In the room for the four Magic Beasts, Blaze, the Black-Scaled Horse, was kneeling on all four legs in the middle of the room, her head drooping listlessly. Even when Landen rushed over, she merely gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Landen? You're here?"
Landen walked to his old partner's side, wrapped his arms around her neck, and asked softly beside her ear, "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm not sure. Since noon, I've been feeling unwell. It feels like my whole body is being roasted by fire."
Landen forced as much of a smile as he could. "You're a Fire School Magic Beast. You can't just get roasted like this, can you?"
"Landen? I want to go to Iowa. I want to be with the horses from the Knight Order~" Blaze's voice was frail and coquettish, completely stripped of the proud bearing she had shown while commanding the herd that morning.
"Let's go!" Landen said no more. He led Blaze to the Meditation Room and went straight through it to South Slope Castle in Iowa.
Blaze wanted to be with her own kind, so Landen brought her to the great stable of the Gallop Knight Order. When the herd saw Blaze, they all lowered their heads. The level-zero Black-Scaled Horses even dropped to their forelegs in reverence.
"Landen, I feel much better," Blaze said. Though her voice remained weak, there was clearly more strength in it. "Can I stay here for now and let them keep me company?"
Seeing her like this, Landen simply sat down beside her. "Of course. Not just them—I'll stay with you too!"
"Don't stay here. This place is full of horses, and you're the only one who can stand upright. How awkward is that?" Having regained a little strength, Blaze nudged Landen with her head, signaling