Ch 165: The Tower, and Sakura’s therapy.

Akeno felt her expectations betrayed when she saw the Tower. She had imagined some kind of huge, ancient tower piercing the skies, majestic and mysterious, full of classrooms and laboratories. Maybe hidden in another texture.

There was indeed a tower. An actual replicate of London's Big Ben and its surrounding buildings, all in a pocket dimension that could be accessed using a secret door in the British Museum.

Akeno understood why this place was also sometimes called the Clock Tower.

However, that place wasn't nearly big enough to host all the Magus and the support infrastructure they required, so each department was moved into London's suburbs as disguised campus villages.

And there were a lot of departments. General Fundamentals, Individual Fundamentals, Spiritual Evocation, Mineralogy, Zoology, Lore, Botany, Astromancy, Creation, Curses, Archaeology, Modern Magecraft Theory, and Policies.

The consensus for now was that they would start with General Fundamentals, but would receive additional lessons from Scathach, Medea and Tamamo inside the Sanctuary, and quickly move to another department.

Thanks to the time dilation and the availability of three experts in their craft, not to mention the positive effect of the MAG attribute increasing their ability to grasp esoteric concepts and memorize them, Akeno and the other Masters would without a doubt quickly become proficient at Magecraft.

Medea and Tamamo would also spend a few hours per day teaching students of the Mineralogy and Spiritual Evocation departments. Those lessons would be part of fulfilling the condition Zelretch had asked of them.

After getting a few free rooms in the dormitories and getting settled in, they started their new student lives.

Their first day of class was a little awkward, as they entered the room for their first lesson. All classrooms in the tower were of the auditorium type, with enough sitting places for over a hundred students.

"This is your class." said Rin. "Now I'm off to the mineralogy department. Good luck."

"Yes, thank you, Rin." smiled Akeno. "Before you leave, I need to ask you something. For the next part of Sakura's therapy, I need your assistance. But it will be a little tough. Can I count on you?"

Rin looked at her sister, who made puppy eyes at her.

"Do you even need to ask? Of course I'll help." said Rin. Therapy sometimes needed to be uncomfortable to be effective, when people bared their feelings. She knew she would have a hard time being honest, but for Sakura's sake, she was willing to try.

"Thank you, Nee-san." smiled Sakura.

"Ah… Yeah, see you later." said Rin with a slight blush.

"I do not often see Rin flustered like that. It's interesting." smiled Luvia. "I'm also leaving for the mineralogy campus. We'll be back this evening."

"Thank you again, Luvia." nodded Akeno.

"Do not mention it. I benefit from our arrangement as well. I wonder who will gain the most, Ohohoh…"

Luvia chuckled as she left, and Akeno took a quick glance at her companions before they left the room's entrance to take seats. The Servants, aside from Artoria, were in their dematerialized state, as their group was already conspicuous enough.

There were a dozen other students in the room who had watched them quietly, and four of them got up to walk closer.

Their leader was a young man with short blond hair and an infectious smile.

"Hi there, I'm Flat Escardos. It is nice to meet you! Can we be friends?"

"Please excuse this idiot's overly familiar behavior. Trying to teach him manners is an exercise of futility." sighed one of the two girls behind him. She had brown eyes, long wavy chestnut-colored hair with a side tail behind her right ear, and was dressed in a black skirt, shit shirt with puffy sleeves, short black tie and had a red scarf loosely draped over her shoulders.

"I am Nazica Pentel, a second-year student. This is my twin sister, Radia."

The second girl of the group was dressed identically to the first, but styled her wavy hair with a black headband instead of a side tail.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." said Radia with a polite nod of the head.

"And I am Svin Glascheit." proudly said the second young man. Like Flat, he had short blond hair and blue eyes, but his bangs were wild and unruly. Akeno noted that since they approached, Svin had barely given each of them a glance, aside from Artoria. He was staring at Artoria like a drowning man would stare at a floating piece of wood just out of reach.

Akeno and the Masters introduced themselves in turn, and when Artoria revealed her identity as Artoria Pendragon, Svin didn't even wait for Ciel and Caren to have their turn before he made a step forward with a suave smile.

"Lady Artoria, I cannot help but be smitten by your elegance and gracefulness. Would you do me the honor or accompanying me in private for a short while?"

His expression made it obvious that he was confident she would accept.

"Thank you for the praise, but I am not interested." immediately replied Artoria, with just enough warm to not be needlessly rude.

Svin froze in shock, and the two girls giggled.

"You had it coming, Svin." said Nazica as she shook her head. "You didn't even let them finish their introductions, and going after her when you were just yesterday harassing her successor to try to force her to marry you... Really, who does that?"

"I have a successor?" asked Artoria, confused.

"Well, a descendant, perhaps? At least, one of our classmates looks like you so much she could pass as your twin, if not for the eye and hair color being different. She's called Gray."

"I have no descendant, as far as I am aware. It should be impossible." frowned Artoria. Maybe this Gray was related to Nero instead? The former Emperor of Rome was present nearby, but didn't show herself.

Svin had retreated in shame, trying not to attract any more attention. Akeno made a mental note to stay on guard with him. She thought he was the type who just couldn't accept being told no.

"Ahem, to get those introductions over with, I am Ciel, and my companion here is Carena Hortensia. It is nice to meet you."

"Likewise." nodded Radia. "I see you are dressed as maids. Who is your master?"

Ciel glanced down at her outfit for a second before she nodded. She and Caren both wore more modest variants of the maid outfits that had become their standard livery inside the Sanctuary. But they also wore black leather chokers, just thin enough that people wouldn't be able to decide if they were goth fashion chokers or actual collars, as well as chastity belts and butt plugs.

"We are here to study magecraft as well, but we both are Akeno-sama's maids for the foreseeable future. Please treat us simply like normal students."

"You guys have participated in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, right?" eagerly asked Flat. "I'm envious! I wanted to be chosen as a Master, too."

"Yes, we did." smiled Chisato. "But really, we're lucky this war turned out to be very different from the norm. Only one Master died this time. I think you have to be crazy to want to participate in a Holy Grail War. It's very stressful, and you need to be prepared to kill your rivals and put your life on the line."

"That is what my friend Waver says, but he still decided to give it a try, and he was chosen as a candidate."

"Yes, and I'm grateful for that." grinned Akeno. "The Servant he summoned is now mine, and she's cute."

[M-Master!] said Hippolyta through the bond. She didn't really sound angry.

[Ufufu, I'm just being honest, Lyta.] Akeno hadn't yet started working her wiles on Hippolyta, but she looked forward to it.

[…Lyta, huh? You just wait until I get my turn training you. Scathach isn't the only one who can make you suffer.]

"Yes, I see a downright outrageous amount of Command Seals on your arm." nodded Nazica. "Can you please tell us their names? Now that the war is over, I don't think hiding their true name is important anymore, and we'd love the opportunity to greet them.

"Hum, that is fair enough." nodded Akeno. "I'm leaving the decision to them, if they wish to be seen or not."

Asuka, Miwa, Chisato, Bell, Genos and Darkness nodded in agreement.

As Akeno might have expected, Nero, this shameless exhibitionist, was the first to materialize. Although she was modestly dressed as a student of the Association.

"Umu! I am Miwa's Servant, Nero Claudius! The Imperial ruler of ancient Rome!"

"I am Saika Magoichi, a mercenary, currently on a life-long contract with Akeno-sama. Pleased to make your acquaintance." said the silver-haired girl. She had been taught that as a mercenary, networking was an important part of the job, so she took the opportunity to introduce herself.

"Hippolyta, Akeno's Servant, formerly Queen of the Amazons." nodded Rider.

Jeanne, Medusa, Medb, Tamamo, Tomoe and Britomart also introduced themselves in turn.

Melusine, Beowulf, Lancelot, Aife and Medea didn't want to appear, and Scathach had gone with Rin.

"So many heroes! I want to be friend with you all!" exclaimed Flat.

Akeno smiled at Flat's cheerful and innocent character. Then two people entered the classroom. The first was Waver, and she waved at him with a hand. The second, who froze when she saw Artoria, wore a gray hooded cape and a gray and black outfit. She had gray hair and sky-blue eyes, and the same face that Artoria and Nero shared.

Artoria saw her and narrowed her eyes, them smiled slightly and beckoned her closer.

"Oh? Do I have another devotee? Or maybe an imperial descendant?" grinned Nero.

"What do you mean 'another' devotee? I was never one, Nero." smiled Artoria. This had become some sort of running joke between them.

"Waver. I'm glad you made it back in one piece." said Hippolyta with a nod.

"Rider. I am glad to see you as well."

"Have you started exercising yet?"

"Yes, actually. I started running every morning. But do not expect more from me." smiled Waver.

"Better than nothing, I guess. Even though we both lost, I do not regret the time I spend as your Servant. And my life since then is quite interesting..."

As Hippolyta and her former Master were catching up, Gray and Artoria had introduced themselves, and Gray quickly mentioned the reason she looked so much like Artoria. As it turned out, Gray had been artificially 'enhanced' using some of Artoria's DNA and a magic ritual, in an attempt to obtain a vessel for reincarnating Artoria.

Akeno could already tell than before long, Gray would spend her time hanging out with them. And maybe, one day, she would join their family. And so would the Pentel twins, if Akeno had her way. But she would deal with this at a later date. The second crisis was just over the horizon, and she already had too many companions left to enhance.

…

Rin woke up groggily, to the sound of two people having sex. She felt strange, as if having somehow dozed off in an uncomfortable position.

She stirred. At least, she tried to. Opening her eyes wide, she looked down at herself.

She was trapped inside a latex garment, gunmetal gray in color. Her limbs were folded, her hands against her shoulders and heels against her butt. When she strained, the latex had a little give, but it returned to its previous snug embrace when she relaxed.

"Akeno, what the hell have you done to me? Get me out of this!"

She tried to remember how she had gotten herself into this predicament. She had eaten dinner as usual, but had felt very tired and gone to bed early. In hindsight, it was obvious the food had been drugged.

Rin glared at Akeno, who was busy doing… She looked incredulously at her own Servant, dressed in a black latex bodysuit that left her breasts bare and bound by white rope in a turtle shell pattern, was being fucked in the ass.

The expression on Scathach's face, her small moans of lust, were something she had never expected to see or hear from her stoic Servant.

Rin knew that Scathach sometimes rewarded Akeno with sex, but she had somehow imagined that what they did was vanilla. That Akeno's perverted tendencies weren't something Scathach would let her indulge with her. Seeing her Servant being bound and roughly fucked, and obviously loving it, was a great shock to her.

"Ah, you're finally awake, Nee-san." said Sakura.

Rin turned her head to the other side, and went slack-jawed as she saw her little sister. Sakura was wearing a dominatrix's black leather outfit. Thigh-high leather boots, a sleeveless top connected to the boots by garter belts, fingerless leather gloves reaching above the elbows.

"W-What are you wearing, Sakura?"

"Do you not like my outfit, Nee-san?" sweetly smiled Sakura. "I like it a lot. It makes me feel more confident. In charge. And Senpai likes this kind of getup for her pets."

"Rin, before you start ranting, I guess I owe you some explaining." smiled Akeno as she slowed down a little.

"You damned got that right, but get me out of this thing first!"

"No. You see, Sakura has made a lot of progress with her therapy. Now that she possesses Noah's shared abilities, she feels less afraid. I have showed her how much I love her and care for her, and she isn't disgusted by her own body anymore."

"That's right. I was filthy before, after everything Shinji and the worms did to me. But Senpai still accepted me as I was. My body has been cleansed by her love! I am happy now, Nee-san. And I will be happier, soon, thanks to you, Nee-san."

"What?"

"There is still one issue I haven't been able to solve, Rin." said Akeno. "For eleven years, Sakura's life has been hell. Something she experienced only because she was the younger sister. Sakura would have needed to be superhuman not to harbor resentment toward you."

Rin flinched as Akeno pointed out one of her worries, and the guilt she felt about it flared up. But she didn't know how to deal with this.

"It is true, Nee-san." sighed Sakura as she cupped Rin's chin, forcing her to face her squarely. "I know it wasn't your fault. I even understand father's logic. But I still couldn't help but resent you. For a long, long time, I cursed at you. I am not proud of this. I know I am not being fair to you. But the resentment won't disappear just because I want it to."

Sakura smiled again.

"So, to deal with it and get some closure, I asked a favor to Senpai, and she accepted. I will be the one to train you, and you will be my slave, Nee-san."

"To be clear, Rin, you will not be only Sakura's slave, but also belong to Noah and I."

"You perverted freak, Akeno! There are better ways to deal with issues like that! You're using Sakura as an excuse to get your fun."

"I do not disagree." nodded Akeno. "But this method kills three birds with one stone. Sakura will be able to let go of her resentment, you will not oppose Sakura being part of Noah's harem anymore, and you will also be able to let go of your own guilt. Do not think I didn't notice, Rin. You also suffered during those eleven years, if not to the same extent."

Akeno looked down at Scathach.

"What do you think, Scathach?"

"I agree with your method. Rin needs to be more honest with herself. She is already horny."

"I-I'm not." retorted Rin, hurt by her Servant's betrayal and trying to hide the fact that she was feeling horny indeed.

Rin wanted to use her Command Seals to force Scathach to free her or to punish her, she didn't know which, but her mana was unresponsive.

Of course it was. It was Akeno they were speaking about.

"Don't worry, Rin. Sakura is new at being a dominant, which is why I am going to supervise her properly. I won't let her go too far."

Rin struggled against the sit that held her limbs folded, more by reflex than by any hope she was going to get out of this.

"For the first part of the training, Nee-san, you will be my pet. What you wear is a pet suit that will force you to walk on your elbows and knees. Once you get used to being a pet, we will change your suit into one that will be less restrictive. But for now, you'll have to learn to be obedient."

"Sakura, please listen to me. You need to snap out of…. mmpht."

"Hush now, Nee-san. Let your Mistress take care of you. You only need to listen and obey, and you will get a reward."

Sakura had stuffed Rin's mouth with a white ball gag and finished fastening the strap behind her neck. She placed over Rin's head a headband with fake cat ears.

Next came the slave collar Akeno had entrusted to her. She had listened with rapt attention when Akeno told her how the collar would force Rin to like everything she experienced, guaranteeing that she would quickly fall into being a pet.

Sakura sat on the ground and lifted Rin's wriggling form, putting her into her lap. She then started touching her through the suit, giving Rin pleasure while ignoring her protests and attempts to squirm away.

After a long while, Rin resigned herself to her fate, squirming only in response to Sakura's touch as she panted through the gag. Sakura smiled as she lifted Rin again, changing her position to that they were face to face, and removed Rin's gag. She started kissing her older sister, while still using her hands to give Rin pleasure.

Rin was unwilling to kiss at first, but she gradually stopped resisting, stopped trying to protest.

On the other side of the basement, Akeno smiled as she put Scathach into the vertical vacuum bed and used adhesive tape to stick a few pill vibrators to her body.

Rin's training had started well, and Sakura was acting as she should, paying close attention to Rin's reactions and not pushing too fast. At this rate, in another hour or two, Rin, who already got a few orgasms from Sakura's touch, would be too blissed out with pleasure to say no to Akeno joining in on the 'therapy session' and applying a Thrall Crest on her body.