EnCoffin Me Chapter 83
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 83
That night, just as Alexio was about to let himself indulge briefly in old memories, he heard his lightbrain chime. Fearing that someone from the conservation center might have an emergency, he hesitated before picking it up. What he saw was a cold message—
【Lucius: I feel like you're eyeing my vegetable garden.】
Alexio: ???
He nearly dropped the lightbrain in shock.
【Lucius: Did you almost drop your lightbrain?】
If it weren't impossible, Alexio would've suspected that the lunatic had installed surveillance camera in his room.
【Lucius: I'm at your door. Open up.】
What kind of cursed triple combo was this?! If Alexio hadn't had such strong psychological resilience, he probably would've lashed out right then and there!
He opened the door. The lunatic stood outside with a tray and stepped in naturally through the gap Alexio made by shifting to the side. The sweet scent of soup drifted into the room, dispelling the chill. Alexio watched as the saint casually sat down on the rug in the center of the room, set the tray down, and patted the spot next to him.
“What, did I guess everything correctly? You really were planning something against my vegetables, and then nearly dropped your lightbrain when I caught you?”
“No way!” Alexio protested, but the sweet soup was too tempting. He sat down beside the lunatic, who scooped a bowl for himself, then left the entire pot, which was no longer hot, for Alexio.
Alexio: “……”
It seemed the lunatic had a clear understanding of his appetite.
“What made you suddenly decide to cook a late-night snack?” Alexio asked, holding the pot, a little puzzled.
“I remembered something good and felt like celebrating.”
He had recalled many versions of Alexio during the Carnival, smiling at him amidst the noisy music and laughter, the beautiful lights and performances.
“You're still reminiscing in the middle of the night?” Alexio was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected the lunatic to be this diligent.
“For me, remembering those things is almost like dreaming. Especially…” The saint gave Alexio a long, steady look but didn't finish the sentence. Somehow, Alexio seemed to understand. His lashes fluttered slightly, and his grip on the spoon tightened.
“Especially what?” he asked softly, instinctively lowering his voice as if afraid to disturb something fragile.
“Especially…” The lunatic paused here, took a sip of soup, found the taste agreeable, and took another.
“……”
Alexio wanted to hit him with the bottom of the pot.
“I just want to say that revisiting those memories isn't painful for me… Actually, there's something I don't quite understand,” the saint said, looking up. “I admit my way of thinking is sometimes different from ordinary people…”
When he caught Alexio's pointed gaze, he quickly corrected himself.
“Most of the time, it's different from ordinary people.”
That was more accurate.
“But I always feel that I'm nowhere near the level of a lunatic, yet you keep calling me that.” He showed a hint of frustration. “Did something happen after that? I can't imagine myself going insane.”
As if seeking confirmation, he pressed further.
“Alexi, when do you think I fully became a lunatic?”
Alexio bristled at the mere thought of that question!
“How would I know? I'm not with you every second, so how could I possibly know when you went crazy?”
It seemed that his transformation into a lunatic had left a deep psychological scar on Alexio. That made sense. From the moment he resurrected from the coffin, Alexio had been very wary of him, only gradually warming up to the current state of their relationship. The saint remembered that he probably tore up some pact, which angered Alexio, and he seemed to have done some outlandish things, like with his tongue…
“I'm not trying to shift the blame onto you. I just want to analyze this together,” Lucius said gently. Alexio, who was about to blow up, gradually calmed down at his words. He was also a bit curious about when exactly the lunatic had been triggered.
“There are, I guess, roughly three things that shook me.”
Lucius fished out three pieces of fruit from the sweet soup and scooped one onto his spoon.
“The first was my shaken faith in the Holy Temple. That happened before we even left the conservation center. We discovered the Holy Temple's millennium-long scheme of destroying the three pillars. It was completely a reversal of good and evil. I admit, it hit me hard.”
He offered the spoon forward. Alexio took a bite of the fruit, chewing while looking at him, silently asking, “And then?”
“The second was the prophecy of the great firestorm. Don't be surprised. After all, I'm still a human, still a living being dependent on the world for survival. If I learned that the world was going to be destroyed, it would be impossible not to care.”
Alexio finished the second piece of fruit and motioned for him to continue. Lucius scooped the third piece, but when Alexio leaned in to eat it in one bite, Lucius pulled the spoon back.
“…Are you messing with me?”
“No, I need to confirm something with you about the third matter.” He looked Alexio directly, his sky-blue eyes serious.
“Has anything major happened to you?”
Alexio looked bewildered. What did this have to do with him? He wasn't the one who turned into a lunatic. Shouldn't the lunatic himself be recalling any important events that occurred?
This time, the lunatic was unusually insistent.
“Try to recall any major events that happened to you, like not leaving the castle for months.”
“That doesn't really matter, does it?” Alexio found it hard to believe. “We basically see each other once a year, only at the Carnival. Sometimes there are private gatherings, maybe three or four times a year. If you're talking about not seeing you or not leaving my castle for several months, that happens plenty of times.”
He continued, “Besides, I'm a third-generation vampire. Hardly anyone can threaten me. What could possibly happen to me…”
He stopped. The saint's eyes flickered slightly.
“Looks like you remembered something.”
Alexio opened his mouth, but the saint brought the third piece of fruit to his lips. Alexio instinctively took a bite, still a bit dazed. He chewed quickly and swallowed, then hurried to speak.
“I…”
“No need to tell me outright. Didn't you say at first you wanted me to figure it out on my own, bit by bit?” The saint smiled faintly. “It's okay. I don't mind if it takes time. Maybe it's better to remember slowly.”
Seeing Alexio had finished, he collected the pot and bowl, then stood, ready to go to bed after tidying up. Alexio followed him to the door. He watched the saint holding the pot turn back to look at him. Even in such a domestic moment, the saint still carried an air of grace.
“Get some rest. You have work tomorrow.”
After a pause, he spoke slowly.
“I said earlier that some memories are like dreams, right? I've realized that you appear in all of them.” He lowered his eyelids, his tone gentle. “You're the exception outside the Holy Temple, whether it was the secret meetings we had ten thousand years ago, exchanging those rebellious thoughts, or now, when I talk with you, exploring mutual topics…
“To me, those are all as beautiful as dreams. Even if more and more suffering may have befallen our past selves as memories progress, Alexi, we are free now. What we once did may have shaped a corner of the world we live in today.
“I won't forget this, and I hope you won't either. So don't feel guilty toward me for continuing to remember. Everything I remember, I wish to remember. I want to remember you.”
After he finished speaking, he was about to turn away when the vampire suddenly called after him.
“Lun… Lucius.” The vampire said his name, hesitated a moment, then overcame his shyness to continue.
“If I'm the one with the amnesia, I… want to remember.” He looked up, his deep red eyes bright with a hint of bashfulness. “I want to remember you and count it as a fortunate event, like a dream.”
The saint's eyes slowly widened, and suddenly he leaned close to Alexio's neck. The expression Alexio caught in that moment almost made him think the other was about to bare fangs and hunt him, the vampire.
However, the lunatic behaved with great restraint, merely letting his breath brush against Alexio's ear, then, as Alexio tensed suddenly, he whispered softly.
“Good night.”
He went downstairs. Alexio stood frozen for a moment, then lowered his head to hide his flushed cheeks and punched the doorframe.
Lucius' descent went smoothly, but when he passed the dining room, he had to set the pot and bowl down on the table. He glanced at his fingertips, which trembled slightly. Holy Temple hunters were trained to maintain steady hands even at the brink of death.
But now, his hands were shaking.
A chill climbed up his spine. He tried to dismiss the thought, but it still lingered in his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about what had finally broken him after discovering the Holy Temple's evil plan and learning about the coming firestorm.
It had to be Alexio. Something had happened to Alexio.
Was it slumber? Did Alexi announce he was going into slumber? That wouldn't matter. He'd kill his way to Blood Moon Castle, personally knock on that coffin, and watch his destined one sit up from inside, surprised or angry.
Was the Holy Temple appointing a new hunter? That wouldn't matter either. He had hundreds of ways to kill any hunter who tried to interfere, never letting them see Alexio.
Then what was it?
He dared not think, yet his thoughts raced in that direction. When the final thought settled, he gripped his trembling left hand with his right.
Death notice. It could only be death notice.
The news of Alexio's death.
Perhaps because his thoughts had veered into a negative direction, his dreams and old notes began to slowly seep with an ominous shadow over the next few days.
In his dreams, he returned to the village where he had lived as a child. After encountering Alexio, he had grown somewhat tolerant toward other dark creatures. But in that hidden cave, he found no trace of the old water nymph, only scattered star-shaped shells resting on the waterbed.
He felt some regret but didn't dwell on it much. He continued with his own work, recording his notes.
【Holy Temple's routine group divination day: once again, Noah's prophecy was wildly off. He's so bad at this, I worry the Holy Temple will dismiss him. If that happens, I'll have to step up, which might mean paying his living expenses from now on.】
【Turns out being bad at divination doesn't stop him from dating. He's having a whirlwind romance with a famous actress.】
【Checked the records: water nymphs don't usually relocate easily. Was that water nymph an exception?】
【Went into a forbidden area, got scolded, confined for three days.】
【The mentor assigned me several field missions. This month, such tasks seemed unusually frequent.】
【I asked the other hunters. Am I the only one with more assignments?】
【Alexi has been very busy lately. Even the shadow bats I sent out couldn't find him. He warned me earlier that the vampires might face internal conflict. I hope I don't have to wait until next year. I hope he doesn't sleep indefinitely in his coffin. I'm really looking forward to this year's Carnival.】
【There's something the Holy Temple is hiding from me.】
【…I learned everything about that matter.】
【……】
【I saw Alexi again. He looked exhausted and wounded.】
【He told me he'd never spread his real wings again because it really hurts.】
【Although it's not my duty…】
【I truly want to kill Theo.】