An Unusual Herd of Wild Horses

Brad's decision caught Luan completely off guard.

In Luan's previous understanding, Brad spent every day working for the church.

Herding horses, cutting grass, cleaning the stables, bathing the horses.

Those tasks filled every moment of Brad's day. Even rest had to be squeezed into whatever time he could find.

Back when the two of them met, they could only exchange a few words whenever Brad brought the horses to graze in the grasslands near the farm.

Luan had even teased him before: unless the Mad King invaded again, the monastery would never give its servants a day off.

"Looks like you got it wrong this time."

Brad carefully folded the map and slipped it into the inner pocket over his chest before looking back at Luan.

"Brother Leighton said some distinguished guests would be arriving at the monastery in the next few days. To avoid disturbing their rest, he gave all the servants time off."

"All the servants? Then who's going to attend to the guests?"

"Who knows? Maybe the brothers themselves."

After saying that, Brad's lips could no longer stop curling upward.

"Well, I hope these guests never leave."

Luan made the joke, then looked at Brad seriously.

"Are you sure you want to come with me? There are troops stationed there now."

"Of course!"

Brad patted the crumbs from the roasted sweet potato off his hands and stood up.

"I used to herd horses over there. I know plenty of side paths, so we just have to avoid where the army is stationed. Besides, you can't even read this map."

Brad's reasoning was perfectly sound, leaving Luan with no way to refuse.

In the end, he could only borrow two farm horses from Neil, saying that he was going to Brad's hometown.

After repeatedly promising they would return as soon as possible, the two finally set off north.

Walking from Xilin to the foot of Snow Eagle Mountain would take at least ten days. That was too long a period for Luan to be outside safely.

If he failed to return on time, he would have to make his way to Hogwarts through the wilderness.

That was something Luan did not want to try yet.

But with horses as transportation, the journey was shortened considerably.

"What does this symbol mean, exactly?"

On the first night of their journey, while they rested, Luan pointed at a symbol on the map and asked Brad curiously.

"This should mean that something wonderful was found there—the mysterious herd of horses you're looking for."

"If you could avoid using the word 'should,' I might trust you a little more."

Listening to Brad's tone, Luan felt increasingly that this journey was full of uncertainty.

"Don't say that. You've heard my family's story. When you can see a place with music, it means we've found the final secret."

The final secret Brad spoke of was the source his family had once used to help others acquire horses.

But could music be seen?

Luan wondered, scooting closer to the campfire.

They were resting in a wooden hut where horse herders often spent the night. Since it was not far from the main road, it was relatively safe.

Firewood crackled in the flames. Luan picked up a small knife and began carefully splitting willow branches.

Seeing this, Brad stopped disturbing him and studied the map instead.

Perhaps he had used up all his bad luck some time ago, because Luan perfectly split both willow branches in his hands.

On the second day of their journey, they could already see Snow Eagle Mountain rising into the clouds in the distance.

This mountain was also the border between the Gracia Federation and the Melani Empire.

After approaching the foot of the mountain, Brad led them far away from the main road.

Beyond that point was a military zone, so they had to take a detour.

But some things could not be avoided simply because one wished to avoid them.

On the afternoon of the second day, Luan and Brad still found signs of the army.

This was a location marked with a Y on the map. From the ridge above a distant valley, Luan and Brad saw a group of mounted soldiers chasing a herd of reindeer.

"See? The map was right. This is where the reindeer live."

Brad lay flat on the ground, looking delighted. He had proven that his family's map contained no mistakes or omissions.

Luan had originally questioned using a Y to represent a herd of reindeer, even though Brad kept explaining that animals rarely left the places where they gathered.

"All right, you were right. But we need to leave now."

Luan realized they were too close to the army hunting below. They had to detour again.

As dusk drew near, Luan and Brad finally found a herd of wild horses drinking from a stream.

"That's not right. This isn't what the symbol represents."

Standing on the opposite bank, Brad carefully recalled the contents of his family's legends, occasionally glancing at the dozen or so wild horses across the stream.

Although Luan did not know how Brad interpreted the map, he was certain that the horses across from them were not the Magical Creatures he was looking for.

Thinking back on the records about unicorns he had seen in the Hogwarts library, Luan suggested that they follow the stream upstream and continue searching.

As they continued onward, the plants along both sides of the stream gradually changed from grassland into dense woods, while the flow of water slowly diminished.

When they stopped to rest, the herd of wild horses that had finished drinking downstream had already caught up.

But the herd did not stop. Instead, it kept moving upstream along the course of the stream.

"Something's wrong with them!"

Brad blew out the ember in his hand, his eyes fixed tightly on the departing herd.

"What is it?"

"They shouldn't be entering the woods. There's nothing to eat here, and it isn't open enough. Their movements are restricted, so they could easily be eaten."

Hearing Brad's explanation, Luan also studied the herd carefully.

There were even two newborn foals in the group. As they moved through the woods, they often stumbled over tree roots and stones.

"Come on. Let's follow them and see."

Wild animals were smarter than humans. That was something Zalan had taught Luan.

If the herd could behave so unusually, then there had to be not only no danger in the woods, but something beneficial as well.

After putting their packs back on, the two led their horses after the herd.

They did not travel far this time. Once they reached a small clearing in the forest, the herd stopped moving.

Dense, towering trees surrounded the clearing on three sides, while the fourth was bordered by a gently sloping hillside.

The nearby stream originated from a spring on that hillside.

"Other than being the source of the stream, this place doesn't seem particularly unusual."

After looking around, Luan came to that conclusion.

"No, it's too clean here."

Brad lightly sniffed the air, his brow furrowing unconsciously.

After Brad said that, Luan also noticed the anomaly.

The clearing was not large, yet more than a dozen horses lived there.

But there was not even the scent of horse dung in the grass. Instead, there was even a faint fragrance of fresh grass.

"Look, these horses are actually lying down to rest."

Luan had heard Brad say before that wild herds usually rested while standing.

Only that way could they react quickly when danger appeared.

Yet the horses here were all lying in the grass. The two foals were even chasing and playing with each other.

As his questions grew, Luan felt the answer drawing closer.

Weren't Magical Creatures beyond ordinary reason as well?

Just as Luan and Brad were observing the herd, a clear, pleasant neigh came from behind the hillside across from them.