Scarlett pushed aside a branch with annoyance as she sidestepped a root jutting out from the ground, avoiding the soggy pool of mud next to it. She hated wet forests.

It just had to rain the night before they were supposed to go out into the woods like this.

They had only been at this for about an hour, but she was already getting tired of it. Unfortunately, there were no roads or actual paths through the forest around these parts. And when everything you had to go off of was a yellowed old map—maybe even older than the trees currently surrounding them—the conditions weren’t exactly prime for finding your way.

Thankfully, they had Fynn with them. He could scout ahead much faster than the rest. Ten minutes ago he’d said he found a place that fit Scarlett’s descriptions, and they were following him in that direction now. She was hoping this wouldn’t have to go on for much further.

As they pushed through the damp underbrush, finally, the trees opened up into a small clearing. The ground was covered with the fallen leaves of the nearby trees, bearing shades of orange, red, and yellow. They were a few weeks into October in this world, and the fall colors had made a strong appearance here in the southwestern parts of the empire. Strong winds had probably carried most of the leaves here, considering many of the trees in the immediate surroundings still retained much of their foliage.

“Is this the place?” Fynn asked as Scarlett approached him where he stood at the center of the clearing.

She looked around as she took the area in. The place didn’t look particularly special, so it was hard to tell. “I am uncertain, although I believe it may be.”

There was only one way to find out.

She put a hand into the [Pouch of Holding] at her waist, pulling out the [Forgotten Hairpin] she received from The Gentleman. The red rubies affixed to its head reflected the quiet sunlight peeking through the clouds that covered today’s sky.

“What exactly are we expecting to find here?” Allyssa asked, the young Shielder exiting out of the forest a short distance behind Scarlett. Rosa followed not long after, ducking beneath a twig drooping from a nearby oak. “Don’t tell me… Is it another secret fairy place?”

“It is not.” Scarlett looked to the side, where Shin also appeared from out of the thicket. With everyone gathered, she then turned her eyes back to the hairpin and held it up in the air.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a weak light stirred inside the hairpin’s rubies. The air in front of Scarlett rippled with faint waves. It looked almost like the refraction above a campfire, in the vague outline of a gate.

She smiled. This was indeed the right place.

“Hmmm… I give it a six.” Rosa had walked up next to her, one hand cradling her elbow as she caressed her chin with the other. “The fairy entrance was much more dramatic.”

“Is this another example of a gate that will transport us to another realm?” Shin asked, stepping up and examining the odd phenomenon in the air.

“Not exactly,” Scarlett answered. She eyed the strange ‘gate’ for a moment, then looked over at the others. “For this, I believe it best if some of us remain here.”

All of their gazes turned to her.

“…Is that really a good idea?” Allyssa questioned.

“In truth, there is no need for anyone other than I entering,” Scarlett said. “There is nothing that would pose a threat on the other side.”

Even if there were to be danger there, it wasn’t something any of them could handle. Even if they all worked together.

“Are you sure?” Shin asked.

“Yes.”

Scarlett noticed Fynn studying her closely. She was uncertain whether he would consider that a lie.

He surprised her by shrugging his shoulders. “…Then I’ll stay.”

He was volunteering?

“I’ll keep watch if there’s anything suspicious around here when you get back,” he continued.

“I will stay behind with him then,” Allyssa said after a moment.

Scarlett turned to the girl. She as well?

That made things easier. The truth was that she would have preferred if none of the others came with, but Allyssa was the one that those concerns held the strongest for.

She glanced over at the remaining two. Shin and Rosa looked determined enough to come along, though. She supposed she could bring them along for now, so that she could show it wasn’t dangerous, if that’s what they were worried about. And she might actually need Rosa’s help. At least at first.

“Very well. You two will stay here for now,” she told Allyssa and Fynn. “We will most likely not be gone for long, but do not fret if we are.”

Both nodded their heads at her words.

She then turned back to the strange space in front of them. “Let us move,” she said and stepped through. Her surroundings warped, like a ripple spreading across a canvas, and a moment later she exited into the same clearing. But now, she was surrounded by green.

Glaring sunlight shone down from a clear blue sky, not a hint of clouds in sight. The trees were swarming with young, vibrant leaves that danced in the wind. And the soft, pleasant smell of fresh grass lay thick in the air around her, the fallen leaves that had covered the ground completely absent.

Rosa and Shin appeared beside her soon after, both stopping and turning around as they took the change in.

“Is this…?”

“We’re still in the same place,” Shin said.

Scarlett put away the [Forgotten Hairpin]. “That is correct.”

“…But it’s summer,” Rosa pointed out.

“Astute observation, Miss Hale.”

The bard shot her a boorish look.

Scarlett pointed towards the edge of the clearing, straight ahead of them. There was a path there now, leading further into the forest. It was slightly overgrown, and didn’t seem to see much traffic, but it was better than the dense undergrowth that had been there before. “Shall we continue?”

“Why, of course.” Rosa stepped forward, gesturing for Scarlett to walk ahead with an exaggerated flourish. “Whatever the Lady says.”

Scarlett decided to ignore it as she strode past the woman, proceeding onto the forest path. Though perhaps calling it a trail was more accurate, as it was barely wide enough for them to walk side by side. And the footing was pretty uneven as well. But at least she didn’t have to bother about tripping on a branch or stepping in a pool of muck now.

They followed it deeper into the forest, the trail eventually widening slightly as the surrounding trees started growing less dense. After a few minutes, they spotted signs of another opening ahead of them, and Scarlett could hear faint sounds of running water. Soon, they exited into a large glade with a thin river running around its outskirts. The river passed by near them, disappearing into the forest further north. Close to where it disappeared, at the other end of the glade, stood a small village, with simple wooden-roofed buildings and a low stone wall encircling it. A small herd of sheep moved around in an enclosure next to the village, with a couple of human figures walking among the animals.

“How quaint,” Rosa said, looking out over the clearing.

Shin mostly seemed to be puzzled by the sight. “Where are we?”

“This is the village of Freymeadow,” Scarlett said.

“Why is it hidden away like this?”

She turned to him, eyeing him for a moment. “…Perhaps you will learn later on.”

Preferably not, if she had anything to say about it.

She didn’t wait for him to ask any more questions as she started walking deeper into the clearing. A simple dirt road began near the river and continued towards the village, and following that road, it only took them a short few minutes to reach the settlement. The path trailed the stone walls around the village until it reached a small opening that could only generously be called a gate.

As they entered Freymeadow, the heads of two middle-aged women sitting outside a nearby house turned towards them. Both women had baskets filled with wool next to them, with wooden tools that looked a bit like large brushes in their laps. Scarlett felt like she recognized the tools, though she couldn’t remember their names.

Rosa gave the two women a gentle wave and a smile. The two women just returned surprised looks, mixed with what looked like curiosity and wariness.

Scarlett continued down the dirt road and further into the village. On the way, they passed by even more people, each giving them similar looks as the women had. They clearly weren’t used to outsiders. In spite of that, there wasn’t anything that stood out as odd about the people here. Their clothes were simple, and so were most of the activities they were carrying out. They looked just like any of the other people Scarlett had seen in this world. If she were to compare this place to Whistlecreek or Dimfrost, there really wasn’t much to point out.

Soon, they reached an open area that had a raised wooden platform in the middle—perhaps used for larger gatherings and celebrations—and served much as the center of the village. A group of kids stood near the platform, playing some sort of game with sticks and stones on the ground.

Scarlett’s eyes turned towards the edge of what was essentially the village square, where one of the larger homes had a small porch that looked out over the space. A woman was sitting on a chair there.

From here, one could see that the woman had straight, raven-black hair that reached down to rest on her shoulders, with a streak of white running through it just above the left temple. As Scarlett crossed the square and approached her, she could see that the woman’s eyes were a pale green, with hints of wrinkles and darkened skin beneath, as well as two beauty marks under the right eye. Her clothes were a dark set of loose robes, with simple decorations around the fringes.

She held an almost vacant gaze as she peered out over the square, seemingly watching the playing children.

Scarlett stopped in front of the porch, and the woman’s head turned to them.

“Oh? Visitors?”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Scarlett Hartford.”

The woman’s eyebrow rose. “Scarlett Hartford?” She studied her for a few seconds. “That’s a new name.”

“These are my retainers, Rosalina Hale and Shin Thornthon.” Scarlett gestured towards the two beside her. “We hail from Freybrook, and have come here to meet with you.”

“Is that so?” The woman’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, before passing over to Rosa and Shin. Finally, she turned her attention back to the square. “I’ll have to disappoint then, I’m afraid. I’m not much to meet.”

“I beg to differ,” Scarlett said. Her eyes drifted to the space behind the woman, where there was a red-tinted wooden casket with gold latticework standing on a stool.

[Locked Jewellery Casket]

{A woman’s jewellery casket. There appears to be no way of opening it}

Studying the object for a short while, she eventually looked back at the woman. “I wish to be taken in under your tutelage.”

The woman stilled, slowly turning to her. “What?”

“I wish to be taught under your counsel.”

The woman stared at her. “You’re here to learn from me?”

“That is correct,” Scarlett replied.

The woman narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to peer through her words, to see if there was a meaning behind them. After a moment, she relaxed her gaze and pointed to the empty air beside Scarlett. “Show me what you can do.”

Scarlett looked to where she was pointing. “You wish for me to showcase my abilities?”

“What else is there to do? Now, hurry up.”

She glanced back at Shin and Rosa, signaling for them to step back. Then she raised both arms, holding her hands up in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she summoned all of her focus.

A giant sphere of fire blazed into existence a dozen meters ahead. A wave of heat blasted into her. This was the highest intensity she could muster with her pyrokinesis, and with a diameter of well over two meters, it was gorging through her mana stores even with her recent skill upgrades. Still, she managed to maintain it for almost twenty seconds before she dismissed it, drops of sweat forming on her temple.

[Mana: 1435/4575]

Loud cries sounded out from the children near the center of the square, who were staring over at her with wide eyes. Scarlett ignored them, turning back to the raven-haired woman.

“Does that satisfy you?”

The woman seemed thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, but the answer is no.”

Scarlett held back from showing her disappointment. She really had been hoping it’d be that easy.

“Then is there something I can do to convince you?”

“I’m afraid I’m not that generous.”

“I am not asking for your generosity. Only that you teach me, in exchange for whatever it is you may want.”

“And I’m saying no. You don’t have what it takes.”

Scarlett studied the woman’s expression. It didn’t look like she was going to let herself be persuaded.

“…Very well.” Scarlett reached up to her neck, pulling off her [Depraved Solitude’s Choker] and holding it out towards Rosa. “Take this and refill it.”

[Mana: 495/1575]

Rosa blinked a few times, before slowly accepting the necklace and putting her hand over the violet crystal that hung at the center of its thin black band. A pale light appeared over the crystal’s surface as the bard started filling it with her own mana.

If Rosa hadn’t come with, Scarlett would have been stuck just relying on her own mana.

She did this sometimes when she trained with Garside as well, though only on days that she had nothing else to do afterward. While she could technically keep having the necklace’s mana recharged in order to stock up her mana, it was unfortunately impossible to only use the mana stored in the artifact. At least from the experiments she had run. Using this method more than once also wasn’t much different from mana exhaustion.

Still, it was useful on occasion. Especially when she had lots of time to spare.

She waited quietly for the few minutes it took for Rosa to do her work, then happily received the now-full necklace. Briefly stepping up onto the porch, she picked up an empty wooden chair standing next to the raven-haired woman before walking back to where she’d been, placing the chair on the ground in front of the building.

She took a seat.

The woman looked down at her. “What are you doing?”

Scarlett met her eyes. “You said I am not fit to be under your tutelage, yes?” She snapped her fingers as two small spheres of fire and water appeared in the air before her, spinning around each other in a cyclical formation. “Then I have no other alternative than to continue practicing, do I not?”