Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos Chapter 1226 - Accident

Chapter 1226 - Accident

With only two days left until his mass summoning, Vahn found himself lounging in the Recreation room alongside Artoria, Gray, Olga, and, though half her hair was blond in color, Rin. Da Vinci had also been invited but, rather than discuss who he would summon, she was more interested in being there to collect data when the moment came. She didn't particularly care who he called upon and, though she had some preferences, it didn't make a big difference in the grand scheme of things.
What Vahn didn't expect was, in the middle of their discussion, Alaya suddenly spoke directly into his ear, stating, "Your daughter, Sakura, she is injured." This brought an immediate end to the dialogue as Vahn jumped to his feet, surprising the girls as he asked, "Is she okay!?" before adding, "Take me to her!" in the next moment. Though he knew Sakura likely wasn't in a life-threatening situation, this was the first time in two worlds that Vahn had to deal with one of his children being injured. Before he could rationalize his thoughts, he had sprung into action without worrying about other matters.
The moment Alaya transferred him, Vahn found Mordred hugging Sakura's body as she tried to calm the latter down, her voice choking a bit as she said, "It's okay...you're going to be okay...muuu..." She hadn't even noticed his arrival yet but, being within her line of sight, Sakura caused Mordred's face to turn even paler when she muttered, "Chichue..." while cradling an arm that had been broken in several places, to the point of forming almost a lightning bolt shape.
Since Sakura had started copying the way she addressed their father, Mordred felt a shiver run up her spine as she turned around, expecting to see Vahn's angry face. Instead, she only saw concern in his expression as he quickly blinked to their side, placing his palm against her head while using his left hand to create a series of runes on Sakura's arm. Mordred felt a calming energy flow from his hand, causing her eyes to tear up as she lowered her face and said, "I'm sorry...Chichiue...it was an accident..."
Vahn only lightly nodded his head while watching Sakura's injury rapidly heal under the influence of his [Primordial Rune] magic. Though it was a pretty serious compound fracture, it was simple enough to heal compared to an injury sustained during combat. What surprised him was that Sakura didn't shed any tears and, though her face was a bit pale, she was otherwise okay. Though he assumed she was just experiencing a state of shock, her mind was relatively stable, albeit with a few areas lighting up to indicate that she was indeed feeling pain.
Though he had already deduced what had happened after taking in the surroundings, it would seem that Sakura intended to help out her older sister, explaining, "Chichiue...I'm okay...onee-chan and I were playing when I slipped...it is my fault..." Before her fall, Sakura and Mordred had been exploring around one of the steep embankments that, in the past, served to prevent the island from flooding during torrential rain.
Due to her training, Sakura could easily leap the 5m distance between the top of the embankment and the sandy beach below. She and Mordred had even jumped down several times when they were playing in the past but, this time around, Sakura slipped when Mordred startled her. This wouldn't have been that big a deal in normal circ.u.mstances but, as she hadn't reacted fast enough, Sakura tried to catch herself with her right arm rather than break her fall in the way Artoria had taught them.
Vahn could sense a bit of falsehood mixed into Sakura's words and, combined with how Mordred had reacted when he first arrived, he knew there was more to the story than they were letting on. For now, he didn't say anything but rather began looking around the area for someone that should have been present. In the next moment, a flicker of blue light appeared in the area to his immediate left before the image of a stunned Fenrir came into view.
Before Fenrir could say anything, Vahn just shook his head, his voice sounding calm despite the state of his mind as he said, "It isn't your fault. Mordred and Sakura aren't children...they should be able to play without someone lingering over their shoulder..." Since Fenrir was always working harder than almost anyone else in the castle, himself included, he wasn't going to blame her for not looking after the girls twenty-four-seven. He suspected she had been off completing a Quest or handling another of the tasks that had been assigned to her.
Despite her Master's words, Fenrir's ears drooped somewhat pitifully as she kneeled down next to him and asked, "Is there anything I can do...?" To this, Vahn bobbed his head slightly before taking a deep breath and saying, "Take Mordred back to the castle and have her wait inside of her room. I will be there shortly." These words caused Mordred to bite her bottom lip as she tightly balled her hands into fists. Rather than resist, however, she allowed herself to be picked up by Fenrir before the latter whisked her away using [Shundo].
Sakura was obviously very worried about Mordred but, before she could say anything further, Vahn placed his hand atop her head before resting his forehead against hers and saying, "Proper discipline is part of growing up, Sakura. Mordred needs to learn to take responsibility for her actions or she will never be qualified to rule. Don't worry...I don't intend to punish her too hard." Then, after picking her up in his arms, Vahn added, "I'll take you back and let you rest. After I deal with Mordred, I'm certain your Okaa-chan is going to give us both an ear full...that will be your punishment, and my own."
With that said, Vahn carried Sakura back to the castle by flying through the air at a relatively slow pace. He wanted to give Mordred a bit of time to think as, in her current state, this was almost the worst kind of punishment she could experience. If he were being honest, he didn't really know how to punish her properly but, as this was something he couldn't just leave to Artoria, there were a few things he had in mind. Though it was indeed an accident, similar words had been used to describe events that led to terrible tragedies throughout history...
---
After leaving Sakura in her room and explaining the situation to the girls, as they had come seeking him out for answers, Vahn entered into Mordred's room after lightly knocking. He found her sitting in the corner hugging her knees, face buried from view until he used a somewhat stern tone to say, "Mordred..." This caused her to inhale deeply before raising her face to reveal fresh tear stains and a remorseful, yet pouting, expression.
Without having to tell her, Mordred stood up before making her way over to him, eyes filled with the conviction of someone who had fought on several battlefields as she looked up and stated, "I know what I did wrong. I am prepared for my punishment, Chichiue." Though it seemed like this was far from the case, if her expression was anything to go by, Vahn gave a solemn nod in response to her words before pulling out a chair and sitting down. He didn't have to explain what he was going to do but, shortly after the fact, Vahn almost wished he had as Mordred instantly dropped her shorts and underwear before bending over his knee.
Artoria had spanked Mordred several times in the past when she misbehaved and, though Vahn was not too fond of corporal punishment, it was what Mordred herself expected. Thus, after she clenched her teeth, Vahn put a bit of force into his hand as he began to spank her exposed backside, stopping only after it had become red and tender. Since she had very high Endurance, each of his hits caused a small burst of air pressure to expand through the room, accompanied by a loud smacking sound that caused Vahn's heart to tense with each successive hit.
When everything was said and done, Mordred had a few discernible handprints on her rump before she stood up and pulled up her pants. Throughout the entire series of events, she never cried out a single time. Rather, compared to her teary-eyed state from before, she actually seemed relieved by the time he had finished. Vahn, however, felt more than a little guilty so, before he left to get his lecture alongside Sakura, he tightly embraced the confused young girl as he said, "You are my pride, Mordred...I hope something like this never happens again..."
Mordred felt Vahn's words far more than the pain in her backside, causing her face to morph into a deeply set frown as she resisted the urge to cry. This ultimately ended in failure, however, as being held by the person she cared the most about was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. She ended up throwing her arms around him in kind before choking on her words as she said, "I'm sorry, Chichiue...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." In this manner, the father-daughter duo both shed tears together though, so as not to cause Mordred any further confusion, Vahn made sure his own were dry by the time they separated.
---
For the better part of an hour after he left Mordred's room, Vahn was seated in a proper seiza next to Sakura as they both listened to Rin lecture them in a high-pitched tone of voice. She had freaked out a bit after hearing about what happened, as could be expected, so she made sure to give them an earful before sending Sakura to go comfort Mordred. After that, Vahn had to spend a bit of time coaxing her, made easier by the support of Ereshkigal and Ishtar. Since the incident really had been an accident, there wasn't really anyone to lay the blame on, especially after Mordred had received her punishment.
Though it took a while, Vahn eventually calmed Rin down to the point that she was now leaning with her back against him as he held her comfortingly from behind. In truth, she wasn't really mad but, due to her hormonal balance being thrown completely out of whack, she got emotional very easily. The last thing any mother wanted was for something to happen to any of their children, especially during pregnancy, as it made it a lot easier to imagine things going horribly wrong. Vahn was also aware of this but, feeling that Sakura needed her independence if she was going to mature, he did not feel they needed to be observed closely just because of a single accident.
Since Sakura was a very mature girl at most times, Rin didn't have much ground to argue on so, after his continuous efforts to calm her, she now had a thoughtful expression on her face as she enjoyed their unexpected time together. She felt very comfortable as Vahn gently stroked her abdomen, now beginning to show the signs of her pregnancy. Since she was pregnant with triplets, it wouldn't be long before she even surpassed Nobunaga's pregnant appearance, causing Rin no small amount of fretfulness, despite Vahn assuring her that she would return to normal after the fact...
Despite the pleasant silence, Rin felt compelled to break it, watching Vahn's hand move rhythmically against her belly as she said, "I may have overreacted a bit...I hope Sakura-" Before she could say anything further, Vahn kissed the top of her head before shushing her gently. This caused her to swallow what she had wanted to say, allowing Vahn to calmly explain, "It is the privilege of mothers to overreact when it comes to their children. Even if it is a bit troublesome for them, it is memories like this that turn into strong emotional bonds later on..." Vahn also wanted to explain that he had overreacted quite a bit himself but, as a father, he was allowed a few privileges of his own.
Though there was more she wanted to say, Rin remembered how many children Vahn had, causing her to keep mum as she decided to just trust him. He had his quirks but, when it came to being a father, Rin felt he was infinitely better than most. Her own had been particularly terrible and, having spent much of her life interacting with Magi, Rin knew how dysfunctional families could be. Since Vahn had already given them so much, she figured the least she could do was give him her trust...
Ignoring the laughter inside of her head, Rin adjusted her position before laying across Vahn's lap and stating in a stern tone, albeit with a red face, "Pamper me..." This caused him to lightly chuckle before leaning down and stealing a kiss. When they parted, he had an affectionate smile on his face as he answered, "As much as you want..."
---
For the rest of the time leading up to the summoning, Vahn spent more time with Sakura, Mordred, and Fenrir. Though most of this was spent accompanying Fenrir, as she had actually taken things the hardest, it was fun to play around with them. Mordred seemed a little self-conscious about the fact he was spending more time with her but it didn't take him too long to realize this was actually due to him 'monopolizing' Fenrir. Fortunately, she was the type to adapt very quickly and, knowing that Fenrir was happiest when she was spending time with Vahn, Mordred focused more on teaching Sakura new things as they spent most of their time playing in the forest of apple trees.
Since Vahn could sense them within his domain, and didn't want to loom over them as they played, he would stay back and enjoy some quality time with his favorite Vanargandr. Fenrir seemed to enjoy this time quite a bit as, due to their conflicting schedules, most of their time together was in the late evenings. It felt like their paths had diverged slightly, only intersecting when there was an emergency or when they were having s.e.x with each other. This hadn't hurt their relationship at all, as Fenrir's Loyalty only ever seemed to increase, but Vahn still felt guilty, despite simultaneously feeling proud of her growth.
As he expected, Fenrir had indeed been busy with a Quest during the time of the accident, the one requiring her to travel a total of one-million kilometers with her [Shundo]. She had been dashing around the island while leaving the two girls to play, never expecting for a moment that something would happen in the short time she was away. When she felt his emotions peak, she had rushed to his side in an instant, causing her to be delayed only due to the fact that his 'presence' had shifted locations unexpectedly.
Despite the fact she could sense him, even inside of a Bounded Field, Fenrir's senses could be tricked if he changed locations rapidly. This had confused her at the time but, in total, it took her less than twenty seconds to appear on the scene. She was capable of reaching speeds upwards of 4,000km/h in bursts so, with the island of Avalon only being 25km across, it took her less than thirty seconds to move from the point furthest west to the port on the east coast. This was akin to moving more than a thousand meters per second, which was the average distance she could cover with [Shundo].
Because of her constant efforts, which also included training with Scáthach, Fenrir had become much stronger since the time of the Holy Grail War. Though she would still a bit weaker than the strongest Heroic Spirits, it would only take a few more years before she was able to close the gap. If not for the fact she spent much of her time looking after Mordred and interacting with the various residents of the castle, this time could potentially be shortened to just under two years, at least according to the predictions of Scáthach.
Fortunately, Fenrir wasn't obsessed with strength as it was more a means to an end than anything else. She only cared about being able to stay at his side, making herself as useful as possible so that his burdens would be eased, even if but a little. Even without him asking, she took it upon herself to get to know everyone in the castle, to the point of studying history and asking them directly if there was something she was confused about. Now, with five more children in the castle, each carrying a heavy trauma, she also spent time interacting with each of them, Juliet especially.
Vahn had once found Fenrir absent from the Menagerie and, after asking Medusa, she explained that the former had stayed the night with Juliet at the young girl's request. Though Fenrir could be very scary in the eyes of her enemies, she had the potential to be incredibly adorable if she wanted to be. Since she had learned to be empathetic towards people who had deeply rooted trauma, allowing her to get closer to them in a very short period of time, Juliet had opened up to her faster than anyone else. It helped that, rather than appear fully human, Fenrir had large ears, a fluffy tail, and extremely soft paw pads when in her base form.
Using his ability to move his perception through space, courtesy of his Qinglong transformation, Vahn had found the two snuggled up in Juliet's room, Fenrir coaxing the crying girl as she struggled to sleep. He noticed she had even transformed into her 'fluffy' form and, though he was unable to hear it directly, Vahn knew she had been humming a song to lull Juliet asleep. His intuition told him this was the same song Tiona would often hum in the past, causing him to feel melancholic at the time. Fortunately, with Medusa and Circe to accompany him, he didn't have to worry about feeling alone, especially in a castle filled with people who cared about him...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP Mordred's backside...','Rin is more spoiled than her daughter...','Fenrir is the goodest girl, always and forever')
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