Tamamo-no-Mae's single sentence plunged the Heian-style residence into complete silence. Mordred and Gareth looked at each other, their eyes holding the same question: "What nonsense is Tamamo-no-Mae talking about?"
Just as the two of them were thinking, Tamamo-no-Mae had just proposed to the sisters the idea of Ian having unlimited sexual relations with his girlfriends. Leaving aside whether it was absurd or not, as the properly wedded wife, she shouldn't have proposed such a thing in the first place! But here it was, actually happening.
Silence, and more silence. Finally, Mordred couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "Tamamo-no-Mae—! Do you know what you're saying?! What do you mean by 'unlimited sexual relations' with his girlfriends?! You... do you know what you're saying?!"
But in the face of Mordred's questioning, Tamamo-no-Mae showed no displeasure. On the contrary, she explained very patiently. "Yes, I certainly know what I'm saying. You also didn't mishear—I do hope that Master's ○-ing restrictions can be lifted."
"You!" Mordred wanted to say more, but her sister Gareth grabbed her. Having gone through the exchange of secrets just now, the knight sister knew that the fox demon in front of them was definitely not acting recklessly. If she said this... there must be a reason for it. Thinking of this, Gareth took over from Mordred and continued to ask, "Whether you want to lift the restrictions on Father's ○-ing with his girlfriends is none of my business and Mordred's. But—Tamamo-no-Mae, didn't you just marry Father not long ago? Are you really willing to watch him ○ other girls?"
"..." Mordred had to admit that her sister Gareth was better at asking questions. "Exactly!" she said. "You just married Father, so why are you allowing him to do something like this now... it doesn't make any sense no matter how you look at it!"
Listening to their coordinated questions, Tamamo-no-Mae wasn't flustered. Her slightly hazy gaze fell on Mordred and Gareth. "Yes," she said. "Logically speaking, I shouldn't be supporting Master in doing such a thing. But—" Tamamo-no-Mae's tone gradually became serious. This meant that she hadn't made this request on a whim, but had arrived at this conclusion after much thought. "Master... is not the exclusive property of me alone. For Chaldea, Master's existence is the basis for the entire organization's operation—if it weren't for him, Chaldea would definitely be in chaos right now. So... even though I really, really want to have Master all to myself, I absolutely cannot do that. Because—" Tamamo-no-Mae straightened her body. "He is the hero who is going to save this world. I know this deeply, so I absolutely cannot hold him back—I absolutely cannot monopolize his ○-stick. Otherwise, everyone else would be very sad."
"..."
"..."
When Tamamo-no-Mae said this, Mordred and Gareth were once again silent. But unlike the previous silence, which was filled with confusion and shock, this time, the two of them were silent out of understanding for Tamamo-no-Mae.
That's right. Even though the fox demon was talking about something quite lewd (referring to releasing her father's sexual restrictions in Chaldea), if you thought about it carefully, you would realize that Tamamo-no-Mae was the one making the biggest sacrifice. After all, unlike the other girlfriends, this fox demon from the Heian period had already genuinely completed the wedding ceremony with the man. This fact alone gave her a tremendous advantage over the other girls, granting her a status that no one else could match instantly. It was no exaggeration to say that if Tamamo-no-Mae were to use this identity as a "point of attack," she could monopolize Ian for a very long time. After all, the man already liked her a lot, and with his sense of responsibility, he would never refuse.
But—Tamamo-no-Mae did not do this. Despite having the absolute advantage, she chose to voluntarily give up this privilege and instead share her husband's ○-stick with the other girls in Chaldea. Just thinking about this was enough to know that Tamamo-no-Mae's words were not a performance.
"Then—" Feeling the fox demon's determination, Gareth's tone became a lot more humble. "Are the others willing to do this? Will they really share Father's ○-stick?"
"I don't know," Tamamo-no-Mae shook her head. "But I think... there needs to be at least one person to take the lead in doing this before there can be any further possibilities, don't you think?"
The first step of sacrifice begins with oneself, not by making others yield first. This was an idea that was very consistent with the spirit of chivalry. Gareth gained a new understanding of the fox demon in front of her. Her tone also gradually became gentler, and her address to Tamamo-no-Mae became a lot more respectful. "I understand. You're right."
"..." Feeling the change in Gareth's attitude towards her, Tamamo-no-Mae said nothing more. She smiled and nodded, then reached out and gently stroked Gareth's head. The scene looked just like a mother praising her daughter.
"Wait a minute!" Mordred moved Tamamo-no-Mae's hand away from her sister's head. "I understand that you're sacrificing yourself. But—why are you asking us? The most important opinion for sharing the ○-stick with every girlfriend is whether Father is willing, isn't it?"
"Logically, that would be the case," Tamamo-no-Mae continued to explain very patiently. "But—Mordred, you should know that Master would never refuse his girlfriends' requests. This also means... if you talk to him alone, you will only get a definite 'yes.' Even if—" Tamamo-no-Mae's gaze slowly swept over Gareth and Mordred. "He knows that you would absolutely not agree to this."
"..." Mordred's eyes widened slightly, and then she understood. "You mean that whether Father will properly share his ○-stick actually depends on my and my sister's attitude?"
"Not necessarily," Tamamo-no-Mae did not give a complete affirmation. "But I think the possibility is quite high."
"This..." Mordred was still thinking. Gareth, on the other hand, already had her answer.
"I understand. In that case—I approve of your actions. I support Father in sharing his ○-stick with every girlfriend."
"Is that so?" Tamamo-no-Mae's two fluffy ears perked up slightly, a sign of her happiness. "That's wonderful."
"Eh—!" Mordred grabbed Gareth's hand and whispered in her ear, "Sister. If you do this... you'll be letting down the First and Second Wives."
"No, I won't," Gareth said, shaking her head at Mordred. "Mordred. You were born later, so you don't know how good the relationship between the old King and Father was—if she knew that Father needed to use this method to maintain the situation, she would definitely choose to help him. As for Mother—" Gareth looked at her sister, her eyes full of meaning. Of all the Knights of the Round Table in Britain, Mordred and Morgan looked the most alike—it was no exaggeration to say that she had completely inherited her beauty. "I don't think she would stand by either, do you?"
"This..." Listening to her sister Gareth's words, Mordred was still a little uneasy inside, but she also felt that it was not so hard to accept anymore. Of course, this wasn't to say that Mordred believed everything Gareth said. But as the most favored younger daughter, she could indeed feel the tolerance and affection that her First and Second Wives had for their father. Maybe... they would really choose to let Father share his ○-stick, just as her sister said?
"Sigh," she sighed and looked at Tamamo-no-Mae again. "Then—what do you plan to do? Do you need us to say anything to Father?"
Clearly, this was an approval of Tamamo-no-Mae's ○-stick sharing proposal. The fox demon understood and quickly responded, "No need. As long as the two of you agree, I will explain the rest to Master myself. But—" Tamamo-no-Mae looked at the two British knights who were finally on her side. "I might need your help later, is that okay?"
"I have no problem," Gareth nodded without hesitation. "If you need me for anything—just ask."
"I... me too!" Mordred said, following suit.
"You really are Master's children, so reasonable."
Saying this, Tamamo-no-Mae stood up. "Now that we've reached an agreement—how about we go check on Ritsuka?"
"Yes! / Okay!" The British sisters answered at the same time.
The Heart-to-Heart
Ten minutes later, the three of them returned to Room 048—Ritsuka Fujimaru's room, where she was resting. At this moment, Ian was sitting beside the girl, holding her hand, looking quite worried.
"Father really cares about my Master," Gareth said with emotion again. "Is he... always like this?"
"Not always," Tamamo-no-Mae smiled slightly. "He's like this from beginning to end—he's very good to every one of his girlfriends. "
"That's true," Gareth nodded. "In Britain, everyone said Father was a good person."
"Is that so?" Tamamo-no-Mae's eyes held a hint of longing. "If there's a chance in the future, please share his past with me."
"Mm... no problem."
Perhaps this conversation was overheard by Ian, or for some other reason, the man temporarily let go of Ritsuka Fujimaru's hand, stood up, and walked over to the door where the three of them were.
"You're back."
"Yes," Tamamo-no-Mae nodded carefully. "Did we disturb you, Master?"
"Not at all—Ritsuka is already asleep." Saying this, Ian noticed Gareth, who didn't dare to look at him. "Gareth, what's wrong?" The man reached out and gently stroked her head. "Why are you so afraid of me?"
The girl, whose head was being stroked, squinted slightly, her expression looking quite content, but her face was not so comfortable. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she looked up and met the man's gaze.
"Father, I'm sorry!" she said. "I... I shouldn't have done something so disobedient, I almost made a huge mistake! I..."
"..." Seeing the wronged and sad look on his daughter Gareth's face, Ian thought for a moment, then lowered his head, kissed the girl's trembling lips, and quickly let go. While Gareth was stunned, the man touched her burning cheek and said gently, "Gareth. That was just a British courtesy, right? And—" Ian looked at the girl in front of him and gave his own explanation. "Gareth, the act of deciding to save your Master is something to be praised in Chaldea—it's a perfect score."
Ian's simple words perfectly dismantled the problem that had been bothering Gareth. Her actions to save her Master had finally been affirmed.
"O-okay!" Gareth nodded, her face red. "Thank you, Father!"
"Eh—!" Mordred came over. "What about me? I brought food too!"
"You're a perfect score too, of course."
Ian hugged his two daughters, one on each side, pulling them into his arms and rubbing their foreheads. "You are... both wonderful in my heart. I will love you both forever."
Saying this, the man happened to make eye contact with Tamamo-no-Mae behind the two girls. The two of them smiled slightly at each other. And Gareth, at this moment, realized something. She took her sister Mordred's hand and looked at her father, speaking up.
"Well—Father, Mordred and I want to go in and check on the Master. We won't disturb..." Gareth looked back at Tamamo-no-Mae, gathering her courage, and said, "We won't disturb you and Mama Tamamo on your date!"
After saying this, Gareth didn't wait for her father to reply and immediately pulled Mordred into the room.
"Sister, I haven't gotten enough of Father's hug yet!"
"We'll talk about that later!"
"Eh—!"
Only Ian and Tamamo-no-Mae were left in the corridor. "'Mama Tamamo'?" the man recalled Gareth's address and then hooked his arm around the fox demon's fair arm. "Tama, what did you do? Gareth... actually used a name like that for you?"
"Does Master want to know?" Tamamo-no-Mae swayed her tail, putting on a flirtatious expression. "Then you have to go on a date with me tonight to be worthy of knowing."
"..." A playful smile appeared on Ian's face. He reached his hand into Tamamo-no-Mae's kimono and found the perfectly shaped, incredibly soft fox treasure that only he could enjoy. The man's fingers gently stirred inside, declaring his absolute dominance over her. Amidst the fox demon's flushed face and uncontrollable moans, Ian massaged her soft, proud chest.
"What a coincidence," he said. "Tonight... I also happen to want to try Tama's special tea-making skills."