Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1563

As the Western-most territory of the Hellas Empire, Ariadne enjoyed the benefit of being one of the furthest territories from the Megalomesembrian Confederacy. Though it was surrounded by various monster-infested forests, it also had direct access to the sea, arable lands, and, most importantly, an inordinately high concentration of Elemental Spirits. This made it one of the most enchanting places in Mundus Magicus, a land where ancient scholars had congregated to appreciate the splendor and research the phenomenon of the Magical World.

Ariadne had remained one of the most beautiful and scenic places in the entire Magical World ever since it was first established more than thirteen hundred years ago. This would have normally made it a hotbed for migrants and refugees, but, due to their founders' desire to preserve the untouched beauty of the land, they had exceptionally strict immigration policies. Unless you were a member of the faculty or a student within one of the academies, the longest any visitor could stay was seventy days out of a 687 day calendar year. The only exceptions to this were if you had received a special permit from the Grandmaster or the Emperor, the latter being far more common, and exploited, by members of the Nobility.

Originally, Ariadne only occupied a little more than 850 of its 269,000 square kilometers of territory. The rest of the land was either untouched or occupied by orchards, vineyards, and a few other types of non-destructive agricultural facilities. Over time, however, large swaths of land had been cleared to construct grand estates and summer homes for the Empire. To further exacerbate matters, many of these estates were only constructed for the purpose of exploiting the land of its resources, often without providing any benefits to Ariadne.

Though the overall size of the Capital hadn't changed in more than a hundred years, the amount of land occupied by agricultural estates had grown to more than 30,000 square kilometers in the same amount of time. This had been a point of contention between Ariadne and the Empire ever since it became a City-State. Now, with war looming on the horizon, the Empire had even begun pressuring Ariadne to allow it to build a Military Base and Air Field to the West of the city, stating it was for the city's benefit and protection despite the Ariadne Mage Knights being one of the most elite forces in the entire Empire.

The Grandmaster of Ariadne knew that, if she were to acquiesce to the Empire's demands, it would be the effective end of her country and the principles it had clung to for more than a millennium. If they had Imperial Forces on both sides of them, they would be effectively be cut off from the rest of the world, completely subsumed by the Empire. Not only would they require a ridiculous amount of land and resources to support their new base, but, after securing their position, it wouldn't be long before members of the Nobility began asking why Ariadne needed something like a private military when the Empire was so 'magnanimously' protecting it. In the end, Ariadne would be stripped of its autonomy in its entirety, and, within a few generations, the population would likely explode in order to further the profits of the Empire's Nobility...

Seated within the highest tower in all of Ariadne, a middle-aged woman with long blonde hair and two curved horns that jut out from the sides of her head in an s-shape could be seen sitting at an ornate wooden desk. She was nursing a cup of piping hot black coffee, slowly savoring the contents of her porcelain mug as she stared at what appeared to be a much younger version of herself. This was the woman's daughter, the current Headmistress of the Imperial Academy, and, should Ariadne still have a future, her successor as Grandmaster.

Though she already knew her daughter's answer, the woman, Grandmaster Sidra Avenarius, offered an apologetic smile as she said, "The Emperor has, once again, expressed his desire to unify our two families. The Second Prince seems quite taken with you and continues to press His Imperial Majesty to arrange your betrothal..."

Hearing her mother's words, the young woman, Seras Avenarius, adopted an expression of visible disgust as she plainly stated, "With all due respect, Madam Grandmaster, I would rather leap naked into the Cerberus Canyon than become that vile man's plaything. I have expressed this in writing to both the Emperor and the Second Prince. This is just another petty scheme of theirs to try and seize our land for their personal gain. They are already beginning to demand we move our forces to the Eastern border despite trying to justify the need to construct a military base in the West...it is truly disheartening..."

Rather than show any concern for her daughter's moderately treasonous tone, Sidra just took a sip of her coffee before nodding her head and muttering, "Fortunately, the more they insist that a new base is necessary, the easier it is to avoid sending reinforcements to the border. The Emperor is also not as greedy as his son and the members of his Court, so, unless something drastic happens, he is not likely to support the growing movement to seize Ariadne. Unfortunately, we will probably have to cede even more land so that he can appease the Grand Duke's faction...haaaaa..."

Feeling exhausted despite being on her fifth cup of coffee for the day, Sidra placed the cup down onto its saucer before linking her fingers together with her elbows on her desk and stating, "Well, it might not be all that bad. The reason I called you to my office is to task you with an important duty. You see, the Princess of Vespertatia has requested permission to berth her vessel within the Imperial Academy's private docks. I'm uncertain as to the purpose of her visit, but, considering the timing, it undoubtedly has something to do with the coming war. As for why she would come here instead of heading straight to the Imperial Captial...well, I can only make assumptions. Regardless, I want you at my side when I meet with Her Highness."

Understanding the implication contained within her mother's words, Seras felt a small amount of anticipation as she performed a curt salute and said, "I understand. I will personally ensure that the Princess' stay is a pleasant one."

Nodding her head in approval, Sidra rose to her feet, and, despite wearing what appeared to be a prim and proper women's business suit, including a pencil skirt, began to stretch her body. She still had a number of years before retirement, but, with the combined stress of dealing with the Empire, managing the Academy City, and leading the Ariadne Mage Knights, her body was constantly filled with tensions. She was only thirty-seven years old, but, despite the longevity of her species, she had a few troublesome wrinkles that detracted from her once-famous beauty.

As she had served under her mother for years, learning everything she would need to know in order to fulfill her future responsibilities, Seras had long already gotten used to how slovenly she behaved in private. She honestly couldn't really blame her, and, though she was proud of the fact she would one day serve as the Grandmaster of Ariadne, Seras wasn't particularly looking forward to the side-effects that came with such a strenuous duty. Rather, due to the constant insistence of the Second Prince, she was already beginning to feel the pressure.

Two years prior, Seras had been engaged to wed one of her former classmates, a handsome boy who had left quite an impression on her in their youth. He was, fortunately, a member of a rather prestigious family, so, after a brief period of discussion regarding the benefits both families would obtain, they were formally engaged. Unfortunately, soon after their engagement was announced, her fiance's body was found along a riverbank, his face bloated beyond recognition and large parts of his body missing. The reports stated the cause of death as drowning due to intoxication, but, as her fiance had never been known to drink, Seras had always suspected foul play. It didn't help that, shortly thereafter, the Second Prince came to give his condolences before subsequently offering to accept her as his bride...

Remembering the abhorrent experience, even Seras' shoulders began to feel a little stiff, but, unlike her mother, she had yet to dismiss with propriety in its entirety. She was currently on duty as both Headmistress of the Imperial Academy and Vice-Commander of the Ariadne Mage Knights. If she slacked off in private, Seras was afraid she might slip up in front of her subordinates, so, at least for the time being, she did her best to show discipline at all times...

Though Arika was already considered the Queen of Vespertatia, her appointment had never been made public. Until then, she could only address herself as the Queen-incumbent, but, as that was only valid within Ostia, itself, her official title abroad was 'Crown Princess of Vespertatia'. She was also the official Ambassador of the Ostian Royal Family, so, immediately after declaring herself, a contingent of Mage Knights, once again looking like a group of lance-wielding Valkyries, came out to escort her.

Seeing the group of thirty heavily armored knights gliding through the air, Vahn couldn't help but be reminded of the Proto Dragon Suits that had been designed by Da Vinci. The latter allowed the wearer to trespass virtually any kind of environment, and, though they required quite a bit of skill, even with an onboard AI, they were true marvels of Magic and technology. As for the winged armor used by the Ariadne Mage Knights, they were significantly less advanced, but, due to their unique design, Vahn found them rather charming.

Noticing the reminiscent smile on her Master's face, Fenrir, even without asking, knew what he was thinking about. As a result, she moved closer to him, deftly linking her right paw with his left hand before resting her head against his shoulder. In response, he gripped her paw a little tighter before gently leaning over and kissing the top of her head...

Arika had also noticed the look on Vahn's face, but, before she could ask if he was interested in the Enchanted Armor of the Mage Knights, she was left bewildered by the abrupt display of affection between him and Fenrir. She had only recently allowed them back onto the bridge, so she couldn't help feeling slightly annoyed by the fact they were shamelessly cuddling together without minding their surroundings...

Forcing herself to simply ignore the affectionate display, Arika turned her attention to the primary viewport, saying, "We'll be mooring shortly. If you're going to sneak out with Asuna, you should do so soon. If not, wait for me on the deck. Once I've anchored the ship, I will come out to join you..."

Understanding Arika was basically kicking him off the bridge again, Vahn answered with a curt nod before departing, hand-in-paw, with Fenrir. He could feel Arika follow their departure with her eyes, but, rather than react to it, Vahn continued to fawn over Fenrir as if he were oblivious.

Truthfully, Vahn knew he was being a little unfair towards Arika, but, if she did inevitably fall in love with him, she would need to accept his relationships with other people. Even if she were a thousand times more amazing, there was no way he would simply abandon his other relationships in order to appease her. Thus, rather than shy away from displaying affection while she was around, Vahn did so rather shamelessly. He had already informed her about his harem and the primary reason he had come to this world, so, unless she opened her heart and accepted others, there was simply no way he could reciprocate her burgeoning feelings...

Not that he was surprised to see them, Vahn smiled wryly as he saw his other self emerge from the bridge alongside Fenrir. This didn't go unnoticed by Asuna, who, after craning her head to see what he was looking at, turned to face him, asking, "Is it time to go?"

In response to his nod, Asuna hoped up from Vahn's lap with a 'hup', quickly grabbing a few snacks from the table before downing the remnants of her tea. Then, picking up her rather cute backpack, she hefted it onto her back and said, "I'm ready." in a marginally excited monotone.

Though he assumed it had something to do with her powerful fate, Vahn was surprised at how cute he found all of Asuna's behaviors to be. She was more than a little spoiled, and, rather than asking for things, she always said what she wanted with a straight face. He would normally try to curb this kind of behavior, but, perhaps as a result of her kuudere-like nature, it only made the adorable doll-like girl more endearing...

Before picking Asuna up, Vahn pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away a bit of powdered sugar and crumbs from around her mouth. She made no effort to resist his actions, rather, whenever he doted on her, Vahn could feel Asuna's aura swell slightly due to how happy she was. It didn't show on her expression unless something major happened, but she was a lot happier ever since they had begun their journey than she had been back in the palace.

Once Asuna's face was clean, Vahn gave her a quick once-over to make sure she had everything she needed before they set out. She was currently wearing a frilly collared smock dress with a bright red ribbon tied around her neck. This was a stark contrast to the qipao-like robe she often wore, and, to complement it, she also had on a frilly black skirt with white trim, black leggings, and a pair of dark-red leather shoes. All of this, combined with the large backpack that served as a container to house the Lucky Cat, made her look like an adorable young preschooler attending class for the first time.

Though he was the one to pick out the clothes, Vahn couldn't help but nod in approval before smiling as he said, "It seems you have everything. I'm not too worried you will run off, but try and stay close to me at all times, okay?"

Rather than answer, Asuna just looked up at him with a blank expression, her ahoge twitching a few times before she reached out and grabbed his hand. This caused Vahn to lightly chuckle, and, after waving towards Fenrir and his counterpart, he teleported himself and Asuna down to the streets of Ariadne, a city almost exclusively comprised of schools and dorms that perfectly blended victorian architecture with various fantasy elements...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Greedy Nobles? Who'da thunk','Comment section be like, "New harem candidate?"','Asuna is receiving signals from the mothership with her antenna...!')