Evil Dragon Chapter 18: Keeping Pets?

Chapter 18: Keeping Pets?

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai, Kris

 

The Marquess of Troix was panic-stricken, looking around in confusion, wiping away tears and mucus before starting to explain: About a month ago, on a whim, the marquess had visited a small tavern to watch traveling performers dance.

In the tavern, someone approached and asked him, “Would you like to become as handsome as a sculpture, with a tall stature? The price is just a bit of gold and some silver treasures, which mean nothing to you.”

Although the Marquess Troix had a high status and a wealthy background, his appearance and height had always been a hidden pain for him. Especially after marrying such a beautiful wife, he felt too ugly and inadequate for her beauty, fearing she might reject him.

Perhaps during the day, the marquess wouldn’t entertain such a boring conversation. But at that moment, perhaps due to the atmosphere in the tavern or the influence of alcohol, the marquess inexplicably agreed to the person’s offer and took a pill from them. After swallowing the pill, the marquess was surprised to find himself seemingly growing taller, his muscles becoming harder, and even his features becoming more refined.

The only problem was his uncontrollable desire to consume gold and silver. Initially, he thought it was a minor eccentricity that would fade with time. Gradually, he consumed more and more. His thoughts became more chaotic; his skin hardened, enveloping his entire body as if it had been melted into metal.

His body no longer responded to his control. Later, events were like a long lucid dream. He watched helplessly as he devoured gold and silver jewelry, witnessed his wife crying while feeding him, seeing her fear yet refusal to leave him. Even today, he uncontrollably desired to consume a bracelet on her arm and was even willing to harm her.

After hearing the marquess’s story, Rennes made no comments but said, “Lord Troix, I understand your situation. For now, I will treat this as an incident involving a monster harming people. You are merely a victim. Now, do you remember what the person who spoke to you looked like at that time? The name and location of the tavern?”

The Marquess Troix shook his head, unable to recall the person’s appearance, but he remembered the name and address of the tavern vividly, immediately informing the knight.

After receiving the address, Rennes gestured to Lin Nuo and prepared to leave. As Lin Nuo was about to walk away, he stopped and turned to look at the couple still huddled on the ground, unable to resist saying, “Lord Troix, even when you turned into a speechless monster, your wife continued to care for you as always. So why worry that she might reject you for not being good-looking enough?”

The Marquess Troix cried even louder while holding his wife tightly.

After the two left the Troix mansion, Lin Nuo thought for a while about what to say and finally asked, “Was that shimmering creature just now the monster?”

He actually wanted to figure out where this monster came from and whether it had any relation to the dragon race. If the monster and the dragons were connected, perhaps the paladins might hold him accountable in the future. It was better to disassociate himself early on rather than struggle to explain later.

As Rennes opened the carriage door for Lin Nuo, he murmured in agreement.

Although Rennes didn’t seem inclined to explain further, Lin Nuo persisted, “What kind of monster was it? Why did it attach to Lord Troix?”

Rennes settled into the carriage and closed the door, saying, “That should be a variant of a ‘Goldswallower.’ As for why the gilded beast was attached to him, someone likely exploited his weaknesses, luring him to nurture such a creature.”

Though brief, Rennes’ statement held substantial information. Lin Nuo instinctively tugged at his ear, asking, “A goldswallower?”

Rennes explained, “Some creatures naturally feed on gold and silver. I categorize such creatures as ‘Goldswallowers.'”

Hearing ‘feeding on gold and silver’, Lin Nuo inexplicably felt guilty and forced a smile, “Ah, feeding on gold and silver? The diet of these creatures is truly peculiar, haha.”

Regretting his words instantly, Lin Nuo worried that he might have inadvertently reminded Rennes that the little creature he wanted to raise as a pet fed on the magical essence in coins. Rennes glanced at Lin Nuo but didn’t respond.

This glance, coupled with the subsequent silence, made Lin Nuo even more uncomfortable. He fidgeted with the velvet seat, changing the subject, “You mentioned someone exploited the marquess’s weaknesses. How do you know that?”

Rennes replied, “This monster was summoned by someone. It still bore traces of a magical circle within its body. Once it consumes all the gold and silver in the Troix estate, it would return to a specific location and deliver these treasures to the summoner, following the instructions of the magic circle. To activate this magic circle, it requires the host’s consent, coaxing the individual to say something like ‘I agree.’ Most likely, the summoner knew the marquess well and understood his deepest fears & desires, making it easy to manipulate him.”

Lin Nuo followed Rennes’ train of thought and said, “So, are we heading to the tavern now to see if we can find the summoner, and then hand this person over to the guards or the king?”

Rennes crossed his arms and calmly replied, “If I find someone misusing magic or using creatures to harm others, I can execute them on the spot without reporting.”

His tone was very composed, but Lin Nuo felt a cold sweat break out, imagining various scenes pixelated out, all centered around a helpless dragon about to be executed. Seemingly unaware of Prince Linno’s discomfort, Rennes continued, “I suspect that this person has concealed their whereabouts well. We might not gain anything even if we go to the tavern.”

At this point, Lin Nuo couldn’t think of any more questions, afraid of asking too much and revealing any of his potential vulnerabilities.

Restless and unsure where to direct his eyes, Lin Nuo opened the window curtains again, pushed the window open, and gazed outside at the scenery, now blanketed in darkness. The moon hung quietly above the clock tower, faint stars speckling the deep blue sky, while street lamps lit the sides of the road.

With the window open, warm air carrying a subtle floral scent breezed in, lifting Lin Nuo’s stray hair from his forehead. He sighed, feeling his previously agitated heart calming down.

Extending his hand outside the window, he caught a petal that flew by, then casually released it, letting it drift away with the wind. Suddenly, either the wind changed direction or Lin Nuo happened to pass a row of trees shedding blossoms. Countless petals carried by the wind rushed toward him.

These tiny, pale pink petals seemed almost conscious, either circling around Lin Nuo’s hands and face or directly brushing against his cheeks, as if playing a game with him. Feeling an itch on his face, Lin Nuo hurriedly tried to remove the mischievous petals, but as he plucked some away, more floated over, sticking to his head and face.

Frustrated, Lin Nuo awkwardly scratched his head, embarrassedly muttering, “Hey, stop playing around!”

As soon as he said this, the petals suddenly stopped swirling, then silently drifted away with the wind. Phew… What’s with these petals? I probably shouldn’t have opened the window in the first place, Lin Nuo thought, closing the window again. Now, his eyes were fixed on Rennes across from him.

In the dim light, Lin Nuo noticed Rennes with his arms crossed, eyes closed as if resting. Relieved that his earlier embarrassing display probably hadn’t been witnessed by Rennes, Lin Nuo attempted to mimic Rennes by closing his eyes, attempting to rest.

As the carriage swayed to the background noise of hooves clopping, Lin Nuo, with his eyes closed, started feeling drowsy. Suddenly, the carriage slowed down, jolting Lin Nuo awake. He opened his sleepy eyes, wondering if they had arrived. Stretching in the carriage, Lin Nuo realized Rennes had already opened his eyes and was looking at him.

Just as Lin Nuo was thinking of something to avoid the awkwardness, Rennes spoke first, “Your Highness, do you keep pets?”

Lin Nuo blinked, a bit bewildered. “No, I don’t.”

Rennes slowly responded, “Oh, maybe you should try. It suits you.”

Huh? Why did the conversation suddenly shift to pets? Puzzled, Lin Nuo suddenly caught a fleeting trace of amusement in Rennes’ eyes. After a few seconds of puzzlement, Lin Nuo realized: Ah! Rennes must have seen me playing around earlier! He’s mocking me!

His face flushed instantly, and he exclaimed, “I-I don’t… keep any!”

Seeing Lin Nuo’s embarrassed expression, Rennes brought his hand up as if to cover something at his lips but then casually remarked, “We’re almost there.”

The carriage finally stopped at the entrance to a small alley. The coachman hopped down and lightly knocked on the carriage door, saying, “Sir, the alley is too narrow for the carriage to pass through.”

So, the two men exited the carriage again and walked into the winding alleyway. When they reached the address provided by Lord Troix, all they found was a fenced-off ruin. A sign beside it stated that the area was slated for redevelopment, which included the demolition of the former tavern. The date on the sign was two days ago.

Looking at the debris and ruined structure, Lin Nuo felt a wave of disappointment. “What terrible luck!”

Rennes observed the date on the sign without displaying any disappointment. He simply stated, “It seems that when I reported to the king to accept this mission, the information had already been circulated.”

It took Lin Nuo a moment to process. “Are you saying the summoner destroyed the evidence?”

“Yes,” replied Rennes.

Lin Nuo bit his finger, finding it hard to believe. “And… this person has their own informants within the palace?”

Rennes neither confirmed nor denied, simply grunting in acknowledgment. Someone within the palace, knowing the paladin’s arrangements, privy to court information, fond of gold and silver, and capable of contacting creatures… Tsk tsk, considering all these clues, who else is more suspicious than the prince transformed from a dragon? Even I would suspect myself!

Lin Nuo chuckled wryly in his thoughts.

Seeing Lin Nuo’s disappointed expression, Rennes softened his tone. “Don’t dwell on it. At least the Marquess Troix and his wife are safe. As for the Goldswallower, we still have a chance to investigate.”

Lin Nuo’s eyes lit up, looking at Rennes, “We can still continue investigating?”

He didn’t want to let that summoner’s blame fall on him!

Rennes raised a hand, as if wanting to touch the prince’s forehead, but he withdrew it and said, “We’ll stop here for today. It’s dinner time; let’s grab something to eat.”

Hearing the mention of food, Lin Nuo, who was already feeling hungry, smiled broadly. “Sure!”

Looking around, he spotted several brightly lit shops around, some with signs depicting cutlery, indicating open restaurants. Others had symbols of mirrors or toy bears, likely indicating general stores or jewelry shops.

Sniffing the air, Lin Nuo turned to Rennes with a slightly expectant look. “By the way…”

Rennes lowered his gaze, gesturing for Lin Nuo to continue.

Lin Nuo scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. “Uh, can we eat a little fast? After dinner, I’d like to do something.”

Rennes furrowed his brow imperceptibly. “Do you have something to attend to?”

Lin Nuo scratched his head, feeling awkward. “Oh, after dinner, I want to pick out a gift for a lady.”

Rennes’ fleeting smile froze on his lips. Gradually, his expression turned somber as he asked, “A gift for a lady?”