Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Since the reason for his collapse had been due to the 'Mind Down' status, Vahn awoke after around two hours. Even though his body was still very fatigued and he wanted to sleep, he couldn't help but open his eyes due to the strange pressure on his left arm. Turning his head, he could see Evangeline using his outstretched arm as a pillow as she curled herself up next to him. He could feel the air from her nose tickling his neck and a numbness from his arm due to the loss of circulation.Perhaps sensing his movement, Evangeline's icy-blue eyes opened and stared at Vahn. After a few seconds, almost like she was pretending not to have noticed him awakening, she closed her eyes and curled herself up a bit more. Since she had moved her head slightly, the circulation had returned to Vahn's arm and he could feel it begin to vibrate as the blood started to flow properly. Vahn could see a gentle blue and yellow aura coming from Evangeline's body, and it was sticking to his skin like a wispy mist.Vahn smiled and closed his eyes as well and continued to rest. He made sure to increase the strength of his blood flow by using his [Heart of the Eternal] flame and hoped that it would prevent his arm from going numb when he next awakened. Evangeline's presence at his side didn't really bother him, and seeing her small form curled up next to him made Vahn feel somewhat protective of her.A few minutes after Vahn's breathing had changed to that of a sleeping rhythm, Evangeline opened her eyes and stared at the side of his face with a blank expression. As she had expected, even though Vahn had clearly seen her awake, the moment she pretended to sleep he ended up playing along. Unlike how cold he acted when she treated him poorly, he was always very kind when she treated him better. Though she had acted like he was inconsiderate toward her earlier, she had long since realized he only acted that way because he could see through her facade. Even though he was much younger than she was, they had both suffered greatly in the past. However, while she lashed out and treated people coldly, he always saw the best in people and treated them well...he even willingly let people take advantage of his kindness without complaint.Evangeline released a sigh, and the hot breath tickled Vahn's neck and caused him to grimace slightly. Seeing his reaction to her breath, Evangeline couldn't help but laugh to herself as she snuggled closer to his face and blew air softly into his ear. Vahn turned his head away to evade the airflow and Evangeline couldn't help but smile as she continued to tease him further. Compared to how he was when he was awake, Evangeline felt that teasing him when he was asleep was much easier.As she tried to lean over his face to continue teasing him, Vahn's left arm closed around her body and pulled her weight onto his chest. Evangeline was flustered and thought that Vahn had awoken, but she noticed that his breathing was still stable. Though she was now in an awkward position with her body pressed against his chest, Evangeline wasn't off-put by the situation. Even if Vahn woke up, she could blame him and he'd probably apologize for accidentally taking advantage of her. That thought made Evangeline smile as she laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She noticed that his body produced a lot of heat, and it made her cold body warm up as his body heat radiated into her.Vahn awoke almost seven hours later, this time with a pressure on his chest instead of his arm. When he opened his eyes, he saw the top of someone's head and immediately recognized the figure as Evangeline due to the golden-blond color of her hair. Seeing his own arm wrapped around her back, Vahn slowly removed it before placing it on the bed.The moment Vahn had awoken and moved his hand, Evangeline had already fully awakened as well. She turned her face and rested her palm on Vahn's chest as she asked in a coy manner, "Did you enjoy hugging your Master as you slept, my idiot Disciple?"Vahn could see a glimmer in her eye while her aura danced around as she asked the question. Understanding that she was trying to tease him, Vahn wasn't to be outdone so he placed his hand back around her waist before saying in a matter-of-fact manner with a nod, "Yes, your body is very light and soft, Evangeline." Then, before the 'coy' vampire could respond, Vahn leaned forward slightly and smelled her long golden-blonde hair which typically hung past her waist.Though she had intended to tease him more, the moment Vahn smelled her hair, Evangeline quickly separated from his body before turning away and speaking in a sharp tone, "You lecherous pervert, how dare you tease your master!" The reason she had turned away before her outburst was due to the blush that had appeared on her face. After Vahn smelled her hair so suddenly, Evangeline felt a mixture of embarrassment and panic.Now that Evangeline had released his body, Vahn sat up and began to stretch his joints as he said, "Your hair smells very nice, it's a warm and gentle odor." His words made Evangeline hold her hands out like claws with her palms facing upwards as she looked toward the empty black sky like she wanted to scream out. Every time Vahn spoke in his 'gentle' voice and said nice things to her, she felt both happy and frustrated. She wanted to wring his neck and send him flying, but she didn't want to keep making him treat her coldly any longer.Vahn left the bed without turning to look toward Evangeline who had hidden her face from view. He had already seen her ears turn a crimson color from behind, so he knew she probably had a fierce blush on her face. The mental image made Vahn smile and he returned to his forging in high spirits. Noticing that he hadn't looked toward her, Evangeline followed Vahn's back with her eyes and gave him a 'blaming' look for teasing her so much. She once again swore that she would make him suffer when they finally started their magic training.As Vahn began forging another piece of equipment, Evangeline took out the [Ice Empress] which she had placed into the void. Without saying anything to Vahn, she teleported several hundred kilometers away in an instant in order to test the efficacy of the staff. The moment she started channeling her magic, Evangeline immediately noticed that the material was incredibly conducive to her magic power. It even seemed to enhance the accumulation of the ice elemental energy in the air and boosted her magic power by a large amount.Pointing the staff toward the distance, dozens of magic circles simultaneously appeared in the air and created a large formation as Evangeline shouted, "Nivis Casus!" The moment the words left her lips, a gigantic magic circle more than 1000m in diameter appeared on the ground before creating a massive explosion of ice and snow. The explosion reached a height of nearly 400m and sent a powerful shockwave through the stark white floor that stretched out for several kilometers.Seeing the devastating power of her own magic, Evangeline couldn't help but hold the staff with a hint of reverence in her eyes. Typically, to achieve the same result she just witnessed, she would have had to expend 40% more mana. That meant the staff in her hands increased her offensive magic output by as much as 40%, and there didn't seem to be any drawbacks. The staff felt like it was perfectly made to suit her magic, and she couldn't help but commend the craftsmanship and attention to detail that Vahn had put into its creation.Turning her head toward the direction where Vahn would be located if she teleported, Evangeline couldn't help but smile after remembering how much effort he put into the staffs' construction just so she wouldn't be 'sad' anymore. She decided to forgive him for teasing her earlier as she sat cross-legged in the sky and began to meditate while channeling mana into the staff in her lap. She was trying to understand the structure of the staff and reverse engineer how it interfaced with her own magic system to achieve the results that she just witnessed.While Evangeline was off trying to understand the 'logic' behind the magic of the 'record' of Danmachi, Vahn was busy forging a variety of different items. Since he had already forged the most commonly used equipment that he made use of, Vahn was now just improving his control over the 'eternal flame' by mass producing simple blades of various different sizes. Just as when he created the [Moon Piercer], Vahn preferred to make items that were simple and efficient. Not everything he made could be as intricate as the [Ice Empress] which he created for Evangeline.Though the blades weren't attached to anything and couldn't be used, it didn't prevent Vahn from being able to see their base stats. Generally speaking, even when a blade wasn't attached to a handle or a pole, it still had similar offensive capabilities and a basic rank. Most of the mass-produced blades were C-rank, but Vahn noticed he was making an increasingly greater amount of B rank blades as he continued improving his coordination with the 'eternal flame'.As a fragment of the original 'eternal flame', Vahn's flame also possessed its own will and tried its best to assist him during the forging process. Though he could achieve greater results when he forcefully controlled the flame, Vahn wanted it to learn and adapt to his skills on its own. There was something comforting about working with someone else when you were forging, and Vahn had been quickly building a camaraderie with the flickering crimson-gold flame.It too seemed to enjoy interacting with Vahn, as it would often dance around in an 'excited' manner every time Vahn was forging a piece of metal inside of it. Though he couldn't actually communicate with it, Vahn had started to learn how to understand what it was trying to convey to him based on its actions and the way it 'flickered' in specific ways. It also coordinated with his efforts when it came to heating the metal, and Vahn had reached a point where he could actively preserve more than 95% of most metals, with the only exception being Adamantine, which he still struggled to achieve more than 80%. Fortunately, instead of being wasted as was common, the 'eternal flame' actually tried to filter out the remnant metals and separate them at the side of its basin. This allowed Vahn to salvage the metal and recycle it for later use when creating smaller adornments.After nearly twenty hours of working, Vahn finally decided to take a break and get some rest. He still had nearly twenty-five hours left before he was forcefully ejected, so Vahn wanted to take a short nap before returning back to his mass-production forge method. After wiping down his body and enjoying a hearty meal, Vahn made his way over to the bed and saw the soot stains and sweat marks from when he had slept earlier. With a frown, Vahn stored the blankets into his inventory before purchasing a newer pair within the shop. Though they were still pink, since Vahn thought it suited Evangeline, they were slightly higher in quality compared to the last set.Vahn relaxed on the thick blankets and dazed for a few minutes before he was finally ready to sleep. He couldn't help but wonder if Evangeline would find her way into the bed while he was sleeping again and try to play it off as she had done earlier. Vahn always felt comfortable whenever he was embracing or being embraced by others, so he didn't have a problem with her actions. He knew she was just a memory fragment and couldn't do anything that crossed the line without undermining her 'purpose'. However, her actions had caused Vahn to wonder what the real Evangeline was like, and he wondered if she would be as troublesome as the small vampire that tried to act like his Master.Resolving himself to ask her more about her past and the world she came from, Vahn allowed himself to fall asleep as he browsed through the system for similar items to the orb he had obtained. He found several magical textbooks and even other types of orbs, but they were all astronomically expensive. Even the book, 'Beginner Magic 101' cost 300,000OP...Not long after Vahn fell asleep, a figure appeared next to the bed and stared down at him with an uncharacteristically gentle expression. Her perception easily covered the entire area within the orb, so the moment Vahn went to sleep, Evangeline had stopped her research and hidden in the void to observe his actions. Seeing him replace the dirtied blankets and replaced them with newer, higher quality ones, she couldn't help but approve of his actions. When he finally fell asleep after a few minutes, she revealed herself and, as Vahn had suspected, crawled into the bed and cuddled up next to him as if it was a perfectly natural thing to do.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'More Dere than Tsun atm','Vahn, the Industrial Era Hero','I imagine Riveria would shank a hoe to get a staff like that')

Slightly more than five hours after he fell asleep, Vahn awoke and noticed the familiar presence on his left. As he had expected, Evangeline had curled up next him and had used his shoulder and bicep as her pillow. She had her left hand on his chest as both of her legs were curled up near her stomach. Vahn noticed that she liked to sleep scrunched up in a ball like she was afraid of losing heat. As he had the 'eternal flame' in his chest, Vahn often slept sprawled out on top of the blankets and enjoyed the feeling of the air on his skin.Shortly after he awoke, Evangeline opened her eyes and raised her body by using his chest as a support. She looked into his aquamarine colored eyes with her piercing icy-blue eyes before leaning over his body. Vahn was a bit surprised by her actions, but he didn't do anything to stop her as his heartbeat began to increase by a marginal amount.Evangeline placed her nose into his neck and traced her face alongside his head as she shifted her body on top of his and mounted his stomach. Because of their similar hair color, Vahn couldn't help but have a bit of a flashback to the time he had been with Ais. As he began to feel a little flustered, Vahn suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck where Evangeline had been nuzzling. His tensions immediately faded and he had the feeling like laughing out but decided to just relax his body and allow her to do as she pleased. Though she hadn't asked him to draw his blood, her actions indicated she wanted to and he hadn't done anything to stop her before she began.As he began to relax, Vahn wrapped his arms around her small body and hugged her gently against his as she continued to silently drain his blood in a very slow manner. He could feel the warm and pleasant feeling spread through his insides and the soft sensation of Evangeline pressing against his stomach and chest. Though she was incredibly petite and light, Vahn still thought her weight was pleasant and the sensation of her modest breasts pressing into his chest made his heart flutter a bit.After about half an hour of draining his blood, Vahn could feel Evangeline begin to lick his neck in a manner similar to the first time she had sucked his blood. From their other sessions, he knew it wasn't necessary for her to do so, and Vahn could tell from the subtle pink aura emanating from her body that she was being intimate with him. However, Vahn knew from interacting with her in the past few days that she would probably scare away like a frightened rabbit if he made any untoward actions against her. Instead, he just put a little more strength into his left hand around her waist as he moved his right hand between her shoulder blades and hugged her body.Evangeline paused her actions for a moment when he moved his hands but then continued to intermittently lick his neck and suck his blood without saying anything. She continued her actions for another half hour and now Vahn's entire neck and collarbone were moist with her saliva. After placing her mouth on the connecting muscles of his neck and shoulder, she began to suck on the tender flesh for several seconds without drawing blood. Vahn felt that the sensation was a little painful, and he couldn't help but tilt his head a bit to the side in response. Evangeline then moved her mouth to the area beneath his ear and once again powerfully sucked on his skin without sucking his blood.Vahn didn't know what she was doing, and it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling when she sucked on his skin hard enough to make him feel a bit of discomfort. He felt like she was trying to draw his blood but had forgotten to use her teeth. After she repeated the action another three times, Evangeline sat up on his stomach and stared down at him with a slightly dazed expression. The noble appearance she always tried to maintain was still present, but the blush on her face gave away her true emotions.Evangeline placed both of her hands on his chest and pressed into his tunic like she was trying to outline his muscles with her palms. As she traced her hands up to his shoulders, Evangeline leaned forward and stared into Vahn's eyes as she whispered, "A bad woman is going to eat you up one day...you need to learn to resist people if you feel uncomfortable." Vahn held her gaze with his own as he responded, "It wasn't entirely unpleasant, and everything else felt good."As Vahn finished his words, he couldn't help but slide his hands from her hips and down the backside of her dress. Unlike Hephaestus and Anubis, Evangeline didn't have much to grab onto, but she still had a soft and slightly fleshy butt. The moment his hands touched her butt, Evangeline's face blushed a bit deeper as she frowned without saying anything. Vahn noticed her aura had turned pinker and a little chaotic, so he took her silence as approval of his actions. With a smile on his face, he tried pushing the boundaries a little and put a bit of strength into his hands.The moment Vahn tightened his grip on her butt, Evangeline squeaked before jerking back her body and beating Vahn on the chest with powerless punches. After finishing a one-hundred hit combo, she removed herself from his body before teleporting away far from her lecherous disciple's clutches. She could never let him know that, when he grabbed her so firmly, she felt a bit happy in her heart. Previously, she had marked him on his neck and shoulder with several bruised kiss marks and had felt very satisfied by her accomplishment. Now that Vahn had gotten 'even' with her, she couldn't help but retreat away for the time being.After Evangeline's tactical retreat, Vahn got out of the bed and stretched his body for a bit before returning to his workshop. He still had around nineteen hours, so Vahn wanted to try creating another 'masterpiece' to push his [Blacksmith] skill even further. Every minor improvement was a large step forward, and Vahn believed he would be able to learn the [Master Smith] development skill in the next 414 days with time to spare.Since Vahn had already created an item that he intended to gift to Tiona, he wanted to forge something to give to Ais as well. He knew that giving an item to one of the two would potentially cause friction, so he wasn't going to take any chances. Even though he had gifted her his [Runic Tamahagane Blade], Vahn wanted to make her something he had personally forged.Remembering that Ais often broke her weapons because of her excessive strength, Vahn decided to try creating a weapon similar to the sword she had used in the manga. He had plenty of Adamantine on hand and had already produced the [Durandal] ability successfully. However, unlike her original sword which was only meant to be incredibly durable, Vahn wanted to make sure the weapon he forged for her was also magically conductive.Vahn forged an incredibly thin blade, almost like a rapier, out of pure Orichalcum which branched out periodically. This would act a giant mana channel to enhance the striking power of Ais's blows and allow her to make greater use of her [Ariel] magic ability. He then painstakingly tempered Adamantine around the Orichalcum core by shrinking down his domain to the minimum and using it to forcibly hold the shape of the metal as he heated it. The end result of his five hours of turmoil was a pure white, highly reflective, blade without a single flaw on its surface.Before moving on, Vahn channeled his energy and could use his enhanced vision to see the flow of mana within the mithril core. The Adamantine actually served to prevent the energy from dispersing until it reached the branches and created bluish-white edge flowing outside of the channels he had carved previously. Vahn was satisfied with the results because it would allow Ais to use the sword like it had a serrated cutting edge that would also prevent any buildup of blood and other fluids which would make it more difficult to cut with.Vahn then spent the next three hours shaping the handle to make the unblemished white blade because he had decided to use Adamantine as the basis while adorning the beautiful white surface with Orichalcum, which had a golden color. The final result was a stark white blade with gold accents that Vahn had shaped into the most 'noble' looking form he could manage. When it came time to name the sword, Vahn recalled the legend regarding Fafnir, which he had learned about after naming his own dragon. In the legend, the evil dragon was slain by a hero named Sigurd who used the holy sword gram to strike down the cursed creature. Vahn felt like there was a lot of power in the name and hoped that this sword would aide Ais in her mission to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon.[Gram]Rank: A (Magic)Slots: 0P.Atk: 728+70M.Atk: 331Ability: Durandal(A), Sharpness(B), Piercing(C), Dragonslayer(A)A sword forged from Adamantine with an Orichalcum core to embody the legend of a hero who had slain a cursed dragon. Provides greatly enhanced capabilities when fighting dragons and dragon sub-species.Vahn had received 3,881 OP from successfully completing the sword and he was very satisfied with the 'Dragonslayer(A)' effect that it possessed. Though he harbored no illusions that the sword was strong enough to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon, it was a good template for any future blades he might forge for Ais. He fully intended to use his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] to name another weapon [Gram] in the future in the hopes of embodying the actual legend. When Vahn had searched for the item within the shop, he found that it cost a whopping 13,000,000 OP, so he had high hopes for its capabilities.The entire process of forging the [Gram] had taken nearly nine hours, so Vahn had slightly less than ten hours remaining before he would be ejected from the space. He expected that Evangeline was off testing the staff he forged her, so she would likely ask to suck his blood again before leaving. Vahn couldn't help but wonder how far she would try to push her boundaries, and he also had some expectations for how much he could tease her. Though Vahn knew he needed to be reigning in his behavior, it was very difficult to hold back when there was a cute girl literally sticking to his body.Since he didn't want to start up a large project, Vahn decided to enter mass-production mode and work on coordinating with his 'eternal flame'. He was able to create and shape a blade within a half hour, so by the time Evangeline had shown up behind him, he had created an additional thirteen blades. Vahn noticed that she had shown up earlier than he expected, and he could see that her aura was flickering with a subtle pink aura as she waited for him to finish cleaning up.The moment he set down the towel he had used to wipe off his own body, Vahn could feel himself become weightless as Evangeline silently moved him to the bed. When Vahn saw her expression, she had a blank look on her face as she followed his body through the air. Vahn almost wanted to laugh because he could see the aura flaring up around her body the closer he got to the bed. After he was dropped unceremoniously on the bed, Vahn smiled a bit at the girl who crawled into the bed immediately after him.Evangeline saw his smile and froze for a moment, but her expression didn't change as she once again crawled forward and sat on his body. Unlike the previous days, Vahn remained laying down like he had done so when she sucked his blood earlier. There was always something tantalizing about having a girl sit on his stomach as he stared up at their faces. It made Vahn's heart flutter a bit and he almost instinctually put his hands on her waist.Seeing the 'dumb' and anticipatory look on Vahn's face, Evangeline wanted to curse and beat up the stupidly smiling boy. The more he smiled at her, the harder it was to suppress her own embarrassment. She had already made her decision in the seventeen hours she had been away earlier, and she wasn't going to back down and forsake her own pride. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, the black dress on Evangeline's body turned into light and was replaced with the semi-transparent negligee she was wearing when Vahn first arrived three days ago.Vahn noticed the change and saw the slightly blushing expression on Evangeline who was trying to keep her composure. Since he had the chance, Vahn gave a cursory glance toward the getup and felt a bit of pressure in the bridge of his nose after taking in the sight. Though it didn't reveal anything, the semi-transparent negligee was open at the abdomen and curved around the sides of Evangeline's body which revealed her navel. However, it wasn't her cute navel that had caught Vahn's attention, but the fact that he could see her black lace panties resting against his stomach. Like the negligee, it kept the important parts hidden, but the rest was made of a semi-transparent lace fabric that almost made the situation seem more erotic than if she were actually nude.Before Vahn could continue ogling her body, Evangeline leaned forward and pressed herself against him as she placed her head next to his and rested for a few moments. Vahn could feel the heat of her body, and he somewhat regretted the fact that he was still wearing a tunic. He could even feel her heartbeat beating faster than a hummingbird flapping its wings. After a few seconds, she whispered into his ear in a moderately sultry tone, "Call me Eva from now on..." The moment her words fell, Eva bit Vahn's neck and began to suck his blood in an overly intimate manner.Vahn was caught off guard by her 'request', but his daze was immediately brought to an end the moment he felt the sharp pinching sensation in his neck. Like earlier, but without any buildup, Eva was simultaneously sucking his blood while licking his neck like a kitten lapping up milk. As he had done so each time previously, Vahn put his hands around Eva, but this time there was a big difference compared to all the other times. The fabric of her negligee was incredibly thin, and Vahn could feel her skin and body heat through his palms. Not only was her skin incredibly soft and springy, but she also had a very high body temperature compared to most of the girls he had hugged. Her fair, borderline pale, skin was covered with a slightly flushed undertone and Vahn could see her aura burning like a lively flame.After around twenty minutes of suffering from Eva's attack, Vahn began to feel a little restless from the warmth in his body and the heat coming from Eva's. His hands trembled slightly and he could feel that Eva had also begun to sweat from her own excitement and exertion. Growing bolder by the minute, Vahn slid his hands down her back and once again settled on her small butt. Though she flinched for a moment, Eva made no attempt to stop him so he just enjoyed the springy sensation and gently held onto her body while periodically putting a bit of strength into his palms.After the hour mark had passed, Vahn had less than a half hour before he would be ejected from the space. Eva had long since stopped sucking his blood as she licked around his neck and kissed parts of his collarbone. Just as Vahn was about to push his limits a bit, she sat up slightly on his body and locked eyes with him. Vahn could see that she had slightly glazed eyes as she looked into his face and said, "Even though you're just a lecherous pervert that constantly annoys me, you have a gentle side that makes my heart ache a bit. I want you to make me a promise, Vahn."Though she had a blushing face with an enamored look in her eyes, Vahn could tell that she was being serious so he nodded his head and said, "Sure, Eva, just let me know what you need me to do." In response to his affirmation, Eva bent forward and kissed Vahn on his lips for nearly a full minute before she pulled away and said, "Promise me that, no matter what happens in the future, you'll never hate me or my creator. Even if you resent me a bit, please never hate me..."Vahn was a bit confused by her words, and he felt a painful ache in his heart as he nodded his head and said, "I swear, I'll never hate you, or the original that created this space." In response to his words, Eva once again kissed Vahn deeply, this time for nearly ten minutes before she separated herself and drew gasping breaths. After settling her breathing, she looked into Vahn's eyes and said, "Please, when you meet the real me, save her from her loneliness."Seeing her passionate gaze filled with sadness, Vahn couldn't help but empathize with the small vampire that had been unjustly forced to walk her path. While his suffering had ended at the time of his death in the previous world, the real Evangeline was still in her record, bound by the fate that had been decided for her without her consent. Though he wasn't certain when he would be able to keep his promise, Vahn nodded and said with absolute conviction, "I swear, Eva, I will save you." For the third time, Eva began kissing Vahn as she writhed about on top of his body. Since they couldn't have sex, the most they could do was express their intimacy through physical contact. She continued to seek out the warmth of his body and kissing all over his face, neck, and chest, all the way up until the moment when Vahn's body began to dissolve.As she had been kissing him all the way until he had vanished, Eva's body collapsed onto the bed and she just lay there on her stomach in a daze for several minutes. There was a deep sadness in her eyes, and she felt like the next four years would be more difficult to bear than all of the previous time she had spent in this empty world. Since Vahn had been underneath her, she could still feel his ambient heat from the bed as well as his scent from when he had been laying. Eva just continued laying in that spot for several minutes as she felt the heat slowly drain away from the bedding...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Sad Baba','10 years isn't a short period of time','Ais's new favorite toy')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $317/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

While Vahn had been testing his new gauntlets, Evangeline had been using her ability to sense mana to try and determine the internal structure that made Vahn's gauntlets function. She had noticed previously, when she used the giant weapon, that the magical circuits and the logic behind the pathways were fundamentally different than anything from her world. If not for the fact Vahn had created the weapon to be easy to use, she would have had a much more difficult time charging her magic previously.As Vahn continued to jump about and punching the air, Evangeline continued observing his actions and trying to make sense of the differences between their two worlds. Even though she had read the one-thousand-seven-hundred-eighteen books that Vahn had left behind, almost half of them had been regarding questionable subjects, while the others primarily focused on general knowledge, history, and some mythos. She hadn't learned anything about the actual magic structure of his world and didn't know how she would teach him since there were no guarantees the laws behind her magic would be of any use in his world.Putting down her pen, Evangeline stood up from the comfortable chair before vanishing from her spot. Vahn, who had just thrown out another full-powered punch opened his eyes wide as Evangeline appeared right in front of him. Though he wanted to divert his punch, he didn't have time since Evangeline grabbed his wrist before using his own momentum to flip his body over her shoulder in a manner similar to Tsubaki.Though it was an incredibly swift motion, it was also something that Vahn had experienced countless times, so he was able to twist his wait and right his feet before she was able to slam him into the ground. Evangelin, who had expected Vahn to crash into the floor, opened her eyes a bit as she said in a complementary fashion, "Oh, not bad." Vahn, who had been thrown by her, immediately frowned as he asked, "Why did you suddenly attack me?"Evangeline tilted her head and looked at Vahn like he had said something ridiculous as she responded, "You were the one who attacked me though? All I did was teleport in front of you so I could ask you a question. Don't blame other people just because you dropped your guard and lack control over your own abilities." Each of Evangeline's words were biting, and she spoke as if she was trying to lecture Vahn.Vahn just shook his head and dispelled his transformation as he asked, "What did you want to ask me?" Hearing the way Vahn was speaking, Evangeline furrowed her brows a bit as she said, "Every time you fail to call me Master is only increasing the punishment you'll receive in the future. You should do yourself a favor and fix your attitude, or is it that you're trying to test my patience?"In response to her words, Vahn just released a sad sigh and walked toward his workshop. Even if he could see she wasn't serious, it didn't make her words much easier to deal with. Vahn never expected that being able to see someone's aura would actually be a disadvantage. If he couldn't see it, he could easily be angry with her and might even concede to her demands just to make his life easier. However, since he could see she wasn't seriously upset with him, it made her behavior more tiring than intimidating.Watching Vahn walk away, Evangeline couldn't resist gritting her teeth as she wanted to lash out at the boy that constantly got on her nerves. She kept telling herself over and over that she would make him pay the moment they started their actual training. For now, however, she swallowed her anger and called out to him, "Wait, Vahn, I need to ask you a question." Vahn stopped his feet and turned toward her and asked plainly, "What would you like to ask, Evangeline?"Hearing Vahn once again calling her 'Evangeline', instead of 'Master', Evangeline couldn't help but taking several deep breaths to calm herself down. After she regained her composure, she asked, "Are you unable to obtain any magic books or grimoires from your world that I can study?" Hearing that she had an actual question and wasn't just playing around, Vahn turned his body fully and faced toward her as he responded, "It's not that I can't obtain them, but it is very difficult to do so. There aren't a lot of books regarding magic in circulation because they are kept as a secret of their respective cultures. In my world, most magic possessed by people are skills they have awakened and developed without study."Evangeline nodded her head in an 'as expected' manner as she looked toward Vahn and asked, "I want you to forge me an item and leave it behind so I can study it? You seem to have some knowledge in runes, inscriptions, and mana circuitry. Until you obtain an actual book for me to study, I'll have to make due with an item." Evangeline held her chin between her thumb and index finger as she considered for a few moments before saying, "I'll take a staff."Vahn realized that the way she worded her request wasn't so much a question as it was a direct command. He could tell that she expected him to immediately concede to her demands and forge her a weapon. Though he wouldn't mind making something for her, especially since it would benefit him in the future, Vahn couldn't just give in so easily. Shaking his head, Vahn looked into her eyes and said, "I refuse; I might have forged something for you if you asked politely, but I'm not going to make you something just because you tell me to."Without waiting for her response, Vahn once again turned around and walked toward his workshop. Evangeline stared at his back with a frown and a bit of frustration in her eyes. She hated how easily he was able to dismiss her; it was almost like he could see through her actions and it made her feel incredibly frustrated because she couldn't set aside her own pride for someone that is supposed to be her disciple. Even though she was doing things to help him, he was still more focused on his own matters and didn't seem to be paying attention to her efforts.Evangeline continued to stare at his back all the way up till the point when he began creating a new item. The moment she heard the hammer strike the metal, she couldn't help but feel a sour feeling in her nose as she teleported back to the desk. After sitting down, Evangeline picked up the pen and began to continue her research as she tried to ignore her 'inconsiderate' disciple. The moment she leaned forward to write, a tear fell from her face and marred the page she was about to write in. As soon as she saw the tear stain, she disappeared from the chair and hid in the void to avoid wandering eyes.Vahn continued to forge without paying attention to what Evangeline had decided to busy herself with. Now that he had a pair of gauntlets, Vahn wanted to forge a pair of leg guards as well. Though he didn't rely on kicks too much, it wasn't as if he never used his legs to receive attacks, so he wanted to make sure they were well protected. Since he often relied on his agility to deal with foes, protecting his legs was of paramount importance.Since the process was very similar to how he had forged his gauntlets, Vahn was able to finish his work in almost the exact same amount of time. Considering that the leg guards were much larger, finishing within seven hours showed that he had made a marked improvement even though it was only the difference between forging a single set of items. Now that he has the pair of black, scaled, leg guards, Vahn wanted to try something that he had intended to do previously. He speculated that, like his twin-swords, Vahn would be able to create other items as part of a larger set. As he named the leg guards, he made sure to keep in mind that they were supposed to have a synergistic effect with his gauntlets.[Xuánwǔ Greave](s)Rank: A (Magic)Slots: 0P.Def: 598+120M.Def: 680+136Ability: Durandal(A), Shock Absorption(B), Energy Compression(B), Xuánwǔ Set Effect(20%)Greave(s) inspired by one of the Four Sacred Beasts of a foreign land, Xuánwǔ. It possesses a marginal amount of Xuánwǔ's capabilities and allows the user to emulate the might of the Sacred Beast. Enhances the defensive capabilities of items within the Xuánwǔ series of items.Vahn received 1,519 and 1,517 OP respectively, and he was very happy when he saw the new ability 'Xuánwǔ Set Effect'. As he had expected, as long as he forged the items in a similar manner and imbued his intent into the name, he was able to create synergistic effects between the equipment that had never existed before. Though he was still a ways off from being able to forge an item to impress Hephaestus, Vahn now had a greater hope for the future.After equipping the items through his equipment menu, Vahn was about to test them out before he looked toward the desk where Evangeline always sat. He noticed that she was missing so he looked toward the bed to see if she had decided to rest. Seeing that she was also missing from the bed, Vahn couldn't help but turn his head and inspect the surroundings for the figure of the small vampire girl. After noticing that she was nowhere to be found, Vahn couldn't help but feel confused as he made his way toward the desk.Arriving at the side of the desk, Vahn overlooked the notes and manuscripts Evangeline had been working with before his eyes were drawn to a peculiarity. The book sitting directly in front of the chair had been left open and the pen Evangeline often used had been left on the side and had long left a pool of black ink on the beautiful wooden desk. Vahn grabbed the quill and set it into the inkwell before looking at the book Evangeline had been reading. As he scanned the contents of the page, Vahn caught sight of an area on the book that had crimpled slightly and caused some of the ink to blur, something that would only be caused by spilling liquid onto the page.Vahn frowned and looked around the area for a bit before releasing a long sigh and heading back to his workshop. Though the way she acted annoyed him, Vahn wasn't the type of person that could make a girl cry and feel nothing. He already knew she didn't harbor any ill-will toward him and was just putting on an act, so now that his words had upset her to such an extent he couldn't help but try to appease her a bit. Thought it might be troublesome, Vahn had long realized he would rather inconvenience himself than allow others to be sad because of his actions.Though he wanted to take a break after testing his new greaves, Vahn picked up his hammer and started creating a new piece of equipment. The metal he used was a composite of mithril and orichalcum and would guarantee the piece of equipment had the highest magical conductivity of anything he had ever forged. Because he liked the contrast between the black and gold of the metal, Vahn decided to twine the two around each other while creating a solid core of adamantine to ensure that the final result would also have incredible durability.Because of the complexity of the project, Vahn spent nearly thirteen hours refining all the details and shaping the head of the item into a helical shape that coiled like a dragon around a large blue crystalline core. The final result of his efforts was a staff that was nearly two meters tall that looked like a black and gold dragon coiling around each other before converging at the head of the staff. Vahn had even painstakingly carved the details into the heads of the dragons to make them look more realistic. The core he had used in the center was a material known as 'Ice Dragon's Eye', even though it wasn't from a real dragon. It was a rare ore that could only be found in furthest reaches of the Iron Hills, to the far north of Orario.Vahn was incredibly tired, but he was still satisfied with the final product. He even considered it his new greatest masterpiece, as it's construction had been more intricate than the [Dance of the Amazon] he had forged previously. After focusing his mind for a bit, Vahn imagined the image of the small vampire whose colors matched the staff in his hands. She also had golden hair and always wore black attire, so the staff wouldn't conflict with her normal appearance. Picturing her standing in the sky surrounded by pillars of ice, Vahn couldn't help but imagine she was like an Empress that stood above all others. With that thought in mind, he smiled as he uttered in a low voice, "You shall be called [Ice Empress]."Since he had over exhausted himself previously, Vahn felt what little energy remained in his body drain as he used the last bit of his consciousness to inspect the item.[Ice Empress]Rank: A (Magic)Slots: 2P.Atk: 411M.Atk: 1337A staff forged with incredible attention to detail using Mithril and Orichalcum to create the visage of two dragons coiling around an Adamantine pillar. The core of this staff greatly enhances ice magic and allows the user to freeze everything under the heavens if they are worthy. If the standing of the user is low, the staff will cause the blood in their bodies to freeze as a just reward for their hubris.After reading the description, Vahn fell onto his butt and leaned against the table of his workshop. He held the staff in his hands as he whispered to the void, "This is for you, Evangeline. Don't be sad anymore." With his words spoken, Vahn allowed himself to fall asleep as the figure of a young girl appeared from the void before him.Evangeline had been paying attention to Vahn from the moment he approached the desk, and she had nearly tried to recover the book out from under his nose before he saw the evidence of her earlier tears. Unfortunately, as she had been hesitating, Vahn found the book and noticed the stain after giving the page a cursory glance. Seeing him sigh, Evangeline felt incredibly embarrassed and almost forcefully ejected Vahn from the space. However, contrary to her expectations, instead of trying to address her or making any remarks, Vahn immediately returned to his workshop and started creating an item.Since she understood that he was previously going to test his new equipment, Evangeline was interested in the item he had decided to forge instead of following his earlier plan. Though she didn't recognize the item at first, it wasn't too long before she realized that Vahn had begun forging a staff. Evangeline felt her heart ache a bit in her chest as the urge to begin crying again began to well up inside her. Watching Vahn work so hard and pushing himself beyond his limits as he refined the staff to greater and greater detail made Evangeline feel sorry about the way she always treated him.By the time he had finished completing the staff and named it, Evangeline had already decided to be kinder to her 'stupid disciple' in the future. The moment he sat on the ground and called out to her, she wasn't far from tears for the third time as she exited the void and stared down at his unconscious body. Using her telekinesis, she lifted his body and floated it over to the bed before putting him to sleep. Though he was sweaty and covered in soot, she didn't particularly care after all the effort he had put into making her a staff.Staring into the face of the young boy, Evangeline couldn't help but feel that he was quickly becoming more manly. Wiping away some of his sweat with her hand, she whispered quietly, "Even though you're an idiot, you do have your good points...If only had met the real me, I think you could have saved her." Releasing a sad and melancholic sigh, Evangeline leaned over Vahn's face and gave him a soft kiss on the lips before climbing into the bed and resting beside him.(A/N: 'Idiot Vahn','Tsundere Vampire Baba','Don't tell me you'll help anyone, just because they're a girl!? Vahn looks toward the crying girl before him before nodding with a confident expression and saying, "Of course. No matter what it takes, I'll do my best to make everyone smile."') &lt;--I imagine the image of when Lili is crying to Bell in the anime xDIf you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $317/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

Chapter 168: Behavior Shift