Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As much as he would like to just lounge about all day, Vahn was often a very busy Emperor. He still needed to make his usual rounds so, while dealing with Tiamat and Alaya, he escorted Lakshmibai back to the castle. There, before parting ways, the two embraced for a considerable amount of time, Vahn's hands wandering to Lakshmibai's pert and plump posterior as she tip-toed to kiss him more easily.

Since he knew she would most likely be returning to her training, Vahn didn't want to rile Lakshmibai up too much so, after several minutes of cat and mouse between their tongues, he set her down and whispered, "It would make me happy if you were to join me this evening..."

Hearing Vahn's invitation, Lakshmibai's face became suffused with a ruddy hue, a radiant smile spreading across her face as she readily nodded her head and answered, "I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world..."

Finding Lakshmibai's response to his liking, Vahn grabbed both sides of the beautiful woman's face before giving her one final, passionate, kiss. When they finally parted, a thread of saliva connected their lips for a brief moment before finally breaking as Lakshmibai licked her lips. Then, to send her on her way, Vahn gave her rump a light smack, knowing full well how much she enjoyed such things.

---

Shortly after his parting with Lakshmibai, Vahn emerged from Tiamat's Marble Phantasm with Alaya, once again, returning to her usual perch. She needed a phenomenal amount of Magical Energy to carry out his orders so, even if their relationship had changed considerably over the last few hours, there were some things that remained the same...

Since he had already started to make the rounds with his other body, starting with a visit to Aoko's sister, Vahn's first order of business was finding out more about Sherlock's recent visit. With this in mind, he had Alaya fill him in on most of the details while heading toward his and Da Vinci's shared Workshop.

At this point, it would be more accurate to refer to the Workshop as Da Vinci's and Sophia's but, as he still worked there when he had the opportunity, Vahn wasn't willing to relinquish his claim just yet. Yes, Sophia had basically coopted his stations as her own but, as this just gave him an excuse to work alongside her, Vahn upheld the illusion he was still a permanant fixture within the progressively more futuristic Workshop...

Every time Vahn visited the Workshop, there was always something new and exciting to discover but, this time around, a very different scene awaited him upon his entry into the climate-controlled room. There, he found Da Vinci nestled into a sleek semi-hemispherical chair that, much like Sophia's usual crafts, floated off the ground using gravitational stabilizers.

What was truly surprising about the scene wasn't the fact Da Vinci was sitting in the chair but, rather, it was the fact Sophia was cuddled up against her that took Vahn's breath away. He rarely saw them having normal mother-daughter interactions so, for a brief moment, Vahn felt as if he had interloped onto something sacred, his presence tainting an otherwise pure moment.

Since there was no way to enter the Workshop without Da Vinci's notice, the latter partially opened her right eye, staring at Vahn with a knowing smile on her face. Despite this, she didn't say anything and, instead, kept gently stroking Sophia's back. Then, a few seconds later, a second Da Vinci poked her head out from the adjacent corridor, gesturing for Vahn to follow.

As the soundproofing and security of the Workshop were the best in the entire Ivory Castle, simply closing a door made it virtually impossible to hear what was on the other side. Thus, after entering into the corridor connecting to the sleeping quarters and Da Vinci's primary laboratory, Vahn issued an apologetic smile as he muttered, "It's good to see the two of you getting along. I've been worried you are overworking yourselves these days..."

Seemingly finding his words amusing, Da Vinci laughed in her usual elegant manner, her hand covering her mouth like a noblewoman. Afterward, her eyes fluttered playfully as she mused, "We actually spend most of our time together, you know~? Even if we're not standing over each other's shoulders twenty-four-seven, just working in the same space brings us closer. Now, come along, I have some things to show you."

Since he knew from personal experience how truthful Da Vinci's words were, Vahn gave a small nod in response before dutifully following along and finding himself in the familiar chamber that housed Ark, Mother, and Shadow...

Without even needing to inform Da Vinci as to the reason behind his visit, she led him over to Ark's primary display, tapping a few runic icons as a three-dimensional projection of a young boy waved in the corner of the screen. This was the Avatar that Ark had chosen for itself so, knowing it could see his reactions, Vahn waved in turn, smiling at the blue-haired boy wearing sagely garb.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Da Vinci issued a sonorous giggle before lightly poking Ark with a stylus and saying, "Ark, be a dear and run the simulation according to these parameters. Feel free to use the Environmental Projection Medium if necessary~."

After lightly rubbing his side, where Da Vinci had poked him with her stylus, Ark then performed a courteous bow as the laboratory spontaneously changed appearance, turning from a futuristic room filled with various pieces of technology to a small alleyway in an instant.

Though she couldn't even remotely emulate the full effects of Vahn's domain, Da Vinci had made a fair amount of headway in developing a device that effectively mapped a person's surroundings. This was carried by people like Sherlock, Kenshin, and Scáthach when they went out on away missions. As a result, they could playback events with extreme clarity, so long as the person operating the device was still conscious.

As a result of Da Vinci's incomprehensible brilliance, Vahn was able to witness Sherlock's encounter with the enigmatic Betty in high-definition. After all, the device was directly connected to a person's senses so, with Sherlock's observational prowess, even granules of dirt and the texture of clothing was visible within the simulation. He wasn't the type to overlook even the most minute details so you could even find rats skulking around behind dumpsters or maggots festering within the sizeable piles of trash...

After observing the simulation from start to finish, including the moment where Betty had vanished into thin air, Vahn asked, "What did Sherlock say about all of this? He must have developed a theory by now, correct?"

Though he didn't spend too much time with Sherlock, Vahn had the distinct impression he wasn't the type to relax in the middle of a case. Since even he could come up with a few working theories, it was all but guaranteed that Sherlock had either come up with the actual answer or, at the very least, close to it.

Da Vinci, having already anticipated Vahn's follow-up question, tapped one of the runes on the screen and, in response, an image of Sherlock was projected on the monitor, explaining, "My initial deduction, while not wrong, wasn't entirely accurate. This entity, Betty, seems to be the product of another. They seem to have the ability to alter the perception of select individuals, manifesting the entity known as Betty virtually anywhere. From what has been observed, it can be deduced that the Betty we see is not actually a real person and, as soon as her connection to the source is cut, she will cease to be until manifested elsewhere."

Hearing Sherlock's explanation, Vahn couldn't help but frown as, even if Betty had just been some kind of unique Daemon that affected people's minds, she would have been exceptionally dangerous. Now, it turned out that she likely wasn't even real, just the projection of someone else's ability, one that could, albeit to a limited extent, alter reality. This meant, even if they destroyed Betty, she would never be defeated as, without eliminating the person who was manifesting her, there was no limit to the number of times she could be formed...

Fortunately, as Vahn suspected, Sherlock already had a working theory, confidently stating, "Based on the evidence, it is possible to make deductions regarding the person behind Betty. After all, there are very few noteworthy examples of innocent girls turning into eldritch horrors that can also directly affect the minds of men and women. Though the likelihood is only around 87%, it is safe to assume Betty is the creation of a Heroic Spirit intrinsically related to Lovecraftian Mythos, specifically Howard Phillips Lovecraft or Lin Carter. The former is far more likely but, given how Betty referred to herself as 'The Darkness', the latter's association cannot be completely ignored."

Since Vahn had spent a considerable amount of time with Azathoth, he was very familiar with H. P. Lovecraft and his association with the Outer Gods. The man basically had an Innate that allowed him to peer directly into the Dimension of the Outer Gods through his dreams, linking together with the original Azathoth to experience the horrors of the Universe the latter had created. Thus, even before Sherlock had pointed it out, Vahn had already made the assumption that H. P. Lovecraft was the man behind the enigmatic existence known as Betty.

The problem was, without knowing where Lovecraft was hiding, it was virtually impossible to stop him from manifesting Betty or, as Sherlock pointed out, The Darkness. Fortunately, their enemies had the mentality of 'Heroes' so, even if left alone, Betty wasn't a genuine threat to the Empire. Rather, if not for the horrible state she left people in, Vahn would have ordered Sherlock to focus his efforts on other things. After all, every time something bad happened, the Empire would automatically take the blame for it. They couldn't just let someone go around leaving behind 'immortal corpses' to suffer for all eternity...

With this in mind, Vahn preempted what Sherlock was about to say, stating, "The next time Betty, or something similar, manifests, I will deal with it personally. I imagine they will lay low for a short while so, when something happens, please notify me...also, thanks for all of your hard work."

Hearing Vahn's remark, Sherlock's smile widened almost imperceptibly but, rather than agree, he politely stated, "As much as possible, I will resolve this matter myself. I will not rest until I track down the true culprit and expose them directly. Your Majesty's consideration is appreciated but there are other matters that require your attention. You can leave this to myself and Lilith. Worry not, however, as we will keep you informed as things continue to develop."

Understanding that Sherlock was a rather prideful individual, Vahn elected not to press the man too much. After all, he had already taken Lilith off his hands and, though he was never ordered to do so, he even proactively traveled around the world to solve cases. Interfering at this point would be the same as saying he had lost faith in Sherlock's abilities thus, at least for the time being, Vahn gave an understanding nod, stating, "I'll leave in your capable hands. If there is anything you need in order to complete your investigation, inform me immediately."

As if he had been waiting for those exact words, Sherlock showed a rare, genuine, smile as he readily stated, "If it is not an inconvenience to His Majesty, please consider summoning my assistant, John Hamish Watson, in the near future. While I do rather enjoy the companionship of Madam Lilith, I'm certain you can understand the need to have a male confidant..."

Hearing Sherlock's request, Vahn was tempted to laugh aloud but, keeping his image in mind, he just gave an understanding nod, saying, "I'll see to it later today. Since it's been a while, we can all go out and have a few drinks while you get your partner caught up to speed. I'm certain everyone can use a break after this last month."

Since it would be improper to refuse a direct invitation, Sherlock graciously accepted Vahn's offer as, while he wasn't exactly complaining, being away from Lilith for a few hours would, indeed, be nice...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Lakshmibai likes it rough o3o...','Da Vinci saw Detective Pikachu...','Who would have thought that Lilith, Queen of the Succubi, would be a handful~?')

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