It did not take a long time for the Void to boom with a jovial riot, prompting Baiyi to quickly take control of the increasing racket. “Hey, all of you! Calm down, would ya? It’s just a proposal. We haven’t even worked out the details yet; that is probably gonna take a very long time. I mean, look at us! There are only two teachers at the moment, right? This won’t do!”
“May I suggest ameliorating the secret technique that is usually cast on the hammerhead shark plushie? Cast the technique onto other sets of armors; this will neutralize the issue of insufficient instructors,” the Scholar said helpfully.
“Have I not mentioned the problem with this already?” Baiyi replied. “Every secret technique demands parts of my consciousness. A set of armor would need way too much consciousness and soul to effectively control.”
“If the object to control is an issue, then we could try generic animals plushies. Surely it is not hard to procure them in any given market,” the Scholar said. “It would be even less of a problem if we are not confined to just one species. Hence, we could choose felines, canines, bears or even horses!”
“Are you even being serious right now?” Baiyi replied, feeling aghast. “Having a bunch of plushies act as teachers? Are we trying to build a school or an animal theme park?”
“I do not see a reason for doubt. Was the Archmage’s lesson not critically acclaimed?” the Scholar replied nonchalantly. “As long as knowledge is being passed, no self-respecting scholar should bother themselves with the appearance of their instructors.”
‘”Was it not critically acclaimed?” Hell no; it was not! All it did was leave the students nursing critical levels of trauma!’
The Apprentice, too, held reservations towards the Scholar’s idea. “A good teacher should retain a countenance that demands respect, you know. If the teachers are a bunch of plush animals, well…”
“Respect is given to knowledge, not its teacher,” the Scholar was steadfast in her opinion. “Any individual who fails to see past appearances will not enroll as our student.”
“I get what you mean, Sir Scholar, but… this is just too different, don’t you think?” the Apprentice, who came from a long line of traditionalists, was having a hard time swallowing her stance.
“Tell me, what is wrong with being slightly outlandish? Need I remind you of the mission of the school? Our mission is to break through the prejudice against what is so-called ‘absurdity’. What does the absurdity of our instructors matter, compared to the sort of knowledge and values we will have prepared for them?” the Scholar dished asked directly.
At that moment, both Walkers could not find an appropriate and concrete rebuttal.
Thus, they ended the discussion with a simple “I think it will be better to just look for normal teachers, using normal methods first. This can probably be our backup plan, though.”
To be honest, having his students neatly arranged in rows in the classroom, only to have them listen to an animated plushie teaching class, with sinister sounds, did not bode well with Baiyi. Just thinking about it made him feel like talking plushies was an aberration that should only be found in Five Nights at Freddy’s and Xavier’s School for Gifted Children.
Baiyi admitted that he was still missing a lot of important pieces required to realize his dream. For one, he needed teachers. Additionally, he himself needed a solid reputation as an educator; otherwise, he would risk being unnecessarily suspected. However, everything was easier said than done.
Hence, at that moment, Baiyi did only what he could do: getting Aya on board. He chatted with the girl for a while and decided that after Mordred’s Dragon Wildness Week was over, he and the dragon pair would meet again in Arfin City.
The week-long period also served as a great time frame for the Soul Armature to solve his legal issues.
Aya was over the moon with their plans; she was so elated that a stranger would mistake her as a girl who was just presented with a ring by a kneeling man. In that period of happiness, she wrote a letter to her family, informing them of the developments.
‘Does that count as ‘taking advantage of a girl’s feelings for you’?’
The allowance Baiyi gave Aya was 200 gold coins. He arrived at that amount after taking a few things into consideration: the average income of a middle-class family and the pension that the Walthart royals had given the dragon knights, which was only 80 gold coins. After considering these factors, Baiyi paid her quite handsomely.
After all, the wealth gap between the 1% and the 99% here in Isythre was just as extreme as the gap back on Earth. Baiyi felt that he had treated the dragon-lady right.
Aya herself was not too hung up on her pay. All that swirled in her head was a happily ever after between her and Baiyi…
“She cannot stay in the ‘Aegis’.” A steely voice pierced through Baiyi’s ears.
“U-um, well, the alternative is not too convenient, though…?” Baiyi replied testily.
“Convenient? You mean convenient for her, or convenient for you?” the Warrior retorted, with a chilly rebuttal.
“Our relationship is confined to employer-employee, you kno—”
“Hmph!”
“Alright, alright! I get it. I get it!” The Fifth Walker could only raise his hands in defeat. How was he supposed to tell Aya about that? He could not possibly tell her that “Hmph.mp3” had issued a ban, right?
Hence, after trying hard to cook excuses, honesty forced Baiyi to say was a very honest “Um, Aya, look. Due to certain reasons, your accommodation will have to be somewhere close to our house. But don’t you worry; the environment and living conditions will not disappoint you.”
Baiyi’s residential area was a student area. Although he could not really do anything about the environment, he did have a lot of empty lots that he could lend to the dragons. After all, back then, Vidomina was gifted the entire area as her ‘greeting gift’, and only one of the mansions was occupied by her butlers.
Baiyi was afraid of a protest, but Aya smiled sweetly; with a joyful tone, she said, “Gosh, I even get accommodation? Mr. Hope sure is a kind man; so gallant and gentle…”
Watching her smile like a newly-wed, the Soul Armature realized he had been thinking way ahead of himself. She never wanted to stay in the same house as he did; the dragon-lady was still a very demure girl.
It was time for Baiyi’s posse to leave. He rejected Aya’s offer to have lunch, pointing out the frightened state of his non-human students as the main reason. When Aya saw that they were still shivering in fear, she had no choice but to relent.
Mordred’s “Daddy’s Girl” feature was acting up again.
“Papa, will you come and visit me again?” she asked, spotting a forlorn look, in front of everyone.
Baiyi could feel the burning gazes of his students again, and his gaze, which was directed at Modred, was no less hostile than his students because he felt like going mad. ‘I had only just managed to change the topic!’
And this time, Baiyi realized, with fright, that it was not just the students looking at him. He could discern extra pairs of eyes coming from other high-end mansions nearby, watching him with unwarranted attentiveness. It seemed that they had long since wanted clues regarding this mysterious single mother and her daughter pair…
Normally, whenever Mordred began acting up, Aya would stop her right there and then. But today, the dragon-lady reacted very differently; she pulled Mordred to her side, caressing her head, and cooed very softly, “It’s alright… Soon, we’ll be living together…”