Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 21

Xue Yi stood frozen. “Wh-what…?”

Why were they being punished? And why did Xihuai have to be punished too? He turned to look at Xihuai, who also raised his eyes, slightly knitting his brows.

Aier asked, “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Xue Yi first shook his head quickly, then hesitantly nodded. “Is it… is my writing not pretty enough?” He clutched the hem of his clothes, his golden eyes filled with confusion and unease as he thought hard. “Or, or is it…”

Xue Yi thought of another possibility: had Aier discovered that he wasn’t actually completing his daily task of half a page?

The mechanical bird on Aier’s shoulder tilted its head to look at him. Panicking, Xue Yi immediately confessed honestly, “Actually… I didn’t finish writing them… I didn’t write that many. I don’t know why, but they… they just increased on their own…”

Over this period, Xue Yi’s speech had become increasingly fluent, but now that he was nervous, his sentences were stumbling, and he didn’t know how to explain it properly.

Aier tilted his head slightly. “They increased on their own?”

At that moment, Xihuai spoke up. “I wrote them for him.”

Xue Yi’s eyes widened instantly as he stared blankly at Xihuai. When did that happen…? So it was Big Brother who had been helping him!

Xue Yi quickly realized that the parts he couldn’t finish each day weren’t the result of sleepwalking or the copybook magically growing more words—it was Xihuai who had been secretly writing them for him, all without letting him know. He had seen Xihuai’s usual handwriting, which was much more beautiful than his own, but since the words in the copybook looked almost identical to his own scrawl, he hadn’t suspected a thing.

While Xue Yi was still in shock, a pair of warm hands reached out. Xihuai pulled the boy onto his lap, patting his back soothingly while saying, “Xue Yi was unaware. If someone must be punished, punish me alone.”

He had deliberately mimicked the handwriting until it was virtually indistinguishable, yet he hadn’t expected Aier to notice.

Aier sighed soundlessly and shook his head. “I knew you would grow soft-hearted. I had my assistant give you a specific reminder, yet you still knowingly violated the rules.”

Xihuai remained silent, showing no intention of admitting fault, nor appearing to care about the punishment.

Seeing that Aier was angry, Xue Yi grew distraught and whispered, “Big Brother, what should we do…?”

Xihuai looked down, a shallow smile appearing on his face as he mouthed two words: Don’t fear.

“In that case, you shall take on a double punishment,” Aier continued. “Since this is Xue Yi’s first offense, I can overlook it, but let this be the last time.” Judging by Xue Yi’s reaction, he truly hadn’t known Xihuai was helping him.

Xihuai had no objections and said without hesitation, “Fine.”

Xue Yi panicked, summoning his courage to speak up. “N-no… you can’t punish Big Brother…” He hugged Xihuai tightly, a mist of tears covering his golden eyes. He looked as if he was about to cry. “Just punish me, it was me who d-didn’t finish…”

But Aier had already stood up. “I have made my decision. The assistant will inform you of the details of the punishment.” His words meant there was no further room for negotiation.

Two mechanical birds picked up the copybooks from the table and dropped them back in front of Xue Yi. Seeing Aier about to leave, Xue Yi felt even more aggrieved. He had never experienced anything like this; though he knew both he and Xihuai were in the wrong, he didn’t want to see Xihuai face punishment alone. He also regretted being so playful the past few days; if he had worked just a bit harder, he could have finished that half page.

Xue Yi hugged Xihuai even tighter, burying his face in the crook of the older boy’s neck. “Waaaah, Big Brother…”

Wet eyelashes brushed against skin, leaving a trace of cool moisture. Xihuai comforted him in a low voice: “Don’t fear, nothing will happen to me.”

His voice was gentle, but his face remained expressionless, and his dark eyes were filled with deep irritability and displeasure. Xihuai had initially thought that if Aier found out, the worst that could happen was taking two punishments himself. Aier had agreed easily enough, but now Xue Yi was unwilling. Xihuai didn’t want Xue Yi to be punished, nor did he want to see him sad and crying.

It’s just a few pages of copywork. What does it matter even if not a single stroke was written?

Xihuai looked up again, casting a cold gaze toward Aier. The window of the attic was open, but the constant breeze suddenly vanished, and the air seemed to solidify. Demon energy seeped from Xihuai’s fingertips, floating in thin strands. This was the first time since entering the manor that he had shown clear aggressive intent.

Aier stood perfectly still. The surrounding mechanical birds all turned to look at Xihuai, slowly spreading their wings to reveal sharp blades grinding against each other with a faint metallic rasp.

At that moment, Xue Yi looked up. Sensing something wrong with Xihuai’s state, he cupped Xihuai’s face with his palms. “Big Brother, it’s o-okay.”

Xue Yi began to actively comfort Xihuai, having seemingly reached a decision. He pursed his lips, his expression stubborn and serious. “I must stay with Big Brother.” He turned to look at Aier. “If the Teacher won’t punish me, then I’ll… I’ll just punish myself…”

Whatever punishment Xihuai received, he would simply do the same.

This time, Aier did not object. “That is your own decision; I will not interfere.” His eyes, covered by the black cloth, seemed to turn toward Xihuai, but he said nothing before turning to leave through the rear door.

Only Xihuai and Xue Yi remained in the attic. The wind from the window blew back in, and the previous demon energy vanished completely.

Xihuai pinched Xue Yi’s cheek. “Why do you want to punish yourself?” His grip was light and didn’t hurt. Xue Yi rested his chin against the older boy’s chest. “Big Brother, I’m sorry… I will finish my writing from now on.”

“Why are you saying sorry?” Xihuai frowned, hugging the little humanoid dragon tighter. “It’s just a few words, a trivial matter.”

There were only about three months left. Once they left this place and returned to the palace, no one would ever force Xue Yi to write again. Aier looked frail and weak, as if he might fall ill at any moment, but Xihuai had never been able to gauge his magic level. Furthermore, since they were currently in a manor belonging to the Star-Plucking Tower, it was better to endure for the sake of safety.

A bit of moisture still lingered at the corners of Xue Yi’s eyes. Xihuai gently wiped it away. “Were you crying just now?”

“Was I?” Xue Yi asked blankly, rubbing his own eyes.

“Let’s go back.” Xihuai stood up and carried Xue Yi out of the attic.

On the way back, Xihuai continued to comfort Xue Yi. He told him that he wasn’t afraid of punishment at all—let alone double, even ten or twenty times wouldn’t matter. Furthermore, Xihuai was a Prince; his status was more noble than anyone else here, so Aier wouldn’t be too severe. In short, he meant that Xue Yi didn’t need to worry at all, and certainly didn’t need to join him in the punishment.

Xue Yi had calmed down from his panic and nodded blankly at Xihuai’s words.

Once back in their room, Xue Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Big Brother, how did you help me write?”

“What’s so hard about that?”

“But your handwriting is different from mine,” Xue Yi said with innocent eyes. “But in the book, it looked the same.”

“Because I secretly learned your handwriting,” Xihuai explained seriously, pausing before adding, “but I was still caught… Had I known, I should have just written the whole thing myself.” That way there wouldn’t have been a discrepancy in handwriting, unless Aier sent mechanical birds to spy on them.

Xue Yi’s golden eyes widened slightly. “No… that’s not allowed,” he said slowly with a hint of uncertainty. “Big Brother can’t write for me.”

“What are you afraid of?” Xihuai said nonchalantly, then quickly changed his tune as if afraid of being a bad influence. “I’m joking.”

Xue Yi nodded, and Xihuai took a piece of candy from the drawer to feed him.

It wasn’t until the afternoon of the third day that the assistant finally arrived to inform Xihuai of the punishment.

“The manor’s perimeter wall happens to need repairs. Your Highness shall go assist,” the assistant said. “Including Xue Yi’s portion, you will go for four days. The Master says you may not use magic or any other external assistance.”

The punishment was indeed not heavy. Xihuai accepted: “Understood.”

After the assistant left, Xue Yi looked down from the windowsill and saw several carts of stone bricks being hauled in from outside.

Early the next morning, the assistant returned to lead Xihuai to the section of the stone wall that needed repair. He would “work” from eight in the morning until seven in the evening, with a two-hour break at noon. During his work hours, the assistant would be nearby keeping watch.

Xue Yi followed along. He couldn’t help with the labor even if he wanted to, so he could only sit nearby and watch, clutching a water bottle in his arms. The stone bricks were heavy and large, and the mortar used to fill the gaps was specially made; a small magic circle had to be carved onto every single brick before use.

It wasn’t difficult, just tedious and repetitive. No matter how careful one was, their clothes would inevitably get dirty.

Xihuai sat on the ground holding a small knife, carving a magic circle onto a brick. He patted the stone chips and dust from his lap. He couldn’t use any magic, including cleaning spells; he could only clean himself during the noon break.

Xue Yi sat not far away. His small individual sofa had been moved from their room, and there was a low cabinet beside him with several picture books and a plate of snacks. The weather was nice today; the sun had risen early, making everything warm.

Xue Yi ate a piece of pastry and unscrewed his bottle to take a drink. Then, he picked out the largest pastry and walked toward Xihuai while clutching his water.

“Big Brother!” Xue Yi ran over, holding out the pastry and water.

Xihuai set down the knife and covered his hand with a clean cloth before taking the water. Xue Yi thoughtfully unscrewed the cap for him and fed him the pastry. Xihuai swallowed the snack in two bites and took a drink.

After Xue Yi tucked the water bottle away, he crouched on the grass, looking curiously at the knife and bricks beside Xihuai.

“Stay back,” Xihuai urged. “It’s dirty here.” Likely on Aier’s orders, the other workers hadn’t used magic to clear the ground either; the area was covered in stones and dust.

“Oh,” Xue Yi chirped, but he only scooted back a tiny bit while still crouching. He held his water and watched Xihuai, seemingly having no intention of leaving.

The little humanoid dragon was dressed in light blue clothes and a flower-bud hat. A pair of beautiful, dazzling golden eyes gazed over expectantly, as if an invisible tail were wagging behind him.

Seeing this, the corners of Xihuai’s mouth curled up, yet he felt a strange sense of stifled frustration. He suddenly understood why Aier had arranged things this way. He was covered in filth and didn’t want Xue Yi to get dirty, which meant Xue Yi couldn’t get too close to him, let alone give him a hug.

Over these four days, Xue Yi might get bored as early as tomorrow and go play elsewhere. Fortunately, Aier wasn’t too cruel; there was a break every day at noon, during which Xihuai could still feed Xue Yi his lunch.