Chapter 103: The Princess is Lost.

Joan was gone.

Leah didn’t know what kind of crazy idea the Hero’s cute little head had cooked up this time or why he was in such a hurry to execute it.

She sighed inwardly, not believing for a second that the Hero would succeed.

In many matters, being powerless was simply being powerless.

It was just like how she had searched the seven Demon Realms but couldn’t find a Zhang Liang or a Xiao He to strategize for her.

The torrent of fate was intricate and complex; personal effort alone couldn’t solve every problem.

One also had to consider the progression of the times.

Having compassion was a good thing, but overflowing compassion could turn into something harmful.

While she was lamenting, Amel crept up to her sneakily.

She craned her neck to watch the Hero’s departing back and gently poked Leah twice.

“Hey, Lili! Lili! Is the Hero destined to fail?”

“Pretty much,” Leah replied flatly.

“Hooray!”

Amel couldn’t help but jump for joy.

Leah’s lip twitched twice.

“The Hero is failing. Why are you so happy?”

“I’m happy that the glittering Coulombs won’t be scattered among those paupers anymore.”

Amel acted familiar with Leah to get closer.

“Hey, Lili! I’m telling you! If a woman wants to live a good life, she must keep a tight leash on her man. She can never let him be such a spendthrift!”

“…”

Leah couldn’t be bothered with her and returned to the pond to continue debugging her “Magic Battery Compartment.”

Amel, however, had found her rhythm and chased after Leah, chattering incessantly.

“Don’t take this lightly! I’m telling you! In the textbooks written by our former emperor — Demon King Ria — there’s a thought-provoking story called Hai Rui Harms His Wife!”

Leah: “?”

‘That was called Hai Rui’s Petition!’

Amel continued her vivid narration.

“In the story, there was one especially stupid and evil male aristocrat named Hai Rui. He only wanted to be an honest official. He wouldn’t make money or take bribes, and as a result, he made his own family incredibly poor.”

“His wife was a fool too. Meeting such an irresponsible, stupid husband, she didn’t run away immediately but followed him devotedly. And then… because of this cold-hearted man, his daughter died, his wife died in childbirth, but at least that mother-in-law died too!”

The bad man was grief-stricken, but it was too late for regrets.

He would never find love again and could only throw himself into his work.

And guess what?

Even after he became a high-ranking official, he remained as poor as a dog for the rest of his life.

It’s hilarious.

“Don’t you think it’s a sin to be stuck with such an irresponsible husband and father? That’s why a woman must manage her man well, especially his money.”

Leah’s teeth made a creak creak sound as she gnashed them.

‘Good grief! A story I wrote to encourage you to be honest officials! And you guys actually interpreted it from this angle? You’re really something! I underestimated you!’

Seeing Amel’s smug face made Leah angry.

She wanted to help Joan slap that face.

But how?

Leah clutched her lower abdomen, which was throbbing slightly from anger, and thought for a long time without coming up with anything.

If her Pupu tribe were flourishing enough, she could bypass the humans and let the Life-saving Pupus perform automated rescues.

But she only had a few Queens, and they were responsible for piloting the ship.

The chain of command simply wasn’t enough.

Forget it… if there’s no way, there’s no way.

Sigh.

Leah chose to give up.

With a plop, she simply lay flat on the ground, surrendering completely.

Suddenly remembering a request the Hero had given her before leaving, Leah reached her small hand into her chest and fumbled around for a while.

She pulled out a high-purity magic amethyst — specifically, Kobilio’s “wife fund.”

The Hero had asked her to return it to Kobilio.

She didn’t know why he had suddenly made such a move.

It was as if he were settling his final affairs.

If someone else had done this, Leah would probably be extremely worried, suspecting they were about to do something dangerously stupid.

But the Hero… Leah wasn’t worried in the slightest.

With the Hero’s stats, if he went to do something stupid, the only ones in danger would be everyone else.

A short while later, Leah finally found Kobilio.

The dragon-riding tough guy had been busy for most of the day.

However, as an elite of the Empire who had undergone long-term training, neither he nor his dragon showed any signs of fatigue.

There was only a hint of dejection and numbness in his expression.

“Oh?”

After hearing her purpose, Kobilio seemed to finally regain a sliver of life.

The corners of his mouth gradually curled upward into a smile he couldn’t suppress.

“Joan really said that? He really gave it back? Then I… won’t be polite about it.”

“Yup, go ahead and take it.”

Leah was also a bit frustrated and didn’t have time for pleasantries.

She tossed the amethyst directly to Kobilio.

Kobilio hurriedly reached out to catch it, cradling it in his palm.

He pulled out a silk scarf some woman had given him and wiped the gem affectionately before carefully hiding it in a secret compartment in his armor intended for high-grade healing potions.

“Phew… I’ve come back to life. This is truly the best news today. Hahaha.”

Kobilio laughed heartily three times.

As his peripheral vision caught sight of his comrades gathering the floating corpses, his smile suddenly froze.

He quickly lowered his head and gave an embarrassed, dry laugh.

His expression was both emotional and somber.

“I finally understand why my mother wouldn’t let me get close to those dust people.”

“Mhm?” Leah responded perfunctorily.

“The shock of hearing about something versus seeing it with your own eyes are two completely different things. Do you know? Just now, I rescued a young girl clinging to a tree trunk. But as soon as she returned, she saw the bodies of her parents and brother. She just collapsed instantly, screaming that she wanted to die too. Such a beautiful girl, what a pity…”

Kobilio sighed with melancholy.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Leah was still deep in thought.

“Princess Margaret has the right idea, living comfortably. She’s been hiding in the City Lord’s mansion from start to finish. She hasn’t seen a single outsider and can’t be bothered to hear even a bit of news from the outside.”

“Mhm… wait, what???”

Leah froze.

She snapped her head up.

“Wait, big guy! What did you just say?”

“A beautiful commoner girl, almond eyes, long legs, her backside was so wh—”

Kobilio gestured as he reminisced.

“Her chest was about this big… no, this big.”

“No, the next part!”

Leah almost coughed up blood.

Who asked you about that!

“Uh… Princess Margaret has been hiding from start to finish?”

Kobilio answered blankly.

“Is it true that no outsider has seen her since the ritual feast ended?”

Leah pressed.

“Yeah, she hasn’t come out at all. She’s been in there playing the ‘pretending to be a sequestered young lady’ game with her maids. It’s weird as hell; even I’m creeped out by it.”

Kobilio sighed repeatedly.

An idea flashed through Leah’s mind like a bolt of lightning.

She seemed to have a way!

“Big guy.”

Leah took a deep breath and said in a childish voice, “I know how to help the Hero.”

“Huh? A way? What way?”

Kobilio looked baffled.

“The Princess is missing,” Leah said succinctly.

“No, Her Highness is perfectly fine…”

With a flash of insight, Kobilio reacted instantly.

He sucked in a breath of cold air.

“Mother of God, that’s a crime of deceiving the Emperor!”

“Joan threatened you into doing it!” Leah raised her small hand.

“I’ll testify!”

“Right, right, right! The Hero threatened me. The Hero is truly wicked, even worse than Demon King Ria.”

Kobilio didn’t care about resting anymore.

He quickly whistled to summon his dragon.

After taking to the sky, he looked back at Leah with a subtle gaze.

“Little Pupu, I’ll go back and stall the Princess to keep her from leaving. I’ll leave the rest to you. If you need the Imperial Guard to do anything, just give the order through my adjutant.”

“I know!”

Fearing she was too small for Kobilio to see, Leah jumped and waved her hands.

“Heh.”

As Kobilio flew, he muttered to himself with irrepressible amusement.

“This Pupu’s brain is twenty times sharper than her master’s. It’s a total role reversal; the positions of master and pet are practically flipped.”

He looked down at his dragon, his eyes filled with disdain and disappointment.

“When are you going to show some initiative? I don’t need you to be very smart, but at least turn into a beautiful girl for me!”

The dragon: “?”

“Quick, transform for me!”