While eating—
The attention of Petra and the others occasionally drifted toward the increasingly chaotic streets below. At some point, another wave of pale golden light erupted somewhere in the distance, shortly followed by a series of people shouting.
While tearing off a piece of bread, Wind frowned slightly.
"…Those people from the Church of Light really did show up in the capital. From what I've heard, since the Grand Gathering in Imai a little over a year ago, they haven't appeared in a long time." Her tone clearly carried a bit of annoyance, likely because she remembered what happened back then.
Rose glanced over the edge of the terrace.
"Why are they hunting the dark races?" she muttered. "Do they seriously think they can do whatever they want just because they're from some church? This is the capital, isn't this a bit too much?"
Wind rolled her eyes.
"Don't you remember what happened in Imai? Those guys caused more damage than the actual demons back then… The Sky Tower didn't even discipline them, which clearly says a lot. I learned a lot of things about the overseas powers recently, and there is a general consensus surrounding the Church of Light: if possible, don't even interact with them! If I'm not wrong, this is why the Sky Tower didn't pursue the matter even after a large part of their Tower City was destroyed, it's just not worth the trouble."
"Not just that," Mell calmly added while sipping tea.
"I remember my mother telling me that the people from the Church of Light are the eyes, ears, and arms of the Sun God—or some people… even call him the Human God. Regardless, they have a big backing, but that should only account for a small part of their power. It's very likely that they have something else to back their arrogance, something that can threaten the world."
"It's ridiculous! How can those blinky boys get away with so much!" Petra cursed.
Mell calmly turned to her, then chuckled lightly, causing Petra's face to inadvertently redden.
After putting down her teacup, Mell added. "If I remember correctly, didn't you also—"
"No-no-no! Nope-de-nope! I don't know what you're talking about!" Petra instantly interrupted while defensively waving both hands. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!"
She refused to receive the red label with complete confidence in her actions.
Unfortunately, nobody at the table believed her, because they all remembered her maniacal little laughter that followed the heaven-shaking sound of collapse that day.
Meanwhile, after quietly observing the crowded streets below for some time, Mell opened her mouth.
"…I wonder how many of these people actually came here to 'help' with the Third Calamity."
The surrounding girls gradually looked toward her.
Petra raised her head slightly, followed by Poya.
"…Mm?"
They tilted their heads cutely, as if genuinely considering the question.
After a moment of thought, she simply shook her head before calmly returning to the roasted pig.
Meanwhile, Wind leaned against one hand and quietly sighed.
"…Not many... No, honestly, most of the people gathered here probably didn't come for that at all." She narrowed her eyes, but as if to betray her true emotions, her ears twitched in annoyance. "That's right, huh? The original purpose of this secret realm is to gather combatants to fuel the 'defensive side' of the war effort for the upcoming calamity. I guess gathering them all here is probably enough, there's no need to send them all out to sea, as long as they gather... By doing this, they can defend against things that climb ashore. Hm, it's actually quite smart!"
Mell nodded slowly.
"You're right, I also think it was a good Idea. They've created a trap for those greedy people who don't 'believe' in the calamities." Her expression darkened slightly. "From what I've heard, many of the overseas powers don't even fully believe the calamities are real, they all think it's alarmism."
Lira nearly choked on her food.
"They don't believe in them?!" she blurted out loudly.
She didn't understand the term 'alarmism,' but even a small child could feel the dread dispersing into the air! How could the top powers not believe in such a terrifying thing?
"Don't forget that the Book of Calamity was dug out of a High Elven Ruin. It's possible that the powers from overseas haven't even seen it yet, and If my research is correct, that book has some kind of strange mind-thingy-thing going on that will make you more attentive~!" Petra mumbled with a face full of food.
"How is that even possible?" Rose frowned deeply. Do note that she ignored Petra… "Do they think they're too big to be affected? Are they planning to wait until it reaches them first? Idiots…!"
"Most of the people who came are probably just here to grab benefits." Wind tore off another piece of meat, then mixed it with some garlic and mashed potatoes before stuffing it into her mouth in a very unladylike manner. "I already checked, and the whole 'joining the army after you enter' thing seemed to be taken as some kind of a joke to the young masters and young misses from these big families that have come to just join in the fun."
"They probably think that the Hellion Empire won't dare to force them to go to war…"
Nobody refuted her because they all felt the same.
The Royal Ring Secret Realm was simply too tempting, but at the same time, being forcefully enlisted into the army was indeed a bit excessive, especially just for an unknown Secret Realm. Treasures, inheritances, and opportunities—all of these were possible, and when weighed against an uncertain future, most people naturally focused more on their immediate benefits. None of them respected the Hellion Family at all, and many of them already intended to renege—
It would seem as if they had either forgotten, or were never aware in the first place, of the events that happened around one thousand years ago…
—Especially because, unlike Petras people (Levy), the top powers on the Cross Continent didn't possess reliable magic contracts or any means to form real soul-binding agreements.
…At best, they relied on their own reputation, pre-existing alliances, and simple spoken promises...
But! With that said—
There were rumors that somewhere overseas, there existed a massive family that specialized in the creation of terrifyingly powerful magic contracts capable of binding even high-level cultivators. Whether those rumors were true or not, however, nobody at the table knew for certain, but judging from the overseas powers that had come, they seemed positive that the Hellion Empire didn't have them…
If they knew that the Hellion Family was related to the Grasswind Family from the 'Ninety-Nine', then perhaps they would feel very different. But because 'those events' were never made public, they could only walk into the trap and unknowingly sell their souls to a hidden scheme that even the emperor didn't know had been set up in his own backyard…
Petra, leaning across the table, casually cut off another piece of crispy skin before opening her mouth.
"Mm~ It doesn't really affect us anyway…"
The others looked toward her, then nodded silently.
That was true…
Even if they had her sign something, even if it were a high-level contract, Petra was sure that it couldn't bind her soul. And even if it could, Levy would have her back. Unless it was some strange contract that was physically engraved on her body, like a full-body tattoo, Petra didn't think that there was anything that could bind her soul and force her to obey!
Mm, at least nothing except blackmail!
Yep! Good old blackmail, that would probably still work, but finding something to hold against her was pretty difficult, at least, as long as you didn't know her from her Past life! Hahaha—!
Author: '…'
Petra glanced around the table while chewing thoughtfully.
The girls currently gathered here were already the group she planned to bring directly into the Secret Realm. As for the others, they had already split off earlier that morning to go and do their own thing. With the approach of the Third Calamity, it was finally time to leave the Cross Continent and set sail. They would eventually return, but who knew how long that would be.
This had already been decided beforehand...
Petra, Poya, Mell, Wind, Rose, and Lira would enter the Secret Realm, while Soryn, Bell, Dorthy, Lilly, and Luna, and the eight beast maids would spread out to help complete the final preparations needed to complete the Verdelith Castle and prepare it for the upcoming sea voyage.
Now, if your first question was whether the Verdelith Castle could float or not, well! Good for you… But a better question would be whether the Castle Crawler knew how to swim…
Petra chewed quietly before suddenly puffing out her cheeks.
"Mm! Speaking of important matters…" She pointed dramatically toward the roasted pig.
"…We won't be able to have a delicacy like this for quite some time, right? Since that's the case… Bang! Nobody touch my crispy skin!!"
The atmosphere instantly became tense!
* * *
Time passed—
They continued devouring the huge pig, but Petra suddenly tilted her head.
"…Mm?"
Her little face twitched slightly, then she rolled her eyes as if suddenly remembering something.
The girls looked toward her curiously, while Petra grumbled under her breath, tore off another piece of crispy skin, then slowly looked around the table as if searching for someone.
After a moment—
She realized the person she wanted wasn't there.
Petra puffed out her cheeks.
"…Teachee~?"
The surrounding girls, hearing the weird address, all blinked.
Wind immediately looked around, but Mell seemed to recognise something and put down her fork and knife. Rose frowned, and Lira almost instinctively checked beneath the table, and sure enough—
A moment later, a voice quietly drifted out from directly behind Mell.
"Yes~?"
The girls jumped slightly.
Levy casually stepped out from behind Mell's chair, as if she had been there the entire time.
Mell nearly choked on her food.
"…Since when were you there?!" she snapped, looking slightly wronged.
Levy ignored her completely!
Instead, she happily walked around the table until she stood directly behind Petra's chair, then leaned forward slightly with a playful smile, while looking down at the little green-haired girl.
"What can this beautiful and wise teacher do for you today?" she asked proudly.
Petra looked up, then nodded.
"…What exactly is a Secret Realm?"
The table quieted down.
In fact, they were all wondering the same thing, but none of them knew how to ask.
Secret Realms were not very common on the Cross Continent, so it was natural that little was known about them, even if they wanted to know.
Petra continued chewing.
"Why do they even need to be opened? Or is it just a coincidence that both the Royal Ring Secret Realm and the one in Imai both followed large gatherings?"
Levy's eyes instantly sparkled.
"Ohhh~ You want to know? Tee-he-he! Come, come, you've asked the right person~!"
She stepped backward dramatically.
Clap! Her hands came together!
Skip!
Skip!
Skip!
Then—POOF!
Levy happily skipped toward the edge of the rooftop deck like an overly excited schoolgirl who had finally been asked her favorite question.
With a spin and a snap—
Ka-chu!!
Behind her, a large chalkboard suddenly appeared out of thin air!
At the same time, her clothes instantly changed.
Her usual outfit transformed into a tight black-and-white teacher's uniform complete with a sexy short skirt, dark stockings, large glasses, and a completely unnecessary pointer stick that extended dramatically from her sleeve with a pa-pop!
Rose immediately jumped over to cover Petra's eyes.
"…Why are you dressed like that!"
"It's not that bad…" Lira muttered from below the table.
Rose glared at her!
Although it really wasn't that bad, it seemed as if Rose was a bit sensitive to this kind of thing…
Levy smirked.
"Because education is important! How else can I keep everyone's attention!"
"It absolutely isn't because of that…" Petra muttered, knowing about Levy's love for cosplay…
Ahem!
Levy spun around dramatically and pointed toward the board.
Tap!
"Secret Realms have many names," she proudly declared. "Grotto-Heavens, Folded Spaces, Inheritance Grounds, Small Worlds, Inner Worlds, Blessed Lands, Mystic Realms, Pocket Dimensions, Ancient Tombs, and so on, blah-blah-blah!"
Tap-tap!
The pointer loudly struck the board!
"Most, if not all, Secret Realms are controlled by the top factions, at least here in Pillomal! The methods used to access them vary greatly, but the 'keys' usually manifest as either physical artifacts, bloodlines, rune imprints, or certain environments…"