Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

A few minutes before dinner was scheduled to begin, Olga entered into the almost comically large dining hall, set with a table that could easily seat a hundred people with ease. With only four people present, excluding the various staff located in the surroundings, it caused incongruous feelings in the hearts of anyone seeing such a scene for the first time. Olga wasn’t entirely sure how she should act but, seeing the young child seated at the table, she was able to calm down a great deal. Though the presence of Rin and Gray made her feel tense, as she had some less-than-positive experiences with both women in the past, Olga still moved to the seat she had been assigned under the guidance of her two accompanying Maids. This had her seated next to Gray who, contrasting Olga’s memories of the woman, was wearing relatively casual clothes compared to the dreary gray-colored garb she had always worn in the past...

As there had been a lull in the conversation with the arrival of Olga, Gray gave her a polite smile as she greeted, "Good evening..." in a soft tone of voice. This earned her an awkward smile in response from Olga as, during their last meeting, she hadn’t been all that kind to Gray. Now, however, it felt as if their positions had been completely reversed and, knowing how strong Gray was, Olga felt more than a little uncomfortable being seated next to her. Regardless, before she actually sat down, Olga gave a polite bow toward everyone at the table, saying, "Thank you for the dinner invitation." Then, as she was preparing to sit, Olga was caught by surprise as the little girl with brown hair and teal eyes happily shouted, "Good evening, Onee-san! You have beautiful hair and eyes~!"

Being weak to compliments and praise, something Allard had taken advantage of in the past, Olga had a complex and embarrassed expression on her face as she ran her fingers through her hair and said, "Thank you for the compliment..." She felt silly to be happy that a little girl had said her hair and eyes were beautiful but, as she could tell the girl was sincere, unlike most members of High Society, Olga still accepted the compliment. Then, under the amused gaze of Luvia, she sat down in her chair with a slightly reddened face. Following this, Luvia rang a small bell to indicate the start of dinner, an action that set dozens of different staff into motion as they brought out plates of appetizers and small menus for everyone present.

Since Olga seemed a little confused about what to order, Luvia had lightly stirred the contents of her teacup as she explained, "My family employs a team of five-star chefs, each proficient with preparing different types of food that you may order at your leisure. I would personally suggest the wild boar as it is in season right now. Pierre prepares it with a broth of mushrooms, sweet-scented marigold, and an accent of juniper berries. With a glass of Chateau Domaine, I can assure you it is a dining experience you’ll not soon forget~." With that said, Luvia handed her own menu back to the waiting Maid, eliciting a polite bow from the petite purple-haired woman as she stepped off to the side to wait for everyone else to order. All of the food would be prepared and served together so as to avoid any awkward tensions at dinner.

As it was considered very rude not to follow the recommendations of the host, Olga placed a similar order before placing her hands neatly in her lap and falling silent. She didn’t really have much to say to anyone at the table and, remembering that Luviagelita had explained the actual discussion would come after dinner, Olga just wanted to avoid embarrassing herself. Unfortunately for her, Sakura had taken an interest in this new ’onee-san’ with peculiar hair and eyes, staring at her with an curious expression as she asked in a chipper tone, "Onee-san, are you also a Magus? What kind of magic can you use?" As her training in Magecraft had officially started a few weeks prior, Sakura had quickly immersed herself in the grand and fantastical world she had found herself in.

Feeling as if she was being put on the spot, Olga felt slightly fl.u.s.tered as she hesitantly answered, "My family specializes in the use of Magecraft under the Thaumaturgical school of Astronomy. As for ’magic’, I am incapable of performing such a thing..." As only the five True Magics were considered actual magic within the Magus community, Olga knew it would be extremely hubristic of her to try and fool the excited little girl seated across from her. Fortunately, Rin lightly patted Sakura’s hand and explained, "Sakura, even your Kaa-chan and Luvia-nee are unable to use real magic. Remember your lessons, sweetheart..."

In response to her Kaa-chan’s reminder, Sakura gave a playful ’ehehe’ before asking a bombshell of a question, "Can’t Otou-sama use magic?" This caused Rin’s eyes to widen as Luvia began laughing at the side in her characteristic ’ohohoho~’ manner. As for Olga, her expression turned into a frown as she almost ’corrected’ the young girl before her. She didn’t know who her father was supposed to be but there was no way he could use something like True Magic. To her surprise, however, Rin gave an exasperated sigh before nodding her head and answering, "Of course...there is nothing your Otou-sama can’t do." Though this could be misconstrued as her just trying to pacify her daughter, Olga felt that Rin was actually telling the truth as even Luvia nodded her head in agreement.

Since the topic had shifted to True Magic, Olga couldn’t easily stay quiet as she turned her attention towards Luvia and asked, "Is there a sixth person who can use True Magic now? How has this been kept a secret from the Mage’s Association?" As this question left her lips, Olga was reminded of the rumors concerning the man who had won the Sixth Holy Grail War. There was very little information about him but, at least within the upper echelons of the Magus Community, he was a highly sought after individual. If it was true that he could use True Magic, this would explain why so many people were interested in trying to contact him. With the revelation of the world’s end seemingly tied to the events that took place during the Sixth Holy Grail War, it seemed highly likely this mystery individual had something to do with it...

Before the conversation could continue any further, Luvia explained with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, "Please consider where you are right now, Miss Olga Marie. As much as I would like to discuss Sakura’s Otou-sama, now is neither the time nor the place..." Though her staff was heavily vetted, Luvia didn’t appreciate that Olga was trying to ask such sensitive questions while so many servants were present. Her tone seemed to convey her dissatisfaction as Olga became pale, doing her best to shrink into her chair as she replied, "Please forgive my indiscretion..."

Seeing how tense things had become, Sakura showed a fretful expression on her face until Rin lightly stroked her hair and whispered, "You must not forget that your Otou-sama’s identity is supposed to be a secret, Sakura. Don’t worry, the day will come when you are able to shout to the whole world whose daughter you are..." Though she had already explained to Sakura that Vahn’s identity was a secret, children weren’t always considerate of such things. Now, after being reminded, Sakura used both hands to cover her mouth, both eyes widening as it was only now that she remembered her Okaa-chan telling her not to talk about her Otou-sama...

As none of the girls present really blamed Sakura for her mistake, Luvia giggled in response to her behavior before guiding the conversation in a more positive direction as she asked, "Tell me, Sakura, how have your lessons been going? Are you learning a lot?" This question immediately shattered the tensions at the table, causing Sakura to beam as she answered, "I have been learning lots! Miss Genê said I have a natural talent for Binding and Sealing Magecraft~!" Though she was not yet capable of using proper Magecraft just yet, Sakura’s potential even dwarfed her mother’s by a great deal. Even after Vahn used the [Fate Severing Knife] on her, it hadn’t significantly reduced her potential reserves by much. In the few weeks since their separation, Sakura’s Od had increased to around 7000 units of Magical Energy, with no signs of slowing down any time soon.

With the conversation changing to the topic of Sakura’s studies, things became relatively lively at the table, especially once the food arrived. Though Olga was predominately silent throughout the meal, even she couldn’t deny that the wild boar had been cooked to perfection. It had almost no gaminess at all while the accompanying broth was savory with a touch of sweetness. Even though the portion was a little heavy for her, she had missed out on lunch and, afraid to leave anything behind, Olga made sure to clear her plate with the aid of the delicious red wine. Since a single cup of the fragrant alcohol was worth almost £14,000, she savored every single drop until her crystalline wine glass was completely empty...

When dinner had come to an end, Sakura was whisked away by an entourage of Maids while Luvia had Rin, Gray, and Olga accompany her to a large study that looked more like a library than an office. There were four expensive looking sofas around an ornate wooden table while the entire floor was covered in an imperial red velvet carpet. The two walls adjacent to the entrance were lined from floor to ceiling with bookshelves, each holding countless expensive books that would have been rare finds in most family’s libraries. At the very end of the ’chamber’, there was a wide wooden desk that looked like it had been carved by an entire team of master carpenters. To the left of this masterwork table, a white grand piano that seemed to be made from a type of rosewood and ivory served to draw the eye of anyone stepping into the room for the first time.

While everyone else was taking their seats, Luvia moved over to an expensive-looking crystal chess set before arranging the pieces in a particular order. When she was finished, a magical field spread through the room that Olga recognized as her own private study used a similar mechanism. Magi were not fond of being spied upon and, as there were numerous spells specifically for that purpose, people were always developing new countermeasures to avoid having their secrets stolen. Though the barriers around the Mansion were more than enough to prevent more than 99% of attempts, there were never any guarantees in the world. If one of the servants within the Mansion ended up becoming brainwashed to carry a snooping device, a relatively easy to achieve feat, there were any number of ways in which their conversation could be listened in on...

As an extra countermeasure, Luvia pulled out a strange black box that, once activated, caused a low humming and a high-pitched whine that was almost inaudible to the human ear to sound within the room. Unlike most Magus families, the Edelfelts had little aversion to using advanced technologies, especially since most families fundamentally lacked the means to circ.u.mvent such measures. The device she had set upon the table blocked all electronic communications within a 10m radius while also dampening sounds by scattering other frequencies. Even if you were standing a few centimeters outside of the invisible bubble with a recording device, the only thing you would be able to pick up was pure static while even the voices of the people inside would sound muffled, almost as if they were talking through water.

Once all her preparations were complete, Luvia took her own seat next to Rin, looking across at Gray and Olga as she opened the conversation by explaining, "Your father and I had talked about many things during our previous meeting. You seem to be under the impression that you are being kept here as our hostage but the truth of the matter is you have been left under my protection. Even if you believe such action is unnecessary, your father and I are both aware of how cruel the other Magus families can be when they feel threatened. After your little stunt, he realized you are not of sound mind to deal with the other families during such chaotic times..." When she had heard from Lord Animusphere that Olga had actually considered marrying someone like Allard Trambelio, she had been genuinely taken aback. The man had a reputation for ’recycling’ wives, picking out young and beautiful women to essentially serve as his playthings for a few years before relegating them to the position of servants, or worse...

Now that she had been afforded the time to think more clearly on the matter, Olga knew she didn’t have a lot of room to refute Luvia’s biting words. What she didn’t expect was for Luvia to almost immediately follow things up by adding, "Well, it was actually rather fortunate that you forced him to contact me. Ever since his defense of Lord El-Melloi II and my companions, I had intended to ask him directly why he went out of his way to butt heads so fervently against Madam Barthomeloi. Though he had always been a very principled man, it was obvious to everyone that there had to be a greater reason behind his borderline ’madness’. Imagine my surprise when he revealed the matter of his prophecy to me after only a few guiding questions..."

Though they lacked the same prestige they had several hundred years prior, the Animusphere family was still one of the ten most powerful Magus families associated with the Clock Tower. Since Rin had already explained to her the matter of Angra Mainyu, and many other ’interesting’ things related to Vahn, Luvia had correctly assumed Lord Animusphere had deduced something. His prophecy didn’t mention anything directly related to Vahn but, after a bit of coaxing, he did turn over the actual findings of his research, not the altered doc.u.ment that had been disseminated through the Clock Tower.

It was the promise of ’Great Fortune’ in the Animusphere’s future that ultimately led to her agreeing to their alliance, especially since she knew the entire world would be thrown into turmoil as a result of Vahn’s future actions. With the balance of power about to undergo several drastic changes, allying with families that had the promise of good fortune could provide numerous benefits. She and Rin also suspected that the Animusphere’s future was directly tied to Vahn and, considering the fact that Olga was a beautiful and unmarried woman, it was easy to intuit what could happen. Since she was a very naive girl who seemed extremely weak against compliments and praise, it was easy to imagine how she might react around someone with a strong character like Vahn’s. Even if she wasn’t really a contender for Vahn’s future Empress, Olga would likely develop a rather potent crush on him if he were to say a few kind words and provide her with the opportunity to grow beyond her current status...

In response to Luvia’s words, Olga showed a complex expression on her face as she tried to deflect, saying, "The Animusphere family had nearly been brought to ruin as a result of our prophecies. You should not-." Before she could continue any further, Luvia shook her head and explained, "Words like that will undermine everything your family has worked for over the centuries. Besides, we are very aware of the actual danger that will present itself in less than ten year’s time. This conversation is to discuss exactly that before allowing you to choose which side you intend to stand on in the future. Depending on the choices you make this evening, your family may not just be one of the ten most powerful within the Clock Tower, but one of the most powerful in the entire world..."

Hearing the confidence in Luvia’s words, Olga couldn’t help but frown as she asked, "What kind of threat could endanger the entire world? Why have you kept silent about this until now?" Instead of Luvia answering, it was Rin who explained, "The Greater Grail had been corrupted by Angra Mainyu , an entity that represents All the World’s Evils. It was already a great threat to the world and, after the Greater Grail was destroyed, it was barely sealed away by the power of Alaya, the Manifestation of Humanity’s Will to Survive. In order to prevent the extinction of mankind, she had given her power to Vahn, the man the Mage’s Association and Holy Church have been searching for..."

The moment she heard Rin mentioned Alaya, Olga’s face became somewhat pale as, even if she didn’t intend to ally with them, the chances they would let her ’escape’ with such information was slim at best. As if to confirm this, Luvia laughed in an amused manner before adding, "It is important that you know these things in order to make your decision. However, to avoid a catastrophe, you will have to keep quiet about everything you hear here. The only reason you are allowed to learn about the connection between Vahn and Alaya is due to the fact that your father and I discussed funding your family’s secret project..."

With Luvia’s words serving as the final nail in the coffin, Olga knew there was no way for her to avoid allying herself with the Edelfelt family in the future. Their family had been working on a system that was meant to interface directly with Alaya, a means of forecasting the future and peering into the past of the entire planet. It was the ultimate form of their family’s magic and, if completed, could very well give them access to the Root. Even if it failed to achieve this, just being able to observe the past, present, and future of the entire planet could potentially guarantee them limitless wealth. The only thing that prevented the completion of the project was a severe lack of funds as the prototype had already been completed in 1990, two years before she was born.

They needed an astronomical amount of funding to kickstart the project while the power necessary to even trigger the activation of the system they referred to as CHALDEAS could power an entire country for around half a year. Since they couldn’t explain every use for the system without having it immediately stolen from them, there was no way to convince sponsors to fork over £302B every year to fund the project of a competing Magus family. As a result, CHALDEAS currently ran dark, bleeding most of the resources of the Animusphere without generating any profits. Though this could change very quickly if the Edelfelt family decided to finance the project, there is no way they would simply let the Animusphere family reap all the benefits without even asking questions about what the system was capable of...

Much to Olga’s surprise, Luvia’s next words were almost incomprehensible to her as she smiled while explaining, "Your organization, Chaldea, will come under the jurisdiction of Vahn Mason and Alaya herself in the future. However, after discussing the matter with your father, you will be placed as the Director of the project while the Edelfelt family will provide financial backing. However, this is all predicated on the fact that Vahn himself intends to make use of your research. If it is capable of what your father claimed, I imagine he will be more than willing to make use of your system to prevent the world from being destroyed in the coming conflict. At the same time, however, I’m certain you can understand that the Mage’s Association and the Holy Church would never simply allow such a system to exist without being able to benefit themselves. In order to prevent a hostile takeover, the Edelfelt family and Vahn’s private forces will be charged with the protection of your Antarctica facility. This is, once again, assuming you are able to convince Vahn that the project has any merit at all..."

If not for the ridiculously useful nature of a system like CHALDEAS, Luvia and Rin wouldn’t even be having this conversation with Olga in the first place. Though she had no problem just protecting the woman from harm, as that seemed to be what her family specialized in these days, the matter of the world’s destruction couldn’t exactly be ignored. Since Vahn would likely expand his Empire through the entire world in the future, assuming his efforts were not undermined by the Mage’s Association, Holy Church, and the Dead Apostle Ancestors, having a system to view the past, present, and future of the entire world would be ’extremely’ useful. As she was intending to be the Empress of that very Empire, Luvia was already doing what she could to guarantee the greatest chance of success as, if her efforts ended in failure, the world would end regardless.

With that in mind, Luvia looked between Rin and Gray, earning a sigh from the former and a polite nod from the latter before she smiled toward Olga and stated, "Now, before we move the discussion towards the preservation of humanity, shall we discuss the most important matter? I’m sure you are curious about the kind of man Vahn is so let your big sisters explain a few things for your benefit, ohohohoho~."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Hungry for wild boar, hungrier for praise’,’Security is very important’,’Luvia is literally, figuratively, and financially flexing on the other girls at this point xD...’)