Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After Vahn entered the room the atmosphere became very tense. Lili sat on the bed with her back towards Vahn, and he could see she was trying her best to hide her face which had turned scarlet. He could even see the blush had crept down her neck and started fading into her back.Vahn tried to prevent the atmosphere from affecting him, so he moved to the edge of the bed and sat facing towards Lili. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the uncovered skin and his mind went blank.All over Lili's back, he could see faded wounds and scars that had marred her uncovered skin.Though Vahn knew she was treated poorly, he wasn't prepared to see the evidence of her suffering and the toll it had taken on her body. Since their first meeting, she had made many efforts to be cheerful and lively which caused Vahn to drop his guard without considering the long-term remnants that he would need to deal with in the future.Lili seemed to sense his sadness hung her head. The blush began to fade from her cheeks as she issued a quiet voice. "You must think it's ugly...I did my best to treat most of the injuries when I could, but it's hard to apply medicines to the back."Hearing Lili blame herself for things she had no control over, Vahn sighed. He reached out his hand and used his index finger to trace one of the larger scars near her shoulder blade. In response to his touch, Lili shuddered but didn't say anything further. She began to feel a searing heat trace along the scar of her back, but even though it felt so hot it wasn't an unpleasant sensation.After seeing the scars on her back, Vahn had asked Sis to purchase a skill that would allow him to heal or remove the evidence of their existence. After spending 2000 OP he obtained the weakest form of a skill called [Hands of Nirvana] which allowed Vahn to stimulate dead and damaged tissues and revitalize the human body. With the support of [Yggdrasil's Favor], he was able to channel energy into his fingertip and slowly wipe away the scar. All that remained after he was finished was a slightly red mark that was warm to the touch.Vahn continued tracing over each and every scar while Lili sat in silence. Though she couldn't see it with her own eyes, she knew he was doing something to heal the scars on her back. With each searing sensation that touched her skin, more tears would collect in her eyes, but not as a result of the heat.Once he was done, Vahn moved on to reading Lili's Status. He could tell by her reaction that she realized what his actions might entail, and there would be time to talk about it later if she asked. Following the procedure laid out by Sis, Vahn made a small cut on his finger before placing it into the center of Lili's crest. When the blood came into contact with the somewhat faded goblet-crescent-moon motif, the entire crest began to issue a brilliant light. Though Vahn couldn't make sense of the symbols, he was able to interpret their meaning through the system interface.---[[STATUS]]Name: Liliruca ArdeRace: PallumLV. 1POW: I63 -&gt;I91END: I98 -&gt; H107DEX: H170 -&gt; H183AGI: G223 -&gt; G250MAG: F351 -&gt; F353Skill: [Artel*Assist:E], [Atlas: Innate(sealed)]Magic: [Cinder*Ella:C]Development Skill:---While he was reading her Status Board, Vahn was also channeling his energy into the crest to awaken the dormant falna. Since Lili had the crest since birth and never updated it, the falna had long since entered a weakened state which further restricted her growth. Now Lili should be able to make progress like a normal adventurer in the future.What caught his eye was a skill he had never seen present in the manga. Lili hand a skill called [Atlas] that was currently sealed away. The most surprising thing was the fact it was evaluated as an Innate ranked skill. After asking Sis why he was able to see the skill, she explained that 'The Path' was of a much higher tier than Innate abilities, so it was able to detect anything that was not intentionally hidden.After updating the Status Board, Vahn listed out the changes to Lili. For now, he kept the existence of [Atlas] a secret as Sis had informed him it was very difficult to awaken innate skills if the wielder was aware of them. They could only awaken if the wielder made efforts to improve and faced various challenges on their own.Lili was very excited after hearing the changes in her parameters. She still had trouble believing Vahn would be able to do as he said and seeing the results had made her incredibly happy. In her excitement, she ended up tackling Vahn which caused the two bodies to tumble off the bed and onto the hard wooden floor.To protect her from the fall, Vahn had used his own body to cushion the blow. He struggled to breathe and just helplessly pat Lili who had been lost in her feelings of jubilation. After some time had passed, she seemed to calm down but hadn't separated from his body. Vahn began feeling worried, so he tried standing and bringing the affectionate act to an end.Lili refused to release his body, and continued hugging his waist with her head rested against his abdomen. Neither person said anything for a while until Lili finally released his body and looked directly into his eyes. "Vahn, I will become stronger. Strong enough to repay everything you've done for me..." After saying those words, she turned towards her bed and submerged herself under the covers.//[Liliruca Arde] Affection +5//Vahn continued to stand in silence for a while before deciding to leave the room. As he turned away he was unaware that the blankets had shifted slightly in response to his footsteps. A small cat-eared head poked out of the covers and stared at his back as he left the room...//[Liliruca Arde] Affection -3//The moment Vahn stepped into the hallway he nearly fell face-first onto the floor. ("What did I do!?")Using what remained of his strength he ambled towards his room and fell heavily into his bed. He couldn't fathom how he was able to earn such a large amount of affection and then lose some immediately after...---The next morning the two woke up before the sunrise, same as the previous day. Vahn had slight bags under his eyes as he was lost in contemplation for a large portion of the night. When he met up with Lili she seemed to look at him with a mild resentment before leading the way towards the gate. Vahn just followed after her in silence while trying to have Sis explain what had happened. In response, she just commented on how he needed to put more effort into understanding women's hearts.---At the gate, Vahn was finally able to reunite with Gregory. The two exchanged words and Gregory congratulated him on his success in joining such a highly regarded Familia. Vahn also tried to return the money Gregory had lent him, but he just laughed loudly in response while heavily patting Vahn's back. He told Vahn that if he wanted to repay him, then live a reputable life that he could brag to his friends about. If Vahn was able to become a highly esteemed Adventurer it would give him face when drinking with his fellow officers.---After parting ways with Gregory, the two continued towards the previous day's training site. Vahn demonstrated more techniques and they both warmed up before performing the same set of exercises. Though it wasn't much, Lili had made some progress since the day before. She was more receptive to each new form of training and put in a commendable amount of effort in trying to execute everything properly.They continued in this manner, only stopping to take short rests and eat breakfast. Once 10 AM came around, they began heading towards the dungeon to begin the next phase on the schedule. They were beginning to build familiarity with the gate guards, so after a cursory screening, they were able to easily enter the City. On the way towards Babel, they decided to purchase the seafood crepes Vahn had enjoyed the previous night. He even purchased a few extras and stored them away in his inventory when nobody was looking...Once they entered the tower Lili began trying to solo monsters while Vahn covered for her using his [Will of the Emperor]. He noticed she was a lot more daring than the previous day and the increased confidence allowed her to perform to a much higher standard than her earlier attempts.During one of the breaks, Vahn told her she was improving rapidly and at this rate, she would be able to accelerate her growth even faster. Lili was excited after hearing Vahn's praise and tried even harder after the break came to an end. Unfortunately, due to her unstable emotions and overzealous attitude, she ended up nearly losing her hand to a goblin wielding a rusty dagger.The wound had cut to the bone of her wrists and it was bleeding profusely which caused her to become lightheaded and dazed. Just as she felt like throwing up due to nausea, the pain suddenly vanished and a shadow appeared in front of her intercepting the attacking goblin.Vahn had seen Lili's mistake and quickly used [Wound Transfer] in conjunction with his [Rakshasa Body] to absorb and mitigate the damage. Though there was still blood dripping through the bands of his gauntlets, he could feel a tingling sensation that told him the wound was rapidly healing. Before the goblin was able to launch a second attack, he locked it down with his domain and intercepted to swung dagger.In his hand, Vahn now held the mutilated wrist of the goblin. He twisted his body before slamming the struggling goblin into the dungeon wall. Seeing it turn to dust on contact, Vahn turned towards Lili to see if she had any other injuries. He could see shock and surprise on her face and thought she was still disoriented from the previous incident. He reached out with his hand to help her up and froze...Lili stared at the outstretched hand that had now changed shape. Instead of the smooth tanned skin, she was used to patting her head, it was now a size larger and covered in fine densely packed hairs. The hair was very short but completely covered the top half of the hand. It was a dark grey in color with undertones of white drawing a strange pattern along its surface.The two just continued staring at the strange hand that was connected to Vahn's body. After coming to his sense, Vahn lifted the hand and inspected the changes. From what he could see, it had morphed into the claw of an animal, though he still had all five fingers. While he was observing it, the hairs began to recede slowly into his flesh until, after seven minutes, they had completely disappeared returning his hand to its normal appearance.He used his now normal hand to help Lili stand. She seemed to want to ask about it but held herself back from doing so. Vahn understood her concerns, as he too wanted to know what happened. From inside his mind, he could hear the voice of Sis explaining it was due to the activation of his [Rakshasa Body]. According to her, the more damage he took the more his body would change to empower his abilities to prevent further damage.("Does that mean I would turn into a monster in a prolonged fight?") Vahn was very worried since he knew even humanoid monsters were treated very poorly by most people. Without being able to explain the transformation was a result of a skill, he would face serious consequences when using it in the future.(*You won't turn into a monster, though you would possess some animalistic qualities. According to analysis, your [Rakshasa Body] seems to incorporate the features of a tiger, though the exact type is hard to determine. As you rank up the skill you should have more control over the transformation, but if you're worried about creating a misunderstanding you can acquire another skill that emulates the effects of the change.*)After giving her permission, Sis ended up purchasing a magic called [Thria*Mimos:C] for 7,000 OP. The description stated he could use the skill to alter his body parts, and with mastery even completely transform into an animal. The downside was he would be unable to activate other skills without breaking the transformation.Vahn used the newly acquired magic and demonstrated it to Lili. He credited its activation due to how angry he was after seeing her injured. Before then he had never been aware of the magic and it seemed he was able to use it without a chant.Of course, the only thing Lili was focused on was how happy she was when Vahn acquired a similar magic as her own.

For the next few days, Vahn continued helping Lili with her training. Though she had made noticeable progress, she was still having difficulties increasing her parameters to the point she could fight without assistance. She lacked the stamina for drawn-out fights, and her stats didn't give her much of an edge against monsters within the dungeon.Even though she was still gaining exilia from fighting, there wasn't a large increase in her parameters since she lacked a skill that modified her growth. Vahn wanted to try and help her awaken her true potential, so he had used the Valis he had been saving to take Lili shopping on their next day off. He thought that introducing weighted clothing or armor would help improve her base parameters and increase the efficacy of her training.Upon hearing that she would be able to go on a 'date' with Vahn, Lili seemed to double her efforts in training. She continued putting in these efforts until the day had finally arrived. When Vahn stepped out of his room early, she was already waiting for him in the hallway in her 'battle attire'.Vahn was surprised to see Lili waiting outside his door, and even more so after seeing how she was dressed. She had done up her hair slightly and it had a healthy sheen. Around her neck, she wore the small bronze necklace which stood out against the pure white frock that Vahn had never seen before. It still had a bit of a childish quality which brought out the liveliness in Lili's appearance.Seeing his dazed observation of her attire, Lili gave a victorious smile before hurrying him out of the Inn. She wanted to get a head start on the date so they would have more time together after shopping.As Vahn trailed behind her, his eyes were drawn to the tail that was poking out of a ribbon in the frock. Since it was the same chestnut brown as Lili's hair it stood out against the plain white dress. Till now he had yet to see exactly how the tail was connected to the body so he was still rather curious. Of course, he knew better than to ask and there would always be opportunities in the future. He even considering trying to grow a tail of his own later.---The two continued until they came upon the stall Vahn had frequented often in the last few days. After purchasing some crepes, the owner gave them a pleasant smile as he wished them well on their 'date'. Vahn had become a 'usual' customer at the stall, and the owner, a rather plump middle-aged dwarf named Ivaan had developed a friendly relationship with him. Vahn gave an awkward smile while Lili blushed with a pleased expression on her face after hearing the mans words.They continued slowly making their way towards Babel where, after entering, Lili began dragging him around to various shops she was familiar with. Vahn was surprised with the familiarity she showed with the shops and became very interested after hearing her explain the function of a variety of useful items. After stopping at several stores and resupplying items for use in the dungeon, they finally made their way towards their original destination.Entering the 8th Floor of Babel, the pair came across the shops owned and operated by the Hephaestus Familia. There was a plethora of weapons and armor on display as they made their way deeper into the interior of the floor.Their goal was to purchase both armor and a new weapon for Lili to facilitate her continued growth. Though she had improved her accuracy and combat with the crossbow, she wasn't able to easily deal with monsters using a dagger. Since she was relatively small herself and the reach of the dagger was limited, it made it very dangerous to fight in such close proximity of monsters.Since Vahn wasn't too familia with the function of armor, he decided to help Lili find a weapon first. Lili still had inhibitions about wearing restrictive equipment, so she was more than happy to put it off until later. Eventually, they found their way into one of the mid-tier quality stores which could be denoted by the "grade" posted on the outside of the store. This store, called 'Blacksteel Works' openly displayed the Hephaestus Familia emblem with a 'B' in large font beneath it.After entering they browsed a bit before meeting with the owner of the establishment. He was a relatively young man between 17-20 years of age with blonde hair and an honest face. Seeing the two peculiarly dressed people approach, he greeted them in a loud tone. "Greet'ns! What can I do ye for strangers? Not seen ye around this store before. Lookin' fer anythin' specific?" (A/N: I feel like writing accents is outside my comfort zone~)Vahn had a good impression of the man due to his honest expression and stable yellow aura. From his experience, such people were easy to deal with and good-natured. He gave the man, who had at this point identified himself as Arin, a list of all the items he was looking for."If possible we'd prefer to look at weapons that meet the requirements before armor. For now, we don't need anything made-to-order, but if the functionality is good we would likely be interested in the future." Lili had decided to explain matters since Vahn seemed more focused on making small talk. She didn't really want to spend too much time in the store since it would interfere with the time spent elsewhere.Arin looked at the disgruntled Lili before giving Vahn a sideways grin, "Yer girls a feisty one ain't she?" Vahn gave a helpless smile at the remark and asked if they would be able to see the weapons. From the side, Lili was smiling and behaving more docilely.---After a few minutes, Arin had lined up a variety of weapons. There were shortswords, rapiers, longswords, spears, and even an oversized katana which caught Vahn's interest. He often imagined wielding one for himself in his previous life so it tickled his inner desires a bit. When he changed weapons in the future, Vahn decided it would be a katana unless there were better options.Lili tried out the weapons by lifting and feeling their weight. Since she had never used anything other than a dagger and crossbow everything was awkward for her. She kept picking up and seeing if any of them 'felt' right, but was unable to make a decision due to her lack of interest and experience.Seeing her hesitation, Arin started detailing the usefulness of the various weapons. He discussed how some were good for fighting groups, while others were more suitable to individuals. He even went into details about their composition, durability, and the practicality of their range and maintenance requirements.Vahn and Lili listened to the very informative information. Though she wasn't as interested as Vahn, Lili still made it a habit to remember anything that could be useful for the future. One of the skills she had relied on the survive so long was her ability to gather knowledge and information.After listening to the explanation, Vahn was considering purchasing all the weapons just to try them out. Even if he didn't end up using them, it would be good to have a variety of weapons obtained outside the system shop for future use. While he was making up his mind, Lili began asking about weapons that were heavy and could be used for the purpose of increasing strength."Heavy weapons that can increase strength ye say? Hmmm, I think I may have what yer lookin' for if its just fer trainin' purposes." Arin went into the back room and came out carrying two items. One was a large poleaxe that was more than 160cm long and weighed nearly 30kg. It was made of 'blacksteel' like the shops' namesake. The other item was an almost comically oversized hammer. It was 125cm long with the head of the hammer being 70cms. It weighed a monstrous 90kg.Out of curiosity, Vahn tried lifting the two weapons and found that, though they were lighter than he expected, they were very awkward to use. Lili also gave it a try and struggled quite a bit, but due to her [Artel*Assist] skill, she managed to carry both items, albeit with a strenuous amount difficulty.After holding the two items, Lili decided she would take them both since they met the requirements of activating [Artel*Assist]. She agreed with Vahn that it would be important to develop the skill if she wanted to get stronger in the future. There was also the truth that it was easier to discard than armor so she could easily swap weapons depending on the situation.Vahn ended up purchasing all the weapon and handed over 92,000V in payment. It was a large portion of his earning for the week, but once he started advancing further into the dungeon he would easily recoup the loss. After accepting the money, Arin ended up returning 12,000V with the reason being it was a discount for their first purchase and the fact they bought several items at once. He also mentioned he had been trying to get rid of the hammer for a while, so he was happy Vahn took it off his hands.Since it would be awkward explaining storage magic, Vahn had to give Arin the address of the inn and was informed they would be delivered before the end of the day. After that, they made their way towards a different shop that specialized in armor.Lili seemed very averse to purchasing "heavy" equipment since it didn't suit her small frame. In fact, other than some made-to-order stuff, there was nearly no armor that actually fit her so they had to give up after purchasing a small breastplate along with a pair of arm and leg guards. They were convenient as they could be worn easily over her usual clothing.Vahn, remembering the clothes Lili often wore was tattered and aged, decided to purchase her some newer clothing. After his experience with changing his own image, he thought it would be good for her to do something similar. After hearing they would next be shopping for clothes, Lilii's eyes began to glow in anticipation.They entered a store that specialized in producing and tailoring adventurer's wear. There were several mannequins decked out in a variety of different outfits that fit the stereotypes of different styles of adventurers.Lili spent more than three hours trying on various different outfits while Vahn sat numbingly having to give his opinion on each of them. She eventually settled on a pair of tan shorts with a black sleeveless shirt that displayed her navel. To accompany the outfit she also picked out a pair of dark stockings with tan leather boots that reached halfway up her calves. Lastly, she chose a stylish red vest to complete the outfit.Vahn thought the outfit suited her, but was curious why she would pick clothing that showed her stomach. After asking, she gave him a bashful look before moving away to hand the items over to the seamstress for modification. After she returned she asked a question of her own with a blush on her face, "Vahn, do you like when a girl shows her midriff or do you prefer if they stay fully clothed?"Vahn contemplated the question and realized he didn't have a preference. He enjoyed that everyone wore a variety of different outfits and didn't consider if he had a preference for any specific type of clothing. After thinking for a while, he decided on his answer. "I think people should wear whatever they want as long as it's comfortable. Though, if I had to say, when cute girls show more skin it makes me feel a bit dazed at times."Though she was dissatisfied with the first part of his answer, as it was kind of roundabout, Lili began to beam after hearing the second part. Even though she often wore a cloak and hood over her clothing, she didn't like wearing restrictive clothes all that much. That was the main reason she didn't want to wear heavy armor if it could be avoided.---The two continued to walk around until the evening came. Vahn told Lili after they had lunch that he had business with the Hephaestus Familia, so after he walked her back to the inn he made his way towards Hephaestus's workshop. Lili stayed behind to receive the shipment of items, but she didn't let Vahn leave without promising to take her out to dinner as compensation in the future.

Vahn looked towards Lili and tried thinking of how to explain the situation. As far as he knew there should be no methods for someone other than a god to update a Status Board. Even being able to view status is something exceptionally rare...Lili noticed he was struggling with something so she decided to speak up. "What is it Vahn? Did you notice something?" She was watching his face to see if he was trying to conceal anything. To Lili, Vahn seemed to have a lot of secrets that she couldn't ask about, but she still wanted him to be truthful to her.Vahn stared towards her with a serious expression. After hesitating briefly, he finally found his resolve. He had already decided to help her, and there was no reason he should hesitate after everything that has happened. "Lili...I have a skill that allows me to not only view status, but it should allow me to imbue my energy into the crest to revitalize the stagnant Falna within. I have never done it before, but I have reason to believe it will be successful."Hearing his words, Lili couldn't believe them. She had never heard of a mortal being able to empower a falna or being able to update the status board of another person. But, seeing the seriousness in Vahn's eyes, she believed he was telling the truth.She hung her head in thought before asking him a question. "Does it have anything to do with that strange aura you're able to emit? Just what exactly is that skill anyway? I've never even heard of anything like it before."Vahn shook his head. "No, that is a different skill. Right now, I can't tell you the details since even I'm not strong enough to protect it's secret. Knowing about it would only lead to your death." This was the truth, since Innate skills existing outside the natural 'law' of the world. If a resident of the record obtained too much information about them, the laws would likely take action.Lili could see a deadly seriousness in Vahn's expression, but it only made her want to know even more. She wanted to become strong enough that he could trust her with all of his secrets. For now, she just nodded without asking further."The skill I'm going to use is called [Yggdrasil's Favor]. It allows me to imbue the natural energy of the world into objects. Due to the nature of the skill, there is a very high possibility it would enable a stagnant falna to be revitalized since it should be similar in function to the energy used by gods in the mortal world. I can't go into too many details, because even I don't know exactly how it works." Vahn gave a helpless sigh since this was the limit of his current explanation. Anything more would be touching on the secrets he needed to protect.After mulling over his words for several minutes, Lili gave a determined nod and smiled towards Vahn. "I trust you Vahn. At the very least, I believe you won't try to harm me."With a warm feeling welling in his chest, Vahn said, "Thank you, Lili." He then reached out and patted her head for a brief moment."So, what do I need to do?" Lili had some expectations but decided to be roundabout and asked Vahn to explain.Vahn could see Lili begin blushing, and he began to feel like something was off. Unable to determine the cause, he decided to explain. "I'll need to view your Status Board while directly channeling the energy of my skill into the crest. I'm not sure how long it will take, but it shouldn't take too much time."Hearing Vahn confirm her suspicions, Lili began to blush fiercely while 'glaring' at Vahn. She began to wonder if he even understood what he was asking her to do. It didn't have to be said, but everyone knew the location of a Familia Crest was always on the back. Without directly exposing herself, he would be unable to perform the ritual!Vahn was very confused about her actions. He thought she would be happy to have her status updated without having to rely on her Familia, but she seemed angry and bashful instead. While he was thinking about the cause, Lili began speaking."Vahn...you may not know this since you aren't in a Familia, but the Crest is always located on the back of an Adventurer. Without removing my blouse, there would be no way to view my Status Board, much less channel energy into the crest..." Lili continued to 'glare' at Vahn. She saw him display a confused expression before seeming to come to an understanding which caused his eyes to widen."Ah, you're right. I'm sorry, I didn't think it through that far. I was just focused on the theory, and didn't think about the process that much..but, the part about me not being in a Familia is incorrect? Didn't you notice at the gate that I put my information as being part of the Hephaestus Familia? I even gave you a 'guest pass' to allow you to enter and exit freely."Lili became startled, realizing she had made a huge blunder. Even though she could identify the 'guest pass' as an item belonging to the Hephaestus Familia, she didn't think about how Vahn had obtained it. "But, Vahn? Didn't you say you were a freelancer when we first met? I thought you only recently entered the City...and you're even staying in an Inn instead of a dormitory or compound."Vahn nodded in confirmation. "That's all true. At the time of our first meeting, I was still a freelancer. I only joined the Hephaestus Familia after we parted from the dungeon that same evening."The words were like a bomb exploding within her mind. She could barely process the information. ('Exactly what happened in just a single night!?'). Lili released a long sigh. She felt like she severely underestimated how many events Vahn got wrapped up in within a short time period. In the course of a single evening, he saved her life, ran around the city, and even joined a Familia. And not just any Familia, but the rank 3 Familia within the entire City!"Vahn, please tell me when things like that happen...I'm not sure my heart can handle the constant feeling of surprise." She gave him a fed-up expression with drooping, tired eyes.Vahn just rubbed the back of his head, promising to inform her about things as long as they weren't a secret.---The two were now exiting the dungeon. After Vahn realized what was necessary for the procedure, he couldn't just ask Lili to take off her top within the dungeon. Even though it was unlikely, there was still a chance other Adventurers could appear in the route they were resting in. If they stumbled upon him using the skill and spread rumors, it would become a nightmare that wouldn't be easy to resolve. To prevent that from happening, the only solution would be to 'silence' them, but Vahn wasn't fond of the idea of indiscriminately killing people.After trading in their spoils for the day, Vahn split the earnings equally. Though Lili refused at first, Vahn ignored her and just started walking in the direction of the Inn. After a few moments of hesitation, Lili sighed before putting the daily earnings into her backpack and chasing after Vahn.---Since it was already late in the evening and Vahn didn't know how long the procedure would take, they decided to get some food from a nearby stall. The place they selected seemed to specialize in producing various types of crepes. Vahn found it very interesting watching them pour the batter and forming it into shape before adding the toppings they had each selected. From the side, Lili just stared at his childish expression while giggling.After they had finished several rounds of crepes (mainly due to the fact Vahn really loved the taste of fried fish after having it for the first time), they finally found their way to the Inn. Stepping inside, they came across Tina who, upon seeing Vahn, blushed before immediately running away without greeting them.Seeing the 'frightened' girl, Vahn just stood there with the hand he had raised to wave stuck awkwardly in the air. Once again, he could hear the laughter of Lili coming from his side. He turned to look at her, and she tried desperately to hold back her laughter before sticking her tongue out and heading up the nearby stairs.Vahn shook his head and began to follow her, but was stopped when the Proprietress, Milan, called out to him. "Ara~ Good evening Vahn. I was wondering why my daughter ran into the pantry looking like a tomato. Don't tell me you did something again~? I might have to really punish you at this rate~."Through his cold sweat, Vahn began explaining the circumstances before being forced to sit and buy a drink. It turned out Milan wanted to ask about the situation when he had disappeared for a few days and the reasons why he ended up bringing Lili back shortly after his return.Since Vahn had no negative feelings towards the kind, albeit mischievous, Proprietress he decided to explain things without revealing any sensitive information. She was surprised hearing that Vahn had saved Lili's life, and how after a series of events became responsible for training her to become stronger. When he got the part about how he had joined a Familia, and how he would most likely be moving away by the end of the week, a shadow dashed from behind the doorway dividing the dining room and kitchen."No! Please don't leave!" The young Tina had revealed her presence after hearing that Vahn would be leaving. When her mother had been discussing things with Vahn, she was eavesdropping on the conversation.Vahn just shook his head at her pleading. Though he liked staying within the Inn, he wouldn't be able to stay here for the rest of his life. It was always guaranteed that, as he grew stronger, he would eventually move on from this place.Seeing the apologetic expression on his face, combined with him shaking his head, Tina began to struggle with holding back her tears. "Is it because I ran away yesterday? Is it because I wouldn't let you touch my tail?" For Tina, she couldn't really rationalize the situation. Even though customers were always coming and going, she felt that Vahn would always be around. For Tina, he was a special existence and the first person that made her feel different from an ordinary girl.Vahn was pained seeing her cry, but he nearly fell off of his stool when she mentioned the part about the tail. He began to worry that he left a strange impression in the mind of the girl...He looked towards Milan, and she too seemed to be a bit sad about the revelation he would be leaving. However, unlike her daughter, she seemed to accept the reality for what it was. Life was always changing, always moving forward, even when you didn't want it to...Seeing the sad far-away look that had appeared on Milan, Vahn wanted to ask what she was thinking about. He wanted to be able to comfort the Mother-Daughter pair but didn't know what to do.While he was lost in thought, he felt a force wrap around his waist. Turning, he could see Tina hugging him from the side. He didn't expect that she had grown so attached to him even though they hadn't interacted that much. On the collar of the girl's blouse, he could see the brooch that he had bought for her the previous day.---After spending twenty minutes trying to console Tina and talking to Milan, Vahn finally managed to extricate himself from the situation after promising to stop by whenever he could, even after he moved out. Tina even pressed him further and had him promise to give her his address after he moved. She told him that when she was old enough, she would become an Adventurer too and follow him into the dungeon just like her mother had done with her father.---Vahn walked upstairs and knocked on the door to Lili's room. After various sounds of movement, the door opened a tiny margin and revealed the eye of Lili. She seemed very nervous, and Vahn noticed a peculiar odor coming from the crack in the door. It would seem that, while he was downstairs, Lili had taken the opportunity to bathe. Vahn assumed she must have been worried about her sweat, but after noticing the blush on Lili's face he began to become nervous as well."T-thanks for coming here Vahn. Please come inside..." Lili opened the door, revealing clothing Vahn had never seen before. It was an outfit very similar to pajamas, except she was wearing the top of the ensemble backward. The area that would typically be buttoned from the front now revealed her open back. Seeing the exposed skin, Vahn felt his mouth dry up causing him to instinctually swallow.Vahn stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

Chapter 48: Status : Training Continues