The apparent result was a draw, but in reality, even Hagrid knew who had a slight edge.
Even with superior weaponry, a loss is a loss.
Bane walked right up to Vincent and said without hesitation, "You win, human."
"No!" Ronan rushed to Magorian and knelt down. "Chief, this is not fair!"
"I can exchange weapons and come back—"
"No."
Vincent looked at Bane with some surprise.
"You know your gun, I know my bow, this is a fair fight."
"Bane!" Ronan exclaimed excitedly, "If it's purely a contest of skill, you have no chance of losing to this little pony!"
"Victory is an honor—" Bane reached out and wiped the paint off his face.
"He has Silvio's blessing, and I have the chief's blessing."
Vincent was starting to like this straightforward Centaur.
Many people are unable to accept their failures, and thus gradually move to another extreme.
For example, there's Draco with his Sprint activated, and a large flock of Black Swan chasing after him.
Speechless, Ronan looked at Magorian, hoping he could provide a suitable solution.
But he asked an unrelated question, "Little pony, may I ask your date of birth?"
"July 23rd."
"The first day of Leo, the first ray of light in the darkness."
Confused, Vincent looked at Hagrid and found him to be even more bewildered than he was.
Magorian continued talking to herself, "A symbol of power, a symbol of light, a very special day."
The Centaur around them all lowered their heads and whispered among themselves.
Is this fortune telling?
The mystical Trelawney relies on her "Third Eye," Centaur predict the future through planetary movements.
One is from a micro perspective, and the other is from a macro perspective.
Magorian approached Vincent and said, "Congratulations, you have won this fair match."
This time, Ronan did not object.
Tell me, what do you want us to promise you?
Hagrid gave Vincent a reassuring look.
"I plan to organize a field trip for the students to the Forbidden Forest."
Magorian frowned slightly, then relaxed her gaze. "Okay."
"Besides--"
Vincent straightened up slightly. "I hope to trade some items with you."
"Don't even think about it!" Ronan and a large group of Centaur became agitated.
"Quiet." Magorian's simple words silenced them all.
What do you need from me?
"Some alchemical materials."
He shook his head, then nodded. "What can you bring us?"
Vincent raised the Gunblade in his hand.
"Although my abilities are not even one-thousandth of my teacher's, I have a strong learning ability, and maybe I will be one-tenth of that in the future."
Magorian smiled. "Our people don't like too much contact with humans, so—"
He looked at Bane and said, "I'm entrusting you with the entire responsibility for this deal. This is your punishment for letting your people down."
"Yes, Chief!" Bane pressed his fist to his chest, solemnly accepting this "punishment."
Things went much more smoothly than Vincent had expected.
He originally thought that even if he agreed, it would take at least half a day to talk about it.
Bane extended his right hand. "Human, you are very strong."
Vincent also extended his right hand, "Actually, I prefer people to call me by my name."
When their hands were clasped together, Magorian placed her hands on the backs of their hands.
"This is an ancient Contract of our people, signifying that you are permitted to contact humans."
Just like Silvio's blessing, Vincent felt nothing.
Bane smiled and released his grip. "You are the third human in nearly a century to be granted permission."
The first one, needless to say, is Dumbledore, who can even speak Troll Language.
As for the second one, I don't know.
Vincent glanced tentatively at Hagrid, then received a meaningful look from Bane.
This clumsy gamekeeper must have been granted permission, but then strictly forbidden from entering the Centaur territory.
His curiosity was quickly satisfied.
"Hagrid, you can leave now." Magorian raised her hand, and the Centaur raised their bows and arrows.
Given the Half-blood Giant's physical attributes, if he were to withstand the attack and unleash a "Bull Charge," probably not many of those present would still be standing.
"I have to protect this child!" Hagrid roared.
Magorian lowered her hand. "You need to be under our surveillance at all times."
"Um—" Vincent hesitated for a moment, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Can."
His gaze swept over the slightly excited Centaur around him. "Where are we going next?"
"Our tribe."
Hagrid walked over with a wide grin, saying, "This is their tradition that has lasted for thousands of years."
Any creature that is permitted can visit their tribe; it's a symbol of friendship between the two sides.
Today is Wednesday, and there won't be an Astronomy until almost midnight.
The tribe of Centaur, the third human to be granted permission in the last century.
Even if there are no classes, you have to go to Transfiguration class.
To accommodate a certain "foal," the lead pony, Magorian, did not run.
They crossed countless tall trees, passed through two winding mountain tunnels, and finally arrived at a vast grassland.
Vincent was quite certain that such a place did not exist in the Forbidden Forest six months ago.
Hagrid noticed his confusion. "This place was created by Professor Dumbledore using magic."
Not counting the makeshift cabins, it would take one person to complete this grassland, which is estimated to be at least three thousand feet wide...
"How long did the professor take?"
"All night long."
Vincent now strongly suspects that Dumbledore's full head of silver hair may have been Permanent Sticking Charm.
Voldemort not only had no nose, but also no hair.
It is said that Grindelwald, who stayed in Nurmengard, doesn't seem to have many left.
Is a thick head of beautiful hair the symbol of the strongest in the Wizarding World?
"Hagrid, is there anything I should be careful about later?"
"No need, they are very warm and welcoming to their friends."
Vincent looked extremely puzzled. "Then what about you?"
Hagrid stopped, bent down, and whispered, "The sons of Aragog often venture into the Centaur's territory. I was actually trying to resolve the conflict between them..."
Favoring either side will offend the other.
He claimed that his approach was very fair, but unfortunately he ran into a stubborn Centaur.
"At first they agreed to divide the territory, but Aragog had just too many offspring."
Vincent could picture Hagrid negotiating with Magorian again and again.
Let alone Centaur, even he would turn against them if this happened to him.
"Hagrid, have you ever considered that it might be your problem?"
"Uh—" Hagrid shook his big head, "I can assure you that I genuinely mean well for both of them."
Given his guileless nature, he's actually quite prone to doing good deeds that end up backfiring.