Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Early the next morning, everyone that was going to be leaving Avalon had gathered together to eat breakfast and discuss their itineraries. For obvious reasons, they couldn't exactly use public transport as, with the exception of Catherine and Tristana, whose movements would undoubtedly draw the attention of the Mage's Association and Holy Church, none of the residents of the Ivory Castle had passports. Illya and Iris were both considered to be dead as well, meaning traveling by plane and other public transport that required identification was simply impossible.Vahn immediately shot down Astolfo's remark about using his Hippogriff, at least during the day, while Da Vinci's offer to produce a bird-shaped golem capable of flight and stealth was also denied, at least for the time being. The simple truth of the matter was, until they intended to start openly opposing the other factions, there were no easy means to even travel without drawing a lot of attention to themselves. As a result, Vahn could only rely on Alaya to use her Space Transfer ability to help people reach their destinations. She was less than enthused about the request but, as Vahn had provided far more than the requisite amount of Magical Energy, Alaya ultimately conceded without arguing against it.Before everyone went their separate ways, Vahn made sure each person had an [Effigy of the Hero] while Da Vinci had performed some last-minute upgrades to the [REquip] accessories, allowing them to hold inorganic items other than clothing in a small storage space. This would allow everyone to buy souvenirs and store anything they found interesting during their travels. She had cracked the [Interspatial Ring]s that Vahn allowed her to study several months prior so it didn't take her too long to incorporate the same technology into her [REquip] system. As Vahn had learned very shortly after working alongside Da Vinci, being able to use all Magecraft with SS-Rank proficiency made her into a monster when it came to innovating upon existing ideas...After everyone had made their preparations, the 'exploration group', consisting of Astolfo, Catherine, and Nobunaga all gathered together. Vahn shared a short embrace with the Nobunaga, resulting in her nibbling on his earlobe playfully before rejoining the other two. Then, in a burst of blue magical light, all three vanished in an instant, their destination a few kilometers outside of Paris, France. Their plan was to go sightseeing in the French countryside before doubling back to visit Paris itself. From there, they would move to the port near Cherbourg, a few kilometers to the northwest, before flying over the English Channel with Astolfo Hippogriff under the cover of night. Then, with the obvious exception of London, Astolfo wanted to explore his former country to see how it had changed over the last twelve-hundred years. In total, their trip was expected to take around two weeks as they slowly made their way to the western coast of Fishguard, Wales, the closest physical location to Avalon.With the exploration group departed, Vahn spent a few minutes talking with Illya, Iris, and Kenshin. While giving Illya a long and comforting hug, Vahn reminded, "If there are any issues at all, do not hesitate to contact me. I will trust this matter to you but never forget your lives are infinitely more important to me than the success of your mission..." This caused Illya to nod her head while nuzzling into the nook of his neck before answering, "This is something I need to do...but I'm not going to endanger the happiness I have found by doing anything foolish..." With that said, Illya gave Vahn a short peck on his cheek before releasing her grip on his body. Then, with a red face, Illya retreated to the side of Iris, eliciting a giggle from her mother as the latter stroked her daughter's head with an amused smile on her face.Vahn also returned a smile before looking at Kenshin and Scáthach, primarily addressing the former as he said, "I'll leave their protection to the two of you. Still, make sure you take care of yourselves as well. Germany is a lot colder than Japan and Ireland..." Though Scáthach was virtually immune to the cold, and would primarily be in spirit form the entire time, Vahn was mainly reminding them to dress properly. Illya and Iris were already wearing winter clothing, consisting of long white overcoats and fur caps, but Scáthach was still wearing her purple bodysuit while Kenshin a modified kimono that, while it was adorned with extra fabric and a fox-fur mantle, would stand out like a sore thumb among 'normal' people. However, considering her hair was anything but normal, Vahn knew it was ultimately pointless to try and get her to dress 'properly'. He was hoping that most people thought she was part of a drama or a famous actress they simply hadn't heard of...Still being a little 'absentminded' outside of combat, Kenshin gave a confident smile as she replied, "Leave it to me, Your Majesty. I will protect the Imperial Family and preserve my own life at the same time...!" As for Scáthach, she just gave a small nod while, towering over her from behind, Heracles just emitted steam from his body due to the temperature difference. Vahn was intending to try and undo his [Mad Enhancement] in the future but, as it was granted by the Holy Grail, it would likely take a powerful piece of equipment to pull it off. Even if he gave the mountain-like man a new body, it wouldn't remove the [Mad Enhancement] that had been embedded directly onto his Ego.Without going out of his way to comment on Kenshin's bold statement, Vahn just shared a short embrace with the powerful warrior woman before turning his attention to Iris. She returned her characteristically 'innocent' looking smile in return before, taking her daughter into consideration, giving Vahn a ver short and proper hug. After this, their five-person group gathered together before, much like the previous group, they vanished in a burst of blue magical light. Their destination was a subsection of the Rothaargebirge mountains, located just south of the Ems River basin. Though Vahn had initially been surprised that the Einzberns had made their home in one of the more populous regions of Germany, it wasn't that difficult to believe considering that London was the very heart of the Mage's Association...With Illya's group gone, it was nearly time for Vahn's to head out as well so, after giving a curt nod to the smiling Merlin, Vahn turned to Fenrir, Artoria, Mordred, and Da Vinci. They were all wearing winter clothing as well, looking rather fashionable in long fur coats. Fenrir's even had a hood that had a thick matt of somewhat spikey fur, much like Mordred's, which was used to keep her ears concealed. She had already reached the point where hiding her ears, tail, and paws didn't require much effort but, as it was always better to be safe than sorry, Fenrir chose to conserve her Magical Energy. Fortunately, it was a small fashion trend for some groups to have small tail-like accessories so, even if Fenrir's drew some attention, most people wouldn't really question it. Since it only moved in response to her 'willing' it to do so, most of the time it just hung rather pathetically, the only real exception being when Vahn showed it some attention.Since Circe and Medusa had already been 'pacified' by him previously, Vahn didn't idle for too long and, after linking hands with everyone, they were all teleported away by Alaya, now latched onto Vahn's shoulder after he finished embracing everyone. When they vanished from sight, Merlin turned his head towards the north, his eyes glimmering with magical light as he began to lightly chuckle to himself. Then, after tapping his staff against the ground, Merlin's body dissipated like an illusory mist as he remarked, "Let's see what kind of future awaits...Empires are never built without bloodshed..." Then, as if he had never been there from the start, Merlin had completely vanished from the area...---Instantaneous Space Transfers were always rather jarring as, in one moment, you could be in a relatively warm and comfortable environment before, in less time than it took to blink, you could find yourself in the middle of a snowbound plain. As there was currently a small snowstorm raging in the region they had been transported to, Mordred had been the most caught off guard as a result of her size. With a layer of fresh powdered snow, her body sunk up to her hips the moment they were transported. This caused her to fumble backward, falling into the snow and burying her entire body in one singular motion that caused Vahn's brows to rise in humor when Mordred 'burst' out of the snow moments later, smiling excitedly instead of appearing upset. She immediately scooped up a handful of snow, shouting, "Eat this...!" as she threw it towards the location on Vahn's shoulder where she assumed Alaya to be.Before it could impact the area, the snowball outright disappeared midair before reappearing right behind Mordred, pelting her in the back of the head. This time, she was less than enthused, patting snow out of her ponytail as she complained, "Even if you were ten times as cute, I wouldn't like you. You're a big jerk, Alaya..." Unfortunately for her, Alaya didn't even bother to reveal herself, much less dignify Mordred's words with a response. This left Vahn using his cleaning magic to pull the snow from Mordred's hair as he created an area around them that the snow couldn't penetrate. Then, after looking around the area, Vahn noticed they were surrounded by an evergreen forest while, around two kilometers to the east, there was a frozen lakebed.Though he had asked Alaya to transport them a few kilometers outside the range of any standard Magi's detection, he could tell at a glance this was nowhere near London. After sending off Mordred and Fenrir to go play in the forest for a bit, Vahn pulled Alaya from his shoulder, asking, "Where is this?" In response, she monotonously answered, "This is a forest located seven kilometers south and twenty-four kilometers west of the Sperrin Mountains in Northern Ireland. The people you seek are located in a large Manor located to the north, near the divergent point of the Foyle and Derg Rivers. Do you want me to create a String of Fate so you can find them more easily...?"Hearing Alaya's explanation, Vahn briefly wondered why Rin would have taken Sakura to Northen Ireland but, considering she would undoubtedly explain it to him, Vahn just nodded his head in response to Alaya's question. As a result, a red string appeared, this time latched onto his pinky in a distinctly different way than the blue one he used to track down Paracelsus. Even without needing to ask, Alaya understood his question, answering, "The color of the String of Fate is determined by the affinity between the linked individuals. Red means both parties have a mutual affection for each other." With that said, Alaya retired to her spot on Vahn's shoulder, leaving the latter pondering with a smile on his face.Recognizing the look on Vahn's face, Da Vinci asked, "What are you thinking about? Did Alaya tell you something interesting?" As she asked this, Da Vinci adjusted the large rounded spectacles on her face, a special item she had produced to make it impossible for people to discern her true appearance. Since having the [Golden Rule:EX] skill would cause her to stand out, even amongst a crowd of a million people, Da Vinci had to take extra precautions to avoid drawing the attention of everyone they passed. This was especially necessary as, after a few days' preparation, Da Vinci was in her freshly produced body, appropriately named, at least according to her, [Dedication to the Sage Emperor].Vahn quickly explained the function of the red string on his finger, garnering attention from both Da Vinci and Artoria as both women wondered what color their strings would be. Though it cost a fair amount of Magical Energy, Vahn rarely used it so Alaya had a relatively monstrous amount sitting in reserve. Curiously, Da Vinci's String of Fate glowed with a golden light, the meaning of which implied they held similar ideals and were fated to walk alongside each other indefinitely. As for Artoria's, hers was even more peculiar, possessing three intertwined strings, one red, one white, and the final one being black. The red's meaning was obvious, implying that he and Artoria had a mutual affection towards each other while the black and white represented 'authority' and 'innocence' respectively.According to Alaya, black meant that he either put himself in a dominant position over Artoria or, earning a blush from the latter, it meant she placed herself in a submissive position to him. Since she was his Knight Commander, this wasn't all that odd but, going by what Alaya explained, it had little to do with things like vows and pledges. As for the white string, it meant that Artoria was largely ignorant of anything outside of her interpersonal relationships, meaning Vahn had a lot of sway over her perspective of the world. This color was often seen between religious figures and their followers, or between parents and their children.As tempted as he was to tease her, Vahn remained relatively stoic as he explained the meaning of the three colors to Artoria. Her embarrassed and flustered expression were admittedly adorable but, as it was undoubtedly awkward to have her 'nature' exposed in such a way, Vahn chose not to press the issue. He already knew there was little that Artoria wouldn't do, so long as he asked, so it wasn't all that surprising if she saw herself in a submissive position. When they returned, Vahn figured it would be better for their future interactions if he started to build up Artoria's confidence again. She had mellowed out quite a bit since becoming Mordred's mother so, depending on the situation with Rin, Sakura, and Gray, it might be time to summon someone else from Artoria's life. So long as there were people looking up to her, a role Gray could probably fill, Artoria would undoubtedly become a confident woman once again...After dismissing the Strings of Fate between himself, Artoria, and Da Vinci, Vahn placed his fingers into his mouth, issuing a loud whistle that echoed through the small winter storm. Less than two minutes later, Fenrir and Mordred both appeared from the woods, the latter holding a large Sika Deer above her head with a triumphant smile on her face. Since Mordred had a habit of 'hunting' whenever she got the opportunity, Vahn wasn't all that surprised as he stowed the fresh carcass into his Inventory before rubbing her head and saying, "Good job, Mordred. You must remember not to hunt too much while we're outside though, okay? There are a lot of nearly extinct animals in the world and it would be a shame to wipe out a species on accident..."Without taking her Chichiue's words to heart, Mordred nodded her head before pulling on the back of Vahn's coat. This caused Alaya to frown but, as she was very familiar with Vahn's mannerisms and habits after observing him for nearly seven months, she sunk into the collar of his shirt before biting the fleshy area beneath his ribs while Mordred climbed onto his shoulders. Vahn knew he might be spoiling Mordred a bit too much these days but, as it was her first time in the outside world, he felt that making the memory a happy one would be good for her mental development. She had made great strides towards stabilizing, to the point that her [King Arthur's False Heir] had actually changed into the peculiarly named [Sage Emperor's Pampered Princess: B].Though this was a small flag, it was still irrefutable proof that an Innate could change based on the perspective and comprehension of the person it belonged to. Vahn even theorized that it would be possible for him to change the nature of his own Innates, simply by 'believing' they worked in a certain way and pushing that ideal to the extremes. After all, according to Sis herself, Innates were not restricted by the Records, meaning they were without limits from the start. Two people could even have the same Innate yet, based on their comprehension, the form that Innate took could be vastly different.A good example that Vahn thought of was one of his former favorite manga, a series called Naruto where the protagonist worked to become Hokage, the most powerful ninja in his village of Konoha. This village was also home to a Clan known as the Uchiha, possessing a unique set of eyes known as the Sharingan. Vahn had no doubt that the Sharingan themselves were an Innate but, while their base form was almost always the same, the evolved form, known as the Mangekyou Sharingan, could have a variety of different abilities. These were always related to the nature of the person who awakened them, allowing for a variety of different abilities that made use of several complex and high-tiered Laws. Though Vahn didn't know how the series came to an end, he had always dreamed about having a similar set of eyes, at least when he was younger...With Mordred leaning from side-to-side on his shoulders, Vahn walked with Fenrir, Artoria, and Da Vinci following close behind as he used his domain to compress the snow, making it easier for them to traverse. Fortunately, their destination wasn't all that far away so, after a leisurely stroll through a scenic snow-laden forest, Vahn and his entourage emerged on the other side where a series of factories and a small town were located. Atop a large hill to the east, a very noticeable Manor stood out amidst the surrounding trees, appearing like a large chateau-style residence with large stone walls surrounding its periphery. As there was even a tall tower attached, it almost looked like a small fortress which, considering the secrecy most Magus families preferred, was very likely the intent behind its construction.Though it would have been obvious from the start, Vahn noted that the red string drew a straight line between his pinky finger and the hillside chateau. Thus, taking advantage of the fact that the snow would easily obscure the vision of normal people, Vahn set out a platform for them all to stand on before using his Telekinesis to levitate them all through the air, a method he had come up with on the spot as a result of Artoria's [Magic Resistance]. Though she had a real body, Artoria still had the [Magic Resistance:B] and the [Riding:B] skills that had been granted to her by the Holy Grail. This made it difficult to use Magecraft against her as, anything B-Rank or lower would simply 'break' powerlessly against her, regardless of its elemental affinity. Even toxins, poisons, and curses were unable to affect her, much less his relatively lackluster Telekinesis.While resolving to improve his Telekinetic abilities in the future, as they were actually very useful, Vahn carried everyone towards the chateau, reducing the distance even faster than a helicopter as a result of his excitement. Though it had only been a little more than a month since they parted, at least from the perspective of the three girls, it had been more than half a year for Vahn. He often felt guilty about parting with Sakura so soon after she became his daughter so Vahn was intending to use this as an opportunity to make it up to them before venturing to South America to recruit Type: Mercury to his cause...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Merlin is such a Chuuni...','Strings of Fate come in a variety of different colors xD...','Seriously though, Telekinesis can be super broken if pushed to the extremes (o___o)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

As he could already sense what was going on, Vahn just gave a curt nod to Da Vinci when the latter suddenly adjusted her spectacles, saying, "There are seventy-three weak magical signatures and six decently powerful ones present. It doesn't appear as if we're very welcome~?" Almost as soon as these words left her lips, Da Vinci used her personal staff, the [Key of Avalon], to generate a circular magic circle that absorbed a series of [Gandr], a reddish-black magical laser that served as one of the most common forms of offensive Magecraft taught at the Clock Tower.Though the guards below were obviously hostile against them, Vahn reasoned that they were just doing their jobs and, as he was arriving unannounced, it wasn't all that surprising they would be attacked. As a result, he just placed Mordred down on the platform before making a barrier of his own, using small engraved stones that had the [Primordial Rune] for 'Protect' inscribed into their surface. By using his own Telekinesis to anchor them in the air, the runes formed a cube-shaped barrier that easily encompassed the entire group, the platform included. To strengthen it further, Vahn used 'air-inscription', one of the more advanced techniques of [Primordial Rune] to inscribe more 'Protect', this time on the barrier itself.With a standard 'Protect' rune able to block B-Rank spells, Vahn wasn't worried the [Gandr] fired by the uniformed security guards would be able to break through. Though a red-haired woman fired a much thicker and faster beam towards them, it only caused part of the barrier to glow before the [Gandr] ultimately gave out. She fired several such beams but, due to the fact he used Source Energy when creating the second series of runes, the woman was ill-equipped to break Vahn's barrier. With Da Vinci analyzing everything that was happening, combined with Vahn's own ability to sense almost everything occurring around them, it was almost impossible for them to be taken by surprise as he slowly lowered the platform to the ground.After realizing their attacks had no effect, combined with the fact Vahn's group hadn't attacked back, the ground forces slowly ceased their attacks after an order from the red-haired woman. They then moved to surround the platform while the woman stepped forward, her pale-green eyes passing over everyone within the barrier with a discerning gaze. Then, without Vahn having to say anything, she suddenly asked, "Are you the Sage Emperor, Vahn Mason...?" There was a bit of tension in her voice as these words left her lips, causing Vahn to smile as he nodded his head, answering, "I am Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the very same Sage Emperor." Since she had left out his middle name, even though that was the 'most' important part, Vahn knew she was trying to test him.The moment Vahn finished his introduction, the woman raised her hand, shouting, "Stand down! Code Green!" Then, after a series of sharp movements from everyone surrounding the platform, the woman cut her hand down as the entire group simultaneously bowed low, shouting in a thunderous chorus, "Greetings to the Sage Emperor!" As Luvia had quite a few 'intentions' towards Vahn, he was a 'super VIP' that all of the Edelfelt Mercenaries and Security Forces had been made aware of. Only a few knew Vahn's 'real' identity, for obvious reasons, but they had painstakingly practiced the 'Code Green' protocol for several tens of hours.After giving a small nod to Fenrir, the latter moved to protect Mordred while Vahn allowed his barrier to dissipate. Against enemies of this level, Vahn didn't really need to worry all that much but, as Alaya herself had said, there were a number of powerful artifacts that would be able to make him regret his complacency. Fortunately, even Mordred had the [Instinct] skill so, if there was any kind of danger at all, she would automatically move to evade it. Even in her sealed state, she was more than a match for a standard Magus. Just to be safe, however, Vahn removed two of the restraints, causing Mordred to fidget about with a battle-hungry smile on her face...While the other Security Forces quickly moved to take care of their other duties, the red-haired woman who seemed to be their leader came forward, bowing yet again as she stated, "Please do not blame my subordinates for their audaciousness. I, Sophia Mayweather, take full responsibility for any slights you have experienced."Seeing the sharply dressed woman with neatly arranged medium-length red-hair bowing before him, Vahn had the urge to shake his head and tell her not to mind it. There was no way they could have known the identities of the random group descending upon them from the sky, completely unannounced. However, with his status as an Emperor, it could potentially create problems if he didn't carry himself with a little bit of dignity. Fortunately, before he had to make a decision on his own, Vahn looked towards the entrance of the chateau as Gray stepped out from the interior. Her face immediately blossomed into a smile, causing Vahn to gesture for Sophia to rise as he said, "That will be unnecessary..." as he walked past her.As she wasn't really the outgoing type, there was no situation of Gray running into his embrace as she and Vahn just walked towards each other at a casual pace. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, they embraced each other, Gray burying her face into his chest as Vahn habitually stroked her back and head. Moments later, as if she had confirmed he was real, Gray had a thin layer of moisture over her stark blue eyes as she whimpered, "I missed you..." while putting more strength into her embrace.Vahn felt a twinge of pain in his heart after hearing Gray's words, causing him to kiss the top of her head as he answered, "I missed you too, Gray..." This caused her to raise her face, staring directly into Vahn's eyes as her own slowly closed. Understanding the cue, Vahn gently cupped Gray's cheek as he leaned in and gave her a short yet emotion-filled kiss. A single tear fell from her left eye, intercepted by Vahn's thumb as he wiped it away in one swift motion. He knew Gray was going to be extremely embarrassed when she came back to her senses so, out of consideration, Vahn could at least make it so that her tears were not observed by others...After separating from Gray, her eyelids slowly peeled open as a light blush began to color her fair, almost pale white cheeks. There was a slightly dazed look in her eyes and, for a brief moment, Vahn thought she might want to go in for another kiss. Unfortunately, Mordred used this timing to laugh in a mischevious manner before commenting, "Hahaue, she really does look just like you. I thought you were exaggerating when you told me about her..." Then, as if it was impossible for her to read the atmosphere, Mordred walked over until she had invaded Gray's personal space, looking up into the latter's confused face. Following this, Mordred crossed her arms and adopted a prideful smile as she introduced, "Hey there. The names Mordred Pendragon. I'm something like your super-great Aunt. It's nice to meet you, Gray-chan~."Hearing Mordred introduce herself, Gray had a completely blank expression on her face as she had no idea what to make of the situation. She recognized the name Mordred, for obvious reasons, but suddenly having a little girl introducing themself as King Arthur's killer was not something she ever expected to experience. Ultimately, however, Gray returned an awkward smile as she greeting, "It is nice to meet you, Mordred..." Since she assumed Vahn would explain the situation, Gray decided to just go with the flow as, even at a glance, she could see the very obvious similarities between Artoria and the young girl before her. If not for the dignified way in which Artoria carried herself, a stark contrast to the 'wild' aura that emanated from Mordred, the two would look like a set of twins who had somehow been separated by a few year's developments...To prevent Mordred from causing any problems, Vahn placed his hand atop her head and began to ruffle her hair as the others joined their small gathering. Gray and Artoria both gave polite bows toward each other while Da Vinci had an intrigued smile as she observed the monochromatic girl and her peculiar garb. What she was most interested in, however, was the 'nothingness' hidden within Gray's right sleeve. She had already heard about Add from Vahn so, even without asking, Da Vinci knew the anomaly she was witnessing must be Gray's Mystic Codex. Since it was apparently able to freely change shape and had a degree of sentience, Da Vinci was very interested in analyzing its structure when she got the chance.After a brief round of introductions, the woman named Sophia gave another polite bow as she asked everyone to alight to the inside of the chateau, even though Vahn's domain was keeping the snow and cold at bay. Since he wanted to see Rin and Sakura, Vahn gave a curt nod before gesturing for everyone else to follow. Fortunately, after increasing his perception by practicing within the Inner Sanctum, Vahn was able to easily see through the barriers within the large fortress-like building. Even without the veritable army of Maids and Butlers bowing as they gestured towards his destination, Vahn would have been able to navigate the interior of the chateau on his own.---As they had already received news that the incident outside was related to Vahn, Rin, Sakura, and Olga had gathered together in a large recreational study that had a fireplace, billiards, and several other means to keep yourself entertained. Though Olga felt extremely nervous, Rin had a calm and expectant look on her face while Sakura looked like she might jump up from her seat and seek out Vahn at any moment. To keep her in place, Rin was holding her daughter's hand while Olga stood awkwardly at the side, smoothening out the wrinkles of her clothing and failing to keep her ahoge down. She had always been bothered by her perpetual 'bed hair' and, now that she was meeting the man that controlled her destiny, Olga momentarily humored the thought of just ripping out the uncooperative tuft of hair...Before Olga could muster up the 'resolve' to pull out her own hair, the sound of doorknobs being turned broke through the silence of the study as two prim and proper Maids opened the double-doors leading into the large room. Then, before they were even open fully, Sakura bounced up to her feet, shouting, "Otou-sama~!" as she broke free from her mother's hand and bolted across the room. Vahn took a knee as Sakura approached, allowing her to toss herself into his arms as she exclaimed, "I missed you so much! Please stay with us always from now on...!"Though she had the Space-Time Orb to keep her company, even Sakura had started to feel there was something 'off' as time passed. The moment she hugged her 'real' Otou-sama, Sakura felt like she might start crying but, trying to avoid making their reunion upsetting for everyone, she did her best to swallow the building emotions, even as her nose felt sour and her vision became blurry. In response to this, Vahn picked up her body, holding her like the little girl she was as he gently stroked her back and whispered, "Don't worry my little cherry blossom...things will be different from now on..." Now that he had an official 'base', Vahn was confident he could protect both Rin and Sakura from danger as, at least for the time being, the Mage's Association should have no way of directly entering Avalon...While carrying the trembling Sakura, who was still doing her best not to cry, Vahn walked over to the now standing Rin, answering her smile with a gentle one of his own. This only lasted for a moment, however, as Vahn immediately sensed something 'wrong' with Rin's body, turning his eyes toward her chest with furrowed brows. She immediately shook her head as if to say, 'we'll talk about it later', eliciting a curt nod from Vahn as he fixed his expression and said, "I missed you, Rin..." In response, Rin's smile softened as she replied, "I missed you as well, dummy..." The final word was said almost inaudibly but, as Vahn was more than adept at reading lips, he smiled amusedly as a warm feeling spread through his chest.Just as Vahn was about to introduce Mordred and Da Vinci, the relatively warm atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward when a young woman, who Vahn had previously thought was just another bodyguard, stammered, "G-Greetings! M-my name is Olga Marie Asmleit Animusphere! I may be in...inexperienced, but I will do my best...!" Ever since the first discussion she had with Luvia, Rin, and Gray, which detailed how she might be able to win Vahn's favor, much of Olga's free time had been spent thinking about their first meeting. Now that the moment had come, her face was simultaneously pale and flushed as a strong feeling of 'not knowing what to do with her hands' crept up from the back of her mind as she tightly clutched the hem of her skirt...Though he was slightly taken aback by Olga's outburst, Vahn's expression remained unperturbed as he looked toward Rin for answers. She gave him a wry smile in response that spoke volumes about what had been happening while he was away. It was very apparent that a lot had been going on as, from their previous arrangements, Rin should have stayed in London for another five months, at the very least. The fact she was currently located in a 'fortress' in Northern Ireland, with a malicious burn mark embedded into her chest, was indicative that things hadn't gone as smoothly as he would have liked. At the same time, Vahn became more aware of the presence of Alaya at his side, causing the small blue Vanargandr to twitch in response...Since now wasn't the best time to talk about any troubles that had arisen, especially with Mordred and Sakura present, Vahn decided to shelve the matter temporarily as he gave a polite nod toward Olga, answering, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Animusphere. You seem to be aware of my identity, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the Sage Emperor..." As he introduced himself, Vahn was also paying more attention to Olga's appearance as, based on Rin's reaction, there was a good chance she would be accompanying them in the future. She was another uncommonly beautiful young woman with pale, almost white, hair and golden eyes that had a slight bronze hue.Vahn deduced she was around twenty-two years old based on her aura and, now that he got a better look at her, it was clear to see from the quality of her clothing and the intricate way in which she styled her hair that Olga was likely an Aristocraft from a reputable Magus family. The moment this thought crossed his mind, Vahn remembered Rin's explanation of the most powerful families associated with the Clock Tower, the Animusphere family being amongst them. He deduced that they had formed an alliance and, based on Olga's presence here, the agreement undoubtedly had something to do with him. There was even a chance that the Animusphere family had helped out Rin and Sakura when they were in danger, increasing Vahn's opinion of the flustered young woman who, after seeing his smile, clutched her skirt even tighter...---During the time that Vahn had briefly been observing Olga, there were two others who had been having a staring contest of their own. Sakura, while hugging Vahn's neck, was able to see over his shoulder and, seeing another little girl standing amongst the group, intuitively 'knew' that she wasn't just some lost child that her Otou-sama had picked up. Even she could see the similarities between Artoria and Mordred, causing Sakura to squeeze her Otou-sama's neck even harder, her teal eyes locking with the green eyes of Mordred. As Mordred was already well-aware of the existence of her Imouto, she just smiled back in a disarming manner before waving her hand, an action that caused Sakura to avert her eyes with a small pouting expression on her face.Breaking the momentary silence, Mordred began to laugh in response to Sakura's behavior, drawing the focus of everyone in the room, Sakura included, as she happily exclaimed, "Sakura-chan! It is nice to meet you! My name is Mordred Pendragon, your Aneue! If anyone ever tries to bully you in the future, I'll always be there to protect you from now on, okay~!?" As she would much rather be the Knight that protects the princess, rather than the princess herself, Mordred had always wanted to meet this younger sister of hers. Sakura, however, seemed less than enthused as, even though she had started to understand that the women around her Otou-sama weren't just his 'friends', it felt like her happiness was threatened by the existence of Mordred and the women that would get in the way of her Okaa-chan and Otou-sama...As it didn't take a genius to understand that Sakura was less than pleased to suddenly have an older sister, Mordred's smile became somewhat awkward. She didn't give up, however, moving to a spot where she could see Sakura's face, smiling with a toothy grin as she said, "I really want to be Sakura-chan's friend...please...?" At the same time, Vahn lightly pat Sakura's back, whispering, "Sakura, your sister has really been looking forward to seeing you. There are a lot of things I need to explain to you about your heritage so please give her a chance. Don't worry, I'm not going to suddenly abandon you and your Okaa-chan...from now on, we will be one big family, living in a fantastical world beyond your imagination..."Though she wasn't entirely convinced, Sakura had spent nearly half of her day, every single day, inside of the Space-Time Orb with her Otou-sama's memory fragment. She was unable to ignore his words, especially with the warm and calming energy flowing into her body from his hands. Deciding to trust in her Otou-sama, Sakura released a tired sigh that wasn't befitting of a girl her age as Vahn set her down on the floor. Then, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, Sakura managed a smile as she looked toward Mordred and muttered, "Onee-chan..." Though it wasn't quite the 'Aneue' she was looking for, Mordred didn't mind it all that much as she began to laugh in a cheerful manner before surprising Sakura as she picked up the latter, spinning around on the spot as she exclaimed, "Cute imouto, get~!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'All your base are belong to us','The self-propagating harem, a more powerful force than even the expansion of the universe','Resistance is futile, Sakura. Mordred will never let you go now (☼ w ☼)~♫')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

After deciding to make a trip to the outside world, it wasn't long before Vahn found himself amongst the other castle residents, explaining his intentions and asking for feedback. Due to the time dilation within the Orb, even being gone for a few days could translate to weeks or even months. As a result, Vahn needed to discuss the matter with everyone, even though he knew it might cause a few issues with Mordred, Medusa, and Circe. Illya was also another concern but, as she had opened up a lot more after Iris took up residence in the castle, Vahn wasn't too worried about her. She was a very mature girl, an indicator of her 'real' age that wasn't properly represented by her physique.As expected, shortly after Vahn mentioned leaving the Orb, Mordred and Circe nearly simultaneously exclaimed, "I want to go~!" Fortunately, Artoria quickly wrangled Mordred, allowing Vahn to tap the table a few times while explaining, "I'm not going out to just play around. You must keep in mind that the world has changed drastically since the last time you were able to travel freely..." Though he was trying to be stern, Mordred used the 'secret technique' that always dealt considerable damage to Vahn's heart. By hanging her head slightly and turning her eyes up at him, complete with slightly watery eyes, Vahn could only look to Artoria for an answer...Seeing Vahn defer to her, Artoria shook her head in mild exasperation, albeit with a gentle look in her eyes as she stated, "Though the Orb is exceptional for training, I feel it is not healthy to stay cooped up inside for several months at a time. This would be a good opportunity for Mordred to experience the outside world. I'm sure the two of us can keep her out of trouble..." Since there was no way she could let Mordred out into the world unsupervised, Artoria automatically included herself in Vahn's travel plans. She was also his Knight Commander and, though that didn't mean all that much in the present, Artoria believed that an Emperor should never travel without an entourage.Even though Vahn hadn't given his consent, Mordred began to snicker with a toothy grin on her face, displaying her slightly pronounced canines proudly. She knew there was no way her Chichiue would be able to refuse after her Hahaue supported the idea. Unless there was a 'known' danger to avoid, such as if he was going to face an unbelievably powerful foe, there was no justification her Chichiue would be able to come up with to prevent her from going out. After all, not only was she a decorated war hero who had led thousands of troops into battle, she was also the Imperial Princess. She needed to know how people lived in the present before her own duties required her to make decisions that would influence the lives of millions, if not billions, of people.Since Vahn knew Mordred was similar to Astolfo, possessing a wild and adventurous spirit, it was hard to insist that she stay behind. With that in mind, Vahn ultimately nodded his head, causing Mordred to immediately try and pounce across the table, shouting, "Chichiue, I love you~!" This attempt was met with Artoria quickly snatching the collar of Mordred's jacket before holding her up like a puppy. Then, after a small bow, Artoria said, "I will make sure she is properly prepared for a trip to the outside world. Please excuse us..." Though she tolerated Mordred's increasingly uncouth form of dress within the castle, there was no way Artoria was going to let her daughter wander around in the outside world wearing the same kind of clothing.While watching Artoria carry away the despondent Mordred by her scruff, as the latter knew better than to try and resist, Vahn joined the rest of the table in chuckling at his daughter's expense. When they had left the room, he looked around at everyone else, saying, "Now is a good opportunity. If you have business, or want to explore the outside world, this may be your only chance for the next few months, real-world time." In response to these words, Da Vinci, who begrudgingly joined the dinner discussion after some coaxing from Vahn, immediately raised her hand, answering, "There are various things I would like to look into. The technological development of this world has progressed much further than most forms of Magecraft. I intend to send some of my micro-golems into the outside world to begin collecting information. Also, I am interested in the entity referred to as Type: Mercury and intend to accompany you to collect samples of the surrounding area."As he already trusted Da Vinci to do what was 'best' for the Empire, Vahn answered her request with a curt nod before turning his attention to the others at the table. To his surprise, the next person to speak up was none other than Illya, causing Vahn's brows to lightly furrow in concern when she said, "If everyone else is going outside, I want to return to my homeland and reclaim my birthright. Even if I don't really care about such things, the Einzbern family was intended to be my responsibility as the Ninth Head. I believe it will be possible to convince Jubstacheit to concede the title once they see that my mother has been returned in a more advanced body than the one my family has developed over centuries. Jubstacheit is nothing more than an Artificial Golem...he is not qualified to lead one of the most prestigious Magus families when he is largely responsible for the failures of the family ever since the Second Holy Grail War..."While speaking, there were moments when Illya's hair began to curl slightly as the red in her eyes slowly shifted towards purple. Fortunately, Iris was able to keep her calm by lightly stroking her daughter's hair, adding, "Jubstacheit's primary directive is to create Justeaze-type Homunculi and ensure the Einzbern family is able to persist. I was the only successful experiment over the last two hundred years so, now that I have been given a new body, there is nothing he can say to refute Illya's and my claim to her birthright. Unless he has somehow changed his primary directive, he does not possess the 'authority' to take action against any living descendants of the Einzbern family. If we are successful, it is possible to gain access to thousands of Homunculi and Artificial Humans to help staff the castle. Though Count Paracelsus' research is awe-inspiring, I do not believe he would be able to keep up with the output of an entire Magus family with his current set of principles..."Hearing Iris comment on his work, Paracelsus just smiled politely, showing no signs that he had taken any offense as he stated, "The Einzberns have been reputed as the most prodigious Alchemist family, even when I had been a member of the Mage's Association. It does not diminish me in the slightest to admit that I may never reach their level of skill when it comes to the production of Homunculi. However, I would ask that His Majesty properly consider how the Homunculi and Artificial Humans who come to reside in the castle are treated. It would pain my heart to see people produced with no greater destiny than to become Servants without any free will..."Instead of Vahn answering, it was Illya who, with a resolute look in her eyes, stated, "Once I become the Head of the family, I will no longer allow the Einzbern's to treat the lives of its creations as tools to be used. Though I may not be able to do anything about those that currently exist, I will do my best to ensure they are not mistreated. Vahn will help me as well, won't you...?" As she herself had been treated as a 'tool' after dying the first time, Illya was not fond of how the Einzbern's did things. She could still remember the training they had put her through leading up to the Fourth Holy Grail War, throwing her out into the snow to fend for herself. If not for Heracles coming to her aid and protecting her, she would have been devoured by a pack of wolves, ultimately bringing the Einzbern line to its end. Even if she was made the Ninth Head immediately after that, Illya had never forgiven Jubstacheit for how she had been treated in the years following her Mother's death...Even without Illya asking him directly, there was no way Vahn could treat sentient beings with a soul as nothing more than tools. Only those that chose to work within the castle would be allowed to do so, leaving the rest to become the first citizens of the Empire after he helped stabilize their lifespans. Though Paracelsus may not be fond of modifying his own Homunculi for a specific purpose, Vahn imagined he would be the first to offer his assistance when it came to extending the lifespans of existing Homunculi. If not, he could always rely on Illy, Iris, and, as was often the case these days, Da Vinci. With that in mind, Vahn returned a smile to Illya before stating with nearly as much conviction, "Of course, Illya. Avalon will become a sanctuary for all those who seek to break away from the life that has been forced upon them. This is especially true for Homunculi, Artificial Humans, Spirits, and any other entities treated as 'tools' by other Magus families..."Hearing Vahn's answer, the purple coloration in Illya's eyes completely faded as a vibrant and youthful smile appeared on her face. This quickly turned into a deep blush, however, when Iris lightly covered her mouth, giggling as she said, "My, it seems like you chose quite the man, Illya. Even my heart palpitated a bit~." Since she had 'literally' given up her life in support of another man's dream to make a peaceful world, Iris wasn't joking when she remarked that Vahn's words had impacted her. Illya was very aware of this, causing her face to turn bright red as she adopted a pouting expression while complaining, "Mom, how can you say such things when others are around? Are you trying to embarrass me to death!?"In response to Illya's outburst, Iris just giggled playfully while several other people at the table also released amused laughter at Illya's expense. This caused her to pout even more, especially when she saw the mildly amused expression on Vahn's face. Though it quickly turned into a more affectionate smile soon thereafter, the damage had already been done. The next chance she got, Illya decided that she would find a way to get even with both Vahn and her mother, even if she actually wasn't all that upset. Being teased made her feel loved and, by teasing them in return, Illya felt like they were able to become even closer...---After a rather long discussion, it was decided that Vahn would be rendezvousing with Rin, Sakura, and Gray while accompanied by Fenrir, Artoria, Mordred, and Da Vinci. Though Circe and Medusa both wanted to accompany him, Vahn quickly shut them down after both girls admitted they didn't really have anything in the outside world that interested them. They just wanted to follow along with him but, with Medusa's long and 'lively' hair, combined with Circe's wings, they weren't exactly the types that could blend in with normal people. Vahn promised to bring them back a lot of souvenirs while Fenrir made a secret arrangement with the two girls to give up some of her own time to them in the future...Accompanying Illya and Iris to Germany would be Scáthach and Heracles, still as Heroic Spirits, while Kenshin would be the physical bodyguard for the two girls. As for Nobunaga, she knew it would already be too crowded around Vahn once he reunited with Rin and Gray so she decided to instead accompany Astolfo and Catherine. Since Astolfo just wanted to go exploring without any real purpose, it was a good opportunity for her to just travel and experience various parts of the world. She also intended to serve as Catherine's bodyguard as, regardless of how much conviction Astolfo had, he was one of the most famous troublemakers in history, with many legends relating to him getting tricked by other people. One legend even had him turned into a myrtle tree by a sorceress named Alcina after laying with her, even though he had been warned about her charm magic beforehand...As for everyone else, including Paracelsus, Tristana, Medusa, Circe, Siegfried, Merlin, and Susu, they would be staying back in the castle. The only big change in that regard was, with the exception of Merlin, everyone else would be residing outside of the Orb for the time being. This was a given for the girls who were upset at being left behind while, as much as he preferred to peace and quiet, Siegfried felt it would be awkward to be the only one inside the Orb while everyone else was away. He was intending to better familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain over the next few days, at least when he wasn't taking care of Susu. Mordred had entrusted the fully-grown cat to Siegfried's care and, as he was rather fond of small animals, the stoic Dragon Knight had no problem looking after both Susu and Skoll for the next few days...---In preparation for his departure, Vahn was seated in his private study, squishing the springy cheeks of Alaya as he explained, "I need you to make sure nothing happens to anyone during their travels. I don't care how much Magical Energy you need to use, make sure they are kept safe. You don't need to do anything if its an opponent they can handle, but I will never forgive you if any permanant harm comes to them. Since you can even stop time, I don't want to hear any excuses..." Though he knew it wouldn't really be Alaya's 'fault' if something happened, Vahn knew she was more than capable of protecting everyone simultaneously.Even if she was restricted by the Magical Energy he provided her, one of Alaya's most basic abilities was Time Manipulation. She also wasn't restricted by things like distance and, even while being next to him with a physical body, Alaya was virtually everywhere else at the same time. Though this didn't mean she was 'aware' of everything all at once, especially things that were proactively hidden from her, Alaya had one of the most comprehensive forms of omniscience when it came to anything happening on the planet's surface.Before Vahn entered the Root, Alaya was even able to exist within the variable time axis, existing in the past, present, and future simultaneously. Though this much information could even overload her ability to process, which was why she and Gaia were often caught off guard by things, it was still possible for her to jump to a point before the incident, using one of her Counter Guardians to try and prevent it. Now that she was under his authority, Alaya's capabilities had been significantly reduced but, considering there was now only 'one' timeline, it didn't matter all that much.Vahn's inclusion in the current time axis had completely stabilized it, meaning the past was now fixed unless he himself altered it. As for the future, that was something that was being decided in the present and, no matter how much you jumped ahead to try and see what choices he would make, the only Vahn in existence was the one in the present. Even if you were to look a mere second ahead, Vahn himself would simply 'not exist' within that version of events as, until he had reached that point in time, nothing had been determined...Now powerless to even stop Vahn from squishing her cheeks, Alaya just stared back at him with her violet eyes before nodding her head and answering, "With the Magical Energy you have provided, it is not a problem to teleport them to safety. If they enter into an area that has been isolated from the World, however, I will not be able to do anything. Spiritual Lands operated by the Mage's Association and the Territories of entities known as Dead Apostle Ancestors are beyond my means to intervene with. You would have to make a contract with Gaia if you wanted to protect your allies within those areas. The only way around this would be to provide me with between three-and-ten-quintillion units of Magical Energy to summon one of my Counter Guardians..."Since this wasn't the first time Alaya had said something similar, Vahn nodded his head before saying, "If they try to enter into an area outside of your influence, make sure to inform them of the dangers and then immediately alert me. You should be able to enter those areas if I'm there, right?" As he expected, Alaya nodded her head in confirmation, explaining, "My primary directive is to observe you, regardless of where you enter. However, if it is a dominion of Gaia, or the Territory of an Alien Lifeform, I will not be able to take action without greatly increasing the amount of Magical Power required. Even a simple Space Transfer could cost several billion units of Magical Power if it is within a restricted space like Type: Mercury's domain."As Type: Mercury used an 'Alien Logic' derived from its home planet of Mercury, both Gaia and Alaya were restrained from taking action within its domain. The only reason she would even be able to enter at all was due to the fact that Vahn had authority over other Types. If he had the means to reach Gaia and send a message to the other planets, it was even possible for him to have every Type within the Solar System answer his call to arms. Even controlling a single Type made him one of the most powerful existences on the planet so Alaya would rather he exercise his authority over all of them to avoid ever having them turn against humanity. She was very aware of the impending death of Gaia and, as a result, the annihilation of humanity in her counterpart's desperate attempt to rid itself of the 'parasites' that would freely make its dead body their home...Hearing Alaya's explanation, Vahn gave another nod before lightly rubbing her head and saying, "Thank you for clearing that up for me, Alaya. I'll see what I can do about providing you with even more Magical Energy in the future. Now, let's go..." With that said, Vahn let Alaya float up from behind his back and sink her teeth into his shoulder once again. Then, while thinking of ways to greatly increase the Magical Energy transfer, as Alaya only accepted direct energy and things he purchased from the shop, Vahn went to meet up with Artoria and Mordred.The last time he had seen them, Mordred was wearing a pair of loose-fit denim jeans and her fur-trimmed hooded jacket, covering the crop top she wore underneath. Since it would draw 'a lot' of attention if a child was walking around with a 'tattoo' on their navel, Artoria had strictly prohibited Mordred from exposing her stomach when they were out in public. Only by compromising on this could Mordred avoid her fate of having to wear 'proper' clothing that was befitting of an Imperial Princess. Since the thought of wearing formal wear made Mordred's skin crawl, she ultimately conceded on the matter, even if she hated wearing pants...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Illya's conviction...!','RIP Alaya, fated to be bullied','Not all girls dream of being a princess when they grow up xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1153: Transport