The day went by quickly, and the children arrived at a park in the inner sect. The hour was near noon, so the place was filled with parents and children.
As a sect, it naturally had an inside population that lived here. There were primarily cultivators without families or children, but sometimes, the sect allowed their families to visit. Cultivation was a very lonely path that people usually needed to tread by themselves. Even while dual cultivation existed, many things took time to complete by oneself.
Estrella and the others looked around and became a bit silent. Meanwhile, the maids set up a clean blanket, followed by baskets of easy-to-eat food like sandwiches, rice balls, bread rolls, and other delicious food cooked by Yasenia.
Kaleina smiled while looking at her little sisters and asked. "Did looking at those children make you miss Mom?"
The children were honest, so they all nodded. Skye commented as she bit a sandwich with juicy meat, vegetables, and a homemade sauce. "Does Big Sister Kaleina not miss them?"
Kaleina smiled and sighed. "Always." Kaleina laughed softly. "Mommy has always been there since I opened my eyes. She was loving, cared for me, and is someone I admire. I would ask her if I had any problems, and she would always answer me."
Kaleina smiled at them and commented. "Like she is doing with all of you. We are lucky to have her as our mother, and because she is so good, it is normal to miss her."
The children bit their food and nodded, being thoughtful.
While they were eating the food, a group of young men and women approached. "Hey! You are eating outside as well?"
Kaleina looked over and squinted for a second. However, Flame at the side whispered. "It's all right. They are inner sect disciples."
Estrella and the rest looked at Kaleina, and Kaleina smiled back, pointing at the group approaching with her chin. "Try to speak. If you don't like it, just tell me."
Katarina asked bluntly. "Why did you speak to us?"
The young man at the lead looked at Katarina and blinked. "Hm? Oh, you are a sentient beast?"
Katarina pouted, and Estrella snorted. "She is my Little Sister!"
He smiled honestly and commented. "Sorry, I didn't notice." Then, looking at Dianna's exotic figure, he asked. "Um…"
Dianna blinked and smiled. "Hi! Hi! Hi! I am Dianna!"
The young man with brown feline characteristics nodded. "I am Diego!"
Estrella asked, feeling a bit defensive. "What do you want?"
Diego coughed and scratched his head. "Just… Talk? Get to know each other?"
Aurelia stood up and walked toward Kaleina, sitting by her side and continuing to munch on food without even bothering to look over.
Skye jumped. "Get to know each other! Good! How old are you, Diego?"
Diego said somewhat proudly. "I am thirty-seven years old, and I am already an inner disciple!"
A woman at the side smiled as well. "He is going to become a Core Disciple in less than three years!"
Diego laughed a bit, but their reaction was a bit off. In the first place, he approached them because he thought that the girls were very pretty, so he wanted to build a rapport, so to speak.
Now, after saying what had impressed many girls in the past, he received nothing but flat looks. The purple-haired woman with golden strands even looked at him with a bit of boredom.
One of the women in the group thought that they were acting hard to get, and she frowned. "What are those faces? Is he so talented that you are speechless?"
Dawn asked. "Do you think he would last a second against the 37-year-old Little Mommy?"
Skye burst into laughter. "A second? He would die before the battle starts!"
Diego saw that another person was going to jump, so he coughed. "Oh? Is your mother talented?"
Estrella laughed. "Pfft! Talented? That's an insult for Mommy."
Aurelia scoffed. "Ignorance looks quite ridiculous."
Dianna smiled widely. "Mommy is the most talented in this world!"
The woman, who felt offended, snapped. "That's too arrogant to say. Do you think your mother can even beat our Sect Master in talent?"
Kaleina found this situation hilarious, and she kept watching in silence. Katarina answered, confused. "Mommy beating Mommy? How does that work?"
Estrella hummed. "Perhaps she is asking if she can beat an illusion of Mommy."
Dawn asked. "Has Mommy used the Martial Art Stele to fight herself?"
Aurelia swallowed the food in her mouth and spoke. "She has fought in the past. But I didn't hear Mama say who won or lost."
Skye didn't even swallow the food before she spoke. "I thinf thath Mommy whould, munch, munch, win!"
Diego frowned at their conversation while one of his male friends, who admired Yasenia a lot, spoke up. "Are you really thinking that your mother can even approach Sect Master's talent? Are you delusional? Lady Yasenia Dravory is the most talented being to have appeared in Distancia throughout history! She managed to unify all the continents before she was even 60 years old through a calculated war that combined strength, wit, politics, and tactics! Nowadays, even though she has barely made 70, she can already fight against the other top power leaders, like Lady Coraline, Lady Tengliu, or Lord Cao Chenghua! No being can beat Lady Yasenia Dravory in talent!"
The children were stunned, while Kaleina finally couldn't hold back her laughter. "Hahahaha. You are so funny! Oh heavens! Hahahaha."
The man thought that Kaleina was mocking Yasenia, so he frowned and asked. "Do you have a problem with this!? I would love to see you stand right in front of Lady Yasenia Dravory and laugh like that!"
Kaleina smirked, amused, and thought. 'Daring to laugh? If I wouldn't laugh in front of her, she would tickle and kiss me until I did!'
Estrella, who finally understood that these people didn't know that Yasenia was their mother, asked. "Do all of you think of Mo- ahem, Lady Yasenia Dravory, that way?"
One of the women snorted. "Who doesn't? How old are you even to not know this? 12?"
Estrella's eyes widened, and she asked. "How did you know?"
The confrontational group of youngsters froze in place, looking at Estrella with stunned eyes. Estrella looked like a tall and beautiful 16-year-old girl. Her body was properly developed, and while it had some more to grow, she was already a flower slowly opening to reveal her beauty.
Diego asked Dianna. "H-How old are you?"
Dianna smiled and answered proudly. "I am already eleven!"
Diego realized that he had wanted to flirt with a child, and his stomach dropped. The women in Diego's group were heavily stunned, looking at the bunch of gorgeous-looking girls.
Diego looked at Kaleina and asked, stuttering. "H-How old are you?"
Kaleina wanted to mess with him, but she ended up answering usually after Flame patted her back. "I am an adult, don't worry. I am their Big Sister. Oh, the oldest one after me is Little Estrella here, so, yeah, the rest are 12 or lower."
Diego's face spasmed, and he bowed. "I am so sorry! We are leaving now!"
Seeing them leaving, Skye asked, confused. "Why did he leave so fast? It looks like he has fire under his soles!"
Kaleina smiled and commented. "Don't worry, you will learn these things later. Have you all finished eating?"
Dawn nodded. "Yes, Big Sis Kaleina!"
Estrella hummed. "I did, Big Sister."
Aurelia nodded as well. "I did as well. It was delicious."
Skye swallowed the food she had in her mouth and answered. "I DID TOO!"
Dianna licked her lips. "Very yummy! Mommy's food is the best!"
Katarina trotted over to Kaleina, showing her somewhat stained mouth, and smiled. "I did, too! C-Can Big Sister Kaleina clean my mouth?"
Kaleina would naturally not say no to her cute and adorable sister's request. She extended her hand, summoning a handkerchief, and cleaned her mouth.
Then, they stood up, and the maids approached to take care of everything.
While the maids were cleaning things up, some of them suddenly changed their expressions, and they swiftly moved to protect them.
Estrella and the other children were stunned as they got protected by their respective head maids while the rest circled them.
Kaleina's face became confused, but before she could speak, she heard Tatyana's voice in her head. 'Act along.'
Kaleina blinked and asked loudly, her tone becoming a rushed one. "What's wrong!?"
A maid spoke. "We are being ambushed. I can feel several presences in the nearby area. Young Miss Kaleina, please take your sisters back to Miss Yasenia. We'll block the main force while a few of us accompany you to ensure you reach there safely."
Estrella, who was being carried away together with the rest, felt her chest becoming tight. "W-What's happening? Who is attacking us!?"
While they were young, their minds were much more developed, giving them the ability to know that this situation was very bad.
One of the maids walking by Estrella's side answered. "Don't wor-" However, before she could finish the sentence, an arrow flashed from the distance, striking the maid on her chest and piercing deeply. The powerful momentum behind the arrow threw that maid flying backward.
Estrella's face got smeared by the maid's blood, making her pupils shrink, and her body got paralyzed for a second. The maid that was just shot was one of hers, and she always took good care of her.
A burning sensation came from deep within her heart, wanting to help. However, her strength was pathetic in comparison.
Soon, the place was surrounded by a cacophony of sounds from weapons and skills clashing. Dianna and the rest were naturally afraid, but they could do nothing because they were just too weak.
Even Dianna and Katarina, who were born strong, were nothing against Unification Realm cultivators. Kaleina shouted. "We are surrounded! What's the plan!?"
Estrella's Head Maid answered calmly, her face analytical while her aura continuously surged out from her. "To break through, we'll use brute force. Their numbers are much higher than ours, while their strength is slightly lower. Using our movement techniques, we will be able to reach a place where we can search for help. Our priority is the Little Misses' safety!"
Estrella saw a blade approaching her maid's throat. However, with incredible agility, Estrella's Head Maid moved her body while carrying Estrella, dodging while striking the attacker back with a kick.
BANG!
The shockwave spread out before the attacker was sent flying.
Estrella and the other children looked around, seeing their maids getting progressively injured.
Following Estrella's Head Maid's plan, the maids gathered as they could and rushed toward one end of the encirclement. Then, using defensive skills and a few sacrifices, the maids managed to break through without harming a single of their misses' heads.
Still, their bodies were full of injuries.
Now that they were out, the Head Maids, carrying all the children, Kaleina and Flame included, rushed out while the rest stayed behind to cover the retreat.