Though he did not mean to belittle her, Vahn couldn't help but chuckle in response to Semiramis' words about being the oldest poisoner. While others may be in danger if her actions were ignored, he had absolute confidence in his immunity to poisons. His blood could even purify and purge the corruption of Angra Mainyu from his system so, even if she had an Innate related to poisoning, the likelihood of it having any effect on him was slim, at best.
Semiramis squinted her eyes slightly when the person that was supposed to be her Master began chuckling at her expense. She was tempted to try and teach him a lesson but, as almost everyone in the room gave her a dangerous feeling, she managed to resist the urge. Instead, she offered a sly smile and asked, "Have I done something you find humorous...?"
Vahn hadn't completely lost his composure so he ceased chuckling and instead returned a casual smile as he answered, "I apologize...my reaction may have been unwarranted. There are a few things you should keep in mind. You see, I'm completely immune to things like poison so I'm more worried about you trying to target others. If that thought crosses your mind, however...well, just know I can get a little heated when it comes to protecting the things I care about. Please, keep that in mind."
Despite his best attempts to restrain it, Vahn always emanated an oppressive aura whenever he was discussing anything related to his loved ones being harmed. This was felt by Semiramis who, despite being a Heroic Spirit, had a comparably frail body. Her Endurance only measured 13D and, despite having been summoned as an Assassin Class Servant, even her Agility was only 17D. To make up for this, she had a unique ability known as [Double Summon], allowing her to use the Class Skills of both an Assassin and Caster. This meant that, rather than an Assassin, she was basically a Caster with the Skills and abilities of an Assasin.
As a Queen who had ruled over Assyria for decades, Semiramis managed to keep her composure even under Vahn's pressure. Though it felt like her skin was tingling all over, she managed another sly smile as she mused, "How curious...it would seem my Master is not some incompetent fool. Tell me, why have you called upon the services of this Queen...I trust you are seeking more than just my body, yes?"
Semiramis was supremely confident in her own beauty but, with people like Da Vinci, Scáthach, and Artoria present, it was a little hard to consider herself the most beautiful. After all, Da Vinci's [Golden Rule:EX] wasn't just a gimmick that artificially enhanced her beauty. If she made an earnest effort to try and exploit the ability, it would work similar to [Charisma:EX], meaning she could essentially rule the entire world on the laurels of her beauty alone. Thus, in the presence of Da Vinci, Semiramis felt like she had to take a step back, even if her pride gave her a strong urge to try and compete against her...
Vahn wanted to buy enough time so that he could recover enough for one final summon so, rather than just leave the explanation to others, he decided to pander to Semiramis a bit by answering her questions. She was a Queen, after all, so she would probably appreciate it more if he gave her a bit of attention instead of just diverting her to someone else.
In response to Semiramis' teasing, Vahn kept his casual smile as he answered, "I suppose it would be proper to answer your questions in order. First of all, I have no intention to 'wield' you. Rather, if you are willing, I would like to consider you amongst my allies. Ultimately, you are free to live the lifestyle of your choosing. So long as you do not endanger the interests of the Empire and cause unnecessary suffering, you are free to live as you please."
Hearing her Master's words, Semiramis couldn't help but raise one of her brows as she asked with a slightly incredulous tone, "You would have me believe you summoned me twenty-eight-hundred years into the future without a purpose? Live however I please? What kind of farce is this, my dear Master...?"
Semiramis was still smiling but it didn't quite reach her eyes any longer. She was obviously annoyed to have been summoned for such a half-hearted reason. This made Vahn feel a little apologetic but he managed to keep his usual smile as he answered in a calm tone, "In truth, there are several uses I have for you. However, I live by the principle that people should not be forced to obey. If you choose to help me, I will make sure you are rewarded properly. I can even grant your wishes, so long as they do not conflict with the interests of the Empire and endanger other people. Rather than tools, I seek powerful and reliable allies..."
Though she couldn't really sense any falsehood in Vahn's words, Semiramis felt like he was trying to manipulate her. When she heard his remark about not forcing people, she crossed her arms beneath her breasts and retorted, "You summon me into the modern era and then pretend I have any choice in how I live? I either have to make use of the arrangements you have made or venture out into the outside world to try and find my footing. A Queen without a Kingdom and subjects is nothing more than a target for despots who wish to claim her. Tell me, how strong is this 'Empire' compared to the other forces in this world...?"
Vahn was a little taken aback by Semiramis' accusations, even if he could understand where she was coming from. Still, he managed to keep his composure as he answered confidently, "The Empire has the greatest military might and the fastest technological development. Though there are a select few individuals who could cause a significant amount of damage to our forces, there are none who have the power to destabilize the foundation we are building."
Once again sensing no falsehoods behind her Master's words, Semiramis made a show of rolling her eyes as she retorted, "See? My choices are obedience, house arrest, or becoming an enemy to a man who has the power to order me however he pleases. In other words, I only really have one choice, do I not? After all, I am quite accustomed to a life of luxury and...indulgence..."
Toward the end of her words, Semiramis adopted a more seductive expression as she turned her eyes up and leaned forward slightly. This accented her cleavage a considerable amount as she had already crossed her arms to prop up her breasts. Vahn, however, kept a completely straight face as, with his Divinity related to Sex, he knew when a person desired him. Semiramis was trying to seduce him, yes, but there were no genuine emotions behind the act at all. Instead, she seemed like a viper waiting for its prey to get within range and, though she would play the part of a willing participant well, it was all but guaranteed that she would try and poison him in the process.
Rather than fall into Semiramis' pace, Vahn continued to smile casually as he remarked, "I will not pretend that my act of summoning you into this timeline was not selfish. To that end, I will provide you with comfortable living conditions. My Empire has an unlimited amount of wealth and, so long as you do not treat them poorly, our staff will tend to your every need. Whether it be delicious food, lavish adornments, or mountains of treasure, all will be provided to you. Though these may lack real substance, they should be more than enough to make up for the inconvenience you have suffered. If this is unsatisfactory, it is also possible to break the contract binding-"
Though she had been listening attentively as Vahn spoke, Semiramis felt her heart flutter anxiously when she realized what he was about to say. Before he could finish his statement, she made a show of clearing her throat before adopting an awkward smile and saying, "You'll have to forgive me, my cherished and benevolent Master. You see, I am not accustomed to the position of Servant so I may have issued some unnecessary remarks. For now, I would like to observe this world for a while before making my final decision. If the Empire is as powerful as you say, I would not mind giving my all in service of the Emperor..."
At this point, Semiramis had already started to suspect that Vahn was the Emperor in question but, as he didn't really give off the bearing of a true tyrant, it was hard to be certain. She believed that a ruler was intrinsically superior to others and, as a result, they should express their desires and live a life without inhibitions. Since Vahn spoke of platitudes and pretended to walk the moral high road, this meant he was either an idealistic fool or, as was more likely the case, he had obtained the only 'real power' in the world: Authority.
Semiramis decided that, until she got a better understanding of the situation, she should not press her Master in the 'usual' way. He did not seem to have the same weaknesses as other men or, at the very least, was no easily wiled by things like beauty and subtle seduction techniques. She would have to use more extreme methods to secure a position for herself. As for his prior remark about being immune to things like poison, Semiramis didn't believe that in the slightest. He might have a very high tolerance but, once she had a better understanding of his constitution, it was only a matter of time before she had him in the palm of her hand...
Vahn had redeveloped a habit of activating his View Affection function whenever he was dealing with especially troublesome people so Semiramis' machinations had not escaped his notice. Since Merlin had told him that she wouldn't be an issue, Vahn decided to largely ignore the purple and greens within her aura, at least for the time being. If she attempted anything against him, it would give him leverage against her but, if she tried anything against his loved ones, she would seal her own fate. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be a completely foolish woman so, unless he was confident in being able to deal with 'every' threat, Semiramis would likely never take any decisive action.
Throughout their entire discussion, Vahn had kept a stoic and casual smile without showing any discernible change in expression. This made it difficult for Semiramis to get a read on him so, now that they had reached a basic accord, Vahn gestured to the side and politely stated, "Please, join the rest. We will only be down here for a few minutes longer. After I finish here, we'll be moving to the surface in order to celebrate the arrival of new allies. Once the festivities have concluded, you will be shown to your residence."
At this point, Semiramis was putting on the act of an elegant lady so, after hearing Vahn's words, she gave a polite curtsy before snaking her way over toward Merlin. He was the only other male present so, rather than speak with some of the women given her the stink eye, she decided to try and obtain some information from him. Though he gave her a very 'peculiar' feeling, he seemed to be the least dangerous person in the room.
Vahn was tempted to chuckle when he saw who Semiramis had decided to try and converse with. He could see the smile on Merlin's face morph into one of genuine amusement, giving Semiramis a bit of pause as everyone else in the room gave her incredulous and pitying looks. Since she had already made her decision, however, Semiramis could only walk willingly into the lion's den, something she would come to regret in the coming days. As for Vahn, he made a mental note to discuss Semiramis with the other males living within the castle as, if she realized approaching him was fruitless, there was a good chance she might try and target one of them instead...
---
Ignoring the 'dullness' in his mind, Vahn activated the summoning system for the sixth time. He had recovered a bit during the conversation with Semiramis so he was confident there wouldn't be any serious consequences. He also wanted to push his limits to ascertain how long it would take for him to make a full recovery as this could be important information in the future.
This time around, Vahn decided to summon Okita Souji as, while the others may be more pertinent to his short-term plans, she was the most important for his future development. After all, if he could comprehend what allowed her to kill 'concepts', he would be able to defeat most Tier 5 existences, regardless of his own Soul Tier. Though this would still require that he actually hit them, there were a number of ways to drastically increase his speed through the manipulation of Space, Time, and Light Elemental energy.
After confirming his selection, Vahn felt like his body was burning from the interior but, as he had already prepared himself, there were no external signs of the pain he was experiencing. Since it was a far cry from what he would experience during his training with Scáthach, he was even able to keep the same casual smile on his face as he watched the mana within the summoning system take shape. It began to take the shape of a tall woman but, after seeing her true form, Vahn noticed that much of her height came from the 15cm tall metallic geta sandals.
Sans sandals, the woman was around 163cm tall with tanned skin and pale, almost white, hair. She was attired in a kimono that was closer to a corset in design as, rather than conceal her figure, it accented it considerably. The top half was literally just black leather that hugged her breasts but left a large gap above where the fabric hugged around her diaphragm. This created an inverted cleavage that showed off the healthy yet tender skin of her breasts, almost as if it had been designed for the sole purpose of distracting enemies.
The bottom half of Okita's outfit was extremely thin and form-fitting while the skirt component did not even pass her wrists in length. There was a small slit in the front and, even though he was taller than her, Vahn could see the briefest glimpse of Okita's black panties through the gap. As for the rest of her outfit, she had metallic sabatons, cuisses, and fanned plating covering her legs from the thighs down. They were comprised of a thin black metal that was trimmed with pale gold while, on her arms, she wore a pair of black leather bracers with small plates on the backs of her hands. To complete the outfit, she had on a vibrant red scarf that matched the color of her other garments and the two red tassels tying to the sides of her hair. She also had a black ribbon tying her hair up at the back while, in her left hand, an impossibly long katana was held aloft.
Vahn, like everyone else in the room, felt a subtle 'threat' coming from the katana. It was close to 220cm in length, sheathed in a black scabbard that was adorned with pale gold. At the very end, a red gemstone was embedded into the surface while a thick red cord was tied just beneath the tsuba, the guard of the incredibly long sword. It seemed impossible to unsheath through normal means but Vahn had no doubt that Okita would be able to pull it off without any difficulty at all.
While her outfit and katana were visually stunning, the thing that had surprised Vahn the most was that Okita, despite having tanned skin and pale hair, looked a lot like Artoria and Gray. Her facial structure was almost identical, despite being Japanese, so he couldn't help but gawk slightly until she opened her eyes. This only increased the similarities between her and Artoria, however, as she had pale silver eyes that seemed to emanate a subtle glow. The only big differences between them, besides the aura they emanated, were Okita's skin tone and the fact that her bust size was very close to a D-Cup...
Vahn wasn't the only one to notice the similarities, causing Artoria's and Gray's eyes to dull slightly when they saw their counterparts sizable assets. Despite knowing that Vahn didn't care about such things, it was quite 'troubling' to see someone so similar to themselves have the very thing they had both desired in the past. Gray was a little better off, as she could ask Vahn to help her grow a bit, but Artoria was perpetually stuck in her fourteen-year-old body, never changing in the slightest. Still, she quickly recovered her composure as, despite her own insecurities, she was very aware of the fact that Vahn appreciated her current form...
Though Okita briefly glanced at everyone waiting in the back, her gaze was predominately focused on the man standing before her. Her geta allowed her to stand at a similar height as Vahn so she was able to look directly into his eyes as she stated, not asked, "You are my Master..." Then, without the need for a response, she bowed extremely low while angling her katana back to keep her balance. It would have been more proper to kneel but, considering how short her kimono was, combined with the oversized geta, such an action would have been next to impossible to perform.
Seeing the top of Okita's head directly, Vahn was momentarily distracted by her massive ahoge. It made even Artoria's and Gray's seem small in comparison, giving him a strong desire to reach out and grab it. He managed to resist this urge, however, before stating in a calm tone of voice, "Please, raise your head. For the time being, such formalities are not required. If you choose to serve me after understanding your situation better, only then should you lower your head..."
Rather than raise her head immediately, Okita continued to bow for several seconds before looking up, her face completely expressionless as she stated, "My very existence would be impossible if not for Master's benevolence. Every breath I draw henceforth will be in service of your goals. If you ask me to walk through a forest of swords or a mountain of spears, I would not hesitate. This is the only way I know to express my gratitude...please, make use of me."
If not for a complete lack of emotion and passion, Okita's words might have had a deep impact on Vahn's psyche. He was pretty weak to women who desired to dedicate themselves to him but, in this case, his casual smile took on wry undertones as he answered in a somewhat subdued manner, "Your dedication is admirable...I will do my best to be a good Master for you..." Since it would likely be very difficult, if not outright impossible, to try and convince Okita to live in a more carefree manner, Vahn could only wait for her to mellow out after interacting with the others for a bit.
To Vahn's surprise, Okita shook her head as if to refute his words before saying in a dull monotone, "By allowing my existence, you are already the best Master I could ask for. Do not concern yourself for my well being. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. If there is anything I can do for you, my Master, I will not hesitate to do so. This is my purpose and I intend to carry it out. If you do not have a need for me, I would rather die than live a life without purpose."
If he was troubled before, Vahn was at a complete loss now as he habitually looked through his Unit Management to view Okita's Affection. After hearing the conviction in her almost mechanical words, he wasn't at all surprised to discover that, much like how Gray had been after her conversion, Okita had the 'Eternal Loyalty' value. Seeing this, he knew any attempt to try and convince Okita would be a wasted effort so, for the time being, he simply smiled and said, "I'll be in your care...Okita..."
Though her eyes still seemed to lack any emotion whatsoever, Okita reacted to his with a polite bow before adopting a small smile on her face. It was actually a little eerie but, as he had lived through the adaptation period of Fenrir, whose smile gave off the distinct impression she was about to eat you, he managed to return a natural one of his own. After all, having a loyal follower was never a bad thing...so long as they didn't go out of their way to try and please him...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'You call these options!? This is blatant Queen-napping!','RIP Semiramis...','The dangers of summoning an Alter-Ego xD...')
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Following the summoning of Okita, Vahn decided to bring the summoning event to a close. Six summons seemed to be his current limit and, due to his prior agreement with Akasha, he was the only person capable of activating the system.
Even Da Vinci's best efforts had been unable to crack the structure of the formation as the majority of her instruments simply didn't work properly. Though she would eventually make a breakthrough, something Vahn was absolutely certain of, it was currently beyond the means of both Da Vinci and Sherlock. The latter had the ability to analyze and deduce the 'truth' behind all things but, while he was inside the Welsh Dragon's chamber, Sherlock noted that his ability didn't work at all, despite his A++ Rank [Natural Insight] and A+ Rank [Hypothetical Reasoning]...
After the summoning event concluded, the entire group moved into the Projection to celebrate the arrival of so many new residents. It was here that Vahn explained his true identity and, for the benefit of people like Jeanne and Okita, who both had a connection to the Counter Force, he also revealed the existence of Alaya. This was one of the Empire's most important secrets but, in the near future, it wouldn't matter if everyone in the world knew that he had the adorable blue creature on his side.
With Maxwell's assistance, the Empire had already broken through the final threshold. Though it was only a matter of time until Karma pit something truly monstrous against them, there was nothing in the present world that could stop their momentum. Soon, they would activate CHALDEAS and, with the contributions of peerless individuals such as Da Vinci and Sherlock, it wouldn't be long before they had the means to monitor the entire planet.
Da Vinci would constantly be upgrading their systems and implementing failsafes to prevent things from going south while Sherlock, using the data obtained by Ark and CHALDEAS, would be able to intuit and crack the schemes of virtually all of their enemies. His Parameters weren't that high but his intelligence and capabilities were almost on par with Da Vinci, albeit with a few more restrictions.
The most terrifying thing about Sherlock, at least in Vahn's opinion, was that he had A++ Good Luck and an Innate to amplify it further. He also had EX-Rank [Territory Creation], allowing him to create a mental library within his mind that allowed him to store an infinite amount of information. He could use the knowledge stored within his 'Great Library' to aid in his deductions but the most powerful function was his ability to filter out incorrect information.
According to Sherlock, the more knowledge he obtained, the closer he got to the 'ultimate truth'. He could even store Da Vinci's research and manuscripts within his mind, serving as a filter to bring her closer to the truth she sought. This made them a truly monstrous pair as, even without having to run a bunch of simulations and test her hypothesis, Da Vinci could just have Sherlock review the data to determine how close she was toward her goal.
Da Vinci wasn't the only one to benefit from Sherlock's assistance, however, as Vahn had become rather fond of the quirky Detective. He spent most of his time in silent contemplation but, as soon as he became 'certain' of something, Sherlock would immediately become active. At the same time, he was one of the most composed people Vahn had ever met, even when facing down people infinitely stronger than himself.
While these traits were commendable, Vahn had been deeply impressed by Sherlock's 'Great Library' when the latter began compiling cultivation and meditation techniques. He was able to eliminate the parts of the techniques that were flawed and, though he lacked the requisite knowledge to correct the mistakes at first, it didn't take long for him to make amendments. The only requirement was that he was given even more scrolls and manuscripts, allowing him to refine low-grade techniques into far more powerful versions.
With Sherlock's help, Vahn had been able to compile a bunch of B and A-Rank techniques into a series of powerful S-Rank techniques. This effectively saved him hundreds of millions of OP, making Sherlock into one of the core personnel within the Empire in a very short period of time. Vahn had even made the man into one of his central Advisors, alongside Merlin, Artoria, Scáthach, and Luvia.
---
The only problematic additions to the Empire ended up being, as could be expected, Semiramis. She wasn't the only new stress factor, however, as Okita and Jeanne ended up becoming unique issues all their own.
While Semiramis seemed to struggle with not being the ruler of everything, her biggest gripe was the fact she was not allowed within the Inner Sanctum. She was also prevented from interacting with the children without supervision and, despite her best efforts, all of the males within the Empire had easily resisted her seduction attempts. The only person she hadn't tried to seduce was Heracles but, as Semiramis wasn't a completely senseless woman, she also knew better than to even try.
After her failures, Semiramis spent most of her time brooding within her private Manor, complaining about its size and making demands of the staff that had volunteered to serve her. Her behavior left a lot to be desired but, apparently keeping his words in mind, she had never mistreated the staff sent to wait upon her needs. It didn't take long for her to realize that the Empire was abnormal so, for the time being, Semiramis was more like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum than an actual danger.
What troubled Vahn far more than the errant Queen was the sheer adulation of Jeanne and Okita. He had tried to clear things up with Jeanne by revealing the 'truth' behind the God she sacrificed her life for but, rather than any of the responses he had expected, the Saintess unhesitantly pledged herself to him. She had learned about the purpose of his Empire along with everyone else so, knowing he even commanded 'God', Jeanne had practically started worshipping him.
This wasn't entirely unexpected but, soon after Jeanne's pledge, Vahn was stunned to learn that he could actually hear Jeanne whenever she prayed to him. Her voice was like a whisper in the back of his mind but, if he focused on it, Vahn was able to clearly hear her prayers. This had been a jarring revelation until Sis explained that Jeanne was his first 'True Believer'. Rather than Loyalty and things like Fealty, the metric for Jeanne's affection was represented by the value 'Belief'. Since he was a Tier 4 entity, this Belief meant that, in more ways than one, he had become her actual God.
The power of Belief was truly terrifying as, while Loyalty already allowed him to command and order his Subordinates, the final result was fundamentally different. If Vahn ordered his Subordinates to do something against their will, it would result in a loss of Loyalty before they would ultimately carry out his orders. Belief, however, worked in a terrifying way as, regardless of the order he gave, it resulted in the other party believing in him even more. The only method to reduce the value seemed to be by proactively ignoring the prayers of his Followers entirely.
While this didn't seem like that big a deal, Vahn quickly learned that Jeanne would have a negative reaction if he began ignoring her. As her Belief began to fade away, she would begin to feel extreme duress and, regardless of what he was doing, she would seek him out, seemingly to confirm that he still existed. Vahn managed to compromise with her by restricting the time of her prayers as, before their discussion, Jeanne would spend several hours every day praying to him. Afterward, he only had to deal with her prayers before she went to bed each night, every morning she woke up, and before every meal she ate...
What was truly troubling was that Jeanne was actually a lot easier to deal with than a certain pale-haired swordswoman. Okita had functionally zero social skills and, despite his efforts to get her to try and interact with other people, she would usually just stare them down. When asked why she didn't talk, her answer was simply that she had nothing to say.
Unlike other Heroic Spirits, Okita had no past memories to draw from as, despite being the Alter Ego of the original Okita Souji, they were fundamentally different people. There were only three things she cared about, her Master, her given mission, and her katana. The only person she got along with reasonably was Nobunaga but this was largely due to the latter not having any inhibitions. Everyone else was unnerved by the mere presence of Okita but Nobunaga, fearless as always, teased the silent swordswoman almost incessantly.
When asked why she was so taken with Okita, Nobunaga admitted that the former reminded her a lot of the past Kenshin. The biggest difference was that Kenshin had a good reason to suppress her emotions while Okita simply had none from the start. Her brain itself worked in a different way than the norm as the areas governing emotion remained completely unlit unless she was ordered to do something by Vahn. The only other exception was if someone tried to touch her katana, something that would instantly send Okita into a battle-ready state, regardless of the intentions of the other party.
Fortunately, Okita seemed fundamentally unable to attack others without orders so, while she had spooked quite a number of people, they quickly learned that she wasn't actually dangerous. So long as they did not try to touch her katana, she would just stand there and stare back at them, seemingly bereft of all emotions and complex thought processes. She could even stay in her drawing stance for several hours at a time, much like a machine that waiting for its next set of commands.
These were all concerning behaviors but, what troubled Vahn was the fact that Okita would 'always' seek him out whenever she needed to make a decision. She wouldn't even use her telepathy as, even with his unilateral permission to do so, Okita could not be 'certain' she was allowed to interrupt him. Instead, she would seek out Gareth and just wait for him, sometimes for several hours, before asking him simple questions. This included simple things such as if she were allowed to eat specific foods or if she were allowed to venture to a location outside the castle.
Okita seemed to lack the ability to make any decisions for herself and, as the only person whose opinion mattered to her, this meant she sought him out over everything. Other people didn't even seem to enter her eyes unless she had been specifically told to interact with them. Even then, she wouldn't say anything unless Vahn was there to essentially tell her to speak. Thus, with the exception of Nobunaga and, by proxy, Kenshin, Okita had no friends within the castle.
What troubled Vahn the most about Okita's situation was that everyone had quickly adapted to her quirks and, after a little more than a week, began to treat her like an Automaton. They didn't exactly ignore her but, rather than treat her like another person, they were almost entirely indifferent to her presence when he wasn't around. Since he could understand why they would behave this way, Vahn couldn't really blame them but, as he was worried that Okita would never get better, he ended up directly requesting Fenrir's intervention.
Vahn knew that Fenrir would eventually be able to break through Okita's walls as, even more than the eternally loyal Alter Ego, Fenrir understood his wants and needs. Though this all but guaranteed that Okita would become another excessively loyal addition to his group, part of Vahn 'needed' the people around him to be more independent. He could imagine Okita literally just becoming idle and collecting dust if he suddenly vanished, something that terrified him on a fundamental level...
---
Fortunately, not every new addition to the castle brought with them new troubles. Sherlock was the best example of this but the Caster version of Scáthach and the Lily version of Medea were easy to deal with. The former was, quite literally, just another version of his Shishou so, while his training had a few new complexities, it was tolerable. As for Medea, she was an exceptionally pure young girl who was polite and kind to everyone. Though she was naive to a fault, easily getting tricked by Mordred's pranks, the latter was always quick to apologize if she made Medea upset.
The only troubling aspect of Medea's character was that, before Merlin's and Circe's intervention, she had been afflicted by an Innate called [Aphrodite's Intervention]. This made her distrustful of others, despite her apparent affability, while, at the same time, gave her a compulsion to love Jason, despite the latter not even existing. She had even tried to machinate with Circe to convince him to summon Jason into the present, despite the latter being one of the most disreputable and disgusting people Vahn had ever learned about.
Circe would not allow her niece to be burdened by the fate of being manipulated and exploited by the same man once again so she quickly brought the matter to light. Fortunately, Medea's Innate was only E-Rank so it only took Merlin planting a few false memories and Vahn giving her his own Blessing to counteract Aphrodite's. Though just the thought of Merlin tweaking with a person's mind left a bad taste in Vahn's mouth, the flowery Magus allowed him to view her memories and the changes he intended to make.
The sad truth was that Medea actually knew how events were supposed to play out but, despite this, she was still compelled by [Aphrodite's Intervention] to be infatuated with Jason. She knew that she would be sexually exploited, beaten, treated like a slave, and even passed around to other members of Jason's entourage but, no matter how bad things got, she would give up everything for a man that would never love her. She would be forced to bear his children who, in turn, would be taught to hate her and, no matter how hard she tried to make them love her, Jason only cared about himself and his status.
Vahn obviously couldn't accept this so, while it still left a bad taste in his mouth, he observed as, over the span of two weeks, Merlin tweaked Medea's memories. He emphasized memories where she was treated well by her family and her subjects while anything related to Jason was either twisted into a new memory or 'devoured' completely. Then, when Medea reached the point where she began to feel a strange uncertainty in her heart and mind, Circe convinced her to accept Vahn's Blessing and his Familia Crest.
Family had been something heavily emphasized within Medea's mind so, with her Aunt pushing her to accept, she ultimately allowed Vahn to place his Familia Crest on her back. As for his Blessing, this was something that Vahn himself wasn't entirely sure about but, after a ritualistic ceremony, Medea had essentially become one of his Priestesses. At the same time, her [Aphrodite's Intervention] had turned into [Sage-Emperor's Divine Favor], ultimately alleviating Medea's tragic burden.
After this series of events, Medea had become a truly affable person and, with few exceptions, every member of the castle became very fond of her. This, in turn, meant that Circe was getting along well with others as, for various reasons, she was weak to her young niece's insistence. Medea would drag her around to spend time with others, regardless of how much Circe had tried to refuse. All it took to convince Circe to go along with her were a few heartwrenching tears, dealing critical damage to just about everyone who saw them.
Since Circe had been having Medea babysit Penelo quite a bit, she couldn't really refuse her niece's request to go around and make friends with everyone. This didn't mean that Circe's jealous nature had been suppressed but, as none of the other women really flaunted their relationship with Vahn, she was able to tolerate them. Over time, this tolerance began to morph into acceptance so, overall, Medea's inclusion into the castle had been a tremendous boon.
Not only was Medea and extremely affable and caring person, but she was an exceptionally powerful Magus. Though she had the Lily classification, her true Class designation was that of a Caster. In her original timeline, she had actually been Circe's most prodigious student and, as her Magecraft was from before the modern era, her spells were nearly at the level of True Magic by default.
What was truly exceptional about Medea wasn't her offensive capabilities, however. No, it was the fact that her healing and support spells basically defied logic. Her Noble Phantasm itself was in the 'Anti-Thaumaturgy' category and, though it was only C-Rank, it had the ability to nullify all curses and injuries. It manipulated causality itself to make it so that even the most serious of wounds had simply never transpired. On the outside, this appeared to be a reversal of time but, in truth, it was the forceful conversion of an object back to its 'original' state.
The only thing Medea's Noble Phantasm couldn't undo was death as, much like how reviving the victims of the Holy Grail War would only turn them into mindless automatons, she could not tether the souls of people back to their body. Still, even if part of their body was completely destroyed, to the point that 'absolutely nothing' remained, Medea could still treat the injury without issue.
Vahn felt like the parallels between Medea and Lefiya grew by the day, despite the fact that they were irrefutably different people. She even had Lefiya's bashful nature though, rather than react to practically everything, Medea only ever seemed to get flustered around himself and other men. Her memories, despite the changes, gave her an acute awareness of men. It was impossible to know what she was thinking about but, based on her red her face would come whenever she was around men, Vahn was reminded of Loki's lesson about how the quiet ones were often the most dangerous.
Fortunately, despite the fact she resided inside the Menagerie, Medea was still very innocent. Her idea of intimacy was being hugged, having her head pat, or hand-holding. Circe seemed intent on keeping it this way for quite a while as, after what Medea had gone through with Jason, she did not want her young niece exposed to such things until she had properly matured. Though fourteen was not considered too young for such acts, especially in ancient Greece, Medea was simply too precious to experience such things with her current level of maturity.
The fact that Jason had taken advantage of this version of Medea made Vahn utterly gobsmacked. His hatred towards the so-called Hero rivaled the feelings he had towards people like Zeus as he couldn't even fathom how someone could mistreat someone like Medea. Since he had seen what Medea had gone through at Jason's hands, Vahn was actually tempted to summon the actual Jason into the world as an old man. He wanted to see if the elderly Hero had repented in his twilight years and, if he didn't even feel remotely guilty for what he had done, Vahn was tempted to let Ereshkigal slow burn his soul for a few thousand years...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'TFW Semiramis is the least troublesome person...','Fenrir is going to learn the [Grooming] Skill at this rate xD...','Seriously, Jason can eat all the dicks')
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