Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

(A/N: Technically an intermission chapter but connects to the actual start of Vol. 9)After entering the library, Vahn climbed the wooden ladder that connected to the shelves and reached for the book at the highest shelf on the left. Though he could put the book in his inventory and record all the contents to his mind, Vahn much preferred actually reading books the old-fashioned way. Unless it was a topic is was studying, Vahn would rather leisurely thumb through a book and enjoy the story at his own pace. Since they weren't organized at all, the book Vahn ended up selecting was actually a romance novel that seemed to be targeted towards women.Since he didn't have any preference, other than reading manga, Vahn tucked the book under his arm before climbing down the ladder and finding a comfortable spot to sit. Looking at the cover closely, Vahn saw the title of the book and read it as 'Dreams Under the Moonlight' and it had been written by an author simply called 'Ventus Valim'. Since it had been made from the system, the book looked completely brand-new and had a refreshing smell even though the design looked somewhat ancient. Vahn was able to read any language he had ever seen so the characters within the novel weren't indecipherable to his eyes.For the next few hours, Vahn slowly thumbed through the book and read its contents with a mixture of intrigue and light humor. The book was about a woman named Angelica who had been betrothed by her father to marry into the family of their long-time enemies. Both clans had grown tired of the fighting and agreed to compromise by marrying the first-born daughters of each family into the opposite family. This would allow them to have familial bonds with each other and pave the way for future cooperation so they could get an advantage against the other influential families within the region.Angelica lamented her fate, not because she was being forced to marry into the family, but because she was actually in love with another boy who was the younger brother of her betrothed. They had long ago started meeting up in secret and professed their love to each other and one day swore to elope into a far-off land the escape their families. Now she was being forced to marry his elder brother, who was a somewhat cruel and licentious man that was notorious for his exploitation of many village girls.When her lover tried to oppose the marriage, he was actually struck down by his father on the grounds that he was betraying the families interests. In his stupor, the boy professed his love for Angelica before his family and was locked away within their personal dungeon until after the wedding ended. The older brother, because of his cruel nature, had actually grown much more interested in the marriage after that as he lorded it over his younger brother who was locked away. He told Angelica that, unless she married him, he would ensure that her 'former' lover never left the prison. Since he was the next head of the family, he had a lot of influence compared to a fifth-born son within the family.Though she grieved for her own misfortune, Angelica still agreed to marry the evil man in order to free her lover. Even if she had to suffer at the hands of her husband, as long as her lover was free she would be happy. For the next several weeks, she was forced to interact with the cruel man until his actions escalated to the point where he tried to force himself on her. Though she resisted and cried out against the injustice, he forced her into silence with threats and she eventually caved in and lost her purity. The only solace she found in the situation was the hope that her lover would be freed after the day of her marriage.Matters escalated after that night and they grew progressively worse as the man forced her to do many shameless acts while using the same threats against her each time. Since she had already lost her dignity, Angelica gave in to his demands and had him swear to treat her former lover well. The man promised on his honor that no harm would come to his younger brother as long as she listened to his orders. Though it pained her greatly, Angelica bore his brutality and continued to suffer severe indignities to protect the lover in her heart.Finally, the day for the wedding came and Angelia married the cruel man with a false smile on her face. She looked around and saw that everyone was wearing fake smiles, even her own family who professed their love and support for her. Even though she had obviously been suffering for weeks, they were so afraid of compromising their treaty that they allowed her to suffer. How own mother had even given her two vials containing small pills, one for aphrodisiacs, and another meant to numb pain. They had no illusions about the nature of her husband and knew it would be difficult for her from now on.On the wedding night, she was carried away in the man's arms while both families cheered for them as he alighted her to the bridal chamber. When they were alone, Angelica pleaded that her former lover is freed only for the man to cruelly smile as he pinned her to the bed. He told her that they weren't officially married until the night had come to an end. It was the tradition for a new husband and wife to 'seal the deal' and spend the night together while the two families celebrated in another room. Angelica begrudgingly gave in to his demands and serviced him well into the morning even though he made her do many embarrassing things.When morning finally came, Angelia was mentally and physically exhausted because the man had not treated her gently in the slightest. Since he knew she was working hard to please him, he forced her to do many difficult things and even punished her whenever she failed. Since his punishments made it harder for her to follow his orders, things got progressively more difficult as the night continued. By the time morning came, Angelica had several bruises covering her body and could only lament her fate for dealing such a cruel hand to her. When the sunlight finally crested through the windows, she released a relieved sigh and once again pleaded for her lover to be freed.The cruel man smiled and sent for a servant to retrieve his younger brother and bring him to the room. Angelica, though exhausted beyond her limits, felt happy to be able to see her lover once again after having been separated for so long. She somehow managed to lift her body from the bed as the man laughed menacingly from her side. Before she could understand his reaction, he powerfully slapped her behind and knocked her face-forward onto the bed. Grabbing her from behind, the man continued to violate her even as the servant boy returned holding a vase.Angelica couldn't understand what was happening until her 'husband' explained that his younger brother had died of pneumonia the second night of his imprisonment after succumbing to his wounds. The entire time she had been slaving away to free him, even going so far as to devote her body to a man she hated, had been spent trying to free a dead man. After waving his hand to the servant, the boy opened up the vase and dumped out a pile of ashes onto the ground in front of Angelica as she stared blankly toward her front while the monster that called himself her husband continued to violate her...Unable to continue reading, Vahn shut the book with a snap and incinerated it into fine ashes before dispersing them through an open window. He had continued reading in the hopes that things would turn out better, that her lover would be freed, that they might be reunited through some whim of fate. However, no matter how far he read, things only got progressively worse for the tragic Angelica. It wasn't the first time he had read a book with tragic themes, but Vahn couldn't help feel a dissatisfaction inside of him as he imagined the suffering of the girl that didn't even exist.Releasing a sigh, Vahn sat against the sofa and looked towards the roof and realized he got too emotionally invested in things whenever he empathized with others. Since he was currently in a record that only existed in a manga previously, Vahn knew it was theoretically possible to visit the record where the girl Angelica existed. However, Vahn also knew it was unrealistic to try and save everyone simply because they had been written in a tragic manner. His journey would never end if he went about trying to change the fate of every person and try to make them happy. Every record he went to would have its own stories, its own tragedies, its own actual fate that could be altered depending on his actions...it was simply too much.For the second time, Vahn released a long sigh and tried to stop thinking about the matters of the book. He was already wrapped up the lives of so many people and his actions were already altering the very fate of the world he was currently in. If he couldn't guarantee his own happiness and the happiness of those around him, what right did he even have to try and change the fates of even more people? Especially people that didn't even currently exist...by going to that record, he would make the events real and it wouldn't just be Angelica that suffered. There would be an entire world, millions, if not billions of people that would each have their own lives...Vahn closed his eyes for a few seconds and began to calm his mind as he allowed his perception to wander in his surroundings. He saw that the girls had returned from their shopping trip and were split between three different places. Each of them was living their own life, intricately connected to his own, but entirely separate. Though he could empathize with them, Vahn could never truly see things from their perspective without seeing their heart's desire. Vahn also realized that, if he wanted to, he could completely alter how everyone around him lived on a whim...If Vahn truly wanted to stop caring, if he truly let go of his own inhibitions and stopped focusing on others, he would probably be able to enjoy life a lot more. He could do whatever he wanted, even sleep with whoever he wanted. He could research the things he liked and live without any restraints since he could create an infinite amount of wealth using his blacksmithing. Since he didn't rely on a goddess to update his status, he could even dive into the dungeon and, as long as he didn't drop his guard, probably conquer it in one go. He could slowly gain more subordinates, train them up to become stronger, and then build up an unstoppable army...But, that was if Vahn could stop caring and throw away everything that he believed in. His whole purpose of visiting this world was to pursue freedom and be happy, but it was never at the expense of others. Though he might not enjoy every single moment, Vahn felt like he was truly happy to be around everyone. They all came together to influence each other's lives and he was able to make them happy by bearing some of their burdens. His empathy allowed them to open themselves up to him and it added an incredible amount of variety to his life.Especially since Vahn had met girls like Hephaestus, Eina, Hestia, Chloe, Tiona, Ais...there were so many people that Vahn had grown an extreme affection for. Even goddesses like Loki, someone he never thought he could get along with, were vastly different than his initial expectations. She worked so hard for him, even though he had actually given her nothing but a promise and a lot of trouble. Even when she completely opened up her heart to him, Vahn simply asked her to be patient so he could manage his own life for the moment. Without complaint, she conceded to his request and has worked earnestly behind the scenes ever since. She was even trying to bear the brunt of the Ishtar Familia just so he could relax more and protect Haruhime...Vahn realized, yet again, that he was lacking in decisiveness and resolve. Though he always took action in the heat of the moment, Vahn was actually terrible when it came to being alone and trying to reason his way through things. Perhaps it was because he had become overly reliant on others, but Vahn understood he was lacking a couple of things to function properly and be a truly reliable person. However, the didn't seem to be an easy solution to remedy this other than simply...growing up and experiencing more. He had already changed so much in the last eleven months since his arrival and couldn't even imagine how much he would change in the next year...the next ten years...or even the next hundred years. Even as early as this time next year, Vahn would be a father, perhaps to several children...Vahn felt like that would be a big impact on his character and would shape his personality quite a bit.With a thoughtful expression on his face, Vahn held his hand to his chin and muttered to nobody, except perhaps the everpresent Sis, "So the only solution...is to live...why does that seem like such a difficult thing?" Vahn started to laugh at his own 'deduction' as he rose from the couch and started walked toward the central section of the Manor. If he couldn't find out the answer on his own and needed more experience to come to a conclusion, the best method was to simply gain more experience. Sitting in silence just made him brood over things he couldn't even affect, so why be alone when there were a number of people he could share the burden with?As if realizing something, Vahn paused for a bit until a small smile appeared on his face. Looking out the window and up into the murky sky above, Vahn muttered, "Life might be a personal experience...but living is a shared experience. Since my body doesn't age, I could have stayed in the Western Forests for a thousand years and would have lived just as many. However, I wouldn't have experienced a fraction of the 'life' I've lived here in the City...I understand why the gods come to the mortal world from Heaven now. They are ageless, eternal, with infinite lifespans...but it is only when they are free from Divinity and descend to the mortal world that they truly live..."Vahn laughed at himself and continued walking forward without worrying about things he couldn't change. Even if he passed through various records in the future, it would mean nothing if he didn't 'live' and experience what they had to offer. Vahn decided that, instead of worry about the future from now on, at least in regards to other worlds outside his control, Vahn would place his full attention on the current record. Even if he had to struggle a bit, happiness had long been in his grasp. The only thing he ever had to do was reach out and seize it...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Tragedy Genre Is Quite Frustrating','You can't save everyone','What is a life if not lived to the fullest?')I am currently at $731/1200 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

(A/N: This is also an intermission/side story)In the depths of the 30th floor of the dungeon, a beautiful golden-haired swordswoman stood facing three giant monsters that were more than five meters in height. They were covered in blood-colored scales that were incredibly resistant to both physical and magical attacks and appeared reminiscent of large dinosaurs and pseudo-wyverns. Not only were their sizes great, but their power was awesome as they thrashed about trying to crush the relatively small, by comparison, girl. Each of their strikes shattered the floor of the dungeon and sent small clouds of smoke and debris shooting through the air like lethal shrapnel.The creatures were known as Bloodsaurus and they were typically hunted by an entire party of adventurers. Though they weren't fast, they were incredibly powerful and most attacks weren't very effective unless the person was capable of penetrating through their thick hides. However, seemingly unaware of the supposed durability of their scales, the small girl dashed along the ground before kicking off with enough force to shatter her foothold. Shooting like a bullet, the girl was wrapped in small green particles of wind as she used the holy looking sword within her grip to instantly behead one of the monstrous creatures.Ignoring their fallen comrade, the other two Bloodsauras tried to crush the girl but she managed to evade their lethal blows easily. While they were distracted, a loud shout came from above one of the Bloodsaurus as a small, brown-skinned, girl fell from the sky and smashed her gigantic weapon into the back of the second monster and shattered its spine. From the impact point, an invisible pulse of energy radiated outwards before collapsing in on itself and crushing the internal organs of the Bloodsaurus. This was the [Crushing Blow: A] function of the gigantic weapon and something that always caused the brown-skinned girl to laugh gleefully. Her job done, she vaulted off the Bloodsaurus and flipped upside down in the sky while drawing a smooth arc through the air before landing lightly on her bare feet.For the final Bloodsaurus, there was another brown-skinned woman garbed in red, very revealing, clothing who attempted to decapitate the monster with her twin blades. Though she managed to cut through the thick hide easily, she wasn't able to sever the entire head without performing a sweeping spin, landing back on the ground, and then kicking off with force to attack the same spot for the third time. The last Bloodsaurus collapsed to the ground as she stared at the powerful blades in her hands with a mild grimace on her face.Off to the side, the main group of the Loki Familia had been watching the engagement with unveiled intrigue on their face. Ever since they had set out on the expedition, the three girls had been a force to be reckoned with and had been tearing through the monsters much faster than normal. Finn was very impressed with their performance and even thought to request Vahn to forge him a more powerful weapon in the future. He was currently using the spear Vahn had forged, but it wasn't nearly as strong as the weapons used by the three girls. Even Lefiya had an incredible useful staff that had caused Riveria's eyes to light up when she had seen it in action.Once the three monsters were taken care of, the support party moved forward and began to harvest the resources from the corpse before it dissipated into ashes. The hide from the Bloodsaurus could be treated and turned into low-grade communication scrolls while their blood could be converted into the magical ink necessary for their use. It took about 40 liters of blood to create a single liter of ink after it had been processed. Since it was almost impossible to refine within the dungeon, most people didn't waste time trying to collect the blood even though it was an incredible source of income.Finn approached the three girls, who were Ais, Tiona, and Tione respectively and said, "Very well done, you three are performing excellently lately." In response to his words, Ais showed a happy smile as she stared at the unblemished [Gram] that Vahn had made for her. Tiona had a somewhat silly smile on her face as she remarked with a laugh, "Did you see me crush it~? Every time I smash a monster, it gets my blood pumping~." As if giving homage to the name, Tiona spun around happily with [Dance of the Amazon] in her hands. Even though it didn't have the incredible endurance of [Urga], Tiona liked [Dance of the Amazon] much more since it made her feel light on her feet. There was also much less impact on her hands whenever she hit something and the ability [Crushing Blow] was very satisfying.The only person who seemed dissatisfied by Finn's compliment was, surprisingly, Tione. Even though she would normally love to hear him say complimentary words to her, she couldn't help but frown as she looked at Tiona and Ais before sheathing her twin swords. Though she was fond of the two blades, since they were quite beautiful and intricately designed, she became increasingly aware that they were a much lower quality than the weapons wielded by the two girls.Finn had an awkward smile on his face, because he was the most aware of the changes in Tione as of late. She was always trying to compete with Ais and Tiona but seemed to be falling behind a bit compared to the other two girls. Since she considered herself the 'older' sister, Tione's pride had taken a bit of a hit during this expedition and she had been complaining to him when they set up camp in the evenings.After turning things over to Raul, Finn returned to their encampment with the rest of the main party, including Gareth, Riveria, Bete, and Lefiya. Though he had made rude remarks when he first saw the weapons, Bete had quickly learned that his comments were misplaced. He thought that the weapons were either baubles created by an incompetent blacksmith or something that Vahn had purchased to try and woo the girls. When he learned that Vahn had personally forged them and saw their efficacy in combat, Bete couldn't help but keep his silence around the girls while he vented his concerns to Gareth over alcohol in private. Ever since he was, more or less, spurned by the girls, Bete had been in a tense mood and had required 'outside assistance' from an Amazon girl at the red light district to ease his tensions. Now that he had been away for so long, Bete wanted to return to the surface and relax away from the 'pink' mood of the two 'idiot girls'.When they were settling in for the night, the girls had gathered together in their shared tent and started talking about various matters until the conversation eventually transitioned to a topic they had discussed often lately. Tiona had a happy expression on her face and was polishing her [Dance of the Amazon] as she remarked, "I can't wait to see Vahn again~! It feels like it has been so long, I wonder if he has become even stronger~?" Tione heard her sisters comment and nearly spat the words, "Bah, all you do is talk about that kid non-stop lately! Look at you, you're behaving like more of an idiot every day..."Without taking any offense at all, Tiona laughed in a silly manner and said, "You're just jealous that Vahn gave me and Ais such powerful weapons~. Even Lefiya got a pretty good staff and all you got were a pair of butter knives, ehehehe~!" Piggybacking off Tiona's words, Ais smiled and said, "Nnn, very powerful. I like this sword...it is my favorite." There was a confident glint in Ais's eyes as she stared into the reflective surface of [Gram]. Unlike her other swords, which always broke after a certain amount of time passed, [Gram] seemed completely capable of resisting her techniques. Even without polishing, its luster never faded and Ais had never seen so much as a drop of blood mar its beautiful white surface.Tione gnashed her teeth at the two girls and looked at her intricately designed swords as if they were useless. If not for the fact they were actually much stronger than her previous pair, Tione would have thought Vahn had pulled the wool over her eyes. She knew he had gifted her the blades with good intentions, but now his kindness was a constant reminder of her own failures as of late. Even if she knew that Vahn wasn't ostracizing her, Tione felt a little annoyed that he didn't show her at least as much attention as her own twin. It didn't help that Finn continued to deny her advances and had even plainly stated that he would only ever marry and have babies with another Pallum.Even when she promised to use the medicine so she wouldn't get pregnant, Finn still denied her constantly and didn't fall for any of her ploys to get him drunk. She had even tried to slip him an aphrodisiac, but he managed to trick her into drinking the glass she had offered him before having Riveria heal her while Tiona and Ais detained her. Ever since that incident, Tione had felt the distance between her and Finn grow marginally and she had nobody else to blame but herself.Lefiya had seen the tensions increasing in the atmosphere and tried to ease the mood a bit by saying, "When we return to the surface, we'll be able to put in a request with Hephaestus-sama and have some custom equipment made. I'm certain she would be able to make you a pair of swords that would even exceed Tiona and Ais's weapons." Though she had said the words to encourage Tione, it didn't help that she was constantly carrying around [Heal] like it was a precious treasure.Tione released a long sigh after looking at Lefiya 'cradling' her staff and said, "Even if Hephaestus forged me a pair of powerful weapons, I feel like Vahn would give them something more powerful than anything I received...Graaaaah~!" Unable to release her own frustrations, Tione fell back onto the ground and rolled around while clutching her head. The other three girls in the tent stared at her like she had lost her mind until Tiona began laughing mischievously. Hearing her own sister laughing at her suffering, Tione glared at her and said, "Don't laugh at me, I'm still the big sister! Even my boobs are getting much bigger than your's!"After Tione's outburst, Tiona just began to laugh loudly as she playfully said, "I might have cared before, but I know Vahn doesn't care about that kind of thing at all~! All I have to do is walk up to Vahn and ask him to kiss me and he would willingly do so. If we're alone, he might even fondle my butt...or maybe a lot more ya know~?" Tione shot up from the ground and had tears in her angry eyes as she shouted, "Don't rub it in Tiona! You're not so special to Vahn after all. Hell, I bet if Lefiya or I tried, Vahn would willingly have sex with both of us as well!"Suddenly being dragged into such a dangerous conversation, Lefiya blushed so quickly and fiercely that a 'pah' sound came from her head and she collapsed backward with her eyes spinning around. Instead of refuting her words outright, Tiona nodded and said, "I don't think Vahn would just sleep with anyone, but I think he'd consider you and Lefiya. I think it might be a long time until then though since Lefiya is still too young for things like that~?" Since Ais had waited until her birthday, she also nodded and said, "Lefiya needs to wait...maybe in a year?"Hearing Ais's words, Lefiya flustered even more and said, "I-I don't think...I don't think that Vahn and I suit each other...waaaaaah." As Lefiya spoke, Ais looked over at her and cocked her head to the side and asked, "You don't like...Vahn?" Ais suddenly seemed to have become a bit sad as she turned her head down and began to polish the flawless surface of [Gram]. Before Lefiya could say anything to 'console' Ais, Tione looked at Tiona and asked incredulously, "What makes you think I would even let him sleep with me? You know I like the Captain and want to have his children."Tiona still had a smile on her face, but she stopped laughing as she said plainly, "I want things to work out between you and the Captain, but I don't think things will ever go the way you want. There is more than a twenty-five year age gap between you and the Captain is completely dedicated to his ideals. Unless he eventually married a Pallum girl and raised an heir, I don't think he would ever sleep with you. I can't imagine you waiting another ten, or more, years without losing your patience and doing something you regret. Besides, you have to be pretty dense if you think we haven't noticed the way you act around Vahn. Even if it's because of jealousy or you just wanting to tease him, you definitely don't have your guard up against him at all, do you?"The whole while Tiona was speaking, Tione furrowed her brows low without responding. Everything her little sister was saying was the cold, hard, truth of the matter and there was nothing she could do to change it. Even if she pushed things even further, it would only widen the gap between her and Finn instead of shortening it. Vahn, however, was always nice to her and paid her plenty of compliments even when she was pushing the boundaries a bit to get even with Tiona. If not for the fact she was in love with Finn, Tione would have pursued Vahn as well since he also had the self-sacrificing mentality that she found to be attractive. Tione just didn't want to give up on her first love, even though, as her sister said, there was more than a twenty-five year age gap between her and Finn. When compared to Vahn, who was actually similar in age to herself, it seemed to be a much more sensible to pursue him instead of Finn...Tiona watched her elder sister silently contemplate matters for a while before saying, "Vahn promised that, when we finally have children together, that we would be able to raise them as a family." Tione raised her head and frowned as she said, "That isn't possible, you know the customs..." Tiona immediately shook her head and said confidently, "No, I believe in Vahn. If he says it is possible, I know it will come to pass somehow. You've seen it as well, how much effort he puts into things. Vahn wouldn't say something like that unless he had a plan of action that had a certain degree of success. If it's him, I think our children can live free from the tragedy of growing up in Telskyura."Before Tione could respond, Ais nodded her head and said, "Vahn always tells the truth. He will become the strongest." Hearing Ais, Tione looked between the two smitten girls and could see a fiery confidence burning deep without their eyes. Though she had trouble believing their words, Tione also thought that Vahn was a pretty reliable guy, just not to the almost fanatic extent of Tiona and Ais. Looking over, she saw Lefiya had a thoughtful expression on her face so she asked, "What do you think, Lefiya? Do you think Vahn is as reliable as these two idiots claim?"Though surprised to be addressed, Lefiya calmed down and considered her words before holding up the [Heal] in her hands and saying, "An item like this staff, according to Riveria's and my research, shouldn't be possible. No matter how much we try to understand it's structure, we only get closer and closer to an infinite number of complexities instead of finding any answers. If Vahn created this staff, he is capable of things that fundamentally alter thousands of years of magical research and study...I think...I think he is very reliable." Toward the end of her words, Lefiya blushed beet red and lowered her head while holding the staff to her budding breasts.Tiona frowned further because she knew that Lefiya was a magical prodigy and that Riveria was the most preeminent mage in the entire City. If they weren't able to crack the logic behind the staff, it meant that Vahn's capabilities were revolutionary. She also knew he had invented several things that revolutionized forging in the past as well...Though she had never considered it before, Vahn seemed to defy common sense and always pushed himself ever closer to his goals. If he really told Tiona that he would guarantee they could raise their children, even she was beginning to believe there was some truth to the claim. Releasing a sigh, Tione looked toward the direction of Finn's tent and muttered to herself, "Captain, if you don't take me soon..."Before Tione could finish her utterance, Finn entered through the flap of the tent next Riveria and said, "We'll be returning to the surface sooner than expected. Loki-sama sent notice that there might be an incident going on related to Vahn and the Alliance. Make sure to head to sleep soon since we'll be heading out very early." Without waiting for their response, Finn nodded his head with a smile and left the tent with Riveria. Before they left, Riveria looked back and saw the various degrees of excitement on each girls face and said, "Looks like you'll be able to enjoy a date with Vahn again pretty soon."Ais had a contented smile on her face as Tiona placed away her [Dance of the Amazon] and shouted, "I'm going to sleep~!" Lefiya had a slight blush on her face and began to change into her sleepwear as well while Tione, the only one who had been excited for a different reason, stood blankly and stared at the flap where Finn had just exited. Since she had just been thinking about him, Tione got excited when he showed up so suddenly. Now that he left without even giving her any personal words, she felt slightly bereaved and shouted, "Captain, you idioooooot~!"Finn, who had just left the tent to inform the rest of the encampment paused for a moment and had an incredulous look on his face as he asked Riveria, "Riveria, did I do something wrong?" Hearing his word, Riveria had a thoughtful expression for a moment before explaining, "Maybe she thought you were going to do some night crawling? It's hard to tell when it comes to Tione at times..." Finn released a deep sigh and rubbed his temples as he began walking away from the tent once again. After a few seconds, he remarked, "I hope she doesn't stress herself out too much. Even though I respect her feelings, I wish she would respect mine a bit...it isn't a simple matter for me to make such concessions. I guess that's just a part of youth..."Since Finn was 38 and Riveria was 97, they were both some of the more mature members of the Familia alongside Gareth who was 54. When Finn had defeated Tione a few years ago, he never expected that she would become so obsessed with him and it was one of the matters that plague his thoughts on several nights. He almost wished someone would come along and defeat her so she wouldn't be so stressed out all the time...for a brief moment, the figure of an aquamarine eyed boy passed through Finn's mind before he shook his head and muttered, "I hope he doesn't cause us even more trouble..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'SMASHING~!','Tione's Envy','Finn's Never-Ending Troubles')I am currently at $731/1200 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 270: Relax...