Chapter 1579 Focus
With Eva holding his hand and Asuna riding on his shoulders, Vahn leisurely made his way back to the estate that had been appropriated for Arika's and Theo's shared usage. It was the former estate allocated to the Arch-Dean so there were plenty of rooms available after most of the vile man's belongings had been discarded. Now, much like the Sun Palace, it was a rather empty and desolate-feeling place, as, even with Theo's attendants insisting they take care of her, there were no servants or staff anywhere within the vicinity.
After making his way to the estate, Vahn waved down one of the Ariadne Mage Knights that guarded the exterior of the premises, explaining that 'Katherine' would be staying inside from now on. They wouldn't exactly be able to bar her passage into the estate, but, to prevent any kind of misunderstands, her picture was taken so it could be disseminated throughout the two contingents of guards assigned to protect the property.
With the formalities out of the way, Vahn escorted the duo inside before setting Asuna on her own two feet, saying, "Theo has already returned so go and play with her for a bit. I'll give Eva a quick tour and we'll all head inside the diorama after your cousin returns."
Contrary to expectations, Asuna shook her head, stating, "You should introduce Eva to Theo. We're all going to be living together, so it is better for us to spend time with each other. If the two of you are always alone, it will slowly drive us apart. I like the way things are...I don't want them to suddenly change."
Asuna was well-aware of the fact that Vahn prioritized Eva over her cousin and Theo. Because of this, she was afraid everything would change now that Eva had arrived, ruining the peculiar happiness they had all found together. Thus, rather than let Vahn immediately wander off with Eva again, she insisted they all spend time together.
Seeing the 'serious' look on Asuna's face, Vahn was at a momentary loss for words. As for Eva, she seemed to find the pig-tailed girls' antics amusing, chuckling lightly before saying, "Don't force yourself, Vahn. I already know the layout of this place and I'm not afraid to meet the two brats you've been doting upon."
Shaking her head, Asuna preempted Vahn's response, saying, "You shouldn't insult others like that, Eva. Everyone will be happier if we are kind and considerate to each other. Come, let me show you the way."
Without waiting for her response, Asuna grabbed Eva's wrist, surprising the latter quite a bit due to how strong she was. Asuna had grown quite a bit since the time she started attending the Imperial Academy, increasing from 85cm to 91cm, but she was still very tiny. Despite this, she had several times the physical strength of an average adult, even without using Magic to amplify her power. As a result, Eva found herself being pulled along with an incredulous look on her face, her instincts telling her to pull free by her pride preventing her from yanking her hand away from a child...
---
Due to Asuna's insistence, it wasn't long before the group found themselves within one of the more highly decorated rooms within the estate. Rather than extravagant pieces of artwork and luxurious furnishings, however, the interior was styled more like a modern gym than anything else. There was a bed located on the furthest side of the room, but, other than when she was lounging about, Theo never actually put it to proper use. Instead, she spent most of her free time training her body and cultivating, the former allowing her to increase the density of her pink muscles while the latter allowed her to remain slim and flexible.
Hearing the door open, Theo, who had been supporting herself upside down with just the tips of her fingers, instantly opened her eyes. Seeing Vahn and Asuna brought an immediate smile to her face, but, seeing the mystery woman accompanying them, she couldn't help but scrunch her brows slightly as she quickly flipped upright. Then, while wiping away her sweat, she languidly approached the trio, putting a little more emphasis into the swaying of her hips without realizing it.
Seeing the bronze-skinned woman wearing a form-fitting black top and bottoms, Eva couldn't help but furrow her own brows slightly. She knew this 'horny woman' was one of the girls who had been pining after Vahn, and, though she had made mental preparations for meeting the two women, it apparently hadn't been enough. Before she even realized it, Eva found herself smiling coldly as she venomously asked, "Is this one of the little girls who has been clinging to you...?"
Though Vahn frowned slightly, it was Theo who answered, her voice as chipper and friendly as always, "You must be Evangeline. Vahn has told us a lot about you. You're even more beautiful than he mentioned~."
Being weak to compliments, Eva found herself at a momentary loss, her expression becoming slightly conflicted. This allowed Theo to keep the momentum in her favor, smiling radiantly as she added, "Though this is our first time meeting, I feel like we will become good friends. You are the reason Vahn came to this world, so I'm very grateful. If not for you, things would have played out a lot differently, so, while it might not be my place, please accept my gratitude on behalf of the world~."
Having been made aware of future events, Theo knew things would have been rather dreary if not for Vahn's intervention. She had even read her own biography, so, despite feeling slightly frustrated, Theo was genuinely grateful for Eva's presence. Were it not for her, Vahn would not have come to this world, and, as a result, she would have unwittingly walked the path that had been decided for her. Now, she had the opportunity to grow much stronger, and, with Vahn's support, she even had the power to seize her own destiny...
In order to properly convey her gratitude, Theo performed a courteous bow at the waist, a gesture, which, due to her status, was typically reserved for her father. She really was grateful to the golden-haired beauty staring back at her with a mildly incredulous look, and, knowing how powerful Eva was supposed to be, bowing respectfully felt appropriate.
Realizing that none of the people around Vahn were ever normal, Eva shifted her gaze away from Theo, glaring at the smiling man to her right. His wry smile gave her a palpable urge to punch him, but, after restraining herself, she looked back at Theo, her voice lacking sincerity as she said, "Thanks..."
Hearing Eva's words, Theo raised her head to reveal a wide smile on her face as she eagerly asked, "Would you like to train together with me? I have all kinds of neat equipment we can use. Vahn says you're one of the strongest people in the world, but it never hurts to do a bit of physical training~!"
Though she was working to become a mid-range Magic Knight, Theo had an inclination for getting up close and personal during battle. Her people had an instinctual hunger for battle, so, despite possessing monstrous internal reserves, Theo felt that bombarding her opponent from afar was simply 'boring'. Instead, she wanted to be like Vahn and Rakan, strong enough to instantly close the gap between her and her opponents, shattering their barriers with her bare fists and darting around the battlefield like a flash.
As someone who had never worked out, as her muscles simply couldn't develop, Eva felt apprehensive about accepting Theo's proposal. She was also a little worried that her body would turn into a lump of muscle if she started exercising while she was still developing, so, after a moment of looking around at the various pieces of exercise equipment, she shook her head and said, "I understand the merits of exercising your body, but, even without that, it is possible to possess incredible physical might. If they had proper control, even a ten-year-old could lift several tons without issue. During our future training, I won't be teaching you how to get strong. Instead, I'll be showing you how powerful you already are..."
Despite being one of the strongest people in the Akamatsuverse, Eva's reserves only gave her a Base Power of around 300. Though this had been steadily increasing ever since she had her vampiric nature sealed, the thing that made her so terrifying was the fact she had near-perfect control over the magical energy in her surroundings. Her comprehension elevated her to the point that she was able to subtly influence the Laws, and, when it came to controlling Ice and Darkness, she was, virtually, without equal.
Seeing the slight doubt within Theo's eyes, Eva used telekinesis to pull over a rack of weights, some of which denoted a value of 500kg. Then, after stacking them atop each other, she used the very tip of her finger to balance the entire stack. Her actual physical strength was only that of a ten-year-old girl, but, in spite of that, Eva was able to balance several thousand kilograms without showing any signs of exertion. Theo wasn't aware of Eva's 'true' power, but, seeing how easily she could support the weights without any fluctuations of magic power, the young Hellasian's eyes had rounded in shock.
While continuing to casually support the stack of weights, Eva explained, "Raw power is often meaningless without proper control. Even if you find a Ki user lifting massive boulders in the middle of the mountains, they usually aren't training their bodies. Instead, they are refining their control by putting themselves into situations where failure could mean death. One of the basic training methods to practice precision Ki control even has the user balancing on the tip of a metal spike using a single finger. If muscle training was the key to strength, you wouldn't see so many Masters with seemingly frail bodies. Proper control, technique, and willpower are the keys to becoming strong."
Hearing Eva's words, Theo was growing progressively more excited. Vahn had told her many of the same things, but, due to how ridiculously powerful he was, it was difficult to take his words at face value. Even when she became much stronger, it felt like the distance between them was rapidly increasing. It was almost like, the stronger she became, the better she was able to comprehend the vast and insurmountable gulf that existed between them.
Seeing how eager Theo was, an amused smile spread across Eva's face as she was preparing to magnanimously offer the girl some advice. Before she could, however, Asuna stunned the entire room by gesturing toward one of the few weights she hadn't picked up. It lazily floated over to her finger, and, after a few seconds, she was able to balance it on the tip without too much trouble. Though it was only 50kg, this was still an impressive feat, one that most adults, skilled Mages included, wouldn't be able to emulate.
Seemingly satisfied with her feat, Asuna's face blossomed into a smile as she looked toward Vahn for validation. This caused the latter to chuckle in amusement as he ruffled her hair and said, "Asuna is always amazing..." before using his own telekinesis to guide the weight back to its rack...
Though it wasn't the first time she had seen Asuna perform such a feat, Theo still felt slightly envious after seeing how easily she emulated Eva's actions. This didn't cause her smile to fade away, however. Instead, she smiled even more radiantly as she exclaimed, "That was amazing, Asuna! Now I know who to come to when Vahn and Evangeline are busy~."
As if it was a matter of course, Asuna nodded her head, returning a smile of her own as she said, "I'm not qualified to teach others, but I can give you advice."
Following Asuna's response, Theo quickly snatched her up, hugging the frowning girl tightly as she rubbed their cheeks together and exclaimed, "So cute! I'll be relying on you a lot in the future, ehehehe~!"
---
While waiting for Arika and Fenrir to arrive, each escorted by a version of Vahn, Theo did her best to try and apply Eva's teachings. Unfortunately, while she was able to balance a few tens of kilograms on her finger, the straining of her muscles indicated that she was still relying on her raw power. As a result, Eva began walking her through some basic exercises to improve her control, while, at the side, Asuna was steadily increasing the amount of weight she could balance on one finger...
Fortunately, before Theo's pride as a 'big sis' could be destroyed completely, another version of Vahn arrived alongside Fenrir. The latter was already aware of Eva's arrival, but, despite her mental preparations, she still tensed up slightly. She had come to respect Eva during the time she had spent within the orb, but, even after a hundred years had passed, she still had a slight trauma regarding Eva's neglect and attempts to bathe her...
After performing a little wiggle to remove the tensions from her body, Fenrir adopted a happy smile as she flickered next to Eva, ignoring the latter's warning look as she wrapped her arms around her and said, "I missed you, Eva~!"
Though she had quite a few memories regarding Fenrir, Eva still felt awkward being hugged by the surprisingly soft Vanargandr. It annoyed her that the former ignored the fact she didn't want to be hugged, pulling her into an over-affectionate embrace that gradually caused her face to redden. She wasn't used to such acts of familiarity, but, despite a strong desire to toss Fenrir aside, she tolerated the latter's antics with a wry smile, stating, "It is good to see you as well..."
Hearing Eva's response, Fenrir laughed mischievously before hugging her tightly one more time, whispering, "Master really did miss you a lot. Please don't be too mean to him. He might put up with it, but it will hurt his heart if you take things too far..."
After saying what she wanted to say, Fenrir released Eva's from her clutches, a radiant smile on her face as her scarlet red eyes met the latter's icy blues. Though it wasn't discernible to most, Eva was able to read a lot in the former's gaze, and, after recalling how she had been treating Vahn, she began to feel a little uncomfortable. He treated her like a princess, waiting on her hand and foot while constantly paying attention to her needs, yet, in spite of this, she often used harsh words to rebuke him. There were even times when she was the one to rile him up, constantly testing him as if trying to expose his true nature...
Before Eva could begin feeling too guilty, Fenrir issued a slight giggle before saying, "Master is happy, so there is no need to feel guilty. Besides, he loves you just the way you are. I'm just being a little selfish since I don't like it when people are mean to Master. A little bit is fine, just don't take it too far, okay...?"
Without waiting for Eva's response, Fenrir looked toward the version of her Master that was teaching Asuna, her ears perking up as she quickly made her way over to them. As for Eva, she was left contemplating Fenrir's words, only coming back to her senses when Theo asked, "What was that about?"
Though she was slightly startled by the unexpected question, Eva showed a relaxed smile on her face as she explained, "Fenrir is another one of my students. We had a few disagreements in the past, but there is no bad blood between us. Now, focus on your training. If I feel you aren't making a proper effort, don't blame me if I forbid you from sharing a bath and bed with Vahn in the future."
Hearing Eva's words, Theo showed an expression of abject shock, disbelief visible in her eyes as she failed to find words of her own. She wanted to say that it wasn't up to Eva, but, knowing she was the reason Vahn had come to this world, Theo couldn't bring herself to vocalize her thoughts. Instead, she became even more serious than before, fully focusing on her training until Arika arrival twenty minutes later...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Asuna is very wise...','Fenrir will protect her Master (o,...,o)~!','Theo and Arika just hit a wall xD...')
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