< 168. Hate to Hate (6) >
That night, as Roybert forgot the painful memories and slept in supreme bliss and contentment.
The largest shareholder of the world's biggest magic stone processing and development company, the pharmaceutical tycoon holding the indefinite patent for troll serum treatment, and the unofficial guardian of the Japanese royal family all faced the same unwelcome guest.
Before dawn, Minjun, who had thoroughly fed Eladkei, Peterjen, and Aramasa, finally sighed in relief.
'Should I call it a day here?'
Finishing the brainwashing of four... no, four Elder Dragons so quickly was no easy task even for the now stronger Minjun. Even now, he felt phantom echoes of the frying pan's blows in his ears.
'You said you couldn't take any more?'
The frying pan groaned with exhaustion.
=Please spare me! I truly can't continue any longer.=
The one that had taken on the form of a dagger to drain blood had reverted to its original pan form. It had expended quite a bit of energy.
=This is my first time controlling so many Elder Dragons at once. If we add more, one of them might regain their sanity. For safety's sake, it's best to stop here.=
Brainwashing sentient beings was indeed on a different level of difficulty compared to animals.
=I'm not sure what would happen if we absorbed more soul fragments, but this is the limit for now.=
'Got it. Let's stop here.'
He had not dealt with all the "opponents" mentioned by Jenkinson, who had no idea what was happening. But considering that many dragons who had opposed him had suddenly changed their attitudes, it might raise suspicion.
Dragons were not fools. If all the silent opponents suddenly changed their stance, it would seem suspicious to them.
Minjun's goal was for the dragons to hold an emergency meeting, recognize the ancient races' conspiracy, and secretly decide to assist Minjun. Moreover, it would be even better if the election could be moved up.
'Next Dragon Lord...'
As he thought about it, he couldn't help but recall the prophecy.
Since he couldn't contact the prophet by phone anymore, he had received an update when he secretly visited the prophet.
-Agent! You will become the new Dragon Lord of Earth!
He had nearly snapped at the orc councilor spouting that nonsense. It was as insulting as when Jeong-pal had said it. In modern terms, Dragon Lord meant Dragon.
But after hearing the continued words, his thoughts changed.
'The master of dragons. The ruler of dragons.'
Was that what "Lord" meant in this context?
There were a few concerns.
'I'm trying to escape from Earth now, but I'm supposed to be here in about 90 days?'
The escape from Earth might fail, or it might not be necessary at all. A positive interpretation could be returning after absorbing Darlands from another world.
And.
'Ultimately, is the plan for me to rule over the dragon race? Does all this current struggle mean nothing?'
Or is this just a stepping stone to the next stage? He couldn't tell for now.
He also had no intention of changing or abandoning his plans due to the prophecy. Perhaps it was a future that would come as a price for his success.
At the moment Minjun was deep in thought while holding the frying pan.
"Um, Agent?"
A cautious voice spoke.
"Hmm?"
Minjun turned his head.
It was Ha-eun. He had deactivated the polymorph and returned to his dragon form. There were unusually many security forces around Aramasa's Kyoto lair, where Minjun had last hit the dragon. Therefore, Ha-eun had intentionally returned to his dragon form to facilitate emergency response.
"Everything's done, right? You're not going to continue, are you? I think I've reached my limit. If I continue to project out of body any longer today, my physical body might die."
He spoke with a tentative tone, fearing Minjun's anger. But it was the truth. Contrary to expectations, the real body had not fully recovered. A body poorly controlled by the spirit would go cold.
Minjun stared at him.
"Y-you're serious..."
Ha-eun was flustered and did not realize that Minjun was looking at the 'Dragon Ha-eun,' not the 'Ghost Ha-eun.'
The dragon, who had rapidly lost weight after being deprived of the frying pan's magic, had ended up somewhere between obesity and overweight. This appearance naturally evoked memories of the old days.
'Old dragons used to look just like that.'
Indeed, it was similar to Ha-eun now. Though the dragon body was still young and of that size, in the old days, even when fully grown, dragons were about twice the height of a human. If raised in the wild, they would have put on this much weight.
As Minjun reminisced about the peaceful times, his eyes softened. Seeing that face, Ha-eun felt a slight sense of relief.
'It's a bit less scary now, though?'
Then he interpreted the situation with his own logic.
'Well, I did work really hard today. If you have eyes, you can't miss that. Even he must feel that he overworked me.'
As dawn broke, Minjun's deep gaze fell upon Ha-eun. The ghost in the dragon's body drew its own conclusions.
'If he were human, he'd feel sympathy. If he had a conscience. Well, it's only natural.'
It seemed like a good opportunity while the employer's heart was softened, but Minjun decided not to be too forward.
'I should wait a bit more and then at least bring up the topic. I need to figure out how the debt calculation is going. Whether it's the Arctic or Antarctic, can't I get extra remote area allowance or something while staying there?'
Coincidentally, at that moment, Minjun's thoughts were also turning from 'Dragon Ha-eun' back to the topic of 'Ghost Ha-eun.'
'The time for out-of-body projection is getting longer, but there's no body rejection? It's the opposite of common sense. Who baptized this guy?'
And he reached a firm conclusion.
'Anyway, I definitely need to take him with me when I escape to another world.'
The intentions of the involved parties were irrelevant.
Beep! Beep-beep!
A small noise. At the same time, he noticed a faint red light glimmering at the edge of his vision.
It occupied a very small portion of the hologram in mid-air, but its presence was significant. It captured and drew attention from the human eye. Annoyingly so.
He ignored it. Trying to focus on his work.
'This month's feed consumption has decreased.'
He checked which dragon ate less feed. If it seemed serious, he would issue instructions for action. The automated barn management system would move that dragon to a special location. Then he would check for any abnormal body temperature in the creatures...
Beep! Beep-beep!
The alarm continued to sound. He frowned. It seemed that it wasn't only the man who was uncomfortable because of it.
"Grr! Hmph!"
At his feet, Adkiel, who was napping on the natural wood floor, blew a gust of air. The alarm had woken him up. The dragon lay on its back, with its belly exposed, and its legs curled up, opening one eye slightly. He protested once more. "Grr!" It meant he wanted something done about the noise.
Judging that his will had been sufficiently conveyed, the dragon closed his eyes again. But.
Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Beep-beep!
The alarm grew louder and louder, and the owner left it unattended. So, the dragon covered its eyes and ears with its wings. Of course, that didn't mean it couldn't hear. Adkiel sighed deeply and blew a long gust of air.
"Hmph!"
Eventually, the dragon rose and glared at his master with a face full of dissatisfaction. 'I can't live like this.' Thud, thud. The sound of footsteps echoed as he disappeared into a place where no sound could reach.
Even after the guide dragon left, the man tried to ignore the noise for a while.
But eventually, the limit was reached.
'Damn it, what the hell is going on?!'
If he cut the call unilaterally, the sound would stop.
But that was not possible.
He had clearly warned the government. Never to contact him first unless it was an emergency. If they needed something, he would reach out. Yet, if they contacted him despite knowing it would upset him, it must be something truly urgent.
Of course, from the government's perspective.
In other words, from his viewpoint, it might not be so urgent.
'Let's see. I hope it's just another minor issue like last time!'
He reached out toward the red light.
Pop!
The hologram shape instantly changed. The display of the barn management system moved to a corner, and the video call interface appeared. The satellite-mediated video showed the interior of a building on a distant planet.
He addressed the woman in the video with a dismissive tone.
"What's the matter?"
Had it been hundreds of years since she had shown her face in front of these kids?
"Ah... Ah!"
The woman's expression hardened when their eyes met. The silence was brief. Soon, her gaze began to shake uncontrollably, and various emotions surged and boiled.
Then.
Sniffle! Sniffle!
Tears welled up in her eyes and eventually overflowed. Quietly. Continuously.
He muttered inwardly.
'This is maddening.'
Still, crying quietly was a relatively good response. He watched in silence, knowing that saying things like, 'Why are you crying? Don't do that. Calm down,' would only pour oil on the fire. Understanding that, he waited quietly.
Indeed, the woman, who had interpreted the silence as a sign of discomfort and warning, spoke up. Wiping her tears and cheeks with a handkerchief she had prepared.
"I-I'm sorry."
A voice thick with moisture.
He tilted his head slightly, as if not wanting to wait too long. The woman seemed to be struggling to compose herself, but not as quickly as he had hoped.
He knew. This displeased expression and the voice she had shown to them would be recorded and managed as permanent government historical records. When he first heard the plan, he had nearly lost his temper. He had intended to threaten the government to stop shipping until that bizarre plan was retracted.
But his mentor had dissuaded him.
It might be better to overlook that much. These kids are desperate to worship you, and you just keep pushing them away. It's better to allow a little leeway. Otherwise, they might explode someday.
What does a civilization with all its basic needs solved and a standardized quality of life turn its attention to?
Their answer was happiness. Not a relative concept, but absolute happiness. Happiness without thresholds or wear. Those who had obtained this happiness wanted to enjoy it for even longer.
For example, forever.
And he was working to meet their hopes and expectations on this remote planet. That's why he was being worshipped.
What determines the nobility that distinguishes people from one another?
...I'm sorry. I showed an ugly sight in front of the noble one.
She barely stopped her sobbing and bowed her head. The woman on the screen did not ask about his well-being, exchange empty pleasantries, or unexpectedly praise his achievements to show respect. He despised such things intensely. Therefore, she got straight to the point.
We have encountered a problem that we cannot solve with our foolishness...
Her eyes were filled with anxiety.
The brain's endless supply of happiness didn't mean all other emotions were suppressed. Anxiety and worry were also essential elements that made a person human.
However, the endless happiness from their backsides helped prevent negative emotions from breaking people down and completely consuming them. When despair, unhappiness, depression, and sadness passed, it helped them stand back up and face forward.
He tried to avoid getting annoyed and asked.
"Is it a farm issue?"
Yes.
"Why, did a dragon eat another dragon? I'm already looking into that, so don't worry."
Ah, indeed! You had already anticipated it. We are truly grateful. However, this problem is about a cultivation-type farm, not a barn-type. Specifically, it concerns the byproducts of an old farm we used to operate...
After a few more words, he twitched his eyebrows.
"You're talking about those creatures cultivated with soul fragments?"
Yes, noble one. That's correct.
"That experiment was discontinued, wasn't it? Due to ethical concerns."
Yes, that's right. It was so long ago that you might not remember, but after the experiment ended, we created an environment for the subjects to live on a remote planet.
He racked his memory.
Indeed, such an event had occurred.
We did not interfere so that they could live freely among themselves, but this time a different species disaster occurred on that planet...
"What kind of disaster? Bugs?"
It's likely an intelligent species.
He widened his eyes.
"No way! When we released them, all species capable of building spaceships were extinct except for us! And they shouldn't have evolved to that level yet..."
Th-These new species did not come to the planet by spaceship.
"Then?"
It seems they crossed the universe in their bare bodies. And they are killing the old subjects indiscriminately... It doesn't seem to be for consumption. There are also analyses suggesting it's a form of hostility. As you know, since their ownership is still with you, we cannot intervene without permission...
The following words were even more shocking.
If this continues, we worry that the old subjects might become extinct. It's not that we have no means to respond, but the size difference is too great.
"How big are they?"
When simply compared by body length, the invading species is 6,000 times the size of the subjects.
"...?!"
The average height of the released subjects on that planet was human size.
But 6,000 times...
"Are you saying their body length is 12 kilometers?!"
< 168. Hate to Hate (6) > End