As was common during the latter parts of the evening, Vahn found himself accompanying Iris and Illya. Earlier, they had been watching some of his memories play out together but, after Illya fell asleep in his lap, Vahn carried her to the bed as Iris made her own preparations. Then, as was the most common occurrence in this situation, especially in recent days, Iris changed into a silky white negligee that left very little to the imagination before crawling into the bed next to him, choosing the side opposite of Illya instead of flanking her.
Vahn had already grown accustomed to Iris’ behavior so, even when she snuggled up close to him, using his shoulder as her pillow before nestling one of her legs between his, he was able to stay relatively relaxed. At this point, he had a good understanding of her intentions and, rather than seducing him, it was more accurate to say she just wanted to experience some skinship. It was lonely for her to sleep alone and, as she felt very safe around him, Iris was taking advantage of his kindness since she knew, at least for the time being, he wouldn’t do anything untoward to her.
Since it had been Iris herself to explain this, showing no signs of falsehoods in the slightest, Vahn no longer felt nearly as tense around her. Instead, he just enjoyed the moments he shared with the peculiar mother-daughter duo, even if the now 90% transformed Illya sometimes caused him a few problems. She had developed a suckling habit but, as this was better than the biting that his shoulder had to suffer through previously, he largely ignored it. It was also somewhat amusing to see her reaction when she would wake up to find the upper quadrant of his sleepwear soaked through with her saliva so, while they were working on curbing the habit, it wasn’t that big a deal.
Thus, as another cycle within the Projection slowly came to its end, Vahn found himself with a buxom and mature woman laying to his left while a petite young woman, whose body burned like a furnace, practically treated the right side of his body as a salt lick. Then, a few hours into his rest, Vahn’s eyes snapped open before the figure that had been curled up on his abdomen raised its head and stated in her usual cold tone, “That woman, Nobunaga, her water just broke.”
Vahn gave a curt nod in response to Alaya’s notification as, even though he didn’t know what was going on, his instincts had already brought him to an alert state of mind. Now that he knew what was happening, excitement and expectation began to bubble up inside of him as he extricated his arms from Iris’ clutches and began to channel stroke the inside of Illya’s large fluffy ears with his thumb. This caused her eyes to immediately open, revealing reddish-purple irises that came into focus to meet his gaze.
After quickly explaining the situation to the two girls, Vahn teleported directly to Nobunaga’s side. She was being escorted to the medical ward by Kenshin and an entourage of Homunculi while sweat had already started to build on her brow. When she saw him suddenly appear out of thin air, Nobunaga clenched her teeth in mild annoyance as she cursed, “Are you trying to make the baby plop out right here!?” Since she had been startled by Vahn’s sudden appearance, these words were the first thing that left her lips, despite feeling greatly relieved by his presence.
Without minding Nobunaga’s harsh tongue, Vahn used his Telekinesis to elevate her body, easing a bit of the pressure she had been experiencing. Then, this time using Alaya’s help, he teleported her directly to the delivery room after telling Kenshin and the four Homunculi to inform the rest of the castle. Though some were already making their way over, such as Medusa, Circe, and Gareth, courtesy of Fenrir explaining them to the situation, it was best to inform the others so they weren’t left out of the loop.
After reaching the delivery room, Vahn helped Nobunaga get comfortable on the bed before asking in a serious tone, “Do you want to give a natural or assisted birth? A natural birth is going to be painful so you’ll have to stay focused to avoid injuring yourself and the surroundings. I can make most of the pain go away if you want, making the delivery much easier for you and the our son.”
Though Nobunaga’s gaze had become somewhat venomous when she first heard Vahn’s words, she had calmed down after listening to the latter half. She didn’t want to be seen as someone so weak they can’t even tolerate the same pain as countless women before her. However, when she heard Vahn mention it would be easier for the baby, Nobunaga immediately swallowed her pride as she said, “I don’t care what happens to me…you have to make sure our baby is safe. Even if it will hurt my pride a little, I’ll do whatever it takes to guarantee there aren’t any complications…”
Hearing Nobunaga’s response, Vahn’s smile became especially affectionate as he bent down and gave her a gentle kiss before saying, “You’re already an amazing mother…don’t worry, just leave it to me. I’ll leave just enough pain for the hormones in your body to trigger properly. It helps make the process go-“
Before Vahn could explain any further, Nobunaga rolled her eyes at him and said, “I don’t need a lecture. I already said I trust you, so get on with it.” However, despite her words, Nobunaga had a happy curl to her lips that couldn’t escape his notice. Vahn, of course, didn’t tease her and, as she instructed, he began making the final preparations before examining Nobunaga’s body to track the progression of her contractions.
By the time a few minutes had passed, the delivery room was practically filled with people while, outside in the corridor, several tens had gathered to patiently await the news. All those who were inside the room were given permission to be there by Nobunaga herself and, though Vahn felt it wasn’t really something to be witnessed by children, this had included Mordred and Sakura. The latter was already studying healing magecraft and alchemy during the evenings so, while her face was more than a little pale, she put on a strong front as Vahn explained the procedure in a calm and soothing tone.
With his [Hands of Nirvana] and Nobunaga’s cooperation, the entire delivery only took only five hours before the head began to crown. This was the point when Sakura became the palest and, if not for him sending calming energy into her mind through his domain, Vahn imagined she would have passed out. Even he had been more than a little shaken during his first delivery so he didn’t judge her in the slightest as, compared to most, she was handling it quite well. This included the usually brave Mordred who, after watching with intrigue during the first stages of labor, quickly moved to the side after things began to develop in a ‘frightening’ direction. Now, she was seated in Artoria’s lap as the latter gently stroked her hair while hugging the pale girl from behind…
Fortunately, most of the matured women in the room had very supportive and calm demeanors while a team of Homunculi, consisting of three girls named Serena, Aliza, and Oriana, served as his attending nurses. They all had the experience required to assist in deliveries as part of their shared memories so, being the first to show up, they naturally accepted the responsibilities of an attending after asking for Vahn’s permission.
Thus, without any accidents, Vahn skillfully guided his son into the world while Nobunaga did her best to remain calm and focused throughout the procedure. Even with most of the pain mitigated by Vahn, childbirth was never an easy process and, even with a superhuman physique, Nobunaga felt an extreme level of fatigue as sweat covered her entire body. When the pressure was finally relieved, she exhaled a deep and profound sigh but, after hearing the subsequent cries of her son, she immediately regained focus and instinctually said, “Bring me my baby…bring him to me.”
Kenshin helped Nobunaga remain calm as Vahn handed Kamiya over to Aliza so she could wash his body. After that, he carried the small bundle of life to Nobunaga’s side who, with eyes sharper than a hawk’s, followed his movements despite tears obscuring her vision. When he handed the wrapped bundle over to her, Nobunaga made no effort to stymy her tears as she held her son for the first time, smiling radiantly as she said, “My precious child…my darling Kamiya…”
With Kenshin’s words, the atmosphere in the room lost much of its tension and, though the actual temperature hadn’t changed, it suddenly felt very warm as everyone simultaneously smiled. Even Sakura, who had to be carried off to the side by Serena, had calmed down considerably now that the ordeal was over. She now had a small smile on her face as she looked toward the new mother-son duo and, much like everyone else in the room, an overwhelming sense of awe had settled in her mind, almost as if she had just witnessed a miracle.
For several minutes after the fact, everyone just enjoyed the warm atmosphere together before Vahn politely asked the majority of the crowd to return and share the good news. Nobunaga also needed to feed Kamiya before they both enjoyed a much-needed rest.
Since the ordeal had affected Mordred and Sakura quite a bit, they were both exhausted but, before leaving, they took turns looking at their new younger brother. Mordred seemed especially taken by the fact she had another sibling but, despite pleading a few times, Nobunaga refused to let her hold Kamiya, at least for the time being. She did, however, promise to let Mordred hold him later so, after being pulled along by Gray, the golden-haired tomboy eventually returned to her bedroom to sleep. Sakura was also pulled along and, with their departure, most everyone else began to file out as well.
In the end, the only people left in the delivery room were Nobunaga, Kamiya, Vahn, Artoria, and the trio of Homunculi who, without being asked, volunteered to help look after and raise the new Prince. It was easy to see that the three had imprinted on the newborn after assisting in the birth so, while they lost out to Nobunaga and Vahn by a considerable amount, noticeable affection had tinged their ruby-red eyes.
After waiting for Nobunaga to begin breastfeeding their child, Vahn calmly whispered, “I’m going to summon Kamiya’s Guardian now…” before pulling out a small orb and activating it. Around the same time that the Quest Board had been established, he discussed the existence of Guardians and the Unique item that often accompanied the birth of his children. Though this had caused Rin to express a few concerns about Sakura, who lacked a Guardian, Merlin had readily offered up a solution. He was familiar with the method of contracting Daemons and Spirits using an ancient form of [Conjuration] Magecraft so, when they were ready, it would only take Sakura and Mordred dripping their blood into the magic circle to form a life-long contract with a ‘Guardian’ of their own. If they were ‘lucky’, there was a chance they could even form a pact with a Greater Divine Spirit, greatly increasing their strength in the process.
Since Vahn’s solution had been to escort the two into the Spirit Tomb to capture and name a monster of their choice, he was grateful for Merlin’s solution. It allowed them to avoid raising any alarms in Sakura’s mind about why she didn’t have a Guardian, albeit at the cost of making Vahn seem like a bad father. After all, Sakura didn’t have any memories of him for the first seven years of her life so, when it ultimately came down to it, the answer to most of her questions would be that he had been too busy to take care of her when she was younger…
Shortly after activating the onyx-colored orb, an infinitely complex magic circle, which caught the attention of Alaya and, from his perch in his Magus Tower, Merlin. Neither could make sense of the complex sequence of geometric shapes and runes, despite Alaya being able to slow time to the point it had stopped. The formation actively blocked attempts to decipher its structure and, the longer she observed it, the more confused her own mind became. Eventually, a small trickle of dark-blue blood began to flow from her nose but it went largely unnoticed due to everyone’s focus on the ‘creature’ produced by the complex formation.
There didn’t seem to be any limits to what shape or form the Guardians could take so, despite the mild shock on everyone else’s face, Vahn had a casual smile on his face as he identified Kamiya’s Guardian as a ‘Four-Armed Adamantine Ape’. It looked like a baby monkey that was covered in a thin layer of onyx-black and pure white downy fur. Also, as its name suggested, the tiny creature had four arms rather than the usual two, giving it a very distinct appearance.
When she saw the tiny figure nestled in her lap, Nobunaga couldn’t help but ask in an incredulous tone, “Our son’s Guardian…is a monkey?” As these words left her lips, Nobunaga gave Vahn an accusing stare that seemed to say, ‘you had better not be joking around’. In response to this, Vahn began explaining the identity of the tiny black ape while detailing the growth and evolutionary potential of all Guardians. When she learned that the infant-sized monkey could grow upwards of 15m in height, with the potential to evolve even further, Nobunaga finally stopped glaring at him and resumed her smiling, albeit tired, expression.
Before leaving to give Nobunaga the chance to rest, Vahn also brought out the Unique item that had accompanied his completion of the [A Man’s Responsibility] Quest. This took on the form of a long Tanegashima-style rifle, much like those used by Nobunaga. Unlike her’s, however, this one was almost entirely black in color with the only exception being the firing hammer, trigger, and a dragon-like pattern that ran the length of the barrel.
It was likely due to the fact that Nobunaga was originally a Heroic Spirit but, rather than the usual Unique items produced by the Quest, this Tanegashima-style rifle, named [Kokuryū], qualified as a variable Noble Phantasm. It was only E-Rank at the moment but, according to the description, it had the potential of reaching B+ Rank in the future, even without any upgrades. This brought a somewhat scary smile to Nobunaga’s face as, knowing her son would use a similar weapon, she was looking forward to teaching him marksmanship in the future.
—
After leaving Nobunaga in the care of her new Handmaidens, Vahn walked back to his room with Artoria, Gray, and Gareth. He was in an exceptional mood and, though they were free to take any action they desired, he had sent a decree circulating through the castle that today would be one of celebration and relaxation. There was even a banquet scheduled in the evening and, though he had promised to visit them at the end of the month, Vahn asked Merlin to extend an invitation to each of the Fae tribes occupying Avalon.
Since there was nearly five day’s worth of time before the banquet actually began, Vahn decided to spend the rest of the day alongside the people he cared about. He didn’t feel like training or exerting himself at all and, though he would normally retire to his room alongside Artoria and Gray, he even invited Gareth inside so they could all just watch some of his memories together. She, quite enthusiastically, accepted the offer so, for the better part of five hours, they all just sat together on a comfortable sofa as Vahn relived some of his most cherished memories together.
For the rest of the day, at least when he wasn’t checking on Nobunaga and spending time with his newborn son, Vahn spent the remainder of his time in a similar manner. He would travel around the castle to spend time with everyone and, for a few hours, they would all watch his memories as, now more than ever, Vahn wanted to share these things with them. This even included Siegfried, Alex, Mash, Zoë, Juliet, and Astrid. Later, after the banquet which had been attended by several thousand Homunculi and Fae, Vahn even spent some time alongside Heracles, Galahad, and Gawain, not wanting to exclude anyone from the happiness he was feeling.
When the day was finally wrapping up, Vahn retired to Rin’s room, accompanied by Mordred and Sakura since he just wanted to spend time with them. As for why he chose Rin’s room over any other, it was due to the fact that she was almost ‘painfully’ pregnant at this point, courtesy of the three full-sized infants waiting to be born any day now. He also knew that Mordred and Sakura had been heavily affected by the delivery, despite it being more than six days since they had witnessed the miracle of childbirth. Thus, in order to assuage their concerns, especially Sakura’s, Vahn decided that Rin, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal were the best choice to wrap up the day.
That night, Vahn fell asleep with a happy smile on his face, curled up next to one of the women he loved while, snuggled at his side, Mordred and Sakura had happy smiles on their faces as they hugged each other in their respective animal pajamas…
(A/N: I know some people have been concerned about releases. This is largely due to the Holiday season so don’t let it trouble you too much. Thanksgiving had completely slipped my mind so, with all the family issues I’ve been having lately, my focus has been elsewhere over the last few days. I’m still writing chapters of EPIC and Babel when I can so look forward to the releases, even if they are a bit slower than usual. Take care of yourselves, and happy holidays.)
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