Chapter 61: These Stories are All Fake
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After Baiyi left, the President finally was able to let out a sigh of relief. Using his hand to rub his temple, he lamented, "I have no idea why but I feel like this Master Hope is kind of terrifying."
"I'm rather curious about his identity actually. Could it be that the rumor is true? That he is a sorcerer from the Ancient Rohserl Empire? But is it possible that a supernatural being from that era still exists? Would it really be reincarnated into the form of a Soul Armature right in front of our eyes?" Vice President Kim added.
"According to the analysis and study results of the current academia level, this is almost impossible." Vice President Lee replied, "It has already been more than 6000 years since the fall of the Ancient Rohserl Empire and the Soul Armature technique was only invented 4000 years ago. It's rare for anybody to have such a long lifespan. Moreover, in that era where there is no Soul Armatures yet, the soul of the deceased would not have such a strong desire for survival and would not even take the initiative to use sheer force to maintain the existence of their consciousness or sense of self. Their souls would often dissipate very quickly after their death."
"Therefore, in theory, the possibility for the sorcerer of the Ancient Rohserl Empire to survive is so small that it is almost negligible. This is also the consensus theory among the academia. Taking into considerations the fact that many people are very interested in that mysterious magical empire, and the sake of maintaining peace between all clans and tribes, this news was not announced and made known to the public. Many people still think that it is possible for this orthodox sorcerer to survive, albeit rare." President Rhansey continued voicing his opinion, "However, if there really is a Rohserl sorcerer who can break through the almost-zero probability and survived till now to become a Soul Armature, that would be really... Hmmm, I wonder how powerful he was during his past life?"
"Rohserlian sorcerers, the group of zealots who attempted to rob the prestige of God... Perhaps, there really is such a guy?" Vice President Kim said half-jokingly, "If such a person really do exist, I suppose he must be at least an emperor, right? Who knows? Perhaps it was the Emperor Rohserl XIX?"
"Alright, alright! We're a bunch of old men having crazy fantasies like kids. That's enough! We still have a lot of work on hand. Let's go settle them first. We'll see how it goes after three days!" The President finally said.
At that moment, Baiyi did not know that they were secretly discussing his identity behind his back. Of course, if he knew about their discussions, he would be more than happy to tell them that Rohserlian sorcerers were actually not as almighty as they thought they were. Most of them were actually exceptionally old-fashioned and solemn, with their ideas rigid and strategies corny. Especially the one who was thought as the most powerful among all, well, he was just a neanderthal when it came to summoning cards and would always ask his disciple for cheats when he was about to lose in games.
Then again, when Baiyi looked back, somehow the two conditions that he gave them seemed to be a little too easy. In truth, he actually wanted to extort more but after he thought about it, he did not really want to offend the college executives. After all, the overall atmosphere of the Celestial Fortress Academy was quite suitable for Mia at her current stage. Even he, himself, planned to stay here for a little while longer.
Nonetheless, Baiyi and his teacher both graduated from the teaching of the most orthodox sorcerer training, which was why he certainly would not let Mia embark on the same crooked path like the Sorcerer or the Lich. As for her lack of practical experience, well, she only needed to focus on enhancing her strength at the moment and the rest would be taken care of by the Fifth Walker.
While he was looking for her and thinking about what his next step should be, Mia was sitting comfortably on the soft couch in the reception room and was reading an unknown book. She was so absorbed in the story that the cookies and the juice that was prepared for her were all left untouched.
"What are you reading?" Baiyi asked while patting on her head.
"Ah? Oh, you're back, Mr. Hope!" The signature warm smile of hers immediately lit up her face. Holding the book up to show Baiyi, she explained, "Oh, this is the biography of the legendary Holy Paladin. It's so brilliant! But... I-I just managed to finish a few pages..." Then, with a pitiful look, she looked over to the teacher who was waiting by the door with her puppy eyes.
Well, it was a novel that was filled with embellishments and fantasies after all. It was no wonder that a little girl like her would fall for the hero.
Perhaps it was the puppy eyes that were too lethal, or perhaps it was Baiyi's terrifying presence that prompted the teacher to exclaim on the spot, "It's alright, Mia. Just bring it back with you to read it. It's fine as long as you remember to return it later."
Baiyi held back his words that was on his lips. In truth, he did not really want Mia to continue reading that book. Why? Well, the Holy Paladin of that book had now fallen so far down that he had turned into Mr. Hentai. Not only that, he would constantly stare and lust over her body with that covetous eyes almost everyday...
"SIR HOPE! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! NO! Regardless of how I am now, I was undoubtedly a qualified Paladin back then when I was still alive! There's absolutely nothing wrong with Mia reading my biography!" The voice of the Paladin could be heard protesting.
Hmmm, you have me sold. I can't deny what he was just because he's fallen now right? Without any more objection, Baiyi allowed Mia to bring the book back with her.
Because they had already applied for a leave for the afternoon, Mia did not need to go back to her class so she returned to her room and changed into her nightdress before hugging her hammerhead shark doll while continuing to read the Paladin's biography with her legs hanging off the side of the bed.
Baiyi was in no rush to discuss with her about the plans for the future so he decided to go out for a walk. After just one round, he came back with a few flowers and grasses that he had plucked and transformed all of the unused animal coin banks into flower pots. Soon after, all of those animals each had a little grass patch or flowers on top of their heads, making them look quite cute. Baiyi placed some of the pots on the windowsill and Mia's desk and hung up the rests on the wall, adding some warmth and colors to the simple room.
When he was watering the little flowers, he suddenly heard sobbing sounds behind him. Curious, he turned back to have a look and he could see that Mia's big eyes were red and tears were dripping down her cheeks and chin. Drop by drop, they dripped onto the hammerhead shark plushie.
"What's wrong?" Baiyi quickly asked.
" Boo hoo ...I-It's the Paladin.. . Sniff ... The e-e-ending was just so s-sad... Sniff " Mia said, choking on her tears.
Sigh! This is exactly why I didn't want you to read it! In the end, that guy ignited all of his holy Chi Prowess and blew himself up annihilating several thousands devils in order to protect the town behind him that housed several hundred thousands of innocent civilians. Until the very last moment, he remained faithful and steadfast to his faith and never betrayed his vow. He was indeed a hero through and through.
Fortunately, wait a minute, or should it be unfortunately, due to the sudden increase of his innate capability during the self-explosion, he somehow accidentally violated The Law, which resulted in his soul being sent to the Void. But, would you just look at him now? How has he fallen to such a point? Baiyi sighed inwardly but a question came to his mind suddenly. Wait a minute! Yes, it's true that the part where he died was quite touching but it's not to the extend where she needs to cry like this right?
" Boo hooo hooo.. . H-H-He did not even receive Miss Garcia's confession yet! Sniff. .. They haven't fulfilled their promise of getting married to each other at their hometown yet too! A-A-And that cruel torture by the Devil at the very end... Sniff. .." Mia mumbled to herself again, recalling the story.
Huh? Wait a minute? Who is this Miss Garcia? And what's with that nauseating promise? Quickly, Baiyi searched for the Paladin to verify the story.
"Eh? How would I know? There were so many girls who fell for me last time! I was so busy so how could I possibly pay attention to all the feelings of those girls? Not only that, I was very devoted to the church that time. I didn't even have time to think about marriage at all, let alone making this kind of distasteful promise!" The Paladin immediately defended himself.
Then, were you tortured by the Devil before you died? Baiyi asked again.
Before the Paladin could answer him, the Devil had already cut in, "Hello? Don't think of us as idiots okay? Do you think we're crazy to actually have time to torture a person on the battlefield? Hey, we are the elite troop who excels in swift massacring alright!"
It seemed like all these tears-jerkers plots were fabricated and added into the biography, which in the end, deceived a little girl into crying herself silly. Exasperated, Baiyi took the book and turned it over to look at the author's details. As a result, the words that were staring right back at him was This biography was documented by Ignaz the Bard.
Tsk, tsk, tsk! It appears like this is somebody's method to trick a woman, eh?
"Wait a minute! Master Hope! It's perfectly normal for a bard take creative liberties when writing person's biography! It's not for the sake of... Urghhh - !" Before the Bard could finish his sentence, Baiyi had already cast a Silence Spell on him.
Damn this history fabricator! This punishment is still too light for somebody like you who falsifies stories! Baiyi could not stop cursing at the Bard in the Void while comforting Mia in the other realm. In the end, he was forced to use his Mana to grab the hammerhead shark doll and just like a puppeteer, he played with it, creating an illusion that the shark was 'alive' and helped her wipe off the tears on her face at the same time. Only then he could finally coaxed her to stop crying.
While he was doing this, there was also another person in the Void who kept pestering him to re-cast the hidden spell in the hammerhead shark doll so that he could snuggle up to Mia at night. But... of course, Baiyi dismissed that idea as well.
After Mia had finally calmed down, Baiyi decided to not expose the lies hidden in the book but instead, he used the story to pique her interest, "Mia, do you plan to become a person like the Holy Paladin in the future? A strong, brave and kind person like him before he sacrificed himself ?"
The reason why he put special emphasis on the word 'before he sacrificed himself' was because that guy right now was a total weirdo! The him 'now' must be distinguished from the him 'then'! You absolutely cannot become like how the Paladin is right now!
Mia thought for a little while before nodding her head hard. By nature, she possessed a kind and warm heart, which was also why she resonated a lot with the Paladin's story and cried herself a river.
"That's great, Mia!" Baiyi sat beside her and stroked her head. Using a gentle but serious tone, he continued, "I like your kindness, but at the same time, I also hope you understand that you'll need a great deal of strength and power in order to guard and fulfil this goodness in you."
Mia nodded her head again in silence. Just like this, a psychological seed to encourage her pursuit of power was quietly planted in her heart.