We can't say that Kara slept well that night after her conversation with her father. Although she was determined to go through with the ritual described in those papers, she had uncertainties about the timing of this opportunity. Was it the hand of destiny? Or did those papers have the power to influence her thoughts, to always make her crave more power? Considering the power they harbored and the fact that she had slept for years about 10 meters away from where the papers were hidden, this cannot be ruled out.

While having breakfast, she confided her concerns to her father, wanting to know if he had noticed anything unusual.

"Kara, don't worry. Every human being is shaped by external factors. For example, let's say you like wild boar meat the most. If you had never eaten wild boar, this wouldn't be possible; perhaps you would have preferred deer meat." Markus said to reassure Kara. 'Well, unfortunately, I'm not an expert in philosophical matters...' he thought to himself when he saw Kara's skeptical look.

"Anyway," Markus continued, "as long as things have passed, no matter how hard we try, we can't change them. For example, when I was young, I tried to capture..."

It seems that no matter what topic he starts with, Markus will end up talking about hunting again. But this never bothered Kara because she was always impressed by her father's passion for hunting. For her, hunting has always been something instinctive, something natural. Hunting has never been a passion for her like it is for her father.

'I wish I had something as important to me as hunting is to my father...' This thought appeared in Kara's mind every time she saw the gleam in her father's eyes while talking about hunting.

After finishing breakfast, they set off to the town to buy the necessary equipment for Kara's journey. The place she decided to head to is her place of origin, the Great Moonshadow Forest, located nearly a thousand kilometers away from where they currently were. It's a place where there will be abundant resources to fulfill the ritual.

The first thing they bought was a storage ring similar to the one Kara had given Alice because, as inconvenient as it was for Kara to wear it, it would be even more inconvenient to travel for nearly a week with the luggage. The second thing was an exact map of the entire kingdom because Kara had never ventured beyond the surroundings of her hometown and had almost no knowledge of the route she would have to follow.

Finally, after purchasing some less important items, the only thing left was to find a means of transport.

"Well, I don't think there's any caravan heading directly to the Great Moonshadow Forest, so the best decision would be to buy you a horse," Markus said, guiding Kara toward the horse farm.

Once they arrived there, Markus carefully examined the specimens prepared for sale.

"Dad, there's no need to overthink it. Probably, once we reach the Great Moonshadow Forest, I'll set it free. The only important thing is for the horse to be healthy and able to endure a 1000-kilometer journey."

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"Yes, you're right. Look, the one with a white patch on its forehead is just perfect..."

After purchasing the horse, the two of them returned home together.

"Will you visit Alice tonight to let her know you're leaving?" Markus asked Kara. He knew a little about the relationship between the two, but he had no way of helping Kara.

"No, I won't visit her. Probably when she finds out Klaus wants to marry me, she'll be glad that I'm gone. Anyway, I don't owe her anything. I've already given her enough time in my life."

"I'm sorry, Kara. I know how important Alice was to you. But I believe you can at least remain friends."

"I don't think it's possible anymore. For a while, I thought we could still be best friends like before, but both she and I have changed. She has her plans now, and I no longer have the patience to be a part of them."

Kara spent the evening talking to her father about the upcoming journey and what he would do after she left. It seemed that Markus would take advantage of this opportunity and leave for a few months to fulfill an old dream of his: wyvern hunt. As for Klaus and his marriage plans, they decided not to give importance to those subjects. It's too difficult to discuss with stubborn people...

..........................

After a restful sleep and a hearty breakfast, and after saying goodbye to her father, who did his best not to cry, Kara set off on horseback towards the Great Moonshadow Forest. She is truly grateful that her father decided to support her and didn't oppose her wishes. Kara doesn't know if she would have been able to do the same in his place... because she has always been too greedy... her desires have always been the most important to her.

.........................

The journey was long and boring. Kara didn't waste time visiting populated places along the way. She slept in a tent when the horse was tired and mostly ate the provisions she had stored in the magic ring, occasionally hunting a rabbit or a pheasant. The main reason was that, in general, it's people who bring problems. The creatures of the woods may not notice you if you travel alone silently, but some people will. For thieves or criminals, a lone person is a perfect target.

Fortunately for Kara, she stayed away from such troubles, and after a week, she reached the outskirts of the Great Moonshadow Forest. After dismounting, she took everything that belonged to her from the horse and set it free.

'I think I got a little attached to him. I hope no wolf eats him.'

Once she entered the forest, she dug a hole at the root of an old tree and placed all her belongings in it, including the papers describing the ritual she would perform, as all the information from them was imprinted in her mind.

'Well, now comes the truly embarrassing part.'

If you're wondering what Kara considers to be embarrassing, you will find out that the ritual had a very important condition that the one who wanted to perform it had to fulfill, a condition that implied the fact that you had to be completely undressed for the entire duration of the ritual.

'At least no one will see me, only the creatures of the forest. But I'm sure they will forget when I kill them...'

After burying everything and covering the hole, Kara stood for a few moments in all her splendor. Her body was almost perfect. She stood around 1.70 meters tall. Her body was athletic, with small yet well-defined muscles on her back, giving the impression that she was always ready to accelerate, reminiscent of a feline crouched and stalking its prey. Her breasts were neither too small to be unattractive, nor too large to be cumbersome, and as for her behind, her pièce de résistance, well, let's not describe it further so we can sleep peacefully tonight.

'It seems a bit chilly...', Kara said to herself. 'But I'll warm up once I get to work.'