Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 13

As the only astrologer in the capital, Al never easily left the Star-Gazing Tower. Any messages he conveyed to the outside world were done through letters or communication devices. Upon hearing the news of his arrival, Xi Mengya immediately asked, “What happened?”

“The gentleman only said it was related to the stars,” the adjutant replied from outside the door. “Will you go over now?”

Hearing this, Xi Mengya glanced at Xi Huai. If it was related to the stars, it was highly likely that Al had come specifically for Xi Huai.

While he was pondering, a flash of silver darted out from the bedroom. Xue Yi had been hidden under the covers for a long time; after listening to the muffled conversation between Xi Mengya and Xi Huai, he finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and wanted to come out to see.

The little dragon cub ran quickly toward Xi Huai. When he saw Xi Mengya, he skidded to a halt, arched his back, and glared at the man with predatory intent, his small spread wings trembling slightly. Despite Xi Huai’s comfort and the fact that the adjutant from noon seemed relatively gentle, Xue Yi remained extremely wary of Xi Mengya.

Tribes at the pinnacle of the continent generally possessed long lifespans. The man sitting in the chair ahead was dressed luxuriously and looked to be about thirty-five years old. His features were thirty percent similar to Xi Huai’s, and even while seated, his presence was overbearing. In Xue Yi’s eyes, this person was the most dangerous because he had once raised a hand against Xi Huai.

Xi Mengya looked over coldly. The little dragon cub’s wings gave a shudder, but in the next second, he was picked up by a familiar pair of hands.

“Don’t be afraid,” Xi Huai whispered, shielding Xue Yi in his arms. “This is my father.”

Father?

The little dragon cub dazed for a moment, and the vigilance in his golden eyes involuntarily lessened. In the innate heritage of the Dragon Tribe, cubs were the primary subjects of protection. By the same token, for whatever reason, an adult dragon would never harm a young dragon, even if it wasn’t their own child. Hearing Xi Huai say the man before them was his father caused Xue Yi’s head to go a bit blank.

Then… then was it a misunderstanding? Parents don’t hurt cubs.

The little dragon cub was young, and his cognition was both pure and simple. The wings that had been tense with defensiveness relaxed; he wagged the tip of his tail and licked his paw.

Xi Mengya’s gaze had not yet shifted away. Xue Yi looked up: “Awoo…”

The sound was tiny, crisp, and short—take it as a greeting.

“When I found the dragon egg, a name was already carved on it; he is called Xue Yi,” Xi Huai said proactively. “Xue Yi is very good and never hurts anyone. Just now, he was only worried about me…”

Xi Mengya remained noncommittal. A dragon this small would be powerless even if it wanted to hurt someone.

“As long as the little dragon can stay, I will listen to everything you say from now on, Father…” Xi Huai lowered his eyes. “And there is the birthday gift you promised me that I wanted.”

He knew that once Xi Mengya made a decision, he would be unable to resist. Aside from stating his determination to keep Xue Yi, he had to offer some soft words. This was also the first time he had ever made a request of Xi Mengya. In the past, when facing any matter or person, Xi Huai had always acted willfully while simultaneously appearing not to care at all.

Xi Mengya still said nothing, seemingly in thought. His gaze lingered on Xi Huai and the now-quiet Xue Yi. The little dragon cub was relaxed now, a completely different dragon from the alert and intimidating creature of a moment ago. He even yawned under Xi Mengya’s watch and buried his head to lick his rounded paws.

Such a small beast was indeed likeable and looked obedient. But what about when he grew up? As the tribal King, Xi Mengya had more things to consider.

After a long while, Xi Mengya stood up. Xi Huai looked up nervously, only to hear Xi Mengya say, “You are not allowed to leave the bedchamber tomorrow either. Someone will request a leave of absence from the academy on your behalf.”

It was getting late, and Xi Mengya decided to see Al first. Before coming here, he had intended to forcibly take the young dragon from Xi Huai and lock the boy away for a few days until he thoroughly accepted the outcome. Xi Huai’s words were unexpected, and with Al’s sudden visit, he wondered if the changing stars were connected to this.

After due consideration, Xi Mengya gave Xi Huai one more day. Xi Huai lowered his head in compliance: “Yes.”

Before leaving, Xi Mengya dropped a “rest early” and exited the room. Xue Yi watched his back disappear at the door and heard Xi Huai say, “We can’t go out to play tomorrow.”

The sky had darkened, but the lamps in the front hall were extinguished. Instead, night-luminescent pearls with a softer glow were placed on the tables on both sides. Xi Mengya arrived in a hurry and saw a figure sitting to the side.

Al heard the footsteps and tilted his head slightly, his eyes—covered by a black cloth—turning toward the door. “King.”

“Forgive the wait, Sir.” Xi Mengya entered the hall and signaled for all attendants to leave. The doors to the front hall were closed, and no one was permitted to approach. Inside the hall, Xi Mengya asked, “What exactly do you mean by a change in the stars?”

“A small change,” Al moved his fingertips slightly, and a map of the starry sky was projected in front of him. His voice paused. “It is the Third Prince’s constellation.”

Xi Mengya did not understand astrology. He asked in a heavy voice, “What kind of change?”

“I cannot make an accurate judgment for the moment, which is why I have come,” Al tucked away the star map and asked, “In the last two months, has any unexpected object appeared by the Third Prince’s side?”

What astrology glimpsed was not everything. Sometimes, one could not make a complete prediction based on the stars alone. In such cases, an astrologer needed close observation and records to decode the meanings represented in the constellation.

An unexpected object? Xi Mengya immediately thought of that juvenile Silver Snow Dragon. His brow furrowed deeply. “There is… I was dealing with it right before I came.”

Xi Mengya then briefly recounted the matter of Xi Huai secretly raising the young dragon to Al. Under the black cloth, Al frowned slightly. “A dragon?”

No wonder his several attempts at judgment had failed… this was indeed an extremely difficult accident to foresee. He continued to ask about the timing of Xi Huai’s entry and exit from Netherworld Valley, basically confirming his suspicions.

“I originally intended to separate Xi Huai and the young dragon,” Xi Mengya said with a hint of helplessness. “If the dragon’s whereabouts aren’t handled well, this will become very troublesome.”

The Different Demon Tribe disliked dragons, but the two races had lived in peace for more than ten years. Unless necessary, Xi Mengya did not wish to clash with them. Especially since Al had once said that in ten to twenty years, the entire continent would be in chaos, and war could easily break out between the tribes. In times like these, one had to act with caution—this was one of the reasons Xi Mengya worried about Xi Huai.

According to the star’s hint, the worst-case scenario was that the chaos would originate from Xi Huai.

“The Third Prince wants to keep the young dragon?” Al’s voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself. He unfolded the star map again, sliding his hand across it as if searching. Xi Mengya did not interrupt, waiting patiently.

After a long time, Al finally looked up. “I need to stay in the palace for a period of time; please prepare a room for me,” he said. “As for that young dragon, let him stay for now.”

The next morning, Xi Huai learned of Al’s intention. Xi Mengya was busy with other official duties, so the adjutant conveyed the message and asked to take Xi Huai and Xue Yi to the front hall.

Al wanted to see them. Afterward, a specialized observer would be assigned to follow Xi Huai. Everything recorded by the observer would be compiled and given to Al for review.

Furthermore, when Al said “keep the young dragon” last night, he didn’t just mean it literally. He suggested that everything proceed as usual and that others should not interfere too much. In other words, if Xi Huai wanted to keep the dragon by his side, he could—for now. Of course, this did not mean Xi Huai could do as he pleased; the young dragon’s existence still had to remain hidden from the outside world.

Additionally, Al’s observation of Xi Huai would count as an “assessment.” Every move he made would influence Al’s judgment on whether the change in his constellation was for good or ill. Put simply, Xue Yi staying with Xi Huai was still only temporary. Having a dragon in the capital was no small matter; during this time, Xi Mengya also needed to deliberate carefully with the other elders of the tribe.

Xi Huai listened with a frown and hesitated before saying, “Fine.” He knew of this Mr. Al; Xi Mengya placed great importance on his astrological results and suggestions. If Al nodded his head, then Xi Mengya would likely agree as well. This was, at the very least, a bit of good news—at least Xue Yi was still under his care as before.

The little dragon cub crouched by the table, listening to the conversation between the adjutant and Xi Huai. He didn’t quite understand terms like “astrology” or “assessment.” There was a cloth ball on the table; bored, the little dragon cub gave it a push with his paw. The ball went “gulu-gulu” rolling to the other side, where the adjutant reached out to catch it.

The adjutant had visited yesterday, and his scent was somewhat familiar, so Xue Yi wasn’t afraid of him. The little dragon cub wagged his tail slightly, acting a bit formal, and looked up with an “awoo.” The adjutant didn’t know what the cry meant. Xi Huai kindly reminded him: “Roll the ball back.”

“The ball? Right…” The adjutant hesitantly placed the cloth ball back on the table and gave it a push. He failed to control his strength; the cloth ball rolled rapidly, brushing past Xue Yi’s leg and hitting the wall behind with a “thud.”

The little dragon cub froze, turned his head to look back, and then looked at the adjutant. Meeting those golden eyes, the adjutant coughed lightly and raised a hand to hide his embarrassment. “Shall we go see Mr. Al first?”

The residence arranged for Al was not far from the side hall. The adjutant led Xi Huai there. Xue Yi lay in his arms, his eyes wandering everywhere. For safety’s sake, everyone in the palace had been warned: if they saw something they shouldn’t, they were absolutely not to mention it to the outside world—such as golden pupils.

Since leaving Netherworld Valley, this was the first time Xue Yi had appeared outside openly. The little dragon cub was curious about everything, twitching his nose from time to time and lifting a paw to try and touch the passing leaves. When he encountered a strange scent, Xue Yi would quickly bury his head to hide. Later, as his courage grew, he began to stare at strangers, though it was the attendants who didn’t dare to look back.

After crossing several corridors, they finally reached their destination. The doors to the front hall were open. Two small gray birds were perched on the corridor railing; seeing people approach, they showed no fear at all. Xi Huai looked at them a few more times and discovered the birds’ pupils shimmered with a metallic luster—they seemed to be mechanical birds.

Upon entering the hall, there were even more mechanical birds, about a dozen of them. They were distributed in various positions, their movements and expressions lifelike; at first glance, they looked just like the real thing. A white-haired man sat to the side, his eyes covered by a black cloth. He looked up as Xi Huai stepped into the hall.

“Third Prince,” Al raised his right hand slightly. “Please, sit.”

The adjutant did not enter. Xi Huai sat in the seat opposite Al, holding Xue Yi. Xue Yi was also looking at Al; this stranger’s hair color was different from everyone else’s. The little dragon cub tilted his head to observe, then looked at his own paws.

At that moment, a mechanical bird flew closer and landed on the table beside them. Xue Yi’s eyes brightened instantly. He waved his paws, about to pounce.

Xi Huai stopped him in time. “You can’t play with this.”

“It’s alright,” Al spoke up. “They are my observers. They won’t be easily damaged.”