< 148. There Are No Bad Dragons in the World (20) >
Min-jun could not understand Leo's actions.
Firstly, the act of terror itself was meaningless. Despite showing impressive skill for a young dragon, such lightning would only damage passenger facilities, docking areas, and landscaping zones.
Min-jun could see that. The most important facility, where the guidance system was located, was intact even amidst the raging firestorm around it.
Moreover, if Leo was going to be apprehended anyway, why surrender so readily? Why not even attempt to escape?
"My god!"
At that moment, Kentheus screamed.
"Could it be... because of what I said?!"
"What do you mean?"
Min-jun knew about the private conversation just before their meeting with the great dragon at Raymond's mansion. But he didn't know the details of their discussion.
The dragon explained hesitantly.
"Leo said he wanted to abandon his body forever. He would be happy with any other race, not just a dragon."
His condition was not simply a case of racial identity disorder. As Raymond had explained, the dragon's own soul had been pushed out, and the possessing soul had come to loathe that body.
-This is wrong! I hate being a dragon! I hate being a dragon!
Leo's lamenting voice seemed to echo in Min-jun's ears.
"So I told him. There is only one way I know to change bodies without dying."
Min-jun's face twisted in dismay at the following words.
"Rehabilitation labor for prisoners?"
He looked at Kentheus with one eye while staring at the scene over the terminal several kilometers away with the other.
He spoke incredulously.
"So he did all this? To switch bodies from a dragon to another? Even if it meant erasing all memories and forced labor?"
Min-jun had to revise his previous assessment of Leo.
He wasn't just a madman.
He felt an intense madness from him, worse than anything he had experienced recently.
'Is this the effect of possessing a dragon's soul? But Haeun-sung isn't like this. That guy is a bit stupid, clueless, prone to delusions, clumsy, has poor judgment, and is bad at assessing situations and himself, and has extreme mood swings, but... he never showed such madness?'
This was a choice one could make without understanding the life of a prisoner.
It's a life where a blade is pressed right below the neck, and you are forced to run over a pit of fire while shackled.
It's more being dragged than living. It's being trapped in the hell of existence.
Min-jun felt a pang of pity. Leo had reacted so strongly against his condition that he could no longer think clearly.
He clicked his tongue.
'You've made the worst choice.'
Min-jun remembered Theo Christiansen. The compensation for killing one prisoner was set at 200,000 dalant.
The charge was property damage.
And the committee values the terminal more than the life of a single prisoner. The compensation for Leo would surpass that of the dark mage thrown into the abyss.
'It's the worst for you, but for other dragons, it's actually a beneficial choice.'
Leo was the experiment closest to success.
Conversely, it meant he was the most excellent failure.
Raymond had planned to give up on occupying his body and secretly record the traits he displayed as he grew, to use in the next experiment.
What if a dragon who hates dragons continued to age and reached the age of a great dragon?
It would be the birth of a second Jang Tae-jun.
Min-jun knew of a dragon tainted with self-hatred who wanted to erase all other dragons and purify the world. He didn't know what kind of upbringing led to that state.
In any case, unlike Jang Tae-jun, Leo was captured by the committee before he could fully develop the ability and background to express his hatred for dragons.
'Moreover, did he think he could just receive any race's body for labor rehabilitation?'
Though he said any race other than a dragon was acceptable, one could not predict how his thoughts would change after being reborn.
Prisoners often experience rejection when frequently changing bodies. It's one of the reasons their mental state deteriorates easily.
Min-jun felt a sense of pity towards Leo.
Pow!
Del in the sky above the terminal summoned particles of light into the air. They coalesced into the size of coins and then multiplied endlessly. Each light bundle intertwined to form a sharp chain that encircled the dragon, capable of tearing through its bones and scales with enough force to subdue it.
Seeing this, Leo limply let his body sag. There was no sign of resistance.
Del, confirming that the opponent was completely subdued, looked around the terminal and its surroundings.
She felt a sense of surprise and unfamiliarity at her own anger. Her rage was not solely due to Leo's terror. Del was also thinking about the near-disaster. A plane had almost crashed into the city center, yet none of the countless dragons present in the city had intervened.
She could guess the reason. Unlike the ICC building, the terminal was owned by the committee. There might have been dragons who welcomed the terror.
Moreover, it seemed the dragon ruling Hong Kong was absent at this moment. None of them had stepped in.
'For the other dragons, it's not their concern if some humans die in someone else's domain.'
This made her even angrier and feel a greater sense of awkwardness.
Since when had she cared so much about the safety of 'disgusting' mammals?
Rather than dwelling on this discomfort, Del decided to focus on her own tasks.
"Huh?"
At the moment Del made her decision, Kentheus in the hotel room furrowed his brows. Min-jun asked curiously.
"What's wrong?"
"The princess of Endellion just sent me a message."
"To you?"
Kentheus didn't seem like a dragon important enough to warrant a one-on-one message.
Min-jun's suspicion was soon resolved.
"It seems she sent it to all direct heirs of the lord and the great dragons acting as witnesses. As the caretaker of the Dragon Lord's remains."
"At a time like this?"
At this chaotic moment, she focused on her duties as the caretaker of the dragon's remains rather than as a committee administrator?
"Oh, I see."
But after a moment of thought, Min-jun understood the reason.
The lord's remains were stored underground at the site of the terror attack.
Although Leo's attack wouldn't have affected the remains, a large-scale construction would now begin on the artificial island, with various building magic being used.
Since only the committee could handle this construction, numerous aliens and advanced equipment would be involved.
Such activities could impact the barrier, making it an unsuitable location to keep the deceased quietly and discreetly.
'They're going to move the remains.'
He felt a sense of dismay.
He had planned to inspect the remains the next day, but Leo's sudden actions had prevented that.
"Where to?"
Kentheus, focused on the message, replied.
"The closest suitable site that the committee holds a stake in is... in Korea."
Until a few decades ago, the Shanghai terminal was the closest.
But that once top commercial city in China had become a land of zombies due to the Chinese Civil War triggered by the Guangdong independence declaration. The committee had naturally closed the terminal there.
Min-jun nodded, recalling the past.
"But doesn't Jenkins also have a stake in that terminal?"
"He agreed as well. They're moving it today."
"Hm, then for now…"
"Huh?"
Before Min-jun could finish, Kentheus murmured as if sensing something.
"Another message just came in."
"Is it Del again?"
"No."
Kentheus turned his head and mentioned the name of a dragon.
The reason Min-jun needed to see Raymond first when he returned to Hong Kong.
The name of his client.
"It's Inais."
In the magical video, the solitary dragon still looked tired.
-I'm trying to find out if there has been any progress. I was surprised by the telepathic message from the princess of Endellion just now.
Since her child is also a direct heir to the lord, it was only natural for Del to contact her as the guardian.
-Kentheus, what exactly is happening in Hong Kong? Why did that kid Leo suddenly attack there?
Then she muttered. 'Even if he was a child desperate for attention, I didn't think he'd be so reckless. Could it be a more severe mental illness than expected?'
Min-jun and Kentheus exchanged glances.
He didn't want to explain everything to Inais. However, as promised when accepting the commission, they needed to share the progress.
Min-jun let Kentheus handle the explanation. Since it would be hard for Inais to believe, it seemed better to use the dragon's mouth.
"Setting aside the story of Leo for now, let's talk about Raymond. We met him today."
Inais's eyes widened. She asked back as if she didn't understand.
So openly? Isn't he likely to notice?
"No, it wasn't our request. He invited us."
Kentheus explained the events in a suitably adapted manner. Of course, he omitted the details about Min-jun fighting and brainwashing Raymond.
Inais's expression became strange as she listened.
So, what you're guessing now is...
"Of course, there's a possibility that Raymond lied."
No, there's no chance of that.
However, there was no way to explain to Inais why they could trust Raymond's statements 100%. So it remained ambiguous.
Kentheus recited from his mental script.
"Inais, you once said that the lord's behavior of having many children seemed to be an attempt to have a child who resembled him the most."
Kentheus's eyes wavered.
"If that's true, everything fits together. We will now seek evidence that he committed suicide."
Inais was silent for a long time.
Min-jun and Kentheus assumed she was in shock and waited for her to come to terms with it.
When she spoke again after some time...
Really, this is... really.
She had an expression that seemed to say what kind of nonsense was this.
This is the most absurd nonsense I've heard since coming to Earth.
"Inais."
Kentheus thought she was in denial due to the shock. He almost felt the same way.
The lord committed suicide? And he produced his own children to use as his new body?!
She had an expression that showed she didn't want to discuss this topic anymore.
Kentheus said with an understanding look.
"I can imagine it's hard to accept. You still carry the lord's egg. But you know, right? The lord always left his mates before the egg hatched. He was interested in ovulation, implantation, development, and laying, but he was never there when it came to hatching. It was always like that."
Inais exhaled in disbelief and laughed. The vine plant hanging from her chin swayed.
The egg I laid, this child inside...
Inais paused while saying "child." Min-jun felt it was similar to stopping just before making a verbal mistake. Inais continued speaking.
... was designed for the lord's new body? Oh my, Kentheus.
She no longer tried to hide her sneer.
You really don't know the lord well enough.
Kentheus said with a sullen expression.
"We didn't have the opportunity or time to get to know him. He was never around us in the first place. But the objective evidence is already sufficient."
I don't know what that evidence is, but I don't want to hear more. But there is one thing you should know. The reason the lord wanted to create as many children resembling himself as possible was...
Inais spoke with a serious look.
He hoped that more dragons resembling him would emerge in this universe. He wanted to spread his genes as widely as possible.
This wasn't about the instinct that any male would have.
The lord knew he was a unique dragon. He was a powerful entity even by dragon standards, classified as a monster. He thought that if dragons with similar traits increased, they could eventually overturn the power dynamics with the committee.
"......"
Kentheus had an unimpressed look, but Inais continued.
Also, he was a dragon who intended to walk this world with non-dragon races. He thought he could engage with them on equal terms rather than dominating and oppressing them. I don't fully understand this part either, but... the lord considered it an important virtue for future dragons.
There were aspects of this that aligned with Min-jun's understanding of the lord.
But...
Was it because the races we ruled over during the war mostly betrayed us and sided with the committee? Anyway, the lord judged his traits as something inherent rather than acquired. He thought there should be more dragons with such tendencies in this world. But... what? Create his own new body? Absurd.
Inais seemed not ready to believe Kentheus's words.
But Min-jun and Kentheus also found it difficult to accept her words deeply.
The conversation ended with differing views on the preservation of the deceased, with no significant progress made.
Inais did not withdraw the commission. She hoped that following any clues of any kind would eventually lead to something.
After the communication ended, Min-jun thought. He didn't place much weight on Inais's words. They were all just speculations and hypotheses.
Instead of focusing on that, Min-jun considered the next steps.
Since he couldn't see the lord's remains here, he needed to go to Korea. The return was sooner than expected.
'While I'm at it, I should meet Seo Seon-ah and hear the accumulated prophecies. And also borrow Jenkins's private laboratory.'
Min-jun recalled the stone fragment he had put in the pocket dimension. It had been taken from the ICC building collapse site, with distinct bloodstains on the surface. It was retrieved by Cassie.
He was still considering the hidden child of the lord. Even with the cube in the pocket dimension set to open in 95 days and reveal the nature of its contents, Min-jun intended to investigate in his own way.
< 148. There Are No Bad Dragons in the World (20) > End