Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With nearly every attendee having already arrived, Vahn was patiently waiting to make his own entrance. He was intending to arrive precisely at the changing of the hour and, after that, other guests would not be allowed in.

It was common for the Guests of Honor to arrive at social gatherings later than was reported. In the interval between the time they are scheduled to appear and the moment they actually appear, everyone would be paying close attention to new arrivals. Thus, in the past, anyone that wanted to draw attention to themselves or their status would arrive during that brief window. This was a political statement of sorts and, despite how foolhardy it would be in this situation, Vahn knew a handful of people would still take the risk...

To bide time until his entrance, Vahn was helping to style and fix the girls' hair, a skill he had all but mastered after well over a hundred years of practice. There were no limits to the shapes he could mold hair into and, due to the peculiarities of how hair behaved in some Records, they held their shape surprisingly well.

Though this would be their official debut as Imperial Princesses, Sakura and Mordred had both elected to wear a modified military dress, rather than gowns. Neither girl had any interest in being treated like a delicate flower and, though Sakura once harbored an interest in being the type of princess found fairy tales, she quickly grew out of that phase after her training began. Now, she and Mordred were both wearing form-fitting white trousers, vermillion, military-style, blouses, and half-mantles that were colored white on the outside and red on the inside.

Overall, both girls seemed more like Knights than Princesses. This would give the impression that the Empire was a military state but, after setting 'The Fall' in motion, Vahn didn't particularly mind how others saw them. It was better than having people assume his children were political tools that were vulnerable to external pressure and assassination attempts.

After styling Sakura's hair into a neat bun, similar to how Artoria and Mordred tied up their hair, Vahn smiled at her through the mirror, asking, "Are you nervous?" in a gentle tone. In response, denying her true feelings, Sakura shook her head and answered, "I have trained hard for this day. I won't allow myself to be bullied or embarrassed...!"

Hearing Sakura's remark, Mordred laughed at the side before jumping on her from behind and saying, "That's the spirit, Sakura! Let's teach these smelly bastards not to look down on members of the Imperial Family~!"

Though she was used to Mordred's excessive physical contact, Sakura quickly extricated herself before smoothening any wrinkles in her uniform. This was evidence of just how nervous she was, causing Vahn and Mordred to exchange a quick glance that basically communicated, 'take care of your sister'. Mordred understood this well so, without any words between them, she just nodded before apologizing and helping Sakura fix her outfit.

---

At seven minutes till 7 PM, 1308 people had gathered together in the spacious ballroom. This relatively small group of people normally represented the majority of power within the Mage's Association but, compared to the people that had just arrived, even their combined strength wouldn't amount to much. Just the presence of the robed individual with green hair was enough to cow every member of the Clock Tower's faculty that was present within the room...

Though they weren't actually the strongest among the group of new arrivals, Solon led the way as Zelretch, Director Atlasia, Sion, and the infamous Professor Alpha followed close behind. Sion had already been exposed as the 'former' Vice-Director of the Atlas Temple so, while very few people could recognize who Director Atlasia was, the fact he was followed closely by two affluent figures in the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory spoke volumes about his status.

While most of the attendees had turned statuesque with the arrival of such powerful figures, Luvia gracefully made her way over, her presence like a wandering star traversing a silent abyss. Then, further awing the crowd that had been gathered, the group headed by Solon was the first to give a polite greeting, something unimaginable to most. This sent ripples throughout those gathered along the periphery as, while Luvia's status had always been presumed to be high, it now seemed a lot higher.

Finding the gossip in the surroundings bothersome, Solon, now wearing their usual blindfold, lifted their rather fair hand, creating a bubble that blocked all sound as they asked, "When is Vahn expected to arrive? I only just arrived and I already feel like leaving..."

Though she was actually feeling quite nervous to be standing before the infamous Director of the Mage's Association, Luvia managed an unperturbed and elegant giggle before answering, "His Imperial Majesty will be arriving shortly. He has chosen to advocate for punctuality so he will be arriving at precisely 7 PM."

Hearing what they had wanted, Solon gave a small nod before dispersing the soundproofing barrier and following behind Luvia as she guided them through the hall. Their action of simply walking to their destination caused the rest of the gala's attendees to quickly disperse, giving the group a very wide berth for fear of triggering the infamous Director's ire. Though Solon looked like a child at a glance, even the former Monarchal Lords hadn't dared to oppose them so, with monstrous existences like Zelretch present, none were bold enough to approach the group and introduce themselves.

With the purging of the corrupt Noble houses and the abolishment of various practices within the Mage's Association, there was now a vast gulf between the lesser nobility and the most powerful members of the magus community. A massive power vacuum had also been created but, due to the Empire's presence and influence, it was impossible for anyone to actually take advantage of this.

The only group poised to take control was Luvia's faction but, with her family having functionally limitless resources due to the Empire's backing, the Alliance now served more as mediators than anything else. It was for this reason that so many families had reached out to her as, without a mediator, trying to negotiate with the Empire seemed all but impossible. Most people failed to get a proper read on Vahn's character and, after he basically flipped the world on its head, few had the courage to even try...

Amongst the group that dared to press their luck, there were only those such as Reines who, after seeing the Director's entourage, unhesitantly made her way over. Her family was one of the first to join the Alliance and, though they hadn't done much to earn the Empire's support, this did little to stop Reines from taking advantage of her presumed status. Thus, despite feeling more than a little intimidated by the group's presence, Reines neared Solon before adopting a smile and saying, "It is rare to see you out and about, Director. I did not expect to see you at a social gathering such as this."

Despite wearing an embroidered leather blindfold, completely concealing their eyes, Solon had been staring at Reines from the moment she deigned to approach. This was more than enough to deter most people from approaching as, unlike Vahn, the fear of death wasn't something people could simply ignore. With their Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, anyone unfortunate to fall under Solon's gaze would feel vulnerable and powerless, much like a normal human suddenly finding themselves in a den of hungry tigers.

Without minding Reines' actual words, Solon instantly shut her down by saying, "There is a fine line between bravery and seeking death. You would do well to consult with your husband before you end up making an irreversible error. He seems to have considerably more sense than you..."

While Reines had been doing her best to adopt a casual demeanor, Waver, pulled along by her, had closed his eyes and lowered his head ever so slightly. He had often talked with Reines about her mistaken beliefs but, after obtaining so many of the things she had coveted for decades, she had been riding a high that made her previously cautious and calculating self seem like nothing more than a facade. She was too eager to seize greater power and authority, despite having done little to deserve it.

In response to Solon's words, Reines visibly tensed, her smile becoming somewhat unnatural as she fought to maintain composure. Then, convincing herself that Solon was just a relic of the past, Reines gave a cursory bow before pulling Waver along to wait for Vahn's arrival. If she could get close to the Imperial Family, it wouldn't matter what other connections she had...

Seeing Reines drag away her husband, Solon just shook their head before turning to Zelretch and saying, "There are power-hungry fools in every era. Tell me, during all of your stints into the future, was there ever a timeline where that woman succeeded?"

Hearing Solon's remark, Zelretch's toothy grin showed just how much effort he was putting in to avoid laughing out loud. When he finally answered, Solon's inquiry, he explained, "Prior to Vahn's emergence, that woman was fated to lose her life after several failed ploys against the Archibald family. More often than not, she ended up getting tortured and killed by Bathomeloi Lorelei...as for the futures where she managed to succeed, most of those were timelines where Magecraft had rapidly stagnated. As a result, she was able to use poisons and assassins to eventually secure a pretty high position for herself."

Even before Zelretch had finished explaining things, Solon had already imagined Reines to be a snake in the guise of a woman. If not for the fact Vahn kept company with some of history's most notorious poison users, Solon would have been tempted to remove Reines from existence. With their Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, it was possible to directly strike the Origin of a person and, as a result, even memories related to their existence would rapidly fade away.

Understanding his long-time friend well, Zelretch lightly tapped Solon's leg with the tip of his cane, saying, "Vahn isn't the type of person that will punish someone for ambitions alone. Let that woman make her own mistakes. If she does something heinous enough, you needn't lift a finger as only death awaits those who directly oppose the Empire."

Though Zelretch's words hadn't been spoken aloud, many people in the hall had been trying to listen in on their conversation. As a result, those who had been harboring thoughts about trying to resist the Empire in the future suddenly changed their plans as, with his 'Operation of Parallel Worlds', Zelretch was the person who knew best about the future. Considering Vahn had already killed a considerable number of people, his words had even more weight to them...

Around the time their thoughts turned to the infamous Emperor, the lighting in the hall began to dim, the only exception being near where Luvia had been entertaining guests. This was a tiered area where, throughout the duration of the gala, an orchestra had been playing music. Located behind the conductor's podium, two tiers higher than where the orchestra itself was playing, a large stage had been visible since the onset of the event.

With all eyes focused on the stage, Luvia, having changed into a completely different sapphire-blue dress, made her way to the very center. Then, using Magecraft to enhance her already loud voice, she performed a polite curtsy before smiling as she said, "I would like to thank all of you for attending tonight's event. Though I am acting as host of this evening's Imperial Gala, it wouldn't be much of an event without its Guests of Honor. With that in mind, please give light applause for the Empire's Steward, Sir Bedivere..."

Following Luvia's introduction, a fair-skinned man attired in formal wear that resembled both a butler and a military officer stepped onto the stage. He had a regal and noble appearance with perfect bearing, befitting of his status as both a Knight and Imperial Steward. As a result, many members of the audience were awed while a number of women, and even some men, began to harbor untoward fantasies regarding the handsome Knight...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Dao of Hairdressing','Reines' death-seeking habits','Imagine learning most of the former Knights of the Round Table are still single...')

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