"And this habit continued even after I was able to live independently. So when your Dragon Egg was born, the extraordinarily high amount of information it carried immediately caught my attention, and then, inevitably, I became deeply engrossed in it..."

Even at this moment, David, bombarded by the 'information overload' from Dragon Mother, almost instantly believed her story about being raised by a Brass Dragon.

Typical Red Dragons aren't that talkative... especially at such a critical moment.

At the same time, he finally understood the origin of Tania's phrases that always gave him such a strong sense of déjà vu.

So much so that when he was young, he had once thought there had to be a transmigrator accompanying either Dragon Mother or his sister.

Upon hearing Dragon Mother's words, David finally felt relieved and quickly changed the subject. "Mom, this isn't the time to talk about this. Is there anything I can do to save you? Like, maybe through the Chromatic Dragon Queen?"

"Hmm? Why save me? Aren't I alive and well? I just wanted to tell you a little secret before I leave."

"Huh?" David felt he was going mad talking to this 'frustratingly coy' dragon, who had been raised by a Brass Dragon. According to the current situation, aren't you about to die?

"Alright, after saying so much, what I want to tell you is this, my child, David Uthos: you need not be troubled by this. Your and Tania's birth was just an accident in my dragon life. Yet, this accident opened a new window for me, alleviating my almost maddening boredom. It showed me a whole new world and made me realize that our fate isn't a fixed, linear path but a wilderness of infinite possibilities.

"Our dragon consciousness itself emerges from a surge of information. From that perspective, perhaps you, too, are merely another emergence from that same surge.

"What's more, both you and Tania have called me 'Mom,' and I have fulfilled my parental duties in nurturing and protecting you.

"So, David Uthos, you *are* my child, even though I once disliked you for breathing fire from your rear."

David was about to lose it. "Can we *please* not mention that?"

"You see, you kept a secret from me, and I kept this secret from you.

"Now, we're even."

Listening to the familiar-sounding, déjà vu-inducing words of wisdom, David felt an absurd urge to both laugh and cry, his chest filling with a strange, moving emotion. "Yes, we're even, Mom."

"However, since you're here anyway, it seems I have another option now," Pafila said.

"What option?" David asked.

"David Uthos, my son, would you be willing to become my first and only... perhaps second... um, possibly third believer?"

"Believer? You... you're planning to ascend to godhood?" David was utterly shocked.

This was a possibility he had never anticipated.

Gods! You've only been at the Legendary rank for a few years, and you're already ascending to godhood?

Then he heard Pafila complaining, in that rather pretentious humblebragging way, "Isn't it just ascending to godhood? What's so surprising? That old crone Tiamat was waiting for me to become her Demigod a hundred years ago. If it weren't for a bunch of 'shit-stirrers' disturbing my slumber back then, I wouldn't have even wanted to pursue a Legendary Destiny. The higher I ascend, the more tightly I'm bound to Tiamat—you have no idea how annoying that old hag is, preaching even in my dreams!"

"..." I should tell Mom, David suddenly thought. Could Tiamat have been preaching in my dreams too?

He took a deep breath and then said, "It would be my honor, Mom. But what concept are you planning to embody for your ascension?"

After all, most concepts had already been claimed and divided among the gods of this world.

"Hmm, I'll choose 'Powerful.'"

"But there are many powerful concepts—do you need me to recommend a few... Wait, 'Powerful'? You don't mean... it couldn't be the... strong nuclear force from physics, could it?"

Only then did David seem to finally understand the origin of his mother's cataclysmic Dragon Breath, which could rival a hydrogen bomb explosion.

"Yes, that's the one—the strong force. But there's a problem I might need your help to solve."

"What is it?"

"The micro-level frameworks of our two worlds are different, and the cosmic constants also vary somewhat. Without the data to complete a precise derivation, I can't ascend using the 'strong force' in my current state. I'd have to settle for something easier. But with you here, we might be able to try and forcefully complete this final step. Which is... well, son, I'll need you to figure that part out."

"Alright." David felt a mix of helplessness and amusement.

Of course, it still had to come down to his 'figure it out' power—Arrogance.

"Thank you," Pafila said, a little awkwardly.

"...You're welcome."

Before David could ask how to proceed, upon his agreement, he felt his mother pull him directly toward her.

This time, by utilizing the divine connection they shared—a bond of borrowed divinity—they bypassed the Dragon God Tiamat entirely.

"Pafila! What are you doing?" But Tiamat, as her patron deity, inevitably discovered it; she could not be fooled.

Even though Tiamat had discovered it, she still could not stop it—or rather, could not stop it at this critical juncture.

Pafila's ascension to godhood was already part of Their plan.

Only David, the 'bait' that was supposed to have been used up and discarded, was beyond Their expectations.