TSMMT Ch 166

Target

Fafnir? Fafnir was targeting Dianna?

Color drained from her face as she recalled the sinister look the dragon had cast toward her.

[Taras] "Indeed, the prophecy. I failed to ask about the prophecy you received. Divine prophecies almost always come to pass, for they come from an entity that has directly witnessed the future."

[Dianna] "Why... would Fafnir target me? I have never encountered her before, neither in this life nor the previous one."

That was the absolute truth. To Dianna, Fafnir was merely a mythic creature from fairy tales.

Why would such a creature target me?

Then realization struck. Fafnir had gestured toward Dianna, deliberately summoning the undead in an attempt to drag her away. Furthermore, the moment she touched the lethal magic circle, Fafnir instantly deactivated the spell and departed.

[Taras] "Have you finally recognized that you are intimately entangled in this matter?"

She gave a subtle nod. '

To be honest, she was far too fragile. Consequently, she had no desire to concern herself with the dual energy signatures or the spatial rift Adelheit was investigating. She possessed neither the power to resolve such crises nor the duty to try.

Yet if she herself were directly involved, everything changed.

[Taras] "Have you spoken to anyone regarding your journey from another timeline?"

She shook her head, a bitter expression touching her face. She could never bring herself to reveal such a truth to Guiscard.

Tarascus rested his chin on his hand and lapsed into deep thought.

[Dianna] "Must you reveal it to him?"

[Taras] "No. However, I must consider how to phrase matters appropriately. I can hardly gloss over that aspect completely, given how much Fafnir divulged."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "Thus, I shall align my actions accordingly."

Her eyes widened at his unexpected consideration. She had assumed he would speak with blunt directness, yet he was offering to construct a plausible deception for her sake.

[Taras] "Very well. Let us organize the facts first. Fafnir somehow crossed into this realm from the timeline you previously inhabited. Furthermore, while she was unquestionably slain by the dragon slayer, her presence endured. Considering she summoned the undead, we must conclude she has effectively become one of them."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "She has effectively transformed into a species of undead herself. Consequently, she manifested before you by summoning not merely monsters, but the undead as well."

[Dianna] "What... is her motive?"

She asked weakly. Tarascus rolled his eyes before responding.

[Taras] "Her motive stems from a deep hatred toward humanity for slaying her child. More precisely, she harbors a hatred toward the laws, kingdoms, and deceptions birthed by humans, driving her to destroy them all. That is how she reduced that world to such a state."

[Dianna] "Wait a moment. What do you mean by reducing 'that world' to such a state? Are you referring to the realm where I once resided?"

She meant the world following her death. What had Fafnir done?

He met her inquiring gaze and spoke firmly.

[Taras] "That... is something you must not learn at present."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "Indeed, it is best if you remain ignorant of it for the rest of your life."

What could that possibly mean?

[Taras] "First and foremost, you perished in that timeline. You abandoned your existence there. Consequently, you possess no right to harbor lingering sentiments toward that realm."

She bit her lip at his cold words. Seeing her reaction, he softened his tone slightly.

[Taras] "Furthermore, I can't directly observe the past world either. As I stated, I am not omniscient. When I looked at Fafnir, I merely detected the reek of blood lingering within her temporal signature."

He studied her bitter expression.

[Taras] "Regardless, Fafnir approached the woman you killed, tempting her to spirit you away from the palace. It was a cunning scheme born of a dragon's inability to intervene directly in human affairs."

Dianna knitted her brows at hid explanation, her curiosity piqued once more.

Why go to such lengths? Why target me so relentlessly...?

[Taras] "The reason this second world unfolded and the reason Fafnir targets you are undoubtedly rooted in the very same cause."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "Have you ever wondered why you regressed in the first place?"

She shook her head. Initially, she had tried to contemplate the matter, but as she strove to alter the future, such thoughts faded from her mind.

Later, while cursing a fate that had taken a turn for the worse, she refrained from considering it altogether. She had never asked herself:

Why did I regress? And why has Fafnir manifested, seeking to capture me?

[Taras] "You... must uncover that reason."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "Only then will every threat surrounding you vanish. Furthermore, only then can I slay that creature."

[Dianna] "Slay Fafnir?"

Does he is incapable of slaying her right now?

Her expression shifted dramatically.

[Taras] "Regrettably, my present power is insufficient to slay Fafnir. Upon crossing into this world, she acquired an overwhelmingly immense store of power."

[Dianna] "..."

[Taras] "The realm she revealed to me was drenched entirely in blood. That very blood has become the source of her strength."

Dianna clenched her fists tightly. In an instant, the Guiscard of her past life surfaced in her thoughts.

What end did Guiscard meet in that realm?

She spoke with a pale face.

[Dianna] "If... I fail to uncover the reason... if we fail to slay Fafnir... will such a blood-soaked future unfold here as well?"

[Taras] "In all likelihood, yes. Indeed, the process has already begun."

[Dianna] "What in the world...?"

[Taras] "It is time you learned the truth as well."

He extended his hand. Dianna raised hers blankly, and he took hold of it. His hand felt chillingly cold, startling her with its icy temperature.

He stared at their joined hands, narrowing his eyes as he studied her palm.

[Taras] "Are you aware? I am no dragon hatchling."

[Dianna] "Pardon?"

[Taras] "I assume a child's form solely because traveling from my native realm to this world expends an immense portion of my power."

[Dianna] "Ah, I see."

[Taras] "I am by no means a weak dragon. Nor am I a hatchling. I am a fully matured adult dragon."

Why is that detail suddenly so significant?

Wearing a dissatisfied expression, he stared at their joined hands and spoke with grave emphasis.

[Taras] "I am an exceptionally special dragon."

[Dianna] "Right..."

Se blinked in confusion as she responded. Tarascus appeared to have grown slightly larger.

What is this? Even if he grew, he still looks between five and ten years old...

[Taras] "I am an extraordinarily special dragon."

You can't even slay Fafnir, so why boast?

She held his hand as they walked together, harboring her quiet doubt.

---

Tarascus suggested taking a carriage, and Dianna boarded the vehicle alongside him.

Their destination was the research facility located within the capital, the Magic Tower established by Adelheit—the very site where they had previously rescued Tarascus.

Upon their arrival, Grand Duke Blake emerged to greet them.

[Adelheit] "Dian!"

He offered a bright, radiant smile. Dianna returned the smile, noting his gaunt, exhausted face.

Consumed by their respective duties, they had lacked the opportunity to converse properly.

[Taras] "Display it."

[Adelheit] "Pardon?"

At Tarascus' command, Adelheit wore a bewildered expression.

[Adelheit] "You wish me to display that? It is classified information..."

[Taras] "Dianna is more entangled in this matter than anyone else."

As he spoke with firm emphasis, Adelheit crossed his arms and grimaced.

Hiding her doubts, Dianna followed them into the facility.

They entered a room lined with numerous cages. A series of harsh, wet hisses resonated through the space.

[Dianna] "Huh...?"

She blinked as she listened to the sounds. Far more horrific and grating than any animal noise, the screeches belonged unequivocally to monsters.

[Taras] "Look there."

She saw a rat-like monster with glowing red eyes crouching behind the iron bars. Though resembling a rodent, its snout was elongated and packed with needle-sharp teeth.

[Adelheit] "This creature is the primary culprit behind the recent crop failure."

[Dianna] "...A monster?"

[Adelheit] "Indeed. Furthermore, when Tarascus and I pursued the rift, this was among the creatures inhabiting the Monster Forest."

He added his explanation.

The monster rat glared at Dianna, emitting a screeching hiss that pierced her ears.

[Adelheit] "Over here are the insects."

Dianna turned her head and spotted a bug the size of a human palm. When it parted its mandibles, rows of razor-sharp teeth lining a circular mouth were revealed.

As she shivered at the repulsive sight, Adelheit continued.

[Adelheit] "Both represent newly identified species discovered for the very first time. Creatures originally confined to the Monster Forest have now been detected within Lodbrog.

Why would monsters birthed from the spatial rift travel all the way here to ruin the harvest of the Lodbrog Kingdom?"

A sudden realization snapped in her mind. Dragons possessed the authority to command monsters. Though Tarascus refrained from doing so, the principle remained.

She recalled the gargoyle horde that had invaded the capital. Looking at the crop-destroying monster rat, an eerie chill washed over her heart.

[Dianna] "Fafnir intends to bring total destruction upon the world."

Quietly, maliciously, and systematically.

[Taras] "Since she can't execute indiscriminate slaughter directly."

He spoke softly.

She bit her lip as she stared at the monster rat. She recognized that action was required.

Dianna Brienne had to eliminate Fafnir.

For Fafnir had already extended her insidious reach into Lodbrog.

---

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