Volume 1, Diary of a Butler 5: Protect the Young Master Even to Death(1/2)
Translator: Kiyutsuna
Dear Father,
Please watch over your only child from the heavens, and bless him so that he quickly masters the poker face a good butler needs..not even a 0.00x cm twitch is allowed!
My most challenging task began after the young master had turned in for the night, and the simple cleaning tasks were finished.
In order to fully cater to the young master’s every need, I often used the night to research information about weapons development and modification. Since books could no longer aid me to fulfill the young master’s requests, I had switched to using the Internet for additional knowledge.
Recently, the weapon that the young master has been modifying was a special one. He was modifying a backpack. Yes indeed, a backpack. Though technically speaking, it was a satchel. It appeared to be made of leather, was coffee colored and very old fashioned. Besides the young master, no other young person nowadays would use a satchel like that.
Regardless of whether you looked at it from the front, the side, or picked it up and emptied out all of the compartments, the satchel the young master had modified would look no different from a traditional satchel. However, after having witnessed the modification process with my own eyes, I fully understood that —besides the outer appearance— the young master’s satchel was nothing like a traditional satchel at all.
The biggest difference between the two was that the young master’s modified satchel had at least ten different weapons hidden within it.
The satchel’s strap was a thin, flexible blade that was wrapped in canvas. The two buttons on the surface were miniature bombs. From the side seams, two long needles could be retrieved. The back contained a whole row of thin knives, and a very small gun was hidden in the bottom of the pack.
Inside, it looked the same as any regular backpack. However, I knew clearly that if the inner black divider were to be pulled out, it could turn into a chain whip.
The outermost pocket held three ballpoint pens of different colors. This was a normal set up for any student.. except normal students would not have replaced the pens’ ink with two types of chemical solutions — solutions that were capable of creating a huge explosion when mixed together.
As I observed the young master modifying this satchel, I could not help but sigh in admiration. If this design were to be sold on the market during this chaotic era, every parent would definitely want to purchase one to ensure their children’s safety!
However, the young master seemed to have no plans to market it. He stuffed his textbooks into it as soon as he was done modifying it. Obviously it was to be brought to school the next day.. Perhaps the young master’s university was much more dangerous than I had thought.
I’m getting off topic. Basically, as the young master pursued his talent for turning ordinary objects into weapons, I feared that even if I flipped through all of the weapons related books I could find in every single bookstore, the knowledge gained would still not be enough to satisfy his needs.
For example, just now when the young master asked with a hopeful gaze for fire proof paint, I was unable to pass it to him immediately. The disappointed expression the young master wore afterward made me deeply mourn my failure.
I was a butler yet I was unable to meet my master’s needs. How irresponsible.
I could not help but feel that no matter how much I studied, I still would not have been able to give him fire proof paint at that time. After all, it was something rarely used when modifying weapons.
Therefore, I felt somewhat troubled.
Dear Father, what does one do when the employer’s needs are as profound and mysterious as the ocean? Even if I prepared all the equipment I know of, the young master’s house is not large enough to fit them all..
As I was wearily pondering, the cell phone in my pocket suddenly rang. I was a bit startled, for the young master would not phone me when we were both inside the house. Perhaps it is Mr. Kyle calling?
The caller ID on the screen showed that it was the bodyguard captain.
I took the call and immediately heard the familiar voice of the bodyguard. He quickly asked, “Mr. Butler, may I inquire if the young master is still at home?”
“Yes, he has already turned in for the night.”
Instead of hanging up upon receiving an answer, the bodyguard continued with a stiff tone, “Please check if he is still in the apartment.”
I was caught off guard by the request, but answered with a “yes,” then headed to the young master’s room. I knocked and received no response. After knocking again, there was still silence.
“Young Master, I’m coming in.”
Upon opening the door, I discovered the room to be empty. The bathroom lights were off as well. Only a cell phone lay upon the bed, and it was vibrating non-stop.
The young master seems to forget his phone often when he goes out..
I could only call the bodyguard back to report, “The young master is not in his room. I do not know where he has gone.”
Not only that, I also had no idea where he had left from. I was in the living room the whole time, and to get to the front door, one must pass through the living room.
“Understood.” The bodyguard’s voice did not sound at all surprised. He paused for a bit before asking in a very polite tone, “Would you perhaps be willing to come to the rooftop? It is a matter unrelated to work.”
“Rooftop.. Very well,” I quietly replied.
The elevator did not connect to the rooftop, so I had to make my way up via the fire escape. The door was left ajar when I arrived, so I took the hint to let myself in.
This rooftop was not as dark as I had imagined. Actually, there were even lights that illuminated a small circle in the center. However, contrast created by the sole circle of light made the rest of the rooftop seem even darker.
A man stood in the center of the bright circle. He was very tall. Judging by sight, I would say he was about 200 centimeters tall, not bulging with muscles, yet not scrawny either. His face revealed him to be an older man with wrinkles etched on the bronze colored skin of a laborer. I would guess this man to be around forty or fifty.
I took the initiative to greet him. “Good evening, I am Charles Endelis, the young master’s butler. How should I address you?”
Perhaps it was my politeness that caused the bodyguard’s frown to relax a bit. He nodded and replied, “Just call me Bramble. It’s not my real name, hope you don’t mind. Those in our line of work all use aliases.”
“Yes, Mr. Bramble, please just call me Charles as well.”
Bramble nodded again and then became silent. I waited patiently, for I was sure that the reason he called me up specifically was not to simply exchange names.
He broke the silence after only a short while. “The young master is missing again. At noon, you were worried as well, right?”
“Yes.” I clearly heard the stress Bramble put on the word “again.” His tone dropped more than just a bit. It looked like the young master went missing quite often.
“I warned you in the afternoon not to worry too much about the young master going missing. He disappears nearly every day. The longest disappearance was about thirty-six hours without a single trace.”
“The young master is still young. Most young people simply dislike being tailed.”
As the bodyguard’s tone became increasingly accusatory, I could not help but speak up for the young master. According to my observations, the young master’s living space was completely under surveillance. With bodyguards on the rooftop and constantly being trailed when he headed out as well, wanting to escape was a normal reaction.
Coldly, Bramble replied, “The young master is the target we protect to the death. If he had gone missing for one more day that time, all of us bodyguards would’ve had to commit suicide.”
I could not help but smile a bit. Humans will never protect anyone but themselves to that extreme. Even if they were bodyguards, they definitely would not protect their employer to the death.
Having noticed my smile, Bramble’s gaze became sharp like a sword. He said icily, “The orders we received were as follows: If 372 bodyguards could not find the young master within twenty-four hours, mission ‘Protect to the Death’ would be declared a failure. Afterward, other than waiting for the Sun Emperor’s execution team, the only choice would be group suicide.”
Sun Emperor?
I began to consider Bramble’s words seriously after having heard that name.
Year 2112, countries had weakened; power over the world was divided among hundreds of businesses. These businesses then banded together into economic alliances under the lure of collective benefits.
Currently, the most powerful economic alliance was the Sun Alliance with control over almost 30% of the whole world’s economic wealth. The Sun Alliance was named after its leader, whose last name was Ri. Therefore, he was known as the Sun Emperor to the public; a true emperor in every sense of the word.
The Sun Emperor was known for his cold and heartless ways. “Traitors must die” was his most famous motto.
There were many security companies under the Sun Alliance. The most well-known was Sun Security. What brought it to the spotlight was its top level mission—”Protect to the Death.” If the employer dies or goes missing during the mission, all of the bodyguards involved would be executed. Apparently, it would not be a merciful death, either.
“I have not heard of any ‘Protect to the Death’ missions lately.”
I frowned as I thought the matter over. Whenever a “Protect to the Death” mission was announced, the media would create a huge uproar. Even a vampire such as me could not help but be familiar with the world’s dictator, the Sun Emperor, and Sun Security’s top level mission through the media.
Even though just about every employer would wish to hire bodyguards to protect them to the death, Sun Security rarely ever gave out such a mission. No matter how much money was offered, no one was guaranteed to be able to hire bodyguards from Sun Security under “Protect to the Death.”
However, this was what made the mission all the more famous. After all, the appeal of something was directly proportional to its rarity. Also, who would not want to be protected in such a way?
Bramble said matter-of-factly, “This mission is a secret. The young master’s identity is also a secret. Don’t ask me because I don’t know either. All I know is that if anything were to happen to the young master, 372 brothers, including myself, would all die!”
Yet the young master disappears almost every day.. I could understand Bramble’s anger now. Each time the young master disappears, all the bodyguards would have to pray for their lives!
“372 brothers, butler. Do you have any idea what that number means?”
Bramble stared at me, and I quickly answered by shaking my head. He then continued to speak. “The most bodyguards ever utilized for a ‘Protect to the Death’ mission was when the late top singer Raines went on tour. Do you know how many bodyguards were sent on that mission?”
I shook my head again. That “Protect to the Death” mission was very famous. However, even though the media made a huge fuss, the numbers varied with each report. From twenty something to a hundred, the numbers were not trustworthy at all.
“197 people.”
That was the crisp answer he gave.
Yet, the young master had 372 bodyguards to protect him to the death. I was shocked. What kind of identity did it take to have almost 200 more bodyguards than someone like Raines, the world’s top singer?
Bramble said coldly, “This number means only one thing, butler. If anything were to happen to the young master, you wouldn’t get away unscathed either. Even if you are a nearly immortal vampire, the Sun Emperor can still turn you to ash!”
I suddenly understood why Bramble had called me up here and told me so much. I looked at him and asked with confidence, “You want me to help monitor the young master?”
“You’re a smart person, butler.” Bramble nodded.
I did not know whether to laugh or cry as I said, “I am a butler, not a bodyguard. Why not send people to the house to watch over the young master?”
“The young master doesn’t allow it,” Bramble replied stiffly. “We were ordered to completely obey the young master. Even if he wanted all 372 of us to put a bullet through our skulls, we’d have to do it.”
At that, I immediately felt sympathetic toward the bodyguards’ situation. They had to obey the young master yet protect him at the same time when he clearly disliked their presence very much.
I sighed and said honestly, “I am afraid I am unable to do that. I do not even know how many secret passages there are in the house. Until just now when the young master left through one in his room, I did not even know there were any in the room..”
“The young master’s room doesn’t have any secret passages,” Bramble interrupted. “Only the secret room behind the television wall has secret passages. The numbers are numerous, mind you. Even we don’t know where all of them are.”
“Then how did the young master leave?”
“I was hoping you could tell me that,” came the cold reply.
I thought for a moment and frowned. “The young master’s room has a window that can be opened.”
“Unless he jumped down, we’d have noticed.”
Jumped down? I shook my head. That was impossible. The young master’s room was twenty-five stories up. Even with a modified body, nobody could jump that height and come out unscathed.
I suddenly remembered something. “Are there not surveillance cameras in the room?”
“The cameras inside the room aren’t within our control. Only the ones in the corridor outside of the main door are ours.”
Right, Mr. Kyle had said those were installed by the young master’s brother.. Brother? It couldn’t be that my “master” was..
“Does the Sun Emperor have a younger brother?” I asked abruptly.
Bramble looked at me strangely, then replied, “Of course not.”
I smiled wryly. It was no surprise that Bramble would react in such a way. If the Sun Emperor had a sibling, then simply by relation he would likely be a world famous person! It was just that, besides having relations with the undisputed emperor, I could not think of any other identity that would require Sun Security to dispatch three hundred and seventy two bodyguards on a “Protect to the Death” mission.
“Do not guess at your young master’s identity. Even if you do find out, you’ll have to act as if you didn’t know. In comparison, it’s much better to not know anything to begin with!”
I nodded. Bramble was truly an experienced bodyguard; his words were very similar to what Father used to say. If the employer did not want the butler to know something, then even if it were found out, we must forget it immediately.
“What’s important is the young master’s safety.” Bramble furrowed his brow and said with a heavy voice, “I think the young master might be deeply engrossed in the hero game.”
Hero game?
I was struck by the sudden realization. So that was it, the reason for the young master’s frequent disappearances was to play hero? This was definitely possible. The young master was still young, and he majored in combat. Not to mention that his skills were not weak either. He had the passion and ability to be a hero.
The young master couldn’t be the most handsome hero, First Wind, could he? From the young master’s unique charisma, the possibility was there.. Oh no, I shouldn’t be guessing at the young master’s identity. I need to quickly forget about this!
“Heroes. What idiotic beings!” Bramble did not bother to hide his distaste and disgust.
“To put it that way is a bit too biased. Heroes have saved many people as well.”
I agreed that most people are only playing hero as a game, such as the “hero apprentice” I met in the afternoon. I would be hard pressed to truly see him as a hero. On the other hand, Solitary Butterfly was a hero worth anticipating.
Bramble looked at me, before asking coldly, “Butler, if it were you, would you put your life in the hands of bodyguards or look up to the sky and wait for heroes to save you?”
Oh.. I desperately wanted to reply that I would wait and look to the sky..
But that was because I was a vampire. If I honestly could not save myself, I doubt bodyguards would be much help. In comparison, waiting for heroes may give me a better chance of salvation.
Sadly, the most likely scenario was that both bodyguards and heroes would end up buried underground with me.
“Of course you are more reliable.” I wisely decided not to say anything that would anger Bramble.
To that he replied proudly, “My brothers are all the best of the best. Almost all of them have participated in ‘Protect to the Death’ missions before. Even after being hit with hundreds of bullets, they would still stand firm in front of the employer. Everyone understands that even if they were to die, the other bodyguards would survive and use their lives to protect their family members!”
“The friendship you share is worthy of respect.” This time, my tone was sincere.
“Only the weak would wait for things like heroes,” Bramble said mercilessly. “To keep living, you have to give it everything you’ve got and be willing to use any method to remove all obstructions.”
I smiled, refraining from making any comments.
“We’re getting off topic again,” Bramble frowned, then looked me over with a bemused expression and asked curiously, “How odd, talking to you always gets me off topic. Could this be some strange ability you have as a vampire?”
“Of course there is no such ability,” I replied with a smile. “It is because I am a butler, therefore I am used to listening attentively to the master speak.”
Bramble nodded casually at my explanation, then continued on with the main topic. He admitted bluntly, “The young master is indeed not as impulsive as other young people.”
As he spoke, his frown became less severe. I think he clearly knew about the young master’s disciplined life style. After seeing that, anyone would say that the young master was a good child.
“However, the young master is still green. There are many things a little brat like him does not know.”
Bramble turned around, looking out into the distance. With his brow furrowed deeply once again, he spoke. “You should know very clearly, vampire, just what kind of monster this field of rooftops is.”
I followed his gaze. From this view point, all of the tall buildings’ rooftops looked the same. There was nothing but darkness. Perhaps because the buildings were too close together, all the rooftops seemed to connect into one uneven land of darkness.
This was a forgotten land that humans rarely noticed.
It contrasted with the bright colors that made up the streets below. This piece of black land was where shadows gathered. All sorts of “dark beings” congregated up here, fighting to win new rooftops for their personal territory.
I was very clear on these facts. However, to me, there was nothing to be afraid of, for I was a member of these dark races to begin with. A fifth generation vampire would actually be at the top of the dark hierarchy.. Even if I were to step upon the old residents of the rooftop while passing, they would not dare to provoke me.
Beings of darkness were always skilled at differentiating between the strong and the weak. To them, snatching necessities from the weak and staying clear of the strong was essential for survival.
The humans and non-humans who knew about this all called the rooftops..
“The Dark Realm that belongs to non-humans,” I replied softly.
Bramble turned back to look at me and praised, “So you do understand.”
I nodded, then after some thought replied earnestly, “I could inform the young master about the danger of the Dark Realm. However, I will not admonish the young master for anything. That is not something I should do.”
Bramble’s expression turned resentful as he heard me, and he shouted harshly, “Butler! My brothers here are all the best of the best, the top bodyguards! Every one of them would put their life down to protect the young master. But look at us now, we can only sit here and pray to the f***ing heavens that when the young master goes missing, he won’t step on a rooftop that should not be stepped on. He’d be disposed of like a flimsy piece of trash.”
I looked around. It was very dark, but indeed there was the faint sound of breathing to show that there were many bodyguards up here.
I thought for a moment and said with a tone of absolute sincerity, “To all the bodyguards here, I admire you very much and believe that, as the best bodyguards, you have the responsibility and resolve to protect the young master with your lives. However, please also understand my position. I am a butler. My responsibility is to fulfill all of the young master’s needs, not to admonish him about what he should or should not do.”
Having heard that, Bramble turned away and was silent for a long time. When he finally turned to face me again, he told me expressionlessly, “You’re a good butler. We’re done here. You can go back and continue to make the house spotlessly clean and wait for the young master to come back so you may serve him.”
Even though Bramble’s words might have seemed like praise, I could tell from his icy expression and wording that he was very angry. He was livid enough that the sarcasm directed at me was only for the sake of holding down his seething anger.
“I am very sorry that I could not be of help to you all.”
Bramble did not answer, but after a while, he nodded stiffly.
At this point, I thought I should take my leave. I could not see the bodyguards around us, but from Bramble’s reaction, I concluded that they would not be too friendly toward me.
After bidding an “until next time” to Bramble, I turned to leave as I observed the surroundings. From purposeful observation, I noticed this rooftop was not actually empty. There were many large objects lying around. There were many human silhouettes as well. Most were perfectly still. Although I could not make out more than a vague outline, I could feel that they were currently “seeing” me off.
I felt a sudden gratitude for the rooftop’s darkness as it spared me from seeing these bodyguards’ expressions.
“Captain! Something’s flying this way.”
Hearing this loud shout, I hesitated but still ceased my steps.
“Signal to it.” Bramble’s voice came from behind me.
The lights at the perimeters of the rooftop flashed twice.
“Still approaching.”
“Flash again,” Bramble shouted.
Again two flashes of lights.
“No way, it’s still approaching. It’s no use, Captain!”
Finally, I turned around and, as expected, saw a black shadow charging straight toward the building. It was shaped like a bird but much larger. I then looked over to Bramble whose brow was knitted tightly together once more. He seemed to be planning a countermeasure.
Even though I refused to help them regarding the young master, I still felt sympathetic to these guards. There was no harm in helping them out a little.
I took a deep breath before using the vampires’ unique Hollow Roar toward the sky.
“This be my territory, begone!”
Most dark beings were reluctant to anger vampires. Even though not every vampire was strong, the general consensus about vampires was that they were hard to kill.
Bramble glanced at me but did not say anything.
Despite my effort, that shadow continued to fly toward us and was closing in fast. If it were not for the night hindering our field of vision, we might have even been able to see the other’s features clearly.
At that moment, Bramble ordered resolutely, “Aim, then fire immediately.”
“Wait a moment..”
I felt that this was not a wise action to take. This rooftop was not exactly an important place. The target had no reason to take the risk and invade it. Perhaps he had other reasons for coming here.
From the darkness, there suddenly came other voices. “Butler, shouldn’t you be going back to.. Oh right! Weren’t you going to unclog the toilets?”
Mocking laughter rose up from all around, but what mattered to me was that shadow. He had flown close enough for me to make out his figure in detail. This was a humanoid being with wings. Within non-humans, were there any that were humanoid and could fly using wings..?
“Ready, aim, fire.”
Before I had time to think thoroughly, the bodyguards had opened fire. They used energy cannons, and as the beam of light fired, it lit up the whole rooftop.
At that moment, I saw the features of that black shadow. He was a man with wings. He seemed to be wearing a mask or goggles of some sort, so his facial features were indiscernible. Also, he was holding another person in his arms. If my eyes have not been fooling me, it was a little girl.
No human or non-human would seek trouble while holding a little girl. That person truly held no bad intentions.
I watched the energy cannon hit that person, and they dropped out of my field of vision in a flash. I sighed deeply, “Truly a shame.”
“What did you say?” Bramble heard my words and turned to look at me.
“Nothing.”
I hesitated but decided to not mention the little girl. Since they had already been shot down, it was pointless to say anything more.
“Captain! We’ve got big trouble!”
A bodyguard rushed toward Bramble while shouting and stumbling in his state of panic. He looked to be much younger than Bramble, around thirty years old at the most. What stood out was his hair, which was a very light shade of gray. Whether it was dyed or natural was anyone’s guess.
Also, his voice.. It seemed he was the same person who had reminded me to head back and unclog toilets.
historical
Bramble mercilessly scolded him, “Why are you panicking? How unsightly!”
However, that bodyguard waved his arms about in an exaggerated fashion and shouted, “Never mind my image! Captain, Bri is in trouble!”
Bramble stiffened, and his face froze.
Bri? Judging from the bodyguard’s actions and Bramble’s reaction, Bri must be an important person to him. However, I did not think it could be his wife. Due to his age, there was no way that young bodyguard could have referred to Bramble’s wife with such a nickname. Unless it was a child.. I was suddenly reminded of the little girl I had seen just now.
I deeply and sorrowfully hoped that things had not gone the way I had imagined. That kind of development would be much too regretful.
In his frantic hurry, the bodyguard did not wait for Bramble to react before yelling to those in the shadows. “Hu-hurry and project the video!”
From the darkness came a hesitant voice, asking, “Captain?”
Bramble finally snapped out of it and quickly shouted, “Follow Dell’s instructions.”
A 3-D projection cut through the rooftop’s darkness and drew everyone’s attentions. The video contained a news broadcast. The subtitles flashed by, ceaselessly describing the content: ‘Bank robbers kidnap hostage while escaping. Police and heroes helpless in the face of a crisis.’
The reporter seem-->>