Chapter Volume 2, Legend of a Hero 4: Under the Wailing, the Hated Hero (1/2)

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.”