Chapter 1140: Vessel
Though it had started to get very cold during the evenings, the only people who were really affected by this were Catherine and Tristana. As for the two walking hand-in-hand under the light of the full moon, Vahn and Lakshmibai, they could wear light clothing even without Vahn using his domain to warm up the air around them. Lakshmibai, in particular, preferred to wear clothing that exposed her upper back, relying on her long sandy-white hair to protect her from the elements. When Vahn had asked about it, she explained that it was nothing more than personal preference as she enjoyed feeling the breeze against her back and shoulders. Since it gave her a unique appeal, especially with her healthy brown skin, borderline white hair, and pink irises, Vahn had no complaints whatsoever...
As they continued walking without any destination in mind, Lakshmibai seemed to muster up the courage to speak. She had been the one to hesitantly ask him to accompany her as, over the last few weeks within the Orb, their relationship had taken a few 'interesting' turns. This caused Lakshmibai to spend a lot of time reflecting after the fact as, for the time being, she simply had no other responsibilities. Though she would sometimes practice her marksmanship alongside Nobunaga, there was little she could do as a Heroic Spirit to increase her strength. Other than siphoning the energy contained within the Ego of living human beings, the only way she could reliably increase her strength was with Vahn's 'assistance' but this was ultimately just a temporary boost that would fade away with the passage of time.
After bringing Vahn to a stop, Lakshmibai looked up into his face and said, "I have been thinking about my place as of late. I lack the strength to protect you and, though I may be able to strike down some of your enemies, it is likely I would be a burden against any powerful foes..." Though she was by no means weak, having an average of forty times the Strength and Agility of other humans, it was hard to remain confident with monsters like Scáthach, Kenshin, Artoria, and Siegfried around. If there were subjects and personnel to manage, Lakshmibai knew she could be of assistance, as her enhanced [Charisma of the Rani] would be extremely useful, but that was a matter far in the future.
Adding on to her words, though not before taking Vahn's hands into her own, Lakshmibai smiled as she said, "I want a real body. Though I may be weak now, I believe I can become stronger if I make an effort. I do not believe this is the limit of my potential..." As she had a Goddess sealed inside of her, even if it was a Goddess of Misfortune, Lakshmibai believed she could become much stronger. Though it was very pleasant to continue living this peaceful lifestyle, especially when she and Vahn were alone together, Lakshmibai had been feeling an increasing amount of guilt since she was almost always on the receiving end. Even if she tried to be more proactive, Vahn's experience meant there was almost nothing she could do to surprise him, regardless of how embarrassing she thought her own actions were...
Hearing Lakshmibai's words, Vahn smiled affectionately, stroking the side of her face as he said, "I'll make the arrangements. When you're ready, I'll prepare a flesh and blood body for you to inhabit..." After the success of Irisviel, Vahn was confident he could use his modified Avatar creation technique to transfer Lakshmibai's fragmented soul into a body he produced from his own. Though it would be an uphill battle for her at first, Vahn was confident that Lakshmibai could use a cultivation method to increase the strength of her soul and unlock her potential. It was his theory that Heroic Spirits were only prevented from growing stronger as a result of their fragmented soul. It was for this reason that they got more powerful by consuming the energy contained within the Ego of humans as, though it didn't exactly strengthen their soul, it filled in the gaps to make their fragmented soul complete.
Having already prepared herself from the moment she learned that Irisviel's body had been created by Vahn, Lakshmibai nodded her head with a firm resolution in her eyes as she said, "I am ready. If I continue living without giving anything in return, I feel I may lose myself long before the battle with Angra Mainyu. Please, Master, grant me a real body..."
Though it was a bit awkward to meet her demands in the present moment, Vahn issued a wry smile while rubbing Lakshmibai's silky soft hair. After that, he brought her to a scenic area near the lake where, in the distant past, Merlin's student, the fairy Vivian, had granted Artoria Excalibur. There were small ruins located at the bottom of the lake which once served as Vivian's residence, now appearing much like a ruined castle-like shrine. Merlin had mentioned that Vivian was undoubtedly still alive but, as even powerful existences like the Knights of the Round Table and Morgan le Fay had been forced away by the Dragon's Breath, so too had she. Now, with the future being almost impossible to ascertain clearly, he was unable to locate her in the present time but assumed she had retreated somewhere near the bottom of the ocean to avoid having to interact with humanity...
After picking out an area, Vahn explained the process to Lakshmibai, including the fact that she would be formed of his own flesh and blood. Though this gave him no real power over her, it was important that she knew the various pros and cons of having a body created by him. As could be seen in Irisviel's case, her magic circuits were of a much higher quality than the ones she had in life while her Magecraft itself had become much stronger than before. Since her body was made of Source Energy, even though she had no means to make use of it, the mana conductivity of her circuits was inherently EX-Rank. She used a type of high-speed transmutation that allowed her to manipulate precious metals into extremely thin and flexible strings, a surprisingly effective means of attack and defense since she could make various golems and familiars in an instant. Vahn had given her a literal cubic meter of gold, as it was the easiest metal for her to shape, before watching her turn it into the shape of a bear. The most interesting part, for both him and Da Vinci, was the fact that the wire-golems she produced were capable of some basic autonomy based on the intentions of the user when they were created. It was by observing Irisviel's Alchemy that Da Vinci had gotten her idea for the various mechanical animals that now roamed all over the Island of Avalon...
Though her face had turned bright red at the thought that her body was going to be formed from Vahn's own, Lakshmibai didn't change her mind at the last minute. Instead, she wanted to witness the creation of her new form from start to finish, even though Vahn had advised her it could be a rather nauseating sight. Her reasons for wanting to witness this was Vahn's admission that he could change both the internal and external structure of her body, even altering her race if she wanted to try something new. Ultimately, Lakshmibai decided to remain human, at least for the time being, though she did give Vahn permission to alter her breasts and butt to his preferences. This resulted in him honestly admitting that her body was already 'perfect', causing Lakshmibai's face to turn even redder, at least until she saw a version of herself pulling itself free from Vahn's back...
With a slightly pale face, Lakshmibai inspected her new body from the perspective of an outsider, finding the experience rather uncanny. There was a big difference between seeing yourself in a mirror and seeing a flesh and blood version of your own body from the outside. Lakshmibai felt embarrassed to see her own nakedness, something Vahn had taken note of as he covered her new body with a blanket before he went through the long process of setting up two magic formations. Since he didn't really need to use this technique to split his own soul anymore, as he had been able to do so by his own volition after reaching Tier 4, Vahn spent nearly an hour making sure there were no issues. Fortunately, even though it was fragmented, Lakshmibai also had a Tier 4 soul so, while she was a little weak in the present, Vahn knew she theoretically had more potential than even the current Kenshin...
Once the two magic formations were completed, Vahn had Lakshmibai lay down in the transfer circle while her new body was located within the receiving circle. Then, while holding her hand to assure her everything would be okay, Vahn activated the transfer. This was an extremely important moment as, if this method worked, he wouldn't even need something like a [Spirit Vessel]. So long as it was by their own will, there should be nothing preventing Lakshmibai's Heroic Spirit self from inhabiting his body as, with the nature of Source Energy, they should be perfectly compatible with each other.
Soon after the transfer had begun, Lakshmibai outright vanished from where she had been laying, much like when a Heroic Spirit would assume their immaterial spirit form. Then, the body he had prepared for her began to glow with a vibrant magical light as her eyes shot open and she took a gasping breath to fill her lungs for the first time. Lakshmibai's first impression of her new body was that it was very comfortable but, feeling this was too embarrassing to admit, she continued to cover herself with the blanket before trying to 'create' clothes with her magical power. Fortunately, just like Artoria, she was still able to use the skills and abilities granted to her by the Greater Grail. This made Lakshmibai feel a great deal of relief, not because she had been naked in front of Vahn, but because she had grown fond of being able to change clothes on the fly...
Vahn had Lakshmibai perform some routine stretches, both as a means to ease her tensions and test out her new body. He observed from the side with an appreciative look in his eyes, something she was very aware of as her cheeks became progressively more ruddy. Then, after finishing with her stretches, Lakshmibai surprised him by sheepishly asking, "There is one thing I'm curious about...is this body technically considered a virgin...?" As she had felt strangely guilty about not being able to give her virginity to Vahn, Lakshmibai wondered if he had 'modified' her body a bit when he created it. It wasn't that she had stopped caring about her past life but, now that she was alive in the present, Lakshmibai wanted to live in the moment instead of worrying about a past where she had already died...
Though he had admittedly considered it, Vahn shook his head in response to Lakshmibai's question, answering, "Other than giving you a set of magic circuits that should allow you to use a skill similar to [Mana Burst] in the future, I didn't change anything about your body. Since you want to try and awaken Alakshmi at some point, it was better that I left your body as it was..." As this surprisingly caused Lakshmibai's smile to turn somewhat melancholic, Vahn gave a wry smile before adding, "I already explained in the past that I can Modify the attributes of those who have pledged their loyalty to me. We have been together for over five months at this point so I have more than enough leeway to make you into a virgin if that is what you desire..."
Hearing Vahn's words, Lakshmibai's face became scarlet in an instant as, though she had certainly wanted it, at least a little bit, hearing him put it in such a way was extremely embarrassing. This, however, wasn't enough to stop her from placing her hand over her heart and stating, "Master...I want it..." Since their relationship had already developed to the point where she had recognized him as her 'true' Master, Lakshmibai knew how to appeal to Vahn, even if it made her heart feel like it was going to explode. When she saw his eyes widen and noticed him taking in a deep breath through his nose, it made her feel giddy with excitement, now more than ever before...
---
With Lakshmibai clearing the twenty-four-hour contention period without having any trouble, Vahn found himself being pestered by Da Vinci to produce a body for her personal study while Nobunaga, having been on the fence for the past few months, had also tracked him down soon after. She had been seriously contemplating her own 'death' before the summoning of Kenshin, all so that the 'real' her could be of assistance to Vahn, she was quick to ask for a body of her own. Vahn had already expected this so he spent the better part of four hours helping Nobunaga 'tweak' her new body in accordance with her own preferences.
Though this ultimately proved pointless, as her unique skill, [Demon King], was the source of her body changing shape and size, it still meant her 'default' state was now a far more mature version than it had been as a Heroic Spirit. Now, so long as she wasn't drained of mana, Nobunaga stood at a rather tall 180cm while her breasts and butt were 88cm and 87cm respectively. It had been a little strange to watch her fondle herself to make sure everything 'felt' right but, so long as she was happy, Vahn didn't have any complaints. When she immediately wanted to 'stress test' her new body after the fact, Vahn had been a willing participant, ultimately proving to Nobunaga that it didn't matter what form she took when it was just the two of them together...
In this manner, the hot topic within the castle was the discussion of the bodies Vahn had produced as, in all instances, it was very apparent that the bodies Irisviel, Lakshmibai, and Nobunaga had received were far 'better' than normal. Not only were they incredibly resistant to most sicknesses and poisons, something Nobunaga had learned very quickly as it took her much longer than normal to get drunk, but even Irisviel only needed to sleep for 2-3 hours to make a full recovery. Their natural regeneration was much higher than normal and, by Vahn's own admission, there was a good chance they might not even age like normal people. Since their magic circuits could be shaped by him at the time of the body's creation, it became a matter worthy of consideration for almost everyone within the castle, especially Artoria and Astolfo.
Though the first person to try and come forward was none other than Tristana, as she was more than a little interested in having an eternally young body, Paracelsus had convinced her to stay as she was since he could easily grant such a request without her having to abandon her current body. This still served as the catalyst for Astolfo bringing Catherine by and, after a long discussion, Vahn ultimately made bodies for both of them. Though Catherine had already made a full recovery, and very likely wouldn't become part of their combat forces, it was still more comforting to her if she were able to have a body that never had to worry about disease and sickness. She had actually been considering the topic of children in the future, as she and Astolfo now had a far more intimate relationship, but was hesitant since she didn't want to burden her children with her hereditary illness.
As for Astolfo, he was surprisingly manly about the whole situation, not even hesitating to accept responsibility for Catherine's happiness. Though he did ask Vahn to 'tweak' a few things to make him look even cuter, this was something Catherine also allowed so he had no reason to refuse. By the time he was done, Astolfo's body was far more androgenous than before as, instead of the same muscle structure as a normal male, Vahn had modified some of his muscle groups to look distinctly feminine. Afterward, Astolfo could be found wearing even cuter clothes than before, taking full advantage of his modified figure as he and Catherine sometimes wore matching outfits...
The last person to come forward, though even Circe had joked around about gaining a new body, was Artoria. Much like Lakshmibai, she wanted to be able to increase her strength but, instead of simply keeping her current form, Artoria had asked him to give her a more mature appearance. As her actual age was closer to fifty years old, Artoria had become self-conscious about her appearance ever since the Fourth Holy Grail War when she became friends with Irisviel. Though it was useful to retain her youthful and somewhat boyish appearance when she was masquerading as a male, she now wanted to be a better mother for Mordred.
Unfortunately, though Vahn obliged her request, increasing her height from 154cm to 165cm while adjusting her bust and hips sizes accordingly, Artoria's body actually reverted back to its fifteen-year-old appearance the moment the transfer was completed. It seemed that, so long as she had the Chrono-Displasia status, Artoria's form would always revert back to its 'default' appearance, much like Fenrir's. There was a silver lining, however, as Vahn did manage to help Artoria 'balance' out her appearance a bit by using his Modify function. Though she didn't have a lot of mass to work with, being only 42kg with a BWH ratio of 73/53/76, Vahn managed to adjust her sizes to 75/52/77 while softening up the appearance of her body. Regardless, this was still a very noticeable change from Artoria's perspective so she had gained enough confidence to wear a more lady-like dress around, at least until Mordred made an off-hand remark about her being weird...
Though Artoria seemed to have 'accepted' her fate of being perpetually youthful, Vahn followed up the incident by discussing the matter with Merlin. By his admission, the only thing keeping Artoria in her current form was the fact that she had bonded with the Holy Sword, Excalibur. If she relinquished its ownership and returned it to its proper resting ground at the bottom of the lake, the matter of her Chrono-Displasia would no longer be a concern. However, from that moment onward, Artoria would never be able to use Excalibur again while her fate as 'King Arthur' would cease to be a reality. Though this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Merlin warned Vahn that it was a 'very dangerous' thing to have no fate, especially when your existence was essentially one of the anchors of the world.
Even though it was currently in Gray's possession, the Holy Spear Rhongomyniad was actually a part of Artoria. It was for this reason that Gray had to use Add to keep the spear sealed away as, without residing within Artoria, it would continually lose its mystery. If this happened, the boundary between the Surface World and the Reverse Side of the World would no longer exist, once again returning the world to the Age of Gods. This would functionally result in the end of the world, meaning it was very important to recover the Holy Spear at some point. The only thing that kept it from being an issue was the powerful fate surrounding Artoria and those that descended from the Line of Kings. Unless there was a force that could somehow sever fate entirely, the Holy Spear would ultimately return to Artoria's grasp in order to ensure the stability of the world...
From what Merlin had revealed, the only way to break Artoria's Chrono-Displasia was to essentially return the Holy Spear to her body while sealing Excalibur back in the lake to the west. Without the swords 'protection', however, Artoria would essentially become an existence closer to a Divine Spirit, undoubtedly gaining a more mature form but potentially losing parts of herself in the process. There was even a chance she would become a similar existence to Scáthach, burdened by knowledge and truth while her body, from that moment onward, would truly rival that of the gods. Excalibur actually worked as one of the seals on Artoria's power, serving as one of thirteen seals that kept the Holy Spear, Rhongomyniad, functioning as the anchor of the world.
This had all been rather surprising but, considering that Artoria had been 'fated' to one day lead the world towards prosperity on the brink of destruction, she would undoubtedly need such power. Even Avalon, which existed on the Reverse Side of the World, was supposed to one day exist on the surface. Essentially, by releasing the seals on her power, Artoria acted as the bridge between the Surface and Reverse Sides of the world. One day, she would unify the two and, much like how things were in Danmachi, the world would become a place where Mortals and Gods lived and worked alongside each other. This would explain why, compared to anyone else, the flow of fate around Artoria even made someone like Bell, the original protagonist of Danmachi, look relatively plain...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I want it...','RIP Nobu-chan','Poor Artoria. She just wanted to be a busty MILF to suffocate her daughter (T ^ T)...')
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Chapter 1141: Mystery : Law
With all of the Heroic Spirits gaining physical bodies, new life had been breathed into the Sub Space Projection as, instead of spending their days idly, everyone was now training in earnest. This actually made the castle seem rather empty as, with everyone spending most of their 'day' inside the Training Orb, the Ivory Castle had moments when the only people present were Catherine, Merlin, Iris, Illya, Da Vinci, and Circe. Iris was another example of a 'pure mage' so, while her strength was gradually increasing, she did not need to engage in live combat to benefit.
Instead, Iris spent most of her day alongside Illya, helping the latter with her studies and bestowing their family's techniques to her. She also spent a lot of time cataloging her knowledge as, without the restraints that prevented her from sharing the secrets of their 'former' family, there was nothing to stop her from passing it along to others. As for why she would do such a thing, this was her way of taking revenge on the Einzbern family for their failure to protect Illya, the only actual descendant they had remaining.
As for everyone else, at least if they intended to take part in the future battles, they would spend long periods of time within the Sub-Space Orb designated as the 'Training Orb'. When Fenrir wasn't training with Scáthach, even she could be found within the Training Orb just observing the combat styles of the others. Scáthach had told her something she already knew, something her Master had already brought up in the past, so she was doing her best to polish this ability further. This was her ability to mimic almost anything she saw, so long as it was compatible with her current form. Though she obviously couldn't do something like bulk up to the size of Siegfried, Fenrir could read the flow of mana in their attacks and was slowly memorizing all of their movements. With this kind of ability, so long as she was even remotely comparable with her opponent, Fenrir would be able to become stronger than them before the fight inevitably resulted in her victory...
Vahn suspected that Fenrir's mimicry was related to a developing Innate as, after leaving the Record of Danmachi, she no longer had the Development Ability. The fact she had been able to develop such an ability in the first place was the only proof he needed to know she was uncommonly gifted at copying the speaking habits, mannerisms, combat techniques, and even a few unique skills of other people. Now that she was focused on developing it, as Scáthach had given her the 'homework' of copying Artoria's fighting style, it was becoming increasingly obvious that Fenrir had a vast and untapped reservoir of potential just waiting to burst forth onto the surface.
One of the most interesting developments was how, once night fell, everyone would gather together a lot more than before. Vahn enjoyed seeing everyone together so he was very appreciative of this fact, even though their primary reason for doing so was the practice the Meditation and Cultivation Techniques he had passed around. It was necessary for the former Heroic Spirits to strengthen their soul as, though there weren't any issues thus far, it was better to be safe than sorry. As the potential of a person was directly tied to the strength of their Soul, Vahn had pointed out the approximate levels of everyone at present. This served as a powerful motivator for those with Tier 3 Souls while girls like Lakshmibai, who hadn't even known they were already treading in the realm of the Gods, redoubled their efforts with renewed confidence.
To aid in everyone's growth, Vahn had already given his Familia Crest to everyone within the castle, the only exceptions being Paracelsus and Da Vinci. The latter believed her current appearance was already close to perfect and, while she was interested in strengthening her own Soul, she intended to pioneer a method through innovation and research. As every major Magus family in the world was trying to reach the pinnacle of any single ideal, knowing full-well it would inevitably lead them to the Root, Da Vinci's logic wasn't actually misplaced. None of her Innates seemed related to combat so, as long as she continued her research without ceasing, it was certainly possible for her to reach Tier 4 and higher. After all, some Gods had Divinities such as Trickery, Peace, and Music, meaning the methods to reach Tier 4 were functionally without limit...
The only thing any person needed to break into the realm of Tier 4 was enough understanding of any specific Law that it became an actual part of them. Instead of manipulating the Law, they were able to manifest it to an extent that wasn't regulated in the same way as other forms of Magecraft. In a way, it was like reaching the realm of True Magic as the power you were capable of using at Tier 4 was undoubtedly the product of 'Mystery'. At this point, Vahn was fully aware that Mystery was just the term that had been colloquialized when discussing anything that people couldn't easily make sense.
In that vein, Myster was the same concept as the Laws themselves and the reason most Magus never reached that point is because they were focused on observation and affecting the external world. They put such a heavy focus on their research, intending from the start that it was something that would be passed down to their descendants to be further refined. Instead of strengthening themselves internally and pursuing the Laws themselves, they were trying to comprehend them according to a fundamentally flawed set of principles from the start. Unless the Law they were trying to comprehend was 'Research' or 'Innovation', the chances they would ever succeed in reaching the Root or becoming Tier 4 were infinitesimally small at best...
When Vahn was explaining the concept of Laws to everyone, he encourage them to either polish their current Innates to the extreme, picking a 'concept' they could dedicate themselves to as, so long as they continued to strive towards that concept, it was only a matter of time until they began to comprehend the Laws related to it. He demonstrated this with his understanding of Petting Laws, prompting Mordred to ask him if he would one day become a 'God of Petting'. She had asked this as a result of her curiosity but it still got a round of laughter from everyone that had been present at the time, causing Mordred's face to become red, even though they were actually laughing at Vahn. In response to her question, Vahn decisively answered that, so long as you pushed any concept to its most extreme limits, you could 'literally' become a God at anything...
After his long explanation on Laws and the nature of the Soul, everyone had picked a concept they believed represented themselves, many choosing their actual Origins as a template. Artoria, though she was no longer a King, wanted to understand what it meant to be a true King as, if she was able to comprehend this, she believed her past regrets would no longer burden her. At the same time, though Vahn felt a small headache as a result, she intended to delve into her Dragon Origin. If she managed to succeed, which was only a matter of time given her ridiculous fate, Artoria would almost certainly awaken her currently sealed True Dragon Race, becoming an existence even the One-Eyed Black Dragon couldn't match. Since she already had a skill literally named [Instinct], which she had relied on her entire life, Vahn could only steel himself for the future that awaited him once she awakened the instincts of a True Dragon.
Fortunately, Mordred didn't take after that aspect of her mother so Vahn would only have to worry about a single blond-haired True Dragon running around. As for what she had decided to focus on, Mordred wanted to be a Goddess of War, much like Kenshin. To that end, she spent a lot of her 'study' time leaning Zen Buddhism from Kenshin and training in the same methods that the latter had used for her own rise to pseudo-godhood. The only reason Kenshin wasn't considered an actual god was due to the fact that she had 'borrowed' the power of Bishamonten, even though she had more or less made it her own at this point. So long as she realized the power she wielded was her own, instead of accrediting it almost wholly to Bishamonten, it was only a matter of time before she became an actual Goddess of War. Since her training Mordred would actually be very good for the latter's mentality, both Vahn and Artoria had agreed to her training their daughter during the evening hours...
As for the others within the castle, Fenrir had obviously decided to pursue the Elemental Laws of Water, Ice, and Yin, as these were the things she already focused on, while also trying to refine her understanding of Devouring Laws. She had the ability to 'literally' eat anything she was capable of comprehending so, with that in mind, Fenrir also intended to push her mimicry to the point that she could intuitively comprehend anything she saw. She had a unique perspective on things compared to almost everyone else as, while they had only been focused on their own lives in a single Record, Fenrir had been intending to walk alongside her Master through thousands. The power she sought for herself was far beyond the comprehension of even someone like Da Vinci, assuming the latter was not brought with them to future Records...
Medusa had a similar perspective to Fenrir, albeit less 'devout', as her only interest was really staying at her Master's side and avoiding death. Much like her Master, she felt a powerful connection to him that made her feel almost 'empty' whenever she thought about not being able to stay at his side. To that end, she wanted to pursue Magic, Summoning, and Time as her focuses. At the same time, she wanted to become the 'Goddess of Snakes' as, even though she had a humanoid form, Medusa was more empathetic to her not-so-distant kin than she was towards humans. Though she felt closer to everyone that had a body created by her Master, Medusa could often be found near the lakeside surrounded by snakes when she was bored...
Though Vahn was a little worried about Medusa detachment to people, he didn't believe it would become an issue as, in accordance with his expectations, she had actually become good friends with Circe. The latter had made good on her promise to open up to others and, after realizing they were all relatively friendly, she stopped looking down on them. She was still prone to bouts of jealousy, especially if he didn't give her attention at least a few hours a day, but she now cooked for everyone in the castle, even when he wasn't present. As a Demi-Goddess, she obviously didn't care all that much about learning any other Laws, intending to focus on her current pseudo-Divinities related to Magic and Love. There had already been several 'close calls' where she was very tempted to give up her current power but, keeping his own promise, Vahn had prevented her from taking things too far...
Circe was one of the few remaining 'troubles' he had to deal with in the castle, the only other factors being Cath Palug and his training sessions with Scáthach. She obviously had no need to study any particular Law, as she had a basic understanding of 'all' Laws, so she spent more time teaching what she knew to others rather than developing her own comprehension further. To that end, though it took a fair amount of convincing, Scáthach had been transcribing a 'training manual' for everyone that would potentially help them advance their understanding of the Laws. She had no intention of teaching them directly but, as even people like Siegfried didn't make the cut from her perspective, but it didn't take her much effort to put pen to paper after Vahn performed exceptionally well in a few training sessions...
As a result of Scáthach's efforts, everyone spent long hours every single day talking about their own progress and their developing understanding of the Laws. Even concepts such as being a 'Hero', the path Siegfried had intended to pursue, had been explained in great detail by Scáthach. This was very fortunate as, if Siegfried had also pursued the path of a Dragon, Vahn knew he would once again have to rise up as the 'Alpha' in order to prevent issues from arising. Fortunately, though Siegfried had gained several attributes of True Dragons, this was only the result of him slaying Fafnir and not his primary interest. He only wanted to be a reliable friend while trying to understand if the path he had walked in his previous life was the correct one, much like how Artoria sought freedom from her own burdens as a King by understanding the very concept of Kingship...
Amongst everyone else in the castle, the strangest pursuits that people had decided upon were Astolfo's pursuit of Adventure, Speed, and Cuteness, Nobunaga's focus on her Anti-Divin Origin, and Lakshmibai deciding upon the concepts of Fortune, Misfortune, and Fate itself. Astolfo had never cared that much about battle so, as long as he could travel wherever he pleased, that was the only thing that mattered. He had even traveled to the Moon in the past so his next goal was to reach the point where he could even travel to other stars, venturing out into the cosmos to see what wonders were just waiting for someone to discover.
As for Nobunaga, she decided that 'Conquest' might not exactly be the best choice so, understanding there always needed to be a force to lay Gods low, she wanted to pursue the path of killing the unkillable. The thought alone was enough to excite her so she had actually started to study various legends related to the death of gods and the myriad weaknesses of every Hero that had been recorded in history. Fortunately, or perhaps not, she had managed to make acquaintances with Da Vinci as the latter had been very interested in her ability to freely change her age based on her Od reserves. They couldn't be considered friends, not by a long shot, but Nobunaga had always had a lot of appreciation for Innovation and the like, making Da Vinci tolerate her presence within the workshop on a few occasions...
Lakshmibai was, by far, the strangest character in the bunch as she had actually contemplated making 'Sex' one of her main focuses, a thought that had nearly caused her to pass out as she imagined all the things she and Vahn could do together. Fortunately, as she was already the vessel of the Goddess Alakshmi, Lakshmibai had a fair amount of leeway in deciding what she wanted to focus on. To that end, she intended to awaken and fuse together with the slumbering Ego of Alakshmi in an attempt to understand the concept of Misfortune. As a true understanding of this concept would also give her an understanding of Fortune, Lakshmibai believed she would one day be the vessel for the Goddess Lakshmi as well. Then, like Kenshin, she would make both powers her own and, for the first time, take charge of her own Fate in a more comprehensive way than most...
In support of Lakshmibai's pursuit, Vahn spent a lot of their time together talking about the concept of Karma, the balance of the world, and the influence Fate had on both its user and the people around them. As the person with the greatest amount of Fate within the castle, Vahn had Artoria attend the same discussions as she needed to understand her own influence better. This would also help her understand her own path as many of the bad things that had happened to her were the result of her own fate and how she had interacted with others. By trying to be a 'perfect' King to her people, distancing herself from most emotions and unnecessarily empathizing with people who did not necessarily deserve her forgiveness, she had been the catalyst for her own demise.
Though this was something she technically had no control over, as Fate had a powerful influence on people, that would no longer be the case now that Vahn was present. He was intrinsically an entity without fate, meaning he was also the most vulnerable to things like Karma as there was nothing to protect him against its influence. As a foreign entity in the world, he was like a blank slate that could drastically alter the fate of others, albeit at the cost of exposing himself to the powerful fate of other entities in the world. Because of his nature to change fate, those with strong fate were almost always drawn to him, both as a means to 'exploit' the nature of his existence and to 'balance' the anomalous force that now existed in the world.
This meant Vahn's actions almost always set some event or other in motion as, without a fate, Karma itself was proactively taking steps to restore the imbalances he caused. Fortunately, he now had the 'protection' of Akasha, her superiors, and Alaya, all entities that were not bound by the system of Karma present within the Root. Since he was also perceptive enough to sense the flow of Fate itself, Vahn also had the option of 'choosing' whether or not he wanted to be directly involved with the events and trials that would be faced by others. Previously, he had avoided letting Bell influence him too much but, as a test to see how things would turn out, Vahn had been allowing Artoria to freely influence him. This came as quite a surprise to her but, as they had already made promises to each other, Artoria felt more warmth than guilt at the thought she had been influencing Vahn without even knowing it...
As people couldn't be blamed for their own Fate, and Vahn himself was the one who accepted it, he told Artoria not to mind such things. The moment she started trying to 'escape' her fate, without something like the [Fate Severing Knife], things would become increasingly more chaotic. Though she didn't know the full truth, Artoria was aware of the importance of things like the Holy Spear and its connection to her so, even though it was troubling to know she shouldn't even try to escape her fate, she was resolute in bearing the burden. Since it wasn't her's alone to bear, it made her feel a lot closer to Vahn, in a way her budding affections couldn't quite match. As a result, the rest session following their discussion actually had Artoria taking the offensive for the first time, something Vahn had enjoyed quite a bit...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir, Goddess of Mimicry, Devourer of Reality, Goodest Girl','I like how Nobunaga is like, "I want to kill the unkillable" instead of just focusing on 'Death' xD...','Is this a sign that Artoria's True Dragon instincts are already awakening!?')
(A/N: As I'm certain everyone has noticed, the chapters I write become info dumps when I'm busy. Don't worry, as there should be action relatively soon, something a few of you have desperately been anticipating xD...')
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Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
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303 Power
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