บท 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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