Evil Dragon Chapter 36: Don’t Let Go

Chapter 36: Don’t Let Go

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Kris

 

Perhaps because the magic mark within him had been restored, Lin Nuo felt exceptionally energetic. If it were in the past, after such a high-intensity journey, coupled with the ‘accidents’ at the underground lake, he would have been utterly exhausted. At this moment, he lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Moreover, he noticed that his senses had become more acute.

For instance, solely by listening, he could tell that the adjacent room was empty, indicating Rennes hadn’t returned yet. Not only was the neighboring room empty, but there was no one else in the entire building besides himself. This wasn’t due to thin walls or poor soundproofing. It seemed this two-story building was solidly constructed, comparable in both interior design and exterior structure to the palace’s pavilions.

Lin Nuo even suspected that the same architect might have designed both this building and the palace.

While in the palace’s chambers, once the doors and windows were shut, he was completely isolated from the outside world unless a servant knocked loudly or called out. But now, he felt like he could hear the rustle of leaves outside the window, the flapping of crows’ wings, and even the hissing sound of ladybugs crawling.

Furthermore, he was certain he heard the mountain breeze swirling around the pinnacle of the clock tower, causing the Golden Bell to faintly ring. To Lin Nuo, that sound was as melodious as a heavenly tune.

Once he noticed the vibration of the Golden Bell, Lin Nuo’s vision gradually became fixated. Even though he had only seen images of the clock before, at this moment, a complete, three-dimensional image formed in his mind, far more than a mere silhouette. He could even distinctly see the shape and hue of each gem embedded in the gold bell. What a beautiful piece of gold!

He desired to approach it. Perhaps even fly to it and touch that bell…

In this state of reverie, Lin Nuo’s eyes became vacant, his face paled, and his movements stiffened as if sleepwalking. In a sleepwalking state, Lin Nuo, barefooted, slowly walked across the carpet. Since the layout of this room was identical to the palace’s chamber, Lin Nuo easily made his way to the window and opened it.

A chilly mountain breeze brushed his face, moving his stray hair, revealing his smooth forehead. In the moonlight, not far away, the Golden Bell emitted a unique glow in the nighttime mist. Lin Nuo’s eyes remained vacant, devoid of any expression. With both hands on the windowsill, he hopped onto the ledge, his snowy feet touching the smooth railing.

Facing the direction of the gold bell, Lin Nuo opened his arms slightly, as if about to fly…

“Linno!” A deep, low call pierced through the night breeze, causing him to shiver, snapping out of his trance-like state.

Lin Nuo’s vacant eyes came back to life. Following the voice, he glanced down. Huh? Rennes?! Why was he looking up at him with such a worried expression? Wait a minute! Where am I? What am I doing? Why am I standing on the windowsill in my nightclothes? Oh no, I can’t keep my balance!

As Lin Nuo realized something was amiss, he slipped and tumbled from the second floor, landing directly into Rennes’s arms. 

“Ah!” Despite Rennes catching him, Lin Nuo still felt a bit of pain in his back due to the impact. More troubling than the pain was how he was going to explain standing inexplicably on the window ledge, appearing to have some nefarious intention.

Rennes looked at him with concern before asking mildly, “Your Highness, what were you doing?”

In relief from the near accident, Lin Nuo blinked, his tone inadvertently sounding a bit coquettish as he softly replied, “Admiring… the moon?”

He didn’t plan to tell Rennes about his sudden trance-like episode, which was filled with thoughts of the gold bell. He had a gut feeling this incident was somehow related to his identity. His current plan was to wait until they returned to the royal city and enlist the pigeons to investigate the connection between the Golden Bell and the dragon clan.

Rennes sighed lightly, carrying a mixture of indulgence and concern in his gaze. Then, with a wry smile, he said, “You should hold on tightly, Your Highness.”

Could he not hold on tightly?! If he didn’t, he would fall, right?!

As Rennes moved, Lin Nuo bobbed in his arms, unconsciously gripping onto him harder, his nose completely buried in Rennes’s hair. The alluring cold fragrance emanating from Rennes was unusually strong, making Lin Nuo somewhat forgetful, and he felt that if this continued, he might react unexpectedly. To avoid any sudden embarrassment, he managed to squeeze out a couple sentences, “I didn’t ask you to carry me; I mean, you can let me walk by myself!”

Rennes completely ignored him and walked faster, striding up the stairs until he reached the room and gently placed Lin Nuo on the bed. Sitting up, Lin Nuo pulled the sheet over himself halfway, grumbling discontentedly, “I said I could walk by myself.”

Lin Nuo had thought Rennes might ignore this, but unexpectedly, Rennes stood by the bed, reached out to touch his head, and then helped fix the sheet, saying, “Since you fell into my arms, I can’t let you walk by yourself.” 

Uh… Lin Nuo tugged at the sheet, stunned. What did that mean? It sounded like he was referring to just now, yet it seemed to imply more than that? Maybe I am overthinking it. I must be overthinking it.

With a hint of a smile in his eyes, Rennes lightly scratched Lin Nuo’s nose and said, “Alright, no more moon gazing in the middle of the night. Time to sleep.” 

After saying this, he turned to close the window and drew the curtains before preparing to leave. Lin Nuo, looking at Rennes’ figure, inexplicably called out, “Rennes?”

Rennes’ body tensed again, slowly turned back to look at Lin Nuo, and asked, “Your Highness, is there anything else?” 

Biting his lip, Lin Nuo’s face had reddened unintentionally. He didn’t know why he had called out to Rennes. He just wanted to call the person’s name for no special reason. In the dimly lit room with only the nightlight in the corner emitting an ambiguous glow, Lin Nuo, whose vision had improved quite a bit, clearly saw Rennes’s Adam’s apple move slightly. Lin Nuo’s heart began to beat rapidly. Um, what can I say now? Help! I can’t think of anything!

After what seemed like an eternity, and with his neck now turning red too, Lin Nuo finally managed to utter, “Uh, well, tomorrow, could you teach me how to use the portable crystal?”

In the light, Rennes’ lips slightly curled up, and he slowly said, “Of course. However.” As Rennes spoke, he took two steps forward, finally sitting at the edge of Lin Nuo’s bed. Lin Nuo instinctively curled up, tightly holding the sheet, staring at Rennes with wide eyes.

“However,” Rennes’s hand reached for Lin Nuo’s hands, separating his clenched fingers and placing them down on the sheet on either side of him. He said, “Your Highness, you’ve forgotten again. At times like these, you should address me as ‘Teacher’.”

Lin Nuo’s eyes widened suddenly, staring blankly for a few seconds before pulling up the sheet to cover his face, mumbling, “Alright, I got it! I– I’m going to sleep! Goodnight, Teacher!”

This time, Rennes didn’t pull Lin Nuo out from under the sheet but leaned in closer, speaking softly through the sheet near Lin Nuo’s ear, “Very obedient. Goodnight.”

Once he heard the door close, Lin Nuo, who was on the verge of bursting from embarrassment, quickly threw off the sheet, panting heavily. Rolling from side to side while burying his head in the pillow, Lin Nuo shouted in his mind, What an irresponsible teacher! Who treats their student like that!? Argh!

—

After rolling around for who knows how long, Lin Nuo finally exhausted himself and fell into a light sleep. As he slept, he dreamt again, this time about the Golden Bell.

In his dream, he wasn’t the silly 10-centimeter pink little creature but a real majestic dragon capable of breathing fire. The Golden Bell wasn’t hanging in a clock tower but had been taken by him to a deep cave. In this cave lay countless treasures of gold and silver, including the Pink Kiss bracelet that should have been worn by the Marquess of Troix and various other dazzling gemstones and artifacts.

Seeing the abundance of radiant gold, the dragon excitedly rolled around, its large wings flashing and fluttering continuously behind it. After getting tired of rolling, the dragon happily sighed and stumbled over to the Golden Bell, pressing its body against the surface. With its icy cold cheek, the dragon repeatedly rubbed against the Golden Bell and then let out a huge, satisfied roar. Ah… it was so wonderful! Gold truly was its favorite!

Oddly, this sense of satisfaction didn’t last long. After tallying all the treasures of gold and silver, the dragon suddenly became unhappy. Lying atop its hoard of riches, its golden eyes narrowed, puzzled, “I seem to have forgotten something important. What could it be? For a dragon, what could be more important than gold?”

The dragon, feeling inexplicably lost, hugged the gold coins, trying hard to remember but couldn’t recall anything. Eventually, the dragon’s head drooped onto the pile of coins, feeling somewhat melancholic and sad, falling asleep.

In a hazy state, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him, “Your Highness? Your Highness, me or the gold coins? Which one do you really want?”

Which one? What a joke! I won’t play along! You should bring yourself and your gold coins; all should become my possessions! Lin Nuo shouted loudly, “You and the gold coins, all belong to me! Did you hear me? All. Belong. To me!”

The voice fell silent for a moment and then repeated, “Your Highness? Are you half asleep?”

Huh? Lin Nuo opened his eyes drowsily, noticing the faint daylight. Rennes stood by his bed, but he had kicked off the sheets and pillows, hands clenched into fists, apparently still shouting something loudly. 

Rennes, standing by the bed, furrowed his brow and asked, “Your Highness? What did you say belongs to you?”

Lin Nuo’s face reddened gradually until he could only whimper. He pulled the pillow over his face and said, “Nothing at all! You misheard!”

Rennes’ lips twitched slightly, softly saying, “Get up. The blessing ceremony will start after sunrise.”

The Blessing Ceremony was held in the Sanctum of the Most High within the grand cathedral. Accompanied by the Cardinal in red robes, the Pope, wearing a golden mask, sprinkled holy water over the jewel-laden crates and recited a long series of blessings, praying for the prosperity of Saros for generations to come and so forth.

Standing nearby, Lin Nuo couldn’t help but wonder what the Pop looked like under the mask. From his studies, Lin Nuo knew that the selection of the Pope in the Church of the Supreme God involved a special, undisclosed process. Once a Cardinal ascended to the position of Pope, they had to wear a golden mask for life, never revealing their true identity.

The current Pope had been in power for decades, and, even within the Church of the Supreme God, nobody knew what he actually looked like. After the ceremony, while hastily leaving with Rennes, Bishop Eugene hurriedly caught up with them.

Seeing Eugene, Rennes slowed down and silently positioned himself between Eugene and Lin Nuo, signaling with his eyes: ‘What’s the matter?’ Eugene nodded respectfully to Lin Nuo and said, “Your Highness, if you ever have the time and wish to take a closer look at the Golden Bell, I’m at your service.”

Lin Nuo felt somewhat embarrassed and offered polite formalities, feeling more uncomfortable from Eugene’s overly eager gaze than from his words.

Why would a bishop of the Church of the Supreme God be so enthusiastic about me, especially when there shouldn’t be any connection between the bishop and magical creatures or the dragon race? Yet Eugene mentioned that he was the one who suggested to the king to send Lin Nuo out of the palace to another province. Could there be some other story behind this?

Deciding that once back in the royal city, he’d ask Mr. Paget about it. Among all the magical creatures encountered, Mr. Paget the Coo-Coo Courier seemed the most reliable.

After the courteous exchange, Eugene didn’t leave immediately but instead smiled meaningfully at Rennes, saying, “Then, may your wishes be fulfilled soon.”

Rennes’s lips tightened slightly, but he maintained his composure. “Bishop Eugene, farewell.”

Lin Nuo was puzzled. After walking a stretch, he lightly tugged at Rennes’s sleeve, asking in confusion, “Teacher, what was Bishop Eugene talking about? What wish?”

How could I have no idea?

Rennes tilted his head, calmly looking at Lin Nuo, “Interested in knowing, Your Highness?”

Lin Nuo nodded vigorously, “Of course!” After some hesitation, he added hastily, “I don’t mean to pry into your privacy; I just thought… maybe I could… help you in some way?”

His voice trailed off, and his head sank gradually. He felt that his words sounded too insincere. What could a suspicious little prince like himself do to assist the illustrious Clement? Was he more reputable or wealthier?

Up to now, he seemed to be nothing but trouble for this man.

As Lin Nuo felt a bit downcast, Rennes ruffled his already low-hanging hair and whispered in his ear, “Your Highness can certainly help me. You’ll find out how in a few days.”

Suddenly revitalized, Lin Nuo looked up with a big smile, full of energy, and said to Rennes, “Okay!”

—

Thirty minutes later, in the underground sanctum of the Church of the Supreme God, illuminated by countless crystals, the masked Pope knelt, deep in prayer. Behind the Pope, the bishop, also kneeled. After a quarter of an hour, the Pope finally looked up, gesturing for Eugene to report.

Eugene, still not looking up, remained humbly bowed, “Your Holiness, I have informed Sir Clement not to let human base desires delay our plans.”

Behind the golden mask, the Pope emitted a low hum, “Oh, how did he respond?”

Eugene straightened up slightly, looking hesitant, “Your Holiness… Clement is indeed quite eccentric. His words were overly arrogant… I’m not sure how to put it into words…If you don’t object, may I show you the footage from last night?”

Seeing no objection from the Pope, Eugene manipulated his personal crystal and projected the scene of himself and Rennes Clement having tea.

After watching the footage, the Pope burst into hearty laughter behind the golden mask, “So that’s it! How daring of him! This outcome is even better than what I had anticipated!”

In the recorded scene, after listening to Eugene’s warning, Rennes remained composed and calmly asked, “May I ask, Bishop, what defines ‘private affairs’?”

Eugene lifted his teacup and sipped, “If it’s ‘private affairs’, it refers to a secretive relationship not known to the world, something not accepted by society. Such relationships do not receive blessings from the Most High but rather are condemned.”

Rennes nodded, “Understood. As long as it’s not a ‘private affair’, there shouldn’t be any issue, right?”

Eugene, still holding the teacup, looked puzzled. “Naturally. The gods encourage all genuine, honest feelings. But…”

Before Eugene could finish, Rennes stood up, adjusted his cuffs, “Then, before the Sword Bestowal Ceremony, I will propose to him and share our surnames. That should dissolve any claims of secret relationships. Once two people are married, it is no longer a private union. If the Supreme God still disapproves or punishes him, it would mean the deity is interfering with my marriage, causing my beloved to suffer innocently. I believe the gods wouldn’t do such a thing. So, Bishop Eugene, do you have anything else to say?”

Sitting across from him, Eugene was dumbfounded. He had spilled his red tea all over his robe.

Rennes said, “If there’s nothing else, please inform the Pope that he is welcome to officiate our wedding when the time comes.”

With that, Rennes strode out of the extravagant reception room.

 

 

 

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