Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After ascending the long staircase connecting to his room, Vahn carried Siegfried inside while looking over at Illya. She had sat up when the mechanism triggered, eyeing Siegfried and Da Vinci with a questioning look in her eyes. Vahn returned a somewhat awkward smile as he explained, "This unconscious man is Siegfried, the Dragon Knight, while that woman who looks like the Mona Lisa is the 'Omnipotent Genius', Leonardo Da Vinci." These words prompted Da Vinci to raise her hand in a small salutation as she chimed in, "Nice to meet you, young miss. My, you have quite an interesting body, don't you~?" Then, turning her eyes to the sleeping Irisviel, Da Vinci had an intrigued look on her face until Vahn plainly stated, "Drop it for the time being. There are other things that you'll be able to research without accidentally offending people..."Da Vinci's only response to Vahn's words was to show a gentle smile, even as her eyes were still trying to analyze the structure of Illya's and Irisviel's bodies. Vahn was very aware of this so he shook his head in an exasperated manner before turning to Illya and saying, "I'm going to get these two settled in. There is no rush for you to hurry back so feel free to stay with your mother for as long as you'd like. If there are any issues with your 'friend', make sure to use the mirror before returning to your room. I'll stop by to check on you as soon as I get some time freed up." Since she was bothered by Da Vinci's gaze, to the point of covering her chest, Illya nodded her head without trying to keep Vahn any longer. Then, when the latter stepped out into the hallway with Da Vinci and Siegfried, he turned to the inordinately beautiful 'woman' and asked, "Do you have any intention on assuming the identity of a man in the future...?"Understanding why Vahn would ask such a thing, Da Vinci kept her perpetual smile as she stated in a calm tone, "I will never deny that I was originally a male, but I have no intention of abandoning my new identity. The Mona Lisa is the ideal personification of beauty that I pursued throughout my entire lifetime. Unless I am required to change back, I would never willingly do so. I would rather be a beautiful woman appreciated by all than return to being a man shunned for his brilliance. I will not deny that I may have a slightly perverse nature, but you do not have to worry about me making a move on any of your companions. My interests are purely scientific, I assure you..." Though she was also tempted to point out that her primary interest right now was Vahn, Da Vinci felt his current state of mind wasn't receptive to such remarks.Though he raised his brow in response to the fact that Da Vinci had called herself a pervert, Vahn ultimately just shook his head in mild exasperation when she began to giggle in turn. He didn't know if she always had it active but it would be very frustrating trying to keep up with a Genius who could maintain sixteen thought processes. So long as Da Vinci didn't start 'experimenting' on the girls, he wouldn't worry let her quirks bother him. In fact, her nature actually made her easy to get along with so Vahn expected they might be able to become good friends in the future. Though her body was irrefutably female, the fact that Da Vinci had lived as a man meant he could potentially treat her like one of his male companions, albeit with extra benefits...Since he couldn't take Siegfried into the Sub-Space Projection Orb while the latter was unconscious, Vahn carried him to the physical location of Merlin's Magus Tower. By the time they got there, Merlin was already waiting with a smile on his face but, even without observing him too closely, Vahn could tell he was just a 'projection' of his illusory self. It was obvious that Merlin was temporarily trying to avoid him, causing Vahn to release a tired sigh before explaining, "I do not have anyone that can watch over Siegfried for me while I'm dealing with other things. I'm also worried that the memory link might not be functioning properly due to summoning multiple people simultaneously. Can you watch his dreams for me to see if anything triggers? Also, where did you intend to have Da Vinci set up her workshop...?"As if he found something Vahn said strange, Merlin showed a face of confusion as he asked, "I was certain you would have Da Vinci set up in the same workshop as you? Even more than Scáthach and myself, she will be able to help you learn anything you are interested in. All we can do is provide you with answers related to existing knowledge, not help you innovate on things that never existed in this world. Since everything you do goes against the original flow of fate, there is only so much we can do to help you. That is why I wanted you to summon Da Vinci as soon as possible. Instead of trying to build a foundation in old techniques, I believe you are better suited to creating techniques that suit your interests. I'm certain Da Vinci doesn't mind helping you 'experiment' with anything you might request of her, isn't that right my dear~?"In response to Merlin's words, Da Vinci's eyes were glimmering as she said, "It seems I have you to thank for allowing me to exist in the present. Even if your intentions were only to mess with your Emperor, I will not deny that he is the most intriguing existence I have ever observed. So long as I am allowed to take a few samples and research the things I'm interested in, I don't mind teaching anything you wish to know. If you are curious about anything, anything at all, you need only let me know~." As she said the last sentence, Da Vinci brought her arms forward a little, squeezing her breasts together with a playful smile on her face. Vahn realized that she and Merlin had a few 'similiarities' that would prove troublesome in the future but, as Da Vinci was still the 'best' possible teacher, Vahn could only accept that he had played into Merlin's hand this time around...---After leaving Siegfried in Vahn's care, Vahn took Da Vinci into the Sub-Space Projection, something that caught her interest almost immediately as she looked around with glimmering eyes and stated, "How intriguing. This place seems to operate on a completely different set of principles than the real world, all why using those very same principles as a template. Tell me, does the orientation of objects within this space directly coincide with those in reality? If you change the location of one, would the other update in accordance with its new location?" Since everything she was experiencing thus far was something 'new' to her, Da Vinci had an almost child-like wonder about her. It was almost as if she had lacked stimulus for a long time and, now that she had things that interested her again, she was eager to learn everything about the new world she had found herself in.Vahn did his best to explain the principles that allowed the Sub-Space Projection Orb to work, even though his own understanding was still a bit lacking. Da Vinci listened on with glimmering eyes the entire time and, by the time he had finished, she confidently nodded her head and said, "I will make this one of my current projects. I want to recreate a Sub-Space Orb to put the theory to the test. If Space and Time bend in the ways you mentioned, it should be possible to create an isolated space within the Sub-Space Projection that uses the current time dilation while allowing for the existence of a second Orb within. I will need to study the Space-Time Orb as well but, as you mentioned it is possible to have physical objects within a metaphysical space, I do not believe it is as impossible to achieve as you stated."Though it sounded like Da Vinci was claiming she would do the impossible, Vahn knew that there was actually no such thing as 'impossible' from the start. Since she even had the [Pioneer of the Stars] Innate, literally allowing her to make the impossible possible, Vahn had no doubt she would eventually be able to pull it off. By researching things alongside her, Vahn knew his own knowledge and comprehension would increase exponentially, something Merlin no doubt intended when he kept insisting that he summon Da Vinci. Since developing the Soul relied on comprehending Laws and increasing the rank of your Innates, Vahn knew that Da Vinci was essentially the 'key' to his own power increasing greatly in the future. This, combined with Scáthach helping him master his physical body and combat abilities would significantly reduce the time it took for him to reach Tier 5...Following Merlin's 'advice', Vahn brought Da Vinci to his own lab located beneath the Armory of Camelot, one of the most secure places within the entire Ivory Castle. Even if he went all out, the surrounding walls would even be able to tank the destructive power of his [Magia Erebea], at least for a while. This was the location of his primary forge and workshop as, even with the Space-Time Orbs, the memory fragments were always limited since they lacked the ability to use Innates. Though they could eventually reach the point of being able to produce masterpieces through pure skill, Vahn could greatly outperform them in the real world by relying on the increased focus and elemental manipulation his [Will of the Emperor] granted him. Thus, instead of just leaving everything to his memory fragments, Vahn still had a workshop where he would experiment with new concepts in a controlled environment.Da Vinci looked around the area with a great deal of intrigue visible in her expression, taking note of the fact that Vahn had an Atelier, Forge, and a workstation for treating materials and fabrics to turn into clothing. It was all neatly organized, elevating Vahn's status within Da Vinci's mind since it was evident he took his research very seriously. Many of the materials present were things she had never even seen before, including some of the fabrics, so she was very interested in analyzing everything the first chance she got. Before that, she turned to Vahn with sparkling eyes as she asked with a bit of excitement in her voice, "Is this going to be my workshop in the future? Am I allowed to use all of the tools here~?"In almost every other circumstance, Vahn would have immediately denied such a request, even to a God, but Da Vinci would be one of the future pillars of his Empire and his own strength. With that in mind, he gave a curt not but explained, "So long as you do not modify anything I am working on, I do not mind if you treat this workshop as your own. If you want to expand or change anything, feel free to do so as long as it does not compromise the structural integrity of the castle. Your title will be decided upon later, but you essentially have free reign to research anything, so long as it does not invade the privacy of the castle's residents and put them in danger. For large projects, you will have to pass them by me for approval but I will not refuse so long as you have a reasonable justification for whatever you intend to implement."While nodding her head in understanding, Da Vinci followed up Vahn's words by asking, "How do I go about requestion research materials? Does your Empire already have a system for allocating resources?" In response to this, Vahn pulled a chunk of Mithril out of his Inventory, causing Da Vinci's eyes to flash in excitement as she stated, "My, you get more interesting by the moment. Did you create that from nothing? I did not sense even the smallest fluctuation of mana..." As she was speaking, Da Vinci walked over and grabbed the mystical ore from Vahn's hand without any sense of 'propriety' at all. The only thing that mattered to her was the 'answers' to her questions while things like status and titles were only 'troublesome' matters that other people relied on to flex their power over others.As he had mentioned several times before, Vahn plainly stated, "Most of your questions would be answered by the memory link. The simplest way to explain it is that I have a form of energy that does not exist within this world. You can think of it as using the Laws that govern Creation to shape the energy contained within my body into a physical form that is entirely indistinguishable from the actual material. I am also not limited to things like raw ore either, as I can even create conceptual items that have never existed so long as I have enough reserve energy. This is the main reason for Merlin's earlier words as there is a woman named Scáthach who 'knows everything' within our group. Her ability is absolutely useless when it comes to the items I produce, however, so it isn't wrong to say I am 'creating what does not exist', even though this isn't exactly the truth of the matter."The entire time Vahn was speaking, Da Vinci was looking at him as if he were the most interesting specimen in existence. Since even Akasha and her superiors treated him as such, this wasn't far from the truth, especially for those who sought to know and understand everything. She was beginning to look forward to the future as, compared to the 'boring' existence she had been forced into during her lifetime, it seemed far more interesting to research alongside Vahn. Even if he was beginning to hide it well, she could tell that he was still 'very' interested in her body and, though it might only be a fraction of her interest in his, Da Vinci was already thinking of several methods to convince him to allow her to study him. With that in mind, she gave a small nod in response to his words before asking, "Is there any place to sleep in here? I've always treated my workshop and my room as one and the same. I can't stay calm if I'm away from my research for too long..."Having already expected her to say such a thing, Vahn brought Da Vinci to an adjacent room where a large magic circle was present on the floor. He was intending to use this room for the production of Homunculi in the future but, if the 'experiement' with Irisviel proved to be a success, that may no longer be necessary. As for the magic circle on the ground, its only purpose was to increase the mana density within the room, making it an ideal place to meditate and relax if you knew how to make use of it.Though Da Vinci's eyes were drawn to this formation at first, she quickly lost interest in it before answering Vahn's questions about where she wanted everything arranged. He brought out a small but comfortable bed for her before setting out a large wardrobe and allowing her to pick out a few outfits. She ultimately only decided on a few simple changes of clothes, asking instead for a few roles of fabric since she intended to make her own outfits. As a result, Vahn also gave her a set of the [Aegis Mk 5] and [Aegis Mk 6] before entrusting some of the outfit templates that he had been working on. Some of this included lingerie, a topic that Da Vinci seemed a little 'too interested' in since it hadn't been prevalent during his time. Other than some simple knickers and cloth breeches, synthetic fabrics were exceedingly rare while acquiring fine silks was something only the rich and affluent could afford.Somewhat unexpectedly, Vahn ended up talking about the significance and function of lingerie with Da Vinci for the better part of an hour. He watched as the latter drew up several designs that made his own seem rather amateurish but, instead of being annoyed, Vahn was more interested in seeing the masterful designs brought to fruition. The fact that Da Vinci actually began to 'lecture' him on why certain designs were important was rather eye-opening, especially since she hadn't even known anything about the subject just an hour prior. This didn't seem to matter, however, as Da Vinci was even able to design unique seam patterns that would amplify the aesthetic quality of the lingerie while also making it easier to move in. From this, It was clear that her could learn a lot from studying under Da Vinci in the future...Before he could get side-tracked too far, Vahn brought an early end to Da Vinci's excitement by remarking, "I'm going to go check on Illya and her mother. This conversation has been fun but I have other things I need to take care of. I'll probably be spending a lot of my time here in the future so we have plenty of time to discuss such things in greater detail later. For now, I could take you to meet with some of the other castle residents or you can stay here and continue working on your own projects while I'm away."Though she had been moderately annoyed that Vahn had interrupted her when she was in the middle of designing a 'masterpiece', Da Vinci still listened attentively to his words. When given the option to choose how she would spend her time, she unhesitantly stated, "I will leave it to you to introduce me to the others later. For now, I'll stay here and familiarize myself with the workshop. I'm not that interested in socializing so unless they come to me, I won't be spending too much time outside of our workshop. It isn't an exaggeration to say that every minute I am distracted from my work, humanity has been set back by several days in whichever field I am working on. Though I will make an exception for things that interest me, please do not expect me to attend any kind of formal social situations in the future. My time is better spent here, not wasted on maintaining pretenses~."Hearing Da Vinci's words, Vahn felt an urge to furrow his brows but managed to keep a straight face as he nodded his head and said, "I'll see you in a few hours then." It was clear that something had happened to Da Vinci to make her unfond of people but, considering her peerless genius, it was very likely that it was the resentment of others that turned her off to such things. If he didn't know there were heights even further above anything Da Vinci could reasonably comprehend, Vahn might be put off by the fact she managed to design better lingerie than him in a single hour, even though he had spent what amounted to years on it. If you tried to compare your accomplishments side-by-side with Da Vinci's, you would always come up short since things that you had to make an extreme effort to accomplish seemed almost second nature to her. Depending on the situation, she would have been isolated from most people as, more often than not, humans couldn't tolerate being made to feel inconsequential compared to another human...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bruh, have you seen this body? I'm good (U w U)...','Merlin is a troll','Humans hate geniuses, even though they are also extremely reliant on them xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

While making his way back to his own room, intending to use the mirror within to return to Illya's side, Vahn also took the opportunity to talk to Sis about what she should show Siegfried and Da Vinci. Though she usually had more than enough wherewithal to make such decisions on her own, Vahn felt like he should clarify it so there weren't any issues in the future. The only real change he made was ensuring that Da Vinci got the same treatment as Siegfried, meaning she wouldn't really see too many intimate moments between him and the girls within Danmachi. Vahn would rather have the focus be more on his social interactions with the girls, as that would potentially be good for someone like Da Vinci, instead of giving her excess information on his preferences and stuff. Though he could respect that she was now a female, Vahn didn't really want his sex life to be 'observed' by someone that used to be a man. He already had enough problems with one 'pervert' within the castle so he didn't really need a second person to worry about...After reaching his room, Vahn stepped through the large mirror at the side of the room, alerting Illya to his presence since this action was always accompanied by a small flash of light. She sat up on the bed and, seeing him alone now, smiled as she explained, "She hasn't shown any signs of waking up yet. Do you know how long it will take for the memory link to finish...?" Since she really wanted to have a long talk with her mother, Illya was feeling a little impatient, even though there was a lot of anxiety in her heart at the same time. Though their physical development was the complete opposite of each other's, she was actually more than three times her own mother's age. Because of this, Illya was a little afraid that their relationship with each other would be 'polluted' by her circumstances.Making his way over to the bedside, Vahn reached out his hand and began to gently stroke Illya's head as he answered, "It usually takes around four hours so she should be waking up in the next hours or so." As the information in the memory link could only be processed at a certain speed, regardless of whether or not he was inside the Sub-Space Projection Orb, it always took around the same amount of time. Though it was possible to significantly reduce this, there were a few defining moments in Vahn's life that were 'important' for anyone he summoned to experience. If they could not understand his convictions and what he had experienced to reach this point, it would complicate things in the future if they began questioning his decisions on principle alone...---With Illya worrying about her mother, Vahn kept her company by pulling out a chair and taking a seat next to the bed. Though he would have climbed in alongside her under normal circumstances, that kind of behavior would have to be measured in the future now that Illya had another parental figure in her life. Even if Irisviel had his memories, she might not be so receptive to the idea that he shared the same bed with Illya every few days. He just hoped that Illya didn't give her mom too much trouble if the latter was a little overprotective of her 'little girl' after waking up. Though it was just as likely that Irisviel would 'allow' him to share the same bed as them, Vahn wasn't going to put any pressure on the situation and just watch it develop from the side. Cath Palug would undoubtedly complicate things but Vahn could only play the situation by ear since Sis told him that the memory link this time around only seemed to be one-way due to the conflict of summoning three people so close together...After a little more than an hour had passed, with Illya now having calmed down a great deal, Irisviel's eyelids began to flutter. The memory link had just ended, leading Sis to mention that a second link with Siegfried had been started, implying that Da Vinci had been either skipped or was still awake back inside the orb. What was more important right now was Irisviel, however, so Vahn inclined his head towards the dazed-looking woman to alert Illya to the fact she was waking up. Prior to this, she had been happily laying against his palm while he stroked the side of her head and face with his other hand. Though this made her seem almost like a puppy, Vahn kept such thoughts to himself since it would cause Illya to fluster a great deal if she were to know what he was thinking...For several tense seconds, Vahn and Illya just stared at the awakening Irisviel until she lazily turned her head to the side, her ruby red eyes staring directly at them. There was familiarity in her gaze when she looked at Vahn but, the moment her eyes landed on Illya, Irisviel's eyes seemed to light up in an instant as she sat up in the bed like a spring and pounced on her daughter, shouting, "Illya-chaaaaan~!" Following this, Irisviel hugged Illya tightly in her embrace while rocking the latter from side to side as tears began to build up in her eyes. After this went on for nearly thirty seconds straight, Irisviel loosened her hold on the shaken Illya, looking into the latter's face with teary eyes as she asked, "Is this real? I'm not dreaming anymore, am I...?"Staring into her mother's face, Illya's own turned into a sour pout as a veil of moisture quickly spread across her eyes as she answered, "Kaa-chan..." This time, Illya was the one to hug Irisviel, her tiny arms wrapping around her mother's thin body as she sobbed loudly against her chest. Though this might not have been the answer she was looking for, it was all Irisviel needed to know this wasn't just a happy dream. Like Illya, she began to cry but, instead of sobbing pitifully, she looked towards Vahn before mouthing the words, 'thank you' as she tightly hugged her daughter once again. Vahn just gave a small nod in response before trying to excuse himself from the room to allow the two to speak privately for a while. This was their important reunion so, while there was much to discuss, Vahn knew it could wait until later...Almost as soon as Vahn stood up from his seat, Irisviel blinked in surprise before saying, "Wait. You do not need to leave." This alerted Illya to the fact he was trying to 'escape', momentarily causing her crying to stop as she looked back at him with a tear-stained face and added, "Please stay. We're all a family now...right?" Since her face looked extremely pitiable, Vahn quickly found himself seated once again as, even during normal circumstances, he found it difficult to refuse Illya. Three months of looking after her had conditioned him to pamper her quite a bit, so long as she didn't try and take things too far.Now that she was no longer bawling her eyes out, Illya was quickly regaining her calm as she wiped her nose, sniffling a few times before asking, "Kaa-chan, how much did you see in Vahn's memories?" Though this seemed like a relatively innocent question, Vahn noticed that Illya had referred to him as 'Vahn' instead of Onii-sama. Irisviel didn't seem to catch on to this incongruity as she just gently stroked Illya's hair and answered, "I was able to see and experience many wonderous things. I have always known there were other worlds but seeing one for myself was a very pleasant experience..." As these words left her mouth, Irisviel looked towards Vahn, her smile turning slightly awkward as she added, "There were some things I probably shouldn't have seen though...forgive me...I did not mean to pry into your private life..."Knowing she was talking about his relationships with other women, Vahn felt a little awkward but wasn't really upset about it. He was far more lenient towards women in this type of situation and, though Sis did 'filter' quite a bit, it was good for Irisviel to have an understanding of his character. Though there was a fair chance she would pardon herself from getting involved with him in the future, the odds of him and Illya developing a relationship was still extremely high. It was better for her to be aware of his 'nature' earlier so that she would be able to adapt to the rather peculiar reality she had found herself in. Thus, after shaking his head slightly, Vahn produced a casual smile as he said, "The memory link provided by the summoning system prevents a lot of future issues from arising. Though you may not have been summoned for the purpose of participating in the coming battles, it is better for you to be up to speed to prevent conflict and misunderstandings."Though she was aware the only reason she was summoned was because of Illya, Irisviel wasn't the least bit troubled by what Vahn had said. As the person who had reunited her with her daughter, it was fundamentally impossible for her to hate him. After experiencing the memory link, during which she saw Vahn turn from a troubled boy into a powerful Emperor, Irisviel actually wanted to tell him he had done well. The only thing that prevented her from saying such things was were 'awareness' that they might not even have any meaning to someone as powerful as Vahn. He hadn't performed all his feats to be commended by an inconsequentially small existence like her, a tool that had only existed to serve as the vessel for the Holy Grail. Her greatest achievement, other than fulfilling her purpose, was giving birth to Illya...While Vahn and her mother had entered a somewhat awkward lull, Illya's mind was sorting through the information she had just obtained. Over the last three months, she had learned quite a bit about Vahn and, from what her mother had said, it seemed like the memory link had shown her his past relationships. What she really wanted to know was whether or not the memory link had included anything about her and Vahn as, depending on what she already knew, that would drastically change how the interacted with each other in the future. Ultimately, Illya decided it was just best to make her own feelings clear so, as her face began to rapidly gain a ruddy hue, she tugged on her mother's nightgown and stated, "Kaa-chan...I...I like Vahn...he promised to make me happy..."Hearing Illya's sudden confession, Vahn felt his own face warm up a bit as, seemingly unperturbed by what her daughter had said, Irisviel hugged her tightly and said, "I know. Towards the very end of the memory link, I saw lots of scenes between you and Vahn...don't worry, Illya, I would never separate you from your 'Onii-sama'. Your happiness is my happiness..." Though her final words caused Irisviel to blush slightly, as it was almost like saying that Vahn would be making them both happy, it was only for a brief moment. Kiritsugu might not have treated her as well as he could have, but she never once resented him since, before he entered her life, Irisviel didn't even have an ego. He had become the very core of her existence so, even though it was heartbreaking to separate from her daughter, she had willingly given her life up for his dream. The long dream she had following the Holy Grail's destruction had caused her feelings to mellow a bit, but she still genuinely loved her husband as, if nothing else, he gave her Illya...Though she was extremely embarrassed by her mother's words, Illya was more focused on Vahn's reaction as she stared back at him while biting her bottom lip. It wasn't a secret that she had feelings for him but, saying them openly like this wasn't an easy feat. There had even been a point in the past where she felt guilty for ever thinking about taking advantage of Vahn's willingness to make her happy. She knew better than anyone how selfish she had been, using Cath Palug as a means to get her way, but Vahn had never shown that it bothered him. He would still treat her well whenever they were together and, though it was extremely embarrassing to see him and Cath Palug 'play', Illya still enjoyed the time they spent together.Knowing that Illya was looking to him for affirmation, Vahn ignored the awkward feeling of having Irisviel present as he smiled in response, saying, "I like Illya as well...we'll always be together from now on." Though he nearly said they would be 'like family', Vahn felt this wasn't the answer that Illya was looking for. He had already bitten the bullet more than three months ago so he wasn't going to backpedal now that Illya was being forthright with her emotions. His only complaint was that she used the moment just after her mother awoke to 'confess' to him as, from now on, things would be even more awkward. Though he could understand her reasoning for doing so, as it would make Irisviel less inclined to intervene, that didn't make her smile any easier to tolerate. Though there was no blame in her eyes at all, acceptance was actually scarier in this situation...As if to hammer another nail into the 'coffin', Irisviel used the silence following their exchange to smile even more radiantly as she said, "If you'd like, you can also call me Kaa-chan in the future. Even if you and Illya are going to be married, I'll still be your Mother-in-Law. I've always wanted a son so please don't hold back~." Though she had never had a 'dream', the one whimsical thought Irisviel had humored in the past was having a big family. She never liked how cold and distant everyone in the Einzbern family was so, had the fates been kinder to her, she would have liked to live in a small house with a large family. Even if she might not have any other children of her own, she was rather fond of the idea of being a grandmother...In response to her mother's words, Illya's face became scarlet as she looked back at Vahn and asked, "Does this mean we're engaged now...?" Though the Heroic Spirits Vahn had summoned might not care about the proper sequence of events, Illya was a girl of the modern era. If she was going to be Vahn's future wife, there would have to be a large reception and a fancy wedding to accompany it. Her current physique was a slight issue but it wasn't that difficult for her to accelerate the aging of her body if she set up a lab. Even if it was a little 'troublesome' for him, Illya knew that Vahn would help her if she really wanted to advance their relationship forward. She knew he was troubled by her current size and, though Cath Palug might complicate things, Illya felt it would be worth it in the end.Knowing he had been backed into a corner by the unexpected teamwork of the mother-daughter pair, Vahn lightly chuckled before saying, "Now isn't the best time for a wedding but it shouldn't be difficult to arrange one for the future. The Empire is still in its inception so it will probably be a few years before we can move forward with that idea. I want to wait for Mordred to grow up a bit and for Rin and Sakura to move in. If I married someone while she and Sakura were away, I don't think Rin would be too pleased..." Though it was a little 'dangerous' to mention another woman during such discussions, Vahn needed to remind the two ruby-eyed girls that he couldn't arbitrarily shift his focus to 'just' Illya. He would do his best to make her happy but, if they were to officially wed, that would automatically elevate her to the status of Empress, potentially complicating matters in the future.Somewhat surprisingly, Illya began laughing in response to Vahn's words while Irisviel also had a pleasant smile on her face. Then, even though there was nothing to explain their synergy, Illya adopted a smilar smile to her mother as she stated, "You said it yourself in the past. There is no need to rush anything...so long as we keep striving for it, happiness is something everyone can obtain. I'm already happier now than I've ever been before so I'll wait patiently...no matter how long it takes..." Immediately following this, Irisviel nodded her head, hugging Illya from behind as she added, "We are already a family...everything else is just a formality." Though the thought of seeing her daughter in a wedding dress made Irisviel giddy, she knew there was a time and place for everything. There were a lot of women around Vahn so, if he suddenly decided to marry a girl he wasn't even in a relationship with, it might be a source of resentment for some. Illya would need to get closer to everyone, all while showing her developing relationship with Vahn, so that they wouldn't think she had 'pressured' him into it as a result of her unique situation...---In the hours following Irisviel's awakening, the three passed through the mirror to continue their conversation within the Sub-Space Projection. Vahn also used this as an opportunity to get Iris, the name Illya's mother had asked him to call her in lieu of 'Kaa-chan', situated in her own room. She couldn't share the same room with her daughter as, even though they would likely be spending a lot of time together, the fact remained that Cath Palug was sealed within Illya's body. Since she would also want some privacy in order to spend time together with Vahn, it was necessary for Illya to keep her own room while Iris' was located further down the hall. After allowing her to pick some clothes for her wardrobe, Vahn escorted the two girls to the Library which, other than when Vahn went to relax, often went unused.As books were how she viewed the world, Iris was happy to be given the responsibility of taking care of the Imperial Library, a place which had only been tended by a single golem previously. Vahn told her that he would allow her to travel around the world in the future but, with a kind smile on her face, Iris explained that such consideration was unnecessary. She was more than happy just being reunited with her daughter and, though it wasn't the largest Island in the world, Avalon was a very beautiful place. Being able to wander about the fantastical castle and its grounds was already more than Iris could have ever hoped for when she was merely a Homunculus of the Einzbern family.To that end, Vahn had carefully explained Iris' current situation to her, including the fact that she might 'vanish' soon. This didn't seem to bother her at all but, knowing Vahn had 'created' her from his own body, she did take the opportunity to tease him by calling him 'Papa' once. Since she had been created, not born, Iris had always wanted to have parents of her own. Even if it was just once, she wanted to say such words and, deciding to humor her, Vahn had called her Iris-chan in response. This had earned him a strange look from Illya but, as if she had received an extreme compliment, Iris reacted by cupping her face with one hand and smiling radiantly in response. Following this, Vahn escorted the two girls around the castle and its grounds, showing Iris all of the interesting sights and introducing her to everyone. With the exception of Circe, everyone had a very positive reception to Iris and, by the time they had returned to her room, the smile on her face had already persisted for several hours...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Two many perverts (o 3 o)...','Illya is quite sneaky...','Irisviel is adorable (^ x ^)')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1133: Settling In