Early the next morning, Dracula woke up before anyone else. Or rather, before Mordred, since he knew she'd still be lazing in bed.
He gathered everyone in the castle—except for Mordred—at the long table in the great hall.
The reason for this early meeting was to discuss how to properly educate their newest family member. And as for Nyarlothotep and Kuko, Dracula's real reason for inviting them was to prevent the two from sneaking in strange ideas to Mordred again.
Once everyone had assembled, Dracula—sitting at the head of the table—used a detection spell to confirm Mordred was still sound asleep.
He laced his fingers and rested his chin on them. "I've gathered everyone here to talk about Mordred—specifically, how we're going to educate and guide her."
"Mordred has always had a knot in her heart—her father, King Arthur. She's a good kid, but she was created artificially. That means, deep down, she's still a child. A child who's never been acknowledged by her father, has no one to guide her, and possesses terrifying power. If we're not careful, someone with ill intent could easily push her toward a dark path…"
At that, Dracula shot an impassive glance at Nyarlothotep.
She smiled shamelessly back at him.
Dracula turned away, continuing: "Whatever she was before, it doesn't matter. She's part of our Castlevania family now, and it's our duty to support our own… Also, I sort of… adopted her as my daughter last night. So now I'm wondering how the hell I'm supposed to raise her."
"Huh?!" ×4
Four voices cried out in shock—Kirie, Nero, Kiyohime, and Elizabeth.
Only Jeanne tilted her head and asked, "What's strange about that? Helping a loved one is the right thing to do. I fully support Dracula's decision."
The saint gave Dracula an approving smile.
"N-No, it's not that we disapprove, it's just… it's such a sudden development." Kirie offered an explanation before falling into her own musings. "…Lord Dracula adopting a daughter this big… Does that mean Mordred will start calling me 'Mom'…? That wouldn't be so bad, actually…"
She clutched her reddened cheeks, lost in romantic fantasies.
Kiyohime covered her mouth with a folding fan and whispered to Elizabeth, "What do we do, Lizard? I wasn't mentally prepared for our Master to suddenly gain such a grown daughter…"
"I know, Four-Legs," Elizabeth whispered back. "I wasn't ready to be a mother yet—especially to someone who looks older than me…"
Nero gnawed at her finger and glared at Dracula. "Tch. I was the one who had eyes on Mordred first… and now you've gone and snatched her, Dracula!"
Tap tap!
Dracula rapped his fingers on the table. "Alright, alright, focus up. I'm not done. I've even invited a psychological expert to help us figure out how to raise a rebellious teenage hellspawn properly…"
No sooner had Dracula finished speaking than a strange voice echoed directly into everyone's minds.
[Greetings. I am the mysterious psychological consultant "A". You can just call me Expert… or A, whichever you prefer.]
[Huh? Who's that voice?]
Kagarino Kirie stole a glance at Dracula, who remained perfectly composed. Taking her cue from him, she chose to stay silent.
[Today, I'll be assisting with the matter of Mordred's upbringing. I'll be offering psychological insights into her case. As for how you actually raise her—well, that's your job. I'm not really well-versed in your… cultural values.]
After this dramatic introduction, the system projected a holographic image of Mordred onto the table. She appeared clad in armor, grinning in a goofily cheerful way.
[To start: Mordred is the child of King Arthur and her elder sister, Morgan le Fay. Morgan, being a sorceress, used magic to obtain the genetic material of the female King Arthur, impregnated herself, and gave birth to Mordred.]
"Ooohhhh~~!" ×5
Five girls—who clearly hadn't known about this juicy backstory—let out synchronized gasps of gossip-laced fascination.
"Focus!" Dracula knocked on the table with a frown.
[Ahem. Strictly speaking, Mordred isn't a naturally born human. She was created by her mother Morgan with the sole intent of toppling King Arthur. From childhood, Mordred was starved of affection. Her mother had no love for her, and her father wasn't even aware of her existence. While other children played, she trained with the sword. Later, her mother gave her the Helm of Hidden Infidelity, allowing her to conceal her identity and join the Knights of the Round Table.]
[As she spent more time around her father, she began to admire her—longing to become a knight as noble and strong as she was. Eventually, she couldn't contain her feelings any longer, and confessed the truth of her parentage to Arthur.]
[But Arthur denied her. From the very moment she was born, Arthur had deemed her a stain upon her life—a cursed child. Mordred began to believe she was relegated to the lowest seat at the Round Table because of this. Then, while Arthur was away on campaign, she led a rebellion in Camelot… and was ultimately slain by her father in the Battle of Camlann.]
"Uuuh… poor girl…" Kirie dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"I've decided… I will become a good mother!" Kiyohime declared with teary resolve.
"Even if she's bigger than me, I'll still acknowledge her as my daughter!" Elizabeth said, brimming with determination.
"I won't fight over food with her anymore…" Jeanne murmured in shame, lowering her head.
"Arthur's a piece of garbage!" Nero bellowed indignantly.
"Alright, alright. Since everyone's so invested, let's start brainstorming ways to help her heal and grow, yeah?" Dracula clapped his hands to get their attention.
[Due to her twisted upbringing, Mordred has an extremely difficult personality. First off, you can't speak positively about her father in front of her—but you also can't insult him. Don't treat her completely like a girl, but don't treat her like a guy either. Don't be overly serious, don't fall for other Servants, and always take her opinions seriously. If you mess up on any of these, she'll get upset.]
"Mmm, but when Mr. Dracula and I mentioned her father in front of her, she didn't get angry at all," Nero suddenly interjected. "And Dracula even insulted her father that one time."
[Ah yes, that… There are two reasons. First, she knows she can't win against—um, Dracula. Second…]
"She's likely subconsciously come to see the two of you as father figures," Kirie offered insightfully. "So I suppose, when you bring up Arthur, she reacts differently."
"Got it. Now, what I want is to help her get past this knot in her heart—the hang-up over her father." Dracula leaned back, thinking aloud. "Maybe… if I teach her how to surpass her father, she'll be able to let go of that resentment?"
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea!" The girls nodded eagerly in agreement.
"So… how exactly do I teach her? I've only ever led monsters." Dracula turned to Nero. "You've been an emperor before—got any advice?"
"Hmm… You'll want to train her in charisma. That's the first step to leadership." Nero replied confidently.
…
The meeting continued all the way until Mordred—having overslept again—finally woke up. Over that time, each girl offered her own opinion, and Dracula debated earnestly with them. Yet in the end, they still couldn't come up with a solid method for raising Mordred.
With no other options, the system gave up and told Dracula to just take Mordred out on a walk first and figure things out from there.
As if on cue, just as Dracula stepped out from the meeting room, he bumped into a sleepy-eyed Mordred.
"Morning, Mordred," Dracula greeted.
"Ah… morning, Mr. Dracula," Mordred replied. Though her words were polite, her demeanor unmistakably carried the subtle warmth one shows to a father figure.
Meanwhile, somewhere far away, Arthur—mid-breakfast—suddenly sneezed, accidentally spraying food bits all over her smoking Master's face.
"Hurry up and wash your face, then go eat," Dracula said, ruffling Mordred's hair. "Once you're done, I'll take you out."
"But…" Mordred hesitated, glancing at Dracula's clearly reluctant expression. "You don't… really want to go out, do you?"
"I said I would, and I keep my word," Dracula replied, then muttered under his breath: "Even if I have to grit my teeth and bear it…"