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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In an effort to keep Cath Palug from throwing a tantrum, Vahn was forced to go 'all-out' against it while alternating to different sides of its shoulder and taking small nibbles. This was enough to keep it happily calling out 'Fou~' as he ran his hands up and down its sides with [Hands of Nirvana] in full effect. As a result, Cath Palug gradually stopped caring about being bitten as the amount of comfort and gradually building pleasure it was experiencing slowly became its main focus. As for Vahn, he was doing his best to come up with an excuse to give Illya when she finally took back control. She wouldn't have experienced it directly, and may not even understand what happened, but Vahn knew she would eventually figure it out based on context clues. He didn't even know exactly why Cath Palug had acted as it did, only that it seemed to 'really' enjoy it...
After a little more than ten minutes, Cath Palug had become like putty within Vahn's hands, eyes drooping heavily with a contented look on its face. Though there was a mind-numbing heat coming from where their bodies overlapped, Vahn was able to largely ignore it as he picked Cath Palug up and dressed it in a nightgown and a pair of panties. This time, it actually raised its legs on its own, showing that Cath Palug was actually paying attention and learning, even in its absentminded state. Since it was likely near the peak of Tier 4, even in its 'sealed' state, it wouldn't be too surprising for it to have some form of 'extra' awareness, as that simply seemed to come with the territory of beings at their level. This realization allowed Vahn to understand that he needed to give proper 'aftercare', as Cath Palug would learn and imprint on his behavior, just as it emulated Fenrir.
Once Cath Palug was properly dressed, Vahn decided to 'reinforce' the idea that wearing clothing was a good thing. Instead of lulling it into a deep slumber, he placed Cath Palug's head on his lap and began stroking its head and ears with his left hand while rubbing its back, side, and waist with his right, complete with sending thin strands of Source Energy into its body to stimulate its Magic Circuits and cause it small amounts of pleasure. He knew better than to take things too far, especially after the unexpected and marginally traumatizing experience he just went through, but it would help Cath Palug learn quickly if it was 'rewarded' for good behavior. At this point, Vahn was more or less trying to tame the problematic Beast of Gaia as, the quicker it stabilized and began communicating properly, the better it would be for everyone.
Eventually, though Vahn eased it in several times slower than normal, Cath Palug eventually fell asleep while stretched across his lap, its belly turned up since it seemed especially fond of having it stomach rubbed. When its ears began to shrink away, accompanied by its hair losing its shaggy quality, Vahn knew that Illya was regaining control so he stopped rubbing her belly and waited for her to collect herself. Her eyelids slowly peeled open to reveal their ruby-red color, glazed over slightly since she was awash in the afterglow of Cath Palug's own pleasant feelings. He had never brought the creature to the 'breaking' point, but the combination of comfort and pleasure was something few people ever got to experience. Though she was only experiencing what remained, Illya wasn't familiar with these types of feelings so there was visible confusion in her watery eyes, the only sound in the room coming from her slightly labored breathing.
Since he knew it was unavoidable, Vahn released a small sigh before adopting an apologetic smile as he said, "Sorry, Illya...even I don't know what Cath Palug was thinking. I did what I could to keep it from lashing out..." These words seemed to stir Illya's memories as, the moment she processed what Vahn had said, her face became scarlet as she covered her face with both hands. This was a slightly different reaction than he anticipated, as it would have been perfectly normal for Illya to be a little freaked out by the fact he had 'literally' bitten her a few times. He could tell by Cath Palug's reaction that it didn't actually experience pain from the biting but that didn't mean that Illya would be as enthused as the peculiar creature...
After a while, though she still kept her face covered, Illya asked, "You really are willing to do almost anything to make Cath and me happy...aren't you...?" This was also somewhat unexpected, causing a few warning signals to sound within Vahn's mind as he bit the bullet and answered, "So long as you do not end up going down a dangerous path...happiness and indulgence are two different things. If you end up hating me for a short while, I would rather shoulder your ire for a few years if it meant you would be happy later in life..." Since he was a little worried that Illya might deviate in a strange direction, Vahn wanted to remind her that he was willing to become hated for a while if it would be better for her in the long run.
As if she vehemently disagreed with something he said, Illya shook her head in denial, followed by her mumbling, "I can't hate you anymore..." Though she had been intending to exploit Vahn's nature previously, Illya now realized he was completely serious in trying to make her happy. This knowledge alone was enough to make a lot of her intentions fall to the wayside as most of the things she had in mind were just ways of testing him. Now, as she lay across his lap, it felt like her body was burning up as all kinds of emotions she didn't know how to deal with were overwhelming her. She couldn't even look at him right now, the thought of making simple eye contact suddenly making her feel extremely giddy...
Since he had gotten used to being able to sense the internal structure of Illya's body at this point, Vahn was aware of what she was going through as her brain lit up like a bunch of fireworks going off. He could feel her heartbeat going wild in her chest, causing his smile to soften as he began to lightly stroke her head while sending waves of calming energy into her body. Though she flinched at the unexpected contact, Illya made no attempt to stop him as she quickly realized what the invasive energy was doing. As a result, her breathing steadily calmed down and, as the red in her face faded away, Illya peeked through the gaps in her fingers to stare back at him. Vahn returned a gentle smile in response, causing her fingers to close up against as she released a light groan of embarrassment.
---
Though it took quite some time, Illya had eventually calmed down enough to collect herself and behave relatively normally. After that, she asked him to stay with her and, after what he had done, Vahn knew he didn't really have much of a choice. Thus, while hugging Illya from behind, the two laid in her bed as the latter took nearly two hours to actually fall asleep. Vahn didn't actually require sleep, under most circumstances, so he just continued to hold Illya in his embrace while sending a subtle stream and undetectable energy into her abdomen. This is what ultimately helped her fall asleep as, compared to before, Illya was hyperaware of his presence and simply couldn't calm down on her own. He knew this was a sign that she was crushing on him pretty hard, a stark contrast to her previous behavior when she felt like she had control of the situation...
When Illya awoke early the next morning, she spent a few minutes in silence, her heart rate slowly began to climb even without Vahn doing anything. Eventually, he decided to make the fact he was awake known to her, lightly kissing the top of Illya's head as he said, "Good morning, Illya." This was enough to get her to curl up and bury her face in her hands once again as she sheepishly answered, "Good morning, Onii-sama..." With that, Vahn released her from his embrace before sitting on the bed and making a point of stretching his body and yawning. Then, taking advantage of the fact the momentum was heavily in his favor right now, Vahn casually stated, "It's pretty early...how about we go and watch the sunrise together before breakfast? I have yet to see what the sunrise in Camelot is like...seems rather fantastical just thinking about it..."
It seemed to take her a brief moment to understand what Vahn was suggesting but Illya eventually managed an awkward smile before answering, "I'd like that..." Then, even though she wouldn't have chased him out previously, Illya made Vahn leave her bedroom while she got changed. In a way, it was a good sign that she was suddenly more bashful around him as anything that could delay their physical relationship was a positive outcome from Vahn's perspective. Though Illya was twenty-eight years old, he would rather she mature a bit more physically before they do anything together. Since she had a greater sense of awareness after what happened the previous night, he was hoping she would open up more and start actually moving towards her happiness from now on.
After a surprisingly long period of time, enough that they would have missed the sunrise in other areas of the world, Illya finally opened the door to her room, albeit just a crack. When Vahn looked back at her, she made a shy pouting expression before finally opening the door to reveal that she was wearing one of the outfits he had purchased for her the previous night. Since she an appearance like a masterfully crafted doll, indicating she would be an unbelievable beauty if she matured, Vahn had picked out a few outfits he thought would suit her.
Illy seemed to have taken his compliments to heart as, instead of a thick coat and a scarf, as she always seemed to be cold, she was wearing a sleeveless white blouse with pink accents and ribbons on both her sides and around her neck. To complement this, she wore a dark purple skirt that had a few extra layers, some for warmth, others for modesty as it ended a few centimeters above the knees. Beneath that, she had pink stockings that were a similar shade to the pink on her blouse and a pair of red shoes covering her rather small feet. It was obvious that Illya had a unique but stylish fashion sense, even though Vahn could see nearly every outfit he previously bought for her splayed out over the bed...
Deciding not to expose her, Vahn just smiled in response to Illys' behavior as he complimented, "You look adorable. I think those clothes and that hairstyle suit you...it almost feels like you're a different person." Since Illya had tied up part of her hair with dark purple ribbons, creating two small twin-tails to compliment her otherwise long and straight white hair, Vahn couldn't help but compliment her. He knew girls liked any compliments pertaining to their hair, especially when they went out of their way to style it before heading out. As a result, Illya's face beamed with a happy smile as she nodded her head in response before grabbing his hand and stammering, "L-let's go...we don't want to be late..." in a far more lively voice than in the past.
---
Though watching the sunrise from one of the castle's battlements would have been more than adequate, Vahn took things a step further by picking Illya up in a princess carry and ascending to the top of one of the Magus Towers. This gave them a view of the entire island as the sun slowly crested over the horizon, breathing life into the previous cold and dark world. It was rather breathtaking and, as if it breathed life into her own small body, chasing away just a bit of the darkness shrouding her heart and mind, Illya managed a genuine smile as she held his hand, leaning against his shoulder until the sun had fully risen over the horizon. Afterward, without too many words passing between them, Vahn carried Illya down from the tall tower before they both went to breakfast, holding hands the entire way...
---
After enjoying a breakfast that ran on a lot longer than normal, Vahn found himself in a secure room located next to the emptied 'Armory of Camelot', a place that once held various treasures that would have easily qualified as Noble Phantasms. Though the island had eventually forced everyone away with the Dragon's Breath, that didn't prevent several individuals from cleaning out the castle of its treasures immediately following the Battle of Camlann. Since Britain was already in a state of civil discord leading up to the final moments of 'King Arthur', it practically tore itself apart after the fact. If Mordred had been there to stand witness, she undoubtedly would have credited it to what she believed was the 'true nature' of man. She believed that, without a leader, people were no better than cattle and sheep that needed to be shepherded just to avoid having them destroy themselves. Sadly, though Vahn didn't agree with her, it was hard not to form a similar conclusion when he saw the current state of the world...
Since he would be one of the few 'shepherds' in the future, Vahn knew he needed to consolidate his own power and enact policies that would allow people to thrive without leading to stagnation. His methods would have to be slightly different from those in Danmachi but, after butting heads with the other world powers for a few years, Vahn felt he would have a better idea of how he should proceed. For the time being, he needed to focus on creating the second Sub-Space Orb so, under the guidance of Merlin and the observation of Scáthach, Vahn made small changes to the massive formation that used the Welsh Dragon as its core. Since it only used the ambient 'Mystery' that leaked from the dragon's body as a source, without draining the vitality and mana from it, Vahn didn't have any qualms about tying the formation of a Sub-Space Orb into it.
With two semi-perfect and peerless individuals assisting him, Vahn was able to complete the process without a hitch before moving on to the production of the Orb itself. Fortunately, this part was much easier than normal as, after creating the basic structure of the Sub-Space Orb, Merlin took care of the rest himself. Reality projections were a derivative branch of [Illusionism] that could even be used to develop Reality Marbles if the person had a strong enough connection to their Origin. Since there were unlikely any beings as competent with illusions as Merlin, who himself existed as a physical projection, Vahn was confident he would be able to manage without any issues...
While watching Merlin work, Vahn recalled one of his previous conversations with the errant Magus, specifically the one where he had confronted him about the 'transluscency' of his body at times. As he had expected, Merlin revealed that he wasn't actually manifested in the world as, even though he was able to exploit the 'gap' created by Vahn's arrival in the world, his body was still imprisoned back in the Reverse Side of the World. This was why, shortly after the Holy Grail War was brought to an end, Merlin had to leave their side temporarily. He had returned here to Camelot in order to establish an 'anchor' to the world after the Greater Grail had been destroyed. Though he could still leave for a few days at a time, Merlin was currently bound to this land in much the same way as the Welsh Dragon...
In a surprisingly short period of time, only twelve minutes, Merlin eventually removed his hand from the Sub-Space Orb, explaining with a casual smile on his face, "It is done. Do you wish to try it out, Your Majesty~?" Since Vahn was actually very interested in what a projected reality was like, as his battle with Ozymandias was still fresh in his memory, he gave a curt nod before placing his hand on the Orb. In the next moment, Merlin and Scáthach vanished from the surroundings while everything else remained virtually the same. Vahn understood it was actually him that 'vanished', as he could feel an incongruous feeling in his mind since his two 'jewels' were still outside experiencing a much slower flow of time.
After around half a minute had passed, Scáthach and Merlin both appeared next to the 'projection' of the Sub-Space Orb. Under normal circumstances, there wouldn't be a physical representation of a Sub-Space Orb within itself but, due to how this world was an almost perfect replica of the outside world it wasn't difficult to intuit that this second Orb would serve as the 'gate' that allowed passage back to the outside. This was later confirmed by Merlin who explained that, with the exception of the summoning system, the Welsh Dragon, the flow of time, and a few other 'unique' aspects that simply couldn't be formed by a projection, virtually everything else was the same. There was even a sun in the sky while the temperature of the outside air matched what was present back in the outside world. Though it would be a little strange seeing the sun take seven full days for a single day and night cycle within the Sub-Space Orb, Vahn was still truly awed by the amazing display of Magecraft. Merlin even informed him that he would be able to interface with the island-wide magic formation to essentially transfer between the real world and the protection at will...
With the Sub-Space Orb finally completed, serving as a near-perfect emulation of reality, the only people who didn't move inside were Paracelsus and Catherine. Though Vahn would make a 'gate' in their shared Magus Tower, as it would still be extremely useful for them to grow herbs and other ingredients within the Sub-Space Orb, most of their time would be spent outside. Catherine wasn't in a hurry to 'age faster' while Paracelsus was a man of unwavering principles that couldn't really be swayed without an extremely convincing argument. He treated the process of creating Homunculi with an extreme amount of reverence, knowing full-well he was creating a life, not a tool to be used. Vahn couldn't fault him for this, as he fully intended to treat the Homunculus with the same respect as other sentient creatures, so Paracelsus was left to his own devices as the Head of the Alchemist Order.
---
As the creation of what Vahn was calling the Sub-Space Projection Orb took more than eleven hours, it was already after 7 PM in the outside world by the time everyone had moved in. With night falling upon the Sub-Space Projection Orb, a phenomenon that would persist for nearly three full days due to the seasons, Vahn found himself inside of Lakshmibai's room. Nobunaga had also accompanied him and, after she went out of her way to track him down, Circe showed up after he didn't return to his bed. They would need to install a few clocks around the castle that ran at seven-times the normal speed so everyone would be able to adjust to the time-dilation but Vahn didn't mind spending a long night together with the girls. He knew his training with Scáthach was going to be particularly fierce so Vahn spent the better part of seven hours tending to Lakshmibai and Nobunaga, though not before sending Circe on her way after a long session of 'pampering' and a bit of playful teasing from Nobunaga...
With two buxom women overlapping his body, Vahn felt a feeling of contentment and release that was hard to come by. Though his most intimate moments were shared with Fenrir, that was largely due to their extreme familiarity and trust in each other. Vahn and Fenrir always knew how to make each other feel the best, something other girls couldn't really match. However, just like he would relax with Tsubaki and Hephaestus, Vahn always felt a sense of comfort when he was wrapped in the embrace of a woman with large breasts and a shapely figure. Their softness and warmth was simply something more petite girls couldn't match, allowing Vahn to relax more than he normally would. For smaller girls, it felt like he needed to restrain himself and take care of them while having Nobu's and Lakshmibai's bodies curling up against him made Vahn feel like he had few legitimate worries in the world...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Breaking down the barriers of the heart','The difference between skill and mastery','Vahn is slowly being traumatized by excessive exposure to lolis xD...')
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