EnCoffin Me Chapter 51
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 51
Walking out of the temporary detention room, the platinum-blonde saint bid farewell to the military personnel as politely and calmly as ever. Zhu Heng's words seemed to have no effect on him. He remained composed, his sky-blue eyes as tranquil as a still lake.
He didn't forget to say goodbye to Marshal Olsen either, and also picked up his schedule. Starting tomorrow, he would report to the military headquarters every weekday morning to work with relevant personnel, ensuring Zhu Heng received the necessary training to the fullest extent possible.
“You've worked hard,” the old marshal said kindly. “And please help me convey my thanks and regards to Alexio.”
Lucius gave a small nod, his expression calm. He turned to leave but suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned back around.
“Marshal Olsen, does the military cafeteria serve cake?”
Carrying the extra-sweet cake, he got into the military vehicle heading toward the conservation center. He checked the time. It was nine in the morning. Alexio should have already arrived at the center and begun his day. The box of cake rested on his lap. The autonomous hovercar was taking him to where Alexio was. Lucius watched the mileage counter on the dashboard. The numbers ticked upward, each small change marking the shortening distance between him and Alexio.
A white whale… a swan… destined one…
Asceticism… pursuit… relentless entanglement…
He clenched his teeth, feeling the friction between them, making a tiny sound only he could hear.
He finally opened the cake box, and the first spoonful was thick cream, spreading across his tongue.
Not enough.
He licked away a bit of cream clinging to the corner of his mouth. The second spoonful pulled up a thick slice of cake filled with rich, dark red jam. Its vivid color reminded him of the eyes of the vampire. The sweetness finally engulfed him completely. Biting down on the spoon, his eyes stayed fixed on the constantly changing mileage counter.
There was nothing wrong with his education.
When the vehicle came to a stop, he got out. The crisp morning breeze carried with it a lingering trace of mist from the Emerald Inner Sea. At the recycling bin by the entrance, he tossed the empty cake box. As the paper box hit the bottom with a thud, the saint's white cloak was already far down the path.
The complex seemed larger than ever. Lucius walked quickly, almost urgently, searching for Alexio's whereabouts.
Toward Alexio, he…
Around the corner, he nearly collided with someone. The other person stepped back a few paces, their black wings reaching down to their calves. The young male fallen angel quickly apologized. Lucius gave a slight shake of his head. He had no intention of lingering here.
“Truly sorry. I'm Cravenson. I know you. You're the resurrected saint, aren't you? A pleasure to meet you.”
Craven…son…
Fragments of memory exploded in his mind. He recalled that the owner of this name was also a vampire listed on the Holy Temple's hunt records. Cravenson, a fourth-generation vampire, loyally followed Prince Alexio, and was ultimately killed by a hunter specially trained by the Holy Temple. That memory came after the events in the snowfield, where he had been severely wounded by an enraged Alexio and forced to retreat to the Holy Temple to recover. The news of this victory had arrived from the front lines shortly after.
The hunter who killed Cravenson had been celebrated like a star. At first, his face held no trace of a smile. But under the wave of congratulations, a stiff, uneasy smile gradually climbed onto his face. He smiled as he accepted the rewards and adoration. But when it was all over, Lucius saw the hunter sitting blankly beneath the holy statue.
【Congratulations.】Lucius had said sincerely. 【You succeeded.】
The hunter said nothing.
The young saint was puzzled. The hunter had achieved the goal he had fought for all his life, and the rest of his days would forever be accompanied by glory. So why did he look so…
Desperate?
【I can't teach you】the hunter finally said after a long silence, his voice dry.【I'm sorry. I just want to be alone.】
【…I was too eager. You must be very tired today. I'll come again after one star cycle to ask for your guidance.】
Lucius had turned to leave. As he reached the door, he could still hear the hunter's voice, soft and prolonged, like the whimper of a wounded beast.
【Why… why did you let me go…】
【It was wrong… it was all wrong…】
【I can't forget you…】
“…Sir?” The voice brought him back. He had been silent for too long. The fallen angel named Cravenson looked puzzled. The saint slowly lifted his head and saw Cravenson smiling at him.
“It's a pleasure to meet you, but I do have something to attend to, so I'll excuse myself for now.”
The fallen angel walked off in a hurry, his expression filled with joy. As he moved, he leaned toward the caretaker beside him and asked in a low voice, “Will it disturb Prince Alexio if I go see him now?”
The caretaker gently assured him it wouldn't. They had already contacted Ellie, so Prince Alexio knew they were on their way.
Lucius watched them disappear down the corridor, then paused for a moment before following. He wanted to see Alexio too. He kept a fair distance, trailing about ten meters behind. From there, he caught sight of Alexio, and saw the fallen angel named Cravenson speaking to him with bright excitement. The vampire looked somewhat shocked and confused, clearly familiar with the name Cravenson as well.
Then, almost by instinct, the vampire's gaze shifted toward him.
“Would you mind waiting for me for a moment?” Alexio needed to immediately ask the lunatic if he remembered Cravenson. After Cravenson gave an understanding nod, Alexio quickly headed in Lucius' direction.
“Luna… Lucius.” He lowered his voice slightly. “Do you remember Cravenson? How many people have we run into that we knew?”
We…
Lucius simply gazed at him in silence and Alexio almost felt that old sensation again, the searing intensity of his stare just like ten thousand years ago. However, the feeling lasted only an instant before Lucius slowly lowered his eyes and responded to his words.
“I remember. A fourth-generation vampire successfully killed by the Holy Temple. These people from the past… they really are returning to us, one by one.”
“But why is this happening…” Alexio's expression darkened slightly. He glanced at Lucius, who remained unreadable.
“I understand what you mean. I'll think it over and give you either a theory or an answer.”
Alexio mentally shouted thank goodness. That meant he wouldn't have to rack his brain.
“Then I'll go talk to him. Why don't you head home and rest? You've been up three nights in a row.”
Home…
Lucius still kept his gaze lowered, unwilling to let even a flicker of emotion slip through. The trace of sweetness from earlier had almost entirely faded. In its place came that same suffocating dryness, only now, it carried the final weight of something undeniable settling into place.
There was something wrong with his education.
He reached out to his destined one—
“Give me.”
【Give me.】
The vampire looked at him in confusion, so Lucius drew in a deep breath.
“Give me… candy.”
【Give me.】
Alessio's eyes instantly went dead, while he also felt a slight wariness. Was this lunatic acting like a dog again?
He reached into his pocket, and surprisingly, he did have one. It was something he'd picked up earlier from the medical department. As he pulled the candy out, he paused, a sudden realization flashing through his mind. With a smirk, he quickly retracted his hand, twisted the ends of the wrapper open with satisfaction, and then tossed it toward the lunatic with even greater satisfaction.
“Here you go.” Watching the saint catch the candy, Alexio couldn't help but turn away, hiding the grin that came with finally getting a bit of petty revenge. “I'm going to talk with Cravenson. You go home and rest this afternoon. I'll put in the leave request for you.”
In high spirits, he walked back to the fallen angel.
Lucius watched his back as he left, then unwrapped the candy and popped the orange-flavored piece into his mouth. He pressed it against the roof of his mouth with his tongue, rolling it slowly until the sweetness filled his taste buds. Then, he shifted it between his teeth.
Crack.
The candy shattered, scattering sweet fragments across his tongue.
There was something wrong with his education.
Towards Alexio, he was…
Genuinely in love with him.
Alexio couldn't help but glance back. The lunatic was already gone from where he had been standing. Alexio scoffed at himself for being overly paranoid, but that fleeting moment of feeling burned under his gaze hadn't seemed fake.
He puzzled over it briefly, then happily pushed the thought aside.
Too much trouble. Not worth thinking about.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said to Cravenson with a nod. “So, what did the president want to speak with me about?”
Yes, standing before Alexio now was a grown male fallen angel, who also happened to be the president of the Association of Dark Creatures. Alexio had once considered using this organization as a breakthrough point. Unfortunately, the group had already become rigid in its structure, filled with many dark creatures unwilling to change the current status quo. It didn't suit Alexio's goals. Just as he was preparing to build a new coalition with Zhen and other like-minded dark creatures, Cravenson had taken the initiative to approach him.
Cravenson lowered his head slightly, the tips of his wings shifting just a little, an indication of inner unease. He had pale hair with a streak of solid black at the front, which complemented his pitch-black wings. He lifted his ochre-red eyes and gazed steadily at Alexio.
“Would you mind moving somewhere private to talk?”
That meant not even the caretaker would be present. Alexio had no idea what Cravenson wanted to discuss, but he agreed and led him to his former room at the center. The place was regularly maintained by cleaning bots, so it was spotless. Alexio sat down at the round table and ordered a pot of tea from the cafeteria delivery service.
“Go ahead. No one will come here. It's just the two of us.”
He noticed Cravenson's hand slowly clench into a fist, then just as slowly loosen again. The fallen angel drew in a deep breath, as if bracing himself, and finally spoke.
“Please allow me to start by offering you an apology.”
Alexio looked up at him.
“I've been watching you ever since you resurrected,” Cravenson said, gripping the cup in his hands a little tighter. “But I've always held back. I didn't truly believe you would bring change. I thought that after ten thousand years, dark creatures had evolved into something different, something incapable of returning to what we once were.
“So I wanted to test you. That's why I assigned you to teach the dark creatures at the center.”
Oh, so it was this person who was pulling the strings, leading Alexio to get that job he almost wanted to resign from immediately.
“But during the recent attack on the center, the children you taught were able to act independently. That was incredibly difficult for me to imagine.” He gripped the cup even tighter, his speech suddenly becoming very fast. “Are you still taking students? I really—”
“No.”
“I'm sorry for bothering you QvQ…”
Rejected, the fallen angel sank into a slump, holding his cup in both hands, clearly dejected. After a moment, he tried to compose himself again.
“Your plan moving forward, is it to gather as many dark creatures who wish for change as possible? In that case, our association could…”
“No. I don't plan on getting involved with the association. At least, not right now,” Alexio said. The fallen angel across from him looked confused, so Alexio casually added a few words to explain.
“I don't need a rigid, ossified organization,” Alexio said plainly. “And for now, I don't need anything too large, either.” He knew all too well how difficult it was to initiate change within a structure that had already solidified. When he previously set out to reorganize the Blood Rose Society, which Theo had once completely controlled, it had nearly ended in a bloodbath.
In this world ten thousand years later, he could no longer rely on brute force to reshape things. So from the very beginning, he chose to abandon the old framework and build something new from the ground up.
“The few kids I have now, along with a handful of members of the outer union, are enough for the time being. After I return from earning merit at the northern front, then I'll consider absorbing some members from the association.” He leaned forward slightly, his deep rose-colored eyes fixed on Cravenson, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“I plan to swallow the association piece by piece. Even knowing that, are you still willing to support me?”
Cravenson seemed stunned. Alexio leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed, but his words were anything but polite.
“Soon enough, the association will be completely hollowed out by me, and the one truly leading the dark creature… will be the new union.
“By then, dark creatures will respect federal law but also be self-governing and independent. The conservation center will only serve young orphans and those with serious illnesses. Everyone else will move out and live independently. No more caretakers, but assistants will be hired instead. They'll enter society and receive only the most basic civic benefits…”
He rose to his feet, his rose-colored eyes gleaming beneath the shadowed beams. Cravenson instinctively rose as well, bracing one hand against the table, his mind racing through the world Alexio's words had painted.
Dignified, independent, powerful…
Dark creatures.
Cravenson wanted to speak, but no words came. Admittedly, this was the world he had truly longed for all along. And the vampire who had painted that vision for him had now turned to face him, watching quietly. A hint of fangs showed as Alexio smiled, and for a moment, Cravenson felt as though he were staring into the edge of a blade.
“Even knowing all this, are you still willing to support me?” Alexio asked, and for the first time, he spoke Cravenson's name.
“Cravenson?”
A strange sense of familiarity washed over Cravenson. He was certain he had no related memories, but it didn't stop him from answering.
“Yes, I am,” he said, and then added with a smile, “To show my sincerity, I will resolve all legal and public opinion issues regarding your deployment to the northern front. And I'll accompany you to that perilous battlefield myself.”
Alexio suddenly had a bad feeling.
“As a small additional request… I must admit, I'm terribly envious of the children under your tutelage.”
“Wait, you—”
“So, Teacher Xixi?”
No!!!