No Hero Volume 2: The Hero Grim Reaper
Original novel in Chinese by: 御 我 (Yu Wo)
Legend of a Hero Chapter 1: Among the Ordinary, an Extraordinary Hero—translated by dahlys
Ring…ring…ring…
h.e.l.lo? 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 ch.o.r.e of the morning.
Originally, the young master was the only person in the apartment. Although the young master has a monstrous appet.i.te, 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 c.o.ke. 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 fl.u.s.tered 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 pa.s.sed 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 reb.u.t.ted, “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 s.p.a.ce 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 a.n.a.lysis detailing the actions of heroes. The names of the four heroes mentioned were not unexpected; they were Solitary b.u.t.terfly, First Wind, Dragon Peace, and Dark Sun.
The report even called them the Four Great Heroes, and gave them new t.i.tles: The n.o.blewoman, Solitary b.u.t.terfly; 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 c.o.ke 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 t.i.tles are quite appropriate. I just don’t know why Dark Sun’s t.i.tle became like that.”
The young master seemed to find it fun, as he tilted his head and asked, “Then what kind of t.i.tle 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 t.i.tle 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 t.i.tles were decided based on the personality they had shown when rescuing people. Solitary b.u.t.terfly was confident and dignified, just like a n.o.ble. Because she was a woman, though, her t.i.tle was The n.o.blewoman. First Wind had an elegant demeanor, so the t.i.tle 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 b.u.t.terfly 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 t.i.tle, 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 t.i.tle 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 gla.s.s 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 b.u.t.terfly 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 b.u.t.terfly! Although it is very embarra.s.sing 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 l.u.s.t. 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 a.s.sistants, 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 s.n.a.t.c.hed 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 c.o.ke 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 b.u.t.ton 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 cla.s.smates 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 cla.s.smates 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 cla.s.smates 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-cla.s.s 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 cla.s.smates, 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 cla.s.smates, I told them that I have an elder brother. My female cla.s.smates 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 cla.s.smates home right after cla.s.s. 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 a.s.sistants 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 b.u.t.terfly, 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 b.u.t.terfly 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 antic.i.p.ation. 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 b.u.t.terfly. 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 b.u.t.terfly 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 Dàgē1 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.”
Footnotes1 ” Dàgē “: Dàgē (大哥) means “big brother” in a slightly rougher way than the more neutral gēge (哥哥) or the less formal gē (哥). Lackeys will sometimes use this term of address.