Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As could be expected, Da Vinci's surprise reveal of Sophia had sent a few ripples throughout the castle. He got an earful from the other girls for keeping it hidden but, as he had already informed Artoria, they couldn't really be mad at him. It was, after all, a harmless prank on Da Vinci's end and, as her character wasn't unknown to the others, the only person genuinely upset was Gawain.Since Sophia was still a member of the Imperial Family, he didn't think it was wise to keep the matter of her birth low-key. The birth of a Princess was an auspicious event that should be celebrated by the people as it reinforced the idea that the Imperial Family was flourishing. Though it was a little jarring to have so many births back to back, Gawain argued that they could just dedicate the entire month as a celebration period that praised the successive births of the Empire's future that ushered in the end of Winter.Vahn didn't have an easy way to refute Gawain so, after discussing the matter with Artoria, it was decided that the period between February 14th and March 15th would be an extended holiday for the Empire. Both Luvia and Circe would have given birth by then and, as Gawain pointed out, this was also around the time Spring would officially descend upon the land. He felt it was indeed an ideal period for celebration and, if he was 'careful' about his future actions, Vahn figured it would be possible to ensure all of his children were born around the same time period.While it would certainly be peculiar to have so many birthdays around the same time period, it also made things simpler for him in the long run, even with the Projection. Instead of having dozens of birthday celebrations throughout the year, they could have a holiday period that was completely dedicated to his children. He would still give them presents every 365 days, aided by the reminders of Sis, but having official holidays was a hallmark of a stable country.Da Vinci obviously wanted nothing to do with any major celebration so, after a short appearance, she left Sophia in the care of Vahn before retiring to the Workshop. This left him carrying around the infinitely curious infant for the remainder of the evening but, as Vahn obviously had no problem with taking care of his daughter, he didn't complain. Though this resulted in him also having to carry his other children around, especially Isanna and Naavi, he enjoyed being the center of attention for his precious little angels.While he was carrying Sophia on his right arm and Isanna in his left arm, Vahn had to ignore the fact that the two were having a conversation in baby-speak while, at his side, Luvia curiously asked, "That onesie...is that something Da Vinci made? What kind of functions does it have...?"Hearing Luvia's question, Vahn briefly glanced at the peculiar garb worn by Sophia. It had a color similar to lapis-lazuli and was covered in stars, much like some of Da Vinci's favorite outfits. This was enough to make it stand out but, if you looked closely, there was an inner layer to the suit that clung to Sophia's body while, at various locations, small access valves blended almost seamlessly into the fabric.Recalling what Da Vinci had told him, Vahn answered, "It has temperature regulation functions, an automatic defense system, and a total of five nano-golem factories. According to Da Vinci, anything less than a B-Rank Noble Phantasm wouldn't even be able to harm a single hair on Sophia's head."As could be expected, Vahn's explanation had caught the attention of, not just the mothers, but just about everyone in earshot. After all, anything that could block a B-Rank Noble Phantasm was already nearing the pinnacle of defensive equipment. More importantly, at least for the mothers present, the onesie produced by Da Vinci had an 'auto cleaning' function, even though Sophia seemingly had no need for it.After the initial shock, Luvia asked the question on everyone's mind, "How are we only just hearing about this now? Shouldn't Da Vinci have made versions for each of the children?" Since it was an item that could protect all of their children, Luvia felt that Da Vinci was being selfish by not giving a set to each of Vahn's children.Understanding what Luvia must be thinking, Vahn, very lightly, flicked her head as he stated, "These are hand-made by her due to their complex structure. The one she produced for Sophia was made only a few hours ago so don't go around making assumptions. Da Vinci might be a lot of things, but selfish isn't one of them."By the time he was done speaking, Vahn was lightly rubbing Luvia's head as she hung her head with an embarrassed expression on her face. Fortunately, someone stepped in to change the topic as, like a phantom, Rin snatched the hovering Isanna from Vahn after knocking him on the head, hard. She had an angry expression on her face as she, with a voice tinged by Ishtar's, exclaimed, "Don't just use your Telekinesis to hold my daughter. Be more sensible, you dummy...!"Though Rin/Ishtar's fist dealt no damage to him, Vahn winced in pain before rubbing the spot where her fist struck with an apologetic look on his face. This didn't stop Rin/Ishtar from glaring at him but, as if they found it very amusing, Sophia and Isanna both began laughing. Upon hearing this, Vahn's expression momentarily blanked, not entirely due to the laughter, but the fact that Sophia, despite her words being incoherent to others, said, "Papa is bad~"At this point, Sophia wasn't even five days old so Vahn felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, despite the fact she had been 'conversing' with Isanna earlier. He suddenly remembered that, due to the strange circumstances of Sophia's birth, he had never given her a [Heroic Tale]. Now, he knew she must have an Innate similar to her mother's as, despite being an infant, Sophia was very clearly aware of everything going on around her. He even suspected that the only reason she was using baby speech was due to her vocal cords not having fully developed...Seeing Vahn's shock, Rin had an apologetic expression of her own how as she lowered her head and said, "We shouldn't use violence in front of the children. I don't want them thinking it is normal to go around hitting others." Though this sounds rather 'strange' coming from Rin, as her nature made her prone to violence when she was embarrassed, everyone around nodded their head in agreement.Though it was a bit of a misunderstanding, Vahn had also nodded his head before creating a sound isolation barrier around the children and saying, "We need to talk about the children's development in private. For now, let's enjoy the rest of the banquet."Hearing Vahn's words, everyone couldn't help but agree as, even without him explaining things now, Rin had already realized she had misunderstood his previous shock. They had also been aware of the soundproof barrier he had made so, for the remainder of the evening, they were very careful with their words. It was obvious that he had realized something and, though they had all agreed not to arbitrarily keep secrets from the children, that didn't mean they could just ignore their responsibility as parents.---After dropping Sophia off at the Workshop, Vahn, accompanied by Gareth, joined Artoria, Gray, Rin, Luvia, Kenshin, and Nobunaga in the latter's room, a common meet-up location. The children had, for the time being, been left in the care of their Governesses, the Homunculi that would be caring for and educating them until they matured.Since the atmosphere was a little tense, Vahn greeted everyone with a smile before gesturing with his hand and saying, "It isn't that serious. We'll just have to take special precautions in rearing the Vanir. As for Sophia, I don't think there will be any issues with Da Vinci and myself around."Though his words eased most of the tensions in the room, Rin/Ishtar/Ereshkigal, the mothers of said Vanir, immediately asked, "What's going on, Vahn? Don't beat around the bush." Since it concerned their children, they were obviously less patient than they otherwise would have been.Before answering them, Vahn sat down on the sofa next to Artoria before explaining, "I'm certain that, at the very least, Isanna has a similar level of omniscience as Ishtar and Ereshkigal. It is a little different for Sophia, but I've also confirmed that she has the [Natural Born Genius] Innate at the EX-Rank, just like her mother. The most terrifying thing, however, is her mental development...though she is only five days old, she has the mental age of a fourteen-year-old...and it is rapidly increasing."----------------------------------------------------------------------[Status]Name: Sophia MasonTitle: Progeny of the Omnipotent Genius [Promotes Mental Development]Race: DemigodAge: C0, P0, M14Strength: 1E-Endurance: 4E-Agility: 1E-Magical Power: 9EGood Luck: ★Circuit Quality: EXSOUL: 3 [Lord Soul]Divinity: Innovation(pseudo: 44%), Wisdom(pseudo: 68%), Creation(pseudo: 1%Skills: [Natural Born Genius:Innate:EX], [Artificer's Eye:Innate:B], [Promise of the Future:Innate:(sealed)], [Eidetic Memory:B], [Mind Workshop:D], [Golden Rule:A]Magic: (-)Magecraft: (-)----------------------------------------------------------------------When the others saw the [Heroic Tale of Sophia Mason], they were more than a little shocked. This meant that, despite her appearance, Sophia's mental maturity was even higher than that of Modred and Sakura. It was even higher than Isanna's who, at this point, had a mental age of 5, despite only being less than a week old and having the physical development of a two-month-old infant.What mattered the most, at least to Rin, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal, however, was Vahn's first claim about Isanna having the limited omniscience granted to all Gods and Goddesses. As they needed to be able to perform their duties immediately after birth, most Gods were born fully formed. They also had access to the 'Wisdom of the Gaia', giving them knowledge of everything transpiring within the world's past and present. Those with the associated Divinity could even know the future and, unlike Scáthach, they could easily control this ability from birth.If what Vahn said was true, which was very likely the case, this meant that Isanna already had access to the entire recorded history of the planet and everything happening in the modern world. Though there were obvious exceptions, as even Gaia and Alaya could not know everything, it was still a very powerful ability. This meant that, so long as she wanted to know something, Isanna would always have the answer she seeks, despite not having the mental development to properly understand the information she was obtaining.Being the de facto mother of Isanna, Ishtar became the dominant personality in Rin's body as she crossed her arms and said, "I will guide Isanna like a proper Goddess. Do not worry."Vahn didn't doubt that Ishtar would do her best but, as they all carried the responsibility of rearing the children born within the castle, he gave a small nod before adding, "We all need to do our best. Isanna shouldn't be afraid of her power, nor should she feel like she is being restrained. It is fine to let her exercise her power and make a few mistakes, so long as they are not irreversible. We need to make sure she doesn't pick up any dangerous habits. I already expect her to be a little precocious so we'll have to be strict whenever she pushes the boundaries too far..."Following this statement, Vahn had a 'very' long discussion with everyone about maintaining holding a unified front and proper communication. One of the biggest dangers to Isanna's development was her believing she would be able to get away with certain things around certain people. If she started trying to take advantage of this realization, she would start to develop a manipulative and deceitful nature as a matter of course.Structure and consistency were important for the development of all children, Vanir included, so they needed to be on the same page until Isanna, and the other children, had matured. The only reason she became the central figure of this discussion was due to her pseudo-Divinities being Sky(69%), Authority(37%), War(82%), and Love(95%). This was an especially troublesome combination as, when she had a better grasp of her abilities, Isanna would be able to teleport and send her intent out, just like when he was teleporting in his Qinglong form. She would also be able to command and order simple-minded creatures to do her bidding and, after maturing, there was a good chance she would have the same influence of humans and spirits. To exacerbate matters even further, it wouldn't take long before her Love pseudo-Divinity evolved into an actual Divinity. Depending on when and how this manifested, Isanna could become a danger to herself and others in a very short period of time.Fortunately, Isanna's Love didn't seem to be the same kind as Ishtar's, which would be troublesome for an entire slew of reasons. He had made sure of this as, when they spent time together during the pregnancy, Vahn had informed them about the development of the Vanir and how they were heavily influenced by the intentions and hopes of their parents. This meant that Isanna's Love would most likely manifest as familial love and a strong desire to protect her family. She would probably become a little overprotective, but that was better than having a 'Lenneth' around the castle...especially one that could freely spy on others and teleport around freely.---While Vahn and the others were discussing her, Isanna was doing exactly what Vahn was worried about, albeit with purely innocent intent. She was pretending to sleep while hugging her beloved little brother when, in actuality, her intent was roaming the halls freely. Though there were some places she couldn't venture, such as the room where her parents were currently 'hiding', she was able to move almost uninhibitedly through much of the castle. Even solid walls and the complex magical formations were unable to stop her as, rather than 'move', it was more accurate to say that her intent was simply wherever she wanted it to be.One of Isanna's favorite past times, despite having lived for less than two weeks, was spying on her other siblings. She liked to follow Mordred around, watching as the girl got into all kinds of mischief alongside her other big sister, Sakura. It was also very entertaining to see them training as, despite it looking boring and repetitive at times, she thought the flashy lights and explosions appearing during spars were very entertaining. She was even tempted to join them at times but, as there was always a 'presence' following her around, Isanna made sure to be on her best behavior, at least for the time being.This time around, Isanna tried to sneak into one of the places she had never been able to enter, the Magus Tower belonging to Merlin. Unfortunately, any attempt she made to probe the interior would just send her intent elsewhere, causing the young Vanir a great deal of confusion. She still tried to go inside a few more times but, having no success, she decided to go explore the outside for a bit. From her perspective, the world was full of vibrant colors as she could easily see the flow of mana, both in the environment and the creatures calling Avalon home.Since the Island had felt somewhat 'ghostly' before, Vahn had brought various harmless animals into the Projection in the past. This mainly included sheep, deer, squirrels, rabbits, and other herbivores as they made the Island more scenic and fantastical with their presence. There was nothing quite like walking through the woods in the early morning twilight and stumbling across a few deers grazing in the expansive forest of apple trees. He had also taught Mordred not to antagonize them so, after a while, most of the animals on the Island had become very friendly toward humans.After sending her intent near a few life signs located within the forest, Isanna did something that, if Vahn knew about it, would result in him having a very long, and potentially violent, conversation with Merlin. This was because, much like an actual Goddess, Isanna was already able to manifest herself in other forms, without needing to appear in her main body. Thus, after finding a small family of deer, a stream of mana began to flow from the surroundings before forming into a wispy figure not all that dissimilar to Ishtar.Rather than panic at the unexpected appearance of a person, the adult deer in the small herd bent down on the joints of their knees, seemingly bowing to Isanna's manifestation while the fawns in the group began to gather around her. Isanna giggled in response to the subservient adult deer before saying, "Awue goo ga fuuwaa~" as she pet the young fawns surrounding her. The adult deer, as if understanding her nonsensical words, rose to their feet before joining their children around Isanna and allowing her to freely pet them...Though Isanna was enjoying her time quite a bit, her eyes suddenly flashed with divine light just as she was feeding an apple to one of the smaller fawns. In the next moment, she had vanished from the forest as, back in the castle, her little brother had started to cry. This might have annoyed other infants but Isanna and Naavi were never troubled by Daiki's loud bellows. Instead, they both began to hug him in order to calm his crying until two of their caretakers arrived, both wearing the strange contraption that was filled with delicious milk.Isanna personally preferred her mother's milk but, as the flavors were comparable, she chose not to complain. Since the woman who picked up Daiki also picked her up, meaning she had 'won' against her younger sister, Isanna even graced the pale-haired Homunculus with a few praises while, at the side, Naavi had a pouting expression. This gave Isanna the urge to laugh but, as she was also quite hungry, she began to suckle on the artificial teet with vigor while holding onto Daiki's blanket with her right hand.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Where's my super suit!?','Vahn and Da Vinci have created a monster xD...','The Adventures of Isanna, Vol. 1')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With the birth of Sophia, Vahn was only waiting for Circe and Luvia to give birth before the number of pregnant women in the castle was reduced to zero. Though he quite enjoyed spending time with his children, he could only look back on his past self with a wry smile. His life had become even busier now so, remembering he had thought about impregnating 'everyone', Vahn realized he still had a long way to go before maturing to the level he desired.In spite of his busy schedule, Vahn had no real complaints since even Scáthach had let up on him a bit. During one of their recent training sessions, she told him to take an extended break as despite the effort he was putting in, he had reached a bottleneck of sorts. His power was growing without end but, as one of the primary goals of their training was to help him regain a Divinity, it was clear something else was required. With this in mind, she wanted him to focus on his family life and the management of the Empire while using his newfound free time to take care of his children.As a result of his Shishou's concerns, Vahn currently found himself watching Mordred, Sakura, Mash, and now Zoë, conduct training drills at the behest of Galahad. This took on the form of one person holding a weighted club-like sword as they used it to strike against the heavy shield of their training partner. Since Galahad had taken over, he had been educating the girls in the use of swords, spears, lances, javelins, shields, maces, flails, and bows. He wanted them to have comprehensive training in many of the most common armaments so they would properly understand how to use, and counter, them.Mordred seemed somewhat bored to be on the defensive but, with him sitting at the side, Vahn saw that she was at least pretending to put in an effort. She dutifully held her shield at chest level, using its slightly curved surface to skillfully deflect the strikes of Sakura. Despite having a strong distaste of shields, Mordred was extremely proficient in the usage of almost every type of armament. She also had incredible kinetic vision and the [Instinct] Skill to cover for any gaps in her knowledge.To her credit, Sakura's blows were heavy enough to make small dents in the shield, causing Mordred to have to focus at least a little to avoid straining herself. At this point, the adorable little brunette had the strength of ten grown men while, due to her monstrous reserves of Od, she would channel a bit into each of her attacks almost instinctually. Every now and then, what appeared to be a thin blue mist would radiate out from where she struck, causing Mordred to tense up slightly to avoid being pushed back.Vahn was genuinely proud of Sakura's growth and, since he started watching their training, he made sure she knew it. She seemed embarrassed by this at first but, after a while, Sakura had learned to accept his praise with a bashful smile rather than awkward dismissal. Mordred had helped her a lot in this regard as, whenever he praised her, she would always accept his words with a toothy smile and, more often than not, a hug. She also had a bad habit of climbing on him, which was becoming more awkward as she continued to grow, but Vahn didn't mind letting his tomboyish little monkey get away with mischief, at least for the time being.It wasn't just Sakura who benefitted from Mordred's unabashed willingness to accept praise either as, with Mash and Zoë both working hard, Vahn complimented their efforts as well. They acted a lot like Sakura at first, especially Mash, but now Vahn could easily pat the girls' heads whenever they completed hard training. This seemed to motivate them quite a bit as, with their treatment being similar to his children, it left a deep impact on the parentless girls.Now, Vahn watched as Zoë used her own superhuman strength to bash against Mash's shield as she shouted, "Ei! Ei! Ei!" in a cheerful tone. A stark contrast to the pale-haired girl's playfulness, Mash had a determined and focused gaze as she bent her knees slightly and leaned into each strike. She was also deflecting the blows to the side but, rather than accept the blows outright, Mash had learned to intercept the path of the blow and disperse the force. This not only significantly reduced the power behind the blow but it also opened up the opportunity for a counterattack by slamming the shield into the attacker's body.Fortunately for Zoë, Mash couldn't use her 'shield bash' against her in this particular training as she was required to remain purely on the defense. This allowed Zoë the opportunity to freely flail away at Mash's shield, a testament to the fact that she was lacking proper discipline. Since she had only been at this for five days, however, even Galahad remained silent and only corrected her when she made serious mistakes. He knew the past of the Designer Babies at this point so, despite lacking any facial expressions, Galahad had a lot of empathy and tolerance towards the playful girl's antics.After a thousand timed strikes from Sakura, and three-hundred from Zoë, Galahad, in a calm voice, plainly stated, "Five-minute break, then switch."With the set completed, Mordred began rolling her left shoulder with a cheeky smile on her face as she remarked, "You're becoming pretty strong, Sakura-chan. At this rate, my left arm is going to be useless in the future! Shishishishishi~"Sakura rolled her eyes in response to Mordred's words before walking over and placing her palm against the latter's shoulder. Mordred didn't try to evade this and, after a few seconds, a pale green light illuminated the area as Sakura used a very rudimentary form of healing magic to remove any muscle strain. Since he had started training her personally, Vahn had been teaching her [Hands of Nirvana] and sense the structure of a person's body using her monstrous magical power in a non-destructive way.After a few seconds, Mordred's arm had started to tingle a bit but the aching feeling had completely vanished. This caused her to smile even wider before showering Sakura in praise as they walked over to the side where their Chichue was smiling at them. Halfway to their destination, Mordred leaped the remaining ten meters, headbutting Vahn's chest as she threw her arms around him and giggled mischievously.Vahn chuckled lightly in response to Mordred's mischief as he gently stroked her golden hair and mused, "You did well, Mordred. Make sure to keep focused during training or-" Before he was able to continue any further, Mordred looked up at him and added, "Or I'll become complacent in a real battle, right~? Shishishishi~"With a smile on his face, Vahn shook his head in mock exasperation before pinching Mordred's nose and taking a seat. She sat on his left thigh as if it were natural while Sakura, after walking over like a normal person, sat down to his right. Vahn also stroked her hair, earning a smile from the mature girl as she sat like a proper lady. She took her etiquette training very seriously and, despite aspiring to be a Knight, Sakura knew she would be representing the Empire as the Second Imperial Princess in the future.Since they only had a five-minute break, Vahn used his [Hands of Nirvana] to revitalize the girls so that their training would be more productive. This included Mash and Zoë, albeit with the former going red in the face when he stroked her lavender-hair. When he first saw her behaving like this, Vahn had been a little confused since he thought she had a crush on Galahad. She called him Senpai and asked him lots of questions about becoming a proper Shieldbearer so this made the most sense. However, once he started showing up to observe their training, Mash would usually flock to his side with the other girls, despite rarely having anything to say.Vahn tried to comfort himself by acknowledging the very real possibility that he had become a father figure to Mash but, given how she reacted to Mordred's and Zoë's teasing, this didn't seem to be the case. She also referred to him as Master and, despite their few interactions in the past, had a Loyalty value of 6,417. With all of this, Vahn knew Mash had likely started to crush on him now but, as she was a sensible and loyal girl, he didn't think anything would come of it. He really wanted her to find happiness with someone else so, after handling the Barthomeloi family, Vahn wondered if it wouldn't be prudent of him to allow the girls to become exchange students at the Clock Tower so they could properly socialize with people their own age.Though the curriculum of the Clock Tower left a lot to be desired, that didn't mean he had to enroll them in the standard courses. Since he would be negotiating conditions with Solon, Vahn could have a special course created specifically for his children and a select few capable students. He could then prove to the Magus community at large that his methods were better suited to rearing young Magi than any of the existing methods. Though this class would largely focus on battling within the Spirit Tomb, the results would be very apparent when the entire class suddenly started showing greater prowess than the majority of teachers.Vahn was intending to use the Barthomeloi Monarchal Family to set a harsh example for the entire Magus community but that didn't mean he wanted to arbitrarily cause a world war. The method he had discussed with Artoria, Merlin, Luvia, and Rin had him establishing himself as creating a strong deterrent before cementing his status and building his prestige by strengthening the foundation of the very same organization he had harmed. After all, if he just destroyed the Barthomeloi family and pretended like it was no big deal, a number of people would begin to fear and conspire against him, even amongst the common Magi.By destroying one of the Three Monarchal Families, he would have proven that the Empire wasn't just a third-party faction without any power. Then, by extending an olive branch and helping the Association strengthen its foundation, he would have a lot of leeway for bringing about the changes he wanted to see. Since his methods would produce elites in a very short period of time, most of the younger Magi would begin to flock to him while his prestige continued to grow. The lingering threat of Angra Mainyu had made most people hungry for greater power so it was the best time to build his own faction and establish a lasting alliance with the Association.From the moment his methods began to bear fruit, Vahn would have the leverage to end many of the foolish, despotic, and objectively cruel methods of the Mage's Association. Since they would no longer serve any purpose, as there was an incalculable number of ways to discredit them, he would be able to slowly change the curriculum to his preferences. This would eventually affect the entirety of the Magus community as young Magi, who had been victimized by the current system, would be able to directly contend against the so-called Elites and Nobles.There was a good chance conflict would arise as a result of his efforts but, as he would have already used the Barthomeloi family as an 'example', Vahn would be able to take action against almost any family with impunity. After all, by winning over the majority and unifying them against a common enemy, one they have always resented, his actions would always be considered 'just' in their eyes. It was high time for a change so, while it was a more than a little tyrannical, Vahn was willing to take the necessary measures to strengthen the Empire and change the policies of the Association.One of his biggest concerns wasn't the Association itself, but the happiness and mental wellness of his children. Vahn felt like they were becoming detached from reality by staying inside the Projection so, while he was fine with them staying inside to increase their strength, he also wanted them to be happy and functioning members of society. They needed to be able to build their own social circles and interact with peers that shared similar mentalities to them. If they only ever interacted with the people inside of the castle, their perspective of the world would become increasingly skewed as they would be aging and developing several times faster than their peers.By having some of his children attend the Clock Tower as exchange students, he also opened the door for the reverse. The Empire was going to go public before the year's end and, as he intended for Avalon to essentially serve as a massive Academy, he would obviously need students. He had even started to work on four different curriculums alongside Da Vinci, including the Standard, Mage, Knight, and Hero courses. The Standard course served as a filter that provided a proper foundation to all students before they fell into one of the other three courses.Once students had a clear goal and had chosen their path, they would enter into one of the other three courses based on their capabilities. It would be possible to freely transfer between them, but this was predicated on the fact that the student had put in the requisite amount of effort. As could be expected, the Mage course would focus on teaching children actual Magic according to Eva's methods and Da Vinci's Unified Thaumaturgical Theory.The Knight's course would be, quite literally, a curriculum designed to teach children the necessary knowledge to become a Knight. This training would primarily focus on strengthening the body and increasing magic resistance. Since Od was used to power both spells and strengthen the body, the biggest difference between students of the Mage and Knight course, other than mentality, was the lengths they went to in order to strengthen their physical foundation.After building a proper foundation for themselves, students would then be able to enter the more advanced Hero course which, as the name suggested, had them training under Heroic Spirits and applying what they had learned in actual combat scenarios. Vahn was intending to create his own Dungeon in the future and had already discussed the matter with the Dwarves and Vulcanae below. They were capable of reshaping the land freely and, though it would take some time, creating a Dungeon wasn't even that difficult for them.The deeper you went into the earth, the closer you got to the Reverse Side of the World. By making a Dungeon that neared the membrane separating the Surface and Reverse Side, known as the Land of Faeries, the Dungeon would naturally begin to change and evolve. It would begin to produce a variety of different monsters of progressively higher strength the closer you got to the Reverse Side and, by seeding various plants and minerals, it would even be possible to harvest high-quality herbs and magical metals like Mithril and Adamantine in the future.Regardless of what he decided to do, Vahn knew his presence in the world brought the Surface and Reverse Side closer together. Unless he proactively tried to seal the other away, which was possible due to Artoria's presence, it was only a matter of time until the boundary between the two textures ceased to exist. Before that happened, he needed to make sure the world was ready for the jarring changes it would experience so it was necessary for him to seize control or, at the very least, come to a compromise with the various world powers.Vahn was starting with the Mage's Association, as it was the most obvious target, but it wouldn't be long before he set his sights on the Holy Church as well. He doubted they would listen to reason if he pointed out that Alaya was the God they worshipped but, after recruiting a number of Saints to his cause, it wouldn't take much effort to destabilize the Church. All he really had to do was perform various miracles, such as healing the sick and bringing stability to war-torn regions for most normal humans to venerate him. Since this was the information era, they would be hard-pressed to paint the Empire as some kind of evil organization if the only thing they ever did was save people, rather than asking for money and offering false salvation.War was inevitable between the Empire and the Holy Church but, with Alaya at his side, they had already lost the battle before it even began. This was doubly so with CHALDEAS as, with the ability to peer into the past, present, and future of the entire planet, he would know what they were scheming before it could even be implemented. Alaya could also move freely within the Holy Church, unlike the Mage's Association, because the people within literally prayed to her for guidance. She provided an absolute advantage against the Holy Church and, if he wanted, Vahn could even enter their most sacred grounds freely.At this point, it felt like there was very little that could stand in his way from seizing power as, given enough time, he had an infinite number of ways to do so. By the year's end, he would even have an additional twenty Heroic Spirits serving to strengthen the foundation of the Empire. Since this would include some of history's most powerful figures, including literal Gods and Goddesses, there wasn't much anyone could do against them. By the time Angra Mainyu appeared, he could have built a small army of nearly two-hundred Heroic Spirits, each stronger than a standard army on their own merits.This was, however, a consideration for the not-so-distant future so, for the time being, Vahn was just happy to be able to spend time with his children. The Empire and ruling the world would always be of secondary importance to him as, if he couldn't even make his children happy, he didn't deserve to spew platitudes about making others happy. With this in mind, Vahn hugged Mordred and Sakura in his arms before sending them off to resume their training with a few encouraging words. He then gave Mash and Zoë a head pat before sending them off to do the same, earning a bashful smile from the former and a cheerful laugh from the latter...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Mash has been corrupted...!?','RIP Barthomeloi...at least they would have the achievement of unifying the Magus community?','So, Vahn+Da Vinci+Alaya=Batman')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With Aeterna assisting him, Vahn felt like he had finally caught up with his former skill at forging. He had already known this but, with the eternal flame being at his side since the beginning of his career as a Blacksmith, Vahn was infinitely more used to working with a 'partner' than working on his own.After losing the eternal flame, it always felt like something was missing every time he picked up a hammer and tried to get the proper groove. It was simply less 'fun' doing it on his own as, from the very beginning, Vahn had never really aspired to walk the path of forging for forging's sake. He had done it out of necessity at the time and, after seeing how much people benefitted from his creations, he tried polishing his skills further and further.Now, Vahn was actually enjoying forging again, rather than treating it like a task he needed to focus, not just his mind, but his very existence on. This wasn't just due to the existence of Aeterna, either, as the Dwarves had actually given him permission to use the Great Forge. After Aeterna appeared along with her crown, he had been given the honorary status of an Elder. If not for the fact that the title of Master could only be given by the Council of Dwarven Lords, representing the remaining tribes, he would have already been recognized as a Master due to the craftsmanship of the crown.Since then, Vahn would make a point of visiting the Great Forge every few days, both as a means of building rapport with the Dwarves and allowing Aeterna to show off in front of her subjects. Though this ate into a lot of his time, Vahn felt it would be for the betterment of the Empire that he make an effort now, rather than later. If he could build his reputation amongst their community early on, any future Dwarves that came to reside in the Undercity would be influenced by the existing members. After they had a taste of the [Dwarven Draft], which was popular for obvious reasons, even the most obstinant of Dwarves viewed him in a positive light.---It was during one of Vahn's visits to the Great Forge that Alaya, who liked to watch him forge while hanging from his back, informed him, "Da Vinci is trying to give birth to herself. You should hurry."Vahn rarely lost focus during forging but, when his mind processed what Alaya said, his hammer was off target by a millimeter, causing a ripple to pass through the metal a compromising the structural integrity irreversibly. Since he had never really made such mistakes before, the spectating Dwarves were quite surprised but, after he quickly explained the situation, they practically chased him off so that he could be with Da Vinci. They might treat forging as one of the most sacred practices but, just from seeing how ardently they protected their womenfolk and youth, it was easy to understand what their priorities were.By the time Vahn reached the Workshop, less than ten minutes had passed within the Projection but, despite this, he found Da Vinci standing next to herself with a baby in her arms. He nearly slouched against the door upon seeing this but, considering who he was dealing with, Vahn actually wasn't all that surprised. There was no way Da Vinci would have wanted to make her delivery as public an affair as the past deliveries as, while she enjoyed conversing with people, she wasn't very social.Seeing Vahn appear in a flash of light, Da Vinci poked her tongue out at him before musing, "Looks like I beat you to the punch this time around, ufufufu~"Despite having just given birth, Da Vinci didn't even have sweat on her brow, making Vahn wonder what exactly happened. This was a question for later, however, as he was far more concerned about the blanketed bundle in her arms. He made his way over without retorting to her comment to find what could only be described as a 'masterpiece' staring back at him.Much like Isanna and Naavi, his new daughter was looking back at him with a discernible glimmer of intelligence contained within her sapphire blue eyes. She wasn't crying, nor did she seem confused about the situation in the slightest. Instead, she smiled as if recognizing who he was before reaching out her tiny hand and giggling happily when he extended his index finger for her to grab.While he was distracted by the antics of his newborn daughter, Da Vinci had a loving smile on her face as she whispered, "I always wondered what it would be like to be a mother...it feels like my heart is suddenly much larger...filled with a fluffy feeling that makes it impossible not to smile..."As she finished speaking, Da Vinci gently cradled their daughter in her arms and, for the first time since he had known her, Vahn saw a tear escape from her left eye. Though she enjoyed teasing him, Da Vinci wasn't actually that adept at expressing herself. The main reason she didn't like interacting with others was due to the fact that they simply couldn't understand her. She also had considerable trouble trying to empathize with others and, as her discussions usually resulted in the other party feeling awkward or dumb, she preferred to just avoid them whenever possible.Vahn couldn't attest to understanding Da Vinci completely but, as they spent a lot of time together, he had, at the very least, reached the point where he understood her character. Thus, after using his thumb to wipe away her singular tear, he looked her in the eyes and stated sincerely, "Here, at this moment, you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world...there is nothing beautiful than a mother's love..."Despite trying to comfort Da Vinci, Vahn felt a little emotional as the words left his lips. He managed to avoid crying but, with her attention to detail, it obviously couldn't escape Da Vinci's notice. Her smile blossomed into the most radiant expression he had ever seen on her face, causing Vahn's mind to blank momentarily as she extended the bundle in her arms toward him. He instinctually reached out to hold his daughter, cradling her gently in his arms as Da Vinci, with a slightly husky voice, said, "She needs a name...don't disappoint me~"Seemingly understanding what her mother had said, the beautiful baby girl in Vahn's arms had stars in her eyes as she expectantly waited for her name. This caused both Vahn and Da Vinci to chuckle before the former adopted a thoughtful expression. He actually didn't get to name his children all that often so he suddenly felt a lot of pressure on his shoulders, especially with the expectant look on his daughter's face.After sifting through a few names within his mind, Vahn looked between Da Vinci and his currently unnamed daughter before smiling as he asked, "How about Sophia?" He asked this question to his daughter while Da Vinci, turning her eyes up in rumination stated, "A name meaning Intelligent and Wise...not the most clever, but I think it is suitable. What do you think, little one~?"In response to her mother's question, 'Sophia' giggled happily, seemingly indicating her consent. It was a bit on the nose but, as she had undoubtedly inherited her mother's fearsome intelligence, it was a name suitable for a future prodigy. Unfortunately, Vahn would soon lament not naming her something along the lines of Pandora as, compared to all of his other children, Sophia would quickly become fond of making trouble for him.---Like all of his children, Sophia was given a Guardian of her own. It took on the form of an owlet with creamy-white and golden-brown feathers. It was a type of Spirit known, quite literally, as the Spirit of Wisdom. They were typically Spirits that protected Libraries and served as the familiars of powerful Magi, at least when Spirits were more common in the world.While the Spirit of Wisdom wasn't exactly proficient at combat, it had the unique ability to share the knowledge it had obtained with others. They also had the ability to archive information in their mind, much like a Library with an auto-search function, making them extremely capable Familiars for any Magi dedicated to their research. In the future, Sophia, assuming she didn't have a perfect memory already, would benefit greatly from its companionship.For now, however, the Spirit of Wisdom was just a tiny owlet that looked similar to a great-horned owl, albeit with different colored feathers and unnervingly black eyes. Though they were actually just a 'very' dark shade of brown, it was impossible to discern at a glance. This made it seem like the tiny owl's eyes were like a bottomless abyss as it stared, almost unblinkingly, right back at you. Still, this wasn't enough to really bother Vahn all that much so, despite the rather creepy visage, he gave the tiny owlet a few head scratches before letting it retreat inside Sophia to rest.After the tiny owl had vanished, Vahn lightly rubbed the tip of Sophia's nose before turning to Da Vinci and saying, "Though you may be troubled, it-" Before Vahn could finish, Da Vinci turned her eyes up at him, saying, "I haven't even fed her yet. Don't worry, I intend to introduce her to the other children later. For now, I'd like you to keep it a secret, okay? I really want to see the reaction of the other girls when I suddenly appear with a baby in arm~"Vahn felt his brain buzzing a bit after hearing Da Vinci's words but, while he would normally humor her, this time he smiled wryly as he said, "That is a little...extreme. I have to inform Artoria and Gray, at the very least. Though we can keep the celebration private, it is a little unfair to the others to keep it a secret like this."Da Vinci adopted a playful pout in response to Vahn's words but, rather than insist, she ultimately gave an affirmative nod before stating, "I want to surprise Nobunaga and tease Luvia. After that, you can do whatever you want. You already have a feeding apparatus so I'll entrust you with taking our daughter to explore the castle and interact with others. I don't want her to be cooped up in here all the time so you'll have to work hard to make sure she gets along with the others~"Hearing Da Vinci's words, Vahn knew she had seen through his intention of having her socialize with the others by taking Sophia to the daycare. Though he hadn't really expected her to go that often, as she was very busy with her research, he wanted her to at least be on friendlier terms with everyone else.Seeing through Vahn's thoughts, Da Vinci began giggling in amusement before saying, "This is the path I've decided to walk. You needn't worry so much, my darling Master...I'll make sure to spend a bit of time with the others in the future. You should worry more about our daughter. If you don't want her to become a reclusive genius, you'll need work pretty hard, ufufufu~"If Sophia was anything like her, Da Vinci knew it was only a matter of time before she grew bored of playing with the other children. They simply wouldn't be able to keep up, regardless of whether they were Demigods, Vanir, or something else entirely. Being a peerless genius was a lonely path so it was only a matter of time before her daughter began spending more time in the Workshop than with the other children. This was the reason she wanted Vahn to spend time with Sophia now as, in the future, she and her daughter would likely be working alongside each other for the remainder of their lives.---While Vahn was spending time with Da Vinci and the newborn Sophia, Merlin was seated in his Magus Tower with an amused smile on his face. He was very tempted to go spread the word of Sophia's birth throughout the castle but, as there were no real benefits to antagonizing Da Vinci, he ultimately decided against it. Instead, he tried to peer into the mind of the newborn Sophia, only to find that she was completely resistant to his attempts, just like her parents.After discovering his, Merlin began to laugh in a light-hearted manner, understanding the Empire now had another 'monster' in its midst. Not only did Sophia practically radiate intelligence, but he could also sense a phenomenal amount of power contained within her body. Like all of Vahn's children, she was completely immune to his foresight, something he had become increasingly fond of with the passage of time. Life was simply more interesting when you didn't know what was going to happen.Since he didn't want to let his intent linger in the Workshop for too long, as he was fully aware of the effort Da Vinci was making to detect his presence, Merlin let his focus shift elsewhere. This resulted in him peering in on Illya, something he had been doing with increasing frequency. He was honestly shocked after learning about the girl's attempts to fuse with Cath Palug, as it didn't really make a lot of sense to him.Before seeing it with his own eyes, Merlin would have never even considered the possibility that a Beast of Gaia could completely fuse with another person. Though Illya had a slightly better chance than most due to her nature being comparable to a Greater Nature Spirit, he knew it was primarily the influence of Vahn that made the fusion possible. The man produced mysterious energy that he couldn't make heads nor tails of. It seemed capable of literally anything, surprising Merlin time and again with its functionality.At this point, he was certain Vahn's energy was the reason why he had been selected as Type Omega by the entities governing reality from the 'Outside'. He knew something was going on that Vahn was either unable to tell them, or simply elected not to. The former seemed to be far more likely as, even when there were 'gaps' in Vahn's mind, which he normally would have been able to exploit, a foreign presence had, with great prejudice, kicked him out.Merlin knew there was a second entity inside of Vahn's mind as, even when the man was focused on other things, he had noticed discrepancies in the memories relayed to those he summoned. Just the fact that the memories varied from person to person, though not by much, was proof enough that something was guiding the process. Though it didn't seem like the memories themselves were false, it was apparent that Vahn was either keeping a lot of secrets, or the entity existing within him did so at his behest.Despite all these red flags, Merlin's opinion of Vahn had only increased with the passage of time as he really was a very hard-working individual. Though he had his quirks, he very rarely contradicted himself and the image he presented within his memories. This indicated they were indeed the truth and, while some parts were obfuscated, there was likely a good reason behind it. Vahn simply didn't come off at the type of person that lived by deceiving others. He was honest to a fault, almost to the point of seeming very naive at times...Though there was a chance Vahn was putting on an act, Merlin feared there was literally nothing he could do if the man was that capable of deception. Thus, rather than focus wholly on what Vahn was up to, Merlin focused on the changes he inspired in others. Since he was a very hardworking person, everyone around him worked a lot harder than they needed to, almost as if they were compelled to do so by some unseen force.The most obvious change could be observed in individuals like Cath Palug who, over the last fifteen-hundred years, had essentially served as Merlin's Familiar. During this time frame, he had come to know the peculiar Beast of Gaia nearly as well as he knew himself. Because of this, Merlin was a little shaken to see how much he had changed in fewer than two years. He had expected it to take several decades for any real change to occur in the destructive beast yet, with what could only be described as a middling effort from Vahn, the beast had practically been tamed.Gender had no real meaning to a Beast of Gaia, as they were singular existences, but Cath Palug had even abandoned the fact that it was originally male. Now, it had almost completely fused with Illya and, though nothing had happened, Merlin knew the beast was growing increasingly impatient as a very strong desire to mate had been seeded inside of it. It was, honestly, a little unnerving to try and peer into the fused mentality of the two as, though Illya was the dominant personality, she had been influenced by the 'feral' nature of Cath Palug.Merlin could only smile wryly as he watched Illya roll around in a pile of clothes that she had asked Fenrir to secure for her. She would hide them whenever Vahn came to visit but, at other times, she practically buried herself in a pile of dirty laundry. The most curious part of this development was the fact that Vahn was completely aware that Illya had stolen an entire wardrobe's worth of clothes yet pretended to be completely unaware of it. This wasn't to deceive and manipulate Illya, as that wasn't really necessary at this point, but because he willfully chose to avoid stressing her out as her fusion with Cath Palug progressed into its later stages.At this point, Illya had pure white hair, two large fluffy ears, and a fluffy tail that curled in an s-shape sticking out from her backside. Her formerly red eyes were now a vibrant violet color while, similar to Fenrir, she had fur covering her forearms and calves. She even had sharp nails and tiny pink pads on the interior of her palms and the bottoms of her feet, something Merlin himself was interested in. He had asked to touch them once but, as if she had never been more offended, Illya looked at him like a predator trying to entice her with candy. Since he liked to think of himself as a rather likable person, Merlin had been quite hurt by her reaction...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Control the alcohol, control the Dwarves','Da Vinci is a cheeky weirdo xD','RIP Dick Wizard. Even little girls and companions of 1500 years avoid him (UwU)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1248: United Front