The calm before the storm.
Translated by: TaffyGirl13
Chapter 7: The opponent of the past is the meal ticket of today
They bid farewell to France’s City of Wine and flew directly to the administrative district of Stuttgart, Germany: the City of Automobiles.
“West. Palace of the beautiful virgin king. This is Ludwig Castle.” Zhu Yue excitedly explained, “It’s said that King Ludwig was very handsome, yet never married and maintained his status as a pure virgin. Who knows, maybe that purity was just a false image and the reason he never wed a woman was because he only loved men instead!”
It seemed that ever since their trip to Akihabara, Zhu Yue had let go of all her inhibitions, her words becoming increasingly more blunt.
While candidness was a good thing, it sometimes made others feel embarrassed.
“Is that so…” Fu Xing was not at all interested in virgin males.
“You should listen closely.” Momiji whispered into Fu Xing’s ear, “You might end up like that in the future too.”
“As if I want to be a virgin for the rest of my life!”
Momiji snickered, “I meant becoming someone as capable as King Ludwig.”
Emerald raised a brow. “Are you still a virgin?”
“None of your business!” Fu Xing stiffly changed the subject. “Leon, your hometown is nearby, right?”
Leon affirmed, though he could not contain his curiosity. “How did you know?”
“I’m your roommate. When we had to fill in our dorm documents, I saw your file. I even know that your birthday is November 3rd.” Fu Xing proudly declared, “Hehe, don’t think you’re the only one that peeks at others’ information!”
As soon as Emerald heard Leon’s hometown was here, his eyes lit up as he immediately began to scheme, “Since Leon’s hometown is here, I personally think that for the sake of—”
“Sure,” Leon responded before Emerald could finish his sentence.
Emerald paused. “I didn’t even finish.”
“You were just going to ask if I could supply lodging free of charge,” Leon shortly retorted. “Let’s go, the car to pick us up has already arrived.”
Before his companions had even voiced the request, he had considered all this and made the proper arrangements the day before they had arrived.
When they stepped out the airport gates, a black limo was parked outside. A middle-aged man in a dark tuxedo stood stiffly next to the car. Upon seeing Leon, he immediately bowed to pay his respects.
“Good evening, Young Master Leon.” As the man spoke, he immediately opened the car door before Leon even approached.
“Good evening, Lorenzo.” Leon automatically took a seat inside the car.
The others remained two metres away from the car, too stupefied and afraid to move carelessly.
They knew Sagveiss was a prominent clan, but had not imagined it to be at this level.
Fu Xing had only ever seen this type of car in movies.
Lorenzo opened another car door. “Young Master’s friends are welcome to take their seats here.”
They exchanged looks with one another before hesitantly moving.
“What a pretty car,” Momiji openly scanned the white leather interior.
“Leon, I didn’t think that you…” Emerald’s eyes glinted, his face full of hidden intentions as he said, “Um, do you have any interest—”
“None at all,” Leon directly rejected without waiting for the rest of the question.
“Ugh, at least hear me out before you decide.”
“I will not take joint stock in any company, invest in ‘risk-free’ shares, or help promote strange merchandise to anyone in the clan. Do you wish to add anything else?”
Emerald was dumbstruck. The others laughed while looking at Leon with expressions of commendation.
“I do…” Emerald muttered resentfully, “At least apply for a platinum membership card…”
“No thank you.”
From his seat, Fu Xing was absorbed in watching the people they passed by outside. As the limo drove past, the pedestrians would turn their heads to look at the luxurious limo.
“There’s a fridge in here!” Flora excitedly announced her new discovery. “May I open it?”
“This car is a long Hummer H6, isn’t it.” Dan Juan assessed as he put on the air of an expert, “Mhm, I can hear the deep whirr of the engine on a full tank…”
“Pardon my rudeness, but that is the sound of the fridge,” Lorenzo corrected with a polite smile.
“Ahem. I meant the engine outside. Seems like a pretty good car just drove past,” Dan Juan stubbornly lied through his teeth.
“I deeply apologise if I inadvertently offended you,” Lorenzo maintained his gentleman-like courtesy as he apologised.
Fu Xing and the others hugged their stomachs as they curled up and tried to smother their laughter.
“It’s been a long time since I last saw a limo.” Flora gently stroked the soft leather. “The last time I saw one was forty years ago at a funeral for an official in a village. A black Lincoln limo carried the cypress coffin where the old leader lay.”
The others’ expressions stiffened somewhat awkwardly.
“Ahem, I thought special animate beings were all very low-profile,” Zhu Yue smiled as she broke the frozen atmosphere. “This type of car is really eye-catching.”
Leon let out a soft sigh as he quietly said to the chauffeur in front, “Lorenzo, I’ve said before that there’s no need to do things like this.”
“It’s rare for Young Master to return, especially with friends. It’s only natural to be more grandiose.”
Leon helplessly stared at his loyal servant and stated, “Restrain yourself next time.”
They took the freeway onto a highway interchange for a bit over an hour, gradually leaving the city to reach the suburbs.
Florid, carved bronze gates powered by electricity opened for the limo to drive through. They passed through the front yard with neat flowerbeds and grassy hillocks before parking underneath a building that resembled an ancient castle.
Leon’s manor was massive, practically a small palace. The property that had been passed down countless generations maintained a distinct style in its decor and furnishings.
“Everyone’s rooms have been arranged.” Lorenzo lightly clapped his hands together, causing the maid on standby in the hall to immediately walk over and lift the party’s luggage. “The maid will lead you to your rooms.”
Fu Xing’s eyes widened excitedly at the maid, his lips automatically turning up into a grin.
A maid! A real-life maid!
Whack!
A strike to the back of his head. Fu Xing whipped his head around to see Emerald wielding a camera bag as a weapon.
“Curb yourself a bit. Your expression just now could count as indecent assault.”
“How?!” Fu Xing retorted.
Leon’s home was enormous and luxurious. The corridor connected to the hall was not lacking at all in silver lavishness.
The rooms that Lorenzo had prepared for them were lined up down the hallway, with one person per room. The doors faced directly opposite each other in a strictly patterned way that gave off a sense of alienation.
“Um…” As Fu Xing followed the maid into his room, he couldn’t resist asking, “May I ask where Leon is?”
The maid shot a cold look at Fu Xing. She replied shortly in German, then turned and left.
What the…that’s too much even for a tsundere…
Fu Xing crouched down to organise his luggage. Before long, a soft and polite knock came from the door.
The maid entered without permission, pushing a cart with food over to the long table at the corner of the room to lay out the fine cuisine.
“Oh, such excellent guest service.” Fu Xing strode over to the table and asked, “Um, excuse me, is it meal time now? Can I eat? We’re not all eating together?”
The maid turned a deaf ear to him while continuing with her actions.
Is she unable to hear me? Hm, I’ve heard that some enterprises will specifically employ people with disabilities as an act of charity. Could Leon’s family possibly be such a case?
“Um…” Fu Xing reached out to lightly pat her on the shoulder. But just as his fingertips barely brushed the edge of her clothes, she immediately jerked to avoid his touch.
The maid muttered something under her breath. Despite not understanding her language, Fu Xing could sense the strong enmity from her tone and expression.
“Sorry, I have no ill intent.” Fu Xing raised his hands in front of him and backed off to indicate that he meant no harm. “I’m very sorry for any distress I might have caused…”
“Don’t apologise.” Brad had arrived at some point, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he leaned against the doorway. “Just now, she said ‘foul inferior-type’.”
Brad shot the maid an irritated glare before uttering a response in German.
The maid’s expression twisted into an expression of loathing. It was shocking to see the delicate and pretty face contort with the same amount of disgust as having experienced a fart in a crowded bus.
The maid spoke once more, with Brad immediately retorting back. Then, the former viciously glared at the two in the room and furiously marched out of the room with the cart without saying another word.
“What did you two…say just now?” Fu Xing was filled with curiosity.
“I said she was poorly trained, she called me dogshit.” Brad lazily picked at his ear. “I told her that a terrible servant only damages the master’s reputation, and that calling her a dog would be besmirching all dogs.”
Fu Xing blinked. “I never imagined you’d insult a woman.” Then he suddenly recalled, “She seemed to be responsible for delivering meals. If you stay over here, aren’t you worried she’ll do something to your food?”
“My room is the one before yours, so she already delivered mine.” Brad chuckled as he strode over to sit on the large bed with violet silk sheets. “Besides, strictly speaking, they did do something.”
He had felt the intense hostility from the large lobster head on the seafood platter.
“Erm…are we not welcome here?”
“Are you blind? How is that even a question?”
“Where’s Leon?”
“He was brought away by Lorenzo. Apparently there was some important matter that the upper house wanted to inform him or something.” Brad snorted in annoyance, “It was probably just an excuse.”
“Leon can’t be deliberately alienating us, right?”
“He’s not, it’s his subordinates that are.”
Everyone in the household regardless of level did not welcome their arrival. Even Lorenzo, with his constant polite smile, had disdain and malice hidden behind the upturned curves of his eyes.
For a while, Fu Xing stood in front of the long table in silence.
“Are we troubling Leon…?”
“Maybe. But he might not have realised it himself.” Brad stood to approach the table covered in dishes. “Oho, they prepared roast chestnut chicken for you.” He casually twisted a drumstick off and stuffed it into his mouth. “Not a bad taste.”
As Fu Xing watched Brad chewing on the delicacies in content, he sighed in admiration, “You’re really fearless.”
The opposite party had clearly displayed their hostility, yet Brad could still be so easygoing. Unlike Fu Xing, who had absolutely no appetite.
“Leon is the one that’s truly fearless to straight-up bring a werewolf into his family residence.”
It was equivalent to bringing the enemy into their base, and even going so far as to welcome them with a banquet. If news of this act travelled to the ears of the darkblood clan’s upper house, it would be detrimental to Leon’s reputation.
“Is the relationship between darkbloods and beastmen…really that terrible?”
“Mhm.”
“Why?”
“Don’t know. Since a long time ago, darkbloods and beastmen have been opposed to each other starting from the beginning of historical records.”
“You don’t wonder about it?”
“There must be a root and rationale for it to have passed down through so many generations. Children from both beastmen and darkblood clans are raised to regard each other as the enemy, and it has always been this way. Just like how humans teach their children public ethics and to show filial piety. Probing deeper will only create complications for oneself, and it won’t affect the circumstances in any way.”
Brad spoke very matter-of-factly, though it sounded like a load of crap to Fu Xing. However, he did not want to debate about this at the moment.
“Then why is it that Leon didn’t go to your home, yet you dare to come here?”
“Oh, that. That’s because of the traits of the races.” Brad twisted off another drumstick to chew on as he said, “Beastmen are typically more straightforward. Simply put, they’re on the rasher side. If Leon appeared in my home, my family of fierce women would have whipped out their weapons to beat him up before even letting me explain. In comparison, perhaps due to self-perceived goodness, darkbloods always think of themselves as above others, and would rather secretly pull dirty tricks than openly initiate conflict.”
“You’re not worried that they poisoned the food?”
“Don’t worry. Darkbloods are extremely loyal to their master, just like beastmen. Even if their hearts don’t agree, they will carry out any command from their master. Since they’ve been ordered to properly serve their guests, they will undoubtedly do so. At most, there will be some pranks, but they wouldn’t dare to do anything fatal.”
Brad stared at the legless roast chicken. After a moment of evaluation, he simply picked up the entire thing to wolf it down.
“Oi! That’s my dinner!”
“I’ll give you mine.”
“Oh.” Fu Xing sat and watched Brad take rapid bites of the chicken until only the bones were left. “Do you know where Leon is?”
“Don’t know, it’s not like it’s my home.”
“Oh…” Fu Xing’s head dropped.
Brad loitered around the room and headed back to his quarters after finishing his dinner.
Later in the evening, Momiji suggested walking around downtown. Lorenzo had originally offered to be their chauffeur, but everyone tactfully declined. They borrowed an average car and drove themselves over.
Aside from Leon. He had been summoned away the moment he’d arrived home, so he was unable to join them.
By the time they returned, it was already late at night. Fu Xing was beyond bored in the room by himself, and he could not fall asleep. As he lay in the large, soft bed and glanced around the empty room, a feeling of loneliness sprung up unbidden.
Since coming to Leon’s home, he had not seen Leon once. They were clearly in the same place, yet could not do anything together. It was a strange feeling.
He tossed and turned in his bed for a while. Finally, he resolutely stood and opened the door to quietly leave his room.
It was time for a night attack!
The room facing the mountain in the right wing on the third floor of the Sagveiss manor was the study and bedroom of the next clan leader: Leon. In the very early hours of dawn, a series of faint knocks came from the door extravagantly carved of cypress.
Leon’s brows shot upwards from his seat by the large French window where he had been deeply immersed in reading. This manner of knocking did not seem to belong to the trained personnel in the manor.
“Enter.”
A second passed before the door was slowly opened. A foolish smile appeared behind the door – a familiar and comforting sight that he had known for two years now.
“Hehe, Leon, it’s me.” Fu Xing continued to smile as he scratched the back of his head. “Sorry for disturbing you!”
Leon was slightly taken aback. “Is something the matter?”
It was three in the morning. According to his memory, this was typically when Fu Xing was dead asleep. Despite being a nocturnal race like him, Fu Xing’s resting habits weren’t quite the same.
“No, not at all.” Fu Xing closed the door and stepped into the room. “I was a bit hungry just now, so I went to find something to eat. Then I figured I might as well come see you while I was at it, since you’ve been busy since getting here…”
Leon sighed softly. “The upper house summoned me. I was immediately sent to one of the elders’ residences the moment I stepped through the front door.”
And listen to outdated lectures and ardent expectations being repeated over and over. But unlike before, there was some reproach added as well.
It had been regarding the matter of him bringing friends back. The elders were extremely disapproving of the fact that a beastman had appeared in the Sagveiss manor, to the point where their faces had contorted in fury.
Leon huffed in amusement under his breath. Honestly speaking, seeing the elders be that beside themselves in anger had been quite gratifying.
“Sounds exhausting…” Fu Xing walked towards Leon while surveying the room.
The inside had a higher ceiling, with two massive bookshelves fitted into two walls. The third wall was the French window that faced the mountain and its pond behind the manor. The room had very simple furnishings without much decor. The silhouettes of the furniture on display flowed smoothly together, made of top-quality wood and leather. It gave off a subdued and reserved air of respectable luxury, matching Leon’s aura.
Meanwhile, Leon was sitting on a bench by the window, his legs crossed comfortably while reading a book. It was just like how he usually rested in their dorm.
“By the way, how did you know where my room was located?” Leon asked. Fu Xing did not understand German, not that Leon believed the darkbloods that always acted coldly to outsiders would willingly divulge the information anyways.
Fu Xing proudly beamed. “Hehe, by using my farsighted wisdom and brilliant intelligence.”
“I did not know you possessed anything like that,” Leon quietly replied.
“Oi! What did you say?!” Fu Xing immediately shot back, before indignantly explaining, “You like reading by windows, so I ran outside the house to see which windows were largest and included your silhouette, and found it that way.” He crooned, “Impressed by my prowess?”
Leon’s brows shot up upon hearing Fu Xing’s answer.
He was quite astonished that Fu Xing had made such a deduction, astonished that Fu Xing remembered his habits, astonished that Fu Xing had circled outside the manor alone just to find him.
Fu Xing continued, “But the inside of the house is way too big and abnormally windy, so I got a bit lost as soon as I came back in. I ended up running into a place that seemed to be for food storage.” He pulled out a bag filled with nuts from his pocket and flashed a cheeky grin. “Sorry for taking something as a midnight snack while I was there.”
“You’re becoming more and more like Rocort.”
“Speaking of Rocort, is there still no news from him?”
“Mn.”
“Who knows where in the world he ran off to…” Rocort did not pick up any calls, and the only message that they had received was a short “I’ll be there soon”.
Leon continued looking at his book while responding to Fu Xing, “Everyone has their own private business and secrets. If they do not wish to speak of them, probing further will only cause complications.”
“That’s true.” Fu Xing peered at the many books covering the walls and sighed in admiration, “So many books. Why do you love reading so much?”
“It inadvertently became a habit.” Leon softly muttered, “In order to describe the contents to someone else…”
Fu Xing stared at Leon before asking with slight hesitation, “For…Lia?”
Leon remained silent. Right when Fu Xing was sure that Leon would not answer, the latter suddenly spoke.
“Lia loved reading, but lacked the patience to finish books. She would often only complete half the contents before tossing the book at me, demanding for me to finish it and then tell her what happens after.”
“Haha, that’s a thing?” Fu Xing laughed on the outside, though he inwardly felt quite touched and astonished.
Leon rarely spoke of the past of his own volition. Lia was one of the wounds in Leon’s heart.
“Lia had a distinct willfulness, yet was very adorable…” The corners of Leon’s lips lifted upwards as he seemed to recall a beautiful memory.
However, remembering the fond moments of the past made the loss in the present more painful.
“Do you have photos of her?”
Leon shifted his gaze over to the fireplace, and Fu Xing’s eyes followed the direction to see a black-and-white photograph placed above.
Leon stood in the centre of the image wearing formal attire, not looking much different from how he did now aside from seeming a bit more youthful and the clear smile on his face. Next to Leon was a black-haired girl wearing a Victorian-style dress. A dazzling, pure smile lit up her face that shared some likeness with Leon.
“She’s so pretty and cute.” It must be so nice to have a little sister like that. “There’s only one picture?”
“The others were stowed away.” The faint smile vanished to be replaced with a chilling sombreness.
After Lia had been attacked, he had taken down all of her photos hanging around the manor.
He could not face Lia after being unable to fulfil his duty as an older brother, unable to protect his beloved sister.
Nor could he bear to see Lia, who always wore such joyful smiles on camera. She was no longer here for him to see her smile like that ever again.
“Leon…” Fu Xing did not know what to say.
He was unable to voice any words of comfort or encouragement, because he was an outsider. No matter what he said, it would only sound pertinent and empathetic on the surface, with cynicism lying underneath. Nor could saying anything mean he truly understood the heart-rendering pain.
Fu Xing approached Leon, his gaze filled with barely restrained emotions. He reached out to lightly rest a hand on Leon’s shoulder.
Unexpectedly, the latter did not reject him.
“Then continue remembering her, and take your revenge if that’s what you want.” Fu Xing emphatically declared in earnest, “But, you have to try your best to continue living on.”
“Why?” Even sacrificing myself would be worth it for the sake of avenging Lia.
“If you disappear, everyone would be broken-hearted.” Fu Xing’s expression immediately fell. “I would be miserable – really, really miserable.”
“Hah…” A rare chuckle slipped past Leon’s lips. “Idiot.”
“I don’t want to part ways….” I don’t want to part ways with everyone, I don’t want to graduate.
“Even if it isn’t now, people must separate at some point.”
“I don’t want to…”
“Don’t be willful.”
“Then read a book to me,” Fu Xing mumbled like a troublemaking child that hadn’t gotten their way.
“You are not Lia.”
“Oh fine then, I’ll just make a ruckus instead.”
Leon stared at Fu Xing and saw the seriousness in his eyes. With a soft sigh, Leon did what he had learned in the past two years and had become increasingly skilled at—he made a compromise.
With his captivating voice, he began to read aloud the contents of the book with a monotonous yet gentle tone.
Fu Xing sat at the other end of the bench to listen quietly.
The room seemed to repeat a scene of the past, when Lia had still been here.
A tall and slender figure stood rigidly outside the heavy door.
Lorenzo had been following Fu Xing since the latter had entered the house. The conversation inside made the experienced butler’s brows knit tightly together.
When Lorenzo heard the reading start to fade out, he quietly left and headed to a bedroom on the second floor to make a call.
“It’s me, Lorenzo from Sagveiss Manor.” Lorenzo heaved a long sigh. “Miss Sylvia, I believe your earlier words. It is indeed unbefitting…”
A response came from the other end of the line.
An expression of approval formed on Lorenzo’s face. “So as not to pre-emptively scare off the opposite party, let us wait until he leaves Ludwig Castle before striking.”
They stayed at the Sagveiss residence for two days, gathering quite a few stamps from Stuttgart and other cities nearby. They headed to Vienna, Austra next: the City of Music.
West. Goddess of Danube. Beautiful spring. Cages of many beasts.
At the arrival hall of Vienna Airport, they reunited with Rocort after four days of separation.
The moment Rocort spotted Fu Xing, he rushed over excitedly. “Haha, did you miss me? Did you bring any snacks?”
“Yes, yes.” Like a responsible pet owner, Fu Xing pulled out some chocolates he had bought in Germany and passed them to Rocort.
“Thanks!”
“Where have you been the past few days?”
“I went home to visit family. My big sister,” Rocort replied while chomping on the chocolate.
“You have a big sister?”
“Yep, the one I told you about before: the big sister that’s really pretty and kind. You and Emerald have both seen what she looks like.”
Fu Xing and Emerald looked at each other in confusion.
“In the male baths during our first year, and in Samukawa’s room.”
The reminder triggered a memory. A hazy image of a beautiful girl with pale hair formed in their minds.
“You mean that the appearance you made out of an illusory spell was your sister’s?” Emerald attempted to reword Rocort’s answer in a more understandable way.
“It wasn’t an illusory spell.” Rocort continued eating his chocolate with no intentions of explaining further.
Fu Xing originally wanted to ask much more, but he recalled Leon’s past words and decided not to probe further.
If Rocort doesn’t plan on saying more, it’s best not to force him to.
Dan Juan, who believed he was the living embodiment of knowledge that doubled as a navigator, immediately began to voice an explanation as soon as they got onto the bus.
“The Goddess of Danube is Vienna, the capital of Austria. The beautiful spring refers to the Schonbrunn Palace that the Holy Roman Emperor Matthias built.” Obviously.
“What about the cages of many beasts?”
“Cages of many shous?!” Zhu Yue seemed to hear a critical word that the others could not understand. She excitedly hid a grin while muttering something into Flora, who subsequently chuckled.
“I want to hear too!” Taeharu leaned over.
“Taeharu!”
Fu Xing was perplexed by the sight of Zhu Yue and Flora smothering their non-stop giggles. What exactly are they talking about…
“The cages of many beasts refers to the Vienna Zoo inside Schonbrunn Palace,” Emerald added, only to be glared at by Dan Juan. It seemed that the latter was blaming the former for unrightfully stealing the responsibility of explaining.
“Why did they build a zoo there? Don’t palaces normally have harem chambers instead?”
“Who knows, maybe it’s a type of disguised harem chamber.” Flora seriously suggested, “It could be that the emperor had such peculiar tastes that humans were no longer enough to satisfy him, so he—”
“Oi! Stop spouting nonsense!”
Dan Juan continued, “Vienna Zoo is Europe’s oldest zoo. It was established in 1752 by a natural science enthusiast, Francis I. It was because of a fall in power that he did such things to kill time.”
They got off the bus and walked for a few minutes before arriving in front of an enormous, ornate, baroque-style building. Even the night was unable to conceal the sumptuous air of nobility. The Schonbrunn Palace had eagle statues everywhere, such as atop the highest point of the palace’s arched door. This was the symbol of the Hapsburg dynasty.
Per the guide map of Schonbrunn Palace, they found the zoo’s location.
“What next?”
“Do you see the panda drawn here?” Zhu Yue pointed at the guidebook.
Vienna Zoo was massive in size and had plenty of animals. Most of the animals were asleep at this time in the night, but the moment Fu Xing’s group passed by them, they alertly shot awake to watch them warily move around.
Their animal instincts sensed the extremely dangerous beings appear.
The guard at the panda area was a minotaur. Like the others, he directly stamped their booklets without giving them any difficulty.
“Vienna’s quite heated right now. Even I couldn’t help but join the fierce battle while I had a spare moment.” The minotaur showed the wound on his arm, intentionally or otherwise. “Go on and have a proper fight of honour and glory.”
Fu Xing did not understand these words. “A fight of honour and glory?” What’s that? Don’t tell me there’s another task aside from the stamps and signatures?
“I want to go to Mariahilfer Strasse near Old Town!” Momiji suddenly raised her voice to make this declaration. Then she hooked her arm around Fu Xing’s and commanded like a queen, “Come with me to help carry things.”
“Oh, sure,” Fu Xing blankly agreed. Acting as a porter while shopping was a duty that had been drilled into him long ago, having accompanied Lin Lin shopping all the time.
Momiji was somewhat taken aback by Fu Xing’s easy reply. She smiled as she hugged him against her bosom. “Fu Xing is so good! Super super well-behaved!”
“Momiji, stop…” Fu Xing wriggled out from her embrace in embarrassment. “I’m a man, after all…”
“Oh, our little Fu Xing has grown up to become a gentleman.”
“To think he’d call himself a man,” Dan Juan chuckled.
“I know right, even though he’s clearly still child-sized,” Emerald fired an attack.
“Ahhh! Shut up!” Thrown off, Fu Xing forgot the question he had meant to voice, and their group noisily left Vienna Zoo.
Mariahilfer Strasse, which was located between Old Town and the West Train Station, was the heart of Vienna’s liveliest and most flourishing zone. There was a dazzling lineup of shops that ranged from famous apparel brands down to common goods, including top-rated restaurants, fast-food chains, and everything else in between.
After getting off the bus, Fu Xing’s party had only taken ten steps down the street before their eyes were immediately drawn to something. It wasn’t a specialty shop nor the magnificent street, but rather—
“Eh?! It’s you guys?”
“Kyle, Muzter!”
“He Fu Xing!” The opposite party recognised them. “And Sagveiss!”
The southern campus students had also arrived at Vienna, coincidentally bumping into Fu Xing’s group at the end of the street.
Four of the people in the group of six were familiar faces: Darkbloods Kyle and Muzter, Flamefox Shiroizumi, and an unexpected member.
Isaac Nyeva was with them.
It appeared that Kyle and Muzter had finally gotten through to him after the school ceremony.
“Where did you guys go before this?”
“We’re a westbound group, so we’ve been attacking Europe since the start,” Kyle replied. “Our first stop was Moscow, then we went north to Finland and Sweden before finally heading south to Austria. We’re planning on advancing to Germany and France next before continuing onto London as our final stop.”
“Have you guys already finished collecting stamps?” Fu Xing asked curiously.
“No.” Muzter answered in disdain, “There were some along the way that just so happened to have old friends standing guard, so we got those few.”
Shiroizumi flipped open the guidebook and counted. “We have eight.” His tone clearly indicated that he felt eight was already plenty.
“But we have less than ten days left. Can you guys reach 33 sign-in locations in that time?” Fu Xing was puzzled, not understanding how they could be so laidback.
“We never planned on using these to complete the mission in the first place. What about you guys, how many have you collected?”
“How many what? Stamps?” Weren’t we just discussing this? Why ask again?
“Not stamps—”
“25.” Dan Juan cut in to answer. “We’ve gathered 25 stamps; we’re still missing 8.”
Fu Xing was entirely lost. He felt as though there was something being hidden from him.
“Fu Xing, look! There’s a place that sells pancakes! Let’s go buy some!” Momiji grabbed Fu Xing’ shand and began to drag him away before he could even respond.
“I want to go too!” Upon hearing food, Rocort instantly stuck behind Fu Xing like goldfish dung and left as well.
Now it was the southern campus students that were entirely lost.
“Can you explain what’s going on?” Shiroizumi asked in disbelief, “You guys really are diligently collecting stamps?”
“Like it’s any of your damn business.” Brad shot Shiroizumi a glare.
“The Sagveiss leader, a variant with chaotic energy, a high-ranked flamefox, a wind elf, a beastman, and a first-generation cat spirit – a troop like that is gathering stamps instead?” A blonde, male darkblood in the southern campus’s group cried out in lamentation, “Isn’t that too much of a waste?”
“Most students have the special mission on the final page as their target, and are concentrated on the hunt. Only a small minority of weaker races are running around doing this ridiculous and pointless collecting game.” Muzter sneered, “Sagveiss, you’ve truly fallen.”
“Do not mention that task in front of Fu Xing,” Leon coldly stated.
“Why?”
“He does not know what that task is.”
“Nor do we plan on letting him find out,” Zi Ye added.
The southern campus’s group were dumbfounded for a moment. Then they broke out into excessive laughter. Only Isaac remained serious, having completely understood the intentions of Leon’s party.
“How bizarre and completely incomprehensible.” Kyle raised his hands as a gesture of surrender. “I did think that you guys from the northern campus were weird, but not to this extent.”
“Yet you’ve lost to us weirdos before,” Flora snickered.
Kyle glared at Flora and took a step forwards, a threatening growl coming from his throat.
“Kyle, don’t.” Isaac quietly stopped him. “We’re all part of the same faction; there’s no need for antagonism.”
Kyle shot Flora one last resentful look before retracting his malicious gaze and returning to his previous position.
This simple interaction revealed Isaac’s status as the group’s leader.
“We will take note of your request.” Isaac glanced at his team members. Despite their unwilling expressions, they nodded to express their cooperation. “In any case, since we had the fortune of running into each other, shall we have dinner together? There is a Michelin 4-star around the corner; Kyle is a shareholder there.”
Emerald instantly asked, “So, you mean to say you’ll treat us?”
“Yes.” Isaac paused for a moment, “Erm, naturally, we would be paying.”
“Then thank you for covering for us!” Emerald grinned happily, clearly not the slightest bit sorry for the inconvenience.
After Fu Xing’s trio returned with pancakes, they all moved towards the restaurant that Kyle was invested in.
“Is Reykjavik fun?” Fu Xing curiously asked, “Which scenic spots did you see?”
“Er…it’s not bad.” Kyle evaded the question. After all, they hadn’t gone to have fun; as soon as they had completed their task, they had headed straight to their next destination.
“Did you buy any local specialties?” Rocort joined the questioning. “Any food?”
“None.” Muzter answered stony-faced, “There wasn’t anything worth buying.”
“I see.”
The other two darkblood members kept surveying Fu Xing curiously with strange expressions, remaining silent the entire time. It made Fu Xing feel a bit uncomfortable.
Shiroizumi’s eyes were locked onto Momiji the whole time. He attempted to converse with her, but it fell flat after a simple exchange of pleasantries.
His tall back carried a somewhat dejected air.
The restaurant that Kyle had invested in was in an inconspicuous corner. The entrance wasn’t particularly ornate either. However, once the tinted glass door was pushed open, the room made of reflective black marble shone a brilliant splendor under the light’s illumination.
The restaurant had individual private rooms that each batch of customers had to reserve in advance under their real name. This was not only a way to set itself as a place of refined operations that specifically attracted celebrities and politicians who wished to have private space, but also was a pretext to filter the customers and detect if any White Triangle members tried to sneak in.
The Michelin 4-star restaurant balanced both taste and sight, providing pleasure to the various senses of a glutton.
As Fu Xing and Rocort had never eaten such high-grade food before, they switched to hurricane-mode upon entering the restaurant. Whenever dishes were served, they’d dig their heads into it and decimate the contents at the speed of light before adding more orders.
While Fu Xing was focused on eating, Isaac patted Leon with a meaningful look.
“Please forgive me for leaving for a moment.” Isaac stood and left the room.
Leon, who received the hint, stood up as well and left with Isaac.
Leon followed Isaac to the bathroom at the end of the hallway.
Isaac turned to face Leon and took a deep breath to confess, “I returned to Hungary and have succeeded the Kirst clan.”
“You’ve decided to reveal your identity?”
“Yes. As Isaac Nyeva: the direct descendant of the Lady of Sin, Lee Kirst.” Isaac’s expression was guilt-ridden as he said, “I am sorry. The Sagveiss clan expended so much effort to conceal my identity in the past, yet now I’ve gone ahead and publicly declared it.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Leon’s response was very indifferent. “I do not have the right to interfere with your decisions.”
“In addition…” Isaac paused for a second. “I have taken on the chief position of the clans in northern and eastern Europe.”
The influence of the darkblood clans in northern and eastern Europe was relatively scattered and independent. Now, they decided to join together and elect a chief leader with the intention of competing against the clans in western and southern Europe.
The Sagveiss clan’s state of supreme dominance had changed.
Leon was silent for a while. “Congratulations.”
“White Triangle has been giving us increasingly heavier casualties. I’ve heard that quite a few commoners have volunteered to join. This is not only quite an unfavourable situation for darkbloods, but all special animate beings.” Isaac chuckled bitterly. “Under such circumstances, uniting and pushing for a leader is unavoidable…”
“I understand.” Leon was still as calm as usual.
Isaac studied Leon, but was unable to discern the other’s thoughts, and he released a long sigh.
“The Sagveiss clan…have had some bad rumours recently.” Isaac cautiously said, “Perhaps you should act…”
Leon could hear the implication behind Isaac’s words. “At the very least, now is not the time.”
“I understand your way of thinking.” Fu XIng’s pure innocence gave those around him a sense of energy and hope. Anyone would wish to protect that pureness. “But it’s impossible for you to protect him forever. Staying ignorant about this world will only harm him.”
“Perhaps.” Leon had no intentions on further discussion. “Thank you for your reception and your advice.” With this, he turned to leave.
Despite showing no reaction and appearing unconcerned, Leon felt ripples arise in his heart from Isaacs’s words as his feelings fell into turmoil.
Isaac was washing his hands as he dropped his head and sighed. When he lifted his gaze, he was startled by a third party in the mirror.
“Urk!”
“Good evening.” Flora, who had shown up out of nowhere, sat on a closed toilet lid with her chin resting against her bent knees. She lightly waved at Isaac as the stall door opened.
“Ah! Y-You…” While Isaac had remained collected with Leon, he immediately sank into an odd frenzy now. “Why are you here…” His voice became very small, as though he was barely squeezing it out from the bottom of his throat.
“Curiosity.” Flora jumped down from the toilet. “When you and Leon left the room together, a certain girl’s delusions were set off. In order for everyone else at the table to continue eating normally, I was sent here to investigate.”
///
This had occurred about ten minutes ago.
Originally, no one had thought anything of Leon following Isaac out of the room. But Fu Xing, who had buried his head into his plate, had somehow sensed something off. Upon discovering that the two had left, he spoke up, his words lighting a fuse. “Where’s Leon? Hm, Isaac’s disappeared too.”
“Probably went to the bathroom,” Emerald casually replied.
“Together? They must be pretty close then!” Fu Xing’s thoughtless comment set off the first bomb.
“Together!” Zhu Yue shook as she mumbled under her breath, “A heated, wet and wild tryst in the bathroom? At the sink? Or in the narrow space?”
“Zhu Yue,” Flora quietly coughed. “Show some dignity.”
“Damn it, they didn’t even ask me when they went to the bathroom,” Fu Xing muttered in complaint. He felt like a high school girl that had been excluded by friends—and this set off the second bomb.
“Three people?!” Zhu Yue’s voice suddenly rose an octave in excitement. “Two gongs and one shou? Or is someone unexpectedly a power gong? What kind of scene of desire can be painted with dubious hand soap and toilet paper—”
Zhu Yue was like a possessed girl from a horror movie as she muttered a string of incomprehensible words and phrases. Her lips rose into an eerie smile as she kept chuckling to herself.
“Zhu Yue, show some dignity,” Flora quietly coughed again.
“Erm, is she alright…” Kyle couldn’t help but ask.
“She’s fine, more than fine.” Flora huffed in exasperation and stood as she whispered into Zhu Yue’s ear, “I’ll bring my camera and go take a look for you.” Cat spirits were skilled in secretly tailing others. She could sneak in without being discovered.
Zhu Yue returned to her senses, smiling gratefully at Flora while gripping Flora’s hands for a long while. The sight even made Brad feel slightly envious.
\\\
This was why Flora was currently in the male bathroom.
“I originally thought I’d be able to capture some kind of amazing scene. I didn’t expect it to be this pointless.” Flora heaved a sigh as she walked towards Isaac. “Since it’s a bit hard for me to tell Zhu Yue this, could you please strip and tie yourself up with toilet paper?”
Isaac backed up step by step. “No way…”
“Or squirt some soap onto your face and look infatuated. That could work too.” Flora smirked as she purposely took another step forwards, causing Isaac to immediately retreat. “What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing…”
The sight of Isaac backing up in terror made the trickster kitten’s evil side start to kick up mischief.
“Do you hate cats?” Flora took another step forward.
Isaac shook his head as he stepped back.
“Do you hate me?” Flora stepped forward again.
Isaac shook his head once more as he backed away.
“Then what are you shirking from?”
Isaac did not reply.
Flora paused for a while. Right as Isaac thought she had given up, she suddenly lunged towards him, forcing him into a corner.
“Now you have nowhere to run.” Flora darkly smirked. “You still don’t plan on talking? Hm?” Although she did not know what Isaac feared, it undoubtedly had something to do with her.
“No…” Isaac gasped for breath. “This is terrible…”
Flora lifted her hand and reached towards Isaac.
“Don’t touch me!” Isaac grabbed Flora’s wrist and yanked it away.
Flora grimaced in pain from the force on her wrist. “Ugh…”
Isaac hurriedly let go, swinging her hand away like a hot potato.
“Sorry…” He remorsefully dropped his head and murmured to himself, “Don’t come close, it’s dangerous…”
“Dangerous to who?”
“You…”
Flora arched a brow. “Why?”
“Because I’m the descendant of Countess Lee Kirst. My blood has inherited her crazy, cruel bloodthirst…”
“Oh, and so? I have the blood of a Taiwanese calico cat. Do you think my feces has inherited Toxoplasma gondii?” Flora huffed back shortly.
Isaac smiled faintly, his emotions calming a bit. He leaned against the wall as he scrutinised Flora.
“You…don’t really seem like a female. That’s great…” Relief washed over him, and he mostly reverted back to his original calm.
Flora glared at him. “Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“No, Flora is very lovely.” Isaac sincerely stated, “Despite being female, you are extremely strong and fearsome, like a flower made of steel that is both beautiful and steadfast.”
Flora was momentarily unable to respond to the direct praise. She coughed lightly to conceal her embarrassment. “I’ll accept that as praise for now. So how is your bloodline related to your behaviour?”
After a few seconds of silence, Isaac seemed to resign himself as he replied, “I’m afraid of ruining things.”
“Ruining things? What’s that mean?”
“Countess Lee’s bloodthirstiness really is genetic, and I’ve undoubtedly inherited her madness and ruthlessness as well.”
“I can’t tell.”
“Because I’m trying very hard.” Isaac sighed, “The one who raised me from a young age used the strictest methods of moral education to suppress my innate tendency to go berserk.”
Every day, he had to read scriptures and pray to confess his deeds and his inner feelings. The moment an unconventional thought arose, he had to kneel in a reflection room to repent. It was like the rigorous ascetic practices followed during the Middle Ages.
“This training is extremely effective. I can control the effects of my natural impulses while repressing the desire to bully the weak…”
“The weak?” Flora latched onto this term in discontent.
“My godfather taught me that most females are weak – they are the most beautiful and perfect prey. Countess Lee had also mercilessly killed many girls in the past, so I was taught never to approach females or else I would suffer severe punishment. Hence…”
“Hence, you’re afraid of women,” Flora succinctly concluded.
How terrifying of a classic restriction. But quite effective.
Isaac did not reply, agreeing with silence instead. “It’s very lame, isn’t it…”
“It’s nothing bad.” Flora looked at him as she said, “Everyone has a side they don’t want others to know about.”
She recalled Leon’s drastic character switch upon drinking alcohol, and couldn’t help but suppress a laugh. Seems like all darkbloods have a hidden personality?
“I’m grateful for your understanding.”
“The intimidating Isaac is actually afraid of females.” Flora snickered, “Now that I’ve found out your secret, your future might become more challenging.”
“But you have a secret too…” Isaac quietly stated, “You like Brad, the beastman in our class…”
Flora’s brows shot upwards, her smile disappearing. “Who told you?”
“I guessed…” Isaac met Flora’s eyes with a proud yet apologetic smile as he quietly answered, “I often observe every person during joint classes, and I discovered that you always purposely sit behind Brad. You pretend to look at the blackboard when you are actually watching him closely…”
Flora was somewhat stunned. She chuckled in surrender as she replied, “You weirdo.” To think she had not sensed him secretly watching her. “You’re good.”
Isaac grinned back as he held a finger up to his lips. “Secrets must not be told.”
Flora placed her finger before her mouth as well.
Like this, the two that each possessed secrets somehow formed an alliance.
~Taffy Translations~ 
Yay! There’s 2 chapters to read😍
Thanks for the translations taffy🍬🍬
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