โElves are, to be honest, idiots, arenโt they?โ
ใWhatโฆ are you saying?ใ
What, you askโฆ? Iโm just stating a fact.
โI havenโt fully grasped the entire root of this magicโฆ the โLaws of the World,โ but Iโve analyzed it, gained admin privileges, installed a hack called the M Language, created a backdoor, and made it possible to remotely access other entities. Oh, and Iโm also freely using the computational resources.โ
ใWhatโฆ? What are you talking aboutโฆ?ใ
Huh? You donโt know this level of conversation?
Iโm not some third-rate villain from a manga, so Iโm not going to explain everything in detail.
But, if you donโt react to these keywords, itโs kind ofโฆ underwhelming, you know?
โWell, thereโs no need for you to know this information anyway, is there? In any case, the fact that the elves havenโt finished me off yet just proves how stupid they are. Ah, could it be that they lost their knowledge when they transitioned leadership?โ
ใโฆ Iโve heard that the first generation no longer remains, as the ancient ones transformed into elves and continued to breed. Lost knowledgeโฆ Ah, I see, did you steal the wisdom of the elves? I seeโฆ Ku ku kuโฆ serves them rightโฆใ
Hmm.
Since elves have physical bodies, they would deteriorate or die in accidents, and a lot of time has passed. So, the superior knowledge they had as the truly transcendent โAncient Onesโ has dissipated.
Thereโs a limit to how much data can be stored in a physical body, after all.
Maybe they could embed recording devices into their bodiesโฆ Ah! Is that what the monstersโ magic stones are for?
Huh? No, wait.
Humans donโt have magic stones, do they?
I know this well from all the dissection and experimentation I did on Ada and those thieves.
Humans donโt have magic stones. Not even wizards.
Iโve cracked open the skulls of wizards and dissected them. Whatโs not there isnโt there.
So why can humans use magic? Because the โLaws of the Worldโ assist themโฆ through โincantation.โ
Thatโs why, even without a magic stone, they can control magic externallyโฆ
โฆ Huh?
Ah, I see now.
So, the ancient ones who became humans removed the โmagicalโ element from their bodies to gain reproductive capabilities, but not being able to wield magic would be inconvenient. So they set up laws in the world that allowed humans to use magic?
I see, itโs the other way around.
Since they were reincarnated into lifeforms with physical bodies that made it hard to wield magic, they adjusted the world to make it easier to use magic despite the flesh.
Itโs absurd, but clever. Not a bad way of thinking.
They named it โmagic,โ as in the laws of magic? I canโt say I dislike the sense behind that.
โฆ Well, Iโm convinced for now.
That said, I donโt intend to go around explaining this to everyone.
I wouldnโt go as far as to call it need-to-know, but it seems like keeping this info under wraps works to my advantage.
Iโll keep quiet.
Now, as for you, Dragonโฆ
โThanks for talking so much! As a reward, Iโll consume you as one of my companyโs โresources.'โ
ใW-whatโฆ?ใ
I restrained the dragon with magic and lifted it up with a force fieldโฆ
โDonโt worry. Youโll just be livestock for extracting magic stones. Oh, how about dragon meat steaks? That sounds like a catchy phrase that could make a lot of money! Or maybe a sword made from a dragonโs claw?โ
ใY-youโฆ! How dare youโฆ!ใ
โIt mustโve been tough being an experiment for the elves. I sympathize. But now youโll be my experiment, so live happily!โ
ใS-stop it! Kill me! Kill me right hereโฆ!ใ
โMaybe Iโll make your broken mind serve meโฆ Having a dragon as a servant would be quite the status symbol, not to mention good PR for the companyโฆ Oh, should I share some with Alan? And thenโฆโ
ใN-noโฆ! Not againโฆ! I donโt want to go through experiments like that againโฆ!!!ใ
And so, I got myself the dragon, the lord of the mountain!
โI caught it!โ
โโฆ What?โ
โI caught it!โ
โNoโฆ wait, huh? Whatโฆ?!โ
Fran-chan started losing it as usual.
Man, sheโs always fun.
It was the right choice to show her first.
As I watched Fran-chan flailing about, shouting incoherently about common sense, I sipped the black coffee Iโve recently started enjoying.
Ahh, delicious.
Watching pathetic Fran-chan while drinking coffee is like sweet nectar, even though the coffeeโs bitter.
I looked at Fran-chan with eyes full of tender affection, enjoying my coffee, and set down the cup.
โAh, stop it with that look. When you get that look, nothing good ever comes of itโฆโ
โFran-chan, can I keep this dragon as a pet?โ
โNooooo!!! Absolutely not!!!! Itโll cause a huge commotion!!!!โ
Oh, there it is.
Fran-chan has already started proving her worth as a noisy toy!
Iโm still a boy at heart, so I love fun, noisy toys.
โThanks, Fran-chan. I knew youโd say that. Thatโs why Iโm going to do it.โ
โThen why did you even ask?????โ
โTo an-noy youโกโ
โMoooomooooo!!!!โ
With that settled, the soldiers from the Adon Magocracy were cleared from the mountain, the exercise finished, and we started heading backโฆ
What a productive time!
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Demon Dragon Ishmart
Ishmart was an ancient dragon who had lived for over three thousand years and was once an experimental subject of the โAncient Species.โ Captured by the Aurora Group, its entire body was exploited as material. Its magic stone was extracted, its scales peeled, and its fangs removedโevery part of it was mercilessly harvested. Even after its death, its body was regenerated, only to have its materials stripped again, in what was considered a highly inhumane practice. This dark aspect of the Aurora Group was heavily criticized in later generations.