18 - Teleportation Research

God Dragon-sama annihilated one world after the other.

Maritime World, Celestial World...

There was no room for negotiation with either.

All the other worlds declared "we cannot forgive the Dragon World" after the destruction of the Beast World.

What we did not know at the time was that they, too, had their own reasons to fight.

There was no reason to retreat.

By the time we arrived, the Celestial World and the Maritime World were already aligned and ready for battle.

The army of the Maritime Race stained the sea black.

The army of the Celestial Race darkened the sky.

However, that display of strength meant little in the face of us, the Five Dragon Generals.

It was a massacre, just like the Beast World.

The Five Dragon Generals cleaned up the scum, while God Dragon-sama faced his gods and filled the world with his fury until it collapsed.

The few survivors infiltrated the Human World under the benevolence of the Human God.

We were victorious, battle after battle.

But not even we escaped the battles unscathed.

God Dragon-sama's body was in pieces.

From the bite received from the Beast God, he was bleeding.

The poison of the Maritime God was corroding his leg.

The ray of light from the Celestial God blinded him in one eye.

The Dragon Race was indeed the most powerful race.

That was a fact.

But the gods were of similar caliber.

They were equal from birth, even if we, their children, are different.

Even though the Dragon Generals were covered in battle scars, we could still fight.

After all, there was still one world remaining.

Yes, a race that was said to be as powerful as the Dragon Race.

Indeed, the Demon World.

I was worried.

The war with the Demon World would not be a walk in the park.

Not all of the Five Dragon Generals could survive.

Even God Dragon-sama himself could die.

Should we really continue to pursue this war?

Until the Demon World was completely destroyed?

Of course, I felt no attachment to the Demon World.

In fact, I hated the Demon World.

The world that rejected me.

However, after witnessing the destruction of three worlds – Beast World, Maritime World, Celestial World – I felt a great aversion.

Was it all necessary?

A collapsed world.

Survivors with no escape.

The despair they all showed.

If we lost, the Dragon World would share that fate.

No, our fate would be much worse.

If the Dragon Race tried to escape our collapsing world.

Who would accept us as refugees?

Human World?

Perhaps the Human God would accept the Dragon Race.

He supported us.

Then the Human Race could be considered our ally.

Even if the Dragon Race loses, perhaps they would protect and shelter our survivors.

But the Human World already housed survivors from the three worlds we had already destroyed.

I heard they were given lands, recovered, and settled in considerable territories.

Still, they would never forget the suffering, the pain, and the humiliation they endured.

If refugees of the Dragon Race flooded the Human World, they would surely want to eradicate us.

Of course, I wasn't planning on losing either.

I had no plan for the Dragon Race to be treated that way.

But the opponent this time was the Demon Race.

Losing was a possibility.

I felt turmoil.

If I asked God Dragon-sama to stop.

If God Dragon-sama could calm down and ask the Human God to intervene and mediate.

After all, we still hadn't identified Lunaria-sama's murderer.

Shouldn't we calm down and identify the true suspect first?

Let's stop and not complicate the situation.

Wouldn't that be better?

That's what I thought then.

What I should have done.

But I was so blindly devoted to God Dragon-sama at that time.

Of course, I still adore God Dragon-sama... but back then, the thought that God Dragon-sama could be wrong would never cross my mind. I wouldn't even consider it.

That was the circumstance for the Five Dragon Generals.

Only the most faithful and loyal to God Dragon-sama can become a Dragon General.

We must affirm everything of God Dragon-sama.

Expecting us to restrain him was impossible.

That's what I thought back then.

But I was lost.

While we watched God Dragon-sama preparing relentlessly for the next battle, the Five Dragon Generals were all a little lost.

I too couldn't speak of it to anyone.

Who could I speak to?

If Lunaria-sama were alive, she could have shared her wisdom.

Now that I think about it, she was the only one in the entire Dragon World who could have advised God Dragon-sama.

But if she were alive, this war would never have happened.

Her death instigated the war, after all...

Nothing could be done.

A dead end.

Lost in my thoughts, I spent each day with only Saleyakt for comfort.

Then, one person noticed my feelings.

Dora-sama.

■

One day she invited me to her house.

Come to think of it, it was the first time I had been to her house.

A simple dwelling unworthy of a Dragon General.

Just a handful of servants, the bare minimum of material necessities.

Seeing her servants saddened me.

I had almost forgotten, due to the shock of Lunaria-sama's death, but many of her servants had also been killed in the incident.

Baby Perugius was resting at the back of the house.

He was not yet old enough to open his eyes.

He had no claws or fangs, sparse scales, even the wings on his back were still tiny. A fragile creature that would make one's protective instincts blossom.

Was it because he hadn't grown yet?

Dora-sama saw me watching Perugius and asked.

"What's wrong? Worried about something?"

It was a gentle voice.

Not one that interrogated.

She was trying to comfort me with kindness.

Our times as teacher and student suddenly came back to me.

I almost cried.

After my selection as Dragon General, I hadn't talked much with Dora-sama.

But she was always keeping an eye on me.

"Actually—"

Before I knew it, all the words I had locked away in my heart began to pour out.

I braced myself to be punished for my insolence.

"..."

But Dora-sama listened in silence.

Even when I raised my voice, Dora-sama did not change her expression.

When I finally finished, she replied in a soft voice,

"It's natural that you do not understand the will of God Dragon-sama..."

Not trying to push me away.

Instead, it was a voice of regret.

"Come, I'll show you something interesting."

Dora-sama said, leaving the house.

I followed Dora-sama as I was told.

When we flew out of the city, Dora-sama said not a word.

I also didn't ask where we were going, but simply followed.

We flew for… about an hour, until Dora-sama landed atop a mountain.

An ordinary, nameless mountain.

Dora-sama folded her wings and spoke for the first time.

"Here."

"Here?"

I responded like an idiot.

I only saw a mountain.

Dora-sama noticed that I hadn't noticed anything special about that mountain.

Without answering me, she quickly walked ahead of a rock.

Placing one hand on the rock, she sang.

"This is..."

At the end of the song, the rock suddenly disappeared.

In its place, a cave wide enough for a person to pass through.

A secret passage.

Dora-sama entered the cave silently, and I followed her.

Inside the cave there was a narrow passage.

It was dark, but the passage seemed well preserved.

There was a room at the end of the passage.

A room created by carving out the narrow cave, with ceilings too low to fly.

Basically, the size of a typical house.

Desks were lined up in the room, with various office supplies and stacks of papers placed upon them.

And there were many of the Dragon Race.

Seated at the desks, on the floor, some standing as they worked.

All focused on their work.

"What is this?"

"Teleportation Research Laboratory."

"Teleportation..."

I already knew that the Dragon Race was studying teleportation research.

But I didn't know where and when, or to what extent.

Despite being a Dragon General.

"As soon as you understand this, your worries will vanish."

Dora-sama said and walked through the room.

"All the researchers are here."

"Ahh!"

Observing them with admiration, I noticed something in particular.

The colors of all their scales were quite faded.

Many no longer had any membrane on their wings, many others had lost their fangs.

To my surprise, only elderly individuals worked there.

"Only the elderly?"

"That's right... only the Dragon Race members who have reached the end of their useful lives gather here."

I didn't ask why, but I could guess.

Because the magic of Teleportation is dangerous.

If an experiment failed, the whole mountain could vanish.

That is why only elderly people, ready to die, could conduct the research.

Of course, there might be other reasons as well.

Elderly people are more suited to research than hot-blooded youth.

In fact, that was the case in other worlds too.

In the Demon World, since the immortal demons tend to be idiots, those with short lifespans tend to be researchers.

"Everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Today, Dragon General, Demon King Dragon Laplace has come to inspect your work! Just work diligently as usual, as you always do!"

When Dora-sama finished, everyone greeted me with the greatest reverence.

It was a powerful salutation; despite their age, I could tell that they had all once been Dragon Warriors.

"Welcome, young one. Pardon our lack of courtesy, but please, enjoy your inspection."

"I appreciate it."

With a bit of hesitation, I decided to respond respectfully.

Although I might be a Dragon General, they had served God Dragon-sama with honor long before I was born.

I thought I should be respectful.

"Come, I'll show you."

I followed Dora-sama through the laboratory.

Dora-sama briefly explained the research being conducted in the laboratory.

But to be honest, I had no idea what they were doing at that time.

I'm well-versed in magic now, but back then I couldn't distinguish one magic from another.

The elders were developing what we would now call magical circles, but to me at the time they only looked like strange patterns and scribbles.

Even though I didn't understand, I tried to memorize them.

A habit.

Since I arrived in the Dragon World, I had been constantly learning.

No matter what.

If I understood the logic behind it, I could reproduce it.

If they let me study the vast amount of past research materials, I'm sure I could catch up.

But it was a rude awakening for me.

Their research wasn't so trivial that a beginner could grasp it at a glance.

"Do you understand?"

"No."

"Never mind, they would lose their positions if you managed to achieve thousands of years of research like this."

Looking back, that place was certainly ahead of its time.

Focused on teleportation research and summoning magic.

The great magic of the early days was more magic than mere magical technique.

Much was still unknown.

Only a few things were understood at a practical level.

A mountain of wisdom written in those dragon leather scrolls.

If only a bunch of them had survived, the current magic system would have changed significantly.

If someone could understand them.

Then, Dora-sama demonstrated summoning magic.

Summoning magic in its most primitive form.

In its most native form... But isn't it not very different from now?

A way to summon creatures from other worlds.

She summoned a small fish from the Oceanic World.

Just a powerless fish.

After its collapse, the Maritime World no longer had inhabitants, but some living beings clung on.

Seeing the fish reminded me of the first time I visited the Maritime World.

I'm used to it now, but back then I was so excited to see a fish for the first time.

To realize that such creatures exist in other worlds.

Fish have an unusual form, don't you think?

A strange creature that could only survive in water.

Don't you think? There are fish in our lake out back?

Ah, yes...

Well, I lived for a very long time in worlds without the sea...

But didn't you find the Blue Dragons strange when you saw them for the first time?

They have a form that could only live in the sky.

"God Dragon-sama kept the research results secret from the Dragon Race, do you know why?"

"No... I don't know."

"He is concerned. Unlike the monsters and teleportation incidents, there is no way to contact him. Announcing it would only cause unnecessary problems."

Dora-sama said.

Well, probably for other reasons as well.

Since the research would not produce immediate results.

If they presented their findings and more teleportation incidents occurred, it would create more pressure on the research team.

"Why... couldn't you tell me?"

"Because you were appointed as a Dragon General responsible for contact with other worlds."

I was quite shocked.

As a Dragon General, I thought I was on par with the other four.

But only I was not informed of our secret missions.

Perhaps, until then... I was considered a security risk or a potential traitor?

"Don't look at me like that. It's not that we are worried you might betray us."

"Then why?"

"It would only hinder your work if our research revealed who was behind the monster and teleportation incidents."

Some things are better left unsaid.

I understood that immediately.

Some demons are even capable of reading minds.

"Don't be sad, let me explain the situation."

Dora-sama patted me on the shoulder and began to explain her research.

It seems that the Five Dragon Generals have their own areas of research—teleportation, summoning, magical beasts, and barrier magic.

Crystal's focus was on teleportation.

Dora-sama inherited that legacy.

She became an expert in summoning magic and teleportation.

"Summoning magic calls forth creatures from other worlds. Teleportation magic is the reverse, sending them to another world. Fundamentally, they are the same."

"Animals... and people?"

"Of course."

Dora-sama said categorically.

"That's what other researchers misunderstood, that we are using summoning and teleportation to sow discord among the Six Worlds. We neither planned nor intend to."

"...."

"On the contrary, God Dragon-sama specifically forbids the summoning and teleportation of people."

Yes, God Dragon-sama made the summoning of people a taboo.

Of course.

If you could call and send people between worlds, that would basically mean the Dragon Race was responsible for the teleportation incidents.

Therefore, restrictions were written into the fundamentals of summoning magic to avoid the summoning of people.

Buried so deeply within its innermost layers, it turned into a black box.

A level of complexity that even I could not analyze.

Even users of summoning magic couldn't understand its roots.

Perhaps only Dora-sama could open that black box.

"Do you know why we kept teleportation and summoning magic a secret?"

"Because it would be abused if it were known?"

"Yes, if it were for God Dragon-sama, we, the Dragon Race, are capable of anything without regard for the consequences."

I listened to those words and nodded.

Suppose someone hindered God Dragon-sama, and for any reason God Dragon-sama couldn't kill him directly. Then I would do it.

I would deal with the consequences.

If I could absolve God Dragon-sama of sin, I would do so without hesitation.

Therefore, Dora-sama refused to share teleportation and summoning magics with the Five Dragon Generals.

On the other hand, she didn't know much about barrier magic and magical beasts either.

But the possibility exists.

Thus, the suspicion from other worlds that we are to blame cannot be absolved.

Of course, the Five Dragon Generals would never do such things.

"All we could do was to find out who is behind the monster and teleportation incidents."

"No... the research results showed that the incidents were not caused by magical techniques. Their fundamental principles are different."

"How?"

"We created the phenomenon using magical circles, but there is no trace of that in the monster and teleportation incidents."

The research had progressed.

Now we could teleport and summon.

And we understood the reason behind the monsters and teleportations.

"The cause?"

"We call it Dragon Touki."

Dora-sama explained.

The power permeates the Six Worlds.

In the Dragon World, we call it Dragon Touki; in the Demon World, they call it Magical Power.

A power possessed by all living creatures of the Six Worlds.

People, fish, beasts, birds, even dragons.

Both the monster and teleportation incidents were a result of this power.

When a large amount of power is absorbed, creatures transform into magical beasts.

More powerful creatures transform into more powerful magical beasts.

People were no exception.

But unlike other creatures, their appearance does not change significantly; they merely wield greater magic and special powers.

My Demon Eye, the overwhelming power of the Five Dragon Generals, all of them are phenomena of this power.

This power maintains a natural balance within the Six Worlds.

If the power diminishes significantly in one world, it will be replenished from another to compensate.

This transfer not only affects trees and animals, but also people.

As a result, teleportation incidents occur.

People are taken away.

"But we've reached a dead end."

We haven't discovered the cause of the imbalances.

Why did the incidents occur more frequently?

Then a discovery.

According to the researcher's hypothesis, he said that at a certain point, the power of the Six Worlds suddenly decreased, creating significant imbalances.

The worlds absorb power from each other to compensate, creating teleportation incidents.

Due to the power gradient within each world, magical beasts also appeared more frequently.

So the theory goes.

The most promising theory so far.

However, why did the power of the Six Worlds suddenly diminish?

There must be a cause.

"We only got this far with our research when the war started. We also lost the opportunity to tell you. I didn't get the chance."

But the end result was a method to travel to other worlds.

"Laplace. Do you know why the Dragon God allowed you to negotiate with other worlds and invite your experts to the Dragon World?"

"No."

"When the research progressed a little further, God Dragon-sama intended to share these technologies with the Six Worlds. Their causes, remedies, as well as methods to prevent the incidents from happening again."

Once again, I was touched by the grace of God Dragon-sama.

He wasn't only considering the Dragon World.

He wished to save all the worlds.

"God Dragon-sama was truly gracious, but they despised his efforts, even repaying his kindness with cruelty. Do you understand now?"

"Any hint of confusion left me..."

The other worlds had betrayed God Dragon-sama.

More than betrayal, they stole him from his beloved.

His wrath was justified.

This war was inevitable.

A just retribution.

My hesitation vanished.

To tell the truth, I didn't understand half of the explanation about summoning back then, but my concerns had dissipated.

In the next battle, I decided to take the lead.

After a grand salute to Dora-sama, I left the research laboratory and flew away, satisfied and resolute.

Reenergized for the next battle with the demons.

But I was a fool.

If I had been a little smarter back then, with a little more knowledge of summoning and teleportation, I would have asked Dora-sama,

"If the power theory is true, then wouldn't our destruction of other worlds create even more imbalance? Wouldn't there be more magical beasts and teleportation incidents?"

If I had just said those words, perhaps it wouldn't have ended so badly.

The wise Dora-sama would surely have reached a new conclusion.

But I was so foolish back then.

And the battle with the Demon World began.