EnCoffin Me Chapter 12
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 12
Alexio felt that he was gradually getting used to life in this current world.
Although there weren't hordes of servants, there were all sorts of modern facilities, making bathing and entertainment very convenient. Meals were no exception. Fresh blood was in constant supply until he said no more. There were also various meticulously prepared delicacies, the standard of which was no less than what he used to eat in his castle.
Most importantly, that lunatic had been remarkably normal so far, and they didn't have to kill each other.
Alexio went to the cafeteria for breakfast with Ellie. He called for the lunatic, but the lunatic didn't open the door. He only said he was going to the medical department today. When Alexio asked why, the lunatic didn't tell him, which made Alexio a little annoyed.
He had thought their relationship was truly improving.
After Alexio left, the saint in the room stared at the ‘Federal Dark Creatures Protection Act’ in front of him.
His left eye still throbbed faintly, a punishment and also a warning. His earlier thoughts had been utterly absurd. Even if the other dark creatures protected for ten thousand years were docile and harmless, Alexio, who had awakened alongside him, was different. That was a true third-generation vampire prince, powerful, decisive, and arrogant.
He didn't yet fully understand Alexio and couldn't see the fangs hidden beneath that harmless appearance. He tried to open the notebook that was already filled with records, which must contain a lot of information he wanted to know. However, he failed. The previous him was so powerful that he used seals with masterful skill.
He tried again. This time, the notebook that could only have its cover lifted suddenly opened to the first page.
“!!!”
The first page was filled with his handwriting, chronicling his studies and life in the Holy Temple. The largest portion was, of course, detailed or speculative information about the vampire. There was nothing about modern life after ten thousand years, and there was also no…
Lucius silently stared at the picture of a cat pawing at a door that was pasted on the notebook he was currently reading.
“……”
It was just intelligence!
“…Maybe Mr. Lucius is really feeling unwell?” On the way to the cafeteria, Ellie tried to comfort Alexio. “The examination report said that Mr. Lucius went through a retrospection, both physically and mentally. You'll need to take extra care of him.”
She noticed Alexio's mood lightened a bit.
Ellie felt like she was starting to understand the art of speaking to Alexio.
When they arrived at the cafeteria entrance, the usually open hall was crowded with many people, mostly internal staff members who normally used the cafeteria. These workers lined up obediently, one by one leaning their heads inside, letting out a surprised ‘wow,’ and then excitedly pulling their heads back, letting the next person look.
Alexio: …A bit silly.
“What's going on? Did another dark creature break in?” Ellie was clearly familiar with this kind of situation. She tiptoed, trying to see over the wall of people to find out which dark creature had taken over the cafeteria. Without looking up, Alexio answered her question directly.
“It's a wolf cub.”
He could smell the scent of snow and fur. The creature in the cafeteria was definitely a werewolf, the first humanoid dark creature he'd seen since his resurrection.
Humanoid… huh… something about that didn't sit right.
His identity as a dark creature was an excellent pass. People parted like the Red Sea before Moses, eagerly glancing at Alexio and then at the cafeteria. A few staff members he had became familiar with over the past days even greeted him.
“Hungry? Xixi, just go on in. We'll head to the second cafeteria.”
The space in front of Alexio cleared, giving him a clear view inside the cafeteria. There was a round silver… furball?
Alexio was puzzled.
The silver furball was only about the size of two palms, yet he was occupying an entire table. His tongue lolled lazily, his tail swishing back and forth, but he refused to eat. The female caretaker beside him was softly coaxing him. The furball rolled around on the table and raised his two paws to cover his wolf ears.
Behind Alexio came a chorus of small admiring cheers.
Only Alexio stared intently at the silver furball for a long moment before turning to Ellie and asking, “Has he always been like this?”
“Huh? You mean… picky eating and running around a lot? That happens all the time…” Ellie replied, but then noticed Alexio's frown and asked with some doubt, “Is there something else… wrong?”
“This is a werewolf,” Alexio said.
“Yes, that's right, a werewolf,” Ellie answered immediately, still not quite understanding.
Alexio took a deep breath.
“So the wolf is here, but where is the human? Where's his human form? Aren't werewolves supposed to turn into wolves during a battle?”
Ellie was shocked.
“Werewolves… have a human form?!”
“……”
Why on earth would they be called werewolves?!
This idea seemed to completely overturn Ellie's previous understanding. She looked at Alexio with pitiful eyes.
“Isn't it because they have human intelligence…”
Alexio closed his eyes tiredly. He couldn't draw a conclusion yet, since the possibility of werewolves evolving after ten thousand years couldn't be ruled out. To confirm this, he stepped into the cafeteria. The furball seemed to sense something too. The lolling tongue withdrew, and his black nose twitched as he began sniffing the air.
He caught a very special scent, like a cool floral fragrance, that made him feel strangely at ease. The furball's tail wagged back and forth, wavering between getting up or staying put. Laziness won out in the end. He decided to just sprawl there, confident that whoever owned that scent wouldn't be able to resist coming over to pet the adorable creature.
The wolf cub had definitely caught his scent. That was clear from the way his tail wagged. But he had been spoiled into laziness and was waiting for him to approach. Alexio gave a cold smile. No one had ever dared act so arrogantly in front of a third-generation vampire prince like him, and he wasn't about to indulge anyone now.
“Let's try a different cafeteria today,” he told Ellie. “I prefer livelier places. Looks like the second cafeteria will be quite busy today.”
“O-okay… then shall we go?” Ellie asked hesitantly. She had expected Alexio to go see the werewolf, but the dark creature's own wishes came first.
Alexio nodded and prepared to leave without looking back.
The furball sprawled on the table finally started to panic. He wagged his tail vigorously, making a big show to attract attention. Look! How great his tail was! Fluffy and smooth! If the person with that scent turned back now, he wouldn't mind letting them pet his tail.
Alexio didn't turn around.
A-and he had a pair of small ears too! His ears were even better! He would reluctantly let them be touched too!
Alexio: Hmph.
Today, he was going to teach that wolf cub that lying around like a lazy dog (or wolf) would get him nothing in the end.
He walked farther and farther without once looking back. Instead, it was Ellie who kept glancing over her shoulder, recalling the manticore's rejected, pitiful expression and letting out a soulful sigh.
Truly, Alexi was cold and heartless.
The furball was completely panicked. All his concessions (as he saw them) were ineffective. He could only turn over aggrievedly and call out to that retreating figure.
“Awooo~”
Sweet and milky, with a shocking level of sugary cuteness.
Ellie felt like she was about to melt. She sneaked a glance at Alexio's face, only to see a blank expression.
That kind of coldness was something she would never learn in her lifetime.
The little furball whimpered twice, rolled off the table onto a chair, then tumbled to the floor. He refused the caretaker's help and instead scampered forward with soft pattering sounds. Being so round, his furry belly rubbed against the ground. The little one no longer cared about keeping his smooth, beautiful fur clean. He nearly rolled all the way to Alexio's feet and wrapped his chubby paws tightly around his ankle.
“Awooo!”
The furball clung angrily to the vampire's ankle and tried to climb up, but slipped and landed on his butt. He sat there pitifully, howling softly.
Hold me!
Most people, including Ellie and the furball's caretaker, had already started recording. The dark-haired, red-eyed vampire lowered his gaze to the silver furball. His long lashes cast a dense shadow, and in the brief video clips, he looked stunningly beautiful.
With a condescending air, he reached out and lifted the disheveled furball. He glanced around, recalling the cat-knocking-on-the-door gif he'd seen that morning, wondering what kind of nonsense this scene would turn into this time.
Ellie and the others instinctively stopped filming, feeling they'd captured enough. The staff at the entrance gradually dispersed. Ellie shot an excited look at Alexio, who understood her silent message and gave a casual nod.
Since it's already recorded, just use it however you want.
He held the furball up and examined the werewolf carefully. The silver-white fur was clearly well-maintained, much smoother than the werewolves he remembered. The cub was round and well-fed, with two black stripes inside the pointed ears. He was unexpectedly of royal blood.
Royalty didn't get spoiled!
After inspecting him, Alexio put the cub back down and moved toward the table. His breakfast was already too delayed today. The furball, left behind, watched the distance grow between them again. He wanted to whimper but remembered all his previous failed attempts. His ears slowly drooped.
When Alexio sat at the table and placed his order, the furball made a strenuous journey once more to reach beneath his chair, looking up pitifully.
This was originally the furball's entire day's worth of exercise.
“The center has always wanted to help him lose weight, but he hates moving around. We haven't found a good solution. Thank you for getting him to move so much today,” said the werewolf's caretaker sincerely. She was a woman with curly hair and a sweet smile.
Alexio glanced at her.
“I haven't asked your name yet.”
The werewolf's caretaker looked a bit flustered and quickly replied, “Just call me Dalph. I've been working here for five years.”
The name made Alexio pause slightly before nodding. He lifted the wolf cub, who kept nudging his leg under the table, and placed him on the chair, even cheerfully stroking the wolf cub's fur.
“Awoo? Awoo awoo awoo!”
The cub rolled around, begging for more petting, but Alexio immediately switched back to his cold and indifferent mode and refused.
He was genuinely pleased, though. Although the original Dalph was gone, knowing that a woman with the same name was alive and well brought him comfort. Dalph was once the famed lead actress of the Starlight Theater Troupe that had influenced their era. Alexio still remembered the time he went to see her performance with the lunatic. Closing his eyes, he could hum the melody of ‘Praise the Stars.’
In his memory, the saint lowered his eyelids, holding a vivid rose meant to be thrown to the radiant actress on stage. Instead, he suddenly turned and gave it to Alexio, who had hummed that melody.
【Beautiful.】
He said.
【This flower is for you.】