Evil Dragon Chapter 29: Don’t Run Anymore

Chapter 29: Don’t Run Anymore

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai, Kris

 

“Pun… punishment?” Lin Nuo immediately pushed aside the slight feeling of sadness & loss in his heart and stared straight at Rennes. “What… punishment?”

Rennes looked at him and said, “Firstly, as a knight escorting Your Highness, I failed to ensure your safety at all times. Upon returning to the palace, I will donate an estate to the treasury as a form of punishment. Secondly, as Your Highness’s instructor, I failed to make you fully understand the importance of this mission, allowing you to leave so recklessly. Therefore, I will surrender an entire year’s worth of income to the treasury as a form of reprimand.”

Furrowing his brow, Lin Nuo said, “Wait! I was the one who ran away on my own. Why should you be punished? If anything, I should be the one receiving punishment!”

Was this person intending to shoulder all the responsibility? If so, then I— *sigh*… Feeling guilty, Lin Nuo bit his lip, not sure what to say.

Rennes eased a bit and continued, “For the prince, Your Highness, there is naturally also a punishment.”

His tone remained steady, his gaze as profound as ever.

Lin Nuo: I knew I felt guilty too early. Lin Nuo swallowed hard and cautiously said, “So, uh, how do you intend to punish um… me?”

After saying this, Lin Nuo felt a bit uneasy and even a little… embarrassed. Rennes remained as impassive as ever, seemingly not noticing the prince’s reddening ears. With a serious expression, he walked over slowly and said, “Roll up your sleeve.”

Roll up his sleeve? What was this for? Though Lin Nuo didn’t understand, he didn’t dare to ask. He hurried to roll up his sleeve, but the fabric of his tight short coat was stiff, tailored close to the body. After pulling it up a little, he couldn’t manage to roll it up any more. 

In his urgency, Lin Nuo simply took off the short coat and threw it aside, leaving only a silk shirt and a satin vest. The silk shirt was soft and easy to roll up—provided Lin Nuo could unbutton the cuff smoothly. Perhaps due to his haste or nervousness, Lin Nuo found his fingers stiff; he couldn’t seem to grasp the small buttons, slipping off them several times.

Growing more anxious, Lin Nuo blushed even more and became more awkward in his movements, embarrassed by Rennes watching his clumsy actions. Finally, he pulled at the button with force—

*Snap* The button was ripped off and rolled a few times on the carpet, stopping near Rennes’ boots. Lin Nuo froze, staring blankly at the rolling button.

Rennes sighed, bent down to pick up the intricately designed silver button, took a couple of steps closer, and said to the lowered head of Lin Nuo, “Extend your hand.”

With his face burning red, Lin Nuo awkwardly extended his right hand. Rennes circled his wrist with one hand and, with the other, rolled up his sleeve bit by bit. As Rennes’ fingers moved on his arm, Lin Nuo’s heart followed suit.

He stared at those distinct and slender fingers, remembering how, in the past few days, this hand had touched his back multiple times while he was a dragon, making his ears burn red. Then he heard Rennes’ voice near his ear, “Why are you so afraid?”

Startled, Lin Nuo dared not say what he was thinking and mumbled, “Afraid… afraid of being punished.”

“Oh? Of being punished?” Rennes asked with interest, “Your Highness, what kind of punishment do you think it would be?”

Lin Nuo thought seriously for a moment and whispered, “Being… being hit on the palm with a ruler?”

Lin Nuo seemed to hear a light chuckle from above, or perhaps not. By now, his sleeve had been neatly rolled up to his elbow, exposing his fair forearm, still held by Rennes. Lin Nuo looked up in confusion, wondering if Rennes had really chuckled and what exactly he intended to do. Instead, he saw Rennes, expressionless, raising his other hand as if to strike down heavily on Lin Nuo’s arm.

Lin Nuo gasped, instinctively trying to retract his hand, yet his wrist was held firmly. Thus, he could only close his eyes, bow his head, and shiver like a quail, anticipating the punishment.

The expected pain didn’t arrive. Instead, a slight, cool, and delicate sensation spread across his forearm. The familiar tingling feeling traveled through his entire body. What is this… this sensation?

Lin Nuo’s eyelids twitched. He cautiously opened his eyes and indeed saw Rennes, eyes lowered, focused on tracing something on his arm.

Pressing his lips together, Lin Nuo whispered, “This… is?”

Rennes didn’t lift his gaze and continued drawing, “It’s a magic array that can always locate Your Highness for me. According to etiquette, I shouldn’t use this kind of magic on Your Highness. But considering Your Highness’s previous reckless behavior, I can only do this.”

Lin Nuo suddenly understood. So he is installing a tracking system on me. Was this actually the punishment? Thank goodness, it wasn’t scary at all.

Lin Nuo breathed a slight sigh of relief in his heart. Soon, a pattern traced by faint golden lines appeared on Lin Nuo’s smooth forearm. Taking advantage of Rennes releasing his hand, he quickly raised his arm to look at it in the light from the window. Although he didn’t understand the meaning of the pattern, he memorized it.

After Lin Nuo finished looking, Rennes pressed a hand on his shoulder, looking serious, his tone sharp, “This is a temporary magic array. It will only last until Your Highness returns to the royal palace. If Your Highness runs away again…” Rennes slid his hand slightly down from Lin Nuo’s shoulder to his back. His tone turned even colder, as icy as winter snow, “At that time, I will bring Your Highness back and carve a permanent magic array on your back. Understood?”

Bring, bring back…Carve, carve a… Just hearing those words, Lin Nuo felt like he was in an ice cellar, shivering. He screamed in his mind, Ah, this is too cruel, while nodding frantically. “I understand. I won’t do it again, absolutely not.”

After Lin Nuo earnestly expressed himself, Rennes grabbed his wrist again, staring intently at him without blinking. Feeling panicked under the intense gaze, Lin Nuo couldn’t meet those obsidian-like eyes. He let his gaze wander—sometimes to Rennes’s straight nose bridge, sometimes to his tightly pressed lips.

At that moment, Lin Nuo heard Rennes let out a soft sigh. Then, Rennes pulled Lin Nuo forward, and he stumbled into Rennes’ embrace. Suddenly, the intoxicating cold fragrance filled Lin Nuo’s nostrils.

What… What’s happening? Could there be another strange magic array to draw?

Before Lin Nuo could make sense of it, Rennes leaned in close to Lin Nuo’s ear, his voice husky, “Don’t run away like that again in the future.”

That voice, like butterfly wings, brushed over Lin Nuo’s ears, cheeks, and neck, stirring up a storm. Lin Nuo froze in place, feeling overwhelmed. His head rested on Rennes’ shoulder, his face and ears burning red from the sensation. It felt like a long time had passed, yet it seemed like just a second. Rennes straightened up, using his cool fingertips to tap Lin Nuo’s forehead. “Alright, Your Highness. Rest now.”

With that said, Rennes released Lin Nuo, then simply turned and left. He didn’t even bow. Leaving Lin Nuo standing there, eyes wide, mouth agape, unable to process what had just happened.

—

Later… Lin Nuo sat in a bathtub full of bubbles, his head also covered in foam. He hugged his knees, contemplating what had occurred. Earlier, that usually proud, indifferent, unsympathetic knight, who had always been harsh to me despite being kind to pets, hugged me? Moreover, the me who used to be so scared of the knight was held without getting frightened and running away? Was it because I was taken care of by this person for two days, being held against his chest & in his palms, eating together, and sleeping in the same room, that I’m not scared of him at all now?

Not only am I not afraid, but as a young dragon, I also seem… a little reluctant to leave him? Tsk. I must have been influenced by the stupid young dragon brain. I probably found the knight’s embrace quite comfortable because of the influence of this odd pet-like behavior, right?

After finding such an explanation, Lin Nuo felt a bit more at ease. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and submerged himself in the hot water.

*gurgle, gurgle*

Oh right, I stayed in the same room with this person for two days but never saw what his sleeping face looked like. What a pity. So, what does this person’s sleeping face look like? Wait, what am I even thinking?

Realizing his thoughts were as uncontrolled as a runaway horse, Lin Nuo popped his head out of the water, his hair dripping wet. He panted heavily, terrified: No, no, control yourself. You’re not a young dragon now. You’re a person; act normal!

He splashed water on his face, trying to regain composure. After struggling for a while, Lin Nuo finally managed to suppress the bizarre images in his mind. He climbed out of the bathtub, put on clothes, and started tackling the two-day backlog of work.

After writing just a few pages, Lin Nuo started feeling sleepy. Rubbing his eyes, he laid down on the bed, buried under the covers. The room is so quiet… I wonder what Rennes is doing in the next room? Did he… fall asleep already? Huff…

Lin Nuo finally succumbed to drowsiness and drifted off.

—

Late at night… In the room next door, Rennes, who had been flipping through books while seated on the sofa, set down the book and walked to the window. Outside, it was pitch black; the Moon obscured by clouds. A huge crow was perched on a branch, emitting a faint black mist all over its body, except for its glowing green eyes fixated on Lin Nuo’s room.

Rennes frowned slightly, flicking his finger, and a silver thread immediately struck the crow. The crow couldn’t even utter a cry before it turned into a flurry of snow, fluttering down. Rennes returned to the sofa as if nothing had happened, picked up the book again, and continued reading.

—

When Lin Nuo woke up, the room was already brightly lit. The early summer morning light streamed freely through the window screens, dancing playfully as it entered. Lin Nuo vaguely remembered having a very warm dream. In the dream, someone had gently stroked his forehead and said, “Don’t be afraid.” He groggily opened his eyes, momentarily unsure whether it was a dream or something that had happened in reality.

At that moment, a knocking sound echoed through the room, accompanied by a calm and indifferent voice, “Your Highness, wake up. We’ll be leaving after breakfast.”

Lin Nuo hurried out of bed, quickly groomed himself, and then grabbed his sketchbook, rushing downstairs to the dining hall. Compared to the palace, the hotel’s breakfast seemed quite meager. There was only a basket of round loaves, a large pot of milk, and a plate of butter.

Lin Nuo picked up a piece of bread, which was hard and felt like paper in his mouth. The milk was thin, devoid of any creamy taste. He missed the milk he used to have back at Rennes’s private estate. It was so smooth and delicious that both dragons and humans would enjoy it.

Thinking about it, Lin Nuo involuntarily glanced at Rennes, who was standing by the window, seemingly lost in thought. Perhaps he had already had breakfast? When Lin Nuo was in his dragon form, Rennes used to have breakfast with the little dragon, even feeding it… Well, being a dragon did have its perks— oh, why am I thinking about this again?

Angry at his disobedient brain, Lin Nuo gulped down the bread & milk, picked up his sketchbook & homework, stood up, and said to Rennes, “I’m done eating. Let’s go.”

As they prepared to get in the carriage, Lin Nuo noticed that the carriage driver, who was originally just one person, had now become two.

Seeing the puzzled look from the young prince, the carriage driver explained, “Your Highness, after leaving the city, there might be situations where we need to travel day and night, so we require two drivers to take turns.”

Lin Nuo nodded in understanding. This meant that the space for carriage drivers, accommodating only two people, was now full. Did that mean Rennes had to sit with him? Realizing this, Lin Nuo’s face flushed again. Ah, it must be nerves, right? Back when we first set off, wasn’t I nervous about sitting with this person the whole way?

By now, Rennes had silently opened the carriage door for him. Lin Nuo settled into the window seat and watched as Rennes stepped into the carriage and closed the door. He didn’t know where to rest his eyes. He quickly lowered his head and spread his homework on the writing desk, pretending to focus on his assignment. Due to the two day delay, he had several essays to write.

As he pretended to work, Lin Nuo actually began contemplating the topic written in his homework: ’Please discuss whether it is necessary to restrict civilians from building watermills on the Jyasha River.’

He had heard of the Jyasha River and had read some related information, but where should he start with this topic? While Lin Nuo was frowning, trying to figure it out, Rennes sitting beside him leaned over, drew back the curtains, and opened the carriage window. The noise of people & birds, along with fresh air, rushed into the carriage.

Lin Nuo, whose thoughts had been interrupted, was about to close the window when he heard Rennes’s slightly deep voice, “Look outside.”

Lin Nuo obediently turned to look out the window. Perhaps due to the addition of another driver, the carriage was moving faster today. In less than half an hour, they had left Faro City.

Outside the city, a stone-paved road bustled with carriages transporting fresh fruits and vegetables into Faro City. Along the road, lush green trees, dense shrubs, & colorful wildflowers were growing freely. After a while, the scenery changed. Tall trees turned into low bushes, revealing a wide, gently flowing river.

Lin Nuo’s eyes lit up. Unconsciously, he tapped Rennes’s shoulder excitedly, “Teacher, teacher, look! It’s a river! A big river!”

In his past life, Lin Nuo had lived near a small river, so seeing this winding river felt somewhat familiar. The river was exceptionally wide, with cargo-laden, deep-drafted boats swiftly shuttling goods on its sparkling surface. Near the banks, slender leisure boats drifted, carrying elegantly dressed men and women. On the grassy banks, many people laid out colorful striped blankets with wicker picnic baskets while chatting, laughing, or playing cards.

Lin Nuo was completely absorbed in these vibrant scenes. Rennes’s voice brought him back, “Your Highness, this is the Jyasha River.”

Lin Nuo’s mind combined what he had learned about the Jyasha River from maps & books with the present scenery. Rennes prompted, “What else does His Highness the Prince know about the Jyasha River?”

Lin Nuo shifted his gaze from the window to the ceiling of the carriage, recalling the knowledge he had learned, and began reciting, “The Jyasha River is the kingdom’s primary river. With its numerous tributaries, it forms a convenient transport network over water, connecting to various canals and other water systems within the kingdom…”

At this point, Lin Nuo blinked at Rennes, trying to convey the message ‘Isn’t this enough?’ through his eyes.

Rennes’s lips curled slightly, and he simply said, “Continue.”

Helplessly, Lin Nuo elaborated on everything he had previously studied about shipping, irrigation related to the Jyasha River, local agricultural produce, and more.

During this time, Rennes remained quietly attentive, not interrupting Lin Nuo’s explanation. Only when Lin Nuo paused for breath did he throw out questions like, “Is it more efficient to grind wheat near the farm after harvesting, or is it better to transport it to a watermill for centralized milling?”

Such questions naturally had no ready-made answers. As Lin Nuo racked his brain to answer these tricky questions, he pondered whether they were related to the assignments Count Kaunitz had given him.

Finally, after struggling through ten questions, Lin Nuo’s eyes brightened. “Ah! I got it!” He grabbed his pen and started writing swiftly. He was so engrossed that when Rennes handed him a cup of water, Lin Nuo took it without looking up, drank it all in big gulps, and handed it back.

When he finished writing the last sentence, Lin Nuo stretched, raising both arms high while swaying from side to side, squinted his eyes, and exclaimed loudly, “Ah, finally done!”

At that moment, he seemed to hear a faint chuckle beside him. Lin Nuo snapped back to reality. This wasn’t his study! This was the carriage! And Sir Rennes was right beside him! He quickly composed himself, pursed his lips, and sheepishly glanced at the other man.

At this point, Rennes showed no sign of amusement. He calmly said, “It’s noon. Let’s get out for a short break.”

Huh? It’s already noon? So fast? I thought it would be a restless and embarrassing morning, but it passed so quickly? Lin Nuo couldn’t help but feel secretly happy when he realized this.

By now, the carriage had already stopped under a large tree by the roadside. The tree had dense branches & leaves, and its foliage blocked the summer sunlight. After Lin Nuo got out of the carriage, he felt a cool breeze and the gentle sunlight. He walked a little ahead, standing on the soft grass, gazing at the windmills constantly turning on the distant hillside and the tidy, clean farmhouse nearby. He stretched lazily.

Behind him, the two carriage drivers had spread a large blanket in the shade of the tree, taken out a prepared picnic basket from the luggage rack, and were now arranging the lunch items one by one. The lunch seemed to have been bought at the inn. Like breakfast, it only consisted of dry bread, butter, and tasteless milk. Fortunately, Lin Nuo never wasted food, and besides, he was a bit hungry now.

As he nibbled on the bread, he opened his sketchbook, contemplating drawing the scenery he had just seen. At that moment, he heard the carriage drivers standing nearby speaking softly, “Look, those fat pigeons also stopped.”

“These pigeons are interesting. They’ve been following us since Faro City, and they don’t seem tired at all.”

Huh? Following us since Faro City? Fat pigeons? Lin Nuo was intrigued. He put down the sketchbook, stood up, and followed the gaze of the drivers. Sure enough, a group of plump pigeons from the Paget family was squatting on the grass, all eagerly looking at Lin Nuo!

And among them, the most conspicuous one was Martin, the pigeon that could turn into a gray-haired youth. Could it be that these pigeons were worried and followed him out secretly? Lin Nuo, who hadn’t thought about this at all, instinctively leaned his hand against his forehead, feeling dizzy.

But what made him more anxious was Rennes, who had been silent against the tree, also noticing the group of pigeons. He walked slowly to Lin Nuo’s side and casually said, “Huh? So many pigeons.”

Lin Nuo suddenly felt chills, afraid that Rennes might notice that these pigeons were not ordinary pigeons but pigeon spirits. He quickly nudged Rennes and said hurriedly, “Teacher, I’m rested. Shall we start traveling? Yes, let’s go now.”

Rennes looked at him and asked, “In such a hurry?”

Lin Nuo nodded frantically, blurting out, “Yes, I’m feeling uneasy thinking that my impulsive actions have delayed our mission. I can’t relax. So, teacher, let’s leave here quickly! I don’t want to waste a minute; I just want to hit the road!”

Glancing at the flock of fat pigeons, Rennes said, “Alright. But I thought Your Highness might be interested in those pigeons and want to catch one as a pet.”

Lin Nuo exploded, “What? No, no! I have no interest in taking a pet home!”

Looking at the furious Lin Nuo, Rennes said with a hint of regret, “Is that so? What a pity.”

Pity? What’s there to pity? Lin Nuo stared at Rennes in bewilderment.

Rennes’s lips curved slightly, paying no further attention to Lin Nuo but gesturing to the drivers to prepare to leave.

Glaring at the knight’s back, Lin Nuo thought angrily, Who else has such strange hobbies like you? Bringing a magical creature home just like that?! Also… He wouldn’t find this group of plump pigeons adorable and want to take them home, right? Wait, did he say ‘what a pity’ because of that? No way, right?!

Once they were in the carriage, Rennes started asking about what Lin Nuo knew regarding their next stop, Summerset Hill. During the journey, Lin Nuo kept trying to steer the conversation toward pets. 

Throughout the afternoon, Lin Nuo diligently raised his hand to answer questions, never finding the right moment to ask if Rennes wanted other pets.

As dusk fell, the carriage finally arrived at Summerset Hill. It was a vast hilly area that was once a desolate swamp. Later, as per the royal request, the Clement family poured a significant amount of magic into it, transforming it into a farmland estate. Afterward, this estate naturally fell under the management of the Clement family and became one of the many estates paying taxes to them.

Nowadays, Summerset Hill was a vineyard. It being early summer, the rolling hills were covered with neatly arranged grapevines, as far as the eye could see. The green tendrils had climbed the frames, their small palm-sized leaves swaying in the wind, rustling and reflecting a charming light under the evening sun.

After getting out of the carriage, they were greeted by the steward of the estate, a sophisticated gentleman. Adhering to the principle of ‘not causing trouble for the residents along the way due to the royal identity,’ Rennes did not inform the estate steward of Lin Nuo’s royal status, only mentioning that he was a noble friend staying for a day.

Hearing Rennes’s introduction, Lin Nuo felt relieved, knowing he didn’t need to adhere to so many formalities here. Accompanied by the steward, Lin Nuo admired the beautiful estate scenery in the sunset, eventually walking toward the mansion next to the vineyard.

Though the mansion couldn’t match many in Faro City, it was spacious & well-lit with all the necessary facilities and a unique wine cellar. It was rumored that the wine stored there was kept in a huge wooden barrel. It was said that if this giant barrel was emptied out, the wine inside could intoxicate half of Saros. He heard that people would pay hefty sums just to drink the locally brewed wine here.

Lin Nuo didn’t drink.

In his memory, the doctor who had diagnosed his condition and had recommended his leaving the palace for treatment had also advised him: no alcohol. So Lin Nuo suspected that maybe his transformed physique couldn’t handle alcohol. For instance, if he drank a glass of wine, would he revert to his original form? Not willing to risk revealing his identity, Lin Nuo refrained from drinking alcohol, be it at palace banquets or dining alone.  

To be safe, he even declined invitations to visit the underground wine cellar— What if the potent wine aroma made him faint?

Dinner was prepared by the estate’s chef, simple yet delicious.

After enjoying a meal of lamb stew with potatoes, Lin Nuo made an excuse to leave and continue his homework, heading back early to his room, which happened to be adjacent to Rennes’s room. This time, he confirmed that the walls between the rooms were thick enough, ensuring privacy unlike the previous inn where every sound could be heard.

Nevertheless, Lin Nuo dared not transform back into his dragon form casually. After bathing, he took out the six shiny coins from a small box, running them through his fingers as he reminisced about the brief time spent at Rennes’s mansion. 

While he was lost in thought, rhythmic tapping came from the window. This sound! He had heard it before—the sound of someone knocking on the window!

Lin Nuo raised an eyebrow, rushed to open the window, and sure enough, the chubby pigeon spirit with shining eyes hopped in, cooing excitedly.

Lin Nuo helplessly whispered, “Why did you all come here? It’s too dangerous to follow me like this!”

Truly, these pigeons hadn’t seen how Rennes instantly annihilated the giant crow. It was terrifying. What if Rennes realized these were magical creatures too but didn’t want them as pets? Would he freeze them into ice blocks? Even worse, if Rennes found the pigeons cute and decided to keep them— Absolutely not! Absolutely not!

As the gray pigeon hopped in, tilting its head and cooing eagerly, Lin Nuo shook his head in confusion, “Uh, I’m not in my dragon form now, and it’s not convenient for me to transform back. I can’t understand your words…”

With a thud, the gray pigeon transformed back into Martin, the gray-haired youth, and asked eagerly, “Then if I transform into a human, the young master can understand me?”

Lin Nuo nodded and gestured to speak quietly.

So Martin lowered his voice and said, “Young Master, we found the type of coin you asked us to look for!”

Hearing this news, Lin Nuo’s eyes widened, and he covered his mouth, cheering silently.

Martin looked a bit embarrassed and said, “I wanted to pull out the coin and give it to you directly, but no matter how I tried, I couldn’t…”

Lin Nuo hurriedly said, “It’s good that you didn’t pull it out. These coins are quite special. If it were pulled out, it might suddenly jump and hit you like yesterday. I’ll go get it myself.”

Martin’s eyes sparkled again, “That’s right! Only the young master can control this kind of coin! It must be because the young master has the most powerful dragon bloodline!”

Lin Nuo stopped Martin’s lengthy praise and asked, “So, where exactly is this coin?”

Martin replied, “The coin is in a nearby valley! Young Master, let’s fly there tonight and retrieve it!”

 

 

 

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