There Really Was a Secret

Sometimes ears discovered secrets before eyes did, like right now.

Only after the crisp, pleasant call faded did a pure white horse appear at the highest point of the opposite hillside.

Especially beneath the moonlight, sacred radiance seemed to flow across its body.

Brad was thrilled. He had verified his family's secret and learned the answer represented by that symbol.

To him, it meant reclaiming his family's glory.

But Luan was only happy for a moment before falling into thought.

This white horse, making its grand entrance at the very end, was definitely a Magical Creature, yet its appearance was far too familiar to Luan.

A long, spiraled golden horn grew from its head, and its body was immaculate, without a speck of dust.

"Isn't that a Unicorn?"

Ever since encountering that Great Serpent and two magical plants in the forest farm, Luan had suspected that the world he was born in had to be connected in some way to the world where Hogwarts was located.

Now, he was even more certain.

Luan was still thinking when Brad suddenly tugged hard at his sleeve.

"Quick! Let's get out of here first."

"What's wrong?"

Luan looked at Brad in confusion as he put away the map.

"I know what the last two symbols on the map represent."

As Brad spoke, he quietly backed away.

Luan slowly followed, but he still looked several times at the white horse atop the hill, reluctant to leave.

He had finally found a Magical Creature resembling a Unicorn. He did not want to let it go so easily.

Seeing that Luan was still hesitating, Brad tugged him again.

"Come on, let's go. Those two symbols mean its horn can kill lions!"

Luan also remembered the description of the map's destination very clearly.

,, Three

It was now known that the symbols represented the white horse's neigh.

Then the ones after that had to refer to the golden horn on its head.

But for Three to represent a lion was a little too abstract.

Though he could not help complaining inwardly, Luan still followed Brad as they slowly backed away.

But just as he grabbed his horse's reins, a dazzling white light suddenly appeared in front of them.

Whoosh!

A white beam of light, accompanied by a sharp sound, blocked Luan and Brad's path.

"Wh-what do we do?"

Brad asked in an extremely soft voice.

"Don't move~"

Luan stared at the golden horn flashing with cold light and tried hard to recall the relevant knowledge he had seen in the Hogwarts library.

Unicorn: snow-white coat, horn, fast runner, more willing to approach witches, slaughtering one results in a curse.

After searching through every scrap of knowledge in his mind, Luan could not find any record that a Unicorn could kill a lion, nor could he find any record of how to escape one.

The golden horn slowly drew closer. Luan could feel the horse behind him breathing more heavily.

Two meters.

One meter.

Then it passed right by him.

As the golden horn swept past his side, Luan looked at its razor-sharp tip. He had no doubt that it could skewer him completely.

But the white horse seemed unwilling to approach men as well, which made Luan breathe a sigh of relief.

Riiip~

Just as Luan was celebrating the fact that he would have one fewer hole in his body, the sound of fabric tearing came from behind him.

Then something fell to the ground.

Luan and Brad turned around together.

The white horse had sliced open the cloth bag draped over Luan's saddle with its sharp horn.

Inside were a Great Willow Tree branch that Luan had brought along and a half-finished wand.

Just as Luan hesitated over whether to fight that sharp golden horn for the willow branch, the white horse had already extended its tongue and begun enjoying its delicious food.

What it ate was the bark Luan had shaved from the willow branch.

The Great Willow Tree was extremely magical. Those magical fluorescent lights had seeped not only into its trunk, but into its bark as well.

Although Luan did not know what the bark was useful for, he had kept it anyway.

There was not much bark. The white horse extended its tongue only once, yet accurately swept it all away.

But it seemed not to have had enough and looked at the other willow branch, which had not been stripped of bark.

"D-do you need help?"

The moment Luan spoke, the white horse's eyes widened, revealing a puzzled look.

Σ(O_O)

"I mean no harm. I can just help you peel the bark off."

As if it could understand what Luan meant, the white horse actually nodded slightly before backing away two steps.

Luan had actually already noticed that this white horse was a serious germaphobe. Wherever it walked, leaves covered the dirt beneath its hooves.

Even when it ate the willow bark just now, its tongue had gently rolled it up. As for the pieces of bark that had fallen into the mud, it had not even glanced at them.

After receiving permission, Luan hurriedly picked up the willow branch and washed it in the stream first. Only after ensuring there was not a trace of dirt on it did he take out his knife and begin preparing the white horse's dinner.

After stripping off the first piece of willow bark, Luan rolled it up and placed it on a clean leaf.

The white horse gently sniffed it, then rolled it into its mouth.

The second piece was the same.

For the third, the white horse's tongue was already waiting beneath it the moment the bark came off the branch.

After six whole strips, Luan's fear of the white horse gradually diminished.

Now, that sharp golden horn was pressed against his chest. As long as it wanted to—

Uh, it definitely did not want to!

After finishing its meal, the white horse consciously backed away three steps, then tilted its head and looked at Luan.

"I only came this time because I wanted one of your tail hairs to make a Wand Core."

As Luan spoke, he picked up the two halves of the willow branch from the ground. A very thin groove had already been hollowed out inside them.

This was where the Wand Core material would be placed.

The white horse seemed to understand Luan's words.

It first sniffed the two halves of the willow branch in Luan's hands, then slowly walked toward the meadow where the herd was gathered.

Luan instinctively followed. Seeing this, Brad, who had been warning him the whole time, had no choice but to follow as well.

"You came here just to get its hair?" Brad caught up and asked softly.

"That's right."

When the white horse returned to the meadow, it was like a king. Every wild horse knelt on the ground and lowered its head.

"Your family's secret isn't this white horse, is it?"

"Of course not. The ones that can breed foals are this herd of wild horses. They must have undergone some kind of change after staying with this white horse for so long."

Luan was whispering with Brad when the white horse suddenly let out a clear neigh. Then all the wild horses came over and surrounded them.

"What are they doing?"

Luan was startled by the sight.

"Are they going to imprison us?"

Even Brad, who claimed to possess the most knowledge about horses, panicked.

The two of them were now in the white horse's territory, and the map that had led them here also indicated the white horse's danger.

Neither of them dared to drive away the herd of wild horses surrounding them.

Fortunately, the wild horses eventually stopped two steps away, allowing Luan and Brad to relax a little.

Seeing that the herd had carried out its command, the white horse showed a satisfied expression before quickly running toward the hillside.

Through the gaps between the wild horses, Luan watched the white horse gradually disappear into the distance. All he could do now was wait quietly.

Bit by bit, time passed, and the darkness of night gradually faded.

Just as Luan thought this trip would end in failure, the white horse appeared again.

But this time, it seemed to be carrying something in its mouth.