One of the massive men held up a portrait. "Have you seen the little girl in this portrait?" he asked in a deep, resonating voice that shook the air.
Silence….
"I—" The city guard didn't know what to say…!
-
Meanwhile—
Just a short distance away, Popo, the little girl in question, could be found standing on her tippiest of toes, right in front of an equally unfortunate Beast Breeder. The man had two-toned black-and-white hair, with a cute bell bear-themed cap placed firmly atop his head.
Popo had her small hands clasped behind her back, trying very hard to look casual!
Unfortunately—
Her growling stomach betrayed her…
Popo: "..."
Breeder: "..."
Bell Bears: "..."
"So…" she hummed, nervously glancing to the side—
Her clover-shaped pupils trembled as she unconsciously swept the bell bear cubs in panic.
"—How much… are those little guys~?"
The small bears stiffened on the spot. They could feel the greedy gaze of a predator!
Noticing her 'not-so-discreet' gaze, the Bell Bears immediately pressed closer together, swiftly shuffling as a team towards their owner! Their ears flattened as their tiny claws dug into the legs of his pants. They trembled on the ground, feeling a sense of despair!
"Ah, well, y-you see," the man said, sweating profusely.
"T-they're not really for sale… T-they're very rare—very… picky creatures! Uh! Yeah! Uh…"
Popo bit the tip of her thumb and squinted up at him.
"Hmm…!"
Her little eyes narrowed! She didn't believe him!
His words didn't seem to line up with what she had seen over the past few days!
So, she suspected a swindler!
Popo nodded slowly; her eyes still locked onto the adorable pups.
She couldn't help but drool a bit…
"Then… how do I get one…?" She asked in what she believed to be a very professional tone!
She licked her lips.
"They look really tasty~!" She accidentally added under her breath—
The Bell Bears trembled!
"I-I'm sorry, little miss, but—"
Popo scratched her nose, then, "If not, I might just have to—"
"Found her!"
"—Ah?"
Popo froze on the spot! She turned to see three towering men in black armor rushing towards her! They wore the unmistakable armor of the Dragon Guards 'Shadow Serpent Slaves!' Crap! They were definitely here for her again! Why were they so good at tracking her!
"Britches!" She cursed cutely!
That old man was no fun at all!! She grumbled internally!
Then—
Swoosh! She turned and ran, kicking up a cloud of dust!
Popo fled like the wind, much to the relief of the Bell Bears and the Beast Breeder, who immediately felt the unseen terror that had been pressing down on their souls disappear!
Popo slipped under tables, darted between legs, and rolled beneath a cart, only to bounce off a wall like a literal rubber ball! The guards cursed as she zigzagged through the crowd like a tiny comet, her small body moving with an absurd level of escape-focused efficiency!
"Hehehehe! Suckers!"
She snorted back at them, sticking out her small pink tongue as she blurred backwards.
Just as she thought she was free—
Swoosh—!! A hand tore through the air and grabbed the back of her collar, lifting her off the ground in one clean scoop! Whoosh! Popo's momentum stopped instantly, sending out a small shockwave that knocked over the nearby stalls!
Silence…
She dangled in the air, slowly spinning around until she found herself face to face with the old man from the dragon boat.
She blinked repeatedly.
Blink-blink-blink-blink…
Old Man: "I am unamused."
Popo: "..."
Then—
"Waaaaa—!"
She wailed, violently flailing her legs through the air!
The old man could only sigh as he carried her away, slinging her over his shoulder like a pig. He gestured to the three Dragon Guards who had finally caught up, telling them to follow him.
"Troublemaker," he muttered, disappearing into the crowd.
* * *
Returning to Petra's perspective—
Afternoon, Street Market…
Petra squinted her eyes as she pressed her face closer to a neat row of glass vials that had been lazily laid out across a wooden table.
She examined them one by one, closely appraising the strange green liquid contained within each. She tilted them slightly with a small poke, testing their viscosity, and after a moment of consideration, she picked one up and lifted it above her head, then used it to block the sun, peering through the glass vial with her big black eyes.
While she did all of this…
Across the cluttered stall, the elderly poison master squinted at her, internally cursing his bad luck. His brows twitched as he silently watched the small, green-haired child methodically evaluate his life's work like some kind of little master! Hump! How dare she! Did she know who he, 'Slitherit Sin Barak', was!? NO! She did not! Because he was in disguise! Not even the Barak Family knew who he was right now! No, not only that, but they also didn't even know where he was right now!
It was the same for the other 'old monsters' who had too much time on their hands!
They had all secretly come to take a look at the calamities!
Bottles, powders, and half-labeled jars, all kinds of sketchy things surrounded the old man. The air was thick with a sharp and unpleasant scent, like a suspiciously strong acid had been sprayed! Despite being part of the market, this was the kind of place that no 'normal' person would ever approach!
He grumbled internally.
This was naturally intentional! The smell alone should have been enough to make most people recoil, and yet, this child didn't even wrinkle her nose!
What a freak!
After a soft hum of satisfaction, Petra slid a small coin across the wooden counter, casually overpaying.
She had just purchased a new reagent for her 'work' back home.
Not the super-deadly poison or anything like that, no-no-no, that would be boring! She had enough of that at home anyway—
It was… Hehehehe! She wouldn't tell you! Dumbass!
Author: "…"
Seeing the transaction completed so quickly, the old man reacted. He quickly explained what she had just bought, because that was one of the 'conditions' for selling poisons in the capital city.
"This needs to be diluted," he warned in a shrill voice. "Heavily diluted! Also, little girl, don't drink it, don't even get it on your hands! and don't—!" He continued to warn her, treating her like a child, assuming she was the apprentice of some medicine master, but…
Before he could finish—
Petra popped the vial, tipped it back, and gulped it down in one go! It was done so casually that one might have mistaken her for simply drinking a bottle of water!
—the old poison master froze on the spot, his long, bony finger still raised stiffly in the air…
His heart trembled.
Was he going to get into trouble!?
After a painfully long second, he was shocked to discover that she wasn't going to die on the spot, which was good! Especially considering what she had just drunk! He slowly lowered his outstretched hand in confusion, disbelief clearly plastered across his old and wrinkled face.
Petra seriously nodded to herself.
She knew the rules!
Anyway, this was good stuff!
By the time she skipped away, the old man was still rooted in place, staring at her departing figure, feeling unwell all over. He felt as if his life had just flashed before his eyes.
It took him nearly a month to fully recover from this incident…
-
A moment later, Petra wandered back to the streets, happily kicking her little legs as she walked.
Today, the capital felt bright!
The crowd swayed as a pleasant breeze combed through her hair. Music drifted from somewhere nearby, mixing with voices and the warmly welcoming smell of fried food.
It was all faintly familiar.
Time passed just like that.
Before she knew it, she had regrouped with the others.
At the gathering spot—
Lilly and Luna were already waiting alongside several of the female butlers and beast maids. Each of them carried a stack of boxes piled nearly to their chins. Judging by their appearance and weight, they were filled with the 'daily necessities' that each of them needed.
Mm, and a few more questionable purchases…
Petra peeked into a box, then another, then—slap! She nodded in satisfaction!
After another twenty minutes of idling, the rest of the servants began to trickle back as well, one by one, each returning with their completed lists of shopping supplies!
After everyone had regrouped…
They eventually found a short stone bench near a small garden, then settled down in the shade. Petra scrunched herself into a little ball, pulling herself up onto the bench while the others got to work!
Lilly began unpacking while Luna silently sorted the items with the help of the beast maids.
-
Time passed…
For a while, nothing happened at all, but just then—
"Oi! What's this thing supposed to be!?"
Petra looked up, her attention drawn…
…Ah?
Seeing the scene unfolding just across the street, something suddenly clicked in her mind. Mm, oh, right… she had totally forgotten about 'him—'
Woopsie!
Across the road, a massive black-and-blue centipede was barreling towards her, with two long lines of tears dramatically trailing behind, its long body radiating a strong sense of indignation!
It had clearly been wronged!
Petra even felt like she could see a bit of grievance in those eyes!
How could its little master abandon it!? Petra honestly couldn't remember when she had last seen it today, they had been shopping for just that long…
Thinking back…
It was probably sometime between the fishy fish freak and the perverted insect breeder. Mm, and judging by how aggrieved it appeared, it was probably the insect breeder…
Cough-cough! Petra pursed her lips, her cheeks reddening slightly.
She really did need to work on her situational awareness!
While watching from the corner of her eye, she observed the six-meter-long centipede thunder through the street towards her—
When suddenly! A large man stepped 'directly into its path'.
"This thing's blocking the road!" the man snapped. "Move it!"
He was clearly not having a very good day.
The large man even impulsively tried to kick it—
Bang!
Stop!
Turn!
Stare!
Silence!
The centipede had halted the instant his foot landed on its side, leaving the man with the abnormal sensation of kicking a mountain! He paused; his foot still pressed against its black carapace.
For him, time seemed to freeze.
As for the centipede—
Slowly, it lifted its eyes, tilting its head towards the man in a very human-like manner, confusion somehow clear on its face. It thought to itself, was this the legendary sensation of 'a bug bite?' Its long body curled up lazily, minding its own business, while its front half rose higher and higher, slowly looming over the man, gradually casting a shadow.
The man blinked, then blinked again, then cold sweat quickly formed on his forehead.
"Uh…"
The centipede glared down…
Then the man poked it—
For some reason…
—BOOM!! The man exploded backwards, tearing through the air!
Bang! He smashed into a nearby food cart, sending fruits and vegetables flying everywhere! After crashing to the ground, he only took a moment before he leapt back up, releasing a furious roar that escaped his throat!
"Bastard!!" He charged back in like a lunatic!
What followed wasn't really a fight…
It was more reminiscent of a misunderstanding between two small children! Mm, as two human hands and several dozen 'massive bladed-insect-like-limbs' clashed in an extremely one-sided slapping fight—
Petra watched from the side, calmly munching on melon seeds.
Crunch crunch crunch!
Suddenly, a long shadow fell over her from behind.
Petra hummed, pulling her attention away from the ongoing show. She tilted her head back, squinting up at the two figures that had approached her from behind.
After a brief pause, she turned around completely—
"Ah…?"
—and froze on the spot!
Standing directly behind her were two very familiar faces!
One looked to be in her early thirties. She wore long blue-and-white robes that reached all the way down to her ankles. Her face had a reliable air, with a blue bell embroidered just over her heart. A concealed chain wrapped around her wrists; its tip just barely visible as it peeked out from her sleeves.
The other was much younger, perhaps around eighteen or nineteen. She wore the same blue-and-white robes, but hers had been cut short at the knees, its hem worn thin from some kind of leg technique. Similar chains wrapped around her ankles, and this time, Petra could clearly see the small blade hidden in the small pocket along the inside of her shoe.
They looked down at Petra.
Their eyes were cold… Very, very cold. Petra trembled, feeling their piercing judgment!
She knew this day would come!
"So—" she said in a dry laugh. "Ha ha! We meet again..."