EnCoffin Me Chapter 20
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 20
【A lich's life is a pilgrimage passed on like a burning torch.】
【So don't mourn for me, Alexio. My phylactery will drift along the current of time and space, waiting for the next child who can take it up. When that day comes…】
【The new lich and you will surely meet again in a much happier world.】
“Ui'falucy…” the vampire spoke the name etched onto the phylactery, the name passed down through generations of liches. The initial shock had already faded from his face, replaced by a gentle look of remembrance.
“You're right. We really did meet in a much happier world.”
He said softly.
But this newly awakened lich seemed… rather timid.
Ten thousand years ago, liches were already a rare and unique breed among dark creatures. Males were called Ui'falucci, and females, Ui'falucy. As the uncrowned monarchs of the undead and masters of the most advanced necromancy, a lich on its home battlefield, like the Sea of Undead, was so formidable that even Alexio's vampire father would have avoided facing it head-on.
Liches were, in theory, immortal. However, if one was not slain by others, they would eventually choose their own day of death. On that day, the lich would release the phylactery from the depths of their soul, letting it drift through the currents of time and space, awaiting the next worthy successor. The one who received the phylactery would become the new lich. As such, liches often appeared with different racial traits in each generation. The only constant was that, in order to better control the more intricate necromancy, the flesh on their hands would wither away, leaving only bare bone.
As the thought crossed Alexio's mind, he lowered his head slightly, just in time to see the lich girl peeking out at him from beneath her hood. When their eyes met, she flinched a little but stubbornly held her gaze, letting out a soft, questioning hum through her nose.
“…Hm?”
It seemed like a response to him calling her name earlier.
“Alexio,” he said, pointing to himself. “I'm a vampire. Just woke up a few days ago.”
The wolf cub at his feet let out a tiny howl, unwilling to be ignored. Alexio crouched down to rub his head, but midway through, a skeletal hand tremblingly reached out, then quickly retracted under his gaze.
“You want to pet him too?” Alexio picked up one of the cub's front paws. Now forced to stand on three legs, the furball wobbled precariously, looking like he might topple over at any second.
“Go ahead. He won't bite you. I think you two already know each other.”
The lich still trembled slightly, one hand clutching the box of egg tarts, the other slowly reaching out with hesitation—
And ended up patting Alexio's head.
As if handling a small animal, she gently stroked his black hair, taking care not to mess it up. After a few cautious pats, she seemed satisfied and pulled her hand back into her oversized sleeve. With her head lowered, she returned the box of egg tarts she had been holding.
“What's this? Feeling guilty now?”
Beneath her hood, the lich's flushed with shame. She slowly nodded twice, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
“S-sorry… I took… your… things…”
As she spoke, her whole body trembled, and the box of egg tarts she handed over shook uncontrollably. Alexio could even hear the crunch of the pastry colliding inside.
“It's nothing. Just let me know next time. This box is yours now.”
Finally freeing the wobbling wolf cub that was about to collapse, Alexio took a few steps back to make sure the lunatic had reconnected. The lich left behind stood there in confusion, slowly retrieving the pastry box before realizing she had been forgiven. Overjoyed, she hugged the box tightly, only for crushed egg tarts to spill out, showering her with crumbs.
Alexio: ……
There was a big problem with these dark creatures raised by the conservation center. Every single one of them was silly.
The lich tearfully stared at the crushed box and the crumbs all over herself.
“Ah, Miss Lucy!” The wolf cub's caretaker, Dalph, who had been standing off at a distance, quickly came over to handle the situation when she saw what was happening. Alexio carefully picked up the cub as he tried to lick the crumbs off the ground. Noticing the lich shrink slightly at Dalph's unfamiliar presence, he frowned.
“Where is her caretaker?”
Dalph sighed.
“Miss Lucy's situation is a bit complicated. She's directly connected to the medical department.” Seeing the lich continue to resist her approach, Dalph sighed with worry and sent a message directly to the relevant doctor.
“Miss Lucy is very sensitive to the outside world and somewhat fearful. Previous caretakers only made her more anxious. She can only rely on Dr. Zhu Heng for long-term psychological counseling.
“She wasn't usually one to leave the department so easily. This time, she probably sneaked out.”
As Dalph spoke, she raised her hands to show she wouldn't come closer. The lich relaxed, quickly hugging the crushed box of egg tarts and slipping behind Alexio, cautiously holding onto his clothes while secretly watching to see if Dalph would approach again.
Alexio felt something was off. Although the lich was reclusive, she wasn't withdrawn. Ui'falucy's current state was clearly abnormal.
He thought back to how he used to comfort his friend.
Holding a wolf cub with a lich trailing behind, Alexio drew a lot of attention as he entered the cafeteria. He ordered a roasted chicken at the counter, then picked a random seat and patiently stripped the meat off the whole bird. The wolf cub, irresistibly drawn by the roasted chicken's aroma, circled him eagerly. Considering the cub's size, Alexio only gave him a small piece of leg meat.
A complete chicken carcass, still fragrant, took shape under Alexio's hands.
“Here, play with this,” Alexio said.
Giving bones and carcasses to a lich was always a foolproof gift. But since Lucy might be too sensitive for something so intense right now, Alexio settled for a skeletal chicken instead.
Dalph: ……
She was sure that Prince Alexio must be joking.
What surprised her even more was that after the initial hesitation, the lich's eyes gradually brightened. Her naturally elegant, seaweed-like wavy black hair had long gone unnoticed from hiding in dark corners. Now, with her pupils shining brightly and the soul flames flickering unusually alive within them, she naturally radiated the unique, dark, mysterious, and striking beauty typical of dark creatures.
She glanced at Alexio as if seeking confirmation. Receiving an affirmative answer, she happily accepted the gift that would seem strange to any outsider. Alexio had asked for two takeout boxes, one for the bones and one for the meat. The egg tarts were reshaped by the skilled cafeteria staff and returned to the lich.
“Dalph,” Alexio requested, “could you please take care of her? Heat these up whenever she wants to eat. Helgodon played hard today and will probably sleep early tonight.”
The lich was even less familiar with others and more prone to discomfort. At least Dalph had some contact with her. As for the medical department…
Alexio figured no one enjoyed seeing doctors all the time.
Dalph agreed and personally escorted Lucy back. Each humanoid dark creature at the conservation center had their own room. But due to the lich's emotional instability, she often stayed in the medical department instead. Still, her room held some carefully prepared items from the center.
Pink lace curtains, animal-shaped fabric sofas, piles of dolls and cushions, cute toys… The conservation center had racked their brains to gather things they thought a girl her age would like. Yet the lich seemed uninterested.
At least Dalph felt that the lich's interest in those things couldn't compare to how much she cared for that box. The lich neatly divided the three boxes into two groups: one, holding the food, handed to Dalph for heating; the other, containing the chicken bones, she held close, sitting there intently staring at it.
The chicken and egg tarts were warmed up. When Dalph placed the food on the table, the lich still stared at the bones but reached out and took a piece of chicken, slowly gnawing on it.
She was eating!
Dalph's heart raced with excitement. She didn't dare make a sound nearby, afraid of disturbing the lich's meal. The medical staff, watching through Dalph's video feed, were equally thrilled.
【She's really eating! So much! Never seen this before!】
【Ah, Lucy, eat more! It would be great if you could eat like this every day!】
The lich stared intently at the carcass in the paper box, the soul flames in her eyes flickering steadily. Suddenly, as if understanding something, a strange light appeared in her gaze. She stood up and raised her empty hand, as if giving an order—
Move! Life that has died!
The skeletal chicken began to tremble violently, its scattered bones assembling as if an invisible hand was controlling them from the void. The process was slow. When Alexio had dismantled the chicken, the lich had been sitting nearby, clearly watching how the vampire's graceful fingers separated the bones. To her, reassembling them was not much harder.
Once the skeleton was fully assembled, the lich gave another command, and the skeletal chicken started to run. It jumped down from the table onto the patterned carpet, which was decorated with images of trees and streams, making it seem as if the skeletal chicken was sprinting through a forest. At first, it stumbled over tangled roots or wobbled crossing the streams, but soon the lich's control grew more agile. The skeleton became lively, leaping onto treetops, swinging on vines, and gliding down from above with outstretched wings!
The slick skeleton landed lightly, passing by the delicate faces of dolls on the shelves, brushing a lace curtain and leaving a greasy mark. Then its feet pattered across piled-up pillows, hopping from red to green, stepping on the head of a large dog plushie, drifting past a cat's tail… Finally, after circling the room, the skeleton dashed toward its controller. The lich smiled, opening her arms to welcome its adventurous return.
Or perhaps it was she who had returned from the adventure.
Under the astonished gaze of Dalph and others watching through the screen, the skeletal chicken jumped back onto the table, standing within the lich's lowered gaze. It crossed its legs and folded its right wing bone across its chest, performing an elegant bow of thanks.
Like a knight.
The lich thought.
She also lifted the hem of her clothes, smiling as she returned the knight's bow.