Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

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...')