Chapter Volume 1, Diary of a Butler 3: Practicing Conversation with the Master (1/2)
Volume 1, Diary of a Butler Chapter 3: Practicing Conversation with the Master
Translator: Raylight
Dear Father,
I seem to be able to understand a few of the teachings that you once taught. You had said before, that for a genuinely good employer, the reason that would make his or her subordinates wholeheartedly devoted to them is definitely not money. Regarding the portrait that the young master gave me, I could not find any place safe enough to store it. In the end, I could only put it in the metal cabinet that I sleep in.
May you bless me from the heavens, that I will be able to receive more rewards transcending monetary gain.
In the evening, while I was waiting upon the young master’s meal, he ate very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that it was just like a normal person’s eating pace. Just when I was finding it strange, the young master put down his cutlery and looked deeply worried as he lifted his head to ask me, “Charles, what do I have to do to be able to converse with my classmates?”
I looked at the young master’s worried expression and understood that he must have run into a difficult problem of interpersonal relationships in school again. After giving it much thought, I picked an answer that was the least likely to go wrong and replied, “As long as you talk naturally about each other’s affairs, that will be fine.”
The young master made a pained face and said, “But I don’t understand the things my classmates talk about at all. Yet if I were to say something first, my classmates would all stare at me blankly, and nobody would reply.”
“May I ask Young Master to give an example of something that you have said before?”
After he gave a nod of his head, the young master replied, “There was a time when I saw everyone discussing how difficult the report that the teacher gave was and how the time span given to do it was too short. They said things like they definitely wouldn’t be able to complete it and such. Then I butted in to say, not really, this time the report topic is ‘Modern weapon trends – energy weapons,’ and I have chosen the discussion topic of ‘How to improve the overly short battery life of energy weapons.’ One can start from the aspect of the expenditure of energy. As long as one can achieve the most effective balance between the expended amount of energy and the killing power of the weapon, it would be extremely beneficial in battles. Of course, one can also discuss the various types of weapons. The bladed type energy weapon is more durable than the firearms type, and moreover, an energy blade can even cut through reinforced concrete. Though blades have a weak point of having a limited range, if one is able to use a mix of bladed weapons and firearms…”
I completely understood the distress of the young master’s classmates now.
I gently called out, “Young Master.”
He halted his words and looked at me, still having a miserable look on his face.
I tried my best to explain clearly. “Your classmates actually only wanted to grumble to each other a little that the assignment the teacher gave was too tough and were not really intending to discuss the contents of the report. Therefore, next time you can also follow along and grumble a little, and then you will be able to join your classmates’ conversation.”
“But what’s the use of grumbling?” The young master frowned and seemed not to understand in the least bit as he said, “After grumbling, you still have to do your assignment! Moreover, grumbling would not only waste your time, it also doesn’t help with the contents of the report. Why not discuss the details of the assignment then?”
What truly valuable advice… What a pity it is not the correct answer.
I couldn’t help but recall Mr. Kyle’s words. He had said that the young master was extremely cultured but was extremely lacking in common knowledge with regard to normal human relationships. He could not have been more accurate with his description. The lifestyle and behavior of the young master was just like the idealized lifestyle of a teenager out of a textbook… yet a far cry from that of an actual teenager.
I explained to the young master in detail, “It is because they feel that it is very painful to do the assignment, so they would grumble about it to each other first. This would let everyone be able to vent their emotions, and then they would be more willing to do their assignment.”
“I don’t find it painful!” The young master replied in a small voice, “The assignment is very simple. Compared to talking to my classmates, it is much simpler…”
I inwardly gave a wry smile. An ordinary person would usually rather talk to others than do their assignment, right?
After giving it some thought, I suggested, “Young Master, after you have finished your dinner and also talked to Master, let us go watch the news. Following that, we can talk to each other about the contents of the news. We can practice a little first, and then tomorrow, you will be able to talk with your classmates about the events reported in the news.”
“Sure!” The young master agreed enthusiastically while looking at me with an expression as if I had saved him.
After dinner, the young master ended his conversation with the master early and sat in the living room waiting for me. Seeing this, I too hurriedly put down the cleaning that I had been doing. I rushed over to the living room and turned on the television.
At that moment, the television was broadcasting various deeds of heroes. For the most popular news story today, nothing could surpass the deed done by the hero named “Dark Sun.” At noon today, he dealt with an incident regarding a bus being seized by terrorists.
Once I saw that, I happily commented, “Ah, this is really wonderful. Dark Sun is a very good conversation topic.”
The young master’s eyes widened, and then he asked me in astonishment, “Why is that so?”
I smiled. “Asking people why” is indeed a pretty good conversation starter. I started to “chat” with the young master with the intention of making use of this chance to also conveniently build up his common knowledge.
“Young Master, due to the advancement of science and technology in the area of technological modification in the recent years, there are a lot of people who have gained a large amount of strength from modifying their body. The immense power obtained resulted in strong villains but, at the same time, also brought up countless heroes. Regarding all this, you should have already known about it, right?”
The young master hesitated for a moment, but he still gave a nod of his head.
Thankfully, the young master was not as lacking in common knowledge as I had imagined so, though I was a little nervous about his hesitation. If he did not even know about “heroes,” then I would really have to “start teaching him from the very beginning.”
I continued, “Though there are a lot of heroes, a majority of them are short-lived. After all, if heroes can modify themselves to become stronger, the evildoers can modify themselves to become even stronger. There are quite a few heroes who are either dead or were defeated at the hands of the villains and do not dare show themselves ever again.
“However, there are always a few exceptions among them. One of them is ‘Dark Sun.’ He is a hero who suddenly emerged five years ago. Up to now, none have heard of his defeat, though within the current heroes, there are a few more people who have managed this feat. For example, the hero that has been named by others as the most violent hero, Dragon Peace, the most dashing hero, First Wind, and the only female hero, Solitary Butterfly.”
The young master seemed to blank out upon hearing this, and he blankly said, “I didn’t even know that there were this many heroes.”
I felt a little weak as I gave a smile. Heroes have been the most popular topic in the recent few years. Even a ten-year-old would probably be able to mention the names of at least five heroes off the top of their head and even be eager to say which hero was the one they idolized.
“Then, Dark Sun shouldn’t be a rather famous hero, right? Just now when you mentioned the most violent, the most dashing and the like, Dark Sun was not included!” The young master asked, full of curiosity.
I gave a smile and then shook my head saying, “Just the opposite, Young Master. That is because Dark Sun is always wearing silver-colored goggles, and one cannot see what his true appearance is. Most importantly, he always comes and goes without a trace and has been named as the most mysterious hero. Mysterious and strong heroes are exactly the kind of people that teenagers like to idolize the most, and hence, naturally, he is a good conversation topic.”
The young master seemed to be a little hesitant as he pondered, as if he did not know how to reply as per usual.
I attempted to give the young master a helping hand. “Young Master, what are your feelings regarding Dark Sun?”
“I don’t feel anything!” The young master exclaimed with a little helplessness, and then he boldly replied, “I don’t know him, so what could I possibly feel toward him?”
Smiling, I replied, “Young Master, you won’t be able to converse with your classmates this way. You could try saying instead that you don’t really know and then ask the other party about what they think.”
“Charles.”
“Yes?”
“Then what are your feelings regarding Dark Sun?” The young master stared at me with curiosity.
The young master certainly learns fast…
I gave it some thought and then chose to reply in a way that would never offend anyone, “I feel that with the existence of heroes, it would at least make those people who are planning to do evil have some apprehensions. This would also benefit the average civilian. Moreover, the existence of a hero would always be able to ignite hope in the people. Also, I think that the fact that Dark Sun does not show his true appearance and does not seek any reward for doing good deeds is something that makes people admire him. “
“His true appearance, huh?” The young master pondered over it for a moment and then inquisitively asked, “Charles, what do you think Dark Sun would look like?”
It appears that the young master has already grasped that the essence of conversation is ‘questioning.’
“I have not thought about it before.” Smiling, I replied, “I believe that everyone would like to know a hero’s true appearance! However, if possible, I would on the contrary hope that I would not run into him.”
“Why?” The young master’s eyes turned wide, and he exclaimed, “Didn’t you say that everyone would hope to see the heroes?”
“Yes, I did. However, Young Master, the mentioned ‘everyone’ is referring to the human population while Charles is a vampire.” I gave a forced smile as I continued, “To heroes, a vampire who sucks the blood of humans is probably their natural enemy, right? If a hero were to scream bloody murder and attempt to kill me, I would be very distressed.”
The young master tilted his head again, seeming to be thinking it over. Then he looked at me and asked, “Charles, where does all the blood you drink come from?”
As expected. This question is something that every employer of mine has asked. After all, they would not wish for my food to be sucked out of their necks.
I respectfully answered, “All of the blood is bought from the hospital.”
“I know that you buy it from the hospital! The name of the hospital is on top of all the blood packs.” The young master seemed not to mind in the least as he continued to ask, “What I meant was, Charles, you don’t like to go out during the daytime, but I haven’t seen you go out at night either. Also, by the time I go to sleep, it’s already ten, and the hospital should be closed by then?”
So he was actually asking about that. I smiled as I replied, “There is someone who specially helps send it over to me by express delivery, so I do not need to go out to buy it.”
The young master looked at me for quite a while. Just as I was feeling puzzled and about to take the initiative to ask him what he wished to know, he gave a smile as he said, “Charles, don’t tell me that you haven’t bitten anyone with your teeth before?”
Once I heard this question, my whole body froze. I was extremely uncomfortable regarding this topic. However, I still answered truthfully, “Yes, I have.”
“Oh!” The young master’s eyes widened a little, and as though he was in disbelief, he said, “I completely couldn’t tell that was the case. It feels like Charles is a lot gentler than humans. It’s so hard to imagine that you would bite someone!”
No matter how gentle I am, I am still a vampire! I gave a wry smile as I told him, “Young Master, didn’t you already see me reveal my fangs and claws on the first night?”
“I did!” The young master seemed a little excited as he replied, “It was very cool! Suddenly turning from a Mr. Nice Guy into a vampire, and moreover, you seemed very strong!”