Evil Dragon Chapter 56: Golden Rain

Chapter 56: Golden Rain

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Aika

(Addis TN: This entire chapter, Lin Nuo will be referred to as Linno since that is who he believes he is.)

 

Linno is a dragon. He’s a golden dragon, a handsome one, a happy one. He lives alone on an island. When the weather is good, Linno flies out from the treasure cave in the center of the island, flies to the beach, and then lies down to sunbathe. Around the island is a deep blue sea, waves crash against black rocks, creating layers of white foam.

Sometimes, Linno stretches out his claws to play with the foam. Other times, he might pat the scattered large crabs or help the little sea turtles flipped over by the waves to get back on their feet. But most of the time, he just lazily lies there without moving. If the weather isn’t good, he nests in his treasure cave, counting his gold coins over and over.

He has so many gold coins, no matter how much he counts, he can’t count them all. Moreover, whenever he wishes, he can roar at the sky, and numerous gold coins will fall from the sky as if in a shower of golden rain.

Linno finds this very amusing. And Linno’s uncles also find it amusing. When they visit Linno, they encourage him to summon a shower of golden rain on the spot. Of course, Linno’s uncles are also dragons.

The uncles are black dragons, one with silver eyes and the other with green eyes. The one with silver eyes is called the “Elder.” The one with green eyes is called “Eugene.” Every time the Elder and Eugene fly to the island, they stir up strong winds and waves, causing all the little sea turtles on the beach to hide in the sea. But every time they come, Linno is still very happy.

Once, Linno asked them, “Why do I live alone on this island? What is the world beyond the sea like?”

The Elder gently tapped Linno’s head with his black claw, “Little Linno, the world outside is too dangerous. There are fierce knights wielding dragon-slaying swords who want to kill you. This place is the end of the world, a gap between ‘non-existence and existence,’ a unique island for dragons. Even the knights cannot find you. So, little Linno, stay on the island peacefully and avoid the knights.”

Linno blinked his golden eyes, lowered his head, indicating that he understood. But for some reason, he became somewhat unhappy upon hearing the words “knights.” Because of this unhappiness, he couldn’t successfully summon a shower of golden rain for his two uncles that day.

Eugene seemed very worried, flying around Linno constantly. The Elder, in a very kindly manner, comforted Linno, asking if he had been too tired lately.

Linno lay in his treasure cave, pressing his claws on his own coins, feeling sulky for a long time, before finally asking, “Why do the knights want to kill me?”

The Elder gently bumped Linno’s head with his own, as a way of comforting him, “Little Linno, let me tell you a story about the dragon race.”

So, the Elder began to tell the story. He said, a long, long time ago, due to very complicated reasons, humans and monsters engaged in a battle. During the battle, the dragon race, as the leaders of the monsters, was defeated due to the cunning of humans. Under the intervention of the supreme god, the dragon race was sealed away and could no longer freely enter this world.

At that time, the two most powerful factions among humans were called Heinrich and Clement. By the arrangement of the supreme god, Heinrich became the royal family, in charge of “power.” Clement became the knights, simultaneously in charge of “wealth.” There was never any conflict allowed between the two families, only the joint protection of the special place called Saros.

After the blood oath between the two families, the supreme god let go and allowed humans to dominate Saros. Humans are inherently cruel and greedy creatures. Gradually, a third force emerged in Saros called the “Church.”

The Church claimed to be the manifestation of the supreme god in the world. Centuries ago, in the pursuit of power, the pope and the archbishop summoned the dragon race using forbidden magic—specifically, the Elder and Eugene.

Thus, the awakened dragon race agreed to help humans seize Heinrich’s power and take Clement’s wealth. The price for this was these two individuals, who, with their bodies rich in magical essence, became food for the dragon race.

After feasting on this meal, the Elder transformed into the pope, and Eugene became the archbishop. According to their agreement with humans, they began to continuously fight for power and wealth. the magical essence within human flesh was ultimately limited. Without new magic to replenish it, the dragon race would fall back into slumber.

So, the Elder decided to summon the legendary “Golden True Dragon.” This kind of true dragon could release the magic from gold coins for the use of the dragon race.

Unfortunately, the soul of the Golden True Dragon was too intricate and fragile. The “pope” and the “archbishop,” no matter what they did, couldn’t find a suitable vessel to contain the soul of the true dragon.

Just then, due to the stupidity and cruelty of humans, they were given another chance.

In the Heinrich family, a fratricidal incident occurred. Two brothers united and turned their younger brother into a helpless, limbless person.

The dragon race, who had been monitoring Heinrich, immediately rushed to the palace, saving the dying person and placing the magnificent soul of the Golden True Dragon within this individual.

At this point, the Elder pointed his claw at Linno’s nose, “This person is the vessel carrying your soul in the human world. Little Linno, you are our most precious Golden True Dragon.”

Linno suddenly wasn’t sleepy anymore and wasn’t bored either. He sat up, his tail tapping on the pile of coins, “So, can I also transform into a human?”

The Elder let out a thunderous laugh, “My dear little Linno, of course you can. But it cannot be on this island. This island belongs solely to the dragon race; human bodies cannot withstand the dragon aura on this island. So, this is the safest island; no malicious human can harm you here.”

Linno retracted his neck, “Okay…”

He was just a little curious about what it would feel like to transform into a human. He had a feeling… perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad? After Linno’s tail stopped tapping, another question came to mind, “Elder, so the gold coins I summon now are providing magic for you?”

The Elder nodded, “Yes.”

Linno picked up a handful of gold coins with his claws, “Then… where do these coins I summon come from?”

Both the Elder and Eugene chuckled, “Little Linno, these coins belong to you, of course. Even as a Golden True Dragon, you cannot violate the rules of the supreme god by using coins that don’t belong to you.”

“Oh…” Linno was still somewhat puzzled, “But why do I have so many coins? It’s like I can’t use them all no matter what.”

The Elder’s silver eyes narrowed, a long “Hmm” escaping, “That’s because some foolish and humble humans sacrificed all their coins to you. So, little Linno, boldly summon these coins and provide magic for us. Without your magic, Eugene and I might not be able to return to the world of humans.”

Hearing that he was so useful, that he could provide such great help to the Elder and Eugene, Linno vigorously nodded his head, becoming happy again. Knowing he was such a useful “Golden True Dragon,” Linno started practicing summoning coins even more diligently. Gradually, besides coins, he could summon some other peculiar items.

For instance… A gem-encrusted quill pen. Tiny bowls and plates made entirely of gold, almost too small to see. Silver buttons as small as grains of sand, obviously meant for humans. A silver spoon that only humans would use.

Linno couldn’t figure out where all these boring trinkets came from. Could it be that the person who sacrificed coins to himself also gave him these things? Humans are truly foolish, Linno thought.

One day, after a shower of golden rain, Linno found something different in the pile of coins. Shiny and bright, slightly larger than the gold coins. But to a dragon like Linno, it was still very tiny.

Linno used his claws to pick it up: Huh? Was this a pocket watch made entirely of gold? Moreover, this pocket watch was ticking?

Tick, tock…

Why did this tick-tock sound… feel so familiar? It was like a melody that had echoed repeatedly in his ears, as if calling him to a certain place… Holding this pocket watch, Linno unconsciously spread his wings and flew out of the treasure cave.

He flew past the solitary mountain, beyond the beach, and over the dark sea. Where was he going? Linno didn’t know. But this pocket watch seemed to be guiding him in a direction with its ticking sound…

On the frothing sea surface, Linno flew. He flew and flew until even the horizon of the blue sky and sea disappeared. There was an end to the sea. At the end of the sea was an unfathomable darkness. No light, no sound.

That was the purest darkness. Is this what the Elder and Eugene referred to as the boundary between existence and non-existence? All that pervaded the darkness was an unknown aura and a sense of danger. But for some reason, Linno still wanted to pass through it. Was there something important waiting for him beyond that dark veil?

Just as he was about to touch that darkness, a silver lightning bolt struck. Crack—his golden claws were instantly marked. Linno trembled twice, suddenly regaining his senses. “What am I doing? The Elder warned me never to leave this island.”

So, Linno bewilderedly flapped his wings, changed direction, and flew back to his small island. As he flew, a voice echoed in his mind, [Host! Host! The system has finally located you! You’ve been out of the system’s monitoring range for a long time!]

Linno suspended himself in the air, “What a mess? How can there be someone talking in my head? Is this human sorcery? When the Elder comes, I must tell him that humans have invaded this small island.”

Linno had no intention of dealing with this strange voice and continued flying back. the voice in his head began shouting, [Host! Host, snap out of it! Based on your current behavior, you’ve completely deviated from Rennes·Clement’s wish. If you don’t adjust your behavior, the system will forcibly close the ‘hidden route’ and severely punish Rennes Clement! Rennes will die!]

Upon hearing the last sentence, for some reason, Linno’s heart throbbed twice heavily, making him feel uncomfortable. Rennes·Clement? That detestable human. It would be good for the dragon race if he died. But why do I feel so upset? I can’t find any happiness at all… The voice in his head kept blabbering about how if Rennes died, the story could never have a happy ending, and the system would also face punishment.

Finally, the system began weeping bitterly, [Host, if you return to the island like this, you will forever, forever regret it! No amount of gold coins can bring you happiness!]

So Linno softened again. He hesitantly asked in his mind, “Then, what can I do?”

He couldn’t fly away. Other than summoning gold coins and breathing fire, he couldn’t do anything else.

The system excitedly said, [You just hold onto that pocket watch and stay in this area, keep staying!]

So Linno reluctantly stayed at the juncture of darkness and sunlight. After staying for what felt like a long time, Linno was horrified to discover: that darkness had been torn apart! A faint golden light had split the darkness! With that golden light, a vague figure emerged from the darkness.

Though the figure’s appearance wasn’t clear, Linno could immediately see that the person held a sword that reflected a contrary golden light. The hilt of the sword was engraved with a dragon pattern. That was—the Dragon Slayer Sword! A knight capable of slaying dragons! The knight was coming!

Linno screeched, putting all his effort into flying back to his own small island and immediately hiding in the treasure trove. He lay on his pile of gold, trembling uncontrollably, thinking: What do I do? What do I do? Have I, under some sorcery, let the knight who might kill me in?

What do I do?! In his panicked state, Linno failed to notice that, even in such a rush, he still clutched that small, pure golden pocket watch in his claw. Amidst Linno’s fear and unease, night fell.

The sea was unusually calm in the night. An entire night passed without anything happening. When dawn was about to break, Linno fell into a blurry sleep until a few rays of morning sunlight crept into the treasure trove.

Linno licked his claws, cautiously moved to the cave entrance, peered outside, and—Ah! On the beach, there was a humanoid figure! That must be the knight coming to slay me! Linno immediately scrambled back into the cave, trembling uncontrollably again: It’s over, it’s over, the knight has found my island… He… He must be here to kill me—

But wait, what was that person doing just now? He seemed to be directing the gold coins to dance? Linno raised his short arms, rubbed his eyes with his claws, and peered out of the cave again, this time observing more attentively. Indeed, the slender knight had somehow gathered many gold coins and was making them dance.

Coins dancing… This scene seemed familiar? Linno stared at the shimmering trails left by countless gold coins in the air, unconsciously becoming dazed.

The knight on the beach seemed oblivious to Linno’s gaze, still effortlessly allowing the gold coins to roll around. Suddenly, as if one coin lost control, it flew straight up and twirled in front of Linno. Without hesitation, Linno jumped forward and caught the coin in his claws.

After the coin landed in his grasp, Linno screamed in his mind: This is it! This is it! I’ve been exposed! Sure enough, the knight on the beach slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with Linno.

The moment their eyes met, Linno froze stiff. His wings stopped in mid-air, and his body became completely motionless.

“Awoo!” he howled and crashed directly onto the beach from the sky. Why can’t I move? Is this the pressure from the Dragon Slayer’s power? Sob, am I really going to die under the Dragon Slayer Sword today?

Lying on the beach, his four limbs facing the sky, Linno silently sobbed.

Eventually, the knight approached him step by step. When the knight got closer, Linno noticed that the knight’s face and body were covered in mottled blood, as if severely injured. Stranger than these wounds was the expression on the knight’s face.

Linno had never imagined humans could have such complex expressions. It seemed like crying, laughing, the sadness after extreme happiness, and the joy after immense pain.

Finally, the knight reached his side and knelt down on one knee. The knight’s hand rested on Linno’s chest covered in golden scales. The knight looked at him with a very gentle voice, “Why did you panic again?”

Huh? Again? Panic? What is he saying? I can’t understand a word.

After saying this, the knight closed his eyes, leaning against the beach.

Oh! What happened to this person?! At the moment the knight fell, Linno found he could move again. He quickly turned around, intending to either drown the person in the sea or drop him from the mountainside. But… But this person seemed to have a lot of gold coins…

Linno thought for a moment and felt reluctant. Fine, let’s take him back to the treasure trove and tie him up. If he misbehaves after waking up, then I’ll throw him into the sea! After weighing his options, Linno brought the knight into the treasure trove and placed him beside the pile of gold coins.

The knight slept for a whole day.

For some reason, Linno felt that the way this person slept was quite charming. Watching the knight lying peacefully beside the gold coins, Linno felt a bit of happiness and tranquility in his heart. Originally, Linno just wanted to lie beside the gold coins and look at them a bit more. While doing so, he got sleepy and dozed off.

The next morning, Linno fluttered his wings and wagged his tail, waking up from a sweet dream. He immediately noticed that the knight, whose hands and feet were bound by chains made of gold coins, was sitting upright beside him! This—This—This tiny human turned the world upside down!

Linno was furious, instantly opening his mouth to breathe fire and discipline this arrogant knight.

The knight reached out and gently patted Linno’s cheek, mumbling, “Don’t make a fuss. Let me sleep a bit longer.”

Huh? For some reason, this hoarse voice again made Linno tremble inside. Fine, a dignified dragon can’t attack while someone’s sleeping. I’ll wait for him to wake up and then, then I’ll properly discipline him.

Linno was firmly decided but when the knight woke up again, Linno still couldn’t find an opportunity to discipline him. Because before Linno could breathe fire, the knight conjured a plate of white and soft-smelling things.

The knight called it “rice pudding.” Moreover, it was rice pudding with gold leaf, suitable for dragons too. So Linno gobbled up all the rice pudding. Um, it wouldn’t be ethical to eat someone’s food and then tie them up and burn them with fire, right?

So Linno decided to wait another day before tying up the knight.

Another day passed. Linno still hadn’t managed to tie up the knight to burn him. Because the knight conjured a flower made of gold coins. It was really beautiful.

Linno felt very happy.

So he decided to postpone the day of disciplining the knight again. But every day thereafter, the knight had something new for him, or the knight had new stories to tell him. Yes, the knight began telling stories to Linno.

The knight told him about the stars in the sky, how they connect to form constellations, each with its own legend. Linno’s throat hummed, eager to hear all the stories about the constellations in one breath. The knight was only willing to tell one story a day. So Linno had to indefinitely postpone the day of disciplining the knight. 

Time passed in this way for an unknown period. One day, as usual, the knight removed his clothes on the beach, tended to countless wounds, and replaced old bandages with new ones. Linno had long noticed that no matter how the knight bandaged and treated himself, his wounds would bleed every day on the island. Perhaps this was the “dragon’s aura” causing harm to the human body.

If these wounds kept breaking open, would this handsome knight die here? Linno, who had once thought about throwing the knight into the sea, suddenly felt very sentimental. Despite being a knight, he seemed to be a good knight. He gave me a lot of delicious food, played hide and seek with me, and told me stories. He even tried to draw for me on the beach and went into the sea to fetch shells for me. Every time he emerged from the seawater, his wounds were soaked, and his face was trembling with pain. As soon as I saw him, he seemed to stop hurting, always looking at me so gently. This knight is really strange.

If he were to die like this, I would be sad. No, I have to make him leave this island.

Speaking of which, humans coming to this island should have a purpose, right? If he’s not here to kill me, then what is his purpose? Perhaps, like the elders, does he also want gold?

Linno looked at the knight who had just finished bandaging himself, scratched his claws on the beach, and tentatively asked, “Do you… also want gold?”

Linno had noticed before that the knight could understand his words, but he had never actively spoken to him. This was the first time he initiated a conversation before the knight spoke.

The knight’s movement paused. Linno took another step forward, whispering, “If you want gold, I can give you gold. Will you go back?”

“You, you are seriously injured… if you don’t leave… your wounds will never heal…”

The knight’s shoulders began to tremble slightly. Linno, frightened, jumped back, thinking: Did I say something wrong? Why does the knight look so unhappy?

After a while, the knight turned around. Bandages encircled his sturdy chest, and there were fresh tear stains on his handsome face. Could it be… the knight cried because he was in too much pain? Linno wondered.

The knight, barefoot on the gravel, walked step by step to Linno’s side, and something appeared out of thin air again. Seeing this familiar gesture, Linno reflexively, and quite unheroically, extended his paw, spreading it out in front of the knight.

The knight placed a shiny ring in Linno’s paw. “I didn’t come for gold,” the knight said. “I came to return something you’ve forgotten. My Highness, my companion, the one I deeply love, Lin Nuo.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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