Growing Up with the Demon King Tyrant - Chapter 30

Decades ago, when the Abyss Demons and the Dragon Race shook hands for the sixth time to sign a truce, the Dragon Race left a magic stone in the capital. The magic circles upon it could connect to the internal network of the Dragon Race, facilitating communication at any time.

Later, this magic stone was kept in storage and never activated; the two races managed to maintain a strained peace. No one expected that after such a long time, the reason for its first activation would be a baseless rumor.

Himonya arrived at the rear hall of the main palace. The magic stone on the table was activated, projecting a grayish-blue halo upward. As he approached, a voice emerged from the light: “What else is there to chat about? When I catch those culprits, I’ll make them regret ever being born into this world…”

The adjutant had already communicated with one of the Dragon Elders. The dragons hadn’t wanted to waste any more breath, but hearing that Himonya had come personally, they grudgingly gave him some face.

There was another reason for the dragons’ anger: they believed that even if the rumors of dragon abuse weren’t true, they must have originated from the Abyss Demons. They suspected the demons were secretly plotting some dragon-catching scheme and were just waiting to implement it.

“I also wish to find the culprits,” Himonya said. “Maliciously spreading such rumors with the intent to damage the relationship between our two races is a calculated and sinister act.” His tone carried an equal measure of anger and was devoid of any guilt; it sounded quite convincing.

On the other side of the magic stone was the Second Dragon Elder. He remained silent for a moment before letting out a cold snort, thinking to himself, What relationship could we possibly have with you? But since the capital adamantly denied the claims, and the dragons only had a few pages of “diary” text as evidence, they could only suppress their suspicions for the time being.

“I have already ordered a strict investigation. Once the source of the rumor is found, the perpetrator will be handed over to the Dragon Race to be dealt with personally.” Himonya added more words to clarify his stance. As the King of the capital, his identity was unique, and the guarantees he made carried significant weight.

Hearing the voice from the other side of the stone, the Second Dragon Elder’s expression softened slightly. Finally, Himonya asked, “One more thing. Recently, within the regions under Dragon jurisdiction, have there been any incidents of spirit beasts suddenly going feral?”

The Dragon Race did not care for territorial expansion or building cities to recruit soldiers. Their jurisdiction was limited to a few Beastmen tribes living in hot regions. Their lands consisted mostly of desolate forests and plains where free-roaming spirit beasts were common. Himonya wanted to know if the feral beast phenomenon was localized or occurring across the entire continent.

However, the Second Dragon Elder clearly didn’t want to chat further. He dropped a “Never heard of it” and unilaterally terminated the magic array. The light on the table faded, and the magic stone returned to looking like an ordinary rock.

After ending the communication, the Second Dragon Elder walked out of the room. In the spacious open-air courtyard, a sudden gust of hot wind swept past, and a giant dark-red dragon soared down, transforming into a human before landing. It was the Seventh Dragon Elder.

The Second Elder asked, “Have you counted? Not a single one missing?”

“Counted them, and counted the eggs too,” the Seventh Elder replied. “Everyone on the registry is accounted for; not one is missing.”

Earlier that morning, the Fourth Elder had already counted twice—even the dead eggs kept in the canyon—and confirmed nothing was lost. The Seventh Elder stepped closer. “Did you transmit with the King of the Abyss Demons? What did he say?”

“Nothing, just some nonsense.” The Second Elder sat on the stone steps, stroking his thick golden beard in thought. “But I still feel something is wrong, as if we’ve missed something… I must find a chance to visit the Abyss Demon territory.”

Hearing this, the Seventh Elder looked eager. “Are we attacking?”

“No, no,” the Second Elder waved his hand. “An outright attack is improper. Let me think…”

The communication between the two races was conducted in secret, and the rumors in Yunzhou Village were quickly cleared, preventing them from spreading further.

Xue Yi was completely oblivious to all of this. He had been very happy these past two days because Xihuai finally had a two-day break and could spend time playing with him. Even though he was on break, Xihuai still had to spend his afternoons writing schoolwork, but Xue Yi loved staying by his side, listening to the scratching sound of the pen.

The preserved ice dragon was placed in the most prominent spot on the desk. A lounge chair was pulled up next to the desk, and Xue Yi turned back into a little dragon to nestle inside for a nap. When he woke up, he found Xihuai still writing. The dragon cub stretched his limbs, gave a yawn, and hopped onto the table, crouching by Xihuai’s hand to watch.

Seeing the various scripts on the paper, Xue Yi suddenly remembered that he hadn’t practiced his own writing this week. Without Aier there, no one pressured him, and Xihuai never made demands. But it’s so late now, almost dinner time… and after dinner, I have to read books with Big Brother… Maybe I’ll just write tomorrow… Xue Yi quickly convinced himself and curled up contentedly.

Xihuai stopped writing for a moment to rub the cub’s head and straighten his lopsided hat. Once the holiday work was finished, Xihuai tidied the table and brought out a cloth ball and a newly made “Dragon-Teaser Wand” to play with him.

The solution researched by the medical hall was for Xue Yi to supplement his nutrition and exercise more to maintain his body temperature. The Dragon-Teaser was a modified cat wand, perfect for playing indoors during this cold, windy weather. The dragon cub lowered its back, crouching on the ground and staring at the feathers swaying at the tip of the wand.

Xue Yi caught the right moment and lunged, biting the feathers and rolling twice on the floor with the string. Sometimes the feathers escaped too quickly and he couldn’t catch them; they played like this for over half an hour. Finally, the cub let go of the feathers and returned to Xihuai, resting on his lap.

Xihuai set aside the wand and pulled the dragon into his arms. He then opened his storage ring and took out several metal blocks of different shapes. The metal was etched with patterns and imbued with magic. After several attempts at assembling them, Xihuai had created a simple transmission device.

The academy provided specific devices for students, but they could only be used within the academy; the adjutant had also given Xihuai one, but it was restricted to a few specific contacts. Xihuai had dismantled a device and planned to build his own; he hadn’t expected to actually succeed. He activated the magic array within the device, confirmed it functioned normally, then deactivated it and tucked it away.

Xue Yi, lying in his arms, gave a yawn and rolled over with his eyes closed. Xihuai reached out and pulled the cub’s little coat tight, covering a small patch of belly that had accidentally been exposed.

The two-day break ended quickly. On the third morning, Xue Yi was sent as usual to Queen Wei’s chambers.

Previously, he hadn’t visited for a few days while preparing Xihuai’s birthday gift. After the gift was finished, Queen Wei had quietly asked him what he had given. Xue Yi had assembled a small flower with blocks on the spot, covered it in frost, and shown it to her. Queen Wei loved the little ice flower, but the room was too warm; she couldn’t find a way to preserve it, and the frost soon melted.

However, the wooden flower was kept. When Xue Yi arrived today, he saw a mini ceramic flower pot had been added beneath it, and the two were displayed together on the windowsill. Xue Yi immediately ran over and touched the little pot.

As Xihuai said his goodbyes to Queen Wei and prepared to leave, Xinian emerged from a side room. He looked as if he were ill, his complexion poor with dark circles under his eyes. “Mother, I want some red date soup…”

Xinian had taken a sick day and didn’t plan to go to the academy. Xihuai looked at him twice with a scrutinizing gaze before looking back at Xue Yi. Xinian, knowing what he was thinking, wrapped his thick coat tight. “Don’t worry, it’s not contagious…”

He wasn’t actually ill; he had accidentally swallowed a bit of a potion during an experiment at the academy. Normally, the constitution of an Abyss Demon is robust—even poison effects are weakened—and Queen Wei is a Wood Elf, naturally immune to many plant-based reagents. Xinian, being a hybrid with stronger Demon blood, somehow managed to have “double the negatives,” being knocked flat by two gulps of potion.

Xue Yi also came out of the room, approaching Xinian. “What’s wrong with you?”

Under Xihuai’s watchful gaze, Xinian kept his expression stiff and said in the gentlest tone possible, “A bit of an accident. I’ll be fine after a day of rest.” Queen Wei had a servant prepare ingredients for red date soup and urged Xinian to go back and sleep a bit more.

Xihuai withdrew his gaze, said goodbye to Xue Yi, and departed. Once he was gone, Xinian’s shoulders slumped as he breathed a sigh of relief. Xue Yi watched this, looking curiously toward the direction Xihuai had gone. He always felt Xinian was afraid of Xihuai, but Xinian was older and was Xihuai’s brother—why would he be afraid?

Since Xinian said it wasn’t contagious, Xue Yi grew bold enough to approach him. “Xinian,” he called out, pulling a piece of candy from his pocket. “This is for after you drink your medicine. It’s very sweet.”

In Xue Yi’s world, being sick meant drinking medicine, and medicine was always bitter, so one had to eat candy. Xinian felt a warmth in his heart and was actually moved. He took the candy and thought to himself: With Xihuai’s temper, how did he raise such a cute and well-behaved dragon? All those rumors about dragons having bad tempers must be false.

Queen Wei overheard the conversation and walked over. She hugged Xue Yi, asking with a smile, “Why do you call him ‘Xinian’? Did Big Brother teach you that?” Calling him “Xinian” wasn’t exactly forbidden, but since Xue Yi was so much younger than Xinian, hearing him use the name directly was amusing.

“Big Brother taught me,” Xue Yi said, leaning against her. “What else can I call him?” Aside from “Big Brother” for Xihuai and “Queen” for Queen Wei, he didn’t know how to address anyone else. Calling them by name was most direct.

Queen Wei said, “You can also call him ‘Brother.'” She thought about it and made a distinction: “Xihuai is ‘Big Brother’ and Xinian is ‘Second Brother.'”

Hearing this, Xue Yi froze for two seconds before the realization dawned on him. If he called Xihuai “Brother,” then Xihuai’s brother could naturally also be “Brother.”

Xinian hadn’t left yet, and he clutched his coat with sudden trepidation. If Xihuai finds out, will he get jealous and cause trouble again? You can’t just throw ‘Brother’ around! He was panicking when he heard Xue Yi call out: “Second Brother!”

Xinian’s breath hitched, but he immediately tossed his worries aside. This was the first time he had been called “Brother”—Xihuai certainly never would. He rubbed his nose and gave a slightly dignified cough. “Mm.” Never mind. If Xihuai asks, I’ll just say it had nothing to do with me; Queen Wei made him say it. How could I refuse…?

Xinian reached into his storage ring and pulled out a metal magic ball he had made in a previous class. He gave it to Xue Yi and taught him how to play. “There are several buttons on it; you can record voices and play them back.” Xinian demonstrated; his mood and spirit were now much better. The ball was a prototype he no longer used, making it a perfect toy for a child.

Xue Yi accepted it happily. “Thank you, Second Brother!” He played with it inside for a long time, recording several clips of his own voice. When he’d had enough, he put the ball down and went to Queen Wei for snacks. She fed him a piece of steamed cake.

He finished the cake and hugged her. “Queen, can I call you ‘Mother’?”

Xue Yi thought that since Xihuai’s brother was also his brother, then Xinian’s mother must be his mother too. He didn’t really have a concept of the word “Mother”; he simply felt he wanted to be closer to her, representing his best relationship. This was also related to dragon heritage; dragons have many mates in a lifetime, and eggs are usually sent to a central location. Once hatched, the young are cared for by several guardians together, who may or may not be their biological parents. In other words, anyone of the right age could be “Father,” “Mother,” or “Brother.”

Queen Wei was surprised and delighted, pulling Xue Yi onto her lap. “Of course you can.” She thought that since Xue Yi had been away from his race for so long with only Xihuai as a brother, he likely felt lonely or insecure. Feeling a surge of pity and affection, she took his cool hands and let him lean into her embrace. Xue Yi hugged her back, smelling the familiar scent of wood. “Mother…”

At the Academy

Xihuai opened his assembled transmission device. He made a few adjustments and input the coordinates for the Star-Plucking Tower. Transmission signals are usually coordinates, but the tower’s coordinates seemed unusual and couldn’t be connected.

Confirming the failure, Xihuai tucked the device away before the tutor entered. He stared at his open book, momentarily distracted. Since Xue Yi’s dreams were coming true, Xihuai wanted to talk to Aier. Aier was the highest-ranking Astrologer currently; he would likely know something—otherwise, why give the Star Map to Xue Yi? Furthermore, Xihuai wanted to ask him for a favor.

After class, Xihuai dismantled his device, put it back to its original state, and contacted the adjutant. “I have some questions about astrology to ask Master Aier,” he said. “Can you pass on a message? If Master Aier is willing, have him contact me.” If Aier was willing, he could connect to Xihuai directly; if not, so be it. The adjutant didn’t pry and agreed.

After morning classes ended, Xihuai boarded the beast carriage. On the way back to the palace, his device finally lit up. He immediately closed the windows and used magic to soundproof the carriage before opening the transmission.

“What is the matter?” Aier’s voice emerged. “Is it you who has a question, or Xue Yi?” Xihuai had no talent for astrology, so Aier assumed the request was on Xue Yi’s behalf.

“It’s me,” Xihuai said quickly. “It’s about Xue Yi.” He told Aier about Xue Yi’s prophetic dreams, though he only mentioned the most recent one.

Aier was silent for a moment. “Astrology is unrelated to dreams; that is not astrology.” He also suspected it was a coincidence, but since Xue Yi’s astrology talent was indeed very high and no dragon had ever studied astrology before, he couldn’t be sure if it was related to his race. Even Aier was uncertain.

Not getting the answer he wanted, Xihuai frowned slightly before moving to the next matter. “Also, I want to send Xue Yi to the academy. I hope you can mention this to my father; he values your opinion most.”

The other end of the line was silent for a long time—so long that Xihuai almost thought Aier had left. “School? That is not a safe suggestion.”

“But it is good for Xue Yi, isn’t it?” Xihuai said as soon as Aier finished. Hiring a few private tutors for Xue Yi was completely different from letting him enter the academy. Among the materials Aier had made Xihuai read, it was mentioned that the richer an Astrologer’s experience, the higher their accuracy. Although Aier was blind and in poor health, his mechanical birds could fly everywhere to bring him news. If he didn’t want Xue Yi’s talent to go to waste, the boy couldn’t be locked in a palace forever.

Aier was silent again. “We can wait a few more years.”

“Years? I am in no rush,” Xihuai said, looking out the window. “Actually, I don’t really want to send him to school. The dragon I raised should just stay by my side, even if he never learns to fly…”

CLICK—

With a soft sound, the transmission was cut—unclear if Aier had disconnected it or if the time limit had been reached. Xihuai’s expression didn’t change as he sent a message to the adjutant asking if Himonya was in. The response was quick: Himonya was out today and wouldn’t return until tomorrow evening.

The carriage reached its destination, and Xihuai tucked away the device to disembark. He went to Queen Wei’s quarters to fetch Xue Yi, only to find the boy had turned back into a dragon and was chasing the white cat. Seeing Xihuai, the cub flew over excitedly and licked his face. After a few licks, the cub flew back inside and emerged with a metal ball in his mouth.

Xihuai took the ball from the cub’s mouth. “What is this?” Xinian was still asleep in the room, so Queen Wei explained: “A toy from Xinian; he played with it for a long time this morning.”

Seeing Xihuai examine the ball, Xue Yi made a few “mwu mwu” sounds and pressed a button with his paw. Xue Yi’s voice immediately emerged from the ball: “Big Brother!” The cub fumbled with the ball and pressed another side; this time, it was the dragon’s voice: “Awooo! Awooo!”

It was a recording ball. Xihuai picked up the dragon to head back. “Is it fun?”

On the way, Xue Yi played with the ball. Every button had a different recorded phrase:

“Big Brother, I want water.”

“Big Brother, I’m hungry.”

“When will Big Brother be back?”

Every recording mentioned Xihuai, except for the “Awooo” one. There was also one that said, “I like Big Brother best.” The cub pressed that one three times, listening with a wagging tail. Xihuai’s lips curled up as he scratched the cub’s chin.

Xihuai fed him, played with the wand, and napped with him. In the afternoon, when Xue Yi returned to the Queen’s quarters, Xinian was finally awake. He looked much better, yawning as he walked out—only to run straight into Xihuai. Xue Yi had changed back to human form and called out happily: “Second Brother!”

Sensing Xihuai’s icy gaze, Xinian froze. But with Xue Yi right there, he couldn’t bear to ignore him and gave a stifled response. The gaze remained; Xinian tried to act natural, avoiding looking toward it. After a moment, he felt Xihuai was no longer staring.

Xihuai didn’t stop Xue Yi from using the name, nor did he ask questions. He knelt to stroke Xue Yi’s silver hair. “I’m leaving.”

“Goodbye, Big Brother.”

Only when Xihuai’s presence had completely vanished did Xinian allow himself to relax. He just left? He wasn’t angry? Is he holding a grudge to get me back later…? Xinian was uneasy until he looked down and saw Xue Yi watching him. Xue Yi reached out to touch his sleeve. “Don’t be afraid. I asked Big Brother, and he said his brother is my brother too…”

What do you even call that? Regardless, Xihuai’s logic seemed to be that he would be more angry if Xinian didn’t respond, because that would mean Xinian still viewed Xue Yi as just a dragon. Xue Yi didn’t really understand; wasn’t he a dragon? But he had told Xihuai that Xihuai was always number one, and he would only ever make an ice dragon for him.

Xinian finally relaxed. “Is there any more food? I’m hungry.” He had slept through lunch. Queen Wei had a servant prepare something, and Xue Yi pulled a familiar biscuit from his pocket.

The next afternoon, after classes ended, Xihuai helped the tutor move some magic apparatus back to the office before rushing back. Several people were handing out flyers outside the academy, and one landed in Xihuai’s hand. He looked at it: a new night market was opening nearby with a small arena. The images were a bit bloody and violent—highly high-impact.

Night markets generally prohibited minors, and promoting one near an academy was inappropriate; security patrols were already driving the distributors away. Xihuai gave it another look before throwing it away.

“If you want to go, I can help you disguise yourself,” a person standing not far away said, proactively addressing him. “There are lots of good things inside, sold very cheaply.” He wore a worn magic robe and looked to be in his thirties, with murky, dark eyes.

For a split second, Xihuai was indeed tempted. But it was only a moment; there was a little dragon in the palace waiting for him to come home and feed him. Xihuai looked away coldly and boarded his carriage. The man in the gray robe stood still, watching the carriage disappear down the street before turning to leave.

Himonya was returning today, and Xihuai had important business with him. He waited until Xue Yi was asleep before heading toward the main palace. At the study, the adjutant was already waiting and opened the door.

Xihuai entered. “Father.”

Himonya sat at his desk and looked up. “You were looking for me?”

“I have a request, and I hope Father will agree,” Xihuai said. “Send Xue Yi to the academy in the capital, to go to school normally like everyone else.”

Himonya remained silent, showing no surprise. This proved Aier had already spoken to him. Xihuai’s guess had been correct. Himonya had also guessed something. “Did you suggest this to Master Aier? When?”

“I mentioned it; the Teacher has always cared about Xue Yi’s studies,” Xihuai didn’t answer directly. “As long as we use a disguise, no one will know he is a dragon.” The simplest way was to cover the golden eyes; silver hair was common across many races. They could say he was a relative of Queen Wei, a mixed-blood Elf sent to the capital for school.

Xihuai continued, “I have my own selfish motives, but I am also considering things for Father.” He told Himonya that the rumors from several days ago wouldn’t be easily forgotten by the dragons. If Xue Yi stayed in the palace, he would eventually be exposed. When that happened, the dragons would see that Xue Yi was going to school normally like an Abyss Demon, showing no sign of being imprisoned. Since they couldn’t reveal his existence now, they had to take good care of him.

Himonya listened in silence, leaning against his chair.

“Father, I only have this one request,” Xihuai said, head lowered. “If you agree, for the next academy combat assessment, I…”

“For the next assessment, you must reach the top three.” Himonya finished his sentence, standing up and walking closer. “But I must remind you: be clear about what you are doing, and if it is truly worth it.” For a dragon? He didn’t want to see Xihuai regret it years later.

Xihuai didn’t care about those words and immediately asked, “Father agrees?” He added, “I will reach the top three.”

That night, Xihuai returned to the chamber, pushing the door open silently. He didn’t turn on the lights and his footsteps were light, but the blankets on the bed shifted.

Xue Yi sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Big Brother?”

“How are you awake?” Xihuai approached, tucking him in. “I went out for a bit.”

Xue Yi was groggy, reaching out for a hug. “Thirsty…”

Xihuai held him, using demon energy to light a dim wall lamp and heat the water. Only after drinking some water did Xue Yi wake up more fully. “Where did Big Brother go?” He yawned, looking up. Was it his imagination, or did Xihuai seem to be in a very good mood? He stared for a bit, leaning in to sniff carefully.

Xihuai stroked the silver hair. “What is it?” He didn’t answer the question. Xue Yi, with his keen intuition, cupped Xihuai’s face with his hands.

“Big Brother,” he sniffed Xihuai’s collar again and asked slowly, “did you do something bad?”

“No.” Xihuai denied it, then paused and hugged Xue Yi tighter. “It wasn’t a bad thing.”

To get Xue Yi into school, he had done something. For instance, adding a little something to the cargo being sent to Yunzhou Village. In a place like that, news travels fast, and dragons visit occasionally; it was the best choice. He had spread the rumors intentionally and flawlessly, leaving no trace; even if Himonya suspected, he would find no evidence. Now that the rumors were cleared, Xue Yi would never know. Soon, the boy would be able to appear by his side legitimately.

Xihuai touched the boy’s flushed cheek. “Does Xue Bao want to go to school with Big Brother?”

Xue Yi’s eyes were confused. “School… is it fun?”

“There are fun times, and you can meet many people,” Xihuai said. “But at the academy, you cannot let anyone know you are a dragon.”

Xue Yi asked curiously, “Why?”

“Because dragon babies are very precious,” Xihuai said with a straight face, half-truthfully deceiving him. “If someone finds out, they’ll want to catch you and keep you for themselves.”

Xue Yi grew nervous, clutching Xihuai’s sleeve. “Then… then I’m not going. I want to stay with Big Brother; I don’t want to be caught…”

“Don’t fear.” Xihuai comforted him. “I will protect you.”

Xue Yi finally relaxed and nodded. He hugged Xihuai, not forgetting the previous matter: “But Big Brother isn’t allowed to do bad things…” He buried his head by Xihuai’s neck and rubbed gently. “Otherwise… otherwise you might get hurt and bleed.”

He hadn’t forgotten what Aier had said: he was responsible for watching Xihuai and couldn’t let him do bad things. Even now, Xue Yi didn’t understand what “bad things” meant; he just wouldn’t let Xihuai do them.

Xihuai replied, “Alright, no bad things.”