The Foreigner on the Periphery

The dragons' forward base.

The commander was overcome with a profound sense of despair.

"We sent five of our strongest warriors..."

Before him stood the only survivors from the infiltration team sent on the hostage rescue mission.

"And only two of you survived?"

The Gold Dragon, ranked as the strongest of the five, had been discovered inside the base.

The moment the pursuit began, he broke the strict ban on telepathy—put in place due to the risk of interception—to warn the rest of the team of the situation.

While he drew the Kavites' attention and led them on a chase, the other warriors slipped out of the base and attempted to escape the planet.

However, they couldn't evade the Space Mothership waiting for them outside.

"We knew staying together meant a wipeout, so the four of us who escaped first scattered in different directions. Two were killed, and we used that opening to slip away."

The commander let out a heavy sigh.

He couldn't fathom how things had gone so disastrously wrong.

"How... how exactly was he discovered?"

The failure of the operation seemed to rest entirely on his shoulders.

At the question, murder flashed in the Lightning Dragon's eyes. Crackle! Lightning sparked between his deer-like horns.

"According to his final telepathic message... the bomb he carried..."

He spat the words like hot fire.

"...was a dud! Again!"

Gasp! The Developer standing nearby flinched and drew in a sharp breath.

"A... a dud? That's impossible."

The Lightning Dragon repeated the Gold Dragon's frantic final message—words he considered to be nothing less than a dying man's last will.

But the lead Developer shook his head in disbelief.

"It could have been user error. Unless we retrieve the bomb and run a detailed analysis, it's too early to conclude it was a dud—"

The Lightning Dragon unleashed a savage roar.

"So you want us to fly back to that planet just to fish out an empty bomb casing?! Or would you rather I strip the flesh from your bones and leave nothing but an empty casing right here?!"

"Now, that's a bit harsh—!"

"Harsh? You think my words are harsh? You know what's truly harsh? You and the researchers working under you! How could you manufacture such defective garbage twice in a row!"

The two surviving dragons made a grim declaration: they would never again participate in a mission involving those damned Dragon Blood Bombs. They condemned the devices, calling them not strategic weapons, but the world's most extravagant suicide tools—devices that wasted massive amounts of their kin's dragon blood just to blow away their own lives.

The atmosphere the two of them fostered that day would heavily influence the entire Dragon Race for a long time to come.

"We can assign blame later," the commander said. "For now, let's discuss our next move."

The commander frowned as he looked at the map.

"The Kavites have mobilized all their forces to search the area around the artificial island. Since there is no trace of him escaping into space, they are convinced he's still on the planet. They intend to find him, dead or alive."

"...Do you think he's still alive?"

"We can only pray that he is."

None of them could have predicted that the Gold Dragon was moving with the hostage. At the commander's gesture, the screen shifted to highlight a specific location on the planet.

"Under these circumstances, he won't have the strength to escape the planet alone. And because of the wiretapping, he can't send us a rescue signal. If he's alive, he'll head for this point, so let's wait and pray for a miracle."

At that moment, the Lightning Dragon shot another deadly glare at the Developer. His anger was far from soothed. The blue-scaled dragon spat out a malicious curse—a sentiment absolutely unimaginable for an ally to express to another ally about a stranded comrade.

"You had better hope he died."

It was a single sentence that proved just what a mess the Dragon Race's military discipline had become.

The lead Developer asked, dumbfounded.

"...What is that supposed to mean?"

The Lightning Dragon bared his teeth and growled.

"Right before the comms cut out, the Gold Dragon said this. He said if he makes it out of there alive... the Developers are the first ones he's going to roast!"

Instantly, the color drained from the lead Developer's face.

   *

Minjun's plan was simple.

He would piggyback on the Dragon's escape from the planet for as long as possible. He intended to free-ride right up to the point where things could still be salvaged.

Of course, if he mistimed it, he could end up as a genuine prisoner of the Dragon Race, so he planned to split off before that happened.

He would stay flexible and adapt to the situation, but right now, the optimal moment to make his move seemed to be right before this nameless Dragon regrouped with a rescue team, broke orbit, and returned to base.

Was there another way?

He asked himself once more.

'Could I join hands with a Dragon?'

The answer was the same this time.

It was impossible.

Minjun decided to stick to his original plan.

'If push comes to shove, getting my own body out of here shouldn't be a problem.'

That was thanks to the two doses of dragon blood he had secured. He wasn't worried about that.

What worried Minjun was...

'Why is this guy so weak?'

The condition of the Dragon that had kidnapped him.

The Dragon hadn't taken a proper rest since escaping the base. Even Minjun could easily tell that its mana was drying up.

'It's not like I can carry the bastard on my back, either.'

Minjun didn't know the coordinates of the pickup site he assumed the Dragon was heading toward. And it would be strange for the hostage to ask.

'This is tricky.'

The days of fleeing that had exhausted the Dragon continued. Whenever there was a gap, the Dragon tried to extract information from the hostage, but Minjun maintained a consistent silence.

The flow of that one-sided conversation changed right around the time Minjun decided the situation was becoming too dangerous. During another night spent evading pursuit, his voice rang through the quiet air.

"...Why haven't you absorbed the Dragon Heart?"

It was the first time his voice had been heard since they escaped the base.

The Dragon's intrigued gaze shifted to Minjun.

"That is an odd question for a hostage to ask."

A Dragon is the only creature capable of properly absorbing a Dragon Heart. If the kidnapper absorbed the pair of Dragon Hearts he had stolen from the Kavites, he would gain an immediate lifespan extension and a moderate restoration of his magical power. It was a reward intended by those who had modified the species.

Perhaps judging the question as a gesture to open the conversation, the Dragon spoke.

"You must have studied us quite deeply, so surely you aren't ignorant of this. You know what state we fall into when we absorb a Dragon Heart."

Ah, so that was it, Minjun murmured to himself.

In the process of fusing a pair of Dragon Hearts with his own, the Dragon would fall into a deep, prolonged trance unlike anything seen before.

"Are you afraid the enemy will approach, or that I will run away while you're absorbing it?"

Minjun felt his insides burning with frustration.

'It's not like I can say I'll keep watch for him, man...'

While Minjun was trying to figure out a way to reinvent himself not as a hostage but as a willing escapee, the Ancient Dragon spoke.

"I also have a question."

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

The Dragon's gaze grew cold.

"Why did you Kavites... and the rest of the Ancient Race, start this war?"

Minjun chose an answer that a Kavite might give. He considered the feelings of those bugs that looked like a cross between a leech and a duck's phallus. It wasn't a pleasant task, but it couldn't be helped.

"This dimension originally belonged to us. Including this very planet where you stand."

Coincidentally, that was an answer that didn't sound awkward coming from either a Kavite or the primordial race.

The Dragon clicked his tongue as if he couldn't understand.

"So the crazy rumors I heard were true. You claim it's your land just because you lived here in the distant past? Then you should have maintained your claim. Where did you go, and why did you leave in the first place?"

Minjun did not answer. It was a top secret that a real hostage wouldn't obediently confess.

"Whenever I ask this, the prisoners shut their mouths. And many of them seemed to not even know the reason at all."

The Dragon frowned.

"Even assuming your claims are true, we have been residing in this dimension for a very long time. Did you think we would obediently hand the land over if you suddenly returned and demanded it? If you truly had nowhere to go, couldn't you have asked for our understanding and requested help? Something in the form of refugees, for instance."

Minjun snorted. Arguing on behalf of the Kavites was irritating, but he had to stay true to his act.

"Dragons taking in refugees and giving up a portion of their Territory out of goodwill?"

"If you promised appropriate compensation..."

"Exploitation and enslavement would have been that compensation."

The Dragon could not argue back. Because even he thought that was exactly the reaction his kin would have shown.

He changed the subject.

"So you launched a surprise attack without a declaration of war?"

"It was a choice we couldn't help but make."

"And because of that unavoidable choice, countless members of our kin were slaughtered. ...Including my parents!"

Suddenly, the surrounding air began to boil.

Minjun grew tense in the face of the terrible killing intent.

'Hey, is this bastard serious?'

Was he really planning to kill him after coming all this way?

If he acted like that, Minjun would need to drastically alter his plan as well. The primordial race prepared to strike the back of the Dragon's head and knock him out if necessary.

But.

"..."

Ssss!

Slowly, the sharp energy that had been vibrating the surroundings subsided. The Dragon tried to regain his composure. Nevertheless, the impulse to tear his opponent apart lingered like a lingering attachment.

'If he really is from the highest echelons, he might be the one who ordered the operation where my parents lost their lives.'

There was a justifiable reason to exact revenge right here.

However, there was also a clear reason why he shouldn't kill the hostage he had dragged all this way.

"...Right, there's no point in killing you here. That wouldn't be revenge or punishment, just venting my anger."

Minjun showed no reaction. Because he didn't want to provoke his opponent.

Neither of them had bodies affected by temperature, and both could see objects perfectly in the dark, so there was no need for a campfire or any artificial light source around them. The clouds brushed past the moon. Minjun observed the face of the kidnapper buried in darkness with wary eyes, ready to respond immediately if necessary.

The one to reconnect the severed conversation was the Dragon.

"You all seem to be trapped in the delusion that you are exercising a legitimate right through this war. That we inflicted the first wrong by stealing this land, and this fight is just revenge to get it back."

The clouds passed by, and moonlight poured down like a waterfall again.

The Dragon seemed to have completely calmed down in that short moment.

"...Are you saying we shouldn't have done that?"

"Right, you shouldn't have done that. You should have chosen a better option. A way where blood wouldn't be shed. A path where both sides could coexist."

The Dragon turned his head as if to organize his thoughts and emotions. He stared at the dark blue, stained night sky. Stars were scattered everywhere his eyes reached.

Minjun chose his words slowly.

"You are underestimating the desires of intelligent lifeforms."

He regretted it slightly right after the words left his mouth. Rather than something a Kavite would say, it was closer to a lament from the primordial race, an entity that had once repeated countless failures.

There was a truth he had learned over a long period of time before falling into his slumber.

In a state of nature, the vicious cycle of killing, stealing, and exchanging revenge could not be broken.

It was impossible for people.

Therefore, to sever this chain, everyone had to become an existence other than human.

The primordial race murmured inwardly.

'This guy is a hopeless idealist.'

The Ancient Dragon continued speaking.

"I think there must have been a better way. You people didn't agonize over it, and as a result, you gave us the duty and the right to exact revenge on you."

As someone who had already considered this topic a long time ago and reached a conclusion, he couldn't help but feel apathetic.

Minjun sounded as if he was defending the Kavites at first glance, but he spoke with an emphasis on pointing out the futility of the Dragon's dream.

"There is a reason why ideals remain in the realm of fantasy. It's meaningless to chase a mirage you can't reach no matter how hard you try. You are currently condemning us for not pursuing the impossible."

Jenkinson did not agree with those words. The Red Dragon firmly expressed his will.

"The impossibility and unreality of a goal are not reasons to stop even the attempt to pursue it. Even if it is a dream that cannot be reached in reality, the footsteps left behind while walking toward it will bring a meaningful change to reality."

The Dragon's two eyes twinkled as they reflected the stars.

Minjun let out a faint sigh.

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