Chapitre 1199: Sincerity
Though they was somewhat difficult to track, and would invalidate their identities and passports back outside, things like birthdays obviously couldn't be overlooked. This was especially so for the younger generations that would reside in the castle as it was important for their development to have a day where they could quantifiable mark their growth. A person's perception of themself could change considerably with each of their successive birthdays, forcing them to 'act' their age, at least if they had others to compare themselves to. This was one of the reasons School was important in the outside world, one of the few things Vahn found somewhat acceptable in the current system.
Sakura's birthday was usually in March but, after having been in the Projection for more than two months at this point, it wouldn't be long before her status reflected the change in her age. Rin had been dutifully keeping track of each and every day that passed for herself and her daughter so it wasn't difficult to know when the exact day was. As this would be their first time celebrating Sakura's birthday, she wanted to make sure everything went without a hitch. She always had a bad feeling that Sakura would one day recover her erased memories, even though it should be impossible, so Rin wanted her to have as many happy ones as possible before then...
As Vahn obviously wouldn't just leave the matter laying, he helped to plan a small event that should leave Sakura with plenty of pleasant memories. His idea was to have a small family gathering with just the three of them, and perhaps Mordred. Since Sakura was clearly still a little uncomfortable with the knowledge that he had people other than Rin in his heart, Vahn felt that spending a day together would make her happy. As for her gifts, Vahn intended to give her a new set of ribbons to tie up her hair and a few 'wish talismans', simple hand-drawn charms that Sakura would be able to exchange for small wishes directly from him.
Vahn knew there were a number of things that Sakura wanted to do with him but, as she was rather shy by nature, giving her a bit of an incentive would go a long way. There was always a small fear in a child's heart that they would be refused if they said something that upset the other party. With the wish talismans, however, Sakura would be able to think about what she truly wanted before gaining courage from the small paper charms. This would help her to break out of her shell and, much like Mordred, Vahn felt she could become a lively and outgoing girl with a gentle push...
With such thoughts, interspaced through several other small incidents, the time within the Projection passed much like a blur. During this time, Da Vinci had dutifully finished a system that was capable of analyzing the internal structure of the body, including getting a basic layout of the Magic Circuits. Then, using a set of mechanical arms that had been integrated with the system, they were able to use Magical Energy in a manner similar to laser engraving. Though it would need to be finely tuned, it had the capabilities of carving any seal or rune that had been stored within Ark's databanks.
More complex rune systems, such as [Primoridal Rune]s and [Fairy Rune]s, were currently beyond the scope of the system, but the Ouroboros Seal was actually rather simple in its structure. The hardest part was properly linking it with the Mana Circuits of the person receiving it but, with the ability to map the internal structure of the body, combined with the mechanical precision of the system, Da Vinci had reduced the time for each seal to less than a minute. As for why it had taken her so long to complete, Da Vinci had tried to replicate the process of Vahn applying his Familia Crest. Much to her frustration, she was met with a seemingly endless string of failures so, while Vahn was applying the Familia Crests, she had several instruments analyzing the process and had even spent a few days at his side observing with her own eyes.
Ultimately, Da Vinci realized that, even if she were to be able to emulate the structure, her system would be unable to replicate the process without Divine Energy and the 'intent' of a God. As the Familia Crest was a link between a God and its 'children', it needed to be applied directly by the God in question to have any effect. Otherwise, even if she was able to break down and interpret the runic hieroglyphics that represented Divine Words, the only effect that could be drawn out from the crest was the ability to read a person's parameter values. This, however, wasn't all that useful outside of simply collecting data as, without the 'blessing' of the God who applied the crest, Da Vinci suspected it would actually 'prevent' them from growing any stronger, much like a curse.
Though Vahn had reached the conclusion before her, his thoughts were just speculation based on his understanding of the Familia Crest and living alongside Gods for such a long period of time. He was curious about what conclusions she would reach so, without minding the somewhat intrusive nature of her 'assistance', he provided her with all the data she needed. This, of course, wouldn't be much of a setback for Da Vinci as, now that she knew how it was 'supposed' to work, it was only a matter of time before she developed a method to modify the crest's structure and develop one of her own. In the end, a Familia Crest was just an advanced form contract magic, obviously graded at Tier 4, so you only needed the combination of Divine Energy and a proper understanding of the logic behind its structure to make your own.
---
In the blink of an eye, a little less than four days had passed in the outside world, translating to a total of twenty-five passing within the Projection. A lot had happened in this short-but-long period of time but, without any major hiccups, the day for Sakura's birthday had arrived. Vahn had already talked things over in secret with everyone in the residence so, by the time Sakura awoke to prepare for her morning training, she was surprised to discover a pair of aquamarine eyes staring at her from the side of the bed.
Before Sakura could recover from her shock, Vahn smiled in an affectionate manner before gently stating, "Good morning, my little cherry blossom..." This caused her to pull the blankets to cover half her face before realizing that her mother was no longer in the bed with her. Since she always felt a little 'scared' whenever she was alone with her Otou-sama, even though such feelings had started to fade away, Sakura began feeling nervous. However, when Vahn's expression softened even further, followed by him saying, "Happy birthday..." in a gentle tone, she felt a great deal of relief and a small amount of excitement.
Since he planned to pamper her quite a bit today, Vahn helped Sakura pick out a brand new dress before having her clean up. Then, after patiently waiting for her to change, Vahn marveled at how cute she was before helping brush and braid her hair. Recently, Sakura had been assigned a duo of Maids, named Leeanne and Monet, to help her prepare for the day, but she greatly enjoyed having her Okaa-chan and Otou-sama help out instead. Though she had been developing a growing desire to be independent, especially as she continued her Knight training, such thoughts were never at the forefront of her young mind.
While tending to Sakura, Vahn explained her itinerary for the day, softly musing, "Your training for the day has been canceled. Today, your mother and I will be accompanying you until the end. If you wish, Mordred and Momo can also accompany us..." As Sakura, much like everyone else, had grown rather close to her Companion, Vahn felt that the adorable little dog-type humanoid wouldn't be excluded from the festivities. Meeting his expectations, Sakura didn't even seem to consider it before happily exclaiming, "I want to bring them! Onee-chan will be happy to get out of her training and I can't leave Momo-chan behind...!"
With Sakura having made the decision herself, it wasn't long before Vahn politely opened the door to allow his daughter and the well-groomed Momo to exit. Since Momo had been designed for Sakura specifically, it was modeled after a type of dog breed known as a Shiba-Inu. This gave it golden brown fur that was soft to the touch, pointed ears, and a small tail the curled into a loop that was always happily waggling as it followed behind Sakura. With its tiny legs, it struggled to keep pace but, rather than showing any signs of difficulty, it always had a 'happy' expression on its face, especially when Sakura led it by hand or carried it along with her.
As Sakura usually awoke much earlier than Mordred, as she was a very earnest young lady, the latter was still sleeping rather slovenly within her room. Outside her door, two Maids, named Natasha and Mila, gave polite bows before quickly departing after Vahn had dismissed them for the day. With him having completed most of the treatments, combined with the fact that the Homunculi had started to seek work of their own volition, the Inner Sanctum was now rather populous with a rotating staff of 130 people. They had completely replaced the Golems that had been present previously and, as it seemed to be work they 'wanted' to do, Vahn had nothing to say against it.
Even after entering Mordred's room, the tomboyish princess didn't show any sign of vigilance at all. Instead, she was wearing nothing but a loose t-shirt and a pair of panties as she sprawled out atop her bed, loudly snoring as she scratched the area where her seal was located. This caused Vahn to rub his temples while Sakura, used to such sights, just giggled before musing, "It doesn't suit Onee-chan to be ladylike. Don't let it bother you too much, Otou-sama." Then, without further comment, Sakura shimmied into the bed before 'pouncing' on the sleeping Mordred who had awoken around the same time the former invaded her bed.
Despite the fact that Sakura was in a dress, and Mordred had been caught off guard, the two had a short wrestling match, fumbling about and tickling each other. At the side, Momo and Neko just snuggled up with each other to watch the 'battle' play out. One of the things the Companions had taught themselves, without Da Vinci's intervention, was that they could pet and cuddle with each other to 'fulfill' their given purpose. This led to some rather adorable scenes as, after discussing the matter with Da Vinci, there were now several hundred Companions in the castle. As a result, when they were not being pampered by their Homunculi owners, it wasn't all that rare to find a group of Companions congregating together in one massive pile of fluff, hugs, and cuddling.
While feeling he should have brought Skoll along with him, Vahn walked over to the side of the bed before lightly poking Mordred's side. She had pinned Sakura to the bed and seemed to be enjoying her victory as she laughed wolfishly and continued to tickle her younger sister, despite the latter's protests. Since Vahn didn't want Sakura to have any accidents or get upset, he decided to interfere with their playing, causing Mordred to jump up like a cat with its tail stepped on as a small burst of 'electricity' spread through her side. Before she landed back on the bed, Vahn caught her with his Telekinesis, causing her to face him as he stated in plain tone, "Don't bully your little sister, Mordred. Today is Sakura's birthday. You don't have to go easy on her, but don't push things too far, okay...?"
Though birthdays weren't all that important more than fifteen hundred years ago, Mordred knew they were a bigger deal in present times. Thus, even though she had originally felt she had done nothing wrong, Mordred chased away such thoughts and simply nodded her head. Then, when Vahn set her back down on the bed, Mordred gave Sakura a spontaneous hug while patting the top of her head and stating, "Happy birthday, Sakura~!"
As 'headpats' had become a rather common sight in the castle, with Vahn's bad habit and the extreme pettability of the Companions being largely to blame, he wasn't surprised to see Mordred caressing the top of Sakura's head. The latter also didn't show any surprise at all and instead just hugged Mordred in response before explaining the fact that she wouldn't have to train today. This caused Mordred to jump up on the bed, happily spinning Sakura around while kissing her on the cheeks, now much more excited than she had been previously...
---
Having Mordred, Momo, and Neko come along ended up being the correct choice as, while Sakura enjoyed spending time with her parents, children were only truly comfortable around other children. After their family picnic, Vahn played hide and seek with the girls using the apple orchards as their hiding grounds. Though the orchards themselves had been set up neatly fifteen hundred years ago, it was a given that they would have grown wild and unfettered without proper care. Regardless of this simple truth, Vahn actually found it preferable for forests to grow wild like this and, knowing the Dryads would tend to them in the future, he had never sought to 'fix' them.
Fortunately, at least for the time being, all of the Fae were located outside of the Projection so there hadn't been any major incidents. Thus, without worrying too much about their safety, Vahn turned off his domain as he explored the forest comprised almost wholly of apple trees. It was quite the sight to behold, with only a few beams of light breaking through the thick canopies, giving it a somewhat mystical feeling. Since the presence of Fae could even be felt in the projection, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the orchards of Avalon had become a magical land where Fairies and Spirits wandered freely...
Pretending not to notice the girls a few times, as even Mordred was surprisingly bad at concealing her presence, Vahn eventually exposed their hiding spots before snatching them both up. He had allowed them to move around and evade him a few times so they had enjoyed it quite a bit, even if the game had a foregone conclusion. Still, it was impressive to see that even Sakura could dodge through the trees with relative ease, albeit at considerable cost to her stamina and Magical Energy. As for Mordred, she was basically a monkey with how easily she could navigate the overhanging branches. She spent nearly the entire game in the canopies, only coming to the ground to hide in the underbrush after reaching an area with less tree density.
Despite the fun they were able to have with him, it wasn't all that long before Sakura and Mordred were playing games on their own. This left Vahn and Rin seated together, overlooking the girls playing tag in the frost-laden meadow. Sakura was actually happiest just to see her Otou-sama and Okaa-sama together and, as she liked playing with Mordred, it had been her 'machinations' that resulted in Vahn having to keep his rather amused lover company. They both understood Sakura's scheme so, while not doing anything 'too' intimate, they still made a show of cuddling together and simply enjoying each others company.
By the time lunch had come around, Mordred and Sakura had worked up a bit of a sweat so Vahn interrupted their game with a thermos of hot chocolate before using cleaning magic to remove the sweat and grime from their bodies. Since it gave a pleasant and tingly sensation, which Vahn himself was rather fond of at times, both girls happily drank their cocoa while a small bed of brackish liquid formed at the tip of Vahn's finger. Then, after tossing it to the side, Vahn escorted the two girls back to the picnic site to enjoy some of his hand-cooked meals and give Sakura her presents.
Though not as 'magical' as Circe's, Rin, Mordred, Sakura, and even the two Companions, all seemed to enjoy his cooking quite a bit. In the past, Rin had even blamed him for using his cooking to 'tame' her so Vahn knew that his had a few unique qualities that Circe's lacked. Since 'intent' meant a lot when it came to pretty much everything, Vahn filled each of the dishes he made with a considerable amount of emotions. Not only did he genuinely enjoy cooking, but he sincerely desired that anyone he cooked for was able to be a little happier after eating his prepared meals. Seeing the smiles on people's faces as they happily ate his food meant quite a bit to him so, while his understanding was lacking, Vahn knew there were likely some Laws at work that amplified the effects of his cooking...
When the meal concluded, with everyone eating a little more than they probably should have, it was finally time to give Sakura her presents. This was the part of a birthday most children looked forward to and, though she was already more than happy with how her day had been going, Sakura was no exception. Though she had enough patience to unravel her presents without tearing the material used to wrap them, Sakura's eyes were glimmering with excitement when she opened the first small parcel. It was a locket that had been forged by Vahn but had been modified by Rin over the last three weeks. As a result, it had quite a number of protective properties but, what meant the most to Sakura was the fact that it showed the three of them together as a family within the locket...
After waiting for Sakura to finishing hugging Rin, Vahn handed over his gift, drawing the attention of his two daughters as it looked like a simple stack of paper that was adorned with gold leaf. He found their reactions rather amusing as he explained in a calm and casual tone, "These charms are known as Wish Talismans. I handmade each and every one of them. As for their function, you can use them to make any request of me. So long as it does not endanger yourself or others, I will always do my best to grant you wish..." As the stack had a total of thirty slips, Vahn felt it should be enough to help Sakura break out of her shell while also benefitting considerably, depending on how she used them.
Mordred seemed very excited to hear to explanation but, contrary to expectations, Sakura showed a thoughtful expression as she stared at the stack of charms. Then, with an innocent, almost pleading, look on her face, Sakura asked, "Can I wish for anything...?" Since he had expected such a question, Vahn dashed his momentary worry as he smiled and answered, "Yes, so long as you do not try and wish for more wishes..." This didn't seem to be what Sakura had in mind, however, as she held up one of the slips moments after hearing his response, stating, "I wish to give this present to Okaa-chan...!"
Though he had been caught off guard by Sakura's outburst, Vahn felt a sour sensation in his nose and, resisting the urge to tear up, he accepted the small slip before allowing it to dissipate into small flakes of gold. He already knew what Sakura cared about the most but, seeing her selflessly give away her present so that her mother could be happy caused him to feel a wave of emotion. It wasn't just him, either, as Rin had to cover her mouth to avoid an emotional outburst of her own. Following this, the atmosphere became rather awkward but, understanding Sakura's sincerity, Vahn managed to swallow the knot in his throat as he muttered, "This wish...I will grant it..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Da Vinci's determination','What do you call a group of Companions..?','Sakura is a little angel (T ^ T)...')
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Chapitre 1200: Shift
After a few schedule adjustments, both for the sake of progress and his mental health, Vahn had designated a period during the evening where he would continue treating the remaining Homunculi. As was often the case when he was happy, Vahn's intuition had caused a lingering feeling of 'danger' in the back of his mind that he couldn't ignore. To that end, he felt the need to put more effort into his training and prepare a few countermeasures against future events.
Though he had been somewhat worried about how his renewed training with Scáthach would go, Vahn knew she was very 'reliable' when it came to helping him increase his strength. Thus, rather than focus entirely on the development of his combat potential, he instead decided to see if The Path couldn't provide him the means of making the most of his circumstances. Though his OP had been gradually decreasing, that was only one part of his system functions. Other than the Shop, he also had the Records, View Affection, Minimap, Inventory, Unit Management, Gacha, Upgrade, and Inventory functions.
Upon leaving the Record of Danmachi, the majority of his system functions had gotten a significant increase but, due to the situation that had presented itself, Vahn had never used them to their fullest potential. Even his Upgrade Function, which he knew was quite powerful, had been sitting idly within The Path, waiting for the day when he used the hundreds of upgrade resources he had been saving.
Since the upgrade materials were the same for F-Rank equipment and SSS-Rank equipment, Vahn had decided long ago that he would save all of his materials and resources until he reached Tier 6 or Tier 7. After all, while getting a temporary boost would certainly help increase his power in any of the Records he visited, even a weapon like [Enkidu] might not even be S-Rank in a Tier 7 Record. Thus, unless he intended to upgrade the same weapon an infinite number of times, carrying it with him between multiple Records, there had never been an opportune time to use this particular system function.
Outside of the Upgrade function, Vahn knew he hadn't been using his other functions to their fullest extent either. Even in Danmachi, he had used his Inventory as a means to transport and even attack enemies but, now that it had increased exponentially in size, he hadn't been using it to the fullest extent of its capabilities. At the same time, perhaps even more notably, was the fact that he had not been making proper use of his most important system upgrade, all because he didn't want to treat his life like a 'game'.
Vahn knew that the upgrade to his Quest function was ridiculously useful as there were even Quests listed related to his daily life. Not only that, but he could assign Quests to anyone that had been registered in his Unit Management, some of which had variable rewards that depended on who had been assigned. The only reason he hadn't exploited this was, just as he didn't want to treat his life like a game, where he based all of his decisions on quantifiable objectives, the idea of others taking on dangerous Quests just to grow stronger didn't sit well with him...
Moving forward, especially into higher Tiered Records, Vahn knew the Quest function would be one of the most important system functions he had available. Despite his inhibitions toward it, he knew it was necessary, especially for his companions who lacked something like The Path to rely on. He had a habit of telling them there were no such things as limitations but, despite their best efforts, Vahn knew it was exponentially more difficult for others to improve and keep pace with him. This was due to the fact that his body was comprised of Source Energy and, while others may have benefited from the bodies he had created, they couldn't actually use the energy contained within. He, however, was constantly being nourished by his Source Energy, constantly bringing him closer to the peak of the Record that he inhabited...
In the future, Vahn knew he would have a large Order of Imperial Knights and, though it would likely never reach the extremes of his ventures in Danmachi, he would still have thousands of followers, subordinates, and retainers. Just like the Haven Defense Force, which had posted quests that could be accepted by its members, Vahn knew such a system would greatly benefit the growth of his allies. Even the Clock Tower had a 'Mission Board', where both Faculty and Students were able to accept jobs both internally and abroad. This could include simple missions, such as collecting materials from the Spiritual Tomb or complex missions such as joining a political delegation to protect dignitaries in foreign countries.
Once his Order of Imperial Knights had grown, Vahn knew he would need to actually give them work to do as, while protecting the Castle was an important duty, there shouldn't be many enemies with enough gall to enter Avalon and try to attack them directly. This would be doubly so once they were aware of existences like Merlin, Scáthach, and Heracles who, despite having known legends, weren't known for their weaknesses. Since 'Camelot' was also quite legendary in its own rights, and would become known for its population of Fae in the future, Vahn suspected only a select few abnormal individuals would ever try to target them in a head-on collision. They were far more likely to use large-scale Ritual magic to bombard them from a distance with Tactical-Class Magecraft rivaling True Magic.
Knowing this, Vahn knew it would be necessary to have powerful defenses around the entire Island, something which Da Vinci had been seeing to since she first arrived in this world. As for his Quest function, much to his chagrin, Vahn knew it would be extremely useful for providing direction in his own life while also busying the current and future residents of the castle. After all, there were even assignable quests to produce a certain number of rune-engraved gemstones, something he could have given to Rin for some easy rewards. He also knew that, as time passed, people would want to leave the Projection and travel into the outside world as, despite the threat of Angra Mainyu, it was hard to treat the matter seriously when they already had several countermeasures against him...
Deciding it was time to get his priorities in order, especially with his first Court being held in less than a month, Vahn had Fenrir, Medusa, and Circe at his side as he conducted a few experiments. This had been rather easy to arrange as, after his latest session of treatments, they had all been together within the Menagerie. Thus, with the three girls standing behind him, Vahn was focused wholly on the expansive list of Quests, noticing for the first time that there were 'unique' Quests associated with specific individuals. He already knew Quests could be 'created' based on his intent and, now that he had decided to help the girls benefit from his system, it had already given him several methods to do so...
After perusing the Quests for a brief moment, Vahn selected one for Fenrir and tried assigning it to her directly. He noticed her ears twitch in mild surprise as her eyes began moving from side-to-side, obviously reading a screen only she could see. This provided him some valuable information, as it meant he could secretly issue out Quests to people. Even more important was the fact that, after reading, Fenrir asked, "How do I accept this...?" Though she could read it just fine, Fenrir had no experience 'navigating' a system interface using her mind. Fortunately, Sis chimed in at this point, having Vahn repeat her words, explaining, "You just need to focus your mind and the outline of the Quest should change from blue to green. After that, you can bring up the Quest just by focusing your thoughts on it in the future..."
With an understanding nod, Fenrir closed her eyes to better focus, finding that the screen was just as visible with her eyes closed. Then, as her Master had stated, the border of the Quest become green, causing her to feel motivated to the point of forming her paws into fists as she stated, "I will finish this Quest as soon as possible...!" As she could read the rewards, which had just updated in Vahn's Quest interface as well, Fenrir was quite excited to get started. Vahn couldn't exactly blame her as, after reading how the Quest had been updated to reflect Fenrir as the recipient, the rewards were considerably different from what he had expected...
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[Quest: Grace of the Moon]
Rank: B
Objective(s): Meditate beneath the light of the moon for 1,000 hours. Time is reduced based on the phases of the moon and the focus of the user. (0/1000)
Optional Objective(s): Increase comprehension of Water Elemental Laws through meditation(0/1000), Increase comprehension of Ice Elementa Laws through meditation(0/1000), Increase comprehension of Yin Elemental Laws through meditation(0/1000)
Rewards: 300,000 Variable Experience, 1x[Moon's Grace], 1x[Proof of Loyalty]
Failure Condition(s): Death, Failure to complete Quest within stipulated time: (364D23H58M14S)
Penalty: Afflicted with Curse: [Jad Ice Marrow] for the duration of one year
Current Variable Experience: 0
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Though the rewards were already quite nice for a B-Rank Quest, what had truly surprised Vahn was, much like Fenrir, he was able to read what Variable Experience was used for. Just as he could track his experience towards mastery, it seemed that his Subordinates had the same functionality, at least through him. According to the description for Variable Experience, it could be used to enhance any non-Innate skill or ability, albeit with even low ranked skills requiring quite the bit of experience to level up. Even Fenrir's [Ice Pulse], an ability she had learned from her training with Scáthach, took a total of 450,000 Variable Experience to go from E-Rank to D-Rank. As for her higher-ranked skills, such as [Shundo], it required a monstrous 40,000,000 Variable Experience to increase from B-Rank to A-Rank. Still, just having the option of stockpiling Variable Experience, much like how he saved up his Origin Points, was quite exciting for anyone who had yet to experience something similar.
If Fenrir chose to exploit her Quest to the fullest, she could easily finish the entire Quest in as little as fifteen days, assuming she exited the Projection during the day time and only cultivated during the long nights inside. However, knowing she wasn't the type to slack off, Vahn had Fenrir help him out with his second experiment while the tensions were still high. Though Medusa and Circe were both very confused at the moment, Vahn kept them pacified by promising they would understand shortly. He already had a few Quests picked out for their perusal but, before he handed them out, Vahn had something he wanted to try.
Currently, Vahn could maintain three bodies without any major setbacks but, as was often the case when it came to such things, three was not his limit. Since he kept his sub-processes in a deep state of meditation, something that had become almost second nature at this point, Vahn felt it should be possible to expand his mind even further. Instead of making another gemstone, however, Vahn was forming himself into a different kind of inanimate object, this time taking on the shape of a massive stone wall.
As even being a gemstone was quite a peculiar experience, Vahn felt extremely awkward to have a 'body' made from a slab of stone. Though he didn't even have any nerves to speak of, he could still feel his own dimensions and how 'cold' he felt, almost as if it was soaking into his Soul. To counter this, even without him willing it, Vahn felt the stone gradually heat up until it had reached a normal body temperature. Then, after collecting himself, Vahn began to focus on the [Mantra of Eternity], allowing his consciousness to sink into the comfortable abyss that had now become an intrinsic part of him.
With his fourth 'body' complete, Vahn released a sigh of relief while internally remarking, ("Give it a try..."). Though it hadn't been necessary to remind her, Sis answered in the affirmative before the wall in front of Vahn, Fenrir, Medusa, and Circe began to show lines of text. Sis wasn't able to control his body but, as the 'mediator' between himself and The Path, she was able to access its functions, even to the point of being able to purchase items on his behalf if necessary. In much the same way, she was able to make use of the Quest function and, though it would cause his mind to feel a strange 'pause', Vahn was able to transform his body in response to her manipulation of the system.
In this manner, Sis could post any Quests she thought were suitable while other Quests could be 'created' just by having a person place their palm against the stone. Since it was his 'body', Vahn was vaguely aware of his surroundings at all times, even in a deep state of meditation. When someone touched him, he would obviously become more aware of their presence and, after understanding their intentions, new Quests would form in his mind instantly. These would then be filtered by Sis before, much like how she guided him back from [Laplace's Key], she was able to cause his body to transform and display the Quest to the observer...
Vahn knew this would take some getting used to but, as he couldn't make himself available to assign Quests at all times, he needed a method that the others could use to pick their own. This was a way in which he could promote their independence further as, even though they would all have their own duties within the Court, Vahn wanted them to live free and unfettered lives. Even if someone wanted to travel into the outside world to complete a Quest, they should have that option, so long as it did not endanger the lives of others and expose Avalon to enemy attack. Not only would this provide him with more information about the world, but it would also prevent the residents of the castle from spending all their time in the Projection, something Vahn knew wasn't exactly healthy...
Now that the 'Quest Board' was complete, Vahn smiled toward Medusa and Circe, saying, "Just place your palm on this stone and it should show you a list of Quests. If there are any you think would be interesting, feel free to accept them. You should know that even low ranked Quests can give nice rewards so don't hold back..."
Though they were still confused by Vahn's words, Medusa was the first to jump forward and 'slap' her palm against the black stone surface. This caused Vahn to flinch slightly but he managed to keep his composure as a series of 'squares' appeared on the stone board, each displaying a Quest suitable for Medusa. Fortunately, while she was still learning Japanese, the Quest Board displayed the details in Koine, the language of Orario. This allowed her to read over each Quest before ultimately picking the one Vahn had expected. She had tried to select multiple Quests but, providing Vahn yet more useful information, Medusa's brows perked up as she stated, "It says I need to use Loyalty to accept more than one Quest~?"
As it had been 'triggered' by Medusa, The Path provided the necessary information to Sis, allowing her to explain, (*Other than a single 'primary' Quest, your Subordinates are able to accept secondary Quests, up to a total of five. Each Quest after the primary would take 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% of their total Loyalty respectively, though the value would not decrease below 0. Though this seems like a major detriment, completion of these Quests returns the Loyalty value with a bonus based on the difficulty. This would only be a few points for lower-ranked Quests but, for those that are B-Rank or higher, the total Loyalty could be increased by as much as 10~20% of the original value.*)
Hearing Sis's explanation, Vahn parroted her words to the others while also trying to rationalize how such a system worked. Considering that they were mainly completely Quests that had been dictated by him, it made sense that their Loyalty would increase based on the number they completed. Not only would they get rewarded for their efforts, which would already increase their Loyalty, but the stresses they experienced during the Quest would undoubtedly influence them considerably. This was especially true for S-Ranked Quests, and higher, as Fenrir even had one that required her to defeat Scáthach in battle.
Since the loss of Loyalty actually caused significant discomfort, especially towards his more Loyal Subordinates, Medusa ultimately only accepted a second Quest after her first. After all, she could just complete the current Quests before accepting new ones. There was no need to accept too many as, due to the quirks of the Quest function, they would all need to be completed before any could be turned in. As for why she chose the two she did, it was because they were loosely related to each other and, with the rewards promised, Medusa was looking forward to completing them quite a bit.
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[Quest: Gorgon's Heiress]
Rank: C
Objective(s): Befriend a total of 100 snakes: (49/100)
Optional Objective(s): Befriend 20 different species of snakes: (4/20)
Reward: 50,000 Variable Experience, 20x[Familiar Contract]
Failure Condition: Death
Penalty: N/A
[Chain Quest: Moulting I]
Rank: C~S
Objective(s): Bathe in water between 100~105°C for one hour: (0/10), Bathe in water between -5~0°C for one hour: (0/10), Bathe under direct sunlight for one hour: (0/100)
Optional Objective(s): Sleep surrounded by more than one-hundred different snakes for an hour: (0/100)
Reward: 70,000 Variable Experience, 1x[First-Layer Molting Pill]
Failure Condition: Death, Failure to complete Quest within stipulated time: (29D23H58M19S)
Penalty: Incomplete molting may occur
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Though it was hard to know the exact use of items like the [First-Layer Molting Pill], as it wasn't listed within the system shop as of yet, just reading the name was enough to have a basic understanding of its purpose. Medusa's race was listed as a Gorgon and, though she was technically Ageless, her body could still mature further based on how many times she molted. Currently, she would only molt around four times a year, each taking around two days to complete under ideal conditions. After the process was completed, Medusa would look marginally older than she had been in the past, though it wasn't an exaggeration to say she would take several decades to reach the 'mature' form she was determined to achieve.
As the Quest she had accepted was a Chain Quest, this implied that there were multiple steps, each providing progressively better rewards. The first part was only C-Rank, making it rather simple to complete, while the latter would be S-Rank, granting considerable rewards. As these were often relatively similar to the preceding rewards, it was easy to assume that Medusa would either be given multiple [First-Layer Molting Pill]s or higher-tiered rewards for her efforts. Since it was easy to intuit that a [First-Layer Molting Pill] would literally allow her to molt freely, it meant she could reduce the period it takes to 'mature' considerably, without much effort.
While Medusa was tempted to immediately head out to make more 'friends', she was more inclined to stay with her Master and keep him company, especially since he was the one to visit them. Thus, while thinking about the best methods to complete her Quest, Medusa made way for Circe to also place her palm against the stone, thankfully without slapping it. She hadn't been able to read the text of Medusa's Quests but, after seeing how happy both she and Fenrir were, Circe was more than a little excited to see what would be displayed for her. However, though her Loyalty wasn't exactly low, having reached 16,018 points, Circe's feelings towards Vahn were mostly those of Love. As a result, she had fewer Quests available but, while she was lacking in quantity, the quality of said Quests was quite high...
Due to being a Demi-Goddess and 'former' Heroic Spirit, most of Circe's Quests were B-Rank, or higher, with some even reaching SSS-Rank. Vahn had expected her to pick a few middling Quests from amongst those displayed but, much to his surprise, Circe immediately honed in on an S-Rank Quest before accepting it. As he had been watching her closely, Vahn knew exactly which Quest she had selected, causing his brain to buzz as she began to giggle, the light in her eyes flashing with a vibrant pink hue. Since this was her choice, however, Vahn accepted Circe's 'conviction' and, though it would likely complicate things in the future, she had already won a place for herself in his heart...
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[Quest: Apostate of Hecate]
Rank: S
Objective(s): Obtain Hecate's blessing by conducting the Red Moon Ritual: (0/1), Reach 100 Love with another person(33,993/100)
Optional Objective(s): Sacrifice 100 virgin lambs on the night of the full moon: (0/100)
Reward(s): 3,000,000 Variable Experience, 1x[Chastity Belt], 1x[Pendant of the Moon's Promise]
Failure Conditions: Death, Failure to obtain Hecate's blessing, Loss of virginity before Quest's completion
Penalty: Death
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn hasn't just been holding himself back...he has been holding everyone else back xD...')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
196 Power
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