章節 1323: A Brief Moment of Idleness
Though it had originally been part of his duties as an Advisor, Vahn made a habit of meeting with Solon and Zelretch every few days. This mainly involved him listening to Solon complain for a short while before Zelretch finally got around to explaining various problems all around the world. Today, however, things were a little different as, upon his arrival, Vahn found Zelretch alone as Solon had holed themselves up in their own room, apparently due to mental fatigue.
Vahn, of course, understood why Solon was stressed out so, rather than comment on it, he enjoyed a casual conversation with Zelretch, skirting around the matter of the Holy Church entirely. Instead, the elderly Magus was more curious about the various persons of interest who had come to reside in the Empire as of late, specifically Aoko and, after a brief period of drama, her sister Touko.
When it came to discussing the two hot-headed siblings, Vahn could only smile wryly as he shook his head and remarked, "Touko is a sensible woman but she is super petty. As for Aoko, well, I'm certain you have an even better understanding of her personality than I...haaaaa..."
Hearing Vahn speak like an old man, Zelretch couldn't help but laugh at the former's expense before musing, "I wasn't really surprised that you were able to bring those two in your camp. What I'm really curious about is how things are developing between you...have you, you know...?"
Refusing to dignify Zelretch's question with an actual response, Vahn remained silent as he thought about the first night Aoko stayed in the castle. She had clearly misunderstood his intentions so it had led to a rather awkward situation where she ultimately ended up butting heads with several people and skirmishing with Fenrir. Surprisingly, however, the latter became rather fond of Aoko after their conflict and, the last time Vahn saw the duo, Fenrir's strength was increasing at a monstrous rate...
Aoko had the ability to draw forth a person's maximum potential, either by borrowing it from the past or the person's future. This allowed her to restore a Heroic Spirit to their maximum potential and, in many cases, make them even stronger than they were in their prime. As for Fenrir, the only thing that prevented her from becoming one of the most powerful people in Avalon right now was her own mental state. If she increased her power beyond her ability to retain her rationality, it would obviously become a problem. Thus, she had been focusing more on her mental development while sparring with Aoko at almost every opportunity...
Seeing Vahn ruminating, Zelretch decided to let his previous question fade into the void. Instead, he gazed off into the distance in much the same way as the young Emperor before commenting, "There is one person I think you ought to meet in the near future. With how things have developed, I fear a larger misunderstanding will transpire if you aren't introduced soon."
Even without Zelretch alluding to whom he was talking about, Vahn blinked back to awareness, asking, "Arcueid...?" in a curious tone. This surprised Zelretch somewhat but, remembering who it was he was dealing with, he just responded with a dry chuckle before nodding his head. He knew Vahn's information network had already developed beyond comprehension and, after dealing with the Holy Church, there was a very good chance he had already learned a great deal about Arcueid's existence.
Despite Zelretch not asking, Vahn decided to throw the old man a bone, explaining, "I've already told you about the coming regression. In order to prepare for the conflicts to come, we'll need to unify all of the world's influential figures under one banner. I don't intend to micromanage everyone but, no matter how strong they are, everyone will be required to follow the Common Law. I'm not going to have people capable of sinking countries wandering around unchecked just because they have been able to act with impunity till now..."
Along this same line of discussion, Vahn mentioned his intention to deal with the Dead Apostles, their Ancestors, and the creators of them all, the True Ancestors. He had no problem with people pursuing immortality but, if they used their eternal life and borderline infinite power to rule over and suppress others, he would deal with them. Since some Dead Apostle Ancestors literally kept human farms in order to feed their Bloodkin, despite alternatives being readily available, he didn't have too much patience for the errant Vampires.
Zelretch had already expected Vahn to do something about the Dead Apostle Ancestors as, during his travels, he found the signs that had been left behind by the micro-golems. As a result, some of the Ancestors had actually gone into hiding as, despite their pride and arrogance, they trusted the word of their Prophet, the Ancestor known by the code name 'Rose Prophecy'. She specifically had the ability to foretell the death of a Dead Apostle Ancestor with perfect accuracy, allowing them to prepare a successor in advance as her prophecies, thus far, had never been wrong.
It wasn't difficult to imagine the fate that would befall many of the Dead Apostle Ancestors in the near future as they would not have fled if things would be going in their favor. Vahn would most likely purge the Eclipse Faction in its entirety, eliminating Altrouge and her cronies who advocated the supremacy of Ancestors. True Ancestors were the original Masters of the nascent human race, brought into existence as a direct result of Gaia's contract with Crimson Moon. They truly believed that humans were meant to serve them and had been machinating to reclaim the world for several thousand years.
Vahn was, of course, aware of the existence of every Dead Apostle Ancestor, their two factions, and the penultimate plans of both sides. The analysis of Ark, the brilliance of Da Vinci, and the deductive prowess of Sherlock were an unbeatable combination. They also had Merlin to provide insight into the future while CHALDEAS could observe the state of the world at any point up until the emergence of Angra Mainyu. With all of these things, Vahn knew when and where the various opposing factions would strike as, even if he couldn't peer into their Bounded Fields, they obviously had to leave them if they wanted to attempt anything...
Even as he sat here discussing things with Zelretch, the Empire was already preparing counters to any scheme their enemies could come up with. The moment they tried anything, they would find themselves dealing with insurmountable odds as, with the passage of time, the Empire's advantages increased exponentially. He was already preparing for the next batch of summoning and, while it would take a while to enforce order, massive cities were being built on each continent. These would serve as the primary habitats of humanity in the future and, if people wanted to seek shelter in their protective walls, they would have to acquiesce to the Empire's rule.
There were so many things going on behind the scenes that Vahn rarely had any time to relax since the day of his announcement. If not for the time dilation within the Projection, he would be too busy to even spend time with his quickly growing children. This was a troubling matter as, at this point, even his youngest children were nearly two years old. As for Isanna and Naavi, they already matured to the point they were in their late teens, worrying him to no end...
For what must have been the ten-thousandth time, Vahn regretted not holding off on his current plans until his children had matured. Unfortunately, this wouldn't have been a futile course of action as, due to his period of 'increased activity', he ended up getting Olga and Circe pregnant, the latter coming as a complete surprise since, according to the person herself, she shouldn't be able to get pregnant a second time. This meant she needed constant supervision as, if anything went wrong at any point in time, they needed to be ready to deal with whatever abnormalities may appear...
To further exacerbate matters, Illya would be awakening soon as Aoko had 'helped' by accelerating the growth process. At this point, she had the appearance of a young woman in her late teens and, while she still appeared very 'youthful', it was a marked improvement from her perpetually ten-year-old figure. Vahn knew he would need to tend to her quite a bit when she finally emerged as, with each passing day, he could actually feel her frustration and urges building.
Illya was actually the reason he had been holding back in some of his other relationships as, while she didn't directly oppose his relationships with others, it was very obvious she was the jealous and possessive type. Fortunately, she would undoubtedly be joining the Menagerie upon awakening so the presence of like-minded people should mellow her out a bit. Vahn was just hoping that their first time together didn't involve anything too graphic and gory as, despite Cath Palug's insistence, he would never get used to the whole biting aspect...
With Illya near the top of a growing list of women he would need to deal with in the coming days, Vahn felt like his own peace of mind was a distant dream. Still, he didn't regret it in the slightest as, regardless of how troublesome things got in his intrapersonal relationships, he really did enjoy each and every moment. He loved the women around him dearly and, while his affections towards some may not match his intimacy with others, he would never stop doing his best to satisfy them...
As if he had recognized the look in Vahn's eye, Zelretch gave a sly smile but ultimately refrained on commenting. He had realized by Vahn's past reactions that the latter wasn't going to talk about his nightlife so it was best to avoid the topic. Those that had angered so-called 'Dragon Emperor', the name which had been given to him by people all around the world, generally met with a bad end.
Vahn had noticed the change in Zelretch's expression so he gave the man a pointed look before adopting his usual smile and saying, "If you have the means to contact Arcueid, please inform her of my intention to meet with her. She is one of the major players in the world and, while her power may be sealed, it is a simple matter for the Empire to restore it. I know she has been hunting other Dead Apostle Ancestors so I'm certain she will be willing to cooperate..."
Zelretch gave an understanding nod in response but, just to make sure he and Vahn were on the same page, he asked, "Do you intend to destroy the Eclipse Faction?" To this, Vahn answered with a nod of his own, adding, "The Aylesbury Valesti Ritual is fated to fail in almost every timeline, even without my intervention. I'm certain this is something you've confirmed yourself, yes...?"
Having seen countless parallel and tangential timelines, Zelretch knew the truth contained in Vahn's words. After all, the Aylesbury Valesti Ritual was an affront to the World itself and, as a result, it was always interrupted by unstoppably powerful Counter Guardians. The only possible way to complete the ritual was to secure the Holy Grail but, understanding the intentions of the participants, Alaya had never failed to intervene. This often led to the destruction of the Eclipse Faction but, as a result, Arcueid would often experience a terribly tragic fate...
This time around, Zelretch intended to help Arcueid avoid her destined end as, before Vahn, things such as fate had little to no relevance whatsoever. In fact, he seemed to control the very entities that shaped the fates of others so, with his assistance, Arcueid should be able to experience the peace she had sought for the last eight hundred years. There was even a chance she would be able to find genuine happiness as, from what he had observed of Vahn, Zelretch could tell the man possessed an extreme amount of empathy towards those that had suffered unjustly.
With their intentions aligning, Zelretch agreed to reach out to Arcueid while Vahn, having spent too much time on idle conversation, ultimately parted ways with the aged Magus to pick up the children and take them back to Avalon. It was already late in the afternoon so they would be returning to the Projection for rest, relaxation, and personal studies. This would also allow him to divest his time in a more efficient manner as, with his main body back in the Projection, he would have two bodies to interact with his ever-expanding harem and family...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir be like, "So, you're telling me you can grant me infinite power...? I like you, we will be good friends','When 'play biting' goes too far (o,...,o)...!','Vahn has a strong affinity with Vampires...')
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章節 1324: Dynamic
With most of his duties taken care of, at least for a short while, Vahn was watching over his two sons, Kamiya and Daiki, as they glared at each other with 'fierce' expressions. In his lap, Penelo and Ulla were watching their two brothers with visible interest while, at the side, Mordred, Naavi, and Isanna each looked like they were ready to step in the moment something went wrong.
At this point, Kamiya and Daiki were both around two years old and, while neither spoke all that often, they were strangely prideful boys. From the moment they began playing together, they had started to compete for various things, be it the attention of the caretakers or the toys they were playing with. This was something that worried Vahn a little bit but, with Nobunaga and Rin stating that they were just playing around, he could only watch on in silence as the two attempted to see who could stack blocks higher than the other...
As if it was an intense historical moment, Mordred was urging on Kamiya to do his best while, on the opposite side of the room, Naavi had to keep Isanna from intervening as she had a bad habit of favoring Daiki during the competitions. Fortunately, Daiki was surprisingly mature and, despite his young age, he was a little 'too good' at dealing with his two elder sisters. Vahn had even seen him lecturing both of them after they got into an argument, a peculiar sight to behold considering Isanna and Naavi had the physical appearance of girls around fourteen years of age...
The only time Daiki really acted his age was whenever he was being pampered by the caretakers, his various mothers, and when he was competing with Kamiya. This was the same for Kamiya who, as a result of having Nobunaga as a mother and Mordred as his 'Aneue', was a bit of a rebellious child. He was usually very quiet but, when riled up, was quick to anger and prone to spontaneous emotional outbursts. Though this rarely ended in violence, it meant it was often butting heads with Daiki as the two competed against each other for a variety of arbitrary reasons.
This time around, it was looking as if Kamiya was going to win as his Guardian, the Four-Armed Adamantine Ape, gave him a distinct advantage when it came to stacking blocks. Daiki's King of Twilight had a slow growth rate and, as a wolf-type Guardian, it didn't provide many advantages when it came to matters requiring greater dexterity. At best, it could serve as a footstool for the young Daiki but, as he treated his Guardian very well, he would never do such a thing.
Unfortunately, just as Kamiya was about to obtain victory, Isanna began to gesture behind her back and, unbeknownst to the children, the space around Kamiya's tower began to warp. Vahn dutifully stepped in to prevent Isanna from misbehaving but, undoubtedly due to the latter's mischief, Kamiya's Guardian failed to place a block and, in his attempt to catch the falling cube, the entire tower came tumbling down.
Kamiya stared at his fallen tower with a blank expression while Daiki, understanding there was foul play involved, gave a pointed look toward the lackadaisically whistling Isanna before saying, "We will have another match later. I will help you clean up." Then, without waiting for Kamiya's response, Daiki began to pick up each of the fallen blocks, stacking each of them neatly where they were supposed to go. Kamiya joined him shortly thereafter while Vahn, after turning over Ulla and Penelo to their caretakers, had Isanna follow after him despite her initial protests.
Despite being a bit of a troublemaker, especially when it came to supporting her brother, Isanna was a relatively obedient young Vanir. The moment she realized her father was serious, she gave up on making a scene as, near the table where the mothers generally lounged, Ishtar had given her a pointed stare of her own. This was enough to turn the usually rambunctious girl completely silent, understanding full well that she was the root cause of the situation she was in.
After exiting the daycare room, Vahn extended his hand to Isanna and, without questioning his intentions, she unhesitantly reached out with her own before squeezing it tightly. Immediately after that, the two of them teleported to one of the highest points within Avalon, a place Vahn often took Isanna when he wanted to talk with her. They had a lot of memories here and, while most of these related to her getting in some kind of trouble, Isanna actually liked high places quite a bit. She even played with Daiki and Naavi within the connecting tower on occasion and, as a result, the interior was decorated with various 'treasures' they had accumulated over the last two years.
Finding his usual spot, Vahn took a seat before allowing Isanna to sit on his left knee, her body half-facing his own. She really was a carbon-cop of her mother, albeit with a far more youthful appearance, so Vahn couldn't be too hard on her unless she had seriously erred. Instead, he adopted his usual before lightly pinching her nose with his right hand and asking, "Do you know what you did wrong...?"
As this was the usual sequence of events, Isanna adopted a slight pout but, instead of blaming others, she honestly admitted, "I didn't want Daiki to lose so I cheated to invalidate the match...he will be able to win the next one, I'm certain of it..."
Hearing Isanna's words, Vahn lightly shook his head as he pulled his hand away and stated, "If you were certain of anything, you wouldn't have intervened...Isanna, there is no shame in suffering a few losses here and there. Rather, I'm certain Daiki is more troubled by the fact you don't trust him enough to allow him to make his own decisions. Being protective of your brother is fine but, while you may have different mothers, Kamiya is also your brother..."
Isanna released a sad sigh in response to her father's words before burying her face into his chest and complaining, "Kamiya wins too much though...if they were the same age, Daiki wouldn't be at a disadvantage..."
Adopting a slightly more stern tone, Vahn had Isanna sit properly before he admonished her by saying, "In life, it is impossible to ensure things are perfectly balanced. People have various banes and boons, some providing what others may consider unfair advantages. However, as one of the few with greater blessings than nearly all others, you must be more tolerant and empathetic. You are a very smart girl, Isanna...I'm certain you understand that your actions, rather than helping, are a cause of concern for Daiki. He already has two amazing sisters so, if he can't express himself and experience a friendly rivalry with his own brother, he will eventually begin to shun others..."
Hearing her father's words, Isanna hung her head in shame but, after a few seconds of struggle, she seemed to find some kind of resolve as she looked up at him and exclaimed, "But Mordred is cheating also! She helps Kamiya train all the time while Fenrir has been busy lately! I don't know how to help Daiki become stronger so I want to-"
Before Isanna could finish her train of thought, Vahn began to lightly pat her head, interrupting her outburst by saying, "Let Daiki choose his own path, Isanna. If you truly want to support him, walk alongside him. When he struggles, push him forward...when he stumbles, pick him back up. However, no matter what you do, you can't live for him. The more you try to make decisions on his behalf, the more struggles he will face in the future. As for the matter of Mordred training Kamiya, we both know she isn't really doing much other than teaching him...discipline..."
Remembering Kamiya following Mordred around like an obedient puppy, Vahn's momentum was arrested a bit. Fortunately, Isanna didn't seem to notice this as she was thinking about his words, not watching his face.
In actuality, restrictions had been put into place regarding the education and training of every child born within the castle. Physical training had to wait until they were four years old and, while the Vanir were an exception to this rule, even they had various restrictions placed on them. This was primarily due to their immense power which, if used wantonly, may very well lead to serious injury or death. This was something Isanna was very aware of but, after challenging Mordred in the past, only to be refused on the premise that she was too young, they had been at odds with each other.
Vahn didn't mind if there was a bit of competition amongst his children but, no matter what, he didn't want to see them genuinely fighting amongst themselves. He would have a talk with both Mordred and the children's respective mothers once he was done speaking with Isanna. For now, however, he didn't want the latter to feel as if she was completely at fault for what had happened. After all, parents 'always' had some amount of responsibility in the behavior of their children, no matter the circumstances.
With this in mind, Vahn planned how he would make it up to them, gently stroking Isanna's hair as he asked, "How about we all go out to play in the near future? I'll take everyone to visit the Undine and we can all go explore the bottom of the ocean together. I know I've been busy lately but I will always try to make time for my beloved children..."
Toward the end of his words, Vahn gave Isanna a kiss on her forehead and, as if affected by a magic spell, her mood seemed to improve considerably. She was very sensitive to a person's intentions so, even without him directly apologizing, Isanna knew what he was thinking. In truth, she and the others had been a little sad regarding the fact he wasn't around as often so, while she felt guilty due to his earlier words, Isanna was happy with how things turned out.
Understanding she needed to make a concession of her own, Isanna tightly hugged her father's neck, nuzzling her cheek against his as she said, "I'll apologize to everyone and try to get along better with Mordred in the future..." Then, deciding now was a good time to start, Isanna pulled away so that they were only a few centimeters away from each other as she smiled and said, "I'm sorry for worrying you, Father...thank you for always doing your best..."
With her own words finished, Isanna gave her father a kiss on his cheek before hugging him tightly once again. As for Vahn, he tightly embraced the mischievous girl while, elsewhere in the castle, he was already taking Mordred to meet with her mother and Nobunaga so they could all talk about her involvement in Kamiya's upbringing. He was, admittedly, a little worried that the influence of Mordred would have some negative consequences on his eldest son and, while he would obviously not prevent them from having a sibling relationship, Mordred seemed to be on the fast track to becoming the boy's mentor.
Rather than solely focusing on the education of the children at the Clock Tower, Vahn realized he needed to properly consider the intrapersonal relationships between his actual children. The last thing he needed was Isanna losing her cool and suddenly fighting all-out against Mordred so, in order to avoid any potentially disastrous situations, he would take proactive measures to try and bridge their relationships. After all, he was a father before he was an Emperor so, before anything else, he needed to ensure that his own family was happy. They were his reason for being so, if he shunned them in lieu of his other duties, he had already failed as both an Emperor and a father...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Serious stacking competition...','The birth of various rivalries...!','Never lose sight of what is most important')
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