No Hero Volume 4: The Ancient Vampire Castle

Original novel in Chinese by: 御我(Yu Wo)

Prologue— translated by Raylight (proofread by elisa, Rose, C/E edited by Doza, lucathia)

I drew open the curtains on the French windows in the living room. It was only five in the morning, so there was not much daylight coming in. The sun had just risen, and it was now the beginning of a new day, a new dawn.

As a vampire, I ought to have loathed dawn—sunlight was always what vampires hated the most. For those vampires with higher generation numbers, dawn was not merely the start of a new day. It was practically a symbol of destruction.

Even so, for me, dawn was like a type of redemption.

I had lost count of how many times I could see hope in the morning sun—be it my honorable father’s calm but resolute expression, or Sadina’s radiant smile…

“Charles, would you fall in love with me?”

“Charles, Charles?”

Hearing her call out repeatedly, even my unwillingness to upset her did not prevent me from steeling my heart and answering, “No, that is definitely not allowed!”

I shut my eyes, not wanting to see her disappointed expression. However, I could not keep my eyes shut forever, so when I had prepared myself to face her and once again opened my eyes…

The young master’s eyes were wide, and as though at a loss, he fired off a series of questions, “Not allowed? I-I can’t go running? Why? Did something happen?”

“…”

I quickly explained, “My apologies, Young Master. My mind had merely wandered off, and I did not mean to tell you that it is not allowed.”

“Charles can actually become absent-minded too?” The young master asked, stunned. He didn’t look like he minded though. Instead, he asked, full of curiosity, “Then, who are you telling ‘no’ to? What is not allowed?”

I was just about to explain when I heard my cell phone ring. I took it out and glanced at it. On the display, it showed that the caller was Sadina. I could not help but feel a little troubled. Taking a personal call in front of the employer was strictly forbidden by the butler’s code of conduct. However, it was Sadina calling, and she would not call me unless it was a serious matter.

I looked at the young master, a little hesitant. The young master returned my gaze, and with a slight hint of anxiety in his voice, urged, “Charles, hurry and pick it up, or they’re going to hang up.”

Just as the young master finished his words, the phone really did stop ringing. However, this did not come as a surprise to me. Anyone born to an influential family of butlers would know that if they were to call a butler, letting the phone ring too long would be extremely disrespectful. The butler may be in the middle of serving their employer and would not be free to pick up the call.

In fact, all butlers know that they should have two cell phones, one for official business and one for private matters. During work, one should not carry their personal cell phone around, of course. Alternatively, they could set their cell phone to vibrate.

However, I had not done so. The reason for that was that there were simply too few people who would call me for private matters. It would either be X, who might not give me a single call for ten years, or Sadina, who usually avoided times a butler might be serving their master.

Five o’clock in the morning was rarely a time when the employer needed a butler’s services. At that time, the employer was usually still asleep. Our young master was an exception.

“Ah!” The young master exclaimed, and he asked anxiously, “The phone hung up. What should we do?”

“It is fine. I will call back at a later time.” I smiled and asked, “Young Master, are you going out to exercise now?”

The young master looked at me and then lowered his head to look at the cell phone in my hand. After a while, it still seemed like he did not have any intention of going out… I then understood and corrected myself. “It may be an important phone call. Young Master, may I ask for your permission to call back right now?”

He immediately nodded his head vigorously.

I dialed the number, and the phone immediately picked up. “Sadina, this is Charles.”

From the phone, a somewhat hoa.r.s.e and aged-sounding female voice responded. “I know. Did I wake you?”

“No, I am awake.” I looked at the young master, and his face was full of incomparable curiosity. I could not help but find it amusing. “I am currently serving the young master.”

“Eh? Then how could you call me back?”

“The young master allowed me to do so.” I laughed as I said, “He is very interested in you! Are you interested in conversing with him?”

“Of course.” Sadina gave a laugh. “Just hearing you say that he is a good employer is enough to pique my curiosity. After serving him for some time, do you still think he is a good employer?”

“Indeed. Moreover, he is even better than what I had thought originally.” After I gave my reply, I pressed the speaker b.u.t.ton on the phone and then introduced her to the young master. “Young Master, this is Madam Sadina. She is my cousin and Curtis’s paternal grandmother.”

The young master went “Ah,” and respectfully said, “Madam Sadina, nice to meet you. I’m An Xiang Ye.”

“Young Master An, nice to meet you. I am Sadina Christopher of the Elysees Family.”

Sadina introduced herself, using a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing. It was, however, a little reserved, as she did not know the young master well, so an introduction like this was the right choice. After all, a person who was able to pay an annual salary of twenty million to hire a butler was definitely someone of importance. Being polite was always more suitable than being disrespectful.

“Elysees Family?” The young master turned to look at me. He seemed puzzled as he asked, “It’s not the Endelis Clan?”

“Endelis is the surname from my mother’s side.”

The young master gave an “Oh,” but did not pursue the matter further.

Sadina laughed as she said, “Young Master An, may I ask if our Charles’s service is satisfactory?”

“Charles is great!” The young master answered without any hesitation, “He is a very good butler, and he’s also very interesting!”

“Very interesting?” Sadina started chuckling. “I didn’t know that cousin of mine could be very interesting! I would like to speak more with you to find out how he is interesting. Young Master An, you are currently on summer vacation, right?”

“Yeah!”

“If you aren’t against it, you are welcome to visit the Elysees Family to play.”

“I can really do that?” The young master agreed, ecstatic, “Then, we’ll definitely go over and play!”

I did not know if it was because the young master’s curiosity had been satisfied, or if it was due to Sadina’s invitation… The young master handed the phone straight back to me and then happily said, “I’m going to exercise now!”

I quickly walked to the entrance and opened the front door for the young master. I watched until the elevator doors closed and then shut the front door.

I picked up the call once again. Although I wanted to ask Sadina her reasons for calling me, once she started talking, she rattled off a whole string of questions. I did not get a chance to ask.

“Your young master An actually doesn’t know of the Elysees Family? Is it possible that he isn’t actually part of an influential family? Charles, don’t tell me that you lowered your rates for the sake of a good employer? Or do you not charge him at all?”

“That is not the case,” I denied immediately. “The young master has indeed given me an annual salary of twenty million. He was also definitely born into an influential family.”

If the Sun Emperor’s younger brother could not be not considered a child of an influential family, then there was no one in the world who could.

“Is that so? Hmm… He wouldn’t be a prodigal son, would he?” Sadina wondered calmly. “Yes, that’s highly possible. For those born into wealth, as long as they have a little ambition, they tend to care for their reputation a lot. Most wouldn’t go and hire a vampire as a butler.”

I sternly denied, “The young master is definitely not a prodigal son!”

“Oh? Then which part of the family business is he handling? Even if he is still a university student, for those children of influential families, they should have started learning how to manage a business in high school. How many companies does he have under his name? After he graduates from university, does he intend to work his way up from the bottom, or become one of the higher-ups in the family business immediately?”

Sadina’s quick-fire succession of questions was still as powerful as ever. I forced a smile as I answered, “The young master does not intend to take over his family business.”

She gave her evaluation without restraint, “Then, to the family, he is a prodigal son! Because he isn’t of any use to the family!”

I was silent for a while. Then, I felt my heart ache slightly as I asked, “As someone who has abandoned his family, am I like that to you as well?”

I did not imagine that she would still answer without hesitation, “Of course you are! Moreover, you’re a heartless rat, a vampire without a conscience, a useless person who only looks good, and besides being a butler, you’re an idiot who can’t do anything!”

“Sadina…”

“You better come back to the family immediately! I know that the Endelis Clan has sent vampires to look for you, and the Church is currently keeping you under watch. You better not think about dealing with all of them by yourself. Don’t even think about it! I have already had Curtis arrange everything. If you don’t come back to the family, I will personally bring an entourage to capture you and bring you back! Do you understand, my dear cousin Charles?”

Evidently, fifty years was still not enough for the famous “fiery female butler” Sadina to turn into a serene and peaceful granny…

I quickly said, “But a vampire from the Endelis Clan is still here. She’s even a sixth generation vampire. I am afraid I cannot shake her off.”

“There is no need for you to worry about that anymore. Perhaps you can also go over and confirm if she is still there! Now, do you have any more excuses not to return home?”

“No.” I answered with a forced smile, “I understand.”

She abruptly roared, “Just understanding is not enough!”

“I will go back.” I tacked on a promise.

“Still not enough!”

“… I swear on the name of my honorable father, I will return home in three days’ time.”

Sadina was finally satisfied, and she answered, “Okay, I’ll be waiting for your return.”