The Foreigner on the Periphery

The Balaur Council was hastily convened.

The moment Jenkinson appeared, all the dragons froze.

They possessed invulnerability to all poisons and were immune to most bacteria and viruses, but they could still fall ill. Circular Scale Loss was a condition most of them recognized, as it had been frequently observed during the war.

However, they had never heard of a case this severe.

"Dragon Lord!"

Round holes seemed to have been punched all over his body. His skin resembled tattered rags, as if someone had forcibly ripped out his scales. Drawing everyone's eyes, the Red Dragon stood at the center of the hall.

Bitterly, Jenkinson muttered to himself.

'There is an upside to coming here without receiving treatment. Surely they won't suspect I'm lying while looking like this.'

Upon seeing his condition, Blair had urgently sought out Fourth, but she soon received a shocking answer from the staff.

Murmurs rippled among the dragons.

"What in the world happened to the Lord?"

They had many questions for him. Rumors were circulating that the Lord was involved in the suspicious events that had recently occurred on Earth. His sudden isolation and refusal to go outside a while ago had also been suspicious.

The impatient dragons were already itching to speak their minds. The only reason they didn't dare say a word was because Jenkinson's appearance was just that shocking.

Jenkinson slowly looked around the hall. His demeanor was different from usual. He didn't thank his kin for gathering so quickly despite the sudden summons. He even skipped the customary greeting to declare the start of the meeting.

His first words were these:

"I 'remember' the previous Dragon Lord."

He closed his eyes for a moment. Memories that he hadn't experienced firsthand boiled to the surface.

The legacy of the personality that had once cohabited in his brain.

"Furthermore, I am likely the dragon who understands him better than anyone else here."

The deceased's former spouse and children were also gathered here. But none of them had looked as deeply beneath his scales as Jenkinson had. Nor had anyone walked the world in his shoes.

Jenkinson considered himself the one who knew him best.

Therefore, he could say this:

"What I am about to share is not my experience, but the previous Lord's. I did not receive the deceased's permission to disclose this, but I am certain he would have agreed if he still 'existed'."

Isn't that right, Lord?

"The story begins right after the second war."

Though tinged slightly with fatigue and exhaustion, his voice remained calm.

Jenkinson began his explanation.

During his life, the previous Lord had no intention of revealing the secrets he uncovered to the public. He seemed to hold that view at least until the brink of death. He believed ordinary dragons weren't ready to handle the truth.

It might have been a harsh conclusion, but Jenkinson now thought differently. That, too, might have been a product of the elitism the previous Lord had failed to shed.

Even the one who advocated for the equality of all races wasn't entirely free from the upbringing that taught him he was a special dragon. Hence, he had intended to pass his memories only to a successor, singling out Jenkinson as the one most like him.

Was that judgment correct?

By the standards of that era, perhaps it was. But Jenkinson felt the situation had changed.

Everyone needed to know the truth.

"So, the previous Lord began researching dragon blood."

An esoteric language hidden within their genes.

By comparing and analyzing it against existing ruins, the Gold Dragon reached an epiphany.

"We have called them the Dragon Eater Tribe, handed down through myths. The Committee also gave them the name 'primordial race'."

The revelation that the legendary Dragon Eater Tribe actually existed.

It took over an hour just to explain up to this point. Jenkinson mobilized every piece of evidence to ensure everyone could understand and believe it.

Because of this, the dragons who initially grew angry, yelled, and breathed fire had to shut their mouths and listen quietly when restrained by the Ancient Dragons. The older dragons had harbored questions similar to the previous Lord's at least once in their lives. Through experience, they intuitively knew Jenkinson's story carried high credibility.

The explanation continued. Jenkinson spoke without resting for half a day. Whenever the dragons couldn't hold back and shouted in protest, the Red Dragon presented evidence as if he had anticipated it. The audience found it impossible to refute him.

Naturally, dragons did not lose their voices. Their vocal cords were tough enough to withstand roaring with Dragon Fear and emitting high-pitched screeches that triggered landslides.

Yet as time passed, Jenkinson's voice cracked severely. It was a sign that his body had already broken down from immense stress.

And so, after his explanation was finished.

With a completely hoarse voice, Jenkinson declared:

"I guarantee in draconic that all of this is the truth. If it is false, I will accept the complete annihilation of my body and soul."

The dragons were appalled.

No dragon ever put forth such extreme conditions when making an oath in draconic. Even if it didn't actually kill them, the backlash would be immense.

Flash!

As they watched with wide eyes...

...light swirled around Jenkinson's body, completing the magic.

"..."

Jenkinson didn't suddenly collapse or vomit blood.

It was proof that everything he had said was the truth.

A heavy silence lingered in the hall for a long time. Some dragons had already stormed out during the explanation, as if they simply couldn't accept the truth.

One dragon unconsciously scratched his shoulder, only to be horrified when a scale came off in his claws. The story was so stressful that just listening to it made their dragon scales fall off.

They couldn't even begin to imagine how the previous Lord and Jenkinson, who had kept this secret, must have felt.

"...If all of that is true."

Breaking the long silence, an Ancient Dragon barely managed to open his mouth.

He still felt as if he were swimming through unreality.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

Jenkinson had an answer prepared.

"We must try our hardest not to commit any sins."

His voice was unbearable to listen to, but his gaze was exceptionally clear.

His eyes seemed to be evidence that he had accepted his fate—or conversely, an expression of his will to overcome it.

"The near-infinite freedom we have enjoyed until now is over. The Committee was our enemy, but in a way, they were also our collaborators and symbiotes."

From the perspective of Non-Dragon Races, the Ancient Race and dragons were practically entities sharing the same goals within the same ruling system.

"But the primordial race will take a completely different stance. Dragons who do not follow his rules will be classified as sinners, and furthermore, as livestock. Every dragon in the universe must know this truth."

Once the dragon race learned of the primordial race, they would make their own judgments and take different paths.

There would undoubtedly be those who, even knowing Minjun's true identity, would refuse to submit and instead try to eliminate him. The mere existence of someone who treated dragons as livestock ate away at the pride of their great race. They would try to prove their worth by destroying that evidence. This would inevitably lead to a fresh supply of sinners—exactly what Minjun wanted.

Conversely, dragons who groveled before Minjun and controlled their behavior would also emerge. Jenkinson assumed the dragons of Earth would show an attitude closer to the latter. That is, if his efforts bore fruit.

However, merely being careful wasn't enough. Jenkinson added one more explanation.

"And I, to Asif-666..."

He paused for a moment.

"I suppose I should change the title now. I made a wish to the one who will become the new 'Master of the World'... to the primordial race."

Even after hearing the explanation, the dragons were confused by the unacceptable phrasing.

A dragon making a wish to another race!

"During the time he lived as a prisoner without his memories... though, looking back now, I suspect even his penal labor was his own design. Regardless, I befriended him then. Thanks to that, karma seemed to have accumulated. This unexpected causality granted me the right. I was able to plead for what I desired. I even changed the wish once."

Someone asked.

"So, what was it?"

He could have begged him not to eat the dragons of Earth, at the very least.

But Jenkinson didn't do that.

Perhaps due to the repeated despair, he thought that nothing but spite was left in him now.

"Before I changed my wish out at sea, I asked him why he treated sentient dragons as livestock."

"...?"

Everyone's expressions twisted strangely.

Why would he ask something they already knew?

The expected answer followed.

"He replied that it was because he needed dragon blood. So I asked again. Why must he strip away their free will to harvest their blood? You can probably guess this answer, too. He told me: because they do not want to give it."

And when they heard his next words...

...the audience understood why Jenkinson was pointing out the obvious.

"Dragon blood is the source of life force. He said he had no choice but to brainwash them since no one would willingly surrender it. Because no dragon would volunteer to sacrifice themselves, he had no choice but to extract the blood of sinners as a form of punishment."

The Red Dragon flashed a weak smile. It was the expression of someone who wasn't proud of what he had done in the slightest.

"So, I told him straight away."

Jenkinson had declared to Minjun.

"I am willing to offer my blood. Out of my own free will, and gladly."

"..."

"You can probably guess the conversation that followed as well."

Minjun must have made an indescribable expression.

He retorted, asking what nonsense that was. He even said he wouldn't take Jenkinson's blood.

Minjun pointed out that the blood offered by a single dragon wouldn't be enough to achieve his long, long plan—the grand scheme to stop the end of the universe.

In response, Jenkinson asked again: what if other dragons joined him?

And what if this new concept—of dragons willingly offering their blood—continued into the distant future?

"It was a long argument. To the point where, thinking about it now, the fact that he indulged me feels close to a miracle."

Their conversation over the Pacific Ocean dragged on so long that the priests on the mothership grew anxious.

"Naturally, he didn't believe us. I considered giving up right then and there."

Again, something bitter. A contortion that was hard to call a smile brushed past his lips.

"But I couldn't. Because I was born a dragon. And for some reason, this inadequate, flawed, and sin-stained race..."

He carefully chose his words for a moment.

"...This race that is a total mess and only repeats the wrong choices, I just can't give up on them."

Even before Perseen was ground up.

Even right after he grew furious and poured hatred and curses upon the one who seemed to symbolize the majority of their kin.

Because Jenkinson was also a dragon, he couldn't let go of the dragons.

"I persuaded him again. And I brought up the fact that there was a time when Minjun... even the primordial race overcame a crisis thanks to the goodwill of a dragon. All beings in the world don't influence one another in just a single direction. Karma is bound to be complexly intertwined. And that web only grows denser as time passes. Rather than closing off all possibilities, leaving even the smallest door open would raise the likelihood of accumulating good karma."

Thus, Minjun ultimately allowed another possibility a chance to sprout.

That was Jenkinson's wish.

"I promised him. From now on, I will provide my blood with my own hands. I won't be consumed as livestock; it will be an act I chose myself as a person. Instead of being drained all at once to the point of shaving off my lifespan, I will contribute a set amount every day."

From Minjun's perspective, drawing a massive amount at once was more efficient right now.

However, the downside to that method was that the dragon would quickly lose their health, and even divine power would struggle to heal them, just like Raymond Wong, the lord of Hong Kong.

"In exchange for my promise, he agreed to revert one sinner from livestock back into a person."

"...!"

The dragons felt they knew where this conversation was heading.

"Lord, don't tell me?!"

"Yes."

Jenkinson's eyes shone fiercely. The audience momentarily forgot his gruesome appearance.

"I persuaded him that there would surely be volunteers other than me. Thus, my wish was accepted, and another agreement was forged. From now on, every time one voluntary blood donor dragon is born, he will save one dragon race sinner."

The salvation mentioned here was not the cleansing of sins or an exemption from punishment, but solely escaping the fate of livestock. It was being recognized as a person.

Allowing free will for a dragon who had committed a sin.

"And I want everyone here to join me."

They might criticize it as mere psychological self-comfort. But Jenkinson genuinely wished for it.

Someone muttered, seemingly finding it hard to comprehend.

"But why should I give my blood..."

"Because anyone who isn't perfect and hasn't been brainwashed can become a sinner. The same goes for our descendants. If we cannot deny the inclination toward evil that a person harbors, then sin won't vanish either. We will become each other's safety nets."

And there was another reason.

"We dragons are famous for being selfish, yet even we have the capacity to cherish someone without drawing boundaries. That target is none other than a Hatchling. Only in front of our descendants do we become more generous and altruistic people."

Of course, there was a small number of exceptions to this, but such individuals were treated as monsters even among dragons.

"As I already mentioned, donating blood is also for our children, their children, and our distant descendants. The eternal life of the universe rests on it. The choice is yours, of course, and I plan to relay the contents of this pact to all our kin across the dimensions."

His voice, akin to grating metal, conveyed a solid conviction.

"Some might criticize me, saying I have no right to decide the fate of dragons. But... I did not decide our fate. Rather, by using this as an opportunity, all of us have gained the ability to decide our own fates, even if only within a limited scope."

That was Jenkinson's wish.

To open the floodgates so dragons could personally determine the destiny of their race.

"If a long time passes like this... what will happen to us? Perhaps there will be no people left, and everyone will have become livestock. Or perhaps there will be a mixture at a certain ratio, just like now. Or perhaps everyone will be recognized as a person, regardless of their sins."

That answer, that ratio, would change depending on how many righteous dragons stepped forward.

Perhaps the volunteers would cease after Jenkinson's death.

Or conversely, an atmosphere where joining in became second nature to dragons might be fostered in the distant future.

Through countless sleepless nights, Jenkinson had agonized over it.

Was there truly hope for the dragon race? Wouldn't the promise revert to nothing? Shouldn't he beg to change his wish one more time, even now? If he could change it once, wouldn't twice be possible?

At the end of this scale-shedding anguish, he came to a conclusion.

"I have decided to believe."

Separate from granting his wish, Minjun had said it was an unattainable hope. That some dreams had no choice but to vainly fall apart.

But the Red Dragon would not stop dreaming.

Having resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to this, the Ancient Dragon surveyed the hall. The audience experienced an optical illusion, as if starlight were twinkling in his eyes.

"You might find it unacceptable. Why must only dragons shoulder this duty? Is this not akin to an original sin based on our race? I think so as well. Dragons might have been pushed into an unfair position. But putting it another way, this is also something only we can do. I speak of the contribution of providing nourishment to the universe."

He added.

Many would disagree, but this was what Jenkinson believed.

"Furthermore, through this, we might be able to repay the atrocities... the karma of what dragons have committed against other races over these long ages. And so, I intend to begin."

Jenkinson felt sorrow over the fact that their descendants could not be completely free from the sinful karma of their ancestors.

Yet, on the other hand, because this would help prevent his descendants from going extinct, he was willing to step forward.

Jenkinson said his final piece.

"This is my karma."

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