EnCoffin Me Chapter 120
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 120 Reversal (4)
In serious matters, the Holy Temple was definitely a reliable teammate.
Alexio sat contentedly in the cafeteria, eating his long-overdue breakfast. Strictly speaking, his action had violated Holy Temple rules, but it prevented the Holy Temple from losing too much face under the attack of the third-generation vampire prince.
All in all, his merits offset his faults, so Alexio did not receive any punishment.
What Alexio was thinking about now was something else.
He wanted to go out and have some fun.
On the other side, Cravenson stared in shock at the wounded prince. He bit back the word ‘miracle’ that was on the tip of his tongue several times. He didn't know which god had decreed it, but the lunatic vampire prince had actually been beaten!
“Are you… alright?”
Cravenson asked cautiously, knowing he had to look out for his own safety.
“Of course, I'm perfectly fine.” Lucius smiled despite the injury on his lip. His usually neat coat was also stained with dust, but Cravenson could faintly sense that Lucius was actually in a very good mood.
“The Holy Temple is thoughtful,” Lucius said with a smile. “My destined one is very, very interesting. I probably won't sleep for the next few hundred years.”
Cravenson's legs went weak. In his heart, he silently lit enough silent candles for Theo to fill an entire cathedral.
Before Cravenson could rack his brain to come up with a reply, Lucius had already moved on to another topic on his own.
“By the way, Cravenson, what do you think about disguises?” he asked enthusiastically. “I want a fake identity, but not too noble, maybe a fallen aristocrat. Just someone with a slightly changed appearance and almost no social connections.”
It was clear that this incognito plan was meant to get him closer to his destined hunter. Cravenson sighed. He had work to do again.
“I'll have your fake identity ready within two weeks.”
“There's one more thing you need to prepare,” Lucius said casually. “I don't want Theo to come ruin everything when I'm happy, so we need to give him something to do. Blow up the Blood Moon Castle.”
With a loud boom the Blood Moon Castle collapsed. Alexio was forced to take an additional course in vampire behavior analysis. He furiously rushed through his assignments, grinding his teeth.
Fortunately, he finally had a holiday where he could go out, specifically within the main city. The Holy Temple's influence reached here, and with his own strength, it was generally quite safe. During this precious break, Alexio enjoyed a good walk around the city and, by evening, rested at an abandoned small chapel in the outskirts.
At that moment, his expression gradually calmed. In this rare unmonitored time, he reflected on some recent events.
He had maintained a rebellious image all along just to observe the Holy Temple's attitude. But the Holy Temple's surprisingly lax approach left Alexio's heart sinking a little.
He was sure the Holy Temple had prepared a backup plan.
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard some noise.
“Who's there?”
“Ah, don't hit me! Don't hit me! I'm just here to write some drafts…”
A bespectacled young man with round glasses emerged, his face twisted in distress, hands raised high above his head. Alexio noticed the scattered manuscript papers on the long table nearby, and the faint pitter-patter of rain outside confirmed it. The man hadn’t been lying.
“Why come here?” Alexio asked casually as he sat back down.
“Because it's free,” the young man smiled. He had dark, slightly curly mid-length hair tied back with a simple hairband. His faded, worn clothes suggested an impoverished life. But his eyes were a striking sea-blue.
“I'm a playwright, currently working on a script for a theater troupe. But the inn I'm renting has a leak,” he explained further. Then, as if remembering something, he reached out his hand to Alexio.
“I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Lucius. It means ‘light chaser.’”
Alexio nearly drew his holy scythe on the spot. That name was far too provocative for him. The Holy Temple had taught him relentlessly to hunt the owner of that name. Even staying clear-headed, Alexio couldn't help but be affected. But he quickly reminded himself that many commoners used that name too. It sounded beautiful and sacred.
Who would have thought that a third-generation vampire also used that name?
“Sir?” Lucius tilted his head and hesitated, then slowly withdrew his hand. “Ah, my apologies, perhaps you don't intend to associate with a lowly person like myself…”
“No, that's not it!” Alexio immediately reached out and shook his hand. “I'm Alexio. Nice to meet you.”
For a moment, the young man's eyes seemed to reflect the color of a brilliantly clear sky, only to be quickly obscured again by the deep hue of the sea. Smiling, he shook Alexio's hand and eagerly showed him the draft he had been writing.
“I want to write a wonderful play,” he said with a smile. “It's called ‘The Girl and the God of Death.’”
The script was only about one-third finished, but Alexio read it with great interest, frequently asking questions about the plot. Lucius patiently answered each one. The script was soon finished, and Alexio let out a satisfied breath, then belatedly realized he had taken up quite a bit of Lucius' time.
“It's nothing.” Lucius smiled at him. “I'm glad someone is reading my work. If Alexi is free, how about we meet here again next time?”
Alexio hesitated, unsure if he could come out every time.
“I'm here every rainy day,” Lucius said understandingly. “You can come by whenever you want.” He added with a smile, “After all, my place is leaking right now.”
And it really was leaking.
A heavy rain poured down on the Blood Moon Castle, making the already damaged building sway even more in the storm. Theo crouched under a small eave that barely fit a single chair. He sat there, holding a cup of tea, staring blankly at the rain.
Raindrops occasionally splashed inside, pattering against his exposed arms.
Theo suddenly felt a wave of sadness.
What sin had he committed to turn a lunatic into a vampire?
While Theo was quietly sobbing, on the other side, Alexio opened his umbrella as Lucius politely escorted him out of the chapel.
“It's a date then,” Lucius said, his mischievous blue eyes full of laughter. “I hope you'll be my first reader and help me finish this story.”
He handed Alexio a card with a small drawing of a kitten on it.
“See you next time.”
Alexio awkwardly held the card.
“Just so you know, even if I come by, I probably won't have time to chat much… I still have homework to do.”
“I can help you with that.”
“Really?!”
A lifelong friend! Definitely a lifelong friend!
Alexio was deeply moved as he went to class. He had hidden the little cat drawing in his book, but the teacher still noticed it during the lesson. The teacher looked at the vivid cat drawing. To Alexio's shocked gaze, tears welled up and streamed down on the teacher's face.
“Child, did you draw this?”
Was their education finally showing results?
“No, it's a freebie.”
“……”
The teacher cried loudly.
Cravenson cried loudly too. He not only had to keep an eye on Blood Moon Castle but his own master kept giving him difficult problems.
“Are you saying you want to study the Holy Temple's courses?”
“Yes.” Lucius had returned to his original appearance. His glasses lay on the nearby table, still fogged with moisture. “I want to learn everything the Holy Temple teaches. Whether it's astronomy, geography, geometry, or history, I want it all.”
But where am I supposed to find Holy Temple teachers for you? Cravenson's face was full of despair.
“Oh, and cooking, flower arranging, painting…” Lucius listed them off one by one. These subjects pulled Cravenson back from the brink of collapse, because he knew where to find teachers for those.
Compared to the earlier subjects, teachers for these later courses were much easier to find!
“Could you start with these later classes first? I still need some time for the earlier ones.”
“That's fine.”
Cravenson hurriedly enrolled the lunatic prince in a finishing school popular among the city's noblewomen. He had also booked several teachers reputed to have taught duchesses and countesses, to be absolutely sure.
A foolproof bridal training program! Perfect!
“I'll pay you double,” Cravenson said with a gentle smile, “because this student is… somewhat special.”
The etiquette teacher, dressed in elegant attire, smiled slightly.
“Don't worry. No matter how unruly the young lady is, we guarantee she will transform into a refined noblewoman.”
“…Not a young lady.”
“What? A madam, then? We have precedents for ladies studying to sweeten their married life…”
“He's a gentleman.”
“……”
Was this a joke?!
While Alexio battled algebra and geometry, Lucius learned to prepare several soups for state banquets. Alexio desperately memorized star charts, and Lucius' flower arrangements began to be exhibited across the city. On the training grounds, Alexio finally managed to hold his head high, and the elegantly dressed etiquette teacher tremblingly stamped a gold seal on Lucius' graduation certificate.
“You have graduated,” the teacher said with a complicated expression. “You are the most outstanding student in history. The noble finishing school is proud to have you.”
Lucius nodded with composure. Next, he planned to get a few bishops to give him lessons. Of course, before that, he had to bake some sweet cookies to feed Alexio. He had already compared them and knew the Holy Temple's cookies didn't taste as good as his.
Self-study was such a hassle. He hoped those bishops would be sensible.
Alexio's balding geometry teacher had vanished without a trace. His new geometry teacher hadn't yet adjusted to him and still held expectations for his academic abilities. As a result, Alexio was forced to labor over homework late into the night.
In his grief, he sent a desperate message to the priest, demanding to know the whereabouts of his bald geometry teacher.
“It seems he was kidnapped by vampires.”
“……”
Great. Just great!
The next day, Alexio discovered the history teacher was gone too. The new teacher was full of vigor and gave Alexio double the homework.
Deep-seated—hatred—irreconcilable—enmity!