Coming to Collect a Debt

The unicorn circled its territory, scattering the Fantastic Beasts that had taken advantage of its absence to usurp its place, before obediently returning to Tom's side.

Tom patted the Little Three on the head and said with a smile, "You can stay here most of the time, I'll take you away on holidays."

"The small world is too boring; nothing compares to the freedom of the Forbidden Forest."

With Newt Scamander's guidance, he has remodeled the small world, dividing it into twenty-five areas.

Each individual expansion, when pieced together, would cover a total area roughly one-third of the Forbidden Forest.

If we were willing to invest more time and effort, we could expand further, but it's not necessary.

A small world isn't necessarily better the bigger it is. To maintain a complete world, a healthy ecosystem is needed, from climate and terrain to flora and fauna—none of these can be missing.

Newt Scamander has been managing his little world for decades, spending a lot of time on it every day; Tom doesn't have that kind of time to invest in it now.

Those small Fantastic Beasts are not picky about their environment and can continue to stay in the small world, but it's more suitable for unicorns to be released into the Forbidden Forest.

"Woof woof!" Big Treasure Second Treasure came over and rubbed their heads against Tom's arm. It wasn't that they were reluctant to let him go; they were reminding their human owner to come and feed them on time.

Tom laughed and scolded, "You bunch of gluttons, what if I find out you've gotten fat in a while?"

"Then we'll send you back to Newt Scamander's place, and he'll feed you wild vegetables every day!"

"Woo!" The unicorns immediately wilted, rubbing against his hand affectionately with pitiful expressions.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from behind the bushes. Tom looked up and saw a Centaur slowly emerging.

"You are... Firenze?" Tom raised an eyebrow slightly, barely recognizing it; he was a bit face-blind.

Many people looked pretty much the same to him, let alone Centaur; he only recognized them because of Firenze's unique aura.

"Hello, Tom Riddle." Firenze first nodded to Tom, and then gave a slight bow to the three unicorns.

In the worldview of Centaur, unicorns symbolize purity and holiness, holding a very high status and deserving of respect.

"I was patrolling nearby when I noticed something unusual in the territory, so I came to check it out," Firenze explained his purpose simply, his tone relatively calm.

"Compared to your fellow tribesmen, you're the most polite," Tom chuckled, his tone slightly teasing.

"At least you didn't call me a little pony." Firenze shook his head slightly. "It's not a matter of politeness."

"They're just used to how Centaur address us, and I'm just being considerate of your feelings."

"Not caring about other people's feelings is a form of arrogance," Tom scoffed, hitting the nail on the head.

Firenze fell silent. He couldn't refute Tom's words because it was the truth; the arrogance of the Centaur was ingrained in their very bones.

"Since there's nothing unusual, I'll be leaving now." Firenze didn't want to get entangled with Tom anymore; the boy was too domineering.

He was nowhere near as easy to talk to Albus Dumbledore; every second he stayed felt oppressive.

"Don't go, you've come at the right time," Tom called out to him, his smile fading slightly.

"Even if you hadn't come today, I was planning to go to the Centaur Tribe to find your chief."

Firenze instinctively took two steps back, looking at him warily. "Riddle, the Centaur haven't provoked you, we don't want to be your enemy."

"What are you thinking?" Tom shrugged, looking nonchalant. "I just need to ask the Centaur for a favor."

"I've heard that you are all masters of Herbology, and your knowledge systems are different from those of wizards. I'd like to hire a Centaur to be my family's herbalism teacher."

"That's impossible." Firenze refused without even thinking. "Centaur don't share their knowledge with humans, nor do they need to make any trade with humans."

"Don't be so quick to refuse." Tom's smile vanished completely, his tone turning cold. "This isn't a deal; this is debt collection."

Firenze was taken aback. "Collecting debts? When did we owe you a debt?"

"You've lived in the Forbidden Forest for so many years, have you ever paid rent once?" Tom raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly mocking, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Even if it's about paying rent, you should talk to Albus Dumbledore. It's none of your business," Firenze said, his tone hardening.

He was, after all, Centaur; no matter how friendly he was to humans, he couldn't be manipulated by a human boy.

Tom didn't waste any more words, and the atmosphere around him instantly became less tense.

Usachi sensed its master's emotions and immediately flew out of his pocket, its dragon eyes wide open, its powerful dragon might instantly sweeping across the entire area.

Firenze was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, his eyes filled with terror.

"Hold head high--!"

The dragon's roar pierced the sky, and the entire Forbidden Forest trembled.

The Fantastic Beasts and wild beasts in the vicinity were terrified and fled as fast as they could, fearing they would be caught in the dragon's might.

Tom spoke calmly, his tone devoid of any emotion, yet carrying a chilling undertone.

"The law of nature is survival of the fittest. Firenze, I am Albus Dumbledore's student."

"We won't defy his authority for now, but even he can't control the fighting between Fantastic Beasts."

"Not just you, all the Centaur in the Forbidden Forest can become Usachi's food."

"Riddle, are you threatening me?" Firenze's neck veins bulged; even though he was on the side of goodwill towards humanity, he was now completely enraged.

"Yes, I am threatening you." Tom's eyes were cold, and his words were clear and distinct.

He lowered his head and patted Usachi's head, his tone both affectionate and cruel:

"Little Wu, you've been eating meteorites for so long, it's time for a change of pace. Centaur probably taste better than meteorites, right?"

Usachi cooperated perfectly by letting out another dragon roar, and purple Hyper Beam gathered in its mouth, growing brighter and brighter.

Although it didn't think the Centaur looked very appetizing, its owner had spoken, and it had to eat it even if it was dessert.

Firenze felt cold all over and couldn't even muster the thought of resisting.

No matter how much the Centaur deny that they are Fantastic Beasts, they are no match for the absolute might of the dragon.

They were no different from other animals; they were all lambs to the slaughter.

"Don't worry, little Usachi." Tom raised his hand, and the purple light in Usachi's mouth instantly dissipated.

"I'm giving the Centaur one day. Come back here tomorrow at this time and give me your answer."

He paused, then instructed Usachi, "Little Usachi, you stay with him. If I'm not here by the appointed time, just do it. Don't hold back."

"Roar--!" Usachi called out haughtily, obediently landing in front of Firenze, staring at him menacingly.

Tom gave Firenze no chance to argue, turned around, took to the air, and flew straight out of the Forbidden Forest.

Only Firenze, his expression uncertain and caught in a dilemma, and Usachi, who could strike at any moment, remained.