Without a moment to marvel at the fallen dragon, we immediately prepared to bind it. Our original plan had been to rescue the boss and escape D City, but with the most dangerous entity— the dragon— subdued so easily, there was no longer any need to flee.

I quickly called Arima, who was flying around above D City in Falcon, and asked him to shrink the dragon’s body. However, Arima suggested an even better idea and transformed the dragon into a young boy.

“Arima?”

“Ta-da! This way, he won’t be able to resist much, and I’ve tinkered with his brain to prevent him from having any complex thoughts. Just one look at my curves, and he’ll come running like an excited dog.”

“Arima…?”

What on earth was he doing? Arima explained that he had weakened the dragon just enough to keep it barely self-aware. He noted that simply shrinking a dragon or turning it into a mindless lizard would be incredibly difficult since the creature’s instincts and unconscious dragon traits would resist such changes.

Even though I didn’t fully understand the intricacies of polymorph magic, I chose to trust Arima’s expertise. I decided to ignore the fact that he might have made a “shota” purely for his own amusement.

“Steel Titan, binding mode.”

[Understood, Master!]

Once the dragon had been transformed into a boy, we used Steel Titan to securely bind his body. As expected from a hero unit designed to subdue villains, it had functions specifically for restraining opponents.

Just as we finished binding him, Galrm and Leviathan appeared in the distance, escorting the boss back. Despite a bit of dust on her dress, she walked towards us with a calm expression and composed demeanor, as if she hadn’t just been imprisoned.

I approached the boss, kneeling on one knee in greeting.

“—Boss, as per your orders, every member of the evil organization’s executives—except for Executives 1, 2, and 6—has come to rescue you.”

“Mm— well done.”

“I’ve also subdued the insolent one who dared lay hands on you. This way, please.”

After bowing grandly to the boss, I brought over a wrecked chair from the ruins that looked perfect for her to sit on. Once she sat, the dusty chair transformed, exuding the presence of a royal throne.

In the half-destroyed city, amidst the ruined buildings, the boss perched on the “throne” with one knee drawn up, radiating regal authority. At that moment, our prisoner finally opened his eyes— the dragon now trapped in a human boy’s body, a fate not unlike the Monkey King pinned beneath the mountain.

“—Awake, are you?”

As he opened his eyes, Hisberk realized he had been transformed into a human and was bound by some kind of material. He attempted to dispel it with magic, but oddly enough, his magic wouldn’t respond.

With his foggy mind struggling to make sense of the situation, Hisberk remembered the human mage capable of dispelling his magic, acknowledging the human’s exceptional skills.

“...Humiliating. How could I fall to such lowly creatures?”

“It’s said that complacency is the root of all evil, Hisberk. That’s why you lost.”

“Ha— would an arrogant elephant lose to an ant…?”

“If that ant were a super-ant, capable of taking down even an elephant.”

In a heated exchange with Regalia, Hisberk felt an overwhelming sense of frustration, as if something were blocking his thoughts each time he tried to speak or think. It was clear that he hadn’t just been turned into a human; his mind had been deliberately dulled.

Even more humiliating than his diminished intelligence was his amplified lust. Every time he caught a glimpse of Regalia’s bare thigh as she sat with one leg drawn up, he felt a surge of primal desire— a crude, animalistic lust unbefitting his stature.

Though he had been transformed to resemble a human, feeling sexual attraction for a lower creature was a profound disgrace. It was as if a human were to feel desire for a cockroach or an earthworm…

“Now, Hisberk, arrogant dragon. Confess your sins to me.”

“Ugh… urgh…”

The weight of her royal presence bore down on Hisberk. In his true form or in the state of his own willful polymorphing, he would have easily shrugged off such an aura. But as a weakened, young boy, he couldn’t resist.

“I… I was lonely…”

“Mm?”

“For hundreds of years, I was alone… when I thought I’d found kin, I… I got excited…”

Hisberk’s words were simple. He had fallen to this world centuries ago, and in the many years that followed, he had searched for any kin, or at least someone born of the same world as himself. Unfortunately, he found no one, save for one exception—a being that had once been more like a slave back in his homeland, unable to quell his longing for his origin.

“When Iblis Corp created the Dragon Bone Soldiers, I thought I might finally meet my kin again… but when I read the memories, I found that they weren’t dragons but rather strange humans who made them…”

Regalia and the other executives fell silent, as did I.

The dragons I knew of could live for tens of thousands of years, often relishing solitude for centuries within their lairs. Extreme individualists, they never seemed to suffer from isolation.

Yet, what I didn’t know was that the dragons I had read about were only fictional creatures. And even if the stories somehow reflected real dragons’ behavior, being stranded in an alien world was a different matter entirely.

Even a recluse, confined to their home, wouldn’t remain unaffected if stranded alone on a deserted island— no matter how well-equipped the island might be.

“…I want to see them, my friends.”

Hisberk longed to meet his kin. I leaned over and whispered to Arima.

“Arima, could that dragon possibly be from your world?”

“Hmm—hard to say, but probably not…”

“Can you tell for sure?”

“Well, kinda? His magic is a bit different, and if a dragon really had existed here just a few centuries ago, it would have been wiped out.”

Realizing that the dragon likely didn’t originate from Arimania, I quietly awaited the boss’s decision.

Regalia, who had been deep in thought after listening to Hisberk’s words, closed her eyes briefly. After a moment, the queen pronounced her verdict.

“—Scientist.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Is it possible to send this being back to his homeland?”

“I believe it would be difficult.”

“What about creating a friend for him?”

At her words, Hisberk’s eyes widened, looking to Eight with a glimmer of hope. The scientist let the anticipation build, then spoke in a quiet tone.

“—It’s entirely possible.”

To create another dragon. To give him new companions. Hisberk could hardly contain his shock as Regalia smirked and looked down at him.

“Arrogant dragon, I offer you a deal.”

“…O-okay…”

“I will overlook this offense you’ve committed against me. And I will grant you the companions you so desperately wish to meet.”

The queen was merciful, even pardoning the beast who dared bare his fangs at her.

“—Surrender everything to me.”

The dragon willingly stripped away his pride and submitted himself to her.

—“D-dada…?”

“Oh, oh, ohhh…!”

Following Regalia’s orders, I used Hisberk’s genes to create another dragon. It wasn’t easy to generate a creature of the same species just from his genetic material.

Creating a being of the same species—similar to using Adam’s rib to create Eve—was a feat bordering on myth. And since there were no other dragons to observe, it was an even more daunting task.

But as difficult as it was, it was possible. And as most scientists do, I pushed myself to the limit to succeed.

The fact that the resulting creature looked genuinely draconic was confirmed by Hisberk’s reaction.

“I’ll raise it well, so that someday I can see a world filled with my kind once again…”

As Hisberk spoke, he returned to his lair—D City. Watching him leave, Ayle made a disgusted face.

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing—it’s just… he said he was going to raise a kin, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did.”

“…Isn’t that basically grooming? Like, he’s just born and already this guy wants him as his mate… total creep…”

I winced at Ayle’s blunt observation, realizing she was entirely correct. Regardless of dragons’ own mating traditions, to us, Hisberk had effectively declared his intentions to claim a newly created infant as his future partner.