Evil Dragon Chapter 38: Coming to Class

Chapter 38: Coming to Class

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Kris

 

Coo-Coo Delivery truly lived up to its reputation. Apart from various envelopes, packages, and even large canvas bags, they also made special ‘pet transport cages’. Right now, Lin Nuo was carefully placed into a never-before-used pet transport cage made of pure silver. To avoid others seeing Lin Nuo’s appearance, the cage’s exterior was covered with a layer of black silk. 

Then, the humanoid pigeons gently placed the cage into a specialized four-wheeled carriage marked with the words ‘Coo-Coo Delivery’ on the side. Escorted by the designated delivery men, they swiftly headed towards Rennes Clement’s residence. 

Of course, the meticulous Mr. Paget had prepared a handwritten letter in advance, as per the young master’s suggestion. In the letter, Mr. Paget explicitly wrote, “This little pet looks melancholic, showing no interest in other toys. Would it trouble Sir Rennes to kindly send some new toys for him? After sunrise, a specialized person will come to retrieve the little pet.”

To Lin Nuo, this plan seemed absolutely perfect. On one hand, it meant earning new coins. On the other hand, wouldn’t the knight be delighted to see the little dragon return? After all, the knight had shown such a fragile and lonely expression, saying he wanted a companion… Now that the little dragon was back, what expression would the knight reveal? Would he gaze gently at me, then hold me in his palm and continuously stroke me? Then, would he bathe me in that specialized crystal bathtub, gently pat me dry with a towel, and finally place me in that soft nest— yes, there must be coins in that nest!

Hehe!

Just thinking about soon cuddling with new coins and being able to sleep soundly in that cozy nest, Lin Nuo’s remaining human rationality was thrown to the clouds, leaving behind only pure dragon nature, shamelessly rolling around in the cage.

Soon, the carriage stopped in front of Rennes’ residence.

Lin Nuo originally thought that Martin Paget, the responsible delivery pigeon, would have to exert some effort to explain why they were bringing a pet to the door in the dead of night. Unexpectedly, as soon as the four-wheeled carriage stopped, the gray-haired steward from the mansion proactively opened the door and approached, asking, “Is this the Coo-Coo Delivery? Is there a ‘pet’ to be delivered to the Sir?” 

Huh? The steward already knew? Lin Nuo was somewhat surprised and a bit pleased: It seems Rennes had already given instructions. Was he waiting for the little dragon to return all this time? Or was it because I mentioned to him this afternoon that the little dragon might come back in a few days, so he instructed the steward to wait in advance?

Regardless of which, there was a shallow joy in Lin Nuo’s heart.

After Martin, the pigeon with a round face, clumsily climbed down from the carriage, holding Mr. Paget’s handwritten letter and the pet transport cage. He nodded and said, “Yes, Mr. Paget wishes to trouble the Sir to take care of this— ahem, this— this gentleman for the night.”

Martin, loyal and reverent, considered Lin Nuo as a deity and couldn’t bring himself to call his esteemed young master a ‘pet’. Hence, he vaguely used ‘this gentleman’ instead.

With a kind smile, the steward asked, “Alright. How much is the fee for this pet?”

Huh? Lin Nuo was bewildered.

The pigeon spirit was also stunned, his hands holding the cage stiffened. Martin asked in confusion, thinking he had misheard, “Fee?” 

The white-haired steward’s mouth twitched slightly in puzzlement, “What? Isn’t this a pet cat for the Sir? A few days ago, I saw a beautiful pet cat up for adoption and sent the image and information to Sir Clement. He replied, ‘Okay.’ So, isn’t this— shouldn’t this be a pet cat that needs to settle the early care fees?”

Though his words weren’t offensive, Martin’s round face had turned liver-colored. He stuttered, “Wh-what fee! Wh-what adoption! Wh-wh-what pet cat! Non-nonse-sense!” He hugged the cage tightly, seemingly about to leave, stammering, “Too-too hateful! How can he still raise a cat?! If there’s a cat here, I will absolutely, absolutely not hand this gentleman over to him!”

As a pigeon, Martin had an ingrained fear of felines deeply rooted in his heart. Imagining his tiny young master, who couldn’t yet breathe fire or even produce smoke, being around a cat, Martin panicked. He envisioned the cat pouncing on the young master, even dislodging his wings! Clawing off his claws! Such a thing was absolutely unacceptable to him!

Seeing the visibly angry and agitated delivery person, the steward was very puzzled, unsure if there was an error with Coo-Coo Delivery and uncertain whether he should stop this person.

At this moment, a composed voice resonated from inside the mansion, “This pet is indeed for me.”

Subsequently, a tall figure appeared on the doorstep.

“Excuse the disturbance, Sir,” the steward seemed a bit flustered.

Dressed casually, Rennes calmly said, “It’s fine. You don’t need to attend to this; I’ll take him.”

After saying this, Rennes walked down the steps, ready to personally receive the pet cage from Martin.

At this moment, Martin Paget was filled with a strong determination to protect the young master at all costs. Therefore, despite being visibly trembling at the sight of Rennes, he stubbornly stood his ground, glaring resentfully at the knight and refusing to let go easily.

Rennes remained unperturbed. He wore a somewhat helpless expression and said, “There won’t be a cat. There will never be a cat in the house when this ‘gentleman’ is around.”

Hearing this, Martin asked again, “Really?”

Rennes furrowed his brows slightly, still patient as ever, “I’ve promised His Highness the Prince.”

Whispering softly from inside the cage, Lin Nuo assured the stubborn pigeon spirit, “Um, he indeed made that promise. Don’t worry, the knight wouldn’t lie about such matters.”

The earlier scene might have been a mix-up because Rennes hadn’t given orders to his servants yet. It seems that if I hadn’t commanded him this afternoon not to keep any other pets, he might have really brought the cat home! Phew, that was close.

And so, Martin reluctantly completed the delivery, emphasizing at the end, “Mr. Paget said it’s just to ask you to take care of him for one night! I’ll come to pick him up tomorrow morning!”

Rennes, already carrying the cage upstairs, hesitated for a moment but didn’t turn back or respond.

Back in his room, the knight lifted the silk covering the cage, opened the cage door, and tapped on the cage opening with his fingers.

Does this mean I should walk out myself? As Lin Nuo pondered, he used his short legs and confidently walked out of the cage. Despite feeling a bit displeased during the handover, Lin Nuo firmly believed that Rennes would later treat him with gentleness and care, just as he had imagined. Humph! After all, I am the only ‘pet’ who can accompany him.

As soon as he stepped out, Rennes grabbed his wing! Then, the knight lifted Lin Nuo to eye level, carefully inspecting him under the light. This action had absolutely nothing to do with gentleness or care!

Lin Nuo was frozen for a second and chirped in confusion.

Under the light, Rennes examined him for a while, then laid him flat on the sofa, opening his wings, examining his claws, even stretching out his hind legs to inspect them closely. This series of inspections made Lin Nuo’s flat face blush deeply, filled with anger: Hey, what are you doing?! What are you looking at?! 

After the check-up, Rennes released him and pondered, “Ten days gone, and there’s been no change?” 

Huh?

Rennes extended his finger, patting Lin Nuo’s head, “Normally, monsters grow quickly. Why are you growing so slowly? You’re not very proactive.”

Lin Nuo: Seriously, not very proactive.

Realizing that Rennes had been just checking the little dragon’s growth, Lin Nuo wasn’t as furious anymore, although still somewhat annoyed. He rolled off the sofa, looking around with his head, thinking: Where’s my golden water bowl? Where’s my crystal bathtub? Where’s my shiny dragon’s nest? And my most precious possession, the coins, where are they? 

Lin Nuo didn’t see the water bowl or the food plate. Everywhere he looked, there were scattered books and papers. Even the sofa was covered in open books and papers with various patterns drawn on them, much messier than the last time he had seen.

Lin Nuo could tell at a glance that these books were all about researching ancient magic arrays. And these papers—each one depicted different magic arrays. With the knowledge he had learned in the past few days, Lin Nuo could judge that these magic arrays were all incomplete and couldn’t be used directly.

So, were these papers all drafts Rennes used to practice drawing magic arrays? Wasn’t he supposed to go home and rest? Why was he so diligent? Was there some urgent task he needed to complete? 

Lin Nuo was puzzled, lifting his head to glance at Rennes, who was half-kneeling near the sofa: Yes, I didn’t misjudge this afternoon.

The porcelain-like face of Rennes was now tinged with a faint shade of bluish black. Even his eyes seemed bloodshot. Lin Nuo knew these were symptoms of excessive fatigue and prolonged lack of rest. Feeling a bit uneasy, Lin Nuo couldn’t help but extend his short little paw to touch Rennes’ face—

Ah, my little arm is too short. I can’t reach.

Feeling embarrassed, Lin Nuo tried to retract his paw, but Rennes pressed it against the sofa with his fingertip. Rubbing his little paw on the velvet sofa, Rennes calmly asked, “What? Want to touch me?”

Lin Nuo’s bean-sized eyes widened: Huh? No, not shameless! I mean, the knight is shameless! I’m not being shameless wanting to touch him! And could you stop pressing my paw like that?! This action… this action feels so wrong! 

At that moment, Lin Nuo seemed to have completely forgotten what weird things he might have said after getting drunk.

Rennes pursed his lips, grabbing Lin Nuo and walking towards the bathroom, and said, “You can touch me if you want, but first you have to take a bath.” 

A bath? Great! My crystal bathtub! Lin Nuo immediately felt excited.

However…

Lin Nuo was once again disappointed. Instead of bringing out that adorable, translucent crystal box, Rennes placed him on the edge of a large clawfoot bathtub. The bathtub, filled with hot water at some point, emitted swirling steam that made the entire bathroom appear hazy and indistinct. Afraid of slipping into the hot water and turning into a boiled dragon, Lin Nuo gripped the smooth edge of the bathtub with his claws, angrily demanding, Where’s my crystal bathtub? My exclusive crystal bathtub?!

He knew Rennes wouldn’t understand his complaints, but he couldn’t help but scream to express his anger fully.

Rennes, who had removed his casual clothes beside the tub, glanced down at the chirping little dragon, muttering as if to himself with a hint of reproach, “What? Not satisfied? You come back for just one night, and you still want special treatment?”

After saying this, Rennes stepped into the bathtub. Once again, he lifted Lin Nuo to eye level, looking into his bean-sized eyes, and said coldly, “Since you’re my pet, you should stay obediently by my side.”

Lin Nuo was completely shocked: What’s with this overwhelming dissatisfaction? Could it be that he’s still upset about me going to Coo-Coo Delivery? I did come back— though only for one night. Why is he so petty— Wait, maybe this knight, despite appearing aloof and indifferent, is actually a possessive… maniac?

Lin Nuo, bewildered by his own thoughts, was so scared that his hind legs trembled slightly. He stared blankly at Rennes, with his beautiful saintly face, thinking, No, no, it must be my imagination. It must be my imagination.

Rennes pursed his lips, released his fingers, and tossed Lin Nuo into the hot water—

Wow! Truly an obsessive maniac! I’ll boil alive! Wait, no, I’ll drown! Huh? Lin Nuo, in a state of panic, cautiously opened his eyes and found that he wasn’t entirely submerged in the hot water. His short neck and tiny head were still above the water surface and his breathing was unobstructed.

This was because, when Rennes had tossed him into the water, he had quickly adjusted his sitting position, allowing Lin Nuo to land perfectly on his lower abdomen without sinking into the water entirely. Moreover, perhaps due to Rennes’ lower body temperature, the hot water in the pool that emitted steaming mist wasn’t scalding. With the support of the firm and smooth ‘natural cushion’, Lin Nuo found it quite comfortable.

In addition… Lin Nuo’s bean-sized eyes began to wander uncontrollably, glancing here and there. When Rennes had stepped into the bathtub just now, he had been too nervous to look at anything, but now he could take the opportunity to see.

Wow! There are cherries! They look quite delicious!

Rennes, one hand resting on the edge of the bathtub and the other pressing Lin Nuo’s little head, spoke in a deep voice, “Take a good bath; don’t look around.”

The training of the past two months had unconsciously formed a habit in Lin Nuo. Whenever Rennes’ voice became serious, Lin Nuo would be immediately frightened, forgetting any mischievous thoughts and focusing solely on executing Rennes’ commands. Thus, Lin Nuo’s little tail slapped the water, falling rhythmically onto the ‘natural cushion’. His front paws and hind legs also cooperated with the water-splashing rhythm, frantically scrubbing himself.

Ten minutes later, Lin Nuo lifted his head and chirped at Rennes: All clean!

Rennes nodded and once again placed Lin Nuo on the edge of the bathtub, standing up himself.

This time, Lin Nuo, who had become less fearful after gaining survival experience, clung to the edge of the bathtub, his head poking out, trying hard to get a clear view of something he had always been curious about— 

In that moment of clarity, Lin Nuo deeply experienced what it meant to feel ashamed and disgraced. Why was there such a stark difference? Across every aspect, Lin Nuo felt immense embarrassment. All he could do was console himself in his mind, Thank goodness he didn’t see me, thank goodness he didn’t see me…

With his head hanging low in despair, Lin Nuo naturally couldn’t see the slight grin on Rennes’s face or the laughter hidden in his eyes. After slipping into loose pants, Rennes lifted the despondent Lin Nuo, who was still clutching the bathtub’s edge, and casually dried him off with a towel. At that moment, Lin Nuo had only one thought: regret.

He thought the knight would be lonely alone, but it turned out he had reserved a pet cat; he expected the knight to be pleasantly surprised, but instead he was labeled as lacking initiative & subjected to various examinations; he presumed the knight would be tender, yet this person showed no trace of consideration! 

Of course, what he regretted the most was that single glance earlier. It had deeply impacted his self-confidence and self-respect.

After drying the little dragon, Rennes carried him with one hand and strode toward the bedroom.

Lin Nuo’s heart, which had been repeatedly disappointed and struck with emotions throughout the night, sprang to life again: My lair! My little gold coins! Sob! The moment I’ve been longing for!

But…

Lin Nuo looked around until Rennes placed him beside the fluffy white pillow. Even then, Lin Nuo couldn’t spot his exclusive ‘dragon’s nest’ made of velvet and adorned with gold coins.

The only consolation was Rennes placing two shiny gold coins on the pillow, saying, “New toys for you.”

Fine. He didn’t know if the knight had stowed away all the custom-made dragon accessories or converted them into cat-specific ones, as he hadn’t seen any. Luckily, he still had some gold coins to play with. He could still sleep on the nearby cushion while holding onto the gold coins. 

Thinking this, Lin Nuo quickly tucked the coins into his embrace, flapped his wings, and prepared to fly or jump to the nearby chair.

Unexpectedly, Rennes immediately grabbed his tail and said sternly, “Where do you think you’re going?”

The tail! Don’t squeeze my tail! The tingling sensation from his tail made Lin Nuo so weak that he couldn’t even hold onto the gold coins, let alone fly. His entire dragon body became limp, incapable of taking off. He lay there, embarrassed and annoyed, shouting in his head, Let go! I want to sleep on the chair!

In response, Rennes gripped his body, placed him back on the pillow, and stared directly into his eyes, “I originally planned to get a cat so it could sleep next to me.”

Lin Nuo shuddered, almost furious: Why do you keep mentioning the cat again?!

Rennes’s tone changed, “I promised my unruly student not to keep any other pets.”

Unruly student? Nonsense! I’m the most well-behaved! When have I ever been unruly?

“So, you better stay put here, understood?”

Huh? Before Lin Nuo could react to Rennes’s confusing logic, the room’s lights dimmed, and Rennes laid down on the pillow, closing his eyes. 

Fine! I’ll fly away after you fall asleep! Thinking this, Lin Nuo also lay down on the pillow.

The room was quiet, with only Rennes’s soft breathing and Lin Nuo’s thumping heartbeat audible. Half a minute later, Lin Nuo assumed the knight had fallen asleep, judging from the calmer breathing next to him.

So, can I fly to the side now? Isn’t it unnecessary to obediently sleep here? Due to the closeness, Lin Nuo could clearly see Rennes’s furrowed brow and dark circles, even when he looked up. How long has it been since this person had a proper rest? Why was he still frowning even in his sleep?

Thinking this, Lin Nuo felt less inclined to fly away. He cautiously moved closer to Rennes’s face and used his small claw to very gently massage the knitted brow.

Hmm, the knight himself said touching was allowed after bathing. Summoning courage, he silently wished, “Sleep well, sleep well…”

At that moment, he noticed Rennes’s eyelids quivered, and the long eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks, subtly blinking. Lin Nuo quickly withdrew his claw, not daring to move again.

Alright, I’ll just manage this night. Thinking this, Lin Nuo obediently settled down on the pillow, his small head resting against Rennes’s cheek, and fell into a deep sleep. 

—

Perhaps the intensive classes in the last few days had left Lin Nuo with too heavy a psychological burden. Even Lin Nuo’s dreams were about classes. In the dream, Rennes with a serious face informed the little prince, “Your Highness, today’s lesson is learning how to raise a pedestal.”

Wide-eyed, Lin Nuo began to resist subconsciously, “Is that necessary? Do we need to learn this? As long as we have a pedestal, we can raise it with our hands!”

But Rennes smirked, “Your Highness, why are you so lacking in initiative? Don’t you want to learn a better way to raise the pedestal?”

The frightened little prince, intimidated by Rennes, helplessly said, “I-I’ll learn.”

Satisfied, Rennes said, “Then, Your Highness, please demonstrate once, and I’ll correct you.”

For some reason, the Lin Nuo in the dream was surprisingly lacking in rebellious spirit, obediently demonstrating. Rennes stared intently, frowning, “Such a rough method… I might as well demonstrate it now?” 

As Rennes moved closer, Lin Nuo began to shout, “No, that’s not right! If you want to demonstrate, you should use your own pedestal!”

Rennes smiled faintly, leaning in to Lin Nuo’s ear, “Alright, Your Highness, let’s help each other. I’ll use yours, and you can use mine…”

Hey hey hey! That’s not how you interpret ‘help each other’, you jerk! Sniffling and twisting, Lin Nuo finally screamed and woke up. When he woke up, the morning sunlight had already filled the window. Rennes was already awake since who knows when. He lay on his side, elbow on the pillow, hand supporting his cheek, exuding an unprecedented laziness, leisurely looking at Lin Nuo.

Just a dream, right? Yes, it was just a dream. I’m still in my dragon form now. How could the scenes from the dream happen? Uh, mn, it was a dream. Thinking of the dream while looking at Rennes’s face and the slight upturn of his mouth, the feeling from the dream suddenly surged. No, no, something suddenly got to me! Could I be having a nosebleed?! 

Panicking, Lin Nuo quickly rolled to the side, turned his head away from Rennes, and flapped his wings to fly away, thinking, I can’t embarrass myself like this. 

But some things were beyond his control. A raging fire burned in his chest, his head felt dizzy & swollen, and his entire dragon body was extremely uncomfortable. He desperately flapped his wings in the air, his small back arched, his flat mouth wide open, letting out the first roar since transforming into a dragon.

With this roar, he spewed out a bright red dazzling flame into the air.

 

 

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