TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 49

Original Timeline, Tulip Kingdom.

After the frenzy of monster attacks subsided, Edward was preparing to investigate the cause of the incident when Zeman, emanating a chilling aura, stopped him.

“Albin is in trouble. He seems to have been struck by the Black-Robed Man’s magic.”

The magic of love used by the Black-Robed Man was of a completely different system than the magic Zeman used, so he had no choice but to call in an expert in this area.

As Edward listened to Zeman explain the situation, he hurried back.

Back at the inn, he saw the pink-haired butler anxiously tending to the unconscious Albin. The butler seemed bristling with spikes, extremely wary of anyone approaching—even Edward felt the murderous aura radiating from him, as if Albin might be harmed again.

“Padma,” Zeman coldly reminded him, “this is Edward, the High Priest of the Temple of Love.”

The butler’s expression was dazed. Slowly, he returned to himself and retracted the terrifying aura.

Edward sensed that he was no ordinary person.

A regular butler would never radiate such killing intent. Furthermore, Zeman and him did not appear to have a master-servant relationship.

Although Padma wore the black tailcoat of a butler, his gaze was not that of a submissive servant—it carried a proud sense of disdain for everything.

It was completely different from the gentle, smiling demeanor he had shown in front of Albin yesterday—two entirely different personas.

As Edward thought this, Padma stepped aside, lowered his head submissively, and sincerely, respectfully apologized.

“It was my rudeness, Lord Edward. If I have offended you, you may deal with me as you wish. I will have no complaints, but please first examine Albin’s condition.”

His intense gaze met Edward’s, even carrying a hint of pleading, and his entire posture seemed to humble himself.

“It’s fine. I came here for that very purpose,” Edward said, quickly glancing at him before turning back to Albin.

Albin remained unconscious, but his breathing and heartbeat were normal.

“This is a state of lost soul,” Edward said thoughtfully. “Where is the magic circle you mentioned? Take me to see it.”

After inspecting the magic circle and seeing the locked-up Black-Robed Man—also unconscious—Edward had already drawn a conclusion.

“He used a time-reversal spell. Albin was likely caught up when the spell was activated.”

Zeman frowned tightly. “He succeeded?”

Edward shook his head. “No. From what I can see now, he must have failed.”

To be safe, Edward also sent word to the tyrant Sutanlai.

The guards recognized Sutanlai, which meant their world was intact; nothing had changed.

Edward explained, “If the reversal had succeeded, the entire world would have gone backward. Perhaps it would have followed a completely different path, and we would never have seen them in this unconscious state.”

“When will Albin wake up?” Padma asked anxiously.

“Failure is unpredictable. I don’t know how they are now, but I’ll try to break the spell,” Edward said, drawing a special magic circle in the room and attempting to reverse the previous spell.

A bright white light filled the room. They watched silently. Albin remained unconscious, but the Black-Robed Man, thrown on the ground like a dead dog, suddenly awoke.

The moment the Black-Robed Man opened his eyes, he met a terrifying aura, as if someone had grabbed him by the neck. His face turned pale.

“Why am I here?!”

Edward furrowed his brows. “As you said, he made modifications to the original spell to bring people back. I need to know exactly what adjustments he made to completely undo his magic and awaken Albin.”

An interrogation was in order.

Padma, visibly annoyed, said, “Can’t we just kill him to break the spell?”

Edward shrugged. “The situation is unclear. It’s better not to do that yet.”

The Black-Robed Man quickly understood the situation. He snorted coldly. “Damn you, Edward. I won’t let you destroy my magic.”

“I won’t tell you,” he said proudly. “Even though you pulled me back, it’s useless. I’ve already killed Sutanlai—the tyrant of this world is gone!”

He worried that if Edward completely undid the magic, everything would revert. Clenching his teeth, he swore he wouldn’t speak.

“Oh?” A commanding voice sounded at the door. “How come I didn’t know I was dead?”

The Black-Robed Man looked up sharply at the orange-haired figure, his face pale, panicked. “Impossible! How can you still be alive?! I went back in time—I killed you in Thorns City a year ago!”

He had seen Sutanlai die with his own eyes.

The king Sutanlai, summoned by Edward, walked into the inn room. His gaze first fell on Albin, then coldly shot at the Black-Robed Man.

“In my memory, you almost killed me. My heart stopped, but fortunately, someone saved me.”

He cruelly proclaimed to the Black-Robed Man, “And because of that inexplicable attack, you fully ignited my rage, turning me into an avenger who came back to kill.”

Without that near-death experience, he might have still held hope in the gods, blindly serving as a gladiator, and never would have had the will to persist in the battle with the lion and return to the Tulip Kingdom.

Edward sighed. “It seems that your actions in returning to the past created the Sutanlai we see today.”

The Black-Robed Man swayed, his belief collapsing, murmuring repeatedly, “Impossible… absolutely impossible…”

Edward shook his head. “Changing fate isn’t so simple. Your struggle may have been just a part of destiny.”

“Interrogation is my responsibility,” Padma said, putting on white gloves and dragging the defeated Black-Robed Man out.

He didn’t care about destiny. He only wanted to break the spell and awaken Albin.

Every time he saw the unconscious Albin and Emerald, his heart ached with endless regret and torment.

He hadn’t caught the rat, and had even lost Albin and Emerald.

If he hadn’t agreed to let Albin see the sunrise, if he hadn’t taken Albin to the tower, if he had taken him away in time, perhaps Albin and Emerald wouldn’t have been affected by this strange magic.

Perhaps, if he had stayed to protect Albin and let Emerald chase the rat, things might have turned out differently.

Padma knew that now, regrets were meaningless. There is no “if” in the world.

Yet he could not suppress the deep disgust he felt toward himself.

Just as he despised the god of wine, he felt disgusted with every part of himself, loathing all that he was.

A year ago, in Thorn City.

Albin had a dream.

He dreamed of many people: his father, Brother Padma, Emerald… and even Mr. Lion!

Besides the people he knew, he also dreamed of a big baked apple.

He dreamed that everyone gathered together, cutting the baked apple into pieces to share with each other.

Mr. Lion complained that the baked apple was too hot to eat and kept blowing on it, but in the end, he still ate it.

The atmosphere in the dream was warm and joyful; everyone’s face was full of happy smiles.

But when Albin woke up, all he saw was an empty ceiling.

His heart felt hollow, with a lingering, bitter-sour feeling he couldn’t shake off.

He couldn’t even remember the exact taste of the baked apple.

He only remembered that it was warm and sweet, but what kind of sweetness it was, he couldn’t say.

He had been here for over three months, longer than the time he had spent with his father. He had never felt time pass so fleetingly.

Suddenly, he really wanted to eat a baked apple.

He was afraid he would forget them just like he had forgotten the taste of the baked apple.

Albin sat up dazedly, his mind sluggishly recalling past events.

Mr. Lion…

His nose tingled, and tears suddenly sprang into his eyes uncontrollably.

“You’re awake?”

A stranger’s voice rang out. Albin looked over blankly and scanned the surroundings.

It seemed like some kind of inn, but everything felt unfamiliar; he had no idea how he had gotten here.

Following the voice, he saw a gray-haired man leaning against the window, looking outside, then turning around to greet him.

“Eh, why are you crying?” The man walked toward him, fumbling to hand him a handkerchief, smiling wryly. “Big brother, my name is Jacques. I’m not a bad person. I just saw you and your father faint during the earthquake and brought you to a safe place.”

He scratched his head, murmuring to himself: “Why do I feel like I’m sounding more suspicious the more I talk…”

“I’m not crying.” Albin wiped his tears.

If he cried like this, Mr. Lion would definitely tease him.

The man’s clothing was simple, like a wandering traveler—carefree—but Albin strangely sensed a noble aura in his bearing, especially when he was still.

Like Uncle Edward, though Uncle Edward was always refined, like a noble prince—indeed a prince. But this man seemed loose, casual, even a bit roguish, which made him somewhat suspicious.

“Father and son?” Albin was puzzled.

He hadn’t met his father yet.

“That one,” Jacques pointed to the bed next door. “I saw him protect you with his body during the earthquake and assumed you two were father and son. Maybe you’re brothers?”

He rubbed his chin, thinking.

“But you two don’t really look alike.”

Albin stared at the bed next door, and the fiery orange hair came into view.

That face, once unfamiliar yet familiar, had completely become the face of Sutanlai that he knew.

Albin smelled blood; he suddenly remembered that he had fainted after beginning treatment for Sutanlai and Mr. Lion.

He threw back the covers, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and leaned over the bed to check Sutanlai’s condition.

“When I found him, he was badly injured. The doctors here weren’t very capable, so I sent them away. But fortunately, he’s a warrior and knows some self-healing techniques. As long as he rests properly, he can gradually recover.”

Jacques glanced at Albin’s bare feet and, while speaking, bent over to help steady Albin’s arm.

Albin instinctively used the leverage to sit on the bed next door, his feet dangling.

Jacques brought his shoes over from the other side, and Albin’s hands immediately glowed with white light. Magical particles danced and slowly seeped into Sutanlai’s wounds.

“You’re already able to use magic at such a young age?” Jacques’ eyes were full of astonishment.

And he didn’t even need to chant!

What a genius!

Albin didn’t respond to Jacques. He focused on Sutanlai’s injuries, and the duel flashed back in his mind.

His heart twisted like a knotted rope.

From the outcome, it seemed Mr. Lion had died at Sutanlai’s hands.

But Albin knew that wasn’t true. It had been a duel in which both sides suffered. Mr. Lion could have survived, but he had chosen death.

He had burned Mr. Lion with his own hands.

Albin didn’t bite his lip; big tears fell again.

He couldn’t help but wonder: if he had been stronger, would Mr. Lion have needed another opponent?

He also thought: what if he had insisted on saving Mr. Lion back then?

Or, was there really nothing he could have done to make Mr. Lion give up on death?

But that was Mr. Lion’s wish…

Jacques sat beside him, gently wiping away his tears with a handkerchief.

“If something bothers you, don’t bottle it up. Say it out loud. Don’t let anyone think big brother is bullying a child.”

Albin choked on his words: “Mr. Lion wanted to die in battle, but I didn’t want him to… Am I being selfish?”

“That’s human nature.” Jacques lowered his gaze and sighed. “I once had a stubborn friend. I told him that the foster father he respected would harm him and that he should leave early. Even though he believed me, he didn’t plan to run at all, willingly letting the one he admired most harm him.”

Albin gasped: “Then what should you do?”

Jacques shook his head. “I couldn’t persuade him. We had a huge fight, and I haven’t seen him for a long time. Don’t you think I’m selfish too?”

Albin shook his head violently.

Jacques patted Albin’s head. “You’re the same, you know.”

“But…” Albin continued, “I kept trying to stop him. I almost did. If I really had, wouldn’t that have ruined his wish? He would have been angry… maybe even hate me.”

He fell into confusion: “What is truly the right thing to do?”

“I don’t know right from wrong. Don’t blame yourself for what didn’t happen. Do you regret trying to stop him?”

Albin thought and shook his head.

“Even though Mr. Lion refused my help, I don’t regret it…” he said slowly. “I kept thinking, what if he had changed his mind?”

“That’s right. Life and death are their own decisions. We don’t understand their feelings and can’t decide for them. All we can do is try everything to persuade them, hold the rope steady, reinforce it, and never give up waiting, ready to pull them back the moment they change their mind.”

Jacques sighed deeply: “Or… wait for a miracle.”

“But I still feel so sad…”

Albin sobbed, letting tears pour from his eyes, his heart heavy with indescribable grief and bitterness, his mind overflowing with chaotic thoughts.

Jacques didn’t wipe his tears this time; he patted Albin’s shoulder.

“Then cry your heart out.” Jacques’ voice was gentle yet strong. “Little one, it’s such a pity that you’ve come into the world of adults.”

Hearing this, Albin could no longer hold back. He let his sorrow flow, trembling as he cried loudly.

He had to make Mr. Lion laugh again!

Next to him, the severely injured, unconscious Sutanlai’s fingers twitched slightly.