Volume 1, Prologue (1/2)

Volume 1, Prologue

Translator: Eilinel

I walked beneath the moonlight.

Though it was the middle of the night, the streets were still not at peace. Neon lights blinded me with their brightly flashing colors. The crowd around me did not seem less than the daytime crowd, but they were certainly more aggressive. These people would never understand why nighttime was meant for sleep and rest.

The darkness of the night transforms people’s fear into aggravation.

The people around me mostly had incomplete bodies. Some of them had replaced their arms with cybernetic ones, some had cybernetic legs, some had transparent covers on their heads with wiring inside of them instead of brains, and some had even completely replaced their upper torsos with mechanical parts.

However, there was no sign on their faces that they thought these were disfigurements. Instead, they were proud of them and boasted of their cybernetic enhancements to one another. They bragged about them through fighting.

Along the way, I passed by at least five brawls, but I gently circled around all of them. They actually did not pay me any attention, and I did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble either.

Moreover, there was nothing rare about the fights. In this era where cybernetics was the fad, humans had equipped themselves with various combat enhancements and naturally would not want them to rust from disuse. Most people seemed to agree that fighting was the best opportunity to use them.

I continued to walk alone.

A young man walked toward me. I paid special attention to him because he was very serene. He especially stood out in the aggressive atmosphere that surrounded us.

Also, he suited the moonlight very well.

I could not help but admire his appearance. There was not a single sign of cybernetic modification on him. His silver hair fell to his shoulders and regardless of the source of light that shone on his hair, all of it melted into a silver sheen similar to the moonlight. He had a pair of dark black eyes and possessed delicate facial features. He looked around twenty years old, and his smile was still somewhat boyish.

The young man wore simple clothing, jeans and a white shirt. He did not seem to be from a rich family, which may be the reason for the absence of cybernetic enhancements. Regardless of the enhancements themselves or the surgery, all of that required money. Obviously, the better the modifications and the doctors were, the more expensive it would be.

When I walked past him, I looked at him once again. He also seemed to notice that I was looking at him, making me slightly worried. As it was, many night time fights on the streets resulted from a single glance.

However, he smiled back at me.

I reflexively smiled at him as well.

After we walked past each other, I found that my mood had lightened considerably. Ah! How long has it been? How long it has been since I last interacted with someone in such a friendly manner! Even if it is just a smile from a shared glance.

Just as my mood improved, I heard a commotion coming from behind. Amidst the yells, I heard rude things like “you’re being annoying.”

“I’m very sorry, I didn’t do it intentionally. If I have offended you, I deeply regret it.”

When I heard the reply from the other party, I immediately knew that it must have been spoken by the young man. Among the people around us, only a person with his temperament would speak such polite words.

However, it seemed that his polite words would not be able to solve his problem. The opposing side was still making a ruckus, creating all sorts of excuses. In other words, they were using the favorite excuse of modern youngsters for causing trouble – “You rub me the wrong way.”

The young man did not actually respond this time. He probably knew as well that this group of people could not be reasoned with.

When I heard the group say that they were going to teach him a lesson, my steps finally came to a stop. I sighed. Why is it that humans always refuse to treat their own with kindness?

As I turned back, I saw that the young man was being pushed into a dark alley by a group of violent youngsters. I quickly walked forward. Since I decided to help him out, I should not let him suffer any more harm.

I walked into the alley. The young man was by the wall, surrounded by violent thugs, but he had a calm look on his face. Only his eyes were slightly widened with a strange expression… It seemed to be “hesitation?”

Perhaps I was misreading his expression. In this kind of situation, it was unlikely that one would be feeling hesitation.

“Please stop,” I said in a quiet voice.

The group of violent youngsters noticed me, but their faces did not show any signs of anger from the interruption. Instead, they looked excited at the prospect of acquiring another punching bag.

One after another, they surrounded me and seemed to be more interested in me than the young man. Maybe it was because I seemed more mature and physically stronger than the young man, and with my long coat suit, I was better dressed than the young man as well. For these violent youngsters, perhaps it would be more satisfying beating me up than beating up the young man?

They numbered around ten people or so and walked toward me head on. If not for their weird style of clothing and the even stranger way they wore it, I might have thought them to be somewhat imposing.

“Stop!” The young man shouted. His face seemed to be more worried now than when he himself was going to be beaten up, and I felt pleased at this. Good thing I am not saving the wrong person.

“Please do not worry, I will be fine,” I politely said as I stopped the young man from stepping up to “save me.”

The young man hesitated, wearing an expression similar to the one he had worn when he was about to be beaten up a moment ago.

I opened my mouth slightly and spread my arms as if I were going to embrace and kiss a lover…

Following that, I started to grow sharp white fangs as I opened my mouth further, the veins in the backs of my hands popped out, and my fingernails started to become sharper and longer, but the ten or so people in front of me were still staring at me in stupefaction… Modern youngsters really have slow reactions!

I was forced to snatch a weapon from the person nearest to me with my telekinetic powers. The weapon was a long rod, and I twisted it into a knot before throwing it back at the feet of its owner. Then, I opened my mouth again, emphasizing my fangs and roaring at them…

“Vam…vampire!”

Finally, someone among them screamed in a piercing voice.

I relaxed a bit. Luckily, the youngsters nowadays still know about vampires. To be honest, I was worried that they would think that I was a modified human who had equipped cybernetic enhancements on his teeth and nails.

Yes, I am a vampire, so please scream and leave quickly.

Then the people in front of me ran out of the alley screaming loudly. This let me relax even more, as I had also been worried that modern youngsters would no longer be afraid of vampires.

Although they were yelling that there was a vampire here as they ran out of the alley, I was not too worried. After all, is there a shortage of people yelling on the streets? No one would believe them anyway. The words spoken by youngsters who like doing drugs were often even stranger than seeing a vampire in an alley.

I retracted my fangs and sharp nails and tried to look at the young man in the gentlest way possible. The latter was also looking at me, maintaining his expression of slightly widened eyes. I tried to speak gently, saying, “I will not hurt you.”

Still, this sentence was probably unconvincing, as who would believe that a vampire would not hurt a human?

I waited for him to run away in panic, but I was quietly confident in my heart that such a polite young man would not scream at his savior. Just that would be enough for me.

The young man tilted his head as he looked at me and asked, “Vampire? Do you drink human blood?”

“Yes, I drink human blood,” I nodded as I answered.

“That is bad news indeed.” The young man said, slightly troubled.

That is indeed troubling, especially since I am currently looking at him.

The young man said in a forlorn voice, “Then I can’t treat you to a meal as a sign of my appreciation.”

That is right, as I do not need to eat food… Hmm? I was stumped. The reaction of this young man was completely out of my expectations.

The young man asked in a hopeful voice, “Maybe there is something that you need?”

“Naturally, there is.” I nodded again as I answered. Even a vampire would have needs other than blood.

“Then, please tell me your needs. I may be able to help you out.” The young man was very sincere.

I looked at him and silently applauded his sincerity and courage… Yes, it is definitely courageous to be sincere to a vampire.

But, he would not be able to help me out. I tried to word my reply tactfully as I said, “I am afraid that this matter would be too difficult.”

The young man smiled as he said, “It won’t hurt for you to talk about it.”

That is true. I answered honestly, “I am seeking employment.”

“Employment?” This time, the young man was finally surprised.

“Yes.”

I stood up straighter and said in a proud and elegant way, “I am a butler.”

The young man was surprised again, and he stared at my face as though he was trying to find a trace of a joke in my face, but I stared back at him with a fully serious expression. Finally, he laughed softly… Again, this was out of my expectations. He really was a unique young man.

The young man smiled as he asked, “So, vampire butler, what is your name?”

He actually acknowledged that I am a butler! This touched me a lot, as every time I spoke of my profession, it did not matter if they were human or vampire, no one would believe me. A vampire would only roar in laughter, while a human would only scream in fear.

The young man sparked a rare interest in me that had not occurred in many years – I wanted to befriend him. I told him my full name in hopes that I could do so, “My name is Charles, full name Charles Endelis. I am a vampire in the middle of seeking employment as a butler.”

The young man smiled dazzlingly and introduced himself, “Good evening, Mr. Charles. My name is An Xiang Ye. You can call me Ah Ye. I’m a student who is currently attending university.”

After that, An Xiang Ye invited me to his house. To be frank, there was nothing I could do even if I went… He was out and about to buy a late night snack, but I do not eat those types of food, as any food apart from blood is tasteless to a vampire, and it would not be filling either.

“Are you in a hurry to look for a job?” An Xiang Ye asked curiously.

“Not really,” I answered honestly. “For a vampire, it is hard to find a job as a butler.”

“Then, how about you come to my house and be my butler?” An Xiang Ye tilted his head as he continued, “Coincidentally, I’m feeling bored as I’m living alone.”

I smiled softly. No matter how thoughtful An Xiang Ye seems to be, he is still a child after all! I said in a teasing way, “My pay is very high.”

“How much do you wish to be paid?” he asked, still curious.