Chapter 1095: Bond
Unlike how he would normally be 'aware' while unconscious, Vahn found himself floating in darkness for what felt like years before he finally began to return to his senses. In a way, Scáthach's final attack was similar to when Musashi had cut him apart back in the Record of Danmachi. It was a strike that was close to the truest representation of 'Spear Laws'. Scáthach had developed her understanding of the Spear to the point that, unless you had a comparable understanding of a similarly tiered Law, there was no way to even understand how you were defeated. Even with his immortal body and three processes, Vahn had experienced a state where, even though he wasn't actually dead, it was almost impossible for him to comprehend still being alive...
Contrary to expectations, Vahn felt something soft against the back of his head and neck as he slowly opened his eyes to see Scáthach staring down at him. She was gently stroking her fingers through his hair, causing a comfortable tingling sensation to spread through Vahn's mind as she gave him a lap pillow with her plump thighs. He immediately recognized the energy from her palm as 'Petting' energy, causing Vahn to released a sigh mixed with comfort and exasperation. It felt like there were no limits to what Scáthach was able to do, even copying one of the abilities he thought unique to himself without any difficulty. Still, it was undeniable that this situation was far more pleasant than he had expected, especially given Scáthach's track record...
As if she had read his mind, Scáthach gently moved her fingers around Vahn's scalp while explaining, "Though your training ended much sooner than expected, it is also true that you caused me to get serious. The way you used your preoccupation with Alaya to set a trap against me was brilliantly executed, even if your use of that ability is horrendous. In the future, we will end your training by having you enter into that state when you are near exhaustion. You should never become reliant on that kind of skill, but I will help you try and master it after you finish your other training..." With that said, Scáthach ran her finger along Vahn's cheek before she rather unceremoniously rose to her feet.
Going from a state of comfort to suddenly bumping the back of his head against the hard ground, Vahn released a groan before rising to his feet shortly thereafter. He knew better than to try and use words to 'complain' as, unless you had an 'actual' point, it seemed like they just went in one ear and out the other. This didn't mean there weren't other ways in which Vahn could 'rebel' against this cold Teacher of his as, after stepping only a few centimeters away from Scáthach, he began tracing his thumb over one of the holes he had made on the fabric of her bodysuit. At the same time, his right hand snaked its way into the fabric of her undergarments before, using a practiced motion, Vahn tore through the fabric in one swift motion. Throughout this entire process, Scáthach just stared back at him with her blank red eyes as, even from Vahn's perspective, he wasn't really thinking about his actions and just 'doing' whatever he felt like doing...
Now that Scáthach no longer had the support of the Greater Grail, her cost efficiency was even worse than before. Though Vahn had given her a 200,000,000OP [Spirit Choker] to help ease the burden, it took an awkward twenty minutes before the glow in her eyes reached an intensity that showed she was 'full'. This made him realize he would need to come up with a more effective means of sustaining her, inadvertently bringing his mind back to Sis' mention of implanting one of his 'cores' into a Servant's body. Since he had three processes, Vahn could easily produce two 'backup' cores to serve as a failsafe if his body was unexpectedly destroyed. With Scáthach being an almost unbeatable existence, it wasn't exactly the worst place to store one of his 'backups'...
Deciding he wasn't in the best state of mind to make such decisions, Vahn lightly pinched Scáthach's right nipple through the fabric of her bodysuit before asking, "How long until our next training session?" This almost immediately let to Scáthach answering, "With this amount of energy, I can sustain myself for around eleven hours if I spend five training Fenrir. So long as you prepare yourself for a more intense training session, you can use the next fifteen hours to recuperate. Since you seem a bit 'restless', make sure to release your tensions so you aren't distracted during our training." Since she wasn't able to completely understand Vahn's 'random' actions, Scáthach made the assumption it was Vahn's instinctual draw towards powerful women that led to his aimless exploration of her body when supplying her with mana...
With her words finished, Scáthach immediately exited the Sub-Space Orb to go and retrieve Fenrir while Vahn, having already intended to do what she had suggested, made his way towards the lakeside residence. There was nothing quite like laying with a woman after hard work and training, especially knowing that the girls essentially expected him to seek them out after the fact. Though they used to watch his training from start to finish, most of the girls would end up leaving when it looked like Vahn was about to fall. They would either go to take care of their own business or wait in their rooms, wondering when he might come knocking on their door. The only exception to this was Artoria and, when she felt like picking him up, Nobunaga. This time, however, Artoria wasn't alone as she sat at the small 'picnic area' near the almost pristine blue lake.
Seeing Artoria and Gray sitting next to each other, even Vahn would feel as if he was strangely unworthy to stand in their combined presence. Their uncanny resemblance, combined with Artoria's 'perfect' mannerisms and Gray's somewhat unapproachable aura made it feel like there was an invisible barrier around the table that he shouldn't enter. This, of course, had no real effect on Vahn's decision, however. Though he didn't delude himself into thinking he could convince both girls to alight with him, just spending a few minutes talking with them would be a refreshing experience. As there was a very real chance they could actually get in the mood during the conversation, Vahn didn't feel it was a waste of time to join them for tea, even in his somewhat high-tension state.
With Artoria rising to greet him, Gray quickly followed suit after flustering slightly at the unexpected interaction. She didn't know why, but she felt 'compelled' to emulate Artoria's behavior as, the longer they talked, the more she genuine aspired to be like her. Though she resented this idea in the past, Artoria seemed like a far more down-to-earth person than she expected, even if it was hard to keep pace with her sudden polite behavior and seemingly immutable bearing. Thus, when Artoria stopped speaking almost mid-sentence to rise up and greet Vahn, she did the same in a rather awkward manner with her hands neatly folded. She was just short of calling Vahn Master, a thought that turned her face scarlet when the word nearly left her mouth...
Feeling that the odds were leaning in his favor, Vahn gestured for the two to sit as he mused, "The two of you seem to be getting along rather well. It is refreshing to see you in such high spirits, Gray. Thank you for treating her well, Artoria..." In response to this, Artoria had a natural smile on her face as she gave a curt nod before saying, "I am proud to have such an outstanding descendent. I had never expected my genealogy to have persisted for more than fourteen hundred years. Though I feel troubled thinking about how this was managed, it still pleases me to interact with one of my own kin in the present..."
Hearing Artoria's words, Vahn couldn't help but perk up his brows as he asked, "Is it so difficult to believe that one of the most legendary historical Kings would have a lineage passed down through the ages?" Though Vahn also wasn't sure how Artoria's genes were passed down, as it was rumored that Queen Guinevere was barren, the fact Merlin had been present in her Era meant it shouldn't have been that difficult for him to find a solution. At the same time, her father, Uther Pendragon, had an extended family line that even the most determined enemies would be hard-pressed to eliminate. He even found a few rather complicated family trees related to Arthur* within the system shop, some of which even included Gray's name in them, a full thirty-seven generations descended...
What Vahn found troublesome was the fact that in most of the lineages he observed, Gray's name was only ever attributed to a mother, never a father. Since he didn't want to pry too much without her first revealing things on her own, Vahn didn't look too deeply into it as he listened to Artoria somewhat awkwardly explain, "Though it is not difficult to imagine that my extended family was able to persist through the generations...I...my own descendant should not have been able to pass on their genes." At this point, Artoria had a conflicted expression on her face but, whilst she may have kept the matter private in the past, this time she mustered up the resolve to explain, "Due to the machinations of fate...I was required to put the one person who could be considered my descendent to death..."
Artoria released a tired sigh before noticing that neither Gray nor Vahn was looking at her with eyes filled with judgment. Instead, Gray seemed to empathize with her while Vahn's eyes immediately softened, his silence encouraging her to continue. Though it was a bit of a mood killer, Vahn's interest in Artoria's past far outweighed his libido. They would be together for upwards of sixty years, at the very least, so it was better to learn things like this early on. If he could, Vahn would help her find closure as it was clear for anyone to see that Artoria had a lot of regrets about her past...
Feeling a close kinship with Gray, and a deepening affection with Vahn, Artoria eventually hardened her heart as she explained, "I will not go into too many details of my struggles to produce an heir to inherit the throne...the only thing that ultimately matters was that I failed in my duty. This didn't stop others from conspiring to seize the throne, however. In my later years, one of my own knights came forward claiming to be my legitimate son, a woman named Mordred. I do not know how she came to be, but she certainly inherited my looks and combat prowess...however, she did not possess the qualities of a King so I was forced to deny her claim as my heir. Later, after I had to deal with a civil uprising, Mordred led a rebellion in order to forcibly seize the throne. This was the same Battle of Camlann where I was supposed to have fallen...struck down by the blade of my former Knight and my only potential descendant..."
If Vahn were being honest, he hadn't quite expected things to have played out in the way that Artoria had described them. There were certainly historical accounts of Mordred and the Battle of Camlann but, much like Artoria's own gender, it was obvious things had been skewed greatly from the truth of the matter. Mordred was described as being a handsome and manly knight who swept through the battlefield with an almost unrivaled amount of skill. Hearing Artoria description of events, it was apparent that, while the rumors of 'his' skills were undoubtedly true, it was far more like that Mordred was a beautiful and petite woman instead of a burly and dominating man...
As if to try and console Artoria, Gray reached out her hand before hesitantly placing it on her shoulder as she explained, "I do not know what it is like to have to fight against your own child...but I understand how family can be a complicated mess...In order to make me more like you, I was treated as some kind of sacred idol that represented your physical rebirth. After that, my village even made several attempts to try and call your spirit into the present world to inhabit my body...killing my own ego and personality in the process. There are several times I should have died...even I do not know how I was able to remain myself...if I am even the same person I was back then..."
With Gray also dropping quite the bombshell, Vahn was beginning to feel as if the air within their 'bubble' was becoming increasingly tense. Since it seemed like the thing to do, he decided it was his turn to open up, releasing a heavy sigh before giving a barebones summary of his past, before his rise to becoming an Emperor. This seemed to catch Alaya's attention as well but, as there wasn't really anything he could do about her, Vahn chose to ignore her. Even if Akasha's superiors tried to 'replicate' the experiment that they might misconstrue as the catalyst to produce another person like him, they were missing the most fundamental ingredient, his blood. He had no doubt they had been analyzing it during his battles with Scáthach but, no matter how they endeavored to try and crack its secrets, it was simply beyond the means of a Tier 5 entity.
Hearing Vahn recount his past, both Artoria and Gray were stunned into silence as, no matter how they looked at him, Vahn didn't seem like someone who had undergone such a terrible experience. At the same time, however, they could tell he wasn't trying to deceive them as it would have taken an almost impossible level of acting to fool their intuition. The realization that he was telling the truth shook both girls to the core as, even though their pasts were also filled with tragedy, it was also true that Artoria's path had been cleared for her since birth. Even Gray, after being identified as Artoria's second coming, spent much of her life essentially being worshipped by her entire village. Though their attempts to implant Artoria's soul into her body had left her with deep and permanant mental scars, she couldn't even imagine being crippled and imprisoned as people harvested her blood for fourteen years straight...
Seeing that his story had been a little 'too effective' on Artoria and Gray, Vahn managed a wry smile before quickly regaining his confidence as he explained, "So long as there is life, there is the chance to make a better future for yourself and others. It is just like I told you during our first time together, Artoria...I am constantly moving forward. I'm not just looking for my own happiness either, but the happiness of everyone around me. I believe, if you really made the effort, you could even reconcile with Modred. She might not have had the qualities of a King, but that doesn't mean the two of you couldn't be parent and child here in the present. Instead of living with your regrets, you should look towards the infinite possibilities the future holds...there are no limits to any path, so long as you pick yourself back up each time you stumble..."
With Vahn suddenly mentioning their first time, Artoria's face became somewhat humorous as she awkwardly smiled, even as her brows were furrowed slightly. The red hue on her face, however, was the only evidence required to understand she was feeling bashful. This was noticed by Gray who, before seeing Artoria's reaction, hadn't really connected the dots before now. Realizing that Vahn and Artoria had already had sex, she felt her heart begin to beat rapidly as a variety of tumultuous emotions intermingled within her mind. She could 'easily' imagine Vahn and Artoria together but, instead of a woman with blond hair and green eyes, the version her mind defaulted to had gray hair and blue eyes...
As if to hide her embarrassment, Artoria released a few coughs before straightening her back and asking, "Do you really think I can make amends so easily...?" In response to this, Vahn immediately shook his head before correcting, "It isn't supposed to be easy. At times, it might even be the hardest thing in the world to accomplish...however, if you manage to persist until the end, I can assure you there is are few things that could rival the sense of fulfillment that accompanies such success. The only thing I can imagine that outright beats it is watching your child take their first breath..."
Seeing the deep affection within Vahn's eyes, Artoria couldn't help but return a smile of her own while, at her side, Gray looked like her mind had stopped working. She had been willfully ignoring the awkwardness that was present during breakfast, where she watched Rin and Vahn behave rather lovey-dovey while treating Sakura as their daughter. Hearing him now mention 'other' children made her mental faculties slow to a crawl, causing her to somewhat awkwardly ask, "Vahn, exactly how old are you...?" Though she almost asked how many children he had, Gray felt like she actually didn't want to know the answer. She now recalled that Vahn's 'goal' was to return to his family, something she had overlooked as her emotions continued to build over the past few days...
In response to Gray's sudden question, Vahn cast his eyes across his own status, his brows rising slightly as he answered, "I actually just turned 156 today. If you hadn't asked, I may not have even realized it..." Though Vahn said these words aloud, Sis was aware they were directed toward her and not the two girls he was talking to. Since Vahn had a lot of other things going on, she had decided against telling him it was his birthday. It would only complicate matters even further as, from past observations, things always got chaotic whenever Vahn told the people around him that it was his birthday...
For entirely different reasons, Artoria and Gray were both surprised by Vahn's admission that it was his birthday. Artoria recovered much faster, a radiant smile on her face as she sincerely stated, "Happy Birthday, Master. We should inform the others and celebrate the event properly." As for Gray, she was experiencing a bit of inner turmoil as Vahn was actually much older than she expected. Though it wasn't impossible for some people to even live for thousands of years, the Director of the Clock Tower being a good example, she had thought he was closer in age to her. He didn't act like one of the old monsters that spared no expense when it came to preserving their youth through the ages, once again reminding her that Vahn claimed to be a 'Pseudo-Divine Spirit'...
With how awkward Gray was acting, Vahn gestured for Artoria to calm down as he softly asked, "Are you okay, Gray...?" This caused her shoulders to slump a bit before she began taking several deep breaths to work up her resolve. Then, even more spontaneous than her previous actions, Gray made a strange expression as she quickly asked, "Do you like me...?" Figuring she could figure out other things later on, Gray wanted to clarify whether or not Vahn even liked her. She had felt that his actions indicated he had some affection towards her but, after seeing how he acted with Rin, combined with the revelation that he had slept with Artoria, she was no longer sure. Knowing that she was actually wearing panties she thought he might like, Gray was beginning to feel nervous as sitting down suddenly became uncomfortable...
Though he was a little surprised at Gray's spontaneity, Vahn didn't overthink things too much as he nodded his head before confidently saying, "Of course. Though I thought we could be friends at first, I won't deny that I've developed tender feelings for you over the last few days. When I heard about you getting injured, I had been-." Instead of letting him continue any further, Gray began to quickly shake her head as she exclaimed, "No, you don't have to go into details...!" She felt Vahn might even mention the treatment he had given her body, a memory that often plagued her mind when she was trying to relax. Since she already had an answer to the most important question, Gray's heart felt like it was going to explode as she quickly added, "I...I like you too...!" with a red face.
The moment Gray made her confession, she actually turned her eyes towards Artoria to see how she would react. When she saw the latter was relatively calm, even though she still had a light blush from earlier, Gray felt strangely relieved as she slumped even further in her seat. It was only now that she looked back at Vahn, seeing him smiling back at her with what she could only construe as a teasing smile and visible amusement in his eyes. This was already enough to make her feel giddy but, when Vahn suddenly said, "This is quite the birthday present...to think a beautiful girl would confess to me so suddenly...", Gray felt like her head was going to overheat. Even Artoria's face developed a deeper blush as, though his words weren't directed toward her, the fact that she and Gray shared an almost identical appearance meant he thought she was beautiful as well. Though he had actually said these words directly to her before, Artoria felt strangely embarrassed to hear him call someone identical to her beautiful...
While Vahn was enjoying the reactions of the two unique beauties, his mood was immediately killed when Alaya suddenly asked, "Is this the kind of appearance you prefer?" Then, without waiting for a response, Alaya's form instantly changed into a version of Artoria and Gray with peculiarly fair blue skin, neat white hair, and the same purple eyes. Though this confirmed she could freely change her form, the fact he now had a nearly naked and infinitely more exotic version of the two girls hovering next to him caused Vahn to release a tired sigh. As for Artoria and Gray, the former had a troubled look on her face as she stared silently at Alaya while the latter was simply confused about how the tensions had shifted so suddenly. She felt like she had done something wrong, at least until Vahn returned a gentle smile toward her before blowing Gray's mind as he expressed his trust toward her by revealing the existence of Alaya at his side...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gentle Scáthach is surprisingly nice...?','*insert 'my pain is far greater than yours' gif here*','RIP Gray, it is already too late to escape now...')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE
Chapter 1096: Awkward
After proving the existence of Alaya by forcing her to appear before Gray, the latter entered a long period of silence as her brain processed all of the new information Vahn had provided. Knowing the world facing a crisis in just ten year's time, it suddenly felt like she was wedged between a rock and a hard place. If Vahn had revealed this information to her by itself, she would have been compelled to report to Lord El-Melloi II so that the Mage's Association could begin its own preparations. Knowing he had Alaya at his side, however, Gray worried that he would become a target for elimination by almost every existing organization. Alaya might be a necessary existence to the world, but 'she' was still a force that caused both fear and intrigue within the Magus Community. If it could be proven that Vahn was directly tied to Alaya, there would always be people that would want to secure him for their own experiments. Equally as problematic would be the people who sought to 'destroy' or 'study' Alaya through trying to manipulate or entrap Vahn within their schemes...
Turning her head to look at Alaya, Gray could understand why both Vahn and Artoria had been taken aback as, though she looked distinctly alien, her appearance was almost identical to her own. This caused several questions to pop up in her mind but, as there were inarguably more important things at hand, Gray turned to Vahn as she asked, "Why did you tell me all of this...?" Though she already knew this was Vahn's way of showing that he trusted her, Gray suddenly felt burdened by the truth. She had just confessed her feelings to Vahn, but she couldn't simply set aside her loyalty towards Lord El-Melloi II. He may not have been the best Mentor at all times, but he protected her from getting a Sealing Designation and has taught her many things over the last few years...
In response to Gray's words, Vahn gave her an unnerving smile, even though it was just his normal gentle smile. This smile felt like it was quickly becoming her weakness, causing Gray's heart to beat faster as he plainly stated, "I do not believe you are the type of girl who would betray the trust people place in you. You have enough wherewithal to understand that the matter of Angra Mainyu will come to light without you needing to draw attention to yourself and others by revealing it..." If Gray truly did inform Lord El-Melloi II about Angra Mainyu and Alaya, it was guaranteed that he, Gray, Rin, and pretty much everyone in their faction would be placed under heavy scrutiny. He didn't believe for a moment that Gray would endanger all of her friends, regardless of her 'loyalty' towards Lord El-Melloi II...
Even without Vahn pointing it out, the main reason for Gray's conflict is that she was more aware of the situation than he was. She knew that Lord El-Melloi II would undoubtedly come forth with the information as, regardless of his own feelings on the matter, he would prioritize the safety of the world. There is no way he would be able to 'gamble' billions of lives by entrusting the fate of the world to Vahn, regardless of whether or not Vahn had the 'literal' World supporting him. Until Vahn had been able to cement himself as a world power, there were no grounds for negotiation as the risks currently outweighed the potential gains, at least from a 'rational' standpoint...
Gray understood that Vahn was anything but normal, even before he had Alaya lingering around him like a ghost haunting its victim. However, she had imagined a scenario where he eventually joined the Clock Tower and aligned himself with the Archisorte and Edelfelt families. Then, because he was the type that seemed to fight on the frontlines, she imagined they would take on jobs together before steadily growing closer. It had never crossed her mind that she would suddenly find herself at a crossroads where she needed to choose between her own happiness and her duty. Now, though she knew they weren't trying to mislead her, it felt like all of her discussions with Artoria and Vahn about their pasts were weighing heavily on her heart...
As if to nail the point home, Artoria could see the struggle in Gray's eyes so she tried to show her support by saying, "One of my greatest regrets in life was never pursuing my own happiness. I lived my entire life trying to fulfill my duty, only to feel an extreme amount of regret at the very end. Now, here in the present, I want to live truer to my own wants and desires...this time around, I will do my best to help as many people as possible, not as a King, but as a Knight..." Towards the last half of her statement, Artoria looked towards Vahn with the smallest hint of a blush on her face. This brought a genuine and appreciative smile to his face because, whether she realized it or not, Vahn knew that her words had essentially made up Gray's mind...
Hearing the words of the woman she had started to develop a strong aspiration towards, Gray felt her own resolve building. With each loud throb of her heart, she felt her determination growing to the point that it felt like she could do anything. At the same time, her face became a deep shade of red as she looked towards Vahn, making his own heart begin racing as she asked, "Is it really okay to seek my own happiness...?" Since it was very clear what she believed her happiness to be, Vahn felt strangely nervous as he nodded his head, a confident and supportive smile on his face. Though it felt like he was making a lot of the same mistakes as he had in Danmachi, Vahn knew he needed all the help he could get if he wanted to contend against whatever the 'Administrators' would throw at him. There was also the simple fact that he thought Gray was a good girl and, though he hadn't abused her, Vahn felt that Lord El-Melloi II's treatment of her was almost cruel...
In response to Vahn's words, Gray's face was almost glowing due to how red it was, something that had a powerful impact with the ahoge on her head twitching from side to side in an unbelievably adorable manner. He was highly tempted to reach out and grab the peculiar tuft of hair but, fearing it might be like pulling the pin from a grenade, Vahn elected not to. Instead, he waited patiently for Gray to collect herself, watching as she seemed to steadily work up her courage while Artoria, seated at her side, actually began to fidget uncomfortably. The way Gray was behaving made her feel like she was intruding on a special moment between the two. The troublesome part was, if she were to actually try and leave, Artoria felt like this would only make the situation even more awkward since she could tell that Gray seemed to genuinely idolize her...
Surprisingly, more than a minute had passed as illusory steam began to rise up from Gray's head. It didn't seem like she could actually bring herself to say what was on her mind, causing the tension in the air to steadily become more awkward as time passed. This caused Vahn to choose and take pity on her, lightly tapping the table to draw her attention before saying in a gentle tone, "You shouldn't force yourself too much, Gray. There is plenty of time to sort out your feelings. You don't need to..." As Vahn was speaking, Gray began to shake her head before sheepishly answering, "There isn't a lot of time. If I can't make a decision now, I feel that I will lose the chance completely..." Though she had ignored it earlier, Gray's mind was now able to realize that the behavior of the other girls during breakfast as 'abnormal'. She felt that, if she were to return to London for a few years, Vahn would have already moved on to several other women by then...even if he said he still liked her, she wasn't sure she had a big enough heart to believe him...
Deciding to bite the bullet once again, Gray followed up her words by asking, "Do you sleep with all your Servants...?" Though he didn't seem like an inherently licentious man, as Vahn had never looked at her with 'greedy' eyes before, Gray felt she needed to hear the truth. To her relief, Vahn shook his head to refute her question before immediately bringing her tensions back up as he explained, "I do not simply sleep with anyone, Gray. Though it may seem like I do at times, it is important to me that both sides are consenting. I would never force anyone into doing something they didn't want to do, just as I would never subject myself to the whims and desires of another arbitrarily. To answer your question better, I have never slept with Circe or Scáthach, nor do I have any intention to make a move on Illya..."
Using Vahn's words as a basis, Gray quickly deduced that he had slept with Fenrir, Rin, Nobunaga, Lakshmibai, and Artoria. She was most surprised by the fact Lakshmibai, a woman some considered a Saint, and Artoria, a proud King of Knights, both seemed okay with this. Even the fact Rin, someone she believed to be a strong woman with even stronger sensibilities, seemed perfectly fine with the fact that Vahn was sleeping with other girls. Since the thought of him being with another girl actually caused her heart to ache a bit, Gray didn't understand how they could be okay with it. Since she was unable to rationalize it herself, she turned to Artoria, a hopeful look in her eyes as she asked, "Are you really okay with this...?'
As she was quickly beginning to realize that Gray was relying on her to make decisions, Artoria released a subdued sigh before seriously answering, "I am not the best person to give advice on the relations between men and women. However, even during my time, I was under constant pressure to take multiple wives in order to produce an heir. Even members of my own Round Table had multiple mistresses and lovers while, after particularly fierce battles, some would even patron brothels and harlots. I have never considered it my place to speak out against such actions as even my marriage was a matter of obligation...what I can say for sure is that, after experiencing it for myself...I don't believe Vahn is a bad person..." Though she had started off with good momentum, Artoria's face became progressively redder as she remembered her first time with Vahn...
Seeing Artoria suddenly turn into a bashful maiden, Gray felt simultaneously lost and intrigued by her words. Since she couldn't really understand how women with such strong personalities could allow Vahn to act with impunity, it meant he must be capable of something 'amazing' when they were together. This caused her face to rapidly heat up as, though she wasn't a virgin, Gray hadn't really enjoyed her previous experiences all that much. Those had all been the result of misguided curiosity and the simple desire to connect in a more meaningful way with another human. This was the first time she had ever experienced these types of emotions and, remembering what Vahn had done to her at the end of his operation, Gray was actually a little afraid to take that final step...
Realizing the conversation had taken a somewhat awkward turn towards his sexual prowess, Vahn scratched his cheek as he considered whether or not to say something. Both Artoria and Gray had red faces and, depending on his choice of words, there was a fair chance he might be able to guide the conversation in an 'interesting' direction. Though he had tempered himself a bit to converse with them, Vahn was still in a high-tension state ever since his training with Scáthach had completed. This conversation had already been going on for more than two hours so he was beginning to feel his tensions increase with things taking such an unexpected turn.
As if it was her purpose in life to cause him stress, Alaya decided to use this moment to say, "If you desire to copulate, I have been given the task of tending to your needs. This body is capable of-." Before Alaya could continue any further, Vahn slammed his hand on the table with enough force to cause fractures to spread across its surface. Then, looking directly into her purple eyes, Vahn took a deep breath before firmly stating, "Alaya, I am ordering you to leave us alone for the time being. You have no understanding of the social interactions between humans...haaaa..." Vahn wanted to say a lot more but Alaya nodded her head in the middle of his sentence before instantly 'imploding' into motes of blue light. This caused his words to trail off before he turned to Artoria and Gray, bowing his head low as he said, "I'm sorry for my outburst...Alaya's presence isn't exactly easy to cope with."
With an understanding look in her eyes, Artoria nodded her head before trying to console Vahn by adding, "I can understand that. Had I known the consequences of my actions back then, I would have never made a contract with Alaya. That is another thing I owe you a debt of gratitude for..." As each successive Holy Grail War had made it crystal clear that her actions were naive and childish, Artoria was growing steadily more grateful towards Vahn now that she had been liberated from that endless cycle. She had been prepared to accept her 'punishment', even if it meant serving as the tool of other people for the rest of time. Instead of allowing her to wallow in her own personal hell, Vahn unceremoniously pulled her out of it before giving her life new purpose...
Realizing this, Artoria felt her own beginning to beat with a quickened pace as she realized there was actually something she could do to repay him. Since it was obvious that Gray was interested in it, but couldn't muster up enough courage to broach the subject, Artoria was considering whether or not to give her distant descendant a small push. However, the moment she internalized that Gray was her actual descendant, Artoria felt a complex series of emotions and a few budding apprehensions. She knew that even things like 'incest' weren't exactly all that rare in her time, as her family tree had a few looping branches itself, but the thought of sharing the same man as her distant relative seemed rather awkward...
Before Artoria could make up her mind, Vahn released a tired sigh before producing an apologetic smile as he said, "Maybe it would be best if we all took a break. How about the two you return to the outside and explain to Rin and others that we'll be holding a small banquet this evening? I'll spread the word to Lakshmibai and Nobunaga before heading over myself in a few hours..." Feeling that things had quickly become a little 'too awkward', Vahn was giving the two girls an easy way out of the conversation. At the same time, however, it was easy for them both to intuit why it would take him several hours before returning to the outside. Though some might misconstrue Vahn's words to mean he was giving them time to make preparations, Alaya's words were still fresh on their minds. It was obvious that she wasn't talking to them when she mentioned the desire to copulate, making it transparently clear that Vahn was in the mood...
Seeing Artoria and Gray behaving even more awkwardly than before, Vahn lightly shook his head before rising to his feet and saying, "I'll see the two of you later..." Since they didn't seem able to extricate themselves from the tension that had built up, he felt compelled to make the decision for them. He had a lot of frustrations to get out of his system right now so it was almost unbearable to be in the presence of two beautiful girls that were both 'thinking' about having sex but unwilling to move forward out of consideration for each other. Though he could try to convince them both to alight with him, Vahn felt that Gray hadn't properly prepared herself for something like a three-person play with her own Ancestor. It probably wouldn't have been that difficult to whisk her away if she were alone, but the presence of Artoria made that borderline impossible...
With Vahn suddenly leaving, Gray felt a sudden panic in her heart as she quickly exclaimed, "Wait...!" As the word left her lips, she felt like a swarm of butterflies was about to tear its way out from her abdomen, especially when Vahn looked back at her with a tired yet indulgent smile. Her eyes almost immediately darted to Artoria, as if the silent Knight would be able to provide her some kind of support. In a way, she actually regretting calling out to Vahn because, if she let him walk away now, Gray was certain she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully in the future. When Artoria suddenly gave her a resolute look, followed by an affirmative nod, Gray almost wanted to ask, 'Am I supposed to understand what that nod means?'.
As if they had reached a mutual agreement, Artoria took it upon herself to raise her head slightly, looking into Vahn's eyes as she said, "If you are not against it...we will be your partners..." These words seemed to deal critical damage to Gray as, the moment Artoria finished stating them, her ahoge stuck up like a needle as she buried her face into her hands. Now that it had been thrown out there, she felt like it was too late to take a step back and correct things. She wasn't even sure if what Artoria had stated even counted as a misunderstanding as, when she called out to Vahn, even Gray didn't know what she wanted. Though part of her had considered the possibility, having the reality presented before her seemed overwhelming...
Though he could feel Artoria's resolve, Vahn noticed that Gray wasn't really on the same wavelength as her distant Ancestor. He knew he had the option of guiding things in a different direction but, knowing things would probably be even more complicated in the future, Vahn buried his own rising anxiety as he softly stated, "I never force anyone to do something they are unwilling to do..." These words were both intended to give Gray a small push while also leaving her a way out if she decided to take a step back. If she felt like she was being forced along with the momentum, there was a good chance Gray would be overwhelmed by the situation and do something she could come to regret later on. By pointing out that it was ultimately her decision, this meant whatever would happen in the future was because she had accepted it herself. Though this wouldn't absolve her from having any regrets, it would at least alter her perspective of the events slightly so she could more easily cope with them...
Hearing Vahn's words, the fluttering feeling in Gray's stomach felt like it had spread upward, reaching her heart and causing a ticklish feeling to spread through her body with each sporadic pulse. Though he may have intended his words to give her a way out, Gray felt like they actually forced her back onto a crossroads. If she decided to give in to her feelings, it may be too late to back peddle and change her mind later on. Inversely, if she decided to back away now, Gray felt like she would have missed out on the greatest source of happiness that had ever presented itself to her. Not only did she like Vahn, as he was fun to be around, but he had even expressed his support for her own dreams and aspirations. At the same time, Vahn had saved her from having to spend the rest of her life as a cripple...or worse. She had a lot of tender feelings toward him so, if she backed out now, Gray felt like she would never have the heart to face him again in the future...
As if she couldn't help herself, Vahn watched in silence as Artoria naturally brought her hand to Gray's shoulder in a supportive manner. At the same time, their two fates seemed to intermingle for a short moment, something that caused Vahn's eyes to flash with subtle blue light. Though Gray's was significantly smaller than both Rin's and Artoria's, there was a small aura of fate that lingered around her body at all times. Now that it came into contact with Artoria's, Vahn could see the volume of Gray's increase discernably as she looked towards her Ancestor for strength. Then, as if their fates were now irreversibly intertwined, Gray looked towards him and said, "I want...to do it..." with a scarlet red face...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'This whole chapter is a 'Bruh' moment')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
376 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment