Dragon Ball: Saiyan's Gourmet Journey

Chapter 727 A date with Miss Seele, but the topic of discussion was the elf lady, so there's nothing wrong with talking about common topics!
"Broly, if you want to understand Ryu, you need to know some things. Have you heard of the Dark Period?"

Leaving the bountiful hostess tavern, they went to a dessert shop together. The signboard girl, who had taken off her white apron, sat opposite them in a plain green dress. She ordered a fruit parfait for two and asked the Saiyan boy across from her.

"Never heard of it, what is it?"

Naturally, Broly, who had only arrived in this world thirty-three days ago, could not possibly know what the Dark Ages were.

"When evil parties gain power, right and wrong are reversed, order is chaotic, violence is used to suppress violence, children weep like rain, the wounded lie everywhere, and villains roar in power, that is the worst era, that is the Dark Age."

Also in the past, seven years ago, Orario, having lost the two strongest Familias after their failed joint attack on the Black Dragon, was in a similar situation.

Seele picked up the wafer biscuit from the parfait cup, took a bite of the cream-stained end, and introduced it.

"What does this have to do with Miss Ryu?"

"Of course there is a connection. During that dark period, there was a clan called Astrea who upheld justice and went against the tide of time, trying to peel away the dark clouds."

"Astraea, is that Miss Ryu's clan?"

"Yes, Ryu and her fellow members of her clan were the brightest and most active stars of justice in that dark age."

We uphold justice and fight against injustice, occasionally punishing both sides. We reject discrimination and pursue freedom and equality, weighing everything on the scales of justice. Our desire is for order, our thought is for smiles, and behind us are tattoos of the sword and wings of justice. We are the Astrea Familia!

Thanks to a leader who always recites this self-introduction line, many people in Orario know which familia those girls belong to, and also know the ideals of justice they uphold…

Through Seele's narration, Broly gradually learns about the fourteen-year-old elf girl and her companions' various heroic deeds during the Dark Ages.

Facing a dark faction that far outnumbered them and was ruthless in killing, they fought bravely for the innocent people. Even in adversity, when faced with the misunderstanding, displaced accusations, and even stone-throwing from those they rescued, they were still able to maintain their sense of justice...

"Wait, they stepped forward to save people, so why should the people they saved blame them?"

"Because among those who were saved, some of their relatives were not saved. Before they were rescued, those people had already been brutally murdered by the dark factions. Those who were saved felt that they had come too late."

"So, good people should be held at gunpoint?"

"gun?"

"What I mean is being treated with ingratitude."

"Yes, that's a very apt description, but that's exactly human nature."

The pain of losing loved ones has made the residents of Orario hate the Dark Faction, but the Dark Faction members are inherently evil, and they will not heed this hatred; they will only kill those who are still alive.

They were the only ones saved, but not all the righteous people. They were the only ones to whom the saviors could vent their resentment, simply because those people knew that the person who saved them wouldn't harm them.

Seele thought about it for a moment, then nodded, confirming the statement: good people should be held at gunpoint.

"So, is this why Miss Ryu turned to the dark side and became a wanted criminal in Orario?"

Broly asked.

"Ah, the justice of the Astrea Familia, Ryu, and her companions is not so fragile. They uphold justice for their own ideals, not for the opinions of others."

Moreover, those who threw stones at them and berated them were only doing such excessive things because they had nowhere to vent their pain and sorrow.

With proper explanation and a little guidance, those people will realize their mistakes and understand that their resentment towards those who saved them is completely unreasonable.

Seele's words made Broly frown. He tried to put himself in the shoes of the righteous girls in the story and realized that if it were him, he would probably only use one method to make ungrateful people realize their own mistakes.

"After that, did Miss Liu and the others hold knives to those people's necks?"

"Uh, no, not at all."

"So, how do they make others realize their mistakes?"

"In fact, they didn't make those people realize their mistakes; they just silently endured it."

"Ah, Miss Seele, why are you siding with those ungrateful people, saying they will realize their mistakes and speak up for them?"

Broly became somewhat dissatisfied. The thought of saving someone only to be resented by the person being saved made him furious.

He had encountered ungrateful people like this before in the Six-Sided World, but he usually killed them on the spot.

My message is this: I do good deeds without expecting anything in return, but if you dare to repay kindness with enmity, I'll send you flying to heaven on the spot.

Broly's motto is "to settle scores quickly and live life on his own terms," ​​so even when he occasionally encounters someone who repays kindness with enmity, he doesn't feel frustrated.

But the righteous girls in Seele's story didn't seem to kill the ungrateful fool, which infuriated Broly.

Of course, if the protagonist were an unrelated person, Broly might not have felt much, but unfortunately, one of the protagonists who was being resented was Ryu Rong. If he had been the one he was trying to win over at that time, who knows how much happiness he would have lost in that situation.

The thought of the unhappiness the elf might have faced back then made Broly wish he could travel to the past of this world, beat up those fools who dared to throw stones at the righteous girls like Liu Liang, and then throw them over to the dark faction's side, so that they would accept the fate that they would have been killed by the villains of the dark faction.

"Oh, I'm not speaking up for those people; they actually realized their mistakes later on."

"Hey, did they calm down and realize their mistake?"

Broly's anger subsided slightly after hearing the story; if that was the case, then it was barely acceptable.

"No, it's not that. I made them realize their mistakes."

"Um?!"

"Back then, I helped Mia's mother establish the reputation of the Abundant Mistress Tavern and distributed porridge and food in the refugee camp. When someone was saying discouraging things and complaining that Miss Ryu and the other adventurers' efforts were useless and futile, I comforted him, and that made everyone realize their mistake."

"Uh, how did you comfort her?"

"Hmm, let me think. I remember that person said something like, 'It's useless, it's all useless. Even if we distribute food, it won't make any difference. We're all going to die anyway, either from starvation or from being killed by the dark faction.'"

When I said that the adventurers were working hard, the other person said, "Adventurers, those people are completely unreliable. Weren't they all beaten to a pulp by the Dark Faction? Me too, everyone else too. We'll all die, just like my sister. Adventurers won't protect us."

I comforted the other person by saying, "Then let's all die together." I can still remember the expressions on their face and the faces of the people around them. They were utterly astonished. They seemed surprised by my words, but it was precisely because of their distress, sadness, and pain that they said such things. In that case, once you die, you won't feel any pain at all, right?
As it turns out, everyone wants to live a good life and doesn't want to die immediately and go to heaven to see their deceased relatives.

So, after he stammered, "I...I didn't want to die...", I apologized to him and the others, and told them, "The adventurers who saved you (including Ryu and the others) did not want you to die. They are doing their best right now, working harder than anyone else in the temporary camp, and they are covered in wounds to protect you. Of course, there are some people they couldn't protect, but they will feel more guilty than anyone else..."

I apologized for deliberately misunderstanding their pessimistic views and hoped they wouldn't misunderstand the adventurers.

"Is this okay?"

"Of course not. They'll also say things like, 'Since you can't protect us, then don't expect us to protect you in the first place,' or 'Justice that's just talk is self-satisfaction; those kinds of people are hypocrites,' and so on..."

"Oh, those people actually said that? Miss Seele, how did you make them realize their mistakes?"

"Yes, I was just affirming their hypocrisy and acknowledging that in a time when everyone is struggling to survive and even just protecting themselves, the hypocrisy of those who would still help others, and the superficial 'justice' of Ryu and her friends, is truly admirable. Just then, members of the Dark Faction attacked the temporary camp, and the Astrea Familia and two of Ryu's former companions intervened in time to defeat them, protecting the people in the camp once again. Those who had previously held grudges against Ryu and her friends began to realize the truth of what I said and regretted their excessive actions."

Yes, I can still remember the remorseful expressions on their faces, ashamed of what they had done…

Seele looked delighted, as if the scene itself was something that brought her joy. After taking another bite of her fruit ice cream, she noticed that the boy opposite her remained silent.

"Mr. Broly, what's wrong? Are you still dwelling on those people from the past?"

"No, I was just imagining 11-year-old Miss Seele distributing food in front of a large group of refugees and using words to guide them and make them realize their mistakes."

Xi'er: "..."

[Oh no, I got so engrossed in telling the story that I forgot that if I were really an ordinary human girl, seven years ago I would still be an 11-year-old human girl who hadn't grown up yet...]

Just when Freya thought the boy was about to see through her unusual side, she heard the Saiyan boy opposite her say, "Miss Seele is really amazing. At 11 years old, she can make people realize their mistakes with words. If I were 11 years old, I would probably stomp their heads into the mud, or even stomp a few of them to make them understand their mistakes."

"Uh, thank you for the compliment."

Seele wanted to complain, but ultimately didn't.

"But Miss Seele, you still haven't told me how Miss Ryu became a wanted criminal?"

Broly knew about the Elf Lady's righteous past, but he didn't know how she became a wanted criminal.

"This happened two years after the end of the Dark Period. The Great Struggle of the Dark Period ended because of the activities of the righteous girls and adventurers from various clans, which thwarted the Dark Faction's plot to destroy Orario."

However, some remnants of the Dark Faction escaped, and Ryu and her clan members relentlessly pursued and eliminated them.

It was under these circumstances that the remnants of the Dark Faction set a trap in the dungeon and murdered the righteous girls of the Astrea Familia, leaving only Ryu as the survivor.

Ryu later sought revenge for her fallen comrades, spending three years killing everyone involved in orchestrating the trap, including guild members who had leaked information about her clan's movements to the dark factions.

"Is it wrong to avenge a comrade?"

“It’s right to avenge your comrades, but Ryu’s methods are too cruel. Some people were killed without any real evidence, only suspected of colluding with the dark faction. That’s why the guild had to issue a warrant for her arrest.”

Well, the so-called collusion refers to things like helping with surveillance and tipping off the dark faction. This includes people who don't know the identities of the dark faction members, but just do things for money without realizing that they are helping the dark faction.

This bloody revenge lasted for three years, until the dark faction clan involved in the killing of their comrades was ambushed and wiped out by Ryu, marking the end of the revenge.

"Two years ago, when I met Liu in a deserted alley, she was covered in blood and looked like she had no attachment to the world. Even now, she only works in the tavern to repay the kindness of me and Mia's mother for taking her in."

After finishing her meal, and having finished telling her story, Seele looked at the Saiyan boy and said, "So, when I heard that Ryu wanted to ask you, Mr. Broly, for advice on swordsmanship, I was very happy, because she has been trapped in the past and rarely wants to do anything on her own initiative."

“Mr. Broly…”

"Ok?"

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Miss Seele, please speak."

"Please give Ryu a wonderful encounter experience. No matter what happens in the future, please don't let her feel sad or upset, okay?"

"Yes, that's only natural. I would have done it even if you hadn't said so, Miss Seele."

Broly nodded in response.

"That's good."

Seele smiled and then said, "However, although you said you were going on a date with me, you kept talking about Ryu. Does Mr. Broly think that's a good idea?"

"Um, shall we talk about Miss Hill's matter?"

"Your favorability rating isn't high enough."

"Shall we talk about my business?"

"I'm interested in that. Waiter, another fruit parfait, please."

"Hey, Miss Seele, can you still eat?"

"I ate that whole portion by myself, and you didn't even feed me."

"Sorry, I just noticed you were eating by yourself the whole time."

"You can't be so distant during a date. The right thing to do is to actively feed your date. Speaking of which, didn't Lady Hestia give you a good example a while ago?"

The person who went on a date the day before yesterday was Helen, but this time it's her who's going on a date. Freya thinks that Hestia's actions in Helen's memory are pretty good.

"Sorry, shall I feed you now?"

"The waiter brought out a new Buffet cup," Broly said.

"Ah~"

In response, the mascot girl simply parted her cherry lips slightly towards the boy.

Without hesitation, Broly picked up a spoon and began feeding the other man ice cream from his Buffet cup.

He watched Seele swallow and subconsciously swallowed.

"Yes, Mr. Broly, I'll feed you too~"

Seele noticed him swallowing, opened her eyes, picked up a spoon, and scooped a spoonful of ice cream for him.

"Thank you."

Broly accepted the girl's offer and thanked her. The cool, sweet taste calmed him down a bit.

"My past is somewhat complicated, and there are some things that I can't tell you right now, Miss Seele. I hope you can understand."

"Are you hiding something from me? It seems I don't have a very good impression of you, Mr. Broly. But we're in the same boat, I can forgive you."

Not realizing the boy was lying, Freya, disguised as Seele, generously remarked.

"I am a Saiyan, from another world different from this one. I was born on Planet Vegeta, but from a young age, my father and I were exiled to an extremely remote planet..."

(End of this chapter)