Ch.150Dragon’s Nest (1)

“The Noble Capital of Megacorp came looking for me?”

This was the edge of the star system that contained the planet Psygil08.

This no-man’s-land was beyond the influence of the Cult Empire, but also quite far from Megacorp’s territory.

Nern quickly scanned his surroundings. Not only were there Cult escape vessels, but various types of ships and carriers were docked in this massive spaceship’s bay.

The white military vessel built by Prime Capital of Mars, the rectangular patrol ship made by the Noble Capital family known for space city architecture, and even carriers commonly used by the Star Union.

As far as he knew, the Noble Capitals of Megacorp were extremely exclusive entities. Even when operating ships of the same class, they would customize their detailed armaments and internal structures.

If his opponent was truly someone from House Yugin, they wouldn’t be operating such a diverse fleet that transcended family and species boundaries.

“For House Yugin, you possess quite a diverse fleet. Suspiciously so.”

“You seem to know my family well.”

“The Megacorp is also a potential enemy of the Empire, so of course I should know.”

Siheyon Yujin seemed pleased with that response and slightly raised the corner of her mouth. She removed the blade she had pressed against Nern’s neck. Her arm, which had taken the form of a sharp blade, instantly returned to normal.

The bizarre suited figure who had been restraining a subordinate nearby also released their hold.

“…What are you doing?”

“We have things to discuss. Please follow me.”

Having no choice, Nern quietly followed Siheyon Yujin. The bizarre suited figure handed the crew member over to another officer and followed behind Nern.

“He will be treated as a guest, so don’t worry about him.”

Siheyon Yujin reassured Nern, who kept looking back.

After passing through clean white corridors, Siheyon Yujin led Nern to a reception room with an antique atmosphere.

She naturally sat down in a chair at a mahogany table. The bizarre suited figure leaned against a wall with an air of disinterest.

‘I thought they were a subordinate?’

The figure wore a strange suit that covered not only their body but also their face completely, making it impossible to determine their species or even gender.

“Please sit, Captain Nern.”

Whatever their relationship was, that wasn’t important right now.

He sat down across the table. Siheyon Yujin pushed a plate of cake on the table toward him.

“You must be quite hungry. Please eat this first.”

“…What do you want? You must have a reason for bringing me here.”

Siheyon Yujin didn’t answer Nern’s question. She merely gestured toward the slice of cake.

Sensing she wouldn’t speak until he ate, Nern reluctantly cut a piece of cake with his fork and put it in his mouth.

And he was surprised.

“It’s a high-calorie chocolate cake developed to provide both taste and energy. Someone who shares my vision helped greatly with this.”

Siheyon Yujin’s gaze briefly shifted toward the bizarre suited figure, but Nern didn’t notice. As soon as he swallowed the soft piece of cake, he felt a surge of energy throughout his body.

“The reason I sought you out is simple. I want to buy information that only you possess.”

She began stating her business as he mindlessly ate the cake.

“Information?”

“Captain Nern, you led a battleship to stop the Outspacer invasion war in the past. For that achievement, you were appointed captain of the Imperial Mothership ‘Judge of Damos08.'”

“You’ve investigated me quite thoroughly. I suppose I’m not obligated to answer?”

“During my investigation, I noticed something strange. Could a few battleships really defeat an unprecedented number of Outspacers?”

“……”

“That would be difficult even for an exceptional strategist. So I dug deeper.”

Nern’s eyebrow twitched upon hearing this.

“I found records indicating that a Cult aboard the battleship used an unidentified artifact. After eliminating the Outspacer horde, he immediately disappeared, leaving behind only the artifact with its energy depleted.”

“How did you know that…?”

“How I know isn’t important, Captain Nern. The battleship crew deemed the artifact dangerous and decided to store it at a specific location on a very dangerous planet. Is that correct?”

Hearing her words, Nern understood why she had sought him out.

“You’re after the artifact.”

“Yes. You just need to tell us the location of the artifact.”

“Do you think I would tell you that?”

“Yes, because I can give you what you want.”

“Ha, how would a human like you know what I want?”

Nern snorted.

But his expression immediately hardened at Siheyon Yujin’s next words.

“The council probably won’t send another Imperial Mothership to Psygil08. They’re concerned about the side effects of the prophecy.”

“What?”

“With no ship and no connections in the council, you’ll retire like this. Living the rest of your life harboring hatred for that monster.”

“……”

Nern didn’t deny her words.

“Having witnessed the artifact’s power, you know that it could turn that monster ‘thing’ to dust.”

“I could choose not to help you and go find the artifact myself.”

“Could you? The place where the artifact is stored is extremely dangerous. Unless you were still captain of an Imperial Mothership, you absolutely couldn’t go there.”

“…Damn it all. You really came knowing everything.”

Nern muttered a small curse.

“So you’ll eliminate it if I tell you where the artifact is hidden?”

“Yes. I will take revenge on the ‘three-headed demon.'”

“Hmph, I want to be there when it dies. I’ll personally guide you to the artifact’s location.”

Siheyon Yujin smiled faintly as she saw the hatred in his eyes.

–

‘What’s this?’

Despite being connected to the metal mass, this was the first time I felt an itching sensation in my ear.

‘Come to think of it, AMorphs don’t have ears.’

AMorphs don’t have ears or noses; instead, they have thin tentacles called auxiliary organs under their jaws.

These organs—two for juveniles and four for subadults and above—can detect sound and smell by sensing air currents. They can even detect intangible energy flows like electromagnetic waves or psychic power, making them truly versatile sensory organs.

Perhaps thanks to those auxiliary organs?

Even while integrated with the Cult escort ship through my Horizon of Nightmares trait, I could monitor every minute detail of this elongated diamond-shaped hull as if it were my own body.

That’s not all. The auxiliary organs, far more precise than any ship’s detection sensors, didn’t miss a single obstacle floating in space.

Even now, the corrosive tentacles attached to the hull’s exterior were constantly deflecting incoming space debris and rocks.

Currently, we’re not on a planetary surface but flying through the endless darkness.

A few hours ago, the cooldown for Horizon of Nightmares ended. Having completed all preparations beforehand, we finally left PH-101, the sacred ground of the Cults.

Some left behind young kin, others the traces of resentfully deceased family members.

But no one expressed regret.

The Sky Mother wanted to be buried on the planet after completing all her revenge.

‘She knows what I’m planning.’

Being a ranker, the Sky Mother vaguely knows about the ascension conditions for AMorphs. She also knows her life might become the foundation for my evolution.

Yet she chose to join me because her desire for revenge outweighed her will to live.

‘Of course, the future remains uncertain…’

If by chance she needs to be used as material for evolution, I plan to ask her again at that time.

Whether she truly wishes to die for revenge.

I originally had no intention of asking, but now it’s different. I owe her a debt.

‘Her reaction was expected, but No. 26’s attitude was surprising.’

I know he chose me over his own kind.

Still, I thought he would be at least a little depressed when leaving the planet, but he seemed rather excited.

After taking over the ship, when I sent a wave to ask him, he replied:

He would become stronger by eating new prey and then share that knowledge with his kind. He hoped his species would thrive in the planet’s oceans.

‘He’s developed a new dream too.’

Dreams are the privilege of sentient beings. They’re abstract, long-term, a kind of future plan.

When I first met No. 26, I hoped he would someday meet others of his kind.

That goal was partially realized. No. 26 inherited the power of the dead Seedaemon and communicated with other bubble amoebas.

But this time, No. 26 was the first to share his ambition with me. He set a new goal for himself.

‘He’s growing not just in power but mentally too.’

Is this how parents feel raising children?

As a human, I didn’t have many good memories of family or parental love. My childhood was filled with hospitals, the smell of disinfectant, and pain.

Yet whenever I see No. 26 growing, I feel something swell in my chest. Perhaps this is the emotion parents feel while raising their children.

「Great One?」

A strand of thought-wave woke me from my emotions, whether nostalgia or bitterness.

Adhigh Orr in front of me tilted his head.

「What?」「I」「Explaining」

[Zz zz zz zz zz (Sorry. I was thinking about something else)]

「Great One」「Tired」「I」「Later」「Explain」「Possible」

[Zzzz (It’s fine)]

The reason we haven’t entered FTL travel despite leaving the planet is that we need to find the route to our next destination.

Where we’re going now isn’t recorded on regular spaceship routes. It’s a remote and dangerous place that could rightfully be called the abyss of space.

‘Gallergorn’s Nest.’

When I saved Adhigh Orr at the T&C Special Trade Center, I made a deal with him. He promised to show me the way to the dragon’s nest if I protected him.

Now it’s time for him to keep his promise.

‘Gallergorn supposedly have homing instincts.’

Gallergorn can always sense the direction of their nest, no matter how far away they are. Whether it’s through their excellent psychic power or animal instinct remains unknown.

‘It will take some time though.’

We’ve stocked plenty of food on this ship. Or we could hunt other ships for supplies if needed. With many ways to obtain food, time isn’t a major issue.

While thinking this, Adhigh Orr sent another thought-wave.

「I」「Need」「Map」

[Zz (Map?)]

「Twinkle」「Twinkle」「Light」「Map」

He raised his front paw and drew a circle in the air.

‘Is he talking about a hologram map?’

Before taking over this ship, Adhigh Orr searched the interior with me.

I did so to look for survivors or useful tools, but it seems he saw remnants of a hologram in the situation room.

‘Let’s try displaying one.’

This ship is practically my body. A hologram composed of psychic power appeared next to the reactor that had merged with me.

「There」「Enlarge」「Request」

After looking at the map, he pointed to a specific spot with the tip of his wing. When I enlarged that area, he examined it with bright eyes and poked a particular point with his wing tip.

‘Could it be?’

As I enlarged and moved the map, he kept pointing to new locations using his wings and front paws.

After repeating this dozens of times, a certain sector appeared. He nodded toward a planet located on the sector’s outskirts.

「Here」「Dragon Nest」

‘Wow.’

I’m not usually easily surprised, but this time was different.

I had planned to use Adhigh Orr as a biological navigation system utilizing the Gallergorn’s unique homing instinct, but he created a route to the dragon’s nest right here and now.

Having watched in real-time but still unable to believe it, I asked him:

[Zzzz zz zz (How did you create this?)]

「?」「I」「Constellation」「Remember」

[Zzzz (Constellation?)]

「Star」「Position」「Map」「Compare」「Easy」

He answered as if it were nothing significant.

‘I thought he was a dwarfism mutant, but could he actually have an intelligence mutation?’

If the other Gallergorn at the dragon’s nest have this level of intelligence, I’m not confident I could defeat them.

As I remained silent, he added an explanation.

「Kin」「Constellation」「Don’t Know」「Interest」「None」

[Zz (Really?)]

「Kin」「Power」「Strong」「Memory」「Need」「None」「Brain」「Need」「None」

From what he said, the Gallergorn at the dragon’s nest don’t seem as intelligent as him.

In other words, Adhigh Orr was the living embodiment of the expression “when the body suffers, the mind works harder.”

‘That’s somewhat fortunate.’

「Great One」「Question」

As I was feeling relieved, Adhigh Orr called me with a thought-wave.

「I」「Dragon Nest」「Explain」「Great One」「Contract」「End」

[Zz (Huh?)]

「Great One」「Me」「Abandon?」

His posture was the same as before, half-lying down, but his body was stiff. His wings trembled slightly, showing clear signs of tension.

‘Well, we did make a contract to spare his life in exchange for showing the nest.’

Adhigh Orr seemed to think I might abandon him.

‘I might have done so before.’

But not anymore.

Since I couldn’t pet him directly while merged with the ship, I extended a corrosive tentacle and very gently stroked his head.

[Zzzz zzzz zz zzzz zzzz (You are the most precious beings to me)]

「Truth?」

[Zzzz zzzz zz zzzzz zz (I will never abandon you)]

「Relief!」「Joy!」「Joy!」「Joy!」

Feeling my sincerity, Adhigh Orr flapped his wings joyfully. He wagged his tail and circled around me, who was attached to the reactor.

As he moved around expressing his joy, I glimpsed slightly white scales on the back of his neck. I looked again, but the white scales were no longer visible.

‘Thanks to Adhigh Orr, we’ll arrive quickly.’

Though it will still take a few months even with FTL travel due to the distance, that’s not a problem.

‘Let’s get started then.’

I entered the coordinates and route Adhigh Orr had shown me into the computer of the ship I had infiltrated.

Our next target is the “Dragon’s Nest.”