Deep in the Great Northern Forest, amidst the dense coniferous trees.

More than a dozen figures clad in black robes sped through the shadows of the forest toward the southwest.

Their entire bodies were hidden beneath hoods, their silhouettes as swift as specters, and on their chests, they uniformly bore the symbol of a blood-red rose.

In the forest, it was eerily quiet, with only the distant chirping of birds and the howls of beasts coming from somewhere unknown under the snowy landscape.

However, this black-clothed group speeding toward the southwest was far from calm at the moment.

"Really, what is the Prophet thinking, sending us to retrieve the Divine Statue from the outside world? Has she forgotten the clan taboo?"

"It's indeed nice to have the chance to leave the 'Holy Land', but to think the mission we received would be this dangerous, and the target is the Free Tribe Alliance..."

"Yes, we finally suppressed the 'curse', and now we are to break the taboo, aren't we afraid of undoing all our previous efforts? The clan has already paid a hefty price."

"Weren't there already agreements of cooperation reached with the mortal governments of the Northern Territory? To act rashly at this critical moment... is that really wise?"

Amidst the group, there were quite a few murmurs of confusion and resistance to the operation.

Until a crisp rebuke came from the slender figure at the front of the group:

"Silence! This mission is an Oracle personally decreed by the Queen. I know you have concerns, but for the grand plan of Her Majesty, for the future of the Bloodline, we must take the risk."

Saying this, apparently worried about damaging morale, the slender figure added:

"Rest assured, for centuries we have maintained the Prohibition. Most of the remnants left by the old gods have lost their vitality, and even the Lord worshipped by the Free Tribe Alliance has been missing for a thousand years..."

"We have already succeeded in distancing ourselves from the 'curse'. Just be careful, and it won't affect the 'plan'."

The voice of the slender figure was low, as if fearful that what she said might be overheard by others beyond their companions.

Of course, what she didn't realize was that their conversation had already been exposed to a "god" who had descended from the heavens.

"A curse? A plan? Retrieving a Divine Statue?"

Not far from the group, Charlotte's heart stirred upon landing on the ground.

Although she had previously guessed as much, she was surprised to see the Harcos Clan respond so swiftly.

Clearly, the situation she feared had indeed occurred.

The Harcos Clan had always been monitoring the Free Tribe Alliance, and clearly, they were also very interested in the Faceless Divine Statue worshipped by the Alliance.

The Northern Territory Duke indeed had dealings with Harcos, and the actions of this mysterious clan were even swifter than she had anticipated.

Only... observing this group in front of her, Charlotte's mood was somewhat subtle and peculiar.

For them to be able to respond so promptly, it was clear that the Harcos Clan placed great importance on the Faceless Divine Statue worshipped by the Free Tribe Alliance.

But if they valued it so much, wasn't the team they sent out a bit too hasty?

Unaware of hiding their presence, lacking fighting spirit, without any vigilance, and their strength was rather mediocre.

Out of the dozen or so Bloodline members, only four were of the Silver Moon level, the rest were Starry, with not a single Blazing Sun.

That's it?

With such strength... to retrieve the Divine Statue from the Free Tribe Alliance?

Even though the overall strength of the Free Tribe Alliance was also lacking, not sending even a Blazing Sun... wasn't that a bit too contemptuous of the enemy?

Looking at this team riddled with flaws, Charlotte felt puzzled.

But she did not act rashly.

As she approached them, she could sense that somehow they were connected to the Northern Land's Prohibition.

That connection very likely involved the Crimson Queen, Royena.

Charlotte did not know whether this connection might conceal a trump card from the Crimson Queen or whether... this Harcos team could be on a "fishing expedition."

Without full assurance, Charlotte felt it was better to wait and see for the time being.

With this in mind, she concealed her presence and quietly followed behind the group.

"But... Lady Sofia, the Free Tribe Alliance... after all, are followers of that Lord, and also the former homeland of Her Majesty the Queen... To carry out the 'plan', our current strength is already not what it once was. If we encounter the remaining Guardians, will we really be able to defeat them?"

Someone in the Harcos group couldn't help but speak out.

Sofia, the slender figure, or rather, was silent for a moment before shaking her head:

"The Free Tribe Alliance... has no Guardians left, so you need not worry about that."

"Of course, although there are no longer threats from a Guardian, we are very likely to face a confrontation with the Divine Favored Queen's follower, the Crimson Flame Blade, Sebastian."

"The Divine Favored Queen, Charlotte, has already reached an agreement with the Northern Territory Duke, and the mysterious Prince behind her is likely eyeing the Divine Statue worshipped by the Free Tribe Alliance. The Crimson Flame Blade, Sebastian... he is very likely to come for this reason."

"The Queen has ordered that we must retrieve the Divine Statue at any cost. The Crimson Flame Blade, Sebastian, has regained the power of the Blazing Sun, and at that time... we may inevitably have a fierce battle."

"Mysterious Prince... the power of the Blazing Sun..."

The Bloodline members in the group looked slightly pale.

Seeing everyone's worried expressions, Sofia sighed and reassured them:

"Don't worry. Under the Queen's Prohibition, the Divine Favored's royal backer will not dare to personally intervene in the Northern Territory, and even if He did, the benevolent Queen will surely take action."

"The Queen is but a step away from True Divinity, in the Northern Territory... no one can stand against Her Majesty!"

"Everyone, don't worry too much. We just need to find a way to deal with the Crimson Flame Blade, Sebastian, and retrieve the Divine Statue before he does."

Having said that, perhaps to ease the oppressive mood, Sofia smiled and added:

"Of course, if we're a bit lucky, maybe we won't need to conflict with the Divine Favored Queen's people, and perhaps we could retrieve the Divine Statue without anyone the wiser."

Upon hearing Sofia's words, the atmosphere within the team slightly relaxed. Although many still wore anxious expressions, at least... there were no more complaints.

Having successfully appeased the group, Sofia let out a small sigh of relief.

But her own expression did not ease as a result.

No, more accurately, she had merely concealed her own worries.

"Let's rest here for a bit, and take the opportunity to change into the clothes we've prepared. We're not far from our destination. After a quarter-hour break, we'll continue our journey to the Free Tribe Alliance,"

Sofia commanded.

Upon her order, the Bloodline members of the Harcos Clan came to a stop.

They removed their hoods, some replenishing their hydration from water flasks they carried or stuffing dried food into their mouths to chew, others resting against tree trunks, facing the sunlight piercing through the forest canopy to rejuvenate with their eyes closed.

Some even outright removed their black robes, putting on the attire of Northern Territory residents, that had been prepared earlier, their eyes filled with curiosity towards the Northern-style clothing as they communicated amongst themselves while changing.

Watching these Bloodline members who were devoid of vigilance and hadn't even set up a warning magic, Sofia felt somewhat helpless.

She sighed, her face showing neither disappointment nor a complexity that was hard to articulate.

Sofia thought she should be disappointed.

Although, she knew deep down that this disappointment was quite unreasonable, at least... for these clan members that stood before her.

There was no way... after all, these clan members were not warriors, nor were they experienced fighters from the clan. Most of them weren't even on par with the Silver Moon.

Having lived too long in a gentle environment, they were too well-protected; they had even forgotten the vigilance necessary when on a mission.

But what could she do?

These people... they were the most powerful clanspeople she could mobilize now.

The more powerful clanspeople, in order to carry out the Queen's plan, to avoid the spread of the 'curse,' had already fallen into a deep sleep.

The only resources she could mobilize now were these people.

To be honest, sometimes even Sofia couldn't help but doubt whether the Queen's decisions were truly the correct ones.

She knew such thoughts were sacrilegious, but as the higher-end forces within the clan successively entered slumber, and the respected elders of the third and fourth generations began to act crazily as if following a "prophecy," even she, with her firm faith, couldn't help but feel lost.

Were the Queen's choices... really right?

Could the elderly God truly ascend to divinity successfully?

Was there really enough time left for the Harcos?

Sofia's thoughts wavered, and with this wavering, that throbbing sensation stemming from the bloodline also followed...

Her heartbeat quickened slightly, her throat felt a bit parched, and her skin, exposed to the sunlight, seemed to start stinging slightly.

And when a tempting scent of blood wafted over from not too far off, Sofia was suddenly jolted awake.

"Sigurd! Put down the blood bag! Have you forgotten where we are?!"

She scolded a certain Blood Baron in the team.

The Bloodline who had just opened the blood bag looked innocent:

"But... Lady Sofia, this is just blood wine brewed from animal blood…"

"Blood wine is also not allowed! Anything with 'blood' in it is forbidden! This isn't a 'Holy Land,' if you don't want to die, then endure it!"

Sofia said sternly.

The Bloodline swallowed his saliva and obediently put the blood bag away.

With the blood scent gone, Sofia's heartbeat gradually steadied.

She sighed in relief, took a sip of water from the flask, and then started to retrieve her own change of clothes from her storage space, getting ready to change.

However, when she began to remove her black robe, she felt a slight sting on the back of her hand.

Sofia paused.

She looked at the back of her hand and saw, to her surprise, that it had swollen up, with a few blisters forming in some areas.

Sofia's gaze became focused.

She glanced at the sun in the sky, felt a sinking feeling in her heart, and her expression became a bit more complex:

Was it... due to the palpitations just now?

After the Blazing Sun... was it finally the turn of the Silver Moon?

So... there really was no escaping the 'curse'?

Exhaling softly, she moved into the shade, took out the Rose Holy Emblem from her chest, her gaze somewhat vacant:

"Queen, when... when will you be able to successfully ascend the Divine Throne and lead us completely out of the darkness?"

Sofia murmured to herself.

Meanwhile, not far from the Harcos Clan's rest camp, Charlotte, who had been observing them for a long time, also fell into contemplation:

"To ascend the Divine Throne, to lead the clan out of darkness..."

"The Crimson Queen... is really preparing for God Ascension."

"They mentioned 'curse'… could this refer to the Bloodline Curse?"

"These Bloodline members of the Harcos Clan seem not to be afraid of sunlight, could it be... that the Crimson Queen has found a way to suppress the Bloodline Curse?"

"They appear to be trying their best to avoid drinking blood; furthermore… they seem not just 'fishing,' but their overall strength is indeed that weak..."

"The Harcos Clan, or rather the Crimson Queen... what exactly has happened? What are they planning?"