Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After Hestia calmed down, they began touring around the common areas of the building which Hestia had decided to call 'Hearth Manor' since her principle Divinity related to the Hearth. For their emblem, other than the crest itself, Hestia wanted something that embodied their first meeting and the bond they shared from now on. The final design ended up being two winged snakes, one black and the other white, circling around a flame that was half-part aquamarine while the other half was the crystalline blue of Hestia's eyes.Since Vahn had relatively high dexterity and could even put fine details into metalworks, it was actually very easy for him to make the basic design of their emblem. Hestia hugged the piece of paper like a treasure and Vahn promised to forge a plaque that they could put outside the gates to represent the Hearth Manor in the future. He even intended to make it out of magically conductive metal so it could act as one of the formation cores for the security of the manor. Since this building and property was specifically designed by Hephaestus in the past, it already had powerful security that made Vahn's mind go numb after imagining the cost. Though he was still unaware of how much she had spent for his previous security, Vahn imagined the number for the current manor was an astronomical amount.While they were touring the building, Vahn purchased various items from the system shop to decorate the Manor. Hestia was amazed at how he was able to 'create' things and pull them out of thin air, but she was already informed about the nature of his pseudo-divinity previously. The fact he could make use of a power similar to the Arcanum of the gods was an incredible sight to behold. After asking him about the details, she learned that he could usually only create general use items that had few, if any, magical properties. The consumables he 'created' were only usable by himself, and any of the equipment he created couldn't be used by others unless he used a special method to transfer ownership.Interested by the prospect of an item that only she could use, Hestia asked Vahn if he could make her an accessory or piece of clothing that he thought suited her. Vahn saw the shining eyes of Hestia and began to seriously consider what he could possibly give her. He inspected her body from top to bottom in a contemplative manner while Hestia waited patiently, though Vahn could see that she was very excited by how her aura was flickering like an actual flame. Noticing a slight peculiarity, Vahn asked, "Do you not like to wear shoes?"He hadn't thought about it previously, but the entire time Hestia had been accompanying him she hadn't been wearing shoes. Even though some of the roads were somewhat rough and had uneven or even abrasive stone surfaces, she seemed to be completely immune. While looking at her feet with interest, Hestia lifted up her foot and dangled it a bit as she said, "I don't really like to wear shoes that much since it feels more natural to walk on the ground with my own feet. If its cold, I'll probably wear boots though and I also sometimes wear sandals so I don't track dirt into places."Vahn was listening to her words while remarking in his mind about how clean and petite Hestia's feet looked in his mind. There didn't seem to be any dirt to speak of and her foot looked very soft, unlike something that would be able to walk on a rough surface without difficulty. Since she kept dangling it in front of him, Vahn asked, "Do you mind if I look at your foot more closely?" He was genuinely curious to inspect it since he couldn't make sense of it just looking from his current angle.Hestia's smiled widened at his words as she sat down on the floor and held up her foot for Vahn to 'inspect'. With the angle she was sitting at, Vahn could see her pure white panties that matched the color of the short dress Hestia wore. He wondered why she wore such a 'revealing' outfit since there was barely a hands width between the start of her thigh and the end of her dress. If she weren't 'petite', it would be very easy to see up her dress as he could at present. Even if she sat in a chair, unless she crossed her legs, Vahn imagined her panties would be fully visible to anyone paying attention.Since she had been paying close attention, Hestia noticed Vahn's eyes look up her dress and it made her heart beat quicken a bit. He seemed to have a 'curious' and 'inquisitive' look instead of desire, lust, or passion. She released a relieved sigh in her mind and felt slightly more emboldened by his naivete. She felt that, though he seemed very dense, Vahn was also incredibly attentive and genuinely respectful of the bodies of women. Instead of feeling disgusted by his gaze, she only felt an increasing amount of excitement.Vahn kneeled down and held Hestia's ankle with his left hand while he used his right hand and thumb to inspect the texture and feel of Hestia's foot. She immediately began laughing at his touch since she was actually quite ticklish. Her movements made her dress ride up her thighs even further and Vahn could see her panties on full display as if she didn't notice the situation at all. Instead of gawking, Vahn took a slightly deeper breath and kept his focus on her foot.As he expected, though against common sense, Hestia's foot was soft and tender. Since she walked around on bare feet everywhere, Vahn had assumed her skin would be slightly thicker or there would even be calluses on her feet. Instead, they were completely smooth and Vahn couldn't even find any dirt even though they had walked around back alleyways earlier. After feeling the foot for around a minute, Vahn set it back down on the floor before turning away to give Hestia time to fix her dress.When Vahn had 'tickled' her foot earlier, Hestia had noticed her own dress riding up and was paying attention to how Vahn would react. Though he looked for a brief moment, he immediately turned away and began inspecting her foot in a very serious manner. She almost laughed because of how innocent and serious he was. Though he obviously wanted to look, he was able to keep his sensibilities and remember the purpose of his request which was to inspect her foot. She remarked internally about how 'dense' he was but also commended him for his focus and ability to retain his reasoning.Vahn helped Hestia from the floor and she fell forward into his body a bit before he helped her find her footing. She laughed cheerfully before separating from Vahn and asking, "What do you think of my feet~?" Since he had been seriously inspecting them earlier, Vahn gave an honest response, "They're very small and have a soft texture. I find it hard to comprehend how they're able to stay that soft when you walk around barefoot." In response, Hestia laughed and proudly proclaimed, "It is because I'm a goddess! Every part of me with always be beautiful~!" She then began to laugh in a 'haughty' manner and Vahn felt like she was very happy at the moment.Since she didn't seem to need shoes, Vahn decided to buy her something that could be worn that wouldn't change her normal appearance. Other than her breasts, he thought her outfit had a great balance and well-designed color scheme that enhanced her beautiful black hair and crystalline blue eyes that always seems to have a slight glimmer to them. For a brief moment, his eyes were drawn to what he could only describe as a 'breast window' and thought of an interesting gift to give her.Searching through the system, Vahn looked for accessories before finding one that seemed almost perfect for the current situation. Though he didn't know its effects, it cost 5,000OP and had the name [Sapphire Star] and was listed in the category of necklaces. Since Hestia had blue eyes that glimmered, Vahn felt like a sapphire would compliment them well. When he purchased it, a small silver necklace appeared in his hand that had a tear-shaped blue sapphire that glowed with a blue radiance that looked very similar to twinkling starlight.[Sapphire Star](A/N: Not really necessary, but I know some people would want to know.)Rank: B (Magic)P.Def: 0M.Def: 110Passive: Resists Mental attacks and promotes mental development and recovery rate.Active: [Sapphire Starlight: A]: Single use ability that immediately heals the wounds of a single target in exchange for all mental energies.Vahn thought the pendant was very useful, but the only thing Hestia saw was an incredibly beautiful necklace that glowed with an enchanting light. As if trying to compete with the glimmering starlight in the sapphire, Hestia's eyes were also shining as a large smile plastered itself on her face. She asked in an excited voice, "Is this for me!?" Before Vahn even answered, she already moved close to him and tilted her chin in a manner similar to how Anubis and Nanu had done so in the past.Vahn realized she wanted him to put it on her, so he smiled as he leaned forward slightly and attached the links of the silver chain as she stared into his eyes with an excited expression on her face. While he was fixing the necklace Vahn explained its use but Hestia seemed to be completely immune to his words at the moment. The moment it was fixed firmly on her neck, she immediately held it in her hands and admired the gemstone that complimented the color of her ribbons.With greater speed than a Level 6, Hestia exclaimed loudly as she jumped toward Vahn with her arms spread wide. Though he was surprised, Vahn still managed to catch her body as she planted a wet kiss on his cheek as she dangled from his body while laughing in a very happy sounding manner. While dangling from his neck, Hestia looked up into Vahn's face with a vibrant expression and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, its so beautiful~!" She put more strength into her arms and hugged Vahn's neck tightly while laughing once again.Vahn felt happy that she had such an incredible reaction to the gift he had given her, but he couldn't help but feel that the current position was somewhat awkward. Even though her weight wasn't anything significant, it still held her soft and malleable breasts firmly against his body. Vahn was amazed at how much they could 'expand' when she dangled with her full weight against his body. It was really strange because they were so soft that Vahn almost felt like Hestia's weight was somehow magically offset by the sensation.Eventually, Vahn felt like he was getting a bit dizzy so he put his hands on Hestia's waist and pulled her away from his body. Though she resisted a bit and tried to hug his neck, Vahn was much stronger than she was and managed to free himself from her grasp. Though she still had a happy expression, Hestia gave him what Vahn felt like was a 'blaming' look as he held her body off the ground by her sides. He once again marveled at how light she was but attributed to his own strength as he set her gently on the floor.After looking up at him for a few seconds, Hestia released a frustrated sigh before turning her attention back to the [Sapphire Star] Vahn had given her. Though she 'lamented' at how dense he was, Hestia felt like it was actually a good quality since she thought his 'naive' and 'innocent' sensibilities made him easy to be around. If Vahn actually responded to her actions with 'lust' or 'desire', Hestia imagined she wouldn't be able to stay around him as much in the future. Though she acted in a very 'forward' manner, she was actually very apprehensive about Vahn actually doing anything in return.For the rest of the afternoon, Hestia followed Vahn around the Manor and made suggestions about furniture choices and decorations as they personally decided the best manner to decorate 'their' home. She hoped that this place would be able to remain their exclusive residence for a little while since Hestia knew there would be many girls approaching Vahn in the future. Though she wanted to keep them away, Hestia knew it would be impossible since there were already goddesses like Hephaestus, Loki, and Anubis involved with Vahn before she even descended. She lamented about her 'late' arrival as the image of a black haired cat person with mischevious green eyes appeared in her mind.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cohabitation','Every good life starts and ends in the bed','Late to the Party')I am currently at $721/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

The last thing Vahn furnished within the manor was his two workshops and forges. Though he intended to make the most use of the secret forge hidden in the main room, Vahn expected that some of his future Familia members might use the main workshop for production and research in the future. Even Hephaestus herself had several forges, even though there was only one that housed the 'eternal flame'.By the time everything was finished, Vahn was looking over his resources and frowned after seeing that his Origin Points had taken a massive hit in the last few days. It didn't seem like that long ago when he had nearly 500,000OP, but now he only had 139,417OP left. Because a lot of the items he purchased were for 'long-term' use, he had become a bit of a spendthrift after getting caught up in the excitement.After 5 PM came around, Vahn entered the orb for a few seconds and spent the three days within trying to earn some extra OP to replenish his diminishing stock. With his current skills, he could make around 9-11k OP per day on average, so by the time he left his total had increased to 168,399OP. Satisfied by the result, Vahn's concerns diminished by quite a bit since he would be able to make upwards of 50-60k OP per day if he put in an effort. Compared to his past gains and how much he had to suffer just to reach 1M in the past, Vahn felt like his current acquisition rate was more than acceptable.While he was busy working, Hestia had asked him to even install a small kitchenette in 'their' room and had taken to lazing about on a couch that Vahn had purchased while munching on snacks. As soon as things had calmed down, she immediately began lazing about without any sense of propriety as she let her head dangle off the couch and watched Vahn working upside down. Vahn was worried she would get a cramp in her neck, but she didn't seem to be bothered at all. Remembering how inexplicable soft her feet were even though she walked around barefoot, Vahn assumed it was another peculiar trait she had.As soon as it looked like he was done working, Hestia would immediately become energetic and they would chat away about various topics once again. She was a veritable ball of energy when they conversed, a far cry compared to how she lazed about when he was busy. Eventually, the topic turned to what kind of Familia they wanted to be in the future. Since they would have to register at the Guild, they had to pick a specific designation for correspondence purposes.Vahn already had a prepared answer, so he said, "I want us to be an exploration type Familia that also acts based on the principles of righteousness and moderation. I don't believe it's possible to eliminate evil, but I think we should promote our principles and try to create a Familia that sets the example for others to follow. Other than that, I want our Familia to protect the weak and act as a safe haven for those that wish to improve themselves..."Hestia listened to his words with a thoughtful smile on her face as Vahn talked about his ideals with a bit of passion and fervor. She could tell that, because of his kind and gentle nature, Vahn wanted to be a hero that helps people. Even though she understood he would bear a lot of burdens following the path he had chosen, Hestia was proud of him since she believed the stance he was taking was commendable. As the first child of her Familia, Vahn would set the example for everyone else that joined and there was a real chance his dream could become a reality as long as he had enough support.When he finished his short soliloquy, Hestia showed a cheerful smile and said, "I will do my best to help you make your dream a reality. As long as you keep moving forward and believe in what you stand for, there will be nothing that can stand in your way. Even if there are bumps along the way, even if you have to slow down, or even stop for a time, there is always hope if you face the future with courage and the resolve to do your best. When you are tired and need a place to lay down, I will always be here waiting for your return..."As Hestia was speaking, Vahn was staring into her glimmering blue eyes in a mild daze as each of her words impacted something deep inside of him. He didn't know why, perhaps because she was someone he had always wanted to meet, but a lot of the things Hestia said resonated with him. Even though she seemed weak, lazy, and a little unreliable, she had moments like this that inspired him and made Vahn feel more confident about the future. Since he had seen how hard she worked in the original manga, Vahn knew Hestia was the type to put in a lot of effort to support the people she genuinely cared about so he felt like he could place his trust in her words.For what felt like the tenth time in the last two days, Vahn smiled at Hestia and said, "Thank you, Hestia...I'll do my best." In response, Hestia's smile grew wider and she responded in a very chipper and cheerful voice, "I know you will~! But, you have to stop thinking 'I' all the time, Vahn! From now on, it is 'we', so you have to say 'we' will do our best, together~!" Hestia seemed to be in somewhat high tensions as she clasped Vahn's hand like a comrade that was about to face a fearsome enemy with him. She had a confident expression on her face and a slight blush on her cheeks with a slight glimmer in her eyes that shone marginally more brightly than usual.Vahn gripped her hand a bit and also showed an expression of confidence as the two stared at each other and created a micro-loop of expectation and fervor. If anyone had seen their antics from the side, they would have likely commented that they were both idiots. Since there was nobody present, however, they just completely ignored general sensibilities and created a strange atmosphere that quickly turned into something awkward after around half a minute had passed.Though she held his gaze for a while without a problem, the longer the silence continued, the more embarrassed Hestia felt. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, but Vahn continued to grasp her hand and hold eye contact with her and she didn't know if she should be the one to pull away first or wait for him to do it. Vahn was in a somewhat similar state of mind, so they just continued to hold their hands as if they were about to arm wrestle in mid-air for a much longer period of time than either intended.The blush on Hestia's face continued to grow a bit until she started laughing out loud as she pulled her hand away and said, "Good, good, we'll both do our best from now on~! Ehehehe~." Vahn could see that she was embarrassed as well, so he played along and laughed in a mechanical manner as he scratched the back of his head. Afterward, they left the Hearth Manor and headed towards the Hostess of Fertility for dinner.Though Hestia wanted to stay inside and eat together, Vahn told her he couldn't break his promises with Milan and Tina. Until the two girls had recovered a bit, Vahn wanted to spend at least their meals together for the time being. Hestia sighed after hearing his explanation before a happy smile appeared on her face and she followed along without further complaint. She did, however, have Vahn hold her hand as they walked through the cold night air together.Since Hestia was walking in a happy, straight legged, fashion, Vahn kept staring at her feet to see how she reacted whenever they walked through rougher terrain. Even when they passed through areas where the cobblestone seemed somewhat jagged, Hestia stepped on it without even flinching and Vahn felt like it was an inexplicable sight. Remembering how soft they were when he touched them, Vahn felt like her feet should easily be cut open but she continued walking without any trouble at all.During dinner, Hestia actually separated from Vahn and sat next to Tina as she started a cheerful conversation with the small cat girl. Vahn was a bit surprised since he felt like Hestia had an inclination against him interacting with so many girls. Seeing how easily she got along with Tina while he sat next to Milan made him smile. Milan also seemed to be happy and whispered in a voice only he could hear, "You have a kind goddess..."Vahn nodded his head and, with a smile, whispered back, "She is a little peculiar at times, but she is a very kind and gentle girl that is attentive to others in her own way." Then, taking Milan's hand and squeezing it gently, Vahn looked her in the eyes and said, "I hope you're able to join our Familia in the future...Hestia and I have promised to make it a place that protects everyone's happiness together...as family."Milan flinched a bit when Vahn first grabbed her hand even though she placed a lot of trust in him. Even while they were eating dinner, she sat close enough to him to feel his warmth and made an effort to overcome the trauma in her heart. Hearing his words, she felt happy feelings begin to spread within her since she was grateful that he was still so attentive to her and Tina. She already intended to join his Familia in the future and was happy to see that he was serious about creating a place to protect them while even considering her and Tina to be 'family'.Vahn saw Milan's smile and reached his hand up to the hood she was wearing and gently removed it to reveal her lightly fuzzy ears. He saw Milan's aura fluctuate as she hung her head a bit lower as if she were ashamed to be seen in her current state. Hestia and Tina had been watching their interaction and had turned silent for a while as moisture built up in both girls eyes after seeing Milan's ears. Hestia had heard the story and knew that, without Vahn's help, Milan would have likely died after both her ears and tail had been severed. Hearing the story and seeing the aftermath were two entirely different things though, as she almost felt like crying at seeing the proof of the event right before her eyes.Though he felt a little guilty at exposing her without warning, Vahn's expression didn't change at all as he reached up with his left hand and used [Hands of Nirvana] as he gently stroked her hair and ears. She recoiled at first and almost pulled her head away but managed to prevent herself from doing so by taking deep and anxious breaths. After a few seconds, the warm energy coming into her head and the pleasant feeling of Vahn's caress made her fear dissipate by a marginal amount.Vahn had been thinking about the matter for some time, so he said in a gentle whisper, "Everyone here is someone you can trust...you don't have to hide away and feel ashamed over something you had no control over. At least among people you can trust, you shouldn't hide away and worry about how they see you...we all worry about you, Milan, and want to see you be happy."Hearing Vahn's words, everyone in the room except for him began to shed tears as Milan looked up at his face with her golden eyes and a profoundly bereaved expression that made Vahn's heart seize up in anguish. However, no matter how much grief or pity he felt for her, Vahn continued to show a gentle smile on his face as domain silently spread through the room with the effect of [Hands of Nirvana] spreading along with it.For the first time since the incident, other than when she had nightmares at night, Milan began to cry as she buried her face into Vahn's chest. His constant concern and perpetually gentle expression had been slowly breaking away at the walls she had been building up ever since her trauma and now everything released like the opening of a floodgate. She hated the fact that she felt inhibitions about one of the people that were constantly kind to her and how she, if but for a single moment, imagined him in the same vein as the monsters that tormented her.Milan had even been considering the best method to exploit Vahn so he wouldn't abandon them, but she realized he hadn't ever considered abandoning them in the first place. If not for the fact that she had separated herself and Tina from him, Vahn would have probably taken them into his own home and personally protected them even now.Unable to maintain her calm, Tina also ended up embracing the two as Vahn cradled the Mother-Daughter pair in his arms while trying to bring them some degree of comfort. Hestia was staring at the sight with a tearful and contemplative expression while Syr, who had been serving them, stood off to the side in silence. Both girls felt like Vahn had an exceptional amount of compassion and even Hestia felt like there was more to the relationships he had with girls than she initially expected. As if drawn by an invisible force, Hestia and Syr made eye contact briefly before turning back to the emotional sight of the three embracing each other.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ambitions, Burdens, Hope','Don't let trauma control you, there are always people willing to help','Road to Recovery','Soon(TM)')I am currently at $721/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Vahn noticed that Hestia was acting a bit peculiar so he looked over his shoulder and asked, "Is there anything strange?" Since he could see his Status whenever he wanted, Vahn didn't actually need to confirm anything but still thought it polite to ask. This was her first time performing the ceremony, so Vahn thought she was just getting caught up in the moment. It wasn't the first time someone touched his body, so he didn't feel strange having her stroke his back since he was also enjoying the sensations coming from certain parts of her body.Hestia broke from her dazed state and gave an awkward laugh before she dismounted his back and handed him the sheet with his updated Status. Vahn gave it a cursory glance before handing it back to her for safe-keeping. It was common practice for the gods and goddesses of a Familia to track the growth of their 'children' in books. There were some that even kept journals and recorded significant events and achievements to help inspire the future generations.After he put on the rest of his clothes, Vahn told Hestia that they could eat at the Hostess of Fertility and explained about the matters regarding Milan and Tina. Hearing that they were prospective members of the Familia in the future, Hestia was excited to meet the two girls. She had already heard the story from Hephaestus previously, and now she would get to meet them personally. Hestia felt especially sorry for Milan, since even now her ears and tail hadn't fully recovered. She usually worked in the back of the kitchen, out of sight from others, though Vahn noticed there was a fine coat of fur beginning to come in.Something strange had happened while they were eating, however, when Hestia met some of the waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility. She didn't know who was close to Vahn and what intentions everyone had, so seeing so many women acting affectionately with him made her feel frustrated. Vahn tried introducing everyone to Hestia and explained the matter about having joined her Familia. Though they all seemed to get along with each other and politely greeted her, Hestia held onto Vahn's arm possessively and gave each of the women a 'fierce' look.As if finding something interesting, when Vahn and Hestia were about to leave, Chloe decided to tease the petite goddess by approaching Vahn. Hestia immediately entered a 'high-alert' status while Vahn acted like it was perfectly normal as he allowed Chloe to get close enough to embrace his body. Without any hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and the two began kissing within the confines of the private booth.Hestia had an incredulous expression on her face as she pointed at Chloe with a shaky index finger and shouted, "Eeeii~! You thieving cat!" She then tried to separate the two and Vahn felt for the first time that he had underestimated Hestia's personality. Though he remembered that she acted this way when it came to Bell, he never expected her to have such a drastic reaction regarding him. He had even explained the situation earlier and talked about his relationship with Chloe.Chloe allowed herself to be separated from Vahn as she began laughing in a cheerful, yet mischevious, manner. She turned her back slightly and waggled her butt in a cute manner while showing off the blue ribbon that was remarkably similar in color to the ones Hestia wore. Chloe stuck her tongue out at Hestia and said, "You're a little late to the game to have any complaints~nya!"As if realizing what the ribbon meant, Hestia looked at Vahn was a strangely 'judgmental' gaze and an aggrieved looked on her face. Vahn began to feel somewhat taken aback by her behavior, even though he thought she was acting quite cute. Chloe practically danced out of the room while laughing while Vahn tried to console Hestia while explaining the situation in more detail. In response to his words, she turned her head with a 'hmph' but continued listening as he recounted his entire experience with Chloe while only leaving out the 'secret' bits.Hestia was already made aware the previous night by how many women Vahn was currently involved with and she even knew there would likely be various goddesses coming to him in the future. However, even though she knew, it still made her feel sad and frustrated to see him act so openly with girls right in front of her face. She remembered how the half-elf Eina had explained how Vahn was 'broken', and now Hestia wanted to take up the role that Tina had taken in the past and help 'reign' in his behavior.Once Vahn finished explaining about Chloe, Hestia turned back to him with a pouty expression that made Vahn want to poke her inflated cheeks. Unable to resist the temptation, Vahn gently poked her cheek with his finger until she swatted it away with her hand and exclaimed, "Vahn, you can't be acting like this in public unless you're on a date! Especially if you plan to be with multiple girls in the future, you have to learn how to show proper self-control. Not all of the people around you want to see you acting affectionately with others, so you have to keep it more private in the future!"Her words made Vahn remember the meeting two weeks ago between the various girls he was involved with. She was essentially regurgitating what they had said back then and Vahn would have likely still been 'guarded' by Tina if the kidnapping hadn't happened previously. Though he wasn't entirely convinced, he agreed that she was likely speaking the truth so he smiled and said, "Sure, I'll try to act more reserved from now on. Unless it's in private, or between people that are okay with my behavior, I'll try to restrict my actions a bit."Hestia nodded her head in approval of his words as she held her hands on her hips and puffed out her breasts. Vahn saw the very obvious jiggle and how, when her arms were spread, the blue ribbon supported them slightly. He could see that, due to the weight of her breasts, the ribbon cut into them from the bottom and even contorted her dress to match. Since Vahn had some experience with fabric, he wondered how Hestia's clothes seemed to conform so closely to her body without being restricted.Though she had her eyes closed while marveling at her own brilliance, Hestia soon opened them and saw the 'curiosity' on Vahn's face as he stared at her breasts. She felt embarrassed by his look, but also noticed there didn't seem to be any 'lecherous' or 'evil' thoughts in Vahn's gaze. From what she could tell, he seemed to stare at her breasts in genuine intrigue and it made her feel a little proud of the trait she was often 'criticized' for. Many gods in heaven had tried to court her, but all of their gazes made her feel super creeped out so she had refused courtship even though she had been alive for millions of years.Other than Artemis and Athena, she was the only remaining virgin goddess in the western region of Heaven. She simply disliked how they only saw her as a potential object of conquest and an outlet for their desires. One of the few she decided to give a chance to, because he had been very nice to her, ended up trying to coax her into his bed on their very first date! After that, she refused to see him again and saw that he had started dating another goddess just a few days later. Since they had lives that stretched into eternity, seeing how quickly he moved on was a big wake-up call for her at the time.Now that she saw Vahn looking at her with 'intrigue' instead of 'lust', Hestia's impression of him had increased by a marginal amount. She felt like, if she could change his 'bad habits' of interacting with so many women, it wouldn't be a bad thing to share him with Hephaestus and 'maybe' a few other girls. Since Vahn was a mortal that had divinities related to 'Creation','Fertility', and 'Fire', she actually thought they were very suitable. They seemed tailor-made for each other in a way since her Divinities related to 'Architecture', 'Family', and 'Hearth'. Their Divinities were almost perfectly complimentary of each other if she thought about it from a certain perspective.Vahn noticed that silence had taken over the atmosphere of the room and realized that he had been staring at the small blue ribbon holding up Hestia's breasts for a little too long. When he looked into her clear blue eyes, Vahn felt a little ashamed of himself so he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to gawk at you." Remembering that she had just lectured him about self-control, Vahn felt especially awkward for his mental lapse.Hestia smiled at his response before trotting forward in two large steps and stopped right in front of him. Since they had a 22cm height difference, she looked up at his face while he stared down at her smiling expression from above. She looked around for a moment before saying in a low voice, "We're alone right now, so as long as you don't do anything too forward it's fine~" Vahn's brows raised slightly as he looked around the empty room as well. However, instead of staring at her breasts again, Vahn backed away a step to create some distance as he said, "We should look for a place to stay before it gets too late."Vahn opened up the door and the noise from the other patrons broke the silence as he held it open for Hestia. She stared at him with a neutral expression for a while until Vahn turned his head away after hearing a loud sound from the pub. When he looked away, Hestia turned her head to the side and clicked her tongue while whispering in a low voice that Vahn couldn't hear, "How does he have so many girls when he is so dense!?"Unaware of the label Hestia had given him, Vahn motioned for her to exit the room before following behind her and leaving the Hostess of Fertility. Though she didn't know where it was located, Hestia had given Vahn a slip of paper with an address that Hephaestus had recommended to her the previous day. Vahn received the paper and understood the approximate location so he began leading the way toward what would likely become their new home.Along the way, Hestia made conversation and asked about his hopes and dreams while Vahn also returned the favor and inquired about her life, the Divinities she possessed, and any difficulties she might have that he could help with in the future. She seemed pleased by his concern and ended up locking arms with Vahn shortly after as he continued leading the way. Though they were just walking through the streets, Vahn almost felt like they were on a date since she was acting so 'openly'. Since she had just 'lectured' him previously about only acting this way while on a date, Vahn began to wonder if Hestia considered their walk a date or had just forgotten her own advice.After cutting through some of the back alleyways he had mapped previously, Vahn and Hestia arrived at a very familiar location that Vahn had passed a lot in the past. The reason why he had recognized the address on the paper is that it wasn't too far from Hephaestus's workshop and the main branch of the Guild. Though slightly off the main road, it was on the same path he would take whenever he was leaving the Hearts Embrace and heading toward the Dungeon in the past.The address on the paper was slightly off the main road, but it was in a residential area that only had large houses, manors, and even mansions. After checking the paper twice to confirm, Vahn looked up at the relatively large two-story building that would probably be his new home. It looked somewhat similar to an Inn that had been combined with a manor since it had a very large courtyard split into four sections and a high fence surrounding the inside.The building itself was shaped like an L and had two wings surrounding the central area that towered slightly higher than the rest of the building. The smaller part of the L shape was like an annex that, when Vahn inspected the inside, had a large empty area with a bare-bones forge setup. It was missing all the equipment, but Vahn would be able to begin working almost immediately once he set up his own tools and materials.Within the inside of the L shape, there were various artificial rocks and trees that had been arranged to conceal something that brought a smile to Vahn's face because it had been a long time since he had used one. Though there was a tall divider in the center, there was a large space within the backyard that had been converted into an onsen. The larger pool was split into two sections and there were even a few smaller pools around the area with small dividers that would provide anyone that wanted to bath alone a certain amount of privacy.Vahn wasn't the only one impressed by the structure and onsen since Hestia had been in incredibly high tensions since the moment Vahn opened the front gate with the key she handed him. Hephaestus informed her that she actually requested this building to be built in the past after interacting with Vahn for a long period of time. She had been tailor-making it to suit his needs and now 'gifted' it to Hestia to celebrate her descent from Heaven. As a goddess with a Divinity related to architecture, she was in high spirits as she marveled at each of the features of the building. Other than a complete lack of furniture, everything else was remarkable.Once they were done looking around, Vahn and Hestia went into what would be considered the master bedroom. It was the largest room in the house and had two separate walk-in closets as well as a personal bathroom. Though it wasn't noticeable at first, Vahn also discovered that the room had a hidden wall which opened up to a smaller and sound-proof area. It was very similar in structure to the room Hephaestus's used to house the 'eternal flame', so Vahn felt like it was made with that purpose in mind. The walls and flooring had amazing fire-proofing and sound-dampening qualities and there was even an empty and bare-bones forge set up in the corner.After getting a better look around the inside of the room, Vahn moved toward the far wall, furthest from the doors, and purchased a large bed in the system called [Canopy of Heaven]. Even though it had an awe-inspiring name, it only cost 28,000OP and didn't look too impressive when he put it down. The only thing he had focused on was finding something 'comfortable' while also being large. Though he didn't have the intention right now, it looked like more than six people would be able to lay side-by-side without any discomfort and even stretched out a fair amount lengthwise. Overall, the dimensions were around 4m x 4.5m and it actually took up a much larger amount of the bedroom than Vahn originally intended.Hestia saw Vahn put down the bed before any other furniture and had a teasing look on her face as she dove into the pure white blankets. Other than the slightly golden-colored wooden frame of the bed, everything else on it was pure white including the sheets, comforter, blankets, pillows, and even the curtains hanging from the canopy frame. When she landed, Hestia noticed that the bed was far softer than she imagined and she began to roll around in it without any semblance of decorum.Vahn saw her behavior and laughed before he said, "I'll make sure to purchase a similar bed for your room." Since there were more 13 actual bedrooms in the house, there were plenty of options for Hestia to choose from including two similarly sized rooms as the present one in each of the wings. Hestia heard his words and immediately refuted, saying, "No way, I want to stay in this bedroom with you~! I can't even imagine staying in one of those huge rooms on my own in the middle of the night!"Since she had been making her claim while lying lazily on the bed, Vahn felt like there wasn't a lot of strength to her argument. When she had shouted, she had raised her tiny fists toward the ceiling and had been giving him a very pitiable look like she was an abandoned animal. Remembering that she always slept with Bell in the manga, even though they didn't have an actual relationship, Vahn felt like Hestia was the type that didn't like to sleep alone. He wondered how she had managed for so many years in Heaven since he had long known that she refused courtship and had very few if any, friends other than Hephaestus.After ruminating over matters for a bit, Vahn decided to concede to her selfishness for the time being. He generally liked spending time with her and even enjoyed her spoiled behavior somewhat since he had always intended to spoil her even before they met. Considering they had already shared a bed without incident, Vahn decided it wouldn't be a problem for now. Once other people moved into the Familia and he married Hephaestus and Eina, he assumed she would naturally find a room of her own. Though he didn't know if they would be living with him permanently, Vahn assumed that Eina would eventually quit her job at the Guild and become a permanent resident, or even member, of the Familia in the future.With a smile on his face, Vahn nodded his head and said, "Sure, we can stay here together. Just remember that there will be other people living here in the future, and some of them might be my wives or lovers." Though she was ecstatic at the first part of his words, Hestia took a critical amount of damage when Vahn continued. She rolled herself up in the blanket like a sushi roll and began to bite her teeth as she made an adorable sound of frustration while Vahn watched her antics with a humored expression on his face.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hestia senses danger','Chloe's Victory','Vahnobtanium is actually the densest material in the record')I am currently at $721/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Chapter 218: Furnishings