Evil Dragon Chapter 28: Don’t Pinch Me!

Chapter 28: Don’t Pinch Me!

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai, Kris

 

Lin Nuo lay comfortably in a specially made little nest and slept soundly for another night. Originally, he didn’t dare to sleep too deeply, fearing he might unintentionally transform back into human form in his dreams. But the nest was just too cozy, and with the coins right beside his head, Lin Nuo couldn’t resist. Soon, he fell into a deep slumber.

In a daze, he had a strange dream. He dreamt of being held by someone with a refreshing, chilly fragrance, gently stroking his back repeatedly. The person’s fingers carried a slight coolness, their actions incredibly gentle, making Lin Nuo feel extremely comfortable. Finally, the person pressed their fingertips against his forehead and softly said, “Sleep now.”

The dream ended there.

The next day, when Lin Nuo woke up, he felt incredibly comfortable all over. Lazily, he lay in the nest, unwilling to move, until Rennes pushed the door open, seemingly intending to take him to breakfast.

Looking at Rennes’ face, Lin Nuo suddenly remembered the ‘grand plan’ he had devised with the goblin & pigeon spirit the day before. With a start, he sprang up from the nest, not staying in place to be caught obediently but instead flapping his wings, flying straight towards the window. With a thud, he hit the glass and then slid down with a squeak.

Frowning, Rennes walked over, picked up Lin Nuo from the ground, and rubbed the spot where he had bumped against the window, asking, “What are you doing?”

Lin Nuo stretched his neck desperately, pointing outside with his claws, his small eyes filled with anticipation, and chirped loudly.

After a while, Rennes slowly said, “You want to go out?”

Lin Nuo’s eyes brightened, turning his head to face Rennes, vigorously nodding and continuously wagging his tail.

Rennes stared at Lin Nuo without moving, remaining silent for a while. Just when Lin Nuo felt anxious, fearing a flat-out refusal, Rennes quietly extended his other hand, pinching Lin Nuo’s wagging tail.

Ah! Perhaps the nerves in his dragon tail were more sensitive, as Rennes’ action made Lin Nuo feel as if his tail tip had been electrified. A tingling sensation rushed from his tailbone, causing goosebumps all over his skin.

This peculiar sensation made Lin Nuo wonder if he was starting to stress out again. He straightened his neck, his flat face turning red, and fiercely chirped at Rennes, showing a hint of fierceness.

Rennes withdrew his hand, nonchalantly saying, “You can go out. But I’ll have to put you in something.”

Chirping happily at the prospect of going out, Lin Nuo forgot about the discomfort caused by the tail pinch. He even rolled around in Rennes’ hand. Seeing the excited little creature, Rennes raised his empty hand, seemingly trying to resist something, but eventually, it dropped down.

An hour later, Lin Nuo finally got his wish to go outside.

Before leaving, Lin Nuo was prepared to be put into an animal cage. After all, Rennes had said, ‘I have to put you in something.’ It was okay; it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable staying inside, even though it wasn’t pleasant. For the sake of going out and being free, enduring being pinched on the tail and staying in an animal cage for a while was acceptable.

So, when Rennes appeared in a slim light gold-patterned satin vest and calmly carried the animal cage, Lin Nuo wasn’t surprised at all. Furthermore, he happily discovered that Rennes had placed his sleeping nest inside the cage and even put the six coins he had collected yesterday in there.

Feeling quite satisfied, Lin Nuo even took a few steps toward the animal cage, ready to obediently crawl in and lie down on the coins. Rennes caught him by the small wing and said, “I didn’t tell you to get in.”

Huh? Then where do you want to put me? Can’t I play with my toys in the cage? Lin Nuo stared at Rennes in confusion.

Rennes’ expression shifted slightly, but he remained silent. Then, he lifted Lin Nuo to his chest and directly tucked him into the pocket of his vest.

Rennes’ movements were gentle and precise. One hand pulled out the edge of the pocket while the other securely held Lin Nuo, stuffing him into the pocket until just below his head and even pulling out his little claws, placing them at the edge of the pocket.

Once securely placed, Lin Nuo felt dizzy. Knight, what are you doing? Why are you putting me in your chest pocket? Is this some strange hobby? Shaking his flat head, he looked at Rennes with a puzzled expression, chirping in confusion.

Rennes smirked slightly, walking towards a full-length mirror and tapping Lin Nuo’s head, saying softly, “Look, it’s a unique accessory.”

Lin Nuo obediently looked at the mirror, unable to help chirping again.

In the mirror, Rennes wore a gorgeous light gold satin vest. From the pocket trimmed with gold edges emerged a small, flat head and two thin claws, resembling a self-made accessory. It was novel and unique yet seamlessly integrated with his attire, without the slightest sense of mismatch.

Actually, such a slightly extravagant ‘decoration’, if placed on anyone else, might have looked odd. But on Rennes, it was overshadowed by his overall elegance, making it eye-catching yet not out of place.

Lin Nuo even suspected that, given Rennes’ looks and demeanor, even placing a dry tree branch in the pocket would have a ‘turning decay into beauty’ effect and prompt people to imitate it after a stroll on the street.

Rennes’ fingers pressed on Lin Nuo’s head again, and he whispered, “Stay put and don’t move.”

Lin Nuo chirped blankly, meaning it as consent. In fact, he felt quite comfortable, wrapped in soft and warm fabric, like being tucked into a small sleeping bag, feeling incredibly secure. Perhaps because he was so close to the knight’s heart, Lin Nuo even felt like he could hear Rennes’ heartbeat, rhythmic and powerful, along with the lingering cold fragrance, making Lin Nuo slightly dizzy, even drowsy.

“Feeling sleepy already?” Perhaps due to their close proximity, Rennes’ voice sounded deeper than usual.

Lin Nuo, with his claws gripping the pocket’s edge, lazily made no sound.

Rennes chuckled lightly, carrying the animal cage, and as he was about to get onto the carriage, Lin Nuo overheard the coachman asking, “Master, where are we going today?”

Rennes replied, “Let’s go to places that children might like. The theater, a club, something of that sort.”

 “Shall we go to the biggest club in town?” the coachman suggested.

Rennes agreed and got into the carriage by himself. Just as he closed the door, a chubby pigeon jumped up from the back of the carriage and fluttered into the air.

The largest club in Faro City has a very gentle name, ‘May Blossoms.’ In this club, artists perform magic tricks and acrobatics all year round. There’s also non-stop singing and dancing available for adults for just 10 copper els for half an hour.

Apart from magic and performances, the club also boasts a large courtyard with magical attractions: a carousel powered by magic, swings that rise and fall automatically, exaggeratedly shaped slides, as well as trampolines and seesaws. Naturally, this area is for children. Kids around six or seven years old, if they’ve done fairly well on exams at school, would persuade their parents to bring them here to play for half a day.

Today is not a holiday, and the club isn’t crowded. There are only a few people in the courtyard, and the carousel spins, empty.

Lin Nuo peeks out, watching the carousel spinning ceaselessly in front of him, biting his claws and thinking: Huh, how could he think that the prince would be in a place like this? Too naive!

Lin Nuo nervously looks around, trying to spot a chubby figure… Ah! There it is! 

A small young man with gray hair nervously hands out leaflets to passersby. People take the leaflets, open them curiously, and then regretfully shake their heads. Lin Nuo’s body tenses up, tightly gripping the gold trim on his pocket, silently chanting: ‘Come closer, come closer…’

After distributing a round of leaflets, the young man walks in their direction. Rennes, who was strolling casually, stopped when he saw the harried youth.

The gray-haired youth looks up, swallows hard, and raises the paper in his hand, stuttering, “Sir, my master’s… pet… got lost. Have you… have you seen it?”

The youth’s hand trembles in the breeze, causing Lin Nuo’s heart to race even faster. This gray-haired youth was none other than the pigeon spirit transformed into a human, Martin.

Rennes takes the paper and looks at it expressionlessly. The information on it is simple yet clear. In essence, it’s about a merchant who recently acquired a unique pet that got lost the day before yesterday. Attached is a picture of the pet, hoping that whoever finds it will quickly return it to a certain house on a certain street, promising a reward and so on.

At the bottom of the paper is an amazingly lifelike portrait, portraying none other than Lin Nuo in his dragon form. Of course, it’s the small mischievous dragon version of Lin Nuo.

Rennes moves the paper away from his eyes and calmly comments, “Nicely drawn.”

The nonchalant tone sends shivers down Lin Nuo’s spine, making his body shudder. Is the knight able to deduce something from the drawing…? Lin Nuo worries.

This picture was drawn yesterday afternoon when Lin Nuo turned back into a human. Of course, since he hadn’t had suitable clothes and hadn’t dared to rummage through Rennes’s wardrobe, he could only lie bare next to the gilded desk, pull out a stack of snow-white letter papers from the drawer, and use a feather pen to meticulously sketch the appearance of a mischievous little dragon.

After finishing the drawing, he had handed it to the pigeon spirit and the goblin spirit who had been hovering outside, instructing them to make a missing pet poster using this drawing. They were supposed to secretly follow Rennes when he left the house the next day and slip the poster to Rennes.

Knowing Rennes as he did, Lin Nuo was confident that upon learning that the little creature belonged to someone else, he wouldn’t keep it to himself. Just in case, he had volunteered to accompany Rennes outside, so if Rennes hadn’t seen the poster, the pigeon spirit could come forward, saying this little creature belonged to its master, got lost near the royal city some time ago, and was found again, but was lost again the day before due to its master falling ill from excessive worry.

Seeing Martin’s sweaty and stuttering state when facing Rennes now, Lin Nuo felt like he had overplanned. This poor kid; making him act in front of the knight was too much. *sigh* Not every magical creature has an innate acting buff like me!

With my acting skills, the knight would never link the little creature to the little prince! Lin Nuo comforts himself repeatedly in his mind.

Due to the angle, Lin Nuo, the dramatic actor, couldn’t see Rennes’s expression. All he could hear was Rennes saying, “I see.” Rennes reaches for his chest pocket, presses on Lin Nuo’s forehead, and says, “What a coincidence. I’m actually carrying this little guy today.”

Having said that, Rennes turns without a word and walks toward the carriage.

Martin followed him, running anxiously while calling out, “Sir, sir, we can offer you a lot of money! How about you name your price?! Any amount is fine! Please, give him back to us!”

Perhaps due to being too anxious, the pigeon spirit was no longer stuttering and spoke fluently. Hearing the pigeon offering money to Rennes, Lin Nuo couldn’t help but cover his face with his paws, embarrassed, and even curled up his hind legs.

Rennes walked to the carriage, took out the beast-taming cage expressionlessly, pulled out the small coins from inside, then lifted Lin Nuo from his chest pocket and handed both the little dragon & the coins to Martin, “This is his favorite toy; take them with you.”

“Ah… oh…” Martin, panting heavily from running, held Lin Nuo & the coins while raising his head again in a dazed manner, unable to say a word.

Lin Nuo also looked up in astonishment, equally shocked: Is this it?! Is it that simple?! This knight is so willing to send me away like this?! He doesn’t feel reluctant at all?! I worried for half a day, thinking hard to come up with such a method! If I had known, I might as well have just run away directly!

“Thank you, noble sir.” After catching his breath, Martin finally knew how to speak normally. After a respectful bow, he was ready to leave with Lin Nuo.

At this moment, Rennes stopped him, “On the flier, whose mansion is it?”

Rennes didn’t ask, ‘Who is the owner of this little guy?’ Instead, he was asking about the ownership of the house.

Upon hearing this question, Lin Nuo’s heart tensed again, afraid that the pigeon and the others had just made up an address and couldn’t answer.

Fortunately, Martin reacted quickly, “Ah, it’s Mr. Paget! Yes, the one who does ‘Coo-Coo Delivery,’ Mr. Stephen Paget!”

Rennes looked at Lin Nuo in the cage and said to Martin, “Please tell Mr. Paget that if this little guy is unwell in the future or if he can’t find a suitable toy for the creature, he can contact me at the mansion on Bentley Street, No. 23, at any time.”

Martin nodded blankly, looking at Rennes as if there was nothing else to say, and hurriedly ran off. 

After slipping away to a secluded place where no one could see, Martin hugged Lin Nuo and swiftly got into a spacious black four-wheeled carriage, handing Lin Nuo to the round goblin who had also turned back into his human form.

With Lin Nuo in his arms, looking tearful again, the plump said, “Young Master! Finally, I’ve got hold of you! I thought the knight would keep such a cutie all to himself and not easily return you to us!”

Lin Nuo felt a slight pain in his heart and said somewhat listlessly, “How could he keep me all to himself? Stop crying— By the way, where are we going now?”

Yesterday, Lin Nuo had already instructed them that if the pigeon got him out, they should find a safe place to allow him to transform back into human form and get dressed.

Martin quickly replied, “We are going to Mr. Stephen Paget’s mansion now.”

Lin Nuo was stunned, “Is there really such a person? Is he also sent by the elders?”

He had thought that ‘Coo-Coo Delivery’ and ‘Mr. Paget’ were just made up by the pigeon on a whim, but it turned out that there really was such a person.

Martin vigorously nodded, “Yes, Mr. Paget is also sent by the elders to guard the young master!”

Then, Martin enthusiastically began to introduce Mr. Paget’s industry and Coo-Coo Delivery. Lin Nuo lay on a pile of coins, pretending to be interested. But in fact, he didn’t hear a single word. He was feeling restless now.

At one moment, he thought, Even if you’re handing over a cat or a dog, don’t you still need to give instructions on anything important, then hand over the nest, the food bowl, & everything else? Why did Rennes easily hand me over without asking anything? Where’s my cat teaser? The custom bathing bowl? And that comfortable little nest; will he just keep it for himself? At the next moment, he wondered if there was something wrong with him. Did he really think of himself as a pet?

With his thoughts racing, the carriage finally stopped in front of a majestic mansion. This mansion was located on a bustling street, with people of all kinds coming and going, making it very lively. Above the arch of the mansion, there was a huge sign that read, ‘Coo-Coo Delivery, Everything Can Be Delivered!’

These two, proudly holding their young master, got out of the carriage.

As Lin Nuo had not yet transformed back into human form, the two carefully covered the little dragon’s body with satin, leaving only a pair of eyes visible. Lin Nuo, peering out from under the satin, looked at the words on the sign and thought, Is this really a courier company?

After entering, Lin Nuo was dumbfounded: There were so many people here!

In the bright hall, everyone was holding various items—envelopes, packages, and even cats and dogs. Everyone stood in line, waiting to deliver their items to the counter. Behind the counter sat a row of young people with gray hair, manually processing items quickly, attaching labels while constantly shouting:

“Number 241! Mr. Mantenon! One letter, delivered within 24 hours!”

“Number 243! Miss Osborne! One package, delivered within 12 hours, urgent!”

Blinking, Lin Nuo marveled at the thriving business of this courier company. Of course, the two weren’t here to send Lin Nuo away. They confidently left the hall, went upstairs, and entered a spacious room. The room resembled a large office, with many dark brown wooden tables, each with a slightly chubby ‘person’ with gray hair sitting in front. There were men and women, old and young.

As the pigeon and the goblin entered, everyone stopped their work, looking excitedly and eagerly in their direction. When Martin proudly removed the silk covering Lin Nuo’s body and raised his hands high, the crowd erupted, transforming into chubby pigeons, fluttering around the room, excitedly exclaiming, “It’s the young master! The young master!” “Gugu! Young Master! I saw the young master!”

Lin Nuo’s ears buzzed from the noise, his head spinning with the pigeons’ flight paths. Then, a snow-white, plump pigeon flew in front of Lin Nuo, circled twice, and landed, transforming into a middle-aged man with grayish-white hair, dressed neatly. He bowed respectfully to the pigeon  holding Lin Nuo and said, “Welcome, Young Master! I am Stephen Paget, head of the Paget family. At your service.”

Observing Mr. Paget’s well-dressed appearance with a black suit and white bowtie, Lin Nuo blinked a few times before managing to ask, “Um… do you all automatically put on clothes when you transform into human form?”

Whether it was the large pigeon in front of him, Martin before, or the chubby goblin, they all had clothes when transforming into human form. It was only himself, every time he changed from dragon form back to human form, he ended up completely naked.

Mr. Paget hurriedly nodded and said, “Yes, yes. When a magical creature has enough magical power within and is skilled in transformation, they can naturally conjure clothes.”

Lin Nuo clicked his tongue, thinking he needed more practice. This self-dressing effect was so convenient. After a brief silence, Mr. Paget cautiously asked, “Is there anything else, Young Master? If not, may I introduce our Paget family to you?”

Lin Nuo quickly nodded, saying, “Please, go ahead.”

Mr. Paget then proudly repeated what Martin had said on the carriage two days ago, “Nineteen years ago, I came to this city as instructed by the elders, looking for an industry that could provide enough money for the young master. After trying various professions, we finally found the most suitable one—delivery. Now, we are the most outstanding courier in Saros, delivering anything, and faster than humans!”

Lin Nuo thought to himself, Well, of course, you all have wings.

Mr. Paget bowed deeply again, speaking with fervor, “Young Master, we’ve wanted to serve you for a long time, but due to the royal aura, we couldn’t get close. In these nineteen years, by delivering letters and packages, we have accumulated quite a bit of wealth. If you like, we are willing to offer it all to you!”

Seeing Mr. Paget’s respectful demeanor and hearing that they wanted to give all the money earned from delivering parcels, Lin Nuo blushed and felt embarrassed, quickly saying, “No, no need! Mr. Paget, there’s no need to be so polite. You can keep that wealth for yourselves!”

Mr. Paget straightened up, rubbing his chubby hands together, looking apologetic and uneasy, “Ah, but… this wealth is for the young master… if you don’t want it…”

If the young master didn’t accept the wealth, then their hard-earned industry would be meaningless.

Seeing Mr. Paget’s worried and disappointed expression, Lin Nuo scratched his head with a claw, saying, “How about this, Mr. Paget, can you help me with something else?”

Mr. Paget immediately became more spirited, eagerly looking at Lin Nuo, “Please command away, Young Master!”

Lin Nuo lifted a gold coin with his small claw, saying, “Seeing that your family is quite extensive, could you help me find out if these gold coins exist elsewhere in the country?”

These gold coins couldn’t be exclusive to the Clement family, right? Since he found one on the hillside outside the palace, maybe there were more in other mountains or caves?

Mr. Paget took a few steps forward, took out a magnifying glass from his pocket, and examined the gold coin carefully. After a while, Mr. Paget put away the magnifying glass and tried to take the coin from Lin Nuo’s hand to look at it closely. As soon as Mr. Paget’s fingers touched the edge of the coin, it flew up and hit his head with a thud.

Lin Nuo gasped, urgently calling out, “Come back!”

As he spoke, the coin wobbled in the air and obediently returned, settling back beside Lin Nuo.

Mr. Paget exclaimed, “Does this coin only listen to the young master? But Martin is holding these coins, and nothing is happening.”

Lin Nuo scratched the coin with his claw and said to Martin, “Martin, put me in the goblin’s hand and see what happens to the coins.”

Martin immediately did as instructed.

As Lin Nuo suspected, the coins left Martin’s hand started flying around wildly until Lin Nuo concentrated and ordered them all to return to him. The coins slowly calmed down and settled in the goblin’s hand.

Mr. Paget marveled, “It’s so amazing! These coins seem to obey only the young master! Only the young master can command them!”

Lin Nuo held a coin, feeling somewhat embarrassed: Not really. Clearly, Rennes is the one who can command them best. I can barely move these coins and that’s because of his training.

Of course, he wouldn’t say this aloud. He simply played with the coin, letting Mr. Paget examine it again through the magnifying glass.

After the examination, Mr. Paget slapped his chest, saying, “Young Master, rest assured! Our pigeons are everywhere! We’ll definitely find these magical coins for you!”

Saying so, he turned to the flock of pigeons and made a gesture. In an instant, the noisy pigeons quickly lined up, forming a giant pigeon and loudly proclaiming, “Rest assured, Young Master! The Paget family is at your service!”

Lin Nuo’s small body trembled in the airflow caused by the giant pigeon, thinking,  Hundreds of pigeons speaking at the same time can be so imposing!

After the Paget family expressed their willingness to go all out for him and nearly deafened Lin Nuo with their chatter, he finally left the room with Martin & the goblin and arrived on the third floor.

“Young Master, this is the room prepared for you. You can change and rest here peacefully. If you’d like, you can stay here all the time, and we’ll be at your service!” said the pigeon excitedly.

Lin Nuo shook his head, saying, “Thank you, but no need. I’ll just change and go back. Someone’s waiting for me.”

After the two left the room, Lin Nuo changed back to human form, went to the bed, and prepared to dress. Having moved around in dragon form for two days without any clothes, Lin Nuo felt a surreal sensation seeing neatly laid out silk shirts, satin vests, and tailored trousers on the bed. It felt like being reborn. He put on the clothes, found a delicate little box in the room, and put all six coins inside.

After tucking the box into his pocket, Lin Nuo looked at himself in the mirror—a well-dressed little prince—and for some reason, a sense of loss surged within him. From now on, I’m little Prince Linno again.

For Rennes, the little pet that had accompanied him for two days wouldn’t appear before him anymore. For himself… well, what’s good about being a little pet? Next, I should return to Rennes and, in the guise of a little prince, swindle more gold coins from him. Hopefully, the pigeon can find other gold coins so that I won’t have to worry about how to get coins from Rennes anymore.

After getting dressed, Lin Nuo politely declined the pigeon’s offer to escort him back and hailed a public carriage to return to the inn. All the way, he felt anxious. After ‘running away from home’ for these two days, how would Rennes react when he saw him? Would he be angry? Would he harshly criticize me? Or would he be disappointed?

After all, the night before my ‘escape’, I was fervently telling the knight that once the task of delivering the crystals was completed I wanted to continue training, wanted him to continue being my teacher. But in a blink, I secretly ran away. If I were Rennes, I’d surely be deeply disappointed in this student, probably never wanting to see this person again.

Lin Nuo sighed deeply, taking out that delicate box from his pocket, his hand resting on the intricately carved surface, feeling all mixed up inside. The carriage rattled along until dusk finally brought them to the inn. Thankfully, Rennes wasn’t there, avoiding a potentially embarrassing entrance.

Lin Nuo guessed that Rennes was still out searching for him—maybe at clubs, circuses, or similar places. He wandered into his room, finding the three coins from before. Indeed, these three coins now looked dull, utterly devoid of their magical glow. They truly looked drained of magic.

He let out a sigh, pocketing the three coins, then sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the door, his mind concocting various excuses to justify his disappearance. After a while, *creak*— the door was opened from the outside.

Lin Nuo jumped up from the sofa, heart racing, hands instinctively moving behind him, his breathing out of rhythm. Rennes slowly pushed the door open and entered. He saw Lin Nuo standing there dumbly like a tree, not surprised, just saying, “The gatekeeper informed me that they saw Your Highness return.”

Lin Nuo swallowed hard, finding it incredibly difficult to speak. “I, I’m back… I was just curious about what fun things there are in Faro City, so I couldn’t resist and went for a stroll…”

Rennes didn’t respond, just gazing at him, eyes as deep and dark as a bottomless pit. Lin Nuo looked at Rennes’ beautiful yet cold face, unable to recall any of the excuses he had just fabricated. Should he kneel and apologize first?

As Lin Nuo pondered the most sincere posture to kneel in, Rennes spoke first, “Your Highness’ safe return is sufficient.” Rennes’ voice was deep and steady, devoid of any emotion, continuing, “If something were to happen to Your Highness, as a member of the royal family, it would be a disaster for the country.”

Hearing these words, Lin Nuo felt a surge of frustration. So, this person was merely fulfilling his duty. Therefore, tirelessly searching for me day & night was merely because I am royalty. Obviously, it couldn’t be for any other reason. Certainly not because he discovered I’m a small, weak creature now but will become a mighty creature in the future, right?

Lin Nuo found this idea ludicrous. He couldn’t bring himself to laugh, only lowering his head, staring blankly at his toes and the carpet beneath them. Rennes, looking at the remorseful young prince, walked to the window and in a cold tone said, “Now that Your Highness has returned safely, be prepared to accept your punishment.”

 

 

 

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