Happy.
That was the first thought I had when I woke up. I had gotten more sleep in the past couple of days than I usually get, but waking up to this just made my heart lighter. I didn't want to get up; I was currently engulfed in floof with several bodies all tangled up.
Artoria was already so cute in the morning that, regardless of what she did, she always had some comically bad cases of bed hair. Jinn was half disappeared into Yasaka's tails, half being held by Scáthach. And Yasaka was holding onto me and refusing to let go.
Jeez, I can't help but remember all that time ago when I was still alone.
I wonder if I ever thought I would live like this.
I think a lot of people, when they hear that I have a harem, imagine all the lewd things that go along with it. That's the standard response, a reasonable one, I would say. While yes, the lewd stuff is great, and I absolutely love it and do lewd things with my harem all the time, it's moments like this that really make it all worth it.
Very delicately, I had to maneuver myself out of the bed without overtly disturbing them. However, I knew for a fact that they had woken up already, but they were just being lazy.
Still, I was careful not to make it uncomfortable for them as I crawled backwards out.
I made my way downstairs, and surprisingly, I heard two people talking this early.
Salem and Venelana were sitting at the table chatting politely—maybe even happily, by their expressions. Salem was always reserved and didn't show much expression unless it was more overt or emotional.
However, Venelana had more than just a polite smile, so I could more or less guess.
"Good morning, dear~" Venelana gave a little wave.
"Morning." I made sure to give her a hug and kiss on the forehead first before moving to Salem and doing the same. "You both are up and about early."
"I'm usually up at the crack of dawn." Venelana replied casually.
"I do not sleep much." Salem's reply was more blunt. "Unless I have a reason to." She added with the tiniest hint of emotion at the end.
"Something interesting going on?" I found the coffee maker and started setting things up as I noticed they were having tea instead.
To each their own, but I prefer morning coffee over morning tea.
"Oh, we were just chatting about her recent plans." Venelana started. "She isn't much used to handling stuff like this. Business matters, talking to humans regularly, how to handle a structured organization, that sort of thing."
Salem didn't look at all embarrassed by that statement either. She glanced at Venelana once before opening her mouth. "She offered to assist with the…." Salem trailed off, like she forgot a word.
"Legal matters." Venelana finished. "I told her that they would want her to sign a contract, among other things. She doesn't have any real experience with that either."
I blinked. "Legal matters?" I repeated, then understood what she meant. Right, as a contractor, especially as a government agency, they would have her sign a lot of documents. Non-disclosure agreements, general contracts that forced secrecy. At least in the mundane world, it was rather heavy. "That would mean absolutely nothing to you, though. You could walk away or ignore anything without any problem."
Salem pursed her lips, crossing her arms. "I will not put my name on something and dismiss it so casually." She finished with a huff.
I considered that and found myself agreeing after a moment of thought, funnily. It was a pride thing, same for me. I don't think I could sign a contract knowing I would just toss it away like it were garbage and go against it anyways.
If I put my name on something, if I agree to something or make a promise, my pride demands that I fulfill it to the best of my ability.
It's rather comical how much we chain ourselves with pride as the reason as to why powerful people like us simply don't do whatever we want regardless of the consequences.
Venelana propped her head up with her arm on the table, giving that warm smile of hers. "I offered to follow along and look over all the documents and such to make sure everything is proper."
"Your assistance is…appreciated." Salem said softly.
God, that makes my heart flutter, seeing them get along like that.
I really am a lucky man.
I'm almost wanting to invite myself along just to see how this all plays out. I could imagine the look on their faces when Venelana introduces herself or Salem says she got legal representation and it's literally a devil.
Would their legal team shit themselves?
I could see all the comments she'd make just to mess with them.
'Oh, no clause for the forfeit of souls? How cute!
'You didn't hide extra clauses in invisible ink; how come?'
'What do you mean that eternal servitude isn't a legal punishment?'
However, I wouldn't insert myself there. It seemed like a good bonding experience for the two of them.
As if on cue, everyone else seemed to come downstairs and start conglomerating into the kitchen as per our morning rituals.
It's really good to be home.
[Line Break]
"You know, when I said I wanted to train, I meant after you had a well-deserved rest." I was stretching my arms.
"I slept for an entire night; I am very rested." Scáthach replied without missing a beat.
The funny thing is, I know that wasn't tongue-in-cheek or sarcasm. She fully believed everything she just said as if it were completely normal.
I just shrugged.
What could I even say to her? That's who she is.
The teacher who trained Cu—I use my entrails to tie myself to a rock so I can keep fighting an entire army—Chulainn.
It was a nice day, though.
I looked down at Yasaka, who was quite literally face-planted into the grass.
Lazy Fox is lazy.
I have half a mind that she would have transformed into her fox form if it wouldn't have been a bother due to her size so she could laze around like that. Well, if anyone needs a break, it's certainly her.
I leaned to the side, putting my arm on Mordred's head to hold myself up. The girl went stiff with the driest look on her face, but she didn't say a word. Artoria had this cute little smile though as they snacked on some fresh fruit.
"So, Rin. Did you hear about the Mystic Eye Train Auction thing from Gramps?" I made some small talk while Scáthach did her own stretches, warming up a little bit.
The small group of us just sat around a picnic table in a private area near Yasaka's compound that we have used many times in the past.
It was nice to see Rin and Mordred out here too. Along with Artoria, Jinn, and Izzy. All of which were actually relaxing and didn't treat a full night's rest as a vacation.
"The Old Man told me about it and asked me if I wanted to go." Rin said casually. "He said Luvia was going to be there, so I rejected it."
That sounds like something she would do.
"Huh, Gramps' suggestions are usually 'Do you want to go? Well, you're going anyways because it's a good experience."
Rin snorted. "He said something almost exactly like that, but I also brought up the whole, you know, war thing that just finished, and he dropped it."
"Point." I couldn't argue with that. "How are you doing?"
"I'm good." She shrugged. "I think I woke up like four times last night and grabbed my spear in a panic and threw a spell at the shadows I thought were closing in on me in a daze, but that's about it."
"It gets better." Mordred chimed in, a single blunt statement that carried with it a lot more warmth than one would expect.
Mordred liked Rin. I think she liked that Rin didn't take shit from anyone. Even if Mordred didn't particularly like spellcasters, she liked that Rin would also throw hands if needed. A sort of seal of approval for Rin being Artoria's Master in their Master-Servant contract.
"Mordred is correct. It takes some time, however." Artoria added. "If it helps, we can share a room to make it easier."
"Ah…well…it's not that big of a deal." Rin flushed slightly. I think she was just embarrassed about the whole thing, not Artoria being like, 'Well, share a bed' and not intending the innuendo, with a platonic meaning.
"Come, student. It's time for your training." Scáthach declared, leaving no room for argument.
"Good luck." Rin said only slightly sarcastically.
"A show with a meal is always nice." Mordred had a little smirk as she spoke too. "Try not to get your ass kicked too quickly."
"Wow, no faith at all, huh?" Not one of my girls even gave me a half-hearted 'you can do it.'
Jinn just gave me a weak thumbs-up with her cheeks bulging full of fruit she had been munching on.
"I believe you won't die." Izzy finally said.
I let out a sigh, not knowing what I expected. I walked out a bit further for some distance as Scáthach followed me.
"Tell me, what do you desire?"
I looked at her and mentally looked over my swords. "Let's…just spar. I have a new trick I'm going to try, so feel free to do what you normally do."
Scáthach gave that signature half-bloodthirsty, half-affectionate smile of hers.
What sword to play with?
I already tried it with Mirage; I may as well go with something else this time.
Ascalon flew out of my ring and floated in front of me.
I gripped it and gave it a few good swings. Ascalon wasn't usually my go-to for offense. However, it was certainly one of my best defensive cards to play. It wasn't an absolute defense like Avalon, but the majority of things coming my way, it could block.
Though, like how some fights in the past had played out, like with Kronos, it's easy to maneuver around if you know it's there.
[I'm kinda of weirdly excited to see how this works. It's a good Anti-Dragon sword and I want to see what happens.]Even Ddraig chimed in. [Does it work with your Divine Sword and your Mirror Melon sword?]
…..My mirror melon sword?
[You know, because you're fighting mirror copies of yourself, and your name is Water—]
Thanks, Ddraig, I got the joke.
As much as it made my eye twitch.
I felt my Zanpakutō stir, though. {Unfortunately, it would not work with me, Ddraig.} Musu Tengai spoke, which he doesn't do often without reason. {I am an aspect of his soul; I cannot be reproduced in a frail copy.}
And my Authority won't work either; it's not technically real in the normal sense. Ascalon—as a Noble Phantasm—has more physical form than it. And the Authority in and of itself would resist the spell. Similar to being a Campione, it was both a blessing and a curse.
I had some pretty insane Magical Resistance, but that also rebuffed beneficial things as well. At least on a surface level, I could still drink potions and such. It was about the same with my Authority, obviously without the whole surface-level resistance facet, but more its conceptual existence rebuffed alterations.
Regardless, I swung Ascalon a few more times to get a proper feel in my hands and to slightly warm up before giving Scáthach a nod.
She took her usual stance that had been refined over thousands of years and uncountable battles.
She didn't give a warning or a signal; she just moved as she always does, and her spear went right towards my heart.
A deafening clang of steel sent out a shockwave as I deflected it with Ascalon. With a spin of her weapon, losing no momentum from her failed attack, the tip of her spear dug into the ground and flung dirt and sand up at my face as the spear also continued upwards, attempting to slash at my neck.
I jerked my head to the side to avoid the cheeky bit of dirt and let go of Ascalon and gestured with my fingers for it to fly forward and collide with her spear again.
Her spear nearly knocked away, she just let it carry her whole body as it nearly flipped in a full arc and stabbed it into the ground to orient herself and reinitiate her attack before I could regather myself as well.
I could see her foot coming at me from the corner of my eye. I instinctively sidestepped it and grabbed her leg, lifting her up and throwing her forward.
However, her spear had already left her hands mid-air and came soaring right towards me. I could see the sun gleaming off its razor-sharp edge as it was inches in front of my face.
With a single breath to spare, I had already recalled Ascalon into my hand and swung it up to deflect it again.
Scáthach landed gracefully onto the ground some dozens of yards away, her mid-air flipping spear suddenly jerked and turned into a red line as it shot back into her hand.
I let out a breath as I noticed her smirk.
She was having fun.
The funny thing is, many people believe that someone wielding a spear wouldn't get up and personal, but Scáthach doesn't seem to believe in those limitations.
Sometimes she'll fight from a distance, maybe mid-range, or maybe use her spear like it were a small knife.
"That isn't all you wished to show me, is it, student?" Scáthach chuckled happily.
I looked at her and took out my wooden sword, holding it in my other hand, and gave a 'come at me' gesture.
She looked at the new sword in my hand, most likely recognizing it from way before but having no idea what it actually does.
Her teasing didn't continue, even if her attitude didn't much change. However, her tone was always a red herring in a spar like this. She wasn't trying her hardest, and neither was I. It wasn't about beating each other up to the best of our ability, but she also wasn't going to let me win.
Her brow furrowed, and she adopted her usual stoic and serious look.
She adjusted her grip on her spear; one hand slid back more, the other turned, and the tip of it pointed slightly downward.
Again, without warning, she shot right at me, a gust of wind left in her wake.
"Ethereal Armory—Ascalon!" I threw both swords out. Ascalon swung through the air and disappeared above the wooden sword.
It was as if there was a short blip, like reality had a fraction of a second of static before a thousand copies of Ascalon emerged around me.
Rarely does Scáthach get taken by surprise. But that didn't stop her.
And now was the moment of truth.
With a flash of her spear, she stabbed at me dozens of times in a single breath.
"Ascalon!" I activated my Noble Phantasm.
The thing is, technically, there's still only one Ascalon; these are all copies of the original, illusions, all based on the real one.
I didn't even have to look as one of the copies entered my hand, and it blocked a spear strike before abruptly shattering.
However, another one entered my hand, blocking another.
I took a step forward into her barrage of attacks, and for each stab of her spear, one of my Ascalons blocked it with minimal effort on my part.
Her momentum was completely thrown off as I stepped into her space, my face inches from hers as another Ascalon fell into my hand and I swung it at her. She leaned back; it barely missed her neck, and she tried to follow it up with a swipe of her spear, but my other hand also had another copy of Ascalon fall into it, and through the use of the Noble Phantasm, it was again blocked.
She was pushed back.
Each step I took forward was one she was forced to retreat. Even a blind spot, an attack I couldn't see, Ascalon in my hand moved unnaturally to block it, an almost absolute defense. Even if it only lasted a single strike in this state, it was enough to fluster her, as I had nearly a thousand still remaining. Each step also cost me a copy of Ascalon that floated around me, but I continued to push her until I caught her, or at least I think I did.
She let me cut across her chest to avoid being trapped as a dozen Ascalons from above shot down, attempting to impale her.
She leapt back through the air, finding the single point of escape remaining mostly unharmed, and reeled her arm back. Her magical energy pulsed and wrapped around her spear along with all the bloodlust the demonic weapon could gather.
With a throw, it split into hundreds of copies, each one nothing more than a magical construct that was meant to explode on impact.
Sky bombardment isn't something you would think a spearwoman was capable of, but here we were.
But I smiled because I knew I had won now.
I had only used the effect of the activation of my Noble Phantasm while it was in my hand; she mistook that for a limitation.
Hundreds of Ascalons moved through the air and all activated.
The conceptual, near-absolute defense rendered each of her spears immaterial, blocking every one of them before they could reach me.
Scáthach landed on the ground amidst the explosions and let out a small sigh as one of the swords in my hand rested against her neck.
She casually held her hands up in surrender. "Well done, student." She said softly, affectionately, a look of pride in her eyes.
I relaxed, letting everything dismiss. My wooden sword and Ascalon popped back up once the spell ended, and I put them away.
Before I could say a word, she kneed me in the chest, knocking me on my ass.
I admit it took me completely off guard, and I just stared at her from the ground in my prone position.
"Don't get cocky." She said sternly before her expression softened, and she saw a spot next to me and, rather aggressively but in her own affectionate way, moved my head onto her lap. "You've earned a short break while I indulge you."
[Line Break]
I think I made a mistake.
I told her I wanted some spear training, and I asked her to mimic how Cu fights.
Suffice to say, she can capture the essence of his particular 'rabid dog' method of fighting, as she dismissively called it.
I think she was also holding a small grudge for beating her before. She stepped everything up a notch, and now I just wanted to join Yasaka on the ground forever.
There may have been whining on my part, from aches and pains, as she sat on my stomach after 'beating me.' I can freely admit that when it comes to using a spear, I'm…decent, at best.
"You lack the grace needed to wield a spear. You are far too critical of each movement; you overthink your steps, and you spend too much time on both feet. You treat your spear like a sword." At that last one, she poked my side. "Your spear grip is lacking; your footwork is a mess because of this. Your speed is irrelevant if your spear cannot follow along."
She critically and without mercy called out every one of my failings.
"However—" She paused.
"However?" I asked.
"You are not without competency." She finished.
"Kill me, just get it over with."
She smacked my stomach—lightly. "Come, we're finished for today." She didn't help me up; rather, she grabbed my leg and dragged me back over to everyone, unceremoniously dropping me next to Yasaka, who looked extremely comfortable on the ground still.
Lazy Fox is lazy.
I rolled over to see everyone at the table, even the newest person to arrive. "Odin, when did you get here?"
Odin, who had joined everyone at the table like the most natural thing in the world. He, ironically, had a big piece of watermelon in his hands, just chatting with them. "While you were getting your ass kicked."
Jinn got up and jumped on me. "Show me the thing you did, new spell; I want to see!" She said excitedly.
With the last remnant of will, I tossed my wooden sword into her hands and turned over to mimic Yasaka.
I'm dead; ignore me.
Odin and Rin also joined Jinn, looking interested as well.
"Oh, that's interesting." Odin rubbed his beard as I peeked at them.
"I thought it was a Mystic Code, but it's a spell, sort of." Rin spoke too. "How does it work?"
"The runes at the center create a fake world within the sword—the massive life energies inside sustaining it. The archangels on the front represent the four directions; likewise, I use the four Divine Beasts on the other side and invert the four directions. Linking it up to the Runic Sequence, this creates a temporary paradox to hide the false world so the actual world doesn't squash it like a void. Then one of my swords goes inside, and it replicates, creating illusions linked to the false world. "About a thousand of them in total, but they're fake." I gave a not-so-brief description of how the spell/Mystic Code actually worked.
Jinn was right in front of me, and I grabbed her dress and lifted it up just enough so only I could look underneath and nodded to myself happily.
I don't know why, but it always made me happy to see her Lamp still safely secured in her butt.
It's like seeing it makes everything right in the world.
I stopped messing around and got up, dusting myself off. Though I was covered in dirt, grime, sweat, and now grass stains.
"Good to see you, Odin. What brings you here?" I asked him.
"I was in the neighborhood and figured I'd come over when I heard everyone was coming back." Odin said casually. "I heard you met another me and had a rough time."
"Yup, Odin is a dick."
Odin just nodded, not even insulted. "I'm not surprised. He's probably how I was in my younger days if his Frigga didn't pass away." He sighed, apparently hearing that part too. "I'll make sure to tell everyone that the little Saintess is one of us now too." He chuckled.
"The Odin over there did this neat thing where he sealed Thor's Divine Powers into Mjolnir, and if someone proved worthy, they would have all his power. I got to see Jeanne go godly for a moment. She got a bit…fuller. Very Asgardian."
"Oh? How'd he manage to do that?" Odin furrowed his brow. "Maybe if he…but then…hmm. I'd have to think about it. Regardless, don't expect every Odin you meet to be as amazing and easygoing as I am."
He didn't need to tell me; the Heretic God Odin was already a stark reminder of that. Hell, even the Odin I met back in the Land of Shadows was…not someone I'd like to actually meet again. If anything, this Odin was the outlier in comparison to all the others.
"Let me show you my new treasures." I happily took out the Casket of Ancient Winters and set it on the ground. Immediately the ground froze, the air turned chill, but it was…contained. Even Yasaka sat up in surprise as she shivered slightly.
Odin's eye widened. "That feels like Jotunheim."
"Yup, it's supposedly their ancestral treasure or some bullshit. I took it after Laufey attacked, blah blah. You know how that song and dance goes. Apparently, if opened, it can even freeze a star given some time."
Odin nodded. "I can feel the great chill contained inside of it. I'd advise you not to use it carelessly in this world; you may cause other pantheons to treat you as hostile. There's a difference between having a Divine Weapon and having a Divine Weapon that's capable of ending the world simply by being opened."
I nodded, not intending to abuse it. It'll work well with my Yggdrasil spell, the perfect catalyst for Jotunheim. And if it's inserted into the spell itself with Yggdrasil controlling everything, I should be able to direct and control it as I want.
"But can you keep it out like this? This actually feels really refreshing." Rin spoke up.
"Honestly, it's kind of cool out now." Mordred agreed.
Artoria looked at me, then at the berries on her plate, and she took a blackberry and set it on the casket.
Everyone sort of watched her incredulously as it froze, and she took it back and ate it happily. She perked up as if she just discovered the best thing in the world.
She was treating my world-ending weapon as a flash freezer for her snacks.
I love her so much.
It's not often she acts so whimsical. I guess the war even tired her out enough to drop her regal and stoic demeanor in the privacy of friends and family.
I kissed her bulging cheeks and pushed the casket onto the table for her, intensifying the seals enough so the residual cold didn't cause any real problems. "You can hold onto this for now." I told her as she blushed slightly but looked very happy, muffling something as she began to play with it and her food, Mordred joining in silently.
"Anyways, do you want to see my magic, godly robot?" I clapped my hands.
It wasn't just Odin who perked up, but Izzy too, and a few others.
I dropped the destroy—or rather, the pieces of it—onto the ground with a loud thwump sound.
There was a beat of silence before Odin and Izzy moved to inspect it first.
"It's called the Destroyer."
"Of course Odin would name it something stupid like that." Izzy scoffed, but she was already enthralled. "Why is it broken?"
"His stupid son broke it." I jabbed my thumb at Odin.
"That is something my stupid son would do." Odin replied without missing a beat. "Let's see, how is this thing powered? I can feel the breath of Asgard all throughout it, but there's something unfamiliar inside as well."
"It's powered by the souls of dead gods." Izzy said flatly. "This is both disturbing and rather fascinating. There's something else too, but I don't recognize it either."
Together, they started arranging the pieces on the ground.
I didn't interrupt them and watched silently.
Then, Odin took the legs that had been dismembered and stood them up. He took a few pieces of metal lying around, and like a jigsaw puzzle, he pushed them back into place. With Izzy's help, they lifted the torso so they could reconnect the arms, then they carefully guided it to the legs and reassembled it all together.
"You fixed it? Can I fight it?" Mordred asked.
"It's not really fixed." Izzy was the first to say. "We just…."
"It's being held together with the equivalent of divine glue; it'll fall back apart again in a few hours. I think it can repair itself… but it's lacking a certain power source that I can't identify properly." Odin added in.
"Thor mentioned that it was powered by Asgard itself." I spoke.
Both Odin and Izzy looked at me in surprise. "Using the foundation of Asgard to power it?" He rubbed his beard. "That's…."
"Insane." Izzy finished the thought before he could.
Though Odin smiled wide and began to cackle. "I'll do it." He clapped his hands. "Brat, give this thing to me; I'll fix it up and get it going again!"
I shrugged.
He probably had better plans than I did. That being, I hadn't planned on what I was going to do with it yet; I just wanted it…for reasons.
I looked at Izzy to see if she would reject that. Instead, she was moving the arm back and forth kind of playfully.
"...are you making robot noises in your head?" I asked her quietly.
She blushed, looking away.
"I should mention, it can fire lasers out of its face area."
I think, if there was no one else around, she may have squealed in joy.
Well, a problem settled that I hadn't even put much thought into—that's good.
I'll just spend a bit more time with everyone before heading over to see Gramps and get the details on the Mystic Eye Auction thing.
[Line Break]
A/N
Moving on to the next smallish arc, the Mystic Eye Train thing from Fate. Zelretch will talk about it a bit next to recap what's going on.
I'm doing a bit better, got this chapter out in the time frame I was aiming for :D.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name.