No Hero V1C6: The One Who Stood Back Up – The Hero!

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No Hero Volume 1: Vampire Butler

Original novel in Chinese by: 御 我 (Yu Wo)


Diary of a Butler Chapter 6: The One Who Stood Back Up – The Hero! – translated by ErodingPersona

Dear Father,

You once said that when the master has made a mistake, appropriately and subtly reminding the master about it is a butler’s responsibility. However, when even I am unable to differentiate whether a matter is right or wrong, what should I do?

Tell the young master about the situation, and leave it to the young master to decide.

I have found the answer in the notes you have left behind. Thank you very much, my honorable father.

“In the end, he was not a real hero…”

Although I do not depend on heroes, I still believe that heroes are a wonderful existence. Every person who has watched old movies about heroes would know that heroes can be knocked down, but they will eventually stand up after all is said and done. This is their most enchanting trait; they will always stand back up and bring a ray of hope to the world in the midst of despair.

However, Dark Sun stayed fallen and had left only anguish to the whole world.

“Briar!”

With Bramble’s crazed expression and how he was shouting “Briar” with all his might, I guessed that this was probably the girl’s name! If the three bodyguards had not all grabbed him at the same time, he might have already jumped down from the building to look for his Briar.

“Captain, don’t be like this. Our brothers have already run downstairs to check.”

“Calm down, Captain!”

Although the bodyguards were shouting such phrases, the expressions on their faces were not collected at all, full of pain and sadness. Dell’s eyes were red around the rims. His expression was only slightly more composed than Bramble’s.

Crack!

I blinked and looked toward the origin of the sound. A hand… was clinging to the edge of the building.

Although the sound had been soft, it still managed to grab everyone’s attention. Everyone fell silent and stared unblinkingly at the hand… This was exactly like what had just happened on TV; they had the same exact expression as when everyone watched Solitary Butterfly run towards the little girl and then witnessed the massive black shadow descend.

It was a glimmer of hope flaring up from despair.

Under everyone’s scrutiny, the hand forcefully pulled upward. Someone jumped up, both knees hitting the floor with a loud smack. Then, he remained half-kneeling. From his appearance, he was indeed the Dark Sun we had just seen on TV.

Dark Sun was disheveled and heavily wounded; his right arm had a large piece of flesh missing from it. If he had not used the same arm to bring himself up just now, I would have deemed the arm completely useless. Nevertheless, the worst wound was on his chest. His chest was badly mangled, clothes sticking to blood and flesh. There was no way to determine exactly how bad the wound was.

The energy cannon from earlier must have punctured his right arm and hit his chest… The girl had been clinging in front of his chest earlier, but now, there was no girl in his arms.

After all that…

“Briar!”

Bramble’s heart-wrenching cry and the painful expression on his face were hard to describe, but if someone had drawn him at that very moment, the portrait would definitely be labeled as “Sorrow.”

Dark Sun also seemed to be shocked senseless by the yell. He tilted his head up slightly. His visor was shading his eyes, but I was sure that he was staring at Bramble.

He suddenly lifted his left hand. There was someone else’s arm in his grasp.

Just an arm? Could it be…

Then, in one breath, Dark Sun pulled an entire person up before everyone’s eyes.

“Daddy!”

The girl was unharmed, only crying as she shouted, “Daddy, don’t hit us! It’s me, Briar! Briar!”

Dark Sun placed the girl on the rooftop’s floor. Her legs wobbled, and then she stumbled toward Bramble. Bramble was far quicker; the girl had barely taken two steps when he rushed over and hugged her so tightly that even if the Sun Emperor himself had given the order, he probably would not have let go of his daughter.

One after another, the bodyguards approached their captain and his daughter.

I, on the other hand, walked over to Dark Sun who was still half-kneeling by the edge of the building. His wounds looked very serious, and I could not help from worrying that he would just pitch backwards in the next second and fall down twenty-five stories.

I walked to his side. He looked up at me before directing his gaze behind me. I turned and saw everyone staring at him, including Bramble and the little girl.

Everyone’s expressions were astoundingly similar; their fervent expressions were like those of young children watching their favorite hero create a miracle.

Suddenly, everyone’s eyes widened, and they all cried out in alarm.

I hurriedly turned to look at Dark Sun again. Only then did I realize that he had really fallen backwards.

Immediately, I reached out a hand to catch him, and although I only managed to grab onto two fingers, it should have been enough for me to hold onto him… Heavy! How can he be this heavy?

My face twisted. My incorrect estimation of his weight caused Dark Sun’s fingers to slip through mine. I could not take another step as I was already standing at the building’s edge. He crashed down.

Oh no! I hurriedly looked down. A dark shadow surged up before me, the updraft causing me to back up a few steps. After a moment’s hesitation, I looked up toward the sky.

Dark Sun was circling overhead in the sky.

Just then, the little girl faced skywards and yelled, “Dark Sun-gē, don’t forget, you promised me! When I grow up, you’ll take me as your bride!”

Bramble’s eyes widened, his expression full of surprise and aversion. If I were to describe it, I would say that his expression was like what a human would show when they had just stepped in a pile of excrement.

From the sky, a clear reply sounded. “I’ll wait for you.”

Then, Dark Sun’s figure stopped for a moment before abruptly flying downward, disappearing from our sight in an instant.

There was silence… and then an eruption!

The bodyguards abruptly started cheering aloud, all of them acting like madmen. They ran to the little girl’s side and lifted her up, tossing her again and again into the sky and jokingly shouting phrases like “Hero’s bride,” “Dark Sun’s bride.”

On the other hand, Bramble stood off to the side, expression as foul as, as excrement… Cough! Excuse my rudeness. Even so, he could not prevent everyone from celebrating. Finally, even he laughed out loud, tears dripping from the corners of his eyes.

A real hero is one who shoulders the hope of the entire world – and stands up again.

I could not help looking up at the sky and saying a heartfelt compliment.

“Dark Sun, you are a true hero.”

The rooftop was as rambunctious as a dinner party. The bodyguards were so happy they had forgotten that the whereabouts of the person they were supposed to protect to the death were still unknown. Noticing this, I left the rooftop, intent on continuing to clean the house. Yet the moment I opened the door, I realized that the living room was not in the spotless state I had left it in.

The floor had footsteps marked with dirt besides the red liquid spreading over it. The pencil holder on the table had also been knocked down, its contents rolling on the floor.

I bent down, touched a little of the liquid on the floor, and realized, with no surprise, that it was fresh blood yet to dry.

I followed the trail of blood and came to the kitchen. The handles of the cabinet that I stocked bread in were also stained with blood. Upon opening it, I saw that all the bread had disappeared. The fridge had not been left untouched either. I had placed a lot of family-sized milk bottles inside, as the young master really adores drinking milk.

Now, however, there were only two or three bottles lying haphazardly on their sides. I righted them and continued following the blood streaks. This time, I arrived before the young master’s room. The door was not even closed, so I just walked straight in.

The windows inside the room were open, strong winds blowing the curtains high into the air. I went over to close the windows. When I lowered my head, I saw that the windowsills were also completely stained with blood. The blood trail extended from here all the way to the kitchen and finally the living room before disappearing in front of the wall behind the television. In other words, it disappeared before the mysterious workshop.

I returned to the living room and took the TV’s remote control, pressing down on the sun symbol on it for three seconds with my thumb. Originally, the young master had already set it so that even I can come and go to the workshop as I pleased so that I could head in there to clean as needed. Now, however, the workshop did not open.

The screen showed, “Workshop has been locked.”

I stared at the workshop, momentarily not knowing how to react.

Did the young master lock himself inside? The floors are all stained with blood. Did he get hurt? Not to mention that the large amount of blood made it even clearer that this blood smelled strange, not pure, exactly like what I had previously smelled.

Ring… Ring…

The sudden phone call broke off my train of thought. I answered it and greeted respectfully, “Hello, Mr. Kyle.”

Mr. Kyle cut straight to the point. “Where is the young master?”

“Young Master is currently not at home…” I pondered on whether to tell Mr. Kyle about the house’s condition. After all, the pools of blood were most probably from the young master. The young master must have suffered injuries that were not light.

“He is definitely at home. If not, he wouldn’t have switched off the surveillance cameras. Hurry up and check on the young master’s condition,” Mr. Kyle ordered in an extremely stern tone.

I froze for a moment. The young master has shut down the surveillance cameras?

“Mr. Kyle, I have just investigated. There is no trace of the young master anywhere, but I am unable to enter the workshop.”

No reply came from the other end of the line, but I distinctly heard someone roaring and also Mr. Kyle’s voice besides other unfamiliar voices.

A long time passed. I could only hold onto the phone and wait for a reply. Only after almost a full hour was there any reply from the other end.

Mr. Kyle ordered me in a somewhat tired voice, “The young master is currently within the workshop. Prepare an even greater portion of food for him than usual, leave it in the living room, and then return to your room. There’s nothing else that concerns you. Don’t spy on young master’s condition.”

“May I ask what to do if the young master still does not come out of the workshop tomorrow morning?”

“Then keep on preparing food for him, and then help him ask for leave from his school. After that, go back to your room and ignore everything else.”

“Yes.”

He hung up. I started preparing food, including the young master’s favorite fried chicken, fries, a large glass of milk, and three tubs of ice cream. After mulling it over, I placed an emergency kit by the food.

Although I really wanted to clean up the mess on the floor, I had to obey Mr. Kyle’s orders. I placed the food down and returned to my own room without taking care of anything else.

Three days passed by in the same fashion. The morning after the third day, when I walked into the living room carrying a tray of breakfast, the young master was already sitting there, looking like he was waiting for me.

The young master had changed into a clean dress shirt and jeans. He grinned at me. “Morning, Charles.”

“Good morning, Young Master.”

I set down breakfast and, like usual, served him. Like usual, the young master began his high-speed style of eating.

Although I did not ask anything, I could not help wondering… Could the young master be Dark Sun?

The same hair color, similar body shapes. When the young master disappeared, Dark Sun appeared. When Dark Sun had gotten hurt, the young master had also bled all over the house and even locked himself inside his private workshop for three days… All these indications really raised my suspicion. Perhaps the young master is Dark Sun?

I could not help secretly sizing up the young master. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with both forearms revealed.

Dark Sun’s right arm was missing a chunk of flesh. However, the young master did not even have a scratch on his arm… I suddenly recalled the twenty centimeters or so long, uneven scar on the young master’s arm I had once seen. Even that had disappeared!

If a 20cm long scar could disappear in three days, then could a missing chunk of flesh be healed in three days as well?

I looked at the young master. From any angle, he looked like a weak, gentle young man. However, the young master was a student specializing in the combat major. At the very least, his marksmanship was good, he could throw some 200-odd bodyguards off his trail, his wounds could heal within a very short time, and his blood smelled strange…

I could not help but to ask, “Young Master, what sort of person are you truly?”

Hearing this, the young master paused and stopped his motion of eating. He looked up at me. After a long moment passed, only then did he ask, “Aren’t I your young master? Who else would I be? Or are you hoping that I’m someone else?”

I started. Could I have unconsciously hoped that the young master was Dark Sun? If the young master whom I am serving is also a hero, then I might also feel proud and honored…

“To me, Charles is a gentle and attentive butler. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a vampire or a human!”

I was at a loss for words. As long as I am a gentle and attentive butler, then it does not matter whether or not I am a vampire or human?

The young master matter-of-factly said all this and then stared at me. He asked worriedly, “Charles, to you, besides being ‘young master,’ are all my other identities also important?”

“No!”

I bowed deeply and apologized profusely. “Charles has been rude. Young Master is right. Charles is a butler. To a butler, Young Master is Young Master. Even if Young Master has a multitude of identities, Young Master will still only be Young Master.”

When I finished, the young master smiled brilliantly at me. From it, I once again realized how foolish I had been. I did not wish that the young master would look at me differently because I was of a different race, yet I had hoped that the young master was a hero and not a normal person, so that I, his butler, could also feel honored…

Dear Father, if you knew of this in heaven, you would definitely scold me for my greed and foolishness!

While I was in the midst of my regret, the young master had already looked down and continued speed-eating.

After breakfast, the young master intended to take his bag and head to school. After my reminder, only then did he realize that today was Saturday. There was no need to go to school.

The young master stopped and tilted his head to the side. His expression was perplexed. “It’s already Saturday… Ah! Charles, what’s the date today?”

I immediately reported the date and year.

The young master immediately turned to look at the clock on the wall. Then, he patted his chest. Relief in his expression, he said, “Phew… Luckily, it’s daytime right now.”

Young Master… Did you not notice that you were eating breakfast just now? I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

“Charles, after dinner, accompany me out for a while!”

“Yes, Young Master.” I nodded.

“Hm.” The young master tilted his head to think. “Then we should go out and buy clothes in the afternoon. If we dress too nicely, we’ll definitely run into trouble at that sort of place.”

That sort of place? I was bewildered but still nodded and replied “Yes.”

After that, the young master went into his secret workshop again and began modifying his guns. I began to clean the house. Although I normally did not work in the morning, upon seeing the state of the living room and workshop, with the floors still smeared with dried blood, I could not allow the young master to remain in such dirty surroundings while I myself headed off to sleep in my metal cabinet.

I put on an apron and took a pail of water, disinfectant, bleach, rags, and a brush. Once I had everything on hand, I was determined to thoroughly clean the three-day-old bloodstains.

Curious, the young master turned around to look at me and asked, “Charles, aren’t you going to sleep? We still have to go out and shop for clothes later in the afternoon!”

“Young Master, I think cleaning this up is more important. It’s fine even if I don’t sleep for a day.”

The young master nodded, watched me clean the floors for a while, then said, “Charles, you… When you’re wearing an apron, kneeling, and wiping the floor… You look very…”

Very… Very dutiful? Very serious?

“Very funny! Hahaha… Haha!”

The young master laughed for a long time, hugging his middle and lying down on the desk. He even thumped on it a few times. I could not help worrying for the desk upon hearing the loud thumps.

“In the afternoon, I must buy a lot of aprons for you.”

The young master came to this conclusion after he stopped laughing.

“Why…”

“Because Gēge says I should do anything that makes me happy!”

Young Master, could you not have a more normal, more common way to be happy like other regular young people?

 

When we went out to shop for clothes in the afternoon, we attracted a lot of attention. It was mostly because I had dressed up in formal clothes to block out the sun, and then when the young master would talk to me, I would politely answer him, so everyone’s attention would shift to the young master. Most of them stared at me, bewildered, and then looked at the young master.

We entered a fashionable and tastefully decorated store. From my understanding, this store with the brand of “X-Killer” sold clothes that were, in the eyes of the public, highly expensive. Nonetheless, it was a favorite of youngsters. It was considered the type of shop that young people would flock to by the dozen, desperately saving up money just to buy the clothes here. So shopping here would definitely be right.

The moment the young master and I entered the shop, two young salespeople immediately walked up to greet us. However, immediately after, a woman dressed in men’s clothes walked over. She smilingly waved away the two salespeople and then came to serve us herself. Yet she was very mindful, only smiling at us, telling us to “look around.” After that, she stood about two paces away from us, rearranging the clothes on display.

This person might be the owner! She was dressed casually in a handsome way, and she looked quite androgynous. Her hairstyle was even a medium length layered crew cut, but it was unobtrusive, instead giving off a fresh and comfortable feel.

I looked at the clothes in the shop, but before selecting any, I asked the young master, “Young Master, what colors do you like?”

The young master replied immediately, “Red, blue, and yellow!”

Standard hero colors… I turned and told the owner, “Please select clothes based on these colors for the young master to dress in. Shirts, pants, and coats are all needed; if you can provide shoes and socks, that will be even better.”

I believe that this female owner was probably more in tune with the current fashion trends of young people than I was. Besides, she looked like she was dressed comfortably, so leaving it up to her should be the better choice.

“No problem!” The handsome owner replied frankly and then began selecting clothes, not showing any strange reactions to my usage of “young master.”

“Do you have any aprons?” the young master suddenly asked.

The female owner blinked. She gave a strange smile to the young master and said, “We don’t have those. Is it for you?”

“No, it’s for him.” The young master pointed at me.

“Oh!” The female owner looked at me, her eyes brightening, and, still with that strange smile on her face, said, “Then when I next restock, I’ll remember to order some aprons. When they arrive, I’ll let you know! Here! Why don’t you change into these clothes and shoes?”

The female owner put the clothes right into the young master’s arms and then pointed at the dressing room.

The young master nodded and obediently went into the dressing room to change.

After that, the female owner randomly selected some other clothes and shoved them in my hands, asking, “How old is your young master? Is he eighteen yet?”

“Young Master is already twenty-two.”

The female owner stopped dead in her tracks, then turned around and asked me with that strange smile, “His upbringing must have been quite strict?”

I pondered. I had no idea how Master and Master An Te Qi had taught the young master, but from the thirty-something surveillance cameras and over 300 bodyguards…

“Very strict,” I sincerely replied.

The female owner nodded and said without a hint of surprise, “There’s actually such an obedient child in this era; it really opened my eyes! How about this, whatever it is that you buy, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Err…” The young master looked out from the dressing room and asked, “Is the shirt size too small?”

“No, that’s your size.” The female owner and the two salespeople smiled until their eyes were slits. The female owner waved her hand. “Come out and let us have a look.”

The young master hesitated but still pushed the door open and walked out. The moment he did, the female owner whistled aloud.

The young master was wearing a red shirt that was so short it could only cover his chest. Yet, it had a high collar, and the length of the sleeves was long enough that the sleeves went past his elbows. As for the pants he was wearing, they were very loose, almost “hanging” on his hips, their length just slightly past his knees. Beneath his pants, he was wearing a pair of boots.

Because his shirt was too short and his pants too low, the young master’s abdomen was not covered by any sort of material at all, revealing his abdominal muscles. This was also the reason why the female owner was whistling, the female salesperson’s eyes were shining, and the male salesperson’s jaw was hanging slack.

“Whoa, this is completely unexpected! I really couldn’t tell! He looks like such a weak and gentle young master, but he’s actually so well-built under it all.”

The female owner clicked her tongue and turned to me to say, “Thirty percent off!”

“… Thank you,” I answered helplessly.

The young master looked at the female owner and the salespeople’s expressions. He turned to me and asked, “Charles, do I look nice in this?”

Hmm! It does seem nice. The young master really is a student in the combat department. His body is well trained. However, truthfully, I was far more used to the young master wearing dress shirts and jeans.

Before I could reply, the female owner gave a thumbs up and complimented him enthusiastically. “You look great! Really great! Trust me, if you wear this, you’ll be popular anywhere you go!”

Hearing this, the young master’s eyes glowed. He exclaimed, “Really?”

The female salesperson by the side immediately parroted, “Really! Really! Your figure’s so great! It’s so attractive!”

As there were three people who agreed (including the male salesperson who unwillingly nodded), the young master immediately believed it. Then, under the female owner and the female salesperson’s unusually warm recommendations, he changed into outfit after outfit. Upon the young master’s agreement, the female owner and the female salesperson both took out cameras to photograph him endlessly.

“All these clothes are quite expensive.”

After the young master tried on quite a number, the female owner looked at the sky-high stack of clothes and said briskly, “If you allow me to use these pictures in a catalogue and place posters in the store, then I’ll only charge you the manufacture price! How about it?”

The young master was not in need of money. I frowned, and just as I was about to decline…

“How about it, Handsome?” The female owner patted the young master’s shoulder.

The young master carelessly replied, “Okay!”

I hurriedly reminded him, “Young Master, you cannot leave any photos behind. Master An Te Qi would not like to see you wear these clothes, right?”

The young master turned to look at me with a confused expression. “An Te Qi-bàba? Why wouldn’t he like it? Bàba always says that my clothes make him think that it’s 1912, not 2112. He always complains that I should dress in a more modern fashion and stop letting him gaze into the past.”

So Master An Te Qi is a forward-thinking person? I hurriedly picked someone else and said, “The master also would not like to see you dressed in these kinds of clothes, right?”

The young master said matter-of-factly, “Nah! Gēge always says it’s alright as long as I’m happy.”

At this, I really could not understand and asked doubtfully, “Then, may I ask, who is it that bought you your dress shirts and jeans?”

“No one. I bought them myself.”

“…” So the old-fashioned person is actually the young master himself?

If so, then if the young master had no qualms about it, then there was no problem. I started discussing with the female owner, “Besides this outfit that the young master is wearing, can you send these other clothes to this address? We still have other activities tonight.”

“No problem. What sort of activities do you have tonight?” The female owner asked out of curiosity.

The young master immediately shouted in reply, “We’re going to watch a free-for-all combat!”

Hearing this, I started. Free-for-all combat? Was that not a competition that was originally underground but had later on risen in the world to become an official competition, also known as the bloodiest, most violent, almost no-holds barred fighting competition?

At this, the male salesperson shrieked, “Free-for-all combat? It can’t be tonight’s Ezart vs. Chelanda match?”

The young master happily answered, “That’s right!”

“Those tickets are super difficult to get! Even the outermost tickets were sold out. Which seats did you get?” The male salesperson said in envy.

The young master blinked and said, “I have no idea! I didn’t buy the tickets. Ezart gave them to me.”

“… Ezart gave them to you?!” A look of disbelief came over the male salesperson’s face.

The young master rummaged through his bag and took out two tickets, passing it to the male salesperson.

“VIP!”

He took the tickets and shrieked. Originally, he had just been lazily slacking off to the side. But now, there was no difference between his attitude and that of the two females. He tugged on the young master’s hand and hurriedly asked about Ezart, even requesting the young master to help him get his autograph.

“Then you’re also going to watch the free-for-all combat?”

The female owner said this, then sized me up and said, concerned. “You want to go there dressed like that? I guarantee you’ll definitely get into trouble!”

Hearing this, even the young master, whose hands were being pulled on by the male salesperson, turned to look at me. He nodded and said, “That’s true. Why don’t you help pick out some clothes for Charles too!”

The female owner happily said, “No problem!”

“I— I do not like having my abdomen exposed!” I hurriedly declared.

“Oh?” The female owner looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. “Okay then, other parts can be exposed instead!”

Urk! Can I not expose other parts of my body either?

The female owner…. Ah, no! According to her introduction, she was Olga, the female salesperson was Jill, whereas the male salesperson was Luo Lun.

Olga did exactly what she said, purposefully picking out a sleeveless black tank top for me. I had no idea whether it was coincidental or supposed to be mocking; the design in the middle of the tank top was a dappled white cross.

Then, Jill was all smiles as she handed over a pair of leather pants. Although they were long, the pants’ outer side was decorative nets.

Finally, Luo Lun sympathetically passed me a pair of boots, covering up the side of my calves… However, what I am more intent on covering up is the side of my thighs.

My abdomen has indeed not been exposed, but other parts of my body definitely are.

I am really, really not used to these sorts of clothes.

However, Olga said the very first outfit that the young master had tried on also came in other color schemes. If I disliked the current outfit, she could get the exact same outfit as that one for me, just in a different color. We could go out in these “brothers’ outfits.” The moment the young master heard this, he immediately brightened.

Recalling the too-short red shirt and the too-low pants and how they exposed the abdomen and lower back, I was more willing to wear the shirt with the cross design and the pants with side fretwork.

As Olga and Jill were extremely dissatisfied with the hairstyles the young master and I were sporting, they offered to help us style our hair with no room for disagreement.

“That’s alright! It’s really bright outside right now, so it’ll be really hot even if we go out!”

The young master told me that with a smile. Only then did I realize that I had changed into a revealing outfit. Having the sun shine directly onto my skin would cause me great discomfort.

“Yes, Young Master,” I replied gratefully.

So it was only in the evening when the sun’s rays were a lot weaker that the young master and I left X-Killer.

Following the young master’s wish to eat fries and fried chicken for dinner, we headed to a fast food restaurant. On the way, I was very concerned about my appearance and whether or not it would draw strange looks, but sadly, the number of people who noticed the young master and me was actually a lot less than before the young master and I had gone to X-Killer. It was obvious that formal outfits, dress shirts, and jeans were a lot stranger than the current clothes we were sporting to the average youngster on the street.

Although I felt upset, my relief far outweighed that, and I was especially happy for the young master. The young master did not seem to dislike the clothes he was wearing, and along the way, many youngsters gave him admiring looks and whistles, obviously impressed with his appearance. This was a great first step in improving the young master’s interpersonal relationships.

After arriving at the fast food restaurant, the young master ordered all six sets on the menu, and we carried the mountain of food to an empty table.

Before eating, the young master looked at me curiously and asked, “Charles, aren’t you eating?”

“I do not eat these foods.”

“I know that, but I’m asking you, aren’t you going to drink blood?”

“Here… is not so appropriate, right?” I smiled. I had no intention of raising a ruckus.

The young master extended a hand and said, “Pass me your bag of blood.”

I started and reflexively obeyed the young master’s command, taking out a bag of blood from my sack and handing it to him.

The young master took it just like that, got up to empty out a drink from the table into the trash can, and then punctured the bag and publicly poured the blood into the glass in front of everyone.

I stared at the young master. This… is not quite appropriate, right?

The young master walked back to the table, placed the glass in front of me, and inserted a straw. Then, he looked at my expression and laughed, reminding me, “It’s okay like this. After all, everyone else is also strange!”

I blinked and looked around. Within the fast food restaurant, there were scores of people showing off their modified limbs, and there were many wearing all sorts of weird clothing. Some even had their weapons out. Off in the corner, there was even someone holding a knife and carving words into his shoulder… Indeed, everyone is really strange, but more importantly, no one noticed the young master’s actions just now.

I really am too old-fashioned.

I sighed and sipped the blood in the cola glass. The young master also began speed-eating. No one around us noticed his abnormal eating speed.

During this time, I tactfully declined quite a number of groups of girls that came up to flirt with us and… quite a few groups of “guys” as well. Watching these guys sneaking looks at the young master’s exposed abdomen and their dubious smiles that followed after that, I did not believe that they were really, as they claimed, only looking to “be friends” with the young master.

Forget the girls, even guys are coming up to flirt. I could not help sighing again, “Am I really too old-fashioned?”

“Are you?” The young master was about to say more, but then he suddenly tugged me, pointing at the TV screen hanging from the ceiling and saying excitedly, “Charles, look! It’s Dark Sun again!”

I looked up at the screen. It was showing a report. This afternoon, Dark Sun had saved a number of citizens stuck at the top of a building on fire. He appeared directly from the sky, breaking the tall window and flying the people down one-by-one.

The media even managed to get a shot of Dark Sun flying across the sky. Although his face was indiscernible, his clothes were the same. The metal wings under the sun glimmered, further enforcing that it was him.

When the report was over, I looked at the young master. There was no doubt about it. Since morning, the young master had been in my line of sight the entire time. He had only left me for about five minutes to use the restroom. I did not believe that five minutes was enough time for him to fly to the fire, save people, and then fly back.

I must have stared at the young master for too long, as he also looked at me and asked, bewildered, “What’s wrong?”

I kept quiet for a while and noticed that the young master had stray ketchup by his mouth. I took out a handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and suggested, “Young Master, I think that you should still wear less revealing clothing!”

The young master was puzzled and asked, “Why?”

Because, if you are not Dark Sun, and you do not have Dark Sun’s physical prowess, then this entire world is far too dangerous for you who is dressed so revealingly!

34 Responses

  1. Shroomish

    Thanks for the chapter… I can’t stop imagining Charles and Ah Ye in their “in” clothes.

    • GennyCrescent

      @Shroomish
      damn, I just missed first X3
      and yeah, those “in” clothes of theirs will forever be locked in my mind
      might try drawing them XD

    • April

      @Shroomish
      For some reason, i didn’t imagine Charles and Ah Ye at all.
      Instead, my thought is “What if Twelve Holy Knights from LSK dressed in the modern youngster clothes like Charles and Ah Ye in this chapter ?” XD
      That might be a hilarious/awesome sight.

    • Nimue

      @April
      Damn, now I can’t stop the images coming in my mind! Storm wearing that type of (bluish) clothes, while trying to be his “official” self…Or Cloud suddenly appearing behind people in a revealing outfit (only to disappear few moments later :D ) Blaze would totally be in-character with these, and I’m sure Earth would dress up and then try to act all shy-ish around girls XD
      I salute you, oh master of fangirly imagination ^_^

  2. GennyCresent

    please tell me I am first!
    and oh wow this chapter was great guys~
    1) I appreciate those outfits
    2) they remind me of k-pop (that’s a good thing)
    3) oh noes Charles! so much flirting!
    XD
    best chapter yet guys, PR you are amazing, love you all :3

  3. Nimue

    Wow, thanks for the chapter! :D And it’s a long one…. :D

    I still don’t believe “young master” has nothing to do with Dark Sun. Maybe Sun’s actually a family personna which he shares with his brother? It would be convenient to cover up identities…Or maybe he built a robot in his lab, one that looks like him? Or maybe he’s actually a supervillain, and everything we believe about him is wrong. So many speculations!!!

  4. snuffie

    Ezaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaart!

    Finally you guys catch up to Asmodea’s. *sending a bunch of pictures of Ah Ye in his new clothes via telepathy as thanks*

  5. Suomynona

    I can totally imagine Charles in his all black and cross outfit since that kind of outfit is quite tame compared to visual kei outfits, on the other hand Daren’s (since I’m more used to using this name) outfit is way too revealing(not that I’m complaining since that would be so hot) for “Daren”, anyways Dar has “googly” eyes while DarkS has “sharp” eyes so it’s kinda funny how Dar has that awesome body yet with his “uke“ appearance and aura makes the outfit a bit ironic.

  6. Erenu

    Hahahahhahaha

    Surely Young Master is going to break some Hearts if he dressses so revealing… He is super innocent sometimes…….
    Poor Charles…. thw thought of Him revealing his thights at such age …..lol

  7. Karen

    LOL. Unless the girls (and guys. Gosh, you’re popular, young master) decide to physically chase him down, he probably won’t even notice them checking him out. Or at least, he probably wouldn’t be suspicious.

  8. Miau Miau Yeen

    The female owner clicked her tongue and turned to me to say, “Thirty percent off!”
    “… Thank you,” I answered helplessly.
    I laughed at this again >.>
    And also… ahhhhhh!!! Ezart Ezart~~~!! I want to see Ezart!! <333

  9. Little Writer

    I’ve read Eclipse Hunter, so Dark Sun seems like a certain other -thing- if it’s not Ah Ye/Dar. Thanks for the translations and everything, PR! I’ve been checking this site a lot to check up on LSK, but looks like it’s next.

  10. Netto

    Silly Dar, your brother has really warped your sense of style LOL. Ah Ezart, ever the good friend. :P

  11. Monica

    Thanks PR!
    Is An Te Qi has been living in the same house as Ah Ye?
    I thought it was strange for him to healed himself to this point..
    Ezart is now mentioned! XD
    I hope his Gege will be revealed soon..

  12. seijiro

    Yu-Wo is the type of author who would completely lead us on into thinking one thing and reveal how it really is another. Furthermore, she’ll point out all the clues she left within the clues to reveal why what she’s saying is really plausible. Like when Sun first became blind and started describing things without the use of his eyes. From my own guess, the Young Master was healing Dark Sun. Probably a common practice. Although, whether he knew Dark Sun was a hero before Charles showed up is a different story.

  13. mir

    Really looking forward to the free-for-all combat !
    I read a little googletranslate a long time ago; barely understood anything but from what I did understand, the next chapter is one of my favorites from both EH and NH.
    Thank you so very much for letting me read this in English! *moved*

  14. Xeraphina

    This chapter was a riot XD Poor Charles, getting checked out and protecting Ah Ye from all nefarious intentions. Can’t wait to see Ezart in the next chapter :)

  15. Lucki13ear

    Thank you for this Chapter!!! The young master is sooo interesting. It’s so hard for me to picture what Charles and the young master looks like in hipster clothes! There needs to be a picture for this scene!!

  16. April

    “Hearing this, I started. Free-for-all combat?”
    Shouldn’t it be “Hearing this, I startled.”

    • [PR]lucathia

      We do mean “started,” not startled. We would’ve used “was startled” (with a “was” before it) if we wanted to use the word “startled.” Started means “to give a sudden, involuntary jerk, jump, or twitch, as from a shock of surprise, alarm, or pain.” Yu Wo often uses this same phrase of someone being surprised, but we translate it several ways, including, “started, was startled, was shocked, was surprised, jumped, blinked” and so forth.

  17. [PR]lucathia

    Hi everyone, just wanted to mention that knowledge from Eclipse Hunter that Charles doesn’t know about will be considered spoilers! Spoilers will be removed. Either the entire comment will be deleted, or spoilerish parts of the comment will be removed. Once Charles knows more, there will be less we have to dance around. Sorry for all the trouble! Not everyone has read Eclipse Hunter, and the series is also not completely available in English.

  18. Shroomish

    Woot! I got first comment. :D
    @April – yeah… better yet a cross over? I think Yu Wo’s very creative to pull out such a thing.
    @Genny Crescent – please do draw those, and give us a dose of eye candy… our imaginations’ getting tired.
    Thanks PR!
    Now I’m wondering how Ezart will be described in the next chapters.

  19. d1r31

    What a great chapter! A true hero, indeed! & apparently now engaged?!? What a smart little girl, that Briar. Judging from the comments, I was not the only one who spent an unusually long time lingering over the lines that described the new outfits they were wearing. I read it, I re-read it, I started to read on… Then stopped to try to really imagine it in full-color… Then went back to read it again… The hemlines & proportions. Like everyone else, I would love to see a drawing of those hunks in their hipster outfits. Thanks so much for the translation of this amazing story!

  20. taninha9

    Thanks so much for the chapter!
    Even thought i can’t imagine Charles and Young Master in those clothes, for some reason, i don’t think either of them look bad.

  21. lightjedi6

    Being an avid fan of every series published on this site when I first read the description for this one I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but man, it’s truly excellent, once again thanks for your work everyone here on PR!

  22. MPToki

    Thank You PR =D
    Oh my, so the Young Master isn’t Dark Sun…
    Oh well~
    I was laughing so much while reading about their day XD
    Young Master, you sure are popular >.<

  23. Shroomish

    Read this chapter for the nth time for that continuity effect. But “pass his knees” as how Ah Ye’s new clothes was described, shouldn’t it be “past the knees”?

  24. J-kitty

    I’m surprised no one ever commented on the completely mercenary way Briar got herself a “husband” that little girl is slick.

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