EnCoffin Me Chapter 82
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 82
“Oh? Your memory has already recovered to that point?”
On the way to the water nymph's dwelling, Alexio was a bit surprised when he first heard about the lunatic's recovering memory.
“I thought you'd take longer to remember everything, like needing a hundred years to recover a hundred years' worth of memories.”
Lucius smiled. “How could it be that slow? I'm just picking up what I once had.”
He even wished it could go faster, to quickly retrieve that dreamlike period. There had been countless Carnivals, countless versions of Alexio. Even if it all ended in a firestorm, they had been close then, like flowers blooming in cracks in the rocks, growing despite the hardship.
“Maybe it's because I'm recalling things anew, but the fragments I used to only vaguely remember are becoming much clearer.”
“Like what?” Alexio asked.
“Like, even back in that era, light and darkness weren't completely opposed.” The saint gently closed his sky-blue eyes. His expression was peaceful, and his steps carried a relaxed rhythm — clear signs that he was in a good mood.
“I remembered a time before I was taken and trained by the Holy Temple. My situation wasn't very good. I was one of those orphans raised collectively by a village. But even so, I felt hopeful about life. I once knew a water nymph…”
Alexio had never heard about this before, so he listened carefully. Perhaps it was a racial quirk, but the female water nymph in the saint's memory also liked to pick up star-shaped shells from the bottom of the water, stringing them together into a delicate ring. Alexio could almost picture the scene: the water nymph rising halfway out of the water, waving the shell ring at the young platinum-haired boy.
“Then you definitely did not have any prejudice against dark creatures back then,” Alexio said with a barely suppressed smile. “Water nymphs are sensitive to emotions. If you'd feared or hated her like the adults in your village did, she would've run off long ago and never tried to cheer you up with that ring.”
“Was that considered cheering me up?”
“Of course it was. She liked you a lot, treating you like her own child.”
Lucius suddenly stopped and turned to glance sideways at Alexio.
“Even a water nymph tried to cheer me up. When will you?”
Alexio was stunned for a second. But years of bickering had trained his quick wit well, so he recovered in an instant.
“You mean fatherly affection? I can do that right now.”
He bared his fangs at the lunatic, looking ready to bestow the embrace and play the father-son role on the spot.
“……”
The lunatic looked annoyed and stopped talking to him, speeding up to walk ahead. Feeling especially obnoxious now, Alexio happily kept pestering him the whole way. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and only stopped when they reached the entrance of the hall where Zerita lived. The area was set up with a massive pool, and Zerita, now awake, was recuperating here. She swam gracefully through the water. Aside from a patch of shadow roses growing from her chest, she looked no different from any other healthy young dark creature.
Hearing movement above the water, the water nymph's figure paused briefly before slowly approaching the edge of the pool. When she reached the poolside, she suddenly popped her head out and smiled at Alexio, calling out to him.
“Alexio! Mr!”
Noah chuckled nearby. He had come today to check on Zerita's recovery.
“Zerita is still learning language. Right now, that's the only form of address she knows. But she can recognize you.”
Alexio reached out his hand, and the water nymph affectionately rubbed against it like a kitten. She dove underwater, then suddenly popped up again, playing with him in this manner.
“No other physical issues?” Alexio held down the overly energetic water nymph and carefully examined the shadow roses in bloom. He found that Zerita's condition had improved significantly compared to when the roses were first implanted. Shadow roses weren't supposed to have that kind of effect.
The saint crouched down beside him as well. The water nymph seemed a little wary of him, so he didn't reach out.
“Don't forget, the greater environment has already changed,” he said. “The revival of Behemoth has brought about massive changes. Not only has the frequency of light burst decreased noticeably, but even the various methods for treating photopathy have shown more obvious effects.”
He turned to look at Alexio, his expression gentle.
“This proves that focusing on changing the overall environment was the right decision. Once all three pillars have revived, the world's balance between light and darkness will return to normal. There'll be no more light burst or photopathy, just like… the world we once knew.”
Alexio felt something stir in him as well. Watching the water nymph joyfully swimming in front of him, he lowered his eyes and smiled.
“Mm, I'm looking forward to that day too.”
Zerita couldn't really follow what they were saying. Dazed, she flicked her tail and dove underwater. When she came back up, she was holding a ring made of star-shaped shells. She lifted it above her head and waved it, trying to show it to Alexio, but lost control of her body and fell backward, spinning like a little wheel in the water before resurfacing and blinking.
Pfft. Alexio couldn't help but laugh. He played with Zerita for a while. The lunatic stood nearby, watching them. Once the water nymph yawned sleepily, the visit came to an end.
Still, Alexio thought he'd probably be coming back a few more times.
He glanced sideways at the lunatic. The man had looked at that shell ring several times. He had also mentioned meeting a water nymph as a child. Alexio thought that if he could learn from Zerita how to make one of those rings himself, he'd give it to the lunatic as a Carnival gift.
Once he made up his mind, Alexio kept a straight face. On the way back, they ran into Lucy, who had just come ashore from the Emerald Inner Sea. After exchanging greetings, the lich girl hurried off in a rush.
Alexio: ……?
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought she was holding something.
*****
Lucy quickly returned to her room at the conservation center. Since she was mostly able to take care of herself now, Dalph only helped occasionally with cleaning. All the cute, extravagant decorations had been taken down. Lucy was planning to redecorate her room with a new theme before the Carnival.
But that could wait. Right now, the most urgent thing was the item she was clutching in her hand.
Lucy walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and filled the sink with water. Then, she gently placed the object in her hand into the basin. As she let go, the creature slowly unfurled in the water, its body semi-transparent and milky white, with a shimmering, iridescent border. It looked like a small jellyfish, drifting and spreading out in the sink.
【Ah, thank you, my guardian. I feel much better now.】
The mysterious creature spoke, every word sounded like a song. The voice seemed feminine, but Lucy instinctively knew this was a male god, and such a voice merely symbolized the sea that propagated all life.
“I didn't really do anything,” Lucy said, shaking her head lightly. “I just wanted to ask about what you mentioned before, about the deal made between the lich and you ten thousand years ago…”
【Oh? Are you interested in that ancient tale?】
The jellyfish-like god trembled slight, as if excited.
【I can tell you. I love telling stories, whether they're twisted, romantic, or full of turns…】
This god was far more approachable than she'd imagined. Lucy gradually relaxed. The god began to sway its long tentacles, glowing softly as it floated out of the water and into the air, moving effortlessly even outside the basin. Seeing the lich girl's wide-eyed stare, the god smiled.
【To me, anywhere can be the sea.】
【Fresh water, air, the wind, the scent of flowers, even…】
It slowly drew closer to the lich, the iridescent edges of its body shimmering in a constant, colorful ripple.
【Even the Sea of Undead.】
The god rose higher and began to circle above Lucy's head. The feminine voice drifted down as Lucy tilted her head back, each word seeming to fall directly into her black eyes, where soul flames quietly burned.
【Long, long ago, there was a princess…】
Lucy already knew the first part of the story. It was the same one Alexio had recounted during one of his livestreams. She listened to how the princess died in a dungeon and became a lich, and how a dragon-slaying feast unfolded above the endless sea of flowers. She listened closely, her emotions rising and falling with the tale. Soon, the god reached a chapter Alexio had never told.
【After Behemoth was destroyed… perhaps she realized something, that clever girl. She knew dreams were also part of my sea, so she ventured deep into a dream to find me. And the moment she saw me, she knelt.】
The god's voice was cool and gentle.
【I can't tell you what she asked of me. But I can tell you what I asked of her. I asked her to open the Sea of Undead to me, to offer me shelter and refuge, so I wouldn't share Behemoth's fate.】
【She agreed. And for a time, those bent on destroying the pillars couldn't find me.】
【But eventually… they did.】
The god stopped drifting and hovered upside down near Lucy. Although it had no face or features, the weight of sorrow it carried was unmistakable.
【How beautiful she was, with that resolute gaze, the queen of bones and death. She told me she was a guardian and would inevitably be killed. But I was a god. I had to survive. The three pillars could not be allowed to fall completely.】
【She also said she had a powerful friend, someone who would bring everything to an end and avenge her.】
【And after saying that, she… went to her death.】
Lucy's lashes trembled. She thought she was crying, but when she raised a hand to wipe her face, she found no tears. She turned to glance at the mirror nearby. Reflected there was a girl with black hair and black eyes, soul flames burning steadily within her gaze. Her expression was serene and resolute.
She froze for a moment. She hadn't realized she was capable of showing such an expression.
【That is the whole story. That is the tale of the lich.】
The god let out a long sigh and slowly submerged itself back into the water, its tendrils spreading out softly.
【In the end, no one came to save her. Not even I could.】
【Do you think… in those final moments, she felt resentment?】
“No!” Lucy didn't know why she reacted so strongly, but after the outburst, she gradually softened her voice. “No, she wouldn't have. She said it herself that she had a friend. His name is Alexi. A powerful vampire… and also… my friend.”
Thinking of Alexio, the young lich's eyes gradually filled with a gentle warmth.
“Alexi will take up the scepter she left behind and continue forward. Not long ago, he even led us in resurrecting the Behemoth of the earth.”
【…If you say so, I truly would like to meet him.】
“…I'll bring you to him.”
The god finally fell completely silent. At least for the next few days, having finished telling the story, it would not speak again. When the lich fully mastered the Sea of Undead and grew into a true and worthy guardian, then its true revival would begin.
At that very moment, Alexio opened his eyes. Although the night was deep, he couldn't sleep. The constant, faint singing in his ears was the reason.
He sighed and sat up, momentarily at a loss for what to do. After sitting for a while, he recalled Lucy's recent need for bones. Using a special channel, he placed a new order for a batch of skeletons. Once that was done, the singing ceased, but he no longer felt like going back to sleep.
He walked to the window and looked out at the rosebuds slowly beginning to bloom under the moonlight.
Without thinking, his hand went to his collar, where a silver cross had once hung. It had been destroyed in his final battle with Theo. He had acted too rashly. If he hadn't rushed to fight Theo, perhaps he could have made it to the great battle at the Sea of Undead.
His fangs bit down on his lower lip.
If he had, maybe the lich wouldn't have had to die.