The Foreigner on the Periphery

Long ago, the Endelions denied the existence of gods.

Therefore, the "Oh, God!" Del had just cried out in her mind did not spring from genuine faith. And its meaning carried far more intensity than a typical exclamation.

Del had just cursed.

'What? Ride? Ride who? Me? You're going to ride me? With who? What?'

Anger flared in her eyes.

'Sure, I made mistakes in the past, but why insult me like this?'

To treat the Princess of Endelion as a mount!

It wasn't even possible anyway! It sounded like nothing more than a hateful remark meant to humiliate her.

Meanwhile.

The man—who could read the tentacled creature's expressions better than anyone else in the universe—was puzzled by her reaction.

Agitation laced Del's projected emotions. She seemed to have misunderstood his meaning.

But how could she not know?

Without relaxing his icy expression, he spoke.

"I thought you were the Princess of Endelion."

Gasp! From behind him came the horrified gasp of the fainting Dragon.

"...?!"

The Endelion hesitated to reply. Minjun thought he understood what was going on.

'The succession was underway, but it wasn't completed. She wasn't taught all the secrets.'

She was officially a princess, so why? The answer came to him easily.

'There is an unresolved disqualification.'

Del was the first and only prisoner in Endelion history. She was that unique.

And being unique was often interpreted as being inferior.

'Right, that's it. Now I understand.'

Minjun gave up on explaining further out loud. He didn't have the time, and from this point on, they were entering territory that Yuntus and Ha Eun-seong didn't need to know about.

He was firmly determined to use her as his means of escape anyway, and there were two ways to convince her: soft persuasion and rough persuasion.

Long ago, the Endelions denied the existence of gods.

So the "Oh, God!" Del had just cried out inwardly wasn't because she actually believed in one. The meaning carried far more intensity than a typical exclamation.

Del had just cursed.

'What? Ride? Ride who? Me? You're going to ride me? With who? What?'

Anger flared in her eyes.

'Sure, I made mistakes in the past, but why insult me like this?'

Treating the Princess of Endelion as a mount!

Furthermore, it wasn't even possible! It sounded like nothing more than a hateful remark meant to humiliate her.

Meanwhile.

"..."

The man, who could read the tentacled creature's expressions better than anyone else in the universe, felt puzzled by her reaction.

Del's projected emotions were mixed with agitation. It seemed she had misunderstood his meaning.

But how could she not know?

Without relaxing his icy expression, he spoke.

"I thought you were the Princess of Endelion."

Gasp! A horrified gasp came from the fainting dragon behind him.

"...?!"

The Endelion hesitated to reply. Minjun thought he understood what was going on.

'The succession was underway, but it wasn't completed. She wasn't taught all the secrets.'

She was officially a princess, so why? The answer came to him easily.

'There is an unresolved disqualification.'

Del was the first and only prisoner in Endelion history. She was that unique.

And being unique was often interpreted as being inferior.

'Right, that's it. Now I understand.'

Minjun gave up on explaining further out loud. He didn't have the time, and from this point on, it was territory that Yuntus and Ha Eun-seong didn't need to know about.

He was determined to use her as an escape route anyway, and there were two ways to convince her: soft persuasion and rough persuasion.

Since immediately choosing the latter carried risks for him too, he would give her one last chance. He pierced a sharp telepathic intent into the Endelion's mind.

'You really don't know? They haven't told you this secret yet. Did they hide it on purpose, afraid you would put it into practice the moment you found out?'

=...You weren't trying to insult me? But there can't be any other way besides a Jump Ship.=

Now Del seemed to realize something was strange. Minjun immediately transmitted the information. Del was astonished by its speed.

The speed rivaled Endelion communication. Existing somewhere between phonetic and ideographic, the method compressed long sentences into a single character and flowed them straight into the mind. It was a highly developed form of communication speculated to have been used since prehistoric times.

Yet, Minjun was far too proficient at it.

Did the primordial race ever have a reason to communicate with Endelions like this in the past?

That question was swept away by the flood of meaning that crashed in like a wave. The conversation took place at the speed of thought.

'I know what you're thinking. You need a Jump Ship to cross dimensions? You've become shackled by the very stereotypes you created. But in truth, a Jump Ship is both a means of travel and a shackle.'

A restriction that ensured one could only travel to other dimensions through it.

'In the old days, we could travel between dimensions without such ships. Before you were born, before your race had even awakened from their slumber.'

=Jump Magic!=

'Yes. The spell wasn't easy, but it wasn't completely untouchable either. In the past, any old Ancient Dragon could use it. What do you think was the secret behind the Dragon Race spreading throughout the central dimensions and acting as rulers? If they felt there wasn't enough land to consume, they simply migrated to another world. In an era when neither the Committee nor Jump Ships existed.'

That was a history Del knew as well.

But much changes after a victory disguised as a ceasefire.

The agreement the Committee presented to the Dragon Race included a clause demanding they destroy all records of that Magic and swear an oath in draconic, forbidding its use and transmission.

It was the natural course of action taken by those who had acquired unilateral, overwhelming power.

If the ruled gathered and allied as they pleased, managing them became a headache. Therefore, they stripped away the freedom of movement first.

'So that travel was only possible under the Committee's surveillance and permission.'

People easily forgot because they often abbreviated it, but the Committee's official name was as follows:

The Pan-Dimensional Sentient Relocation Committee.

At first glance, it sounded like it was established to promote personnel exchange among sentient beings, but another motive was hidden in that name.

It meant they alone would plan and perfectly control that relocation.

'But like all oaths, draconic can be broken too. Assuming you are prepared to pay the price. So, the Committee created another means of control.'

At the time, the Dimensional Wall blocking the path between dimensions already existed, and the dragons' Jump Magic was a spell meant to pierce it. Crossing it met with significant resistance, and only Ancient Dragons old enough to count their remaining days could withstand it.

However, in the Committee's eyes, that wall wasn't sufficient as it was.

So what did they do?

=...They created and attached another wall to the originally existing one to make it stronger. A much harder wall.=

People collectively referred to it as the Dimensional Wall, but it was actually a structure of two overlapping layers.

Let's classify the naturally occurring one as Dimensional Wall-1, and the one the Committee added as Dimensional Wall-2.

Passing through Dimensional Wall-2 was only possible with a Jump Ship. The moment that Magic Tool, equipped with a jump code, touched it, Dimensional Wall-2's resistance would weaken. Just enough that it could only be bypassed if armed with a special barrier.

However, the resistance only weakened; it didn't completely disappear. Punching a clean hole through it would take a long time to repair and affect the entire wall.

=Are you telling me to pierce the wall using Jump Magic? I don't know such a spell. Ah, maybe you do. But the Committee's Dimensional Wall was built specifically to block that...!=

'No, that wall won't block you.'

=...?!=

'Sometimes, accidents occur where the resistance isn't weakened enough, and a Jump Ship is crushed. But you, the best actuaries in the dimensional system, should know. Has an Endelion ever died in such an accident? You hot-tempered anxiety patients rarely leave the safety of your home dimension anyway, but when you do decide to travel, it's almost always the high-ranking officials, isn't it?'

=Could it be?=

'Exactly. The Committee manages a special code separate from the standard jump codes. It weakens the wall the Committee built far more significantly. It drops the resistance to near zero. But not all ships can use that code. Out of fear that the Dimensional Wall might collapse if too many holes are punched through it, it's permitted only to a very small, select few. Like royalty.'

Minjun looked deep into Del's eyes and spoke.

'You are that code.'

*

Del organized Minjun's information in her mind.

Classified as a special code to prevent the high-ranking members of an Ancient Race from dying while crossing dimensions?

It was an entirely plausible story.

However, despite that, there had to be a reason why Endelions rode Jump Ships instead of crossing dimensions bare-bodied. Another reason besides the complete eradication of Jump Magic.

=So you're saying I can pierce the Dimensional Wall built by the Committee with my code. But it wouldn't have any effect on the naturally existing... 'natural' Dimensional Wall, right? We would still have to endure it with our bare bodies while crossing, just like the dragons of ancient times.=

A natural Dimensional Wall? It was a contradictory expression, but Minjun didn't bother correcting her.

The Dimensional Wall that had existed since primeval times... which only the most powerful Ancient Dragons of the past could endure and cross. That still remained an obstacle.

However, standing in front of Minjun right now was a being with a physical body capable of withstanding it, without needing to age like the Ancient Dragons of old.

A conversation that took place in a split second.

The Endelion looked as if she had already made up her mind.

=I have one more question.=

The subsequent telepathic wave carried an undeniable sense of anticipation she couldn't hide.

=Why me of all people?=

There should have been a way to hijack a Jump Ship from the Terminal.

So why come looking for her?

Minjun replied firmly to the question.

'No matter how I look at it, those Jump Ships left at the New York Terminal seem like bait.'

He had heard the excuse that they were magically bound to prevent them from being taken outside, and that the Terminal's barriers were the safest, but it was highly suspicious. Placing an escape tool right next to the exit? There was no telling what traps had been laid there.

There was another reason.

'And.'

Minjun echoed a telepathic wave as if declaring it to Del.

'You're the most useful hostage I can get my hands on right now.'

At the same time, she was the most useful mount he could acquire right now. He swallowed his next words down his throat.

Del then turned her eyes to look at the magic projection. At this very moment, various Magic bombardments were raining down on the Terminal. She knew it wasn't Minjun's doing.

=You joined hands with the dragons?=

Minjun didn't answer. Del ignored his silence and continued the telepathy.

=Are those dragons casting the Jump Magic?=

He didn't answer this time either. It was because Del still hadn't given a definitive answer. He tightly gripped Asiph-1 in his hand.

=There's something I'm worried about.=

The mental wave that followed conveyed her intent to accept Minjun's proposal and willingly become a hostage... along with one appended question.

=Will the Committee believe that you did all this alone? Really? To think that... isn't this too excessive?=

She asked this while looking at the massive firepower raining down on the Terminal. Hearing that, Minjun truly realized she was a half-baked heir. A princess lacking—or absurdly deficient in—the most important virtue that made an Endelion an Endelion.

Was that why she was a royal who couldn't inherit everything?

He answered his ex-wife.

'You don't need to worry about that.'

The moment Minjun finished his escape and everything on Earth was over, the Committee would inspect the scene. They would listen to testimonies about the Magic that swept the Terminal, check the footage, and see how the Earth Representative Office was breached.

And then, they would finally feel relieved.

Relieved that the memories he had recovered so far were, fortunately, nothing more than insignificant fragments.

*

At that time, the moment a certain spell the Ancient Dragons had long been preparing was completed.

The Terminal's prisoner, William Evans, dropped his jaw.

"William! What in the world is happening outside right now? I've never felt anything like this...!"

The dragon beyond the glass wall made a fuss, but William had no presence of mind to reply.

He stared at the scenery beyond the window. The building where the dragons were detained was attached to the control tower, quite a distance from where the phenomenon was occurring. Nevertheless, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

With a terrified expression, he stared at the blue plasma coalescing in the sky. It was a threatening Magic that made all the spells poured over the base until now look like child's play.

Furthermore, the place where it was being generated was...

'The Guidance Tower!'

Installed in a corner far from other major facilities, yet the very place where the Terminal's most powerful barriers were concentrated.

The core facility that allowed the jump terminal to function as a Terminal.

Even if Asif-666 came to commit terrorism, it was assumed he would never touch it for the sake of his own escape—yet a powerful energy was spreading across the sky there.

'He was aiming for that from the start?!'

But messing with New York's Guidance Tower would also block Asif-666's escape route.

Since they said all the other terminals had stopped functioning.

"...!"

Only then did William think of a certain possibility. And he recalled the conversation he'd had with the troll when he first came to Earth.

The ship he rode had arrived here after Earth's lockdown began. The Committee had allowed his landing.

—I guess I should be thankful. You broke the rules and granted docking permission to save me, right?

—Well, who knows if it was because of the value of a single prisoner, or because it was a waste to destroy a perfectly good Jump Ship.

A Jump Ship that had already begun its jump.

If the guidance had been cut off and the slots blocked right before reaching Earth, the ship he was on would have been annihilated.

A Jump Ship wasn't a mage that could think for itself and cast a spell; it relied on the guidance device for its coordinates.

If it lost that guidance? After following its path and pushing all the way through the resistance, it would end up crashing into the wrong place without ever opening the final door.

And the people riding inside...

'Asif-666. Could he have given up on escaping off-world?'

William realized it. With the feeling of sacrificing flesh to take bone, Asif-666 was trying to drag down as many enemies as possible with him, like a vengeful ghost.

It was the start of the final struggle of someone who had reached a dead end.

'I'm sure of it!'

It was an assumption that would have made the person in question scoff if he heard it.

At that moment.

------!

The energy gathered above the Guidance Tower erupted, spewing a fierce light.

*

Minjun watched as Del focused and chanted the spell.

He had warned her not to try any funny business, but Del didn't seem to have the intention in the first place. Casting such complex Magic naturally left one defenseless. The moment she began the incantation, she had already stepped onto a path of no return.

Not that she had the ability to cleverly alter the spell anyway. One wrong move and they would be crushed to death in the dimensional rift. So, there was nothing to do but trust this spell and activate it exactly as given.

When this high-level magic formula was forced into her mind, Del literally almost fainted. The level of that telepathic wave was different from just moments ago; it completely and vastly surpassed that of an Endelion.

A technique that made the target understand high-level concepts all at once. It was a miracle that would only appear in their ancient scriptures—books that had already lost their religious function and were preserved solely for historical and literary value.

This time, she shouted a powerful intention ('Oh, God!' or, literally translated, 'Oh, Great Tentacle that coils around the stars!') loud enough for Minjun to hear, and then she concentrated on it.

Vwoooom!

Magic power boiled over, enveloping the surroundings. And a light flashed.

He was ready to immediately switch to 'rough persuasion' if he saw even a hint of anything strange, but so far, everything was going smoothly.

'The spell is running properly.'

While monitoring its flow, Minjun observed the faces of those who would be jumping through dimensions with him.

Counting only those who were currently conscious, it was an incredibly bizarre party consisting of an ex-wife, a debtor, and a believer. They seemed to symbolize a failed marriage, failed asset management, and a failed revenge plot, respectively.

Considering the roles they played, the composition was even more bizarre. They were, respectively, a hostage and a mount; a scout and a riddle to solve; and a walking all-purpose medical device and a pantry.

Even a mere month ago, he couldn't have imagined escaping Earth with them.

Vwoom! Vwooooom!

Ah, there was one more.

His creation. A cooking utensil and a brainwashing tool, a Sword and a Frying Pan—a soul fragment.

Feeling the vibrations it transmitted through its handle, Minjun stared at the flash of light filling the surroundings.

The journey to reclaim what he had lost for so long was finally right before his eyes.

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