TSMMT Ch 137

Fafnir

How could such a thing be possible? Learning about Herya had been shocking enough, but Fafnir was Guiscard's grandmother? Did that mean he had slain his own grandmother?

[Dianna] "Is that why he was able to kill the dragon?"

At her question, Tarascus replied with uncertainty. The hatchling, appearing excessively indifferent, felt strangely distant, like an ancient being.

[Taras] "What do you mean?"

[Dianna] "Fafnir was his grandmother, so she wouldn't have been able to resist him. That's why..."

[Taras] "Who can say? I don't claim to know Fafnir's heart."

[Dianna] "..."

Fafnir the Poison Dragon. Whether in Panborough or Lodbrog, she had sprayed venom on anyone entering the forest, ruthlessly slaughtering them until she became an incarnation of terror. Yet less than a year after her manifestation, Guiscard had slain her. The Prince of Lodbrog who killed a dragon...

Just then, the hatchling curled the corners of his lips.

[Taras] "Given Fafnir's temperament, she would never have surrendered her life so easily."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "After all, that colossal clash waked me from my slumber."

[Dianna] "It waked you?"

[Taras] "Indeed. I was immersed in a long slumber. The collision of immense powers was violent enough to awaken me."

Dianna knew dragons fell into centuries or millennia of deep sleep. To think the reason he awakened was ultimately because of that battle.

[Dianna] "Then why did Fafnir die?"

[Taras] "I know not."

[Dianna] "Pardon?"

[Taras] "She was a dragon of peculiar temperament, so I know not."

It grew increasingly enigmatic. Following Guiscard, a dragon's heart proved equally impossible to fathom. Dianna felt a faint frustration welling up.

Closing her eyes with a pained expression, she asked softly.

[Dianna] "Then... did Guiscard know Fafnir was his grandmother?"

That was what mattered. If he had slain his own grandmother, he had stepped into yet another hell of his own making. Had he known? It would have been far better had he remained ignorant.

[Taras] "..."

Dianna realized the dragon had remained silent for a long while. Wide-eyed, he was staring blankly at her.

[Taras] "Creature, is that what matters to thee?"

[Dianna] "Pardon?"

[Taras] "This male slew a dragon and claimed the throne through that feat. That achievement itself may be a fabrication, as his grandmother might have intentionally yielded her life."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "It implies his grand achievement is false."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "Is whether that creature knows about Fafnir truly what concerns thee?"

Dianna blinked. Rather, she was the one who found his perspective incomprehensible.

[Dianna] "Is whether his achievement is true or false what truly matters...? I don't think so."

The dragon remained silent for a long moment. His gaze, looking at her as though she were something extraordinary, felt burdensome. She was hardly a special person.

[Dianna] "Anyone who cares for Guiscard would feel the exact same way. It isn't particularly unusual."

That was the truth. The Vargrhati knights surely felt the same, probably.

[Taras] "Creatures are indeed peculiar."

Dianna wore a baffled expression. In her view, Tarascus the dragon was the peculiar one. He possessed emotional knowledge regarding humans, yet when faced with genuine emotional reactions, he found them fascinating.

Is that why he observes me? Not because I'm special, but because I was the first human to catch his eye.

Since the dragon showed no intention of answering, she released a sigh and looked down at Guiscard.

I hope he knows nothing about it.

[Taras] "He knoweth nothing."

[Dianna] "Pardon?"

[Taras] "Fafnir was not of a disposition to speak of such things."

He spoke as though referring to an old acquaintance. Dianna suddenly felt curious about the relationships among dragons. Yet what Taras had just stated mattered far more. She wished for Guiscard to remain ignorant forever.

Absolutely.

Dianna gently brushed Guiscard's hair. She wished for this man to suffer no further pain. The dragon watched her silently.

---

[Logaple] "What on earth is going on...?"

He muttered as he watched the dragon trailing closely behind Dianna. Bill was polishing his sword while Inez repeatedly twanged his bowstring in inspection. The atmosphere among the weapon-tending knights was heavy.

It was good that the Queen, who had intended to leave, had returned. However, Guiscard had suffered severe wounds while confronting the dragon and remained unconscious.

Yet now, that very dragon was roaming freely. Though several guards monitored him, the child was so elusive that he slipped through their perimeter with ease, trailing right behind Dianna.

In truth, they were not without grievances regarding this dragon. They longed to execute the creature immediately. Yet Dianna had chosen to spare him, and they resolved not to question her decision.

The healed dragon had transformed into a harmless child, trailing exclusively behind Dianna, which thoroughly irked them.

[Bill] "What if His Majesty awakens and misunderstands?"

Perhaps because of his matching silver hair, rumors circulated that the dragon was Grand Duke Blake's child. Yet the dragon trailed after Dianna, not Grand Duke Blake. Several individuals were aware that Dianna had worked at Neust Academy.

That was the reason for their heavy mood. To any onlooker, the three of them resembled a strikingly beautiful family. What if Guiscard awakened and witnessed the two—no, the three of them—together?

The King's stomach would turn inside out. Being a novice in romance and naturally insecure, there was no telling what sort of fury he might unleash.

[Inez] "What if he threatens to abandon the throne again?"

[Logaple] "He might sever Grand Duke Blake's head."

[Bill] "This time, he might beat Lord Revius half to death again, even if he stayed out of it."

The knights were excessively simple-minded. Guiscard would awaken eventually; they harbored no worry on that front. They generally welcomed the couple's reconciliation and wished for their happiness.

They had been relieved when Prince Philip left, only for Grand Duke Blake to step in!

[Inez] "No, before that, what if Grand Duke Blake uses this as an excuse to make advances?"

[Logaple] "Honestly, to my eyes, it seems plausible."

[Clover] "Can you not engage in productive thoughts instead of such damned worrying?"

Clover, the Knight Commander, shattered their delusions as he spoke. The knights continued polishing their weapons.

Word of the King's collapse had already spread; pack-like scavengers would surely exploit the populace or target the throne. They needed to prepare for that eventuality.

[Logaple] "Still, so long as Her Majesty the Queen is present, all will be well."

[Inez] "Agreed!"

Some couldn't comprehend the absolute trust placed in Dianna. Seeing her as someone who destabilized Guiscard's heart, they watched her with dubious eyes. Yet several knights revered Dianna, not because she was their master's wife.

[Knight] "A crisis has emerged!"

Just like that, their seemingly peaceful routine shattered.

---

[Noble] "How do you intend to handle this?!"

[Noble] "This is a massive disaster!"

Dianna observed those raising their voices at the state council. The council, which had somehow held together initially, reached its breaking point as three weeks passed since Guiscard's collapse.

A severe famine had erupted.

The stored grain reserves had been raided by swarms of rats, leaving every granary completely empty. Though they needed to endure until autumn, every storehouse was bare. They might have survived on the upcoming barley harvest, but mysterious insect swarms had attacked the crops, consuming every grain.

Had this occurred within a single lord's domain, a remedy might have been found. Yet it was striking every corner of the kingdom simultaneously.

[D. Levian] "Permit us an audience with His Majesty!"

[Noble] "What is His Majesty's true condition?!"

The enraged nobles shouted at Dianna. Revius watched her with a worried expression. Yet their fury didn't wound her; any aristocrat would react similarly.

A foreign queen attending state councils because the King was injured, attempting to stand above the nobility. Such friction was entirely inevitable. It was remarkable they had tolerated it this long.

[Dianna] "His Majesty suffered severe injuries and remains bedridden for an extended period. Surely you have not forgotten this."

As she spoke coldly, Duke Levian interjected.

[D. Levian] "Preposterous! Why would His Majesty remain unconscious?! Did you do something to him...!"

[Revius] "You cross the line!"

Dianna was inwardly startled as Revius bellowed.

Why is he reacting like this?

Veins bulged on his neck as he spoke sharply.

[Revius] "How dare Duke Levian tarnish the honor of the Vargrhati Order?! That His Majesty was injured by a dragon is a truth sworn upon the knights' honor!"

Revius was naturally suave, rarely expressing rage. Yet this was the first time she had witnessed him so thoroughly incensed.

In truth, Dianna considered such accusations natural. Part of it stemmed from the mistreatment ingrained deep within her, but it was also true that Guiscard had ended up in this state because of her.

[D. Levian] "Yet isn't it exquisitely timed?! Ever since the Queen assumed this seat, everything has fallen into chaos! His Majesty doubts my loyalty, and the nobility is pushed aside!"

Arrows of blame flew directly toward her. In her past life, though she had pretended to be composed, such accusations would send her retreating to her chambers to weep once the maids were dismissed. Yet surprisingly, she felt no sadness whatsoever.

Because it was true.

[Dianna] "Is His Majesty a ruler who would distance loyal subjects over his spouse?"

She asked. She had no intention of letting them lay all blame at her feet.

Offering a faint smile, she spoke calmly.

[Dianna] "Considering your charges have been generously overlooked thus far, exercise restraint."

Perhaps assuming she would never dare speak out, Duke Levian's face flushed deep red. The nobles refrained from speaking further, their eyes darting between Dianna and the Duke.

[D. Levian] "R-Restraint?! How dare you demand restraint from a noble of the Round Table!"

Duke Levian shouted, the noise grating on her ears.

[Revius] "Is it proper conduct to slander and accuse the Queen of a nation?!"

Revius' eyes widened in surprise; this was not the Dianna who always endured in silence. He listened as she let out a quiet sigh.

[Dianna] "Regarding the rat and insect infestations, I shall dispatch an investigation team."

[Noble] "..."

[Dianna] "I shall procure the grain myself."

What did she just say?!

The nobles stared at the Queen in disbelief. Revius watched as Dianna, wearing the same detached expression from her first audience, spoke again.

[Dianna] "As Queen of this kingdom, I shall procure it."

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