The Foreigner on the Periphery

To Minjun, the world he knew as a prisoner had always been brimming with malice and absurdity.

If being thrust into the world without consent was an act of violence, then the birth of a prisoner amounted to the most brutal form of manslaughter. It was a life condemned to suffer as a slave for unremembered sins. The plight closely mirrored the teachings of certain religions, which claimed that the hardships of the present life stemmed from the original sin of a past one. It was hard to imagine a more absurd concept.

Because of that, before he recovered even a sliver of his memories, Minjun's outlook on the world had been endlessly cynical and skeptical.

Nevertheless, the faint moments of warmth that occasionally pierced his daily life kept him going. His anger and despair never vanished, but they could be smothered beneath small joys. Dell had once served that role for him. After he came to Earth, he found a similar—if slightly different—solace through emotional bonds with the people around him.

The Dragon Lord had also been one of those individuals, offering unprompted goodwill to Minjun despite his status as a prisoner.

When he saw the corpse, it was only natural that the Minjun of the distant past and the Minjun of the present experienced conflicting emotions, even feeling a sense of guilt. The Dragon Lord had been his friend. Minjun only truly realized it after he was dead. Staring at the remains of such a being while mapping out butchery methods in his head was not something a decent person would do.

Yet, Minjun also knew that a person was always interpreted subjectively. It was exceedingly difficult to perfectly grasp an individual's true nature from the outside, hidden beneath a single layer of skin or a coat of scales.

But he had never expected it to be this difficult.

Minjun agonized over it.

After returning to his hotel room, he fell into deep thought.

If Raymond's hypothesis is correct, then Rod's death was highly likely a suicide.

Raymond believed it had been an attempt to transfer his soul. If the process had succeeded, the soul would have moved into a secretly hidden eighteenth child. The seventeen children whose existences were already confirmed either did not resemble their father enough or had yet to hatch.

That was why Raymond had wanted to use the artifact to find the resurrected Rod and uncover the secret to his success.

Then what about that will?

What exactly was supposed to happen in ninety-nine days?

Contemplating his future course of action, Minjun first imagined what would happen if he simply did nothing.

For starters, the new Dragon Lord...

The behind-the-scenes maneuvering for the Ancient Dragons' election was unfolding in a bizarre manner.

For some unknown reason, Callieter had declared her support for Jenkinson. The dragons who owed her debts, felt a sense of friendship toward her, or were simply obligated to follow her orders had all joined her. By sheer numbers alone, it was already a faction that could not be ignored.

On top of that, there were members of the Dragon Race who had originally supported the Dragon Lord. From the moment the will was made public, they had stood on Jenkinson's side. Rod might have been treated as an eccentric during his life, but there were young dragons who genuinely respected him. Minjun guessed they were dragons who had received private assistance from him. Unlike other members of the Dragon Race who only cared about themselves, Minjun knew that Rod had often secretly engaged in such "charitable activities" while alive. That was exactly why this entire situation was so confusing. Regardless, those dragons had also secretly sent their declarations of support to Jenkinson. They urged him not to give up or abstain, but to become the next Dragon Lord and carry on the deceased's will.

Even just counting these factions, Jenkinson had secured a formidable number of votes.

Furthermore...

What if Raymond is added to this?

He was also one of the prominent candidates for the position of the next Dragon Lord.

Minjun had turned such a candidate into his absolute servant.

It was a massive incident, completely incomparable to brainwashing some thirty-odd racist assemblymen in a neighboring country.

If I make Raymond withdraw right before the vote, and then have him exert his influence to ensure all the other dragons under his sway choose Jenkinson...

Unless they had chosen a life of seclusion, the majority of dragons on Earth were closely intertwined politically, economically, and socially.

The main factor determining the direction of those relationships was "power."

The young dragons whose businesses could go bankrupt with a single word from Raymond would have no choice but to follow his instructions.

Isn't this already more than enough votes?

Minjun realized that he had become a sort of kingmaker, capable of deciding the next Dragon Lord of Earth.

The problem was that he could not be entirely certain if he should actually do it.

Making Jenkinson the next Dragon Lord was the deceased's dying wish. Handing the heart over to the next Dragon Lord was also his intent. At first, I thought he was just passing his power to a dragon with a similar disposition. But what if that isn't the case?

Some dragons believed Rod's heart was a time bomb. They thought it was a final counterattack meant to strike a blow against the Ancient Race managing his corpse.

Minjun had dismissed that as utter nonsense. He knew the Princess of Endelion would never break her oath and steal the Dragon Heart.

But what if the target of that bomb wasn't the Committee... but the successor who would actually receive the heart?

If he really did something to the Dragon Heart, Jenkinson might be in danger if he gets his hands on it.

Minjun focused on the contents of the will once more.

In the event that a direct descendant fails to find the culprit, the heart shall pass to Jenkinson.

Why had he attached such a condition?

Minjun tried to imagine a scenario where a direct descendant actually found the killer.

It wouldn't be one of the seventeen children people already knew about, but a completely unheard-of dragon.

He pictured a scene where a dragon covered entirely in golden scales, looking exactly like the deceased, appeared and claimed to be his hidden child.

He imagined that child instantly revealing the culprit and easily inheriting the Dragon Heart.

The soul housed within that body would probably not belong to the young dragon itself.

...!

Even thinking about it for a moment gave him goosebumps.

It was still all just speculation, but...

Then I just need to find the evidence.

Minjun decided to focus on the core of the problem.

If Rod really had killed his own child and stolen their body, did Minjun have the right to condemn him?

No.

However, if Minjun had also been a part of the scheme he'd woven, and if the inherited legacy was just a stepping stone to achieve Rod's plans... If the deceased had merely been trying to use Minjun, was he still Minjun's friend?

No, he wasn't.

"..."

He made a decision.

"Kentius, I need to see Rod's corpse for myself."

It was the very first thing he should have done upon returning to Hong Kong, but he had been delayed because of Raymond.

"If the speculation is true, then Rod's killer is himself, right? Because it's suicide. In any case, if we present that evidence and prove it, the will takes effect, and the Dragon Heart passes to you."

"But did he really commit suicide? That final sight we witnessed was..."

Minjun knew exactly why he was hesitating.

Both of them remembered the sight of Hong Kong's tallest building collapsing.

Rod was a dragon who paid such close attention to minor details that he had neatly sealed off the water and gas pipes when destroying his private legacy vault building in New York. He had prepared for what would happen after his death that meticulously.

It was hard to imagine that someone like him would concoct a plan that involved bringing down an entire building so violently.

Minjun said,

"For something Rod did, the aftermath was far too messy and poorly handled. Maybe it just wasn't executed perfectly according to plan. An accident could have occurred in the final stage. Even if no evidence was left in the surroundings, there might be something left on the corpse itself. I wasn't able to personally examine his body up close that day."

Before she left, Dell had stored the corpse in the underground level of the Dimension Jump Terminal managed by the Committee. She had also made arrangements so that any dragon who wished to could view it, though physical contact was strictly forbidden.

However, after discussions among the Dragon Race, a few conditions were attached to that arrangement.

"In order to view the corpse, one must bring an Ancient Dragon alongside them as a witness."

"Let's try contacting Jenkinson."

But the last remaining friend he had among the dragons—the final bastion keeping Minjun's respect for the humanity of dragons intact—did not reply.

"...Seems he's busy. Hmm, and Raymond still hasn't recovered his senses."

After the interrogation was over, Raymond had asked for Minjun's permission to return to his Lair, where he had immediately passed out.

Both he and Kentius had received treatment from Yuntus, but the sheer scale of the injuries they had sustained prior to that was on a completely different level. Raymond, who had consumed a vastly greater amount of life force, needed time to rest and recover. It was just like how Choi Seona hadn't been able to wake up for a while even after she was healed.

It was while Minjun was deep in thought.

"...Huh?"

Kentius, who had been looking out the window, let out a confused sound.

"What's wrong?"

Following his gaze, Minjun's eyes also widened in surprise.

—Dun! Dun dun dun!

A grand burst of music echoed from outside. That time had come again today. The once-a-day laser show hosted by the city government. It had been swiftly resumed in an effort to erase the tragedy of the ICC Building from people's minds as quickly as possible and attract tourists back. Of course, the intentions of the Ancient Dragon ruling over Hong Kong were heavily reflected in that decision.

A few pedestrians, who looked less like they had come out to watch the show and more like they had stumbled upon the spectacle while passing by, stopped in their tracks. They whispered among themselves.

"...Oh? It's been a while since it came out again, hasn't it?"

"A dragon is still a dragon, huh. A building collapsed and so many people died just a few days ago, but it's already got a mind to go pull that crazy shit? What a psychopath."

By then, Kentius had already stepped closer to the window and was shouting outside.

"Leo!"

The dragon who had vanished without a trace right after they met at the mansion was now dancing in the air, having reverted to his true form as a Lightning Dragon. He became part of the show, bouncing and shattering the strands of lasers against his body. He moved his long form, decorating the skyline above the skyscrapers.

Today, Kentius had learned his friend's true identity. An experimental subject that had taken over a body whose original soul had been wiped away. In the past, he would have interpreted that behavior differently, but now it just looked like a desperate, miserable struggle.

Just then.

"Huh?"

The trajectory of Leo dancing in the sky gradually began to shift in a strange way.

He slithered lazily above Hong Kong Island, and then, as if deciding he had drawn enough attention, slowly started moving north. He headed straight forward, cutting directly across Victoria Harbour.

His head was aimed across the water toward the Kowloon Peninsula, where Minjun was. However, his path was skewed much further to the east than the Hotel.

Minjun tried to gauge what was over in that direction. A few facilities flashed through his mind. And then...

"...Wait, don't tell me?!"

   *

The captain in charge of piloting Korean Air Flight KE681 was fraught with tension, just as he was every other time.

The plane he was steering had departed from Incheon Airport exactly three hours and twenty minutes ago and was scheduled to land at Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong in about five minutes.

Feeling a slight film of sweat forming on his palms, the captain swallowed a curse inwardly.

Seriously, this dog-shit airport!

After Hong Kong was reclaimed by the newly established Guangdong Federation, the British plans to construct a new airport were entirely scrapped, leaving the infamous Kai Tak International Airport in operation to this day. The airport was already thoroughly cursed by passengers for its aging facilities and confusing interior, but it was notorious among airplane pilots for an entirely different reason.

The captain stared out past the city center drenched in brilliant lights, looking toward the runway that stretched out over the water like a beam of light. To reach it, there was still one trial left to overcome. The plane was already dropping its altitude. Flight KE681 descended, flying precariously right above the heads of the high-rise buildings, including the Kowloon Walled City.

The people down below would be met with the sight of an excessively massive airplane the moment they raised their heads. It was a low-altitude flight that made one question if it was even legal to fly this low—a descent where it was difficult to tell whether the plane was landing or outright crashing.

Amidst that situation, the captain prepared for a sharp turn.

It was a gateway he had to pass through every single time due to the surrounding terrain. As if the area around the runway being a densely populated zone packed with skyscrapers wasn't bad enough, the nearby mountains meant he even had to pull off stunts bordering on acrobatic flying.

Licking his dry lips, the captain called out the altitude, and the co-pilot repeated it back.

Just then.

"...?!"

An urgent voice crackled out from the communications radio. The two pilots strained their ears to hear the transmission from the control tower.

They hadn't seen it yet, but it sounded like an unauthorized Flying Object was crossing the waters from Hong Kong Island and rapidly approaching. It was hurtling toward the Kowloon Peninsula, where the airport was located, at an incredibly fast speed.

Having recognized it, the control tower sent out a transmission that defied all common sense. Instead of ordering the unauthorized aircraft to alter its course, they ordered every single 'normal' airplane in the vicinity to turn around. That included Flight KE681, which was right in the middle of preparing to land.

The captain practically screamed. At this point?!

"What kind of crazy bastard is...!"

He couldn't finish his sentence. The co-pilot suddenly shrieked.

"O-Over there...!"

Only then did the captain spot it with his naked eyes, feeling his breath catch in his throat.

A long object wreathed entirely in blue lightning was approaching them. Having already left the radius of the laser show, he raced through the sky like a moving neon sign, as if demanding that every single citizen of Hong Kong fix their eyes upon him. Crackle! Lightning constantly sizzled across his scales.

"A dragon!"

Right after shouting that out, the captain witnessed an even more terrifying sight.

He's... He's descending?!

Was he actually planning to touch down on the runway like an airplane?

However, after grasping the dragon's trajectory, he quickly realized the truth.

The dragon wasn't aiming for the airport, but for another facility that shared the adjacent plot of land.

"...The Dimension Jump Terminal?!"

Whenever the Committee established a Terminal capable of traveling to the outer realms, they always chose the local space station or the most rapid planetary transportation hub available. Since not every extraterrestrial could utilize long-distance Teleport magic like the Ancient Race, they designated the most effective location for transit connections.

In the case of Earth, the facility fulfilling that role was the airport.

Thus, the Committee had constructed an artificial island right next to the airport and built their facility there.

Taking its name from the region just like the airport, the Kai Tak Dimension Jump Terminal was the private property of the Committee. And Leo, who was heading straight for it, knew full well. He knew exactly how heavy of a bounty the Committee placed on the heads of criminals who attempted acts of terrorism on their private property.

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