< 129. There Are No Bad Dragons in the World (1) >
There are no bad dragons in the world.
There are only dragons whose quality will improve over time.
The quality of a dragon is determined by time. Even dragons born with deformities can become astonishing gems if nurtured over a long period. Of course, the process of raising them to such a state is so arduous that it is common to cull them before hatching.
Remember this. There are no bad dragons in the world.
As Minjun gazed at the corpse of the Dragon Lord, he recalled the saying his master had told him long ago.
His emotions were complex.
"······."
He unconsciously touched his lips. He felt a thirst.
'It's overwhelming.'
He stared, almost mesmerized, at the dragon's corpse preserved perfectly by preservation magic.
Dragons grow stronger with age, and their physical value is proportional to the passage of time.
And the dragon before him was the one who held the title of the oldest dragon on Earth until the moment of his death.
'Although it's excessively thin, the quality is top-notch. You can tell just by looking at the skeleton. Who is the artisan responsible for the breed improvement? It's skill worthy of applause.'
The grandeur that would unfold beneath the golden scales seemed to shimmer like a welcome.
With that level of age, every part of the body is top-quality. He was certain of it.
Another saying from his master echoed like an auditory hallucination.
And remember this as well. There is nothing a dragon can waste.
A beast that gives without reservation.
He imagined it. The magical fibers showing elasticity equal to that of magical metals if properly processed. Bones that do not burn even when thrown into hellfire. Blood that becomes the best catalyst in itself without any additional processing, and meat, which is an essential staple for their kind.
And, surpassing all of that... the Dragon Heart.
Thump, thump!
His heart raced.
'It's hard to raise a single dragon for such a long time.'
He felt his hands itch. A sense of duty and challenge as an artisan ignited within him. He wanted to contribute to the completion of that masterpiece.
'I want to get my hands on it.'
The desire to bone out, divide, and shape the precious Great Dragon's corpse surged within him.
Even the smallest tasks, he could handle alone.
Peeling the skin, sorting and stacking each scale. Measuring, processing the organs, and washing the blood without a single drop of water. He could perform all these tasks with his eyes closed. Recalling the procedures in his mind, he muttered again. Yes, I've been away from such things for too long...
'No, wait a minute. What am I thinking now?!'
He took a deep breath and pulled himself out of the nostalgia.
'It's dangerous. I almost got overwhelmed by the past again.'
This was a recurring phenomenon as his memory returned more quickly.
It was fine if it was a recent memory, but this was from too long ago.
'This impulse is of no help in the current moment. I need to suppress it.'
The past kept surging, trying to engulf the present. While it was welcome to have memories return, desires that did not fit the current situation needed to be suppressed.
If he acted on his old habits and touched the Dragon Lord's corpse now, it would be a scandal.
Just as he was making this resolve.
= Lord! =
Another dragon appeared in the sky. It was a dragon that had teleported using a large amount of mana, revealing its true form.
Jenkinson recognized her.
"Inayas. She's a cohabiting partner of the Lord."
She was still incubating eggs, so she was originally in a position where she should never move. There was also speculation that she would delegate her guardian rights to another dragon.
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, she appeared directly here.
'A dragon that's incubating eggs, abandoning them to come here? It's an instinct of mother dragons to be unable to move easily when hatchlings are anxious.'
= Lord, Lord! =
A mournful mental wave from the dragon echoed through the sky. It was a natural reaction for a lover who had been with the Lord until the end.
Inayas was so devastated she could barely control her body. As if she could not believe the reality.
The other dragons watching her naturally grew somber.
Minjun slightly reflected on his previous thoughts. Thoughts mainly related to meat processing.
Jenkinson cleared his throat and spoke.
"Now we just need one more to arrive."
However, that last individual did not appear even after a significant amount of time had passed.
"This is way too late."
Time continued to pass, but there was still no sign of the final heir.
Eventually, discussions among the Great Dragons continued.
"Is Tuskio still unresponsive?"
"He hasn't gone off-world, but oddly he's not responding to magical communications. We can't just storm his lair either."
They couldn't wait indefinitely for him. The dragons decided. They would proceed with the funeral rites excluding the young dragon Tuskio, who had declared his absence from the dragon meeting unilaterally and had not responded to several contacts after the Lord's death.
The first priority was to determine the cause of death. Dividing the Lord's body equally would come afterward.
With everyone's agreement, the task was assigned to the dragons who were the second oldest on Earth as of yesterday.
"Two of you, please."
The one who stepped forward in response to the heir's request was an elderly man dressed in traditional attire. He was a Siamese twin with two heads on one body.
They had dispelled their polymorph to use magic properly. As a result, a Prism Dragon of the Yao Dragon species appeared. Though it was a several-thousand-year-old Great Dragon, even in its true form, its size was similar to a fire dragon hatchling.
True to its Prism Dragon nature, its scales sparkled in a full range of colors depending on the angle of the sunlight. Fluorescent colors not found in typical Earth creatures gleamed in various spectra from red to purple. Minjun looked at the sight with displeasure. He did not favor such overly artificial scale colors.
A decorative dragon.
'If you tamper too much with the genetics like that, side effects are bound to occur.'
Minjun's gaze fell on the dragon's shoulders. Besides the translucent membrane wings characteristic of Yao dragons, there was something else noticeable. Just like in its humanoid form, the dragon still had two heads.
Twin-headed dragon.
This was originally a type of deformity. However, having two heads meant also having two brains responsible for magic. In this state, Siamese twins sharing senses could create far more sophisticated magic than other dragons.
The brothers were recognized for this strength, and thus were allowed to live a normal dragon's life instead of being confined in their lair for life.
Whoosh!
As other dragons withdrew the preservation magic, the Siamese twins began examining the Lord's corpse. It was magic to track what had caused his death.
The moment the spell's power seeped under the golden scales.
"This, this is?!"
The twin-headed dragon brothers uttered in surprise.
At that moment.
Whoosh!
Dragons, who felt like they would not be surprised by anything anymore, all sensed the blood drain from their heads.
Something inside the already deceased Great Dragon was reacting to the spell.
A brilliant light spread from the Lord's body.
What was curled up inside the corpse was something that no one gathered here had sensed until now.
"Another magic on the corpse?!"
Only after it was activated did they realize the mage's fingerprint on it. It was a spell designed by someone they knew well.
"That is a spell the Lord cast before his death!"
In that moment, a voice echoed in everyone's minds.
The fact that you are hearing this means that I am already dead and someone has tampered with my body for the funeral rites. I wish to express my gratitude to those who were by my side at the end, and I want to leave a few words regarding the arrangements after my departure.
As expected, it was a familiar mental wave.
Someone cried out.
"This is a last will!"
The meaning was confirmed with clarity, solidifying the guess.
For your information, this magical message is the only and final will that is effective at the current time.
At that moment, the heirs' faces grew visibly pale.
"No, why!"
"Father! To leave a will like this without any prior mention...!"
The young dragons lamenting were the children who inherited the Lord's bloodline. In contrast, the former consorts, who were only protectors without direct succession rights, had expressions of relief.
The observers clicked their tongues at the sight.
"This complicates things further."
Dragons rarely leave wills.
This self-centered race has little interest in the world after their death. Everything has meaning only while they exist, and a world without them is, in a subjective sense, akin to destruction.
Thus, the bodies and property of dragons who die without a will are divided according to Draconic Code. According to this ancient customary law, everything is divided equally only among direct descendants.
Everyone present had expected the Lord would be no different. Therefore, they had awaited the heirs' arrival without suspicion.
But it was not to be.
Ding!
While everyone was in confusion.
'Hmm?'
Minjun took out his folder phone with a puzzled expression.
Remarkably, while the Great Dragon's will was echoing telepathically, someone had contacted him.
'Who could it be?'
As his gaze fixed on the phone display.
'······!'
Minjun's expression hardened coldly.
Meanwhile, the message left by the deceased dragon continued to resonate in everyone's minds. It took the form of a complex telepathy, neither verbal nor written language.
The testator 'Ager-Fishco-Koiz-Halekia-Lyubrai-Azel-Azel-Seknat-Koiz-Ager' (residence: Los Padres National Park, 6750 Santa Maria, California, USA) is a dragon who succeeded the honor and will of our great ancestors and has drafted this will with a complete and sound mind. Based on a purely personal hope and wish without any undue external pressure, I leave the following intentions.
The will began with the Dragon Lord's full name. A name so long that no one used it.
It was a typical old-fashioned dragon naming method. Nowadays, no one names their dragons like that.
Although the time I spent on Earth has been but a moment compared to a dragon's lifespan, the bonds I formed were not shallow or light. Therefore, I wish to leave a modest reward for them.
The heirs, who were listening with bated breath, let out faint cries.
The meaning was clear.
Not by blood, but by bonds.
It meant leaving an inheritance even to those who did not carry his bloodline.
.
.
.
I expect that there will be those who will complain about this decision. My children, who expected to divide all the inheritance among themselves. If this will does not meet those expectations, I ask for your understanding. Instead, my direct descendants will divide all the assets equally, except for those specifically mentioned in this will, so there should be no shortage in that regard.
I convey my intentions as follows.
To Allison (residence: Los Padres National Park, 6750 Santa Maria, California, USA), who served me from the perspective of an elf for an unreasonably long time, I bequeath a transferable deposit certificate worth 6.5 million dollars and an immigration guarantee certificate issued by the committee. Thank you for all you've done, Allison. If you submit the immigration certificate to the committee, you will be allowed to immigrate with your desired companion and will receive settlement funds separately. I hope your retirement in your hometown is comfortable and cozy.
To the Bronze Dragon, Al-Sahidi of the Salamander Dragon species (residence: 11564 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), I transfer a 5% share of the magical gemstone long-term purchase rights I hold. I hope peace will come to his domain, which has been in turmoil for decades after the end of the oil era.
To the Sapphire Dragon Kalliether of the Sea Dragon species (residence: North Sea, 54.00° N, 8.30° E), I leave behind a private art gallery in Amsterdam. I hope her child will be pleased.
To the International Criminal Police Organization's Supernatural Response Team, I bequeath a fund of 50 million dollars. This money should be used entirely for the eradication of human rights abuses. I also hope that my decision serves as a wake-up call to some Great Dragons. See how much these forces have grown annually as a result of neglecting them as non-threats in their domains.
To the unknown individual Minjun (residence: 9 Saechunyeon-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea), I bequeath the key to the private vault on West 34th Street in New York City and everything inside it. Please do not think of this as a spiteful act. It would be best to first check what is inside.
.
.
.
"······!"
After that, a list of inheritances left to artist networks, scholarship foundations, international relief organizations, dragons with whom he had formed bonds, and other races was enumerated, but most of it was clear in monetary value and did not seem like amounts that would turn a dragon's head.
However, there was one notable exception.
Someone broke the cold silence.
"Minjun? That name sounds familiar."
The one who muttered this was a young dragon not yet a century old.
"Why would father leave something to that author?"
Only to that non-dragon race... he left something that defies comprehension.
And because its identity cannot be specified, it sparks their imagination.
Just how precious could this heirloom be that it wasn't properly listed in the will?
The air turns icy. Minjun finds himself suddenly facing the gazes of the heirs, who are looking at him with demanding eyes.
Their stares were asking for an explanation. At the same time, he felt a mix of hostility, anger, and bewilderment as if struck from behind. The last feeling was an emotional projection toward the deceased father, mingled with other emotions in a confusing way.
Murmurs followed.
"Come to think of it, the last place the Lord was seen before his death was..."
It seemed someone among the dragons had witnessed their meeting yesterday.
This sharpened their gazes even more. As Minjun faced their reactions, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
At the same time, he thought,
'This is dangerous.'
It was dangerous from two perspectives.
First, it was dangerous that the assembled heirs were showing hostility toward him.
Thus, he needed to stay alert and tense, but looking into Minjun's inner self, two personas were mixed, leaving him confused. As a result, a part of Minjun couldn't feel the tension at all. His past self did not perceive this situation as particularly dangerous. This indifferent attitude was not only unhelpful but also dangerous in the current context.
Zing!
Sparks flew from the dragons' clear eyes.
Minjun had faced such gazes many times in the distant past. They were full of anger and demands.
Hostility, anger, betrayal, resentment, and confusion.
"······."
It was the same fierce gaze he had experienced whenever he was late entering the dragon barn due to being busy.
Unlike his judgment as an inmate, the persona anchored in the past remained completely indifferent to the scene before him. Having managed a dragon ranch, he was unmoved by the dragons' strong emotional expressions.
He merely mumbled indifferently to himself. Completely letting go of his tension, in the past he would have scratched his cheek and said,
'...Has dinner time passed?'
< 129. 세상에 나쁜 용은 없다 (1) > End