208- Why are there such things in the Forbidden Forest?!

After finishing their meal, Rhys and Daphne walked out of the Great Hall together, where they "coincidentally" ran into Astoria at the entrance.

"Big Sister, Rhys, are you heading to History of Magic?" Astoria asked, a sweet smile gracing her lips.

"Yes," Daphne replied with a bright smile.

"Perfect. My class is near the History of Magic classroom today. I'll head up with you," Astoria responded without a moment's hesitation.

Daphne fell silent immediately.

Rhys rubbed his temples and sighed. "Come along with us. Daphne, Astoria could use a bit of experience too."

Truthfully, Rhys hadn't invested nearly as much time and effort in Astoria as he had in Daphne. Around this time last year, he had already arranged for Daphne to face off against a troll in a life-or-death battle. This year, however, Astoria had been left in a semi-neglected state. It couldn't be helped; his energy was finite, and focusing on one person meant less attention for the other.

With Rhys's input, Daphne finally revealed their true destination to her sister.

"Got it! Wait just a moment!" Astoria dashed into the Great Hall like a gust of wind and quickly packed some breakfast to go.

The Forbidden Forest in the early morning was shrouded in a thin mist, carrying a bone-chilling cold. 

Their shoes crunched on the fallen leaves and twigs that littered the forest path. 

"But why are we coming to a place like this? Is it some sort of test for us?" Daphne asked, flicking her wand to clean the mud that had accidentally smeared the side of her boots. 

Rhys shook his head. 

"The Serpent King needs to eat. I've been using it a bit too frequently lately." 

Rhys's explanation left Astoria utterly baffled. "Serpent King? What's the Serpent King?" 

"It's the basilisk. I like calling it the Serpent King. There's a basilisk hidden in that special classroom—it's something Slytherin left for his descendants," Rhys explained when he saw Astoria's confused expression. 

"Wow, that's so cool!" Astoria's eyes lit up with excitement, almost sparkling. 

"Right?" Rhys was delighted to see that Astoria wasn't repelled by the idea of the basilisk. 

"So, what are we going to catch for it? A unicorn?"

Rhys glanced at Astoria: Feeding a unicorn to the serpent? Only you could think of that!

"Two wild boars should be enough."

The Forbidden Forest wasn't what it used to be a thousand years ago.

The population of magical creatures had significantly declined. Back then, even dragons could be found here. Now, finding a wyvern with dragon bloodline was considered fortunate.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they ventured deeper into the forest.

When the forest path became increasingly indistinct, Rhys noticed something peculiar about a pine tree by the roadside.

The bark near its base was oddly missing. Approaching it for a closer look, Rhys studied the strange marks and confirmed that it was a wild boar rubbing tree.

Wild boars that live in the wild often have long bristles on their backs, which are naturally infested with parasites. When they feel itchy, they find a pine tree to rub against. Interestingly, they tend to choose a specific pine tree for this purpose because the pine resin secreted from the bark soothes their wounds, makes their bristles smoother and tougher, and helps repel parasites.

Seeing this tree meant there were wild boars nearby.

After giving Daphne and Astoria a brief explanation, Rhys veered off the path and into the dense undergrowth.

Daphne had heard from Hagrid in passing that as long as one didn't stray from the forest paths in the Forbidden Forest, they wouldn't encounter anything fatal. But Rhys clearly wasn't planning to follow that rule today, and the three of them didn't seem to care much about it either.

With a cutting spell, Rhys slashed through obstructing vines and bushes, forging a path through the dense forest with sheer magic.

He led the way, positioning himself ahead of Daphne and Astoria as they delved deeper into the Forbidden Forest.

Wild boars, as prey, were too mundane to serve as proper training material for Astoria's growth, so Rhys took on the role of trailblazer, hoping to quickly hunt down some boars to feed the basilisk.

As the three ventured further, Rhys suddenly picked up an unusual sound—a loud, clicking noise unlike anything he had heard before.

Daphne and Astoria clearly heard it too.

All three instinctively stopped in their tracks. While the Greengrass sisters tilted their heads, trying to discern the direction of the noise, Rhys flicked his wand and conjured a flock of sparrows, intending to use the birds to trace the sound's source.

However, just as the sparrows took flight, Rhys noticed something was amiss. He instinctively looked up and saw a massive shadow descending from above, hurtling straight toward him.

Rhys: ?!

What the hell is that?!

There was no time to think. With a sharp motion, Rhys aimed his wand at the center of the oncoming shadow and blasted a massive hole through it.

The crisis wasn't over. Rhys heard two heavy thuds behind him, and in an instant, he realized: the creatures ambushing them weren't one but three. 

In a split second, Rhys instinctively shouted, "Get down!" while turning and slashing his wand.

A pale cyan wind blade, nearly five feet long, sliced through the air from his wand tip. 

Daphne reacted swiftly, diving toward Astoria and knocking her to the ground while activating the protective magic embedded in her necklace. She felt a gust of wind sweep over her and then a warm, sticky substance splatter onto her back. 

Shielding Astoria beneath her, Daphne waited for a few tense moments until she heard Rhys's voice. 

"It's safe now. Get up," Rhys said coldly. 

Daphne stood, her robes smeared with blue and teal-green slime. When her gaze dropped to the ground, a chill ran down her spine: two massive black creatures, cleaved in half, lay sprawled out. They had round bodies and several hairy, spindly legs, each as large as a wild horse. 

The creatures weren't fully dead yet. Their legs twitched feebly, producing the same clicking sound the group had heard earlier. 

Rhys crouched in front of one of the creatures, examining it closely. Behind him was another creature, its chest gaping with a massive hole where he had blasted it. Because this one's body was mostly intact, Daphne quickly identified the species—it was an enormous spider. 

"What on earth are these things? Why are they in the Forbidden Forest?" Rhys narrowed his eyes, his demeanor calm but serious as he carefully studied the slain giant spiders. 

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