Hearing the footsteps, Petra's eyes turned.
While peeking from beneath the book covering her face, she scanned this group of adventurers that had slowly approached. They looked around, clearly interested in the strange building that didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the secret realm.
They looked at Petra, and Petra looked back, but after examining them, she lost interest. She let the book fall back down to cover her face, appearing asleep.
She could tell at a glance that they were the cannon fodder type, so she threw them to the back of her mind. As for this small group of adventurers, they paid her no mind, walking past, entering Poppy's Potions with quick steps.
Petra could see that one of them was poisoned, and if she was not wrong, they must have visited a few of the nearby camps before approaching her place, but none of this mattered to her…
-
Time passed, and while listening to the adventurers fail to barter with the three ant girls, Petra turned her attention to the surroundings.
Entering the Secret Realm was indeed a unique experience…
It felt a bit like camping, but with some extra little events sprinkled in here and there.
Petra still remembered what one of the girls had said earlier, which was that the secret realm might have taken some 'inspiration' from the events during the early migration period. As a result, it formed itself around that history, almost like an event-focused, linear adventure game.
Not all secret realms were like this, but she seemed to have hit the jackpot, allowing her to learn a little more about the Cross Continents' history before leaving.
The first day was the treasure hunt, the second day was learning about the locals, and the third day was a bloodbath and encountering a sea of the dead. If this really corresponded to some kind of ordered list of historical events, then the first day should have represented the people after reaching the Cross Continent, the second day should represent exploring the Cross Continent and fighting the local beasts, and the third day should represent the massacre in the north.
If that really was the case, then perhaps the battle in the Green Wind Forest back then was a lot more 'inclusive' than she originally had thought.
"Interesting…"
Regardless, what happened back then had already been lost to time. After all, 1,000 years was the upper limit of the current Cross Continent's top-level practitioners (Fifth Realm), so those still alive were all at the end of their rope, relying on special methods.
From what she knew, only the Azurefell Family's ancestor met those criteria….
The old emperor was also included, but Petra, like most people, just didn't know he was still alive.
Her eyes turned, and she let out a cute little moan while fixing herself in her seat. The people inside were still arguing, but she didn't care.
Thinking a bit more, after leaving the fog, they came to a crossroads that led in three different directions, three different trials. There was obviously some symbolism here, but Petra didn't know the specifics of those pillars.
She chose to have Mell send Rose and Lira out again, but this time towards the highlands.
The first pillar, the central path, led into the mountains and was surrounded by too many beasts, making them too scared to approach. Petra's brow twitched. If she remembered correctly, the Hellion Empire was built on Fearlessness, Loyalty, and Pride. If these three paths represented the three pillars, then perhaps they were some kind of trials that needed to be passed before the central area could open?
Petra hummed, feeling like that made a lot of sense.
Click!
Her attention was drawn to a sudden sound from behind. The door had opened, and the adventurers were leaving. They all had looks of relief on their faces, so Petra understood that they had found whatever they needed.
As they left, Petra also caught a glimpse of a certain clepto stalking them as they disappeared into the distance. She turned her head, paying it no mind.
-
Time slowly passed…
Soon—
Tock-tock-tock-tock-tock-tock-tock!
While still resting, Petra turned her head, only to see two young women running at full speed towards the crossroads from afar.
One was a tall woman with blue, floor-length hair and a mature appearance. Her blue eyes were filled with panic as she pushed herself to the point of exhaustion, seemingly mid-escape. The second, a girl with a childlike physique, was a badger beastman with short, swept-back, dark blonde hair and a mouth full of sharp teeth, clearly a biter.
The more mature woman carried the smaller girl in her arms, clearly in a hurry.
They had just left the forest, and it was obvious that something was chasing them.
It wasn't only Petra; many heads from the surrounding camps turned toward the chaos. What shocked them, Petra included, was what happened after these two made it halfway down the path—
Rumble!
The earth began to rumble. Petra felt as if this resembled a stampede, causing her to immediately sit up and look over with much more focus.
She narrowed her eyes, turning toward the distant curtain of fog with a look of fake seriousness.
The beasts from the forest couldn't get out, right?
This was what she had assumed, but who knew if it was the truth!
Petra watched, feeling Mell and Wind step out from behind her, likewise turning their attention to the swiftly approaching commotion.
Petra clenched her little fists.
She didn't want to experience another beast tide; they already had enough meat!
The duo got closer, and time seemed to stretch, but soon—
Fwoosh! Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh! Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh!
Petra finally saw their pursuers!
One after another, figure after figure, dozens—no, hundreds of figures burst out from the fog-filled forest and shot toward Qucell and Mellia! The duo looked back, feeling their hair stand on end, then sped up! Even Petra, as a bystander, felt cold when so many people appeared from nowhere!
After taking a closer look, she realized these people were all from the Blue Sea Guild! They were not particularly strong, only around the Golden Core Realm, but there was a freaking lot of them, and as you know, quality can be birthed from quantity! Petra had no doubt that if these hundreds of people caught up to the two girls, they would be crushed like a tide!
She jumped up, shock clear in her eyes.
Petra could also tell that these weren't suicide soldiers!
What the heck did these two girls do to enrage so many people? Petra had no idea…
And neither did Qucell and Mellia!
In fact, the Blue Sea Guild had been acting unreasonably ever since they entered the Royal Ring Secret Realm. The duo had no idea why, but ever since the fog had appeared, their pursuit had only become more aggressive. After being separated in the fog, things only became more problematic. With Qucell being unable to stabilize her newly advanced realm, and Mellia inherently having short legs, these two girls were already at their wits' end. If not for the constant reminder of how crazy those people were, they likely would have already collapsed long ago.
As they ran, they looked forward and soon saw Petra not far ahead.
But after seeing her, they immediately disregarded their only hope of an actual respite, choosing instead to veer off course and shoot toward the western path, much to Petra's faint disappointment.
A few seconds later, the huge wave of people followed in their footsteps, not even giving Petra's establishment a second look.
Out of these hundreds of people, not a single one was a customer!
A lone leaf seemed to flutter past…
Petra: (╯‵д′)╯︵┻━┻
A few minutes later, Petra, Wind, and Mell were left standing there awkwardly.
"Well… at least the dirt path has become more distinct…"
Wind: "…"
Mell: "…"
* * *
While Qucell and Mellia were disappearing into the horizon, Mellia couldn't help but speak up.
"Hey, that little girl just now... Did she look a bit familiar?" Mellia asked while trying to shuffle up in Qucell's arms, trying to peer over her shoulder.
"W-what?" Qucell wheezed.
Mellia pursed her lips, "Ah, it's just that I feel like I've seen her before…"
"I-I don't know! B-but this isn't the time for that!"
"…No, but why does she look so much like… Ah!"
"W-what's wrong?" Qucell looked down at Mellia.
"T-that was the person from the poster! That was Petra! The Fifth Hero! The one Rotell was looking for!"
"Ah?!" Qucell's eyes jumped!
She remembered!
Although Petra's peaceful life was still under her control, in reality, many people already knew her face. Both girls tried to look back, suddenly feeling as if they didn't know how to feel…
* * *
Time ticked past, and after that quick interruption, Petra felt as if it was time for breakfast.
She walked back inside, greeted the girls, and then found her way to the temporary kitchen to look for any leftovers from yesterday. After grabbing a few things, she returned outside, opening and closing the front door with her foot. She then let the mountain of food, which was half her height, crash down next to her seat before hopping over, then sat down and began to sort through the leftovers for something that interested her.
As this was happening, Petra's eyes never left the forest.
Since this morning, the number of people leaving the fog had sharply increased. Although not all of them were as aggressive as that group from before, many were still rough around the edges, and that only applied to people who were not actively hunting Petra!
Petra had seen no lack of bounty hunters and assassins. Even while wandering in the fog, she had still encountered them again and again.
Putting that aside, Petra's eyes turned, seeing that many of the temporary camps had packed up.
Most of these people headed toward the hilly highlands, though a large number also went toward the ravine. Petra discovered that people were unconsciously avoiding the path to the mountains, which only served to further solidify her guess regarding the trials, and their links to the traits of Fearlessness, Loyalty, and Pride.
There should be some kind of aura emanating from the mountains that can unconsciously make those who approached take a detour, and with the added options of two alternative paths, this should account for the strange percentage of people and their picks.
While snacking, she turned to Wind, who was hard at work dealing with some customers.
She shook her head, wondering why she couldn't feel anything.
After that, the day slowly passed…
Soon, another bright red figure emerged from the fog. Although Petra did not know her relationship with Rotell, she did recognize her from the Grand Gathering! This was a large and muscular woman, a little like an Amazonian, wearing a huge set of crimson-red armor. She stood almost 2.5 meters tall, holding her helmet under her arm. Her long, crimson hair swayed behind her back, drawing attention. In one hand was a long red spear, and in the other was a large sack filled with what seemed to be miscellaneous things, dragging behind her as she walked.
She was alone, but this didn't seem to bother her.
Petra watched as the heroic figure slowly walked down the treaded path and eventually made her way to the crossroads, looked around, then slowly approached Petra, looking down at her like a small giant.
One small girl looked up at one large girl.
There was a pause…
Cirsen was sure that this small child was Petra, but she wasn't sure why Rotell was looking for her.
In the end, she decided that it was better to find the others first.
Since being separated in the forest, she had started to worry, especially for Qucell and Mellia.
After looking away, Cirsen walked into Poppy's Potions, leaving Petra alone to think.
Petra remembered Cirsen for two reasons. First, Cirsen was a character Petra had thought about going back to recruit as a maid. After seeing her back in Imai, she knew that this person was special, so she felt as if it was a good idea to pick her up. In the end, it didn't work out, and Petra forgot. Second, Petra was ninety percent sure that the armor she was wearing was the Emberwing Crimson, a legendary artifact that was recorded in history.
Seeing it again today, she was now one hundred percent sure!
Petra knew that Cirsen was unaware of what she was actually wearing, but because she was once a maid candidate, Petra didn't simply take it by force.
Now, seeing her again after so long, Petra felt as if Cirsen had already found a backing, and this backing was probably related to the Third Calamity, which made Petra pensive.
In fact, she didn't want to touch anything related to the Third Calamity unless absolutely necessary.
The reason for this was simple: she didn't want to get pulled in!
This naturally referred to weapons and tools needed for a sea battle, people and places that were related to their preparations, and anything that involved the Third Calamity.
Petra's plan was to silently leave after exiting the secret realm, so seeing her again, Petra didn't greet her. Her eyes turned, and Petra looked back at the front door that had closed.
She wondered what she was here to buy…
…but she didn't know, and wouldn't ask! This was her principal as a background character!
-
Time slowly passed, and soon, Petra finished eating…