Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After things had settled down following the surprisingly short delivery, Vahn used the [Heroic Tale]s on each of his children, including Daiki. Though the Quest had only awarded him with two, Vahn's ability to purchase Unique items he had already obtained came in handy during such situations. It didn't extend to [Guardian]s, unfortunately, but he had already given versions to Sakura, Mordred, and Kamiya. This would help them track their growth while increasing the potential rewards they would obtain through various achievements.Once the three had their [Heroic Tale]s active, Vahn summoned each of their Guardians, starting from Isanna since she was the 'oldest' of the three. As a Vanir, he wasn't surprised that she obtained a very powerful Guardian but, when Ishtar saw it, she couldn't help laughing out loud. This was because, by some machination of Fate, Isanna's Guardian ended up being a Bull of Heaven who, despite being a calf, occupied a large area of the room as it stood more than 3m tall and 5m in length. It had a black body that glistened like polished metal with two small blue horns protruding from its head. When it was fully grown, it had the potential to be larger than a mountain, standing upwards of 6,000m in height and over 8000m in length.If not for the fact he had already fought a True Dragon that was the size of a mountain range, Vahn would have had trouble even imagining how colossal the Bull of Heaven would grow in the future. At the same time, he wondered how Gilgamesh had actually been able to defeat it, even with the cheat-like [Chains of Heaven]. It was undoubtedly related to his [Gate of Babylon] as, despite being strong, Gilgamesh was almost entirely dependent on his infinite arsenal. If the playing field was level, the vast majority of capable Heroic Spirits would be able to take him out without too much trouble.After Isanna's Bull of Heaven went to sleep inside her body, which was a peculiar sight to behold, Vahn immediately summoned Naavi's. He briefly thought to summon them outside but, with the Bull of Heaven being able to fit in the room, it was hard to imagine anything else would be too big. This ended up being the correct assumption as, rather than a massive creature, Naavi's ended up being extremely small in size. It was only around 20cm in length with an appearance similar to a snake that was covered in sharp red scales. If not for the two tiny golden horns on its head, and the four small legs that were located on its underside, it would have been indistinguishable for a common reptile.Despite its rather simple appearance, Naavi's Guardian was actually a species of True Dragon known as Yang Long. Though it would not reach ridiculous sizes like the Bull of Heaven, it could easily grow longer than a thousand meters. At the same time, it would have perfect control and immunity to all kinds of flame as it was inherently attuned to Yang Elemental Energy. According to the information he had on such dragons, they even made the cores of stars into their home, using the intense heat and extremely pure energy to nourish their bodies...After waiting for the Yang Long lazily entering Naavi's body, Vahn went ahead and summoned his son's Guardian. His took on the form of a wolf cub that was covered in onyx-black fur that had a slightly blue sheen. It also had two white dots above its pitch-black eyes, giving it a rather peculiar, albeit adorable, look. The thing that stood out the most was the fact it had two-tails, which was a trait Vahn had only really come to associate with fox-type creatures. As for its breed, the small cub was known as a King of Twilight, a type of wolf that could fuse into the shadow of other creatures, possessing their bodies or enhancing their capabilities.Vahn decided that he would entrust Daiki's basic training to Fenrir in the future as he could already imagine the young boy with wolf ears and a tail fighting rather ferociously. Since his sisters would grow much faster than him, Vahn knew it would be important to observe Daiki closely so that he didn't develop some kind of complex. Fortunately, as he was a Demi-God, Daiki's strength would increase rapidly and, with siblings like Kamiya, Vahn didn't think there would be too many issues. Even if they had a rivalry of sorts, this was something that could be healthy for both of them if they were guided properly.Since the King of Twilight was rather cute, Vahn spent a few moments scratching behinds its large ears before placing it on the bed and letting it retreat into Daiki's body. After that, he entrusted the Spirit Tools of Isanna and Naavi to their mothers, letting them decide when the girls were ready to begin training with them.Isanna's Spirit Tool, the name Vahn had arbitrarily decided for the artifacts given to each of the Vanir, was a whip simply named [Obedience]. It allowed her to tame almost any kind of creature and, as it didn't specifically state monsters and animals, Vahn suspected this included humans as well. Since she had pseudo-divinities related to 'Sky', 'Authority', 'War', and 'Love', it was important to make sure she didn't deviate down a dangerous path. Fortunately, due to his usage of the [Page of the Akashic Tome], Ishtar was a pretty sensible woman so she should have things under control with Ereshkigal and Rin supporting her.Curiously, while Isanna's future seemed without limit, Vahn felt that Naavi's Spirit Tool was far more dangerous. She had a pair of thin gloves, one black, one white, called [Shifting Fortune]. They had the power to directly influence a person's luck, allowing them to experience misfortune for a short while in exchange for great fortune later on. This also worked in reverse, meaning you could have impeccable luck for a short period of time in exchange for terrible luck later on. With her pseudo-divinities related to 'Life', 'Fate', and 'Fortune', Vahn felt that Naavi would be a force to be reckoned with in the future.---With the children taken care of and the twin-tailed trio sleeping peacefully, Vahn left the medical ward alongside Artoria, Grey, and Gareth. This caused him to experience a potent feeling of Deja Vu as it hadn't been that long since the last time they all walked together like this. Vahn was tempted to ask for another reward from Artoria, but she beat him to the punch by telling him to go spend time with Nobunaga and Kamiya.Since he could always find the time to tease Artoria later, Vahn decided to leave her in peace after escorting her and Gray to the bedroom. He knew she just wanted to give the other girls a chance to spend time with him so he dutifully tracked down Nobunaga, finding her resting inside of her room. She hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately as, perhaps due to his demi-god heritage, Kamiya was a very 'energetic' child. He was constantly hungry and had been running Nobunaga ragged, not that she had ever complained.Without knocking, Vahn entered the room to find Nobunaga listlessly staring at the ceiling as she remarked, "I now understand why so many noblewomen hired a wet nurse. I feel like my nipples are in constant pain..." Then, looking toward him with her crimson-red eyes, Nobunaga added, "Hey, do something about this..."With an understanding nod, Vahn dutifully made his way to the bed and, after Nobunaga sat up and made room, he sat behind her while Kamiya dozed away in his crib. From here, he began to massage her shoulders and breasts, helping to alleviate some of the tension and treating the tenderness she had been suffering. This also helped to increase the production of breast milk so, while he was also tempted to take advantage of the situation, Vahn kept his cool since Nobunaga still wasn't really in the mood for doing anything more intimate.While gently massaging Nobunaga's voluminous breasts, Vahn thought about a possible solution to ease, not just her burdens, but all of the current and prospective mothers. He could use his [Hands of Nirvana] to stimulate the bodies of Nobunaga's attendants, enabling them to produce breast milk. The better alternative, however, would probably involve discussing the matter with Da Vinci since she had undoubtedly already come up with a solution to ease her own burdens. He was pretty one of her projects was developing an artificial breast bag, allowing anyone to feed the babies just by wearing the apparatus.After thinking this far, Vahn allowed his mind to wander a bit, allowing the rather unnerving thought of 'helping' the girls himself to seed itself in his mind. Since he could change his gender without any limitations, he could easily become a woman. Even stranger, he could produce breast milk without changing his gender at all. He didn't even have to do so through the nipples, as he could produce any type of conceivable bodily fluid just by altering the structure and composition of his body at will.Fortunately, Nobunaga didn't seem to realize this or he knew there was a non-negligible chance she would force him to take care of Kamiya when she was tired. While some of the mothers would hit him if he made the proposition, he knew Nobunaga could be pretty shameless at times so it was best to avoid the topic altogether. Thus, in order to prevent this idea from seeding itself in the minds of any of the women around him, Vahn intended to go with one of the less 'peculiar' solutions.Nobunaga didn't have any problem with either of the proposed ideas but she was more comfortable with the artificial breast bag. This would allow her to continue taking care of Kamiya, even when her own breasts were tenderized by the voracious infant. At the same time, it would allow others to help out when she was tired, including the three Homunculi attendants, Kenshin, and Mordred. The latter had been doting over Kamiya quite a bit due to her close relationship with Nobunaga so there was a good chance she would want to try feeding him a few times.Vahn was a little troubled imagining the tomboyish Mordred wearing a pair of faux-breasts as she fed his son but he decided not to let it bother him. She had come a long way since the time of her summoning, both mentally and physically. If she began to awaken maternal instincts and started thinking about the future, he felt this was a positive development. Though she was only nine years old, she was already growing like a beansprout and, in the next few years, she would already reach the same physical development as her mother, Artoria.One of the things Vahn had yet to experience, despite being over a hundred-and-fifty years old, was watching his children grow up and find partners of their own. He had never had any grandchildren so, while he had matured a lot, there were many things he had to experience before becoming the 'complete' person he aspired to be. Since he would be in the Nasuverse for several decades, he knew it was only a matter of time before his little fledglings began to leave the nest, something that filled him with pride and an overwhelming amount of fear.If it were up to him, Vahn would select the best partners for his children but, due to his 'education', he knew this was a very tyrannical and thoughtless thing to do. They needed to be able to choose their own life partners and, so long as the person they chose wasn't some kind of manipulative despot, he had no right to intervene. Though he would undoubtedly intervene, as this was his right as both a Father and an Emperor, Vahn would only badger his prospective sons and daughters-in-law without troubling them too much...For a brief moment, the image of Galahad entered his mind, causing Vahn to frown while Nobunaga released a startled groan. This brought a quick end to his idle thoughts, causing Vahn to smile wryly as Nobunaga glared back at him. He then dutifully tended to her body, helping lull her into a deep and relaxed state before Kamiya stirred awake.Not wanting to wake the sleeping crimson-haired beauty, Vahn picked up Kamiya and set the boy against his chest as he carried him over to Luvia's room. Though Nobunaga and Luvia didn't get along all that well, Vahn felt their children would be the bridge that brought them closer. With that in mind, he entered Luvia's room after gently rattling on the door. It was answered by Sophia who, upon seeing who had arrived, gave a courteous bow before guiding the other attendants out of the room to give them some privacy.Luvia was a sensible woman so she didn't really need to ask why Vahn had come seeking her out so suddenly. Just the presence of Kamiya made his intentions obvious so she couldn't help but laugh in her characteristic manner before changing into a thin dress that had a flexible collar. This allowed Luvia to expose her now plump breasts which, even before her pregnancy, had already been on the verge of sizeable D-Cups. Now, they had grown even larger and, to prevent leakage, Luvia even had to wear circular bandages over her nipples.After entrusting Kamiya to Luvia, Vahn settled into the sofa and allowed her to recline against him as she unhesitantly fed the voracious infant. She was actually amused at how fervently he suckled away at her breastmilk, causing her to muse, "Naughty boy, you had better leave enough for your sister." in a teasing tone. This was answered by Kamiya just blinking his ruby-red eyes in confusion, clearly not understanding what she was trying to convey as he continued to suckle her breasts without any inhibition.Vahn had the distinct impression that Kamiya was going to be a little troublemaker growing up but, considering who his mother was, this was almost an inevitability. He knew that, unless a big change occurred, he would probably follow Mordred around as well. She seemed to already consider herself as the 'big sister' of everyone but, due to her strange obsession with hierarchies, the way Mordred treated the young Kamiya was different than normal. Not only was he her Aniue's son, but Kamiya was the first-born son of her Chichiue, elevating his position in Mordred's mind by a considerable amount.In the next few years, Vahn imagined Kamiya would be running around playing pranks on people with a toothy grin on his face. He would need to make sure they were both disciplined properly but, so long as they never got too out of hand, he didn't particularly mind such innocent behavior. The most important thing he would need to watch out for is Kamiya getting the strange thought that he was the 'heir to the throne', something that could become very dangerous if unchecked. Even if it wasn't very likely to happen, Vahn wanted to avoid any conflicts between his children, ideally until the end of time...---After taking Kamiya back to Nobunaga's room, Vahn escorted Luvia around the castle for some light exercise. She was due within the next few weeks, much like Da Vinci, so Luvia had been taking it easy as she spent most of her time just lounging about or communicating with her Grandmother. Though he was kept in the loop by Da Vinci, Luvia often took it upon herself to inform him about what was going on back in London, especially during these tumultuous times.As could be expected, the Barthomeloi family had started plotting almost immediately after the duel had been decided upon. They were currently trying to set the stage to make Vahn and, by extension, the entire Empire, seem like a corrupt nation full of arrogant people. There were even rumors about him being the direct cause for Angra Mainyu's emergence circulating once again, despite a complete lack of evidence to justify said claims. The most troublesome part of their scheme, however, was how they had manipulated the flow of information to make it appear as if he had gambled, not just Gray, but the remaining fragments of the Greater Grail.Vahn wasn't even remotely surprised they would use such underhanded tactics but, rather than let it bother him, he just shook his head in mild exasperation as they dug themselves deeper into a hole. All their actions accomplished was giving him more reasons to eliminate their family in its entirety. It wouldn't matter how many alliances they had formed, nor how the other Monarchal Lords reacted to the coming slaughter. Even if they tried to make him out to be some demonic tyrant, he had plenty of evidence to expose, not just the Barthomeloi's, but all of the major families for their tyranny.While Alaya may not be able to easily probe the bounded fields protecting the primary residences of the major families, this didn't stop her from observing their actions all over the world. With her help, he had already gathered an incredible volume of evidence to expose any family that chose to stand against him for no better reason than their greed and corruption. He didn't care how many of these families he had to destroy as, in the coming merger, such individuals would only set back the entire world back.At this point, the only thing keeping Vahn from wiping out the most corrupt of the Magus families was the nascent state of his Empire. Since it would only take a few more months, in the real world, for things to reach a stabilizing point, the countdown for his takeover had already begun. After that, the most troublesome thing would be keeping order and preparing the world for its transition but, as the most dangerous enemies would have already been dealt with, Vahn felt this was more of a logistical challenge than anything else. After all, with Alaya, ORT, and a backing of the most powerful figures in history, there weren't too many things that could stand against him.(A/N: Tomorrow is Thanksgiving but I still plan to release at least one chapter. After this week, I will be back to 100k words until the week leading up to Christmas. During this time, I will probably be on a short-term hiatus for EPIC as I intend to finish Fenrir's Journey completely. There are only going to be around 100 chapters so I might even be able to finish in a few days since they are quite short. Regardless, just know that we're about to be back on the full-time schedule since I won't have any big distractions unless there is some kind of emergency~! Happy Holidays, all my EPIC friends (UwU)~!)

With three additional children to occupy his time, Vahn's schedule had become somewhat hectic. If not for the fact the Recreational Wing had been refurbished into a daycare, he would be running all over the place just to spend time with all his new children.Though it might not have too much of an impact on his sons, as it would likely be several months, or even years, before they begin forming lasting memories, Vahn knew the Vanir were already aware of their surroundings. He needed to be a permanant fixture in their lives during their formative years or it would be too late to regret when they began using their powers to harm themselves and others.All it would take was Vahn being going for a week in the outside world for the Vanir to have aged up to a full year. If he was gone for just four months, they would have already reached physical maturity, even if their mind hadn't fully caught up with their bodies. It was a truly terrifying thought, one that had caused Vahn to consider raising the Vanir outside of the Projection just so they wouldn't grossly outpace the development of their siblings. The only reason he decided against it was due to the fact that Isanna and Naavi, who would almost never cry, cried very loudly when they were separated from Daiki.It was also impossible for Rin, Ereshkigal, and Ishtar to separate themselves, meaning they could only be with their daughters outside, or their son inside. Though this wouldn't be a problem in the future, as Vahn was intending to prepare vessels and resummon the two Goddesses, it was still beyond their means for the time being. Until then, Vahn couldn't even imagine separating the children as, more so than Rin and Ishtar combined, Ereshkigal was extremely overprotective of all three.In the days following the triplets' births, Ereshkigal wouldn't let them out of her sight, even if they were just in the next room over. She would forcibly take over the body from Rin and Ishtar to make sure they were safe, overpowering the other two with pure willpower. This had put a lot of strain on all three of them so Vahn was intending to remedy this fact when the summoning system gathered the requisite amount of mana.Vahn knew his vessels would be compatible, even with the Ego of a Goddess, so it wouldn't be much of an issue to perform a second summoning. Since they were alive, just on the Reverse Side of the World, they wouldn't lose any of their memories in the process. It would just free up Rin from having to share her body with two other people, something that was beginning to wear on her psyche as the months turned into years.Fortunately, the upgrades Da Vinci had made to the summoning system, or at least the catalysts that powered it, had reduced the time between summons to only two weeks in the real world. This meant he could potentially summon both Ereshkigal and Ishtar before the duel between Artoria and Lorelei.At the very least, he would be giving Ereshkigal a body while Ishtar would have to wait an additional four weeks. He had already discussed this with the trio and, after talking things over with Artoria, Merlin, Scáthach, and Alaya, Vahn had another candidate in mind to summon before he gave them both bodies.Though there were no guarantees it would work, the limited-omnipotence granted to Merlin and Scáthach made them aware of a conceptual existence known as Maxwell's Demon. It was an entity that, in some tangential timelines, existed as a Heroic Spirit possessing no combat capabilities whatsoever. Despite this, it was one of the most powerful Heroic Spirits due to the fact it had theoretically infinite Magical Energy, just no way to use it.Vahn needed a way to power the summoning system and provide the necessary energy to activate and maintain CHALDEAS. Since he wanted to get the facility up and running after dealing with the Barthomeloi family, Maxwell's Demon had come up in the discussion about how they should power the phenomenally consumptive system. With the only requirement being that they needed to feed energy into the closed system to get it started, Maxwell's Demon was the perfect solution to the vast majority of their future problems.Eventually, Maxwell's Demon would reach the point that it could power both CHALDEAS and the summoning system simultaneously, seemingly without any consumption on its part. It was, quite literally, a source for infinite energy without any upper limits to its output. So long as they fed a constant supply of energy into it, the potential output of Maxwell's Demon would increase to the point it would even rival stars.The best part was, unless it faced against an existence that could erase contradictions and kill the unkillable, there was nothing capable of destroying Maxwell's Demon. It could be sealed away and imprisoned in tangential timelines, but it was virtually indestructible otherwise.According to Alaya, the only constructs capable of destroying Maxwell's Demon were the unsealed Rhongomyniad, Longinus, and Azrael. Though there were certainly other ways to destroy it, she was unable to reveal them to Vahn because, at the time, they did not exist. Since discussing the concept could give power to them, allowing them the means to exist in the present, she refused to discuss them. Vahn had actually been surprised to learn this as, if he looked at it from a certain perspective, it was clear that Alaya was being considerate of him, even without being 'forced'.Vahn had noticed that Alaya had mellowed out considerably since she first started accompanying him, something he hadn't expected for years to come. She would now silently drain his bodily fluids and, even without him asking her, she would give him some privacy the moment he was tending to his women and children.The most noticeable change, however, was the fact that Alaya would allow him to pet her without showing any discomfort. Instead, much like a Companion, she would silently tolerate the caressing with her eyes closed, seemingly enjoying it despite not showing any change in expression. This gave him a powerful urge to tease her but, considering she would probably get very upset, Vahn just took advantage of the change to enjoy petting the admittedly adorable blue creature.---While Vahn spent most of his time inside of the Projection, there were times when he would have to leave in order to handle the affairs of the Empire. This usually involved traveling back to London at the behest of Olivia after something particularly troublesome happened.Today, Vahn was visiting a place he had never ventured in the past, a large mansion that had only a dozen or so powerful figures when excluding the presence of the Edelfelt's forces. This was the home of Lord El-Melloi II, now Waver Velvet, and his wife, Reines Archisorte, now publically recognized as Lord El-Melloi. Unlike Waver, she didn't bother to attach something like 'the Second' to the title as, in the long history of the Magus community, only Waver had bothered to make such a distinction.After reaching the mansion, Vahn was greeted by the peculiar sight of two Maids, both having what could only be described as 'alien' appearances. One was comprised almost entirely of a silvery liquid, much like mercury, while the other was clearly some kind of Automata, if not a full-body prosthetic. He was able to see a few lines where the 'parts' of the Maid were pieced together, giving her a very unique appearance due to the two cat-like ears protruding from the top of its head.Despite their peculiar appearances, both Maids were clearly designed to be aesthetically pleasing to look at. Each had delicate yet mature features, with the silvery Maid having flowing hair that curled at the ends while the cat-type Automata had a 'cool' appearance with angular eyes and short black hair. Vahn's only complaint was, despite her white ears clearly being modeled after a cat, she didn't actually have a tail, at least for the time being. Since he had been able to pass his senses over them, he was aware that she had a 'port' at the base of her spine that accommodated the existence of a tail, likely as a means of charging itself.The moment Vahn stepped through the gates of the mansion, both Maids bowed at low, almost unnatural angles, as they simultaneously stated, "Please forgive our rudeness, Your Majesty. Our Lord asks that you forgive her lack of decorum by having others escort yo-" Before the girls could speak further, Vahn gestured for them to stop as he plainly stated, "Take me to Waver. I don't particularly care about the games Lord El-Melloi is trying to play."Hearing Vahn's words, the two Maids gave a curt bow before stepping to the side and allowing him to pass unobstructed. They fell into step behind Kenshin and Lakshmibai, falling in line with Gareth as they guided Vahn by politely giving directions. This wasn't actually necessary, as Vahn already had a complete understanding of the mansion's layout, but he didn't want to put too much pressure on the girls, despite them both being artificial entities. They were essentially golems without a real Ego but, as Vahn was of the mind that such existences had the potential of gaining an Ego in the future, he elected not to treat them poorly.After a short walk, Vahn found himself outside an ornate door that led to the master bedroom of the mansion. It was the second-largest bedroom after the 'dungeon' located beneath the property but Vahn chose to ignore the existence of the later since he was already familiar with Reines' personality. Instead, he waited for the Maids to announce his presence and, after gaining permission to enter, he stepped in the room to find Waver emaciated and bedridden while Reines stood unaffected at the side.Reines was holding the hand of a little girl with luminous green eyes and golden hair that was tied into two pigtails by red ribbons. She was wearing a frilly, doll-like, dress and even had a light layer of makeup despite appearing around 5-6 years old. Seeing this, Vahn couldn't help but glower slightly as he looked into Reines' eyes, understanding her intentions.Despite Vahn's sharp glare, Reines maintained a cool smile on her face as she performed a courteous bow and said, "I cannot express how grateful we are for Your Majesty's presence. I fear my daughter, Ridley, may have had to grow up without a father if not for the Sage Emperor's leniency..."As she mentioned her daughter, Reines pushed the small girl forward slightly. Despite her age, she had an astute and calculating look in her eyes and, without floundering in the slightest, performed a perfect curtsy as she stated in a bell-like tone, "Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is Ridley El-Melloi Archisorte. Thank you for coming personally to help my father."Vahn resisted the urge to rub his temples as he adopted a wry smile and said, "You are a very polite young lady, Ridley. However, I must ask that you excuse us for the time being. There are matters that I must discuss with your parents." Since he couldn't really blame Ridley for her behavior, as she was just a child, Vahn mentally pardoned her while his opinion of Reines, which had already been rather low, decreased substantially.Though she was the type that pushed the boundaries almost excessively, Reines wasn't a completely hopeless woman. She understood that Vahn wasn't very enthused by how she decided to introduce her daughter to him so, without letting Ridley continue the act, she had Trimmau, the Maid formed from silvery-liquid, escort her out of the room. Since the introductions had already been made, she could easily use her daughter as a talking point in the future, so long as she carefully considered her words and actions.Once Ridley had been escorted out of the room, Reines gave another courteous bow as she stated in an unrepentant tone, "It was not my intention to offend you, Your Majesty. Since you had not shown any interest in visiting my mansion any time soon, I feared this might be the only opportunity I had to carry out introductions. Please, forgive my impudence..."Since Reines had also dressed up, electing to wear a sapphire-blue gown that loosely hugged her mature figure, Vahn would have been able to get an eye-full of her cleavage when she bowed low. Instead, he completely ignored her as he made his way to Waver's side, grabbing his skeletal wrist and sending threads of Source Energy into his body. This caused Reines to frown for a brief moment but, when she noticed the eyes of Kenshin and Lakshmibai directed toward her, she adopted a wry smile before turning to Vahn and explaining, "He wa-"Without waiting for Reines' explanation, Vahn had already removed the malignant energy from the unconscious Waver's body. He had been afflicted with a powerful curse that was eating away at his vitality and artificially accelerating his age. Since his Od was well below the average of most Magi, he had almost no defense against the curse as it quickly ate away at everything, even his Magic Circuits.Fortunately, Waver's affliction was something Vahn could easily treat by making his Source Energy emulate Holy and Life Elemental energy. He had completely purged the malignant energy from the emaciated man's body and, though it would take a few days, he would make a full recovery.After treating Waver, Vahn turned his gaze to meet Reines', causing the cold beauty to swallow her words as she instinctually took a step back. Then, in a deep voice that caused the surrounding space to ripple, Vahn stated, "Even if your family is in dire straits, his condition shouldn't have degraded so far in such a short period of time. If you continue playing these games, there will be no place for the Archibald family in the future..."Though the curse affected Waver had nothing to do with Reines, it was obvious for someone with Vahn's medical skills that very little had been done to treat him. This indicated that Reines had been fine with letting the man wither away, potentially to his death. If this happened, she would have the leeway to seek another partner, either by trying to seduce him or one of the central figures related to the Empire. At the very least, she could use Waver's death as a means of strengthening the ties between her family and the Empire, exploiting Vahn's tolerant and empathetic nature...Despite the severity of Vahn's words, Reines made no effort to apologize. Instead, she dropped her act entirely, adopting a cold and calculating look as she stated in an almost emotionless tone, "Do not blame me for doing what I must to ensure my family's survival. I know you are aware of what I had to go through growing up. Though my nature may be despicable from your perspective, it was necessitated by the situation I had been thrown in. Make no mistake, Your Majesty, I have always loved my husband. My highest priority, however, has always been to reclaiming of my birthright and securing a position for myself and my descendants in a world that would readily erase us without a second thought."Reines knew she wasn't a good person but, unlike most of the people around her, she didn't pretend to be. She had been forced to enter the world of adults and politics when she was only six years old. If she hadn't been vicious and decisive in her actions, she would have either ended up dead or as the plaything of some errant Magus that wanted to collect her like a doll. In order to avoid this end, she had done everything in her power, even embracing a state of mind that cut off most emotions and allowed her to enjoy the suffering of others. Though Waver had helped her stabilize quite a bit, she could never relax until there were no more enemies capable of harming her and the few things she cared about.Seeing the resolute light in Reines' cold eyes, tinged by a glimmer of madness, Vahn couldn't help but furrow his brows. As she stated, he was already very aware of her circumstances as, even without Luvia explaining the situation, he had Merlin and Scáthach to fill in the blanks. She was the product of a society that had no qualms about victimizing children. In order to avoid becoming prey, she had adopted the mentality of a predator that skillfully lurked in the territory of monsters infinitely more powerful than herself. She had even been the mastermind behind the arranged marriage between herself and Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, buying her enough time to reach maturity while scheming in the background.Regardless of her reasons, however, Vahn wasn't just going to tolerate Reines' actions in the present, especially if she was going to be an ally to the Empire. His gaze hardened as a divine light began to radiate from his eyes, causing Reines' legs to tremble due to the increasing pressure on her body. He waited until she was about to collapse before saying in a firm and commanding tone, "Do what you must, Lord El-Melloi...know that I will do the same..."After that simple statement, Vahn released the pressure on Reines' body, allowing her to release a series of labored breathes as she glared back at him, the light in her eyes visibly wavering. Though she felt compelled to defend herself, she had the distinct impression such an action would be the same as digging her own grave. Thus, after swallowing her pride with similar difficulty to swallowing a whole egg, Reines performed another courteous bow as she took a step back and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty...I will take your words to heart..."Though he knew this wouldn't be the end to Reines' schemes, Vahn gave a curt nod in response to her words before departing the El-Melloi mansion shortly thereafter. He left a few mana-rich fruits and vegetables for Waver's consumption before refusing an invitation to tea with the young Ridley. Part of him wanted to take the little girl back to Avalon with him so she wouldn't have to grow up under the influence of her mother but, as this could become a problem in and of itself, he elected not to. It wasn't his responsibility to raise the children of others and, while Ridley's situation was not ideal, it was an irrefutable truth that millions of children suffered worse fates...something he intended to change in the not-so-distant future.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'It's like getting ahold of yer mum's credit card in a gacha game &gt;:D...','Poor Ridley, growing up with a sadist for a mother and a doormat for a father...','Vahn's convictions are strengthening by the day')(A/N: For those worried about me working too hard, please don't xD. I'm not going to write all of them back-to-back, just before the weekly reset. I'll most likely write two now before writing the other two after waking up in the morning ^_^)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

As time continued its eternal march forward, Vahn found himself in a great mood. Though Scáthach never let up during their training, the rest of his time within the Projection had put a perpetual smile on Vahn's face.Vahn would check up on Nobunaga and Kamiya several times throughout the day, often to find that many of the castle's residents were doing the same. This included most of the pregnant women, the majority of which were all expecting their own deliveries within the next two weeks. Because of their own excitement, they spent a lot of time interacting with Kamiya and just idling around Nobunaga's room when they had nothing else going on.It wasn't just his newborn son that Vahn spent time with during these moments as, due to their own intrigue towards their younger sibling, Mordred and Sakura spent much of their free time visiting the room to play with Kamiya. Since Mordred already had a close relationship with Nobunaga before, it wasn't too much of a surprise that she was quite taken with the young Kamiya. This was the same for Sakura but, rather than pestering Nobunaga and trying to monopolize her younger brother's time, she just enjoyed checking up on him before returning to her training and studies.Sakura was even more determined than ever before to become someone strong enough to protect herself and the people she cared about. At the same time, she had also asked if she could apprentice under Vivian who, on top of her other capabilities, specializing in healing and purification. Though her first choices would have been Vahn, Merlin, and Scáthach, she was afraid the former wouldn't be able to make time for her. As for Merlin and Scáthach, Sakura felt the former was very weird while the latter wasn't someone she was allowed to train with until she reached adulthood.When Vahn had first heard Sakura's request, and the reasons behind her decision, he had felt more than a little guilty. He didn't feel like he ignored Sakura but, perhaps due to the first seven years of her life, she had developed a fear of doing anything that might trouble him. Since Vahn hadn't even been in the Nasuverse at the time, it made him feel strangely bitter to bear this label. However, as he had already decided it was a burden he would bear willingly, especially after fundamentally changing Sakura's life, he promised to do better to alleviate her worries.Though Vahn did take Sakura to discuss her apprenticeship with Vivian, he also made time in both of their schedules to train and teach her himself. He even extended the time by allocating a full hour to research and relaxation using the Space-Time Orb. This made the short four-hour time slot equate to nearly 23 hours, greatly increasing the amount of time they got to spend together.When Sakura learned of the arrangement, she had been more than a little surprised and, while she was very happy, these emotions were accompanied by a fair amount of guilt. Early on, she had even tried to talk him out of the arrangement, mentioning she didn't want to trouble him and increase his already substantial burden. When Vahn heard this, he obviously refused, stating, "First and foremost, I am your father. I would not care about being an Emperor if not for my desire to make the world a better place for my own children. One of my greatest regrets is not being there for you, Sakura...let me be the father you needed, even if I'm a little late..."After a very long heart-to-heart conversation, Sakura ultimately relented, albeit after crying for a very substantial amount of time. Then, to punctuate his statement further, Vahn took Sakura and Mordred to the conjuration circle Merlin had prepared, summoning 'Guardians' for the both of them. As could be expected, Mordred was very excited for the opportunity, declaring something along the lines of, 'I'm going to summon a Dragon as my Guardian!'. As for Sakura, she had become somewhat bashful after their long discussion, electing to let Mordred go first while she stood at the side holding Vahn's hand.Contrary to her expectations, Mordred ended up contracting a massive white lion whose fur had a slightly translucent quality. It also had sky-blue eyes that possessed the light of intelligence while, at the end of its tail, a wispy blue flame danced about. According to Merlin, and confirmed by Alaya, this lion was a Divine Spirit known as Menhit's Kin, owing to their relationship to an Egyptian War Deity named Menhit, 'she who slaughters'. It was an enormous lioness that, at a glance, weighed more than a thousand kilograms and stood three meters tall with a body close to 4.5m in length.Though Mordred was a little frustrated after failing to summon a Dragon, she calmed down quite a bit after the identity of the lioness was revealed. Since it was also a symbol of courage, while being much fluffier than a Dragon, Mordred eventually threw her arms around her new Guardian before rubbing her face against its soft white fur with a happy smile. As for the lioness itself, she released a very human-like sigh but, rather than do anything to stop Mordred's actions, it just laid down and allowed its new Master to do as she pleased.After Mordred, Sakura was the next to make use of the ancient conjuration circle. She began to get nervous but, after training as a Knight for nearly a year at this point, Sakura overcame her inhibitions without much difficulty. Even when she cut a line across her palm, she didn't even flinch as the blood began dripping onto the inert magical circle. Then, after a brilliant display of light and amalgamating mana, what appeared to be a small deer came into existence. Unlike a normal deer, however, it had pale-blue fur, a white underbelly, and large, falcon-like wings. It also had tailfeathers and, while the front hooves were relatively normal, the back legs came to an end in falcon-like talons.Without being asked, Merlin had a slightly surprised expression on his face as he explained, "This is quite the rare sight...my, my, I never thought our dear Princess would contract a Peryton, much less one from the primary Luna tribe..." Then, to clarify further, Merlin explained that Sakura's Guardian was a Greater Divine Spirit that could fly freely through all mediums, be it water, air, or even the vacuum of space. It could also move through all boundaries, meaning there were very little places it couldn't roam, so long as it never took the life of a human.Following Merlin's finger, everyone could see that, rather than the expected shadow, the Peryton had what appeared to be a human child's shadow. This showed that it was both 'pure' and, though it was already obvious from its fawn-like features, still immature. He mentioned that it was a very rare Spirit and, though it had almost no combat potential, its presence alone could cause a desolate mountain range to be covered in trees and plants within a few years' time. It was also swifter than a Pegasus in a contest of speed, so he lavished Sakura with praise for managing to contract one.Sakura was the type who didn't accept compliments easily so she was considerably embarrassed by Merlin's heavy praise. Fortunately, her Guardian already seemed attuned to her as it came to stand between her and Merlin before nuzzling against her in an affectionate manner so she would calm down. This instantly brought the smile back to Sakura's face and, after stroking the fawn's neck, she quickly learned it was extremely soft. Though it was also a bit cool to the touch, it was a comfortable temperature that would be very pleasant during the Spring and Summer seasons...With the ritual completed, Vahn took Mordred and Sakura out to play with their new Guardians. Due to its size, Mordred could easily ride on the back of her lioness, albeit with some difficulty due to the lack of a harness and saddle. As for Sakura's Guardian, it was only 120cm tall, making it far too small to ride. It had a lot of growing left to due, despite the fact it was already more than three hundred years old. Fortunately, much like a Dryad, it would mature based on the energy and sustenance it was provided. Since Sakura had an almost overwhelming amount of Od, now reaching over 90,000, she had more than enough to spare.The best part about contracting a spirit was the fact that, much like an actual Guardian, they could adopt a spirit form and rest within the bodies of their contracted Master. They would also become more attuned to each other over time, allowing the Master to grow much stronger while the Spirit, unable to evolve and grow through normal means, had the opportunity to reach greater heights. It was this reason that led Spirits to accept contracts in the first place as, while contracted, they were able to grow much faster than normal. They also couldn't die so long as their contract was active and, even if their Master ultimately passed away, they simply got to return to the Reverse Side of the World, much stronger than before.The only major downside for the Spirits, other than having to follow the whims of a human, was that they could easily become corrupted if their Master was a wicked individual. It was for this reason that most Magi were unable to summon powerful Spirits as, while conducting the summoning ritual, their nature was exposed for all prospective summons to view. As a result, the success rate of summoning anything more than a Lesser Elemental Spirit was slim, at best.Because of this, Magi had come up with temporary contracts to 'borrow' the power of Spirits, a far cry from the permanant contract established using Merlin's method. They also contracted Daemons who, despite having a name close to Demons, were fundamentally different existences. Their nature was not evil but, as wish-granting entities, the way their power was manifested often had disastrous consequences for the enemies of their contractors. This, however, wasn't really unique to Daemons as, with the errant nature of most Magi, even a Greater Elemental Spirit of Light could be corrupted by extended exposure to humanity.Fortunately, Mordred and Sakura seemed to be evaluated highly by their respective Guardians who, despite knowing both girls could potentially live forever, still accepted the contract. Vahn suspected this was either due to the machinations of Merlin but, as it was a good thing for both girls, he didn't press the matter. In fact, he was almost tempted to make a contract of his own after petting the soft downy fur of Sakura's Peryton and the thick, plush, fur of Mordred's lioness. They also seemed quite fond of his petting but, before things developed too far, Fenrir actually made a surprise appearance, immediately nipping Vahn's wayward urge in the bud.---In the midst of Vahn's busy, albeit incredibly fulfilling, schedule, Alaya eventually informed him that, a little ahead of schedule, the trio of Rin/Ereshkigal/Ishtar had gone into labor. This had taken place only nine days after Nobunaga's delivery so the castle was quickly abuzz with excitement, building upon the yet-to-fade excitement from before. Even Nobunaga herself showed up to join everyone waiting outside the delivery room while, once again, Vahn had a small crowd while Sakura, paler than before, assisted him.Rather than just one of them experiencing the delivery, Rin, Ereshkigal, and Ishtar were all sharing their body at the same time. Though Ishtar had 'retreated' a few times when things got especially painful, she would ultimately return a few seconds later with renewed conviction. As for Rin and Ereshkigal, they tolerated the complicated delivery from start to finish, suffering an extreme amount of exhaustion in the process. After all, birthing three children wasn't easy, even with Vahn making the process a lot smoother than it otherwise would have been.Vahn had been exceptionally proud of the son Nobunaga had produced, even if he looked a little bit like a potato with thin black hair and ruby-red eyes. When the trio gave birth to their first daughter, however, Vahn, as well as everyone else bearing witness to the event, was quite surprised. The infant had a full head of short, dark-brown hair, while their features were akin to a perfectly carved doll. As for why everyone was surprised, however, it was due to the fact that, immediately after being born, the little girl opened her eyes, revealing maroon-red pupils that glimmered with intelligence. At the same time, a powerful aura began to permeate through the room, causing those of lesser Soul Tiers to feel a suppressive force.Though they were still in intense pain, the trio on the delivery table looked at the newborn Vanir with loving eyes as a voice that sounded more like Isthar's than the other two stated, "My Isanna..." in a whimpering tone. This actually seemed to reach the newborn Vanir's ears, causing her to giggle like a bell as Vahn handed her over to a waiting Homunculus for cleaning. After this, the trio was allowed to hold the young Isanna for a few moments before, as if to remind them they were still waiting, a very powerful and painful contraction ran through the three's body.A few minutes after Isanna's birth, a crowning head filled with golden hair made itself known before, moments later, another little girl managed to extricate herself from her mother's womb. She had the exact same features as Isanna, albeit with golden-blond hair and, much to Vahn's surprise, a pair of pristine blue eyes. Like her older sister, an aura of Divinity seemed to spread through the area but, rather than a suppressive force, it was extremely gentle and warm.As if sensing her little sister's presence, Isanna began to make a few sounds and, despite only being a few minutes old, she could already move her arms and legs enthusiastically. This caused everyone in the room to chuckle while, laying on the delivery table, the trio had a significant stream of tears pouring down their face as Ereshkigal's voice stated, "Please...let me hold her...please...my Naavi..."Since it seemed cruel to keep Ereshkigal from her daughter, the attending nurse dutifully cleaned the newborn Vanir before quickly yet carefully handing her over. This caused Ereshkigal to cry even more as she locked eyes with her daughter, whimpering, "Thank you...thank you..." over and over. Much to everyone's surprise, the newborn Naavi placed her tiny hand on the trio's cheek before making a few baby noises, almost as if she were trying to actively calm her mother.Fortunately, the remaining child seemed to be far more patient than his elder sisters so Ereshkigal was able to hold her daughter for an extended period of time. It took the combined efforts of Rin and Ishtar to calm her down before she was willing to part with the golden-haired Naavi. Then, after the latter was placed into the same bedding as Isanna, they immediately turned to face each other before giggling. It was obvious both were cognizant of their surroundings and, though they might not be able to understand everything that was going on, they were aware of themselves and each other.While half the room was doting over the twins, Vahn was dutifully trying to coax out his son while the trio did their best to force him out. He seemed less willing than his sisters but, after a concerted effort over the course of a twenty-minute period, the tiny bundle of life was pulled kicking and screaming from the familiar warmth. Unlike Isanna and Naavi, he immediately began crying loudly, making it apparent he was a very healthy young boy. Since he wasn't a Vanir, he didn't share the same unnervingly beautiful features of his siblings but, after opening his slightly swollen eyes, Vahn got to see quite a surprising sight.It was impossible to know what color hair his new son would have, as he only had very light downy hairs present at the moment, but his eyes were a heterochromatic combination of maroon-red and pristine blue. Though it wasn't nearly as obvious as the two before him, there was a glimmer of intelligence contained within those eyes that caused Vahn's smile to widen before he handed the screaming infant over to the nurse for his first bath. Then, Vahn continued tending to the trio as, after gathering Isanna and Naavi from their bedding, Rin, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal held their newborn children together for the first time.While Vahn was dealing with the messy aftermath, he heard Rin lovingly call their son, "Daiki..." in a subdued tone. It roughly translated to 'Great Tree' and 'Noble Protector', so he wasn't too surprised by the choice. After all, Sakura was named after 'Cherry Blossoms' and 'Good Fortune', so it was a fitting name considering they were siblings. Though it didn't quite match up with Isanna and Naavi, that was primarily just a difference in origin between Rin and the two Goddesses.After finishing up his duties, Vahn made sure to properly wash and sanitize his hands with magic before joining the group surrounding the trio of new mothers. They had cleared a spot for him so he could stand next to the extremely fatigued girls who, seeing his arrival, smiled lovingly at him while muttering, "Thank you..." This caused Vahn's smile to soften and, though he did his best to hold it back, there was a visible moisture building in his eyes. Then, his voice cracking, Vahn stroked the girls' hair gently as he echoed, "Thank you..." before blinking away a few tears...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fight on, Sakura...!','Poor Daiki was born last...','Simple words sometimes carry the most weight...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1242: Stabilizing