Chapter 12: Picked It Up (5)

Chapter 12: Picked It Up (5) Translator: miraclerifle Editor: Borderline Masochist Tap. Tap. Even at the rough patting, the baby kittens could only stiffly stare at Cale. Cale thought about the moment when he first met Choi Han. The injured silver kitten was growling while the red kitten was whining next to it. ‘The silver kitten should be the older sister with grey hair and the younger brother must be the red kitten.’ Cale had a bright smile on his face. He looked toward the kittens and started to speak. “We’ll talk later.” The siblings who seemed to be beast people avoided his gaze and Hans confusingly replied. “...Are you talking to me?” “Not you.” Hans looked at Cale and the two kittens with an even more confused expression on his face, before holding the kittens even tighter. It was a movement that seemed to show that he was trying to avoid a dangerous person. However, he soon had to approach Cale once again. “Are you heading back out?” “Yes.” It was because Cale changed his coat and was preparing to leave again. “Where will you be going?” “I have a promise to keep and someone to meet.” “...Young master, you are going to keep a promise?” Hans looked to be shocked again, as he questioned Cale. “You seem to be getting ruder.” “My apologies.” The deputy butler’s apology was very quick. ‘Is he really the best of the butler candidates? He seemed decent by the way he handled Choi Han’s issue.’ Cale felt like Hans, who was caressing the kittens with a wide grin on his face, was not very reliable. ‘I’m going to take him to the capital as well.’ Cale was thinking about this, something that Hans would never expect even in his dreams, no, something that Hans would lament even if he learned about it in his dream, before Cale asked about the person he had not seen for a while. “Where’s Ron?” Hans had a satisfied smile on his face at that question. “I heard that Choi Han-nim will be going with you as one of your guards for the beginning part of your journey to the capital. Is that true?” Hans was thinking about Choi Han, who had defeated all of the Count’s Knight Brigade members today. He was more skilled than expected, making it easy for him to be Cale’s guard as Cale wanted. Of course, neither Hans nor the knights knew that Choi Han had hidden his true power. “Mr. Ron found out that Choi Han-nim will be going with you and went out with Choi Han-nim to purchase some clothes and other necessary items for travel. Ah, Chef Beacrox went with them a well.” “I see. I’m relieved.” ‘They seem to be getting along well.’ There was a rare, extremely bright smile on Cale’s face. The smile was very fitting with his beautiful red hair. Hans started to speak while being happy about Cale’s bright smile. “Mr. Ron, Choi Han-nim, and even Beacrox seem to be excited about serving you.” He could see an instantaneous change in Cale’s face as he said that. Why would Cale suddenly look like he lost his appetite? Hans could not figure it out. Both individuals headed outside the main gates once again. As he got on the carriage, Cale asked Hans who was watching him leave. “Oh, Hans. Don’t the deputy butlers learn basic martial arts?” “Of course.” “And you are the greatest Butler candidate?” The corner of Hans’s lips started to move up and down. Count Deruth cherished Hans because he took care of things well and had the best personality as well. “Yes sir. I know the basics for three different styles: martial arts, dagger arts, and spear arts.” A good butler needed to learn a couple different basic fighting styles, just in case something happened and the family members needed to run away. “Amazing.” “I guess I am a bit amazing.” Cale could not hold back his smile watching Hans shrug his shoulders, while his lips continued to flicker. The two kittens could only shake their head as they watched Hans and the sly smile on Cale’s face. “I’m leaving now.” Cale made up his mind to take Hans to the capital to take care of all of the annoying things he didn’t want to deal with before he then closed the carriage door. The carriage headed into the fog and the now stronger rain to head to his destination. [The Fragrance of Tea with Poetry] Cale looked up at the sign before opening the door. Ring. The clear ringing of the bell and a desolate shop welcomed Cale. “I guess nobody is here because of the rain.” “Welcome, young master.” Billos. The bastard of the Flynn Merchant Guild. He welcomed Cale as if they had known each other for a long time. Cale sat in front of the counter and made eye contact with Billos. “I promised to come back. I needed to keep my promise.” “Of course. Promises need to be kept. Should I prepare the book and tea from last time?” “Yes. 3 cups of tea please.” “Which teas should I make?” Cale ordered three types of tea and set a time for Billos to bring the teas up before turning around and heading up to the third floor. Drip drip- The rain was getting even worse. Tsk. Cale clicked his tongue and went back to sit at the same spot near the third floor window and looked out. “The rain is pretty strong, isn’t it?” Billos came up and sat across from him and put down a single cup of tea. Cale was observing Billos closely. ‘Choi Han, Beacrox, Ron. And finally, Billos.’ These were the names of the individuals who continued to show up in the novel past volume 1. Of course, Billos only has about two sentences written about him in volume 1, as the owner of the tea shop that Choi Han stops by to rest. He returns in volume 3 to swear his loyalty to Choi Han and reveal his ambitions. ‘Reveal.’ That word was important. ‘He’s always been a greedy person.’ Billos was different from Hong Gil-dong. He was not sad that he could not call his father, ‘father,’ or his brother, ‘brother.’ In fact, he was just trying to beat them. He wanted to make it so that they had no choice but to accept him. He wanted to create a situation where they will have no choice but to introduce him as son, to introduce him as the younger brother. ‘He must be exhausted.’ Cale thought Billos lived an exhausting life. However, he did not hate that. In fact, having that type of greed made him seem more human. He didn’t like the people who had the abilities and strength, but said things like, ‘Hoho, I’m just going to give up. I have no choice.’ Why would you give up on something that could be yours? You should always take what is yours. Anyways, this person had to meet with Choi Han at least once during the time frame of volume 1. It had to just be a short encounter. Cale could hear Billos’s voice breaking his train of thought. “Young master, I heard that you are going to head to the capital.” “Are you going to keep sitting there? Don’t you have work to do?”