"Mm…" she mumbled, cutting into the conversation. "Sister Soryn… do you know about the empire's history? I heard humans came to the Cross Continent about a thousand years ago. So why were they the only empire founded?" This was a question that had bugged Petra for a long time.
If they were on Earth, then all this land (Cross Continent) would have been colonised within a year of its 'discovery'. She didn't understand why the majority of the continent was so 'loosely controlled'.
Soryn glanced over, lips pursed, just about to answer—
When Lilly returned and took her seat, her ears twitched slightly as she listened in on the conversation.
—Soryn continued…
"It's not surprising if you know the history of the migration period," Soryn began to slowly explain. "Around a thousand years ago, a large group of human settlers came to the Cross Continent after its initial discovery, er... 'rediscovery'. From what I know, almost all of our ancestors came from the Cellistan Continent, which should be the largest continent in Pillomal."
Petra listened attentively.
"The initial migration brought over nine large families and about fifty thousand mortals. These nine families were Gallon, Zenif, Barak, Blackroot, Azurefell, Rollallrin, Dimebeck, Artin, and Hellion."
Petra glanced at Wind.
The Silver Elf seemed to have twitched at the mention of the name Gallon.
"They initially landed in the south, then spread throughout the continent over the next year. Barak and Blackroot went to the western region, Azurefell and Rollallrin stayed in the southern region, Gallon and Zenif went to the eastern region, Hellion and Dimebeck went to the northern region, and Artin set up in the central region."
Mell and the twins listened closely.
"You probably recognize the names Azurefell, Barak, Gallon, and Dimebeck," Soryn said with a nod, "but the other five are probably unfamiliar, right?"
Petra nodded.
"Blackroot, Zenif, Rollallrin, Artin, and Hellion represent the names of the founding families for the five major mage towers on the Cross Continent."
Petra's eyes sparkled with interest. "So… what went wrong?"
Soryn grinned, proud that her little master caught on so quickly.
"There was a 'problem' in the north. Before the Dimebeck Family could arrive, the Hellion Family had already gone ahead. This ended in a nearly complete extinction of their bloodline, with only the previous emperor of the Hellion Empire surviving."
Petra's eyes widened.
That's crazy!
Was the Green Wind Forest really so unsafe? It didn't feel like it…
A different voice suddenly continued Soryn's story. "Not only that," Levy said from above, leaning over the back of Petra's chair with a sleepy grin, "but the aftereffects of that calamity had far-reaching 'consequences' even outside the continent, stretching all the way back to their 'main families' on the Cellistan Continent! The reason you only hear about 'Seven Arcanists' instead of nine, is because the Hellion Family and the Artin Family had relatively low 'ranks' across the sea. They had both sent nearly their entire families, and for the Hellion Family, getting wiped out was devastating at the time!"
Petra rolled her head back, looking at the purple hair that hung down, tickling her nose.
"How do you know all this?" Petra asked.
Levy chuckled and simply answered—
"Because I was there, hahaha!" She grinned widely.
Petra: "So you're a granny—" Swoosh—Bang! Ouch-ouch-ouch! "Extra homework!" Petra was bonked on the head, punished for the taboo word!
While grumbling about 'unfair', 'not going to do it', and 'no extra homework please,' she looked towards Soryn, rubbed her sore little head, and waited for her to continue the story…
Soryn continued. "Although I don't know about what happened outside, history tells us that the four great families of today were 'convinced' to serve the nearly destroyed Hellion Family, and founded the Hellion Empire not long after."
Everybody nodded.
There was definitely a secret here!
"After that, the four great families followed the Hellion Families survivor down to the southern region, and really did create the Hellion Empire. I don't know what happened in the Green Wind Forest, but they refused to return. The Blackroot Family formed the Black Tower, the Zenif Family formed the Storm Tower, the Rollallrin Family formed the Royal Tower, and the Artin Family formed the Sky Tower."
Petra thought briefly.
Wasn't the kid, er… Cross was his name, the one she euthanized on the way here, called Cross Artin? That seemed to be what he was screaming when they met.
She hoped that wouldn't cause problems in the future…
"Also, before leaving," Soryn said, "the 'Seven Arcanists' each created a 'treasure' to help the continent in the future if anything happened. After that, they returned to the Cellistan Continent with all of their 'unused supplies', leaving the initial group of migrants to grow freely. After that, there was around a century of isolation before the first contact with the outside world was re-established."
She ended her story…
-
After a moment of silence—
Petra was suddenly pulled up into the air as Levy slipped under her, placing the little green-haired imp back down on her lap.
At the same time, their food finally arrived!
A waiter approached. It was an older woman with a towel over her shoulder, with several plates of steaming food balanced expertly in her arms. She set them down one by one, and the aroma washed across the table in waves.
Petra immediately began to drool.
Her little eyes scanned the table.
Thick-cut honey ham, glazed and seared until the edges caramelized and became crispy. Bear Bread, amber eggs, and sun-soaked sausages. Creamy herb mash, pale and fragrant potatoes, and everything was drowned in garlic cheese and butter. The perfect 'breakfast!'
Petra didn't even bother identifying the smaller dishes before grabbing her fork and knife.
They began to eat.
-
As they ate, the conversation naturally drifted…
Wind returned to talking with Soryn, explaining the Adventurer's Guild, Lilly talked about her family while Luna listened with indifferent eyes, Petra stuffed her face with food, Levy told an old story about the 'scary old lady back home', and Mell tidied up their plates whenever any of the girls finished, earning a gratified nod from the large built woman in the back.
Petra rocked her head back and forth, chewing happily, face glowing with satisfaction as she kicked her legs beneath the table.
Halfway through her soup, she suddenly sneezed.
"Choo!"
She sniffed, then grew thoughtful…
"If the people 'behind' the Hellion Empire are so powerful," she asked, "why don't they expand north, or east, no, why not just take everything? Is it really just because of the towers, or…?"
Soryn set down her food….
"They're just observing, not advancing," she said. "Whatever was in the Green Wind Forest should be too dangerous. They already control enough, so there's no need to overreach."
Petra tilted her head, still stuffing food into her mouth.
She noted it, but…
For some reason, she felt like it wasn't that simple.
Just then—
A new voice cut through the air.
"Excuse me… are you perhaps visiting for the first time?"
A man approached their table.
Wind and Soryn straightened slightly, their relaxed posture sharpening just a bit. Luna glanced at him, emotionless, and Lilly blinked with interest at their new guest. Levy scanned him, rolled her eyes, then continued to tease the lap sitting Petra, and Petra simply blinked up at him with her sleepy black eyes, while fighting off the troublesome teachers' touchy touchers...
Petras suddenly paused.
Mm…? This man… Who did he remind her of…?
Her eyes narrowed.
-
This was an older man, with a slightly merchant-like appearance.
His dark red, nearly black hair was threaded with thin strips of gray that transitioned into a deep crimson around his bushy beard. His eyes carried an elderly, insightful glint, sharp but measured, like someone who had spent a lifetime watching people, and faint wrinkles outlined the edges of his face, quietly hinting at his advanced age.
For some reason, Petra felt a faint sense of familiarity…
She tilted her head, turning her little brain, then slowly rolled her thoughts in circles. Once, twice, again and again, until something suddenly clicked into place.
Ah!
A certain young girl popped into her head. They had met by chance, and Petra remembered her because she provided the hint to the dark stone mine!
What was her name again…
Hm—
"Yuna…?" Petra muttered quietly.
Yuna! That was it!
Yeah-yea-yeah! That super suspicious girl, the one being chased by the guards from the Solarin Castle!
Petra narrowed her eyes and looked up at the older man again.
He had a slightly bulky frame, but was clearly out of shape. His face hid that same shamelessness that Yuna displayed shortly before Petra 'returned her to the wild'.
Mm, she could kinda see it now…
While being assessed, the large man suddenly smiled and introduced himself in a clear and crisp voice, "Hello, young ladies! My name's Crapsley Kastone, a well-welcome 'wandering guide!'"
He placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly. It was an abnormal movement for a man hiding his belly, and his pudgy body made the display lose some of its flair…
Regardless, he continued.
"These little misses and masters, if you're new around here, why not hire a guide? I happen to be very good at my job, and I know quite a bit about this town!" His smile was no different than a con artist's. Petra had seen a lot of his type back on Earth.
To the side, Soryn, who was much less familiar with his stereotype, had her instincts flare up immediately! Every warning bell she had developed over her long history of adventuring went off at once! This man was very suspicious! Seriously suspicious! That's what they were telling her!
Not only that, but he was also trouble, perhaps even malicious!
Her eyes darkened as she continued to listen.
On the other hand, the twins, who had been with Petra long enough to know how she operated, genuinely considered his offer. They turned to Petra expectantly, clearly waiting for her judgment, despite already knowing her answer.
Wind didn't care, and Levy was already gone.
The others just stood to the side, watching quietly.
As the man waited patiently, Petra suddenly asked the question she had been holding back.
"Do you have a daughter?"
The man blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question.
He did, but it had been over a year…
He grinned widely.
"Yes, yes I do, are you friends with my daughter?" His expression was 'jovial'.
Petra straightened a little. "Mm, Uncle, we are friends with your daughter!" But if asked, a certain 'daughter' would probably disagree…
His expression melted instantly, clearly very 'happy'. "That's good, that's good," he said warmly. "My daughter doesn't have many friends, has she been well?"
Petra nodded very seriously! "Yes. Last time we saw her, she was heading up north." She hummed, then added, "She was also very energetic!" Petra genuinely felt like this…
The man's eyes flickered.
His lips curled ever so slightly, something shifting in his eyes. "She mentioned meeting you," he said. "On the road to Sevensen, right?
Petra nodded.
"Haha! She said it was a nice visit. Do try to meet her again, my little girl doesn't have many friends!"
Petra nodded again, this time with a slightly odd look in her eyes.
To the side—
The twins tilted their heads, but Soryn frowned deeply. Something about this exchange didn't sit right with her…. And she honestly couldn't tell if Petra realised it or not.
After a short discussion, Petra agreed to his offer.
"Mm, then... You can be our guide for today!"
Crapsley's smile widened, snapping cleanly into his 'guide mode'.
"Excellent choice. I promise you won't regret it!"
Soryn opened her mouth to object, then closed it again. Her eyes looked towards Petra for a moment. Was this really ok…?
After shaking her head, she exhaled slowly through her nose, her eyes never leaving the man.
After a moment, she asked—
"Before that," Soryn said flatly, "what's your price?"
After a short negotiation…
Petra slid off her chair and stretched.
"Okay! Let's go!"
With that, they stepped out of the tavern together, the door creaking shut behind them as the seriously suspicious guide led them into the quiet morning streets.
* * *