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-Clop-clop.
A carriage moved along, its rhythmic hoofbeats filling the air.
Inside, a group of travelers was on their way to the Erul Tribe village.
After using dimensional leap magic from the Cardis Estate to teleport near the Erul Tribe’s territory, we parted ways with Andras and Alfred at a halfway point and started our individual journey.
The carriage carried me, Speranza, Lia, Kaneff, and Anis, while Daur sat with the coachman on the driver’s seat, steering the carriage.
It seemed to me that Daur had chosen the driver’s seat to dodge Kaneff’s gaze.
One more person, Terzan, was hidden somewhere in the carriage, expertly concealing her presence. It was kind of eerie, considering the small space of the carriage.
At times, I worried she might not be hiding in the carriage but had fallen off somewhere.
Yet, when we stopped for a break, she’d briefly show herself, easing my worries.
Initially, Anis wanted to sit in the driver’s seat, but I convinced her to join us inside the carriage.
“Boss Uncle, Look look. So many sheep on that hill.”
“Right.”
“Their fur looks super fluffy. I think it’s nice to touch.”
Speranza chatted while sitting on Kaneff’s lap. Kaneff replied shortly to Speranza’s talk and even accepted and ate snacks fed to him directly.
Usually, Kaneff would have been annoyed by now, but he was surprisingly patient with Speranza’s chatter.
Thanks to Speranza keeping Kaneff’s irritation at bay, we enjoyed a peaceful atmosphere in the carriage.
At first, Anis was wary of Kaneff, but she gradually became more comfortable.
As Speranza started to doze off, Lia cautiously asked Anis, who was seated opposite her.
“Um
 What’s the Erul Tribe village like?”
Interested, I listened to Anis’s answer as well.
“It’s not that amazing of a place. Apart from being a bit secluded, it’s pretty much like any regular village you’d come across.”
With a slight smile, Anis shared various aspects of the Erul Tribe village.
She described the daily lives of the tribe members: what they ate, their activities, and their family structures.
She also gave a brief overview of the somewhat complex decision-making process within the Erul Tribe community.
“Major decisions for the Erul Tribe are usually made by the village elders, who are known for their achievements in different areas.”
“So, do these elders choose the priestess?”
“Nope, the elders can’t get involved in priestess-related matters. The priestess typically picks her own successor.”
Interesting.
The priestess was clearly considered a very special being among the Erul Tribe. I asked Anis another question.
“Is there no successor for the priestess right now?”
“Well, since my mom’s health took a turn for the worse, there’s no clear successor. If someone has to be the successor, I guess it’d be me, even though I might not have all the qualifications
”
Anis’s expression darkened as she talked about the priestess’s successor. It seemed she had mixed feelings about it.
Then, a sudden question crossed my mind.
“Could Speranza have the qualities of a priestess?”
“Uh
 I don’t really know. The only person who might know for sure is probably my mom.”
The strange energy and events that Speranza sometimes showed.
It looked like her unknown abilities might be connected to the ‘qualities of a priestess’ that Anis mentioned.
But as this question came up, a feeling of uneasiness crept into my thoughts.
If Speranza truly has the qualities of a priestess

How would the Erul Tribe, with an uncertain priestess successor, feel about it? And how would Speranza’s grandmother, who is a priestess, react?
Just when my thoughts were getting complex, Kaneff, who had appeared uninterested in the conversation, suddenly spoke.
“No matter what happens, things won’t change.”
“

!”
“We’re just gonna let Speranza meet her grandma and then head back quickly. If anyone tries to mess with us
”
A cold vibe surrounded Kaneff’s eyes.
“We’ll knock ’em all down.”
A tense atmosphere took over the carriage in an instant.
As everyone hesitated to speak, Daur’s voice chimed in from outside the carriage at just the right moment.
“We’ll be entering the Erul Tribe’s territory soon. Get ready to get off.”
Shortly after hearing his voice, the speeding carriage started to slow down.
“We’re here.”
The coachman courteously opened the carriage door and announced. The passengers inside the carriage stepped out one by one.
“Ugh
”
Maybe it was because I had been sitting in the bumpy carriage for so long, I couldn’t help but groan as soon as my feet touched the ground.
Following me, Kaneff stepped out of the carriage with a sleepy Speranza in his arms. Soon, she woke up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around, kinda confused.
“Ugh
 Boss Uncle
 Did we come to the place?”
“Not yet. Just a little more to go.”
“I want to get down
 Boss Uncle”
Once Kaneff set her down, Speranza stuck close to me.
It looked like Kaneff was a bit bummed, maybe thinking, ‘I looked after her in the carriage, and she just ditches me.’
I grabbed a water bottle from my bag to help wake Speranza up and gave her a sip. Then, I took a look around.
We were at the edge of a forest. The weird thing was, even though it wasn’t morning yet, there was a dense fog surrounding the place.
I asked the coachman, who was checking on the horses.
“Excuse me. If we follow this path, will we get to the Erul Tribe’s village? Can’t we just keep going in the carriage?”
The coachman looked surprised and shook his hands.
“Oh, my lord! That forest isn’t for just anyone to pass through.”
“What?”
“You can’t go in without the Erul Tribe’s permission. From here, just follow the tribe members over there.”
Lia and I were puzzled, but Anis came forward and cleared things up.
“I’ll explain later, Sihyeon. Let’s give the agreed payment here.”
“Thanks.”
Anis paid the coachman for the carriage, and he looked pretty happy, maybe because it was more than the usual amount.
“Great!”
-Heeey!
He pocketed the cash, turned the carriage around, and left. Anis motioned for us to follow her and Daur to the forest entrance.
“Don’t go off on your own from here on out. Stick close to me and my uncle.”
She looked serious, so I tightened my grip on Speranza’s hand without even realizing it.
Daur led the way, with Anis coming in the rear, probably to keep an eye on us.
We stayed close together as we entered the forest.
At first, I didn’t notice anything weird. But after a while, the fog got thicker, and everything started feeling off.
It wasn’t as scary as the ‘Silent Forest’ I’d been to before, but the dense fog messed with my sense of direction, making it feel like we were wandering through a maze.
Swoosh.
Not long after we went into the forest, Terzan popped up out of nowhere. She looked kinda annoyed, like something was up.
“Terzan? What’s wrong?”
She mumbled in response to my question.
“I can’t hide in this forest. My ability doesn’t work here.”
“What?”
“Your ability doesn’t work?”
Lia and I looked at Terzan, surprised.
She’d been able to hide in the cramped carriage, but now in this huge forest, she couldn’t
 Anis, who was walking behind us, explained the mystery.
“It’s probably ’cause of the barrier all over the forest.”
“A barrier?”
“There’s a big barrier covering this forest around the Erul Tribe’s land. If someone who’s not from the tribe comes in, they’ll just get lost and wander around.”
Oh!
That’s why the coachman was so freaked out earlier.
Kaneff, checking things out, shared his thoughts on the barrier too.
“Having a barrier this big over the whole forest
 Andras won’t have it easy either.”
“It’s all thanks to the Guardian Deity’s power. The Erul Tribe’s been getting protection through the priestess for ages.”
“To keep up a barrier this strong
 I can see why the priestess is a big deal.”
Kaneff looked intrigued, but the more I heard about the barrier, the more nervous I got.
If I got separated from everyone, I might end up wandering around the forest forever.
I glanced at Speranza, wondering if she was scared too.
“
?”
But, to my surprise, Speranza was grinning. I asked her, kinda confused.
“Speranza, aren’t you scared?”
“Huh? I’m not scared; it’s actually fun, Papa”
“Fun?”
Speranza nodded, very excited, and pointed at different spots in the forest.
“The forest keeps telling me where to go. It’s like fairies whispering in my ears, it tickles.”
Speranza’s fox ears were twitching, like they were ticklish.
When they heard that, Anis and Daur both looked shocked.
“Um, Speranza, you really know where to go?”
“Un! From now on, go left at the biggest tree, where the red flowers are blooming.”
“What?!”
As Speranza nailed down the exact path, Anis’s eyes went wide with surprise.
Lia tilted her head, wondering why Anis was so taken aback.
“Is it that surprising? Speranza’s part of the Erul Tribe too, so shouldn’t she know the way?”
“No, no! We only memorize special markings that only our tribe can see to find our way. Without those markings, even my uncle or I couldn’t get through this forest.”
Then Anis mumbled, like it was hard to believe.
“For Speranza to find the way without memorizing the markings means she saw the barrier’s true nature. And the only being that could do that is
”
She didn’t finish her thought.
But everyone there could guess what she didn’t say.