Impending sense of déjà vu and crisis
The journey across the grasslands, guided by the Forest clan warriors with Malong as their leader, took a day and a half.
Clank, thud. The carriage swayed, and Mia stared out in a daze with sleepy eyes.
The sky was clear, and the weather incredibly pleasant – making it a perfect day for horseback riding.
However, Mia was forbidden from going outside the carriage.
The slight mischief from the other day had backfired on her.
‘It would have been nice to race the horse. What a shame!’
Mia was occupied by such gloomy thoughts when suddenly, a beautiful scenery unfolded before her eyes, prompting her to cheer in delight.
“Oh… this is quite a spectacular sight.”
Stretching out as far as the eyes could see was a refreshing carpet of green, and as the breeze blew over it, one could hear the gentle rustling of the leaves.
Munching leisurely on those leaves were some white-furred animals – sheep with fluffy white fur. Mia couldn’t help but smile at the peaceful and idyllic scene.
“Those are the sheep of the Equestrian Kingdom! Really delicious… I mean, wonderful” exclaimed Mia
Mia couldn’t resist licking her lips at the sight of the plump, wooly sheep.
The clusters of white appeared like dollops of fresh cream to Mia’s eyes.
“They’re so cute, Mia-neesama! Oh, look, Rina-chan, there is a lamb over there.” gushed Miabel
“That’s true. This is the first time that Rina has seen a sheep.” said Citrina, smiling.
“Oh, is that so? There are things that even the knowledgeable Rina-chan has not seen.”
The two young girls were completely absorbed in sightseeing. Turning a blind eye to that, Mia continued her intense observation of sheep.
“Hmm… with so many of them, I wonder if we could bring one or two back home with us.” pondered Mia
It was at that moment that a particular sheep caught Mia’s eye.
“Oh my! That sheep has a totally different color. It seems to be shining like gold.”
Bathed in the gentle sunlight, the sheep shimmered faintly like gold. It was a truly splendid sheep, slightly larger than the others.
Then, in response to Mia’s voice, Malong approached the carriage on his horse.
“Hahaha, as expected of Miss Mia. You have a good eye. That is called the ‘Daigo sheep’ and it produces the finest milk.”
“The finest…?” Gulp. Mia groaned as she cleared her throat.
“I see. That is no ordinary sheep. So, that’s the secret to the delicious butter from the Equestrian Kingdom, isn’t it?”
However, Malong furrowed his brows, puzzled at Mia’s question. “No, actually, the milk sold to other countries is that of ordinary sheep. Since there aren’t many Daigo sheep, the volume of milk obtained from them is also less.”
“What was that?” Mia’s eyes widened in shock.
“That butter… is from an ordinary sheep?”
‘I can still recall the taste of the delicious butter I had at Rafina’s inn. The richness of the sheep’s milk that spread across the tongue, the exquisite aroma that added mellowness to the sweet flavor of concentrated milk, and the savory aroma of crisply baked bread.’
‘To think that wonderful butter was made from the milk of an ordinary sheep!’
Mia was taken aback, and then she sneaked a glance at Malong.
“By the way, is it possible that I could taste some of the Daigo sheep’s milk? ” Mia asked tentatively.
“Oh, absolutely. As a token of gratitude for accompanying us this far, I’ll treat you to plenty.” replied Malong
Mia burst into a smile at Malong’s powerful and reassuring words.
“Hehehe, it was definitely the right decision to come to the Equestrian Kingdom.”
That was then.
Mia spotted a group of horsemen approaching from the front. She was on guard, thinking that perhaps they were a group of bandits coming to rescue Aima. However, Malong and the others didn’t seem to be panicking and instead raised their hand in a friendly manner.
“Oh, there’s no need for worry. It’s the warriors of the Forest clan. It seems they’ve come to receive us.”
The group stopped at a short distance from the carriage. While Malong was greeting the person riding the horse at the forefront, who appeared to be the leader, Mia was intensely staring at the sheep as if they were prey.
“Hmm… if it’s that size, then I think we could take one in the carriage with us. No, but wouldn’t getting a pair probably be for the best? Let’s request Ludwig to negotiate…”
As Mia leaned out of the carriage, mumbling to herself, she felt a gust of wind at the base of her neck.
“What…?” Mia looked in that direction, and before she knew it, a large horse was approaching her. ‘From where did it appear?’
The horse appeared to be looking at Mia with great interest.
“Good gracious! Somehow that horse looks familiar.”
A sense of déjà vu and a sense of crisis!
Seeing the horse’s nostrils twitch, Mia realized the truth behind her sense of déjà vu.
“Ah, that’s right! This horse, right down to its slightly mean eyes, looks just like Kuolan… Uh-oh!”
Achoo!
While listening to the thunderous sneezes, Mia felt a little nostalgic, and with a distant look in her eyes, thought
‘I wonder how Kuolan is doing?’
