TSMMT Ch 148

The Return Journey

The departing procession bustled from dawn.

Dianna offered smiles and individual greetings to the priests who had emerged to see them off. The priests she had met previously wore regretful expressions, yet when she met their eyes, they offered meaningful smiles.

[Pope] "Must you depart so soon? Why not remain a while longer?"

[Dianna] "Remaining away from the realm for too long is hardly advisable."

[Pope] "If you say so. May you enjoy a safe journey."

[Dianna] "Thank you for the blessing."

On the surface, their interaction appeared warm and harmonious. Yet Dianna observed the Pope with a cold gaze. His face resembled that of a sly serpent.

[Dianna] "May Your Holiness be blessed as well."

[Pope] "..."

[Dianna] "May justice infused with divine will remain with Your Holiness."

Offering those laden words, Dianna turned away. Before boarding the carriage, she looked toward Ionia, who came running toward her.

[Dianna] "I thought you wouldn't show your face until the end."

Ionia lowered her head at Dianna's teasing remark. Flushed red, her cheeks and ears gave her away. Crying so heavily yesterday had clearly left her embarrassed to face Dianna. Dianna knew that aspect of her personality well.

[Ionia] "After all, we shall never see each other again."

[Dianna] "Never see each other again?"

[Ionia] "Because the Queen of Lodbrog has no reason to return to the Holy See."

Ionia kept her head down. Looking at her mournful, contorted face, Dianna spoke softly.

[Dianna] "Will I truly have no reason to return?"

[Ionia] "Pardon?"

Placing a hand on Ionia's shoulder, Dianna whispered.

[Dianna] "I wish for you to return to Philip."

[Ionia] "That is impossible. Philip..."

[Dianna] "He will accept you. He never harbored resentment toward you in the first place."

Ionia shook her head mournfully with a bitter smile.

[Ionia] "Ann, I told you, didn't I? Coming here was the result of using what little brain I had."

[Dianna] "..."

[Ionia] "Philip might be kind, but what about his vassals and the Panborough nobles who suffered because of my mother?"

[Dianna] "..."

[Ionia] "Regardless, I am royalty of a fallen nation. I shall remain here for the rest of my life as befits such royalty. I refuse to remain a seed of discord or a burden to anyone."

Dianna gazed at her face. Like Alexa, Ionia had grown as well. If this was her choice, she would respect it.

[Dianna] "Ionia, the Pope will fall before long."

[Dianna] "..."

[Dianna] "Align yourself with the New Church."

Ionia looked up at her with a dazed expression.

[Dianna] "I knew the Pope was hardly a benevolent figure toward you."

Using Ionia to handle the Lodbrog Kingdom's reception had been wrong from the start. Dianna had generally refrained from recklessly interfering in past events despite knowing the future.

Yet now, that no longer mattered. Though the Old Church faction had retained its dominance until Dianna's death in her past life, she wished to leave room for a different outcome.

Indeed, she wanted to alter it, because the Pope had crossed far too many lines. Consequently, she had offered a small piece of advice to the New Church. Since the New Church was hardly foolish, the Pope would fall at their hands.

[Dianna] "May every blessing of destiny remain with you."

Leaving those final words, Dianna boarded the carriage.

As they departed the Holy City, anxiety over Guiscard weighed on her mind. Nearly a month had passed since leaving Lodbrog.

Guiscard still had not awakened, an outcome she had anticipated. Yet she took comfort in the fact that she had rendered genuine aid to him.

Massive shipments of grain were flowing in, and the people of Lodbrog returned with bright faces. Even those who had set out with nervous expressions toured the Holy See and Panborough as if on a leisurely excursion.

Nearing the plains heading toward Panborough, the party paused to rest by a stream. The narrow river glistened like golden threads beneath the sunlight, with fish occasionally leaping above the surface.

The cool, open sky refreshed her spirit. As Dianna quietly observed the flowing river, the dragon approached.

[Taras] "Creature."

[Dianna] "Yes?"

He must have another question.

She felt curious about what he might ask next. Yet the words leaving his mouth were entirely unexpected.

[Taras] "I am departing now."

[Dianna] "Pardon?"

[Taras] "I detected the aura of the rift. I must depart to eliminate it."

Nodding slowly, Dianna spoke.

[Dianna] "Yes, travel safely."

[Taras] "..."

The dragon stared at Dianna with a rigid expression.

Was my response too indifferent? Should I have told him to do well and return? Am I about to get scolded?

[Taras] "What dost thou mean, 'travel safely'?"

[Dianna] "Pardon?"

[Taras] "Art thou telling me to return?"

[Dianna] "...Ah, was that a farewell?"

Conversing with the dragon always proved challenging in various ways.

A subtle quiver touched his eyes as a blush flushed his cheeks.

[Taras] "Nay."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "So long as thou didst not interpret it as such, that suffices."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "Then... I shall return. So... um..."

He hesitated, resembling a young child wishing to speak yet struggling to find the words.

[Dianna] "You mean I should stay healthy and well, right? I understand."

As she offered a smile, the dragon nodded. While appearing detached from worldly matters, looking like a clumsy child formed Tarascus' charm.

Charm... Finding charm in the being who put Guiscard in that state. I have grown thoroughly desensitized to this dragon.

Just as Dianna snapped back to her senses, Tarascus offered a bright smile.

[Taras] "Yes. I shall return healthy as well."

[Adelheit] "Ah, I shall accompany you!"

Adelheit rushed after the dragon. Lately, Adelheit and Tarascus had become inseparable.

[Dianna] "Adel?"

[Adelheit] "Forgive me, Dian. This is a matter of critical importance... So, I shall return as well! Beware of monsters!"

Mounting his horse, Adelheit swept up the walking dragon child and vanished into the distance. They were a strange group.

I should ask him when he returns.

Once he returned, she needed to inquire about the broader situation. Preoccupied with Guiscard's recovery and the grain crisis, she had asked very little about the dragon's fundamental nature.

Discovering she was not the rift and that the dragon held no intention of killing her had been all that mattered back then.

Something was stirring the world into turmoil. Before Guiscard awakened and faced it unprepared, Dianna had to understand it.

Before that, I must return safely.

With the dragon gone, they would now have to fend off monsters targeting them. Sensing the shift, the Vargrhati knights' gazes hardened immediately.

Dianna packed her belongings with a serious expression, preparing for any eventuality.

Traveling from the Holy See to Panborough required passing through a specific terrain. A long gorge sandwiched between mountains that took roughly a day to traverse.

Fortunately, active trade between the Holy See and Panborough ensured well-paved roads, making the journey smooth when heading toward the Holy See. She anticipated no major issues.

Yet factions wishing for the Queen's demise existed, and they had no intention of leaving her unharmed.

---

[Knight] "Bandits!"

Exiting the gorge required a full day's trek. Someone jostled Dianna awake amidst shouting and the sharp clashing of steel.

Knights' blades gleamed under the moonlight. The ringing metallic clashes of an ongoing battle echoed through the night.

[Clover] "Miladies, take cover inside!"

Clover ushered the awakened Dianna, the ducal ladies, and the maids into a pre-scouted cave.

In truth, the absence of an ambush would have been far more surprising.

Several knights stood guard at the cave entrance. Surpassed in numbers, the battle showed no signs of concluding quickly.

[Rosalia] "Surely they won't lose?"

Dianna let out a quiet scoff and shook her head at Rosalia's question.

Lodbrog knights losing?

Furthermore, alongside the martial prowess of the ducal knights and the Vargrhati Order? Absolutely preposterous.

While casualties worried Dianna, defeat never crossed her mind. Leonie was even snoring softly, fast asleep amid the commotion.

Just as she pondered whether these attackers were assassins disguised as bandits, she summoned the spirits.

[Sylph] "It's falling!"

[Sylph] "Thump, thump!"

[Sylph] "Rumble!"

The Sylphs giggled like children as they spoke. Dianna failed to grasp their meaning initially, yet the heavy, earth-shaking rumble soon revealed the truth.

A landslide.

[Dianna] "Ah!"

There was no time to prevent it. Though she dispatched Sylph, a single weak spirit could accomplish nothing.

[Knight] "H-Her Majesty!"

[Lady] "Aaaagh!"

Voices cried out amidst a deafening collapse as rocks sealed the entrance in an instant, extinguishing all light.

[Lady] "A-Aaaagh!"

[Leonie] " Good heavens... What is this?! The moment I wake up?!"

[Rosalia] "Eeeek!"

Panicked voices of the ladies echoed in the pitch-black darkness.

As the deafening noise subsided, Dianna realized a dense wall of boulders had sealed the cave entrance.

[Dianna] "Ha..."

Grasping the situation, she spoke with a helpless sigh.

[Dianna] "The bandits were indeed assassins."

It was a trap orchestrated by someone who understood the Lodbrog custom of grouping women together in a single safe location to protect them.

Dianna let out a hollow laugh at the exquisite execution.

Lady Eirick stepped forward.

[L. Eirick] "Help! Is anyone out there?!"

Yet absolute silence answered her. There should have been sounds from the battle outside, yet an eerie silence chilled their spines.

Lady Eirick, usually composed, shouted desperately.

[L. Eirick] "Help! Please!"

Sealed by thick, solid stone, their cries failed to penetrate the exterior. Trapped inside a cave blocked by massive boulders, the reality of their confinement finally sank in.

[Rosalia] "A-Ah, they said the air would run out!"

[Lady] "We won't be able to breathe like this!"

[Lady] "A-Aaaagh!"

Though ample air remained for now, hyperventilation seized the group as they began gasping for breath.

Observing the collective panic, Dianna flicked her fingers toward the summoned Sylph. A refreshing breeze swept through the chamber.

[Dianna] "Quietly, calm down. There is plenty of air here."

She retrieved a luminous night pearl from her pocket. An item she had packed when monster attacks became a certainty, though she had never intended it for this purpose.

[Dianna] "We will not die. Let us rest for a moment."

Her calm demeanor gradually soothed the coughing, panicked women.

---

A reader request, hope you enjoy it. If you do, feel free to leave a rating or review on Naver Series and KakaoPage.