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50.19% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 1182: Decisive

章 1182: Decisive

It had been quite some time since Vahn activated his View Affection, causing him to daze slightly when a powerful aura radiating from his shoulder wrapped around his entire body. Though he was able to confirm his suspicions about Lev, who possessed a brackish grey and red aura that indicated malicious intent, it was drowned out by Alaya's ridiculously powerful aura. Even though it lacked substance, it felt like his brain had received the impact of a Noble Phantasm, causing him to completely blank for a brief moment. Alaya herself seemed to realize his abnormal reaction, her aura momentarily releasing its tentacle-like extensions that had coiled around his body in an almost possessive manner.

Though there wasn't anything that could be misconstrued as the colors of Love or Passion, Alaya had very clearly become extremely attached to him, far more so than he had expected. Even her Affection parameter had already broken through the bottleneck, currently displayed the rather peculiar 'Symbiotic Dependency' value at 3,019 points. This value wasn't particularly high when he considered that they had been linked together for more than six months, but it was still quite a shocking discovery. If not for the fact that Lev's aura very clearly showed hostile intentions, Vahn would have wanted to sit down and discuss this with Alaya to better understand how she viewed him...

As they were all gathered around him, it was a given that Lord Animusphere, Lord El-Melloi II, and Lev would all notice Vahn's peculiar reaction. As he had been the one speaking, Lev showed an apologetic expression as he politely stated, "Forgive me, Your Majesty...if I have said something you find disagreeable, allow me to apologize for my imprudence..." Though these words were said in an extremely polite manner, able to fool both of the present Lords, Vahn was brought back from his shock and, after disabling his View Affection once again, his expression became sharp as he asked, "What are you? You may be able to fool others, but I can see through your true nature, Lev Lainur Flauros. Tell me, how long have you been plotting to kill Lord Animusphere...?"

Though Vahn 'literally' kept the company of snakes, there was no way he could overlook the sheer amount of malicious intent contained within Lev's aura. Since his Affection value had even been a starling -13 points, Vahn knew this man was his enemy. Thus, even though Lev tried to play things off by showing a startled and embarrassed reaction, Vahn moved like a phantom as he grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him from the ground. At the same time, [Primordial Runes] began to flow from where they were connected, spreading across Lev's body rapidly to prevent him from mustering up his malicious energy in retaliation.

Surprised by Vahn's sudden hostility, the two Lords entered a battle-ready state, even though Lord Animusphere also tried to deescalate tensions, gesturing in a placating manner as he said, "Your Majesty, I'm certain there has been some kind of misunderstanding. Lev is a good man who has worked alongside my family for nearly seventeen years. There are few people in the entirety of the Magus community who have done as much as he has for the benefit of mankind..." Since he was the one to bring Lev to the Edelfelt Mansion, Lord Animusphere felt personally responsible for the current incident. He didn't know what had happened to set Vahn off but, seeing a person he had worked alongside for nearly two decades getting violently choked wasn't pleasant.

Shaking his head in response to Lord Animusphere's words, Vahn explained in an icy tone, "You have been deceived. This man carries within him an extremely malicious and vile form of energy that has fused itself with his Magic Crest. It doesn't matter how much good he has done if the only purpose behind such actions was to deceive. He is biding his time to cause a calamity and is just using your family as a means to achieve his ambitions..." As he said this, Vahn activated the runes he had spread across Lev's body, causing them to radiate with intense heat as they embedded deep into his flesh. This caused Lev's face to turn red and purple, a gurgling sound escaping his lips as his ability to scream in pain was completely cut off by Vahn's grip on his throat.

Just as the two Lords were thinking about taking action, Vahn turned his eyes towards them, now blazing with a divine glow as he stated, "I am not going to kill him. Since the two of you have been fooled, I will prove my claims before taking his life." With that said, Vahn placed his hand on Lev's head, flooding his mind and body with Source Energy, cutting the flow of Magical Energy within his Magic Circuits. It wasn't an irreparable amount of damage but, without undergoing a process similar to Nirvana Rebirth, this effectively crippled Lev, turning him into a 'normal' person. Still, it was enough to stay Lord Animusphere's and Lord El-Melloi II's hands, even though there wasn't much they could have done to stop him.

Allowing Lev to fall to his knees, Vahn finally released the man's neck, causing him to grimace in pain as she exclaimed, "I don't...understand...why are you doing this...!?" These words only fell on deaf ears, however, as Vahn was looking at the two Lords, explaining, "I have the ability to sense the aura of others, allowing me to quantify the strength of their bonds and understand their true intentions. This man's aura specifically indicates that he intends to kill you, Lord Animusphere. At the same time, he has directed malicious intentions towards me and, while I understand everyone has their own reasons for joining this alliance, I will not tolerate the existence of anyone who tries to disguise their malice behind a noble cause."

As Lord Animusphere couldn't find the words to address the current situation, it was Lord El-Melloi II who ultimately stated, "I do not doubt you have a plethora of abilities at your disposal. However, we cannot simply take your word and pass judgment on an innocent man...what proof do you have, other than the claim of his guilt...?"

Expecting such a question, Vahn plainly stated, "Right now, I have completely severed the Magic Circuits within his body. I'm certain both of you have the means to ascertain the truth when he no longer has the means of disguising his intentions. What methods you use don't matter to me, so long as you understand that I intend to execute him, regardless of what you discover. Even if your claims about his contributions to humanity are true, it would be impossible for anyone to have an aura as black as this man without having caused great suffering to others. I understand that there are few Magi within the Magus community whose hands are clean but I will not tolerate having a person with such malicious intentions amongst my allies..."

In response to Vahn's words, Lev once again tried to defend himself, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, there must be some kind of mistake. I have dedicated my life to my research, all so that the future of humanity would not be severed by the death of Magecraft...!" This time, rather than having his words ignored, Vahn turned his gaze onto Lev, his aura descending like the fall of the heavens, crashing against the man's mind and causing him to immediately lose consciousness. Then, turning back to the two Lords, Vahn gestured toward Lev, plainly stating, "Feel free to confirm it for yourselves..."

Though Lord Animusphere was more than a little hesitant to invade the privacy of one of his long-time associates, Lord El-Melloi II's ideal was the pursuit of 'truth'. With that in mind, he moved to stand in front of Lev and, though he felt pity for the man's plight, this did not stop him from using memory manipulation magic to sift through the unconscious man's thoughts. As this was one of the most basic forms of Magecraft taught to even students, allowing them to sift through a normal person's memories and erase anything that might expose the existence of the Magus community, it was a given that Lord El-Melloi II was extremely adept at its usage. Without his Magical Energy to protect his mind, it took almost no effort at all for him to probe into Lev's mind, something he would soon come to regret after seeing the horrifying truth concealed behind the man's smile...

As if he had just placed his hand on a live wire, Lord El-Melloi II reeled back in shock, cold sweat pouring down his face as he looked toward the stunned Lord Animusphere and muttered, "You should take a look...His Majesty is correct...this man cannot be allowed to live..." Knowing these memories would haunt him for the next couple of weeks, Lord El-Melloi II stepped off to the side while rubbing his temples. This left Lord Animusphere with a complex expression but, with even Lord El-Melloi II claiming that Lev was a danger, he suppressed his own inhibitions before placing his hands against his former companion's head and peering into his mind...

Like viewing a chaotic and violent movie, Lord Animusphere bore witness to the cruelty that Lev concealed from others. His mind was filled to the brim with memories relating to how he would torture others, his preferred victims being orphans that he had manipulated to believe a better life awaited them. Instead, they all met their ends in a dungeon beneath Lev's estate, a place that, even now, held tens of victims he had been using in his experiments.

What made matters even worse was that Lev had even been using Chaldea as proving grounds to conduct some of his most gruesome experiments, to the point that he had even hired staff that were just as sadistic and twisted as him. These were primarily the members conducting one of Chaldea's most important ongoing experiments, the production of 'Designer Babies', children created with artificially modified DNA that would even allow 'normal' humans to give birth to children capable of use Magecraft. This also allowed them to alter the structure of the Designer Baby's Magic Circuits, making them compatible hosts for Heroic Spirits. This served as the basis for one of their most important theoretical experiments, the FATE system, a project intended to allow for relatively normal humans to serve as the hosts of powerful Heroic Spirits in order to protect the world from destruction.

Though most Designer Babies only had a maximum lifespan of around 16~20 years by design, the average life expectancy was closer to ten. Now, seeing the horrible things that Lev and his associates had been doing to the children, Lord Animusphere felt sick to his stomach. Since he had other important matters to attend, he couldn't personally monitor every single department within Chaldea. As a result, he only viewed the data in order to make predictions that would help each department flourish, even as their finances dwindled. Now that he was aware of how his negligence had been exploited, leading to the suffering of the very individuals he had intended to entrust the fate of the world, Lord Animusphere couldn't help putting more force into the hands he was using to hold Lev's head...

To exacerbate matters even further, Lev's memories also provided ample evidence to show that he was acting in the service of a demonic entity he referred to as his God. Rather than seeking to save the world, his true intentions were to use the very same system to guarantee the world's destruction. He intended to manipulate Chaldea to lock in a timeline where the world would be guided to its inevitable end, plotting the complete destruction of mankind. At the same time, his mind was filled with sadistic fantasies regarding the murder and torture of both Marisbury and, even worse, his daughter. When these images flashed across his mind, Lord Animusphere could no longer continue his probe, removing his hands, a wrathful look replacing his previous concern.

Now that both Lords understood the truth of the matter, Vahn took the opportunity to state, "I will not arrogantly demand that you never question my intentions...however, know that I do not simply throw out such accusations lightly. You cannot sense it, but there is a powerful and malignant aura sealed in this man's Magic Crest. If it was activated, there is little doubt in my mind that he would have become a powerful evil within the world. Since our goals are to create a better future for all of mankind, it is imperative that we remain skeptical, especially of those who conveniently share the same ideals." With that said, Vahn unceremoniously cut off the head of Lev while piercing his heart with a [Sacred Duplex Nail]. Then, as life quickly faded from his body, Vahn tossed him into his Inventory so that Da Vinci could analyze the malevolent energy within.

Lord Animusphere and Lord El-Melloi II were surprised by Vahn's decisive actions but, after seeing what was contained within Lev's mind, they did not press the matter. Instead, Lord El-Melloi II adjusted his ascot, feeling a little suffocated, as he commented, "After witnessing this, there are matters I need to look into. I'll be excusing myself early, as I'm certain Your Majesty also has matters to discuss with Lady Edelfelt and Her Highness, Artoria..."

Nodding in response to Lord El-Melloi II's words, Lord Animusphere added, "I also must attend the affairs of my family. Knowing what I know now, I would be ashamed to present Chaldea to you in its current state. Please excuse me, Your Majesty..." Following this, Lord Animusphere bowed at a very low angle, expressing his sincere apology while also showing a grateful expression in his pale-golden eyes. If Vahn had not exposed Lev's true nature to him, it was very likely that, rather than 'great fortune', his family would have been brought to ruin. At the same time, however, Lord Animusphere felt slightly vindicated as, even though the prophecy wasn't supposed to be fulfilled for several years, it felt like his family was already on the road to prosperity after allying with the Edelfelt family and, as a result, the Aldrnari Empire...

---

As the death of Lev couldn't exactly be overlooked, Vahn found himself in the company of Luvia and her Grandmother shortly after the social gathering had been brought to a sudden end. He explained the situation and, as he had already sealed Lev's energy before reaping his life, Vahn allowed Olivia to inspect the corpse directly, sans the head. As the brain would sustain almost irreparable damage after only a few minutes, Vahn kept it within his Inventory to preserve it until he could place it into stasis within his and Da Vinci's Workshop. Still, Olivia was able to confirm the presence of malignant energy within Lev's body and, even though it would be somewhat troublesome to deal with the aftermath, it was better to remove the head of a snake sooner, rather than allow it to slither around and potentially sink its venomous fangs into your back when you least expect it.

Fortunately, though he hailed from a relatively prestigious family, Lev was considered rather excentric amongst the Faculty of the Clock Tower and had few friends. Other than the Flauros family and Lord Meluastea, there shouldn't be anyone making a great fuss about Lev's sudden death. It wouldn't take much effort to spin the matter to implicate Lev, accusing him of breaking into one of the Edelfelt's workshops to steal secrets, an act akin to 'declaring war' against another Magus family. This would allow them to put pressure on the Flauros family and, though they may be innocent of Lev's crimes, exposing the secret basement where he had conducted his cruel experiments would quell the issue rather quickly.

With that in mind, Olivia had a calculating expression on her face as she commented, "We will need to act on this information as soon as possible. After the incident earlier in the day, there is an incalculable number of people looking for any excuse to stir up trouble. Luvia, as the Head of the family, I will leave it to you to deal with this problem. You aren't just fighting your own battles any longer, but those of your betrothed as well..." Then, turning her gaze to Vahn, Olivia added in a stern tone, "Don't cause too much trouble for my Granddaughter. If you do, make sure you at least make it up to her properly in the bedroom."

Hearing Olivia's remark, Vahn shook his head in mock exasperation while Luvia happily clung to his arm, playfully remarking, "Oh, I have no doubt my hubby will take good care of me~. Before that, I need to deal with personal and private matters." After saying this, Luvia gave Vahn a kiss on the cheek and, as much as she wanted to stick around, she knew it was better to resolve things as soon as possible. On her way out, accompanied by Olivia, she winked towards Artoria and Gray before musing, "I'll leave His Majesty in your care..." Then, without delaying any further, Luvia went to clean up the mess Vahn had made while simultaneously thinking about how she could use this new information to benefit their family further...

Understanding the implication in Luvia's words, Artoria and Gray both flushed slightly, causing Vahn to laugh in a lighthearted manner as if he hadn't just murdered a man only a few minutes prior. Knowing that they would be given the opportunity to reincarnate and live a better life, Vahn had long ago started to accept that his path would be filled with the deaths of his enemies. When time allowed, he would offer up a prayer for Lev's fortune in the next life but, as it was getting late in the day, he took Artoria and Gray with him to the underground chamber that served as a vault and safe house for the Edelfelt family. This had been designated as their transfer location as, in the event of a dire emergency, there was already a large transfer circle in place to allow them to escape.

After setting up his own defensive measures for added security and protection, Vahn grabbed Artoria and Gray by the waist, holding them close to his body as they all teleported back to Avalon with Alaya's assistance. In truth, there were a lot of things on his mind after just this one day outside the Island, showing just how important external stimulus was for his growth. Before he would get around to addressing these matters, however, Vahn whisked the two women away to a private area, bypassing the other residents of the castle to spend some quality time with the two in order to express his gratitude and apologize for any inconveniences they had been made to experience...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Alaya be like, "Mine..." (O,...,O)','The mind of a sadist isn't a pleasant place','Luvia will be expecting gratitude later (UwU)~!')

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章 1183: Aftermath

Following Vahn's appearance at the Mage's Association, news and speculation quickly circulated throughout the entire Magus community. Just the fact he had been able to freely leave showed that he must have come to an accord with the Association Director so, when the announcement of his Sealing Designation being revoked came shortly thereafter, interest in the so-called Sage Emperor had skyrocketed.

There were several ways in which this manifested, depending on the social status of the person receiving the news. For the students and Faculty who had observed him, Vahn had become a talking point in many circles, if for no other reason than his physical appearance and presence. Amongst some of the female students, there were images that had been recorded of Vahn circulating around while, from the perspective of most male students and staff, he was almost universally disliked.

Pride was a key part of being a Magus and it often annoyed the boys that many female students often had more prestige than them. Since the journalism department would also publish their 'most desirable men' listings for the entire Clock Tower to read, the fact that Vahn's name and face had been pushed to the top of the list grated on quite a few young men and a few Faculty members who had their own listings pushed down. Among these, though he would never openly complain about such things in public, was Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, the man known as Lord Sophia-Ri, the current Head of one of the top ten most prestigious Magus families.

Ever since his former brother-in-law, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, had lost his life during the Fourth Holy Grail War, it felt like he could never get a break. Since the latter had left with such confidence, while also being one of the few people that Lord Sopha-Ri respected, it was quite a shock when he learned the former Lord El-Melloi had lost his life. When it became known that someone like Waver Velvet, one of Kayneth's students, had not only come back alive but also stole his colleague's original catalyst, Lord Sophia-Ri had been livid. Things were only exacerbated when Waver then worked hard to establish various connections, even going so far as to indebt himself heavily, just to take over the classroom that was previously managed by the deceased Lord El-Melloi.

When all of these things had come to light in the past, Lord Sophia-Ri had been preparing to crush Waver outright as, in his eyes, the latter was nothing more than a commoner and a thief. However, it became exceedingly difficult to do anything about Waver when, as if she had known about his own machinations, Reines outright kidnapped the man before later announcing him as the new Lord El-Melloi II. As he had not been a Lord himself at the time, it could have become a major debacle if he had taken any action against Waver at the time, something Lord Sophia-Ri regretted not doing till this day.

Originally, Lord Sophia-Ri's sister, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri had been engaged to Kayneth, the then Lord El-Melloi. She had been engaged to him for purely political reasons, largely related to the fact that, before the shock he had experienced motivated him to become a capable Magus, Lord Sophia-Ri had been considered a 'failure' who served no purpose other than holding onto the Magic Crest until he could produce an heir. When Lord El-Melloi had participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War, she had accompanied him before ultimately losing her life in the resultant conflict.

As a result of not only losing their Head, but also their family's Magic Crest, the Archibald family tore itself apart after the death of Lord El-Melloi. At the time, the Sophia-Ri family had also experienced a number of setbacks, largely due to accusations by members of the Archibald family claiming they were responsible for their Magic Crest being lost. Since the investigation conducted reflected this was the case, Lord Sophia-Ri had been forced to cooperate with the Archibald family during the time of the internal conflict, helping a few key members to seize power. It was around this time that his engagement to Reines had been established, even though she had only been around six-years-old at the time.

Initially, Lord Sophia-Ri didn't care about such an arrangement but, as his family was pressuring him into agreeing, as Reines had managed to secure the title of Lord and could be 'easily exploited', he ultimately took a step back on the matter. She had been a cute girl at the time, much like a bisque doll, so he decided to just look forward to her growth. However, when it came to light that she was not only protecting Waver, but had even adopted him as her old brother and given him the title of Lord El-Melloi II, Lord Sophia-Ri had been more incensed than ever before. It was for this reason that he had pressured Lord El-Melloi II at every chance he got, taking advantage of the fact he had been a commoner to cause all kinds of trouble for him.

Now, in hindsight, Lord Sophia-Ri wished he had outright killed Waver when he had gotten the chance. He had always mocked the man for being a 'false Lord', accusing him of simply holding onto the position onto Reines reached adulthood. Back then, this had indeed been the case as, with the title belonging to Reines, she would be required to take up the mantle herself if she wanted to avoid losing it to the Archibald family once again. However, on the day of her sixteenth birthday, Reines had shocked everyone by announcing her engagement to Lord El-Melloi II, allowing him to keep the title as a result of their union. That night, Lord Sophia-Ri had trashed an entire section of his Manor, only stopping when his Grandfather had intervened and given him a harsh lecture about how to act as a Lord...

For the last seventeen years, Lord Sophia-Ri had felt as if his life was spiraling outside of his control and, though he was now married and had already produced an heir, the shame he had experienced was carved into his heart. With the sudden emergence of the so-called Sage Emperor, whom he had failed to stonewall even through the use of Goldolf, Lord Sophia-Ri felt as if his notorious misfortune had reared its head once again. Not only had Vahn been able to walk into the Clock Tower and leave without any major incidents, but the death of Lev Lainur Flauros on the same day was quickly buried through the machinations of the Edelfelt family.

Though he had never been close to the man referred by many as 'Professor Lev', Lord Sophia-Ri had been quick to lambast the Edelfelt family and the Sage Emperor for conspiring together in order to bully weaker Aristocratic families. That very same evening, however, he was forced to quickly retract his statement and tone as, when the Edelfelt family stormed the Flauros Mansion, it was brought to light that Lev Lainur Flauros was engaged in many taboo practices. As there were very few things within the Magus community that were frowned upon, so long as you kept them concealed, the fact that Lev had been engaged in genuine taboos made all the former allies of the Flauros family quick to distance themselves.

In the days following the Edelfelt family's raid, the evidence painting Lev as a fanatical demon cultist quickly circulated through the Magus community. Many members of his extended family were also found guilty of similar crimes, to the point that many considered the entire family corrupted by the shadow of Lev's actions. As a result, their family was quickly torn apart, most of their assets being seized by the Edelfelt family while much of their research was turned over to the Mage's Association during the resultant investigation. This was so that the Edelfelts could distance themselves from any accusations that they had kept Lev's experimental data for themselves as, with their reputation as a 'righteous' Magus family, it would be a problem if they were associated with demonic rituals.

During these events, it was quickly brought to light that the Sage Emperor, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, was the one to expose Lev's decades-long scheme. The Animusphere family also published the results of their own internal investigation, turning over more than twenty of Lev's affiliates to the Mage's Association. Because of this, Vahn was currently enjoying quite a bit of popularity within the Clock Tower, even though most of the established Magus families felt a strong headache coming their way. Just the fact that he had been received by Zelretch, met with the Association Director, and then 'simply' walked away was already a major flag to many people.

Now that Vahn was affiliated with the Edelfelt family, there were very serious discussions occurring within the confines of each major family about how he should be dealt with in the future. This was because, around the same time that Vahn's information began circulating, it was brought to light that he was considered an outside power that, while affiliated with the Edelfel, Animusphere, and Archisorte families, had no direct affiliation with the Mage's Association. The fact he was allowed to leave the Clock Tower while still maintaining his status as an external power caused a stir amongst the established powers, especially those that knew the disposition of the Association Director.

It was well known that Vahn was supposedly from another world and, though he had been credited with destroying the Holy Grail, it was also known that he had been the victor of the Sixth Holy Grail War itself. Nobody knew what wish he had made and, while some claimed he hadn't made a wish at all, there were few who believed anyone could pass up such an opportunity. As a result, there were many who believed that Vahn had wished for something along the lines of 'absolute power' or, as was the far more popular talking point, had gained absolute power after reaching the Root. If the latter assumption was the case, it meant that there was now a Sixth Mage in the World, one whose power and abilities were completely unknown to the rest of the Magus community.

---

Though not unaware of how he was discussed within the Magus community, Vahn didn't particularly care about rumors. He had learned even in Danmachi that people would allow their imaginations to get the better of them and, with careful manipulation by those in power, even extreme falsehoods could be made into the 'truth'. With the current social and political climate that could be seen in 'normal' society, it wasn't an exaggeration to say things would be even worse within a community of individuals who believed in abstract concepts such as 'Mystery'.

Ultimately, regardless of what was said about him, it would be his actions and future accomplishments that built his prestige, not a few rumors being circulated by various people, seemingly with nothing better to do. A stark contrast to them, Vahn was rather busy spending each and every day, at least in his opinion, to the fullest.

After having returned to the Ivory Castle that first night, Vahn had been splitting his time between playing with his daughters, spending time with his women, hanging out with Siegfried, tending to Gray, and researching alongside Da Vinci. Though he didn't have much time for training, the fact that Scáthach was away had given him a bit of leeway in that regard. That didn't mean he wasn't getting stronger, however, as one of the things at the forefront of Vahn's focus was experimenting with the elements of Space and Time. At the same time, he was doing his best to recover his Creation Divinity as, in conjunction with the other two advanced elements, he needed an understanding of all three to complete his Zennith Quest.

To that end, after entrusting Lev's body to Da Vinci for analysis, Vahn had been experimenting with folding, expanding, shrinking, and compressing Space. These were all things that Da Vinci herself had a keen interest in so, while Vahn was training alone within the Sub-Space Orb reserved for his training with Scáthach, he had an audience of rather adorable creatures observing him. Since Da Vinci wasn't really the type to produce the same thing over and over again, she had been building various different types of adorable companions that would serve as the basis for the social, political, and educational reforms she wanted to see in the future.

Currently, though Skoll and Skoll V2 were considerably cuter than the rest, Da Vinci had produced companions with various animal traits. There was a cat-type model named Neko, a dog-type named Momo, a hamster-type named Manju, and an owl-type named Hoo. The cat-type model possessed black and white fur and was programmed to act similar to a lazy house cat, a stark contrast to how the dog-type would follow you around, actively seeking affection and wanting to play. As for the hamster and owl types, the former was Da Vinci's attempt to make the 'softest' model, resulting in a squishy and adorably lazy golem while the latter, intended for more 'sophisticated' individuals would generally sit stoically at the side, only acting adorable when given attention.

Though all of Da Vinci's companions were created to be vaguely humanoid, she was also working on models that, like the clothes she had designed, could be 'upgraded' via the network she intended to establish. Her intention was to have all children assigned a rather adorable companion that would be able to support healthy mental development which, when they got older, would 'evolve' in order to better reflect their owners and support their ambitions.

For those that wanted to fly around freely, their companions could very well evolve into giant flying mounts while, those who were reserved, might have their companions evolve into more human or wholly animalistic forms. She had even accounted for the possibility that some people would fall in love with their companions and, as they had the potential of gaining a soul, at least according to her observations and research of Vahn, Da Vinci did not intend to pass judgment on who loved what. As someone who had experienced just how heartbreaking it could be to have their preferences scorned, Da Vinci was actually curious to see what form the love of others would take if allowed to blossom freely.

At first, Vahn wasn't that comfortable with the potential for the adorable, almost child-like creatures to evolve into biological organisms that were even capable of giving birth, but he quickly got over it after considering the matter from the perspective of using his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] to name things. Since the only way for them to evolve into such a form was if their owner was of healthy mind and sound judgment, Vahn felt it would be insensitive of him to disallow such a relationship. If they grew alongside each other and developed mutual love, to the point the AI could awaken a nascent Soul, Vahn felt it would be wrong to interfere.

With that in mind, Vahn watched how his own daughters interacted with their companions as, after it had been cared for by Siegfried and allowed some semblance of a peaceful life, Susu had 'betrayed' Mordred and started living in his room. Fortunately, with Neko as a replacement, she didn't seem to care about the loss of the cat she had initially stolen from Nobunaga. This was because, even though Neko was programmed to be a 'lazy house cat', it would still respond positively to Mordred instead of trying to escape all the time. Thus, in the days following Neko's creation, Mordred could often be seen carrying it around and playing while Sakura, accompanied by the dog-type companion, Momo, was often close by.

Since his daughters seemed to get along really well with their companions, Vahn felt like children all over the world would benefit from their presence. As even Gray and Artoria, receiving Hoo and Manju respectively, seemed to genuinely enjoy playing with their companions, Vahn felt that Da Vinci's vision of the future wasn't as difficult to achieve as Luvia seemed to believe. Though there would undoubtedly be problems, Vahn felt that implementing the use of companions within Avalon alone would eventually lead to them being spread throughout the entire world.

At the very least, anyone that would reside on the Island would be required to have a companion with them, serving as their assistant, guardian, and the 'key' that allowed them access to specific facilities. Then, when these people left the Island, they would have already grown attached to their companions, with many having already evolved into more convenient forms that directly reflect their personality and interests. With this, it was only a matter of time before interest in the companions grew and, while there would undoubtedly be naysayers who painted them in a negative light, the rampant changes in the world would cause many to seek the security and companionship offered by the adorable little creatures...

That was a matter for the distant future, however, and, while Vahn often walked around with Skoll and Skoll V2 following close behind, his bigger focus was on the clingy Alaya. Though he could have kept it to himself, Vahn had confronted her about the 'Symbiotic Dependence' they had seemingly developed for each other. As she would often get angsty whenever they were separated for a long period of time, there wasn't much room for Alaya to deny the fact. Her behavior had already been documented by Akasha and, as it was not 'corrected', the only thing she could do was accept that Vahn's influence on her was something she could no longer resist.

Though it wasn't to the point that it had overwritten any of her directives, Alaya didn't deny that she would probably do something drastic if anything were to happen to him. As his death would allow her to begin using her functions once again, such as the use of Counter Guardians, Alaya admitted she would exterminate anyone that had been involved in his death. Since Akasha and her superiors were interested in seeing how she would 'evolve' beyond the purpose given to her, Alaya knew it was only a matter of time before Vahn managed to 'tame' her. Thus, as much as it annoyed her to admit it, she was simply incapable of denying the facts as her programming made it impossible for her to lie.

As a result of his confrontation with the increasingly adorable blue creature, Vahn's impression and treatment of Alaya had improved considerably. Though he still wouldn't sleep with her, as he now felt a compulsion to 'tame' her beforehand, their relationship became similar to the one enjoyed by his daughter's and their companions, albeit much closer. Since this shift in mentality also made the energy conversion of his bodily fluids more efficient, Alaya could only grit her teeth in annoyance as she slowly became accustomed to Vahn handling her freely and playing with her ears whenever he was ruminating over something...

In this manner, interspaced by some rather intimate interactions with the women in his life, Vahn was enjoying his new schedule, split between the time he spent in London and the evenings he enjoyed in the comforts of Avalon. Since the Aristocratic faction and the other major families didn't seem to know how to treat him at the moment, he had a lot of free time on his hands so, other than waiting for the return of Illya's and Astolfo's groups, there wasn't much for him to do other than follow his interests. The only causes of stress in his life right now, other than general uncertainty, was the time he invested trying to wean Gray, in order to restore her independence, and Olga's increasing need to seek him out for positive affirmation...

Gray spent most of her time with Artoria and, though she was quickly becoming friends with Fenrir and Medusa, there were also times when she would track him down, regardless of if he was busy or not, just to spend time with him and suck his blood. As for Olga, she would often be waiting for him around the transfer point, sometimes for hours, in order to present her research to him the moment he returned from London. He had slightly underestimated her desire to be praised but, feeling she was somewhat similar to how Fenrir had been when she was younger, Vahn didn't mind pandering to her needs for a bit. The more she sought positive affirmation from him, the easier it would be to set her on the 'proper' path later. Thus, until the time she was made the Director of Chaldea, Vahn decided to tolerate Olga's admittedly adorable behavior, so long as she didn't do anything too extreme...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Man, Lord Sophia-Ri has gotten screwed a few times xD...','Da Vinci says, "Conquer the world with cuteness...! Let there be Love~!"','Do these count as First-World problems, or Second Record problems...?')

https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)

paypal.me/Einlion

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