Evil Dragon Chapter 43: He Panicked

Chapter 43: He Panicked

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Kris

 

Lin Nuo, who was unsteady on his feet, tilted his face upward, half-opening his eyes in a daze, reflecting the starry sky within them. But what he truly saw was even more dazzling and disorienting than the starlight. Countless stars danced behind his eyes, colliding with each other, creating a more brilliant light that was blinding, rendering one unable to keep their eyes open, causing their consciousness to falter.

In a haze, he heard Rennes asking by his ear, “Your Highness, tears again?”

This voice briefly brought Lin Nuo back to his senses. Despite the tears that Lin Nuo couldn’t control at the corners of his eyes, he didn’t want to admit it. Instead, with a voice tinged with a sob, he vehemently denied, “I-I didn’t cry!”

Rennes chuckled lightly, leaned in, and gently kissed away the tears from the dishonest little prince’s eyes. Then, his breath lingered near Lin Nuo’s ear as he whispered, “I didn’t say Your Highness was crying, though…”

Hearing this, Lin Nuo was momentarily stunned, then reacted, about to blush and rebuke something— But it was already too late. The only thing he could do was focus on his fading consciousness, tremblingly raising his hand to stifle his mouth once again.

—

At some unknown point, the cicadas in the courtyard had stopped chirping. Lin Nuo’s clothes had been neatly returned; whether it was the loosened tie he had pulled or the wrinkled shirt, Rennes had taken care of everything. Not only that, but the scent hinting at certain secrets in the air had also been eradicated by Rennes’ magic.

No traces were left behind, neither in the air nor any lingering marks. While tidying up, Lin Nuo didn’t dare to lift his head or breathe loudly. His mind was as chaotic as before.

As Rennes smoothed out the last crease in his tie and restored him to the impeccable appearance of a young prince, Lin Nuo still showed no signs of speaking or looking up. Rennes adjusted Lin Nuo’s bangs, lowered his head, and softly inquired, “Your Highness, is there anything bothering you?”

Lin Nuo pouted, “Nothing.”

Despite his words, the hint of tears in Lin Nuo’s voice was even more evident than before.

Rarely, Rennes hesitated, placing his hand on Lin Nuo’s shoulder, asking softly, “Was I… too much just now?”

This loyal knight had never wavered, even when Lin Nuo had sobbed quietly, continuing until Lin Nuo’s tears had completely dried up. Lin Nuo abruptly pushed his hand away and stepped back, lowering his head, and muttering, “I’m… fine…”

Of course, Rennes didn’t believe he was fine. Taking a few steps forward, he placed his palm on Lin Nuo’s reddened cheek, saying, “Your Highness…”

Despite being treated so gently, Lin Nuo felt even more uncomfortable. Not for any other reason but the sheer embarrassment.

Rennes must know. He must think I’m a pervert. Last time, after getting drunk, I acted so out of line in front of him, holding his hand and everything. But at least last time, I could pretend it was the alcohol’s fault, claiming I didn’t know anything. But this time, it’s even more embarrassing than before. Just recalling the details from earlier, the fragmented words he couldn’t hold back, made Lin Nuo want to bury himself on the spot.

And this time, what excuse can I give? Should I tell Rennes: I’m sorry, my dragon form is going through a special phase, and I couldn’t control myself?

Seeing Lin Nuo resist, Rennes showed a hint of panic on his face for the first time. He hesitated for a moment, placing his hand on Lin Nuo’s shoulder, softly saying, “Your Highness, what’s wrong? Can you tell me?”

But Lin Nuo just kept shaking his head, sobbing, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I made you dirty…It’s my fault; I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have these strange thoughts about you…”

Hearing Lin Nuo’s words, Rennes was at a loss. He kept patting Lin Nuo’s head, running his hand down his back until Lin Nuo’s breathing steadied a bit. Then he softly said, “Your Highness, I am…”

At this point, Rennes suddenly stopped.

Lin Nuo, who had somewhat recovered, wiped his eyes and looked up at Rennes. Under the starlight, Rennes’ jaw was clenched, tightly sealing his lips and furrowing his brow; his elegant slender fingers were pressed just above his heart.

This state wasn’t unfamiliar to Lin Nuo. At the underground lake, Lin Nuo had seen Rennes undergo a sudden change, visibly in pain but vehemently denying it. Could these two situations have something in common? Yes! Last time, I kissed Rennes, and he kissed me back. This time, Rennes helped me in various ways.

Last time, the System said, ‘No punishment unless initiated by the host.’ But it didn’t say it wouldn’t penalize someone else.

Could it be true? Could the System secretly have shifted the punishment it was supposed to give me onto Rennes?! If that’s the case, it’s not acceptable! I must deceive the System again!

Thinking this, Lin Nuo suddenly lost the embarrassment he felt earlier and continued Rennes’ words:

“I understand, Teacher. What you did just now was a form of therapy, right?”

Rennes tightened the grip on his chest, attempting to speak, “No.”

Lin Nuo vigorously shook his head, interrupting him, “Teacher, everything that just happened was nothing special, right? It’s just that I looked uncomfortable at the time, so you— you helped me like that. Things like this must be common in the palace between acquaintances, right? It’s just helping relieve fatigue and anxiety between familiar people; there’s nothing special about it, right, Teacher?”

Lin Nuo’s final words were accompanied by a pleading tone. Never say it’s an intimate act! Always say it’s a form of therapy or even a courtesy! 

Rennes slowly loosened his grip. Watching the plea in Lin Nuo’s eyes, he finally went along with Lin Nuo’s words, slowly saying, “Yes, Your Highness. Everything that just happened… doesn’t mean anything. In this palace, such things happen all the time. Nothing special.”

Seeing Rennes gradually calm down, Lin Nuo lowered his head again, saying, “Um. Thank you for your help. I should… I should go back now.”

Rennes only said, “I’ll escort you.”

From the corner of this garden to Lin Nuo’s room, it would take at least half an hour. As the two approached the fountain square, Lin Nuo caught a glimpse of the noble ladies strolling and suddenly realized something: although there weren’t usually many people in the small garden by the theater entrance and those who had come to watch the rehearsal had already left, if someone had passed by… wouldn’t everything that happened just now have been completely visible to them?! Would more people witnessing it affect the System’s judgment?!

At this thought, Lin Nuo’s face instantly turned pale, and his whole body stiffened. Walking beside him, Rennes sensed something amiss and followed Lin Nuo’s gaze, understanding instantly. Rennes slowed his pace and calmly stated, “Your Highness, during the ‘dance’ just now, I had already set up a barrier to avoid any disturbance from others. No one could see or hear anything from that corner.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Nuo didn’t respond verbally, but his body gradually relaxed, and he continued walking forward. Before entering the tower, Rennes stopped, gazing silently at Lin Nuo under the now dim starlight. Lin Nuo pretended not to notice, not daring to meet Rennes’s eyes, simply lowering his head and hastily running inside.

Alone in his room afterward, Lin Nuo didn’t even change his clothes; he just slumped onto the sofa, holding his head in his hands. Soon, tears began to fall, pitter-pattering onto his still tidy trousers. His heart was now filled with disdain and self-loathing, feeling like a person controlled by shameful desires. The last time he had such contempt and loathing for himself was in his former world. Back then, he was seven years old.

He had set his sights on a set of watercolor pens in a shop. He had really, really liked them, but he had known his foster mother was already working hard to take care of him and couldn’t afford to spend more money on buying him art supplies. He had adored those pens so much that just looking at the beautiful metal case they came in had made him happy. So, he had gone to the shop’s counter every day, gazing longingly at those pens through the display case.

Until his foster mother had noticed; she had realized that every day after school, he would go to the shop and look at the watercolor pens, biting his fingers nervously. Not fully understanding what was so good about those pens, she had secretly asked a person who worked with her why the child liked those pens so much. That person had said those pens were good because they produced bright colors and the paint didn’t have a strong odor, which was good for children.

So, despite the tight budget, his foster mother had hesitantly borrowed some money from that coworker, finally managing to buy the set of pens for him. When Lin Nuo had come home and seen the neatly arranged watercolor pens in the metal case, he had been so excited, laughing and jumping around, forgetting to ask his foster mother how she had managed to buy them.

Until one night, when he had discovered his foster mother sneaking out, scouring the riverbank’s garbage cans, enduring the disdainful looks and shooing away of bystanders, slowly collecting bottles and cans under the dim streetlights. Then he had realized: his wish had come true because someone had suffered for him. 

If only he didn’t have such desires. If only he could hide them better, not letting anyone find out. Lin Nuo had hugged the pen set and cried secretly for a long time.

Now, dressed in princely attire, protected by the most outstanding paladin, he still cried just like that child from years ago. He had hidden many other wishes, yet this one, this most primitive yearning, he hadn’t been able to conceal and had completely exposed it to everyone. And because of this trivial desire of mine, Rennes suffered. 

If I truly have these strange thoughts about Rennes and he, out of goodwill, continues to help me—then in the future, will he continue to suffer? What should I do? Should I really just transform into a dragon and fly away to hide?

At that moment, a very cheerful voice appeared in his mind, [Ding dong! Host! I’m here to tell you some important news! It’s like this, we…]

Finally catching the attention of the now online System, Lin Nuo, well aware that this reckless System wouldn’t linger for an extra second after delivering its message, shouted with all his might in his mind, “I’ll go first! Tell me! If someone else does something not-so-childish to me, I won’t be punished, but will this person be punished on my behalf?”

[Oh dear!] The System sighed in a feigned manner. [You’ve figured it out! Yes, indeed! He will be punished, and it will be in a manner entirely consistent with the development of the plot. He won’t sense the presence of the System, but he will endure corresponding pain for very reasonable reasons.]

Without hesitation, Lin Nuo continued shouting, “Don’t punish him! Punish me! All actions were my initiative to lure him into doing!”

[Oh… Host, in fact, the message we want to tell you is—]

What is it?

[Some of your recent actions, after repeated reviews by our audit team, have been deemed unsuitable for inclusion in children’s literature. Now, you have two choices. First, following the System’s previous approach, let the initiator of the actions, namely Rennes Clement, bear the punishment. Second, is a completely new option.]

A new option?

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.