The Vibrant Planes was a flat stretch of land that covered the southern strip of the northern region. It was a beautiful place that consisted of an endless sea of green grass and the occasional small forest dotted between its lush hills. With the help of the flood, it was now adorned by twisting rivers that followed the curvature of the landscape. Cutting through the center was a single long and ancient road, one that led from Sevensen to the Solarin Castle and into the Central Region.
Although the central road was long and desolate, it was still relatively busy.
That was because it was the only road that led out of the northern region, and with the continental announcement, countless people were currently moving towards the Solarin Castle.
-
Today, Petra sat in the front seat of the carriage with Mell.
They followed beside a long caravan that had invited them to join the previous day.
She leaned her body against Mell, half asleep.
As she enjoyed the sunlight, she quietly listened to the voices of the surrounding people. They were completely unaware of the massive spider above their heads, and the army of ants that stocked from the dark, but Petra still found their kindness refreshing.
Such a relaxing day would only become rarer as the calamities progressed.
-
As night came, Petra had Mell leave the caravan and returned to the Tower Spider with the others.
Petra checked on the status of the new maids first.
Each girl had suffered different types of injuries, so Petra made sure to treat each girl personally.
-
First were the prisoners from the city lord's mansion.
The twelve human girls were all subjected to inhuman experimentation to filter out and refine the strongest individuals for the final experiment. There mind and bodies were repeatedly broke, leaving only these twelve as the final materials for the final implantation.
Petra had found them while this process was just beginning, allowing what should have been a failed experiment to produce twelve extremely successful samples.
To save them, Petra used a series of over-the-counter drugs, her own creations, and the strengthening medicine that she had used on the beasts. It should go without saying that she had invested quite a lot, so she intended to get her moneys worth.
Petra had the girls gather, then looked at them one by one.
After scanning through the girls, Petra discovered that their injuries had already healed, and any mental trauma that they may have once carried didn't seem to exist. Instead of breaking, these girls all possessed an unimaginable level of resolve, leaving them as some of Petra's most loyal servants.
These girls all had either blonde or brown hair, with strange blue dragon shaped patterns on their bodies.
Petra intended to train them as her fighting force, or 'combat maids'.
-
Next, Petra checked on the eight beast girls.
These eight girls were meant to be the general staff, so Petra had chosen a diverse cast. They all had animal ears and animal tails, with different shades of 'brown to beige' hair.
The deer girl was tall and noble.
The dog girl was plump and dumb.
The racoon girl was cute and thrifty.
The fox girl was soft and small.
The mouse girl was nervous and cowardly.
The squirrel girl was energetic and jumpy.
The cat girl was tired and lazy.
The owl girl was, ironically, a night owl.
Out of all the new maids, Petra knew that these eight would need the most work.
-
After the beast girls, Petra went to check on the busty bunnies. These four Beastmen were Petras favourite new addition to her collection.
These four girls were very smart, and all stuck together like a close team.
From what Petra could learn, they came from a special place outside the continent and were captured together on a journey outside there homeland when they were very young. They had large breasts, long ears, and beautiful faces. White hair with black eyes, and strong legs that could kick through stone.
Under normal circumstances, they would have been able to escape on there own, but the Black Market was especially cruel to them, and basically crippled all four of the girl's legs. They could move, but just walking was painful, not to mention running or jumping.
Petra checked on these injuries and discovered what had been done.
these four girls all had the same injury, and that was their legs had been implanted with a poisonous needle that prevented their mussels from recovering.
Removing such a thing was easy, and Petra did it in moments.
The four girls were grateful, even more so when they realized that Petra didn't even consider the possibility of them immediately running away.
Petra just smiled and moved onto the next room.
These four would be the face of her business from now on.
-
Next on the list was the three Green Elves.
A green elf was a type of elf who had a high affinity with nature magic. They lined up shoulder to shoulder, their green hair and eyes matching Petras. They were tall and thin, with flawless faces and long ears. For an elf, there ears would twitch in sync with there emotions, so Petra could tell by the slight twitching of there ears that these girls were just pretending to be calm.
These three were Petras new gardeners, and unlike the other new maids, when these three were told what they would be doing, they were all extremely excited.
Once again, Petra could tell from there flapping ears.
They had to work in the poison garden, so Petra planned to put them through an extra set of training.
-
Next, the two dwarven craftsmen were sisters. They were short and cute, with a hesitant expression on there little faces.
The younger sister sat in the older sister's arms, listening to Petra's say a few things
Out of all the girls, these two had to be the ones who had suffered the most.
Petra had asked specifically, and she learned that these two had a very deep dependence on each other. Back in the Black Market, one would be tortured while the other would be forced to watch. They had developed a very deep sense of dependence on each other, making it difficult for Petra to split them up.
This didn't really matter, as long as both of them were safe.
That wasn't foreshadowing, just a random comment, really…
As for there jobs...
Petra planned to teach these girls crafting, forging, rune language, and a bunch of other things that they needed to know to become master engineers. Because Petra was never satisfied with this world's technology, so after she returned home, she planned to begin a large-scale construction project on the mansion and turn it into a castle.
To do this, she needed some better craftsman, so Petra planned to teach these girls, and then pass them a team of ants to help build everything Petra had planned.
After reassuring them that she wouldn't split them up, she moved on to the last girl.
-
Sitting alone with her arms crossed, a cute bird girl sat in silence.
The difference between bird-type Beastmen and the Sky Clan was simple. Beastmen were humanoid, and the Sky Clan were actual birds.
As for this girl.
She had white feathers growing from her cheeks, long white hair and a crest of gold that split right down the center. Her two cheeks were naturally beat red, leaving her looking as if she was in a constant state of embarrassment.
This was Petras new Alchemist.
Petra was a Poison Master, not a Medicine Master. She disdained touching such a thing, so it was only natural that she needed someone to do it for her, medicine was important after all.
The problem was that this girl was rather arrogant.
After a short staredown, Petra used her ultimate move, and offered the stupid and arrogant bird a packet of melon seeds.
That was all it took.
For a moment, Petra felt like the red cheeks turned a little more red.
-
After all the new maids were accounted for, Petra moved onto the big-ticket item.
She found the room where Dorthy was recovering and walked in.
It had only been a few days, but she was already much better. Originally, her condition was really bad, and she was very close to death. If Petra didn't appear when she did, then she might have only had a day or two left.
Seeing Petra enter, Dorthy lowered her head in shame.
She knew that her identity had been exposed, so she was worried that she would be kicked out.
There was a pause, before Dorthy spoke first.
"What he said is true, I am the runaway hero. If you choose to shelter me, you'll be hunted down."
Petra walked closer, just shrugging her shoulders.
"Do you know who I am?" Petra asked.
Dorthy shook her head.
"i thought I did, but..." She didn't finish.
Petra patted her on the shoulder, her tiny hands failing to send the heartwarming message that she intended. "My name is Petra P Poppy, and back home, I'm called the Poison Sea Sage. Killing people isn't a big deal for me, so you don't Have to worry. If those people come after us, they'll lose just as many as they send. As long as you follow me, you don't need to worry and just live your life however you want."
Dorthy slowly looked up.
For the first time, she took a close look at Petras face.
She remembered this voice from her divination, she recognised this hair from her dream, and she knew about this person's physique. Regardless of all that, this was the first time she sat face to face with her 'future master'.
Looking into her eyes, Dorthy realised that she was indeed special.
Behind the terrifying madness and impossible Chaos, there was a light that bloomed from the purest Order. This little girl was like the brightest star, one that could encompass all things. In this world, there wasn't a single thing that could make her fall. At least, that was how Dorthy felt when she looked into Petras eyes.
Dorthy nodded, returning a weak smile to Petra.
"Since that's the case, then I'll just follow you from now on."
Petra grinned, her eyes sparkling. "Then, how about becoming my librarian? I think I'll need one soon."
Dorthy laughed.
That was her dream, after all. "It's a promise."
Petra jumped up and cheered.
She skipped out of the room like the little winner that she was.
Dorthy watched her leave, her body still too weak to move.
She remembered.
'As for you, your quite lucky.'
She finally understood just how lucky she truly was.
* * *
After Petra left, she met one of the new maids in the hall.
The deer girl was tall and intelligent, with a noble and sophisticated demeanor.
Petra stopped, tilting her head.
She wondered what this girl needed.
The maid girl began to speak. "I wanted to thank you for taking us in. I speak for most of the girls when I say this, but you've changed our lives." She bowed deeply, displaying her full appreciation.
She, like most of the others, had already understood a little bit about Petras personality. What a slave feared the most was the possibility of being sold into a place where they were treated like disposable objects. For them, receiving Petras favour was like another form of freedom.
Petra blinked a few times.
The girl continued. "I've talked with the others. If you wish for it, we are willing to further bind ourselves through magic. Many of us have lost everything, and those that haven't no longer have a place to go. Since you need people, then we wish to go beyond and swear true loyalty to you."
This was something that they had talked about in private the previous night.
Petra frowned. "What are you talking about? Why would I care about any of that?"
"Young Master, most people find it difficult to truly trust a slave. Thats why we're willing to fully submit."
"Ah?" Petra made a cute noise.
She shook her head. "No no no, you don't understand, none of you are slaves. I destroyed those magic contracts as soon as I got them, your free to run away, I won't stop you."
"Ah?" It was the deer girls turn to be stunned.
"Then... Then, why did you buy us?"
"I just like collecting cute girls!"
The deer girls face flushed.
She could tell from Petra's 'completely innocent' face that she was telling the truth.
She sighed, feeling that it was ridiculous. "Then, young Master. I'll pass this on to the others. But, I doubt any of us will run."
Petra hummed, then hopped away.
To her, it didn't matter if they ran.
The deer girl watched Petra skip away.
She sighed.
She turned her head to the corner, looking at the stack of furry beast ears that stuck out from around the corner. She, like many of the others, suddenly felt that they were incredibly lucky.
* * *