章節 1151: Shift
After his first time with Da Vinci, it was very apparent that things had changed between them as, even though she still focused on her work during the day, Da Vinci would take short ten-to-twenty minute breaks during the evening to 'help' Vahn practice his Petting Laws. This often took the form of her sitting in his lap, reclining against his chest with closed eyes as Vahn either stroked her head or massaged around her neck and shoulders. Though he had decided to treat Da Vinci similarly to how he would other women of her 'stature', Vahn had no intention of doing anything more intimate than simply touching. As Da Vinci seemed to share this sentiment, their time together became a means for her to simply relax and ease the tensions of her body as, for the most part, Da Vinci never really took breaks before.
Other than his developing relationship with Da Vinci, everything else had become relatively 'routine', the only exceptions being when Vahn would go on a moonlit stroll or spend some quality time with one, or more, of the girls. He had even gone skinny dipping with Nobunaga and Fenrir in the middle of the night, a rather memorable experience in the seemingly endless stream of peaceful days. Even the moments where he was getting thrashed by Scáthach had become something Vahn had 'almost' completely adapted to. He had started to incorporate his [Rakshasa Body] transformations into his fighting style more often so, except when she used a particularly fierce blow, Vahn had been holding up much better than in the past. It was to the point that, even if she stabbed through his head with her spear, Vahn could now counterattack as if his body didn't actually require his brain to function...
As a result of his progress on various fronts, Vahn was living an extremely contented life where every day felt meaningful, even if it also felt like a seamless collage of small events. Not everyone had the same mentality, however, as Astolfo had been joining him and Siegfried for drinks after Da Vinci's golems had renovated a rather homely pub within the abandoned Castle Town. Currently, Vahn was seated next to a drunk Astolfo who, despite joining them for 'men's time', was wearing a frilly pink dress with ribbons tying up his hair. On his right, Siegfried was also present but, as it was extremely difficult for him to get drunk, he had a complacent smile on his face as he fed small treats to Skoll.
After taking another hearty gulp of the contents of his mug, Astolfo released a high-pitched and hot sigh before slamming his mug on the tabletop and exclaiming, "I'm sooooo bored~!" Though the island of Avalon was a 'very' interesting place to explore, all of the most interesting places were off-limits and, after more than six months within the Orb, Astolfo had seen almost everything the island had to offer. He had started training again after receiving a physical body from Vahn but, even when he had been alive in his previous life, Astolfo had relied primarily on his inherent talent than earnest training. Since his 'wish' had been to explore the world, he was growing increasingly bored being cooped up on the island with only the same people to interact with on a daily basis...
Hearing Astolfo's complaint, Vahn issued a light chuckle while habitually stroking his head to calm him down. This caused Astolfo to rest his head on the countertop, his mouth wriggling in a strange manner as he enjoyed having his head pat. In response to this, Skoll began to totter over from where it had been seated before Siegfried, intercepting Vahn's hand as if all petting in the world belonged to it. Astolfo made a playful 'boo boo' sound but, as Skoll was not yet capable of complex thoughts, it just sat down in front of Vahn to receive head pats. Astolfo lifted his head with a dejected look, once again repeating, "It really ish borink aroun' here though...Vaaaaahn, let'sh go ecshplore the outshide worl~"
As he spoke, Astolfo threw his arms around Vahn and began to nuzzle against him without regard for their difference in status. This caused Vahn to release a sigh but, as he was already used to the behavior of his peculiar Knight, he didn't mind it too much so long as Astolfo didn't get handsy. From the side, Siegfried watched the interaction between Vahn and Astolfo with a slight smile on his face before emptying the contents of his own glass. Though he was still the same taciturn and polite man as before, he had come to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere within the Orb. Unlike Astolfo, he didn't mind if things stayed like this indefinitely as it was infinitely better than wandering from one battlefield to the other, corpses piling up around him...
After extricating himself from Astolfo's grasp, Vahn handed Skoll over to him while saying, "I've also been thinking about checking up on Rin, Sakura, and Gray. I missed New Years so I owe them a few presents..." The moment these words left his mouth, Astolfo looked toward Vahn was unnervingly fiery eyes, the only thing preventing him from trying to leap at Vahn being the fact he was currently holding Skoll. As they shared the same hair color, and were both 'cute', Astolfo had always been fond of the small Vanargandr-type golem. Thus, even while drunk, Astolfo let Skoll sit in his lap while playing with its ears, all the while the small 'creature' just looked up at Vahn with its pink eyes which, if you looked closely, had an aperture instead of a normal pupil...
Though he managed to resist the urge to pounce, Astolfo still leaned forward slightly as he loudly exclaimed, "I want to go outshide ash well! I promish I won't get into any trooooouble~." As if his legend wasn't one of a well-known troublemaker, Astolfo had an excited smile on his face as he continued to flop Skoll's ears with his hands. Seeing this, Vahn shook his head with an amused expression on his face, saying, "I'll talk to Catherine in order to come up with an itinerary for you. I trust you, Astolfo, so I will be very disappointed if you end up causing trouble as a result of your actions. If an enemy comes to you, thats one thing...just keep in mind that Catherine is still weak and many of our enemies would not hesitate to use underhand means to target both of you..."
In response to Vahn's concern, Astolfo hopped up from his stool, holding Skoll up with both hands as he confidently shouted, "I will never endanger the people I cherish! Even if I get into trouble, I will make sure it doesn't affect anyone but myself...!" Though he was drunk, Astolfo managed to get his words out without fumbling, making clear his resolution to protect the things important to him. As this was all Vahn could really ask for, even though Astolfo's 'trouble' would undoubtedly become his, he gave an approving nod before raising up his glass and remarking, "A toast. To the brave and noble Astolfo-chan~!" As Astolfo was rather fond of being addressed with 'chan', Vahn decided to tease the somewhat overbearing Knight.
As expected, Astoflo began to laugh in a peculiar 'ahahahahaha~' manner in a high-pitched tone of voice. His snaggletooth was on full display as he began to wave Skoll over his head in an excited manner before nearly tumbling to the ground when he began to want for oxygen. Fortunately, even completely drunk, Astoflo's balance wasn't entirely compromised so he managed to find his footing before remarking, "I'm gonna go tell Kitty the good newsh~" With that said, Astolfo, still carrying Skoll, ran out of the small pub with shaky yet swift steps. As for the 'Kitty' he was referring to, this was the pet name that Astolfo had given Catherine after she allowed him to shorten her name to Cat.
Now that it was just him and Siegfried, Vahn began to laugh in a lighthearted manner while, after a few seconds, even Siegfried gave a short chuckle. Then, as it was a good opportunity, Vahn asked if there were any places Siegfried might want to visit in the future. He wasn't all that surprised when the latter plainly answered, "I like this place. I understand that it is better to know more about the world but, unless it is by your order, I would prefer to spend my days protecting Avalon and the Ivory Castle." Knowing it would be a little difficult for him to refuse to aid others if he were to begin traveling, Siegfried was sincere when expressing his intention to protect the peaceful home he had grown fond of.
After hearing Siegfried's answer, Vahn emptied nearly half his mug in one go before releasing a hot and contented sigh of his own. He actually thought it might be fun to travel around the world for a bit with Siegfried as, in more ways than one, their natures were very similar. Vahn was just as 'weak' to helping people as this quiet friend of his, meaning their journey would involve helping almost everyone they came across. Though he had promised Artoria to avoid throwing the world into too much turmoil all at once, that was a promise made before the lingering threat of Angra Mainyu was introduced into the world.
Understanding that his own power could be greatly enhanced if he had a large number of followers, Vahn was seriously considering rallying the people of various countries together with the fate of the world on the line. The problem with this was that all three major powers would not take kindly to such actions but, as the days continued to flow into each other, Vahn was beginning to feel like he needed to take an open stance against them in the near future. Though it would be ideal if they could work together, at least for the time being, Vahn knew such cooperation would only come after he made them realize it simply wasn't 'worth' it to try and oppose him directly...
While thinking of potential enemies and allies, Vahn decided to confer with his ever-present blue companion, picking her up by the scruff and setting her down on the countertop before asking, "Alaya, can you tell me how many people in this world are more powerful than me? Are there any serious threats I need to be aware of before revealing myself to the world...?" Though he didn't expect her to have a favorable answer, as even Alaya's omniscience couldn't probe places that had powerful barriers if they were expressly designed to keep her out. She was unable to take proactive measures until she had identified a threat and, even then, she had to rely on her Counter Guardians and similar existences to act on her behalf.
In an admittedly adorable manner, Alaya tilted her squirrel-like head to the side, blinking her violet eyes as she answered, "I lack the means to answer this question accurately. Based on your battle with the Heroic Spirit known as Gilgamesh, the vast majority of entities within this world do not pose a direct threat to you. However, there are some amongst the entities known as the Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors that the current you would not be able to match. There are also several pseudo-Beasts of Gaia, Divine Spirits, Nature Spirits, and Daemons that you would have functionally no means to fight against. The greatest threat to your existence is the Holy Church as, if they skew the public to recognize you as a 'threat', their Sacrament will become even more powerful against you."
As he hadn't expected Alaya to be so forthright with her information, Vahn was slightly taken aback by her long explanation. She didn't seem quite finished, however, tilting her head to the other side in a way he understood was 'supposed' to seem cute, adding, "If you continue biding your time here, you will be grossly unprepared for the battle against Angra Mainyu. Since I would rather not see humanity wiped out as a result of your complacency, I suggest using your Administrative privileges to establish contact with the entity designated as Type: Mercury. Even if you must wage war against the world before the emergence of Angra Mainyu, it is preferable to seeing all of humanity wiped out just because you are more interested in breeding than taking more decisive action..."
Now, Vahn was more than 'slightly' taken aback as, even though he spent half his time 'resting', he was still earnestly committed to his training. He was still weaker than his peak in Danmachi but, even without his overbearingly expansive reserves, powered by his millions of followers, Vahn was slowly starting to reach that point. His Od had jumped up to more than seventeen-thousand points and, if he went all out, it was even possible to 'guarantee' hits on Scáthach. Hearing Alaya basically say all his efforts were wasted left a bad taste in Vahn's mouth, even though he could also empathize with her if taking her perspective into consideration. After all, she was a Tier 5 entity and, as the other half of Gaia, Alaya was undoubtedly aware of quite a few enemies he currently had no hope of defeating. She had even named off several different categories without even asking him to pay up any Magical Energy, indicating she was more than a little annoyed with how he had been living for the last six-and-a-half months...
Instead of wasting his time arguing with her, Vahn asked, "Where can I find Type: Mercury? Will they even be willing to help us...?" Though he knew he had the authority to command the other Types, Vahn wasn't actually all that certain how strong they were. He had purchased quite a few documents related to them but most of the accounts were from the distant future. Even then, the information was rather sparse, indicating that their method of storing information didn't directly involve naming the documents after the Types themselves. As for what he knew of Type: Mercury, it was one of the only Types that should be present on Earth right now as, instead of arriving with the others between six and eight-thousand years int he future, it had arrived nearly seven-thousand years ago, five-thousand years before the end of the Age of Gods...
In response to Vahn's inquiry, Alaya held up her tiny paws, forming a blue projection of the Earth with a small red icon in the north-western region of Brazil. It was a few hundred kilometers south of the Amazon River in an area that, when cross-referenced with his own maps of the region, matched the location of a restricted nature preserve. Though he was a little surprised that Alaya had given him this information for free, Vahn realized he already had the 'authority' to know where the Types were located. She was just doing the duty that had been assigned to her, not performing an action that required her to expend Magical Energy at his request.
After letting Vahn view the globe for a few seconds, Alaya dropped her paws, allowing the projection to dissipate as she asked, "Is there anything else?" She seemed more impatient than normal, causing Vahn's brows to rise as he asked, "Is something wrong with you...?" Though he understood that she was annoyed with his inaction, Alaya rarely showed as much emotion as she currently displayed. It was actually a little cute as, for the time being, she was still in her sleek little blue-squirrel form.
Hearing Vahn ask her even more questions, Alaya furrowed her brows almost imperceptibly without deigning to answer him. She just stared back at him with her violet eyes, unmoving as she waited for him to either ask a pertinent question or make a request. This continued for well over a minute with neither side wavering in the slightest, at least until Vahn broke the tension by taking a drink from his mug while continuing to watch Alaya. She seemed to interpret that as him saying there was nothing else, resulting in her attempt to latch onto his neck before Vahn sternly commanded, "Stop. You do not have permission to drain my body fluids right now..." As it was 'very' apparent that Alaya was behaving strangely, Vahn was determined to have her answer his question. He could always make up for the loss of Magical Energy later on so, until she explained what was wrong, Vahn didn't intend to let Alaya latch onto his neck, even if it felt strange not having her biting onto him...
Since she was unable to disobey Vahn's orders, Alaya hovered in the air with a now blank expression on her face. Vahn just continued to watch her float there, completely ignoring gravity, until he had finished his drink. Siegfried continued to politely 'ignore' the conversation occurring next to him as, even if he could see Alaya, he had no business talking with her.
Once he had finished his glass, Vahn once again asked, "What is wrong with you? Unless you are not allowed to tell me, I order you to explain..." This command caused Alaya to float backward a few centimeters, small golden runes flashing across her eyes. Vahn knew this to mean that she was in contact with Akasha, indicating she was either making an inquiry or receiving a command. When the runes faded away, Alaya made the first pouting expression Vahn had ever seen on her face as she looked toward him and answered, "Constant access to your bodily fluids has caused this body to develop a physical dependency. As it has slowly been strengthening my vessel, I would rather not waste my time answering pointless questions. We both benefit from-"
Before Alaya could continue any further, Vahn could help but release a boisterous laugh which, surprising him yet again, caused the small blue squirrel to extend her palm forward. In the next moment, Vahn found that his voice had become completely inaudible, almost as if he was in a vacuum. Though this successfully stopped his laughter, Vahn stared toward Alaya with a playful expression on his face as he mouthed the words, "My questions aren't pointless. If you were less resistant to interacting with me, the efficacy of my bodily fluids would actually increase. How about, instead of leeching off my neck all the time, you split your time between absorbing my Magical Energy and trying to actually build rapport with me? Instead of trying to use pheromones to make me have sex with you, why not try emulating the people you represent and try to build friendly relations? You should know my character well enough by now...at this rate, unless there was an emergency, I would probably never sleep with you..."
Instead of forming an answer of her own, Vahn watched as Alaya's eyes began to dance with lines of pale golden runes once again. This caused him to sigh as, in a way, Alaya was a prisoner that simply couldn't go against her 'programming', even though she was a sentient Tier 5 being. It was for this reason that Vahn wanted to advance his Petting Laws further as, using Da Vinci's mechanical golems as a basis, it shouldn't be impossible to break her free of the influence of Akasha and the Root. This could have potentially disastrous consequences but, if his intuition proved correct, Akasha and her superiors wouldn't actually care all that much. From the moment he was designated as the priority observation target within the experiment, Vahn felt like they 'wanted' him to break the system. In the future, they would likely use the data they collected from observing him, using it to make a more complex system that contained an entirely new multiverse, host to quintillions of lives...
When the runes faded from Alaya's eyes this time, she had a surprisingly dejected look on her face, even though others might interpret it as her characteristic expressionless look. Though they hardly interacted with each other, Vahn felt a close bond with his little shoulder squirrel as, for the last six-and-a-half months, she was almost always present. Then, causing Siegfried to look over in interest, Alaya transformed into a similar appearance to Skoll while allowing her body to be visible to others. She still had her pale blue skin and, instead of the tiny dress Skoll wore on its perpetual pursuit of more head pats, Alaya had a sleek white dress that seemed to be part of her body. Instead of truly fluffy ears, she had pointy blue ears that, while possessing fine hairs, looked hairless at a glance. The biggest difference between her and Skoll, however, was that Alaya now had a larger squirrel tail that curved up behind her in an s-shape, poking out from the white dress and exposing her little rear, assuming you lowered your head near the countertop as she was only around 53cm tall.
After her body had taken form, complete with long white hair that had braided itself into two french-style fringe braids, Alaya looked up at Vahn with her violet eyes, an almost indiscernible pout on her face as she said, "You have permission to pet me at your leisure..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ah, the return of the why bo-','Alaya be like, "Why not go get one of the most powerful weapons in the world? Why you just mate all the time...?','RIP Alaya...')
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章節 1152: Travel Arrangements
After deciding to make a trip to the outside world, it wasn't long before Vahn found himself amongst the other castle residents, explaining his intentions and asking for feedback. Due to the time dilation within the Orb, even being gone for a few days could translate to weeks or even months. As a result, Vahn needed to discuss the matter with everyone, even though he knew it might cause a few issues with Mordred, Medusa, and Circe. Illya was also another concern but, as she had opened up a lot more after Iris took up residence in the castle, Vahn wasn't too worried about her. She was a very mature girl, an indicator of her 'real' age that wasn't properly represented by her physique.
As expected, shortly after Vahn mentioned leaving the Orb, Mordred and Circe nearly simultaneously exclaimed, "I want to go~!" Fortunately, Artoria quickly wrangled Mordred, allowing Vahn to tap the table a few times while explaining, "I'm not going out to just play around. You must keep in mind that the world has changed drastically since the last time you were able to travel freely..." Though he was trying to be stern, Mordred used the 'secret technique' that always dealt considerable damage to Vahn's heart. By hanging her head slightly and turning her eyes up at him, complete with slightly watery eyes, Vahn could only look to Artoria for an answer...
Seeing Vahn defer to her, Artoria shook her head in mild exasperation, albeit with a gentle look in her eyes as she stated, "Though the Orb is exceptional for training, I feel it is not healthy to stay cooped up inside for several months at a time. This would be a good opportunity for Mordred to experience the outside world. I'm sure the two of us can keep her out of trouble..." Since there was no way she could let Mordred out into the world unsupervised, Artoria automatically included herself in Vahn's travel plans. She was also his Knight Commander and, though that didn't mean all that much in the present, Artoria believed that an Emperor should never travel without an entourage.
Even though Vahn hadn't given his consent, Mordred began to snicker with a toothy grin on her face, displaying her slightly pronounced canines proudly. She knew there was no way her Chichiue would be able to refuse after her Hahaue supported the idea. Unless there was a 'known' danger to avoid, such as if he was going to face an unbelievably powerful foe, there was no justification her Chichiue would be able to come up with to prevent her from going out. After all, not only was she a decorated war hero who had led thousands of troops into battle, she was also the Imperial Princess. She needed to know how people lived in the present before her own duties required her to make decisions that would influence the lives of millions, if not billions, of people.
Since Vahn knew Mordred was similar to Astolfo, possessing a wild and adventurous spirit, it was hard to insist that she stay behind. With that in mind, Vahn ultimately nodded his head, causing Mordred to immediately try and pounce across the table, shouting, "Chichiue, I love you~!" This attempt was met with Artoria quickly snatching the collar of Mordred's jacket before holding her up like a puppy. Then, after a small bow, Artoria said, "I will make sure she is properly prepared for a trip to the outside world. Please excuse us..." Though she tolerated Mordred's increasingly uncouth form of dress within the castle, there was no way Artoria was going to let her daughter wander around in the outside world wearing the same kind of clothing.
While watching Artoria carry away the despondent Mordred by her scruff, as the latter knew better than to try and resist, Vahn joined the rest of the table in chuckling at his daughter's expense. When they had left the room, he looked around at everyone else, saying, "Now is a good opportunity. If you have business, or want to explore the outside world, this may be your only chance for the next few months, real-world time." In response to these words, Da Vinci, who begrudgingly joined the dinner discussion after some coaxing from Vahn, immediately raised her hand, answering, "There are various things I would like to look into. The technological development of this world has progressed much further than most forms of Magecraft. I intend to send some of my micro-golems into the outside world to begin collecting information. Also, I am interested in the entity referred to as Type: Mercury and intend to accompany you to collect samples of the surrounding area."
As he already trusted Da Vinci to do what was 'best' for the Empire, Vahn answered her request with a curt nod before turning his attention to the others at the table. To his surprise, the next person to speak up was none other than Illya, causing Vahn's brows to lightly furrow in concern when she said, "If everyone else is going outside, I want to return to my homeland and reclaim my birthright. Even if I don't really care about such things, the Einzbern family was intended to be my responsibility as the Ninth Head. I believe it will be possible to convince Jubstacheit to concede the title once they see that my mother has been returned in a more advanced body than the one my family has developed over centuries. Jubstacheit is nothing more than an Artificial Golem...he is not qualified to lead one of the most prestigious Magus families when he is largely responsible for the failures of the family ever since the Second Holy Grail War..."
While speaking, there were moments when Illya's hair began to curl slightly as the red in her eyes slowly shifted towards purple. Fortunately, Iris was able to keep her calm by lightly stroking her daughter's hair, adding, "Jubstacheit's primary directive is to create Justeaze-type Homunculi and ensure the Einzbern family is able to persist. I was the only successful experiment over the last two hundred years so, now that I have been given a new body, there is nothing he can say to refute Illya's and my claim to her birthright. Unless he has somehow changed his primary directive, he does not possess the 'authority' to take action against any living descendants of the Einzbern family. If we are successful, it is possible to gain access to thousands of Homunculi and Artificial Humans to help staff the castle. Though Count Paracelsus' research is awe-inspiring, I do not believe he would be able to keep up with the output of an entire Magus family with his current set of principles..."
Hearing Iris comment on his work, Paracelsus just smiled politely, showing no signs that he had taken any offense as he stated, "The Einzberns have been reputed as the most prodigious Alchemist family, even when I had been a member of the Mage's Association. It does not diminish me in the slightest to admit that I may never reach their level of skill when it comes to the production of Homunculi. However, I would ask that His Majesty properly consider how the Homunculi and Artificial Humans who come to reside in the castle are treated. It would pain my heart to see people produced with no greater destiny than to become Servants without any free will..."
Instead of Vahn answering, it was Illya who, with a resolute look in her eyes, stated, "Once I become the Head of the family, I will no longer allow the Einzbern's to treat the lives of its creations as tools to be used. Though I may not be able to do anything about those that currently exist, I will do my best to ensure they are not mistreated. Vahn will help me as well, won't you...?" As she herself had been treated as a 'tool' after dying the first time, Illya was not fond of how the Einzbern's did things. She could still remember the training they had put her through leading up to the Fourth Holy Grail War, throwing her out into the snow to fend for herself. If not for Heracles coming to her aid and protecting her, she would have been devoured by a pack of wolves, ultimately bringing the Einzbern line to its end. Even if she was made the Ninth Head immediately after that, Illya had never forgiven Jubstacheit for how she had been treated in the years following her Mother's death...
Even without Illya asking him directly, there was no way Vahn could treat sentient beings with a soul as nothing more than tools. Only those that chose to work within the castle would be allowed to do so, leaving the rest to become the first citizens of the Empire after he helped stabilize their lifespans. Though Paracelsus may not be fond of modifying his own Homunculi for a specific purpose, Vahn imagined he would be the first to offer his assistance when it came to extending the lifespans of existing Homunculi. If not, he could always rely on Illy, Iris, and, as was often the case these days, Da Vinci. With that in mind, Vahn returned a smile to Illya before stating with nearly as much conviction, "Of course, Illya. Avalon will become a sanctuary for all those who seek to break away from the life that has been forced upon them. This is especially true for Homunculi, Artificial Humans, Spirits, and any other entities treated as 'tools' by other Magus families..."
Hearing Vahn's answer, the purple coloration in Illya's eyes completely faded as a vibrant and youthful smile appeared on her face. This quickly turned into a deep blush, however, when Iris lightly covered her mouth, giggling as she said, "My, it seems like you chose quite the man, Illya. Even my heart palpitated a bit~." Since she had 'literally' given up her life in support of another man's dream to make a peaceful world, Iris wasn't joking when she remarked that Vahn's words had impacted her. Illya was very aware of this, causing her face to turn bright red as she adopted a pouting expression while complaining, "Mom, how can you say such things when others are around? Are you trying to embarrass me to death!?"
In response to Illya's outburst, Iris just giggled playfully while several other people at the table also released amused laughter at Illya's expense. This caused her to pout even more, especially when she saw the mildly amused expression on Vahn's face. Though it quickly turned into a more affectionate smile soon thereafter, the damage had already been done. The next chance she got, Illya decided that she would find a way to get even with both Vahn and her mother, even if she actually wasn't all that upset. Being teased made her feel loved and, by teasing them in return, Illya felt like they were able to become even closer...
---
After a rather long discussion, it was decided that Vahn would be rendezvousing with Rin, Sakura, and Gray while accompanied by Fenrir, Artoria, Mordred, and Da Vinci. Though Circe and Medusa both wanted to accompany him, Vahn quickly shut them down after both girls admitted they didn't really have anything in the outside world that interested them. They just wanted to follow along with him but, with Medusa's long and 'lively' hair, combined with Circe's wings, they weren't exactly the types that could blend in with normal people. Vahn promised to bring them back a lot of souvenirs while Fenrir made a secret arrangement with the two girls to give up some of her own time to them in the future...
Accompanying Illya and Iris to Germany would be Scáthach and Heracles, still as Heroic Spirits, while Kenshin would be the physical bodyguard for the two girls. As for Nobunaga, she knew it would already be too crowded around Vahn once he reunited with Rin and Gray so she decided to instead accompany Astolfo and Catherine. Since Astolfo just wanted to go exploring without any real purpose, it was a good opportunity for her to just travel and experience various parts of the world. She also intended to serve as Catherine's bodyguard as, regardless of how much conviction Astolfo had, he was one of the most famous troublemakers in history, with many legends relating to him getting tricked by other people. One legend even had him turned into a myrtle tree by a sorceress named Alcina after laying with her, even though he had been warned about her charm magic beforehand...
As for everyone else, including Paracelsus, Tristana, Medusa, Circe, Siegfried, Merlin, and Susu, they would be staying back in the castle. The only big change in that regard was, with the exception of Merlin, everyone else would be residing outside of the Orb for the time being. This was a given for the girls who were upset at being left behind while, as much as he preferred to peace and quiet, Siegfried felt it would be awkward to be the only one inside the Orb while everyone else was away. He was intending to better familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain over the next few days, at least when he wasn't taking care of Susu. Mordred had entrusted the fully-grown cat to Siegfried's care and, as he was rather fond of small animals, the stoic Dragon Knight had no problem looking after both Susu and Skoll for the next few days...
---
In preparation for his departure, Vahn was seated in his private study, squishing the springy cheeks of Alaya as he explained, "I need you to make sure nothing happens to anyone during their travels. I don't care how much Magical Energy you need to use, make sure they are kept safe. You don't need to do anything if its an opponent they can handle, but I will never forgive you if any permanant harm comes to them. Since you can even stop time, I don't want to hear any excuses..." Though he knew it wouldn't really be Alaya's 'fault' if something happened, Vahn knew she was more than capable of protecting everyone simultaneously.
Even if she was restricted by the Magical Energy he provided her, one of Alaya's most basic abilities was Time Manipulation. She also wasn't restricted by things like distance and, even while being next to him with a physical body, Alaya was virtually everywhere else at the same time. Though this didn't mean she was 'aware' of everything all at once, especially things that were proactively hidden from her, Alaya had one of the most comprehensive forms of omniscience when it came to anything happening on the planet's surface.
Before Vahn entered the Root, Alaya was even able to exist within the variable time axis, existing in the past, present, and future simultaneously. Though this much information could even overload her ability to process, which was why she and Gaia were often caught off guard by things, it was still possible for her to jump to a point before the incident, using one of her Counter Guardians to try and prevent it. Now that she was under his authority, Alaya's capabilities had been significantly reduced but, considering there was now only 'one' timeline, it didn't matter all that much.
Vahn's inclusion in the current time axis had completely stabilized it, meaning the past was now fixed unless he himself altered it. As for the future, that was something that was being decided in the present and, no matter how much you jumped ahead to try and see what choices he would make, the only Vahn in existence was the one in the present. Even if you were to look a mere second ahead, Vahn himself would simply 'not exist' within that version of events as, until he had reached that point in time, nothing had been determined...
Now powerless to even stop Vahn from squishing her cheeks, Alaya just stared back at him with her violet eyes before nodding her head and answering, "With the Magical Energy you have provided, it is not a problem to teleport them to safety. If they enter into an area that has been isolated from the World, however, I will not be able to do anything. Spiritual Lands operated by the Mage's Association and the Territories of entities known as Dead Apostle Ancestors are beyond my means to intervene with. You would have to make a contract with Gaia if you wanted to protect your allies within those areas. The only way around this would be to provide me with between three-and-ten-quintillion units of Magical Energy to summon one of my Counter Guardians..."
Since this wasn't the first time Alaya had said something similar, Vahn nodded his head before saying, "If they try to enter into an area outside of your influence, make sure to inform them of the dangers and then immediately alert me. You should be able to enter those areas if I'm there, right?" As he expected, Alaya nodded her head in confirmation, explaining, "My primary directive is to observe you, regardless of where you enter. However, if it is a dominion of Gaia, or the Territory of an Alien Lifeform, I will not be able to take action without greatly increasing the amount of Magical Power required. Even a simple Space Transfer could cost several billion units of Magical Power if it is within a restricted space like Type: Mercury's domain."
As Type: Mercury used an 'Alien Logic' derived from its home planet of Mercury, both Gaia and Alaya were restrained from taking action within its domain. The only reason she would even be able to enter at all was due to the fact that Vahn had authority over other Types. If he had the means to reach Gaia and send a message to the other planets, it was even possible for him to have every Type within the Solar System answer his call to arms. Even controlling a single Type made him one of the most powerful existences on the planet so Alaya would rather he exercise his authority over all of them to avoid ever having them turn against humanity. She was very aware of the impending death of Gaia and, as a result, the annihilation of humanity in her counterpart's desperate attempt to rid itself of the 'parasites' that would freely make its dead body their home...
Hearing Alaya's explanation, Vahn gave another nod before lightly rubbing her head and saying, "Thank you for clearing that up for me, Alaya. I'll see what I can do about providing you with even more Magical Energy in the future. Now, let's go..." With that said, Vahn let Alaya float up from behind his back and sink her teeth into his shoulder once again. Then, while thinking of ways to greatly increase the Magical Energy transfer, as Alaya only accepted direct energy and things he purchased from the shop, Vahn went to meet up with Artoria and Mordred.
The last time he had seen them, Mordred was wearing a pair of loose-fit denim jeans and her fur-trimmed hooded jacket, covering the crop top she wore underneath. Since it would draw 'a lot' of attention if a child was walking around with a 'tattoo' on their navel, Artoria had strictly prohibited Mordred from exposing her stomach when they were out in public. Only by compromising on this could Mordred avoid her fate of having to wear 'proper' clothing that was befitting of an Imperial Princess. Since the thought of wearing formal wear made Mordred's skin crawl, she ultimately conceded on the matter, even if she hated wearing pants...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Illya's conviction...!','RIP Alaya, fated to be bullied','Not all girls dream of being a princess when they grow up xD...')
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