Some time later, Petra found herself sitting awkwardly in a simple office…
She sat alone, swinging her legs back and forth beneath her chair.
If one looked closely, the room felt far too large for someone her size…
Tall shelves filled with neatly organized documents lined the walls, while several framed certificates and old academy portraits hung above them. A large window behind the desk allowed the warm afternoon light to spill across the simple wooden floor, illuminating small, drifting motes of dust that lazily floated through the air. The sky outside had slightly darkened, giving the office an almost somber feeling, but the warm interior was both heartwarming and comfortable.
Petra quietly hummed to herself, unaffected by the mood.
Her feet continued to swing.
Tap-tap-tap!
The office door soon opened, and Principal Inel proceeded to step inside.
He closed the door behind him before walking calmly around the desk and taking a seat across from her.
Petra looked up, and so did Inel.
For a moment, he simply observed the small girl sitting before him.
Then he smiled warmly.
But it was a fake smile...
"Good afternoon," he said. "My name is Inel. I'm the current principal of the Royal Academy of Magic."
Petra blinked and politely nodded.
Who the fuck cared? Not her at least…
"I oversee the academy's daily operations," he continued, folding his hands neatly on the desk.
"That includes managing the instructors, maintaining the academy's many facilities, supervising the countless research departments, and ensuring that the several thousand of our rather overly energetic students don't accidentally destroy the school. It's a constant struggle, one that I have received the help of many geniuses to maintain over the years…"
He paused slightly.
"Most days, there's no problem, but you never know when an event like today could appear..." He was naturally talking about Hesta and Juras' fight.
Petra nodded again, but she secretly wondered if she was actually called here to be chastised…
The principal leaned back in his chair.
"Of course… the world outside the academy hasn't exactly been calm lately either."
His tone softened a bit.
"Hm, you've probably heard people talking about it already. The nine calamities, correct? You should be very familiar with them, yes?" He gave Petra a very knowing glance.
Petra said nothing.
It would be a joke if someone with his position didn't recognise her.
He slowly continued, "In recent years, too many unusual geniuses have appeared across the world. Many are talents powerful enough to disrupt entire regions by themselves. This has only increased as time goes on, and it shows no sign of stopping…"
He cleared his throat, then added, "Regardless of the final outcome, it's very possible that the world will compress all its accumulation into the upcoming generation just to combat the calamities." His eyes shifted. "I'm not just talking about material things, no, things such as talent, luck, bloodline potential, and many other ethereal things will likely be squeezed into the next few years of the younger generation. I like to think about it as planting the seeds. If these seeds don't have enough time to grow, then there's no point. You can think about it like that, knowing what I know about you, you should understand what I mean, right?"
His eyes drifted towards the window.
As for Petra, she understood what he meant. He was trying to tell her that the world will compress all the geniuses from the next million years or so into a very small period of time. By doing this, the world will give birth to many 'pieces' that can combat the calamity, but the future will be desolate. It's a kind of gamble, one that he emphasized to show Petra just how important all the geniuses of this era will be.
In other words, he was subtly hinting that she should participate in the calamities, not because she was expected to, but because she was born to…
"For an academy that trains mages, this sort of thing brings both excitement… and concern."
After a moment, his gaze returned to Petra.
He didn't seem to care if she understood or not.
"Speaking of talented individuals," he added casually, "I heard that you have been traveling with a certain young graduate in the past year or so. That little girl just happens to be one of my favourite helpers, so…"
Petra tilted her head.
Ah, so this was where he was really coming from?
She waited patiently for him to confirm her thoughts, fighting off the impulse to pull out some food.
Just like she had expected, the name that came out of his mouth was exactly what she had predicted.
"…Dorthy Quella."
Principal Inel reached towards a stack of papers before pulling out a thin folder.
"One of our professors asked me to check on her," he said with a tired sigh.
"She was once a student here, so..."
The door behind Petra creaked open, and an older professor quietly stepped inside, adjusting the glasses on his nose as he entered.
Petra didn't recognize him immediately, but judging from the situation, he seemed to be...
Dorthy's former magic teacher…?
The old man looked at Petra expectantly—
Mm, he clearly expected her to deny everything…
Instead, to both his and Inel's surprise, Petra answered simply, "…She's doing very well!"
Both men paused.
These words were very simple, but the way they were expressed seemed to say a lot.
The oppressive aura that was quietly building in the room was dispelled instantly.
"I guess, if I had to describe her current situation, she's living her dream job," Petra calmly added, not seeming to feel the pressure that both old men were sneakily releasing.
"She's serving as my librarian back home right now. Because I like to collect knowledge, it gives her a lot to do. Most of her days are spent reading and recording, as well as sorting and categorizing all the books I bring back. Aside from that, she also sleeps a shocking amount."
This was all true.
Not only Dorthy, but Bell also liked to sleep. Petra had to wonder if it had something to do with her own behaviour. Perhaps her habits had started to rub off on the duo?
The old professor blinked, then he quietly chuckled.
"Well… that sounds like her…"
The conversation drifted into a lighter tone for a few minutes as they briefly spoke about Dorthy's time at the academy. Petra used this to learn a lot about her little librarian. At the same time, as Petra dug for more information, the two educators were secretly shocked at how intelligent this little girl was.
They only now realized that Petra was far from what the outside rumours described her as.
Selfish, uneducated, violent, shameless, cunning, treacherous, and untrustworthy, these were just a few of the words that were nailed to her public persona. Meeting her in person, not only did she seem to surpass the top students at the academy, but she also seemed to rival their own level of magical knowledge, at least on a technical level! In fact, the more they talked, the more terrified they became. The speed that Petra's brain deduced information and adapted to the conversation had started to scare even them! Instead of some backwater village girl who liked to play with poison and plots, she seemed more like the daughter of a noble family that specialized in research. To make matters worse, they could both feel a strange shadow shrouding her, as if the person they were talking to wasn't the little girl in the chair, and for a brief moment, It didn't feel like they were talking to a human at all…
Eventually, however, after some time had passed, the principal's expression shifted slightly.
He hurriedly changed the topic.
"There is one more thing I should mention…"
Petra looked up.
She had finally dug up enough blackmail material and was satisfied.
She listened to Inel's next words.
"The Azurefell family visited the academy a few days ago. They came to ask some questions, mostly about you and Dorthy. It seems like they are planning to make a move soon, so you should try to be more careful in the next few days."
Petra rolled her eyes.
Internally, she clicked her tongue. Didn't this old man just want her to keep his favourite student out of danger? Even if they came, she could deal with them easily enough.
But still…
She did have to think about how to properly handle the Azurefell family. After all, she didn't want Lilly and Luna to end up with nothing when everything was settled.
A small smirk nearly escaped her mouth before she covered it with a cough.
The principal pretended not to notice.
He didn't need to ask to have a vague idea of what Petra was thinking. The way she thought was pretty straightforward after all, at least, 'the way he believed' she thought.
As for his worries, well…
Secretly, he didn't care that much. Unlike Petra, who still didn't know much about the Quella Quint Family, he actually knew quite a bit. That family, Dorthy's family, was quite powerful. Their secrecy was second only to the Tibon Family, and like the Tibon Family, they also didn't seem to originate from the Cross Continent.
His reminder was more focused towards Petra than Dorthy.
"As a final note, you might be interested in," he continued to add, "you may hear people discussing the Royal Ring Secret Realm very soon. It won't be long before it opens." Petra leaned slightly forward in her chair. "Also, If the Azurefell family still intends to investigate you, there is a good chance they'll attempt to attack you there if you enter."
He folded his hands.
"The Royal Ring Secret Realm is an ancient domain tied to the royal family. Its origins date back to the earliest days of the empire, around the time of the founding. Even I'm not one hundred percent sure, but it shouldn't be natural."
He briefly began explaining its history, describing how the realm had been created and gradually developed into a 'treasure land' for powerful practitioners to use as a reward when needed. Listening to him, Petra could tell that everything he knew was hearsay.
After a few minutes, the discussion finally came to an end.
Principal Inel stood up.
"It was nice meeting you, Petra."
He nodded at her, reaching out to shake her hand.
He said these words with complete sincerity. He had not expected this conversation to go so well.
Petra shook his hand, hopped down from the chair, then gave a small nod before walking towards the door.
A few minutes later, she finally left the academy.
* * *
The twin front doors of the Royal Academy of Magic slowly creaked open.
Soon, Petra stepped outside...
She stretched her arms high above her head, letting out a long, satisfied sigh as she left the massive building behind. The marble steps of the academy spread out beneath her feet, leading down into the wide front garden where several trimmed hedges and stone pathways wound gently through the ground to create a beautiful scene.
She rolled her shoulders, adjusting the sleeping frog as she moved.
"Aaah~"
After sitting in that office for so long, the fresh air felt nice.
Petra tilted her head upwards, then frowned.
The sky had noticeably darkened since she had first entered the academy earlier that day. Thick gray clouds now gathered above the city of Llynun, slowly swallowing the last hints of sunlight.
She frowned, feeling the heavy atmosphere.
A storm was coming.
Petra squinted slightly.
"…Mm." It wouldn't take long for the rain to start...
With that thought, she began walking down the steps towards the pathway that led away from the academy, but just as she reached the bottom—
She stopped…
Bang!
Following a heavy kick, Petra's attention was suddenly drawn away by the sound. She turned, looking towards an inconspicuous small park not far to the side.
There, she saw the sight of a young mage being thrown through the air.
He rolled, his skin scraping against the stone as he came to a stop. Following a low crunch, he landed in a pile of thorny vines. He went limp, his body badly hurt, with his mind visibly waning.
Petra frowned.
Above him stood a group of nine boys, eight of whom were noble children from Llynun.