TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 108

After attending the Sea God Festival celebrations and taking some time to rest, Albin and his companions set out once more and finally arrived at Pearl City.

The moment they passed through the city gates and saw the bustling, prosperous streets before them, even Lina, who had visited before, was astonished.

“I didn’t expect the place to have changed this much!”

A carriage driver by the roadside grinned proudly.

“Of course! Pearl City has changed a lot these days. More tourists come here than ever before. How about taking my sightseeing carriage? I can introduce the city properly, show you around, and take you to your destination afterward.”

He pointed to an open-top carriage behind him.

Even Albin was surprised. He hadn’t expected Pearl City to have sightseeing carriages now.

After asking about the price and finding it quite reasonable, Lina agreed.

One carriage was just enough for the four of them and their dog. Similar carriages could be seen all over the streets.

Everywhere they looked were decorations and symbols related to mermaids. Some tourists were even dressed in mermaid costumes, posing in front of scenic views while artists painted their portraits.

Arthur looked utterly confused.

“What mermaids? Aren’t they just sea demons? Why would people like monsters?”

The driver wasn’t bothered by the question at all and cheerfully explained.

“Things are different now. Three years ago, Lord Ocean, a priest of the Sea Temple, signed a pact with the Mermaid Queen. The merfolk no longer actively harm humans, and they’re even willing to escort our ships.”

“That’s impossible!” Arthur cried out in disbelief. “Isn’t that colluding with monsters?”

“It’s true,” the driver replied. “But we also can’t attack merfolk anymore. Anyone who deliberately harms them will be cursed. I heard several noble families got hit by those curses before.”

The road ahead became congested, forcing the driver to stop.

Lina leaned out to take a look.

“There seem to be a lot of tourists. They’re all here because of the mermaids, aren’t they?”

“That’s right. Pearl City has always had a reputation as the City of Mermaids, but in the past it was mostly just a name. At best, people would spot a splash of water far out at sea. Now things are completely different.”

The driver continued,

“Now that our relationship with the merfolk has improved, they come ashore every month to buy supplies. Those days are so crowded you can barely move.”

“If people can see mermaids up close, that’s certainly attractive,” Lina said in understanding.

“The Honeysuckle Merchant Guild even started tourism groups that let people visit safely. In the past, only nobles and lords came here. Now plenty of ordinary people from other cities visit too. There are so many visitors that we’ve built several new roads.”

Arthur still couldn’t understand.

“Nobody’s afraid of the merfolk at all?”

“At first, of course they were. But hiring merfolk escorts is much cheaper than hiring priests. In the past only large fleets could afford priests. Now fishermen can pool their money and hire merfolk instead. The merfolk also guide us to fishing grounds and tell us what’s happening underwater. That’s even more convenient than finding a priest.”

“Even if you don’t hire them, if you’re lucky enough to run into a merfolk patrol, they’ll often help fishermen in trouble.”

The benefits were obvious.

The merfolk brought tourism.

They helped increase fishing yields.

Everyone could see the results with their own eyes.

Moreover, the merfolk mainly lived in the sea, and the Sea Temple guaranteed their good behavior. Since the high priest himself had taken the lead, the city’s residents accepted the change quickly.

Many now even regarded the merfolk as messengers of the Sea God.

Looking out at the peaceful and prosperous city, Albin’s eyes curved into a smile.

Over the years, he had visited the Coral Kingdom several times and witnessed these changes firsthand. He knew better than anyone how much effort Larimar and Hailan had invested to achieve them.

After explaining the city’s transformation, the driver moved on to introducing local attractions.

Besides things like mermaid statues, Mermaid Reef, and restaurants beloved by merfolk, he pointed toward a building and said,

“That’s the residence of His Highness Albin, the Sun Saint. His Highness often praises Pearl City and visits frequently.”

Albin blinked blankly.

His own house had somehow become a tourist attraction.

Still, he thought that aside from followers of the Sun God, nobody would be interested in a place like that.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, however, he heard his companions’ excited voices.

“What? The Sun Saint? Where? Where?” Arthur immediately leaned out of the carriage to look, while even Lina stretched her neck for a better view.

Blake, who already knew Albin’s identity, wasn’t much calmer.

Albin: ?

Wasn’t Arthur a follower of the Shepherd God?

And Xiaohei, I’m literally sitting right next to you.

The driver shook his head apologetically.

“You’ve come at an unfortunate time. The Sun Saint hasn’t been here recently.”

Arthur sat back down in disappointment.

Blake quietly straightened up as well.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Albin asked,

“Arthur, are you really that interested in the Sun Saint?”

Blake immediately turned a bright, attentive gaze toward Arthur.

Arthur nodded.

“Because His Highness Albin once saved me.”

Hm?

Albin was confused.

Had that happened?

Arthur began recounting the story.

“It was seven years ago…”

At the time, he was only nine years old and had already been adopted by his foster father for several years.

Many of the magical apprentices he knew already had contracted beasts.

Only he didn’t.

Anxious and frustrated, he secretly entered the forest alone one day, determined to find a magical companion and prove his abilities to his foster father.

Instead, he encountered dangerous monsters.

The creatures chased after him.

Terrified, he ran aimlessly through the forest.

Without realizing it, he became lost.

Then he fell from a cliff and injured his leg.

Even then, the monsters didn’t leave him alone.

They slowly closed in.

Frightened and desperate, all he could do was cry.

Then a figure dressed in white appeared before him and handed him a handkerchief.

“It’s okay. I’ll take you out of here.”

Arthur looked up blankly.

The speaker was a boy around his own age.

As soon as the boy appeared, the monsters mysteriously retreated.

Just like an elf from a bard’s tale.

The white-haired boy not only wiped away his tears but also gently treated his injuries and led him safely out of the forest.

Along the way, they talked about many things.

Under the boy’s comforting guidance, Arthur completely forgot both his fear of monsters and his fear of being hurt.

However, just before leaving the forest, the boy suddenly turned toward the woods and said:

“He’s been doing well these past few years.”

Inside the carriage, Lina looked puzzled.

“Why would he say that?”

Arthur continued,

“I asked him the same thing.”

Back then, the white-haired, red-eyed boy had blinked and smiled at him.

“I’m passing along news about you to the God of the Forest.”

“The God of the Forest?” little Arthur had never heard of such a deity. “Do you mean the Shepherd God?”

“The Shepherd God possesses the authorities of [Herding] and [Forest].”

“No,” the white-haired boy said mysteriously. “I mean the god who protects you. You grew up in this forest, didn’t you?”

Little Arthur’s eyes widened.

“How did you know that?”

He really had been an abandoned infant raised in this forest. However, when he was three or four years old, his adoptive father discovered him and brought him back to human society, so he only retained vague memories of the forest.

“That’s a secret.” The white-haired boy smiled. “Anyway, since you’re a child who came from this forest, you should come back occasionally and tell the forest how you’re doing.”

Remembering what had just happened, little Arthur felt somewhat afraid.

The white-haired boy comforted him.

“Don’t worry. The monsters here won’t hurt you. You don’t need to be afraid of them.”

His words seemed to carry a kind of magic, and Arthur found himself agreeing.

Only after leaving the forest did he learn that the boy was actually the new Sun Saint. He had merely been passing through the forest while visiting the Shepherd God’s Temple and happened to rescue him.

After hearing Arthur’s story, Albin recalled something he’d once read in a letter and suddenly understood.

“So, did you do as he said?” he asked.

Arthur flashed a bright smile.

“Of course. After that, I often went into the forest to play, and I even found my contracted beast there. Just like His Highness Albin said, the monsters in the forest never attacked me again. I really love that forest. Whenever something happy or sad happens, I go there and tell the Forest God who protects me about it.”

That forest had become his safe haven.

After touring Pearl City, it was already getting late, so they settled into an inn.

Lina sent a calling card ahead. Tomorrow, she would be able to visit her relatives.

As usual, their room arrangements were simple: Lina had one room, Arthur and the Samoyed shared another, while Albin and Blake shared a room.

Blake sat on the edge of the bed silently wiping down his broken sword.

Earlier that day, he’d spotted a good training location by the shore and planned to head out later.

“What’s wrong, Xiaohei?” Albin asked, draping himself over Blake’s shoulder. “Do you not like this city?”

He felt that Blake’s mood had noticeably declined during the latter half of their sightseeing.

Seeing Albin come close, Blake immediately put away the sharp blade.

“I’m fine. I don’t dislike this place. It’s beautiful.”

Blake lowered his eyes.

This was a city Xiaobai loved.

Because Xiaobai loved it, he loved it too.

But after hearing Arthur’s story, he couldn’t help thinking that someone as lovable as Xiaobai must have countless people eager to be his friend, eager to gather around him, just like Arthur.

If Arthur learned that Ross was actually Albin, he’d probably be overjoyed.

Blake was happy that others loved Xiaobai. He believed Xiaobai deserved the very best.

Yet when he imagined Xiaobai surrounded by crowds of people, a strange anxiety stirred in his chest.

Things weren’t like they had been back in Thorn City.

Xiaobai no longer needed to rely on him for survival.

Xiaobai was a saint favored by the gods. One day, he would return to the magnificent and untouchable temple where he belonged.

When the joy of their reunion finally faded, would he still be Xiaobai’s closest friend?

A saint like Xiaobai would surely be protected by many people.

When that day came, would Blake still have the right to protect him?

He was afraid.

Afraid he would no longer be able to stand beside Xiaobai.

Afraid the distance between them would continue to grow.

He had only spent a little over a year with Xiaobai.

Surely there were others who had known him longer.

Maybe some people were even closer to him than Blake was.

And Xiaobai had lost his memories.

Everything he knew about the past came from Blake’s own stories.

What if Xiaobai regained his memories and discovered that things weren’t actually as Blake remembered them?

Blake didn’t know how to voice any of these fears.

He was afraid of receiving an answer he didn’t want.

And he was afraid of receiving a comforting lie.

So he locked all those thoughts inside a box and waited anxiously for the day the answer would arrive.

“That doesn’t look like you’re fine at all.”

Albin frowned unhappily and stepped in front of him, studying him carefully.

Worried that the fear hidden in his heart would be exposed, Blake tried to change the subject.

“I was just thinking about what Arthur said… Xiaobai, was it you who protected him somehow?”

“That?” Albin explained. “No. The one protecting him in the forest wasn’t me. It was the monsters all along.”

Blake blinked.

“The monsters?”

“That’s right. The ones who raised Arthur were the monsters living in that forest. They were also the ones who handed him over to his adoptive father. Those monsters wanted to see him, but Arthur was scared of them, so I said what I did in hopes that he’d come back more often and let them know how he was doing.”

Humans and monsters were separated by barriers they couldn’t overcome.

Since they couldn’t communicate, Albin had borrowed the name of a god to help them.

“Oh, right,” Albin added. “Arthur’s adoptive father is actually the High Priest of the Shepherd God’s Temple. I asked him about it afterward. He said he was worried Arthur would be ostracized because of his origins, so he told Arthur that ordinary wild animals had raised him instead.”

“I see…”

Now Blake finally understood why Albin had turned around and spoken those words to the forest.

“Alright.” Albin smiled. “I’ve answered Xiaohei’s question. Now it’s your turn to answer mine.”

Concern appeared on his face.

“Why are you unhappy?”

Blake looked away.

“I’m not.”

Albin cupped his face, preventing him from avoiding the question any longer.

“You can’t hide it from me. Just tell me honestly.”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“Not really. You’re always wearing that cool expression, so it’s hard to tell what you’re feeling.”

He paused.

Then, while carefully observing Blake’s expression, he spoke in a tone that sounded almost playful.

“But…”

“I’ve always listened to Xiaohei’s breathing.”

“So I could tell your breathing became uneven.”

At such close range, no subtle change in Blake’s expression could escape his notice.

Albin knew his own behavior wasn’t exactly normal.

Maybe he’d listened to Blake’s breathing in the past too.

But monitoring it all the time?

No matter how he looked at it, that seemed a bit excessive.

Would Xiaohei be frightened by that?

His gaze swept over Blake’s slightly stunned expression.

There was no sign of rejection on his face.

Albin pressed his lips together and smiled softly, as though he’d just tasted a piece of candy with the perfect filling.

Emboldened, he leaned even closer.

Their foreheads touched.

Looking directly into Blake’s eyes, he murmured,

“I want to know Xiaohei’s feelings and thoughts.”

“Whether you’re happy or sad, if it’s something related to Xiaohei, I want to know all of it.”

His breath enveloped Blake completely.

“So…”

His voice softened.

“Will you tell me?”

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