Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Far more so than the Imperial Palace of the Hellas Empire, the palaces designed to protect the Ostian Royal Family were surrounded by a comprehensive set of barriers. With a cursory scan, Vahn was able to sense a total of thirty-nine, but, trusting his instincts, he spent the better part of an hour probing a total of 108 barriers. There was even one that sent out an invisible pulse of nigh-undetectable magical energy several times every second, scanning and mapping the interior for any sign of change.

Vahn was confident in his stealth capabilities, but, seeing how ridiculous the defenses of the main Palace were, he had to consider his options properly unless he wanted to earn the ire of the Royal Family. This didn't particularly matter, but, with artifacts like Theo's cloak, which had the ability to even fool his conventional scans, Vahn couldn't underestimate the capabilities of the Akamatsuverse. There were even entire schools of martial arts that revolved around killing Immortals, so, even compared to the Nasuverse it had a few concepts that could setbacks his plan quite a bit...

After thinking for the better part of half an hour, Vahn decided it might be best to simply go forward with his actual identity. He was intending to make a name for himself, and, though it would probably become troublesome in the future, having connections to the Ostian Royal Family wasn't necessarily bad. He already intended to save the doomed nation, so, even if he wanted to try and play the part of a mysterious stranger, there were no merits. Rather, he was planning to draw out Cosmo Entelecheia by becoming a thorn in their side, a plan benefited from a more 'direct' approach.

With his mind made up, Vahn adorned the casual attire he often wore while fulfilling his duties as an Emperor. He had become quite fond of the outfit, and, though it made him seem like an anime protagonist that never changed their style of dress, this was actually very normal within the Records. Though things like fashion existed, a surprising number of people, including the residents of the Inner Sanctum, gravitated towards the same type of outfit. (A/N: Vahn's casual attire is literally what he wears on the cover.)

As if a switch had been flipped, a regal and mildly suppressive aura immediately radiated out from Vahn the moment he donned his usual attire. It wasn't as impressive as it had been in the Nasuverse, but, with hundreds of Elementals happily gathering around him, Vahn felt it would suffice for his intentions.

By the time he had finished his preparations, Vahn noticed a total of thirty-five Magic-Knights converging on his position. He found their Valkyrian-like armor rather intriguing, as, in a way, it was similar to the exoskeletons that had been produced by Da Vinci. They were significantly less advanced, making them somewhat bulky and hard to move around in, but they were still quite remarkable to observe due to the skilled piloting of the Ostian Royal Militia...

Seeing their quarry standing stationary, the Captain of the Squadron descended with a rather unnecessary 'hero-style' landing before rising to their feet and saying, "State your identity and purpose! This is a forbidden area and you are not a registered citizen of Ostia! If you refuse to cooperate, we are authorized to use deadly force...!"

With his hands casually folded behind his back, Vahn turned toward the man before calmly stating, "Inform your Queen that the Sage Dragon Emperor has arrived. I will give you three hours to pass my message and return to me. After that, I will enter the Palace directly. Know that I do not seek conflict with your people, but, if you attempt to bar my passage, I will have little choice but to act."

Finished with his words, Vahn closed his eyes and pretended to ignore the encirclement that was meant to cut off his escape. This was enough to trigger a few alarm bells in the Captain's mind, so, rather than immediately ordering Vahn's arrest, he pulled out a device that looked like a large pocket watch, but, instead of a clock face, it had an emerald green liquid inside of it. This was a device used to make an approximation of a person's strength and determine if they were hostile, but, much to the Captain's surprise, it didn't seem capable of detecting the energy of the man silently standing before them.

Suddenly feeling as though this was a matter above his paygrade, the Captain signaled for the encirclement to widen. He decided it was best to simply cordon off the area, report the situation to his superior officer, and request backup from other squadrons. There was even a chance the target was familiar with a member of the Royal Family, so, until more information could be obtained, treating him as a dangerous yet 'safe' entity was the best way to mitigate casualties and collateral damage...

Vahn was somewhat surprised by the level-headedness of the Captain, but, considering how peaceful and orderly Ostia was, it wasn't too surprising. It was a testament to how disciplined the Ostian Royal Militia was, a stark contrast to the rather disorderly Imperial Guards that had been present in the Hellas Empire. He couldn't even sense one with a blackened aura, giving the entire squadron a very 'righteous' vibe...

---

After a surprisingly short period of time, roughly seven minutes, Vahn was surprised to sense more than two-hundred people surrounding him. This wasn't particularly noteworthy, but, as if they were a singular entity, all 219 members spontaneously adopted a position of attention. At the same time, a peculiar Airfish, shaped and styled much like a goldfish, approached from the direction of the Palace. It was accompanied by a small squadron of shark-like Airfish that were basically the fighter jets of the Magical World, each capable of hypersonic speeds and equipped with twin-mounted magic cannons and a host of barrier-breaking missiles.

Though the entire scene was quite something, Vahn took special note of the fact that there was a barrier around the goldfish-like ship that made it difficult to detect. It seemed to have a function that looped back the magical energy output of its engineers, recycling it to be used in the forward mana battery, a massive cannon that could even blow off the top of a mountain when fully charged.

Even without having the situation explained, the actions of the Royal Knights and the emblem painted on the side of the goldfish were obvious indicators that a member of the Royal Family was on board. This was a rather curious development, as, even after introducing himself by his title, Vahn hadn't expected them to come out and greet him. This improved his opinion of the Ostian Royal Family quite a bit, as it was indicative of humility rarely found in Aristocratic lines.

Without landing, the goldfish-like Airfish stopped around two-hundred meters from Vahn's position, just outside the encirclement. Then, from the aft section of the ship, a young woman of around 14-15 years old leaped out, the hem of her pink dress fluttering gracefully as she descended silently to the ground. She had neatly trimmed golden hair that extended past the small of her back, and, despite her relatively small frame, there was a phenomenal amount of power swirling about inside of her.

Sensing the presence of Divine Energy within the woman's body, Vahn now understood why Royal Magic was so much more powerful than normal Magic. Higher forms of energy had the inherent ability to suppress others, and, especially when it was derived from higher Laws. He could tell that the pseudo-divinity contained in the woman's body was the power of Creation itself, so, unless someone used the Laws of Destruction against her, she had a nigh-absolute advantage against most people...

Waiting until the woman was only a few meters away, Vahn opened his eyes, a casual smile spreading across his face as he said, "You do me a great honor, Princess, personally coming to receive me. It is no wonder the Ostian Royal Family is held in such high regard. Now, I am even more certain about my decision to lend you my aid..."

Showing absolutely no change in her expression, giving her the appearance of an ice queen, the Princess stated, "I am Arika Anarukia Enteofyushia, Queen-Incumbent of the Kingdom of Vespertatia. Pray tell, Sage Dragon Emperor, why have you come here?"

Towards the end of her introduction and questioning, Vahn noticed Arika's heterochromatic eyes flicker towards the Elementals in his surroundings. It seemed that there was more to her peculiar green and blue eyes than their beauty, causing Vahn to smile as he grabbed one of the Elementals from his shoulder and presented it to her.

After staring at what most believed to be an empty hand, Arika attempted to grasp the tiny Wood Elemental, but, unlike Vahn, her fingers passed through it as if it didn't exist. The fact she had actively tried to grab it, however, was enough to confirm that she could actually see them. This showed she had a relatively pure heart, as, according to most studies, the only people able to see Nascent Elementals, besides those with the innate talent, were children and exceptionally pure-hearted individuals.

With his impression of the Princess improving by the moment, Vahn lightly chuckled before saying, "Don't let it bother you. The fact you can even see them speaks volumes about your character, Princess. As for the reason behind my visit, it is as I stated previously: I have come to provide aid. I only hope your status as Queen-incumbent is a precautionary measure, as it would be truly regretful if my arrival was too late..."

Understanding the meaning behind Vahn's words, Arika showed an almost imperceptible amount of surprise, asking, "You have come to help my Mother? Do you truly possess such capabilities?"

Noticing the skepticism visible in Arika's eyes, Vahn resisted the urge to roll his eyes, smiling as he stated, "Though my primary title is Sage Dragon Emperor, those privy to the truth of my identity also know me as another name: Godhand. It does not matter the severity of the injury, the potency of the poison, or the power of the curse. So long as even a sliver of life remains, I can prolong it indefinitely."

Though she would normally take such claims with a grain of salt, the rather ridiculous number of Elementals around Vahn lent some credibility to his claim. When she first heard the reports of someone referring to themselves with three prestigious titles, Arika's first thought was that he was just some conman that wanted to win the favor of the Royal Family. She had originally come with the intention of driving him away, but, now that she saw him up close, hope began to return to her weary heart...

After several seconds of silence, Arika surprised the surrounding Knights by saying, "There is no need for further caution. For the time being, the Sage Dragon Emperor is a personal guest of the Ostian Royal Family. Return to your duties."

As the orders of their 'Queen' were absolute, every member of the Royal Knights answered with a perfectly timed salute. Vahn even suspected the Commander and Captains had some kind of device that automated the reaction with the activation of an unnamed spell...

Understanding that Arika was making a gesture of good faith, Vahn gave an appreciative nod before following behind her as she led the way towards her rather unique Airfish. Then, using seamless flight magic, she ascended towards the aft entrance of the ship without looking over her shoulder to see if he could do the same. This was rather amusing, so, giving in to his bad habit, Vahn used a nigh-instantaneous [Koku Shundo] to appear on the ship's deck, his arms crossed behind him as he waited for her arrival.

Seeing the strange man waiting for her, Arika fought hard to resist the urge to look over her shoulder. She had the distinct impression she was being messed with, so, after softly landing on the deck, she combed through her long bangs, common in the Akamatsuverse, and asked, "Does the Sage Dragon Emperor enjoy showing off his skills?"

Not expecting such a composed response, Vahn's brows raised slightly as he stated, "When you are faced with a life of perpetuity, it is important to find ways to keep yourself entertained. I generally restrain myself during serious situations, but, when the conditions allow, I can be rather mischievous. I will not ask for your forgiveness, only that you do not take my occasional teasing to heart."

Hearing Vahn's response, Arika gave an 'understanding' nod before walking past him and descending into the ship. She was tempted to ask him about his age and origins, but, feeling as though he was trying to bait her, she decided to momentarily shelve her curiosity. The most important thing was confirming whether or not he could actually help her mother. If he turned out to be full of hot air, she would not hesitate to personally beat him down with her bare fists.

Unaware of the 'judgment' that had already been made against him, Vahn followed Arika into the ship, surprised to find it completely empty. It could easily house a small group of people, complete with four rooms, a full-sized bath, and a kitchenette, so he had expected there to be a small crew onboard. Instead, it seemed like the peculiar ship was Arika's personal craft, and, though it wasn't nearly as advanced as something like Ark, it actually had a rudimentary AI to keep it under control when she wasn't aboard...

Noticing the 'surprise' visible in Vahn's eyes, a small feeling of pride welled up inside of Arika. It didn't show on her face, not in the slightest, but she always enjoyed the reactions of guests when they first entered her Airfish. It was something she had designed herself, and, though it was ultimately built by a team of specialist engineers, she still took great pride in it.

After taking a seat at the helm, Arika began to manually pilot the Airfish toward the back of the main palace, the location of the Royal Family's personal Fishport. There, quite a number of unique Airfish could be seen, most of which were designed by Arika herself. She might not be very expressive, leading some to refer to her as 'Noh Mask Princess' and 'Ice Queen', but that didn't mean she was without passions. It wasn't well-known outside of the Palace, but she was actually something of a battle and adrenaline junky. If not for her status as the Crown Princess, she would have liked to travel the world and enter international Airfish races, conquering the skies and becoming Queen of the Airtrack.

Unfortunately, with the burden of rulership placed upon her shoulders, Arika had to keep her passions under control. She could not afford to be emotional as the lives of millions of people were in her care. If she made a mistake, countless lives could be lost, and, with the threat of a global war lingering over her throughout her entire life, she had to be prepared to make hard decisions in order to protect her people. This was her fate as the future Queen of Vespertatia, something she could never escape...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be like, "Deadly force? Heh..."','Is this the power of fate!?','Feels like all 'good' Aristocrats don't like being Aristocrats...')

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