Chapter 33: The Hyland Plains and the Bloodline of Horses

The journey was very smooth.

There had been no monster attacks, nor had any bandits appeared.

The passengers of the carriage changed frequently.

Some got off to take another path, while others boarded during the journey.

As such, the comings and goings of people made it difficult to keep track of all their names.

The carriage passed through snow-covered plains and then moved along a cold, frozen forest path.

The horses pulling the carriage never seemed to tire, and throughout the long journey, the carriage’s speed remained constant.

A week, two weeks—time passed quickly.

The surrounding scenery began to change.

The snow that had covered the world gradually disappeared, replaced by fields glowing with the colors of the setting sun.

We must have arrived in a place with a relatively warm climate.

I stuck my head out of the carriage to idly admire the scenery.

The breeze was wonderfully warm, carrying the scent of wet earth.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

As the sun began to set over the mountains, it cast the plains in a golden glow.

The golden shimmer rippled like waves before quickly vanishing.

The world, which had sparkled in the sunset, was now being consumed by darkness.

The brilliant sunlight was replaced by the gentle moonlight, with small stars twinkling around it, making the sky feel closer.

The carriage came to a stop late in the evening.

In the middle of the wide-open plains, preparations for camping began.

With the cold gone, there was no need to wrap myself up tightly.

I shoved my hood into my bag.

Crackling—crackling—!

Around the crackling campfire, everyone began to eat dinner.

The food that could be brought along on such a long journey was limited.

Most of the passengers of the carriage chewed on dried bread or jerky.

Time passed slowly in the gentle breeze.

Suddenly, two men got up from their seats and walked away from the campsite.

Their unexpected behavior caught everyone’s attention.

I too watched them.

The two men, facing each other, were adventurers, and they drew their swords at each other.

The light from the campfire illuminated their long shadows.

There were no signals. The two men began to spar, swinging their swords at each other.

Their movements were light and fluid, but slow.

It seemed that they had started the duel to test each other’s skills after a conversation.

The long, cool blades reflected the moonlight as they lightly clashed.

Since both men had relaxed their arms, the sound of metal striking metal was quiet and faint.

The duel didn’t last long. It ended with the victory of the man on the right.

The man on the left, out of breath, sighed deeply and made his way back to his original position.

Adventurers live for the moment.

Seeing the duel between the two men, the others, perhaps feeling inspired, also began testing each other’s skills.

The soft moonlight spread across the plains as the sharp sound of metal rang out.

The adventurers had no qualms about testing each other’s skills, and both defeat and victory were treated lightly.

As a result, the adventurers frequently swapped opponents and wielded their weapons.

I, too, was holding my sword and watching the others with interest.

Since I was also a swordsman, I wanted to test my skills against others.

However, no one approached me readily.

Just as I sighed and was about to lie down, I felt an intense gaze from afar.

At the same time, the wind shifted, and my hair blew in the opposite direction.

The breeze coming from the opposite side carried the distinct stench of beasts.

Swish—swish!

Shadows surged forward, parting the tall grass as they rushed out.

They were crouched low, with their two legs planted firmly on the ground, and their protruding snouts were particularly striking.

They looked like a strange hybrid of goblins and rats.

As if to prove their intelligence, the creatures were holding crude spears and rusted blades.

[Kiieek!]

“It’s Kobolds!”

A scream erupted from one of the adventurers.

The adventurers, who had been sparring with their weapons just moments before, quickly reacted to the Kobold attack.

The sound of clashing metal echoed from all directions, and the sharp scent of blood quickly spread through the air.

I, too, unsheathed my sword and charged toward the Kobolds.

The rusted weapons and long spears were quite bothersome, but they weren’t difficult enough to handle.

I dodged the long spear and closed the distance with the Kobolds, swinging my sword.

Swish!

The crescent-shaped slash, glowing in the moonlight, cleaved deeply into the Kobold’s chest.

The Kobold, its chest split open, collapsed, spraying blood.

[Kiieek!]

[Kick! Kiieek!]

The Kobolds moved systematically.

The adventurers, who had their weapons drawn, fought by focusing on disabling the enemy’s legs, while others rushed toward the ordinary travelers and the carriage.

Just as I was about to rush to help,

A sudden, loud roar echoed, and a massive axe swung toward the approaching Kobolds near the carriage.

“Roaarrr!”

It was the attack of Agul, the half-orc.

He swung his huge axe like a windmill.

With the long axe and his immense strength, the centrifugal force turned his swing into a terrifying storm, tearing everything in its path apart.

I turned my head back and focused on the Kobold in front of me.

Perhaps because they thought I was similar in size to them, the number of Kobolds approaching me seemed at least twice as many as those going after the other adventurers.

I moved forward, swinging my sword.

The tip of my sword slashed through a Kobold’s neck.

In that instant, another one rushed at me, seemingly looking for an opening.

I ignored its attack and swung my sword at the other one.

Swish!

The Kobolds’ poor equipment couldn’t penetrate my ogre-skin armor.

When the rusted sword that had been aimed at my side was blocked, a look of surprise appeared on the Kobold’s face.

I swung my sword again and struck down its head.

Thud!

As my comrades fell quickly, the remaining Kobolds turned to flee.

They discarded their weapons and dropped to all fours, running away.

It wasn’t just the Kobold I was fighting who fled.

Every Kobold that had surrounded the carriage also fled in unison.

The Kobolds disappeared into the tall grass as they quickly retreated.

“Hah… Hah…”

I panted heavily.

It was a brief battle that didn’t even require magic.

There were no casualties.

The only losses were a few small pouches of food.

Though the Kobolds had attacked the day before, by morning, it was as if nothing had happened, and the carriage began to move again.

I sat at the back of the carriage, swinging my legs back and forth.

The jostling of the carriage and the refreshing wind caused my golden hair to flutter.

After about three more days of travel, the carriage finally arrived at its destination, the Hyland Plateau.

The carriage, after speeding down the rough path, came to a stop at a relay station.

“We’ve arrived!”

As the carriage stopped, the adventurers exchanged brief greetings before scattering in all directions.

Having gone through so many meetings and partings, I had grown accustomed to the way adventurers behaved.

“Hmm…”

It seemed the name of the Hyland Plateau was derived from the name of the city.

The city’s name was Hyland.

As I walked through the city, I opened the adventurer’s guidebook.

Inside, there was a brief description of the Hyland Plateau.

Hyland Plateau.

This is the place where the legend of the Thunderbird is told.

Hyland Plateau is a region close to the sky and is considered one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world.

The horses born in this plateau are called Hyland horses, and they are sturdier and faster than horses from other regions.

These horses are known to be fierce and reject human touch.

If one is lucky, they might be chosen by a horse and gain a lifelong companion.

For this reason, many knights and adventurers come to this place.

Horses…

I imagined myself riding a large horse.

If I had a horse that would move just for me, I could go anywhere I wanted.

However, instead of looking for a horse, I decided to find an inn and rest first.

I quickly walked into a suitable inn and secured a room.

My tired body collapsed onto the bed as soon as I laid down, and I fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning.

After having breakfast at the inn, I headed to the horse market to take a look at the horses.

As mentioned in the adventurer’s guidebook, this was a famous region for horses, so the scale of the horse market was quite large.

“Wow…”

The massive stables and the knights loitering in front of them were impressive.

I weaved through the crowd, looking at the large horses.

“Is this horse’s bloodline guaranteed?”

“Guaranteed.”

“Hmm…”

In the first stable I approached, a merchant and a knight were conversing.

From the conversation, it seemed the knight was trying to buy a horse.

He was holding a yellowed piece of paper and sighing.

I leaned my head out and looked up; the paper had the word [Bloodline Certificate] written on it.

“Is it definitely a third-generation horse?”

“Can’t you tell by the mane? This stiff mane is proof it’s a descendant of Hyland.”

However, the knight shook his head and walked away.

It seemed the horse the merchant was selling didn’t meet the knight’s expectations.

The merchant, left alone, scowled as he watched the knight retreat.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh?”

“What does ‘third-generation horse’ mean?”

“What, are you here with your parents?”

“No, I’m here alone.”

The merchant sighed at my answer, then sat down on a nearby wooden chair.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what a Hyland horse is?”

“Isn’t it the horse from this region?”

The merchant took a cigarette from his pocket and started rambling on, likely because he was bored with no other customers around.

According to him, purebred Hyland horses are so fierce that humans cannot tame them.

Therefore, the main income for this horse market came from breeding them with other horses to create gentler ones for sale.

“Where can I see a purebred Hyland?”

“You won’t see one here.”

“Really?”

“Yep, you’ll have to go to the Thunderbird Mountain Range far away to see one.”

Just then, a new customer approached.

The merchant threw his cigarette on the ground and greeted the new customer warmly.