gawain has not forgotten that terrible night. It was the closest he had ever come to death, and the first time he had truly realized the cruel nature of this magical world.

"Wait here. ”

Margaret approached the stove and reached out her left hand to pick up the rough obsidian dagger with her right hand. His face flashed with a sharp flash, and he slashed his left wrist open.

Blood dripped onto the fire.

Compared to the strange appearance of the last sacrifice, this time the flames were much quieter, and Margaret did not hold out for long, retreating in front of Gawain, and another centaur took his place.

One by one, the centaurs stepped forward silently, bled out, and left.

Gawain found that they were all male centaurs, and they were very large and strong.

This process continued for a long time, until the hundredth centaur came down, and no new centaurs came up to bleed. And with the pouring of blood, the flame also changed dramatically.

- It went from a pure white without any color, to a bright red little by little, and then in the core, there was a little bit of gold shining.

At the center of the flame is a humanoid form that gradually develops.

It is a woman with her head slightly tilted upwards and a pair of feathered wings on her back. She straightened her upper body languidly, looking toned and elegant, as if she was wandering down from the sky, and her loose plain robe was decent and graceful.

The white skin was as delicate as ivory.

With a garland of flowers tied around her head and a seven-stringed lira in her hands, she seemed to notice Gawain's gaze, and she turned around and smiled softly. Although he didn't hear a sound, he only felt as if his heart was suddenly lit up by light.

"Nikki..."

Gawain unconsciously called out her name.

This was not only because her image was too obvious, but also because by the time she appeared in the flames, the name had already entered Gawain's mind in a very mysterious form.

"Are you the one he chose?"

A gentle female voice sounded directly in Gawain's mind.

"He?" Gawain was stunned for a moment, "Cedric Gryffindor?"

An inexplicable sense of sourness arises spontaneously, as if she regrets that "she" is not concerned about herself.

"yes, that big fool... Take me, an existence that is destined to disappear... Pulled out of the abyss of endless darkness, but because of this, he cut off his way forward, and even almost died. ”

She replied gently, and with a few strokes of the lira, a beautiful melody popped out.

"What is it that you are not a fool if you are already injured and like that, but you still smile and say, 'Because there is a girl crying in front of you'?"

As she spoke, the firelight spread little by little, enveloping Gawain all the time.

But he didn't feel pain, not even a burn. It was like being surrounded by warm hot water, and the bubbling warm current was surging in his body, making him want to moan out loud. In his invisible body, many dark wounds were being healed little by little.

Time acceleration, even if it is only inherent, is an enormous burden. Even if it has the power of magic, it's not a joke that can be used casually.

"Since you are the heir of his choice, I give you the courage to defeat your enemies. Just chant the name of the lady and she will take refuge in you. ”

Nikki said solemnly.

Her voice was like thunder.

It rings in Gawain's ears!

In this instant, the flame had completely turned golden, illuminating the entire centaur camp.

The golden glow seemed to have magical power.

Soaking in the light, the yellow-green wounds on the centaurs' bodies, which were originally difficult to remove through medicine, suddenly seemed to disappear.

A scarlet crown phantom appeared in the heights, invisible light crisscrossing and crisscrossing, as if provoked, angry to suppress the golden flames.

"In the name of Athena!"

Nikki shouted loudly, and her right hand slammed the seven-stringed Leila into a deep "clang" sound.

The golden light suddenly rose, dispersing all the cobweb-like scarlet light, and even shaking the phantom of the crown!

"Humph!"

With a muffled snort full of malice and unwillingness, Gawain saw that the crown finally disappeared into thin air.

"Go, my champion. Even if Mount Olympus has fallen, the stars are with you. ”

After forcing the Scarlet Crown back, the golden flames that had been shining suddenly began to flicker, and even Nikki's phantom was shaking, as if it could no longer maintain its shape.

Her weak but proud voice rang in Gawain's head.

A name, like the former Holkes, was deeply engraved in his mind.

"Victoria. ”

This blessing allowed him to turn his belief in victory into substance. When mortals' desire for victory is strong to the limit, even the gods on high will sing the praises of their bravery.

And that's one of the reasons why, millennia ago, Gryffindor possessed almost incredible physical strength, even able to fight dangerous magical creatures head-on.

"Because in the mind of that red-haired guy, I don't know what fear is..."

Gawain sighed weakly, for the first time he felt that being an idiot was not useless. He felt that he was a little closer to the Big Four of his past, and his admiration for them was a little deeper.

"The Wizard Pony... No, White. It's time for you to leave. ”

Margaret looked at Gawain with a complicated expression, and her burly body was like a stone statue. His brow, which had been frowning, was now somewhat relaxed, as if he had finally been relieved from some difficult responsibility.

"Thank you, Mr. Margaery. ”

Gawain noticed with some surprise that Margaret's name for him had changed subtly.

Her lips quirmed, and Margaret seemed to want to say something, but she didn't say anything, just walked quietly in front, and walked out of the settlement with Gawain as she had come.

"From here, walk out, follow the footprints of the centaurs, and you will find the exit to the forest. ”

At the door of the settlement, Margaret pointed stiffly in one direction. He no longer looked at Gawain, but simply turned around and left.

"Mr. Margaery, please wait. ”

Gawain hurriedly called out to him, and took out all the medicines he had left in the dragon skin pocket on his waist that might be able to heal his injuries, such as white fresh, absinthe, and alcohol.

He thrust it all into Margaret's arms, explaining how they should be used. The centaurs wanted to refuse, but when they heard that these things could help with healing and disinfection, they still couldn't get their hearts struck.

This awkward appearance made Gawain suddenly want to laugh.

Although there aren't many of these things, and I don't know if they can work, Gao Wen, who has experienced the scene just now, always feels that he should do something more.

"Good night. ”

Inexplicably feeling that he felt a little more relaxed, Gawain took out the cloak of invisibility, draped it on his body, and prepared to leave the Forbidden Forest and return to the castle.

"Wait. ”

Margaret suddenly unhooked the longbow from her back and gently tossed it to Gawain. Seeing his somewhat embarrassed hands catch it, the centaur whispered a few words of disgust. Then he put them away and walked back to the village without saying a word.

"Well... It's almost time to go back to the castle. ”

Gawain put away the longbow, which was half as tall as him, put on his cloak of invisibility, and walked in the direction of the castle.

At times like these, the night in the Forbidden Forest seems to be quieter. Except for the "rustling" of the cold evening breeze blowing the leaves, there was only the footsteps of Gawain stepping on the fallen leaves.

Even his footsteps had stopped.

Gawain stopped, quietly took out his wand, and held it in his hand. He seemed to smell a hint of it. More precisely, it smells like vomit that has been sunburned for a long time.

He looked around cautiously.

Tall black trees, dense foliage, a few scattered nests, and one or two little ones lying between the branches, they looked like human shapes made of thin wooden strips, with leaves and branches forming their facial features.

"Tree Guard. ”

Gawain remembers that in the textbooks, they were referred to as harmless magical creatures. Even though they had very sharp nails, they weren't enough for Gawain's instincts to warn him...

But Gawain's feeling is not wrong.

Something strange, hidden near him, and extremely dangerous...

To make matters worse, it may have spotted Gawain, because even though he was wearing an invisibility cloak at the moment, it still felt as if his cold gaze was staring at him, as if he was searching, as if he was tempting.

"There has to be a way to find it, or to call Professor Dumbledore for help. ”

Gawain recalled the books he had read, trying to find some clues that could help him, and raised his wand forward.