The whirlicote travelled non-stop for a day and a night and by the next morning, it had reached the edge of the province where Mia's home was situated in.
No wonder theirs was the most expensive of a line of hackneys. 1 There were hardly stops throughout the journey, that was if you count three swift changes of tired coachers 2 along the way as 'stops'. Even the two coachmen, who took turns in driving, were experts, whose experience in travelling the roads made the ride bump-free in the night. Little Mia never lost her sleep throughout the journey.
The whirlicote came with a humane, but quite amusing upon closer inspection, design. The seat of the front and rear quarter could be turned into one large bed, which Mia had promptly used to sleep. Of course, that meant that Baiyi had lost his own seat and could only resort to lying down in the same bed next to her.
With each light shake on the pebbled road, the girl's body rolled closer and in the end, right into Baiyi's arms.
Baiyi rested better than Mia did for the night, and as a reward, he gave the two coachmen a tip of 10 gold coins before she was even awake.
Mia's father was originally a farmer, who had the mettle to join a war, and just as the saying goes, he was a fool who had rushed in where angels refused to tread. Fortunately, his side was victorious in the war, and subsequently he was given a small piece of land to rule under the title of Viscount.
The land he owned was called Wyllspringshire, with an area and population that were relatively small compared to other lands. In fact, by observation alone, it was more like a small town.
However, Wyllspringshire was blessed with prosperous crops and kind, simple folks, so while the Viscount and his family was not as well-off as other above them in peerage, they lived comfortably nonetheless.
When the whirlicote finally rolled onto the pavement of Wyllspringshire, Mia was slowly but steadily roused by the musky smell of her home. She climbed up, rubbing her eyes like a cat preening itself, and stared out of the window.
Sunlight illuminated a bright grin etched on the girl's face. She sprung to the side and pushed open the window. Then with her head peering out, she happily greeted the farmers hard at work in their fields.
The farmers, seeing the return of their local princess, beamed back at her, waving their hands in salutations. Some of their children even started reporting to the Viscount with their pet dogs in tow.
When the coach finally reached the Viscount's residence— a three-story brick house— a middle-aged man was already standing by the door with a considerably younger woman.
Mia tidied herself quickly while in the coach, then sprung from the door and ran right into the woman's embrace, rubbing her head on the woman's chest. She cooed, "I'm home, Mommy!"
The woman, who was exuding an aura of maternal comfort, returned her with a kind smile and kissed little Mia on her cheeks. Ruffling her hair, the woman replied softly, "My little girl is finally home."
The middle-aged man was just as eager as Mia and had quickly extended his arms to her. Happily, Mia leapt right into his arms, happily exclaiming, "Daddy!"
Baiyi had been paying the coachmen and scheduling their return trip. When he had finished, he turned around just in time to catch Mia's father lovingly pecking his daughter's cheek.
The horses were suddenly neighing in fear and ran off from the coachmen's grasp as a sudden force exuded out from the stunned Soul Armature.
His hands were balled into fists as he stood there, as if he was about to crush his gauntlets…
The commotion of course attracted the attention of the happily-reunited family. Mia released herself from the man's embrace, but not before giving her father another light peck on the cheek.
Crack. A soft sound escaped from Baiyi's fists. The gauntlets were officially broken.
"C-c-calm down, Sir Hope!" The Soul Armature Practitioner jumped in frantically. "T-that's her father, mate! If you'd kill him, Michan will hate you forever!"
No, no. I'm a kind person, Baiyi replied. I'm a very kind person; I don't kill. No, no. [TL very quietly tallying his death counts and all of his moments when absolutely no one, upon seeing his antics, would use the word "kind" on this guy.]
At that moment, Mia was just introducing him to her parents glowingly. "Mom, Dad. This is Mr. Hope, my Soul Armature, and also the closest, bestest, kindest person I have ever met after Mom and Dad!"
'After' Mom and Dad?!?!? They don't even give you enough allowance!
Baiyi put on his best manners and continued from her introduction. "Pleased to meet you. I am Hope, Mia's Soul Armature. Also, her closest guardian and confidant."
He eyed her father snidely, like a sniper making sure that his target was within the rifle scope. In fact, he proceeded to stare at him like he had just met his arch nemesis [Um, is this the power struggle of two fathers or a father and the boyfriend?].
The first line was normal enough for a self-introduction, but the second line was too fervent to have been missed by anyone. Was that a sign of dominance?
Meanwhile, Mia's father, Lord Nolan of Wyllspringshire, was supposed to welcome him as the patriarch of the family but he was as silent as a man finding himself in a Mexican standoff, his eyes never once left Baiyi.
And just like that, a happy reunion was instantly hijacked by an unknown air of animosity.
The two women were watching from the side in utter confusion. Didn't they just meet for the first time?
In the end, Lady Nolan had to help smooth things over. "We're equally pleased to have you with us, Mr. Hope"
Baiyi nodded lightly, slightly relieved that Mia was more like her mother, who was a gentle soul. Meanwhile, he was already thinking if he had created a storm while meeting the eyes of Lord Nolan.
Even the Archmage could not ignore the ridiculousness of the ordeal. "You're too possessive, child!" He chided. "Can't you bear the thought of her caring about her father just as much?"
Baiyi did not answer his teacher's consternation. He walked quietly towards Mia and the girl's habit instantly kicked in. She grabbed him by the hand and beamed at her parents, "Mom, Dad, look at me! I became even stronger after a year in the Academy, didn't I? I can now protect myself better, and everyone else, too!"
"Mm hmm!" Her mother answered with a laugh. "Our Little Mia has grown up into a proper lady. She even summoned such a strong Soul Armature!"
She grabbed her husband by the arm and pinched him, signaling him to stop being so hostile.
This is supposed to be a happy reunion! How did it turn into 'So Your Daughter Had Just Introduced Her Love Interest to Her Parents'? She mused. Worse, he doesn't even seem to be pleased with his 'son-in-law'!
Being the Viscount of Wyllspringshire, Lord Nolan still knew that he had to showcase a little of the courtesies that separated the aristocrats from the commoners. He forced a smile on his face and said, "Yes, Mr. Hope does seem like a very strong man."
Hmph. Is that a challenge? Baiyi sneered internally, and released a very acute aura directed right at the Viscount.
Mia's father might have been hardened by the atrocities of wars, but none of those experiences in the battlefield was enough to prepare him for an aura as suffocating as a dragon's! His face instantly fell as his knees almost gave out.
If it wasn't because Baiyi had retracted his aura as quickly as he had released them, the poor man might have just fallen onto the floor.
How can a normal farmer even hope to fight the Fifth Voidwalker?
"Mr. Hope… Sure is very strong…" The Viscount cleared his throat as he wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead. "B-but I won't hand Mia over to you anyway!"
The two women were stunned. They did not expect the man to say something that ludicrous out of loud.
Fortunately, the other villagers had started surrounding them. Their earnest compliments directed at the girl had softened the tension enough that the four finally felt comfortable entering the house together.
Once Mia and Baiyi were ushered to the living room, Mia's mother immediately took the Viscount by his elbow to their room.
She pinched the man and whispered, "Why did you say that? About handing Mia over to him?"
"What? You mean you didn't realize the truth behind his intention?!" He replied in a hushed but firm voice. "This Hope is here today to mark his dominance over my daughter!"
"What?! That reeks of insanity."
"Insanity?! You mean instinct!" The man cried indignantly. "This very same instinct was the reason why I survived the battlefield! But this… This Hope fellow! Who the hell is he? He had such an commanding aura about him… Mind you, I have seen 'commanding' from the commanders and captains during the war, and none of them had raised my caution to that level before! Who is he? Could it be that he's stronger than even the strongest in the army?"
While the two were discussing about Baiyi, the Soul Armature himself was studying the living room he was in.
And his comment was, well, Meh. Looks like a house for a low-income family. Not even marginally better than any common farmer, let alone Tisdale's mansion.
Baiyi was honestly perplexed. Isn't he a Viscount? Governor of this province? A sort of aristocrat? Why is this family living in some kind of poverty? He recounted the sceneries as he had entered Wyllspringshire back in the whirlicote. The land was small, but the crops were growing in abundance. The wheats and corns filled the land as the farmers relentlessly tended to them. Although the houses at the side of the road were simple brick huts, they were well enough to provide a safe home for the common men.
It's not like the people here are all living in grass houses. In fact, they are living pretty well. So why is the Viscount living in such a run down house?
Little Mia seemed to have sense Baiyi's confusion when she flashed him a gentle smile.
"Sorry, Mr. Hope. My house has always been like this ever since I was little, it's because Dad didn't want to raise their taxes…" She said apologetically. "So even though we could be considered aristocrats, we are still kinda poor, you know? Not at all like Big Sister Undine's family…"
A Viscount who refuses to raise taxes? Baiyi froze as an unsettling thought rose to his mind.
Those gentle qualities in Mia that had melted the hearts of the cynical Voidwalkers— did those gentle qualities all come from that old geezer?!
Coaches for hired Horses used for coaches