Chapter 1171: Contrary

While releasing a rare yawn, Vahn was making his way back towards the heart of the castle, feeling both refreshed yet mentally fatigued at the same time. Da Vinci was, with no other way to describe her plainly, 'very' quick on the uptake. Not only had she gained experience from their first few times together but, now that she had some expectations towards what to expect, her new body was very 'proficient' when it came to collecting more data. It even had A-Rank Endurance, allowing Da Vinci to persist for nearly seven hours straight before the 'core' she had created to absorb his Magical Energy had reached its threshold. This not only gave her a better understanding of the energy makeup of his bodily fluids but, as time passed, Da Vinci would become increasingly more adept at finding uses for said energy.

After returning to her more youthful body, though not before calming down a bit beforehand, Da Vinci performed the rather awkward act of using an instrument to pull out a pale golden crystal from her older form's body. When Vahn saw this, he had been more than a little surprised as, though it was very small, it could be seen at a glance that the substance was the same as the [Divine Energy Cube]. Since she was able to analyze its structure, Da Vinci had given her most recent body the ability to crystallize Vahn's own 'divine energy', extracted from his semen.

Da Vinci had theorized that, while he was not a 'God' at the moment, Vahn still had godly energy as a result of being a Tier 4 entity. Since there was clearly 'something' going on when he was having sex, she correctly deduced that he generated divine energy during intercourse, owing in no small part to his wealth of experience and the 'melding' he had performed with Freya in the past. Though it might not be one of his primary 'focuses', Vahn obviously placed a lot of focus on the act when he was with one of the various women surrounding him. As he was always doing his best to make sure they were getting the most out of the experience, he had been cultivating 'Sex Laws' intuitively over the course of his relationships...

Recalling how Da Vinci had teased him, calling him a 'Sex God', Vahn shook his head with a wry smile before clearing his mind of such wayward thoughts. Then, pushing against the seemingly immovable stone doors adorned with heroic figures, Vahn stepped into his own Throne Room, startling two of the girls within. One of them quickly jumped up from his Throne after seeing who had entered into the room, her eyes spinning around in their sockets as she thought of an excuse. After all, it was a grave offense to sit upon the Throne of a King, much less an Emperor.

Seeing Mordred's somewhat pale complexion, combined with her floundering disposition, Vahn had a stern look on his face, contrasting the glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Then, while letting his aura spread through the Throne Room, the place where he had the most power, Vahn walked toward Mordred, his steps sounding like thunder in the young girl's ears. From the side, Sakura also had a pale expression on her face as, even though she understood her status as an Imperial Princess, this was her first time feeling the 'presence' of her Otou-sama. The only person who wasn't affected was Fenrir who, understanding her Master better than anyone, knew he wasn't actually upset.

With the current Mordred being 131cm tall, there was a 54cm difference between her height and Vahn's, making her head only come up to around his diaphragm. From his advantageous position, Vahn looked down at his mischevious daughter, asking, "How did it feel...?" Though he spoke softly, his words seemed to ripple through the air, causing the surrounding void to tremble slightly. This caused Mordred's expression to pale, even more, a thin layer of cold sweat building upon her brow as she stammered, "I...I...I'm sorry...Chichiue..." Contrary to her usually bold disposition, Mordred now looked like nothing more than a child who had gotten caught pulling a prank...

Though he felt a little guilty taking things this far, Vahn still raised his hand slowly, causing Mordred to flinch as she tightly closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists. Then, instead of the expected strike, a comfortable warmth began to spread through her head as Vahn's hand began to gently ruffle her golden-blond hair. As if it had been an illusion, all of the pressure vanished in an instant, followed by Vahn lightly remarking, "Until you understand what it means to sit upon that Throne, you shouldn't play around it unless I'm present." With that said, Vahn picked up Mordred's light body, only 26kg, before carrying her the short distance to his Throne.

After sitting Mordred on the armrest, Vahn took a seat upon his Throne, something that caused power to swell from within his chest. It was almost impossible to restrain his aura completely while seated upon his Throne but, instead of pressuring those in the room, it instead gave them a sense of 'awe'. Then, while Mordred was still processing what had happened, Vahn gestured to Sakura who, after seeing things play out better than she had expected, felt a bit weak in the knees.

With Mordred and Sakura both sitting on his armrests, Vahn had a contented smile on his face as he mused, "My two precious daughters...listen closely to my words." Since he felt that this was a good opportunity to be a good father, while simultaneously carrying out his duties as Emperor, Vahn spent a good hour explaining his vision of the future to the two attentive girls. When they would start to get bored or distracted, he would gently ruffle their hair, sending threads of stimulating energy into their minds to keep them focused. Though it ultimately didn't matter all that much if they decided to play their own parts, as Vahn only wanted them to be happy, it was still important that they know their own place in the grand scheme of the future.

When his explanation was finished, Vahn used his telekinesis to move Mordred and Sakura so that they were seated on his lap. Then, embracing the two girls, he reiterated, "I have great expectations for both of you...however, so long as you are happy, that is what is most important. If you ever feel sad or lost, know that I will always be here for you..." Even though Mordred and Sakura weren't his biological children, Vahn had no intention of treating them any differently. Regardless of the path they took, he would always be there to support them, even if that meant guiding them back toward the light if they strayed away...

Though Sakura seemed to enjoy the contact quite a bit, tightly hugging her Otou-sama in response, Mordred showed an 'annoyed' expression that couldn't conceal the happy light in her eyes. Then, as if she refused to show weakness in front of her little sister, Mordred wiggled out of her Chichue's grasp before hopping off the Throne and exclaiming, "One day, I will be the Empress that reigns over the entire world! Don't worry, though, I'll still allow you to live in the castle, Chichiue~! Even if you become an old man, I'll take care of you properly..."

Toward the end of her statement, Mordred had a somewhat awkward smile on her face as she rubbed the underside of her nose with the back of her index finger. Sakura had looked back at her with a pouting expression on her face, causing Mordred's confident exclamation to sound more like a bluster. Fortunately, her Chichue once again came to her rescue, lightly patting Sakura's back as he gave an approving nod and stated, "I look forward to the day you are able to sit upon this Throne, Mordred. When that time comes, I will be the proudest father in the entire world..."

Hearing her Chichue's supportive words, Mordred's face gained a rosy hue, followed by an awkward laugh as she answered, "O-of course...just make sure you keep that seat warm for me..." Then, with her face becoming even redder, Mordred coughed to cover her embarrassment before scampering out of the Throne Room. She was closely followed by Fenrir who, after giving her Master a curt nod, quickly gave chase. This left Vahn alone with Sakura and, though there was no special meaning in such an occurrence, it seemed to make the young girl very nervous.

To avoid stressing her out too much, Vahn set Sakura down on the ground before taking her hand in his own and saying, "Let's go visit your Okaa-chan..." These words were like having a weight lifted from her heart and, instead of paling, Sakura gave a cheerful smile before answering with a happy 'Nn!'. As much as she loved this Otou-sama of hers, Sakura felt uncomfortable if she was the only person around him as, unlike the memory fragment she had grown accustomed to, he always had a somewhat 'scary' presence around his body. This was largely due to Vahn always having his [Will of the Emperor] active and, even though he didn't put any pressure on Sakura, her overabundance of Magical Energy made her extremely sensitive to potential threats.

Even with her memories erased, that didn't mean Sakura's body and Soul had forgotten what had happened in the past. She would often feel 'safer' in small and dark places and, though her Otou-sama's presence made her feel extremely secure, there was a part of Sakura that instinctually feared him. When other people were around, this feeling would completely disappear but, when it was just the two of them, it almost felt like she had nowhere to run. She didn't understand these feelings at all as, just by hearing that they were going to see her Okaa-chan, Sakura's fear had vanished. Just the awareness that she didn't 'have' to be alone with him made the fear go away, even if it was just the two of them walking the empty corridors for several minutes...

---

After dropping Sakura off with Rin, followed by them having a light lunch together, Vahn set out to retrieve Gray as, even though there was no particular rush to do everything in 'one' evening, he felt compelled to do so. His intuition told him that, after establishing contact with Type: Mercury and revealing himself to the Mage's Association, his life would enter into a new chapter. Currently, Vahn was considering forming an Avatar just so he could have a version of himself in London while his counterpart remained in the Ivory Castle. However, after talking with Da Vinci and asking why she never used more than one body, Vahn wasn't sure if this was the best choice...

As he already used his two 'crystals' to bolster his Od regeneration, the only real benefit to having an Avatar in the Ivory Castle was if he wanted to spend time with everyone. This, however, would split his focus considerably as, with the time dilation and his interactions with others taking precedence, it would be difficult for him to take action in the 'real' world. Training with Scáthach would be virtually impossible, as there was simply no way for him to remain focused on other tasks, while any kind of intimacy he experiences with the girls would always be 'tainted' by his focus on other matters.

Vahn didn't want to split himself like this again as it not only increased the pressure on himself but the pressure others experienced just knowing he was using more than one body. He would already be working hard, something that would motivate the more driven individuals in the castle to work harder, so increasing his mental strain wasn't the best idea. Vahn could still remember how troubled the women back in Danmachi were and, as there was also a very real chance that someone would be able to trace the location of Avalon, he decided to keep his jewels slumbering instead of maintaining an active link.

With the ability to transfer back to Avalon whenever he wanted, the only thing Vahn would really lose out on in the coming months was a bit of training and recreational time. Though he could still dedicate an hour or two per real-world day, equating to fourteen hours within the Projection, this would be significantly less time than he otherwise would have had. Even if he was only in London for a few hours every couple of days, this would eventually account for months and years later on down the line. If there was a big event going on, which required several days of concerted effort to resolve, that could translate to more than a month within the Projection...

Realizing that such thoughts would only cause him to worry unnecessarily, Vahn shook his head while pushing open the door to Artoria's room. His entry immediately drew the attention of the two similar women inside, causing the golden-haired variant to rise to her feet before the gray-haired young woman quickly followed suit. Vahn smiled toward the two as Artoria gave a small bow and said, "Good evening, Vahn..." Though she had called him things like 'Master' and 'My Emperor' in the past, Vahn had asked that Artoria refers to him by name when they weren't in a public setting. After all, even if they hadn't carried out an official ceremony, he and Artoria were more than 'technically' married to each other.

While Gray quickly tried to emulate Artoria's actions, Vahn gestured to indicate such things weren't necessary as he asked, "Am I interrupting anything...?" This was immediately answered by Artoria crossing her hands atop her lap in a polite display, shaking her head gently as she replied, "No...we were just talking. If there is something you require, we can make ourselves available..." Though there wasn't supposed to be any innuendo contained within her words, Artoria's face gained an almost indiscernible blush toward the very end. It hadn't been that long since she was last with Vahn, only a few day's time, but the presence of Gray was something that couldn't be discounted. In that regard, it had been more than a half-year since they were together, causing Artoria's heart to beat slightly faster than normal.

Not missing the subtle expectation in Artoria's mannerisms, Vahn's smile curled up at the edges but, as he wouldn't mind spending time with both girls, he had a promise to keep. With that in mind, he turned his eyes to Gray, causing her brows to raise slightly as he asked, "If it is not an inconvenience, I would like Gray to accompany me for a time. I do not mind keeping the two of you company but..." With Artoria appearing simultaneously relieved and despondent, Vahn let his words trail toward the end as a slightly guilty feeling swelled within his heart.

Vahn realized that, by asking Gray to accompany him, he was, in essence, leaving Artoria to remain in her room, alone. Before he could think too much into it, however, Artoria seemed to understand his concern, her ahoge twitching as a natural smile spread across her already beautiful face. Then, even though Gray herself hadn't said she was willing, Artoria gently stated, "Go...I'll be here when you return. Even if I had to wait for centuries, I would still be here..." Though it was an extreme statement to make in an otherwise low-stakes situation, Artoria felt like she was 'getting even' with Vahn for some of the things he would often tout...

Understanding that she was trying to tease him, all while being very serious, Vahn released a light chuckle in response to Artoria's statement. Then, ignoring his urge to counter-tease her, Vahn looked toward Gray, straightening his back as he asked, "Will you do me the honor of gracing this evening with your presence, Lady Gray...?" Even if such words were a bit extravagant, Vahn was just trying to give Gray a 'cue' to act upon as, contrasting the demure disposition he had come to know from their time together in the Space-Time Orb, she was clearly trying to act more lady-like. Though she was still wearing her runic cloak and mantle, which accented her beauty quite a bit, Gray also had a prim and proper black dress with gray accents. She was even wearing white hosiery, a stark contrast to the black stockings she usually wore...

Though she almost agreed instantly, Gray felt wholly unprepared to accompany Vahn alone, even if there was no guarantee they would do anything more 'intimate'. She suddenly felt a strong urge to bathe but, not wanting to keep Vahn waiting, she ultimately gave a small yet courteous bow before answering in a sheepish voice, "I would be happy to accompany you...Vahn." Even if her words felt like an executioner's ax coming down on her neck, Gray felt a bit of relief as she managed to get them out. Then, immediately following this, feelings of nervousness and excitement began to swell from within as she linked her arm with Vahn's, alighting from the room before eventually leaving the castle altogether.

---

Avalon was a mystical place with several interesting locations, each possessing great historical value and an awe-inspiring level of beauty. A large portion of the island was covered in apple orchards which, regardless of the season, would produce delicious apples due to the overabundance of mana in the environment. Compared to the outside world, Avalon was a veritable paradise for any Magi that wanted to increase their strength and power large formations. Any children that grew up in such a location would be intrinsically more powerful than their peers while, by consuming the apples on a daily basis, even normal humans would live long lives without having to worry about sickness and disease.

Amongst the many historical sites of Avalon, with the ruins beneath the Lake being one of the few exceptions, there was one place that Vahn had yet to take anyone else. This was because, with the exception of Artoria, others were simply disallowed entry, even if they went against common sense and decided to venture inward. Even the adventurous Astolfo and Mordred wouldn't venture into this place unnecessarily as you had to pass through a large graveyard and mausoleum, both filled with a solemn atmosphere and the presence of an abundance of Spiritual Energy...

Though this wasn't exactly the best place for a date, at least under normal circumstances, Vahn knew that Gray would undoubtedly feel at ease in such an environment. She had the same holy-elemental affinity as Artoria but, a stark contrast to the inviolable King of Knights, Gray also possessed a very potent death-elemental affinity. It was the presence of this energy in her body that caused her eyes to glow slightly in the dark and, though she had the same blond hair as Artoria in the past, it had become muted and gray with the passage of time. These were all things he had learned from Gray herself during the time they spent together in the Space-Time Orb as, while seeking comfort, she also confided many things in him...

Without having to ask why he was bringing her to a graveyard, Gray simply leaned her head against Vahn's shoulder, her bluish-green eyes glowing with a ghostly light. In truth, if she didn't 'harvest' a life periodically, her body would begin to suffuse with a cold chill while even simple movements would become painful. Even normal graveyards were rich in mana, which was why most humans felt frightened being inside one for long periods of time, while the Holy and Death elements coexisted side-by-side. After all, the dead were buried and given funeral rites so that they could rest peacefully, making graveyards extremely popular for the practice of Holy Sacraments and Necromancy...

By the time they reached their destination, an awe-inspiringly beautiful shrine that was located at the lowest level of an underground Mausoleum, Gray's body had begun to emit a ghostly aura that was impossible for her to rein in. Her eyes took in the surroundings, noticing twelve large stone coffins while, at the heart of the chamber, a much larger coffin was illuminated by holy blue light. There was no actual light source anywhere above the coffin yet, anyone who stood witness to the phenomenon would not find it odd. Instead, they would feel an overwhelming sense of awe, akin to witnessing a miracle far beyond human comprehension...

With Gray trembling slightly at his side, Vahn took her hands into his own as he turned her to face him directly. He knew she would never have expected for him to keep his 'promise' so soon, even if it was his memory fragment that had made it. This wasn't an 'excuse' as far as Vahn was concerned, however, so he actually felt a little guilty having made her wait this long. Thus, without hesitating for even a moment, Vahn unequipped his overcoat and undershirt, exposing his muscular upper body and earning a blush from Gray. Then, with a complex expression on her face, Gray's face became progressively redder as she opened her mouth, revealing pronounced canines as she buried her teeth into Vahn's exposed neck, a place that already had a surprising amount of bite marks present...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tsundere Mordred','Vahn's Intuition(Plot Sense)','*Chu~*')

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