CHAPTER 218: SMALL PUNISHMENT

"Oh?" Nolan raised an eyebrow in slight surprise and turned his head curiously. "Did Father really order me to go home? But I’m still alive, aren’t I? So that order doesn’t apply, right?"

Draco shook his head casually, his tone nonchalant. "It’s the same. Since we can’t take you dead, we have to take you alive. So, let’s go home—together."

His harsh words instantly silenced the room. Luvistar, Ruthark, Rafine, and Elina all shot Draco disapproving glances.

As irritating as Nolan could be at times, he was still a prince of high rank. Draco should have shown respect, not insolence.

Of course, Draco noticed their stares, but he didn’t care.

He had come for one purpose only—bringing Nolan back to the Imperial Palace.

After that, he could return home, rest, and enjoy his holiday.

Cassiopeia frowned at Draco’s rude attitude but said nothing.

Instead, she looked at Nolan calmly and explained, "Please understand, Your Highness. His Majesty the Emperor is very worried about you, and you must return to the Imperial Palace immediately. That way, our mission can be completed, and His Majesty can rest easy."

"Huh..." Nolan let out a small sigh, waving his hand. "No matter what your reasons are, I don’t want to return to the Palace. I still have a lot to take care of in the eastern region. You go back to the Palace yourself."

The sea monster issue was settled, but his own matters were far from over. The Red Obsidian Trading House was the mastermind behind the chaos in the eastern region, and he needed to shut them down immediately.

That was also why he hadn’t returned a few days ago, choosing instead to wait until last night. Taking down the Red Obsidian Trading House required careful preparation.

After all, they were incredibly powerful and had a vast network across the Empire.

"Brother..." Elina grasped his left hand tightly.

Nolan turned to her, smiling as he patted her head affectionately.

"Don’t worry. Leave it to me," he said gently.

Elina said nothing, only giving a small nod in response.

Meanwhile, Draco and Cassiopeia were stunned by his stubbornness.

Cassiopeia opened her mouth to persuade him again, but Draco let out a suffocating aura.

Boom!

The pressure in the room spiked, thickening the air with tension. Everyone’s eyes widened, and their breaths came in heavy gasps.

"Ugh..." Darel collapsed, clutching his neck, chest heaving, tears brimming in his eyes. Luvistar, Ruthark, Rafine, and Elina fared no better.

They clenched their teeth, fighting to resist the sheer force of Draco’s overwhelming aura.

"Draco!" Cassiopeia snapped, unleashing her own aura to try and subdue him.

But instead of retreating, Draco intensified his aura, overpowering Cassiopeia.

In terms of raw strength, they were evenly matched, but Draco possessed the power of a dragon, making his aura slightly stronger.

Draco’s gaze locked onto Nolan, who was visibly sweating and panting.

"Very well, Your Highness. Enough stubbornness. Now, let’s go back," he said coldly, stepping toward him.

Each step made the air around Nolan heavier, as if Draco deliberately wanted him to suffer.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Draco?" Nolan asked, his tone indifferent. "Don’t you realize your attitude is basically declaring war on me?"

Draco’s lips curled into a cold, smug grin. "I’ve done nothing wrong. So why should I hesitate? As for fighting you... I honestly don’t care. You’re just a useless trash prince. Were it not for His Majesty’s order, I wouldn’t have bothered coming to take you away."

Hearing that, Luvistar, Ruthark, Rafine, and Elina bristled with anger. Elina, in particular, could not bear to hear her brother insulted.

Nolan glanced at Cassiopeia and saw that she remained unmoved. Clearly, she approved of Draco’s actions.

With a soft sigh, Nolan shook his head and whispered, "Why do you have to act like this? Wouldn’t it be easier if you didn’t?"

Draco looked momentarily puzzled but quickly dismissed it. Yet, moments later, something strange occurred.

Time around him froze. Everyone—even Cassiopeia—stood motionless, like statues.

Draco was stunned. "What’s happening? Why did time just stop?"

The power to halt time was considered impossible—even for those at the level of Celestial Mages.

There were indeed a few Celestial Mages who could stop time, but only for a moment—five to ten seconds at most.

Yet now, the time around him was completely frozen—something that should have been impossible.

Whoosh!

A flash of black light suddenly struck his face. His vision went pitch black, not a single ray of light piercing the darkness.

"This..." Draco turned his head cautiously from side to side.

He tried to summon his powers, but they failed. It felt as if invisible shackles bound the mana core within his body.

Buzz!

Two colossal eyes appeared in the sky. Their presence made the air itself freeze, sending goosebumps rippling across Draco’s skin.

"Those eyes... those eyes..." Draco’s eyes widened in fear. "Aren’t they... the Eyes of Chaos!?"

He recognized the pattern immediately—one star and one sun. They belonged to the Singularity of Chaos, the one who had destroyed a catastrophe-level dragon in the capital before.

Yet, he could not fathom how those eyes had appeared here.

Suddenly, a chilling thought struck him, and his face went pale.

"Is this the work of the Singularity of Chaos? If so... how—"

Before he could finish, the two giant eyes blazed with bright purple light. Soon after, scorching black flames erupted from the air, engulfing his body.

"Argh!" Draco roared in pain.

He fell to the ground, writhing like a worm in salt.

"It hurts! Damn it, that hurts! Arghh!"

His agonized cries echoed in all directions. Yet around him, there was only endless darkness—he was utterly alone.

The fire had burned not only his body but also his soul. The pain was so intense that words could not describe it.

Suddenly, Draco’s vision blurred, then went completely dark.

***

"Draco, what’s wrong? Why does your face look... pale?"

Cassiopeia’s voice came from the side, snapping Draco’s eyes open.

He looked around and realized he was back in the living room with Rafine, Luvistar, Ruthark, Cassiopeia, Luna, and Elina.

All of them stared at him with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, as if they had no idea what had just happened.

"That... was..." Draco hesitated, opening his mouth. "What just happened to me?"

Cassiopeia frowned. "Just now, you seemed dazed and confused. We called your name several times, but you didn’t answer. Are you feeling unwell?"

Draco remained silent, unsure how to respond. The vision of time stopping, those two mysterious eyes, and the terrifying black flames had felt painfully real.

And yet Cassiopeia claimed he had only been absent-minded and confused—something that made no sense at all.

"By the way," Nolan called out playfully, "are you still going to take me or not?"

Draco looked up, his gaze instinctively drawn to those purple eyes. A cold, inexplicable fear spread through him.

He shook his head and replied weakly, "No, Your Highness... we won’t force you."