Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1215

Though he had originally gone to Scáthach to vent, Vahn later left the Training Orb in a ragged state. After he took the initiative, Vahn did his best to get a genuine reaction out of Scáthach but, despite his best efforts, the most he managed was causing her skin to flush slightly. Even this was only due to the fact she couldn't easily expel his Source Energy from her body, giving him a small advantage against a seemingly insurmountable foe. This had continued for several hours, Scáthach allowing him to try whatever he wanted while she passively and actively resisted his influence. Fortunately, with his View Affection still active, Vahn was able to learn quite a bit before one of the most painful thrashing sessions he ever experienced followed...

Vahn thought he had prepared himself for Scáthach's 'counter attack' but, once the training actually began, she reminded him of the massive gulf between them. By the end of things, he had become a veritable puddle of greyish flesh, spending nearly three hours just trying to collect himself before she resumed teaching him about Laws and combat techniques. This was similar to the state he had been in after Musashi cut through his ego but, as he had 'failsafes' against that now, Vahn recovered much faster than he otherwise would have.

During the follow-up lessons, Scáthach used 'practical' demonstration to teach him, meaning, other than the three hours he had spent reforming himself, Vahn spent thirty-seven straight hours at the mercy of his 'spurned' Shishou. She wasn't actually angry, as her Affection had actually gone up, but she seemed to be responding to his intent. Now, though it had already been obvious before, Vahn was made aware of just how much Scáthach had been holding back against him. Now, instead of just responding to him, she was taking the initiative to attack directly, forcing him on an impossible defensive where his mind could hardly even keep up with the stimulus he received from the outside world...

Scarily enough, this was Scáthach's way of respecting his decision. She was showing him just how far apart they were and, if he wanted to capture her heart for himself, Vahn had a very long way to go. Since he had made his intentions clear, the proverbial gloves had come off. Now, it was a battle of attrition where he would either claim Scáthach's heart, or she would break him. Even so, Vahn didn't intend to give up and, now that he had essentially 'challenged' her, he would keep pressing forward until his inevitable victory. If he couldn't even conquer a single woman, there was little hope that he would have a strong enough will to rule entire Records...

With such thoughts on his mind, Vahn decided to spend some time with Iris and Illya before leaving the Projection and heading to New York. This time, he was intending to travel without Alaya's help as it was only around 5,300km away. Previously, he had been using her for his convenience but, with a desire to see the world he would one day rule, Vahn intended to travel around freely for a while. The trip would only take around two hours if he relied on his natural speed, allowing him to either fly across the sky or zip across the surface of the ocean without any major difficulties.

As was often the case, Vahn found Iris and Illya in the Library as, even during the day, Illya spent most of her time studying and researching. This was a trait she shared with Rin and Olga, something that was common amongst Magi. The only time she did something other than study was when he invited her out or when she was accompanying her mother around the castle grounds. Though she would sometimes interact with Fenrir, Medusa, and Circe, the rest of Illya's social interactions hinged on other people entering the Library and taking the initiative to talk to her.

Once again, Illya had built a veritable tower of books around herself and, as the Library was located within the Inner Sanctum, she was even wearing light pajamas while laying on a futon that had been kept in her storage bracelet. With a cup of pocky, a stick-type candy that was popular in Japan, she looked like a proper, albeit very adorable, shut-in. This became even more apparent as, after noticing his presence, Illya had a flustered expression on her face as she retreated under her blanket for a few seconds before appearing in a proper dress moments later. Shen then quickly threw the evidence of her behavior into her Inventory as Vahn pretended to be distracted by making polite conversation with Iris.

Dutifully playing along, Iris had risen to her feet but, with Vahn gesturing not to bow, she instead had a radiant and admittedly breathtaking smile as she softly stated, "Welcome to the Imperial Library, Your Majesty. If I can be of service, please, do not hesitate to ask~."

Though it was an admittedly pointless question, just like asking about the weather, Vahn walked next to the front desk, leaning against it as he asked, "How are you lately? Have you had any trouble with maintaining the Library...?" This comment elicited a light giggle from Iris and, perhaps mimicking his own behavior, she leaned against the table as well, supporting herself with her elbows in a way that, if she weren't wearing a blouse, would have accented her cleavage considerably.

In response to Vahn's question, Iris tilted her head slightly to the side, a playful glimmer in her ruby-red eyes as she answered, "It may not be the most exciting life, but I have been enjoying myself. I'm currently doing a Quest that requires me to read one-hundred books. If I work hard, I may be able to finish in the next two or three days~." As there were Quests for even mundane tasks such as chores, there were obviously Quests related to work and recreational activities. They didn't give much in the way of rewards but, with Iris being quite fond of reading, she felt a small sense of achievement every time she completed a Quest...

After having hidden all the evidence of her somewhat slovenly behavior, Illya had hopped from the second floor, causing Iris to avert her attention away from Vahn as she said, "Illya, use the stairs or ladder properly, please~." Though she said it in a lackadaisical manner, it felt like the surrounding temperature had dropped a few degrees as Iris smiled radiantly at her daughter. Even though Illya wouldn't be harmed, jumping around the Library was a no-no as far as Irisviel was concerned.

Flinching slightly at her mother's smile, Illya showed an awkward reaction as she answered, "I-I won't do it again..." Then, after doing a strange 'wiggle', following by shaking her head, Illya trotted over to Vahn's side, asking, "Did you come to visit us...?" At first, it might have sounded like she was referring to Iris and herself but Vahn knew she was undoubtedly asking if he had come to spend time with her and Cath Palug.

Recently, Illya had been trying to convince the hyper-affectionate Beast of Gaia to fuse with her and, even without his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn could tell they had made a lot of progress in that regard. Now, rather than having perfectly straight, silky smooth hair, Illya's had started to curl a bit towards the ends. It had also become progressively whiter and, having experienced it personally, Vahn knew it was very soft to the touch. He suspected that, any day now, Illya might actually sprout an extra pair of ears and a bushy tail, something he was both anxious about and looking forward to. It was also this 'fusion' with Cath Palug that had caused Illya's somewhat lazy behavior as, while she had never been that social before, Cath Palug was outright lazy and anti-social...

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Vahn habitually extended his hand to stroke Illya's head, bringing a cheerful smile to her face as he answered, "This time, I wanted to spend time with the three of you. Is that okay...?" While he was addressing Illya, Vahn knew that Cath Palug was also listening in and, after a few seconds of internal deliberation between them, Illya's smile became even more vibrant as she nodded her head with an 'Nn~!'. Follow this, Vahn carried Illya in his left arm and, though he hadn't really made any progress on his relationship with Iris, for obvious reasons, he still escorted her by the arm locking up the Library and turning over the key to one of the waiting Homunculi.

After reaching Iris' room, which was now separate from Illya's, the 'four' sat down on a sofa together and, as he had already gotten used to it, Vahn didn't mind in the least that Iris sat flush next to him while Illya and Cath Palug claimed his lap for themselves. He liked to think of them as a small family group, even though he was fully aware that Iris wouldn't refuse him if he wanted a more meaningful relationship. Though he could never replace Kiritsugu in her heart, Iris was infinitely more concerned with Illya and, as the latter wanted her mother to be happy, something she associated with Vahn, Iris had virtually no inhibitions towards him. This had caused Vahn to think about summoning Kiritsugu in the past but, knowing the man's nature and the 'questionable' acts he had performed in the past, he was a bigger landmine than even Shirou...

With Iris using his shoulder as a headrest, and Illya snuggled up in his lap, Vahn used a specialized [Projection Sphere], the same tool used to stream the Coliseum battles and sports back in Danmachi, to project an image of his own memories onto a thin membrane. Cath Palug was extremely against having Merlin in its head but, wanting to know even more about him, Vahn had been streaming his memories for Illya's benefit. She really enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes, especially when it came to the more action-oriented scenes of him fighting against incomprehensibly strong enemies.

Since she had seen Vahn's memories directly, Iris already knew what to expect but, as it was still very interesting to watch, she also enjoyed spending time together like this. It was almost liked going to a movie theater as a family and, though there was no greater meaning behind her actions, she enjoyed using Vahn's arm and shoulder as her pillow. Though she would sometimes wonder if Vahn saw her as anything more than Illya's mother, especially with thousands of similar entities walking around, it ultimately didn't matter.

Iris was very happy living in the castle and, while it was somewhat disconcerting that her daughter was fusing with a beast capable of destroying the world, she didn't make a fuss over it. After all, it was very apparent that Illya was even happier than she was and, after knowing how long Cath Palug had lived in isolation, Iris felt pity for the monstrously powerful creature. It also helped that their fused form was rather cute, not that she would admit this was one of the primary reasons she had accepted its presence...

This time around, Vahn was showing Illya one of the times he had cut loose in his Baihu form and, with his domain automatically scanning his surroundings, he was able to display the scene from a variety of different angles. Since it also played at the speed of his perception, it was easy for the girls to follow, even if this meant many of the enemy monsters were moving in slow motion at times. The only thing lacking was a music track but, with the action in the projection being very 'real', it wasn't really necessary to amplify things any further. Though some of the scenes were rather visceral, this only affected Cath Palug as both Illya and Irisviel were intimately familiar with far worse scenes.

The only major downside to viewing memories through a projection was that it played in real-time, meaning there was no pacing at all. It would play out for hours on end and, unless Vahn sped it up or skipped parts, there would be long periods where no action took place at all. Even then, Illya and Iris didn't really mind as, during the lulls in the action, they seemed to enjoy the silence even more. They got to see how Vahn viewed the world which, when he saw it second-hand, was quite an eye-opening experience.

Even Vahn was surprised to see how attentive he was to things that, at the time, seemed arbitrary or unimportant. This was the result of his sub-process mind proactively taking in his surroundings, even when his main process had been focused on other tasks or meditating. Thus, while there were some blurry areas, the projection showed a startlingly clear picture of his surroundings, including how the walls and floors seemed to be transparent or, at times, non-existent due to his domain. It was almost like watching an illusion play as, with his awareness of the flow of elemental energy, the scene was remarkably vibrant, filled with a variety of hazy colors. If he moved the focal point near a person, it was even possible to hear their heart beating or the blood flowing through their veins...

Fortunately, either as a quirk of The Path or Sis' careful doctoring, his memories never showed anything directly related to the system. This included things like View Affection and his discussions with Sis. Instead, it would show him calmly meditating or fearlessly walking through the Dungeon, almost like an unstoppable machine that emanated a terrifying aura. Until he had viewed them from an outsider's perspective, Vahn had never realized just how domineering he had behaved, especially when he had first started to gain power. In a way, it was actually rather embarrassing but, as Illya and Iris seemed to find some amusement in this, sometimes even laughing when they saw how 'serious' he was behaving, Vahn kept mum about it...

After a few hours had passed, the scene in the projection showed Vahn enjoying a meal, eliciting an audible rumble from Illya's stomach. This caused her to act like a startled rabbit, her body flinching as her face turned a vibrant shade of red. In response, Iris began to giggle while covering her mouth with her hand while Vahn produced a wide smile while resisting the urge to laugh out loud. Though Illya didn't actually need to eat, she had long since developed the habit, to the point she could be quite the glutton at times.

While letting the projection continue, Vahn pulled out a peach that had a pale-gold hue to it. Then, before Illya could complain about them laughing at her, he adopted a more natural smile as he held the unnaturally fragrant fruit near her mouth. Rather than bite into it while he was holding it, Illya snatched it from his hands before turning her face away from them as a loud crunch sounded in the predominately quiet room. At the same time, Vahn pulled out another peach, handing it over to Iris, eliciting a gratified smile and a quiet, "Thank you~" in response. Unlike Illya, however, she playfully took a bite while he was still holding it before showing a girlish expression as she enjoyed the sweet yet mellow flavor of the peculiar peach.

Fortunately, after the initial bite, Iris accepted the peach directly as Vahn pulled out one for himself before placing an entire basket on the table he whisked out of his Inventory. He also set out some tea, a plate of walnuts, and some dried fish. For one reason or another, Cath Palug was quite fond of the latter two so, after learning this, Vahn made a habit of coaxing the tiny creature whenever the opportunity presented itself. This was one of the ways in which he helped to aid the fusion between the two, despite the fact he knew what awaited him once they completed the process...

After enjoying some quality time with the mother-daughter-beast trio, Vahn informed Artoria that he would be leaving for New York before acceding to her 'demand' that he take an escort. Now that she was his Empress, Artoria could no longer be the one to escort him as, when they appeared together in the future, she would either be in ceremonial attire or armor. This was something they had already discussed and, as a way of displaying the prestige of the Empire while making their stance very clear, he also intended to wear a formal raiment or armor in the future. Though he would garner some strange looks from the general public, it was far more important that he presented himself as the Emperor he was, rather than skulking about behind the scenes.

As a result of Astoria's insistence, Vahn ended up being accompanied by Kenshin and Lakshmibai as traveling to a modern city like New York would be an important learning experience for them. They were also the only ones qualified to escort him as, with Siegfried and Astolfo gone, there weren't any other Knights within the castle. Though Mordred obviously wanted to accompany him, her mentality meant she was far more likely to cause trouble than properly act as his escort. This, combined with the fact she was both a child and an 'apprentice' Knight, meant she was ill-suited to the role. Thus, even though Kenshin and Lakshmibai also weren't considered Knights, despite the former being his Herald, they were the best options to accompany him when accounting for the fact that Fenrir and Gray were nearly as likely to cause trouble as Mordred.

Though Vahn wasn't intending to be gone for too long, this would translate to several days passing within the Projection. With that in mind, he spent a bit of time saying his goodbyes with everyone before being sent off by a much larger group than anticipated. The gathering had drawn a crowd of Homunculi and Companions, bringing the total count of people to attend his departure to 119. Vahn found this rather amusing so, before heading out, he gave a small address to the gathered crowd, expressing his trust and asking them to take care of the castle while he was away. This earned him a surprisingly coordinated bow from the crowd and, by the time they had raised their heads, many of the Homunculi had smiles on their doll-like faces, a simultaneously refreshing yet eerie sight that filled him with a gentle wave of power...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Illya is a Hikkikmori...!?','Iris is being corrupted...!','A Knight Order with only three Knights xD...')