For Kioris, someone always cautious and highly guarded, this situation was far from pleasant.
However, when Scela noticed him and happily introduced him to the black-robed man beside her, he tried his best to remain patient and composed.
The man, whom Scela referred to as "Germain," gave Kioris a not-so-perfect "Moon Ritual" bow.
Kioris returned the gesture. After all, faith was not something to be desecrated.
Thanks to Don, Kioris understood some human languages, so conversing with humans wasn't a problem for him.
But he didn't want to. He stayed silent, his gaze cold and distant.
Scela was well aware of his younger brother's attitude, so he didn't force him to interact with Germain, Ging, or the other humans.
Later, Scela led Germain, Ging, and two human women to meet the elder chieftain.
The rest of the humans were guided around the tribe by moose-centaur warriors they'd grown familiar with over the past few days.
Kioris, however, had no interest in such idle matters and wouldn't go out of his way to show unfamiliar humans around.
What concerned him most now was the injured tribesman.
Using human medical techniques without permission—what were they thinking? What if the wound got infected and amputation was required? What then?
Taking such risks with their future was utterly reckless!
Kioris had to see the wound for himself.
He hurried over and indeed saw the wound as the tribe's healer was inspecting it, unwrapping the bandages.
"How is it?" Kioris asked in their native moose-centaur language, his brow furrowed.
The elder healer replied in the same tongue, with its distinct clicks and tongue-rolling sounds:
"Very good… The human's medical skills are excellent. The wound is fine. With our herbs, it'll heal even faster."
"Hmm? Are you sure? No infection? No risk of amputation?"
Hearing the word "amputation," the injured tribesman couldn't help but shudder, looking at Kioris in shock.
Amputating a limb is, for a warrior, a sign that their future is bleak.
"Of course not." The old doctor gave a puzzled look at Kioris. "I'm not sure what methods were used by the one who bandaged him, but the current condition of the wound is clearly much better."
The injured moose centaur warrior, hearing this, finally sighed in relief.
Kioris's furrowed brow slightly relaxed. After a brief silence, he muttered a "That's good," and then began to leave.
At that moment, he noticed one of the humans from the group had already entered.
What was she doing here?
She was one of the shorter women among the humans, wearing a pink shawl and a hat with a red cross symbol. A mask covered her face.
After Scela brought the humans into the tribe, he had introduced each of them to the tribe members.
Kioris recalled that this short, unremarkable woman's name seemed to be... Sanbica?
What a hard-to-pronounce name. If Kioris were to say it according to the moose centaur tribe's pronunciation habits, it would make his tongue feel uncomfortable.
He didn't plan on calling out to Sanbica, but he couldn't help looking at her with suspicion as she approached, wondering why she was here.
Sanbica nervously clasped her hands together, her fingers interlocking, her large eyes glimmering with curiosity as she watched the old doctor applying strange herbs to the wound of one of her fellow tribesmen.
"Th-this... this..." Sanbica seemed to have been building up courage for a long time, but when she spoke, her voice deflated like a balloon. "Uh..."
However, the old doctor's intuition was sharp. He glanced down at the herbs in his hand, and the wrinkles on the moose's forehead relaxed.
"You want to see these herbs, don't you?" The old doctor said, using broken human language and trying to make his expression as friendly as possible.
Sanbica nodded vigorously, like a pestle grinding garlic.
The old doctor chuckled, "You were the one who treated this wound, right?"
Sanbica nodded again.
The old doctor smiled even more happily. "Come here, come here. I'll show you this herb. It's useful, very useful. Yours is also very useful."
Sanbica let out a long sigh, then walked over.
Kioris watched her walk past him, a feeling of doubt rising in his heart.
Could it really be that such a small, fragile woman treated the wound?
He had always thought that doctors should be like the old doctor of their tribe—tall and strong, covered in battle scars. He never expected someone like Sanbica.
Kioris didn't stay long. He stepped out of the stone house.
Not long after, he heard that the old chieftain was planning to host a grand feast for these humans at tonight's Moon Festival celebration.
Speaking of the Moon Festival, the timing of Scela bringing these humans back was just right—it happened to coincide with their tribe's monthly ritual.
This festival was the most sacred of all the tribe's ceremonies. Outsiders were rarely allowed to participate. Over the years, Don had been the only exception.
It seemed that the four humans Scela had brought to meet the old chieftain had left a very good impression on him.
Most of the voices in the tribe seemed to welcome them.
But I will never just accept them. They are not of our blood. Their hearts will never walk the same path as ours!
Night fell, and as they watched the holy moon rise high in the sky, the Moon Festival began.
The Moose Centaur people surrounded the large bonfire they had built, singing and dancing. Their chants were full of passionate words, and the dance steps were full of battle rhythm.
Everyone sat on the ground, not caring that their bodies were covered in mud, as they enjoyed the food placed on the long tables in front of them.
Kioris was drinking again, the wine filled with his favorite insect eggs, which were still wriggling. He took a bite, and the juicy flavor burst on his tongue.
Without realizing it, his gaze shifted to the group of humans sitting opposite him. They had also adapted to the local customs, sitting cross-legged on the muddy ground.
But no matter how much they imitated, they were still not Moose Centaurs. It was bound to feel out of place.
Bisky, a young woman in her fifties who loved beauty, didn't really want to sit on the ground.
But in the end, she still compromised, though she remained stiff for a long time, staring at her hands covered in mud.
Kioris noticed that his brother, Scela, was personally hosting the group of humans.
Especially towards the one named Germain, who he showed an excessive amount of respect for!
Why, Scela, what is it about these humans that makes you go this far?
Are you still the strongest warrior of our clan?
The strongest warrior shouldn't show such humility so easily to outsiders like humans.
Kioris's dissatisfaction built up, but when he saw a pair of figures among the humans, he froze for a moment.
The two were a tall, fat man named Buhara, whom he had paid more attention to during the day, and another person with five braids, named Menchi.
On the long table in front of the humans, there was an array of dishes from the Moose Centaur tribe.
However, most of the humans only picked some cooked meat, fruits, and vegetables to eat. They didn't even touch the real delicacy—the insects.
Yet, Menchi and Buhara were an exception.
They deliberately chose the insects to eat. The fatter and juicier, the more they eagerly picked them up to bite, all while talking into a stick.
Actually, the "stick" was a recorder for Menchi and Buhara, as they wanted to capture their first impressions of these delicacies.
Kioris then saw Menchi carefully glance around, take out a small bottle, sprinkle something on the insect larvae, and continue eating, nodding repeatedly.
That... could it be a seasoning?
Kioris frowned deeply.
It seemed that among these humans, there were many strange ones—unlike anything he'd seen.
He sighed softly, but still unwilling to admit these humans just like that.
Kioris then looked towards the old chief's direction.
The old chief sat at the very front of the Moon Festival grounds, with the humans seated not far from him, allowing him to smile contentedly as he watched.
He had aged a lot. Kioris thought to himself. Over ten years ago, he was no longer the strongest warrior in the tribe, but his wisdom and foresight were still what the tribe needed.
That's why the old chief had managed to stay in charge of the "strength above all" tribe until now.
However, Kioris knew that the old chief would soon abdicate.
Whether it would be next year or the year after, the old chief would step down and hand the position over to Scela.
Both the old chief and Scela, due to Don's influence, had grown excessively friendly and trusting toward these humans.
Would their decision bring disaster to the tribe?
Kioris wasn't sure if such a future would come, but he wanted to determine it his way.
So, he stood up, shook off the mud from his body, and stormed toward... Germain.
Scela noticed his younger brother approaching. At first, he thought Kioris had come to his senses and was just coming to greet him. But to his surprise, he saw a serious expression on his face.
Suddenly, Kioris spoke to Germain in the language of the Moose Centaur people:
"Our tribe has a tradition of celebrating the Moon Festival through duels. Human warrior, if you are brave enough, rise up and duel with me!"
Kioris refused to speak in the human language, as this was his resolve.
He believed his brother would translate for him to Germain.
Let him use this battle to see through this human and judge what kind of person he truly was!
********
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