Evil Dragon Chapter 39: Flame Beast

Chapter 39: Flame Beast

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Kris

 

Fire?!  I just… breathed fire?!  This— this is the legendary dragon flame?!  Watching that unmistakable little flame in the air, Lin Nuo’s wings stiffened, almost dropping him to the floor.

Rennes, quick on the draw, had already reached over and caught him. But Lin Nuo didn’t dare to look at this person. Instinctively flapping his wings, he was about to fly towards the window—

I breathed fire!  With wings & the ability to breathe fire and Rennes being well-versed in monster behavior, how could I possibly deceive him?! 

Unexpectedly, just as he took off, Lin Nuo heard Rennes’ cold voice, “Trying to run again?”

Lin Nuo shuddered and started fluttering his wings in place, not daring to fly toward the window again.

Rennes took a step with his long legs, strode over, and once again nabbed the little creature hovering in the air, saying, “I said it before; since you’re my pet, you should stay put by my side.”

Lin Nuo’s tiny claws began trembling incessantly, sneakily stealing glances at Rennes with his beady eyes, trying to see what expression this person wore upon discovering his ability to breathe fire. As it turned out, apart from a hint of rare curiosity in the man’s eyes, Lin Nuo couldn’t discern anything else.

Could it be… Rennes still hasn’t realized that I’m a dragon? But then again, with me being this small and pink, lacking even a single scale, possessing zero defense and minimal combat prowess— I’m probably not the typical image of a dragon?

Lin Nuo remembered Mr. Paget’s words from last night: The Dragon Clan is extremely mysterious; it’s been a long time since anyone has seen a true dragon.

So, perhaps Rennes hasn’t actually encountered a real dragon, making it even more challenging for him to determine what I am? Thinking this through, Lin Nuo felt a bit more reassured, tightly gripping Rennes’ finger with his claw and relaxing a bit.

Rennes sighed almost imperceptibly, carrying the little creature and walking toward the small living room that doubled as a study. He placed Lin Nuo on the couch, went to the bookshelf, muttering to himself, “It was acquired recently, an ancient book. I remember the title…Yes, ‘The Lost Glory of Saros—Mystical Creatures Vanished in History’.”

As Rennes spoke, he retrieved a thick, gilt-edged hardcover book from the top of the bookshelf, then sat on the couch, calmly flipping through the book and scooping Lin Nuo onto his lap.

Lin Nuo blinked, staring at the antiquated font on the book, thinking that when he was causing a ruckus in Rennes’ study the other day, he hadn’t seen this book. It seemed the knight had recently acquired it. Rennes’ slender fingers slid through the table of contents, finally stopping at a section titled ‘Winged Species—Fire Spitters’.

Seeing this classification, Lin Nuo craned his neck, brimming with curiosity, eager to see what the book said. Perhaps Lin Nuo’s movements were too conspicuous because Rennes lightly poked Lin Nuo’s forehead with his fingertip, “What’s this? You want to read too?”

Lin Nuo thought to himself that it wasn’t Lin Nuo who placed himself on the knight’s lap, nor was it Lin Nuo who claimed to have found a creature similar to himself in an ancient book. Lin Nuo only dared to grumble in his mind, outwardly obediently chirping and nodding incessantly, “Chirp chirp, I want to see!”

Of course, Rennes, who didn’t understand what Lin Nuo was saying, didn’t adjust Lin Nuo or the book’s angle to let him see. Instead, he set Lin Nuo aside and started reading aloud while flipping through the book, “Here, a highly rare fire-spitting creature— the Double-Winged Flame Beast— is introduced. This type of Flame Beast grows slowly and typically has two growth stages. Stage One: the Silent Phase. During this stage, the Flame Beast is palm-sized with smooth pink skin, similar to that of a young adult’s hand. The Silent Phase of the Flame Beast typically lasts about 3 months to half a year. During this time, they exhibit an insatiable fondness for anything that glimmers in gold, especially ancient coins emanating an old-world aura.

“Throughout this phase, Flame Beasts refrain from breathing fire. Therefore, during this period, aside from low-altitude flight, they possess no other survival skills and are easily preyed upon by large monsters or even ordinary birds. For humans, the best way to domesticate a Flame Beast is to capture them during this Silent Phase.

“Recommended capture method: Use golden artifacts as bait and, when the Flame Beast lunges for the gold, capture it swiftly. Feeding after capture: Provide fresh water, ample amounts of gold, and a small amount of sweets.

“Stage Two: Roaring Phase. In this stage, the Flame Beast’s size rapidly increases, ultimately reaching the size of a wild rabbit. Soft fur begins growing on their bodies, still predominantly pink, though some might turn to grayish-pink. Of course, given it’s the Roaring Phase, Flame Beasts initially only produce chirping sounds but will eventually emit roaring sounds. Upon entering the Roaring Phase, Flame Beasts start fervently collecting various shiny golden items, attempting to construct a ‘nest’ using these gold artifacts. Researchers believe this behavior showcases the Flame Beasts’ innate nest-building instinct.

“A significant sign of a Flame Beast transitioning from the Silent Phase to the Roaring Phase is when they begin breathing fire. Initially, the flames they produce are inconspicuous, akin to a campfire in the wilderness. As they rapidly grow, they can exhale breathtakingly large flames from their small bodies. At this stage, Flame Beasts possess certain destructive capabilities, making them impervious to low-level monsters. Nevertheless, researchers strongly advise against capturing Flame Beasts at this stage— unless one doesn’t mind being roasted.

“Special note: During the transition from the Silent Phase to the Roaring Phase, Flame Beasts typically exhibit mating behavior. Some researchers argue that it’s this intense urge for courtship and mating that prompts them to breathe fire for the first time, ultimately leading them to maturity. Some researchers even suggest that if the Flame Beast you’re taming fails to enter the Roaring Phase successfully or encounters a brief stall during the transition, you can encourage the Flame Beast’s interaction with its desired partner or engage in intimate contact, repeating these actions continually. Researchers believe that this method effectively stimulates the physical and mental development of the Flame Beast.” 

Rennes’ reading voice was magnetic and melodious. Lin Nuo couldn’t tell if it was his own imagination or because of his present impurity, but it seemed like whenever the knight spoke words like ‘mating’ or ‘courtship’, his tone subtly changed. The endings of the words always lifted slightly, like tiny hooks that tangled Lin Nuo’s thoughts.

After finishing that page, Rennes casually flipped through the book, saying, “That’s it. That’s everything this book has related to you.” He closed the book, resting his chin in his hand, slowly saying, “Whether it’s the size, color, or fondness for gold coins, including the recent fire-breathing, they all match you perfectly. It seems that your true identity is this extinct ‘Flame Beast’ from ancient legends.” 

Lin Nuo’s flat face was filled with confusion, thinking: No, I’m certainly not the mythical ‘Flame Beast,’ but a ‘dragon’, right? Whether it’s the System or other monsters, they’ve all confirmed this, so that should be unquestionable. Then why do the behavioral characteristics described in this book match exactly with those of a young dragon? This shouldn’t be a coincidence, right? Could it be that the so-called ‘monster researchers’ mentioned in this book have never actually seen what a real dragon looks like and wrongly categorized dragons as Flame Beasts? If that’s the case, it would make sense! Hmph, these experts. But it’s quite convenient. This way, in Rennes’ eyes, I’ll be regarded as this ancient ‘Flame Beast’, not a dragon! Great! Thanks to these random experts for letting me get away with it once again! 

Lin Nuo couldn’t help but burst into a silly grin.

Pretending not to notice the little creature’s gleeful expression, Rennes stood up, returning the thick, heavy book to the bookshelf. If Lin Nuo were to rush over to open the book now, he would be astonished to find that, apart from the table of contents & the two pages Rennes read, there was nothing else in the book!

Furthermore, just ten minutes ago, this book wasn’t on the shelf at all. This book and the so-called Flame Beast & other vanished creatures were all a temporary creation made by Rennes with a magical illusion, conjured up on the spot. Of course, Rennes hadn’t taught Lin Nuo this spell yet.

Unaware and believing that his true identity was perfectly concealed, Lin Nuo was still excitedly rolling around on the sofa. 

After Rennes put the book away, he sat back on the couch, placing Lin Nuo on his lap, his expression serious. “So, your recent fire-breathing— could it be understood as mating behavior?” 

Lin Nuo’s smile immediately froze, the sakura pink face turning rose-red. He was so pleased with himself just now that he had forgotten about this soul-piercing question! Yes, the reason he suddenly felt the heat and discomfort, leading to eventually breathing fire, was because of that odd dream that only occurred in spring, right? In terms of a wicked dragon, maybe that state equated to mating? 

As for why he had the dream— Lin Nuo glanced at the paladin, draped in a casually half-opened black satin robe, and silently cursed: All because of seeing that yesterday! We both grew up eating food; why should he be able to grow like that!

He forgot to consider that even if an ordinary person saw that, they probably wouldn’t dream like that, let alone engage in mutual sparring within the dream.

Now, the culprit of this dream once again lifted Lin Nuo, sounding serious, “Can you still breathe fire now?”

This was a question Lin Nuo also wanted to know. So, he turned his head towards the air and roared—

Ah-woo.

Nothing at all.

Lin Nuo suspected it was because Rennes was holding him, restricting his performance. He turned his head, viciously waving his little claws, and fiercely exclaimed, “Chirp chirp, let go of me!”

Rennes probably understood his actions and tossed him into the air without any hesitation.

Lin Nuo leaped, jumping onto the branched chandelier, clutching the circular base, trying to roar into the air—

Ah-woo, ah-woo…

Still nothing. Not even a spark.

What’s going on?! Lin Nuo felt extremely frustrated, wondering why this was so unreliable. Did he really have to think about something sultry to breathe fire?

As he pondered, swinging on the chandelier, he glanced back at Rennes, sitting on the sofa. The man, with his hand supporting his chin, watched Lin Nuo jump around with a calm expression. After seeing Lin Nuo fail once again, he reached out, palm facing himself, beckoning Lin Nuo quite unceremoniously, “Come here.”

Lin Nuo, not knowing what to think, heard Rennes’s voice and saw his gesture, obediently flapping his wings and flying back into Renness’ hand. This time, Rennes didn’t lift him up but placed him on his lap. He lowered his head, wearing a serious expression, and said, “Your sporadic fire-breathing… Are you, as the book says, experiencing a stall?”

Lin Nuo wasn’t sure, but he felt it might be that.

Rennes frowned, “So, to help you get through this stage, do I need to find a desired partner for you and let you have more contact? More… friction?”

Lin Nuo’s body stiffened, staring straight at Rennes. Wh-what desired partner? And friction? How?

Seeing the little dragon staring at him with wide-eyed curiosity, Rennes continued confidently, “The ancient text mentioned that intimate behavior can effectively stimulate the physical and mental development of the Flame Beast. What’s wrong? Don’t you want to quickly enter the Roaring Phase and become a Flame Beast that can breathe fire?”

Lin Nuo did want to…

But…

Rennes changed the subject, saying, “Why did you suddenly go into heat this morning? Did you dream about your desired partner?”

Now, Lin Nuo’s eyes were fixed in place. How could I dream about a desired partner? Didn’t I just dream about you? Wait a minute… Is something not right?

 

 

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