Evil Dragon Chapter 47: Back!

Chapter 47:  Back!

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai

 

Otto, though obstinate and self-willed, was a legitimate member of the royal family trained in magic for many years, possessed a basic judgment ability. For instance, he knew that Lin Nuo’s magical power had now recovered, fearing he couldn’t effortlessly sever his imprint as he had seventeen years ago using “Blackwater.” Hence, he laid down magical arrays around the side hall and emptied his collection of water element crystals, placing them all around. what he hadn’t anticipated was that Rennes had swiftly replaced these magical arrays and crystals.

The “scene” he had constructed to intimidate Lin Nuo and the serpent-like “Blackwater” he had summoned were nothing but harmless illusions. Lin Nuo hadn’t suffered any harm. Now, collapsed and kneeling on the ground, Otto was fully aware that he had been completely “set up.”

Rennes and Lin Nuo not only replaced his magical arrays, rendering “Blackwater” unusable, but they also reversed the situation by imprisoning all of Otto’s magic, rendering him unable to wield even a shred of his magical power. Watching Lin Nuo calmly conversing with Rennes and easily opening the door while soothing Nana, Otto finally smirked for the last time.

Ha, hahaha. Did they really think that I, the eldest son of the Heinrich family, the legitimate heir of Saros, would spend my remaining life in the high tower, worse than death? My noble bloodline cannot suffer such an insult. Lin Nuo, along with the ignorant Clement, let me show you the power of lineage.

Otto looked up at the ceiling, memories flashing through his mind like a carousel. The first touch of the crystal, making it shine… Mother was so delighted, constantly patting my head. The first time I drew a magical array, it rained over the wheat fields… Young Josef looked at me with admiration. At seven, dressed in formal attire, the thunderous cheers as I walked onto the platform. I must have been the crown prince, right?

Yet, I overheard Grandpa telling my parents, “Otto’s talent still lacks something.”

Lacks talent?! My talent was lacking?! Impossible! I was already so much stronger than those around me! And then, when I was eight, Linno was born. This monster hadn’t learned to speak yet but had already used magic to conjure a bunch of small toys for himself.

Standing by his crib, watching him kick his legs, chewing on the toy dragon he magically grabbed, I first learned what “true talent” meant. Grandpa’s approval, my parents’ attention, everything of mine was taken by this little monster. Talent, huh? Then let me see how resilient your talent truly is.

Otto closed his eyes, letting his blood boil within him.

“Rest assured, Teacher, it’s safe here.” Lin Nuo held Nana, who had become too weak to walk, and conversed with Rennes.

Rennes had just accompanied the king and heard everything that happened in the palace through the crystals. Although the king’s final “verdict” was very composed, the old man was in his twilight years. After saying those words, his complexion turned ugly, and he seemed dazed, as if he might faint at any moment.

“You don’t need to worry about me; stay with Grandpa. I’ll take Nana back…” Lin Nuo stopped suddenly, sensing a change in the air behind him. A thick, nauseating smell of blood mixed with a strong, putrid stench.

Feeling the wind rushing behind him, Lin Nuo didn’t have time to turn around; he quickly moved aside with Nana— An arrow-like jet of blackwater narrowly missed his shoulder, plunging into a nearby ditch.

What? Shouldn’t Otto have been powerless by now? He sped up towards the gangway while glancing back with his peripheral vision. What he saw made his heart race: Otto, or whatever that being called Otto was, had no unscathed skin left on his body. He looked like a sieve covered in holes, from which black liquid gushed out. Some of the liquid snaked slowly on the ground, while others gathered in the air, flying towards him like arrows.

Lin Nuo dared not linger or spare a second. He ran desperately while briefly describing what he saw to Rennes.

“This is a self-destructive forbidden technique; Otto used it on himself,” Rennes spoke with irritation and anxiety in his voice.

A forbidden technique. Lin Nuo knew this was serious without needing Rennes to explain further. But at present, apart from running, it seemed there was no other way? As he neared the gangway, the previously calm lake suddenly churned into massive waves, flipping the already dilapidated gangway over.

Realizing this was likely due to Otto infusing blood into the water and manipulating it, Lin Nuo cursed internally. He understood he might have to hold out here a bit longer with Nana until Rennes brought reinforcements. It’s alright; I’ve practiced protective magic barriers many times.

Lin Nuo placed the unconscious Nana on the ground and swiftly started drawing a magical array. In less than half a minute, a pale golden “bowl” enveloped him and Nana.

Phew, this should do it. This barrier, empowered by elemental forces, could withstand high-intensity piercing and explosions. Lin Nuo remained vigilant, half-kneeling inside the inverted “bowl,” alert to any sudden changes, lest any unexpected variables arise.

Thankfully, the fiercely aggressive black liquid surrounding them couldn’t break through this barrier no matter how hard it tried. Lin Nuo felt somewhat relieved. The ground in front of the barrier suddenly turned into a muddy, bubbling swamp.

Frowning, Lin Nuo quickly drew another array, mimicking Rennes’ technique on the square, converting golden light into arrows to pierce into the swamp. Rennes had taught him this, a combination of “wind” and “earth” elements to suppress the power of “water.” Using this against the self-destructing Otto seemed to be a suitable measure.

Lin Nuo had forgotten a crucial point: The current Otto was a deranged beast with only one thought in mind: taking others down with him. And he himself was still an inexperienced novice.

Gradually, the speed at which Lin Nuo summoned crystals couldn’t keep up with the land transforming into a swamp in front of him.

The ground beneath him and Nana was sinking bit by bit. He was managing, but Nana lying on the ground had nearly half her body trapped by the black mud emerging from underground. What was more terrifying was the face forming in the swamp, a twisted and grotesque face — it was Otto.

It seemed he had merged himself with the island in the middle of the lake, becoming one with the artificial lake. Realizing this, Lin Nuo concentrated even harder, trying to fend off Otto’s encroachment with magic, hoping the barrier could hold out a little longer until Rennes arrived and the collapse could be prevented.

But using magic at such high intensity had really drained his body. After summoning crystals in the square, he had already depleted much of his energy and hadn’t rested properly during the dragon transformation.

Dragon transformation… Fire!

Rennes once said, “Pure fire can also be used against water-based attacks!”

Yes, even though the magical supply for human form is lacking, the dragon form still has plenty of power! As long as Lin Nuo could control his body before Rennes reached the island in the lake, shifting back to human form would be fine!

Glancing at Nana, half of whose body was covered in mud, Lin Nuo knew he had no time to hesitate. He hung the fully charged golden pocket watch around his neck and silently invoked, “Dragon!”

In an instant, a fluffy pink creature leaped into the air, bursting out of the shallow golden bowl, spewing forth a pure flame towards the wildly wriggling black mud. To Lin Nuo’s surprise and delight, the dragon’s breath at that moment had much more potency than the small fireworks he produced earlier.

A few seconds later, Otto’s fierce and hideous face within the mud pit was struck squarely by the glaring flames, emitting a hoarse scream while rapidly turning into ashes. Emerging actively from the barrier, Lin Nuo continued flapping his wings, spewing fire at the surrounding muddy land, rapidly spreading channels, and even the surging waves attempting to climb ashore. Soon, the restless muddy waters around him were quickly dried and solidified, reverting to solid ground.

Relying on this ring of fire, Lin Nuo forcibly created a “safe zone” of about 50 square meters for himself. Within this area, there was no mud, no dark water, and no huge waves. The continuously tumbling “Otto” couldn’t find any way to break through this “safe zone” from any angle and could only wildly roll in the distance, resembling a powerless octopus.

Phew…

Lin Nuo flapped his wings a couple of times, preparing to land and revert back to human form. He didn’t want Rennes to discover that the small “flame beast” had unexpectedly appeared in this place. At that moment, piercing whistles echoed in the air. This sound made Lin Nuo’s soft fur stand on end, leaving his mind utterly scattered for a while.

Soon after, dozens of gigantic crows flew out of the sky, each with wingspans of at least five meters wide. This group of giant crows connected in mid-air, actually blocking out the fireworks in the sky.

Lin Nuo instantly recognized these crows as the same kind that had tried to swallow or carry him away a month ago when he fell into the water in his dragon form. Lin Nuo struggled to focus, preparing to spew fire to drive away the crows, but he noticed that these crows simultaneously opened their black pointed beaks—

What was that?!

During the incident when he fell into the palace’s water, Lin Nuo was too far away, scared, and with limited vision, unable to see clearly. But this time, Lin Nuo saw clearly that inside the beak of each crow, there was a small magic array pattern.

This pattern, this pattern, was identical to the magic array that fell out of the body of the “Gold Eater,” which had swallowed the Marquess of Troix and countless gold and silver.

What’s going on?! Could it be that the one controlling the “Gold Eater” and raising these crows was the same person?! Could it be that person was the already merged Otto within the artificial lake?!

Dumbfounded by this revelation, Lin Nuo was frozen for half a second. And it was precisely this half second that gave the crows the upper hand. Before Lin Nuo could spew fire, the crows, positioned 10 meters away, set up their formation, all opening their mouths, emitting ear-piercing sound waves from deep within their throats.

“No…” Lin Nuo roared softly, struggling in mid-air with pain. 

After these sound waves penetrated his mind, a voice formed, repeating incessantly, “You’re not a human at all, you’re just a magical dragon… leave this palace… dragon…”

A layer of mist covered Lin Nuo’s black beady eyes, “Oh right… I’m a dragon… I’m not some prince…I should hurry and leave…No, no, Rennes said I’m the perfect Heinrich…Rennes, that’s right, Rennes’s wish is for me to stay here and become a king…If I run away like this, what about Rennes’s wish?! He’ll be punished! No!”

Originally curled up on the ground as a pink ball, Lin Nuo suddenly raised his neck, his eyes turning bright golden, and unleashed a heaven-reaching flame towards the group of crows releasing sound waves.

Sizzle! Several crows instantly turned to black ashes. But one or two crows, flapping their scorched wings, quickly escaped the sea of fire.

Meanwhile, Prince Josef, who had been standing on the platform, elegant and graceful, suddenly trembled all over, spitting out blood into the air, startling the attendants nearby who rushed to assist and support the delicate prince down.

Of course, Lin Nuo couldn’t see any of this at the moment. It could be said that he couldn’t see anything right now. In his golden pupils, there was only emptiness. Although the voice in his mind had faded away, his consciousness remained in a chaotic state.

In a vast emptiness, his instincts urged him to escape, to flee before being discovered. Once his identity was exposed, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his human form anymore. Lin Nuo flapped his wings dazedly, flying away from the island in the lake, away from the artificial lake, flying towards the skyline.

Where should he go? At this moment, Lin Nuo had no concept whatsoever. He was just instinctively flapping his wings continuously. In his mind, there was still an undistinguishable, entirely unorganized mess.

He had no goal, no direction. His consciousness couldn’t form at all. If there were no external forces, he’d probably continue flying like this until his magic depleted and he fell to the ground.

in that chaotic state of mind, a systematic sound finally emerged.

“Tic, toc, tic, toc…” The sound of a clock ticking. This sound, breaking through all the chaos and haziness, echoed in the void of his consciousness. “Tic, toc, tic, toc…”

This steady and repetitive sound formed a line in his consciousness, drawing a path, telling Lin Nuo where he should go… Guided by the sound, Lin Nuo flew tirelessly. Finally, the blurry things in his eyes gradually took on clear outlines. Light and shadow finally had boundaries. The gray shapes finally had colors.

It was a… window?

An open window? This window looks somewhat familiar…

Finally coming to his senses, Lin Nuo, who could now discern the objects in front of him, realized that the stars had stopped twinkling, the sky had turned gray-blue, and the clouds on the horizon were tinged with a golden hue.

Is it almost dawn?! How long have I been flying for?!

Aware of this, Lin Nuo also felt how weary and exhausted his body was. Almost in an instant, his wings, which had been flapping non-stop, suddenly became immobile. The only thing he could do was to rush into that familiar window and, with a ‘thud,’ fall onto the floor, turning into an unconscious ball of fur.

·

A comforting warmth. An intoxicating scent. And the sense of security that couldn’t be replaced by anything else from the touch of human fingers.

Lin Nuo knew where he was even without opening his eyes. When he recognized that window, he understood—

The ‘tick-tock’ of the pocket watch had led him to Rennes’s private residence. Obviously, he had been rescued by Rennes once again. What excuse to use this time? Well, acting clueless should do. After all, the ‘flame creature’ doesn’t speak. And I’m so tired right now, I can’t think straight.

Lin Nuo blinked his eyes and was about to do what he used to do—rub against Rennes’s leg or chest and then continue sleeping peacefully. Then, he realized something important—when did I turn back into a human? But didn’t I learn how to summon clothes? Where are my clothes?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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