"Headmaster, you're back? Has Sister Nina's battle already ended?"
Sif asked curiously.
At the sa ti, she noticed that Daniel was holding a small bear in his hand.
It looked… unexpectedly cute.
"Headmaster, is this… tonight's dinner?" Sif asked while licking her lips.
This scene gave the little bear an instant psychological shadow.
The small bear, who had been silent all the way, suddenly blurted out,
"I—I'm not tasty! Don't eat ! I taste awful!"
Daniel casually tossed the little bear onto a chair and asked,
"Are you Bear Pri?"
Hearing the question, the small bear tilted its head in confusion and asked,
"Bear Pri? What's Bear Pri?"
"You don't know Bear Pri?" Daniel frowned slightly.
"I've never heard of it!"
"Then why did you show up to escort those children to the so-called god realm?"
"Oh, that! It's sothing the Winterrealm royal family asked us to do. It's part of a contract with our clan. We're just responsible for escorting people from different regions of Winterrealm. As for what happens after, we don't know."
Daniel understood after hearing this explanation.
It seed…
This small bear was simply one of a group living in a secret realm near Winterkeep Citadel.
They had a long-standing agreent with the Winterrealm royal family.
Whenever the Trial of Gods was held and the results determined, the bears would be sent to different parts of Winterrealm to collect those eligible to enter the so-called "god realm."
In essence, they were couriers—tasked with transporting the chosen candidates to Winterkeep Citadel.
What happened next was beyond their knowledge or concern.
In reality, the Trial of Gods had always been orchestrated by the Winterrealm royal family, having nothing to do with the bear clan.
As for Bear Pri… it was likely a title fabricated by the Winterrealm royal family.
At that mont, Nina hurried into the room.
"Headmaster! Headmaster! Where's Bear Pri? Did you catch it? Can I see it?"
Nina's face was full of excitent, as if she'd stumbled upon sothing imnsely entertaining.
Her eyes darted around the room, searching for any peculiar sights.
The only thing that stood out was the small bear in the room, which could barely be connected to Bear Pri in any way.
"Headmaster, did Bear Pri escape? Are we heading to Winterkeep Citadel next to find it?"
"Nina, did you co back just to ask this?"
"Of course! They say Bear Pri is a god!"
Daniel said nothing, but Sif glanced at the small bear.
Was this… really a god?
"Nina, Sister Nina," Sif spoke up.
"What's up, Sif? Did you see the god?"
"No, but… if you're talking about the Bear Pri the Headmaster captured, I think it's probably that one."
Sif pointed at the small bear.
Nina looked at the bear, blinking in confusion.
Her brain clearly wasn't processing the situation.
"Headmaster, is this little thing… Bear Pri?"
"More or less," Daniel replied.
He then asked Sif to explain the circumstances to Nina.
After hearing the full story, Nina looked back at the small bear.
"This is the huge projection I saw on the stage? It doesn't look anything like it!"
As she spoke, Nina boldly reached out to touch the small bear's head.
Its fur was soft and fluffy.
The small bear didn't resist; in fact, it seed to enjoy the attention, behaving more like a pet.
"It seems that Bear Pri is just a na concocted by the Winterrealm royal family, possibly tied to the fabricated Trial of Gods," Daniel concluded.
Then, as if rembering sothing, Daniel pulled out the fragnt he had obtained in Voidland—now shaped like a leaf—and handed it to the small bear.
"Have you seen this before?"
"Of course I have! It's a leaf from a tree near my ho, in the secret realm not far from Winterkeep Citadel. If you want, I can take you there," the small bear offered sincerely.
Looking at the bear's forthrightness, Daniel fell silent.
...
A few days later, Daniel and his group left Westwind Pass.
This ti, they gained not just the small bear but also another companion: Sarra.
Nina had insisted on bringing Sarra along, claiming she had great potential and would one day beco one of her followers, just like Green and Rose before her.
Daniel didn't object, thinking Nina was rely copying trends.
He did, however, make an agreent with her: Sarra could join them, but since she followed the bloodline warrior path—a system notoriously difficult to progress in—Daniel would not be responsible for her resources. All of Sarra's future advancent would be Nina's responsibility.
To his surprise, Nina readily agreed.
With that settled, the group now included the small bear and Sarra.
However, this ti, they didn't travel by carriage.
The reason was simple: their horse had died from exhaustion not long ago.
Instead, the group now traveled on the back of a snow eagle, an enormous spell beast.
Even Sarra was taken aback.
She had initially assud the small white bird perched on Nina's shoulder was rely decorative.
Who could have guessed it was a powerful spell beast?
Seated on the snow eagle, the group enjoyed a smooth ride thanks to the magic array Daniel had set up.
The array shielded them from the cold winds, making the journey as comfortable as traveling in a carriage.
Sarra, however, sat upright and stiff, occasionally sneaking glances at the small bear out of the corner of her eye.
Nina had only shared part of the truth about the small bear with Sarra, ntioning it was the consciousness of Bear Pri.
This made Nina even more fascinated by the bear.
After all, this was Bear Pri!
She had almost stepped onto its paw and been escorted to the god realm.
But now, here it was—adorably drinking milk.
Feeling Sarra's gaze, the small bear raised its head and asked,
"Do you want so too? It's quite good."
The milk had been taken from Nina's storage crystal.
On their travels, Nina would shop incessantly, buying everything she could, regardless of necessity.
Her storage crystal was now filled with all sorts of odd items, including the milk the bear was currently enjoying.
"N-no, I don't need any," Sarra stamred nervously.
Nina turned to the bear.
"How old are you, anyway? Haven't you been weaned yet?"
"In human years… I haven't reached weaning age yet!" the bear replied proudly.
Nina was speechless.
Daniel, anwhile, gazed into the distance toward Winterkeep Citadel.
After chatting with the small bear, he had learned more about its clan.
It seed likely that Bear Pri was a real entity—perhaps an ancient ancestor of the bear clan.
The Winterrealm royal family had exploited this legend to fabricate the Trial of Gods, gathering young talent for so unknown purpose.
But that wasn't Daniel's concern.
His goal was to enter the secret realm, seek out the elders of the bear clan, and uncover the secrets of the Sacred Ti River.
...
Before long, the group arrived near Winterkeep Citadel.
This city was far larger than Westwind Pass, its towering walls visible from a great distance.
Daniel also noticed an invisible barrier surrounding the citadel, isolating it from the outside world.
At this mont, the small bear spoke up:
"We're here. Up ahead is Winterkeep Citadel. But around the citadel, there's a powerful magic array. If you're visiting for the first ti and don't know about it, you might run into trouble."
"For those traveling by ground, it's fine—there are signs and guards to provide warnings.
But if soone tries to force their way in from the sky… they're in for a bad ti."
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