The Foreigner on the Periphery - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Three Ways To Murder Your Boss (15)
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The face of the man who turned around ended up looking completely different from the picture that Minjun saw.

It was only natural that the spirit could not find the real thing other than the homunculus. Changing their appearance was as easy to them as it was to breathe. In this regard, most things were easy for them.

“Mr. Jang Tae-joon.”

Minjun had a foreboding feeling when Edeline was arrested. Now that the annoying use had been put away, everything else seemed to be easy. And, as always, that feeling had gone horribly wrong.

This was because she didn’t really fit into the axis of ‘the troublesome dragon.’

Apparently, there was a dragon hiding in this world that was more horrific than that idiot, and who had been planning crimes beyond his imagination.

Minjun calmly announced the truth to him.

“I just searched and confiscated your car from immigration.”

It had been estimated that the rare owner was just a little less than the elder. President Jenkinson, who appeared there personally, led the immigration agents and strengthened the barrier that Minjun had put in place. This was to prevent the fact that the rarity was pierced from being transmitted to the owner as some sort of magic alarm.

It had taken less than an hour to teleport a large number of people from Seoul to Sokcho, confiscated everything in the laboratory, and analyzed it using magical and non-magical means. That was the power of the old dragon and the organization that he had been leading.

“Is it?”

The dragon, whose real name was not yet known, responded with a dry tone as if he was not interested in this conversation at all.

“And we also identified the virus you were making there.”

Among the agents that the President had brought with him, there were experts in fields other than Minjun’s major. They had discovered the identity of the ‘prototype’ in the freezer right on the spot.

It was a virus injected by replicating the characteristics of an ISP.

It was a plague seed that was only contagious to dragons and caused particular symptoms.

The fact that he hid in the dimension of Earth under the guise of Jang Tae-joon was in the same vein as the Orc community that was chosen by a member of the Society as his hiding place. This was because the number of dragons was small and the likelihood of being caught was low in such a situation.

“The research appears to be incomplete.”

The characteristic of propagating only to dragons, that was, the ‘host range’ of the virus had been completed. However, the actual design of the symptoms that would occur after injection was incomplete.

Jang Tae-joon did not deny it. Slowly, he nodded.

“Yes, but I ran out of time.”

He was about to leave Earth soon, for some unfathomable reason. There were traces of preparations for moving in such a manner, and looking at the computer records, the research had been stopped for some time.

“Even if unsuccessful, the attempt itself is a crime. It is a felony that cannot be exempted, even on the grounds of mental illness. Therefore, as of this time…”

“Do you think I am crazy?”

Minjun quietly nodded. “Otherwise, why would a dragon do such a thing to his fellow species?’

“Simple – because I hate dragons.”

At this, Minjun’s eyes fluttered slightly. What Kim Yeon-joo had said about Jang Tae-joon crossed his mind.

‘I knew I had always been a dreamer, but I became a bit of an idiot when he started talking about all that ‘social pollution’ propaganda…’

Jang Tae-joon looked at Minjun and the blonde man standing next to him in turn.

“I know. If you’re a dragon yourself, then what would it mean to say such a thing? Isn’t that just an extension of self-hatred?” He asserted.

Little by little, color and warmth began to seep into the man’s dry tone.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, I’ve finally come to a conclusion, and I’m slowly getting ready to put it into practice.”

It was warmer compared to his first tone, but there was no stability in his voice and tone. Minjun could feel an unpleasant heat in his words. It was close to a realm that some might even deem to call ‘madness.’

“Dragons are pests that destroy social ecosystems at all levels. They are the source of all evil, and are born as a being that cannot cooperate with other species.”

There were indeed such people on Earth. Those who stood behind the name of environmentalists. Those who argued that only when humans, the largest number of intelligent beings, disappear, livestock used for food will decrease, the amount of excreted carbon will decrease, and plastic production will decrease to save the planet. Those who were not satisfied even after the magic crystals were distributed.

However, even such environmental protection groups do not commit terrorism and genocide, saying that they should reduce the number of humans. That was because this kind of thing was crazy, and yet this dragon was preparing to put it into action.

That was because of the judgment that the dragon was the main culprit of social pollution, it seemed more serious than normal environmental pollution.

Remaining expressionless, Minjun clicked his tongue inwardly. Jang Tae-joon then began to speak in an accusing tone of voice.

“Let’s think. Dragons are the poison of social and economic systems! Everything’s so easy for us. How many dragons have officially obtained citizenship in this world have officially obtained citizenship? Not even a thousand! Among them, 60% did not choose to live in seclusion. Take a look at how those little dragons are ruling the world right now!”

Kim Yeon-joo was right. Jang Tae-joon was indeed very dangerous.

“Whatever form of society, dragons simply get their hands on it!”

There was hatred in his voice.

“Absolute monarchy? You usurp the kingship with terrifying magical powers and characteristics that other races cannot match. Democracy? Sweep the votes with unique charisma and insight into popular psychology. New Year’s Eve? The Detect Divinity spell wraps around the entire planet, kidnaps the child who received the most divine blessing, and then plays with the dolls behind the scenes whilst acting as the Messiah. Dragons are always like that, aren’t they?”

That was true.

The reason why there were dragon presidents on Earth today was because they had already realized that money was a more efficient and powerful weapon due to the nature of this world, so they focused on the business world, not because they harbor the absolute abilities from the start.

“Even in this world, we have accepted mass immigrants several times. They’re all intermingling in some way! Of course, there are conflicts, and there’ve been signs of stratification, but it’s not an unbreakable iron wall. It gets better as time goes by. But you can’t say the same with a dragon!”

The way he talked seemed rough.

“The other races are more like a variety of colors. It takes time and eventually mixes with each other. However, dragons are oil. Even if you sprinkle a few drops of oil in water, it won’t mix. Instead, it will make its own layer on top of it. In this manner, it subjugates and dominates other races. That’s because that’s the nature of the dragon.”

“Mr. Jang Tae-joon.”

There was no time to listen more to the crazy dreamer’s dog shit philosophy.

Minjun was interested in something else.

A race the size of a dragon’s cannot enter as quietly as in a case like Etrella when it came to crossing a dimension. The committee also intensively monitored and managed it. Minjun had in his head all the personal information of all the dragons that have come to Earth in this way.

However, there was nothing about the man in front of him in his database.

“How did you get to Earth?”

Jang Tae-joon’s expression shifted as he got up.

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Then, let me change the question.”

The time had finally come to end this long day. Minjun began to speak in a dry tone.

“Jang Tae-joon, can you present proof that you have obtained a valid earth citizenship, or that you have been issued a residence permit that allows you to legally stay on the earth?”

The dragon casually revealed, “No, there’s nothing like that.”

With this, Minjun grabbed his dagger and began to memorize a spell.

The air began to sway, and the huge veil surrounding the muzzle condensed. Fortunately, there were no fishermen or passerby nearby. What Minjun was making now was a complex gin that magnified the cognitive distortion barrier that Jang Tae-joon used to cover his eyes several hundred times.

After finishing the preparations, the blonde boy who accompanied him finally spoke for the first time.

“Who were you waiting here for?”

Jang Tae-joon’s chatty mouth was heavily closed on this subject. Minjun’s companion then began to interrogate him.

“The way I see it is, when you come to Earth and when you leave Earth, you have no choice but to stand out in the eyes of the committee. That’s because it’s impossible for a dragon to avoid surveillance. This means that someone’s been helping you this entire time.”

His tone changed coldly.

“Say it. Who is he?”

Jang Tae-joon still refused to answer. There was no hesitation in his gaze, just firm determination.

The blonde man frowned.

“Well?”

At the next moment, he disappeared after asking Jang Tae-joon.

At this point, Minjun completed the barrier to conceal a larger space centered on the port.

Wrath!

Minjun lifted his head slightly and looked upwards.

Most of the sky that came into one’s line of sight disappeared. Instead, there was a red and majestic citadel. In it stood a creature that would have been more than enough to forcibly introduce all Sokcho citizens, had it not been for the barrier that covered the outside eyes. His body looked as if it had been sharply cut from the setting sun.

The Elder Dragon, who must have returned to its original form outside after a long time, rang out a mental wave, almost like thunder.

= If you refuse to answer, then I have no choice but to find out by capturing you. =

With a dazzling smile, Jang Tae-joon stared at the red dragon.

There, three pairs of wings of enormous width, left and right, were fixed in the sky without much movement. On his huge head, twelve eyes filled with stern determination glared at Jang Tae-joon.

The other dragon naturally avoided his gaze.

“Okay, I wondered how you found me. From Rare to here, I have walked over ten kilometers while changing appearances.”

His eyes were on the harbor, the distance, the distant shoreline.

“I don’t have much time left, so I want to take this all in.”

With that, he looked at the dragon in the sky once more.

“The secret was the magic of our people. Did you use my blood to track it? Seriously, Rare has already been stolen.”

Thanks to him, he was able to pursue him this far. This was a spell that could only be used by dragons, and if there was blood or other body part, it guided the magician toward its owner, the dragon.

The Red Dragon, President Jenkinson, asked Minjun to help him until this point. The compensation offered on the spot was, of course, incomparable to that of Edeline’s, and Minjun accepted it.

‘How long have you been fighting two dragons in a day?’

This was the thought running through his mind as he aimed at the dagger.

‘How much more is there to eat a dragon and fight one side?’

Meanwhile, Jenkinson continued speaking in a thunderous voice.

=Last advice, will you surrender?=

Jang Tae-joon responded by destroying his human form.

=You’re pretty stupid.=

Jenkinson then growled like thunder in response. With this, Minjun turned the blade and began to aim at himself.

The black-scaled dragon, meanwhile, stretched out, pushing the air heavily. They then collided, exploding in a flash of light.