TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 63

As the two walked, Edward led in front, while Padma, used to his role as a butler, naturally stayed a step behind.

Because of this, when Edward suddenly glanced back—seemingly casually—and threw out that question, Padma was completely unprepared.

Padma’s pupils shrank sharply, Edward’s unreadable expression reflected in his eyes.

Edward’s tone was calm, as though it were nothing more than idle curiosity.

But Padma could never take it as such.

He quickly collected himself. That fleeting reaction was almost impossible to catch, like being startled by a dead leaf falling on his shoulder.

“Zeman, a monster?” His tone tilted upward, as if he’d just heard a joke. “How could a human turn into a monster? Besides, Zeman is the Sun God’s chosen Saint.”

As a human, Edward could never know the truth.

“That’s true—normally, humans can’t become monsters,” Edward said, turning back so his expression was hidden. “But there is one exception—half-human, half-monster hybrids.”

“You think he is?”

“I’m not certain. Zeman was born in the Kingdom of Lilies, taken to the temple at four years old after his parents died. Including himself, no one knows who his parents were. That’s why I dared make such a guess.”

Padma was incredulous. “How could no one know? He’s the Saint, for heaven’s sake.”

“The Kingdom of Lilies doesn’t fall under the Sun God’s faith. I heard a passing priest discovered him and took the boy back. By the time Zeman grew older and wanted answers, that priest had long since forgotten the location. Zeman searched several times but found no trace.”

They came to a steep rise in the path. Edward leapt lightly onto it, then turned back, hand outstretched to the pale-lipped, weary Padma.

Padma looked at his hand for a moment, eyes complicated, before sneering:

“Didn’t expect the priest of the Love God to offer a hand to a ‘suspected’ monster like me.”

Edward showed no discomfort at the mockery, no guilty conscience for suspecting him. His expression didn’t change.

“Or maybe I was trying to grab hold of you.”

Padma gave a short laugh and nimbly vaulted up himself. Such skill was hardly that of a mere butler.

Edward calmly withdrew his unneeded hand.

“In any case, I believe Zeman would never willingly harm humans. And if you truly are a monster yet still survived under his command, then for now I’ll judge you harmless… Of course, don’t let me catch you doing anything you shouldn’t.”

Confronted with such open suspicion, Padma showed the proper indignation of any “normal” person.

“Throwing accusations at people—this is the conduct of a priest, of a prince?”

“Well… you’re right. I suppose I’ll just have to bring out proof.” Edward smiled, producing the black crystal and swiftly unsealing it. Chaos-colored matter churned within.

Unprepared, Padma was immediately struck by the crystal’s power. Pain wracked him, sweat breaking out in fine beads, his pallor worsening, his body swaying on the brink of collapse.

Edward quickly sealed the crystal again, and Padma barely pulled back from the edge of frenzy.

Exhausted and disheveled, Padma glared at the radiant, smiling blond man before him. With no room to refute, all he could force through clenched teeth was a single word:

“Insidious!”

Of course. The higher a human stood, the more insidious and vile they were!

Nobles were insidious, princes were insidious!

Priests of the God of Wine were insidious, and priests of the God of Love no less so!

“Sorry,” Edward offered with a touch of regret, “my education never taught me to be kind to monsters. But you really can restrain that frenzy on your own… that’s the first time I’ve ever seen it.”

He patted Padma’s shoulder, friendly in tone:

“You’re too naïve. As a monster, it’s best you stay far from priests like me. In fact, best you stay far from all humans. When I strike, I never hold back—I’ve killed plenty of high-class monsters.”

“Spare me,” Padma snapped, slapping his hand away. With biting sarcasm he added,

“No wonder you’re the priest of the Love God—you’re so gentle and considerate, even to a monster like me.”

Edward acted as if he hadn’t heard the mockery at all.

“Because I know—not all monsters want to harm humans. I’ve seen monsters, right before frenzying, choose to kill themselves rather than hurt humans.”

“Fools,” Padma said coldly. Whether he meant Edward or those monsters, it was unclear.

Edward only shrugged.

“So when it comes to romances between humans and monsters—cross-species love—as long as they don’t hurt others, and both sides accept the consequences and live in seclusion, I actually support it.”

“You just want to ask about Zeman, don’t you?” Padma saw through his purpose.

He felt no obligation to keep secrets for Zeman, whom he disliked. But he had no intention of telling Edward, whom he disliked just as much.

Let the two of them fight if they wanted. If it came to mutual ruin or life-and-death struggle, all the better.

Just not in front of Albin—best if they died out of his sight.

But then Padma thought of Little Black, still missing and weighing on Albin’s heart, and frowned.

No. Whether wounded, dead, or missing, they would all take Albin’s attention away.

The thought left him irritable. He snapped, “Ask him yourself, Priest.”

Edward sighed.

“If it weren’t for my friend—whose mouth is as tight as a Coral Kingdom clam—I wouldn’t be bothering you.”

Padma gave him a mocking look, as though enjoying the show, but his gaze eventually fell to the black crystal in Edward’s hand.

He could not allow Edward to use that crystal to test Zeman.

He was just thinking about how to steal the black crystal from Edward’s hands when Edward directly handed it to him.

“Here, you want this, don’t you?” Edward said generously. “As an apology, I’ll leave it in your care for now. I never planned to use it to test Zeman.”

Padma smiled, eyes narrowed. “Such generosity—truly worthy of being the Rose Kingdom’s next king.”

Heh, what kind of apology is it if you’re only lending something you plan to take back later?

But he really did need this just in case, so he said nothing more and snatched it away.

He then brought Edward back to the temporary camp.

—

At the temporary camp, Albin and Zeman were sitting together on a large rock, worried about Padma’s situation.

Several times Albin had wanted to chase after him, but Zeman kept pulling him back by the collar. Even Emerald, who wanted to follow, was stopped.

“Is it really okay letting Brother Padma go alone?” Albin couldn’t shake the feeling that Padma had looked unwell earlier. “Uncle Jacques also had his accident in the forest.”

“It’s fine.” Zeman knew Padma wasn’t someone who would fall so easily.

Emerald, still buried in his lunch, nodded and said: [That’s right. Padma won’t die.]

Hearing both of them say so, Albin relaxed a little, swinging his legs while he waited. Then he looked up at Zeman beside him.

“Papa, that ‘big idiot’ Uncle Jacques mentioned—that was you, right? If someone really wanted to hurt you, why didn’t you run away at all?”

“That’s already in the past. And now I’m running around with you everywhere, aren’t I?”

Albin thought about it, and it did make sense!

He hadn’t seen anyone trying to hurt Papa lately.

“Then what really happened back then? Why were you covered in injuries, unconscious in the forest? Who was that foster father who wanted to hurt you? Was the person who hurt Uncle Jacques connected to you?”

But just like before, Zeman refused to say anything.

He only replied flatly: “That’s all in the past. I’ll handle it—it won’t involve you.”

Albin puffed his cheeks, pressing his head stubbornly against him.

“If Papa never tells me anything, then when I have little secrets later, I won’t tell you either! Hmph!”

“Big idiot!” Albin turned his head away angrily, sulking on his own.

When Uncle Jacques woke up, he was sure he’d know the truth.

Zeman could only clumsily change the subject. “Back then, when I was injured and collapsed in the forest—was it you who healed me?”

He had always thought he’d subconsciously healed himself with magic while unconscious. But if Albin had traveled back to that time and seen him, perhaps the truth was different.

Albin instantly puffed up with pride, hands on his hips. “That’s right, I saved Papa! The magic I learned finally worked to heal you!”

Zeman patted his head gently, his tone soft. “Thank you.”

Albin instantly felt light and floaty with joy.

“Hehe, I told you I’d protect Papa!”

At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching. Following the sound, they looked up.

“Brother Padma!” Albin spotted the weakened figure and immediately ran over—then glanced at the person beside him in surprise. “Why is Uncle Edward here too?”

“I came to investigate the monster berserk phenomenon…” Edward briefly explained his situation.

Albin didn’t pay him much attention. He was more worried about the barely-standing Padma, quickly reaching out to support him.

“Brother Padma, why do you look even weaker than before?”

Padma shot a glare at the person beside him, gritting his teeth as he hinted: “I got tricked by a certain someone. But since the other party is a strong, high-and-mighty prince, it’s nothing. Albin, don’t ask anymore.”

Following his gaze, Albin immediately turned to glare accusingly at Edward.

Edward’s mouth twitched at the sight of the “innocent” high-ranked monster that always seemed weak whenever Albin was around. He admitted honestly to his “crime.”

Seeing Padma in such a state, Albin hurriedly said: “Let’s go back to the city first.”

None of the adults objected. Padma even said weakly: “I feel dizzy. I want to sleep when we get back. But I can’t shake this chill all over my body…”

“I’ll nap with you! I can transfer magic to you,” Albin volunteered enthusiastically, unwittingly stepping right into the trap.

On the way back, he kept worrying over Padma’s condition. Once they returned to the inn, the two of them lay down for a nap, leaving the other two to step outside.

Edward and Zeman exchanged glances.

“A clever monster indeed.” Edward shrugged, then gave Zeman a pitying look. “Looks like little Albin is quite popular.”

Zeman ignored the teasing in his tone, frowning as he asked: “Monster?”

Edward’s lighthearted expression vanished instantly, his gaze sharpening as he got straight to the point.

“You’re a monster too, aren’t you, Zeman?”

He had long wondered what exactly had happened to Zeman, why he hadn’t returned to inherit the Sun God Temple.

And Zeman had once been so weak he couldn’t even use magic. Whether it was illness or injury, Edward had never heard of such a case—something major must have happened.

But no matter how he thought, he couldn’t figure it out—until he learned that even though Zeman was nearby, only Padma had come to investigate. That was when he knew something was wrong.

Given Zeman’s solitary yet responsible nature, he would never have done such a thing.

Unless he had a real reason he couldn’t come.

Severe injury? Inability to use magic?

But clearly, just two days ago Zeman had been fine—his magic as strong as ever.

What else could keep him away?

Thinking about the black crystal’s power, a terrifying suspicion rose in Edward’s heart.

At the same time, he recalled the silver-white demon dragon he had once glimpsed after the Sunset Prophecy—the very one tied to the Pope’s death and Zeman’s grave injuries.

He had been investigating it ever since, but never found a trace. A monster that powerful couldn’t just vanish.

Unless it had died—or had taken on human form, hiding among people.

Zeman’s heart skipped, and he stared straight at him.

He had always known Edward would discover the truth one day.

After all, his friend was exceptional in every way, with a gift of foresight, far sharper than most. If not for his trust, Edward might have realized it long ago.

“…Yes.”

Even with his suspicions, Edward still gasped, face full of shock, his mind reeling.

“Why?!” he pressed urgently. “Are you half-human, half-monster? Or something else? Why did you suddenly become a monster?”

The chosen Holy Son turning into a monster hated by all—that was an earth-shattering secret. If word got out, the entire continent would fall into panic.

He couldn’t imagine how painful Zeman’s heart must have been then.

Zeman remained silent. Not because he chose to—but because the gods’ curse prevented him from revealing the truth, even to Edward.

Edward clenched his teeth in frustration, silently cursing him for being mute.

He too fell into a heavy silence, unsure what to say to Zeman in the face of such a cruel twist.

“Does Albin know?”

He believed Zeman wouldn’t willingly harm humans. The battle during the monster tide had already proven he still stood on humanity’s side.

But berserk monsters were uncontrollable—and judging from Zeman’s condition, he clearly couldn’t restrain himself either.

Edward could risk his own life to trust him, but he couldn’t gamble with innocent lives.

Nor could he let Zeman fall into irreversible despair.

For the first time, he regretted his earlier choice. He had only wanted Zeman to cheer up, and Albin to be happy. He had never considered that he might have put an innocent child in danger.

No wonder Zeman had resisted so strongly at the time.

He must have forced him into an impossible dilemma.

“I’m sorry,” Edward sighed. “Let’s stick to our original agreement. I’ll take him away and adopt him early.”

That “agreement” had originally been nothing more than him coaxing Zeman to relax and raise a child—but now it had truly come to pass.

Zeman, his whole body like ice, clenched his fists tightly.

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