Effectively, yes. I'd say it's much more likely that your perception of direction is altered so you always turn back to the carnival after a certain distance. I've known creatures capable of inflicting such in my own home world, and they were not nearly so powerful as the Ringmaster is.

[Tanyuu, literally no one other than you cares about that nerdy shit. ...except maybe Ginko. And Sans and Mari.]

Once we're at the next world, you'll be able to leave the forest properly.