Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

It had taken a little longer than expected, but Da Vinci had finally been able to completely analyze the structure of Lev Lainur Flauros's Magic Crest. Immediately after this discovery, she had sent a message to Vahn using Ark, resulting in him arriving in their Workshop only a few minutes later. He had been at the shooting range with Lakshmibai but, as Da Vinci wouldn't have called him unless it was something important, Vahn had to cut their 'date' shorter than expected. When he arrived in the Workshop, he was equally as surprised when Da Vinci showed him the results of her analysis, causing Vahn to frown deeply. Instead of asking if her results were accurate, he instead asked, "Can we track this energy within other Magic Crests...?'In response to Vahn's question, Da Vinci had an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face as she explained, "This matter isn't that simple, Vahn. The fact that this has remained hidden for almost three-thousand years indicates that the only way to detect this malicious energy is when it is about to awaken. From what I have been able to discern from the structure of this Magic Crest, it indicates that the underlying structure of the crests is a system designed, not to advance Magecraft further, but nourish the souls of the entities sealed within the Magic Crests. I'll have to analyze other Magic Crests to be certain, but there is a chance that 'all' Magic Crests work from this same principle..."Hearing this, Vahn's frown deepened even further as, according to Da Vinci's findings, there had been an existence referred to in the Magus community as a 'demon' sealed within the Magic Crest. They were a type of existence that was akin to a 'Law of Nature', similar in structure to Spirits but almost exclusively predisposed to causing chaos and destruction. Though they were bound to humans, meaning they could only act at the behest of malicious and evil individuals, they were considered to be the embodiment of evil, the counterbalance to the existence of Heroes within the World's structure.Demons would periodically appear throughout history, often causing great destruction through war, plagues, famine, and other terrible phenomena. Though the Holy Church would take action the moment a demon emerged, it was usually the rise of a Hero that ultimately led to the entity's end. Though the existence of demons wasn't difficult to accept, the troubling part of Da Vinci's findings was that, much like how the micro-golems and companions were linked together, giving them a 'hive mind' of sorts, the Demon within Lev Lainur Flauros's Magic Crest also seemed to be just an extension of a larger network.Da Vinci had accounted for a total of seventy-two links and, while it should be possible to use the Demon in Lev's Magic Crest to develop a 'radar' of sorts, this had a very high chance of alerting the Demons they were searching for, potentially causing a chain reaction and awakening them all. Even this was pure speculation, however, requiring Da Vinci to have to request Rin to allow her Magic Crest to be studied to be sure. Before that, Vahn conferred with Alaya to see if she could provide any information pertaining to Demons but, as they were an extension of Gaia, she was prohibited from exposing their location and purpose. Under normal circumstances, the most she could do was pick a Saint to stand against any Demon that had already emerged, though only if a Hero failed to appear amongst the people.One positive piece of information they had been able to obtain from Alaya was, even if their power was significantly restricted due to their 'contract', it was possible for Vahn to summon a Saint from the past to aid them in the present. They had the intrinsic ability to track down their evil counterparts using an ability known as [Pure Eyes of the Saint]. Though there were various different types of [Pure Eyes], including some that were demonic in origin, they generally existed as a means for Demons to identify Saints and vice-versa. According to Alaya, the eyes were tied to the 'karma' of an individual, working as a force of natural attraction between 'good' and 'evil' that required them to eliminate each other, often with prejudice.Understanding how big of a pain karma could be, Vahn felt empathetic towards the Saints who, by making a contract with Alaya, essentially inherited a massive volume of 'good' karma by selflessly devoting themselves to the preservation of humanity. This meant that their lives would be plagued by the constant presence of evil and malicious individuals and, once their purpose had been served, they were often killed by the very people they wanted to protect. Sadly, once the 'evil' had been dealt with, the power possessed by Saints often became a source of fear for the people, especially amongst those who held power.The only way to avoid this fate was often by serving under the Holy Church who, when a Saint appeared, would flock to the individual to try and seize them. If they could not be controlled, the person wouldn't even be recognized as a Saint, often being labeled as a heretic and burned to prevent the faith of the people from being directed away from the church. Then, while slandering the person into oblivion, often erasing them from history entirely, the Holy Church would harvest the organs, bones, and even the clothes of the Saints they had killed, using them as materials to create their Holy Sacraments...Each new thing Vahn learned about the Holy Church made him dislike them even more and, though it was more than a little petty, he considered having Alaya help him identify the Saints so that he could summon them to the present. If he pulled them directly from history, Vahn believed that the Holy Church would be unable to harvest them as 'materials' for their own purposes. Unfortunately, while it was indeed possible to summon Saints through the Throne of Heroes, Alaya informed him that it was impossible to tear them from history directly.As they were an intrinsic part of the world's balance, serving as an extension of the Counter Force, their actions and history could not be altered without disastrous consequences. It was 'necessary' for the karma they had inherited to be balanced and, though it was undoubtedly tragic that their bodies would be harvested for materials, those very same tools would become the instruments to slay other demons throughout history. Even if the Holy Church may have a biased doctrine, it was a fact that they were one of the primary forces working to preserve humanity.Alaya, rather awkwardly, was actually the very same God that the Holy Church believed in, even though much of their doctrine was entirely contrived as a result of their interpretation of her will through human bias. As she had come into existence at the same time as humans, Alaya had been watching over them from the very beginning, protecting them from other Gods, Natural Disasters, and any Phantasmal Species that sought to destroy them. This 'Divine Protection', which was actually just the manifestation of 'Humanity's Will to Survive', was the origin of the being nascent human civilizations interpreted as 'God'.Even this had been skewed, however, as different people gave very different interpretations of the same events, often misconstruing things even further when Alaya would select a new Saint or send one of her Counter Guardians to protect a specific group of people. These people, given power by their interpretation of 'God', were treated as Prophets, Saints, and Arbiters of 'God's Will', dividing people into various different cultures based largely on a misunderstanding. From the very beginning, the 'God' almost every culture believed in was fundamentally the same thing and, though it had been Alaya herself, her existence was entirely the result of humanity's own will to survive.Humans were, in essence, their own gods, restricted solely by the systems they had established for themselves. As every human within the Root had the potential of returning to the Root, becoming one of the variables the experiment had been designed to produce, there was functionally no limit to their growth. This was something Vahn had been well aware of and, as Da Vinci also believed in the simple ideology that 'nothing is impossible', it wasn't hard for them to understand Alaya's words. It was clear that Alaya was actually a little frustrated with how humanity had developed as, if they were not so predisposed to misunderstandings and fighting amongst themselves, she wouldn't have to use Counter Guardians to purge entire civilizations just so that they didn't wipe out everyone else...After listening to Alaya's veiled complaints about humanity, Vahn asked her, "What Saint would you suggest we summon then...?" In response to this, Alaya bopped him on the nose, as he had been holding her up with both hands like a house cat, answering, "You should just summon Jeanne D'Arc, as the memories you have shared with other Heroic Spirits show you are already familiar with one of her manifestations. She was a very dedicated Sainte who never renounced her faith, even as the very people she dedicated her life to watched her burn on the pyre." As she had been observing him for a long time, Alaya knew exactly the kind of person Vahn was. Since Jeanne had the Noble Phantasm, [La Pucelle], which had the property of 'annihilating anything within existence', Alaya also felt that she would be a suitable reserve card if Vahn failed to defeat Angra Mainyu...Hearing Alaya mention the familiar name, Vahn's mind flashed with images of the stalwart and loyal Knight that had dutifully served him. Since she was also a counterpart to Lakshmibai, in a way, Vahn felt summoning Jeanne was a surprisingly good choice. Now was a period where drastic changes could occur at any moment so, while he still intended to summon Karna in the near future, it wasn't a bad idea to call upon other Heroes to give them time to acclimate before the conflicts began. Still, this would have to wait until the summoning formation was naturally active as he didn't plan to ruin Da Vinci's ongoing experiment and causing her to wait several months for another opportunity.With the demon inside of Lev's Magic Crest slumbering for nearly three-thousand years, it wasn't all that likely for others to begin appearing any time soon. Since he didn't want to have to deal with the Holy Church right now, who would undoubtedly appear with the emergence of Demons and Saints, Vahn felt it was better to stay focused on current matters. He felt like he was on a breakthrough in his comprehension of Space and Time Laws and, as he was only just now getting his feet wet in the political affairs of the Mage's Association, further distractions would only eat into the time he could spend with Mordred and Sakura. At the very least, he wanted to wait until Illya's and Astolfo's groups returned as, before he added anyone else into the mix, Vahn needed to sort his personal and private affairs better...---After spending a bit of time discussing things with Da Vinci, Vahn agreed to help her convince Rin, Luvia, and Olga to allow her to study their Magic Crests. With that in mind, Vahn sought out who he thought would be the easiest to convince, Olga, as he also wanted her to become the understudy of Da Vinci before becoming the Director of Chaldea. As Rin was currently teaching Mordred, Sakura, and Medusa, while Luvia was back in London dealing with business and politics, she was really the only one who could reliably assist Da Vinci in her attempts to understand the structure and hidden danger within Magic Crests. If all Magic Crests carried the same potential of corrupting their users, Vahn knew it would be a nightmare campaign trying to convince the Mage's Association of the dangers...Though she hadn't exactly been slacking off previously, Vahn could sense Olga flusteredly jumping into the seat of her telescope shortly after he triggered a proximity formation she had sneakily set up at the base of her Magus Tower. As he was the only one that really visited, with the exception of Da Vinci showing up to take a look in the past, she wanted to appear as if she was hard at work all the time. Vahn felt this behavior of hers was rather silly but, as it was also quite adorable, he decided to feign ignorance of the proximity trigger as he slowly made his way up the spiraling stairs to find Olga pretending to not have noticed his arrival.Leaning against the entrance to her Observatory, Vahn mused in an appreciative tone, "I see you are working hard, as usual..." These words caused Olga to look over, a poor facade of surprise on her face as she remarked, "Your Majesty, please give me just a moment. I want to finish this calculation and then I'll be right with you." Though she made it appear as if she was using quite a number of instruments, Vahn could tell at a glance that Olga was just performing a simple calculation to predict the weather. However, he pretended not to notice this and just gave an understanding nod before sitting down in a chair and watching her work. This caused Olga to fluster slightly, biting her lip to prevent a smile from spreading across her face, but it didn't prevent her from finishing up the rather simple calculation...When she had finished, Olga made a show of stretching her body, extending both arms out and producing a rather cute noise before rising from the telescope's comfortable chair and asking, "To what do I owe the pleasure of His Majesty's visit?" While these words left her lips, Olga made her way over to Vahn's side and, even though she was still very nervous under the surface, her ability to mask this had improved rapidly over the forty-seven days she had spent within the Projection. Now, even though it made her feel a little lightheaded, she could walk over and sit next to Vahn on the same sofa without fumbling over her own feet and embarrassing herself.Vahn pulled out tea and snacks as Olga sat down, understanding she had likely not eaten anything all day, answering in a calm tone, "There is a matter I wanted to discuss with you. At the same time, I wanted to see how you were doing. You shouldn't coop yourself up in the Observatory for too long, Olga. There is a difference between working hard and pushing yourself...you should get out of the castle and spend time with the others when you can." As she usually only talked with Lakshmibai and Fenrir, as they would visit her on occasion, Vahn wanted Olga to break out of her shell and interact with the others now that she was used to living in the castle.As this wasn't the first time Vahn had said something similar, Olga halfheartedly nodded her head, even though she also agreed with him. Instead of leaving on her own, however, Olga wanted Vahn to take her out first. Approaching others was very difficult and, as her research kept her well distracted, she was content with staying in the Observatory. She didn't really have anything else to do and, even if Vahn wanted her to train and become stronger, Olga wanted him to be the one to teach her the basics. Until then, she intended to continue cooping herself up inside, doing light exercises to stay in shape as she awaited the day she became the Director of Chaldea.Resisting the urge to shake his head in admonition, Vahn just produced a wry smile in response to Olga's peculiar obstinance as he explained, "There is an important request I have for you..." This caused Olga's attention and, as she had too much time on her hands these days, her mind began racing with expectation. Unfortunately, contrasting all of them, Vahn explained the discovery Da Vinci had made before asking if Olga was willing to allow her to study the Magic Crest he knew she had already inherited. In response to this, Olga had a fretful expression as the Magic Crest of a Magus family, especially once as prestigious as hers, was their most closely guarded secret. In was the culmination of their entire family's breakthroughs in Magecraft, passed along to a single heir through dozens, or even hundreds, of generations...Understanding Olga's apprehension, Vahn's expression softened a bit as he reached out his hand, startling her by stroking her pale hair and stating, "Please, trust me, Olga. This will also be a good opportunity for you to learn a great deal from Da Vinci..." Then, realizing this may not exactly be the best motivation, Vahn bit the bullet and added, "I understand I'm asking a lot...in exchange, I will allow you to make a request of me as well. So long as it is within my power, I will grant any wish you may have..." As he still possessed an item that could 'literally' allow him to grant a wish, Vahn was sincere when he made his claim. Though he understood Olga probably wouldn't suggest something so extreme, as he had some expectations for what she may ask for, the severity of his words was still conveyed properly...Now, rather than a traditional fretful expression, Olga's eyes began to swim around in their sockets as her face became beet red the instant she heard Vahn's words. Rather than focusing on protecting the secrets of her family, which may very well lead to her protecting the existence of a demon, Olga's mind was racing with possibilities about what she might request. She could tell he was very serious and, knowing Vahn would even answer 'extreme' demands, Olga's heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. However, fearing he would think lesser of her if she asked for too much, Olga only managed to tightly grip the hem of her skirt as she stammered, "K-k-kiss...I w-want a kiss...!"Hearing Olga say the word 'kiss' in a high pitched tone, Vahn barely resisted the urge to chuckle as, from one perspective, it almost sounded like Olga was giving away all her family's secrets for a just one kiss. Still, as this was much tamer than he had expected, while also being a huge step forward for Olga herself, Vahn decided to make it worth her while. Thus, before she could implode further, Vahn caused Olga to turn statuesque by moving his hand from the top of her head to the side of her face. Then, as her eyes gradually widened in response, he moved in closer, sealing her lips and giving her a memory she would not soon forget...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The demons within...','Poor Alaya, having all her actions misrepresented by opportunists...','Seriously, Vahn is bullying Olga at this point (&gt;/////&lt;)~!')(A/N: Okay, I have apparently misjudged how hard it is to transition back into a schedule where I write all the chapters back to back. For now, there will be two guaranteed chapters on schedule while the other 1-2 will be released in the afternoon, depending on when I can allocate the motivation and time to keep writing.https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

It had been quite some time since Vahn activated his View Affection, causing him to daze slightly when a powerful aura radiating from his shoulder wrapped around his entire body. Though he was able to confirm his suspicions about Lev, who possessed a brackish grey and red aura that indicated malicious intent, it was drowned out by Alaya's ridiculously powerful aura. Even though it lacked substance, it felt like his brain had received the impact of a Noble Phantasm, causing him to completely blank for a brief moment. Alaya herself seemed to realize his abnormal reaction, her aura momentarily releasing its tentacle-like extensions that had coiled around his body in an almost possessive manner.Though there wasn't anything that could be misconstrued as the colors of Love or Passion, Alaya had very clearly become extremely attached to him, far more so than he had expected. Even her Affection parameter had already broken through the bottleneck, currently displayed the rather peculiar 'Symbiotic Dependency' value at 3,019 points. This value wasn't particularly high when he considered that they had been linked together for more than six months, but it was still quite a shocking discovery. If not for the fact that Lev's aura very clearly showed hostile intentions, Vahn would have wanted to sit down and discuss this with Alaya to better understand how she viewed him...As they were all gathered around him, it was a given that Lord Animusphere, Lord El-Melloi II, and Lev would all notice Vahn's peculiar reaction. As he had been the one speaking, Lev showed an apologetic expression as he politely stated, "Forgive me, Your Majesty...if I have said something you find disagreeable, allow me to apologize for my imprudence..." Though these words were said in an extremely polite manner, able to fool both of the present Lords, Vahn was brought back from his shock and, after disabling his View Affection once again, his expression became sharp as he asked, "What are you? You may be able to fool others, but I can see through your true nature, Lev Lainur Flauros. Tell me, how long have you been plotting to kill Lord Animusphere...?"Though Vahn 'literally' kept the company of snakes, there was no way he could overlook the sheer amount of malicious intent contained within Lev's aura. Since his Affection value had even been a starling -13 points, Vahn knew this man was his enemy. Thus, even though Lev tried to play things off by showing a startled and embarrassed reaction, Vahn moved like a phantom as he grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him from the ground. At the same time, [Primordial Runes] began to flow from where they were connected, spreading across Lev's body rapidly to prevent him from mustering up his malicious energy in retaliation.Surprised by Vahn's sudden hostility, the two Lords entered a battle-ready state, even though Lord Animusphere also tried to deescalate tensions, gesturing in a placating manner as he said, "Your Majesty, I'm certain there has been some kind of misunderstanding. Lev is a good man who has worked alongside my family for nearly seventeen years. There are few people in the entirety of the Magus community who have done as much as he has for the benefit of mankind..." Since he was the one to bring Lev to the Edelfelt Mansion, Lord Animusphere felt personally responsible for the current incident. He didn't know what had happened to set Vahn off but, seeing a person he had worked alongside for nearly two decades getting violently choked wasn't pleasant.Shaking his head in response to Lord Animusphere's words, Vahn explained in an icy tone, "You have been deceived. This man carries within him an extremely malicious and vile form of energy that has fused itself with his Magic Crest. It doesn't matter how much good he has done if the only purpose behind such actions was to deceive. He is biding his time to cause a calamity and is just using your family as a means to achieve his ambitions..." As he said this, Vahn activated the runes he had spread across Lev's body, causing them to radiate with intense heat as they embedded deep into his flesh. This caused Lev's face to turn red and purple, a gurgling sound escaping his lips as his ability to scream in pain was completely cut off by Vahn's grip on his throat.Just as the two Lords were thinking about taking action, Vahn turned his eyes towards them, now blazing with a divine glow as he stated, "I am not going to kill him. Since the two of you have been fooled, I will prove my claims before taking his life." With that said, Vahn placed his hand on Lev's head, flooding his mind and body with Source Energy, cutting the flow of Magical Energy within his Magic Circuits. It wasn't an irreparable amount of damage but, without undergoing a process similar to Nirvana Rebirth, this effectively crippled Lev, turning him into a 'normal' person. Still, it was enough to stay Lord Animusphere's and Lord El-Melloi II's hands, even though there wasn't much they could have done to stop him.Allowing Lev to fall to his knees, Vahn finally released the man's neck, causing him to grimace in pain as she exclaimed, "I don't...understand...why are you doing this...!?" These words only fell on deaf ears, however, as Vahn was looking at the two Lords, explaining, "I have the ability to sense the aura of others, allowing me to quantify the strength of their bonds and understand their true intentions. This man's aura specifically indicates that he intends to kill you, Lord Animusphere. At the same time, he has directed malicious intentions towards me and, while I understand everyone has their own reasons for joining this alliance, I will not tolerate the existence of anyone who tries to disguise their malice behind a noble cause."As Lord Animusphere couldn't find the words to address the current situation, it was Lord El-Melloi II who ultimately stated, "I do not doubt you have a plethora of abilities at your disposal. However, we cannot simply take your word and pass judgment on an innocent man...what proof do you have, other than the claim of his guilt...?"Expecting such a question, Vahn plainly stated, "Right now, I have completely severed the Magic Circuits within his body. I'm certain both of you have the means to ascertain the truth when he no longer has the means of disguising his intentions. What methods you use don't matter to me, so long as you understand that I intend to execute him, regardless of what you discover. Even if your claims about his contributions to humanity are true, it would be impossible for anyone to have an aura as black as this man without having caused great suffering to others. I understand that there are few Magi within the Magus community whose hands are clean but I will not tolerate having a person with such malicious intentions amongst my allies..."In response to Vahn's words, Lev once again tried to defend himself, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, there must be some kind of mistake. I have dedicated my life to my research, all so that the future of humanity would not be severed by the death of Magecraft...!" This time, rather than having his words ignored, Vahn turned his gaze onto Lev, his aura descending like the fall of the heavens, crashing against the man's mind and causing him to immediately lose consciousness. Then, turning back to the two Lords, Vahn gestured toward Lev, plainly stating, "Feel free to confirm it for yourselves..."Though Lord Animusphere was more than a little hesitant to invade the privacy of one of his long-time associates, Lord El-Melloi II's ideal was the pursuit of 'truth'. With that in mind, he moved to stand in front of Lev and, though he felt pity for the man's plight, this did not stop him from using memory manipulation magic to sift through the unconscious man's thoughts. As this was one of the most basic forms of Magecraft taught to even students, allowing them to sift through a normal person's memories and erase anything that might expose the existence of the Magus community, it was a given that Lord El-Melloi II was extremely adept at its usage. Without his Magical Energy to protect his mind, it took almost no effort at all for him to probe into Lev's mind, something he would soon come to regret after seeing the horrifying truth concealed behind the man's smile...As if he had just placed his hand on a live wire, Lord El-Melloi II reeled back in shock, cold sweat pouring down his face as he looked toward the stunned Lord Animusphere and muttered, "You should take a look...His Majesty is correct...this man cannot be allowed to live..." Knowing these memories would haunt him for the next couple of weeks, Lord El-Melloi II stepped off to the side while rubbing his temples. This left Lord Animusphere with a complex expression but, with even Lord El-Melloi II claiming that Lev was a danger, he suppressed his own inhibitions before placing his hands against his former companion's head and peering into his mind...Like viewing a chaotic and violent movie, Lord Animusphere bore witness to the cruelty that Lev concealed from others. His mind was filled to the brim with memories relating to how he would torture others, his preferred victims being orphans that he had manipulated to believe a better life awaited them. Instead, they all met their ends in a dungeon beneath Lev's estate, a place that, even now, held tens of victims he had been using in his experiments.What made matters even worse was that Lev had even been using Chaldea as proving grounds to conduct some of his most gruesome experiments, to the point that he had even hired staff that were just as sadistic and twisted as him. These were primarily the members conducting one of Chaldea's most important ongoing experiments, the production of 'Designer Babies', children created with artificially modified DNA that would even allow 'normal' humans to give birth to children capable of use Magecraft. This also allowed them to alter the structure of the Designer Baby's Magic Circuits, making them compatible hosts for Heroic Spirits. This served as the basis for one of their most important theoretical experiments, the FATE system, a project intended to allow for relatively normal humans to serve as the hosts of powerful Heroic Spirits in order to protect the world from destruction.Though most Designer Babies only had a maximum lifespan of around 16~20 years by design, the average life expectancy was closer to ten. Now, seeing the horrible things that Lev and his associates had been doing to the children, Lord Animusphere felt sick to his stomach. Since he had other important matters to attend, he couldn't personally monitor every single department within Chaldea. As a result, he only viewed the data in order to make predictions that would help each department flourish, even as their finances dwindled. Now that he was aware of how his negligence had been exploited, leading to the suffering of the very individuals he had intended to entrust the fate of the world, Lord Animusphere couldn't help putting more force into the hands he was using to hold Lev's head...To exacerbate matters even further, Lev's memories also provided ample evidence to show that he was acting in the service of a demonic entity he referred to as his God. Rather than seeking to save the world, his true intentions were to use the very same system to guarantee the world's destruction. He intended to manipulate Chaldea to lock in a timeline where the world would be guided to its inevitable end, plotting the complete destruction of mankind. At the same time, his mind was filled with sadistic fantasies regarding the murder and torture of both Marisbury and, even worse, his daughter. When these images flashed across his mind, Lord Animusphere could no longer continue his probe, removing his hands, a wrathful look replacing his previous concern.Now that both Lords understood the truth of the matter, Vahn took the opportunity to state, "I will not arrogantly demand that you never question my intentions...however, know that I do not simply throw out such accusations lightly. You cannot sense it, but there is a powerful and malignant aura sealed in this man's Magic Crest. If it was activated, there is little doubt in my mind that he would have become a powerful evil within the world. Since our goals are to create a better future for all of mankind, it is imperative that we remain skeptical, especially of those who conveniently share the same ideals." With that said, Vahn unceremoniously cut off the head of Lev while piercing his heart with a [Sacred Duplex Nail]. Then, as life quickly faded from his body, Vahn tossed him into his Inventory so that Da Vinci could analyze the malevolent energy within.Lord Animusphere and Lord El-Melloi II were surprised by Vahn's decisive actions but, after seeing what was contained within Lev's mind, they did not press the matter. Instead, Lord El-Melloi II adjusted his ascot, feeling a little suffocated, as he commented, "After witnessing this, there are matters I need to look into. I'll be excusing myself early, as I'm certain Your Majesty also has matters to discuss with Lady Edelfelt and Her Highness, Artoria..."Nodding in response to Lord El-Melloi II's words, Lord Animusphere added, "I also must attend the affairs of my family. Knowing what I know now, I would be ashamed to present Chaldea to you in its current state. Please excuse me, Your Majesty..." Following this, Lord Animusphere bowed at a very low angle, expressing his sincere apology while also showing a grateful expression in his pale-golden eyes. If Vahn had not exposed Lev's true nature to him, it was very likely that, rather than 'great fortune', his family would have been brought to ruin. At the same time, however, Lord Animusphere felt slightly vindicated as, even though the prophecy wasn't supposed to be fulfilled for several years, it felt like his family was already on the road to prosperity after allying with the Edelfelt family and, as a result, the Aldrnari Empire...---As the death of Lev couldn't exactly be overlooked, Vahn found himself in the company of Luvia and her Grandmother shortly after the social gathering had been brought to a sudden end. He explained the situation and, as he had already sealed Lev's energy before reaping his life, Vahn allowed Olivia to inspect the corpse directly, sans the head. As the brain would sustain almost irreparable damage after only a few minutes, Vahn kept it within his Inventory to preserve it until he could place it into stasis within his and Da Vinci's Workshop. Still, Olivia was able to confirm the presence of malignant energy within Lev's body and, even though it would be somewhat troublesome to deal with the aftermath, it was better to remove the head of a snake sooner, rather than allow it to slither around and potentially sink its venomous fangs into your back when you least expect it.Fortunately, though he hailed from a relatively prestigious family, Lev was considered rather excentric amongst the Faculty of the Clock Tower and had few friends. Other than the Flauros family and Lord Meluastea, there shouldn't be anyone making a great fuss about Lev's sudden death. It wouldn't take much effort to spin the matter to implicate Lev, accusing him of breaking into one of the Edelfelt's workshops to steal secrets, an act akin to 'declaring war' against another Magus family. This would allow them to put pressure on the Flauros family and, though they may be innocent of Lev's crimes, exposing the secret basement where he had conducted his cruel experiments would quell the issue rather quickly.With that in mind, Olivia had a calculating expression on her face as she commented, "We will need to act on this information as soon as possible. After the incident earlier in the day, there is an incalculable number of people looking for any excuse to stir up trouble. Luvia, as the Head of the family, I will leave it to you to deal with this problem. You aren't just fighting your own battles any longer, but those of your betrothed as well..." Then, turning her gaze to Vahn, Olivia added in a stern tone, "Don't cause too much trouble for my Granddaughter. If you do, make sure you at least make it up to her properly in the bedroom."Hearing Olivia's remark, Vahn shook his head in mock exasperation while Luvia happily clung to his arm, playfully remarking, "Oh, I have no doubt my hubby will take good care of me~. Before that, I need to deal with personal and private matters." After saying this, Luvia gave Vahn a kiss on the cheek and, as much as she wanted to stick around, she knew it was better to resolve things as soon as possible. On her way out, accompanied by Olivia, she winked towards Artoria and Gray before musing, "I'll leave His Majesty in your care..." Then, without delaying any further, Luvia went to clean up the mess Vahn had made while simultaneously thinking about how she could use this new information to benefit their family further...Understanding the implication in Luvia's words, Artoria and Gray both flushed slightly, causing Vahn to laugh in a lighthearted manner as if he hadn't just murdered a man only a few minutes prior. Knowing that they would be given the opportunity to reincarnate and live a better life, Vahn had long ago started to accept that his path would be filled with the deaths of his enemies. When time allowed, he would offer up a prayer for Lev's fortune in the next life but, as it was getting late in the day, he took Artoria and Gray with him to the underground chamber that served as a vault and safe house for the Edelfelt family. This had been designated as their transfer location as, in the event of a dire emergency, there was already a large transfer circle in place to allow them to escape.After setting up his own defensive measures for added security and protection, Vahn grabbed Artoria and Gray by the waist, holding them close to his body as they all teleported back to Avalon with Alaya's assistance. In truth, there were a lot of things on his mind after just this one day outside the Island, showing just how important external stimulus was for his growth. Before he would get around to addressing these matters, however, Vahn whisked the two women away to a private area, bypassing the other residents of the castle to spend some quality time with the two in order to express his gratitude and apologize for any inconveniences they had been made to experience...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Alaya be like, "Mine..." (O,...,O)','The mind of a sadist isn't a pleasant place','Luvia will be expecting gratitude later (UwU)~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1183: Aftermath