Tohru stood there, utterly dumbfounded, shock etched across her delicate face. She couldn't comprehend Rayleigh's audacity—did he have a death wish? Pinching your father's face like that would surely result in a grave a meter high next year, right?
In this moment, the dense dark clouds in the sky seemed like disgruntled faces glaring down at everything on Earth. Rayleigh's actions continued without any apparent awareness of the danger.
Meanwhile, Damocles' countenance mirrored the increasingly ominous weather outside, growing darker by the second. In the next instant, a terrifying aura erupted from Damocles' body. Rayleigh's face went pale, and he instinctively retreated to the safety of the bar.
"Human, you must apologize for your insolence," Damocles declared, pointing at Rayleigh as energy surged towards him.
"Father, stop!" Tohru urgently stepped forward to intervene, but it was too late. Rayleigh, with swift reflexes, crossed his arms, wrapping himself in Haki to resist.
At the critical moment, a red magic circle, brimming with spells, materialized in front of Rayleigh. A resounding "bang" echoed as the magic circle shattered, dispersing the energy into the air. Rayleigh breathed a sigh of relief.
Witnessing this, Tohru, the final emperor of the dragon clan, and even Lucoa, showed surprise in their eyes. How could Ron, a mere human, possess knowledge of dragon magic?
"All fighting is prohibited in the tavern," Ron declared, standing up with a flat expression. Damocles had merely intended to teach Rayleigh a lesson, not kill him, which allowed Ron, a novice in dragon magic, to block the attack.
"That's just your rule," Yandi retorted.
As Damocles slowly approached Tohru, a pair of red dragon wings unfurled instantly, and the menacing aura intensified.
"That's correct," Ron said with a shrug. "As long as Tohru is willing to go with you, I have no problem." After all, this was a family matter between father and daughter, and Ron wouldn't interfere as long as Damocles didn't force the issue.
"I don't want to leave here!" Tohru groaned, moving to Ron's side and gripping his sleeve tightly.
"Well..."
Seeing Tohru's reluctance, Damocles sighed helplessly. "This is the rule of the world. Although this place differs from other human realms, it is still fragile. The presence of dragons will only disrupt the balance of the world."
Rayleigh's face darkened. He had the urge to step forward and engage, but considering the pills he had yet to use, he hesitated. Dying before fully enjoying them would be a waste.
At that moment, Lucoa, who had remained silent, stood up from her chair and spoke with a smile. "I am here. Do you think the balance of this world will be disrupted? Tohru will eventually return to that world, so don't worry about it. Just sit down and have a drink. The wine here is truly excellent."
As she spoke, Lucoa took a bottle of wine from the cabinet and handed it to Damocles. "As a neutral party, why involve yourself in such meddling affairs?"
Damocles accepted the bottle, expressing surprise. In his perception, Lucoa seldom interfered with anything apart from sleeping and watching battles.
"This is not a trivial matter," Lucoa replied with a smile, patting Ron on the shoulder. "I'm working in his tavern now, and I can't be lazy when Tohru is gone." She leaned toward Ron's ear and whispered, "With Tohru gone, the five-person party won't be complete. Do you think I deserve a reward?"
Ron maintained a serious expression. "Expect cloudy skies with light rain."
Lucoa raised her eyebrows, and her laughter resonated with a delightful tremor.
"Hahaha... you two are quite entertaining," Damocles chuckled as he observed Ron and Lucoa sharing a moment. In that moment, he found himself reconsidering his purpose—preventing Tohru from disrupting the world's order and disturbing the Creator God.
Yet, in this world, there seemed to be no god, just a child who wouldn't live more than eight hundred years. Moreover, there was Lucoa's promise and the presence of the tavern's owner, Ron, who possessed not only dragon magic but the ability to break the dimensional wall and bring himself to this Otherworld.
Perhaps, he thought, letting Tohru stay here for a while wouldn't be a bad idea.
"In that case, Tohru will stay here for a while," Damocles decided, calming down. He carried the wine and approached the bar to sit.
"Thank you, Father!" Tohru expressed her gratitude with a joyful smile.
"Well..." Damocles sighed helplessly, opened the wine bottle, and took a sip.
Gulp...
As the wine flowed down his throat, its rich aroma filled his taste buds. The entrance was soft and lingering, leaving a long aftertaste that Damocles savored.
"The wine is good," he remarked with satisfaction. However, he suddenly remembered something and asked irritably, "Now that I'm here at the tavern, can you please stop letting that voice ring in my head so early in the morning?"
Torture, too much torture.
A few days before arriving at the pub, every morning at seven o'clock, Damocles would hear a voice in his mind: "The Wanjie Tavern has invited you, do you want to go?" Despite his consistent rejections, the voice persisted, disrupting Damocles' sleep.
"Probably not," Ron admitted awkwardly, touching his nose. He hadn't anticipated the system would aggressively invite someone to confide in a pub guest, and especially not someone as formidable as Damocles.
"That's not good," Damocles nodded, intending to pick up the wine bottle. However, when he noticed a huge long sword hanging on the wall, he was taken aback.
Isn't this the divine sword condensed by the gods?
Tohru noticed Damocles' astonishment and explained with a smile, "When I was struck by this sword, Ron saved me from the brink of death."
Damocles didn't say anything, but a flicker of anger flashed in his cloudy old eyes. "I'm leaving; I'll see you again when I have time," he announced after finishing the bottle.
As he stood up to leave, Ron reminded, "You haven't paid yet."
Damocles nearly stumbled at the gate. He couldn't believe that after all that, he was being asked for payment. "What the hell. My daughter is working for you for free, and you still want money for a bottle of wine? You even trashed the tavern!"
Tohru, sweeping the floor, covered her mouth and chuckled as she watched her father's reaction. "Consider it drink money," Damocles grumbled, suppressing his anger as he tossed several gems behind the bar and vanished from the world.
"Haha... this girl is a handful," Lucoa laughed.
"I don't think so. The old man didn't react at all when he heard that Tohru was about to die," Rayleigh observed with confusion.
"He should be running back to declare war on the Gods now," Ron remarked. "I just heard that Tohru almost died, and Damocles' eyes nearly burst into flames. There's a kind of silent father's love."
Tohru smiled, recalling her happy childhood memories when her father could be with her every day, avoiding the wars.
At that moment, the tavern doorbell rang again.
Jingle...
The door gently opened, revealing a snow-white jade foot followed by a slender ankle adorned with a golden footbell ring.