< 104. Shock and Terror (2) >
***
Jenkinson feels very satisfied, as the stress that had been weighing on him to the point where he worried he might become the first cancer patient in Dragon history has been greatly relieved.
The biggest reason was the elimination of her rival, Changcheon. Most of the lucrative businesses she had been running came under Jenkinson’s control. Although there were voices of condemnation from the anti-Dragon opposition party and the progressive media, it was of course only a faint echo.
Also, the close friend who used to call him every once in a while to ask him to repay his debts or run errands for him was quiet these days. I was curious about the reason, but I didn’t bother to call him to ask. There wasn’t any big incident that would require his help. So instead of volunteering to stir up the fire, Jenkinson was enjoying the peace he had finally found.
He was so relaxed that the stress-induced binge eating that had been plaguing him for a while had subsided.
Thanks to this, the livestock at the elephant farm were freed from the fear of the dragon that attacked them day and night, and the managers were barely able to catch their breath. Jenkinson was slowly thinking about going back to his old diet. He was going to stop eating meat and go on a clean diet that only absorbed pure, refined mana.
“Chairman, I will report to you.”
The happy Jenkins smiled warmly at his secretary. Blair paused for a moment to catch her breath, then lowered her gaze to the papers and began to speak in a stiff tone.
“The progress of free health checks, blood collection, and genetic analysis for goblins nationwide is close to 90%. Excluding those who have been caught on deep-sea fishing boats, sold overseas, or imprisoned as slaves, we believe that it is virtually a complete investigation. Therefore, we plan to continue collecting serum by cooperating with overseas relief organizations using the Jenkinson Foundation’s network.”
Yong nodded leisurely. Minjun didn’t seem to be interested in this these days, but he was still working on it. He didn’t know when he would barge into the office and demand the results.
“What about the genetic map?”
“The percentage of test subjects who were estimated to have traces of Demonic Goblin blood was approximately 3%. It will likely take some time to combine these genes to create a complete DNA map of a pure-blooded Demonic Goblin.”
“Okay, I understand. Keep reporting.”
“And then, next···”
This time, it was news that might upset his superior. Blair chose her words carefully.
“This is a progress report on the research on the experimental subject ‘Spider’.”
The paper she handed over was filled with various tables and complex graphs. Dragon scanned the contents and soon got to the core of it.
“Actually, we found out very little.”
It was a report on the monster Minjun had caught, a hybrid between a dragon and an Ober spider.
The level of technology of those who ‘produced’ her was far beyond what could currently be reproduced and analyzed on Earth. It was significant.
The dragon asks.
“What about the children she gave birth to?”
“This time, another person has awakened this ability.”
“Really? This is already the third time. What’s it this time?”
“It’s spirit affinity.”
The polymorphed dragon’s eyebrows twitched.
There are very few dragons that display spirit affinity. It is very rare, although it does not converge to zero like divine power.
The reason was simple. Ghosts, phantoms, and spirits were all just ghosts to dragons. Dragons had a hard time accepting the concept of considering such goblins as companions and respecting them on an equal level.
Therefore, even if a dragon that occasionally summons spirits appears, it is treated as a mentally ill person.
“You summoned a spirit with dragon blood mixed in it?”
It would have been possible because it was a hybrid with a half-elf, which cannot occur in nature.
“If the one remaining one awakens divine powers, it will be shocking news to the entire universe.”
Of course, that fact will never leak out.
“and···.”
Blair says, looking at the papers.
“It is said that children who awaken this ability show exceptional talent.”
Jenkinson nodded as if it was obvious.
“It’s strange that it doesn’t have dragon genes mixed in.”
“Even to someone who is not familiar with this ability, it seems like an incredible level. His skills have improved so quickly that he sometimes makes mistakes and is out of control, so it is suggested that he be given a teacher who can properly educate him, if possible.”
“What are the children’s intentions?”
“Each of them shows great interest in their awakened abilities and seems to have a strong desire to learn them properly.”
Jenkinson hesitates for a moment, then asks.
“How much longer do those kids have left to live?”
“There are about 10 months left.”
The dragon didn’t think long.
“Let me do whatever I want. So that I won’t have any regrets. So, get me a teacher. A proper one.”
After receiving permission, Blair moves on to the next thing.
“I have news that Lord’s live-in girlfriend has successfully laid eggs.”
Thanks to this, the long-pending Dragon Clan Conference will soon be announced. Jenkinson felt another long-standing worry disappear.
“Now the story is starting to make some progress.”
“What should I send as a gift?”
“What did you send as a congratulatory gift when that gentleman got divorced last time?”
“You have been given a gift of a Lich from the Medemos Dimension.”
It was only then that I was able to recall it. The butler he had been using was taken away by his ex-wife during the division of property. So I think he bought me one and sent it to me to use instead.
Jenkinson said he was thinking about a gift that wouldn’t overlap with that time.
“Take some orichalcon and mithral from my lair and send them to me. If they have inherited that gentleman’s blood, they will hatch quickly and stop teething quickly. They will need toys to bite and play with.”
After finishing the report up to that point, I checked the next schedule. I had an interview with the ruling party leader. I was about to move to that location.
“Mr. Blair.”
The door opens and a secretary comes in. The elf’s eyes widen as he examines the paper he received. He then hands it over to the dragon.
“I think you should see it for yourself, Chairman.”
Jenkins’ expression hardened for a moment as he looked at the documents.
“······!”
Soon it will be filled with amazement.
“No, it’s been vacant all this time, so why of all places!”
He read the contents of the document over and over again in shock.
The letter from the committee explained in a concise tone that the position of head of the committee district office, which had been vacant for several years, was finally filled.
That alone was bad news, but the moment the dragon confirmed the selection, he felt fear.
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His lips tremble thinly.
“···Endelion?”
Moreover, this time the identity of the target was clearly stated.
“That too, a princess?!”
The shock of horror created a rift inside him. Jenkinson felt a hole opening in his chest. And the desire to fill that void with something.
The red dragon immediately felt an overwhelming urge to fill the hole with elephant meat.
***
“Brother, are you really going to seal it?”
Jeong-pal, who was holding the steering wheel, asked cautiously. When he opened the office door and came in, he looked like he was going to collapse at any moment, but now his complexion was completely different. Instead of noticing the fact that all his fatigue had disappeared, he looked at Min-jun’s mood.
Minjun asked about the whereabouts of the frying pan that revolutionized their eating habits, and then stood up, saying that he had to go to Cathy’s house. Jeongpal also followed him in a panic and is moving with him.
Instead of answering the question, Minjun said this.
“Jeongpal, think about it carefully. Have I ever declared what I was going to do and then forgotten about it?”
“···There wasn’t any.”
“I tend to forget things easily, even if I only thought about them without saying them out loud. That’s just my personality. I tend to get things done quickly once I decide to do something. I know how much I can ruin things if I miss the timing.”
It’s a habit that I’ve developed because of my life as a prisoner. It’s a bit better these days, but in the beginning, I struggled because I had a hard time paying my living expenses on time…
“But how much time has it been since I decided to seal that frying pan? How many times have I forgotten, then remembered, and then forgotten again?”
“···It’s definitely strange.”
Minjun pointed out one more thing.
“You mentioned the Ego Sword earlier, right? If you compare what I said back then with what I said about the frying pan, it’s even stranger.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When we talked about the Ego Sword, I made a conclusion. There’s no way that something with such advanced rhetoric and supernatural abilities could be an artificial intelligence. There must be a soul inside it.”
“Yes, it was.”
“But I’ve come to the opposite conclusion about the frying pan. It’s suspicious that it has such eloquence and so many functions… but it absolutely has no soul.”
If something is invisible to his eyes, it means it is either a tiny soul fragment or, on the contrary, a very high-level soul. If it is the former, it would not be able to maintain its ego, and if it is the latter, such a soul cannot exist. He was certain that there was no soul that Min-jun’s eyes missed.
“It was a hasty and unfounded judgment. But I didn’t question it. As if it were a given… I just assumed that the frying pan was an AI. Even though there was overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And if my suspicions were correct, the frying pan had another function other than the one we know of. And that AI controls such an ability? That’s ridiculous.”
Jeongpal seemed to be able to guess what other ability he was talking about.
But I was reluctant to say anything, so I just sat there driving and headed to Cathy’s house.
“Oh my? What are you doing without even contacting me?”
The door opened and Cash greeted him. Her confused gaze passed between Minjun and Jeongpal.
“I’ll go in for a moment.”
“Yes, please come in. I was eating, so this is good.”
“No, the food is ready.”
Step inside briskly.
“Huh? Agent… Hello.”
Ha Eun-seong, who was putting fried food in her mouth, awkwardly greeted me. Embarrassingly.
Minjun didn’t know that the two had recently started having regular lunch meetings. He glanced at the table. It was a feast that was too much for just the two of them, and it was so delicious that it almost broke their legs.
Next, I focused on my sense of smell. It was a captivating scent that made me feel as if my body was empty the moment I smelled it, even though I didn’t feel hungry.
“Isn’t it strange?”
Cash responds.
“What is it?”
“No matter how great a frying pan is, is it possible for every dish you make to smell this crazy? And it doesn’t matter what kind of pan it is.”
Jeong-pal noticed Min-jun’s intentions. However, Cathy and Ha-eun-seong still looked dumbfounded.
“Furthermore, everyone has their own preferences. They can be more picky when it comes to eating. But there’s nothing like that with food made with that frying pan. Even food that you normally dislike becomes a delicacy you’ve never experienced before after you put it through that. Even···.”
He says, pointing to Ha Eun-seong.
“You can taste the same flavor of food cooked in human style by eating it with dragon flesh? That’s impossible. There is no such dragon in the world. I know that very well.”
He points out another one.
“And no matter how delicious the food is, if you eat it repeatedly, the secretion of dopamine in the brain decreases or the number of receptors decreases, so you can’t help but develop a tolerance. It’s the same for humans and orcs. But there’s no such limit to the food made with that stuff. There’s no change in threshold. It’s biologically impossible to feel the same level of pleasure every time you eat it.”
Minjun headed to the kitchen. There was a frying pan there, covered in oil, as if he had just fried something. He repeated what he had just said.
“Yes, it’s impossible. But if it were to happen… there’s only one way.”
The moment I heard about the ‘power’ of the Ego Sword found at the scene of Kwak Do-chul’s murder, and the moment I thought of the connection between the sword and the frying pan… I couldn’t believe why I hadn’t thought of this before.
“It touched the minds of the people who ate that dish.”
Minjun grabbed the handle of the frying pan. Whoosh! It sparked. The oil boiled and vaporized, and even the vapor flared up again.
Minjun growled as he looked at the frying pan, which soon lost its flame and had a clean surface.
“What is your identity?”
After a moment of silence.
A cheerful tone of spirit resonated through his hands.
=Oh, you noticed?=
< 104. Shock and Terror (2) > End
