Ch.281Solution (4)

Even as a polite lie, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant sight.

Flesh burning, tearing, melting, and regenerating would be horrifying enough for someone with a weak stomach, but the Dragon King was taking it a step further as her very form was being transformed.

That’s what becoming a homunculus entailed.

Llewellyn stood with his hands behind his back, watching the three High Seats and Ortemilia busily at work.

“Kugh, gurk…”

“The bone marrow is regenerating, Court White.”

“I know. Don’t rush me.”

Crimson bodily fluids erupted from every orifice of the body along with boiling blood.

Court White moved his hand over the Dragon King’s body before his name was even called, standing close beside her.

More crimson fluid and blood were drawn out by his touch, swirling around her body.

The blood splashed onto the examination table and dripped heavily onto the floor, but none of it touched Court White.

He removed the rotten blood, blood that would soon rot, and inferior blood from her body as if it were nothing.

What remained was for the flesh and the drugs within it to do their work. The blood that chaotically filled and vigorously circulated through that body.

Even without a beating heart, it was homunculus blood—capable of filling the entire body with vitality and more.

This was also why homunculi were commonly used as blood bags.

Llewellyn watched the process with a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

“…Good. It’s done.”

“Prepare the next drug.”

Ortemilia nodded and operated the device. Something like serum flowed in, gurgling as it moved.

The substance that had just been administered was the second drug—one that reconstructed the blood vessels.

It didn’t just reconstruct the vessels but also recreated the blood itself, though Llewellyn didn’t particularly care about that detail.

Despite the horrific scene, there was a mystery to this “rebirth” that rivaled the miracle of life itself.

Even if he had nothing to do, it would have been awkward to leave, and it wasn’t as if he had nothing to do.

After those five processes, he would need to bless that body with divine power.

So Llewellyn waited. The next drug was for regenerating the heart.

Llewellyn had wondered about the principle behind a homunculus heart that functioned without beating, and it seemed this drug was the answer.

Thanks to it, homunculi could survive without breathing or heartbeats. Having benefited from this trait many times, Llewellyn watched carefully.

“Kuhack, kek, gurk…!”

As soon as the drug was injected, Llewellyn watched with disgust as flesh and blood came gurgling out of the Dragon King’s mouth.

So that’s what happens to the leftover heart after regeneration, he thought.

He had wondered if they would preserve or extract the dragon-person’s heart, but they didn’t.

Perhaps the homunculus heart was superior. Despite losing her original heart, the powerful magical energy remaining in her body was still present, and regenerating the heart didn’t take long.

Thump, thump, thump.

The heart that originally shouldn’t beat now sat beneath the Dragon King’s swollen breasts with a clear heartbeat once regeneration was complete.

A heart that spread magical energy throughout the body, especially filling the already regenerated blood vessels.

Llewellyn marveled at how quickly the magical energy took over her body, which had been pale and haggard from blood loss.

There were two more drugs remaining, but they weren’t as flashy or visually striking.

The remaining two drugs were for enhancement rather than regeneration.

One strengthened the nervous system like tempering steel, causing steam to rise from the body, while the brain enhancement drug produced no visible reaction at all.

But Llewellyn now understood where the homunculus trait of not needing sleep came from.

By the time all the drugs had been administered, Llewellyn found himself wondering:

Was he also created through such a process?

If so, where and how did they obtain the base body?

If there was a base body, whose body was it originally?

Perhaps there had been a body of Yoon Sejin, not Llewellyn?

Just as there had been for Yoon Sea.

It was while Llewellyn was lost in these thoughts.

“My King.”

Court White quietly called to Llewellyn.

Only then did Llewellyn snap back to reality and look at the Dragon King.

A completely unconscious, naked woman lay there.

“Hmm.”

The dragon-person showed no trace of her previous self.

In fact, she looked more like a necromancer than a dragon-person.

To that extent, no trace of her former self remained.

If he hadn’t witnessed the process, it would have taken him a long time to realize she was the Dragon King.

Llewellyn thought this as he carefully examined the Dragon King.

She was a beautiful woman with sharp yet somehow sturdy features.

A beautiful woman with a pair of protruding horns, a thick tail, and scales scattered across her skin.

Considering how necromancers generally turned completely white, this appearance seemed to indicate the characteristics of the new race.

Moreover, it showed how well necromancers had created dragon-people in the distant past.

This was no longer something that could be called a dragon-person.

This was a dragon. A new dragon race created by those who had given up their qualifications as dragons to become necromancers, only now completed.

A new transcendent race to join the three clans as the fourth.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“With your qualification and power, bless her… and determine her fate.”

The expression “determine her fate” bothered him. Llewellyn was displeased at the implication that these beings had no freedom.

But when he glanced up, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“…Fate?”

“Grant them eternity, Your Majesty.”

The prophet spoke respectfully. Various emotions were jumbled in his expression.

The most prominent among them was regret and atonement. Llewellyn didn’t object, saying they should have told him this meaning earlier.

He simply looked down at the woman quietly, then moved his hand toward the place between her swollen breasts where her heart would be.

Thump!

Llewellyn’s heart pounded and released divine power.

This was part of what happened every time he used divine power. An ashen divine power drifted through the space, and the four people basking in it showed different reactions.

One smiled brightly, one sighed deeply, one looked on with mixed concern and expectation, and one watched their reactions with satisfaction.

Transcendent, with power limits far exceeding ordinary humans.

Yet still acting on “mostly” human reasons—these three, and one who was much closer to being human.

Llewellyn extended his hand deeper into the gap.

Thump, thump, thump.

He could feel the Dragon King’s beating heart. The heartbeat seemed to respond to Llewellyn’s heartbeat filling the space.

It felt as though it was yearning for a new destiny. Llewellyn blinked slowly and took a deep breath.

What was needed was a declaration.

As both god and king, the first command to them and the guidance that would lead their entire lives.

A miracle forged from divine power.

Thump!

Llewellyn’s heart beat strongly, and as the divine power settled with a thud, Llewellyn opened his mouth.

What came to mind was the blessing blacksmiths bestowed upon weapons after forging them.

It was the same now. In a manner of speaking, the fourth clan was Llewellyn’s weapon, forged by his subordinates.

Feeling the divine power spreading gently, Llewellyn spoke.

“May this one’s claws never reach for the wrong places.”

“May there be no regrets in their actions.”

“And finally… may they rest in peace when everything is over.”

As Llewellyn’s words ceased, the divine power flowing with his heartbeat stopped. Four gazes converged on the spot as Llewellyn slowly withdrew his hand.

The first race created by Llewellyn was there.

It was a sight that gave Llewellyn confidence that he could truly accomplish what he set out to do.

*

When they came out after the procedure, most people were still in their places.

This meant the procedure hadn’t taken long.

It was a sight that instilled confidence that they could perform the homunculus procedure on all dragon-people, however many there might be.

Llewellyn sighed with relief, and saw people’s gazes stopping abruptly at what he held in his arms.

“…Sejin, is that…?”

“The Dragon King.”

The Dragon King had almost no trace of her previous appearance.

Except for the horns, a few scales, and the tail, she was an entirely different person.

Her bright red hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes showed faint traces of her former self, but without the horns and tail, the difference would have been unimaginable.

Llewellyn was carrying her wrapped in a blanket.

“The procedure was successful. The Dragon King’s curse… is already gone.”

As Llewellyn approached and set her down on the table, everyone’s eyes turned to the Dragon King.

“This is… the Dragon King?”

“She’s changed too much.”

Two people quietly spoke up. Even Lorian seemed surprised, as if he hadn’t expected this, and Lucilla was frowning as if displeased.

It was unexpected for Llewellyn, but in fact, everyone except him could guess the reason.

Lucilla was quite jealous, and would show her displeasure when anyone got close to her brother, the whites of her eyes darkening.

It was the same context now. The Dragon King had become a beauty that could captivate her brother, and she feared this woman might steal the affection she should receive from her brother.

Whether the Dragon King would even want such a thing was another matter entirely.

“So, what now?”

No one considered Lucilla’s jealousy except Lucilla herself. It was a rare moment when Lucilla appeared unsightly.

Even Melody was deliberately ignoring it.

“If we’re going to expedite the procedures for the dragon-people, someone with quick mobility should cross the continent to bring them…”

“No.”

Llewellyn, who had been quietly observing everyone after setting down the Dragon King, spoke up.

To the people who were alarmed, wondering if he intended to save only the Dragon King without performing the procedure on others, Llewellyn declared confidently:

“The fortress of the three clans can move. And at a very fast speed.”

Anyone who had played the game knew that the three clans had carried out all sorts of schemes, appearing and disappearing mysteriously all over the continent.

There were even discussions about what kind of transportation they used to move so secretly and quickly.

And it was obvious without analysis that the mobility of that aerial fortress was behind it.

“These will be people who will serve me as the fourth clan from now on. It makes sense that I go to get them myself.”

Moreover, given the Dragon King’s changed appearance, convincing them wouldn’t be easy even if the Dragon King woke up and was sent back.

So Llewellyn boldly declared:

“We’re going to the Old Continent.”

He would go to the Old Continent himself and bring back the dragon-people.