After watching the girl's train for a few hours, Vahn allowed Modred to ride on his shoulders as Sakura, Mash, Zoë, and Gareth followed along. There was even a large white lioness at the side with a lazy expression as it lumbered through the hallway. This was Mordred's Guardian, King, named so because, according to Mordred, "It doesn't matter if you are a boy or a girl. If you work hard, anyone can be a King…!"
Vahn couldn't really argue with her at the time, especially knowing her past, so her Guardian ended up with the name 'King', much to its apparent chagrin. Still, despite acting bored and lazy most of the time, it was just a big tsundere lioness that would always play with Mordred whenever the later pestered her. He had even found Mordred using King's body as a pillow on a few occasions as they bathed under the sun together.
After a short journey, Vahn ended up in a smaller recreation room filled with entertainment devices and more than a dozen idle Companions just lazing about. If you wanted to just relax and take a nap, there were plush bean-bag style chairs arranged at the side. The Companions would readily come to cuddle with you, their soft bodies and regulated body temperatures always bringing the maximum amount of comfort. Da Vinci had even started to make some breakthroughs, not in the Laws of Petting, but creating an energy field that helped calm people down.
Despite having reached their destination, Mordred continued to sit on his shoulders, her legs locked as she leaned against the top of his head. When he tried to remove her, she released a mischievous giggle before tightening her grip and musing, "I want to stay like this, shishishi~" After more than two years, Mordred had a good understanding of what she could and couldn't get away with when it came to her Chichiue. Her unique Innate, [Sage Emperor's Pampered Princess] wasn't just for show.
Vahn felt a little helpless with this mischievous daughter of his but, as he had decided not to change his treatment of her, he allowed her a lot of leniencies. Despite having some 'hidden intentions', he couldn't ignore the fact that Mordred made a sincere effort to hide her feelings. She always worked very hard and, compared to her past self, had made a tremendous amount of progress.
Given how Mordred prioritized hierarchies, almost to a fault, he expected she would never actually act on her feelings. Thus, much like how he had treated Mash in the past, Vahn chalked Mordred's feeling up to 'puppy love'. She didn't really have any males around her age to associate with, besides Alex, so it wasn't strange for her to imprint on the person she respected the most. Even in a reserved country like Japan, it wasn't rare for girls to have delusions of marrying their fathers when they were very young. It wasn't until they began to interact with others that they began to break free from this 'delusion', leading Vahn to once again believe it was for the best that his children have peers they can interact with.
It was for this purpose that Vahn had gathered together all of the children in the castle, including Alex, Juliet, and Ingrid. He had invited them to the room where they sometimes played together so that they would be able to relax and socialize after he left.
Once everyone had settled in, Vahn had all of the children seated in a semi-circle in front of him as he adopted a gentle smile and explained, "Soon, you will all have an important choice to make. Each of you has already started down the path you are most interested in…As an Emperor, I take great pride in seeing how far each of you has come in a relatively short period of time."
As Vahn spoke, he passed his eyes over everyone, earning smiles from the majority while Alex, ever obstinant, lowered his head with an embarrassed expression on his face. He had mellowed out a lot after apprenticing under Siegfried for such a long period of time but, as he was still very young, he had a long way to go before reaching the level of stoicism his mentor was known for.
Since there were no questions, Vahn gave a small nod before adding, "As I explained in the past, you are allowed to live your lives as you please. However, most of you have decided to make a place for yourself within the Empire. With this being the case, I believe it is necessary, at least for the moment, that each of you to learn how to interact with people you own age. It isn't wrong to be working hard towards your goals but, as children, it is equally important for you to enjoy your youth and make as many friends as possible."
Having missed out on his own childhood, Vahn felt it was wrong to deprive these children of the chance to pursue a different path. It was too easy for them to rationalize serving the Empire as, after what they experienced in the past, this place was 'everything' to them. In order for them to become more stable, as he wasn't exactly interested in cultivating zealots for the Empire, he figured it would be for the best that they have some social interaction with children around their age group.
With this in mind, Vahn allayed the growing concerns of everyone present by explaining, "In the near future, the Empire will likely come to an agreement with the Clock Tower. When the time comes, you will all have the opportunity to become students. Not only will this allow you to make friends, but it is also the fastest way for you to grow stronger. You also needn't worry that you will be bullied or mistreated as, prior to the agreement, I will discuss terms to make sure you are all safe from outside influence. Though it wouldn't be as safe as just staying in Avalon, I believe you have to be willing to face some form of adversity if you want to become truly strong."
In response to his words, Mordred began to snicker with an excited expression on her face before asking, "Does that mean I'll also be going to that school?" To this, Vahn gave a curt nod as, while it was 'optional' for the Designer Babies, it was 'required' for her. At this point, her Knight training was more of a formality than anything else so, in order to prepare her for the authority she would one day wield, Vahn wanted to see how Mordred interacted with her future subjects. She was actually very charismatic but, in order to mellow her out a bit, he intended to have her cultivate humility by interacting with people much weaker than herself where she was under a lot of pressure.
Contrary to his initial expectations, Mordred seemed enthusiastic about the idea of attending the Clock Tower. The only people who showed any real concern about the arrangement were Juliet and, for reasons he was already aware of, Sakura. She had actually been considering apprenticing under Galahad directly after her basic training was completed. This would make her his Esquire as, due to her status as Imperial Princess, she couldn't be his Page.
Vahn knew that Sakura's crush had only become stronger with the passage of time, to the point that Galahad had actually confided his own concerns when they were drinking together. While the quiet Knight had held out for a considerable amount of time, he had eventually been wrangled in by Vahn. They would now go out for a drink with Siegfried and Heracles every few days, primarily as a means to strengthen their bonds and discuss various matters in an informal way.
Knowing what was going through the minds of everyone present, Vahn kept a casual smile on his face as he clarified, "You will all be part of a special curriculum that is catered towards Advanced and Special students. After school each day, you will be allowed to return to Avalon at your leisure so you don't have to worry about staying inside the student dorms and being away for long periods of time. With this in mind, I hope you will all consider attending school as I believe it will be an opportunity for each of you to grow beyond your current selves."
Though his words didn't allay everyone's concerns, Sakura at least gained a determined glint in her eyes while Mash, having been sitting properly at the side, suddenly asked, "Will I also be allowed to attend the Clock Tower, Master? I fear that my age will make it…inconvenient…to become a student?"
As she was already behind in her training as a Knight, Mash felt that diverting her focus by attending the Clock Tower would interfere with her ongoing efforts to become stronger.
Hearing Mash's question, Vahn issued a light chuckle that caused the demure girl to flush with her head lowered. So that she didn't misunderstand, he performed a placating gesture with his left hand while answering, "As I stated previously, attending school at the Clock Tower is a way for you to grow much stronger in a short period of time. Your age isn't really a factor as some students continue their education well into their twenties. Also, so that there isn't any confusion, there is a good chance that Da Vinci, Merlin, and myself will be acting as your Professors and Advisor."
Compared to his previous words, Vahn's latest attestation caused the majority of people present to breathe a sigh of relief. They thought they would be at the mercy of complete strangers so, knowing that two of the most powerful people in the Empire would be looking after them was a considerable boon. There was also the fact that, while he might only be an Advisor, Vahn was their Emperor and, as far as they knew, the most powerful person in the entire world. In truth, he just wanted to explore the Spirit Tomb: Albion while making sure nobody messed with his children…
With the majority of their concerns addressed, everyone but Juliet and Alex decided to attend school at the Clock Tower. Since the latter two were still young, Vahn didn't try to pressure them as he knew they weren't exactly ready to interact with others just yet. Alex still hadn't stabilized completely and, after what she had experienced, it would take a long time for Juliet to fully recover. The fact she had even started studying to become a Maid in the past was already a major step forward for her. Thus, for the time being, Vahn would just let her continue being an adorable little Maid-in-Training while following her 'Mother' around like a puppy.
After their acceptance, Vahn began to discuss their special status and how they would have to act while attending school. It was important that they keep their status in mind but, so long as it wasn't an official matter, they also needed to treat other people with dignity and respect. He didn't want to see Mordred building a posse of people by making use of her high [Charisma] and status as Imperial Princess.
Though it was fine to make friends and scout talent, he didn't want to see her, or any of them for that matter, bossing other children around. While it was a very different case if the other party tried to use their own status to cause conflict, it was his policy to take the high road until they forced a more heavy-handed response. If anything, he wanted each of the children to experience how sad and despotic some of the other nobles were so they would know better than to pursue a similar path for themselves. While pride and status were important things, they weren't things you used against others to elevate yourself above them unless you were in direct contention with each other.
With their etiquette training provided by Artoria and Luvia, Vahn knew he wouldn't have to worry too much. Though the latter taught the principle that it was best to act openly and in a high profile manner, she never taught them to look down on others. Instead, Luvia's primary lessons discussed the importance of treating people fairly, albeit without compromising yourself on their behalf. If you wanted loyal and dedicated subordinates, they needed to know you had confidence in them, not feel that you treated them as your 'lessers'. Respect was something earned and, if you weren't willing to put in the effort to earn it, you didn't deserve it.
By the time the discussion had come to an end, nearly two hours had passed. Some of the children were beginning to struggle with staying focused, causing Vahn's expression to soften, even though he also had a wry smile on his face. He knew he could be long-winded so he ultimately decided to leave the matter until a later date. Now that they had made their decision, they had plenty of time to prepare since, even if they only had a week or two before starting school, that equated to several months within the Projection.
—
After leaving the children's' rec room, Vahn was feeling a little fatigued since, for various reasons, it was a rather stressful conversation. Since he had a few hours before having to summon Maxwell's Demon, he decided to make good on his earlier promise to Gareth. With this in mind, he made his way over the Menagerie to find Circe taking a nap while their daughter, Penelo, was resting in her chest. Vahn found Penelo to be one of the cutest babies he had ever seen as, with her tiny wings and inordinately beautiful features, he couldn't help but smile each time he saw her.
Circe awoke almost immediately after he entered the room and, seeing Gareth in tow, she didn't have to ask why he had stopped by. Instead, a smile naturally spread across her face as she rose from the bed and said, "I'll see if Iris can watch Nel. Don't start without me~" before alighting from the room with a bit of pep in her step. Vahn could only chuckle in response while Gareth, knowing what they were going to do, had already started breathing a little heavily in anticipation.
Knowing that Circe was very serious when she said not to start without her, despite her lackadaisical tone, Vahn decided to spend the remaining time teasing his adorable little Page. Without saying a single word, he vanished from his location before appearing right behind Gareth. She was stunned by his sudden disappearance but, when Vahn wrapped his arms around her waist and began to play-bite her dog-like ears, she began to squirm in his embrace without actually trying to free herself.
Eventually, due to how his Divinity amplified s.e.x.u.a.l tensions and heightened emotions, Gareth's face morphed into a 'pained' expression as she whimpered, "Maaaster…"
In response to her plea, Vahn stopped nibbling on her ear before holding her trembling body a little tighter as he asked, "You don't want to upset Circe, do you~? Behave…"
Gareth's awareness almost immediately returned after she heard what her Master said as, better than most, she knew how scary Circe could be if she felt spited. This caused her to puff out her cheeks as, with her body heating up, she was feeling very impatient. Fortunately, her Master showed her a bit of leniency by tilting her head and giving her a suitable method to distract herself until Circe finally returned.
Though Circe scrunched her nose after walking in on Vahn and Gareth kissing, she didn't press the matter since, while intimate, it wasn't really a s.e.x.u.a.l act. If he began making love to another woman before tending to her, especially in her own room, she would feel more than a little resentful. This was something she couldn't really suppress all that well, causing her to distance herself from others so that she didn't cause too much drama.
Knowing that Circe would get upset if he 'ignored' her, Vahn stopped kissing Gareth before lightly slapping her butt and saying, "Go get ready." in a casual tone. This caused Gareth to jump a little before the scampered over to the side of the bed and began peeling off her clothes. As for Vahn, he made his way over Circe, ignoring the subtle look of blame in her eyes as he placed his hands firmly on her backside without any hesitation. This caused her to inhale deeply but, before she could draw too much breath, he began to kiss her deeply while gently massaging her pert yet impossibly soft posterior.
As if her earlier frustration had been an illusion, Circe quickly fell into Vahn's tempo and, after a brief few minutes, she was breathing even heavier than Gareth. This left the latter sitting on the bed in nothing but a pair of white panties as she watched her Master and Circe continue to stand near the entrance of the room. Despite feeling strangely lonely, Gareth was very patient as part of her actually liked being made to wait. This allowed her to show off her obedience or, as Fenrir put it, displayed that she was a 'good girl'. Though some might be a little perturbed by the idea of being treated like a dog, Gareth was, admittedly, more than a little fond of the play…
Since he didn't want Gareth to develop an 'abandonment' fetish, Vahn didn't leave her alone for too long. Once Circe was adequately hyped up, he lifted her body in a princess carry without needing to part lips with her. This caused her to release a m.o.a.n due to the unexpected position change but, as he prevented her from escaping, she could only remain on the defensive as he carried her over to the bed. Then, after laying her down, Vahn continued to lean over her as he unequipped his clothes and adorned his raiment in a single swift motion. This caused Circe to begin panting as she vainly attempted to break free from his tyrannical tongue but, before she was able to make any progress, an even more mischievous tongue began lapping at her lower mouth, courtesy of Gareth…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Mordred's mischievous nature','There is a reason it is called being a Noble instead of being a Cunt xD…','Gareth is a good girl (UwU)…')
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