Translator: dahlys 

  Dear Father, 

  My master is a hero. However, I finally understand your admonishment. No matter what kind of person the young master is, my duty has not changed. In the coming days, I will take good care of the young master and be a dutiful butler. Please do not worry. 

  I helped the young master to his room. The moment he lay on his bed, he fell asleep. As I covered him with a blanket, I thought about what Mr. An Te Qi had said. He mentioned that the young master would be a little absent-minded in the next few days, and that I should cook a lot of high-calorie food for him and let him do nothing but eat and sleep. After a few days, he would slowly recover. 

  “Charles!” The young master suddenly woke up. 

  “Yes?” 

  The young master looked at me, saying, “Charles, Gēge might pay me a visit sometime soon… Please don’t hate him. He really loves me, but he just loathes it when I’m exposed to danger. He also doesn’t like it when I turn into Dark Sun and despises me being a hero even more…” 

  I quietly listened to the young master speak. He was trying to convince me not to hate the master, but he had not realized that he was looking grumpier and grumpier as he talked. In the end, he pretty much complained, “But I can’t not be a hero! I have such frightening strength that even if I don’t hurt anyone, to others, I would just be a demon. A demon that could go on a rampage at any time… But if I use this strength to help others, then I would be a hero!” 

  The young master struggled to get up and tried very hard to explain, “Also, I can’t just sit back and do nothing but enjoy life everyday like Gēge asked me to. I-I want to do something…” 

  “Young Master,” I said, calling out to him. He stopped talking and looked at me doubtfully. 

  I gently said, “Young Master, I am a vampire, and a very rich vampire at that. I could have chosen to stay in my castle and hire a butler to look after me, spending the rest of my days living in comfort. However, I choose to be a butler and serve you.” 

  The young master turned to face me and, as usual, looked at me with his big eyes brimming with curiosity. 

  I smiled plainly and explained, “Although I could live a life of luxury, I would rather be a butler. I like to look at things that I have arranged nicely and neatly, and I like to watch my master live without worry because of my service. From my job as a butler, I gain true happiness and satisfaction. 

  “Even so, the other vampires are always laughing at me and saying that I am a fool.” 

  My tone filled with pity, I said, “However, I believe that no matter how much they try to fill the emptiness of living for so long with luxury and pleasure, they can never accomplish it. The real fools are those who do not even know how to seek true satisfaction. 

  “Young Master, you are not as foolish as them. Even if your brother indulges you, you refuse to indulge yourself.” I smiled as I looked at him, and then asked, “Young Master, when you rescued Briar, even I could not help but praise you for being a hero! You should have felt very proud of yourself too, right? For that sense of fulfillment, even if it was dangerous, you would still want to continue being a hero, right?” 

  The young master stared at me blankly, as if still digesting my words. After quite some time, he sighed, but this was not because he was sad. Smiling, he said, “Charles, you really are a superb butler! I take back what I said earlier. I don’t want to fire you anymore. You should just sign a hundred-year, no, a two hundred-year contract with me… No, no! Sign an ‘Endelis’ contract with me, because An Te Qi-bàba said that a body like mine could break the record for the longest living human. Even he doesn’t know how long I can live!” 

  I smiled. 

  Endelis, Endless. 

  “You are also a superb master.” I said sincerely, “For as long as you live, I would be willing to serve you.” 

  When he heard this, the young master relaxed and lay down. Smiling, he said, “That’s great.” 

  “Indeed it is. Now, please sleep well. When you wake up, dinner will be ready.” 

  The young master made an “Mmm” sound and then closed his eyes. 

  I covered the young master with his blanket again and walked out of the room, all the while thinking about the dishes for tonight’s dinner. The appetizer should be foie gras with duck’s breast; the soup must be a thick broth; and the main course has to be made from the best source of protein—steak. Lastly, the dessert should be chocolate cake! 

  As I walked past the living room, I suddenly stopped. This was because only I and the young master were supposed to be in this apartment, but there were other people inside the living room. 

  I turned and saw a man sitting on the sofa in the living room. His back was facing me, and except for his head of dazzling blond hair, most of his body was blocked by the sofa. 

  There were three people standing beside the sofa, and all three of these people were looking at me. One of them was wearing a suit, his hair combed neatly and refreshingly. He even carried a laptop bag in his hand. The other two people wore tight-fitting clothes suitable for battle, so they ought to be bodyguards. 

  One of these bodyguards was expressionless. He carried both a light sword at his waist and a gun slung over his back. The other bodyguard had a warm and gentle smile on his face and two light swords hung at his waist. 

  At this point, the man in the suit said, “Charles Endelis, do you recognize my voice?” 

  I bowed slightly, replying, “I do, Mr. Kyle.” 

  Mr. Kyle nodded and held out an arm in the direction of the man on the sofa. He introduced, “This is the young master’s elder brother.” 

  I see. I said respectfully, “We meet for the first time, Master.” 

  After that, I stood there silently and motionlessly, waiting for the master to speak. During that time, the warmly smiling bodyguard even winked at me a few times, seemingly with the intention of soothing my nerves. I also smiled and nodded back at him. 

  Then, the blond master finally started speaking. He said, “I’m very sure you think that I’m not a good brother, right?” 

  “Charles does not dare think that.” I tried my best to maintain the etiquette that a butler should have. This was the master, the most powerful man in the family, and I should not do anything that would offend him. Also, the young master did not want me to anger the master. However, I had no choice but to admit that after what had happened last time, I really did not have a good impression of him. 

  The master remained silent for quite some time before saying, “I am ten years older than Ah Ye. Mother died a long time ago, and Father doesn’t like Ah Ye. Hence, ever since Ah Ye was an infant, I have been raising him, feeding him, and teaching him. I am not only his brother, I am also his father, his mother, and even now, he is my one and only relative!” 

  So that was it. I nodded. This explained many things, like why the young master misses the master so much, and why he never mentioned his parents… Mr. An Te Qi refused to be called Master An Te Qi and explained that he was just the young master’s doctor. The young master was the one who treated him like a father. 

  “Ah Ye is my younger brother, my son, and my only family!” 

  The more the master said, the more emotional he seemed to become. In the end, he growled in a low voice, “But he always goes off to do dangerous things. He always gets hurt, and he always… always thinks about running away from home, from me!” 

  I could not help wanting to explain in the young master’s stead, but I did not dare open my mouth without good reason. However, I looked at Kyle and saw an encouraging expression. 

  “Master.” 

  Finally, I still ended up opening my mouth to quietly defend the young master, “Young Master loves you very much. He does not just love you as a younger brother, he also loves you as a son. However, regardless of whether he is a little brother or a son, he will definitely grow up someday! He cannot remain under Master’s protection forever. Master… do you really want to see your only family member become a weak and powerless rich brat who does nothing but indulge himself in entertainment?” 

  Master did not reply. 

  I continued, “Young Master is a very determined child. Although he knows that you would protect him forever, he did not become weak because of it. He can even protect others. He is a true hero.” 

  “Things like heroes…” growled the master suddenly, furious. 

  “Master!” 

  Unyielding, I interrupted the master and asked rhetorically, “When Young Master, under everyone’s gaze and shouldering everyone’s hopes, stood up again, did you not feel proud of him? If not, then Young Master will definitely be very sad, because he has no other way to make you, who is so powerful that you can do anything, proud of him.” 

  I begged wholeheartedly, “Please believe me. Even if Young Master leaves your side, it is only because he wants to show you more love. It is because he wants to tell you that the child you have raised since he was young has already grown up and can leave your protection. He wants to show you that he can even reverse the situation, and make you proud of him instead.” 

  At this point, I had said everything that I could have said. I just did not know whether my words had any effect, because surely, a lot of people had already told the master something similar, right? At least, Mr. An Te Qi and Mr. Kyle should have… I raised my head and saw that Mr. Kyle, who was usually calm and composed, was wide-eyed with shock. Also, the grinning bodyguard raised his hands and gave me two thumbs up while looking at me with a thrilled and moved expression. 

  Suddenly, I was at my wits’ end. Could that speech just now really trigger such a huge response? 

  Without waiting for me to gather my thoughts, the master slowly stood up and turned around to face me. His face… My eyes widened slightly. Although I had known that the master had a very high social status, I never imagined that the young master’s brother was actually this renowned man. He was so well-known that the word “celebrity” was not enough to describe him. 

  No wonder Mr. Kyle and the smiling bodyguard had that kind of exaggerated response. If I had known the master’s true identity, I am afraid that I would not have dared to say something so rude to him… As the whole world knows, this person was not famous for being kind. In fact, the words most often used to describe him were “cold-blooded” and “heartless.” 

  Master was just looking at me expressionlessly, but he had the aura of a king. It was just that, as a butler, I had been trained since I was young to stand beside great people without challenging their aura. Therefore, I simply gave him a well-practiced, trademarked butler smile. 

  Master withdrew his gaze and turned his head to glance at the young master’s bedroom door. His voice filled with concern, he asked, “Is he alright?” 

  “Young Master is feeling very well.” After answering his question, I could not help but add, “Just now, Young Master even told me that he hoped that I would not hate you, because you really love him.” 

  “He said that?” The master fell silent for a moment. Feeling a little wronged, he complained, “But last time he said that he didn’t want to see me ever again.” 

  When I saw the master’s grumpy appearance, I suddenly wanted to laugh. Young Master and Master are indeed brothers. They actually resemble each other a lot. 

  “That was just something he said when he was angry. You should know that he does not really mean what he said,” I explained gently. A gentle manner always makes the young master relax, so this might also work on the master. 

  As expected, the master visibly calmed down by quite a bit. He nodded and then said, “Charles Endelis, take good care of my Dìdi.” 

  “Taking good care of the young master is Charles’s responsibility as a butler,” I replied respectfully yet firmly. 

  Master nodded, turned, and walked toward the workshop. Mr. Kyle and the two bodyguards followed him. 

  I quickly shouted, “Master, would you listen to Charles suggestion?” 

  The master stopped walking, but did not turn around. 

  “Say it,” said Mr. Kyle, looking back. 

  I hesitated for a moment, then politely yet determinedly pleaded, “Master, please remove all the security cameras in the house, dismiss the bodyguards on the rooftop, and abolish the rule that Young Master must contact you every day.” 

  On hearing this, both Mr. Kyle and the smiling bodyguard gasped, and their whole bodies tensed. Looks like I am standing at the edge of a most dangerous cliff. 

  The blond king turned his head around, blazing flames of rage emanating from both his eyes and the rest of his body. 

  I calmed my nerves and gently explained, “Master, there is no period of time when you are not looking at Young Master, and Young Master also sees you every day on the computer screen. If it is like this, how could Young Master ever miss you enough to go home and pay you a visit? Also, is not the existence of those bodyguards the reason why Young Master said that he did not want to see you ever again?” 

  When he heard this, the master fell silent for a long time. Finally, he said in a tone that was almost a complaint, “If I do that, will he really come home and visit me?” 

  I almost smiled. Luckily, it was just “almost.” 

  However, the corners of both Mr. Kyle’s and the smiling bodyguard’s lips turned up in a large grin. Since they were facing me, this made it even harder for me to control my facial expression. 

  I did my best to maintain a respectful tone as I replied, “He definitely will, Master. Please believe that Young Master also loves you a lot. Even I, who had never met you before, could tell from his every word and action just how much he respects and loves you.” 

  The master fell silent again for a while, then turned and said to his secretary-slash-butler in a happier tone, “Kyle, do as he says!” 

  “Yes,” replied Mr. Kyle respectfully before looking at me with approval. 

  The master walked into the workshop with Mr. Kyle and the grim, expressionless bodyguard following him. Apparently, there is a secret passage in the workshop that I did not know about… 

  The last to leave was the smiling bodyguard. He secretly came and shoved a business card into my hand. I looked down at the business card. The name on it was Elian, and written on the back of the business card was “Feel free to contact me if you have any problems,” followed by a <(^0^)Y emoticon. 

  I smiled and alerted him in a low voice, “It seems that Mr. Ezart does not plan on returning your money anymore.” 

  “…That bastard!” 

  After that, Mr. Elian also walked into the workshop, fuming. I hope that he will be enough to make Mr. Ezart lose his interest in challenging me to a fight for a good long period of time. 

  Dinnertime was fast approaching, so I was just about to start making a salad when the young master entered the kitchen. Anxious, he shouted, “Charles, where have all the security cameras gone? Did you remove them?” 

  “No, it was Master who sent people to remove them.” Smiling, I explained, “Master paid us a visit in the afternoon. He removed the security cameras, dismissed the bodyguards on the rooftop, and even told me that you, Young Master, would not have to contact him every day anymore.” 

  In an even more panicked voice, the young master yelled, “Gēge? Why did he do that? I-Is he really that angry?” 

  “No, he is not.” I reassured him with a gentle smile and then answered him, “Master did that because he has understood that those actions of his were unpleasant. He hopes that you would not clash with him over this again.” 

  On hearing this, the young master’s anxiety vanished, leaving a confused expression on his face. He hesitated for a while before asking, “Since he came in the afternoon, why didn’t you wake me? Did he not want to see me?” 

  I smiled and reminded, “Master is waiting for you to go home and see him on your own accord.” 

  “Gēge is really too much. He’s already past thirty yet still likes to throw tantrums.” 

  The young master opened his eyes wide and shrugged helplessly, “I was already planning to go back! Gēge’s birthday is next week, and I’ve already chosen a present for him too.” 

  Smiling, I said, “Master and Young Master are indeed brothers. Your personalities are very similar.” 

  “Really? Actually, Kyle-gē and El-gē have also said that before…” answered the young master vacantly, before coming to a sudden realization. He shouted, “Ah! Charles, you’re teasing me, implying that I also like to throw tantrums!” 

  “Charles does not dare.” 

  After replying, I finally lost my self-control and chuckled. 

  “Charles, you’re not allowed to laugh!” 

  “Alright, hahaha…” 

  I continued laughing, but just when the young master was getting angry, the doorbell suddenly rang. We were both stunned for a moment, as we seldom heard this apartment’s doorbell ring. 

  “Young Master, I will open the door.” 

  The young master tilted his head and said, “I’ll go with you.” 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  I walked to the doorway and turned on the display next to the door. An image of the visitors appeared on the screen, and I was a little shocked to see these people. 

  I opened the door. The people standing outside were Bramble, Dell, and another bodyguard. 

  All three of them had stiff expressions on their faces. I turned my head around and saw that the young master’s expression had also darkened. Clearly, the relationship between these two parties was not good, and the atmosphere could even be said to be extremely tense. 

  Seeing this situation, I introduced with a warm smile, “Young Master, this is Bramble. You can call him Bramble-shū. This person is Dell; you can call him Dell-gē, and this last person is…” 

  I paused. Although I had seen him on the rooftop many times before, I did not know his name. 

  Beaming, Dell moved closer to me and introduced, “Oh, him! His name is Maiden.” 

  “Maiden? Isn’t that a girl’s name?” asked the young master curiously. 

  “That’s right!” When he saw the young master’s expression, Dell became even more daring. He said, “Young Master, just look at him. Red lips, white teeth, even whiter skin, and an oval-shaped face. Doesn’t he resemble a great beauty?” 

  “Don’t listen to his bullshit! My name is May.” May glared at Dell viciously. However, because of his refined features, his glare was not the least bit intimidating. 

  “Oh! So, you’re May-gē, or Maiden-gē!” said the young master mischievously, grinning. 

  Dell roared with laughter, making the atmosphere much less tense than before. 

  At this point, Bramble finally opened his mouth and said, “Young Master, I, Bramble, owe you my life.” 

  The young master looked at him, but his previous hostility had vanished, replaced by intense curiosity. 

  “The higher-ups have already withdrawn Mission: Protect-to-the-death. The three of us are here voluntarily,” explained Bramble. 

  After that, as if he were talking to himself, he mumbled, “The mission may have been canceled, but someone has to guard the rooftop, just in case something decides to stay there. It wouldn’t be good if somebody gets seen by those things when he flies outside.” 

  When he heard this, the young master appeared to have blanked out. 

  “That’s all I have to say. Dell, May! We’re leaving.” 

  The two of them replied with a “Yes, sir” and then immediately turned to leave, following Bramble’s lead. 

  “Bramble-shū!” cried the young master. The three of them were stunned for a moment before turning around to look at him. The young master revealed an irresistibly bright smile, saying, “Why don’t you stay here and have dinner with us? Charles’s cooking is delicious!” 

  The three of them seemed to be in shock. Without even waiting for their reply, the young master suddenly furrowed his brows and said, “Oh no, something seems to have happened on the streets. I need to make a trip there.” 

  How does Young Master know that? I was a little curious, but I did not ask him any questions. The young master already had so many secrets that it was impossible to comprehend everything immediately. 

  A string of numbers flashed across the young master’s eyes. At the same time, he took off his shirt. Underneath the shirt, he was wearing Dark Sun’s red, form-fitting shirt. 

  At this moment, the workshop door suddenly opened and a motorcycle came out by “itself.” Its headlamps blinked constantly and the motorcycle even produced a delighted voice from some part of the bike, shouting, “Ah Ye, Ah Ye! Are we setting off now?” 

  “Yeah! Give me the visor.” 

  The bike’s seat opened up and ejected a silver visor. The young master easily caught it and put it on. Then, he glanced at us. Probably because he saw our jaws drop, he laughed and explained, “This is DSII. An Te Qi-bàba took his body back for repairs and only left the computer chip behind. However, he doesn’t like being installed on my handheld game console, so I had no choice but to install him on the bike.” 

  We continued staring at the excited bike. Even after hearing the young master’s explanation, we could only nod blankly. 

  “Then I’ll be going out now and will be back in a short while.” A little nervous, the young master said, “Don’t have dinner before I come back!” 

  “Yes, Young Master,” I replied, finally regaining some of my senses. 

  The young master hopped on the bike, but the bike seemed to be even more excited than he was. The moment the young master sat down, it made some accelerating noises and suddenly charged forward, smashing the full-length window and rushing out of the living room. 

  “DSII! Don’t break the windows!” 

  The young master’s angry roar could be heard from outside the window. 

  “Sorry! DSII won’t do it again!” The bike did not sound repentant at all. 

  I walked toward the window and looked down. Seeing the young master and his motorcycle speeding away along the walls of the skyscrapers, I could not help a smile from appearing across my face. 

  Someday, a hero will summon a talking vehicle, or raise a hand and soar into the sky with everyone watching.

  No Hero    

  Volume 1, Character Introductions

  Translator: raylight 

  Charles Endelis: The protagonist of this book. He is a fifth-generation pureborn vampire. His mother is a vampire and his father an ordinary human from an old and influential family of butlers. He has been raised by his father since he was young and aspires to be a perfect butler. 

  An Xiang Ye: Charles’s employer. He seems to be a university student who is wealthy yet keeps a low profile. He is of the combat department, his actual strength so strong it is unfathomable. 

  Master: An Xiang Ye’s elder brother. His actual identity is a mystery. 

  Kyle: The Master’s secretary-slash-butler. 

  Master An Te Qi: An Xiang Ye’s father. However, it seems that he is not the master’s father. 

  Dark Sun: The most mysterious hero. 

  Solitary Butterfly: The only female hero. 

  Dragon Peace: The strongest hero. 

  First Wind: The most dashing hero. 

  Bramble: The captain of An Xiang Ye’s bodyguards. 

  Dell: One of An Xiang Ye’s bodyguards. 

  May: One of An Xiang Ye’s bodyguards. 

  Briar: Bramble’s daughter. Has once been saved by Dark Sun. 

  Olga: The owner of X-Killer. 

  Jill: The female employee of X-Killer. 

  Luo Lun: The male employee of X-Killer. 

  Ezart: An Xiang Ye’s friend. Fighting free-for-all matches is his livelihood. 

  Melody: A female vampire. She was once sent to be a subordinate of the young master but was dismissed by the young master afterwards. 

  Elian: The master’s bodyguard. 

  DSII (Dark Sun II): The young master’s modified human clone. 

  SKII: A cosmetic brand. (Provided by my good friend Shui Quan) 

  Afterword —translated by dahlys 

  (Before reading the contents of the book, please don’t sneak a peek at the afterword!) 

  My previous book, The Legend of Sun Knight, was meant to expose the true colors of knights. This time, Yu Wo has decided to dissect heroes, so the title of this book is No Hero. When you see the English title of this book, the meaning becomes even clearer. “No Hero,” meaning that there are no heroes. 

  The first book is used to introduce the characters, such as the heroes and the world they live in. The main idea wasn’t touched upon much, so perhaps most of you don’t feel much about this story. However, subsequently, I will bring up the so-called “Grand Exposure of Heroes’ True Natures.” (By the way, there will be about 3-5 volumes of No Hero.) 

  Writing this book was a huge challenge. I’m writing about heroes; however, the main character is not a hero but a butler. It ended up this way because I wanted to let everyone view a hero from an observer’s perspective. 

  When we talk about the observer beside a hero, the first person Yu Wo thought of was a butler… Not the butler in the Black Butler manga! I know, when everyone read the first few chapters on Yu Wo’s blog, they all instinctively thought of Black Butler. However, by the time we reached the end, everyone should have clearly understood that I wasn’t referring to Black Butler. I was referring to “Batman”! 

  If you have seen Batman before, you might have noticed the white-haired Mr. Butler in the story. 

  Every time I see an image of that butler sending his master, the hero Batman, off on his Batmobile, Yu Wo will start randomly thinking: Deep down in his heart, just what is that butler thinking? Does he feel proud because the man he serves is a hero? Or is he worried that he would lose his job if his master dies? 

  This character is really interesting! Really interesting indeed! 

  Therefore, without hesitation, Yu Wo naturally dug her own grave by writing about heroes with a butler as the main character, even writing from the first person perspective… This is crazy! Totally crazy! The result of torturing myself was that, in order to let a stay-at-home butler see his hero master’s actions, Yu Wo wracked every gram of white tofu in her brain and finally completed the first volume, Vampire Butler. 

  By the way, the title of the second volume is “The Hero Grim Reaper.” The date of publication probably, possibly, could be September. (However, according to my readers, books are usually published half to one month later than the publication date announced by Yu Wo.) 

  What? The actual publication date is still very far away, so telling you the title is just whetting your appetite? Oh my! As long as you’ve been Yu Wo’s reader for more than half a year, you should already know that whetting your appetite is the thing Yu Wo is best at! (Continues being hunted down by murderous readers) 

  I’ve finished writing the actual afterword, so now I’m going to talk nonsense. 

  While I was writing the script, my friend Shui Quan commented that my first victim was a knight and following that was a hero. So, is the next victim a prince? 

  Cough! Yu Wo loves to destroy everyone’s happy dreams and deserves to be punched. Since the next story hasn’t been written yet though, please don’t hit me first! 

  As for the prince, we’ll talk about it next time. 

  In addition, there is a set of books related to No Hero called Eclipse Hunter. This story is about Ah Ye and his brother. The book is set five to seven years before No Hero, but this book is independently published by Yu Wo and artist Ya Sha, so I’ve heard that it is currently very hard to find. I’ve also heard that more copies will only be printed in July. Even though more copies are going to be printed, you can only order them from rental bookstores and manhua stores (That still doesn’t mean that you will definitely be able to order it). 

  So, if everyone is still interested in Eclipse Hunter, you can go to the rental bookstore in July when the gate to Hell opens. If you really cannot find it, please don’t throw bombs at me on my blog. Even I don’t know where the books can be obtained at besides the above two locations. For readers who can’t find the books, I hope that you can first reread No Hero! (Runs away) 

  By Yu Wo 

  June 2008 

  Character Introductions – translated by lucathia 

  Charles Endelis 

  Profession: Butler 

  Favorites: Old-school styled hero movies 

  Motto: Both Father and the code of a butler details, “The master is a butler’s heaven and earth.” 

  An Xiang Ye 

  Profession: Student 

  Favorites: Gēge 

  Motto: Gēge says, as long as I’m happy. 

  Melody 

  Profession: Free person 

  Favorite: Good men 

  Motto: Falling from grace would wrong others; not falling from grace would wrong myself. For the sake of myself, I’ll just have to wrong you!

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Prologue

  Translator: dahlys 

  We were on the street. Although it was nighttime, the moon was so bright it was as if it were a giant light bulb in the sky illuminating the entire world. 

  I wish it were a little darker. 

  In the sky, the thunder of the helicopter’s propellers gradually faded away. The crowd formed circle after circle around us, but no one made a single sound. They only stared silently. 

  I wish it were a little noisier. 

  The young master stood right in front of me, wearing Dark Sun’s usual outfit. He carried the Death Scythe in his hands, whereas I was completely unarmed. My arms were spread out wide as I stood facing the young master, obstructing his path. 

  However, this was wrong. I could stand in front of the young master and take care of his affairs, or I could stand behind him silently and wait for his next command. What I should not do is face the young master and… confront him. 

  The silver visor hid the young master’s face so I could not see how he felt about this situation at all. Regarding this, I could only smile bitterly for a moment. I could not talk because there were simply too many humans around us. 

  The young master did not say anything, but I knew that he was looking at me. Suddenly, however, he tilted his head slightly and looked at the person behind me instead. Through all this, he remained silent… If only the young master could scold me out loud, that would be great. 

  But perhaps not as great as I am imagining. 

  I smiled bitterly again. Even if the young master scolded me, I still could not choose to move aside. Therefore, I might actually feel worse, although I would be hard-pressed to imagine what other situation could possibly make me any more miserable than the one I was in right now. 

  If I had a choice, I would definitely choose to step aside immediately. However, if I could have chosen in the first place, perhaps I would not even choose to stand here and confront the young master? 

  I really do not wish to stand here. 

  I did not have a choice. Similarly, the young master also did not have a choice, since everyone in the entire world was watching him swing his scythe. 

  The young master is a hero, while, right now, I am a vampire that endangers humans.

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 1: Among the Ordinary, an Extraordinary Hero

  Translator: dahlys 

  Ring…ring…ring… 

  Hello? Is that you, Gēge? Have you finished work? Are you free to talk on the phone right now? 

  You know, I’ve found a butler who is just like Kyle-gē! What? He’s a secretary…? 

  Is a secretary different from a butler? It’s about the same? Then that’s okay. 

  Gēge! You know, my butler’s name is Charles Endelis, and he’s a vampire. 

  Why did I hire him? Because he’s interesting! He’s a vampire that sucks human blood, but he’s also a butler who serves humans… He’s just like me! 

  Just like me, who is Ah Ye and Dark Sun at the same time! 

  The most important part of a day is the morning. 

  To a butler, preparing breakfast is naturally the busiest chore of the morning. 

  Originally, the young master was the only person in the apartment. Although the young master has a monstrous appetite, he is still only one person. Ever since he made peace with the master last time, however, the number of people in the apartment suddenly increased. As a result, breakfast preparation has also become more complex. 

  The young master eats enough for six. He eats many different kinds of food for breakfast too. Mr. Bramble prefers a Chinese-style breakfast, with a pot of the finest oolong tea after his meal. Dell likes having variety, so he must eat something different for breakfast every day, but his drink must be coke. May seems to be on a diet, as he only has a poached egg, boiled vegetables, one fruit, and a cup of black coffee. 

  Even though I have undergone Father’s strict butler training, I was still flustered for a few days before I could successfully prepare such a complicated breakfast. 

  Now, I was almost done making breakfast. The young master had also returned from his morning jog and had entered the bathroom to take a shower. 

  I placed several different kinds of cutlery on plates and carried them to the living room where everyone was seated. Mr. Bramble was reading the newspaper, and Dell was lying down on the sofa crying, “I’m starving to death,” as usual. May sat cross-legged on the floor and was stretching his waist to the limit doing some very uncomfortable-looking yoga poses. 

  I set the plates in my hands on the meal table. The moment I put them down, Dell jumped up from the sofa and impatiently shouted, “Can I start eating now?” 

  I smiled at him and explained, “I am just preparing the tableware first. Please do not panic. The young master will be out in five minutes.” 

  Dell glanced at the wall clock and said, “Oh.” He then curled back up and lay down horizontally on the sofa while continually staring at the clock. Everyone knew that, no matter what the young master did, he was always very punctual, right down to the second. Thus, if one wanted to know where the young master was, all one had to do was check the time. 

  I watched as Dell slapped the sofa impatiently… If he knew the actual value of that sofa, I wonder if he would lie down on it so casually and hit it with so much strength? Suddenly, I was a little curious. But it was just my curiosity, so I would not really go forward and tell him. 

  After I arranged all the tableware, I checked the time. By now, the young master should have finished showering, so I could start serving breakfast. I walked back to the kitchen and was just in time to see the young master walking toward me as he rubbed his hair dry with a towel. 

  I bowed slightly and greeted him, “Young Master.” 

  “Is everyone waiting for me to start breakfast?” The young master raised his head. He probably heard Dell’s whining, as he smiled and said, “Like I said before, you don’t have to wait for me. You can let them eat first.” 

  “Indeed, but Mr. Bramble has adamantly refused already.” 

  When he heard this, the young master shrugged and helplessly said, “Then we have no choice, as Bramble-shū is the hardest to persuade. I guess even if Dell had to go hungry for another hour, he would not dare to disobey Bramble-shū’s words.” 

  I smiled to show my agreement. 

  “Then Charles should quickly serve breakfast. Dell’s whining is getting louder and louder.” 

  As the noise from the living room was indeed getting louder, I said in a slightly laughing tone, “Yes, Young Master.” 

  When I brought breakfast into the living room, the others had already turned on the TV and were watching the morning news. 

  Although many studies have shown that watching TV while eating is very bad for digestion, Dell and the others clearly were not people who had digestive problems. As for the young master…I think, if the young master experienced indigestion, the first bad habit he should change is his eating speed, not watching TV. 

  I put breakfast down and immediately everyone’s attention turned from the TV to their breakfast. They started eating voraciously, leaving me as the only person left paying attention to the news report. 

  A supernatural phenomenon? In the middle of the night on the streets, witnesses were shocked to see a motorbike with no driver whizzing past. They even said that, as the motorbike passed them, they heard the sound of someone laughing loudly, making their hair stand on end. 

  Only when Dell had already finished half of his breakfast did he slow his eating speed. As he ate, he raised his head to watch the news. When he saw this story, he went “tsk tsk” and then said in disbelief, “How ridiculous. Is the news now supposed to be news or random gossip? They’re even reporting this kind of supernatural phenomenon? Why didn’t I know that this world is so peaceful that there isn’t even any news worth reporting?” 

  May, who had finished his simple breakfast long ago and was currently holding a cup of coffee, said plainly, “There is plenty of news. Heroes save people every day. However, if nothing big happens, just some small incidents, then people are already sick and tired of seeing such news, right? If they don’t do something new, their viewership won’t be good.” 

  “But that doesn’t mean that they can just report random things!” Unsatisfied, Dell rebutted, “If they’re even reporting supernatural phenomena, then in the future, will they even report a fight between two dogs?” 

  As the young master watched the television news broadcast, he suddenly stopped his rapid-eating movements and stared into space for quite some time. I was just about to take the initiative and raise a query when the young master turned his head and asked me with a helpless expression, “Charles, where is DSII?” 

  I immediately replied to the young master, “Yesterday, DSII requested that I refill its fuel tank. He then said that he wanted to go out and have fun…” 

  As I talked, I very impolitely fell silent and looked at the news report again. However, no one noticed my rudeness. Instead, they reacted the same way I did…which was to stare at the TV. 

  A motorcycle that could roam the streets without a rider, and could also laugh loudly. Although this sounded very strange, we seemed to have such a motorcycle right in this very house. The motorcycle even had a name: DSII. 

  Dell roared with laughter. “Oh my gosh! It can’t really be DSII? What a great motorcycle indeed! Hahaha!” 

  The young master sighed and said a little helplessly, “Charles, when DSII comes back, unless I allow it, do not give it any fuel.” 

  “Yes, Young Master.” I smiled helplessly as I replied. At the same time, I picked up the bottle of milk and poured some into the young master’s raised cup. 

  After the report on the supernatural motorcycle ended, the news obediently returned to broadcasting stories about heroes. Although hero stories were starting to get old, it was undeniable that some things were still attractive no matter how old-fashioned they were. 

  The content of this story was not on which hero saved the day from danger, but an analysis detailing the actions of heroes. The names of the four heroes mentioned were not unexpected; they were Solitary Butterfly, First Wind, Dragon Peace, and Dark Sun. 

  The report even called them the Four Great Heroes, and gave them new titles: The Noblewoman, Solitary Butterfly; The Aristocrat, First Wind; The Beast, Dragon Peace; and The Wings of Steel, Dark Sun. 

  When he heard the words “Wings of Steel,” Dell spat out a mouthful of coke and laughed so hard he ended up bent over the table, twitching. Even the normally expressionless May also smiled. Mr. Bramble raised an eyebrow and mumbled, “It sounds quite suitable. What’s so funny about it?” The young master held his cup of milk while looking confused, as if he did not know what everyone was laughing about at all. 

  “This reporter is pushing it too far!” Dell scolded as he laughed. 

  Smiling, May shook his head and said, “You can’t say that. Besides Dark Sun, the other three titles are quite appropriate. I just don’t know why Dark Sun’s title became like that.” 

  The young master seemed to find it fun, as he tilted his head and asked, “Then what kind of title do you think is better?” 

  When I heard the young master’s question, I thought about the answer seriously, but I really could not say what title would fit Dark Sun best. I turned to look at the others, but they also appeared to be having difficulties thinking of one. 

  For the other heroes, it was obvious that their titles were decided based on the personality they had shown when rescuing people. Solitary Butterfly was confident and dignified, just like a noble. Because she was a woman, though, her title was The Noblewoman. First Wind had an elegant demeanor, so the title of Aristocrat was most suited for him. Dragon Peace had a very muscular body and tended toward violence, so he was indeed a Beast. 

  However, Dark Sun’s character was a mystery. He had a policy of “save and leave immediately,” so the media had not had many scenes with him in it. Just about the only time they had gotten a clear picture of him was the time he saved Solitary Butterfly and Briar. 

  But even then, all Dark Sun had said were the short phrases “Where” and “No, too heavy.” 

  As I thought about this, I involuntarily sighed for the poor reporters. With so little information, they must have thought very hard just to come up with a title, right? 

  I could not help but turn to look at the young master. Although everyone here knew that the young master was Dark Sun, no one could think of a title for him, including me. I might understand the young master, but I do not dare claim that I understand Dark Sun, even though these two people were one and the same. 

  I knew that I should not stick my nose into the young master’s private affairs, but I could not help wondering just what kind of environment would cause the young master to develop a completely different personality. 

  The young master seemed to notice a change in my usual expression as he curiously asked, “Charles?” 

  “Young Master, would you like some more milk?” I replied, smiling. It was okay even if I did not fully understand the young master right now. 

  Because, we have an “Endelis” contract. 

  “Yes!” The young master nodded. 

  After pouring a full glass of milk for the young master and making sure he continued eating his breakfast, I turned some of my attention toward the news. At the moment, the news was showing some of the four heroes’ past actions. 

  Dell said disapprovingly, “Tsk tsk, it has indeed been too peaceful recently. Even the media has nothing better to do than report old news.” 

  Although Dell said that, I watched the report with interest. In the past, I rarely paid attention to the deeds of heroes, so increasing my knowledge of the topic was not bad. Whenever they mentioned “Dark Sun,” I paid extra attention. Still, the hero the news mentioned the least was also Dark Sun, so no matter how much they broadcasted, most of the footage was from the time he previously rescued Solitary Butterfly and Briar. 

  Suddenly, the young master asked excitedly, “If you were in danger, which hero would everyone like to be rescued by the most?” 

  I could not help but smile. Recently, the young master was getting increasingly interested in “conversations.” Since he did not have much common knowledge, and was hence always unable to reply normally, he liked to ask questions instead and let other people answer them. 

  When they heard the young master’s question, everyone, including Mr. Bramble who put down the newspaper, made a very weird expression and looked at the young master without answering him. Luckily, the young master immediately realized his mistake and added, “I mean, heroes other than Dark Sun.” 

  When they heard this, everyone smiled vaguely. Dell was the first to say, “You don’t have to ask, of course it’s Solitary Butterfly! Although it is very embarrassing to be saved by a beautiful woman, it is still better than being saved by a smelly man. Right, Maiden?” 

  Upset, May replied, “Who’s the same as you? Also, you’re not allowed to call me Maiden!” 

  After speaking, he turned and just happened to meet the young master’s expectant eyes. He stopped for a moment and thought seriously before answering, “If I really had to be saved by a hero, I’d probably hope that it is First Wind.” 

  Dell immediately made a disgusted face and looked at May like he was something dirty. 

  “If you dare talk nonsense, I’ll make you pay for it!” After coldly threatening Dell, May turned back toward the young master and explained seriously, “First Wind’s martial arts style is similar to mine, so I would like to spar with him if possible.” 

  As if a great realization had dawned upon him, the young master smiled and said, “If it’s like that, I can spar with you too…” 

  However, May did not reply. Instead, he and Dell suddenly leapt up. Mr. Bramble still remained calmly seated on the sofa. Although their stances were different, what was similar among them was that they all had their guns out and loaded and were pointing them at the doorway. 

  The reason for their panic was that the front door had been opened by someone even though the doorbell had not been rung. 

  However, the person who walked in was someone that everyone knew: Melody. 

  She entered through the front door shouting “Young Master” in a very loud voice. When she saw the three guns pointed at her, she only raised an eyebrow and pretended to see nothing as she continued walking in. It was, instead, the people on our side who were frozen in shock. 

  She stopped walking a few steps away from the meal table and said coquettishly, “Young Master, in your opinion, do I look better in black or red?” 

  All she wore was a set of scarlet undergarments, which included a low-cut, V-shaped bra and panties that did not hide much at all. In her hands was another set of black undergarments. Besides those, there were no other clothes covering her body at all… Except for the pair of crimson high heels on her feet. 

  Drool almost dripping onto his gun, Dell stared at Melody and, eyes shining, yelled, “You look best with nothing on!” 

  May took one glance at her before quickly turning away. Even his ears were red. 

  Mr. Bramble only shook his head and proceeded to put away his gun. He then continued drinking tea while reading the newspaper. 

  “All of you shut up!” Melody scolded everyone unhappily, then pouted and looked at the young master, saying, “I only want Young Master’s opinion. Young Master~~ please tell me! Which set looks better?” 

  I suddenly felt curious. May had already shifted his eyes to the young master, and Mr. Bramble also looked away from the newspaper to fix his gaze on the young master. Even Dell, whose eyes were practically glued onto Melody’s body, could not resist his curiosity and actually gave up staring at Melody to turn and look at him. 

  The innocent and naive young master An Xiang Ye, and the calm and cool till almost cold Dark Sun. Although the adjectives used were quite different, these two were actually the same person. When faced with an almost naked beauty, just how would a person with such conflicting personalities react? 

  I glanced at Melody. The latter was smiling unctuously, with a hint of mischief. When I thought about it, she was probably doing this on purpose. 

  The young master raised his head to look at Melody. In his eyes, there was no sign of change, whether it be May’s awkwardness or Dell’s lust. None of these appeared on his face at all. He just examined Melody carefully, as if she were not in her undergarments but was wearing an evening gown instead, and he was seriously helping her choose her clothing. 

  In the end, he pointed at the red underwear Melody was wearing and said cautiously, “Red looks nicer.” 

  “Really?” 

  Melody made several alluring poses on purpose, even bending her waist and squeezing her chest. This made the originally low-cut bra hide almost nothing at all. 

  Her actions made Dell stare until his eyes were popping out, and May dared not even glance at her… Oh, maybe he did see something as his ears were even redder than before. 

  “Yes!” The young master nodded seriously and smiled as he said, “Red looks tastier!” 

  “…” 

  Everyone, including me and Mr. Bramble, could not help but look at the young master with strange expressions on our faces. 

  Tastier? The meaning of tastier could not be referring to…something erotic, right? 

  Melody was shocked and suspicious as she asked, “Young Master, what you mean by tasty, can it be…” 

  The young master suddenly smiled brilliantly as he praised, “Melody looks very delicious right now!” 

  The moment the young master said that, even Melody, who dared to walk around in front of everyone in her undergarments could not help but turn red. She stomped her feet a few times, said, “Young Master is so naughty!”, and rushed out of the apartment just like that. This made Dell scream in despair, “Don’t go! Let me look at you some more!” 

  “Charles.” The young master suddenly called me. 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  “Can you make another plate of fries for me?” The young master raised his head and looked at me expectantly. “I suddenly really want to eat fries, and I want to dip it in lots and lots of ketchup!” 

  I was a little surprised, as the young master, who routinely ate only six servings of breakfast, actually wanted to eat some more. However, I still politely replied, “Certainly, if you would please wait for a while, Young Master.” 

  Before I could walk into the kitchen, Dell shouted that he also wanted to eat some fries. I guess I have to fry an entire bag or there will not be enough. 

  As the oil in the pan was heating up, I had some free time, so I stared at the fries on the cutting board in a trance. The fries were white with some beige, and placed beside it was a bottle of bright red ketchup… Why does this color combination look so familiar? 

  Red looks tastier! 

  I suddenly laughed out loud… I see! So it was like fries dipped in ketchup? 

  “Hahaha!” 

  The sound of a bewildered and uncertain voice came from outside, saying, “Butler? Are you alright?” 

  “S-Sorry, it is nothing.” I hurriedly suppressed my laughter but chuckled as I put the fries in the pan. 

  Fries and ketchup… This is something I definitely can never tell Melody, hee hee. 

  After sending the young master out, Mr. Bramble and May headed to the rooftop. Dell bravely volunteered to bring DSII home. 

  After everyone had left, the apartment suddenly became quiet again. I washed and tidied the dishes and was just about to rest in my metal cabinet when I heard the doorbell ring. This was a rare occurrence. 

  As I walked to the door, I thought, did Dell forget to take something with him? 

  I activated the CCTV beside the front door and saw that there were two people outside, one male and one female. Naturally, it was not Dell. These people were… X-Killer’s shop assistants, Luo Lun and Jill. 

  I opened the door and greeted, “Jill, Luo Lun, it has been a few days. Are you doing well?” 

  The two nodded and nodded. 

  “We have already received the young master’s outfits. There is nothing wrong with them,” I smiled and said, hoping I could find out why they were here. I was not sure whether they were here because of the clothes, and this was the only reason I could think of. 

  Luo Lun immediately snatched the chance to answer, “Of course, I checked those one at a time, so there’s definitely nothing wrong with them!” 

  Before I could continue speaking, Jill grinned and took out a thick book, saying, “We are here to show you the catalog.” 

  “Catalog?” 

  I took it from them and looked at it before realizing that these were the photos the young master had agreed to take for X-Killer last time. I flipped through it page by page and could not help sighing in praise as the catalog was done very well. At first, I was not sure whether to start flipping from the left or the right, but I immediately learned that both ways were fine. When I started browsing from the right, the designs were mostly white in color, and from the left, black. 

  I first looked through the white part. The young master in the photos wore comfortable and brightly colored clothing while smiling very happily. His poses were also very natural. In some of the photos, he was hugging the large plushies in the shop. This made him appear very cute and energetic, so that when one looked at the photos, one’s lips would involuntarily rise. 

  Then, I started to browse through the black designs from the left. The clothes in this section were smart and elegant, and the young master was almost expressionless in these pictures. Clothed entirely in dark colors, only his face and silver hair stood out. This actually enhanced the feeling that the young master…was not really like a living person. 

  This actually gave me a bit of a scare, as this non-living aura was quite unlike the young master. Instead, it was more like…Dark Sun! 

  As I browsed, I asked, “Who designed these?” 

  “These are Olga’s personal designs. The theme is Angel and Devil.” Jill’s eyes shone as she asked, “Doesn’t it look awesome? We only had to send this to the printing shop, and everyone there kept asking who this model was!” 

  Angel and Devil huh? I could not help but smile wryly. The young master and Dark Sun did kind of feel like an angel and a devil. I did not think that Olga could so accurately portray the young master’s two faces. If she met Dark Sun face-to-face, she might actually guess that Dark Sun was indeed the young master. 

  However, I did not have to be too worried. When DSII’s body is fixed, as long as the young master and DSII each dress up as Dark Sun and a normal college student and appear at the same time, even the most suspicious person would have no choice but to admit that they were two different people. 

  As I continued to browse, Jill and Luo Lun took turns to comment on things like, “The weather is so hot,” “I feel a little thirsty,” “This place is so far from the shop,” and “I didn’t eat breakfast so I feel a little hungry.” Listening to these made me feel both affronted and amused, so I aptly invited them, “If you do not mind, please come in and rest for a while.” 

  Their eyes instantly lit up. I tilted my body to turn but before I could lead the way, they had already rushed into the house. 

  Luo Lun cheerfully spread himself out on the sofa, while Jill scanned the living room and said, disappointed, “Is Ah Ye not home?” 

  “The young master has gone to school.” I placed the catalog on the table and smiled at them, saying, “Do you want anything to drink?” 

  “Just coke is fine.” 

  “Sundae!” shouted Luo Lun. 

  Jill swung a fist toward Luo Lun’s head and scolded, “What sundae? Are you treating this place as a café?” 

  I smiled, saying, “I can easily prepare a sundae. The young master loves ice cream, so there are many flavors of ice cream in the fridge. I can use those to make a sundae.” 

  Luo Lun immediately cried, “Yay!” Jill hesitated for a moment before shyly adding, “Then I want one too.” 

  I nodded and said, “Then, please wait for a moment. If you wish to turn on the television, or read one of the books on the shelf, please feel free to do so.” 

  After making the sundaes, I carried them to the living room. The two in the living room were clearly uninterested in the books on the shelves. Instead, they had turned on the TV and were currently captivated by a replay of this morning’s news. The content was, naturally, the stories about the four heroes. 

  I put the sundaes down, and Luo Lun’s eyes instantly lit up. He started eating the sundae. 

  Jill looked at the sundae like she really wanted to eat it, but she did not make a move on it. Instead, she told me, “Olga asked us to show you two the catalog. We will only put it in the shop if you find no problems with it. Also, we enlarged some of these photos to hang in the store, but they were just too big, so we didn’t bring them here for you to see. Thus, Olga asked whether the two of you would be willing to go there personally to take a look.” 

  I see. I nodded at both of them, saying, “When the young master returns, I will tell him. Whether or not the young master decides to go, I will give you a call and inform you.” 

  Jill nodded. At this point, she could not resist anymore, so she started eating the sundae. 

  Seeing the two of them devour the food quickly while repeatedly exclaiming how good it was, I smiled and asked, “Sundaes will not quench your thirst, so would you like some drinks? If you wish to quench your thirst, how about I brew a pot of hot Ceylon tea for you? Cold things, especially sweets, do not actually quench thirst well.” 

  Regardless of what I said, the two people desperately eating their sundaes simply nodded vigorously. Seeing this, I had no choice but to smile again and go to the kitchen to brew tea. 

  As I was boiling water, a melodious ringtone suddenly sounded on my cell phone. I quickly took it out from my shirt pocket. I looked at the phone number, and the caller actually turned out to be the young master. I immediately pushed the button to pick up the call. 

  “Charles here.” 

  “C-Charles, are you sleeping right now?” 

  The young master’s voice was very soft, as if he were afraid of waking me up… I could not resist smiling. Oh, Young Master! Since you have already called, why worry about whether I am asleep? 

  The young master stuttered, “T-That, I know that it’s your sleeping time right now, b-but…” 

  I smiled and said, “It is alright, I am not sleeping at the moment. Young Master, please feel free to instruct me.” 

  The young master fell silent for a while, then suddenly cried, “Charles!” 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  “My classmates said that they want to come over to my place to do homework. What do I do?” 

  So it was something like that. I laughed and answered, “Young Master, you only have to tell me. If a few classmates are visiting, I will make the proper preparations.” 

  The young master went quiet again for a while. Then, he said in a helpless tone, “Charles, I can’t let my classmates know that I have a butler.” 

  When I heard this, I was stunned for a moment but eventually understood what he meant. The school the young master was attending was not an elite school, and the apartment he was living in was also not a high-class one. It would indeed be weird for him to have a butler. 

  “Then, Charles can leave for a night…” 

  Before I could finish speaking, the young master exclaimed, “No, don’t go! I don’t know how to do homework with my classmates, and also…” 

  After saying “also,” the young master did not continue talking for a very long time. I had no choice but to ask, “Also what, Young Master?” 

  The young master mumbled hesitantly, “Also…when I was talking to my classmates, I told them that I have an elder brother. My female classmates asked me whether he was handsome, and I said yes. Then, they asked me where my brother was, and I-I didn’t know how to respond, so I said that my brother was at home. After that…” 

  “After that?” 

  “After that…” The young master paused for a moment, then, quick as lightning, blurted out, “After that, they made noise about wanting to come over to my house to do homework, and conveniently see my very handsome brother!” 

  I finally understood what he wanted. Despite that, I still intentionally asked, “So, what does Young Master want Charles to do?” 

  The young master fell silent for a while and then begged, “Charles, can I call you Gēge for one night?” 

  I smiled and humbly replied, “If Young Master is willing.” 

  “Great!” cheered the young master. “Then, I’ll bring my classmates home right after class. There are five of them in all. I even told them that you know how to make delicious ice cream. They keep nagging me about wanting to eat it, so don’t forget to make some!” 

  “Yes, Young Master.” After answering him, afraid that the young master would hang up just like this, I quickly added, “Young Master, please hold on for a minute, Charles has something to tell you. The two shop assistants from X-Killer have come to visit.” 

  “Jill and Luo Lun?” Curious, the young master asked, “What did they come for?” 

  “They brought the photos you took last time. At the same time, they invited you to go see the enlarged photos that they are going to display in the shop.” 

  “Really?” The young master’s voice sounded very excited. “Sure! I want to go and see it.” 

  “Alright, then I will tell them that we will be visiting them within the next few days.” 

  After ending the call with the young master, I carried the Ceylon tea as well as some tea snacks to the living room. As I walked there, I heard the sounds of arguing. 

  “First Wind is the best hero of all!” 

  “No matter how you look at it, Dragon Peace is the strongest! You girls just like pretty boys.” 

  “That’s not true! It’s because First Wind looks very gentle.” Unhappy, Jill shouted, “Dragon Peace looks so violent that even if I were saved by him, I would worry about whether he would hug me so tightly my waist snaps!” 

  “With a waist like yours?” Luo Lun purposely eyed Jill’s waist and sighed, “I think that would be very difficult!” 

  Jill was so angry her face flushed red. She said word-by-word, “Ji. Luo. Lun. Are you tired of living?” 

  After watching this, I put the tray down. As I arranged their tableware, I said, “How about drinking some black tea and having some snacks? The snacks are walnut meringues that I made. I hope you will enjoy them.” 

  The two of them seemed very shocked. Jill quickly said, “Sorry to trouble you.” 

  “It is no trouble.” I smiled. 

  In order to calm their nervousness, I sat down and started eating a meringue. This visibly helped them relax a little, so they also began drinking their tea and eating. 

  To relieve the tension, I continued the conversation off-handedly and said, “Were you two talking about heroes just now?” 

  They looked back and forth at each other before Luo Lun finally shrugged, saying, “Yeah! In the news story about heroes that we just watched, Solitary Butterfly, First Wind, Dragon Peace, and Dark Sun were called the Four Great Heroes. At the end of the show, they raised a question ‘To you, who is the true hero?’, so Jill started arguing about it with me!” 

  “You’re the one who started the argument!” Jill protested, “First Wind is obviously the best!” 

  “Dragon Peace is the most ‘authentic’ hero!” Luo Lun turned to face me and shouted, “Right, Dàgē?” 

  At this point, Jill also turned toward me and said coyly, “Charles-gē, which hero do you think is the best?” 

  “This…” I was a little tongue-tied. 

  If I had to answer, I would say Dark Sun. But the young master is Dark Sun, so that answer somehow did not seem quite appropriate. However, I did not really know much about the other heroes. Although I had met Solitary Butterfly once before, I did not know her well enough to say that she was “the best.” 

  But I cannot not answer either… I looked at the two people whose eyes were filled with anticipation. Suddenly, I thought, regardless of whether the young master is Dark Sun or not, Dark Sun is the only person I have ever wholeheartedly praised as a “hero.” Thus, even if he is the young master I serve, what does it matter? 

  I smiled plainly and replied, “Dark Sun.” 

  “Oh!” Luo Lun nodded vigorously, saying, “Dark Sun isn’t bad either.” 

  However, Jill revealed a hesitant expression and mumbled, “At first, I also thought like that. He looked really cool when he saved Solitary Butterfly. But, Olga said…” 

  “What did she say?” I suddenly felt very curious. Just what comment did Olga make about Dark Sun? 

  Jill seemed to be trying very hard as she recalled, “She said that no matter what, heroes are still people, and it is human nature to be selfish. Heroes want other people to know that they have done a good deed, and they want to be famous. Therefore, normally when they save people, they will at least interact a little with the victim, and stall for time until the media arrives.” 

  That is true indeed. After hearing Jill speak, I suddenly felt like laughing out loud. So heroes could be viewed from this perspective as well. I have never even thought that the reason why heroes can be caught on film by the media is because they want to become famous. 

  “When they face the media, they either put on a dramatic act or just pretend to look cool. That, or they make an expression of utter hatred. However, only Dark Sun is different. He never appears in front of the media. It’s as if he doesn’t care whether anyone else in the world knows he exists. Except for that time when he saved Solitary Butterfly and that little girl, when he had no choice but to appear in front of the media, because so much of the media was already there to begin with.” 

  Luo Lun interrupted, “Even the origins of the name ‘Dark Sun’ are unknown. Olga said that this is really weird! We can’t even catch him on film, and Dark Sun is most famous for never saying anything, so why does everyone know that he is called ‘Dark Sun?’ Olga says, it’s as if someone is secretly spreading information about him.” 

  Could a certain elder brother be the one responsible for secretly spreading information? I felt that the possibility of this being true was very high. Although the master does not like the young master being a hero, he definitely does not like the young master’s good deeds going unknown even more. 

  Luo Lun shrugged, saying, “All in all, Olga said that his actions are not like those of ordinary people. It’s more like he’s on some kind of mission. Maybe, one of the economic alliances dispatched a hero on purpose, so that they can use him whenever there’s a suitable opportunity…” 

  I stood up abruptly, roaring, “It is not like that at all!” 

  After I had finished shouting, the two of them jumped in shock and stared at me… Oh no! I actually spoke to the young master’s guests in such a rude tone. 

  “My sincerest apologies, I…” I stumbled over my words, as I could not come up with an excuse to explain my uncontrolled shouting. After all, I cannot tell them not to insult the young master, can I? 

  “So Dàgē actually worships Dark Sun to this extent?” said Luo Lun in a daze. “I can’t believe it, you really don’t look like someone who worships heroes!” 

  “I do not? But I really like Dark Sun!” I smiled as I conveniently stepped out of the limelight. 

  After that, we moved on from the topic of heroes, and instead began to discuss that Angel and Devil catalog. They pointed out the photos that the shop had enlarged, and gesticulated wildly while explaining where in the shop the photos were hung, as well as how great the results were and et cetera. 

  After chatting for about half an hour, the two had to help Olga open the shop, so they waved goodbye to me. 

  I spent some time tidying the living room and then returned to my room to rest. However, just as I lay down in the metal cabinet and before I could fall asleep, my cell phone next to me rang again. This particular ringtone did not sound when someone was calling me. Instead, it was an alert for when someone rang the doorbell. 

  “There are so many guests today.” 

  I smiled wryly, but I did not really feel upset. Even if I only sleep once in two or three days, it was still within the normal range for a vampire. I felt happy instead, as more guests visiting this apartment means that the people the young master knows are also increasing. For the young master, who lacks social skills, this was a very good sign. 

  I stepped out of the metal cabinet feeling curious and walked toward the front door. Has Dell returned? Or have Jill and Luo Lun come back? Or could it be someone else the young master knows? 

  Because of my curiosity, I did not turn on the CCTV this time, but rather just opened the front door… I froze in shock. 

  When I saw the person who had come, it took me a long time before I could say his name. 

  “X.”


  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 2: Late at Night, the Busy Hero

  Translator: Evangeline 

  Gēge, 

  Charles really is a great butler! 

  Not only can he cook a delicious variety of breakfasts, he took me to buy new clothes and even taught me how to sing. 

  Then, I went to karaoke with my classmates in my new clothes, and everyone said that my clothes looked nice and that I sang well! 

  I must be becoming more and more like a normal boy now, right? 

  I heard the door opening twenty minutes later than the time the young master usually came home. I walked toward the front door and saw the young master coming in with five of his classmates. With a warm smile, I welcomed them. “Welcome home, Ah Ye, and a good day to your fellow classmates.” 

  The young master turned, and his eyes widened when he saw me, as if he could not believe that the person in front of him was I. He looked at my face, then at my attire… 

  I was wearing casual clothing. I had purposely woken up early this afternoon to buy clothes for the sake of acting as a “big brother.” 

  After all, dress shirts, vests, red bow ties, and dress pants were too formal for someone who was currently staying at home. 

  One of the male students spoke first, turning to the young master in surprise. “Ah Ye, your brother is really handsome! But you were joking when you said that he is ten years older than you, right? He doesn’t look like he’s over thirty!” 

  As a matter of fact, I am over one hundred and fifty years old. 

  “Hello, Charles-gēge. Sorry to intrude.” 

  One of the female students greeted me politely. She had good manners, was humble, but not submissive. She was good looking as well and almost as tall as the young master; of course, the high heels on her feet might have helped as well. She did not count as a beauty, but she was definitely pretty. 

  She seemed like a good girl. 

  I smiled and answered, “Hello, come in and make yourselves at home.” 

  The five of them immediately threw off their shoes and came in without holding back. The girls were somewhat more reserved, since at least there were no overturned shoes, but only the girl who greeted me placed her shoes neatly like the young master. 

  “I will go get something to drink for you. How about cola and black tea?” 

  The five students nodded. 

  “Charles… Charles-gē!” the young master stuttered, “I want…um…” 

  I completed his sentence while smiling. “Milk, right? Really, how can I not know what you like to drink?” 

  The young master looked surprised and said, “Oh.” 

  When I came out with the drinks, the young master and the students were seated around the table doing homework. After I poured drinks for everyone and took out some ice cream, the five of them cheered and started to eat some. The rather nice girl started to converse with me. “It must be hard for big brother to look after this house alone, right?” 

  I smiled. “It is all right. Ah Ye is a good kid, so I do not have to worry about him.” 

  “Ah Ye, your brother is amazing. He’s good looking, and he can make ice cream!” A male student grinned. 

  The young master fell silent for a moment and replied honestly, “My gēge is really amazing.” 

  I noticed that he did not use “Charles-gē,” so I assumed that he was talking about his real brother. It looks like the young master really respects his elder brother. 

  Even though a few days ago this house was full of cameras set up by the master… It is hard to believe, but how did the young master manage to live under constant surveillance? Even if the person who monitored him is the elder brother he respects and loves, there should still be some discontentment concerning privacy. 

  Even though I was still apprehensive about the relationship between the young master and the master, it was not something a butler should interfere with. All I have to do is the required duties of a butler. 

  At this time, the girl smiled cutely and said, “Oh right, big brother doesn’t know my name yet, right? I am Leanna, but you can call me Anna or Nana.” 

  “Hello, student Anna.” I smiled and nodded. 

  The other four students saw her introducing herself, so they all told me their names as well. The two male students were named Abner and Aren. Abner was the one who had yelled that I did not look like a thirty year old, while Aren had not yet spoken this entire time. His capability of silence was even greater than the young master’s. 

  The two female students were Ingrid and Judy. Those two looked like normal girls, their style of dress fashionable and their skirts so short they could barely cover their rears. 

  In comparison to the chatting classmates, the young master was doing his homework seriously and not talking much. It worried me a little. However, the others did not seem to mind the young master’s lack of participation and kept on talking among themselves, absentmindedly writing a few strokes on their papers once in a while. 

  It seems that they are already used to the young master’s personality. 

  Also, Aren was as silent as the young master. Leanna sometimes talked to them, mostly about homework, so the young master answered happily as Leanna always listened to him with a serious expression on her face. 

  However, I noticed that Leanna’s hand was always touching the seat cushion. 

  She caressed the cashmere wool cushion in a way that suggested that it was not by accident. Her hands went over the entire cushion, paying a lot of attention to the gold and silver embroidery as well as the decorative orbs on the four corners; she even took them in her hands as if she were determining their weight. 

  This Leanna was truly rather remarkable. She had probably already felt that something was off about this house. 

  She was likely not the only one. Aren still had not spoken, but he had already peeked at me more than once out of the corner of his eyes. However, he was not looking at my entire person but rather at my feet whenever I moved… A vampire’s footsteps are always silent. 

  Abner kept on joking about Aren being an ice block and that Aren and Ah Ye will make the perfect ice block duo. While he was joking, his eyes always wandered over to the bookcase. If I remembered correctly, there were a couple of archaic, out-of-print tomes right where he was secretly glancing at. 

  Ingrid and Judy acted the most normally. They giggled and gossiped about the hottest celebrities. However, their hands were always on either the crystal wineglasses or the spoons used for eating ice cream, and when I turned for a second, one of the spoons on the table disappeared, a platinum spoon. 

  Was it just me underestimating the university students now, or are the young master’s friends all not very normal? 

  Whatever the truth was, the fact that the young master is very rich probably cannot be hidden from his five classmates. 

  When I poured some drinks for Judy, I exclaimed, “Ah… Why is there a spoon on the ground? That is very dangerous. It would not be good if someone steps on it and slips.” 

  While I was talking, I silently took out the spoon from Judy’s pocket and placed it back on the table, and then I carried on cleaning up the fruit bowl and ice cream cups on the table. There was almost no fruit left, while the ice cream was completely gone. 

  Judy tried to smile in response, but her expression was rather forced. 

  I took the plates and said to everyone, “I will go back inside. Enjoy yourselves.” 

  All five of the students looked at me. Except for Leanna whose smile was impeccable, the expressions of the others had already turned strange. Abner was eyeing the bookcase in regret, Aren was looking at me with an extremely guarded expression, while Judy and Ingrid looked a little embarrassed. 

  As for the young master, he was writing his report the whole time. The paper stack was thickening at his normal fast rate. 

  I walked into the kitchen and started to tidy the fruit plates, the ice cream cups, and the spoons while thinking about how pretending to be the young master’s brother tonight was most likely rather unnecessary. Even if they came to know that the young master had a butler, those five students probably would not mind much… For them, it is likely that they thought this house should have a butler. 

  I wonder if the young master knows of his fellow students’ abnormal behavior? 

  When I returned to the living room, it was already time for his classmates to leave. They did not seem to have the intention to stay for dinner. 

  I quickly scanned the living room, made sure that nothing was missing, and followed the students out with the young master. The five of them waved good-bye. 

  I lightly closed the door, turned, and prepared to change back into a butler outfit. 

  However, the young master stopped me. “Charles.” 

  “Yes, Young Master.” I stopped to await the young master’s directions. 

  The young master stared at me for a long time and suddenly sighed heavily. “As expected, Charles is better as a butler. Having Charles as an older brother really felt weird!” 

  “Is Young Master not pleased with Charles’s acting skills?” I asked, worried. 

  The young master cocked his head and thought about it. “Your acting skills are good, but big brothers don’t seem to be like that.” 

  I still could not understand the young master’s meaning. Had not the young master’s classmates all said that I was a great big brother? I curiously asked, “Then, how does Young Master think a big brother should be like?” 

  The young master thought about it and answered matter-of-factly, “A big brother should be very elegant, very proud, and pay no attention to anyone besides his little brother!” 

  Umm…. Young Master, I think that description is limited to only your elder brother. 

  The young master smiled. “But no worries, Charles is not Gēge anyway. He is the best butler!” 

  “Thank you, Young Master.” I accepted the praise humbly and reminded, “Young Master, Charles needs to tell you something. Your classmates do not seem to be completely ignorant, and they all seem to be somewhat strange.” 

  “Really?” The young master was not surprised, and he even shrugged. “Maybe they are a little strange! But I’m strange too, so I don’t think I have the right to say anything, yeah?” 

  That is true. No matter how strange those students are, I doubt they would be stranger than the young master. Actually, I believe it is impossible to find someone who is stranger than the young master and who carries more secrets than him… Not even among “non-humans.” 

  Even though I thought those students were strange, they probably thought the young master to be a fairly mysterious person, right? I sighed. This was not good for the young master’s social life. I have to think of a way to close the distance between the young master and his classmates. 

  “Then, Young Master, I will go change and prepare dinner for you. You must be very hungry?” I looked at the clock with worry. It was almost one hour later than the time the young master usually had dinner. 

  As I expected, the young master nodded. “I’m hungry, Charles. Cook dinner fast!” 

  “Yes.” 

  Because the young master had told me to cook faster, I prepared a big pot of soup noodles with a lot of high caloric seasoning, of course. 

  “Hot! Hot!” 

  The young master immediately slurped two mouthfuls of noodles, but he soon spat the noodles out, and then his eating speed slowed down to the speed of normal humans. 

  I was ashamed of myself for not warning the young master ahead of time, but I was also secretly glad that “the young master was still afraid of the heat.” If the young master had eaten the entire bowl of hot noodles at his normal fast pace without any change in expression, then I would probably worry about who the real non-human was here, the young master or me. 

  After a good while, I saw that the young master was almost finished. Only then did I ask, “Young Master, is it all right for me to take a break after midnight for the next two weeks? I will still be back before your morning run to make breakfast.” 

  “A break?” The young master looked up, surprised. “Why do you need a break?” 

  I hesitated but still answered the young master truthfully, “A friend of mine asked me to help him find someone.” 

  “Finding someone after midnight? Are you looking for a mafia boss again?” The young master laughed. 

  I looked at the young master and shook my head, but I did not answer. 

  The young master cocked his head and said, “Something you can’t tell me? Then I won’t ask.” 

  “No, that is not it.” I hesitated. “The one I am looking for cannot be found during the day.” 

  The young master blurted out, “A ‘non-human?’” 

  I answered, “Yes.” 

  “Oh,” The young master said and asked, “What kind of non-human are you looking for? You know that I often go out during the night. I can keep an eye out for you.” 

  “Young Master, the one I am looking for is, is a werewolf,” I said the truth with slight frustration. 

  However, how can I ask the young master to look for a werewolf? The young master is a hero, while werewolves are definitely not anyone a hero would want to protect. Even among the non-humans, werewolves are not very welcome. 

  “Werewolves… According to European folk legends, a werewolf is a shape-shifting human — he can shape shift willingly or unwillingly into a wolf. After shifting, he will crave human or animal meat and will howl at the moon.” 

  The young master explained this in a flat voice and suddenly stated in a worried tone, “The encyclopedia doesn’t have enough information. We can’t find him like this.” 

  Young Master, you seem to have been standing in your original spot and have not gone to flip through an encyclopedia… 

  The young master looked at me directly and asked with a serious expression, “Charles, what does the werewolf you are searching for look like?” 

  “Well…” I hesitated. Should I tell the young master? 

  The young master stared at me like he was waiting for an answer. This troubled me, but then he laughed. “I say Charles, you are not worried that ‘some hero’ would kill your werewolf friend, right?” 

  That is indeed the case. I looked warily at the young master. Werewolves are a strong combat race, but I did not think a werewolf could stand up to the young master. Morever, X is my old friend, and he rarely comes to me for help. Even if I cannot find the one he is looking for, I cannot let that werewolf get killed, especially by the young master. 

  I never want to see conflict arise between my good friend and the young master. 

  The young master giggled. “Charles, don’t you forget, you are the butler who stays by my side every day. Even if you are so dense you don’t seem like one… you are sill a vampire, right?” 

  I was speechless, suddenly feeling as dense as the young master had claimed. If the young master could accept a vampire as his butler, then what was strange about searching for a werewolf? 

  I could not help but sigh. I really am dense, using standards meant for normal humans to look at the young master. 

  I stopped concealing the matter and said, “Young Master, the werewolf is named Cornell, but he is not my friend. I do not actually know him, but my friend asked me to help find the werewolf because I think they have some important things to discuss.” 

  “How do I identify a werewolf? What do they look like?” 

  I explained carefully, “Werewolves can shift only when there is moonlight, or else they look just like normal humans. Before shifting, werewolves cannot even recognize one another.” 

  “So that is why you are searching during the night?” The young master nodded and said, frustrated, “But if he doesn’t shift, we can’t find him then either, right?” 

  “Werewolves cannot hold back their nature to shift for too long, especially during a full moon when the moonlight is plentiful.” I said lightly, “It is just like vampires needing blood, a werewolf cannot hold back their bloodlust.” 

  “Oh, that makes things easier.” The young master nodded. “Charles, you don’t need to take a break; I will go with you to…” 

  The young master stopped in the middle of his sentence. I asked, puzzled, “Young Master?” 

  The young master frowned and muttered half to himself, half to me, “Something happened on the streets. Strange, that place is within the sphere of influence of Dragon Peace and First Wind. Why haven’t either appeared? Is it because of the overlapping areas of influence, so they are waiting for each other to make the first move?” 

  “Do heroes have spheres of influence?” I was surprised. I thought only the mafia divided the cities up like that. 

  The young master smiled and shook his head. “No! It’s just implicitly agreed upon, or else, since Sunset City is so big, it would take me an hour to get from the east side to the west side even on DSII. If something happens, and I don’t get there until an hour later, I won’t be in time to stop anything from happening.” 

  I gained a sudden realization. I had never thought about the problem of time. In those hero movies, the hero always gets there on time, but it looks like it is not that easy in real life. 

  Implicit recognition among heroes… I suddenly remembered something and held back a grin. “Young Master, you told me before that you did not even know there were so many heroes.” 

  The young master hesitated before answering with a guilty expression, “I lied to you then, but everything else I said besides the heroes part is true!” 

  I shook my head to indicate that I did not mind. “I was not very familiar with Young Master at that time, so it is only right for Young Master not to tell me.” 

  The young master smiled and continued explaining, “Solitary Butterfly probably lives on the northern side of Sunset City, Dragon Peace in the south, First Wind in the west, and I am in the east. However, Dragon Peace never appears during the day, so First Wind also looks over the southwest and I look over southeast during the day.” 

  So the cooperation between heroes is already that deep? I was a little surprised. I never thought that heroes divided their work in such detail. 

  But when I thought about it, it was not strange at all. If there were no clear spheres of influence, then, when two or more events occur, the heroes who did not know one another would not know which side they should help. 

  “The north’s Solitary Butterfly hasn’t appeared either… Weird.” The young master was somewhat helpless as he said, “No choice then. Even if I’m the farthest, I will go take a look. Luckily, it is not on the far eastern side, or else there is no way I can make it.” 

  Seeing the situation, I could not help but ask, “How did Young Master know something has happened?” 

  The young master gestured at his head and said, “All the surveillance cameras in Sunset City are connected. I just need to be connected to any camera to receive an image. I can also get into the police force’s network, so when someone reports an incident, I will know too. I think the other three use the same kind of methods, but they probably watch on their computers, not in their heads!” 

  The young master stuck out his tongue and said, “Let’s go, Charles!” 

  Go? Go where? I looked at the young master in puzzlement. 

  “You can come with me!” The young master grinned happily. “After we take care of this case, we can go search for the werewolf, take a stroll in the night market, and get some late night snacks!” 

  Young Master, your tone was especially excited when you said late night snacks… I chuckled. 

  The young master giggled as he said, “No matter how hard you look, you can’t perform a more detailed search than me; there are 67,826 surveillance cameras in the network in Sunset City! I can even find a stray dog if you tell me its characteristics, so don’t even mention a werewolf after shifting.” 

  “Young Master can view sixty thousand cameras at once?” I was astonished. 

  “Of course not.” 

  The young master shrugged. “Before, DSII used to help me control and filter through most of the surveillance cameras and police cases, but sixty thousand was a bit too much, so DSII’s management unit almost burned up a couple of times. But now Bramble-shū, Melody, and the others are all helping with watching, so DSII can even sneak out and go joyriding. 

  I see. 

  The young master laughed and asked, “Charles, you didn’t really think that Bramble-shū, Dell-gē, and May-gē were having a tea party on the rooftop, right?” 

  “I thought they were on guard to determine whether or not there were ‘non-humans’ approaching,” I answered tactfully. 

  “Then you must have thought that I was getting a facial next door?” 

  I turned around, surprised to see a radiant beauty standing lazily at the door, and this time she was not clad only in undergarments. 

  “Not at all,” I answered with a professional butler smile. 

  Melody’s stilettos made a rhythmic beat, and when it ended, she was one step away from me. Then she leaned in with a blazing smile, and I could feel her breath on my face. 

  “Mr. Butler, I thought you were a rare, honest vampire!” 

  With my professional smile still on my face, I answered, “Yes, however, for the sake of not hurting others, I sometimes am not that truthful.” 

  Melody humphed coldly and turned to the young master. She pouted and whined, “Young Master, look at him! He said that I was slacking off when I was working so hard!” 

  The young master scratched his face and said with confusion written all over his face, “Melody, Charles never said that!” 

  Hearing that, Melody stomped her foot hard. The clicking of her heels made me worried… Worried that her heels would snap. The floors in the apartment were made of an unknown material, but although unknown, it was definitely more durable than any other flooring material and is heat and scratch resistant. 

  Melody used a whining voice to complain, “I get it, Young Master, you care more about the butler than you care about me, so you rather seek the butler out than me when going out on your cases!” 

  The young master laughed. “Oh, so, Melody, you want to come too! That’s great because late night snacks taste better with more people around! But DSII can only take two people… Right! Melody, can you drive a heavy bike? What about you take Charles over, and I will fly instead.” 

  “No problem.” Melody smiled at the young master, and then she turned and spoke to me in a sickeningly sweet voice, “Don’t you worry, butler, my motorcycle skills are very, very good!” 

  “Then, I shall have to trouble you.” 

  Even though Melody obviously had some ill intentions, I did not believe that her biking skills were “better” than the young master’s, so there was nothing to be worried about. 

  The young master seemed to have suddenly remembered something. “Ah! Right, remember to hold tightly onto DSII. He is not very obedient lately, so he might go a little fast!” 

  …Maybe DSII is even “better.” 

  “I am not afraid of a little speed, but maybe the butler is?” Melody looked at me with scorn evident in her eyes. 

  I stared at Melody, and a smile rose onto my face. The smile must have been a little odd because Melody looked surprised. 

  Unexpectedly, when DSII snaked between traffic and passed five or six cars in an instant, Melody screamed… and then she laughed. 

  She slapped the motorcycle. “That was thrilling, DSII! Go a bit faster!” 

  “Okay! Okay!” DSII sounded as excited as Melody, and he yelled happily, “I will go as fast as Melody-jiějie wants me to!” 

  Then, before you accelerate, can you please let me get off? 

  Unfortunately, before I could voice my request, DSII had already started to accelerate. I could only hold onto Melody’s waist tighter, close my eyes, and try to hypnotize myself that since I am a vampire, even if there were a car crash, I would be okay, so speeding and snaking through traffic was not scary at all. All the while, I listened to Melody and DSII shriek with laughter. 

  Afterward, I should go get a motorcycle license… And buy a heavy bike! 

  Then, DSII emitted a little “Ah.” 

  What is wrong? Are we going to crash? I quickly opened my eyes just in time to see a tree brush by my face… We are actually riding on the sidewalk! 

  “What’s wrong?” I heard Melody question from up front. 

  “Ah Ye said that we don’t need to hurry over anymore!” DSII sounded disappointed. “He said that another hero showed up, so we’re not needed anymore. He also said that there is another case nearby, a small case, so he needs to go and take care of it.” 

  “Which hero?” Melody sounded unhappy. “Why didn’t they show up earlier, making us coming all this way for nothing.” 

  DSII fell silent for a little bit. Meanwhile, he drove from the sidewalk to the overpass, drove up it and down, and then answered, “It was just Solitary Butterfly up until now, but now other heroes have arrived too…” 

  Do not tell me… I blurted out, “Could it be that Dragon Peace and First Wind are there too?” 

  “Yeah, yeah!” DSII suddenly turned all excited. “It was only First Wind arriving just then, but now Dragon Peace is there too! Alright, I’m accelerating!” 

  “Wait a minute, DSII,” I said, surprised. “Why are you speeding up? The young master said that we are not needed anymore, right?” 

  “No!” DSII suddenly yelled, “I am going! Because I love Dragon Peace the best. I want his autograph!” 

  I felt deeply inside my heart that Dragon Peace was not going to be happy when a motorcycle asked for his autograph. 

  Melody turned and looked at me. She shrugged. “If you don’t want to see everybody scream, then when the time comes, you can go ask for an autograph for DSII!” 

  I frowned and looked down at my heavy, old style suit. It did not look like something one should wear to ask for an autograph. 

  “Don’t ask me to go.” Before I could say anything, Melody interrupted, “Because when the time comes, I’ll be too busy asking for First Wind’s autograph!” 

  I was speechless for a while, and then I smoothly said, “I do not think that Dark Sun is less popular than Dragon Peace or First Wind. You can ask for the young master’s autograph, so you do not necessarily need the autographs of other heroes.” 

  “Why would I ask for the autograph of a person I see everyday?” Melody rolled her pretty eyes at me. “If I want, I can even kiss the young master, and he won’t get mad. Why would I stare at his autograph all day?” 

  “Right, right!” DSII copied Melody’s words. “If DSII wanted to, DSII can even migrate to the microchip in Ah Ye’s brain to control his body to write words! He wouldn’t get mad either! Why would I need Ah Ye’s autograph?” 

  …This really was an argument where I had to admit defeat. 

  “Okay! Melody-jiějie, Charles-gē, hold on tight! DSII is going to charge!” 

  Melody immediately screamed in reply, “Charge! Charge! For First Wind and Dragon Peace, let’s charge!” 

  “May I ask, may I please get off?” 

  “Charge!” 

  Even though I had managed to voice my request this time, it was obvious that no one had heard me, or they had just simply ignored my request. 

  In the end, through the roaring wind and the darkness of my tightly closed eyelids, I managed to crack open an eye once and dimly saw the number two hundred and fifty on the meter… Then I quickly closed my eyes again and decided not to open my eyes until the motorcycle stopped.

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 3: Make Your Choice, Besieged Hero

  Translator: Kiyutsuna 

  I praise Charles too much? Hehe, are you being jealous again Gēge? Honestly, you’re already thirty two years old and you still like to cling to your Dìdi. Kyle-gē and An Te Qi-bàba will laugh at you! 

  You’ll kill them if they dare to laugh? Gēge! You can’t be so rash! 

  Honestly, don’t be so trigger happy. And stop being jealous! Charles has his faults too, of course. Such as… I like motorcycles, but he hates them the most. Every time he hears that he has to ride DSII, the corners of his mouth drop five degrees, and his brow furrows by 0.2cm! 

  Looks like I can’t ask Charles to go bike racing in the mountains later… But that’s alright, Melody will accompany me. She loves DSII to pieces! 

  With each minute feeling like a year, about thirty years passed before I finally felt the motorcycle come to a stop. Just as I breathed out a sigh of relief, Melody whispered to me, “Butler, look ahead.” 

  I raised my head, expecting us to be hiding somewhere not far from the scene. However, it was not so. DSII was parked in plain sight on the street. The road in front of us was crowded with pedestrians and police cars, but not a single sound could be heard. Even the sirens were turned off. It was precisely because of the silent atmosphere that I had initially believed that we were concealed in some hidden place. 

  Although there was such a large crowd, nobody paid any attention to us. Even though Melody’s revealing get-up, my old-fashioned outfit, and the heavy-duty motorcycle that was DSII, should have stood out quite a lot, no one spared us a glance. Instead, they all wore serious expressions as they gazed upwards toward the sky. 

  “Please! Save my wife and child!” 

  A desperate shout filled with pain tore through the crowd. My heart dropped. I had only heard such a painful cry once, from Bramble when he had nearly lost Briar. 

  Even though the person who had shouted was blocked by the crowd, I did not need to look at him to know… There must be something up there, something that put this person in such unbearable pain. 

  I tilted my head upwards, and then froze in place with the rest of the crowd. 

  In the sky, a mother and child were hanging off of a tall building’s flagpole. The building was at least twenty stories tall, and they looked as if they might drop at any moment. 

  “What is going on?” I cried out in bewilderment, “Why is nobody going up to save them?” 

  We were noticed by those closest to us then. A lady shook her head and said, “If that were possible, they’d have been saved already, but they just can’t be saved!” 

  I was startled and asked, “Why can they not be saved?” 

  The lady sighed, saying, “They were hung up there on purpose. The criminal who hung them said that if anyone dares to approach the building, or tries to place landing mats underneath, he’ll make them fall immediately!” 

  So that is why. No wonder she said they could not be saved. I frowned and then asked, “What about the heroes?” 

  “All three don’t dare to move. The criminal said…” 

  In midair, a sudden voice speaking through a speaker boomed, “How is it, done debating yet? Heroes? Heh heh heh! Shall it be these two lives, or the lives of several hundred people?” 

  The lives of several hundred people? What is this about? I simply could not understand. 

  The lady lowered her voice, “This insane person seems to have planted bombs somewhere else as well. He’s forcing the heroes to choose between saving these two, or the several hundred people elsewhere.” 

  “Is it confirmed that there are bombs?” I pressed. 

  “That’s the thing, we don’t know! So the heroes don’t dare move. Even if they saved the two on the building, nobody knows if it’ll end up killing hundreds of other people.” After that, the lady shook her head, then looked back up at the mother and daughter, and sighed quite a few times. 

  To save the two in sight or the unknown hundreds elsewhere? This certainly is a huge dilemma. No wonder the heroes are unable to make a choice. 

  I walked to stand beside the motorcycle and then whispered, “DSII, does the young master know of the situation yet?” 

  DSII also replied quietly, “Ah Ye knows. We’re currently using the surveillance cameras to trace the person who was speaking on the rooftop. Using the rewind function to see where he’s been, we’ll know where the bombs have been set!” 

  I nodded. It looked like there should be no problems now. The young master truly was an accomplished hero; he was very clear on the correct action to take. 

  Melody suddenly grabbed my head. As I looked at her in confusion, she told me, “We can’t see anything from here, let’s go! We’ll move to some other building’s rooftop.” 

  I nodded, indicating my consent. We walked out of sight, and then both slipped into the vampires’ movement style, and leaped onto the wall. With our bodies parallel to the surface, we dashed up to the rooftop. This building was not very tall, only around ten stories, and there were no signs of any non-humans living here. 

  The high vantage point finally allowed me to see the whole scene clearly. 

  The crowd below had formed a semicircle in front of the building. In the inner portion of the semicircle stood reporters and policemen. Apart from them, three figures were standing nearest to the building. They formed a triangle and were gazing up at the mother and daughter. 

  In the center of the triangle was Solitary Butterfly, whom I had met before. At the other two corners stood two men. 

  One of them was dressed in a similar fashion to me, but his old-fashioned suit was white instead. The strong winds at night made his cape fly out, which gave off a very surreal feeling. I thought he must be the one called the Aristocrat, First Wind. 

  Within the triangle, the person who stood at the farthest point was at least twice as massive as First Wind. His whole body was bulging with muscles. Other than the Beast, Dragon Peace, I did not think he could be any other hero. 

  However, even those who were closest, the three heroes, were still about twenty meters away from the building. If anything were to happen, I feared the rescue attempt would not make it in time. 

  Melody made a “hmph” sound and spoke in a disinterested tone, “This situation is nothing! Just wait until the young master finds the bomb. There is no bomb the young master can’t defuse. Without the threat of a bomb, the young master can fly up the back of the building. With his skills, it’s a piece of cake to approach the criminal without alerting them to his presence.” 

  I could not agree more. As I nodded in reply, the cell phone in my pocket rang. Picking it up, I heard the sound of the young master’s voice… no! It was actually Dark Sun’s voice. 

  When the young master “turned” into Dark Sun, even his voice sounded different. It sounded lower and colder. 

  “Charles, give the phone to Melody.” 

  “Yes.” I immediately handed the phone to Melody. 

  Melody took the phone with a look of surprise, but she only uttered “young master” in confusion before silently listening to the call. It seemed that the young master only spoke a few sentences before hanging up. Melody returned the cell phone to me and then told me somewhat helplessly, “Young Master said the place where the bombs are is a bit far away, so he needs time to diffuse them. He wants me to think of some way to distract the criminal in the meantime.” 

  “But, did not the criminal forbid anyone from approaching the building? How are you going to distract him?” I was somewhat worried. If it was not done properly, there was the risk of angering the criminal. Then the mother and daughter would be in danger. 

  “Charles.” Melody called out to me suddenly. 

  “Yes?” 

  She looked me over, and asked with an extremely doubtful expression, “Do you know how to use the vampires’ ‘Face Morph?’ Meaning baring your fangs, having veins popping out all over your face, and then opening your mouth wider than is humanly possible?” 

  I did not know whether to laugh or cry. This kind of ability could be categorized as a basic skill for a vampire. Do I really look so unlike a vampire? 

  “Of course I do.” 

  “Words alone aren’t proof enough. Show me.” Melody retorted with disbelief written all over her face. 

  Though I found it somewhat strange that Melody would demand such a thing at a time like this, her expression of absolute insistence seemed to brook no refusal. 

  “Alright.” 

  I took a deep breath, then with some effort, I let my brows furrow deeply. My lower jawbone began to extend downwards to inhuman proportions, while my fangs slowly grew to be the size of my pinky finger… Then, Melody’s face also morphed. She opened her mouth with a roar, her chin almost touching her collarbone. Her white fangs glistened and veins popped up all over her face. Within an instant, she transformed from a stunning beauty into a fearsome non-human. 

  As I puzzled over the reason behind her actions, she suddenly threw herself at me with enough force to knock me back a few steps… However, since I was already standing by the edge of the building, those few steps instantly sent us falling right over the edge. 

  “Melody?!” 

  The building we were standing on was not very tall, so I only had time to shout once before we crashed to the ground with a loud BANG! Strangely, I felt little pain, and upon looking down in puzzlement, I found that Melody had used her blood ability to make a cushion underneath the two of us. 

  So, Melody did not truly wish to harm me. But why was she doing this? Pushing me down a building, yet protecting me with her blood ability? I really could not understand. 

  “Maintain your Face Morph!” 

  That was all Melody hissed at me before she hauled my entire body up, and then sent me flying with a punch. After that, she rushed over to continue beating me up. 

  From start to finish, I did not make any moves. It was mostly a one-sided beating. However, each time Melody threw a punch or used her claws to scratch me, she would use her blood ability to gently push me away in that instance before the hit landed. So none of her punches actually landed on me; they merely grazed by. 

  “Monsters!” 

  The people around us began to scream. At the same time, as Melody attacked me, she would purposefully push me towards the crowd as well… Could it be, this was Melody’s plan to divert the criminal’s attention in order to fulfill the young master’s command of stalling for time? 

  I began to understand. I let myself be led through the crowd by her attacks. The surrounding people began to panic in earnest and parted to the side like the ebbing tide. Even though I did not wish to fight, regardless of the reason, if I allow Melody to keep up the solo act, people might see through it. 

  In the time that followed, I no longer let myself be beaten around. I began to roar at Melody and attack with my own claws. At the same time, I also ceaselessly bombed the ground with my blood ability, using the booming sounds and swirling dust clouds to make the scene look more frightening. 

  Compared to the death-like silence from before, the scene right now was like a pot that had exploded – noisy and chaotic. The crowd screamed endlessly as they kept on backing away to distance themselves from us. 

  The criminal who took the mother and daughter hostage made no move throughout the entire time. It seemed that he was not suspicious. Thank goodness! 

  “Please take your fight somewhere else!” 

  The heroes have arrived! Melody and I exchanged a glance discreetly, then stopped our fight and leaped away from each other. 

  Melody extended her jaws as far as they could go, bared her white fangs, and screeched at the approaching heroes, “This is none of your business! We will fight wherever we like. Lowly humans, scram!” 

  The look produced by popping veins and bared fangs while screeching was truly very ugly. But, it was also truly very effective in concealing our identities. Even if we were to appear before the heroes in the future, I doubt they would recognize us. Therefore, even though my jaws ached from opening them so wide, I tried hard to maintain my ugly appearance so as to avoid being recognized later. 

  By now, all three heroes had approached. 

  Solitary Butterfly walked toward Melody, while the other two walked toward me… This made me start to consider the option of making my retreat. I honestly did not think that I could win against two heroes, especially not after seeing Dragon Peace up close. 

  From a close distance, his body looked many times bigger than it did from afar. Those fists looked like they could crush my skull in one blow. Even his face was bulging with muscles. He wore no mask, so I could see his deep frown, which made him look very angry and fierce. The intimidating aura that he gave off was even greater than that of a Face Morphed vampire. 

  “Please head elsewhere.” 

  The other person spoke, and this made me shift my attention from Dragon Peace to him. He wore an old-fashioned suit that was mostly white with a dark colored cape and a mask covering half of his face. His physique was on the slim side; even his modified left arm was not of the muscular build. 

  His straight posture in addition to his slimness truly gave him an elegant air. Even though his features were hidden, judging from the lower half of his face, he seemed to be a young man. On top of that, his speech was gentle and polite, all fitting the characteristics of one of the Four Great Heroes — the Aristocrat, First Wind. Likely, he was the Aristocrat himself. 

  At first glance, First Wind may not have looked as intimidating as Dragon Peace… However, whether it was his confident attitude or his billowing dark cape, something made me feel that he was very powerful indeed. 

  I glanced at Melody and tried to suggest, “Perhaps we should go somewhere else to fight?” 

  But she only glared venomously at me and yelled, “Don’t even think about it! Just stay put, I’ll finish off this woman in ten minutes, and then I’ll come and finish you!” 

  Ten minutes, was it? I silently sighed. Using the speed of a vampire to stall for ten minutes might be somewhat doable! Resigned to my fate, I raised my claws to begin a task that I was very unskilled at – fighting. 

  First Wind’s lips pressed into a thin line at my action. Then he turned and spoke to Dragon Peace, “Dragon Peace, I will have to trouble you to look after the mother and daughter. Please leave this to me.” 

  His charisma and manner of speech were truly similar to that of the young master’s. The situation suddenly felt a bit laughable. First Wind was actually more akin to the young master than Dark Sun was. 

  I looked over at Dragon Peace curiously. He seemed so aggressive. Would he really listen to First Wind’s orders? Even though First Wind did use a pleading tone. 

  To my surprise, Dragon Peace said nothing. He merely glanced at First Wind before quietly stalking back to the vicinity of the building, raising his head to look at the mother and daughter hanging high up in the air. 

  Who would have thought that this Dragon Peace, who looked as if he would not listen to anyone, would actually heed First Wind’s orders. However, this was good news for me, to only have to fight one hero, and also avoid the situation of getting surrounded by two heroes. Especially when Dragon Peace’s fists seemed huge enough to crush even a vampire with one blow. 

  First Wind reached toward the holster on his thigh and pulled out something that looked like the hilt of a sword. Is it a sword-shaped energy weapon? 

  Then, his hand suddenly raised the hilt and swung it in my direction. 

  This is… I was shocked. A blue-white shape had already approached the side of my face. I immediately felt a scorching heat and quickly used the vampires’ special slide steps to move aside. To a regular human, it would look as if I had suddenly disappeared, then reappeared several steps away to the side. 

  In that instant, the weapon in First Wind’s right hand flashed from a handle to a whip. The whip itself glowed with a blue-white light… It was a whip-shaped energy weapon! 

  To a vampire, this truly was the worst weapon to fight. 

  Compared to swords and guns, whose trajectory could easily be predicted, whips were more likely to land a hit on a vampire. If it was a normal whip, I would not necessarily fear it. Even if it hit me, the most damage it could do was a small scratch. However, energy whips were different. This was a fearsome weapon that could potentially sear off a limb with its heat. 

  Of course, such a weapon also had its own life threatening downside. It was much too dangerous. 

  Not only was it easy to harm innocent bystanders, even harming oneself was a possibility. If anything went wrong while using a normal whip and you accidentally hurt yourself, it would cause scratches and bruises at the most. But if anything went wrong using an energy whip, it would be a deadly mistake. 

  Therefore, despite the many advantages of energy whips, such as long range attacks, low energy costs, the difficulty for enemies to avoid it, etc, almost nobody dared to use one. 

  Deep down, I was very grateful to the young master. 

  Because the above details were the contents of the young master’s past homework reports on energy weapons. These reports allowed me to very thoroughly understand just how unfavorable my current situation was. Otherwise, I might have proceeded with my regular fighting tactics and promptly gotten my limbs seared off. 

  If First Wind was confident enough to use such a dangerous weapon, then I probably could not hope that he would injure himself before cutting off my limbs. 

  “Please leave,” First Wind warned with a low voice. “This is your final warning.” 

  He was truly a very polite hero. I was very tempted to follow his advice. Alas, the situation could not go as I wished. I could only use my blood ability to make two rapiers and shift into a battle stance. 

  At that, First Wind’s demeanour changed as well. His lips thinned into a tight line, and he struck out with his whip. The blue-white shape then flashed toward me. 

  I quickly dodged the whip’s successive attacks. But First Wind was truly a master of the whip. He only had to stand in one place, yet I was forced to continuously dodge his whip, utterly unable to get close to him. I had the thought that unless I used my blood ability to go head on with this energy whip, there was no way to break through the web formed by his whip. 

  Should I keep dodging, or use my blood ability to break through? I only hesitated for a moment before deciding against using it. 

  Even though First Wind’s attacks were fast, they were not aimed to kill. As long as he keeps attacking in this non-lethal fashion, I think I should be able to last ten minutes with my speed. 

  However, it seemed that my cape was unable to keep up with my dodging. After a graze of the energy whip, my cape was immediately shredded. Bits and pieces of the fabric went up in flames and then turned to ash. 

  Sigh… Lately, my suits seemed to get ruined far too fast. It looked like I needed to hurry and order more from the tailor. This style of old-fashioned suits takes quite a considerable amount of time to make… 

  Suddenly, my back hit something. I stumbled and turned back to look. I had bumped into Melody. She was turning to look at me as well, but her gaze was anything but kind. 

  Just as I was about to apologize, her hand suddenly shot out to pull me away. At the same time, a stream of light passed through the spot where I had been standing. 

  I let out a breath and said, “Thank…” 

  Halfway through my thanks, Melody punched me in the stomach. As I doubled over in pain, I heard her scream, “I am the one who wants to kill you. I won’t allow you to die by anyone else’s hand!” 

  Though it was very painful, I understood that she was reminding me we were still “enemies.” However… She could have used a little less strength to hit me… 

  Melody and I sprang apart in an instant. I kept on dodging the striking whip, as First Wind kept up his non-lethal attacks. Behind me, the sound of gunshots continued. But energy guns are silent, so Solitary Butterfly was not using energy guns, but the not-so-powerful traditional bullet-fed guns. 

  Have they already figured out our plan to stall for time? Or do they simply not want to return to that difficult… choice with no right answer? 

  I thought about it for a moment and concluded that the latter was more likely. After all, Melody and I were vampires. The relationship between humans and vampires has never been friendly. 

  “Eyaaaah!” 

  A scream? My steps faltered, and the energy whip grazed my shoulder. I smelled the heavily metallic, unique scent of vampire blood, but it was only a light wound, so there was no need for concern. 

  First Wind had also heard the scream. He stopped swinging his whip and then made the same motion as I had, turning to look up into the sky. 

  The mother and daughter were being viciously swung about where they hung in the air. Even with such violent swinging, the mother still held onto her daughter tightly, with no sign of letting go at all. 

  “Dragon Peace!” First Wind shouted anxiously and began sprinting toward the building. 

  Has our plan to stall for time been found out, and it made the criminal angry? I frowned as I thought, if that really were the case, perhaps I should go and help out. Blood ability made for quite a good cushion. 

  Suddenly, something snapped in the air. Amidst the mother’s screams, they began to fall. And not far from the building, the devastated man from before began to run like mad towards the building. However, he definitely would not be able to catch them. A body falling from twenty-something stories high, nobody would be able to catch that… Or should I say, no normal human would be able to catch that. 

  However, I had no doubts over whether the muscular Dragon Peace could catch them. 

  His attention had never left the duo. When First Wind shouted, he had actually already been running. In that moment, he had already dashed to the bottom of the building and was looking up with his arms spread wide, ready to catch the mother and daughter. Also, his face held no expression of anxiety, so I believed they would be fine. 

  “Get away! There’s a bomb!” 

  A bomb? 

  Dragon Peace froze with his arms still held out. For the first time, a nervous expression flashed across his features. 

  Suddenly, First Wind flung out his mechanical left hand, and a rope shot out from his arm. It was very thin, but looked to be made of metal. The rope wrapped around Dragon Peace’s waist a few times, and then First Wind leapt backwards, pulling his left arm back as he went. Dragon Peace was dragged through the air and flew back a considerable distance. 

  Looking at the falling figures of the mother and daughter, my heart sunk with them. As it did, out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a glimpse of silver on the top of the building, flashing in the night sky… It was Dark Sun’s silver hair! 

  What is happening? Why is the young master up there but still letting the mother and daughter fall? No wonder the voice that gave the warning earlier sounded so familiar… 

  Boom! 

  Right after the explosion sounded, First Wind rushed anxiously to the center of the explosion. 

  But it would be impossible for him to find the mother and daughter. Because through the whole explosion, I had not blinked even once, and I clearly saw the two explode into a pile of blood and gore. 

  First Wind seemed to know this; he spent no effort in attempting to locate the duo. Instead, his target was the man who had rushed to his wife and child. He had been hit by the shockwave of the explosion and was lying on the ground. He looked to be heavily injured; his whole body was soaked in blood. 

  First Wind lifted the bloody man, and while shouting “out of the way” he rushed to an ambulance that was waiting on standby. 

  Melody tugged at me then, and whispered, “Hurry and leave!” 

  I nodded and melted into the darkness with her. Along the way, I could not help but gaze at the roof; however, Dark Sun was long gone from there. 

  The young master had left… Was he not even going to explain the situation to the people? I was somewhat worried; this did not seem like the right thing to do. 

  Even though not everyone had seen Dark Sun on the rooftop, First Wind must have seen him. He knew the warning was issued by Dark Sun, or else he would not have so quickly abandoned the mother and daughter to pull Dragon Peace away. 

  “Charles, we need to leave!” Melody hissed, “DSII has come to pick us up.” 

  I nodded and turned to look at the bottom of the building one last time. 

  The chaotic and scared crowd. The ambulance’s blaring sirens. The mother and daughter who were now nothing but a pile of bloody flesh. The heavily injured man who had passed out, but even if he awoke, would surely wish that he had never woken up… 

  Today, the heroes had all fallen. 

  Melody and I headed straight home. Even though it was still early, and there was still time to search for the werewolf, I thought that I should refrain from searching for the night! 

  The young master had not returned home yet, so Melody and I could only wait for him in the living room. 

  I sat on the couch and began to clean the tabletop with a cloth in passing. Melody was pacing around in her high heels, making fast and heavy tapping sounds as she went… Suddenly, she halted her steps and turned to ask me pointedly, “Do you think that the young master messed up?” 

  I smiled wryly and answered, “I do not understand either.” 

  “Stop wiping.” Melody glanced over and said, “You’re taking a layer off the table.” 

  I looked at the table surface, which was of course not peeling; however, it was now clean enough to be used as a mirror. I could only switch to wiping the table legs, and Melody returned to stomping around in her high heels. 

  The sound of the door opening… I shot up and quietly called out, “Young Master!” 

  It really was the young master returning. He walked in through the doorway, still wearing Dark Sun’s outfit and was in the process of taking off his visor. 

  Melody and I called out together, “Young Master, are you alright?” 

  The young master took off the visor. His expression looked perfectly normal. It was only when he saw me that he seemed startled. “Charles, why are you injured?” 

  I blinked, not expecting the young master to speak of this first. 

  I looked over at my shoulder; the small wound there had already closed. With the healing abilities of a vampire, the scar would probably disappear completely after some sleep. However, the young master looked very worried, so I explained, “I was careless and got injured by First Wind. It is only a small wound, do not worry.” 

  “Injured by First Wind?” The young master’s expression looked very shocked. He asked in confusion, “Why would you go and pick a fight with First Wind?” 

  So, I explained to the young master in detail of Melody’s plan to use our battle to cause chaos and divert the criminal’s attention. This truly was a sound plan, especially when neither Melody nor I were human, so the criminal would be even less likely to have suspicions. 

  Most people would never believe that two vampires were fighting to save humans! 

  “Melody! How could you do such a thing?” 

  If I was startled, Melody was even more startled. I assumed the young master would praise Melody’s wits. Instead, he looked very angry. 

  The young master frowned deeply and scolded Melody, “No matter what, you cannot get Charles involved. He is a butler. Fighting is not his job!” 

  Young Master… I was somewhat conflicted. So this is what the young master is angry about? Even though I was touched, I also felt that the young master should not have put it like that. Melody’s plan was truly the best course of action she could come up with in the very limited timeframe that she had. Also, she did not know of our agreement. 

  As expected, Melody was very indignant. She glared at me then shouted unhappily, “But, Charles was there at the time! It shouldn’t be such a big deal for him to help stall for time, should it?” 

  The young master replied matter-of-factly, “You can’t! What Charles is in charge of is different from you. He’s a butler.” 

  “So he’s a butler, he only has to chill at the sidelines while I frantically think of a plan to stall for time?” 

  Melody bit her lips, then shouted, “Even if I could wind back time, I can only come up with that plan! If you’re not satisfied… Since Young Master, you never wanted me to begin with, you can fire me again right now!” 

  After she finished shouting, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door as she went. 

  This whole time, the young master had remained rooted to his spot. His expression looked to be very shocked. For a long time, he only stood there silently, staring at the door in a daze. 

  “Young Master.” I inquired quietly, “Could Charles ask a question?” 

  The young master turned to look at me and said, “Ask away.” 

  “Mr. Kyle once told me, you previously fired Melody because you did not like her. But in the past few days, it does not seem to me that you dislike Melody.” 

  “I don’t dislike her!” The young master glanced at the door as he spoke, “I think Melody is as interesting as Charles. Also, just like you, she’s one of the very few people around me who dare to tell me I’m wrong! Also, Melody seems even more daring than before; she didn’t dare to shout at me before!” 

  The young master smiled faintly at that. He did not look upset at all by Melody’s anger at him. 

  But just what part of me does the young master find interesting? I really did not understand! But this was not important just now. I inquired once more, “Then why did you fire Melody back then? Young Master, please wait a moment.” 

  I took out my cell phone and dialed Melody’s number. After making sure it had connected through, I put it on speaker so that the other end of the line could hear the young master’s voice as well. 

  “Alright. Young Master, could you tell me why you fired Melody back then?” 

  The young master looked curious at my actions. I smiled at him encouragingly. The young master seemed confused, but he still began to explain, “Because I know that Melody likes Gēge a lot! But, I had gotten into university at that time and planned to leave home to live by myself. If she followed me, then she couldn’t see Gēge all the time. Conveniently, Kyle-gē had mentioned that they were recruiting bodyguards for Gēge then, to stay by his side. So I thought if I fired Melody, then she could go participate in the recruitment.” 

  So that was it. 

  The young master tilted his head, and then said with some confusion, “But who would have thought, Melody didn’t go for the recruitment!” 

  “So after that you had actually inquired about whether she had gone to the recruitment?” I asked purposely. 

  The young master nodded and said, “Yup, when Kyle-gē told me she took an extended vacation, I was very worried! Thank goodness Melody is all right.” 

  After he was done explaining, the young master looked at the cell phone curiously and asked, “Charles, just who did you call?” 

  As I was just about to explain, I heard the sound of the door banging open, followed by the tapping sound of hurried high heels. Melody rushed to the young master, then pulled the young master into a bear hug. 

  “Melody?” The young master looked somewhat lost, but then his expression turned into one of realization as he gasped, “Ah! Charles, you called Melody just now, right?” 

  Young Master, you are truly slow on the uptake… I could not help but smile helplessly. 

  Melody finally let go of the young master, then complained, “Young Master, you could have told me back then! If you had told me, then I’d have told you that I don’t want to go to the master’s side! I do like the master, but I don’t want to serve him at all. The master doesn’t treat his servants nearly as well as you do!” 

  The young master smiled. 

  “Young Master, could you forgive me? I will never let the butler fight again in the future.” Melody looked me over, then said, “Hmph! That guy’s fighting ability sucks anyways, not like a fifth generation at all!” 

  After the young master nodded, he said with a smile, “I never blamed you, so how do I forgive you? And I actually need to apologize, I was too fierce just now. I must have scared you. But, you still can’t let Charles fight in the future, because that’s the agreement I made with him. Butlers should only do a butler’s task. Just like how I wouldn’t ask Melody to make tea either, because it isn’t Melody’s job!” 

  Melody blinked and then gazed at the young master deeply. Her gaze looked even more apologetic than when she was apologizing just now, and her whole expression softened. I could not recall ever seeing such a gentle expression on Melody’s face. It was like an older sister looking at her younger brother. 

  Melody actually likes the young master a lot, does she not? 

  Otherwise, she would not have specially come to warn me before. Even though the person she warned was me, it was likely because she was afraid that if I angered the master, and was “taken care of” by him, it would greatly sadden the young master, right? 

  “Oh right, really good job on ‘stalling for time!’ As I expected, only Melody can handle such tasks.” 

  At that, the young master suddenly turned to me and looked at me with a grin. “If I had asked Charles to stall for time, he definitely wouldn’t have known what to do at all!” 

  That is true. I agreed wholeheartedly. 

  “Thank you for your praise, Young Master…” Melody bowed her head and mumbled, “Th-then, Young Master, I’m going to go and take a shower!” 

  Just like that, she whisked away like the wind, with her head down the whole time. As she passed me, she even glared at me venomously and hissed, “Mind your own business!” 

  “Melody is embarrassed!” Looking at the closed door, the young master suddenly said such a surprising sentence. 

  Embarrassed? I really did not think that such a death glare was “embarrassed” behavior. 

  The young master grinned, “Melody is very interesting! Every time she’s embarrassed, she pretends to be angry. But when she’s actually angry, she smiles!” 

  When she’s truly angry? I was startled and looked to the young master in confusion. 

  The young master smiled faintly, “When I fired her, her smile was as beautiful as a rose! But looking at her smile made me so sad, not even a little bit happy.” 

  So that was it, a beautiful but thorny rose, was it? 

  “Charles.” 

  “Yes.” 

  “The next two weeks, you can go out to search for the werewolf after midnight.” The young master suddenly said, “But from now on, I won’t go out to search with you.” 

  I was confused and asked, “Why not?” 

  The young master replied somewhat helplessly, “It won’t do to drag you into battle by accident again. I made a promise to you, so I can’t go back on my word. Alright, I’ll go take a shower now. You can go search for that werewolf. I’ll be going straight to bed after I shower anyways.” 

  He turned and left the living room as soon as he finished speaking. I only stood still for a while. After hearing the sound of water running in the bathroom, I followed the young master’s words and went out to search for the werewolf. 

  The young master did not seem to want to talk about the mother and daughter. As the young master’s butler, I only needed to and could only know the things he wanted to tell me.

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 4: Under the Wailing, the Hated Hero

  Translator: Raylight 

  … When I’m being a hero, ought I let Charles come and help me? 

  No way! Definitely no way! 

  I have already made a promise with him. 

  Charles is my butler and is not in charge of fighting! 

  I continued searching until around four o’clock in the morning before I returned home. At first, I had thought that the young master should not have gone out yet, for the young master would always step out of the front door at five o’clock sharp. However, right now it was only 4:40, yet there was already no one at home. 

  Regarding this, I was simply a bit astonished. The young master would rarely step out of his regular pattern of life. However, it was also possible that something had suddenly popped up and hence he had gone out. 

  I walked into the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast. 

  At 6:45, Mr. Bramble, Dell, and May came down to wait for breakfast, proving my previous guess wrong. 

  “An incident?” May shook his head and said, “There has been no need to monitor for the young master since yesterday night. He doesn’t want to go out.” 

  I was a little astonished. Probably because he had seen my expression, Dell shrugged his shoulders and said, “Don’t be nervous, butler. This isn’t anything strange. It’s not like the young master will go out and help every time there is an incident.” 

  Mr. Bramble gave a smile as he explained, “There are too many incidents in Sunset City, so the young master couldn’t possibly go and intervene every time something happens. Generally speaking, if it was an ordinary brawl, then even if it resulted in someone dying, the young master would not go and help.” 

  “Butler, don’t tell me you don’t know?” Dell suddenly shouted excitedly. 

  Of course I did not know what he was referring to, so I shook my head. 

  He immediately gave a grin, and then as though he were singing a limerick, he said, “In Sunset City, miscreants have to know the rules. At Solitary Butterfly’s, one must never bully women; in Dragon Peace’s sphere of influence, one must love and protect animals; under First Wind’s watchful eye, don’t ever sell drugs or collect debts forcefully; if you’re walking in Dark Sun’s territory, you can’t lay a hand on any elderly, weak, women, or children.” 

  Elderly, weak, women, and children… Last night’s pair of mother and daughter fits that category perfectly. 

  Mr. Bramble went into further explanation. “This rule just makes clear that the heroes have a target that they are especially fond of rescuing. If something like a bank robbery happens, the heroes will still go and help.” 

  May abruptly cut in, “The young master is probably feeling very upset! He didn’t manage to save that pair of mother and daughter… The target that he has never given up on saving is exactly a mother with a child.” 

  I see. Because the young master is very upset, he did not want to go out again and help last night, and moreover, went out ahead of schedule this morning? I nodded my head and questioned the three, “Last night, what exactly happened on the rooftop?” 

  Dell gave a shrug of his shoulders and said, “The surveillance cameras on the rooftop were destroyed by the criminal beforehand. We could only watch from another building’s surveillance cameras and don’t know any more than you do.” 

  “Those are all not the main point, butler!” Dell’s face suddenly became serious, which made me follow suit and become solemn… 

  “The main point is, have you cooked breakfast yet?” 

  So it was about breakfast. I was unhappy but found it funny as I said, “What ought to be prepared is already all done. Wait until the young master gets home, and in the time while he is bathing, I will then start to make the food, so as to prevent the food from going cold.” 

  Dell gave an “oh,” and then as usual, sprawled onto the sofa, complaining that he was hungry as he waited for breakfast to be served. 

  I glanced at the clock. It was only two minutes until seven, so I hurriedly went to grab a towel and stand by the side of the front door. 

  “6:59… Ten seconds, nine seconds… It’s seven!” 

  Dell jumped up, and then shouted at the door, “Young Master, welcome home!” 

  I stood at the door, my posture slightly bowed. In my hands was the towel for the young master to wipe off his sweat, and on my face I had on a butler’s perfect faint smile. The line “Welcome back” was held in my mouth, ready to come out at any moment. 

  “…” 

  Everyone looked at the front door, but the door showed no indication of being opened. The living room fell into silence. Time ticked on, minute by minute, second by second. I still continued standing by the door, my hands holding the towel, and my smile… Perhaps it was a little stiff. 

  May’s voice drifted over. “It’s 7:10.” 

  The door still remained tightly shut. 

  After a while, Dell seemed to have difficulty getting by as he said, “It’s 7:20. I’m so hungry…” 

  I straightened my back. My waist and face both felt a little stiff. I turned around to face the others and said, “I will give a call to the young master.” 

  “The young master’s cell phone is over there.” Mr. Bramble interrupted my words, pointing at a cell phone on the sofa. 

  I was a little speechless. Looks like we can only continue to wait. 

  “Sorry, I’m late.” 

  I was stunned. When I turned around, I saw the young master walking in from the front door. He was covered in sweat all over, and even his hair appeared to be a little damp. I had never seen the young master sweat so much before, but though I was shocked, I still hurried forward and presented the towel, saying, “Young Master, please go and shower first. Your change of clothes has already been placed in the shower room.” 

  “Okay.” The young master received the towel, and as he wiped his hair, said, “Charles, help me prepare a little more breakfast. I’m starving.” 

  I was startled for a moment but quickly answered, “Understood.” 

  The young master walked by the living room and greeted the others. “Morning, Bramble-shū, Dell-gē, and May-gē.” 

  Must prepare a bit more breakfast… Before I started swiftly walking into the kitchen, I even heard Dell give a mutter under his breath, “Did the young master go out and fight with a monster?” 

  In my heart, I could not help but secretly agree. 

  Under the situation where I did not know the extent of the young master’s hunger, I could only cook ten servings of breakfast and hope that it would be enough to fill up the ”starving” belly of the young master. 

  Just as I finished carrying all of the breakfast onto the table, the young master walked into the living room. Moreover, he was actually not dressed in his outdoor clothes but rather his ordinary home clothes. 

  I was a little astonished as I inquired, “Young Master, are you not going to school today?” 

  “Yeah, I’m not going to school today!” The young master straightforwardly answered and then said, “Let’s eat” to everyone. Following that, he sat down and started wolfing down breakfast. 

  Seeing the situation, everyone could only lower their heads and work hard at eating breakfast. Though it was not much different from usual, the atmosphere was a little stifling. Even Dell, who usually loved to speak nonsense, did not open his mouth much, and everyone just tried to eat their share of breakfast. 

  At this moment, Mr. Bramble picked up the television remote control out of habit and turned to the news channel. 

  At first, I did not really pay attention to it. However, I immediately remembered… Yesterday’s incident was so serious, it would definitely end up on the morning news! 

  I looked at Mr. Bramble, and then realized that Dell and May were both staring at him. The former’s face changed, and just as he was about to press the button on the remote control, the young master abruptly said, “Don’t turn it off!” 

  Mr. Bramble could only put down the remote control. The young master stopped his action of eating and concentrated on watching the television, as did the others. 

  Yesterday night, around ten o’clock, a major case of a criminal threatening a pair of mother and daughter occurred. 

  According to police investigations, the aim of the criminal was actually to divert the police’s attention and take the opportunity to rob the jewelry store two blocks away. 

  Though there were three heroes and the police were all standing guard at the scene, there were unknown figures who were brawling on-the-spot mid-way. In the midst of the fighting, the mother and daughter unfortunately fell off the building, and an explosion occurred. According to witnesses at the scene, the hero Dark Sun was on the rooftop at the time… 

  Now, we will switch the scene to the information meeting that the police are holding. 

  The image on the television screen changed, and instead of the news reporter, there appeared a man wearing a police uniform. He was standing on a platform filled with microphones. Though his face was full of stubble, I believe that he should only be twenty years old or so. His expression and manner of speaking was as expected, as rash as someone of that age. 

  He was scowling and looked agitated as he roared, “… Dark Sun, no matter whether you are a hero or anything else, this is the result of taking action before going through careful evaluation and judgment. If it wasn’t for your recklessness, that pair of mother and daughter originally would not have died at all! You hear that? You caused them to die!” 

  Hearing such severe words from the police, I almost gasped. Following that, I looked at the others from the corner of my eyes. Everyone’s expressions had changed. Their brows were furrowed tight, but instead they intentionally lowered their heads to eat, not looking at the young master. 

  When I think about it, it was likely they were worried that the young master would feel awkward, and hence they did not look at him. However, I did not have that kind of concern. A butler’s duty has always been looking at their employer, and of course there was no exception this time either. 

  The young master looked blank for a moment, and then turned to me and said, “Charles, use your cell phone to help me call Kyle-gē.” 

  “Understood.” I immediately did so and handed the cell phone over to the young master. However, I felt a little uneasy. The young master could not be thinking of using the master’s strength to punish that policeman, could he? 

  The young master took the cell phone and said, “Kyle-gē? I’m Ah Ye. You tell Gēge not to take action against that policeman on TV, and also not to do anything against any media who is speaking against Dark Sun, and also not to… Ah! In short, tell Gēge that I don’t mind, and tell him not to go about killing people just because of this!” 

  … Go about killing people? 

  Including me, everyone here had looked at the young master with wide eyes by this point, the problem of awkwardness long disregarded. 

  Following that, the young master quietly listened on the cell phone. However, roughly a dozen or more seconds later, he suddenly stood up agitatedly and roared at the cell phone, “Retaliation that does not involve killing is not allowed either! Basically, don’t let Gēge discipline anyone just because of me! Tell him, if he dares to do that, then— then… Then in the future, even if it’s vacation, I won’t go back and see him!” 

  So, a simple thing like “going back to see your brother during vacation” could actually save human lives? I sighed. This is sure simpler than being a hero. 

  After that roar, the young master became quiet again as he listened. After a few minutes, he rejected what the person said in one go as he stubbornly said, “No! I won’t go back during summer vacation either. I have already said, before I finish university, I’m going to continue living away from home… Boring? It’s not! There’s Charles, Melody, Bramble-shū, and the others to accompany me. Moreover, I have already decided that during summer vacation, I’m going to go work and earn some money.” 

  Work and earn some money? Including me, everyone’s faces were filled with shock. 

  Though I could not see Mr. Kyle’s face, I think that he too must be extremely confused. He probably asked a question, something along the lines of “why,” and hence the young master gave him a reply with a tone as though it was to be expected, “Because I asked my classmates what they are doing over summer vacation, and they all said that they are going to work and earn some money. So, I am also going to go work and earn some money. Okay, okay, you don’t have to help me look for a job. I will go and find one myself… Okay! My stomach’s growling! I’m going to eat breakfast. Basically, Kyle-gē, help me tell Gēge to be more obedient, and don’t do a single thing. Then tonight, I’ll give him a call.” 

  The young master ended the call, and then started to put a lot of effort into eating breakfast again. He looked like he was really extremely hungry, for his eating speed was even faster than usual. 

  When breakfast was done, I handed the young master a napkin to wipe his mouth. After simply dabbing at his mouth, he lifted his head to look at me and asked, “So, what kind of work should I do?” 

  “Young Master, I have not done any part-time work before,” I gave a wry smile as I answered. 

  Once I finished answering, the young master’s gaze shifted onto Dell and May. The two of them had an odd expression on their faces, and nobody opened their mouths to say anything. However, the young master kept on staring at the two, awaiting an answer. 

  It was silent for a while before May opened his mouth with difficulty, and tried suggesting, “Young Master, you could… could… be a hacker?” 

  “I know! A firearms dealer!” Dell punched his palm, looking proud of himself, as though he thought that it was a good suggestion. 

  Mr. Bramble shook his head and then continued to drink his tea and read the newspaper. 

  At this moment, the young master looked at me and asked, “Charles, what do you think?” 

  In such a short time, I actually could not think of any answer better than “hacker” or “firearms dealer.” Thus, I could only inquire, “That would have to depend on the nature of the work that Young Master is looking for.” 

  After the young master had tilted his head to one side to consider, he said, “As long as it’s a job that a normal person would work as.” 

  A hacker and firearms dealer, no matter what, they do not seem like a job that a normal person would work as. All of the people present fell silent again. 

  A normal job… Carrying plates? Selling drinks? Distributing flyers? 

  Actually, the young master should be competent in an overwhelming number of jobs. After all, the young master is both a master of the pen and the sword. No matter what the work involves, be it brains or physical strength, there is no problem. However, it was simply hard to imagine a young master who has a butler of an annual salary of twenty million working the jobs of a part-timing student. 

  “In short, I must find a job within the next few days! Otherwise it’ll become harder and harder to find one!” After the young master said that loudly, he turned to face us and said, “This was what Abner told me… Ah! Actually I didn’t have to ask you guys. It’ll be fine if I go and ask Abner tomorrow.” 

  It seems that the young master still does not intend on going to school today. I quickly said, “Young Master, since you are not going to school today, then I am not going to sleep either. Please let me…” 

  The young master interrupted my words and shook his head as he said, “No, go and sleep. Wake up at around the same time you usually do. At night time, accompany me to X-Killer to look at the photos!” 

  “Young Master, vampires are fine even if they do not sleep for several days. For these two weeks, you have already let me take leave after midnight. This is already extremely generous of you, so today please let me wait upon you…” 

  The young master abruptly called out to me. “Charles.” 

  “Yes?” 

  “Go and sleep obediently.” 

  “… Understood.” 

  I answered a little helplessly. Suddenly, Dell burst into laughter. I turned my head, wanting to give him a grudging look. However, I discovered that even May and Mr. Bramble had a smile forming at the corners of their mouths. 

  As per usual, I would always brew a pot of tea and deliver it to the rooftop before returning to my metal cabinet to sleep. Today was no exception. Just as I had delivered the tea and was about to go down the floors, Dell called out to me. 

  I turned back and saw an odd expression on Dell’s face as he asked, “Butler. How much is your annual salary?” 

  Hearing this question, I froze for a moment, but I still honestly replied, “Twenty million.” 

  “Tsk, tsk, that’s not a small amount at all!” Dell gave me an envious look and continued, “Bramble-shū, May, and my salary add up to more or less six or seven million. Based on how the company pays, Melody should be receiving more than ten million.” 

  He used his fingers to count, and count… Suddenly he gave a loud shout. “The salary of the employees under the young master is already over forty million combined together, and he actually wants to work and earn money? Even if he worked for two months, I don’t even know if he would get forty thousand yuan!” 

  Indeed so. However, I actually approve of the young master’s idea to work. Money is not the issue. Working will help the young master in the aspects of interpersonal relationships, how to treat people, and how to conduct oneself in society. Therefore, there was no harm in giving it a try. 

  “Mr. Charles,” May called out. 

  “Yes?” 

  He looked at me, and with worry in his eyes, asked, “Say, just now, what the policeman said on the news… Does he really not mind?” 

  “I too do not know,” I honestly admitted. 

  “You three youngsters, don’t think about doing anything!” As Mr. Bramble poured the tea, he slowly said, “The young master doesn’t like to show sadness, so don’t force him. Though the young master is easy to get along with, you all should never forget that we are only his subordinates!” 

  Three youngsters… Does that include me? 

  I fell silent for a while, but I still did not refute Mr. Bramble. After all, among vampires, having an age of a hundred and fifty two years old is indeed considered a “youngster.” 

  The metal cabinet is designed to completely brighten at four o’clock in order to wake me. The moment it brightened, I immediately opened my eyes. 

  The young master should be in the workshop modifying guns? Then, I should pour him a glass of milk. After I freshened up in a simple fashion, I immediately took the milk jug and a glass, and then I headed to the living room. However, when I approached the living room, I heard laughter, so I slowed my steps down. 

  This voice did not seem like the young master’s voice. It sounded more like… a girl’s laughter? 

  Feeling puzzled, I reached the living room. In a single glance, I saw that the young master was currently chatting and laughing with a girl. The girl was very young, likely around ten to twelve years old. On the table, she had out a booklet that looked like schoolwork, and before the young master was a sheet of drawing paper and a box of crayons. In his hand, he even held a crayon. 

  “Charles, you’re awake!” The young master noticed my presence and smiled as he introduced, “This is Briar, Bramble-shū’s daughter.” 

  The girl had a hairstyle of two buns. Both of her cheeks were pink and her chin was slightly sharp, making the shape of her face look like a peach. Accompanied with a set of large eyes, she looked extremely cute. I remembered now. This was indeed the little girl who had been abducted by the criminals, and afterwards saved by the young master. 

  She laughed as she said, “Is this the butler that Ah Ye-gēge spoke of, Charles-gēge?” 

  “Yes indeed. Nice to meet you, Briar!” I smiled in return. 

  Briar blinked her eyes and then said, “Charles-gēge can just call me Bri.” 

  The young master explained, “Bramble-shū said that for some reason, the school mysteriously had a vacation, and he didn’t feel at ease leaving Bri at home by herself. He also didn’t know anyone who he can entrust her to, so he brought Bri over.” 

  The school has a vacation on Thursday? I said, “So I see,” but in my heart I did not quite think so. Especially since after the young master had finished explaining, Bri revealed a smile and secretly winked at me. 

  “Charles.” 

  “Yes.” 

  The young master seemed a little puzzled as he asked, “Usually, what do you do at this time?” 

  I truthfully replied, “Usually, I will go out and buy groceries.” 

  “Oh! Then you can go out and buy groceries now too.” The young master looked at me with serious eyes and said, “Don’t act differently from usual just because I’m at home!” 

  “Understood.” I inquired, “Then, may I ask if there is anything in particular that you wish to eat?” 

  The young master shrugged his shoulders, obviously not minding what he would have for dinner. This was not out of my expectations, for the young master eats “anything.” Except for liking fried meat and milk, he did not have any other special preferences. 

  “How about Briar?” I turned around and questioned our guest with a smile. 

  “Can I ask for anything?” Briar asked with sparkling eyes. 

  “Anything is fine.” 

  If the person in front of me were a grown-up, I would perhaps not dare to say this line. However, Briar was only a little girl, and she was not a rich lady. Therefore, she likely would not ask for something that I am unable to make. 

  “Then I want to eat curry rice!” Briar happily stood up and shouted, “It has to be a curry rice kids’ meal!” 

  A curry rice kids’ meal? I went blank for a moment. Curry rice was naturally not a problem, but what is a curry rice kids’ meal? My honorable father, is it because you have never served an employer who is very young, hence you could not teach me how to cook a curry rice kids’ meal? 

  At this moment, Briar used her finger to indicate for me to come closer. I leaned in, and she whispered, “Just make the rice into a half circular shape, and stick a small flag on top. Also, there are bunny shaped carrots and cauliflowers carved into the shape of small flowers. Sprinkle a lot of powdered sugar on top, and put colorful mashed potatoes… Ah Ye-gē will definitely like it a lot!” 

  So this is a curry rice kids’ meal? It seemed to sound a little childish, but I could not deny that the young master perhaps would really like it. 

  “What are you two saying?” The young master leaned closer and asked in curiosity, “What is a curry rice kids’ meal?” 

  “It’s. A. Secret!” Briar jumped onto the young master’s leg and used her two hands to cover the young master’s ears. But then, she yelled, “Ah Ye-gēge can’t know about it yet, so you’re not allowed to ask Charles-gēge!” 

  The young master tilted his head to one side, and though the curiosity on his face did not fade one bit, he did not question me either. He only smiled as he said, “Bri, you covered my ears but also yelled at me. So do you want me to hear or not?” 

  “Of course I want you to hear!” Briar turned her head, and then she started exclaiming, “Charles-gēge, hurry and go buy the groceries. Hurry, hurry!” 

  I smiled at her, but my eyes drifted to the young master. After seeing the young master nod his head at me, only then did I say, “All right, then I will be going out to buy the groceries.” 

  The young master nodded his head. Thus, after helping pour both the young master and Briar a glass of milk, I went out to buy groceries. Though I could not serve the young master, my worries were much lighter than before I had gone to sleep. Briar seemed much more mature than her actual age, and the young master seemed to be very fond of her too. With her around, the young master should not have any problems. 

  The moment I stepped out of the door, the cell phone on my body started ringing. The name shown on the display was “Bodyguard Captain.” I answered the call, and immediately Mr. Bramble’s voice came through. “Young Master… No! How’s Briar?” 

  I told him the truth, “Bri is currently chatting with the young master while doing her homework.” 

  “Then… how is it? Happy?” 

  I smiled, and intentionally inquired, “Are you asking about Bri? Yes, she looks very happy.” 

  “Then is the young master happy… Cough! The young master doesn’t dislike Bri, right?” 

  “Nothing of the sort. The young master seems to like Bri very much.” 

  “That’s good. That’s all I wanted to ask. You can go and be busy with your own stuff!” 

  After hearing Bramble murmur, “I just knew that Bri, that child, wouldn’t let me down,” the connection was cut. At this point, my mood suddenly turned extremely good. 

  Only the young master’s subordinates? 

  Mr. Bramble, your words are really not convincing at all. 

  The most troublesome aspect of curry is the spices used for seasoning. 

  That is because everybody has different likes, and hence different spices would be used for seasoning. Therefore, my honorable father only taught me the most basic ingredients at that time. Then, he told me that I have to mix the seasoning according to the master’s tastes. 

  The young master likes food that is heavy and leaning towards sweet, and Briar is also still a child. Therefore, I intended to make honey apple curry. Both of them should like it. 

  After buying the various spices around the supermarket, I walked to the market. 

  Among the people coming and going, some looked at me with wide eyes. These were mostly people who caught sight of me for the first time. There were also people who smiled and nodded at me, and I naturally returned a smile to them. Following that were the various vendors that I was extremely familiar with. 

  Ever since I had become the young master’s butler, I had always bought from this market. When I had first started, everyone had looked at me with strange looks. Probably it was because of the fact that I was wearing splendid clothes. However, after I had bought five catties of pork from the pork stall, everyone became completely relaxed. 

  It was even at the point where, after I had come here to buy ingredients several times, several stall-keepers came to chat with me out of curiosity. 

  I walked to the stall selling chicken and asked with a smile, “May I ask if there is any good chicken today?” 

  The chicken vendor was a tall and strong young man who had just taken over his father’s stall not long ago. However, he had a good eye for chicken, and he was outspoken and honest while doing business—a very decent young man. While he was chopping the chicken, he raised his head up and exclaimed, “Oh! Charles, you’re here! You’re pretty late today!” 

  “Yes, I was delayed for a bit.” 

  “Today’s chickens are not big, and seeing that huge appetite of your family, you’ll probably need five chickens or there won’t be enough.” His eyes narrowed, and then he whispered to me, “If you introduce your family’s little sister to me, then these five chickens can be treated as a welcome gift!” 

  “That would not do. My older brother would scold me to no end.” I rejected his offer naturally. That is because at home, I absolutely did not have any sisters to introduce to him. 

  For a man to go to the market often and buy so much food at once while always wearing splendid clothes, it is inevitable that it would attract a lot of attention. Thus, under everyone’s endless, curious inquiries, I too spun a lot of stories to answer them. For example, there were twelve children at home, and due to our mother’s early demise, as the second brother, I had to cook for the children at home when my father and older brother were out working. 

  Ever since I had offhandedly fabricated the lies of having a younger fifth sister who is currently twenty years old and looks very cute, having an eighteen years old younger brother who looks very much like me, and having an older brother who had just obtained his civil service qualification and is much better looking than me, I could always get an extremely cheap price. 

  The reason being that every stall vendor would want me to introduce my older brother, my younger brother, or my younger sister to them. As to which one the chicken vendor wanted to get the most acquainted with, that was the “twenty years old, cute younger fifth sister” of mine. 

  “Please give me five chickens.” After saying that, I added on, “My little sister likes to eat chicken the most. She loves fresh and tender chicken meat, so…” 

  “No problem!” The chicken vendor straightforwardly said, “I’ll definitely give you the best and most tender chicken! When you have time, introduce your younger sister to me!” 

  “Thank you.” I avoided as the topic by saying, “Today I am making curry, so please help me cut—“ 

  “You there, don’t move!” 

  There came a shout from behind me. I stilled. Originally, I did not think the shout was directed at me. However, the shocked expression on the chicken vendor told me… that it was indeed directed at me. Moreover, it probably was not anything good. 

  “Put down everything in your hands! Then slowly turn around.” 

  I did as he said and put all of the plastic bags in my hands onto the stall of the chicken vendor. Following that, I turned around. What appeared in front of me was a man wearing a police uniform and who was pointing his gun at me. Moreover, his face… He was the policeman who had appeared on today’s morning news, scolding Dark Sun! 

  “May I ask—” I was extremely puzzled as I opened my mouth. 

  “Shut up!” The policeman roared, “You vampire, there is no place for you to speak here!” 

  I was startled. How did he know that I am a vampire? 

  The policeman glanced at the stall selling chicken and was full of confidence as he said, “You’re buying chicken so that you can go back and suck on its blood?” 

  “It is for making curry rice.” I gave a forced smile as I said, “Mr. Policeman, to kill a chicken, you have to bleed it first. Whether I am a vampire or not, it is impossible for the chickens being sold here to have any blood for me to suck.” 

  Hearing that, the policeman looked dumbfounded. The surrounding vendors and spectators started laughing under their breath one-by-one. 

  “Mr. Policeman, I am not a vampire.” I tried saying, “You can ask the vendors around here. I come here every day to buy ingredients. If I am a vampire, then it is not quite possible that I would do that, right? What I am saying is, do not vampires drink blood for survival? But, there is no blood being sold in the market.” 

  The surrounding vendors started clamoring. 

  “Charles has been coming here to buy groceries for a long time already!” 

  “You gave me such a fright. What vampire, it’s still broad daylight right now!” 

  “Mr. Policeman, don’t malign the wrong person!” 

  Hearing that, the policeman’s confidence seemed to waver, but he still put up a bold face as he said, “Who said there isn’t? Isn’t there still chicken’s blood, duck’s blood, and pig’s blood cake?” 

  I started laughing, and all of the surrounding vendors started roaring in laughter too. If vampires could eat their fill on chicken’s blood, duck’s blood, and pig’s blood cake, then probably humans would not be that afraid of us anymore, would they? 

  The policeman’s face flushed red, and he growled, “Why are you all laughing? Y-You, take off your hat and your coat. Wearing such thick layers, you definitely have to be a vampire who is scared of the light.” 

  Before I even had the chance to speak up, the chicken vendor behind me had already shouted in a loud voice, “Mr. Policeman, you can’t do that! Charles is allergic to light. If he removes them, he will die!” 

  As for being allergic to light, of course it was also one of the lies that I had fabricated. However, the truth was that quite a long time ago, patients who were allergic to light had really been thought of and treated as vampires. Of course, in this age where medical technology is so advanced, there is no such matter anymore. 

  I looked at the policeman with an apologetic look. 

  Actually, it would be fine even if I took off my hat and my clothes. The sunlight would indeed make me feel uncomfortable. However, not showing any peculiar symptoms for a short period of time is not hard at all, especially since it was evening at the moment and the sunlight was not strong. However, due to the lie that I fabricated about being “allergic to light,” I could not obey the policeman’s orders. 

  The policeman frowned, and then his left hand, which was not holding the gun, dug into his chest pockets, taking out an antique cross. 

  “Don’t move!” 

  “As you wish.” I raised both of my hands up, expressing that I had no evil intentions. 

  He walked over cautiously, the gun in his hands still pointing at me. When he was about a step’s distance away from me, he stuck the cross onto my face, and he had even used quite a bit of strength to press it onto my face. I could only give a forced smile at him. 

  Thankfully, this policeman only had a superficial knowledge of vampires. The cross that he held was made of silver, and vampires were indeed afraid of silver. However, he did not seem to know that silver has to come into contact with a vampire’s blood for it to have any effect. 

  Moreover, we are actually not afraid of the cross. 

  The cross was just like a police’s badge. It does not have any practical use. If a vampire really were afraid of the cross, he would be afraid of the “Church” that the cross represents and not the cross itself. 

  “Are you really not a vampire?” The policeman hesitated for a moment, and then put away both the cross and the gun. He muttered, “It doesn’t make sense. What you’re wearing is obviously the same as what the vampire wore last night.” 

  So the source of the problem was the clothes. I had a sudden glimpse of realization, and felt that I was simply too careless. 

  The policeman looked at me with suspicion, sizing me up. He asked, “What is your name?” 

  “Charles, Charles Endelis.” 

  “Charles, is it? Take me to your house!” The policeman looked immensely pleased with himself as he concluded, “As long as I go to your house, I would definitely know whether or not you are a vampire!” 

  Follow a vampire back home? 

  This was simply not a good idea. If I were not a butler and was merely a vampire, I would perhaps consider bringing this policeman back home and biting him to death. This way, not only would I be able to get rid of someone who was suspicious of me, I could also eat my fill as well. 

  It is a pity that I am a butler, and I do not want to dirty the young master’s home either; thus, I cannot execute this plan that is so attractive to vampires. 

  “Then, may I inquire if I may pick up these groceries and also buy some chicken?” I gave a wry smile as I said, “My younger siblings at home are still waiting for me to go home and cook!” 

  The policeman waved his hand impatiently. “Hurry up!” 

  I helplessly told the chicken vendor, “Please help me chop the chicken, and please be quick.” 

  “Cooking curry rice, right? I got it!” The chicken vendor found it funny as he chopped the chicken while speaking, and he even joked, “Do you want to conveniently buy some chicken blood to take home to drink, Mr. Vampire?” I could only smile wryly at him. 

  Not too long later, I carried a few bags of vegetables and two bags of chopped chicken and started to walk back home alongside the policeman. 

  “A grown man, yet you’re buying groceries?” The policeman said to me in disapproval and then snatched the two bags of chicken from my hands. 

  “Thank you, Mr. Policeman.” I was a little surprised, for I did not think that he would help me carry my items. 

  “Sigh! What Mr. Policeman. I’m called Yue Gang. Hey! You still haven’t answered me!” 

  “About what?” 

  Yue Gang glanced at the plastic bags in my hands, and then asked me in doubt, “Why is a grown man like you buying so many groceries?” 

  “It is like this.” 

  I could only talk once again about my mother’s early demise, my father and big brother who are out at work, along with my younger siblings who are waiting to be fed with cries of hunger… 

  Once Yue Gang finished listening to my story, he immediately scratched his head furiously, and with a face that implied “what a pity,” he said, “Tch! The eldest girl is only twenty years old. That’s a bit too young. I’m already twenty eight.” 

  I broke into a smile. This policeman called Yue Gang might unexpectedly be someone who the young master would say is “interesting.” 

  When I returned home, though I had the key, I intentionally rang the doorbell. 

  After waiting for a moment, the door was pulled open and the young master poked his head out. He looked at me, a little confused, and started to say, “Char—” 

  I immediately interrupted the young master’s words and smiled as I said, “I am back. Ah Ye, did you obediently help me look after the place? Did you look after your sister without letting her run around wildly? Has both Father and Dàgē not returned yet?” 

  The young master paused for only an extremely short moment before he switched his tone, and his voice became slightly child-like as he said, “Charles-gē, you’re back! I’m so hungry. Hurry and cook curry rice for me!” 

  Briar had also walked over. I was just worrying whether she would be unable to coordinate with us, or if she would let this whole ruse fall apart, when her set of large eyes darted around to look at the situation. Then, she threw herself at me, shouting, “Gēge! Bri is also really hungry. Curry! Curry!” 

  I turned around, and with a faint smile, said, “Mr. Yue Gang, please come in and have a seat?” 

  “No!” Yue Gang was a little embarrassed as he said, “There’s no need. I misunderstood! However…” 

  He suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper, “Is your younger fifth sister home?” 

  It seems that everyone is extremely interested in that cute ”younger fifth sister” of mine… I gave a forced smile as I said, “She is in university at the moment and will only be back on the weekends.” 

  “Is that so… Then I’m heading off!” 

  He looked extremely disappointed. Once he finished speaking, he instantly turned around to leave. However, following that, he stopped in his tracks and looked behind me with a skeptical look… When I turned my head, I saw that Mr. Bramble, Dell, and May were walking over. The three of them were looking at Yue Gang with a bewildered and alert look. 

  “Father, you sure got off work today early. Did you climb up the stairs again?” I quickly called to Mr. Bramble in a loud voice and then turned around to introduce to Yue Gang, “That is my father, my younger third brother, and my younger fourth brother.” 

  Yue Gang gave a sigh, “What a big family! It’s really rare to see one nowadays.” 

  “Yes, it is very rare indeed.” 

  He looked suspiciously at Dell and May, and then looked at me again. He asked, “But, why do your two younger brothers look older than you?” 

  I was speechless. I had completely forgotten that though Dell’s and May’s ages are much younger than mine, appearance-wise, they perhaps might look older than me. However, I was not able to confirm this for I rarely had any chance to see my own appearance. 

  Since the lie had already been spoken, I could only forcefully say, “They just happen to look a bit more mature.” 

  The young master and Briar started laughing quietly. 

  “Is there a guest?” Mr. Bramble walked over, not batting an eyelid as he asked, “Why didn’t you invite him in to sit down? What a lack of manners!” 

  “Yes, my humble apologies.” 

  “You lad, did you get addicted to being a waiter?!” Bramble knocked my head, and then reprimanded, “Do you speak to your father like this?” 

  “Ah… I am sorry, my honorable fathe—Father!” I hurriedly changed my words, for I had nearly made another mistake. 

  Mr. Bramble looked at Yue Gang, and then courteously said, “Are you Charles’s friend? Please come in and take a seat.” 

  “No, no!” Yue Gang hurriedly waved his hand and shouted, “I really have to go! My apologies for mistaking you as a vampire! Goodbye!” 

  “It is okay.” I answered with a smile, and at the same time felt the gaze of everyone looking at me through the corner of their eyes… as though they were asking me, “Mistaking?” 

  Yue Gang walked over to the elevator. I was about to heave a sigh of relief, thinking that this whole farce was finally ending, when the elevator doors opened. Another person walked out from the elevator… It was Head Butler Kyle! 

  As always, Mr. Kyle carried his computer case. He walked out of the elevator, and just happened to brush past Yue Gang as he walked by. Yue Gang did not step into the elevator, but instead turned around and gazed at Mr. Kyle in doubt. 

  Mr. Kyle looked straight at the young master and started to say, “Yo—” 

  Once his words were out, everyone’s faces changed. Other than Mr. Bramble, all of the others shouted together, “Dàgē! You’re finally back!” 

  Mr. Kyle froze. 

  “Dàgē.” The young master dashed up to him and snatched Mr. Kyle’s computer case, even trying to curry favor with him as he said, “You have worked hard today!” 

  Mr. Kyle looked at everyone and pushed his glasses. Then, his tone became gentler as he asked, “What’s wrong? Why is everyone gathered at the door? Oh, Father, you have gotten off work too? That’s early. Also, Charles, have you started cooking yet?” 

  He had looked at Mr. Bramble and me while saying the last few lines. What a powerful person, to be able to understand the situation in such a short period of time, and even the “family relations?” No wonder he is the head butler. 

  “Y-Yes! There wasn’t overtime today.” Mr. Bramble’s answer was a little forced. I assume that it was obviously not an easy task for him to treat this “higher-higher-higher-higher-up” as a son. 

  At this moment, Yue Gang stepped into the elevator and shouted loudly, “I’ll be leaving first! If I have time, I’ll come and find you to drink some tea together! Charles-xiǎodì!” 

  Little brother? I waved goodbye to him while giving a forced smile. First, it was youngster. Now, it is little brother, but my age is obviously much older than everyone else at the scene by a hundred years and more. This really makes me not know whether to correct them or to accept it silently. 

  Once the elevator doors shut completely, I immediately bowed and apologized to Mr. Kyle. “My sincere apologies, Head Butler Kyle.” 

  Mr. Kyle returned to his expressionless face, and in a formal and flat tone, replied, “I’m a secretary, not a butler. Please remember this, ‘Charles-dìdi.‘” 

  I froze and then put on an expression as though I had received good advice as I answered, “Yes, Secretary Kyle. My apologies for making you lie along with us.” 

  “Hahaha!” 

  A sudden burst of laughter was heard, and this laugh was…the young master’s voice. Following that was a burst of laughter that sounded like silver bells. Among all the people at the scene, only Briar would have a laugh like that. My waist was still bent, and hence I could only use the corner of my eyes to look. I saw both the young master and Briar currently hugging each other, and they were laughing very hard and loudly. 

  In the end, both Dell, May, and even Mr. Bramble started laughing. 

  Within the sound of everyone’s laughter, Mr. Kyle too showed a faint smile. He pushed his glasses up his nose, and then naturally said, “It’s no problem, as long as the young master is happy.” 

  Hearing that, I straightened my back, and looked at the young master. 

  The young master was really laughing very happily. He was giggling with Briar and looked just like an overgrown child. The oppressive atmosphere from this morning was already completely gone. 

  The young master roared in laughter, clutching his stomach. When his laughter ceased for a moment, he looked at me, and promptly burst into an even bigger laughing fit. As he laughed, he said, “C-Charles, you really are very interesting! Dell, May, why aren’t you all calling your Charles-gē?” 

  May glanced at Mr. Kyle and then obediently called me “Charles-gē.” Dell did not look at Mr. Kyle at all but immediately said in a wheedling tone, “Charles-gēge! There’s only half an hour to dinner time, are you still not going to cook?” 

  Though I felt very helpless about always being addressed as youngster and little brother, to be truly addressed as big brother made me feel even more helpless. 

  The young master abruptly said, “Bramble-shū, you have to call him too!” 

  “What?” Mr. Bramble received a huge shock and said in disbelief, “I have to call him brother too?” 

  This really was something that made me feel extremely horrified too, even though my age was enough for me to be Mr. Bramble’s grandfather or the like. 

  “Of course not!” The young master replied as though it was to be expected, “You should call him son!” 

  Mr. Bramble was speechless for a while. After Mr. Kyle coughed twice, he stroked my head and said sincerely, “My good son, hurry and go cook.” 

  “… Yes.” 

  The young master gave a “Pffft” and then started laughing again. He and Briar took turns to laugh and call each other “Gēge” and “Mèimei.” 

  At this moment, I saw the same message appear on everyone’s faces: 

  As long as the young master is happy.

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 5: Publicly, the Hero in Need of an Identity

  Translator: Raylight 

  Don’t keep talking about Charles? Oh, okay! Then I’ll talk about the other people at home; they’re all very interesting too! 

  Dell-gē is the most interesting. He told me a lot of very interesting stories. May-gē likes to do a strange exercise that he said is called “yoga.” Bramble-shū is very serious and has a really fatherly feel! 

  Right! There’s also Briar. She is Bramble-shū’s daughter and is twelve this year. 

  She is my future fiancée! 

  Gēge?! What was that loud noise? Did you fall down? Are you okay? 

  After dinner, I called Olga to inform her ahead of time, and then both the young master and I stood up to go to X-Killer. Of course, we rode DSII over there. 

  I definitely have to go and get a driver’s license and buy a motorcycle… For the umpteenth time, this thought went through my mind. 

  After I got off the motorcycle, I tugged at my pants, a little unused to them. I suspected I would never be able to get used to the decorative designs on the side of the pants that were so revealing. Though I did not like this pair of pants, for the sake of not attracting trouble, I still decided not to wear the old-fashioned suit unless I was appearing in the capacity of a vampire. 

  “Charles.” 

  After he stopped the bike, the young master suddenly called out to me. 

  “Yes.” My attention was instantly diverted from the pants to the young master. 

  The young master leaned on DSII and hesitated for a moment before he looked at me and said, “No matter whether you believe it or not, that mother and daughter pair was not used to divert attention from the robbery at the jewelry store.” 

  “If Young Master does not find it too much trouble, may I ask for you to explain in a bit more detail for me?” I asked the young master with a gentle smile. 

  Smiles had always managed to get the young master to relax. I hoped this would allow him to be able to open his mouth and tell me everything. Though telling me would not make any difference, at least saying it out loud meant he would not have to keep the burden to himself. 

  “Those criminals’ true motive is to… hunt down heroes.” 

  Hunt down heroes? I was dazed, and before I could regain my senses, the young master had already continued. 

  “To hide a robbery from the eyes and ears of a hero is actually very easy. One would only need to control two things – the surveillance cameras and the store employees. By changing the image recorded by the cameras, heroes would not be able to see the robbery happen with their own eyes. By controlling the employees properly, they would ensure that no one would press the police alarm. If they managed to do it like that, even I would not be aware of any robbery. This is something much easier to do than threatening hostages in the streets and blowing things out of proportion.” 

  The young master paused in his footsteps and looked at me as he said, “After threatening hostages in the middle of the streets, it would be extremely hard to escape afterwards. Get it?” 

  I nodded my head. Indeed, even if there were an opportunity to escape, if the police and the heroes controlled all the surveillance cameras within the city, it would be very easy to track down where the criminal escaped to. 

  “Then, what does Young Master mean about hunting down heroes?” 

  “Charles, you’re really dumb!” DSII suddenly reproached loudly. “Since heroes can hunt down criminals, criminals can also come around and hunt down heroes!” 

  “DSII, be quiet! You can’t speak out loud on the streets.” The young master patted DSII, and after seeing him calm down he continued his explanation, “Criminals are not people who would obediently accept a beating. In the past, there was even a period of time when criminals had gathered together and formed an organization. This organization didn’t do anything but go around hunting down heroes.” 

  Though I was a little shocked, it was not out unthinkable. Since they were criminals, they would not just allow people to keep coming and stopping them while they were conducting their activities. 

  “But later on, such large scale hunts became rare. That was because the criminals themselves knew that the number of heroes who truly proved to be a threat to them was not a lot.” 

  I gave a smile and asked, “The number that you said is ‘not a lot,’ is it four?” 

  The young master smiled too. “That’s right! Four. That mother and daughter pair was a tool to kill the four heroes. No matter what, the bombs on their bodies would have exploded. After I had gone up to the rooftop, I did indeed subdue the criminal immediately. However, the detonator wasn’t on his body at all. He was only a scapegoat. The detonator was in another place, in someone else’s hand.” 

  I was shocked and ended up staring directly at the young master in an extremely disrespectful manner. 

  The young master quietly said, “In the underworld, the hunting of the four heroes has never stopped. As long as someone is able to kill one of them, they would be able to become the underworld crime boss of Sunset City. So when First Wind heard my voice, he did not hesitate at all to pull Dragon Peace away without any regard for the mother and daughter’s safety. That is because…” 

  The young master paused for a moment, and then gave me a weighted stare. He said, “That is because we all know that the first person that the criminal wishes to kill is never the hostage, but the hero. Therefore, the first person that we have to protect is ourselves.” 

  The first person that heroes must protect is themselves. This sounds a bit strange. The main responsibility of a hero should be protecting civilians, right? However, after giving it some more thought, it seems to make sense. If the heroes themselves died, then what can they protect? 

  It was just that one could not help but feel a little disappointed. If even heroes gave up just like normal people, then for the mother and daughter who had been suspended on the rooftop, and the broken-hearted man who had been grieving below, what exactly could they pray for? 

  “Charles, do you know what the first thing a hero needs to learn is?” 

  “Is it… saving people?” I tried to make a guess. 

  The young master gave a smile and replied, “It is failing to save people.” He paused for a moment before he continued to speak. “So, you guys don’t have to worry so much about me. This is not the first time I have failed. I am only feeling a bit upset, but… It’s okay! 

  “Alright, let’s go! Olga and the others must have been waiting for a long time already.” 

  After saying that, the young master headed toward X-Killer. However, I could not help but open my mouth to ask, “Have all four of the heroes failed before?” 

  The young master stopped in his tracks, and then turned around to say, “Yeah, they have all failed before. However, they still continue to be heroes. It is because of that, that I can have a mutual understanding with the three of them. The other heroes are not taken into consideration by us.” 

  To have never failed before… means to not be considered a hero? This was a viewpoint that I had never thought about before. The heroes in the movies rarely failed, and even if they had failed temporarily, the person who was injured as a result of that was usually the hero himself. However, in reality, the price of failure was actually someone else’s life? 

  It sounds very trivial, but at the same time… morbidly heavy. 

  I caught up to the young master, temporarily putting all hero-related matters aside. We walked into X-Killer together. 

  Once we stepped in, we saw Jill and Luo Lun. Within the store there were five or six customers, and Olga, Jill, and Luo Lun were all busy attending to them. 

  At that moment, a customer turned around and upon seeing the young master, let out a scream of surprise. Then, her eyes glued themselves onto the young master. Once the other customers heard the scream, they all turned around one by one. The moment they saw the young master, their eyes all lit up. 

  Within the store, there were three photos of the young master hung up, each of them larger than the actual person. 

  Olga told us, “Feel free to take a look around.” 

  The young master nodded his head excitedly, and then immediately headed to the front of one of the photos and started sizing up the photo curiously. At our side, there was also another person looking at the photos. However, he did not seem like a customer, and there was even a rather professional camera hanging around his neck. 

  “Gē! Help me attend to Ah Ye for a moment.” Luo Lun shouted loudly, “Ah Ye, the one at your side is my brother.” 

  The young master immediately turned his attention to the person at his side. Remembering his manners, he gave his greeting first, “Nice to meet you. I am An Xiang Ye.” 

  The man turned around. He looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and had an extremely handsome appearance. However, his aura was very gentle and refined, giving people a favorable impression of him. He too replied back courteously, “Nice to meet you. An Xiang Ye, is it? I am Ji Luo Chu, Luo Lun’s elder brother.” 

  “Luo Chu–gē, you can just call me Ah Ye. This is Charles. He is… He is my butler.” The young master hesitated for a moment, but still introduced me as his butler. This was something that could not be helped. After all, when we came over previously, Luo Lun and the others had already heard me addressing him as “Young Master.” 

  “Ah Ye, is it?” Ji Luo Chu smiled as he commented, “Your hair color is really special. I rarely see this kind of silvery white hair, but it’s very pretty!” 

  “Thank you.” The young master showed a radiant smile. 

  “Moreover, it’s also very photogenic.” Ji Luo Chu turned around to look at the photos, and in a tone of exclamation, he said, “Nowadays, one can rarely see a youngster like you with this kind of aura. What is even rarer is that you can actually act the part of ‘Angel and Devil’ so well. Perhaps you are a natural actor!” 

  “Angel and Devil?” The young master tilted his head to one side and asked, “Are you talking about the black photos and the white photos?” 

  Among the photos hung in the store, two were from the white series. Another one was instead from the black series that was initially seen in the catalog. It was one of the photos where the young master resembled Dark Sun remarkably. 

  Perhaps I should discuss with Olga to tear down all of the photos from the black series. Otherwise, sooner or later, someone would suspect that the young master was Dark Sun. 

  “I have heard from Luo Lun that you are still a student? I am a photographer, and have formed a studio with my friends. Ever since Luo Lun took your photos and showed them to me, I have been wanting to ask you if you have any interest to also be my model?” 

  Hearing that, the young master paused for a moment. He turned around to look at me. I hurriedly moved forward, helping to spare the young master from answering. “Is it possible to give it a trial period first?” 

  “Of course, of course.” Ji Luo Chu looked at me, and then smiled as he said, “I didn’t think that Luo Lun was right! Even Mr. Butler is a pretty good model candidate. Do you want to try together?” 

  Once he finished speaking, I saw both of the young master’s eyes light up. I quickly rejected him, “No, no! I am a butler. I have no intention of working in another position.” 

  If I were to be photographed and there was no trace of me on the photo at all, it would definitely lead to an uproar. 

  “What a pity.” Ji Luo Chu gave a smile and did not really seem to mind me refusing him. He turned around to look at the young master and inquired, “Ah Ye, could you help me take down the pair of pants that is in the topmost section of the left shelf?” 

  “Sure!” 

  The young master looked for the pants that were at the very top, and then walked over. He stood on his tiptoes and started to reach for the item on the shelf. Though I wanted to do the work for him, Ji Luo Chu had instead picked up the camera hanging on his neck to start to photograph the young master vigorously. 

  The young master froze for a moment and turned his head, looking at Ji Luo Chu with a puzzled expression. 

  “Ah Ye, look here!” 

  Luo Lun suddenly shouted from the side, and when both the young master and I looked at him… He was in the middle of contorting his facial features and making all sorts of strange faces. 

  The young master laughed and scolded him jokingly, “Luo Lun, what are you doing?” 

  Luo Lun gave no reply but only continued to do various kinds of funny faces, causing the young master to laugh nonstop. At the same time, Ji Luo Chu diligently abused the shutter button. 

  After a good long while, Ji Luo Chu finally stopped photographing. With a satisfied tone, he said, “Very good, you’re very used to the camera. Many people will freeze as long as they know there is someone filming them. No matter what ways others use to distract their attention, they wouldn’t be of any use at all, and they would still be very stiff. However, you simply don’t have that problem at all. It is as though you aren’t being photographed.” 

  Hearing that, I felt a shock in my heart. This is probably because the young master has faced countless cameras before when he is out being a hero. On top of that, he had mentioned the young master’s hair color from the very beginning, the same silvery-white hair as Dark Sun… This man, Ji Luo Chu, could it be that he has already started to suspect something? 

  After he finished taking the photographs, he started casually discussing the photos with the young master. 

  The customers left in twos and threes. Once the last customer in the shop had left, Jill immediately dashed over and screeched, “Ah Ye! Did you see? Even the customers were asking about you nonstop! The female customer just now really wanted to get your autograph, but Olga wouldn’t allow it.” 

  “Gē!” Luo Lun also ran over and excitedly spoke to Ji Luo Chu, “How was it? Wasn’t I right? I told you, right? You would definitely be satisfied with Ah Ye and Charles!” 

  “Yes, yes! What you said was completely right.” Ji Luo Chu smiled as he said that, and then he looked at the young master and asked, “Next time, why don’t you come to my studio to try and take some pictures? If you don’t have any issues with it, you can also treat it as an official shoot. Our studio is lacking in models.” 

  The young master did not look at me this time. He only tilted his head to one side and pondered for a short moment before he nodded his head and agreed, “Okay! Since school is about to end soon, I was originally going to look for a job anyways.” 

  “Oh?” Ji Luo Chu joyously said, “That’s just perfect! There are more photo shoot opportunities during the vacation period. Once the boss of my studio sees you, he will definitely be ecstatic!” 

  Seeing that the young master had given his agreement, Luo Lun and Jill were even more excited than Ji Luo Chu. The two of them started a debate – Luo Lun insisted that only the devil outfit was cool enough, but Jill liked the angelic disposition of the young master… Which reminds me. 

  “Mr. Ji, when you are taking the photos, please use the image of the white series.” 

  After I finished saying this in a very determined tone, I saw the startled looks on the others’ faces. I could only quickly add on, “T-That is because the master probably would not like the young master wearing clothes that are too- too… too much like a youngster’s!” 

  Actually, I had been thinking to use the term “strange,” but once I reached my words mid-way, I remembered that these strange clothes were from X-Killer, and moreover it was specially hand-picked by the storeowner Olga. To say that these clothes were very strange would obviously be very disrespectful; hence, I could only forcefully switch to another description. 

  I sneaked a look at the young master. Though his expression seemed a little puzzled, like he did not seem to understand why I had said that, he still nodded his head at me. 

  Seeing the young master nod his head, I became even firmer with my request. “Therefore, please take down all of the black series photographs, is that all right? Including those in the catalog. That is because if the master of the house were to see it, he might not allow the young master to be a model, and might even request for you to take down all the photos.” 

  Olga outspokenly and straightforwardly said, “No problem. It goes without saying that we need to get your consent before we can use these photos. I will delete all the black series photos from the catalog and replace the one on the wall with one from the white series. Like that, there won’t be any problems, right?” 

  “It’s a bit of a pity, since the model opportunities will be narrowed by half like this.” Though Ji Luo Chu had said so with a bit of a disappointed air, he still nodded his head as he said, “But it’s still fine, it’s better than not being able to use the white series. Right now, there are too many people who can act cool. On the other hand, those who have an angelic disposition are harder to find.” 

  Luo Lun cut in, saying, “Gē, then can I go to see your photo shoot?” 

  “I want to go too!” Jill immediately cut in. 

  Ji Luo Chu looked at the two with a faint smile. He said, “Okay! Olga can come along too…” 

  Ah! 

  Everyone fell silent and looked at each other. 

  “Is someone screaming?” Jill asked in a small voice. 

  “It shouldn’t be anything big, right?” Luo Lun sounded a little uncertain as he said, “It’s only someone screaming. There are often people screaming on the streets…” 

  “No, this scream sounds like something has happened.” Ji Luo Chu frowned and said, “I’ll go out and take a look.” 

  After saying that, he started heading out. The young master shouted, “I’ll go with you,” and naturally I too followed. Following that, Luo Lun also came along. 

  Once we stepped out of the shop front, we saw a few people gathering at the entrance to the alleyway at the side of the building. To describe things in a bit more detail, a girl had fallen down at the entrance of the alleyway. The rest of the youngsters were standing at her side with varied distance. However, all of their gazes were directed toward that alley. 

  Ji Luo Chu walked to the front and then helped the girl stand on her feet. However, once she had stood up, she actually flung away Ji Luo Chu’s hand with a shocked and scared expression. She then ran away, staggering the entire way. 

  Once the rest of the youngsters saw the girl run off, they too started to disperse. As for the others on the streets, they seemed like they did not understand what had just happened either, and only looked on from the sidelines. Once the girl ran off, they too continued doing their own business. 

  So what exactly happened inside the alley? I felt a little bewildered. Judging from that girl’s and the others’ outfits… They seemed to be rambunctious children who were used to running around town, so a small matter should not be able to give them a scare. 

  Ji Luo Chu headed into the dark alley, and the young master and Luo Lun followed. I took a glance in the direction of X-Killer, and realized that Olga and Jill had not followed along. Then, I too headed into the alley. 

  “Don’t look!” 

  Ji Luo Chu suddenly gave a loud roar and then turned around. He hugged the young master’s head and yelled to Luo Lun who was farther away from him, “Ji Luo Lun, turn around and face away! If I see you peeking, you’re dead meat! Also, call the police.” 

  Luo Lun immediately did so. He turned, faced toward me, and then nervously took out his cell phone from his pocket. 

  I walked past him, and the thick smell of blood immediately welcomed me. At the same time, I managed to get a clear look of the situation. 

  In the alley, there was blood and flesh scattered everywhere. The way it was scattered seemed almost as though someone had intentionally tried to use the blood to lay a red carpet in the alley. The main remnants of the body were leaning against the wall. Actually, it was mostly bones left – white bones with blood and flesh sticking to them haphazardly. The most complete section was the head, where we could at least still see some skin and an eyeball. 

  The blood smelled very fresh. It seemed like the incident had happened not too long ago… Fresh blood… What a waste… 

  “Charles!” Ji Luo Chu shouted at me. 

  I abruptly came back to my senses, and then replied automatically, “Yes?” 

  “Come over and cover the eyes of your young master properly… Don’t let him see!” Ji Luo Chu used an extremely stern tone in his last sentence. 

  “Very well.” I quickly stepped forward and covered the young master’s eyes. 

  Ji Luo Chu frowned and said, “Cover his eyes tighter! Don’t let him peek.” 

  I could only walk another step further and tightly wrap both my arms around the young master’s head. Only then did Ji Luo Chu nod his head in satisfaction. Afterwards, he did not pay any further notice to the young master and me. Instead, he walked forward and started to take photos from various angles with his camera, just a few steps away from the corpse. 

  At this moment, the young master suddenly pinched me. I returned to my senses, and then slightly relaxed my arms and adjusted my position. This way, the young master would be able to see the situation from the gap created. 

  A corpse that has been shredded into pieces… What kind of person could have done this? 

  If it were ten years ago, I would have been very certain that this was not the work of humans. However, now that there were more and more modified humans, a mechanical arm would be enough to shred a person. 

  Now, whether this was the work of humans or non-humans, it would be really hard to say for sure. 

  After Ji Luo Chu took pictures for a period of time, he lowered his camera. Seeing that, I immediately hugged the young master’s head tightly again, so as to prevent him from discovering the young master peeking at the body. 

  He walked over and told me, “Let’s go. If the police come and see us standing too close to the corpse, they will be very unhappy.” 

  I gave a nod, and while hugging the young master’s head, turned and brought him out of the alley… However, I found it a little funny. The young master had once chopped off DSII’s head without any hesitation. To him, the only difference between this corpse and the humans that are alive and kicking would probably merely be that he could not open his mouth to speak? 

  “The security nowadays is really just terrible!” 

  After walking out of the alley, Ji Luo Chu seemed to be very displeased. He turned toward his brother, and then in a firm tone that brooked no objection, said, “Luo Lun, from now on I will come and pick you up after work at night. You’re not allowed to run around freely in the middle of the night either!” 

  Luo Lun received a fright and shouted loudly, “Gē!” 

  “There’s no—” 

  Beep beep! 

  Ji Luo Chu furrowed his brows. After he took out his cell phone and operated it for a while, he revealed an apologetic expression as he said, “I cannot stay and wait for the police anymore. The boss in my studio is looking for me.” 

  “Charles also can’t stay.” The young master looked at me as he explained, “He has requested leave for tonight and is going to look for someone!” 

  “Is that so? Then you guys should get going too.” After saying that, Ji Luo Chu turned to his brother and instructed, “Luo Lun, please invite Olga over. Request that she close the store for now and ask her to wait here for the police. She can accompany you to the police station to make a statement too.” 

  Luo Lun immediately started to say, “I can wait here by myself—“ 

  “No way!” Ji Luo Chu interrupted his words with a low yell. This made Luo Lun’s expression turn mulish. However, he was clearly quite intimidated by his brother, for even though his entire face was filled with dissatisfaction, he did not dare to rashly talk back. 

  Just then, the young master burst out laughing. This made the two brothers, who were in the middle of fighting, pause and look at him in puzzlement. The young master smiled as he replied, “Luo Lun, my brother is exactly like yours. He’s always not allowing this and not allowing that, hehe!” 

  Luo Lun grumbled quietly, “Yours definitely doesn’t nag as much as mine…” 

  At this time, Ji Luo Chu’s cell phone rang again. His expression was full of apology as he said, “Sorry, I really do have to go. Luo Lun, go help Olga close the store.” 

  Luo Lun muttered “okay” and following that, went ahead and left first. 

  Ji Luo Chu showed a hesitant expression at this point. I told him, “It is all right. You can go first. We will wait for Olga to come over.” 

  After Ji Luo Chu left, the young master abruptly said, “Probably another incident just happened!” 

  I froze for a moment, and then asked in reflex, “Did Mr. Bramble and the others tell you that?” 

  “No. Ever since last night when I instructed them not to tell me the situations from the surveillance cameras, they still haven’t reported to me even now!” The young master tilted his head and looked in the direction Ji Luo Chu had left in. He said, “It’s because Luo Chu-gē left in a hurry.” 

  What relation is there between Ji Luo Chu leaving before us and an incident happening? I felt mystified and could only ask for clarification. “I do not understand, Young Master.” 

  The young master replied with a confident smile, “Ji Luo Chu. He is definitely First Wind!” 

  I was stunned and was not able to say anything for a long period of time. It had completely not crossed my mind that the young master would say something this shocking all of a sudden. 

  Once I thought about it more, I found it even stranger. I could only ask, “Young Master, Mr. Ji Luo Chu’s left arm has not been modified, but First Wind’s left arm has been modified.” 

  The young master chuckled as he said, “Charles, I look from head to toe like I don’t have any modifications, right?” 

  Hearing those words, I too started to smile. This was indeed true. Though the young master looked like he had not modified his body, the truth was that every part of his body had been modified at some point in time. If that was the case, then First Wind might have his own way of disguising such a thing. 

  At this point, the young master explained to me, “As long as I observe for a long enough time, I can ‘measure’ a person’s appearance in great detail. Though Luo Chu–gē’s hair color is a fairly ordinary shade of gold, there are still deeper and lighter shades to differentiate between even if it is gold in color. Luo Chu–gē’s and First Wind’s hair are both the same dark gold in color. His height, weight, the shape of his jaw, and the length of his right arm are all exactly the same as First Wind’s. Though his voice is a little different, First Wind’s voice is possibly altered. Therefore, Luo Chu-gē is definitely First Wind!” 

  I was a little shocked as I said, “If that is the case, then if we were to meet Solitary Butterfly and Dragon Peace as well, would Young Master be able to recognize them?” 

  “For Solitary Butterfly, yes. For Dragon Peace, possibly not.” The young master tilted his head, deep in thought as he said, “Dragon Peace is a little strange. With that body shape of his, it’s impossible to hide in the city without getting discovered. So, I think he doesn’t usually have that kind of body shape.” 

  I agreed whole-heartedly. Even werewolves after transformation would look like children in front of Dragon Peace. 

  “Young Master,” I suddenly realized something. “Perhaps Mr. Ji Luo Chu has also guessed your identity, just like you did.” 

  The young master rubbed his head, saying, “Yeah, probably because my hair color is still too obvious? But I can’t dye my hair… I hope Bàba can fix DSII’s body a little faster. This way, An Xiang Ye and Dark Sun can appear at the same time.” 

  I was still pondering over the question of why the young master’s hair could not be dyed when the young master tugged at my arm. He said, “Charles, go and look for the werewolf!” 

  I froze momentarily and took out my pocket watch to take a look. Then I said, “Young Master, it is only ten o’clock right now.” 

  The young master shrugged his shoulders as he said, “I will have Bramble-shū resume reporting the situations from the surveillance cameras. In a few moments, I will go and change into Dark Sun’s attire to go patrolling around the neighborhood for a while. You don’t have to follow me.” 

  So that is how it is. I bowed, and said, “Very well. Then, I do ask Young Master to take care.” 

  When I lifted my head up, there was already no one in front of me… The young master is really behaving more and more like the heroes in the movies—coming and going without a trace. 

  After I confirmed that the young master had indeed left, I glanced around. Once I ensured that no one was paying me any attention, I stepped onto the wall of the building, and then dashed all the way up. 

  Though I had accepted my friend X’s request, I truthfully could not say that I had been searching to the best of my abilities in these past few days. This made me feel extremely guilty. From now onwards, I definitely would have to start searching seriously. 

  I jumped onto the rooftop of the building and surveyed the surroundings. I started to analyze where I should start my search from. Sunset City was, after all, a big city, and if I were to search every alley it would definitely exceed the two week limit that X had asked for. Therefore, I had to start by searching the places where there was a higher possibility of finding him. 

  Hmm… Generally speaking, if a bloodthirsty werewolf wants to kill someone, either they will specially go out of the city to do so, or they will pick places within the city that are more impoverished and lacking. After all, even if the humans there were to simply vanish, it would not raise too much of a commotion. 

  Within Sunset city, the place with the worst living conditions was the southern part of the city. 

  X-Killer, the place where I was right now, was located in the western side of the city. Speaking of which, this area was indeed the Aristocrat First Wind’s area of influence. A photographer with an irregular work schedule, the composed manner upon seeing the mutilated corpse just now, and his rushing off because something had come up… Ji Luo Chu really did match the characteristics that a hero should have. The question is, does his little brother, Luo Lun, know about it? 

  “Do not think about heroes anymore.” I smiled wryly. Now was the time when I should be focusing on properly completing my friend’s request. 

  I looked down at the stretch of black earth. Tonight, there was moonlight in abundance. It was indeed a good occasion to be searching for werewolves. 

  Then, I shall start searching from the southwest…The southern side seems to be Dragon Peace’s territory. I sure hope that I do not run into him during these two weeks. 

  Following that, I started my lifestyle of going out every night to search for the werewolf Cornell. 

  Every night, the young master would go out at ten o’clock, and before I came back, he would go out for a morning run again. This made me feel extremely concerned. Could it be that the young master had specially left early and returned late so that I could have more time to search? 

  Bothered by my worries, I questioned Dell, who replied casually, “Yeah! The young master comes home at about two in the morning. If an incident happens, then his timing isn’t as regular. Sometimes, he doesn’t return until three or four.” 

  And then he goes out for a morning run at five o’clock? Does this count as having slept? 

  On the other side Mr. Bramble explained in more detail, “Butler, don’t be nervous. I have already asked the young master. The young master says that he actually doesn’t need to sleep every day. Even if he goes without sleep for a few days, he would still be fine. If he sleeps every day, two hours per day would be enough. Any more than that is excess and actually doesn’t help much.” 

  These descriptions really sounded extremely familiar. If it were not for the fact that the young master did not drink blood, I would believe that I was serving my fellow kind. 

  May also started smiling as he said, “The young master also used to do so in the past quite often. Though he would go to his room to sleep at ten o’clock, once anything happens, he would leap out from his bedroom window and only come home when dawn is about to break.” 

  So that is how it is. I relaxed a little, but I still continued to feel a little guilty. Hence, I put even more effort into serving the young master, and even made various kinds of different cuisines for the young master every day. Though the young master is not picky with his food and does not have any particular food preferences, he likes new things that he has not yet seen before. Therefore, as long as I used a method of cooking that he had yet to see, it would make him very happy. 

  For example, today’s dinner was Kaiseki cuisine. The young master had shown a face full of curiosity at the sashimi. When I was just about to bend over to pour the roasted barley tea, he had already spread a thick layer of wasabi and soy sauce on top of the sashimi. Just when the words, “Please wait a short moment,” had barely left my mouth, he had already shoved the entire slice of raw fish into his mouth. 

  “Young Master…” I was somewhat at a loss as to what to do. After all, I could not possibly ask the young master to quickly spit the food out. 

  After chewing twice, the young master’s face started to contort. He looked as though he was suffering a lot. I quickly served him the roasted barley tea and gently patted the young master’s back, telling him, “Young Master, please quickly drink some tea!” 

  The young master took the cup and finished the entire cup in one gulp. Then, he exhaled a very long breath before he nonchalantly said, “It’s really strong, but it tastes pretty good.” 

  Then, he picked up another slice of sashimi with his chopsticks, put on the same amount of wasabi, and shoved it into his mouth again… The young master’s tastes were as expected, also very “heroic.” 

  After dinnertime, the young master took out his homework. I helped pour a glass of milk for the young master and then turned away, intending to go clean up. However, the young master abruptly called out to me, “Charles.” 

  I stopped in my tracks and turned around to reply, “Yes.” 

  As the young master drank his milk, he said, “That day we were at X-Killer, wasn’t there someone who died in the alley? The autopsy report is out. The victim was a tourist and was torn apart with great force. His body pieces were strewn about, and there were quite a few traces of claw and tooth marks. The canines shown in the bite marks were abnormally developed and are definitely not the kind that a human would have. Other than that, they had also managed to collect animal fur. It is surmised that the person was attacked by a large animal.” 

  What kind of large animal could tear someone apart like that? Moreover, it was even in the midst of a large city. It simply was not possible that there was a previously undiscovered bear at large attacking humans here. 

  Other than werewolves, I simply could not think of any other possibilities. However, the location of X-Killer was in the west, which was in a completely different direction from the south, the place that I had been searching. Perhaps I had guessed wrong since the very beginning. 

  “What a pity that there aren’t any surveillance cameras in that alley.” The young master spoke in a tone full of regret. However, he smiled after that. “But we can still manage to find a few clues! For example, when the case happened, only the victim walked into that alley, and no one else.” 

  I was shocked, and words escaped from my mouth. “How can that be? Werewolves cannot become invisible.” 

  The young master laughed as he said, “Of course it’s not invisibility. The thing is, there is one place where surveillance cameras are absolutely unable to check. That’s the sewers.” 

  The sewers? 

  “If that werewolf was living in the sewers, then that would be really troublesome.” The young master said with concern, “The sewers of Sunset City are extremely tangled and complex, and moreover, a lot of vagrants live there. If someone were to dare to step into their territory, they would attack indiscriminately. Though they are really very weak, many do not fear death. To defeat them one-by-one under the constriction of not killing them is really very difficult.” 

  The young master looked at me all of a sudden, and warned me in an earnest tone, “Charles, I think it’s better for you to just search on the surface. As long as your brain doesn’t have a satellite navigation system installed, don’t ever go down into the sewers!” 

  Young Master, no one’s brain has a satellite navigation system installed in it…. I hesitated. Perhaps the young master did have one. 

  “Okay. Charles, you can go and look for the werewolf now.” 

  Upon hearing this, I froze momentarily but then replied hastily, “Young Master, it is merely eight o’clock at the moment.” 

  The young master shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’m going to go out now anyways! I have already made an appointment with Luo Chu-gē. I’m going to his studio for a test shoot today!” 

  I quickly said, “Young Master, please let me accompany you…” 

  “That won’t be necessary.” 

  I went blank for a moment. However, these words were not said by the young master. When I turned around, Melody was just walking in through the entranceway. She gave us a charming smile. “The young master has me for company!” 

  I started laughing involuntarily. The young master was openly laughing even more heartily as he said, “Melody, why are you dressed like that?” 

  Her outfit was a white high-collar blouse, and her hair was combed neatly and tied into a bun at the back of her head. She was even wearing a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. With her tight skirt and the black high heels with thick-heels on her feet, she looked like a female executive from an office… except that that tight skirt was a tiny bit too short. 

  Melody turned around on the spot and exclaimed, “A shrewd and capable female butler! Isn’t that what I look like?” 

  I smiled as I shook my head. However, the young master nodded his head vigorously. 

  Melody seized the young master and looked at me. With a provocative tone, she said, “If the young master says I look like one, then I look like one.” 

  I gave a slight smile and did not pay any mind to her provocations. I merely briefed her, “It is great that you are accompanying the young master. Please remember, no matter what the photographer says, do not ever let the young master wear dashing clothes and a cold expression at the same time. That is because that kind of appearance is simply too much like Dark Sun.” 

  The young master showed an expression of sudden realization. Melody instead impatiently said, “Got it. Young Master, we’re going!” 

  I really did not understand why Melody was in such a rush. Other than the last time when we had gone out and coincidentally run into an incident, causing her to have no choice but to help delay time, I had never seen her have that much interest in accompanying the young master outdoors. 

  The young master laughed quietly. “I told Melody that Luo Chu-gē is a very nice person and also is very good-looking!” 

  So that is how it is. 

  “What?! What kind of secrets are you two whispering about! If you’re not going, then I’m leaving.” Melody pouted in dissatisfaction. 

  “We’re going right now!” The young master immediately grabbed Melody, not letting her leave, while at the same time bidding farewell to me, “We’re heading off now!” 

  “Very well, please watch your step.” 

  My gaze followed the young master and Melody as they went out the door. Afterwards, I changed out of my butler’s attire to the clothes from X-Killer, and as usual, I went out to search for the whereabouts of the werewolf Cornell.

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 6: At a Loss, the Hero who must Sacrifice Others or Himself

  Translator: Doza 

  Gēge, I’ve failed… The mother and her daughter were both blown into bits and pieces. 

  If I had succeeded in saving them, would that mother have been the same as all those mothers I’ve rescued in the past, thanking me with a smile and saying that I was like an angel? 

  In that moment, if I had paid more attention, maybe I could have discovered that the detonator was not with that crook. 

  Today, I am not an angel. I brought death unto that mother… I am a grim reaper. 

  Today, I switched to searching in the west, although I was quite doubtful that the werewolf would dare to appear in the west. The western side was not only not the slums, there were also many rooftops that one could not carelessly step upon. It was certainly not a territory suited for a rampaging werewolf to stay in. 

  Therefore, the chances of finding the werewolf in the west were slim. However, since I had accepted this request, I had to search everywhere, no matter the place. 

  I repeatedly traveled back and forth between the rooftop and the ground, paying close attention to the dark alleys. The moment I saw indications of a fight in the alley, a flicker of hope would ignite. However, upon taking a closer look at the situation, I would lose hope again. It would only be a group of youths trying show off their superiority through fighting. 

  After losing hope several times, I nearly wanted to step in and let these bored youths understand the preciousness of life. 

  I searched for a long time before I sat down on a bench along a street to rest. I pulled out my pocket watch and saw that it was already midnight. However, I had not even found a single strand of beast fur. It looked like it was yet another fruitless night. 

  Sigh! X, the task you have given me is really rather difficult. Even though I do not want to disappoint you, it looks like I do not have much choice. Furthermore, you do not even own a cell phone nor do you reply to the emails I send. Tell me, how am I supposed to contact you? 

  I myself was already considered a very conservative vampire. However, X was even more conservative than I was. Although this allowed us to connect over similar interests, it was such a big hassle when wanting to contact the other party. 

  “Hey! Handsome, would you have any interest in dancing with me at the pub?” 

  I raised my head, but while I was preparing to decline, I recognized the other person and blurted out, “Melody?” 

  Melody was still wearing those clothes she called her “female butler” uniform, except that her collar buttons were opened all the way down to her chest, her gold-rimmed spectacles had disappeared, and her hair was restored to its usual loosely hanging style. She looked at me with an appreciative expression, especially at the sides of my pants, and then complimented me, “You’re really very sexy today, Mr. Butler!” 

  “You are also very modest today.” I glanced at her clothes, and added on with a smile that was not quite a smile, “If you buttoned up two more buttons, you would be very modest indeed.” 

  She sat down beside me deftly, and then lazily leaned back on the bench, saying, “What’s wrong, you still haven’t found him?” 

  I shook my head. 

  “You wouldn’t have been able to find him right from the start.” Melody scrutinized her violet fingernails as she said, “What kind of person is the young master? Even he couldn’t find him. Did you think that by randomly looking around like a headless housefly, you would bump into him?” 

  I could not refute that. However, I had no choice but to search for him. 

  Melody looked at me, and then said, “Suit yourself, if you want to search then go and search! In any case, the young master doesn’t mind. I don’t need to be a busybody.” 

  I smiled faintly and asked, “Is the test shoot going well?” 

  The moment I asked this question, Melody’s eyes started sparkling and she exclaimed, “Great…” 

  That great? Then perhaps being a model is truly suitable for the young master. 

  “He’s really a great man!” 

  “… A great man?” What is this supposed to mean? 

  “That’s right!” Melody said excitedly, “That photographer, Ji Luo Chu, is really good-looking. He also has the air of a gentleman from the olden days, yet is very fashionable. I haven’t met such a wonderful man for such a long time!” 

  If I remember correctly, Melody seems to like First Wind a lot? If she knew that the young master believes Ji Luo Chu is First Wind, it would definitely be very interesting. 

  “At first, I wanted to look for him and the young master to go to the pub to party together. Then I can embrace one on my left and hug one on my right. It would be awesome! It’s a pity he had something come in at the last minute and left first, and after that even the young master ran off. So boring!” Melody sighed heavily, her entire body limp against the bench. 

  However, she straightened her body right after and shouted spiritedly, “Let’s go!” 

  “Go?” I blinked, and asked confusedly, “Go where?” 

  “To look for the werewolf!” Melody said as though it was a matter of fact. “Tonight, I will accompany you to look for the werewolf. Some other day, you will have to accompany me to have fun at a pub!” 

  I was rather surprised as I asked, “Did you not want Ji Luo Chu and the young master to go?” 

  Melody stood up, and loomed above me. She slowly said, “Embrace one on my left, hug one on my right, and add on a butler to open up a path. Wouldn’t that be even more impressive?” 

  I smiled rather speechlessly. Then, Melody pulled me up, and after that we jumped onto a wall together. 

  “You want to search in the western district?” Standing on the wall, Melody glanced at me and asked, “Should we search together or split up to search?” 

  “Let us search together!” 

  Splitting up to search would be more efficient, but however more efficient we would be, we could not be more efficient than the young master and several tens of thousands of surveillance cameras. As opposed to being constantly disappointed alone, it was better to have a companion by my side. 

  After searching several alleys in succession, we discovered there seemed to be a big uproar close by. There were “genuine” screams, and seemingly plenty of them. From the skies both near and far came the sounds of a helicopter’s rotor blades and the ear-piercing sirens of police cars. 

  “It really has not been peaceful lately,” I sighed lightly. 

  However, Melody laughed and teasingly said, “Then I know how long you haven’t been paying attention to the screams in the streets! It has probably been around five years? For the past few years, the streets haven’t been peaceful at all. Otherwise, even if the city is large, it wouldn’t need four heroes and a whole crowd of policemen, right?” 

  I took several steps in the direction the noises came from, but from behind me, I heard Melody’s warning, “Butler, don’t go over there. Since you don’t like to fight, then you wouldn’t want to be drawn into the center of the incident, right?” 

  I hesitated briefly. Then, I took out my cell phone and dialed Mr. Bramble’s number. Following that, I queried, “Mr. Bramble, may I ask if you are able to see what the big uproar in the western district is about?” 

  “First Wind has engaged criminals there and seems to be facing some difficulty. But it’s too far away, so the young master does not intend to head over.” Mr. Bramble finished his simple explanation. 

  After thanking Mr. Bramble, I ended the call and told Melody, “I think we do not have to worry. First Wind is already there…” 

  Melody cried out, “First Wind?” 

  Hearing this exclamation, I had a somewhat uneasy feeling, and incidentally remembered something. That is, Melody likes First Wind a lot, and last time, she failed in getting his autograph. 

  When my thoughts reached this point, I did not need to think any further. That was because Melody was already pulling my hand and rushing ahead. 

  I could only smile a forced smile and nothing else, but I did not really mind. Since the young master would not be heading over, then even if the situation worsened, I would not intervene. As for whether Melody would step in, that was her decision. 

  After jumping over a few walls, we stepped onto a rooftop. 

  The moment we set foot on it, I noticed a symbol belonging to a non-human drawn on the water tower. In addition, I had an inkling that that symbol seemed to belong to someone whom we should not provoke. Frowning, I said, “We should change locations. This place seems to be the territory of a very powerful non-human.” 

  Melody glanced at the symbol and replied, “It’s fine, I’m acquainted with this fellow.” 

  I nodded and did not pay any more attention to this issue. Instead, I turned my attention to the situation below. On my first look, I almost thought that I was watching a war film. In that genre of movies, captives were often hung up in a row, just like they were now. 

  On the middle floor of one of the buildings, around the fifth floor, the entire wall was a stretch of French windows. Behind the windows was a row of people who had been hung up. Men, women, young, and old, there were all kinds of people. Their clothes were considerably mundane. They appeared as if they had been captured after school or work, or even during an after-meal walk. 

  The only similarity they shared was the expression of terror on their faces. That was due to the three masked criminals carrying guns standing behind them. 

  Below, First Wind stood in front of the building motionlessly. Everyone else, including the policemen, were all standing far away. The policemen had even formed a cordon, preventing all citizens from getting any closer. 

  This scene was really familiar. It was practically identical to the previous scene in which the mother and daughter were hung from the rooftop. The only difference was that all four heroes had been present in that incident, but this time, only First Wind was here. 

  Not long ago, the young master said that the reason for their actions during that incident was to hunt heroes. Can it be that this time, they intend to kill First Wind? 

  Melody’s indolent voice sounded beside my ear. “Humans! They’re really getting more and more skilled at tormenting their own kind!” 

  At this moment, the sound of a broadcaster came from the street. “Mr. First Wind, you had better not move… But even if you move, it doesn’t matter. It will merely cost a human life.” 

  “What the heck are they thinking of doing?” Melody frowned and said with uncertainty, “Are they trying to divert attention once again to go conduct some jewel robbery? This trick shouldn’t work a second time, right?” 

  “They are not diverting attention, they want to…” 

  Before the four words “hunt and kill heroes” had even left my mouth, I heard four gunshots. Immediately after that, First Wind’s body slowly crumpled to the ground, and bright red blood slowly flowed out around him… 

  It worked? I was shocked. Has First Wind really been killed? 

  Once more, sound came from the broadcaster. “You’re really disobedient! Mr. First Wind, don’t think that I didn’t see you sneakily avoid getting a fatal wound. You moved four times in total. Well then…” 

  At this moment, First Wind clambered up and yelled, “Stop!” 

  However, the burly men holding the guns were already opening fire. Four gunshots rang out in total, each killing a student, an elderly, and two women. Blood sprayed onto the French windows, and four flowers of blood bloomed. They had not even had time to scream. Their bodies merely twitched lightly for a while, and then they did not give any further reaction. 

  First Wind swayed twice. He lifted his head to look at the French windows. I could not see his expression, but I could clearly imagine it… It will definitely be one of grief and anger, right? 

  At this moment, the voice rang out again. “Please don’t move! We still have twelve hostages in our hands…” 

  “Sniper rifle? They actually used a sniper rifle to shoot the good man that I want!” 

  This voice was really close to me. I turned my head and saw Melody’s whole face twitching. She turned her head too and roared at me, “Charles Endelis!” 

  I did a double take. I had never thought that she would actually address me by my full name. Melody rarely even used “Charles.” Does she not normally address me as the butler? 

  “I’ll leave the two snipers on the left to you,” Melody said fiercely. “Get rid of them. If not, I’ll get rid of you!” 

  After she finished speaking, she immediately took a flying leap onto another building. If I had seen correctly, that was in the direction of another two snipers. 

  Kill two humans, and I can eat my fill in passing; or be killed by Melody. This seems to be an extremely-easy-to-decide multiple-choice question that I have rarely been given in recent days! 

  I immediately leaped toward the left. When the snipers had fired just now, I was able to pinpoint their locations. The first person was on the rooftop of the building beside us. I leaped across and as I passed the first sniper, I made a clean slash across his neck with my claws. Then, I sped toward the second sniper. 

  I stepped onto another building and saw the second sniper. I was very lucky; this one was a female. Most women are cleaner than men. To a vampire, because they had to embrace their food while eating and put their mouth on the neck of their food for a period of time, being cleaner was always better. 

  However, the shrieks of women were always so ear-piercing that I would be unable to resist frowning. 

  Still, this woman seemed to have undergone training. When I stood behind her and was about to hug her, she noticed me and violently thrust the stock of her gun backwards. However, I deflected it with my hand, and then I embraced her. From beginning to end, she did not let out any screams. Although she did struggle much more than others, compared to the ear-piercing screams, struggling was not hard to deal with. 

  When I sank my fangs into her neck, I realized that she was really clean. She had not even sprayed on any perfume… It has been so long since I have had such a good meal. 

  After a long while, I released the food in my hands and supported her as she slowly slipped to the ground. Then, I lifted up my head and saw Melody. She looked down and licked her lips as she said, “That looks very delicious. Those on my side were all stinking men. I lost my appetite just by smelling that terrible odor.” 

  I took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed the blood stains at the corners of my mouth. I asked offhandedly, “How is First Wind?” 

  The moment Melody heard me, her enthusiasm faltered as she said, “He lost too much blood and fell unconscious. Later on, Dragon Peace showed up and carried him away.” 

  I froze, and then inquired further, “Then the hostages?” 

  Melody mimicked the position taken when firing a gun. Seeing this, my heart sank and I muttered, “All dead?” 

  “That’s right!” Melody said bitterly, “Yet another idiotic man. The four shots he endured were all for nothing. Right from the start, he shouldn’t have cared about those hostages!” 

  Allow heroes to disregard the people? I could not help but silently think. If it could be done, then he would not be a hero anymore. 

  I looked at the scene before my eyes. The place below us seemed to have exploded. The police cordon had long since stopped functioning. The police and paramedics in white had already rushed into the building. Media reporters and citizens were crowded around outside. Everyone wanted to move up to take a look. 

  But when they actually carried out the corpses covered with white cloths, everyone quieted down. One, two… five, six… In the end, they carried out fifteen corpses in total. 

  “They were all innocent!” I said with a sigh. 

  Melody said coldly, “There are no innocent people in this world.” 

  I looked at Melody. She was looking below as she continued, “Those people, they enjoyed the benefits brought about by the heroes. Naturally, they would have to bear the losses too. Since when can one only have the good but not the bad?” 

  “Perhaps they would rather not have heroes.” 

  For the first time, I started questioning the existence of heroes. After all, this was the real world and not a movie. When fifteen people died just like this, they would not get up again after the director yelled cut. Furthermore, the reason for their deaths was merely that they were used to threaten the hero to stay still. 

  Melody abruptly asked, “Do you know how much the existence of heroes has lowered the major crime rates?” 

  I paused and shook my head. 

  Melody extended the five fingers on her right hand and said, “The reports from every media company are different, but all of them will have at least fifty percent correspondence. If we change to counting the number of adult lives, that would be ten less deaths every day at the bare minimum. In the past five years, how many fewer deaths have there been? Do you dare to say that these fifteen people are not among those who could have died? Even if they weren’t, then what about their relatives and friends?” 

  I watched Melody, feeling extremely surprised. I did not expect Melody, who was a vampire, to have studied so much about heroes. 

  “What are you looking at me like that for?” Melody appeared somewhat uneasy, saying, “I only read an article printed in the newspaper! That was what it said!” 

  Convinced, I said, “But your words made a lot of sense. I was too superficial.” 

  “Even though you’re convinced, other people probably wouldn’t be so easily convinced!” Melody glanced at me as she said, “Stay by the young master’s side more often these days! I’ll help you look for the werewolf, and Bramble and the others will also help. It’ll be a lot more efficient than you running about randomly trying to bump into him.” 

  Stay by the young master’s side more often? I was rather puzzled. As long as the young master was at home, I was practically always at his side. Even if I frequently left the house as of late, I only did so after the young master went out or was asleep. 

  Melody looked off into the distance and let out a long sigh, as if she had a myriad of sorrows… 

  “Damn it! I didn’t get his autograph again!” 

  When I returned home, it was already three in the morning. The young master was at home, but he was not sleeping. He was instead modifying firearms in his workshop. 

  I walked to the young master’s side and saw him scrutinizing the semi-finished magazine of a pistol. I walked to the front of a cabinet used for storing spare products and selected a box that contained bullets of various caliber. As I set it down in front of the young master, I greeted him. “Young Master, I have returned. May I pour a glass of milk for you?” 

  The young master first raised his head, then looked at the box of bullets. Following which he smiled, saying, “Charles, you’re really amazing. You seem to know every item that I need. It would be terrible if Charles wasn’t around in the future, I would definitely feel very lost.” 

  Upon hearing this, I was dumbstruck. I truly did not expect… I truly did not expect to hear such a sentence at this moment. 

  During my butler training, my honorable father had always told me that the proudest point of being a butler was having the master say, “I really cannot do without you.” 

  One who stands silently in the background like an invisible man, but upon his disappearance, would cause the master to feel completely disoriented… This is a butler. 

  After my honorable father had said this, I had always fantasized about such a scene. 

  In front of an ancient castle, a master with a perfect demeanor sits in a courtyard with elegant tables and chairs. When I offer him black tea that has been steeped to perfection, he would gently sip a mouthful, show a satisfied expression, and subsequently open his mouth to tell me this sentence… 

  Charles, I really can’t do without you! 

  However, my employers had changed five times in a row. Whenever I had accomplished a mission well, they would deliver money, presents, and even fresh blood and pretty ladies. However, not one of them had ever uttered that sentence. There was never even a single word of thanks. 

  Currently, the young master held a screwdriver in his left hand, a pistol in his right hand, his face was even stained with black oil (I hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe off the black oil stains on the young master), and the item I passed him was not black tea but a box of bullets. 

  Still, I found that these were all unimportant details. The only important thing was that sentence… 

  Honorable father of mine! Your words are truly accurate. After receiving these words of praise, I feel extremely proud and satisfied. Luckily I followed your words and became a butler. 

  “Charles?” 

  The young master’s eyes widened and he said anxiously, “Charles, don’t cry! Did I say something wrong? You can just tell me, don’t be angry…” 

  At this moment, I discovered that my cheeks were wet. I hurriedly used my handkerchief to dab my cheeks as I explained to the young master, “Charles would not dare. Charles was just deeply moved, definitely not angry.” 

  “Charles…” 

  After trying to smother his laughter for a while, the young master burst out laughing as he said, “Your face is stained with black oil!” 

  I blinked. Only then did I remember that this handkerchief in my hands had just been used to wipe black oil off the young master’s face, and I had used it again to wipe my tears… 

  I hurriedly bowed and apologized, “I am really too impolite. Young Master, please allow me to change into my butler uniform and tidy up my appearance before returning to wait upon you.” 

  The young master chuckled as he said, “No problem, you can go!” 

  The young master continued modifying his firearm. He worked on modifications until five in the morning. Then, he went out for his morning run, and after that came back to shower and eat breakfast. 

  During breakfast, Mr. Bramble did not reach for the remote control to switch on the television. Instead, it was the young master who did so. The moment he switched on the television, the morning news was full of criticism. Although it was not targeted at Dark Sun, instead at Dragon Peace and First Wind, it always involved all the heroes at the end, saying that they handled matters without regard for the consequences, saying that they brought harm unto innocents, saying that they were selfish, only caring about their own escape, not caring about the lives of the innocent people… 

  The last part was a few family members weeping as they complained. Most of the content was topics related to why didn’t they save them, why did they run and so on. 

  Why did they bring death to our relatives? 

  The television roared incessantly, and everyone at the dining table was all eating frantically. Even though they were chewing the food in their mouths, they wore nervous expressions on their faces. If I had not clearly known the reason was not in the food, perhaps I would have wondered if I had cooked a meal of poison. 

  However, the young master’s expression remained calm. 

  “Everyone, don’t panic. I’m all right.” As he watched the television, the young master said in a sympathetic tone, “Those people lost their most beloved relatives. They need a target they can take it out on.” 

  I looked at the young master and softly comforted him, “Young Master is very magnanimous.” 

  “I’m not magnanimous…” The young master said quietly, “I’m still a bit sad. The ones they’re blaming are not the criminals, but the heroes.” 

  I was stunned, abruptly woken up. That is right, the people they should be condemning are the criminals, but everyone’s criticisms have landed on the heroes so far. However, even I had initially questioned the heroes, so how can I blame those people? 

  The young master said worriedly, “I hope First Wind and Dragon Peace are all right. If they give up being heroes, Solitary Butterfly and I cannot possibly manage the entire city.” 

  Heroes, we don’t need you. 

  I looked at the television and nearly wanted to reach out, pick up the remote control, and switch off the television. However, it was the young master who had turned on the television. Since he had not turned it off of his own accord, then I should not overstep my boundaries. 

  … We don’t need you! 

  “I think I shouldn’t go out to be a hero anytime soon.” The young master said expressionlessly, “Right now, maybe people don’t really need heroes.” 

  Young Master, is this a move in consideration of the future, or are you just acting out of feeling wronged? With the young master’s two completely different personalities, it was truly hard to say. 

  However, the following days confirmed the truth of the young master’s words. The citizens were protesting everywhere, and the content of their protests were mostly about rejecting heroes or demanding the heroes to take responsibility for the fifteen lives in the previous incident, and so on. 

  After that case, First Wind and Dragon Peace did not appear anymore, but Solitary Butterfly tried. However, after several counts of getting mobbed by citizens, she too vanished without a trace. 

  The young master really did as he said. For the past few nights, according to Mr. Bramble and the others, the young master had truly slept obediently, and had not jumped out of the window to be a hero even once. 

  Every day, while eating breakfast and dinner, the young master would always switch on the television and watch the news. Even though he said that he did not mind, he looked depressed and his eating speed had slowed down to be the same as a normal person’s. 

  At that moment, I understood why Melody had requested that I stay by the young master’s side more often, and I was very happy to comply with this arrangement. Therefore, unless the young master had fallen asleep, I would certainly not leave him. At the same time, before five in the morning, I would definitely return to send the young master out of the door for his morning run. 

  Nevertheless, the young master still appeared to become even more and more depressed. 

  And so, when they listened to the television broadcast the news of the citizens’ protest, everyone’s expression looked as if they had some deep hatred for the television. If the young master was not present, I fear Dell would have already rushed up to smash the television.

  Usually, the young master would have to go to school. The moment they saw the young master exit, everyone would heave a huge sigh of relief. If he went to school, at least he would not watch the television any longer. 

  However, when the weekend arrived, the young master did not go out. After returning from his morning run, he sat in his workshop to modify guns. 

  As for everyone else, because the young master no longer went out to be a hero anymore, they were not needed to watch the surveillance monitors. As a result, everyone could only sit in the living room. It looked as if everyone had something to do, but in fact, Mr. Bramble had already flipped through his newspapers three times. Although Dell’s eyes were watching the television, the television was currently broadcasting a channel about the country’s geography, and this was a program that he would never watch. May was doing yoga until he was perspiring excessively, because he had already done three hours of yoga. 

  Although everyone looked as if they badly wanted to rush out of the door, and the atmosphere inside was indeed heavy, no one had any ideas about what to do. Even Dell, after laughing awkwardly alone when he tried joking several times, had given up on lightening the heavy atmosphere that filled the room. 

  At that moment, the door bell rang. It was as if everyone had just woken up from a big dream. They rapidly put aside the things at hand and looked toward the door. I walked to the door and pressed the screen beside it. However, I saw someone I did not expect and promptly opened the door for her. 

  “Good morning, Charles-gēge!” 

  A girl yelled with vigor as she hopped in. 

  I smiled as I greeted her, “Good morning, Briar.” 

  The moment Briar entered, she walked around shouting, “Ah Ye-gēge? Ah Ye-gēge!” 

  With a single glance, she saw the young master sitting in the workshop and dashed toward him. At this moment, the young master also stopped modifying his gun and in one motion, hugged the girl who tackled him, laughing as he said, “Briar, you haven’t come over in a long time.” 

  “That’s because I had exams in school before this! Aren’t I here now?” Briar’s eyes shone as she spoke. “And look, I also brought toast and cheese slices! Let’s go make sandwiches now, and then later on we can go out to have a picnic, throw some Frisbees, fly kites, and do many many things!” 

  “Make sandwiches and have a picnic?” The young master looked rather interested and agreed readily, “Okay!” 

  In that moment, everyone sighed in relief, and one after another, gave Briar a grateful look. 

  Then, the young master and Briar held hands, one large and one small, as they headed for the kitchen. I hurriedly followed after them, but Briar made a motion to stop me, and shouted, “Charles-gēge cannot come and help! We want to make the sandwiches ourselves!” 

  I hesitated for a bit, and the young master chuckled, saying, “Charles, you don’t have to follow us.” 

  “Understood.” 

  I had no other choice but to stop walking and watch the young master and Briar enter the kitchen. Instead, I switched to steeping a new pot of tea for Mr. Bramble and while doing so, whispered to him, “Mr. Bramble, was it you who called for Briar?” 

  Mr. Bramble lowered his voice as he said, “It’s that child herself who clamored to come. She had exams before this, so I didn’t let her come. Now that the exams are over, of course I would let her come.” 

  Is that so? Then why did the stall-keeper selling vegetables at the food market tell me that her daughter is having exams next week? I could not resist smiling. 

  As I made tea for Mr. Bramble, I turned my head several times to look toward the kitchen. I was truly feeling a bit uneasy. Even though they were only making sandwiches, ever since I started serving the young master, he had not even fried an egg. 

  While flipping through the newspapers for the fourth time, Mr. Bramble said offhandedly, “Butler, don’t worry. That child, Briar, lost her mother when she was only three years old and started entering and exiting the kitchen when she was eight. Now she can even cook a table of different dishes.” 

  So that explains it. I had always felt that Briar’s actions seemed to be more mature than other children at the same age of twelve. So it turned out to be because she had not had a mother since she was very young. 

  After roughly half an hour passed, the young master called for me, and I entered the kitchen. Initially, I believed that I would be seeing a mess, but unexpectedly, the kitchen had been tidied up and cleaned. Other than a few small bottles that had not been completely wiped clean, the rest of the area was not much different from usual. 

  The young master was carrying an entire tray of sandwiches. His eyes sparkled as he said, “Charles, we made these! I’ll give you one.” 

  I accepted the sandwich that the young master passed to me, and expressed my gratitude, “Thank you, Young Master.” 

  “Charles-gēge, are there containers that we can put sandwiches and milk in?” 

  “There are.” 

  I got out a lunch box for outdoor use from a cupboard and let the young master and Briar happily arrange the sandwiches inside. To their side, I took out a few insulated bottles. First, I packed two bottles of milk, and then I made some black tea and added ice cubes. This way, other than the young master who liked to drink milk, the others would have iced milk tea to drink as well. 

  If they wanted to have a picnic, then they would need a large sheet to spread out on the grass, napkins, wet wipes, a Frisbee, a ball… Ten minutes later, I had readied everything. Everyone’s hands were carrying things of varying sizes that were essential for a picnic. We were prepared to set off. 

  “Charles, you can go sleep! No need to follow us out.” 

  However, the young master turned back to look at me and said worriedly, “It’s daytime right now, and you can’t wear your traditional suit out, right? The sun would make you feel very uncomfortable, right?” 

  “It is no problem…” 

  Dell patted my shoulder. “Relax! ‘Older second brother,’ we, the ‘younger third brother,’ the ‘younger fourth brother,’ and even ‘Father’ are present. There is even an additional Briar-mèimei to accompany the young master. What else do you have to worry about?” 

  I was at a loss for words. 

  The young master chuckled quietly, but in contrast, Briar’s face was full of curiosity. She looked at Dell, then looked at Bramble, and asked in rapid succession, “What happened, what happened? Just what is it? Dell-gē!” 

  Dell squatted down and feigned sincerity as he said, “I’ll tell you what happened. Someone didn’t know how ‘young’ he looked, and still thought he could pretend to be someone else’s older brother. He nearly embarrassed himself!” 

  Briar still looked confused, but the young master laughed even harder. 

  “In that case,” I bowed toward everyone as I said goodbye to them, “Everyone, please take care.” 

  Dell yelled in a fake voice, “Oh my! Mr. Butler is hurrying us!” 

  “Charles would not dare…” 

  “You’re already hurrying us, yet you still say you aren’t?” 

  I was speechless and did not know how I should respond. 

  “Okay, okay!” The young master patted Dell and chuckled, “Stop bullying Charles. Let’s go have a picnic!” 

  “Young Master, it’s clearly him who is hurrying me. How can you say that I’m bullying him?” 

  The young master laughed and picked up Briar. Then, he walked into the elevator, and both of them turned back to wave goodbye to me. 

  I raised my hand and waved too. It seems that the young master is more energetic now. That is really great.

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 7: In the City, the Hidden Hero

  Translator: ErodingPersona 

  Gēge, don’t worry about me anymore. I’m fine. 

  Everyone is working hard at consoling me… I really am fine. 

  Let’s stop talking about that. Gēge, do you know? I found a part-time job. I’m going to be a model! The photographer is Luo Chu-gē, he’s Luo Lun’s elder brother! He… 

  … 

  I feel really worried about First Wind. He must feel so upset! 

  As expected, Briar had exams the following week. However, she still came over every day, even bringing along her textbooks so that she could study in the young master’s home. Every day after school, she would sit in the young master’s workshop. While the young master did his homework or modified his guns, she would also be doing her homework or studying. Whenever she came across anything she did not understand, she would turn to ask the young master, and the young master would answer all of her questions. 

  The atmosphere at home was no longer as heavy as before. Everyone, including Mr. Bramble and I, kept on shooting Briar grateful looks. Even when the news criticized heroes, Briar would be able to use numerous methods to divert the young master’s attention, even managing to make him laugh out loud, not allowing him to hear the criticism on TV at all. 

  Besides the matters at home, the two week deadline that my friend X had given me had also arrived. 

  Nevertheless, I still could not find a single trace of the werewolf. I could not even manage to contact X. This made me somewhat vexed, but I was also worried. I was angry at the complete lack of communication from X over these two weeks, as he did not even contact me at all, and worried over the fact that unlike me, X had a mile-long list of enemies. Could he have gotten into some kind of trouble? 

  No matter what, today is the last day of the allotted time. It seems like fulfilling X’s request is impossible… 

  “Charles? Charles? What are you thinking about?” 

  I returned to my senses. Before me, the young man selling chicken was waving his hand in front of me. After seeing that I had refocused, he handed over a bag of chopped chicken meat with a smile and asked, “Making curry rice again?” 

  I hurriedly took the chicken and replied while paying him, “No, I am making chicken soup.” 

  “Chicken soup? I really should have some of that, especially now.” 

  The chicken merchant and I were both startled. I turned around, mouth opening. “Mr. Yue Gang? What are you doing here again?” 

  Yue Gang rolled his eyes at me and said unhappily, “There’s no need to be so direct even if you don’t want me here!” 

  Ah… I hurriedly apologized. “That was awfully disrespectful of me. I did not mean it like that. Please forgive me…” 

  “Okay!” Yue Gang said bluntly. “Treat me to afternoon tea, and I’ll forgive you.” 

  Although I was very confused as to why I had to treat a policeman that I had only met once before to afternoon tea, I was the one who had spoken so rudely. As long as the request he made was not too preposterous, I would not reject it. 

  So, carrying my groceries, I went with Yue Gang to a fast food restaurant to eat. 

  Yue Gang helped himself to a “Family Meal” without holding back. I politely explained that I did not want to eat anything, but he determinedly said that he would not give me anything anyway — the whole meal was his. 

  Once he got his meal, Yue Gang immediately started eating it, as though this was his first meal in days. Seeing this, I felt bewildered. No one is fighting him for it, so why must he eat in such a hurry? 

  After a long time, Yue Gang finally slowed down and said, “Tch! A little while longer and I would have starved to death.” 

  I smiled politely. Really, could this man exaggerate any more than this? 

  Yue Gang eyed me and said, “You don’t believe me? I’ve only eaten a loaf of white bread over the past three days!” 

  I was speechless and asked, “Why is that so?” 

  Yue Gang said “For this” and then retrieved something that looked like a product catalog and tossed it to me. 

  It really was a product catalog. I flipped through it casually. Everything listed in it was military equipment, like infrared binoculars, heat detectors, different types of bulletproof clothing, and even multiple types of guns. 

  I lifted my head to look at Yue Gang. The latter made a “Tch” noise and explained, “The criminals now are so vicious, the equipment given to us by the higher-ups aren’t even powerful enough to defend ourselves with! If we don’t buy things to use, then when we’re on an assignment, we can only hide somewhere far away.” 

  And Mr. Yue Gang was obviously not the type to willingly hide far away. 

  “All those things are so expensive.” Yue Gang sighed. “Although they did save my life several times over, they almost cost me my life too. There’s still more than a week left until payday at the start of the month. I don’t have enough money to eat… How about it?” 

  “What is it?” I asked, confused. 

  Yue Gang looked at me longingly. “Let me take away an extra meal, yeah? You wouldn’t just sit by and watch a good policeman die of hunger, right? Just let me take away another family meal. Then, I can heat a piece of fried chicken each day. Like this, I can last until next week.” 

  “Even if you heat up the food from here, it will still taste horrible.” 

  “It’s still better than dying of hunger,” Yue Gang mumbled. 

  I smiled and said, “That market from earlier has a noodle stall. Just go and order whatever you want to eat and use my name for your tab. You can go over and pay it back once you receive your salary.” 

  Yue Gang was happily surprised and cried aloud, “My good brother!” 

  I forced a smile. “Forgive my rudeness, but I have to ask, did you come to the market to look for me because you had no money to eat and wanted me to treat you? Why did you not look for someone more familiar to you? If I recall correctly, we have only met once before.” 

  “Everyone else I know around me is a cop. How can I ask them?” 

  Yue Gang must have noticed my confused expression. He went on to explain in more detail. “Even those cops that hide the farthest away from trouble don’t dare to skip out on buying something extra. If not, their family would be taking compensation payment already. In this occupation, the salary looks great at first glance; however, the amount that’s needed to buy equipment is even greater! No one can avoid buying some more equipment to protect their lives. The worst part is that technology is improving so rapidly. The policemen have just started using the latest bulletproof clothes, but the criminals have already bought better guns. So we can only use our own salaries to buy newer bulletproof clothes… This is a black hole! It’s only allowing those business people to earn tons of money.” 

  I nodded my head. 

  Yue Gang sighed again and complained, “That’s why! All of us cops are in a tough situation, especially those that are already married with kids. They aren’t willing to use the money to buy the equipment, and so they’re actually the ones whose families end up collecting compensation payment the most.” 

  At this, he suddenly made a dissatisfied expression and grumbled unhappily, “Actually, now that I think about it, heroes aren’t that bad. After those Four Great Heroes appeared, the number of brothers that have had to take compensation payments has really gone down.” 

  He turned to me, like he was asking a question to himself but also to me. “Hey, when do you think those damn heroes will appear again? It can’t be that they ran away just because they got criticized, right? Can they even still be considered heroes like that?” 

  I could not help refuting him. “Heroes are normal people as well. They would also feel upset and hurt.” 

  “Upset? We cops are losing brothers every day! You think we’re not upset? This is why I don’t like heroes! They aren’t dutiful enough, aren’t professional enough! They can just choose to leave whenever they want to! We cops don’t work like that. But even though we work ourselves to death, everyone thinks that in this city the heroes are the ones who take care of things, while the cops are there to clean up the aftermath! 

  “I’ll tell you, bro, that not a single cop likes heroes!” 

  Yue Gang smacked the table and roared, “But the worst damned thing is, after the heroes disappeared, the daily number of cases jumped by at least five times. The police force is not large enough to handle everything!” 

  I stared pityingly at Yue Gang. The latter actually had no idea about the real situation. It was not just that the police force was not sufficient enough. The police force was actually also not strong enough. Against those criminals with modified bodies, most of the policemen would definitely be powerless to capture them. 

  Not to mention, there were also many non-humans in the city. 

  Heroes may more or less be able to scare off “non-humans,” but the police force would not even be on the non-humans’ radar. Among major criminal cases, there was probably quite a number that were committed by “released” non-humans being reckless. 

  It is because of those criminals that are non-humans or modified humans, so powerful that normal people cannot fight against them, that heroes who are similarly not like normal people were born, right? 

  After a long moment, Yue Gang’s bored voice floated over. “Do you think those Four Heroes will ever come out again?” 

  “I do not know either,” I could only reply honestly. There was, after all, no way that I could know what Solitary Butterfly, First Wind, and Dragon Peace were thinking of. When it came down to it, I was even unsure of what the young master was thinking. 

  Would the young master still be willing to appear in the public as Dark Sun? 

  Before, I would have been absolutely sure. But since Briar arrived, the young master seemed to be fully adjusted to using the free time he had while not being a hero. Maybe he has no intention to be a hero again? 

  After all, being a hero was probably the most arduous and least rewarding occupation there was. 

  Yue Gang wiped his mouth, stood up, and said, “I’ve got to get back to work! Good bro, when I get my salary, I will treat you!” 

  “You are welcome.” I smiled and nodded. 

  After dinner, the young master told me that Ji Luo Chu had called, informing him that there were a number of clients that wanted the young master to be their model, and so he had asked him if he was available tonight to take some photos. 

  Hearing this news, I smiled and said, “It seems like First Wind is fine.” 

  “That’s right!” The young master nodded, a happy look on his face. “Too bad we can’t ask him about Dragon Peace!” 

  I contemplated this. “We might be able to try broaching the subject from a different angle.” 

  The young master stared at me curiously. I smiled and said, “Young Master, when the time comes, please allow me to do the questioning.” 

  “Okay!” 

  The young master opened the workshop, calling out while walking in, “DSII, it’s time to leave!” 

  “Hooray!” 

  In the workshop, the motorcycle that had been locked up for far too long let loose an ecstatic cry. 

  “Can I go over the speed limit? Ah Ye, let me go over once, just once! I’ve been locked up for so long…” 

  The young master had a troubled look on his face. But under DSII’s pleading, he gave in very quickly and said, “Okay!” 

  … Maybe I ought not to be so old-fashioned. Driving without a license is hardly that big of a deal. It is probably best if I take the other bike? 

  “The other one? That’s fine!” The young master hesitated and asked, “But it’s a manual transmission bike! Charles, do you know how to drive one?” 

  “No…” 

  The young master smiled and said, “Never mind. I’ll let you ride DSII, and I’ll take the manual transmission bike.” 

  “Young Master, I ask of you to please give me a lift!” 

  When I got down from the bike, I suddenly had no idea whether I ought to feel thankful or upset… I seemed to have adjusted to DSII’s habit of speeding. He had been accelerating throughout the whole journey, yet I had had no urge to jump off. 

  Nevertheless, the moment the bike stopped, I could not get down from it fast enough. 

  I looked up at the skyscraper, my first time seeing Ji Luo Chu’s studio. The young master had already come by once, so he entered the building with practiced ease, got into the elevator, and made his way up to the studio on the thirteenth floor. 

  The moment I stepped inside, my attention landed on a gigantic photograph. The subject of the photograph was the young master. He was dressed in a simple outfit of pale yellow, both of his legs were extended straight, and he was sitting on a cloud of pure white cotton. He had his arms stretched upwards, as if he was yawning. There was a cheeky smile on his face. 

  “How does it feel?” 

  I turned. Ji Luo Chu was already standing beside me. I hurriedly greeted him. “Mr. Ji, hello.” 

  Ji Luo Chu laughed. “Call me Luo Chu or Ah Chu. Both are fine.” 

  I smiled and replied, “As you wish then, Luo Chu.” 

  Ji Luo Chu gestured to the photograph on the wall. “This is an advertisement for cotton. Afterwards, when I send it over to the client, I will add on captions and the rest. Ah Ye, what do you think?” 

  “It looks great!” The young master seemed to like it very much. 

  I thought the same. The picture completely captured the young master’s innocent purity. 

  “My god!” Ji Luo Chu cried aloud, “I’m satisfied, my boss is satisfied, my client is satisfied, my model and his butler are satisfied… God! This may be the first time since I’ve become a photographer that I could satisfy so many people at once. Great! Now we have to satisfy even more people. Ah Ye, come on over for some more pictures.” 

  When Ji Luo Chu pulled the young master away, another person walked to my side. I immediately greeted him. “Hello.” 

  “You’re Ah Ye’s butler Charles?” The person said casually. “You can call me Ah Da.” 

  Ah Da? As in Lao Da for Boss? I went “ah” for a moment and said, “Sir, are you the boss that Luo Chu mentioned?” 

  Ah Da laughed aloud. “Why are you using ‘Sir!’ My name has a ‘Da,’ so Ah Chu likes calling me Boss, Lao Da. We’re actually partners! Ah Chu is in charge of photography, while I’m in charge of design. We were university classmates, and then we started this studio.” 

  “I see.” Even though I said this, I had trouble believing it. Ah Da had sideburns and stubble, and he looked a great deal older than First Wind. 

  “Let’s go over too!” Ah Da patted my shoulder and said, “Sometimes watching the photography session also gives me some ideas for the design stage.” 

  When we walked in, the young master had changed into a white outfit and stood before a white background with white feathers on him and the floor. 

  Paired with the young master’s silver hair, this scene ought to be a monotonous white, but it actually was not. I could see that there were different shades of white, so it did not feel plain at all. After some scrutinizing, I noticed that the items were not all white but rather varying shades of blue-gray. Because the blue-gray was very pale, it made me think everything was white at first glance. 

  Ah Da explained to me, “This is a series of advertisements on jewelry. The theme is angels.” 

  “Ah Ye, come over here!” 

  The young master heeded the call and walked over to Ji Luo Chu. The latter hooked a necklace on his head, the pendant hanging right in the middle of his forehead. It was… an angel. 

  A round gem and a teardrop-shaped light blue gem formed the angel’s head and body, with two silver wings spreading from it. Even though it was supposed to be a girl’s accessory, it truly fit the young master rather well. Maybe when the accessory is out on the market, I should purchase a set to place at home. 

  After putting on the accessory, Ji Luo Chu led the young master to the ball of feathers and then walked back and positioned himself behind the camera that was placed on a tripod. 

  “Okay, I’m starting!” 

  The young master nodded his head and smiled. 

  “Excellent!” Ji Luo Chu pressed down on the shutter and said, “Ah Ye, smile a bit more brightly, like how you did last time, and then walk about a bit or give a twirl.” 

  The young master beamed and wandered around, looking completely natural, not at all stiff. The young master is really suited to be a model. 

  “Smile a bit happier!” 

  After a number of shots, Ji Luo Chu lifted his head and smiled lightly, “You don’t seem that happy today, Ah Ye?” 

  The young master stopped dead in his tracks and hesitated before he nodded. 

  “I just knew it. Your smile didn’t seem as bright as before. But chin up! Think of some happy things.” 

  After that, he took some more pictures but then stopped and mumbled, “This isn’t working,” with a troubled look on his face… Finally, he turned to Ah Da and asked, “Boss, why don’t we interpret it in another way? Since it’s an advertisement for jewelry, we don’t necessarily need a happy look right?” 

  Ah Da shrugged his shoulders and said, “The photography is your work, so as long as you like it, it’s fine. I’ve always told you…” 

  “How I take it doesn’t matter, the most important thing is taking a good picture… Got it! You’ve said that about a thousand times by now, right?” 

  Ji Luo Chu said this with a helpless look. Ah Da rolled his eyes at him. Then, Ji Luo Chu went to stand behind the camera again and told the young master, “Since you can’t smile, then, Ah Ye, is there anything that’s upsetting you? Can you think of the saddest thing that has happened to you?” 

  The young master stilled and asked, unsure, “The saddest thing?” 

  “Yeah, the saddest event you can think of.” 

  The young master looked a little unsure at first, but not long after, he seemed to have immersed himself in his memories, and his expression started drooping in sadness. It was actually just a sliver of grief, hinted at from his slightly teary eyes, the minute pinching of his lips, the faint furrowing of his brows. The dejection was only hinted at… 

  However, a sorrowful atmosphere started spreading. Even Ah Da, who was watching from the side lines, slowly lost his smile. 

  Speaking of which, the young master rarely directly displayed his sorrow. He always suppressed it, but he could not stop his actions from revealing it. Like now, when the public was blaming the heroes, although the young master neither cried nor complained before Briar came, the apartment had had a heavy atmosphere that was impossible to lift, making it difficult to breathe. 

  His continually suppressed grief was far heavier than cries and screams. 

  Finally, a lone tear slid from the young master’s eyes… 

  Seeing this, Ji Luo Chu hurriedly detached the camera from his stand and stood close to the young master, taking pictures from every close-up angle possible. It was a long moment before the clicks of the shutter ceased sounding. 

  “Excellent, we’ll change the name of this series to ‘Tears of an Angel!’” 

  Lao Da gave a thumbs up and yelled aloud, “I haven’t even seen the pictures, but I know the client will definitely love this! Ah Ye, you really are a natural model. No matter whether you’re smiling or sad, you look great! Ah Chu, you really found a treasure.” 

  “I didn’t find him. Looks like I have to treat Luo Lun to a good meal. Ah Ye?” 

  The young master was still standing in the same place. Ji Luo Chu called his name softly. Only then did the young master jump and return to his senses to look at him. 

  “Really, did you think of something?” Ji Luo Chu reached out and patted the young master’s hair and scolded lightly, “Young people shouldn’t be so melancholic, come on, smile!” 

  The young master smiled, but it looked a little forced. 

  Ji Luo Chu patted his shoulders and said, “Take a break first. We have another set to go through after. Wipe your tears, and then change into the next outfit!” 

  The young master obediently entered the changing room. Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da started discussing the design. 

  After a moment, young master walked toward me wearing a fancier than usual school uniform. As he walked over to the table I was at, I hurriedly pulled out a chair for him. 

  While pouring milk for him, I asked curiously, “What was the saddest event in Young Master’s life?” 

  The young master looked at me, hesitated, and then said helplessly, “There are too many of them. I don’t know which one is the saddest. It could be being locked up for seven years and having to continuously undergo operations and rehabilitations. It might be killing Father with my own hands. It could also be almost being replaced by my own clone and never being able to see Gēge again… All of these are so depressing, but I don’t know which one is the worst.” 

  My eyes widened, and I very rudely stared right at the young master. 

  “It’s a terrible past, isn’t it?” The young master smiled lightly. “That’s why I’ve said that none of you need to be worried about the current criticism on TV. It doesn’t bother me all that much, really! Compared to what has happened before, it’s really nothing… So, ask Bramble-shū not to let Briar come over every day. She wants to play with her own friends too, right?” 

  Being locked up for seven years, killing his own father, and being replaced by his own clone… This sort of past can no longer be described as “terrible,” but the most terrible thing is that I actually made a rude expression. 

  Dear father! When can I become a qualified butler that never lets his own emotions affect his master? 

  “Charles.” 

  “Yes?” I smoothed out my expression. No matter what the young master wanted to tell me, I definitely would not show any expression! 

  “The milk is overflowing…” 

  I looked down. The glass was already full of milk, and it was even flowing over the rim, spreading around the table… Oh no! I hurriedly put down the thermos, taking out my cleaning rag that I always brought around, and started wiping the table. 

  The young master’s clear laughter sounded in my ears. 

  Highly embarrassed, I straightened up after wiping the table. Then I heard, “Done!” 

  Done? What is done? I turned and then noticed the camera in Ji Luo Chu’s hands. It seemed that he had been taking pictures for quite a while. 

  “My pictures are done!” Ji Luo Chu smiled. 

  Off to the side, Ah Da laughed boisterously. “You still don’t know this brat? His favorite thing to do is to take candid photos! He has already taken pictures of Ah Ye beaming brightly just now.” 

  The young master asked, interested, “Then, the photo shoot is done?” 

  “Mmm!” Ji Luo Chu said, satisfied. “You already showed your most beautiful smile today. There’s definitely no way that I can take any other pictures better than that. So we’re done for the day!” 

  I hurriedly said, “We are done? Then, do you want some tea? I will boil water immediately.” 

  “Mr. Butler must be in a hurry to wipe away his embarrassment over the spilled milk, huh?” Ji Luo Chu grinned. “Of course, please put a pot on for us.” 

  When I returned with the tea, everyone was sitting around a table and watching the television. The screen was showing the news. Everyone had a serious look on their faces. Something major must have happened. 

  I put down the tea and poured a cup for everyone. Only then did I relax enough to pay attention to the news. I did have some guesses though. Another criminal was probably at it again. 

  As expected, the television was airing a news report on a criminal kidnapping two university students. The kidnapper had abducted both girls to a rooftop and then stayed there, not allowing anyone to come close. 

  The news scene changed from a ground view to an aerial one. The kidnapper’s face was clear as day. He spoke coolly to the people, “After three hours, if no heroes appear, they will die. If any of you or the cops come closer, they will both die immediately, and I will continue to capture more hostages.” 

  Following this, the news report focused on the earlier scenes of trying to catch up to the kidnapper. Some of the footage was clear enough to identify the two university students’ faces. The young master immediately cried out, “It’s Ingrid and Judy!” 

  “Ingrid and Judy?” Perplexed, Ji Luo Chu turned to ask, “Do you know them?” 

  The young master replied hollowly, “They’re my classmates…” 

  Hearing this, Ji Luo Chu’s face twisted. Finally, he gritted out, “I’m going out to buy a late night snack!” 

  “Hahaha!” Lao Da laughed awkwardly. “That guy is always like that. Whenever he craves something, he’ll immediately go out and buy it. Don’t think too much about it! About that… I need the bathroom. Help yourselves to anything!” 

  After he finished speaking, he ran off as well. 

  When only the young master and I were left, the young master stared at the news and considered this. “Again in the west side? I may be mistaken. They’re not after heroes. Their true target is only First Wind!” 

  No matter if it is Ingrid, Judy, or even First Wind that is the target, all of these shocking pieces of news were unable to affect me. I could only stare at the kidnapper on the screen. 

  The young master asked slowly, “Charles, that kidnapper couldn’t be a vampire, could he? He’s wearing an old-fashioned suit that resembles yours…” 

  I nodded. The kidnapper was a non-human and a vampire, in addition to being… 

  X! 

  X, what exactly are you doing?

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 8: Voice by Voice, the Hero Hears the Prayers

  Translator: Raylight 

  Gēge, today I remembered something from the past, something upsetting. 

  However, I also suddenly discovered that compared to the past, I now have Gēge, Bàba, Charles, Bramble-shū, Briar, Dell… and many, many more! 

  I suddenly realized that, compared to the past, the current me has so much, so very much! 

  The young master looked shocked as he exclaimed, “The kidnapper is your friend who requested your help in finding someone?” 

  “Yes. His name is E.X. He is also a vampire like me. We have known each other for close to a hundred years. At one point in time, he was my father’s employer.” 

  I told the young master in full detail about X. After all, I was completely in the dark as to what had happened to X, and was even more unsure as to where to begin helping him. If the young master was available to help ponder over things, I believed it would be much more efficient. 

  The young master frowned and asked, “Then, according to your understanding of him, is he a vampire that would randomly hurt humans?” 

  “Definitely not.” I was extremely firm with my answer. “X dislikes killing people even more than I do. Though he would always say that he does not care whether humans live or die, I have yet to see him kill any humans.” 

  “No matter what’s happening, we still better go over and take a look.” The young master said with concern, “I’m a bit worried about Luo Chu-gē. The person who is out hunting heroes seems to be targeting him. I’m going to fly straight over immediately. Charles, take DSII and meet me there!” 

  After I gave a nod of my head, the young master dashed out of the studio with quick movements. As for me, I walked to the other side of the studio. There was a long clothing rack there, with an entire row of clothes hung on it. The clothes were probably meant for the models to change into. I promptly picked out a black coat and a black opera mask. Only after putting them on did I head downstairs to look for DSII. 

  I had a premonition that I might be forced to get involved. However, I definitely did not wish for my interference to be spread throughout the media, for the whole world to see… If that happened, then I was afraid I would never be able to go to the market to buy groceries ever again. 

  When I jumped onboard DSII, I told him, “DSII, full speed ahead!” 

  “… Charles, are you broken? Do you want me to call Daddy An Te Qi to help you fix yourself?” 

  “I am not broken. Please go full speed ahead.” 

  “My full speed exceeds five hundred kilometers an hour, though?” 

  “My apologies, then please go at half speed ahead…” 

  While DSII was advancing forward at half speed, the mobile phone I had on me started ringing. With some difficulty, I received the call. Immediately, I heard Melody’s stern voice. “Charles! You told the young master that the vampire’s name is called E.X… Is it truly him?” 

  “Indeed it is.” 

  Melody’s voice was laden with disbelief as she said, “E.X? I really didn’t think that you, as a meek and obedient vampire, would actually know that kind of dangerous fellow… E.X is the mortal enemy of the ‘Church’! The Church has pursued him for at least a thousand years!” 

  “I know. That is why X has no reason to cause such a big incident, since the Church might go and capture him at any moment. He must have gotten into some trouble…” 

  “Even if he did, it’s not anything that you would be able to handle!” Melody roared. “Go and bring the young master back, and don’t get involved with this kind of business. E.X is a famous vampire that is at least a thousand years old. This is not something that you can get involved in, and don’t let the young master get involved in it, either. If something were to happen to the young master, then what would we do? The master would definitely grind all our bones to dust!” 

  I felt a little at a loss as to what to do. Thus, I only stated, “I am afraid the young master will not be coming home, for the captured hostages are his classmates…” 

  “Damn it!” Melody cursed, and then hung up. 

  I stared at the phone, and felt even more worried in my heart. I knew that E.X was the mortal enemy of the Church. 

  Initially, it was for the sake of avoiding the Church that he had hurriedly left by himself. He had not even had time to fire the servants in his ancient castle. In the end, it was my honorable father who saw that the master probably would not be returning, and thus he decided to take matters into his own hands. He sold some of the unimportant antiques around the place, and then gave out dismissal payments to all of the servants. He then locked up the entire castle and hired a trustworthy person to look after the place. He would then regularly hire a cleaning company to tidy up the place once a year. 

  Following that, I met with E.X several times. After he heard of what my honorable father had done, he was extremely satisfied. In the end, he even gave the entire castle with all of its contents to me. 

  Therefore, he must have gotten into big trouble to display such strange behavior. How can I not go see him? 

  “Charles, we’ll be at our destination once we go down this street! Do you want me to take you straight to the bottom of the building, or do you want to sneak over?” 

  “Getting off here will be fine.” 

  DSII stopped, and I got off the bike. I looked at the target building. Though the ominous feeling in my heart grew stronger, I had no choice but to advance forward… 

  From behind me, I heard DSII shout, “Charles!” 

  Can it be that the young master has sent news? I paused in my tracks, and turned around with a heavy feeling. I asked, “Yes?” 

  “If Dragon Peace is there, remember to help me get an autograph!” 

  “… I will do my best.” 

  After leaping onto the wall, I tried to let myself blend into the night. I jumped across the buildings without a sound, and after finding the target building, I dashed and leaped to the rooftop. Afterwards, I stood on the edge of the building without moving. I knew very clearly that this was the limit. If I were to close in by even a step, I would definitely be discovered by X. If that was so, he might perhaps kill Ingrid and Judy without caring, and then go and capture new hostages. 

  On the roof, the two girls lay on the floor, unconscious. The kidnapper was standing on the edge of the building that was the farthest away from me. The cape that he wore on his body whipped about wildly in the night wind. However, even though the cape covered most of his figure, I could still recognize him. 

  I gave a light sigh, and said, “It truly is you, X.” 

  He froze and turned around. At the same time, his long nails pressed against the neck of one of the girls, Ingrid. 

  Seeing that, I instantly removed my mask so that he could clearly see my face. 

  X looked relieved, and he released his long nails. He said, “So it is you, Endelis.” 

  “X … Why are you doing such a thing?” 

  He fell silent for a long time before he answered. “I am looking for Cornell.” 

  “I know.” I felt a little puzzled. What relation does that have with capturing the two girls? 

  “Someone knows the whereabouts of Cornell, but wants me to do him a small favor before he is willing to reveal it to me.” 

  “What exactly does he want your help with?” I felt a bit bewildered as I asked, “He wants you to seize two girls?” 

  X indifferently replied, “No, he asked me to kill First Wind.” 

  The young master has gotten it right again. The recent hunts are targeted at First Wind! I was a little stunned as I asked, “Then, you are truly going to kill First Wind?” 

  X’s expression suddenly became ferocious. With a crazed expression, he roared at me, “I am truly going to kill Cornell! I don’t care anymore about whoever dies in the process. Endelis, you can help me, or you can silently walk away. However, if you wish to hinder me, I will kill you along with him!” 

  “X?!” I exclaimed with some disbelief. 

  X was the first vampire that I had come into contact with. The usage of my blood ability was practically all taught to me by him, and he was simply like my second father or a brother… And someone like that would actually want to kill me? 

  Hearing my shout, X’s expression gradually calmed down. He gave a straightforward apology. “I’m sorry, did I scare you? I really am feeling a bit impatient. I have been searching for Cornell for so long already…” 

  Seeing how he was not as agitated anymore, I too quickly calmed down. I continued to ask questions. “You are looking for Cornell, but it is so that you can kill him? He is your enemy?” 

  X nodded his head, and then added, “I have a deep-seated grudge for him!” 

  I had a multitude of questions, but it was probably not the best time for asking questions at the moment. I vaguely heard the shouts of people yelling “First Wind” from below. The voices sounded extremely excited, so perhaps First Wind had finally arrived. 

  I could only pick the most crucial question to ask. “Except for First Wind, you would not kill any others, right?” 

  X probably had also heard the commotion coming from below. He furrowed his brows, and quickly said, “If they don’t hinder me.” 

  Hearing such a reply, I too furrowed my brows. I could only request, “Please do not kill Dark Sun. No matter what, please do not kill him.” 

  X appeared to be a little surprised. Looking at me, his expression seemed to soften without him knowing it. He inquired, “He is your employer?” 

  “Yes.” As things had already reached this stage, I had no other option but to admit it. 

  X smiled, and continued his questioning, “Then, is he a good master?” 

  Finally seeing a familiar smile, I too followed suit and smiled. I answered, “Yes, he is a good master.” 

  “Congratulations.” X gave a faint smile as he said, “Originally, I didn’t have any kind of hope for your butler career. To think that you really managed to find a good master.” 

  “I know, you have always advised me to switch careers,” I replied with a smile. Calling it by the word ”advise” was really too tame. Basically, X had used methods like hitting me while scolding, “Being a vampire who idles about is still stronger than being a butler” to ”advise” me not to be a butler. 

  Abruptly, X said, “But perhaps if I killed him, it would be beneficial for you. If the only good master you’ve ever had died, you would probably give up on the butler profession.” 

  Hearing that, I felt shocked, and stared at him. However, I could not tell whether he was merely joking, or possibly speaking the truth… Perhaps he meant it! X had never been too fond of joking, and no matter if it were words or actions, he had always been upfront. 

  “Please do not kill him,” I tried to protest. 

  However, he did not react at all, and merely continued to look at me with a smile. This made me feel even more apprehensive. He may truly raise his hand against the young master! 

  I extended my nails, and slightly showed my white fangs. With a low growl like that of a warning, I stated, “E.X. I warn you, you are definitely not allowed to kill the young master!” 

  However, an even bigger smile appeared on his face. Following that, he actually used a tone of praise to commend, “This is more like it.” 

  Hearing that, I truly felt a little helpless. X had all along felt that I was too weak, and would always try to think of some way to try and enrage me. Every time I was angered enough to raise my hand against him, he would instead be very happy. 

  At this moment, he suddenly tilted his head slightly to pay attention to the situation below. Then, he told me, “Endelis, put on your mask and silently stand to one side. No matter what, do not interfere… I will try not to hurt Dark Sun as much as possible.” 

  After receiving his promise, I then heaved a sigh of relief. X had always kept his promises. Since he had said so, then he would not kill the young master. 

  I put on my mask, and walked to the base of a water tower. I wrapped the black coat around me even tighter and made the best use of the darkness to hide my own figure. Right after I hid myself, the door to the rooftop was pushed open. The rusted metal door made an awful sound of resistance, and then banged against the wall. 

  A shadow walked into my field of vision. He was also wearing an old-fashioned suit, but it was instead white in color. By chance, he happened to contrast with X who stood opposite him. Even with similar attire, and even similar body shapes, the two of them emitted entirely different auras. It was like seeing day and night. 

  Though he had his back facing me, and I was unable to see his face, I simply did not know who else other than First Wind would come to this sort of place at this exact moment in a white suit. 

  First Wind walked to a distance approximately five meters away from X, and X too took a few steps back, to the side of the two unconscious females. Seeing the situation, First Wind immediately paused in his tracks, and merely shouted loudly, “I am here, let them go.” 

  X glanced indifferently at him several times, as though he was confirming whether he was First Wind in the flesh. Finally, once he sensed nothing amiss, he said, “Once you are dead, I will let them go.” 

  Hearing that, First Wind seemed to hesitate for a moment before he said, “If you attack me, I will retaliate, no matter whether or not you threaten me with the lives of these two girls.” 

  “Then retaliate. I do not mind. They are only here to lure you out as well as to ensure that you will not escape,” X said frankly. “Unless you escape, the two of them will definitely not be killed.” 

  Hearing that, First Wind seemed to be stunned for a moment once again. He questioned, “Are you unrelated to the previous batch of people?” 

  “I guess I am somewhat connected. After all, I can be considered someone they hired.” X advanced forward a few steps, seemingly impatient with the pointless questions. His tone turned cold as he stated, “Do not ask any more questions. I am going to attack you. If you do not resist, I will give you a painless death. If you resist…” 

  “What if I resist?” First Wind icily interrupted his words. 

  X instead broke into a smile as he answered, “I will give you the respect you deserve, and let you die like a hero. On top of that, I will release the two girls.” 

  “Very well,” First Wind growled, and then said, “Then, I too promise that I definitely will give you a fair judgment.” 

  X began to laugh quietly, and as he laughed, his laughter increased in volume. In the end, it turned into roaring laughter. As he laughed, he said, “How interesting. I haven’t heard a human talk to me in such an arrogant tone for a very long time. Seeing how you are roughly a thousand years or so younger than me, I will not bully you. So, I’ll let you draw your weapon first!” 

  First Wind pulled out something that looked like a sword hilt. With a flick of his hand, a line of blue light appeared beside him and nimbly moved in the air, like a snake of blue light that had been brought to life and was currently joyful at being able to come out to play again. 

  “An energy whip? That is a pretty rare sight,” commented X lightly. 

  It appeared that X was underestimating the weapon. This made me feel a little uneasy, worrying that he might suffer a bit due to that… However, perhaps this might turn out for the better. Even though energy whips were very disadvantageous to vampires, as a thousand-year-old vampire, X probably would still not lose. 

  However, his belittling of the weapon should be able to allow First Wind to live a little longer, and following that… I abruptly felt uneasy. Following that, what should be done? 

  The young master should be arriving soon. He had flown over, so he should theoretically be faster than me. However, why have I not seen him yet? And even if the young master comes, what can he do? Even the young master would stand no chance of beating X. 

  First Wind would definitely die, and as for the girls or the young master who would be arriving shortly, they would not be sacrificed. That was what X had promised, and he would definitely keep his word. 

  Therefore, the scenario of only First Wind dying would be today’s only conclusion, and the one with the least harm. 

  However, why does the best conclusion make one feel so awful? 

  Young Master, do you have any better solutions? No matter whether you have them or not, please come over quickly! Otherwise, things will come to an end soon… First Wind is going to die! 

  At that moment, X moved. With his speed, even I as a vampire could only catch a blurred shadow. He launched a very direct attack from the front. It seemed that he was intending to use direct attacks to fulfill his promise to ”let First Wind die like a hero.” 

  First Wind stepped back, and following that, he raised his modified left limb, starting to swing the energy whip at lightning speed. It was as though a web of blue light shrouded him around his body. By this point, X had already sprinted straight in front of him. Not only did the web of blue light envelop First Wind, at the same time it also protected him. 

  X’s figure slowed for a moment, and then with a stamp of his foot, he glided back to his original position in a flash. He had only just stabilized his footing when his cape was blown by the wind and then started to break into pieces. Upon closer inspection, I then realized that the borders around those pieces were all burnt. 

  X shot a glance at the scattered flying pieces, and his gaze returned to First Wind. He smiled as he said, “So it turns out, I seem to have underestimated you too much.” 

  Though the first clash resulted in the total annihilation of X’s cape, First Wind looked very rigid and was completely void of the joy of having the upper hand. Moreover, he did not seize the opportunity to launch an attack. 

  I believed that he most likely understood that he would not be able to keep his advantage in the face of such speed. 

  X sized up First Wind in silence… In a split second, he abruptly disappeared. 

  First Wind was also very fast. In almost the same moment that X vanished, he raised his energy whip and used his light web to cover himself. 

  X forcibly stopped himself at the edge of the light web, perhaps only mere centimeters away from it. Then, with a large leap backwards, he stepped onto the water tower above me. After I heard a sound of metal being struck, he made use of the force to leap in a different direction. The direction that he headed toward was directly at First Wind’s back! 

  Though First Wind’s whip web was dense, I could see very clearly from my perspective that the web had a thinner defense at his back. Perhaps even I would be able to break through it, let alone X. 

  X extended his nails and turned his fingers into the shape of awls. He stabbed straight toward First Wind’s back. If this stab were to succeed, I was afraid it would pierce all the way through First Wind’s chest and create a gaping hole. 

  However, just as X was about to succeed, First Wind also took action. With a backward spin that could not be any more perfect, the place with the weakest defense momentarily became the place with the strongest defense. Though this motion of twisting to the back was extremely simple, I could not help but gasp in admiration in my heart due to First Wind’s timing. 

  If he had been an instant later, he would have lost his life. If he had been any quicker, X would have been able to dodge in time. 

  However, First Wind had grasped the timing perfectly. X had just rushed within the range of the web of blue light, and then he turned around, forcing X to have no other choice but to instantly cover his face with both hands, and then fall back again. 

  At this moment, the positions that X and First Wind were standing in were exactly opposite to the start of the battle. X stood right in front of me, with his back toward me while First Wind stood further away, facing my direction. Even though First Wind wore a mask covering half of his face, I could tell that he was extremely tense. 

  X hugged his hands and roared several times. Only then did I notice that both of his sleeves had already been slashed to pieces. Though no blood flowed out, I did definitely smell the stench of blood. Moreover, it was the kind that only vampires had, blood with an especially strong smell of rust. 

  First Wind actually managed to injure X. He is a thousand-year-old vampire! 

  Seeing the situation, I suddenly felt a bit glad. I too had fought with First Wind before. Although my combat ability was a lot lower than X’s, I had not been injured much. This was really all thanks to the special report that the young master wrote on energy weapons… No! When it all comes down to it, the one that I should truly thank is the young master’s professor. After all, he was the one who had assigned this homework. 

  Thank you, honorable professor. I will definitely diligently read through all of the young master’s written reports in the future. 

  Seeing the battle up to this point, I could tell that First Wind’s strength was, as expected, really astonishing. Though he had an advantage due to his type of weapon… No, I should not put it like that. To be able to use this kind of weapon so freely, it is likely that the amount of hard work that First Wind has put in is something that ordinary people would be unable to imagine? 

  At this moment, I suddenly saw X’s body freeze up. Simultaneously, I noticed the reason why he had frozen. 

  Behind First Wind’s back, at the edge of the building, a large set of wings suddenly covered half of the sky. That was… 

  Dark Sun! 

  He has finally arrived! 

  He did not land, but merely flew past the building. However, I noticed that after flying past the building, he had picked up two additional passengers in his hands, Ingrid and Judy! 

  I silently gave a cheer. The young master had probably already long since arrived on the scene, but had stayed hidden all along. He must have waited until X and First Wind had exchanged blows and coincidentally switched positions, and after deeming X to be far enough from the two girls to be unable to harm them, he then took the opportunity to rescue them. 

  X froze and could not help but let his thoughts slip, “Why are there wings?” 

  … Looks like X must not watch the news very often. Ever since the last time when the young master had rescued Briar and Solitary Butterfly, perhaps the entire world knew that Dark Sun was a winged hero who could fly. 

  However, why did the young master not rescue First Wind as well? 

  After I gave it some thought, I vaguely guessed that it was probably because the weight would be too heavy? Last time, after he had saved Solitary Butterfly and Briar, he had gone off to save the two policemen. At that time, it seemed that he was already pushing his limits, and when he landed, the sound of his impact was actually very loud. 

  Moreover, First Wind’s left arm had been modified. He was probably even heavier than an ordinary man several times over. 

  At this moment, X indifferently told First Wind, “I was originally going to let you die like a hero. Looks like this promise is going to be curtailed.” 

  Curtailed? X’s words made me feel extremely uneasy. Can it be that he is going to use his blood ability? It cannot be! First Wind’s weapon was exactly the type that would cause a huge waste of blood ability. With X’s strength, he should not need to use his blood ability to be able to defeat First Wind. It was only a matter of time before he won the fight. 

  Before I could finish thinking it through, X had already given me the answer. All over his body, traces of his blood appeared. As expected, he was going to use his blood ability. Moreover, his blood was… so thick that it was almost black! 

  First Wind was so shocked that his mouth fell slightly open. However, I believed that my expression should be pretty similar to his. Blood ability this thick is something I have never seen! 

  Perhaps, X really did not mind wasting his blood at all. After all, his blood ability was s-simply too shocking. Compared to his blood, any other vampire’s blood ability would simply seem diluted. 

  The blood ability enveloped First Wind in an instant! 

  X really did not mind wasting his blood ability. Energy weapons were weapons that could completely evaporate one’s blood. However, to use his blood ability to directly cover the energy whip’s blue light was a horrifying waste of blood for vampires. For vampires whose generation numbers were a bit distant, they might even faint due to the sudden loss of blood. 

  First Wind let out a painful growl, and he tried even harder to swing his energy whip around. He even ran to and fro trying to get rid of the blood. However, the blood ability followed him relentlessly. 

  Hearing his growls and seeing how he painfully struggled, I could not help but remember that this person was Ji Luo Chu, the photographer who had just taken the young master’s photographs with a smile, and was also Luo Lun’s brother… 

  On the other hand, the energy whip continued to evaporate large amounts of blood, and an awful burning smell was circulating. Even if it was X, he could not possibly be completely unaffected. 

  At this moment, X had his back facing me, and was only a few steps away. He was currently fully focused on using his blood ability to attack First Wind, and also in stopping First Wind from approaching too closely… If I used all my strength to attack his neck, he might faint from the blow and all of this would end momentarily. 

  This thought was so tempting. I could not help but move my foot forward… 

  “Don’t move, Endelis.” The person in front of me coldly gave a warning. “If you take another step, I will attack you as well.” 

  I could not help but hesitate. 

  At this point, First Wind had collapsed on the ground, in a terrible shape. He painfully groaned again and again, but he seemed to have no more strength to continue his struggle. Though a large amount of blood ability surrounded him, I could still faintly smell blood belonging to a human. I feared that he had already lost a great amount of blood, and was not far from death… Young Master, why do you still not come? 

  Young Master! 

  I shut my eyes, unable to bear seeing what would happen to First Wind. However, once I closed them, I heard the sound of wind, just like… the sound of Dark Sun’s wings flying through the skies! 

  I opened my eyes. Upon opening them, I was greeted with the sight of Dark Sun rushing in. He paused in the air for a moment, and after lowering his head to glance downwards, he immediately swooped down. His direction was precisely toward where X was standing. 

  Could the young master be trying to… 

  Bam! 

  X fell backwards on his back. Due to the strength of the force, the roof cracked. Dark Sun raised a hand and dealt blows right and left. The punches landed on X’s face, and I could even feel the impact of the fists striking his face. 

  Making use of the force of the dive to knock down X, and then once he was knocked dizzy, seizing the opportunity to keep striking his head with fists. This was indeed a relatively wise way of fighting, but… 

  The way Dark Sun looked while sitting on X’s stomach and forcibly throwing punches, simply looked very much like two hooligans brawling… 

  Young Master! Could you fight a little more like a ‘hero?’ 

  Though this thought went through my mind, I discovered that I could not stop the corners of my lips from lifting… Ah! Now was not the time to laugh. Though Dark Sun had come to the rescue, First Wind still had a high possibility of bleeding to death. 

  I quickly rushed out from under the water tower to First Wind’s side, and helped him up. Upon closer observation, his injuries were as expected, very severe. In his chest was a giant hole. However, he did not have any other wounds other than that. 

  X had still kept his promise to let First Wind die like a hero, and not as a pile of body parts. 

  However, with such a large wound, even if I wrapped it with a piece of cloth, it would probably be of no use… Suddenly, I was covered by a shadow. As I turned to look, I blurted out, “Young Master!” 

  Dark Sun did not answer me, but merely cut a large gash on his arm. Under my shocked gaze, he raised his arm to First Wind’s chest and let a large amount of his blood drip into the hole. 

  Only after doing so did he explain to me, “My blood has very strong clotting effects and can help stop the bleeding.” 

  “Then do use a little more!” 

  As the cold voice rang out, I saw the person at Dark Sun’s back and exclaimed, “X!” 

  At the same time as a sound of impact rang out, Dark Sun spat out a mouthful of blood. However, following that, he immediately launched a counterattack. His elbow struck X’s face, knocking the latter back several steps. X shook his head desperately. He seemed almost on the verge of losing consciousness because of that strike. 

  Dark Sun immediately followed that up by running forward and kicking him, aiming at X’s abdomen. However, X leaped backwards to dodge the attack, simultaneously using his blood ability to completely protect himself. 

  X shook his head, and looked at Dark Sun. Full of suspicion, he asked, “Humans would not have such power. Your arm has been modified, hasn’t it?” 

  However, Dark Sun did not answer him. He extended his nails, and his nails even had a faint trace of a silvery-gray that was the distinctive color of steel. It was even more threatening than a vampire’s nails… Perhaps this was also a way of answering. 

  Seeing the situation, X’s expression turned to one of astonishment as the question escaped his lips, “You are also a vampire?” 

  X’s mind must be a little confused from the hit he just received? Even if he were a vampire, he would not have a set of steel nails. 

  Dark Sun finally opened his mouth to speak. “No, I am human.” 

  X was speechless. However, I could understand his feelings very well. Though he was human, his back instead had a pair of wings growing from it. Though he had already retracted them, I believed that X had already seen them very clearly. Afterwards, this winged human also showed a set of long nails belonging to that of a vampire… Dark Sun was even less like a human than a vampire was! 

  Seeing Dark Sun show his “weapon,” the blood on X also turned thicker. He warned, “The only person I wish to deal with is First Wind. If you back down, no others will be harmed.” 

  Dark Sun’s reply was to raise his steel nails, dash right at him, and launch his attack without holding back. 

  Naturally, X would not sit and wait for his death. He used his blood ability to surround Dark Sun. Not only would the blood ability block Dark Sun’s attack, it could even provide a counterattack. Moreover, humans would find it very hard to block a blood ability attack. 

  I lowered my head to look at First Wind’s severe injuries and hesitated. However, I still did not go out and stop the battle. I believed that X would still keep his word, and would not let Dark Sun receive heavy injures. 

  Suddenly, X gave a roar and abruptly retreated a large distance. 

  Seeing that, I simply did not understand what had just happened. X had evidently used his blood ability to surround Dark Sun, so why was it that it was X who had let out a roar of pain and even simultaneously retreated? 

  I looked toward Dark Sun in incomprehension, but discovered that the short, silver hair that he had originally kept only long enough to cover his head, had extended to approximately his waist in an instant. Moreover, it was even floating in the air and emitting a strong silver light… This was definitely not light reflected from the moon. 

  Dark Sun’s hair was truly glowing, just like—just like… Without realizing it, my eyes drifted to the energy whip that First Wind had dropped to the ground. By this time, the whip had already reverted back to its sword hilt state. 

  Looking at the energy whip on the ground, I could not help but recall that the young master had a mid-length hairstyle that covered his shoulders, while Dark Sun’s hair was so short that it only covered his head. Moreover, his hair could not be dyed, but could glow… Can it be that Dark Sun’s hair is actually a type of energy weapon?! 

  Then, has he just used an energy weapon to attack X? 

  I looked at Dark Sun’s hair. If it was a kind of energy weapon that was thin like hair fibers, and in such large amounts, it would probably not be such a difficult task to be able to break through a blood ability’s encirclement and attack a vampire’s main body. 

  Glancing toward X, I saw that he looked really battered at the moment. A large expanse of hair had been singed black at the ends, and the bruises on his face were clearly visible. Even a large portion of the clothing on his shoulder had been burned. It looked like the main attack of Dark Sun’s just now was focused on X’s shoulder. 

  He took in a few deep breaths, and coldly said, “Just now, you claimed to be human?” 

  Hearing that, I looked at Dark Sun. With a fairly odd smile, he pointed at his own hair and nails, saying, “Other than humans, what other race could make things with such a high level of technology?” 

  “That is true.” 

  X too smiled, but at the same time, his thick, black blood ability abruptly erupted. Like an explosion, it headed toward Dark Sun. Dark Sun was utterly caught off guard and was instantaneously sent flying. He fell off the roof, and continued to drop. 

  My expression changed radically, and I stood up. 

  “Young Master!”


  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 9: Conflict Arises, the Selfish Hero

  Translator: ErodingPersona 

  Gēge, what is the line between humans and non-humans? 

  Nearly my entire body has been altered from top to bottom, filled with steel that normal people shouldn’t have, and even made to hide energy weapons. Do I still count as a human? 

  It’s okay, I’m not upset… After all, Charles and Melody both aren’t human either! Luckily, I’m not the only non-human at home. 

  That’s why, it doesn’t matter anymore. It doesn’t matter even if I am not human. 

  I rushed to the edge of the building and frantically looked down… 

  X slowly walked over, placing his hand on my shoulder. He sighed. “Don’t blame me. Your young master is really far too powerful. I could only defeat him by doing this. Even though he’s been thrown off the building, he probably won’t die. He is strong!” 

  He really is… too strong. I lowered my head to look down and breathed a huge sigh of relief. 

  A figure jumped up in front of me, somersaulting in midair. He twisted his legs above his head, bracing himself with his hand on the ground. His body made another half-turn, right leg whipping right at X’s head, as swift as a raging wind. 

  This time, it was X’s turn to be caught off guard. He had no time to duck, and only managed to raise his left arm in time to block the kick. Although he did manage to raise his arm to protect his head, he could not block the power of the kick, so he was viciously sent flying by the kick and only just managed to avoid falling off the roof from the force. 

  X slid several meters before finally regaining his balance. When he lowered his left arm, it was shaking nonstop. He looked rather injured. He raised his head and roared at Dark Sun, who was utterly unharmed, “What sort of a monster are you! Since you’re so tenacious, fine! Let’s try and find out—exactly which one of us won’t die as easily, you or me!” 

  X? Has he lost his mind? 

  When this thought flashed by, I stared at X in alarm, who was hurtling toward Dark Sun. He grasped both his shoulders, and ignoring all attacks, single-mindedly shoved him backwards. Dark Sun had already been standing right at the edge of the building, so they had barely gone a few steps when both of them dropped off the edge. 

  I hurriedly looked down. This time, Dark Sun was not able to hold onto the building’s wall again. He was exchanging attacks with X and fighting for the upper position in mid-air. Finally, both of them crashed to the ground with a loud bang. Following that, the crowd below also screamed. 

  Dark Sun had managed to stay above X in their grappling, and with him as a buffer, he looked like he had not suffered any injuries. The moment they landed, he fell on top of X’s body, rolled several times to the side, and immediately got up. 

  I was a bit worried for X, but he should not have any problems. He could use his blood ability to protect himself, so falling from a building would not hurt him much. 

  “Hurry! Take me down there to have a look.” 

  I flinched, turned around, and realized that First Wind had woken up. 

  Seeing him, only then did I remember that he was grievously injured, so we could not tarry. I hurriedly said, “Let me get an ambulance for you first.” 

  “That’s not necessary. I’ve already sprayed hemostatic, and am transfusing blood to myself.” He must have seen my surprised face. First Wind gave a sheepish smile and explained, “If a hero goes about without bringing some first aid supplies or medicine, he could very well die from his injuries.” 

  Hearing this, I felt relieved, and hurried over to help him up. 

  First Wind looked at me and asked, “Are you on Dark Sun’s side, or are you on the vampire’s side?” 

  I smiled and purposely used the vampire’s Hollow Roar. “Do you not think it is a little too late for you to ask about this now?” 

  “I was only asking for fun.” First Wind shrugged his shoulders. Although he grimaced at the pain, he immediately smiled and said, “It’s rather hard to believe that your young master actually has a vampire for a butler. But after giving it some thought, it is really rather appropriate. A young master who is a hero and a butler who is a vampire… It’s hard to decide who is more unique between the two of you.” 

  I stared at First Wind. His words… 

  “I heard you calling Dark Sun ‘Young Master.’” He continued quietly, “If I still could not guess that you and Dark Sun were Charles and An Xiang Ye, then I definitely would have to be a little too oblivious. I guess you two realized even earlier that I was Ji Luo Chu, right?” 

  I stared at First Wind, unsure of what to do. What is to be done now that everything has been brought to light? 

  First Wind laughed, but the laugh gave way to bloody coughs. I hurriedly patted his back. 

  When he stopped coughing, he raised his head and said, “I’ll help keep your identities a secret, and both of you will do the same for my identity, deal?” 

  Of course it would be great if this whole matter could be dealt with just like that! But I looked at him, unsure if he would keep his promise. He smiled and said, “I won’t even tell Luo Lun! Actually, I can’t tell him even if I wanted to, he has absolutely no idea that I’m First Wind. His favorite hero is Dragon Peace, and he keeps on saying that First Wind is just a pretty face, that damned brat…” 

  I smiled as well. Before, I really had heard Luo Lun saying those exact words. I did not hesitate any longer, agreeing immediately. “Deal.” 

  “Let’s go check up on your young master’s condition!” 

  I nodded, picked up First Wind, and activated my blood ability. Then, I jumped off the building. 

  When I landed, I caught sight of DSII speeding straight toward Dark Sun. About ten meters away, the bike listed sideways, braking in an ear-piercing screech. Finally, the bike stopped at a distance of barely ten centimeters away from Dark Sun. All the while, Dark Sun had not even flinched. 

  At the scene, only deep breaths could be heard in the silence. 

  X broke the silence with a disbelieving tone, “A bike?” 

  DSII’s seat opened. Dark Sun reached within the space, pulled out two stick-like segments, and joined them to make a staff. Then, he removed from the half-moon shaped compartment by the side, a similar half-moon shaped blade. The blade’s surface was large enough to be able to slice a person in half in a single stroke. 

  Could it be… the Death Scythe? The young master had used it before to lop off DSII’s head. 

  Dark Sun locked the blade and staff together, and the Death Scythe emerged, far taller than even the average person. He lifted the huge scythe and stood silently where he was. However, he gave off a strangely heavy pressure. Gasps kept on sounding throughout the surrounding crowd. 

  He said emotionlessly, “Leave. If you don’t, then either you die, or I die!” 

  X however, laughed. His laughter was both sorrowful and strong. “If you could kill me, I might even feel grateful toward you!” 

  The moment the word ”you” sounded, X’s blood ability exploded greatly. He concentrated a huge amount of his blood on both hands and morphed them into a pair of gigantic, dense black, blood claws. 

  Neither of them wasted any more words. They stared at each other… and kicked off at the same time, finally starting their head-on confrontation. 

  Two shadows flew across from opposing sides and met in the middle. The Death Scythe clashed against the pair of claws with a deep bang, as though serving as the opening gong for the impending battle… 

  They started fighting. X may have had an edge speed-wise, but Dark Sun seemed to be far more powerful, making up for the difference in their speed. The scythe’s metallic sheen and the blood claws’ dense black raged back and forth, both parties unyielding. Every time scythe met claw, dust and small stones would fly from the ground. 

  But it’s a tarred road… 

  First Wind, still being supported by me, reverently breathed, “Good heavens, is this a battle between monsters?” 

  I fervently agreed. In all my one hundred fifty years, among all the battles between non-humans and humans, this duel was far more… far more like a battle between monsters! 

  Witnessing this duel, even the crowd who loved a good show kept on backing away. Even the reporters did not dare to go too near the two of them, and I myself could not help backing away a few steps. 

  First Wind praised me with a pale face, “Great idea! If I get hit again, I may really die.” 

  Bang bang! 

  I froze. What is this sound? Gunshots? 

  Suddenly, X slipped and fell. Dark Sun took the opportunity to sprint forward, raising the Death Scythe up high, preparing to slash downwards… 

  I could no longer attend to First Wind. I loosened my hold and sped forward at the upper limits of my speed. Then, I spread my arms, putting myself between X and Dark Sun… the gigantic Death Scythe stopped just in front of my face. The wind from its swish even moved my hair. 

  Only then did I realize that I had broken out in a cold sweat. I looked straight at Dark Sun, unable to say a word for the longest time. Earlier, I had just begged X not to kill Dark Sun. Now, the situation was completely reversed. 

  “Young… Dark Sun, please do not kill him.” 

  We were on the street. Although it was night time, the moon was so bright it was as if it were a giant light bulb in the sky illuminating the entire world. 

  In the sky, the thunder of the helicopter’s propellers whirred incessantly. The crowd formed circle after circle around us, but no one made a single sound. They only stared silently. 

  Dark Sun stood right in front of me, wearing his usual red and black outfit. He carried the Death Scythe in his hands, whereas I was completely unarmed as I stood opposing him. More precisely, I was obstructing his path. 

  He opened his mouth slightly but did not say a single word. I could understand however, that the media was hurriedly taking pictures and video-taping not too far away. This equated to the whole world watching, so of course he could not say anything. 

  “Step aside,” he finally demanded, even though I believed that this was not what he really wanted to say the most. 

  I could only keep on pleading. “Please do not kill him!” 

  “Endelis, don’t you interfere!” Behind me, X shouted angrily. 

  I smiled bitterly. How could I leave behind X, who is both a father and brother to me? 

  Maybe this time, I may really have to fight with the young master. If I attacked him, I am afraid I would no longer be able to continue serving the young master as his butler. Even if the young master did not mind, I would not be able to shamelessly allow myself to continue working as the young master’s butler after such an insubordinate act. 

  Dark Sun looked at me, like he did not know how to respond. Maybe I should strike first, so that the young master would no longer need to be troubled by this? 

  Ring ring… 

  “…” 

  Exactly who is calling me at a time like this? 

  Ring ring… ring… 

  And so determinedly at that. 

  “You can receive the call.” Dark Sun tilted his head slightly and said, “I won’t attack the person behind you in the meantime.” 

  “Thank you.” I lowered my spread-out arms and retrieved my cell phone. “Hello! Can you please call back later? I am busy right now…” 

  “Press the loudspeaker.” 

  I started, recognizing Melody’s voice, then obeyed her and pressed the loudspeaker. 

  “LIKE HELL YOU’RE BUSY!!“ 

  I hurriedly stretched my arms out to get the cell phone away from me, but it was still a little too late. The sudden explosive roar still hurt my eardrums… 

  The voice from the cell phone continued shouting using a vampire’s Hollow Roar. “Who allowed you to fight against Dark Sun? You pathetic vampire who can’t even utilize your own blood ability properly would dare to stand against him? Even if you don’t care for your life, at least consider his dignity—fighting against you is an absolute disgrace, do you even realize that?” 

  “Hahahaha…” Behind me, X started roaring in laughter. Before me, even Dark Sun’s lips twitched upward. 

  Melody, could you not have just chewed me out in private? It felt as if my face were burning. 

  Melody continued scolding me for quite a while before finally calming down and saying, “I investigated the hunting of heroes. Their target isn’t the Four Great Heroes. They actually just want First Wind.” 

  I gave a weak smile and said, “We already know about that.” 

  “Wait a minute, I don’t…” 

  A weak voice sounded. I turned my head and saw First Wind sitting on the floor, face even paler than before. Seeing him so weak, I felt extremely apologetic. That sudden fall must have worsened his injuries. 

  Melody explained, “First Wind especially hates drug-related crimes, so most of his captures are related to drug dealers. However, those in charge of the drugs are real honest-to-goodness mafia bosses. They definitely won’t be like the average small-time criminals, thinking that they’re unlucky just because they got caught by heroes. Therefore, they want to murder First Wind to prevent him from getting in the way all the time.” 

  “They contacted me, wanting me to kill First Wind in exchange for information on my enemy.” X eyed First Wind. “So can you die with all your questions answered now?” 

  First Wind smiled. “If possible, I still would rather not die.” 

  Melody snapped coldly, “X, you’ve been tricked! The person who’s been using Cornell’s whereabouts to hire you to murder First Wind is Cornell himself! Cornell is the behind the scenes boss of the western district. First Wind disrupted his drug deals numerous times already. He’s been longing to get rid of First Wind, and it was a great coincidence that you were after him. So he decided to let the two of you destroy each other. In the end, no matter who came out the victor, he would take the opportunity to kill the survivor.” 

  I was speechless. What exactly is going on? 

  I looked at X. He had a steely expression. After a period of silence, he suddenly called out, “Dark Sun.” 

  Dark Sun turned his head to look at him, confused, “Is something the matter?” 

  “Do you have people hiding close by, and did you order them to snipe me just now?” 

  Dark Sun’s voice was puzzled. “I don’t have anyone stationed and fired no shots.” 

  X stood up, digging out something from his legs with his hands. When he splayed his palms before us, two long bullets were cradled in them. They were armor-piercing bullets. 

  So I really had heard gunshots earlier? And X fell down because he got hit? 

  “Silver bullets used against vampires!” X’s expression turned furious. He roared at the sky using the vampire’s Hollow Roar. “Cornell! How dare you deceive me!” 

  Screaming at the heavens when you have no idea how many people are in hiding and targeting you seems not to be an intelligent thing to do… 

  “What an idiot! As expected of someone you would know,” Melody said mercilessly. “Hurry up and get Dark Sun and First Wind away from there. The enemy has probably realized that you guys know the truth by now…” 

  Before Melody finished her words, I heard the light click of a gun and hurriedly turned and dove at X, using my blood ability to shield both of our bodies. Just as the shield was formed, I immediately felt the impact of the bullets on the blood shield. 

  Dark Sun yelled at the crowd, “Everyone, leave immediately and head inside the closest building!” 

  A flurry of gunshots sounded the moment he finished speaking. The formerly quiet crowd began shrieking and stampeding toward the nearest building. 

  Dark Sun shouted again, “DSII! Get First Wind to where X is!” 

  DSII’s engine revved up, and he made a sharp turn while accelerating. He sped to First Wind’s side and loudly complained, “I wish I could protect Dragon Peace instead.” 

  First Wind did not climb aboard the bike but instead grabbed onto its side, letting it guide him along, using the bike to block most of the bullets. 

  Once First Wind was brought to my side, he looked curiously at DSII and asked, “You can talk? And you prefer Dragon Peace…” Following that, he mocked himself, “My little brother likes Dragon Peace, now even a bike likes him, can’t anyone like me instead?” 

  DSII comforted him, “Melody likes you!” 

  “Melody?” 

  “The girl speaking over the cell phone just now was Melody.” 

  While the two of them were talking, I leaned down, picked up a bullet, and realized that these bullets were all specialized silver bullets made to take down vampires. It looked like Cornell was far more interested in killing X than anyone else. 

  I turned to look at X. He had buried his face in both hands, and looked extremely distraught. I sighed. X, you had better hurry up and pull yourself together. My blood ability is not something to be trusted. 

  Just then, Dark Sun whirled about, using his nimbleness and the Death Scythe to dodge or deflect the bullets. After making sure that all the civilians had safely ducked into buildings, he stepped back to join us. 

  Halfway to us, he suddenly started accelerating and yelled, “Up your defense to its maximum!” 

  Hearing that, I immediately released all my blood ability. At the same time, he slid over, slamming the Death Scythe’s blade before First Wind. That was still not enough, so he even used his own body to shield First Wind. 

  Then, I saw the reason for Dark Sun’s sudden anxiety. A missile appeared before my eyes. Then, it blasted apart. 

  Bright light exploded… A huge noise deafening anyone nearby…


  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Legend of a Hero Chapter 10: Flowers of Blood Bloom, the Unheroic Hero Grim Reaper

  Translator: Doza 

  Gēge, in the past, I became a hero because I didn’t want to be a demon. 

  But now, I find that, I seem to have changed. 

  Right now I feel that… 

  Even if I must be a demon, I’d still want to continue being a hero. 

  “Endelis? Endelis?” 

  I slowly opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was X’s worried expression. This was truly rare. Other than rage and smiles, X has never liked to show other types of expressions in front of other people. 

  Sure enough, X’s expression immediately changed to rage as he growled, “Endelis, are you an idiot? Answer me, who am I?” 

  I looked at him and said seriously, “You are E.X., the vampire that almost caused me to get blown up by a missile.” 

  X raised his eyebrows and said, “It was only a missile, the explosion can’t kill a vampire.” 

  “You are the only vampire that cannot be killed by the explosion…” 

  I struggled to sit up, and felt that there was not a single area of my body that was not aching. However, this also made me remember that we were struck by a missile! I hurriedly looked around and instantly found First Wind unconscious nearby. Even though his complexion was pale, his breathing could be considered even. His life probably was not in any danger. 

  Apart from them, I did not see anyone else… Where is the young master? 

  My breath rushed out of me, and at my wits’ end, I could only roar madly at X, “What about Dark Sun? Where is the young master?” 

  “Over there.” X gestured ahead. 

  I turned around to look and saw Dark Sun first. I immediately heaved a sigh of relief. However, I then discovered that he was actually standing in the open and empty street, allowing bullets to fire at him from all directions. Yet he was only dodging or using his Death Scythe to deflect the bullets. No matter how skilled he was at dodging, it was inevitable that some would still slip through. There were already several armor-piercing bullets embedded in Dark Sun’s body. 

  “What is he standing there for?” I was stunned, grabbing X’s collar and growling, “X, hurry up and go save him!” 

  “Don’t worry, if a missile is about to blast him, I will rescue him.” X said lazily, “As for those bullets, the odds of them killing your young master are even lower than them killing me.” 

  “The young master is only calculating the trajectory.” Melody’s voice suddenly came from the front of my chest. I looked down and only then realized that my cell phone had been placed in my chest pocket. 

  “Calculating the trajectory?” I could not fully comprehend Melody’s words. 

  “Calculating the trajectory of the bullets, and then using that to locate the snipers.” Melody laughed sinisterly and said, “The young master ordered Bramble, Dell, May, and me to eliminate all the snipers! So we are in the middle of working right now!” 

  “I will go too!” I said, feeling vexed. This time, that Mr. Cornell really overdid it! 

  “No~ Can~ Do~!” Melody said with a gleeful tone at my misfortune, “The young master said, you are a butler! A butler isn’t responsible for fighting. By allowing you to use your blood ability to protect others, he already considers it a violation of his promise. He won’t let you attack again.” 

  Young Master… I felt warm, but at the same time frustrated. I did not think that the young master would actually abide by his promise to such an extent. 

  “No wonder you’re so devoted to him.” X said with a faint smile, “Looks like he really treats you as a butler, and completely doesn’t think of using your strength… From my perspective, he also has no need of your strength. How can your control over your blood ability be even worse than before?” 

  I skipped over X’s last sentence, and turned my attention instead to the situation outside. The gunshots were lessening and lessening, so presumably Melody, Bramble, and the others were nearly done eliminating the snipers. 

  “Is X there?” Melody suddenly spoke up from the cell phone. “We’ve already found the launch site of the missiles and can clean those missiles up at once, so you don’t have to stay there to protect the butler and First Wind any longer. Also, I have a piece of information to tell you.” 

  “Information?” X raised his eyebrow, apparently feeling that he would not be interested in that information. 

  “Cornell’s hiding location.” Melody’s words made X freeze. She sighed, and then said, “The young master is really generous. Even though you just fought with him, he still wants to unconditionally inform you of your foe’s whereabouts!” 

  “By informing me of this matter, it is a condition in itself!” X said coldly. “However, this suits me fine. Tell your young master there is no need to worry about Cornell. After tonight, Cornell will no longer exist in this world!” 

  After Melody said a long address, she instructed, “Settle it cleanly. Don’t leave any trouble behind for my young master.” 

  Upon hearing this, X merely snorted in response, then turned and said to me, “Endelis, I will return some other day to properly teach you how you should be using your blood ability!” 

  I hesitated. Even though I was rather unwilling, I still nodded my head. After all, following beside a young master whose profession is that of a hero, even if I do not have to fight, I must at least have the basic capability to protect myself. At the bare minimum, I must reach a level where I can block a missile and not lose consciousness. 

  After he finished speaking, X promptly left, walking very briskly. It looked like he already could not wait to seek out Cornell. 

  After I watched X depart, I noticed that there were apparently no more gunshots outside. I turned around to look. Dark Sun was simply standing at his original position and was not carrying out any actions like evading or deflecting bullets. 

  At this moment, there suddenly came a rhythmic “click clack” sound, which completely shifted my attention away from Dark Sun. These rhythmic noises sounded really familiar, as if they were Melody’s high-heels… 

  Just when I thought about Melody, she appeared in crimson, skintight clothes. Indeed, that click clack sound came from her high-heels as she walked. What was unusual was that she wore a mask on her face. The mask was so gorgeous it seemed like one would only see it at carnivals. Adding on a whip that she transformed from her blood ability, and a man whom she had tied up with the whip and was towing straight toward us… 

  Even though it was extremely rude to say this, other than “SM Queen,” I really could not find any other more suitable description. 

  She walked to Dark Sun’s side but did not say anything, merely casting a coquettish glance at him. After Dark Sun nodded his head in response, he walked toward First Wind and me. Of course, Melody followed behind him and also came over. 

  He walked to our side, then bent his head down and asked concernedly, “Are you okay?” 

  “I am well, and First Wind’s life does not appear to be in any danger.” 

  After answering Dark Sun’s query, I looked at Melody confusedly and then took a second look at the man she had dragged over. He looked terrified, there were traces of bruises on his face, and he did not dare to make a single sound. Most importantly, his face was very unfamiliar. He was not someone I knew. 

  Why did Melody drag a stranger over here at this moment? 

  Dark Sun does not look surprised either. Could this be a command he gave? 

  “Are we departing soon?” I already saw some citizens sticking their heads out and looking around. In another moment, perhaps they would come out from the buildings. At that time, leaving would be rather difficult. 

  “You guys can leave first, but I still have something to do.” Although Dark Sun said this, I did not choose to leave. 

  The media always rushes ahead of everyone else. It had only been three minutes since the gunshots ended when photojournalists carrying cameras on their shoulders and announcers carrying microphones in their hands walked onto the street in twos and threes, approaching us step by step. Even though there was alarm and fear on their faces, there was also excitement. 

  “Ex-Excuse me, may I ask if we could interview you?” A female reporter inquired cautiously in a loud voice. 

  Dark Sun turned to look at her, and then nodded his head, saying, “Come over here!” 

  That female reporter’s eyes shone. Although she wore high-heels on her feet, she was as fast as an athlete in a hundred meter dash competition. There was also a large group of media following behind her, who likewise sprinted over without restraint, lest they be behind the others by a second. 

  When the media were more or less in position, Dark Sun beckoned to Melody. The latter walked forward a few steps, then paused and said, “Dark Sun, I can help you…” 

  However, Dark Sun raised his hand and forbade Melody from speaking. The latter could only shut her mouth, and then she actually dispelled her blood ability whip. 

  What is the young master thinking of doing? I was extremely puzzled. 

  The moment the blood ability whip vanished, the man, who had previously been tied up, was unrestrained and promptly broke into a run. 

  At this moment, Dark Sun slowly turned around, but merely watched the man. Only after about five seconds did he move. He raised his Death Scythe in a stance to swing it; however, he did not have any intention of giving chase. 

  That man had probably run one hundred meters already. At such a distance, it was utterly impossible for the Death Scythe to hit a target… 

  Dark Sun growled, “Death Scythe, detach!” 

  Dark Sun swung his Death Scythe forcefully, and the blade of the scythe actually detached from its shaft, spinning as it flew out. It flew unerringly toward that man’s vest, and with a single “tuff” sound, stabbed into his body. In that moment, the man fell to the ground, his entire body nailed to it. His four limbs twitched for a while, and then he was finally silent… 

  The present scene was as silent as the man who had fallen down. Even the media, who were initially eager to try opening their mouths to bombard Dark Sun with questions, were all as quiet and well-behaved as white rabbits. 

  Dark Sun resumed his calm and upright position. He tilted his head toward Melody and said, “You may leave now.” 

  Only at this moment did Melody return to her senses. Nodding, she said, “Yes!” Then, she went ahead and left. 

  Dark Sun surveyed the media at the scene in a circle from left to right, and then he opened his mouth to explain, “That man was one of the snipers who had fired just now. He was also the scoundrel who pressed the detonator in the past murder case of the mother-daughter pair.” 

  Oh I see. At that moment, I suddenly understood. 

  “You shouldn’t have done that!” 

  I jumped, and then turned my head to look. Only then did I notice that First Wind had already regained consciousness. He roared in disbelief, “Even if he is a criminal, you still can’t kill him! By doing this, you will allow other heroes to follow your example and all of them will also personally execute criminals! Heroes must never kill people! Y-Your current actions are absolutely not what a hero should do!” 

  Dark Sun turned around, and then said coldly and ruthlessly, “Then don’t call me a hero. I have never said that I am a hero. Call me whatever makes you happy. Even if you call me a demon, it doesn’t matter!” 

  … To others, I would just be a demon. A demon that could go on a rampage at any time… But if I use this strength to help others, then I would be a hero! 

  Does it truly not matter? Young Master, but you previously said that you… do not truly not care. 

  First Wind stared at him, dumbstruck. Apparently, he was somewhat unable to react. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. I could see what he wanted to say, his lips were asking, “Ah Ye?” 

  People who have only met the “young master” probably will not believe that the innocent and guiltless Young Master An Xiang Ye could have such a cold-blooded side, right? 

  Dark Sun did not pay First Wind any more attention. He turned back to face the large crowd of media, and said, with every word resounding, “I am Dark Sun. I am not a hero, only a demon! I hereby swear, as long as anyone dares to use innocent lives to threaten the heroes and me, I will utterly disregard the hostages’ lives. However, I will avenge them. I will personally send the criminals to hell to accompany them, and my methods will not be merciful!” 

  After he completed his vow to the media, Dark Sun roared in a low voice, “Go!” 

  At that moment, DSII rushed to my side. I immediately understood and carried First Wind as I sat astride the motorbike, and then we turned and left abruptly. 

  When I turned my head back to look around, I saw Dark Sun soaring up into the sky, flying behind us. 

  It was time to go home. 

  When we returned home, the young master immediately took off his visor, totally ignoring that First Wind was still there. 

  He instructed me in an indifferent tone, “Charles, call An Te Qi-bàba and let him come and help treat First Wind. I’m going to take a shower and then sleep. Don’t disturb me before I wake.” 

  “As you wish.” 

  After the young master walked off to his bedroom, I made the phone call. Subsequently, Mr. An Te Qi instructed me to help clean First Wind’s wounds up a little beforehand. 

  I fetched scissors and clean water, but when I wanted to cut apart the filthy clothes on First Wind’s body, First Wind unhappily brushed my hand aside. However, when I continued to insist on helping him treat his wounds, he did not continue refusing. He simply turned his head away, his expression extremely stiff. 

  As I cut, I said, “It is indeed not a good thing to sentence criminals in private. However, if Dark Sun had not done so, other felons would probably have followed suit and seized innocent citizens to threaten the heroes. To allow those innocent people to lose their lives would be even worse!” 

  First Wind’s stiff expression softened. He appeared to be somewhat hesitant. 

  After cutting up his clothes, I picked up a clean cotton cloth and started to wipe the bloodstains around his wounds. I gently said, “If one cannot think of a better plan, but criticizes the person who strove to come up with a way to reduce casualties to a minimum, this also does not seem to be good behavior.” 

  First Wind turned his head to look at me. He looked as if he wanted to explain, yet did not know what he should say. 

  “The young master, he… only made the choice that you were all unwilling to make, that is all.” 

  I carried the basin that had already turned into a basin of watery blood, and left the living room. 

  At long last, the incident came to a close. 

  After First Wind’s injuries were treated, he was no longer in danger and even departed on foot. Before he left, he even left a note for the young master. There were only a few words written on the paper: “Sorry” and “From First Wind.” 

  The young master slept for another three full days, just like before, when after being blasted by six missiles, he had also entered an identical deep sleep. It appeared that sleeping was one of the ways for the young master to regain his strength. 

  On the fourth morning, just as he normally did, he went out at five o’clock to run, only instructing me to cook “lots and lots” for breakfast. Then, he returned punctually at seven o’clock to take a bath. It seemed that eating was also a way for the young master to replenish his strength. 

  As usual, Mr. Bramble and the others were in the living room at six-fifty, waiting for the meal to be served. 

  At seven-twenty, everyone promptly sat at the dining table, and the meal was served. 

  I waited upon the young master as he ate, and watched him polish off twelve people’s share of breakfast. Then, I could not help but open my mouth to ask a question that had been buried for three days. 

  “Young Master, may I ask you a question?” 

  As the young master drank his milk, he nodded his head. 

  “Young Master, you seem to abide by your promises. No matter what the promise is, will you abide by them all?” 

  The young master said as though it was a matter of fact, “Of course, promises are to be kept!” 

  I fell silent for a while. “Young Master, then may I ask you another question?” 

  The young master set down the empty glass of milk, and turned his head to look at me, saying, “Of course! You can ask as many questions as you want.” 

  I glanced hesitantly at Mr. Bramble, but still could not help but open my mouth to ask, “You previously promised Briar to marry her after she grew up. Were you serious about it?” 

  Everyone suddenly stopped all motions of eating breakfast and turned to look at the young master and me. In particular, Mr. Bramble was staring so much his eyeballs were about to drop out. 

  The young master looked at me and answered seriously, “Of course I’m serious. When Briar grows up, I will take her as my wife. We’ve already agreed.” 

  Silence filled the room… 

  Mr. Bramble was the first to break the silence. He jumped up and roared, “I won’t allow it! I won’t allow it! Briar is only twelve years old right now! Marry who! My Briaaaaar!” 

  I hurriedly consoled him, “Mr. Bramble, there is no need to be agitated. The young master also does not intend to marry Briar immediately. You are correct, Briar is only twelve years old, there is still at least another ten years before marriage. Would you not say so? Young Master?” 

  The young master blinked, and then feeling puzzled, asked, “Still another ten years? I thought sixteen years old was old enough get married.” 

  “…” I was speechless. Even though sixteen years of age is the legal age for marriage, but Young Master, are you truly intending to wed a sixteen year old girl? 

  “Sixteen years old, only four years later… I won’t allow it!” Mr. Bramble burst out, with “won’t allow it” in an even louder voice. 

  “The Hikaru Genji Plan!” Dell showed an envious expression as he said, “Oh~~ I also want a bride who is ten years younger than I am!” 

  “With your appearance?” May said coldly, “It would already be pretty good not to get treated as a ‘weird uncle.'” 

  “Maiden, you’re already so old. When are you intending to get married?” 

  “After I kill you!” 

  In the midst of the clamor, the sound of a news announcement came from the television. 

  No matter what happens, the curtain will eventually drop on the commotion. The four heroes have also returned, and will continue to tirelessly strive to protect the city and its citizens. They are the Noblewoman, Solitary Butterfly, the Aristocrat, First Wind, the Beast, Dragon Peace, and the Steel… Pardon me, please wait a moment! 

  It seems that the title of our Dark Sun has apparently changed. Everyone generally seems to feel that a different title is more suitable for him. That would be, the one bringing death to criminals… 

  The Grim Reaper, Dark Sun.

  No Hero    

  Volume 2, Character Introductions

  Translator: raylight 

  Leanna: The young master’s classmate. 

  Abner: The young master’s classmate. 

  Aren: The young master’s classmate. 

  Ingrid: The young master’s classmate. 

  Judy: The young master’s classmate. 

  Yue Gang: A policeman. 

  Ji Luo Chu: A photographer and Ji Luo Lun’s elder brother. 

  Ah Da: Ji Luo Chu’s co-partner, who opened a print advertisement studio together with him. He is in charge of the print design. 

  E.X. : A thousand-year-old vampire. His relationship with Charles is similar to that of a father and son or fellow brothers. 

  Afterword 

  Phewwww. When I started writing the afterword, I really felt like heaving a sigh of relief. 

  In No Hero Volume 2, there is actually a lot of content. This means that there are more incidents. Not only does it include the young master’s part-time job, it also shows that heroes will fail and run into difficulties too, First Wind’s true identity, the incident with E.X and such… However, I still have to come out with the plot that comes after that. For example, the policeman Yue Gang. He is not going to disappear any time soon! On the contrary, the number of scenes he appears in will increase! There are also the young master’s classmates; they too will not disappear just like that. 

  To think that in the beginning, when I had just started to list out all the scenes that are going to be written in this volume, I truly just stared at the notebook blankly and spaced out. I was thinking, how are all these pieces of plot going to fit together to form a story? 

  But writing a story is just that miraculous. Without realizing it, the pieces of plot have found the spots where they ought to be, and then just like that, No Hero Volume 2: The Hero Grim Reaper became a completed puzzle. 

  The Grim Reaper Dark Sun was also born like this. 

  Though the inspiration for No Hero came from Batman, in the movies, Batman chose not to kill others. However, our young master has killed some people. 

  When I was writing this, I was a little hesitant, but I still did it in the end. 

  It wasn’t for any other reason but just because the young master in No Hero isn’t Batman’s Bruce Wayne. An Xiang Ye would kill others for the sake of protecting those he wishes to protect, that is all. 

  For characters, as to what they would or wouldn’t do, it is always very clear and well understood, and one can hardly compromise. This gives the author major headaches. 

  However, No Hero has quite a few younger readers, and because of that, I can’t help but feel a bit worried. Therefore, I’m going to mend the fold after a life is lost. 

  [This story is purely fiction, and there are a lot of dangerous stunts. Please refrain from imitating them!] 

  Now that we are done with the serious stuff, let’s go onto the nonsense! Hehe! 

  Everyone should have noticed that within this volume, there are three bookmarks included, right? The characters on the bookmarks are the young master, Charles, and Ezart. Those are the top three in the character popularity poll that was held in the “Yu Wo discussion forums”! 

  The voting is not done for show! If you vote for them, you’ll get pictures! If you don’t vote, then you wouldn’t get blessed! Next time, don’t be lazy and not vote! 

  Looking at the poll results, it makes me, as an author, want to make a snappy comment to the main character of the book… Charles! Even though the book features your point of view as the main male character, your popularity still actually lost to the young master… Fine! As a butler, you can’t win against your master! 

  I will grudgingly forgive you. If you lose again, then you might as well strip naked in your picture as an apology! (What? If that is the case, then Charles definitely wouldn’t be allowed to win? How cruel…) 

  Lastly, following No Hero’s convention (Is there even such a thing?), I’ll give an advance notice to the third volume’s title to keep everyone hanging in suspense! If I don’t keep people hanging in suspense, then I wouldn’t be Yu Wo! 

  The title of the third volume is: Non-Human Killer. 

  In the next volume, we will start to reveal the past of the main character Charles, and we will also mention a lot more things regarding non-humans. At the same time, much of the plot will involve Melody. Finally, there’s also the development of the young master’s modeling career… If I say anything else and everyone knows the plot, then when you read the next book you wouldn’t find it fresh any more. Therefore, I will stop talking at this point! 

  When you keep someone hanging in suspense, you have to reap the benefits after all- (Is beaten up) 

  To conclude, I will also give an advance notice that the third volume will be released first during the winter vacation book exhibition in February 2009. There are also plans to make a purchase set limited to the location, and I hope everyone will like it. 

  I’m very happy that everyone is supporting the series No Hero. As the children’s mother, I will represent my children in their place and give thanks to everyone. 

  Come, I’m giving a flying kiss of gratitude, catch it well! (Don’t you dare dodge it!) 

  By Yu Wo 

  Character Introductions – translated by Lucathia 

  Dragon Peace 

  Modified Area: Entire body. 

  Most Hated Criminal: Those who harm animals. 

  Hero’s Motto: Don’t you dare bully it! 

  First Wind 

  Modified Area: Left arm. 

  Most Hated Criminal: Drug cartels. 

  Hero’s Motto: Those who would willingly hurt other people or even the entire world’s population for the sake of personal benefits are the most unforgivable! 

  Solitary Butterfly 

  Modified Area: Both legs. 

  Most Hated Criminal: Rapists. 

  Hero’s Motto: I’ll let you off if you put down your weapons. Rapist? Castrate him!

  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Prologue

  Translator: lucathia 

  Today is a morning that is somewhat ordinary yet not exactly ordinary. 

  What was ordinary was that I was currently cooking various breakfast foods, just like every other day. 

  What was not ordinary was that when the young master returned from his run, he suddenly said that he wanted to eat beef noodle soup. The reason was because he passed by a store selling beef noodle soup during his morning run and smelled the aroma of cooking beef. It seemed very delicious. 

  Therefore, I could only quickly begin to cook noodles and then consider all the methods I could think of to cook the beef so that it would become tender in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, I dreaded that it would not be done by the time the young master went to school… Thankfully, it just so happened that there was beef stored in the refrigerator. What luck amidst misfortune. 

  Ding dong. 

  The doorbell? Who would visit at such an early hour? I quickly called out in the direction of the living room, “Dell, may I trouble you to help me answer the door?” 

  “I’ll do it!” Immediately, a response came from the living room. 

  This is the young master’s voice… Letting the young master personally open the door was truly rude of me. However, during this busy time where I had ten different types of breakfasts cooking in front of me, there was perhaps no harm in making a slight compromise. 

  “Charles.” The young master suddenly extended his head into the kitchen. 

  I hurriedly turned and answered, “Yes.” 

  “Someone is looking for you!” 

  Looking for me? Surprised, I asked, “May I ask if it is X?” 

  The young master shook his head and replied, “It’s someone I don’t know. He says his name is Curtis Christopher.” 

  Curtis? Christopher? I had absolutely no recollection of this name. It should not be someone I was familiar with. Might it be a fellow vampire who caught wind of me? 

  Since he had not broken into violence on the spot, I believed that this fellow vampire did not possess any great malicious intent. Still, I turned and looked at the ten different types of breakfasts, feeling somewhat distressed… 

  It seemed that the young master was aware of my distress. He suggested, “Make breakfast. I’ll tell him to wait a bit! Remember to prepare breakfast for him too! He seems to be human!” 

  Not a fellow vampire? No matter what, I heaved a sigh of relief and sincerely said, “Thank you, Young Master.” 

  I hurried around for another ten minutes or so. The beef was at the last stages of cooking in the pot, while the rest of the food was ready. I lifted the food that was done, bringing it into the living room. The moment I stepped into the living room, a stranger suddenly rushed forward, snatched the plates from my hands, and placed them on the dining table. 

  I was a little surprised, but I did not forget to politely respond, “Thank you for your help.” 

  He turned and immediately said, “Please do not say so, Master Endelis.” 

  …Master Endelis? 

  Only now did I seriously observe the other person. His appearance was extremely neat and clean. He wore a black suit and a red bowtie. His hair was combed back without a single strand out of place. On his face sat a pair of rectangular glasses. Other than his tidy appearance, his expression was fairly reserved, to the point where it could be said to be completely blank. 

  But no matter what his appearance was like, I was extremely certain that I did not know this person. 

  I smiled as I asked, “May I ask who you are?” 

  All of a sudden, he did a ninety degree bow. He introduced himself, “I am your butler, Curtis Christopher, Master Endelis. I am in your care.” 

  My butler? I was fairly confused as I said, “I do have a butler, but…” 

  “A butler’s butler?” Dell suddenly yelled, “What in the world is that?” 

  May was very serious as he answered, “A butler.” 

  “…That’s obvious!” 

  “It’s obvious, yet you still needed to ask?” May rolled his eyes. 

  “Charles!” The young master tugged at my sleeve, face full of curiosity. “You really…” 

  “You are being too rude.” Curtis suddenly reprimanded, “How can you pull the master’s sleeve? And you dare to ask random questions!” 

  The young master froze. He looked at Curtis and then quickly released my sleeve. 

  At this, I turned my head and, with a hint of warning, calmly explained, “Mr. Christopher, I believe that there is a huge misunderstanding between us. This is the young master I am serving. Of course he has the right to ask me questions, and I do not mind the young master tugging at my sleeve.” 

  Curtis was obviously shocked. His face looked fairly stiff, but he still did not reveal any expression. It seemed that he was truly a well-trained butler. He bowed deeply and apologized, “I am very sorry. Earlier, this young master had opened the door, so I misunderstood and thought him to be the living room attendant. Truly, I offer my utmost apologies.” 

  The young master was never one to mind such matters, so naturally he was not angry. He merely turned and asked me with great curiosity, “Charles, what is a living room attendant?” 

  I smiled as I answered. “They are servants who take care of matters pertinent to the living room, such as answering the phone, receiving guests, making sure the living room is presentable and always ready for guests, and such.” 

  “Is there really something like that?” Dell yelled, “Why haven’t I heard about it before? Butler, are you pulling my leg? Who would purposely find a servant just for the living room!” 

  Before I was even able to respond, Curtis very seriously answered, “Master Endelis has two living room attendants, seven cleaning maids, four gardeners, two cooks, one secretary, and one butler.” 

  After he finished speaking, everyone stared at me, their gazes full of disbelief. 

  I sighed to myself and said, “I understand now. Did Sadina tell you to come?” 

  “Yes. Madam Sadina appointed me here.” When Curtis mentioned Sadina, he even bowed slightly. He seemed to greatly respect her. 

  “Sadina?” The young master was very curious, but did not pull at my sleeve this time. 

  I explained in detail, “Young Master, Sadina is my cousin, and she is the current family head of the butler family I belong to. I asked her to help me manage my two castles. Perhaps the previous butler left the position or has passed away, so she has sent the new butler for me to assess.” 

  I looked at Curtis. Although I did not ask him anything, all that a good butler needed was a glance, and he should know what he needed to do. 

  “It is not so, Master.” Curtis immediately responded, “Your castle’s butler is still employed.” 

  “Then, why have you come?” I felt somewhat puzzled. Sadina would not send a butler to me for no reason. She knew that I was currently employed as a butler. 

  “It is to appoint the next family steward. Madam Sadina is already advanced in years and has the intention to retire, so she wishes to choose the next steward.” 

  “Then, Sadina can choose on her own.” I was even more puzzled. 

  Curtis explained in detail, “It is Madam Sadina’s belief that she is merely a stewardess responsible for managing the family in your absence, so she does not have the right to choose the next steward. She has chosen me to receive a trial from you. Madam wishes for me to serve you for a year. If you believe that I am a butler capable of taking charge, then please appoint me as the next steward of the family.” 

  This Sadina is truly too… Although my honorable father had left the family to me, I had no intention of leading the family, so I gave the position to my cousin Sadina. However, Sadina actually said, other than helping to manage the family as a steward, she would not accept any other position. 

  I had agreed. At the time, I had thought that as long as the years passed, Sadina would naturally become the official family head. I did not know that even after fifty years, she would still be so stubborn. 

  “Charles.” The young master looked at the clock on the wall and said, “I’m about to be late for school. Even though being late is fine, I know that you’ll definitely be distressed if I’m late, so I thought I’d still tell you.” 

  Ah! 

  I hurriedly said, “I will immediately serve breakfast.” 

  “Master, allow me…” Curtis suddenly interjected. 

  I turned my head. In a commanding tone, I cut him off, saying, “Sit in the living room. I will discuss things with you later.” 

  “Yes.” He obeyed my command and sat down. 

  At this time, both the young master and Dell looked at him with smiles, seemingly very interested in him. Therefore, before I walked into the kitchen, I gave him an additional command. “No matter what the young master asks you, answer him.” 

  Curtis nodded somewhat stiffly and answered, “Yes.” 

  I hurriedly went into the kitchen and then walked back and forth to carry all of the dishes onto the table. As I served the last plate of food, I saw that everyone was already seated at the breakfast table. They were likely all very hungry. 

  Before the young master began eating, he even waved for Curtis to come over and said, “Come and eat, Mr. Butler!” 

  I wonder what questions the young master and the others asked him? The smile Curtis had on his face was already looking forced. He replied, “I have already eaten.” 

  The young master’s expression looked somewhat disappointed, but he did not say anything and merely began eating breakfast. 

  When this happened, Curtis finally showed some expression on his face. He was fairly alarmed as he watched the young master eat breakfast. If the young master were to see, he would probably say, “His eyes widened by one centimeter!” 

  His control of his expressions still needs work. I made a note to myself in my mind. At the same time, I was a little proud. The young master always said that my eyes or my mouth would change by zero point something, or even zero point zero zero something centimeters. 

  Afterwards, everyone began quietly eating breakfast. Mr. Bramble picked up the television remote in passing. Just as he was about to press the button, the doorbell rang for the second time. This made me feel quite bewildered. It seemed that the doorbell would either not ring for a very long time, or it would ring nonstop. 

  I was planning on answering the door, but Curtis made the first move and opened the door instead. I was not quite accustomed to this. 

  Curtis used a standard butler’s movements to open the door, and then he politely said, “Hello, this is the Endelis family. May I ask who you are seeking?” 

  No, this is young master An Xiang Ye’s home, so it should be the An family. I sighed to myself. 

  An unfamiliar woman stood outside the door. Not only was she a classic oriental beauty, the apparel she wore was quite unique too. It was an intricately embroidered red qipao which accentuated her Eastern origins. 

  “The Endelis family? Then I am not in the wrong place.” She smiled sweetly and asked very politely, “May I ask if Young Master Charles is here?” 

  …Young Master Charles?

  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 1: The Non-Human Clan and the Human Family

  Translator: raylight 

  January 20, 2110, Sunny 

  I still wasn’t sent to the Sun Emperor’s side. Instead, I was sent to serve a little young master. Although twenty is already not considered young, if you were to say he was twenty years old, no one would truly believe it. He looks just like a fifteen-year-old brat, and when he talks, he seems more like twelve! 

  But he should be easy to coax. 

  The little young master is called An Xiang Ye, which seems rather similar to the Sun Emperor’s name. 

  Ri Xiang Yan and An Xiang Ye. Hmm… 

  When the second visitor appeared and even called me “Young Master Charles,” the young master refused to go to school anymore. He insisted that even if he were to skip a day of lessons, it would still be fine. In any case, it was going to be vacation in a few more days. Currently, the professors had already stopped teaching classes, and the majority of his classmates were all skipping class. 

  Dell and May were supposed to go to the rooftop to monitor the surveillance cameras that covered all of Sunset City, but they were unwilling to leave. They only stared at the young master with hopeful eyes. The young master then told Mr. Bramble that it was okay for them to go up a little later. 

  In the end, even Mr. Bramble remained in the living room. 

  To that, I could only give a light sigh. I turned around to tell the two visitors, “I will have to trouble the two of you to introduce yourselves first!” 

  Curtis immediately nodded. He answered in a proper manner, “As you wish, Master Endelis. My name is Curtis Christopher. I was sent by Madam Sadina, and I am the candidate for the next family steward.” 

  After hearing Curtis’s explanation, everyone’s gaze shifted to the other person. Faced with everyone’s attention, the woman who had an oriental feel put on a sweet smile as she explained, “Young Master Charles, my name is Gong Feng Xiang. I was sent here by Countess Avexila.” 

  “Avexila?” The young master immediately interrupted curiously. 

  “How rude!” The ever-smiling Gong Feng Xiang immediately dropped her smile, and she reprimanded agitatedly, “How dare you address the Countess directly by her name!” 

  The young master froze. This was the second time this morning that he had been scolded, and moreover, both times it was by the people who had come to visit me. 

  My face darkened and I sternly declared, “This person is the one whom I serve, Young Master An Xiang Ye. I ask the two of you to not be disrespectful to him. Otherwise, regardless of who sent you here, I would ask for you to leave immediately!” 

  Gong Feng Xiang was only stunned for a moment, and then she immediately showed her beautiful smile again as she explained, “My apologies. I thought that the one Young Master was serving was that Master over there…” 

  Everyone present followed Gong Feng Xiang’s line of sight to Mr. Bramble. He lifted his head from behind the newspapers and said in a deep voice, “I am the leader of the bodyguards responsible for protecting the young master. The other two people are also the young master’s bodyguards.” 

  Dell gave a snort and said fiercely, “You guys actually dared to scold the young master! If we didn’t already know that the young master wouldn’t get angry over this, we would have already shot you two blind blockheads dead.” 

  “Seconded,” said May coldly. 

  While I agreed with Dell’s words, I felt that we would probably not be able to carry them out. If I was right, Gong Feng Xiang should be of the same race as me, and furthermore, her generation number should not be too far from mine. Perhaps I might not even be able to win against her. After all, vampires untrained in combat were simply on the rare side. 

  After hearing Dell’s threat, Gong Feng Xiang did not get angry but instead gave the young master a sweet smile. With a pleading expression, she said, “I’m really very sorry! Little Young Master.” 

  The young master gave a smile and said, “It’s okay. However, who exactly is Countess Avexila?” 

  Gong Feng Xiang seemed to be trying to make up for her previous mistake, so she scrambled to answer, “Madam is Young Master Charles’s mother.” 

  The young master immediately turned his head, looking at me as he exclaimed, “Charles, you have a mother?” 

  “Of course I do,” I replied with a smile. 

  “Ah… I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought that your mother was dead.” The young master seemed to be at a loss as he said, “Didn’t you say that your father is already dead… had passed away?” 

  “I did. That is because my honorable father was advanced in his years. However, Countess Avexila is a vampire.” 

  Once I said that, the young master suddenly looked at me in surprise. He seemed to have something he wanted to say, but was hesitating on whether to bring it up or not. This made me feel a little puzzled. However, on second thought, perhaps it was something that could not be brought up in front of outsiders. Therefore, I did not press the young master about it in further detail. 

  In the end, the young master still did not direct any questions to me. Instead, he turned to Gong Feng Xiang and asked in curiosity, “Is Charles’s mother looking for him?” 

  As Gong Feng Xiang explained, she also directed her words to me. “It is like this. Countess Avexila misses Young Master Charles very much. At the same time, she is worried about him living all alone outside. He might encounter many inconveniences, so she wishes for me to come over and serve the young master. Also, Madam wishes for the young master to return and visit the clan if he is free.” 

  Hearing such an explanation, I looked at Gong Feng Xiang with distrust. However, she continued smiling sweetly, and it seemed as though there was nothing strange. However… 

  “Is that so?” The young master was rather overjoyed as he said, “Then can I go too? It’s going to be summer vacation soon, and I was still thinking of where I could go to play!” 

  Gong Feng Xiang looked elated and said, “Of course you can! Countess Avexila will definitely be very happy too!” 

  The young master smiled too. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, he suddenly frowned and said, “Um… I-I think I had better go to school after all. It’s not good to skip classes!” 

  Suddenly wanting to go to school? I froze for a moment, after which I immediately understood that an incident must have happened. Therefore, the young master had no choice but to go out, and could only find a random excuse to do so. 

  However, how did the young master find out about the incident? The three people responsible for overseeing the surveillance cameras—Mr. Bramble, Dell, and May—are all here… Right! There is still Melody. Perhaps she is currently in the opposite room working hard at watching the surveillance cameras. 

  The young master told me, “Charles, keep them company! I’ll be heading to school now.” 

  “Very well.” I quickly picked up the young master’s school bag and assisted him in putting it on his back. 

  The situation seemed to be very pressing. The moment the school bag was on the young master’s back, he dashed to the door anxiously. I actually had to utilize the vampire’s unique slide stepping in order to make it in time to open the door for the young master. 

  At this point, Mr. Bramble put down his newspaper and told Dell and May, “We should begin work.” 

  “Yes.” The two replied a little nervously. 

  Thus, after they called to me that they were leaving, they too left the living room. 

  Before leaving, Mr. Bramble even glanced at Gong Feng Xiang, and then gave me a glare… It appeared that Mr. Bramble had also discovered the fact that she was a non-human. He was probably feeling very dissatisfied with the fact that I had brought a non-human into the apartment. 

  After everyone had left, we were the only ones remaining—two vampires and one human. This made me feel that the situation was a little laughable. As the only human here, Curtis really ought to worry about his predicament. 

  I looked at Curtis, who stared back at me. He completely did not dare to look at Gong Feng Xiang, who was beside him. However, Gong Feng Xiang was looking at him with much curiosity. 

  Curtis was still maintaining the highly-trained expressionless face of a butler. However, as a butler, if he were to receive the gaze of the master’s visitor, he ought to be polite and ask the visitor if they needed anything. Yet he had not said a single word, and only continued to look at me… Could it be that he truly feels a little uneasy? 

  I looked at Curtis, and then looked back at Gong Feng Xiang. The latter still continued to smile, and she appeared like she was not going to take action and attack him. Therefore, in the end, I decided to switch on the television first. Finding out what was happening was more important. 

  When I turned on the television, it was still broadcasting its scheduled programs. I scrolled through the channels continuously, but even news channels that only reported the news did not have an emergency news report. 

  It seemed that the reporters had yet to find out that an incident had occurred. 

  I looked at the wall clock. Though the time seemed a little early, as it was roughly only nine o’clock, I ought to quickly go and buy groceries now, while the young master was not around, if I was going to prepare lunch. 

  However, I could not leave these two people here. If it were only Curtis, then it would have been fine. Although there were numerous valuable objects in the young master’s home, with Curtis having been sent by Sadina and even being the candidate for the next family steward, I did not think that he would steal anything from the apartment. 

  The one that I could not trust was Gong Feng Xiang. She was a vampire, and vampires have always been dangerous. 

  Other than the presence of Gong Feng Xiang that prevented me from going out, another reason that made me want to stay was that I simply wanted to remain in front of the television. That was because in a few moments, they may broadcast news regarding Dark Sun, and I did not wish to miss any news concerning Dark Sun. 

  I pondered for a moment, and then called out, “Curtis.” 

  “Yes,” was his immediate reply. 

  I instructed in detail, “Could I please trouble you to go to the market two streets away to buy some groceries? Please buy two heads of cabbage, ten catties of top-quality Angus beef, and also some…” 

  I recited a long list of things to purchase, but I had no intention of writing it down on paper and passing it to Curtis. A good butler could not possibly request for their master to write down the things that they needed. Instead, they had to remember all the instructions given to them. 

  Though the fact that Sadina had suddenly thrown a butler over and that she still treated me as the true family successor was a little perplexing, helping to test whether Curtis was a qualified butler was not something difficult. Therefore, I believed that I had to do this at least. 

  After all, that year, I had thrown the entire family into her care. 

  After I finished reciting my instructions, Curtis gave a bow and replied, “Master, please wait for a moment. I will go and purchase these immediately.” 

  Then he turned around and left the room. Though his posture was still perfect, his footsteps seemed somewhat too anxious and hurried. However, I could not blame him for this, because for any human who had to share the room with two vampires, feeling a little nervous was unavoidable. 

  At this point, I glanced at the television, and after making sure that there was still no news of Dark Sun, I turned to the last visitor in the living room. I courteously said, “Miss Gong Feng Xiang…” 

  “Why so polite?” Gong Feng Xiang said with her sweet smile, “Young Master can just call me Feng Xiang.” 

  I smiled back at her and told her, “I do not know why Countess Avexila would suddenly miss me, but I do not need anyone to serve me. As you have seen, I myself am a butler who serves others.” 

  “Does a butler not usually have servants under him too?” Evidently, Gong Feng Xiang was already prepared for this. She continued, “I could be a kitchen maid, or a living room attendant.” 

  “How could I ask that of you? I believe that you, madam, must at least be a vampire of the eighth generation number?” I asked with the intention of probing. “Being a servant would simply humble the madam too much.” 

  “Sixth generation, actually,” Gong Feng Xiang answered back sweetly. 

  I felt a little shocked. Sixth generation… Within the clan, only Countess Avexila was a fifth generation vampire. That would mean that Gong Feng Xiang was someone upon whom she had personally bestowed her “First Kiss.” In other words, it was Countess Avexila who had personally bit and turned Gong Feng Xiang into a vampire. We usually call those vampires to whom we have given their First Kiss “childes.” 

  In comparison, those “childe” vampires call those who have given them their First Kiss “sires.” As for their own sire, vampires appear to have an inclination to obey them. Because of this inclination, the childe would always receive great trust from the sire. 

  However, this was only hearsay to me, and I was unable to understand it. That is because I am a pureborn vampire. No vampire had ever bestowed upon me my First Kiss, and Madam Avexila had no sort of control over me either. 

  Madam Avexila actually sent her own childe? 

  If I remembered correctly, the Countess only had two childes, one male and one female. Furthermore, they never left the Countess’s side easily. However, at the moment, Gong Feng Xiang actually said that she wants to serve me? She is going to be away from the Countess’s side for a long period of time? 

  I was even more at a loss as I asked, “What exactly does the Countess want to do? There is no one else here anymore. Why not tell me directly, instead of beating around the bush?” 

  Gong Feng Xiang shook her head, her expression sorrowful as she said, “Young Master, you are thinking too much. The Countess truly cares for you, and hopes for you to return to the clan.” 

  She hopes for me to return to the clan? How is this possible? She was the one who initially… 

  News report: Many unknown terrorists have appeared and are now attacking people along the streets, causing many injuries and deaths. The police are now pursuing them in full swing. 

  I immediately turned my head toward the television. I was just in time to see the “unknown terrorists” that the anchor mentioned. Not only were they “unknown,” they were simply unbelievable! 

  On the television, an unknown terrorist passed by in a flash. His body resembled that of a human, but was covered in blackish-brown fur. His height looked like it was over two meters, and both of his hands were like beast claws. Moreover, his head was clearly the head of a wolf… Other than the werewolf race among the non-humans, there was simply no other race that could fit these kinds of distinctive characteristics. 

  However, how could this be? Why would a werewolf appear in broad daylight, and moreover, in public in front of a large crowd? 

  At this time, Gong Feng Xiang too walked to the front of the television and said, “I heard that the gathering spot of the werewolves in Sunset City was destroyed, and many werewolves died. Even their leader was killed. The remaining werewolves are in a state of panic and confusion!” 

  Their leader would have been Cornell, right? As expected, X killed him. 

  It is just that he engaged in a face-off with the entire clan of werewolves in Sunset City, and actually did not even ask me to provide support… But it is fine this way! 

  I gave a sigh. Now that I was not a solitary vampire anymore, if I wanted to step away, I had to apply for leave from the young master first. However, if the young master knew that I was going to help X, he would definitely want to follow and help out. Even if the young master willingly followed me, how could I allow him to take part in a battle between non-humans? 

  Gong Feng Xiang seemed to think it was a huge pity as she said, “These werewolves are fleeing all over the place. If they were to be captured and killed, it would be a pity. If we could pull them into our clan, it would be a huge boost to our strength.” 

  I turned to face her and suggested, “You could take the chance now to solicit them, so as to prevent them from getting killed.” 

  Gong Feng Xiang gave a faint smile as she replied, “That would not do. The mission the Countess has given to me is to take good care of Young Master, not to solicit werewolves. Moreover, it seems that they are not few in number. Humans would not find it easy to capture and kill them. They would probably have to pay a huge price before they would be able to deal with this group of werewolves.” 

  That may not be the case. 

  The corners of my mouth rose faintly as I stated, “In the area near the clan’s residence, there are no heroes, right? However, heroes exist in Sunset City. They will definitely not let the werewolves’ rampage go unhindered.” 

  “Heroes?” Gong Feng Xiang murmured, seemingly a little puzzled. 

  The sound of a motorcycle’s engine came from the television. I looked at the screen, but still did not see any signs of Dark Sun. I quickly switched the television to the multi-screen mode, and then set every frame to a different news station. This way, I would be able to observe the current situation from various different angles. 

  It was also thanks to the reporters, who simply did not fear death in order to gather news! They were shooting from various places. Some images looked like they were shot from somewhere close behind the police; some looked like they were from a window of a high-rise building; some were shot on helicopters; some even looked like they were footage from surveillance cameras and not the news reporters’ cameras. It was truly unclear what kind of methods they used to be able to access the live feed from the surveillance cameras this quickly. 

  However, regardless of the means, the reporters’ hard work made the entire scene plainly visible. 

  There were no longer any pedestrians on the streets. All that was left was collapsed electric poles and the road filled with holes. The glass of the stores on both sides had all shattered, and the mannequins in the shop display windows were lying on the sidewalks. The expensive display clothes that they wore now looked like a bunch of rags. 

  Countless policemen raised their giant shields into a blockade. From the back, they strafed the place with various kinds of firearms. However, the werewolves were very vigilant. They wove in and out of the buildings, and made use of various covers to block the rain of bullets. Every time they appeared, it was to pounce toward the wall of police shields. There were several times when they almost broke through the blockade. It was all thanks to the police, who were shooting non-stop as well as doing their best to use their physical bodies to hold the shields, that they managed to force the werewolves back into the blockaded area once again. 

  However, due to the line of fire coming too close to their own people, many policemen were caught in the wave of bullets. They fell to the ground, injured, and then were dragged back from the blockade line in a hurry. They lay on the road like that for a while, until the paramedics confirmed that the werewolves were not going to try breaking through the front line again, and quickly moved forward to take the injured policemen away. 

  Although there was a large police force on the scene, as the number of policemen who were injured and carried off increased, the numbers behind the shields also decreased. Moreover, the policemen’s expressions were turning paler and paler as time passed. 

  Even I, who was in front of a screen, could tell that they were extremely afraid. They practically had expressions of despair, expecting to meet death at any moment. 

  At this point, other than gunshots and sirens of ambulances, the sudden sound of a motorcycle engine rang out, and it was getting closer. Regardless of whether they were reporters or policemen, all of them directed their camera lenses and lines of sight to the back. 

  Behind them, a heavy-duty motorcycle was approaching. It was extremely fast. Within a blink of an eye, it had already turned from a tiny dot to a size where one could clearly tell who was riding on it… It was Dark Sun with DSII. 

  On DSII, Dark Sun sped past the paramedics, the policemen lying on the ground, and then the policemen holding guns. Lastly, he even jumped straight over the policemen’s wall of shields on the motorcycle, dashing into the area within the blockade. Once he touched the ground, he made an emergency stop, halting right in the center of the street. 

  From their expressions, I could clearly see that many policemen felt relieved. 

  Dark Sun stepped off the motorcycle and quickly did a few actions: he pulled out the blade of the scythe, fitted two rods together to form a longer rod, and finally merged the blade and the rod into the giant Death Scythe. Then, carrying the Death Scythe, he stood squarely in his original position. He merely kept turning and lifting his head, as though he was trying to find any trace of the werewolves. 

  However, the werewolves took no action. Instead, they continued to hide within the buildings and refused to show themselves even after some time. 

  This was not really strange. That world-shaking battle between Dark Sun and X was probably well known even to non-humans. Even among the non-humans, there were probably few who would dare to claim that they could defeat Dark Sun. 

  In the sea of silence that continued, a loud shout suddenly came from within the group of policemen. 

  “Don’t move! Dark Sun, you are under arrest for suspicion of murder!” 

  Dark Sun turned his head. As he laid eyes on the guy, I saw him too… It was Yue Gang! 

  He stood a few steps in front of the wall of shields. He was wearing a full bulletproof suit and holding up his shield with one hand. In his other hand, he had a handgun raised, and the muzzle was aimed right at Dark Sun. Behind Yue Gang, an entire line of policemen looked as though they did not know whether to laugh or to cry. Even I could not help but laugh. 

  Yue Gang actually wants to arrest Dark Sun? Even if there were a hundred of him, he would still probably be unable to do so. 

  Because of the visor covering his face, it was impossible to see Dark Sun’s expression. However, Yue Gang’s expression was plainly visible. He seemed extremely nervous, and sweat dotted his face. Even when he spoke, he stuttered. “D-Dark Sun, last time you killed a man in public. There are video clips and a whole bunch of witnesses, and they are absolutely conclusive evidence of your crime. Therefore—Therefore that… Turn yourself in and you’ll receive a lighter sentence, resist and you’ll be punished severely!” 

  No matter what, this would not count as turning himself in, right? Generally speaking, turning oneself in is when the offender goes to the police station to admit to their crimes before they have been discovered. However, every single soul knew about the previous incident where Dark Sun had killed someone. Even if he were to discard his weapons and surrender now, it would not count as turning himself in. 

  Though Yue Gang had finished speaking, there was a lack of response from Dark Sun… If I were him, I probably would not know how to react either. 

  Yue Gang used his hand holding the gun to wave behind him, and shouted, “Everyone, quick, arrest him… Where did my handcuffs go? Anyone! Quickly pass me a pair of handcuffs!” 

  However, no reply came no matter how long he waited. He could only turn his head to check if anyone was responding to his words. He shouted, “What are you guys doing? Why aren’t you arresting him yet?!” 

  “You might be in a hurry to die, but I still want to live.” A policeman unhappily commented, “Why don’t you look for yourself. Once Dark Sun arrived, even the werewolves are so afraid that they don’t dare to come out! It’s best if we dare to go and arrest him! But think about it—we can’t even handle the werewolves.” 

  By the time he said that last line, the policeman’s tone seemed a little sarcastic. Even the other policemen nodded their heads with wry smiles. It seemed that none of them had any intention of moving forward to apprehend Dark Sun. 

  “He killed a man, so he is a criminal! As policemen, we should arrest him!” Yue Gang was so angry that he stamped his foot, and actually turned around with his back facing Dark Sun. Then, he started roaring at his own colleagues. 

  At this moment, a policeman suddenly gave a cry, “Yue Gang! Watch out…” 

  Yue Gang turned to look, only to see Dark Sun actually leaping in his direction with his Death Scythe raised. Forget about counterattacking, he was simply so scared that he collapsed onto the ground. The blade of the scythe scraped past his cheeks, and then a sound of impact came from the blade. 

  It was a werewolf’s claws that struck the blade of the scythe. If the scythe blade had not blocked the claws, the claws would probably have pierced a hole in Yue Gang’s body by now. 

  Then, Dark Sun jumped up, and with a side kick that landed viciously on the werewolf’s face, sent the werewolf flying into the ground. The werewolf shook his head violently, but was unable to get back up. 

  Following that, Dark Sun grabbed Yue Gang and threw him out of the area, making him crash right into the line of police. The impact even caused the policemen’s wall of shields to buckle. However, they reacted extremely swiftly and promptly hauled Yue Gang behind the wall of shields. Then, they neatly built up their wall of defense again. 

  While the policemen were doing that, Dark Sun had been surrounded. Around him were five werewolves, all of them with their claws raised. They eyed him with hostility, like the glare of tigers watching prey. 

  Though the werewolves had reappeared, due to the presence of Dark Sun, the police force did not continue as they had before, shooting the moment they saw the werewolves. Instead, they merely cautiously maintained the blockade and made sure that their firearms were accessible at all times. 

  Actually, this is preferable. That was what I suddenly thought. 

  The policemen could build blockades and not let the numerous werewolves scatter and hurt the civilians. Also, it would help prevent a situation where Dark Sun would be overwhelmed and unable to chase down so many werewolves. 

  The policemen confined the werewolves to an area, and then let Dark Sun go defeat the werewolves. Though they did not have the intention of cooperating with each other, the end result appeared like a seamless collaboration. Dark Sun did not need to go around the entire area hunting down the werewolves, and the police did not need to clash face-to-face with the werewolves and suffer severe casualties. 

  When my thoughts reached this point, on screen, Dark Sun made his move and started fighting the five werewolves. Although he was heavily outnumbered, he did not seem to be at a disadvantage in the slightest bit. The Death Scythe danced at lightning speed, and the werewolves could only try to find an opening to attack Dark Sun, as they did not have the courage to meet with the scythe head-on. 

  The current battle had turned into a dogfight. Though the werewolves were unable to defeat Dark Sun, it seemed that they did not wish to risk their lives, and only continued their strategy of dodging the scythe non-stop while trying to find an opportunity to attack Dark Sun. Therefore, Dark Sun was also unable to end the battle quickly. 

  This began to make me feel a little worried. I wonder how Dark Sun’s stamina is, and how long he can continue fighting? The stamina of the werewolf race is extremely good… 

  All of a sudden, a chain of wild gunfire rang out non-stop. One of the werewolves who was jumping in midair trying to pounce on Dark Sun was shot until he was as holey as honeycomb, and then fell onto the ground. However, the person firing still did not let him off, and continued shooting several bullets into his body. It was only until that werewolf was practically a lump of bloody meat that the bullets stopped. 

  Although that werewolf had already turned into a bloody mess, the gunfire did not cease. Instead, it continued at the other werewolves. Such heavy firing naturally would not only hit the werewolves—even Dark Sun was within the firing range. 

  He stopped bothering to attack the werewolves, and instead quickly turned around, using the blade of the scythe to block the majority of the bullets. At the same time, he promptly fled from the werewolves’ side. However, the shooter still refused to let him go. Even though he was not in the vicinity of the werewolves, there were still bullets flying his way… 

  I felt a burst of anger. 

  How could the policemen do this? Dark Sun is fighting for them, yet they do not care for his life and are firing at random. This method of firing is practically aiming to kill the werewolves together with Dark Sun! 

  “Who fired? Stop it quickly!” Yue Gang’s loud voice rang out, “Bastard! You hit Dark Sun! Who is so blind? Hurry up and stop it!” 

  Hearing that, a state of chaos and confusion spread in the police force. Everyone looked to their left and right, and then there was a clamor of voices. 

  “Who opened fire?” 

  “I didn’t!” 

  “My gun doesn’t have such large firepower!” 

  “Nobody opened fire…” 

  Yue Gang suddenly shouted, “Look at the other side!” 

  The policemen quieted down, and at the scene, only the sounds of gunfire continued to ring out. At this point, three shadows slowly appeared on the other side. All three figures appeared to be holding firearms in their hands, and they were all large guns. As they walked closer, their appearances also became more visible. 

  There were two men and a woman, and their manner of dressing was very unique. They were dressed in black priestly robes, including the woman. At the center of their black robes was a giant golden cross. What was extremely incongruous was that right in front of the cross were the giant guns that they held in their hands. 

  As they walked closer, their faces could be clearly seen. In the center was a young woman whose appearance looked delicate and pretty, but whose face was icy cold. She looked to be about twenty years old. To her left was a smiling man. He seemed to be pretty young, and could practically be considered an overgrown boy. The last person was a man who looked extremely ordinary. He seemed to be over forty years old, and there were no distinctive features about him. He practically looked like one of those middle-aged office workers that could be seen everywhere in the streets. 

  The three of them held large firearms and were continuously firing at the werewolves… They were firing at the werewolves and Dark Sun! This made me feel a little indignant and baffled. Why would they fire at Dark Sun? They are obviously… 

  “The Church!” At my side, I suddenly heard the hollow roar of a vampire. 

  I turned to look. In complete opposition to her previous smile, Gong Feng Xiang was currently narrowing her eyes dangerously and glaring at the Church members on the television. Even the canines at the edges of her mouth seemed to have extended. 

  However, her reaction was nothing strange. Vampires naturally do not like members of the Church, as the Church could be said to be the largest and only “law-enforcer” of the non-humans. Once a non-human has killed humans, as long as the Church finds out about it, they would become the target of pursuit by the Church. Moreover, among all of the non-humans, the Church particularly hates vampires. As soon as they meet a vampire, it is common for them to kill without question. 

  I have always felt suspicious of the reason for the Church’s particular hatred toward vampires. Does it have something to do with X? After all, they have been hunting X for over a thousand years. A small grudge probably could not have resulted in this kind of perseverance. 

  On the television, Yue Gang’s angry shout abruptly came, “Quick, stop! You’re hitting Dark Sun!” 

  My attention was once again focused back on the television screen. On the screen, the werewolves had no leisure to attack Dark Sun anymore, and all of them had scattered and fled in different directions, trying to avoid the heavy firepower. 

  Dark Sun, on the other hand, was making use of DSII and the Death Scythe to block the heavy firepower from those three people. 

  At this point, Yue Gang actually dashed out between the shields. He raised his shield and loudly cursed, “Are you guys deaf? Don’t shoot at Dark Sun anymore!” 

  Among the three, two of them completely ignored him. Only the man who was like an overgrown boy turned his head and asked with a smile, “Dark Sun? Which one is it?” 

  “Not ‘it!’ He’s human!” Yue Gang angrily shouted, “Don’t you see that there’s a human there?” 

  “Human?” The overgrown boy smiled as he said, “I don’t see any. I only see six non-humans.” 

  “Non what?” Yue Gang evidently did not quite understand his words. 

  The overgrown boy paid him no further attention and merely took out an unidentifiable object from his pocket, all the while looking laid-back. He then whistled and threw that thing toward Dark Sun and the werewolves… The spot that he threw it to is actually closest to Dark Sun! 

  Yue Gang managed to see that object clearly, and he yelled, “Hand grenade! Dark Sun!” 

  Dark Sun hesitated for a moment. At the same time, DSII who was blocking him actually rode off by itself. Then, Dark Sun jumped backwards and covered himself with the scythe. 

  Boom! 

  After the explosion, three werewolves lay on the ground, unable to get up. The other two werewolves were so terrified that they promptly scurried off. 

  At this moment, Dark Sun once again drew his scythe to the side. His body was already a tragic sight, especially his four limbs where the scythe failed to cover. His clothing had practically become rags, and there were numerous scrapes and injuries on his arms and legs. 

  However, he ignored his wounds and instead spun around. He swung the Death Scythe powerfully, and the blade of the scythe left the rod. It circled and flew out, hitting one of the werewolves who was escaping. The werewolf was sent flying onto a wall by the blade, securely pinned to the building’s wall, with only his four limbs swaying about and about… 

  Once the limbs of the werewolf stopped moving, the blade started to move instead. It drew itself out from the werewolf’s body, and following that, flew back to Dark Sun’s location. With a “clang” sound, it hooked itself back onto the rod automatically, becoming a complete Death Scythe again. 

  Dark Sun turned to look toward the other escaping werewolf. Probably the werewolf had already gone too far for Dark Sun to be able to cut him down with his scythe, so he did not detach the blade of the scythe again. Instead, he turned to look at the three church members. He seemed to have no intention of finding out why they had attacked him, and instead turned to run after the escaping werewolf. 

  At this moment, the overgrown boy grinned broadly as he told the other two, “This non-human seems really strong! Do you want to call for back-up?” 

  The woman seemed in deep thought as she muttered, “I don’t know what race it is. There doesn’t seem to be any information on it in the files.” 

  Just then, Dark Sun stopped in his footsteps. He turned to face the three, and displayed a rare moment of verbalization. “I am human.” 

  “Human?” The overgrown boy burst into laughter and mocked, “Haven’t you looked in a mirror before, or is the mirror unable to reflect your image? Which part of you looks like a human?” 

  Dark Sun fell silent for a moment, and once again he affirmed, “I am human.” 

  However, the three church members clearly still did not believe him. 

  “Dark Sun is human of course. He is a hero!” At this point, it was instead Yue Gang who spoke up for him. However, once he finished speaking, he quickly turned to face Dark Sun and further clarified, “But even so, we still have to arrest you for murder!” 

  “So you have killed humans before.” 

  The look in the overgrown boy’s eyes changed. With a cold laugh, he said, “Non-humans who kill humans are, without exception, guilty!” 

  The moment he finished speaking, all three of them immediately raised their weapons, and they were all pointed at Dark Sun. 

  “Wait a moment!” Yue Gang exclaimed, “What are you guys doing? Don’t mess around. We want to arrest him and bring him to court, not kill him! There’s a high possibility that he will be judged as killing in self-defense and declared innocent!” 

  “That is if he is human.” The overgrown boy bluntly said, “Non-humans have no right to receive a trial! If they have killed a human, they should die!” 

  Suddenly at this moment, Dark Sun’s body trembled. Once again, he stated, “I am human.” 

  However, the answer the church members gave him was a series of gunshots.

  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 2: The Grief of Non-Humans and the Tears of Humans

  Translator: Doza 

  January 29, 2110, Rainy 

  Today I met the Sun Emperor! He was just as mature and steady as I imagined, while being so arrogant that he treats everyone like dust… He’s not a good man, but he truly is a captivating one! 

  However, this is really too inconceivable. The little young master is actually the Sun Emperor’s younger brother?! 

  The solitary Sun Emperor actually has a younger brother. My god, if I sold this piece of news, I probably wouldn’t have to worry about money for the next few hundred years. 

  However, the Sun Emperor doesn’t want the world to find out about the little young master. 

  If I dared to sell this piece of news, it wouldn’t just be a few hundred years that I’d have no worries about money. I most likely wouldn’t have to worry for eternity. 

  Dead men have no use for money… Nor do dead vampires. 

  Dark Sun ran swiftly as he dodged the bullets. DSII also sped over and helped him block several. After jumping on the motorcycle, Dark Sun paused briefly to glance at the three people from the Church. Then he raced away. 

  The overgrown boy appeared to want to give chase, but the woman stopped him. “Don’t follow. He’s not the main target. There’s no need to get involved.” 

  After Dark Sun’s departure, the screen only showed Yue Gang, who was so furious that he was stamping his feet at the three people from the Church. Two of them ignored him completely. Only the overgrown boy donned a smile to speak with him. 

  After about ten minutes, I felt that Dark Sun would be at a sufficient distance from the crowd. Only then did I take out my cell phone and dial the young master’s number. However, just as I expected, the ringing sounded from the young master’s room… It appears the young master has made a habit of leaving his cell phone behind when he goes out. 

  Even though I felt very uneasy, there was nothing I could do. On the contrary, I had to resolutely suppress my anxiety and do my daily cleaning to avoid raising Gong Feng Xiang’s suspicions. 

  As I was wiping a glass cup, Gong Feng Xiang suddenly smiled and said, “You truly are diligent.” 

  “Pardon?” I was rather unsure what she was referring to. 

  Gong Feng Xiang smiled as she said, “I said, you are truly a diligent butler. You wiped one glass for ten minutes. If that is not diligence, then what else would it be?” 

  It is worry. I gave her a superficial smile, but deep down, I heaved a sigh. How is the young master doing, I wonder? 

  Ring ring… 

  Could it be the young master? I immediately received the call. “This is Charles. Is this the young master?” I asked. 

  “No, this is Ji Luo Chu, but Ah Ye is at my studio.” 

  “The young master is at your studio? How is he?” As I asked, I sighed in relief. Everything is fine as long as the young master is not alone. 

  Ji Luo Chu’s voice sounded deeply worried. “He looks really miserable. His arms and legs are covered with wounds, which he just bandaged carelessly. After he asked me for pants and a long-sleeved shirt, he said he was leaving. I managed to get him to stay by telling him to look over the photos from the previous shoot… Anyway, come over quickly!” 

  “I will head over right now,” I said hurriedly. 

  I got up to leave, but immediately saw Gong Feng Xiang looking at me curiously. It was only then that I remembered her presence. After hesitating briefly, I told her, “Gong Feng Xiang, I will have to trouble you to wait for me here. I will be back in a while.” 

  “Very well, Young Master,” Gong Feng Xiang replied with a smile. 

  Despite her smile, I still felt very uneasy. However, the young master’s situation was more important right now, so I could not take the time to bother with her. Still, even with the urgency of the situation, I could not forget the previous incident when Yue Gang had “mistaken” me for a vampire because of my outfit. Therefore, I decided to change into my X-Killer clothes before leaving the apartment. 

  The moment I walked out the door, I saw Melody. She was standing near the doorway, looking as if she had been waiting for me. 

  “The young master—” 

  “Whatever it is,” Melody interrupted, “let’s talk after we find him. I also have to make some inquiries about why those people from the Church have come here. Sunset City is not the Church’s territory!” 

  I nodded in agreement. However, regarding why the Church had come here, I had an inkling—it was probably related to E.X. 

  As I rode the elevator down with her, I inquired, “Are we taking a taxi?” 

  Melody shot me a glance as she answered, “I have a car.” 

  “When did you buy a car?” I asked, astonished. 

  “Ten minutes ago.” 

  Ten minutes? 

  When we walked outside, an extremely glamorous new violet sports car was parked in front of the building. There was even a man in a suit standing ramrod straight beside the car door. He seemed to be the salesperson. 

  “Miss Melody…” he greeted with a huge grin. 

  However, Melody replied discourteously, “Less chatter. I’m in a hurry! The money’s already been sent to the bank account. Give me the keys!” 

  “Yes ma’am!” The salesperson offered her the car keys deferentially, smiling happily. “Thank you for your patronage. If you are ever in need, you are always welcome to come for a test drive.” 

  Melody snatched the keys and stepped into the driver’s seat. “Butler, get in!” she shouted to me. 

  I stepped into the front passenger seat, and before I had even closed the car door properly, Melody hit the gas pedal and zoomed away. 

  “Where is the young master?” Melody asked abruptly. 

  I clutched the door handle tightly. “You bought a car without knowing his whereabouts?” I asked with a wry smile. 

  “In any case, as long as you know, it’s all right,” she answered. “And I foresee that we’ll be using a car frequently in the future. In order to tail the young master, who can fly, I specially bought a sports car with the best performance.” Melody gave me a quick look and teased, “Or would you prefer to ride DSII?” 

  “This car is not bad,” I praised. Then I instructed, “Turn left up ahead. The young master is at Mr. Ji Luo Chu’s studio.” 

  “Oh?” Melody’s eyes sparkled as an extreme left turn saw us brushing dangerously against another car as it passed. 

  “…” I lost the power to reply and could only cling tighter to the door handle. 

  Just then, my cell phone rang again. Before picking up the call, I glanced at the screen. It was Ji Luo Chu. The moment the call connected, his voice came through. “Charles, Ah Ye has left already. I couldn’t stop him. Are you nearby?” 

  I gauged my surroundings and replied, “Yes, we will be there after two more streets.” 

  “Then, be on the lookout along the way. Ah Ye only just left. He’s wearing the clothes from the previous photo shoot for the ‘Tears of an Angel’ advertisement. Dressed in all white, he should be quite conspicuous.” 

  “Understood. Thank you very much.” 

  “No problem, just hurry and find him! I’m really worried for him…” 

  After Ji Luo Chu ended the call with a sigh, I told Melody hastily, “Slow down a bit. Stay in this vicinity. Luo Chu said Ah Ye is on the streets nearby.” 

  At that very moment, Melody unexpectedly jammed on the brakes. My entire body was thrown forward, pulling the seat belt strapped over my chest so tight that it was somewhat uncomfortable… But it was lucky that I had fastened it. Otherwise, I would probably have broken and flown through the windshield. 

  After trembling in fear for a moment, I asked in distress, “Melody, why did you suddenly stop?” 

  “Look over there.” Melody pointed ahead, to the left. 

  The second I looked over, I saw the young master. As Ji Luo Chu had described, he was wearing a set of clothes in pure white. He was indeed eye-catching. In fact, there were numerous passersby who were looking at him. Most of their expressions showed admiration. 

  The young master sat on a bench by the sidewalk, looking extremely dejected. His eyes were red, although he was not crying. That aside, he was also not alone. There were three other people around him—the classmates who had come by recently. Leanna and Abner were talking with the young master, but Aren was standing quietly to the side. Despite his silence, he was frowning as he looked at the young master, also seemingly very concerned. 

  After watching for a while, Melody opened her mouth to ask, “Should we still go over?” 

  “Let his classmates console the young master first. We will observe the situation before making any further plans.” I was quite delighted. It truly was wonderful that the young master had bumped into his classmates. There would be nothing better than letting them give him comfort. 

  “Observe the situation, is it?” Melody asked. “Then we can get out of the car soon. It looks like the young master is saying goodbye to his classmates.” 

  I looked back, and sure enough, the young master had stood up from the bench. It looked like he was waving farewell to his classmates. 

  I nodded quickly to Melody and got out of the car, shouting, “Ah Ye!” 

  The attention of the young master and his classmates turned to us immediately. The young master even exclaimed, “Charles… Charles-gē! And Melody-jiě!” 

  His classmates’ eyes widened and then went blank as they stared at Melody’s car… Oh no! I had forgotten that Melody’s car was entirely too glamorous. One look and they would know it was a high-end luxury vehicle. 

  On the other hand, these three had visited the young master’s home before. They knew all of its furniture and books were expensive premium goods. Now it was merely adding on an expensive car. There was not much difference. 

  “Ah Ye, is the new car I bought beautiful?” Melody asked coyly. 

  The young master carefully examined the car. His depression seemed to have greatly lessened. He smiled and said, “Mm, it’s very beautiful!” 

  Melody answered happily, “Get in. I’ll drive you back.” 

  At that point, Abner swallowed, and with his eyes fixed on the car, asked, “Can we hitch a ride?” 

  The young master immediately lent him a hand. “Melody, can you give my classmates a ride as well?” 

  “Of course,” Melody acquiesced with sickening sweetness. “Ah Ye’s classmates are my classmates!” 

  Abner’s gaze moved from the car to Melody. He swallowed several times, until Leanna and Aren elbowed him from the right and left. He cried out in pain. 

  Seeing this, the young master laughed. With a mischievous expression, he declared, “Everyone else may have a seat, but Abner isn’t allowed to!” 

  “Why?!” Abner exclaimed. 

  “Who asked you to look at her with such pervy eyes?!” Leanna retorted. Adding insult to injury, she immediately added, “Melody-jiě would never let a lecher like you into her car!” 

  Abner promptly refuted, “Aren also looked at the car and Melody-jiě! How come he’s allowed to go? It’s not fair!” 

  Hearing this, Aren merely narrowed his eyes at him. He did not say a single word, but his expression was one hundred percent full of disdain. There was absolutely no need for him to speak. 

  “Hey, hey! What kind of expression is that…? If a man doesn’t like cars and isn’t lustful, is he still considered a man?” 

  Leanna sniffed and said rudely, “Only you would drool over cars and always be horny! Look at Aren, Ah Ye, and Charles-gē: which one of them is as perverted as you?!” 

  “I—Huh?” Halfway through his words, Abner suddenly froze. 

  A figure rushed toward the three of them. The young master turned his head to look and also blurted, “Huh?” Then, the figure dashed to his side, picked him up by the waist, and leaped away. After which, it ran off swiftly… The whole course of events lasted only a few seconds. 

  My mouth dropped open slightly. I was completely unable to make sense of the current situation. It was only when I heard a scream that I snapped back to reality. 

  Leanna was the one who had screamed. She grabbed onto Abner with one hand and Aren with the other. “Ah Ye! Ah Ye has been snatched away by a werewolf! What do we do?!” she screamed frantically. 

  That figure just now was indeed a werewolf. I had seen that very clearly. The werewolf who had kidnapped the young master was the one who had just escaped from Dark Sun and the Church’s subordinates… Wait, he actually kidnapped the young master?! I did not know whether to laugh or cry. What exactly is going on? 

  “Charles-gē!” Leanna and the other two ran to me. Panicking, she babbled, “W-What should we do? Should we chase after them? But they’ve already disappeared… Will the werewolf eat Ah Ye?” 

  “We…” I was speechless. Should what? We do not need to do anything, do we? If the young master thought nothing of five werewolves, then what is a single werewolf to him? 

  Melody muttered, “Is this werewolf unlucky or simply stupid?! He just escaped from the hands of the young master, yet now he actually abducted him of his own accord. He better run off somewhere nice and deserted, so it’s convenient for the young master to get rid of the body…” 

  I nearly laughed out loud. However, with three anxious classmates in front of me, I had to stifle my laughter and appear grave instead. “Let us inform the police before any further discussion!” I told them. 

  I took out my phone, and after thinking for a moment, dialed Yue Gang’s number. 

  “What?” Yue Gang’s grumpy voice came through the moment the call connected. “I’m busy right now! Don’t you know there are werewolves running all over the place? If you’ve got nothing, stay at home and lock the doors tight! If there’s something, hurry up and tell me. Got it? Concisely!” 

  “My brother has been taken by a werewolf.” I wonder, is this concise enough? 

  “… What?” Yue Gang took five seconds to respond. “Where are you?!” he shouted. 

  I quickly reported the name of the street and the direction the werewolf was headed. 

  “I’ll immediately get some men and chase after it… I-I’m sorry for your loss!” 

  I heard the sound of the call disconnect and in my heart, felt rather exasperated. How can you tell someone you are sorry for their loss before their brother has even died? This Yue Gang really does not know how to communicate. 

  Ring ring ring! 

  Before I even had time to put away my phone, the ringtone sounded again. To my surprise, the caller ID was Yue Gang. Why is he calling again when he just hung up? I accepted the call, feeling puzzled. Yue Gang only said tersely, “Charles, watch the television,” and then hung up again. 

  “What happened? Hurry up and tell us!” Melody’s acting was very realistic. Her panicky cries were almost comparable to Leanna’s. 

  I hurriedly assumed an expression of anxiety and replied, “The policeman told me to watch the television. Where can we go to watch?” 

  “Television?” Abner answered promptly, “Evening Sun Plaza is close by. There’s a huge television screen there!” 

  “Get in!” Melody ordered everyone immediately. 

  After everyone got into the car, Melody drove with the speed of a hurricane to the nearby plaza. The entire way there, everyone in the car was screaming madly. When she stopped the car, she even narrowly missed a few people standing at the edge of the crowd in the plaza. However, those people did not react at all… They were all staring blankly at the plaza’s giant television screen. 

  On the huge screen was an image taken from a high vantage point. Given the noise that accompanied it, I inferred that it was taken from a helicopter. 

  In the video, the werewolf was just jumping over a rooftop. The young master was slung over his shoulders, facing downward. His expression could not be seen, and he did not seem to be moving much. 

  Seeing that image, I really could not help but feel respect for the reporters again. Their ability to investigate danger was even better than that of the heroes. Their perseverance in following the bad guys was even more formidable than that of the police! The young master had only been kidnapped a few minutes ago, yet they were already able to broadcast the news. 

  Finally, the werewolf stopped on a rooftop. He casually dropped the young master, who landed at his feet. Then, he turned his head back and roared at the cameras, “Those three bastards from the Church, if you have the guts, then come! If not, I will slaughter this runt and then find more!” 

  “Aren?” 

  A shout in close proximity caught my attention. I turned back just in time to see Aren opening the car door and dashing out. Leanna got out hurriedly and went after him, while Abner turned to glance at me, looking alarmed. However, he left to run after the other two without saying anything. 

  I was rather perplexed by their actions, but Melody’s words pulled my attention back. “Butler, what do we do now? Go find the young master or stay here and watch the TV?” 

  Even though Melody spoke in this manner, she did not appear nervous. Actually, I was not nervous either. 

  That werewolf is completely incapable of harming the young master… No, that was not quite right. For the sake of hiding his identity, the young master might not dodge the werewolf’s attack, deliberately taking a beating. But no matter what, he would not allow himself to be killed. Therefore, there was absolutely no need to worry over the young master’s life. 

  I pondered for a while. Even if his life is not in any danger, for the sake of protecting his secret identity, the young master is probably unable to retaliate easily. “Let us go over and take a look. Maybe we can help the young master hide his identity as a hero.” 

  Melody nodded, then stomped on the gas pedal. As she dodged screaming pedestrians, she ordered, “Call Bramble. Get them to transmit a map to the satellite navigation system in my car.” 

  As I shot apologetic looks to the pedestrians who had been startled, I dialed Bramble’s number. 

  After driving for a while, Melody suddenly asked, “Is X still in the city?” 

  “No,” I shook my head as I spoke. “He left after teaching me how to use my blood ability for a few days. Recently, the Church seems to be in hot pursuit of him. He stirred up such a huge commotion that he could not continue to stay.” 

  Melody nodded and said, “He’s really very troublesome. It’s good that he left.” 

  I smiled wryly. 

  “However, after one nuisance left, another two appeared!” Melody complained. “Those two… The human aside, what’s up with that female vampire? When Bramble was talking about her, he seemed annoyed.” 

  “I will request that she leave.” I said quietly, “I do not welcome her either.” 

  “Which generation is she?” 

  “Sixth generation.” 

  “…” Melody was speechless for a while. Then she said, “If Bramble finds out, you should be prepared to be scolded to death! Also, how will you, a useless fifth generation vampire, get a sixth generation to leave? You can’t even beat me, an eighth generation, in a fight!” 

  On the receiving end of Melody’s criticism, I smiled mirthlessly and explained, “She would not want to fight with me. Even though my fighting capabilities are not on par with hers, I am not only a vampire, I am also half human. On the human side, I have some influence. I belong to a family of butlers.” 

  “The influence of a butler family?” Melody asked curiously. “Is your family very powerful?” 

  I chuckled and said, “Maybe it cannot be considered powerful, but we have butlers in every influential family in the world, even among the economic alliances.” 

  “That’s very powerful!” Melody shot a sideways glance at me and asked, “You’re the head of your family?” 

  “Yes,” I nodded, but explained further. “However, I have already handed the family over to my cousin, who is acting as the steward. Unless the family is facing difficulties, I rarely return.” 

  “A human family chose a vampire as the family head?” Melody guessed mockingly, “Because they favored your strength?” 

  “That is not it. My honorable father was the previous head. He gave the position to me as an inheritance.” 

  “No human objected?” Melody particularly emphasized the word “human,” and her tone was full of disbelief. 

  “Of course there were some who objected.” I smiled faintly and continued, “But my family is very traditional. Our original system is through inheritance, and I am also my honorable father’s only child. After several of our peers gave their support, they finally allowed me to take over the position. I was in charge of the family for about ten years before passing the position to my cousin.” 

  Melody was silent for a while, then she suddenly said, “Your cousin’s definitely in love with you! The support of your peers that you mentioned… She’s one of those peers right?” 

  “…” 

  “You’re actually not denying it?” Melody turned her head to look at me curiously and asked, “She’s really in love with you?” 

  “That is a thing of the past… Could you please look ahead when you are driving?” 

  She abruptly slammed on the brakes, giving me the uncomfortable feeling of the seatbelt constricting my chest again. From now on, when I ride in Melody’s car, I must never forget to wear a seatbelt… No! If possible, I should still buy a car myself! 

  “We’ll arrive after one more street.” Probably because she caught my puzzled expression, Melody chuckled and explained, “That werewolf caused such a mess that everything is in chaos. There’s an eighty percent chance that the neighboring street has been cordoned off, so let’s walk over!” 

  I nodded. As long as I could get out of the car, regardless of the reason, I would be overjoyed. 

  After getting out of the car, Melody passed me a handkerchief. It was black with a lace border. She said, “You don’t have a mask, so just use the handkerchief to cover your face. That is, if you need to.” 

  I accepted the handkerchief and asked concernedly, “Then, what about you?” 

  Melody shrugged and casually tore a strip of cloth from her skirt. Then, she told me, “Fortunately, today’s skirt is long enough!” 

  I looked at the remaining length of her torn skirt… and decided not to comment any further. 

  “Let’s go! If we keep hanging around, the incident will probably be over before we get there.” 

  I nodded and followed Melody as she hopped onto the wall and ran straight up to the rooftop. 

  The moment I jumped onto the rooftop, my heart almost stopped. I hastily grabbed Melody and ducked into the shadows beneath the water tower. 

  “That was close!” Melody whispered. “It’s lucky we didn’t choose the next building.” 

  I nodded. That was because there were currently three people standing on the rooftop of the next building. All of them were wearing black priest robes with a giant symbol of the cross over their chests. Two were male, and the other was female. They were clearly the group that had previously appeared and used overwhelming firepower to bombard the werewolves and Dark Sun. 

  “Has the Sin Elimination Committee ever tried to cause trouble for you before?” When Melody spoke the three words “Sin Elimination Committee,” she snorted. Evidently, she loathed those three words. 

  Even though the Sin Elimination Committee was the organization within the Church that specialized in handling non-humans, I actually had not seen them before. After shaking my head, I replied, “I have not met them, but they called on my father once to gather news about X. However, he did not tell them anything and even rejected their request to meet me. Because of my family’s protection, they did not have any other choice and left.” 

  “And you say your family is not considered powerful?” Melody glanced at me and said incredulously, “They can even obstruct the Church!” 

  I chuckled and changed the subject, “The young master is on the opposite rooftop. What do you think he will do?” 

  Melody turned to look at the rooftop in front of us. The werewolf had chosen a large building that was some distance from the others. Moreover, he had damaged the sole door that led to the roof so that it was buckled inward. He and the young master were positioned at the edge of the building with the young master sitting on the railing, probably forced to do so by the werewolf. It appeared dangerous, like he was on the verge of falling. 

  To people who did not know he could fly, it certainly looked very dangerous. 

  Without much concern, Melody wondered, “Is this werewolf really foolish? Does he believe that a hostage will be useful?” 

  “The people from the Church do not care about hostages?” I was rather astonished. 

  “Not necessarily. There are many teams in the Sin Elimination Committee and each one has a different style. There are some teams whose members are even crueler than werewolves, and there are some who are quite reasonable. However, they all usually have a certain level of cruelty and ruthlessness. At times when there’s nothing else they can do, it wouldn’t be odd if they killed the hostages along with the non-humans.” 

  At this point, Melody turned around and said humorlessly, “They’ve already killed so many non-humans. Don’t tell me they’re really unable to kill humans? How much difference is there between non-humans and humans? Hm?” 

  “Then would they do something destructive?” I said rather worriedly, “It may affect the young master…” 

  “They wouldn’t!” Melody added nonchalantly, “They also wouldn’t blow up the entire building. Even if they don’t have the humanity to care about the young master’s life, they still have to consider whether the Church is willing to pay the compensation fee for the building!” 

  The thing stopping humans from killing other humans is not empathy, but money? I felt it quite absurd. I shook my head, then looked up to see the opposite building and suddenly remembered something… I laughed and said, “I do not think that werewolf is foolish. Melody, do you still remember the previous time we were up on a rooftop watching the commotion? That time, I said we had better leave, because that rooftop was a space belonging to a very powerful non-human. But then you told me it did not matter because you knew him.” 

  Melody did not reply. She merely looked at me and waited for me to continue. 

  I gestured to the rooftop where the three-person Sin Elimination team was and said, “They are standing on that rooftop.” 

  Melody went “ah” and said, “Oh I see, the werewolf isn’t stupid! That guy really despises the Church, especially the Sin Elimination Committee. Since those three dared to set foot in his territory, there’ll definitely be a huge battle.” 

  Even though I did not enjoy fights much, this was one of the rare times I felt that there was no harm in fighting. Those three people had actually opened fire on the young master, and even said he was not human, making him so despondent… Indeed, they should be taught a lesson. 

  “Wait a moment! Are they leaving?” Astounded, I watched the three of them turn around and prepare to descend from the rooftop. 

  Melody sniffed and said, “Looks like the team is wise enough this time… No! I think they had no choice but to be sensible. Look at the rooftops nearby.” 

  I took a moment to survey the surroundings. Even though it was daytime, the rooftops were filled with shadows. Most of those shadows also had blood-red eyes like those of non-humans, and all of their gazes were focused on the Sin Elimination team. 

  Sounding baffled, Melody said, “Sunset City was originally one of the non-humans’ base cities. The entire time, the Church has avoided coming to this city, but this team actually came! However, even if they dared to come, they probably wouldn’t dare go head-on with the non-humans in Sunset City! Even if they immediately died here, an end like that wouldn’t be too unexpected!” 

  I nodded. I knew this. Even though I had not seen the Sin Elimination Committee before, I had heard of their deeds. A large part of the reason I chose to look for an employer in Sunset City was that I knew the Church would not come here. That way, my vampire race would not bring inconvenience to my employer. 

  “Hold it!” 

  At that moment, the werewolf’s flustered roar came from nearby, “Do you not care about the hostage? He’s only a kid! A kid that’s even like an angel!” 

  I finally understood why he specifically chose to kidnap the young master at a public place with numerous bystanders, instead of snatching a random hostage from some narrow alley. The young master was dressed in pure white from head to toe, and he looked delicate as well. Indeed, somewhat like an angel. The werewolf probably thought that people from the Church are less likely to leave such a hostage behind, right? 

  When the werewolf roared, it was the overgrown boy who turned around out of the three people there. It was unusual for him not to be smiling. Rather, he glared fiercely at the werewolf. Then, his line of sight shifted slightly to the side, evidently looking at the young master. At this moment, his expression softened and was even filled with deep sadness. 

  This made my impression of him improve a bit. At least he did not look like the type of person to casually decide to abandon the hostage. 

  The young master also returned his gaze. He paused for a moment, and then started to display a terrified and tearful expression. I think, even though the young master is one of the people involved, he is probably like me and Melody… just watching the commotion, right? 

  Luckily, the overgrown boy did not notice anything abnormal. After seeing the young master’s expression, he even walked a few steps back, until the woman grabbed his shoulder and spoke a few words to him. She did not raise her voice, so I could not hear her words clearly. 

  The longer the overgrown boy listened to her, the more his face darkened. However, he did not open his mouth to say anything. He only shook off the woman’s hand and then walked toward the door that led down the building… 

  At this point, the werewolf suddenly howled, recapturing the attention of all three. They turned back to look at him. Then, the werewolf raised his giant claws and turned to look at the young master, apparently intending to shatter his head with one swipe. The young master also turned his head to look at him… This scene truly has a unique sense of beauty. 

  The young master was dressed in pure white, and with the blue sky and white clouds behind him, looked just like an angel. On the other hand, the werewolf beside him was violent and frightening. The contrast was similar to a picture from a movie, like… 

  “It’s practically like Beauty and the Beast.” Melody mumbled, but then laughed aloud and said sarcastically, “Too bad the young master is not Beauty, and facing the young master, the Beast… might as well be a little lamb!” 

  For some reason, even though the werewolf had raised his claws, he did not attack the young master right away. 

  “There are too many people watching. The young master is probably unable to dodge or fight back.” Even though I knew that the young master’s life was not in jeopardy, I still did not have any desire to watch him get beaten up. 

  Still unperturbed, Melody said, “It should still be all right to dodge. No matter how you put it, the young master does have a combat background. We can still pass it off as his knowing a bit of martial arts.” 

  “However, in a situation where he is supposedly unarmed, and with a body that has not undergone any modifications at all, he cannot defeat a werewolf,” I objected anxiously. “The young master’s hair color is too unusual. If he makes a move, it is very possible that it will raise suspicions. How about we head over and defeat the werewolf? Our reason being that it is our rooftop and others are not allowed to infringe. What do you say?” 

  Melody stared at me and said, “Do you think we’re not eye-catching? Everyone’s already seen us in the previous incident with X! Even though our images aren’t left on video footage or negatives, and there’s no way comparisons can be made, we’re still left in people’s memories! Regardless of whether it was at the scene or on TV, the people who saw us before won’t have forgotten what we look like or our connection with Dark Sun. So we definitely can’t go!” 

  I carefully pondered Melody’s explanation. Indeed, our appearance could possibly be even worse than the young master taking action himself. Since I really did not know what I should do, I could only watch the situation continue to unfold before making any further suggestions. 

  At this point, having withheld the blow for quite some time, the werewolf grabbed the young master by the waist and held his entire body over the edge of the building, with only empty air beneath his feet… The young master was late by a full beat before he started screaming. 

  When he heard the screams, the overgrown boy immediately rushed back and even yelled, “Stop! This has nothing to do with him!” 

  Just when the werewolf was about to open his mouth to speak, my attention was diverted. A huge humanoid figure suddenly jumped onto the rooftop. By the time I recognized him as the muscular Dragon Peace, he had already sprinted forward. The werewolf did not have time to make any threats before Dragon Peace threw a heavy punch, sending him flying. Then, Dragon Peace spun around and grabbed the young master, who had been thrown into the air, coincidentally using the exact same method as the werewolf, with one hand holding the young master’s waist. 

  The young master was evidently a bit stunned. Until the moment that Dragon Peace caught him, he had forgotten to scream. 

  Dragon Peace placed the young master on the ground. The young master sat down on his knees and raised his head to look at Dragon Peace. His expression appeared quite astonished… But at a time like this, should it be astonished? Should it not be terrified? 

  If the young master is not acting, then what is he shocked about? 

  I felt somewhat puzzled, but the subsequent fight between the werewolf and Dragon Peace pulled away my attention. This was simply a battle of brute force. Both the werewolf and Dragon Peace were quite large. If it were just the two of them by themselves, perhaps I would not be able to tell how huge they were. However, the young master was kneeling at the side, and at the moment, he looked just like a child compared to the other two. Furthermore, with the young master’s clothes, it was even more like a contrasting image of an angel and two devils. 

  The two of them did not have many fighting techniques. One could practically say it was only a contest of strength. Shoving, punching, and kicking—it was not much different from street fights among youth. If I really had to say what was different, it would be that normal youths would not be able to damage the concrete floor with a single step to the point that a web of cracks is formed around a large hole. 

  At the start, the werewolf was at a disadvantage, being limited to frantic dodging. It would have only been a matter of minutes before Dragon Peace defeated him. However, he quickly seemed to realize that Dragon Peace was always mindful of the young master and was very careful to avoid injuring him. Accordingly, the werewolf deliberately moved closer to the young master. 

  Seeing this, Dragon Peace appeared to become enraged. However, he could not move an inch, only standing protectively in front of the young master, taking all the blows for him. 

  The werewolf, who had no one else to worry about, and Dragon Peace, who had to be conscious of the young master’s safety, suddenly became equal adversaries. With the werewolf attacking madly, Dragon Peace could only go on the defensive. It looked like the battle would continue for a while. 

  Meanwhile, as those two fought, the young master continued to kneel motionlessly in his original position, merely watching the other two fight it out. Even when the two fighters sprayed blood on him, he did not avert his eyes. Since the young master had been wearing pure white, the traces of blood on his body truly looked horrifying. 

  At that moment, the werewolf suddenly made a mistake. He seemed to have stumbled due to the numerous potholes in the ground. Dragon Peace immediately seized the opportunity to land a powerful uppercut to his chin. The werewolf fell on his back, and his head hit the ground with a loud crash. Dragon Peace did not give the werewolf a chance to crawl to his feet, but stamped down heavily on his head… 

  With the sickening sound of something crunching, everything came to an end. 

  Seeing this, I finally heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like the young master would not need to step in. I truly had to thank Dragon Peace. 

  After panting for a bit, Dragon Peace turned around and picked up the young master, then placed him on his shoulders. The young master also turned his head to look at him, seemingly wanting to say something to him. However, he was interrupted by a sudden exclamation. 

  “Put him down!”


  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 3: The Non-Human Werewolf and the Human Dragon Peace

  Translator: raylight 

  February 10, 2110, Sunny 

  The little young master said that he was very bored, so I brought him out to watch a movie, walk along the streets, and eat chocolate sundaes. It seemed he had never done these things before. This was astounding… However, he seemed to be very happy with this. As expected, he is a child who is easy to coax. 

  While we were eating chocolate sundaes, we talked about many things. The little young master had graduated from combat school over half a year ago, and was currently a bodyguard for the Sun Emperor… Pfftt! What a joke. He himself was a subject to be protected. How could he be considered a bodyguard? 

  “I’m so bored.” 

  This seemed to be the little young master’s greatest problem, and his reason for being down in the dumps. His old classmates had all gone off to look for jobs, and everyone was very busy. He was the only one who didn’t have anything to do. Though he was the Sun Emperor’s bodyguard in name, he hadn’t done anything for half a year. So, he was extremely bored. 

  This was something that I could actually understand… The lifespan of a vampire was so long that I often felt bored, bored to the point of insanity. 

  The explosion kicked up quite a bit of dust and smoke. Due to that, I was only able to clearly see the situation on the opposite building after a length of time. 

  Only then did I discover that the people who had shouted were actually the trio from the Church. They seemed to have taken the chance to rush up to the building while Dragon Peace was fighting the werewolf. Then, they broke through the entrance that had been destroyed by the explosion and ran to the rooftop. 

  Though the werewolf was already dead, they still aimed their weapons at Dragon Peace. The overgrown boy within their group even fiercely demanded that he put down the young master… These Church members really failed to understand the situation. Why do they keep mistaking the heroes for non-humans? 

  “It’s probably because there are almost no heroes in the places where the Church is based!” Melody sounded as though she was watching a good show as she said, “Although the Sin Elimination Committee does not oversee crimes committed by humans, the Church is a place where they persuade people to do good, after all. So, they would still more or less keep an eye on the crimes of humans. Therefore, in places where they are based, crime rates are comparatively lower. In addition, heroes don’t always seem particularly human, so it’s very easy to catch the Church’s ‘attention.’” 

  So, that’s how it is. I nodded, but because of this, I became even more concerned for Dragon Peace’s current plight. 

  Faced with the hindrance of the Church members, Dragon Peace hesitated for a moment. He seemed a little agitated, and his chest rose and fell as he breathed in and out vigorously. I even thought that he would start a fight with the Church. However, in the end, he only threw the young master to one side, and then jumped off the roof in a different direction. 

  Once Dragon Peace left, the overgrown boy immediately rushed forward and grabbed the young master’s shoulders. His expression seemed to truly be one of worry, and he said a few sentences to the young master. Since he spoke rather softly, I was unable to hear him very clearly. However, the rough contents of his words would be inquiries as to whether the young master was hurt and such. 

  The young master turned and looked at the overgrown boy. His expression was very calm, and he merely shook his head to show that he was fine. 

  I believed that in the eyes of those who did not understand the young master, he probably looked like he was scared stiff. Only those who really understood the young master would realize that he did not mind being abducted by a werewolf and being soaked in blood at all. Probably, the only dilemma troubling the young master was, How should I react next? 

  As though he was coaxing a child, the overgrown boy hugged the young master and even gently patted his back. His whispers reached us intermittently, and we heard, “Don’t be scared! It’s fine… It’s all over now. No one can hurt you again…” 

  I believed that the young master must have been having mixed feelings at that moment. The Church member who, not too long ago, had said that he was not human was now instead hugging and even comforting him with warm words. 

  “Seems like the show’s over.” Melody turned to look at me and asked, “Are we going home—?” 

  In the midst of her question, a ring tone sounded. However, this time, it was Melody’s phone. She picked up the call, and casually pressed the loudspeaker button. Immediately, Dell’s voice came over the receiver. “Melody, the young master asks for you to follow Dragon Peace. He says that Dragon Peace has never appeared in the morning before, but actually did so this time. This is simply too strange. Also, he says that something seems off about Dragon Peace. There’s definitely a problem with him! Go over and see if he needs help. I’m sending the map of the route over to your car right now.” 

  “Sure, I’ll head over right away.” Melody ended the call and asked, “You coming along, Butler?” 

  I glanced in the direction of the young master. With members of the Church around, I probably would not be able to appear before him. It also seemed like the young master would be unable to return home within a short period of time. Therefore, I should just follow Melody over to take a look. 

  I gave her a nod, and we then returned to the car. 

  Once we got in, Melody started complaining non-stop. “Really, last time we went to save First Wind, but I’ll overlook that. First Wind is someone we should save anyway, because he’s a good man! But to stick his nose in even when Dragon Peace is acting strangely, the young master is being way too meddlesome! No way! No way! I have to tell the young master beforehand, that if he wants to save Solitary Butterfly, I’m not going to help!” 

  I was unable to stifle my laughter, and could not help saying, “That might be too unfair.” 

  Melody said with dissatisfaction, “Hmph! Blame the people who always pair Solitary Butterfly and First Wind together.” 

  “Is there such a thing?” I had never heard the news say so. 

  “Of course there is!” Melody shot a glance at me and, as if it were obvious, said, “The tabloids all say so.” 

  “You actually believe what the tabloids say?” I shook my head, and simply could not approve of it. 

  However, Melody did not answer. Instead, she started talking about other matters. “I once saw an article in the tabloids. In the article, it said that Dark Sun’s first appearance was not five or six years ago like everyone believes. It was even earlier than that. Seven years ago, there was a large incident, that time when the uncrowned emperor—the Sun Emperor—was abducted. In the article, it said that the person who came to the Sun Emperor’s rescue was actually Dark Sun.” 

  The incident of the Sun Emperor being abducted had shaken the world. However, I remembered that the Sun Alliance had told everyone that it was their tactical force that had dealt with the culprits. They had not mentioned a single thing about Dark Sun. 

  “The content of the tabloid came from interviewing a busboy from a restaurant. In addition, that article was published even before Dark Sun rescued Solitary Butterfly. In the article, the busboy recalled that Dark Sun had a pair of metal wings. Also, Dark Sun even claimed that he was not an angel but a devil.” 

  “It really was the young master?” I could not help but exclaim in shock. 

  “Probably! But seeing how it’s related to the Sun Emperor, I don’t dare to ask around casually.” Melody looked at me with a challenging gaze and made a cutting remark, saying, “What do you think? Do you still dare to look down on tabloids?” 

  “I do not dare to,” I admitted, smiling wryly. 

  Melody gave a snort and parked the car at the roadside. Then, she rolled down the car window and pointed at a small alley outside. She said, “The map that Dell gave me only leads up to this alley. He said that after Dragon Peace went in, he hasn’t come out. The place where he disappeared coincidentally happens to be a blind spot where surveillance cameras don’t cover, and thus, we have no idea where he has gone. So at this point, it’s up to us to search for him. Get out of the car!” 

  After I nodded, I got out of the car and entered the small alley together with Melody. 

  The alley was slightly on the narrow side. If a car were to drive in, the driver would probably even have to fold in the side mirrors. There was nothing in there other than a garbage truck… Wait a moment! There is actually a huge dent on top of the metal garbage truck? 

  Could Dragon Peace have left this mark behind? I felt there was a high probability. Dragon Peace’s physique was rather large. With the garbage truck obstructing him, he probably would be unable to go through this alley easily. The simplest method would be to directly step onto the garbage truck, and then jump to the other side. 

  However, regardless of how Dragon Peace had entered the alley, the fact remained that he was currently not here. 

  Melody exclaimed, “This is a dead end! Then, there’s only one way he could go, and that is climbing up!” 

  I looked upwards. The walls of the two buildings did not seem too slippery. With Dragon Peace’s strength, it was possible that he could climb up there. I nodded at that. 

  “Let’s go! We’ll go up there first to take a look and then discuss again.” 

  “Certainly—” I was halfway through my reply when I noticed that the manhole cover close by, which led to the sewers, seemed to be closed improperly. I walked over to take a closer look, and as expected, it was as such. The cover only blocked roughly three quarters of the hole. 

  “What’s wrong?” Melody also walked over and said, “You couldn’t possibly think that Dragon Peace has gone into the sewers, right? Don’t be silly. This entrance is too narrow for even one of his thighs!” 

  Indeed, that was true. However, the young master had once said that it was impossible for someone with Dragon Peace’s physique to remain hidden within the city. In his day-to-day life, he definitely would not have that kind of large body. If that is the case, is it possible for Dragon Peace to return to his original body shape, and then go into the sewers? 

  I informed Melody of my theory, but she instead said, “I’m not going to go down into those ridiculously filthy sewers to find someone, just because of a butler’s theory!” 

  I gave a wry smile as I said, “If that is the case, then let us head up to look for him.” 

  However, Melody then said, “No way! If Dragon Peace really was down there, then that would mean I failed to follow the young master’s orders! So, let’s split up. I’ll go up, and you’ll go down!” 

  “…” 

  This was really the best example of “A loose tongue brings trouble,” “Asking for trouble,” or “You reap what you sow.” 

  Melody said that, since it was my theory, it was of course up to me to prove it. Therefore, I had to go down there no matter what. Since I was already going into the sewers, then there was no need for her to go. 

  In short, I was currently in the sewers. I was also thoroughly experiencing the true meaning of the old idiom, “You reap what you sow.” The smell of the sewer made me feel extremely uncomfortable, and the wet and sticky surface of the ground made every step torture. The black water flowing through the center of the sewer was something that I did not dare to touch at all costs. However, black water droplets dripped from above non-stop, and it was quite difficult to avoid them… 

  I should look around a little faster. If there are no traces of Dragon Peace, then I can return to ground level. 

  Argh, uggh, urgh! 

  I froze. This sounded like someone groaning, and furthermore, they sounded like they were in severe pain. I paid close attention to the source of the sound, and then slowly found my way over. Not too long after, I saw a body squirming on the ground a distance away. This put me on alert, and I moved even more slowly and carefully. 

  Once I had advanced a few steps further, I could already clearly see that it was a person, and it looked like a man. He lay sprawled on the ground, continuously groaning in pain. His arms and legs were even twitching non-stop, and he pounded the ground violently from time to time, as though that was the only way to relieve his pain. 

  Is that Dragon Peace? 

  However, he looked very thin and small. Perhaps I am mistaken, and that is only a tramp living in the sewers? 

  At this moment, that person abruptly raised his head up. However, the mud in the sewers had obscured his face, turning it into a jet-black mess. I was simply unable to see his looks clearly. 

  “C-Charles-gē?” That person was muttering, but I had indeed heard him clearly. He was calling my name, and he was even addressing me as “gēge!” 

  It is someone I know? I hurriedly moved closer, and after I clearly saw his appearance, I was stupefied. How could this be? No matter how hard I thought, I never would have guessed… that it would actually be him! 

  “Aren?” 

  The classmate who was always silent, Aren, lay on the ground. He put all his strength into using his arms to support his body, but it looked like he was barely managing to do so. In this damp, gloomy, and cold sewer, he was completely nude except for a cloth which covered the lower half of his body. It looks like… a giant pair of shorts? 

  I quickly ran over and wiped the mud off his face. Then, I helped support him and asked in concern, “Are you okay?” 

  “Ah Ye, i-is he okay?” Aren asked in a very hoarse voice instead. 

  I instantly replied, “He is very well, and no harm has come to him.” 

  “That’s good… Argh!” 

  He stopped in the middle of his words, and his face was all scrunched up. It seemed like he was under tremendous pain, causing him to scream out loud to relieve it. The entire sewer was filled with the echo of his pained shriek. 

  “Aren? Aren? What’s wrong, do you need me to take you to the hospital? Or…” I was completely at a loss as to what to do. Just what exactly is happening to him? 

  All of a sudden, his hand swelled to twice its size, and then shrunk a little afterwards. My eyes turned wide, a little suspicious as to whether I had been seeing things or not. However, this was only the opening act. Following that, Aren’s entire body became like a balloon. Some parts would abruptly swell up, and then deflate… 

  C-Could I take him to hospital in this kind of condition? After taking him to the hospital, would I instead cause Aren to be treated like a rare animal, to be unwillingly experimented on? 

  It is better if I take him to the young master’s place! After making my decision, I picked Aren up and carried him. 

  “Aren! Aren! Where are you?” 

  Suddenly, a shout came from further down the sewer, and I immediately recognized it as Abner’s voice. I quickly yelled, “Over here!” 

  A series of hurried footsteps rang out. I stood still waiting, making noise from time to time so they could better grasp my location. 

  “C-Charles-dàgē?” 

  Abner and Leanna appeared in front of me. However, before they came close, they stopped in their tracks from shock, and looked at Aren and me in alarm. 

  Abner put on a smile with difficulty and said, “Dàgē, why are you here?” 

  This… I really did not know what to say, so I could only randomly weave a lie and explain, “I was on my way to find Ah Ye when I suddenly saw Aren’s figure. He seemed to have fallen down the sewer even before I could call out to him. This made me feel very concerned, and so I came down to take a look.” 

  “Is that so?” Abner seemed like he did not want to delve further into my story, and only anxiously said, “Then, you can just hand Aren over to us.” 

  “Certainly—“ 

  In the middle of my words, Aren suddenly started screaming again. He was struggling so hard that I simply could not keep hold of him. He then fell to the ground, but he did not yell in pain. Instead, he twisted around frantically, and a few portions of his body started swelling and shrinking again. 

  As he writhed, he frequently used his swollen limbs to bang on the ground. It did not take long before the ground surrounding him was full of holes. 

  “Aren…” Leanna’s expression looked as though she was on the verge of tears. She walked toward Aren step by step. 

  “Be careful.” 

  “Be careful!” 

  Abner and I voiced out together, but Leanna seemed as though she had heard none of it. She continued to walk toward Aren. At this moment, Aren shakily stood up. Seeing that, I originally thought that he had returned to normal. However, one look at his expression told me otherwise. He looked extremely vicious, his face so ferocious that he did not seem human. 

  “Aren!” Leanna called out to him again and again, and pleaded, “Have you forgotten who I am? I’m Anna! Aren, hurry and wake up…” 

  Aren’s reply instead was a completely inhuman roar. Then, he leaped forward, and sent his hand crashing toward Leanna… I quickly did a slide step and stood in front of Leanna. I had only just gotten into position when a giant fist came swinging at me. Under the situation where I could not dodge in time, the fist dealt my face a heavy blow, sending me flying. I crashed into the wall, and practically the entire wall broke from the force. 

  I lay in a pile of crushed stone bricks. My head was hurting so badly, it felt as though it was about to split apart, and I was actually momentarily unable to get up. Strength of this level was simply too terrifying. If this fist had landed on Leanna’s face, she would probably be an icy corpse by now. 

  In the midst of the splitting headache, I heard Abner’s loud cry, “Charles-dàgē! Aren, Aren, hurry and wake up! Y-You’ve killed Charles-dàgē!” 

  I forced myself back up with much difficulty and shook my head. After I finally managed to shake off a little dizziness, I lifted my head to check on the situation and nearly shouted out of shock. 

  Aren had jumped and was in mid-air. Furthermore, his landing position was directly aimed at Abner and Leanna, who had fallen onto the floor… With Aren’s strength, if he were to land on the two of them, it would definitely take away two lives! 

  I moved to their side with a speed that I had never achieved before, and kicked Aren aside just as he was inches away from landing on them. 

  However, the strength of my kick was evidently insufficient. Aren merely banged into the wall and then regained his footing, not falling down at all. 

  At this point, all his attention was diverted to me. He showed his canines, and roared at me loudly. This appearance was just like—just like a werewolf! 

  Even the way he attacked by leaping toward me was also very much like a werewolf. I immediately started moving around, occasionally walking on the walls, and sometimes walking on the ceiling. This was because a vampire’s movements were not affected by gravity. 

  If he was a true werewolf, he would definitely be extremely familiar with the way vampires moved. Though Aren possessed several traits of a werewolf, he was clearly still human. He looked left and right non-stop, but rarely raised his head to look at the ceiling. 

  I stood on the ceiling, observing Aren’s every movement closely. From time to time, I moved left and right, and was very cautious not to let him spot me. 

  In the end, he became fed up from trying to look for me and decided to ignore me. Instead, he switched his attention back to Abner and Leanna. I then took the chance to soundlessly drop behind him and strike the back of his neck. He fell to the ground without even being able to utter a single sound and lay there motionlessly… 

  I quickly checked his heartbeat and breathing. Good, he’s still alive. 

  After heaving a sigh of relief, I suddenly remembered the other two who were there. I rapidly turned to look at them. Abner and Leanna were both staring at me, completely dumbfounded. Thankfully, they seemed to be uninjured. 

  I regarded the unconscious Aren and the two stunned people. I could only sigh in resignation. 

  “For now, just come back with me first!” 

  I gave Melody a call so that she could come over, pick us up, and take us back. Once she saw Aren, who was utterly dirty from head to toe and even only had a cloth covering the lower half of his body, she raised an eyebrow but did not say anything. 

  “Is it really okay for us to dirty your new car?” I looked at the brand new seats with some concern. The four of us were extremely filthy, especially Aren, who had been rolling around in the sewers. He was practically caked in mud, and moreover, it was extremely foul-smelling mud. 

  Melody seemed not to mind in the least as she said, “That’s okay. Anyway, all I have to do is pay the cleaning company some cash, and they’ll find a way to make a car clean again even if a corpse had rotted inside.” 

  I nodded. At the moment, Aren indeed smelled like a rotting corpse. 

  Only after putting Aren into the car and calling the other two to board did I have the time to ask, “How is the situation over at the young master’s side?” 

  Melody looked in the rearview mirror to see the three people at the back. She then told me, emphasizing, “Directly calling him Young Master, not Ah Ye-dìdi? Huh, Charles-gēge?” 

  I tactfully said, “I believe it does not matter anymore.” 

  I believed that Abner and Leanna probably did not think that I was human anymore. If that was so, I naturally could not be the young master’s “Gēge” any longer. Otherwise, they would probably treat the young master as a non-human too. 

  Melody gave an “Hm” sound, and then answered, “The young master has already returned home.” 

  When we returned home, the young master was already there and was in the midst of having a meal at the dining table. Mr. Bramble, Dell, and May were also eating with him. Curtis stood at one side, serving the young master as he dined. Gong Feng Xiang sat opposite the young master and watched him eat with a smile. 

  When the young master raised his head to look at me, he became completely stunned. However, his gaze was not on me, but on Aren, whom I was carrying in my arms. When Abner and Leanna walked in as well, the young master blinked, looking thoroughly confused. 

  Though the young master seemed to very much want an answer, it was currently mealtime. I believed the most important thing now was… “Young Master, may I ask if I should first bring them in to clean themselves?” 

  The young master hesitated for a moment, but still agreed. “Okay,” he said. 

  “What did these people do? Did they just tour a cesspit?” 

  I could hear Dell muttering this as I walked past the dining table. Following that, he was immediately crippled by May. 

  After I arranged a private bathroom for Leanna, I brought Abner and the unconscious Aren into my room’s bathroom. Then, Abner and I started battling the dirt and grime on Aren’s body. We used soap, scented shower gel, and even had to use a scrub… Halfway through the cleaning, someone knocked on the door. Following that, I heard the young master’s voice as he said, “Charles, Aren’s figure is closer to mine. Your clothes might be too big for him, so let him wear my clothes!” 

  “Certainly. Young Master, you have my gratitude.” 

  After I replied to him, I turned around and saw Abner’s hesitant expression. His expression looked as though he was full of questions, but in the end, he did not question me. He only continued to scrub away the dirt and grime on Aren and his body. 

  After I had found a place for Aren to rest and taken the other two to the living room, only the young master remained there. He was sitting on the sofa, waiting for us to come. 

  The young master looked at me and said, “I have sent Curtis and Gong Feng Xiang to the next room to wait. Bramble-shū, Dell, and May have also returned to the rooftop. Melody says that she’s returning to her room next door to drink…to eat a late-night snack.” 

  It is currently noon, so it should be lunch, Young Master. Though to a vampire, it certainly is a late-night snack. 

  “Abner, Anna, come over and take a seat!” The young master said as he waved to his classmates. 

  Abner and Leanna evidently seemed to be wincing a little. However, Abner still took a seat. Seeing his action, Leanna naturally also sat down too. The young master looked at them and seemed to be at a loss as to how to begin. He merely turned to look at me and questioned, “Charles, what do they know?” 

  I pondered for a moment and then replied, “They know that I am not human, and we are not brothers. Roughly, all they know are these two things.” 

  “You really aren’t human?” Abner blurted, “Y-You, what exactly are you?” 

  “I am a vampire,” I admitted with full honesty. 

  Once I said that, Abner and Leanna were dumbfounded for a long time before they came back to their senses. However, they kept shooting glances at the corners of my mouth, as though fangs would suddenly emerge from there. 

  “T-Then…” Abner turned around and looked at the young master, seemingly a little bewildered. However, no words came out even after a long time. 

  “The young master is human,” I instantly clarified. 

  “Young Master?” Abner could not help but ask, “I’ve wanted to ask this since earlier. Charles-gē, why do you call Ah Ye ‘Young Master?’” 

  “That’s because Charles is my butler,” the young master explained. “I’m sorry. Last time, I didn’t want you guys to think that I’m strange, so I intentionally said that Charles was my brother. Actually, he is my butler, and those people just now are my bodyguards.” 

  “You’re the young master of a rich family.” Leanna spoke up, “Last time, we’d already guessed that your family is very wealthy. It’s just that we expected the rich ones to be Charles-gē and you, not you alone.” 

  “Actually, the one who is rich isn’t me, but my brother…” Halfway through his speech, the young master noticed their strange expressions and quickly explained, “I truly do have a brother. It’s just that he’s not here. Also, I can’t tell you who he is either. That’s why I made Charles pretend to be my brother last time.” 

  At this point, everyone fell silent. The young master looked at his classmates, and he seemed to be a little at a loss as to what to do. However, he was not anxious and merely waited for Abner and Leanna to finish exchanging looks. 

  Abner asked a little hesitantly, “Ah Ye, is your family the type that is really wealthy?” 

  The young master tilted his head to one side, and seemed unsure as he said, “I guess so. It’s probably considered the type that is really wealthy? Is that so, Charles?” 

  “Yes, that is indeed so,” I answered promptly. If the young master’s family was not considered to be extremely wealthy, then the rest of the world probably would be considered to be as poor as beggars. 

  At this moment, Leanna stood up and abruptly knelt down. In the next second, Abner actually followed her and also knelt down. The two of them were practically kowtowing as they pleaded, “Ah Ye, I beg of you, please save Aren!” 

  The young master seemed to have received a great shock at this, and quickly asked, “Aren? What happened to him? Could it be that he’s about to die soon? Why didn’t you say so earlier, Charles?!” 

  The young master looked at me, and I shook my head, saying, “There is no immediate danger to Aren’s life. He has merely been knocked unconscious. I believe what they are referring to is a separate issue.” 

  At this point, I turned around and faced the two kneeling figures. With a gentle tone, I said, “I am going to tell the young master about the incident in the sewers, okay?” 

  The two of them hesitated for a moment, but still nodded in agreement. 

  Before I could speak up, the young master resolutely told his classmates, “The two of you, stand up first and sit down on the sofa together with me. Otherwise, I won’t want to hear anything, and definitely won’t agree to anything!” 

  Hearing that, the two obediently stood up and sat on the sofa. However, they still seemed very reserved. Abner was especially so, for he did not dare to casually put his arm around the young master as he used to. 

  The young master remained calm, but I could tell he was disappointed from the look in his eyes. 

  However, I did not have any methods to deal with this, and could only start narrating the incident in the sewers. Of course, I still used the excuse that “I saw Aren fall down the sewers” as an opening. After I said this lie, I saw the young master frown. However, he did not interrupt me, so I continued speaking. 

  While I was speaking the truth of the incident, I also added in a few lies in order to avoid the two’s suspicions. For example, words like I saw Aren resemble Dragon Peace when he transformed and the like. If I did so, it would not seem overly peculiar if the young master were to later say that Aren is Dragon Peace. 

  After all, just now, Aren only had a few portions of his body swell and shrink, and had also raised his hand against his friends. If the young master was able to deduce that he was related to Dragon Peace from this, it might be stretching it a little. 

  Everything that had happened so far was actually very simple. I had only spoken for roughly five minutes when I finished narrating the entire story. 

  Once the young master had heard my tale, he interrogated Abner and Leanna with a tone of certainty, “Is Aren Dragon Peace?” 

  The two froze. In the end, they still nodded their heads at that question. 

  The young master thought for a moment, and then asked them, “Do you want to talk about what happened? If you don’t want to say it, that’s fine too. Then, just tell me what it is that you wanted to ask me to do.” 

  Leanna and Abner looked at each other in dismay. After the two exchanged many glances, Leanna said, with a tone somewhat close to begging, “Let’s just ask Ah Ye for a favor, okay?” 

  “Let’s tell Ah Ye about it!” Abner replied persistently. Then, in a helpless tone, he said, “Anna! Think about it, we haven’t been able to resolve this problem for a very long time! If another person knows about it, then there’s another person who can help think of ideas about what to do. I believe that Ah Ye won’t harm Aren!” 

  Though Leanna still appeared to be reluctant, under Abner’s insistence, she still started talking. “We happened to get samples of werewolf blood by chance, and ran many experiments with it. We researched especially how to unleash a human’s full potential and strengthen muscle tissue… In the end, we developed a kind of medicine.” 

  Hearing this, the young master’s facial expression changed. He shouted in a low voice, “You used the medicine on Aren?” 

  Leanna lowered her head and looked extremely remorseful. In the end, it was Abner who nodded and admitted, “Yes. After using it, it’s just as you have seen… He will become Dragon Peace, but it is limited only to nighttime.” 

  “Nighttime?” Once I thought about it, I immediately understood. 

  It was probably because what they had used for their experiments was werewolf blood. Although werewolves could transform in the daytime, they were strongest at night, especially on the night of a full moon. However, when Dragon Peace went to save the young master today, it was daytime… 

  “Normally, it is limited to nighttime, so Dragon Peace only appears at night.” Leanna clarified, “However, as long as we use medicine to trigger it, he can also transform during the day. Still, we don’t usually do so. That is because the medicine is very harmful to Aren, and could even make him lose his senses and go crazy.” 

  The young master’s face was very calm, and I could not tell what he thought about this. Once again, he merely questioned, “Then, what do you mean by you want me to save Aren?” 

  Leanna and Abner exchanged glances with each other. Their gazes looked very nervous. Abner spoke falteringly, “Ever since the experiment, Aren would go crazy just like he did in the sewers every once in a while. Only one kind of medicine can suppress him and stop him from going crazy, but that medicine is very expensive… We have already spent all our money.” 

  Abner could not continue speaking anymore. His head was lowered, and even his ears were red. It looked like, although he was naturally carefree, he still felt extremely awkward talking about money matters. Perhaps it was due to his youth. 

  The young master looked at Leanna and Abner. His expression was absolutely still, and I could not read his emotions at all… 

  Slap! Slap! 

  My eyes widened slightly, and the two people who were slapped were completely unable to react. 

  The young master actually slapped two people? 

  I stared at the young master. Though his face still appeared calm, only at this point did I notice just how much rage was hidden under his cool fa?ade! He was trying very hard to keep his tone normal, but his voice still shook as he said, “You should not use people in experiments, let alone your own friend! Aren is not your guinea pig. He is human! He is your friend!” 

  Only then were there reactions from Abner and Leanna. Leanna choked back a sob, and then used both of her hands to cover her face. Her shoulders were shaking non-stop, and it looked like she was crying, though she did not let out a single sob. 

  However, Abner’s reaction was very different. He seemed to have something that he wanted to say, but ultimately he still remained silent. 

  Leanna raised her head, and as expected, her face was covered in tears. She stood up from the sofa and knelt down in front of the young master again, begging as though her life depended on it. “We know that we have made a mistake already. Please, Ah Ye, please! Aren… h-he already knew that he didn’t have any more medicine that could stop him from rampaging, but for the sake of rescuing you, he still forced himself to transform… For this at least, please save him!” 

  Hearing that, the young master was, as expected, visibly moved. He muttered, “Is that so? Aren, he… No wonder. When I saw Dragon Peace, even I was shocked. Dragon Peace has never appeared during the daytime before.” 

  Afterwards, he turned to me and instructed, “Charles, call An Te Qi-bàba and ask him to bring all of his apparatus over. Then, find an apartment room next door to house Aren and the others. Over the next few days, stay there and take care of An Te Qi-bàba and Aren. Do not come back home for the time being, because the three members of the Church said that they want to come over to my place to take a look.” 

  Hearing that last line, I felt my heart beat faster. I definitely cannot meet the members of the Church face-to-face! 

  The young master paused for a moment and then inquired, “I believe it’s probably best that you not meet them at all, right?” 

  “That is true…” But the fact remains that I am unable to fulfill my duties as a butler, due to me being a vampire! I felt extremely upset and bowed as I said, “That is so. Please accept my sincerest apologies for bringing you trouble, Young Master.” 

  “No such matter. Charles has helped a lot.” The young master instead shook his head as he said, “Actually, I should be the one saying sorry, making you battle so many times. I completely didn’t follow through with my promise…” As he spoke, his words became softer, and his face was full of self-reproach. 

  Hearing that, I was so shocked that I even forgot the principle that butlers should not refute their employers. I blurted, “There is definitely nothing of the sort. The young master has never ordered me to fight. You have always kept your promise!” 

  The young master sighed and said, “Last time, I let you fight with Melody, and this time I let you fight with Aren.” 

  “That is…” 

  “I will pay closer attention to this in the future,” said the young master resolutely. He turned to look at Leanna and said, “Anna, please get up quickly! Aren is also my friend, and I will not abandon him. In the future, please don’t kneel to me anymore… I am merely your classmate, that’s all.” 

  Although Leanna nodded and then got back up, I could see that Abner’s and her expressions were already not like what they used to be. I was afraid that it would be a little difficult for them to socialize with the young master naturally like before. This was a huge pity, for the young master badly needed friends who were on equal standing with him. 

  “Charles, take them next door and find a room for Aren!” 

  “Certainly.” I nodded, but then said concernedly, “However, in these few days, there will be no one who can take care of your daily needs…” 

  The young master pondered for a while and asked, “Would your butler, Curtis, mind looking after me temporarily?” 

  That is right. The butler Curtis is indeed still here. Coming from an influential butler family, he should be able to take good care of the young master. I nodded in agreement and said, “I do not think so. I will request for him to temporarily take care of your daily needs.”


  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 4: A Non-Human Body and a Human Experiment

  Translator: Raylight 

  March 8, 2110, Stormy 

  The little young master had a huge quarrel with the Sun Emperor… Though rather than a quarrel, it was more like the little young master was finally bored out of his mind, and therefore, started to throw a tantrum. 

  The cause of it was that someone tried to assassinate the Sun Emperor today, and even made it all the way to where the Sun Emperor could see the person. The little young master, disguised as a bodyguard, noticed and dealt with the assassin. That was the first time I’d seen the little young master take action. He’s much stronger than I originally thought. So it seems that he really isn’t a useless person. I kind of look at him in a different light now. 

  Once they got home, the Sun Emperor fired a whole lot of bodyguards. The reason was that they actually let the assassin kill everyone in the way and reach the Sun Emperor… But that part wasn’t important. The real problem was that they let the little young master see the assassin, so he had to take action. Moreover, he had accidentally gotten a small cut. 

  The little young master roared at the Sun Emperor in a rage, “I am your bodyguard, not your guarded treasure!” 

  From what I can see, the truth is exactly the opposite. 

  It was close to five o’clock in the morning. The lights turned on, and I opened my eyes. My first thought was to prepare the young master’s breakfast quickly. Recently, the young master has been very active, so his food intake has increased accordingly as well. Six sets of breakfast might not be enough for him, so I decided that ten portions would be more appropriate, just in case. 

  I stepped out of the metal cabinet that I slept in. However, once I saw the decorations in my immediate surroundings, I froze for a moment. This is not my room… That’s right! Starting today, I temporarily did not need to serve the young master. Of course, that meant I did not have to cook breakfast either. 

  I felt a little lost. Then, what should I do… However, I then recalled that Aren and the others required breakfast too, though they probably did not have daily routines like that of the young master, who wakes up at five… I suspected that, even at seven, probably no one would be out of bed. 

  However, there were utterly no daily necessities within this place. Therefore, I could make use of this time to go to the morning wet market to buy food and other essentials. 

  After I finished pondering over my plan of action, I decided to clean the place first. That was because it was still early, and I did not need to rush to the market. Moreover, this place had been uninhabited for a long time. It truly needed a thorough cleaning. 

  I walked into the living room, and it was empty. As expected, no one was out of bed yet. Soon after I started cleaning, I heard the doorbell ring. The moment I discovered that it was the young master at the door, I promptly opened the door and saw the young master standing outside in his exercise attire. 

  “Young Master! Is the breakfast that Curtis cooked to your liking? Are the portions enough for you? How is his attitude toward you?” 

  At this point, the young master laughed. He said with a smile, “Charles, it’s only been half a day since I last saw you, and you’ve already forgotten my daily routine? It’s only five now. It’s not time for breakfast yet. I was just about to go for a run.” 

  Ah… From the moment I had woken up, I had kept thinking about breakfast. That was why I had even forgotten that the young master only ate breakfast after his run. I quickly apologized, “My sincere apologies.” 

  “It‘s fine.” The young master smiled, and then said, “An Te Qi-bàba called. He said he won’t come before eight or nine o’clock or so. Remember to cook some breakfast for him too. Before he has finished the breakfast you made, he’s definitely not allowed to go and see Aren!” 

  “Certainly.” I was a little puzzled. If Mr. An Te Qi is unwilling to eat breakfast, then perhaps it is because he has already eaten? However, a butler’s job was to follow his employer’s orders and not to question them. 

  The young master took the initiative to explain, “An Te Qi-bàba is an experiment maniac. Once he starts working, he can’t stop and frequently comes to the verge of starving to death. Therefore, other than taking care of Aren, help me take care of him as well for the next few days. No matter what he says, make him eat three meals a day. It’s okay even if you have to resort to violence to force him to sit at the dining table and eat!” 

  That explained the matter. I promptly said, “Very well.” 

  “As for me, you don’t need to worry.” The young master snickered as he said, “I won’t die of hunger!” 

  “That may be so, but please take care of yourself.” 

  “No worries,” assured the young master. He then inquisitively looked at the cleaning rag I had in my hands and asked, “Are you cleaning?” 

  I nodded and replied, “Indeed so. In a while, I will have to go to the market to buy some groceries.” 

  “The market?” Curiosity was written across the young master’s face as he said, “Is it the wet market? I haven’t been there before! Can I go with you?” 

  “If Young Master is willing to.” Once I answered him, I immediately saw the young master nodding his head vigorously. Clearly, he was extremely willing to go. The young master really loved novel things that he had never experienced before. I smiled as I said, “Then, please wait a moment. I will go change my clothes.” 

  “Weren’t you going to finish cleaning first?” The young master asked, uncertain. 

  That was the original plan, but I smiled and replied, “It is the same even if I do the cleaning after I come back.” 

  “Charles, are you okay wearing so little?” 

  On the way to the market, the young master looked at my clothes with concern, especially at my arms. That was because the shirt was cut off at my shoulders and did not have sleeves. 

  Quickly, I explained to the young master, “It is fine. The morning and evening sunlight is weak. It would not affect me.” 

  “The next time we go to X-Killer, let’s buy you some less revealing clothes!” 

  “Thank you, Young Master.” 

  Midway through my words, the young master was attracted to the din of the market. His eyes widened, and his footsteps quickened. When we walked into the market area, he looked about eagerly. Basically, whichever stall owners’ cries were the loudest, the young master would gravitate toward them. He had a burning curiosity for everything, and even a fish that was alive and wriggling made his eyes widen. 

  The young master stopped in front of the fish vendor, and the fish vendor welcomed him warmly. “Come over, come over. Customer, you really have good taste. This fish is a wild snapper! Snappers are a common sight, but wild ones aren’t! To be able to bring in one a day is already considered really great! Your luck today is excellent, for not only did three wild snappers come in, all of them are also of top quality! Look at how their scales shine, and how red the gills are! I guarantee that you have not eaten a delicacy like this before!” 

  The young master’s eyes started shining. 

  I walked to the young master’s side, and he instantly said with urgency, “Charles, Charles, I really want to eat this kind of fish! It looks really tasty!” 

  “You have eaten it before. I have bought it several times, ‘Ah Ye.’” As I replied to the young master, I took the chance to remind him that we were now currently in the role of “brothers.” 

  At this moment, the fish vendor looked at the young master with interest and then at me. The curiosity in his eyes was simply no less than the young master’s. 

  With a smile on my face, I introduced him to the fish vendor, “This is my little brother, Ah Ye.” 

  Hearing that, the young master turned around, looking at me with both surprise and curiosity. 

  I explained to him smilingly, “I come to the market often to buy groceries. Everyone recognizes me and also knows that our family is a really big one! They all know about you too! Come, say hello to everyone here!” 

  Probably, because he remembered the “charade of a big family” that we did when Yue Gang came over last time, the young master laughed out loud. Then, under the inquisitive gazes of the vendors, he gave a radiant smile and said extremely politely, “Hello to all the uncles, aunties, big brothers, and big sisters here.” 

  After his greeting, all of the vendors, regardless of whether they were male or female, old or young, had a doting expression on as they gasped in admiration. I believed that I would be able to get more discounts when I came to buy food in the future. 

  “How much would you charge me for this wild snapper?” I asked the fish vendor with a smile. 

  “There’s no discount for this kind of wild snapper…” 

  Midway through his words, the young master, standing to one side, seemed to feel that he would not be able to get the fish. His expression turned worried, and this made the fish vendor start to stammer. 

  “T-This… Perhaps I can give you twenty percent off.” 

  The young master definitely did not understand what twenty percent off was. He stared at me with his eyes wide open. I muttered to myself, “Is that so? That is still a little too expensive. There are a lot of people at home, and I will have to buy all three fishes for there to be enough to eat! Let’s buy the tilapia instead! Ah Ye, is that okay?” 

  The young master’s expression naturally turned to one of extreme and utter disappointment… Even I, who had gotten used to seeing the young master’s various expressions, nearly changed my words at once to say, “I will buy it for you immediately” and the like. 

  However, thankfully, I managed to hold back. That was because, in the next second, the fish vendor blurted out, “Oh my! Ah Ye, don’t cry! I’ll sell it to your brother at cost price!” 

  Instantly, I quickly replied, “You have my gratitude for this! Then, I’ll buy all three of them.” 

  The fish vendor froze, as though he had just processed what he had said. His expression turned into a horrified one. 

  Then, the young master cried out, “Fish, fish! I want to hold it. Can I?” 

  “Very well, you can carry it. However, we have to let the fish vendor remove the scales first.” I nodded my head and smiled. At the same time, I saw that every vendor, and even the grandmothers and mothers doing their shopping, were all staring at the young master with an expression… as though they were about to melt. 

  The fish vendor did not haggle with me any further. He went to remove the scales of the fish with a silly smile, then put the fish in a bag, and handed it to the young master… If I had not promptly handed him the cash payment, he probably would have completely forgotten about it. 

  The young master was already twenty-two years old, and he was also very mature and rational when dealing with issues, even more so than anyone else. However, he also frequently exhibited child-like behavior. 

  When the young master behaved like a child, everyone around him would all turn into… silly mothers. 

  Following that, I brought the child-like young master and turned all of the vendors in the market into silly mothers. And I received discounts of thirty percent off, half price, cost price, free, and the like. 

  If it was not for the fact that both the butler’s code of conduct and my honorable father have clearly stated that a butler cannot make a request of his employer, I would have really wanted to ask the young master if he was willing to come with me to the market in the future… 

  “Charles, treat me to breakfast.” 

  In this world, there was only one person who would ask me to treat him the moment he saw me. However, that person was definitely not an early-riser. I turned around, extremely surprised. As expected, I saw a policeman, though he was dressed in casual clothes. 

  “Yue Gang, good morning. You woke up really early today.” 

  “What do you mean woke up?” Yue Gang unhappily said, “I haven’t slept at all… Ah! Xiǎodì, you’re here too! How are you? Were you freaked out by what happened yesterday?” 

  The young master shook his head with a smile. 

  “Your family’s Xiǎodì is really something!” Yue Gang gave the young master a thumbs up, and then he put his arm around my shoulders as he said, “Let’s go eat breakfast together. I want to hear your Xiǎodì talk about what happened when he was caught!” 

  “Didn’t I already make a police statement?” The young master asked a little doubtfully. 

  “Ah! Statements are statements, and chatting is chatting. Let’s go!” Yue Gang pushed our backs and walked out of the market. He even shouted loudly, “I’m starving!” 

  It seemed like whether it was recording statements or chatting, they were probably both secondary to breakfast. Breakfast was the most important thing to him. 

  Sitting in the breakfast place, the young master also looked famished. I simply called back and asked Curtis not to prepare the young master’s breakfast, as we would be eating at the store. 

  I was originally a little worried whether Yue Gang would become suspicious over the young master’s appetite. However, when Yue Gang ordered eight portions of breakfast for himself, I was no longer worried. 

  Though Yue Gang had stated that he wanted to chat, he had been eating non-stop ever since we walked into the breakfast place. Along with the young master sitting beside him, who was also eating continuously… If given no explanation, people watching would probably think that they were in an eating contest. 

  At the start, I had also ordered a set of breakfast for myself in order not to raise suspicions and forced myself to take a few bites. However, as it was, I truly felt that it was a redundant action. 

  No matter how I looked at it, the people opposite me eating furiously were more suspicious than me. 

  After I acknowledged that fact, I gave up eating my breakfast that tasted like wax. Then, I turned my attention toward the public television that was in the store. The morning news was about to start soon. Yesterday, Dark Sun had a huge battle with the werewolves, and later, the young master had been carried off by a werewolf. All of this was big news, and they should all appear later. 

  The breakfast place near the market was originally very noisy. Customers were ordering in loud voices, the boss was busy frying omelets, the oil on the grilling plate was sizzling, and the customers were also conversing loudly… However, all of them abruptly fell silent. 

  Everyone was looking at the television screen. 

  On the screen was the young master with tears rolling down his cheeks. Beside it, a few words appeared. 

  The angel fell into the mortal world, but was abducted… 

  On the screen, the jewelry advertisement that Ji Luo Chu had shot of the young master, “Tears of an Angel,” was playing. In addition, there was also an image of the young master being captured by the werewolf yesterday. 

  A beautiful boy who even a werewolf can’t bear to hurt! 

  Following that was an image of the werewolf raising his claws to attack him but not being able to do so even after a long time. 

  Tears of an Angel flow only for you. 

  The last line froze on a picture of the young master crying, and on his forehead, he was also wearing the angel series necklace. 

  The entire advertisement was very long. Come to think of it, the jewelry firm had probably spent a lot of money on this… However, I believed that they would definitely be able to earn it all back. With how this advertisement matched with a real-life case, even the news would certainly bring up this advertisement and help the jewelry firm advertise itself once more later on, right? Moreover, the advertisement itself was beautifully shot and was extremely eye-catching. 

  At this point, I could not help but turn to look at the young master. At the same time, I also saw all the customers in the store and the shopkeeper turn to look at him… Even Yue Gang, who had just bit into his omelet, stared at him with a dazed look. 

  Faced with everyone’s attention, the young master blinked and told me, “Last night, Luo Chu-gē called to talk about the advertisement. Is the advertisement nice?” 

  I immediately nodded my head at that. Then, one glance around the room told me that all those present in the room were nodding together with me. 

  Seeing that, the young master laughed. Extremely delighted, he said, “That’s great.” Following that, he continued eating his breakfast. However, probably due to the excessive attention on him, he ate especially slowly, almost to the point of a normal eating speed. 

  Yue Gang finished off the omelet in his mouth in a few bites and then asked me in astonishment, “So your Xiǎodì is actually a celebrity?” 

  “That is not it.” I was unable to suppress a laugh, and explained in a slightly louder voice. “He is still a university student, but recently he is working part-time as a commercial print model.” 

  One by one, the people in the breakfast store showed expressions of understanding, and they went about doing their own things again. The store became noisy again, though people still snuck looks at the young master from time to time. 

  After the advertisement ended, the morning news began. Sure enough, the contents were filled with reports of the battle of Dark Sun against the werewolves, the werewolf abducting a person, the Church’s intervention, and the like. 

  “Tch!” When Yue Gang raised his head and saw the news, he said gloomily, “This incident with Dark Sun is sure troublesome.” 

  I quickly asked, “I heard that the police ordered the arrest of Dark Sun?” 

  “We have no choice but to arrest him! If Dark Sun was the only hero in this city, then we can still treat him as an exception. But think about it, there isn’t just one hero in Sunset City. In fact, it isn’t even four!” Yue Gang wiped his mouth with great vigor, saying with disdain, “Though the others definitely aren’t qualified to be called heroes!” 

  “What have those hero apprentices done?” I asked, a little uneasy. At the same time, I recalled the words that First Wind had said before. 

  Even if he is a criminal, you still can’t kill him! By doing this, you will allow other heroes to follow your example and all of them will also personally execute criminals! Heroes must never kill people! Y-Your current actions are absolutely not what a hero should do! 

  “Hero apprentices? Hehe, this term is pretty good!” Yue Gang praised. He then appeared distressed as he said, “It’s precisely those hero apprentices! Ever since Dark Sun killed someone, they have started to follow suit. They killed all kinds of criminals and even made it sound like it’s dignified to kill… Which part of this is upholding justice?! Damn it, it’s true that many of those criminals are asking for a beating, but it’s not to the point where they should be killed!” 

  I continued to face Yue Gang, but I could not help but peek at the young master through the corners of my eyes. The young master only paused for a moment, and then he continued to eat his meal. 

  “The police arrest those hero apprentices for murder, but guess how those hero apprentices justify themselves?” 

  “Dark Sun,” I replied with a bitter smile. 

  “That’s right!” Yue Gang clapped his hands and then started to make a pretense of screaming, “Dark Sun has also killed someone! Why don’t you go and arrest him? Why only me!?” 

  After he finished his acting, he returned to his helpless expression and spread his hands out in despair. “Tell me, what else can we do?” 

  He gave a sigh and continued, “To tell the truth, how on earth is it possible for us policemen to arrest Dark Sun? Dark Sun really is damn strong to the point that he doesn’t even seem human anymore! However, we still have to arrest him!” 

  The young master suddenly raised his head and asked, “If Dark Sun were to fall in front of you, would you truly arrest him?” 

  “Of course!” was Yue Gang’s instant reply. He continued, “There’s no choice. We have to arrest him no matter what. The duty of a policeman is to arrest people who break the law!” 

  The young master gave an “oh” and then stopped talking entirely. This made me feel a little concerned. 

  “However, don’t worry.” Yue Gang abruptly said, “I have quite a few pieces of evidence on hand. At that time, I’ll hand them all over to the judge, and Dark Sun will definitely be declared innocent… Even if he were to actually get a sentence, I believe it wouldn’t be a heavy one.” 

  The young master raised his head again in surprise. He looked at Yue Gang and asked in puzzlement, “You would arrest Dark Sun, but not want him to get a sentence?” 

  “Yeah! I would arrest him because it is our duty as policemen to arrest people who break the law! It’s not because I want to arrest him!” Yue Gang had probably noticed the young master’s doubtful expression, for he explained patiently, “Isn’t the law like that? Even if everyone knows that he is innocent, as long as he broke the law, he has to go to court no matter what and be judged. No one is an exception to the rule! 

  “Once exceptions are allowed, then who would still follow the law?” As though this statement was just a matter of fact, he began to eat his breakfast again. 

  With an inquisitive expression, the young master asked, “Then, do you dislike Dark Sun?” 

  “What do you mean dislike or not! Xiǎodì! You’re already this old. Don’t talk like such a child.” 

  As the young master listened to Yue Gang, disappointment crept across his face when he didn’t receive an answer. This expression was one that few people could resist. Yue Gang scratched his head and said, “This time, he saved many of my comrades. That’s all!” 

  I laughed. 

  Following that, the young master returned to his senses, and he too started laughing. The more he laughed, the happier he grew, and the more he smiled, the more radiant his smile became. 

  “What are you guys laughing at? The two of you brothers are really… You’re still laughing! If you laugh any more, I’ll- I’ll go back to work! That’s not right, I just got off work… I’ll go home and sleep!” 

  Hehehe. 

  When we returned to the apartment, the young master seemed to be in a pretty good mood. This made me feel very delighted too, and I even wanted to treat Yue Gang to another huge meal because of that. 

  The young master still had to go to school. Therefore, after I bid farewell to the young master, I started cleaning the place. 

  I continued doing so all the way until eight o’clock, when Leanna woke up. Once she saw me cleaning the living room, her face turned red, and she quickly asked, “Is there anything that you need help with?” 

  “Cleaning is part of a butler’s duty,” I rejected her offer with a smile and then asked, “Do all of you have class in the morning? I will prepare breakfast for you all immediately.” 

  “T-Thank you,” Leanna finished saying with a stammer. Following that, she ran into the room Abner slept in, probably to wake him up. 

  I was just about to go into the kitchen to prepare breakfast when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and saw that standing outside was a man with disheveled hair, dirty clothes, and a gloomy expression. He even had very dark eye bags… It was Mr. An Te Qi. 

  I greeted, “It has been a long time, Mr. An Te Qi.” 

  Mr. An Te Qi looked extremely tired. He nodded his head and then promptly walked inside. He sat at the dining table and lay flat on it. He was even yawning as he asked, “Has Ah Ye gone to school?” 

  “He has.” I smiled as I asked, “Mr. An Te Qi, I am going to prepare breakfast now. May I ask if there is anything that you do not eat in particular?” 

  Once he heard that, his tone immediately turned serious as he said, “Instant noodles!” 

  “…Understood.” 

  When I served breakfast, I saw that Leanna and Abner were already sitting at the dining table. Moreover, they looked extremely nervous. Mr. An Te Qi was sprawled out on the table, asleep. However, the moment I put the food on the table, he woke up and immediately started gorging himself… Thankfully, I had prepared some extra dishes. 

  I stood to the side and paid close attention to whether anyone needed their food or drinks replenished. 

  After Mr. An Te Qi had finished his third set of breakfast, he then turned to ask me, “That’s right, why is Ah Ye looking for me?” 

  “Has the young master not mentioned it to you?” I asked in surprise. 

  Mr. An Te Qi said hesitantly, “Yes… I guess so? I don’t remember. I was in the middle of an experiment at that time, so I don’t know what he had said exactly. Anyways Ri Xiang Yan—Ahem! I mean Ah Ye’s brother said that Ah Ye was looking for me. If I didn’t come over soon, he was going to shoot me dead on the spot. That’s why I came over.” 

  Hearing that, shocked expressions appeared on both Leanna’s and Abner’s faces. 

  I quickly pacified them, “That was only a joke. The young master’s brother definitely would not just casually open fire at someone and kill them.” 

  Sitting at the side, An Te Qi’s expression turned to one of complete disbelief. Seeing that, Leanna and Abner became even more terrified, as though they would also be murdered by the young master’s brother. 

  I quickly changed the topic, “Mr. An Te Qi, the young master hopes that you can take a look at his classmate. His classmate has undergone some experiments on body modification and is now caught in a predicament…” 

  “He’s not in a predicament. We just don’t have enough money for the medicine,” Leanna suddenly refuted with agitation. 

  I noticed my slip of the tongue and immediately apologized, “Yes, I am very sorry for jumping to conclusions due to not understanding the situation well enough.” 

  Leanna seemed not to know what to do as she apologized, “N-No, sorry, I…” 

  “Who is the one who messed around with modifying their body?” Mr. An Te Qi turned around and sized the two up. “It looks like not much was modified…” 

  “It’s not us!” Abner rolled his eyes. 

  Mr. An Te Qi shrugged and gave an “oh.” He then asked, “Where is the one who was haphazardly modified?” 

  “Please come with me,” I said promptly. 

  Following that, I brought Mr. An Te Qi to Aren’s room. Leanna and Abner also followed us in. Aren was still unconscious, and even in the midst of his dream, his brows were caught in a furrow. It seemed like his rest was rather uneasy. 

  Mr. An Te Qi inspected Aren here and there, but in the end, he still turned to face the other two and questioned, “Say it! What exactly have you guys done?” 

  Leanna and Abner exchanged glances. In the end, Abner forced himself to say with difficulty, “We used werewolf blood to make a new type of medicine. Originally, we wanted to use it to open up human potential and strengthen the body’s muscles. However…” 

  Mr. An Te Qi’s expression suddenly turned lively with interest, and he anxiously asked, “Werewolf blood? Whoa! So there was still that! A genetic modification, is it? Not bad, not bad at all. I think it definitely could work. However, the effect is probably limited, and moreover, it’s probably unstable, right?” 

  Hearing that, Leanna said in astonishment, “Yes, that’s right. Aren can only transform at night, and he will go crazy every once in a while.” 

  “As expected, I was right!” Mr. An Te Qi’s expression was that of pride as he confidently asked, “Then, you are using the tranquilizer DP32 along with… to control his rampage, right?” 

  Leanna received a shock at first, but then she started passionately discussing with Mr. An Te Qi, “Yes! But the effect is limited, and the size of the dosage required is getting bigger and bigger…” 

  The discussion between the two of them became more and more heated. However, I started to feel a little uneasy. I walked out of the room and called the young master, praying that the young master had brought his cell phone out today. 

  The phone call went through, and I heard the young master’s voice. I quickly informed the young master of the current situation, “Young Master, Mr. An Te Qi is here. However…” 

  I walked back into the room and then held the phone in front of Mr. An Te Qi with a smile. I said, “Mr. An Te Qi, the young master is looking for you.” 

  At this point, Mr. An Te Qi was busy checking Aren’s arm. He was pinching and feeling the skin around his body, as though he was examining a slice of pork. Without even turning around, he merely said, “I’m very busy right now, and my hands are not free to hold the phone. Turn on the loudspeaker.” 

  I replied to him with “Understood,” and then I turned it on. Immediately, I heard the young master’s voice come over the phone, “Bàba!” 

  “Hm?” was Mr. An Te Qi’s absent-minded reply. 

  “Bàba, do you still remember? I told you Aren is my friend!” The young master emphasized his point once again, “Not a test subject, but a friend!” 

  “Huh?” Mr. An Te Qi spaced out for a moment and finally stopped what he was doing. He turned to look at the phone and said, a little out of it, “Not a test subject?” 

  “Not a test subject!” The young master reiterated with an extremely firm tone. 

  Mr. An Te Qi suddenly had a very exaggerated expression on, as though he was… Totally disheartened? He glanced at Aren as though feeling it was a pity and then gave up examining his body for the moment. He sighed as he said, “Fine! He’s a friend. However, your friend’s body is already essentially not a ‘human body.’ Therefore, if you want to revert him back to a normal person, it’s likely not possible. At most, we can only use medicine to suppress his transformation… However, according to what the other two said, he will definitely transform on the night of a full moon, and even medication is of no effect. I have yet to see that situation, so I have no idea whether it is possible to suppress it with medicine.” 

  The young master said, “It’s okay if he transforms. The most important thing is to stop him from going crazy every once in a while.” 

  “Oh, that’s a lot simpler.” After Mr. An Te Qi finished his words, he suddenly said blissfully, “Coincidentally, a lot of werewolves died recently. Have your brother send a corpse over to me for experimentation… No, if you are going to send one over, send a live one over. I want a live werewolf!” 

  “Okay, I’ll help you catch one later tonight!” 

  “No, no!” Mr. An Te Qi’s face drained rapidly, and he quickly stopped Ah Ye. “If your brother were to know that I made you catch a werewolf for my experiments, it would be strange if he didn’t shoot me dead on the spot! Just ask your brother to send someone to catch one!” 

  The young master fell silent for a moment, and then his tone was full of underlying threat as he said, “Then, Bàba, you also have to promise me that you will not, absolutely will not, use Aren as an experiment!” 

  “Okay.” Mr. An Te Qi nodded, though he gazed pitifully again at Aren after that. 

  “Charles, you have to help me look after Bàba. Definitely don’t let him mess around.” 

  “Certainly,” I replied promptly. 

  “Also, Bàba, you have to listen to Charles obediently, okay? If he tells you to eat, go and eat. If he tells you to sleep, go and sleep, okay?” 

  “… Do you think of me as a child? I’m already almost forty years old.” 

  Mr. An Te Qi answered a little grudgingly, but mid-way through his words, the young master called out “Bàba” in an extremely low voice over the phone. Mr. An Te Qi then quickly changed his tune to say, “Okay, okay! I’ll listen obediently, just like a good kid. Is that alright?” 

  The young master still didn’t seem to be at ease and nagged at him a bit more, such as telling him to wear clothes when he was cold and to remove them when he was hot. If he was hungry, he should eat, and if he was sleepy, he should rest… Hearing all these, I felt a little between laughter and tears. It was really difficult to tell who was the father and who was the child. 

  After the young master hung up, Mr. An Te Qi turned around, and said hesitantly, “That… Charles? You’re called Charles, right?” 

  “Indeed so,” I promptly answered. 

  He instructed, “Help me prepare some necessities, especially some medicine… That’s right! I remember Ah Ye said that you are… Which race was it? It seems like you’re also not a human? Could it be that you’re also a werewolf?” 

  I immediately gave him a smile as I asked, “May I ask as to what items you require?” 

  “Oh, that’s right! Necessities!” Mr. An Te Qi immediately started reading aloud a whole list of items, “I mainly need DP32, and also…” 

  It was only after Mr. An Te Qi finished his long list of items that I gave a sigh of relief. Thankfully, there was no vampire blood or such on the list.

  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 5: The Madness of Non-Humans and the Calmness of Humans

  Translator: Raylight 

  March 10, 2110, Drizzling 

  The little young master and the Sun Emperor continued their cold war… Or, rather, I should say that the little young master was in the middle of a cold war toward the Sun Emperor. He was implementing the strategy of not looking at him, not listening to him, and not talking to him. This was really effective. In just three days, the Sun Emperor surrendered. 

  However, the next day, the assassin dropped by again, either by coincidence or something else. The little young master took action again, and this time he even had a bullet scrape past his cheek. He ought to have been able to dodge the bullet, but perhaps, he had not completely dodged it on purpose. 

  The Sun Emperor immediately ordered all of the bodyguards around him to go ”rescue” the little young master… At that moment though, I felt that the only person that needed rescuing was actually that assassin. 

  This time, the little young master didn’t throw a tantrum. However, the expression he had while looking at the Sun Emperor, really… made me want to hug him and comfort him thoroughly! 

  The Sun Emperor was indeed very steady and mature. However, when matters pertain to the little young master, it seems like he could easily become even more childish than the little young master. 

  During the following three days, I finally understood why the young master treated Mr. An Te Qi like a young child. He had not only given him a few obvious instructions, such as “You should eat when you are hungry,” he had also specifically instructed me to take good care of him. 

  In those three days, Mr. An Te Qi had never taken the initiative to go to bed. Most of the time, I had to coax and persuade him into it. I even had to use the young master’s and the master’s names to threaten him before he was finally willing to lie on the bed. 

  Even so, he usually would not sleep for long before crawling out of bed to work on his experiments. In a twenty-four hour period, he spent roughly only three hours truly asleep. With one hour taken for all his three meals, the rest of his time was all spent on conducting his experiments. 

  First, he had drawn Aren’s blood. Then, he had used it to do all kinds of experiments, many even involving animal testing. There were several cages of white mice, various glass measuring cylinders, unknown pieces of apparatus connected with many transparent tubes… The entire apartment became like a mad scientist’s lab. 

  Though I wanted to tidy up the place, I had once picked up a measuring glass, and Mr. An Te Qi had turned around, warning me in a casual tone, “Don’t shake that measuring cup, because once you shake it, it will create a huge explosion.” Afterwards, I merely cleaned off the dust on the floor. 

  The lessened workload made the days feel a little idle. Though Mr. An Te Qi was certainly very much in need of someone to take care of him, other than requesting for him to go to bed and cooking all three meals, I did not dare to help him do anything else. 

  This made me feel a little guilty, and I could not help but remind him, “If there is anything that I could possibly help with, please feel free to tell me.” 

  Mr. An Te Qi did not even lift his head up as he said, “Then, help me wash these measuring cylinders. You have to wash them at the specialized washing basin that I brought over.” 

  “Certainly. However…” With a smile on my face, I once again questioned, “Are these the measuring cylinders? Can all of them really be washed? There are no fluids in there that will explode once shaken, right?” 

  A butler’s duty is to obey orders and not question them. But when it comes to dealing with dangerous items that could possibly explode and send the entire place flying toward the sky, along with a muddle-headed employer, I simply had to ask for clarification. 

  Mr. An Te Qi finally raised his head. He looked at the ceiling, and thought for roughly ten seconds before he said, “Nope, there shouldn’t be any. However, remember to wear gloves. I think there might be corrosive liquids in there!” 

  These words, “shouldn’t” and “might be,” make me feel extremely uneasy… Later, I should probably wear two additional pairs of gloves, and also try my best not to disturb the glasses. 

  I cautiously took the glasses to the basin. As I washed them, I wondered how the situation over at the young master’s side was. 

  Although Curtis is from an influential family of butlers, he is not familiar with the young master. He probably would not be able to serve him with all his heart, right? Sigh… Afterwards, I should make some new and interesting dishes to compensate for the time that I am unable to serve the young master. 

  Just as I was thinking that the young master should like spicy hot pot, my phone rang. After taking a look at the display, I picked up the call, asking, “Melody, what is the matter?” 

  “Butler, get over here.” 

  Following that, she ended the call. 

  Feeling bewildered, I first went to check whether Mr. An Te Qi required anything. He was currently looking through the microscope and recording his observations. The last time he did so, he sat in the same position for a solid eight hours, until I used the young master’s as well as the master’s name to “advise” him to go to sleep. 

  “Mr. An Te Qi, my apologies. I have to leave for a while. I will be back soon.” 

  He merely gave an “Oh.” 

  After making sure that Mr. An Te Qi would not move for at least eight hours, I left the apartment with my heart at ease. I headed to Melody’s place, which was the apartment next door. 

  I knocked on the door and heard Melody yell from inside, “The door’s not locked!” 

  I politely shouted back, “I am coming in,” and then pushed the door open and went in. This was actually my first time entering Melody’s living quarters. 

  Once I stepped in, I saw Melody lying lazily on a dark purple couch. She was only wearing a red silk nightgown, and her skirt was so short that it could barely cover her butt. 

  Inside the apartment, a pure black plush carpet was spread on the floor. The black curtains were extremely thick, and the surrounding walls were painted gray. The entire room looked extremely gloomy and did not resemble a human’s room in the least. However, it was very suitable for a vampire to live in. 

  “I am coming in.” 

  Once I walked into the apartment, I followed Melody’s line of vision and looked over, and then realized that she was watching television. Moreover, the television in this living room was simply astonishing, for it took up almost an entire wall. However, she was not watching any movies or television programs. Though the television was huge, the screen was divided into many smaller images. They looked like the surveillance footage that would appear in a security guard’s office. 

  I stepped onto the plush carpet, and as I walked over to Melody, asked, “What is the matter?” 

  Melody extended a finger heavily painted with nail polish, and pointed at the television lazily. 

  I turned to look at the television in puzzlement. Only then did I look at the contents of the screen in detail. I realized that, though the screen was partitioned into many small boxes, the box in the center was especially large, and was practically the same size as a forty-inch television… Moreover, this image seemed very familiar. 

  It was a living room, and not only was the decor very familiar, I could even say what was placed inside each of the drawers… That is the young master’s apartment. 

  “Melody?” I felt a little uneasy as I said, “We should not be peeking at the young master’s daily life.” 

  Melody glanced at me, saying, “The young master gave me permission to do so. He even said, ‘You have to get Charles to watch it with you! Since he can’t stay by my side to take care of me, he must be very worried.’” 

  The young master really hit the mark. I looked at Melody a little awkwardly, and the latter folded up her long legs. She then patted the empty couch space, and said teasingly, “Come over and take a seat, Mr. Butler. Stop acting! Who doesn’t know how concerned you, the butler, are over the young master?” 

  I walked over to the couch and sat down. At the same time, I clarified, “That is a butler’s duty.” 

  Melody rolled her eyes at me and said, “Why are you being as reluctant as Bramble to admit it? Is being concerned for the young master something that unspeakable? The young master is adorable, and all those who have met him treat him like a treasure. Even werewolves can’t bear to hurt him! Let alone us, who are with the young master every day. Being concerned for him is natural!” 

  Hearing these words, I merely thought for a moment before sincerely agreeing, “You are right.” 

  “Of course!” Melody lifted her chin as she finished her words, as though it was to be expected. Then, her gaze shifted back to the television screen. She said, “Let’s watch the TV now. The young master went downstairs just now to receive the people from the Church, and he’s coming back soon.” 

  I was a little astonished as I asked, “Those three members of the Sin Elimination Committee?” 

  “That’s right. I went around inquiring about them. They are the Anceo Team.” 

  “Anceo?” I gave it some thought and asked, “Is that the name of the oldest member?” 

  “No, this team is led by the youngest in the group, that guy.” 

  “That overgrown boy?” I asked, a little surprised. 

  “Overgrown boy?” Melody burst into laughter. “Please, he’s just baby-faced! He has already been one of the leaders in the Sin Elimination Committee for ten years. He should be at least thirty now. That makes him older than both May and Dell.” 

  This truly made me feel extremely astonished. I had thought that his age should be more or less close to the young master’s. 

  “The reputation of the Anceo Team is not too bad. Their methods cannot be called brutal. In this team, what they specialize in is tracking.” At this point, Melody stopped, and then gave me a glance. 

  I adjusted and corrected my facial expression. Tracking? As expected, have they come to find X? 

  “Ah!” Melody softly exclaimed. “The young master’s home.” 

  I quickly turned my gaze back onto the television. As Melody had said, we saw the young master pushing the door open and walking into the living room. Behind him, only two people followed. That overgrown boy rushed in first… I should call him Anceo now. The other one was the quiet lady. It seemed that the most senior one of them had not come. 

  On the screen, the young master was smiling as he told them, “Please enter.” 

  Anceo immediately headed for the living room, asking, “Your place looks really nice! Is no one home?” 

  “Nope, Gēge and Bàba are still at work, and will only come home later.” After casually replying, the young master asked, “I’ll go get drinks for you both. Do you want cola or black tea?” 

  “Cola!” Anceo said, beaming. 

  “Either is fine,” the cold lady said indifferently. 

  The young master nodded and left the living room to get drinks. 

  The lady still continued to sit upright on the couch, and her line of vision did not even move. In comparison, Anceo was looking left and right around the living room, and even touched a few decorations from time to time with his hands. Thankfully, I had already instructed Curtis to keep all the valuable items of the apartment in my room. 

  Thinking of Curtis, I wondered where he went. I inquired Melody about it. 

  “Before the Church members arrived, he had already been sent up to the rooftop by the young master to accompany Bramble and the others as they brewed tea.” 

  That explained the matter. 

  On the television, Anceo just noticed the large photo hung on the wall. That was the photo of the young master shot in the Tears of an Angel commercial. However, I was not the one who had put it up. The young master had probably taken it from Ji Luo Chu’s studio within the past few days. 

  Anceo kept staring at the photograph, all the way up until the young master walked into the living room with the drinks. He then turned around, and as he took the drink from the young master’s hands, he commented, “I didn’t think that you were actually a celebrity.” 

  As he gave the black tea to the other guest, the young master explained, “That’s not it. I only went to work as a print model. I’m still studying in university!” 

  “So, you are a university student!” Anceo sat beside his companion, and then waved to the young master, “Come over! Stop busying about welcoming us. Sit down for a chat!” 

  “Okay.” The young master sat beside Anceo, and he looked at the two with eyes full of curiosity. He asked, “Then, what do you two work as? Priest and nun?” 

  Anceo nearly spat out his cola at that, and he shouted straight out, “Do we look like a priest and a nun?” 

  The young master looked at Anceo, and then at that lady. Then, he told Anceo, “You don’t look like a priest, but Yina-jiě looks rather like a nun.” 

  Anceo burst into laughter with a “Pfft,” and as he chuckled, he said, “Y-Yina, Ah Ye says you look like a nun!” 

  “What’s so funny?” Yina said icily, “I originally intended to be a nun! If I hadn’t chosen to become a member of the Sin Elimination Committee, that is.” 

  Anceo met with a rebuff, and he merely rubbed his nose, not wanting to bring contempt upon himself. 

  “Sin Elimination Committee?” The young master’s eyes slightly widened, and his face was the epitome of curiosity. This expression was just like his disappointed expression, as it was just as hard to refuse. 

  As expected, Anceo found it hard to reject him. After he snuck a peek at Yina, he started explaining, “It’s not wrong to say that we are a priest and a nun! In any case, we are all part of the Church. However, they are responsible for preaching, while it is our duty to catch non-humans who have committed sins.” 

  Yina suddenly gave a cold shout. “Anceo!” 

  Anceo also froze for a moment. 

  “What are non-humans?” The young master then asked. 

  Thankfully, the young master still remembered to ask about it, though he was late by an entire beat. 

  “Oh, they are those races that are not human. Like werewolves and such. You have also met them before, haven’t you?” Anceo seemed like he did not quite want to explain this topic clearly. Following that, he asked in concern, “That night, you were scared stiff. That werewolf was very scary, right?” 

  Naturally, the young master nodded his head. 

  “You poor thing…” 

  Anceo rubbed the young master’s head, and subsequently he started chatting with the young master about various issues. He even started to complain about his superior, and talked about the Church’s eight religious rules. He even complained jokingly that the partner at his side, Yina, was like a giant ice cube. In the summer, he wouldn’t even need air-conditioning, for just staying by her side was enough. 

  Seeing how the atmosphere in the living room was pretty good, I gave a sigh of relief, and then turned around to tell Melody, “This is really great. It seems like this Sin Elimination team does not consist of bad people.” 

  “What? You haven’t realized it?” Melody asked in shock, and I could tell from her tone that she seemed a little dissatisfied. 

  “Realized?” I asked, extremely bewildered. “Realized what?” 

  “I thought that only men were very slow, but I didn’t think that male vampires were just as slow!” Melody said unhappily, “That fellow called Anceo, he has been pawing at the young master!” 

  I stared blankly at her for a moment, and then I asked, “What do you mean?” 

  “This vampire, you’re not only blind, but you’re even deaf? It’s exactly what it means!” Melody was raging as she said, “He is stealthily groping the young master. Do you understand it now?” 

  I observed Anceo’s movements, but I did not feel that there was anything out of the ordinary. He seemed like a very laid-back person, and had a personality a little similar to Yue Gang’s. Yue Gang had always been a casual person, and putting his arm around someone else’s shoulders from time to time was something common for him. Sometimes, when he got very agitated scolding me, he would even pinch my face. 

  “His actions should still be considered normal. The policeman I know, Yue Gang, also frequently puts his arm around my shoulders.” 

  Melody said coldly, “That Yu Gang, bathtub, or whatever of yours, wouldn’t touch your thighs and butt, right?” 

  It is Yue Gang. After I silently corrected her in my heart, I shook my head, saying, “Of course, he would not… Wait a moment! You mean Anceo has actually done t-those actions?” 

  Melody nodded her head and said mockingly, “He has actually done it rather secretly. It seems like he has practiced those discreetly groping actions rather often, for it doesn’t seem like that woman has realized that her partner has been doing it at all!” 

  After Melody had said so, I scrutinized Anceo’s actions. I then realized that his left hand had always been placed between him and the young master… 

  I felt a little at a loss as to what to do, so I could only ask Melody, “T-Then what should we do? Does the young master know how to deal with this kind of thing?” 

  “What else can we, two vampires, do? Don’t tell me we can just jump in and shout at him, ‘You pervert from the Church, let go of my young master’?” After Melody gave a sarcastic reply, she then said, “However, you can call the father and ask him to come home.” 

  Father? Ah! It’s Mr. Bramble! I quickly picked up my cell phone and gave Mr. Bramble a call. As I watched the television screen, I explained the current situation to him. 

  Mr. Bramble probably had the speaker on, so that Dell and May could also hear my words. I knew because the moment I finished speaking, I immediately heard Dell yelling, “He’s going to die” and the like, and I could even clearly hear May saying “Seconded” in a chilling tone. 

  With the knowledge that Mr. Bramble would go and help the young master, I relaxed and continued to watch the television screen. 

  Anceo was still rambling on to the young master, “Ah Ye, what course are you studying?” 

  “Combat Major,” the young master answered with a smile. 

  “Combat? Wow!” Anceo had an exaggerated expression on as he exclaimed, “Then, you must be very strong, right?” 

  The young master nodded his head and replied, “I am very strong.” 

  “Just how strong… Ah!” 

  Anceo abruptly screamed. The next second, the young master twisted Anceo’s left arm upwards. His arm was evidently bent at an awkward angle. 

  The young master still had a guileless smile on his face as he answered, “How strong am I? Probably strong enough, that if you were to touch me again, I would break your arm.” 

  Hearing that, Anceo’s expression turned into one of pain and astonishment. Even Yina, who had been icily cold all this time, finally showed a different expression. She angrily growled at him, “Anceo, again you…” 

  Halfway through her words, the front door suddenly burst open. Following that was Dell’s loud calls, “Ah Ye, Ah Ye!” 

  “Huh?” The young master let go of Anceo’s arm and looked at the three people at the door. He asked in confusion, “Bàba, Gēge, why are you back so early?” 

  Steaming in anger, Dell glared at Anceo and roared, “You punk, to actually dare to—” 

  “Dell!” Mr. Bramble interrupted him with a shout. Then, with a calm tone, he asked, “Ah Ye, who are these people?” 

  Faced with Dell’s shout, Anceo indeed looked a little guilty. But his expression, as well as Yina’s, were more toward them being unable to make heads or tails of what was going on. Even if they had sexually harassed someone’s son, it shouldn’t have been found out that quickly, right? 

  The young master answered dutifully, “They are friends who came over to play.” 

  “Is that so…” 

  Mr. Bramble put on a smile, though it looked a little forced. At this moment, May nudged Dell, and only then did the latter suppress his anger and force the corners of his lips upwards, though it looked even more strained than Mr. Bramble’s smile. 

  The situation seems a little awkward. I sighed. If I had known earlier that the young master was capable of handling the situation on his own, then I really would not have called Mr. Bramble to step in. Instead, it had made the situation even more complicated. Right now, I can only hope for those two to leave quickly! 

  At that moment, the sound of an explosion suddenly rang out. It was muffled, but definitely audible. 

  Both Melody and I looked at each other in dismay. She frowned and asked, “What was that sound? It sounded like a small explosion, and it seemed to have come from next door?” 

  Next door… Ah! I exclaimed, “Mr. An Te Qi!” 

  I left Melody’s apartment in a hurry and dashed toward the residence that Mr. An Te Qi was staying in. Once I opened the door, I did not even need to ask to know what had happened. 

  In the living room, the huge Dragon Peace currently had his fists raised high and was about to attack Mr. An Te Qi, who was cowering in front of him… With a slide step, I dashed forward and carried Mr. An Te Qi away. Immediately, a loud sound came from behind me. I turned my head back to look and realized that Dragon Peace had made two holes in the floor. 

  Looking at them, I felt my scalp go kind of numb. 

  “C-Charles… Thank goodness you’re back.” 

  Mr. An Te Qi’s voice shook as he spoke. He looked at Dragon Peace, and suddenly his eyes started shining. Ignoring the urgent situation at the moment, he started mumbling an explanation, “Though I have already injected him with the medicine, he still transformed. I believe that it must be a side effect of using the medicine to forcefully transform himself last time. It resulted in an abnormality; therefore, the old amount of medicine is already not enough, and even the effect on him is weakened…” 

  I really wanted to tell Mr. An Te Qi that no matter what the reason for Dragon Peace’s sudden transformation was, it was not important at this moment. Really! It is not important at all. 

  Dodging Dragon Peace’s continuous punches was what was most important. 

  As I dodged, I also continued to retreat backwards. Once I had nowhere else to retreat to, I could only crash through the door and exit, even though I knew that those members of the Church might already be in the corridor to investigate the cause of the explosion. However, I did not have any other choice. Once I ran out into the corridor, Dragon Peace followed. However, due to his large body size, he was unable to pass through the door easily. Therefore, in a fit of rage, he destroyed the doorframe together with the surrounding walls. 

  Seizing the moment, I quickly asked, “Mr. An Te Qi, do you have any way to revert him back to Aren?” 

  At this point, Dragon Peace could squeeze half of his body through the destroyed doorframe. Another swing of his fists, and I immediately ducked to avoid his attack. It was a narrow miss, and even the ends of my hair flew upwards from the wind created by his punch. 

  Mr. An Te Qi gave a small shriek, and immediately stopped talking about the contents of the experiment. He merely instructed quickly, “Inject him with more tranquilizers. They are in my lab, in the right cabinet, second drawer. That’s the pile of syringes. We have to inject him with at least three for it to be enough.” 

  Just then, Dragon Peace destroyed yet another wall and managed to escape his predicament of being struck in the doorframe… Now it was my turn to land in a predicament. 

  “Mr. An Te Qi, please run away quickly!” 

  I threw him backwards, and following that I used my blood ability to form two rapiers. Then, I started battling with Dragon Peace, who pounced on me. 

  At first, Dragon Peace did not mind the attacks of the rapiers at all. However, once I managed to draw numerous wounds on his body in succession, he finally started to find it painful. He then retreated step by step… I only hope that I can force him back into the room in time, so as to avoid being seen by the Church members. That way, it would not trouble the young master. 

  When I thought about that, though I was not fond of fighting, I moved my rapiers rapidly and my movements became even more confusing and harder to predict. 

  The delirious Dragon Peace had great strength, but he evidently did not have enough judgment to deal with enemies who were too fast. He merely continued to swing his fists around. Though the speed of his punches was fairly fast, for a vampire it was not difficult to dodge. 

  However, I continued to groan inwardly. Dragon Peace hit the walls and floor frequently, and the sound was so loud that even the building next door would be able to hear it, let alone rooms on the same floor. Therefore, it would probably be impossible to stop the members of the Sin Elimination team from seeing Dragon Peace. I only hoped that they would not treat Dragon Peace as a non-human… 

  Dragon Peace suddenly kicked at me. Due to the fact that he had not used his legs to attack before, my reaction was slow, and I nearly did not avoid it in time. Thankfully, my speed was significantly greater than his. Just before I was struck by his foot, I tossed aside my rapiers and grabbed his leg with my hands. I swung myself upwards in passing, and jumped onto his shoulder. 

  Following that, I sent another chop to the back of his neck, thinking about knocking him unconscious like the last time in the sewers. However, even after attacking him three or four times, Dragon Peace did not show any sign of passing out, and he almost tore me off his shoulder. I quickly jumped down and made my blood rapiers return to my hands. 

  He is actually this strong? If I were to hit this many times on a normal human’s neck, their neck would probably be broken by now. 

  I could not help but bitterly laugh. To get the Sin Elimination team to treat Dragon Peace as a human would probably be a little difficult. 

  “Good heavens…” 

  While I dodged Dragon Peace’s attacks, I heard the exclamation. It seemed like ultimately, I could not avoid having Dragon Peace discovered by the Sin Elimination team. 

  Dragon Peace seemed to have also noticed this shout. He turned around, clenched his enormous fists, and roared at the people who had arrived. 

  Seeing this situation, I hesitated for a moment and then put away my blood rapiers. Then, seizing the moment while Dragon Peace’s attention was elsewhere, I darted into the apartment and rushed into the lab. 

  Cabinet… I pulled open the second drawer. There were many rows of syringes lying inside, and all of them had liquids in them. I grabbed an entire handful of syringes, and then rushed back to the corridor. At this moment though, I heard Dragon Peace’s heavy footsteps. 

  Could it be that he has already started attacking the young master and the others? 

  I started to panic and quickly rushed out of the apartment. I was just in time to see Dragon Peace dash toward the young master. Anceo pushed the young master aside and then drew out two guns. He started shooting at Dragon Peace wildly. 

  The bullets were beneath Dragon Peace’s notice. He merely raised his arm to block them or swung his arms around in a frenzy. The bullets fell to the ground with a clinking sound. None of them actually hurt him. 

  “Yina! He’s not scared of silver bullets!” Anceo shouted. 

  Hearing that, Yina too drew her gun and fired unhesitatingly. However, what came out of it were not bullets, but a ray of light… An energy gun! 

  Dragon Peace used his arm to block it like before, but what was different this time was that he started roaring and shouting in pain. Smoke even came from his arm. 

  Seeing that, I took the chance to “glide” behind Dragon Peace. I took out a syringe and stabbed it into his body… Snap! The needle actually broke! 

  I was stunned. Now what should I do? Is it okay to consume it instead? But how am I to make Dragon Peace drink it obediently? 

  “Charles!” 

  The young master is calling me? I looked toward the young master, but suddenly, a huge shadow appeared in front of me. Without thinking, I first raised my arm to block it, and following that a large force sent my entire body flying. At that moment, all I could do was seize the opportunity to jump backwards to reduce the majority of the force. However, I was still sent flying, and my back hit the wall hard. 

  It was only once I landed that I felt pain coming from my arm and back… I hope nothing is broken. 

  “What is going on here?” Anceo seemed flustered and yelled in exasperation, “Ah Ye, you’re calling him? You know that vampire… Y-You all?” 

  Hearing the sound of gunshots, I lifted my head up and saw Mr. Bramble, Dell, and May. They all had their guns out and were even standing in a triangle formation surrounding Dragon Peace. They were attacking him very efficiently. The moment Dragon Peace targeted someone, the other two immediately fired rapidly, not letting him have any spare strength to attack. When he turned back to attack one of the other two, the others would start firing at him frantically. 

  This strategy was extremely effective against the delirious Dragon Peace, and he was practically being toyed with by the three of them. 

  The young master quickly shouted, “Bramble-shū, don’t kill him!” 

  “Young Master!” As Dell switched positions while firing his gun, he actually managed to reply with a struggling expression, “Don’t you think that you should ask him not to kill us? Isn’t that more fitting for the current situation?” 

  However, the young master did not reply to him. Instead, he ran up to me, and as he helped me back onto my feet, he asked worriedly, “Charles, are you alright?” 

  I stood back up and slightly stretched my hand. Though it was extremely painful, I could still move it, so the bones should not be broken. With trembling fingers, I handed the syringes over to the young master and explained, “Young Master, these contain the medicine to calm Dragon Peace down. Mr. An Te Qi says that we need to inject him with at least three of them. However, the needles cannot pierce Dragon Peace’s skin.” 

  The young master nodded his head and took the syringes from me. He said, “I will think of a way. Go and rest first, and see if you want to go drink some blood.” 

  “Understood, Young Master.” Though that was my answer, I also knew that it was impossible for me to turn away from this chaos, and go back into the apartment for a meal. 

  Anceo seemed to be in disbelief as he questioned, “What in the world are you people?” 

  The young master gave Anceo a brief look, and his tone was hostile as he said, “We’re all not human! Now stand aside.” 

  It looks like the young master really loathes Anceo … The moment the situation worsened to the point that deception was no longer necessary, he completely started giving him attitude. 

  The young master shouted to the trio, “Bramble-shū, Dell, and May, cover me!” 

  They immediately shouted together, “Copy that, Young Master.” 

  The young master put three syringes, one each in the gap between his fingers on his left hand. Following that, he headed toward Dragon Peace fearlessly. 

  Once he got near him, Dragon Peace started to feel uneasy. He started to roar at the young master. Due to the three obstructing his way, the second he rushed in, he would get fired at. Therefore, he was unable to go near the young master. Even so, he still swung his fists through the air at the young master as a demonstration of his power. He did not look any different from a wild animal. 

  The young master walked around Dragon Peace many times. Just as Dragon Peace decided to give up on attacking him and turned to the other three, the young master finally made his move. He slid to Dragon Peace’s side, as though he was gliding. Dragon Peace turned around and his palm smacked down toward the young master’s head. However, the young master used his right hand to grab Dragon Peace’s hand, and then he flipped over and jumped onto Dragon Peace’s body. 

  At the same time the young master hopped on, I suddenly saw a glint of silver light on Dragon Peace’s arm. I then realized that there was a syringe stuck in his arm! The young master had stuck in one of the syringes when he jumped, and he had even made use of the wound left behind by Yina when she had shot the energy gun. This resolved the big problem of the needle being unable to pierce through Dragon Peace’s skin. 

  After he had dealt with that problem, just like that, the young master hopped on Dragon Peace’s body here and there, trying to find an opportunity to stick in the rest of the syringes. His positioning and his way of moving his limbs were strange, like a snake’s and even like—like… a vampire’s! 

  Am I just seeing things? The young master’s movements seemed to have more and more of a vampire’s feel. In the very beginning, when I watched the young master battle, his movements did not resemble a vampire’s at all. 

  All of a sudden, Dragon Peace seemed to have also realized that something was amiss. He did not bother with the young master any further, and instead started running toward the window in the corridor. 

  The young master shouted, “Don’t let him escape!” 

  His voice had only just sounded when gunshots rang out. The bullets, as well as the energy ray, forced Dragon Peace away from the window. Within this time period, the young master inserted another two syringes into his wounds. 

  Not long after, Dragon Peace started to struggle less, and he also became slower. At this point, the young master yelled, “Cease fire” and then jumped back down. In the end, Dragon Peace fell down, and he lay on the ground entirely. He was panting, with his eyes half-closed, and he looked extremely tired. 

  Following that, he actually started to shrink. First were the hands: his fists, which were originally almost the size of a human’s head, gradually shrank to the average size of a man’s. Following that were his feet, his entire torso, and then his head. Finally, Dragon Peace reverted back to Aren. 

  He was sprawled on the ground. Though both his eyes were closed tightly and his chest heaved in and out vigorously, he was evidently not in any life-threatening danger. 

  It was only then that the young master’s expression finally relaxed… 

  “Don’t move!” 

  I was stunned, and upon lifting my head up to look, saw that Anceo actually had his gun pressed against the back of the young master’s head! He coldly said, “You are Dark Sun, right? I recognize your moves… Everyone here, don’t move!” 

  He stopped Bramble and the others, who were just about to go rescue the young master. He then said with a cold laugh, “This gun is specially made by the Church. It’s a gun made specially to deal with non-humans. If I were to fire at such a close distance, your head would explode, even if it was made out of metal!” 

  “If you dare to fire, go ahead and try.” The young master said, extremely calm, “That is, if you’re not scared that the Sun Emperor will eradicate the Church.” 

  Hearing these words, Anceo’s expression momentarily changed. He asked in suspicion, “You have connections to the Sun Emperor?” 

  “Hey! Babies from the Church!” 

  Hearing the Hollow Roar that was distinctive to vampires, Anceo’s and Yina’s expressions changed drastically. They turned around, and behind them was a Face Morphed vampire… Melody! 

  Melody stood right beside Yina, and her claws swung toward her, knocking her unconscious. Following that, she carried her and ran downstairs at lightning speed. 

  “Yina!” 

  Anceo shouted and turned to glance at us. His expression was rather complex, but in the end he still lowered his gun and left the scene to chase after Melody. 

  The young master stared blankly in the direction the three had left in, and then returned to his senses. He shouted, “Bàba, where are you? Come over quickly and take a look at Aren!” 

  Only then did Mr. An Te Qi crane his neck out of the young master’s apartment to look around. He was only willing to come out after he had made sure that the situation did not look the least bit dangerous. He then squatted beside Aren and started inspecting his body. 

  Once he started his inspection, his eyes once again started to overflow with passion… passion for an experimental subject. Just now, he had refused to come out. However, I believe that right now, even if Aren were to start transforming, he probably would not be willing to leave. 

  After Mr. An Te Qi gave a confirmation of “Relax! The current him is very tough. With just some sleep, even his wounds would most likely be almost completely healed,” the young master stopped worrying about Aren. He then hesitantly looked at the door leading to the staircase and muttered, “Why did Melody take Yina away? I should follow and check it out…” 

  At this point, he lowered his head to gaze at Aren with a little uncertainty. It seemed as though he did not know whether to give chase or to stay and look after him. If the latter were to transform again after he left, it would be a disaster. 

  I quickly said, “Young Master, please allow me to go look for Melody.” 

  The young master frowned and seemed unsure as he said, “But your hand is injured.” 

  I lifted my hand up and moved my fingers dexterously. With a smile, I said, “It is fine. No matter what, I am still a vampire.” 

  However, the young master still did not give his consent, even after a long time. With a doubtful tone, I gave a call of “Young Master.” Only then did he softly say, “But I’m scared that I will drag you into another battle…” 

  That explained things. 

  With a smile, I said, “Young Master, the reason why I want to chase after Melody is not only because of your orders, but also because Melody is my friend. And I am concerned for her safety.” 

  The young master nodded. 

  However, this was not all that I wanted to say. If I did not explain myself to the young master clearly, these kinds of incidents would still continue to occur in the future. I bowed and gave an apology first, “Young Master, may Charles be allowed to directly say something disrespectful?” 

  The young master looked at me with curiosity and replied, “It’s okay. Say it!” 

  I straightened up and said firmly, “Because we have made a verbal agreement before, that a butler’s duty does not involve fighting, if you were to give me an order to fight, I would definitely not obey it! However, if I were to still get involved in the battle, then that is certainly because I am concerned for my friends, and not because of your orders. Therefore, I will not choose to stand by idly because you forbid so. Please understand this!” 

  After saying that, I looked at the young master a little uneasily. Did I come across too strongly with my words? Perhaps I should have used a milder tone. I felt a little remorseful. 

  The young master first showed astonishment, and then looked at me profoundly… In the end, he nodded his head, and gave an extremely, extremely radiant smile. He happily said, “Okay then, you can go! If you really can’t manage, then come back with Melody, or give me a call. Don’t forget, I am also Melody’s and your friend!” 

  Friends, is it? From the very beginning, the young master had said that he wished to be able to get along with me like friends. However, at that time, I was still doubtful… It was only recently that I truly recognized the degree to which the young master would go to for the sake of keeping his word. 

  With a smile, I said, “Understood, Young Master.”


  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 6: The Strength of Non-Humans and the Modifications of Humans

  Translator: Raylight 

  Contrary to expectations, this time the young master didn’t start a cold war with the master. 

  He started sitting in front of the computer for entire days, as though he was searching for information. 

  I had sneaked a few peeks, and it all seemed to be information pertaining to universities. Could it be that the little young master wanted to go to university? That wasn’t a bad idea, seeing how he was really bored anyways. 

  However, every time the Sun Emperor walked by, the little young master would switch his computer monitor screen to a page on weapon information. 

  I’m not sure why the little young master would want to hide it from the Sun Emperor. 

  It feels like a storm is brewing! 

  I dashed out of the building. Originally, I was a little lost as to where to begin my search, but Mr. Bramble had called to inform me of Melody’s whereabouts. Therefore, I followed his instructions and started chasing down Melody. I usually walked on the rooftops, but occasionally when there were no interlinking roofs, I would jump down to street level and continue running. 

  However, I quickly gave up on traveling on the streets. That was because there had been several times I had nearly bumped into the patrolling police, or gangs of young people holding weapons with practically every part of their bodies modified. Those people looked like they had no relation to the word “peace,” and I definitely did not want to get into trouble right now. 

  I returned to the rooftop and continued running. However, even while on the roofs, it did not feel very peaceful. I could not tell if it was just my misperception, but as I passed over the rooftops, I kept feeling as though there were more spying black shadows than usual. 

  It seems like the non-humans are also growing a little restless? 

  For both the humans and non-humans to look so heated, it was definitely not a good sign. Though I felt uneasy, the most urgent matter at hand was still to find Melody. Everything else was secondary… 

  “Charles.” 

  “Yes? Where do I head next?” I paused in my footsteps and looked down at the cell phone on the front of my chest. Mr. Bramble was still on the phone and was continuously giving me instructions as to where I should head next. 

  “Melody is on the rooftop of the next building. Also, that fellow transformed again. The young master is currently busy restraining him, so he asks you to use your own judgment based on the situation. There is no need to consult him.” 

  “Very well.” Hearing that, I could only silently pray that Dragon Peace could make it out safe and sound… I believed that the young master, with his strength, would definitely be fine, so it would be unnecessary to pray for the young master. 

  I looked at the building next to me, and then discovered in shock that this building was not unfamiliar to me. A powerful non-human resided here. Melody once said that she knew that non-human. 

  Could it be that Melody came over to look for the non-human? 

  With a jump, I leapt over the gap between the buildings and landed. Once I lifted my head, I saw Melody. The woman called Yina was curled up by her feet, and it seemed like she had fainted. 

  “Melody?” As I walked closer, I inquired, “Why did you capture Yina? Has Anceo not caught up to us? Or did you already…” 

  “I didn’t think that he would actually not be here. This is bad!” Melody turned around and looked at me as she spoke, but she did not answer my questions. 

  Her expression looked very solemn. I could not help but ask her in anxiety and puzzlement, “Who is not here?” 

  “The owner of this territory.” Seeming to think that such an explanation was not enough, Melody then added on, “He is the strongest non-human in this city… Excluding E.X. who dropped by.” 

  “I know that.” However, I was still rather confused, so I could only once again question, “Even if he is not around, what does it have to do with the situation?” 

  Melody fell silent for a long time. In this period of time, I walked right in front of her, but I did not speak. I merely gazed at her with a gentle smile, waiting for her answer. My honorable father had once taught me, a gentle smile coupled with patience is the best way to make the employer willingly say what is on their mind. 

  Melody turned around, looking across the entire Dark Realm before her. She then finally answered, “Butler, do you know how difficult it is to hide your identity in a highly urbanized city like Sunset City? There are surveillance cameras for practically every step you take, and it is not difficult at all to retrieve the images from the cameras. In the streets, regardless of whether it is day or night, there will be people running around wildly. On top of every building, there are also non-humans looking down from above!” 

  I was extremely astonished. Could it be that the young master’s hero identity has also… 

  “Even if it’s true that nobody has seen the young master jump out from the window of his room, as long as one analyzes the speed in which Dark Sun arrives to different incidents, it’s very easy to find out roughly which area the young master lives in. In this area, if only the young master has that kind of silver hair…” 

  Melody turned to look at me and said bluntly, “The fact that the young master is Dark Sun, do you really think that no one has guessed it, especially the non-humans?” 

  I gave it a little more thought, and I too felt that Melody’s words were absolutely reasonable. If the young master’s identity were to be revealed, then… 

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Butler.” Melody unhappily said, “From the very beginning, I had already contacted the strongest non-human in this place, and also made an agreement with him. Humans and non-humans will not interfere with each other! As long as non-humans do not harm humans or heroes, the heroes will not hurt non-humans.” 

  That explains the matter. I sincerely praised, “You are very attentive and thorough.” 

  “But of course!” Melody said proudly, but she then showed a vexed expression as she shouted, “But those Church people broke the agreement! And now, the guy who can suppress the majority of the non-humans is not around!” 

  She said fretfully, “Anceo is merely the vanguard. If they were to ask the Church for assistance, there will be a large number of Church members dashing into Sunset City! Sunset City isn’t the territory of the Church, but the headquarters of the non-humans! They definitely would not allow the Church to run amok here. At that time, non-humans and humans will definitely be drawn into a large war!” 

  “A war?” I froze for a moment, and then started to feel a little uneasy. 

  Melody nodded her head impatiently, saying, “Moreover, Anceo has already found out that the young master is Dark Sun, so he wouldn’t see the young master as human. However, on the other hand, the non-humans definitely would not see Dark Sun as one of them! The young master is completely stuck in the middle between humans and non-humans, and once the war starts, he will definitely become a victim.” 

  “The young master will not become a victim.” I was not too worried about this, and I tried reminding Melody, “Could it be that you have forgotten that he is that person’s little brother? As long as the young master gives a call to the master, I believe that the master could at least resolve the issue with the Church.” 

  Instead, Melody frostily said, “Butler, do you truly understand why the young master wanted to leave home?” 

  I was stunned for a moment, and then I recalled that the young master had naturally left home to leave the master’s protection. 

  Melody spitefully said, “That Anceo has already forced the young master to bring out the master’s name in order to scare him. If matters become worse, and the young master has to call the master for help, then he might as well go home!” 

  I nodded my head. Moreover, the young master himself was not someone who liked to ask for help. All along, he had always kept the unhappy matters to himself and borne them silently. 

  Melody said as though it was a matter of fact, “Thus, not letting the young master be forced to use that last resort is my job.” 

  “Job?” I turned to look at Melody. Though her expression was very determined, I still did not understand what the job she referred to was. 

  Melody aggressively spat out a series of questions. “You are the young master’s butler. Bramble and the others are helping the young master oversee the surveillance cameras. Then, what about me? Hiring an eighth generation vampire with a yearly salary of over ten million to oversee surveillance cameras? Even if the young master is rich, isn’t that still using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?” 

  I quickly said, “You have helped the young master a lot.” 

  She gave a “hmph” and said in an extremely unsatisfied tone, “In the beginning, the young master employed me because he wanted to have me at his side, to prevent me from being slaughtered by the master without a single sound! Butler, if the young master hired you as his butler purely because you are his friend, and he wants to protect you, but he actually doesn’t need you to work at all, would you stay by his side obediently?” 

  I immediately shook my head. Naturally, I would not do so. 

  “I am also not freeloading!” Melody proudly said, “You are the young master’s butler. As for me, I am the young master’s killer, specializing in resolving matters dealt under the table. This is my job! So, do you have any dissatisfaction toward the fact that I captured Yina to threaten Anceo not to reveal the young master’s identity?” 

  “Not at all, Ms. Killer.” 

  I answered with a smile and saw Melody show an astonished expression in response. I continued my words while smiling, “As long as you are performing your duty, I have no reason or need to stop you. I believe that you would not stop me from performing a butler’s duties as well, such as cleaning the young master’s home, right?” 

  “Cleaning…” Melody froze, but following that she showed a bewitching smile. She charmingly said, “Indeed, it is cleaning. You clean the house, and I’ll clean away anything that dares to hinder the young master!” 

  I nodded my head and looked down to see the unconscious Yina. Though I felt rather regretful, I would not stop Melody any longer. I merely asked her, a little curious, “Do you intend to drink her blood?” 

  “If you want to drink it, go ahead. But don’t kill her.” Melody did not seem to care as she said, “There’s still use for this woman, to threaten Anceo with her. If he dares to notify the Church or reveal the young master’s identity as a hero, I will kill her.” 

  “I will not drink.” After I answered, I could not help but smile and shake my head. I said, “We really sound like villainous characters from this exchange.” 

  Melody also gave an enchanting smile, and she spoke in a seductive tone, “The young master is the hero Grim Reaper, and thus we are the Grim Reaper’s butler and his hired killer! What’s wrong? Do you still think that you’re a good vampire?” 

  “Naturally not,” I denied it with a smile. However, I could not help but pray in my heart that this incident would end with minimal casualties… 

  “So, it was like that? Young Master, if that’s the case, why don’t I invite the clan’s vampires to come over and suppress the non-humans of this city?” 

  This was not Melody’s voice. I froze and turned to look. Only then did I discover that Gong Feng Xiang was currently standing at a distance not too far behind Melody and me, smiling. Her appearance not only stunned me a little, even Melody beside me was on the alert. 

  Instead, as though she had not seen our guards raised, she merely went on to say, “Young Master, as long as you give the order, the Endelis clan can immediately resolve this issue.” 

  Hearing that, I frowned and explained to her seriously, “I am a butler, and ‘suppressing’ is not part of a butler’s duty. Even if the young master commands me to suppress them, I would not do so. Therefore, I do not require your help or the help of the clan. Do you understand?” 

  “Yes, Young Master,” Gong Feng Xiang answered respectfully. 

  However, I still did not trust her. Or I should say, I did not trust any of the vampires from the Endelis clan, even if I am one of them myself. 

  “However, Young Master,” Gong Feng Xiang suddenly said in deep worry. “Please, you must take some time to go back to the clan. If I am unable to persuade you to return home, Countess Avexila may decide to personally come here.” 

  “What?” I received a great shock. How could this be? I could not help but look at Gong Feng Xiang, but she still continued to smile sweetly. I completely could not tell whether she was joking or whether she had meant it. 

  Countess Avexila is coming? W-What’s her motive? 

  I had to take in a deep breath before I could manage to tell Gong Feng Xiang, “I am afraid that I will probably be very busy these next few days. Even if I were to go back to see Countess Avexila, it would be have to be after that time.” 

  “That’s simply perfect.” Gong Feng Xiang said with a smile, “Young Master, since you have already said so, then I will not disturb you over these next few days. If there is anything that you require my services for, I will be in the house I am staying at currently. I ask for you not to hold back, and to please tell me whatever you require.” 

  After I nodded my head, she slowly retreated, blending back into the darkness. Not a single trace of her could be seen. 

  Melody walked up to me and asked cautiously, “Do you know how old she is? Looking at her, she’s probably around the same age as me. She’s at least three hundred years old, but she’s from the sixth generation!” 

  I gave a wry smile as I said, “I am not sure…” 

  “Why are you unsure of everything?” Melody unhappily said, “Isn’t that your clan?” 

  “They are not.” I indifferently refuted, “My clan is the old and influential family of butlers, not the vampire clan. My honorable father was the one who raised me into a man—raised me.” Although this line should have been “raised into a man,” I suddenly remembered that I could not be counted as a “human,” so I could only correct myself on the spot. 

  Melody seemed to be very interested as she said, “But your surname is Endelis. That’s the surname of the vampire clan.” 

  “That was something that my honorable father had promised my mother. Although she…” I stopped for a moment, gave a smile, and continued, “She left afterwards, but my honorable father has always been a man of his word, so I have my mother’s surname.” 

  Melody stared at me with curiosity, looking me up and down. However, I merely gave her a gentle smile in response. After she gave a snort, she said, “Forget it, forget it. If you don’t want to say it, then don’t. It’s not like it’s uncommon, anyway! 

  “Help me report to the young master! I’m not going back, and I’m also not going to take the young master’s calls, in case he gets in the way and stubbornly asks me to release this woman. Also, if you need anything, call me. I will take your call, but as to what can and cannot be said, I trust that you know!” 

  After Melody finished speaking, she bent down and picked up Yina. 

  I could not help but give a forced smile. Now, I hoped that the young master would not find out that though Melody would not take his calls, she would take my calls. Otherwise, he would probably use an expectant expression that was hard to refuse to ask me to call Melody and have her release Yina. 

  At this moment, Melody jumped off the building while carrying Yina. Though it made me suddenly recall that I ought to have warned her that there were many policemen below… she had already jumped off, so I could only drop the subject. Thinking about it, Melody probably was not scared of the police. She had always excelled in blending into crowds and might even strut past the police confidently, giving them a charming smile in passing. 

  I also ought to leave soon, for I should go back a little faster to check on the situation between the young master and Aren. Just as I took a step to jump to the next building— 

  “Stop, but don’t look back.” 

  I stopped in my tracks and suddenly felt a bone-chilling sensation. There had actually been two people listening to my conversation with Melody, but we had been completely unaware of it. If they had wanted to kill either of us, we would probably have become ashes. 

  There were really too many profound characters in Sunset City. Certainly, the person behind me was probably not below Gong Feng Xiang’s strength as a sixth generation vampire. I just wondered whether Gong Feng Xiang had realized he was there. 

  I followed as he said, neither moving from the spot nor turning back. I politely asked, “May I inquire as to who you are? Is there a reason you have sought me out?” 

  “You are standing in my home,” that voice said icily. 

  “I am dreadfully sorry for the disrespect. I came to find Melody, and if I have offended you, I apologize greatly for it.” I tried using Melody’s name. After all, she had said that she knew this non-human… I just hoped that they were not merely passing acquaintances. 

  “I know. That little lass is sure troublesome… Also, you can call me Stone.” The voice sounded rather helpless. 

  “Yes, Mr. Stone.” 

  Hearing the suppressed sigh in his voice, I felt slightly more relaxed. The tone in which this non-human mentioned Melody was like how Bramble talked about Briar. It was a tone of how a senior would treat a little daughter, helpless but pampering her with love. It seemed that the two of them were as expected, closely acquainted. 

  All of a sudden, Mr. Stone grew fierce as he said, “But this time, even if that little lass Melody were to speak up, it will be of no use! Although Cornell made quite a bit of trouble this time, it was all for the sake of not dying under E.X.’s hands. While aiming for his survival, he has already tried his best to listen to my words and not let the werewolves under him attack humans directly… But Dark Sun still killed him!” 

  “Mr. Stone, I fear that you are mistaken!” I quickly explained, “Cornell was not killed by Dark Sun! The only ones that Dark Sun killed were those five werewolves who were attacking humans and destroying public property at will, on that day in the streets!” 

  Mr. Stone growled, a little indignant, “If it was not him, then who—“ 

  “E.X.,” I answered straightforwardly. In any case, it was not like the number of E.X.’s enemies was just this one. I explained in detail, “He and Cornell seemed to have a deep grudge against each other. Even if Dark Sun were to try and kill him, E.X. would probably not have let him done so. That day, after the incident with the sniper concluded, E.X. immediately went to look for Cornell.” 

  The voice behind me fell silent for a very long period of time. Mr. Stone then gave a sigh and said, “Sigh! So he still died under E.X.’s hands? Forget it, I guess it counts as ending a grudge.” 

  Thankfully, he was willing to believe me. This made me heave a sigh of relief. However, there were more important matters at hand. I tried to request, “Mr. Stone, since you have an agreement with Melody, may I ask if it is possible for you to warn those restless non-humans? You should be very aware that if this continues, there might be a large war between humans and non-humans.” 

  “This time, I am unable to intervene,” Mr. Stone rejected immediately. 

  I gave a small cry of shock, “But…” 

  “The non-humans have been restless for a very long time already! Ever since Dark Sun and E.X. had a great battle… Humans have simply modified themselves to be too powerful, and the non-humans have already lost their absolute advantage in fighting strength. Thus, they have started to feel uneasy. The strong humans as well as the arrival of the Church… If we were to restrain non-humans any more, I’m afraid the non-humans really would be suppressed by humans.” 

  Mr. Stone cut himself off, and then continued, “You too are a non-human, so you should understand… Ah! That’s right. Charles Endelis, you are a vampire raised by humans…Wait! You were originally the offspring of a human and a non-human, and are already considered as half non-human.” 

  I remained silent. 

  Mr. Stone gave a small chuckle as he commented, “You and Dark Sun… Haha! Is this considered ‘birds of a feather flock together?’ You two are at the same time, human but non-human.” 

  “The young master is human.” I emphasized that fact. 

  He chuckled for a moment, and then said indifferently, “Does he seem like one?” 

  I fell silent for a moment, and then repeated, “The young master is human.” 

  “Your young master is human… Then what about you?” 

  “Me?” I asked in puzzlement. 

  “A large-scale war between humans and non-humans is about to unfold in Sunset City. Charles Endelis, child of humans and non-humans, which side will you choose to stand on?”


  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 7: The Non-Human Dark Sun and the Human Ah Ye

  Translator: Raylight 

  April 20, 2110, Cloudy 

  “Accompany me to go look at houses, okay?” 

  That was what the little young master requested. 

  I was very surprised. Why did he want to go look at houses? However, I do not have the authority to ask him questions. Therefore, wherever the young master wishes to go, all I should do is follow. 

  I didn’t think that the moment we returned home, the Sun Emperor would be sitting in the middle of the living room. His facial expression was so terrible that it was incapable of looking worse. Most likely, he had already received the news. 

  “Why did you want to go look at houses?” He asked the question that I was wondering. 

  “Do you want to leave home… to leave me?” He also asked a question that had not even crossed my mind. 

  Finally, our days returned to their initial ordinary lifestyle… Perhaps it could not be counted as ordinary, but it still followed a regular pattern. 

  I returned to the young master’s home and continued to serve him. 

  However, it was beyond my expectations that after hearing what Melody wanted me to relay to him, the young master would still nod his head in agreement, despite looking worried. He told me, “As long as Melody has a plan, it’s fine.” That was because he really did not know how to handle the three-man team as well as the Church supporting them. It was simply too wonderful that Melody could help him deal with them. 

  “The young master actually trusts you a lot.” 

  When I called Melody, I told her that, but she fiercely snapped at me, “Mind your own business.” According to what the young master has said, that “When Melody is embarrassed, she would instead purposely pretend to be angry,” Melody should actually be feeling very happy and a little embarrassed? 

  In the other room, Aren was still unconscious most of the time. Occasionally, he would come to his senses, but he would merely remain silent and allow Mr. An Te Qi to freely extract his blood or inject unknown medications into his body. 

  As the butler who was currently responsible for serving Mr. An Te Qi, Curtis would always run over to look for the young master in a hurry—saying that Mr. An Te Qi was attempting to inject a multi-colored fluid into Mr. Aren, and it made him feel extremely uneasy… This proved that Curtis was as expected, a professional butler who was extremely perceptive, skilled at observations. His hunches always turned out to be accurate, for the fluids in Mr. An Te Qi’s hands were dangerous items nine out of ten times. 

  It was also due to his serious and conscientious work that Aren had not met with a violent death or increased in size whenever he lost control. 

  I reckoned that I would be able to write him a recommendation letter once it became slightly less busy, so he could return to and carry on the line of the old and influential family of butlers. 

  Ever since that night, Gong Feng Xiang never dropped by the place. She kept to her word, silently waiting for me to finish dealing with matters. 

  At home, the peace continued. Outside, there also seemed to be a temporary sort of peace. 

  The explosive atmosphere on the streets had become much milder. The humans seemed to have noticed that something was amiss as well. The number of missing people had increased, and it became common for humans to disappear without a single trace. In the alleys, at the ends of the streets, and even on rooftops, more black shadows were appearing. In every place and every corner, there seemed to be a pair of eyes watching. 

  Humans, on the other hand, had become a little more cautious. As for the dark alleys that they had always loved, they now treated them as though they had seen a monster in them, and dared not approach them lightly. 

  Policemen were patrolling the streets day and night, and the firepower they brought with them was also growing stronger and stronger. 

  Usually, if any youngsters were to see a policeman, they would at the very least show disdain on their faces, sometimes even spitting at them. However, in the recent days, when they saw a policeman, the expressions they showed were relieved ones. If there was a place with no policemen on patrol, even the youngsters did not dare to linger there! 

  Many things were actually still left unresolved, just like the opposition between humans and non-humans. However, we had entered a stalemate. Currently, all we could do was maintain the outward peace. For the time being, there was no method that we could employ to resolve the issue. 

  It was under these kinds of days that the young master started his summer vacation. 

  Originally, he had happily told me that he wanted to go traveling and bring everyone along, and then drop by to see his brother on the way, and bring his brother along too. Following that… Regardless of what the rest of his plans were, they were interrupted by a phone call. 

  Ji Luo Chu had called, and he had asked the young master to pack his luggage and temporarily live in the studio… That was because there were so many requests that specifically wanted the young master to be the model, to the point where even if he were to continuously press the shutter, he would not be able to finish taking all the photos. He had spent an extreme amount of effort to postpone those jobs to take place after the young master’s finals. 

  “So many that even if you were to press the shutter continuously, you can’t finish them all?” The young master was extremely flustered as he said, “T-Then, what should we do? Don’t tell me that we really have to continuously shoot for two months with no rest at all? But I’m worried that I will run out of battery. At the very least, you have to give me time to charge!” 

  Over the phone, the other person fell silent for a long time, before I heard him force out the words, “Ah Ye, when you said charge, do you mean resting?” 

  Ah Ye tilted his head to one side and replied, “I was referring to eating and sleeping.” 

  “Oh!” Ji Luo Chu gave a huge sigh of relief, and he muttered softly, “You should have said so. I nearly thought that you really do need to plug yourself in to charge…” 

  “That also works,” was the young master’s immediate reply. 

  Over the phone, there was a very long period of silence. Then, Ji Luo Chu finally spoke with a conflicted voice, “Charles, help him pack his luggage. If charging is the only issue… I believe, we really can shoot for a very long time.” 

  I merely helped the young master pack a set of clothing to change into and some necessities, and followed him to the studio. Even if the young master were to stay at the studio for a long time, I could always travel between home and the studio, so there was no need to pack large amounts of luggage. 

  Once we reached the studio, Ji Luo Chu came welcoming us, looking like he was itching to begin. He led us in to the area where we were to shoot, and after we sat down at the round table meant for resting, he picked up an entire stack of files and half-tossed them onto the table. 

  He helplessly took them one by one and explained to the young master, “This is the ‘Crying Angel,’ this is the ‘Smiling Angel,’ and then there’s the ‘Last Angel…’” 

  “Are they all angel-related?” The young master stared at the entire stack of cases curiously. 

  Ji Luo Chu said with a little grudgingly, “That’s right. It’s because you left a deep and lasting impression on everyone last time, when you were captured by a werewolf while wearing the clothes from ‘Tears of an Angel.’ Coupled with the advertisement that came out later, it was simply too memorable. So, every advertisement specifically wants your angel image.” 

  “You didn’t tell them the complete story, Ah Chu.” Ah Da pushed open the door and walked out from the room beside us. As he bit down on a chicken cutlet, he commented, “The days now are simply too dark and strange. Everyone needs a bit of hope in their lives!” 

  Once he heard that, Ji Luo Chu hesitated for a moment, but still asked, “Ah Ye, have you noticed the unease on the streets?” 

  The young master nodded his head and said, “Charles told me that the Church’s arrival to the city has started to make the non-humans uneasy.” 

  When I had told the young master that, I had skipped the other reasons. My reasoning was that the young master only needed to know about the non-humans’ unease. The fact that his fight with X was also one of the factors causing their uneasiness was something that did not need to be brought up. 

  “That explains the matter.” Ji Luo Chu instead looked relieved, and he said casually, “I thought that there was someone scheming some kind of great master plan or the like. So it was merely trouble brought about by the Church. That’s simple. Once they leave, the non-humans will calm down again!” 

  The young master nodded his head. 

  Are things really that simple? I felt a little uneasy. Even if Melody successfully forces Anceo and the others to leave by using a hostage, would the non-humans leave it at that? 

  Other than the Church, Mr. Stone also said that humans have modified themselves to be too powerful, so non-humans have lost their superiority in strength… Perhaps, this is the real reason? 

  “I feel like the cases that we can take are these three. ‘The Last Angel,’ which is a weapons commercial; ‘Teardrops,’ a commercial for diamonds; and ‘Budding Flower,’ which is a commercial for lipstick.” 

  As Ji Luo Chu and the young master started discussing the cases, I turned my attention back to them. As a butler, I could not let my thoughts wander and should always be attentive to the young master’s needs. 

  “These three cases are the best among them. The rest are…” At this point, Ji Luo Chu’s expression seemed a little resigned as he said, “For the rest, the commercial organizers insist on doing it their way.” 

  “Then, don’t take those cases that you don’t like!” The young master said, as though it was a matter of fact. 

  Ji Luo Chu froze, and tried asking, “But the rewards are tempting?” 

  At the side, Ah Da swallowed the rest of the chicken cutlet and cut in, saying, “It’s seriously freakin’ tempting. I haven’t seen so much money before in my entire life! Even if the case looks like scrap paper, with the payment behind it, it also starts to look like a proper case!” 

  The young master tilted his head, appearing somewhat uncertain. 

  I observed Ji Luo Chu’s and Ah Da’s expressions in detail. Their expressions were hesitant, but upon looking at the huge stack of scrap cases, they had obvious frowns on their faces. Ah Da even had an expression of disgust. 

  I lowered my head to whisper a few words to the young master. The young master then smiled, and said pompously, “I don’t want to take photos that are like scrap paper! No means no!” 

  Hearing that, Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da were stunned, and they seemed as though they were about to open their mouth to persuade him to change his mind. However, the young master looked at the two with a determined gaze. 

  “So much money… What a pity! But if the model refuses, then there’s no choice. We can’t possibly force him to do so!” 

  The two of them still nodded their heads in the end. Although Ah Da continued to mutter non-stop, a relieved expression was on his face. Ji Luo Chu’s actions were even more obvious. He smiled at me and nodded his head to express his gratitude. 

  I responded with a smile. Truthfully, I believed that in the end, they still would not choose to take on those unsatisfactory cases. I had merely helped to speed up their decision. 

  “Okay!” Ji Luo Chu shouted loudly with renewed vigor, “Then let’s start shooting! Ah Ye, which one do you want to begin with?” 

  “Lipstick!” The young master shouted ecstatically. 

  “… You like lipstick?” Ji Luo Chu’s expression was extremely strange. Although he was smiling, his brows were furrowed. He looked as though he was both laughing and crying, and it looked extremely funny. 

  I explained with a smile, “The young master likes new and curious things, while both weapons and diamonds are not anything new to him.” 

  “That explains it.” Ji Luo Chu gave a sigh of relief, and he went on to explain, “For the lipstick commercial, we have to wait until the appointed make-up artist comes over. He has to help you with your make-up before we can begin shooting. So, let’s take the other two first! We’ll start with… ‘The Last Angel,’ okay?” 

  The young master nodded his head. 

  “The clothes have already been placed in the changing room. It’s the one hanging at the leftmost side. Go and change into it first.” 

  “Okay.” 

  After the young master walked into the changing room, Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da started to converse with me. 

  “How did Ah Ye do on his finals?” 

  I replied with a smile, “There has never been any need to worry about the young master’s academics.” 

  Basically, the only thing I was worried about was that the young master would score full marks on his exams and make the professors and classmates all widen their eyes in shock. However, later on, I heard from the young master that he had always scored full marks on every test. If he did not score full marks, then the professors and classmates would widen their eyes in shock. 

  At this moment, the young master rushed out of the changing room in a hurry, even shouting, “Luo Chu-gē, it’s terrible! The clothes are damaged!” 

  “The clothes are damaged?” Ji Luo Chu turned back, shocked. 

  I too, turned to look at the young master. The clothes that he had on this time were rather similar to the clothes he had worn for his last photo shoot, ‘Tears of an Angel…’ It was just that those clothes were not tattered with burn marks all over. 

  “That’s not it.” Ji Luo Chu smiled as he said, “This was done on purpose. It’s mainly to try and replicate the look of a survivor of a disaster. In this commercial, you are the last angel remaining after experiencing a great war.” 

  “This is not bad enough. We still have to add on a little blood later.” Ah Da winked as he said, “It’s not fake blood, but fresh blood that I just extracted! Ah Ye, are you scared?” 

  The young master merely smiled and did not respond. Ji Luo Chu commented snappily, “How could Ah Ye possibly be scared! Who do you think he is?” 

  “Ah…” Ah Da gave a shout of realization. “That’s right! You’re Dark Sun.” 

  The young master and I both froze, and then looked at Ji Luo Chu. He quickly explained, “Although I promised not to tell anyone, Ah Da is the one helping me watch the surveillance cameras. I couldn’t possibly hide it from him, so, uh…” 

  “I understand,” I responded quickly. 

  “So it was Ah Da who was helping First Wind oversee the surveillance cameras!” The young master yelled in sudden realization. 

  Ji Luo Chu observed the young master’s and my expression. After making sure that the young master was not the least bit displeased, he then relaxed. He even joked, “That’s right, he would always complain to me that I caused him to become near-sighted by several hundred degrees and would have to go for an operation for near-sightedness.” 

  “It’s all your fault in the first place! Is a surveillance screen with several hundred frames something that a human should be watching?” Ah Da said unhappily. 

  Ji Luo Chu too replied, upset, “It’s not like I haven’t watched it before. Don’t I usually look over them with you? Moreover, most of the time, I’m the one looking at them. You’re actually looking at pornographic films…” 

  Ah Da coughed loudly, and then lowered his voice to say, “Ah Ye is still here! Don’t lead him astray.” 

  “Right, right.” Ji Luo Chu pretended to be impatient as he said, “Go and take your blood bag out! If you don’t take it out quickly, I think your blood is probably going to turn stinky very soon. If Ah Ye were to be sprinkled with stinky blood, that would be too pitiful.” 

  “Shoo! You’re the one who is stinky all over!” 

  Ah Da brought over a blood bag while muttering, and after they cut it open, the two of them started to sprinkle blood on the young master. As for the young master, he was of course not afraid at all, and he even used his finger to dap at the blood in curiosity. 

  I said jokingly, “It is fresh blood indeed. It was probably extracted half an hour ago, right?” 

  Hearing that, the young master laughed. Hands covered in blood, he raised both of them high, asking, “Want to drink some?” 

  Once the young master suggested so, I saw Ah Da’s expression become nervous, as though he was worried that I would rush up to him and take a bite. Seeing him behave in such a way, I felt a little playful and said purposefully, “As you know, Young Master, vampires only drink the blood of young virgins. If it was a burly fellow like Mr. Ah Da, I am afraid it would not be to my taste.” 

  Ah Da looked relieved, but the young master laughed even harder. He had already heard from me a long time ago that I was unable to differentiate the original owner of the blood just by the blood itself, be it a young virgin or a burly fellow. Also, if there were vampires who only drank from young virgins, then that would be only because young virgin females usually preferred to take more baths, and so their necks would be a little cleaner. It did not have any relation to the blood itself. 

  To a vampire, the only difference in blood is how fresh it is. Warm blood that was just taken from the body is the tastiest meal for us. 

  “What a pity that the camera can’t capture Charles. For this theme, ‘The Last Angel,’ it’s really fitting for both you and Ah Ye to be in the frame at the same time.” Ji Luo Chu said as though he thought it was a great loss, “I can obviously see you through the lens of the cameras and the video cameras, but there’s nothing on the photos or film at all. This is such a strange phenomenon.” 

  Indeed, it is. Ever since cameras had appeared in this world, this phenomenon had become the ever-lasting mystery that all vampires wished to uncover. 

  “Even though it is a pity, it can’t be helped. Ah Ye! Come over and let’s start shooting!” 

  The young master shouted his affirmation, but Ah Da quickly stopped him, saying “Wait up!” As he did so, he sprinkled a few drops of blood on the young master’s forehead. It looked just as though he had banged his head into something and bled from it. 

  Following that, he quickly rushed off again. When he returned, he shoved something into the young master’s hands. 

  The young master opened his hand in curiosity to look at the object. It was a pocket-sized silver handgun, and there were even some ornamental carvings on it. It looked almost like a piece of art, not at all like a weapon for killing. 

  “Pretty, isn’t it?” Ji Luo Chu smiled as he explained, “The target audience for this gun is females, and it’s made specifically for them to use for protection. It’s small enough to be placed in purses, and there isn’t strong recoil. There’s even an auto-aim function.” 

  The young master turned the handgun around, and as he looked, he said, “The firepower is too poor.” Then, he took out the magazine with trained movements, and with one glance at it, said, “There are also too few bullets. This gun is not very good.” 

  Ji Luo Chu’s and Ah Da’s faces had become completely stiff, as though… they had seen a pure little angel take out not a cute cupid’s bow, but a bazooka that could bomb an entire building. 

  “No matter how many times I see it, I still can’t get used to it!” Ah Da yelled loudly. “Ah Ye, you look like an angel. How could you possibly be…” His voice suddenly faded off, and he mouthed the words, “Dark Sun.” 

  The young master laughed. 

  “Alright, time to begin shooting.” Ji Luo Chu told Ah Da unhappily, “Unless you want to let those advertisers continue to bother us.” 

  Ah Da immediately made a big X with both arms in front of his chest. 

  Ji Luo Chu walked behind the camera and instructed, “Ah Ye, go and sit in the chair in front of the white screen. Then, imagine that you are currently sitting on the railings of a rooftop, while all that surrounds you is ruins…” 

  The young master tilted his head to one side and asked in puzzlement, “Then, why don’t we go to a real rooftop to shoot? Wouldn’t it be fine to just go upstairs?” 

  Ji Luo Chu froze. He turned to exchange glances with Ah Da, and the two of them had a sudden look of realization on their faces at the same time. Ji Luo Chu spread both his hands and told the young master, “Ah Ye, you’ve really hit the nail on the head.” 

  We changed our location, carrying the large photography equipment up to the rooftop. It seemed as though few people went up to the rooftop, for even the metal door was so rusted that it nearly would not open. Ji Luo Chu even had to use his modified left arm in order to open the door. 

  Once we walked out, I immediately looked around the area for any markings. Upon discovering that no non-humans had made their home here, I heaved a sigh of relief. Nowadays, if a non-human were to find a human trespassing onto their own territory, they probably would not choose to hide. 

  Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da took a look around. Ji Luo Chu’s expression was disgusted as he said, “It looks like the people cleaning the building cut some corners. To actually have so much junk piled up here… There’s even a broken sofa! Moreover, the entire sofa is dusty, yet they haven’t asked for cleaners to carry it away. Ah Ye, would you mind… Eh?” 

  As Ji Luo Chu talked, he turned to look at Ah Ye, but he suddenly froze. 

  The young master lay down and rolled around the floor that was completely covered in dust. Faced with our looks of astonishment, he then climbed back to his feet. However, he was already totally covered in dust and even had a patch of black sticking onto his face. It nearly made me want to take out my handkerchief and go forward to wipe off that stain. However, I did not do so, for I believed that the young master would not roll around on the floor for no good reason. 

  The young master smiled as he said, “This way, I should look even more like a survivor from a disaster, right?” 

  The two of them at first nodded their heads blankly. Ah Da looked about the surroundings, and his eyes shone brighter as he muttered, “Survivor from a disaster, survivor from a disaster… This place fits nicely! Ah Chu, come over here and help me move the furniture over! We can use all of it! It’ll look even better than computer generated graphics!” 

  Ji Luo Chu froze, and then also turned to look at that pile of broken and old furniture. His expression also became as excited as Ah Da’s, and he turned around and patted the young master’s shoulder hard. He said, “Ah Ye, you really are suited to be a model!” 

  The young master tilted his head to one side, his face perplexed. 

  Ji Luo Chu moved things about by himself busily. He mostly used his left arm to carry things, and the right arm was used only for support. I quickly said “Please allow me to assist you” and stepped forward to help him move the sofa. 

  “I’ll help too!” The young master shouted. 

  “You don’t have to!” Ah Da stopped the young master and snickered, “If you were to become any dirtier, you would become a ball of dust.” 

  We were busy for quite a while, moving the junk around to make it even messier. After doing so, the rooftop looked even more like ruins. Once the set-up was about ready, Ji Luo Chu sized up the railings at the side of the building, and hesitatingly said, “Say, if we were to slightly damage the railing, would it be too much? It seems like we would be committing a crime of endangering the public, or vandalism and the like…” 

  I walked over and kicked the railing askew with one foot. Then, I turned to tell him, “I am not human. You cannot possibly hope for a vampire to obey human laws, right?” 

  Ji Luo Chu let out a huge laugh, and said with feigned respect, “Then, I would have to trouble you to kick it a few more times, Mr. Butler.” 

  “As you wish.” I replied respectfully as well, and then turned around to start destroying the metal railings. 

  Once we destroyed the surroundings enough to make it look like the backdrop of the end of the world, Ji Luo Chu set up his shooting equipment hurriedly. After that, he said, “Okay, let’s start shooting! Ah Ye, go take a walk around first and cultivate your mood. I’ll shoot it as a test-run in passing.” 

  The young master followed the instructions and started moving. He walked to the edge of the building. In that section of the railing, there was a large hole that I had created with my kicks. He bent to look down from that hole. 

  “Ah Ye!” Ji Luo Chu raised his head from behind the cameras as he gave a shocked shout. He anxiously said, “T-That’s a little dangerous! Don’t stand too close to the edge…” 

  The young master laughed and turned to yell, “Luo Chu-gē, did you forget who I am, just like how Ah Da did?” 

  Ji Luo Chu froze, and then he made a few “oh, oh” sounds of realization. 

  I abruptly remembered an important matter and quickly said, “Young Master, there may be surveillance on the roof—” 

  The young master interrupted with a hearty laugh, “I have already turned them off long ago!” 

  After saying so, he actually jumped onto the crooked metal railings. This made the railings shake violently and even make squeaking sounds. The entire image looked very terrifying. 

  However, the young master turned around, a radiant smile on his face. 

  Tonight, there was plenty of moonlight. It shone onto the young master, making him look as though his entire body was glowing, especially his silver hair. Though the wind tonight was not strong, we were still on the rooftop. The wind was enough to blow the young master’s hair about messily. His silver strands danced in the air, as though his hair was a life form of its own and was currently flying in the wind. 

  The young master smiled and spread both his arms wide open. His feet looked as though they would leave the metal railings at any time, and then he would spread open pure white wings and start to fly. 

  An angel. 

  Other than an angel, I really could not find any other words to describe him. 

  However, the next action of the angel was to take out the silver, decorated gun, and aim it toward the camera. Behind the weapon that was used for killing, there was instead such an innocent and pure smile, like that of an angel’s. This image simply made one suspect whether they were seeing things, unable to believe at all that this angel would really open fire… 

  Bang! 

  Because of the recoil from the gun, the angel became unsteady on his feet, and he tumbled backwards. His arms were wide open, his body in the shape of a cross as he fell directly backwards… 

  The three of us were frozen in place, and were even too stunned to go forward to check on the young master’s situation. 

  After what felt like a lifetime but was in actual fact probably only a few seconds, the young master crawled back up, giggling. He asked with curiosity, “Did I scare you all?” 

  Ah Da slowly turned his head to look at Ji Luo Chu and asked, “Just now, was the camera rolling?” 

  Ji Luo Chu answered blankly, “If it wasn’t, I’ll be the first one to kill myself.” 

  Ah Da nodded his head, and then he slowly shook his head, saying, “I bet that there definitely isn’t anyone who would believe that this wasn’t edited with special effects on the computer. Definitely no one! I’m willing to wager my life on this!” 

  Ji Luo Chu only truly regained hold of himself at this point, and he exaggerated loudly, “Please, your life isn’t worth anything. What do you want me to wager? A hundred bucks?” 

  “Go away, you…” 

  At this point, the cell phone at the front of my chest rang. I picked up the call and said, “This is Charles.” 

  Over the phone, I heard Mr. An Te Qi’s voice. He sounded deeply worried as he said, “Charles! Is Ah Ye with you? Tell him that Aren ran out again.” 

  “Has he lost control of himself again?” I asked anxiously. “Might you be injured?” 

  “No, no!” Mr. An Te Qi quickly denied it. “His mind is very clear, and he hasn’t transformed. The current medication he is on works very well, so as long as he takes the medicine at the given times, his transformations can be controlled. He wanted to go out and take a walk by himself. It’s just that he seemed a little depressed, so I wanted to tell you all.” 

  “Very well, I will relay your words to the young master.” 

  “Oh, oh! That’s right. Bramble and the others said that they would monitor where Aren went. If the young master wants to know where, he can call them.” 

  Once I relayed these words to the young master, he hesitated for a small moment. Upon lifting his head though, he saw Ji Luo Chu currently waving to him, as though he could not wait to continue shooting. He merely told me, “Charles, can you help me by going over and taking a look? Check up on what Aren is doing right now, and if you can find out why he is feeling unhappy, that would be even better.” 

  “Very well.” 

  I followed Mr. Bramble’s instructions and jumped onto the rooftop of a building. As expected, I saw a figure sitting at the edge of the building. Recently, it seems that non-humans are not the only ones who like to linger on rooftops—even humans like to gaze down from the rooftops. 

  I walked closer, letting my footsteps ring out on purpose so as to alert him to my arrival. 

  His back stiffened, and he instantly turned around, wary for battle just like an enraged wolf. However, upon seeing me, he froze and then relaxed. He nodded his head, saying, “So it’s you, Charles-gē.” 

  “It is me.” I nodded my head and walked to his side. I joined him, sitting at the edge of the building as I commented, “Tonight’s night sky is very beautiful.” 

  Aren froze, and then settled back into his original pose of sitting on the edge with both legs dangling. He raised his head to look at the moon, saying, “Thankfully, it’s not a full moon. Otherwise, I would not be able to sit here.” 

  “Why not?” I smiled as I said, “It is not like I have not seen you transform into Dragon Peace. At that time, you were sober and were able to save others calmly. So why can you not look at the moon?” 

  Aren fell silent for a while, before he then said, “When it’s a full moon, it’s very easy for me to lose control of myself, just like last time in the sewers… I nearly killed you all!” 

  “It was not close enough. If you want to kill me, I am afraid that you will have to try much harder! Vampires are not a race that is easy to kill,” I said jokingly. 

  “Thankfully you were there.” Aren said agitatedly, “I-If you weren’t there at that time, I-I might have already killed Leanna and Abner!” 

  “Perhaps not.” I strongly emphasized, “I am a vampire, and you have the blood of a werewolf. Werewolves have always been good at detecting danger, and have very strong feral instincts. As for the reason why you would become that frenzied, there is a very high possibility that it was because I was there. You felt the threat that I posed, and therefore lost control like that.” 

  Aren froze. 

  “You did not know this, did you?” I said with a gentle smile, “You should have told me your worries earlier, so that I could tell you this, and I can also tell you about a few common traits of werewolves. This way, you would not have to feel troubled on your own.” 

  Aren pondered for a while, but he still shook his head as he said, “I still can’t go back to Leanna and Abner. It’s too dangerous.” 

  “Then, how about you live in the young master’s place for the time being? Over there, it would not be easy to hurt people.” With a smile, I said, “The truth is, there are not that many ‘humans’ there in the first place.” 

  Hearing that, Aren was speechless for a while. He then asked in confusion, “Who exactly is An Xiang Ye? I know that he is Dark Sun.” When he said the two words Dark Sun, his voice was particularly soft. He then continued, “But it couldn’t possibly be only that, right? He is simply, simply… too strange.” 

  Even after faltering over his words for a long time, he could only come out with the word “strange.” 

  “The young master, he… His family holds quite a bit of power, but the young master himself is not someone who spends lavishly.” I described in a mild and roundabout way, only hoping that Aren would not foment feelings of estrangement because of such. 

  “If that’s the case, why did he choose to be a hero?” 

  I froze. What does this have to do with heroes? 

  Aren suddenly grew agitated, and he waved both his hands, saying, “He’s not like me! He’s rich, smart, a-and he’s good-looking… Even though what he was wearing before was really strange, and the girls in class would always laugh at his clothing, they all couldn’t help but keep sneaking peeks at him! However, he changed his clothing afterwards… You probably don’t know, the first time An Xiang Ye walked into the classroom wearing clothes from X-Killer, the entire class blanked out. Even the teacher was so stunned, the lesson was all but forgotten, and everyone just looked at him for an entire half of a class!” 

  If what the young master had worn was the set of clothes that showed his entire lower abdomen, I believe that the class would possibly have been stunned for an entire lesson. Thankfully, I had advised the young master to never wear those clothes ever again. 

  “Why would someone like him want to be a hero?” Aren furiously said, “Without even being a hero, everyone would already look at him! They would stare so hard that they can’t tear their gazes away!” 

  So that is how it is. I looked at Aren. He did not look bad, but he could not be considered handsome. His hair was tawny, and his hairstyle was about the same as what most youngsters had nowadays. As for his figure, he was a little skinny. Overall, he looked like an ordinary boy who was a little inconspicuous. 

  “Everybody has their own reason as to why they want to be a hero. It is not the young master’s intention for others to notice him.” 

  I suddenly felt very curious. If Aren’s reason for being a hero is to let others notice him, then for Ji Luo Chu, what was the reason he wanted to be a hero? He doesn’t seem like the type who wants attention. Perhaps I can try asking him another day. 

  “Then, what is he doing it for?” Aren growled, “He has everything. He has money, brains, and looks. He basically doesn’t need anything else!” 

  “That is where the problem resides.” I sighed in sorrow, as I said, “He does not need to earn money, nor does he need to study too seriously. He also does not need to spend too much effort on his appearance, and he does not require anything. Therefore, he too does not know what he should do, in order for it to be considered meaningful.” 

  Hearing that, Aren stilled. I believed that he simply did not really understand this point. 

  “The young master is not a rich kid who can indulge himself in fun every day. This is something you agree with, right?” After seeing Aren nod his head, I then continued, “Therefore, what can he do? Anything looks easily obtainable… What else can he pursue?” 

  “He won’t become depraved, and he even chooses to be a hero?” Aren’s expression was cold as he said, “Not only is he just rich, good-looking, and strong, at the same time, he is also very gentle and chose to be a hero, a strenuous and unrewarding task. Now, not only has he saved me, he is also trying his best to help me out of my situation, without complaining at all about how much trouble I’ve brought him… He is practically a perfect human!” 

  He mocked himself, “It’s hard to believe that someone like this actually exists in this world. I feel that Sunset City doesn’t need a hero like me who will lose control of himself. As long as he is here, as long as the perfect Dark Sun is here, it would be enough.” 

  “That is not true. This city needs four heroes, and it would not do with even one of them missing!” I had once heard the young master say that if there were not four heroes, there was absolutely no way for them to take care of the entire city. 

  Instead, Aren buried his head between his knees, without saying a single word. I did not know whether he believed my words, but I knew that it was not my turn to speak. I could only hope that he would continue to speak to me. As long as he vented his emotions through words, I believed that he would feel much better. 

  After a long time, Aren still did not raise his head back up. However, he spoke, “I-I hate him! I know that it’s not right, but the nicer he treats me, the more unbearable it is… Why is there such a perfect person in this world? Such a perfect hero?” 

  “Aren, please do not think that way. The young master… Who is there?” 

  I jumped up and turned back at the same time. With one glance, I could recognize the silver hair that was currently shining under the moonlight. 

  The young master was standing behind us, at a distance not too far away. 

  In that instant, I seemed to have seen a sorrowful expression on his face. However, in the next second, after he discovered that I had turned around, he immediately became flustered. He nervously explained, “I-I still felt a little uneasy. This place isn’t far, so I thought of coming over to take a look… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on purpose. I-I’ll leave now.” 

  Once he finished his words, he truly turned to leave instantly. I tried to catch up to him hurriedly, and I called out, “Young Master! Please wait a moment.” 

  The young master turned back to glance at me. This made me freeze in my tracks. It felt like he wished for me to stay here and not follow him. 

  I stopped. Although I was hesitant, a butler’s duty is to obey his master and not question them. Therefore, I nodded my head to the young master and did not give chase any further. I merely sent him off with my gaze. 

  At this time, I heard footsteps and turned back to look. Aren walked to my side, and his face was pale as he looked in the direction that the young master had gone. He muttered non-stop, “I wasn’t… I just… Ah Ye…” 

  “Actually, you are very fond of the young master, right?” 

  Once I said that, Aren was completely stunned. A few seconds later, he had practically jumped as he said in a panic, “H-How can it be? Didn’t you hear me say, I hat—urgh… I dislike him!” 

  Seeing how he could not even say the word hate, I gave a smile as I said, “Although you have said before that you hate him, you have kept on praising the young master without any intentions of scolding him. Even if the young master were to be so perfect, you could at least scold him for being pretentious, for purposely acting the part of a model student, right? However, you understand him, and you know that he is not being pretentious.” 

  Aren looked at me, and I could tell from his gaze that there was something he wanted to say but was hesitant to do so. In this kind of situation, there was simply nothing better than to wait with a gentle smile. Therefore, I did so, waiting for him to speak. 

  “Leanna and Abner, they… No, we had a motive for getting close to Ah Ye. We knew that he was very rich.” Aren looked at me and said calmly, “We needed money, lots of money. The end result now is what we had aimed for and wanted the most, that An Xiang Ye would help me pay all the money needed for the medicine, taking care of our biggest problem.” 

  As he continued to speak, he became more and more agitated, losing the calm that he had at the beginning, “S-So, he shouldn’t have helped me at all. He’s only been deceived… How dumb! He didn’t know that we were deceiving him at all!” In the end, he was practically roaring. 

  “I understand now.” I looked at Aren, and he turned his head away, as though he did not wish to see my expression. It was as though he thought I would show him an expression of disdain or shame. 

  Instead, I said in understanding, “You are very upset, right? These past few days… the more the young master helped you, the more upset you grew, am I right?” 

  Aren abruptly snapped his head back and glared at me as he growled, “He doesn’t need to help me! After this, he won’t help me anymore either, which is great, so don’t butt into this!” 

  “I do not think so.” I smiled as I said, “Even if you do not know An Xiang Ye as a person, if you see Dark Sun lying on the roadside, bleeding profusely, do not tell me that you would not help him? If he tells you that he hates you, and to mind your own business, would you leave him at the roadside to await death, or would you knock him unconscious and take him away?” 

  Aren glared at me, and I patiently waited for his answer with a gentle smile. In the end, he admitted unwillingly, “Knock him unconscious and take him away.” 

  I smiled and then continued, “The same goes for the young master. He helped you because you are Dragon Peace, and you needed help. There is no other reason for it. Therefore, you do not have to think too much about it. Of course, it was not right of you all to get close to the young master while harboring ill intentions. However, as long as you apologize, you know he will forgive you.” 

  Aren angrily roared, “I don’t need—“ 

  “Yes, you do need help!” I forcefully interrupted his words and shouted, “If you do not like the fact that you owe him, then become his good friend! My young master does not lack anything, except a good friend who would treat him as an equal. 

  “I believe I have to go check on the young master now.” 

  I regained my composure and said, “Please believe me, that Young Master An Xiang Ye is not as perfect as you think he is. He is not very good with human relations, and it is very easy for him to receive setbacks in this area. What is worse is that he probably does not understand in the least bit why you hate him, and also does not understand that actually you do not truly hate him. He is unable to understand… very complex emotions.” 

  Especially complex emotions like Aren’s, which are mixed with jealousy and guilt, but actually full of fondness of the other. There is probably still a very long way to go for the young master to be able to understand such feelings. 

  “I also hope that you will return. If you do not, the young master will really be worried sick.” 

  After saying that, I began moving, sprinting for two steps before jumping to another building. Following that, I took out my cell phone and dialed a number. 

  “Mr. Bramble, may I ask where the young master has gone?”


  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 8: The Goal of Non-Humans and the Hope of Humans

  Translator: ErodingPersona 

  May 6, 2110, Sunny 

  The little young master passed the university’s entrance exams and voiced his intention to move to a place close by his university. 

  Of course, he intended to live alone. 

  This time, it was the Sun Emperor who was having a cold war with the little young master. He refused to talk to the little young master, and naturally refused to accept the request. 

  The little young master kept on trying to explain to the Sun Emperor. He looked very upset and very exhausted. 

  Poor child… 

  The young master returned to where Ji Luo Chu was. Based on the scenes from the surveillance equipment, the young master seemed to be crying. However, they were not entirely sure either. In the end, the young master returned to the rooftop of the studio. Since the surveillance cameras there had long since been shut down, not even Mr. Bramble and the others could monitor the young master’s condition. 

  “Please inform Melody.” 

  After telling them this, I could only speed up to hurry and take a look at the situation. In a short while, I closed in on the studio, and from afar could see the people on top of the roof. They looked like they were still filming. This relieved me; all was well as long as the young master was not hiding somewhere, crying alone. 

  I leaped to the roof of the studio, not making any effort to avoid any surveillance cameras. No trace of me would remain on camera. There was no need to avoid them unnecessarily. 

  They really were filming. Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da were standing behind the cameras, staring at me wordlessly. The young master’s back was to me, and he was kneeling on the floor. 

  “Please disregard my presence and continue filming.” I smiled and said, “I assure you that your videos will not have me in them.” 

  Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da were still dumbfounded… Maybe the young master has performed so admirably, to the point that they can only stare in wonder again? 

  I took a few steps, going past the young master, and then turned to look at him, wanting to see his performance that had left the pair dumbfounded again… He’s crying! 

  The young master raised his head and looked at me. He opened his mouth but said nothing. Tears kept on falling. Finally, he turned to look at the camera, both hands posed in a way that it looked like he was holding something. He looked down at his palms, but aside from his dripping tears, there was nothing there. It must be a pose necessitated by the advertisement. 

  “Why are you still filming?” 

  Seeing this, I felt a wave of fury and immediately slid to the front of the camera and blocked the lens. I yelled at the pair, “Can neither of you see that there is something wrong with the young master? Or are you doing this on purpose? Is filming so important?” 

  Ji Luo Chu looked at me and replied, flustered, “Ah Ye, he, he… I don’t know, he just came up to me, grabbed me, and said that he wanted to film ‘Teardrops.’ I couldn’t refuse him… He was crying as he said that! How was I supposed to turn him down?“ 

  Hearing this, I immediately realized that I had wrongfully blamed him. 

  I nodded to indicate my understanding and requested, “Please, stop the filming now!” 

  Ji Luo Chu heaved a sigh of relief. “Alright.” 

  “No!” The young master suddenly yelled, “I want to continue! You’re not allowed to stop. I want to do ‘Teardrops’…” 

  I flinched and swiveled my head to look at the young master. This allowed me to understand Ji Luo Chu’s dilemma… The young master stared at me with tears streaming down his face, determinedly shouting, “I’m doing this advertisement!” 

  You even need a reason… to cry? 

  ”As you wish.” I gently requested, “But please allow me to remain by your side? The camera will not capture my likeness.” 

  The young master nodded. I walked to his left side and stood behind him; however, there was nothing more I could do. 

  The following session was perhaps the hardest one to experience in the whole world. The young master made no sound as he cried, as we were filming and not doing a photo shoot. There was not even the sound of a shutter. Thus, the site descended into rigid silence. Ji Luo Chu was completely at a loss. He could only bury his head behind the camera and film without stopping. 

  He fared better than Ah Da, who stood stock-still by his side, as if afraid to even blink. 

  The maddeningly silent filming kept on going, until the clear ”click” of a pair of high heels shattered the unbearable quiet. 

  I looked toward the origin of the sound, nearly feeling like we had been saved. 

  A pair of brilliant red high heels stopped behind the young master’s right side. The young master did not look back, weeping as he said, “Melody, Melody, please don’t kill Yina-jiě and the rest of them, okay?” 

  Melody knelt down, her hand reaching out to lightly smooth the young master’s hair. She gently replied, “Got it, Young Master. I won’t kill them.” 

  “Then, can you come home? I miss you.” 

  “Alright.” Melody wrapped her arms around the young master and spoke to him like she was coaxing a child, “Whatever you want, my little young master.” 

  The young master gripped Melody’s hand, sobbing, “You and Charles stay at home by my side. Bramble-shū, Dell, May, and Briar too. I don’t want anyone else. I don’t need anyone else!” 

  “Okay, okay.” Melody hugged the young master tightly and mumbled, “Anything you want, as long as you’re happy, Young Master.” 

  That might not be for the best… I hesitated but did not speak. What the young master needed at the moment was not an explanation or counseling. He needed a hug. 

  In the following days, the young master kept having photo shoots, finishing the three proposals he liked in merely three days. However, he refused to stop there, and Ji Luo Chu could only take on the other cases he initially had no intention of undertaking. The only thing was, they never entirely followed the requirements of those cases, and instead switched to themes and filming techniques that they preferred. 

  Ah Da shrugged his shoulders. “As long as the effect is good, and we’re unwilling to do a reshoot, then it’ll be up to the client to decide whether or not to use it. If they don’t want to, then that’s their problem! After all, at the moment…” He looked at the young master and Ji Luo Chu, who were not too far away, and spoke quietly, “We’re just keeping Ah Ye company through shoots!” 

  “Forgive us for the trouble.” 

  “Trouble? I showed a few of the clients the results. They weren’t entirely happy that their requests weren’t followed to the letter, but not a single one of them has refused them so far! In my opinion, maybe all of them could work out. Then, our studio would really be rolling in cash!” 

  Besides the time spent doing photo shoots, the young master was spending almost entire days patrolling outside. Other than the east managed by Dark Sun, he even went to patrol First Wind’s west end, since Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da had their hands full just with managing the advertisements. 

  The young master was going out so often, he sometimes even forgot to come back for his meals. My workload had lightened considerably. My main job now was to deliver both lunch and dinner to the studio, in case the three of them forgot to eat, too focused on shooting. 

  Beef should be best for lunch! All three of them are terribly busy, so foods high in protein like beef should make it easier for them to replenish their nutrients. I walked around the market, a basketful of vegetables already in hand. After finally deciding on the main course, I walked toward the beef stall. 

  “Charles…” 

  A familiar, exhausted voice sounded out from behind me. I turned, and before he could say a word, spoke first, “Treat you to a meal, correct? That is, of course, not a problem, but I am very curious. This market is huge. How is it that you can always find me?” 

  Yue Gang grumbled, “Do you think that you don’t stand out at all in the middle of a crowd of housewives? Just your height alone makes you stand out. You’re taller than everyone else here by a full head! How hard would that be to miss?” 

  I see. I smiled and shook my head. “I will buy beef first and then treat you to noodles. Will that be fine?” 

  “Hurry it up!” Yue Gang nagged, impatient. “Any slower and I’ll die of hunger.” 

  Under his persistent nagging, I could only hurriedly purchase the beef. Then, I sat with Yue Gang at a noodle store in the market and ordered five bowls of noodles and two bowls of soup. I then watched him gobble up the noodles. 

  “Recently, there seems to be an increase in the number of police on the streets.” I tried asking, “Did something happen?” 

  Yue Gang raised his head and rolled his eyes at me, but he did not reply. I could understand. Someone who has a bowlful of noodles in his mouth could not possibly open it to speak. 

  I gestured and said, “Please, eat first. We can talk later.” 

  Before Yue Gang could look down and keep eating, he stilled, staring at something behind my back. Seeing his expression, I did not even need to turn around to know what had happened. 

  The noodle shop’s television must be playing an advertisement. 

  “The Last Angel” had been playing on TV for quite a few days already. According to Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da’s description… when doing a trial broadcast for the client, the client was so pleased with it that he froze. When it was brought to the TV station, the station’s broadcasters had also frozen. When they had a trial broadcasting for the first time on a crowded area’s huge outdoor display screen, the crowd on the street had also frozen. 

  I could understand them perfectly, because the first time Melody, Bramble, Dell, and May saw this advertisement, they had also frozen in place for a long time. Then, they kept replaying it over and over again. The reviews for this advertisement seemed to be, “You’ll freeze in place when you see it, and then keep replaying it over and over again.” 

  Yue Gang froze in place with his mouth full of noodles for a long time before swallowing it down in one huge gulp. He almost choked, drained a bowl of soup, and then asked hurriedly, “Wasn’t that your brother?” 

  “Yes.” I smiled. “He has recently been working as an advertisement model.” 

  “Oh! That’s great. He’s quite suited for it. That advertisement was awesome!” Yue Gang gave his praise and lowered his head to eat some more noodles. Then, he suddenly looked up again and said, “Oh right, remind him not to stay out too late working on the advertisements. Recently… Anyways, things aren’t quite right! All of you remember to take care. If you’ve got nothing to do, then go home and sleep. Lock your doors tightly, and get a gun for your safety. Make sure it’s got a little more firepower to it, not like the one in that advertisement! That gun sucks!” 

  I could not help but laugh, as Yue Gang had actually thought the same thing as the young master. 

  Yue Gang mumbled, “There’s been a lot of missing people lately. If this keeps going on, there might be a huge fight. Just what are those guys doing…?” 

  “What?” I did not understand him very well. 

  “Nothing!” Yue Gang said stoutly, but he still looked uneasy, as though he had more to say. 

  In the end, he motioned me forward, and after I moved closer, he whispered, “Sigh! It’s just, just those werewolves. They haven’t been lying low lately. I heard that they’ve assassinated a number of people. Especially those ‘hero apprentices.’ The moment one pops up, they’re guaranteed to disappear… But don’t mention that you heard it from me. My boss gave orders not to cause mass panic.” 

  I nodded. Yue Gang slid back into his normal posture and resumed eating his noodles. “You! If you’re free at the moment, why don’t you take your whole family with you out for a trip away from the city? Don’t stay in Sunset City for the moment. It’s not very safe here right now!” 

  “Thank you for the advice.” I smiled at him, but I knew that that would be impossible. 

  No matter what, Dark Sun would never leave Sunset City when it faced danger. 

  At this moment, Yue Gang turned to stone again with his mouth full of noodles. I looked at the TV screen. It was currently playing the ”Teardrops” advertisement. The young master was crying, and he held out his hands like he was holding something up. When he lowered his head, teardrops fell onto his open hands one by one, every one of them turning into resplendent diamonds. 

  But in reality, could tears truly turn into diamonds? I looked at the crying young master on the screen, and wished not for teardrops to turn into diamonds, but for him to be able to stop crying. 

  On the way home, I kept seeing the young master. Of course, it was not the actual young master, but the advertisements he had done. They could practically be seen everywhere. Posters lined up in rows along the walls. The Last Angel, Teardrops, and even the latest completed one, Budding Flower, were present. 

  In a usual lipstick commercial, the male model would normally be in charge of admiring the lipstick on a female model. But this advertisement had no female model, just the young master. He was dressed up androgynously. Wearing a slanted T-shirt, half his shoulders were visible. Paired with the shiny pink lipstick, he looked like a cute girl. 

  The advertisement also had some advertising phrases that basically implied that even a boy could be as beautiful as a flower with the lipstick. 

  If the master sees this advertisement, he may just destroy the entire company! I strongly believed that. 

  Aside from the posters, there were also advertisements being played nonstop on the outdoor display screens. Whenever an advertisement played, there would definitely be people who would stop in their tracks to watch. 

  I came to a halt and stared at the increasing crowd in front of the screen and came to a realization. The young master may soon become very, very famous, and when that happens… 

  “Charles!” 

  I snapped out of my reverie and looked toward the person. “Melody? Is the young master not home yet?” 

  Melody lazily walked over to me. “Besides three to five in the morning when he comes back to sleep, when is he ever home?” 

  I nodded. That was true. Although the young master had said that he wanted us to accompany him at home, he himself was never home, busying himself between his two identities of model and hero. 

  “I returned the woman to the Church.” 

  I looked at her. Even though I knew that this was the young master’s request, and she had agreed to it, I could not help worrying. “Is this really alright?” 

  “How can it be alright?! You didn’t see the faces of those two members of the Sin Elimination team. When I returned the woman to them, they didn’t look happy at all. In fact, neither of them even dared to go near her.” 

  I was startled but immediately understood and blurted, “Did they suspect that you had turned Yina into your blood thrall? Er… did you?” 

  Melody snapped at me. “Of course not! Do you think it’s so easy to make a blood thrall? If it was a great guy, fine, but I definitely won’t waste my blood ability on making a useless female thrall!” 

  I smiled. That was true. Making a blood thrall may not be as exhausting as giving a First Kiss, but it was no easy matter either. Furthermore, a blood thrall was only about as strong as a regular human and their lives were even shorter than regular humans’. Therefore, a vampire normally would create at most one or two blood thralls, who would handle miscellaneous matters. 

  “Charles, get ready!” 

  “Get ready?” I asked, bewildered. 

  “The Church may be on their way already.” Melody frowned. “Even if you have no wish to join in the fighting, you at least need to know how to defend yourself. Sunset City’s non-humans all know that there’s a vampire working as a human’s butler. The Church also knows that there’s a fifth-generation vampire working as a butler. If they start a conflict, you will definitely be targeted by both sides.” 

  Targeted by both sides? I gave a pained smile. Looks like no matter how much I detest fights, this time, there is no way to avoid fighting against either humans or non-humans. 

  Melody raised her head, her gaze directed at the huge screen wall. Her tone was full of complicated emotions. “The young master is so troublesome! I can’t believe that while all this is going on, he’s appearing in so many advertisements… I hope that no one among the non-humans has guessed that the young master is Dark Sun.” 

  “I had just thought of that complication…” 

  “He’s so hot!” 

  Just as I was about to start discussing with Melody, a group of youngsters shrieked and pushed Melody and me apart, plastering themselves onto the wall of posters. 

  “Who’s she? She’s real beautiful!” The boys stared at the Budding Flower poster in astonishment. 

  The girls immediately corrected them. “You should say super handsome! He’s a guy! Didn’t any of you see ‘The Last Angel’ before?” 

  Some of the boys nodded while others shook their heads. 

  However, the girls did not pay them any more attention. Instead, they shrieked and fought over the posters. “I want that one! ‘The Last Angel’ is real hot!” 

  Meanwhile, the boys tore off the Budding Flower poster, surprisingly cooperative. They did not fight, but instead agreed to scan the poster into their computers and share it among themselves. 

  Melody rolled her eyes at the rowdy youngsters, and said helplessly, “The young master sure has captured the hearts of both men and women! I have a feeling that I may have to become the young master’s advisor on love in the future.” 

  “That is unnecessary. The young master has already agreed to marry Briar, and has even told his brother that Briar is his fiancée.” 

  “… He was serious?” Melody asked in disbelief. 

  I replied gravely, “Very serious.” 

  Melody’s expression turned serious as well. “Then, I’ll tell you, I can foresee the news that will be in the headlines in ten years.” 

  “Oh?” 

  Melody purposefully affected the clear pronunciation of female newscasters. “May-December romance? International superstar will marry ten years younger bride.” 

  “International superstar?” I laughed. “Being in advertisements is only a part-time job for the young master.” 

  “Wait and see!” Melody looked toward the huge screen, smiling confidently as she repeated, “Wait and see.” 

  I smiled back, but the smile froze on my face the very next second. The group of rowdy youngsters sprinted right at us and hurriedly passed us, faces full of panic, as if they had just witnessed a particularly terrifying scene. 

  When they brushed past us, I understood why they had panicked. On the road not too far away, a long line of identical black cars was slowly driving toward us. From the winding length, there were probably more than twenty cars in total. In addition, all the cars had a strange symbol on the hoods. However, since they were too far away, the symbol was difficult to make out… It was only after the line of cars passed a crossroad that the symbol finally became clear to my eyes. 

  It is a cross! But the cross is colored black, and all non-humans know, black crosses are the symbol of the Sin Elimination team. 

  The Church actually sent over twenty cars of the Sin Elimination team? 

  I was a bit stunned as I said, “T-This is simply overdoing it…” Partway through my words, I abruptly recalled that the Church had chased X for over a thousand years. Compared to a thousand year chase, the scene before my eyes could not be considered absurd. 

  However, X had already left the city. Would the people of the Church not know this? 

  Melody tugged my hand hard, pulling me into an alley to the side while running. “Run! Hurry, or are you waiting to be nailed to a cross and burned to death? There are over twenty Sin Elimination teams there!” 

  Hearing this, I hastily started running for my life, too. 

  “So fast… I only just released her two days ago!” Melody fumed while running. “That damned Sin Elimination team. They must have contacted the others before I even let go of the hostage! I should have killed her… No! I should have killed all three of them!” 

  “Even if you killed all three of them, you would have only further angered the Church.” I smiled wryly. “A troop this massive… Anceo must have alerted the Church very early on. Maybe right after you kidnapped Yina.” 

  “And I used to think that humans were more conscious of their comrades!” Melody clicked her tongue. 

  “Perhaps he believed that getting help was the only way to save his companion.” I may not like Anceo, but I believed that there was no reason to slander him. 

  Melody stopped suddenly. I was a few paces ahead of her before I realized it and stopped accordingly as well. I looked at her uncomprehendingly. She asked, “Charles, are you familiar with this area?” 

  “Of course.” I nodded and replied, “This is not very far away from home… ah!” 

  I looked at Melody, and the latter nodded, face white. She had realized it earlier than I had… The Church’s destination is the young master’s home! 

  Melody immediately urged me, “Call the young master. Ask him where he is!” 

  I immediately obeyed. 

  “Charles? What’s up?” 

  “Young Master!” I gave a relieved sigh. Luckily, the young master had his cell phone with him. I immediately asked, “May I ask where you are?” 

  “I’m at home. I’ve just returned. Are you out grocery shopping?” 

  At home? I hurriedly said, “Young Master, please leave immediately!” 

  “Eh?” 

  “Members of the Church have arrived, and they appear to be heading to your home. There are a lot of them. Please avoid them.” 

  The young master said worriedly, “But what about Bramble-shū and the rest? My workshop might be discovered, too.” 

  I gently advised him, “Young Master, please avoid them first, and have Mr. Bramble and everyone else leave as well. We will come up with something later, alright?” 

  “Okay.” The young master agreed obediently. “Then, let’s meet up at Luo Chu-gē’s studio.” 

  “Very well.” 

  I hung up after answering. Then, I turned to look at Melody and informed her with a smile, “There are no more problems. The young master is…” 

  Halfway through speaking, my line of sight passed over Melody and saw the deadly objects behind her. I hurriedly pulled her to me and let out my blood ability. At almost the same time, gunshots exploded. Dozens of bullets were blocked by my blood ability, hanging in mid-air. As if in slow-motion, they inched forward a little before clattering all over the ground. 

  “Your blood ability has improved.” Melody glanced backward and leaped to the top of the wall. Then, she started running upwards. 

  I followed up and thanked her at the same time, “Thank you for the praise.” 

  “I’m sure it’s only because X taught you well!” Melody leaped to the rooftop. 

  I followed her up to the roof, but was immediately knocked to the floor by Melody. I had not seen anything, but I heard a very familiar sound… It was the sound of a missile flying by. 

  Behind us, a huge building exploded. Simultaneously, a large gust of wind blew up. I could even feel debris hitting my face. 

  I inhaled sharply and exclaimed, “T-this is too extreme…” 

  Melody picked herself up, saying, “It’s nothing. The Sun Emperor has already done it before,” while using her blood ability to cause a series of random explosions in front of us. In the split second of silence after the explosions, she turned and told me, “You defend, I’ll attack.” 

  I immediately agreed, “As you wish.” 

  Another series of random explosions followed. She even used the interval to glare at me and roared, “It’s as you wish, Mr. Vampire who doesn’t know how to fight well!” 

  I smiled, not denying it and set up a defensive shield with my blood ability. 

  During the explosions, besides taking care of defense, I also surveyed the surrounding rooftops, mostly to find a way to retreat. I never imagined seeing unexpected guests—the black robed Sin Elimination teams. I immediately yelled to Melody, “There are even more of them than we expected. The surrounding rooftops are all full of people!” 

  Among the explosions, Melody roared back, “They probably did it to completely lock down the young master’s home, so they made sure to even put people on the rooftops. Damn it! We can’t lead these people to the meeting point! What should we do?” 

  I looked at the people leaping up to this rooftop one after another and immediately made a decision. “Break into the crowds!” 

  “What did you say?” Melody shouted. 

  I roared, “Break into the crowds!” 

  “Have you lost your mind?” Melody yelled back in disbelief. 

  I grabbed her hand and dragged her down the building, running for our lives between the alleys. However, no matter how fast we ran, the people chasing after us just seemed to increase in number. They were shooting bullets at us like rain. Even Melody could not afford to attack, but assisted me in using her blood ability to block the bullets. 

  I took out my cell phone. The moment the call connected, I yelled, “Yue Gang!” 

  “Charles? Why is it you again! Why do you always pick the moment when I’m busiest to call me? Do you know that there’s more than twenty black cars rolling around all over the place, like three mafia bosses holding their funerals all at the same time or something? You can’t go wrong listening to me. If you have nothing to do, then stay at home and make sure to lock your doors! And if you have anything to say, remember, keep it short!” 

  “Help me!” I believed that this was short enough. 

  “…. What?!”


  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Chapter 9: The Wishes of Non-Humans and the Belief of Humans

  Translator: Doza 

  In the end, the Sun Emperor actually agreed to it. 

  That doctor who looked insane, An Te Qi, seemed to have helped a lot. Regardless of who was waging the cold war against the other, be it the little young master or later, the Sun Emperor, he always acted as the mediator and messenger between them. 

  The Sun Emperor consented to the little young master living by himself. However, it was on the condition that the little young master’s house must have surveillance cameras installed all over the place, so that the Sun Emperor could watch him at any time, to ensure that he was doing well. 

  It was a bit of a pity that the little young master was leaving the house. In the future, if I wanted to catch a glimpse of the Sun Emperor, it would be difficult. On the other hand, this situation may turn out to be more interesting. 

  The little young master is definitely not a boy who can settle down and live peacefully. 

  After I hung up the phone, I pulled Melody along as I ran frantically. 

  She yelled at me irritably, “Where in the world are you going?” 

  “Evening Sun Plaza.” 

  “Are you crazy!? That’s the most crowded place in Sunset City!” Melody could not believe her ears as she continued, “The number of humans gathered there is easily eighty thousand, if not a hundred thousand! Are you planning on going there to get trampled to death by humans?” 

  After saying all this, she shook my hand off and shouted, “I’m definitely not following you to our deaths!” 

  Shocked, I stopped running and looked at her as I said, “Please, trust me, Melody.” 

  She frowned, and at this time, I could already hear footsteps approaching from behind. The members of the Church were probably already closing in on us. I could only use my sincerest tone to implore her, “Please, trust me. I am not someone who tries to act brave or strong. You should already know my character.” 

  Melody was quiet for a moment. Then, with a stern glare, she shouted, “If I end up getting burned at the stake, I will definitely bite you several times before I die! Evening Sun Plaza, is it? Follow me. There’s a shortcut this way!” 

  “Understood.” I smiled and followed after her. 

  We ran non-stop there. As my speed was slightly faster than Melody’s, I could spare some effort to turn my head back to observe the situation. Even though the people from the Church were still chasing after us, they were only human after all, and could not keep up with a vampire’s speed. They were not actually able to catch up, and could only trail behind us. 

  We dashed along the strange shortcut, even cutting through other people’s gardens at one point. Finally, we sprinted down a long alleyway, racing toward the only ray of light at the end… The moment we burst out of the alleyway, light flooded my vision, but the light was of a reddish hue. This was the color of the setting sun; it was already evening. 

  Evening Sun Plaza was a fan-shaped open-air public area. There was a large television screen at the tip of the fan, and coincidentally it was showing an advertisement by the young master, the Budding Flower one. The light from the setting sun fell on the screen and dyed the young master’s cheeks red. He greatly resembled a girl. 

  There were numerous waves of people moving to and fro in front of the television screen. Everyone seemed to be walking shoulder-to-shoulder. But there were also several people who had stopped right in the middle of the space and looked up to watch the Budding Flower advertisement, as they discussed whether the model in the advertisement was a boy or girl. 

  At this moment, Melody rashly dragged me along as she forced her way into the sea of people. 

  While we were still in the midst of pushing and squeezing through the crowd, several gunshots rang out from behind. Everyone in the plaza started screaming, and then they covered their heads as they squatted down. We, too, followed suit and crouched down. 

  Even though there were gunshots, no one cried out in pain after that. When I thought about it, the people from the Church had probably only fired warning shots into the air. 

  After the initial screaming had passed, everyone started quieting down. There was no excessive panicking; everyone was merely crouching on the ground. At the same time, I even saw that several people had already stealthily pulled out various kinds of firearms, and seemed to be waiting for a chance to take action. 

  I turned my head back slightly to look at the situation behind us. There were around three to four Church members who had caught up to us. They were glancing around the plaza, seemingly searching for Melody and me. However, as there were too many people in the plaza, they did not spot us, at least for the moment. 

  Also, they had not noticed that the citizens hunkered down had already taken out their firearms. So long as they dared to fire another shot, the people squatting by their feet would be able to stand up and shoot back at any time. 

  These people from the Church truly underestimate the residents of Sunset City! Here, it was not uncommon to see two groups of people exchange fire along the streets. Compared to street fights, the residents were actually more afraid of the recent case of missing people. 

  Vanishing noiselessly into the darkness was even more terrifying than indiscriminate shooting. This was the thinking of the citizens of Sunset City, especially among the young people. 

  However, if the Church did not attack the masses, but only targeted Melody and me, then the citizens would probably just watch from the sidelines. 

  Melody whispered into my ear, “If they start shooting here, they will definitely hit other people. When that happens, it will set off a massive fight. We can then seize that opportunity to escape.” 

  I replied softly but firmly, “We cannot do that. It will result in huge casualties. Just let them attack us first; as long as we can hold them off for a while, it will be fine.” I thought for a bit, and quickly added, “And do not use any vampire abilities to retaliate.” 

  Melody’s face stiffened, and she looked at me doubtfully, asking, “For a while?” 

  “For a while!” I stated with certainty. 

  “Alright! I must have owed you in my previous life.” Melody agreed to it rather helplessly. 

  The two of us stood up, and the other party started firing at us mercilessly, except that all the bullets were blocked by our blood ability. I specially broadened the area of defense of my blood ability to prevent stray bullets from hitting innocents. 

  A short while later, the area around the two of us became a large empty space. The citizens had moved as far away from us as they could … But it also did not seem right to put it that way, because they were still gathered on the edge of the plaza, curiously looking on. Even if the Church did not stop firing, and there was never a moment of pause between the gunshots, it was not enough to frighten these bystanders away. 

  In order not to make our vampire abilities too obvious, we could only use our blood ability to defend, and not attack. Is it possible to disguise the blood ability as an energy weapon and use it to retaliate? We can stall for more time then… Just as I was pondering to myself, in the next second, Melody actually pulled out a gun and started shooting. 

  I exclaimed, “Is that not the gun from ‘The Last Angel?’” 

  “After the young master modified this gun, he still didn’t like it because it wasn’t good enough! But it’s quite pretty, so I asked him for it.” Melody replied as she fired the gun. “But I should be the one asking, Mr. Butler, how long exactly is your ‘a while?’ If it’s longer than one minute, I’m afraid that it might be a bit problematic. Look at that! They’ve already assembled a rocket launcher! Even if the palm-sized gun in my hand has been modified by the young master, you can’t possibly hope for it to beat a rocket launcher, right?” 

  I raised my head and saw that she was right. However, this was not the only problem. Originally, only three or four people had caught up to us, but now other members from the Church were arriving in quick succession. 

  Even though they had been firing nonstop, the firepower of their guns was not that great. Perhaps they were worried that there were too many citizens in this area, and were giving them time to back away… Except that these citizens were simply not willing to retreat. 

  As time dragged on, the possibility of the rocket launcher being used increased. Not only was I doubtful that the small gun in Melody’s hand could stop it, I also did not fully trust my blood ability to be able to block more than three rockets. 

  “If this continues any longer, we’re going to get surrounded! When that happens, we’re dead for sure!” After Melody said that, she stuffed the gun back into her bosom and started gathering her blood ability around her hands. It looked like she was about to form blood claws. 

  I hurriedly grabbed her hands and softly exclaimed, “Please, wait a moment…” 

  But she suddenly twisted her hands around and pulled me instead, and then I heard an explosion behind me. I hope no one got hurt. 

  She said sourly, “The rocket launcher has already been fired! You still want to wait!?” After that, she started gathering her blood ability again. 

  Will it truly not work? If my identity as a vampire is revealed, I am afraid that I really will not be able to go out and buy groceries anymore… 

  “All of you! F***ing cease fire!” 

  Finally arrived! Once again, I grabbed Melody’s hands, interrupting her motion of gathering her blood ability, and then I looked elatedly at the source of the voice. 

  I was right. He finally came! 

  A few squads of fully armed policemen walked into the plaza from all directions. The thick body equipment they were wearing made their footsteps sound extremely heavy and imposing. Among all the police squads, in the squad that was walking the fastest, the policeman that was walking right at the front, without a doubt, was Yue Gang. 

  Yue Gang’s gear looked even heavier than the rest of the policemen’s. The gun in his hand appeared to be quite powerful too. He had probably spent all his money on buying equipment again. 

  All this equipment seemed to have emboldened him. He did not even show any fear of the rocket launcher in the hands of the Church members. The moment he arrived, he even scolded them loudly, “What’s going on? What is the meaning of all this? This is too aggressive! You rounded up the citizens in the plaza to massacre them in broad daylight, huh? Why didn’t you all just go down to the police headquarters and massacre all of us instead!” 

  At this moment, someone rushed forward and angrily roared back, “They’re definitely not citizens! They’re not even human at all, so this has nothing to do with you policemen!” 

  That was Anceo. He glared fiercely at Melody, looking as if he wanted to skin her alive and then swallow her whole. 

  “It looks more to me like you guys are the ones who are not human!” Yue Gang retorted rudely, “It’s such a hot day, yet you’re wearing those black robes. You guys drove twenty something black cars around the streets, and your weapons are getting larger and more powerful. You even have a rocket launcher? Tell me, which part of you is like a human?” 

  When he heard these words, Anceo looked stunned. Then, a furious expression appeared on his face, and he actually raised his weapon at him. 

  “You dare to say that I’m not human!?” 

  His movement immediately triggered both sides into action. All the policemen instantly trained their guns on Anceo, and in the next second, the Church also aimed their weapons at Yue Gang. 

  There were more policemen, maybe around forty of them. 

  On the side of the Church, there were around twenty people, but the firepower of their weapons was clearly superior to that of the policemen. 

  If both sides really started fighting, Yue Gang would get blasted by twenty powerful guns, while Anceo would get shot by forty guns with considerably average firepower. But regardless of the means, their fates did not seem like they would differ by much—they would both end up as honeycombs. 

  But then, the Church and the policemen will not actually start fighting, will they? 

  This made me feel at a complete loss. Initially, I had thought that so long as the police made an appearance, they would be able to stop the people from the Church from using heavy firepower on the streets. If they truly ended up having a shootout… I did not wish at all for Yue Gang to die because of that. 

  “Please stop…” The moment the words left my mouth, all the guns from both sides suddenly turned and pointed at me. 

  Melody glared at me furiously. 

  “He’s not an enemy!” Yue Gang hastily cried out. 

  “Open fire! Those two are vampires!” Anceo shouted instead. 

  Yue Gang immediately raised his weapon and aimed at Anceo, and the rest of the policemen also turned their weapons back on the people from the Church. Yue Gang yelled at Anceo, “If you dare to open fire, go ahead and try! Put down your weapons!” 

  The ones from the Church did not open fire, but neither did they put down their weapons. They frowned and looked at Anceo. Upon seeing the numerous weapons held by the policemen, the latter finally calmed down a bit. His gaze fell on the two of us. Even though he did not look like he was still madly thinking of starting a war, he also did not have any intention of giving up. 

  We may have reached an impasse. 

  I felt like I had wronged Yue Gang. Perhaps I should not have involved him. If he found out in the end that Melody and I were truly vampires, it would likely be very difficult for him to explain himself to his colleagues and superiors. 

  “Charles! Melody!” 

  This voice… I was startled, and turned toward it. I was just in time to see the young master dashing out from one of the corners of the plaza. He completely ignored the numerous weapons around him, and ran in front of several gun muzzles, all the way until he reached our side. He looked at me, then looked at Melody and asked anxiously, “Are you two hurt? Did they harm you?” 

  I shook my head, but Melody clasped the young master’s hand and complained to him, “Of course I’m not alright! With so many guns pointed at me, my poor little heart is so terrified that it’s about to jump out.” 

  Hearing that, the young master laughed, and even his worried expression vanished as well. 

  Following that, exclamations of surprise suddenly erupted from the crowd. This truly made Melody jump in fright and she spun around, taking an extremely wary stance. The crowd around us then started chattering noisily. 

  “It’s him! It really is him!” 

  “The last angel!” 

  “He’s still so cute in person!” 

  “So gorgeous!” 

  It was not just the crowd on the perimeter. Many policemen even lifted their visors and gazed at the young master with shining eyes. When I thought about it, the police had recently been patrolling the streets extensively, so they had probably seen many of the young master’s advertisements. 

  The young master seemed very unsure of what to do. He looked at the horde of people surrounding us, and wherever his eyes turned, cries of praises of “So cute!” and “Pretty!” would arise from there. In the end, he did not dare to look anywhere, and bent his head down slightly. His face had turned red. However, in the end, it attracted even more screams of “Cute!” or “So beautiful!” 

  I looked at the young master. He was dressed in white—they were the clothes from the previous Tears of an Angel advertisement. In the current situation where the policemen and the Church members were all dressed in black, he looked particularly eye-catching. I felt rather worried. If we ended up in a battle later on, the young master could not be a more conspicuous target. 

  “Young Master, why are you wearing the clothes from the Tears of an Angel advertisement?” 

  “Luo Chu-gē said that the filming for the advertisement was done and the clothes were useless now, so he simply gave them to me.” The young master hid behind our backs and said in a small voice, “I was in a rush to come out and look for you two, so I didn’t change my clothes. What do I do? Everyone is staring at me. Do I look really strange wearing these clothes?” 

  “It’s just that you’re too cute!” Melody turned around and forcibly kissed the young master several times on his cheek. When she heard cries of “Wow wow!” coming from the crowd, a smug look immediately appeared on her face. 

  “See that!?” Yue Gang shouted, “This boy is Charles’s younger brother. You said that Charles is a vampire, but don’t tell me this little angel is also a vampire? Looks to me like you’re more like a werewolf!” 

  As if to verify what Yue Gang had said, the young master stepped out and even hugged my arm tightly. 

  “He doesn’t bear any resemblance to an angel at all!” 

  Anceo spoke, enunciating every word clearly, “That boy is Dark Sun, the Dark Sun that you all call the Grim Reaper! I suspect that Dark Sun may also be a non-human. He’s not human at all!” 

  It was apparent that everyone present was shocked by this piece of news. Yue Gang was completely stunned and unable to respond. On the other hand, beside me, Melody had a very distinct reaction. The icy glare that she gave Anceo was filled with killing intent. 

  I said quietly, “Young Master, can you put on a confused expression, and then stick your head out to look at Anceo?” 

  The young master whispered back, “Okay.” 

  “I’m not Dark Sun!” He said in an extremely bewildered voice. “Why do you say that I’m Dark Sun? I’m called An Xiang Ye. I’m still a university student.” 

  “Cut the crap!” Anceo abruptly exploded with anger. He shouted, “You can even defeat five werewolves! Don’t act like you’re fragile and weak!” 

  The young master clutched onto my arm, and it felt like he was so terrified that he was trembling. I could even hear faint sobbing noises coming from him. 

  However, I did not turn my head to look at the young master. Instead, I observed the crowd’s reaction. I hoped that everyone would stand on the young master’s side. 

  Melody turned to look at the young master. Later, after this incident, she told me that the expression the young master made back then, with tear-filled eyes as if he was trying not to cry, was simply cuter than a little angel, more innocent than a white rabbit, and that any who tried to accuse or harm him was definitely a devil with blood colder than that of a vampire! 

  After I heard those words, I suddenly felt pity toward Anceo. 

  Clamor arose from all around us. But when I listened carefully to the noise, it seemed that it was a landslide of sympathy for the young master. Practically no one believed Anceo’s words. I suddenly felt that it was really great that the young master had worn the angel outfit here. The young master dressed in white and Dark Sun dressed in black and red could even give people completely opposite feelings. 

  Anceo’s expression turned uglier and uglier. Finally, he pulled out a knife from his robes, and raising it up high, he explained to everyone present, “This is a silver knife. It can prove that he truly is a vampire!” 

  He walked over to us while holding the knife. Perhaps it was because everyone here was holding guns, so no one felt any caution toward the knife. Without meeting any obstruction, Anceo walked all the way up to me. Then, with an air of arrogance, he raised the knife and stabbed toward me… 

  “Gē!” The young master shrieked and moved in front of me to block him. He shouted, “Don’t kill my brother!” 

  Anceo jerked back, and then growled at him, “Move aside!” 

  The young master shook his head frantically. He would not move aside. 

  “Are you insane!?” Yue Gang rushed over and slapped the silver knife out of Anceo’s hand. He yelled at him, “You want to slash someone with a knife, and even want his dìdi to obediently move away and let you slash at his gē?” 

  Anceo hurriedly clarified, “The silver must touch a vampire’s blood to have any effect.” 

  Feeling annoyed, Yue Gang shouted back, “You might as well say you want to sink him underwater. If he doesn’t drown, then he’s a vampire!” 

  Actually, vampires can also drown… 

  “I only want to cut him with the knife. One cut won’t kill anyone!” Anceo said impatiently. 

  Yue Gang’s rage turned into mirth. He retorted, “Then, if you let me shoot you once, I’ll let you cut him with the knife. In any case, one shot won’t kill anyone either!” 

  “You!” Anceo was so mad that his teeth started to itch, but of course he could not let Yue Gang shoot him. 

  “Sigh! I’m telling you, this is a misunderstanding!” Yue Gang said earnestly as he tried to persuade him, “At the start, I also suspected that Charles was a vampire! But he truly isn’t one! He isn’t afraid of the cross at all. Every day in the afternoon, when the sun is still very abundant, he goes to the market to buy groceries and even uses his younger siblings’ good looks to haggle with the stall owners. When he buys vegetables, he’s even resolute on getting the vendor to gift him some green onions. What kind of vampire does this?” 

  Cough! You could have left out the part about haggling. 

  The young master tried to stifle his laughter, but his whole body was shaking. Melody simply laughed so hard that she bent over and clutched her stomach; she did not have any intention of suppressing her laughter. 

  “The cross…” 

  Anceo seemed to want to say that the cross was useless. However, he fell silent halfway through his sentence. I could understand his predicament. As a member of the Church, he could not yell out in public that the cross was useless. 

  Yue Gang walked over to my side and said to me, “Come on, Charles, give him a smile! Smile! That’s right, now keep that expression on. You over there in the black robes, look at him—he’s so much like a human! Which part of him is like a vampire?” 

  The young master finally burst out laughing. The more he laughed, the happier he became. The whole plaza echoed with the sound of his laughter. Even Anceo did not open his mouth to interrupt this laughter. 

  However, the laughter came to a sudden stop by itself. The young master looked surprised as he lifted his head and looked up. 

  It was only at this moment that I realized that unknowingly, a huge shadow had been cast over the plaza. I looked up and only then did I notice that a large creature had appeared in the sky. His head was that of an eagle’s, but he had the body of dragon, and his two huge wings looked like bat wings that had been magnified countless times. 

  Beside me, Melody inhaled sharply. She exclaimed, “Stone-gē!” 

  Mr. Stone? I gasped in awe of his grandeur. At the same time, I also understood the kind of non-human that Mr. Stone was. 

  It turned out that he was a gargoyle. It has been a long while since I have seen this race of non-humans, probably since around the time that buildings no longer had decorative carvings? 

  A gargoyle is a non-human that can only move in the night. During the day, they would become like a stone statue, and also become extremely weak. 

  In the past, during the day, they could hide in ancient castles. There were carved stone figures everywhere in castles, and so a gargoyle hiding amongst them would not look out of place at all. However, the modern day high-rise buildings were all smooth on the outside. You could say that there was a lack of decorations. Thus, the gargoyles had no place to hide at all, and also because they were the weakest during the day, startled humans who came upon them would break them into smithereens. 

  I had never thought that there would actually still be gargoyles living in the cities. 

  The gargoyle in the sky made a shrieking call, akin to the resounding cries made by an eagle. 

  Black shadows started appearing on the surrounding rooftops, behind the pillars in the buildings, in the alleys, and in the dark windows. Pairs of eyes appeared everywhere, watching. Their gaze looked extremely brutal, and even glowed red. These were definitely not eyes that a human would have. 

  Sunset City has never been within the Church’s influence. Instead, it is one of the base camps of non-humans. 

  When the sun has sunk low in the west, the last ray of sunlight disappears. Night has fallen and the hour of non-humans has arrived. 

  Non-humans, begin the assault.

  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer Chapter 10: Non-Humans and Humans Together, Raise Their Heads and Believe

  Translator: Raylight (proofread by Trespasserby, Rose, C/E edited by Doza, lucathia) 

  June 3, 2110, Drizzling 

  I was fired. 

  I thought that the little young master… Once again, I had showered someone with unwanted affection. 

  “Melody-jiě” was just a way of addressing me. 

  Hateful, it’s just so hateful! What’s the meaning of firing me with tears in your eyes? You’re undoubtedly the one who wanted to fire me—don’t make it look like I’m the one leaving you! 

  Little Young Master… What are you doing now? Are you still crying? No, right? 

  Mr. Stone flew over the building swinging his claw, knocking down a large section of the railing on the rooftop, along with slabs of concrete. The debris fell to the ground and made a loud crash. Although no one was injured, it became the gong for the war to begin. 

  Black shadows started pouring in from all directions, attacking any human who held a weapon. Those with stronger firepower were targeted first, so the Church naturally bore the brunt of the attacks, followed closely by the police. 

  Naturally, neither group would sit obediently and let itself be attacked. Everyone began fighting back with their massive firepower. In that moment, the scene really looked like a battlefield. Gunshots and explosions sounded non-stop, interwoven with screams and cries of agony. Occasionally, even rocks and glass from broken windows fell from the sky. 

  In the chaos, Yue Gang, with his gun in one hand, grabbed the young master with his other. He called out to Melody and me, “Quick, come with me!” 

  I shouted at him hurriedly, “Yue Gang, do not bother with us. Get the police to retreat immediately! They must not open fire on the non-humans!” 

  Yue Gang looked stunned. I grabbed hold of both his shoulders and screamed into his ear, “Make the police retreat now!” 

  Yue Gang froze for a moment and then turned around and yelled, “Retreat! Protect the civilians and retreat! Do not open fire! Let’s go!” 

  This is good… The non-humans were not specifically targeting the police or civilians, as long as neither was attacking them. I doubted that the non-humans would want to turn the city into a ghost town. The non-humans who had chosen to live here would absolutely not want to destroy the place they called home. 

  As of the moment, there was nothing more we could do. It would be best to leave quickly. 

  “Where is the young master?” 

  Melody rolled her eyes at me and said unhappily, “Didn’t you see him being dragged away by Yue Gang? He probably wanted to take the young master with him as they retreated! Let’s go… Ah!” 

  Melody looked behind me, and her expression morphed into shock. I immediately turned to look. A battle between a non-human and a Church member was blocking the path of Yue Gang and the young master. At the same time, numerous rocks were falling from the sky… Yue Gang turned around and hugged the young master, trying to use his body to shield him. 

  If it were only the young master, he might accept getting injured to conceal his identity. However, Yue Gang was there. He definitely would not let someone next to him get injured, or even worse, die for the sake of not revealing himself. 

  As expected, the young master raised both hands up high, preparing to deflect the rocks… and also preparing to reveal his identity as Dark Sun. 

  In the next second, the rocks were intercepted. However, it was not by the young master’s hands! It is… 

  Dragon Peace! He used his entire back to shield them from the rocks in the young master’s stead. 

  The young master looked shocked. He stared at Dragon Peace with his head raised, as though he were about to say something. Thankfully, Dragon Peace cut him off before he could say anything. He picked up the young master and Yue Gang, and with a few large strides, caught up to the retreating policemen and civilians. After he threw them both into the retreating crowd, he marched back into the fray. 

  However, he seemed to be at a loss as to what to do next. He looked at the chaotic battle between the Church and the non-humans, seemingly torn between which side to join. 

  I empathized with his plight. I did not know what to do either. Apart from allowing the non-humans and the Church members to fight it out until someone from either side took the initiative to retreat, there seemed to be no end in sight… But by then, how many corpses will litter this plaza? 

  Must non-humans and humans fight until only corpses remain before they are willing to let the other side go? 

  “Charles!” 

  Melody’s shout called me back to my senses. I focused my vision and noticed two bullets. I could even tell that they were explosive bullets. Once they hit an object, they would explode into fragments. They were one of the most lethal types of bullets to humans. With a tiny slide step, I moved a mere ten centimeters to the side, allowing the bullet to harmlessly fly past me. 

  “Wow!” Melody gasped in admiration, but then asked in suspicion, “Did you dodge a bullet just now? How could you be so fast… Or did you not move at all, and the bullet’s trajectory was merely off?” 

  Before I could answer, Dragon Peace rushed over with leaps and bounds to shield Melody and me from more bullets. 

  “Thank you.” I thanked him sincerely, not only for blocking the bullets but also for protecting the young master earlier, so he did not have to reveal his identity as Dark Sun. 

  While covering us, he lowered his head to ask, “What should we do?” 

  I looked up at Dragon Peace and said with an indifferent smile, “This time, even the heroes cannot resolve this. You do not have to be bothered about it. Neither the Church nor the non-humans are innocent civilians.” 

  Dragon Peace kept his head lowered to look at me. His tone seemed disapproving when he said, “This is Sunset City.” 

  This is Sunset City? I felt a little perplexed, but I could still understand that Dragon Peace did not wish to be a bystander. Therefore, I suggested, “Then, let us go and help the civilians retreat first.” Although there should not be many civilians left. 

  Dragon Peace thought for a moment and nodded his head. However, just as we were about to go around searching for civilians, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the sky. 

  “Stop, all of you!” 

  Dragon Peace and I stopped simultaneously and raised our heads toward the source of the voice… Dark Sun was standing on the roof of a building, his silver hair shining beneath the moonlight. He was not alone; First Wind was standing beside him, his cape fluttering in the night wind. 

  Anceo immediately roared, “Look now, that boy has nothing to do with angels. He is Dark Sun!” 

  “Nonsense!” 

  I looked over and realized that Yue Gang had run back, dragging the young master by the hand. The young master looked very afraid, and tears were even rolling down his cheeks. Yue Gang shouted at me unhappily, “What are you doing? Waiting for death here? Your brother was being noisy about coming back for you!” 

  Dark Sun and the young master appeared at the same time? 

  “Dark Sun should be DSII right?” Melody whispered. 

  I looked at the crying young master and then at Dark Sun on the rooftop and shook my head in disagreement. “No, I do not believe so. I do not know when he switched, but…” 

  “Dark Sun is the young master.” Melody continued, muttering, “The little young master would never pick the boring side. He would rather fight until he is covered in blood than stand on the sidelines obediently.” 

  “Dragon Peace!” Dark Sun shouted down, “Defeat the non-humans!” 

  Dragon Peace raised his head to look at Dark Sun and First Wind. He roared in reply and started attacking the closest non-humans… excluding Melody and me, of course. 

  Dark Sun squatted down, picked up a rocket launcher at his feet, and took aim at the plaza below. 

  “What is the young master planning?” Melody shouted in shock, “He’s not trying to bomb all of the humans and non-humans here together, is he?!” 

  No, the young master definitely would not do that. However, what exactly is he planning? 

  At this moment, a pair of giant bat wings appeared behind Dark Sun. Dark Sun merely turned his head slightly and simultaneously pushed First Wind away. Instead, he himself was sent flying from the roof by Mr. Stone. He did not open his wings, but continually grabbed onto things within his reach to break his fall down to the plaza. 

  Mr. Stone still refused to let him go. Once again, he flew over and hurtled down at top speed, wanting to stomp him to death with his feet. With a roll, Dark Sun avoided the attack. However, his situation was still perilous as Mr. Stone continued attempting to stomp on him. 

  “Hero of humans, I forbid you to hurt non-humans! Scram! This battle has nothing to do with you.” 

  Dark Sun rolled left and right, constantly evading his attacks. However, he refused to let go of the rocket launcher in his hands. Finding an opening, he seized it and leaped. He immediately followed with a slide step and sidestepped some distance away from Mr. Stone’s feet, then turned to look at him. 

  Mr. Stone froze and asked, “You are a vampire?” 

  “Whether I am human or non-human is not important.” Dark Sun coldly replied, “I merely wish to stop this foolish war.” 

  Mr. Stone opened his eagle beak wide and screeched, “It’s the Church who started the battle first. They stepped onto our territory and attacked the non-humans!” 

  “Indeed.” Dark Sun lifted the rocket launcher. He did not take aim, but merely fired at random, both near his feet and far away. Strange bullets the size of fists were shot out continually, but they did not explode. Instead, they erupted into large clouds of white smoke. 

  “Therefore, they have to pay a price. However, their crimes were not lethal, thus the price to be paid cannot be death.” 

  After Dark Sun finished speaking, he threw away the rocket launcher in his hands and began attacking the non-humans. However, he was weaponless and actually fought barehanded against the non-humans. On top of that, he was even using slide steps to move around constantly. 

  His slide steps had evidently confused Mr. Stone, who seemed unable to determine whether he was human or non-human. 

  At this point, the Church members started coughing loudly, and their tears flowed non-stop. It seemed that they had practically lost their ability to fight. 

  What exactly happened? I was extremely puzzled. 

  “It’s tear gas.” 

  I froze and looked to the side. At first, I did not recognize who had spoken because of the strange mask on his face. However, right after that, I recognized from his attire that he was First Wind. 

  “Vampires are not afraid of tear gas, right? Good. I only have one gas mask.” First Wind’s voice came from behind the mask, sounding especially strange. He continued, “The tear gas will take care of the Church, and we will deal with the non-humans. In short, beat up both sides! That is what Dark Sun said.” 

  Melody and I glanced at each other and said at the same time, “Agreed! We will help out too.” 

  First Wind nodded and said, “However, you have to follow me first. Solitary Butterfly is sniping targets from afar… Don’t worry, the projectiles are just strong tranquilizers. I’ve heard that they’re also very effective against non-humans. Thus, we have to let her see that you are comrades, so she won’t shoot the two of you down.” 

  I quickly nodded my head and followed First Wind. He no longer held his extremely lethal energy whip, but a single tonfa. He grasped the tonfa in his left hand and started his attack against the non-humans. 

  “Dark Sun said that he can dislocate their joints with his bare hands and rob them of their ability to battle. Therefore, he does not need any weapons. When the battle ends, he will help those non-humans reconnect their joints.” 

  As he spoke, First Wind jumped up and hit the back of a werewolf’s head with his tonfa, knocking him unconscious. He continued helplessly, “However, I am unable to do that. So, I can only say sorry to these non-humans and give them a large bump on their heads. Hopefully none of them will get concussions.” 

  “It is, at least, better than encountering Dragon Peace,” I said with a stifled laugh. Dragon Peace was a lot rougher than First Wind. He would usually throw a punch or a kick and send the opponent flying. Not only would their heads swell, they might even break a bone or two. 

  “That is true.” 

  First Wind nodded, spun beautifully, and dodged an attack from a non-human. The non-human turned around, wanting to pursue First Wind. However, he was smacked on the back of the head by Melody. Still, he struggled to try and get back on his feet, but Melody grabbed his hair and whispered fiercely in his ear, “This old lady here is Melody, an eighth generation vampire. I’ll see if you dare to crawl back up!” 

  The non-human lay down obediently and stopped moving. 

  First Wind had just ended combat with another non-human. He turned around and, seeing how the non-human was already lying on the floor, praised Melody, “Well done!” 

  “Thank you,” Melody replied in a polite tone that I had never heard her use before. Her reply seemed a little coy as she asked, “Mr. First Wind, could I trouble you with something?” 

  “Of course,” First Wind smiled and answered. “Although I do not know what it is, how could I refuse a lady?” 

  Melody excitedly said, “When you are free later, could I have your autograph?” 

  “As you wish,” he answered with a smile. 

  I wonder, if Melody were to discover that First Wind is Ji Luo Chu, would she be angry to the point of murder? I remember her saying that she doesn’t need an autograph from someone she sees every day. Although she technically doesn’t meet with Ji Luo Chu every day, she does often accompany the young master to the studio for photo shoots… 

  Now is not the time to be bothered over such matters. I should go and deal with the other non-humans. After I called out to First Wind, I shot a glance at Melody. She seemed to have no intention of leaving and was asking First Wind bashfully, “I can’t defeat the non-humans on my own! Mr. First Wind, could I follow you?” 

  “Of course.” 

  “…” I decided not to comment and left, so as to keep myself from joining the non-humans lying on the ground. 

  I looked around for non-humans. Only then did I realize that actually, the majority of the non-humans were already crumpled on the ground. A large shadow caught my attention, even though he was not moving. 

  I walked up to Mr. Stone and raised my head to look at him. He was simply very majestic and beautiful. His eagle head was very heroic. At first glance, his feathers looked bluish-green. However, the color appeared to change under different lighting. As for his body, he had no feathers, but was covered with scales. The scales were golden, and they were all so polished that the surrounding scenery could be reflected off them. I could even see the battle happening behind me in those scales… However, even such beautiful scales could not reflect the likeness of a vampire. 

  He lowered his head and looked at me, as though his eagle eyes could see through everything. He called softly, “Charles Endelis.” 

  “Yes, Mr. Stone.” 

  “Do you truly believe that Dark Sun will stand with the non-humans and chase away the Church?” 

  “Dark Sun is a hero. Regardless of whether they are human or non-human, as long as they are willing to raise their heads and gaze into the sky, he will fly to the rescue of… anyone and anything that requires his help.” I paused for a moment, and added, “That includes you, Mr. Stone.” 

  “For the sake of finding E.X., the Church no longer cares about their means. They have even barged into Sunset City. Do you think that they will stop there?” Mr. Stone softly said, “Charles Endelis, the Church’s main target is you. You are the only non-human who knows E.X.” 

  I froze. 

  Mr. Stone continued, “Madam Sadina is my benefactor. I promised her that I would protect you, but I am unable to do so in the daytime. In the event that Dark Sun is unable to fend off the members of the Church, you would be taken away by the Church and used as a tool to capture E.X. Do you understand your position now?” 

  I fell silent for a moment. Turning around, I saw Dark Sun agilely grab hold of a non-human and dislocate all his joints. Once done, he went off in search of his next target. 

  I said sincerely, “If something like that really were to happen, then I will gaze into the sky and wait.” 

  Mr. Stone laughed involuntarily and said, “You really don’t feel like a vampire. No vampire would await rescue.” 

  I smiled. “I was raised by my honorable human father and have lived in a human household, the butler family, for over fifty years. Moreover, I have watched too many hero movies.” 

  “In the end, you’re even serving a hero.” Mr. Stone smiled as he said, “Charles Endelis, I am full of expectations as to what kind of changes you and the master you serve, who are both in-between human and non-human, will bring to this world. Sigh! I’m getting old. Let this old fellow go back to his rooftop and return to his comfortable life as a statue!” 

  “Thank you for your care, sir.” I gave my heartfelt thanks, and silently thanked my cousin Sadina as well. She always spoiled me too much. 

  Mr. Stone gave a cry skyward and then spread his wings and flew off. 

  Under the caress of the large gust of wind from Mr. Stone’s wings, I saw Dark Sun, First Wind, and Dragon Peace each using their own fighting styles to defeat the non-humans one by one. Occasionally, a non-human would fall down for no apparent reason. I believed that to be Solitary Butterfly’s work. 

  Regardless of whether they were human or non-human, they all fell to the ground. Once the fallen had filled the entire plaza, and virtually no one was standing, the policemen and civilians finally started returning. Abruptly, I remembered that I had to disguise myself as a human. I quickly rubbed my eyes and knelt on the ground, pretending to cough incessantly. 

  Melody walked to my side and without asking anything, joined my charade. 

  At this moment, a man wearing a gas mask dashed over. When he ripped off his mask, it turned out to be Yue Gang. He asked anxiously, “Are you okay? It’s only tear gas. Don’t worry… Okay! I know what you want to ask. I’ve already taken your little brother to a safe place!” 

  I faked two coughs. I was just about to speak when Yue Gang bent close to my ear and asked quietly, “Is the person beside you that fifth sister you spoke of? Why does she look a lot older than twenty? Ah! But she’s really beautiful, especially her figure, which is really top grade! If you have time, introduce us? I am older than her by eight years, but mature men are more dependable!” 

  Actually, Melody is approximately three hundred years older than you. Moreover, I do not think that a person who nearly starves himself to death on a regular basis can be called dependable. 

  On top of that, you’re asking me to introduce her to you with this kind of timing? I simply felt helpless at that and could only alert him, “Your comrades are looking at you.” 

  Yue Gang turned back and noticed the forty or so policemen glaring at him. He coughed several times and shouted loudly, “Surround them! Surround all of them!” 

  Hearing that, the policemen encircled the plaza with their weapons aimed at the humans and non-humans within the plaza. 

  “They are not human!” Anceo coughed as he roared. “This is very obvious now, right? You ought to kill them! Not us!” 

  No movement came from the policemen. Instead, they were looking toward the center of the plaza, where Dark Sun, First Wind, and Dragon Peace stood. Dark Sun did not even spare a glance at Anceo and merely told the many non-humans on the ground, “Those who promise not to fight anymore can leave this place.” 

  The non-humans looked shocked, as though they could not believe they were being spared. Defeat equaled death. That was practically the definition of defeat to the non-humans. 

  “You want to aid the non-humans?” Anceo nearly jumped up at that, and he yelled, “As expected, you are not human either! None of you policemen would follow his words? Right?” 

  Hearing that, hesitation appeared on the faces of the policemen. 

  “Sunset City is my city. I will help all who belong to it,” Dark Sun said in a low voice. “I am also certain that you all are not a part of Sunset City. You have brought a large quantity of weapons into Sunset City, and not only have you provoked the non-humans, you have also provoked the humans! The conditions that I will give you are the same as the ones given to the non-humans. Promise that you will not attack again and will return to the place you belong. Then you may leave.” 

  “If we don’t leave, what do you plan to do about it?” Anceo asked with a cold laugh. “Do you plan to kill us? Who do you think you are? Murder is a crime! Or has this city degraded to the point where murder is taken so lightly?” 

  The heroes remained silent. In particular, Dark Sun’s lips were pursed tightly. Perhaps he was recalling the fact that he was wanted precisely for murder! 

  However, at that very moment, Yue Gang and all of the policemen behind him raised their weapons and aimed… at the Church. 

  Even the civilians watching from the sides dug out their weapons. Although they did not aim their weapons at the Church members, indignation and disgust were openly reflected in their eyes. They started cursing aloud. 

  “It was you guys who attacked Dark Sun last time. He is our hero!” 

  “Now you even dare to threaten our hero! Damn you, you all were obviously the ones who started shooting wildly!” 

  “You guys also made the angel cry!” 

  “You even bad-mouthed our Sunset City!” 

  “Who do you think you are? You think you’re so great just because you drove twenty black cars over?!” 

  The scene simply left me stunned. The non-humans lying on the ground were in a similar state. Whether they were vampires, werewolves, demons… They were all staring blankly at the enraged policemen and people around them. 

  Humans would actually stand on the side of non-humans, and not on the side of the Church, who are also human? 

  The scene also left Anceo flustered in shock. I doubted he had ever encountered humans siding with non-humans, opposing the Church. He nervously called out, “Yina, Yina! Tell them how those vampires mistreated you when you were captured!” 

  Yina was standing among the Church members. When Anceo called her, the others all backed away so that Anceo could see her clearly. However, Yina did not speak a single word. Instead, she kept sneaking peeks at Melody, but her expression showed no hatred. 

  I shot a glance at Melody, and she said quietly, “What are you looking at? Do you think I have a hobby of torturing people? When I captured her, she had plenty of food and sleep. I even taught her how to apply makeup and lent her my pretty clothes!” 

  I nearly broke out into laughter at that. So that’s what happened. 

  Melody said indifferently, “Rather, when I returned her, her comrades were all staring at her with suspicion. I guess they probably thought I had really turned her into my blood thrall.” 

  “She probably will not have a place in the Church anymore,” I lamented. 

  “What’s so bad about that?” Melody did not seem to mind at all as she said, “For a delicate and pretty girl like her, if she would just dress up a little, the number of people attempting to woo her could form a queue an entire street long. Staying in the Church is truly a waste!” 

  Hearing Melody say so, I felt that I had been foolish. Indeed, perhaps Yina could take the chance to find a broader sky. 

  It was just like how I had received setbacks one after another and experienced working under five employers who were all so horrible that I had no choice but to resign. In the end, I had practically given up and resorted to looking for an employer on the streets. Yet, if I had not done so, then how could I have met the young master? 

  I looked at Dark Sun. Now, what will he do? 

  The truth was that he had not moved, not even a single step. A motorcycle drove toward him, and on it was his Death Scythe. He assembled the weapon and raised it high. 

  The Hero Grim Reaper looked at the humans and non-humans lying all over the ground with his coldest and most heartless look. 

  “Scram or die! Make your choice.” 

  That is really not a very difficult choice to make, I thought. 

  Originally, things would not have ended there. The Church would not have given up looking for X, and I was one of the few friends that X had. Therefore, they would not have pulled out of Sunset City unless I had gone with them. 

  As long as the Church did not retreat from Sunset City, the non-humans definitely could not live there peacefully. 

  Even if the heroes were to join forces, it would not have been possible for them to deal with all of the miscellaneous conflicts that would continue between the Church and the non-humans. Everything would have stayed the same as it had been earlier, ending in a stalemate. 

  However, once a certain brother found out what had happened at the plaza, everything was stopped and put to rest. 

  After the young master finished listening to my explanation about how I was the main target of the Church, he contacted the secretary, Mr. Kyle. Through some kind of intricate and complex set of connections, we finally managed to arrange to meet with Anceo for negotiations. 

  At the start of the meeting, I clearly stated, “X is no longer in Sunset City and has not been here for quite a long period of time already. It is also impossible for you all to find where X has headed, for he has always just wandered wherever he pleases. You all have pursued him for over a thousand years, so you should understand that very well.” 

  Anceo froze. 

  Before he could speak, I quickly continued, “If my guess is correct that you plan to capture me to lure X out, please give up!” 

  I smiled. “Believe me, X could take eight to ten years to discover that I have been captured. However, it would take merely eight to ten days for the butler family to find out about it. They would resort to anything to force you all to let me go.” 

  Anceo coldly replied, “Do you think the Church is afraid of the butler family?” 

  “Naturally, I would not think so,” I smiled as I answered. “However, Madam Sadina is not a good target to provoke. I believe that you all have already known this for a long time. Is that not so?” 

  Anceo’s expression abruptly turned very ugly. However, in the next second, his gaze moved to the young master, and he threatened, “It’s best that you leave this vampire! Otherwise, sooner or later, we will find evidence to prove that you are Dark Sun. At that time…” He jeered icily. 

  In response, the young master laughed. When Anceo looked bewildered, the young master indifferently replied, “You can try. Then see what kind of trouble awaits you.” 

  Before Anceo could retort, his cell phone suddenly rang. He answered the call with furrowed brows and repeatedly answered “yes” in a polite tone. Evidently, the person calling was in a very high position. However, the strange thing was that Anceo’s face turned paler by the second. 

  At last, when he ended the call, he was practically expressionless. Stiffly, he stated, “All of the Church members will leave Sunset City within three hours. We will never come back.” 

  I looked at the young master, astonished. The young master was not surprised but merely smiled faintly. 

  Anceo looked at the young master, appearing conflicted. In the end, he did not say anything. He did not even give a goodbye and just turned and left. 

  After he walked several steps, the young master began conversing with me, “Charles, you said that Mr. Stone is a gargoyle, right? Would he hate it if I went to look for him? I really want to go and find him! He can fly! I want to go flying with him…” 

  “This is truly a sick place!” 

  Anceo suddenly turned and shouted angrily, “A sick city! Do you know what a gargoyle is? It’s a monster! To think that you can’t differentiate between humans and monsters. Even if you invited me back, I would never want to step into this dark city ever again!” 

  The young master looked at him, seemingly unable to comprehend why he was angry. 

  “I believe that this is the reason we like Sunset City.” 

  I told Anceo with a faint smile, “Humans who like to modify themselves until they do not look human, and non-humans who enjoy living in the bustling city. All of us are living together. Humans and non-humans are both residents of Sunset City, and we are all a part of Sunset City.” 

  There is still a large difference between non-humans and humans, like that of the sky and the earth. In Sunset City, however, both understand that the other is not a species that is completely impossible to understand, due to their common actions and hopes. When that understanding evolves further, they will be able to tolerate the other’s existence. 

  Perhaps one day, the boundary between humans and non-humans will cease to exist… 

  Raise your heads and believe. The hero will raise his hand, and under the gaze of both humans and non-humans, fly toward the skies.

  No Hero    

  Volume 3, Character Introductions

  Translator: lucathia (proofread by Lala Su, Arcedemius, C/E edited by Raylight) 

  Curtis Christopher: Steward candidate for the butler family. 

  Sadina: The current stewardess of the butler family. Also Charles’s younger cousin. 

  Gong Feng Xiang: Avexila’s childe. A sixth generation vampire. 

  Avexila Endelis: Charles’s mother, a fifth generation vampire. She is also the head of the Endelis clan. 

  Anceo: The leader of one of the teams from the Church’s Sin Elimination Committee. 

  Yina: A member of one of the teams from the Church’s Sin Elimination Committee. 

  Afterword 

  This was yet again a plot puzzle with a bunch of random pieces, which nearly made the author want to commit suicide by face-planting in tofu. 

  It looks like this will more or less be the style that No Hero takes. By that, I mean that each time I write No Hero, I will suffer through the pain of piecing together the huge puzzle that is the plot. 

  Next time, I might want to use noodles to hang myself, and the time after that, I might want to use a mackerel pike to cut my wrists. 

  Although I previously announced that this volume would reveal Melody’s and Charles’s pasts, in the end, I realized that I didn’t really cover much of that. Instead, a bunch of unresolved hints at their pasts showed up… I didn’t even completely finish writing the planned matters involving Gong Feng Xiang and Curtis. 

  You can all find hints in the character introductions—Charles’s mother hasn’t even shown up yet, but she’s included in there! His mother was supposed to show up in this volume, but I didn’t even get around to writing about her! 

  The word count completely exploded on me in this volume. My original plans for the plot seemed to cover too much. Even after my writing exploded on me, I still couldn’t finish writing it. I can only ask everyone to please forgive me! This volume actually doesn’t have a true ending, and will have to continue into the next volume before there is one. 

  Also, the next volume will definitely reveal the pasts of Charles and Melody. Definitely! Please, don’t use tofu to hit me! 

  The third volume of No Hero can actually be considered a divider. Starting from the next volume, it will be very different. First is the change in the subtitles: 

  Volume 1: Vampire Butler 

  Volume 2: The Hero Grim Reaper 

  Volume 3: Non-Human Killer 

  Actually, when I list them out like this, you should be able to guess it more easily. Vampire Butler refers to Charles. The Hero Grim Reaper is An Xiang Ye. Non-Human Killer is actually Melody. (A side note: Some readers have asked me how to pronounce Melody’s name, Yuè Yīn (樂音). Just how is the first character樂pronounced? Actually, all you have to do is pronounce “music (音樂, yīnyuè)” backwards!) 

  With three volumes done, I have also finished introducing the three main characters! So, the next volume’s subtitle will not follow the same format as the first three volumes. 

  Volume 4: The Ancient Vampire Castle 

  The second difference is, starting from that volume, the books will include side stories. The side stories will not use Charles’s first person POV, but will use other ways to show the story to make up for things that Charles cannot see. 

  If I keep on using only Charles’s POV, the author will really need to use tofu to replace her exploding brain. 

  The contents will of course be about Charles’s and Melody’s pasts, matters involving the butler family, and matters involving the Endelis clan. Also, the heroes’ pasts will of course come into play as well, and some things involving the young master and the master… Just with these plans, the plot is already super scattered! 

  (Noodles! Where are the noodles? I want to hang myself!) 

  In addition, No Hero might have six volumes because after writing so far, I’ve realized that I might not be able to finish in five. There are still a bunch of things I haven’t addressed. 

  However, this refers to the main story. Once the main story ends, I might write some side cases. The side cases would not come out regularly, and I don’t know how many volumes they would be, but each volume would have its own ending. 

  These are my current plans for No Hero. 

  I had originally wanted to talk about some things regarding my intentions behind this volume, but after giving it more thought, since this volume continues into the next, I should keep it to myself for now. Otherwise, when you read volume 4, or even if you can’t read the story, you might already guess what the main topic for the next volume will be. 

  This volume is slated to be released just after the New Year, so I’ll take this chance to wish everyone: 

  Happy New Year! May your every day be joyful! 

  By Yu Wo 

  Character Introductions 

  Curtis Christopher 

  Affiliated Family: Butler family 

  Butler Motto: “A butler does not need emotions, does not need his own thinking, and should not have a strong presence.” 

  Gong Feng Xiang 

  Affiliated Family: Endelis clan 

  Vampire Motto: “More than sharp teeth and dangerous claws, beauty is the most powerful weapon.” 

  Avexila Endelis 

  Affiliated Family: Endelis clan 

  Mother’s Motto: “You are my child… as long as you are useful.”


  No Hero    

  Volume 4, Prologue

  Translator: Raylight (proofread by elisa, Rose, C/E edited by Doza, lucathia) 

  I drew open the curtains on the French windows in the living room. It was only five in the morning, so there was not much daylight coming in. The sun had just risen, and it was now the beginning of a new day, a new dawn. 

  As a vampire, I ought to have loathed dawn—sunlight was always what vampires hated the most. For those vampires with higher generation numbers, dawn was not merely the start of a new day. It was practically a symbol of destruction. 

  Even so, for me, dawn was like a type of redemption. 

  I had lost count of how many times I could see hope in the morning sun—be it my honorable father’s calm but resolute expression, or Sadina’s radiant smile… 

  “Charles, would you fall in love with me?” 

  “Charles, Charles?” 

  Hearing her call out repeatedly, even my unwillingness to upset her did not prevent me from steeling my heart and answering, “No, that is definitely not allowed!” 

  I shut my eyes, not wanting to see her disappointed expression. However, I could not keep my eyes shut forever, so when I had prepared myself to face her and once again opened my eyes… 

  The young master’s eyes were wide, and as though at a loss, he fired off a series of questions, “Not allowed? I-I can’t go running? Why? Did something happen?” 

  “…” 

  I quickly explained, “My apologies, Young Master. My mind had merely wandered off, and I did not mean to tell you that it is not allowed.” 

  “Charles can actually become absent-minded too?” The young master asked, stunned. He didn’t look like he minded though. Instead, he asked, full of curiosity, “Then, who are you telling ‘no’ to? What is not allowed?” 

  I was just about to explain when I heard my cell phone ring. I took it out and glanced at it. On the display, it showed that the caller was Sadina. I could not help but feel a little troubled. Taking a personal call in front of the employer was strictly forbidden by the butler’s code of conduct. However, it was Sadina calling, and she would not call me unless it was a serious matter. 

  I looked at the young master, a little hesitant. The young master returned my gaze, and with a slight hint of anxiety in his voice, urged, “Charles, hurry and pick it up, or they’re going to hang up.” 

  Just as the young master finished his words, the phone really did stop ringing. However, this did not come as a surprise to me. Anyone born to an influential family of butlers would know that if they were to call a butler, letting the phone ring too long would be extremely disrespectful. The butler may be in the middle of serving their employer and would not be free to pick up the call. 

  In fact, all butlers know that they should have two cell phones, one for official business and one for private matters. During work, one should not carry their personal cell phone around, of course. Alternatively, they could set their cell phone to vibrate. 

  However, I had not done so. The reason for that was that there were simply too few people who would call me for private matters. It would either be X, who might not give me a single call for ten years, or Sadina, who usually avoided times a butler might be serving their master. 

  Five o’clock in the morning was rarely a time when the employer needed a butler’s services. At that time, the employer was usually still asleep. Our young master was an exception. 

  “Ah!” The young master exclaimed, and he asked anxiously, “The phone hung up. What should we do?” 

  “It is fine. I will call back at a later time.” I smiled and asked, “Young Master, are you going out to exercise now?” 

  The young master looked at me and then lowered his head to look at the cell phone in my hand. After a while, it still seemed like he did not have any intention of going out… I then understood and corrected myself. “It may be an important phone call. Young Master, may I ask for your permission to call back right now?” 

  He immediately nodded his head vigorously. 

  I dialed the number, and the phone immediately picked up. “Sadina, this is Charles.” 

  From the phone, a somewhat hoarse and aged-sounding female voice responded. “I know. Did I wake you?” 

  “No, I am awake.” I looked at the young master, and his face was full of incomparable curiosity. I could not help but find it amusing. “I am currently serving the young master.” 

  “Eh? Then how could you call me back?” 

  “The young master allowed me to do so.” I laughed as I said, “He is very interested in you! Are you interested in conversing with him?” 

  “Of course.” Sadina gave a laugh. “Just hearing you say that he is a good employer is enough to pique my curiosity. After serving him for some time, do you still think he is a good employer?” 

  “Indeed. Moreover, he is even better than what I had thought originally.” After I gave my reply, I pressed the speaker button on the phone and then introduced her to the young master. “Young Master, this is Madam Sadina. She is my cousin and Curtis’s paternal grandmother.” 

  The young master went “Ah,” and respectfully said, “Madam Sadina, nice to meet you. I’m An Xiang Ye.” 

  “Young Master An, nice to meet you. I am Sadina Christopher of the Elysees Family.” 

  Sadina introduced herself, using a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing. It was, however, a little reserved, as she did not know the young master well, so an introduction like this was the right choice. After all, a person who was able to pay an annual salary of twenty million to hire a butler was definitely someone of importance. Being polite was always more suitable than being disrespectful. 

  “Elysees Family?” The young master turned to look at me. He seemed puzzled as he asked, “It’s not the Endelis Clan?” 

  “Endelis is the surname from my mother’s side.” 

  The young master gave an “Oh,” but did not pursue the matter further. 

  Sadina laughed as she said, “Young Master An, may I ask if our Charles’s service is satisfactory?” 

  “Charles is great!” The young master answered without any hesitation, “He is a very good butler, and he’s also very interesting!” 

  “Very interesting?” Sadina started chuckling. “I didn’t know that cousin of mine could be very interesting! I would like to speak more with you to find out how he is interesting. Young Master An, you are currently on summer vacation, right?” 

  “Yeah!” 

  “If you aren’t against it, you are welcome to visit the Elysees Family to play.” 

  “I can really do that?” The young master agreed, ecstatic, “Then, we’ll definitely go over and play!” 

  I did not know if it was because the young master’s curiosity had been satisfied, or if it was due to Sadina’s invitation… The young master handed the phone straight back to me and then happily said, “I’m going to exercise now!” 

  I quickly walked to the entrance and opened the front door for the young master. I watched until the elevator doors closed and then shut the front door. 

  I picked up the call once again. Although I wanted to ask Sadina her reasons for calling me, once she started talking, she rattled off a whole string of questions. I did not get a chance to ask. 

  “Your young master An actually doesn’t know of the Elysees Family? Is it possible that he isn’t actually part of an influential family? Charles, don’t tell me that you lowered your rates for the sake of a good employer? Or do you not charge him at all?” 

  “That is not the case,” I denied immediately. “The young master has indeed given me an annual salary of twenty million. He was also definitely born into an influential family.” 

  If the Sun Emperor’s younger brother could not be not considered a child of an influential family, then there was no one in the world who could. 

  “Is that so? Hmm… He wouldn’t be a prodigal son, would he?” Sadina wondered calmly. “Yes, that’s highly possible. For those born into wealth, as long as they have a little ambition, they tend to care for their reputation a lot. Most wouldn’t go and hire a vampire as a butler.” 

  I sternly denied, “The young master is definitely not a prodigal son!” 

  “Oh? Then which part of the family business is he handling? Even if he is still a university student, for those children of influential families, they should have started learning how to manage a business in high school. How many companies does he have under his name? After he graduates from university, does he intend to work his way up from the bottom, or become one of the higher-ups in the family business immediately?” 

  Sadina’s quick-fire succession of questions was still as powerful as ever. I forced a smile as I answered, “The young master does not intend to take over his family business.” 

  She gave her evaluation without restraint, “Then, to the family, he is a prodigal son! Because he isn’t of any use to the family!” 

  I was silent for a while. Then, I felt my heart ache slightly as I asked, “As someone who has abandoned his family, am I like that to you as well?” 

  I did not imagine that she would still answer without hesitation, “Of course you are! Moreover, you’re a heartless rat, a vampire without a conscience, a useless person who only looks good, and besides being a butler, you’re an idiot who can’t do anything!” 

  “Sadina…” 

  “You better come back to the family immediately! I know that the Endelis Clan has sent vampires to look for you, and the Church is currently keeping you under watch. You better not think about dealing with all of them by yourself. Don’t even think about it! I have already had Curtis arrange everything. If you don’t come back to the family, I will personally bring an entourage to capture you and bring you back! Do you understand, my dear cousin Charles?” 

  Evidently, fifty years was still not enough for the famous “fiery female butler” Sadina to turn into a serene and peaceful granny… 

  I quickly said, “But a vampire from the Endelis Clan is still here. She’s even a sixth generation vampire. I am afraid I cannot shake her off.” 

  “There is no need for you to worry about that anymore. Perhaps you can also go over and confirm if she is still there! Now, do you have any more excuses not to return home?” 

  “No.” I answered with a forced smile, “I understand.” 

  She abruptly roared, “Just understanding is not enough!” 

  “I will go back.” I tacked on a promise. 

  “Still not enough!” 

  “… I swear on the name of my honorable father, I will return home in three days’ time.” 

  Sadina was finally satisfied, and she answered, “Okay, I’ll be waiting for your return.”


  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 1: Dragon Peace, the First Wind Blows Past

  Translator: Raylight (proofread by elisa & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  An Xiang Ye really is Dark Sun! 

  Since I’m in the same class as him, it’s not as if I’ve never suspected him before. After all, silver hair is simply too rare. 

  However, both Leanna and Abner refused to consider the possibility. They said that they always see An Xiang Ye studying earnestly in class every day, unlike me, who sleeps in practically every class. If he was actually Dark Sun, he would have to go out to patrol every night. Since he’s so active at night, he wouldn’t be able to attend classes earnestly like that during the daytime. 

  I agreed with them. To go out patrolling every night was simply too tiring. If it weren’t for Leanna and Abner, who always drag me to school, I would probably skip classes nine out of ten days. 

  Therefore, An Xiang Ye, who always scores full marks on tests, hands in reports that are as thick as a book, and never sleeps in class, should not be Dark Sun. 

  In the end, he really did end up being Dark Sun. 

  According to Charles-gē, once An Xiang Ye returns home, the first thing that he does is complete his homework. Then, he gives his brother a call and talks. Some days, he modifies machines, which is his hobby. Then, he goes to sleep at ten, and wakes up at five to go running… What kind of life is this? 

  If something were to happen at night, he would still become Dark Sun and go out to resolve the issue… Doesn’t he need to sleep? 

  I believe that An Xiang Ye is not merely Dark Sun. In fact, he’s practically an alien! 

  During breakfast, the young master ecstatically announced to everyone that he was going over to my family’s house to play. 

  There was not much of a reaction from Dell or May. Instead, it was Mr. Bramble who reacted so violently that he tore the newspaper he was holding in two. He even jumped to his feet, roaring… Of course, his roar was not directed at the young master, but at me. “You’re bringing the young master into vampire territory?” 

  “That is not it. I am going back to the butler household of the Elysees Family.” In order to completely and thoroughly remove any doubts in Mr. Bramble’s mind, I revealed the name of my family. 

  “Elysees?” Mr. Bramble froze for a moment, and then asked in a disbelieving tone of voice, “You’re from the Elysees Family?” 

  “Indeed.” 

  This time, Dell was the one who reacted, spitting out a mouthful of cola. He then shouted, “Oh my god! Elysees!” 

  “What is with the Elysees Family? Why are you all so shocked?” The young master was bursting with curiosity. 

  May replied seriously, “Young Master, Elysees is a very famous family. Although they do not stand out and are not a famous economic organization, they are an influential family of butlers and have an ancient history. Almost all of the families that are even a little known will hire butlers from that family. There’s even the saying, ‘If you don’t have a butler from the Elysees family, you can’t be considered a truly influential household.’” 

  “That’s how the influence of the Elysees family spreads throughout the whole world!” Dell screamed, “Everyone knows that if you’re seeking death, go and aggravate the Sun Emperor, the Church, or the Elysees. You’re bound to die with one hundred percent certainty!” 

  The young master went “oh, oh” loudly, and he looked just as excited as Dell. He even mimicked Dell and looked at me with eyes of idolization. 

  However, I felt that regarding this, the young master had no need for excitement or idolization since he was the Sun Emperor’s younger brother. In terms of power, the Sun Emperor is definitely ahead of the Elysees Family, and is even leading by a large margin. 

  Mr. Bramble inquired seriously, “Are you from the main family or a branch family?” 

  I fell silent, feeling a little at a loss as to how I should answer that question. However, under the gazes of those present, I could only truthfully admit, “I am the head of the family in name. Madam Sadina, who is currently managing the affairs of the family, is actually the surrogate head. However, the number of people who know about this is less than ten. It is possible that not even the Sun Emperor is aware of this.” 

  The truth was that Sadina had already been managing the family for fifty years. Even those within the family who were aware of this would be unlikely to treat me as the head. Even I did not think of myself as the head. 

  Ever since I had let Sadina take over as the surrogate head, and I had left the Elysees Family, I had not once thought of myself as the head. 

  “Mr. Butler.” 

  Dell suddenly grabbed my hand and said in an extremely sincere voice, “Sir, I must let you know that the usual fooling around with you is for the sake of creating a bit more entertainment in life. Poking fun at you is for the sake of making the young master happy, and when I often knock over drinks and make you clean up the floor, it is because exercise is good for the body and soul… Actually, I truly respect and love you, sir!” 

  Pfffttt! The young master burst into laughter, and was laughing so hard that he fell sprawled onto the table. May, on the other hand, looked at Dell with eyes of disdain. 

  Mr. Bramble sat back down, picked up the torn newspaper, and continued reading. He even grumbled, “What the heck, we discover dangerous secrets every day. The Sun Emperor, Elysees… the Church better not be involved too! Otherwise, this apartment would basically be the most dangerous place in the world!” 

  “If that is the case, your status is not lower than that of the young master’s.” May looked at me, and he seemed uneasy. “Although the influence of the Elysees Family probably cannot compete with the Sun Emperor’s, you are the head while the young master is merely the Sun Emperor’s younger brother.” 

  I quickly explained, “I really am not considered the head anymore. It is highly unlikely that anyone would listen to me unless it was under Sadina’s orders to do so.” Pausing for a moment, I looked at Dell, finding it a little amusing as I said, “Rather than showing me respect, you should respect Curtis a little more. He is Sadina’s grandson and also the next surrogate head. He is the truly influential one here.” 

  Dell froze, and his expression changed greatly. He looked extremely alarmed, and May even patted his shoulder as if to comfort him. The young master once again broke into laughter. I felt perplexed at this. 

  The young master continued laughing for a while, and then he explained to me, while still laughing, “Last time, when Curtis was in charge of taking care of me, Dell kept fussing about how his breakfast didn’t have the least bit of variety, and said that Curtis’s expression was like that of a wooden puppet. He even said that his style of glasses was outdated, and a lot of other things… Hahaha!” 

  Looking at Dell, who appeared as though the sky had just fallen down, I broke into a smile as well. Curtis was indeed a little solemn. It was hard to imagine that Sadina would raise a child with such a reserved personality. It was likely that most of Curtis’s education was not personally conducted by her. 

  “When are we going over?” As always, Mr. Bramble was very good at going to the heart of the matter. 

  “In three days.” 

  “Three days? Then, there are a lot of things to do!” The young master happily listed, “I have to go and tell Luo Chu-gē that the advertisements have to be postponed, and I have to go adjust DSII. He’s recently spent too much time as a motorcycle and can’t control a human body as well as before. I have to re-adjust him before he can pretend to be Dark Sun. I also have to go report to my brother… Oh right, I have to inform Aren too.” 

  I advised, “Why not have Aren come along too? He needs a distraction.” 

  The young master hesitated for a moment, but still nodded his head in agreement. 

  Distracting him was part of the reason I wanted him to come along. Another was because I hoped that the young master and Aren would be able to interact more with each other. They were both heroes and were similar in age. Nothing would be better than if the two of them became friends. 

  “Then, I will stand guard here, in case any emergencies happen.” Mr. Bramble turned to tell May, “May, you stay here with me.” 

  May nodded his head. 

  I also felt that this arrangement was ideal. In terms of playmates, Dell was definitely a better choice than May. 

  The young master suddenly gave a cry, “That’s right, there’s still Briar! Bramble-shū, can I bring Briar along?” 

  “That’s fine. It saves me the trouble of having that child pester me all day to go out and play.” 

  After saying that, Mr. Bramble buried his head into the newspaper. However, I smiled at that. I simply did not believe that a sensible child like Briar would pester him all day to go out and play. 

  As soon as the details of the trip were settled, the young master started to eat hastily. Roughly ten minutes later, he put down his utensils and announced, “I’m full. Now it’s time to go look for everyone! First of all, the nearest one is… Aren.” He paused for a moment and turned to ask, “Charles, could you go with me?” 

  The young master looked a little nervous. I gave it some thought. Could it be that the young master still minds the fact that Aren said that he “hated him?” 

  This made me feel a little bewildered. That was because after that incident, Dragon Peace had gone to help the young master. Moreover, in the end, he had also come back to this apartment. He had also accepted the young master’s arrangements, and was willing to stay in the apartment next to us… Does the young master not understand that this is an “indication” of Aren’s apology as well as a show of his goodwill? 

  If that was the case, then I should indeed follow him. If there was an opportunity to, I would like to help the young master understand that Aren actually did not hate him. 

  “Very well.” 

  We walked over to the apartment next to us. The young master knocked on the door, a little nervous. It was not too long before the door opened. The young master immediately asked, “Aren, we’re going to travel. Do you want to come with us?” 

  Aren was only wearing a pair of boxers, and he looked drowsy, as though he had not gotten enough sleep. “Where to?” 

  “Charles’s house.” 

  Aren looked at me, and then nodded his head, saying, “Wait a moment.” 

  Roughly ten minutes later, Aren opened the door again and walked out of his apartment. He was carrying a backpack and said simply, “Let’s go.” 

  Has he misunderstood something? Just as I was puzzling over it, the young master actually gave an “oh” and then said, “Okay, let’s go!” 

  Then, the young master knocked on Melody’s door, shouting, “Melody, Melody, can you lend me your car? I want to take Charles and Aren to Luo Chu-gē’s studio.” 

  Melody opened the door. She was only wearing sheer purple pajamas, and her figure was clearly visible through it. Moreover, she was not wearing a bra. Thankfully, she was hugging a small lacy bolster, which just barely covered the critical areas. 

  Aren stared at her, unable to tear his eyes away. 

  Melody rubbed her eyes and complained, “Young Master, I’m so sleepy!” 

  “If you’re sleepy, then go to bed!” The young master answered as a matter of fact. 

  “Alright! Then accompany me to bed.” Melody gave a silly smile as she said, “You have to strip naked!” 

  Aren drew in a sharp breath, and the young master tilted his head to the side, saying, “But the metal cabin can’t fit two people, right? The width wouldn’t allow for two.” 

  Young Master, did you overlook it, or did you not mind the two words “strip naked?” 

  Melody giggled as she said, “It’s tall enough! If we lie on top of each other, we’d fit!” 

  Aren suddenly covered his nose and crouched on the floor. 

  As a young and healthy university student, Aren’s reaction was rather normal. I looked at the young master, who only had a perplexed expression on his face, as if he did not understand the situation. Despite being faced with an absolutely gorgeous, half-naked vampire, he was neither shy nor embarrassed. It looks like the young master is still a long way from being a normal boy. 

  I sighed and said, “Young Master, I believe that Melody might have gone to the nightclub yesterday and is therefore drunk. Please wait briefly. I will put her to bed and find the car keys.” 

  The young master gave a nod of his head, and I pulled Melody into her room. I inquired as to where she had placed her keys, and after I got the answer out of her with much difficulty, I spent tremendous amounts of strength and effort to get her into the metal cabin. She almost even pulled me in along with her. When I closed the door of the cabin, I really felt as though I had just fought a difficult battle. 

  I took the car keys and walked out of the room, reporting to the young master, “We may go now.” 

  Aren merely stared at me blankly. On the other hand, after taking a glance at me, the young master laughed so hard that he crouched on the floor, hugging his stomach. 

  I felt a little puzzled and looked down at my clothes. Although Melody had pulled at and messed up my clothes just now, I had already tidied up before I had come out. Could it be that there is still something strange? 

  “Young Master, may I ask if there is something improper about me?” 

  At this point, Aren started to snigger too. 

  The young master pointed at my face and said with a huge smile, “C-Charles, on your face, there are a ton of lipstick marks!” 

  The young master drove to the studio. Once we arrived, Aren raised his head and looked at the building for a while before he turned to me and said in a confused tone, “I thought all vampires lived in ancient castles in the mountains.” 

  As expected, he had misunderstood. I explained, “The trip will be happening in three days. Right now, we are merely looking for someone. The young master is filming commercials, and this is his workplace.” 

  Aren froze, and then he nodded his head a little awkwardly. He said in a small voice, “Sorry, I kind of blanked out.” 

  I smiled, and then asked a little jokingly, “Is it because you woke up too early? May I inquire as to what time you usually get out of bed?” 

  Aren said grudgingly, “The earliest is nine-thirty! I always sleep really late at night, and I’m really tired…” 

  I nodded my head to show understanding. Heroes had to go out and take care of incidents at night. Therefore, not only do they sleep late, they would have a high amount of activity. So, I could understand if they were unable to climb out of bed in the mornings. The only hero who could be so lively at eight o’clock in the morning was probably the young master. 

  The young master energetically jumped up the stairs and then knocked on the door of the studio with a lot of force. Ah Da, who came to answer the door, also looked like he wanted to go back to sleep. Today, it seems like everyone did not have enough sleep… Ah! That’s right. Today is Monday. The weekends have always been the period when law and order is the most chaotic, and is also the period when the heroes are up to their ears in work. 

  Ah Da said with an absent-minded expression, “Ji Luo Chu is most likely still sleeping in his bed. But since he lives upstairs, we can just call him down.” 

  Following that, another absent-minded person was added to the party, in the form of Ji Luo Chu. 

  I could only ask if anyone needed coffee. Other than the young master, everyone raised both their hands, indicating that they needed at least two cups. 

  As I brewed the coffee, the young master told Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da about the plans to go traveling. 

  “You are going to travel?” 

  The young master nodded his head, saying, “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for, but I’ll definitely be back before school starts.” 

  “Oh, is that so? Traveling seems really nice…” Ji Luo Chu answered in a daze. Following that, he was startled by Ah Da’s scream of “You’re going traveling? Do you know how many commercials there are to shoot? Even if we don’t waste any time to re-charge, we still won’t be able to finish!” 

  Ah Da continued his shrieks by himself for a period of time. It was only after I passed the coffee to Ji Luo Chu and he had drunk several mouthfuls of it that he then woke up from his slumber and started yelling together with Ah Da, “You’re going traveling?” 

  The young master seemed to be a little shocked by their reactions. He stared at the two of them blankly. I then quickly tried to explain, “Recently, we have been doing a lot of commercials, so it is high time that we should be taking a break.” 

  “The commercials aren’t the problem! It’s fine even if we make those people requesting for commercials wait! But, if you were to go traveling, then how are we going to deal with the east district?” 

  Ji Luo Chu said agitatedly, “Moreover, Dragon Peace doesn’t appear in the daytime. You can’t possibly expect me to oversee the eastern, western, and southern districts during the day, do you? Recently, Ah Da has been busy turning the photos taken last time into print commercials, and doesn’t have any spare time to help me monitor the surveillance cameras. How am I supposed to take care of three-quarters of Sunset City by myself? Even half would be pushing it!” 

  “What did you say?” Aren suddenly shouted. 

  At this point, everyone’s attention fell on Aren, and the young master gave an “ah.” 

  Ji Luo Chu seemed on guard as he questioned, “Who are you?” Following that, he turned back to look at the young master and asked, “Ah Ye? Is this someone that you brought?” 

  The young master was evidently at a loss as to what to do, with both Ji Luo Chu and Aren staring at him. He merely faced me helplessly, and then all of their gazes turned to me. 

  I smiled. With my left hand gesturing to Aren, I introduced him to the other two, “This is Aren, the young master’s university classmate. At the same time, he is also whom you know as the ‘The Beast, Dragon Peace.’” 

  Ji Luo Chu’s and Ah Da’s mouths fell open. 

  I extended my right hand and gestured to Ji Luo Chu, explaining to Aren, “This person here is Ji Luo Chu, the young master’s photographer. He is also whom you know as ‘The Aristocrat, First Wind.’” 

  This time, it was Aren’s turn to widen his eyes. 

  I looked at both parties that were struck dumb and smiled as I said, “As of this moment, we are just lacking Solitary Butterfly to gather the Four Great Heroes in this studio.” 

  As I recalled the time when the Four Great Heroes had combined forces to stop the battle between the non-humans and the Church, I truly felt that the day when they would all gather together was perhaps not too far off. 

  “Sorry, I forgot that you two didn’t know each other’s identities.” 

  The young master looked very upset. Ji Luo Chu quickly comforted him, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to know Dragon Peace’s identity for quite some time. We’ve been working together for a while now, but I couldn’t figure out his identity, and it piqued my interest. Therefore, Ah Ye, you have answered a very big question of mine!” 

  After hearing Ji Luo Chu say this, the young master was not worried about him anymore. However, following that, he quickly looked toward Aren nervously. Originally, he had already been somewhat at a loss as to how to deal with Aren, and now he could barely lift his head to look at him. He mostly kept his head down, taking cautious peeks at him out of the corner of his eye. 

  Aren, however, did not notice the young master. He looked at First Wind and confirmed once again, “Are you really First Wind?” 

  “Yes.” Ji Luo Chu admitted straightforwardly. He also sized up Aren curiously and then praised, “I didn’t think that Dragon Peace would actually be so young. I originally thought that you should be about the same age as me, since you tend to handle situations rationally and not recklessly like young people tend to do.” 

  The corners of Aren’s lips curved up slightly. I could tell that he was very happy to hear that. 

  “Thank you.” He thanked Ji Luo Chu. 

  Ji Luo Chu was stunned for a moment, and then said with a smile, “I wasn’t praising you, just merely stating the truth.” 

  “No, I am really thankful to you.” 

  “You’re really too polite, haha…” Ji Luo Chu gave a dry laugh, and he seemed to be at a loss as to how to communicate with Aren, just like the young master. 

  Aren once again thanked him with all his sincerity, “Thank you for saving me.” 

  Ji Luo Chu froze. At this moment, Aren’s expression looked a little uneasy. As he spoke, his voice became softer. “In a bank robbery case five years ago, I was held hostage by the robbers. The moment they left the area sealed off by the police, they pushed me off the cliff at the side of a highway. You climbed down to save me and sent me to the hospital. You even got swamped by the media because of that, and nearly couldn’t escape…” 

  Ji Luo Chu blurted, “You were the high-schooler who was roaring in front of the media to seek revenge for your mother?” 

  “You remember me?” Aren looked a little shocked at that, but he also seemed to be a little happy. 

  Ji Luo Chu nodded his head, and he said with some awkwardness, “Yeah. When I read the news, it said that your father had had an early demise, and your mother had died under the gun of the robbers at that time. I was only a little, tiny bit worried. So I asked around a bit about your life, and know that you received compensation money from the insurance company and were able to get by with it. That’s all.” 

  “That’s all?” Ah Da muttered, “If you hadn’t found out about the compensation money, you would have wanted to go and adopt a high school son at the mere age of twenty-three.” 

  Ji Luo Chu gave Ah Da a heavy blow with his knee, causing the latter to be in so much pain that his face contorted. 

  Aren lowered his head, and he seemed to somewhat choke with emotion as he said, “Thank you…” 

  Ji Luo Chu was so flustered that he started rambling, “It’s no problem! I-I didn’t do much, just merely saved you. H-Heroes are supposed to save people anyways! As for the matter of adoption, I only thought about it, but didn’t really go and do so in the end. So don’t listen to Ah Da’s nonsense! I-I’m not that good-hearted! I already have a little brother, Luo Lun. If I added you, then I’d just have another little brother. Even though having another one wouldn’t be much difference, b-but there’s still a diff—Ahhhh! What am I saying!” 

  Ah Da started roaring in laughter. The young master tried his best to refrain from laughing, but his smile grew larger and larger. In the end, even Aren who still had his head lowered started sniggering. 

  “I already knew Leanna and Abner back in high-school. We were in different classes, so I wasn’t very familiar with them. However, they were famous for being research maniacs. The entire school knew about them. At that time, my mother, s-she was killed by a robber firing a gun at her. The only one I had left, my mother… For the sake of revenge, I begged Leanna and Abner to use their medicine that was still in testing on me.” 

  Aren paused for a moment, and then he truthfully admitted, “But they refused. I was the one who stole the medicine while they weren’t paying attention, and then I used it on myself.” 

  Hearing that, the young master was stunned. 

  “So that is how it is.” Ji Luo Chu nodded his head, saying, “I still remember, Dragon Peace’s first appearance was to catch those kidnappers that had escaped and throw them to the police station.” 

  “You didn’t kill them?” The young master suddenly asked. 

  Hearing this, Aren raised his head to look at the young master. His expression twisted, and he growled, “I wanted to… I really wanted to kill them! I beat them up thoroughly and was completely unable to stop. I wanted to beat them to death! B-But Leanna and Abner stopped me, or else I definitely would have killed them!” 

  “You have done very well.” Ji Luo Chu patted Aren’s shoulder and comforted, “Let the law punish them!” 

  Evidently, Aren was consoled by his words. He nodded his head with his eyes red. 

  However, the young master said in a quiet voice, “Is that so? But if someone killed my brother, I would definitely kill them. No one would be able to stop me.” 

  “Ah Ye!” Ji Luo Chu stood up. 

  The young master raised his head to look at Ji Luo Chu, but he had no intentions to change his words. Although the latter had an expression as if to condemn him, he looked at the young master for a while and silently sat back down. His expression was very grave, yet he still did not say a single word to criticize the young master. 

  This instead made me feel that it was a pity. There was practically no one by the young master’s side who could criticize him. Even if his personality was mature, the young master was still a young man in his early twenties. Moreover, he was not very familiar with the ways of the world. Therefore, he was very much in need of someone older to reprimand him. The problem was, however, that although everyone at home was older than the young master, they were all the young master’s employees. As for the actual elder, the master pampered the young master. Therefore, there was no one who would reprimand him. 

  At this point, Aren suddenly asked, “Ah Ye, are you also only left with your brother?” 

  The young master turned to look at him and nodded. 

  “But are you not scared of taking a life?” After Aren finished his question, he then answered it himself, “That’s right, you have already killed someone before… How did it feel the first time you killed someone?” 

  The young master fell silent for a long time. Then, he said indifferently, “The first person that I killed was my father.” 

  All those present in the room widened their eyes at that, with the exception of me. That was because I had already heard the young master talk about this matter. 

  “As for how it felt…” The young master’s gaze seemed to be far away, as though he was lost in the memory. He continued, “At first, it was extremely painful. Afterwards, there was a long period of time when my only thought was that I had ’no regrets.’ In the end, I was very upset, very very upset…” 

  “Then…” Aren seemed to hesitate, but he still could not resist asking, “Do you regret it now?” 

  “No!” The young master’s face suddenly darkened, and his tone went cold, just like the voice of “Dark Sun.” He growled, “I had to kill my father. For the sake of protecting my brother, I had to kill him! I will never regret, and cannot regret… I definitely don’t regret doing so!” 

  “Young Master,” I called out and put my hand on the young master’s shoulder. 

  The young master trembled a little, and then finally relaxed his expression. He looked at Aren and Ji Luo Chu, who were both stunned and dazed. 

  The young master lowered his head, not looking at them anymore. He said softly, “Although I was very upset, I don’t regret it. Even if my father were to come back to life once more, I would kill him again. Because if my father were to hurt my brother, I would be very, very upset. In the absence of a happy choice, I can only choose the option that would make me less sad… Was it right to do so?” 

  At that point, he suddenly lifted his head, and seemed to be a little distraught as he asked, “Luo Chu-gē, was that right?” 

  The moment he was asked that, Ji Luo Chu immediately started to panic. He seemed to be extremely troubled by it, and neither nodded nor shook his head. 

  “Young Master.” 

  The young master turned and stared at me blankly. 

  “Your milk.” With a smile, I served him a cup of warm milk. 

  He gave an “oh” and started drinking once he took the cup. With a smile, I said, “Young Master, I have a suggestion that I would like you to hear. After visiting my family, should we go and visit the master as well?” 

  The young master froze for a moment, and then said a little guiltily, “That’s right! I nearly forgot to go and see my brother. No wonder the last time I called, he kept asking me what I was going to do next. Good thing that you reminded me, or my brother is going to sulk again. Hmm, it’s best to bring a present back. Every time he receives a present, my brother looks so happy!” 

  I immediately suggested, “How about you give the X-Killer catalogue from last time to the master?” 

  Upon hearing that suggestion, the young master immediately nodded his head happily. 

  I turned around and picked up the coffeepot. As I filled up Ji Luo Chu’s cup of coffee, I requested, “Then, when the young master and Aren are not around, we will have to trouble you to please look after Sunset City.” 

  Ji Luo Chu said in gratitude, “No problem… Ah!” At the last part, he instead let out a cry. 

  I was stunned. Ji Luo Chu stammered, “Y-You’re saying that both Ah Ye and Aren are going traveling? T-Then, doesn’t it mean that both ’Dark Sun’ and ’Dragon Peace’ are going on vacation? So during the night, Dragon Peace won’t even be around to help me look after the southern district? So I have to look after the east, west, and south for the entire day?” 

  At this point, he clutched his head and yelled, “Before you all go for vacation, you might as well kill me first!” 

  “Oh? Really?” As the young master spoke, he raised his right hand. Long silver nails suddenly extended from his fingers. 

  Ji Luo Chu stared at the metal nails and stuttered, “A-Ah Ye, I was joking…” 

  The young master laughed. 

  “Me too.” 

  After promising Ji Luo Chu that Dark Sun would not vanish and would be taken over by DSII, he finally agreed unwillingly that he would help out a little more during that time period. However, his condition was that before we leave, the young master must film commercials all day and night. The other was that when they were shooting, Dragon Peace, Melody, and DSII had to help look after the western, eastern, and southern parts of Sunset City. 

  When I went to pick up the young master three days later, he was still jumping about in a lively manner. Rather, it was Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da who looked just like… just like Mr. An Te Qi. 

  Seeing the two’s weary appearances, I was a little worried as I asked, “Young Master, after filming without rest for three days straight, you ought to be tired, right? Would you like to rest for a bit before we leave?” 

  The young master, however, shook his head. He replied, “I still slept for an hour every day, though I didn’t sleep on the first day because I had to adjust DSII. But I’m not tired! This is only a light exercise. I can even go for five days without sleep, and my bodily functions wouldn’t be affected.” 

  When the young master waved goodbye to them, Ah Da only had his eyes half-open, and Ji Luo Chu had already fallen asleep while leaning on the doorframe. 

  When we arrived home, Curtis had already arranged a minibus for us. The vehicle did not look luxurious and was a very common car model. The moment Melody saw it, she started shouting that she wanted to go back and drive her own car, but I managed to convince her from doing so. That was because her car was simply too attention grabbing. If any non-humans or humans were to follow us, it would cause us a lot of trouble. 

  Curtis walked up to me and reported, “Master Endelis, we will take the car out of the city first. Afterwards, we will transfer to a small aircraft back to our family estate.” 

  I gave a nod at that, and then Curtis went to personally open the door. I turned around and said respectfully, “Young Master, please step inside the car.” 

  The young master hugged Briar and carried her in, the both of them laughing. Following that was Melody, Aren, Dell, and finally, it was Curtis’s and my turn. 

  Before getting in the car, I turned around to look at the building. Although this was not the ancient castle that I had always yearned for, I now felt that this building was also a rather good place. 

  “Charles.” 

  I turned around and inquired with a smile, “Yes, Young Master. What might you need of me?” 

  The young master revealed a brilliant smile as he urged, “Hurry up and come on! Dell says we’re tossing dice and betting on whether it’s big or small, and you’re going to be the dealer!” 

  “Very well.” 

  “What are we going to bet with?” The young master asked, seeming very excited. 

  Briar suggested while giggling, “Hehe, how about the person who loses goes and kisses Curtis-shūshu on the face?” 

  Curtis evidently did not think this was a good idea. Although he had been keeping an expressionless face all along, his face suddenly twitched. However, he still did not raise his voice to protest. 

  “Then, the winner can go and kiss Melody-jiě on the cheek!” The young master turned to ask Melody, “Is that okay?” 

  Melody puckered her lips, saying, “Even on the lips is fine!” 

  “Then, I’m definitely going to win!” Dell jumped to his feet, yelling. 

  I got on the car, and the entire car was filled with the laughter of the young master, Briar, and Dell. Aren looked at them, seeming a little exasperated. To the side, Melody had her feet up on the hand rest of the seat and was painting her toenails a vivid shade of blue. 

  I did not turn back to look at the building anymore. After all, what was left there was merely an empty shell. The most important contents were already in the car. 

  After the young master kissed Melody over thirty times, Briar kissed her over ten times, and even Aren kissed her thrice with his face red, but Dell kissed Curtis with a crying face fifty-something times, the bus finally reached its destination. It was a privately owned airport in the outskirts. 

  After the bus stopped, I gazed out of the window. There were no aircrafts on the runway, and it looked like the plane had yet to arrive. However, that was something that should not happen. The moment we arrived, the aircraft should have been on the runway waiting for us. 

  I looked at Curtis. He still remained expressionless, but he bowed as he apologized, “My sincere apologies, Master Endelis. Something appears to have happened to the aircraft. Please allow me to contact the control tower.” 

  I nodded my head. Curtis then took out his cell phone and made a call. However, it seemed like he did not receive a response. This time, he actually frowned, and after informing me, he got off the bus to head toward the tower. 

  The young master spoke. “Curtis’s mouth pursed together one millimeter, and the space between his brows decreased by two millimeters. He seems to be a little unhappy! What’s wrong?” 

  “It is because the aircraft is late. Being a butler, Curtis ought to have arranged for the transport to arrive before the master. The master’s time is absolutely not to be wasted. Therefore, no matter what the reason is for the aircraft being delayed, it is still his mistake.” 

  I bowed to the young master as I said, “But since I was the one who handed over the arrangements to Curtis to deal with, this is also considered my mistake. I am truly sorry for wasting the young master’s time.” 

  “That’s fine!” The young master didn’t seem to be bothered as he said, “We’re not in a rush, so it’s fine even if we have to wait a bit.” 

  “The plane is coming, the plane is coming!” Briar excitedly patted the young master’s shoulder, yelling, “Look over there, the plane is flying so low to the ground!” 

  The young master immediately turned around, and I too did the same. As expected, there was indeed a plane flying in our direction. This relieved me, for thankfully we had not made the young master wait a long time. 

  “There’s something not quite right with the plane!” the young master suddenly shouted and dashed off the bus. 

  Not quite right? I could not think about it much and quickly followed the young master off the bus. Right at this moment, the aircraft happened to fly over our heads and was so close that it was barely a few stories above us. On the belly of the plane, I saw a giant red bowtie painted there. That was the emblem of the Elysees. Sure enough, this aircraft was the one we were to take. 

  “Charles!” 

  I turned to the young master, who was shouting to me. Although I tried to decipher his words, the aircraft was simply too loud for me to hear him clearly. 

  “The plane didn’t put out its wheels! It won’t be able to land like this…” 

  I finally managed to hear what the young master was saying. However, at the same time, I noticed something that was worse than the plane not extending its wheels. The plane did not land onto the runway, but rather it headed directly toward the control tower. Before it crashed into the tower, the plane seemed to attempt to swerve away, but just when the plane body tilted a little, the left side crashed onto the tower. The tower instantly collapsed, and the wings of the aircraft also broke into two… 

  “Curtis!” 

  The young master gave a cry, and then started running in a flash. At this point, I then noticed that there was a shadowed figure under the tower, trying his best to run away. However, the tower above was crumbling faster than he was running… Curtis! 

  I mustn’t let Sadina’s grandson die! That was the only thought running through my brain. 

  Slide steps, slide steps… I appeared in front of Curtis. He was stunned but did not have the time to stop, and therefore collided into me. I took the opportunity to carry him, and then immediately used my slide steps to escape upon turning back. 

  I did not know how many times I had used my slide steps. My legs suddenly went soft, and I tripped so hard that Curtis flew out of my hands. 

  I used my hands to prop myself up and was greeted with the sight of the young master upon lifting my head. His eyes were wide as he spoke in disbelief, “Charles, y-you’re really fast!” 

  As he spoke, the young master reached out to pull both Curtis and me to our feet. In the midst of it though, I fell to the ground once again. Although I really wanted to stand up, I could not feel any strength in my knees. In the end, I could only remain half-kneeling on the floor. Just as I was puzzling over why I was not able to stand, sudden sounds of explosions continuously rang out. 

  I looked toward the source of the sound. Within the sea of smoke and flames, we could see the huge remains of the tower close by, and a little further off was the aircraft that had broken into three… 

  The young master’s voice was serious as he said, “Charles, call an ambulance.” After that, he shouted behind him, “Dragon Peace!” 

  A tremendous roar was the reply from the latter.

  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 2: Yue Gang, the Strongest of the Weakest

  Translated: Raylight (proofread by elisa & Trespasserby; C/E edited by Amgine & lucathia) 

  The four of us played the game together, only fifty times in total. An Xiang Ye, you alone won thirty-something times. What’s going on? This is only a dice throw and betting on whether it’s big or small. It’s only a matter of luck and doesn’t require any skill. 

  An Xiang Ye, as expected, you are an alien! 

  However, not winning even once might be even more formidable than winning thirty times… 

  Dell-gē, you’re also an alien, right? 

  I called the ambulance, and afterwards, I tried standing up again. This time, I finally succeeded, but both my legs still felt a little strange. It felt as though I had just run an extremely long distance and was a bit shaky as a result. 

  “Master Endelis, are you well?” 

  I turned around and saw that Curtis’s expression still held traces of alarm and doubt. I believed that a smile would be able to calm him down, but I was not able to smile. As such, I could only give up, and I asked him directly, “Are you hurt?” 

  Curtis shook his head and answered, “I have contacted the family. Madam Sadina is extremely furious right now. She is very worried about you and wishes to speak with you.” 

  He passed over the cell phone, and the moment I received it, an anxious shout came over, “Charles? Cousin?” 

  I promptly answered, “I am here. Do not worry, Curtis is fine too.” 

  Over the phone, Sadina let out a sigh of relief. At this moment, I looked about, slightly worried. At first glance, I noticed Dragon Peace was currently moving a large piece of debris from the tower. Dell was also moving about in that area. It seemed like they were looking for survivors. However, I did not see any sign of the young master, and even Melody was gone without a trace. Instead, I saw Briar at Curtis’s side. She was sprawled next to him, looking extremely frightened with tear tracks on her cheeks. 

  As soon as she spotted me, she jumped into my open arms. As I patted her back, I asked, “Bri, where are the young master and Melody?” 

  Briar said softly, “Ah Ye-gē and Melody-jiě went over to the plane. They told me not to look…” 

  I immediately looked toward the plane that had broken into three pieces. However, due to the far distance and the smoke permeating the air, I was unable to see where the young master and Melody were at all. Though sounds of explosions rang out from time to time, I believed that with their abilities, they would probably be fine. 

  I gently rubbed the back of Briar’s head. One reason was to console her. The other was to bury her face in my chest so as to prevent her from seeing anything unpleasant. 

  “Cousin?” 

  I picked up the cell phone and said with some regret, “I am here. Sadina, I am afraid that the prospects for those who were on the plane are grim.” 

  “That’s not important. It’s okay as long as you are fine. You are the last Elysees. If anything were to happen to you, I really wouldn’t know how to tell your father and my deceased mother.” 

  Hearing that, I felt a little at a loss as to how to react. 

  “Also, you absolutely mustn’t go and try to rescue them. The plane crashing was definitely not an accident. It could have been caused by non-humans, and the plane crash might not have been able to kill them. Who knows, they might be waiting in ambush…” 

  Hearing this, I immediately tossed the cell phone to Curtis. At the same time, I ordered him, “Take care of Briar, and by all means, do not come over!” 

  Once Curtis took Briar into his arms, I immediately left the place using slide steps. However, using it merely once made my legs so shaky that I nearly fell over. Hence, I could only switch over to running. 

  On the way, there were scattered parts of the plane everywhere. When I reached the crash site, there was thick smoke filling the air with flames all around. Sounds of explosions still rang out from time to time. I could only shout, “Young Master? Young Master?” 

  Urgh… 

  Young Master? I looked in all directions and realized that the sound had most likely come from under a certain piece of debris. I anxiously pushed it away. Indeed, there was someone underneath it, but it was not the young master. This made me heave a sigh of relief, but I still felt a little nervous, for I still did not know if the young master had truly encountered an ambush. 

  However, I could not just abandon this person. He was someone from the Elysees family, one of my family members. 

  I carefully turned the man over and then dragged him out from under the debris. However, upon dragging him out of there, I realized that he had received major injuries on his left side. A large part of his left shoulder was sliced off, and his left hand was completely gone. As for his left leg, it was all broken starting from halfway down his thigh. 

  I felt rather regretful. Though this person was not dead yet, he probably would not live long. I looked at the clothes he was clad in, and though they were filthy and damaged, it was indeed the standard uniform of the Elysees family. 

  “Traitor…” 

  I froze and asked in confusion, “What?” 

  He turned to look at me, his gaze already losing focus. However, he opened his mouth and attempted to get the words out at all costs, “Family… there’s…. a traitor, cannot… let him…” 

  Suddenly, light footsteps came from behind me. I abruptly turned back, and at the same time, extended my nails. 

  “Charles?” The young master looked at me with a surprised face. Afterwards, he instead looked past me. “Eh? There’s a survivor… Oh no!” 

  The young master rushed over and took the person from my arms. He started to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, but after doing so a few times, he stopped. Looking at the person’s injuries, he sighed and then slowly placed the lifeless body onto the ground. 

  “Young Master!” I quickly told him Sadina’s speculations in full detail. 

  The young master however shook his head, saying, “Judging by the landing that the plane made, even non-humans would find it difficult to survive. Even if they did, they would have received major injuries from it, so they wouldn’t be able to pull off an ambush. I went over to the cockpit of the plane just now. Even the pilot and co-pilot are dead, and moreover, I can’t find the black box.” 

  “Black box?” I froze. 

  “The plane’s conversation log. If I have that, I can roughly guess the reason for the plane crash.” 

  So that is how it is. 

  “Young Master!” Melody came running over. 

  “Are there still survivors?” Though the young master asked this, he did not seem to expect a positive answer. 

  As expected, Melody shook her head and said, “Only five corpses.” 

  “Oh. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be that many people on the plane. I only saw ten corpses, and just now Charles also found another…” The young master paused for a moment, and then continued, “Another one who had just passed away. That’s right, Charles, did he tell you the cause of the plane crash?” 

  He said that there is a traitor in the family… This should have nothing to do with the plane crash, right? I hesitated for a moment, and then shook my head. 

  “Then, there’s no way around it.” The young master nodded his head, saying, “Let’s go. We’ll go and help Dragon Peace. There might still be survivors at the tower… Oh, I guess we don’t have to do that anymore. The ambulance is here.” 

  We slowly walked back to where the bus was. The entire place was in chaos, and the sounds of the ambulance sirens were blaringly loudly. Moreover, the ambulance showed no signs of leaving. It looked as if the ambulance attendants were currently covering the deceased with white cloths one-by-one, so it looked like there were no survivors at the tower either. 

  Other than the ambulance, three police cars also arrived on the scene. The police were interrogating Curtis. As for Dragon Peace with his huge stature, he had already vanished without a trace. Dell was holding hands with Briar, standing at one side. 

  Once the other policemen saw us, they dashed over and even surrounded us. There were about ten fully armed policemen who roared, “Who are you guys?” 

  “We are with them.” I quickly pointed to Curtis. 

  A policeman asked extremely disrespectfully, “Where have you guys been?” 

  “To the plane to see if we could be of any help.” 

  “To the plane? Don’t you all know that’s dangerous? It’s highly possible that another explosion will occur. You guys probably also damaged the crime scene…” 

  Under the situation where the policemen seemed like they really wanted to arrest us and throw us directly into jail, I could only take out my phone and dial Yue Gang’s number. 

  Once the call went through, Yue Gang’s unhappy voice came over, “What? This time, which one of you has gotten into trouble again? Once, it was your little brother being captured by werewolves. Another time, you were mistaken for a vampire. Did you forget to pacify Tai Sui this year? Go to church and say some amens for a bit?” 

  Tai Sui and the church seem to be from two different religions… Moreover, neither seems suitable for a vampire. 

  I gave a wry smile as I said, “This time, there are a few more people. Me, my little brother, my fifth sister…” 

  “I’ll be there immediately!” 

  After saying so, he hung up the phone. However, my phone’s ring tone sounded almost right after he did so. I picked up the call, and Yue Gang went “hehe” before he said, “I forgot to get the location from you. Your fifth sister… I mean, where are you all right now?” 

  I reported our current location, feeling a bit helpless. Yue Gang then hung up the phone on me once again. I only hoped that in a bit, Yue Gang would not cling too closely to Melody. If Melody were to become unhappy, I probably would not be able to guarantee his safety. 

  At this point, one policeman suddenly shrieked, “Eh? Y-You’re the angel, right?” 

  After that, everyone’s attention fell onto the young master. The young master started to panic and said nervously, “If you are talking about the advertisement… Yes, I am the model from ‘The Last Angel.’” 

  The hostility of the policemen greatly decreased in an instant, and everyone started to size up the young master curiously. Someone even asked, “Then, are you actually a guy or a girl? Right now, you look like a guy, but you really looked like a girl in the poster with the lipstick.” 

  The young master quickly clarified, “I’m a guy!” 

  “I told you he’s a guy!” A policewoman told the rest of the policemen proudly, and after saying so, she took out her purse. Then, she took out a stack of small cards from within her purse and passionately showed it to the young master. “Look, they’re your photos! I grabbed them off of the net. Could you please sign them?” 

  “Eh?” The young master seemed somewhat frenetic as he asked, “Sign? W-What am I signing?” 

  “What are you all doing?” 

  A roar rang out, and all the policemen froze. Then, they quickly reverted back to their straight-laced expressions, and all of them stood at attention. Following that, a policeman walked over. It was the policeman who had been interrogating Curtis a moment ago. 

  The policeman coldly surveyed the surroundings, and then asked in a rude tone, “What are you all doing?” 

  The policewoman forced herself to report, “Captain Xie Wei, it’s just that we suddenly discovered—discovered a celebrity!” 

  This captain of the police squad called Xie Wei looked even younger than Yue Gang. However, I believe that that should not be the case. It was just that Yue Gang simply did not care for his appearances at all. With his untrimmed sideburns, he looked much older than his actual age of twenty-eight. As for Xie Wei, he had a crew cut except for a slightly longer patch of hair on his left side that was even dyed a light purple. On top of that, he had a cool and composed face. An average youngster nowadays would probably say that he was very cool. 

  “Captain Xie Wei look, it’s him!” The policewoman pointed at the young master with a bit of excitement. 

  Xie Wei’s gaze shifted onto the young master, and the young master instantly smiled at him. 

  “Oh, you’re the fellow from the poster who looks neither like a man nor a woman?” Xie Wei gave a cold laugh and said, “However, the real person looks a lot more like a man than he does in the poster.” 

  The young master momentarily froze. At this time, Curtis, Dell, and Briar also came over. Once Dell walked to the young master’s side, Briar, who was holding hands with him, immediately jumped into the young master’s arms. 

  Briar buried herself in the young master’s chest and said softly, “Ah Ye-gē, I saw a dead person. It was so scary.” 

  The young master was a bit reproachful as he said, “Didn’t I tell you not to look and also not to raise your head?” 

  Briar seemed to feel truly wronged as she said, “It’s the police-shūshu who wanted me to raise my head. He wanted to ask me questions, but when I was speaking, I accidentally saw when I turned around.” 

  Hearing that, the young master gave Xie Wei a glare, and then lowered his head to comfort Briar, “Don’t be scared. I’ll protect you!” 

  I looked toward Xie Wei, feeling a little worried. He did not seem like a good-tempered person and probably would not drop the matter of the young master glaring at him. 

  As expected, Xie Wei’s face turned dark, but he actually did not act on it. He merely turned and roared at the policemen, “Hurry and go do what needs to be done! Li Wa! You’re responsible for searching them. If they have any fragments of the plane on them, then arrest them all and take them back to the police office!” 

  Li Wa was the policewoman who had recognized the young master. She answered “yes” in a loud voice, brimming with joy. Following that, she spent five minutes to search everyone else, but twenty minutes on the young master. Only when Melody said in a sarcastic tone, “Why don’t you just ask him to strip down for you to touch?” was she willing to stop her search. 

  Afterwards, Yue Gang arrived on the scene, and even had a bit of a conflict with Xie Wei. Yue Gang wanted to take us away, but Xie Wei wanted us to go to the police office and give a statement. 

  “Give a statement?” Yue Gang frowned and said, “I have never heard of people who saw a plane crash having to give a statement. Though this airport is small, there should be quite a few surveillance cameras. Shouldn’t watching those surveillance videos be enough? As for these people, just questioning them is enough. Did you question them already? If you already did, then I’m taking them with me! In the future, if there’s anything else you want to ask, then look for me. Anyway, these people are my bros and his family, so they’ll come when I call!” 

  Xie Wei remained silent. Looking at his expression, it seemed like he still did not want to let us go. However, Yue Gang ignored him and started talking to us without asking for permission, “There are so many of you, I can’t fit everyone in my police car. Do you all have your own car? If you do, that would be great. I’ll go with you all in the car, and let my partner drive the police car to clear the way. You guys must have gotten quite the scare, so hurry and go home to rest!” 

  Under Xie Wei’s hostile gaze, we returned to the bus. However, once we got on, we found Aren sitting inside. Upon discovering that there was someone already there, Yue Gang was also shocked, but he did not mention it and simply yelled to the others to get on quickly. 

  We sat on the bus, our positions exactly the same from when we first departed. Only this time, we had an extra person, Yue Gang. However, our mood was not relaxed and joyous like before. 

  “Sigh! Meeting a werewolf, being targeted by the Church, and now even witnessing a plane crash… Your family really is plagued with misfortunes!” 

  As Yue Gang spoke, he even rubbed the young master’s head vigorously and praised, “However, you don’t seem to be scared at all, Xiǎodì. You’re young but you sure have guts!” 

  “But Briar was scared.” The young master seemed extremely unhappy as he said, “Those policemen were actually questioning Briar next to a corpse!” 

  Hearing that, Yue Gang scratched his head and asked, “Are you okay, little girl?” 

  Though Briar nodded her head, her complexion did not look good. One could tell that she was pretending to be strong. 

  Yue Gang gave a cold snort and said, “Too bad I don’t know those guys well. If I knew them, I’d definitely give him a good whack on his head! Don’t they know how to do their job? Sheesh!” 

  “So, there are actually policemen you are not acquainted with?” I smiled as I said, “I thought that all the policemen in Sunset City were your ‘bros.’” 

  Yue Gang scratched his head and seemed to be having a headache as he said, “Argh! That’s the new squad that the superiors dispatched. I heard that it’s a special squad with strong firepower and incredible skills… However, they don’t know any of the rules at all! A few days ago, they even investigated a store that shouldn’t be messed with and nearly started a large conflict. How troublesome!” 

  A store that shouldn’t be messed with? Could it be… 

  “A new police squad?” The young master abruptly asked, “Why did they dispatch a new squad here?” 

  “Of course it was because of that incident last time at Evening Sun Plaza. The superiors said that the public order at Sunset City was lacking, so they dispatched more police officers here.” As he said this, Yue Gang’s face darkened. He spoke with disdain, “Do you know how they are describing that incident at places outside of Sunset City?” 

  This was something that I really did not know. In reality, other than the media reporting it in great detail on the day after the incident, nothing else about it seemed to have come up in the news since. 

  This was very unnatural. Regardless whether or not humans had already developed a faint notion of the existence of non-humans, at least they would still not treat a vampire’s existence as a matter of fact. However, at the Evening Sun Plaza that day, so many various types of non-humans had appeared directly in front of their eyes. This was definitely not minor news that would fade away after a day of reporting. 

  Slightly curious, the young master asked, “How do they describe it?” 

  “Two criminal forces clashed in Sunset City, sinking the citizens into so much despair that it caused mass hysteria, making them believe that a demon has appeared, and the apocalypse is approaching.” 

  Hearing that, all of our eyes turned wide. Yue Gang continued, “The superiors originally commanded the news of Sunset City to report it as such as well, but no one dared to report that. It’s too ridiculous! The reporter I know was nearly on the verge of tears. He said that if this were to be reported, the citizens would definitely die laughing! Thus, they decided not to report it, and to treat it as if that piece of news never existed.” 

  “Did the citizens not panic?” I asked quietly, “Regarding those races that should not have existed in the first place…” 

  “What is there to panic about?” Yue Gang gave me a strange look and said naturally, “Dark Sun is already flying about everywhere! So what if there’s another fellow who’s neither fish nor fowl and can fly?” 

  Neither fish nor fowl… Is he referring to Mr. Stone? I felt a little helpless, but the young master started laughing. 

  Yue Gang continued with another example, “Dragon Peace has also been running around since five years ago! Werewolves are even smaller than him. They just have a bit more fur!” 

  Aren showed a faint smile, and then turned to look out of the window. 

  “You want the citizens of our Sunset City to panic?” Yue Gang gave a “hmph,” and said proudly, “It really would take the apocalypse to make that happen!” 

  I said sincerely, “My sincere apologies, I have truly underestimated the residents of Sunset City.” 

  Yue Gang rolled his eyes at me and said unhappily, “You say it as if you don’t live here! Speaking of which, you and your family are the ones who are really daring! It feels like any crazy mishap could befall you! Listen to me and you can’t go wrong! These days—“ 

  “Stay at home and shut the front door. If anything happens, give you a call, and keep it brief.” I continued his words for him and felt a little helpless as I said, “Yue Gang, if I followed your instructions, I probably would not be able to step out of the house for the rest of my life.” 

  Yue Gang rubbed his nose, but justified himself, “It’s not my fault. Who asked you to look like a useless weakling? Non-humans aside, I think even women can defeat you! If you don’t stay at home obediently and lock the doors, then I’ll have to come over and save you day and night. That’s really troublesome!” 

  “You really do understand him!” Melody praised Yue Gang. 

  The young master, Briar, and Dell broke into laughter together. I could only smile wryly at this. 

  Yue Gang looked out of the bus window and said, “We’re finally back in the city. I’ll continue to patrol with my comrades. You guys should go back home directly! Don’t create trouble for me again!” 

  Why did he have to look at me while saying that last statement? I have never created trouble before. 

  Dell patted my shoulder, feigning sincerity as he said, “èrgē, you must be obedient, and don’t create trouble! You must set a good example for your dìdi and mèimei!” 

  “Precisely!” Yue Gang even nodded his head. 

  The young master was laughing so hard he fell down into Briar’s lap, twitching non-stop. 

  After both the bus and the police car stopped at the curb, Yue Gang got off. I notified the young master, and then followed Yue Gang out the vehicle. 

  I called out to Yue Gang to get him to stop, and then asked him tactfully, “Have you had enough money for food recently? It looks like the gun at your waist is a new one again…” 

  “I’m not the one who bought it. The senior officer distributed it to all of us. It’s loaded with silver bullets. He said that this is very effective against vampires and werewolves, so he gave one to everyone in the squad.” 

  That explained the matter. However, this was an unnecessary course of action. An energy gun was in no way inferior to silver bullets. 

  “However…” Yue Gang dug out a metal box from his possession. Upon opening it, there were metal capsules the size of thumbs inside. He chuckled, and then said, “The latest gadget, energy bombs. They operate like hand grenades, but are a lot more useful! Even vampires would be bombed to smithereens with this gadget!” 

  “… They are not cheap, right?” On top of that, couldn’t you use in your examples a non-human that is not a vampire? 

  Yue Gang gave a dry laugh, and then placed his arm around my shoulder. He said in a small voice, “Can I borrow five thousand yuan to pull myself through the month?” 

  I dug out my wallet, and as I took out the money, I told him, “I have already told you before, if you do not have enough money, you can ask and borrow from me. Anyway, you have always returned the money when you receive your salary, so it is fine. Why did you not ask proactively this time?” 

  Yue Gang rolled his eyes at me, saying, “Your fifth sister is on the bus. How could I have the nerve to ask you for money?” 

  That explains it. I gave him a pile of notes that added up to exactly ten thousand. Yue Gang was like that; if he said he wanted to borrow five thousand, then he would usually need ten thousand in order to actually be able to eat well. 

  Yue Gang was not the least bit shy about taking the money. He opened the door of the police car, but turned around again. He told me, “You really should go out less often as of late. That fellow Xie Wei doesn’t know the rules, barging around everywhere like a bull. He caused quite a few incidents, but my senior officer can’t control him because the people backing him are too powerful.” 

  I felt a little like asking which store Xie Wei had gone to, the one that should not be messed with, but I was unable to do so. After all, stores that should not be messed with are usually not places that a normal person would know of. 

  The policeman seated in the driver’s seat of the police car stuck out his head and shouted, “Charles, help me tell the angel that the latest fashion commercial was simply breathtakingly beautiful! Putting aside how crazy my wife is over him, even I as a big man am about to fall in love with him!” 

  Before I could reply, the young master stuck his head out from the bus window. He seemed a bit embarrassed as he said, “Thank you!” 

  “Oh oh oh! Angel!” 

  “Let’s go!” Yue Gang sat in the car and said unhappily to his coworker, “Or do you want me to make a call right now to inform your wife that because the angel said ‘thank you’ to you, you’re intending to divorce her and go chase after the angel?” 

  “Then, my wife would probably tell me to scram, because the angel is hers…” 

  I smiled while watching the police car drive off and then turned around. Just when I was about to step back onto the bus, the young master abruptly said, “Charles, I’m hungry. Can we eat before going home?” 

  I looked in the direction of the young master’s line of sight, and realized that the bus was coincidentally parked in front of a barbeque shop. This barbeque shop was not foreign to us either. It was the shop where they sold a plate of meat for a hundred yuan, and the young master had once finished five thousand yuan’s worth of food here. 

  I quickly agreed, “Of course.” At the same time, I inwardly blamed myself for my negligence. It was currently already past noon, and I had actually forgotten to make arrangements for lunch. If my honorable father were to know of this, he would definitely make me return to go through another ten years of butler education. 

  Everyone got off the bus with a cheer. Curtis walked over to me anxiously, immediately bowed in apology, and said, “My utmost apologies, Master Endelis. I had forgotten to make arrangements for lunch.” 

  “It is fine. I had forgotten about it, too. Go to the counter first and request for the shop to arrange for seats that are located closer toward the corner, and then arrange for them to bring one of each item on the menu. As for all the various meats, ask them to first bring three servings of each type.” 

  “Understood.” 

  Once we sat at the table, everyone looked like they were famished. They even cleanly finished the appetizers that the shop served first. Curtis and I were responsible for grilling the meat non-stop. Though our speed of grilling the meat was already very fast, the speed at which the meat vanished was even faster. 

  Both the young master’s food portions as well as his eating speed were shocking. As for Aren, though he looked thin and small, he had an appetite that did not match his size at all. Because of the two aforementioned people, it looked like Dell was not eating much. However, the truth was that he was also a glutton… compared to normal humans, that is. 

  Instantly after the store served all of the items on the menu, I was forced to order a second round of food. This time, the boss even seemed a little nervous as he asked for us to settle half of the bill first. 

  I had just come back from footing the bill when I saw the young master put down his cutlery. He said, “Charles, Curtis, the two of you should be hungry too, right? Go and eat first. I’ll take over and grill the meat!” After finishing his words, he extended a hand to try and take the tongs away from Curtis. 

  Curtis was stunned, but held the tongs away. At the same time, he sternly voiced out, “Young Master An, serving you is a butler’s duty. It definitely does not make any sense to let you grill the meat personally.” 

  “I can grill and eat at the same time! Anyways, we’re not in a rush for time, so let’s eat slowly!” 

  Young Master, although what you said is true, the words “eat slowly” coming from your mouth are not convincing at all. 

  The young master said naturally, “Moreover, the last time I came over with Ezart to eat, it was the two of us who grilled the meat while eating. Charles was sitting off to the side, drinking blood!” 

  Curtis looked at me hesitantly, and I nodded to him. Only then was he willing to pass the tongs in his hands to the young master. At the same time, he said, “Understood, then I will be troubling you.” 

  Curtis was right. As a butler, one definitely could not let the master grill the meat personally while one sits on the sidelines, eating. However, as my honorable father had said over and over, the rules are dead while the master is alive. 

  The young master really enjoys grilling the meat himself while conversing with Ezart, so I should not spoil his fun. 

  As the young master turned over the meat, he said, “Speaking of Ezart, when is he going to come back? After he stopped fighting in free-for-all combats, he’s nowhere to be seen. The second to last time he called, he said he was going hiking, and the last time he said he was going skiing… Afterwards, he went missing for several months and couldn’t even be contacted via his cell phone.” 

  Young Master, it is not hiking, it is rock climbing. Also, it is not skiing, but a polar expedition. However, Ezart did indeed say hiking and skiing. 

  I quickly said, “Young Master, the World Geographic magazine is about to be published. I believe you will be able to see a photo of Ezart in it.” 

  Ever since he quit fighting in combat rings, Ezart had been scouted as a member of the expedition team by the people of World Geographic. The job specialized in exploring dangerous parts all over the world. Regarding this new job, Ezart seemed to enjoy it very much and still had yet to come back to Sunset City. 

  The young master nodded his head and said, “Yeah! I don’t know if he will send me a souvenir. Last time, he said he was going to send me a rock, but in the end he forgot about it. This time, he said that he was going to send me a very ugly bug. If he forgets again, I’ll…” 

  The young master tilted his head to one side while pondering, and then ruthlessly said, “The next time he comes back, I won’t introduce Aren to him!” 

  I could not help but smile. Ezart had always wanted to meet Dragon Peace. As for his reason, of course it was to challenge him to a fight. 

  Aren froze for a moment and seemed puzzled as he looked at the young master. He then asked, “Who is Ezart?” 

  “My classmate from high school.” After the young master finished replying, he looked at Aren. He seemed a little worried as he said, “I don’t know if you will like Ezart! Every time Charles hears that we are going to eat midnight snacks with Ezart, his brows crease. That’s because Ezart is very fond of fighting. Every time he sees Charles, he challenges him to a fight. However, Charles has yet to accept the challenge even once. Therefore, Ezart keeps bullying Charles, saying that he wants to make him angry so that Charles will fight him.” 

  Briar was brimming with curiosity as she asked, “Then, did Charles-gē really get angry?” 

  “No.” The young master giggled as he said, “As for the things that Ezart did, even I wouldn’t get angry, let alone Charles!” 

  “What did he do?” Aren suddenly asked. 

  “Many things! Like whacking Charles’s head for the entire night, and purposely spilling cola, soy sauce, and chili sauce onto his pants. Also, he said not to waste food and forced him to finish charred meat. He even said that blood must not taste good, so in order to help him season it, he added a pile of seasoning into a blood bag…” 

  Dell muttered, “Even so, he didn’t get angry? If it were me, I would have killed him!” 

  Once Dell finished his statement, Aren immediately nodded his head in agreement. 

  “Ah! You can’t! Aren, you can’t kill Ezart!” The young master said worriedly, “Promise me that, okay?” 

  Aren looked at the young master and nodded his head with an “okay.” 

  Receiving the confirmation so easily seemed to have shocked the young master. However, he showed a smile and seemed to be very happy. 

  Seeing that, I smiled too. I picked up the thermos flask, wanting to refill the young master’s glass of milk. However, the glass was only halfway filled when I realized that there was no more milk. 

  “Young Master, I will go and buy some more milk from a convenience store nearby.” 

  The young master nodded at me. 

  I stood up, and Curtis immediately stood up too. I smiled at him and said, “Sit and accompany the young master during his meal.” 

  “Understood.” He obediently sat down again. 

  I took out three family-sized containers of milk from the refrigerated shelves. The young master cannot drink that much, but both Briar and Aren like drinking milk tea. Milk tea brewed using authentic fresh milk would be better for their health. 

  I should also buy some black tea while I am here. Although the barbeque shop provides black tea free of charge, the quality of the tea is as one might imagine— 

  “Young Master Charles, when are you going back to see Countess Avexila?” 

  The grocery basket in my hands fell to the ground. I turned around and saw a woman dressed in an oriental style. 

  “Gong Feng Xiang…” 

  She showed a helpless smile as she apologized, “I am terribly sorry, Young Master. I left without saying goodbye. But the Elysees family wanted me to leave immediately and to never step within ten kilometers of the apartment, so I really had no choice! But I did not think that I could actually meet you here. This is simply great!” 

  Though she said thusly, I did not believe that this was a mere coincidence. It was currently daytime, and a normal vampire definitely would not appear out on the streets at this time, especially not in the convenience store. 

  “When do you intend to go back to visit Madam Avexila?” 

  Why does Madam Avexila want to see me so much? What exactly are her intentions? I looked at Gong Feng Xiang and rejected her directly for the first time, “I will not go back.” 

  Gong Feng Xiang froze, and then she stopped smiling and said with a somewhat upset tone, “Madam really misses you. Perhaps she has really erred before, but she is truly remorseful right now. She also wishes to see you—” 

  “Surely you do not truly think that I would believe such words?” 

  I interrupted her and continued in slight anger, “Please, do not say such things anymore! Both you and I know that this is not the case. I do not understand why Madam Avexila suddenly wants to see me, but this has nothing to do with missing me. She definitely would not miss me… Unless, she wishes to make use of me to accomplish something?” 

  Gong Feng Xiang shouted agitatedly, “Young Master Charles, how could you say so? Madam is your mother!” 

  “She is not!” I tried my best to keep calm and said, “I only have a father. She is not my mother. She is merely the vampire who gave birth to me.” 

  After hearing my words, Gong Feng Xiang went from a state of agitation back to being calm. I could not tell what she felt toward my rejection. She merely seemed a little regretful as she said, “Then, no matter what, you will not return to the Endelis clan of your own will?” 

  I coldly replied, “My surname may be Endelis, but I am a member of the Elysees family. If it is about returning, the only place I should return to is the Elysees family.” 

  “A member of the Elysees family?” Gong Feng Xiang laughed and continued chuckling as she said, “Young Master Charles! You’re a vampire, a pureborn vampire. Do you think that humans would really accept you? Look at that cashier. He’s so frightened of you that he hid under the counter.” 

  Not even addressing me formally anymore? Perhaps it is time to show my cards… Although I did not want to listen to her, I still saw the cashier of the convenience store hiding behind the counter. Occasionally, he would pop out half of his head to sneak looks at Gong Feng Xiang and me. 

  Even though only half of his face showed, I could still see his panic and fear. When I glanced over, he had actually sunk entirely under the counter, not daring to even peek. 

  It might be better this way. If Gong Feng Xiang and I were to start fighting, he would not be injured by accident. 

  “Charles!” 

  Gong Feng Xiang and I both froze and turned to look at the source of the voice. Then, I realized that the young master was currently standing at the entrance of the store. Although he called my name, he kept a steely gaze on Gong Feng Xiang. His expression was grave, as though he were sending a warning to her. 

  “Long time no see, Young Master An.” Gong Feng Xiang ignored his warning, and even greeted him with a smile. 

  The young master tilted his head to one side and replied, “Yeah! Long time no see. Are you looking for Charles?” 

  Gong Feng Xiang smiled sweetly as she said, “Yes indeed. Could I borrow Young Master Charles for ten minutes?” 

  “No way!” The young master refused her flatly, and even said unhappily, “He’s going to help me grill meat! Charles, you’re taking so long to buy the milk! I’m about to starve to death. Hurry and take the items to the checkout, then come back and help me grill meat!” 

  I was stunned, but replied, “Understood, Young Master.” 

  I quickly picked up my grocery basket and went to pay at the checkout counter. Only when I had reached the counter did I recall that the cashier had already heard Gong Feng Xiang’s words and knew that I was a vampire. Moreover, he is currently hiding behind the counter out of fear, so how am I to pay? 

  I felt somewhat at a loss as to what to do. Perhaps I can place cash payment on the counter directly, and then leave with my items? 

  Opening my wallet, I realized that I had given all cash on hand to Yue Gang, and could only pay by credit card. Now what should I do? 

  Half of the cashier’s head suddenly appeared, and he asked in a panic, “C-checking out?” 

  I received a shock, but promptly replied, “Indeed.” 

  He hesitated for a moment and stood up with a pale face, scanning the barcode of all the items one by one. “Your total is one thousand two hundred fifty two yuan. May I ask if you are paying by c-credit card or cash?” 

  “Credit card. Also, please help me enter the tax ID. The number is 7653…” 

  The cashier froze for a moment, before he then said, “Sure.” 

  I signed and the cashier handed over the receipt to me. But when I took it, I realized that something was missing, so I quickly asked, “There are no point stickers?” 

  The cashier’s expression turned extremely strange and he asked, “… You’re collecting them?” 

  “Yes.” I took out my point’s card and gave it to the cashier, saying, “It just happened to be filled up now, so I will trade it in directly!” 

  The cashier received the point card sluggishly, and then took out a small box from under the counter and passed it to me. 

  The young master moved over and asked curiously, “Charles, what is this?” 

  I passed the box over to him and explained at the same time, “This is the convenience store’s point-gathering event. When you spend five hundred yuan, you can get one point. Once you get five points, you can draw a hero figurine. I already have two Solitary Butterfly, four Dragon Peace, and three First Wind figurines. However, I still have not been able to get Dark Sun. It would be nice if I could get him this time.” 

  The young master opened the box and gave an “ah.” Then, he took out a three heads tall chibi giant with a threatening pose, saying, “It’s Dragon Peace.” 

  “Ah…” 

  The cashier abruptly interrupted, “I heard that when they were delivering those, they accidentally sent all the Dark Suns to the stores in the southern district.” 

  “That explains the matter. I understand. I will go shopping in the south next time.” I said with a smile, “Thank you for telling me.” 

  The cashier seemed a little embarrassed as he said, “Y-You’re welcome!” 

  The young master and I stepped out of the convenience store. Behind us, we could hear the cashier’s excited shouts, “Xiao Hong, let me tell you something. It turns out, even vampires collect point stickers! What? I’m not crazy! Let me tell you, just now a vampire came to buy stuff… Male, he’s male… Was he handsome? Devastatingly handsome, I tell you! Hahaha! Envious?” 

  Stepping out of the convenience store, I found it rather laughable. Yue Gang was right. It would probably truly take the apocalypse to make the residents of Sunset city panic. I wonder what kind of expression Gong Feng Xiang would make after hearing what the cashier said. 

  “Charles,” the young master called. 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  The young master stopped in his tracks and looked at me, a little hesitant. He said, “You really aren’t going back to see your mother?” 

  I replied with a smile, “Indeed so. I believe that such a thing is not necessary. Madam Avexila is not a mother who would miss her child.” 

  However, the young master did not continue walking toward the barbeque store. He hesitated for a moment and asked softly, “Charles, I have always found it very strange. Why do you always say ‘Madam Avexila?’ She is your mother, right? But it seems like you’re talking about a stranger…” 

  “Young Master, I was raised by my father. I only met Madam Avexila when I was over a hundred years old already. To me, she is indeed a stranger.” 

  “Then, you really won’t go and meet your mother?” The young master said quietly, “Gong Feng Xiang said that she is very remorseful and wants to meet you… What if it’s true?” 

  I shook my head with a smile and replied, “I do not believe so. Madam Avexila will not feel remorse…” 

  “Charles, mothers can make mistakes, too!” 

  The young master suddenly became emotional as he said, “My mother also made a mistake. She wanted to make use of me to take revenge against my father. B-but she really was remorseful! In the end, she didn’t abandon me, and wanted to escape with me still in her womb… but that failed. You can’t blame her for it! S-She really tried her best…” 

  I grabbed hold of the young master’s shoulder and softly called, “Young Master.” Only then did he break out of his emotional state. He looked at me, not knowing what to do. I gave a faint smile as I said, “It seems like I have never heard you talk about your mother. So you love her this much.” 

  The young master instead showed a troubled expression. He said, “Actually, I haven’t met my mother before. She died while giving birth to me. However, what she wrote in the letter she left behind was a series of apologies… I really want to tell her that I don’t blame her, b-but… Charles, if your mother is truly remorseful, you should forgive her, okay?” 

  The young master raised his head and looked at me, as though he was waiting expectantly. 

  I only need to agree. The young master would not know whether I truly forgave her or not. 

  “Young Master, your mother is not my mother. Some things can never be forgiven.” After saying so, I abruptly realized what I was saying. I actually told him the truth? What is going on? 

  The young master looked a little disappointed. As he walked, he softly said, “No matter what she did, she is still your mother. You can’t avoid seeing her forever, can you?” 

  That is indeed what I am hoping to do.

  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 3: Sadina, the Love between an Immortal and Mortal

  Translator: Raylight (proofread by elisa & Arcedemius; C/E edited by Amgine & lucathia) 

  “Aren, Aren, look! It’s Dragon Peace!” 

  I glanced at it. As it turned out, it was one of the hero series figurines that the convenience store gives out after collecting enough points. “I have this one too. I finished collecting all four of them, since the fifth generation is relatively easy to collect.” 

  “Fifth generation?” 

  An Xiang Ye looked at me with wide eyes, as though I was speaking an alien language… That’s not right! I’m speaking a language from Earth. You’re the one who is an alien! 

  Charles-gē explained with a smile, “Young Master, because giving out hero figures as an event was very popular, convenience stores kept releasing new series. They are all centered on The Four Great Heroes, with the heroes in different poses. Currently, they are on the fifth generation.” 

  “Aren, so you have been collecting them too? Do you have the complete set from one to five?” 

  I nodded my head, even though I was a bit reluctant to admit to it. To be still collecting figures even though I’m already this age is a little embarrassing. 

  “But, I don’t have the secret edition version of Dark Sun from the fourth generation. That one was too difficult to get.” 

  After saying so, Charles-gē told me with a smile that he had two of the secret edition version of Dark Sun from the fourth generation, and just happened to be able to give me one of them. 

  “What is a secret edition?” An Xiang Ye asked once again with his eyes wide. 

  Actually, you’re the one who is a vampire, and Charles-gē is the human, right? 

  “Yes, we will not be leaving for the time being. The young master will be responsible for patrolling the east, and Dragon Peace will also go patrol the south… Very well, I will inform the young master of the time of the photoshoot… Ah! Please wait a moment.” 

  I put down the phone temporarily and turned to ask, “Young Master, Luo Chu asks whether you want your salary transferred into your account or do you want payment in cash?” 

  At this moment, the young master was currently tugging on the sleepy-eyed Aren, picking up the hero figures one by one to play with. He curiously asked Aren various questions, such as why the second generation of Solitary Butterfly held a black flower in her hand. 

  Thankfully, Aren seemed to have a good understanding of The Four Great Heroes’s activities and answered the young master without pausing. That was because at that time, there was a rich suitor wooing Solitary Butterfly, and he had spent a large sum of money to buy many black roses. Then, he arranged them in Sunset Plaza, forming the words “Solitary Butterfly.” 

  Hearing my question, the young master raised his head. He asked in confusion, “Salary?” 

  “Yes. This should be the first time you have received a salary, right?” I gave a small reminder, “Buying a gift for the master would be an excellent use for it.” 

  Once the young master heard that, his expression immediately turned into one of realization. He said happily, “Okay! Then, please tell Luo Chu-gē that I will go and collect it from him.” 

  The doorbell rang while I was talking to Ji Luo Chu on the phone. Briar immediately jumped to her feet, saying, “I’ll go open the door.” 

  I gave a smile and continued to talk on the phone with Ji Luo Chu. However, I heard Briar make a shocked sound. 

  “Who are you looking for…” 

  From the sound of her voice, Briar seemed a little frightened. I turned to look at the door. At the door, there stood a tall and muscular man with a head of orange hair. There was a dragon tattoo on his left cheek. He was wearing a tattered tank top and ragged jeans and carried a luggage case in his hands. He looked completely travel-worn and absolutely did not look anything like a friendly person, so it was no wonder that Briar was frightened by him. 

  The young master jumped to his feet, yelling, “Ezart!” Following that, he ran to the door hurriedly. 

  “Why are there more and more people in your house?” Ezart threw the luggage case to the young master off-handedly and glanced to his side. “There’s even a little girl? Where did you pick her up from?” 

  The young master clutched the luggage case with one hand and held onto Briar with the other. He followed behind Ezart and walked back into the living room, and while doing so, replied, “This is Briar! She is the fiancée I told you about last time.” 

  “Tch! She looks only ten! You’re such a pervert.” Ezart looked at me and casually asked, “Butler, how about we fight a round?” 

  I shook my head with a forced smile. 

  “Ezart, don’t bully Charles! Also, you’ve come back, but I still haven’t received any souvenirs from you!” The young master angrily said, “Could it be that you forgot again?” 

  “I didn’t forget!” Ezart lay spread out on the sofa, saying, “It was too big, so the post office wouldn’t let me mail it. Oh well!” 

  The young master tossed the luggage back to Ezart as he questioned, “Then, did you bring it with you?” 

  “Nope.” 

  The young master was so angry that even his cheeks started to puff out. Ezart immediately said, “It’s too big. Even the taxi refused to take it.” 

  “Just how big is it?” Hearing that, the young master was no longer angry and instead turned curious. 

  Ezart shrugged his shoulders and stated, “About the same size as you?” 

  “That big of a bug?” The young master seemed to be greatly surprised. 

  “That’s right! You said you wanted a souvenir that was a little bigger, so I picked the biggest one. The bug has been frozen in ice, so it’s even bigger! In the end, no car was willing to pick it up, so you have to go drive over and pick it up yourself.” 

  “Okay! I’ll go borrow a car from Melody right now,” the young master responded instantly. “Briar, Aren, come with me!” 

  “Big bug…” Briar showed a rare face full of reluctance. 

  Aren made a sour face as he declared, “I want to sleep!” 

  “You can sleep in the car!” The young master pulled both of them along, one in each hand. He walked to the front door, and then turned to tell me, “Charles, there’s no need to prepare lunch anymore. We’ll be eating out.” 

  “Very well.” 

  Ezart then lazily crawled up from the sofa. After he yawned, he told me, “You might as well wash the clothes in the bag for me. There’s a ton of blood on them that I have no clue how to wash off.” 

  “Very well, I will handle it.” 

  “Then while we wait, fight a round with me?” 

  I gave a slight smile and replied, “The young master is calling for you.” 

  After I had tidied up the living room and washed the clothes, I did not go to sleep immediately. That is because today was the day that the blood bags would be delivered. The postman would always come at about nine o’clock in the morning, so I had to wait for the package. 

  As expected, at five minutes past nine, the postman pressed the doorbell. As always, he had me sign the package before he passed the styrofoam box in his hands to me. 

  “Thank you.” 

  “Ah! Please sign again. There’s another package.” 

  Another package? Could it be for the young master? There should not be anyone who would send me anything… Unless it is X. He had once sent me a malfunctioning cell phone and asked me to keep it in good condition. Yet when he came over last time, he did not ask about the phone, and it just happened that it had also slipped my mind. To this day, the phone was still here with me. 

  After I signed again, the postman gave me a brown paper bag. On the bag, it stated that the recipient was not the young master, but was me instead. 

  Could it be that it really was sent by X? After I closed the front door, I walked back to the living room. The moment I put down the styrofoam box, I started tearing open the brown paper bag. There was only a memory card and a small piece of paper inside it. On top of the scrap of paper, there were only a few words written: Play the video. 

  Not even the name of the sender was written on it. It did feel like something X would do. I gave a sigh, and then inserted the memory card into the TV. Then, I sat on the sofa and started watching to find out exactly what kind of video he had sent me. 

  The video started with a dark scene. Following that, the sun started to rise from the east, and the image started becoming clear. On the screen, there was a large cross. However, there was nothing on the cross. If anything, there was really only the indistinct sound of breathing. The breathing was somewhat heavy sounding. 

  This was not sent to me by X. He would never send me something like this… I don’t want to watch it anymore! This kind of thing is not worth watching… 

  In the video, the sunlight became brighter and brighter. The time seemed to be getting closer to noon. At this point, a faint wisp of smoke started to come from the cross. The smoke outlined a human shape. 

  Mother! Mother! Please don’t treat me this way. I do not hope for much. I merely ask that you don’t treat me like this… Why do you do this to me? I am your son! 

  In the video, a voice rang out, crying for his mother. However, I instead remembered my father. When I had asked about my mother, he had shown a rare expression of agitation and worry. Also, those warnings… 

  “Don’t look for your mother, Charles. Don’t ever go looking for her. She is a vampire, and in her heart, there is no such thing as kinship.” 

  “Father, I am also a vampire! If she truly did not want me, then why did she give birth to me? She could have not done so!” 

  “… I bought you.” 

  “What?” 

  “I spent five hundred million yuan to buy you! That woman called me over and made me touch her stomach to feel the baby move. However, what she whispered in my ears was, ‘This is your child! I’m about to get an abortion. Do you want a sample of this child’s embryo?’ 

  “Thankfully…” My father caressed my face, and said with gratification, “At first, I was so angry that I was about to leave. However, at that moment, you suddenly gave me a kick, as if to tell me, you wanted to continue living… She doesn’t love you, Charles. Don’t look for her! You will not get anything from her except for pain.” 

  Father, you were always right. However, I kept not believing your words and always had to go and verify them myself. I would always have to get hurt to the point where I would rather die than to suffer before I could understand your painstaking efforts. 

  Father, I did not listen to your words and still held some kind of expectation for my mother, stepping into a place where I should not have gone. I had actually thought that I could stand alongside my mother and find my own place among the vampires. 

  Forgive me, Father… 

  Sounds of murmuring came from the television, a familiar voice of repentance. On the cross, the human-shaped figure became clearer and more visible. The drifting smoke was no longer faint, but a blotchy light brown. 

  At first, it was still hard to discern a human shape, as it appeared to be merely patches of brown. But as time passed, the light brown color became more distinct, and it gradually formed the outline of a human. Moreover, the color also became deeper and deeper, from a light shade to a darker one, just like cheese slowly getting charred. 

  How many days had it been? Was it the third… or the fourth day? Even as a fifth generation vampire, I could not endure being exposed to the scorching sun for long periods of time. Though four days was not enough to kill me, it was already no different from living in hell. My lips had chapped due to dryness long ago, and my skin was in constant pain. Every mouthful of air I drew in burned my lungs. 

  However, the person who had made me live in this hell was my own birth mother. The mother who had personally said, “Welcome home, my son” had then tied her biological son to the cross, letting the scorching sun slowly burn his skin. 

  The sunlight in the day was so hot, so scalding, and every inch of my skin had been charred. There could not be anything that could be more painful than that. I had thought myself to be in hell, but when nightfall arrived, my mother’s laughter sent me spiraling into an even deeper hell… How could she laugh at this? 

  While seeing her own son burned all over, and hearing his tearful pleads, she actually laughed? 

  Charles, Charles… Charles? 

  Who is calling me? Father? Or Sadina? Is it you? Have you come to save me again? The sunlight is so strong, so strong that it hurts my eyes. I can’t see… 

  “Charles? Charles? Look at me. Can you see me?” 

  The other asked me repeatedly, and even grabbed hold of my face, just like how my father had done before. 

  When I had fallen from grace, my father had grabbed hold of my face with both hands, forcing me to look at him. He had growled, “If you don’t want to come home with me, then bite me to death! Bite me right now!” 

  “How could I possibly bite you? Father…” 

  “Charles, don’t scare me. I’m not your papa. I’m Ah Ye! Your young master!” 

  Y…Young Master? Who? 

  “Charles, what’s wrong with you?” His voice sounded like he was about to cry. However, this was not my father’s voice. 

  “My apologies. The sunlight is too strong, so I cannot see you.” 

  “Sunlight? He said in a panic, “There isn’t any sunlight at all! It’s night right now. Charles, look outside the window. It’s nighttime. That’s the moonlight!” 

  Window? I could not see, but it should be very bright, as it always had been. 

  When I had fallen from grace and ran away from home, I had loitered in bars for entire nights, often only returning to the residence in the morning. When I had returned on a certain day, the moment I opened the door, I saw my father who had been searching for me, standing at the window. The morning sun shone onto him, making his entire body glow brightly, as he told me, “Come home, Charles.” 

  He had only given me two choices: Either I go back with him, or I just bite him to death. 

  When I had been tied onto the cross and was on the verge of death, Sadina had come wielding two guns. Under the scorching sun, she shone even brighter than sunlight. She shot down all of the non-humans in her path, and then walked up to me. With tears in her eyes, she lifted her head and looked at me, saying, “My cousin Charles, I have come to take you home.” 

  She had not even given me a second option. She had only permitted for me to continue living. I was not allowed to die. 

  Really, why is it that the humans I know are all even more overbearing than vampires? 

  “Charles, what are you smiling at? Can you see me… Charles? Charles?” 

  Charles, Charles. There was always someone calling my name non-stop. Even if I had fallen, even in death, they would not let me leave. Father was like that; Sadina was like that, even… 

  The young master is also like that. 

  Beep beep— 

  I abruptly opened my eyes. I was dazed for more than ten whole seconds before realizing that it was the sound of the alarm. This was simply too strange. The beeping of the alarm would always occur at four o’clock in the afternoon, reminding me that it is time to go and buy groceries. I should be extremely used to it, so why do I feel so dazed today? 

  I stepped out of the metal cabin and walked to the living room. The young master was currently watching television. “Young Master, you have returned.” 

  The young master visibly received a shock, and following that, he picked up the television remote and threw it at the television screen. The entire screen shattered as a result. 

  I was stunned and could not understand why the young master would suddenly smash the television. I did not know how to react, so I merely said, “Young Master, the television is broken. Should I find someone to fix it?” 

  “Let it stay broken!” The young master shouted instead. 

  “We are not fixing it?” I was a little shocked as I said, “But we cannot watch the news like this.” 

  The young master said without any reluctance, “Then don’t watch it. I would rather not watch the news, than to let you see that kind of thing ever again!” 

  That kind of thing? 

  The young master lowered his head, and his tone sounded extremely guilty as he apologized, “Charles, I am sorry. I was wrong before. There are mothers in the world that cannot be forgiven! Wait, no she is not your mother. She is a stranger!” 

  Mother… That was right. The postman had delivered a package. I had watched the video in the memory card, and the video showed that past incident… But what happened afterwards? 

  I rubbed my forehead. I actually did not dare believe it, that I could have actually forgotten how I had gotten back to the metal cabin. I felt a little puzzled, and could only ask, “Young Master, I am dreadfully sorry. I do not remember what I have done. I only remember watching the video. But what happened after that?” 

  “You don’t remember?” The young master asked, stunned. 

  Seeing the young master’s expression, could it be that something serious had happened? What have I done? Do not tell me that I raised my hand against the young master and attacked him? I quickly said, “Indeed, I only remember myself watching the video. As for what happened afterwards, I have absolutely no recollections of the matter. Young Master, please, you must tell me what happened.” 

  Hearing that, the young master frowned. He said, “I arrived home at roughly ten o’clock. Once I reached home, I saw you standing in front of the television. Moreover, you gave no indication of noticing my return. I called to you for a long time before you responded. However, you didn’t even recognize me, saying that you couldn’t see. You even mistook me for your papa!” 

  I had mistaken the young master for my honorable father? Be it appearance or personality, the two of them do not share any similarities at all. How did I mistake the two of them? 

  “In the end, you fainted. However, I couldn’t possibly take you to the hospital, so I could only put you in the metal cabin. Charles, how are you feeling right now? Charles?” 

  Seeing the young master’s worried expression, I said in a hurry, “Young Master, I am well. I have merely forgotten the events that transpired after watching the video, that’s all… Young Master, have you seen the video?” So that was why he had smashed the television. It turned out that it was because he did not want me to watch that video clip. 

  The young master nodded his head and said with a guilty conscience, “I wanted to find out what happened to you, and at that time, you were watching the television. So… Sorry, I didn’t mean to see your stuff.” 

  “It is fine,” was all that I could say. 

  The young master said indignantly, “But your mo—… Madam Avexila, why would she treat you like that? She was completely overboard!” Then, he looked at me, waiting for my answer. 

  As for that part of my past, if it were possible, I would never want to recall it for all of eternity, nor would I wish for anyone to find out about it… However, since the young master had already seen the video, there was not much meaning in refusing to tell him. 

  I gave it some thought, and then said, “If you promise me that in the future, you will cry when you feel like crying, rather than first looking for an excuse to cry like you had done before, then I will tell you what happened.” 

  The young master hesitated for a moment, and then agreed quietly, “Okay. But I’ll only do so in front of you. I don’t like to cry in front of others.” 

  I was aware of that, so that is why I gave such a condition. I could only hope that the young master would stop keeping things to himself all the time. I pondered for a moment, and then decided where to begin. “When I was about ninety years old, my father passed away, and I inherited the role of the family head. Afterwards, I stayed with the Elysees family for roughly ten years. However, due to the fact that I am a vampire, I could not appear at public events. Therefore, it was almost always Sadina who had dealt with those matters.” 

  The young master appeared to have trouble wrapping his head around the idea as he asked, “Why can’t you appear in public events just because you are a vampire?” 

  I froze, and then explained, “Young Master, there are still many people who can tell that I am a vampire. Take for example, the Church. Therefore, I cannot appear in public, so as to prevent people from finding out that the head of the Elysees family is a vampire.” 

  The young master was still puzzled as he asked, “So what if they do find out? Everyone around me knows that you are a vampire! But no one ever said that you can’t be my butler because you are a vampire.” 

  Hearing that, I laughed involuntarily. I replied, “Young Master, though you do not mind that your butler is a vampire, to the average person, a vampire is a symbol of evil. How could a human family be led by one of an evil race?” 

  “Why not?” The young master responded instead. I was stunned, but he then continued in a matter of fact way, “Everyone has already let my brother become the Sun Emperor, so why can’t you be the family head? My brother is at least a hundred times more evil than you are!” 

  Young Master, though I too agree that the master is not a kind person, but it does not seem quite right for you to say that about your own brother? 

  The young master continued naturally, “My brother is kind only to me. As for others, be it vampires, werewolves, angels, or humans, they are all the same to him. Anyways, they all have to yield to him.” 

  … Perhaps the master is even more dangerous than I had thought. 

  “Anyway, do continue! I know that I can be a little different from others sometimes. To sum it up, people refused to let a vampire be the family head, so they must not discover the fact that you are a vampire.” 

  Young Master, you are “entirely” different from others. I continued, “Indeed. Actually, my position as the family head is just an empty title. Therefore, I later on decided to pass over my position to Sadina. However, she was unwilling to take over the position of family head. In the end, I could only agree to continue being the family head, and let her take over as the surrogate head, before she was willing to let me leave.” 

  “Why did you want to leave? Wasn’t being the family head a good thing?” The young master asked, slightly bewildered. 

  Smiling, I replied with a question of my own, “Young Master, why did you want to leave the Sun Emperor’s side?” 

  The young master froze for a moment, and then nodded his head. 

  I gave a smile, and then continued, “When I left the Elysees family, Madam Avexila appeared. She welcomed me to go back to the Endelis clan. I did not think too hard about it. At that time, my father had already been dead for ten years. My mother, whom I had never met before, appeared. She is a vampire, and she said she would welcome me home. Therefore, I did not think too much about it and followed her to the ancient castle of the Endelis clan.” 

  At this point, I looked at the young master. He nodded his head vigorously, saying, “If it were me, I wouldn’t think too much about it, either. It is my mother, after all!” 

  Did not think too much about it? Father had warned you, warned you for all his lifetime. But you followed Avexila anyways. You deserved it! 

  I drew in a deep breath, and then continued, “I led the lifestyle of a true vampire for a period of time. However, I was completely unable to adapt to it. Therefore, I told her that I did not wish to live like that, and I was going to leave. However, she became extremely angry. When I turned around to leave, she rushed to me and gave me a beating. Then, she asked me if I still dared to leave.” 

  Gave you a beating. Was that all? She whipped you, branded you with red-hot torture tools, drove nails into your fingernails… 

  “Charles?” The young master shouted in confusion. 

  I shook my head and went on, “I told her: ‘Yes, I am leaving.’ In response, she told me, ‘Turning your back on me, the only place you can go is hell.’” 

  At this point, I fell silent. As for what followed next, I believe the young master would have already learned about it through the video. Though cameras are unable to take footage of vampires… It was the first time that I found out, if a vampire’s skin were to be scorched, then they would be visible on film. 

  Of course there was not a single trace of Madam Avexila in the video either. However, it had audio, so it had recorded her words and laughter at that time. 

  Even when I was beaten up badly, I was still not willing to stay. Therefore, she tied me to the cross, practically naked. Then, she let the sun destroy me bit by bit… until Sadina found me. 

  Sadina had led the Elysees family to attack and charge into the castle of the Endelis clan. Even Avexila had not dared to face her in battle directly, and instead led her clan of vampires to escape from a secret tunnel. Ever since then, I had not heard any news of her whereabouts. 

  It has already been forty years since then, I think? But now, Feng Gong Xiang had appeared in front of me and claimed that Avexila missed me dearly… How could I possibly believe those words? 

  The young master patted my shoulder, saying, “It’s okay, Charles. You still have your father who loves you lots and lots. Just like me, who has a brother who loves me lots and lots.” 

  “My father has passed away.” I said calmly, “It has been sixty years since then.” 

  The young master froze, and he seemed to be somewhat at a loss as he said, “T-Then there is still Madam Sadina! She also loves you a ton, right?” 

  “In the future, she too will die! Moreover, to me, that future is not far off at all…” 

  What am I saying? I do not need to tell this to the young master. I merely needed to explain the matters regarding Avexila. That’s all. As for the others, I did not have to mention them at all… Now look! The young master is already starting to become nervous. 

  “T-There will always be people who will love you a lot!” The young master said a little nervously, “Y-Yeah! Right now, I also like Charles a lot! Though it’s not as much as I love my brother and papa, but in the future, definitely—” 

  I interrupted his words, “We are merely master and servant.” 

  The young master looked at me with wide eyes. He seemed to look a little shocked. Following that, he lowered his head and said in a small voice, “Oh. Is that so. I had thought…” 

  Seeing the young master show an upset expression, I could not help but explain, “I do not mean it in that way, Young Master.” 

  The young master raised his head. He looked at me, and the sadness from his face faded away. He smiled as he said, “I almost forgot that every time you talk about masters and butlers, it always has to be done like this and that. And you even refuse to call me directly by name! That is true. We are originally master and servant, and Charles is the butler that I like very much. Charles is also very nice to me as his master…” 

  “Do not say that…” 

  He was stunned, and asked in puzzlement, “What?” 

  The young master truly likes me a lot and has treated me like a true butler. There are many people around me who I can call friends. They are all humans instead of non-humans, but none of them mind my identity as a vampire… My life right now is actually this perfect! 

  So perfect that it makes me afraid. 

  In the vampire’s Hollow Roar, I screamed, “Don’t say you love me! Don’t say you like me! Don’t let me get used to your existence! A human’s lifespan is so short. How much longer could you live? A hundred years? A hundred and fifty years?” 

  The young master looked at me, his shocked face looking so young. With the current medical technology, humans can easily live up to a hundred and twenty years to a hundred and fifty years. On top of that, the young master has said before that he may perhaps be able to break the record of the longest human lifespan. As such, he really does have a long time to live, but this “long time” was only relative to humans. 

  For a vampire, a hundred and fifty years was not even enough to allow me to become a fully-fledged adult vampire. My father was not even able to see me grow past my adolescence! 

  I could not hold back and raised an arm to touch the young master’s face. Through his face, however, I saw many people… My father had me at the young age of eighteen. Because he was extremely young, people who met him for the first time would never believe that he was my father, and thought that I was his little brother. That kind of situation continued until he was in his forties and fifties. 

  But afterwards, no one made such a mistake anymore. In the end, people who first met him always thought that he was my grandfather, or even my great-grandfather. 

  Sadina had once been even younger than the young master. I had known her since she was ten, and at that time, she was about the same size as Briar. 

  I had watched her go to middle school. Her fifteen-year-old self had happily told me that she had made her first boyfriend. I had watched as she had a huge quarrel with her mother due to wanting to study in a normal high school instead of becoming a butler. I had watched her study for two years in high school, but then dropped out to come back to the family, crying to her mother to tell her that she was sorry and still wanted to be a butler. I had watched as she obtained the title of the “Fiery Female Butler” due to beating up two perverted masters in a row and sending them to the hospital. 

  They had all once been so young. Then, time had passed so quickly, and they had all become so old. Then one of them had passed on, and the other was to pass away soon… But I still have yet to truly become an adult! 

  “Charles, I can still live for a very long time…” The young master looked at me, as if wishing to speak more, but he stopped. 

  “Very long?” I gave an agonized smile. “To me, that is all too brief! You all use your short lifespan to love me, and then pass away willfully, torturing me with this endless sorrow … Please forgive me, but I am truly unable to invest too much emotion into any human again. I do not wish to once again experience the pain I felt when I lost my father.” 

  Sixty years had already passed. My honorable father, when exactly will I be able to forget the sorrow of losing you? The love that you had given to me in the past, and all of your selfless actions… have now all become a form of torture. 

  I already do not have any kinship left, and I also kept far away from romance. As for friendship, for a vampire like me who lives in the human world, such a thing was also unattainable. 

  I had thought that this was fine. However, I forgot that my father had once told me, that as years go by, the bond between master and servant would develop into a deep affection… Before meeting the young master, I had had little hope for finding an employer who would treat me as an actual butler. How could I remember? 

  First was my father. Sadina is also in her eighties now, and I still do not know if I could handle the pain of losing her. If I even have to add the young master to that in the future… I can’t! Why is just imagining it so painful? 

  Perhaps I should leave after the two year contract ends? 

  “Charles, don’t say that. I’m scared…” 

  “Scared?” I looked at the young master, a little confused. What is he scared of? Is he scared of me leaving? 

  The young master, however, did not state what he was afraid of. He merely gave me an abrupt hug, and then leaned on my chest and kept crying and crying. I could only numbly watch him cry… until Melody walked in and stared at the young master and me, dumbfounded. 

  Her voice went up an octave, her shout nearly becoming a piercing shriek, “Butler, don’t say that I didn’t warn you! Even if you and the young master love each other, once the master knows that you’re gay with the young master, he will definitely smash you into fine dust!” 

  “…” 

  The young master’s tears turned into laughter, and he chided, “Melody, what are you saying! I’m not gay. Briar is a girl!” 

  “Then, Young Master, come over and hug me!” 

  Though the young master looked very confused, he still did so. He went over to hug Melody, and Melody hugged him back. She asked in a seductive manner, “How is it? Young Master, is hugging me better, or is hugging Charles better?” 

  The young master replied earnestly, “I think that hugging Briar is the best, especially right after she takes a bath. She’s small and soft and even fragrant.” 

  “… Young Master, you should go back to being gay with the butler! At the very least, being homosexual is not a crime, but messing around with a twelve-year-old girl is a serious offense!”


  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 4: Melody, the Symphony Woven from Joy and Sorrow

  Translator: clrfction (proofread by Arcedemius & Lala Su; C/E edited by Amgine & lucathia) 

  Melody-jiě is going around telling everyone about An Xiang Ye and Charles’s special relationship. 

  But I don’t believe any of it, and it doesn’t look the others do either, because all An Xiang Ye does is snuggle with Briar all day. He acts like a complete pedophile! 

  I warned Briar to stay away from An Xiang Ye, but she just laughed and said An Xiang Ye just likes to snuggle in general. Then, she actually dragged me to his room… his bed was covered with plush toys! The bookshelves were stocked with fairy tales! There were also rubber duckies in the bathroom! Even the soap was shaped like a little turtle! 

  Can’t you at least play with robots and use monster-shaped soap? 

  An Xiang Ye. What are you, a twelve-year-old girl? 

  Late at night, while Dark Sun was out pursuing bank robbers, I took the time to call Sadina, mostly to tell her about the traitor, though I also mentioned meeting Gong Feng Xiang and receiving the video. 

  “There’s a traitor in the family?” 

  “Yes,” I replied, “that is what the deceased family member from the plane said.” 

  The other end was silent for a while. Sadina sighed faintly and said, “Cousin, don’t come home anymore. I’ll send someone to protect you.” 

  I paused for a second, and asked, “What about you?” 

  “I will stay with the family to find the traitor, or find the entire Endelis clan and take care of them once and for all!” 

  I will not be seeing Sadina. I sighed in relief, but then, I thought of how I might never see Sadina with her eyes open again… It stung a little in my heart. I tried to convince her, “Sadina, there is no need to start a war between the two families because of me…” 

  She yelled at me, “Shut up! If you want to give me orders, return and take back your role as the family head! Besides, this doesn’t count as a war between two families. The Endelis clan aren’t even worthy of being called a rival of the Elysees family!” 

  True, which is why I do not want to witness a massacre. I could only make another attempt to persuade her. “Either way, it is too much to annihilate an entire clan.” 

  The Endelis clan is not a small clan. It includes dozens of vampires and many other non-humans. If Sadina were to take care of them once and for all, that would mean one to two hundred lives lost. Considering how the Elysees family could not avoid having any casualties either… A few hundred lives would be lost, all because of me. Is it worth it? 

  She responded coldly, “They tied you to a cross and tried to burn you alive under the sun. Now they’ve even sent you that video. Aren’t those actions crossing the line?” 

  I fell silent, thinking of that video. I really could not defend the Endelis clan any longer. They forced me to recall the most unbearable memory from my past. I even lost composure because of it, and said so many rude words to the young master… Even though the young master never mentioned the incident in the following days, I still felt terribly remorseful. The young master was still young. He should not have to think about matters such as death. 

  “Cousin,” Sadina began in an imploring tone, “can you let me do what needs to be done? I am old, and I don’t have much time left to protect you. I cannot peacefully leave this world if I don’t annihilate the Endelis clan.” 

  Don’t mention leaving… I clutched the receiver tightly, and managed to squeeze out with difficulty, “I have been causing you trouble all this time.” 

  After an extended silence, she finally said, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned…” 

  “Do not worry about it.” I interrupted and continued with a smile, “Do whatever you want! Either way, you have been disobedient ever since you were a little girl. Who am I to tell you what to do?” 

  Sadina chuckled softly for a while before speaking again. “Has Curtis’s performance thus far been acceptable? I did not teach the child myself, so I am honestly quite worried. Even though his teachers all gave him very high scores, numbers can only tell you so much. They can’t compare to real situations, especially since that child has always been very stoic. He has barely even smiled after his parents died in a car crash.” 

  I rushed to reassure her, “Do not worry. He has been very good, even though he is inexperienced, and indeed does not smile… However, many employers prefer stoic butlers, so in the future, Curtis will surely become a wonderful butler, too.” 

  Sadina smiled as if she had a heavy load lifted off her shoulders and sighed. “Thank goodness, because I don’t really have any other candidates for the next steward.” 

  Hearing the term “steward” once again, I could not help but ask, “Why not give the position of official family head to Curtis? Sadina, I sincerely wanted to give the official position to you back then, not for you to become the substitute. Even now, I have no intention of reclaiming the position.” 

  “And I hold the same opinion as back then. Unless it’s as a substitute, I refuse to manage the family for you,” Sadina stated resolutely. She then continued in a low voice, “Curtis is my grandchild, so he isn’t a true Elysees either. How could I leave the official position of family head to him?” 

  To think Sadina still cared about such matters… 

  The Elysees were never a large family, probably because the generations all practiced being butlers, and a truly responsible butler does not have much time to also attend to his or her own family. 

  By my father’s generation, those in the family who truly had Elysees blood only included him and his sister, who was my aunt and also Sadina’s mother. But my aunt had poor health ever since she was young, so she could not bear children. Moreover, she was over forty years old by the time she married my uncle, so she was unsuited to have children anyway. In short, she actually was not Sadina’s biological mother. Sadina was my uncle’s child with his ex-wife. 

  Even so, my aunt had always treated Sadina like her own child. She would not even let anyone mention in front of her that Sadina was not her biological child. 

  “Speaking of that, when are you going to change your name? You are Charles Elysees, not Charles Endelis!” 

  I began to explain out of habit, “Father promised Madam Avexila back when….” 

  Sadina’s temper flared noticeably as she said, “Who cares about keeping promises for the likes of Avexila?!” 

  I replied wryly, “Moreover, I have become accustomed to using this name, so why must you force me to change it?” 

  “Cousin, you are the sole remaining member of the family who still carries the Elysees bloodline, the last of the Elysees! Yet your family name is not Elysees. How ironic is that?” 

  That is exactly why I do not want to change my name. If I truly wanted to leave the position of family head to Sadina, I could not be going around using the name “Elysees” to remind everyone that I still carry the bloodline. 

  It is pretty much settled that Sadina would not accept the official title, but Curtis is the next in line, and surely he would not be satisfied with only being a substitute forever. When everyone forgets that I am the last Elysees, and when no one else in the family carries the bloodline, then Curtis can accept the official title without contention. 

  Perhaps in the near future, the Elysees family will be replaced by the Christopher family. It would not be too late to change my name then. 

  “Cousin!” 

  Bang! 

  I turned around to look, and the door was shoved open. Melody leaned on the door frame. That was not surprising, since she was the only one in this apartment who opened doors like that. However, her situation seemed a bit strange. She wore a considerably elegant purple and black gown that was extremely old fashioned. No one wore dresses like that anymore. 

  Even though the gown was very elegant, the owner was drunk as a skunk. Nothing that relates to the word “elegant” whatsoever. 

  “Sadina, I will call you back later.” I rushed through the sentence and hung up quickly. 

  Melody walked in, wobbling as if she would fall over at any time, but she somehow made it in front of me in one piece and asked, “Butler, who were you calling?” 

  “My cousin.” I looked down at Melody. She really was acting weirdly today. Aside from the old-fashioned gown, she had also put her hair up in a bun, also in a style so outdated that no woman would ever use it these days. She had only put on minimal makeup, which was a large departure from her usual appearance with bright red lips. 

  “Oh…the one who likes you?” Melody choked out a laugh, poked me in the chest, and then accused, “Say, why don’t you get together with her? Is she too old for you? Men are all like this…” 

  “I am a vampire. She is a human,” I explained simply. She should have understood that. Instead, Melody began to laugh uncontrollably. I sighed and said, “Melody, you are drunk. I will take you back to your metal cabin!” 

  “I don’t want to sleep!” Melody insisted stubbornly. After saying that, she even clung onto me, making sure to grab my arms, so I could not carry her back. 

  Being so close to her, I could clearly smell the scent of alcohol on her, so strong that she smelled like she was a bottle of vodka herself. If she were human instead of a vampire, she would probably have gotten alcohol poisoning already. 

  “Melody… please let go.” I looked at her helplessly. “I must go prepare the young master’s midnight snack. He might return any moment now.” 

  It was hard to tell whether she had heard me or not, as she did not reply. She did, however, loosen her hold slightly and place her hands on my waist instead. Then, she pressed her face into my chest. This made me even more uncomfortable, not because of the hugging, but because the Melody I knew was not someone who cuddled meekly with men. 

  Even if she does cuddle occasionally, should it not be with the master or First Wind? Why is she suddenly embracing me? 

  “Butler, let me ask you: do you believe in reincarnation?” 

  Reincarnation? I shook my head. “I do not have a religion.” 

  “Religion… hahaha! Me neither! What vampire would believe in religion? Hahaha… haha… ha!” 

  She laughed. She would not stop laughing, even when tears began to fall, even when the laughing turned into howling, even when she began to cry… crying with her faced buried in my chest, sobbing uncontrollably. 

  If I was uncomfortable moments earlier, then now I was terrified. Melody is actually crying? 

  In my terror, I finally remembered to offer a handkerchief. She snatched it and wiped her face roughly, then promptly tossed it to the ground. She went back to hugging me and muttered to herself, “But still, I must still believe there is such a thing, because if there is, maybe someday I can still meet him.” 

  Him? 

  Melody looked at me suddenly and asked bluntly, “Butler, you left your cousin because she’s human and will die soon, correct? Why not turn her into a vampire? Do you not have the courage to love her forever?” 

  Melody looked at me intently, determined to receive an answer. I did not expect her to ask this question and did not know how to answer, so I could only say, “There are many reasons…” 

  “Ah! Of course, there are always many reasons. When is that not the case?” She let out a humph and pushed me away, turning to look at the French windows, and began in a sweet-sounding tone. “He never had this many reasons. He just did what he wanted to, without any consideration for others’ feelings. Always the dictator!” 

  I sighed and said, “Melody, you really are drunk. Could you return to your metal cabin and get some sleep?” 

  She completely ignored what I said, turned around, and fired off another question. “Butler, if you hadn’t left your cousin back then, how long would you have had with her in total?” 

  I turned silent for a bit, but Melody kept glaring at me, as if she would not stop without receiving an answer, so I could only reply honestly. “Not long. Perhaps eighty to a hundred years.” 

  “Not long? Heh. Butler, did you know?” She advanced and continued overbearingly, “My lover was an immortal vampire. He gave me my First Kiss and turned me into a vampire so I could be with him forever… Take a guess. How long do you think I had with him?” 

  I smiled bitterly. “I do not know, two or three hundred years?” 

  “A year and a half.” 

  Melody announced the answer. I stared blankly. Tears fell out of her eyes, but she did not seem to notice. She simply continued expressionlessly, “Then, he died. The village where he hunted quite often asked the Church for help, and they sent in the Sin Elimination team. He was weak from giving me my First Kiss not long before, which used up too much of his blood ability, so he had no strength to defend himself. The Sin Elimination team didn’t even leave behind a speck of his dust.” 

  So that was it. I was not too surprised, though. Vampires being killed by the Church was nothing new. This was also the main reason vampires usually banded together in clans instead of wandering alone. No matter how strong a single vampire was, he or she was always weaker during the day. If a Sin Elimination team caught any hint of their movements, being turned into ashes and dust would be the only possible outcome. 

  “During that time, I hid in the closet. I couldn’t see, but I could hear. I covered my mouth desperately, because I couldn’t cry out. I listened to him die… the Church didn’t know of my existence, so they left after killing him.” 

  Hearing this, I could completely sympathize with how she felt at the time. When my father lay on his bed during his final days, I could only watch as his vitality slipped away, hearing the doctor say he only had a few months left… During those months, I wanted to cry every day, but I could only chat with my father with a smile on my face, because he said he was proud, that the son he raised had the best smile. 

  If I had the choice, I would rather be tied on the cross and die from overexposure to the sun than watch another loved one weaken day by day, and finally see them close their eyes forever, never to wake up again. 

  At this moment, Melody suddenly grabbed me by the collar, pulled me over, and growled at me. “Even though he and I were both immortal vampires, what does it matter? You’re such an idiot for leaving your cousin just because she can only live for a hundred years! Is a hundred years too short? I only had a year and a half to love him! In exchange for this year and a half, I’ve missed him for more than three hundred years… but I’ve never regretted meeting him, never regretted loving him!” 

  A year and a half… I have never regretted going home with father either, but at least I got to spend ninety years with him. Yet, Melody only had a year and a half, and she had to endure pain for more than three hundred years. If it were me, I probably would not have had the courage to choose that year and a half! I complimented her sincerely, “You are very brave.” 

  “Brave?” Melody laughed. “I’m not brave. When he died, I literally went insane. My only thought was revenge.” 

  I shook my head and said, “There is nothing to avenge. Humans just want to live. They did nothing wrong.” 

  “Wrong? This has nothing to do with right or wrong!” Melody gave me a look of disgust. This is not an expression she would normally make. 

  “Imagine a hunter in the mountains who ended up being killed by the boar he was hunting. Would the hunter’s wife or son say, ‘It’s not the boar’s fault. The boar was just trying to live’? No! They would gather the villagers, pick up all their weapons, and annihilate that boar! That’s exactly what I did. All those who killed him deserved to die!” 

  She let out an inhuman growl. “I slaughtered the entire village! Because to me, they were all boars who killed the man I loved! They called for the Church to come!” 

  “Perhaps your lover also killed someone else’s lover,” I tried to phrase it tactfully. 

  Upon hearing this, Melody laughed again, to the point of crying. She said as she laughed, “Charles Endelis, you really shouldn’t use the name Endelis. Go become an Elysees! You are not a vampire. Not because your father is human, or because you lived with a human family for more than fifty years. You aren’t a non-human because you’ve never slaughtered humans like pigs! Even if you go crazy, even if you turn to darkness, you still wouldn’t do it, right?” 

  I could not deny it. Even though I had killed humans before, and even though the number was not small, I had always had a reason. Actual reasons, more than simply to feed on humans. 

  In this age during which even murder among humans hardly required a reason, I really was an abnormal vampire. But father was very happy about this. Whenever someone told him his son was a dangerous vampire, he had always replied thusly, “My son is a vampire, but trust me, even a ten-year-old girl with a letter opener is more dangerous than him.” 

  Father said this for a reason. When ten-year-old Sadina first came to the family, other children used my being a vampire to scare her, so she ended up carrying a letter opener made of silver with her all the time. 

  The first time we met by chance in the hallway, she looked very scared. I tried to comfort her with a smile and squatted down to her level. Just as I went to stroke her head, she unexpectedly stabbed me right in the carotid artery with great accuracy. Silver making contact with blood combined with loss of a lot of blood caused me to faint almost immediately. 

  If other family members had not passed by and stopped her, she actually would have tried to stab me a few more times. Sadina admitted that to me later. 

  Father was very worried and angry at first, but after I recovered, he had Sadina bring a bouquet of flowers to express her apology. The card on the bouquet said, “To the vampire who nearly died at the hands of a ten–year-old girl.” 

  From then on out, Sadina was never scared of me again. The rest of the family seemed to also fear and avoid me less often. 

  “You treat humans as your own kind, so you can’t do it!” 

  My attention shifted back to Melody. She let go of my collar, took a few steps back, collapsed onto the sofa, and muttered. “Ever since I slaughtered people, I began to understand. The First Kiss itself did not change me into a vampire. It was the massacre that truly turned me into a non-human. You can only understand the difference between humans and non-humans after you have personally done so.” 

  If that is the case, I would rather never understand the difference between humans and non-humans. 

  “Speaking of which… When our young master flies into a rage, he can really kill humans as if they’re pigs.” She reclined on the sofa, covered her face, and laughed. “You and the young master, you two are so… hahaha!” 

  The laughter died down slowly, until finally, Melody fell silent and stopped moving, seemingly asleep. Suddenly, her hand slid off the sofa, and a necklace fell from the palm of her hand. 

  I bent down and picked up the necklace. It was a very classical-looking necklace with an oval pendant and an orchid design carved on the surface. Usually, these kinds of necklaces can be opened, since one can put pictures inside. 

  I opened it. Inside the locket was not a picture, but a drawing. The blond man wore a proud expression, and his face and aura were surprisingly similar to those of the master. There was also a line of text: Calanthe, my eternal love. 

  Looks like Melody is not her actual name. I closed the necklace and put it back around Melody’s neck. Then, I picked her up and walked toward her room. 

  As I closed the lid of the metal cabin, I remembered that I should be making the young master’s midnight snack… Then, I glanced over and saw an orchid flower on the lid of the metal cabin. Melody had always liked roses instead. Perhaps Melody is not Melody tonight, but Calanthe? 

  I could find no argument against what Calanthe had said. I claimed to be a vampire but have always lived with a human’s mindset and a human’s lifestyle. 

  She is right. I am not an Endelis… but she does not know that I am not an Elysees either. 

  I leaned on the metal cabin. Metal cabins isolate noise well, so Melody would not hear any outside disturbances. I whispered, “So what if I feel human? Humans treat me as a vampire, but non-humans think of me as half-human, or not a true non-human… I am affiliated with two families, but the Elysees family cannot recognize me openly, and I cannot agree with the Endelis clan.” 

  Humans and non-humans, separated into two sides with the use of the prefix “non,” yet I am standing right on the line, not on one side or the other, unable to go to either side. 

  Ring ring… ring… ring ring… 

  I pulled out the phone and took the call. “Charles Endelis speaking, who might this be?” 

  “It’s me! What took you so long to pick up?” 

  “Yue Gang?” I was a little surprised. Usually, I am the one who calls him, while he physically goes straight to the market to find me. “What is the matter? Are you already out of money for food, because you spent the ten thousand yuan I gave you on weapons?” 

  “What do you see me as? Some kind of weapons maniac?” 

  I replied with a faint smile, “Are you not?” 

  “Tsk! If I keep buying more weapons, I wouldn’t be able to pay you back even if I get my paycheck! Nope, didn’t buy anything! But… I really don’t have money for food. If you don’t save me with thirty thousand yuan, the shop owner is gonna harvest my liver to cover the debt!” 

  “…What did you eat?” 

  “Two cocktails, two side dishes, and a baguette.” 

  “You could take the shop owner to the police and sue him for extortion,” I suggested. 

  “If I could walk out of the shop, I would’ve done so already!” Yue Gang hurried to continue. “The shop owner won’t let me talk for much longer! Come save me quickly! Bring thirty thousand yuan to a bar called N/H on South Sunset Road.” 

  N/H? “What did you go to N/H… What did you go to a bar for?” I blurted out. 

  The other end hung up. I do not think Yue Gang did that voluntarily. 

  After thinking it through for a moment, I returned to my room and changed into my heavy traditional suit. However, I did not withdraw thirty thousand yuan. Instead, I leaped straight out of the French window in the living room and ran toward South Sunset Road along the walls of the building. 

  N/H is a members-only club, and Yue Gang could not possibly be a member, so he should not have even been able to get inside. But he had made it in today, and the shop owner swindled him. Add in the fact that he had called me… I suspect that this entire ordeal has nothing to do with Yue Gang. The true target is me. 

  But what would the owner of N/H want to do with me? Even though I had been to N/H quite a few times, I had never met its owner. 

  After running for about twenty minutes, I jumped from the walls to the street. There were not many people on the road, and the streets were only dimly lit. South Sunset Road was situated in the southern district of Sunset City. It was considered to be a rather unprosperous district, and the security was notoriously corrupt. Not many people lingered on the streets after sunset. 

  N/H was located on such a street. Its entrance was very nondescript. The front door was black, and the letters “N/H” were hung above the door. In contrast to the other shops’ neon-lighted signs, the “N/H” plaque was simply made of wood. In addition, there was no lighting around here, so at nighttime it was exceedingly difficult to notice, such that humans at least probably could not even see that there was a bar here. 

  I walked up to the door, which had an announcement attached that read, “Vampires’ Night, free entrance for all vampires.” 

  No doubt, this is targeted at me. 

  A card reader was on the black door. I pulled out my membership card from my wallet and swiped it. The door opened. 

  It is not difficult to become a member at N/H… At least, it was not difficult for me. One can become a member as long as they are a non-human. 

  N/H is an exclusively non-human bar. 

  I pushed open the door and entered. After climbing a long stretch of shaded stairs, a spacious hall appeared before my eyes. All four walls were made of glass, through which one could see outside. In the center of the hall was a round bar counter that gave off a faint white glow. The counter itself was made of very unique material. It was all transparent, with water flowing within and even fish swimming inside. It was like an aquarium. 

  Because the bar counter was glowing, its surroundings seemed very dim. At a glance, one could only see the outside scenery through the glass windows, except the southern district is not very affluent, so the lights were sparse, and the night scene was hardly pretty. 

  Even though the lighting was bad, I still knew that there were many seats, sofas, Baroque style tables and chairs, deluxe hardwood chairs, wicker chairs, the latest ergonomic chairs… such that non-humans of any generation could find their preferred seat. My personal favorite was the set of wooden chairs and table by the window. 

  The sound of giggling came from the darkness. “Oh my, look who’s here.” 

  “Why, it’s none other than the Angel’s butler!” 

  I blanked out for a second before realizing the Angel was referring to the young master. Looks like the young master is becoming more and more famous. 

  Looking around, I realized that there were actually not that many non-humans here tonight. Counting the waiters moving about, there were still fewer than twenty people. Perhaps the sign on the door about “Vampires’ Night” made other non-humans feel uneasy, so they simply chose to not come in. On the other hand, those who were here must be decently powerful, because they still chose to come in without avoiding the danger. 

  I walked straight toward the bar counter. 

  “Would you like to order a drink?” There was only one bartender at the bar, one I had never seen before. His skin gave off a dim glow, and his eyes were almost clear, with the barest hint of blue-gray. His aquamarine hair was very long, almost reaching down to his ankles. 

  I could not tell what species he was… Or perhaps it was a “she.” I could not even discern this non-human’s gender. I will treat him as a male for now. 

  He continued with a smile. “We have the freshest blood, in the form of young girls who would willingly let you feed on their bodies! Or perhaps you prefer boys? We can also provide the prettiest boys…ah! Not the prettiest, at least not as pretty as the Angel. Sincere apologies.” 

  The young master seems to be very famous among non-humans too, and that does not seem like a good thing. I was a little worried, but the priority at the moment was Yue Gang. I asked with honest intentions, “I am here to look for someone.” 

  “Oh?” He replied, smiling still. “What species?” 

  “Human.” 

  “You came to N/H to look for a human?” He laughed lightly and said, “You don’t really understand what ‘N/H’ means, do you, vampire?” 

  I kept calm. “Are you positive there are no humans here?” 

  He picked up a glass and poured in some bright red liquid, saying, “No, there is one. He barged in, ordered food, and can’t pay for it.” 

  I asked politely, “Why bother with the formalities? He should not have been able to ‘barge in.’ Besides, two cocktails and two side dishes should not cost thirty thousand yuan. Your target is me.” 

  He placed the glass on the counter with a grin. “Oops, I was seen through? Fine, I admit it. It was indeed to lure you out, Charles Endelis. By the way, this is freshly extracted blood. It’s still warm! Want a sip before it turns cold?” 

  He leaned forward a little with a grin on his face. “Perhaps the blood of a friend would be particularly tasty?” 

  Yue Gang… I clenched my fists, but kept my face expressionless and did not ask about Yue Gang. Instead, I inquired, “Is Madam Avexila behind this?” 

  “Avexila?” The bartender tilted his head and thought for a while, then spread his hands and shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t know much about vampires. Never heard the name before.” 

  So it is not Madam Avexila who lured me here? I was a little surprised. Aside from the grudges with the Endelis clan, I could not recall making any other enemies with non-humans. I voiced my confusion, “Might I ask, why would you seek me out?” 

  He withdrew his smile and asked mildly, “Rumor has it that Cornell was killed by E.X.?” 

  X, the next time you ask me for any more favors, I will definitely refuse on the spot. 

  “Yes.” I had no other answer. “X and Cornell had some personal history.” 

  “Oh? It was personal history?” He smiled again. “The first thing E.X. did upon arrival was killing the leader of the werewolves in Sunset City, then he just left without any explanation. His actions have utterly disrespected the non-humans of Sunset City. Even though Cornell’s closest acquaintance, White Stone, has let the matter slide, that does not mean all the other non-humans that he had looked down upon have forgiven him.” 

  White Stone… as in Mr. Stone? 

  I promptly tried to defend X. “E.X. is being hunted down by the Church, so he really cannot afford to stay in one place for long. Aside from that, he is a very conservative vampire, so he generally does not socialize very much with humans and non-humans alike. So please do not hold it against him.” 

  “I can’t hold it against him anyway. If even the Church can’t find him, how am I supposed to do so?” He looked at me with his pair of light-colored eyes and said with a slight smile, “But you are quite different, Charles Endelis. You have been very active recently! One can find traces of you everywhere. It’s rare to see a vampire who is merely a hundred and fifty years old be so conspicuous.” 

  Technically speaking, none of those matters had to do with me. I was just an innocent bystander who got dragged in unexpectedly and sometimes helped out a little. 

  “Your eccentricities don’t end there, either. A fifth generation vampire who works as a butler and is even protected by a human family… and comes here so easily even though he knows it’s a trap. Do you think non-humans wouldn’t dare touch you just because of your human family’s protection?” 

  As he said this, he began to float from the bar counter toward me and stopped, though his feet never touched the ground. He was still floating… I had never met a non-human with this ability. 

  He tilted his head slightly, and a trace of blue swirled in his pale eyes, like a ripple on water. Then, his blue hair and clothes both began to flutter, as if he were underwater. Even his voice sounded like he was immersed in water. “Did you think you could do whatever you please in Sunset City?” 

  “I have never had any such thoughts.” 

  “Oh really?” He said, “But that’s exactly what you did.” 

  I was a bystander who unexpectedly became involved and helped out occasionally, but he would never believe me even if I said that! I sighed and asked directly. “What do I need to do for you to release that human?” 

  “Nothing much. Just don’t try to escape, and I will release him. It’s just….” Water gathered on the floor and coiled itself around him as if it had a life of its own. He smirked. “I cannot guarantee whether you will be able to leave with him or not.” 

  A species who lives underwater? I had never fought water demons or any non-human of this sort before. What should I do in battle? It’s such a shame. If I had encountered this fight just a little later, I might have been able to find how to battle against various types of non-humans in the young master’s reports… After all, the citizens of Sunset City now all know well enough about the existence of non-humans. 

  The stream of water that surrounded the water demon separated into five smaller streams and sprayed at me from different directions. Even though they seemed to be only streams of water, I still dodged them. 

  After losing their targets, the streams seemingly flowed aimlessly around various obstacles, but one still accidentally brushed past the leg of a chair. The chair did not even move. Just as I was about to believe that the water really was harmless, the chair began to tilt, and a leg was missing a section. The missing section was precisely the size of the stream. What surprised me more was how the surface looked exceedingly smooth, as if it had been polished. 

  If one was hit by one of those streams, surely the wounds would be clean too. Even though that would be helpful with reconnecting broken limbs, I would rather not get hit in the first place if possible. 

  The five streams flowed all around chaotically, but the speed was still within my ability to handle. Until I could think of a way to counter them, dodging was my only choice. 

  “Your speed is not bad!” The water demon observed with a laugh. “But dodging all the time really isn’t the best way to fight. What would you do when you have nowhere to hide?” 

  Just as he finished his sentence, the sounds of several things shattering came from above. I looked up. There was no ceiling above, but just exposed plumbing instead. The pipes were clear and glowed slightly, just like the bar, except now the pipes had split entirely through the middle and let loose a torrent of water. Remembering what had just happened, if I made contact with this water, getting soaked would probably be the least of my worries. 

  I originally planned to block it directly with my blood ability, but a thought hit me, and two blood red rapiers immediately appeared in my hands instead. I waved them above my head furiously. The two rapiers sent the falling water flying left and right, and their destructive power was no less than that of bullets. I could only hear the sound of various things breaking all around me. 

  I blocked the final splash of water, and counterattacked! 

  The ball of water flew toward the water demon like an artillery shell. The water demon stared for a second before hurrying to avoid it. The water still hit him on the arm, then it ricocheted and smashed apart a table. 

  He stopped his attacks momentarily and raised a water screen in front of himself, which I assumed provided a measure of protection. Then, he inspected his injured arm and said to himself thoughtfully, “I must take back my previous words. This speed is more than not bad. It’s truly rather astonishing.” 

  He raised his head to look at me and asked, “Vampire, is this your special ability? But I heard you’re only a hundred and fifty something years old. You shouldn’t be an adult yet.” 

  Father had investigated all of the characteristics of vampires for me. When vampires fully become adults, they go through certain changes. Most vampires only get a large increase in blood ability, but a few can develop special abilities in addition to that. 

  However, pureborn vampires are exceptions. They nearly always develop special abilities. I say “nearly always” because pureborn vampires are rare to begin with, and even fewer survive into adulthood, so there was not enough evidence for Father to conclude definitively. 

  Turned vampires take between a hundred and eighty to two hundred years to fully mature. Although pureborn vampires should need less time, it was not as little as a hundred and fifty years. 

  For this reason, even though my speed had increased significantly and my ability to use the blood ability had improved quickly as well, I had never thought it to be the result of becoming an adult. Not until I rescued Curtis a few days ago with an unnatural speed did I realize something was off, so I emailed X. 

  He wrote in his reply, “Your ability for becoming an adult is x-speed? Most pureborn vampires develop combat-based abilities! What did you develop x-speed for? Don’t tell me it’s to run away? Bastard! Don’t you dare mention to anyone that I’ve taught you how to fight before!” 

  So I became an adult. 

  My ability is very fast speed. X calls it “x-speed,” and I am assuming it is an abbreviation of “extreme speed.” Although X mocked it, I was very satisfied with the ability of having extreme speed. This ability can be used to avoid unwanted battles. What could be better than this? 

  But ironically, even if I have the speed others do not, I cannot escape right now. 

  “I have become an adult,” I admitted, hoping he would give up any notions of fighting upon learning this. 

  “An adult fifth-generation vampire. That sounds awfully dangerous.” The water demon chanted lightly to himself and laughed suddenly. He said with a satisfied tone, “This is better, or else it might look like I’m bullying the weak.” 

  I sighed. Looks like this battle cannot be avoided. Fortunately, he seemed like he would let Yue Gang go no matter what the outcome. 

  He held out his right hand, and a stream of water rose from the ground. He grabbed the stream and the water turned into a double-pointed staff. Afterwards, more streams of water appeared around me, making the scene look like a gigantic fountain. 

  Seeing this, I released my blood ability too. Even though the release of blood ability took away from my speed significantly, to the point that I would not be able to use x-speed, in the situation of being surrounded by water, there was no way of dodging it all. Only by using my blood ability would I be able to defend against the lethal water all around me. 

  A dark red cloud of blood mist enveloped the area around me. Although the blood mist was not as dense as the water, being only a thin layer of red-tinged liquid, it held firm and blocked the flow of water. 

  “As expected of a pureborn vampire. I have met a few vampires before, all of whom are much older than you are, but none of their blood abilities’ hues were as saturated as yours,” the water demon told me with a slight chuckle. “How careless of me. My water screen here probably can’t block your blood ability at all. You are such a gentleman for not taking advantage and launching a sneak-attack.” 

  A responsible butler must always be a gentleman, but that is not necessarily true for a vampire in combat. My not sneak attacking him had nothing to do with being gentlemanly. It was simply not within my capability to do. 

  It was one thing for my blood ability to increase, but to actually use it in battle was a different matter. My skill at controlling the blood ability was still very unsteady. I was not entirely sure if I could defend against the water flow while concentrating on attacking, so I did not take the chance. 

  The water demon walked over slowly, and the water screen in front of him suddenly split into pieces and circled around him. He began with a light smile, “Controlling water and controlling blood. Our abilities really are quite similar, but our biggest difference is: I am five hundred years old, which just happens to be the prime age for our kind. But you, vampire! For your kind, you are merely an infant.” 

  He finished speaking as he stopped walking, halting only about ten steps away from me. Suddenly, he jumped and covered the distance of these ten steps, and as he was landing, he brought down the ice staff forcefully toward my blood ability… the blood ability blocked the blow, but the ensuing tremor was too much for me to handle, forcing me down on one knee. 

  He looked down at me, with only the razor thin blood ability between us. The blood ability cast a crimson sheen on his face such that even as he smiled, he gave off a cruel aura. 

  “I have never seen a vampire younger than two hundred years old. They are too weak, so they choose to never appear before non-humans. Nowadays, young vampires take even more care to hide, because a fully-armed human can easily kill a two hundred year old vampire. If the generation number is higher than ten, then the vampire can be killed off by a human regardless of age.” 

  I reabsorbed my blood ability and utilized x-speed, then materialized rapiers. These three actions were completed in almost the same second. I appeared behind the water demon, and raised the rapier to stab him in the heart as I said, “Humans call kill any species of any age, not just vampires.” 

  Just as I was mere centimeters from succeeding, the rapier was blocked. The water screens that had been circling the water demon dutifully did their job. I was forced to retreat to avoid a counterattack. 

  The water demon turned around with a stony face. “That is a lie. None of my kind in their primes have died at the hands of a human! Even vampires cannot beat those of my kind in their prime!” 

  He abandoned his defensive stance, and instead began to brandish attack after attack with his ice staff. Every swing was accompanied by a gust of wind, exposing the force behind each move. However, my blood ability blocked every single blow. I was not even forced to step back. 

  I finally understood how to defend myself correctly. The blood ability surrounding me was no longer a thin mist, but became two sturdy shields. The blood was so thick that it looked like ink. The appearance was identical to those water screens. 

  The water demon gave a look of surprise. “You…” 

  “That is because Dark Sun does not wish to kill you.” I swung my two rapiers and launched a swift attack. “Also because X does not want to kill you.” 

  The water demon picked up the speed of his ice staff and retorted caustically, “You aren’t Dark Sun, nor are you X!” 

  “So, do you take honor in killing a hundred-and-fifty year old vampire?” 

  He sneered. “Don’t use age as an excuse. If you do not have enough strength, then you should hide more carefully instead of wandering about the city, getting involved in a load of problems, or being acquainted with dangerous non-humans like E.X.” 

  Streams of water suddenly appeared from all directions. I blasted out blood ability and blocked all of the water, but this caused the shields to disappear without a trace. At this moment, the water demon’s ice staff broke through the weak layer of blood ability with enormous momentum and came straight at me. 

  Two blood shields might be able to block it, but I had no time to materialize anything. I could only take a step back, and another… I abruptly turned sideways and held my left hand out as I materialized a rapier. The rapier stabbed the water demon in the chest, but was immediately knocked away by a water shield. This level of injury barely counted as a scratch for a non-human. 

  “This world would become simple and straightforward if we had the power to decide who to meet and who to like.” The water demon’s blood tinged the rapier, which was the same as me sucking his blood. I could even taste blood. It tasted lighter than human blood and was a bit salty. 

  “True. But you have the power to decide to leave.” 

  The water demon looked at the bloody streak on his chest, and then suddenly dissolved the ice staff, leaving behind only the shields. I could not understand his intentions, so I kept my shield and rapier. 

  “Your initial attacks were ridiculously weak, but the later attacks were not like ones from a mere hundred and fifty year old vampire.” His face darkened, and he continued in a low voice, “Did you hide your true strength at first? You dared to hold back after I told you I’m a five hundred year old non-human?” 

  “No, I did not hold back. I just suddenly understood how to use my blood ability,” I confessed candidly. “You taught me.” 

  “Ha!” The water demon scoffed. “Your good friend E.X. is one of the strongest vampires. Don’t tell me he never taught you how to fight.” 

  “He has taught me, but I think his attack style does not suit me, so I did not learn well.” 

  X almost never goes on the defense. He releases blood ability to materialize powerful weapons, such as the blood claw that appeared last time he fought Dark Sun. 

  Almost all vampires use the blood claw. It is the most fundamental and most commonly used weapon, but for some reason, every time I tried to form a blood claw… quoting what X said, “They are as goddamn cute as kitten paws, but similarly have no goddamn destructive power.” Finally, he resorted to having me materialize rapiers, even though he thought of them as weapons that one “needs to stab a non-human a hundred times with to kill.” 

  Rapiers are definitely not X’s weapon of choice, so what he could teach me was very limited. 

  When I saw how the water demon attacked, I actually felt a strange sense of familiarity. He held his ice staff just like how I usually held my rapiers. His water screens were just like the blood ability I used to protect myself. I could even use my blood ability to make copies of his more advanced shields. 

  He used water screens to block large-scale, weak attacks, and used shields to block the strongest blows. Then, he uses weaker attacks like water streams to distract the opponent while he attacks the openings with his ice staff. 

  His style of attack is completely different from X’s. He does not rely heavily on offense, but on speed and strategy to obtain victory. When I saw this style of attack, the thought that “perhaps I can do this, too” immediately flashed through my mind. And I really was able to. Even though I could not distract the opponent yet, I did not think that would be difficult with some practice. 

  Compared to the water demon, I might actually have an advantage because I am faster and have the ability “x-speed.” In the future, if I could manipulate the blood ability to materialize more weapons and increase the speed of release and absorption, perhaps… 

  The water demon’s voice dropped lower. “It seems like I have created a dangerous enemy. Fifth generation pureborn vampire, you learn too quickly… I really should kill you right here, right now!” 

  As the words “right now” left his mouth, the water around me began to swirl chaotically inside the building. The water demon gathered it all into a gigantic whirlpool. At that moment, his imposing presence was completely different from before. The difference in strength was so great that he did not even seem to be the same non-human. 

  I suddenly realized that he was the one who had been holding back. He had probably just been warming up or playing around earlier. 

  Under this tense atmosphere, the water demon said to me coldly, “I don’t know how you keep in touch with E.X, but you go tell him that he has caused you too much trouble. You have almost died several times, so you no longer wish to stay in touch with him.” 

  I was stumped for a second by a combination of surprise and disbelief. “This is your revenge? For me to cut off contact with him? I though you wanted to kill me.” 

  “Kill you?” The water demon chortled. “Killing you would be too much. If E.X. comes back to avenge you, the Church would come make a scene at Sunset City again. That is not something I want to see happening.” 

  I laughed humorlessly. “You do not really believe that X would be bothered by me cutting off contact?” 

  “Of course he would care,” the water demon replied firmly. “You are X’s friend. Just this reason alone would be enough for the Church to capture and torture you till you die, but a powerful human family has been protecting you, so the Church doesn’t dare to touch you. If X loses you as a friend, where else can he find another non-human protected by a human family?” 

  I smiled and shook my head while explaining. “I am the one who needs X, because he is the only vampire I know. X does not need friends.” 

  “Sure he does. No one can live alone for eternity, not even non-humans,” he said impatiently. “Stop spouting nonsense. Now, do you choose to leave your friend and live or leave him by dying? You should know that you have no chance of winning, and I will not show any mercy from now on.” 

  I was silent for a while, and finally responded, “You are right. No one can live alone forever. X cannot, and neither can I. X is the only immortal among my friends. If you want me to cut off contact with him, then make me.” 

  “You choose death?” The water demon seemed somewhat surprised. “You can meet other non-humans. You’re not the one the Church is after.” 

  But only X is the same as me. We straddle the line and cannot go anywhere else. 

  “Forget it, since you willingly seek death, don’t blame me.” 

  The whirlpool picked up its speed dramatically. The tables and chairs it touched were smashed to splinters, and wind caused by the whirlpool even began to pick up nearby furniture. The hall looked like it was being attacked by a tornado. 

  Blood shields cannot be used to block attacks from all directions, but the thin screen of blood ability probably would not be able to take such a powerful blow… The strength accumulated over three hundred years is simply too much of a difference. The most rational choice would be to run. The door was right behind me. There was not even anyone guarding it. If I used x-speed… I cannot run, or else Yue Gang might not ever leave this bar. 

  After letting the blood ability surround me in a last ditch effort, I looked at the colossal and magnificent whirlpool, feeling strangely calm.

  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 5: N/H, the Farce of Rejecting Humans yet Acting Human

  Translator: clrfction (proofread by Arcedemius & Lala Su; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  An Xiang Ye is weird himself, so of course the people around him are weirdos, too! 

  What kind of souvenir is a bug? 

  Well, I’ll let that one slide. Ah Ye seems like the type to be excited even if he receives a cockroach. 

  I was dead beat and had thought that I only had to go get the bug before I could go back home to sleep. Except, when we got to the lab, we were told that the bug had been stolen, and the people who had stolen it were likely from an enemy lab who wanted to use it to develop bioweapons. Now we had a mission—to find the bug from the enemy lab and bring it back, or destroy it on the spot… That sounds like a third-rate movie’s plot no matter how you spin it! 

  The three of us, plus a little girl, ended up being forced to start the mission. When we were about halfway through, that Ezart had the nerve to say an adventurer team asked him to join them on a tomb raid that was leaving soon, so he needed to leave. 

  And then he really left! What about the bug? The mission? Didn’t the lab say that the enemy would destroy the world if we don’t destroy the bug? 

  How can you say “I’m busy, gotta go!” halfway through saving the world? Even third-rate movies don’t play out like that! 

  I want to sleep! I want to leave, too! Ah Ye, let go of me! 

  Just as the whirlpool was about to swallow me, I heard my name. 

  “Charles… ah!” 

  That voice… I turned to look and saw the young master. He stood in the doorway, but was hit by stray drops of water from the whirlpool. He lost his balance and fell backwards, and behind him was a long stretch of stairs… 

  I cried out in shock, “Young Master!” 

  Then, I remembered that the young master was Dark Sun, so he would be fine. That thought slowed me from rushing to save the young master, but someone else rushed over more quickly than I did. 

  The water demon grabbed the falling young master but did not pull him up. Instead, he continued holding the young master by the waist and stared at his face dreamily. The two of them looked like a couple frozen in the finishing stance of a dance, with the woman being dipped by the man, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. 

  I looked around. The magnificent whirlpool just now had disappeared without a trace. Even all the water had returned to the plumbing on the ceiling. Although all the pipes were still broken, no water leaked out. 

  “My waist is getting tired. Can I get up?” The young master broke the silence. 

  The water demon started, as if waking from a trance. He pulled the young master up and asked hurriedly, “Are you okay? Were you injured from the fall?” 

  The young master blinked in confusion and replied, “No, I didn’t fall at all! Who are you, though?” 

  The water demon smiled seductively, “Call me Poseidin, dear Angel.” 

  “Are you a girl? I thought you were a boy…” The young master found me at that point and waved, “Charles!” 

  I hesitated briefly, but still withdrew all the blood ability. Just as I was about to walk over, the young master ran over to me. He asked angrily, “How, how could you run off without saying anything? You didn’t pick up your phone either. I thought you decided to quit being my butler and ran away secretly! I was looking for you everywhere!” 

  For some reason, Poseidin joined in too. “Hear! Hear! How could you run off without saying anything? Is that what servants do? Such impudence! You should fire this lousy butler!” 

  Did I not run off because you were holding Yue Gang captive? 

  “Who are you?” The young master suddenly turned to ask Poseidin. 

  “Angel, did you forget? I just told you, I am…” 

  The young master interrupted him quite bluntly, “I don’t care who you are. You can’t tell my butler off!” 

  Poseidin froze for a second, but then stared at the young master dreamily again, even though the young master did not pay him any more attention. He turned back to look at me, and he still looked very angry. 

  The young master is angry at me? 

  Even though leaving without permission during work hours does tend to anger employers, this was not the first time I had done so. Back when I had just begun to work as the young master’s butler, I had left when I thought he had been kidnapped, but he had not gotten angry at all then… The young master has rarely… no, has never gotten angry at me before. 

  Then, why does he look so angry right now? I tried to explain, “Young Master, they captured Yue Gang, so I had to come save him.” 

  “I know. I watched the surveillance camera footage of the room and heard Yue Gang’s call.” 

  If that is the case, why is the young master so angry? I was even more confused, but I could only apologize. “I am very sorry. I should not have left without permission, and angering you is my…” 

  “Not that!” He interrupted me, and continued heatedly, “Why didn’t you tell Bramble and the others? They could’ve contacted me. Why didn’t you ask me for help? Because we are only master and servant, so the servant must not ask the master for help?” 

  “That is not the case, Young Master. This was a trap designed for me. How could I trouble you…?” 

  I stopped, because I suddenly realized that this was exactly what the young master had just been talking about. Because we are only master and servant, how could the servant bother the master? When the young master had said so, I wanted to refute him, but in truth, I had truly been thinking that way. 

  At that point, I did not know how to continue. Change my stance? But the young master already heard me. 

  The young master suddenly spoke. “It’s so dark. Why is it so dark in here? I hate darkness… Lights!” 

  The lights still did not turn on, but the next second, Poseidin also shouted, “Lights!” 

  The lights turned on immediately, and in that instance, my eyes met the young master’s. I saw that he was both angry and sad. What does he see on my face? The next second, he turned to face Poseidin quickly. 

  I noticed that there were many non-humans around us, but I also saw something unexpected. Although the walls around us were made of glass, there were supporting pillars that were not transparent. These pillars were covered with posters of the young master. 

  “Let Yue Gang go,” the young master said brusquely to Poseidin. 

  Considering the number of posters on the walls, which seemed like every single advertisement the young master had done, I expected Poseidin to agree. He really seemed to be infatuated with the young master, which surprised me greatly. I never thought even non-humans would like the young master’s Angel appearance. 

  “That wouldn’t do!” Poseidin was all smiles, but refused him anyway. “I am N/H’s owner after all. If an outsider takes the non-humans of Sunset City lightly, I can’t just sit and watch. How can I stop without a reason, especially since I have made a move already? Don’t you agree, Angel?” 

  The young master looked at Poseidin, as if he were observing his mood. Just as I was getting worried that the young master would decide to fight no matter what, he smiled and said sweetly, “Then, Poseidin, can you let Charles and Yue Gang go for me? Please?” 

  My worries were extraneous. The young master has always been the most rational when dealing with serious matters. 

  Poseidin kept smiling and looked like he would not acquiesce. The young master stopped smiling and gradually began to look more and more disappointed. His lips pressed together and his eyes began to water… No human has been able to resist the young master’s disappointed face, but I did not know if non-humans could. 

  “Oh! Angel, you’re really… Fine! But I have a condition!” 

  Poseidin moved a few steps closer to the young master and whispered, “I want your name. Your real name. And a kiss, in exchange for those two.” 

  My face fell, and I hurried to say, “Young Master, you do not need to…” 

  “Quiet!” The young master whipped around and retorted, “Servants have no right to tell the master what to do, right?” 

  True. I had no comeback. Looks like the young master is at peak anger, so anything I say would probably lead to the opposite effect. But no matter what, I must not let the young master kiss a stranger for my sake. 

  I was debating between who would make a better argument, the master or Briar, when the young master took two steps forward and held Poseidin’s face between his hands. Then, he kissed him… 

  Not on the cheek or forehead, but straight on the lips. He did not pull away immediately, either. I was frozen in shock for quite a few seconds, and the young master was still kissing him. 

  Obviously, Poseidin did not expect the young master to be so frank, either. His eyes widened, and he looked much more flustered than the young master did. 

  The young master continued the kiss for at least twenty seconds before pulling away. He let go of Poseidin, and spoke with no sign of discomfort to the person he had just kissed, “My name is Ri Xiang Ye. You can call me Ah Ye.” 

  Young Master, you even gave your real last name… Is it because Poseidin asked for your “real name?” 

  “Ah Ye, Ah Ye…” Poseidin muttered under his breath before raising his head and staring tenderly at the young master. “You are even more charming than I imagined. I thought I would lose my infatuation upon actually meeting you, but I think I like you even more now! Really, what should I do now?” 

  “Where is Yue Gang?” The young master asked flatly. He did not care whether Poseidin’s infatuation persisted or not. 

  “If you are so straightforward, I suppose I must be like that too,” Poseidin said with a smile. He clapped, and two waiters carried out from behind the bar an unconscious human. It was Yue Gang. 

  Even though he was unconscious, he snored loudly and seemed to be sleeping comfortably. He did not look injured. The worst was probably getting a little blood drawn for me. I really should have drunk that glass of blood from earlier, to prevent it from going to waste. 

  The young master looked at Yue Gang, then turned to ask me, “Charles, do you know where Yue Gang lives?” 

  I paused, and replied, “No.” 

  “Ok, then you go carry him. Let’s take him to our place.” 

  I nodded and stepped forward to take Yue Gang. I was still worried that Poseidin did not really mean to let us go, so I kept alert. But he did not make any moves. He only gazed at the young master lovingly. 

  The young master turned to leave, and I hurried to catch up. Just as we reached the door, Poseidin called out from behind, “Wait a minute!” 

  The young master stopped walking but did not turn to look. I stood behind him, so I could not see his expression, but I did see him clench his fists. I was worried. The young master seems to be in a very bad mood today. 

  The young master still did not turn. He simply asked, “Is there anything else you need?” 

  Poseidin scurried over and stuffed something into the young master’s hand, then said. “This is an N/H membership card. You’re welcome to come by any time!” 

  The young master froze and looked down at the membership card in his hand. The card’s surface was a matte black, and the front had a glossy “N/H” inscribed. Since the letters had no color, they only showed up when there was light shining on them. 

  The young master turned violently, and shouted as if it were a declaration, “I’m a human!” 

  “No.” 

  Snap! The young master actually snapped the card. 

  Poseidin obviously heard that, but he smiled and said, “You’re an angel!” 

  The young master froze again. 

  “Sorry for making you mad,” Poseidin said as he took the snapped card from the young master’s hand and replaced it with a new one. “Even though you are very cute when you’re angry too, you really are no different from an angel when you aren’t mad! Here, smile!” 

  The young master looked at the card thoughtfully, and the anger left him. He put the card away as well and said a little embarrassedly, “I’m not an angel. That’s just an advertisement.” He finished, then paused, and glanced at Poseidin a few times before finally asking, “Poseidin, does your name end with ‘-in’ or ‘-ynne?’” 

  I think the young master means to ask for Poseidin’s gender. 

  “You can treat me as either gender.” Poseidin shrugged. “Our kind is hermaphroditic.” 

  I was very surprised. Hermaphroditic. That is rare even among non-humans. 

  “Oh! So that’s why! No wonder I couldn’t tell if you were a boy or a girl.” The young master nodded and did not look shocked at all. 

  In contrast, Poseidin was more surprised. “You don’t find that weird? Everyone in this world is either male or female, but I am both. Doesn’t that weird you out?” 

  “It’s weirder to see you control water,” the young master replied truthfully. “How do you do that? It’s fascinating!” 

  Poseidin laughed out loud. “What’s weird about that? Your butler can even control blood, so why can’t I control water? I am a merperson!” 

  The young master stared wide-eyed, but countered quickly, “Liar! You don’t have a tail.” 

  “Your vampire butler doesn’t have fangs either right now. If your butler can conceal his fangs, then of course I can conceal my tail too… You really don’t believe me?” Perhaps the disbelief in the young master’s eyes was too obvious. Poseidin smiled and said, “How about this: if you come visit N/H again, I’ll show you.” 

  “Really?” The young master’s eyes lit up, and he hurried to continue as if he were afraid Poseidin would change his mind, “We have a deal then! The next time I come over, you’ll show me!” 

  This time, Poseidin thought a bit and added a new condition. “If you wear the angel outfit you wore in that ad, I’ll show you.” 

  “No problem!” The young master agreed at once, then turned to speak to me, “Charles, let’s go.” 

  “As you wish.” 

  This time, the young master and I successfully walked out of N/H without being stopped. 

  After walking out of N/H, the young master suddenly gestured toward an obscure alley and said, “This way.” 

  He walked into the alley, and I followed. As soon as I walked in, I saw two armed robbers standing in front of the young master, ordering him to surrender his wallet. Security in the southern district really is terrible. 

  The young master swiped the robber’s gun and knocked him out with the base of it, then fired a shot to force the other robber to drop his gun. He shot that robber’s knee as well and knocked him out with a kick before he could even scream. 

  The young master crushed the gun, and after scattering its remains, motioned upward to me. “We’ll take the route above.” 

  “Understood.” 

  I walked onto the wall, and the young master followed, except he used his hands and feet to climb instead of walking up directly. I was a little surprised. If the young master can even slide step, why does he not walk upwards like I am doing? 

  The young master looked at me and seemed confused. “I just can’t learn this, how strange… ah! No, I can’t learn to use blood ability either.” 

  Learn? I spoke without thinking, “Where did the young master learn to slide step?” How is that possible? I have never heard of people learning the vampires’ slide step. 

  The young master nodded and said, “I learned from watching you. It was really a little difficult, because you need really strong legs and explosive power. Took me a while to learn, but I really don’t know how to learn the blood ability.” 

  A little difficult… I could only smile. Ever since ancient times, the slide step has always been a specialty of vampires. To have another kind learn it is unheard of, but it was only a little difficult to learn for the young master? 

  “We’re here.” The young master jumped onto the roof. 

  When I followed the young master and jumped onto the roof, I immediately saw an unexpected figure and blurted, “Mr. White Stone!” 

  A gigantic eagle-headed dragon body was curled up in the darkness and looked very much like a stone statue upon first glance, but as soon as I called out to him, the eagle head rose. A pair of eagle eyes stared at me, and as the eagle beak moved, a slightly piercing voice sounded, “Oh, did that kid Poseidin tell you?” 

  “Yes,” I replied quickly as I moved Yue Gang from my shoulders to the ground. 

  The young master walked over to Mr. White Stone’s side and began to stroke his scales and feathers as he said, “When I was looking around aimlessly outside, I met Mr. Stone. He was the one who brought me to N/H, or else I wouldn’t have had any idea where to find you.” 

  I observed Mr. White Stone’s expression closely, originally a little worried that the young master’s actions might anger him, but he did not look angry… Well, I could not really tell the eagle’s expression, but if Mr. White Stone was not waving the young master away with his wings, he should not be angry. 

  “Mr. Stone also said that the non-humans who lured you over didn’t have any malicious intentions. They were just unhappy about the recent circumstances but couldn’t find E.X, and didn’t really want to antagonize the heroes, so they could only take it out on you.” 

  So, this whole incident was another “accidentally involved” type of occurrence. I could only smile. 

  The young master patted me on the shoulder and said, “Next time I visit Poseidin, I’ll tell him not to hate you.” 

  Mr. White Stone laughed resonantly and said, “You misunderstand. Poseidin does not think that at all. He is the non-human most well adjusted to human life. He opened a bar, made many friends, and even became acquainted with many humans, so he actually quite likes your vampire butler.” 

  Likes me? I phrased it euphemistically, “But, he said that if I stayed in contact with E.X, he would kill me.” 

  “He’d only actually kill you if you abandoned your friend to live,” Mr. White Stone said, unperturbed. “He was testing you. Oh, and luring your young master over, I’m guessing. You should know why now?” 

  I smiled wryly and nodded. Poseidin is very infatuated with the young master. If one put it in human terms, he can be called a fangirl? Except he did not chase after the star, but lured the “star” over to his bar instead. 

  “Seeing as Poseidin has let you out of N/H, he shouldn’t bother you in the future. Since you also passed his test, the non-humans who know him will respect him and shouldn’t bother you, either.” 

  After that, Mr. White Stone spread his bat-like wings and waved them a few times, as if he were about to leave. 

  So, that was the case. That is why Mr. White Stone only watched from here instead of stopping me from going to N/H beforehand. I said sincerely, “Thank you very much.” 

  “No need to thank me. Thank Madam Sadina.” 

  Mr. White Stone waved his wings powerfully, and his feet left the ground… 

  “Mr. Stone!” 

  The young master called out, then hesitated before asking, “Can I call you Stone-gē? Stone-gē is a boy right?” 

  Young Master, you address the forty to fifty-year-old Mr. Bramble Bramble-shū, “uncle,” but plan to call an at-least-six-hundred-year-old Mr. White Stone gēge, “big brother”? How are you categorizing your titles? 

  Mr. White Stone folded his wings and landed back on the ground. He looked at the young master. “I am indeed male, but going by my age, it still wouldn’t be enough even if you add ten ‘greats’ before ’grandfather.’ Even converted into human age, you should call me yéyé, ‘grandfather.’” 

  “Huh?” The young master paused, but immediately became noticeably excited. “Really? That’s great! I’ve never had a grandfather before! Now I finally have one, Stone-yéyé!” 

  Young Master, normal people usually only have one yéyé, one paternal grandfather, do they not? No, usual or not, human or not, people only have one paternal grandfather. 

  Mr. White Stone laughed. “All right. Seeing as you have a pair of wings too, I’ll be your grandfather. So, great-grandchild dear, what did you stop me for?” 

  The young master showed an unutterably longing gaze and asked, “Stone-yéyé, can you and I fly together some time?” 

  “Just that?” White Stone laughed again, “You can fly with me right now. Even though the direction is different, we can fly together for a little bit.” 

  The young master immediately nodded vigorously, ecstatically, but hesitated soon after. He turned and glanced at me, then refused with some regret, “I can’t. Charles can’t fly, so he can’t fly back with us.” 

  I hurried to say, “Young Master, I can walk home myself…” 

  The young master suddenly turned to glare at me, so I stopped talking abruptly. He turned back and apologized to Mr. White Stone, “Sorry, Stone-yéyé. I’ll fly with you next time!” 

  “As long as you don’t come find me during the daytime.” 

  As Mr. White Stone finished, he spread his wings, took a few steps, and jumped right off the building, then rose again with the air currents. Speaking of that, it was quite strange. His volume was actually really large, but when he flew higher than us, I could not see him anymore. It was as if the night swallowed him whole. 

  The young master looked at the sky… Perhaps he still wanted to fly with Mr. White Stone? If so, why would he not allow me to walk home alone? 

  At this time, the young master suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out the membership card for N/H. He studied the card with his head lowered and asked somewhat hesitantly, “Charles, N/H…means non-human, right? Is it a bar for non-humans?” 

  “Yes.” As I answered, I realized that the young master was still bothered by whether he was human or not, which was why he was so upset with Poseidin when he handed him this card. 

  “But, do humans really not go there at all?” 

  The young master raised his head to look at me, as if he hoped to hear me refute him, but I could not lie to him, so I still answered, “No, not from what I have seen.” 

  The young master replied with an “oh” and silently put the card back in his pocket. 

  I could not help but say, “Young Master, seeing as Mr. White Stone knows you are Dark Sun, Poseidin should know as well. Since you used the vampires’ trademark slide step at the plaza last time, he might think you are a vampire…” 

  “Ha!” The young master laughed out loud and shook his head. “Charles, vampires don’t show up on film. If I were a vampire, how could I be in advertisements?” 

  Ah… I tried another explanation, “Young Master, perhaps Dark Sun exhibits prowess that surpasses the usual human standards by too much, so people misunderstand.” 

  “Sure.” The young master smiled and walked past me, then said, “Let’s go. Time to go home.” 

  I turned around and saw the young master’s back. He always stands up straight and looks very resilient, which is very praiseworthy compared to the typical slouch of nowadays’ youngsters. Yet at the moment, this resilient aura seems incredibly lonely. 

  “Young Master, you have promised me before that if I told you about Madam Avexila, you would cry when you feel like it without any excuses.” 

  He paused in his steps. I did not continue either but waited instead. 

  “I don’t want to cry.” 

  The young master turned to look at me, and his eyes really were not tearful, but sadness leaked out. He was hesitant, but spoke after all. “I pulled up the security footage in the apartment to find where you went. Even though I couldn’t see you, I could hear you. I heard you talk to Yue Gang on the phone, and, and I heard what Melody said to you.” 

  What Melody said to me… so that was it! 

  …It was the massacre that truly turned me into a non-human. You can only understand the difference between humans and non-humans after you have personally done so. 

  Speaking of which… When our young master flies into a rage, he can really kill humans as if they’re pigs. 

  “Melody was drunk.” This time, I chose to say what I did not believe. “She did not know what she was talking about.” 

  The young master shook his head in response. “I don’t blame her. Melody was only speaking the truth. If I went berserk, I could slaughter an entire village the way she did, as if they were pigs… No, if someone killed my brother, I wouldn’t care how many people died. That wouldn’t be important!” 

  Both spoke of slaughter, but Melody had worn an expression of disgust, while the young master was completely apathetic. The former at least had emotion, at least looked human, but the latter gave me the impression that he was not even alive. However, that was not an unfamiliar look. It is Dark Sun’s look. 

  Dark Sun always wore a visor, so others rarely saw his expressions. But I saw them often, since I am the one to welcome Dark Sun home when he returns early in the morning. 

  At first, I often could not recognize the young master when Dark Sun took off his visor. 

  The kind, lovable young master, compared to the lifeless Dark Sun… There is another one treading the line as well—the young master. 

  “Ah!” 

  The young master suddenly yelled, and his apathy melted away. He stared wide-eyed at his feet…Yue Gang grabbed the young master’s leg to crawl up as he complained, “Ouch—! My neck is killing me! Eh? Xiǎodì, whatcha doin’ here… where is this? Dang, a rooftop?” 

  Then he saw me, and the whining turned into shouting, “Charles, why didn’t you come save me? What kind of bro are you?” 

  “I did not come save you?” I huffed, “What do you think I am doing here? You were left here by someone. Ah Ye and I went through much difficulty to find you.” 

  Yue Gang paused and scratched his head. “Ah? Is that it? Hahaha! Forget I said anything, forget it. You are a great bro, a great friend! Nothing to pick on! The epitome of, what, taking a gun in the back for a friend!” 

  I sighed, and corrected him, “It is taking a knife.” 

  “Knife?” Yue Gang was not convinced at all. “I’m just saying, Charles, but you’re really behind the times! Who still uses knives these days? Of course it’s guns!” 

  “Yes, yes. If I have any troubles in the future, I will remember to insert two guns into your back, but if you could please remember to avoid buying guns like those rocket cannons again, or else I really would not know how to fit them in your back without you snapping in half.” 

  “Uh, then maybe it’s better to stick to the knives!” 

  The young master would not stop laughing upon hearing my conversation with Yue Gang, and the earlier sadness was all but gone. However, I did not think it was a good thing because he was simply burying the emotions deeper and enduring them by himself. 

  The young master tugged on my sleeve and said with a frown, “Charles…gē! I’m so very, extremely hungry!” 

  I looked at the sky and was surprised to see dawn breaking in the distance. The young master had spent the night running around to find me, so he probably had not eaten anything yet. He must have been hungry for a while.

  Honorable father, I have been behaving worse than a novice butler. I feel ashamed to even pray to you. 

  “We shall go eat at once!” I hurried to inform the young master, “I shall provide… buy Young… you whatever you want.” 

  “Charles-gē, you’re the best!” The young master emphasized the word “gē” and tried to control his expression, but the corners of his mouth kept rising. 

  “Xiǎodì’s hungry?” Yue Gang patted his chest and said, “I’ll treat you to a midnight snack!” 

  I looked at the sun rising in the distance and corrected him, “More like breakfast? And do you really have money to pay?” 

  “Don’t worry! Stop blabbering and just follow me!” 

  Yue Gang walked over to the only door on the roof, pushed the handle down, but couldn’t open it. “Why isn’t it opening?” 

  I quickly walked over and forced the handle down. The sound of something snapping came from behind the door, but thankfully it was not loud. 

  “Maybe it was rusty. Let’s go! Ah Ye really looks hungry.” 

  Yue Gang shrugged and turned to call the young master, “Xiǎodì, we’re going,” before turning to walk through the door. Luckily, this building seemed to be a regular apartment building. If it were a business building, the security system would have sounded as soon as I snapped the handle. 

  “Okay! I’m coming,” the young master replied. When he walked over to me, he said in a quiet voice, “Charles, don’t tell Melody that I heard what she said. Just pretend nothing happened.” 

  I replied quietly as well, “Of course, Young Master.”


  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 6: Heroes, Believing and Being Believed

  Translator: Doza (proofread by Arcedemius & Erro; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  “Idiot Ah Ye, what’s wrong with that Ezart? What kind of person says that they have stuff to do and leaves halfway through saving the world? There really aren’t any normal people around you!” I shouted angrily at An Xiang Ye. However, after I’d shouted that, he and Briar both looked at me with a strange expression. 

  What? Why are you looking at me like that? 

  Briar reminded me, “Aren-gē, you’re also one of the people close to Ah Ye-gē!” 

  “That’s right, you’re even my neighbor!” An Xiang Ye said matter-of-factly. “Neither Briar nor Ezart live nearby. If we consider distance, Aren, you’re even more abnormal than Ezart and Briar!” 

  … 

  The young master and I looked up at the building in front of us. The young master’s eyes widened, and I was even more at a loss for a response. I had never expected that I would actually be brought to a place like this… It was a place that I should never visit my entire life. 

  The young master asked in bewilderment, “Yue Gang-gē, why are we here?” 

  “To eat, of course!” Yue Gang said as if it were obvious. “Ah, I know this isn’t a restaurant, but trust me! There’s food, and it’ll definitely be delicious!” 

  It is not a matter of trust, but, but… I looked at the cross hung on the door with a growing feeling of helplessness in my heart. Even if I am not actually afraid of the cross and there is probably not a Sin Elimination team stationed in Sunset City… No matter the circumstances, a vampire cannot just openly walk into a cathedral, can he? 

  “Gē, the sun has risen already. Aren’t you feeling hot?” the young master suddenly asked me. “Take off your cape. I’ll hold it for you!” 

  I blinked and only then remembered that I was wearing the full set “standard vampire” outfit. I hurriedly removed my cape but held on to it myself instead of passing it to the young master. 

  After Yue Gang knocked on the door, he turned around and patted me heavily on the shoulder. He tried to reassure me, “Relax! No one will mistake you for a vampire! The priest here is an atheist.” 

  A priest who is an atheist? 

  That statement sounded completely illogical. Both the young master and I gave Yue Gang a doubtful look. 

  Yue Gang shrugged and said, “It can’t be helped. My old man simply doesn’t acknowledge that there are intelligent life forms aside from humans in the world, so naturally he doesn’t believe that there are gods, either! Even previously when there was footage of werewolves on TV, he said that since it’s called a werewolf—‘wer,’ as in ‘man’—it’s just one of the many races of humans. Anyway, still human.” 

  “Your old man?” 

  At that moment, the small door of the cathedral swung open. Unsurprisingly, the person who had come to open the door was a clergyman. Yue Gang used his thumb to point at the man and affirmed, “My old man.” 

  I stared with large eyes. The clergyman, who appeared about fifty years old, smiled as he looked at us. He seemed very kind. He is Yue Gang’s father? Yue Gang actually grew up in a cathedral? 

  The young master exclaimed, “Your papa is a priest?!” 

  “Ah Ye, he would be called a pastor,” I advised the young master. 

  “But I am a priest. You can call me Father Yue,” the clergyman chuckled as he corrected me. 

  I fell silent for a while, then said politely, “However, Yue Gang said that you are his father. If I remember correctly, celibacy is a requirement for priests.” 

  “Correct. That’s why I didn’t get married!” Father Yue’s smile brightened even further. Both his appearance and smile were very similar to Yue Gang’s. It was almost as if he were an older and neater version of Yue Gang. It left one with no doubts that they were indeed father and son. 

  A married priest versus a priest who did not get married but had kids. Is the latter less serious? Being a vampire, I had not researched too deeply into the church. 

  Yue Gang casually rested his hand on Father Yue’s shoulder and asked, “Old man, I called and told you I was bringing some friends over for breakfast. Is it ready?” 

  “Of course, and like you requested, it’s a very lavish breakfast!” 

  The moment he heard the word “breakfast,” the young master’s shoulders immediately sagged, and he cried out pitifully, “I’m really starving!” 

  “Oh!” Seeing this, Father Yue immediately warmly welcomed us in, “Then, hurry and come in! Don’t let this child continue to starve.” 

  We walked through the door. It was not the main entrance of the cathedral, but a side door. So after walking in, we were not at the sanctuary, but in a long corridor. On either side, there were various religious items on display. A cross hung on the wall, and there were various editions of the Bible lined up on a bookshelf; but the item that made my heart beat faster was a rifle placed in a transparent glass case. 

  From the information that my father had gathered, I remembered reading that that kind of silver-white rifle with the cross motif was used from the 1930s to the 1980s. It was a gun that the Sin Elimination teams used specifically to hunt vampires. The bullets inside were always manufactured from silver, as was the bayonet attached to the rifle. 

  How many vampires has this gun killed? I felt somewhat uncomfortable. 

  “That is part of my collection,” Father Yue’s voice suddenly rang out right in my ear. I was quite alarmed, and turned around to look at him. He smiled and said, “Isn’t it pretty? Those yellowish areas on it are all made of silver!” 

  “It is very beautiful.” I spoke the truth. If I assessed it as an art piece, I would have to say that the silver-white gun was stunning. Even though it was inevitable that tarnish would form on the silver parts, considering the age of the gun, it was truly quite well preserved. 

  “It’s really ironic.” Father Yue sighed and said, “We made such a beautiful object, but it’s designed to produce an ugly massacre.” 

  “Guns can kill people, but they can also save people.” I smiled in response. Even though I was well aware that they were pretentious, the words were also something that most people could accept. The odds of a gun killing someone truly were much greater than of it saving them. 

  “A person holding a knife can only kill one person at a time, and he can protect that one person behind him; a person holding a gun can kill several people at a time, and he is still only protecting that one person behind him; a person in control of the launch button for a missile can kill several thousand at a time, but he too actually only wants to protect that one person behind him… So who is the person behind your back?” 

  I was stunned for a moment and turned to look at Father Yue. He smiled at me. Then, as if he had never said a thing, he gestured toward the end of the long corridor, saying, “Come and eat breakfast. Yue Gang has already taken your little brother to the dining room.” 

  Having said that, he walked off by himself toward the doorway on the other end of the corridor. The door was not fully closed, and I could see the young master’s and Yue Gang’s figures. They were already seated in front of the dining table and eating ravenously. 

  Behind me… As I pondered over it, I walked behind the young master and stood to his left. That was the place a butler should stand. Then, I noticed Yue Gang giving me a puzzled look. I quickly pretended I had only needed to pull a chair out, and sat down. 

  The moment I had done so, Father Yue passed me a plate filled with scrambled eggs and bacon. That was a lot more down-to-earth than thinking over what sort of person was behind me. I had to consume an entire plate of things that I simply did not want to eat… No, he also took a few round buns and placed them on my plate, and then filled a bowl with oatmeal, topped up my glass with fruit juice, and piled some sausages on my plate. 

  Father Yue said warmly, “I heard that you two had to search for my idiot child the whole night, and never got a chance to eat! So eat more. Please don’t be courteous!” 

  “… Thank you.” 

  If I had realized earlier, I would have done all that I could to reject Yue Gang’s invitation. Unfortunately, a thousand gold cannot buy foresight. I could only pick up my knife and fork and get rid of the food in front of me mouthful by mouthful, although from time to time, the amount would actually increase… 

  When I had finished about half the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in addition to the food that had been repeatedly added on, I stood up and said, “My apologies. I would like to visit the restroom.” 

  Father Yue smiled and said, “Go through this door, walk to the end, and then turn left.” 

  “Thank you.” 

  The moment I entered the restroom, I closed the door and squatted beside the toilet, throwing up. After vomiting for a while, I felt much better. 

  Even though I could consume food other than fresh blood, being a vampire, I was still unable to eat a great quantity. That was because a vampire’s stomach and intestines were simply unable to digest such food. Father had made full inquiries about things of that nature shortly after I was born, so I knew I could not eat great quantities of human food. As a result, I had never tried to eat so much before. 

  So it turned out that if I ate too much, I would throw it all back up. It was apparent that I had better use an excuse such as being too full, and stop eating. 

  I carefully tidied up my appearance and returned to the dining room. However, everyone else had already finished. It seemed that I had truly been away for too long. The young master was listening attentively to Father Yue, and Yue Gang was on the phone. 

  As I walked past Yue Gang, he rolled his eyes at me and said crossly, “Did you fall in? We left your plate there for you. If you’re still hungry, go to the kitchen and get more food yourself.” 

  “I cannot eat any more.” I forced a smile as I replied. 

  He merely grunted in response and resumed his phone call. 

  I returned to my seat. At the moment, Father Yue was giving a detailed explanation to the young master. 

  “The most important thing is not whether God exists, but what you believe in. This ‘what’ is then your god—your hope, because you can believe that miracles are possible, and so you will be able to stand strong and not crumble.” 

  The young master asked uncertainly, “But, what should I believe in? God? But if God doesn’t exist, then how can I believe in him?” 

  “Old man!” Yue Gang suddenly shouted at us. “I have to go back to the station. That bastard Xie Wei actually lied to me. Last night, he told me that he would conduct a police raid on the bar N/H, but he never showed up. He nearly got me killed by those guys! And in the end, he actually ran off to look for trouble with Dragon Peace… Tsk! Charles, stay here with your little bro and enjoy yourself. In any case, my old man is sick of doing nothing, and he especially loves talking to people about atheism.” 

  Father Yue glared at him. “I’ve told you many times before, I’m not an atheist, you little brat!” 

  Yue Gang grabbed his bag of guns and jacket lying off to one side and patted my shoulder, saying, “Then I’ll be leaving! If I have time, I’ll invite you for a meal again!” 

  I nodded. “All right.” 

  After Yue Gang left, Father Yue continued to talk with the young master. “Fine, then let me ask you, when you are in despair, who or what will you pray to for a miracle?” 

  The young master thought for a while, then said, “I don’t pray.” 

  “You really are a special young man.” Father Yue laughed as he said, “In Sunset City, whenever I ask people this question, usually the answers that come out are all the heroes’ names. You don’t believe that a hero will come to save you?” 

  The young master looked at Father Yue, but did not give him an answer. 

  Upon hearing Father Yue’s words, I had a spark of understanding. He truly was not an atheist. He just did not insist that a god should definitely be called “God.” Humans had many different religions, and different religions prayed to different idols. But no matter whether the idol that one prayed to was called a god, or a demon, or even a hero, all humans prayed for the same thing—a miracle. 

  Perhaps, a hero truly is a god. The religion of the new age. 

  I do not know if gods and demons despair, but what I do know is, heroes are human beings, and there are times when humans will despair. When a hero is in distress, who should he pray to? I was rather expectant of the young master’s answer, but at the same time, I also felt that the answer might again be… a lonely perseverance. 

  The young master said with utmost seriousness, “I will not cry for help. I have already relinquished the privilege to cry for help. I can only stand up by myself.” 

  As expected, I was not wrong. 

  Father Yue chuckled and asked, “So, this is a hero’s answer?” 

  I froze, and slowly registered what he had said. This priest actually knows that the young master is a hero? 

  The young master’s expression was still very calm. He asked quietly, “How did you find out? Does Yue Gang also know?” 

  “I was the one who told Father Yue.” 

  I looked toward the source of the voice. A slim woman, whose face was very familiar, stood by the door. 

  “Yina-jiě!” the young master exclaimed. 

  Yina was one of the members of Anceo’s three-person team, and she had once been held captive by Melody. I had thought that she had left Sunset City a long time ago. 

  Yina came toward us, looking somewhat apprehensive. Father Yue waved her over, and after a brief hesitation, she sat down beside him. Father Yue smiled and said, “Don’t worry. That child of mine does not know who you are. He really does think that you two are ordinary people.” 

  I was rather surprised and asked, “Why did you not tell him?” 

  At practically the same time, the young master also opened his mouth to ask, “Since you know that Charles is a vampire, why did you keep giving him food during breakfast? He doesn’t eat human food.” 

  … I also want to know the answer to this. 

  “Because…” Father Yue clapped, and laughed happily as he said, “It. Was. Fun!” 

  On second thought, I would rather not have known the answer. The young master did not seem to know how to respond to that, either. He looked at Father Yue suspiciously, but Father Yue only looked back at him with a cheeky grin. 

  The young master switched his gaze to Yina and queried, “Is Anceo still here too?” 

  “No,” Yina said coldly. “There’s no need to panic. You should understand that Sunset City is not under the Church’s influence at all. This cathedral has only been built for show. To the Church, this cathedral is like a trash bin. Unwanted people are thrown here, and whether they live or die is not at all important. Perhaps the Church simply assumes that the people dispatched to this cathedral will all be killed by the non-humans sooner or later.” 

  She paused, then continued frostily, “So you can relax. The people in this cathedral will not divulge your identities. We certainly don’t wish to be killed by you or the vampire.” 

  The words were truly filled with deep hostility… but the young master merely nodded his head and did not say anything else. 

  “Oh, oh right, is that vampire called Melody still doing all right?” Father Yue suddenly asked. “Yina often speaks of her!” 

  “I do not!” Yina, whose face was perpetually cold, was suddenly agitated. “She is a vampire. How could I harbor any good will toward her?!” 

  “I never said you harbored good will toward her. I only said that you often mention her.” Father Yue’s expression was full of innocence. It was just like Yue Gang’s expression whenever he spent all his money on buying weapons and had no money to eat, and so had no choice but to ask me to treat him to a meal. 

  I smiled gently as I looked at Yina. She was a bit flustered as she explained, “I only… She, she didn’t abuse me when she held me captive, and even lent me clothes and taught me how to put on makeup. Those parts were quite good… No! It’s not good in the least bit. I am a nun. How could I put on makeup! And she’s even a vampire!” 

  Father Yue continued to look innocent as he said, “Oh, she sure is a vampire. This butler is also a vampire, and he’s not bad either! It’s only because my child looks for him from morning to night to borrow money that he hasn’t starved to death yet.” 

  Yina said sternly, “Do not lump me in with that idiot!” 

  “That idiot is my son…” 

  “You are also a scoundrel. What kind of priest has a child with a woman?!” 

  “Yina, you are my subordinate. It isn’t good to call me a scoundrel, is it… Ah! I’ll go get a blanket! Yina, I’ll have to trouble you to brew some tea.” 

  I was startled and traced the priest’s line of sight. It was only then that I realized that the young master was sprawled on the table and fast asleep. Had he actually been this tired? It looks like last night’s event was not easy to resolve. 

  Father Yue had left the dining room, and the young master was asleep. That left only Yina and me. She walked to the side to brew the tea. The expression on her face was extremely cold, but after what had just happened, I did not believe that indifference was real. I smiled faintly as I said, “Melody is doing well. If you wish, you are welcome to come and find her. There are not a lot of females with us, so if you are willing to accompany her to go shopping, that would be great.” 

  Yina glanced at me. Even though she did not agree, she did not say “no” either. 

  Very soon, Father Yue returned to the dining room, humming a song. As he covered the young master with a thin blanket, he sighed in amazement. “This child is truly adorable. If Yue Gang’s mother saw him, she would definitely like him. What a pity…” 

  “Yue Gang’s mother…” It was only then that I suddenly understood. Since Father Yue had not gotten married, then it was most likely that Yue Gang’s mother had been “taken care of” by the Church, right? After all, a priest getting married was a huge scandal. 

  The mood turned rather gloomy. Father Yue sat down and drank a few sips of tea. Then he set the cup down and mumbled, “The child’s mother left me and went traveling by herself. It’s already been three months. Even now, she still doesn’t want to come home.” 

  “… Didn’t you not marry her?” 

  “That’s right, and so I’m very worried. On paper, the child’s mother is still single. She’s also ten years younger than me—young and pretty. Who knows if she’ll return from this trip with a secret boyfriend.” 

  As I looked at the anxious Father Yue, I suddenly fully understood where Yue Gang’s carefree and heedless behavior came from. 

  Father Yue gazed at the sister with a concerned look, like a father looking at his daughter, and muttered without pause, “On the other hand, Yina, why don’t you hurry up and find a boyfriend? Should we have Yue Gang introduce a policeman to you? Even though policemen are very busy, and they may not have a lot of time to spend with you, civil service is still a stable job. Layoffs are less likely, so you can be more assured of a good life.” 

  “I am a nun, and I’m not interested in having children out of wedlock!” Yina replied coldly. Then, she turned her head and stalked off, slamming the door behind her. 

  Father Yue sighed and started to pour out his woes. “Charles, look at that, just look at that. My wife spends whole days running around outside and doesn’t remember to return home. My son buys so many weapons that he doesn’t have money to eat for entire days. The sister fiercely refuses to marry. Each and every one of them makes me so worried! Sigh, and they’re not the only ones! The Church always dumps problematic priests and nuns here, and nearly all of them are in need of long-term counseling. I’m not a psychiatrist!” 

  “Every family has its own problems. Kids nowadays are all quite rebellious.” 

  I tried to console him. However, I could only offer platitudes. After all, none of these worries should exist in the first place, right? A priest should not have a wife and a son, and nuns cannot marry either, right? Also, priests and nuns should be counseling other people and not be the ones receiving counsel, correct? 

  “Oh, Charles! Listen to me! Even though pretty much nobody in Sunset City believes in God, they all love to come here and confess their sins. They’re practically treating me as a free counselor, and I end up being awfully busy all day. On top of that, the priests and nuns that the Church tosses here are all even crazier than the people who come here to confess. None of them are any help. Boohoohoo, I also need to confess! Would you be willing to hear me speak?” 

  “Yes, please confess… No, I meant, please speak.” 

  If you do not mind that the person to whom you are confessing is a vampire. But in my opinion, even if I were a demon from hell, Father Yue probably still would not care. 

  The young master slept until two in the afternoon, so I listened to Father Yue confess for an entire morning. He complained that his wife, his son, the priests, and the nuns all behaved like children; the money the Church gave was insufficient, and they kept sending mental cases; the cathedral was too small and would soon run out of space for everyone, but they did not have money to renovate the place, either… and occasionally he would draw a cross in front of his chest and repent for complaining too much. 

  “Are you not an atheist?” 

  “I am repenting about the child’s mother. She calls me every day, and yesterday she even said, ‘Father of my child, my beloved, I really miss you, I love you, come! Give me a kiss.’ I really should not be complaining this much about her.” 

  “…” 

  To thank me for listening to him, Father Yue gave me a Bible and a necklace with a cross before we left. He even insisted on helping me put on the necklace, which made the young master laugh happily. 

  Father Yue stood by the door of the cathedral and waved goodbye to us, saying, “You’re welcome to attend service every Sunday!” 

  The young master agreed loudly and happily. “All right, I will definitely bring Charles here for service!” 

  Young Master, can you not develop more ordinary ways to be happy that are more suited for young adults? 

  “Don’t cry Hallelujah… Maria is also asleep; I coolly fling my cape aside; bare my fangs at you… When you meet vampires, hurry and scream… God bless you!” 

  After we walked out of the cathedral, the young master’s mood was surprisingly happy. His footsteps were light, and he was even singing the “Vampire” song. Along the way, he attracted the stares of numerous people. Every one of them pointed excitedly at him, asking each other softly, “Is that him? The last angel?” 

  There were even some people who walked over from afar and started following us. Initially, I was a little worried that the young master’s mood would be affected, but he looked like he did not mind in the least. When a girl screamed at him, he even smiled at her, and then continued to sing “Vampire.” 

  The young master suddenly stopped singing, and he turned his head and asked, “Charles, are you sleepy?” 

  “No, I am not sleepy at all,” I quickly replied. If I hesitated, the young master might be worried about my being a vampire and let me return home to sleep. 

  “Then, let’s go to X-Killer and look at clothes!” the young master said happily. “Last time, I said I would buy you some clothes that don’t expose the skin, but we haven’t gone yet! But I spoke to Luo Lun and told him to help me select twenty pieces ahead of time. You can go and try them out. If they fit, we’ll bring them all back home!” 

  I forced a smile and said, “Young Master, twenty is too many.” 

  “Too many? Really?” The young master tilted his head as he thought. Then, in a carefree manner, he continued, “In any case, you’ll wear them sooner or later! Don’t forget, we have an ‘Endelis contract’!” 

  Endelis contract… An endless contract… 

  “So it doesn’t matter how many we buy!” The young master laughed, “It doesn’t matter even if we buy fifty! Right?” 

  Even though it is an endless contract, you do not have an endless life. If the person dies, then what use is the contract? 

  “Right?” As he did not receive a reply, the young master turned around and asked hesitantly, “Charles?” 

  I lowered my gaze and replied respectfully, “Young Master, twenty pieces is too many. The period of employment stated on the contract is two years. Soon, it will be one year. Therefore, I will not be able to wear that many clothes.” 

  The young master froze. The smile on his face had vanished, and there was only a vacant look. At a loss, he stuttered, “B-but, you agreed to an Endelis contract…” 

  “Young Master, a verbal agreement has no effect in the eyes of the law. Only a paper contract is…” 

  “Liar.” 

  I paused, and saw the young master glaring at me. It seemed like he wanted to glare fiercely at me, but his eyes were red, like he was about to cry. I continued, “Only a paper contract is legal.” 

  “Liar!” The young master clenched his fists and scowled. He screamed furiously, “Your words can’t be trusted! You big liar!” 

  Even though he was scowling, there were tears in the corners of his eyes, and his underlying expression was more sadness and hurt rather than anger. He was trying hard not to let the tears fall as he squeezed out a smile and said, “Charles, you’re only explaining to me the purpose of a paper contract. You don’t mean anything else, right? In any case, something like a paper contract… only has to be signed again, right? Right? Right… Charles, why aren’t you saying anything? Say something!” 

  The young master gave an order, so I had to open my mouth and answer him. “Young Master, in one year’s time, I may…” 

  “Don’t say any more!” the young master suddenly shouted. He used both his hands to cover his ears, and even closed his eyes. However, he could not stop the two lines of tears from running down his cheeks. 

  I took out a handkerchief and walked up to him, thinking of helping the young master wipe his tears. Just when I was about to touch his cheeks, he said in a hoarse voice, “Go back by yourself. I don’t want to see you right now.” 

  “Understood, Young Master.” 

  I hesitated for a moment, but kept the handkerchief without wiping the young master’s tears. Even though I knew that the young master had his eyes shut, I still bowed deeply to him, and then I turned around to leave. 

  “Charles!” 

  My footsteps halted, and I turned back to look at the young master. His eyes were open, and he was looking at me with a mixed expression of fear and distress, but also a tinge of hope, like a person who had fallen into deep despair and was praying… 

  “When you are in despair, who or what will you pray to for a miracle?” 

  The most important thing is not whether God exists, but what you believe in. This ‘what’ is then your god—your hope, because you can believe that miracles are possible, and so you will be able to stand strong and not crumble. 

  Young Master, what is the meaning of your asking this question? You do not pray, but you are asking me about what I pray to and what I believe in. Teach me, how should I answer you, so that I… 

  …will hurt you less?

  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 7: Endelis, Last Elysees

  Translator: Tentacles (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  Afterwards, I silently followed the two people and found the lab. We fought our way in and finally found the bug. 

  I have to say, that bug was damn ugly. If you wanted to break a friendship, giving this bug to the other person would definitely make it happen… unless that person is An Xiang Ye. 

  His eyes lit up as he admired, “It really is a super huge, super ugly bug! Ezart didn’t lie to me!” 

  Between taking this bug back or destroying it on the spot, if I were asked to vote a hundred times, I would always vote for it to get destroyed; however, An Xiang Ye didn’t give me a chance at all to vote. The moment he saw that bug, he excitedly said that he could finally bring home the souvenir. 

  Luckily, Briar was adamant that Ah Ye wasn’t allowed to take the bug home. She got angry, she cried, she pouted, she played dumb, she rolled around on the floor, and she even threatened to never see him again. 

  Ah Ye’s lips drooped in sadness. Between the bug and his fiancée, he reluctantly chose his fiancée. He then bombed the laboratory along with the bug. 

  From that point on, I changed my mind. Even though Briar is ten years younger than Ah Ye and moreover, only twelve currently, I supported Ah Ye and Briar getting married right away to prevent Ah Ye from bringing strange and dangerous objects back to the apartment! Sadly, both people rejected that suggestion at the same time. Ah Ye said that the law forbade it. Briar said that her papa forbade it. 

  Finally, the mission was completed. I could go home and sleep. On the way home, I already fell asleep in the car. When I was the middle of sleeping, Ah Ye shook me awake, saying, “Aren, Abner called saying that something came up in the southern district, and that you need to head over quickly.” 

  “…” 

  For the young master’s happiness, I should lie. 

  I should even deceive him about the length of our contract. Never would one notify his master about resigning the year after, even if it is the truth. No matter whether or not twenty sets of clothes were too many, the young master was not at all concerned about the price of them. Therefore, I should lie. That way at least, we would have happily gone to X-Killer by now to buy some clothes. Leave the pain of next year until next year! 

  My honorable father has said before that every dutiful butler should first learn how to lie. 

  Even if a butler should encounter an unsavory guest, he should be able to show courtesy and entertain that guest with compliments. 

  In the event that the unsavory person happened to be the master himself, the butler should still be expected to maintain his dutiful role. 

  The face of the butler, no matter whether his mood is good or bad, should never reveal any personal feelings. 

  Ultimately, the most dutiful butler will be the most brilliant of liars. 

  Despite all of this, everything has an exception, my child. Some masters are ones that people will be unable to lie to, and he also will not need your lies. 

  These kinds of masters are very troublesome, very troublesome… If you were to encounter one of them, you may choose to leave or to serve him with your utmost sincerity. The end result might be that you will either anger him and get fired, or you will serve him for a lifetime. 

  You will then have to grow old with him, watch his child grow up, and watch his child get married. You will watch him play with his grandson. The grandson may even call you Grandpa Butler. 

  Finally, you could have a competition with your master on who will die first, of which the loser would be responsible for organizing the other’s funeral… Uh! 

  At that time, it was as if my father had abruptly remembered something and immediately changed the topic. 

  Yes, he had remembered something. He had remembered that his son was a vampire. His son would not only win the competition but would also never grow old. 

  His son could only watch as his master grew older by the day. He could only watch his master’s son be born, age with time, marry, and finally, grow old as well. He could only watch his master’s grandson be born. In the end, he could only watch his master die. 

  “Charles…” 

  I looked toward the young master as he looked at me, waiting for my response. Although his eyes were bloodshot from crying, it made people want to cherish him even more. While the surrounding crowds did not know what had happened, they all looked at him with concern. 

  Young Master, right now, you are truly very young, very beautiful, just like an angel as many have said. You are also a very good master… Please forgive me. I am not a good butler. May I be excused from your side, from watching you mature, from watching you grow old, from watching you die? 

  “Young Master, have you forgotten? Charles is a vampire. He would not pray to anyone, including heroes.” 

  My voice was soft, but the people who stood nearest to me were likely still able to hear it. However, it did not matter anymore. 

  The young master stared at me, his sorrowful expression gradually turning into one of anger. Tightly, he clenched his fists. I began to think that he might strike me, but I could not say whether or not that would be a good or bad thing. If he actually hit me, I would perhaps feel a little better. However, if it truly came to that, I am afraid that I would not need to wait until the end of our contract—I could pack my luggage tonight. 

  If I may, I still hope that I can stay a little longer. After all, I do not know if I would be able to find another master that treats me as a true butler. 

  “Go away,” the young master lightly said only those two words. 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  After bowing, I turned and left. Along my path, there were many things that offered reflections. Thus, I could still see the young master with the reflections. The young master sat down on a bench by the sidewalk. He seemed to have a dazed look. The tears on his face had not yet dried. He then pulled both of his legs onto the bench, held his knees with both of his hands, and buried his face between his knees. 

  Many people stood around watching him. There were those who seemed concerned, those who seemed baffled, and those who seemed to bear malicious intentions. 

  I was a little worried. Someone ought to accompany the young master. 

  Melody? But, the young master overheard her words from last night. Calling her over would be a little inappropriate at the moment. 

  First Wind? Ever since the hostage incident, Ji Luo Chu has no longer been able to treat the young master as a youngster. 

  Definitely not Bramble and the others. They are the young master’s subordinates. With a single command of “Go away” from the young master, they will have to dismiss themselves. 

  Who…Who can stand on equal footing with the young master without a care? Even if the young master loudly orders him to leave, he won’t have to comply and can insist on following him? 

  After contemplating it for a while, I made a phone call. “Aren, could you come over for a moment?” 

  “…I just shook off a bunch of policemen. I’m going home to sleep.” 

  Aren’s voice did in fact sound tired. I was silent for a moment, but I still proceeded to say to him, “I do not know who else I can ask this of.” 

  He fell silent for a lengthy period of time. Luckily, he responded, “Where should I go?” 

  The moment I hung up, my phone rang and startled me. What a coincidence for someone to contact me now. Who could it be? The young master? I took several deep breaths and then picked up the call. 

  “Master Endelis!” 

  “Curtis?” I was a little surprised because of the sheer panic in his voice. “What happened? Say it slowly. Do not panic.” 

  “M-Master… Madam Sadina’s plane crashed at the airport where the previous plane crash incident happened!” 

  What? 

  Upon hearing that, I was stunned for many seconds before I actually understood his words. All of a sudden, I did not know what to feel. My whole mind was empty. Confused, I could only ask, “How could it be? Did she not say that she would not come?” 

  “That was a lie. She was afraid that you would flee from her because you would not wish to see her. But the Madam is old now. No matter what, she desired to see you again. That is why she deceived you.” 

  Sadina… Why are you so foolish? If you really desire to see me, then just insist that I go back. If the plane were to crash again, it is not certain that I would die, but you… you… 

  “Master, where are you?” 

  Only after a while was I able to answer, “O-on the street.” 

  “Are you well? Your voice sounds extremely hoarse… Nevertheless, please catch a cab and come here with haste!” 

  “I will.” 

  After hanging up, I went to the side of the street and hailed a taxi. 

  “Get me to the airport located outside the city within an hour.” 

  The taxi driver was stunned for a second and then loudly cursed, “One hour?! How is that possible! You think this is a helicopter?! I’m a taxi driver!” 

  I took out my wallet and threw all the money inside onto the front passenger seat. 

  “…Does that include my speeding ticket fee?” 

  “Not included.” 

  “One hour? No problem! I guarantee your arrival!” 

  “We have arrived! HA! Only fifty minutes. My skills are still sharp. Sir, are you in a hurry to catch a flight? If so, would you quickly pay for my speeding ticket so you can quickly catch your flight? 

  I got out of the car. Originally, I was afraid to face the airport, yet the taxi driver was rambling nonstop. This gave me a peculiar feeling. Since the cab was not far from the airport, it should be impossible for the taxi driver not to notice a crashed plane. However, he kept on talking nonstop and did not at all seem like someone who had witnessed a frightening scene. 

  Puzzled, I looked toward the airport runway. However, there was no plane on the runway, nor any sign of a crashed plane. Something seems very strange? 

  “Strange. No one seems to be here… Ah! Right, didn’t the news report an accident where a plane crashed into the control tower here?” 

  Right! I suddenly remembered. The incident happened not long ago. That plane has already been transported away, but the tower is not yet repaired. Therefore, this airport cannot be used at all! 

  There is a possibility that Sadina forcefully used this airport in order to save time. But, I also do not see a crashed plane. This is different from what Curtis said… He lied to me? Why? 

  Could it be, Sadina wanted him to deceive me, so I would come to see her… No! Although Sadina sometimes likes to play around, she would never use “death” to deceive me. She knows that that is something that can never be used as a joke with me. 

  “Guh!” 

  I turned around and saw the taxi driver collapse. Behind the driver was a woman with a sweet smile, but despite her sweetness, her actions were not anything to laugh about. She had twisted and broken the driver’s neck. 

  An average woman would never have this much strength, and both of her hands were unmodified. Nevertheless, she did not need any modifications to reach this level of strength because she was the sixth generation vampire, Gong Feng Xiang. 

  “Although you are just a one hundred fifty year old adolescent vampire, we still sent out two sixth generation vampires for you.” She brushed her hands off and stepped over the driver’s corpse toward me, while saying, “Touching, right? Little Young Master Charles?” 

  Two? I instinctively looked behind me. Roughly ten steps away stood a man. There is no doubt he is also a vampire. He was able to approach me without my hearing any of his footsteps. Gong Feng Xiang said he is also a sixth generation vampire? Is he Avexila’s other childe? 

  I do not at all have the ability to win against one vampire of such age, let alone two. However, they should not know that I have x-speed. Maybe I will be able to escape… 

  Just as I was about to make a move, Gong Feng Xiang warned coldly, “Don’t try to run, unless you don’t care about your old flame anymore.” 

  Old flame? I froze. I did not at all comprehend her meaning. Perhaps it is merely a lie to divert my attention? 

  With a smile, she said, “However, Sadina has become old and wrinkled. It is normal that you don’t want her anymore. Tsk! She really doesn’t make for a good hostage. We should have kidnapped that young master An instead. He really is beautiful, isn’t he? Even men would fall in love with him! Unfortunately, that young master is a bit difficult.” 

  Sadina… Impossible! Calm down. If they could capture Sadina, how is it that many years ago, their family was persecuted to the point of fleeing because of her? I calmly responded, “You are not able to capture Sadina.” 

  “Oh?” Gong Feng Xiang gently laughed. “Who do you think led you here? Hm?” 

  Curtis… Could it be? The survivor from the plane crash said that there is a traitor in the family. Could he have meant Curtis? How is that possible? He has absolutely no reason to betray the Elysees family. He is the next family head! The Elysees belong to him! 

  Perchance he thought Sadina wanted to return the position of family head to me, so he schemed to kill me? B-but, Sadina should have explained to him… My mind was bewildered. I could not find a sensible reason. “Impossible” was the only word running through my mind. 

  Gong Feng Xiang is lying to me. Possibly, the person on the phone was not Curtis… I must flee! 

  I immediately used x-speed. Although I could not use x-speed all the way back to Sunset City, as long as I put some distance between us, they should not be able to catch up with me. 

  Behind me came a vampire’s unique roar. “Charles Endelis, Curtis is my blood thrall! If you dare run away, I will command him to kill your former lover with his own hands!” 

  Blood thrall… Distracted, I almost slipped. While staggering a few steps, my phone suddenly rang. I knew I should not stop, but I could not resist the urge to pick up the call. 

  “Master Endelis, please stop.” 

  Without a doubt, this is Curtis’s voice. I stopped running. I could not use x-speed while speaking on the phone. If I stopped using x-speed, it also meant I did not need to run anymore—because I would never be able to escape the sixth generation vampires much older than me without it. 

  Curtis’s whisper came through the phone, “Please speak, Grandmother. Please say something…” 

  I clenched my phone. The other side was silent for a moment before a faint sigh said, “Cousin Charles, even though I know that nothing I say will make a difference… Sigh. If even you also get captured, we really will be done for…” 

  An extremely loud slap interrupted her words. I roared, “Don’t touch her!” 

  Curtis simply said, “Then, don’t move.” 

  In the background, Gong Feng Xiang’s laughter was like a sharp blade piercing my ears. 

  “Young Master Charles! I’m telling you, that slap just now was from Curtis! But don’t blame him. He really does love his grandmother! After all, both of his parents died early, so he and his grandmother only had each other. Therefore, when his grandmother commanded him to serve a vampire under the identity of the Elysees family’s next family head—even when the whole family said it was absurd—he still obediently went and served a vampire. 

  “However, the result of obedience was becoming a blood thrall for life.” 

  Sadina’s only grandson became a blood thrall! I murmured vacantly, “Blood thrall? How is that possible? When did he become…” 

  “It was you who left him with me. Young Master Charles, did you forget? 

  A vampire’s icy hand touched my nape. She turned the phone’s loudspeaker on and spoke with her breath hitting my face, “During our encounter that first day, you let him go shopping and made me wait for you at home. Instead of you, the first to appear before me during my waiting was the Elysees’s next family head, who had returned from buying groceries.” 

  “…” 

  She let out a loud laugh. “Hahaha! We originally thought that because a long time had passed, pleading with you could have resulted in your forgiveness of the Endelis family. Countess Avexila mentioned before that you are a foolish, soft-hearted fellow. Afterward, we could attempt to become friends with the famous E.X. through you. Pulling him into our family would make for a great increase in strength. 

  “But I never would have expected to encounter even greater prey! The Elysees’s next family head is now my blood thrall!” 

  Gong Feng Xiang laughed until she ran out of breath. Toward the phone, she said, “Oh! Sadina, do you understand now? It is the young master Charles who left your beloved grandson to a vampire and even let your grandson become a vampire’s puppet!” 

  Over the phone, the other end was silent for a moment. Sadina said lightly, “During that time, something probably happened to his master. That is nothing to be surprised about. He is a true Elysees, a descendant of the butler family. The most dutiful butler will always have only his master in his eyes. If it were not so, why would the dignified, large Elysees family only have one descendant remaining? Because, when the butler finally remembered to return home to visit, his wife had already run away who knows how many years ago. So, how can there be any children born to the family to continue the family line? Hehe!” 

  Sadina, you always accommodate me so much, and pamper me so much. I do not deserve it… 

  “As expected of Madam Sadina to look upon this matter so openly.” Gong Feng Xiang coldly snorted and then laughed again. Pretending to be puzzled, she said, “But, what does your grandson think of this matter? Curtis, tell me, what are your thoughts about the last of the Elysees?” 

  “I hate him.” Curtis replied simply. 

  I know. You should hate me. 

  “Hah!” Gong Feng Xiang said as she laughed, “Say some more. Why do you hate him? Because he’s a vampire, because he caused you to become a blood thrall, and because he destroyed your life, correct? Vent all the frustrations you have of him!” 

  Blood thralls can never disobey a command. However, he fell silent for a moment before he started to answer, “After my parents died, I only had my grandmother left. However, she did not only have me. She was always looking at Charles’s portrait and always speaking about him, always talking about her cousin. Grandmother wanted me to inherit her position, but the first thing she wanted me to promise wasn’t looking after the family, but rather that I would follow her footsteps and continue to protect Charles.” 

  Sadina rebuked, “Curtis! Say no more!” 

  But under his master’s command, he did not have the ability to stop answering. “Charles… You abandoned Grandmother and abandoned the Elysees family, yet in return, Grandmother used the entire family to protect you! Even after growing so old, she did not consider retirement but rather wanted to persecute a vampire family. Before she dies, she definitely wants to annihilate them, all in order… in order to protect you!” 

  From here on, he could not help but yell, “Grandmother loved you so much! Her love for you surpassed her love for her only grandson! How could you abandon her? How could you—with so little time left in her life—still refuse to come back and accompany her! You damned cold and heartless vampire! You do not deserve to be loved!” 

  Suddenly, some beeps began sounding from my phone. The screen then displayed an incoming call while asking if I would like the call to be answered. 

  “Who is it?” Gong Feng Xiang asked alertly. 

  I looked at my phone’s screen and robotically replied, “It is the young master.” 

  “Curtis, hang up.” Finishing her command, Gong Feng Xiang said to me, “Answer your phone and tell him that you are resigning. Do not give him a chance to doubt anything, or else you know what the outcome will be.” 

  I pressed the answer button. 

  “Charles, where did you go? Why didn’t you come home… Forget it.” The young master does not seem to want to continue his inquiry. “Come find me at X-Killer. If twenty sets of clothes are too many, you should buy at least a few sets. At least that way, you won’t have to continue wearing those clothes that expose so much of your body. Charles? Are you listening?” 

  “I am listening…” I fell silent for a bit. With a cold tone, I said, “Young Master, I believe I am no longer fit to be your butler.” 

  The young master fell silent for a long, long time, and then only said, “There’s still more than a year left of our contract.” 

  “I know, but…” I could not come up with a reason, not a single one. Finally, I could only say, “I will send you my resignation letter and the money from my violation of the contract together. Farewell, Young Master.” 

  “Charles!” The young master shouted, terrified, “Don’t leave! Actually, I’m…” 

  I hung up immediately. At the same time, Gong Feng Xiang took away the phone and then crushed it in her hand. 

  “Really. Young Master Charles is so naughty, causing such sorrow for every human around him…” 

  Halfway through her sentence, Gong Feng Xiang lifted her head to look at me. As her words suddenly stopped, she stroked my face with her hand, and she even licked her fingers after she pulled her hand back. 

  “So salty… When your Young Master An cries, people want to protect him, but your crying doesn’t lose to your young master’s at all! Even I feel like comforting you! No wonder Sadina was head over heels for you for so many years.” 

  “Do not talk about her like that!” In a raging frenzy, I summoned my rapiers and stabbed in her direction. 

  Gong Feng Xiang’s smile stiffened. Her blood ability suddenly burst out in great volume and pushed me back several steps… Ow! A sudden pain came from behind, followed by a huge shove. I fell to the ground and spewed out a mouthful of blood. Next came immense pain from my right leg. I could not help but grunt a little. When I turned to look, the male vampire who had been standing behind me all this time was stepping on my leg and gradually increasing the force. 

  “Krell, don’t break his leg.” 

  The male vampire raved, “What? You feel bad? Don’t tell me you really fell for him?” 

  Gong Feng Xiang said coldly, “He is Countess Avexila’s possession. The Countess particularly told me to leave all the torture to her. Do it if you want. After all, I have warned you. When the Countess is not happy later, she won’t punish me.” 

  “Don’t be angry! I’m kidding… You want to sneak attack?” 

  Something suddenly landed hard on my back. I almost fainted, and someone grabbed my lower jaw and lifted my whole body up into the air. Her grip was so strong that I was having difficulty breathing. 

  The one who was lifting me up was Gong Feng Xiang. I grabbed her hand… 

  She growled, “If you dare attack again, I will go back to Sunset City and pick one of your young master’s friends for dinner! Should I pick the little girl? Or that photographer? Or his college classmate?” 

  I let go as soon as possible and barely squeezed out a word, “Don’t…” 

  Krell coldly said, “Feng Xiang, break a few of his bones! Just tell the Countess that he attempted to escape, so we had to.” 

  “We should punish him a bit.” After Gong Feng Xiang spoke, she suddenly threw me to Krell and commanded, “Hold him tightly.” 

  From behind, Krell hugged me tightly and said excitedly, “No problem. Hit as hard as you want. I can help you in making up an explanation for the Countess.” 

  She walked a few steps closer. I was ready to be beaten up, but instead, she lifted her head and kissed me. 

  Krell protested loudly, “Hey, what the f***! You want me to be your bed while you rape him?” 

  Ignoring Krell, she grabbed my head forcefully and kissed me like she was going to eat my lips. Kiss after kiss was forced on me, and in the end, she even exposed her fangs and bit through my lips. Then, she started to bite her way down to my neck, shoulder, and then my collarbone. I even felt her fangs collide against my bones… 

  Krell muttered, “All right, that is punishment. It hurts just from watching.” 

  After she finished biting my collarbone, Gong Feng Xiang finally came to a stop. She patted my face with satisfaction and said, “If only you were this obedient in the first place. All right, go to sleep now! Sleep well, as this will be your final peaceful sleep. Upon waking up, what you will face is hell!” 

  Hell or any other place of the sort is fine, but please let go of Sadina and Curtis… Let them go…


  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 8: Avexila, Non-Human

  Translator: Raylight (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  I just want to damn it all and go to sleep! 

  Even if the sky falls down, I still want to sleep! Just let the sky crush me directly! Raaawwwrrrrr! 

  The sky didn’t fall down, but the phone rang. 

  “Aren, could you come over for a moment?” 

  I want to sleep! I really do! Even the sky falling down can’t stop me from going home to sleep! Neither can Charles-gē! 

  “I do not know who else I can ask this of.” 

  … 

  Where should I go? 

  Even if the sky falls down, I still want to sleep. However, there are some things that are even more serious than the sky falling down. 

  For example: Charles-gē begging me in a voice that sounds like he’s about to cry. 

  I opened my eyes. In front of me was an elderly woman. She looked down at me, her face full of heart-wrenching pain and sorrow. However, I did not know her. 

  Just as I was about to ask her who she was, both of my arms were suddenly grabbed, and then I was dragged away from her side. 

  “Cousin!” She shrieked, both her hands waving as though she wanted to drag me back. However, she did not even manage to touch my sleeve. 

  … Sadina? 

  I was dragged the entire way. However, I did not mind it. I merely stared at Sadina, and simply could not believe that I actually had not recognized her just now. Is it because she has aged? No, it is her expression… She was sorrowful, in pain, and even full of despair. None of those were expressions that my Sadina should have. 

  Sadina should be a woman who glowed with health and vigor and was full of hope. At the moment though, she was trapped behind iron bars. Both of her hands gripped the bars tightly, and she gazed at me with a heart-wrenching and despairing face. 

  The dragging stopped. I continued to look at Sadina. It had never crossed my mind that upon my first time seeing her after such a long time, she would have such an expression. 

  Sadina was actually trapped in a metal cage. I also saw Curtis, who was not in the cage. He was instead standing outside of the cage. However, he did not need to be caged, for he was already a blood thrall, the slave of a vampire. 

  Sadina’s face was full of worry for me. Curtis also looked at me, but his face was void of hatred. He merely remained expressionless as usual. The situation has already deteriorated to this point, yet why are these two people looking at me with that kind of expression? 

  “Long time no see, son.” 

  I turned around slowly toward the source of the voice. A lady in an evening gown was sitting on the throne. Compared to the large change Sadina had undergone, she remained completely unchanged. She looked as gorgeous as ever, as proud and unfeeling as before. If I were to say what was different, it was probably the fact that her gaze toward me had turned from disgust to a deep hatred. 

  Avexila Endelis. My mother. 

  Looking at her hatred, I smiled. I smiled as I told her, “Avexila, you should not have captured them. The Elysees family will never forgive you, and you cannot defeat the Elysees family. Do you still remember? Last time, you dared not even fight and just fled.” 

  “You dare to actually speak to me in such a tone!” 

  She abruptly stood up, so enraged that her good looks contorted horrifyingly. At this point, Krell and Gong Feng Xiang, who were standing to both sides, both had on malicious smiles. Krell even handed her a whip, and it was not a regular whip with a smooth surface. This one had many spikes jutting out of the body, but I was not surprised by it. 

  Avexila grabbed the whip with one hand and brandished it without hesitation. The whip sliced the air, bringing with it the sound of the wind tearing, and it came toward me like a huge, man-devouring snake. I did not avoid or dodge it, and I even stood up so that there would be a larger area for the whip to hit. 

  However, when the first lash landed, it hurt so much that I nearly fell back onto the ground again. The tips of the spikes must have contained some silver, for other than pain, I also felt like I was being corroded. With just a dozen or so lashes, I already felt a little dizzy. 

  It hurts! My entire body hurts. Why does it hurt this much? 

  I wanted to stand up straight, but could not do so. I could only kneel with one knee on the floor. Both of my hands were hugging my body, and my fingernails were already stabbing into the flesh, but I did not feel anything. I only felt the whip hitting me again and again, as though it had lit a fire on my skin that never went out. 

  “How is it?” This seemed to be Krell’s voice. “This is not only a whip with silver spikes. There’s even some silver powder scattered on it. The silver powder will remain in your wounds, and if you don’t get rid of it, a vampire’s recovery abilities will practically drop to zero.” 

  So that is how it is. 

  No wonder it hurts so much. No wonder the pain will not diminish at all. My entire body has practically been assaulted by the whip, and so my entire body is in as much pain as being burned in a fire. However… I feel much better. 

  This is what I deserve. Not worry, not forgiveness. Do not tell me that this is not my fault. 

  This is completely my fault! 

  “Don’t hit him. Don’t hit him anymore! You’ll beat him to death!” Sadina’s cries rang out continuously in my ears. Her voice sounded like she was in pain, so much pain… 

  Gong Feng Xiang lazily said, “Don’t worry, Madam Sadina. Vampires don’t die this easily. Last time, he was a mere hundred-year-old vampire, and he didn’t die from our handling. Now that he’s a hundred and fifty years old and has even become an adult, we can play even more to our heart’s content. Madam Avexila, whipping has become boring, right? Do you want to switch to something else, Madam?” 

  “Hmph! Business first.” 

  Business? I raised my head. Avexila threw the whip aside and sat back on her throne. Following that, someone grabbed me on the left and right, forcing me to stand. 

  Gong Feng Xiang walked in front of me and said with a smile, “Now, Young Master Charles, let us not have to resort to extorting the information out of you by torture, okay? Anyway, there are many various ways to play later. You should directly hand over the contact information of E.X.!” 

  “X?” I felt a little puzzled. Right now, what they wanted should be the Elysees family. Once they owned the Elysees, X should be of no importance at all to them. 

  “Are you going to say it or not?” Gong Feng Xiang growled. 

  They kidnapped me, for the sake of X? I thought they just wanted to silence me, and also torture me in passing for the sake of their revenge for the past. “What do you want X for?” 

  Hearing my question, Gong Feng Xiang’s face darkened. Her gaze turned to Curtis. 

  I also followed and looked at him. He took out a gun and then aimed at the caged Sadina. Sadina, who had the gun pointed at her, did not show any kind of pleading expression. Instead, it was Curtis whose face turned extremely pale. 

  “You will not kill Sadina.” I tried my best to keep my voice steady. “If Sadina disappears like this, Curtis will become a suspect. If it is found out that he is a blood thrall, he can no longer be the family head of the Elysees.” 

  Hold on… No matter what, Curtis would not be able to stay as the family head for long. The Church is not so easily dealt with. They would discover it sooner or later. 

  Back then, the reason I could remain as the family head for ten years was due to the fact that I was at least my father’s child. I had been raised by humans since young and was the only successor in the family still possessing the blood of the Elysees. In addition, my father had donated an unfathomable amount of money to the Church. Only then did the Church reluctantly turn a blind eye to it. But even so, the Elysees had still withstood a lot of pressure from the Church. 

  However, Curtis’s situation was different. He was a blood thrall and completely followed the orders of Gong Feng Xiang. As for Gong Feng Xiang, she was a true vampire. No matter how much money one donated to the Church, the Church would not tolerate such a thing. 

  A hesitant expression appeared on Gong Feng Xiang’s face. She walked back to Avexila’s side and whispered into her ear. 

  Avexila had been watching me from the beginning to the end. After hearing Gong Feng Xiang’s words, her mouth turned into a sneer as she said, “So what if we tell him? I already know what he would do. As long as one thinks of the most foolish thing they could do, that would be the course of action my son would choose.” 

  “Understood.” Gong Feng Xiang returned to me and said, “Madam and the Church have made an agreement.” 

  Agreement? The Church would have an agreement with Avexila, a fifth-generation vampire? 

  “We will hand over E.X. to them, and they will not interfere with the matters between the Elysees and us.” 

  To think that there is actually such a thing… Because of their hatred toward X, they actually formed an agreement with vampires and abandoned a human family. Moreover, it is even a large family like the Elysees. With such a large influence at stake, how would they dare let vampires take charge of the Elysees? What exactly is the Church planning? 

  “Therefore, if we cannot capture E.X., your Sadina is going to become useless. We will make Curtis topple the entire Elysees family and then escape far away with the Elysees’s money. Although it’s really a pity to lose such a large influence like the Elysees, if we can’t have it, we can only destroy it. Don’t you think so? Young Master Charles. 

  “Put your gun away, Curtis.” Gong Feng Xiang commanded and turned to me with a smile. “Shooting Sadina to death with one shot is simply too merciful for her. She really gave us a lot of trouble. Therefore, we definitely have to torture her precious Charles until he is half dead in front of her. Then, we will snap her bones one by one in front of you, to make you two a pair of wretched, affectionate lovebirds. Only this will make up for the hatred that you have instilled in us! 

  “Hm, since Young Master Charles has already been beaten, then next is Sadina’s turn!” She turned to face Sadina. She seemed a little vexed as she said, “Which bone of hers should I let Curtis break?” 

  “Email.” 

  Gong Feng Xiang paused for a moment. She turned to me and asked, “What did you say?” 

  I said in a flat voice, “I send emails to X.” 

  A sweet smile appeared on her face, and Gong Feng Xiang said, “You sure are nice to your old lover. So it’s okay that you are beaten up until you’re nearly dead, but you can’t bear to have even a single bone of hers broken?” Following that, she turned to tell the person beside her, “Bring a pen and paper here. 

  “Write down your email account and password, as well as X’s email address. Don’t misspell anything. If X does not come five days after the email is sent, your old lover will become of no use to us.” 

  I took the pen and paper silently. However, I realized that my hand was shaking violently. I could only write one letter at a time slowly, and it took a very long time before I finished. I even checked it five or six times, before Gong Feng Xiang became impatient waiting and pulled the paper away. 

  She reported to Avexila with a smile, “Madam, business is finished. You may now reminisce about old times with Young Master Charles to your heart’s content!” 

  Avexila stood up, looking down at me with a content smile. 

  “Child, I have waited for so long, for such endless years. Every day and night, I have thought about and missed you… Finally, you are here.” 

  She rose from her throne and walked in front of me. She looked at me and smiled, amorous but still maintaining elegance and nobility. When I first saw this smile, one of the questions that I had always had was answered at that moment. 

  Back then, why did my father become intimate with a vampire? 

  I had never asked before, for fear that my father would become ill at ease. A female vampire definitely had the ability to force a human male. However, the first time I saw Avexila smile, I then thought that perhaps things were not as I had guessed. That was because she was very beautiful, extremely beautiful. 

  Avexila reached out a hand and gently caressed my face. She lamented, “You really look more and more like your father. Your appearance had already been very similar to his. Now, even your gaze is similar. Your father would always look at me with those eyes. What I always wanted to know was, what exactly was he thinking when he looked at me with such eyes? Child, could you tell me? What are you thinking?” 

  “What a pity…” 

  “Pity?” Avexila asked, seeming a little confused. 

  I found it a great pity as I said, “You are beautiful enough to make anyone fall in love with you. However, you yourself do not understand what love is. You do not know how to give others anything else other than pain.” 

  “Love?” Avexila chuckled as she said, “Charles, my child, once you have lived hundreds of years after another, you too will not understand love… Ah! Pardon me. I’m afraid you will never understand because you don’t have another hundred years more to live. This time, I will definitely thoroughly destroy you!” 

  Gong Feng Xiang suddenly shrieked, “Madam, don’t kill him yet!” 

  Avexila’s face was cold as she shouted back, “He is already useless! What is the point of keeping him?” 

  “Madam, Young Master Charles has a very vast network of connections. He can be used to control a lot of people. Keeping him will make things more convenient for us.” Gong Feng Xiang smiled as she said, “Madam! You have held back your anger for more than ten years. Your anger is not something that will be quenched with just a few days of torture, right? Though I have not spent a long time with Young Master Charles, he is a very easy person to understand! To him, death is not a terrifying thing. He has always been waiting for death, waiting to be released! Madam. If you were to kill him, wouldn’t that be exactly what he wants?” 

  Avexila suddenly roared with a vampire’s Hollow Roar, “Don’t order me!” 

  “That is not Feng Xiang’s intention. Feng Xiang does not dare to do so, Madam!” 

  Seeing that, Avexila gave a laugh. She gave a small reprimand, “Feng Xiang, stop playing around and go do your business. I already can’t wait to see what exactly the legendary E.X. is like. Especially what kind of expression he will have when I hand him over to the Church… Ah!” 

  “Understood, Madam.” 

  Avexila lazily said to her other childe, “Krell, you should have many interesting toys, right? Find some that are not as lethal. I want to play more!” 

  “Understood, Madam.” 

  Avexila lifted my chin up and said with a smile, “Now, son. Before E.X. comes, show some other expressions to me to relieve my boredom! I still remember that your sorrowful expression was just as good as your father’s enraged expression. Especially when you were begging while crying…” 

  I gave an indifferent smile. This time, I will no longer beg her for anything. Avexila was not qualified to have anyone implore to her. 

  Her smile faded as she slapped me hard. Her slap was so strong that my face was flung to one side. I could feel a burning sensation of pain on my face, and at the same time, I tasted blood in my mouth. 

  Slowly, I turned back and looked at Avexila with a faint smile. 

  I was thrown into the cage. After I tumbled a few times, I lay flat on the ground. 

  “Cousin!” 

  Sadina rushed to my side. It appeared that she wanted to support me up, but she did not dare to touch me at all. In the end, she merely covered her mouth with her hands as she choked with sobs, “Oh, Cousin. Oh god, oh god…” 

  I looked at her and actually felt a little thankful that Avexila had not stabbed my eyes and blinded me. Therefore, I was still able to gaze at Sadina. She really had become rather different from before. Many wrinkles had appeared on what was originally a young girl’s smooth face, and her head of brown hair had turned white and was coiled at the back of her head. She was much thinner than before. She really had become an old lady, but she was filled with wisdom and a mature charm. Compared to her younger days, it was a different kind of beauty. 

  “Cousin?” Sadina caressed my face, seeming a little worried. The only place left unmarked was my face, making me wonder whether Avexila had wanted to look at my face that was very similar to my father’s. “Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?” 

  “I am looking at you.” 

  Sadina froze, and then she smiled. This was the first time I had seen her smile since our encounter here. She smiled as she said, “What’s there to look at? I have aged and don’t look good anymore. Unlike you, who is still so young and pretty.” 

  I laughed, but nearly coughed out a mouthful of blood. I quickly shut my mouth tight and swallowed back all of the blood. However, I instead choked on it and ended up coughing non-stop. Sadina gently patted my chest, wanting to help me feel better… I dared not tell her that her gentle patting was actually making me feel very pained. I did not know how many times Avexila had used a soldering iron to burn my chest. She had even scattered a lot of silver powder on the wound. 

  After a long time, I finally regained my breath. Only then did I manage to say the words that I had already said before umpteenth times, “You are saying that I am pretty again. How can you use pretty to describe a man? You should say that I am handsome.” 

  “You are pretty! Which part of you is handsome?” Sadina stroked my facial features, as she said, “Look at you. Gentle eyebrows, slender red lips, an egg-shaped face, white skin, and even your hair is fine and silky. Which part of you is not pretty?” 

  “You are much more beautiful than I am, really!” I said sincerely, “Even now, you are still much more beautiful than I am.” 

  Sadina smiled, and she stroked my hair affectionately… 

  “Don’t be a hypocrite. You don’t love my grandmother at all! Otherwise, you would not leave her, abandoning her!” 

  Sadina and I were both stunned, and we looked in the same direction. Curtis was standing outside the metal cage. His back was facing us, so we could not see his expression, but he was indeed the one who had uttered that sentence just now. 

  “Who told you that Charles doesn’t love me?” 

  Sadina chuckled as she said, “It is precisely because he loves me too much that he dares not stay by my side. He is afraid that I would become just like his father, and die bit-by-bit every day in front of his eyes, until the end when my eyes never open again. That year, he told me while crying that if I also died in front of him, he really would go crazy. That was why I let him go.” 

  Curtis did not say a single word. 

  “Curtis, you are always so quiet and keep everything to yourself, refusing to say a single word more. Why didn’t you tell me earlier about what you felt toward your great uncle Charles?” 

  “… Great uncle?” Since when did I have this kind of status? 

  Sadina said as though it were obvious, “Curtis is my grandson, and you are my cousin. Naturally, you are his great uncle. However, these addresses seem to be a little troublesome. When Curtis’s child is born, you would have to be called grand great-uncle. Following that, I really have no idea what you should be called.” 

  Following that… Are you sure there is still a “following that”? I gave a distressed smile and said, “Sadina, I am truly sorry. I have caused harm to befall your only grandson, and I have caused harm to come to you.” 

  “Cousin.” Sadina said gently, “Don’t speak any further. This is not your fault.” 

  No… Sadina, do not forgive me. Do not indulge me any further. Your forgiveness and words of comfort make me feel even more pain, even more despair than Avexila’s cruel torture made me feel. 

  Curtis, why do you not curse me further? Why do you not shout that you hate me? 

  I had once thought, and even once told the young master, “When I have given up all hope, I will only pray for death to come faster.” 

  But at this point, I finally understood. When even the option of death is taken away from you, then you are truly at your rope’s end. That is true despair! 

  X, I beg of you to quickly open your email. I beg for you to come… No, don’t come! 

  What could you do even if you came? There is only one of you. No matter how strong you are, you cannot be stronger than an entire clan. You would not be able to save Sadina and Curtis, and you would even be captured by Avexila and handed over to the Church. Moreover, since the Church hates you so much that they would even bargain with vampires to catch you, then how would they treat you? I do not wish to cause harm to any more people. 

  Who exactly could come and save Sadina and Curtis? Save the Elysees family? 

  “Young Master…” 

  Young Master, I was the one who turned my back on you, but please, I beg of you, do not abandon me! Please come and save Sadina, save Curtis, save the Elysees family… 

  I beseech you!

  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 9: Dark Sun, the Light Born in the Darkness

  Translator: Raylight (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  “Young Master, inside the butler’s metal cabin, there’s his father’s photo, a photograph of a woman, a broken cell phone, and the portrait that you gave him. It’s really unbelievable for that butler to actually leave all those behind!” 

  Melody-jiě’s face was dark as she walked out of Charles-gē’s room, and she told An Xiang Ye that. At that moment, I immediately felt that it was impossible! However, An Xiang Ye instead just said, “Maybe he just doesn’t want them anymore.” 

  “Young Master! I found Mr. Butler’s phone! The phone had actually been crushed and thrown away! That butler! Even if he quit his job, would he crush the phone that you gave him?” Dell-gē exclaimed as he fussed over the details. 

  I was also shocked. Although I had not known Charles-gē for long, he was definitely not one to destroy things. However, An Xiang Ye said, “He doesn’t need a phone anymore, anyway.” 

  Ah Ye, do you really believe that Charles-gē is someone who would call to quit his job, merely say that he would pay the penalty fees, and disappear without even saying sorry? 

  In the end, I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing An Xiang Ye’s shoulders, shaking him and shouting at him fiercely, to see if I could wake him up more. Charles-gē must have been kidnapped! Even though no one came asking for a ransom… he must have been captured! 

  However, An Xiang Ye broke free, and he roared even louder than me, “If I find him, and he really just wants to leave me, and there isn’t any reason for it? Then, what should I do?” 

  Then, beat him up until he’s almost dead! 

  I answered without hesitation. If he really doesn’t have any reason at all, then he would at least deserve to be beaten up by you! What about it? Are you going to find Charles-gē or not? 

  “I…” 

  I really had no notion of how much time had passed. I was dragged out of the metal cage. I was thrown back in the metal cage. I smiled as I gazed at Avexila. I smiled as I gazed at Sadina. Though the two gave me completely different expressions in return, they both gave me pain. Avexila made my body hurt. Sadina made my heart hurt. 

  “Why do you not cry? What are you laughing at?” 

  Avexila became more and more irritable by the day. If it were not for Krell and Gong Feng Xiang taking turns to stop her, perhaps she would have murdered me long ago. 

  Gong Feng Xiang comforted Avexila for a long time, and then walked over. With her head lowered, she looked at me and sighed. “Why do you not cry? Young Master Charles, you sure are stubborn… You are already injured to this point. It should hurt a lot, right? Why don’t you cry a little? As long as you are willing to beg the Madam, I guarantee that she will hurt you a little less. Otherwise, if this continues, you will probably die.” 

  I looked at her, but I did not wish to speak. I did not even smile… Since I barely had the strength to smile anymore, I would rather save my smiles for Sadina. 

  “Beat him up harshly!” Avexila roared in rage, “I don’t want to see him smile again!” 

  “Madam, if we continue beating him, he really is going to die,” Gong Feng Xiang said, seeming to be put on the spot. She sighed and turned to yell, “Curtis, come over.” 

  Curtis walked over, following her orders. He stood right at my feet, and I looked at him. It was not done so intentionally, but I merely felt that I would rather look at him than at the others. I had originally thought that he would still be expressionless, as usual. However, his reaction was contrary to my expectations. He had lowered his head and shot a glance at me, and following that, he fixed his gaze on Gong Feng Xiang. His face, however, had turned extremely ashen. 

  I believe, my current appearance should probably look very frightening? 

  “Silver needle, silver whip, silver powder, stun baton…” Gong Feng Xiang put the items into his hands one-by-one. Then, she told Avexila, “Madam, let Curtis do the beating! He is human, so he does not have much strength. He won’t be able to kill Young Master Charles so easily. Moreover, if he’s the one beating him, Sadina would have to watch her grandson torture her beloved and would feel even more pain.” 

  “Very well, do it then!” Hearing the last few sentences, Avexila then agreed contentedly. 

  Gong Feng Xiang repeated her orders, but Curtis did not execute them immediately. He even said, “I am unable to beat him anymore. He is truly on the verge of dying.” 

  For a blood thrall, Curtis was really not obedient. 

  “That is not something for you to worry about,” Gong Feng Xiang said coldly. “Vampires don’t die that easily… Don’t hurt his neck, chest, and the arteries in his thighs.” She added on a little hesitantly. 

  Curtis nodded and squatted down with an ashen face. The torture devices scattered across the floor, and he chose from the few options with extremely slow movements. In the end, he picked up the silver needle. Rather than a silver needle, it was actually more of a silver rod, for its size was roughly the size of a knitting needle. 

  However, that was already the item that looked the least lethal within all the torture tools… Though to be truthful, for a vampire, rather than a silver needle that stabs into the body, a whip that only hits the skin is the least dangerous weapon. It is, however, true that a whip is more painful. 

  Curtis held the silver needle, and his gaze darted all over my body. However, he did not make a move even after a long time, and cold sweat beaded his face. 

  “Curtis!” Gong Feng Xiang shouted, displeased. “What are you doing? Hurry up and do it!” 

  “There are no places for me to do so.” Curtis quietly replied, “There are wounds everywhere.” 

  “That’s even better!” Gong Feng Xiang said impatiently, “Adding wounds on top of wounds is what makes it painful. Hurry up and do it! Don’t make me repeat myself for a third time!” 

  Curtis raised the silver needle, and hesitated for a moment. He then stabbed with much force, and the needle passed through my palm. I did not make a single sound, but Curtis was shaking violently, as though he were the one being stabbed through the palm by the needle. 

  “Do not worry,” I said with a smile. 

  Curtis froze. He stared at me in disbelief. 

  I tried my best to smile as I comforted him, “This really has nothing to do with you. It is all my fault. I have caused you to become a blood thrall, and I have caused you to be controlled by others. I have made you have to hurt me against your own will. You should hit me harshly. That is your right, and there is no need at all to feel guilty about it. 

  “I am terribly sorry, to have destroyed your entire life. I am really… truly apologetic.” 

  Once I said that, I shut my eyes tight, gritted my teeth, and made mental preparations for what was to come. No matter how painful it is, I must not make a single sound… But though I waited, the pain that I had imagined did not come. Instead, a few drops of water landed on my face… Am I already hurting so much that my sense of pain has numbed? That should not be water, so perhaps it is boiling silver? 

  I opened my eyes in confusion and was shocked to discover that Curtis was actually crying. His expression was pained, and though he was holding another torture tool in his hands, he did not take action even after a long time. He forced out a few words, “Don’t smile… Your smile is even more painful than tears.” 

  “Enough, I have seen enough!” Avexila stood up and growled, “Feng Xiang, have your blood thrall destroy that damned smiling face. When his face has been mashed to a pulp, then he won’t be able to smile anymore!” 

  Once Avexila spoke those words, Curtis immediately stiffened. His expression seemed extremely afraid, as though the one who was about to become disfigured was actually him and not me. 

  “Madam!” 

  Gong Feng Xiang did not utter the order. Instead, she said joyously, “Our prey, E.X., has finally arrived.” 

  … X? 

  Hearing that, Avexila’s attention was completely diverted away. She no longer paid Curtis and me any mind, and immediately started discussing with the people around her regarding the situation as well as the various ambush plans. 

  At this time, Gong Feng Xiang commanded, “Curtis, drag Young Master Charles back into the cage, then follow in after him.” 

  “Understood.” 

  Curtis picked me up. Because the action jostled all of the wounds on my body, I could not help but make a sound. After a pause, his movements became gentler. 

  “Thank you.” 

  After being put on the ground, I struggled to crawl up. However, the pain and my lack of strength made this simple motion abnormally difficult… 

  “What are you doing? Your injuries are so serious, yet you are still moving around!” Sadina and Curtis actually spoke in unison. 

  “… I just wanted to be able to see a little better.” 

  The two of them fell silent, and then they helped me up together. They leaned my upper body against Sadina, so I could see the situation outside the cage clearly. There were many non-humans moving around outside, and there were ambushes set up all around the place. The situation seemed a little chaotic. 

  I said softly, “Sadina, if there is an opportunity, I will find a way to break the cage. At that time, take Curtis and go. Do not think about bringing me along. You can come back and save me after you escape.” 

  “This fellow is very worrisome, right?” 

  I froze, and turned my head slightly, only to realize that she was actually asking Curtis. Moreover, Curtis actually nodded his head. 

  Sadina lamented, “Sigh! Cousin, not only did you not change in appearance, even your personality has not changed at all, as though a hundred years was like a day to you. For you to make growth, it probably wouldn’t happen even after you become a great-great-great grand uncle.” 

  “… Did I say something wrong?” 

  I did not expect that she would actually reply. “You said many things wrong! You left home at the age of eighteen. You put it fancily as falling from grace. But actually, it was because your father had a son out of wedlock, and his child was even a vampire. The family members had vehemently opposed him, and even protested his receiving the position of the next family head. That was why you left him. You actually found an excuse and said something about how you felt out of place among humans, and so you were going to become a degenerate… Did you know? When your father mentioned this to me, as he talked about how you actually treated going to the bar to drink every night and occasionally finding a woman for a one-night-stand as ’falling from grace,’ he was about to laugh himself silly! Degenerate, my ass!” 

  “…” Sadina, you are already over eighty years old. Could you speak in a fashion suitable for an eighty-year-old? 

  “Ten years after you had accepted the position of family head, you found another whole lot of excuses to leave the family! Actually, it was totally because at that time, a lot of influential forces had found out that the family head of the Elysees was a vampire. The family had received a lot of pressure from various places, and that was why you chose to leave! But you used the excuse that you were not contributing to the family, and so you didn’t want to latch onto the seat! 

  “Also, when you left me. Though you say that it’s because you don’t want to see me die of old age, what you were more reluctant to do was to actually make me watch as you never change, while I age day by day, right? You did not turn me into a vampire, because you could already tell, right? You could tell that I don’t want to live forever, at all… But you said that you don’t believe in forever, and you don’t want us to break up in the future because we stopped loving each other.” 

  As she scolded me, Sadina started crying. I could not tell whether it was out of fondness or her cursing, as she continued, “You bastard, stop always being so self-righteously thoughtful of others, and stop taking on all of the mistakes and pain by yourself.” 

  I quickly explained, “The reason I left you was truly because I did not want to watch you die of old age!” 

  “Then, what about the other reasons I spoke of? Did you really not have those intentions?” 

  “… The reason I left the young master is truly because I did not want to watch him die of old age! Honestly!” 

  “Don’t think that you can avoid answering by changing the topic! Idiot!” 

  Pfft! Curtis suddenly laughed, but he immediately reverted back to his expressionless self. 

  Sadina reached out a hand, and as she brushed my messy hair, she said, “Now you are telling us to go on ahead. Do you think that this time, Avexila would really wait for me to come back and save you?” 

  “Sadina, I…” Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and nearly could not breathe. 

  “What’s wrong?” She asked, a little frantic. 

  “Nothing—speaking makes my neck, chest, and abdomen hurt a lot.” Halfway through my words, Sadina’s glare at me had become even scarier than Avexila’s. Therefore, I could only change my words in the middle and report the truth. 

  “Then, don’t speak anymore. You’re banned from speaking!” 

  I froze for a moment. I no longer advised her to escape. I merely lay in her lap quietly, as I felt her hands stroke my hair… If I could be a little more selfish, I would really want to pass away now. 

  “E.X., what an honor for you to visit!” 

  Avexila shouted loudly. At the same time, a shadow appeared at the entrance and walked in… It was really X. 

  Why did you come here? Even if you really had been tricked into coming here, you ought to have run away the moment you discovered that something was wrong. You should not have come in obediently like that. Did you not tell me before that there was someone that you must protect, and thus, you cannot die no matter what? 

  Yet again, another person I have brought harm to. 

  The doors immediately closed once X stepped in. Krell stood beside the door, along with about ten vampires. Avexila sat on the throne in the great hall, and at her side was Gong Feng Xiang. At the two sides of the great hall, many more lay in ambush… In comparison, X stood alone at the center of the great hall, looking very isolated. 

  However, he did not seem fazed at all. He merely stared at me directly, his face turning dark. He did not say a single word to me. He only turned to face Avexila, giving a cold laugh as he said, “This time, you are all truly dead meat. To turn Endelis into such a state, his young master will definitely not forgive you all.” 

  “Young Master An? He won’t know about this at all.” Gong Feng Xiang smiled as she said, “Our Young Master Charles has quit his job by the rules! If he doesn’t want to be his butler anymore, what can Young Master An do?” 

  “Oh?” X said indifferently, “This is sure strange. It was his young master who grabbed my collar and cursed, ‘It’s your fault that Charles has been captured. Go and open your email right now to see if there’s a ransom letter.’ Only then did I check my email.” 

  Young Master! A small spark of hope ignited in my heart. 

  “Even if he knows, so what?” Avexila stood up. She gave a cold laugh and said, “Even if he knows, your team will just grow from one person to two. I have an entire clan! The two of you could never resist a whole vampire clan.” 

  X said calmly, “I am alone. That is true. However, that is not the case for that young master.” 

  “What do you mean—” 

  Gong Feng Xiang was interrupted in the middle of her question. All the glass windows around the great hall suddenly imploded, the glass fragments falling in all directions. Many non-humans roared in anger as they were hit by the glass shards. Then, many shadowy figures came in from the windows—by darting in, jumping, flying, crashing in… 

  “He has roped a lot of people into coming here.” X said calmly, “Dark Sun is not me. He doesn’t lack anything, and that includes connections.” 

  The tremendous sound of an explosion suddenly boomed outside the front doors. Then, the two battered doors collapsed with a loud bang, revealing a slender figure. His figure was not muscular, but he was holding a giant weapon that looked extremely mismatched with his appearance. In his left hand, he held a rocket launcher. In his right, he raised his Death Scythe, the shaft even taller than him, and the blade wide enough to split a person in two in one swing. 

  With his back facing the light, his silhouette looked just like a grim reaper’s, an embodiment of complete destruction. Upon seeing such a person, I however, sincerely felt like I had been saved. 

  Dark Sun walked into the great hall. All of the people who had come in through the shattered windows on the two sides looked at him. 

  Melody, Bramble, Dell, May, Dragon Peace, First Wind, Ezart, Elian, the stern youngster that I had once seen beside the master. I even saw Poseidin, and there was also a shadow flying in circles outside the window, which I presumed was Mr. Stone. 

  Other than that, there were many others whose names I did not know. Though it had crossed my mind that they might have been the master’s subordinates, it looked like it was not the case. The expression they wore while looking at Dark Sun was definitely not one of a stranger’s. 

  At this point, Avexila laughed. She mocked, “So what even if you have more on your side? You are all merely humans. One human, two, or twenty, does it really make a difference?” 

  “Oh? Really?” X ridiculed, “I thought that there were no humans here.” 

  “I-I really am not human!” 

  Poseidin raised his hand and admitted ecstatically. X looked at him, and feigned an astonished face as he said, “Really? I thought that you were the only human here.” 

  Poseidin was speechless for a while, and then he gave a faint sigh and commented, “Actually, I had the same feeling just now…” 

  Dark Sun dragged his Death Scythe all the way inside the great hall, and as the Death Scythe drew across the ground, it emitted a subtle, sharp noise. 

  Avexila and the others did not react much. I believed that from the very beginning, they probably did not have the intent to use the three of us to threaten Dark Sun. The number of people that the young master had brought was roughly twenty. However, there were at least close to a hundred within the Endelis clan. They still had the vast advantage of numbers, and they were all non-humans while the others were merely human… However, they had greatly underestimated the “humans” of the present age. 

  Then, Dark Sun stopped and turned to look at me. The visor covered his face. I was unable to discern his expression. Following that, he turned to look at the person on the throne. In an enraged tone I had never heard him use before, he roared, “Avexila?” 

  Avexila gave a cold snort at that and did not answer. X murmured, “I did mention that he would go crazy.” 

  Dark Sun raised the Death Scythe and pointed it at Avexila. He then announced to everyone, “She is mine! No one interferes!” 

  “How brazen of you!” 

  Avexila agitatedly screamed, indignant. It was closely followed by Dragon Peace’s growl. With one fist, he sent a werewolf flying, and only then did the non-humans realize that something was off. 

  “Hey! Dragon Peace!” Ezart enthusiastically said, “Want to compete over who can defeat more of them?” 

  Dragon Peace instead rolled his eyes at him and growled, “You bastard who left early! Who wants to compete with you?” 

  Ezart was stunned and asked, “Who are you?” 

  “Aren!” 

  “Ah Ye, you actually didn’t tell me that Aren is Dragon Peace… Forget it, that fellow’s too far gone to hear anything.” 

  Dark Sun dashed toward Avexila with the Death Scythe raised. Roughly ten non-humans immediately went to stop him, but Dark Sun then leaped and rotated the Death Scythe non-stop in mid-air. The scythe turned into a lethal circle, and all the non-humans that came into contact with it had their limbs cut off. There was even someone who was cut at the waist. The great hall immediately turned into a slaughterhouse as blood, flesh, and limbs flew about. It was as if a red carpet had been rolled over the floor. 

  When Dark Sun landed, it was to a sea of silence. He continued making his way to Avexila, and this time, she dared not be careless. She instantly made a large claw of blood, and even Gong Feng Xiang morphed two fierce-looking, huge axes. Neither of their expressions was as calm as before. 

  X also morphed two blood claws, and as he walked, he said, “The woman beside Avexila, your opponent is me.” 

  Hearing that, Gong Feng Xiang’s face immediately turned pale. She was definitely no match for X. 

  In terms of strength, even Avexila might not be X’s match. Though X had never revealed which generation he was of, he was after all, a vampire over a thousand years old. Moreover, he had not been killed despite being hunted by the Church for over a thousand years… Any vampire would say that they are unable to be X’s match. 

  “Did you think that we would fight you one-on-one?” Once Avexila said that, Gong Feng Xiang instantly regained her calm. 

  Dark Sun roared in rage, “It doesn’t matter how many! You actually dared to treat Charles like that! No matter how many people are in front of you, I will kill all of them, and then slaughter you!” 

  A hint of rage showed up on Avexila’s face, but following that, a malicious smile faintly appeared. She said dubiously, “Ooh! You like my child, Charles, so much? Are you two really just master and servant? Or perhaps, you are actually bed partners? My child is certainly rather beautiful…” 

  “Hahaha!” Ezart suddenly burst into laughter. 

  The others in the midst of battle also started laughing one-by-one. They even ridiculed: 

  “Idiot, like Ah Ye would know that kind of thing!” 

  “Please, he doesn’t even know how to do it with women, let alone guys!” 

  “He’s a pedophile, not a homosexual!” 

  “He likes round and fluffy stuff.” 

  “He’s practically still at the age of cuddling soft toys to sleep!” 

  Young Master, as expected, everyone knows you well. 

  Avexila seemed not to believe a word of it. That was because the Dark Sun in front of her was holding the Death Scythe, not a soft toy, and it had just killed ten non-humans in one go. 

  Dark Sun dashed straight over and swung the Death Scythe. Avexila dodged it, and the scythe cut through the throne. She then seized the chance to counterattack. Blood claws swung toward Dark Sun, and he naturally avoided them, too. The two of them went at each other, and though it looked like they were evenly matched, I believed that Dark Sun would win. That is because he is someone who could reach a stalemate in a match with X. 

  Although Avexila did not intend to fight one-on-one, non-humans without sufficient strength would find it impossible to interrupt the fight between the two of them. Most likely, the moment they stepped in would be the moment they split into two. 

  The only ones who might have had the power to step in were Gong Feng Xiang and Krell. However, Gong Feng Xiang had been challenged by X. She dared not fight head-on with X and was retreating the entire time. It appeared that she was thinking of joining forces with Krell to defeat X. 

  Krell was, however, busy dealing with Dragon Peace and First Wind. Of the two of them, one had great strength, and the other used his speed and techniques to gain victory. When they worked together, they could actually challenge a vampire of the sixth generation. 

  They will win. I felt a lot more relieved and did not focus on the battle as much anymore. For I felt tired. Very tired… 

  “What a heated battle. It’s way better than a movie.” 

  Hearing that, I looked toward the door. A golden-haired man was lazily leaning against the destroyed door. Beside him was Mr. Kyle, holding a business suitcase. Other than that, the two of them were heavily protected by the bodyguards surrounding them. They were all in black military outfits, wearing a golden mask with a sun crest on their foreheads. 

  Everyone… Every human and non-human knew who this golden-haired man was. 

  The Sun Emperor. 

  At first, no one realized his arrival. They first noticed the adjudication squad, but following that, the number of those who recognized him increased—both the humans and the non-humans. The people whom the young master had brought with him did not seem overly shocked. Rather, it was the non-humans who raised a commotion. 

  When Avexila too noticed it, it was when almost everyone had ceased battling. Only then did she realize that something was off. 

  However, Dark Sun was the last person to notice his presence. Though Avexila had stopped attacking him, he still was not aware, but he did not take the chance to attack her, either. He merely stopped in his tracks, observing her. It seemed that it was highly likely that Avexila’s expression appeared overly shocked, so the young master then turned his head. Then, he just gave an “Ah.” 

  The situation now was incredibly strange. Everyone was in the middle of battle, but that had all come to a grinding stop. All of their gazes fell onto the master, but the master was staring at Dark Sun. 

  Dark Sun removed his visor, showing his face. This formed a large, unnatural contrast between his angelic face and the Death Scythe in his hands, and the non-humans all showed a strange expression at that. 

  The young master quietly grumbled to Elian, “El-gē, didn’t we agree not to tell Gēge?” 

  Elian gave a wry smile as he said, “Ah Ye, you used more than ten information networks, five special forces, two adjudication squads, seven jets, and even spent a large sum of money. How would it be possible to hide it from the Sun Emperor?” 

  “You wanted to hide this from me so much?” The master’s face turned dark, and he looked very unhappy. 

  The young master lowered his head and said in a small voice, “I was just worried that Gēge would try to kill Charles again…” 

  The master immediately growled, “If I knew he was going to be this troublesome, I should have slaughtered him from the very start!” 

  “Gē! You can’t…” 

  “Can’t kill Charles, I get it! Can’t kill this, can’t kill that. Seriously, when will you desire something different! Can’t you just wander around looking for beauties and indulge in drink and pleasures, and tell me you want something when you see it, even if I have to snatch it, or ask me to kill someone that pissed you off, including all eight generations of his family?” 

  “That sort of thing is too easy. I already have the ability to kill ten generations of someone’s family, so I don’t need Gēge to do so!” was the young master’s bold answer. 

  The master looked very depressed at that. He gritted his teeth and said, “When we get back, I must tell An Te Qi not to modify you to become even stronger!” 

  As the two brothers quarreled, the others looked on in speechless shock. Even Sadina stammered behind me as she asked, “Cousin, t-they are…” 

  “The young master is the Sun Emperor’s younger brother.” Although I spoke softly, it was loud enough for the whole hall of non-humans to hear, sufficiently shocking them to the point of petrification. 

  The young master said unhappily, “Gē, what did you come here for? Didn’t I tell you to stay at home and wait for me to come back?” 

  The master gave a displeased “Hmph,” and the young master turned to look at Mr. Kyle who stood beside him. 

  Mr. Kyle pushed his glasses up and reported, “Young Master, it is because summer vacation is almost over, and even though the Sun Emperor waited, and continued to wait for you every day, and even complained daily about how Ah Ye hasn’t returned yet, you still have not returned home to see him. Finally, he found out that you were using a lot of resources, and thus had an excuse to ask you what you were doing. After that, he forced me to bring out a battle aircraft that is still in its testing stages and flew over at jet speed.” 

  The master shot a glare at Mr. Kyle, and then scolded the young master, “You carelessly spent so much money. Since the money you spent was mine, as your elder brother, can’t I come over and inquire where the money went?” 

  “Gē… Do you really know how much I spent?” 

  The master fell silent for a moment and then shouted, “In any case, it was a lot of money!” 

  Mr. Kyle said in a professional tone, “The money that the young master spent was about the same value as the trashcan in his apartment.” 

  “… Didn’t you report it as a large sum of money?” 

  “Sun Emperor, the trashcan that you bought and placed in the young master’s apartment is an antique from three hundred years ago.” 

  At this point, the young master sighed and said, “Really. I’m not going to talk to you anymore. I have to go check on Charles. His injuries look severe.” 

  Once he said that, the hostile gaze that the master shot at me made my injuries worsen… Sadina had hugged me even tighter, and it truly hurt a lot. 

  The young master walked over. Before walking into the cage, he stabbed the Death Scythe into the ground, and then grabbed the iron bars. It seemed that he was trying to bend them with his bare hands, but since the cage was meant for imprisoning vampires, it was abnormally sturdy. After he managed to bend it a little, he switched to cutting the bars with his hair, and then he walked in. 

  The young master knelt down, lowering his head to look at my injuries. His eyes grew red, and he turned to shout, “X, Charles… he…” 

  X said indifferently, “His injuries are very serious, but he is a pureborn vampire. This won’t kill him.” 

  The young master’s expression visibly relaxed a lot from that. He looked at me, then at Sadina, looking very curious. However, in the next moment, Avexila spoke up, and we all looked in her direction. 

  “If it is you, Sun Emperor, I, Avexila, would naturally serve under you. The Endelis clan as well as the Elysees family that will soon be under my control, are yours to do as you wish.” 

  “Elysees?” The master looked annoyed as he said, “What are you? Within the Elysees, only Sadina is qualified to speak to me!” 

  Avexila turned in our direction, and said in disdain, “Are you referring to the one in the cage?” 

  The master looked over. He first glanced at Sadina, and then at me, but then frowned. I believe the master is truly not fond of me. 

  Avexila announced in a proud tone, “As of now, Sadina is my prisoner.” 

  The master said with an indifferent air, “It’s not like you can command the Elysees family just by capturing her. If it were that simple, I would have already done so.” 

  She quickly explained, “But we can command her. Her only grandson is already our blood thrall, and the Church has promised not to interfere with our business with the Elysees family once we hand X over to them.” 

  The master snorted. “Don’t tell me you are foolish enough to believe that the Church would really keep their promise? How are you going to make sure the Church abides by their promise?” 

  Avexila’s face changed, and she said, “We have already signed a contract!” 

  “A contract? Surely you do not believe that humans would abide by a contract with vampires? If the Church doesn’t keep their word, then what are you planning to do? Go to court and sue them? Hahaha!” 

  Avexila was so shocked that she was almost unable to form words. 

  “Hm… But there is still a possibility it might work.” After a period of laughter, the master was suddenly deep in thought. He commented, “If it were up to me, it would be different. I would make it such that even if the Church wanted to break the contract, they wouldn’t be able to.” 

  “Then…” Avexila’s eyes shone with hope. 

  Sadina reacted as well. Leaning on her, I could feel her heartbeat quicken. Perhaps, she also had the same line of thought as the Sun Emperor? That the Church perhaps does not intend to keep their word with vampires and would not let Avexila take control of the Elysees family. 

  However, if it were the Sun Emperor… 

  The young master stood up and angrily said, “Gēge! You can’t do that!” 

  “Nonsense, you br… Young Master.” At first, Avexila had wanted to rage, but she suddenly changed her tune. She put on a smile and said with a humble tone, “It’s the Elysees family in question. As long as the Sun Emperor gains control of the Elysees family, no one will ever be able to challenge him again! Young Master, if you like having a vampire butler, there are plenty of vampires in my clan. Male, female, your choice! It’s not a problem even if you want all of them to serve you.” 

  The young master gave her a venomous glare and then told the master, “Gē! You’re not allowed to do that!” 

  “Another no… Okay, okay. Don’t look so upset. If you say no, then it’s no.” 

  Hearing that, Avexila’s smile froze on her face. She forced out the words, “Sun Emperor, s-surely that’s a joke, right?” 

  “What’s a joke?” The master coldly glared at her and growled, “Who has the time to joke with you? I am not interested in your proposal! Also, daring to lay your hands on the people by Ah Ye’s side, I trust you should be prepared for the consequences?” 

  “Sun Emperor, y-you truly do not wish to take over the Elysees family?” At this point, Sadina seemed to be in disbelief as she said, “If you take control of the Elysees family, then y-you’ll practically have control of the whole world!” 

  “Of course I want to, but my dìdi doesn’t allow me to, so what can I do?” The master shot a nonchalant glance at Sadina and said, “You can have a beloved vampire that you must protect at all costs, so why can’t I have a beloved brother that is more important than the whole world?” 

  Hearing that, Sadina visibly relaxed. She quietly laughed and said, “Yes, of course you can.” 

  Suddenly, the youngster with the icy expression shouted, “Protect the Sun Emperor!” 

  Once he shouted, the young master immediately dashed out of the cage and picked up his Death Scythe on the way, making his way to the master. 

  “Shit, that’s not right. She changed her target, and it’s—” 

  Avexila suddenly turned around and sped toward me. The poisonous rage in her eyes was directed right at me. 

  I was not surprised and had already been prepared. I had not reckoned in the least bit that she would attack the Sun Emperor, for her hatred of the Sun Emperor was a mere passing fancy. However, her hatred toward me was deeply etched into her bones. 

  She let out a large amount of blood ability while I was completely unable to move. However, because of that, I was able to let all of my blood ability flow outside my body, solidifying it into a huge and sturdy blood shield. What it protected was not myself, however, but Sadina and Curtis. 

  Faced with her ferocious expression, I could not help but ask, “Why do you hate me so much?” 

  “Why do you all turn your backs on me and leave me! Why?” 

  As she roared, I felt a strong impact against the blood shield. I did not feel much pain, for my body had already become empty. 

  In front of my eyes, the Death Scythe swung down. Avexila was cut in two, and her body fell apart to both sides. What was revealed, though, was the young master’s figure. 

  Avexila’s attack had completely destroyed the cage. The young master threw aside his Death Scythe and rushed up to me. However, he did not dare touch me in the slightest, and his expression looked incredibly frantic. Exactly like the expression that Sadina is making right now. 

  The young master panicked for a moment, and then instantly raised his head and shouted, “X, X! Charles, he… Will he be okay?” 

  X walked over, looking at me with his head lowered. However, he remained silent with furrowed brows. 

  “Charles, he—” 

  Halfway through his question, the young master noticed X’s expression. He could not finish asking. Instead, he turned and shouted at the master, “Gē, this time, I won’t tell you not to kill! Other than Charles, I want all of the Endelis clan dead! They don’t have the right to use the name Endelis!” 

  Gong Feng Xiang shrieked, flustered, “Great Sun Emperor, even if Avexila is dead, I can still turn Sadina into a blood thrall. If you, sir, don’t want that done, we are still very useful! Please don’t kill me!” 

  The master did not even spare a glance at Gong Feng Xiang. He merely coldly said, “El, Ah Ye wants them dead. Why aren’t you killing them yet?” 

  “My sincerest apologies, I will start killing them right away.” Elian apologized and following that, commanded the start of the massacre. 

  However, Dragon Peace and First Wind did not join in with the massacre. They stood at the side, merely gazing at me with worry. 

  The screams and cries all sounded so distant. I merely gazed at the two faces in front of me. Their faces were of different ages, different genders, and different personalities… But at the moment, they looked so similar. 

  Sadina cried as she wailed, “Charles, Cousin… Didn’t you say that you left me because you didn’t want to see me die? How could you let me watch you die now! This is too unfair.” 

  The young master’s eyes had turned red, and he said, “Charles, even if we’re just following the written contract, you still have to continue being my butler for another year!” 

  “Charles…” 

  “Charles!” 

  Charles, Charles. There was always someone calling my name continuously. Even when I had fallen from grace, even in death, they would not let me leave. My father was like that, Sadina was like that, and even the young master was like that as well. 

  However, Father, you are dead. Sadina, you have grown old. And Young Master… 

  You are really such a wonderful master, so wonderful that it makes me want to serve you for my entire life. I wish to grow old along with you, wish to see your marriage with Briar, wish to see your children be born, wish to see whether your children would grow up to look like you in your early years. I wish to see you hug your grandson, wish to joke with you about competing to see which one of us would die first… However, I am an unaging, immortal vampire. 

  Both the one on my left and the one on my right, one old and one young, looked at me with an anxious and upset expression. Sadina’s elderly appearance made me recall her younger years, and the young master’s youthful appearance made me want to see his face once aged… It was a little regretful. But to be able to watch these two people and know that they are both safe, before I then passed away, I believed myself to already be very fortunate. 

  I gave a faint smile toward the two of them. 

  “I am terribly sorry, but I am truly exhausted.”


  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Chapter 10: Charles and Xiang Ye, Endless Days and Nights

  Translator: clrfction (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  We all returned home, but Charles-gē didn’t come back. 

  Ah Ye seems very sad. To cheer him up, his brother sent over one butler after another. They included not only vampires, but just about everything other than actual ghosts. 

  But the young master kicked them all out. The one who lasted the longest was a vampire. He managed to stay for three days before getting sent away. I think he was probably only able to last three days because he’s a vampire, just like Charles-gē. 

  I didn’t like him either. No, I didn’t like any of the new butlers. They were either expressionless, or overtly obsequious. Each was more of a sycophant than the last. The food they cooked… wasn’t bad. It was too good. Shit, it felt like we were eating the Chef’s Special from luxury restaurants every day. Made me feel like throwing up after eating. 

  Ah Ye flipped the table and smashed plates after eating the Chef’s Special for the third time. Good job! Let’s go have some plain soup noodles! 

  What? You want to eat at home? You want me to buy stuff and cook it? Wait, you want me to cook? I’ve never cooked anything other than instant noodles in my entire life! Tell Briar to cook… Summer’s over, so she’s going back to school? 

  Charles-gē, I miss you so much. Briar misses you too, as do Dell, May, and Mr. Bramble who has no one to make him tea. Even though she had said, “Idiot! He might as well go die,” the next morning after she had to clean up the mess she made while she was drunk, Melody says she misses you, too. 

  Ah Ye drowns himself in homework, modeling work, and maintaining security. He’s pushing himself to not even have time to take a break, just so he won’t have time to miss you. 

  But he misses you the most. 

  I opened my eyes. Only darkness accompanied me. 

  Could this be what hell looks like? 

  After pausing for a second, I laughed. This has nothing to do with hell. This is simply a metal cabinet. I have not died yet. 

  I reached toward the controls of the cabinet out of habit and hit the button, right on target. This was not only a metal cabinet but my own metal cabinet. Am I back at the young master’s? 

  I stepped out of the metal cabinet and froze. This was my room… the one I had not returned to in fifty years. 

  Nothing had changed here. It was identical to when I had left it. Three walls out of four were lined with wooden bookshelves, a large desk sat in the middle of the room, an armchair stood next to it, and there was a small coffee table next to that. There was no bed, as vampires have no need for beds. 

  I was not surprised to see that not a thing had changed in fifty years. Sadina was the type to keep my room exactly the way it was… No, she had added a portrait. 

  I should have only hung up a portrait of Father, but now, an extra portrait hung next to it. The black-haired, green-eyed person in the painting had many similarities with Father, and he had a very kind smile. 

  So, it was not the young master’s bias. I really do have a kind smile? 

  Leaving the room, I walked through the hall. The hall seemed to have been refurnished, but the layout was unchanged. I could still find my way to where I wanted to go. I met many people along the way, most of whom were servants. They looked at me confusedly, and I responded to all with smiles. No one tried to ask me who I was. 

  At last, I arrived at my destination, the family head’s study. I knocked on the door. 

  “Come in.” 

  I entered. The person sitting behind the desk was not Sadina. I was puzzled for a second, before recognizing the person as Curtis. He was not wearing his glasses, had not combed his hair back impeccably, and was not even wearing a suit. He wore a loose-fitting shirt instead, and honestly looked very different. 

  But seeing him seated where the family head should sit, I felt reassured. 

  Many other people were around, either standing or sitting. At first, a few of them looked at me. Then, it became the majority, but I did not recognize them. A few of them seemed vaguely familiar, but I could not remember more. 

  However, Curtis did not look up. He had his head lowered, looking at what was on his desk—it seemed to be a document. A few seconds later, he looked up impatiently as he said, “You’re late. You should know what to do, correct? Are you new? Do you not know the rules… Family Head?” 

  He stood up immediately. Those around him froze and then stood up uniformly, all wearing expressions of nervousness and shock. I was shocked too, but I did not let it show. I did not expect Curtis to straightforwardly call me “Family Head” in front of all these people. 

  But then, Curtis did something even more shocking. He walked around to the front of the desk and bowed to me to apologize, “Family Head, my apologies. I did not know it was you. That was impolite of me.” 

  “…” 

  The gaze of our audience could not convey more shock, but Curtis did not seem to want to do anything else. Rather, he seemed to be waiting for an order, so I could only say, “Tell the others to leave.” 

  “Yes.” 

  After receiving the order, Curtis glanced at the people around us, and his aura changed completely. I almost felt like the aloof, untouchable Master was here, not the amenable Curtis. 

  Perhaps Curtis is indeed a better butler than I thought… For a patriarch with such a strong leadership aura, he really was much too courteous to me. 

  He said lightly, “Did you not hear the family head?” 

  Those around us froze, then replied in unison, “Understood,” then proceeded to leave. 

  “You really do not have to be so polite to me,” I told him after everyone else left. “Before, I thought that you had not begun to take care of family affairs. Who would have thought you had taken over already? It was too much to ask you to serve me so humbly.” 

  “That is not the case, as this is expected,” Curtis said politely. “Grandmother had always told me that the family head of the Elysees must also be a good butler. To the master, I am only a butler, and I must not think of myself as the family head…I mean steward.” 

  I smiled. “Please do not say so. You are not a steward, but the family head. Just reserve the word ‘stewardess’ for Sadina.” 

  Curtis paused. 

  “Grandmother…” he hesitated, but continued, “she always said you have a very warm smile, and she always emphasized that I must protect your warm smile.” 

  I shook my head and said, “Sadina is too kind to me.” 

  “I did not believe her at first.” Curtis smiled and said, “A vampire with a warm smile? Even though it appears so on the portrait, it was painted by Grandmother, so I did not trust that painting’s objectivity.” 

  I laughed out loud at that. It is similar to the doubt I held when I first saw the picture the young master drew. 

  “It was not until I met you that I believed that what Grandmother protected did actually exist, ‘the warm smile of a vampire.’ Nevertheless, I still did not believe it was something worth protecting.” 

  I looked at Curtis and smiled to encourage him to continue. Even if what he wanted to say was that he no longer wished to protect me, I still thought it was to be expected. 

  “I do not wish to protect your warm smile.” Curtis looked at me squarely, and said, “However, I never want to see your ‘excruciating smile’ again. That was too painful, so I shall continue in Grandmother’s place to protect you.” 

  In Grandmother’s place? A bad feeling swept through me. I asked confusedly, “Where is Sadina?” 

  Curtis fell silent. The silence stretched on. I did not want to rush him at all, but the uneasy feeling continued to grow more and more… 

  “Grandmother has passed away.” 

  I still brought harm to her! I closed my eyes and murmured, “It is my fault.” 

  “No!” Curtis hurried to explain, “You have misunderstood. Grandmother passed away three months ago. She was in a hurry before, to wipe out the Endelis clan, to send me to serve you, all because she knew she did not have much time left. She was ill, and the doctor told her… it was hard to tell. She could have half a year to three years left.” 

  Three months ago? I opened my eyes and looked at Curtis, completely lost. 

  Curtis began to explain in detail, “Family Head, you were badly wounded by Madam Avexila’s attacks. Following E.X.’s advice, we let you soak in a blood bath for an entire week. He said that if you did not die within the week, we were to put you in a metal cabinet and let your body heal itself. Then, you would wake. We just did not expect the process to last an entire year.” 

  An entire year? 

  “Grandmother was not able to see you wake up after all, but she had no regrets. Rather, she was glad not to have you see her die.” 

  After he finished, Curtis paused before continuing, “Therefore, Family Head, please do not grieve too much. Grandmother died without pain or regrets. She was peaceful.” 

  I could not speak for a while. Finally, I managed to say, “I shall return to my room.” 

  Curtis froze, and then hurried to say, “Then, I shall have someone bring you some blood. You have slept for a year, so you must be hungry…” 

  “No!” I interrupted him fervidly. I tried to calm my emotions as I looked at him and ordered, “No one is to come, including you.” 

  He seemed to be shocked as he replied reflexively, “Yes.” 

  I left Curtis and crossed the hallway swiftly. It was not fast enough until I used x-speed, and I arrived at my room in a flash. I shoved the door open and slid onto the ground. As I looked around at the unchanged room, waves of memories washed over me… The time I spent with Sadina was almost always happy. She was an effervescent girl, and the happiness was contagious even just from watching her… 

  It hurts! 

  I clutched at my heart and could not speak. I could not understand. Why does it hurt so much? Why did the fifty years of separation have no use at all? 

  Sadina, you always spoiled me. This time, why…You knew you were about to die. Why did you not let me go first? 

  You knew how much pain I would go through. You were the only one there with me when Father died, so you know it the best, right? 

  Right? 

  I was sitting in the armchair and staring at Father’s portrait. Father was smiling in the portrait, but his smile was not similar to mine. He was a much more assertive person. Even though he was about seventy in the portrait and his hair was all white, his smile still held much authority. 

  People in the family all respected my honorable father greatly. To them, he was just about the perfect family head. His only fault was having a vampire for a son. 

  For this vampire son, he went as far as to not marry, to not have any other children, so the Elysees bloodline would be tied to his vampire son and protect him. 

  The Elysees bloodline extended only to me. If I die, the Elysees would truly die out. 

  I cannot die, or seek death. 

  “Family Head…” 

  Curtis’s hesitant voice sounded. 

  “I told you not to come.” 

  He still walked to my side and placed a glass pitcher on the coffee table. The liquid in the pitcher was bright red and smelled slightly rusty. 

  “It has been three days, sir. If you do not wish to return to the metal cabinet to sleep, please at least drink some blood! Or else your body cannot take it.” 

  I swept the jug off, and blood spilled everywhere on the floor. I yelled at him heatedly, “Can you not just, just let me die? Why? You are all dying one by one! Why must you force me to live on?” 

  He was silent for a while. Then, he said, “Your young master is still waiting for you. He wants me to tell you that the position for his butler will always be open, regardless of when you regain consciousness.” 

  Young Master… 

  “And then?” I smiled and said, “He wants me to love him as deeply as I did Father and Sadina, then die before my eyes so soon?” 

  Curtis looked like someone had punched him. He said with a deep frown, “Please do not smile like that… Family Head, your young master is still very young.” 

  “He would still not be young enough if he were born just now! Do you know how long I can live? Forever! Do you know what kind of torture that is?” 

  I stood up, grabbed Curtis by the collar, and yelled at him with a vampire’s Hollow Roar, but he did not seem flustered at all, as if he were positive I would not hurt him, as if he had no need to be afraid. He is so sure already? He knows me that well already? 

  I looked at Curtis’s face. He was much older than the young master, but I did not actually know how old he was. Perhaps a little over thirty? Either way, he would die much earlier than the young master, because he was once a vampire’s blood thrall. That would shorten his life. 

  I let him go, turned to put my back to him, and ordered stiffly, “I will drink. Tell the servants to bring some blood and books every day. Do not send the same person each time. Forbid them to talk to me when delivering. As for you, do not visit again.” 

  Curtis did not respond immediately, but I could not see his expression. After a while, he finally spoke, “Family Head, then your young master…” 

  “He is not my young master!” I interrupted him, and said coldly, “I have resigned, so I am no longer affiliated with him. Do not tell him anything! If he contacts you, always say I have not regained consciousness.” 

  “Family Head, you cannot isolate yourself forever!” 

  “I am the family head. If you do not heed my orders, then do not call me that! If that is the case, then I do not need to stay with the Elysees family!” 

  “…Understood.” 

  I faced the window, hearing Curtis sigh and the footsteps of his departure. Outside the window, a few children were playing in the garden of the castle. 

  I closed the curtains and shut everything out. Only darkness could accompany me forever. 

  Knock knock— 

  Perhaps this servant is new? To not know that I never respond to knocking. They can just push open the door and come in. 

  “Family Head.” 

  I was sitting on the armchair and continued to read. I did not even lift my head, even though I could tell it was Curtis’s voice. 

  “Your…no, Mr. Ri Xiang Ye has called you.” 

  I flipped the page and said nonchalantly, “I have already told you how to answer.” 

  “But he called with a video call, and he said that my eyes looked up to the left by 0.03 centimeters, so I was definitely lying. If I did not bring the phone to you, he would come over himself. If you really do not wish to continue to work as his butler, please tell him yourself! No one can force the family head of the Elysees family to work as his butler.” 

  I was silent, but finally took the phone from Curtis. 

  “Charles, come home.” 

  The young master’s voice… Come home… He has said this before, too. He always included me as part of the family in such a matter-of-fact manner. I responded flatly, “I am sorry, but I am no longer your butler. I live in the Elysees castle, and I am the Head of the Elysees Family. I will not go anywhere else.” 

  “Charles, come back and share my eternal torture.” 

  I paused, and said, “Young Master, what are you talking about?” 

  “You’re finally willing to call me that again… Charles, I look a bit younger than my actual age, right?” 

  I was confused. Why mention this? I still answered, “Well, yes, but not by much.” 

  “It will get worse.” He paused, and continued, “Charles, I’ve always wanted to tell you something, but I didn’t know how… I wanted to tell you when you resigned, but you hung up on me.” 

  “What did you want to say?” Just let him finish! It was the last time. I would listen to the young master finish. 

  The young master was silent, but I felt like I could hear him breathing. Finally, he began, “I haven’t grown since I turned eighteen. Bàba said that, that I might stay like this forever. He doesn’t know how long I will live… He, he said I might never die, unless I get killed. I always wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how. I’m different enough from humans as it is, and now I won’t die… What exactly am I?” 

  I gripped the phone, but I did not know how to react. I could not even come up with any comforting words. I should not think this, should not feel this. The young master was tormented, but… 

  Is it a miracle? Even in the most desperate times I have not believed or prayed. Can I possibly still receive a miracle? 

  “Charles, when I heard what you said about your father dying, I was so scared! Really scared!” The young master’s voice choked up. “What if my brother, my Bàba, and everyone else dies? You left Sadina because you didn’t want to be sad, but I don’t want to leave everyone at all! Yet I get so sad just at the thought of them all dying. If they really die, maybe I, I would be better off with suicide….” 

  “Young Master!” I interrupted him. 

  “Mm?” 

  “Young Master, I have listened to what you wanted to tell me, so would you listen to what I have to say?” 

  “…Okay.” 

  I took a few deep breaths before I began, “Young Master, you are a hero who has no need for prayers and miracles. But I am not a hero. I need miracles, so can I pray to you?” 

  “What do you want from me?” He sounded confused. 

  “Young Master, I am a butler. I long to meet what my honorable father once told me. He said that it is every butler’s dream to find a master whom he would like to serve for a lifetime. I have never dared to hope, but I really have found one. I found you… 

  “However, even though I found you, I did not dare to stay and chose to leave again, because it was too painful to keep losing. I did not think I could go through it again… But I am a vampire. I could not possibly find a master whom I can serve forever.” 

  It was something I always thought was impossible, yet just now, a miracle has occurred. 

  I begged with all my heart, “Young Master, I am sorry for deceiving you. I beseech you, please believe me again. Will you sign an Endelis contract with me?” 

  It felt like the young master was silent for a very, very long time, and I was beginning to feel very, very scared. Then, he suddenly said, “Charles, I’ve already prepared an ‘Endelis contract’ for you to sign, stamp, and fingerprint. Maybe I should keep a DNA sample too. Then you definitely can’t worm your way out!” 

  I opened my mouth, but could not speak. It was a while before I could reply relatively calmly, “Yes, Young Master.” 

  “Hurry and come home! Tell Curtis to prepare the fastest plane for you!” 

  “Yes, Young Master. I shall return home at once.” As I finished promising him, I could not help but add, “Thank goodness you have your special ‘observational’ skills to see through Curtis’s lying.” 

  “Huh? What did Curtis lie about?” 

  I stopped, and asked, “When you called to ask for me, did he not say I have not regained consciousness?” 

  “No? He called me to tell me that you woke up, but you wouldn’t come back and be my butler, because I can’t be with you forever.” 

  I looked to the side to ask Curtis, only to realize he had left already. 

  Ring— 

  I nervously pressed the doorbell, but nobody came to answer to door, even after repeated attempts. Just as I was bewildered, the neighboring door opened. A glamorous woman clad only in a thin nightgown came out from behind the door. 

  I greeted her with a smile, “Melody, long time no see…” 

  “Jerk!” Melody interrupted my greetings coldly. 

  “Uh, is anyone home?” 

  “Idiot!” 

  “…Is the young master not at home?” 

  “Heartless!” 

  I had no response and did not know how to converse with Melody. Perhaps she is drunk again? 

  At this point, she walked over angrily. Before I figured out how to react, she slapped me hard and growled, “What did you come back for? To leave again after two years? Did you think the young master would tolerate that? The amount of emotions this little young master invested cannot be rescinded! He can’t accept anyone around him leaving, especially you!” 

  She screamed hysterically, “Do you know how sad he’s been this whole year because of you?! If you’re going to leave in the future, I might as well kill you now!” 

  I smiled and answered, “Unless you kill me, only death can make me quit being the young master’s butler now.” 

  “…The young master went to church.” 

  I walked into the church. There were not many people. Father Yue preached from the pulpit at the front… I could not see anyone else except the person at the very front, with shiny white hair. Even the sunlight that shone through the stained glass windows onto that hair turned to a silvery white moonlight. 

  I walked to his side and called out lightly, “Young Master.” 

  He shifted and then looked up at me. His appearance had not changed at all, except for his longer hair. The longest locks even reached his waist. The young master could actually control the length of his hair, so perhaps he only let it slowly grow longer to have a sense of growing up. 

  “You’re back?” He asked. 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  “Had enough sleep?” 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  “If you sleep for a whole year and don’t come back as soon as you wake up again, I really will leave you!” 

  “Apologies, Young Master. Charles will never dare to do so again.” 

  The young master’s eyes became red, but he turned his face away immediately and did not look back for a long time. He shoved a sheet of paper in front of me and said resolutely, “Sign!” 

  I pulled out a pen with no hesitation and signed my name on the contract. 

  I handed the signed contract back to the young master. He looked down at it and finally smiled. Then, he suddenly paused, and looked up with a worried expression at me to ask, “Charles, I’ve already graduated from university, so I can live anywhere. Do, do you still want a master who has an ancient castle? I have many castles, but they’re all somewhere else. Sunset City doesn’t have any castles…” 

  “Young Master, what are you speaking of?” I said with a smile, “Are we not living in an ancient castle already?” 

  The young master looked at me with an expression of confusion. 

  I explained with a smile, “Are we not living in a large, ancient castle called Sunset? The castle houses all kinds of bizarre scenery, and is home to all kinds of people and non-humans, such as humans, heroes, werewolves, vampires…” 

  The young master laughed, and followed along, “Right! What’s this castle called? The Ancient Sunset Castle? The Ancient Hero Castle? Those all sound bad! How about the Ancient Vampire Castle? That sounds much better!” 

  The Ancient Vampire Castle… This is indeed my castle, and it is better than the castles I had ever dreamed of. There are human friends who can tolerate vampires, and non-humans who can welcome humans. There is even a master who can create miracles. 

  “Charles, Father Yue is glaring at us. Let’s sit down and pray!” 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  I sat down and saw a huge cross as soon as I looked up. I never understood the meaning of this simple symbol before, or what significance it held. Now, I finally understood. 

  Looking at the cross, I prayed silently. 

  Thank you, Father. Thank you, Sadina. Thank you, Curtis… Thank you, all those who have stayed with me, who have forced me to reach this point. Thank you for being more tenacious than I have been and for leading me to a miracle. 

  “Charles, let’s go!” 

  The young master stood up and said, “I need to get to my scheduled event.” 

  I stopped and asked, “Scheduled event?” 

  The young master tilted his head and said, “Ah… I forgot that you don’t know. Charles, you have really missed a lot! It’s okay though. I’ll tell you on the way. Aren’s going to yell at me again if we’re late.” 

  “Yes, Young Master.” 

  I stood up, just in time to see Father Yue smiling at me from the pulpit. I smiled in return and turned to follow the young master out of the church. 

  To be continued…


  No Hero    

  Volume 4, The Lost Files of the Ancient Castle Extra Chapter: The Undisclosed Castle Secrets

  Translator: Raylight (proofread by Arcedemius & Faren; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  [Two Brothers of the Same Mold] 

  “As for others, be it vampires, werewolves, angels, or humans, they are all the same to him. Anyway, they all have to yield to him.” 

  … Perhaps the master is even more dangerous than I had thought. 

  “I didn’t think that the butler has actually fallen from grace before.” Melody seemed unconcerned as she said, “No matter what, I feel like you’re totally the obedient type!” 

  “I know! It’s really hard to imagine!” The young master said in disbelief, “I can’t believe that Charles has actually done anything like smoking drugs, murder, and even rape!” 

  Melody immediately turned to me with wide eyes. I quickly clarified, “Young Master, I have done no such things. I merely indulged in heavy drinking, loitered around bars, and looked for one-night stands.” 

  The young master gave an “eh,” and then asked in puzzlement, “Only those and you count it as falling from grace?” 

  … Perhaps the young master is even more dangerous than I had thought. 

  [Abuse of Authority for Private Interests] 

  “Briar! It’s vacation. You might as well come and stay at my place. This way, you’ll be able to stay with Bramble-shū more!” 

  The young master is certainly thoughtful. The corners of Bramble’s lips are even curling upwards. 

  “Charles! Rent a few more cartoon movies. Briar will definitely like them!” 

  “Understood, Young Master. You are certainly attentive,” I answered with a smile, feeling very pleased. 

  After finishing dinner at night, the young master chided Briar impatiently, “Briar, hurry and go shower. When you’re done, let’s watch a cartoon movie!” 

  “Okay!” 

  Right when Briar walked out of the bathroom, the young master picked up and hugged the girl who had just showered. This made her feel a little embarrassed as she said, “Ah Ye-gē, I can walk by myself!” 

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re not heavy anyways, and you are soft and even smell nice. It’s really comfortable hugging you!” 

  The young master sat on the sofa hugging Briar and watched cartoons for an hour. Afterward, Briar said responsibly, “Ah Ye-gē, I should go and do my summer vacation homework.” 

  “It’s okay, let’s watch a bit more! I want to watch it! As for your homework, I’ll complete it with you in the daytime.” 

  The young master continued to hug Briar and then watched cartoons for another two hours. Only then did he unwillingly say that he was going to bed. 

  The Second Day 

  “Bri, go and shower first, and come and watch cartoons!” 

  The Third Day 

  “Bri, shower, shower! Watch cartoons!” 

  The Fourth Day 

  Bramble gave an ultimatum, “Bri, go home tomorrow morning!” 

  [Putting the Cart before the Horse] 

  Although items in the convenience store were more expensive, the young master liked a particular brand of milk and type of sliced bread that was only sold in convenience stores. Therefore, I could only come here and purchase milk and sliced bread. At the same time, I could also conveniently collect the hero figurines that the store released. 

  “You just need twenty yuan more to draw a hero figurine! You’re not going to buy a bit more?” 

  I smiled as I said, “There is no need to do so. I have already finished collecting all of the fourth series.” 

  The cashier exclaimed in surprise, “Really? Even the secret edition that is super difficult to get?” 

  “… Secret edition?” 

  “That’s right. In the fourth series, there is a secret edition of Dark Sun—Dark Sun with wings!” The cashier smiled as he said, “But it’s okay if you’re not going to add any more items! I heard that the chance of getting the secret edition is one out of fifty! It’s super hard to get! I’ll ring up your purchase now…” 

  “Please hold on for a moment!” 

  Breakfast: Milk Tea, Egg Salad on Toast, Fried Bread Sides, Egg Sandwich. 

  Lunch: Papaya Milk, Club Sandwich, Bread Salad. 

  Dinner: Milk Sago Pudding, Cheese and Peanut Toast, Grilled Chicken Toast, Butter Toast. 

  Dell shrugged and didn’t seem to mind as he said, “Is today Bread Day?” 

  The Second Day 

  Breakfast: Apple Milk, Turkey Sandwich, Grilled Toast. 

  Lunch: Coffee Milk, Harwana Coffee’s Brick Toast, Barbecued Sliced Pork Sandwich. 

  Dinner: Honey Milk Tea, Hazelnut Coffee Walnut Toast, Pudding on Toast. 

  May frowned and asked, “Bread again? And dairy products?” 

  The Third Day, the Fourth Day, the Fifth Day… 

  Breakfast: Milk Tea, Grilled Toast with Pork Floss… 

  Lunch: Strawberry Milk, OO Toast, XX Bread… 

  Dinner: Banana Milk, && Toast, OO Sandwich… 

  Bramble, May, Dell: “…”


  No Hero    

  Volume 4, Character Introductions

  Translator: lucathia (proofread by Elisa & Arcedemius) 

  Xie Wei: Sunset City’s new captain of the police squad. He seems to have the support of an unknown force. 

  Father Yue: Yue ?Gang’s father. Also the priest of the only church in Sunset City. 

  Krell: Avexila’s childe, a sixth generation vampire. 

  Afterword 

  [Readers who haven’t read the story yet, don’t peek at the afterword beforehand! I beg you, please! Those who haven’t finished reading yet, quickly cover up the afterword, and then finish reading the story before coming to read the afterword~~] 

  This is not the final volume; this is not the final volume; this is really not the final volume! 

  I find that I seem to be reiterating this statement a lot. Although this really does feel like the final volume, it really isn’t, thanks. 

  During the planning stage, I was already worried about this. The ending to this volume really does feel like it could be the conclusion… As such, I had considered whether or not I should write this volume so I could delay it and place it as the conclusion, or whether I should just continue and write it all out? 

  In the end, I continued and wrote it all. The reason was very simple. I really wanted to write it. 

  As for how I will write the conclusion in the future… In any case, when the boat gets to the pier-head, it will naturally straighten with the current. The next ending will always be better, so it doesn’t matter. 

  People should be optimistic! (Vampires too!) 

  The future will always have a young master waiting for you! 

  This volume broke my record of having my word count explode on me. The explosion totaled to 13,000 words. It was such an explosion that the pieces of my soul have been scattered. I’m just so overwhelmed. 

  Exploding word counts will always happen when the deadline looms before o?ne’s eyes! 

  But since it has already exploded, I can only let it explode to death. 

  Sorry, my speech is a little incoherent. I’m truly a little high because I really quite like this volume. Not only have I finished writing the main idea I had planned, while I was writing, there were even more plot points that resulted that I really liked. Even with the record breaking exploding word count, I’ve accepted it. 

  It’s also true that as I was writing and saw that the word count had already ballooned past my limit, yet I still couldn’t turn in the manuscript and finish writing, I was inwardly despairing. 

  But no matter what, stories will always be finished. 

  I hope that everyone likes this volume as much as I do. 

  Also, for those readers who mistakenly believed that Charles had actually died, and therefore bawled for three days before reading the last chapter, please do not come and beat me up. It’s possible that the point of view protagonist might die, but that book would definitely not be written by me. 

  I have pretty much finished detailing Charles’s past. If I want to write about it in even more detail, I might do it in a different book. That book would be called EX. or I am EX. The Chinese translation of the book title is “Example” or “I am Example”… Please don’t believe what I have just said. It’s possible that there might be a book called Example or I am Example, but that book would definitely not be written by me. 

  EX. refers to the character E.X. As for when this book will appear—In any case, before Yu Wo turns thirty, she will definitely finish filling in the holes she has previously dug! 

  (However, Yu Wo is forever only eighteen.) 

  The Undisclosed Castle Secrets at the very end will be different depending on how often and how much the author’s brain snaps. Whether or not it will happen again and how many there will be will all be different. 

  Finally, according to No Hero’s unwritten custom, I always have to announce the subtitle of the next volume to whet everyone’s appetite. Otherwise, you would all roll around on the floor and declare, as if your life depended on it, “This isn’t Yu Wo; this isn’t Yu Wo.” 

  No Hero Volume 5: Fallen Angel 

  Our young master has graduated. Following that, what will he do? The options: 

  1. Master: You can consider being captivated by wine and women and be a prodigal son. Help me spend the money I have that I can’t even count? 

  2. Charles: Whatever you wish, as long as it will not be fatally dangerous. It is not an easy feat finding the ideal master. Young Master, please do not ever die on me. 

  3. Aren: I want you to throw away all the plush toys in your room and switch to putting up posters of big-breasted beauties in swimsuits to cure your pedophilia! 

  4. Briar: Wait until I grow up, and then we’ll marry. You’re not allowed to have an affair in the meantime. 

  5. Ji Luo Chu: Don’t become any more famous. You’re making me so busy that I barely have enough time to be First Wind. 

  6. Melody: Young Master, being a model is fine, but don’t step into other entertainment industries. The entertainment industry is very dark… Don’t cause people in the entertainment industry who don’t have any brains get killed by the master just because they bullied you a bit. 

  n. Do all of the above backwards. 

  Young master: So hard to choose. Everyone’s really important! Okay, I’ll choose n then. 

  By Yu Wo 

  Character Introductions 

  Briar 

  Relationship with the Young Master: Future wife. 

  (What the Wife Wants to Say: Ah Ye-gē, I can’t marry you until I’m older, but other people say that you’re a pedophile. Then, should I grow up or not?) 

  Dell 

  Relationship with the Young Master: Playmate. 

  (What the Playmate Wants to Say: Young Master, I’m willing to play everything with you, but please don’t ask me to play with your teddy bears with you.) 

  May 

  Relationship with the Young Master: Making fun of Dell together. 

  (What He Wants to Make Fun of: Don’t worry, the young master only has Winnie the Pooh.) 

  Can I use tears 

  to exchange for your smile? 

  My Tears, Your Diamond 

  X-diamond 

  Even a boy, once he uses this lipstick 

  can become as beautiful as a budding flower. 

  All new lipstick—Budding Flower series. 

  Limited, 10 colors in stores now. 

  X-Make up 

  Final Angel of the World 

  I am sorry… 

  Shoot you… I would rather fall.

  No Hero    

  Volume 5, Prologue

  Translator: Ever (proofread by Lala Su & Arcedemius; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  I pulled the curtains of the French windows open. As the sunlight spilled in, I noticed that the curtains seem to have been changed. Where they had originally been silver-white, now they were purple. Could Melody have bought these curtains? 

  I had returned here just last night. Though the number of people living here had not changed, there were some slight changes in everyone. Mr. Bramble seemed to have more white hair; May had changed his hairstyle; Dell pierced three holes in his left ear and even wore earrings that glowed and changed colors, claiming it to be the latest fashion. 

  The changes in everyone reminded me that a whole year had truly passed, and that the young master’s lifestyle seemed to have changed drastically during that time. 

  I must admit that this really made me feel worried and uneasy. A fitting butler should always know his master’s schedule and lifestyle in order to serve him well, but I had been gone for a whole year. I could not help but worry about not being attentive enough in my service. 

  “Charles.” 

  “Yes! Young Master.” 

  On hearing the young master’s call, I turned around hastily. The young master stood in front of me, wearing a sports outfit. He looked like he was about to go exercising. I felt slightly relieved since it seemed that the young master’s usual routine of going exercising in the morning had not changed, although the sports outfit he wore was a different one, and even its style was different. The young master used to wear plainer exercising outfits, but the one he wore now was obviously a designer outfit, and it even had X-Killer’s logo on it. 

  The young master held a hair ribbon in his left hand and a comb in his right. He extended both hands to me and said, “Charles, tie my hair up for me.” 

  “As you wish.” I hurriedly took the hair accessory and comb from his hands and walked behind him to do his hair. 

  In the past, the young master had never tied his hair up. However, he only had shoulder-length hair at that time, while his hair was now long enough to reach his waist, so it would be inconvenient for him to move around with loose hair. I considered my options and braided the young master’s hair into a sturdy braid. This way, it would be easier for him to move around and he would not be troubled by floating strands of hair. 

  I looked at the braid after making a bow with the ribbon, and then suddenly realized that a braid and bow did not suit the young master… Actually, it was not that they did not suit him. It was just that they made him appear even more like a girl. 

  Just then, the young master took out a pair of huge purple sunglasses and put them on. The sunglasses covered up half of his face, and the design seemed to be a more feminine design, making the young master look just like an athletic girl. Could it be that Melody also bought these feminine sunglasses? 

  I hurriedly said, “Young Master, this hairstyle seems a bit too feminine. Would you allow me try another kind of hairstyle for you?” 

  Yet the young master reached out his hand and touched the braid, and then said in satisfaction, “It’s okay. Tying it into a braid is convenient. There’s no need to retie it, and it’s also nice to be mistaken for a girl! That way, people won’t recognize me as easily.” 

  Recognize? I was a bit puzzled, but things were fine as long as the young master was satisfied with his hairstyle. 

  “Excuse me, Young Master, is there any kind of breakfast that you would particularly like to eat today?” 

  The young master immediately said, “The same as always is fine. I really miss the breakfasts that you make! Aren only makes fried rice every morning for everyone’s breakfast. He says that since I have a large appetite and that the others are also eating, making fried rice is the most convenient option. All he has to do is put a bunch of rice, meat, and vegetables in a pan and stir-fry them… Oh! Right.” 

  After he gave a yelp, the young master said with a pained face, “Charles, I don’t want to eat fried rice!” 

  “Yes, there definitely will be no fried rice,” I replied with a smile. 

  The young master was very satisfied and went exercising. He looked like he was looking forward to eating breakfast. 

  Therefore, as soon as he left, I immediately went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Today, I will make the six kinds of breakfast that the young master likes the most. 

  As I was busy washing the vegetables, stir-frying the meat, and making soup, a “Huh?” sound came from the doorway. 

  Turning my head, I saw a tall, young man standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a blank look on his face. 

  I smiled and said, “Good morning, Aren.” 

  This tall, young man was Aren. He still lived in the apartment next door. The young master had said last night that during the past year, it was Aren who cooked their meals and made everyone clean the house, which was why the apartment had not gotten so dirty that no one could live in it. 

  Last night, when I saw Aren for the first time, I could not recognize him at all. I think he has grown at least twenty centimeters and is about a hundred and ninety centimeters tall now. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, his head almost hit the doorframe. 

  Growing twenty centimeters in a year, according to Mr. An Te Qi, was because the drug that suppresses the craziness of a werewolf has the side effect of changing one’s body. I heard that aside from the height change, there were also other side effects such as having great strength even without transforming… This made me deeply suspect whether this was truly a “side effect” and not the “main effect.” 

  Perhaps Mr. An Te Qi still secretly used experimental drugs on Aren? 

  Aren had gone blank for a moment and only now returned to his senses, saying, “Oh, it’s Charles-gē. I almost forgot that you’re back.” 

  “Thank you for your hard work substituting for me this year.” 

  He scratched his head and said, “It wasn’t much. Since I live here but don’t pay rent, I feel like I have to do something in return. And I only know how to make fried rice, noodle soup, and hot pot. Even I can’t bear to eat them any longer. Though I’ve thought of making other things, they all turned out really bad… but the meals that Dell and May make taste even worse! Melody-jiě can’t even distinguish dish soap from canola oil! It’s so great that you’re back, Charles-dàgē!” 

  I smiled. I could tell that Aren was truly happy to have me back. This eased up a lot of my worried and uneasy feelings from before. With a light heart, I washed the vegetables as I spoke to him, saying, “Wait just a bit more and breakfast will be ready.” 

  Aren asked, “Do you need help? Nah, I think I’ll only make things busier for you. A lot of ingredients look unfamiliar to me… Is that jar of red stuff chili?” 

  I shook my head and said, “No, that’s saffron.” 

  “Saffron?” Aren said with a confused expression, “I’ll be out there watching TV.” 

  “All right.” 

  I walked out to the living room to set the table and saw that Dell was lying on the sofa like he always did; May was doing yoga, and this time, he had both feet up around his neck, which looked like an even more uncomfortable position than the ones he did before; Mr. Bramble was buried in his newspaper like always, only lifting his head up to spare me a look when I approached the dining table; Aren was seated beside the dining table, randomly pressing the remote, changing between the various TV programs. 

  Right when I set down the first plate onto the table, both Dell and May turned at the same time to look at me, and then both of them froze together. 

  I hurriedly asked, “Is something wrong?” 

  “Ah!” Dell suddenly jumped up from the sofa, screaming, “I almost forgot! The butler’s back! We finally don’t have to eat fried rice today!” 

  Even though I can understand Dell’s excitement, with Aren sitting right there, is it not rather rude to say that? 

  Aren turned his head and glared at Dell, saying coldly, “Having something to eat is already good enough, yet you dare to complain?” 

  But Dell cried out arrogantly, “I’m not afraid of you anymore! You always threatened me before with: if you don’t want to eat, then don’t! But now the butler’s cooking! I’m not afraid of you!” 

  Aren scoffed but did not pay any more attention to Dell. His eyes had gone back to the TV again. 

  “Young Master, Young Master come back quickly!” Dell cried out loudly, “I want breakfast, breakfast made by the butler! Hey butler, you did make some more today, didn’t you? I wanna eat double… no, triple the usual amount!” 

  “You can eat as much as you want. If there is not enough, I can always go back to the kitchen to make some more,” I told Dell with a smile. Then, I turned my head around to ask May, “Will you be eating the usual boiled vegetables, fruit, and poached egg today?” 

  May immediately shook his head and said, “I’ll have the same breakfast as everyone else.” 

  I was a bit surprised but still nodded and said, “Of course.” 

  With a “Ha,” Dell said, “After eating a whole year of fried rice, even someone like May who eats grass for food can’t stand it anymore!” 

  “Who eats grass?” May said in a cross tone, “It’s healthy eating!” 

  Dell looked like he still wanted to argue, but just then, an “I’m back” came from the doorway. This made everyone blank out for a moment before looking toward the front door, and in came the young master… The young master is actually back already? 

  Whenever the young master returns, I should always greet him at the doorway. Could it be that I miscalculated the time? I hurriedly set down the bowls and chopsticks and walked hastily toward the doorway. As I gave the young master the towel that was draped over my arm, I apologized to him, saying, “Young Master, I am very sorry that Charles did not greet you at the doorway.” 

  “Charles, don’t feel nervous! It’s because I came back early,” the young master said in a small tone as if feeling guilty, “because I was in a hurry to eat breakfast… Charles, what did you make?” 

  I immediately replied, “Beef flavored pepper pastry, boiled udon, sandwiches, fried chicken nuggets, barbecued pork buns, and fried salmon rice balls. There are also fries and mashed potatoes as side dishes, and the dessert is banana-chocolate mini tarts.” 

  The usual breakfasts actually did not have side dishes and desserts to go with them. However, since it was the first meal that I had made after being separated for a year, I could not refrain myself from making some more of the foods that the young master likes. 

  The young master said “Oh, oh” and both of his eyes shone with delight. The others were the same. Even Mr. Bramble put down the newspaper in his hands, and Dell even made a gesture as if he were about to faint. Everyone looked like they had not had breakfast in a year. 

  The young master could not help himself from saying, “Let’s eat first! I’ll shower later.” 

  “Yes.” 

  Due to the young master’s early return and his decision to eat before taking a shower, the preparation time was reduced, and I was a bit rushed when it came to serving the dishes. But it was fortunate that the kinds of foods served today were very diverse, so I could take some pre-made dishes and serve them as appetizers at the last minute. This way, I would have enough time to prepare the foods that needed to be cooked. 

  Unexpectedly, even though I had made a lot more food than the usual amount, there still was not enough for everyone, so I had to re-enter the kitchen many times. It was only until very few ingredients were left in the refrigerator, and I had started to worry about not being able to serve any more dishes, that everyone put their hands on their stomachs and said that they were full. 

  The young master had eaten ten servings; Dell had eaten three servings; Mr. Bramble and May had both eaten two servings; but Aren had eaten twelve servings all alone! 

  Perhaps I should buy another refrigerator. The refrigerator right now might not even be able to hold a day’s worth of ingredients, and I needed to prepare extra ingredients in case the young master wanted to eat after a lot of exercising. 

  Even though they were holding their stomachs and saying that they were full, when I presented the banana-chocolate mini tarts and various kinds of drinks, they still fought over the food as if their lives were on the line, like they would not get any of it if they were one step slower. However, I had made eighty mini tarts, so everyone should be able to get more than ten with no need to fight over them… Uh! If everyone continued to eliminate one mini tart every three seconds, then maybe they would have to fight for them. 

  Should I use the rest of the ingredients to make one or two more dishes? 

  I was a bit hesitant about the idea, seeing that they were all full but still continued to fight over the food… Just then, a ringing sound came from the pocket in front of my chest. After picking up the call, Melody’s voice came in, “Hey butler, remember this, the young master’s only appointment today is to record at the studio at one in the afternoon, and that’s it. You accompany the young master to work! I’m going to sleep.” 

  Record at the studio? 

  “Please wait for a bit…” Though I wanted to ask questions, there was only a beeping sound left over the phone, so I had to put the phone away reluctantly and report back to the young master without leaving anything out. 

  The young master stopped fighting for the mini tarts and exclaimed, “We’re going recording today?” 

  I asked confusedly, “But Young Master, are you not a model? Why do you have to go recording?” 

  The young master answered happily, “Oh! Because an advertisement needed background music, First Wind-gē asked me if I wanted to sing the song myself. I said that I wanted to sing the song ‘Vampire’! And so Melody bought the rights to the song for me.” 

  After he finished, he “Ahhed” and then hurriedly said, “Oh yeah, Charles, you don’t know this yet, right? Melody is my manager right now.” 

  Melody as the young master’s manager? I said in concern, “Young Master, letting a vampire make contacts for your work might be bad for your reputation. Even though most people cannot recognize vampires, there are still a lot of people who have the ability to do so.” 

  Dell said loudly, “Make what contacts? Isn’t Melody in charge of turning down work?” 

  Turning down work? I was a little confused. A manager’s job should be acquiring job requests and not turning them down, right? 

  “Charles, can you go to the recording with me?” The young master said hesitantly, “I know that morning is your resting time, but this is my first time going recording…” 

  “No problem,” I answered immediately and then said in a playful tone, “Young Master, I have slept for a whole year! It would be difficult for me to fall asleep for several more days.” 

  The young master laughed aloud. 

  I suggested, “Young Master, there is still some time left before one P.M. Would you like to practice in front of us first?” 

  On hearing that, the young master immediately turned a bit nervous. 

  “Sing, sing!” 

  Dell was ranting loudly and even whistled from time to time, making May tell him to “stop being so noisy,” but it was exactly that silly behavior of his that made the young master relax. 

  I hurriedly poured a cup of warm water and said, “Young Master, drink some water to soothe your throat first.” 

  The young master took the cup and had two or three sips. When he handed the cup back to me, he realized that everyone was staring at him, which made him feel nervous again. 

  “Young Master,” I called out. When the young master turned to look at me, I smiled and said, “This reminds me of the first time the young master went to karaoke. Young Master sang Vampire about ten times that night, correct? You really like this song!” 

  “Yup,” he said and nodded his head eagerly. 

  “May Charles discourteously ask the young master to sing for me again?” 

  The young master looked at me, and I also looked back at him with a smile. The smile seemed to put him at ease because he could then even smile and say, “Sure! Then I’ll start singing?” 

  I smiled and nodded my head. 

  The young master took a deep breath and opened his mouth, singing out in a clear voice: 

  The ancient clock chimes twelve times 

  A shabby coffin lid opens 

  The charming sunlight of day 

  has been slain by the black shroud 

  Don’t scream 

  There’s nothing 

  Night is only the haunt of darkness gone mad 

  Don’t look 

  Just sleep tight 

  No blood-sucking monsters wander in daylight 

  Vampires stalk the streets; Strangers don’t come near; Fresh blood is my favorite drink 

  Don’t cry Hallelujah; God’s on vacation; Maria is also asleep 

  I coolly fling my cape aside; Bare my fangs at you; Don’t struggle, I’ll be gentle 

  When you meet vampires, hurry and scream 

  God Bless You!

  No Hero    

  Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter One: Reach Out Your Hand; Sharp Metal Claws

  Translator: XianBang (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  “Gē, guess what…” 

  Wait, Luo Lun. I have to finish going over the model info first. If we still can’t find a satisfactory model, our ads will be ruined. 

  “That’s what I was just gonna say! I’m telling you, a super beautiful customer came to our store today. Even Olga praised the customer’s refinement!” 

  Oh? Even Olga? Is it a girl? 

  “No, it’s a guy.” 

  A pretty guy? Ha! Look at all these male models I have here. Which one isn’t pretty? 

  “Hey! They can hardly compare to Ah Ye! Anyways, if you see him, you’ll understand. You’d better come!” 

  Don’t scream, there’s nothing 

  Night is only the haunt of darkness gone mad 

  “OK, perfect! That’s perfect, let’s take a rest before we start to record the next part.” 

  My anxiety finally settled a little when the sound engineer uttered this phrase. The sound engineer was really strict. We recorded from one to six, and only then did we finally finish recording a single part of the song. 

  Although I had initially thought that the sound engineer was intentionally making things difficult for the young master, I saw the ecstatic expression he had on right now, and he seemed genuinely happy. 

  After the young master exited the studio, the sound engineer patted his shoulder and said, “Drink some water and take a break.” He then turned to talk to the other staff members. 

  The sound engineer was intently discussing with the others, and was even loudly arguing about the details of the song production. This made me feel sincerely apologetic. He had truly only cared about chasing perfection, not about making things difficult for the young master. 

  I picked up the kettle and poured a cup of warm milk. Handing it to the young master, I said, “Young Master, you have worked hard.” 

  After drinking three cups of milk nonstop, the young master released a long, satisfied breath. He turned around to look at the clock on the wall and said, “Charles, I planned to eat dinner with Poseidin at seven today, but it looks like I won’t be able to be there on time. Go to N/H and tell him that I’ll be late.” 

  “Understood.” I nodded in reply and asked, “Young Master, shall I first prepare some nourishment for you for now?” 

  “It’s okay, I’ll eat when I get there.” While rubbing his stomach, the young master said, “I ate a lot for breakfast and lunch today!” 

  I smiled and said, “Indeed.” 

  “Ah Ye, let’s record the last part!” The sound engineer waved his hand, so excited that his eyes were shining. 

  The young master waved to me, signaling that I could leave. I bowed and watched the young master walk into the studio before I turned and left. 

  Walking down to the street from the studio building, I could only describe the crowd as a violent wave. The studio was located at the most prosperous western district of Sunset City. It was rush hour, so the crowds were not surprising. What was surprising was that besides the humans walking on the street, non-humans were also walking about without disguises, revealing their true faces. 

  The sky occasionally flashed with multi-colored lights, belonging to nature’s “nymphs.” They were like miniature women, some with wings and some with tails. What was similar was that they all glowed, despite their different types due to their different residences. 

  Nymphs living by the sea are known as sea nymphs; ones living in the forest are known as tree nymphs; but ones living in the city… This made me hesitate. Could they be city nymphs? 

  A few “wolfmen” leaned against a wall. Wolfmen were also a type of mythical creature, with the appearance of a wolf but without the ability to change into a human like a werewolf. They were an intermediary race between humans and werewolves. 

  But compared to werewolves, whose bloodthirstiness was unavoidable, wolfmen were rather harmless. As long as they were not provoked, they would not provoke any others. In reality, all they ever did was use their hind legs to prop themselves up against a wall and doze. If one did not look closely, they were hardly any different from the stray dogs on the streets. 

  I even saw a “nightwalker” holding a horn while walking past me. 

  Nightwalkers usually lived by the sea. They were a type of creature that could predict storms; every time a storm approached, they would sound a horn to warn the fishermen. 

  But nowadays, nightwalkers were almost extinct, since fishermen today could just turn on the television to watch the weather forecast. They did not need nightwalkers at all, and many types of mythical creatures would gradually become extinct when not needed. 

  Humans appeared unaccustomed to non-humans walking openly on the roads, but they were not afraid. Rather, they were like people in a zoo coming across ferocious animals—their eyes widening in curiosity and surprise. Although most people only dared to steal glances out of the corner of their eyes, on occasion, some people openly, even provokingly, stared at them. 

  In just this past year, the existence of non-humans had become far more widely known. 

  On the way to the studio, the young master had explained to me that after the conflict between non-humans and the Church at the plaza, non-humans were no longer a secret. After this year, it was clear that the situation was even more public, especially since Sunset City was one of the few base cities for non-humans. 

  A year ago, my feelings were less clear in regards to the human race knowing the existence of non-humans. It was probably because the majority of non-humans would not appear in the daylight, and chose only to come out at night. But nowadays… 

  It was dusk, the setting sun shining from the west. The sky was still bright, with crowds coming and going. There were many non-humans in their midst. Although they would still attract human attention, they were just stolen glances from a distance. The screaming, panicked, and fleeing humans of the past were all gone without a trace. 

  Perhaps one day, there will truly be no difference between humans and non-humans. 

  I waved down a taxi. When I entered the car, I realized that the driver was a nightwalker. He took a glance at me and said, “I have no blood for you to drink. I don’t take cards, credit, or human blood either.” 

  “…” 

  I took out a one thousand yuan bill. “Head for N/H.” 

  The nightwalker took the cash and then turned on the engine. 

  He drove the car smoothly down the road the entire way, without racing in the streets or driving on the sidewalk. Even when the car was stopping, the seatbelt did not suddenly dig into my chest. This made me involuntarily ask for his business card, in the hopes of often riding such a safe and trustworthy vehicle in the future. 

  People living in cities definitely need taxis. Perhaps this is why nightwalkers chose this job; they need “to be needed” to live. 

  Looking downwards at the driver’s business card, I saw the name “Nitewalker” on it. I smiled. 

  At this moment, the driver turned around and asked, “What’s your name?” 

  “Charles Endelis.” 

  Nitewalker nodded and said, “I’ll remember it. Do you need me to pick you up later? 

  “Oh, I will be fine,” I smiled. “If I have need of you, I will call you.” 

  He simply nodded without speaking. But this was not surprising. Quietness and loneliness were characteristics of nightwalkers. 

  Getting out of the car, I looked up. N/H’s sign was still a nondescript wooden one. The surroundings were very dim. This was a desolate street, not suitable for stores. 

  Swiping the card and entering, I walked through the long, dim staircase and climbed up to the lobby. In the dark lobby, only the bar was illuminated. The most important thing was that there were still only non-humans here. No humans were present. 

  N/H was still N/H. 

  I sighed in relief. Although I did not fear change, I did not want it to be too fast and abrupt, especially since I had just woken up. 

  This also reminded me that I should email X to ask how he was doing. He would have even more difficulty adapting to this fast-changing world than I would. 

  X always asked angrily: Couldn’t this world just remain the same? 

  “Long time no see, Charles Endelis.” 

  This voice belongs to Poseidin… or perhaps “Poseidynne”? 

  He… She was wearing a white dress with an aqua color spreading from the bottom up, identical-colored sandals, and light makeup on her face. Her aqua hair was tied and brushed meticulously. 

  One year ago he was androgynous, but now she looked completely like a girl. A very elegant, beautiful girl in her twenties. 

  Is Poseidynne’s change related to the young master? Although I questioned it, I felt that I already knew the answer. 

  Poseidynne had always liked the young master, and the young master was even having dinner with her. Most importantly, the young master was a man, so of course his partner would be a woman. Perhaps that is the reason why Poseidynne became feminine? 

  “Where’s Ah Ye?” Poseidynne asked. 

  I immediately explained, “The young master is still at the recording studio. He asked me to come over to tell you that he will be late.” 

  Poseidynne thought for a little and nodded. “Oh, right. Last time he mentioned that he was going to sing a song for a commercial. I haven’t heard him sing yet. Can Ah Ye sing well? You’ve heard him before, right?” 

  I nodded. “The young master has a clear voice, but he still needs practice.” 

  “Talented but still inexperienced. Your young master has always been like that.” Poseidynne smiled. Her smile was gentler than it had been one year ago. She asked softly, “Want some fresh blood?” 

  “Yes, thank you.” 

  Poseidynne smiled and started preparing the drink. 

  After seeing the non-humans mixed in the crowds of humans and Poseidynne’s current change, I could not help but say, “It has only been one year, yet humans have already accepted the existence of non-humans. What a huge difference.” 

  Poseidynne handed me a goblet full of red liquid and answered, “It’s not that huge. It just changed from a few confirming the existence of non-human to the majority of people confirming it.” 

  “Confirm?” The word was used strangely. 

  “With so many stories about werewolves, mermaids, and vampires around, do you think humans really don’t believe that non-humans exist?” Poseidynne mischievously said, “They can’t even say ‘there are no aliens in the universe’ with certainty, let alone us non-humans who reside on the same Earth as the humans!” 

  “You are right.” I was suddenly relieved. Actually, one year ago many people, including Mr. Bramble, May, Dell, and even Father Yue from the church, had already accepted me, a vampire. Right now, it was just that some more people knew of our existence, so the change was not that big. 

  The phone in my chest pocket started ringing. Perhaps a call from the young master? I immediately picked up the call, but the moment the line connected, I heard some yelling and screaming. “Charles, have you really woken up?” 

  I paused for a second and realized that it was Yue Gang’s voice. I quickly answered, “Yes.” 

  “Which hospital are you in? Or are you back in Sunset City?” 

  “Hospital?” I was a bit confused. 

  “Yeah! Is your ‘light allergy’ cured? Your little bro worried about you so much this past year. He kept on saying, ‘What if the treatment failed?’ and frequently prayed in the church. Even my dad felt pity for him!” 

  Could it be that Yue Gang still thinks I am allergic to light? And he also thinks that I went for therapy this past year? I remember being exposed under the sun in front of him many times. Right now the public already knows about the existence of vampires as well, but Yue Gang still thinks I am a human? 

  Is it because I really resemble a human too much? Or he is just too slow? 

  “Hello? Why aren’t you speaking? Is your illness cured?” 

  I could only answer, “It has been cured.” 

  “Are you back in Sunset City?” 

  “Yes, I am back.” 

  “Great, I’ll visit you in a few days. Can’t chat right now! I need to go do my work. Xie Wei is glaring at me!” 

  Xie Wei? I wanted to ask, but there was only beeping left over the phone. The speed at which Yue Gang had hung up the phone was as swift as it had been a year ago. 

  It seemed like I could only ask the young master about the circumstances later when he came; otherwise, I might fail to cover the lies successfully. 

  “Ah Ye probably won’t make it to dinner. It’ll have to be a midnight snack.” 

  I paused and turned to look at Poseidynne. She was staring at the television suspended from the ceiling. Her expression displayed her unhappiness. 

  The television was showing a news piece about a mental patient who had escaped from a psychiatric hospital in the suburbs and was suspected to have fled toward Sunset City. Both the police and the heroes were currently in pursuit, and it was advised not to go to a certain street in the western district. 

  I felt a bit doubtful, muttering, “A convict from a psychiatric hospital? The heroes should not need to act for this kind of criminal, right?” 

  Poseidynne disapprovingly said, “It is publicly being referred to as a psychiatric hospital, but the escape was probably from P29. P29 isn’t far from Sunset City, so it certainly is in the suburbs.” 

  “P29? What is that?” I asked in confusion. 

  “You don’t know about P29?” Poseidynne replied in surprise. 

  I honestly admitted, “I have only heard that Area 51 is the place where the government studies aliens, but I have never heard of P29.” 

  Poseidynne laughed, explaining, “Although humans didn’t acknowledge the existence of non-humans, it was inevitable that they would capture some not-quite human creatures, or some ‘humans’ with unique abilities. These people were criminals that couldn’t be contained by normal prisons, so the National Psychiatric Hospital #29 prison was specially built to contain these abnormal convicts.” 

  At this point, she looked at me and said, “The majority of non-humans know about P29, since it’s the only prison that has non-humans locked inside. But very few know about Area 51, since non-humans certainly don’t often go to the theaters to watch alien movies.” 

  I do not either. To be honest, I prefer superhero films. 

  “At least, in the past non-humans didn’t go to the movies often,” Poseidynne added. 

  But in the future, perhaps more non-humans will hear of Area 51, right? However, the most important thing for now is not Area 51, but P29. 

  My attention returned to the news, and I said, “The incident is occurring in the western district. That is First Wind’s area. Dark Sun is unlikely to go there.” 

  Poseidynne unhappily said, “First Wind is crazily busy lately, so he pretty much has no time to save people. Most likely, either Dragon Peace or Dark Sun will go to assist.” 

  I looked around at the surroundings. Thankfully, there were no non-humans sitting close to the bar counter; most sat in the corners. But I still lowered my voice to ask, “Ji Luo Chu has been busy?” 

  “He’s crazily busy!” Poseidynne lowered her voice too, but strongly stressed, “Haven’t you heard how famous Ah Ye has become?” 

  I stared blankly, immediately saying, “I really did not know. Could you please give me some more news about the young master?” 

  “Ever since you… couldn’t wake up from your serious injuries,” Poseidynne shrugged, saying, “Ah Ye has been working with all his might. Melody also became Ah Ye’s manager at that time, responsible for accepting Ah Ye’s job offers. Initially, it was passively modeling for pictures, but later they created lots of moving TV ads, walked fashion shows, represented many brands, and even attended charity events… No matter what job it was, Ah Ye accepted them all, so he became increasingly famous. Recently, he was even voted as Sunset City’s top spokesperson, even defeating Dark Sun!” 

  Poseidynne spoke the last part with a big smile. 

  “The young master could not be as famous as certain famous singers, right?” I was worried that I had missed too many things. Perhaps it would make my services inadequate. 

  Poseidynne shrugged, saying, “He’s famous enough in Sunset City, but he should be fine in other places, I think. Although Ah Ye accepts plenty of job offers, he never accepts ones that require him to leave Sunset City.” 

  I nodded, saying, “The young master cannot leave Sunset City, because he is…” Dark Sun. 

  Poseidynne shook her head. “No, DSII often acts as his replacement, especially for activities like campaigns. DSII practically takes Ah Ye’s place for participating in all events. Ah Ye only personally shoots pictures and commercials. Otherwise, how could he possibly go to school and work at the same time, and still have time to be a hero?” 

  Speaking up to this point, she suddenly paused, staring at me, and said, “Ah Ye didn’t leave Sunset City because he was afraid that when you woke up, you wouldn’t be able to find him.” 

  Hearing that, I paused. Only after a long time could I say, “I am sorry.” 

  “A man who gives up on life so easily should apologize.” Poseidynne nodded, then looked up at the news, and went “Ah.” She lightly complained, “Ah Ye really did head over to assist. Couldn’t he just slack off for once?” 

  Poseidynne complained while using a remote to drop down a massive screen. Then, she split the screen into nine squares, with every square tuned to a different channel, all covering the same news incident, just from different angles. 

  I looked up too, focusing on the news. On it flashed a silver light—Dark Sun riding his motorcycle toward the scene. 

  The police cars were circled around in a blockade. However, because all the reporting cameras were focused on Dark Sun, there was no way to know who was surrounded by the police cars. 

  Dark Sun got off the vehicle, walked toward the police, and said, “I received an assistance request…” 

  However, gunfire immediately erupted… The police actually fired at Dark Sun! 

  I abruptly stood up, crying in surprise, “What’s going on? Poseidynne, what exactly happened this year?” 

  However, Poseidynne’s expression was even more surprised than mine. She stammered, “H-how is this possible? Over the past year, the police and Dark Sun have been cooperating well. The police themselves even contact Dark Sun often. Why…” 

  “Stop firing!” 

  Dark Sun’s roar came from the television, followed by the sound of screaming. The picture on screen shook nonstop, so it was impossible to see what the situation was at the scene. 

  “I-I am going to look.” I was turning to leave. 

  “That’s the western district. This is the southern district. When you get there, the incident will be over. Charles Endelis, sit down!” Done shouting, Poseidynne said, “Your young master doesn’t need others to worry about his safety. You’re the person who should know this the best, correct?” 

  I looked at Poseidynne. Her resolute expression made me unconsciously sit down again, looking up with her to watch the screens. 

  The screen’s picture continued to shake, emitting the sound of a great deal of gunfire and screaming. Later, only the long-distance cameras’ shots worked, and it was impossible to ascertain the situation. 

  After approximately ten minutes, although it felt as slow as ten hours, yet the time displayed on the news indicated that it had indeed only been ten minutes, one of the squares slowly inched toward the scene… I thanked Mr. Reporter’s heroic efforts. 

  The picture moved increasingly closer to the scene, and Dark Sun’s silhouette also gradually became clear. His body was covered with bullet holes and bloodstains; he clearly had not completely dodged the police’s sudden attack. Many policemen were downed before him, sprawling and lying on the ground. I was unable to see if they were dead or alive. 

  “Are they dead?” A shuddering voice came from the image. 

  I really had to emphasize how heroic the reporters were. Even when facing a blood-soaked hero and many unconscious or dead policemen lying on the ground, they still dared to get closer and ask questions. This kind of courage was really worthy of admiration. 

  Dark Sun shook his head, saying, “No, they’re only unconscious.” 

  The reporter in the image let out a large breath, and I let out a large breath as well. Not because the policemen did not die, though I knew that the young master would kill people but would not do so lightly. Rather, I was glad that the young master had changed from not explaining anything like before, which had allowed others to misunderstand him. 

  The reporter saw Dark Sun’s shocking amount of bullet holes and bloodstains and worryingly asked, “A-are you all right?” 

  Dark Sun only shook his head. He lowered his gaze toward the policemen on the ground and walked toward the police cars. Grabbing the car’s radio, he said, “I completely cannot understand why you have attacked me. Is this a declaration of war?” 

  “No! It’s not like that!” The panicked voice of a policeman emanated from the radio. He stammered, “T-this time, the criminal seems to have a special ability…” 

  “What kind of special ability?” 

  The radio relayed a helpless reply. “We don’t know, either. The higher-ups won’t give a clear explanation. They only said that the criminal has a strange ability and told us to pay attention.” 

  Dark Sun coldly said, “Then, I’ll leave this criminal for your higher-ups to catch.” 

  Done speaking, he dropped the radio and turned to leave. 

  “Wait… please, wait a moment!” 

  Although more pleads kept coming from the radio, Dark Sun did not change his mind. He walked straight to his motorcycle, but a phone on his body rang. He took out a cell phone and answered the call. After saying “Yue Gang,” he quietly listened to the phone. 

  I was somewhat surprised, since Dark Sun had never carried a cell phone before. 

  Probably because my expression was so surprised, Poseidynne explained without prompting, “In order for the heroes and police to cooperate effectively, Ah Ye distributed several cell phones. Four for the Four Great Heroes, while Yue Gang and Xie Wei each received one for the police faction. They can use these cell phones only to communicate with the other cell phones and cannot use them to trace locations. Though the one in Ah Ye’s hand is an exception, of course.” 

  Xie Wei? I had heard this name many times already. It seemed that I would have to ask for information about Xie Wei as well. I remembered a year ago, he was still hostile toward the young master and the heroes, and seemed to not get along well with Yue Gang, but now it seemed like it was not the case anymore. 

  Suddenly, Dark Sun growled at his phone. “If you don’t tell me the truth, I won’t help!” 

  “Dark Sun! Help, save me…” 

  Dark Sun turned his head to look. A blood-covered policeman staggered from the police car-surrounded building. He hesitated a moment, but still ran toward the policeman. 

  The reporters wanted to follow, but Dark Sun turned his head and growled, “Don’t get too close. It’s dangerous!” The scene stopped moving, but it did not retreat either. It was clear that the reporters had stayed where they were. Dark Sun ran up to the policeman, reaching his hand out to hold him steady… but he suddenly and forcefully pushed him far away. 

  Poseidynne and I both widened our eyes. Although we wanted to see it more clearly, the picture suddenly started shaking. 

  “Look at the other screen!” Poseidynne cried in surprise. 

  The other screens showed that a moment ago, a few reporters and cameramen actually used microphones to hit Dark Sun. Even the cameras had become weapons. Thankfully, there were other reporters filming from further away, who appeared not to want to attack Dark Sun, so it was still possible to see the situation from the other news channels. 

  Facing the microphone- and camera-wielding reporters, Dark Sun clearly did not care. He simply used basic moves to dodge the reporters’ attacks, then simultaneously observed the reporters’ and the policeman’s conditions. But at this moment, the policeman pulled out a gun to shoot Dark Sun. 

  The reporters and policeman were both attacking Dark Sun, but while dodging, Dark Sun still had to factor in the reporters’ safety. From time to time, he had to pull them around to prevent the policeman’s bullets from hitting them. 

  What exactly is going on? 

  I was puzzled, but Poseidynne seemed to be as baffled as I was. And since Dark Sun was only dodging nonstop without taking any action, perhaps he was confused as well. 

  At that point, Dark Sun finally took action. After karate chopping and rendering unconscious two reporters, he dodged toward the policeman and knocked his gun away with a flick of the hand. Then, he grabbed his collar, saying, “Did you plot this? You’re not a policeman.” 

  The policeman said in surprise, “How do you know?” 

  Dark Sun studied the badge on the policeman’s chest, saying, “Police number 39576 isn’t you. Who are you?” 

  “I want to ask who you are.” The policeman countered, “Why don’t you listen? As long as I say something, everyone follows my orders. What are you, a robot?” 

  Dark Sun paused. 

  “How strange. How unfathomable! Even at this distance, you’re still not obedient! Could it be because I’m tired from controlling too many policemen?” The policeman suddenly shouted loudly, “Hey, let me go! Go away! Leave this place!” 

  However, Dark Sun kept his tight grip on his collar, not releasing him. 

  The policeman dumbly stared at Dark Sun, shouting, “I know! You really are a robot… wow! I’ve never seen a robot as realistic as you!” 

  Dark Sun appeared to have truly gotten angry, growling, “I am not a robot!” 

  “Don’t move!” The policeman used an even louder voice in reply. 

  Dark Sun had no reaction. Following that, the policeman resolutely tore his collar from Dark Sun’s grasp, and hurriedly backed away a few steps, as if he wanted to escape. Dark Sun did not react to this… No, he really did not move at all! 

  The policeman ran a few steps then stopped again, cautiously observing the situation. It seemed that he did not plan to flee and even ran back to Dark Sun, then reached out and waved his hand in front of his eyes for a while. However, Dark Sun showed not a single sign of budging. 

  Upon seeing this, the policeman burst into laughter, saying, “Of course I was kidding! I know that you are Dark Sun. You’re a super famous hero! Of course you’re not a robot! However, I can’t do anything about the occasional strong-willed person in the world, and I’ve never met anyone with a willpower as strong as yours! All I can do is use some tricks to make you waver!” 

  The policeman took off his police cap and tossed it, then loosened his necktie and circled around Dark Sun, saying, “You are truly handsome. It wasn’t just the media picking flattering angles! With such a handsome appearance, why don’t you be a model? Why are you playing hero… Do you hear me? I’m telling you to do things that make you happy, to do things you want to do! Stop trying to save others so much!” 

  Dark Sun remained motionless. 

  The policeman wheezed with laughter, saying, “Even with a visor you look so handsome. How about we see how handsome your true identity is?” 

  At this point, he raised his head and shouted into the distance, “Hey! The reporters over there, get closer! Don’t you want to film Dark Sun’s true identity?” 

  The screen transmitted the sounds of reporters gasping, but they were too afraid to approach, only insistently urging the cameramen to zoom in more. 

  The policeman appeared unsatisfied and yelled, “Get over here quick! I’m going to take it off!” While speaking, he put his hand on Dark Sun’s visor. 

  Seeing this action, the reporters and cameramen were frenetic. They repeatedly exclaimed, “Oh no, Dark Sun’s back is facing us. We won’t be able to film it…Go for it!” 

  After saying “Go for it,” every reporter really did go for it. Each person ran like an athlete in a 100-meter dash, arriving near the policeman and Dark Sun in a flash. Based on the picture, the distance between reporters and the policeman was less than five meters. All the frames were now filled with images of the policeman and the upper body of Dark Sun. If Dark Sun’s visor were pulled off, his face would be filmed as clear as day. 

  Seeing this, the policeman appeared very satisfied. Nodding, he said, “Excellent, excellent! I’ll take it off now! One, two, three, take…” 

  Suddenly, his hand was grabbed—by Dark Sun’s hand! 

  Dark Sun even swiveled his head to look at him, causing him to reveal a shocked expression. The guy seemed like he was completely unable to react. He did not even try to escape. But suddenly, the sound of a gunshot ended his need for any action. He slowly collapsed, motionless. 

  The situation had evolved far too suddenly. Almost no one realized what had happened, but that did not include Dark Sun. Dark Sun simply looked down at the collapsed policeman and turned his head to look in a certain direction. At this point, the reporters seemed to have recovered their senses, and the cameras simultaneously followed his gaze. 

  People wearing black suits and sunglasses walked out of the dark one by one. Among them were both men and women, but even the women were wearing black pants. In the end, approximately twenty people walked out. They were walking in sync toward Dark Sun from all directions. 

  Facing twenty people, Dark Sun was alone, looking utterly isolated and helpless… But two silhouettes suddenly dropped from the sky and appeared in front of Dark Sun. 

  The white cape of First Wind floated with the wind, his pose free and at ease. Solitary Butterfly stood tall, one hand on the holster at her waist, with the demeanor of a prideful noblewoman. Finally, with a loud sound accompanying the shaking ground, a massive silhouette stood next to Dark Sun. Dragon Peace had also arrived. 

  All four heroes had arrived. Although the people in black suits outnumbered them, the heroes did not lose to them in terms of their imposing aura. 

  The group of black suits stopped, yet one person continued to advance toward Dark Sun. He did not look any different from the other black suits. He was probably around forty to fifty years old. But based on the behavior of the other people in black, this person was likely their leader. 

  He walked up facing the four heroes, inspecting them with his eyes. Then, he flourished his ID with a practiced motion, saying, “We are the Special Crime Department of International Police Organization, abbreviated as SCIP. I am group leader Xie Yuan Jie. It is our responsibility to pursue the criminal behind you. Please hand him over to me.” 

  First Wind frowned. “Is he still alive? You shot him.” 

  Xie Yuan Jie explained in a formal tone, “The ammunition we used was an anesthetic one. He’s only unconscious.” 

  First Wind nodded and turned to Dark Sun. Even Dragon Peace and Solitary Butterfly turned to look at him. At that moment, Dark Sun gave off the feeling of being the leader of the heroes. 

  Dark Sun walked up, passing the other three heroes, and stopped in front of the leader of the black suits. He coldly said, “He’s mine.” 

  The man in black seemed to have misheard and asked, “What?” 

  Dark Sun roared, “I said, he is my criminal.” Simultaneously, he kicked out, causing the man in black to be kicked quite a distance away. The man hit a police car and fell, unable to get up. 

  Everyone was shocked. 

  “Dark Sun, what are you doing?” Solitary Butterfly was the first one who managed to react. She rebuked, “You didn’t need to hit him! They didn’t do anything!” 

  Dark Sun turned around and bellowed, “They attacked my criminal!” 

  All three heroes were shocked by his outburst. First Wind asked in confusion, “Dark Sun, has something happened?” 

  Yet Dark Sun replied by unsheathing gleaming cold metal claws from his fingertips… 

  Young Master?

  No Hero    

  Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter Two: Silver Visor; Black Pupils

  Translator: XianBang (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  “Nice to meet you. I am An Xiang Ye.” 

  This boy was pretty indeed, but he had something even more precious than mere beauty. He had a smile like an angel’s. 

  “Luo Chu-gē, you can just call me Ah Ye. This is Charles. He is… He is my butler.” 

  He even has a butler, such an unusual profession. Could An Xiang Ye be the young master of a rich family? That would be terrible. My little photo studio can’t afford to pay so much for a model… ah! Who cares! This boy smiles like an angel, and acts perfectly natural in front of the camera lens. Every movement attracts people’s eyes! As a photographer, how could I pass by this kind of model? 

  However, he actually has a head of silver hair. 

  So does Dark Sun. 

  But in saying that, Dark Sun’s hair color couldn’t possibly really be silver, right? How could a hero not cover up such a conspicuous color? 

  But no matter what, An Xiang Ye will be a good model. I had that kind of feeling. 

  “Dark Sun?” 

  First Wind shouted somewhat belatedly, seemingly dumbstruck, not understanding why Dark Sun had extended his claws. Even Dragon Peace’s eyes only flared slightly wider. Neither had any intention of fighting, despite the sharp, cold light reflecting off of Dark Sun’s metal claws. 

  Only Solitary Butterfly went on guard, both hands reaching for her guns by her waist, bellowing, “Dark Sun, what are you thinking?” 

  Dark Sun had no reply, but he did not attack either. He stood there silently in his original position. 

  Bang! 

  As the gunshot rang out, Dark Sun’s feet moved in a nimble flash. Then, he looked in a certain direction… The leader of the black-suited people that he had sent flying had climbed to his feet, with a gun in hand pointed straight at Dark Sun. 

  Solitary Butterfly shouted in astonishment, “Why are you attacking Dark Sun? Can’t you see that he hasn’t moved?” 

  As soon as she finished scolding, the sound of more gunshots reverberated down the street. The other twenty men in black had all taken out their guns to shoot. Dark Sun could only keep moving to avoid the bullets coming at him from all sides. 

  Twenty guns firing at the same time, as well as Dark Sun’s constant movement, resulted in bullets that flew everywhere. Even the other three heroes suffered from collateral damage, and the reporters nearby started screaming. The crowd started to hide from bullets that were flying everywhere, and the screens started shaking again. Luckily, some reporters were standing far enough away. They immediately found shelter and persistently started filming again. 

  Dragon Peace roared, jumped next to some reporters, and picked them up. Then, he charged into the distance while picking up other reporters and photographers. By the time he was done, he had around ten people wedged in his hands, over his shoulders, and under his arms. 

  Solitary Butterfly and First Wind were not as strong as Dragon Peace. First Wind could only escort two reporters. Solitary Butterfly’s weapons were not suitable for defense, so she decisively gave up on escorting, instead turning around to shoot at the people in black suits, forcing them to stop shooting and find shelter to dodge the bullets. 

  All three heroes were busy dodging and escorting the reporters, but Dark Sun retreated back behind the motorcycle and used the motorcycle to block the bullets, while he shouted, “Death Scythe!” 

  A massive scythe shaft and blade sprung out of the machine. Dark Sun adroitly combined shaft and blade into the Death Scythe that was taller than a human, and walked out from behind the bike. 

  He spun the blade while walking, letting the silver blade form a huge shield in front of him. Bullets ceaselessly hit the blade, making crisp tinkling noises. 

  While using his right hand to keep the Death Scythe spinning, Dark Sun used his left hand to take a handgun out of his pocket and started shooting at the people in black. Every single gunshot was accompanied by the sound of a falling person. Not a single shot missed. 

  Seeing this, Solitary Butterfly shouted, “Dark Sun, don’t kill anyone!” 

  Dark Sun did not respond, but First Wind yelled back, “Dark Sun will not kill them!” 

  One gunshot, two… Those dressed in black fell down one by one. Fortunately, after they fell, they moaned and held their arms, clearly alive. Their injuries were mostly on their gun-holding hands. Indeed, Dark Sun did not plan to kill them. 

  Around twenty men in black suits, blocking the way between Dark Sun and Xie Yuan Jie, were all knocked down. In the end, Xie Yuan Jie was the only one left shooting at Dark Sun endlessly, but his shots were all blocked by the scythe. 

  Dark Sun finally walked right up to Xie Yuan Jie and suddenly stopped twirling the scythe. Xie Yuan Jie did not continue shooting either, even though he held the gun with both hands, its muzzle still pointed directly at Dark Sun. 

  “You are out of bullets,” Dark Sun said coldly, aiming at the head of the men in black with his own gun. 

  Xie Yuan Jie, however, still calmly questioned, “Are you sure?” 

  Dark Sun said in an authoritative tone, “The two guns in your hands are type AZ326, no trace of modification. The number of bullets in the magazine is twenty four rounds, but you can put one extra bullet in the chamber. You have already fired fifty times.” 

  Xie Yuan Jie finally showed a little emotion, exhaling, “You counted how many times I fired? Under that kind of circumstance?” 

  This time, Dark Sun did not reply. 

  Xie Yuan Jie was silent for a moment, and then put down his gun. But he confidently said, “You must be almost out of bullets as well, correct?” 

  “Don’t hope that I used up all my bullets. My gun has been modified and the number of bullets is fifty six. I only fired twenty three times.” Dark Sun paused a little, showed a mirthless smile, and said, “Killing you does not require any bullets, either.” 

  Hearing this, Xie Yuan Jie became silent. 

  “Dark Sun!” First Wind ran back and shouted, “Don’t kill anyone!” 

  “He was shooting at me!” Dark Sun angrily bellowed, “Over twenty people were shooting at me! Did they ever think about not killing me?” 

  First Wind and the two others stopped and looked at each other in dismay. Finally, Solitary Butterfly and Dragon Peace both looked at First Wind. First Wind calmly walked forward and said, “Dark Sun, wash your hands of this affair. Let’s leave!” 

  Dark Sun was silent for a moment, slowly put down the gun in his hands, and answered, “Fine…” 

  Hearing this, everyone sighed in relief. 

  “I’ll leave after I kill him.” 

  Dark Sun turned around to look at Xie Yuan Jie, raising his gun yet again. But First Wind reacted quickly and immediately took out the energy whip that was by his waist. With a single lash, Dark Sun’s gun broke into two halves. At the same time, he bellowed, “Dark Sun, what’s happened to you?” 

  Dark Sun slowly turned around to look at First Wind. At this time, Xie Yuan Jie started running away, but Dark Sun did not stop him, because his attention was now focused on First Wind. 

  Dark Sun tossed away the pieces of the gun and gripped the Death Scythe. 

  “Dark Sun…?” Seeing this, First Wind slowly backed up a little, but he had no intention of raising his energy whip. Perhaps he still did not believe Dark Sun would actually attack him. 

  Dark Sun raised the scythe high. First Wind blankly looked up, watching the scythe cleaving toward him… Solitary Butterfly flew over and tackled First Wind, letting the scythe cut through the air rather than slice First Wind in half. 

  Solitary Butterfly immediately got up and scolded, “Why were you zoning out? Hurry up and dodge—” 

  Cut off, she did a back flip and the scythe sliced horizontally above her head, chopping off a few strands of her hair. She immediately continued to do several back flips, trying to move out of Dark Sun’s attack range. But Dark Sun refused to give up, striding forward to kill. His target had clearly changed from First Wind to Solitary Butterfly. 

  Dark Sun swung the scythe horizontally, and Solitary Butterfly quickly bent down to dodge. But the scythe cleaved downwards after the horizontal swing, and Solitary Butterfly had no time to dodge. She immediately dropped down to the ground, and then kicked upwards. Though she failed to kick the Death Scythe away entirely, she managed to redirect the shaft, avoiding the fate of being nailed to the ground. 

  “Stop!” 

  At this time, First Wind, trying to push Dark Sun back, finally lashed out with the whip. But the whip’s aim was completely inaccurate. Dark Sun did not even dodge and the whip still missed. Instead, it lashed the asphalt next to him, melting a huge portion of it. 

  But it was understandable, since First Wind’s weapon was the destructive energy whip. If Dark Sun failed to dodge the energy whip, the scorching whip would have cooked or even chopped off his hands and feet, so of course First Wind did not dare to directly attack Dark Sun. 

  But Dragon Peace had no such misgivings. Recklessly, he shot his massive fists toward Dark Sun’s stomach. But Dark Sun spun the scythe downward and used the blade to block the fist. The collision resulted in a thunderous boom. Dark Sun even used his right knee to press against the blade, and started competing in strength against Dragon Peace. The two were locked in a stalemate. 

  Although Dragon Peace used so much force that veins appeared on his face, Dark Sun was not blown away. The first victim was actually the ground beneath their feet. The surface of asphalt began to sink and crack. The cracks looked like spider webs spreading outwards. 

  Although Dragon Peace couldn’t force back Dark Sun, Dark Sun could not push back Dragon Peace either. But from a visual perspective, Dark Sun was only a quarter of the size of Dragon Peace, yet he could still compete in strength with Dragon Peace. It was unbelievable! 

  While the two were competing in strength, Solitary Butterfly climbed up and First Wind approached slowly. After exchanging a glance, the two tacitly formed a triangle with Dragon Peace to surround Dark Sun and slowly close in on him. 

  Suddenly, Dark Sun twisted the scythe and sidestepped. There was no longer any resistance against Dragon Peace’s fists. With the force pushing against nothing, he immediately lost his balance and staggered forward. At the same time, Dark Sun swept his leg around, and Dragon Peace fell forward. 

  Seeing this, Solitary Butterfly and First Wind immediately attacked, seemingly afraid that Dark Sun would harm Dragon Peace with his scythe. 

  Although there were people attacking left and right, Dark Sun did not move into an attacking stance. Rather, he slightly bent his knees and suddenly vanished, immediately reappearing a few meters away… it was a vampire’s slide steps! 

  Solitary Butterfly and First Wind were both caught off guard. By the time they turned their eyes to Dark Sun, Dark Sun had already disappeared again. But in the next second, he appeared in front of Solitary Butterfly. With a kick at Solitary Butterfly’s abdomen, her entire body flew into the air. Simultaneously, he chased after her flying body, and while she struggled to get up, he swung his scythe down… 

  “Ye!” First Wind let out a rending howl. Fortunately, his yell was broken, so it could be passed off as a meaningless scream with no name hinted at. 

  The scythe abruptly stopped, the blade no more than ten centimeters from Solitary Butterfly’s chest. Dark Sun just suddenly froze. 

  At this moment, I realized that my own heart was thumping as hard as a beating drum. The young master had been so close to killing Solitary Butterfly, without any reason! 

  It was the first time I realized how powerful the young master was. He was powerful enough to make people tremble—in fear! 

  Dark Sun slowly toppled to the side, the Death Scythe hitting the ground with a heavy sound that made people jolt involuntarily. 

  Only after a while did Solitary Butterfly slowly crawl up. Based on her slow movements, perhaps she was shocked as well. 

  “Are you okay, Solitary Butterfly?” First Wind anxiously asked, simultaneously reaching out to support Solitary Butterfly. 

  But Solitary Butterfly brushed away his arm, saying with a shuddering voice, “I’m fine… But what happened to him?” 

  First Wind could not answer this question. He looked at the fallen Dark Sun, appearing at a loss. 

  But then Dragon Peace suddenly leaped in, landing near Dark Sun. With one hand, he grabbed his waist, and with the other he took the Death Scythe. Without a word, he then took the two and sprinted away, jumping up onto the buildings, disappearing across the rooftops. 

  Seeing this, the remaining two looked at each other with dismay. First Wind immediately said to Solitary Butterfly, “I… I’ll follow them to examine the situation.” 

  By the time Solitary Butterfly uttered half of the word “Wait,” First Wind had already run over to DSII, jumped on the motorcycle, and abruptly left. 

  “What should we do with these black-suited people?” 

  Solitary Butterfly finally finished her sentence, but of course there was nobody left to answer her. In an incredulous tone, she said, “What the hell are you all doing, running away and leaving the problem to me? You men are all so irresponsible!” 

  After a few sentences of complaining, she turned to check the black-suited people lying all over the ground. When she finally saw the fake policeman who had started the whole pile of problems, she hesitated. She walked over to the fake policeman and pulled him up with her left hand. Simultaneously, she stretched her right hand out into the sky, the gauntlet on her right hand shooting out a rope that hooked onto a spot high up on the buildings. Then, she pulled herself and the policeman up. 

  Up to then, I had absolutely no idea how to react. The young master had never before exhibited such reckless behavior. What happened? Could the fake policeman have done something to the young master? 

  While my mind filled with all kinds of questions, the phone in my breast pocket rang. I picked up the phone. From the phone emanated First Wind’s voice, “Charles, where are you?” 

  “I am at N/H…” 

  While I was still speaking, First Wind cut me off with, “We’re coming to find you.” Once done speaking he hung up even faster, giving me absolutely no chance to ask about the young master’s condition. 

  I put away the phone and raised my head to see Poseidynne staring at me, her face filled with worry. 

  I immediately lowered my voice, saying, “They are coming here.” 

  Poseidynne nodded and shouted, “I’m very sorry, but N/H is closing for today. Everyone, please leave now! As an apology, today’s expenses are on the house. I, Poseidynne, will cover the bill!” 

  The customers sitting in the shadows stood up one by one and left. Thankfully, there were few customers today, perhaps fewer than ten. They did not appear dissatisfied; a few of them even thanked Poseidynne for taking care of the bill. 

  “Don’t panic, Ah Ye won’t be in trouble.” 

  After everyone left, Poseidynne comforted, “Would you like another cup of blood? It’s on me.” Then, she nimbly started preparing the beverage. 

  I was about to express my thanks and take it, but I noticed her sprinkle an unknown white powder into the blood-filled cup… Could that be sugar or creamer? 

  But no matter what it was, I was certain that no vampire would order “blood with milk” or “blood with half sugar and a little ice,” so a drink like blood never needed any extra condiments. 

  It appeared that Poseidynne was not as relaxed as she portrayed. 

  After waiting a while, Poseidynne announced that there were people at the door. She opened the door without a glance. Luckily, the one who eventually entered the lobby was First Wind; behind him was Dragon Peace—No! He should be called Aren now. 

  He had ended his transformation and wore only a pair of giant shorts. When Dragon Peace wore them, they looked like boxer shorts; when Aren wore them, they looked like a knee-length loose skirt that needed a belt. He was even barefoot. 

  However, the most important thing was that he held Dark Sun. 

  “Ah Ye!” 

  Poseidynne rushed over, at a loss. 

  At that time, First Wind swept away the decorations on a long table and let Aren lay Dark Sun down on it. I hurriedly walked over and looked at him with worry like everyone else. 

  “Young Master, are you all right?” I gently called nonstop. “Young Master? Young Master?” 

  “Ugh…” 

  Finally, Dark Sun moaned softly. He reached out his hand to feel his head as if he had a headache, but brushed against his visor instead. He impatiently tried to pull the visor off. 

  Seeing this, I immediately helped him to take off the visor and asked again, “Young Master, are you all right?” 

  Dark Sun… no, the young master blinked and called out in a confused tone, “Charles?” Then, he turned around to check everyone else standing around and asked quizzically, “Where is this?” 

  “This is N/H,” I immediately answered. 

  “N/H?” The young master was confused, then suddenly said, “Ah.” With a frantic expression, he asked, “Crap, is Solitary Butterfly O.K.? Luo Chu-gē, Aren, are you guys O.K.? I think I landed some blows on you?” 

  At this, Ji Luo Chu took off his mask as well. After hearing the questions, he answered immediately, “She’s fine and we’re fine as well. Don’t worry.” 

  Hearing this, young master finally relaxed a bit. 

  Aren asked in confusion, “Ah Ye, why did you attack us?” 

  The young master looked blank for a moment, then raised his head to look at everyone. He hesitantly said, “I really don’t know. I don’t know why I attacked you. It felt like someone was ordering me, and I had to follow the orders…” 

  “It was definitely the strange policeman who caused the problem!” Poseidynne resolutely said, “When the group of policemen suddenly started attacking you first, they were definitely manipulated as well! Besides, didn’t that strange policeman say that he could make everyone around listen to him? So you were definitely controlled by him!” 

  Looking at Poseidynne, the young master suddenly laughed, saying, “Really, even if I did become a bad guy, you, Poseidynne, would still be on my side, right?” 

  Poseidynne shrugged. “Maybe! That depends on what kind of bad guy you turn out to be. It’s not like I like you because you’re a good guy. Who knows, you might become even more charming if you turn evil!” 

  Hearing this, the young master only shook his head. He then jumped off of the long table, bowed to Aren and Ji Luo Chu. “Luo Chu-gē, Aren, sorry! I didn’t attack you on purpose.” 

  Aren shrugged. “Tell that to Solitary Butterfly! Nothing happened to me.” 

  Ji Luo Chu worriedly said, “I’m all right, but Ah Ye, are you really fine? Do you still want to attack people now?” 

  The young master thought a little and firmly said, “Not at all.” 

  “That’s good.” Ji Luo Chu looked hugely relieved. 

  Seeing their conversation coming to an end, I quickly suggested, “Young Master, you have many wounds. Perhaps can we go home and treat those first?” 

  The young master tilted his head and shrugged. “But I don’t want to go home! How about this? Let’s first go to Luo Chu-gē’s studio to shoot pictures until morning, and then go buy outfits at X-Killer, and finally ask Melody to take us to some fun places!” 

  …The young master is definitely acting a bit strange still, right? Then again, it could be because a year has already passed—wouldn’t people usually change a little? 

  I hesitantly looked toward Poseidynne, Ji Luo Chu, and Aren… All three pairs of eyes were staring so hard that they had become twice as large. There is definitely something wrong with the young master! 

  “Luo Chu-gē!” The young master excitedly said, “You mentioned before that there was a print ad that needed pictures of a bare back. You didn’t reject that, did you? It looks fun. Let’s go do a photoshoot for it!” 

  There is definitely something off with the young master! No matter if one, two, three or even a hundred years passed, I believed that the master would never allow the young master to do a nude photoshoot. The young master would not defy the master on this kind of matter. 

  “Eh…” Ji Luo Chu was a bit unsure of how to react, and even showed an expression that indicated he was interested in this idea. I immediately started to cough. He was startled and immediately said, “I already rejected it!” 

  “Already rejected?” The young master showed a very disappointed expression, asking, “Can’t you get it back? You can, right?” 

  “Well…” Ji Luo Chu was a bit anxious, and kept on trying to give me a signal with his eyes. 

  “Young Master, shooting nudes will probably harm your angelic image. How about showing just the upper… back?” 

  I originally planned to suggest showing the upper body. It was not a rare thing for boys to show their upper body, after all. But midway through speaking, I suddenly remembered how overprotective the master was of the young master… I realized, even showing only the upper body was already too much! 

  Luckily, the young master thought for a moment and laughed. “That’s a good idea. I’m showing only my upper back then! Let’s go to the studio. Luo Chu-gē, Charles, and Aren, come along with me!” 

  “I’m going too!” The forgotten Poseidynne excitedly said. 

  I was looking at the huge TV wall advertisement. In the advertisement, the young master’s back was facing the camera, and he slowly turned his head, with a faint smile, as if an unexpected guest had broken in while he was changing. 

  His hands were holding back his long hair behind his head, revealing his neck and his entire back. He was shirtless as well, and only wore a pair of dark blue jeans, because it was a jeans advertisement. 

  The advertisement was both sexy and beautiful. Although the entire back was shown, it did not arouse inappropriate thoughts. But I truly regretted not making it clear earlier about not wearing low-rise pants. 

  I had a premonition that the master would not like this ad. 

  However, the young master really liked the ad, and said he should shoot for that type more often. Even Ji Luo Chu and Ah Da were satisfied, and claimed this was the most satisfying case after the angel advertisement. 

  Even if everyone was happy though, if the master was unhappy, then the whole world would become unhappy. 

  It seemed like I needed to find a chance to remind Ji Luo Chu not to accept advertisements that bared too much. 

  Despite the bad luck, luckily, because the photoshoot took too long, the young master could not implement his plan for nude photoshoots, shopping for clothes, finding Melody, and playing through the night. 

  This morning, young master did not behave abnormally at all. He should be back to normal, right? 

  I hope so. I sighed, grabbed a shopping cart, and entered the market. Although I had not been to the market for a year, it had not changed much. At least, the frequently visited vendors did not change places. 

  Walking up to the vendor who sold chicken, I habitually said, “Boss, I would like to buy chicken.” 

  ”Sure! Just a second!” Only after the chicken vendor had chopped a chicken leg into three pieces did he look up. He was a little shocked when he saw me, exclaiming in surprise, “Ch-Charles?” 

  “Long time no see.” I smiled and tried to come up with an excuse at the same time. Perhaps saying that I was working overseas is a good line? 

  “Yue Gang said you went to cure your light allergy. How did it go? Was it cured?” The chicken vendor asked, deeply concerned. 

  …It seems like there was no need to find an excuse at all. I speechlessly nodded. “Yes, it has been cured.” 

  “Great!” The chicken vendor happily cheered, “Here here here, I’ll give you a free chicken today. You need to heal up after surgery. Remember to make chicken soup when you get home, and take care of your body!” 

  Initially, I thought that Yue Gang was too dim, but is it that I am too human-like? Why does no one ever question whether I am a vampire or not? 

  “Thank you very much. Please chop up five more… no, seven more chickens for me.” I thought for a moment and immediately added, “Please allow me to pay for the seven chickens.” 

  The chicken vendor was a little shocked, asking, “What do you need eight chickens for? Even your huge family can’t finish eight chickens, right?” 

  I cannot say that it is because of the addition of Aren, whose huge appetite is even bigger than the young master’s, right? I could only craft a new lie. “My older brother was married this year, so we now have a sister-in-law, who also has a younger brother. They have depended on each other since they were young, so they moved in together as well. The young brother is robust and still growing, so he eats plenty. That is why I need to buy more.” 

  The chicken vendor was shocked, exclaiming, “Your family is really strange. I’ve never seen such a huge family. Do you want the chickens all chopped?” 

  “Yes, please…” 

  “Chaaarles—” 

  The shout came from a distance, growing louder as it neared. When I turned around to see, a person had already appeared before my eyes and grabbed me up in hug, slapping my back and shouting, “You’re finally back!” 

  “Yes.” I smiled. “Long time no see, Yue Gang.” 

  Yue Gang looked very happy indeed. Although I did not really have surgery, my heart was warmed. 

  “I’m glad you’re back. I finally don’t need to ask your younger brother to pay for my food anymore!” Yue Gang was jumping in joy. “Last time I went with him for food, we got caught by reporters. The news reported something about a policeman who was threatening a popular model, and that I asked for protection fees from him! If the people at the station didn’t know that I actually knew your younger brother, I would have been fired!” 

  I was speechless for moment, but when I imagined the scene of Yue Gang threatening the young master for protection fees… Ha! 

  “Hey! What are you laughing for? Don’t you have any sympathy for this dutiful policeman who almost got sacked? And you can still laugh? No more laughing! If you don’t stop, I’m going to be mad!” 

  Although Yue Gang really looked like he was getting angry, I was not worried at all. After I took the three big bags of chicken from the chicken vendor, I chuckled and said, “Let us go, I am a little hungry. Would you like to go to the noodle stand for breakfast?” 

  “Is this all meat?” Yue Gang stared with wide eyes, taking two bags, saying, “Are you giving me a bag? I’m telling you, besides boiling coffee, the only thing I know how to do is heat stuff in a microwave. Gifting me raw meat isn’t helpful! I’d rather you give me a bag of McDonald’s!” 

  “It is not that. It is because recently my big brother got married…” 

  After repeating the story about my big brother, my sister-in-law, and her little brother, we reached the noodle stand by the market exit. It was crowded here as usual, mostly with mothers and grandmothers, so when Yue Gang and I walked in, we caught plenty of attention. 

  After sitting down, Yue Gang ordered a ton of food, while I only ordered a cup of tomato juice. 

  “Your younger brother is really amazing!” 

  After eating two bowls of noodles, Yue Gang slowed down his eating speed. Only then did he have the time to exclaim, “He’s been hugely popular recently…no, I think he’s way too popular. It’s really amazing. You know, everyone in my station, from superintendent to janitor, brags that he knows An Xiang Ye. I was forced to ask your bro for autographed photos every week.” 

  “I have been at the hospital recently, and Ah Ye does not mention his work often.” I immediately queried, “Since he has become so famous this year, has there been anything bad that has happened as a result?” 

  “What, are you worried that your brother getting screwed over?” Yue Gang glanced at me, saying, “Relax! With your family’s fifth sister covering him, there’s no problem. She’s no pushover. She’s as fierce as a vampire!” 

  “…” 

  Yue Gang slurped up a noodle, and said while chewing, “Don’t worry! This year, there’s not been a single rumor about your little brother’s relationships… Or so my buddies say. So the news even reports little rumors, like me taking protection fees! I’m familiar with tons of reporters. Plenty of them know that I’m familiar with An Xiang Ye. But they have no choice, your little brother is such a hot topic, yet they can’t find a bit of news about him. So they broadcast anything that they can dig up!” 

  “I see.” I relaxed. It seemed that I had not missed out on too much. 

  “But don’t relax too soon.” He told me to relax, yet now he nervously said, “Your little bro keeps a low profile, but he’s caught plenty of people’s eyes. At least half of them are rich and powerful, so you’d better take care of his safety. Remember to…” 

  “Don’t go out too often, call me if anything happens, and explain it clearly and concisely,” I somewhat resignedly finished. 

  Yue Gang chuckled, raised his head, and froze in surprise. 

  I turned my head in curiosity. It turned out that the TV was showing the advertisement with the young master. But was this not just shot yesterday? And they can already air it? That speed is unbelievable. 

  When the seconds long commercial finished, Yue Gang immediately yelled, “Is your little bro crazy? The news before said that he was so conservative that he wouldn’t show a single sliver of skin in ads. Who knows how many ad requests your fifth sibling had to rip up just because they wanted him to show his shoulder or waist… Why would he reveal even half of his butt?” 

  Hearing this, I could only smile wryly. While I was trying to find an excuse, my phone rang. 

  I took out my phone. On the screen, it showed the caller ID was Kyle. Has the master seen the advertisement already? After I answered the call, Secretary Kyle’s emotionless voice came over the phone. “Butler, you know what I’m going to say.” 

  I gave Yue Gang a smile as an apology and walked to one side to speak on the phone. 

  “Yes, is it about the new jeans advertisement?” 

  Secretary Kyle’s tone lowered, “Right. What’s the deal with that advertisement? Did the young master insist on shooting that?” 

  I spoke the truth. “It was the young master’s decision, and he was very happy with the advertisement that resulted.” 

  The phone was silent for a moment, but a groan came out. “It’s nice that the young master is happy, but Sun Emperor is not happy. But if the young master is unhappy, the Sun Emperor would be unhappier…” 

  After a sigh, Mr. Kyle went back to his emotionless tone. “Stop the young master as much as possible. After all this time, you should know the Sun Emperor actually does not only need the young master to be happy, right?” 

  “Yes, I understand.” 

  Actually, the comparison made by Ezart fit the situation perfectly. He once said, when the young master followed the trend of wearing revealing clothes, the master would say “as long as you’re happy,” while killing everyone around who wore this type of clothing. After this, the young master would never follow the trend. 

  Secretary Kyle worriedly advised, “Remember to try your best to prevent the young master from shooting ads that expose more skin. Otherwise, I definitely couldn’t predict what the master would do. But be cautious! You cannot let the young master be unhappy. Do you understand?” 

  “Yes.” 

  Putting away my phone, I walked over to the table and sat down, giving a wry smile to Yue Gang. “My older brother saw the ad and called to scold me.” 

  “Oh!” Yue Gang knowledgeably nodded and said, “Your big brother seems old-fashioned, but I think that ad was shot pretty well. Although he showed some skin, the most important thing is he didn’t show those three bits! It’s not like he’s a woman, anyway. It’s no big deal for men to show a bit of their back and butt!” 

  “Dàgē does not agree. It cannot be helped.” I gave a wry smile. 

  Yue Gang shrugged and started devouring food again. Not long after, he put down his chopsticks and bellowed, “I’m full! Thanks, buddy.” 

  I chuckled and suddenly remembered I had something to ask him. I immediately said, “By the way, has Xie Wei been close with you recently? I seem to hear his name often from people around here.” 

  “Xie Wei?” Yue Gang went “tsk” twice, saying, “Although that guy is annoying, inflexible and heartless, after knowing his disposition, you can get along with him. I think it was ten months ago? He started a non-human criminal group in the station, abbreviated as NC… Those terrible at English in the office called it the ‘MC group,’ dammit!” 

  I laughed. 

  Yue Gang gave me a dirty look and moved on. “But Xie Wei seems to have a really solid background, so the MC group… Shit, why did I call it MC as well? All because of those little shits. The ‘NC’ group has plenty of funding. All their equipment are the most advanced and the salaries are pretty high.” 

  “But this would make others unhappy, right?” I was a bit confused. Based on relationships between Yue Gang and other policemen, they would only fall out with Xie Wei because of this, rather than become familiar, right? 

  “At first, many guys were dissatisfied, but later if there were any incidents caused by non-humans, they were all solved by the NC group. This reduced casualties among our brothers, plus getting into that group isn’t all that hard. You can get in as long as you want to, and the salaries are very high, except you can die easily. Whether or not you are going to get in depends on if you prefer your money or your life. So after this, the guys started yelling ‘MC, MC’ all day long everywhere.” 

  I nodded and understandingly asked, “So now you are part of the NC group?” 

  Yue Gang laughed and said, “Nice, you really do know me well.” 

  If one were to spend just an hour with you, anyone would know you well. 

  At this time, there were two beeps. Yue Gang immediately took out his phone and frowned. “I have to go.” 

  I nodded and said, “I have to go back and clean as well.” 

  Yue Gang stood up, but stopped when he was going to turn and leave. He instructed, “By the way, it’s really not safe recently. Keep that in mind, don’t go out that much. If something happens, call me. Remember that! Don’t be wordy, be concise!” 

  If I followed what Yue Gang said, I would never be able to leave the apartment. Although I knew that I could not follow Yue Gang’s instructions, I smiled and nodded, waving goodbye at him.

  No Hero    

  Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter Three: An Angel’s Appearance; A Reaper’s Reputation

  Translator: clrfction (proofread by EvlNabiki; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  As expected, Ah Ye is a great model. He’s a little too good even, and the work just never stops! 

  Melody, I’m begging you, stop accepting more work! Ah Ye only needs to sleep two hours every day, but if I work for twenty two hours every day, I’ll be in a coffin after five days! 

  Yet Melody pouted and complained, “That idiot Charles isn’t waking up, and the young master becomes sad as soon as he has spare time, so I can only keep accepting work!” 

  Sigh… Will Charles really wake up again? 

  “He will!” Melody said offhandedly, “He’s a pureborn vampire. Those are harder to kill than cockroaches!” 

  M-Melody, you’re a vampire too. Is it okay to describe them that way? 

  “I became a vampire. That’s completely different from being born as one!” 

  But I think you, the turned vampire, act more like a vampire than the one born as a vampire, whether in work or in race. 

  “What did you say?” 

  No, nothing. 

  Today was a busy day. The young master was busy with his schedule. He had to spend the whole day shooting in the studio and had to go to another studio in the evening to film for a talk show. 

  Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief at this. After all, Dark Sun had done something shocking just the day before: he had attacked the other three heroes. That would definitely be today’s headline. Fortunately, the young master did not have time to watch the news at all, as he ate breakfast and hurried to Ji Luo Chu’s studio immediately after finishing. 

  Afterwards, I paid special attention to the news. There were indeed special reports, but luckily, the conditions at the scene allowed people to guess the fake police officer’s abilities, so there was not too much criticism against Dark Sun. Rather, most were speculating about the fake police’s identity and the SCIP organization. 

  Then, the young master’s new advertisement came along to become the new hot topic, and last night’s incident became “old news.” Even though it was still reported, it was no longer the headline. 

  Seems like I no longer have to stress over this. Right now, the young master is not home, so I can clean the apartment thoroughly. 

  I had not been present for an entire year, and the current messy state of the apartment made me feel like I had not done my job well. If I did not clean up quickly, I could not dare to call myself a butler. 

  When I returned home, only Aren was there. He sat at the desk in the living room, which was covered with books, and the computer in front of him displayed many websites, like he was doing research. However, he stood up as soon as he saw me and walked over to take the cart from me, and then a few more bags… There was so much food that the shopping cart could not hold it all. 

  At last, only a bouquet of flowers remained in my hands. It was a bunch of frangipani, also known as red-jasmine, and was used for decoration. My load was so light that I felt guilty, but Aren seemed to hold those things effortlessly, so I did not insist on taking some bags back. 

  I walked to the desk and saw that the books were all related to photography. “You are reading books on photography? Do you want to become a photographer, like Ji Luo Chu?” 

  Aren nodded abashedly and said, “I often help Luo Chu-gē at the studio to learn, but they’re going all out today with the photoshoot, and when Luo Chu-gē gets serious about photoshoots, he doesn’t let anyone touch his sets and camera. There isn’t much I can help with, so I stayed home to read instead.” 

  So that is the case. I nodded and walked into the kitchen with Aren. As he was helping me take bags out of the cart, he asked suddenly, “Is it weird for me to learn photography?” 

  I was just picking up a bag of fish and slowed down when I heard the question. I asked with some surprise, “Why would it be weird?” 

  Aren hesitated, then muttered, “I’m a combat major and kinda klutzy, but I want to study photography… Shouldn’t photography be more for people like Luo Chu-gē?” 

  I smiled lightly and said, “Or you could say, why would a bloodsucking vampire want to be a butler for humans?” 

  Aren froze and then laughed. 

  Seeing that he had overcome the issue, I said, “You should go read now. Cleaning is the duty of a butler.” 

  Hearing this, Aren wavered, but after taking a look at all the plastic bags on the ground, his expression showed that he had no idea where to start. He scratched his head and said, “Then I’ll go read,” and left the kitchen. 

  I cleaned and chopped the food I had bought and stored them accordingly in the refrigerator and freezer. The refrigerator was absolutely packed to the brim, and I had to push a little harder to close the door. 

  After taking care of the groceries, I walked into the living room with a mop, some towels, a bucket, and various cleaning tools of all sorts. 

  Aren looked up and asked, “Are you going to clean? Do you need help?” 

  “Let me make a call for a delivery first.” 

  “Oh, we’re having takeout for lunch?” Aren sounded a little disappointed. 

  The call connected, so I only smiled at him as I said into the phone, “Please deliver a double-door refrigerator, two medium ovens, and a medium-sized microwave.” 

  “…You can order those for delivery?” Aren asked, stunned. 

  Hanging up the phone, I waved the phone in my hand somewhat jokingly and said, “With this phone, even a plane can be ordered for delivery.” 

  Aren scratched his head and mumbled, “There wouldn’t be room for it…” 

  I smiled, then put on an apron and mask to begin cleaning. This was the most unacceptable room, because there was actually a strange smell in the air. I had noticed as soon as I entered the apartment, but it seemed like everyone else has become acclimated to the smell, since no one mentioned any strange smells. 

  Even though the living room did not look too dirty on the surface, there was probably lots of hidden grime. I would have to take it slowly. First was behind the TV shelf… Why are there three pairs of underwear behind the TV shelf? 

  I fetched the underwear pair by pair, unable to comprehend it at all. If it were only one pair, I could still understand it. Perhaps it was a bout of carelessness. But three pairs? 

  I could not decide. Should I toss these or wash them? They still seem to be wearable, but whose underwear is this? 

  “I knew it!” Aren said angrily, “Dell-gē doesn’t like to wash his underwear, so he stuffs his dirty underwear in every nook and cranny!” 

  Even though I would rather not describe the smell coming from these three pairs of underwear, they do not seem to be the source of the strange smell. I continued to clean after tossing the underwear into the laundry bin. As I moved the sofa, out from underneath it came rolling several smelly… meat buns? 

  Or it could be some kind of round fruit. Round and covered with varying degrees of white-green fuzz, it was quite difficult to discern what they originally were. 

  “Sorry, Charles-gē…” Aren apologized ashamedly. 

  “It is no problem. You do not need to be so unnerved.” I laughed and specifically said to comfort him, “I have cleaned much dirtier things for past work!” 

  Aren stared at the green ball of fuzz and said with a frown, “Nothing could be scarier than this.” 

  “Actually, there is plenty,” I began to list examples, “like garbage bags infested with five to six rats or pork with maggots grown all over. I have even found a few rotten bodies while cleaning.” There were some that were really too disgusting, so I decided to not tell Aren, or else he might not be able to stomach his lunch later. 

  “…” Aren was silent for a moment and then said with an admiring tone, “It takes a lot to be a butler!” 

  I smiled and said, “I will cook lunch at noon. Does ramen with pork and wakame sound good?” 

  Aren’s eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously. 

  Even though the place was a mess, and I would need quite a while to clean it, I was in an unexpectedly good mood. Everyone really likes the food I cook, and this home really needs a butler, or else who knows how dirty this place would become in a few days. Is there anything that could put a butler in a better mood? 

  Perhaps a young man who can eat ten bowls of ramen in a row can do that. 

  Watching Aren eat during lunch, I almost thought I had cooked a rare delicacy, rather than ramen with pork and seaweed. 

  “Am I eating too much?” Aren put down his bowl and chopsticks halfway through and asked embarrassedly. 

  “Not at all. Please eat to your heart’s content. If it is not enough, I can make more.” I said with a chuckle, “I feel like a chef, watching you eat.” 

  “Charles-gē is so much better than those chefs.” Aren said, shaking his head, “We couldn’t stand those chefs’ cooking for more than two days. They can’t hold a candle to your cooking.” 

  “Homemade meals are more difficult to become sick of.” I answered Aren as I set down desserts, which consisted of a wagashi plate and iced honey tea. Even though Aren had not said he was full, I was still concerned that he had probably gotten full from the noodles already. He might feel uncomfortable if he forced dessert down too. 

  Aren’s eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up a wagashi to eat as he said with a laugh, “I am so going to tell Ah Ye about what I had for lunch. He’s going to be so jealous! Oh yeah, and Dell. His fault for begging to be Ah Ye’s bodyguard today, since he heard that a female celebrity was going to show up. Idiot!” 

  Hearing this, I smiled and said, “I am going to deliver some desserts to the top of the building. If you want another drink, there is milk tea and soda in the refrigerator, or you can wait for me to come back down. There is also more wagashi!” 

  Aren’s mouth was stuffed with wagashi, so he could not talk at all. He nodded vigorously. 

  I went upstairs with a plate of wagashi and a pot of tea. The top floor did not look much different from before. Bramble and May sat in front of a bunch of apparatus and scrutinized the tens of monitors before them. There were empty pork ramen bowls in front of them. 

  I moved the empty bowls aside, set the wagashi and tea down, and then asked casually, “Has nothing happened?” 

  May nodded and said, “There were a few incidents, but they were small cases, so we informed the police through the police alert network and let them take care of them.” 

  “Police alert network?” I was surprised. 

  “We use these phones the young master gave us,” May said as he picked up a silver phone, “and contact the police. Not only does it disguise our voices automatically, it’s untraceable. Very convenient.” 

  Bramble took a sip of tea and said, “If the heroes have to do everything, then young master can give up being a celebrity, and all the police can resign, since they wouldn’t be needed.” 

  “I see.” I thought this was a good setup. Let the police do what they can, and the heroes will take care of the criminals beyond their power. This way, the police can minimize casualties, and heroes would not need to overexert themselves. I suppose it is good for both sides. 

  May continued to talk as he reached for more wagashi, “Yue Gang called to explain about last night. He said the higher ups are being secretive, so his people don’t know what the deal is with that escapee either. We only know that he snuck out of the psychiatric hospital called P29, and is a mentally ill convict sentenced to lifelong imprisonment.” 

  Hearing the term P29, I said, “Poseidynne said P29 seems to be a little suspicious. It might be more than a psychiatric hospital.” 

  “P29…” May worded his sentence carefully, “We looked more into it and ended up learning that P29 is affiliated with the Sun Alliance. The connection is hidden deeply, and if we weren’t the young master’s bodyguards, we would probably only find that P29 is a federal psychiatric hospital that imprisons patients with heavy sentences.” 

  Affiliated with the Sun Alliance? Could this pyschiatric hospital that has imprisoned non-humans be the master’s? 

  “We shouldn’t mess with matters related to the Sun Emperor.” Bramble said earnestly, “Granted, the young master has our backs, but if the young master gets mad at the Sun Emperor for us, we wouldn’t be far from visiting Head Secretary Kyle with our heads in our hands.” 

  May agreed lightly, “So it’s a good thing nothing happened to the young master. As for Solitary Butterfly taking the escapee, P29 will send their own people to take care of it. I just hope Solitary Butterfly will understand the situation.” 

  Hearing this, I did not know how to respond, so I could only finish a butler’s job. I picked up the plates and bowls, then asked, “Is there anything else I can get you?” 

  May shook his head, and Bramble replied, “No.” I was just walking downstairs with my tray when my phone rang. I picked up immediately. “Charles speaking.” 

  The young master’s voice came through the phone. “Charles, the show’s host wants to see my diploma and old clothes. Can you bring them?” 

  “Of course. May I ask where you keep your diploma?” 

  My face felt warm as I asked this. As a butler, I actually had to ask my master where something was located. If something like this happened with an Elysees butler, they would definitely be sent back home for ten more years of training! 

  Even though I had a reason, my honorable father had always said: not serving the master well is a loss of professionalism, and a butler’s loss of professionalism is a loss of professionalism. No excuses. 

  “It’s in the second drawer of the shelf in my room. Bring it to the skyscraper next to Evening Sun Plaza. There’s a large satellite on top of the building. Fiftieth floor!” 

  “Yes, Young Master. I shall set off immediately.” 

  Raising my head to look at the top of the building, I saw a huge satellite. This should be the place the young master meant. 

  “Hey hottie, look here!” A few giggling girls called out to me. 

  I lowered my head and smiled at the girls, but was met with several flashes. They took pictures of me… they will probably be shocked when they see the pictures? 

  I felt rather apologetic, because I had changed into clothes from X-Killer, misleading them into thinking I was a human. 

  Even though non-humans wander the streets casually nowadays, I would still think that vampire butlers were rather uncommon. To avoid unnecessary trouble for the young master, it was better to disguise myself as a human. I just did not expect people to take pictures of me. 

  Four girls walked toward me. They looked about twenty years old. The girl in the lead wore a see-through dress and underwear that resembled a bikini. I kept my gaze locked on her face. Her face was actually quite pretty, but it was framed by color-changing, glowing hair, which glowed red, then purple. 

  The glowing hair was actually adjusted to a reasonable level, so her face had a devilish kind of prettiness under the purple and red glow. However, I still thought the light was unnecessary… Perhaps I am too conservative? I thought so because the other three girls also had glowing strands of hair. It is probably the latest trend. 

  She said with a smile, “Hey there hottie, wanna hang out with us?” 

  “I am sorry. I have matters to take care of. I am afraid I must refuse your offer.” 

  The girl glared and seemed to be a little upset as she said, “You talk weird. Do you have to speak like that just because you don’t want to go?” 

  Do I speak weirdly? Even after reviewing what I had said thrice, I still could not understand what was weird, so I could only say even more politely, “My most sincere apologies. I must leave now.” 

  As soon as I finished, the girl unexpectedly huffed, “Fine,” and returned to the other girls, annoyed. The other three girls also glared at me. I could only smile apologetically, then turn to enter the building. 

  I realized that the building was regulated strictly only after walking in. The doors were guarded by security personnel and scanners. Seems like I cannot go straight to the fiftieth floor. I had no choice but to go up to the front desk and greet the receptionist, “Hello, I would like to go to the fiftieth floor.” 

  “Do you have a reservation?” The receptionist eyed me up and down and asked confidently, “Here for an interview? Model or singer?” 

  I replied hurriedly, “No, I need to deliver something to the fiftieth floor.” 

  “Delivery?” The receptionist lady paused, then continued suddenly, “You said fiftieth floor? What do you need to bring? You can’t be a take-out delivery boy. You don’t even look like one!” 

  Just as I was about to reply, the lady leaned forward and asked quietly, “Are you here to bring something for the Angel?” 

  Even though she was quiet, the other receptionists had obviously heard. They all paused what they were doing and looked over at us. 

  There did not seem to be any need to keep it hidden, so I answered truthfully, “Yes.” 

  The receptionist let out a little scream and fired a string of questions, “You’re his brother, aren’t you? The one who shares the same mother but different father as him?” 

  I froze. Brother of the same mother but different father? Ah… could the cover about the large family still be intact? That must be the case, or else Yue Gang would have asked about why I had lied when I saw him earlier. 

  But why the same mother but different father? Is having the same father not usually more common? Could it be because the young master and I have different last names? Yet there are quite a few people who take up their mothers’ maiden name, so such a setup is quite unnecessary. It would actually cause another kind of trouble… 

  Gathering my thoughts, I saw that the receptionist was still waiting for my answer, wide-eyed. I smiled sheepishly on purpose and admitted, “Indeed.” 

  The receptionist gave me an “I-knew-it” look as she looked me over again and said, “Very handsome too. As expected of the Angel’s brother!” 

  The Angel’s brother is a vampire. That sounds all kinds of ironic. 

  I reminded her, “I really must go upstairs.” 

  “Oh, right! I’ll lead the way!” 

  Even though I wanted to say that that would be too much trouble, judging from this receptionist’s level of enthusiasm and the regretful look on the other receptionists’ faces, this seemed to be more of a rare opportunity than trouble. 

  With the receptionist lady’s lead, even the security check was bypassed. I suppose this building’s security was not as tight as I had thought after all. 

  The two of us entered the elevator. It was clear, so one could see the scenery outside below their feet. It would probably be nice at night, but it was afternoon right now, and thanks to the sunlight, I felt like I was in a desert, especially because my clothes did not provide enough coverage and left large areas of skin exposed. The direct sunlight shining on my skin made me feel like I was being plastered on a hot grill. I could only shrink into the corner as much as possible to avoid being shined on. 

  The receptionist lady asked curiously, “What’s the Angel like at home? He seems so neat and tidy. Is he actually a slob at home?” 

  “No, Ah Ye has never been messy.” He is simply not skilled at cleaning either. 

  “Then is he nice?” The receptionist lady asked suspiciously, “He’s always smiling like an angel. Is he like that at home, too?” 

  I nodded and said, “He smiles often at home too, and he rarely loses his temper.” Only Master often does things that made the young master angry. 

  “Oh oh! I heard the Angel…” even though there was no one else in the elevator, the receptionist lady suddenly lowered her voice as she said, “graduated as a combat major? Nobody believed him when he said so! But I believed him as soon as the newest jeans advertisement came out. He has a great body! Does he work out?” 

  “Yes,” I nodded. “He runs for two hours every morning.” 

  “Wow! There’s definitely something to see!” The receptionist lady was excited and disappointed at the same time. “I really want to see! Why doesn’t the photographer take pictures from the front? Do they mean to leave us hanging? How cruel!” 

  Ji Luo Chu is nearly as unjustly accused as a convict without a trial. 

  At that time, the elevator doors opened, and about thirty people appeared before us, as well as several large cameras. All the cameras pointed at the same set, which looked very futuristic. There were several comfortable sofas and a tea table in front of the set. The young master sat on one of the sofas. 

  Someone noticed us and walked over to ask, “What did you come for?” 

  I explained immediately, “I have brought something for An Xiang Ye.” 

  At that moment, the young master called loudly, “Gē,” ran to my side, and said nervously in a low voice, “Charles, I forgot to tell you, we’re brothers now!” 

  “Young Master, I have realized.” 

  A few people walked over as I answered the young master softly. One of them, a middle-aged man with gray hair, asked interestedly, “Is this your brother of the same mother?” 

  I switched back to a normal volume and said to the young master, “Ah Ye, you got it wrong again! We are brothers by the same father, not mother!” 

  The young master froze for a moment but did not refute what I had said. Then, he stuck his tongue out mischievously and said, “Oh, right! Same difference!” 

  Fortunately, they did not seem to want to ask more about this topic, but they did look at me up and down. That made me a little uncomfortable, so I handed the bag in my hands to the young master and said, “Here are your clothes and diploma.” 

  The young master nodded. He pulled out his diploma and turned to show the gray-haired, middle-aged man. He only took a glance before saying, “You really graduated as a combat major?” 

  The young master replied with a bright smile, “I told you! I’m very strong, you know.” 

  He really is very strong, even though most people who see the young master say this while smiling do not take him seriously. It is like seeing a ten year old raise his fist at an adult while saying, “I can beat you!” Most smile but do not believe, just like the man right now. 

  “Your brother looks good,” the gray-haired, middle-aged man looked at me like one would look at meat in a market, and I suddenly had a bad premonition… As expected, he decided with a clap, “Let him come take a few pictures with you!” 

  I politely declined at once, “I am sorry. I am not accustomed to being on camera.” 

  “Hey,” the man would not give up and said, “we’ll just be chatting. Let’s all talk together. No need to be nervous!” 

  A light flashed suddenly, and I realized that the light was probably from the flash of taking a photograph… No, oh no! 

  “Taking pictures is pointless!” The young master suddenly said, laughing, “My brother is a vampire, so he can’t be filmed or taken pictures of.” 

  Everyone fell silent. They could not wrap their minds around this, so they all just stared at me. The young master told everyone just like that? I did not know what to do. 

  The gray-haired, middle-aged man, aghast, asked the young master, “Are, are you a vampire too?” 

  The young master shook his head as he answered, “I’m not.” 

  “Your brother is a vampire, but you’re not?” The man blurted out, but he corrected himself quickly, “Well, even if your brother is a vampire, you wouldn’t be one as long as he doesn’t bite you.” 

  Even if I bit the young master, he would not become a vampire. The “First Kiss” process required to turn other beings into vampires is not so simple. 

  “Charles!” 

  I froze, then turned and saw Melody walking our way. She wore a white dress shirt, a black skirt, and a pair of maroon high-heeled sandals, looking businesslike while radiant. 

  Upon seeing Melody, the people around us relaxed noticeably. The gray-haired, middle-aged man said to the young master as he shook his head, “You are so full of surprises. It’s one thing that your manager is a vampire, but your brother is also one? Aren’t you afraid of them biting you?” 

  The young master replied with a laugh, “Nope, I’m very powerful!” 

  I had no words. Did everyone know that Melody is a vampire already? No wonder all they did was freeze in shock when they learned that I am a vampire. There was not even a single person who screamed in fear. 

  “I expect the reporters to be excited enough to bring out fireworks,” the gray-haired, middle-aged man said with a laugh. “They repeatedly begged me to find some gossip about you. They want news about you so badly that someone might give their life up for it!” 

  Melody chimed in quickly, “It’s not easy to find gossip about our little young master! He lives as purely as an angel!” 

  True, as long as we do not count the whole hero thing—angels probably do not run around chasing criminals with a scythe. That sounds more like a grim reaper. 

  The gray-haired, middle-aged man shook his head as he said, “If all celebrities lived like your little young master, all reporters would have to hang themselves. It might be good to even make some news deliberately. You do have to give them something to go on, you know?” 

  “Haha!” Melody winked and said coyly, “Director Xiao~~~ You know that I’m just the manager. It all depends on whether the little young master would want to fake the news!” 

  The young master shook his head resolutely at once, and no one seemed to be surprised. I suppose this is not the first time the young master has refused. 

  Director Xiao sighed and said, “Well, we can’t do anything if your brother can’t show up on film. Come on, let’s finish shooting for the show!” He sounded very disappointed.

  The young master nodded and said to me, “Gē, just wait for me to finish shooting! Then, we can go to X-Killer to buy some clothes. I’m going to buy you twenty outfits this time!” 

  I smiled and almost said, “Thank you, young master,” but caught myself in time and instead said, “All right. I will wait for you.” 

  Hearing that, the young master went back to work happily. They went back into the set, where Director Xiao and a female show host sat on a two-seat sofa, while the young master sat alone in an armchair. 

  As the microphones were turned on, the gray-haired, middle-aged man took the clothes I brought out of the bag. Spreading them out, he exclaimed along with the female show host, “Wow, your old clothes are seriously out of date! This is simply too incredible! Which antique store did you dig these clothes out from?” 

  The young master smiled shyly and said, “I wasn’t very good at buying clothes back then. Actually, I’m still not that good at it, but the shop owner of X-Killer coordinates my outfits when I shop there.” 

  “Speaking of that, you really are X-Killer’s best model. Ever since you began to endorse the brand, it has become so popular that people need to place orders in advance…” 

  Melody came to stand by me, so I asked her worriedly, “Is it okay to announce that I am a vampire just like that?” 

  “They’d figure it out sooner or later anyway even if we don’t admit it. Didn’t you hear how much those reporters want to get news about the young master?” Melody eyed me and said, “The young master is a celebrity known by everyone in Sunset City. So many cameras surround him all the time. Did you really think none of them would catch us? Impossible!” 

  So that is the case. I nodded in agreement and was suddenly grateful that non-humans were no longer a secret. Now this will only appear in the entertainment news, not as the headlines of general news. 

  “Butler, the young master just told me that he wants to have fun at a club after we finish shopping for clothes!” Melody sounded confused, but also very happy and excited. 

  I paused and replied confusedly, “Club? Why would the young master want to go to such a place?” 

  No, I should ask, “Why would the young master want to go ‘have fun’?” 

  “I don’t know either,” Melody was also confused. “Today, he suddenly asked me what’s fun around here, so I told him clubs are pretty fun. Then, he told me he wants to go to a club to have fun.” 

  This is not a lingering effect from the case of attacking the other heroes, is it? I was a little worried, so I shared this worry with Melody. 

  However, Melody thought about it briefly and said, “But the young master hasn’t been acting weirdly about anything else? It’s just a club anyway, and we’ll be with him, so nothing big can happen! Besides, the young master really needs to create some news to become more famous! With the news of having two vampires by his side, plus his going to a club… haha! The young master’s fame will explode!” 

  Melody seems to have gotten addicted to being a manager? I tried to convince her subtly, “Perhaps the young master does not need to be too famous, or else he would not have enough energy left to be a hero too. He had previously accepted large amounts of work to distract himself, so now he might not…” 

  “What are you talking about?” Melody interrupted me suddenly and said indignantly, “The young master has so much potential as a model, so of course he should be famous! Should he be a nameless model instead?” 

  I quickly said, “I did not mean that. Of course the young master is great as a model. But do models need to go on shows or create news?” 

  “Of course! He’d lose popularity if there isn’t any news about him, so we have to work hard to create hype! Then, the young master can keep being a model. I’m working very hard as a manager…” 

  Is Melody not trying too hard to argue? Usually, even if she does not agree with me, she arrogantly leaves a few sentences as explanation, and does not care whether I really understand or not. Yet she is trying so hard to explain today? 

  I looked at Melody suspiciously. She looked up and down uncomfortably, but after a full ten minutes under my consistently disbelieving stare, she added guiltily, “The young master lets me take ten percent of his earnings as overtime pay for additionally being his manager.” 

  So that is the case. 

  “I don’t care. I need more money to buy clothes! I earn more if the young master is more famous!” Melody claimed, refusing to back down. 

  I sighed. Ignoring the problem of how famous the young master should be, I need to take care of the problem right in front of me! I asked, worried, “Are we really going to take the young master to a club?” 

  Melody said immediately, “Yes, of course! Don’t you remember you promised me that you’d go to a club with me?” 

  There… might have been something like that. 

  “Hugging the young master to my left and embracing Luo Chu to my right, with the butler opening the way in front of me… Oh ho ho ho! I will definitely be the queen of the club tonight!” She said excitedly, then turned to warn me suddenly, “Butler, you’d better dress up properly for me! You look fine right now… I’m warning you, don’t you dare pick less revealing clothes at X-Killer later.” 

  But the whole point of buying new clothes is to buy less revealing clothes. 

  Melody did not want to hear any excuses as she muttered to herself, “It’s useless to tell you that! I need to remember to tell Olga to find revealing clothes for you. And tight pants. To showcase that bubble butt!” 

  “…” 

  The show seemed to be going well, and they finished after only two hours or so. After finishing, the young master talked to Director Xiao for a bit, then walked toward us, but was surrounded by the staff before he could make out half a sentence. Many staff members held pictures of the young master and also had pens. They probably wanted autographs. 

  The young master did not refuse anyone and signed all of them before waving goodbye. “Thanks for today, everyone! Bye bye!” 

  The staff all bid the young master farewell as well. 

  The young master turned and cried excitedly, “All right! Let’s go to X-Killer to buy clothes!” 

  Can I go shop somewhere else? 

  “You have to go with us!” Melody whispered to me quickly. “You see, the young master is really famous now, so there will definitely be people taking pictures of him at the club, and those pictures will probably make headlines the next day! Think about it. If the master sees pictures of the young master wearing clothes that don’t even fully cover his butt… we’re all dead!” 

  You want me to show it all off, but are worried about the young master revealing too much? 

  Melody said, annoyed, “If the young master shows too much, the master will kill vampires. If you show too much… What, Sadina will crawl out of her coffin to kill me?” 

  I faltered upon hearing Sadina’s name and could only give a wry smile in return.

  No Hero    

  Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter Four: Soft Lips; Sky-Rending Voice

  Translator: XianBang (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  Was it impossible to stop Dark Sun even with the strength of three people combined? 

  The three of us really weren’t fighting seriously, or else we wouldn’t have lost so badly. But the question was… even if we really tried, would we have won? 

  I hoped that this question would never have an answer, but I couldn’t help remember what Xie Wei once said while facing us three heroes. 

  “There’s no doubt that powerful heroes are useful, but if those powerful heroes choose to stop being good people, they will become the most fearsome criminals! You heroes… frighten people!” 

  I didn’t believe I would fall from grace, and even if it actually happened, it would be okay. There were far too many opponents whom I could never defeat. Solitary Butterfly’s situation was similar to mine. Although Dragon Peace had unmatched strength as well as a hard-to-wound body—a truly difficult opponent to stop—Dark Sun could still stop him! 

  So when Xie Wei said that, I was not particularly worried. But today was the first time I realized: Dark Sun, when you fall from grace, will we be able to stop you? You are too… 

  Powerful! 

  Melody wore a small red dress with a neckline plunging down to her waist and a completely bare back. It meant that her upper body only had a strip of fabric as narrow as a palm stretching from her left breast past her neck to her right breast. Thankfully, the bottom half of the dress reached to her knees, perhaps to appear graceful. 

  Unexpectedly, Ji Luo Chu did not buy his clothes from X-Killer. He had unbuttoned his dress shirt, leaving only the second to last hole buttoned. He had then stuffed his pant legs into his boots, his entire person appearing wild and unrestrained; that was how Melody described Ji Luo Chu when she saw him. 

  As for Dell, I was really not accustomed to his shiny appearance. He wore a transparent coat with a skintight, sleeveless vest, with earrings and a necklace that were both shining, causing the transparent coat to change color continuously. Although I was not used to it, Melody seemed to like it, even giving rare praise to Dell’s upper arm muscles. 

  This compliment led to Dell using various postures to show off his biceps the entire way. 

  Because Aren was as massive as a horse, merely wearing a leather jacket with ripped jeans made him appear plenty eye-catching. 

  Thanks to Melody and my subtle hints to Olga, the young master was dressed like an angel. His clothes were all white, his upper half covered in a Greek chiton yet his lower half had capris and aqua-colored sandals. This caused me to sigh in relief. The outfit caused the young master to appear delicate and pretty, and was not too revealing. Surely, this amount of skin would not infuriate the master… right? 

  “Tsk tsk tsk, no matter how I look, you, Butler, are certainly not bad today, not bad at all!” 

  Distracted, I turned my head to see Melody eyeing me as if evaluating a slab of pork. This caused my face to turn red, but not because I had too much skin showing. The outfit I had on was comparable to the previous one in terms of skin coverage; however, the design was… 

  “Melody, you’re bullying Charles again,” the young master said on the side, yet he could not stop laughing. 

  “I’m not!” Melody immediately said innocently, “Isn’t this outfit very similar to his usual butler uniform?” 

  There were certainly some similarities, except my upper half had no dress shirt, only a black vest. The pants on my lower half were approximately three sizes too small, turning into snugly-fitting skintight pants. 

  Based on the description Melody had accidentally blurted out, I was “super similar to a host club’s popular male host.” Although she said that, she insisted I continue wearing it, even threatening me with, “You already agreed to accompany me to play at the nightclub, so you can’t back out…” Although I agreed to go to the nightclub, I never agreed to be dressed like a host, right? 

  But no matter what, Melody forbad me from removing these clothes or wearing something over them. With the young master laughing uncontrollably, appearing overjoyed, I ended up buying the outfit and wearing it. 

  Our party was now standing in front of the entrance to a nightclub called “Seaside.” This place’s entrance was very similar to N/H’s since it was completely black, but it at least had massive blue neon lights outlining the word “Seaside,” with a simple outline of a horn by its side. 

  We entered “Seaside,” Melody buying tickets at the front desk in a practiced manner. Surprisingly, a single ticket cost a thousand yuan—certainly not cheap. Perhaps the alcoholic drinks inside would be even more expensive? 

  In order to get a vampire drunk, it would take at least three bottles of high-proof alcohol. No wonder Melody needed so much money—she spent seven out of ten days hanging around nightclubs. 

  After buying the tickets, our line immediately walked in… The receptionist seemed to recognize the young master, because he was so shocked that his entire body stiffened. Perhaps he would rush out from behind the front desk in a moment. 

  We entered. The interior that initially seemed pitch black turned out to be a sea of aqua colors. There were even holographic projections of schools of fish swimming above everyone’s heads. The walls were inlaid with shells, and in the center of the lounge was a dance floor. Yet surrounding the floor were numerous couches and seats. Surprisingly, they were all in the shape of coral reefs, seaweed, and deep-water fish. This nightclub should not be called “Seaside”—it should be called “Bottom of the Sea,” right? 

  “It’s so beautiful!” The young master widened his eyes when he entered, releasing sounds of surprise nonstop. 

  Melody smugly said, “I knew Young Master would like this place.” 

  By this time, there were already many people in the nightclub. A third of the dance floor was covered with people dancing. Thankfully, there were many people and low visibility, so it was unlikely anyone would pay attention to us. 

  “I did not think they would be playing crystal music.” I was slightly astonished. I had initially thought that the nightclub’s music would mostly be rock-and-roll or pop, and had never imagined that it would be glass-beating and crisp crystal music. 

  Melody shrugged, saying, “That’s because it’s still early. The music gets more energetic the later it is!” 

  The young master picked a seat at a clamshell-shaped table, sitting down on a pearl-shaped chair delightedly. He and Aren examined the different shells compressed beneath the table together. 

  Melody ordered a pile of food, mostly seafood. It certainly fit this place’s atmosphere. 

  I really never expected the atmosphere to be so unimaginably cheerful; I had thought that it would be a loud and rowdy night. 

  “Looks like you’re hugely relieved.” Ji Luo Chu laughed, saying, “Relax, the club Melody picked is excellent. It isn’t too youthful.” 

  “No matter which one is picked, it would be too youthful.” I laughed. “I was born in 1960.” 

  Melody rolled her eyes at me, saying, “Hmph! Whenever you were born doesn’t matter. I was born in 1762! But I can tell that your personality is way older than mine!” 

  Endless muffled laughter was heard from Ji Luo Chu. 

  The young master cried out in surprise, “Whoa, Melody, you’re three hundred and fifty years old?” 

  “Nooo, Young Master, don’t say others people’s ages out loud!” 

  “You said 1762 yourself.” The young master happily laughed. 

  Melody opened her mouth to grumble, “It was an accident,” then shot a glare at me, reprimanding, “It’s all your fault! Why mention your age for no reason?” 

  After that, the waiter served dishes one after another. Everyone started chatting while eating, creating a very pleasant atmosphere. 

  After eating two seafood platters, the young master suddenly asked me, “By the way, Charles, why did you say we have the same father but different mothers? Wouldn’t it work if we have the same mother but different fathers?’ 

  Before I could answer, Melody laughed and explained, “Young Master, it’s because only female vampires can deliver pureborn vampires. Male vampires and humans cannot have a vampire as their child, so you two couldn’t have had the same mother.” 

  Vampires have low fertilization rates, and only female vampires could deliver vampires. Besides, female vampires often did not want to deliver a child, because giving birth consumed just as much of their blood ability as a “First Kiss.” Furthermore, a pureborn vampire did not have the inclination to obey their sire like common vampires did. These were the reasons why pureborn vampires were quite rare. 

  I further explained, “I am afraid many non-humans know I am a pureborn vampire. Now that non-humans walk among the human crowds in broad daylight, I am worried that someone will suspect you of being a vampire as a result.” 

  “Many non-humans?” Melody widened her eyes, saying, “Before this, the most famous vampire was E.X., but you’re no pushover now, either!” 

  “Is Charles really famous?” The young master’s eyes were both shining. 

  Melody nodded and said, “Actually he’s never been an obscure guy, but most people have only heard rumors of a vampire being a butler, and have never met him or known his name. But right now the butler has become really famous, to such a degree that his fame almost reaches that of E.X.!” 

  This was not good news because the more famous a vampire was, the more tragic the downfall they usually had. Count Dracula, the most famous one in history, was encircled by the Church and burnt to death by the sun. A wanted vampire like E.X. who could escape for thousands of years after being pursued by the Church was truly a marvel. 

  After hearing the explanation, the young master nodded just as a waiter delivered an entire plate of desserts. He and Aren continued, attacking the dessert. 

  “What’s with the long face?” Melody impatiently said, “Your nephew is protecting you! The Church is afraid to attack you directly. What are you afraid of then?” 

  I bitterly smiled. How could I let Curtis worry about my affairs all the time? 

  At this moment, the young master suddenly turned to look to the side. I followed his eyesight and discovered that a few young people at the nearby table were staring in shock at the young master… This was not good, but it really was impossible that no one would find out the entire night. Now, it all depended on how the young master was going to handle this. 

  The young master gave them a brilliant smile and waved, and they finally woke from their daze. One of the girls suddenly screamed, “Ah! Angel!” 

  Her scream silenced the entire club. Immediately, one employee walked to their table with an apologetic expression, saying, “Sorry, our club prohibits drugs. Please leave and we will return all the ticket fees…” 

  Hearing the warning, those young people gave a contemptuous look and passionately pointed at our table. “We didn’t do drugs! Look over there! Over there!” 

  The employee and everyone else turned to look at us. Some people whose sight was blocked even stood on their chairs to see us. Seems like we cannot go unnoticed anymore. 

  Luckily, the young master did not feel he was being disturbed. Rather, he revealed an amused expression. Seeing everyone’s wide eyes and rigid bodies, he laughed even harder. 

  “Hello, everyone,” the young master casually greeted everyone. 

  The crowd finally unfroze, like waking up from a dream, screaming in waves. The word “Angel” could be heard coming from all directions. The young man next to our table smugly said to the employee, “What, is the whole crowd doing drugs now?” 

  The situation did not look good. The crowd seemed intent on rushing over; all they needed was one person to go first… 

  “What is going on?” 

  A bald man with a horn tattoo on his head walked over. An apron was wrapped around his waist, so he seemed to be a chef here. But appearances did not matter, for most importantly, he was a nightwalker! 

  He walked over and looked at us with confusion, asking the employee nearby, “Are there any problems?” 

  “Manager!” The waiter actually called him manager, and quickly explained the situation. 

  “A nightwalker opening a nightclub?” Melody laughed crazily. However, the other people did not understand what a nightwalker was, and the young master inquired directly. 

  Melody explained the nightwalker race to everyone while laughing. 

  Another nightwalker? Slightly curious, I asked, “Do you have any relationship with Nitewalker?” 

  The manager glanced at me, saying, “I’m a nightwalker.” 

  “No, you misunderstood me.” I quickly took out Nitewalker’s business card and showed it to him. 

  “Oh, this is my clansman. We two first came here to ascertain whether this city is a suitable place for us.” The manager passed the business card back to me, saying, “My name is Nitesea. Nitewalker has mentioned you before. You are Charles Endelis, right? I heard that you know Poseidynne?” 

  “Yes, do you know her as well?” I asked in surprise. 

  “Our clan follows her orders.” Nightsea thought for a moment, elaborating, “We follow most of her orders. But if it threatens the existence of the clan, we do not have to obey the order.” 

  “I see now. Then could you please help us handle this situation? Please do not let other guests disturb us.” 

  Nitesea nodded, ordering the employees with a few words, and said, “Send three bottles of alcohol and a plate of small octopi for our guests.” 

  I quickly expressed my appreciation. 

  The employees shouted to everyone, “Please do not disturb the guests at this table…” 

  After their announcement, although everyone’s attention was still focused on our table, at least they did not appear to want to rush over. 

  I turned to ascertain whether the young master’s mood was affected. Surprisingly, he was busy snatching up small octopi with Aren and Dell, paying no attention to the people who were sneaking glances at him. He merely exclaimed while eating, “This is so delicious!” 

  Melody enviously said, “You need a reservation for this dish! Allegedly the manager feeds the octopi himself. There’s a limited amount and you need to have a reservation really early to be able to eat this.” 

  But she did not reach to grab a small octopus. Fresh small octopi and stale ones were the same to a vampire’s sense of taste—it felt like chewing a piece of rubber, a true waste of fresh food. 

  Melody glanced at me and asked, “I’m really curious, how do you cook? Your dishes aren’t too salty or too plain.” 

  I smiled and explained, “I use what remains of my sense of taste and my experience to make my judgment. The amount of salt needed for different amounts of food can be determined by experience. The other spices were thanks to Father––who told me what flavor each was, and to which dish it could be added. But I still cannot make chef-level exquisite cuisine. Those dishes need many various spices, and I absolutely cannot distinguish them to that degree.” 

  “What remains of your sense of taste?” Melody mumbled, “Except for ridiculously strong alcohol, I can’t tell the flavors of other food at all…” 

  It mostly depended on experience, I had to admit. The amount of dishes in a meal I made at home now was far too large. I could not slowly taste every single dish, and would at most test the soup. The rest all depended on experience. Luckily, no one in the household was really picky about flavors. 

  “I’m full!” After swallowing down the last octopus, the young master did not know what to do next; he turned to ask Melody, “What are we doing now?” 

  “Dance!” Melody flirtatiously said, “Young Master, come and dance with me!” 

  Dell quickly interrupted, “How would the young master know how to dance? Come and dance with me!” 

  “I can dance!” The young master said, “We had to dance for our high school graduation prom, so I researched a little online.” 

  Researched a little? Can you really dance just with a little bit of researching… Based on the young master’s situation, he likely had learned it. 

  Melody cried in surprise, cheering, “The band’s on stage! Perfect! Follow me, Young Master!” 

  Done speaking, she pulled on the young master’s hand while rushing toward the dance floor. At this time, the surrounding people all stopped to look at the young master. The originally soft music stopped, apparently to let the band members onstage tune their instruments. While the four members tuned, they noticed something unusual about the dance floor. They tuned while glancing at the young master in the middle of the dance floor. Suddenly recognizing the young master, the two male and two female band members stopped their work at hand and stared at the young master in the center. 

  “Music!” Melody dissatisfiedly waved toward the band onstage. Only then did the performers promptly continue checking the sound. 

  This band’s appearance was rather unique. All four had white hair and white clothes; even their faces were painted with white makeup. It was even in the design of snowflakes, giving the entire band a snow kingdom feeling. The bassist was a woman, wearing a white fur coat and skirt, while the two men wore white leather shirts and pants. The female drummer was buried under a pile of drums, and only the upper half of her sleeveless white clothing could be seen. 

  Compared to the whiteness of their outfits, their instruments were brimming with color and changing light. The body of the bass was transparent with infinite gossamer threads emitting light. The guitar’s blackness had pinpoints of starlight within, and the electronic keyboard stand gleamed with silvery blue light. At first glance, all the drums were white as well, but when they were hit by the drummer, the drums would shine. 

  The performers seemed to be finished with tuning. The female bassist went up front and gripped the microphone. Using a voice charged with energy, she shouted, “Hello everyone, we are ‘Aurora!’” 

  Aurora? The iridescent phenomenon in the sky in the North and South Pole regions? I could not help but smile, for their name and their attire matched well. 

  Melody responded with a high-pitched scream. The young master glanced at her and copied her with a cheer. However, in the entire scene only the two of them were cheering, because everyone else was looking at the young master with an excited expression. The sounds of “How cute” came in waves. It looked like today’s situation would be a grim ordeal for Aurora. 

  Merely getting the crowd to shift their attention from the young master would be a big hurdle, right? 

  At that moment, the drummer suddenly started drumming, the clear and clean beat of the drum immediately drawing the attention of the crowd. 

  “Yeah! Just like this!” Melody cheered softly, swaying her body with the beat. 

  Seeing this, the performers chose to simply not speak, beginning their performance directly. The female bassist turned out to be the lead singer as well. Her voice was hoarse. Although the tone was not particularly good, it had a very rock-and-roll feeling. 

  Melody screamed, “Young Master, come and dance!” 

  Hearing her, the young master grabbed Melody’s hand, his other hand placed on her waist. Tightening his grip, he and Melody immediately became dancers in position facing each other. 

  Melody hesitated, shouting in praise, “Whoa!” 

  After that, they began to dance, with basic movements like the two-step, twirling, and bending. The young master even did some highly difficult movements, such as letting Melody slide under his legs and then pulling her up, or gripping Melody’s waist and holding her up high. 

  It turned out that the young master could certainly dance, even at a professional level. I did not know whether their cooperation was too perfect, or if the young master’s skill at leading was too great, for it looked like the two of them had practiced endlessly, rather than having only danced together for the first time today. 

  Besides Melody and the young master, the dance floor had no other people dancing. They were all surrounding the sides, with many people pulling out their phones to take videos. Their faces expressed extreme exhilaration. 

  As time passed, more and more people entered the nightclub. Quite a few people looked around as they entered, saw the young master, gasped, and then immediately pulled out their cell phones to record. Seems they were all called over by their friends? 

  But not a single person went up and disturbed the young master. Everyone merely watched in a circle, swaying to the music. When they saw a high difficulty move they applauded and even screamed. The scene’s atmosphere was lively, and the band was also playing energetically. 

  Upon seeing this, I relaxed. I had never imagined that the trip to this nightclub would be so smooth, even to the point of being pleasant. 

  Ji Luo Chu unaffectedly leaned against the sofa, sipping a drink while laughing, “The drummer’s not bad, but the others seem to be a bit lacking.” 

  “Certainly true,” I wholeheartedly agreed. 

  Hearing my reply, Ji Luo Chu seemed to be interested, curiously asking, “You play music as well?” 

  “No, I merely learned a bit of superficial knowledge. Being a butler requires one to know a little bit of everything. Because my master may like music, I learned a little piano.” 

  “Hm, piano?” Ji Luo Chu laughed, saying, “That instrument indeed really suits you, I learned a bit of guitar, but it’s been a long time since I’ve played. I’ve been too busy messing with photography and…” He spoke up to this point, then suddenly lowered his voice, saying, “practicing using a whip.” 

  I laughed, admiringly saying, “Being able to use a weapon like the energy whip, you must have put in a lot of hard work?” 

  “Hehe, it is rather hard…” 

  After chatting for a while, the music suddenly stopped. I raised my head to look. The young master was walking over with a defeated face and an incomparably pitiful expression. I immediately stood up, inquiring, “Young Master… Ah Ye, what happened?” 

  The young master sat down, miserably complaining, “I wanted to sing, to sing Vampire, but they don’t know how to play it.” 

  “Then, let me go ask them if they’re willing to lend me the electronic keyboard to play. Is it all right if I use the electronic keyboard to accompany you?” 

  Once the young master heard me, he immediately nodded happily. 

  To be polite, I first spoke with the manager, Nitesea. Unexpectedly, when he learned that my specialty was actually the piano, he immediately had someone push out a piano. 

  Nitesea explained, “The club has always had a piano prepared for the slower song period. You can use it.” 

  “Thank you.” 

  The young master and I walked up to the stage. Although we interrupted their performance, the band did not seem annoyed. The eyes of the female bassist lead singer started shining when the young master walked up the stage. It looked like she was a fan of the young master’s… How do I phrase this? Not his singing or his acting in movies. After all, the young master’s career was that of a model, not a singer or actor. 

  In any case, it seemed like she was mesmerized by the young master. 

  The female drummer in the back winked at me, saying, “I can play a simple beat for you.” 

  I smiled in gratitude. “Thank you very much.” 

  I sat in front of the piano, opened the piano lid, and brushed my fingers lightly along the piano keys. A stream of music flowed out. The piano’s tone seemed to be slightly off, but since this was not a formal occasion, it was unnecessary to be that particular. 

  It had really been too long since I had played. I remembered when I played before, Sadina would always lean on the piano, specifically picking difficult pieces of music. If I did not know how to play it, she would say that she would punish me, so I would have to accompany her on her shopping trip and help her carry her purse and shopping bags… Really, having me go out with her meant only going out at night, and my clothes would always attract attention from passersby. But she never got tired of “punishing me.” 

  “Charles… gē!” 

  I snapped back to reality. The young master was holding the microphone and turning his head. I immediately said, “My apologies, I will start now.” 

  I began to play the prelude to Vampire, and the young master opened his mouth, singing, “The ancient clock chimes twelve times.” He sang happily. Although his technique was not that good, his joy-filled voice made people hum along unconsciously as soon as they heard him. 

  When the young master finished singing and began to sing the second part, the audience below began to hum, louder and louder. The young master was clearly happy to have others sing with him, and he began to sing increasingly louder as well. At the final, fast verse, the audience’s voices almost drowned out the sound of the piano. 

  Vampires stalk the streets; Strangers don’t come near; Fresh blood is my favorite drink 

  Don’t cry Hallelujah; God’s on vacation; Maria is also asleep 

  I coolly fling my cape aside; Bare my fangs at you; Don’t struggle I’ll be gentle 

  When you meet vampires, hurry and scream 

  We were finally about to reach the last line. At this time, the crowd was screaming instead of singing. The atmosphere was at the peak of excitement. As I played the last piece, the young master suddenly stopped, took a deep breath, and then shouted, “GOD.” 

  The crowd actually started shouting after him, “GOD!” 

  “Bless.” 

  “Bless!” 

  “You—” 

  The young master’s voice was unbelievably high. His volume was even higher than that of the “You” screamed by the crowd, and his tone was rising even higher… 

  Crack! 

  …Was that the sound of glass breaking? 

  I was a little puzzled, but it was clearly not important. The important thing was that the young master was so happy that he cheered with the crowd. He even turned to hug that female bassist, screaming and shouting together. I had never seen the young master so happy. Despite my doubts, it was a good thing that the young master was very happy… right? 

  But why did I feel a little uneasy seeing the young master making noise so happily? 

  “…Do you hear me? I’m telling you to do things that make you happy, to do things you want to do! Stop trying to save others so much!” 

  That fake policeman who could control others once said so to the young master. But doing things that made him happy and doing things that he wanted was not bad, right? The young master was not a bad person. Things that made him happy should be good things, just like singing with the crowd right now. 

  But… I hesitantly wondered, Is the young master happy when he is being a hero?

  No Hero    

  Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter Five: Friendly Act; Merciless Deception

  Translator: clrfction (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  “Whooooo! Singing is so much fun! Melody, can you accept singing jobs for me?” 

  …What? You want to be a singer on top of modeling? 

  Ah Ye, have you forgotten that you still have a role as a hero? You’d be stretching yourself too thin if you’re a singer too! 

  “Can’t you?” Ah Ye’s head drooped, and he looked terribly disappointed. 

  Well, yes, of course! You can always count on your double DSII and the amazing ability to only sleep two hours every day, so it’ll work… Ah! 

  Dammit. Why can’t I deny Ah Ye anything when he makes that face… I wouldn’t even complain if it’s a younger sister, but younger brothers being this cute is cheating! 

  I think I’m beginning to understand why the Sun Emperor heeds Ah Ye’s every whim. 

  Thank goodness Luo Lun isn’t this cute, or else I’d be wrapped around his finger. Bless… yet I feel a little like I’m missing out, dammit! 

  I was in the kitchen preparing ingredients for dinner when Mr. Bramble walked in suddenly. This was truly a rare occurrence because usually only Dell came to the kitchen. He would always want to rush in first to see what there was to eat later. 

  I was just about to inquire when Mr. Bramble asked bluntly, “Did something happen at the club last night?” 

  I was a little surprised and answered quickly, “Nothing happened. The mood was great at the club, and the young master had a wonderful time.” 

  This time it was Mr. Bramble’s turn to look confused. He seemed like he had not expected such an answer, and he asked again dubiously to confirm, “Nothing at all?” 

  “Yes, nothing at all.” I went on to ask him instead, “Has something happened?” 

  Mr. Bramble said with a frown, “There was a case last night, so we notified the young master as usual, yet he told us, ‘Tell DSII to go.’” 

  “Is that a problem?” I was a little lost as I asked, “The young master was having fun for once, so perhaps he did not want to be interrupted. If the case was not too severe, it is not too strange for DSII to go in the young master’s place, is it?” 

  “It is strange!” Mr. Bramble said while shaking his head, “The young master rarely lets DSII go out as Dark Sun, so DSII usually only does modeling. If something happened in the middle of a shoot, Ji Luo Chu is one of our own anyway, so they would even stop and take care of the case together.” 

  “The young master insists on being Dark Sun himself?” That is hardly surprising. 

  Mr. Bramble shook his head. “No, it’s just DSII doesn’t react too well in changeable events, so the decisions he makes can be bad… or good.” 

  Is there anything wrong with making good decisions? I was confused. 

  Mr. Bramble explained further, “DSII makes decisions that would benefit Dark Sun the most. For example, in the case where the young master became known as the Grim Reaper, if DSII had been in that situation, he would never have killed the criminal as a threat, because that would be negative for Dark Sun’s reputation.” 

  So that is the case. Most beneficial for Dark Sun, but not necessarily for the people? 

  “But nothing happened at all last night. Perhaps the young master was having too much fun.” 

  “Really? I even called Briar over…” Mr. Bramble muttered to himself, but stopped when he noticed me looking. He cleared his throat and explained, “Her school’s summer tutoring just ended, so I let her come over to play for a few days. She’s in middle school now, so she needs to spend more time on studies, right?” 

  “Of course,” I replied with a smile, “but Briar is not a child one needs to worry too much about. She is a good child.” 

  Mr. Bramble retorted as soon as I finished my sentence, “She has a long way to go!” Although he said that, his face was full of pride. 

  At this time, the doorbell suddenly rang, so I hurried to open the door. A stranger stood outside with a slip and said, “Please sign to receive.” 

  Is he a delivery man? But I have not ordered anything, and he is not the person who usually delivers blood. Is he mistaken? I hurriedly asked, “May I ask what is being delivered?” 

  The man looked at me bemusedly and said, “I’m from the instrument emporium, and I’m here to deliver a piano. I’ve also brought a tuner to tune the piano for you.” 

  Piano? I quickly replied, “Could there be a mistake? I have not ordered a piano.” 

  “I don’t think so? The person who ordered it is…” he checked the sheet, “An Xiang Ye. Is that correct?” 

  The young master actually ordered a piano? 

  “Is there a mistake?” The emporium employee began to get nervous too and fired off a string of questions, “This is the right address, isn’t it? The piano’s already paid for, so it’s not like there’s more money to pay… You’re not going to return it, are you?” 

  I quickly answered, “No, that is not the case. I was mistaken. Please bring the piano in.” 

  I had some trouble on deciding where to even put the piano, but fortunately, there was some space in the living room, where the piano could be placed while leaving just enough room for walking. The room just looked a little crowded with the new addition. 

  The workers peeled away layers of packaging outside before the appearance of the piano was finally revealed. It was black, but a certain glint seemed to shine in the black. It almost looked like a… 

  “Night Sky,” a worker said proudly. “There are only ninety nine Night Sky pianos in the world. Even our store only managed to procure two. The other one was sold off long ago! If you had visited maybe two days later, you probably would never have seen it. Isn’t it beautiful?” 

  It is indeed beautiful. I opened the lid and slid my fingers across the keys, and a string of melodic notes bounced off. Even though it did need some tuning, the tone was exceptional. This piano probably cost a pretty penny. Does the young master want to learn how to play the piano? 

  A worker said, “We will tune the piano now.” 

  “No need. Do you have the tuning instruments?” 

  From a large, cardboard box to the side, he hurried to take out two wooden boxes of the same style as the piano, one large and one small, and said, “Yes. Night Sky comes with a complete set of tools for tuning and maintenance. They are all right here, but the tuning process must be left to tuning specialists, and customers who have bought Night Sky receive two free tuning sessions every year for the first two years!” 

  I smiled and said, “I have a license for tuning pianos.” 

  Even though the license was procured one hundred years ago and has probably long expired, my technique should still be intact. 

  The worker from the instrument emporium understood and nodded. “I see. In that case, I won’t take up any more of your time. If there are any problems with the piano, please feel free to call.” 

  “Thank you.” 

  After seeing them out, I turned to see Mr. Bramble standing before the piano. He said, “Briar can play the piano too, so we have one at home. If you know how to tune it, you should tune ours someday!” 

  “No problem.” 

  “I’ll go back up now to the rooftop.” 

  “Please take your time.” 

  After finishing up preparations for dinner, I began to work on tuning the piano. The young master might want to play it after he returns home, so I must tune it as soon as possible. However, I had not done tuning in quite a while, so the steps felt unfamiliar. Fortunately I still remembered the steps clearly, so proceeding step by step did not leave much room for error. 

  Even though there were many electrical devices that could accelerate the tuning process, I rarely used them. They might tune the pitch more accurately, but there is always something missing…How to put it? According to Sadina, the pianos I tune always produce a heavier tone, and feel warm and steady to play on. 

  Just like you as a person, always making people feel reassured…You strangely reassuring vampire! 

  After completing the tuning, I sat down in front of the piano and pressed down on individual keys to confirm the accuracy of the pitch. It sounds about right, so the first rough tuning is complete. A few days later, the wires will loosen a little, and I will tune it again then. 

  I pressed the keys. Once. Twice. This clear tone is Sadina’s voice, a younger her. I pressed the keys again. Once. Twice. The pitch became lower, just like how Sadina aged from young to old…I placed my hands on the piano, and my fingers flew over the keys. The notes were quick and rushed, pouring out like water. 

  A rushed prelude ended, the tune slowed down, and I opened my mouth to sing lightly, 

  “Under the sun, you come to me while smiling brightly, 

  In the heat, I raise my hand inevitably, 

  Between the fingers, I see your face clearly, 

  Tell me please, how can I resist loving thee? 

  To step forward and touch your face, no matter how the sun may scorch me, 

  To hold out my hands and feel your pity, time and age reveal our differences, 

  I part my lips to declare my love, even though I know there is no future. 

  Between the fingers, I see your face clearly, 

  Tell me please, how can I resist loving thee? 

  To step forward into a doomed future, streaks of blood hint at imminent darkness, 

  To embrace sunshine despite the burning, an unchanging face recounts eternity, 

  I wished once possessing could deceive sorrow, even though I know there is no future. 

  Between the fingers, I see your face clearly, 

  Tell me please, how can I resist loving thee? 

  I…. 

  Took a step forward then took a step back, 

  hoping someone could bring you happiness.” 

  Sadina, were you happy? 

  After I left, after you finally married him, after you had children… 

  Footsteps? 

  I turned around. “Sadina? Is that you?” Yet as soon as I said that, I realized it could not possibly be Sadina. Has the young master returned? 

  The person walked into the living room, but she was a stranger. She was… Right! The drummer from Aurora! She was not wearing her heavy snow kingdom makeup, so I did not recognize her sooner. Fortunately, she had distinct features, with a heart-shaped face and phoenix eyes, giving her a classical feel, so I was able to remember. 

  She looked straight at me, so I stood up quickly and said with a smile, “Please excuse my nonsense. Is there anything I can help you with?” How did she get in? Did I forget to close the door? 

  She smiled and said, “If that was nonsense, then I’ll really need to hide and refuse visitors.” 

  As she was talking, she reached up to her head and pulled, yanking off her head of white hair. It was actually a wig, and her real hair turned out to be the complete opposite: short and black. 

  “Sorry, the wig was getting itchy.” 

  I shook my head to indicate that I did not mind, and she asked curiously, “The emotion you’ve put into the song makes me think the lyrics are based off of past experience. Am I right?” 

  I nodded and asked the more important question, “I am sorry to be blunt, but how did you come in?” 

  “Ah Ye gave me the keys and told me to come up first. He went to give someone else a ride.” 

  As she said so, she even shook the keys in her hand. They were indeed the young master’s keys. There was even the key for DSII as a motorcycle, though the young master rarely used it, as DSII would often start himself up before the young master could even insert the key into the ignition. 

  “He also told me to tell you that there will be a lot of people over for dinner tonight! Poseidynne and Briar are both coming, so he said to please prepare extra food.” 

  She said all that with a smile, and the smile looked familiar to me for some reason. I could not remember where I might have seen it before though. 

  “I see. Looks like I have much food to prepare.” 

  I just hope we do not shock this lady too much. This family’s consumption is not exactly easy to process for normal people. I prayed that Poseidynne’s appetite was not too big. Should I prepare a triple serving or quintic serving for her? I do not know if merpeople have normal appetites… perhaps I should not make fish? 

  She suddenly asked, “Why not take a step forward? Because you’re a vampire? Everyone knows they exist now, so it’s not that important anymore, right?” 

  Actually, people in the family then already knew I am a vampire. However, knowing they exist and marrying one are two completely different matters. There were too many factors to consider… 

  “Mr. Vampire?” She called my attention back. 

  “It is too late. She has passed away already.” I did not explain further. 

  She paused, then quickly said, “I’m sorry.” In an effort to change the subject, she introduced, “I’m Lin Ding.” 

  I asked suspiciously, “‘Ling Ding’ as in gukulingding, solitary suffering?” 

  She smiled and explained, “‘Lin’ as in forest, ‘Ding’ from the ‘dingdong’ of a bell.” 

  I did not know what to do after she finished introducing herself. It was about time to start cooking dinner, but I could not let Lin Ding stay in the living room by herself. There were too many temptations, and I simply could not allow a recently acquainted person to be here where everything was worth upwards of one million. 

  Should I ask Melody to come over? Is she even home? 

  Fortunately, Aren walked in. He looked at Lin Ding with some surprise and turned to ask me, “Charles-gē, is this your friend?” 

  “No. She is Aurora’s drummer. Ah Ye brought her over.” 

  “Mm? Drummer?” Aren asked suspiciously, “Ah Ye brought you? What does he want with you?” 

  That was decidedly a little blunt to ask, but I would like to know too. Why did the young master buy a piano upon heading out and bring a drummer back? Does he want to form a band? 

  Lin Ding smiled and explained, “He heard that I wrote all the songs for Aurora, so he wants me to write a song for him.” 

  “Write a song?” Aren was shocked and muttered, “He really wants to become a singer? Luo Chu-gē will definitely cry… Dammit! I think I want to cry, too.” 

  Looking at the clock on the wall, I quickly said, “Aren, can you keep Lin Ding company for a bit? I must go cook dinner now.” 

  Aren shrugged and said, “Sure. I wanted to watch the news here anyway while waiting for dinner. Dell-gē and his bunch should be coming down soon, too.” 

  I really am running short on time to cook! I told Lin Ding hurriedly, “I must cook now, so please help yourself. You can watch TV, or if you are interested in books, please take whatever you would like to read.” 

  “Don’t mind me,” Lin Ding said brightly, “though can I use your piano?” 

  “That’s Ah Ye’s piano.” 

  Lin Ding uttered a “huh” and said, “But Ah Ye said he bought this piano for you.” 

  …The young master bought the piano for me? Does he want accompaniment for when he sings? Either way, my priority right now is to cook. 

  “If that is the case, please use it as you please. I shall go cook now.” 

  To think I am so busy that I must use x-speed to cook. If X saw me using my powers from becoming an adult vampire like this, he would probably get rid of me in the name of all vampires. 

  Moving to the living room with x-speed, I brought out black tea and sweets before being able to breathe a sigh of relief. Cooking this meal has been as exciting as fighting a battle. 

  “Ding Ding said she’s gonna write an entire album of vampire songs for me!” 

  The young master brought both Briar and Poseidynne over, but he spent the whole evening talking to Lin Ding about songwriting and barely talked to anyone else. 

  Mr. Bramble, May, Dell, and Aren did not care at all. They ate their food diligently and did not care much for conversation. However, Briar and Poseidynne were here as well, and their motive for coming over was definitely not dinner. 

  Briar would occasionally send a questioning look to the young master, then bring her attention back to her food to eat, but Poseidynne blatantly showed an unhappy expression. 

  May and Dell both realized the unnatural situation and kept tabs on the progression of things out of the corner of their eyes. Aren even went as far as to mutter under his breath, “Your first and second wives are both here, yet there you are chatting away with another woman. Such… skill!” 

  However, the young master noticed nothing at all and kept talking to Lin Ding. Lin Ding did not come across as the oblivious type and should not have not noticed anything, but her eyes lit up whenever she talked about music. Putting the strange atmosphere aside, she did not even notice how unnaturally large the appetites of these people were, or things like how Poseidynne’s hair was beginning to float. 

  After dinner ended, and after the tables were already cleared, the young master was still only talking to Lin Ding. The table was covered with lyrics and scores, and there was some occasional singing. Sounds like there is some vocal coaching going on. Nevertheless, no matter what they were talking about, as long as they sounded happy, the first wife and the second wife… Um, Briar and Poseidynne, would be extremely displeased, especially when the young master kept calling Lin Ding “Ding Ding.” 

  The young master has always decided on fiancées casually. He had decided to become engaged with Briar just because he saved her. Now he is having such a good talk with Lin Ding… No wonder Briar and Poseidynne do not look too well. 

  With everyone giving me meaningful looks, I could only go up to the young master and ask, “Ah Ye, it is getting late. Should we call a car for Miss Lin Ding?” 

  I should actually ask the young master if he would like to give Lin Ding a ride out of courtesy, but Poseidynne’s eyes are as stormy as the ocean. If I say anything about letting the young master give Lin Ding a ride home, I might be sunk into an ocean somewhere as soon as the young master steps out of the door. Vampires can drown too. 

  “Hmm? Is it late already?” The young master turned to look at the clock and asked, “It’s only nine?” 

  “Ah Ye, there might be safety issues if Miss Lin Ding goes home too late.” 

  If Lin Ding leaves any later, the young master might have safety issues himself. Poseidynne’s true strength is unclear, but she can control water, and that is a troublesome power. If she douses the apartment, no matter how strong the young master is, he would still only have the choice to fly away. 

  “It’s nine?” Instead, Lin Ding was shocked as she exclaimed, “Oh no! There’s a show at Seaside at ten. I need to go!” 

  “I will call for a car at once.” I rushed to dial Nitewalker’s number. 

  The young master nodded too as he said to Lin Ding, “I’ll walk you downstairs, then.” 

  “It’s okay!” Lin Ding waved him off coolly as she hurriedly stuffed the sheet music on the table into her bag. She said a quick “Thanks for having me” to everyone and sprinted out the door. The young master followed. 

  However, it seemed like Lin Ding did not leave at once but lingered at the door to talk to the young master. At last, the young master’s voice came from near the door, “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Ding Ding. Bye!” 

  Hearing this, Poseidynne stood up abruptly, but was stopped by Briar when she grabbed the hem of her clothes. Poseidynne looked down at her, appearing very unhappy, but Briar shook her head. Poseidynne hesitated, but sat down after all. 

  I began to understand who the first wife was and who the second wife was. Even though this conclusion is quite unreasonable, as the first wife is the older one in most cases, the young master’s case seems to be the complete opposite. The first wife Briar probably is not even as old as the second wife Poseidynne’s age’s end digits. 

  At this time, the young master walked back in. He did not at all notice Briar and Poseidynne’s foul mood, but said to me, “Charles, Yue Gang’s outside. He said he wants to see you, but wouldn’t come in. Why don’t you go check it out?” 

  I paused and quickly replied, “of course,” then proceeded to walk to the door, but unexpectedly, Yue Gang was not standing by the door. Instead, he was standing a distance away near the elevator. 

  I walked over as I said, “Yue Gang? Can I help you with anything?” 

  “You jerk!” Yue Gang rushed up without any more words, and just as I was confused, he punched me out of nowhere. The punch was actually very slow to me, perfectly avoidable… had I not frozen. 

  I took the punch solidly, but the shock was much greater than the pain…Yue Gang actually punched me? 

  He shook his hand as he swore, “Damn, vampires have hard faces!” 

  I paused, and before I could say anything, Yue Gang was yelling already, “That’s right! I know you’re a vampire. How dare you fucking lie to me!” 

  That’s right, I was revealed to be a vampire at the filming studio, yet I had forgotten that the news would eventually reach Yue Gang. I was silent for a while, yet I could not come up with anything. I could only say, “I am sorry.” 

  Yue Gang humphed coldly and growled, “You’d better not create any problems. I’ll arrest you just the same if you do!” 

  With that, he turned and left with no hesitation, as if he did not want to hear any explanation. And the truth was, I did not have anything to explain. The lie had been exposed, and that was all there was to it, so I did not say anything to stop him, except, “Yue Gang, do not buy too many weapons in the future.” 

  In the future, he will likely not borrow money from me anymore, so he had better not be too poor to buy food and even annoy his father into not giving him food. 

  Yue Gang’s footsteps paused. Then, he walked into the elevator. 

  Staring at the closed elevator doors, I regretted losing this friend. But there is no surprise here. The outcome was determined the moment I lied to him. 

  I turned to walk back home, but did not expect to hear furious yelling as soon as I stepped in. 

  “You jerk! Have you forgotten what you have promised me? I can wait for you to be single again, but I won’t allow anyone else! You can only be with Briar-mèimei before you get together with me!” 

  The person yelling was Poseidynne. She bellowed at the young master lividly while Briar hung onto her hands with all her might, looking like she wanted to tell Poseidynne to stop, yet she had tears glistening in her own eyes. 

  The young master had a bright red palm print on his face. Poseidynne obviously hit much harder than Yue Gang, but the young master only touched his face stupefied and asked confusedly, “Why did you hit me?” 

  Hearing this, Poseidynne glared at the young master angrily and screamed, “Don’t play dumb! Where did that Lin Ding come from?” 

  Everyone, including Briar’s father Mr. Bramble, lowered their heads. The one reading the paper kept reading, and the ones watching the news kept watching. The one who could not find anything to do could only pretend to exercise. 

  “Ding Ding?” The young master admitted very honestly, “I met Ding Ding at a club…” 

  “A CLUB?!” Poseidynne sounded even angrier. Her roar sounded even scarier than the Hollow Roar of vampires. It was as if the sentences were echoing in a valley. “Ding Ding? Ding my foot! Don’t you DARE go hang out with her again!” 

  “I can’t do that!” The young master’s eyes widened as he said, “I need her to write songs for me!” 

  Hearing a refusal, Poseidynne’s anger flared… No, it flooded. I heard explosions and ensuing sounds of gushing water in both the kitchen and bathroom. It appears that we will need a plumber. 

  “Poseidynne! Don’t be like this!” Briar held onto Poseidynne tightly for dear life. 

  Poseidynne spat the syllables out one by one, “An. Xiang. Ye. Are you really going to meet her again?” 

  The young master did not appear to give it much thought and nodded. 

  Poseidynne humphed loudly, grabbed Briar, and said, “Briar, let’s go.” Then she really turned to leave, slamming the door behind her. 

  “Young Master, do you not need to follow after her… them?” I glanced at Mr. Bramble, but he showed no reaction, as if his daughter had not been taken away by an angry merperson, just by an auntie for a walk. 

  “Follow?” The young master blanked for a second, then yelled angrily all of a sudden, “No! Why did Poseidynne hit me for no reason?” 

  Aren muttered, “I wouldn’t really call that for no reason? Ah Ye, you really have been kinda weird lately. Get your dad to come give you a check-up!” 

  I have had the same sneaking notion. As a matter of fact, the others should have noticed too, but no one could bring it up to the young master, since we are after all his employees. The young master has also not done anything terribly out of ordinary either. 

  He just goes to clubs, slacks off on his hero duties, wants to be a singer, and has a good time chatting with other females. None of these seem extraordinarily serious, just, like Aren said, “kinda weird.” 

  Fortunately, we still have Aren to bring up the suggestion, but will the young master listen? 

  Surprisingly, the young master only replied confusingly, “Have I really been acting weird?” 

  Aren answered with no hesitation, “You’ve been weird.” 

  “Well then. Charles, call Bàba for me.” The young master finished, then mumbled to himself worryingly, “Don’t tell me it’s something that strange prisoner from that other time did…” 

  The young master was troubled about that himself, too? I quickly responded, “Of course,” and dialed Mr. An Te Qi’s number… and that of the plumber. 

  The water had flooded out here to the living room.

  No Hero    

  Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter Six: Sincere Request; Willful Demand

  Translator: XianBang (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  “Gē, there’s a pretty girl outside looking for you!” 

  A pretty girl? Could it be Melody… no, Luo Lun would recognize Melody. 

  “Ji Luo Chu, you went with Ah Ye to the nightclub, right? You’d better tell me exactly what happened that day, not a single word less, unless you want to be fed to the fishes!” 

  Turns out it’s Ah Ye’s mistress. Fed to the fishes… you’re not going to open your mouth and eat me, right? Isn’t a merperson still a fish? 

  “Poseidynne-jiě, don’t be like this!” Briar was grasping at Poseidynne’s hand with all her might to the side. 

  “TELL. ME. Word. For. Word!” 

  Word for word? Wouldn’t it be enough to mention only the things relevant to Ah Ye? Ah Ye, take your mistress back to your family’s fish tank! I’m busy with work, and I need to be a hero. I don’t have time to raise fish! 

  Bang! 

  Luo Lun screamed, “Gē! All of the faucets and pipes in our house have exploded!” 

  …That day, Ah Ye suddenly wanted to go to a nightclub, so we went to a nightclub called Seaside… Oh, right! That shop’s owner seemed to know you. 

  Poseidynne furiously shouted, “You’re lying! How could Ah Ye want to go to a nightclub?” 

  He just wanted to go that day! He didn’t do much there. He just danced with Melody, then sang “Vampire.” 

  “You’re lying! What about that female drummer?” 

  What female drummer… 

  “Gē! The bathtub exploded too!” 

  My god, Ah Ye, take your family’s fish back, now! 

  The young master was wearing only a pair of shorts while lying on the pure white surgery table. Mr. An Te Qi was setting up many tools while I was standing to one side. I saw a dazzling line of surgical instruments, even a small electric saw and a notebook computer. Although I wanted to help, I really did not know where to start, and could only quietly stand there. Only when I saw Mr. An Te Qi about to start did I hurriedly ask, “Shall I leave?” 

  Would Dark Sun’s body structure be considered a trade secret? 

  “Leave?” Mr. An Te Qi stared at me, as if he had heard something inconceivable. “If you leave, then who will I be teaching?” 

  “Teaching?” I asked in confusion, “Teaching who?” 

  “Teaching you, of course!” An Te Qi said naturally, “Otherwise, if I croak in the future, who will help Ah Ye maintain his body? Although Ah Ye can take care of most of his own needs, if he’s hurt seriously and both his hands are crippled, he can’t use his feet to go under the knife now, can he?” 

  Surgery? Shocked, I said, “I have never studied any material on medicine. The most I know is basic healthcare.” 

  “Hey!” Mr. An Te Qi impatiently waved his hand, saying, “So what if you’ve studied it or not? Do you think Ah Ye’s body can be understood by someone who has read a few years’ worth of medical texts?” 

  Would it not be even worse not reading a few years’ worth of medical books? 

  “The important part isn’t reading books, it’s that you will stay by Ah Ye’s side forever, right?” 

  Hearing this, Ah Ye lifted his body from the table and watched me. 

  I nodded, saying, “Of course.” 

  Mr. An Te Qi simply handed down his decision. “Then, it’s completely unimportant whether you’ve studied medicine or not. Either way, you’ll start learning from now on for eighty years. Even if you’re an idiot, you’ll learn enough to become a genius. Ah Ye, get on your stomach.” 

  After the young master twisted around from lying supine to prone, Mr. An Te Qi beckoned at me, then “opened” the area behind the young master’s left ear. Pointing at a notch which looked like a circuit board, he said, “Look here; this is the only part of his entire body that doesn’t need to be cut open for examination, and is also the main input point. But if you want to connect to the internet or phone lines, Ah Ye’s body has some more connection points like his hair, fingertips, and whatnot.” 

  I struggled to conceal my surprise, especially when Mr. An Te Qi connected a tangle of wires behind the young master’s ear. 

  “Good, now sleep, Ah Ye!” 

  After connecting the wires, Mr. An Te Qi patted the young master’s head, then turned his head to tell me, “While examining him, I’ll conveniently explain some related information to you. Ah Ye’s body isn’t something that can be operated on with a regular scalpel. It’s difficult to cut, so it needs a special scalpel. If major surgery is required, then an electric saw or even an energy scalpel might be needed. But avoid using that as much as possible, since it can create cauterized wounds that aren’t easy to heal.” 

  Energy scalpels… this is the first time I have heard of them. 

  “Be extremely careful when using these tools. It’s not easy to cut Ah Ye, but cutting yourself into pieces is only a matter of lightly bumping into them! Wait, didn’t Ah Ye say that you aren’t human? Then what…” 

  I immediately replied, “I understand. I will be extremely cautious.” 

  Mr. An Te Qi paused a little. “Oh, that’s good… Where was I?” 

  “You just finished talking about the surgical tools.” 

  “Mmm, then let’s talk about dealing with basic wounds. Honestly, if Ah Ye’s skin and flesh are hurt, it’s no big deal. After stopping the bleeding and patching it up with pre-cultivated flesh, then spraying it with muscle-regenerating drugs, it’ll recover in a couple of days. The hardest injuries to deal with are bone injuries. Ah Ye’s bones are mixed with a great deal of metals, so if a problem occurs with his bones, metalworking is needed. You’ll have to learn metalworking as well.” 

  Metalworking? 

  “Right, metalworking!” Mr. An Te Qi nodded, saying, “And it has to be done masterfully, because all of Dark Sun’s movements are extremely precise. It could be said that no matter how the flesh is injured, there wouldn’t be any effect on his movement. But if a bone is slightly askew, it will have a massive effect on his movements, especially when places like joints are involved. There cannot be a single mistake.” 

  Precise metalworking… 

  “And there’s adjustment of the computer chips, so you’ll need to learn computer programming. But I don’t know that well either. I only know how to take care of some basic problems, but the Sun Emperor told me this was not enough. You must learn everything, in case Ah Ye’s chips malfunctions while nobody else is able to fix them. Therefore, he will find other people to teach you more complex computer knowledge.” 

  Computer programming… 

  “Why’s your face so pale?” An Te Qi slapped my back hard, saying, “Relax, you have eighty years to learn… if I don’t croak before then, hahaha!” 

  But every time I see you, most of the time it looks like you’ll die of overwork any minute. 

  “Next, take a look here, this place is…” 

  Mr. An Te Qi seemed to not only inspect him, but performed many other actions as well, such as injecting many unknown drugs into the young master’s arm and even vertebrae. The more I watched, the more fearful I became. Only when Mr. An Te Qi went over to his laptop did I take the chance to lightly push the young master awake and quietly tell him. 

  But the young master did not mind and said, “It’s no problem. Either way, Bàba will only make me stronger. He won’t dare to experiment on my body, because then Gēge would dismember him into ten thousand pieces.” 

  He halted for a moment, saying in a serious tone, “Really into ten thousand pieces. It’s not a hyperbole!” 

  I honestly believe you. 

  “Mr. An Te Qi, may I know the results of the examination?” 

  Although I knew Mr. An Te Qi would not act recklessly, his current work seemed endless, so I directly spoke and inquired. After all, clarifying whether the young master was under control was the main priority. 

  I asked several times, but only when the young master called “Bàba” in a low voice did Mr. An Te Qi finally come back to reality, saying, “Oh! Nothing happened to Ah Ye. He’s still as healthy as ever. This body is made by me. Not to brag about it, but you’re too strong to die…” 

  I coughed. 

  He returned to the topic. “As for the human-controlling ability, I think it might be a type of hypnotism. According to the situation you described, that person might possess a unique voice, so he could use his voice to hypnotize others. But this is not a serious problem. Even the most powerful hypnotism cannot stay effective for long. After a certain time period, the hypnotism will lose its effect.” 

  I was comforted greatly upon hearing this. The young master’s current condition was not serious to begin with, and after hearing that the hypnotism would lose effectiveness after a period of time, there was practically nothing to worry about. 

  The young master asked Mr. An Te Qi with slight confusion, “Bàba, why didn’t Gēge come?” 

  This made me curious too. The master had always been overly worried about the young master’s affairs, so I thought he would have come along as well. 

  Mr. An Te Qi shrugged, “Your brother has been under pressure and is working to death, but his secretary is squabbling with him, saying that he’ll go on strike and quit.” 

  “Mr. Kyle?” I was very, very surprised. Mr. Kyle would argue against his boss? 

  The young master giggled, “How could Kyle-gē squabble with Gēge? It’s the other secretary, whose surname is Bai. If Kyle-gē is Gēge’s right hand, then Secretary Bai is his left!” 

  I asked with slight confusion, “The Sun Emperor’s left hand? I do not think I have heard of that before.” 

  Mr. An Te Qi explained, “It’s because the affairs dealt with by the Sun Emperor’s left hand cannot be revealed to the public. It’s a complete mess of things. Even the Sun Emperor doesn’t know everything about some ventures. That’s why the Sun Emperor got a headache when his left hand went on strike. Recently, his complexion has been as terrible as a pile of shit.” 

  The young master nodded, “No wonder Gēge never called even after I was being controlled. He didn’t see the news, right?” 

  “I never heard him mention it. He probably didn’t see it since he’s been busy for quite a while.” 

  “Why is Secretary Bai squabbling with Gēge?” 

  Mr. An Te Qi scratched his head and uncertainly said, “I think your brother ditched a dinner invitation again, or forgot about a birthday present despite promising one. I’m not sure about the details. Either way, the left hand was furious. Even when the Sun Emperor threatened to fire the left hand, he was yelled at with, ‘Kill or maim, do whatever you want.’” 

  This does not sound like how secretaries and their bosses are supposed to interact. Could Secretary Bai be female, and the relationship with the Sun Emperor is not merely an employer-employee one? 

  The young master relaxed, saying, “Thankfully Gēge didn’t see the news, so he won’t call me and tell me to stop being a hero.” 

  Hearing this, Mr. An Te Qi gave the young master a strange look, saying, “Ah Ye, you really are acting strange.” 

  The young master was shocked, quickly asking, “How am I strange?” 

  “Usually, when you hear that your brother is unhappy, wouldn’t you say ‘Oh no, should I head over to be with my gēge’ or something like that? But this time you actually said ‘Thankfully…’ your brother might cry if he heard that.” 

  Hearing this, the young master frowned, seemingly recognizing himself being somewhat off, then worriedly asking, “Bàba, you just said that I will recover after a period of time. Is that true?” 

  “Of course, of course. How could I mess around with your business? Your brother would want to kill me again.” Mr. An Te Qi thought a little, then added, “In any case, if something goes wrong, you can just call me! Relax, relax!” 

  Mr. An Te Qi, there really is nothing about you that allows anyone to relax. 

  “If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving. There are still some corpses under experimentation at home. If I don’t keep records for too long, the experiment will be rendered useless.” 

  After the young master nodded in agreement, I immediately told Mr. An Te Qi, “I will escort you.” 

  After escorting Mr. An Te Qi, I tried to call Yue Gang. The connection was successful, but it was immediately cut off. Sigh! 

  Walking back home, I was surprised to see that the young master was making a phone call, too. But he did not say anything, only calling over and over again. It seemed like no one was picking up. 

  “Young Master, are you not working today?” 

  “No, I’m going to go find Ding Ding soon.” 

  Hearing this, I hesitated a little, but still did not persuade the young master not to go, inquiring, “Young Master, shall I get you some milk?” 

  “No thanks,” the young master unhappily said. After that, he neither modified guns nor planned to go out. He just turned on the TV, switched to the movie channel, and started watching a rerun of an ancient movie. 

  ”Young Master, then I will go and clean your room…” 

  Surprisingly, the young master reacted violently, saying, “No! Stay here with me.” 

  “… As you wish.” 

  Standing right next to the young master with nothing to do, I started watching the movie with him—an old romance movie. Although it was not as old as me, it was probably as old as Mr. Bramble. 

  The young master seemed bored. I thought he would rather watch the news, but I did not understand why he refused to switch channels. 

  “Young Master, may I ask you what went on this year?” I tried to make small talk with the young master. He immediately nodded. Clearly he did not want to watch the movie. 

  “Yesterday, I heard Poseidynne say that she will wait until you are single again, and that you gave her a promise. May I ask what you promised her?” 

  The young master nodded, saying, “Poseidynne said she likes me, but I already have Briar. Then, she said she could live for a long time anyways, that she doesn’t mind waiting for the end of my marriage with Briar, so I promised her that I will marry her after that time.” 

  So it is like that. As a healthy, long-lived non-human in her prime, Poseidynne does have a long time she can wait. But, Young Master, you are only twenty-three years old, yet you have already decided your second wife a century ahead of time? 

  Suddenly, I remembered something more important, hurriedly asking, “How did Poseidynne know that you could live for a very long time? Did you tell her?” 

  The young master tilted his head, saying, “I didn’t tell her. Maybe she guessed it? Everyone probably guessed it somewhat already. Aren already looks several years older than me.“ 

  I was a bit worried and quickly reminded him, “Young Master, let’s hide it as best as we can! Humans have been longing for immortality for a very long time, so if they know someone can actually escape death, I’m afraid that it might bring you a great deal of trouble.” 

  “Actually, even if they know the method, they wouldn’t dare to try.” The young master shook his head, saying, “The possibility of a successful complete alteration like me is only 1%. Since the result of failure is death, do they dare?” 

  One percent? But the master can put in a lot of manpower for production, right? Imagining the master with ten, or even dozens of Dark Suns under his control… is enough to make people shudder. 

  The young master said curiously, “Charles, the space between your eyebrows decreased by 0.5 centimeters! Are you thinking about some serious matter?” 

  It was impossible to fool the young master. Though I still had some misgivings, I spoke out loud what I was worrying about. Yet after hearing what I said, the young master laughed and explained, “The possibility of success is 1%, but it also costs a lot! Just the manufacturing cost is unimaginable, and the maintenance costs are even more so. If I weren’t the Sun Emperor’s dìdi, throwing me away would save more money than fixing me. Gēge’s adjudication squad is like that. Anyone damaged by 30% or more is thrown away, because repairs are seriously too expensive.” 

  I asked a little about the approximate costs and immediately felt that I had worried too much. There were likely very few people who had the ability to manufacture anything with these national defense-level sounding production costs. No wonder there were so few in the Sun Emperor’s adjudication squad, and only one like the young master. The cost was really unimaginably expensive. 

  The young master thought for a moment, and said, “But the truth should still be concealed. When I really can’t hide it, I’ll just pretend I’m a vampire too. Otherwise it would be very troublesome.” 

  True. Before the people in pursuit of immortality realize the one-percent survival rate and tremendous manufacturing costs, they will not give up. 

  Pretending to be a vampire is a fairly good idea. The young master is an expert in slide stepping and can drink a person’s blood unfazed, so acting as a vampire would not be a difficult matter. 

  “Young Master, then do you truly like Poseidynne?” 

  This question was far too rude for a butler to ask his master, but because of the young master’s situation, I felt that I had to ask. I only hoped that the young master was not of the predisposition of promising a place in line just because someone wanted to get married with him. 

  I thought that the young master would hesitate and say “I don’t know either” or “I quite like her” or something equally ambiguous, but I never imagined that he would unhesitatingly nod and say, “Yeah! Poseidynne is really strong and interesting.” 

  Strong? I somewhat hesitatingly asked, “Then Briar…” 

  “I like her even more of course!” 

  I said, puzzled, “But Briar is not strong.” 

  “She is strong!” The young master mumbled, “Briar knows everything. She knows how to do everything right. She’s much stronger than me, at least.” 

  So it is like that. If it is based on other abilities rather than combat skills, Briar is definitely strong. Despite her young age, she is mature in handling affairs, and one can already see she will become a very capable woman. Going by that… could it be that the young master likes strong women? 

  “Why did Poseidynne suddenly become angry?” The young master rested his chin on both hands and worriedly said, “Bri is also ignoring me. Is she angry too?” 

  “Young Master, do you like Lin Ding?” I was a little worried, since Lin Ding seemed to be the “strong woman” type as well. Could it be that the young master has already decided on his third wife already? 

  “Ah?” The young master widened his eyes, saying, “I’ve only known Ding Ding for two days!” 

  Young Master, you only met Briar for half an hour when you already made a wedding contract with her. 

  “I really don’t like Ding Ding like that. Does Briar think that I like her too?” The young master was visibly distressed. 

  I smiled wryly, saying, “Briar is probably skeptical, but I am afraid Poseidynne is absolutely certain.” 

  The young master shook his head, saying, “It’s okay with Poseidynne since I can clear it up by talking with her, but Briar is scary! The situation with Poseidynne already made her angry once. No matter what I said then, she wouldn’t reply or give me a hug, wouldn’t take calls, and would even look at me tearfully. I felt terrible.” 

  The first wife is more powerful after all. No wonder Mr. Bramble is not worried at all. 

  At this point, the young master grabbed his cell phone and called a couple more times, but apparently nobody answered still. He frowned, sighing, “Ah…” 

  Upon seeing this, I thought of the call that had been hung up on me earlier, and I silently sighed as well. 

  “Whoa! No wonder you’re a servant and master pair! Why do you both look so gloomy?” 

  The young master and I were both distracted as Melody walked into the living room with the crisp sound of her high heels. She truly appeared radiant, as if she were about to go to a dance party. 

  The young master miserably said, “Poseidynne and Bri are both ignoring me. They aren’t taking my calls.” 

  Melody covered her smile, then turned and asked me, “What about you, Butler?” 

  I wryly smiled while saying, “Yue Gang found out that I am a vampire and came over to punch me.” 

  The young master cried out in surprise, then worriedly turned to look at me. 

  “Hahaha!” However, Melody suddenly laughed. 

  The young master dissatisfiedly yet curiously asked, “Melody, what are you laughing at? Is it really that funny?” 

  Melody laughed while saying, “I was laughing at how similar the master and butler are. You’re undoubtedly the most influential pair in this world, and clearly people should avoid irritating you guys. Yet contrarily, you two have been hard pressed due to a couple of nobodies, and the master and servant are both sitting here sighing. How is this not funny?” 

  Confused, the young master earnestly replied, “But it isn’t funny, and who are these nobodies?” 

  Hearing the young master’s reply, Melody could laugh no longer. 

  At that moment, the young master’s gaze suddenly turned from Melody to the window. I involuntarily followed his gaze. A person jumped onto the balcony, wearing a skintight red shirt and a silver visor… It was Dark Sun! 

  But the young master is clearly here! When I compared the young master and Dark Sun, I did not know how to react. The young master took no action either, and even Melody did not show a hint of surprise. 

  That “Dark Sun” pushed open the French windows and walked in, saying, “Ah Ye, let me tell you, NC and Solitary Butterfly got into an argument!” 

  The young master frowned, asking, “What are they arguing about?” 

  It is DSII! I suddenly realized. 

  “NC wants Solitary Butterfly to turn the criminal over, but Solitary Butterfly refused.” 

  DSII took off his visor. The face underneath was exactly the same as the young master’s, but the overall feeling he gave was completely different. It was impossible to mistake one for the other. He happily said, “According to my analysis, it’s possible that P29 pressured SCIP, and SCIP could only go and pressure NC, making them give up the criminal.” 

  Hearing this pile of English acronyms was really confusing. So the P29 psychiatric hospital pressured the Special Crime Department of International Police Organization, but the Special Criminal Department failed completely against Dark Sun, so they had to pressure the Sunset City NC squad that specifically deals with non-humans? 

  The young master frowned while pondering, then took his phone and called, immediately saying, “Kyle-gē, tell P29 to stop being noisy!” Done speaking, he pressed the speaker button, allowing us to hear the reply. 

  “P29? Is it a Sun Alliance organization?” 

  “Yeah!” 

  After the sound of a burst of keystrokes came through the phone, Secretary Kyle said, “Secretary Bai is probably responsible for that group. There is no organization called P29 from my side. Secretary Bai has currently run away from home, so I probably will not be able to get into contact right away. If it is a secret organization, it will take a while for me to gain contact.” 

  “Ran away from home?” The young master paused. “How did it end up like that?” 

  The phone transmitted the sound of Secretary Kyle’s helpless voice. “The Sun Emperor refused to admit his mistake, but Secretary Bai would die to make him admit it, so the situation became like this. Thankfully, Secretary Bai is mostly responsible for the secret organizations, so a temporary suspension of activity is unlikely to affect the Sun Alliance. Only a long-term suspension would create a large issue.” 

  The young master frowned, saying, “Anyways, contact P29 and stop them from messing around in Sunset City!” 

  The phone was silent for about three seconds, then came the reply, “Yes, Young Master.” 

  The young master hung up, still appearing fairly unhappy. 

  “Ah Ye, you’re a little weird,” DSII said. To think, he noticed… Is DSII really a robot? 

  “I know I’m weird!” When the young master somewhat angrily finished saying that and faced DSII’s widened eyes, he too froze. Then, using a somewhat unhappy tone, he grumbled, “Either way, Bàba said that I’ll be fine after a while.” 

  DSII straightforwardly countered, “Can Daddy’s words be trusted?” 

  Mr. An Te Qi, even robots do not believe in you. 

  The young master’s face crumpled. He looked distressed. 

  “Ah Ye, aren’t you going to look for Solitary Butterfly? She and NC are arguing!” DSII asked in surprise. 

  The young master hesitated, saying, “I’ve already told Kyle-gē to warn P29, so it shouldn’t be a problem anymore. I need to find Ding Ding now. Turn into a motorcycle, DSII, a regular one, not the one that Dark Sun uses.” 

  DSII forcefully nodded with an ecstatic face. He walked into the workshop, humming tunelessly. “I can turn into a motorcycle~~ I love motorcycles. Motorcycles are so fast~~” 

  The young master followed him into the workshop, but suddenly stopped midway, turning to command me, “Charles, if Briar and Poseidynne ask where I went, remember to tell them I turned into Dark Sun to handle a situation, not to find Ding Ding!” 

  I paused, then quickly replied, “Yes.” 

  Melody faintly smiled, saying, “Young Master, you’re not even married yet! And you’ve already started thinking of ways to fool your wife?” 

  Hearing her, the young master frowned, but walked into the workshop without a word. I followed, then helped the young master put on Dark Sun’s uniform. 

  “Charles, go find Yue Gang!” The young master told me, “Tell him everything.” 

  I hesitated and asked in confusion, “Everything?” 

  The young master countered, “Do you trust Yue Gang?” 

  I pondered for a moment, replying, “Young Master, I trust him, so it is no problem if I tell him about my affairs, but your business should not be told so lightly to others.” 

  The young master tilted his head, saying, “Oh, I don’t mind if you tell him, so whatever you say is fine. I really like Yue Gang. Don’t stop being friends with him!” 

  I see. I smiled, saying, “Yes, Young Master.” 

  After sending off the young master, I returned to the living room, where Melody was sitting on the couch, admiring her nails. I wryly smiled, telling her, “If it continues like this for the young master, I really do not know how many wives he will end up with.” 

  “How so? The young master pledged to Briar before that there wouldn’t be anyone else, and Poseidynne is just in line. As long as Briar is around, there’s no way she’ll become any closer to the young master. That’s the only reason Briar finally cooled her temper!” 

  Melody carelessly examined the nail polish on her hand, saying, “You know as well that the young master is a man of his word. If he says he won’t look for anyone else, he won’t look. But it certainly is unfortunate. I was thinking of playing around with the young master later.” 

  I nodded, but it was not completely in approval. Even if Poseidynne will not have a relationship with the young master for now, for Briar, Poseidynne is likely still an interloper… Even though she and Poseidynne seem to get along well? 

  Melody looked at me with a faint smile while saying, “You’re only half as old as me, but your personality doubles my age. Nowadays, a kid of the rich and powerful like the young master having only two wives is inconceivably little. Besides, his only brother has so many women, if one were to randomly throw a brick into the fashion industry, it could hit three women who’ve slept with him before. See, didn’t Secretary Bai even get angry this time too?” 

  “Wasn’t it because he missed an appointment?” 

  Melody rolled her eyes at me, saying, “Missing an appointment? Secretary Bai works right next to the Sun Emperor every day. How could he miss an appointment?” 

  He certainly could not. 

  “I bet that the young master is definitely going to be a henpecked male! He doesn’t dare to offend his wife even when he’s hypnotized, and he even has to lie to her… Haha, this little girl Briar sure has a talent. You really can’t judge a book by its cover…” She paused, laughing while saying, “No, it’s can’t judge a person by their ‘age.’” 

  I smiled. Although Briar was certainly mature and intelligent, it was still mostly due to the young master’s good nature. 

  “I need to go out for a moment to find Yue Gang.” 

  Melody looked up, saying, “To the church? Then could you help me ask Father Yue if we could borrow the church to record an MV? The producers want to go to a church to use it as the backdrop. You know that the only church in Sunset City that isn’t run down is that one.” 

  I was somewhat surprised. “Are you recording for real?” 

  “The young master said he wanted to be a singer. Why wouldn’t it be real?” 

  “With the young master acting strangely now, he might change his mind in a few days.” 

  “Even if he’s off his rocker now, we still have to obey his command.” Melody lowered her tone, “Remember the situation you’re in! We’re the young master’s subordinates. Even if he wants us to die, then we’d have to die… Oh right, you’re not his subordinate.” 

  She glanced at me, saying, “I don’t know about the duties of a butler, but us underlings have to obey his every command.” 

  Hearing her, I was worried and said, “That mind-controlling criminal is still in Sunset City. If he manages to control the young master again…” 

  Melody grumpily said, “Relax! The young master already has his guard up. He won’t be so easily controlled. I wonder why you’re always so worried about the young master? He even fought X, the thousand-year old vampire, to a standstill. He’s several times stronger than you and me. You’re worrying about him when you should be worrying about yourself. How’s your blood ability training going?” 

  I coughed, quickly saying, “I’m heading out to find Yue Gang.” 

  “Tch!”


  No Hero    

  Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter 7: Shouldering Responsibility; Turning Around and Leaving

  Translator: purplezero (proofread by Faren & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia) 

  “First Wind, can you help me?” 

  Solitary Butterfly? What happened? 

  “NC wants me to hand Josh over… that felon from last time. I declined.” 

  Why decline? Lately, we’ve been working well with NC. There shouldn’t be any problems? 

  “I don’t think that things are that simple. Although Josh has a weird ability, his character is quite pure, like a child’s. He said that he’s been locked away in P29 since childhood. Finally, someone helped him escape. Only, he overindulged himself in so much fun that he forgot to meet up with that person.” 

  You want to use him to capture the person that helped him escape? 

  “Not just that. I also suspect that P29 is problematic. I investigated Josh’s case. He killed his parents and was sentenced to death, but because of his severe mental illness and propensity for violence, he was imprisoned in P29. However, after observing his behavior over the last couple of days, he doesn’t appear to be prone to violence at all!” 

  Solitary Butterfly, he knows how to control people. That’s too dangerous. Don’t have him stay at your home! 

  “You suspect that I’m being controlled? Don’t worry. He uses his voice to control people, which is why I wear ear plugs when I’m with him. All of our communications have been in writing.” 

  But…sigh, forget about it. I bet you won’t listen to me. It has always been that way. So, what is it that you want me to help you with? 

  “For the time being, I won’t be able to go out much. Help me take care of the northern district. Also, don’t tell Dark Sun about Josh. He’s too close to NC. I’m afraid that he’ll tell them. That’s all. Bye!” 

  Wait a bit… Hey, she actually hung up on me! Are you kidding? I’m busy too! The news of Ah Ye thinking of becoming a singer has leaked. Suddenly, all these advertising jobs have come flooding in. The amount of work has skyrocketed! 

  Previously, Dark Sun wanted me to help him attend to his district. Now, in place of him, Solitary Butterfly wants me to attend to her area. I… can only make a phone call. 

  Hello. Aren? Help me take care of the northern and western districts. 

  “…” 

  Looking at the church before me, I really was at a bit of a loss. A habit formed after hundreds of years is still difficult to change. The basic survival instinct of a vampire is to avoid the church, staying far away. However, I was now entering a church. Perhaps I would even greet the priest with a few words and then ask for forgiveness from the priest’s son for my deceit. 

  If Sadina were to know about this, would she laugh nonstop? 

  Sighing, I entered the church. I looked around. There seemed to be no believers about. Only some light shone out of the confession chambers. I headed toward the tiny confessional. In the room, there was indeed someone there. It appeared to be Yina. I quietly questioned, “May I ask if Yue Gang is home?” 

  Through the lattice, Yina shot me a glance and coldly said, “Entering a confessional without confessing or repenting yet still wanting to ask questions? Confess before you ask a question.” 

  I smiled wryly. Helpless, I sat down. It was unavoidable that I would think about how Sadina would laugh at me if she ever found out that I was even confessing. 

  “I have deceived Yue Gang. I let him think that I am human. I am truly sorry.” 

  Unexpectedly, Yina said, “You can’t tell everyone you meet that you are a vampire. So, there isn’t much to confess over that. Moreover, Father Yue ought to repent even more. He even played his own son! Yue Gang is indeed angry at you right now, but if he knew that Father Yue knew about this, I bet he’s more likely to direct his anger at his own father instead.” 

  This sentence left no space for argument. But, did Yina forget that she is also one of the people who knew the truth yet failed to disclose it to Yue Gang? 

  “Vampire, why have you entered the confessional?” Yina’s tone became a little gentler. “If it is just to find Yue Gang, isn’t it better to go straight to the church‘s back room? Yue Gang doesn’t sleep under the cross.” 

  I fell silent… yet I could not restrain myself from lamenting, “Back then, I might have made the wrong choice. Leaving her was the wrong choice. But if I did not leave her, things would have become worse. But now when I look back, leaving or not leaving, it appears both were the wrong choice.” 

  Yina coldly scolded, “Why is leaving and not leaving both wrong? You are certainly unfathomable and worried over nothing!” 

  I could only smile bitterly. 

  “Every choice has its advantages and disadvantages in the first place. There is nothing completely right! You are clearly a vampire, so don’t be so human and believe that perfect decisions exist!” 

  …There is no perfect decision? I became distracted, turning my head in hopes of looking into the next room through the lattice, but a burst of light suddenly shone in front of me. The door of the confessional was opened by someone. 

  “Yina’s quite wonderful, right?” Father Yue chuckled and said, “Having her help is so great! Her cold looks have scared away a lot of senseless folks. Now, there are less people using the church as a psychiatry. Hahaha!” 

  Is this church trying to attract believers or distance them from the church? 

  I left the confessional and asked, “I am here to find Yue Gang. May I ask if he is home?” 

  Father Yue was not in a good mood and said, “Since that boy joined the NC squad, he only comes back to sleep. That brat doesn’t even have a set time for sleeping either. It can range from day to night. If this brat isn’t killed by a felon in the future, he’ll definitely be done in by a ruptured liver! Yet his mom, the one able to manage him, is currently out of the country vacationing… Ah! This kid’s mother came back last year. Unfortunately, you missed her.” 

  “It is certainly unfortunate.” I felt somewhat regretful to be unable to meet the woman who is able to be the mother of Yue Gang and the wife of Father Yue. 

  “There will be many chances in the future!” Father Yue laughed. “But if you want to find that brat, why don’t you give him a call? His cell phone has three batteries’ worth of life. It’s always on 24/7.” 

  “But he is not taking my calls.” 

  Father Yue tilted his head and said, “Is that so? That brat’s temper isn’t light this time. However, that goes to show that he really treats you as his bro. Don’t be so concerned! Let him steam for a bit. That brat’s anger won’t last long.” 

  Hopefully, it would be so. If I could, I wish to remain friends with Yue Gang. I earnestly requested, “When he seems less angry, may I ask to be informed so that I can call him?” 

  Father Yue readily answered, “No problem!” 

  “Then, I will depart first.” 

  “Charles.” 

  “Yes?” 

  “This is something that I shouldn’t meddle in. However…” Father Yue walked a few steps closer. Near the side of my ear, he said, “Lately, Ah Ye has become too popular. It is possible that some people have already realized his real identity.” 

  Real identity? Is this about how the young master is actually Dark Sun… Has someone actually found out? I stared at him, shocked. 

  Father Yue smiled slightly and said, “Although there is someone protecting Ah Ye without reservation, it is precisely because the protection is so flawless that it leaves only a few possibilities of whom that great power might belong to. That is why there are already several people in power who have guessed that Ah Ye might have something to do with ‘that person.’“ 

  So, he does not know that the young master is Dark Sun but rather has realized that there is a relationship between the young master and the Sun Emperor? I knitted my brows and asked, “Are you one of the presuming ones?” 

  “It is not a guess on my part,” Father Yue quietly responded. 

  Not a guess? Then…he is certain? I contemplated for a moment and quietly asked, “Did you find out from the Church?” 

  Previously, the matter between the Endelis clan and the Church had become quite discordant. The young master, with Secretary Kyle’s help, had pressured the Church. It was quite impossible for the Church not to realize that the young master had something to do with the Sun Emperor. 

  Father Yue smiled and said, “The Church will not give up on capturing E.X. Although they won’t dare to harm you, they are quite happy to inconvenience you and Ah Ye.” 

  Did the Church release this news? 

  I did not think that Father Yue, who was located in this abandoned church, would know so much. Perhaps, his identity was not simply just that of a banished priest. However, aside from Father Yue, I was even more surprised by the attitude of the Church. 

  “They actually want to capture X even when they have go against two strong powers? What kind of deep hatred is there between X and the Church?” 

  “With the passage of time, the hatred has twisted into a knot that can never be unraveled.” 

  For a split second, Father Yue looked incomparably weary. 

  X, I have woken up. 

  What kind of hatred lies between you and the Church? 

  In the past, I always felt that it was not right to probe too much. But now, the matter has involved the young master and me. The Church seems to be leaking information that would bring trouble to the young master. 

  Since you are bringing so much trouble, do you not have an obligation to explain? 

  I finished typing and hit the send button. I did not think that X would respond to the email so soon after I sent it. It seemed that he was currently on the computer as well. 

  In the email, there was only one sentence. “You and your master bring even more trouble than I do, so this matter is nothing.” 

  It was obvious that X did not want to answer. 

  It appeared that there was nothing I could do. If X refused to answer a matter, then there was no one who could force out an answer. 

  My cell phone rang. I picked up the phone, and the caller happened to be Curtis. After picking up the call, the other party respectfully asked, “Family Head, this is Curtis. It has been a couple of days since I last communicated with you. I apologize. How are you lately?” 

  I smiled wryly and said, “Please do not call me the family head. You are the family head. I do not have the intention of letting you become the substitute family head.” 

  He fell silent for a moment before calling out, “Great Uncle.” 

  “….Stick with Family Head!” 

  “Yes, Family Head.” Curtis seemed to be relieved and asked, “Lately, are you worried about anything?” 

  “I have been well lately…” After saying this, I hesitated. 

  With the exception of the young master acting oddly, Yue Gang breaking off our friendship, news leaking about the young master having something to do with the Sun Emperor, and the Church wanting to capture X to the point of risking upsetting two great families, it was true that there was nothing much happening. 

  “Is there something going on?” Curtis calmly said, “Grandmother once said, ‘Even if the sky falls, he will claim he is fine.’ Therefore, even if you show the slightest hesitation, it means that something must be going on, and that something can’t be a small matter.” 

  After some silence, I said, “Sadina has always worried too much about me.” 

  Curtis obviously did not believe me and repeatedly asked, “What really happened? If you do not say anything, I will have someone report it to me.” 

  “Report it?” 

  “Although Grandmother honored your directives of not sending anyone to follow you directly, there are fifteen family members stationed in Sunset City. They pay attention to everything that relates to you at all times. For example, the young master that you serve is thinking of branching out and becoming a singer.” 

  I knew that the family had people watching me, but I did not think it would be this great of a number. Fifteen people noting my actions without having anything else to do felt very wasteful. 

  “What a waste of human resources. I do not need…” 

  “There is no such thing as no need!” Curtis’s tone became more adamant. “Please do not look down on the Elysees family’s determination to protect a person! If you do not want someone to investigate or track you, please give me the order to eliminate the trouble. If you promise not to conceal anything from now on, I will decrease the number down to ten people in Sunset City. Besides that, I cannot compromise any further!” 

  Five fewer people was better than no decrease at all. I agreed. I honestly informed him, “All right. Lately, the Church seems to want to bring trouble to the young master and me. They leaked the information that the young master and the Sun Emperor have something to do with each other.” 

  “I understand. It appears that a mere warning was insufficient.” 

  After hearing that, I became a bit worried and hurriedly said, “Please do not come into a conflict with the Church because of me.” 

  “Please do not worry. This is different from the situation with the Endelis clan. There is not much of a possibility of a direct conflict with the Church.” He paused for a bit and then added, “However, if they dare to harm you directly, the Elysees will absolutely respond in full force!” 

  After he said that, my heart became more settled. Curtis and Sadina were truly similar, but as expected, he was much gentler than Sadina. If it were Sadina, she would have said something along the lines of, “Daring to harm you? This old lady will obliterate their entire family from top to bottom, and even the guard dog won’t be able to escape.” 

  The conversation appeared to come to an end, but Curtis did not hang up. He seems to have something to say? I patiently waited for him to open his mouth. If I were to speak first, I might prevent him from wishing to speak. 

  “Family Head, may I ask you a question?” He finally opened his mouth and asked. 

  “Please speak.” 

  “I once asked Grandmother whether or not she loved Grandfather at all. However, she never answered and told me to ask you for your true reason for leaving the family back then.” 

  The true reason? 

  “She said that if you are to tell me the true reason, then I will convey to you her will. “ Curtis grudgingly said, “Even though Grandmother’s words are contradictory, as I do not know the true reason, so how will I distinguish the truth from a lie? But she said that I will be able to determine whether your words are true or not. If you tell me a lie, I will definitely not tell you what her will is.” 

  Sadina’s will? I hesitated and said, “The reason… there are many.” 

  “I am all ears.” 

  I was silent for a while, but I still could not hold back the need to know Sadina’s parting words. I honestly replied, “Sadina loved children, but a vampire’s fertility is low. Despite trying to hide it at thirty-five, she could not help but touch the wrinkles near her eyes while looking into the mirror. She had a bodyguard who had admired her for many years. I knew she also held affectionate feelings for the bodyguard. However, if I were there, those feelings would never blossom… That was why I left.” 

  However, I never thought that that bodyguard would only be able to accompany Sadina for twenty years before dying of a serious illness. Now, I did not know if my decision to leave back then was correct or not… 

  “I am happy. Thank you.” 

  I was stumped. Sadina? 

  Curtis said, “That was what Grandmother wanted me to tell you, and I too have received the answer I wanted. Was that bodyguard my grandfather?” 

  “Yes.” 

  “Thank you.” 

  “Um?” I was distracted a bit. Why did Curtis thank me? 

  Curtis smiled slightly and said, “I would not exist today if not for your concession back then. Is this not something I should thank you for? Well then, Family Head, rest assured, I will use all of my strength to ensure that the Church will not harm you in any way.” 

  “I will trouble you then. “ After I spoke, the call ended. 

  An imperfect decision… but it seemed it was not wrong. Thank goodness. 

  “Charles.” 

  I was surprised. I turned around and saw the young master. I quickly stood up and said, “Young Master, you have returned.” 

  As I was speaking, I saw the young master’s face clearly. Now, I was truly surprised. The young master’s face is actually filled with fury? 

  “Come!” 

  “To where?” I was shocked. Why is the young master angry? 

  The young master actually said, “To a nightclub, to flirt with girls, to… In short, to have lots of fun!” 

  “Y-Young Master?” 

  The young master took my hand and said, “Let’s go find Aren right now. Let’s go have fun together!” 

  After saying this, he rushed next door like a gust of wind. Without even knocking, he rushed in and startled Aren. After seeing that it was the young master, Aren seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but he was startled again after seeing me. He even rushed to the side and pulled out a book to cover up the book that he had originally been reading. 

  The young master walked over. His anger was gone and replaced by a curious expression. He even stretched out his hand to pull out Aren’s hidden book. 

  “What are you doing?! There’s nothing to look at!” Aren promptly grabbed the book back. 

  ”I want to see!” The young master stubbornly grabbed the book. 

  They grabbed the edges of the book’s pages. The book appeared to be in danger of splitting in half at any moment. 

  Aren sneaked a glance at me through corner of his eye. I smiled at him. He finally let go in an embarrassed way and said, “Look all you want. It’s nothing… just the latest photobook that was released.” Although he said it was not much of anything, he avoided looking at me. 

  I felt a bit amused. He was not afraid of letting the young master see it. Yet, he was afraid to let me see it. Does Aren regard me as an elder? 

  “What is there to see?” The young master flipped a few pages. He knitted his brows and said, “All the girls are super skinny. They’re all bones. Hugging them sure won’t be comfortable!” 

  After hearing that, Aren rolled his eyes and snapped, “Please! Have you even seen how large and soft their breasts are?” 

  The young master answered loudly, “What’s the use if it is only the breast part that is soft? Don’t tell me you only hug the breasts when you hug a girl?” 

  Unwavering, Aren retorted, “When your Briar grows up, she might not even have large, soft breasts!” 

  Unexpectedly, the young master growled, “Don’t mention Briar!” 

  Aren froze and then looked at me. I shook my head to show that I did not know either. 

  “What’s up? Did you fight with Briar?” He shook his head and sighed. “Isn’t it embarrassing to fight with a thirteen year old girl?” 

  “I didn’t want to fight with her… It was Poseidynne who scolded me first and then Bri as well!” 

  “Why would they scold you?” Aren doubtfully asked, “Neither Bri nor Poseidynne would randomly scold you, right?” 

  The young master was silent for a moment and then quietly said, “It was because I went to Seaside to find Ding Ding, and later, both Poseidynne and Bri ended up there as well…” 

  Aren said, “Wow.” He tried to stifle his laughter as he said, “Got caught cheating in bed with another?” 

  “I wasn’t on a bed! We were just sitting together in front of a piano!” The young master shouted, “In the end, Poseidynne slapped me again. Briar also said that I was untrustworthy and that she would never care about me again!” 

  Aren scratched his head and said, “Forget about Poseidynne. But for Briar to be angry is a given! Didn’t you have Poseidynne get in line? Now, you’re even cozying up to other girls. Of course, she’d be worried that you might want others joining the queue again! Truthfully speaking, if my girlfriend were to tell me that a bunch of guys want to queue up to be her husband, I’d definitely divorce her! You’re lucky that Briar didn’t break up with you already.” 

  After listening to Aren’s words, the young master revealed a hesitant look and mumbled, “So it was my fault? But I’m really unhappy… Aren, let’s go out and have fun! Let’s g-go make out with hot girls!” 

  Aren’s eyes widened, and he yelled, “Hot girls? Where did you learn that term?” 

  “The people from the nightclub said it.” The young master grabbed Aren’s arm and dragged him up completely. He stubbornly said, “Let’s go and make out with hot girls!” 

  Aren rolled his eyes and shouted, “You lolicon! I can’t think of a place where I can take you to hang out with hot girls! Don’t tell me an elementary school? We’ll get arrested by the police!” 

  “The police won’t dare to arrest me!” The young master angrily said, “Let them try!” 

  After hearing that, Aren knitted his brows and said, “Ah Ye, you’re really weird.” 

  The young master became depressed. At this time, I made a signal with my eyes to Aren. He noticed it and said to the young master, “Okay, okay, I’ll go find hot girls with you, all right? I know a good place!” 

  “This is a shop men should go to!” 

  Standing in front of the shop, Aren finished saying this in high spirits. When he turned and saw me, he immediately hurried to ask in a frantic manner, “Ah! Charles-gē, are you heading in as well?” 

  “Do not mind me.” I smiled and said, “I have once helped my employer clean up a bed littered with adult products. Moreover, they were used!” 

  “…A butler’s job is sure an exhausting one.” 

  Aren dragged the young master in. I naturally followed inside. The shop was filled with anime and manga posters. The majority of the posters featured nude girls, both real and animated. The important points were that they all had well developed breasts, small waists, and plump buttocks. 

  Although this shop did not suit the young master, it was better than letting him actually go out and “make out with hot girls.” The young master’s personality was too serious. He would likely not understand the meaning of “only playing around.” If the other party wanted him to take responsibility, he would possibly actually nod his head. 

  “How’s this? This is a breast body pillow. Try touching it. It feels nice to touch!” 

  At Aren’s instigation, the young master stroked it a few times and knitted his brows. “How is this good to touch? Briar’s much softer, and she even smells fragrant…” After saying this, he suddenly stopped, and his expression tightened. It seemed that he was not happy that he had thought of Briar. 

  Aren hurriedly changed the topic. “How about this? A 3D breast back cushion! Leaning against this while doing your assignments will be very comfortable! 

  “Also, this row has the newest photo girl posters. 

  “Those are the latest inflatable babes… Ah, it’s best that you don’t look at those.” 

  Under Aren’s great effort in introduction, the young master reluctantly bought two posters and a 3D breast back cushion. Without much spirit, he then said he wanted to go home. 

  After hearing that, both Aren and I breathed a huge sigh of relief and hurried to take the young master home. 

  “This is so cute!” 

  The young master suddenly stopped in his tracks. Both eyes brightly looked at the roadside shop’s poster. The poster was of a… chubby baby. Cute wind chimes hung outside the store, and various cute posters were plastered outside. There were all sorts of small toys. It seemed like a shop that girls would like. 

  Aren was stunned and said, “You already evolved from a lolicon to a baby-loli?” 

  “I want to go in to take a look.” 

  The young master actually went into the shop after speaking, leading to a commotion. In that “men’s shop” from earlier, few people inside paid attention to the young master, but there were many girls in this shop, and they appeared to recognize the young master at first sight. 

  “Wait!” Aren was alarmed. “This shop is not some place that we should go in!” 

  However, the young master had gone in anyway. I hurried to follow him inside. Although Aren revealed a distressed expression, he also followed us inside. 

  “That one is so cute too!” The young master saw another poster that he liked. It was of a giggling young girl. He looked at the poster and naturally said, “Oh, but Briar is still cuter…” 

  He fell silent. Then, without a second word, he began playing around with the things in the shop. He was much happier than when he had been in the “shop where men should go.” 

  “An Xiang Ye, you girl!” Aren was angry to the point of almost spitting blood. 

  The young master did not mind Aren’s angry growl at all. Instead, he was even more like a little girl as he played around with all the small toys and continually said, “This is so cute! 

  “That is so fun! 

  “And this, and this…” 

  In the end, the young master bought ten posters of babies, eight posters of young girls, and five posters of little mice and little dogs. In addition to that, he bought three big dolls, four porcelain dolls, and two bobble head babies. 

  Aren was very uncomfortable because his towering, robust stature that reached over 190 cm caused all of the girls in the shop to look at him as if he were a pervert.

  No Hero