< 133. There Are No Bad Dragons in the World (5) >
When the ancient dragon Kalliether, who held dominion over the North Sea and areas near Germany, requested a private meeting, Jenkins was more surprised by the fact that she had personally come all the way to Hong Kong than by the fact that she had extended the invitation despite their faint acquaintance.
Kalliether's child was still classified as a hatchling. In dragons, who have no uniform criteria for coming of age, a hatchling is considered to have matured once the parents agree to their independence, but this particular child was on the slower side. Nevertheless, since Kalliether was the guardian of the hatchling, she was exempt from attending the dragon clan meeting. The child had no blood relation to the lord, so there was no pressing need for her to attend the funeral.
Yet, she had flown all the way to Hong Kong at the last minute, leaving the hatchling behind.
'What's the rush?'
One reason came to mind.
'Could it be that the mother of the hatchling is trying to run for the position of Lord? ...Is the Dragon Heart so tempting?'
Future proceedings would follow the will. The next dragon clan meeting was scheduled to be held again in Hong Kong in 99 days, where the election for the next Dragon Lord and the handling of the will would take place.
The direct heirs had begun to move hastily.
'In any case, neither my brothers nor I have a chance of being elected as the next Lord, given our ages.'
'I can't stand by and watch the inheritance go to some undeserving person. We need to find the culprit quickly!'
Meanwhile, the princess of Endelion had sealed the Lord in the basement of the Kai Tak Terminal owned by the committee.
=Although contact is not possible, measures have been taken so that any dragon wishing to see him can do so.=
The sealed chamber was like a morgue with artificially halted time.
=If you have doubts about the state of maintenance, feel free to check it yourself at any time.=
She left with these words, but no dragon with the audacity to tamper with her barrier appeared.
Most dragons, other than the direct heirs, chose to stay in Hong Kong instead of returning to their lairs. Despite their busy lives, they judged that there was no issue more important than the current situation. Most of them thought:
'In any case, the Dragon Heart will go to the next Lord!'
The dragon who inherits the heart of the oldest dragon without dividing it will become a dominant force in the power structure of Earth. Dragons sensitive to power closely observed this process or even wanted to be part of it.
As a result, a fierce competition was expected in Hong Kong among the candidates for the Lordship. Dragons who would have shown no interest before were now participating.
'Blair, we should also stay in Hong Kong for a while.'
Jenkins decided to stay in Hong Kong with his subordinates and 'witnesses.'
He had made up his mind to follow the Lord's wishes and join the competition.
He judged that Kalliether, who requested the meeting, was also intending to compete. Today's private audience was likely aimed at presenting various conditions in exchange for urging him to withdraw. Given her known personality, it was entirely possible.
At worst, she might even challenge him.
Prepared for that, Jenkins was taken aback when Kalliether, in her polymorphed form, entered the hotel room. As expected, Kalliether did not bring a letter of withdrawal as a candidate. Instead, she held a bottle of high-quality wine and two wine glasses.
"······."
Instead of greeting, Jenkins asked with a skeptical expression.
"Why did you bring that?"
Kalliether answered without a flicker of emotion, maintaining a blank expression since her arrival.
"Why? To drink."
Kalliether placed the glasses on the table. Without touching them, she simply gestured toward them, and with a pop, the cork came off. She poured the wine calmly and handed it over.
"Drink."
If Jenkins were human, he might have suspected an attempt at poisoning, but he had no such concern.
Dragons are immune to all poisons. And when a dragon is polymorphed, it retains the advantages of its true form while adopting the benefits of the transformed species. Thus, they were immune to any poison and could savor the taste and aroma of the wine, which would be unappreciable in their dragon form.
Taking a sip as offered, Jenkins' eyes widened slightly, and he expressed admiration.
"···This is good."
"It's a masterpiece born after decades of tormenting the dwarf slaves working in my winery. While money is effective in making them submit and shackling them, fear proves more effective in achieving better results."
One would expect a social smile when making such a statement, but Kalliether remained expressionless. The moment she finally broached the subject was when they had both quietly emptied about half a bottle.
"Are you going to run for the position?"
Jenkins answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
He had long since made up his mind.
Since the Lord mentioned his name in the will, it wasn't without chance. Though some dragons regarded him as a peculiar figure unworthy of association with the deceased, he was surprisingly popular among some groups. Thus, there would be supporters for Jenkins according to the Lord's wishes.
Then Kalliether pointed out.
"It won't be easy. Some ancient dragons are coordinating their efforts. If everyone runs, it will lead to mutual destruction, so they plan to support one candidate and later divide the fruits among themselves."
How they would share the outcome was a matter of individual plans. Although the Lord's will instructed not to divide the Dragon Heart, many ancient dragons considered it a mere recommendation.
Alternatively, some ancient dragons thought that the winner could absorb the heart whole. Dragons that use magical power as the source of life would extend their lifespan and be reborn as stronger beings upon complete absorption. They planned to offer suitable rewards to cooperating dragons.
However, no ancient dragons had yet approached Jenkins to form an alliance. Knowing this, Kalliether looked deeply into his eyes and asked.
"If you become the Lord and obtain the Dragon Heart, what will you do? Ignore the will and divide it? Or absorb it whole? Or perhaps... offer it as collateral to the committee and borrow a large sum of money?"
These options were indeed circulating among the ancient dragons, and knowing this, Jenkins showed intense disgust.
"No, what to do with it will be decided after becoming the Lord."
This was not an indication of indecision or procrastination.
"I believe the Lord had a reason for leaving such a will. Do you know? While he did many strange things while alive, none of them were useless upon later examination."
"······."
Kalliether waited silently for Jenkins to continue, without commenting on his words.
"The instruction not to divide the Dragon Heart must be due to some absolute reason. Simply absorbing it whole? That's an excessively convenient idea. I think the instruction not to divide it means not to damage it either."
Kalliether probed with an unwavering gaze.
"Then why did the Lord instruct not to damage it?"
"Resources like the Dragon Heart retain their absolute value even if split into thousands of pieces, similar to gold or magic stones. But what we're discussing now is not like that. It seems to me that it is more like an item with a specific function, beyond being a resource with inherent value."
"Function?"
"To me, the Dragon Heart of the Lord seems to be a tool allocated for a specific purpose. Damaging it would render it useless as a tool. I agree with the opinion that he never intended to pass it on to his children. This will seems to have been written with the intention of passing the heart to the next Dragon Lord and hoping that they would perform some task with it. This hypothesis seems most in line with what a Lord would do. Many ancient dragons considered him an eccentric and did not engage deeply with him in private matters. So they don't really know what kind of dragon he was. But I'm different."
Jenkins and the Lord shared similar dispositions and had always understood each other well. As Minjun had witnessed, Jenkins grieved for the Lord's death as much as the dragons related to him by blood.
The ancient dragon from the North Sea asked in a nonchalant voice.
"What do you think the next Lord is supposed to do with the Dragon Heart?"
"I don't know. Perhaps we'll understand when we hold the Dragon Heart in our hands? That's how the Lord operated. He liked mysteries from the start, and he thought that such secrets were not meant to be known by too many dragons. He understood the nature of dragons well."
"You intend to follow the Lord's will?"
"Can't you tell from what I've said so far? The Dragon Heart will be something I cannot dispose of at will. It's true that I want to become the next Lord, but the Dragon Heart is just a byproduct of that position. It's more like a task than a treasure. I'm prepared to run for it with that in mind."
This was the opposite of what other ancient dragons thought.
They considered the Dragon Heart the primary goal, with the Lordship as a mere secondary benefit.
"······."
After a moment of silence, Kalliether spoke.
"I agree with that view."
There was a brief flash of intense light in her eyes, as if she had made some decision.
Then she made an unexpected offer.
"I propose this: if you agree to one condition, I and the dragons under my influence in Europe will support you as the next Dragon Lord."
"······?!"
This was a reaction Jenkins could not have imagined.
"What? Were you not thinking of running for the Lordship?"
"Are you crazy? My child is still a hatchling."
"Then why···."
Other ancient dragons had not yet approached Jenkins for an alliance, knowing their views were too different.
Kalliether answered his question.
"Among the dragons declaring their candidacy now, you're the only one who truly understands the Lord's will."
Jenkins wondered if she had been particularly close to the Lord.
He searched his memory but couldn't recall anything specific.
Kalliether looked away slightly.
"Actually, his ideology did not align well with mine. Other dragons were fixated on trivial matters that he ignored. Should I say his emotional antennae were excessively long and broad? A prime example was his meddling with other races beyond dragons. I couldn't understand why he put so much effort into those who were inferior to us, for mere scraps of kingship."
Jenkins frowned slightly. But before he could speak, Kalliether continued, still with a detached tone.
"So I didn't like it. But···."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"Looking at this will, it seems that his excessive antennae have inadvertently helped 'us,' and that keeps bothering me."
Jenkins recalled that she was mentioned in the will even though she wasn't a direct heir. The will stated:
To Sapphire Dragon Kalliether of the Harpy genus, I bequeath the private art museum in Amsterdam. I hope her child will be pleased.
He found it strange that the Lord specifically mentioned her child, who was not related by blood.
"Anyway, the condition is this."
The continuation of Kalliether's words broke Jenkins' train of thought.
"Among the agenda items to be discussed at the upcoming dragon clan meeting, there is the matter of the mutated dragon, the one that's a mix of spider and dragon."
"Rather than a mutation, it should be considered a hybrid."
"I want you to hand over all the research results on that creature that you've gathered so far. Beyond the contents you originally prepared to reveal at the clan meeting, I want everything you've discovered."
When Jenkins asked why she wanted this, Kalliether did not answer.
Raw data included proprietary formulas and intellectual property developed by Jenkins himself, so he initially had no intention of sharing it with other dragons. However, after much consideration, he agreed to the deal with Kalliether.
As a result, Jenkins secured the support of Kalliether and the dragons under her influence in Europe. This was a small but significant first step towards becoming the next Dragon Lord.
Minjun, concealing his true feelings, asked the dragon,
"What brings you here?"
"I'm here to propose a deal."
The Lord's eldest son, Kentius, said this with a displeased expression. Minjun could see clearly into his mind.
He was discontent. The reality of a great dragon proposing a deal instead of commanding or directing a mere prisoner.
But it seemed Kentius had concluded that this was his only option. With his abilities, he wouldn't have the confidence to kidnap or torture a prisoner without being detected by the committee. It wasn't that he feared Minjun, but rather the committee that frightened him.
His gaze remained haughty, as if he was certain that Minjun would not refuse the proposal. It was crucial not to provoke the absolute dragon nature of this world.
"Young dragons are the problem. They haven't achieved or gathered much; their greatest accomplishment is being born a dragon, and they cling to that, filling their pride by relying on their race. They can't yet view their position objectively."
In front of the young dragon, who mistook belonging for self-esteem, Minjun maintained a nonchalant facade and said,
"A deal. What can I offer you?"
"You probably thought I came to steal my father's inheritance, right? The private vault. But I'm not that desperate a dragon. Of course, there are some half-brothers of mine who are in a different position."
This was a hint that some watching Minjun in the city were eyeing the cube he took from the private vault.
But Kentius, seeming to be different, smiled leisurely and said,
"Just keep it."
He spoke as if granting a great favor.
Minjun did not point out that it was legitimately obtained according to the Lord's will. It was irrelevant to a dragon.
"Instead, what I want is this."
His eyes flared with intensity.
"As you might already know, the heirs, including myself, need to find the culprit who killed the Lord. We must compete with each other. I want you to help me."
He continued with a self-contradictory ramble.
"I've heard rumors. You, with your remarkable skills? Techniques so trivial that the dragon clan doesn't care about or try to learn. I've heard that there's no one better than you at searching for evidence or tracking down culprits. So, help me. You don't need to worry about facing the committee. I'll make sure to clean up the evidence. And from my speculation... the culprit is someone unrelated to the committee from the start."
"······?"
"We can discuss this in more detail once we're allies."
Curious, Minjun decided to listen further.
"What will I gain in return for helping you?"
Kentius grinned broadly.
"Freedom."
"······?"
Minjun quietly crossed his arms and leaned against the sink. Then, with a nonchalant tone, he asked,
"Are you saying you'll cover my severance pay instead?"
"Why not? I'm going to divide the Lord's property and inherit it anyway. If I get the Dragon Heart as well, I'll become the richest in the world. I don't know how much your severance pay is, but it should be enough to cover it. By the way, how much is it? About 300,000 Dalants?"
Minjun, trying to control his irritation, replied,
"I don't know if you're aware, but..."
"I know, special gift tax."
"······?!"
"Of course, I don't plan to throw that huge tax into the committee's pocket. I have a plan. A way to avoid the committee's surveillance."
Minjun quietly thought.
This proposal couldn't have come from a soft-headed person.
Not only was he aware of the special gift tax, but he also mentioned ways to circumvent it. Whether such a thing actually existed or not was beside the point; the concept itself was beyond Kentius's narrow worldview.
Minjun changed his perspective. This wasn't something Kentius was doing alone. There was clearly someone much older than Kentius behind him.
Minjun responded in a calm voice,
"This seems like it will be a lengthy discussion. Have you had lunch?"
"······?"
"If not, how about we discuss the details over lunch?"
Seemingly seeing this as positive feedback, Kentius's expression brightened.
Minjun observed his transformed dragon form—one that took only the advantages from both dragon and human characteristics.
The dragon responded cheerfully,
"Sounds good. Since I've polymorphed into a human form, a human-style restaurant would be ideal. I know a place nearby..."
"Considering the sensitive nature of our conversation, it might be better not to go out. There are too many eyes around here right now."
In Minjun's hand was a black frying pan he had taken out.
"As you mentioned, I have quite a few trivial skills, but... among them, I have one very exceptional skill."
The dragon asked with a puzzled expression,
"What is it? ...Could it be?"
Minjun, with an unchanged expression and a calm face, spoke in a deep voice.
With confidence in his eyes,
"To confess the truth, I'm actually better at cooking than at searching for evidence or tracking down culprits."
< 133. No Evil Dragons in the World (5) > End