Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 17.2

“These are materials that beginners must be familiar with,” Al said. “The Prince will have to work a bit harder and find time to explain this content to Xue Yi once.” He then added, “Astrology is inherently complex and tedious; just treat it as an extracurricular activity. None of the tasks I assign will have a time limit.”

Whenever Xi Huai and Xue Yi finished reading these materials, they would proceed to the next step. Xi Huai picked up a few pages and flipped through them. “Fine.” This wasn’t hard; he would just treat them as bedtime stories for the little dragon.

Aside from the reading materials, Al also required Xi Huai and Xue Yi to come once a week at a set time to observe him performing astrology. He wouldn’t interfere with the tutors and coursework the palace prepared for Xi Huai. Xi Huai also had a lot of free time and could go anywhere in the manor at will, including the library. Xi Huai agreed to everything, and the little dragon cub also listened very seriously.

Having said all that needed to be said, Al nodded. “Go back then… Oh, starting today, you can call me Teacher.” Al was a human; he looked very young but was actually over a hundred years old. There were some other students in the manor, but not many were taught by him personally.

Xi Huai submissively changed his address: “Teacher.” Holding the thick stack of materials in one hand and scooping up the little dragon cub with the other, he quietly exited the room.

The next day, the tutors arranged by the palace also arrived. There were several tutors in total, covering various fields, coming at most once a week. They also prepared a large number of books and coursework. The assistant turned the empty room next to Xi Huai’s into a study and prepared a magic practice room. Even if he couldn’t go out, he was no worse off than at the academy.

The only difference was that Xi Huai no longer had classmates to spar with; he could only use a basic spatial array to practice with himself. This way, if he struck too hard, he would be the one injured. Xi Huai had no objection to these arrangements. That night, after finishing his coursework for the day, he prepared to “tell stories” to Xue Yi.

The materials Al gave weren’t hard to read; some cases of successful or failed astrology were indeed very similar to stories. The bedding was divided into two parts; a small nest was placed at the front of the inner side, and Xue Yi was crouching inside. Xi Huai sat to the side, leaning against the headboard, holding a book of materials and reading slowly.

The words he read were clear, and he occasionally replaced fragments with words that were easier to understand; Xue Yi could basically follow. But Xi Huai’s tone was deep, and he read with little emotion, sounding more like a lullaby. He read for about half an hour, and the breathing beside him grew more and more steady. When Xi Huai turned his head to look, the little dragon cub was lying face down, fast asleep in dreamland. Xi Huai put down the book and turned off the light.

A few days later, Xi Huai took Xue Yi back to the top floor of the clock tower to observe Al’s astrology. The process of astrology was both meticulous and quiet, often requiring quite a bit of time. During this period, Xi Huai and Xue Yi could only sit in their seats and wait patiently.

Xi Huai’s adaptability was quite good, much stronger than Al had anticipated. He sat on the cushion almost motionless, like a statue. He wouldn’t make a sound to disturb or ask how much longer it would take; Al was satisfied with his temporary performance.

However, staying in one place for a long time was difficult for Xue Yi. The little dragon cub was initially full of interest, expecting Al to give them a lesson. But after crouching for half an hour without hearing Al say a single word, he grew bored. Al remained sitting quietly at the front, touching the star map on the table.

Gradually, Xue Yi began to peek at the mechanical birds perched by the window. A while later, the little dragon cub fell asleep on the cushion. Xi Huai was worried Al would be unhappy and wanted to wake Xue Yi.

As he raised his hand, Al stopped him softly: “It’s fine, let him sleep.” As a dragon, even if he was much more intelligent than his peers, Xue Yi was still just a tiny cub; Al wouldn’t have excessive requirements. The attic was very quiet, with occasional faint sounds of wind and bird calls coming from the direction of the window.

The little dragon cub had a comfortable nap, even rolling over to reveal a small section of his belly. This nap didn’t last long. When Xue Yi woke up, Al was just unfolding the star map on the table. The dark night sky was projected into the entire room; even sunlight couldn’t penetrate, and the vision suddenly darkened.

Countless starlights floated and shimmered slowly, as if they were in the starry sky beyond the clouds. The little dragon cub opened his golden eyes wide, jumped onto the table, and waved a paw at the star closest to him. The star passed through his paw. Xue Yi thought it was fun and ran off to pounce on stars elsewhere.

The commotion the little dragon cub made wasn’t big, and Al never stopped him. So, when they came over in the following weeks, Xue Yi was much more relaxed and casual. Xi Huai carried water and snacks; if he wanted to eat, he would ask him. If bored, he could go to the glass window to watch the birds and floating clouds; if tired, he would flop down in Xi Huai’s arms or on a cushion.

As his courage grew, the little dragon cub simply wagged his tail and ran to Al’s side to observe him at close range. Al usually spoke little and always looked gentle and mild, but he was also quite cold, with a “strangers keep away” vibe somewhat similar to Xi Huai’s. This had no effect on Xue Yi at all; the little dragon cub sniffed the ends of Al’s hair hanging by his side and quietly pawed at them.

At that moment, Xi Huai moved slightly, his elbow making a faint sound against the edge of the table. Xue Yi turned his head to look at him and then ran over. Xi Huai reached out to catch the little dragon cub and held him tightly with lowered eyes.

Another time, Xue Yi jumped directly onto Al’s table, crouching at the corner. The star map occupied the entire table, and the little dragon cub also lowered his head as if observing carefully. After watching for a while, Xue Yi pressed down casually with a paw: “Mhm?”

Al didn’t react as if he had been disturbed at all; instead, he stopped, his finger searching toward the spot held down by the dragon paw. He spoke in a low voice: “Mhm… it’s right here.”

Three months passed this way. The adjutant came to visit and opened a communicator to let Xi Mengya and Xi Huai speak. “How is it? Are you used to it?” Xi Mengya asked some questions, and Xi Huai answered them one by one, without any dissatisfaction in his tone.

The adjutant saw that his state was also good. He wasn’t sure if it was psychological, but after not seeing him for only three months, Xi Huai seemed truly much more steady. The indicator light on the communicator flickered. Xue Yi approached, letting out several “awoo-awoo” sounds. There was silence on the other side for a while before Xi Mengya’s voice was heard: “…What is he doing?”

“Greeting you,” Xi Huai brought the little dragon cub over. “Father, I haven’t finished my coursework for today; let’s leave it at that.”

Half a year later, the adjutant came to visit again. Xi Nian had originally wanted to come too, but learned that the Star-Gazing Tower didn’t allow too many outsiders, and Xi Huai didn’t really want to see him. The adjutant’s visit was also to check Xi Huai’s various coursework and his magic study.

Xi Huai had completed his coursework for each subject well, and he had long ago finished reading the materials Al gave, still reading them to Xue Yi every night. Regarding the proficiency in magic and the Different Demon Tribe’s talent, Xi Huai seemed a bit lazy. He sat cross-legged on the grass outside the clock tower, fiddling with a cloth ball: “I just came out of the practice room this morning; I’m a bit tired now.”

To show the progress of his magic study to the adjutant, he would likely have to fight him. Xi Huai was too lazy to move, and the adjutant didn’t force him. With Xi Huai’s talent, occasional neglect in combat was no big deal. Furthermore… his situation was special; perhaps it was a good thing that his strength wasn’t that high.

It was noon now, and the weather was very pleasant. Xue Yi had taken off his thin little vest and was chasing small butterflies in the grass. Half a year had passed, and the little dragon cub hadn’t changed at all; his constitution didn’t seem much better either, as a cold wind would easily make him sneeze. But Xi Huai took very good care of Xue Yi; in all the time he had been at the manor, he hadn’t truly been sick once.

As for when Xue Yi could transform, Xi Huai spent a few days in the clock tower’s library and found some books. The books recorded that the Dragon Tribe, like other beastman tribes, would show signs of transformation around the age of three. The early stage required adapting to the transition from beast form to human form and might be unstable; the specific time they could transform would also vary depending on individual differences. For example, the level of talent and physical fitness would have an effect.

Due to the difference between beast form and human form, they could only wait until Xue Yi transformed before teaching him to speak and write. Xue Yi was getting faster and faster at memorizing things, able to accurately find which page of the book Xi Huai had read the night before and where he had stopped. After Xue Yi had basically memorized the bunch of astrology materials Al first gave, the assistant sent another batch of books.

The astrology Al taught them also didn’t seem to have any substantial progress. Xi Huai didn’t care about this; he hadn’t come here to learn astrology in the first place. Al likely just wanted a reason to check his state regularly.

To everyone’s surprise, Xi Huai was truly very obedient while staying at the manor, never taking the initiative to cause trouble or intending to slip out. Xi Mengya had sent several messages to him, each time offering a few words of praise. Xue Yi hadn’t gone out either; the vast manor was enough for a young dragon to play in. In his spare time, Xi Huai even used wood and rope to make some climbing frames, placing them on the balcony where they could get sunlight.

The time spent in the manor was both peaceful and long, yet it passed in a flash. Xi Huai didn’t care much about the outside world; his greatest concern remained when Xue Yi would transform. Before Xue Yi was about to turn three, Xi Huai had people buy many, many clothes in advance, filling an entire wardrobe on their own.

However, perhaps because Xue Yi’s physical fitness was weaker, there were no signs of transformation until he was three and a half. In over three years, the little dragon cub had only grown a knuckle taller, and the dragon wings on his back had become a bit larger.

After his fourth birthday, Xue Yi still hadn’t transformed. This afternoon, Xi Huai was standing under a tree. He reached his hand upward, coaxing patiently: “Don’t be afraid, I’ll catch you.”

In over four years, the boy’s figure had grown a good deal taller; his features had gradually lost their childishness, already revealing some of his future appearance. In the tree, a little dragon cub was tremblingly clinging to a branch, looking down cautiously. Xue Yi was a bit afraid and didn’t dare to jump down.

The little dragon cub was over four years old, and his wings were gradually taking shape; logically, he should have been able to fly long ago. But usually, Xi Huai pampered him too much, so it had been delayed until now. A few days ago, Al spoke up, saying that Xue Yi must learn to fly this month, otherwise he would be punished, and Xi Huai wouldn’t be spared.

Only then did Xi Huai harden his heart and place Xue Yi on a high branch, wanting to use this method to speed up the progress. The little dragon cub whimpered twice in grievance; seeing that Xi Huai was unmoved and had no intention of picking him up, Xue Yi plucked up his courage, closed his eyes, and let go of the branch.

The little dragon cub fell, and his wings instinctively unfolded and flapped, stalling in mid-air for two seconds before continuing to drop. Xi Huai reached out in time to catch him, and the demonic energy surrounding the little dragon cub acted as a buffer. Xue Yi fell into the familiar embrace, opened his eyes to look, and realized it wasn’t as scary as he had imagined.

“See, you can do it,” Xi Huai soothed him, holding the little dragon as he turned back to the house. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”