Assigning Quests

"There's a 'Spider Reaper' in the Forbidden Forest. He first appeared eight years ago. Every time he kills an Acromantula, he takes all its legs."

"Even though the Acromantulas haven't seen him, they're terrified. Once they see a corpse with its legs missing, they don't dare come here for a long time."

"We're doing the same thing as the Spider Reaper to keep the Acromantulas away."

On the way to the tribe, Ronan explained to Charles why they cut off the legs of the Acromantula corpses.

Charles put on a surprised expression, thinking he already knew what was going on.

He asked Ronan doubtfully, "Do those Acromantulas attack you often?"

"Yes..." Ronan sighed deeply.

On the other side, Twilight whispered to Charles, "Three years ago, Uncle Ronan's son was killed by an Acromantula."

Ronan sighed again, looked up at the sky through the branches, and said softly, "This is all the arrangement of the stars' destiny."

Charles also sighed.

Twilight said quietly, "If only that person were still here."

Charles asked her, "Who?"

Twilight said with some disappointment, "He was the guardian of the Forbidden Forest many years ago. The Great Elder said there were many poachers in the Forbidden Forest back then, and those dark wizards were hunting us too. He killed all the poachers by himself."

Charles nodded and asked curiously, "What were his characteristics?"

"His wand was 15 inches long," Ronan said. "That's the only record of him."

"The stars foretold that he would return."

Charles nodded. A 15-inch wand, that was a good clue. He'd have to go to the library to look it up when he had time, or ask the old man.

He then asked, "The Acromantulas are so dangerous, have you thought of any solutions?"

Ronan shook his head and slowly said, "There are too many of them, and they lay eggs quickly and in large numbers. A litter hatches in six to eight weeks, with over a hundred in each litter."

"My father and the others once took advantage of the winter, when the Acromantulas were hibernating, to destroy their nests. But the spiders hid in caves and slept, covering the entrances with thick leaves, making them impossible to find."

"The Acromantulas were awakened by the ground vibrations and surrounded them from all directions. Only Bane's father returned to tell us what happened, but he was poisoned too deeply."

Charles fell silent upon hearing this. After a moment of thought, he said, "I'll help."

He also "remembered" some plot points about the Centaurs. Centaurs disliked humans and could only manage not to harm minors.

Ronan had called him "foal" earlier, and now he was bringing him back to the tribe. The other Centaurs didn't object, which meant they considered him a companion after he saved Twilight.

When a companion is in trouble, you naturally help them.

As for Hagrid, who was like the grandfather of the Acromantulas, sorry, he wasn't familiar with him.

Charles thought that he couldn't possibly eliminate all the Acromantulas at once.

However, he could learn from the Gulf War, which had just ended this year, and bomb key targets, such as where the Acromantulas laid their eggs.

Ronan, however, shook his head and said, "I can tell you genuinely want to help us, but you're just a little foal. Acting rashly will put you in danger."

"If you really want to help, you can help us find the Spider Reaper. We want to thank him properly."

Charles really wanted to say, "I'll give you his phone number, you can find him yourselves."

The Centaur tribe soon appeared before Charles. A tall wall made of tree trunks enclosed a large area, and in the open space outside, many foals that looked only one or two years old were playing.

Upon entering the tribe, Charles noticed that only the old and young Centaurs were at home. The elders were either telling stories to the children or teaching them how to use bows and arrows.

Twilight brought the blueberries she had just picked home, and Ronan led Charles into the large house in the center of the tribe.

A pungent yet slightly fragrant smoke filled the air. An very old Centaur was lying on a mat, his body hunched over, his eyelids drooping, as if he were asleep.

Unlike the other Centaurs, he wore a wreath on his head.

Ronan introduced him to Charles, "This is our Great Elder."

Before Charles could greet him, the Great Elder spoke slowly, "The stars have foretold it. Friend with the Phoenix Wand, welcome."

Charles was taken aback. He took out his wand and asked the Great Elder, "Are you talking about this wand?"

The Great Elder's eyelids lifted slightly. He didn't look at the wand but at Charles's eyes and said slowly, "I believe whether someone is a friend has nothing to do with the wand they use, but with what they do with it. Don't you think so?"

Charles couldn't understand why he would suddenly mention astrological predictions and then deny that friendship was based on prophecy, leaving him confused.

The Great Elder continued slowly, "Now there are more and more Acromantulas, and many of our children have become their food. My friend, are you willing to help us?"

Ronan, standing nearby, immediately said, "Great Elder, Charles is still just a little foal!"

The Great Elder acted as if he hadn't heard him, simply gazing at Charles with half-open eyes.

Charles replied, "When a friend needs help, I will naturally lend a hand."

A smile appeared on the Great Elder's wrinkled face. He turned to Ronan and said, "Go and get the box from the top of the shelf."

Ronan quickly brought a box and the Great Elder had him hand it to Charles.

As Charles took the box, the Great Elder said, "To the south of the village, there is a chestnut grove. The chestnuts are almost ripe, and the chestnuts picked there are an important food for our winter. Now, a group of Acromantulas has occupied it, and we cannot go to pick the chestnuts. This winter will be very difficult."

"I hope you can help us eliminate the Acromantulas there. The spellbook inside this box was meant as payment, but I trust you, so I'm giving it to you first."

Charles felt a giant exclamation mark appear above the Great Elder's head.

He held the box, saying with some difficulty, "I'd be happy to help you, but it's a bit late today, and I have to return to the castle. I'll come back first thing tomorrow morning. You can hold onto this box for now, and I'll look at it again tomorrow."

He figured that with Hogwarts' discipline, a single night out would be enough to deduct points from his house until he became an enemy of Gryffindor, so he planned to come back tomorrow.

A playful smile appeared on the Great Elder's face. He had Ronan bring over paper, a pen, and a writing tablet, and said, "You can stay here tonight. Don't worry, I'll write a letter to Dumbledore explaining that you met me by the edge of the Forbidden Forest and I asked for your help. He won't deduct any points."

He quickly finished writing a letter and showed it to Charles after he was done, confirming that it was indeed written that way.

Seeing his actions, Charles felt that this matter was probably urgent for them, so he accepted the task.

The Great Elder handed the letter to Ronan and said, "Go find Hagrid and ask him to bring Dumbledore out to meet you. If Dumbledore isn't available, ask for McGonagall. Don't say anything else, just hand over the letter."

Charles, listening from the side, was greatly surprised that they were asking Dumbledore to come out and meet Ronan – what a privilege.

However, he understood the next moment: Centaurs couldn't go upstairs, so they had to call people out.