Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

For the remainder of the day, things had turned to relative normalcy other than the fact that Hestia had suddenly become more open to kissing. Ever since their first passionate kiss in the bath several weeks ago, she had been relatively reserved and only gave Vahn smalls pecks in the morning. Now, whenever Fenrir was busy with things, she had turned more affectionate and had a cheerful expression on her face as she enjoyed Vahn's care. Since he knew she was feeling somewhat down, Vahn decided to spoil her a bit more than usual all the way up until it was time for bed.They always slept together as a trio whenever there wasn't someone else visiting, so Vahn didn't think it as abnormal until Hestia changed out of her normal white dress and wore a relatively short nightgown instead. She played it off by having Fenrir wear an almost identical one except that it had a split in the back for her tail. Fenrir had gotten used to sleeping with others and no longer slept on her stomach and instead cradled her paws between her knees as she used Vahn's arm as a pillow. Hestia herself already treated Vahn like the most comfortable bed in the world, so Vahn enjoyed the warmth of the two girls.One of the big differences was the position that Hesta decided to take, as she rested her face next to his head while riding her breasts further up his chest than normal. Every now and then, Vahn's rest would be disturbed when he would feel her kiss the side of his face before pretending to go back to sleep. After the first few times, Vahn determined that she was doing it intentionally so he held her waist and hugged her body closer to his. For a few minutes after that, Hestia silently kissed his face and neck without doing anything further.The entire time she was up to her antics, Vahn felt a little ticklish in his heart as he used [Hands of Nirvana] to gently radiate warmth to her body until Hestia eventually fell asleep. Turning his head, Vahn gave the awake Fenrir a kiss on the forehead before they all went back to sleep. Vahn knew Hestia was trying to slowly open up and decrease the distance between them slowly but surely. Since he didn't mind her affections and thought very highly of her, Vahn made no attempts to stop her unless she pushed herself too hard or acting strangely around Fenrir.In the morning, Vahn awoke to find Hestia's crystalline blue eyes staring at his face and she gave him a quick kiss before whispering, "Good morning, I'll go make breakfast before the two of you head out, okay~?" Without waiting for his response, Hestia reached over and stroked Fenrir's hair for a bit and then crawled out of bed. Because the nightgown she wore was short, Vahn stared at her wriggling butt until she threw her legs off of the bed and walked to the door without wearing her normal dress.As if trying to emulate Hestia, Fenrir trying to cock her head and kiss Vahn on the lips but he managed to intercept her face with his palm as he laughed, "You know better than that Fenrir, you have to work hard on your education, okay?" Though she gnashed her teeth for a bit, Fenrir eventually calmed down before muttering, "Fenrir want to kill lots today..." Vahn kissed her on the forehead and they both crawled out of bed. Since Hestia had already left, Vahn had to help Fenrir change for the first time in a while.Vahn noticed that, like her ageless status implied, Fenrir's body hadn't changed in the slightest over the last month. Even her hair, whenever it got damaged, regenerated back to the correct length after a period of time. Because she had been seeking affection more and more, Vahn was worried about her future, especially considering her nature and Innate skills.When they went down to the dining room, Hestia had been bundling together a large bento box for them to take to the dungeon. She had even included the portion for Ryuu which made Vahn smile and utter his thanks before they all shared short hugs and parted at the front door. Since it had been growing much colder as of late, Vahn had given Fenrir a cloak that was lined with fur on the inside even though she said she didn't feel cold. Whenever he saw her sensitive little paw-like feet walking on the ice-cold cobblestone, Vahn couldn't help but feel it was a little strange. He had tried to craft a pair of shoes for her, but Fenrir absolute refused to wear them even when he tried to coax her.After they met up with Ryuu, Vahn noticed she was wearing her normal attire that exposed her long legs and thought it was strange. Though he wasn't cold, due to the existence of the 'eternal flame', Vahn didn't know how girls could expose their legs so easily to the elements. As if to answer his question, Ryuu showed a small smile as she explained, "I use mana to help keep my body warm and my cloak is lined with a material that retains heat well. I'll be fine unless we stay outside for too long."Even though he believed her words, Vahn still gave her one of the cloaks he had purchased in the past. He now carried a variety of men's and women's clothing of various sizes in his inventory just in case he might need them in the future. Though it might sound strange to consider, Vahn had actually been in several situations where an extra change of clothes was beneficial. Since he couldn't always use the gift function, Vahn had stocked part of his inventory for events like this where they could be useful.Ryuu happily wore the cloak and remained silent as they started walking toward the dungeon. Because of their interaction, Vahn knew that Ryuu usually went silent when she was happy so he just followed along with a small smile on his face. Fenrir also seemed to suddenly become happier to be wearing her own cloak as a peculiar looking expression showed on her face that usually meant she was happy. Though several people had tried to help her smile more naturally, Fenrir always had an awkward look whenever she tried to emulate the action. Other than anger or frustration, she struggled to show any other expressions and this made several of the girls want to pamper her even more.Since Fenrir 'wanted to kill lots', Vahn had taken her down to the 7th floor and walked the distance toward the pantry where a lot of monsters would spawn. Fenrir had gotten to the point where she could 'delay' her own hunger and used keywords to helps people understand. Vahn knew that she was very frustrated when she wanted to kill a lot of enemies, so the Pantry was the best place to relieve stress. When they arrived, there was a huge quartz pillar that had several monsters breaking off parts and ingesting them to grow stronger. This wasn't the first time they had visited and Fenrir had even managed to eat a large portion of the pantry before Ryuu advised they stop. Since Vahn had already fought a juggernaut before, he knew what she was worried about and cautioned Fenrir to only chomp on monsters from then onwards.Though her stats hadn't increased much, Fenrir's combat potential had increased exponentially over the last month. Not only did she have the support of the record, but Fenrir had incredible senses and high adaptability. Just like when she was learning to read and write, Fenrir put an incredible amount of effort into trying to improve. She had also developed the habit that, whenever she killed a difficult enemy, Fenrir would either bring the corpse or magic core to Vahn. Though he felt somewhat awkward about it, Vahn praised her plentily for her actions and encourage her to continue improving.Because of this 'positive reinforcement' about killing, Chloe had actually taken a mentorship role whenever she was around Fenrir and often lectured her about what was okay to kill. Though she had never killed a humanoid yet, a lot of people were worried about Fenrir casually killing people and feeling no remorse about it. Since she was fundamentally a monster, their concerns weren't misplaced either since Fenrir had once tried to devour a drunken man that thought he could get away with touching her tail at the Hostess of Fertility. As she had been lectured about caring for her body and acting like a girl, Fenrir had legitimately wanted to kill the man for his offense. Fortunately, there was Vahn nearby to prevent her from losing control as he turned her over to Milan for comfort. The man tried to laugh it off but ended up being seriously beaten by Mama Mia and barred from entering the pub ever again.After that event, Vahn had to take Fenrir into the dungeon late in the evening and let her kill things until the morning of the next day. Vahn was worried that she would develop a phobia against men, especially considering that many of the girls around him had similar traumas. Though he hadn't had any luck yet, as Welf turned him down immediately after his offer, Vahn wanted to recruit some men, or at the very least young boys to join the Familia. When he had asked Welf's reason, he was told, "I don't think there would be many guys that would want to join a Familia where most of the girls were together with one guy. It might be okay if there were other couples in the Familia, but since you are the only guy right now it would be super awkward man."Shaking his head from the reverie, Vahn watched Fenrir slaughtering monsters endlessly with a feral expression on her face as her eyes grew progressively brighter. Since she was fighting a bunch of enemies, Fenrir had activated her [Lunar Cry] and there was a blood-red emblem of the moon on her forehead. Vahn could tell she was approaching her limit and would likely go berserk soon so he decided to step in and pacify her for a bit until she calmed down.Sensing his approach, Fenrir shouted, "No, Fenrir kill more!" Before Vahn could catch her, Fenrir jumped at the nearest monster and shredded it apart with her claws. Vahn frowned and watched the blood-covered Fenrir madly butchering her enemies and knew that he had reacted too late. Even though her loyalty was incredibly high now, an astounding 6132, she had dropped by more than 100 the moment he tried to stop her.Unable to stop her with the normal method, Vahn released the stealth aspect of his domain and pressured the monsters in the room. Imbuing [Heart of the Eternal Flame] into the domain, Vahn converged fire elements into the bodies of every monster in the room and they slowly began burning to ashes after a few seconds had passed. Since they were only level 1 monsters, they had absolutely no way to resist his room-wide AoE attack at all.Seeing that there were no enemies left to kill, Fenrir began slamming her paws against the floor and roaring in a feral tone. Vahn watched her actions with concern and wasn't sure how to help her recover her sanity as he gave Ryuu an apprehensive look. Seeing his look, Ryuu shook her head because she also didn't have a solution to the current situation. When Fenrir lost control, it wouldn't matter how many monsters she fought as it would only get progressively worse the more excited she got. Though they were able to address it in the past, Ryuu had never seen Fenrir act anything like how she was in the present moment.Vahn took a deep breath and walked over before kneeling down next to Fenrir who seemed intent on destroying the floor if the long scars were any indicator. Equipping his [Xuánwǔ Protector]s, Vahn aimed his fist at the ground before releasing a powerful strike that sent spider-web cracks through the floor, even reaching the area where Fenrir was clawing. She startled at the loud sound and immense force of Vahn's strike as she looked toward him with scarlet-eyes that glowed like a flame.With a smile on his face, Vahn laughed a bit and said, "Did the floor make you angry?" Even though he used the shockwave control of the gauntlets, Vahn didn't protect his hand at all and it began dripping blood onto the ground. Before Fenrir responded, Vahn began to gather energy into his fist and prepared to strike down again before Fenrir shouted, "No, Fenrir not hate floor! Vahn, stop!" The blood-red moon on Fenrir's forehead broke into small particles as she worriedly moved toward Vahn and pushed his hand away with her paws.Vahn sat down on the ground and showed himself using [Hands of Nirvana] to heal his hand as he smiled at Fenrir and asked, "Can you tell me why you're upset then?" Fenrir had a frustrated expression on her face and was grinding her teeth as she began scratching at the ground with one of her claws. Vahn thought she was just releasing her frustrations on the ground again until he noticed that she was actually writing letters. Though her handwriting was terrible, it was still legible and Vahn read what she had written. 'Fenrir not like when Vahn leave for long time'After reading the words, Vahn squinted his eyes a bit and thought about what she wrote. Ever since her transformation, she and Vahn had never been apart for very long. The longest period had been when he stayed with Hephaestus, but Vahn didn't understand why she was so upset even though it wasn't that long. However, when he had this thought, Vahn suddenly remembered the twelve years Fenrir had spent inside the orb with Eva. Since she wasn't to the point where she could rationalize things well yet, Fenrir must have thought that he was going to be gone for a long time again. Since she had learned to not complain or act out as much, she must have been bottling it up until things reached a critical level.Looking over, Vahn saw Fenrir was a frustrated expression that suddenly seemed to look 'sad' in Vahn's eyes. He released a sigh as he pulled out a large wash basin and said gently, "Fenrir, we'll always be together, okay? Even if I might be away for a little while, you know that I will always come back, I won't abandon you anymore and leave you alone." Looking over toward Ryuu, Vahn continued, "It isn't just me either, there are a lot of people that will help take care of you. You should know that everyone thinks you're very adorable and wants to spoil you, right?"Though her frown grew deeper, Vahn understood that Fenrir wasn't nearly as sad anymore. She also looked at Ryuu who, when she was looked at, nodded her head with a smile. The awkward expression that equated to a smile for Fenrir reappeared on her face as she jumped into the basin Vahn had set out earlier. Treading water for a bit, since she could fully submerge in it, Fenrir said, "Vahn is the best to Fenrir~! Always together, forever and ever!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hestia's teenie-tiny baby-steps','Ryuu's quiet smile','Fenrir no like be alone!')I am currently at $749/1200 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

While Fenrir playfully splashed water, Vahn and Ryuu were helping to clean her body while Vahn kept his domain extended to the limits. Even though they were in the pantry and it wasn't the most ideal place for a bath, Vahn knew that Fenrir had become fond of them and they were a good way to help her calm down. She liked being personally attended to, especially if he was the one doing the pampering. However, he never dropped his guard for a moment and even used [Heart of the Eternal] flame to turn a few approaching monsters to ashes without even looking in their direction. He could even loot their drops without stopping his hands at all.After she was properly clean, Vahn helped Fenrir wear her adorable maid outfit as he and Ryuu protected her on their way to the surface. The entire trip up, Fenrir dangled her arms and patted her sides as she tilted her head from side-to-side. Both Vahn and Ryuu knew this was what she did when she was especially happy, so they both pet her hair a bit before they got to the surface proper. They drew the attention of a few people when they exited, but the trio completely ignored them, at least on the surface. Vahn tagged anyone that seemed dangerous and sent his intent toward them which caused shivers to run up their spines before they turned away.Vahn ate lunch at the Hostess of Fertility and discussed the matters regarding Haruhime with Ryuu and Chloe. Hearing that he would be going to the red light district, both girls outright refused to let Fenrir accompany him. Since he knew what kind of place it was, Vahn shouldn't have even considered taking her along, to begin with, and blamed himself for his oversight as he thanked the two girls. With how impressionable Fenrir was, it would quickly turn into a big problem if she saw anything strange. Since Vahn would proactively be tracking down people that engaged in slave trafficking, there was no way to take her into that kind of situation. Though he would try and prevent it from happening, there was a very real chance some deviant might mistake her exotic appearance and make a pass at her like that idiot in the pub previously.Since both Ryuu and Chloe had experience tracking and dealing with the darker side of society, they offered to help Vahn gather information and complete his mission. Though Vahn considered their offers, he told them that he would only rely on them if things got dangerous. Since they were both aware of his domain, perception, and stealth abilities, they knew he would be able to detect a threat long before it became aware of his presence. Having Vahn promise to be careful, Milan and Tina escorted Fenrir back while being accompanied by Ryuu and Fafnir who was constantly within Tina's shadow.After parting ways, Vahn now sat on the roof of a tall building as he released a slight sigh. He chalked this current situation up to the influence of karma since he had lost his best asset to track down Haruhime before he even set out. Though Ryuu and Chloe were great choices to receive assistance from, Vahn didn't want to expose Chloe to more danger right now since people might connect her to Laverna's death if they work together often. As for Ryuu, Vahn simply didn't want to expose her to the darkness at all. Ever since she wiped out several gangs and some of the members of an evil Familia in the past, Ryuu had been 'retired' and working as a waitress. If he could prevent her from being exposed to that kind of life, Vahn wanted to do so.Since his senses were also quite strong, Vahn would have to track down Haruhime on his own and decide how he would proceed from there. If she wasn't in any immediate danger, Vahn could always retreat and gather reinforcements and pressure her captors through legal channels. Though he couldn't act openly with the Alliance, Vahn could still spread information through the network which would stir Loki and Hephaestus to action. Though he was concerned about Hephaestus getting wrapped up in things, considering her condition, Vahn knew just mobilizing her Familia didn't take any effort on her part.After a few minutes of organizing his thoughts, Vahn changed into casual wear that would prevent him from standing out, at least in a way that might blow his cover. If he walked into the red light district fully geared, he would draw the attention of several of the gangs and potentially cause more problems than he wanted to deal with. If he wore casual wear, he might draw the attention of people, but it would be as a potential client. Vahn had already steeled himself to resist any advances and would be using [Will of the Emperor] to maintain his focus. He knew how much of an interest he had in women, and Vahn was also aware that he might get caught up in their momentum if he let them get carried away.Since there were many girls in the area that knew how to appeal to men, even to the point where they took advantage of the kindness of some, Vahn had already made several preparations to prevent himself from being a victim. Fortunately, he was immune to any chemical based aphrodisiacs and could resist charm magic using his [Will of the Emperor]. Unless something unexpected happened, like him coming across a girl in distress, Vahn would keep his attention focused on his current quest.Of course, that was the plan until Vahn actually stepped into the red light district and immediately become the focus of attention for several women, Even with his stealth domain active, he was easily detected by the perceptive women that saw his handsome appearance, well-maintained clothes, and confident gait and identified him as an optimal target. Since many of them had been in the business for a while, they easily recognized the young boy as a first time visitor of the district.Though Vahn had some experience with being approached by women and politely declining their invitations, there was nothing that had prepared him for the forward, and somewhat dismissive, actions of the girls trying to solicit him. Even though he politely refused, there were several women that would try to hug his arm between their breasts and give him amorous expressions as they tried to guide him toward their brothel.There was even one incredibly bold Amazon that tried to corner Vahn in an alley and immediately removed the small clasp from her revealing bottoms before giving Vahn what he could only explain as a 'challenging' look. Though he was temporarily drawn to the exposed genitalia of the rather beautiful girl, Vahn closed his eyes and bowed politely before he disappeared with the use of Shundo. The Amazon woman had a listful expression on her face as she looked toward the sky for several seconds before sighing, "Why are the good ones so hard to get..."After his retreat, Vahn stood atop a large brothel that had a flat roof. Because of his enhanced senses and domain, Vahn was able to detect the various antics of the people within and was somewhat disoriented by the sensory overload. There were too many sights, smells, and sounds within the busy red light district for him to easily pick up any singular scent. The only way he could go about things was to walk around in the hopes of finding the trail using purely his luck. Even if he wanted to try and obtain information, Vahn was painfully aware that it would be incredibly difficult to pry anything out of the people within this district. All of the girls seemed intent on soliciting him for sex while all of the men were naturally cautious against him and proactively avoided any 'competition'.Vahn was in awe of everything that was going on around him and began to understand why everyone had been cautioning him about ever visiting this place. He had heard from Hephaestus previously that more than 40% of the revenue that ran through the City was done so through the red light district. Vahn hadn't understood it at first, but now that he saw it personally he quickly began to understand how so much money cycled through this district. Though he also enjoyed sex, Vahn had never considered paying for it and was shocked to see several tens of thousands of people acting outside his expectations.The most problematic thing was that there were various beauties that Vahn was actually interested in. If he didn't have a host of women had cared about at his back, Vahn felt like he would likely have spent a lot of his own money here at some point. There were various women, and even girls, that had various shapes, sizes, and races that drew his eye. Since many women exposed themselves openly and encouraged people to look, Vahn was hard pressed to avert his eyes even with the influence of [Will of the Emperor]. It wasn't that he had lost himself to lust, Vahn was just genuinely curious and wondered what their bodies would look like beneath the revealing clothing.As he was looking down from above, Vahn saw something he had been wanting to see for a while but wasn't remotely prepared to see given the circumstance. He saw a relatively fat man through a window and he was being 'tended' to by what looked like a child with a big belly. Of course, Vahn instantly understood that it was a Pallum woman since she had a relatively mature body even though she was petite. The thing that shook him to the core was the fact that she looked to be well into a pregnancy and was being 'mistreated' by the man that was likely her customer. Vahn was tempted to charge in and save the girl, but he was able to detect her shouts of pleasure and had to escape from the roof before he heard anything else. Though it was possible she was just faking to earn more money, Vahn could see the burning aura coming from her body and knew she was enjoying herself.After retreating outside of the red light district, Vahn sat with his back to a pillar and used [Will of the Emperor] to calm his mind. Since he wasn't angry or losing control, the cold sensation in his mind didn't have much influence on his thoughts presently. Vahn even noticed that he was shaking a bit and realized that he hadn't actually prepared himself well enough for this mission at all. However, it was the thought of the girl named Haruhime being exposed to that kind of life that made Vahn willing to press on.He knew that, even if she wasn't already being exploited, there would be no end to the people lining up for someone so 'exotic'. Since Renards weren't native to Eden, she would be highly sought after by some of the more deviant men regardless of her age. That thought alone made the cold sensation in Vahn's mind increase in intensity. Even though he understood the draw of sex, Vahn couldn't understand how there were so many people that propagated such acts as if they were a business to generate money at the expense of others. There was obviously something very wrong with the way the red light district was run as Vahn could sense a veritable ocean of negative emotions alongside the shouts of pleasure and vile laughter.Pushing himself onwards, Vahn continued to investigate around the district for the rest of the day until the sun started going down. Ironically, the darker the night got, the more active the streets became as they were lit up with vibrant lights. Vahn even saw several adventurers, both young and old, walking through the streets with pleased expressions as if they were celebrating some grand triumph before walking into a brothel. Though he didn't often judge people based on appearance, there were even some rather disgusting men that had foul smells coming from their bodies that were easily accepted into some of the less vibrant facilities.Because he had an extensive understanding of the bodies of others, Vahn could tell the man was unhealthy and likely had some kind of disease yet he was accepted just the same as any other customer. Just imagining sharing the same woman with such a person sent a chill down Vahn's spine and he actually grimaced at his own reaction. It wasn't his place to judge others, and it was the right of the women at the brothel to accept whoever they wanted, but Vahn still felt like it was wrong to see a girl that looked to be in her late teens escort a fat middle-aged man into their brothel with a smile on her face.By the time he left the red light district, Vahn had a bad taste in his mouth and couldn't get the negative emotions he had experienced out of his body. There were simply too many instances of Vahn seeing something that shouldn't exist in civil society. During his investigation, he had even saved three separate girls that were being ganged up on by several men in an alley. The worst part of it all was, in one of the instances, the girl he had saved actually tried to solicit him for sex with the excuse of chasing away the bad memories. If he couldn't see her poisonous pink aura, Vahn might have fallen for her pitiful expression and become a victim to a person he had just saved. After leaving her a small pouch of Valis, Vahn disappeared from the area while leaving the parting words, "I don't know what led you to this kind of life, but I hope you'll find happiness in the future...Avoid dark alleyways from now on."When Vahn returned to the Heath Manor and saw Hestia, Fenrir, Milan, and Tina, he suddenly felt both guilty and happy. He felt guilty because he was able to live such a happy life surrounded by amazing people while there were others who could only move forward by exposing themselves to such a tragic lifestyle. Imagining any one of the girls around him in that situation made Vahn shake in anxiety. Vahn couldn't believe that any person would be happy to have strangers as their partner every day just to make a living...it seemed like an incomprehensibly unfortunate way to get by.All four girls had noticed the unstable state of Vahn and immediately turned more gentle as even Fenrir pulled out her brush yet again and walked forward saying, "Vahn, no be sad, be happy. Come, Fenrir brush Vahn's hair." For the rest of the evening, Vahn was tended to by Hestia and Milan while he sat together with Fenrir and Tina as he read them happy stories about heroes overcoming various trials. Feeling their warmth and reading such inspiring tales slowly pushed away the negative feelings he was bottling up inside. Though he had often thought this in the past, Vahn was truly happy to be living his current lifestyle where he was always surrounded by people that cared about him whenever he had trouble. He wanted to share this feeling with more people and swore to find the girl named Haruhime so she could be reunited with people that cared about her. Though he had never met the girl, imagining her scared and alone while being exploited by others broke Vahn's heart...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Into the Red Light District','Society Isn't Always Pretty','Vahn was not prepared for today')I am currently at $749/1200 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

After they had calmed down quite a bit, both Vahn and Hephaestus cuddled together and talked about various things. Most of their discussions leaned toward their future family and the life they now shared together. When the topic of children was brought up, Vahn held Hephaestus as if she was the most delicate and precious thing in the world. Even though he knew she would be okay, he was worried each of his actions might cause something to go wrong. He even periodically checked to make sure every time Hephaestus move around quickly. Hephaestus enjoyed his sudden change and teased him plentily for his overcaring nature. Since she would still be working well into her pregnancy, treating her delicately now was pointless...though Vahn still saw fit to do so regardless.As if she was already about to give birth, Vahn caressed her stomach lovingly as they discussed the name of their future child. No matter how much she insisted, Vahn wanted Hephaestus to come up with a name and wouldn't budge on the matter at all. After pitching various ideas and explaining their meanings, Hephaestus decided to name their child Egan, if it was a boy, and Ina if it was a girl. Egan meant 'Little Flame' and expressed Hephaestus's desire that he grow up to be like his father and provide comfort to others. Ina meant 'Pure', and Hephaestus wanted her to be a gentle girl that wasn't burdened by fate and would always be free from the darkness.Even though they hadn't been born, Vahn could imagine a dark-haired boy with green eyes playing hero in a meadow while a cheerful red-haired little girl in a white dress followed behind. Though it wouldn't likely be the case, Vahn pictured the two children to look like a younger version of himself and Hephaestus, except for the fact he imagined them both with his aquamarine eyes. Like Hephaestus, he shared her expectations and would do his best to help his son develop into a kind boy and, if he had a daughter, he would protect her from harm and make sure she had a secure environment to grow in without too many restraints.As he had shown up early in the day, it was barely after 12 PM by the time their discussion had slowed. However, even though they weren't doing anything presently, just experiencing the warmth and comfort they brought each other was enough to pass the time happily. They continued to hold each other while talking about whimsical things for several hours in a world of their own creation while the world around them moved along at its own pace.When 5 PM came around, Vahn had a peculiar feeling of unease for a brief moment and it was noticed by Hephaestus. She placed her hand on his chest, where the 'eternal flame' had been happily dancing around since earlier. With a loving smile on her face, Hephaestus asked, "You miss her already?" Grasping her hand with his, Vahn looked apologetically at Hephaestus and explained, "Its just a force of habit...I don't mean to think about others when I'm with you."Hephaestus laughed slightly without opening her mouth as a small smile appeared on her face. After kissing Vahn gently, she looked into his eyes and said, "Its fine, I don't mind at all. After everything you've given me, I want to give a little back to you as well. As long as you don't shun me for the sake of others, you can even bring them around or on a date with us. Ever since we first met, I had no expectations that I would be able to keep you for myself, and I know how much you've given up while trying to keep your promise to me..."Removing the blankets and revealing her naked body, Hephaestus crawled onto Vahn's lap before continuing, "If you're feeling lonely, I'll do my best to help ease your heart. Don't feel bad just because I'm around, or you'll just bottle everything up again. Talk to me, Vahn, tell me about all of your problems..." Reaching down, Hephaestus took a deep breath before gasping as she inserted Vahn's penis into her own vagina. Even after several hours, just the thought of uniting with Vahn would make her into a wet mess. Taking a few strained breaths, Hephaestus grabbed Vahn's face and said, "They are our problems from now on...even if its other girls, I'll always do my best to help you."For the next few hours, between 5 PM to 9 PM, Vahn and Hephaestus continued to make gentle love to each other and used their breaks to talk about various matters. Vahn told her about the meeting with Take' and that he intended to help the girl named Haruhime. She was supportive of his intentions and told him that, if things got difficult, she would help him regardless of the consequences. Even though she might not be able to take easy action due to the restrictions of the Alliance, a lot of that wouldn't matter by the time they got engaged.There was only a month left until the Denatus and it became public knowledge that they were a couple. Since there would be several goddesses of fertility present, she wouldn't even be able to conceal that she is pregnant either. If it truly came down to it, Hephaestus was even willing to publicly announce it after making a few preparations...Every time she spoke earnestly for his benefit, Vahn felt like the love he had for Hephaestus continued to grow. If he could see his own parameters for affection, Vahn imagined he might have even some major threshold in his feelings for this lovable goddess that would bear his child. Though he still treated her gently, Vahn decided to 'reward' Hephaestus's affections for him plentily after the fact. Because of how late it had gotten, Vahn even stayed the night as the two continued to indulge in the love they shared well into the early morning.Since Hephaestus had actually cleared out several days of her schedule, there wasn't any work for her to do and they both ended up sleeping until nearly 1 PM. When they woke up, Hephaestus gave Vahn a passionate kiss before he pulled a large wash basin out of his inventory and the two shared a bath together. Vahn was still treating her body as a precious artifact and paid extra care to all of her needs. Hephaestus had never felt so blessed and, before they were even out of the bath, the two committed their love yet again within the moderately cool water. By the time the bath ended, because of the output of heat from their bodies, the water had mostly evaporated away into steam.After 3 PM rolled around, Vahn and Hephaestus were finally dressed after spending more than an entire day naked together. Though he hadn't kept count, Vahn felt like they had celebrated their union more than twenty times within that period, even forgoing sleep until late in the morning of the next day. Even though she was already pregnant, a fact Vahn had confirmed more than a thousand times, he continued to ejaculate inside her because she commented about how warm and comforting the feeling was. Though he couldn't understand it himself, Hephaestus said something about it making her feel complete.Before leaving the workshop, Vahn and Hephaestus hugged each other for nearly twenty minutes without kissing or saying a word. They just spent the time idly enjoying each others warmth until it finally came time for them to part. Even though she had cleared her schedule, Hephaestus didn't want to monopolize Vahn, especially since he had other things going on in his life. She still had to continue forging stuff, even though she had taken time off, or there might be complications with her body. After promising to visit often, the two parted ways after one final kiss and Vahn commenting that she can call him whenever she felt lonely. To counter his remark, Hephaestus placed her hand in the approximate location of her womb and said, "You have given me something so that I never feel lonely again..." If not for the fact they were already committed to other things, Vahn would have taken Hephaestus back into her office for another round...The entire way back to the Hearth Manor, Vahn was in an incredible mood and he felt like he had somewhat been revitalized both physically and spiritually. It was a sunny day outside and Vahn felt like the colors of the world were especially vibrant and full of life. However, the happier he felt, the less complacent Vahn actually became. Though his mind was at peace and his body was incredibly relaxed, Vahn kept in a somewhat alert state as he casually spread his aura over every new face and place he passed.Since he walked around in his Báihǔ form to escape the notice of the general public, Vahn would also briefly try to lock onto any scents that might match the charm in his inventory. Now that his life had changed in such an incredible fashion, Vahn was even more intent to save the unfortunate girl that had been unjustly separated from her home, family, and friends. If the people behind her current situation mistreated her, Vahn intended to bring them to justice to obtain some minor form of closure for the young girl.By the time he reached the Manor, Vahn hadn't picked up her scent at all, not that he expected to. The information that he had received from Take' said she should be located somewhere near the red light district of Daedelus Street. Vahn had heard about it before and had been cautioned by several of the girls to avoid it whenever possible. Though he had never met one personally, Vahn had been given a few lectures about things like prostitutes, brothels, and slaves. Vahn couldn't understand how anyone would willingly sell their bodies, but it had been explained to him that some people didn't have a choice if they wanted to improve their lives.Though Vahn didn't agree with it, he didn't think he had any right to meddle in the decisions that others had made. Of course, if he came across people like Haruhime that had been forced into slavery against their will, Vahn wouldn't stand idly by. Since he knew that Haruhime should only be fourteen right now and had been missing since she was eleven, Vahn hoped that her presence in the red light district wasn't any indication of her treatment. If it was...even Vahn didn't know what he might do as an expression of his rage. Though he wouldn't torment them, Vahn would either kill those responsible or turn them over to the authorities to make sure they are brought to justice. With the support of goddesses like Loki and Hephaestus, Vahn knew they wouldn't have an easy life after their capture.When he stepped into the foyer, Hestia was there with Fenrir wearing her standard black and white maid clothing. Since she looked adorable in that attire, Fenrir was often treated well and spoiled by everyone around her so she had grown attached to the clothes. Walking forward, Vahn pet Fenrir's head while addressing Hestia, "Sorry for being late, but I do have some good news..."Since Hestia had known why he would be late, she wasn't too upset with Vahn for only arriving in the afternoon of the second day. She was just happy to see him back and also felt happy that her best friend had received his affections for such a long period of time. As she knew Vahn could see her aura now, Hestia was aware that he had likely seen through her cheerful expression though since he gave her an apologetic look even though he was obviously very happy. Even though she was trying to be understanding, Hestia was still somewhat jealous of Hephaestus and had been anxious that Vahn might not return for the entire five days.Hearing that Vahn had 'good news', Hestia tilted her head to the side without losing her 'cheerful' smile and asked, "Good news~? You didn't come to brag did you!?" Since Vahn had indeed seen through her, he wasn't dissuaded by Hestia mock excitement as he leaned forward and whispered, even though there was nobody to keep the secret from, "Hephaestus is pregnant..." Hestia had expected Vahn to try and tease her, or that he might say something to coax her a bit, but she had never expected him to claim that Hephaestus was actually pregnant. Though she knew it was supposed to be possible with his [Enkidu], everything had been speculative up until this moment.Even though she was still somewhat jealous, Hestia couldn't help but feel excitement bubbling up in her stomach as she also responded in an excited whisper, "Is it really true!? How did you find out so fast, shouldn't it take a few weeks or something?" In response to her question, Vahn used his [Eyes of Truth] and his aquamarine eyes began to glow a vibrant azure-blue from the center of his irises. He, still whispering, said in a confident voice, "I confirmed it personally, there is no doubt that she is pregnant."Hestia was now in high tensions because she already had a lot of trust in Vahn and knew how honest he was. If he was insisting that Hephaestus was pregnant, his glowing eyes were likely intended to be the proof of his claim. Though she wasn't too sure, Hestia thought it had something to do with his Divinity related to fertility, as goddesses of fertility would often know if someone was pregnant almost immediately.This somewhat confirmed the previous speculations and Hestia was giddy all of a sudden because she had trouble processing the implications for what the future might hold. She knew that Vahn would likely have several children, and many of them would be demigods. Hestia imagined a Manor full of children running about excitedly and playing tag and fetch with Fenrir out in the courtyards. She even, for a somewhat brief moment, saw an even chibi-er version of herself running around in a small white dress similar in design to her own...Vahn saw the change in Hestia's aura and the glimmer of light that passed through her eyes for a brief moment. Her affection, which usually hovered between 93-95, immediately shot up to 99 as her aura began to burn like a small flame. Before she could say something silly, Vahn placed his hand on her head and said, "When you're ready, I'll be more than willing Hestia. For now, don't push yourself and support Hephaestus when you can. She is your best friend, after all, you should spend more time together when I'm in the dungeon or on missions."Hestia looked up at Vahn with sad eyes and saw that he was inclining his head toward Fenrir who had been attentively listening to their conversation. She was at a highly impressional phase of her mental development and absorbed things like a sponge. If they suddenly started talking about sex and making babies, Fenrir would likely want to know more and even try to get involved. Since they currently shared a bed together, there would be no easy way for Hestia to spend time with Vahn unless there were others over to tend to Fenrir.Though she had been in high tensions and wanted to ask Vahn to make a baby with her as well, Hestia suddenly had enough time to reflect on what she was going to say as she began stroking Fenrir's head as well. As Vahn implied, she really wasn't ready to take that step and had no experience with the emotional investment of a relationship between men and women.She was already quite jealous of other girls and knew it would probably get worse if they actually became a couple. If she did try to push herself and get Vahn to accept her, he would likely consent but it would cause problems in the dynamics between the rest of the group. Hestia was even somewhat confident that she could get Vahn to show her more affection than the other girls, but also knew it wouldn't be fair to anyone if that were the case.Releasing a short sigh, Hestia's expression turned into a small smile as her aura began to stabilize. She looked up at Vahn and said, "I'll talk to Hephaestus more...I will prepare my heart, so make sure you save a place for me in your's." Vahn bent down and kissed Hestia on the lips for a little while before saying, "You've had a place in my heart for a long time Hestia, I just don't want you to put so much pressure on yourself. We'll be together for the rest of our lives so you don't have to hurry things along just because you're worried. Just as you promised to always be here for me, I'll never leave you behind..."Hestia's small smile turned into a genuinely cheerful one as she stroked her bottom lip with her fingers. Even now, there was a bit of moisture and the ambient heat they had shared between each other. Before she could ask for another kiss, Vahn had already chosen his second target as he placed his lips on Fenrir's exposed forehead since he had seen the angsty expression in her eyes. She knew better than to talk when others were speaking and was waiting for a lull in the conversation so she could ask questions. Now that Vahn had given her the kiss she wanted, Fenrir gave a throaty laugh that sounded a little unnatural as she placed her paws over her forehead.Looking up at Vahn, Fenrir's eyes glowed a bit and she said, "Fenrir too, always together!" Not only Vahn, but Hestia laughed at her outburst as the three made their way towards the dining room to enjoy a nice dinner. Though she didn't verbalize it, Hestia wanted to remark about how they already had a child between them in the form of the ravenous little wolf girl. They both took care of Fenrir and spoiled her while helping educate her; They even took baths together and slept in the same bed, just like a real father and mother might have done with their young child. With a smile on her face, Hestia squinted her eyes and felt like she already had a family...now she just needed to increase its size a bit.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Peerless','Unwilling Separation','Loki feels a disturbance in the force')I am currently at $749/1200 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 247: Fenrir's Frustrations