Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Prior to attending school at the Clock Tower, Mordred, Sakura, Mash, Zoë, and Astrid had all been thoroughly prepped for classes. They had a basic grasp of the curriculum developed by Da Vinci as, more so than advancing their education, attending school was meant to give them a chance to learn how to socialize with people outside Avalon.Due to their past, Zoë and Astrid had issues dealing with strangers, especially men. If the other party was a Magus, that made things inarguably worse so, while they did their best not to let the presence of Silvain bother them, it was very clear they were uncomfortable. This was why Mordred had Mash sit between them as, despite hailing from the same background, her strong mental fortitude set her apart from the rest of the Designer Babies.In truth, Mash also felt considerably uncomfortable. However, she was very accustomed to putting on an act so it didn't show in her face or body language. She also wanted to meet the expectations of her Master and, knowing even seventh-year students weren't her match, she was able to remain calm. It would take someone on the level of a strong Faculty member to have any hope of harming her as, the moment they tried anything, she could, quite literally, just break them.This was the case for Zoë and Astrid as well; After all, the former had been training under Galahad for nearly eight months so, with her background as a Designer Baby, Zoë was several times stronger and dozens of times more magically proficient than her peers. As for Astrid, she had only used one of them during the previous duels but, unlike other students, she kept a variety of Companions with her at all times. Her room back in Avalon even served as a gathering area for the adorable creatures so she had a stronger connection to them than most.Ultimately, the five girls would be able to cause great devastation to the Clock Tower, even without Vahn stepping in. So long as they didn't get caught roaming alone, there was very little that could actually threaten them. After all, Mordred was very near an S-Rank Heroic Spirit and, with a total of twelve Companions and two powerful Guardians at their side, even the Enforcement Division would be hard-pressed to threaten them.Of course, the biggest protections the girls had was the lingering presence of Alaya who, so long as Vahn was inside the Bounded Field of the Clock Tower, could easily trace the girls. If they were in any danger, she would whisk them away and, as a result of their transgressions, the attackers could only flee at their fastest speed before Vahn arrived. Unfortunately for them, no matter how fast they ran, Vahn's ability to move through space and summon them through the Throne of Heroes meant that even teleportation and suicide weren't viable options...---Like a young sheep wandering into the den of a tiger, completely ignorant of the actual danger it was exposing itself to, Silvain did his best to maintain a polite smile as he conversed with Mordred and Sakura. He had tried to strike up a conversation with the other three girls but Astrid and Zoë only gave dismissive responses while Mash would deflect or guide the conversation back to Mordred and Sakura. She really didn't have much to talk about and, having someone she didn't know make even general inquiries about her past, origins, and preferences made her feel uneasy.Fortunately, Mordred was quick to but into the conversation and, after a few failed attempts, Silvain began to realize probing the three girls for information was ill-advised. He only asked in an attempt to try and include them into the conversation so, with them making it blatantly obvious they had no intention of doing so, he turned his attention to Mordred, Sakura, and, on occasion, Mash. The latter seemed easier to deal with than the other two girls so he wanted to at least begin building rapport with her.With this in mind, Silvain decided to talk about the most pertinent topic related to each of them, a smile on his face as he commented, "I was amazed by the combat proficiency of your entire group. The Empire must be an amazing place to have nurtured so many prodigies in the same generation. I can only redouble my efforts in an attempt to try and catch up."Mordred could tell that Silvain was fishing for details on the Empire but, as she was allowed to talk about anything not explicitly treated as a secret, she smiled in turn, musing, "You'll have to work a lot more than twice as hard if you want to catch up with us. We're not going to just be sitting around on our hands or twiddling our thumbs. The foundational principles of the Empire are based around the idea that all sapient species fundamentally have no limits to their growth. We work hard each day to be better than our past selves. If you don't make the most of every opportunity you are given, you cannot hope to even follow in our footsteps, much less catch up with us~"Silvain was a little taken aback by Mordred's words but, remembering how he couldn't even follow her movements, he couldn't easily refute them. Still, he didn't like being looked down on so, while doing his best to hide the fact his hand was trembling, he answered, "All of you are much stronger than me...however, that will not always be the case. So long as I'm not suppressed by others, I will one day become someone who stands at the peak of this world. If the Empire is as you say, it is only a matter of time before I surpass even you, Mordred...!"Though there wasn't much confidence in his words, Silvain didn't want the five girls hailing from the Empire to look down on him. Even if the wishful thinking of the students on the BBS were completely fallacious, he knew it was still possible to ingratiate and endear himself to them. If he could impress them or, at the very least, earn their respect, it would greatly increase the opportunities he has in the future. He had already banked his future on joining the Empire, even cutting ties with his family and distancing himself from most of his former friends and associates...Unfortunately for Silvain, Mordred's smile faded away as she adopted what could only be described as a confident and predatory expression as she stated, "It is fine to have ambitions but you should choose your words more carefully. Saying you will inevitably surpass us, despite our own efforts, is looking down on us far too much. You can't even begin to comprehend the amount of effort we put into our training so your words are entirely derived from ignorance and arrogance. The pinnacle of this world is something you can't even imagine at your current level..."A contrast to his earlier bravado, Silvain currently felt like he was a cockroach that had just been spotted by an earnest housewife. He felt incomprehensible tiny and, though he was just doing his best to live, it felt as if the girl before him could squash him at any moment. Still, he did his best to stand his ground, even though making eye contact with Mordred made it impossible for him to even draw breath.If not for the boy's supreme level of ignorance, Mordred would have been impressed by the fact he was able to at least maintain eye contact. However, knowing he was doing so out of pride and sheer unwillingness to back down, she couldn't help but pity his foolishness. He may very well become a strong individual in the future but reaching the peak was beyond the current him. His mentality all but assured that he would eventually break after a series of setbacks. It was very easy to imagine him trying to ingratiate himself to them in the coming months after realizing how unobtainable his goal is...Fortunately for Silvain, Sakura decided to give the boy an opportunity to take a step back, stating in a polite tone, "We all come here to learn more about ourselves and the world around us. Silvain, you should focus on your studies and work hard to achieve your goals. Great power is not necessary for a happy life. So long as you do your best in everything you do, success is easy to find in the Empire. Those that stand at the peak do not insist that they will arrive there. They obtain that title as a result of the efforts they put in."Silvain felt like an angel had descended to give him a second chance at life as, due to Mordred's icy gaze, he had started to asphyxiate slightly. With her words serving as a transition, he had an excuse to turn away from Mordred and, though his breathing had become audible, he was able to at least pretend he was calm as he said, "Thank you for your guidance. There is a fair amount of wisdom in your words, Sakura. I'll do my best to keep them in mind from here onwards."Sakura just gave a small nod in response to Silvain's words while, seated next to her, Mordred had already defaulted back to her usual smile. From the boy's words, she could tell he hadn't let go of his ambition but, rather than try to show off and impress them, he would now keep it close to his heart. If he had been truly serious, he would have taken a stand, even if it meant losing what little favor he had with the group. The fact he so readily grasped at a chance to extricate himself from the situation showed that he fundamentally lacked the qualifying traits of the truly powerful.Rather than voice this, Mordred took the opportunity to alleviate the tension, her eyes focusing on a group of ten people evenly split between two tables. The students facing her immediately turned to make eye contact, reading her lips as she said, "What I'm surprised about is how powerful all of the students from the Atlas Temple are. Their educational standards seem objectively higher than those of the Clock Tower. The fact their representative managed to secure second place is a testament to how much effort went into grooming each and every one of them~"Though there wasn't actually any hidden meaning behind her words, everyone privy to them had assigned various meanings to them. This included Silvain, who believed she was pointing out just how many people were superior to him, and Sakura, who felt a little ashamed that she had lost to someone other than Mordred. As for Rani and the other nine students seated around her, almost as if they were protecting her, she just stared blankly back at Mordred.Unlike Silvain, Rani showed no fear, hesitation, or even the smallest signs of lacking confidence. Her ego might not be as developed as some real humans but, in the grand scheme of things, what most people believed made them 'human' was complete nonsense. In fact, being human didn't matter all that much from the perspective of the universe and, more often than not, those that pretended it did end up causing great tragedies to unfold. There were even humans who hated each other based on such arbitrary notions as skin tone and the street they were born on so, even after more than fifteen hundred years had passed, Mordred couldn't help but see humans as misguided sheep...Looking into the eyes of Rani, Mordred did not get this feeling at all. Rather, she saw a person who, despite a lack of emotions, carried the weight of responsibility without buckling in the slightest. She was the amalgamation of the Atlas Temple's efforts to create the next step in human evolution as, if left to their own devices, humans would undoubtedly destroy themselves. Just seeing what they had done to the planet in the fifteen hundred years since her era left Mordred absolutely gobsmacked...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn, "I am inevitable..."','Ignorance and Arrogance share a face on the same coin (o 3 o)...','The concept of humans, by virtue of human nature, is an evolving concept. Those who focus more on the past than the future of their own race are less than human. Progress is making the most of the present, not placing restrictions on the future of others due to the past transgressions of a few entirely unrelated individuals xD')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

While the series of staring contests were taking place in the Cafe area, Vahn was seated comfortably in the staff quarters watching events take place. He could send his intent even beyond the bounds of his domain and, so long as he didn't focus on anyone in particular, it was difficult for even proficient Magi to sense him. He had cultivated this skill within Avalon over the last few years so it had reached a point where even Rin and Luvia, both trained to be aware of such observation, were unaware of his presence.The biggest difference between the present and his past self, however, was that he could send his intent to multiple places at once. He used his vessels as a transmitter of sorts and, using them as a relay, he could freely teleport to any texture where one of his bodies existed. Because of this, and the limited omniscience provided to him by his Divinity, Vahn was beginning to truly grasp what it meant to be a God...Seeing that things were going relatively well in the Cafe, Vahn decided to trust in the children, his intent snapping back to the present where Gareth was straddling his lap, her face nestled into the nook of his neck as she happily dozed off.Vahn didn't believe it wise to do anything 'distracting' outside the sanctity of Avalon but that didn't prevent him from enjoying some skinship with the girls at his side. Much like Alaya, he had become very accustomed to physical intimacy so, if it could keep her happy, Vahn didn't mind serving as the bed of his faithful Page. As for Jeanne and Okita, they were engaged in a very intense match of cards at the side but, upon noticing he was 'awake', they quickly oriented themselves toward him, awaiting his order.Though he felt a small amount of guilt, Vahn smiled toward the girls as he mused, "It is time to stop pretending, Gareth. Come, let's join the card game."Gareth, who had awoken almost immediately after Vahn's intent returned to the room, immediately hopped up from her Master's lap as soon as she heard his words. There was no visible fatigue on her face at all. Rather, she had a sheepish and somewhat playful smile as she moved over to sit next to the coffee table. Vahn followed close behind and, after taking his own seat, began playing a rather low stakes version of the King's Game using cards as the determining factor. He might not be able to do anything more intimate but, at the very least, he could enjoy getting a rise out of Jeanne and Gareth...---During the construction of the Aldrnari College, powerful defensive formations and several magic circles using Faerie and Primordial Runes had been installed. It also had a system developed by Da Vinci that caused Spiritron interference, making it virtually impossible for anyone on the outside to spy on the happenings within.One of the few people that could get around these preventions was Solon who, being the Ruler of the Bounded Field, had the ability to observe anything taking place within. This required the use of a very powerful Artifact, a mirror that they had acquired from none other than Merlin in the distant past. Using this mirror, known literally as [Merlin's Mirror], Solon could view any person within the dominion of their rule. It also had the function of showing them any person that conspired against the Clock Tower from within, something a few families had learned the hard way several centuries prior.Now, Solon had a dull expression on their face as, for the umpteenth time, they watched as Vahn just messed around and idled about with the various women surrounding him. It was a truly vexing sight to behold as, whenever Vahn had any free time whatsoever, he seemed to be engaging in borderline lascivious acts. Even more annoying was the fact that, despite knowing one of the girls was a literal Saintess, she acted like a demure maiden around Vahn who was easily coaxed into doing whatever he wanted...If not for the fact they felt like Vahn was using his antics as a cover, Solon would have turned off the mirror and simply ignored him. They believed this was part of Vahn's plot to get them to lower their guard, however, so Solon could only watch with a blank expression at the events taking place in the reflection. So long as Vahn was inside the Clock Tower, they would not overlook any of his actions as any middling incident caused by the man could lead to the very destruction of everything they had built up over thousands of years.Thus, even though Solon would sometimes find themselves grinding their teeth in frustration, they could only continue observing, the pink ring around their pupils expanding and contracting in tune with their fluctuating heartbeat...---Though his Luck was actually his lowest parameter, Vahn ended up winning almost every hand as Gareth and Jeanne would intentionally play poorly. Jeanne didn't have it in herself to make even a small request of him so she would rather fold her cards than be put on the spot. As for Gareth, she would only go in with pairs and low cards so, while it was possible for her to win, she almost always lost.Of the three, Vahn's only opponent was Okita as, in her mind, fulfilling the intended objective behind a task was of paramount importance. She knew the 'purpose' of the card game was to form winning hands so, with her high Luck and even higher perception, she was a monstrous opponent. The only advantage he had against her was that her understanding of probability far outstripped her ability to bluff. She would only go in on hands where she had a reasonable chance of success so, if she didn't fold, it was pretty much guaranteed that she had something.Vahn didn't think of himself as the most scheming individual in the world but, with an 'education' provided by Loki, Fortuna, Kali, and several other concerned Goddesses, he wasn't bad at it. He was able to bluff Okita out of several decent hands, leaving the blank-faced woman with what could only be described as a conflicted expression as she failed to understand why he would go in on such a bad hand...As a result of his efforts, Vahn was sitting shirtless at the table while, with the exception of Okita, both Jeanne and Gareth were down to their underwear. They could easily conceal themselves with a simple activation of their [REquip] system so, despite this inarguably being considered a 'distraction', Vahn made an exception since they seemed to enjoy it just as much as him. He liked seeing how far Jeanne's blush would creep down her body and, with her rather sizable snow-white breasts, it was quite the sight to behold.Currently, Vahn had a spade flush with Jack high so his odds of winning the hand were favorable, even with Okita staring back at him with her unreadable expression. He knew she had something in her hand and, while he would never resort to such methods, the temptation to just 'peak' was very strong. The game was already stacked in his favor so cheating would be a rather shameless thing to do, especially given Okita's inability to bluff.With most of his clothes still intact, Vahn had a fair amount of leeway so, without any discernible hesitation, he casually mused, "I'll bet three pieces of clothing~"At this point, Jeanne only had her bra, panties, and stockings left so, while she had three Aces in her hand, she ultimately set her cards down as she sheepishly muttered, "I fold..." Though she wouldn't hesitate to expose herself if ordered, she didn't want to be naked outside of Avalon.Gareth shared the same sentiment and, as she was only down to her bra and panties, she didn't have much leeway. She did have a straight in her hand but, seeing that Okita hadn't backed out, the odds of her coming out ahead were extremely slim. Thus, in much the same way as Jeanne, she opted out of the hand by folding.Being the last to call, Okita surprised the entire table by saying, "I bet five pieces of clothing." in her usual monotone. She had bet everything except her bra and panties as, despite the game going on for a few minutes, she had only lost her scarf and detachable sleeves. This left her with a modified kimono, Aegis undergarments, stockings, shoes, the ribbon in her hair, and the tassels tying up the sides. Stockings, socks, sleeves, and other paired items were considered one piece of clothing so she could safely bet five pieces without completely exposing herself.Vahn was in a decidedly different situation as, bereft of his shirt and the usual armguards he wore, the only pieces of clothing he had left were his undergarments, belt, trousers, socks, and shoes. He had exactly five articles of clothing left so, if he tried to match Okita's hand, he would be left in the buff. She would also be the King and, depending on her request, things could get rather 'interesting' in a very short period of time.Ultimately, Vahn decided to forfeit the hand as there were at least five different hands that could beat him. If she had a Flush, Full House, Four of a King, Straight Flush, or Royal Flush, he had no method of coming out ahead. Since bets had already been made, it was almost guaranteed she had at least one of them so, accepting the loss of two articles, he turned his cards over and said, "I fold." as he began to remove his shoes and socks.Contrary to everyone's expectations, Okita issued a rare smile almost immediately after Vahn turned over his cards. Then, in a casual manner, she set her own hand down to everyone to see her winning hand. At first, Vahn assumed she had a Royal Flush but, upon seeing that the final card was a three, his jaw slacked open as an overwhelming urge to smile caused his expression to turn into a goofy visage.Okita seemed especially proud of herself as she raised her head slightly and monotoned, "I think I'm starting to figure this game out. Don't think I'll always be fooled, Master."No longer able to restrain himself, Vahn began laughing unabashedly while Gareth, surprised at what Okita had pulled off, gave her a thumbs up and said, "Great job, Okita~!"Even Jeanne was a little impressed with the fact that Okita managed to pull one over on their Master, even though she was always a little frustrated at the same time. She knew their Master was holding himself back, as he could easily know what all of their cards were, so it bothered her that Okita took advantage of that fact. Still, she wouldn't say anything as Vahn had made it very clear in the past that he didn't need an Apostle to carry out his Divine Will...Now barefooted, Vahn regained his composure, asking in unveiled amusement, "So, what is your order, My Liege~?"As the usual 'order' typically involved Vahn stealing a kiss or taking some small liberties from them, Okita had used her previous victories to do much the same. She didn't actually have any feelings for him but, without any hesitation, she gave a decisive nod and said, "I will have you kiss me. This time, you have to do it twice as long as the last time."Gareth and Jeanne had their usual flushed faces upon hearing Okita's order but Vahn, with his usual smile, chimed, "Your loyal subject has heard your command and accepted the task assigned to him. If it pleases Your Majesty, may I approach you~?"Playing her own part, Okita raised her head in a pretend haughty manner, her pale silver eyes cast down upon him as she answered, "You may proceed..." in a low and commanding tone. Following this, Vahn leaned over to her side of the table while Okita, making things a little easier for him, bent forward slightly to make herself available. Then, as she was still inexperienced with such things, she let her mouth open and close awkwardly while allowing Vahn to guide her through the process once more...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Comfortable bed...munyaa~','Solon's going to be puking up blood at this rate xD...','This game is totally stacked in Vahn's favor...! The perks of being an Emperor...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With the conclusion of the practice matches, Vahn could tell that several things had changed in the class. First, there was a newfound appreciation each student had for their Companions. Second, they now looked toward Mordred with both respect and abject fear. She wasn't just the highest-ranking person in the class but, even those with vivid imaginations couldn't imagine becoming even half as strong as her. This made them fear the Empire even more as, while Sakura, Mash, Astrid, and Zoë weren't nearly as terrifying, they were all much stronger than nearly everyone else in the class.Now, after everyone had formed back up in military-style rows and columns, Vahn could feel the tension from those closest to Mordred. She stood with her back straight, her bearing perfect as an imperceptible smile could be seen on her lips. This gave Vahn the urge to smile as well but, as he didn't want to be accused of playing favorites too soon, he resisted the urge to praise her for doing well. It was fortunate that they would be returning to the castle in the afternoon so he could always do so in the comfort of their own home...Maintaining his usual smile, Vahn passed his gaze over all the students in turn before saying in a calm tone of voice, "You all did very well. I hope this lesson helped you understand the importance of caring for your Companions. It may be difficult for you to believe right now but the words we told you are the truth. If you work hard and become close with your Companions, they will develop their own Ego and eventually evolve to become the creature that most closely matches your character. It could take several years for you to reach this point but, by the time you graduate, the majority of you should have evolved your Companions..."There was still a fair amount of skepticism amongst the students of the Clock Tower but, compared to before, it was obvious they were beginning to believe. Some still thought all of this was a ploy to draw them in and make them loyal, which wasn't exactly wrong, but they largely overestimated their own value.Vahn was giving them the same opportunities others would have in the future, they were just the sample batch to determine the most effective way to train future generations of students. Though he would treat them fairly, their future was entirely in their own hands. He wasn't proactively trying to bring any of them into his fold and, even if they all ultimately failed out of the program, it wouldn't be much of a setback.Still, Vahn hoped they would do well so he would do his best to encourage them whenever he was present. This was the primary reason behind his Advisor role and, if he could keep them on the right track, that was for the best. He wouldn't be like Zelretch had been in the past, caring only about the results and not the process that raised a young Magus into a mature adult. That would make him no better than the other Nobles within the Association, people who based their treatment of others entirely on their usefulness...---As promised, the children were given the rest of the day off to unpack and settle into their rooms. This also gave them the opportunity to socialize a bit as the Aldrnari College Commons had a large Cafe, recreation room, small theater, and, though they would not be able to access it any time soon, a 'Simulation Training Field'. The latter served as a control experiment for the Global Virtual World that Da Vinci was working on. Once it was ready, they would be allowed to freely enter the Virtual World during their leisure time, experiencing wonders far beyond typical human imagination.For now, the students would have to keep themselves entertained with each other. Though this was made a little more difficult with the size of the College, as it could hold a thousand students, most of them had been congregated close to the common areas. This served as a central gathering hub for everyone in the building as, for obvious reasons, the boys and girls were divided into two separate wings.To prevent any kind of shenanigans, there were extremely powerful barriers and a variety of other security measures to keep the students safe, both from the outside and each other. They would have to be on the level of high ranking Assassin Class Heroic Spirit to have any hope of overcoming even the most basic security measures as Vahn would not tolerate any 'incidents'. There was a time and a place for everything and, as students currently had their own rooms, he had no intention of allowing males to congregate in the room of a female and vice versa.Vahn didn't expect there would be any real issues early on but, as more students entered into the College, it was only a matter of time before something happened. The Companions would be able to prevent any heinous situations from occurring but it was inevitable that some students would begin to pair off with each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. As it seemed to be human nature for those in love to try and break every rule preventing them from easily meeting with each other, Vahn knew he would be dealing with some awkward situations in the future.Fortunately, at least for the time being, he didn't have to worry about such things. Though it was a given that any of the boys would wholeheartedly agree to become a pair with almost any of the girls within the department, everyone was currently too nervous to do anything drastic. They could hardly talk with each other at this point and, with a larger female population than males, Vahn knew only the boldest among the later would have any 'fortune' when it came to dating their fellow students.Until such a situation occurred, Vahn's own duties were extremely lax. He would only be stepping in for a few of the more important lessons so, while Mordred, Sakura, Mash, Astrid, and Zoë were in class, he would either be relaxing back in the College or the Faculty Room. The Clock Tower couldn't be trusted to protect his department just yet so, even though Scáthach was also skulking about, he wanted to be close by to make sure his children, and their classmates, were protected...Knowing he would be spending a lot of his time idling about in the Clock Tower, Vahn had removed his 'Soul Gem' from the Welsh Dragon's chamber. This would eventually become the Quest Board for the students to use but, in order to split his focus between Avalon and London, he currently used it as his second body. With it, he was able to tend to the affairs of the Empire while, back in London, he relaxed in a comfortable chair and simply observed everything going on around him while Gareth, Okita, and Jeanne dutifully attended him.At this point, Vahn could easily control upward of five bodies so, with only two 'active', he wasn't put under much mental strain. Though it was sometimes difficult to focus under the influence of the time dilation, he had a lot of experience doing so back in Danmachi. Becoming a God made the process a lot easier as well so, if he pushed himself, Vahn believed he could maintain seven bodies. This would require him to be experiencing the same flow of time for each perspective but it was still inarguably better than his previous two-vessel limit.Vahn's current goal, in so far as his vessels were concerned, was to try and create enough versions of himself to, theoretically, tend to all of his women. While this seemed virtually impossible, as he had a penchant for acquiring new lovers, he was determined to make it a reality one day. There were still times when he would feel a small amount of guilt about the number of relationships he had so, as his Soul continued to strengthen, Vahn would continue to practice controlling multiple vessels with ever-increasing proficiency...---Unaware of what their 'Advisor' was thinking, most of the students had used the time allotted to do just as Vahn had expected, familiarize themselves with the College and its inhabitants. A number of them had gathered in the Commons, drawn to the sound of conversation and laughter. There, they found the Imperial Quintet gathered around a Cafe table while a very motherly looking Homunculus waited on them.It was generally very difficult for someone to penetrate an established group of close friends but, every time Mordred saw someone enter the area, she would call out to each student by name. This wasn't exactly an invitation for them to sit at the table but, at the very least, Mordred was breaking down the walls of her classmates to make them more comfortable with associating with the group. She knew there would come a time when she needed to lead these people so it would be a very big problem if they couldn't even talk with her properly.Of course, not every person addressed by Mordred parted after a polite greeting. There were some students that, while not truly bold, had enough ambition to at least try and approach the group on amicable terms. This included none other than Silvain who, after being greeted from a distance by Mordred, acted very flattered before making his way over to the table and asking if he could take a seat.Hearing the boy's request, Mordred squinted her eyes almost imperceptibly as she remarked, "You really are making a show of your bravery, aren't you...?"Though he was visibly tense, Silvain still managed a smile before giving a polite but not subservient bow as he said, "I took your previous words to heart. Though it would be brash to call myself a man at this stage, I don't want to be treated as a boy my entire life. At the worst, I will only be refused a seat..."Silvain had a bit of trouble getting out the final few words of his statement as he noticed all of the girls at the table had turned their gazes upon him. He felt a considerable amount of pressure from them as, unlike Mordred, they weren't exactly smiling. The only exception to this was Mash but, if you looked closely, it was very easy to see that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.Just as Silvain began to believe there was something far worse than simply being denied a seat, Mordred shattered the tension by bursting into laughter. This drew the attention of everyone else who had been lingering about within the Cafe, each previously pretending to be unaware of the event playing out...Once her fit of laughter had come to an end, Mordred pointed to a chair a seat apart from where Astrid was sitting. Though she had the latter switch places with Mash, she allowed Silvain to take a seat, saying, "We're all classmates and comrades. There is no bad blood between us so there is no harm in sitting and talking with each other in public like this. Just don't lose your sense of propriety or even I won't be able to protect you."Silvain had mechanically moved to take his assigned seat but, hearing Mordred's words, he couldn't help but tense up even further. Everyone in the class had already assumed her identity so there was a very good chance that she, or perhaps all five girls present, were the Emperor's daughters. This had encouraged some into thinking that he allowed them to attend school in order to find spouses but none of them were brave enough to really attempt asking them out. The Emperor was too terrifying an existence and, if they somehow offended him, it was very easy to imagine simply being erased from the world with a wave from his hand...Believing Mordred was warning him not to try and coax any of the girls at the table, Silvain failed to swallow the knot in his throat, his voice breaking as he answered, "I'll keep that in mind..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Strive to be the best! The very best! Like no one ever was...!','I can imagine Ais walking into a room filled with dozens of Vahn's, fighting spirit burning in her eyes...','Boi best watch out. Papa Bear is always only one spatial transfer away (o,...,o)...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1292: Ambition : Reality