The Foreigner on the Periphery

Chapter 28: Princess Run (3)

While the fairies and the elves watched, Minjun took out a stone knife and quickly cut his wrist.  

Ahh!  

The fairy closed her eyes tightly and turned his head, but Blair, standing next to him, watched with a calm gaze.  

Whoa!  

Blood gushed from the wounds on his wrists, forming a hazy mist, laid down low. It began to spread quickly, lightly covering the ash grass and charred soil.  

Minjuns intention was to send this blood dance as far as possible.

Of course, if one were to cover a wide area with only raw blood, they would inevitably die of excessive bleeding, no matter how much it was. Blood combined with black magic was multiplying in the air, so they had to wait for a while.  

"What, am I in a weird mood?"  

The first to notice the change was a fairy with a sensitive sixth sense. It was initially an unfounded discomfort, but it didnt take long before she was able to give a suitable reason for the change.  

"It smells disgusting."  

She hesitated before she began to speak again. "It's getting closer."  

After a while, the elf with perceptive eyes noticed something.  

"Just, how far did you spread it?"  

He was asking about the coverage area of the blood mist. Minjun replied calmly.

"About three kilometers in radius?"  

The sound of small footprints trampled on the ash-covered ruins.  

"Wow!"  

The fairy frowned and gasped. There were creatures that had been caught up in a forest fire and died.  

The creatures one, an elk with its skin melted and its forelimbs attached to its chest crawled and approached them slowly. There was even an owl whose feathers had disappeared, leaving only the skeleton of its wings, the blue snow cap with its shriveled snout showing its teeth, and a wild boar, whose eyes had melted and left traces of tears. They all moved slowly.

Before considering the damage to the corpse, the motive power of the body that was not able to move naturally was replaced by black magic.  

Ugh!  

As if emotionally traumatized, the fairy took a handful of candy from her bosom and roughly peeled off the wrapping paper, and poured it into her mouth. She then began to chew so vigorously that she now felt afraid of breaking her teeth.  

On the other hand, the elfs face was still like the surface of a calm lake.  

"Strictly speaking, isn't this necromancy?"  

It even provoked curiosity out of him.  

"The result is the same, but the underlying power is different."  

Minjun didnt give him any further explanation, nor did he ask. This was because Minjuns expression darkened as the group of undead beasts approached.  

Okay, that's crazy.'  

The animal carcass that responded to the call had a Ghost attached to it that could not leave this world because of the shock and resentment of his sudden death. A ghost was distinct from a spirit body.

This was because, unlike them, they had only a very limited memory and could not think rationally. Most of the Ghosts were engrossed in the memories of the moment they met their death, or the days when death was imminent and immersed themselves in meaningless, repetitive actions.  

As much as he died in pain, the bitter resentment was terrible, to the extent of not being swept away by the magical forest fire that blew away all residual thoughts and ghosts.

And the closer he got to the undead, the more Minjun felt that cruel memory seep into his head.  

As you can see, just because you have a lower intelligence than a human doesn't mean you have less fear or less pain!'  

Rather, there were feelings that had been amplified even more. The confusion and pain they felt right before they died were conveyed. Also, things from several animals had been mixed and poured out at once. They met the same cause, and each had a different memory, but all of them faced a terrible death, so that it was impossible to distinguish between superiority and inferiority.  

This was a situation enough to drive an inexperienced magician crazy. However, Minjun only had a few drops of sweat on his forehead, and instead of turning away or wasting time, he looked straight at it.  

The scenery in his memory was a mess. The air was hot enough to cook his lungs. The pain as the fur ripped, the beak, the beard, the skin. The constant struggle. A torn vocal cord that could not be resolved after enduring a harsh cry. He could even feel the heavy darkness that weighed on the body up until the last moment.  

Let's turn back time a little bit more.'  

Even after his will was delivered, some still continued to shoot terrible memories, but there were Ghosts who began to send old memories back, just as they were told. A flood of senses began to overflow towards him.  

Taking care not to get lost in that chaotic maze, Minjun began to examine the trail in turn. Just before the fire, deep night memories. Minjun didnt expect much from the visual memories of animals. Wild animals were not adventurers who were curious and followed a person who appears in the middle of the night. He would have run away as soon as he heard the sound.  

Yes, sound.'  

The resolution of the nocturnal animal's eyes does not match my tuning, and it is difficult to obtain meaningful information. But the hearing is far superior to mine.  

Minjun concentrated on the memory of the sound they heard last night. After concentrating on it for so long

"Whew." He let out a big, deep sigh.  

Dump!

The carcasses surrounding him lost their strength and fell one after another like dominoes.  

It's over? The fairy, who was munching on candy, had her eyes closed, as if she couldnt see at all. Her tongue was twisted.  

In turn, the elf answered her.  

"Larisa, there are still corpses around, so you better keep your eyes open anyway."  

He hit the player because he knew how much pain a drugged fairy could be feeling.  

"Agent, did you find something?"  

He nodded. "There was an animal that night on the trail that heard the voices of those who were loitering in the mountains far away."  

Most of the words exchanged by the intruders were uncharacteristic ambassadors for those who came to rob the safe.  

Careful.'  

Prepare your order.'

This is finished.  

However, in it, Minjun caught a word that could guess the identity of the other person.  

"Some of the intruders called each other brothers'."  

At this, the Elf's face turned cold. The old prickly fairy, whose eyes were still closed, began to ask.  

Why? what is that? Who?"

It was as if her mental capabilities had diminished ever since she closed her eyes. Minjun began to give an ambiguous explanation. "It is a magic that has burned the whole physical and spiritual worlds intertwined with Mt. Bukhan. It must have cost quite a bit of money, and the wizards skills arent average. I can only think of one group that has the ability and motivation to rob the elder dragons vault that calls each other that way."  

At this, the elf began to mumble in a cold tone that seemed capable of killing people with words.  

"Those savage supremacists!"

"Human supremacists? Are you talking about the people-centered party' or the politicians doing something?"  

Minjun denied her guess. "The party is just a fragment. Theres a secret society that I guess is manipulating behind them. Even the elder dragons have not yet been completely rooted out."  

      What! No way!"  

Only then did the fairy notice the organizations name.  

***  

"We, brothers and sisters who are new to the Solidarity for Human Rights in Action! A heartfelt welcome to you!"  

The man, who introduced himself as the head of the Seoul branch of a secret society called the Human Rights Solidarity, stood on the podium and began to speak with a strong voice. He made eye contact with each of the ten or so new members sitting in the stands, one after another. The mans eyes were full of strangely twisted enthusiasm.

"I don't think there is a brother here who doesn't know what we are uniting for and what kind of future we are dreaming of. Nevertheless, if you allow me a moments slack, I would like to say something that will help me in the fight in the future. An essential part of our solidarity that must never be forgotten."  

His voice rumbled with a strange rhythm. He constantly put a heavy intonation and stress into the ears of the audience.  

"Lets talk in a simple and easy way. Who are we? Thats right. We are, in short, people who want to change the dictionary.'"  

At this, a page of the Korean dictionary opened on the screenshot by the projector.  

"My brothers and I are here to fight for human rights. human rights. Before we talk about the meaning of rights, lets first define what a human being is. In the dictionary, it says: human. noun. Homo sapiens sapiens, a primate animal classified under the scientific name.' and more. Short. Simple, right? Its also clear. Well, thats good. Not bad. This is it."  

He let out an incomprehensible smile.

"Then, shall we look up the word person' in the dictionary this time?" He pressed the present button. The slide moved to the next, and another chapter of the Korean dictionary unfolded. He read what was on the screen without looking back.  

Person. noun. A socialized animal that thinks, uses language, and makes tools.'"  

The speaker began to pay close attention to the facial expressions of the audience.  

"Well, there are some ambiguities, but this is acceptable. The biggest problem is the bottom part!"  

The slide went over again. Just below the dictionary definition of a slang word was an endless list of its synonyms.  

"A synonym for the word man! Lets see. Humans, elves, orcs, dwarves, goblins, trolls"  

The man spits out the words without even breathing. There was a fishy and damp feeling in that voice. With blood in his eyes, he spits out the thesaurus listed in the dictionary one by one. At that pace, the slides expanded the list that filled the dictionary page. It was not until the time when the audience worried about the mans breathing difficulties and fainting that his list was finished.  

"Was it long? Yes, it was long. right? There is exactly 112 thesaurus of a person listed in the dictionary. It means that there are 112 species, including humans, of which even one individual has ever obtained citizenship on Earth! Combining both group immigration and individual immigration! Korean, of course, Even if you open a dictionary and open a person entry, that part is the same. Why is this? If you dont list all those races, its against the racial discrimination law!  

The heat inside the room grew even stronger.  

"I will say it again. We are the people who want to change the dictionary."  

At this point, a long red line was being drawn on the thesaurus list on the slide, and the words started to disintegrate and disappear one by one like dust. After a while, there was only one synonym of the person remaining at the place. Human.  

"We live in a crazy society. The worst crime committed by the Commission and the world leadership is the violent expansion of the human scope without the consent of most of humanity. We didnt agree. Yes, I did not agree! People in this world were originally only human. Until the fall of 1945, the thesaurus list was as short and simple as the screen you see now. Back then, everything was simpler than it is now."  

The man continued his speech, revealing his body outside the podium. "I stress again. We are living in an era of madness unprecedented in the history of mankind. There has never been a time when the darkness was so thick and the shadows were so long. A monster lives in our neighbors house and proudly walks the streets. They proudly claim and take away human things. They rob it all: our money, our well-being, our jobs, our rights!"  

The branch managers voice was sharp as if it were cut when it touched his skin.  

"Now, let's put all this back in its place. Lets edit the dictionary. Let us return to the old days when man meant only man. Lets fight for human rights. Human rights' should exist as a word only for humans!"  

At this, the man sighed, took the glass of water on his podium in his hand, and drank it in one breath. In the meantime, the slides changed and the silhouettes of the two races appeared on the screen.  

"Look. Up to now, the brothers of our association have spread to all levels of society and have been working secretly. Our activities have been focused on two of the most menacing of the numerous heterogeneous races that have invaded Earth. Yes, thats right. Dragons and Orcs."  

The silhouettes then disappeared, and the illustrations of the two races appeared with a disgusting touch. "The dragon, the scaly demons, is a sociological catastrophe that seeks to control everything from behind and must be resisted and overthrown. Orcs, those disgusting pigs that lay eight young at a time are a biological catastrophe that will outnumber humans if they stay like this, so they must be contained and annihilated."  

He breathed again. "By the way Recently, we have been hearing news of a new heterogeneous race that is comparable to these two races."  

A heavy look was mixed in his gaze. "This is a decisive moment. I feel the need to mention here to the newly joined brothers. Our short-term target has been revised. We cannot let go of our hands and let the terrible nightmare of the 8th group immigration come true. When I first heard the news, I was shocked."  

The slide then changed. "Are you familiar with their biological characteristics?"  

Words that were chewed like pieces of a rag flowed from between their distorted lips.  

"This species being talked about ovulates almost every day. If implantation is successful, they will lay ten or more eggs at a time. Moreover, the physical condition is overwhelming. The average adult height is 3.5 meters. How much money will it cost to renovate the social infrastructure to fit this? Whats more, their strength is comparable to that of a troll, so its deplorable. What would happen if this race were to adopt a low-level lifestyle like the Orcs? What if monsters that tear steel with their bare hands commit crimes as a group?"  

A pause and then he began to declare in a large voice, "Therefore, our association will mobilize all the capabilities of the organization to block the 8th group immigration planned by the committee. As a first step, there are aliens we must get our hands on." As the slides went by, a picture and name of an alien came to mind. The branch manager said as if declaring.  

"That alien is!"    

***  

"Princess Vermi is waiting for you."  

Minjuns inmate colleague, Bradley, was confronted with a bodyguard for the first time today. From the terminal to the hotel, the guards of the Gelanco dimension who assisted the princess were supposed to baton touch with the Earthlings and return to the original dimension immediately. It was a behavior that revealed how the Stan people were being treated at the level of their hometown.  

It was a middle-aged female dwarf who greeted Bradley before heading to the princesss room. She was fluent in English, Korean, and Shutan languages and therefore was the interpreter.

"Then, I would like to thank you for your time."  

After saying hello, Bradley began to ask as they walk together. "How is the princess' condition?"  

This dwarf had already crossed over to the Guerlainnko dimension a few months ago and said that she has been serving the princess since then. She needed someone to interpret when she had a videoconference with the Earth. She introduced herself by the name Olga, and she spoke in a low voice, stroking her beard.  

"Honestly, it's not good. The princess is very anxious. Did you know that the consultation process between the committee, the Korean government, and the United Kingdom of Gelanco was a bit sloppy because of the level of security?"  

She quietly nodded. Of course, thanks to that, we were able to have an excellent person like Agent Bradley as the head of the bodyguard  

Bradley pointed out the omission in her speech. "You still think it's not enough."  

"Well, don't feel bad about it."  

At this, they arrived in front of the princesss room and knocked. There was no answer, but the dwarf slammed the door open. It seemed to be common. A deep fishy smell emanated from the hotels Presidential Suite, chosen because of the height of the ceiling. The two went inside.  

Then, the eyes of the princess sitting on the sofa and Bradley met. She opened her snout, densely covered with dark green scales. As it unfolded, like two layers of her ragged planks, her sharp teeth, reminiscent of her industrial saw blades, dignifiedly reveal themselves. She may have only intended to speak to the last, but it was inevitable that she would be mistaken for a momentum that would bite a human head at once.  

The princess made a sound as if she had stuck a spoon in her three seasons in that state. Olga interpreted it.  

"It's nice to meet you, and I hope you do your best."  

"Yes, don't worry."

Olga re-interpreted Bradleys words to the princess, making a sound as if she was scraping the spoon she had taken out of the three seasons again on the board. After that, after a few nerve-racking noises played in both directions, the princess turned her attention back to the book she was reading.  

Then, Olga gave Bradley a warning. "Princess Vermi eats six times a day, 20 kg at a time. The poison test must be done by Agent Bradley, who is in charge of the bodyguard. As you may have already heard, please note that for the next few days, you will only be staying at the hotel to manage dimensional motion sickness. And one more important thing"  

Her eyes became serious. "Once a day, no one should be within a ten-meter radius at the moment the princess enters production. Do you know what I mean?"  

"About what time is it?"  

"It's around 8 am Earth time, but the time difference is entangled, so it may be irregular for a while."  

I see.  

"At that time, the princess's psychological state will be very unstable, so you need to pay close attention."

A Stan woman ovulated almost every day, and when she had not mated, she regularly laid infertile eggs. She could obtain a metal with very high malleability and ductility by simply processing the shell of the egg, which was a good product that was exported to many dimensions.  

"Yes, I fully understand. I'll be careful."  

Thinking that he had a more demanding personality than he expected, Bradley glanced at Princess Vermi, which he would protect for the next few days, or, in a different way, the crocodile that lays golden eggs.'