Chapter 199

: Holiday!
The best way to make use of angels’ feathers was to conjure a large scale Bless formations for armies, or some similar defensive enchantments, with it; it could also be used to reverse the effects of some curses. However, after a long deliberation, Baiyi decided to make these three given feathers into talismans. They should be able to prevent most curses and evil attacks, so giving them to Mia and the rest should lessen his worries upon their safety.
He could only make three of them. Naturally, Attie wouldn’t get one, so he would have to get her a better toy to play with as a substitute.
The next morning, Attie, who had woken up the earliest to prepare breakfast, was summoned to Baiyi’s lab. She was dressed neatly in her maidservant uniform, and her look was completed with a pair of cat ears poking out from within her hair. As soon as she entered the lab, she asked,
Master? Are you going to teach me some new abilities? I’ve been practicing a lot lately! Look…

As she spoke, she grabbed Baiyi’s hand and pulled it to her chest fondly…
‘You don’t even have any buns there… 
‘ Baiyi rapped his knuckle on her head. Looking at her pathetically rubbing her little head and sporting a teary look, he finally said,
I have something for you.
He handed her the hilt of the War God’s Sword.
Attie was stunned into silence.
As Attie carried the sword that she had fantasized about for a long time in her arms, a million emotions running through her mind. For a moment, she was completely at a loss for words. Her little mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and she stared at Baiyi with a conflicted gaze.

See if you can still use it?
Baiyi said calmly, completely unafraid of the possibility that she may use the opportunity to attack him.
A deep red glow burst out from the hilt of the War God’s sword as Attie swung around aimlessly. The dormant sword awakened as it slashed across the air once more, leaving behind a resounding dull buzz.

Just as I thought…
Baiyi muttered under his breath. He stretched his arm towards Attie.
Done. Now return it to me.
He requested for the sword nonchalantly.
At that moment, it seemed that he only acknowledged the girl as his little maid, and had forgotten that she was actually the king of the Steppe Barbarians.
Attie’s face was a palette of expressions. She retracted the glow unhappily and handed the hilt over to Baiyi, albeit reluctantly. Naturally, she had gotten a lot of funny ideas in her head: escape, fight, and return home a hero… but eventually, she decided to submit to Baiyi’s request. This might have stemmed out of awe and fear for Baiyi, or perhaps, it could be some other reason…
Nevertheless, although the sword hilt had been returned, she had now confirmed that she was still able to wield the sword. This showed that she had not been completely abandoned by the War God. The deduction made her felt a little better.

During the battle, I had help from the War God,
Baiyi told Attie frankly.
He bestowed me a new power, residing within the sword…
Baiyi proceeded to give a brief explanation on the newly added teleportation abilities, which she did not possess previously. There was no question that Baiyi also had the War God’s acknowledgment. He was the true wielder of the sword, and Attie had no doubt about that.

But, well, hmm… I also informed him about you. I told him that you’re very adorable and obedient… to get him to acknowledge you again. Looking at the outcome today, I bet he did… right?
Baiyi spouted out a bunch of nonsense. The War God could not be seen by anyone, so no one would call Baiyi out for this bullshit.

If there is a need to in the future, I’ll still pass the sword back to you. At least you’d have something to defend yourself with—eh? Why… you—
Before he could finish, Attie rushed into his arms, like a kitten who had not seen her master in a long time. She rubbed her face against his chest in a very spoiled manner.
Th—thank you… master… th—thank you…
she whispered incoherently.
Baiyi caressed her head gently with heartfelt guilt. Honestly, the whole deceiving-little-girls-to-get-hugs technique was not really his style…
After minutes of coaxing, Attie left to resume her role as a little maid—this time, in a good mood. She was secretly relieved that she had made the right decision during that crucial moment; she dared not imagine what the outcome would have been if she had not obeyed Baiyi’s command and returned the sword obediently. In short, her current life here was pretty enjoyable. Although her master was a little mysterious, he was a good person. He treated Mia and the others really well, and thanks to him, her tribe was becoming more and more prosperous. She was quite happy staying here. Everything was turning out nicely.
Attie had involuntarily but completely forgotten how she had been bullied terribly by this monster and agreed to become his Kitty-cat Maid.
After all this time, Baiyi’s training had been pretty effective, no? In truth, he was not scared that Attie would rebel against him, or brood in defiance. After conducting a series of extensive experimentations on the War God’s Sword, Baiyi could already ascertain the current condition of the Sword. The War God did acknowledge him and had granted him limited authorization to use the sword to teleport across the Void. However, no combat-related ability was passed to him; those were all still under Attie’s power.
However, when Attie caused the sword to glow earlier, Baiyi swore he could still feel a mysterious connection with the Sword. He was strongly convinced that if he really meant to seize it, he could extinguish the glow with just a thought. That was why he was not too worried about Attie’s thoughts at the time.
Therefore, he could be considered the sword’s special caretaker. He could use wield it and use some of its powers, but he could not use it to do battle. ‘ Why in the world would the War God make such an arrangement? Was it to make sure Attie was treated kindly? 
‘ There was no need for that; Attie had already passed Baiyi’s loyalty test. She had demonstrated a profound aptitude and potential for being an excellent maidservant; moreover, she had made a pledge of fealty to him.
‘ Very good, it indeed is great to have such an adorable and skillful maidservant around. Mm, I don’t mean ‘skillful’ in that way, mind you. 
‘
Therefore, Baiyi was in an exceptionally good mood all morning. In a bid to spread his joy and enthusiasm, Baiyi was exceptionally serious during the lessons. It was so intense that Mia and Tisdale only got to rest during midday when it was time for lunch.

Ugh… my head is spinning…
Mia grumbled softly as she leaned against Tisdale and hugged her arm.
I always thought that it would be much more relaxing here as we don’t have to go to school, but it’s so much more exhausting…

Tisdale smiled and shook her head. She stroked Mia’s cheek and consoled,
Isn’t this better? We’re learning so much more!
Afterward, she resumed her revision, lowering her head to recap the day’s lesson.
Ever since that event transpired, the Academy stopped all classes. The principal was taken away for questioning and had not returned since, and the campus was devastated by demons during the last incident; therefore, the extensive refurbishment was required before it would be fit for use again. Hence, the deputy principal relieved the students from their studies. Depending on the situation, the older students would still be allowed to practice, but the younger students had to commence self-study routines.
Mia was pretty ecstatic when she heard the announcement, thinking that she would be able to enjoy this long holiday, so she even planned a trip. However, somebody already had plans for her, ruining her own plans, by piling up mountains of holiday classes; she now had lessons from morning till night. It was even more tiring than normal school.
When the term started, even little Mia who was a hardworking student found it a little unbearable. After all, she was still quite young, and the planned lessons were a little too intense.
Thankfully, Laeticia came in that afternoon, so Baiyi gave Mia and Tisdale a little break. He summoned his newly adopted student to his room.
Today, Laeticia was wearing plain clothes. She wore a long linen dress, looking like the first time Baiyi saw her; she looked like a typical village girl. She did not look as beautiful and stunning as the day before, but she didn’t seem to care about her appearance. Her face donned a warm, heartfelt smile.

Can you tell me more about the saints?
Laticia asked eagerly as Attie served her some tea and cakes. The cat-eared latter then tried to move Laticia luggage to a freshly-prepared room. She struggled so much that she was left huffing and puffing, yet the crate did not budge a single inch.

I’ll move it for her later, Attie. You run along now,
Baiyi dismissed Attie. He figured that Laeticia’s crate would be filled with her armor, weapons and other paraphernalia.

Let this be a welcome gift,
Baiyi passed a sack over to her.

Gahh… such an expensive thing! I’m probably using it for the first time of my life…
Laeticia said in awe. She did not reject his gift, neither did she pretend that she did not want it. The two of them seemed like the best of friends, and there was no formality between them at all.
Perhaps, this is the so-called ‘ affinity 
‘. Although the fact that a devout follower like her shared a strong affinity with the Void was a bit of a downer, having a beautiful maiden who opens up towards him was still quite something, no?
After putting away the sack, Laeticia tried to get Baiyi to talk about the cleric’s exploits again. Within the Void, the Cleric urged gleefully,
Hurry up! Tell the kid all about my greatest achievements!


Tsk tsk… oh, I do feel like telling her all about you… Earlier, was it not you who she wasn’t as lickable as before? Also, did you think that I wasn’t listening when you were discussing with the others on whether or not she was wearing white or black stockings, yesterday?
Baiyi replied coldly, and his voice echoed loudly within the Void.

NOOO! Bro! I’m begging you, bro! You earthlings sure like a bit of a praise, don’t you? Don’t talk about the current me, for God’s sake… don’t just say whatever you want!
The Cleric surrendered in defeat.
‘ Heh, although the heart is set on being a modest gentleman, he still wanted to maintain a heroic, glorious image… 
‘ Baiyi was used to the Cleric’s intent. Hence, after a moment of consideration, he gave Laeticia a positive account of the cleric’s life.
The girl listened intently, and her face glowed with awe and respect as if she could not wait for her turn to embark on that similar journey.