Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ

Following Vahn's appearance at the Mage's Association, news and speculation quickly circulated throughout the entire Magus community. Just the fact he had been able to freely leave showed that he must have come to an accord with the Association Director so, when the announcement of his Sealing Designation being revoked came shortly thereafter, interest in the so-called Sage Emperor had skyrocketed.

There were several ways in which this manifested, depending on the social status of the person receiving the news. For the students and Faculty who had observed him, Vahn had become a talking point in many circles, if for no other reason than his physical appearance and presence. Amongst some of the female students, there were images that had been recorded of Vahn circulating around while, from the perspective of most male students and staff, he was almost universally disliked.

Pride was a key part of being a Magus and it often annoyed the boys that many female students often had more prestige than them. Since the journalism department would also publish their 'most desirable men' listings for the entire Clock Tower to read, the fact that Vahn's name and face had been pushed to the top of the list grated on quite a few young men and a few Faculty members who had their own listings pushed down. Among these, though he would never openly complain about such things in public, was Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, the man known as Lord Sophia-Ri, the current Head of one of the top ten most prestigious Magus families.

Ever since his former brother-in-law, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, had lost his life during the Fourth Holy Grail War, it felt like he could never get a break. Since the latter had left with such confidence, while also being one of the few people that Lord Sopha-Ri respected, it was quite a shock when he learned the former Lord El-Melloi had lost his life. When it became known that someone like Waver Velvet, one of Kayneth's students, had not only come back alive but also stole his colleague's original catalyst, Lord Sophia-Ri had been livid. Things were only exacerbated when Waver then worked hard to establish various connections, even going so far as to indebt himself heavily, just to take over the classroom that was previously managed by the deceased Lord El-Melloi.

When all of these things had come to light in the past, Lord Sophia-Ri had been preparing to crush Waver outright as, in his eyes, the latter was nothing more than a commoner and a thief. However, it became exceedingly difficult to do anything about Waver when, as if she had known about his own machinations, Reines outright kidnapped the man before later announcing him as the new Lord El-Melloi II. As he had not been a Lord himself at the time, it could have become a major debacle if he had taken any action against Waver at the time, something Lord Sophia-Ri regretted not doing till this day.

Originally, Lord Sophia-Ri's sister, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri had been engaged to Kayneth, the then Lord El-Melloi. She had been engaged to him for purely political reasons, largely related to the fact that, before the shock he had experienced motivated him to become a capable Magus, Lord Sophia-Ri had been considered a 'failure' who served no purpose other than holding onto the Magic Crest until he could produce an heir. When Lord El-Melloi had participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War, she had accompanied him before ultimately losing her life in the resultant conflict.

As a result of not only losing their Head, but also their family's Magic Crest, the Archibald family tore itself apart after the death of Lord El-Melloi. At the time, the Sophia-Ri family had also experienced a number of setbacks, largely due to accusations by members of the Archibald family claiming they were responsible for their Magic Crest being lost. Since the investigation conducted reflected this was the case, Lord Sophia-Ri had been forced to cooperate with the Archibald family during the time of the internal conflict, helping a few key members to seize power. It was around this time that his engagement to Reines had been established, even though she had only been around six-years-old at the time.

Initially, Lord Sophia-Ri didn't care about such an arrangement but, as his family was pressuring him into agreeing, as Reines had managed to secure the title of Lord and could be 'easily exploited', he ultimately took a step back on the matter. She had been a cute girl at the time, much like a bisque doll, so he decided to just look forward to her growth. However, when it came to light that she was not only protecting Waver, but had even adopted him as her old brother and given him the title of Lord El-Melloi II, Lord Sophia-Ri had been more incensed than ever before. It was for this reason that he had pressured Lord El-Melloi II at every chance he got, taking advantage of the fact he had been a commoner to cause all kinds of trouble for him.

Now, in hindsight, Lord Sophia-Ri wished he had outright killed Waver when he had gotten the chance. He had always mocked the man for being a 'false Lord', accusing him of simply holding onto the position onto Reines reached a.d.u.l.thood. Back then, this had indeed been the case as, with the title belonging to Reines, she would be required to take up the mantle herself if she wanted to avoid losing it to the Archibald family once again. However, on the day of her sixteenth birthday, Reines had shocked everyone by announcing her engagement to Lord El-Melloi II, allowing him to keep the title as a result of their union. That night, Lord Sophia-Ri had trashed an entire section of his Manor, only stopping when his Grandfather had intervened and given him a harsh lecture about how to act as a Lord...

For the last seventeen years, Lord Sophia-Ri had felt as if his life was spiraling outside of his control and, though he was now married and had already produced an heir, the shame he had experienced was carved into his heart. With the sudden emergence of the so-called Sage Emperor, whom he had failed to stonewall even through the use of Goldolf, Lord Sophia-Ri felt as if his notorious misfortune had reared its head once again. Not only had Vahn been able to walk into the Clock Tower and leave without any major incidents, but the death of Lev Lainur Flauros on the same day was quickly buried through the machinations of the Edelfelt family.

Though he had never been close to the man referred by many as 'Professor Lev', Lord Sophia-Ri had been quick to lambast the Edelfelt family and the Sage Emperor for conspiring together in order to bully weaker Aristocratic families. That very same evening, however, he was forced to quickly retract his statement and tone as, when the Edelfelt family stormed the Flauros Mansion, it was brought to light that Lev Lainur Flauros was engaged in many taboo practices. As there were very few things within the Magus community that were frowned upon, so long as you kept them concealed, the fact that Lev had been engaged in genuine taboos made all the former allies of the Flauros family quick to distance themselves.

In the days following the Edelfelt family's raid, the evidence painting Lev as a fanatical demon cultist quickly circulated through the Magus community. Many members of his extended family were also found guilty of similar crimes, to the point that many considered the entire family corrupted by the shadow of Lev's actions. As a result, their family was quickly torn apart, most of their assets being seized by the Edelfelt family while much of their research was turned over to the Mage's Association during the resultant investigation. This was so that the Edelfelts could distance themselves from any accusations that they had kept Lev's experimental data for themselves as, with their reputation as a 'righteous' Magus family, it would be a problem if they were associated with demonic rituals.

During these events, it was quickly brought to light that the Sage Emperor, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, was the one to expose Lev's decades-long scheme. The Animusphere family also published the results of their own internal investigation, turning over more than twenty of Lev's affiliates to the Mage's Association. Because of this, Vahn was currently enjoying quite a bit of popularity within the Clock Tower, even though most of the established Magus families felt a strong headache coming their way. Just the fact that he had been received by Zelretch, met with the Association Director, and then 'simply' walked away was already a major flag to many people.

Now that Vahn was affiliated with the Edelfelt family, there were very serious discussions occurring within the confines of each major family about how he should be dealt with in the future. This was because, around the same time that Vahn's information began circulating, it was brought to light that he was considered an outside power that, while affiliated with the Edelfel, Animusphere, and Archisorte families, had no direct affiliation with the Mage's Association. The fact he was allowed to leave the Clock Tower while still maintaining his status as an external power caused a stir amongst the established powers, especially those that knew the disposition of the Association Director.

It was well known that Vahn was supposedly from another world and, though he had been credited with destroying the Holy Grail, it was also known that he had been the victor of the Sixth Holy Grail War itself. Nobody knew what wish he had made and, while some claimed he hadn't made a wish at all, there were few who believed anyone could pass up such an opportunity. As a result, there were many who believed that Vahn had wished for something along the lines of 'absolute power' or, as was the far more popular talking point, had gained absolute power after reaching the Root. If the latter assumption was the case, it meant that there was now a Sixth Mage in the World, one whose power and abilities were completely unknown to the rest of the Magus community.

---

Though not unaware of how he was discussed within the Magus community, Vahn didn't particularly care about rumors. He had learned even in Danmachi that people would allow their imaginations to get the better of them and, with careful manipulation by those in power, even extreme falsehoods could be made into the 'truth'. With the current social and political climate that could be seen in 'normal' society, it wasn't an exaggeration to say things would be even worse within a community of individuals who believed in abstract concepts such as 'Mystery'.

Ultimately, regardless of what was said about him, it would be his actions and future accomplishments that built his prestige, not a few rumors being circulated by various people, seemingly with nothing better to do. A stark contrast to them, Vahn was rather busy spending each and every day, at least in his opinion, to the fullest.

After having returned to the Ivory Castle that first night, Vahn had been splitting his time between playing with his daughters, spending time with his women, hanging out with Siegfried, tending to Gray, and researching alongside Da Vinci. Though he didn't have much time for training, the fact that Scáthach was away had given him a bit of leeway in that regard. That didn't mean he wasn't getting stronger, however, as one of the things at the forefront of Vahn's focus was experimenting with the elements of Space and Time. At the same time, he was doing his best to recover his Creation Divinity as, in conjunction with the other two advanced elements, he needed an understanding of all three to complete his Zennith Quest.

To that end, after entrusting Lev's body to Da Vinci for analysis, Vahn had been experimenting with folding, expanding, shrinking, and compressing Space. These were all things that Da Vinci herself had a keen interest in so, while Vahn was training alone within the Sub-Space Orb reserved for his training with Scáthach, he had an audience of rather adorable creatures observing him. Since Da Vinci wasn't really the type to produce the same thing over and over again, she had been building various different types of adorable companions that would serve as the basis for the social, political, and educational reforms she wanted to see in the future.

Currently, though Skoll and Skoll V2 were considerably cuter than the rest, Da Vinci had produced companions with various animal traits. There was a cat-type model named Neko, a dog-type named Momo, a hamster-type named Manju, and an owl-type named Hoo. The cat-type model possessed black and white fur and was programmed to act similar to a lazy house cat, a stark contrast to how the dog-type would follow you around, actively seeking affection and wanting to play. As for the hamster and owl types, the former was Da Vinci's attempt to make the 'softest' model, resulting in a squishy and adorably lazy golem while the latter, intended for more 'sophisticated' individuals would generally sit stoically at the side, only acting adorable when given attention.

Though all of Da Vinci's companions were created to be vaguely humanoid, she was also working on models that, like the clothes she had designed, could be 'upgraded' via the network she intended to establish. Her intention was to have all children assigned a rather adorable companion that would be able to support healthy mental development which, when they got older, would 'evolve' in order to better reflect their owners and support their ambitions.

For those that wanted to fly around freely, their companions could very well evolve into giant flying mounts while, those who were reserved, might have their companions evolve into more human or wholly animalistic forms. She had even accounted for the possibility that some people would fall in love with their companions and, as they had the potential of gaining a soul, at least according to her observations and research of Vahn, Da Vinci did not intend to pass judgment on who loved what. As someone who had experienced just how heartbreaking it could be to have their preferences scorned, Da Vinci was actually curious to see what form the love of others would take if allowed to blossom freely.

At first, Vahn wasn't that comfortable with the potential for the adorable, almost child-like creatures to evolve into biological organisms that were even capable of giving birth, but he quickly got over it after considering the matter from the perspective of using his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] to name things. Since the only way for them to evolve into such a form was if their owner was of healthy mind and sound judgment, Vahn felt it would be insensitive of him to disallow such a relationship. If they grew alongside each other and developed mutual love, to the point the AI could awaken a nascent Soul, Vahn felt it would be wrong to interfere.

With that in mind, Vahn watched how his own daughters interacted with their companions as, after it had been cared for by Siegfried and allowed some semblance of a peaceful life, Susu had 'betrayed' Mordred and started living in his room. Fortunately, with Neko as a replacement, she didn't seem to care about the loss of the cat she had initially stolen from Nobunaga. This was because, even though Neko was programmed to be a 'lazy house cat', it would still respond positively to Mordred instead of trying to escape all the time. Thus, in the days following Neko's creation, Mordred could often be seen carrying it around and playing while Sakura, accompanied by the dog-type companion, Momo, was often close by.

Since his daughters seemed to get along really well with their companions, Vahn felt like children all over the world would benefit from their presence. As even Gray and Artoria, receiving Hoo and Manju respectively, seemed to genuinely enjoy playing with their companions, Vahn felt that Da Vinci's vision of the future wasn't as difficult to achieve as Luvia seemed to believe. Though there would undoubtedly be problems, Vahn felt that implementing the use of companions within Avalon alone would eventually lead to them being spread throughout the entire world.

At the very least, anyone that would reside on the Island would be required to have a companion with them, serving as their assistant, guardian, and the 'key' that allowed them access to specific facilities. Then, when these people left the Island, they would have already grown attached to their companions, with many having already evolved into more convenient forms that directly reflect their personality and interests. With this, it was only a matter of time before interest in the companions grew and, while there would undoubtedly be naysayers who painted them in a negative light, the rampant changes in the world would cause many to seek the security and companionship offered by the adorable little creatures...

That was a matter for the distant future, however, and, while Vahn often walked around with Skoll and Skoll V2 following close behind, his bigger focus was on the clingy Alaya. Though he could have kept it to himself, Vahn had confronted her about the 'Symbiotic Dependence' they had seemingly developed for each other. As she would often get angsty whenever they were separated for a long period of time, there wasn't much room for Alaya to deny the fact. Her behavior had already been doc.u.mented by Akasha and, as it was not 'corrected', the only thing she could do was accept that Vahn's influence on her was something she could no longer resist.

Though it wasn't to the point that it had overwritten any of her directives, Alaya didn't deny that she would probably do something drastic if anything were to happen to him. As his death would allow her to begin using her functions once again, such as the use of Counter Guardians, Alaya admitted she would exterminate anyone that had been involved in his death. Since Akasha and her superiors were interested in seeing how she would 'evolve' beyond the purpose given to her, Alaya knew it was only a matter of time before Vahn managed to 'tame' her. Thus, as much as it annoyed her to admit it, she was simply incapable of denying the facts as her programming made it impossible for her to lie.

As a result of his confrontation with the increasingly adorable blue creature, Vahn's impression and treatment of Alaya had improved considerably. Though he still wouldn't sleep with her, as he now felt a compulsion to 'tame' her beforehand, their relationship became similar to the one enjoyed by his daughter's and their companions, albeit much closer. Since this shift in mentality also made the energy conversion of his bodily fluids more efficient, Alaya could only grit her teeth in annoyance as she slowly became accustomed to Vahn handling her freely and playing with her ears whenever he was ruminating over something...

In this manner, interspaced by some rather intimate interactions with the women in his life, Vahn was enjoying his new schedule, split between the time he spent in London and the evenings he enjoyed in the comforts of Avalon. Since the Aristocratic faction and the other major families didn't seem to know how to treat him at the moment, he had a lot of free time on his hands so, other than waiting for the return of Illya's and Astolfo's groups, there wasn't much for him to do other than follow his interests. The only causes of stress in his life right now, other than general uncertainty, was the time he invested trying to wean Gray, in order to restore her independence, and Olga's increasing need to seek him out for positive affirmation...

Gray spent most of her time with Artoria and, though she was quickly becoming friends with Fenrir and Medusa, there were also times when she would track him down, regardless of if he was busy or not, just to spend time with him and suck his blood. As for Olga, she would often be waiting for him around the transfer point, sometimes for hours, in order to present her research to him the moment he returned from London. He had slightly underestimated her desire to be praised but, feeling she was somewhat similar to how Fenrir had been when she was younger, Vahn didn't mind pandering to her needs for a bit. The more she sought positive affirmation from him, the easier it would be to set her on the 'proper' path later. Thus, until the time she was made the Director of Chaldea, Vahn decided to tolerate Olga's admittedly adorable behavior, so long as she didn't do anything too extreme...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Man, Lord Sophia-Ri has gotten screwed a few times xD...','Da Vinci says, "Conquer the world with cuteness...! Let there be Love~!"','Do these count as First-World problems, or Second Record problems...?')

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