Chapter 208 A Life in June, A Scheme Succeeds...

"Mainkuhn..."

Funina placed her hand on her chest and quietly watched the boy from her memory eat the crisps one bite at a time.

His vertical pupils occasionally glanced at little Dixia's anxious face, clearly with an air of observation and teasing.

"You can't eat it!"

"Click".

It's just playing around, like a big, silver-gray cat liking to paw at people to see their reaction.

In my ears, the Grand Inquisitor's calm and collected voice echoed through the opera house.

“Ms. Nasita, please allow me to confirm with you, is your purpose in playing this memory to accuse Mainkun of the violence he has committed against the desert tribes?”

Navigette remained mindful that this was a trial, and was extremely cautious in every word and action, never letting her guard down for a moment.

Will he get tired? Violet, my friend, are you weary from such a long trial? Would you like to relax?

...Perhaps only I, this useless god, am feeling weary.

"Huh?"

Nasita tilted her head, responding to the judge's question with a puzzled expression.

"I just thought everyone was worried about Mainkuhn's experience after leaving Fontaine, so I aired it, that's all."

"...Don't you have any details of the case to tell me?"

"No, there are quite a few that need to be withdrawn."

A gentle, small smile bloomed on Nasita's face, a loving expression that seemed quite out of place with her young appearance.

"In the name of the god of wisdom, I accept, permit, and forgive Mainkuhn's righteousness and injustice in Mount Sumeru."

"So, fair judges, please set aside your duties for a moment, relax your nerves stretched taut by the law, and just look at that child who has left his hometown, how he spends his days without your company, okay?"

Ah... so it's a show that can help you relax.

Bathed in the radiance of the gods and dragons, Funina quietly relaxed her shoulders.

She was exhausted and weary, yet she couldn't help but be happy for everything Naxi Da had said.

That's great, Mainkuhn.

You are still loved.

*

"You want to go check out the Prince of Li's house? Seriously?"

Seno looked at Kavi with some disbelief.

“Of course I’m serious.” Kavi scratched his head. “Sigh, I’m really worried about Mimi. You know why, the King of Wrath doesn’t seem to be able to take care of her properly…”

"How can you raise a dog well? You're right."

Little Sino sighed, turned around and picked up the gun barrel, "Let's go."

"Why are you carrying a weapon?! We're not going on an assassination mission!"

"Of course it's to protect himself. You know, there are many opponents in Sumeru who want to kill the tyrant. Just the other day, they threw explosives on the road while he was walking his dog."

As they walked, Seno explained, "Even if we don't guard against the opposition, we still have to guard against the King of Li suddenly going mad, after all, we're going to..."

The tyrant's 'palace' was built above the Palace of Wisdom. The guards and maids that Nasita had arranged were all driven away one by one. Now, it is mysterious like a beast's den and has become a place that no one can set foot in.

"It's not so much that we can't, but rather that we dare not."

Kavi stepped into the elevator and watched the mechanism move upwards with unusual ease.

"Isn't there that legend? The tyrannical king would hide people he didn't like in his palace and torture them, then kill them after he'd had his fill of tormenting them..."

"Unlikely."

Sino's rational analysis.

"He never hides his bad deeds from anyone; he wishes the whole world knew."

"Yes, and he's afraid of people when he's not doing anything bad. I can't imagine him keeping someone at home to torture himself."

Kavi also sighed at the rumors, and went straight to the top floor without any hindrance. Based on his experience as an architect, he found what might be a bedroom behind many doors.

"They should be behind the door, right? Meow and the usurper."

"They probably won't live together?" Seno shrugged. "Dogs and cats don't get along well; they're prone to fighting."

"Don't really treat him like a cat... Lord Li! It's me!"

Kavi shook his head helplessly, stepped forward and knocked on the door of the king's bedroom. The door was made of expensive wood, but it had many signs of being rushed into construction. At first glance, it had a kind of rough and luxurious feel.

"No one answered? Not here?"

"Impossible. He wasn't walking his dog or hitting anyone, so he must be hiding here."

Sino kicked the door open, "What are you hesitating for? At worst, you'll just get a scare! King Li, I've come to see you...!?"

As soon as Xiao Sino opened the door, he gasped and took a few steps back. The reason was simple: what he saw was not the bedroom of a ruler of a country. It was worse than that of a normal person!

"..."

Mainkuen sat on a sponge mat that once resembled a bed and twitched his ear at the two of them from a distance as a greeting.

"The Wrathful King?" Kavi stared in shock at the ruins. "The treasury of Sumeru is already this empty?!"

"?"

Mainkuhn didn't understand and didn't seem inclined to speak. He just sat there and calmly tossed the still relatively intact pillow in front of him.

"wer!"

A brown and white shadow immediately darted out from under the bed and bit down, swinging its neck left and right and tearing at the goose feathers, which scattered all over the floor, covering the wood chips and wall plaster.

Sino: "..."

Kavi: "...?!"

"Woof! Woof!"

The dog successfully tore the pillow to shreds and barked excitedly. Mainkuhn smiled slightly and casually picked it up...

"etc!"

Whatever they brought was startled by Kavi's loud shout. He stared in disbelief at the dilapidated state of the room, the incomplete furniture, even the night-blooming jasmine beads that had rolled on the floor bore bite marks—"What are you doing?!"

"?!"

Mainkun shuddered, the cushion in his hand fell to the ground, and was picked up and chewed by Mimi. "...Play?"

"Play?"

Sino repeated in shock, "This is the first time I've ever seen someone intentionally let their dog destroy their house."

"wer!"

"My goodness, such perfectly good furniture."

Kavi tenderly pushed the dog's head away, picked up the broken cushion, and said, "What are you going to play with it with? These aren't cheap, are they? Precious things should be well protected..."

"…Um."

"You agreed so quickly, do you really understand what I mean?"

"Yes, something precious."

Amidst the chaos, Mainkun reached out and slowly pointed to the culprit.

"It's Mimi."

"...So you're the type who really loves pets?"

"No. "

Mainkuhn shook his head and held up the number six.

The lab dogs only have six months to live.

"Then let it do as it pleases. Furniture and such are less important than its happiness."

After he finished pointing to the number, he carefully extended his fingernail and hooked the cushion from Kavi's hand so the dog could carry it away.

"Go play, Mimi."

He doesn't like dogs.

The audience at the opera house sighed out a well-known fact.

"He was just trying to make up for something with that lab dog..."

What is it...? Is it those suffering companions, or is it myself, who can take nothing but pain with me?

Many obsessions are projected into reality through indulgence, but at the time, few people were able to notice.

Even so, it can't be...

Kavi looked around at the dilapidated scene with a headache. Damn it, even the wall plaster had been gnawed open. This dog was far too energetic.

"How are you going to sleep tonight? Why don't you come to my house..."

"Let's go camping."

Sino suddenly walked in and patted the dog that was wagging its tail wildly at him.

"wer?"

“Set up three tents, one for each of us. Mimi will go with Li Wang and ask Elhesen if he wants to come too.”

Camping...?

Unfamiliar vocabulary, and people following along—Mainkuhn instinctively wanted to refuse.

“Mimi probably hasn’t done camping before, right? Dogs usually really enjoy it.” But Seno caught on to his weakness, and the child winked at his companion, “Right, Kavi?”

"Ah...right!"

Kavi's innate sensitivity suddenly began to warn him, and Seno's suddenly serious expression made him involuntarily re-examine the mess around him.

"Let's go, Your Majesty, let's go out and have some fun."

"You should... take a break?"

Those who know nothing of Mainkun’s past are instinctively trying to offer comfort.

Mainkuhn hesitated, then turned his gaze to the dying lab dog.

"Do you want to go...?"

"wer!!"

"All right……"

The rainforest nights are not quiet; the chirping of insects, the distant roars of animals, and the rustling of leaves in the wind intertwine to create a natural symphony.

The experimental dog clearly had never heard this piece of music before; it ran wildly through the rainforest, almost going crazy with excitement.

Seno glanced cautiously at Mainkuen's shadow as it followed the dog further and further away, and asked Elhesen in a low voice.

"Does he have some kind of phobia about biological experiments? Or related to humans?"

"Your analytical skills are quite good. Did you recall the strange things he did to you back then, like when he took off your clothes?"

"How do you know everything!" Seno blushed, somewhat embarrassed and angry. "So, is that it?!"

"It's basically certain."

The campfire crackled, and Elhesen looked up at Mainkuhn, his emerald eyes taking on a warm glow in the firelight.

“No wonder he's spoiled Mimi to an unreasonable degree.” Kavi first realized, then remained silent for a while, before suddenly speaking with a fierce expression, “Elheisen! Since that's the case, we can't provoke him any further! Get that experimental dog—”

"Take the lab dog back, so he won't be consumed by grief over his death again?" Al-Hysen continued, shaking his head. "Kavi, you underestimate him."

"Is it right to watch him develop an ever-dead bond with a dog, only to suffer the pain of loss again? Isn't that another form of cruelty?"

Seno looked at Elhesen with puzzlement. He had always acknowledged the scholar's wisdom, but this time, he also leaned towards Kavi's opinion.

"No, taking it away now would be even more cruel."

El-Heisen paused, then looked into the distance again. Mainkun was crouching down, gently picking at the grass seeds on the fur of an experimental dog with his fingertips, his movements so delicate that they were unlike the tyrannical king who could tear steel apart with his bare hands.

"He knew better than anyone that loss was the inevitable outcome; that despair was etched into his very bones, almost numbing him... the Wrathful King!"

"Erhesen?"

"The Wrathful King".

As if to confirm something with his companions, Elhesen asked the boy who looked over at the sound.

"The scenery here is beautiful, and Mimi likes it too. Can we bury it here in the future?"

"Elhesen?! Why are you suddenly saying this?!" Kavi almost lunged forward to cover his mouth.

The air seemed to freeze. The chirping of insects, the sound of the wind, and the crackling of the campfire all seemed to be infinitely pulled away at this moment, leaving only a suffocating silence.

But the lab dog was stupid and couldn't read the room. It stupidly opened its mouth and licked Mainkuhn's black nails with its wet, hot tongue, thanking it for its meticulous care.

Mainkun stroked its head, his voice eerily calm:

"Um."

A gentle monosyllable.

There wasn't even the slightest tremor, yet it inexplicably made Kavi's throat tighten.

"Meow."

The young tyrant rubbed the dog's droopy ears. "Let's play a little longer tonight, okay?"

"wer!"

...

The figures of a man and a dog walked into the depths of the rainforest.

“You’re right, Elheisen…taking it away now will only cause more damage…”

But how many separations must he accumulate before he can accept it so smoothly, so smoothly that it borders on despair?

"What can we do now?" Seno suddenly asked.

"Choose a burial plot with sunlight, or make a sturdy coffin."

El-Heinz sighed softly.

"Or take out the seasonings and grill some meat, I'm hungry."

After the camping trip, Mainkuhn treated the lab dogs even better.

Indulgence is not enough to describe his actions, and spoiling him is also insufficient.

Al-Hysen even had to revise his already written Vizier diary to avoid unnecessary disputes arising from the excessive pampering of the dogs.

If we had to choose the happiest creature in the world, then the cat, who has gained a lot of weight, would be one of the most competitive candidates.

“wer…”

Time flies, and after playing with the dogs several times, the energetic Mimi showed signs of fatigue for the first time.

It nuzzled the neck of the lead white dog and listlessly followed Mainkuen back to their messy den.

"Are you going to die, Mimi?"

Mimi didn't speak; after eating, she fell asleep immediately.

"He can still eat, so it seems he can still live."

That was the fifth month that Mainkun had owned a dog.

From then on, because Mimi was always weak and drowsy, Mainkuen simply got a small cart and pushed it around in Elhesen's silent gaze.

The car was, of course, made by Kavi, who kept casting worried glances at Mainkuhn.

But Mainkuhn felt fine.

He was certain he could spend his last day with Mimi peacefully.

And that is indeed the case.

"Meow?"

The chef frantically shook the cart, but couldn't get the brown, droopy-eared dog to get up and eat.

"W-What's going on?!"

Mainkuen, who had been hiding in a corner out of fear of people, paused for a moment, then immediately realized what had happened.

It's dead.

'...'

"As expected."

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

He heard the cook's anxious and persistent calls drawing the passing students, among them Kavi and Seno, who had been worried about him for a long time.

"But I'm not sad at all; this was a loss I expected."

I have said a proper goodbye to it.

"Meow..."

On the contrary, those who were worried about him were more upset, especially Kavi, who quietly wiped his eyes as he watched the experimental dog remain unresponsive.

"This day has finally come."

Seno closed his eyes in sorrow and read a eulogy for the experimental dogs.

"May the earth's veins soothe the wounds of your life..."

"I don't have a eulogy to read to you, Mimi, I don't know how."

Mainkuen quietly hid in a corner, watching as the crowd gradually grew, and it looked no different from a small funeral.

"What's the difference between the funeral in Sumeru and the one in Fontainebleau?"

Before he could figure it out, he saw a little child with fox ears and a fox tail squeeze over, cling to the stroller for a while, and then suddenly frowned deeply.

*Smack!!!*

"!!!?!"

A loud slap reverberated in all directions, causing Mainkun to spring to his feet, and Seno hurriedly grabbed the child's hand.

"What are you doing, Tinari!?"

Before Little Tina could explain, the dog, its fat jiggling from the slap, swayed and propped up its neck in a daze.

"wer!?"

...

Instantly, screams erupted!

"He's not dead!!"

"He's not dead!!"

Mainkun pressed his wildly beating heart to calm himself, '...That's right, it's still eating and drinking well lately, so it should be able to hold on for a few more days...'

"I didn't expect it to be so durable."

Recovering from the shock, Seno exclaimed, "Didn't they say he could only live for six months? He's already lived for more than fifteen days."

"Six months? Who told you six months?"

Tina looked at him strangely. "This dog is just pregnant, not terminally ill. How come it only has six months to live? I think it can live for another six or seven years, after all— um!"

Suddenly, Elhesen appeared out of nowhere, covered Tinari's mouth, and threw him backward.

“King Li, look!”

He initially seemed to be trying to fake an aria, but he failed and ended up just reciting it in a flat and steady manner.

Fortunately, he is Elhesen, so even if he lies through his teeth, his words are highly credible.

"Be proud, you've created a miracle."

...

"……What? "

Mainkun stared at him blankly, his eyes still filled with lingering sadness.

"Was I not clear enough? Let me explain again."

"It was you who, with extraordinary patience and care, gave it the power to break free from the shackles of fate. You personally broke the so-called 'six-month' curse, winning it... a long and complete new life."

The vizier, a man spouting lies, had a calm face, but his eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of a successful scheme.

"Therefore, at least today you should rejoice, my often sorrowful tyrant."

'...! ...