Capítulo 1117: Establishing a Foundation
Shortly after breakfast had come to an end, Vahn went towards the direction of the Knight's training field after Merlin had confirmed that Artoria and Mordred were indeed there. It took a surprisingly long amount of time to reach his destination as, even by using one of the main access corridors that passed through the castle, there were various twists and turns that were supposed to make invasion more difficult. As a result, Vahn took nearly twenty minutes to reach the training field where he found Mordred and Artoria, both wearing rather plain clothes consisting of simple trousers and tunics, were fighting with reinforced wooden swords. Since they had already been going at it for nearly three hours, Mordred's clothes were soaked through with sweat as she breathed laboriously while fending off the blows of an almost entirely unflustered Artoria.
With Vahn appearing in the periphery, Mordred briefly turned her eyes toward him, an act that got her rewarded with a sharp 'thwack' atop her head. Surprisingly, instead of dropping her sword and rubbing her head, Mordred adopted an aggressive pout before trying to step into Artoria's guard and counterattack. Though she might have been able to pull this maneuver off in her unsealed state, Mordred's instep and follow-up strike was met with empty air as Artoria spun around her body with the grace of a dancer before tapping her sword across Mordred's backside. Once again, Mordred only pouted a little more as she twisted her body around, swinging wide before stepping back to create distance.
Now that there was a brief intermission in their exchange, Artoria gave a curt nod before lowering her sword. However, even when she placed it at her side, it was easy to tell that she hadn't dropped her guard for even a moment. Mordred was perfectly aware of this as she slowly lowered her sword, taking a few steps back before rubbing her butt and complaining, "Hahaue...do you really have to tenderize my backside in front of Chichiue...?" All she got in response to this was a stern expression from Artoria before the latter said, "Your movements leave you wide open. I never said anything in the past, but your fighting style is too wild and unrestrained. Having your power sealed will allow you to strengthen your foundation from scratch. If you want to catch up to and surpass your father, you can't take shortcuts."
Though Mordred didn't seem to agree with her mother, Vahn had seen into her past and knew she had never received any formal training. Morgan had made her fight and kill people only a few days after she had been born, forcing Mordred to cultivate her own style through bloodshed. Because of this, Vahn nodded his head in agreement with Artoria, adding, "Listen to your mother, Mordred. I'm one-hundred-and-fifty-six years old and am still building my foundation. It is pointless to focus on developing skills and abilities when you haven't consolidated a strong foundation." As he said this, Vahn walked over to Mordred's side and began habitually stroking her head, following up by saying, "Work hard and I'll take you flying through the sky later on..."
Hearing Vahn's words, Mordred's sour face turned into one of surprise and expectation as she asked, "Will you really take me flying!?" Though she could easily leap to the top of a high rise in a single bound, there was a big difference when it came to jumping high and flying through the sky. Since she had seen his memories, Mordred knew Vahn was more than capable of achieving flight. She actually wanted to have him teach her in the future but, fearing he would say no, she hadn't even though to bring it up any time soon. Hearing him broach the subject himself, Mordred felt her frustrations melt away as she gave a toothy grin and enjoyed having her head pat.
Since he had every intention of making good on his promise, Vahn ruffled Mordred's hair a bit as he said, "I will never make a promise to you that I don't intend to keep, Mordred. If your mother gives her consent, we'll both fly over the Kingdom to see how it looks from above..." As he had already been intending to map the area when he got the chance, Vahn figured it would be a good bonding experience if he took Mordred along with him. He wanted her to have more happy memories to try and mitigate some of the negative emotions she had buried deep within her heart. Fortunately, even though she had already experienced several terrible things in life, Mordred was still very young. So long as she had people to care for her, she would one day overcome her past and live the happy life she deserved...
---
After sending Mordred off to wash up and eat breakfast, something she could handle on her own due to her familiarity with the castle, Vahn sat with Artoria and talked about Mordred's past. He had intended to have Merlin share Mordred's memories with Artoria but the airy Magus had told him it would be better if she simply heard an accounting instead of witnessing the events directly. The last thing Artoria needed right now was seeing someone elevate her to the status of a god before having her devotion turned into rage as a result of her mistakes as a King. As a result, Vahn gave a summary of events, leaving out some of the 'darker' details of Mordred's past and making clear his intentions to summon Gareth at some point in the future...
Throughout the conversation, Artoria had remained silent with a contemplative expression on her face. She realized from his words that Mordred really did deserve a second chance as, from the very beginning, she had lived at the behest of another as nothing more than a pawn. Now that she lacked a title and a Kingdom to pass down to Mordred, the least she could do was be a good mother. Since Vahn had experienced Mordred's memories directly, she had no doubt he would do his best to be a good father so Artoria was determined to do her best as well. Though she would still be rough with Mordred during their training, that was merely to make sure the girl was able to cultivate discipline, just like any other esquire that aspired to become a Knight...
When the conversation came to an end, Artoria's first words to Vahn, said with a determined look, were, "Thank you for telling me...I will do my best. As for Gareth, there is no rush to call her into this world. Though I also grieved for her death, I believe it would be best for Mordred and Illya if you put off summoning her until later. You should talk with Nobunaga or Scáthach to see if they have any ideas on who you should summon. I'm certain the former had plenty of vassals under her command while Scáthach should 'know' exactly which Heroic Spirits would be able to aid our cause right now." As enthused as she was to reunite with her niece, someone that had lost her life far too soon, Artoria had the distinct impression it was better to wait. She could only imagine what Gareth's first thoughts would be after getting summoned to this world, especially when her last memory was having her head crushed by the person she respected the most.
As he had already expected Artoria to say something similar, Vahn had no qualms about waiting as, much like she had pointed out, there was no particular rush. When it came to pulling people from the past, there was no difference between summoning them now, or summoning them a thousand years in the future. To them, it would always take place 'instantly' so there was nothing wrong with letting Mordred and Illya stabilize before bringing another damaged girl into their midst. There was also his previous promise with Nobunaga as, during their discussions in the past, she had quite a few people she would like to reconnect with. She even wanted to try and reconcile with her younger brother, the traitorous Oda Nobukatsu. Though they had been forced to butt heads against each other due to the machinations of the Oda Clan Elder's, Nobunaga had never resented him for falling prey to the ambitions of others...
After spending the better part of an hour just spending time with Artoria and enjoying the nice morning breeze together, Vahn eventually made his way towards an underground training area that had been brought to his attention by Merlin. He needed to create a Sub-Space Orb where everyone could train while, later on, Merlin had mentioned helping him create a 'projection' of Camelot within a secondary Sub-Space Orb. According to the errant Magus, it should be possible to link the spatial coordinates of a Sub-Space Orb to a fixed point in reality as it already drew from the mana in the surrounding environment. Since that same network was tied to the land itself, and everything atop it, Vahn had the option of 'projecting' all of Camelot into a Sub-Space Orb without having to build anything. This would make it as if the entire Island of Avalon was within the Sub-Space Orb, meaning everyone that came to reside here in the future would experience time at a rate of five-to-seven times the norm.
When Vahn had heard Merlin explain the principles behind what he had in mind, he was once again reminded that his own understanding of the world was extremely limited. Though he had a relatively decent understanding of a few Laws, people like Merlin and Scáthach were still leagues ahead of him in terms of comprehension. Fortunately, they both seemed more than willing to answer his questions and teach him anything he was interested in. Scáthach could even teach him [Alchemy] up to the A-Rank and knew the methods of producing various types of homunculi that even Paracelsus couldn't emulate. This didn't necessarily make her methods better, as Paracelsus was still in a league of his own, but it was still infinitely better than Vahn's current understanding of such things...
Knowing he would need to study hard in the future, Vahn needed to develop the two Sub-Space Orbs and a few Space-Time Orbs just to manage everything he needed to take care of. He was even considering making an avatar relatively soon but, remembering how 'chaotic' his life had gotten previously, Vahn was hesitant to jump the gun on that idea. It was more 'efficient' to create memory fragments that could work on the production of items and research things on his behalf. As for his 'avatars', Vahn had two crystal cores that would allow him to reform his body if he was unexpectedly defeated by an enemy. He had reluctantly entrusted one to Scáthach, as she simply didn't seem to have any weaknesses at all, while the other had been left behind in the Welsh Dragon's cavern so that he could keep an eye on the system and its constituent magic formation at all times...
While thinking of Scáthach, Vahn's mind wandered a bit as he found himself surrounded by an all-encompassing warmth that sent a shiver up his spine. He quickly 'cut' the connection by having his subprocess mind enter into a deep meditative state while, on his shoulder, Alaya tilted her head in confusion at his unexpected reaction. She knew that Vahn had 'adapted' to her presence at this point, something that should have been impossible, so she wondered what had happened to make his body suddenly heat up while his brain produced a small amount of dopamine in response. If she could find out what he was thinking about, Alaya believed she might be able to collect more data in the near future.
Though she was still trying to analyze his blood, without any real progress, that didn't mean she wasn't going to analyze his other bodily fluids as well. She had already separated his red and white blood cells and absorbed a bit of his sweat through her skin in an effort to better understand his composition and makeup. Now, she just needed a sample of 'everything' else that constituted Vahn's body. She had tried to collect samples when he was fighting against Scáthach but, as if he knew she was trying to take them, Vahn's biomass would simply 'vanish' moments later. Even isolating it within the time axis had proved futile so Alaya could only wait for him to give her samples 'willingly'...
Since he needed to focus and replenish his reserves quickly, Vahn picked Alaya up by her scruff and said, "You can watch from the side for now. If you think there are any ways in which the formation could be improved, let me know..." Though he was tempted to just have Alaya make the formation for him, Vahn knew he was developing a strange dependency on her as of late. To avoid becoming complacent and lazy, one of the things he had decided upon after setting OP limits was to be less reliant on Alaya. He would rather she just stockpile Magical Energy to keep Rin, Sakura, and Gray safe while he focused on managing the affairs of the Empire. At least this way, if he desperately needed her to take action, Alaya would have plentiful reserves to help on the spot.
Without arguing, Alaya just floated into the air before adopting a form that made Vahn's brows twitch madly since she looked like a mature form of Illya, just marginally taller and with a plump butt and thick thighs. Her breasts were relatively small, giving her an almost unbalanced look, but the large ears and the fluffy tail sticking out of her backside fixed this incongruity. Though he knew she was observing and analyzing everything he did, Vahn always felt a little annoyed when Alaya took the form of whatever she thought his 'preferences' reflected. She certainly looked cute, while he was actually tempted to give her butt a feel, but Vahn still felt more annoyed than anything else since he had work to focus on and didn't need distractions...
Deciding to ignore her, Vahn began the long process of setting up a formation to sustain the Sub-Space Orb that people would use for training in the future. Without his notice, Merlin had also appeared within the area shortly after he started, watching with his soft-purple eyes as Vahn spent several hours just building the formation's basic structure. Fortunately, as the land and air within this isolated space had more than twenty times the mana density of Fuyuki, Vahn didn't even need to set up Elemental Pillars. Since Avalon was linked to the 'True Avalon' on the Reverse Side of the World, it had a mana density that wasn't all that dissimilar to the levels present during the Age of Gods, albeit with significantly less Mystery.
After a little more than seven hours, during which time even Scáthach had shown up to observe, Vahn finally finished setting up a Sub-Space Orb with a time dilation of 6:1. It turned out that, while the abundance of mana made setting up the formation easier, the lack of Elemental Pillars, which were meant to stabilize the Orb, made the time dilation slightly weaker than intended. It was still better than nothing so Vahn would leave it as is and just consider it a lesson learned for when he worked on the main Sub-Space Orb with Merlin's assistance. With that in mind, he turned his attention toward the two peculiar individuals who, at present, were sitting at a low table and drinking tea as they watched him work in silence.
Seeing that Vahn was finally paying attention to them, Merlin returned a smile before commenting, "This is some impressive work. Though it is unlike anything I have seen before, it uses the logic of this world splendidly to create something rather unique...my, I believe you may actually have more of a talent for Magecraft than combat arts. What do you think, Lady Scáthach~?"
Without humoring Merlin at all, Scáthach shook her head and stated, "Vahn's control makes no sense. Though he is obviously very skilled, I can sense that most of the energy he is manifested is lost. He is far more proficient at using his power internally so I will continue to help him master his body to cover up for his inability to properly use magic." Even if she couldn't see Vahn's future, Scáthach's understanding of his body and capabilities made it so that he had almost no secrets from her, similar to how Vahn could touch someone's body and understand its structure in an instant. She could sense great power manifested whenever he was drawing the magic formation but, seeing the formation itself, it was nothing exceptional. This meant he was 'wasting' his energy but, as she wasn't able to understand what was going on, Scáthach could only say it didn't make any sense...
Scratching the back of his head, Vahn ignored Merlin's laughter and simply stated, "We'll begin our training after I finish developing the second Sub-Space Orb tomorrow. I already promised my daughter to take her flying around the castle so that I can map the area. After that, I'll be spending some time with Illya before retiring to my room for the evening." Since he assumed Scáthach had arrived to drag him off for training, Vahn wanted to make it clear he already had plans. She didn't 'require' him to give her energy any longer, courtesy of the crystal she had planted within her body, so Vahn knew she wasn't here to go through that troublesome ritual.
With an understanding nod, Scáthach turned her back and began moving to exit the underground chamber, though not before saying, "Our training will be more intense in the future." Since he had been 'slacking off' a lot lately, Vahn wasn't all that surprised by her rather cold words. All he could do was withhold a tired sigh as, unless he outright refused to train with her in the future, there was no way to avoid a thrashing. She would always make good on her promises so Vahn was fully expecting their next training session to be another living nightmare. On the plus side, he was improving quickly and, even if he had to face an enemy that could rend him to pieces in an instant, no amount of pain could cause him to flinch after experiencing her training...
When Scáthach had left the room, Merlin gave a somewhat teasing smile as he remarked, "My, you certainly have a way with women, Majesty..." This earned him a glare but, instead of trying to get even, Vahn simply asked, "So, do you still think it is possible to create a projection?" In response to this, Merlin gave a simple nod before explaining, "If we tie the Sub-Space Orb into the formation that keeps Avalon isolated from the rest of the world, it should be possible to create a projection without issue. This might alert some of the more perceptive individuals in the world but they aren't the type to take action without properly understanding the situation. Even then, they will not be able to find Avalon so easily...there is a reason it has been able to remain hidden for more than fifteen hundred years, ohohoho~."
Vahn knew it was only a matter of time before their enemies eventually learned about the existence of Avalon, as they were less than five-hundred kilometers away from the very 'heart' of the Magus Community, so he wasn't surprised by Merlin's words. He wouldn't be surprised if his enemies had already sensed their movements when Merlin had used his restoration magic to practically reverse time for the entire castle, large-scale magic that would be 'impossible' with modern Magecraft. At the same time, however, magic of this scale would serve as a powerful deterrent as there were few who would simply throw themselves unprepared against a Magus that could wield such power without caring about how their actions could upset the other powerhouses in the world...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A Tiger Mom and a 'Petting Demon' for parents...','Alaya never gives up','The deterrent of power...')
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Capítulo 1118: Magnetism
Shortly after parting with Merlin, Vahn made his way back to the Knight's training field since he had sensed Artoria and Mordred resume their training, likely after eating lunch. It was already going on 5 PM so Vahn wanted to make good on his promise before the sun went down. When he arrived at the training field, it was obviously that Mordred had been working even harder than before as she could barely hold her sword but still stood her grown with conviction in her eyes. Though she was only going on seven years old, she had fought on actual battlefields so fatigue wasn't something that could take her out of the fight. So long as she was still conscious, Mordred would never admit defeat, even against considerably more powerful opponents.
This time, Mordred didn't look toward him, instead, keeping an eye on her mother without breaking focus for a single moment. As a result, the two kept staring at each other for several seconds before Artoria finally smiled and said, "Very good, Mordred. Clean yourself up and go spend some time with your father. You worked hard today...I'm proud of you." Though the last words were followed up by Artoria giving a small cough, Mordred's fatigue seemed to vanish away in an instant as she jumped well over three meters off the ground, shouting, "Yoshaa~!" When she landed, however, Mordred's legs gave out on her so she plopped down to the ground, seemingly without minding it since she just laid sprawled out with a happy smile.
Artoria shook her head when she saw this but there was a small smile on her face when she turned to Vahn and gave a polite bow before excusing herself. She had occupied Mordred's time for nearly the entire day and, though it would be good for them to spend time as a family, Artoria knew it was father-daughter bonding time now. Vahn understood this as well, coming to stand over Mordred's body as he looked down at her with a smile of his own, saying, "Come, let's get you cleaned up before taking off. I need to get you back before dinner. I imagine you're pretty hungry after a hard day of training, right?"
Rolling to a seated position, Mordred wiped away the sweat from her brow before nodding her head and saying, "Yeah, the food here is great. Though I don't like that Circe girl all that much, she is weak if you mention a certain someone..." As she said this, Mordred had a sly smile on her face that wasn't suitable for a child, causing Vahn to roughly ruffle her hair before pulling her to her feet. Then, with Mordred watching with a curious glint in her eyes, Vahn 'pulled' the sweat and grime from her body before using a [Scent Removal Towel] to wipe down her face. She was resistant to having him do it for her but, to reinforce the idea that she was a child, Vahn acted as all fathers should, pampering his daughter even if it embarrassed her...
After she was cleaned up a bit, Vahn grabbed Mordred's tiny hand in his own, marveling at how small it was, before asking, "Are you ready...?" To his mild surprise, Mordred shook her head before pulling her hand free and raising both arms high up as she said, "I want to ride on your back or have you carry me. Since you're going to treat me like a child, don't blame me for taking advantage of you in return, Chichihue...!" This little outburst just caused Vahn's smile to soften a bit as he thought about the logistics. He had given plenty of people a ride on his back in the past but it wasn't exactly the best position for sight-seeing. However, considering that Mordred just wanted to be a spoiled a bit, Vahn decided it didn't matter all that much as he squatted down and let her climb on his back.
Mordred had a toothy grin on her face that showed her pronounced canines off as, even though she was a little embarrassed, today had been one of the best days of her life. If every day was like this in the future, she didn't mind becoming a child and getting pampered by her parents for a few years. Thus, even though she had never even touched a man directly before, as she never removed her armor, Mordred tightly wrapped her arms around Vahn's neck, marveling at how big his back was. She identified as a man but, no matter how she looked at her own body compared to Vahn's, it was obvious that she lacked the qualifications to make such a claim...
After hooking his hands under Mordred's knees, Vahn turned his head skyward before flexing his legs to the extreme and leaping into the sky with full power. Fortunately, as the training field was used by even the Knights of the Round Table in the past, it was heavily reinforced so his actions didn't even leave a small indentation in the compacted stone floor. As he leaped, Mordred began to laugh while clinging a little tighter to his neck, something that encouraged Vahn to pick up his speed as he began to zoom higher into the sky at a commendable 400km/h. At this speed, he could reach Rin and Sakura in around an hour and, if he was serious, Vahn could make the trip in less than ten minutes if it was an emergency.
This was, unfortunately, around the maximum amount of flight time he could manage with his current reserves. Even with his two 'crystals' constantly replenishing his reserves, it was at a much slower rate than completed avatars so he limited by his own [Od Conversion]. At times like this, where he had virtually no use for his [Laplace's Key], Vahn almost wished he had used the [Skill Enhancement Scroll:SSS] on his [Od Conversion]. If he had obtained its evolved form, to the peak of the Record, he might have a functionally infinite amount of energy to make use of. At the very least, the replenishment of his reserves would be truly monstrous...
Deciding to focus more on his flight, Vahn began to spin around and rapidly change direction a few times, each action eliciting a girlish squee or a peal of childish laughter from Mordred. Her 'normal' voice was similar to Artoria's, albeit slightly huskier and brash, but that just made her sound adorable in her current form. She hadn't reached the age of puberty so her voice was much higher, matching her child-like figure and actual age well. Though it seemed to trouble her a bit when she was talking to other people, as she proactively tried to make her voice sound deeper, Mordred didn't seem to care about such things right now. She had even let go of his neck at one point but, as Vahn was flying parallel to the ground, she was able to sit up without too many problems as she spread her arms wide and pretended she was the one flying...
With Avalon only being around 20km long and 17km wide, it didn't take all that long for Vahn to map out the entire Island from above. He confirmed all of the things Astolfo had talked about and, after flying close to the periphery, Vahn was able to 'see' an illusory barrier of sorts. Since he knew better than to try and pass through it directly, Vahn just flew around the periphery with Mordred sitting on his back with her palms placed against his shoulders. She had gotten tired of flying with her arms spread outward so she was just enjoying the view as the wind swept through her hair. He made sure to block most of the wind with his domain and, though she probably wouldn't care all that much, Vahn made sure the air around them was warm. It was currently around -3.5 degrees Celsius at ground level while the air temperature at an elevation of 500m decreased to an average of -8 degrees Celsius with a wind chill closer to -14 degrees. As a result, Mordred was enjoying the flight a lot more than she 'should' have as, from personal experience, Vahn knew it wasn't all that pleasant to have your hair smacking you in the face and eyes when flying at high speeds...
Since she had never flown before, Mordred wasn't considering any of the things that Vahn was doing to make the experience more pleasant for her. She was just wrapped up in the moment, doing her best to resist the strange urge to jump that would periodically appear within her mind. The ground seemed super far away but, at the same time, Mordred's intuition told her she would be okay even if she fell. She didn't know if this was because Vahn would catch her, or if she was simply durable enough to withstand the impact, but it gave her an almost overwhelming urge to just 'jump' when she looked down for a few seconds. If not for the fact that Vahn was holding her ankles to prevent her from wiggling around too much, she very well might have, just to see what would happen...
Unfortunately for Mordred, she was never afforded the opportunity to put her intuition to the test as, after flying around for around twenty minutes, Vahn changed course and began flying back towards the Ivory Castle. Even though he was controlling his speed, his reserves were starting to deplete and, even if they would both be fine if he transformed into his Xuanwu form, he didn't really want Mordred to get in the habit of thrill-seeking just yet. He could feel her wiggle around and bounce on his back periodically, almost as if she were trying to jump off, so he knew she would probably like skydiving in the future. Once she was more stable, he would reduce or even remove her seal outright and they could go 'play' all over the world if she wanted to.
As they neared the castle, Mordred leaned back against Vahn's back and wrapped her arms around his neck once again, nuzzling against him a little more than he expected. When he landed softly on the ground, she didn't immediately jump off his back and instead squeezed him a little tighter as she said, "Thank you, Chichihue..." After this, Mordred finally separated from him after Vahn kneeled down and let her free from his grasp. When he turned to look at her, Mordred was looking up at him with her large green eyes as she asked, "You saw them, didn't you...?" Since he didn't even have to guess what she was talking about, Vahn simply nodded his head in response before reaching out his hand and gently stroking Mordred's head.
Though she was about to ask what he thought about her past, Mordred could tell by the warm and comfortable feelings flowing into her head what his answer would be. She felt a little choked up but, fortunately, managed to prevent any tears from surfacing. There had only been one time when she had cried in her entire life and, now that she had a chance to 'live' for the first time, Mordred didn't want to waste her time crying. Instead, she looked around the area, even though they were in an isolated part of the castle, before pouncing on Vahn and giving him the strongest embrace her little arms could manage. When he returned her embrace with his big and warm arms, Mordred had to bite her lower lip a little harder than she expected...
---
After a lively meal with everyone but Scáthach, Illya, and Heracles present, Vahn parted ways with everyone to go seek out his troublesome little sister. She had apparently been with Fenrir, Medusa, Circe, and Catherine for most of the day while Astolfo continued his exploration of the island. When dinner was approaching, however, Illya ended up retreating back to her room once again. There was a chance she had wanted him to come pick her up again but, considering what little he knew of Illya's personality, it was more likely that she simply wasn't that hungry and wanted to take a nap before he showed up. He knew the probability of him sleeping in her room tonight was relatively high so Vahn explained the matter to Fenrir, Circe, and Medusa since they had undoubtedly planned to sleep in his room for the night.
Having spent his day in a rather productive manner, even though he hadn't done any actual training, Vahn was in a pretty good mood when he lightly knocked on Illya's door. He actually had a 'plan' this time around and was curious to see how things would play out. Thus, when she opened the door and turned her ruby-red eyes up at him, Vahn smiled and said, "Good evening, Illya. May I come in?" Though it would usually be her inviting him in, Vahn decided to take a bit of initiative since it would probably make her feel better. He could tell she was more than a little apprehensive and, though she put on a 'very' strong front at times, Vahn knew it would make things easier for Illya if he took the lead and gave her less to worry about.
After blinking a few times in surprise, Illya eventually returned a smile before opening her door and answering, "Please, come inside. I have been anticipating your arrival..." Though she had wanted to say more, Illya felt a little awkward since Vahn had taken the initiative from her. He even walked in without any hesitation, passing his eyes over the inside of her room in one motion before staring back at her and saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll try and make it up to you..." When he said, this, Vahn reached out his hand and lightly stroked Illya's head while she was still standing at the door. This caused her to flush slightly before quickly shutting the door and locking it behind her after a few fumbling attempts. She didn't know what Vahn had in mind but her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she slowly turned around to stare into his smiling face...
Somewhat against Illya's expectations, Vahn spent a bit of time helping her decorate and purchasing her a few nice outfits before they ultimately ended up on a sofa he had pulled out from thin air. She was leaning against his chest while Vahn, somewhat embarrassingly, was reading her a storybook that was floating in mid-air. At the same time, he held her in his embrace while lightly stroking her hands with his thumbs. Illya had a light blush on her face since this wasn't what she had in mind. However, as it was still a very pleasant experience, she didn't really want it to end either so she just relaxed against Vahn's warm body, allowing his heat to flow into her small and cold frame...
This went on for more than two hours, to the point that Illya was beginning to get sleepy, even though she had taken a nap in order to stay up later. She didn't realize that Vahn had been slowly lulling her to sleep since, as much as he wanted to try something with Cath Palug, just spending time with Illya in peace and quiet would be therapeutic for her. If he didn't take control of the situation, it probably wouldn't be long before Illya escalated things to a dangerous point. He would rather delay that for as long as possible so, until she lost her 'patience', Vahn felt it was infinitely better for them to just bond like this.
Eventually, Illya's head began to bob a bit, causing her to straighten out her body and slap her own cheeks in an attempt to fight off the sleepiness. With this, Vahn knew that Illya already had plans of her own, causing him to produce a wry smile while she was still looking away. Much to his surprise, however, Illya jumped off the sofa before scampering over to a partition and disappearing on the opposite side. He could see she had a somewhat embarrassed expression on her face before but, just as he was beginning to wonder what she was up to, Vahn's senses began sending off subtle alarms in the back of his mind. Then, instead of Illya appearing, a shaggy-haired little girl with large fluffy ears and purple eyes peeked around the partition.
Realizing that Illya had only used the partition to strip down before transforming, much like Rin, Vahn couldn't help but release a light chuckle as he gestured for Cath Palug to come over. Before it moved from behind the partition, however, Cath Palug tilted its head to the side, ears flopping, as it asked, "Master...?" Understanding that it was acting on whatever Fenrir had taught it, Vahn just gave a small nod before patting the area next to him on the sofa. At the same time, he pulled out a small bead of crystallized blood since, for better or worse, Vahn knew that his blood was strangely sweet and delicious for others. This seemed to catch Cath Palug's attention as it stepped out from behind the partition. Instead of walking over, however, it had squatted down before 'bouncing' over on all fours in an admittedly adorable manner that made Vahn feel all kinds of complex emotions...
Holding out the bead of blood without moving his hand, Vahn watched as Cath Palug sniffed it for a few seconds before opening its mouth to reveal sharp teeth. In an instant, the blood bead vanished from his hand as Cath Palug quickly chewed it up before swallowing it. Afterward, it held both of its cheeks with its fur-covered paws, a somewhat awkward smile on its face as it said, "Master~." Then, without any further hesitation, Cath Palug pounced onto his lap, confusing Vahn when it placed its paws on his chest and began moving them up and down without using its claws. It didn't take him long to realize that Cath Palug was asking him to pet it, causing Vahn to smile as he began to stroke its head and ears.
In response to Vahn doing what it wanted, Cath Palug produced another awkward smile that Vahn was certain it had learned from Fenrir. He would talk to Fenrir about teaching it how to wear clothes in the future as, the sooner he didn't have to worry about a nearly naked little girl pouncing on him, the better. Since there was a chance he could speed up the process, Vahn continued to dig into the area at the base of Cath Palug's ears, causing it to squint its eyes with a contented expression. At the same time, Vahn inspected Cath Palug's Magic Circuits and memorized the flow of its energy before changing his own race and appearance to emulate its own. This caused Cath Palug's eyes to instantly open wide before tilting its head adorably to the side in confusion.
Since Vahn didn't know if it could understand him, he just held up his own paw in a similar manner to Fenrir, an action it seemed to understand since it quickly mirrored him. Vahn remembered how happy Fenrir had been when he transformed into a Vanargandr so, if Cath Palug really wanted kin of its own, he could help to fulfill that role. Thus, though it was a little awkward, he sat with his paws linked with Cath Palug's as the adorable creature stared back with glittering purple eyes and a smile on its face. It's fluffy tail, which normally curled in a manner similar to a squirrel, began to flicker in periodically, causing Vahn's smile to soften as his own as he flexed his paws a bit to squeeze Cath Palug's.
Vahn was doing his best to understand Cath Palug's body language but, just as he felt things were going rather well, it surprised him by opening its mouth wide and revealing its sharp teeth. Since it didn't have an aggressive look in its eyes, Vahn didn't know what to make of this behavior. He would quickly learn that Cath Palug's tail flickering wasn't exactly a 'good' sign, however, as it suddenly brought its face closer to his body and began doing what Vahn could only construe as 'play biting'. The bad thing about this action, which didn't seem intentionally malicious, was that Cath Palug's teeth were 'very' sharp, much like Fenrir's had been in the past. It didn't take long for him to have a few puncture wounds on his chest and stomach and, feeling that it was a 'bad' idea to outright stop him, Vahn caused Cath Palug's tail to waggle somewhat wildly as he followed his own instincts and lightly bit down on the latter's shoulder. This caused Cath Palug to begin to wiggle around on his hips excitedly before rubbing its face into his chest with a 'Fou~! Fou~!' sound.
Though he was somewhat remised about doing such things, Vahn opened up his Quest log before bringing up the [Taming the Beast] Optional Quest. Cath Palug's 'Love' Parameter had increased from 17 to 73 since the last time he saw it so it was clear he had done 'something' that it liked. Thus, as awkward as it was, Vahn gave another play bite on Cath Palug's shoulder, causing it to release another 'Fou~!" sound as its affection value jumped up to 75. It was clear that Cath Palug though that play biting was a 'good' thing, causing Vahn to feel a little awkward since it almost felt like he was courting the small creature. When he pulled his mouth away, however, Cath Palug's expression turned somewhat fierce as it suddenly leaned forward and took an actual bite out of him this time.
Fortunately, Scáthach's training came in handy at times like this as, even though there was a sudden and intense 'searing' sensation in his abdomen, Vahn's expression didn't even flinch. Moments later, the wound had completely healed as he tried to calm down Cath Palug by petting it again. Instead of behaving, it's only response was to flick its tail wildly as it batted away his hands and tried to bite him over and over. Vahn knew things had gotten out of hand as, within the Quest log, Cath Palug's affection was steadily reducing every time he blocked its attempt to bite him. With this being the case, Vahn grabbed its shoulders once again before play biting around its neck. This immediately caused Cath Palug to stop thrashing about as it released a mewling 'Fou~" sound.
Vahn didn't really know whether to laugh or cry at this development but he found himself leaning towards the latter when Cath Palug wiggled its shoulder in his mouth as if it expected something. When he didn't comply, it seemed to understand his confusion as, without any hesitation, Cath Palug sunk its teeth into Vahn's shoulder and took a sizeable chunk out in a single swift motion. Though he healed instantly, Vahn understood that Cath Palug seemed to want him to bite it for real, not just play biting. Though it made his stomach feel a bit queasy, Vahn bit down a little harder, causing Cath Palug to release a happy 'Fou~!' in response. Since his intuition told him it would be 'very' bad if he stopped now, Vahn literally gnashed his teeth as she took a very small bite out of Cath Palug's shoulder. This was met with Cath Palug trembling atop his lap as it nuzzled against his chest with a long and extended, 'Fooooou~' sound. Then, in the next moment, Vahn saw that the wound had instantly healed, bringing him both relief and a great deal of duress at the same time...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I believe I can fly~','Mordred's happiest day...','Fou-kun be like, "Eat me! I want you to do it...!')
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