EnCoffin Me Chapter 16
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 16
Around noon, the busy old marshal finally arrived.
His main purpose in returning from the front lines this time was to report on the battle situation and to replace generals. Since the light burst in the northern front had been effectively contained, sending a few young people there would serve as a good training. Coincidentally, on his way back, he saw Ellie's livestream and was left with a rather deep impression of Lucius.
This was a young man who had undergone strict training. Most importantly, though human, he was able to use magic.
For this world of ten thousand years later, this was simply unimaginable! Besides the ongoing concerns over the balance of light and darkness, external threats were minimal. Perhaps this was why humans had degenerated over the millennia. Some speculated that even the light creatures of today were much weaker compared to those from ten thousand years ago.
“That's precisely why your combat power is valuable,” Olsen said. “Although I've heard about the one-thousand-meter limit, the northern front has always had a tradition of dark creatures rotating on duty. You could operate as a team.
“Of course, this is just a suggestion. If you don't want to go to the dangerous front lines, revising history from the rear is also a meaningful task.”
“No, I'd be happy to go there,” Lucius replied. He glanced at the vampire, who was eating his eighth military-issued sandwich, licking tomato sauce from the corner of his mouth before reaching for another.
Following his gaze, Olsen looked over and couldn't help but pull a box of candies from his pocket.
“Marshal, please don't feed dark creatures too many sweets,” Ellie protested. “I found that the entire box from last night was finished this morning. It's really bad for their teeth!”
The old marshal reluctantly withdrew his hand.
“I'll give it next time.”
“Give it to Lucius,” Alexio said, finally lifting his head after finishing all his sandwiches. “Ellie ordered other snacks. Recently, I haven't felt like eating sweets.”
The old marshal glanced at the expressionless saint, and for a brief moment, his face showed ‘extreme reluctance.’
Lucius: ……
“I'm also interested in the rotation duty,” Alexio said. He didn't expect to live a peaceful retirement forever. Occasionally, he wanted to stretch his legs. He wasn't sure how the situation was on the northern front, but it would be good if he could get some real exercise there.
“The rotation duty is very safe,” Olsen quickly reassured him. “Don't worry about getting hurt. The military will do everything to protect you.”
Alexio: ???
Then what the hell was the point of him going!
Ellie said, “The rotation system is usually for the braver dark creatures. Since Alexi has been courageous since resurrection, he passed some screenings and can go. The light burst in the north, along with the resulting mutants, is essentially a case of extreme light element overflow. Having dark creatures on that front would weaken the light, making it safer for our soldiers to fight.”
“Then why… don't they let dark creatures fight directly?” Alexio asked, puzzled. “If just being on the front line helps that much, wouldn't sending dark creatures directly crush the enemy?”
Except for Lucius, everyone present smiled at Alexio.
Little cutie, how could we ever bear to let you go?
Alexio was utterly confused. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly remembered the fat manticore and the round wolf cub he'd seen at the conservation center…
Did those things really have any combat ability?
Could it be that all the dark creatures in this world lacked any real fighting skills?!
What kind of insane world was this? Didn't they remember they were supposed to be fierce and cunning dark creatures? Turned out they had no combat skills at all. They'd all been turned into silly, sweet mascots!
The saint beside him remained silent. Since reading the ‘Federal Dark Creatures Protection Law,’ he'd vaguely suspected something was off about the dark creatures of ten thousand years later. Now it was confirmed. Perhaps the dark creatures retained some basic skills, but living in the peaceful present, receiving excessive pampering and care, they naturally…
Turned into mascots who only knew how to act cute.
Alexio felt like his heart was about to give out. He abruptly stood up and looked at Lucius beside him.
“Come on! Hit me!”
He had to fight the lunatic! He needed to show everyone present what a dark creature was really like!
Lucius took a calm, long, deep breath.
“What are you doing?! Fight me!”
Alexio bared his fangs in frustration.
“I'm breathing the air of freedom,” Lucius said quietly, staring at the vampire with no intention of making a move. He wasn't crazy. He had annotated that protection law several times. It was practically flawless. Now that he was in the heavily guarded military headquarters, there was even less chance he would make a move.
“If I do, I'm pretty sure I'll be breathing the air of prison soon after.”
“……”
Alexio's sudden outburst made the marshal's adjutant and Ellie stand up as well. Seeing how well the saint answered, the old marshal excitedly patted his shoulder.
“That's right. Good citizens should study the law, understand the law, obey the law, and use the law. Young man, you're adapting quickly.”
Ellie busied herself calming Alexio, pulling out candies she wasn't supposed to let him eat and even asking if he wanted a few more sandwiches. Alexio silently watched Ellie, then glanced quietly at the saint, and finally slumped back into his seat in dejection.
He didn't want to disappoint these people. Their kindness and care were unlike anything he had experienced as a vampire. But he also struggled with how to prove his strength and show that he could be a valuable asset on the battlefield when they wouldn't let him near any danger, especially with the Dark Creatures Protection Law standing firmly in the way.
Even that lunatic who was born to hunt him didn't dare to act rashly. Aaaahhh, how terrifying!
Later, the old marshal spoke privately with the saint. Alexio had no idea what they discussed. He listlessly popped a few candies, and when he looked up again, the saint had already come out of the marshal's office, still showing no sign of emotion.
“We're going to see the big griffins!” Ellie coaxed him. “Alexio can even feed the griffins.”
Feed my foot! Why would he want to feed griffins! Those golden, dazzling creatures were so annoying!
The marshal's adjutant personally led them to the griffin training ground. The temperature here was quite low. Alexio noticed Ellie rubbing her arms, so he hesitated for a moment before taking off his coat.
“Here.”
“No, no, no! What if Alexi catches a cold?” Ellie shook her head frantically.
“I don't have that system. My breathing and heartbeat are simulated. Essentially, I'm still an undead creature,” Alexio insisted. He wasn't one of those dark creatures who grew up in this world. His physique was unbelievably strong. Even if he were stabbed straight through, he could recover in minutes. He didn't have that fragile physiology.
His mood had just settled, so Ellie didn't dare to refuse again and put on the coat, feeling secretly delighted inside.
Oh my, so cute!
If Alexio knew what she was thinking, he'd definitely take back the coat in an instant.
Griffins were an important strategic resource, and from birth to training, the military took full responsibility. They had a special large training ground in the mountains, but this place was a smaller facility mainly housing some highly qualified griffins. This made it easier to form contracts with excellent soldiers near the capital. Ellie had already coordinated with the military, who also wanted to showcase their close relationship with the conservation center and popularize some aspects of griffin training to the public. The entire visit would be streamed live.
Within seconds, Ellie's livestream exploded with viewers. After adjusting her equipment, she cheerfully greeted the audience and introduced the scene. The adjutant then explained some details before the camera focused on Alexio. He was crouched on the ground with the saint, looking at the… plump chickens.
Alexio remembered that griffins actually fed on night birds, those rare dark creatures that nested at the conservation center, with only about a thousand left. In Alexio's time, night birds were abundant and highly fertile. Many light creatures used them as food, and vampires prized their feathers, even running farms to breed them.
Now, suddenly endangered, Alexio found it a little hard to accept.
“Don't be fooled by how fat these chickens look. They are specially bred and very nutritious, suitable for griffins to eat,” the adjutant explained. “Of course, we also have specialized training to help griffins maintain their wild nature and combat strength.”
The comments section was filled with facts and praise, but mostly questions for Alexio.
【Wow, will they let Xixi feed them? Won't he be scared?】
【Xixi, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, feed them if you can. Be careful with your hands.】
【I still think it's a bit dangerous…】
Alexio felt too down to read the live comments. A trainer beside the adjutant whistled sharply. In the vast, open circular arena, a griffin's ears twitched. It spread its wide wings and swiftly flew toward them. Although the light under the gray sky was dim, the griffin's battle armor and white-gold feathers shone brilliantly.
【Oh my god, so cool!】
【Xixi didn't even budge! First, he jumped out of the coffin without a flinch, and now he's facing a griffin without moving an inch either, lololol】
Alexio glanced at the lunatic beside him. The man's sky-blue eyes shimmered faintly, clearly showing great affection for this species.
The griffin landed slowly, rubbing against the trainer with trust and letting out a soft purr. Its majestic lion's build, ethereal wings, and imposing battle armor made it impossible for anyone to resist such a cool creature.
Alexio expressionlessly picked up a chicken, reminding himself to treat this like a job. Still, the whole act of feeding felt more like tossing snacks to deer in a park. The picture was completely at odds with his supposedly cooler dark creature persona.
“Be gentle, don't scare him,” the trainer said as he ruffled the griffin's head. The griffin looked at Alexio and sniffed lightly. Alexio immediately sensed that something was off.
He had a feeling…
The griffin suddenly broke free from the trainer's grip with a furious roar. Its wings spread wide, nearly tearing off the makeshift canopy over the circular arena! The once-clear golden eyes began to bleed into crimson, and Alexio heard a sharp hissing in its throat, a clear sign it was about to unleash a blast of searing golden flame!
The griffin opened its jaws in Alexio's direction, then suddenly paused, shifted its aim, and unleashed a blast of fire in a different direction.
That direction was where Ellie stood.
In that instant, countless doubts flashed through Alexio's mind. The griffin hadn't shown any aggression toward him at first, which meant these creatures from ten thousand years later likely didn't attack dark creatures. But after sniffing him, its behavior had drastically changed. Could there be something on him—
Then why had it turned to attack Ellie?
Alexio teleported instantly, arriving just before the flames could reach her. In the searing golden firelight, his deep rose-colored eyes seemed to ignite as well.
He realized it then.
The coat.