EnCoffin Me Chapter 103
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 103
The leader stood there dumbfounded. Well, it was not surprising. Only a few could adjust immediately after being dogged so suddenly.
He was stunned speechless, then suddenly noticed the saint smiling faintly.
“Just kidding. The main center has already covered the relevant fees.”
“……” The leader's mind struggled to catch up. He didn't know what to say.
“It was just a little joke to lighten the mood. I hope you don't take it to heart. I've always had a good sense of humor.”
“……”
That wasn't having a sense of humor!
The leader felt as if he'd been toyed with.
“Enough useless talk,” the saint said, changing the subject. “Please take us to see the unfortunate victim of the accident. Has the autopsy report come back? Where is that dark creature now? Our team includes a psychologist specially trained by the main center to handle dark creatures, as well as a particularly lively dark creature, which might help.”
He had already labeled the incident as an ‘accident,’ and assumed the body and the involved dark creature had not yet been moved.
The leader agreed promptly but felt a bit frustrated inside. He hadn't expected the main center to arrive so quickly. The victim's body hadn't been cremated yet, but fortunately, their methods were extremely covert. The evidence had been destroyed, so even the main center wouldn't be able to discern anything.
“Of course,” the leader replied, but his gaze shifted toward Zhen and Cravenson among the group. “You two can rest briefly in a designated area.”
After all, dark creatures were mentally fragile, and such scenes should ideally be avoided.
“No, we're coming together,” Zhen said calmly, catching the leader off guard. There was no smile on his face. The talisman paper tilted to cover one eye, and the expression in his visible eye made the leader's heart skip a beat. It was incredible. He had never seen a dark creature show such a resolute look. In his understanding, dark creatures were fragile, helpless, even timid.
Zhen gave him the impression of a strong-willed human or one of the other light races.
The leader hesitated, glanced at Lucius, hoping the saint might intervene. Instead, the saint looked at him with confusion, which quickly shifted to realization and then to disapproval.
The leader felt like he was about to be mentally attacked again.
“That expression on your face… is that discrimination against dark creatures?”
No, no, no! Although the Holy Temple's plan was to suppress dark creatures, they were still protected until the plan succeeded! That label absolutely could not be pinned on him!
The leader denied it repeatedly, almost beating his chest in frustration before the saint reluctantly accepted his explanation.
Leader: “……”
Fearing that this resurrected being would cause trouble and pin another label on him, he didn't waste time and immediately led them to see the victim's body still kept at the branch.
The leader's confidence was well-founded. At least, through magic, Lucius didn't detect any abnormalities. He wasn't anxious. Magic was quite sensitive in elemental-related fields, and the other party probably knew this and deliberately avoided it. Fortunately, they arrived early. Otherwise, once the body was burned, they would have lost a crucial source of clues.
After the inspection, Lucius stepped back and let Zhen approach. Zhen showed no sign of fear. Having experienced the northern frontline, he had seen plenty of blood and death. His emotions remained steady when facing the corpse. He gave the corpse a slight nod of respect, then a wisp of mental energy already began to climb onto it.
The vital signs were already gone, and there was nothing strange about the corpse. Speaking of which, most of the personnel sent from the southeast branch to the main center were infected with worms, living in a state where two lives shared one body. Zhen had assumed the situation at the branch would be worse, but so far, he hadn't sensed any abnormalities.
This was itself quite strange.
“This is the death report. Please take a look and see if there's any issue,” the leader handed over the written report. The staff member's cause of death was confirmed as massive bleeding and internal organ damage. The attacker was identified as a night mare. Its horn naturally carried dark elements which prevented the wounds from healing, causing them to worsen until the staff member died.
The report was flawless. After reviewing the victim and the report, the leader led them to see the night mare that caused the death.
Night mares were considered sentient beings. They had no human form. Their beast form was like the counterpart of a unicorn, with four hooves and a mane engulfed in black flames. They had been widespread ten thousand years ago but had since become a rare species. The southeast branch housed the largest number of night mares and often featured them in public relations. However, Lucius hadn't forgotten what had happened on the northern front.
The night mare horn and black flames on Delvie's head were not hers, along with the hundreds of night mare horns embedded in the cave walls… the waters of the southeast branch ran very deep.
Alexio twitched slightly in his pocket, as if reminding him. Lucius subtly patted his pocket, acknowledging it, then looked up at the night mare kept alone in the semi-open quiet chamber.
Even after committing the grave error of causing a death, the southeast branch still seemed to treat this night mare remarkably well. Although the room had been temporarily cleared, one wall had been removed, allowing the night mare to see the lush green grass outside. Its food supply remained excellent, and more staff were assigned to serve it, demonstrating their dedication to dark creatures.
“This is the night mare, Brendan,” the leader said quietly. “It's always been a bit temperamental but never violent, until recently…”
As he spoke, the night mare inside the room noticed the visitors and began to stir. It lowered its head toward the leader, not in submission, but to display the sharp horn on its head. News reports had shown that this very horn had caused the death of an innocent person. The leader immediately paled and stepped back several paces, looking as if he had suffered immense psychological trauma. However, Lucius keenly noticed the camera that had been running since their arrival.
In other words, what they were experiencing now might become tomorrow's social news.
“Please try not to get too close. You can ask questions from a distance,” the leader advised. “Of course, Brendan hasn't responded to anyone for a long time since the incident. We've tried psychological counseling, but….”
The night mare inside the room began pacing anxiously, its eyes fixed on the leader, shooting endless hatred. If not for the protective barrier and the soldiers nearby, it might have charged and impaled him with its horn!
“This is terrifying… truly terrifying…” the leader shivered slightly, the cameras capturing his every reaction.
Watching people act out their roles was entertaining, but Lucius wasn't interested in continuing. He signaled the nearby staff to open the enclosure. He wanted to approach the night mare up close. The leader pleaded with him, but Lucius was determined, so he reluctantly complied.
The saint stepped slowly into the room. The night mare's gaze finally shifted away from the leader and landed on the saint. In that instant, the holy platinum-gold hues reflected in the night mare's long, thick-lashed eyes. Its pupils contracted sharply, and fragments of nightmarish memories began flashing through its mind.
The Holy Temple! The color of the Holy Temple!
Outside the room, Zhen almost cried out. He watched wide-eyed as the night mare suddenly lifted its front hoof, then lowered its head deeply, its horn flashing a sharp, cold light. The black flames were likely sealed by some device, as they didn't ignite even with the night mare's extreme agitation. But there was still the horn! The horn that could kill!
The staff members erupted in an uproar. He stared without blinking as the night mare launched an attack on the saint. This kind of news coverage would be far more effective than any act he could put on. If only this resurrected being from the main center got hurt a little, it would only confirm the danger of dark creatures even more.
However, the saint only flickered his eyelids. He raised his hand and gently grasped the night mare's horn as it stabbed toward him.
It could truly be called ‘gentle.’ The saint even showed a faint, polite smile.
“You like me that much?”
“……?”
The night mare forcefully thrashed its head in his grip, but the strong force against its horn prevented much movement, making it look more like shy, affectionate nuzzling. Unaware of this, the night mare kept trying to move its head to strike.
Lucius' polite smile faded slightly. Except for Alexio, he never had much patience for anything else. So he applied a bit more pressure on his hand, and the night mare's head was completely immobilized. Its four hooves even trembled slightly.
Lucius, looking pleased, turned back to the leader and said, “I really didn't expect that the dark creature from your branch would like me so much. At the main center, many dark creatures avoid me.” Although his face remained mostly expressionless, he gave off a feeling of being somewhat dejected.
Leader: “……”
The night mare's hooves were trembling!
He had now witnessed the resurrected being's ability not only in power but also in saying whatever he wanted with a straight face. Despite holding the night mare's head down with one hand, he insisted it liked him. This temporarily shelved the leader's intention to further sensationalize the news about deadly dark creatures.
“Let's take a photo, too. I assume it'll be posted on the official account later?” the saint asked calmly, pulling a small bat plushie from his pocket. The leader recognized it as one of the mascots sent in bulk to their branch.
The saint placed the bat plushie on the night mare's head, then released his grip. Strangely, the night mare remained still, head lowered as if still under his control.
The leader was puzzled but knew he wouldn't get any sensational news today. He quickly took a photo, reluctantly showing the more docile side of the supposedly dangerous dark creature. Since it was getting late, he arranged accommodations for the visitors from the main center.
Cravenson handled the arrangements with him. The leader was somewhat surprised about the involvement of the dark creature and hadn't noticed that the saint was trailing behind the group.
Alexio had already been tucked back into the pocket. Lucius, feeling a bit bored, rubbed his belly inside the pocket and received two scratches in response.
【He stopped moving the moment you went up there.】
Of course, Alexio thought proudly, this was his power!
【Are you really this fat?】
【……】
After informing Cravenson and the others about accommodations and meals, the leader snapped back to attention and looked for the saint, worried he might cause trouble again. He found the saint at the back of the group, following at an unhurried pace, with a bat plushie dangling from his hand… no, from his wrist.
Leader: “……”
“Isn't it funny?” Lucius' smile faded a bit as he faced him.
No! What funny? Didn't it hurt hanging there like that? It looked like it had been bitten…
“I keep this one for myself. It has some new features. Isn't it cute?”
【……】
The leader once again felt that this resurrected being was some kind of lunatic!