Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Using the connection that he shared with the War God’s Sword, Baiyi found Laeticia and Attie in no time. The two had been following his orders; they had joined the clerics and the riders to help out those in need. Just as Baiyi himself was about to descend, a herd of griffin riders came from a certain direction.

  They sped through the air and rejoined the dragon riders. At that same time, many private soldiers, who were owned by aristocrats and nobles, rushed out from the high-end living areas, heading towards the palace.

  “Heh! Looks like there’s still someone smart in there,” Baiyi muttered to himself. It didn’t matter if the members of parliament or the nobles were stupid — the primary ruler himself, the King, should not be doing anything that could get himself into trouble!

  Baiyi landed next to Laeticia and used his finger to poke her cheeks. “Where’s the bishop?”

  “Hmm? Mr. Hope?” Laeticia looked at him, and then she pointed at a body covered with a white linen.

  “.……was hit by a huge piece of falling rock……” Her voice sounded sorrowful.

  “So who’s the leader of the Church’s teams? A Saintess? A Paladin?”

  “I don’t know,” Laeticia replied helplessly. “We’re all moving on our own……”

  “Pfft!” Baiyi tried to a pout. ‘How can the Church be so ineffective at this critical moment? Did all of the higher-ups run away on their own?’

  It took a while for the implications to cross Baiyi’s mind, though. During the Harvest Festival, the Church’s higher-ups had probably gathered on a smaller floating island, which had been specially set aside for them, next to the Capital City’s floating island. They had been preparing for a large mass……

  When the disaster struck, none of them had survived.

  However, this was not the time to lament their demise. It was the time for leadership. They needed someone who would maintain order; if not, the news of the death of the Church’s higher-ups would create a massive disarray that may result in unwanted consequences.

  Baiyi dragged Laeticia away from the side of an injured commoner; his two ice-chunked hands gripped her shoulders. He fixed his gaze on hers and said, emphatically, “This is it; this is the time for a saintess, you, to carry the flag. Did you bring your armor with you?”

  Laeticia nodded. That kinky costume from the Church was a prized possession that she never once left without taking.

  Baiyi took her to an empty hut. He closed the door and turned his back to her. “Change into your armor quickly, and then listen to what I say.”

  “Um, okay.” Although Laeticia still had no idea what he was planning, she agreed that her saintess armor would be more suited for the occasion than a short skirt would.

  Very soon, Baiyi heard sounds of clothes being taken off. ‘Is she not worried that I might just turn around right now to see her’

  “These things…… Can you really depend on me to do these things on my own?” Laeticia said nervously as she pulled her black stocking up to her thighs.

  \r \r \r

  “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine’ you’re Saint Noel’s apprentice, after all!” Baiyi assured her.

  By the time Laeticia was all suited up, Baiyi had finished laying out his plan to the girl. At that same moment, the King was ready for his role in the mission; he had just finished drafting his speech.

  Using the conch shell tool, the King made an announcement to the public, stating that the empire needed someone with knowledge of formations to help and that there was a trans-realm transporting portal being built.

  The inhabitants of the city roared in excitement. A ray of hope when all seemed forsaken; it ignited the madness within the public.

  At that moment, a beam of light broke through the night sky. A beautiful maiden was hovering in midair, and a pair of beautiful wings were spread out behind her. Her voice was jaunty and angelic, which soothed the restless hearts of the people. Under the help of magic, her voice traveled into everyone’s ears.

  “.…… Everyone, calm yourselves. There is no need for haste. Let us remain in order as we head to the palace for protection. Have faith — for each and every one of you will be saved,” Laeticia said as she hovered in midair.

  The combination of her angelic beauty, angelic wings, and angelic voice was even more effective than the commands of a king. The restlessness was soon pacified, and the city became much calmer.

  “Alright, that’s it; the next thing to do —” Baiyi said, instructing Laeticia through a temporary, and small-scale Audio Transfer Spell.

  “Alright, that’s it; the next thing to do……” Laeticia said, repeating what Baiyi had said in a loud voice.

  “No, clumsy girl! This wasn’t for them! It was for you! Don’t repeat what I’m about to say now!” Baiyi stomped his feet frantically.

  Truthfully, all the words that Laeticia had uttered had been told to her by Baiyi, who had to teach in a syllable-by-syllable basis; or else, with the girl’s level of knowledge and vocabulary, she would have screwed it up……

  “Oh, oh! So sorry, Mr. Hope! I’m just so clumsy……” Laeticia replied crossly, with a low voice, across the spell.

  “Alright, that’s about it. You remember what you have to say after this, right?” Baiyi asked. “I’ll pass the role of maintaining order to you. I’ve got things to do.”

  “Huh?! Bu—but this…… This sort of thing…… I……” Laeticia was unsettled. She was still objecting to his idea when he sent her off into the sky. ‘How can I, a saintess candidate, even fulfill such a feat?’

  To all that, Baiyi chose to reply with an encouraging declaration: “Laeticia, I choose you!”

  “It’s fine. You’re doing really great; do you know that? Just do as I said, and you’ll be alright!” Baiyi praised the little village girl. “Look at you! You’re a real saintess now. Come on, wave that flag!”

  Laeticia had a flag with her. This was a flag that Baiyi made with a random stick and part of a white bedsheet.

  “You can do it! Remember to never leave the Boosting Territory — that way you will not faint from fatigue. I’ll come over and take you with me later!”

  Baiyi went ahead to continue on his plan, leaving Laeticia behind to hover in midair as she raised the bedsheet flag to guide the refugees into retreating orderly.

  “You used my theurgical technique to make a light show? Bravo! Bravo!” The Cleric exclaimed from the Void. He wasn’t displeased; he was genuinely impressed.

  “Well, at this moment, all the people need is a flag and a direction. All theurgy needs to provide is the correct visual effects.”

  Baiyi followed his link with the War God’s Sword to locate his Kitty Cat Maid. After patting her head, he said to her, “Hand the sword over to me and go look for Aya or her companions. I think they are guiding the refugees to the palace.”

  “Right!” Attie nodded obediently and passed the sword to him. Before she left, she turned around and said, with concern, “Master! Please be careful.”

  ‘This girl who has a cat-like countenance is getting more and more docile.’ Baiyi felt warmed by her progress. He turned his back to her, and with a quick wave from his icy-chunk of an arm, he once again took off into the air, heading towards the night sky.

  In his grip, the War God’s Sword turned back into its umbrella shape, just like how it did in Attie’s grip. After a light investigation, Baiyi successfully discovered locations that had reactions of a few more Law Fragments.

  Holding the sword in his hand, he teleported to an empty white space.

  A single piece of Law Fragment was before him. He pulled the sword back and jabbed at the fragment with a quick extension of his arm.

  The sword did not absorb this law, making Baiyi furrow his brow.

  He hesitated. Then, knowing the risk, he wrapped a part of his consciousness with psychic energy and pushed it towards the fragment.

  Baiyi understood the perils perfectly, but he had to do it. If he did not read this particular Law, he wouldn’t be able to estimate the status of other similar Laws, and that would be problematic in the very near future.

  His consciousness made contact with the Law fragment, and a torrent of chaos, delirium, and disorder perforated into his mind savagely. A will as resolute as his still shook mildly at the revelation. In fact, he even started to experience a migraine — something he hadn’t had for a long time.

  The process was fast. A second later, peace ensued, and the fragment vanished into nothingness right at that moment as well.

  “Ah…… so is this — the true sensation of one who reads the Law?” Baiyi shook his head hard to wake himself from the aftermath of the images.

  He recalled the images in order to examine them better. After a while, under the Voidwalkers’ concerned gaze, he declared, “That was a Corrupted Law. It has been completely dismantled into primeval chaos. It’s useless already.”

  That wasn’t the only information he had realized. After his contact with the Corrupted Law, he also understood the origin of the Armageddon.

  That Corrupted Law was probably the Law that was lifting the floating islands. It had broken down a long, long time ago, losing its original function. The exact time that happened was unknown to Baiyi, but he could see that it had happened.

  The reason why the islands had not fallen until today, was because another Law had been added into this realm at the very last moment, like a safeguard that had delayed the onset of the Armageddon.

  But that was never meant to last long. Just as the safeguard itself was starting to break down, Baiyi had entered the game. After he touched that lone, functioning Law Fragment, the disaster began.

  The Fifth Walker could easily guess that the very Law Fragment that he had come into contact with was the safeguard the War God had added in.

  Even that safeguard was already at a pitifully pathetic size when he had arrived, if Baiyi had not touched it, it would still break down eventually.

  If everything was orchestrated by the War God alone, Baiyi had to acknowledge the god’s intellect and power, or even give him a round of applause after giving him a “like”. The War God had helped him, given him his weapon and a Kitty Cat Maid, let him experience the Law first hand, given him a chance to learn a way to read the Law, and in the end, rounded it all up into a package — as a thank-you reward for Baiyi’s effort to save these lives.

  How is this even a fair trade?

  228 – Success:

  Translator:Insignia | Editor: Insignia /EndlessFantasy Translation

  The War God really did have the qualities of a War God.

  Even the timing of the catastrophe was planned; it had been scheduled for the Harvest Festival when everyone would pretty much be gathered at a single place. It was only when the meek and the weak gathered together with those who had the capabilities, or resources, to fend for themselves that their chances for survival improve drastically.

  The War God even struck true to Baiyi’s character. He knew that the Fifth Walker would definitely not just watch the innocent suffer without doing anything about it.

  The War God didn’t even shirk his diligence when it came to the details. The Kitty Cat Maid that had been chosen for Baiyi was cute and docile, which was exactly the sort that Baiyi loved. The small Law Fragment which Baiyi had been led to read was almost empty, so Baiyi was able to grasp the concept of the Law, gain experience from reading it, without knowing too much of the secrets that hid within it.

  Baiyi suspected that even if he could see through the War God’s plans, he would still play the game willingly, exactly as the god planned. He couldn’t possibly give up the lucrative rewards, neither could he give up the chance to save the people1.

  This was a conspiracy, but it was not a conspiracy against anyone; it was a conspiracy to save lives. The War God was truly a God for the Good, who did not consider the lives which were beneath his maggots and ants for him to play around with. In a universe where gods did not require belief to exist, this was invigoratingly welcome.

  However, why was such a force for good working together with a heretic like Baiyi?

  ‘I get a feeling that this will be a part of another plan of his……’

  This wasn’t the time to ponder on this question, however. Baiyi needed to act fast. He found another two Law Fragments which had appeared during the disaster, and then he discovered that their contents were no different from the first Corrupted Law Fragment that he had read. The only thing he gained was a worsening migraine. It seemed that the War God had ceased giving him chances to meet more Laws.

  No new gains, but no new losses, either. He did not find any more sources of danger. This should be counted as good news, then?

  Baiyi teleported himself back to the sky above the Capital City using the War God’s Sword.

  Most of the rocks hurtling down from high above had completed their descent. The people on the ground, with Laeticia’s guidance, managed to form tidy lines and trudge forward to the palace. At the palace, a lot of the nobles’ own mercenaries and royal guards were helping to maintain order. Those who came earlier were sorted into lines first, and those found injured were singled out for theurgical treatment.

  Baiyi watched, realizing that his forceful confrontation had helped. While many family members of those nobles, with the advantage of knowing about the portal first, got to stand in the very first few lines, there were also many at the back, too. Even the posh carriages that they had arrived were parked outside, in an empty space, so that they would not obstruct the path. These noble families certainly did not dare cut through the line.

  If Baiyi had not been aggressive in his approach, he was sure that the situation would have been very different. The carriages ridden by the rich would definitely form long lines, and they would hog the limited time, bringing their own people and property so that they may be transported; it was after this would they give the common people a chance for survival. That would be the only reason why these nobels were seriously against his idea of telling the public this piece of vital news.

  Not on the Fifth Walker’s watch, though! He was not going to let his rescue efforts go to waste because of some rich kid’s money.

  Of course, down there, there were a few rich families — who had arrived with all kinds of coin, jewelry, and expensive, fancy items — shouting complaints and curses at him. Most of their criticism was levied against him forcing them to wait with the “lowly, uncivilized commoners”. Some women who resembled harpies were crying loudly, howling that they would definitely teach Baiyi a good lesson so that he pays for their losses……

  \r \r \r

  Nah. Baiyi had zero interest in engaging with these troglodytes. Instead, he headed towards the transporter portal.

  There were now more people working on the construction — which was as a result of the King’s announcement earlier. The Hammerhead Shark Plushie — which had the Scholar in it — was in a frenzy as she crisscrossed the site, having no time to spare for her friend, Baiyi, who had just arrived.

  Not that Baiyi needed her to pay him any attention. They both knew what the other was thinking. Little Mia looked up from her work, flashed Baiyi a grin, and then turned back to her task.

  Judging from the current state of the formation, their efficiency seemed to have improved a lot. Everything else was going well, so Baiyi was then able to join in the repair. With the addition of the Fifth Walker in the mix, the efficiency would improve even more.

  Just as he was about to start working out the knots that Mia and Tisdale were not skillful enough to tackle, King Rowan arrived from the banquet hall.

  Seeing Baiyi, he came forward on his own. His face held a combination of gratitude and reverence. “Master Hope was just as they had said! Even your students are outstanding!”

  King Rowan’s speech and actions were natural, making it seem as if what happened in the palace earlier had not occurred at all.

  The Fifth Walker crouched at the side of the transporter formation, cracking the ice chunk on his right arm open to expose a wriggling gauntlet.

  After disposing of the ice chunk, one of Baiyi’s unfrozen fingers emitted a burst of mana, and he started working on the formation. Baiyi did not even lift his head when he replied the King, “You flatter me, Your Highness.”

  The manner by which he had brushed off the King of the Rodrithelian Empire stirred the vassals behind him. They were just about to say something about his action when the King put up his hand.

  He continued, “We thank you for your effort. Our nation would forever be indebted to you and your student.”

  At first, the King was displeased with Baiyi’s action.

  However, when that beautiful angel had descended, King Rowan was informed that the helpful angel was none other than the mousy village girl who as always by Baiyi’s side; that alone had curbed any disrespect which King Rowan may have had towards the man. At the same time, a furry plushie was working hard on the repair on the life-saving machine, and it seemed to be in charge. Furthermore, Baiyi’s two adorable, childlike students were working hard, making themselves the central force in the repair.

  King Rowan’s sentiment was understandably complex.

  ‘This grey, nondescript Master Hope is nothing short of a messiah. Even his students……! Perhaps this was the only kind of character who could save Isythre from the hands of the Lord of the Abyss,’ King Rowan thought.

  Of course, the King may have thought differently if he had known Baiyi’s real identity: the enemy of many……

  “I cannot iterate how grateful we are for your help. The entire empire owes you a big favor. If we ever escape this, we will —” The King was still babbling when Baiyi, who was now feeling frustrated, raised the ice chunk he had for a left hand. “Save it for next time, please. I need to concentrate.”

  The King did not seem to be offended by Baiyi’s attitude. He politely excused himself and led his vassals to leave the site, while starting to strategize how to recruit Baiyi to his side for the rest of his reign. After all, after migrating to Isythre, King Rowan would surely need someone as capable as Baiyi.

  ‘Give him my daughter’s, or my niece’s, hand in marriage? But he’s a Soul Armature. I have no idea what he thinks about marriage. Oh! Maybe one of my sons could marry one of his students? Oh, yes. This is a good one! The students may not come from a noble family, but the eldest two are beaus, while the youngest one was just so adorable. My son would not complain about it!’

  The King had begun to formulate a plan in his mind, not knowing that if he did put his plan into motion, his kingdom would be suffering wrath far worse than their current situation……

  Three hours had passed. The core part of the formation had been completed. All that was left was to complete some of the connecting parts.

  Little Mia and Tisdale finally had the chance to take a breather. Both girls were so tired, their faces had paled, and their clothes and dresses were drenched in sweat.

  A few observant servants had carried a large couch. Baiyi lovingly wrapped his arms around both girls as they sat on the couch, and he said, “You two did great! In fact, you two did really great! I’m just so proud of you, my outstanding students; you’ve saved hundreds of millions of lives!”

  “Oh, my head is soooooo groggy…… S-Sharkie? Sharkie where are you?” Little Mia, who was still engrossed in her work mood, cried out for her plushie. She looked dazed, completely oblivious to her own achievement.

  The older of the two, Tisdale, was similar. She pushed Baiyi away from her and said with a hint of dismay, “Sir, your body is so chilly! That was so cold!”

  The situation immediately turned awkward. Forget about his commanding presence and his authority over even the royals — at that moment, he was just a commoner and a very conservative father. He quickly let go of the girls and let them rest comfortably on the couch.

  Fearing that they might catch a cold, Baiyi grabbed some comforters from the storage pouch and covered the girls with them.

  Afterward, he dashed outside, taking Laeticia, who was still hovering in the chilly air, and Attie, who was busying herself with the rescue effort outside the palace. He brought the two girls back to the site, too.

  It was at that moment that the last part of the transporter portal was finished.

  The adorable hammerhead shark nodded at the sorcerers — who were all drenched in sweat — and then flew into Mia’s embrace.

  Then the Scholar’s consciousness left the plushie.

  “I dare everyone to assess my achievement! Was it not completed within the stipulated time?” The Scholar exclaimed in pride, and cheers and applause erupted in the Void.

  “Bah. I didn’t expect those humans to listen to a mere toy. Besides, who knew that the Fifth Walker would be so good at this saving-the-world business, with everything all planned out……” The Lich muttered unhappily at his own misjudgment. If the work was handed to someone else, perhaps it would be different; in that case, even if the transporter portal was completed, the people would succumb to their primal desire to survive and erupted into chaos.

  The Lich had not expected the team-up between Baiyi and the Scholar to be so effective.

  “Our success is undeniable. There is no height the Voidwalkers cannot reach!” The Scholar exclaimed again in joy and pride.

  “Alright, alright. Let’s talk about something else. We’re gonna start the transporter. Is the fuel enough?” Baiyi cut in.

  “Affirmative. I had scrutinized the numbers,” the Scholar replied confidently.

  “Great! Let us begin!” Baiyi cried, and King Rowan, who had hurried to the site upon receiving news of the portal’s completion, nodded.

  229 Thank You

  Translator:Insignia | Editor: Insignia /EndlessFantasy Translation

  Thus, the largest exodus ever recorded in mankind’s history began.

  The King blew his conch shell horn again, and a thick, black, mass of people marched, from different directions, into the royal garden where the transporter portal was located.

  If the people were only able to travel on land, then a hundred million people would not be able to escape together, making the scene resemble the one which the Lich had predicted. It would not matter how fast the Scholar worked; 12 hours alone would still not be enough to save everyone.

  However, Gouve had the sky.

  At the King’s command, the sky suddenly darkened as a blanket of skycruising rays hovered above the formation. Each ray had at least a dozen passengers on its back, and they fell into orderly line columns according to their individual heights, leaving the air above the transporter became completely packed with skycruising rays.

  Due to the Gouvian ecosystem, a skycruising ray was very prolific in every household in the society. Almost everyone owned a ray of their own, which they rode to join the Harvest Festival. Even if the rays were terrified, they would not flee too far from their masters. Hence, when the disaster struck, the beasts took to hovering in the sky above the capital city.

  Baiyi had noticed the rays earlier. This tied into his plan to use the airspace to travel. Land travel would not be enough to save everyone, so there had to be a way to place some of them in the sky.

  That was another one of Laeticia’s missions. When she had calmed the public down, she had helped them find their rays.

  The transporter portal was designed specifically for emergency purposes. Its width was the size of two basketball courts, and after activation, the transporter portal formed a gigantic cube with a height so tall, it went way into the sky. Anything that was caught within the cube would be included into its massive trans-realm transportation spell. Hence, using the air above the transporter was reasonable because everyone would be able to fit in1.

  The skycruising rays were not the only beasts for humans to ride on. The dragon knights and griffin riders could only carry some extra passengers on their back, but their most important purpose, at that very moment, was to fasten lassos over the rays that were too slow so that they could drag them into the transporter formation territory.

  The sorcerers and mages who were on the ground also helped by releasing wind magic, drawing the wind to propel the rays in the direction of the dragon knights and griffin riders. The physical fighters, who were not able to help as much as they had hoped, mimicked the dragon knights’ actions. They lassoed the rays and sprinted, dragging them quickly, improving the efficiency of their escape.

  These were all Baiyi’s plans. He had made sure that every part of the plan was accounted for, and at this moment, all they had to do was watch it work. This was the reason why the Lich had to begrudgingly admit defeat. The King had also lost every reason to doubt or disrespect Baiyi’s capabilities.

  With a foolproof plan like this, how could this mass evacuation not be successful?

  “Okay, this plan is crazy!” The King blurted out, upon watching one of the strongest commanders of his royal guards drag five rays towards the transporter formation, making the guard’s face and neck redden from the effort.

  “What about the authorities in Isythre……?” The King furrowed his brow as his mind wandered.

  The last time they contacted Isythre to request for help, their ally had not expected the number of people coming in to be this massive. Ten million refugees would have been acceptable, but when they heard that the number of refugees to be saved could reach hundreds of millions, Isythre was thrown into a daze.

  The Sorcerer Association had hastily dispatched three almost-hermit-like Holy-level sorcerers to move the Isytherian side of the transporter portal to the Great Gobi Desert, which was located in the west of the Southern Land. Meanwhile, the military and the Church of Isythre rushed to the receiving portal, without rest. Even the Emperor of Walthart had not slept a wink; he summoned all of his trusted advisors, politicians, and vassals for an emergency conference for their impending refugee influx2.

  “They’re saved, of course. But, what about us?” King Rowan muttered as he stared at the commoners on top of the rays, watching their faces beam with joy. Then, he turned his gaze to down to his vassals, and seconds later, he took off his own crown and examined it intently.

  He had a feeling that he will soon not be king anymore.

  The King’s melancholy did little to hinder the migration. Excluding a few unplanned mishaps, most of the process was very smooth, to the point that they were ahead of their schedule. After the very last batch of refugees were safely sent off, there was still an hour left before the total collapse of the capital city island. The feat was already very outstanding.

  “Alright. Let’s go.”

  The Soul Armature took the girls with him and walked towards the transportation portal.

  Rays of light tore through the collapsing sky. Little Mia, who was still in a daze, looked up and watched the Gouvian sunrise from the horizon. It was so dazzling. It was the last time she could ever see a sunrise in Gouve.

  \r \r \r

  Baiyi was not the last to leave, however.

  Behind them, a few men — who all belonged to the noble families — were still grabbing every valuable and treasure they possessed. They even snatched up possessions that had been left by those who had already escaped!

  The treasure boxes were too taxing to bring along, but these people just could not let them go.

  Of course, Baiyi did not give a damn about the misers of the world. If they wanted to die with their money, that would suit him just fine.

  “Ho ho ho! The location has been changed to the Great Gobi already? Gosh, gotta praise that speed, man!” Baiyi exclaimed quite cheerfully after exiting the transporter portal.

  However, the situation was out of control. The refugees were running riot everywhere; screams and cries reverberated across the desert, and countless skycrusing rays filled the Southern Land’s sky, completely blocking out the sun. It was worse than before they had left Gouve.

  The pitiful Walthart soldiers, who were garbed in their military armors, were already nursing migraines from trying to keep things under control.

  ‘Nah. I don’t care.’ These after-credit issues were not Baiyi’s to handle anyway. He led the girls through the chaos, determined to give them a good night’s rest. The poor children had stayed up all night! Whatever needed to be discussed could be done after a good rest.

  He whistled, and a griffin zipped down, flapping its powerful wings. The girls who felt so tired that they almost fall asleep while standing were lifted up onto the griffin.

  They fell asleep as soon as they got to sit on something.

  Just as Baiyi was about to climb aboard the griffin, he heard a very soft cry behind him:

  “Master Hope?”

  He turned. Aya was standing bashfully before him; her face was bathed in a sort of girlish sheepishness. However, her eyes were different; they were brimming with determination. It was as if she had made up her mind about something.

  “Ha! Looks like everyone’s in one piece, after all. Not bad, huh?” Baiyi replied, grinning slyly as he waved his ice-chunk of a left arm in greeting.

  Aya took a large, courageous step forward towards the Soul Armature. “Thank you, Master Hope. Thank you for saving us all.”

  She gently placed a hand on her chest and the other behind her back. Her watery eyes gazed deep into Baiyi’s……

  He felt her fiery passion, and it was starting to embarrass him a little again. “Oh! Er, glad to help. Yea, glad to help.”‘Didn’t you switch back to formalities already? ……What’s with this now?’

  “Mr. Hope, I know you’re probably worn out, but I…… There are some things in my chest that I must let out.” Aya tilted her head downwards slightly, attempting to slow down the speed at which her face was reddening.

  Then just as quickly, she raised her head. Her eyes contained emotions so strong, anyone could tell exactly what they were. “May I express my feelings?”

  What could the Fifth Walker do at this point? He only nodded.

  “Mr. Hope, I really like you.”

  Aya looked up at him and brought her palms together before her chest. Her face held an earnest expression and was fresh with candor.

  Chaos continued to ensue around them, yet as the sun rose and shone, brightening up a side of their faces, the stiff confession was suddenly filled with a hazy air of affection.

  “Aya…… you know, don’t you? I —” Baiyi was just starting to explain himself when the girl gently placed her hand on his mask, cutting his sentence off.

  “I know.” She couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.

  “I know you can’t feel the same for me, but it’s alright,” she added, softly, allowing herself to be pushed forward by the sudden momentum of courage, and she pressed herself into his embrace until her forehead was resting on his chest plate.

  “I like you, and that’s all that matters.”

  Baiyi sighed. What else could he say?

  “If you could, would you hug me? Jus—just think of this as a request from a despicable flirt who has no knowledge of boundaries……” Aya said very quietly after she summoned another bit of courage.

  Baiyi nodded and hugged her gently.

  Her ears were still teary, but her lips curled into a contented smile. She closed her eyes tight and placed her hands on his chest.

  Wearing a pair of black heels, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on his mask.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hope.”

  The girl turned and ran, leaving a trail of tears behind her, until she became a silhouette in the distance.

  Baiyi wanted to stop her from leaving, but he was equally lost on how to do that. When he had extended his hand to grab her, all he saw was a long chunk of ice, which her tears had dripped on.

  The Voidwalkers understood that he was having a complicated moment and supported him with their silence; each feeling sad for the dragon girl on their own.

  Only one voice, like a whisper, remained in Baiyi’s ears. It was the oft-taciturn Warrior.

  “Did she smell good?”

  “Mm.”

  “Was she soft?”

  “Mm.”

  “.……Hmph!”

  “Hey now! It’s nothing…… like what you are thinking! I can explain!” Baiyi tried to clarify, but the Warrior went quiet. He tried to poke her with his consciousness, but she slapped the poke away instead.

  ‘What can I even do?’ Baiyi had no idea.

  After a while, the Warrior spoke again.

  “What is it that you like about her? Soft and cute? Docile?”

  “No, nothing like that —”

  “Is it the golden-blond hair? Is it the horsetail? Is it the black half-transparent long dress?”

  “Don’t fixate on the details! And…… as I said, it’s nothing like what you’re thinking!”

  “Hmph!”

  This time, the Warrior stayed quiet.

  ‘The mind of this sprite-like lady is truly unfathomable……’