TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 114

The moment Larimar finished speaking, an overwhelming pressure crashed down like a tidal wave.

An invisible force pressed against him, locking his body in place. Even the air itself seemed cowed into submission, making it difficult to breathe.

Though Zeman still maintained a human form, Larimar felt as though he were staring into a colossal crimson demonic eye.

Before such a monstrous existence, whether human or magical creature, all were as insignificant as insects, destined only to be devoured by a predator.

Larimar knew Zeman wasn’t directing this pressure at him.

Yet faced with Zeman’s blizzard-like fury, he felt frozen solid. He could barely move a finger. Even remaining standing became a struggle. Alarm bells screamed in his mind.

All these years, because of Albin, Zeman had never shown them his dangerous side.

Larimar had nearly forgotten that the man before him was the King of Monsters, the one before whom all demons bowed.

The godslayer who had brought down the Sun and overturned the seas.

The strongest human alive.

After a moment, Zeman regained control of himself and withdrew the aura that had slipped free.

Only then did Larimar slowly recover, feeling as though he had narrowly survived a natural disaster.

He lowered his head toward the man before him.

Never had Zeman seemed so cold.

His voice was like a freezing wind blowing from the depths of a glacier.

“What was Albin’s reaction?”

Larimar replied,

“Albin doesn’t seem to fully understand what kissing means. He ended up indulging the kid. But afterward, my sister corrected his misunderstanding.”

Zeman pondered something before asking,

“What about that boy?”

Larimar wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to know.

“…After he regained his senses, he apologized to Albin.”

Zeman asked nothing further.

After a long silence, he said in a tone that left no room for refusal,

“I’ll personally take over part of his training from now on.”

Larimar couldn’t help feeling worried for Blake.

Anyone who dared covet a dragon’s treasure would inevitably pay a price.

Even though Zeman had promised to keep Blake alive, Larimar genuinely feared that he might accidentally hit a little too hard.

---

The next day.

Zeman sought out Albin.

As Hailan had said, Albin was grown up now.

There were certain things he needed to be taught.

Albin was always tolerant toward the people around him and rarely guarded against them.

If that Blake kid—or anyone else—started pushing boundaries, then an innocent and soft-hearted Albin might end up agreeing to things without really understanding them.

That absolutely would not do.

Although it had only been a single kiss stolen while Blake was out of his mind, practically an accident, Zeman’s thoughts had already leapt far into the future.

The images in his mind filled him with rage.

It was as if he could see a thief attempting to steal away his most precious treasure.

Unforgivable.

Even if it was Jacque’s son, it was still unacceptable!

“Dad?”

Albin looked at him curiously.

“Are you in a bad mood today?”

“It’s nothing.”

Zeman had no intention of discussing his own feelings.

Instead, he said,

“You’re grown up now. There are some things you need to know.”

Albin listened attentively, his face full of curiosity.

Truthfully, Zeman had no idea how to teach him.

After all, this was the first child he had ever raised.

Nor had he ever discussed parenting with anyone else.

Thinking back on how he himself had learned these things, he vaguely remembered it coming from lessons at the Sun Temple.

Those classes had taught them to resist temptation and devote themselves faithfully to the Divine Lord.

Compared to the reckless nobility, clergy were expected to be far more disciplined.

But Zeman had always felt those religious lessons were unsuitable for Albin.

He had never wanted Albin to be brainwashed into becoming a fanatical believer, so he had never allowed him to study them deeply.

Fortunately, the Sea Temple offered similar courses.

Zeman retrieved two books and handed them to Albin.

Then he asked,

“Albin, do you have someone you like?”

“I like everyone!”

Albin replied with a bright smile.

“No. Not that kind of liking.”

Zeman clarified.

“I mean romantic feelings.”

Before long, he would no longer be able to remain by his child’s side.

He had once believed he had already accompanied Albin through a sufficiently long portion of life.

Yet after everything that had happened, he realized he still had many regrets.

He had never seen Albin fall in love.

He would never get to watch Albin bring home a partner.

Nor would he be able to judge whether that person was trustworthy.

As a father, he would miss one of the most important milestones in his son’s life.

For the first time in a long while, Zeman felt reluctant to face death.

“A romantic partner?”

Albin froze.

Of course he knew what that meant.

A romantic partner was someone you could kiss.

Someone with a uniquely intimate relationship.

He had imagined Little Black one day kissing a lover.

But he had never imagined having a lover himself.

Other than Little Black, who else would he even want to kiss?

Albin tried to think about it.

Yet every time he did, Little Black’s face appeared and interrupted his thoughts.

“I don’t think so…”

he answered hesitantly.

Zeman felt both disappointed and relieved.

He had looked forward to watching Albin grow up.

He had looked forward to participating in these important moments of his life.

Yet at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling sentimental and protective.

“Then do you have a type?”

Since he was still around, perhaps he could help Albin find someone.

After he was gone, Albin would become the youngest Pope in history.

At that point, countless nobles would surely throw themselves at him.

Albin thought seriously about the question.

“My ideal romantic partner…”

“They should probably be around my age.”

“I’d prefer someone who doesn’t treat me too respectfully because of my status as the Holy Son.”

“I like people who are honest and straightforward.”

“And ideally, they wouldn’t know my identity at all when we first meet.”

Albin wanted a relationship where both people could get to know each other from the beginning, as equals.

Zeman nodded.

Nothing seemed wrong with those criteria.

“Since there are so many magical creatures around me, I’d also want someone who can accept magical creatures. I wouldn’t mind if they’re a human-monster hybrid, either.”

Although the latter half sounded a little strange, Zeman could understand it.

He rubbed Albin’s head. “What else?”

Albin muttered, “Someone with a strong will. Not too devoted to the gods. It’d be nice if they had some cute little quirks.”

As he said that, he pressed his lips together and smiled.

“I like eyes as beautiful as the sky. Someone a little fierce would be nice too. They can be a bit taller than me.”

Albin thought of Xiaohei (Black). Although he was somewhat unhappy that Black had grown taller than him, the height difference when they kissed had felt amazing. It had felt as if he were about to be completely devoured.

He liked that sense of danger.

“I like someone who makes me feel endangered, but also safe at the same time. They can look cool. I don’t mind if they’re a bit taciturn, as long as they’re cute…”

Zeman’s expression stiffened.

Why did these criteria sound so strange?

“Cute?”

“Yeah, like Xiaohei.”

Zeman: ?

What was cute about that brat?

Wait a second—

Those criteria… weren’t they all describing that brat?!

Looking at the completely oblivious Albin, Zeman clenched his teeth. A storm surged within his heart.

He didn’t know what kind of thoughts had led Albin to list those qualities. Perhaps Albin had confused the meaning of friendship and romance. Perhaps he harbored feelings he had yet to realize. Or perhaps he had been influenced somehow.

But one thing was certain:

That Blake was getting far too close to Albin—close enough that he was about to steal away his treasure.

A feeling of provoked anger rose within Zeman.

“Make sure you read those two books,” Zeman said as he stood up to leave.

Albin looked at him in confusion. “Dad, where are you going?”

With killing intent practically radiating from him, Zeman replied,

“I’m going to train Blake.”

Albin’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Thanks for your hard work! That’s great! With Dad helping train him, Xiaohei will definitely improve really fast. Oh, right, Dad—could you deliver this letter to Xiaohei for me?”

Albin picked up a thick stack of folded letter paper from his desk.

Hearing him bring up Blake every other sentence made Zeman feel sour inside, but he still agreed through gritted teeth.

He would never refuse one of Albin’s requests.

---

Out at sea.

Blake noticed that his master seemed a little different today.

The small wooden boat was gone, leaving Blake with no place to rest.

His master stood upon the water as though walking on solid ground, draped in a black robe. The chill emanating from him was so intense it seemed capable of freezing the ocean itself. Every so often, murderous intent leaked from him, making Blake shiver instinctively. It constantly felt as though he were being watched by a ferocious beast.

Even when rescuing him from the water, his master no longer jumped in personally like he had yesterday. Instead, he simply manipulated the currents to carry Blake out.

While Blake was in the sea, he was subjected to relentless water-element attacks. He spent virtually the entire time getting beaten up. He couldn’t spare any concentration to ignite his flames.

The difficulty of the training was on a completely different level from yesterday.

To this, his master coldly remarked:

“In a real battle, your enemies won’t stand still and wait for you to finish charging your attack.”

That was true.

“Thank you, Master.”

Blake calmed himself and began practicing how to withstand enemy attacks while simultaneously gathering strength for a counterattack.

Zeman coldly observed the black-haired youth, soaked from head to toe.

This boy possessed extraordinary talent, remarkable resilience, and unwavering determination. Once, Zeman himself had felt reluctant to waste such potential.

But—

Zeman’s gaze turned razor-sharp.

How dare he harbor improper thoughts toward Albin!

Every time he thought about it, anger surged through him. And Albin’s words only poured fuel onto the fire.

Cute?

What part of this brat was cute?

No matter how he looked at him, the boy was simply infuriating!

An annoying brat trying to steal his son away!

Zeman mercilessly put Blake through hell.

Yet Blake was the type who grew stronger the harsher the adversity. Under Zeman’s brutal training, he improved at a rate visible to the naked eye.

No—

Calling it improvement wasn’t accurate.

It was evolution.

Watching Blake’s transformation, Zeman fell into thought.

After I’m gone…

No.

I need to test this brat first.

---

Compared to yesterday’s training, Blake was utterly exhausted by the end of today’s session. He collapsed onto the beach, unable to even stand.

Zeman’s icy gaze landed on him.

“Do you have someone you like?”

Blake couldn’t understand why he was suddenly asking such a question. His exhausted mind froze for a moment.

Weakly, he replied, “No.”

“Heh.”

Zeman let out a cold snort and turned to leave.

Before departing, he tossed down Albin’s letter.

The moment Blake saw the signature—Ross—on the envelope, a surge of energy seemed to return to his body. He sat up abruptly and eagerly tore it open.

In the letter, Albin explained that for certain reasons, he couldn’t meet with him for the time being.

But they could still communicate through letters.

Blake tightened his grip on the pages.

Further down, Albin also shared what he had learned about kissing, informing Blake that he could no longer keep his promise.

Blake’s face turned pale.

Did that mean Xiao Bai would only kiss his lover from now on?

A lover…

He didn’t understand why only lovers could be that intimate.

But the moment he imagined such a scene, nameless jealousy and panic spread throughout his body.

It felt as though an invisible hand had seized his heart.

An endless bitterness flooded him.

Lowering his head, his eyes dimmed.

Was it because of what he had done that night?

Did Xiao Bai hate him now?

Had he…

lost Xiao Bai again?

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