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"If you don't want to follow Prince Vegeta on his campaign," Bardock said, watching Harry carefully as he spoke, "I can arrange for you to apply for an independent mission—something like conquering a mid-level planet. With your current power level, that shouldn't be too hard."
When he finished, Bardock's expression softened with quiet satisfaction.
Calm. Composed. Steady.
If Harry hadn't been unusually mature since childhood, Bardock could hardly believe this poised little boy was only five years old.
"No need to decide right away," Bardock added. "Think it over. Once you've made up your mind, tell me before I leave on my next mission."
"I understand, Uncle Bardock. But I don't think I'll be joining the prince's squad," Harry said with a small smile.
Of course, he could feel Bardock's concern. The man knew him too well—so instead of pushing him toward the prince's team, he'd offered another path for growth.
Bardock nodded slightly, not surprised in the least. "I figured as much."
Even so, he didn't press for a firm answer. There was still time, and as he said himself, there was no rush.
After a moment of silence, Bardock seemed to recall something. "Right… when I got back, I heard some odd rumors. Supposedly, a group of intruders broke into the royal palace yesterday. A lot of guards were killed. You know anything about that?"
Harry froze for an instant, then shook his head. "Really? That happened?" he asked, feigning confusion.
Outwardly, he played innocent. Inwardly, though, his mind was already made up.
His senses hadn't been wrong. His guess was spot on.
It had to be the work of Beerus, the God of Destruction.
What Harry didn't know, however, was that Beerus hadn't actually killed anyone—or destroyed anything at all.
The dead guards were the ones who'd witnessed King Vegeta's humiliation the previous day.
To protect his royal dignity, King Vegeta had executed every last guard on duty that night.
Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let a single witness live.
"Seems not many people know about it," Bardock murmured, frowning. "The news must've been suppressed. One of the fallen was an elite with a power level of five thousand."
A hint of tension flickered across his face.
The royal palace of the Saiyans—breached by unknown enemies. A five-thousand-power-level guard, killed effortlessly.
Just how powerful were the intruders?
Worse yet, no one outside seemed to notice the attack at all. That could only mean one thing: the enemy had wiped out the guards before they could even raise an alarm.
A chilling thought crept into Bardock's mind—maybe Frieza had already begun moving against the Saiyans.
It wasn't just paranoia. He'd picked up hints of that possibility during his last mission. Nothing confirmed yet, but in light of what had happened… it all fit too well.
The air in the room grew heavy.
Harry glanced at Bardock's troubled face and asked, "Uncle Bardock, did you think of something?"
"Nothing certain," Bardock said after a pause. "Just some odd feelings. I'll meet with King Vegeta tomorrow. Maybe then I'll learn the truth."
Then, forcing a small smile as if to shake off the gloom, he changed the subject, chatting lightly about other things to keep Harry from worrying too much.
Harry didn't press him.
Even if he guessed what Bardock was thinking, some things were better left unspoken.
Taking the chance, he steered the conversation toward Bardock's recent mission. "So, what happened out there this time? Anything interesting?"
That was a familiar routine for him—he always asked about Bardock's missions. And Bardock, used to it by now, started recounting the story with ease.
"Honestly, it was supposed to be a simple job," Bardock began. "But a few things didn't go as planned. Still, that's where my power broke through—on Planet Cereal. That's when I finally passed the ten-thousand mark."
As Bardock spoke, he gave an overview of the mission—no unnecessary details, just the essentials.
Even so, it was enough to shock Harry.
The events on Planet Cereal—the very same ones from Dragon Ball's backstory—had actually happened.
He hadn't expected that. Not at all.
He'd assumed this world followed the Z-era timeline, where Goku should've been three years old by now… yet here, Kakarot was barely half a year old.
Trying to keep his expression steady, Harry asked, "Uncle Bardock, when do you plan to head out again?"
He could tell Bardock was hiding something. Not out of malice—but because he didn't want Harry involved.
Bardock was always cautious. Maybe too cautious. He'd never act rashly until he'd pieced everything together.
Bardock chuckled. "What's this? You worried your time's running out, so you're scheming something?"
Harry scratched his cheek, embarrassed. "Nothing like that. I just wanted to know how much time I have to prepare—if I do end up taking on a planet, that is."
Bardock nodded, his tone turning serious. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you—but keep it to yourself."
He leaned back slightly. "King Vegeta summoned me back personally. They've found a high-value planet on the front lines, but we're short on elite fighters. I've been ordered to lead my unit there."
"It's called Planet Kanassa. The natives there—the Kanassans—are pretty strong. I was considering taking you with me, but… it's too dangerous. Better for you to start with a mid- or low-level planet."
"As for departure," he continued, "I'll know more after I see King Vegeta tomorrow. But at most, we'll be leaving within half a month."
Harry's pulse quickened.
Half a month—then Bardock would head to Kanassa.
That meant… this world wasn't following a single timeline at all. Events from different arcs were colliding, overlapping into one messy reality.
By his estimation, Planet Vegeta's destruction would come in two or three months at most.
He didn't know exactly how far Kanassa was, but it couldn't be too distant.
And if things played out like in the original story—Bardock's battle there, the time it took, everything—then Harry knew one thing for sure:
He had to leave before Bardock did.
And soon, Bardock would surely arrange for Kakarot's departure to Earth as well.
So that's why he brought up the mission, Harry realized. He wants me far from the chaos.
Bardock must already suspect that Frieza plans to move against the Saiyans.
What he doesn't know is that Frieza wasn't originally going to wipe them all out—just keep them in check. It was Beerus, the God of Destruction, who later gave the order: destroy Planet Vegeta and erase the Saiyan race.
Harry's eyes darkened slightly.
Things were moving faster than he thought.
"..."
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