Evil Dragon Chapter 22: Not Needed

Chapter 22: Not Needed

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai, Kris

Lin Nuo sat once again in the old king’s reception hall. Like the last time, his two brothers had arrived earlier. The attitude of the two princes was markedly different this time.

Previously, both had disregarded Lin Nuo completely, especially the elder prince Otto. This time, Otto sat on a deep red-backed chair, hands clasped, chin resting on his hand, glaring gloomily at Lin Nuo as he walked in. Josef, on the other hand, was the first to flash a smile and greet Lin Nuo. Once Lin Nuo took a seat, Otto’s nostrils flared, about to say something, but he caught sight of Sir Rennes entering as well.

He had to swallow his words and continued to glare at Lin Nuo darkly. Soon, the old king took his seat. After picking up the crystal glass in front of him, he started with routine inquiries about territorial matters. Then, he turned to Otto and asked, “The Summer Solstice Festival is just half a month away. How is the preparation of the magical crystals needed for the royal ceremony going?”

Otto immediately replied, “Grandfather, rest assured, the preparations have been going smoothly. The shipment will arrive in a couple of days. This time, should it be me or my brother Josef to handle the delivery?”

Traditionally, the royal ceremony was the opening event of Sarostar’s Summer Solstice Festival. During the ceremony, the king would ascend a high platform at night, guiding numerous special magical crystals into the sky, creating beautiful fireworks. After this, the Summer Solstice Festival officially commenced.

All magical crystals of Sarostar were mined in Crystal Town and then transported according to the royal plan to various places, including those required for the ceremony. According to tradition, the royal heirs should handle the delivery of the crystals and personally take them to the church for blessings before reaching the palace.

On the surface, the task of delivering the crystals took at least three to four days one way, with no room for rest along the way, making it tiring and troublesome. But being able to represent the royal family and handle the crystals signified the king’s trust. Moreover, the step of receiving blessings from the Church symbolized the Church’s approval. Not to mention, during the final leg of the escort through the capital, numerous citizens would line up to welcome and show respect to their prince.

Therefore, the delivery of magical crystals for the ceremony was actually a prestigious and significant task. In the past, Otto had more than once suppressed Josef to vie for this delivery opportunity.

The king didn’t answer Otto but turned to Rennes, “Clement, from your perspective, how is Linno’s condition? I heard that a few days ago, Linno assisted you in solving the Troix family theft case.”

Rennes replied, “Your Majesty, Prince Linno performed exceptionally well in the theft case. His condition has also recovered quite nicely.”

The old king looked pleased and smiled at Lin Nuo warmly, “That’s wonderful.”

Lin Nuo felt a rush of anxiety and managed only a faint smile. At this moment, Josef chuckled, “It seems that Linno’s magical abilities must have recovered.”

The old king nodded, “In that case, Linno will be responsible for transporting the magical crystals needed for the ceremony. Clement, ensure Linno’s safety along the way.”

As soon as the words fell, the room dropped into an eerie silence. Lin Nuo quivered his lips, wanting to immediately decline, but he realized Rennes was holding his arm under the table— Lin Nuo suddenly remembered Rennes’ words from yesterday, to accept any request the king made.

So, Lin Nuo bit his lip hard, forcing back the words of refusal.

Meanwhile, Otto returned to his resting room with a grim face. He dismissed all attendants, then roared in frustration, nearly tearing down the wallpaper. After wrecking the room, he activated a personal crystal.

Later, a face that should have been kind projected into the ruined room. The face looked displeased, “Prince, you forget that we shouldn’t contact each other except in emergencies.”

Otto gritted his teeth, “I wouldn’t have contacted you if it weren’t an emergency! Bishop Vite!”

“The slow-acting poison you gave me should have struck in the last couple of days, leaving Linno in unbearable pain! Why does he seem unaffected?!”

Bishop Vite furrowed his brow, “Really? Are you certain your man administered the poison to Linno?”

Otto’s facial muscles twitched. Last time, he’d had Baron Duval bring the bloodied knife and then poison Linno. Duval hadn’t reported back since that night; only left a message via crystal saying he had urgent matters to attend to and had to leave the court. After that, he disappeared without a trace. Had Baron Duval been bribed by someone else, failing to administer the poison?

Vite observed Otto’s changing expressions, then resumed his kind façade, “Seems like, Your Highness, you hadn’t found the most reliable person. Anyway, I have a stronger poison, enough to keep Linno down for good. But ensure you find someone who can administer it.”

After speaking, Vite cut off the crystal’s connection, leaving Otto alone, furious and uncertain how to vent. Someone knocked on the door and called out— Josef’s voice. Otto, with a dark expression, allowed Josef in temporarily, waving his hand to activate a magical barrier.

Seeing the mess, Josef sighed, “Otto, today was just a whim of grandfather’s. Why get so worked up?”

Otto snorted, “You’re unaffected! You were just my substitute for the crystal transport! What about me?! Don’t you know how those gossipy nobles are talking about me now?”

Josef glanced at Otto, calmly saying, “Speaking of gossip—Otto, I’m here to remind you. Isn’t today your daughter’s birthday? If you forget again and she ends up waiting for you in the square, more tongues will wag.”

Already frustrated, Otto felt more troubled by this. Yet, he acknowledged Josef’s point. Annoyed, he reluctantly called for his servants and left for a private lunch, unaware of Josef’s faintly smug smile while giving them instructions.

An hour later, Otto sat absentmindedly at a long table. Across from him was his illegitimate daughter, a daughter he only saw twice a year. The girl’s mother, though beautiful, held a low status and could never become a qualified Crown Princess, so Otto had only considered it a casual affair. Unexpectedly, they’d had a child together.

Fortunately, the court was very open-minded, and having illegitimate children was not a big deal as long as it wasn’t too blatant. Besides, this girl looked like her mother, a beauty in the making. According to Josef, keeping such a pretty girl around could be useful in the future. Therefore, Otto brought his daughter into the royal palace, arranged for her to stay in an inconspicuous corner, and assigned two people to take care of her. In Otto’s eyes, a daughter was nothing more than an ‘investment’, waiting to grow up and become a valuable asset that he could trade at the most suitable price. He didn’t really care about her as a person.

As the chattering girl across from him continued to talk, Otto, preoccupied with thoughts, didn’t pay any attention. All he could think about was how to obstruct Linno from replacing him in transporting the crystal.

He wondered who else could be useful and could sabotage Linno. As he stabbed a piece of grilled meat with his fork and brought it to his mouth, half a sentence floated into his ears, “The teddy bear Linno gave me…”

Otto dropped his fork, looked at the brown-haired girl in front of him, and forced a pleasant expression, “Sweetheart, what did you just say? Linno gave you a teddy bear?”

The chatty Nana, seeing that her father was finally willing to engage with her, excitedly continued, “Yes, Linno, he’s my big brother. I met him in the garden. He looks very handsome, with black hair and dark eyes! He comes to play ball with me and swings with me every day! And a few days ago, he even gave me an adorable teddy bear!”

Otto raised his wine glass and took a big sip, silently praising the divine powers. He said, “Sweetheart, if you receive a gift from someone, it’s polite to reciprocate. I’ll help you prepare a gift for this Linno, and you can give it to him. Oh, and remember, tell him it’s a gift from you, don’t mention your father’s name, okay?”

Nana happily agreed, “Okay, thank you, Dad! Nana will definitely give a gift to Brother Linno!”

In the afternoon, Lin Nuo arrived early at the training room. As expected, Rennes was already waiting for him. As soon as he entered, Lin Nuo rushed over, grabbing Rennes’ sleeve and complained anxiously, “Teacher! Why didn’t you let me refuse? I don’t want to do the crystal transport at all!”

Accepting this task meant getting involved in his two brothers’ struggle for the throne, something Lin Nuo had no intention of doing. Moreover, if he went with Sir Rennes, did it not mean spending several days with this person day and night? It was too dangerous!

Rennes’ gaze lingered on Lin Nuo’s hand grabbing his sleeve for a moment before he raised his face, saying calmly, “So, how does Your Highness plan to handle this? Will you continue to lie, claiming you are particularly weak and need to leave the palace for recuperation, as you did last time?”

Stung by the direct hit, Lin Nuo withdrew his hand behind him, his face alternating between red and pale. He blurted out, “Wha… What do you mean continuing to lie?! I… I never wanted to stay here in the first place! I don’t want any tasks! I don’t want to be on edge every day!” With Lin Nuo pouring out his pent-up frustration, the hardships, anxiety, and fear accumulated over the past few days all came to the surface. He became increasingly upset, finally losing control and shouting, “And that magic training you make me do every day? I feel like a fool! It’s pointless; I don’t need that kind of training!”

Once the words were out, both of them were stunned. Rennes looked at Lin Nuo motionless for a while. After a long silence, he asked, “Is this your sincere opinion?”

Rennes spoke very slowly, as if every word took great effort. Lin Nuo’s lips quivered. Was this the truth? Of course, these were his most genuine thoughts. So Lin Nuo just bit his lip, staring at Rennes without saying a word.

Then, he saw a complex emotion cloud Rennes’ eyes – a mix of helplessness, sadness, perhaps some disappointment or self-blame? Lin Nuo had never seen such emotions in Rennes before. He had always been indifferent.

Suddenly, Lin Nuo felt uneasy. Did he say too much, even if it was true? After all, Rennes didn’t know he was a useless dragon, and he genuinely thought he was training a prince. Ah, gold coins. Just thinking about them, Lin Nuo immediately became timid. If it weren’t for the gold coins Rennes gave him, he might not have been able to maintain his human form. Why was he blabbering about leaving this place? How could he leave?

In panic, Lin Nuo lowered his head and mumbled, “Teacher, I, I was just talking nonsense just now… Even though the training is tiring, I don’t actually… um, I don’t dislike this kind of training.”

Rennes’ tone was calm, “Your Highness, don’t worry. I won’t take back the gold coins I gave you. If you like, I can continue to give you gold coins.”

A jolt ran through Lin Nuo, and he looked at Rennes in shock. Why would he say that?

Rennes looked at Lin Nuo with no emotion in his eyes, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have forced Your Highness. After this, I will report to His Majesty. If Your Highness doesn’t want to continue the training, I won’t be your teacher anymore.”

Lin Nuo stood still, staring at Rennes in a daze. Yes, this was what he initially wanted. Then why, upon hearing Rennes say that, did he feel so upset?

After a pause, Rennes continued calmly, “Now, back to the task at hand. Your two brothers are very familiar with the route, so the crystal transport takes only four or five days for them. But since Your Highness is not familiar, it will take at least five to six days. Therefore, I suggest we depart tomorrow afternoon. As for today’s training class – it’s suspended.”

After saying that, Rennes walked past Lin Nuo and opened the door to the training room. Lin Nuo watched Rennes’ back, wanting to call him back but unable to make a sound. After all, no more magic training and gold coins to be had – wasn’t that exactly what he wanted? So why did he feel no sense of relief in his heart?

 

 

 

 

 

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