Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1151

After his first time with Da Vinci, it was very apparent that things had changed between them as, even though she still focused on her work during the day, Da Vinci would take short ten-to-twenty minute breaks during the evening to 'help' Vahn practice his Petting Laws. This often took the form of her sitting in his lap, reclining against his chest with closed eyes as Vahn either stroked her head or massaged around her neck and shoulders. Though he had decided to treat Da Vinci similarly to how he would other women of her 'stature', Vahn had no intention of doing anything more intimate than simply touching. As Da Vinci seemed to share this sentiment, their time together became a means for her to simply relax and ease the tensions of her body as, for the most part, Da Vinci never really took breaks before.

Other than his developing relationship with Da Vinci, everything else had become relatively 'routine', the only exceptions being when Vahn would go on a moonlit stroll or spend some quality time with one, or more, of the girls. He had even gone skinny dipping with Nobunaga and Fenrir in the middle of the night, a rather memorable experience in the seemingly endless stream of peaceful days. Even the moments where he was getting thrashed by Scáthach had become something Vahn had 'almost' completely adapted to. He had started to incorporate his [Rakshasa Body] transformations into his fighting style more often so, except when she used a particularly fierce blow, Vahn had been holding up much better than in the past. It was to the point that, even if she stabbed through his head with her spear, Vahn could now counterattack as if his body didn't actually require his brain to function...

As a result of his progress on various fronts, Vahn was living an extremely contented life where every day felt meaningful, even if it also felt like a seamless collage of small events. Not everyone had the same mentality, however, as Astolfo had been joining him and Siegfried for drinks after Da Vinci's golems had renovated a rather homely pub within the abandoned Castle Town. Currently, Vahn was seated next to a drunk Astolfo who, despite joining them for 'men's time', was wearing a frilly pink dress with ribbons tying up his hair. On his right, Siegfried was also present but, as it was extremely difficult for him to get drunk, he had a complacent smile on his face as he fed small treats to Skoll.

After taking another hearty gulp of the contents of his mug, Astolfo released a high-pitched and hot sigh before slamming his mug on the tabletop and exclaiming, "I'm sooooo bored~!" Though the island of Avalon was a 'very' interesting place to explore, all of the most interesting places were off-limits and, after more than six months within the Orb, Astolfo had seen almost everything the island had to offer. He had started training again after receiving a physical body from Vahn but, even when he had been alive in his previous life, Astolfo had relied primarily on his inherent talent than earnest training. Since his 'wish' had been to explore the world, he was growing increasingly bored being cooped up on the island with only the same people to interact with on a daily basis...

Hearing Astolfo's complaint, Vahn issued a light chuckle while habitually stroking his head to calm him down. This caused Astolfo to rest his head on the countertop, his mouth wriggling in a strange manner as he enjoyed having his head pat. In response to this, Skoll began to totter over from where it had been seated before Siegfried, intercepting Vahn's hand as if all petting in the world belonged to it. Astolfo made a playful 'boo boo' sound but, as Skoll was not yet capable of complex thoughts, it just sat down in front of Vahn to receive head pats. Astolfo lifted his head with a dejected look, once again repeating, "It really ish borink aroun' here though...Vaaaaahn, let'sh go ecshplore the outshide worl~"

As he spoke, Astolfo threw his arms around Vahn and began to nuzzle against him without regard for their difference in status. This caused Vahn to release a sigh but, as he was already used to the behavior of his peculiar Knight, he didn't mind it too much so long as Astolfo didn't get handsy. From the side, Siegfried watched the interaction between Vahn and Astolfo with a slight smile on his face before emptying the contents of his own glass. Though he was still the same taciturn and polite man as before, he had come to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere within the Orb. Unlike Astolfo, he didn't mind if things stayed like this indefinitely as it was infinitely better than wandering from one battlefield to the other, corpses piling up around him...

After extricating himself from Astolfo's grasp, Vahn handed Skoll over to him while saying, "I've also been thinking about checking up on Rin, Sakura, and Gray. I missed New Years so I owe them a few presents..." The moment these words left his mouth, Astolfo looked toward Vahn was unnervingly fiery eyes, the only thing preventing him from trying to leap at Vahn being the fact he was currently holding Skoll. As they shared the same hair color, and were both 'cute', Astolfo had always been fond of the small Vanargandr-type golem. Thus, even while drunk, Astolfo let Skoll sit in his lap while playing with its ears, all the while the small 'creature' just looked up at Vahn with its pink eyes which, if you looked closely, had an aperture instead of a normal pupil...

Though he managed to resist the urge to pounce, Astolfo still leaned forward slightly as he loudly exclaimed, "I want to go outshide ash well! I promish I won't get into any trooooouble~." As if his legend wasn't one of a well-known troublemaker, Astolfo had an excited smile on his face as he continued to flop Skoll's ears with his hands. Seeing this, Vahn shook his head with an amused expression on his face, saying, "I'll talk to Catherine in order to come up with an itinerary for you. I trust you, Astolfo, so I will be very disappointed if you end up causing trouble as a result of your actions. If an enemy comes to you, thats one thing...just keep in mind that Catherine is still weak and many of our enemies would not hesitate to use underhand means to target both of you..."

In response to Vahn's concern, Astolfo hopped up from his stool, holding Skoll up with both hands as he confidently shouted, "I will never endanger the people I cherish! Even if I get into trouble, I will make sure it doesn't affect anyone but myself...!" Though he was drunk, Astolfo managed to get his words out without fumbling, making clear his resolution to protect the things important to him. As this was all Vahn could really ask for, even though Astolfo's 'trouble' would undoubtedly become his, he gave an approving nod before raising up his glass and remarking, "A toast. To the brave and noble Astolfo-chan~!" As Astolfo was rather fond of being addressed with 'chan', Vahn decided to tease the somewhat overbearing Knight.

As expected, Astoflo began to laugh in a peculiar 'ahahahahaha~' manner in a high-pitched tone of voice. His snaggletooth was on full display as he began to wave Skoll over his head in an excited manner before nearly tumbling to the ground when he began to want for oxygen. Fortunately, even completely drunk, Astoflo's balance wasn't entirely compromised so he managed to find his footing before remarking, "I'm gonna go tell Kitty the good newsh~" With that said, Astolfo, still carrying Skoll, ran out of the small pub with shaky yet swift steps. As for the 'Kitty' he was referring to, this was the pet name that Astolfo had given Catherine after she allowed him to shorten her name to Cat.

Now that it was just him and Siegfried, Vahn began to laugh in a lighthearted manner while, after a few seconds, even Siegfried gave a short chuckle. Then, as it was a good opportunity, Vahn asked if there were any places Siegfried might want to visit in the future. He wasn't all that surprised when the latter plainly answered, "I like this place. I understand that it is better to know more about the world but, unless it is by your order, I would prefer to spend my days protecting Avalon and the Ivory Castle." Knowing it would be a little difficult for him to refuse to aid others if he were to begin traveling, Siegfried was sincere when expressing his intention to protect the peaceful home he had grown fond of.

After hearing Siegfried's answer, Vahn emptied nearly half his mug in one go before releasing a hot and contented sigh of his own. He actually thought it might be fun to travel around the world for a bit with Siegfried as, in more ways than one, their natures were very similar. Vahn was just as 'weak' to helping people as this quiet friend of his, meaning their journey would involve helping almost everyone they came across. Though he had promised Artoria to avoid throwing the world into too much turmoil all at once, that was a promise made before the lingering threat of Angra Mainyu was introduced into the world.

Understanding that his own power could be greatly enhanced if he had a large number of followers, Vahn was seriously considering rallying the people of various countries together with the fate of the world on the line. The problem with this was that all three major powers would not take kindly to such actions but, as the days continued to flow into each other, Vahn was beginning to feel like he needed to take an open stance against them in the near future. Though it would be ideal if they could work together, at least for the time being, Vahn knew such cooperation would only come after he made them realize it simply wasn't 'worth' it to try and oppose him directly...

While thinking of potential enemies and allies, Vahn decided to confer with his ever-present blue companion, picking her up by the scruff and setting her down on the countertop before asking, "Alaya, can you tell me how many people in this world are more powerful than me? Are there any serious threats I need to be aware of before revealing myself to the world...?" Though he didn't expect her to have a favorable answer, as even Alaya's omniscience couldn't probe places that had powerful barriers if they were expressly designed to keep her out. She was unable to take proactive measures until she had identified a threat and, even then, she had to rely on her Counter Guardians and similar existences to act on her behalf.

In an admittedly adorable manner, Alaya tilted her squirrel-like head to the side, blinking her violet eyes as she answered, "I lack the means to answer this question accurately. Based on your battle with the Heroic Spirit known as Gilgamesh, the vast majority of entities within this world do not pose a direct threat to you. However, there are some amongst the entities known as the Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors that the current you would not be able to match. There are also several pseudo-Beasts of Gaia, Divine Spirits, Nature Spirits, and Daemons that you would have functionally no means to fight against. The greatest threat to your existence is the Holy Church as, if they skew the public to recognize you as a 'threat', their Sacrament will become even more powerful against you."

As he hadn't expected Alaya to be so forthright with her information, Vahn was slightly taken aback by her long explanation. She didn't seem quite finished, however, tilting her head to the other side in a way he understood was 'supposed' to seem cute, adding, "If you continue biding your time here, you will be grossly unprepared for the battle against Angra Mainyu. Since I would rather not see humanity wiped out as a result of your complacency, I suggest using your Administrative privileges to establish contact with the entity designated as Type: Mercury. Even if you must wage war against the world before the emergence of Angra Mainyu, it is preferable to seeing all of humanity wiped out just because you are more interested in breeding than taking more decisive action..."

Now, Vahn was more than 'slightly' taken aback as, even though he spent half his time 'resting', he was still earnestly committed to his training. He was still weaker than his peak in Danmachi but, even without his overbearingly expansive reserves, powered by his millions of followers, Vahn was slowly starting to reach that point. His Od had jumped up to more than seventeen-thousand points and, if he went all out, it was even possible to 'guarantee' hits on Scáthach. Hearing Alaya basically say all his efforts were wasted left a bad taste in Vahn's mouth, even though he could also empathize with her if taking her perspective into consideration. After all, she was a Tier 5 entity and, as the other half of Gaia, Alaya was undoubtedly aware of quite a few enemies he currently had no hope of defeating. She had even named off several different categories without even asking him to pay up any Magical Energy, indicating she was more than a little annoyed with how he had been living for the last six-and-a-half months...

Instead of wasting his time arguing with her, Vahn asked, "Where can I find Type: Mercury? Will they even be willing to help us...?" Though he knew he had the authority to command the other Types, Vahn wasn't actually all that certain how strong they were. He had purchased quite a few documents related to them but most of the accounts were from the distant future. Even then, the information was rather sparse, indicating that their method of storing information didn't directly involve naming the documents after the Types themselves. As for what he knew of Type: Mercury, it was one of the only Types that should be present on Earth right now as, instead of arriving with the others between six and eight-thousand years int he future, it had arrived nearly seven-thousand years ago, five-thousand years before the end of the Age of Gods...

In response to Vahn's inquiry, Alaya held up her tiny paws, forming a blue projection of the Earth with a small red icon in the north-western region of Brazil. It was a few hundred kilometers south of the Amazon River in an area that, when cross-referenced with his own maps of the region, matched the location of a restricted nature preserve. Though he was a little surprised that Alaya had given him this information for free, Vahn realized he already had the 'authority' to know where the Types were located. She was just doing the duty that had been assigned to her, not performing an action that required her to expend Magical Energy at his request.

After letting Vahn view the globe for a few seconds, Alaya dropped her paws, allowing the projection to dissipate as she asked, "Is there anything else?" She seemed more impatient than normal, causing Vahn's brows to rise as he asked, "Is something wrong with you...?" Though he understood that she was annoyed with his inaction, Alaya rarely showed as much emotion as she currently displayed. It was actually a little cute as, for the time being, she was still in her sleek little blue-squirrel form.

Hearing Vahn ask her even more questions, Alaya furrowed her brows almost imperceptibly without deigning to answer him. She just stared back at him with her violet eyes, unmoving as she waited for him to either ask a pertinent question or make a request. This continued for well over a minute with neither side wavering in the slightest, at least until Vahn broke the tension by taking a drink from his mug while continuing to watch Alaya. She seemed to interpret that as him saying there was nothing else, resulting in her attempt to latch onto his neck before Vahn sternly commanded, "Stop. You do not have permission to drain my body fluids right now..." As it was 'very' apparent that Alaya was behaving strangely, Vahn was determined to have her answer his question. He could always make up for the loss of Magical Energy later on so, until she explained what was wrong, Vahn didn't intend to let Alaya latch onto his neck, even if it felt strange not having her biting onto him...

Since she was unable to disobey Vahn's orders, Alaya hovered in the air with a now blank expression on her face. Vahn just continued to watch her float there, completely ignoring gravity, until he had finished his drink. Siegfried continued to politely 'ignore' the conversation occurring next to him as, even if he could see Alaya, he had no business talking with her.

Once he had finished his glass, Vahn once again asked, "What is wrong with you? Unless you are not allowed to tell me, I order you to explain..." This command caused Alaya to float backward a few centimeters, small golden runes flashing across her eyes. Vahn knew this to mean that she was in contact with Akasha, indicating she was either making an inquiry or receiving a command. When the runes faded away, Alaya made the first pouting expression Vahn had ever seen on her face as she looked toward him and answered, "Constant access to your bodily fluids has caused this body to develop a physical dependency. As it has slowly been strengthening my vessel, I would rather not waste my time answering pointless questions. We both benefit from-"

Before Alaya could continue any further, Vahn could help but release a boisterous laugh which, surprising him yet again, caused the small blue squirrel to extend her palm forward. In the next moment, Vahn found that his voice had become completely inaudible, almost as if he was in a vacuum. Though this successfully stopped his laughter, Vahn stared toward Alaya with a playful expression on his face as he mouthed the words, "My questions aren't pointless. If you were less resistant to interacting with me, the efficacy of my bodily fluids would actually increase. How about, instead of leeching off my neck all the time, you split your time between absorbing my Magical Energy and trying to actually build rapport with me? Instead of trying to use pheromones to make me have sex with you, why not try emulating the people you represent and try to build friendly relations? You should know my character well enough by now...at this rate, unless there was an emergency, I would probably never sleep with you..."

Instead of forming an answer of her own, Vahn watched as Alaya's eyes began to dance with lines of pale golden runes once again. This caused him to sigh as, in a way, Alaya was a prisoner that simply couldn't go against her 'programming', even though she was a sentient Tier 5 being. It was for this reason that Vahn wanted to advance his Petting Laws further as, using Da Vinci's mechanical golems as a basis, it shouldn't be impossible to break her free of the influence of Akasha and the Root. This could have potentially disastrous consequences but, if his intuition proved correct, Akasha and her superiors wouldn't actually care all that much. From the moment he was designated as the priority observation target within the experiment, Vahn felt like they 'wanted' him to break the system. In the future, they would likely use the data they collected from observing him, using it to make a more complex system that contained an entirely new multiverse, host to quintillions of lives...

When the runes faded from Alaya's eyes this time, she had a surprisingly dejected look on her face, even though others might interpret it as her characteristic expressionless look. Though they hardly interacted with each other, Vahn felt a close bond with his little shoulder squirrel as, for the last six-and-a-half months, she was almost always present. Then, causing Siegfried to look over in interest, Alaya transformed into a similar appearance to Skoll while allowing her body to be visible to others. She still had her pale blue skin and, instead of the tiny dress Skoll wore on its perpetual pursuit of more head pats, Alaya had a sleek white dress that seemed to be part of her body. Instead of truly fluffy ears, she had pointy blue ears that, while possessing fine hairs, looked hairless at a glance. The biggest difference between her and Skoll, however, was that Alaya now had a larger squirrel tail that curved up behind her in an s-shape, poking out from the white dress and exposing her little rear, assuming you lowered your head near the countertop as she was only around 53cm tall.

After her body had taken form, complete with long white hair that had braided itself into two french-style fringe braids, Alaya looked up at Vahn with her violet eyes, an almost indiscernible pout on her face as she said, "You have permission to pet me at your leisure..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ah, the return of the why bo-','Alaya be like, "Why not go get one of the most powerful weapons in the world? Why you just mate all the time...?','RIP Alaya...')