Chapter 296: Unconditional
Though Atlas was eager to show him around the rest of the fortress and labs, Vahn politely declined her invitation with the excuse he had already kept Millicas waiting well past the point of propriety. Thus, after assuring her he would stop by in the near future, he made his way to the opulently adorned conference room where Millicas and the members of his Peerage waited.
"Sorry for the delay. Dr. Atlas is very spirited," remarked Vahn, sweeping the room with his gaze. Millicas was the group’s centerpiece, but the rest of the people seated at the ring-shaped conference table weren’t exactly background characters. There was a slightly older Killua and Gon, sitting between a handsome youth with unkempt red hair and a confident young man with spiky blue hair and crimson eyes, the first named Alexander and the second Setanta. Another, much younger-looking boy with matted blue hair, Hans, sat alone with two seats separating him from a markedly older man with peculiar, almost white eyes and messy black hair that cast eerie crimson shadows—Dante.
"Please, do not apologize, Vahn-sama. It was thanks to Dr. Atlas delaying you that we could assemble en masse," stated Millicas, seated between Ignivara and a particularly mature, exotic-looking, scantily clad woman with dark brown skin, aqua-blue eyes, full and loosely braided purple hair that extended past the small of her back, large, pointed ears like those of a jackal, and a bushy tail. Her attire resembled an exotic belly dancer, but the many golden, eye-themed accessories adorning her body, including a jeweled headpiece bearing a large red gemstone, denoted her status as a Queen, specifically the Queen of Sheba.
"Is there something you wished to discuss with your Peerage present...?" asked Vahn, taking a seat in the chair Gemma, now wearing a very short-skirted Maid outfit, pulled out for him. As he did, Presea, similarly wearing a Maid outfit, stepped forward to pour him a cup of tea while stating, "It’s good to see you again, Vahn-sama..." in her usual cool monotone.
"Likewise," affirmed Vahn, offering Presea a curt nod and a polite smile as Millicas revealed, "It’s admittedly a little early to be bringing this up, but I wished to apprise you of our shared ambition following our return to the outside world. I’m certain you’re already aware, but it merits discussing in person..."
"Alright, but you can dispense with the formal tone..." said Vahn, exhaling from his nose and smiling sadly as he sighed, "I have never aspired to be a replacement for your father, but I would be happy if you considered me a member of your family, Millicas..."
"I have and will continue to do so," affirmed Millicas, his smile broadening as he firmly expressed, "But I do not wish to be protected or dependent on the Dragon’s Pavilion for the remainder of my life. I will forge a path for myself alongside those who share my vision."
"Very well said, Millicas-dono," hummed Alexander, nodding with his arms crossed.
"To that end..." started Millicas, providing Alexander a curt, reciprocal nod before meeting Vahn’s gaze and explaining, "We would like to institute an organization that directly aids worlds and realities on the brink of ruin and provides refuge to their inhabitants. We don’t disagree with the policies of the Dragon’s Pavilion, but we wish to take a more active role in preventing the apocalypses that threaten countless worlds..."
"The Karmic burden you accrue would be immense," noted Vahn. "But if this is the path you’ve chosen for yourself, I won’t hinder you from doing what you believe to be right. I might not necessarily agree with it, but I’m not opposed to being proven wrong..."
"Damn...if my old man was half as reasonable as you are, I might not have run away..." remarked Killua, leaning back precariously in his chair with his hands behind his head and feet on the conference table’s edge.