Baiyi was starting to get really frustrated with Lord Nolan's way of speaking.
To be frank, he was not seeking to assume the parental role in Mia's life, if every sentimentality was stripped off.
He needed to be someone even more important than just a father figure, because Little Mia was the most important key in releasing the Voidwalkers from their agonizing limbo.
He wouldn't mind Mia not calling him 'daddy', but he did mind how close she rated their relationship. Without any compromise, Baiyi reasoned that he had to be the one who mattered the most to the girl. She had to be completely dependent on him, no matter emotionally or when it comes to problem solving.
He could not allow anyone else to influence Mia. That was why he forbade the girl to have a relationship and why he was initially so hostile to her father. To a girl this age, a lover or a father's words might change the girl's world view, which would in turn intervened with his plans.
It had nothing to do with sentimentality. He might or might not be a creepy, possessive, overprotective 'father' with an intense daughter-complex. But for the sake of the other Walkers, he had to act similar to one, anyway. Mia was the only path to freedom, the only channel connecting the otherwise not-dead-not-alive Walkers with reality. She must be completely under his thumb.
In fact, the very initial ideas that the Lich and the Devil had given back then were the best ideas to quickly achieve maximum benefits. Baiyi had only forsaken those ideas because they were unscrupulous. That was why Baiyi ended up interacting with her in such a fashion.
It was also why he had reacted so strongly when Mia's father started showing hostility towards him.
The way they had conducted their life— living seemingly normal, happy days, sometimes perforated by hijinks— might have caused a lot of bystanders to forget the mission but Baiyi had never once forgotten. Mia was a mean to an end. He had only treated her kindly because she possessed a few qualities that moved him. She was the only chance the Walkers had to finally be free from their thousand-years-sentence.
To prevent things from going awry, Baiyi would do anything to control her. Grooming her into some bishoujo with magical short skirt and all other settings was good fun, but the mission itself had always been the alpha and the omega.
Since that he had chosen the path of ingratiation (instead of brainwashing her into his slave or turning her into a lich), Baiyi would stick to his decision. Even if it meant that he had to face an opponent at the Boss-level like Lord Nolan. Even if he had to give up on erasing Mia's father's existence from the equation, and hence leaving a chance for unpredictability and non-linear conclusion.
Nevertheless, Baiyi still believed that his own charms and wits would sufficed to override any unwanted influence from her mind.
So what should the Soul Armature say?
"You truly are a brilliant father, I must admit. You taught her well— I could not help but see noble qualities from you in her. And undeniably, it's the very same qualities that had motivated me to assist as much as possible in unleashing her true potential," He replied casually, as if he was on the Viscount's side since the beginning.
Not waiting for her father to react, he reached out to rub Mia's head. "She is a good kid."
Mia giggled at his compliment, not shaking her head off from his grip. She lowered her head a little, blushing, "I'm not that good, really…"
Since Baiyi used a more submissive tone as he simultaneously praised the Viscount lavishly, Lord Nolan started feeling it was inappropriate to be too forceful. "Well… She's my daughter, of course she's the best. But now that she's off to the Academy, I will have to rely on Mr. Hope to take care of her."
"You don't even have to ask. I'll tend to her as well as teach her to the best of my abilities."
A confrontation that was on the verge of erupting was thus successfully resolved by a timely compromise. In fact, Baiyi had successfully turned it into something similar to a wedding, where the father had passed his daughter to her husband.
At the back of the Viscount's mind, he felt that something seemed a bit wrong with the conclusion of their short 'conversation' but he couldn't exactly pinpoint what.
Baiyi seized the moment of his confusion and retrieved two ornaments from his storage pouch: a chain-like men's accessory and a feminine necklace. He bought them yesterday while shopping for Mia's clothes. He even placed them into his mana furnace for some extra touch.
He had planned to present the gifts as soon as he saw them, but he didn't expect the receiving family to be so… simple . His gifts seemed too grand for Mia's parents to ever wear. After all, the chain accessory was chosen to complement an elegant tuxedo while the necklace was to bring an already-posh gown to a whole new level.
Eyeing the kind of outfit Lord and Lady Nolan wore, Baiyi had a feeling that his gifts would never see the light of day after they'd kept them.
Who would have expected her father to be a person like this?
Baiyi still took out the two gift boxes. Ignoring the aesthetics of the gifts, they were still practical accessories. He brought them to Mia's parents and said, "Here's a little something from me."
The Viscount furrowed his eyebrow, reluctant to accept what seemed to be dowries; while Lady Nolan took her box and examined its content.
When she looked up, there was a grimace in her face. "Mr. Hope, this…"
"Please, do accept them." Baiyi beckoned. "Little Mia chose it for the both of you. I merely added a bit of practical magic on them. You can use them to transfer items during emergencies."
"Ah! An enchanted accessory," Lord Nolan became interested. He opened his own box.
It was a pendant that had looked superficially similar to a pocket watch: a golden disk linked by equally gleaming golden chains, it was the often seen item a gentleman would wear. Usually inside the golden disk would be embedded with the family emblem or a beautiful lady's portrait. The accessory was then hung outside the pocket of their vest.
Mia's father gave a bitter smile. "The last time I wore something this fancy, it was for the Earl's daughter's wedding. Even the suit was rented! Everyone in the wedding seemed to have seen through how poor I am, so nobody had wanted to even approach me. That night, I ate a bit of food there and left as soon as possible. Ever since then, I knew I'm never gonna wear these fancy things again."
He placed the accessory back into the box, seemingly to return it to Baiyi. He wasn't going to accept them just because they were enchanted. With the sort of lifestyle they led, the Nolan couples had thought that there would never be a day when they would need them.
"Aren't magical items very costly? We're humble people, sir, the farthest we'll go will still be within our small town… Safe and sound. There's no need to waste them on us. Mia can have them," Lady Nolan agreed, closing the box. There was not a shred of longing nor craving for the expensive item she had just received.
The Nolan couple was truly a pair of simple folks.
Oh, come on, your daughter has plenty of these things! Baiyi thought. These are considered mundane items in her arsenal. Do you know that hammerhead shark plushie that she rubbed her face with every day is turning into a weapon of mass destruction? That thing alone could be converted into a dozen of Wyllspringshires!
Mia spoke what was in her Soul Armature's mind, "Mom, Dad… Mr. Hope really wanted to gift them to you. These things can save your life when you really need it! Don't worry about me, Mr. Hope is with me. I've got plenty of them from him already."
"Plenty...?"
The Viscount's face was colored with suspicion. His eyes moved from Mia and then to Baiyi. At the same time, Lady Nolan started to notice Mia's new dress. She took a piece of the fabric and ran her fingers through it for a while.
"What is this skirt made out of?" She asked.
"It's the newest magical fabric on the market called Arondight," Baiyi answered then lifted a finger to execute a Lumos spell. Under the light, Mia's ostensibly normal azure dress immediately reflected the light and gleamed like the ocean's grey waves.
"Oh my--!" The Viscount and the Lady cried out then they looked at each other.
Just as sudden as their stares, they said in unison, "Sir Hope, please wait for a moment."
They each grabbed one of Mia's elbows and ushered her quickly to a room at the side.
Ohhhh, shit. They can't be thinking that I sold their daughter off to prostitution on weekends or something to buy these things, right? I'm just a Soul Armature! Don't overthink things!!!
After a while, Little Mia had dejectedly returned to Baiyi's side. Her beautiful dress and shoes had all been changed into the most boring type— in fact, her dress was as conservative as a Puritan's, with knee-length skirt and covered shoulders…
Um. At least in terms of beauty standards… Surprisingly, her parents had the same taste as I do…?
"Owww…" The girl sat next to him. She pouted, "Mom and dad says I can't waste your money…"
"B-but why not? I work hard so that you can spend it!" Baiyi cried, a little shocked as he combed her messy bangs.
"They'd asked me what is the real relationship dynamic between a summoner and her Soul Armature and I said it's like a companion and a teacher. Then they said if it's like a companion and a teacher, then I can't just accept your gifts, I'll have to earn 'em…" Her voice was flat, with a hint of helplessness and disbelief.
Um. Right. That's a pretty good value there— great, even. But this is also just way too uptight!
Now Baiyi could finally fully understand Lord Nolan's initial hostility. It was because ever since they arrived, everything Mia was using had been of the most luxurious kind. The whirlicote, her new dress…
Can't really blame her parents for wondering if Baiyi had any ulterior motive… [TL: Hey, you actually do! Ahahha.]
"They confiscated the dress, Mr. Hope! They said they are going to save pennies and gather money so that they can return the dress to you along with the money you spent!" She continued. Then, shaking Baiyi's shoulders hard, she pleaded, "Mr. Hope? I don't want that dress anymore. I'll wash it clean before returning it to you. Then maybe you can give it to Attie or Big Sister Dale? J-just don't ask for Mom and Dad to return the money… It is so expensive, they would have to work for so long just to gather the money…"
Baiyi could only shake his head helplessly. How do you even stop doting and spending money on an angel like this one?