บท 1266: Interlude: Ripples and Waves
At this point, more than fourteen months had passed for the Designer Babies that Vahn had invited to live within his castle.
Compared to their past selves, who were full of fears and inhibitions, they now lived free and happy lives without fearing whether or not they would survive to experienced another day of torture. They didn't even have to be afraid that they would lose their lives due to the biological limitations that all but guaranteed they would die before their eighteenth birthday.
Though the fear of death still lingered in the back of their minds, as none of them had yet to reach the supposed limit of their lifespan just yet, they all trusted Vahn's words when he told them it was no longer an issue. They all had a modified version of the [Ouranos Seal] that had been adapted to their bodies and, on their back, each of them had the Familia Crest that identified them as part of their Emperor's extended family and citizenry.
At first, the children had been afraid of having any kinds of seals placed on their body but, after Mash mustered up the courage to be the first, it was only a few months until they each accepted the crest and seal for themselves. It helped that even Mordred, the Imperial Princess, had a version of the seal placed on her body, one which she made no efforts to keep hidden away due to her choice of garb.
With the Familia Crest applied, the children had been able to begin accepting Quests of their own. As artificial humanoids that had been designed to have powerful Magic Circuits, their potential was far beyond that of normal humans. After all, they were originally intended to serve as the vessels for Heroic Spirits, allowing them to wield extreme power with the guarantee they would never be able to live long enough to use it against their creators.
Rather than be treated like sacrificial pawns, the children quickly understood that Vahn intended to make good on his promise. They all took varying amounts of time to trust in him but, after several months of being treated like important citizens of the Empire, even the most headstrong and fretful among them relented. It helped that, so long as their decisions did not endanger themselves and others, they were generally allowed to live however they pleased.
As the only male in the group, Alex ignored the fact that he was one of the youngest and instead tried to act as the 'big brother' of the group. He wanted to be strong enough to protect the others and, though his desire for revenge had been tempered considerably, he still wanted to have enough power to oppose injustice.
Siegfried, Alex's Mentor, lived the life of a 'True Hero', one who dedicated themselves to granting the wishes of those who lacked the means to achieve them through their own efforts. Though he came to understand that this way of life was flawed, it still gave him a stoic temperament and an incredibly patient character that unhesitantly carried the burdens of others.
After living with Siegfried for such a long period of time, Alex began looking toward the stoic Knight as a father figure, not just a Mentor. It made him feel happy to be praised and, even when he made mistakes, Siegfried would always kindly guide him without ridicule or judgment. As a result, Alex had come to respect Siegfried a great deal and, though the road was long, he was determined to follow in his faux-father's footsteps. He wanted to become a True Hero, one which everyone, especially his fellow Designer Babies, could rely on...
The only thing that wore away at Alex's resolve was the fact that his affections, which had now been tempered quite a bit, would likely never be reciprocated. In truth, he had developed a fervent crush on Mash in the past when the latter had refused to harm him during one of the experiments where they had been pitted against each other.
At the time, Alex had thought Mash was foolish but, after he had time to ruminate over what she had done, Alex began to feel ashamed of himself. It was around this time that he began to truly hate his creators and, no matter how much they beat or drugged him, he would never willingly participate in their experiments after the fact.
Even after being saved by Vahn and forced to apprentice under Siegfried, Alex had always felt a little possessive toward his fellow Designer Babies, Mash especially. He actually looked up to her a lot as, while everyone else had lost themselves to the pain and suffering, she always did her best to put on a smile and try to ease their suffering. He wanted to be as strong as her before, one day, becoming someone strong enough to protect all of them...
After arriving at the castle, Alex quickly realized that his goal of saving his fellow Designer Babies had been denied him. They now lived free and happy lives without having to worry about food, comfort, and opportunity. There were literally hundreds of people that treated them well, including those with a much higher status than themselves. If they wanted to, they could even put in the effort to become much stronger than before, seemingly without any limitations whatsoever.
Alex could still remember the first time he watched a battle that was beyond his comprehension. It had been between Siegfried, his Mentor, and Artoria, his esteemed teacher and his Master's beloved Empress. Their battle had changed the landscape of the Training Orb to such an extent that, even if he spent hours exploring the area, he would not be able to grasp the full breadth of the devastation.
What truly shocked Alex, however, was his Mentor's admissions that he wasn't even close to being the strongest within the Empire. This title belonged to the Grand Teacher, Lady Scáthach, a woman so powerful that even the Emperor himself sought her guidance.
When Alex first learned the truth, he had been considerably shaken. Despite putting his all into his training, it was difficult to imagine catching up to his Mentor, much less the truly powerful members of the Imperial Family. Even Mordred and Sakura, who seemed to be around his age, were growing at a much faster rate than him. This, at first, made Alex feel helpless and frustrated but, after careful guidance from Siegfried, he had come to accept that being the strongest was pointless.
Siegfried taught him that he only ever needed to have enough strength to protect the things he cared about so. If there were people stronger than him protecting those same things, it was pure egotism to believe himself worthy of greater strength without having the proper conviction. Since those above him had put in the effort to become strong, it was a selfish and inherently foolish to resent them for it. After all, people like Scáthach had lived for thousands of years while Vahn, their Emperor, was closing in on 160 years old.
To affirm his teachings within Alex's heart and mind, Siegfried followed up his lecture by asking how his young protege would feel if those much younger than him began to believe they deserved more power, despite having put in less effort. This had brought a deep frown to Alex's face but, the longer he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. In truth, he should be grateful for the Emperor for not only protecting them, but providing them with the opportunity to choose their fate. To resent those who helped him, and the people he cared about, was a blatantly selfish thing to do...
After this realization, Alex began to temper his mind as he focused on becoming more disciplined. He began to observe his fellow Designer Babies more closely, seeing how happy each of them were in the lives they had decided for themselves. It didn't take long for him to realize that, even if he put in the effort to become much stronger, there were already people stronger than himself protecting the things he cared about. The strength he sought for himself was purely the result of his desires, not something that was mandated by his situation.
Over the months, Alex began to realize that his past vision of the future may very well have caused the people he wanted to protect even greater suffering. If he had continued to insist on his desire to grow stronger, for entirely selfish reasons, he would have become no better than his former captors. After all, he would be using his strength to force people, including those he cared about, to adhere to his vision of the future. He would have grown increasingly possessive, deciding how other people should live while expecting them to be grateful for the life he had forced upon them...
As could be expected, these kinds of thoughts had weighed heavily on Alex's heart and mind but, with the constant guidance of Siegfried, the silent guidance of Merlin, and the example set by Vahn, he never strayed far. They would always gently guide him back onto the path of light, shaping Alex into a much stronger person than the frail and petulant child he had been in the past. Now, he no longer sought strength to force his vision upon others. Instead, he still the strength to protect, not just the Designer Babies, but everyone that was weaker than himself. He wanted to become a Knight of the Empire and, as a result of his changed convictions, his strength had started to increase at a much faster rate than before.
---
While Alex had been undergoing his transformation, so too had the other Designer Babies. Among them, the object of his childish affection, Mash, had been the one to change the fastest. She was the first to accept the Familia Crest and, even when everyone else had been uncertain of their future, she had bravely paved the way forward.
At this point, Mash was already sixteen years old but, rather than fear for her waning life, she felt full of vitality and, with each passing day, had become happier than she thought possible. Her training had been going well and, according to Galahad, she could easily qualify as an Esquire within the next two years. After that, she just needed to earn a bit of experience before officially becoming a Knight of the Empire, something she greatly looked forward to.
Mash got along well with pretty much everyone in the castle and was always polite and respectful, even towards those younger than herself. This had earned her a considerable amount of praise from Artoria, something that always made Mash feel giddy, despite the fact that Mordred would tease her for it.
Despite the fact that Artoria appeared more petite and youthful than herself, Mash looked up to her Empress quite a bit. The latter had a noble and sagely disposition that inspired everyone around her, despite her diminutive appearance. Because of this, Mash took her etiquette lessons very seriously and, though she understood it was unnecessary due to her Empress' strength, it was her dream to become one of Artoria's personal Knights in the future.
Originally, Mash had only intended to stand out in an effort to draw more attention to herself than her fellow Designer Babies. She believed that, if she worked hard, the others were less likely to be treated poorly. She had even been willing to use her body as, despite having a number of medical scars, she knew her 'development' had made her especially popular among the personnel assigned to the project.
It didn't take long for Mash to realize that her concerns and determination were entirely unfounded as, despite having an overwhelming amount of power, Vahn was a kind Master. Not only that, but everyone in the Empire seemed to be infinitely kinder than Mash even though possible. They were all far more powerful than even the strongest person in Chaldeas but, rather than use their unbelievable power to suppress others, they used it with the intent of making the world a better place.
Unlike the scientists who had tried to convince them that their 'sacrifice' was necessary to ensure the survival of humanity, the Empire worked hard to become strong enough to protect everything. They did not perform inhumane experiments that required arbitrary justifications. Instead, they tirelessly endeavored to increase their own power so that needless sacrifices were unnecessary. This included Vahn himself who, despite being an Emperor, worked to the point that others had to basically force him to take breaks.
After coming to understand that Vahn wasn't trying to fool them, Mash began to sincerely respect him. She had even decided to dedicate her life in service to the Empire in gratitude for everything he had done for them but, after a fair amount of teasing, she had to change her goal slightly.
Originally, Mash had wanted to become one of Vahn's personal guards or, at the very least, one of the Knights of the Inner Sanctum. Her intentions seemed to have been misconstrued by her fellow Designer Babies and her peers, however, leading to a considerable amount of embarrassment. To make matters even worse, it seemed like her Master had also misunderstood her intentions but, rather than force her away and reproach her, he always showed a kind smile, further exacerbating the embarrassment she felt.
With pretty much everyone thinking she wanted to become one of her Master's mistresses, Mash was beside herself with embarrassment. She tried to distract herself by putting more effort into her training but, when Mordred asked her directly if she would one day sleep with her father, Mash was at a loss as to how she should respond. At the time, she had already become good friends with the tomboyish princess so she could tell that Mordred was being serious when she asked the question.
In truth, Mash was not against servicing her Master and, after a lot of teasing, she couldn't help but think about it at times. This was entirely dependent on whether or not he wanted to sleep with her, however, as Mash could not even consider being the one to try and initiate anything. She had too much respect for her Master and, to avoid misunderstandings, she had even openly stated her desire to become one of her Empress' guards, distancing herself from her Master slightly.
When Mordred had confronted her, Mash felt like a deer that had walked into a clearing, only to find a large dragon looking down at her. She was ultimately unable to answer, earning her an unnerving smile from Mordred who commented, "You shouldn't hold yourself back. If there is something you want, you should do everything in your power to obtain it. My Chichiue only looks down on people who seek power at the expense of others. If you make an earnest effort, he won't turn you away, you know~?"
Even before she had finished her remark, Mordred had already started walking away from her so Mash had been unable to come up with a response by the time the princess had vanished. This left her feeling at a loss as, even since the time of her arrival in the Empire, she had never sought to be at her Master's side in such a way. She was honestly a little frustrated that everyone acted like this was the case, likely as a result of her physical development and disposition...
Fortunately, at the time when Mash was feeling the most conflicted, Fenrir had appeared, seemingly out of thin air, to allay her concerns. Unlike the others, Fenrir didn't treat her as if she was constantly pining after their Master. Though she was the one who elevated their Master more than anyone else, she was also the most perceptive when it came to how people perceived Vahn. Her intuition was very sharp but, even without that, Fenrir sense of smell allowed her to pretty much 'know' if someone had such thoughts toward her Master.
After appearing, Fenrir gave Mash a few kindly head pats, leaving the lilac-haired girl smiling a little awkwardly. Then, after finding a spot to sit down, Fenrir preached to her the principles of being a 'good girl' while encouraging her to do what she wanted without feeling pressured by others. She told Mash that, regardless of what she chose to do, her Master would never look down on her. He wasn't the type to judge others and, unless she one day desired it, he would never try and force her into doing something she was unwilling to do. As for how she felt toward their Master at times, this was 'common sense' to Fenrir so she didn't resent Mash in the slightest.
Mash had already grown accustomed to Fenrir's lectures so she just obediently listened until the very end. At times, it felt like the wolfish girl was trying to brainwash them but, as it was very obvious that Fenrir sincerely believed everything she said, Mash could only smile politely before thanking her for the lesson. After that, Fenrir surprised her a bit by giving her a long hug and patting the back of her head until the tensions in her body had eased entirely. Before this, Mash hadn't even realized how tense her body had become...
When Fenrir finally released her, the former gave her another gentle pat on the head before saying, "Do not let Mordred get to you. She is under a lot of pressure and is still learning how to deal with her own emotions. If you feel threatened or afraid, there are a lot of people who you can rely on. I try my best to help people feel at ease but I know there are others better at it. You can talk to Iris or Artoria but, if you feel like they aren't enough, our Master will always make time to help others. You don't have to fear him eating you up...though I won't deny there is a chance you might want him to after he takes care of you~? Shishishishi~"
For the second time in the same day, Mash was left at a loss as to how she should reply by the time her conversational partner had departed. Thus, for several awkward moments, she just silently on a bench until several Companions began to gather around her. Their presence always put her at ease so Mash picked up one with fluffy white hair and rabbit ears before hugging it tightly. It released an adorable mewl in response, bringing a smile to her face as other Companions began to climb up the bench to sit alongside her.
Ultimately, Mash wasn't entirely sure what she wanted as, due to her past, she never looked toward anything more long term. Her current goal was to become one of Artoria's personal Knights but, as she already had Lady Gray at her side, part of her felt like she was interfering with the duties of another. She also knew that Lady Gray had a sexual relationship with their Master, something that even his direct Page, Gareth, had. This made it seem like all the women around their Master were sleeping with him, something that filled Mash with uncertainties as, despite what anyone else told her, she simply couldn't see herself as someone worthy of the same treatment...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Siegfried used Perspective Shift...! It was super effective! Young Alex is confused...','Mordred still has a long way to go (x _ x)...','Poor Mashu-chan. Someone get this girl some L'Oréal...!')
(A/N: I just want everyone to know that you almost brought this old man, who has served time in the Marine Corps and traveled the world, to tears. When I woke up yesterday, I saw all of the messages of support everyone had sent before noticing my inbox flooded with notifications of new patrons. I now feel guilty about my rant yesterday but, regardless of my own embarrassment, know that I can never fully express the gratitude I feel toward such kindness. Thank you...it means a lot more than most of you will ever know...(My eyes watered as I typed this part, hahahaha xD...))
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