Unbelievable as it was, it was true.

Every step she took felt lighter than ever. Her left leg, which had plagued her all her life, was finally starting to move properly.

Her fingers had been trembling from the realization.

‘Fiarca seemed more energetic after entering the forest. Maybe it’s happening to me, too.’

A flood of emotions washed over her. Perhaps she was unknowingly meeting the conditions of being the Daughter of the Forest.

Enya glanced back instinctively.

She saw Jahan first. Then, she noticed Silanda practically dragging Senu along, and the wolf followed at a distance. They all looked utterly exhausted.

She didn’t want to confuse them with uncertain information.

‘I’ll wait a bit longer.’

The group continued their journey.

“What are the conditions of the Daughter of the Forest?”

When Enya asked, Fiarca responded with some difficulty.

“If only Kiyan were here, she could explain about the Daughter of the Forest better. It’s unfortunate.”

Fiarca murmured, clearly frustrated.

“Of all people, you’re stuck with me. I never paid much attention to those legends.”

“But you must know something.”

Enya pressed.

“There are a few things, sure. How about some training?”

Enya eagerly nodded.

She wanted to undergo any training as soon as possible.

“Try to connect with the forest. Don’t you feel anything? Like the direction of the wind changing with your movements, or something…”

Eventually, Enya confessed to Fiarca what had been happening to her.

“What?! Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

Fiarca jumped in surprise upon hearing about Enya’s healing left leg. Senu, following behind, was equally startled. He muttered in amazement.

“A supposedly irreparable leg is healing. Such an impossible thing…”

The group seemed inwardly impressed by the forest’s restorative powers on its inhabitants.

“This is unbelievable.”

Silanda pursed her lips in denial, though Fiarca ignored her usual reaction.

Fiarca halted their movement and stood Enya in the middle of the dense forest. She was determined to focus on Enya’s awakening as the Daughter of the Forest before delving deeper.

“Come on! Try again, Enya!”

Fiarca shouted, waving her arms in the air, urging Enya to mimic her.

“Feel the energy of the forest!”

Though Enya had no idea what she was supposed to be feeling, she tried her best to follow Fiarca’s confusing movements amidst her own confusion.

“It, it’s not working!”

Fiarca seemed just as frustrated.

“Ugh, I’m not like Kiyan or Yaru, who have the blood of the Daughter of the Forest! How am I supposed to teach this?”

Enya desperately flailed her arms, trying to sense something, anything. However, she only felt increasingly foolish.

The confusion only intensified.

“Like this, like this. Just move your hands around, yes!”

The movements seemed more like dancing, and Enya finally cried out in frustration.

“Fiarca! Are you sure this is how it’s done?”

By now, Senu and the others were stifling their laughter, holding their sides.

Seeing this, Fiarca raised her pinky finger in a mock threatening gesture and began to rant.

“Are you mocking our Nervana, you Aquilea bastards?”

Silanda, having laughed enough, looked around.

“But where’s Jahan?”

“He wandered off that way earlier.”

Senu replied, and Silanda muttered.

“Why does he need to relieve himself so often?”

Feeling embarrassed, Enya stopped the dance.

Fiarca muttered to herself.

“Strange… Eireke definitely moved her arms like this…”

At the name ‘Eireke,’ Enya’s shoulders tensed. It was because she had been the previous Daughter of the Forest and her deceased biological mother.

Just then, Senu approached her.

“Enya.”

Startled, as Enya looked up at him, he smiled and suggested.

“How about trying this method instead of that dance?”

“What, method?”

“Just sit quietly and feel the forest as it is.”

Senu perched himself on a nearby rock, crossing his legs. He looked like he was in deep thought.

“When I hit a block while planning, I would lock myself in a room and just sit there, trying to feel the movement of the earth.”

Fiarca looked at Senu as if he was speaking gibberish.

“You’re such a strange human… Don’t tell me you’re the son of the Great Plains or something?”

“Not at all.”

Senu replied politely to Fiarca’s rudeness.

“I may not be the Daughter of the Forest, but it’s similar in a way. You need to focus, but if your mind is too cluttered with thoughts, it’s impossible. I understand. There’s a lot to worry about. Just sit comfortably and give yourself time. Empty your mind, one thought at a time, and just… sit there aimlessly.”

“Aim, aimlessly?”

Enya was taken aback by the unexpected word.

“Yes. Until you’re so bored, you think you’ll die. Until you’re so eager to do something that your fingers and toes itch with anticipation.”

Senu chuckled softly.

“Of course, it’s a metaphor. I barely have any fingers and toes left. Haha.”

Enya grew thoughtful at his joke. Senu was now staring off into the distance, no longer focusing on her.

“Eventually, you’ll find the strength to think hard again. Someday.”

The eyes behind his bandages seemed to smile.

Enya tried her best to follow Senu’s advice, but in the end, the training was unfruitful.

‘It feels like something is almost there, but not quite…’

She ran her fingers through her short-cropped hair, feeling a bit disheartened. Her hair was now cut short enough to expose the nape of her neck.

Fiarca had insisted on cutting it very short in the Nevrana style, but Ihita had protested loudly and ended up trimming it more neatly with a rock blade. Though not as short as Fiarca’s or Yaru’s, it was a significant change for Enya, who had always had long hair.

Enya fiddled with her unfamiliar hair.

The focused training ended, and the group resumed their journey.

“The top priority is finding the giant molt of the Skull Spider.”

Fiarca said, keeping a low profile as she moved through the underbrush.

Enya’s steps had become increasingly faster and stronger. After observing her for several days, Fiarca made a confident declaration.

“At this rate, Enya’s leg might actually heal completely.”

Hearing such hopeful news, Jahan dropped the dried mushroom he was chewing on. Silanda raised an eyebrow and muttered.

“That can’t be true.”

Fiarca scoffed.

“Well, what would ‘ordinary’ tribespeople like you know about legends or the Daughter of Forest?”

“Why would we need to know the legends of forest monkeys?”

“What did you just say!”

Just as another round of bickering was about to erupt, Enya found herself questioning.

‘Could my leg actually heal…?’

She glanced down at her left foot.

The color had lightened, the swelling had decreased, and walking was much easier. The limp had significantly reduced. This alone was an incredible change, though if it went even further… It felt like an unbelievable miracle was about to happen.

Enya’s heart raced at the newfound possibility. She might be able to run.

The lifelong disability from her leg might disappear, and the first image that sprang to mind was unmistakably his face.

‘Tarhan…’

Unable to contain her elation, Enya moved her left foot back and forth, testing it out. Indeed, her leg was healing rapidly, which also meant there was a higher probability that she was truly the Daughter of the Forest.

“The Daughter of the Forest is a queen. She controls the enormous Skull Spider, the ruler of all.”

Fiarca continued to explain as they moved, speaking of the Skull Spider and the Daughter of the Forest.

“We’re really close to the waterfall now, so everyone needs to be careful.”

True to her word, a faint sound of rushing water began to reach their ears. Gathering her courage, Enya spoke up.

“Fiarca, what exactly happened to this Eireke person?”

Curiosity about her deceased mother finally pushed Enya to voice the question.

Fiarca seemed a bit troubled but then answered straightforwardly as if it was something she couldn’t hide anyway.

“Eireke had conflicts with the tribe from a young age. She often clashed with her mother, Kiyan, because they had different values and ways of thinking. She wanted to reject her identity as the Daughter of the Forest from a very early age.”

Jahan and Silanda were listening intently, their eyes full of curiosity.

“Their relationship was already strained, and it worsened due to Eireke’s frequent runaways. Things reached a breaking point when she became pregnant by some man who appeared from outside the tribe.”

Enya’s eyes widened in shock, but Fiarca continued without pause.

“I never found out which tribe the man was from. Eireke tried to use the Skull Spider to hide both the unborn baby and the man from the enraged Kiyan. She led the Skull Spider out of the forest alone while pregnant, but she was never found after that…”

Enya listened with her mouth slightly open. Observing her reaction, Fiarca added.

“It’s likely she was taken by the Skull Spider. Eireke’s abilities were said to be quite weak compared to other Daughters of the Forest.”

Fiarca quickly added.

“I was just a baby at the time, so I don’t know all the details.”

Silence fell over the group. Only the sound of their footsteps filled the air. After a while, Jahan slowly spoke up.

“Hey, everyone… what do you want to do when all this is over?”

It was a valiant attempt to change the subject. Fiarca responded first.

“Obviously, I’m going to drink my fill of honey mead and then take a long, carefree nap!”

Jahan, eager to contribute, quickly added.

“I’m going to sunbathe until I’m as dark as can be! No one can stop me!”

Then, almost as an afterthought, he mumbled quietly.

“And it would be nice to get a kiss from a pretty girl.”

Silanda responded to Jahan’s attempt with her usual scoff. However, her eyes were serious. Her gaze was fixed on Senu.

‘She must be hoping for Senu’s health more than anything.’

Senu, carrying the heavy weapon on his back, stopped and looked up at the sky for a moment.

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