Chapter 441: The Struggle of Another World!
The barbecue feast lasted for a full two hours, and everyone was fully satisfied.
And the most satisfied ones were none other than Takatsuki Sen, Tatara, and Kirishima Ayato—they truly ate to their hearts' content this noon!
After the meal, the group continued to tour the ranch. When the tour was finished, the sun also began to set.
Ryohei politely declined Takatsuki Sen's proposal to have dinner together, left behind a batch of Phantom Jellyfish, and departed with Yurine and the others.
...
One evening a few days later—
[Tohru]: "Sorry, I ran into some matters on my end, and I need to ask for a leave of absence for a while."
Ryohei suddenly received a message from Tohru.
He was a bit surprised, casually replied with an "OK" sticker, and then asked:
[Ryohei]: "Is there anything you need help with?"
At Kobayashi's house—
Having just sent off Kimun Kamui and Azad, and feeling in a bad mood while preparing to take the whole family out for a big meal, Tohru looked at the message Ryohei sent, her expression softening slightly.
She rapidly tapped the phone screen—
[Tohru]: "No need, I will solve it. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"
Most dragons don't have the habit of asking others for help, and Tohru was the same.
"Mmm..."
In the living room of the luxurious villa in Meguro Ward—
Ryohei looked at Tohru's reply, sent another "OK" sticker, and then fell into deep thought.
Ran into some matters?
Looks like she ran into trouble...
Although Tohru didn't say it, he read this information between the lines.
Furthermore—
Ryohei turned his head and looked aside—Lucoa had suddenly said she needed to go out an hour ago...
His heart stirred—
In Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, there weren't many events that could be called trouble for Tohru and Kobayashi:
First was the arrival of the Demise Emperor; second was Ilulu's attack (counts as half); third was the arrival of Kanna's father; fourth was Elma's wedding; fifth was Loki holding the ceremony of power.
Looking at the chronological order...
Has Kanna's father come looking for her?
"What are you thinking about?"
An unperturbed questioning voice rang in his ear, and Pekola approached carrying an elegant fragrance.
Her slender left leg rested on the sofa, her right foot stepped on the ground. Her voluptuous body leaned against the back of the sofa, looking at Ryohei's phone screen.
"Tohru seems to have run into some trouble."
Ryohei turned his head to look at Pekola, turning the phone screen towards her.
"Mmm..."
After reading the message, Pekola changed her posture, sat down next to Ryohei, and said in a cool voice:
"An hour ago, a dragon from the Chaos Faction and a human magician came to this world... but they have already left."
"So that's it; is it related to this?"
Ryohei said so, but in his heart, he was already certain—Kanna's father and Azad had arrived!
He hurriedly recalled the relevant plot—
Although the matter was successfully resolved, Kobayashi lost her precious magical talent. And during this period, Ilulu, Elma, Fafnir, and even Lucoa had lent a hand.
Especially the intelligence brought back by Ilulu was crucial!
"Probably?"
Pekola tilted her head with a plain expression.
"Mn." Ryohei responded. He first sent a LINE message to Yurine, who had returned to her family's home, telling her not to schedule shifts for Tohru for the time being, and then continued to ponder—
His arrival had undoubtedly changed many things, and Ryohei was quite afraid that things would develop in other directions.
He decided to actively intervene!
After all, he got along quite well with Kanna, Tohru, and the others; he couldn't just stand by and watch.
While Ryohei was pondering how to intervene normally, two days later, Ilulu fled back to Stardew Valley Ranch in a wretched state, covered in injuries.
And Ryohei discovered it the next day—
"Ilulu? What's wrong with your leg?"
In the dining room of the Stardew Valley Ranch complex building—
Ryohei noticed Ilulu walking with a limp. He was startled for a moment, having some guesses in his heart, but deliberately asked with feigned surprise on the surface.
"Uh... how should I put it?"
Ilulu raised her hand and scratched her cheek, hesitating for a moment and said: "Yesterday, I heard the name Azad from Tohru. I was a bit curious, so I went to investigate..."
Is this considered plot inertia? Ryohei thought secretly in his heart.
"Azad? Who's that?"
Jashin-chan tilted her head aside, looked at Ilulu with dot eyes, a question mark popping out of her head.
"A human magician." Ilulu looked at Jashin-chan to explain, then continued: "In the dragon flock I used to live in, there was also a human magician named Azad."
"At that time, the leader trusted him very much and adopted many of his suggestions."
"And then?"
Jashin-chan asked very cooperatively.
Ilulu pulled out a chair and sat down, hugged her full chest, a reminiscing expression appearing on her face:
"And then, the leader became more and more radical, and everyone gradually left... Later I heard that the dragons who continued to follow the leader all seem to have died."
"That guy named Azad is problematic, right?"
Minos, who wasn't good at thinking, also noticed it. She pinched her chin, putting on an analyzing posture.
"Mn."
Ilulu glanced at her, nodded, and continued: "Yesterday afternoon, Tohru came looking for Elma..."
She recounted that in their world, the flames of war were on the verge of breaking out between the Harmony Faction led by the "White Dragon Duke" Luminous and the Chaos Faction led by the "Mountain Beast God" Kimun Kamui.
Kanna's father—Kimun Kamui, and Azad came over, wanting to extract the magic power of the "Dragon Orb" that Kanna had accidentally absorbed due to a prank.
And because she heard the name Azad, she felt things might not be simple, so she went to investigate.
"As a result, I found out that things were just as I thought; it was entirely Azad instigating from within."
Ilulu's tone carried indignation, and she spread her hands helplessly, saying gloomily: "Yesterday, when I was preparing to come back, I was discovered by Azad. Being careless for a moment, I suffered a small loss."
"So that's it... this guy named Azad is too hateful, actually provoking a war!"
Jashin-chan slapped the table, saying unhappily.
Although she wasn't a good person, she also hated war—moreover, she was definitely standing on Tohru and Kanna's side; they were colleagues at the very least!
"Elma, what are your plans?" Ryohei turned his head and looked at Elma, who had already started devouring her food.
"Mmm... I definitely can't sit by and watch..."
Elma raised her head, looking like a hamster with bulging cheeks, and said while chewing: "But because I lack crucial evidence, I cannot convince my kin..."
"To be honest, I'm also distressed about what to do right now."
"Do you even need to think about that? Of course, it's to finish off that guy named Azad!"
Jashin-chan looked at Elma, clenched her fists, and suggested. After a pause, she added: "Or you can have Yurine beat up all the dragons, suppressing them with absolute force."
"Wait, aren't you overestimating me a bit too much? I can't do that." Hearing this, Yurine couldn't help sweating a bit and looked at Jashin-chan speechlessly.
(￣ ￣|| )
No, not necessarily...
Ryohei cast a subtle glance at Yurine.
"So so many things happened these past two days?" Yusa ate her breakfast elegantly and also joined the topic: "No wonder I didn't see Tohru on the shift schedule this week."
"Mn? Speaking of which..."
Jashin-chan seemed to think of something, turning her head to look around the dining room: "Haven't seen Lucoa these past two days, did she go to help?"
"There's no such thing; Sister only left here temporarily."
Pekola took a bite of grilled fish and took over the conversation. Feeling the gazes from everyone, her eyelids drooped slightly:
"Sister belongs to the neutral bystander faction and will not appear in conflicts. For a long time, whether she chooses to intervene or not, it produces results she regrets, so..."
"It's not easy for her either." Ryohei took a bite of rice and took over the conversation with a smile.
"...Mn." Pekola looked at him and nodded gently, responding.
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