Chapter 232: Not Really A Position For Me
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Father? Father!"
The youngest son, the pride of Prince Rowan, shook his father's shoulders hard.
The newly-titled Prince finally roused from his fear-induced trance and trembled. He used to palm to rub his forehead, then he stared at the palm. The skin was soaked in glistening cold sweat.
"Father, what happened?" The young prince asked.
The Prince shook his head. The terror was still lingering within his heart. He thought he had seen everything under the sun, including an Armageddon, so he was logically immune to every sort of mortal terror — but that was not the case at all.
When Baiyi had made his rejection clear, Prince Rowan felt like an ant facing an ancient, towering mountain.
He gulped even more wine, letting it slush and whirl within his belly in order to ease himself. As his color returned to his face, he fell into a deep contemplation, 'Just who is Master Hope? Why does he emit a mien far more lethal than death?'
"F-father! What really happened? I saw you talking to Master Hope merrily, and suddenly, I found you like this. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Rest your head; I'm well," The Prince tapped the back of his son's hand, feigning his composure.
"So, how did the talk go? About my marriage," The young prince asked.
As one of the best the royal family, Young Prince Jerincho Rowan had invested extensive and long thoughts into the matter of his own marriage. He never chose his partner on any basis that was not about benefits. He believed that in order to have a strong standing among the Walthart ruling court, his father would use him through some sort of political marriage, or even have him marry into the wife's family.
When he had heard that his partner was to be one of Master Hope's students, he was relieved. In fact, he was a little excited.
The young prince Jerincho knew that he ever had a connection with a powerhouse like Master Hope, the other nobles and politicians would then mean nothing. A connection like this would add merits directly to the family base power, acting as a key factor to the family's ability to stand out from others. This would be more dependable than mere political marriage.
Plus, look at the students under Master Hope's tutelage! They were all beauties in their own rights, and each of them brought a special brand of countenance with them. If he could, he would not mind starting a harem with all four of them!
However, if the Young Prince Jerincho was compelled to only choose one, he would choose the maiden who could sprout wings behind her back; she must be deeply connected with the Church, so if he could get her, he would be on good terms with the Church. If it was not for his father's specific warning not to act recklessly, he would have stuck out his tongue and done everything he could to court her!
Too bad, reality had shown that the Young Prince had been dreaming too much. There was no longer a talk. Since Prince Rowan and Baiyi both understood their own positions, none of them decided to pursue the matter any more than they already had.
Prince Rowan had already decided that even if he could not make a close friend, he would not make a new enemy, either. Thus, he looked at the young Prince Jerincho and commanded, "Never ever talk to those girls, understand? Don't even look at them longer than you are allowed!"
"F-father…?" The Young Prince looked at his father in confusion. He had no idea why the man had done a great 180 on this issue.
Then it hit him; he said it out loud, "So… So that Hope rejected us? A civilian like him rejected an offer of marriage from a Prince?"
"If it was just a clean rejection it would have been much better," Prince Rowan smiled mirthlessly. Baiyi had not just rejected him — he had threatened Prince Rowan! Of course, not that it was something he could not do; after all, the same man threatened the entire country right in front of him and his vassals. Therefore, threatening a Prince alone would have been easy for him.
"Just remember: never treat him as another mere civilian. You must remember! Or else, I fear something worse than death may await you," Prince Rowan gave a foreboding warning to his son.
This royal family seemed to have placed Baiyi on a pedestal, but the sentiment was hardly returned. Baiyi could not even care less about an emperor, so what's a prince to him? He never had seen the values in authorities like these.
Most of the Voidwalkers seemed to approve of the Prince, though.
"Hey, that guy's pretty good! I mean, look at him — he did not wet his pants when faced with your true mien, so I gotta commend his bravery," the Thane commented. "Looks like he has seen some shits before."
"Hee hee. I count him lucky that Hope's in a good mood today, or a royal head would have rolled for daring to plan a political marriage with Baiyi's girls," the Shadow added teasingly.
"Hey, that's what a king does," Baiyi replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, I'm very good at deals…"
Just as the Fifth Walker was engaged in some quarrel with the other Walkers, the crier had started announcing the arrival of Emperor Walthart the Third.
The entire room fell silent, and all eyes were strained respectfully towards the young man striding in.
This was also the first time Baiyi had seen the Emperor. He did not expect the Emperor to be this young. Upon hearing his name, especially "the Third" attached to the title, Baiyi realized that this young empire had already outlived two emperors.
The average life expectancy of this universe was lower than Earth's, but for those who are powerful — or those aided by powerful fighters — they could easily survive and reach one to two hundred years. The Walthart empire had only been established for about two centuries, yet this Emperor was already the third one. That was even more frequent than the change of chief in a normal noble family!
According to formal history and other apocryphal, Walthart the First died not long after he was crowned the emperor, with the injuries and diseased sustained during his long years of conquest being cited as the cause of his death. Meanwhile, the Second was not a fighter on his own, as his hobbies were poems and arts. He died young by indulging in too many vices, and so the throne was passed to this man seen today.
Fortunately, many of the vassals who had helped establish the empire, except for Vidomina's father The Duke of Wright, was still alive and kicking — some were even capable of exchanging meaningful glances with a few of the noble ladies in the banquet today — so the empire was still strong.
Additionally, with the recent rise in the population due to the migrants, including the trades and talents the migrants brought along with them, any analyst would predict a new wave of propitious growth for the nation.
Hence, the young emperor was in an exceptionally great mood at this moment. He didn't even care that his presence had stiffened some of the liveliness of the banquet because when one is happy and they knew it, they could do whatever they wanted.
He even took it as his role to thank everyone who had participated in the refugees' rescue effort, making it seem as if he was already their ruler, and there was nothing inappropriate in his speech.
"Alright, now where's the hero who saved a realm yet again? Show yourself, Master Hope!" The emperor heartily bellowed as he stood in the middle of the banquet.
Baiyi thought the man was quite the imbecile. However, he responded out of courtesy anyway, leading his students to move from their corner towards the center stage.
The crowd roared in amazement. They were shocked at the shabby armor he was wearing and awed at how beautiful his students were.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hope!" The emperor took a glass from his servant and raised it high. "To our great hero!"
Other nobles imitated him, and everyone drained their glasses in one gulp. At the emperor's lead, the banquet erupted into thunderous applause.
Three of the girls were visibly uncomfortable with the occasion. They were flustered and anxious, but Attie was calmer. She stood by Baiyi's side in silence, gently rubbing her side on him.
After the applause died, the Emperor again took over the spotlight by lavishing praises on Baiyi, crowning him with so many titles, names and extolments, including: "very great man—very talented man; you're so talented, it's hard for one to believe" and such.
The Archmage could not resist dropping a remark about his fellow emperor's orating skill. With a serious tone, the Archmage said out loud, "Gosh, he can really make stories sound more charming, huh? I don't even think he is talking about you anymore!"
There was a hint of jealousy in his comment, of course. When he was emperor, the Archmage was not really known for his speeches and gab.
After the barrage of overexaggerated extolments, Baiyi felt his neck cracking under the weight of so many titles. Then, he heard the Emperor say, "So, Master Hope, what do you hope to achieve next? I'm very sure everyone here would love to know, too."
The room fell into silence upon his question. They looked alerted, even Prince Rowan, as they waited for his response.
Baiyi shrugged. "Nothing much. Teaching and spending time with the kids, I guess."
The Emperor thought he had heard Baiyi wrong. That answer had left the Emperor stunned. Furrowing his eyebrow, he analyzed Baiyi's reply, checking to see if that would bring any hidden implications to light. After a while, admitting there really was none, the young Emperor smiled in embarrassment and replied, "I have once heard that Master Hope was a man with little desire for fame and fortune. Today, I see the rumors are true."
"Yet, Master Hope," The Emperor said after a pause. "For a man with a power like yours, do you not think that you should serve larger causes? I respect your wishes, but Arfin city is quickly proving herself to be too small a stage for your greatness. So, tell me, what do you think about being the vice principal of the Royal Academy?"
The Emperor had ceased being flowery with his words and cut straight to the chase. As the word "Royal Academy" was uttered, the crowd exploded into a cry of awe.
It was obvious what this Academy was; Its students were either from the royal main and branch families or the very elite of all nobles. Being the vice principal would mean being the mentor for these future rulers of the empire—a connection even stronger than mere political marriages.
The emperor's intention was clear: he wanted to introduce Baiyi straight into the heart of the ruling class. A position like this was akin to the position of a duke — plus the countless benefits one could reap. Perhaps, even Prince Rowan himself would rather have that position.
Baiyi did not expect such a gift. He could bet that no one else in the room could offer something so remotely formidable. He initially thought he would just be gifted materially, and perhaps be bestowed with some title.
His heart was moved a little.
Using the position as a vice principal, he could easily charm the students in the academy with his charm and wits, turning them into his personal fan club. Furthermore, when these mindless fans grew up to become governors of the country, he could control them until he got close to the nucleus of the empire. And in the end, with all of the resources in his hand, he could finally free the Walkers out from the Void!
He really felt like giving it a shot.
However, it was just a passing thought. This idealistic path would never be as smooth when applied in reality. There were too many uncertainties, too many variables to account for, and if he made a slip, he would lose everything. The time and effort that would be spent was not worth the reward.
Plus, he might have to make decisions that would go against his will and belief — hell, accepting the offer would already be against his character.
Thus, after much thought, he shook his head sideways — to the shock of the attendants.
"Much gratitude for your offer, Your Highness, but I'm content with my current life."
The Emperor's face fell. He had not expected a no at all. "Master Hope, do you even comprehend the meaning of that position?"
"I can assure you that I do, Your Highness." Baiyi nodded. "However, I truly do not have the slightest interest in such matters. I hope Your Highness would understand that as everyone else has convictions that they cannot abandon, I have mine — and that's taking care of these kids."
He wrapped his arms around Mia and Tisdale's shoulders as if he was showing off his ownership of these four girls.
The Emperor furrowed his brows as if lost in thought. The other nobles were just as curious as they discussed quietly among themselves on Baiyi's choice.
After a long while, the Emperor nodded. "Alright. I respect your decision. Master Hope truly is Saint Noel's true friend. The two of you have no desire for material and fame."
' Fuck no! Who's this "true friend" of that gentleman? !— Not me! How the hell did my stupid fib spread all over the universe 1 ?!'
At this moment, almost everyone present felt pity for Baiyi's loss because he gave up such a prestigious position, except for a few pairs of eyes that were shining brightly at this revelation. The Church's people were beaming with admiration at Baiyi's character—just as the noble Saint Noel was imagined to be.
'He truly is the Apostle's kindred spirit. They even have the same personality!'
If Baiyi had read their minds, he would have jumped up and strangled them till the words died at their throats, probably. He would always deny having anything similar to that gentleman!
The Emperor cut off the gradually increasing noise stemming from the nobles' discussion. "It is understandable for Master Hope to reject my offer of position, but I sincerely hope that you would not do the same for my next gift, for it would give me a very difficult standing, you see…"