Dragon and Rage
Some of you may have already guessed the source of the capital behind the company I currently run.
Fortunately enough — or so I'd like to say — it was around the time cryptocurrency still hadn't properly taken hold that I awakened my precognitive ability and seized an enormous opportunity to secure this company's initial funding.
A variety show had aired a segment where someone bought pizza with a few dozen of those coins. I was watching it live, and that was when I learned what the future held for that particular coin.
But since I still couldn't purchase it through any "socially" available channels, I asked Ha-yan's mother for help. I poured every last bit of money I had at the time into those coins, and on the strength of my precognition, I even convinced Ha-yan's mother to make her first investment — and then I went all-in with everything.
Anxiety? What is that, exactly? I have a precognitive ability with a one-hundred-percent hit rate, thank you very much.
Ah — you're saying that ability only lets me see the major branches of fate?
An event that would plunge countless people into the abyss of ruin and send shockwaves through Korean society over a single coin — if that isn't a major branch, what is?
And the money I invested soared by more than exactly fifteen thousand percent. I sold every last scrap of it the moment it hit the absolute peak.
With that capital as my foundation, I built the company I run today. But in the process of founding it, one problem arose.
At the time, my name was completely unknown in mage society. Ha-yan's mother, on the other hand, was rumored to be the only Adult Mage still remaining in Korea — and one of considerable skill at that.
Since the account I'd invested through was under her name, it was only natural that mages would come pouring into Korea, salivating over that enormous sum of money.
And the nearest countries, in particular, raised absolute hell.
Even Ha-yan's mother, who had managed to keep her composure remarkably well, was driven to the brink of losing her mind. In the end, I had no choice but to step forward and reveal myself before the mages.
In the guise of a reclusive master who knew every spell they used — much as I appear now.
"Heh heh. Still, living right next door to the country where you reside, Mr. Siu, has its perks — it means I can drop by like this so often."
"Mr. Siu? Mr. Siiiiiu??? You're just calling Siu's name like that, all casual?"
"Oh my? I call him that because I was properly given permission, you know? It's not as though we've only met once or twice — must you react to every single use of his name? Don't you think Mr. Siu might find it a little uncomfortable?"
"Th-there's no way he'd feel like that!"
You say there's no way, Ha-yan, so why are you glancing at me for cues...?
After Ha-yan came barreling into my office as well, the three of us first took the elevator down toward the basement of the company building.
Officially, the schedule on record stated that Takanashi Misa — belonging to a massive Japanese hospitality conglomerate — had come to inquire about investing capital in our company.
But not a single person inside that elevator believed that story at face value.
Ha-yan was using me as a human shield, peeking just one side of her head out to glare at Takanashi with catlike eyes. I stroked her hair as gently and soothingly as I could manage while I spoke.
"So? What's the reason for barging in like this all of a sudden? Weren't you supposed to be taking the magic exam this time around too? Do you even have time to be wandering around like this?"
The timing did feel a little off, I had to admit.
Ha-yan, of course, had already learned teleportation magic from me — the kind Adult Mages themselves found enormously difficult, and dangerously unstable if even a trace of mana twisted out of place — so she didn't care one bit.
But the upcoming magic examination for young mages carried enormous weight in their world.
At my words, Takanashi looked leisurely at Ha-yan, who was still glaring daggers, and replied.
"Hoho. I see. For Miss Ha-yan, who has already been taught magic by our benefactor, the exam may not be anything particularly special... but for the rest of us, it most certainly is."
"That's exactly my point. And this exam is being held right next door to your house, isn't it? There'd be all sorts of information you could gather. Geographic advantages, too."
"I won't claim there aren't. You already know everything anyway."
"I know the mage lot better than anyone, after all."
When I answered with a sullen look, Takanashi laughed softly again, glancing between Ha-yan and me.
"That is precisely why I came all the way here myself. This magic exam is... going to have a slightly different format added to it."
"A different format? Those old geezers who never listen no matter what I say went and added a new evaluation method?"
"More precisely... they decided to introduce a bit of a distinguishing element, shall we say? Something came up rather suddenly. Perhaps it would be better if you heard the details while seated."
As if on cue, the elevator arrived. Takanashi stepped out and walked ahead of us without waiting.
Ha-yan and I exchanged looks, both of us sporting question marks over our heads, and followed after her.
"This has become a problem."
"...Hmm."
"...Hah."
We settled into the conference room tucked away in a corner of the basement.
And before Ha-yan and me, Takanashi set down a single chunk of stone and continued her story.
That stone was more than enough to make our eyes go wide.
But since another mana stone was already sleeping deep within my lair, I did my best to put on a show of being startled as I spoke.
"A mana stone on Earth... This is the first one discovered, isn't it?"
"Of course. Something that existed only in legend has actually been found, so it's no wonder those old men are going out of their minds. I've already heard that they tried to pull some nonsense with it and got an earful from our benefactor."
"Right. They were trying to do something about their own glittery hair, apparently. Fat chance of that working, though."
"Heh heh. Just as I expected."
It was identical to the mana stone sealed tightly away in the deepest warehouse of my lair.
No — if there was one slight difference, it was that this one didn't give off that ominous aura.
"Can't you just run a mana trace and figure out where it came from?"
"Unfortunately, we already tried. It was impossible to determine. Mana from all sorts of places was completely mixed together, so we couldn't pin anything down."
"Where was it found?"
"Precisely here."
"Where?"
"This country."
"Korea?"
"Yes, yes. Korea. That's why I came in separately. In this space, at least, no one can eavesdrop on the conversation we're having right now."
Takanashi nodded as she said it, bold as anything — and that boldness soured my mood a little.
Dragon or not, I had spent eighteen years receiving a Korean education and living as a Korean person.
So how, exactly, was I supposed to feel about the Japanese government?
"Ugh!... B-Benefactor? W-wait just a moment... S-Siu-nim!!"
"Wait, nothing. I. Believe. I. Already. Warned. You."
I immediately unleashed my mana, pouring out an overwhelming pressure.
You might think it was sudden. But I had already warned them once before — and she was bringing up that kind of talk right in front of me?
Ah. Naturally, Ha-yan beside me took zero damage no matter how much pressure I released. We were already sharing mana to a degree that was practically like sharing a single life.
I slowly ramped the pressure even higher as I spoke to the trembling Takanashi.
"Even before I properly started operating, you Japanese kids treated Korea like some backyard multi you could freely use, didn't you? The only mages here were Ha-yan's mother and Ha-yan herself. And then. After I revealed myself. When I cleaned house on Korean soil. When I found you Japanese kids messing around. I warned you, didn't I? What did I say I'd do if I caught you pulling that kind of stunt even one more time?"
"Uuuugh!!! P-please..."
It had been a while since my temper had flared like this. The gauge was climbing in real time. And for once, Ha-yan was simply letting my anger run its course.
She seemed a little pissed off by Takanashi's words herself.
"As if it wasn't enough that you swept up every single magic-related object on Korean soil during the Japanese occupation — then, because there were only two mages here, you used our land to experiment with every forbidden spell you could think of. And when you got caught, what did you say? 'It's a land with only two people on it, so what's the harm in splitting it a little?' And then again. When an unimaginable amount of money landed in Ha-yan's mother's account, you lot offered to take the money and hand over the land? Honestly. When I heard that, I was so flabbergasted I didn't know what to do with myself."
People said the Japanese never changed even after taking two enormous bombs — and the same was true in mage society.
No. It was far worse.
At the nation-to-nation level, Korea had caught up considerably. But by mage standards, Korea had been an ownerless free-for-all.
Until I showed up, that is.
"And now you come here. What? A mana stone that was in Korea is sitting in the hands of a Japanese person like you? I believe I even put out a notice to the Central Magic Department that if anyone so much as tried to take a single magical object from this place again, I would do exactly what I said I would."
"Aughhh... p-please... just listen to me..."
"Siu. That's enough. We should hear her out. There's no way she would have walked in here openly carrying this without a reason. It doesn't look like she came here alone just to die, either."
"...Fine. I'll listen for now."
"Haaah... haaah... hngh.... Th-thank you... huu..."
Ha-yan had suffered plenty at the hands of Japanese mages already. She had been watching the situation unfold in silence, but for now she seemed to have decided to rein me in and hear the story first.
As for me — the reason I had gotten this angry in the first place was because I knew exactly what kind of hardship Ha-yan's family had endured from Japanese mages.
When I finally reeled in my mana pressure, Takanashi — barely clinging to consciousness, cold sweat pouring down her face — pulled out a handkerchief with trembling hands and began dabbing herself dry.
I clicked my tongue and called for Rhea, who had been standing beside me.
"Take her out and let her rest a bit before she comes back in. Looking at her, she seems to have brought a change of clothes for exactly this kind of situation."
"Understood. I'll also warn the personnel outside to be careful."
"Why the people outside?"
"This room has no barrier capable of containing the mana pressure you released, Master. Among those outside, the weaker ones may well have fainted."
"Ah. I didn't think of that. Go handle it for now. We'll keep talking here."
"Very well. I'll take my leave."
Following my instructions, Rhea carefully supported the stumbling Takanashi and guided her out of the room.
I looked at the fist-sized mana stone sitting in front of me and asked Ha-yan, who was staring wide-eyed beside me.
"What kind of stunt is this going to be now?"
"I don't know. If anything seems weird, just wipe them all out. I really, truly hate those people."
"I know that well enough, so don't worry."
Ha-yan, who liked people as a rule, almost never said things like that.
Then again — she had been through more than enough.