Why Did You Summon Me?

The next morning, Mia woke up holding Sharkie, alone in a huge bedroom that was overly-furnished. She sat up and rubbed her sleepy eyes with her little hands before looking around the unfamiliar room.

It was a deluxe room fit for a princess; it had been personally arranged by the Emperor for his precious little granddaughter. The walls had been painted gold, closely matching the glow of the morning sun that shone through the open windows. Mia’s bed was so soft, she felt as though she would sink into it. This bedroom was probably the best in the Rohlserlian Empire; not even the Emperor’s bedroom could compare to it.

“Mm… So soft! Uh-oh. I don’t wanna get up…” Mia murmured lazily, rolling around in the bed as she basked in its comfort. Although her bed at Da Xue was good, it was nothing compared to this one.

A maid quietly stepped out of a corner of the room. She had hidden for a while, only showing herself when she was sure that Mia had woken up.

“Are you awake, Your Highness?” The maid asked softly. “How would you like your dress today? I shall lay it out for you at once.”

Mia jumped at the sudden emergence of the maid, after which she waved her hands frantically. “N-no! That won’t be necessary! I mean, I’m fine.”

Mia was too embarrassed to remain in bed any longer, so she hurried out of bed and began to look for the clothes she wore the night before.

The maid became nervous. “But, His Majesty insists,” she pleaded. “If I don’t do anything, he’ll kick me out of the palace…”

When Mia heard this, she had no choice but to relent, watching nine more maids quickly entered the bedroom. Mia stood still, at the center of the room, as the maids fussed over her and the dress. As they worked on adjusting the dress, Mia smiled awkwardly. She remembered how jealous she had been of Vidomina, who had grown up a princess. Now that Mia was living that life, she found it a little less comfortable than she had fantasized.

When the maids finished, they parted to reveal a stunning Mia, who had transformed into a real imperial princess. The head maid informed Mia that the Emperor was already waiting for her, so Mia allowed herself to be led to the breakfast room.

When the door was pushed open, Mia saw the Emperor sitting at the table, reading a document. Standing beside him was Baiyi, who, apparently, had been released earlier.

When Mia was led into the breakfast room, the servants were dismissed, leaving only the three behind.

Baiyi was acting unusual today. Gone was his usual haughty demeanor. This time, his head was hung low, like a student in the principal’s office awaiting his punishment.

Mia was shocked to see her Mr. Hope so submissive. It had always been her assuming that position and guilty expression. Mia had never expected to one day see Baiyi act like that!

What astonished her more was the exchange that began to take place when she arrived.

“So, do you get it now?” The Emperor asked without looking up from the document he was reading.

“Yes. I spent the entire night sifting through the Book of Servitude,” Baiyi replied. “It appears that the memories from that old geez… from my Master in the future have merged with yours.”

After Baiyi was locked in the dungeon, he summoned the Book of Servitude and went through it with a fine-tooth comb. When he discovered the memories hidden in the book, realization finally dawned on him. The Emperor of this time had become a combination of the geezer in the future and the young ruler of the past. Unfortunately for Baiyi, after the memory merge, the Emperor decided to retain his current intimidating personality, rather than the Archmage’s kindly attitude.

The discovery was strange and revealing. Baiyi had used the Book of Servitude for more than ten years, and in that time, he had studied the book thoroughly, finding even its record function. However, he did not see the secret recording that the Archmage made about everything Baiyi had done and experienced thus far. Had the Emperor not received the pool of knowledge, Baiyi was sure that he would never have known about the Archmage’s recording.

The First Walker had owned the Book of Servitude for several hundred years before it came into Baiyi’s possession. It was only natural that one who had owned the book for several hundred years knew more about it than one that had owned it for only a little over ten years.

Everything Baiyi had done to avoid the butterfly effect — including his scheme to fool the Emperor with a false identity — had gone out the window. Baiyi had no idea what would happen from now onwards. He had no idea if the course of history had already been rewritten. With the colossal wave of uncertainty weighing down on him, it was only natural that he was dispirited.

The Emperor was upset to see Baiyi so downcast. When Mia entered the room, he waved her over, and as she walked towards him, he chided Baiyi, saying, “What is with that  pathetic look on your face? Are you really that upset to see me?”

“What face? I don’t even have a face,” Baiyi replied. “Besides, I’m not upset because of you.”

“Oh, please! I heard about this ‘butterfly effect’ from Mia yesterday. So, you’re scared of a little storm now, huh? Even if the storm turns out to be a big one, so what? The Void fears nothing!”

The night before, the Emperor and Mia had dinner together after the tour. When the Emperor asked Mia why she and Baiyi had not come to see him since the accident, Mia told him about the butterfly effect.

Had this been the Archmage, who was older and wiser, that was told about the butterfly effect, he would have solemnly pondered about it, after which he would carefully plan their next move. However, the Emperor was much younger and had not been humbled by age. Thus, when informed about the butterfly effect, he had brushed off its implications.

“You should remember that this ‘butterfly effect’ is  only an effect, not an actual principle of the universe. Heck, there’s no concrete evidence to support its existence. Instead of treating it as a law, I think it’s more accurate to call it a phenomenon observed only by your people on Earth. That’s all there is to the silly concept. I can’t believe you turned chicken because of this!” The Emperor ruthlessly chastised Baiyi whilst cutting lamb chops into bite-sized chunks for Mia. From the memories he had just gained, he knew that Mia loved lamb chops.

“Can you please not pamper her too much?” Baiyi, who could not eat, grumbled.

“Oh, so you also have a problem with me showing affection to my precious granddaughter, huh?” The Emperor snapped. Then, he turned to Mia and patted her head with a smile. Some moments later, the Emperor looked at Baiyi and scowled. “Do you now know why you were wrong?”

“I shouldn’t have burned your cards. I shouldn’t have planned to reduce your allowance. I should have come to meet you the moment we got here,” Baiyi replied, visibly listless.

“You forgot the last thing you did wrong. It is perhaps the most important of them all,” the Emperor said with a frown. “As the crown prince of Rohlserl, the future emperor, and the Emissary of the Void — how did you come to the conclusion that it was appropriate for someone of your status to stay in a miserable little town at the empire’s border? Did you really think you would be able to crack the Law of Time by staying in a place like that? Or, did you think you could protect your people if you holed up in a small town? I swear: I’m glad that you didn’t reveal your identity then, else I’d have had to hide in embarrassment!”

Although this was the Archmage’s usual drivel, which Baiyi should be used to, the Fifth Walker still found himself at a loss of words.

The Emperor was not finished with Baiyi, though. “So, have you learned anything yet?”

“Yes! Yes. I have learned so much . I won’t do it again,” Baiyi hurriedly replied.

“Good. I would like you to remember your stay in the dungeon last night. You are a badass in the Void, aren’t you? Muting or banishing anyone that crosses you, even if just a little bit. This comeuppance is long overdue!”

Baiyi did not reply.

“Fortunately, you did not forget your pride. You did what was expected of you by showing up in Highland City and saving your people. Naturally, you were greatly outperformed in every way by Little Mia,” the Emperor said. Then, he stretched his hand to Baiyi. “Your harvest?”

Baiyi reluctantly took the Fractal Horn of Inner Abysm and the Eye of Skadi — both of which he had gotten from the Terrorblade Abyss Lord — out from his storage pouch.

The Emperor took the horn first and examined it with his psychic sense. He frowned and tossed it back to Baiyi, clearly disinterest in one of the rarest items in human history.

He took the slimy Eye of Skadi next, and his eyes instantly flashed with interest. This was something one should not bring to a dining table, but the Emperor had taken it out and was examining it carefully. A while later, he turned to Mia, who was sitting beside him.

“This, Little Mia, is an incredible and powerful material for ice magic. It’s probably the most potent ice magic crystal to ever exist,” the Emperor said. “Give me your Inheritance Staff. I’ll find a way to incorporate this into it.”

‘You’re kidding me. Do you  think this girl needs another equipment upgrade? Have you seen how close to a real god her current equipment has made her? Anything more will no longer make a difference! Besides, she’s clearly not a fighter; she just uses ‘Kawaii no Jutsu’ to solve everything, anyway! No matter how much you invest in her, she will never become the Empress of Rohlserl you want her to be!’ Baiyi was alarmed. ‘Do you honestly believe that the Crystal Maiden can defeat the faceless Void just because she got a Butterfly ¹ ?’

The Emperor was not the easily-distracted Archmage that Baiyi was accustomed to, so he showed no interest in Baiyi’s reference-filled rants.

No one could call the Emperor out for idolizing Mia. He was a hundred years old now; at that age, most people would already be enjoying peaceful lives with their families. However, the Emperor was alone in the palace, and in his bed. He would not meet the love of his life, a woman he would share a bed with, for another five years.

At the Emperor’s age, most rulers would have already begun pondering who their successors would be. Thus after gaining the memories of his future self and meeting Mia, who was adorable and always docile, the Emperor could not help but dote on his precious granddaughter. Baiyi had a feeling that if Mia were to wish to become the Empress of Rohserl right now, the Emperor would agree in a heartbeat.

However, the Emperor treated his protégé, Baiyi, ruthlessly. However, Baiyi considered this treatment another example of grandfathers loving their grandkids more than their sons.

Baiyi remained silent all through breakfast. When the plates were cleared, the Emperor announced that he would take Mia out for shopping in the Imperial Capital.

Baiyi was just about to air his grievance when the Emperor made another announcement. “For all of the wrongdoing you have committed so far, I sentence you to hard labor in my office!”

“What the?!”

“That’s right! Thanks to you besmirching my Book of Servitude, I have spent a long time in anxiety, unable to do any paperwork. Hence, there’s a mountain of work in my office! So, to atone for your crimes, you will finish them for me,” the Emperor ordered flatly. “You should be familiar with my work, right? I have already prepared everything; all you need do is get to my office right now.”

Baiyi was stunned. “I’m actually allowed to help with this?”

“Thus far, all I’ve given you is a title and a position,” the Emperor calmly replied. “But, now — although temporary — I am finally able to give you a country.”