TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 3

“No,” the man coldly rejected. “It’s dangerous around me.”

Albin pointed to his hair and seriously said, “I have amnesia. When I woke up, you were nearby. We both have white hair and red eyes. Maybe you’re my father.”

“I don’t have amnesia,” the man said, still rejecting him without mercy.

Damn, isn’t this guy supposed to be an idiot? Why can’t he be tricked now?

Albin pouted, feeling wronged, and said, “Then think of it as me hiring you with that bag of money. I think someone might be after me. I want you to take me to a safe place, anywhere’s fine.”

He mumbled, “I just don’t want to be alone here.”

The man’s cold gaze turned toward some direction outside.

He could indeed sense someone lurking. There was faint demonic energy, likely from a creature skilled at hiding.

Though he temporarily couldn’t use magic due to the mutation of his mana, his physical abilities remained top-tier, and his perception of magic was still sharp.

The demonic energy wasn’t there before; it must have been attracted by the mana he had released. Was it coming for the boy?

He casually plucked a piece of stone from the rock wall, flicked it with his fingers, and then turned his gaze back.

The white-haired boy, full of suspicious details, was clearly scared, and it didn’t seem fake.

“I understand.” He nodded to Albin, his face solemn and serious. “I’ll take you to a safe place, but I won’t be your father.”

“Okay,” Albin nodded.

At least he could leave this place.

He sighed in relief. “My name’s Albin. What’s yours? I didn’t even know your name when I tried to wake you up. What was going on just now?”

“I’m Zeman,” the man said, his eyes clouded as he slowly explained, “It was an old ailment acting up.”

Zeman?

Albin immediately remembered that this was the beautiful character that the sea demon sister liked, no wonder he also had white hair and red eyes.

Looking at Zeman, Albin came to a conclusion after their brief interaction.

So the character the sea demon sister liked was a delicate, foolish beauty.

Albin yawned.

“We can talk about it tomorrow if there’s more. I’m really tired. I’m going to sleep.” After a busy night, filled with emotional ups and downs, Albin was completely exhausted, feeling mentally drained.

He lay down next to Zeman, turned to the side, and tugged at Zeman’s sleeve, looking at him seriously. “You can’t just leave me here alone, okay?”

Seeing Zeman nod, Albin finally relaxed.

“Goodnight, Mr. Zeman.”

After a while, when no response came, Albin, his red eyes still heavy with sleep, asked, “Why didn’t you say goodnight to me?”

My brother always did.

Zeman froze for a moment.

He had once been in the Sun God Temple, where people only said “Good day” and never “Good night.”

On this continent, where gods existed, such greetings had the meaning of mutual well-wishing, but they also contained a greeting to the Sun God and the Night God.

The Sun God and the God of Night and Death had always had a strained relationship, so there was no such custom.

But under the persistent gaze of those red eyes, Zeman’s cold voice, like a mountain stream, finally spoke.

“Goodnight.”

Albin smiled contentedly and immediately fell asleep, as though under a sleep spell.

With an adult nearby, he didn’t have to face the darkness and the unknown alone. He finally felt some sense of security, and even lying on this hard ground, it didn’t prevent him from falling into deep sleep.

After he fell asleep, Zeman walked out of the cave.

He approached the spot where he had thrown a stone earlier and found a dead rat.

The rat’s small eyes were marked with a black cross-star pattern.

This was a mark of demonic creatures; all such creatures had these patterns in their eyes.

This wasn’t an ordinary rat but a low-level demonic creature, one that typically didn’t live in forests.

It was clearly sent to scout.

Was it after that child?

Such cautious behavior suggested that it was at least an intelligent, mid-level demon. Why would a mid-level demon target an ordinary child?

Zeman pursed his lips, still tasting the blood on his lower lip, recalling how, just before, when he had bitten Albin’s finger, the curse chains in his consciousness briefly disappeared.

Could there be a connection?

When Albin woke up, feeling groggy, something felt wrong.

As soon as he opened his eyes, the smooth line of a jaw came into view, followed by a throat marked with small red scratches.

Turning his head, he saw through the falling white hair the scenery outside slowly passing by.

Zeman was carrying him horizontally, moving quickly.

The large, thick cloak wrapped around him like a swaddling blanket. Now, he was the one being carried like a body bag.

Albin rubbed his face, fully waking up. He realized that the soot marks on his body had been cleaned, and his face was no longer dirty.

Seeing that he was fully awake, Zeman’s calm voice explained, “We’ve left the area around Thorn City.”

Albin nodded blankly, then realized Zeman had already been carrying him for some time, leaving the dangerous forest where they might have encountered some scoundrels.

This was exactly the agreement he’d made with Zeman the night before.

This person hadn’t lied to him, hadn’t left him behind.

The worries and unease he had before sleeping were gently blown away by the wind. The steady heartbeat sounded in his ears, his head resting on Zeman’s warm body, and his body swayed like a cradle. The fears and nervousness of coming to this new world slowly faded.

Despite all the dangers in this world, meeting such a reliable adult was truly wonderful!

Albin had once heard that when he was a baby, he had been abandoned in a flower bush and nearly died. It was his older brother, walking home from school, who had heard his cries, discovered him in time, and rescued him, eventually adopting him.

He didn’t remember that memory from when he was so small, but the feeling of being tightly held in fear still lingered in his heart. It felt very much like now.

“Thank you!” He hugged Zeman’s neck, smiling happily, his breathing lightening.

Seeing the bright smile on the boy’s face, Zeman froze for a moment, his fingers twitching. Finally, he simply nodded slightly.

However, the cold aura that unconsciously emerged from him was somewhat restrained.

Zeman continued walking, with Albin lying in his arms, his eyes curiously scanning the surroundings.

He wanted to walk on his own, but Zeman, disapproving, said, “You’re still injured.”

Alright.

Albin stopped insisting and instead asked curiously, “Where are you taking me to this safe place?”

“The Rose Kingdom.”

Albin was taken aback by the name, feeling like it was from a fairy tale. He smiled.

“Hey, that’s such a weird name.” It sounded so careless.

Zeman replied, “It’s a name given by the gods. All countries are named after plants.”

Albin thought for a moment; this was a manga world, so it didn’t seem strange now. Maybe the author couldn’t think of a better name.

He asked next, “How are we going to get there?”

Surely we won’t walk all the way there, right?

Zeman replied, “We’ll reach a village near the border of the Rush Grass Kingdom, where we’ll find a merchant caravan to take us by carriage.”

A carriage!

Albin became excited.

Traveling by carriage felt so much like something out of an otherworldly adventure!

Filled with anticipation, Albin continued to admire the strange scenery around him.

However, the scenery wasn’t particularly special. It was somewhat desolate, and he quickly grew bored of it.

Apart from the landscape, Zeman’s snow-white hair kept swaying in front of him.

Albin couldn’t resist tugging at a lock of hair, holding his breath and sneaking a glance at Zeman’s reaction.

It seemed like he hadn’t noticed.

Heh!

His courage slowly grew, and soon he was comparing the color of the strands of hair with his own, twisting them around his finger.

Of course, Zeman, who had seen many books, studied many spells, and faced countless demons, had never learned how to deal with a child.

Perhaps it was because of his identity, or maybe because he wasn’t very approachable, but no child had ever dared to act out in front of him before. He was like those statues in the temple—stoic and cold—whether they were noble children or children of the faithful, they all only showed him respect.

Not knowing how to respond, Zeman chose to ignore it.

His indulgence only made Albin bolder, and he even started braiding the hair.

Albin had never braided hair before; he had only seen girls in class do it, and now he was eager to try it himself.

He continued until Zeman’s cold voice rang out.

“We’re here.”

Albin snapped back to reality, hurriedly unraveling the crooked braid he had made, looking innocent and blinking up at Zeman.

Zeman adjusted Albin’s cloak, covering his burned ankles, which would have attracted unwanted attention.

When they reached the village entrance, the villagers, seeing the unfamiliar strangers, cast wary glances at them, and the village chief quickly approached, sternly asking.

“Who are you?”

“We were passing through the area when our carriage tumbled down a cliff. We’re looking for a caravan to leave.” Zeman concealed the overly calm look in his eyes.

The village chief sized up their tattered clothes and noted Zeman’s unusual garment material, along with the similar hair and eye colors they shared.

“Are you… father and son?”

Zeman glanced at the chief, noticing that he was around 24, and Albin seemed to be no older than seven or eight. In a world where sixteen-year-olds were considered adults, it was no surprise the chief made this assumption.

Albin threw Zeman a smug look.

He had known it—they really did look like father and son.

Zeman’s gaze flickered slightly, and he let out a brief sound from his throat.

“Yes.”

Albin grinned and buried his face into Zeman’s chest.

He still thought it would be great if this man were his father.

Seeing the unfortunate father and son in front of him, the village chief softened his tone.

“There will be traders passing through the town in three days. You can follow them and find a suitable caravan.”

Zeman thought for a moment, then paid for a hunting cabin just outside the village, buying a few days’ worth of supplies and several sets of clothes from the chief.

He was generous, and mindful of the villagers’ exclusionary sentiments, so he refrained from staying in the village. The chief readily agreed and promised to notify them when the traders arrived.

—

The hunting cabin is square-shaped, and there is no bed inside, only recently harvested golden wheat stalks laid thickly on the ground.

Albin had never slept on something like this before and was extremely curious.

At his age, curiosity is strong, and after overcoming his initial panic, he became infinitely curious about the unfamiliar world around him, finding everything interesting.

Hearing that he would sleep here tonight, he was in a good mood and immediately lay down on the golden blanket, rolling around to experience it fully.

The rays of sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the wooden hunting cabin and casting a warm glow on his messy white hair, making the creamy curls shine brightly.

The sun-warmed wheat stalks were soft and cozy, not at all scratchy as he had imagined, and they even had a refreshing fragrance.

Compared to the bed from last night, this was simply wonderful.

Extremely satisfied, Albin got up from the wheat stalks, bathed in the sunlight, his body radiating a golden glow, dusted with wheat debris.

He even had to shake his body like a little puppy, hopping and wagging his head to shake off the wheat fragments.

Among his white hair, a few streaks of “golden highlights” mixed in, and a large hand reached out to pat his fluffy hair, which immediately made him behave.

But as he looked at Zeman, a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

Hehehe, tomorrow morning, Mr. Zeman will be covered in wheat bits just like him!

When Albin thought of the aloof Zeman showing a troubled expression, he couldn’t wait to see it.

However, after Zeman cleaned the wheat off him, he placed a prepared cloth on the wheat stalks, successfully avoiding the crumbs while sleeping.

“Sly!” Albin grumbled.

After tidying up the room and changing clothes, Zeman went to a nearby stream to fetch water. Thinking about the monster from the previous night, he wasn’t comfortable leaving Albin alone, so he brought him along.

Walking with Albin by the stream, Zeman seemed deep in thought.

If his suspicions from last night were true, then the monsters wouldn’t just let things go. After scouting, they would definitely take action.

Although he didn’t have the foresight ability of a priest of the God of Love and Fate, he had a kind of premonition honed from years of experience.

By the stream, Albin sat on the grass, excitedly sticking his head out and observing his reflection in the water.

Aside from changes in his hair and eye color, he didn’t seem to have changed much.

He pinched his cheek and felt that he might be a bit thinner than before.

“I’ll help carry the water too!” He turned around and volunteered.

But Zeman wasn’t gathering water. His deep crimson eyes narrowed slightly, his expression cold: “The wind is picking up.”

A light breeze blew in, and Zeman’s snow-white long hair fluttered. The sacred golden sunlight surrounded him like a fine veil, casting a dense shadow behind him.

Zeman looked toward the forest on the opposite bank of the stream, where several strands of demonic energy were racing toward them.

The sunlight didn’t penetrate the dense forest, and the deeper it went, the darker it became. Amidst the shadows, indistinct figures appeared, their strange beast-like eyes gleaming.

These shadows carried foul demonic energy, and the beast-like eyes bore patterns of black cross-like stars, a mark unique to the monsters.

As the monsters drew closer, even Albin could feel a bone-chilling cold.

A gust of wind suddenly swept through, and Albin closed his eyes, trying to shield them from the blinding particles.

Zeman glanced at the unaware child sitting on the grass. He kneeled down, pulling Albin into his arms.

“Mr. Zeman?”

Albin, buried in Zeman’s chest, called out in confusion. He hadn’t seen what happened, but noticed the same black cross-star pattern appeared in Zeman’s half-closed eyes.

In the forest, many monsters had gathered. They stared at the small white-haired figure, baring their teeth, eager to pounce.

A wolf-like, agile monster leapt into the air, diving down towards them, followed by other monsters.

But just then, they were stunned to see the man holding their prey suddenly sprout wings!

A pair of sharp, jagged white dragon wings.

With just a slight flap, the immense dragon wings stirred up a tsunami-like magical force, overwhelming the monsters in an instant, pinning them to the ground. Low-level monsters had their bones crushed and fell silent, while other mid-tier monsters were severely injured.

The demonic energy that had filled the forest continued to surge, and the monsters were overwhelmed by such terrifying power, filled with fear.

This wasn’t a skill or magic, but simply the overwhelming strength of the demonic energy itself.

Fear stirred in their hearts, and the wolf-like monster with some human intelligence stared hard at that figure.

Who was it?

A human? Or a high-level monster?

Those starry red eyes seemed like frozen blood, coldly warning them.

—Get lost!

As soon as the pressure of demonic energy lifted, the monsters, controlled by fear, immediately scattered and disappeared without a trace.

Albin, unaware of the scene behind him, only felt the wind pick up.

The wind wasn’t anything significant; what mattered to him now was Zeman’s condition.

Earlier, Zeman had held him in place, and lying against Zeman’s chest, Albin had heard his heart beating violently. After a while, Zeman loosened his grip, and Albin quickly looked up.

Zeman, like yesterday, had a painful expression on his face; his old affliction had flared up again.

“Mr. Zeman!”

Zeman suppressed the chaotic demonic energy threatening to take over.

He wouldn’t let the Sun God’s curse turn him into a mindless monster. Since last night, he had been trying to use his own willpower to suppress and control the curse.

If magic was no longer usable and could not be reversed, then he would rely on the demonic energy.

He didn’t care what form the power took, as long as it was useful to him.

Once the magic-induced emotions settled, the demonic patterns in his eyes faded.

When Zeman opened his eyes, he saw Albin staring at him with worry, tears welling up in his eyes, his face pale from fear.

“Mr. Zeman… are you okay?”

Albin didn’t realize what he had said before; he was just concerned: “Is there any medicine or magic that can treat this?”

This world has magic, so why would there be an illness that can’t be cured?

If only he knew magic.

“I’m fine.” Zeman swallowed the bitter taste in his throat. “It will get better in time.”

Albin gave him a look that clearly said, “You’re lying.”

He asked, “Mr. Zeman, can I learn magic? I’ll study hard!”

Zeman paused for a moment and said slowly, “Magical aptitude can only be detected through the crystal of the major temples. Children with talent are brought to the temples to learn corresponding magic and trained to become priests or warriors.”

It seemed there was no way to test it for now.

Albin drooped his head.

But he still couldn’t shake the worry for Zeman’s condition, even more so that he might faint somewhere and be left alone, so he decided to stay close.

—

At night.

Albin fell into a peaceful sleep on the wheat stalks, but Zeman suddenly opened his eyes, got up, and walked toward the door.

He sensed demonic energy.

There was only one source, and it wasn’t hiding.

It was as if it was announcing its arrival.

He stepped outside under the moonlight, closing the door behind him, and cast a cold glance at the uninvited guest ahead.

A thin, finger-sized green snake slithered toward him.

When the snake reached Zeman, it coiled up its petite body and respectfully bowed.

“Hello, my companion.”

Zeiman squinted his eyes.

He could actually understand the words of this monster, something that had never happened before. Was it because of the curse?

“Companion? You don’t know how many monsters I’ve killed?”

“I’ve certainly heard of your name, Lord Zeiman.”

“You are the Holy Son of the Sun God Temple, the future Pope, who single-handedly exterminated fifty thousand monsters during the Great War six years ago. You even breached the Abyss, ventured deep inside, and killed the Monster King of that time, causing our demon race to lose its leader and scatter into disarray.”

“But all of that was done by the human Zeiman. Now, seeing your form, I believe without a doubt that you are our new companion, and there is no need for unnecessary slaughter. I will answer your questions and help you join us.”

Zeiman spoke coldly, “Why attack that child?”

“Because that child is a medicine. The flesh and blood of that human child can relieve the curse of the gods, helping us regain our sanity from our uncontrollable fury.”

Zeiman’s pupils contracted.

“…The curse of the gods?”

“Yes, I believe you too must have become a monster because of the curse of the gods.”

The emerald-green serpent raised its head, its green bean-like eyes marked with black cross stars, looking at him.

Zeiman’s face remained frosty, but he was more concerned about the hidden meaning in its words.

“You mean… all monsters are humans cursed by the gods?”

“Yes, our ancestors were once human. We are the descendants born from our ancestors after they were transformed into monsters, and we learned the truth through inherited memories. We are still under the influence of the curse, so we cannot reveal the truth to humans.”

It flicked its forked tongue and said loudly, “We should still be human! It was the gods who forced us into this form!”

“We had hoped to live peacefully with humans, but the curse of the gods made us lose control, and we became violent, indiscriminately attacking humans. As a result, humans hate us.”

“This is the malice of the gods.”

“Why should I believe you?”

One of the duties of the Sun God Temple is to protect humans and eliminate monsters.

Yet this monster claims the gods are deliberately dividing humans and making monsters attack them?

Zeiman thought of the curse the Sun God had placed on him, his brows furrowing.

Such a god could indeed do something like this.

“Because you are a companion, a monster like us. You will inevitably go through the same things we did, and feel the same way.”

Zeiman said coldly, “I am human.”

He didn’t fully believe the words of this monster.

The emerald-green serpent shook its head.

“You are a monster, cursed by the gods, deprived of your human identity. Sooner or later, you will attack humans just like a monster.”

“Is that the reason you want to eat Albin?”

“No, that child is special, we will not eat him.”

The emerald-green serpent quickly explained, “On the contrary, we will make sure he stays alive. We only need some blood. Humans also use bloodletting therapy, don’t they? I heard in human fiction there are creatures called vampires, these blood-feeding beings who keep blood slaves. We will take good care of him, protect him, and make him a blood slave of the demon race, a cure for the curse.”

“That child is the only hope the gods have given to our demon race. Once you taste his blood, you will understand everything.”

“The hope given by the gods…” Zeiman sneered, “Having fallen to this state, do you still believe in such things?”

The emerald-green serpent lowered its head.

“But we just want to live with our sanity intact, no longer perpetuating this tragedy. Don’t you think the same? Once your power loses control, it will be even more terrifying than the Monster King of the past. No human will be able to resist your attack. Perhaps the entire continent will be turned into scorched earth.”

Magic energy swirled around Zeiman’s body, and his starry-eyed blood-red pupils darkened.

The image of that child appeared in his mind.

A medicine that could keep him sane and prevent him from becoming a monster…

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