To be honest, Mia’s clumsy antics had only made Baiyi a little mad, he seized the opportunity that was given to him to get closer to her.

  The same could not be said for the next day however. The rapping on the door early in the morning had managed to awaken a long, buried anger within the Soul Armature.

  It was a teacher from the Academy. He was holding a stack of documents in one hand while the other knocked on the door . After he saw Tisdale, he put on a contemptuous look and haughtily announced to the girl, “Tisdale Aegis, as per the president’s decision of deploying Academy students to Templar Fort, I command you to T-t-to”

  He did not get to finish his words before he was lost for words. Even that condescending faade that he had on earlier had vanished, leaving him looking like a dog that had just fell into the lake as his shoulders shrank. With beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

  He gulped before continuing in a stammer, “M-my apo-apologies F-for b-b-bothering you”

  That was all he said before he dragged his shaking legs and bolted off as if he had seen a ghost.

  He only turned around to scan the Aegis’ house after running a significant distance. Just then, he had felt himself being pierced by the gaze of a prehistoric goliath, so he had quickly chosen to abandon what the president had ordered him to do and ran. He would definitely be reprimanded for not completing his job but if he had persisted back then, he had a feeling that he might just die

  “What?” Tisdale asked in confusion, and turned to glance at Baiyi questioningly.

  “Maybe he took the wrong medicine?” Baiyi shrugged as he said casually. He quietly withdrew the aura he had released moments ago.

  He didn’t have to hear what the teacher was about to say to know that he came to draft Tisdale into their student army. Similarly, nobody would have to even ask Baiyi to know that the answer was a resounding ‘no’.

  In fact, the very notion of organizing an army made out of apprenticing students was utterly preposterous to him. Which educator in their right mind would come up with such a ludicrous idea? According to the history of the Academy that was presented during the celebration, it was a Celestial Fortress Academy tradition. Students were often drafted into the battlefield under the pretext of giving the students real life experience [TL: Well, Baiyi, you might wanna check the name of the Academy? I don’t know but that word fortress does sound hella suspicious]

  From what Baiyi could glean from that, there was no need for the students to be involved in this situation at all. Even if it was for training or forging skills, a place as chaotic and dangerous as the battlefield should never even be considered. Should the situation ever progress to a state where the students were needed, then the war had already gone beyond the level where a mere student army would be able to salvage it.

  Celestial Fortress had always been an academy that aimed for holistic learning. No matter how much the Academy claimed to value hands-on teachings, it could never be as good as military academies specially established to produce fighters and soldiers.

  That was what Baiyi a teacher in his own right thought. However, there was one perk. The Church’s very own reinforcement, which served as the main offensive force, had already started making their way to the battlefield. The students’ army was sent a few days later, and so they would had the advantage of watching the direction the war was heading.

  There should be some news after a few days, right? Baiyi asked the Voidwalkers. The Church’s main power would set forth from the Holy City of Canningham. It would take them at least a day before they reach Babel Tower, the headquarter for The Association of Sorcerers of the General Realm. Even so, there was no way the reinforcement would be so reckless as to directly head to Templar Fort, seeing as how no one knew if the plague was under control.

  \r \r \r

  They would probably use up a few days trying to obtain news before they strike back. Even so, the old news that the army had gathered only started circulating among the public after a few days.

  “I have so many questions regarding the plague and I look forward to finding out what exactly happened,” The Lich said.

  “I’ve studied forbidden spells that cause epidemics before and I’ve to admit that the result was magnificent,” He added. “But the conditions and the medium needed were too complicated. And if the target is not stupid, the spell wouldn’t even stand a fighting chance. From what I understand, this type of spell is completely for show, even its forbidden brethren are just bigger shows. I just don’t see how it would work unless someone invented a new version of the spell that has the gruesome power of the T virus on Earth.”

  “Another thing that is bothering me is how did the caster even succeed in casting that spell on a ground protected by the Church, while surrounded by sorcerers tasked to release counter-spells?” The Lich finished.

  Please don’t glorify the T-virus just because you watched some movie, okay? Also, please don’t be so gullible. Do you think that virus can cause a massive damage? Even if we put aside the plague containment strategies on Earth, T-virus won’t even cause a biohazard in this world!

  “Compared to this, I’m actually more concerned about the attacks from the demons,” The Cleric spoke [TL: You You’re not fighting with the Lich as usual! Damn!] “If they had truly breached the defense on the Templar Fort, this would spell Armageddon.”

  He might have lost his faith, but he hadn’t lost his heart.

  “I don’t think it’ll ever come to that,” The Engineer assured him. “I had seen the construction plan of the fort before. It is the apex of generations of engineering ingenuity, and coupled with the fact that there are thousands of men actively defending it the fort will stand even at the face of millions of demons!”

  “It’s just that If it really had fallen, the demons would turn it into their main camp!” The Paladin added. “That would be catastrophic. Imagine how much effort and sacrifice that we would need to reclaim it!”

  Seeing the three gentlemen returning to their original selves made Baiyi felt warm. They weren’t always about licking a lady’s thigh, after all!

  He was just thinking that when he heard the Cleric said, “Instead of waiting for the inevitable, Sir Hope should look for that village maiden. She looked pious, so I think I can teach her that move of mine.”

  Have you not seen how worried I am over my two girls? Now you want me to keep another one?

  “No, no! Not to keep her as your disciple, just teach her my ultimate move. I won’t be able to use it anymore. Instead of wasting it, why not gift it to a beautiful maiden? Of course, the cost of learning would be to don a pretty dress it has to be short while the silk socks can be pink or black, so that it would facilitate the ease of licki ooooffff”

  The Cleric didn’t even get to finish his sentence before Baiyi quickly muted him. The Soul Armature admitted that he had it all wrong the Cleric’s true motive had always been impure.

  The Paladin was still reasoning with Baiyi in his chivalrous knight tone, “Look, ignoring the problem with the Cleric’s request, I, too, have a few tricks I wouldn’thesitate to impart to a fair maiden. In exchange, she’ll have to tell me the secrets to her puberty ooofff”

  Seeing the Paladin being given the tape, the Engineer cried out in camaraderie, “What’s wrong with men being horny bastards?!”

  After disposing the Engineer, the discussion finally returned to normal in the Void.

  With the celebration cancelled, and the seniors being taken to war under the leadership of the vice president, Celestial Fortress Academy returned to its mundane and quiet state. Anything could happen out there, but in here, classes must go on.

  After sending the girls to the Academy, Baiyi went to the Seniors Park. On his journey there, he saw many exchange students hurrying away. The entire Academy had the feeling of being abandoned.

  Most of his colleagues were gone from the park. The crowd around the chess table was small. Mr. Sorry and Mr. Owl had already left with their own kid to the war.

  The truth was the summoners were not good enough to fight, they were only chosen because of the capabilities their Soul Armatures.

  Even the Senior’s Park had been deserted. Baiyi’s mood was somehow melancholic as he watched the scene in front of him. An observant colleague could feel his moodiness and tried to assure him, “It’s alright, Master Hope! I believe they’re all gonna return safe and sound. You know, just because they like spending their time idling in the park doesn’t mean they’re just as idle on the battlefield! They’re all the best of the best! So don’t worry about it. Hey, why don’t we play a few rounds of chess?”

  “I’m fine.” Baiyi rejected his optimistic coworker’s invitation.

  He looked around, and to his surprise, found a few men in paladin’s uniform. He asked in bemusement, “I saw the other exchange students leaving already, so why is the Church still here?”

  “I don’t know,” The Optimistic Colleague shook his head. “Maybe there’s no use for these squires and saintesses on the frontline?”

  But there’s no reason for them to be here! Baiyi thought in suspicion. After bidding farewell to this colleague, Baiyi searched high and low for the beautiful village girl, but he couldn’t find her even after Mia and Tisdale’s class ended.

  Hmph! Appeared only twice, and you call that fate?! The Oracle is a fraud, through and through! Baiyi thought as he accompanied the girls back home.

  Night had fallen. After the girls had gone to bed, Baiyi resumed his work with the black gold armor. He had only taken the parts out when he suddenly paused in his track. He turned his head, and grabbed an enchanted parchment decorated with runes, from his experiment rack. He stuck the parchment in the middle of the common room with his mana, then walked out of the mansion.

  It was a dark and windy night. The courtyard was so dark that no light could be seen. The Soul Armature cast a Lumos spell and saw three silhouette in grey robes.

  “I am Hope. What’s your problem?” He started.

  They did not answer him, just as he had expected. So the Soul Armature could only shrug, then continued, “Fine. Whatever you planned to do, I only ask that you be quieter about it, okay? I don’t want my kids to wake up.”

  He cast a Silent Barrier around the courtyard with his hand, then clapped his hands in a cheery tone “That should do the trick.”

  He waved at the three men and sneered.

  “Three mere Legendary Level fighters. You people look down on me too much.”