Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1989: Ideal

With Lotte's body producing a tremendous amount of steam, Vahn's room had become a veritable sauna by the time Sis chimed in to remind him of his previous engagement. Fortunately, even with less than an hour remaining until his scheduled duel, Vahn could produce as much additional time as 'necessary'. It was important to him that his partners' first experiences were both memorable and satisfying, so, once everything was said and done, Vahn had dedicated the better part of seven days tending to the trio of Lotte, Yuri, and Fenrir.

Though seven days might seem like a lot, the final forty or so hours were spent almost entirely on relaxation and recovery. Vahn didn't want his relationship with Lotte to develop in the direction of a traditional 'Master' and 'Sub', so, in the wake of the rather climactic battle, he took the opportunity to acquaint her with anime, manga, and video games. He might have grown accustomed to women with masochistic inclinations, but, rather than produce another Theo or Lisanna, Vahn would rather see Lotte develop in a manner similar to Tomoe.

She might not be the most beautiful or powerful woman in his harem, but, compared to virtually every other member, Tomoe was one of the most content. She was the type of woman who went with the flow of things, and, though she had numerous regrets about her past, she never allowed them to interfere with her enjoyment of the present. Instead, she proactively sought out new and interesting things to experience, never doubting the path she had chosen for herself.

If Tomoe had any faults, it would be her obsessive yet slothful nature. She was the type of woman who would immerse herself in her interests, so much so that, without someone to pull her away, she would neglect everything else, personal hygiene included. Fortunately, this was overpowered by her desire to care for others, so, rather than allowing herself to waste away in the single-minded pursuit of whatever had garnered her interest, she made sure to set a proper example for X, Altria, and Tamamo to follow.

Vahn's only regret regarding Tomoe was the fact that she had ultimately chosen to remain in his Realm. She had taken his words at face value when he expressed that his only desire was that she be happy and healthy, so, unless he 'needed' her at his side, she was content with staying in the Yokai District in order to watch over Tamamo and Suzuka. The thought of leaving them alone, even in a world with stagnant time, made her feel uneasy, so, unless he changed tunes and told her that he needed her, she would rather remain in the place that had become her home.

Though too much contentedness could be a bad thing, Vahn felt that Tomoe had reached an ideal balance between productivity and leisure time. She was also 'extremely' faithful, so, even if he was gone for days, months, or even years at a time, he doubted she would mind. Instead, she would just greet him with a demure smile upon his return, and, unless he wanted to talk about it, she wouldn't even ask what he had been doing. This had always reminded Vahn of how the girls would greet him whenever he returned to the Hearth Manor, so, at times, he had found himself thinking that Tomoe was inordinately close to what he would consider an 'ideal' woman.

As much as he enjoyed traveling with his family, friends, and loved ones, Vahn was well aware of the fact that his progress was greatly inhibited by their presence. The only thing more deleterious to his progress was himself, so, while he would never go out of his way to force the people around him to change, Vahn would rather have more Tomoe-like women in his life than Mordred's, Theo's, or even Asuna's. He had nothing against their heartfelt desire to travel alongside and support him, but, time and again, he had demonstrated that this was simply 'impractical'. His progress was simply too fast, so, as much as he enjoyed their company, Vahn would rather they devote themselves to something more than just the fulfillment of his ambitions...

Fortunately, despite having very little exposure to such things, Lotte was quite taken with watching anime and snuggling up with him on a comfortable sofa. It helped that he could rather easily prove that, despite the many fantastical elements present within, each of the fictional worlds they viewed were places that could, in one form or another, be visited. This made the viewing experience all the more exciting, as, rather than simply observing the lives of fictional characters, you were essentially spying on the lives of very real people. This viewpoint allowed the viewer to become infinitely more invested in the lives of the people on screen, so much so that Vahn had seen some of the girls get genuinely upset whenever something ill-fated happened to characters they had taken an interest in.

To that end, Vahn introduced Lotte to the concept of Actualization by delving into an anime called 'Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!'. Her nature had reminded him of one of the title's primary Heroines, a masochistic knight named Dustiness Ford Lalatina, so, after binge-watching the first 10 episodes, they rewatched the first season, this time with one of his Templates arbitrarily introduced to the story.

As much as he enjoyed influencing the story directly, Vahn had come to realize that it was infinitely more interesting to create Templates and allow them to act independently. This allowed him to view the changes they had made to the world retroactively, and, so long as he didn't tap into it, he could seal the knowledge and experiences of his Templates to avoid 'spoilers'.

Though the first viewing had been pretty entertaining, it was difficult to compete with a version that had been modified by one of his Templates. Not only had the tone of the story changed drastically, but, thanks to his Template's guidance, the main character transitioned from being a perverted idiot to a fairly dependable hero. This surprised even Vahn, as, more often than not, his Templates quickly supplanted the main character of a story, drastically altering the course of history as a result of their incontestible might.

Attributing the development to the main character's, Kazuma's, luck, Vahn watched as his Template became something of a mentor for the party of would-be heroes. He only appeared briefly in a few episodes, and, after applying some 'spartan training' to the main protagonist, he promptly departed the starting city of Axel after deposing its Governor. His next appearance was at the very end of the first season when Kazuma's party, shortly after their defeat of a mechanical behemoth known as the Mobile Fortress: Destroyer, heard rumors regarding the King of Belzerg being forced to abdicate his throne. The scene that followed showed Vahn's Template smiling in the background as a young girl with golden hair sat issuing orders to various nobles from atop an inordinately lavish throne...

Due to the way the episode was structured, casual viewers would be led to believe that Vahn's Template was some villainous mastermind plotting the events of the second season from behind the scenes. In actuality, he had spent his off-screen time traveling around and eliminating many of the more corrupt politicians, and, after refusing the offer of his daughter's hand in marriage, Vahn's Template agreed to serve as her Chamberlain on the grounds that the King accede his position and authority. There were numerous reasons for the King to agree to this proposal, but, more important than any other was the fact that Vahn's Template had won over the entirety of the Crimson Demon Clan due to his extensive knowledge and his ability to casually vaporize a mountain using Explosion Magic.

In essence, Vahn's Template had secured an absolute position of power and authority in the span of a single, ten-episode, season of anime. Infinitely more surprising was the fact that he hadn't built a harem in that same amount of time. Instead, he ended up taking a liking to a raven-haired woman named Sena, a Royal Prosecutor he had encountered shortly after his arrival in Belzerg. What made this even stranger was the fact that the woman was both an 'ice queen' and what some might refer to as a 'BL Aficionado'. His Template seemed to find these traits rather amusing, so, over the course of several months, he ended up whittling down the delusional woman's defenses until she stopped picturing him with various men and started imagining herself as a participant in her fantasies.

Though none of this was displayed on-screen, Vahn had unlimited access to all the knowledge and experiences of his Templates. As a result, he knew that his Template had actually considered inciting relationships with quite a few members of the Crimson Demon Clan, but, after failing to teach them even a marginal amount of common sense, he ultimately abandoned the idea. This caused a few of the senior members of the clan to come up with the title 'Plutonic Great Sage', but, understanding they didn't mean it as an insult, he just went with the flow in order to prevent them from coming up with an even stranger title. This ended up being the correct choice, as, around that same time, the youngest member of the clan, an adorable little girl named Komekko, had taken to referring to him as the 'Super Cuddly Demon of Infinite Warmth and Headpats'...

---

As much as he enjoyed watching anime alongside various beauties, Vahn decided to wrap things up when Yuri began pestering him about creating a Template to reside within a manga where the main character was a young boy forced to endure the teasing of a number of 'onee-sans'. She seemed to enjoy this particular theme quite a bit, but, out of consideration for the mental states of himself and his Template, Vahn tended to avoid actualizing any worlds where he was bound to suffer some form of mental damage.

Fortunately, so long as he allowed her to periodically cuddle a younger version of himself, Yuri was relatively easy to manage. Thus, after an awkward yet admittedly enjoyable bath, he had everyone gather in the kitchen to enjoy a meal and discuss their plan of action moving forward. He was well aware of the events that had transpired over the last twenty-four hours, so, to that end, he started off by saying, "It seems like you lucked out, Yuri. At present, our foes are considering a competition of sorts between the Aldrnari and Jahad Empires. So long as you're okay with being labeled a traitor by the common denizens of the Tower, you're more than welcome to participate as a representative of my delegation."

Though she was excited by the prospect of being able to participate in the coming battle, Yuri did her best to appear serious as she asked, "Is there actually a need to accept their terms? What if they try something sneaky in the middle of the competition? I don't want you to put everyone at risk just to provide me a chance to cut loose."

Waving his hand in a dismissive manner, Vahn attempted to allay Yuri's concerns, saying, "I'm a man of my word, sure, but that doesn't mean I'll sit idly by as my enemies attempt to play me. Even if it's someone like Gustang, they won't be able to take action without me taking notice. After that, there isn't a force in this Tower that can prevent me from seeking recompense. In fact, depending on how egregious their plot, today might very well conclude with the fall of the Jahad Empire. It wouldn't be the first time I destroyed a system of government...I don't take kindly to people targeting my family, friends, and loved ones..."

Though he felt a considerable amount of guilt regarding his haste in the Nasuverse, Vahn had never once regretted his decision to effectively conquer the world. This, combined with the notion that he could always fix things once he ascended to the Divine Realm, allowed him to move forward in spite of his fears and apprehensions. This was simply another step in his journey, so, even if he fumbled a bit here and there, he wouldn't let it prevent him from moving forward. He also didn't want to keep holding the people around him back, so, even if it ultimately forced him to deal with pain and loss, he was willing to bear anything so long as it helped to ensure the happiness of the people he cared about...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Have I mentioned that Tomoe is one of my favorite characters in FGO?','The banes and boons of being able to produce Templates...','This is a dangerous way of thinking...unless, of course, you truly possess the ability to reach the pinnacle...')

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