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...

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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 the