393 393. Post-even

Baiyi attracted attention on his way home, primarily because of the two bags of confectionaries in his hands and the big black boulder hovering above him, which followed him wherever he went.

When Baiyi returned to the Aegis mansion, the fairies he sent ahead of him had already gone; they probably had already used his private teleportation portal to go to the micro realm. When Baiyi began to construct his academy, he had a cul-de-sac set up as a temporary construction site, where he stockpiled some of the construction materials needed, for easy transportation. Hence, his private teleportation portal, which was connected to that micro realm, was set there as well.

When Baiyi entered the gates of the Aegis mansion, he was not welcomed by his students; it was a panting Jawflower that rushed to meet him. Baiyi smiled, ruffled it and said, "You were being good and not biting anyone while I was gone, right?"

However, he was not expecting the Jawflower, who could not understand speech, to give him a reply. Afterward, he placed the gigantic boulder in the yard and went in the mansion's front door.

In shock, he tossed the bags of confectionaries the moment he entered the mansion.

Female clothing was scattered all over the ground, including underwear. Baiyi briefly panicked, thinking that the girls may have been assaulted, but when chuckles rang out from the bathroom a moment later, that thought was discarded. It seemed the girls had been really eager for a bath.

Baiyi carefully looked at the clothing scattered all over the floor. 'Hmm. These belong to Mia, Nota, and Attie. Tisdale's clothes aren't here.' It seemed the eldest daughter still had tons of errands to run, so she had yet to return home to relax.

The Astrologer Walker suddenly murmured, "How are you able to tell their clothes apart? I mean, the clothes are scattered, and they are similar outdoor parkas."

The Bard Walker decided to offer his expertise. "Fool! They may wear the same parkas on the outside, but on the inside, these girls have different tastes. Mia and Nota both like lingerie that has little animals printed on them, while Tisdale and Vidomina are both fond of the more mature underwear, such as—mmmff!"

His explanation was cut short by Baiyi, who had just forcefully muted him.

To be fair, while on the road, the girls had not been able to take a bath. Baiyi figured that, as the girls had been through so much, he could give them some leeway, even for this folly.

He quietly picked up their clothes, and with a wave of his hand, he cast a water spell, which instantly enveloped the clothes.

Baiyi proceeded to the living room, with a big ball of water, which contained the girls' clothes, hovering behind him. He was suprised to see the little dragon lady, Aya, wearing a maid uniform, which was at least one size too small for her. Her breasts were squeezed so tightly that the buttons seemed ready to pop. It seemed she had borrowed Attie's maid uniform.

Aya had even gone on to wear a white car-ear hair band. Her maid skirt was very short, and her stockings were over her knees. Her snow-white skin glistened below her short skit.

As though it was not bad enough that she had worn this, when Baiyi came in, she was scrubbing the floor, and she was on her knees, with her behind facing the Soul Armature. The skirt was barely enough to cover her behind already, and now, her posture left her black, lace tanga panties bare for Baiyi to see. He quickly turned away, though.

"Eh-hem! What the hell are you up to?" Baiyi spoke.

"Gahh!" Aya jumped to her feet. "Oh, you're back." She raised her hands to her chest and walked up to Baiyi before sticking out her tongue playfully. "The outfit was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess it doesn't quite fit..."

'Can we, even if just once, plan surprises that are actually normal?' Baiyi sighed. He handed Aya the bags of confectionaries and said, "We encountered something outside our expectation, so we could not bring any souvenirs for the two of you. My sincere apologies."

This was something a lady would have taken offense at, but Aya paid it no mind. She was even surprised she got bags of confectionaries. "Oh yes! I heard from the kids. A very difficult battle, wasn't it? Honestly, I'm just glad that you remembered me despite the chaos."

As she spoke, she inched closer to Baiyi, as though her legs were not under her control. A few more steps was all she needed to arrive so close that she would be leaning on him.

Baiyi could already perceive Aya's body fragrance and he was not sure if he should push her away or pull her into a hug.

Suddenly, three different snorts rang out within the Void like peals of thunder —"Hmph!" Baiyi hurriedly made the smartest choice available to him: he took a step backward — a subtle reply to her advances.

A look of sadness appeared on Aya's face, which made her seem like a sex-worker who had just been ignored. This made her seem even pitiful.

As for the reason why three snorts had rang out for the Void, it was because the Fairy Walker did not return to Isythre to Baiyi. At the gate of the teleportation portal in the twin realms, the Fairy Walker had made her intentions to return to the Void clear.

"This is it for me," the Fairy Walker said and got on her tiptoes to give Baiyi a light kiss on his mask. "I don't intend to grace another realm with my bad luck, so I'll just stay where I belong. For the time we got to spend together, I'm very happy and fulfilled."

She had spoken as though she was on her deathbed; her voice had sounded heartbreaking.

However, moments after the Fairy Walker returned to the Void, Lady Assassin Walker's voice rang out. "Ow ow ow! Stop jabbing me! Haven't we let you have your time? Why do you still bully me? What else do you know how to do except bully me?"

'The question is… why is this the only way you can think to defend yourself from that bully? Just bite her! Jab her too! How's acting moe going to help?' Baiyi thought, unamused. 'The woman had uttered a dramatic, tear-inducing farewell line, yet it turns out that you could not wait to bully those two losers back there, could you?"

The Fairy Walker was now regretting her hasty return to the Void, for Baiyi was in the presence of another enemy of hers, who she had totally forgotten about! [1]

It was fortunate and smart of Baiyi to distance himself.

With the excuse that he needed to check on the fairies, Baiyi transferred the laundry to Aya before running out of the mansion as though he was avoiding something. He rushed to the cul-de-sac to check how the fairies' migration was coming along.

At this point, the fairies, except for Nydore and Mr. Bear, had already gone to the micro realm. When Nydore saw Baiyi, she waved in excitement and exclaimed, "Grandpa! We went over to that place and checked it out, and everyone loves it! It's quiet and peaceful there — just the sort of environment we need to heal — so we can back here to say thanks."

"Mm-hmm, glad that you guys like it. Please, pardon the noise made by the construction teams there," said Baiyi.

"Worry not! We're not bothered. A very adorable and friendly forest spirit took us to an area very far from where constructions are taking place," Nydore replied.

'What adorable and friendly? Do you mean those giant ants?' Earlier, Baiyi had instructed Tisdale to head to the micro realm ahead of everyone else and inform the giant ants about the displaced fairies' arrival. This was why Tisdale's clothes were not amongst the pile of clothes Baiyi had found scattered about.

Previously, Baiyi had used the size of each parka on the floor of his mansion to determine which girl it belonged to. Yes, he had used the sizes, not the method mentioned by the Bard Walker, so all negative thoughts should be discarded.

"We are at loss for words to describe the gratitude we feel," Mr. Bear said with a slightly quivering voice. "You had helped us too much — way too much."

"Oh, it's alright. I did what I should do. However, there is one small matter I may need your help in," Baiyi said. He proceeded to express his desire to have Nydore teach archery at his academy when it opens.

"Huh?! But Grandma's with you, isn't she? Are you sure you want me to be the teacher?" Nydore exclaimed in disbelief. "Her archery skill is far superior to mine! Besides, she's still young and beautiful…"

'Are you referring to the fake youth and beauty you guys saw earlier?' Baiyi thought apologetically. He explained, "Well, your Grandma is a bit of a unique case; I'm sure the two of you understand. I think peace and quiet are what an academy needs, right?"

Baiyi did not need to elucidate because Mr. Bear and Nydore already understood his point and steered clear of asking any more questions. Nydore accepted Baiyi's invitation, and Mr. Bear offered to teach the art of Druidry.

Now that Nydore the Zephyr, her Caudillo Butterfly, and the ever-mysterious Mr. Bear had joined Baiyi's future staff team, his academy's foundation and prestige had become more solid.

Baiyi had reaped a lot of rewards from his trip to Marle; not only had he met his goal, but he had also acquired a bountiful harvest. Despite the cost he had to pay, the rewards were still worth it. Baiyi did not return home after seeing Nydore and Mr. Bear off; he stayed behind to watch the construction progress. He was also afraid to return to a tearful Aya, who will most certainly do something that would cause the three Huffing Piggies — the Assassin Walker, the Warrior Walker, and the Fairy Walker — who were staring at him silently, to react. 

Baiyi began to feel that perhaps he should not have discarded some parts of the Bard Walker's memories he had received, especially those parts with knowledge on dealing with ladies.

However, he could not delay his return home forever. When the sky began to darken, Tisdale — who had ensured that the displaced fairies were now settled — walked out from the teleportation portal. Her eyes immediately caught Baiyi crouching, drawing some shapes on the ground.

"Sir? Why are you here?" She hurriedly approached him.

"Nothing much. I just thought of a new spell, so I began to deliberate on it," Baiyi lied as he stood up. He used his mana to erase the drawings he had made on the ground.

"Eeh?" Tisdale found his answer strange and uncharacteristic. "Sir, normally when you invent new spells, you invent them in your lab, don't you? You even erect a lot of barriers around and have us watch you construct them, all so you can tell us in detail how the new spells work."

"Mm-hmm. Today I wanted to do it differently," Baiyi lied again. He reached out and wiped the sweat off Tisdale's forehead in a bid to shift her attention.

"Sir, you're acting really strange today. Are you still worried that we won't be to able to accept you for who you are?"

"No, no! That's a small matter; nothing to worry about!" He replied. Afterward, he took Tisdale's hand and returned home with her. 

Fortunately, by the time he returned, Aya had simmered down. She nad Mordred, her daughter, were sitting with Little Mia and the girls, listening intently to their tales. They were so interested in the stories that they did not know Baiyi had returned.

The girls had taken their baths already, and as usual, they had gone on to wear short skirts — their favorite. Aya, too, had changed into her usual attire. The couches were now occupied by beauties, which made for a pleasant scene.

As soon as Mia began to describe the Fairy Walker, Baiyi cut in. "Alright. I'll talk about the rest," he declared.

"Ah? Mr. Hope, you're home!" Mia exclaimed in joy. She ran up to him and nudged her head against him. Mordred also rushed over to hug him.

Aya gave Baiyi a forceful smile and a nod.

Baiyi continued from where Mia left off, making sure to skip the parts related to the Fairy Walker, as if she wasn't very integral to the plot.

However, her youngest daughter was having none of it. She exclaimed, "Mr. Hope, you left out some parts about Mar-Mar!"

This little girl had been waiting for a formal statement from Baiyi all along; a little distraction was not enough to make her forget that.

"Uh-hem, so…about her, well…it's complicated. Her name is Sylvia, and you all have heard her story before..." Baiyi began. He went on to reveal the truth about the Fairy Walker, clarifying to all how he had met her and the sort of relationship he currently had with her.

"Phew! So that was it?!" Little Mia patted her flat chest in relief, as though a burden had been lifted off her chest.

'Why was there a burden there? Furthermore, why were you even worried in the first place?!'

"Big Sister Mar-Mar was the fairy in that story, after all. Such a pitiful life she led," Nota said — a sane remark from a sane person.

Aya quietly mumbled to herself, "So, that was all? And here I thought I had lost him… That was a huge fright."

Well, as they say, whenever there's a misunderstanding, it is best one talks it out with other parties involved. It might just resolve the problem.

Now that the most troublesome knot in Baiyi's mind had been resolved — or rather, waved away, Baiyi's chest felt lighter. He finally felt he could begin tackling the other issues at hand.

First, he had yet to decide on what to use the Blood Tearstone for. He considered brainstorming with the Alchemist Walker on ways to improve their process of refinement. He also considered asking the Cleric Walker to use Word of God to purify the Blood Tearstone.

He also had to deal with the energy core he found. After using it to power the Divine Leathersuit's transformation for the Fairy Walker, the Holy Power left over in the core was too little to do anything with. The core was nothing more than an empty vessel now, and whis was where the Voidwalkers came in; Baiyi had them come up with ideas on how it could be utilized. The most pragmatic and plausible idea came from the Scholar Walker, who suggested Baiyi use the almost-empty energy core as a repository.

He specifically suggested that Baiyi fill the energy core with as much Void Energy as he could, and when he needed to, he could use the stored energy all at once, allowing Baiyi to fare well in battle without straining Mia.

[1] Not gonna lie, I'm kinda curious as to what would she do to Aya…