章節 1293: Idling About
While the series of staring contests were taking place in the Cafe area, Vahn was seated comfortably in the staff quarters watching events take place. He could send his intent even beyond the bounds of his domain and, so long as he didn't focus on anyone in particular, it was difficult for even proficient Magi to sense him. He had cultivated this skill within Avalon over the last few years so it had reached a point where even Rin and Luvia, both trained to be aware of such observation, were unaware of his presence.
The biggest difference between the present and his past self, however, was that he could send his intent to multiple places at once. He used his vessels as a transmitter of sorts and, using them as a relay, he could freely teleport to any texture where one of his bodies existed. Because of this, and the limited omniscience provided to him by his Divinity, Vahn was beginning to truly grasp what it meant to be a God...
Seeing that things were going relatively well in the Cafe, Vahn decided to trust in the children, his intent snapping back to the present where Gareth was straddling his lap, her face nestled into the nook of his neck as she happily dozed off.
Vahn didn't believe it wise to do anything 'distracting' outside the sanctity of Avalon but that didn't prevent him from enjoying some skinship with the girls at his side. Much like Alaya, he had become very accustomed to physical intimacy so, if it could keep her happy, Vahn didn't mind serving as the bed of his faithful Page. As for Jeanne and Okita, they were engaged in a very intense match of cards at the side but, upon noticing he was 'awake', they quickly oriented themselves toward him, awaiting his order.
Though he felt a small amount of guilt, Vahn smiled toward the girls as he mused, "It is time to stop pretending, Gareth. Come, let's join the card game."
Gareth, who had awoken almost immediately after Vahn's intent returned to the room, immediately hopped up from her Master's lap as soon as she heard his words. There was no visible fatigue on her face at all. Rather, she had a sheepish and somewhat playful smile as she moved over to sit next to the coffee table. Vahn followed close behind and, after taking his own seat, began playing a rather low stakes version of the King's Game using cards as the determining factor. He might not be able to do anything more intimate but, at the very least, he could enjoy getting a rise out of Jeanne and Gareth...
---
During the construction of the Aldrnari College, powerful defensive formations and several magic circles using Faerie and Primordial Runes had been installed. It also had a system developed by Da Vinci that caused Spiritron interference, making it virtually impossible for anyone on the outside to spy on the happenings within.
One of the few people that could get around these preventions was Solon who, being the Ruler of the Bounded Field, had the ability to observe anything taking place within. This required the use of a very powerful Artifact, a mirror that they had acquired from none other than Merlin in the distant past. Using this mirror, known literally as [Merlin's Mirror], Solon could view any person within the dominion of their rule. It also had the function of showing them any person that conspired against the Clock Tower from within, something a few families had learned the hard way several centuries prior.
Now, Solon had a dull expression on their face as, for the umpteenth time, they watched as Vahn just messed around and idled about with the various women surrounding him. It was a truly vexing sight to behold as, whenever Vahn had any free time whatsoever, he seemed to be engaging in borderline lascivious acts. Even more annoying was the fact that, despite knowing one of the girls was a literal Saintess, she acted like a demure maiden around Vahn who was easily coaxed into doing whatever he wanted...
If not for the fact they felt like Vahn was using his antics as a cover, Solon would have turned off the mirror and simply ignored him. They believed this was part of Vahn's plot to get them to lower their guard, however, so Solon could only watch with a blank expression at the events taking place in the reflection. So long as Vahn was inside the Clock Tower, they would not overlook any of his actions as any middling incident caused by the man could lead to the very destruction of everything they had built up over thousands of years.
Thus, even though Solon would sometimes find themselves grinding their teeth in frustration, they could only continue observing, the pink ring around their pupils expanding and contracting in tune with their fluctuating heartbeat...
---
Though his Luck was actually his lowest parameter, Vahn ended up winning almost every hand as Gareth and Jeanne would intentionally play poorly. Jeanne didn't have it in herself to make even a small request of him so she would rather fold her cards than be put on the spot. As for Gareth, she would only go in with pairs and low cards so, while it was possible for her to win, she almost always lost.
Of the three, Vahn's only opponent was Okita as, in her mind, fulfilling the intended objective behind a task was of paramount importance. She knew the 'purpose' of the card game was to form winning hands so, with her high Luck and even higher perception, she was a monstrous opponent. The only advantage he had against her was that her understanding of probability far outstripped her ability to bluff. She would only go in on hands where she had a reasonable chance of success so, if she didn't fold, it was pretty much guaranteed that she had something.
Vahn didn't think of himself as the most scheming individual in the world but, with an 'education' provided by Loki, Fortuna, Kali, and several other concerned Goddesses, he wasn't bad at it. He was able to bluff Okita out of several decent hands, leaving the blank-faced woman with what could only be described as a conflicted expression as she failed to understand why he would go in on such a bad hand...
As a result of his efforts, Vahn was sitting shirtless at the table while, with the exception of Okita, both Jeanne and Gareth were down to their underwear. They could easily conceal themselves with a simple activation of their [REquip] system so, despite this inarguably being considered a 'distraction', Vahn made an exception since they seemed to enjoy it just as much as him. He liked seeing how far Jeanne's blush would creep down her body and, with her rather sizable snow-white breasts, it was quite the sight to behold.
Currently, Vahn had a spade flush with Jack high so his odds of winning the hand were favorable, even with Okita staring back at him with her unreadable expression. He knew she had something in her hand and, while he would never resort to such methods, the temptation to just 'peak' was very strong. The game was already stacked in his favor so cheating would be a rather shameless thing to do, especially given Okita's inability to bluff.
With most of his clothes still intact, Vahn had a fair amount of leeway so, without any discernible hesitation, he casually mused, "I'll bet three pieces of clothing~"
At this point, Jeanne only had her bra, panties, and stockings left so, while she had three Aces in her hand, she ultimately set her cards down as she sheepishly muttered, "I fold..." Though she wouldn't hesitate to expose herself if ordered, she didn't want to be naked outside of Avalon.
Gareth shared the same sentiment and, as she was only down to her bra and panties, she didn't have much leeway. She did have a straight in her hand but, seeing that Okita hadn't backed out, the odds of her coming out ahead were extremely slim. Thus, in much the same way as Jeanne, she opted out of the hand by folding.
Being the last to call, Okita surprised the entire table by saying, "I bet five pieces of clothing." in her usual monotone. She had bet everything except her bra and panties as, despite the game going on for a few minutes, she had only lost her scarf and detachable sleeves. This left her with a modified kimono, Aegis undergarments, stockings, shoes, the ribbon in her hair, and the tassels tying up the sides. Stockings, socks, sleeves, and other paired items were considered one piece of clothing so she could safely bet five pieces without completely exposing herself.
Vahn was in a decidedly different situation as, bereft of his shirt and the usual armguards he wore, the only pieces of clothing he had left were his undergarments, belt, trousers, socks, and shoes. He had exactly five articles of clothing left so, if he tried to match Okita's hand, he would be left in the buff. She would also be the King and, depending on her request, things could get rather 'interesting' in a very short period of time.
Ultimately, Vahn decided to forfeit the hand as there were at least five different hands that could beat him. If she had a Flush, Full House, Four of a King, Straight Flush, or Royal Flush, he had no method of coming out ahead. Since bets had already been made, it was almost guaranteed she had at least one of them so, accepting the loss of two articles, he turned his cards over and said, "I fold." as he began to remove his shoes and socks.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, Okita issued a rare smile almost immediately after Vahn turned over his cards. Then, in a casual manner, she set her own hand down to everyone to see her winning hand. At first, Vahn assumed she had a Royal Flush but, upon seeing that the final card was a three, his jaw slacked open as an overwhelming urge to smile caused his expression to turn into a goofy visage.
Okita seemed especially proud of herself as she raised her head slightly and monotoned, "I think I'm starting to figure this game out. Don't think I'll always be fooled, Master."
No longer able to restrain himself, Vahn began laughing unabashedly while Gareth, surprised at what Okita had pulled off, gave her a thumbs up and said, "Great job, Okita~!"
Even Jeanne was a little impressed with the fact that Okita managed to pull one over on their Master, even though she was always a little frustrated at the same time. She knew their Master was holding himself back, as he could easily know what all of their cards were, so it bothered her that Okita took advantage of that fact. Still, she wouldn't say anything as Vahn had made it very clear in the past that he didn't need an Apostle to carry out his Divine Will...
Now barefooted, Vahn regained his composure, asking in unveiled amusement, "So, what is your order, My Liege~?"
As the usual 'order' typically involved Vahn stealing a kiss or taking some small liberties from them, Okita had used her previous victories to do much the same. She didn't actually have any feelings for him but, without any hesitation, she gave a decisive nod and said, "I will have you kiss me. This time, you have to do it twice as long as the last time."
Gareth and Jeanne had their usual flushed faces upon hearing Okita's order but Vahn, with his usual smile, chimed, "Your loyal subject has heard your command and accepted the task assigned to him. If it pleases Your Majesty, may I approach you~?"
Playing her own part, Okita raised her head in a pretend haughty manner, her pale silver eyes cast down upon him as she answered, "You may proceed..." in a low and commanding tone. Following this, Vahn leaned over to her side of the table while Okita, making things a little easier for him, bent forward slightly to make herself available. Then, as she was still inexperienced with such things, she let her mouth open and close awkwardly while allowing Vahn to guide her through the process once more...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Comfortable bed...munyaa~','Solon's going to be puking up blood at this rate xD...','This game is totally stacked in Vahn's favor...! The perks of being an Emperor...?')
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章節 1294: Ignition
There were a few small hiccups here and there but, in the blink of an eye, the first week of class came to pass without incident. The only borderline instances were students trying to use their Companions in unsanctioned battles but, as they soon learned, this didn't pan out as they expected.
It was mentioned in the handbook that Companions were unable to follow any order that led to the harming of another person. Their purpose was to protect their partners, not be used as weapons to give them an advantage against normal students.
The closest thing to someone nearly getting expelled outright was when one student attempted to bait some of their former classmates into attacking them. This might have worked if not for the fact her Companion had already informed the staff of her intentions from the moment she planned to make contact with her former classmates.
By the time the girl was preparing to spring her trap, Sion had appeared in the area with her usual smile and a pair of twin Companions rising her shoulders. She gave a stern warning to the students of the Clock Tower before bringing the offending student back to the faculty room. Here, the girl was given a chance to defend her actions but, rather than try to make an excuse, she openly admitted to her intentions. This didn't particularly earn her any favors but, if she had tried to play off the event and mislead them, it would have been grounds for immediate expulsion from the program.
In truth, Vahn knew why the girl had been plotting against her former students as her past was filled with a series of unfortunate events. She had basically fled to the department in order to escape and, in order to give her hope, Vahn had accepted her application despite the fact she wasn't exactly an ideal candidate.
As part of the girl's punishment, she was required to attend weekly in-house therapy sessions and, in order to prevent similar instances from occurring, a seminar regarding the nature of the Companions was held in order to clear up any potential misunderstandings. Here, Vahn explained that they were intended to prevent conflict, not aid in the perpetuation of violence.
Though it was possible to fight alongside your Companion in a training environment, there would never come an opportunity where they could be used in an offensive battle against other people. Their nature was to protect, not cause harm at the behest of their partner.
To wrap everything up, he also strictly laid out that none of the students had any kind of authority over their Companions as, from the very beginning, they were intended to be partners, not servants or pets. If they failed to treat their Companions with the respect all sapient species deserved, they would not be allowed to keep them. Even if humans served as the backbone of nearly every Record he visited in the future, he did not believe in the rampant sense of superiority most humans had. He would never allow that kind of behavior in Avalon so, if they wanted to complete the program, the students needed to fix their former mentalities and curb their bad habits...
Fortunately, the students took his words very seriously so, in the aftermath of that one incident, most students began treating their Companions properly. This even extended to the students who had wanted to 'train' their Companions by having them clash against each other in unsanctioned battles. They were inspired by a popular children's cartoon but, despite their attempts to coax the adorable creatures, the Companions simply refused while sending a ping to the mother system informing it of the violation.
Vahn had less empathy for the students with this kind of mentality but, as they were young and it was very exciting to watch Companions battle, he also didn't blame them. The appearance, nature, and characteristics of a Companion made people default to viewing them as pets and, with combat potential that even exceeded the students themselves, it was easy to rationalize helping them grow even stronger. There were even students who, upon realizing that Astrid had several Companions in her entourage, believed they could acquire more for themselves to build battle teams to use against other 'trainers'.
Instances like this reminded Vahn that the students, despite many of them being considered adults by the standards of the Empire, were still just children. They were easily influenced by their situation and their interests so it was easy for them to get carried away. Since this was the very reason behind the department using a pseudo-military structure, he was hoping they would mature a bit before the time for their graduation approached. Still, as he did understand where they were coming from, Vahn had Da Vinci implement a virtual world loosely based on the popular cartoon, albeit with restrictions in place to prevent moral degeneration and mental instabilities from developing...
---
Though his primary focuses were cementing the position of his new department and completing the tasks assigned to him by Scáthach, Vahn had one other big project he was involved with. This related to the strengthening of the Chaldea Security Organization and the activation of CHALDEAS itself. It was one of the projects that would serve to strengthen the foundation of the Empire. Even before the duel between Artoria and Lorelei, preparations had been made to secure the facility and root out any potentially dangerous elements from the organization so, with the emergence of Sherlock, it was finally time to link the powerful artifact to the Bounded Field of the planet itself.
Vahn currently found himself standing on an ornate walkway in a massive chamber where only a small amount of blue light illuminated his surroundings. Despite this, his eyes could easily see a very detailed representation of the planet earth suspended between five disc-like rings, each with varying orientation. It almost looked on orrery but, with only the planet earth being present, this illusion was quickly shattered.
From over an intercom system, Vahn heard a moment of static before Olga's voice, sounding more than a little excited, came through, saying, "All of the readings are holding stable. Projections show a 94.317% chance of successful ignition. We are ready to begin when you are, Vahn!"
Hearing that the rate of success still wasn't one-hundred percent, Vahn was a little troubled but, unless he wanted to wait for Da Vinci to overhaul the entire system, there wasn't much he could do. Fortunately, even if it failed to ignite, they would just have to perform maintenance on some of the damaged systems before trying again after a few hours. This would normally take several months, at the very least, but they had the benefit of an unlimited power source with cooperation from Maxwell.
With his own excitement building, Vahn gave a nod to indicate it was time to start up CHALDEAS. He was looking forward to learning how the system would function while he was present so he elected to have a front-row seat to the historical event. The only other 'person' in attendance of the event, as it was more than a little dangerous to be anywhere near the core, was Alaya who, for once, seemed less focused on draining him dry as she focused on the massive artifact, runes streaming across her violet eyes...
Suddenly, a phenomenal amount of power began to build within the chamber as a latticework of hexagonal crystals began to illuminate on the floor. These were condensed Spiritron crystals and, upon being activated, they appeared as both a solid and a liquid simultaneously as vibrant blue light began to radiate from them. At the same time, a gentle whirring could be heard and, moments later, the discs surrounding the earth proxy began to rotate. Their speed began to gradually build with the ever-increasing flow of Magical Power while, at the very center of the formation, the previously dull and lifeless earth began to ignite into a ball of gaseous flames...
The primary reason behind Vahn's presence within the chamber was due to the fact that, when it was activated, CHALDEAS could momentarily rival the mass of the sun itself. This meant that, if the rings failed, the entire building, and everyone inside, could be pulled into its destructive embrace. It would be like a planet caught into the inescapable pull of a Black Hole and, upon contact, the Spiritrons in their body would break down while the molecules constituting their body would be annihilated.
There weren't any issues with the protective measures but, on the off chance something did go wrong, Vahn had a few ways to deal with it. He suspected that Alaya was the one that helped them out in the original timeline but, as she was unable to take such actions on her own, it now fell upon him to prevent a tragedy.
Fortunately, Da Vinci had helped to upgrade CHALDEAS so, while there was a powerful burst of heat and radiation cast off during the ignition phase, the system was able to boot without issue. Once it was active, the nature of the Global Environment Model forced it into a pseudo-spiritron state where it had functionally no mass. All of its destructive potential was contained and, rather than appear as a burning ball of flames, it quickly turned into an awe-inspiringly beautiful sapphire-colored projection of the entire planet...
From within the control room, a celebratory cheer rang out and, though her relationship with her father had been a bit rocky over the last few years, Olga leaped into his arms to give him a hug. She was perhaps the most excited by this development as, while it meant she would have less time to spend within Avalon, she had been feeling guilty about just idling about and training. She wanted to prove her worth and, though Vahn often praised her efforts, now she could provide actual results for him...
While the celebration was taking place above, Vahn was still in a state of awe as he stared at the vibrant blue sphere. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen and, if he focused his intent, he could feel a phenomenal amount of life radiating from it. He was even tempted to reach out and touch it but, knowing the consequences of such an act, he could only admire it from a few meters away, its beauty reflected in his eyes...
Alaya was seemingly under the same spell but, after the data stream faded from her irises, she gave Vahn a small start by saying, "This system can still be improved. It currently only shows the Bounded Field of the Surface. If it is refined, you will be able to use it as a method to communicate with Gaia without having to reach the core. At the very least, you can attune it to the frequency of the other textures..."
With her words completed, Alaya seemed to lose interest in CHALDEAS as she quickly resumed her usual position. This left Vahn with a thoughtful expression on his face as, even amongst all the data they had compiled, there was nothing pertaining to using CHALDEAS to view other textures. Da Vinci had more than likely thought about using it as such but, as there was currently no need to do so, she had been focused solely on preventing it from destroying the facility if it failed to be contained.
Knowing Da Vinci was who Alaya was referencing, Vahn gave CHALDEAS one last look before sighing in a somewhat melancholic manner as he teleported out of the chamber. He enjoyed the feeling of basking in the condensed aura of an entire planet so he decided to adjust his schedule to make time for meditating within the chamber every few days. Just being near it made him feel like he was on the verge of a major breakthrough so, trusting his instincts, Vahn would frequent CHALDEAS often in the future...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'This ain't Pokemans...!','CERN has nothing on Chaldea xD','Captivating beauty')
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