Chapter 237

“Dragonkin, you say—what do you mean by that……?”

“I can see traces of the magic they use near your heart. I cannot tell exactly what kind it is, but this distinctive spell—.”

“No, wait. I have no idea what you are talking about, Bodhisattva. A curse? Dragonkin?”

“To be precise, it is not a curse but magic.”

Evangeline replied calmly.

No, she was only pretending to be calm. Her complexion was so pale that it would not have been strange if she collapsed on the spot. She looked even worse than the Guardian who had just awakened from a nightmare.

Yet though she appeared to be in pain, Evangeline endured it somehow and continued speaking.

“Dragonkin. Also called ‘Dragons,’ they are beings treated as a kind of demigod. Scales harder than armor forged from adamantium, an immeasurable quantity of mana, and overwhelming physical prowess. They are living disasters.”

They were also the race that had driven humanity to the brink of annihilation during the great catastrophe that occurred 200 years ago.

According to records, a single Dragon’s breath had turned the entire European continent into a sea of fire.

That humanity still survived against such a race was likely only due to their mercy—or perhaps their indolence or indifference.

To Dragons, whose lifespans approached eternity, a few hundred years was laughably short.

Thus, while ‘200 years’ was enough time for several generations of humanity to change, to a Dragon it was no different from ‘just a moment ago.’

In other words, the reason the Dragon that had burned the European continent to ashes had left alone the humans who were once again expanding their influence was likely because it thought, ‘I crushed them just a moment ago, so let me rest a bit.’

Such living calamities were terrifying not only to humanity but to other Mystics as well.

Even the great witch Evangeline, who bore the reverent and fear-laden title of ‘Scarlet Witch,’ was no exception.

In any case, the important point was this:

Dragons were that dangerous.

“Dragons cross dimensions, make nests upon continents that please them, and then fall into slumber for long ages. Historically, it is exceedingly rare for them to interfere in the lives of other races, including humans.”

“I, I understand that much. But what do you mean by a curse?”

“As I said earlier, it is not precisely a curse but ordinary magic. It may even be magic related to a blessing. However, even their blessings are no different from curses to frail races like ours. They grant immense power, but in return something precious inevitably breaks. That is why it is called the ‘Curse of the Dragonkin.’ And that trace—.”

Evangeline pointed a finger at the Guardian’s chest.

“—is upon your heart.”

The Guardian looked down at his chest with an expression of incomprehension, but he saw nothing.

Naturally, he felt nothing either, which made him momentarily suspect that all of this might merely be a ‘setting’ that existed only inside Evangeline’s head.

Like the kind of role-playing games children sometimes played. Pretending to be wizards, or police officers.

But Evangeline’s expression was neither an act nor a lie.

She looked as though she desperately wanted to flee at once, yet was forcing down that impulse and speaking with every ounce of courage she could muster.

“It was concealed so cunningly that even this body failed to notice it at once. But now I understand. Why you were able to perceive this body’s mana immediately.”

“……?”

“Tell me. Where and how did you encounter a Dragonkin?”

“…….”

However, the Guardian could not answer. He had no memory of ever meeting a Dragonkin, nor did he even know of their existence.

Until half a year ago, he had been nothing more than a monk. He had merely made a contract with the Black Dragon Gang to avenge his fellow monks.

Indebted to them, he had been injected with nanomachines and became an Adaptee. With that power, he hunted down those who had forcibly transformed the monks’ bodies into machines.

As a result, he had succeeded in his revenge but was expelled from Gijeongjong. Because of that, even the name ‘Guardian’ had been stripped from him, yet he continued to use it as a form of defiance.

Ryu Takashi, the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang, had pretended to pity him after his expulsion while intending to use him however he pleased.

And though he owed them a great debt, the Guardian had no desire to work under criminals. So he stole Ryu Takashi’s property and fled.

That was how he arrived at the present.

There had been no room in that sequence of events for some unknown being called a ‘Dragon’ to intervene. Naturally, before all that, he had done nothing but chant sutras in the temple.

Yet perhaps there was a reason Evangeline was reacting so gravely?

The Guardian studied her face quietly, then cautiously retraced his memories.

And then he recalled something.

“N-now that I think about it…….”

“Have you remembered something?”

“N-no…… I am not certain.”

“That is fine. Speak anyway.”

“After I was injected with nanomachines, I suffered for some time due to rejection symptoms. Then, in a dreamlike state, someone came to me and spoke…… and I remember feeling at ease afterward…….”

“Hmm…….”

After pondering for a moment, Evangeline grabbed the Guardian’s arm once more. She crossed her arms and seemed to deliberate for quite some time before finally letting out a deep sigh.

“Hoo. It cannot be helped.”

“What do you mean?”

“Guardian. When dawn breaks, come with this body. In truth, I wished to delay for a few more days, but this is not a situation that allows it…….”

“Where do you intend to go?”

At the Guardian’s question, Evangeline smiled faintly and answered.

“To the man this body trusts most!”

Inside the passenger car returning to the mansion.

Flying at an altitude of over 1,000 meters, Kallia Stingray replayed the conversation she had shared with Ryu Takashi, the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang.

-Please find the Dragon for us.

-A Dragon…… what do you mean by that……?

-Oh my. Did you come here without even knowing that much?

He chuckled.

Believing he had finally gained the upper hand over Kallia, Takashi continued openly, delighted.

-Recently, such rumors have been circulating in the underworld of Sector E. They say a ‘Dragon’ in human form has been freely wandering the back alleys.

-If you are mocking me…….

-Do I appear to be joking?

Ryu Takashi’s eyes were serious—beyond serious, almost reproachful, as if even bringing up such a matter before her posed a danger to himself.

In response, Kallia maintained silence for a moment before slowly speaking.

-You are not speaking metaphorically when you say ‘Dragon,’ correct?

-Indeed. I mean a Dragon in the literal sense. The very monster symbolized by the ‘Dragon’ in the name of the Black Dragon Gang. I wish for Lady Kallia to capture that monster and bring it to me.

It meant that even with the power of the Black Dragon Gang, it was difficult to locate. Kallia realized just how arduous this request would be, and at the same time felt a headache forming.

-A Dragon…….

-If you answer that it is impossible, then it cannot be helped. However, in that case, I shall conclude that the extent of the power Lady Kallia may wield as a ‘Princess’ goes only so far…….

-Very well. I shall find it for you.

Unwilling to lose the initiative, Kallia accepted at once.

Though it was impossible to know how long it would take, if she fully utilized the power of the Stingray Intelligence Division, there would be no one they could not find.

However, there was one problem.

-But why are you trying to find that Dragon?

-I shall answer that if you succeed in finding it.

The conversation ended there.

Left with no choice, Kallia was practically driven out of the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang’s room. Thus, the contract with the Black Dragon Gang concluded in an ambiguous state.

‘She was no easy woman.’

It felt as though she had been playing a complicated card game for a long time, only to leave before properly finishing it. It was a sinister game of probing what cards the other held, guessing, deceiving, and being deceived.

Hoo.

Releasing the tension she had drawn tight, Kallia leaned deeply into her seat. Yet she did not fully relax, quietly reviewing her plan.

‘First. Secure management control.’

It was the most fundamental kind of shareholding battle.

Ownership of the company would change depending on how many Stingray shares one possessed. At present, Kallia held slightly fewer shares than Aaron, but that fact did not matter greatly.

That was a matter of meeting other major shareholders and executives to persuade them. And meeting people, speaking with them, and turning their hearts was Kallia’s area of expertise.

No, in the first place, anyone who knew the true nature of the man named Aaron Stingray—and had a properly functioning mind—would undoubtedly take her side.

The problem, however, was their ‘emotions.’

‘Many will fear Brother Aaron and hesitate to openly side with me.’

Among those who understood the power Aaron Stingray wielded, many would reluctantly support him out of fear.

What if they sided with Kallia and Aaron harbored malicious intent and harmed them?

Yes. Fear.

That was the part Kallia could not obtain on her own.

Which was why she needed the power of mafia organizations, including the Black Dragon Gang.

‘Second. Bring the underworld to my side.’

With the backing of major underworld figures, she could threaten company executives and major shareholders. If Aaron instilled fear through his own power, Kallia intended to substitute that with the power of the Mafia.

At the same time, they could become a threat to Aaron himself.

If they could exert influence across the vast areas of Sector E and the Fallen Sector, they would become daggers hidden beneath cloaks, secretly striking what Aaron held dear.

‘Third. Earn Father’s acknowledgment of my victory.’

Even if all the previous plans succeeded, if Aaron responded with, ‘I do not care, I will just kill them all,’ then everything would become meaningless. Who in this city could stand against that overwhelming force?

If one had to name someone, there was only one.

The Stingray Chairman.

What Kallia aimed for could be called a ‘victory by judgment.’ Gathering all her cards first without Aaron noticing, and having the judge—her father—recognize her victory.

Then even if Aaron belatedly raged and tried to destroy everything, the Stingray Chairman would stop him.

If he gathered his directly operated ninja unit, the Stingray Security Division, and all other hidden secret weapons, then no matter how powerful Aaron Stingray was, he could be subdued.

After subduing Aaron Stingray, she would finally be able to seize the company—and this city—as the official successor.

That was Kallia’s scheme……

‘A Dragon.’

Dragon.

Because of that single word, it felt as though her plan was beginning to unravel. Why had that monster suddenly entered the picture?

‘What exactly is going on……?’

To capture the monster named Aaron Stingray, she now had to find a Dragonkin—an existence not even human—and bring it to the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang? It felt as though cause and effect had been reversed.

‘How does one even capture a Dragon? No—does the human-shaped Dragon the Gang Leader spoke of even truly exist?’

‘If he truly is a Dragon, then capturing him would be impossible. Even if I was provoked, I should not have said I would bring him…….’

‘Should I exclude the Black Dragon Gang and join hands with another organization instead? Then they would worry about their share decreasing.’

‘No, what am I thinking right now? I do not even understand anything anymore.’

Had she grown exhausted from the conversation filled with political rhetoric she had exchanged with the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang?

Kallia felt her mind becoming increasingly confused. It was as though fragments of thought were floating about, churning inside her head.

Then at some point.

A realization came to her, like a light turning on.

“Wait.”

Dragon.

He said Dragon, did he not?

Why did the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang want to find such a being?

For what purpose?

To kill the Dragon and obtain materials? She had heard that a Dragon Heart contained as much energy as a decent nuclear fusion power plant. And its scales were said to be harder than special mithril alloy.

‘Let me think.’

Possibility 1.

He simply wanted to meet the being of rumor.

‘That is absolutely not it.’

Possibility 2.

The Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang possessed the power to kill a Dragon. However, he could not determine the Dragon’s location and therefore requested her to handle that part.

Possibility 3.

The Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang intended to borrow the Dragon’s power to accomplish something.

Possibility 4.

It was merely a lie to test Kallia.

Hmm.

Having organized it like this, she felt she now knew what to do next.

‘I do not know which among 2, 3, or 4 is correct…… but unexpectedly, it is simple?’

A Dragon.

And a human-shaped Dragon at that.

If she could bring that being to her side, would defeating Aaron not be simple?

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