EnCoffin Me Chapter 70
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 70
He watched the vampire get bewildered by his question, mouth half-open, revealing two sharp fangs.
Alexio was completely stunned. He didn't understand how this lunatic could see through his thoughts. He had thought he hid them well, that he could keep himself concealed. But he forgot the person in front of him was his destined one who had made studying him his life's work.
He had nowhere to hide. All his thoughts, whether pure or base, were exposed in those clear, sky-blue eyes.
“Isn't that right, Alexi?”
The saint pressed on. He instinctively wanted to shake his head, but the saint's steady gaze gave him no chance to deny it.
“I think so. I think you want to give me the【First Embrace】.”
He spoke so confidently that Alexio couldn't deny it. Alexio felt the world blur before his eyes, then realized it was his eyelashes trembling with extreme anxiety.
His base thoughts were finally revealed. He had nowhere to run.
The saint spoke again slowly, calling his name.
“Alexi, about this…”
His fangs pricked his lip. Alexio suddenly lifted his head and spoke first.
“I'm not trying to insult you!”
“I think it's something to consider.”
They spoke at the same time, but each clearly heard the other's words. For the first time, Lucius was a little puzzled. He thought for a moment but couldn't understand why Alexio called it an ‘insult.’
“…Insult?”
“Consider? You say consider?” The vampire, who had been downcast, suddenly perked up. “You're willing to let me give you the【First Embrace】? Willing to let me... become your father?”
“Whether I can become your father can be discussed later. I'm more concerned why you see this as an insult to me.”
Lucius noticed that after this question, Alexio's metaphorical cat ears drooped again.
“Because giving you the【First Embrace】is denying the part of you that's human,” Alexio said softly. “I don't want that. I respect humanity, and I respect you, a human who keeps chasing after me. I also don't think there's anything good about becoming a vampire. At least when I was turned, all I felt was pain.”
He looked up, staring at the everdark stones glowing faintly in the darkness. The lights slowly climbed to the top of the pit, then stopped.
“After becoming a vampire, if you don't put effort into simulating it, you won't feel human warmth or a heartbeat. You have to constantly feed on fresh blood and live forever in the dark.
“This time, ‘living’ would stretch on endlessly, so much that you would have to use a long slumber to chase away the boredom. In the end, there would be no one left.”
He smiled faintly.
“And would you believe it? I once wanted to be someone as righteous and radiant as you… Of course, the lunacy part doesn't count. I wanted to meet many friends, have adventures under the sun, appear on every bard's songs.
“But all of that became nothing but a fantasy the moment I became a vampire. I don't want to change the course of your life. You're fine just the way you are. It can't get any better.”
As he spoke, Alexio felt a weight on his head. The saint expressionlessly reached out and gently touched the top of his head, his eyes filled with a certain… sorrow.
“Alexi, I'm asking you, after I become a vampire, I'll still live with you, right?”
Alexio thought for a moment, then nodded.
“If you don't want to move out, of course you can stay. I can even give you half the coffin.”
“Then, I'll still go to work at the Institute of Ancient History, right?”
Lucius asked again. Alexio looked at him, completely baffled.
“If you don't work, it'll be even more boring. Do you want to grow mold at home all day?”
The saint took a deep breath. The groundwork was laid, and he moved on to the final and most crucial question.
“Speaking of home, does becoming a vampire mean I won't have to do chores anymore?”
Alexio's eyes gradually glazed over, as if he suddenly understood something.
“Look, even if I become a vampire, does my life really change in the slightest?”
No. Not at all. The lunatic would still be the same person living with him, going to the institute on workdays, and shouldering almost all the housework. Feeling a bit guilty, Alexio, with his last shred of conscience, asked, “Want me to help with some chores?”
“Fatherly love?”
“Yes!!!”
Lucius took a deep breath, telling himself that the mood was just right and not to mind Alexio taking advantage of him.
“If you still have doubts and think that the【First Embrace】would destroy the human part of me, then I have a better proposal,” Lucius said slowly. “You can turn me into a vampire before I die. That way, you're not destroying me. You're saving me.”
He never told Alexio that the Holy Temple hunters couldn't be given a【First Embrace】.
A vampire's life was like an endless, flowing river. A mortal's brief hundred years were but a bubble on its surface… He had thought this before. Sometimes, staring at Alexio, he could enumerate every base thought hidden deep in his heart.
Wanting something but never getting it. Wanting to possess, yet unable to… He didn't know what he had gone through to become the lunatic Alexio called him, but those feelings were undoubtedly the perfect fuel. So many things once stood between them. Maybe killing each other to the death would have been the best ending.
But then, Alexio had jumped into his arms. From that moment on, nothing else mattered.
He was the one who answered him, his destined one…
The one who deserved to wear the crown of immortality forever.
Alexio thought the idea was excellent. The lunatic didn't resist becoming a vampire, which finally lifted a heavy weight from his heart. He supported the plan to turn him just before death, hoping the lunatic could live out his human life peacefully. Of course, time was long, and the lunatic's feelings might change, but whatever he chose, Alexio would accept it.
A sudden sense of responsibility rose within him. The lunatic understood vampires, that was true, but there were many things only a vampire parent should teach their offspring. He had to teach the lunatic everything. With that thought, Alexio felt the domain above the pit had been completed—
The royal city's gates opened, shadow roses spread wildly, and a grand full moon, high in the snow-obscured sky, replaced the daylight.
“It's finally coming to an end. Not a single one of the Holy Temple's people will survive.” Alexio looked up above the pit. The rain of lightblades was fading, showing those above were in serious trouble. He sneered.
“It's useless. No matter where they run, the bats will catch up to them. Let them die in endless fear of being hunted.”
Above the pit, Delvie noticed the glow of the everdark stones had stopped less than thirty centimeters from the top. She froze for a moment, then burst into ecstatic joy!
It had stopped! This terrifying monster, like a black hole, had finally lost its power!
She heard her communicator beep. The surrounding lightblades grew sparse. She ordered the Silver Crusaders to increase their output while answering the call. On the other end was Aamon. Delvie saw a torn wound on his shoulder. Although it was treated, faint traces of fresh blood still seeped through.
“Have you failed?” Delvie raised her voice slightly. “You've betrayed Mr. Theo's trust! I'm about to succeed here. You must turn back immediately and not let the pursuers discover the mine's location.”
She had never gotten along well with Aamon. During this trip to the northern front, Aamon had repeatedly disregarded her plans. Delvie had already accumulated much anger in her heart.
Through the screen, the hunter looked at her silently.
“It's not me who failed, Delvie. It's you.”
The wind and snow whipped at the hunter's cloak. He pressed the wound on his shoulder that was about to tear open again and looked up. He stood before the mine entrance. The blood-red full moon hung faintly in the sky. The mine had long since changed. Imposing walls rose, shadow roses grew wild, and countless bats with bloodthirsty eyes hunted and slaughtered every member of the Holy Temple inside.
A Silver Crusader lay dead at the mine entrance marked as ‘No. 1.’ A bat perched atop the corpse, baring its sharp teeth threateningly as it caught Aamon's gaze. More bats stirred in the shadows behind it. The bats had taken over the mine, wiping out every defense inside.
Aamon didn't move forward. There was no point. Each of these bats wielded advanced dark and blood magic. After devouring all the defenses and personnel here, they had fully transformed into terrifying monsters.
The【Red Moon Royal City's Full Moon】was a feast for the bats beneath the moonlight.
The bats had completely occupied the mine. With fresh blood to feed on, Alexio was confident that as long as they could get out of here, he and the lunatic would be absolutely safe.
“…So, how do we get up there?” the saint asked. Alexio stiffened, then felt the other's hand gently brush over the upper part of his back, the place where wings grew.
“My magic is almost gone, so…” The saint deliberately dragged out his words with a faint smile. “What about your wings, Alexio?”
Alexio opened his mouth but, after confirming the lunatic's thought, decided not to use his large wings as a pretext anymore. He was about to change his tune. But the saint saw through him completely and struck with precision.
“I'll help as much as I can. You need blood, right?” Just like that time in their shared home, in the dimness, the saint loosened his collar, exposing his neck. But this time he was more extreme. His fingertips cut a line of blood on his wrist and neck. They were already close, and the rich scent of blood instantly filled Alexio's senses. His pupils began to contract slowly.
The saint paused to think, then found a more fitting way to say it.
“Maybe you can also take this as… a rehearsal for the【First Embrace】?”
Alexio covered his mouth, trying not to reveal his fangs. He was using all his willpower to hold back.
“You're really bold… Aren't you afraid I'll bite you until you bleed badly?”
“No worries, I'll teach you.”
“……?”
It was like magical realism. A hunter was going to teach a vampire how to bite.
Alexio was about to snap back, but the scent of blood dulled his reflexes. Because of his delayed reaction, the saint moved first, grabbing his cheek. With a little pressure, the tips of Alexio's small fangs appeared faintly at his lips.
He struggled instantly, trying to free a hand to cover his mouth. But both his hands were pinned against the cave wall by the saint's domain.
“Lunatic! What… what do you want to do?”
As he opened his mouth to curse, the fangs were fully exposed. Lucius took the opportunity to observe them, intending for these fangs to appear in his scrapbook tonight. Realizing this, Alexio quickly shut his mouth, refusing to open it no matter what.
“Why so uncooperative?” The saint sounded annoyed. “Don't you want to get back to the camp sooner?”
Alexio ground his teeth.
“I'll just bite straight away! You won't die from bleeding out!”
“But if I bleed out badly, do you think you'll still be coherent?”
“……”
“Open up.”
He was trembling.
Perhaps from anger, perhaps from shyness, his destined one, restrained here by him, was trembling. In Lucius' eyes, the subtle trembling, unable to meet his gaze, was as endearing as a newborn chick in early spring. He didn't want to merely send distant blessings to that nest. He wanted to snatch the fledgling out and hold it entirely in his palm.
“Open up.” He knew Alexio too well. After this command, the vampire would no longer resist him.
Those small fangs reappeared before his eyes. The saint's expression remained calm as he reached out and gently lifted Alexio's chin. He carefully measured the length of the fangs but felt it was not precise enough. Without hesitation, he traced the left fang with his thumb pad and immediately grasped its approximate length.
“!!!”
Alexio bit him instantly and immediately regretted it. A drop of blood oozed onto the saint's fingertip, filling the air with a sweet scent. Alexio felt his tongue itching to lick the blood, but he held back. Just as he was about to pull away, the saint naturally wiped the drop onto Alexio's tongue.
“Can't wait?” he whispered with a smile. Seeing Alexio struggling to pull back, he casually pressed down on the back of his neck like holding a cat trying to escape, then lifted his wrist.
“Your fangs are a bit short, so biting might be a little awkward at first, but I'll teach you.”
He indeed began patiently explaining the technique, such as how to bite, how much pressure to use, as if he were the vampire himself. Alexio stared at the saint's wrist, surrounded by the lingering scent of blood. Having gone nearly a full day without feeding, his reason was already slipping away.
His sanity completely shattered at the saint's soft invitation.
“Here, bite here.”
He sank his teeth into the other's wrist. Lucius drew in a quick breath, then pressed a hand to the back of Alexio's neck, soothingly stroking the nape and wisps of hair at the back of his head. The fangs sank in just right, without the gush of blood like before, but enough for Alexio to swallow. Aside from being gently adjusted by the saint's fingers on both cheeks earlier, he showed no resistance.
Alexio felt himself drifting in a hazy, blissful dream. In the dream, rose vines twisted overhead, their deep red blossoms suddenly spilling like aged wine, drenching both him and the lunatic. Alexio turned his head and found the lunatic standing with him beneath these rose vines, his cloak imbued with the scent of wine.
Rose vines, sunlight fragmented by leaves, the deep red wine… the lunatic smiled at him amidst it all.
When this is over, I want to plant roses in the garden too.
His cheek was squeezed again, a finger wiping some blood from his lips. That finger carried the scent of flowers and wine in Alexio's senses. Following it, the saint guided him to the side of his neck.
“Bite here. Use a little more pressure, your fangs are shorter.”
Pale blue veins pulsed faintly in his sight. Licking the blood off his lips, Alexio's fully intoxicated mind could think of nothing else.
He was about to bite instinctively, but the image of the saint beneath those deep red flowers swirled in his mind. He forced himself to pause, then turned his head to nuzzle against the saint's cheek.
“I'll be careful. It won't hurt.”
He somehow instinctively soothed his prey and found the right spot to bite. After hearing those words, the saint's hand on the back of his neck tightened slightly, and the veins at his neck bulged as if holding back something. Without overthinking, Alexio's tongue swept over, and he bit down.
In the silence, the saint's hand pressing on Alexio's revealed tense veins, but his grip was gentle. This time, he felt no pain at all, only ecstacy, endless ecstacy, overwhelming ecstacy tearing at his reason. He glanced at the time on his lightbrain.
Unfortunately, the military would probably arrive soon, or else…
His free hand reached into his pocket. Lucius felt a piece of candy, popped it into his mouth, and crunched it. His other hand remained steadily on Alexio's head.
His Alexio, who would show pity even before feeding, filled him with affection. He couldn't bring himself to treat the other lightly here.
Because this was his destined one, eternal, dazzling, and crowned with flowers.
A slight tearing sound of fabric caught Lucius' attention, and his expression shifted slightly as he remembered what he had briefly forgotten in the midst of ecstacy—
Alexio's wings.