Evil Dragon Chapter 46: Acting Begins

Chapter 46: Acting Begins

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai

 

The opening ceremony of the “Summer Carnival” and the “Royal Ceremony” finally arrived as scheduled. Just as Lin Nuo had read from the information before, under the nightfall, the king, dressed in ceremonial robes, ascended the high platform step by step along the long red carpet amid the gazes of the crowd.

Beneath countless shining gemstones, the crown atop the king’s head and the scepter in his hand emitted a dazzling light.  Subsequently, this elderly man, aged but still robust, used his own magic to awaken the crystals arranged earlier. 

In an instant, crystals rose from various magic arrays, flying into the air and bursting into magnificent fireworks. The entire population of Saros erupted in cheers at that moment. 

The seven-day carnival had officially begun. It was said that if lovers held hands and kissed while watching the first firework burst during the Summer Carnival, they would receive the highest blessings from the gods in the times to come.

So, within the palace courtyards, the streets of the royal city, and the squares of Faro City, couples stood eagerly awaiting the first firework.

“It’s starting, it’s starting!” With the fireworks blooming, the crowd cheered, laughed, kissed, and the joyful and sweet atmosphere filled the entire royal city.

Amidst the excitement, Lin Nuo, as a member of the royal family, completed his ceremonial duties on a specially constructed platform for viewing, then slipped away.

After Lin Nuo’s departure, the eldest prince Otto also vanished immediately. Standing on another raised platform, fulfilling his defense duties, Rennes Clement kept an eye on any unusual occurrences around His Majesty the King while casting a sidelong glance at the platforms where the princes were.

When he noticed that among the three princes, only the second prince Josef remained, dressed in red and white prince attire, adorned with sashes and wearing an elegant smile, Rennes’s lips twitched for a moment before returning to normal.

In an attempt to avoid drawing attention, Lin Nuo chose a path with fewer people, a poor view, and almost no visibility of the fireworks. He hurried towards a secluded palace on an artificial lake.

This secluded palace was a place the princes’ mother, the former crown princess, had loved dearly. Unlike the majestic and grand main buildings of the palace or the completely neglected wild forests, this secluded palace combined the comfort preferred by nobles with a balanced touch of natural wilderness.

Built on an island in the artificial lake, the secluded palace was a small square structure. Channels dug artificially surrounded the palace, with wooden waterwheels rotating slowly above the channels. Beside the channels were patches of golden wheat fields, and there was even a miniature farm with spotted cows and clucking hens.

During the summer, the crown princess used to move the children from the palace to this secluded palace, letting them run barefoot in the wheat fields or pick eggs in the farm, even helping to milk the cows. With the unexpected deaths of the crown prince and princess, everything came to an abrupt halt. The wheat fields quickly grew barren, and the farm was abandoned.

The neglected secluded palace, without anyone’s care, soon became a desolate and slightly dilapidated cold palace, rarely visited throughout the year. Now, Lin Nuo, walking on the severely decayed wooden bridge, stepped onto the artificial island and stood outside the secluded palace.

Although Nana had mentioned watching fireworks with Lin Nuo here, this location wasn’t ideal for watching fireworks at all. The lush vegetation around the perpetually quiet and dark lake seemed to isolate all the splendor and bustle of the palace.

Walking on the cobblestone path littered with fallen leaves, Lin Nuo, with excellent vision, discerned the carvings of grapes, wheat ears, and various animals on the door pillars.

For some reason, these originally delightful reliefs caused palpitations and discomfort for Lin Nuo. He halted, took two deep breaths, and pressed his fingers onto the golden pocket watch given by Rennes.

It was eerily quiet, not even the sound of insects. Only occasional splashes of fish jumping in the lake could be heard. In this somewhat eerie silence, a timid voice rang out, “Brother Linno?”

Inside the secluded palace, little Nana pushed open the heavy doors and peered out, calling for Lin Nuo. The child held a lantern, her lips trembling incessantly.

“Brother Linno, can you come inside here?” Nana’s voice remained timid, with a slight tremble. “Inside here… is where we can see the fireworks…”

Even a fool would find this scene and these words peculiar. Yet, Lin Nuo seemed utterly unfazed. He just gave a faint smile and said, “Of course.”

After speaking, he steadied himself and, expressionless, ascended the steps into the secluded palace. The moment Lin Nuo stepped through the door, the seemingly dilapidated and deserted palace instantly lit up. The long-abandoned lanterns lit up, illuminating the gloomy palace as bright as daylight.

Even more bizarrely, the hall not only brightened unusually, but there also wafted a faint scent of wheat fields in the air, and even the distant mooing of cows could be faintly heard. Smelling the scent that shouldn’t exist, hearing the sounds that shouldn’t be there, Lin Nuo felt palpitations once again, his hands trembling so much that he couldn’t control it.

Suddenly, in this peculiar and bright atmosphere, a pervasive black mist surged towards him and Nana. Without a second thought, Lin Nuo grabbed the shivering Nana beside him and threw the screaming child out of the palace.

As for himself, he frantically tried to escape from the palace.

“Boom…” With a loud noise, the doors of the secluded palace swiftly closed at an astonishing speed. And the black mist, without deviation, fell upon Lin Nuo, coiling around him like a black snake.

As the snake tightened its grip, Lin Nuo couldn’t help but groan in pain, sweat beads the size of peas forming on his forehead, making it hard for him to stand. After futilely struggling against the snake, it eventually turned into a black liquid, soaking into Lin Nuo’s body. Instantly, his fair skin took on a dusky hue.

Wobbling, Lin Nuo took a few steps, attempting to push open the wooden-copper doors, but to no avail.  All these actions seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength.

Gasping for breath, he weakly yelled towards the glaring hall, “What place is this? What’s going on here?”

From the depths of the hall, contrary to the “bright” atmosphere, came a chilling laughter, “This place, seems very familiar, doesn’t it…”

Lin Nuo’s lips twitched, his voice trembling, “Very, very familiar… as if something happened here… but what happened?”

“I… I don’t remember…” He licked his lips, tentatively asking, “Is… Is that you, Otto?” As expected, Prince Otto emerged from the other end of the hall, dressed in regal attire. Lin Nuo’s face displayed a pained expression, his eyes filled with confusion. “Brother! Otto, brother! Why did Nana make me come here? And why did you come here?”

“Heh…” Otto sneered, saying, “That little girl managed to deceive you into coming here. It shows how foolish you are! Josef was right. You disregard royal decorum on the square, even to save those commoners. You truly are a weak and easily manipulated fool. As long as that little girl appeared pitifully in front of you, even if you had doubts, you’d still come—” 

Lin Nuo clutched his chest, as if enduring immense pain, lips quivering as he asked, “Wh-What? Otto, I don’t understand what’s happening here? Why did Nana deceive me…?” Lin Nuo’s voice trailed off as he lowered his head, coughing violently, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. He frantically raised his head, saying, “I… I feel terrible. I need to see a doctor.”

“M-My healing powers? Why can’t I… My magic… My magic, why can’t I use any of it?” Lin Nuo futilely traced a few symbols in the air, utterly useless. Realizing his inability to use any magical abilities, Lin Nuo turned around again, futilely attempting to push the door.

Seeing Lin Nuo in this state, Otto chuckled coldly, “Doctor? Don’t worry, a doctor will come shortly to examine your corpse. As for Nana, heh, Nana is my illegitimate daughter. I kept her, thinking to use her as a tool in the future, a gift for nobles. I never expected she would be so useful at a time like this. After you die, I’ll make full use of her before disposing of her properly. That way, while serving the Supreme God, you both can keep each other company.”

Pale-faced, Lin Nuo stared at Otto in horror, murmuring something incoherent. Otto strutted around the pale golden hall, his boots making a series of brisk sounds on the marble floor, clearly enjoying himself, “Heh heh, aren’t you a once-in-a-millennium genius? Even when you couldn’t walk, you could use magic to move objects? Now, move! Use your ‘most powerful magic’ to move yourself out of here! Oh—I forgot, that mark inside you, the one inexplicably repaired, I’ve utterly shattered it! Last time, I wasn’t thorough. I just broke your mark, leaving you with a shred of life. This time, I won’t be so merciful. I will completely send you on your way!”

Wide-eyed and ashen-faced, Lin Nuo gasped, “Last time?”

With a smug expression, Otto turned, surveying the room, saying, “Seventeen years ago, Mother brought you here for a ‘vacation.’ She took Josef to the wheat fields, leaving me here to watch over you and make sure you didn’t hurt yourself. Ah, that lovely afternoon, that’s how the scene was here. The sun was shining, the wheat fields were fragrant. And you, crawling all over the floor, giggling foolishly, trying to grab me. At that time, I happened to learn a forbidden spell from a book, one that severed magical marks within the body.”

“I thought, Father, Mother, and even Grandfather, all said you were the most magically powerful prince in the royal family for a millennium. Would your magic be strong enough to function without a mark? So, I tested it out— Coincidentally, all the magic I practiced was water-based. Even in this lake, casting such a forbidden spell was as if I had divine assistance, and it succeeded at once! In the end, even you couldn’t escape your innate mark. A prince without a mark is just worthless. That wail you let out then… Just thinking about it fills me with excitement and joy!”

Otto looked up at the ceiling’s reliefs, his face twisted with a nauseating smile.

Struggling to support himself, Lin Nuo weakly asked, “But why? Why…”

“Why?” Otto frowned, finding the question incredulous, “Because you were too exceptional. You were in my way! Josef’s magic is similar to mine, but being the eldest, he couldn’t threaten me. But you’re different. Your magic, it’s too strong. If I didn’t rid you of your magic, sooner or later, you’d replace me!”

Lin Nuo’s eyes glazed over, murmuring, “Just for that… just for that, you’d kill your brother, your daughter?”

Otto’s face twisted, “You didn’t have to die, and Nana could have lived a few more years. Why did Clement only take a liking to you? Just you?! You, this soft-hearted fool who’s nothing like an emperor! If you had become king, Saros would’ve been ruined! What I did was merely to save this country!”

Facing Otto’s continuous shouting, Lin Nuo, leaning against the door, raised his head wearily and sighed. Why do these villains, who regard human lives as insignificant, always manage to cloak themselves in righteousness and emperor-like airs? He shook his head, stood up straight, and said, “My teacher was right.”

Looking at Lin Nuo, who had just been in agony, now effortlessly standing up, Otto’s triumphant smile froze on his face.

“My teacher said the Crown Prince is flamboyant, paranoid, and impulsive. As long as I slightly cooperated, he would arrange the most exaggerated scene in the most dramatic way to complete his performance. And if I gave a little hint, the Crown Prince would undoubtedly be so pleased with himself that he’d reveal everything.”

“You… You…” Otto’s face turned from red to pale as realization struck him. “You teamed up to deceive me?”

Lin Nuo spread his hands, a “sorry” expression on his face.

Yes. He had just discovered the issue with that wristband. After some thought, he immediately ran to Rennes’ room. Lin Nuo knew that what lay behind that wristband was something he couldn’t handle at his current level.

Rennes enveloped the wristband in magic, carefully examined it, then questioned Roy, who was still asleep, from the angle of “Otto’s illegitimate child.”

Nana’s true identity was soon revealed to both of them. At the same time, Roy also informed them that Nana’s birth mother, after being forcibly separated from Nana, became increasingly haggard, gained weight, and completely lost her former beauty. 

Otto had been avoiding her and even had someone evict her from the private residence he had bought for their secret rendezvous, replacing her with a new mistress. Finally, on a cold winter night, Nana’s mother, at her wit’s end, ‘accidentally’ fell into the river and never surfaced again.

Upon realizing that Otto must have figured out that Nana’s ‘weapon’ didn’t work since he returned unharmed and even displayed his magical abilities in front of everyone, Lin Nuo was deeply concerned about what crazier actions Otto might take against Nana. 

Rennes, although unknown to Lin Nuo, was well aware that all the covert lines Otto had planted and the Bishop Vite who had been supplying him with resources from behind had been eliminated. The current Otto was nothing more than a deranged trapped animal.

After hearing Rennes’ words, Lin Nuo quickly calmed down and looked at Rennes. ‘So… Teacher’s suggestion is to use their plan against them?’

Rennes nodded. ‘Yes.’ 

Then, without waiting for Lin Nuo to ask, he added, ‘If Your Highness is worried about Nana being endangered, we can, as we discussed, create a small protective array around her to ensure her safety.’

So, Lin Nuo proceeded with pretending to be incredibly naive, falling into the ‘trap’ set by Otto.

After finally understanding that he was the one being manipulated, Otto’s face contorted, and he started making wheezing sounds from his chest, like a broken bellows. “Even if I confess, what then? As long as I remain a member of the royal family, Clement can’t touch me!”

Lin Nuo, looking at him with pity in his eyes, replied, “Ah, about that… Teacher anticipated that as well.”

Otto’s eyes bulged. “Wh-what?”

With a gesture from Lin Nuo, Rennes’ voice came from the air, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has already confessed to his crimes. Henceforth, Otto shall no longer enjoy the privileges of a royal family member. He shall be confined to the ‘High Tower’, never to be released.”

The High Tower was Saros’ most stringent and darkest prison. No sunlight, cold, and foul-smelling. Prisoners were kept in solitary cells with no communication allowed. Additionally, a magical array randomly removed one organ from the prisoner each day — a finger if lucky, or perhaps the skin from their body if not. Then, in a state of near unconsciousness, they would be magically forced to sleep, and their organs would be reattached, ensuring they remained alive for the next day’s ‘random removal.’

Any imprisoned in the High Tower only wished for a swift end to their lives — but the magic prevented that, ensuring they suffered in endless agony.

Upon hearing this, Otto fell to the ground, showing real despair in his eyes for the first time. Looking at Lin Nuo still consulting with Rennes, he had bloodshot eyes, distorted facial features, and dug his fingernails into the floor: if he was going to suffer, then they couldn’t live either!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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