Celeste was currently sitting inside the chief’s hut that was located at the very top of the hill, overlooking the other huts.

Lunaria was with her. The two of them were sitting on the floor since the chief didn’t have standing furniture besides tables that they seemed to have made by hand. Celeste wasn’t surprised since they were a barbarian tribe.

The chief’s house was filled to the brim with his people who were curiously looking at the two maidens and their knights.

Celeste could feel the most eyes on her, particularly on her body. The women of the natives probably weren’t anything to look at to them.

But what about a fair lady with supple skin and silky blonde hair with a body that outshines most women her age? Celeste could see many men with pitched tents under their undergarments. Normally this would’ve disgusted her but she felt it was quite amusing. It felt like being desired by monkeys.

The chief entered the hut. He wasn’t wearing his traditional robes anymore. His upper body was now bare but he wore strange necklaces around his neck. Looking at the shape of the skulls, it might’ve belonged to rodents and other small animals.

“I deeply apologize for making you wait.”

“What’s with your outfit?” Celeste asked in confusion. What was the point of changing clothes?

“This is my ritual uniform. I must perform the ritual while wearing it to clear a path to the goddess.”

“Like magic? I’ve heard that clerics do this when casting extremely powerful but dangerous divine spells.”

“Yes, it is similar to divine arcane.”

The Ritual Dance was a tribute to the gods. If the gods are watching then the power of your spell increases immensely. That’s because they know that you’re performing the dance in their name so they are pleased by it.

“I would like to point out that not many people will be able to accompany us up the mountain so please decide who will go with you.”

Celeste looked at Lunaria.

“Take the two knights with you,” Lunaria said when she made eye contact with Celeste, “I didn’t bring them along to protect both of us. I brought them in case it was needed for us to split up.”

“Are you sure that you’re fine waiting for me here?”

“Yes. I will take a look around at the ore veins that they have up here in these mountains. We’ve never mined this high up before. Well, we never needed to since supply outweighs the demand. I’ll mark them while I’m up here.”

Celeste could hear a bunch of groaning and muttering from the natives when Lunaria mentioned “mining”.

“Very well then. Chief, I will take these knights with me.”

“Safety first, I understand. Then let us go without delay.”

◇◇◇

Climbing mountains was something new to Celeste. She had never in her 20 years of living gone up a mountain. She was always admiring the beauty of them either from a carriage while passing beneath one or from afar.

The air was much colder. She didn’t bring a coat of some sort so she was freezing.

The chief who was walking ahead of her didn’t shiver at all despite having nothing on his upper body.

Celeste looked closely at his back that was filled with flesh wounds that looked similar to burns.

“Did you get injured in a fire or something, chief?” Celeste asked after curiosity got the best of her.

He glanced back with a puzzled expression, probably wondering what she was referring to.

“I’m talking about your back. Why is it covered in burns?”

“I see, so that is what you meant. No, what you see are intentional wounds. It is the mark of every challenger who has challenged me for my position as chief. I have been the chief for 25 Great Moons so I have been challenged by many of the other villages’ strongest warriors.”

“What do great moons mean exactly?”

“It is a number equivalent to 60 seasons that have gone by since my ascension.”

“Ohhh, you mean years?”

“Yers? Is that your people’s way of telling time? What a strange word.”

“We count the days using a concept known as ‘hours’. There are 24 hours in a day and sixty minutes in one hour. There are a total number of 365 days in a year—or Great Moons as you call it.”

“Oho, that seems far easier than letting our shaman predict when the next season change will be. I will be sure to tell my people what I have learned.”

“Have you ever lost to one of the challengers?” Celeste got back to their previous subject.

“No, I take pride in my strength and do not boast about it unwisely. I did not lie when I said that I am the strongest.”

“Interesting. What do you even get in return for winning? I can only see people fighting over a throne as stupid if either party doesn’t get something if they win.”

“I can choose to take their hut, the land they grow food on or the women in their families. I have over 100 wives in total and three times that amount of children.”

‘Women are being handed out like objects. People like Ronia wouldn’t like that,’ Celeste chuckled.

“So, the women happily go along with this?”

“Women feel honored to serve a chief—whether it is around my villages or in my bed. The title has been passed down for ten generations and a chief continues to be the sole ruler of his villages. He does not seek advice from others like a king or emperor of your country. If his people disagrees with his way of ruling then he shall gladly change that way of ruling in accordance to their concerns. It is important to have a good relationship with my people as strength is not the only deciding factor.”

‘That’s rather ironic. Isn’t changing something that you implemented yourself because of what others said the same as seeking advice from others? If the goddess wasn’t here to protect his people then they would’ve died to monsters long ago with this savage life they live.’

What makes a village wasn’t their ruler, it was the people and how they saw their ruler. The same logic applies to nations.

What kind of ruler doesn’t seek advice from his people? One with a lot of pride, that’s who. He wants to appear perfect to his people despite not being perfect in the slightest.

If this chief was the perfect ruler then he wouldn’t have been led on like this. He probably thinks that Celeste will care about their village and make a decision that benefits them.

All she cared about was being praised by Arnold. If she has to kill these people then she’ll go with that. However, there was no way for her to make a decision that benefits Whitage city right now. Lunaria also didn’t have an answer to anything. That’s why she has to meet this lake goddess.

The two of them arrived near a lake. It was so huge that it was hard to even see the other side of its bank without squinting really hard.

“There.” The chief pointed forwards.

In the distance was the huge lake with its clear water surface reflecting the rays of the sun.

“There’s no barrier as I thought there’d be. Didn’t you say that you need to clear a path?”

“Do you notice how there is no vegetation in this crater?”

“….” Celeste looked around after what he said.

‘That place seems so barren. Why aren’t there any vegetation near the lake?’

One would expect some plants to grow right beside a lake but the banks of the lake was just bare land. There weren’t even any animals like ducks present in the water.

Not just that, the forest trees looked like a border of some sort, as if the trees stopped growing over a certain distance. Only bare land was beyond the border of trees.

“What’s going on?”

Instead of answering, the chief picked up a stick and threw it towards the entrance of the forest.

The stick suddenly transformed into particles when it flew past the trees.

Celeste lifted an eyebrow and looked at the chief to explain.

“This part of the forest is filled with the goddess’ power to protect her domain. The power ends at the banks of the lake. I can only create a straight path to it, unfortunately.”

“Why would a goddess need protection?”

They’re supposed to be powerful beings. Celeste didn’t know much about minor gods but the fact that they were called “gods” must mean that they’re strong.

“She can only protect, not fight.”

“…Whatever. Just do your silly dance so that I can meet her.”

“Very well. Please stand back. A magi formula will appear beneath my feet. No one besides the caster may stand on it.”

Celeste did as he said. She stood a few meters away.

The chief held the staff in front of his body with both hands. He began making deep sounds with his mouth.

The chief shook the staff up and down as he jumped back and forth. A magic formula appeared beneath his feet.

“Hoohaayah, hoohaayah! Hoohaayah! Hoohaayah! Buhbuhbibibi, sungo, sungobo. Ganbahi, ganbahi, sapi!”

Celeste’s face wrinkled hearing those weird sounds. The chief’s bottom garments shook each time he jumped up and down so she could see his dangling manhood.

She decided to look around the vicinity.

“?”

She noticed that most of the trees were surrounded by crystals of various sizes.

‘Are those the same type of crystals as the one Lunaria showed me?’

The crystals seemed to be growing out of the ground. They had a pure red color unlike the dark red crystal that Lunaria showed Celeste.

‘Those must be the purer crystals. I’ve never heard of crystals just growing out of the ground like this, though.’

There wasn’t a dungeon near the city so it was hard to say how they were growing.

The magic circle beneath the chief’s feet glowed with a radiant light. An arc of light shot in a straight line.

Nothing else happened besides that.

“You may proceed, First Lady.”

Celeste silently stepped forward. There was a glowing path in the direction of the lake which is probably the guide she needs to follow.

Celeste began walking faster. The two knights were following behind her.

‘It’s not just in one place where crystals are growing out of the ground,’ Celeste noticed a gigantic crystal that seemed to have grown right through one of the trees, ‘What kind of crystal are these…’

She looked forward again.

“Is that her?” Celeste noticed a figure on the bank of the lake.

A melodious voice suddenly resounded. It sounded like the person was singing a hymn. Celeste didn’t know why but her body was becoming relaxed as if she wanted to fall asleep.

‘Isn’t this a Siren song?’

Sirens are an all-female species that sing with their beautiful voices to ensnare sailors or any other victim in a false sense of safety even in the most violent waters. They would then rape the men before eating them once it’s confirmed that they’re pregnant. Of course, their voices work on women as well. Women are usually just killed since they can’t get a Siren pregnant.

Celeste felt her consciousness drowning away. However, the song stopped before her eyes could shut completely.

She snapped out of it and noticed that they were right next to the strange person on the bank of the lake.

Celeste could see the side of the woman’s face.

Her hair was a vibrant orange and her skin a supple white. Her lower body was submerged in the water but Celeste could see something resembling blue fish scales on the woman’s lower back.

“Can you see me…?” Celeste approached the woman carefully.

Half of her face was covered by a blind mask decorated with golden embroidered patterns and a metallic frame. It was similar to the masks one would wear to mask parties but the one she was wearing looks far too extravagant for just a party.

“My eyes may be closed but my other senses are working quite fine. Apologies but I cannot reveal my eyes to mortals as it may kill you.” The goddess said with a smile.

She stood up from where she sat. As expected, she had a fishtail. A light surrounded her lower body in the next moment. A beautiful pair of long legs appeared when the light faded. The woman’s robe also glowed before it extended and wrapped around her legs.

“So, what can I do for you? Humans besides the mountain tribes rarely come here. Well, all of them perish when they approach while being unaware of my life drain spell. I rarely take it down."

“So that’s what it was. I thought that it’s some kind of spell that can disintegrate anything that enters its range.”

“Draining something of its life is similar to that. The spell I cast simply drains all lifeforce and when there’s nothing left of its target, it begins chipping away at the target’s physical form. Oh hold on, let me remove the spell while you are here. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt when the chief’s path disappears.”

‘So she knows he’s here too.’

She raised her hand to the sky. A yellow light surrounded it for a brief second.

“Little Ugur’s spell has a limit so it’s not safe to have a human stay here after that limit runs out.”

‘I wish he told me that. Did he intentionally keep quiet about it hoping that I would die here?’

“Thank you for the consideration.”

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Phistia, whisperer of the oceans. What about you and your friends here?”

“I am Celeste von Penston,” Celeste looked at the two knights beside her. Both of them shook their heads as they grunted, “It seems they’re not allowed to reveal their identities.”

“I see. Well, that’s fine. What can I do for you?”

“It has come to my understanding that the people of the mountains are offering very valuable minerals to Lady Phistia. I would like to know why.”

The woman suddenly bent forward. Her face was right in front of Celeste. She seemed deep in thought.

“…..?” Celeste looked at her in puzzlement.

“You’re thinking of burning this forest down but you don’t want to cause unnecessary harm to the land of the one you love. So, you are here to compromise, despite not seeing the current issue from both perspectives.”

"....Did you just read my mind?” Celeste asked in a flat tone as her eyes narrowed.

“I apologize. I had a feeling that something sinister was within your heart hidden underneath that beauty and feminine charm of yours. It pains me that I was right.”

Celeste smirked, “Gods don’t seem to know what privacy is. Fine, yes, I have killed, I have betrayed and I have manipulated. But who would suspect that a beautiful young dame such as myself is capable of those crimes? I use the ignorance of others to my advantage.”

The goddess smiled thinly, “I cannot comprehend how such a cold and dead heart can love another human being. Please forgive me for peeking inside your head. I tend to read everyone’s minds who come here. That’s how I respond to danger if the other party appears friendly at first.”

Celeste shrugged, “Apology accepted. Now answer my question. Why do you need the crystals?”

“You’re talking informally now, hm? I don’t need the crystals. Well, not a lot of them since it's unnecessary. But it’s better to have a lot of them on-hand in case something goes wrong.”

“In case something goes wrong with what?”

The goddess pointed in a certain direction. It was to the top of the mountain that was casting its shadow over this place.

Celeste saw an arc of orange light above the mountain’s peak. The arc of orange light resembled the horizon that bathes the land during a sunset. The arc looked like an upside-down moon during its waxing crescent phase.

It wasn't a moon nor a sun.

So, what was it?

“I must stop the eye of the other world from opening. These crystals can prevent that from happening."