Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 201 Single-minded

"The old man always likes to talk about random things."

Like a granddaughter being nagged about her embarrassing past by her grandfather in front of acquaintances, Dania complained as she walked toward the tent.

Previously, after attracting Dania's attention, how could Knight Commander Kahn possibly conceal it? Not to mention the other obedient knights.

She didn't say anything after finding out.

Dania herself didn't really care. After all, even the most painful scars are old wounds, and she had become accustomed to those flattering yet fearful and even hateful looks.

As for those who believe the rumors, she's content with just saving face; she's long since given up on gaining their understanding.

Even disregarding these rumors, the royal family bears undeniable responsibility for the kingdom's current state. Beneath the girl's confident exterior may lie unspeakable inferiority and helplessness.

What will he think?

For some reason, the girl on the road felt a little sad, and even a little like crying.
She remembered the look in Rean's eyes when he first looked at her; he was a little surprised and a little confused, but there was none of the hatred and fear that others might have seen.

At that time, he probably didn't know he was known as the "one who lost his country and his daughter".

When she reached the tent, she felt a little scared. She touched the ring hanging on her chest, feeling somewhat afraid.

It's painful to be rejected by the ignorant and outsiders, but I can accept it because they don't understand me. However, if I were to be betrayed again by some people I trusted, I would be hurt again.

If Rean looked at me with that kind of gaze, that respect mixed with fear, I would probably feel very sad.
"Dinya is definitely not a princess of a fallen kingdom!"

But as they approached the tent, they heard the man speaking in a resolute tone, offering words of bias without any basis.

“Danya has nothing to do with the second princess in the prophecy, nor could she be the so-called cause of the country’s destruction.”

Rean said calmly and firmly.

This also serves as a declaration and statement that within his sphere of influence, Dania will not be allowed to be regarded as a princess of a fallen kingdom.

He didn't give a reason, he just treated it as a fact.

But in reality, he had a basis for his statement, and it was almost 100% verified; he just couldn't bring himself to say the reason.

"Lex is also the Thousand-Faced Dragon; he is unpredictable! Therefore, this prophecy cannot possibly come true normally!"

This is a message that Rean has verified from many heroic spirits: the Thousand-Faced Dragon can only be perceived after death (his facial information is erased), and all other known prophecies are invalid.

Therefore, Lex's two offspring have undoubtedly been deeply involved, distorting this destiny and this future.
"So, who is the prophesied second princess?"

"Of course, she's the younger sister of the previous princess, the legendary illegitimate daughter, and Dania's aunt."

Those around him suddenly realized, but it wasn't that they believed him; rather, they "understood" him.

Rean has probably made his stance clear: since someone has to take the blame and bear the curse and hatred, then let's designate the missing princess.

"Is this favoritism? Are they not even going to act?"

They noticed something odd about Rean's attitude; his protectiveness was too unwavering and too irrational.

I'm being unreasonable, I'm being biased, so what?!

But Rean knew that what he said was very likely the truth.

If the prophecy is true, then this future is already the result of interference by the Thousand-Faced Dragon, and the prophecy has been rewritten.

If we assume there were no Lex Luthor, the Thousand-Faced Dragon, then the two princesses would have grown up normally, fulfilling the preconditions of the prophecy.

The second princess should be Dania's aunt!
"My personal judgment is that the birth of Dania prevented the prophecy from being fulfilled in the worst possible way. The prophecy has been fulfilled, and the kingdom still exists today."

Without Lex Luthorough, and with fate not altered, the kingdom would have been doomed.

In reality, both the "elephant" crisis and the "dragon disaster" could have directly led to the destruction of a nation without the support of the "strongest hero".

Lex may indeed be a scumbag, but he should steer the future in a positive direction.

From this perspective, the Queen's marriage (and ascension to the throne) and the birth of Princess Dania actually signify the end of the prophecy of the kingdom's destruction (the first princess became the Queen, and there was no second princess from then on)!

"What cursed child? He's clearly a blessed child."

Her birth signifies the rebirth of the kingdom and the rebuilding after the disaster.

It's really too much to call her the "Child of the Curse".

Rean made a firm judgment, indicating that there was no need to discuss this topic further, and that they should just follow his advice and write the letter.

"Snapped!"

The sudden noise outside attracted Dimon's attention, who was standing next to the tent entrance.

He peeked out, but saw nothing.

"What's wrong?" Rean asked.

"No. It's probably some small animal. This is a safe zone guarded by knights."

The little incident should have passed quickly, but at that moment, someone asked a question.

"Uh, how did the previous princess manage to do that? The prophecy must have had some basis."

Prophecy in this world is a specialized discipline with many classifications and sub-disciplines, but it often involves the forces of cause and effect and destiny.

The birth of the second princess led to the destruction of the kingdom? How could a princess confined to her chambers have the power to destroy a country?
Rean initially intended to brush off this seemingly insignificant question, but after some thought, he realized it might be quite crucial.

Why would the birth of a second princess lead to the downfall of a kingdom? The prophecy wasn't unfounded; it might have detected a certain possibility. Rean's interactions with the snake helped him understand the nature of prophecy and fate more deeply. It doesn't seem fixed, but to manipulate it, certain key moments are needed!
The pivotal point in this prophecy is naturally the second princess of the royal family.

"Could it be that the second princess of the royal family was destined to destroy the kingdom from the very beginning?" At this moment, Rean thought of abilities such as oaths and contracts, which often had inexplicable rule-based restrictions.

This is actually quite easy to verify; just check the royal family's genealogy to see if any generation has a second princess.

Other noble families may not have very long family trees, but the family trees of royal families with such long histories are very long.

[Part of the truth has been uncovered.]

The Heroic Spirits Encyclopedia seems to confirm the veracity of this direction.

Rean silently noted it down, planning to ask Sallyman to inquire about Dania's family tree later. He had a feeling he would encounter some trouble, but he was afraid there was no other way.

He had already realized that the past was intertwined with reality, and some things could no longer be avoided.

Having determined the general direction of the small group, Rean turned his attention to the outside world, as high-ranking knights rarely had the opportunity to socialize.

Since he had nothing better to do, he went to the grocery store next door, bought some drinks (they were having a big sale), and went to the knight to mend their relationship.

After all, it was their own question that brought up a sensitive topic, leading to their reprimand.

The knights, who were already gathered around the fire, saw the drinks arrive. The old knights and captains pretended not to see it, since they were unlikely to encounter any enemies today, and the guards and support mages were all there, so they let them continue their gathering.

After a few drinks and some boasting, Rean recounted his battles in the underworld, especially his bloody fights against those giant beasts, which naturally livened up the atmosphere and dispelled any remaining awkwardness.

As they chatted, without Rean even needing to guide them, the topic naturally shifted to the hero they had talked about during the day.

But this time, with the old knight watching and having just boasted about their battle stories, everyone avoided some sensitive topics and mainly mentioned some past battles.

"The hero swung his sword, and a massive crack appeared before them. The terrifying power tore everything apart, and the sword mark is still there now, like a canyon."

"His sword was fast and accurate, flashing like brilliant starlight, each strike bringing forth a spray of blood from his enemies."

As they drank, even the old knight Kahn started boasting.

Although Rean knew that there was probably a lot of fan bias involved, it also proved how powerful that Lex was.

During this process, Rean also learned some additional information.

For example, Lex Luke is a rare pure warrior with no supernatural abilities whatsoever.

His spiritual abilities have long been known to the world.

"His strength comes from his single-minded focus on one thing."

This seemingly weak and even ordinary mental and spiritual ability, however, shaped the top powerhouses of that era.

The power of the mind and soul is the greatest secret of all extraordinary beings, but many knights and warriors do not hide it, and the hero is a prime example in this regard. He does not think there is anything to target.

This ability is largely due to the support it receives during training.

In actual combat, however, it is a double-edged sword. It is said that when he becomes persistent, he can forget everything around him and wholeheartedly complete one thing, and do it to the extreme.

This also means a true war maniac.

During one battle, his side announced a retreat, but Lex, who was already in full combat mode, stayed behind.

As a result, when the retreating commander realized something was wrong and returned to the battlefield, he discovered that the enemy's army had been wiped out and scattered.

"In fact, Lena's soul abilities are similar to Lord Lex's. She has always respected Lord Lex and even gave herself a very similar name."

Rean also unexpectedly learned about Lana's mind-body ability, but it seems that if she were to possess mind-body ability again, it would be impossible to activate it.

She didn't disclose it voluntarily. In the hero selection after Lex, some information will be made public so that decision-makers and knights can vote, which will also cause a lot of information to be spread.

She named herself "The Singular Purpose," but it actually refers to a different meaning.

"Lock onto a target and do everything in your power to achieve it/hit it." It is said that this even involves causality, that once a target is locked onto, it will definitely be hit.

This ability is very powerful and is almost a perfect match for the hero's combat system, which emphasizes turning the tide of battle and delivering a fatal blow.

That's how she successfully obtained Lex's sword, equipment, and title.

"What a pity. Lena was originally a member of the Royal Knights, and the youngest genius at that. She could have gone much further back then."

Even the old knight who had the highest opinion of Lena, her mentor, did not think that Lena could compare to Lex; their strength was simply not on the same level.

At this moment, Rean was a little incomprehensible. How could such an ordinary soul ability and a pure warrior be able to exert such an absurd strength? With Lena's ability and the Hero Set, she felt truly invincible.

Just how strong is Lex to be able to completely overpower Lena to an incomparable degree?
"Lena is not weak among the heroes of all time. It's such a pity, otherwise she should be the one holding the flag right now."

Not far from the knights who were lamenting for Lena, little Lana was happily eating roasted meat, her mouth greasy. Her little hand secretly reached for the beer mug on the table, but Rean glared at her and pulled it back.

Dimon and his friends joined in, which was a rare opportunity for them to socialize.

Even Princess Suliman was chatting in a corner of the ladies' section.

However, whenever Rean looked over, he was always met with a glare from the exceptionally sensitive Dania.

It seemed he had inadvertently offended her again? Rean scratched his head, unable to pinpoint the reason.

"Forget it, women always have their bad days, why are you staring at me like that? When did I offend her again?"

(End of this chapter)