That night, Roybert forgot his painful memories and fell asleep in a state of supreme bliss and utter fullness.
The largest shareholder of Earth's premier Mana Crystal processing and power corporation, the pharmaceutical magnate holding the indefinite patent rights to the Troll Serum Treatment, and the unofficial guardian of the Japanese imperial family all received the exact same uninvited guest.
Before daybreak, Minjun finally took a breath after feeding Eladkay, Petersen, and Aramasa until they were completely full.
‘Should I stop here for today?’
Brainwashing four beasts—no, four Elder Dragons this quickly was no easy feat, even with his newly acquired strength. He had smacked so many dragon skulls with the Frying Pan today that auditory hallucinations still rang in his ears—Clang! Clang!
‘You said it's too much for you too, right?’
The Frying Pan released an exhausted mental wave.
=Please spare my life! I really can't take any more.=
It had reverted from the Dagger shape it used to extract blood back into its original Frying Pan form, having exhausted a massive amount of energy.
Brainwashing intelligent beings was on a completely different level of difficulty compared to brainwashing mere beasts.
=I don't know what will happen if I absorb more soul fragments, but this is my absolute limit for now.=
‘Got it. Let's stop here.’
He hadn't dealt with all of the “opposition faction” that Jenkinson had unknowingly listed. But on second thought, if countless dragons who had been rebelling against their friend suddenly changed their stances all at once, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
Dragons were not fools. They would certainly find it suspicious if unyielding political enemies suddenly flipped their attitudes overnight.
Minjun's goal was for the dragons to convene an emergency meeting, recognize the conspiracy of the Ancient Race, and then decide to help him in secret. It would be even better if they pushed the election forward.
‘The next Dragon Lord...’
As his thoughts reached that point, the prophecy inevitably surfaced in his mind.
Since he could no longer contact the prophet through normal means like a phone, it was the updated foresight he had received when he secretly visited him.
“Agent! You... you will become Earth's new Dragon Lord!”
He had almost lashed out at the orc assemblyman who babbled those words. He had felt just as insulted as he did when Jeongpal said it, because in modern language, a Dragon Lord was still a dragon.
However, his mind changed after hearing what came next.
‘The master of dragons. The ruler of dragons.’
Did he mean “Lord” in that sense?
Still, a few things bothered him.
‘I'm doing all this to escape from Earth, but in ninety days, I'll still be on Earth?’
His escape from Earth might fail, or the need to flee might vanish entirely. It was also possible to interpret it positively—that he would absorb the Talent in another dimension and return.
And...
‘Will I eventually end up ruling the Dragon Race anyway? Are all my current worries completely meaningless?’
Or was this just a stepping stone for the next phase? There was no way to know right now.
Moreover, he had no intention of altering or abandoning his plans because of a prophecy. This future might very well be the reward for successfully pulling all of this off.
Just as Minjun stood lost in deep thought with the Frying Pan in his hand...
“Um, Agent?”
A cautious voice called out.
“Hmm?”
Minjun turned his head.
It was Ha Eun-seong. He had undone his Polymorph and reverted to his dragon body. The Ancient Dragon whose skull they had just bashed last, Aramasa, had an exceptionally large security force stationed around his Kyoto Lair. Because of this, Ha Eun-seong had deliberately returned to his dragon form. It would make responding to emergencies much easier.
“It's all over, right? You aren't planning to hit any more, are you? I think I've reached my limit too. If I stay out of body any longer today, my body might actually die.”
He spoke as if walking on thin ice, afraid of provoking Minjun's anger. But it was the truth. Contrary to expectations, the original owner of the body still hadn't fully recovered. A body that a soul couldn't properly inhabit and control would naturally grow cold and stiff.
Minjun stared at him quietly.
“I-I'm telling the truth...”
The panicked Ha Eun-seong didn't realize it, but Minjun wasn't looking at “ghost Ha Eun-seong” right now; he was staring at “dragon Ha Eun-seong.”
The dragon had rapidly lost weight after being deprived of the Frying Pan's cooking. As a result, he ended up somewhere between obese and merely overweight, and that appearance naturally brought back memories of the old days.
‘The dragons back in the old days looked exactly like that.’
It was true. They were similar to Ha Eun-seong now. The dragon body before him was only that size because it was still young, but in the past, even fully grown dragons were only about twice the height of a human. If they were raised free-range, they would put on just about this much fat.
Immersed in reminiscences of those peaceful times, the fierce glint in his eyes naturally softened. Seeing that expression, Ha Eun-seong felt a sliver of relief.
‘He looks a bit less scary right now, doesn't he?’
He then interpreted the situation using his own logic.
‘Well, I did work my ass off today. Anyone with eyes can see that. Even he must realize he's been working me way too hard.’
Minjun's deep gaze cut through the crisp dawn air. The ghost possessing the dragon reached a conclusion all on his own.
‘If he's human, he should feel some pity. If he has a conscience, that is. Yeah, there's no other explanation.’
It seemed like the perfect opportunity while his employer's heart was softened, but Ha Eun-seong decided not to push his luck.
‘I should observe the situation a bit more before bringing it up. I need to ask how the debt calculations are going. And whether he can pay me extra hardship pay for staying out in places like the North or South Pole.’
It was purely a coincidence, but right at that moment, Minjun's thoughts were also shifting from “dragon Ha Eun-seong” back to the topic of “ghost Ha Eun-seong.”
‘The time he can spend out of body is getting longer, yet the body shows no rejection response? That's completely against common sense. Just who was the one who performed the Baptism on this guy?’
And he reached a firm conclusion.
‘Regardless, I definitely have to take this guy with me when I escape to outer space.’
The party in question's own intentions were completely irrelevant.
*
Beep! Beep-beep!
A small noise. At the same time, he noticed a flashing red light in the corner of his vision.
It occupied only a tiny fraction of the mid-air hologram, but its presence was immense. It grabbed and pulled at his gaze. To an irritating degree.
He ignored it. He tried to focus on his work.
‘Feed consumption has gone down this month.’
He checked exactly which dragons had eaten less feed. Then, if he deemed the situation serious, he ordered action to be taken. The automated livestock management system would move the dragon to a special location. Next, he went to check if any individuals were showing abnormal body temperatures...
Beep! Beep-beep!
The alarm continued to ring. He frowned. Meanwhile, it seemed the man wasn't the only one annoyed by it.
“Grrr! Snort!”
Down at his feet, Adkiel, who had been enjoying a nap on the natural wood floor, deliberately snorted. The alarm had woken him up. The dragon lay with his belly exposed, pulling his four legs inward as he opened one eye halfway. He protested once more. “Grrr!” It meant it was too loud and he needed to do something about it.
Judging that his intent had been conveyed clearly enough, the dragon closed his eyes again, but...
Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Beep-beep!
The alarm grew louder, and his master simply ignored it. At that, the dragon covered his eyes and ears with his two wings. Of course, that wouldn't block out the sound entirely. Adkiel let out a long snort like a sigh.
“Pfft!”
Eventually, he stood up and glared at his master with a look full of dissatisfaction. ‘I seriously can't live like this.’ Thud, thud. Footsteps echoed as he disappeared into a place where the sound couldn't reach him.
Even after the guide dragon left the area, the man tried to ignore the noise for a while longer.
But he finally reached his limit.
‘Damn it, what the hell is it?!’
If he just hung up on them unilaterally, the sound would stop.
But he couldn't do that.
He had explicitly laid down the law to the government. He had told them never to contact him first unless it was a dire emergency, and that he would contact them if he needed anything. If they were still contacting him despite knowing it would obviously provoke his temper, it had to be something truly urgent.
From the government's perspective, at least.
In other words, from his own perspective, it might not be urgent at all.
‘Let's hear it. This better not be some trivial matter like last time!’
He reached out toward the red light.
Flash!
The shape of the hologram shifted instantly. The display for the livestock management system moved to the corner, and a video call interface popped up. The video, relayed via satellite, showed the interior of a building on a faraway planet.
He asked the woman on the screen in a callous tone.
“What is it?”
How many hundreds of years had it been since he last showed his face to these children?
“Ah... Ah!”
The woman's expression froze as their eyes met. The silence was brief. Soon, her gaze wavered wildly, and all sorts of emotions surged like crashing waves.
And then...
Drip! Drop!
Thick tears welled up in the woman's eyes before finally spilling over. Silently. Without stopping.
He grumbled inwardly.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Still, stifling her sobs was a fairly decent reaction. He didn't say a word and simply watched her in silence. Babbling things like, “Why are you crying? Don't do that. Calm down,” at a time like this would only be pouring oil on a fire. Knowing this, he waited quietly.
Sure enough, the woman interpreted his silence as a sign of discomfort and a warning, and she finally spoke up, wiping her tears and cheeks with a prepared handkerchief.
“I-I apologize.”
It was a choked, tear-filled voice.
He tilted his head slightly, as if to show he didn't want to wait long. The woman seemed to be struggling to compose herself, but she couldn't pull it together as quickly as he wanted.
He knew it. His current dissatisfied expression and the voice he had just given them would all be recorded and managed as permanent historical archives by their government. When he first heard of that plan, he had foamed at the mouth in anger. He had even intended to threaten the government, warning them that he would halt all shipments for the time being until they withdrew that bizarre, ridiculous plan.
But his master had stopped him.
“I think it would be best for you to turn a blind eye to that much. These are children who can't bear the urge to worship you, yet all you ever do is push them away. You should allow them a little leeway. If you don't, they'll eventually explode.”
Where did a civilization turn its eyes when all issues of survival were resolved and the overall quality of life had been universally elevated?
Their answer was happiness. Not a relative concept, but an absolute happiness. A happiness that had no threshold and never wore out. Having obtained it, his kin now wanted to enjoy this happiness for even longer.
For example, for all eternity.
And so, on this remote planet, he was working hard to meet their hopes and expectations. That was exactly why he was worshipped.
What determined the nobility that separated one person from another?
“...I apologize. I've shown you an unsightly display before Your Nobility.”
Barely managing to stop sniffling, she bowed her head. The woman on the other side of the screen didn't ask how he was doing, offer empty pleasantries, or express her respect by suddenly praising his achievements out of nowhere. This was because she knew he vehemently despised such things. Therefore, she immediately got straight to the point.
“A problem has occurred that we fools cannot find a solution for...”
Her eyes were filled with anxiety.
Just because happiness was endlessly supplied by the brain didn't mean that all other emotions had been castrated. Anxiety and worry were also essential elements that made a person exist as a person.
However, the tireless spring of happiness at the back of their minds prevented negative emotions from breaking them down and consuming them entirely. Once the frustration, unhappy thoughts, depression, and sorrow passed, it pushed their backs, encouraging them to bend their knees, stand back up, and face forward once more.
He tried not to sound irritated as he asked.
“Is it a farm problem?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Why, did a dragon eat another dragon again? I'm already looking for a solution to that, so don't worry about it.”
“Ah, as expected! You have already made arrangements. We are truly grateful. However, this current issue is not regarding the livestock farms, but the cultivation farms. Or, to be precise, it's about a byproduct of a farm we operated in the past...”
After a few more words, his eyebrows twitched.
“You mean those things cultivated with souls inside them?”
“Yes, O Noble One. That is correct.”
“Didn't we scrap that experiment? Because of ethical issues.”
“That is correct. It has been so long that you may not remember, but after the experiment concluded, we created an environment on a remote planet so the test subjects could live out their lives.”
He searched his memory.
Sure enough... something like that did happen.
“We didn't interfere so they could live freely among themselves, but an alien species disaster has recently occurred on that planet...”
“What is it? Bugs?”
“There is a possibility they are intelligent lifeforms.”
His eyes widened in shock.
“That's impossible! Back when we released them, every species capable of building a spaceship besides us was already extinct! And it's not like they've reached that stage themselves yet...”
“Well... the alien species discovered this time didn't travel to that planet via spaceship.”
“Then how?”
“It seems they swam through space with their bare bodies to get there. And they're slaughtering the old test subjects indiscriminately... but it doesn't seem like eating them is the goal. Some analysis suggests it's a form of expressing hatred. As you know, the ownership of those subjects still belongs to Your Nobility, so we couldn't intervene without your permission...”
The words that followed were even more shocking.
“If things continue like this, I fear the old test subjects might go extinct. We aren't completely without means to respond, but the difference in physical scale is simply too immense.”
“Just how big are they?”
“If we simply compare body lengths, the size of the invading species is 6,000 times that of the test subjects.”
“...?!”
The average height of the test subjects they had released on that planet was the same as a human's.
But if they were 6,000 times larger...
“You're telling me their body length is 12 kilometers?!”
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