“Well then, let’s have an important talk, ‘Guardian of Blood,’ Claym Bradley.”

A voice, far less imposing than before, and now at a volume that was surprisingly easy on the ears, reached me. The dragon that had dominated my vision just moments ago vanished without a trace, and in its place stood a woman clad in a soft twilight-colored dress, her golden hair cascading around her.

“…Hey, what’s the meaning of this?”

I furrowed my brows at the dragon’s abrupt and inexplicable actions.

The ancient texts I had once read about dragons stated that high-ranking transcendental dragons, those with self-awareness, could freely change their forms. However, witnessing it firsthand was another matter entirely. Seeing one assume human form made me instinctively suspicious that there was some hidden motive behind this transformation.

“When talking to humans, I prefer to do it like this. It makes things more approachable, don’t you think?”

But instead of answering my question directly, the woman tilted her head slightly and smiled, her voice exactly the same as the dragon’s from before.

“Standing around while talking is tiresome. Why don’t we take a seat?”

Ignoring my still-wary expression, she casually snapped her fingers. Instantly, a table and chairs appeared before us. On the table, a full tea set was neatly arranged, as if we were about to start a tea party. With the grace of a noble lady, she took her seat.

“You’re not going to sit? You must be tired from the climb, aren’t you?”

“…”

She poured tea into a cup with practiced ease and looked at me with a seemingly genuine sense of concern. But there was no way I was going to take her words at face value.

—As if I’d ever sit down with a dragon.

Enough of this nonsense. Who in their right mind would have a tea party with a dragon in this surreal setting?

Seeing my silent refusal, the so-called “Time Dragon” let out a melancholy sigh.

“I understand your wariness, but when it’s this blatant, it does sting a little. You really are exactly as I’ve observed.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

The dragon took a sip of tea, her expression filled with resignation. The way she spoke—as if she knew everything about me, as if she had been watching me all this time—sent a chill down my spine. When I questioned her, she simply shook her head gently and met my gaze.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I am the Dragon of Chrono-Song—Rievenkroktas. I have secluded myself in this sacred peak for many years. I am also the Dragon Lord of Chronostaria. And you?”

“…What?”

Her sudden theatrical introduction caught me off guard.

“Your name. N-A-M-E. Don’t tell me you can’t even introduce yourself properly when meeting someone for the first time?”

The damn lizard was clearly provoking me. It seemed like she wouldn’t move on to the real topic unless I played along.

—How utterly self-serving…!!

Her arrogance irritated me, but I had no choice. Swallowing my annoyance, I answered.

“…Claym Bradley.”

“That’s all?”

“…Heir to a marquis family. Currently attending Chronostaria Magic Sword Academy.”

“Yeah, I know that!”

“…”

What the hell is this exchange?

What’s the point of confirming something you already know? If you knew, why even ask? Countless complaints ran through my mind, but the damned lizard seemed absolutely delighted.

“Ahh, but still, I can’t believe I’m actually talking to you. This is amazing…!!”

Her reaction was like someone meeting their favorite storybook character in real life. Meanwhile, she continued to revel in her own excitement, completely ignoring my growing discomfort.

“Seeing you in person really is different! There’s this presence, this energy… the feeling of ‘yes, he’s really here!’ is incredible!”

Her over-familiar attitude was grating. The way she kept staring at me, as if savoring every moment, only fueled my irritation.

“Enough with this nonsense. Get to the point already. If you’re not going to talk, then send me back down.”

“Ah, sorry, sorry! But don’t be so upset. Can’t you try to understand my feelings even a little? I’ve been watching you for so long, cheering you on from afar. Now that I finally get to meet you, can you blame me for being a little excited?”

Although she lowered her brows apologetically, there was no trace of actual remorse in her expression. What’s more, she continued to gaze at me with an unsettling level of familiarity.

“Tch—”

The sickeningly affectionate way she looked at me finally pushed me over the edge. My anger surged beyond control, and instinctively, I ignited my magic. My blood surged with power as I accelerated its flow using Blood Manipulation.

“Stop looking at me with those disgusting eyes! What the hell is wrong with you?! This is the first time we’ve met, yet you’re acting like we have some deep connection! Why the hell are you looking at me like that?!”

From the moment we met, something had felt off. This dragon harbored strange emotions toward me.

—There’s nothing more repulsive than baseless affection.

It felt condescending, even insulting, which only added to my fury. As my voice rang out, the dragon’s expression briefly stiffened before she sorrowfully lowered her brows.

“…That’s because I’ve been watching you all this time.”

“…What?”

Her golden eyes locked onto mine. They were gentle, filled with something close to tenderness—like the way one would gaze at a helpless infant.

“I know more about this life of yours than anyone else in this world.”

“What… are you talking about…?”

The moment those words left her lips, the fury that had been burning within me suddenly cooled. Not because her presence calmed me—far from it.

I was afraid.

—Stop.

Ordinarily, such gentle eyes would be a sign of warmth, something comforting. But not to me. Not now.

A terrible feeling of foreboding clawed at my mind. I didn’t want to hear whatever came next. I wanted to block my ears.

“At first, it was nothing more than a whim—I simply granted you the chance to start over. But then, after your first unfortunate death, you began your second life, struggling far beyond my expectations. It was… fascinating to watch.”

Yet, cruelly, my ears clearly caught the dragon's words, and I understood their meaning without issue. Even so, my thoughts rejected the dragon’s words. But at the same time, the fragments of possibilities I had left ambiguous until now and the shattered pieces of my memories meshed together in a way I could no longer ignore.

────No way…

“The turning point was when you picked a fight with Shodow dragon. From that moment on, seeing everything about you became my reason for living. So, even if it seems sudden and incomprehensible to you, even if it feels like an unwanted imposition of emotions, from my perspective, this feeling is not strange at all. There is no falsehood in it, no calculation behind it. From the bottom of my heart, I truly hold feelings for you, Claym Bradley.”

“Wha… ah, ah────”

Those words, which could be taken as a confession of love, were the final blow.

In other words, that’s what it meant.

The greatest mystery until now—the reason behind my past regression, the time reversal phenomenon—was, apparently, the dragon before me. It seemed that I had been living my second life because of this dragon.

“Ah… ahhh────!!”

Maybe, deep down, I had suspected it. It wasn’t just that I was saying this now because the truth had been revealed.

Considering the possibility, it was only natural to suspect that this dragon, possessing the absurd power to “govern time,” might have exercised some kind of ability on me. Yet, I had never seriously believed it to be true. And even more absurd was the motivation—just a whim. It was truly laughable. There was no reason, no meaning behind my second chance at life.

“Ha, haha… ahahahahahaha────”

Uncontrollably, laughter spilled from me. It rose from the depths of my being, growing in intensity rather than stopping.

I wasn’t laughing because it was amusing. I wasn’t laughing because solving the mystery excited me. I wasn’t laughing because I was happy.

“Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha”

It was simply empty, absurd, and ridiculous. Everything I had built up crumbled away, scattering into nothingness.

If I were to put it into words, it would be “desperation.”

“A-are you alright?”

The dragon, who had taken human form, looked at me with concern as I laughed like a broken man. I wished it would stop pretending to be kind.

“Ahahaha────you’re asking if I’m alright…?”

And so, I suddenly stopped laughing and looked at the dragon. My voice dropped to a whisper, and as I stared straight at it, the dragon seemed bewildered, as if facing something beyond comprehension.

In contrast, I felt an odd sense of exhaustion. The anger that had been festering deep within me had completely dissipated.

────What a farce.

A sense of desperation so overwhelming that it drowned out my anger, coupled with a crushing sense of guilt, swelled inside me.

“I’m fine. There’s no problem at all────”

The truth spoken from the mouth of Time dragon, the one who had given me this second life. Upon hearing it, Claym Bradley found himself in a state of desperation.

Why?

The reason was simple. The dragon had conveyed it without words. It had thrust the truth upon me.

────There was no meaning.

Then, all my struggles up until now, all the foolishness of Claym Bradley, had meant nothing. They had done nothing but bring ruin to those around me, spreading misfortune.

Claym Bradley should have died from the beginning. If I had accepted death with dignity and not clung so desperately to a second life, then—

“────!!”

Then surely, this wouldn’t have happened.

Many lives wouldn’t have been lost to the dragon’s tyranny. Many wouldn’t have been consumed by fear. The family I cherished wouldn’t have been dragged into danger. The hero’s right arm, which had saved so many from the curse, wouldn’t have been severed. The bright, hopeful eyes of a young girl, who would have witnessed countless future sights, wouldn’t have met their end.

All of it—everything—was the result of my pathetic struggle to keep living. That was why Claym Bradley was desperate. It had become undeniable. The world would have functioned perfectly fine, peacefully even, without the existence of Claym Bradley. That undeniable proof weighed down on me with crushing guilt.

────I never even had the right to hate them in the first place.

Even my anger was arrogant. How shameless and selfish I had been. What right did I have to place blame on anyone else? The truth was, none of this would have happened if I had never existed in the first place.

────

The strength I had been holding in my shoulders drained away, and I sat down in the chair the dragon had prepared.

“Huh…? You’re actually going to sit?”

The dragon tilted its head in genuine surprise, and I gave a small nod, prompting it to continue.

“So? Was that the important talk you wanted to have? Did you really summon me here just for that?”

“Ah, no! Actually, there’s more! This is the real issue. At this rate, you won’t be able to defeat Shodow dragon. So, I wanted to give you some advice! Honestly, I should be helping directly, but… because of my contract with the world, I can’t participate in this Dragon Slayer War…”

The dragon, Time dragon, intentionally clouded its expression, but I no longer felt anything about it. I simply shook my head emotionlessly.

“Advice alone is enough. So? You didn’t call your kin or the Seven Peerless Swords, but me. That must mean I’m the only one who can kill that damn lizard, right?”

“…Yes. I really don’t want you to do this alone. But, at this point, stopping that idiot… there’s no other way────”

“I don’t mind.”

The dragon hesitated, burdened by guilt and responsibility, but I still felt nothing.

In the end────

“I am prepared to wager everything.”

What I had to do had never changed from the start.