Chapter 109

Chapter 109: I Was Wrong, I'll Dare Next Time

In the tavern, Adrian poured a drink for Uncle Goodman to calm his nerves and recounted what had happened.

Meanwhile, Rui Mengmeng busily cleaned up the mess left on the table.

Artoria went to the courtyard to organize the results of today's swordsmanship practice.

After hearing Adrian talk for a while, Tom impatiently went to rummage through the fridge, feeling ignored whenever tavern matters were discussed.

"That's about it. After our duel, he left without causing us any trouble," Adrian summarized, noting that it was Tom who had made things difficult for him when he wanted to leave.

"I can't believe the young person I helped recruit got guards who can go up against the Seven Warlords. Goodman, you're amazing!" Uncle Goodman exclaimed, reminiscing about his youth.

"Could young people from your time really go up against the Seven Warlords?" Adrian chuckled as he refilled Uncle Goodman's glass, eager to hear more of his stories.

Uncle Goodman shot him a look, saying, "I would dare to witness such events when I was young!"

Adrian burst into laughter, surprised at how proud Uncle Goodman sounded.

"Don't laugh. You and your group of guests today are so timid, afraid to witness anything exciting. You can't even boast properly. I even thought the Seven Warlords were after you," Uncle Goodman grumbled.

"Thank you, Uncle," Adrian heard the concern in his words and was touched that people in this world cared about him.

Uncle Goodman waved it off, "No need to thank me. I didn't help much. Visit our place sometime, Molly's quite worried about you."

"Sure," Adrian nodded.

"Okay, I have to go back and teach those kids the art of conversation. That move, what was it called again? Flying Slash? Haha, I could boast about it for a year!" Uncle Goodman left cheerfully.

"That Uncle seems to be a really good person," Rui Mengmeng commented.

"Yeah, they've helped us a lot," Adrian agreed, "Come on, let's go see how Artoria's training is going."

Adrian entered the courtyard and then poked his head out, saying, "Tom, make sure to clean up the fridge mess!"

Tom shrunk back, rapidly nodding as he leaned against the closed fridge door, behind which was a chaotic pile of vegetables and two broken eggs.

Unaware of Tom's guilt-ridden expression, Adrian left. Once he was gone, Tom wiped his forehead and began frantically cleaning up the fridge.

...

With closed eyes, Artoria held a sword hilt, the ordinary knight's sword that Adrian had given to Rui Mengmeng. In front of her was a dumbbell that Adrian used for training.

Both Adrian and Rui Mengmeng watched in silence.

At a certain moment, Artoria opened her eyes and swung the sword. It struck the iron dumbbell without a clang, cleanly slicing it in half as if cutting through vegetables.

Adrian sensed that there was no magic on the sword, and Artoria's strength wasn't extraordinary.

Speaking to herself, Artoria said, "So, even in something as hard as steel, there are countless flaws. With the right technique, you can cut through even without relying on magic."

"Wait, isn't it supposed to be 'King's Slash' or something?" Adrian asked curiously.

"Perhaps different people have slightly different interpretations. Maybe what I see as flaws, others perceive as 'breaths,' or perhaps something else entirely. Ultimately, it's about having a certain level of swordsmanship comprehension," Artoria explained before trying to execute the Flying Slash technique.

Adrian was puzzled by the complexity and decided that, for now, focusing on physical fitness and magic enhancement would be more beneficial to him.

In the evening, the tavern was bustling, every table full, and some were even standing without their long coats.

"I was wondering why you all showed up so organized today?" Adrian greeted some familiar faces.

"Of course, we're here to see if the little boss got cut down by that guy!"

"Yeah, yeah, young man, what's the outcome?" the group looked at him expectantly.

"You guys sure know how to talk," Adrian teased, "I hate to disappoint you, but although I didn't win, nobody got hurt either."

"Wow, amazing! To prevent the little boss from getting killed by a Seven Warlord, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Rolling his eyes, Adrian responded, "Thanks for that, I guess!"

"To Artoria-sama, cheers!"

"To Tom's piano, cheers!"

Adrian ignored their antics, feeling they were just finding reasons to raise their glasses, turning the scene into a rowdy party.

However, Adrian wondered why Tom was so obedient today. He felt something was off and suspected that Tom had either been bribed too much or had broken something.

...

The next day, there was a new fridge in the house.

It turned out that Tom had quickly cleaned the inside and outside of the fridge the previous day, and even arranged the food neatly. Nothing wrong with that, except when he closed the fridge, he accidentally trapped his tail inside. The pain caused Tom to jump three meters high, still attached to the fridge.

To avoid getting caught, Tom endured the pain and landed while clutching his mouth, but the fridge followed him down. However, this fridge wasn't as sturdy as Tom's home fridge, so the food inside became a mess, and the wires disconnected.

After Tom reconnected the wires and cleaned everything, the fridge ended up malfunctioning due to a short circuit.

Tom's solution was to clean everything again and pretend nothing happened.

But secrets couldn't stay hidden for long. The next morning, Rui Mengmeng discovered the truth while taking food.

Knowing the truth, Adrian couldn't help but cry and laugh, "If it's broken, it's broken. I won't hit you. You should have told me earlier so we could replace it sooner and not waste so much food."

Tom stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a sheepish smile. It was his standard pose when apologizing.

However, he also embodied the classic "I know I was wrong, I'll dare next time" mentality. He often repeated his mistakes either intentionally or unintentionally.

"Adrian, something big seems to have happened." Artoria showed Adrian the newspaper.

"Mjosgard, a Celestial Dragon, has lost contact while on a ship. A generous reward is offered for information."

The newspaper included a picture of the green-haired Celestial Dragon and the ship he was on.

"Wasn't Tang Jiehe the name of a pirate crew?" Artoria inquired.

"Yes, the Donquixote Pirates, also known as the Donquixote Family. They were once Celestial Dragons, but one day, his father refused to be a terrible person like other Celestial Dragons. He left Mary Geoise with his family, wanting to live as commoners.

But regular people despised them, either due to celestial oppression or witnessing the atrocities of Celestial Dragons. They rejected them, and as they lost their privileges, they became the target of the public's resentment.

It didn't end well. Later, Doflamingo killed his own father, carried his head to Mary Geoise, hoping to regain Celestial Dragon status, but he failed. So, he

became a ruthless pirate, aiming to destroy the 'world of Celestial Dragons.'"

Shocked by the extent of the cruelty, Rui Mengmeng exclaimed, "That's so ruthless, killing his own father..."

Adrian continued, "This Mjosgard seems to be a descendant of the same king as the Doflamingo family. His disappearance probably won't affect us. On second thought, someone might come to Sabaody to search and question. Anyway, we don't know, haven't seen anything."

Adrian guessed that this Mjsogard was likely on Fish-Man Island, saved by Queen Otohime. Later, he had reformed and stopped enslaving people. During the World Council meeting, he even protected Shirahoshi. He was quite the anomaly among the Celestial Dragons.