TSMMT Ch 60

Regression Novel

A dark night fell. A brutal night was bound to arrive in the future, yet it stood unexpectedly close. The darkness reached out toward the defenseless Dianna, trapping her in a pit of malice.

[Dianna] "D-Don't do this. Please……"

Her voice trembled, and her entire frame shook violently.

[Dianna] "Please."

Why did I fail to see? Why did I believe this sin would face forgiveness?

Human dignity was seized, dragged to the very bottom, and hacked to pieces. Her body, covered in bruises from whips and kicks, throbbed with agony during every movement.

At first, Dianna resisted. She spat curses. She unleashed venomous words to expose how filthy, cowardly, and petty her captors were for treating violence as entertainment. Yet those actions only brought harsher treatment.

The second time, Dianna begged them. She implored them to stop, but the captors chuckled and mocked her.

Merciless violence returned once more. They slapped her cheeks and yanked her hair. They beat her strictly for amusement.

The third time... ah, what happened the third time?

Noble to the end? Proud? Such things vanished uselessly before raw violence. Pain destroyed everything with ease.

They starved her, put a leash around her neck, and told her how worthless an existence she was. Her pride as a noble, her self-worth, and the natural thought of considering herself a human being became excessive luxuries.

[Dianna] "Aaaah! No, no!"

Today, her captor's mood was foul. Endless kicks rained down, and Dianna shrieked with all her might. Yet the sound was merely the howling of a beast. She reached out, but a heavy boot crushed her hand with a sickening crunch. No one helped her, no matter how loudly she screamed. No one.

It was miserable, hopeless, and full of hatred.

[Dianna] "Help me."

She continued to beg.

[Dianna] "Help me."

Tears fell as she begged again.

[Dianna] "Save me, please, Guiscard."

The boy from that day continuously filled her thoughts. She begged and begged, calling upon the very person she should never invoke.

[Dianna] "Aaaah!"

A hand yanked her hair. Her pale blonde hair had turned blood-drenched long ago.

Dianna stared at the face of her abuser.

Why? How can you smile while beating me?

Staring at that horrific face, she recognized she inhabited a hell with no escape.

Hoping to ease the abuser's mood, she walked on eggshells and begged over and over. Weeping brought no relief, for her emotions never carried enough importance to warrant respect.

---

The woman slotted the stacked books onto the shelf. Many new books had arrived. The books stacked on the lower shelf gradually moved to the upper shelf. Reaching the highest section, Dian lifted her heels to insert a book, but her hand could no longer reach.

[Adel] "Here."

A man's voice rang out, and Dian spun around. Pure blue eyes locked onto her. The young man with brown hair always hovered around Dian.

[Adel] "Dian, did I not tell you to call me whenever you face a difficult task?"

Hearing his voice, she offered a soft smile and spoke.

[Dianna] "This is my duty, after all."

[Adel] "Good grief."

[Dianna] "You should focus on serving His Grace the Grand Duke properly, Adel. What will you do if he summons you suddenly?"

[Adel] "His Grace plans to rest for a while."

She responded to his calm assertion with indifference, nodding.

[Dianna] "I suppose he does."

He opened one of the stacked books.

[Adel] "Oh, is this a regression novel?"

[Dianna] "Yes. I have no idea why people request these kinds of stories lately."

She spoke with absolute disapproval.

The book Adel held was a popular "regression novel." The protagonist returns to the past due to a certain event. Knowing the future provided a massive advantage in life. The protagonists who return to the past fulfill lost love, exact revenge, or settle old grudges.

[Adel] "Because no human exists without regrets."

[Dianna] "……."

[Adel] "If only I knew that back then, if only I hadn't said those words, if only I chose that person instead…… Doesn't everyone harbor such regrets? You must have those regrets too, Dian."

She let out a short laugh, speaking as if reciting a poem.

[Dianna] "Does the future actually change just because a person returns to the past?"

[Adel] "Pardon?"

Adel widened his eyes. His gaze met her cold, detached face.

With curled lips, a cold, mocking laugh escaped her, failing to hide her deep emotions. She continued.

[Dianna] "Does a future shift that easily?"

[Adel] "Would it not? I read one too, and it was quite entertaining to watch a life unfold smoothly after changing just a single event."

[Dianna] "Could there not be people who return to the past only to become more miserable?"

[Adel] "What on earth do you mean……"

She spoke, clutching the book in her hand.

[Dianna] "How much can a protagonist really accomplish when they become a child while retaining an adult mind? A child's actions face severe limits. And what about living as an adult within a child's world? What if a person discovers that those beautiful childhood memories were actually horrific?"

[Adel] "Dian."

[Dianna] "Why, it is true. When an adult who knows everything views their childhood, could they not realize it was far from beautiful?"

She gestured no and spoke.

[Dianna] "It is strange. Why do people assume they will live a better life if they return to the past? The surroundings never change; the only variable is a single, helpless individual."

Pouring out her emotions through her critique of the book, Dian suddenly snapped back to reality. Biting her lip, she stared at the man watching her with a serious expression and spoke in a low voice.

[Dianna] "Ah, forgive me. I grew irritated without realizing it."

[Adel] "Are you alright? Fatigue must have overtaken you."

He reached a hand toward her forehead. Dian flinched and stepped back. Her sudden movement sent the stacked books crashing down in a heap.

[Adel] "Ah."

[Dianna] "Ah."

Adel, who extended his hand, and Dian, who avoided it, stared at each other in surprise.

[Dianna] "Forgive me."

[Adel] "No, it is my fault for reaching out so suddenly."

He gave a self-conscious laugh. Dian squeezed her eyes shut. No matter how much time passed, facing a man's outstretched hand remained impossible to get used to. Even after all this time.

[Adel] "Dian. Speak honestly."

[Dianna] "Yes?"

[Adel] "To criticize a regression novel with such vivid detail, could you be someone who experienced it?"

[Dianna] "What on earth……"

Observing her rigid expression, Adel burst into loud laughter.

[Adel] "No, because you spoke with such seriousness, as if you actually returned from the past!"

[Dianna] "……."

He addressed her frozen face.

[Adel] "Ah, dear. Was that entirely unfunny? Do you find me unappealing today as well?"

[Dianna] "Yes, you are unappealing."

His face fell at the cold reply.

[Adel] "Miss Dian is far too cold to me today as well……"

With those words, he slotted the remaining books onto the shelves.

[Adel] "I suppose you won't date me today either……"

[Dianna] "I told you I won't! Good grief! If you are going to talk nonsense, leave immediately!"

Dian shrieked, causing his face to pout.

Ultimately, Adel faced expulsion from the room. Exiled outside, he pouted toward the library with regret. However, his face hardened completely upon seeing the figures approaching him.

[Aide] "Your Grace! A letter has arrived from the royal palace."

Staring at the knights waiting behind him, the face of Adel—Adelheit—turned icy. Scanning his surroundings, he opened the letter in silence. The content matched his expectations perfectly.

[Adel] "His Majesty possesses a relentless streak."

His gentle voice vanished, and his dark brown hair instantly shifted into a brilliant silver hue. He held the parchment.

A portrait depicting a girl with pale blonde hair and silver-gray eyes decorated the page. The King had distributed this portrait across every territory. The crown only distributed such portraits when searching for a single entity: a criminal they held an absolute determination to capture.

Every single year, a new portrait of the pale blonde woman arrived. Examining the royal decree commanding the capture and delivery of any woman matching that appearance, Grand Duke Blake let out a short laugh.

[Aide] "Should we not report this to the royal court by now, Your Grace? If they discover we hid a criminal within the academy, they will never remain silent. Miss Dian is……"

Grand Duke Blake cut his aide off.

[Adel] "So you want me to hand over our own employee who sought our shelter? Knowing exactly what horrific treatment awaits her?"

[Aide] "Your Grace."

[Adel] "She is someone who came under my protection. I refuse to give her up."

Two years had already passed since Dian—no, Dianna Brienne—arrived at the Neust Academy.

He still remembered her initial arrival clearly. She was a woman covered in wounds, possessing nothing but sheer despair for life. Her every step felt light, as if she might shatter at a mere touch.

A severely emaciated frame, a completely drained expression. A face resembling a walking ghost. Despite her wretched state, she held a letter of recommendation from the Panborough royal court. In that manner, the woman became an employee at the Neust Academy—specifically, a librarian.

At first, he watched her out of concern that she might turn into a corpse. Later, he witnessed vitality slowly return to her features. Eventually, catching her bright smiles hooked him completely, leaving him unable to leave her side. The woman who once stood as cold and sharp as frost had transformed into someone capable of smiling warmly.

Dianna Brienne. Dian.

[Adel] "Ah, regardless, her portrait for this year is very lovely."

He hugged the parchment and giggled happily. Though she currently wore brown hair like a dry branch, the pale blonde Dianna Brienne looked incredibly adorable and beautiful. This added another piece to his collection.

Adelheit gripped the parchment with a blissful expression.

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