EnCoffin Me Chapter 111
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 111
There was nothing more satisfying than a full meal after a great battle. At least, that was what Alexio thought. He licked his lips, feeling comfortably tipsy that he didn't even complain when the lunatic touched his head.
“Want to go after the night mares?” the saint suggested. Alexio shook his head without hesitation.
No, he just wanted to sprawl out after eating his fill.
“Or do you want to stay and clean up the mess?”
At that, Alexio fully opened his eyes. He looked around and saw the chaotic scene.
No need to hesitate now. They would leave this mess to the military and go after the night mares themselves!
The rift in the dreamscape hadn't closed yet. With their abilities, they could easily catch up. Across the boundless wilderness, at the edge of fire and dreams, the night mares ran in groups. The sky showed both moonset and sunrise, while beneath their feet the dreamscape stretched endlessly.
“Alexi!” Brendan was thrilled to see they had caught up safely. He shook his head, signaling Alexio to jump onto his back.
“This is the dream we wove together! It stretches so far!”
For night mares just learning to control dreams, it was indeed impressive. Alexio sat on Brendan's back and praised them a few times. Glancing sideways, he saw the lunatic next to him. The man's cloak fluttered in the night mare's rapid flight. The golden thorn embroidery on it had somehow been replaced by flying birds, unbound, as if soaring.
The saint noticed his gaze and turned his head as well. In his beautifully sky-blue eyes, Alexio's figure was reflected.
“Looks like a tide of darkness,” he said softly, sharing his feeling with Alexio, only to find the vampire staring intently at him.
“Alexi?”
Suddenly, Alexio withdrew his gaze, his ear tips tinged slightly red.
“…Mm, it does.”
He seemed shy and unwilling to admit it, refusing to speak no matter how much the lunatic teased.
But only he knew what he was clutching tightly in his fist.
A tiny, glowing sprite.
The night mares were secured by the military and would be transported tomorrow to suitable habitats. Alexio and the lunatic returned together to the southeast branch, which had grown completely silent. Alexio looked at the lunatic, waiting for an explanation.
“Zhen should have taken care of everything,” the saint said simply.
“By himself? But the staff here aren't…” Alexio knew very well that most of the staff here were from the eastern faction. He had originally planned for Zhen to stay out of of this matter, but unexpectedly, by the time he was following up on the breeding farm issue, Zhen had already resolved everything.
“His domain is perfect for dealing with these worms. If even one escaped, it would be a complete disaster.”
That made sense, but…
“Alexi.” It was Zhen's voice, sounding steadier than usual. Alexio looked up and saw the teenager in elegant robes approaching him, the talisman on his forehead gone.
Zhen walked toward Alexio with a smile and just as he opened his arms, the saint pressed down on his head.
“Did you install a radar on your head?” Zhen smiled.
“What are you talking about? I don't understand,” the saint replied expressionlessly.
Playing dumb, huh? Zhen's smile cracked a little, and he decided to be a bit more forceful.
“Xixi! I want a hu—”
Before he could finish, he felt himself being silenced.
Zhen: “……”
Although he deeply respected Qizhi, he wanted to diss it at this moment. Why give this guy such an annoying domain?
Alexio only caught the first half and looked utterly confused.
“What do you want? Are you hungry?”
Zhen tried to open his mouth but couldn't. He took a deep breath and then sent a reverse flow of energy to the saint beside him. Unfortunately, the saint's training in the Holy Temple was so thorough that his expression didn't change at all.
At times like this, the one who could speak clearly held all the influence.
“He's hungry,” the saint said confidently. Alexio believed him, but the building was already empty. They had to go to the military's temporary base to eat. On the way there, Alexio saw many bodies of staff being carried onto aircraft, with personnel recording the information. This was already a death count delayed by several months.
Alexio looked at Zhen, who remained quiet, with no tears, no other expression.
He didn't know what Zhen was thinking, and even if he wanted to comfort him, he didn't know how.
The lunatic went to get food. Before leaving, he gave Zhen a deep look. He knew this imperial son wanted to say something to Alexio.
“I'm fine, Alexi. I know I'm doing the right thing,” Zhen surprisingly said. “From the moment they were completely devoured by the worms, they were already dead. Their bodies just kept moving. What meaning does that have?”
He slowly lifted his head, a faint sparkle in his eyes.
“At first, I didn't even dare to liberate them. But then I remembered the story I once heard about you, Alexi.”
“…About me?”
“Yes. When I wanted to shrink back and hand this matter over to others, it gave me courage.
“I am the imperial son, and in a way, the leader of my clan. Sometimes, I must protect, but other times, I must be able to bring things to an end.
“Just like Alexi once did... Alexi?”
Alexio snapped out of his daze and shook his head, smiling as if nothing had happened.
“That's because you haven't heard the whole story. I've made many cowardly choices too, which led to the deaths of many innocents. At most, I just belatedly made a decision before everything became irreversible.”
“That's already good enough!” Zhen's eyes shone brightly. “It's a good outcome, isn't it?”
Alexio was silent for a moment, still surprised that someone saw that shadowed past as a source of courage. With this thought, his mind seemed to drift back to the dark castle, where the prime minister held his hand tightly, as if grasping a final hope.
【That's great… there's still one… one survivor…】
【From today on, I will teach you, I will support you, and you will become the king of this country!】
But he didn't want to be king at all.
Yet no one listened to him anymore, nor did anyone care about his old dreams. They merely surrounded this sole surviving heir in a frenzy of joy, pushing him onto the throne, and then poured the entire weight of the kingdom onto him.
What else could Alexio say? If he refused to be king, the country would fall into chaos, and the people would live in turmoil. Children who might share his dreams could lose them entirely. The prime minister, who had worked hard to find him among the common folk, had already offered the only path forward.
So, Alexio asked the prime minister just one question.
What happened to the previous sixty-three heirs?
* * *
After dinner, the southeast branch was cleaned up, and they could still stay in their original rooms for the night. Alexio refused to remain bound to the lunatic, so he was given a separate room. Closing the door, he finally exhaled in relief. His lightbrain activated automatically, and the holographic image of Pupil's clone hovered above it.
For a moment, Alexio didn't speak to Pupil. Instead, he released the tiny glowing sprite from his pocket. After being confined for so long, the sprite seemed afraid it had done something wrong. It trembled, wanting to come closer but also hesitant and scared.
【Alexi?】
“Stop following me,” Alexio said, ignoring Pupil's question and speaking to the sprite instead. The small light flickered slowly, then pitifully shook its head.
【More sprites will come.】
“More will come?” Alexio frowned. He truly couldn't prevent the sprites from actively following him. “Let them follow you first.”
【No problem, but this won't last forever. You've remembered now, so fate has begun to show its favor toward you. The sprites will gather around you just like before…】
“…I've remembered?”
【Looking at the night mares, you remembered the Underworld River, didn't you?】
“……”
Alexio instinctively didn't want to continue this topic, so he let his mind wander elsewhere. The situation at the southeast branch was already handled, and public opinion was under control. According to the original plan, he should return to the main center and use this chance to let the dark creatures gain independence. But maybe because of his bad mood, he wasn't ready to let Theo off so easily.
Every time he hid in the shell like a turtle, did he really think he wouldn't get flipped over?
“Theo and the Holy Temple can't be given too much time,” Alexio thought for a moment, then continued, “I'll bring Lucy over. No rush to relocate the night mares… map.”
Pupil immediately opened the digital map. This map was far more detailed than any within the Federation. Pupil always gave Alexio special treatment in every aspect.
“This part of the Thorn River is too obvious. It might be a decoy.”
【Shall I investigate further? I haven't fully ascended yet, and it will take some time.】
“No, no need to investigate.”
Alexio closed the map. In the dim room, only his deep rose-colored eyes faintly reflected some light.
“I've decided to destroy it outright.”
* * *
When Alexio went to knock on the lunatic's door, he was already quite accustomed to grabbing a speck of light and stuffing it into a small bottle he carried. Indeed, some vague images flickered in his mind, a black tide, nothing else. Pupil said this meant he had ‘remembered,’ so this scene must have been something he'd seen before.
But Alexio couldn't recall it and chose to stop trying.
The lunatic wasn't in his room. Alexio frowned slightly and sent him a message.
【Alexio: Where are you?】
【Lucius: Where you want me to be.】
【Alexio: ???】
【Lucius: The night mares have assembled. The lich is about to arrive, and I've asked the werewolves to come a little later… Isn't this your plan?】
【Alexio: ! ! !】
Had the lunatic's ability to discern his inner thoughts already reached this level?!
【Lucius: I also prepared some late-night snacks.】
Alexio hurried over. The military still needed some time to prepare for the operation. He bit into a soft sandwich while beside him, the imperial son yawned, having nothing to eat.
The imperial son gave him a look of desperate hunger. Alexio glanced at the other half of the sandwich and was about to offer it—
But the lunatic immediately intercepted.
“I ordered a large one. If you can't finish it, give it to me.”
The imperial son took a deep breath. Why was he competing with a dog?
After the preparations, the operation was set to be led by the night mares. Their unique ability to traverse dreams would be the key. This unit would pass through the dreamscape and strike directly at the suspected Holy Temple's stronghold. Even with advanced instruments, such dreamwalking was utterly undetectable.
The night mares took off running, and the dreamscape began to expand outward.
The saint had been watching from afar when suddenly his expression shifted slightly.
The night mares had all broken free from their restraints and ignited black flames. They surged forward like a magnificent black tide, and also like—
The Underworld River.