< 131. There Are No Bad Dragons in the World (3) >
Today, the relationship between the ancient races and the dragon kin is ambiguous.
Dragons collectively assert that, although they were defeated in war, the Committee and the Dragons maintain a cooperative relationship on an equal footing under a peace regime.
Therefore, they claim that dragons are not under anyone's rule.
However, a closer examination reveals a different story. The dragon kin ultimately move according to the Committee's wishes and are subordinated to the multi-dimensional economic system centered around Dalant.
Nonetheless… like closing their eyes and pretending nothing happened, dragons refuse to acknowledge this.
It's a psychological avoidance mechanism.
The disparity between their self-perception as the greatest and the reality of their defeat is the cause. Even though they have lost, their belief in being the greatest race remains. To other races, this psychology is close to cognitive dissonance. Dragons continue to believe this because reality is too painful and difficult to accept. The dragon kin's reaction to this is expressed by blocking out anything that reminds them of their pain.
They forget, turn away, and postpone.
Therefore, when the ancient race princess was assigned to Earth, the dragons invited to the welcoming ceremony felt like office workers facing the start of their shift right after a long vacation.
It meant they desperately did not want to attend.
Despite their inability to refuse, they attended the event, pretending to be confident, but internally they were extremely nervous, and the high dragons, suffering from defeat PTSD, felt deeper anguish that they could not reveal.
Given this background, the reaction of the high dragons gathered in Hong Kong at this moment was entirely understandable. Even if they had mentally prepared themselves, encountering a 6 km radius tentacle monster that suddenly appeared and covered the sky was daunting.
Pop!
Pop-pop-pop!
An unprecedented scene unfolded. Unlike during the ICC collapse, it was midday now. Many Hong Kong citizens witnessed the dragons leaping into the sky and the tentacle monster looking down on them. People were collapsing in shock.
Swallowing dryly, the dragons looked up at the sky. It was an extremely unpleasant situation that triggered their trauma. Dragons, who were always supposed to observe everything from above, now had to look up at someone.
The dragons knew the identity of the uninvited guest that caused this discomfort. There was only one ancient race currently on Earth. It was the princess of Endelion that the high dragons had recently met.
But why was she here?
The young dragon who had just sarcastically wondered whether he should go to Earth's representative office to strangle the tentacle was overwhelmed by the darkness before his eyes.
At that moment, while everyone was frozen in silence.
Swoosh!
The iris of the ancient race moved.
Flinch! The dragons were startled by this small movement.
In stark contrast to the discomfort felt by the dragons and citizens, the ancient race appeared very comfortable. The skin color, like the dawn sea, was cold and elegant. The twenty-six tentacles resembled a toppled building, so distant and large from the ground that it seemed almost stationary. However, those who observed closely could see the tentacles gently swaying, like seaweed in water. Peaceful.
Originally, Endelion's flexible yet sturdy columns could tear apart the city with a light scrape. But at this moment, the tentacles merely floated languidly. There was no sense of hostility. Experienced high dragons read friendly emotions from the dark pearls of the eyes. Calm, transcending all worldly matters… and finally, as if transcending time itself.
Then the tentacle monster finally spoke.
=To the bereaved who face great sorrow, I extend my deepest condolences and comforting thoughts.=
No one responded immediately.
"······."
"······."
It was the most polite remark for the situation, yet ironically, no one had anticipated this statement.
The first to speak up was the eldest dragon brother, who had just become the oldest dragon on Earth today.
The left head spoke.
"Thank you for your condolences. However, we cannot welcome you."
The right head added.
"Princess, we have recently lost our oldest kin, who was also the Dragon Lord. Understand that it is difficult to welcome an uninvited guest in this situation."
It was a stubborn rejection.
But the response from the tentacle was confident.
=If it's an invitation, then we received it.=
"······?!"
The dragons' faces simultaneously contorted.
An invitation?
'Who invites an ancient race to the Dragon Lord's funeral?'
Especially with the Committee proudly listed among the suspects?
Young, hot-blooded dragons were about to burst with anger, but the quick-witted high dragons restrained them. It was anger from those who had never fought Endelion and, for experienced dragons, a worthless emotional outburst. The young dragons felt frustrated. They perceived the tentacle monster's words and actions as a challenge and insult to dragon dignity.
'Those thunderous fools!' Seeing their expressions, the high dragons felt their blood run cold and issued a more powerful telepathic threat. 'If you speak carelessly, you'll find yourself buried at the bottom of the Mariana Trench!'
It was a literal threat, so the young dragons had no choice but to keep quiet despite their discontent. They didn't want to be forcibly teleported to a 70 km deep trench in the ocean.
Meanwhile, the Twin-Headed Dragon remained calm even amidst the noisy telepathy. Maintaining composure, it questioned the tentacle.
"It seems an explanation is necessary. We just confirmed among ourselves, but no one from the bereaved or kin sent an invitation to you."
=If you check in that way, of course, you won't find it. The one who invited me is currently unable to answer questions.=
"······?!"
The twin brothers quickly grasped the meaning.
"Don't tell me?!"
The tentacle responded.
=Yes, the one who invited me was the deceased. A letter was delivered by an elf named Allison just a moment ago.=
Confusion swept through the dragon kin.
This situation seemed like a piece prepared by the Dragon Lord before his death.
An invitation prepared for after his death.
'I knew he was eccentric, but this is going too far.'
'What dragon invites an ancient race to their own funeral?'
But there was no way to convey complaints to the deceased, and it remained an empty echo.
The eldest dragon brother sighed.
"Why?"
The mysterious answer came from an unexpected direction.
While the dragon kin caused a commotion, a contrasting silence flowed from the other side.
-I'm sorry, but it's not over yet. If I have betrayed your expectations once more, I regret it. This message will be heard when additional conditions are met.
The Dragon Lord's will resumed.
-The condition is that the recipient of Allison's letter arrives here. At this point, it must be a manager of the Committee whose name you cannot guess, and your presence here indicates your acceptance of my proposal.
Everyone's gaze turned to the tentacle. The ancient race rolled its eyes in affirmation.
=Yes, the Dragon Lord proposed a role for me through the letter. I have decided to accept it after careful consideration.=
As if responding to that, a lingering thought flowed from the corpse. It was a moment that could be mistaken for a conversation between the living and the dead.
And the content once again shocked everyone. It was beyond count how many times today had already seen such shocks.
-I will appoint 'him/her' as my body manager.
"No, that crazy old man!"
A roar that pierced the air echoed.
It was a shout from an heir who knew that the other party could not hear.
Though it was blasphemous to the deceased, other dragons didn't even dare to point it out.
As if understanding the entire situation, the telepathy rang out.
-At this point, someone must have expressed strong dissatisfaction. I hope you understand that this is a necessary measure to preserve my will. I know the nature of dragons well. Ninety-nine days is too short and simultaneously too long. It feels ridiculously insufficient to solve the tasks I've given, and at the same time, it seems excessively long to wait while allowing the Dragon Heart to pass to another heir or a dragon without lineage. I do not wish for the impatient ones to ignore my will and the Dragonic Code and secretly tamper with my heart.
Min-jun had partially guessed the Dragon Lord's intentions.
'The position of the Lord is still vacant.'
A new representative to manage the hierarchy of dragons worldwide had not yet been elected.
'He must have anticipated that if he named another dragon as the caretaker under these circumstances, the body would end up in tatters. If witnesses were gathered and we waited for a few hours, it might be manageable, but 99 days is too long. Considering the nature of those rascals, it makes sense.'
However, there were still parts that were not entirely understandable.
Until his death, the Lord had been wary of the Kabaite. Although not all Kabaite were members of the Committee, it remained true that the core of that group was composed of Kabaite.
'If he couldn't trust his own kin, how could he trust Endelion or, by extension, members of the Committee?'
It was like entrusting a treasure of one's own kin to an enemy due to mistrust.
Dragons had similar thoughts.
"Princess, how can we trust that you will not covet the body?"
In response to this question, Del spoke.
=I promise.=
"What did you say?"
=I, @$#%[email protected]^&$##, as the Princess of Endelion, swear here.=
The incomprehensible part was the ancient race's true name.
The chant in Endelion's unique mental language system was not clearly perceptible to other races.
Interpreted through a dragon's senses, the name seemed like a dark blue stain on the retina or an itch beneath the scales.
Before the dragons… or more precisely, above the dragons, Endelion declared.
=From this moment, I will protect the Dragon Lord's body for 99 days, and once the period of my promise has ended, I will return him in his unblemished, original state to whoever meets the conditions.=
Endelion's vow.
Even though the conscience of those twisted idealists was somewhat skewed, it was firm and tenacious.
The princess of that persistent race had made a promise. Knowing the weight of her words, the high dragon asked with a face full of suspicion.
"Why are you taking such a strong interest in dragon matters?"
=Because the deceased also made a promise to me through the letter.=
As the bereaved's gaze sharpened once more, anticipating the reaction, Del spoke.
=However, I will make it clear that this does not involve transferring the deceased's property or rights to me. If it were such a matter, it would have already been mentioned in the will.=
"My intention was to…"
=I am not obliged to disclose that.=
In the end, the dragons decided to follow the Dragon Lord's will.
The heirs were infuriated, but it was in vain.
Although there were methods to secretly tamper with the body, with the Princess of Endelion involved, it was a futile endeavor.
The bereaved wanted to declare the will null and divide the inheritance among themselves, but the high dragons intervened to dissuade them. They added an explanation that ignoring a clear will would also be a violation of the Draconic Code.
Meanwhile, there was a hidden agenda behind the high dragons' actions.
'If the culprit isn't found within 99 days, the Dragon Heart will belong to the next Lord!'
The high dragons' desire for the position of Lord, which they had previously viewed with indifference, now surged fervently.
They had never expected much from the heirs' efforts. The unknown opponent was the one who had assassinated the oldest dragon on Earth. Ninety-nine days was an extremely tight timeframe.
So, the plan was to become the Lord and then use the means available to dragon representatives to capture and deal with the culprit.
"Then, we will search for evidence to identify the culprit."
There was one remaining procedure before Endelion could seal the body.
Finding evidence related to the death.
"All residual thoughts around the body have already been swept away."
It was a disappointment. It was due to the storm-like magic that had struck in the early morning. What could be verified was only the traces left on the body.
As Min-jun reached out to the body, which no longer emitted any will, the high dragon finished the inspection and declared.
"The body is clean and free of wounds overall. Except for one place."
Then he said this, with a frown.
"The sixth brain… that is, the demon brain has been completely cooked."
This meant that the brain, entirely dedicated to magical functions, had been damaged due to high heat.
A significant part of a dragon's bodily functions relies on innate and primitive magic. When that was interrupted, the organs gradually stopped functioning, eventually leading to death.
Upon hearing this, the dragons sighed.
Although the identity of the culprit was unknown, it was clear they were an extraordinary being. To have penetrated the high dragon's magical resistance and cooked the organs.
Meanwhile, speculation resurfaced that this might have been a suicide by the Lord or an accident he had orchestrated himself.
The claim, mainly from the heirs, was that the powerful mage detected yesterday was actually the Dragon Lord, who had failed to complete the magic and had died from an overloaded brain. This was dismissed as being akin to choking on one's own saliva, which led to ridicule.
'Only the sixth brain was cooked? Not a single scratch on the other parts?'
Min-jun also fell into deep thought.
'That method…'
It was a way to heat the brain in its original form while preserving the rest of the body's tissues intact.
However, capturing a dragon in this way would result in a perfect outward appearance but with diminished meat quality. Toxins would seep into the muscles as the body gradually ceased to function. In other words, it would not be fresh. Thus, it was a method not used in slaughterhouses.
Min-jun knew from ancient times who had used such methods.
'It was used by taxidermists.'
Min-jun did not particularly like taxidermy. It conflicted with the beliefs he had learned and practiced.
His master's words echoed in his ears.
Remember, if you play around with what you eat, it's useless.
The master was particularly conservative. This tendency had passed on to Min-jun.
"······."
He suddenly looked up at the sky. There, the Princess of Endelion awaited the guidance of the body.
At that moment, her eyes gently moved and met Min-jun's gaze. But, as had been the case from the very beginning, Del did not acknowledge Min-jun. Her gaze naturally drifted away.
The questions he had been suppressing surged once more.
'Entrusting the body to the ancient race... What were you scheming?'
He recalled the Lord's prophecy.
It would be wise to check what's inside first.
Indeed, the Lord had left something for Min-jun.
Understanding the old dragon's intentions would be revealed once that was examined.
< 131. There Are No Bad Dragons in the World (3) > End