Chapter 266: The Plot Thickens

The girls had not woken up from sleep. Baiyi wrote a letter using his mana, and when he was done, he passed it to the butler who had just arrived in a hurry. The man took it dutifully, then he tucked it safe between his coat and his shirt.

Before Baiyi left, the butler’s ethos compelled him to ask, “Anything else I can do for you, Master Hope?”

The Soul Armature thought for a while. Then, he replied, “How about less meat in our groceries? I’m preventing them from getting too fat, you know?”

Upon hearing the unexpected request, the butler — whose default expression was of a professional, serious servant — twitched his eye. He nodded despite the discrepant expression on his face and left with the letter in his pocket.

Undine watched the butler depart with a curious expression on her face, and then she turned to face Baiyi, “You actually have a butler? How come I’ve never seen him before? He even looks so professional and haughty… It’s like he serves a very high-class family or something.”

Undine had no idea how close she was to the truth. Baiyi had not told her about Vidomina’s true origin. Unlike other children of aristocrats, Vidomina herself did not display the characteristic flair and disposition used to show off; probably a result of living with the scholars in the Doors of Conundrum.

Thus, Undine thought that Vidomina was just another common girl from the streets who Baiyi had charmed somehow, and not a Duke’s daughter.

“Oh right! So who was that letter for?” Undine asked curiously.

Undine had taken off her heels already so that she could kneel comfortably on the couch. She was leaning very closely to Baiyi, and because he was taller, Baiyi could easily see all the way into her top.

When a cold “hmph!” echoed from the void, Baiyi turned his eyes elsewhere, replying nonchalantly, “Just someone who could help us with this problem.”

When Baiyi’s eyes caught the heels that Undine had left scattered about, he grumbled, “Made yourself at home already, haven’t you?”

“Oh, I wish this was my home! Or maybe… it can be! If you would marry me,” Undine said, and lips suddenly curled into a coy smile.

“Your timing for jokes is legendary,” Baiyi replied, with a deadpan expression.

“Oh, you actually agreed to this! Ah, nothing will worry me ever again!” Undine cried out in blithe, making it seem as if her troubled expression was all just a show. She seemed to have really believed Baiyi…

“My dad once said that you’re one of the most dependant fellas ever! With you around, every crisis would meet its end!”

“Oh, thank you so much for dumping all that faith in me,” Baiyi replied sarcastically.

“But you can’t say it’s misplaced, can you? The Church has already told the world about your two massive achievements. Besides, who was the one who went to the steppe to save me, and helped pioneer our new trading route?” Undine said, moving even closer to him. “To me, you’re as omnipotent as a god…”

Her legs, which were both clad in black silky stockings, closed up tightly, making it look as if she was nervous. She brought her head close to his helmet and whispered, “Mr. Hope, you sure you don’t want to think about this? I wasn’t joking, you know. A dependable man is irresistible to any woman…”

‘Hmph! When did this little bird learn how to seduce people?’ Baiyi had to stop himself from laughing. He did not even hesitate to give her a hard flick on the forehead.

“Please remember to blush next time, Miss Undine. That would make it more believable.”

“Aww, I was serious about my words! Are you really not gonna consider my proposal? I don’t look bad, and I’m very docile. You may be a Soul Armature with an unhealthy taste for younger girls, but I believe we can grow closer, too…” Undine rubbed the flicked spot on her forehead as she protested. She sounded upset, but she remained persistent, nonetheless.

Ever since this accident, the Doles’ dependence on Baiyi had reached its zenith. It became more obvious that Baiyi was far more valuable than he had let himself on, so they wanted to rope him into their family before it was too late; the only method they had would be Undine herself!

At that moment, Undine herself wished she was seventeen or eighteen years old so that she could fit Master Hope’s appetite; that way, she would be able to enjoy the additional boon of being able to act coquettish around him, just like how she had seen Mia, Tisdale, and the other girls do it.

‘ Pah! You guys only make these proposals because I’m a Soul Armature! If I were an actual man, with complete flesh and blood, would you dare to even propose this? ‘ Baiyi lambasted their obvious ploy. ‘Damn, no wonder the Dole family are capable of being merchants; they wanted to use a girl to tie a Voidwalker tied to them without the girl losing her chastity!’

Most importantly, Baiyi admitted that he once used to think that Undine was quite a looker, and maybe he could try going out with her; however, ever since he had that interaction with the Duchess… well, for a lady who adopted the same style that the Duchess did, Undine was a tad bit too unseasoned.

“Alright, alright. Enough with the banter. The kids are about to get up, and I gotta prep for our lessons.” Baiyi could hear the girls moving about upstairs, prompting him to impatiently try sending Undine off.

“Huh? You’ve got class today?” She responded in bewilderment.

“Don’t be so rash! ‘Festina lente’—’make haste slowly’. Ever heard of that before? Go, shoo, bye!” Baiyi waved his hand.

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‘Festina lente ? I have never heard of this before for sure. But “make haste slowly” sounds kinda meaningful, I guess…?’ Undine pondered about the word of wisdom from another universe as she took the Earl with her and left.

For the rest of the day, Baiyi had not done anything concrete about the new issue. He was waiting for the action of the recipient of the letter.

Thus, while Baiyi waited, this time, he conducted his class by himself, without the assistance of a certain wayward plushie.

When it was time for recess, Baiyi approached the fairy, Nota, and asked, with concern, “So, how was my class? Was it alright?”

“It was exemplary! Very excellent! You’re the best teacher I’ve ever met!” The fairy replied with a sweet grin that was very warm and calming. She added, “I thought you were gonna act the same as Mentor Sharkie yesterday…”

“Did he bully you yesterday?” Baiyi’s reply was rapid.

“No! Oh, no,” Nota said with a gentle voice, waving her hands. “Other students weren’t that lucky, though, so I got… scared… too..”

As the class ended, Baiyi announced, “So that’s all for today. Assignments are due before bedtime, and tomorrow, we’re heading out for a practical class trip.”

The students looked down at their heap of assignments, spanning different subjects and topics, and suddenly found themselves debating internally on whether the soul armature or the plushie was the real wolf in sheep clothing.

At that moment, in the southern part of the empire, where Mapleleaf Town sat, a large aristocratic estate sprawled. Servants carrying a large painting, which was wrapped in oilskin, entered a gilded, opulent study.

Duke Link sat in his study, watching the scene with interest. He eyed the Wright family’s butler and asked, “That’s all there is? A painting from your Master?”

“Yes. My Master’s sentiment is in the gift,” the butler, who looked more of a veteran than even Vidomina’s butler, replied primly.

“Relay my gratitude to your Master, please.” Duke Link nodded. Then, as if a thought had just crossed his mind, Duke Link asked pointedly, “How is the Duke doing with his recovery, hmm?”

“Your concern is much appreciated, My Lord. My Master is doing very well.”

“Splendid! I look forward to visiting him in his home soon.”

“We look forward to your visit, too,” the butler said, bowing. “Now, please excuse me.”

After he left, the Southern Duke ordered his servants to unwrap the gift, and the painting was fully unveiled. It was the painting of an obese man in a heavily-decorated garment, stuffing himself with food and drinks, putting off his neighbors at the table with his filthy demeanor. The fat knave, however, was ignorant of their disgust and was proud of himself, instead.

The painting had been made so vividly that the characters seemed to be at the verge of moving. The colors that were chosen and the way the portrait was drawn hinted that the artist was quite deft.

Duke Link recognized the painting quickly. It was the notable work of an ordinary artist, whose work, as the story went, generated much discourse among all wakes of society. The artist even earned himself a group of fans, but the artist died young in a carriage accident.

“Hmm hmm. You came back from the dead once, and you already think you are capable of fighting anyone?” Duke Link muttered to himself. “Trying to imply that I look bad when I eat?”

Duke Link waved his hand to summon his personal secretary; having the woman on his lap, he caressed her lean, curvy waist. “Have we ever touched old geezer Wright’s belonging?”

The secretary moaned, and after composing herself, she replied, “No, My Lord. You said that he was your battle comrade; so in the spirit of camaraderie, you would not touch anything that was his before he died. We listened, My Lord, and steered clear of him.”

“If that’s the case, why would he send me such a painting?” Duke Link pointed at the gift, and his other hand exerted more strength into the caresses.

“Aah!” The secretary’s moan was stronger. She furrowed her brows and thought hard. Then finally, she answered with uncertainty, “Could it have been related… to that aerial business?”

“‘Aerial business’?” the Duke repeated the term in wonder. He was the highest man in the hierarchy, so one could not expect him to do everything himself. Most of the time, all he did was to give a general direction and guidance, while his subordinates carried them out.

In other words, he had no inkling that he had a hand in this commercial route.

After listening to his secretary’s briefing, the Duke’s brows wrung even tighter together.

“This is an interesting venture, but essentially, it’s only about money. Why would Old Man Wright care? Is he trying to gain the favors of those filthy, pathetic barbarians? Would he even live long enough to reach that goal?” Duke Link asked in a voice filled with doubt.

More importantly, both he and Duke Wright both occupied positions so high they themselves no longer need to personally defend or create opportunities. They were dukes; they would wait for others to offer opportunities.

This particular incident was very odd indeed.