The Foreigner on the Periphery

"Minjun?"

Jenkinson asked again, giving the silent Minjun a puzzled look.

Minjun barely managed to answer. His voice had grown even hoarser.

"I was focusing, trying to remember if I'd ever seen anything similar."

Minjun couldn't tell his friend what he had been thinking, nor what conclusion he had reached. This held true even though Jenkinson was a crucial factor in his decision.

'It's better if he doesn't know yet.'

He forced a calm expression.

"The bottom line is, I don't know either. It's an indecipherable pattern."

"I figured as much."

Minjun naturally assumed as much. Even though he was just a single member of the primordial race, his choice could profoundly impact the resetting of relations between his kind and the Dragon Race.

His thoughts flowed in that direction without any doubt.

*

After parting ways with Jenkinson, Minjun sorted through his complicated thoughts on the way home. It was good that he had set a course for his future actions, but the immediate crisis remained unresolved. He thought about Rod's actions.

'That dragon was genuinely worried about the fate of his race.'

The timescale Rod had in mind was extraordinary, even by dragon standards. He had left a message without knowing when the primordial race would return. Even though that time could be in the distant future, he was worried about descendants that far down the line.

Minjun felt his thoughts shifting.

'Were Inais and Jenkinson right? Maybe Rod wasn't creating a new body after all.'

Minjun had discovered the characteristics of the magical substance carrying his message—the one bound to the genes. It was slightly different from what the primordial race had left behind for livestock management.

The old ranchers had let the data naturally oxidize when their livestock's bloodline became chaotic. There was no need to decipher it anyway. It was meaningless to analyze the lineage of mutts released into the wild, or to keep records for a slaughterhouse that no longer existed.

But Rod's message was different. The genetic information combined with Dragon Race Magic had no significant effect on a descendant's appearance or abilities; it simply remained in the DNA sequence like dark matter or dummy data. Yet, while this information wouldn't manifest externally, it would survive for a long time.

A very long time.

'Raymond's hypothesis doesn't fit Rod. That's not something a dragon who works so hard for his kin would do.'

Leaving a letter in his genes was an act that accounted for the time after his death. Even if he perished, his genes would continue. The more offspring he left behind, the more copies of the manuscript would exist.

'This is... just like...'

Minjun knew what happened in civilizations that developed aerospace technology before making contact with the Committee.

They would try to send messages into space in search of extraterrestrial life. They would draft them in easy-to-understand symbols, load them onto spacecraft, and launch them out beyond the atmosphere into the void. Aimed at an unknown recipient.

It seemed Rod had made a similar attempt on a genetic level.

A letter sent without knowing when or whom it would reach.

'He probably didn't create descendants solely for that purpose. True, there's a limit in that this language only manifests within dragon blood... but there are many ways to leave a letter other than reproduction. Just as Inais said, it might have also served the dual purpose of reproducing dragons who could empathize with him.'

His head ached.

'Then what about his claim that he was looking for a way to avoid death...?'

There are many kinds of death.

'If he wanted as many children as possible, Rod shouldn't have committed suicide. He still had his reproductive abilities.'

In that case, his death had to be a murder.

'Looking for a way to avoid death...'

Raymond had interpreted Rod's words like this: 'I am looking for a way to transcend the limits of my lifespan and live forever.'

Now, Minjun felt it could be interpreted differently.

What if the death he mentioned wasn't suicide, but murder?

...What if Rod was actually looking for a way to avoid being killed by someone?

What if what he said to Raymond was a secret cry for help?

'I need to see Rod's corpse!'

Arriving home, Minjun roughly threw his door open. Kentius, who had been lounging comfortably, turned his head.

"Ah, you're back?"

"Any reply from the Earth Representative Office?"

Del had temporarily blocked the dragons from examining the corpse due to the Hong Kong Terminal incident. Her reasoning was that they needed time to move him to Korea, cast new barriers, and rebuild a fortified defense system.

Minjun had inquired through Kentius about when he could see Rod. When contacting Del was absolutely necessary, he opted for official channels like this. On the surface, it was a perfectly reasonable and official request for Kentius, the direct heir, to inspect his father's corpse.

"No answer yet. Since you brought it up, I'll try contacting them again..."

"...!"

It was then.

-Flash!

Minjun felt a familiar mental wave. It was already the third time he had encountered this kind since coming to Earth. Once at the Terminal in Incheon, and twice in downtown Hong Kong.

It was Telepathy, expressed in the Endelion method.

'Del?!'

She had only contacted Minjun directly once since arriving on Earth.

Even then, she had overextended herself to avoid the Committee's gaze, and ever since, she had been avoiding direct contact as much as possible. This behavior was entirely unlike Del. Perhaps to evade tracking, the thought contained only the simplest of information. It sharply pierced Minjun's mind.

-Danger!

*

"This is truly absurd."

Del glared at the Todd standing before her.

Along with Kavite and Endelion, they were an Ancient Race that formed the backbone of the Committee. The individual who had visited the Earth Representative Office today without prior notice worked for an organization infamous even among their kind.

The Tax Collection Command.

Flames of anger burned in the tentacled monster's eyes. The Todd smiled leisurely. His face, indistinguishable from rock or biological skin, creased into deep wrinkles.

"Although I haven't been in office long, I was officially appointed as the manager here. And you make a dimensional leap without notifying me? For an audit, at that? Do you think it makes any sense that I'm only finding out about something this important now?!"

The Todd soothed her, gesturing for her not to get excited. Even faced with a creature that resembled a massive building or topographical feature compared to his own size, he didn't falter or lose his nerve.

"It couldn't be helped this time. That is why I'm visiting now, albeit belatedly, to ask for your understanding."

"On what grounds?!"

"On these grounds."

The Todd spread his stubby fingers. Light leaked from his index finger, which was connected by web-like tissue and not entirely separated from the middle finger. It drew a string of text in the air. It was an order from the Committee. The Endelion's eyes widened at the sight of it. The Todd calmly watched her pupils—which already looked as though they couldn't possibly get any larger—dilate even further.

Del recognized the name of the person who had signed the order.

'Him...!'

The one who had signed this exceptional and unprecedented order was a Grand Committeeman.

His race was Kavite.

"We are aware. Normally, protocol dictates that we secretly notify the representative office manager of the operation a few days before the tax audit, coordinate beforehand, and then enter the dimension. But this operation requires the highest level of secrecy, so it couldn't be helped. That's why the Grand Committeeman issued a special permit."

Del glared with fierce hostility at him, the one who had introduced himself as the captain of the Command's Offshore Tax Evasion Tracking Unit.

Her heart was burning for a different reason than what she showed on the outside. It wasn't just because she was ignored and bypassed. It was because of the reason they had come here.

"You discovered a prisoner attempting to evade taxes?"

The Todd repeated what he had said earlier.

"Yes, it seems a prisoner attempted to secure Talents through abnormal methods. My subordinates have already deployed to the scene."

The Endelion blasted a fierce mental wave. In human terms, it was a reaction akin to suddenly screaming.

"Are you telling me this after you've already mobilized military forces?!"

"Look at the order again. We received Grand Committeeman-level permission for that part as well."

Although she acted enraged, Del's mind was spinning faster and more coolly than ever.

Considering the Endelion temperament—which became blind to reason when excited—it was surprising. Del hadn't been able to shake off that temper even during her time as a prisoner, yet right now, her thoughts were as cold and calculating as a Kavite's.

'To think they'd come out like this.'

This was an act that crushed the pride of the Endelions. If the Kavites abused their authority in this way, the Endelions would start pushing back. It created a political burden.

It meant this issue was important enough for the Kavites to take that risk.

'They came here targeting him!'

Had her support to get Minjun an early release been discovered?

No, that couldn't be it. If that were the case, they wouldn't be treating her so politely.

Besides, Del had only leaked a few pieces of information to Minjun so far; she practically hadn't been of much help.

"Where is the operational area?"

The tentacled creature asked where the mobile unit had raided.

"Here, and here. It seems the resident at these coordinates proposed an illegal transaction to a prisoner. The charge is conspiracy to launder Talents in order to evade the special gift tax accompanying the trade."

When she momentarily cut off her mental waves and fell silent, the Todd chattered away.

"Ah, right. I apologize. I heard from your adjutant that you were just about to head out... It seems I've disrupted your schedule."

He spoke in a meaningful tone.

"From what I hear, you became the corpse custodian for the recently deceased Dragon Lord, and you were just about to visit his new resting place."

"...That is correct."

"How bizarre. I can't understand why you'd bother jumping into a chaotic mess of monsters fighting over an inheritance. I suppose that dragon promised you something incredible in return before he died?"

"It's a personal matter. I see no need to explain."

Del changed the subject with a rather hasty tone. She asked with a sharp mental wave.

"You said you acquired intelligence? It's not like you have deployed units in a backwater dimension like this... Just when did you enter Earth to conduct such information operations?"

Keeping it a secret even from Del was only valid before the operation commenced and while it was underway.

Knowing the records would be disclosed to the representative office anyway after the operation concluded, the Todd willingly answered with the truth.

Hearing it, Del was momentarily at a loss for words.

'You've been on Earth for that long? Evading my eyes?'

The Tax Collection Command had infiltrated Earth right under Del's nose exactly one day before she appeared in Hong Kong following the will and declared she would fulfill her role as the corpse custodian.

*

-This is our final warning. The suspect will cease resisting and submit to arrest peacefully.

Deep in the Amazon rainforest.

Inside a massive glass dome with a radius of several kilometers, the Poison Dragon Inais glared at the uninvited guests outside.

They had appeared a few minutes ago. Having bypassed space via Teleport to surround the dome, they weren't a race residing on Earth. They were beings one would rarely encounter in such a backwater dimension.

The Todds.

Inais belonged to a generation that had never experienced war, but she was well aware of that race's infamy. While the Endelions primarily handled logistics, the Todds served as the aerial strike force, pouring firepower onto the front lines.

'Space has been locked down.'

Since their arrival, she had been unable to create new sub-dimensions or flee via Teleport.

She was like a rat in a trap.

A Todd's magical voice echoed through the jungle.

-Based on the "Extraterrestrial Extradition Treaty for Criminals and Suspects" signed between the Pan-Dimensional Sentient Relocation Committee and the United Nations, as well as the armistice agreement between the Committee and the Dragon Race, the Tax Collection Command possesses the right to apprehend any suspects involved or participating in tax evasion. Suspect Inais will cease resisting immediately and...

They rattled off unfair treaties that would put Earth's 19th-century Western powers to shame.

Sparks flew from the dragon's eyes. She protested with a loud roar.

"Tax evasion?! What kind of nonsense is that?!"

Urgent thoughts flooded her mind.

'How did they know?!'

-Transferring Talents to a prisoner without paying the special gift tax, as well as assisting a prisoner in obtaining Talents through illicit means, are both violations of tax law! Under the treaty, the Committee and the Tax Collection Command have the authority to investigate and punish dragons who violate the relevant statutes according to our laws!

It was a ridiculous treaty, but all residents of worlds living within the framework created by the Committee were bound by it.

-If you follow us peacefully even now...

Inais felt a sense of despair.

'Follow you? And leave my Lair empty?!'

-We know you are brooding an egg. We will make allowances so that the egg can also make the dimensional leap with you when you are taken in...

The moment she heard those words, Inais felt as if something had snapped inside her.

'Move it? My egg? To somewhere else other than here?'

Her vision turned completely white. The instincts of a brooding dragon took over her. The safest place for the egg was in her embrace.

Cross dimensions with the egg? That was absurd. The only thing protecting the egg's contents was a single, fragile layer of shell. The egg could never leave the Lair.

Furthermore, leaving the egg here while only she was taken was even more unthinkable. It would be one thing if she were just visiting Hong Kong for a few hours like last time, but the Tax Collection Command's interrogation process was infamous for being harsh and drawn out. It would last at least a few years.

Inais could not compromise.

"Don't make me laugh! I'm absolutely not moving from here! Either bring clear evidence to prove the charges, or get the hell out!"

The standoff continued for a while, but the unit members' expressions remained entirely relaxed. The Todd notified her in an emotionless tone.

-We have no choice, then. If you refuse the peaceful method...

Complex magic circles unfurled around them. Inais glared, preparing to fight back.

Her instinct to protect her egg made her blood boil. She knew the other dragons wouldn't help her.

'My egg... I can never lose it!'

She erased the option of surrender from her mind. The dragon who had provided the seed wasn't in this dimension. The egg would become a target for the other heirs in her absence.

Because she was a dragon herself, she knew very well. Dragons were exactly that kind of creature.

Even so, loading the egg onto a Jump Ship and crossing the Dimensional Wall was no different from exposing a fetus to radiation. Inside a Jump Ship where the use of unauthorized Magic was sealed off, what if the egg took the full brunt of the recoil?

There was a reason nobody made such a journey with an egg.

Watching her act exactly as expected, the Todds exchanged mental waves.

=It's been a while since we roasted a dragon.=

=And an egg to go with it.=

The Todds chanted spells in unison.

Rumble!

A rain of fire poured down over the dome that formed the wall of the barrier.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!