Volume 3, Human, Non-Human Killer 3: The Non-Human Werewolf and the Human Dragon Peace (1/2)

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.