The Foreigner on the Periphery

"Representative, per the Committee Headquarters' request, all terminals across Earth have been closed except for one. The prisoner unit controlled by Headquarters is currently conducting operations alongside the existing security personnel at each terminal."

Listening to the report, the tentacled creature slowly blinked. Dotes knew the gesture was an acknowledgment.

The head of the Earth Representative Office was a position focused on political functions; her main duties involved dealing with dragons dispatched from other dimensions and interacting with various national governments.

Controlling prisoners, however, was handled directly by the Committee Headquarters via long-distance communication. In other words, commanding the prisoners swarming the terminals in every country fell completely outside of Del's authority.

She was merely cooperating.

"Um, excuse me."

"What is it?"

Dotes hesitated before speaking.

"I ask only out of curiosity."

Watching him, the princess thought his kind was indeed better than mammals. At the very least, he didn't trigger the unbearable repulsion she felt when looking at humans.

"To summarize this Headquarters-led operation, they're scattering prisoners across terminals worldwide in preparation for Asif-666 storming one of them, right?"

From this, two facts could be inferred.

First, Headquarters was certain Asif-666 would attempt to escape Earth.

Second, Headquarters currently had no idea of Asif-666's whereabouts...

"This is an operation they would only choose if they couldn't even guess his current location."

Headquarters didn't know where he was.

"I checked the protocol for prison break scenarios... yes, unbelievably, such a thing actually exists. Anyway, according to it, other prisoners are supposed to surround the target and hold out until Headquarters' military forces arrive. It seemed to be written on the premise that they could track the target unconditionally."

Dotes had expected this tactic to be used against Asif-666 as well.

Unless he was a dragon or from an Ancient Race, he couldn't flee by using Teleport all over Earth.

Even assuming he could flee like that, there were plenty of ways to track him.

But this current operation...

"I don't understand. Regardless of the situation, how could the Committee not know a prisoner's current location?"

High-level surveillance, like monitoring conversations in real time or reading thoughts, became impossible the further out into the periphery one went...

But they could at least pinpoint locations.

That was a given.

"If they don't know where the prisoners are, they can't issue orders in real time via Spirit Realm Communication. Tracking location is the foundation of communication. Without knowing that, they can't even give the prisoners mission directives."

Breaking out didn't change that. Prisoners were given artificial bodies that functioned as signal transmitters. Moreover, Dotes suspected some kind of identification tag was attached to their souls as well.

The princess, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

"I don't know the specifics either. Perhaps... it means Asif-666 possesses the ability to evade such a 'dual tracking system,' or he has discovered a new way to do so."

"Ah... so you're saying you don't know either, Representative?"

Asking as if to confirm, Dotes backed away.

"..."

The tentacle sank into thought for a moment.

Flash!

She immediately teleported.

'The Committee's secrecy is admirable. If someone is of low rank, they thoroughly hide even the most core, basic information.'

Flash!

She stepped into a subspace accessible only to her.

Inside was a room she had painstakingly teleported alongside herself when she was dispatched to Earth.

Sleeping in the center of it was a Homunculus. The princess approached the male figure, whose eyes were closed. Del couldn't see souls, but she confirmed through her equipment that it remained an empty shell.

She gazed at it quietly and lamented.

'To think the Kavite would run wild like this.'

In the end, Plan A, which she had prepared for him—gathering Talent to fairly and squarely earn his freedom—had to be discarded.

'Then I have no choice but to go with Plan B.'

Although a major change had occurred in his circumstances, Del still didn't believe he could fight and defeat the entire Committee. Nor did she think he could live forever with trackers on his back. Even if it were possible, such a life would be far too exhausting.

So, she thought of a way to free him from the pursuit.

Her originally conceived second plan would fit the bill.

Slither!

She sprouted a thin strand from a thick tentacle, like a new shoot, and extended it toward the Homunculus's face. Then, right before it touched the skin, she stopped and hesitated.

'As expected, it's not like him. I feel repulsed.'

Why did the Endelion feel such extreme hostility toward mammals, and humans in particular, finding them repulsive?

Evolutionary biologists theorized that, compared to other Ancient Races, the Endelion had evolved in an isolated location over a very long time without any contact with humans.

The memory within their genes judged that monkey-like species to be an incredibly alien creature. At the same time, though it couldn't be logically explained, they also considered humans to be small yet dangerous.

Alien and dangerous.

In other words, repulsive.

In ancient times, the incident where the Endelion first encountered them likely occurred much later than the experiences of the Kavite or Todd.

Looking at the Homunculus, she pondered.

'An identification tag attached to the soul.'

She knew Dotes's guess was somewhat accurate.

The Committee attached labels to the souls of the prisoners.

Yet the fact that they couldn't find him meant...

'Did he temporarily overwhelm it so it couldn't function? Or did he completely shatter it?'

If it was the former, it didn't matter, but if it was the latter, it was a huge problem.

Her second plan was in danger of collapsing as well.

The Princess of Endelion made up her mind.

'I need to find him quickly!'

   *

Having finished his meal, Minjun stared into the empty air, feeling full.

'I wonder how much of a fuss those Committee bastards are making right about now.'

They were probably mobilizing Earth's prisoners and devoting all their resources to finding him. If he checked the intelligence network used to transmit orders to the prisoners, he could gauge the atmosphere, but that method was currently completely blocked off.

It wasn't entirely a bad thing. Just as Minjun couldn't observe them, they couldn't detect his location either.

He checked the time.

'Should I get going, then?'

He had purposely come all the way here to fill his stomach before heading to the meeting place.

Just as he was about to move.

=By the way.=

The Frying Pan, which had transformed into a sword and was gripped in his hand, asked.

=Well, I'm not trying to nitpick or anything... didn't you say you weren't going to eat dragons anymore?=

Minjun turned his head. Lying there was a massive Lightning Dragon, completely drained and unconscious.

It was the dragon who went by the name Raymond Wong on Earth.

Lately, that dragon had been suffering from constant nightmares. Dreams of shadows piercing his entire body and fountains of spilled blood filling his cave. And when he woke up, he would just lay there limply, devoid of energy.

Since his life force was constantly draining away, it was to be expected.

Swish!

Minjun snapped his fingers, and a small lump of shadow shot across the air. It smacked right onto the wound on the Lightning Dragon's neck. The flowing blood immediately stopped. Cleaning up the traces around him, Minjun replied.

"My vow was to find a way to no longer have to eat dragons in the future. It's not something that can happen overnight."

=But... you said you couldn't eat Jenkinson.=

"Right, Jenkinson."

Metaphorically speaking, doing so would be the same as devouring Adkiel. Just the thought of it made a wave of disgust rise within him.

Of course, he knew. It was a decision driven by abstract and emotional reasons... something that couldn't be judged by logic.

He couldn't eat a dragon he had an attachment to, but he could eat one he didn't?

He had already agonized over it once, but he didn't know the answer. He was simply moving forward, not turning a blind eye to what he had to do and what was necessary right now. Right now, he needed to consume dragon blood, and he had a brainwashed Elder Dragon in his hands.

If there were some dragon rights protection group that opposed the eating of dragons, they would undoubtedly point fingers and condemn him as a hypocrite for this mindset.

But no such group existed in this world, and even if there were one, it wasn't likely Minjun would care much anyway.

'I'll be late at this rate.'

Breaking out of his thoughts, Minjun immediately moved.

Flash!

In an instant, the surrounding scenery shifted. The Lightning Dragon's gloomy lair vanished.

"...!"

Before him stretched the mountains and forests that made up most of Hong Kong's New Territories district.

It was a sight that briefly brought back memories of the past. A time when the dragons' bodies, then in the early stages of their refinement, were much smaller than they were now. A time when they peacefully soared over the forests that stretched beyond the horizon to hunt.

And the blond man waiting beneath the shadow of a tree...

"Ah!"

...froze upon seeing Minjun's face. Astonishment filled his red eyes. He couldn't speak immediately, his mouth opening and closing a few times.

Finally, he managed to cry out.

"Minjun!"

He approached with a face mixed with gladness and wonder.

In response, the prisoner greeted the friend he had expected not to see again for quite some time, yet had reunited with far sooner than anticipated.

"Hey, Jenkinson. I don't think it's been long enough to say... 'long time no see.'"

"My god."

The Elder Dragon, having used Polymorph to assume human form, rechecked the barrier he had deployed multiple times.

There were no cracks or destroyed sections. It was a measure set up to evade the Committee's surveillance.

Today's secret meeting absolutely could not be discovered by them.

But how had this friend of his appeared so easily?

"Incredible. I was planning to open the door if I sensed you approaching from outside the barrier, but to think you'd just Teleport straight inside."

Then, his complexion darkened as he asked,

"Seeing as you broke through, is this not enough to hide from the Committee's eyes?"

"It's not that. This is more than enough."

Relieved by his words, the dragon asked Minjun how he had been.

"Are you alright? What exactly is going on?"

If it became known that a prison escapee and a candidate for Earth's Dragon Lord met like this, the fallout would be unbearable.

From Jenkinson's standpoint, it would have been better to lose interest in Minjun's actions and keep his distance. Politically, that was the correct judgment.

But he simply couldn't bring himself to do that. How many times had he escaped a crisis thanks to Minjun's help by now?

"You seem like you've changed again somehow."

There had been a strange feeling the last time they bumped into each other in front of the shopping district, but now an even more intense pressure hovered around his body. Jenkinson instinctively sensed the difference.

Looking at Minjun, he felt a simultaneous sense of unfamiliarity and familiarity.

What exactly was it?

Rummaging through his memories, he realized. It was similar to the emotion he had faced when he was very young... right after breaking out of his eggshell, when he first laid eyes on his mother, who had already been an Elder Dragon at the time.

The overwhelming sensation of looking at a magnificent being that couldn't even be measured by his own standards.

But why was he feeling that from his friend?

'On the other hand, that bizarre feeling has vanished.'

While the heavy presence had amplified, the evil aura he felt that day... the one that made his scales stand on end, was gone.

Looking back, Minjun's gaze at that time had been very strange. It was a gaze tinged with a bit of madness... looking as though he were about to cause a massive accident at any moment.

Jenkinson couldn't guess the simple reason behind such an obvious difference.

Unlike that day, today...

...Minjun had a full stomach.

"I have a favor to ask."

Minjun, who had intentionally stuffed his stomach so he could meet his friend one-on-one with a clear mind, spoke.

"Of course, just say the word. I'll prepare anything, so long as it's possible."

"I think I need to leave Earth for a while."

Jenkinson let out a soft groan. It was exactly what he expected, but the feasibility of it was incredibly slim.

"You've seen the news, right? The terminals are in a complete state of lockdown. The Incheon Airport Inner Leap Terminal, where I hold a stake, is no exception. With the prisoners standing guard, operations personnel can't even get close, and the guidance equipment is locked down, rendering it completely inoperable."

"There's one place left, isn't there?"

"Are you talking about New York?"

Jenkinson knew it too. Soon, the Committee's dispatched military forces would arrive through there.

In preparation for that, the terminal's essential personnel were still clocking in for work, and the equipment was running perfectly fine.

"Certainly... it's not entirely impossible to escape, provided you get your hands on an Emergency Jump Code."

Just like the method planned by Princess Stanin of that crocodile-like race.

"Understood. I'll check through covert channels to see if there's any way to help you escape."

Minjun shook his head.

"No, I'll figure that part out on my own. I need a different kind of help right now. I need the cooperation of a large number of dragons, including you."

"The help of multiple dragons?"

"Yeah. How is the proposal to move up the Dragon Lord election coming along?"

Even while on the run, this guy knew about all sorts of things.

He wondered why Minjun was suddenly bringing this up, but answered anyway.

"Since Raymond suddenly started acting so friendly toward me, my chances of winning have shot up if we hold the early election as is. That's why the other candidates are fiercely opposing it. Their intent is to buy time by insisting on the original schedule, hoping to secure more votes in the meantime."

"Who exactly are the ones opposing it?"

Jenkinson tilted his head in confusion but still gave Minjun the names of a few dragons.

Then, he asked what he had been wondering.

"By the way, does your escape require the help of the Dragon Race on a collective level? It seems like it would only get more dangerous the more people know about it."

"Wouldn't it be a shame to just run away like this? Especially when there's such a good opportunity."

"A good opportunity?"

"An opportunity where the Committee's forces are all concentrated in one place."

Minjun had not forgotten the vow he made the day he got his hands on Blade.

There was something he had to pay the Committee back for.

Jenkinson cried out in shock.

"You don't mean...!"

Minjun recalled the news he had watched earlier today.

Terrorism, they called it?

Sometimes, the media managed to hit the right answer by pure luck, like a blind squirrel finding a nut.

"From this moment on, the dragons must help me in secret."

Jenkinson still couldn't understand.

"The dragons are the ones who stood by and let Inais end up in that state. It's a bit awkward to say this myself... but the Dragon Race without a Dragon Lord is a bunch of egoists who won't even bat an eye unless it concerns their own interests. They were completely apathetic to my argument that we should take collective action to actively protest the horrible things she suffered because of the Committee. They claimed that having them owe a political debt was enough."

"Then what if this becomes a matter of their own safety?"

"...What?"

"It's not the right time for the Dragon Race to resume an all-out war with the Committee. But you can't just let things be, either. So, what if I were to run wild on the surface in your stead? What if the Dragon Race needed to covertly support me from beneath the surface? What if the other dragons found out that now is the exact time they have to do so?"

"What exactly do you know?"

Minjun spoke calmly.

"First of all, you guys need to know exactly why, and by whose hand, the Dragon Lord died."

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