Chương 1389: Insight

As much as he would like to just lounge about all day, Vahn was often a very busy Emperor. He still needed to make his usual rounds so, while dealing with Tiamat and Alaya, he escorted Lakshmibai back to the castle. There, before parting ways, the two embraced for a considerable amount of time, Vahn's hands wandering to Lakshmibai's pert and plump posterior as she tip-toed to kiss him more easily.

Since he knew she would most likely be returning to her training, Vahn didn't want to rile Lakshmibai up too much so, after several minutes of cat and mouse between their tongues, he set her down and whispered, "It would make me happy if you were to join me this evening..."

Hearing Vahn's invitation, Lakshmibai's face became suffused with a ruddy hue, a radiant smile spreading across her face as she readily nodded her head and answered, "I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world..."

Finding Lakshmibai's response to his liking, Vahn grabbed both sides of the beautiful woman's face before giving her one final, passionate, kiss. When they finally parted, a thread of saliva connected their lips for a brief moment before finally breaking as Lakshmibai licked her lips. Then, to send her on her way, Vahn gave her rump a light smack, knowing full well how much she enjoyed such things.

---

Shortly after his parting with Lakshmibai, Vahn emerged from Tiamat's Marble Phantasm with Alaya, once again, returning to her usual perch. She needed a phenomenal amount of Magical Energy to carry out his orders so, even if their relationship had changed considerably over the last few hours, there were some things that remained the same...

Since he had already started to make the rounds with his other body, starting with a visit to Aoko's sister, Vahn's first order of business was finding out more about Sherlock's recent visit. With this in mind, he had Alaya fill him in on most of the details while heading toward his and Da Vinci's shared Workshop.

At this point, it would be more accurate to refer to the Workshop as Da Vinci's and Sophia's but, as he still worked there when he had the opportunity, Vahn wasn't willing to relinquish his claim just yet. Yes, Sophia had basically coopted his stations as her own but, as this just gave him an excuse to work alongside her, Vahn upheld the illusion he was still a permanant fixture within the progressively more futuristic Workshop...

Every time Vahn visited the Workshop, there was always something new and exciting to discover but, this time around, a very different scene awaited him upon his entry into the climate-controlled room. There, he found Da Vinci nestled into a sleek semi-hemispherical chair that, much like Sophia's usual crafts, floated off the ground using gravitational stabilizers.

What was truly surprising about the scene wasn't the fact Da Vinci was sitting in the chair but, rather, it was the fact Sophia was cuddled up against her that took Vahn's breath away. He rarely saw them having normal mother-daughter interactions so, for a brief moment, Vahn felt as if he had interloped onto something sacred, his presence tainting an otherwise pure moment.

Since there was no way to enter the Workshop without Da Vinci's notice, the latter partially opened her right eye, staring at Vahn with a knowing smile on her face. Despite this, she didn't say anything and, instead, kept gently stroking Sophia's back. Then, a few seconds later, a second Da Vinci poked her head out from the adjacent corridor, gesturing for Vahn to follow.

As the soundproofing and security of the Workshop were the best in the entire Ivory Castle, simply closing a door made it virtually impossible to hear what was on the other side. Thus, after entering into the corridor connecting to the sleeping quarters and Da Vinci's primary laboratory, Vahn issued an apologetic smile as he muttered, "It's good to see the two of you getting along. I've been worried you are overworking yourselves these days..."

Seemingly finding his words amusing, Da Vinci laughed in her usual elegant manner, her hand covering her mouth like a noblewoman. Afterward, her eyes fluttered playfully as she mused, "We actually spend most of our time together, you know~? Even if we're not standing over each other's shoulders twenty-four-seven, just working in the same space brings us closer. Now, come along, I have some things to show you."

Since he knew from personal experience how truthful Da Vinci's words were, Vahn gave a small nod in response before dutifully following along and finding himself in the familiar chamber that housed Ark, Mother, and Shadow...

Without even needing to inform Da Vinci as to the reason behind his visit, she led him over to Ark's primary display, tapping a few runic icons as a three-dimensional projection of a young boy waved in the corner of the screen. This was the Avatar that Ark had chosen for itself so, knowing it could see his reactions, Vahn waved in turn, smiling at the blue-haired boy wearing sagely garb.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Da Vinci issued a sonorous giggle before lightly poking Ark with a stylus and saying, "Ark, be a dear and run the simulation according to these parameters. Feel free to use the Environmental Projection Medium if necessary~."

After lightly rubbing his side, where Da Vinci had poked him with her stylus, Ark then performed a courteous bow as the laboratory spontaneously changed appearance, turning from a futuristic room filled with various pieces of technology to a small alleyway in an instant.

Though she couldn't even remotely emulate the full effects of Vahn's domain, Da Vinci had made a fair amount of headway in developing a device that effectively mapped a person's surroundings. This was carried by people like Sherlock, Kenshin, and Scáthach when they went out on away missions. As a result, they could playback events with extreme clarity, so long as the person operating the device was still conscious.

As a result of Da Vinci's incomprehensible brilliance, Vahn was able to witness Sherlock's encounter with the enigmatic Betty in high-definition. After all, the device was directly connected to a person's senses so, with Sherlock's observational prowess, even granules of dirt and the texture of clothing was visible within the simulation. He wasn't the type to overlook even the most minute details so you could even find rats skulking around behind dumpsters or maggots festering within the sizeable piles of trash...

After observing the simulation from start to finish, including the moment where Betty had vanished into thin air, Vahn asked, "What did Sherlock say about all of this? He must have developed a theory by now, correct?"

Though he didn't spend too much time with Sherlock, Vahn had the distinct impression he wasn't the type to relax in the middle of a case. Since even he could come up with a few working theories, it was all but guaranteed that Sherlock had either come up with the actual answer or, at the very least, close to it.

Da Vinci, having already anticipated Vahn's follow-up question, tapped one of the runes on the screen and, in response, an image of Sherlock was projected on the monitor, explaining, "My initial deduction, while not wrong, wasn't entirely accurate. This entity, Betty, seems to be the product of another. They seem to have the ability to alter the perception of select individuals, manifesting the entity known as Betty virtually anywhere. From what has been observed, it can be deduced that the Betty we see is not actually a real person and, as soon as her connection to the source is cut, she will cease to be until manifested elsewhere."

Hearing Sherlock's explanation, Vahn couldn't help but frown as, even if Betty had just been some kind of unique Daemon that affected people's minds, she would have been exceptionally dangerous. Now, it turned out that she likely wasn't even real, just the projection of someone else's ability, one that could, albeit to a limited extent, alter reality. This meant, even if they destroyed Betty, she would never be defeated as, without eliminating the person who was manifesting her, there was no limit to the number of times she could be formed...

Fortunately, as Vahn suspected, Sherlock already had a working theory, confidently stating, "Based on the evidence, it is possible to make deductions regarding the person behind Betty. After all, there are very few noteworthy examples of innocent girls turning into eldritch horrors that can also directly affect the minds of men and women. Though the likelihood is only around 87%, it is safe to assume Betty is the creation of a Heroic Spirit intrinsically related to Lovecraftian Mythos, specifically Howard Phillips Lovecraft or Lin Carter. The former is far more likely but, given how Betty referred to herself as 'The Darkness', the latter's association cannot be completely ignored."

Since Vahn had spent a considerable amount of time with Azathoth, he was very familiar with H. P. Lovecraft and his association with the Outer Gods. The man basically had an Innate that allowed him to peer directly into the Dimension of the Outer Gods through his dreams, linking together with the original Azathoth to experience the horrors of the Universe the latter had created. Thus, even before Sherlock had pointed it out, Vahn had already made the assumption that H. P. Lovecraft was the man behind the enigmatic existence known as Betty.

The problem was, without knowing where Lovecraft was hiding, it was virtually impossible to stop him from manifesting Betty or, as Sherlock pointed out, The Darkness. Fortunately, their enemies had the mentality of 'Heroes' so, even if left alone, Betty wasn't a genuine threat to the Empire. Rather, if not for the horrible state she left people in, Vahn would have ordered Sherlock to focus his efforts on other things. After all, every time something bad happened, the Empire would automatically take the blame for it. They couldn't just let someone go around leaving behind 'immortal corpses' to suffer for all eternity...

With this in mind, Vahn preempted what Sherlock was about to say, stating, "The next time Betty, or something similar, manifests, I will deal with it personally. I imagine they will lay low for a short while so, when something happens, please notify me...also, thanks for all of your hard work."

Hearing Vahn's remark, Sherlock's smile widened almost imperceptibly but, rather than agree, he politely stated, "As much as possible, I will resolve this matter myself. I will not rest until I track down the true culprit and expose them directly. Your Majesty's consideration is appreciated but there are other matters that require your attention. You can leave this to myself and Lilith. Worry not, however, as we will keep you informed as things continue to develop."

Understanding that Sherlock was a rather prideful individual, Vahn elected not to press the man too much. After all, he had already taken Lilith off his hands and, though he was never ordered to do so, he even proactively traveled around the world to solve cases. Interfering at this point would be the same as saying he had lost faith in Sherlock's abilities thus, at least for the time being, Vahn gave an understanding nod, stating, "I'll leave in your capable hands. If there is anything you need in order to complete your investigation, inform me immediately."

As if he had been waiting for those exact words, Sherlock showed a rare, genuine, smile as he readily stated, "If it is not an inconvenience to His Majesty, please consider summoning my assistant, John Hamish Watson, in the near future. While I do rather enjoy the companionship of Madam Lilith, I'm certain you can understand the need to have a male confidant..."

Hearing Sherlock's request, Vahn was tempted to laugh aloud but, keeping his image in mind, he just gave an understanding nod, saying, "I'll see to it later today. Since it's been a while, we can all go out and have a few drinks while you get your partner caught up to speed. I'm certain everyone can use a break after this last month."

Since it would be improper to refuse a direct invitation, Sherlock graciously accepted Vahn's offer as, while he wasn't exactly complaining, being away from Lilith for a few hours would, indeed, be nice...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Lakshmibai likes it rough o3o...','Da Vinci saw Detective Pikachu...','Who would have thought that Lilith, Queen of the Succubi, would be a handful~?')

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Chương 1390: Drama

Meeting expectations, another month had gone by without any appearance from the elusive Betty. This indicated that her creator was either being extra cautious, taking measures to avoid leaving any evidence whatsoever, or, as was far more likely, they were involved with something going on behind the scenes.

At this point, it was all but guaranteed that their enemies were hidden away within a sub texture as none of the probes they had sent to observe the various Bounded Fields on the Surface had noticed any abnormalities. Though it was possible they had ventured inside one of them without notice, the fact two months had passed without a single sign of them indicated this was not the case.

Without any leads, other than the ones Sherlock fabricated using his unique combination of Skills and Innates, the Empire had no choice but to focus on more pertinent issues. They couldn't keep waiting around for the enemy to attack so, in preparation for whatever would be thrown at them, Vahn had been making use of the Throne of Heroes to a borderline gross extent.

With the exceptions of Sir Agravain and Sir Kay, all of the former Knights of the Round Table had now been summoned. Vahn had taken into consideration the fact he would be establishing the European Supercolony first so, with the majority of Heroic Spirits being more powerful within their homeland, it was a good opportunity to get things out of the way. As a result, they learned that Sir Agravain and Sir Kay were 'technically' both still alive but, considering Add possessed a fraction of the latter's spirit, this wasn't particularly a surprise.

Following the summoning of the Knights of the Round Table, Vahn figured he might as well go for 'complete sets', much like a collector of various goods. He would need a phenomenally powerful force to contend against the Gods and police the entire planet so, with Astolfo already existing as a central figure within the Empire, Vahn opted to summon the Paladins of Charlemagne, sans the infamous Emperor himself.

Though Vahn had been tempted to summon Charlemagne, Astolfo and the then-summoned Roland had convinced him otherwise. According to them, Charlemagne was a benevolent ruler but, as could be expected for someone of his era, he had been a principal follower of the Roman Catholic Church. He had even been christened as the Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope, giving him the 'divine right' to rule over the known world.

In other words, Charlemagne was a religious zealot of the highest order and, while many had called him just, history had always been written by the victors of conquests. Since even Roland, the leader of the Paladins of Charlemagne, was against summoning his former lord, Vahn knew better than to give in to his curiosity. This was only emphasized even more when he summoned the sibling duo of Bradamante and Rinaldo, cousins of Roland and Astolfo. The former had been someone ardently loyal to Charlemange but, given a choice in the matter, she would rather he be left to rest.

By the time Vahn had summoned half of the Twelve Paladins, any thoughts he had of summoning Charlemagne had been swept aside. The last thing he needed was a religious zealot to unify the scattered followers of the Roman Catholic Church, reviving the functionally pointless organization despite the proven existence of Alaya.

Charlemagne was a man who had received everything from 'God' so, upon being summoned into the present, it was all but guaranteed that he would turn against the Empire that had, for all intents and purposes, destroyed the Roman Catholic Church. This would make things difficult for the former Paladins so, rather than sew discord in his own Empire, Vahn decided to simply avoid summoning him. The fact Charlemagne had Skills like [God's Resolution], [Holy King], [Great Emperor Privilege], and [Ceremonial Reformation] further cemented this idea...

---

As could be expected from summoning large groups of related people, there was a bit of drama within the Empire but, as this just made things livelier, Vahn didn't particularly mind. Truthfully, he was just glad that people like Bradamante weren't pining to gain access to the Inner Sanctum. In fact, she seemed to have a particular fondness for her cousin, Astolfo, so Vahn had been able to see the pink-haired Knight running all over the island in order to escape the rather violent twin-tailed tsundere.

Other than moments like that, the only real drama had been a result of the former divide between the Knights of the Round Table but, as the present had nothing to do with events from more than fifteen hundred years ago, things settled down pretty quickly. It helped that Gareth had been one of the first to be summoned as it was her death, combined with Artoria's handling of things, that caused the original split. Though Gaheris couldn't completely forgive Lancelot for what he had done, the fact Gawain and Gareth had forgiven the former Knight of the Lake went a long way towards rebuilding trust between them...

In truth, most of the actual drama within the Empire was related to Vahn and the Inner Sanctum so, for reasons he couldn't quite put into words, it was nice to see other people experiencing a bit of drama. It always made for pleasant conversation while they were all drinking together and, though it was impossible to completely bridge the divide between them, Vahn felt closer to his male companions when they had troubles of their own to talk about. It had become increasingly more difficult to talk about his own so it meant a lot that they trusted him enough to bare their hearts to him, at least while intoxicated...

It was no secret that, while his position was enviable, none of the men who knew of Vahn's affairs would ever willingly trade places with him. The only two people who could truly empathize with him were Ozymandias and Alexander but, whilst they had both harbored harems of more than a hundred people, the difference in status had ensured things never became an issue. Alexander, in particular, could go months or years at a time without even caring about some of the women in his harem so, while the number eclipsed Vahn's, the effort they put in was incomparable.

To make matters even worse, Vahn's harem had become increasingly more convoluted with the passage of time. At times, it even felt like there were no real restrictions limiting its growth as, a few weeks after he first had sex with Illya, Iris, too, had shared his bed. Just recently, he had even made love to Nero, an affair that had lasted nearly thirty hours due to her sheer unwillingness to 'admit defeat'. Now, the only real harem candidates he had yet to do the deed with were Jeanne, Okita, Medea, Semiramis, and, for entirely different reasons, Medusa.

Vahn still held some small hope that girls like Jeanne and Okita would find love elsewhere but, as he never really did anything to push them away, it was, truthfully, only a matter of time. The same could be said for Medea but, as she had become very close with Medusa, there was little chance of her taking the initiative before her friend. Vahn was pretty sure they had even made a promise with each other to that extent so, once Medusa was finally ready to advance their relationship, it was all but guaranteed that Medea would follow suit.

Now, the only thing Vahn could really hope for was that Mash, Zoë, and Juliet wouldn't fall for his 'charms'. If they followed the example of Astrid, that would be for the best as, much like he had towards Tina, Vahn felt extremely awkward having basically reared them as his surrogate children, only for them to fall in love with him as a result. He wanted them to be happy and, while he would do his best to help them find that happiness, it would be healthier if they found it outside of his bed-chamber.

Fortunately, Mash had been getting along exceptionally well with Richard and, though it was more than a little troubling, Sakura had privately told him about her crush on Galahad. This hadn't exactly come as a surprise but, knowing she had enough trust in him to openly admit her feelings, Vahn felt both gratified and fretful at the same time. Ultimately, however, the former won out, so, after a very long heart-to-heart conversation, Vahn basically told Sakura that she was free to love, so long as she took the necessary considerations, chiefly her age, into account.

Though he would never allow his children to be in a toxic or exploitative relationship, Vahn had already made the decision to never interfere with their love lives. Even if they made a mistake, this was part of the growing process and, so long as it wasn't associated with a tragedy, he wouldn't even punish the men or women that had broken his children's' hearts. After all, he wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue when it came to relationships so, to prevent needless rebellion, Vahn tried to be as understanding as possible when it came to his children's problems. He would rather they come to him seeking advice and counsel rather than try to keep something a secret as, after the incident with 'future' Tina, Vahn had learned a very hard lesson about communication...

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that he, and many of his children, would live forever. Any number of things could happen in that time so, rather than drive a wedge between them in the first few decades of their life, Vahn wanted to establish himself as someone they could trust when things didn't go their way. He would never proactively spoil them but, when it came to the things they needed, he would always be there to provide for them. This was one of his most important duties as a father and, though it was more painful than he imagined, Vahn was able to bear the peculiar heartbreak associated with having your children grow up, a supportive smile on his face throughout...

Soon enough, this would become a very important skill to possess as, with Isanna and Naavi both having already matured, there was a very real chance he would be tested in the near future. After all, Isanna was a troublingly promiscuous girl and, now that her appearance was almost the same as her mother, it was all but guaranteed 'something' would happen. She even floated around in her raiment most of the time now and, though her pseudo-Divinity related to Love had actually decreased from 95% to 88%, Vahn had the distinct impression this was due to the nature of the Divinity changing.

If things continued to develop as they were, it wasn't hard to imagine Isanna and Daiki becoming lovers in the near future. Both Isanna and Naavi were drawn to him far more than was normal for siblings but, unlike her 'older' sister, Naavi was very level-headed. As for Daiki, he was troubled by his doting older sisters but, despite his lamentations, he couldn't be away from them for very long without falling into a state bordering on depression.

Ishtar and Ereshkigal weren't particularly worried about their daughters ending up with Daiki, as it was 'very' common for related Gods to become lovers, but, as could be expected, Rin was more than a little troubled by the notion. Though she was one of the mothers of all three children, Daiki, in particular, was her baby. She knew there wasn't actually a genetic relation between her son and the two Vanir but, considering they were formed in the same womb, it still felt wrong.

What really weighed heavily on Rin's heart and mind was how Isanna and Naavi looked almost identical to Ishtar and Ereshkigal, despite the fact they weren't even five years old. She had even mistaken Isanna for Ishtar once when she saw the former floating around with Daiki contentedly sleeping with his face in her bosom. It was only when Isanna called her Mama that Rin realized it wasn't actually Ishtar, something that caused her a few restless nights after the fact.

When it came down to it, the thing that really frightened Rin was the fact that her son was basically growing up with his path pre-determined. Though he got along decently with everyone, the love he shared with his two sisters was abnormally strong, far beyond even that of close kin. While this wouldn't have been much of an issue if they developed at the same rate, the fact the two Vanir already looked like young women was terrifying to her...

It had taken a considerable amount of effort for Vahn to assuage Rin's concerns over the matter, helped in large part by Ishtar, Ereshkigal, and Artoria. Together, they had been able to convince her that the most important thing was for them to be tolerant and patient parents. If she started to try and distance Daiki from his sisters, that would only cause all three of them to resent her so, the only thing she could really do was try and guide all three of them to the best of her ability.

Since most of Isanna's more troublesome aspects had been reigned in by Vahn, his words had a lot of weight when it came to convincing Rin to be patient. Children, even those born with limited-omniscience, simply didn't know better when it came to such things. They needed their parents to guide them with patience and understanding, not disgust and intolerance. Since Rin truly loved all three of them, it would only end in tragedy if she tried to intervene forcibly. Not only would her heart suffer in the process but, as a result of her actions, Daiki, Isanna, and Naavi may even come to hate her.

Hate was a very powerful motivator and, with the amount of power Isanna already possessed, the last thing they needed was for her to become rebellious. As things stood, she was actually a very obedient and responsible girl, despite her troublemaking tendencies. Though she did butt heads with Mordred on a number of occasions, she rarely used even a fraction of her power, knowing, on a fundamental level, it was wrong to do so. This was an idea that had been instilled into her at a very young age and, after considerable guidance from Vahn, Isanna would likely continue using her power responsibly into the distant future.

When it came to power scaling on the levels of Gods, authority and respect were two of the most important aspects of maintaining order. With this in mind, Rin was encouraged to become one of the people Isanna genuinely respected, not the primary source for any antagonistic feelings she would develop over time. It would take a considerable amount of effort but, with ardent support from Vahn, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal, the three people Isanna respected most, it wasn't impossible...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gotta collect 'em all...!','Vahn, God of Drama...','Poor Rin. It can't be easy being a mortal trying to raise god-like children...')

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