Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the conclusion of the practice matches, Vahn could tell that several things had changed in the class. First, there was a newfound appreciation each student had for their Companions. Second, they now looked toward Mordred with both respect and abject fear. She wasn't just the highest-ranking person in the class but, even those with vivid imaginations couldn't imagine becoming even half as strong as her. This made them fear the Empire even more as, while Sakura, Mash, Astrid, and Zoë weren't nearly as terrifying, they were all much stronger than nearly everyone else in the class.

Now, after everyone had formed back up in military-style rows and columns, Vahn could feel the tension from those closest to Mordred. She stood with her back straight, her bearing perfect as an imperceptible smile could be seen on her lips. This gave Vahn the urge to smile as well but, as he didn't want to be accused of playing favorites too soon, he resisted the urge to praise her for doing well. It was fortunate that they would be returning to the castle in the afternoon so he could always do so in the comfort of their own home...

Maintaining his usual smile, Vahn passed his gaze over all the students in turn before saying in a calm tone of voice, "You all did very well. I hope this lesson helped you understand the importance of caring for your Companions. It may be difficult for you to believe right now but the words we told you are the truth. If you work hard and become close with your Companions, they will develop their own Ego and eventually evolve to become the creature that most closely matches your character. It could take several years for you to reach this point but, by the time you graduate, the majority of you should have evolved your Companions..."

There was still a fair amount of skepticism amongst the students of the Clock Tower but, compared to before, it was obvious they were beginning to believe. Some still thought all of this was a ploy to draw them in and make them loyal, which wasn't exactly wrong, but they largely overestimated their own value.

Vahn was giving them the same opportunities others would have in the future, they were just the sample batch to determine the most effective way to train future generations of students. Though he would treat them fairly, their future was entirely in their own hands. He wasn't proactively trying to bring any of them into his fold and, even if they all ultimately failed out of the program, it wouldn't be much of a setback.

Still, Vahn hoped they would do well so he would do his best to encourage them whenever he was present. This was the primary reason behind his Advisor role and, if he could keep them on the right track, that was for the best. He wouldn't be like Zelretch had been in the past, caring only about the results and not the process that raised a young Magus into a mature adult. That would make him no better than the other Nobles within the Association, people who based their treatment of others entirely on their usefulness...

---

As promised, the children were given the rest of the day off to unpack and settle into their rooms. This also gave them the opportunity to socialize a bit as the Aldrnari College Commons had a large Cafe, recreation room, small theater, and, though they would not be able to access it any time soon, a 'Simulation Training Field'. The latter served as a control experiment for the Global Virtual World that Da Vinci was working on. Once it was ready, they would be allowed to freely enter the Virtual World during their leisure time, experiencing wonders far beyond typical human imagination.

For now, the students would have to keep themselves entertained with each other. Though this was made a little more difficult with the size of the College, as it could hold a thousand students, most of them had been congregated close to the common areas. This served as a central gathering hub for everyone in the building as, for obvious reasons, the boys and girls were divided into two separate wings.

To prevent any kind of shenanigans, there were extremely powerful barriers and a variety of other security measures to keep the students safe, both from the outside and each other. They would have to be on the level of high ranking Assassin Class Heroic Spirit to have any hope of overcoming even the most basic security measures as Vahn would not tolerate any 'incidents'. There was a time and a place for everything and, as students currently had their own rooms, he had no intention of allowing males to congregate in the room of a female and vice versa.

Vahn didn't expect there would be any real issues early on but, as more students entered into the College, it was only a matter of time before something happened. The Companions would be able to prevent any heinous situations from occurring but it was inevitable that some students would begin to pair off with each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. As it seemed to be human nature for those in love to try and break every rule preventing them from easily meeting with each other, Vahn knew he would be dealing with some awkward situations in the future.

Fortunately, at least for the time being, he didn't have to worry about such things. Though it was a given that any of the boys would wholeheartedly agree to become a pair with almost any of the girls within the department, everyone was currently too nervous to do anything drastic. They could hardly talk with each other at this point and, with a larger female population than males, Vahn knew only the boldest among the later would have any 'fortune' when it came to dating their fellow students.

Until such a situation occurred, Vahn's own duties were extremely lax. He would only be stepping in for a few of the more important lessons so, while Mordred, Sakura, Mash, Astrid, and Zoë were in class, he would either be relaxing back in the College or the Faculty Room. The Clock Tower couldn't be trusted to protect his department just yet so, even though Scáthach was also skulking about, he wanted to be close by to make sure his children, and their classmates, were protected...

Knowing he would be spending a lot of his time idling about in the Clock Tower, Vahn had removed his 'Soul Gem' from the Welsh Dragon's chamber. This would eventually become the Quest Board for the students to use but, in order to split his focus between Avalon and London, he currently used it as his second body. With it, he was able to tend to the affairs of the Empire while, back in London, he relaxed in a comfortable chair and simply observed everything going on around him while Gareth, Okita, and Jeanne dutifully attended him.

At this point, Vahn could easily control upward of five bodies so, with only two 'active', he wasn't put under much mental strain. Though it was sometimes difficult to focus under the influence of the time dilation, he had a lot of experience doing so back in Danmachi. Becoming a God made the process a lot easier as well so, if he pushed himself, Vahn believed he could maintain seven bodies. This would require him to be experiencing the same flow of time for each perspective but it was still inarguably better than his previous two-vessel limit.

Vahn's current goal, in so far as his vessels were concerned, was to try and create enough versions of himself to, theoretically, tend to all of his women. While this seemed virtually impossible, as he had a penchant for acquiring new lovers, he was determined to make it a reality one day. There were still times when he would feel a small amount of guilt about the number of relationships he had so, as his Soul continued to strengthen, Vahn would continue to practice controlling multiple vessels with ever-increasing proficiency...

---

Unaware of what their 'Advisor' was thinking, most of the students had used the time allotted to do just as Vahn had expected, familiarize themselves with the College and its inhabitants. A number of them had gathered in the Commons, drawn to the sound of conversation and laughter. There, they found the Imperial Quintet gathered around a Cafe table while a very motherly looking Homunculus waited on them.

It was generally very difficult for someone to penetrate an established group of close friends but, every time Mordred saw someone enter the area, she would call out to each student by name. This wasn't exactly an invitation for them to sit at the table but, at the very least, Mordred was breaking down the walls of her classmates to make them more comfortable with associating with the group. She knew there would come a time when she needed to lead these people so it would be a very big problem if they couldn't even talk with her properly.

Of course, not every person addressed by Mordred parted after a polite greeting. There were some students that, while not truly bold, had enough ambition to at least try and approach the group on amicable terms. This included none other than Silvain who, after being greeted from a distance by Mordred, acted very flattered before making his way over to the table and asking if he could take a seat.

Hearing the boy's request, Mordred squinted her eyes almost imperceptibly as she remarked, "You really are making a show of your bravery, aren't you...?"

Though he was visibly tense, Silvain still managed a smile before giving a polite but not subservient bow as he said, "I took your previous words to heart. Though it would be brash to call myself a man at this stage, I don't want to be treated as a boy my entire life. At the worst, I will only be refused a seat..."

Silvain had a bit of trouble getting out the final few words of his statement as he noticed all of the girls at the table had turned their gazes upon him. He felt a considerable amount of pressure from them as, unlike Mordred, they weren't exactly smiling. The only exception to this was Mash but, if you looked closely, it was very easy to see that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

Just as Silvain began to believe there was something far worse than simply being denied a seat, Mordred shattered the tension by bursting into laughter. This drew the attention of everyone else who had been lingering about within the Cafe, each previously pretending to be unaware of the event playing out...

Once her fit of laughter had come to an end, Mordred pointed to a chair a seat apart from where Astrid was sitting. Though she had the latter switch places with Mash, she allowed Silvain to take a seat, saying, "We're all classmates and comrades. There is no bad blood between us so there is no harm in sitting and talking with each other in public like this. Just don't lose your sense of propriety or even I won't be able to protect you."

Silvain had mechanically moved to take his assigned seat but, hearing Mordred's words, he couldn't help but tense up even further. Everyone in the class had already assumed her identity so there was a very good chance that she, or perhaps all five girls present, were the Emperor's daughters. This had encouraged some into thinking that he allowed them to attend school in order to find spouses but none of them were brave enough to really attempt asking them out. The Emperor was too terrifying an existence and, if they somehow offended him, it was very easy to imagine simply being erased from the world with a wave from his hand...

Believing Mordred was warning him not to try and coax any of the girls at the table, Silvain failed to swallow the knot in his throat, his voice breaking as he answered, "I'll keep that in mind..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Strive to be the best! The very best! Like no one ever was...!','I can imagine Ais walking into a room filled with dozens of Vahn's, fighting spirit burning in her eyes...','Boi best watch out. Papa Bear is always only one spatial transfer away (o,...,o)...!')

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