Evil Dragon Chapter 4: Unable to Escape

Chapter 4: Unable to Escape

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai, Kris

As Rennes sat beside him, Lin Nuo couldn’t help but involuntarily widen his eyes. His heart thumped rapidly, his breathing became erratic.

What’s going on?! Is this also a side effect of the dragon transformation?! Why, even after turning back into a human, does it still feel so terrifying?! I feel like jumping up from my seat and rushing out the door! Despairing, he hung his head low, while trying to shift as far away as possible, wanting to create more distance between himself and the person beside him.

Not saying a word, Rennes noticed Lin Nuo’s slight movements, only furrowing his brows imperceptibly. Once Rennes settled down, the proud Otto initiated conversation again.

“Rennes!” Otto’s voice sounded joyful and genuine, as though he and the other were old friends. “Did you like the automated piano I gifted you last time? It took the craftsmen a lot of effort, infusing it with magical blessings from the church, to create such a fine piece!”

Rennes looked at Otto, expressionless. “Thank you for the gift. It wasn’t useful to me. I’ve already donated it to the orphanage.”

Upon hearing the end of Rennes’ sentence, Josef sneered, and a dark cloud covered Otto’s face noticeably. Josef tilted his head, supporting his well-shaped chin, looking at Rennes with a smirk, speaking softly, “Sir, did you rest well last night?”

Upon hearing ‘last night’, Lin Nuo, who was already nervous, felt cold sweat trickling down his back. After coming out of the bathroom and seeing the window open, the creature previously locked in the cage gone, what would this person’s reaction be? Would he inform the two princes and have them search the entire palace for the creature?

Thankfully, Rennes simply replied, without any fluctuation, “It was fine.”

Fine? Lin Nuo glanced surreptitiously at the person beside him, convinced that he hadn’t seen anything unusual in his expression.

Rennes seemed entirely unaware of Lin Nuo’s gaze, simply reaching out, lifting the crystal glass in front of him, and shaking it under his eyelids. Each person had a glass in front of them. The glasses in front of Otto and Josef were already filled with half a glass of sparkling water. Whereas, in the glasses in front of Rennes and Lin Nuo, there was only a silver-glowing bead.

Lin Nuo had no idea what this bead was for.

After disappointing Otto, Rennes also encountered Josef’s tense expression and pale face. A vicious smirk appeared on Otto’s face, and he spoke, “Dear brother, wouldn’t you like some sparkling water before the formal meal?”

Lin Nuo looked at the crystal glass in front of him and the bead inside then looked at Otto, unsure how to respond.

Otto’s smirk grew wider. “The contents of your glass is the latest masterpiece from the church, blessed by the Supreme God, the freshest sparkling water. However… according to the church, only those of noble blood, capable of freely using the magic within their bodies, have the qualification to drink this blessed water. Ah, in other words, if one can’t even unlock such a small mechanism, hehe, I’m afraid the magical power within their body is too weak to be called ‘noble blood.’”

Upon hearing these blatant provocations, Lin Nuo’s face grew even paler. Biting his lip, he inwardly exclaimed, This body isn’t of noble blood; how could it have magical power? How could it break this mechanism? What to do? Should he clumsily knock the glass over, just to get through this?

Just as Lin Nuo was contemplating the most natural way to ‘accidentally’ spill the drink, Josef spoke up.

“Otto,” the second prince’s elbow rested on the armrest, his voice somewhat lazy and impatient. “Linno was recuperating in the outer province for many years, without any guidance in between. He’s just returned to the court; it’s normal for him to not know how to use magic. Why make it difficult for him?”

Although his words seemed to reprimand Otto, there was no intention of helping, just a look of assessing Lin Nuo’s situation. Helpless, Lin Nuo, with a pale face, gently moved his arm, preparing to knock the crystal glass onto the ground.

At that moment, a cold voice sounded, “Hm?”

Lin Nuo startled, turning to stare at the person beside him. Rennes picked up a small silver spoon from the snowy-white tablecloth and circled it around the rim of the crystal glass. With Rennes’s movement, the silver bead originally at the bottom of the glass began to rise, gradually floating up to the rim. Then, Rennes lightly tapped the surface of the bead with the spoon three times.

Click The bead cracked open. Clear sparkling water poured into the glass.

After completing these actions, Rennes casually took a sip from the glass and calmly said, “Even without using magic, such small mechanisms can be opened as long as the method is right.” 

Upon hearing this, Otto’s face changed drastically, his eyebrows knitted together tightly.

Josef raised an eyebrow, enjoying the spectacle and teasingly patted Otto, whispering, “Ah, Otto, have you forgotten? The Clement family and the church have always been at odds. Giving the church’s item to this Sir, are you trying to provoke him directly?”

Otto’s face fluctuated between red and white, taking a long time to squeeze out a sentence, “An oversight. I didn’t expect this thing to be so useless.”

At this time, nobody was paying attention to Lin Nuo at the table. Quickly emulating Rennes’s actions, Lin Nuo spun the spoon around the glass, tapped it, and poured the sparkling water into the crystal glass.

In the next moment, a servant outside loudly announced, “His Majesty, the King, is here!”

All four stood up, bowing respectfully in the direction of the door. The old king was a serious, grey-haired man. Once seated, he first inquired about the recent movements of the church from Otto, then turned to ask Josef about the pest situation in his territory. After hearing the responses of the two princes, the old man didn’t show much expression, just nodded without making any comments.

Otto glanced around, stood up first, opened the sparkling water for the king, and smilingly said, “Grandfather, look, this is the church’s latest technique! This method of preserving sparkling water ensures its taste and purity; perfect for an appetizer before the meal!”

The king didn’t reach for the glass but acknowledged, “Oh.”

Josef pressed the bell on the table, signaling the servants to start the meal, and smilingly said, “Grandfather, I spent a whole month in the territory this time, saw many interesting things, made a lot of notes. I’ll compile them into a book for you later, to pass the time?”

Only then did a slight smile appear on the king’s face, saying, “Good.”

The king’s gaze shifted from Lin Nuo to Otto, saying, “Otto, by custom, Linno is already 19 years old and should have his own territory. Think about which piece of land to grant him.”

Otto, whose complexion wasn’t great to begin with, now looked even worse, “Grandfather, this… Linno is still unfamiliar with many things. If we grant him territory so quickly, I’m very concerned about it being a burden on him.”

The king picked up his glass, took a large sip, and calmly asked, “Concerned?”

Otto earnestly smiled, “Grandfather, you see, Linno hasn’t received formal royal education; he doesn’t even know how to use magic. Under these circumstances, managing a territory might burden him excessively, which is not conducive to his recovery.” Then, he added, “After all, his body is inherently weak.”

Hearing these extremely hypocritical ‘concerns’ from Otto, Lin Nuo was overjoyed inside. Great! I was wondering how to bring this up! Now, I’ll just follow along and quickly get myself out of the palace! He disregarded the etiquette of not interrupting, boldly spoke up, “Grandfather, elder brother is making a lot of sense. I… I’ve been feeling uncomfortable ever since I returned here. Perhaps I should continue my recuperation in the outer province.”

Josef, who had been staring at his glass, quickly glanced at Lin Nuo. Otto frowned as if pondering why Lin Nuo would say such things.

The old king tapped his glass, looking at Lin Nuo, “Linno, do you still feel physically weak?”

Lin Nuo immediately nodded like a chick.

The old king placed the glass on the table, sighed, a rare hint of sadness in his tone, “Ah, that’s from my neglect. I never sent anyone to guide you on how to use the magic within your body. Now that you’ve come of age, it’s more difficult to channel the magic, naturally leading to discomfort. If I rashly let you manage a territory, it would indeed impose a greater burden on your body…”

This speech brought joy to Otto, his eyes shining brightly.

“Here’s the plan.” The old king tapped the gemstone ring on his index finger on the table, carrying an uncontestable authority, “I’ve decided. From today, besides arranging people to teach you politics, etiquette, and such, I’ll find another teacher specifically to guide you in mastering magic as soon as possible. This way, your body will naturally improve, and you won’t be tormented by minor illnesses and pains.”

Lin Nuo was left stunned in his seat: This, this isn’t what I had in mind at all! Struggling to speak, he weakly protested.

Otto simply said, “But, our younger brother has never been trained. Trying to master such complex skills in a short time, even if we find the most outstanding mage in the palace for guidance, I’m afraid it would be very difficult.”

The old king, composed, replied, “I’ve considered this, of course. So, I’ll appoint a very special teacher for Linno, someone with the most practical experience.” Raising his chin, the king turned to Rennes, “Sir Clement, if I assign you as Linno’s teacher, would you be up for it?”

At that moment, the table fell into silence. Otto stared wide-eyed, nostrils flaring, fixated on Rennes; Josef, who had been spectating, also became alert, eyes darting between Rennes and Lin Nuo. As for Lin Nuo himself, even the hair on the back of his head was standing. His hands clenched under the table, nervously thinking: Don’t agree, don’t agree! Aren’t you the most difficult ‘Blizzard Knight’ to win over?! You must maintain this aloofness till the end!

Under everyone’s scrutiny, the knight stood up slowly, respectfully bowed to the king, saying, “Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost to not disgrace the position.”

Hearing this, Lin Nuo couldn’t even fake a smile anymore. He felt stiff all over, with only one thought in his mind: I’m done for.

 

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