Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1136 - Duty

While waiting for Siegfried to awaken, Vahn eventually found himself listening in on Catherin's attempts to help Medusa learn to speak, read, and write. She wasn't the only one attending class, however, as Mordred had a bored expression on her face as she squirmed around atop the cushions they used at seats. When Vahn showed up, she had sat still for a few minutes but, as if she simply couldn't sit still for a long period of time, it wasn't long before she began to shake her legs while sitting cross-legged. As for Medusa, she was surprisingly well behaved and had even asked a few well thought out questions in broken Japanese in an attempt to 'show off' to her Master. This was noted by Catherine but, as she found Medusa's desire for attention somewhat adorable, she just smiled and answered every question in stride.

When the lessons finally came to an end, Modred acted like she had been freed from an oppressive burden as she bounced up from her chair, both fists raised high as she shouted, "Yes! Thank you for the lessons, Lady Catherine!" Then, without waiting for a response, Mordred looked toward Vahn with gleaming green eyes before pouncing toward him, exclaiming, "Chichiue~!" Vahn managed to catch her out of the air with relative ease, holding her with one arm and carrying her like the child she was as he looked toward Catherine and gave an appreciative nod, saying, "I'll take her back to her mother. Thank you for your continued efforts."

Hearing Vahn's words, Mordred gave a restrained groan as she slouched to the side, using Vahn's arm like a pole as she hung upside down and complained, "I wanna go play~! Hahaue is just going to make me go to sleep..." In response to this, Vahn flipped Modred over, eliciting a giggle from his tomboyish daughter before pinching her nose as he said, "Be a good girl, Mordred. When it is day time, we can go to the beach or visit the old docks to go fishing. Night time is for study and rest, not playing around while others are trying to enjoy some peace and quiet." Though these words caused Mordred to puff up her cheeks, it was easy to see that she wasn't actually upset. Thus, when Vahn poked her cheeks, she just blew a breath of air into his face before laughing as he scrunched up his nose and said, "We'll need to brush your teeth when we get back..."

Before carrying Mordred off, Vahn made sure to turn to Medusa who, after finishing her lessons, was looking toward him with her golden eyes. She had been doing well in her studies lately so Vahn had no qualms about promising, "When I have time tomorrow morning, I'll brush your hair for you. You'll have me to yourself for a few hours and I'll use the special oil you like..." As he was speaking, Vahn couldn't help but smile as he watched Medusa hair begin to snake around happily while the very tip of her golden tail began to flicker. She had always been able to use her hair as if it was an extra limb and, more so than anyone else, it took a phenomenal amount of time to help her brush it. Since it would move around a lot and was even longer than she was tall, Vahn had to wrangle with it for the better part of three hours, a process that would have been impossible if not for his grooming and petting skills...

---

While letting Mordred ride on his shoulders, even though she kept leaning from side to side to try and make him lose balance, Vahn made his way back to her shared room with Artoria. The latter could almost always be found within her room around this time, usually reading a book as she patiently awaited their arrival. Tonight was no exception as, after opening the door, Vahn saw Artoria place a blue hardback book on the stand next to the sofa as she rose to her feet with a smile and said, "Welcome back, Vahn, Mordred..." Lately, even during her training with Mordred, Artoria could often be found with a smile on her face, at least when Vahn was around. In response to her greeting, Mordred raised her right hand high and exclaimed, "Hahaue, we're back~!" while Vahn gave a polite nod and said, "You look just as beautiful as always, Artoria..."

Having gotten used to Vahn's complementary nature, Artoria gave him a slightly wry smile in response as she walked over and pulled Mordred from his shoulders, asking, "Are you going to stay for a while? I can make tea if you give me a few minutes..." As a full tea set came into existence as she was speaking, Artoria allowed her words to trail off as she sat Mordred on the ground and said, "I thought I told you to dress properly when you attend lessons, Mordred..." Though her daughter was still wearing the same denim shorts she had been wearing previously, the blouse she had worn out had now been replaced by crop top that exposed her navel with the A-Rank fur-trimmed leather jacket Vahn had gifted her for 'behaving' in the past.

Though she knew better than to talk back to her mother, especially when Vahn was around, Mordred still furrowed her brows slightly as she complained, "But it feels annoying. Come on, Hahaue, can't you lighten up a bit? You would look good if you showed off a bit more skin as well. Chichiue would certainly enjoy it, you know~?" Toward the end of her words, Mordred as a sly smile on her face as she lightly nudged her mother's side with her elbow. This resulted in Artoria taking in a deep breath through her nose with her eyes closed, an action that caused Mordred's wild and unkempt hair to stand on ends as she quickly stated, "I was just joking...!" while covering her head.

Before Artoria could blow a gasket, Vahn decided to come to his daughter's aid by smiling as he said, "She does have a point. Why don't you come down to the beach with us in the morning? It is a little too cold for swimming but we can still enjoy the sunshine if I warm up the area with my domain. Getting a bit of sun would be good for your complexion..." Though she had given him a stern glare for taking Mordred's side, Artoria's face gained a ruddy hue when Vahn leaned in and whispered directly into her ear, "I can apply the lotion for you..." Immediately following this, Artoria reached up and yanked on Vahn's ear as she exclaimed, "Vahn Aldrnari Mason! You're setting a bad example for our daughter...!"

While Vahn had a pained smile on his face, he gestured for Mordred to go get changed and brush her teeth while he had her mother distracted. Though Artoria was aware of this, it wasn't the first time Vahn had taken the fall on Mordred's behalf. She was very aware of the fact that her daughter's favor had quickly shifted towards Vahn but, as it made her heart feel warm to see them interacting together, Artoria didn't mind playing the role of the 'big bad'. When she and Mordred were training, the latter would work a lot harder than she expected, never once complaining about anything even with her power sealed away. Ever since the time Mordred became their daughter, she had never once even mentioned the seal placed around her navel, even though Artoria suspected she wore clothes that showed the mark off as a silent protest of sorts.

After Mordred disappeared into the connected bathroom, something all rooms within the Inner Sanctum had in common, Artoria let go of Vahn's ear before rolling her eyes when she saw his smiling face. Then, as a 'punishment' to her daughter, she walked over to the large dresser that had all of Mordred's clothes, pulling out a pair of animal pajama's that caused Vahn's eyes to light up. As punishment for him, however, Artoria tossed Mordred's onto the bed before opening up another drawer in her own wardrobe and pulling out a much larger pair and tossing it to Vahn. Since he had worn them before, Vahn just chuckled in response to Artoria's glare as he began to change into his own set of Tiger Pajamas. He didn't even care that he had to wear such a thing while it was just the three of them, especially since Artoria had a pair of her own that she reluctantly pulled out. Since she was still 'punishing' Vahn, however, she picked up Mordred's before disappearing into the bathroom instead of changing in front of him...

Shortly after Artoria stepped into the bathroom, Vahn heard Mordred exclaim, "Ah, nooooooo~!" in a high-pitched voice that was followed by a few loud thumps and the sound of something breaking. When they both emerged a few minutes later, Artoria was carrying Mordred under her arm as the latter had a defeated expression on her face as she looked towards Vahn with a pleading look in her eyes. This immediately changed into a look of absolute defeat, however, when she saw that even Vahn had been forced to wear the 'punishment' pajamas. Though he was undoubtedly the man of the house, even Vahn was helpless when Artoria made up her mind about something. Thus, after making sure Mordred had brushed her teeth properly by having her open her mouth as wide as she could, the three cuddled up in bed and went to sleep...

---

After being alerted by Sis that Siegfried's memory link was coming to an end, Vahn parted ways with Mordred and Artoria before making his way towards Merlin's Tower. Just as he was getting ready to pass through the mirror, Siegfried's time ended and, likely remembering the time frame he had given her earlier, Da Vinci's began. She wasn't really the type of woman that would overlook such things as, even if seventeen of her thought processes were distracted by other tasks, Vahn believed at least one of them had been 'dedicated' to the things he told her to keep in mind. Even though she had been extremely excited to pour through the hundreds of different materials and ores he had brought out for her to research, Vahn suspected Da Vinci had gone to sleep mere moments before Siegfried was scheduled to awaken. Now, he imagined each of her thought processes analyzing every memory Sis allowed her to see, something that could potentially have terrifying consequences in the near future...

Deciding to worry about Da Vinci latter, Vahn stepped out into the real world just as Siegfried's eyes, which had been open even as he slept, regained their light. Merlin's illusion was no longer present so he had either known Vahn was going to appear on time or had simply wandered off to follow one of his whims. If his suspicions proved correct, there was a good chance Merlin was now watching over Da Vinci's dreams, likely searching for any discrepancies in the memories Vahn shared with the Heroes he summoned. Fortunately, as the significance of memories could change a lot when taking into consideration the target, Merlin wouldn't really determine if the information was being actively manipulated by Sis so long as all the key moments remained unchanged.

Since he had seen more than one-hundred-and-forty years of Vahn's life, Siegfried's composure hadn't been shaken in the slightest as he climbed down from the table he had been resting on, bowing low as he said in a deep and surprisingly easy on the ears voice, "Your Highness. I do not believe myself worthy of this second chance at life. However, I will do my best to help you defeat the evil that threatens to destroy this world. So long as my lungs draw breath, I will be the sword and shield that protects the Empire."

With Siegfried speaking without any discernable emotions, Vahn couldn't help restraining a sigh as he produced a casual smile and said, "I may have wronged you by pulling you into this conflict without your consent. The truth is, Seigfried, that my intentions for bringing you into this present timeline were not simply to use you as a tool to fight my enemies. You witnessed it yourself in my memories, but I've been sorely needing a male companion that I can confide and share my burdens with. You may not consider yourself worthy, but I would be honored if you would one day consider me your friend."

Without his expression changing all that much, Siegfried nodded his head before answering, "If that is your wish, I will do my best to meet your expectations. So long as you remain true to your cause, it would be my honor to serve as your friend." At the very end of his statement, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, Siegfried gave a somewhat awkward smile. Things hadn't worked out so well the last time he had a monarch as a 'friend'. As someone who had been labeled as a Hero by society, bearing overwhelmingly immense power, Siegfried's principle belief was that he existed to fulfill the wishes of others. This belief, however, had spurned his wife, lost him the favor of his King, and caused a civil dispute that threatened to throw the entire Kingdom into turmoil.

To prevent a disaster, Siegfried had conspired with one of his former friends to have them assassinate him, intending to put the matter to rest by sacrificing his own life. Unfortunately, as a result of the knowledge provided by the summoning system, Siegfried knew his actions were in vain. Now, believing even his death had failed to serve any purpose, Siegfried wanted to place his trust in this man who, an Emperor even the Gods paid homage to. This time, instead of fulfilling the wishes of everyone who requested his aid, Siegfried decided to treat Vahn's wishes as his own, becoming the 'friend' the latter sought while forsaking everything else but his pride...

---

After talking with Siegfried for a bit, Vahn showed him how to enter into the Sub-Space Projection before helping him get situated within the castle. As Siegfried would be joining the Imperial Knights, Vahn introduced him to Artoria before he ultimately decided on a room in the Knight's Quarters. He wasn't a member of the Imperial Family and, though he had been given the rank of Baron, Siegfried had no interest in such things. When Vahn helped him set up his room, the only things he requested were a few of the same sets of clothing, a firm bed, a single wardrobe, and some weights to assist in his training. He didn't even ask for a washbasin or soap as, during Siegfried's time, such things were an extremely rare commodity, to the point that most people would only bathe in streams every few days, often ignoring other hygienic practices.

Understanding Siegfried lived a relatively 'spartan' existence before he had been summoned, Vahn spent a few hours helping him pick out some more stylish clothing and fixing up his room to have some more 'character' to it. Since one of Siegfried's most notable feats was slaying the 'evil' True Dragon, Fafnir, Vahn found a painting ill.u.s.trating the legendary feat, hanging it up on Siegfried's wall to break the monotony of the room. Throughout this entire process, Siegfried remained mostly silent, only really answering when spoken to directly. It was clear at a glance that his mind was still preoccupied with various things, likely relating to the circ.u.mstances leading up to his death, so Vahn didn't pressure him too much. He did, however, pull out some strong alcohol after showing the taciturn Knight around the training field, sitting down on one of the wooden benches in the area as they both just lounged about, chatting about the future instead of focusing on the past...

When Vahn had finished talking about his vision of the future, Siegfried's expression had softened almost indiscernibly as he asked, "May I ask you a question?" In response to this, Vahn raised his cup slightly, answering, "It would be hard to call us friends if I won't even let you ask me questions. Know that I would never speak about anything you entrust to me, Siegfried. As for any questions you'd like to ask...well, so long as it doesn't infringe upon the privacy of the other castle residents, I don't mind answering."

With an understanding nod, Siegfried seemed to contemplate his question for a short while before asking, "What qualifies you to be the person to lead humanity towards a better future? How can you be certain that the future you envision for others is the correct path? What will you do when people resist the future you have decided for them?" Since 'friends' were supposed to be the type of people that would call you out when you were doing things that could be called into question, even if it was only to help you affirm your own conviction, Siegfried felt compelled to question why Vahn chose this kind of path. He knew the latter was from a completely different world and, though his vision was certainly noble, that didn't necessarily mean it was the best course for this current world.

Surprising Siegfried, Vahn smiled with an amused expression on his face as he honestly admitted, "I can only do my best, Siegfried. There is no way to know for certain if the path any of us decide upon is the best one but, so long as we do not give up, it is better to have tried and failed than to fear walking the path in the first place. I have a lot of power and, though it might be smarter to simply hide away and try to protect the happiness I have found for myself, I would never be content with the knowledge that the world could have been bettered by my efforts. Yes, there is a chance that my actions could bring about the very destruction I wish to avoid, but I would never stop trying to pick up the pieces and build a better future from them...it may be selfish, but that is the mentality that separates an Emperor from other sentient creatures. We exist to try and elevate everything within our dominion to a higher level, doing everything in our power to avoid stagnation and decay..."

As a result of Vahn's strong convictions, combined with his [Will of the Emperor] being constantly active, Siegfried could feel the pressure in the atmosphere increase as the former continued to speak. Though he could not imagine living the same kind of life as Vahn, Siegfried considered this was not unexpected as, unlike Vahn, he was not an Emperor. He had performed his 'duty' as a Hero to the best of his abilities so, hearing Vahn speak of his own duty as an Emperor, Siegfried couldn't help smiling more sincerely as he took a small gulp of the dark brown alcohol in his cup. As the cold liquid quickly warmed up his throat and chest, Siegfried released a contented sigh that caused Vahn to adopt a large grin as he raised his own cup and said, "Cheers. To good alcohol and even better company...!"

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Mordred is a little monkey','If they are a family of tigers, why do they sleep at night?','Vahn finally got a male friend (U w U)...praise gomenosai-sama~!')

https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu