EnCoffin Me Chapter 50
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 50
Pupil announced its plan to produce a major film about werewolves from ten thousand years ago. No actual filming was needed. The footage would all come from existing materials. The story's protagonist was a werewolf, a dark creature living in the snowy plains, and the witness to the entire story was…
Alexio.
This news caused a ‘pupilquake’ across the social platform ‘Pupil.’
【Breaking! The trailer has been reposted by the conservation center!】
【What about the release date? Did they say anything?】
【Someone up there mentioned it might be by mid-next month at the latest.】
【Looks like I won't be sleeping tonight again. Yesterday the center got hacked, and today they're flooding us with movie trailers.】
【I really want to see a movie about those ancient dark creatures! Pupil, please make it a full series! I'll buy it! I'll buy them all!】
Unlike with Flowers of Heavens, Pupil didn't let anyone else take part in this production. Instead, it quietly focused on organizing and editing the massive archive of footage it had stored.
The online frenzy and Pupil's hustle behind-the-scenes were currently irrelevant to Alexio. With no pressing matters at the center, he and the lunatic returned home almost two days after the chaos. Lucius first checked the vegetables in the small flower garden, confirming they were growing well. Then, his lightbrain, which was inside the house, suddenly beeped.
His hands were still covered in dirt, so he called out to Alexio.
“Alexi, answer the call.”
Alexio, holding a bowl of crispy roasted almonds, hopped down from the second floor and picked up the call.
“Who is this? You're speaking to Lunatic.”
“……?”
On the other end, the delivery guy slowly typed out a question mark.
Alexio was enjoying slandering the lunatic when suddenly the saint burst in with muddy hands. Instantly, Alexio hit the speaker button and nimbly jumped over the sofa, not spilling a single almond from his left hand. The saint glanced at him but didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he replied into the lightbrain.
“Sorry, the kid at home was just joking around.”
The delivery guy finally withdrew his question mark and apologized. Yesterday, the shop had been anxiously following the real-time situation in the conservation center, barely sending out any orders. Today, they included an extra lobster as a small apology.
Lucius then turned to Alexio. The vampire's pointed ears twitched slightly, clearly catching the conversation and showing considerable interest in the lobster.
The saint gave a faint, amused smile.
“…Lunatic?”
Alexio bit down on an almond, hearing the crunching sound conducted through the bone to his ear. Inside, he wrestled with whether he should yield to the lunatic over the lobster.
“You ordered it that night? Isn't it one per person per day?”
He was still struggling, worried the lunatic might be messing with him.
“It is one per person per day,” the saint said calmly. “But I ran into an acquaintance and bought another one using his quota. I didn't expect two to be delivered by chance. It's a bit much for one person to eat two.”
Of course, this was just boasting. He then smiled politely.
“I forgot, someone here doesn't have any at all.”
“……”
Alexio was so annoyed he bit his own mouth while chewing the almond.
“But…”
Alexio's ears instantly perked up.
“If you're willing to give me some almonds, maybe we can negotiate.”
“……”
“Will you give it or not?”
“…No.”
“So the lobsters are all mine?”
“…Wah.”
Faced with almonds and lobster, Alexio painfully gave up the almonds and surrendered to the lobster. As he bit into the lobster, he felt frustrated. There was no need to expend energy to quickly heal minor wounds, so his mouth injury occasionally touched the rich, spicy sauce, which felt quite agonizing.
But the lobster really was delicious.
After finishing this hard-earned meal, Alexio curled up on the sofa, feeling down. With no almonds left, a sore mouth, and low spirits, he wondered what kind of cruel suffering this was.
The saint washed the dishes while watching him. Seeing the sulking vampire curled up on the sofa made him want to smile. He glanced at the almonds placed nearby to prevent Alexio from sneaking any more. It wasn't that he couldn't give them back, but since Alexio had been snacking on them for days, it was better to have some limits.
He casually drew a ‘cat sulking.jpg’ and stuck it on the fridge. Then he took out some potions he had prepared earlier, along with sugar and other ingredients. In no time, a plate of emerald-green pudding sat on the low table in front of Alexio.
“Forget the almonds. You can have pudding.” He watched as the vampire didn't even lift his head, groping for a spoon on the table. “Don't lie down to eat. Sit up.”
…No way!
Lucius' lightbrain beeped again. He glanced at the message. It was from Marshal Olsen.
“I'm heading out to the military headquarters,” he said as he stood and put on his jacket. “I'll probably be back by morning. I'll take the almonds with me. Remember to finish the pudding. There's more in the fridge.”
Wasn't his mouth bitten by his fangs? Eating some pudding mixed with medicine might help.
Alexio had already found the spoon but still looked up at him. The lunatic was seriously dedicated, even going out late at night like this.
After the soft click of the door closing, Alexio slowly slid off the sofa onto the floor. Now no one was watching him. If he wanted to lie down and eat, he could. He could also reorder almonds. The delivery robots took less than an hour.
But suddenly, it all felt a little pointless. So he sat up and finished the pudding without buying more almonds.
With the lunatic gone, the whole house felt quiet. Usually, at this time, even if he was upstairs, he could hear the faint hum of the oven, followed by the sweet aroma of custard. Given a vampire's inherent laziness, Alexio really couldn't understand this human industriousness, always preparing for tomorrow, always staying up late to get things done.
He put the empty plate in the sink, and the automatic dishwasher immediately started, cleaning it spotless and returning it to the rack. Nearby was a large fridge. Alexio opened it for the first time. He had pretty much marked the kitchen as the lunatic's domain. His own snacks were always hoarded in his room.
The fridge had many shelves, clearly separating raw ingredients from finished products. The most accessible spot held the pudding, with a pale sticker reading ‘Contains medicine.’ Looking further, there were baked cookies and pastries, jerky and dried fruit, each carefully labeled with notes.
【Like it.】
【So-so.】
【Not really.】
They were all…
Alexio's preferences.
The vampire slowly closed the fridge door, resting his hand against it, but his cheek began to flush. He felt the rising heat himself, embarrassed enough to wish he could stop this useless attempt at simulating human physiology. In the end, he just pressed the back of his hand against his face, trying to cool the warmth at his cheek.
He felt as if he was pulled back to the press conference where, in the hushed silence, the saint had whispered, “…Aren't you afraid?”
He leaned his head against the fridge door.
It seemed like he was…
a little…
A military vehicle had come to pick him up, and Lucius soon arrived at the military headquarters, where his griffin was also kept temporarily for recovery. Olsen had called him late at night mainly to discuss Zhu Heng. The Holy Temple had finally revealed a glimpse of its true nature, and they needed to seize every opportunity to eliminate this dangerous organization.
Zhu Heng was undoubtedly the perfect candidate. Theo used him but also looked down on him, but most importantly, Zhu Heng was familiar with the Holy Temple. As long as the military put effort into getting him inside, Zhu Heng would become a nail driven deep into the Holy Temple's heart.
The military had already prepared a new identity for him.
In the quiet, pale temporary detention room, Lucius saw Zhu Heng. The military treated the doctor quite politely, only placing electronic shackles on his wrists. The old marshal was speaking with him, his expression relaxed.
“You're here?” Olsen greeted kindly, then turned his gaze to Zhu Heng. “I've talked to Dr. Zhu extensively and have come to understand his determination more deeply. The military will provide all necessary support. From now on, we'll be relying on you even more.”
Lucius, after all, was a hunter of the Holy Temple from ten thousand years ago. Even though times had changed, the old marshal still believed the current Holy Temple retained some remnants of the original. This was the only leverage they could grasp for now.
Lucius nodded slightly. The marshal left, leaving only him and Zhu Heng in the room. He sat down in the chair opposite Zhu Heng and casually greeted him.
“Dr. Zhu.”
Zhu Heng smiled warmly and took the initiative to start the conversation.
“In the days ahead, I'm afraid Mr. Lucius will have to face me every day,” he said with a slight smile. “I'll trouble you to teach me as much as possible, things that might… help you under Theo's watch and ultimately bring him down.”
He often provided psychological counseling to dark creatures, and with his gentle, harmless demeanor, he usually found it easy to lead the flow of conversation. But when he looked at the saint's expressionless face across from him, he bitterly gave up on trying.
“Alexi was right. You really don't trust me at all.”
The doctor's sharp observation allowed him to catch the slightest change in the saint's expression when he heard the name ‘Alexio.’ Before that, the saint had been like unbreakable ice, seemingly transparent but harshly rejecting the outside world.
Zhu Heng had noticed this before. When he previously counseled Lucius' insomnia, he had sensed it.
“Pardon me for being forward, but before we begin, may I say something off-topic?”
The saint raised his eyes slightly and nodded faintly, giving permission.
“Actually, you don't just distrust me, do you?” Zhu Heng said softly. “The occasional expressions and body language you reveal almost always mean you lack basic trust in the whole world around you.
“Maybe it's just my intuition, but I'm afraid you also doubt Elie, Marshal Olsen, and many others besides.”
Lucius twirled his pen. His sky-blue eyes were pale and beautiful. Many were enchanted by that seemingly glowing appearance and truly believed he was a noble saint, like the heroes in legends. But Zhu Heng saw deep-set indifference beneath those beautiful eyes.
“Forgive my frankness…” he murmured, “I think you rarely care about anyone other than Alexio.”
As the words settled, Zhu Heng saw the saint nod in response.
“Yes.” Lucius admitted frankly, “I pay very little attention to others.”
His honesty and matter-of-fact tone made Zhu Heng shudder at the harshness of such an upbringing.
“Who raised you like this…? Your case is unlike anything I've ever seen. This kind of twisted mindset must have been drilled into you nonstop from childhood…” Zhu Heng's voice trembled slightly before he answered his own question.
“The Holy Temple…”
For the first time, Zhu Heng clearly understood what kind of organization the Holy Temple truly was.
“Looks like we've still unexpectedly arrived at today's main topic,” Lucius said calmly. “Then let's begin here. I think the process the Holy Temple used to train its exclusive hunters ten thousand years ago is a good starting point. And it's what I'm most familiar with, so we'll start there.”
He took a sip of water and spoke casually.
“I remember there were over eighty children in our group. More than two-thirds died under brutal training and trials. Those who survived, at the very least, became hunters.”
He spoke of things he had seen in the Holy Temple, the rules, admonitions, deaths, and internecine struggles. From his calm narration, Zhu Heng gradually pictured a colossal entity. This behemoth commanded the faith of the populace, seemingly cloaked in holy light and compassion, yet simultaneously ambitious and unscrupulous, glorifying all sacrifices as honorable bloodshed for their god.
“My linguistics teacher once counted the word I said most in a day. It was ‘Alexio,’” the saint recalled this anecdote lightly. “For the first ten-plus years of my life, I wondered what kind of person he would be. And when I finally met him, I thought, ‘So he really is that person.’ He matched my imagination perfectly, just like in my dreams. All my knowledge could be validated through him, and defeating him would mean the end of my life's journey.”
Zhu Heng remained silent for a long while, his head lowered, only his pupils trembling slightly.
“There was a hunter who succeeded. I envied him greatly,” the saint continued. “The Holy Temple held a grand ceremony for him. At first, there was no smile on his face, but in the end, he smiled. He must have been too overwhelmed with joy to show it at first.”
“I think…” Zhu Heng's voice broke as he interrupted. This was unusual. Zhu Heng was gentle and a good listener, so his sudden break made Lucius pause and quietly study him.
“That person… was he also an exclusive hunter? Did he… kill his destined vampire?”
“Yes.”
Upon receiving the answer, Zhu Heng looked as if he was about to cry.
“What a… terrible mistake…”
He whispered, his voice trembling.
“That hunter probably really couldn't smile. I'm a doctor well-versed in human psychology. The Holy Temple's entire training method ensures that the ‘destined one’ holds a position in the hunter's heart that overshadows everything else. This becomes the root of their indifference or even suspicion toward others, and…
“That ‘destined one’ is like a white whale or a swan, far away in the deep sea or distant sky, something the hunters will chase after their entire lives.
“You gradually learn everything about your ‘destined one,’ their joys, angers, sorrows, and fears. When you finally meet them, all that prior knowledge fits together perfectly, like a key sliding into its lock, each piece clicking into place, each detail confirmed.
“Then, in an instant, your heart would waver, beyond your control.”
He lifted his head, looking directly at Lucius, into those rare sky-blue eyes that now showed a flicker of doubt.
He sighed for all the hunters who had a ‘destined one.’
“You will most likely… fall in love with him.”