The Dragon's Scales

A taxi was, of course, a yellow taxi. That was the ironclad rule. The overwhelming presence of power. In front of it, all a human could do was tremble in fear and bow their head. An insurmountable terror. When faced with an existence that could never be defeated no matter how many times one reincarnated, there was only one action a human could take. Surrender.

'That human… is stronger than that arrogant bastard…'

Hansen recalled the red-haired arrogant man he had met at the Legrian mansion. A monstrous youth whose magical prowess had overwhelmed him despite his young age. He had once tasted bitter frustration at that inhuman level of magic. Back then, he had thought, 'Someone like that is truly fit to become an archmage. An existence I could never hope to catch up to. The strongest!'

But that had been a hasty judgment, like a frog in a well thinking it had finally seen the wide world outside, only to realize it was merely another well. He now felt, once again, that another world existed beyond this one.

'He's stronger… No, can the word "strong" even describe it…?'

No one here could so much as lift a finger. Even breathing felt like something that required caution. Glancing back, Dekep stood with his mouth agape, unable to believe the scene unfolding before him.

'This place… is already finished… We've provoked someone we never should have. That man… isn't human.'

While everyone sank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into despair, Albert extended his hand toward Dekep. Then something astonishing happened. The golden key hidden deep in Dekep's pocket tore through the fabric and flew straight into Albert's grasp, pulled by an immense force.

'With this, we can definitely lift the curse, right?'

A faint smile curved Albert's lips. Imagining Elena's joy when the curse was lifted naturally lifted his own mood. If the power of mana were added to Elena, who already possessed exceptional talent with the sword…

'And if I train her on top of that…'

'What? What's the problem?'

The System seemed to be pleading for him to reconsider.

'What about me? I'm a good teacher. You saw Min-seop. I trained that guy.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'……'

Was it really that bad? Well, maybe it was. Still, he could argue back.

'But thanks to that, the guy became a hunter representing Korea. The reason he got so strong was…'

Albert clicked his tongue. Training Elena might require a bit more thought. But first, he had to wrap things up here.

"Well, my business is done, and I've trimmed down their forces nicely."

The Carnival family had suffered a massive blow. The number of dead knights, soldiers, and mages was beyond counting on one's fingers. Reducing their strength to this degree meant their power had been diminished just as much. It was somewhat satisfying, but he had no intention of stopping here.

'Elena went through so much because of them.'

Ending it like this would feel incomplete.

"Then how about we collect some compensation for damages?"

"C-Compensation for damages…?"

Delren spoke up in disbelief. Compensation? From whom? From you? The ones who should be receiving compensation were on the other side, yet the perpetrator was demanding it instead. It was absurd nonsense. The aggressor was playing the victim. But Albert was genuinely intent on receiving compensation.

"W-We… have to pay y-you compensation…?"

"Of course. My sister suffered so much because of you lot. I heard you pressured the merchant guild to block traders from coming to our territory, and on top of that, you committed all sorts of atrocities. There are plenty of other things too. Don't you think you owe us compensation for all of it?"

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"Such nonsense!!! Do you even realize what you've done to our family!! The compensation should be—"

Overwhelmed by the absurdity, Delren momentarily forgot the situation and raised his voice. How many knights had died because of this man? Their father had even lost an arm. They were the ones who deserved compensation. But—

"You don't want to? Then die. If you won't give it, I'll just take it myself, won't I?"

He threatened to kill them all and take it if they refused. Anyone else might have thought it was a joke, but hearing it from Albert sent a chill down their spines. He was serious. He was demanding compensation even if it meant slaughtering them all.

'I beat them up for revenge on my sister's behalf. Now that revenge is over, I should get compensation.'

That was why he hadn't killed them all. If they died, there would be no one left to pay compensation.

"……We will provide it."

Delren addressed him with honorifics. No matter how unjust and infuriating the demand was, he had no choice but to obey for now.

"Good. If possible, I'd prefer land deeds. Mining rights, and gold on top of that, would be reassuring."

"……"

'Thief… No, worse than a thief.'

* * *

Albert could feel his extradimensional storage growing heavier. There were no mining rights, but he had secured jewels worth a total of one million gold and two million gold in cash. As expected of a count's family! They were nobles. They had money. He had wanted to squeeze more, but Albert stopped at a reasonable amount.

'Compensation is usually paid in installments anyway.'

He had no intention of ending it with just one payment. Albert now viewed the Carnival family as a convenient money pouch. A gold pouch he could open anytime to extract gold from.

"I'm just receiving compensation."

"I know. But don't worry about it."

"Enough. I have no particular desire to get involved here. This incident was only because it concerned my sister. I have no intention of stepping forward in a big way."

Albert cut off the System's words firmly. His tone made it clear that he didn't want to hear another word about the matter. He had retired as a hunter and returned to his family to rest comfortably. Of course, the current situation wasn't ideal, but even so, Albert had no intention of stepping out publicly to do anything. He only wanted to protect the fence he had built around himself.

Albert chuckled at the apt metaphor.

"Not bad~ A sheepdog. Guarding the weak and fragile sheep inside the fence of the territory… Not bad at all."

Albert glanced back. People who looked to be around twenty to twenty-five years old were following him with haggard appearances. There were both men and women, roughly thirty in total. They had been imprisoned in an underground cell with no light. Judging by their condition, they had been locked up for quite some time and their vitality was greatly diminished. They looked as though they hadn't been fed properly and had gone days without food.

'I know. That's why I took them out.'

He could roughly guess what purpose they had been imprisoned for. They were probably collected by Dekep for the horned men's use. That was why he had extracted them. He had no intention of getting deeply involved, but he also had no intention of simply leaving them behind.

"I have no intention of stepping forward directly, but if they're nearby, there's no harm in making things difficult for them while I'm at it."

Albert gave an awkward smile at the System's words, which knew his intentions all too well.

"The territory needs labor, doesn't it?"

"Exactly."

The Legrian Territory was suffering from a labor shortage. Being adjacent to Monster Land, no refugees came seeking shelter. Even the refugees knew how dangerous the Legrian Territory was.

'If no one comes, then I just have to bring people myself.'

Conveniently, he needed labor. Taking them would both make things difficult for the horned men and secure workers. Two birds with one stone.

"Anyway, that's settled."

He stepped outside the mansion. In front of it lay a gruesome pool of blood and the bisected corpses of knights. Yet the people's eyes were utterly hollow. Numbness. Even seeing the corpses, not a single scream escaped them.

'Well, that's understandable. We'll have to fix that gradually.'

"Let's head back for now."

Albert raised his hand.

"Taxi!!!"

With a flash of light at his call, Gaster appeared. He was wearing yellow clothes that didn't match his hair color. Albert gave him a thumbs-up.

"As expected, a taxi has to be yellow."

"……"

It was the moment Gaster's treatment became even more excessive.

* * *

"Huff… Huff…"

Dekep was struggling to breathe. The mental shock seemed considerable; his breathing was labored, and his complexion was deathly pale. Robert poured a potion into Dekep's mouth.

'Of course. Most of their forces were wiped out by a single person, his arm was cut off, and the warehouse was looted.'

A heavy silence filled the office, so oppressive that no one could speak. Delren was also in a daze. His gaze, seemingly detached, was utterly hollow as he stared into the air. Beside him, Hansen kept repeating, "That guy is a dragon… He must be a dragon. With black hair, he's probably a black dragon…"

"Haa, we need to come up with countermeasures…"

Robert spoke with difficulty amid the heavy atmosphere. Albert had said, 'I'll be back later, so make sure to gather more.'

"How terrifying."

Having seen through Albert's intentions, Robert couldn't help but tremble with fear. It felt as though cold ice water was scraping down his spine, a chill piercing his skin and freezing his bones.

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'With his abilities, he could have destroyed the Carnival family entirely. If no witnesses remained, no one would know what happened here…'

He had possessed such power, yet he hadn't done so. The reason was simple.

'Destroying them would have been easy. But he deliberately left the Carnival family intact to keep milking them.'

It was absurd. The eldest son of a baron was treating a count's family as nothing more than a gold-producing pouch. If others heard, they would mock them for suffering such a fate just because they couldn't handle a single baron's family. But those who had experienced it firsthand could never laugh.

With the strongest being in humanity standing firmly behind that baron's family, who would dare oppose him? Moreover—

'Even kingdom law doesn't apply to him. No, does the very concept of authority even work on him?'

Could the kingdom control him? The kingdom had five Masters and countless talented individuals with immense power. The kingdom's knight order was said to be the strongest in the world. But why was it that—

'I can't even imagine him losing…'

"Haa…"

The quiet sigh carried a mix of complicated emotions.

"Kuh… That bastard… Where did he go…"

Dekep barely managed to speak.

"My lord! You're awake!?"

"Where is that bastard!!"

"……He left."

"Left…? After turning me into this… That damn bastard… How dare he…!!"

A fierce rage filled his eyes. Anger and hatred tangled disgustingly within them.

"How dare he!!"

"My lord, when he left, he said not to even think of revenge…"

"Ha… Haha! What a joke!! After turning me into this, did he think I'd just let it go!"

His blazing gaze was filled with intense hostility and fury toward Albert, the one who had reduced him to this state. He couldn't live like this. This time he had been caught off guard, but no matter how strong the man was, he was still just one person.

"There are many ways to kill a strong opponent… And even more so for someone with things to protect…"

Watching him vow revenge with a voice dripping with killing intent, Robert thought he had to stop him somehow.

"My lord, you must not touch him. Revenge is—"

"Shut up! You useless bastard who couldn't even protect your master properly, how dare you talk back!!"

"I was only worried about you, my lord… And if you get too excited—"

"Damn bastards. I spent so much money on you, and you couldn't even stop one guy like that… Just you wait… I'll definitely… kill that bastard and everyone connected to him…"

Dekep cackled like a madman, whether from pain or something else.

'I can just request it from that organization. No matter how strong he is, he won't stand a chance against them.'

They would be more than enough to kill Albert. Once his wounds were treated, he planned to contact them immediately and carry out his revenge. But then—

"I knew you'd do this."

Albert, who they thought had left, was now standing at the office door. Calmly, as if he had been there from the beginning.

"Y-You… left…"

"I've met plenty of bastards like you. I knew a warning wouldn't be enough to make you listen."

Albert smirked. He had encountered many like this in the other world. He had roughly expected this reaction, which was why he had deliberately stayed behind instead of leaving. To see their true intentions surface.

"W-What are you going to do to me…"

"It's a hassle, but what can I do? I can't just leave someone who says they'll take revenge, can I? I'll have to deal with it roughly."

"S-Stop him! Block that guy!"

Dekep shouted with difficulty. But no one here could move. Not even the loyal Robert. Not Hansen. Not even his own son, Delren, dared to think of stopping Albert. More precisely, they couldn't. His overwhelming presence and aura made the very thought of opposing him impossible.

Albert extended his hand.

"Kuhak!"

Dekep, who had been supported by Robert, flew through the air at high speed and was grabbed by the throat. Albert didn't stop there and slammed him straight into the floor.

BOOM!

"Kaaaaak!!!"

"You're really a noisy human. Your voice is loud too. How are you supposed to become a beloved lord like that? A lord's authority doesn't come from a loud voice, but from dignity and grace."

Albert stepped on Dekep's head with his foot, looking down with a calm yet subtly angry gaze. His eyes, filled with contempt, carried a strong sense of disgust. Thinking about how his sister had suffered so much because of this pathetic man made his blood boil.

"Are you… going to kill me…"

"No, I won't kill you. If I had decided to kill you, you'd have been dead a long time ago."

Albert spoke firmly. At those words, a small sense of relief appeared in Dekep's eyes. He was relieved that he wouldn't be killed.

"You see, I think death is too simple. Think about it. My sister suffered for years. I can't let it end for you with just one day, can I?"

"That's…"

"So you should taste the same hellish suffering as my sister, shouldn't you?"

"Kuh… What are you going to do to me…"

"……"

Dekep froze in place. Using the Hypnosis skill and Soul Imprint skill, Albert had turned him into a vegetable.

"Watch as the family you worked so hard to protect slowly crumbles."

A suffering worse than death. Dekep would have to watch his family collapse for an eternity while trapped in a vegetative state. Forever. In that endless torment, he would wail, pound the walls, and regret ever touching the Legrian family. And the reason Albert had returned was—

"Ah, almost forgot this."

He tore the office door off its hinges.

* * *

Whether they hated light or not, in the dark room with not a single window, only crimson eyes that had merged with the darkness were visible.

"Alpha has been taken out."

A dark, heavy voice that seemed to blend with the shadows grated like nails on a chalkboard. There was also a strange sense of displeasure in that voice.

"……Alpha was taken out? Where?"

"The ten Alphas sent to Count Dekep's estate are dead."

At those words, another pair of crimson eyes in the room asked in surprise.

"Dead?"

"You're saying something interesting. Do you think it's possible for Alpha to die?"

"Even if Alpha is only a first-stage subject, shouldn't it be semi-immortal?"

Most voices were dismissive, as if to say such nonsense was impossible. After all, even as first-stage subjects, Alphas couldn't be killed by ordinary means. They were semi-immortal. Though they were undead, it was easier to think of them as undead immune to holy power.

"……Do you think I'm joking right now? Me?"

The first speaker's voice rose in tone, his displeasure and presence growing stronger. At the aura that seemed to pierce flesh and bone, the crimson eyes responded with "Well, that's true." Given the man's usual personality, he wouldn't make jokes.

"Then Alpha really is dead… Is that possible?"

When one being cautiously spoke, another beside it answered with a slightly playful tone.

"Well~ Why wouldn't it be possible? They're only first-stage subjects after all. They can die. The real issue is something else, isn't it~?"

"Right. We won't be able to receive the offerings that were supposed to come from Count Dekep's estate."

"Then we'll have to squeeze a bit more from the other side."

"First of all,"

The first speaker opened his mouth in a firm tone to organize the situation.

"We need to investigate why Alpha died. There's also the possibility that the Esther guys moved."

At the mention of Esther, silence fell over the darkness. Some seemed troubled, while others expressed displeasure and anger toward the existence called Esther. Their silent rage didn't fade quietly but burned fiercely from within.

"Investigate that thoroughly. Start by finding out why the Alphas sent to Count Dekep's estate died."

"We should."

The crimson eyes in the darkness began to disappear one by one. Each going to do what they had to do. Finally, the last remaining man quietly spoke.

"I don't know who it is, but if they interfere with that person's resurrection… I'll simply kill them."

He still didn't know. That they were now trying to pluck the nose hair of a quietly sleeping dragon. That they were heading to the dragon's lair with nose-hair plucking in hand.