Why Did You Summon Me?

Baiyi had no choice but to pass on his responsibilities to the capable Voidwalkers, as only he could save Mia. This meant he had to leave the angel, who he had just lured over, behind, but she had not provided much help anyways. Furthermore, the angel came with a disclaimer: she could only stay in Isythre for three days, and it should soon be time for her to leave.

Till the three days was up, Baiyi just needed someone to keep an eye on the Cleric Walker and Paladin Walker, to make sure that the two perverts did not harass the angel while he was away.

Baiyi spent the little time he had left in Isythre giving instructions to those he had selected to carry on his duties. This included Tisdale and Vidomina, both of whom he had personally given instructions.

“A few suppliers of ours made some noise last semester about raising the price of their goods. I am certain that neither of you should deal with them; leave the dirty work to the Warrior Walker.

“Dale, I haven’t had time to evaluate our newest group in order to pick the best talents, so you’ll have to do it for me. Make a list of the most outstanding students, and give a copy of it to the principals of every faculty. This way, they’ll know who to pay attention to.

“Please, make sure that you two assign some — well, special privileges to this year’s sponsored students, alright? Anything, as long as they feel that we’re worth the price…

“I left some cash in my secret vault, for emergencies. By that, I mean you have to keep an eye on it so that your Royal Gramps doesn’t steal it. In fact, don’t give him too much allowance, or he’ll just burn it, again…

“Please do me a favor and yell at that no-good Alchemist Walker! Damn it; he needs to speed up the process of restoring my Jawflower to its original size! Without that thing, the security of the female dorm will not inspire confidence!

“Don’t let anyone change the academy’s uniform while I’m absent, especially that of the girls ! And, while we’re at it, I want maximum attention placed on the female students’ dress code. I know it’s getting warmer, but that doesn’t mean their skirts are allowed to be too short!

“Please pay proper respect to the angel, alright? She doesn’t have much time left in this realm, and she’s a bit scatterbrained; however, she is still an angel, who deserves proper respect. Don’t be sloppy in how well you treat our guest, okay? Furthermore, keep an eye on those two in the Faculty of Theology. They can show respect by not standing too close to her!

“You two must also protect yourselves, okay? Don’t say yes to any marriage proposal, and be wary of those punks and their hormone-driven advances. If you encounter any trouble, just ring your Royal Gramps…”

Baiyi nagged them hard as though he was an old man on his death bed. Throughout the tirade, Tisdale and Vidomina exchanged looks of discomfort. Finally, Tisdale, who could hold herself no longer, asked, “Um, Sir, are you…? Are you going to die —”

” Sleep!  I’m going to sleep for a very long time, to find a way to save Mia. It’s going to be a long time, but don’t be afraid. Please, help me by taking care of the academy and everyone!”

“Ohh!” Vidomina sighed in relief whilst patting her voluptuous chest. “Here I was, thinking that something bad had happened, Godfather. Alright then. Goodbye; have a safe trip, and see you some other time. Please, hurry up; I miss Mia a lot.”

‘W-what is with that tone, young lady? Have you also entered your rebellious phase? Why does it feel like none of you are actually worried about me encountering a very dangerous situation in my bid to rescue Mia?!’ Baiyi grumbled in his head.

Tisdale seemed to read her mentor’s mind and reassuringly said, “None of us are worried because it’s you . We have faith in you, Sir. If you can’t save Mia, then no one else in the universe can.”

“And, you don’t have to worry about the academy; you have us here, and we’ll keep it running smoothly!” Vidomina added.

Baiyi went silent, seemingly done with his unending list of instructions. At that moment, the girls glanced at each other, turned around at the same time, and fled.

“Where are you two going?” A puzzled Baiyi called out.

“To see the angel, duh! The new girl you brought is so much fun! She’s gorgeous, charming, and adorably scatterbrained!” Tisdale’s giggles rang out from afar. She did not seem interested in seeing Baiyi off!

Tisdale was not alone in this. Other than the Warrior Walker, everyone else had rushed over to meet the angel.

The Warrior Walker stayed back and watched Baiyi slowly lose consciousness, and when he had, she carried his armor and placed it inside a large, open casket. The lid, which had a “5” engraved on it, was slowly closed. The Warrior Walker whispered softly, “Come back soon.”

With a ‘click’, the casket was closed. Only a hesitant Warrior Walker remained in the room.

Baiyi began his hard-disk scan — or more accurately, his soul scan. He had no idea how long this process would take, but he was certain that it won’t go by as fast as the scan of super-fast PCs that gamers, who owned one, often debated over.

When the Warrior Walker emerged from the basement, she found the Void’s Gentlemen Club waiting for her. Only the Alchemist Walker was absent from the group, as he was still grounded in the Void because of the “heinous” comments he made to Baiyi earlier. It was unfortunate that he was not around to enjoy the moment that his tyrannical boss stopped breathing down the Voidwalkers’ necks.

The Cleric Walker solemnly approached the Warrior Walker; it was as though he was mourning the loss of a friend. “Is he really gone?” He asked in a low voice. “Has he really fallen into a slumber so deep that he can’t control his body, let alone watch us?”

The Warrior Walker was instantly wary. “What’s on your mind?”

“Her reaction says it all, my friends. It’s true!” The Engineer Walker cried out loud with joy. “My fellow gentlemen, our dark days are over! We’re liberated from that tyrant’s iron grip! Freedom !”

“Bwahahahaha! I have never felt more alive! Many things on our bucket list to do, but which one should be first? Should we sneak into the female dorm? Should we exchange collectibles amongst ourselves? Or, should we give our new angel a warm welcome?”

“Why choose one when you can do all? That hound’s off our back; we can do whatever we like now!”

The Warrior Walker was ignored by the gentlemen, who reiterated their plans in loud voices. Because of their jailed comrade, the poor Alchemist Walker, the gentlemen decided to kickstart their campaign with a loud bang!

Suddenly, a strange chilly wind blew by, causing cold sweat to run down the backs of the gentlemen. It was as though a behemoth was glaring down at them from the sky above. Although this group of Voidwalkers was brave and had experienced death, they found themselves fearing for their lives.

“W-why do I hear boss music?” The Cleric Walker asked with a shaky voice. “Isn’t… Isn’t he supposed to be asleep?”

“His shell sleeps, but he has never been more awake. Every particle of his soul is awake; don’t you know? This is how it feels when Hope is awake. We are here in this physical realm only because we borrowed a large portion of his soul,” the Warrior Walker explained helpfully. “He may not be able to stop you all physically, but he can still see you — every last one of you — and everything you do.”

The Engineer Walker coughed loudly. “You just reminded me of something! I still have this super-important project to do. Ciao!”

“What a coincidence! I, too, just remembered an epic piece that I need to compose, so imma head out,” said the Bard Walker as he quickly departed.

“As for me, I am tasked with the sacred duty of helping Laeticia oversee tomorrow’s ceremony. Thus, I bid you all a blessed farewell,” The Cleric Walker announced. It was obvious that he had just made that excuse up.

“Wait! Allow me the honor of helping you in your holy cause!” The Paladin Walker hurriedly scampered after his fleeing best friend.

The Warrior Walker smiled and shook her head as she watched the gentlemen scurry away in a hurry. Then, she silently returned to Baiyi’s chalet and closed the door.

In the end, only Voidwalkers did not join the others at Aegis mansion to meet the angel, and the old house, which was almost always quiet, was now filled with cheers and laughter. Everyone there, individuals who harbored no ill intent, formed a line and waited patiently to introduce themselves to Noirciel and then chat with her.

The Lich Walker was there, as well, but unlike the others, he eyed the angel warily. He did not dare get close to her.

Baiyi’s angels — his ‘daughters’ — using the excuse that they were of the same gender as the angel, cut in line and surrounded the angel. As the waiting Voidwalkers could no longer meet with the surrounded angel, they decided to leave the mansion. A short while later, only the girls remained.

They filled Noirciel’s evening with exciting tales, about the beauty and elements of adventures of Da Xue and how it always seemed to be full of fun surprises. Then, the topic of their conversation changed to Isythre, and almost no time at all, they began to play magical videos of classical operas and thrilling scenes of Isythre festivities.

Noirciel had never seen anything as fascinating as these before. For every new thing introduced to her, her curiosity increased. She watched all the videos presented to her and enjoyed being fed by the girls, who taught her that rubbing her cheeks against theirs was a way to express one’s appreciation.

Noirciel soon began to second-guess her purpose. The only reason why she had descended to the mortals’ realm was to see Mia one last time — to release herself from Lulu’s influence. She wanted, more than anything, to become the proud, powerful Vassal of Time once more. It was this single-minded conviction that had numbed her from the blatant disrespect and negligence of the Church.

Then, when it was discovered that Mia, her only hope for salvation, had been left in the past all along, and she was powerless to remedy it — all she felt were anxiety and guilt. It was the first time the Angel had ever tasted desperation and that encompassing sense of hopelessness; everything she had done, including enduring the trials in this realm, had been for nothing.

However, these beautiful, pure-hearted girls dispelled her moroseness with surprising assurance. They had been so confident when they told her that Nehemiah’s Chosen One — Hope — could make even the most unexpected miracles. Then, just to make her feel better, they had treated her with generous helpings of delectable confectionaries, amazing stories, and exciting games.

She had never felt such complex sentiments before. One thought did stand above them all, however:

‘The mortal realm is so different. It’s… exhilarating.’

The way she was being treated may deviate from the proper, formal customs a mortal should have observed when in the presence of Angels, yet Noirciel found herself minding less and less. Human food was a kick in her tongue; human toys made her heart throbbed; human activities and events and lives — they made emotions like joy and passion understandable.

She, a sinner to the gods and her brethren, were even given personal treatments by Nehemiah and Bella’s messengers.

‘Isn’t this the best? Could anything even be better than this?’ A taboo-like thought began to take shape in her head.

However, not every one of Baiyi’s girls had taken a liking to the angel. Santa and Anna, for example, had hidden behind Nota the whole time, too scared to get close.

The dragons in the Bai household were reserved, content to stand in the background and study the angel.

“Mommy, can I pat her head?” Mordred whispered into Aya’s ears.

“No! That is most disrespectful!” The woman said, more cautious than one would expect. he had not allowed herself to be seized by curiosity and had instead maintained only respect and fear towards the seraphic being.

“…Can I lick her, then?”

“Cease that at once! That is just dangerous!” Aya snapped anxiously. Wherever did this child get her ideas from?

Mordred pouted and grumbled, “But she looks so tasty …”