<139. There Are No Bad Dragons in This World (11)>
After ending the magical communication, Minjun began weighing the possibilities.
What if he found the one who killed the Lord?
Kentius, who had been brainwashed by him, would receive the Dragon Heart, and the anti-Committee ideologist, who carried a bounty of 770,000 talents, would be delivered.
It wasn't an option that interested him before due to its low likelihood of success, but now even a small clue had emerged.
Even if he failed, there was no harm in trying.
He reconfirmed with Kentius.
"If the plan succeeds, the condition is that the Dragon Heart will be yours. Inais agreed to this too, right?"
"That's right. She interpreted the Lord's will conservatively. She believes that to honor his legacy, the heart must remain whole and undivided, regardless of who inherits it. Taking various factors into account, she decided to yield the heart to me. In return, she will claim part of the other inheritance that I'll receive."
This was all under the assumption that Kentius would find the culprit within 99 days.
Minjun remarked with some surprise, "She's still incubating her eggs, so her maternal instincts should be intact. And yet, she's willing to give up something that could end up belonging to her own child?"
Minjun pondered briefly. The Lord desired a dragon that looked exactly like him, covered head to toe in golden scales?
Well, perhaps that made sense.
But in nature, such a feat would be extraordinarily difficult. For a hatchling to perfectly resemble its father…
A thought about a certain lifeform flashed through Minjun's mind.
"Who knows. If an Ober spider devours a dragon's testicles and then births soldier spiders from them, would a replica of that male dragon be born? At least the appearance might be identical. Even so, it would be a degraded version with an extremely short lifespan."
In nature, the birth of hybrids between dragons and non-dragon species is impossible.
However...
"Still, artificially created mutant hybrids already exist, don't they?"
It was an intriguing question. Deciding to think more deeply about it later, Minjun turned his attention elsewhere.
"Grrr!"
Bogor, who had lost consciousness, was waking up. Thanks to his monstrous body, he recovered more quickly than Halisenim, despite suffering a more severe attack.
As Bogor stared at him with dazed eyes, Minjun cast a suggestion. The Black Dragon muttered in a dull tone.
"I… fought Kentius… lost… He took the inheritance… I gave up… and ran…"
Minjun thought he seemed even dumber than before but didn't dwell on it. Under the implanted suggestion, Bogor carefully bit Halisenim's nape, like a mother cat carrying her kittens, and flew off, disappearing beyond the horizon. Watching him leave, Minjun reflected that he would need to continue regularly delivering feed—no, meals—prepared in a frying pan. It was well worth the effort, given the effectiveness.
Minjun watched the staggering dragon's retreat as the setting sun cast its glow on the horizon, signaling the end of a long day.
Minjun returned to New York with Kentius. As soon as he reappeared, he noticed the significant drop in the usual stares following him. The public announcement Kentius had made was having its intended effect.
Upon confirming that the inheritance had passed to Kentius, heirs who lacked the confidence to challenge him quickly gave up. Though he had been overpowered by the mutant Bogor, Kentius was undeniably a strong individual. Moreover, with Minjun accompanying him, neither the reason nor the courage to provoke him remained.
Before heading back to the residence, Minjun went grocery shopping again. Ha Eunseong welcomed him as he arrived, accompanied by Kentius, who was laden with enough supplies to feed a homeless shelter.
"Oh, you're back?"
"Pack your bags. We're leaving for Hong Kong today."
"...?!"
There was no explanation, but Ha Eunseong took it in stride. While he packed, Minjun positioned himself in front of the kitchen. He dumped all the purchased ingredients together and started cooking—this time, for Kentius.
Minjun planned to stay with him for a while to search for clues about the Lord's murderer. To maintain the suggestion's effect for as long as possible, he intended to keep Kentius well-fed.
Gone was the initial care in preparing meals. Minjun roughly stir-fried the ingredients to the extent that the suggestion's influence would take hold and served it. Despite its atrocious appearance, Kentius relished the dish with great satisfaction.
"Mmm! As expected, this is amazing. You're truly the best chef in the dimensional realms."
Ha Eunseong looked at the scene with an expression of distaste.
Once, he had revered Minjun's cooking utensils almost religiously. He had longed for food made with them, believing that even artificially induced happiness held meaning if it was guaranteed.
But now, watching Kentius from a third-person perspective…
"…I don't want to eat that."
His thoughts had changed. Despite the tempting aroma, Ha Eunseong deliberately turned away and continued packing. He didn't dare ask Minjun what he planned to do with the dragon. Though unnerving, he felt no sympathy for the creature. It was a dragon, after all. Dragons deserve whatever comes their way.
"Hmm."
While Kentius savored his bliss and Ha Eunseong suppressed his unease and bitterness, Minjun finally focused on a task he had been postponing.
In his hand was a metallic cube retrieved from a private vault.
At last, he had the time to study it. Examining the subdimensional item, Minjun sighed.
"How much effort did you put into this? Even for an ancient dragon… this must have been quite the ordeal."
The item was intricately designed, complex, and sealed with extraordinary precision. A regular mage wouldn't even dream of opening it. At best, they would give up and destroy it outright.
But Minjun was confident.
He was no ordinary mage.
After all, he had once deciphered the workings of a soul-transfer magic circle created by Kabaite with just a glance.
"This much is nothing."
He leisurely analyzed the structure, channeling magic to figure out how to unlock the cube.
Fifteen minutes later, Minjun was overwhelmed with the urge to smash the thing to pieces.
"No, what the hell was the Lord thinking when he made this?!"
Minjun felt a surge of anger.
At the same time, Minjun revised his evaluation of the cube in his hand.
"It's intricate, but… intricately malicious in design."
If compared to a physical structure, the lock existed, but no matching key could ever be crafted—because the lock's keyhole had been welded shut.
Moreover, if someone abandoned making a key and tried to forcibly break it open, the cube was designed to immediately transport its contents into the Abyss, rendering them irretrievable.
In essence, it was impossible to access again.
Minjun let out a quiet sigh.
"They've designed it so you can't intervene, even if you fully understand its structure."
Had the Lord given him a gift that couldn't even be opened?
Not exactly.
The key to unlocking the mangled lock wasn't something one could physically hold. Instead, it was a universal element known and shared by all, yet owned by none.
Minjun uttered the key's name aloud.
"Time."
He muttered, "This is essentially a timed device, isn't it?"
While it was indeed a bomb, it wasn't designed to harm its owner. When the right moment arrived, the magical bomb inside the cube would break its outer shell and safely reveal its contents.
Minjun interpreted the Lord's intent this way: The Lord wanted Minjun to discover and claim what lay inside the cube at a precise moment.
After a brief contemplation, he sensed something and lifted his head.
Although many of the watchful gazes following him since his return to New York had faded, not all had vanished. One gaze, in particular, was now brazenly approaching him.
"Coming straight at me like this?"
Minjun rose from his seat and walked toward the front door. The approaching entity wasn't a dragon but one of their subordinates. It also didn't seem hostile or poised to attack.
Passing by Kentius, who was immersed in his meal, Minjun opened the door.
"What is it?"
Standing before him was a sharply dressed Asian man.
"Good evening, Agent."
The man greeted him politely in English, with a refined British accent. After bowing slightly, he retrieved an envelope from his coat and handed it to Minjun.
"…"
Minjun carelessly tore open the fine silk envelope, and his eyebrows twitched at the contents. The man in the suit spoke.
"My master has extended an invitation to the two of you. He anticipated that your business here might be concluded by now. We hope you will accept the invitation. My master eagerly awaits the pleasure of your company."
Without waiting for a response, the man bowed once more and disappeared. Minjun didn't stop him. Instead, he held the letter and approached Kentius.
"Hey."
"Whurf is it now?" Kentius, lost in the ecstasy of his meal, looked up with his mouth stuffed.
"We just received an invitation. Addressed to both you and me."
"Where to?"
Minjun's voice sharpened.
"Hong Kong."
"…?!"
It just so happened they had been planning to head to Hong Kong to search for clues about the Lord's killer.
The timing of this invitation couldn't be mere coincidence.
Moreover, the one who sent the invitation was…
Minjun read the signature at the bottom of the letter.
Among the dragons who had settled on Earth, the ancient ones dominating the financial world often adopted local names instead of their true ones. Notable examples included Jenkinson, who had immigrated to the U.S., and Changcheon, who had long operated in China.
The name on the letter was similar in nature.
Raymond Wong.
Minjun smirked, amused.
"So, this is how you want to play?"
Raymond Wong was the ruler of Hong Kong and the very dragon Inais had accused of killing the Lord.
The invitation was simple: join him for tea. However, no agenda was specified.
Minjun's mind raced with various possibilities.
"Well, this one's no lightweight, that's for sure."
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Kentius gulped down the food in his mouth.
"What's your plan? Will you go?"
Minjun contemplated. The other party had made the first move, as if they already knew everything.
"That dragon is a candidate for the next Dragon Lord, right? Busy gathering votes and making backroom deals… He wouldn't bother inviting us for no reason."
Was it possible Inais's suspicions about Raymond Wong had leaked?
Though he couldn't be certain, Minjun believed there was a connection.
He made his decision.
"Fine. Let's meet him."
Whether it was a trap, a negotiation attempt, or something else entirely, uncovering the dragon's intentions was worth the risk.
Meanwhile, Ha Eunseong, who had been listening to their conversation, sighed.
In his entire life, he had never met someone as frequently and deeply entangled with dragons as Minjun. For most people, encountering even one of those terrifying creatures in a lifetime would be rare.
The ghost muttered to himself.
"Did he swear vengeance against dragons in a past life or something?"
<139. There Are No Bad Dragons (11)> End