Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn had been sleeping within his chilled room when he felt a pulse of energy pass through the formation protecting the Manor. It was a small, almost unnoticeable blip, but Vahn had been in an alert state as things grew progressively more peaceful. Expanding his domain, Vahn began to look for the sign of any foreign presences within the 322m area of his perception. Though he couldn't perfectly map everything within his domain, Vahn was vaguely aware of the structure of the Manor and had memorized its layout because of the efforts he had been putting into redesigning it. Using his mini-map in conjunction with his domain, Vahn was able to detect a presence trying to enter through the first floor of the west wing.Almost everyone within the Manor slept in rooms on the 3rd floor, but that wasn't common knowledge and Vahn expected that the intruder was either an assassin or someone sent to scout out the interior of the Manor. The only people on the first floor were the twins, but they were in the central area near the kitchen in one of the smaller rooms. However, Vahn wasn't going to wait around to see what the intruder was up to, so he jumped out of bed and immediately equipped his combat attire before making his way out of the room. He noticed the Fenrir had awoken, but he sent her a signal telling her to protect the third floor.Vahn knocked on the door that was usually Ryuu's room, but she had been sharing it with Aki since she didn't often sleep over. It was one of the larger rooms, so it was able to easily accommodate two beds and both Ryuu and Aki were used to sharing a room with others. Though she had been asleep, Aki quickly awoke even though Vahn only gently rattled on the door. She answered the door in a nightgown and Vahn had a brief thought wondering why cat girls seemed to wear nightgowns to be before briefing Aki on the situation. He had her stay near the stairwell connecting to the third floor while he made his way down to intercept the intruder who was slowly making their way through the rooms in the west wing.Vahn had a cold glint in his eyes as he pushed his stealth capabilities to the max and wore dark-colored clothing that had the properties of absorbing light. He could tell by the aura of the person that they were likely near Level 4, so he was certain they hadn't come with good intentions. There was also the fact that the person had a mute aura mixed with greys and a hint of green which showed that, though they had never met, the person had feelings of envy or resentment toward him.Since the presence was cautiously making its way through each room, Vahn knew they were looking for something or someone. Though Vahn had likely made several enemies after interfering with matters in the red light district, the only person that would be able to mobilize a Level 4 would be the Ishtar Familia. Even if the person was just a hired assassin, there were few people that would take on a request to interfere with the Hestia Familia which was indirectly supported by two of the top three Familia within the City.Vahn really didn't want to destroy parts of his own Manor, so he waiting in the corridor connecting the west wing to the central area and opened up several windows even though it was below freezing outside. He then waited in the shadows and thinned out his presence to the point that most people wouldn't be able to detect him even if they had powerful detection abilities. He had already tested it previously with Mikoto, but he was able to isolate his presence by condensing his domain and imbuing it with [Stealth]. Just like he had done with the Juggernaut, he was able to fool any magical or mental probes unless they came in direct contact with his body.After around twenty minutes, the presence entered the corridor and immediately paused when they saw the open windows and felt the chill on their skin. Surprisingly, Vahn noticed that the person hadn't made any attempt to conceal themselves and could see that it was a relatively handsome brown-skinned man with black hair, placid green eyes, and a noble disposition. He scanned carefully through the area as if he was searching for something before hesitantly making his way forward. Vahn was impressed with the level of caution the man showed, especially considering the current situation. Since he had intruded into several places himself, Vahn knew how disconcerting it could be when you stumbled into an unexpected situation. If not for his ability to scan the area with his domain, Vahn knew he would probably struggle to try and keep himself concealed in most situations.When the man lined up with one of the windows, Vahn moved forward with Shundo and placed his hand on the man's chest before launching them both out through the window and into the cold night air. Since he didn't correctly set the landing point, Vahn and the unknown man carried their momentum before the intruder managed to separate from Vahn and the two opened a distance of around seven meters between each other. Without immediately attacking, the man dusted off his outfit before asking, "You must be Vahn Mason, I've seen your picture. I've come to deliver a message..."Vahn pulled out [Lævateinn] and asked, "Oh? What kind of message needs to be delivered in the dead of the night by an intruder that skulks around my Manor as if they're looking for something?" The ashen blade of [Lævateinn] began to glow with an intimidating red light as if it were about to burst into flames at any moment. The intruder frowned with a look of distaste on his face and stated, "My Mistress wishes to meet with you. Were it up to me, I would much rather see you in a ditch, but I must do as my Mistress commands."Without dropping his guard, Vahn looked over the man with his [Eyes of Truth] and noticed there were both ropes as well as unidentified drugs contained within the pouch at his back. Even if what the man said was true, Vahn could tell there was another purpose of his visit that he was glossing over. If the man had come across Haruhime before 'delivering his message', Vahn had no doubts he would have kidnapped her without a word. Without asking, Vahn knew the 'Mistress' the man was talking about was Ishtar.Vahn brandished [Lævateinn] and drew an arc of flames through the air that caused the surrounding cold to vanish as an intense heat spread through the area. He stated plainly, "You invade my home in the middle of the night after bypassing the defensive formation I set up to simply inform me that your 'Mistress' wishes to meet with me? Curious that you'd need ropes and what I assume to be sleeping drugs to send a simple message." Hearing Vahn's words, the man became tense but didn't lose his condescending glare as he said, "You have no right to steal the property of-" Before he could finish his words, Vahn used [Enkidu] to try and immobilize the unnamed pawn of Ishtar.Surprisingly, the man was able to side-step the super-sonic chain that tried to wrap around him as he rushed toward Vahn with a pair of gloves that seemed to be reinforced with magical runes. Unfortunately, there wasn't a movement skill within the record of Danmachi that could rival Shundo and Vahn disappeared so quickly that the briefest hint of an afterimage was left in his previous location. The man's eyes widened as he reached into a hidden pouch and threw a dagger at Vahn's new location with pin-point precision. Vahn easily deflected the blade with his gauntlets before once again trying to lock down the man's movements with [Enkidu].Since it was dark outside, the man was able to react to [Enkidu] easily because it always created a gentle golden light whenever it exited through the void. Vahn frowned since it wasn't often an opponent was able to react to his [Enkidu] and it took a very large amount of energy to summon the chains. After ingesting a mana regeneration potion, Vahn stopped trying to use [Enkidu] and decided that it was pointless trying to capture the man. If he had come just to deliver a message, Vahn might have humored him since he was interested in dealing with Ishtar himself if possible. However, knowing that the man came with the intention of kidnapping Haruhime, Vahn had already added him to his mental list of enemies.After failing to hit Vahn several times, the man noticed that the annoying chains that appeared out of thin had stopped appearing. He saw Vahn ingest an unknown potion and thought he had overused his mana with a chantless magic. With a gloating expression on his face, the man resumed his 'noble' demeanor and said, "Give up, you're not able to defeat me at your current Level. You might be strong for a Level 3, but your cheap tricks don't work on me. I might not be able to hit you, but you can't hit me either..."Vahn looked at the man like he was saying something ridiculous and noticed the expression of the intruder 'broke' a little after seeing the look Vahn gave him. With a condescending smile of his own, Vahn said, "Tell your 'Mistress' that, if she wants to meet with me, ask for an audience with the Loki and Hephaestus Familia's first. If they agree, I don't mind meeting the owner of such a loyal dog." Hearing Vahn's words, the man had a bulging vein on his handsome face as he glared in Vahn's direction. He drew in several deep breaths through his nose and seemed to be thinking of how he could make Vahn pay for his words.If it were possible to get around Loki and Hephaestus, Ishtar wouldn't have sent him in the middle of the night to try and infiltrate the Hearth Manor. Even if they were a 'criminal Familia', the Isthar Familia still acted above-board on the surface and put in a lot of effort to cover up their crimes. They might have crushed a few minor Familia in the past with sheer might, but there wasn't any opportunity to target the Hestia Familia with the number of hidden forces surrounding their Manor. Not only had Hephaestus and Loki purchased the surrounding properties, but they had stationed a number of personnel to watch the movements of the Ishtar Familia. There was even a team of investigators that belonged to the Guild watching over the movements within the Manor, and fighting in the courtyard would already create problems if they were seen.From the man's perspective, Vahn was using the shield of external forces to get his way and was now 'taunting' the entire Ishtar Familia, his Mistress and himself included. If not for the strange technique Vahn used to evade his every attack, the man would have captured him and beat his face until he had become unrecognizable by even his closest family members. Of course, if he actually did that, Ishtar would probably punish him since she had taken an interest in the boy. This was the reason Vahn was able to see 'envy' within his aura, because he was jealous that the Goddess in his heart had taken an interest in a boy more handsome than himself.After calming down a bit, the man said, "My name is Tammuz Belili, I challenge you, Vahn Mason, to a duel. If I win, you will accompany me to meet my Mistress along with the harlot Sanouno Haruhime." Without saying anything about the conditions of his loss, Tammuz got into a combat stance that looked reminiscent of an out-boxing style of CQC. He had his feet squared up and loosely held both fists up with his left fist forward. Vahn could tell that he would be able to respond to an attack from almost any direction except the blind spots behind him.Vahn squinted his eyes at Tammuz and was considering it if was appropriate to kill the man before him. He could tell that he was under the influence of Ishtar's charm, but it was also a fact that he had invaded his home with the intent to bring harm to those in his charge. It might be true that he had 'stolen' Haruhime from Ishtar, but it didn't make it acceptable to break into the Manor of a Familia and kidnap one of its members. Even if Vahn killed Tammuz, there would be no way for Ishtar to complain about the situation since they had gone about it in secrecy. She might try to pressure Vahn by spreading rumors and accusing him of various crimes, but there was no way she would be able to break through the wall of Hephaestus and Loki while Vahn was also shielded, to a lesser extent, by the Guild.Shaking his head, Vahn decided that it wasn't a kindness to himself or the people he was protecting to arbitrarily spare those actively trying to cause them harm. He wouldn't go out of his way to kill Tammuz, but he wasn't going to hold back if they were dueling seriously. If Tammuz managed to survive the coming onslaught, Vahn would help dispel the effects of Ishtar's charm and then heal his body a bit before turning him over to the authorities. Of course, this was assuming he survived Vahn's expanding wrath. From the moment he referred to Haruhime as a 'harlot', Vahn had already bumped him up on the list several tiers within his mind.Throwing [Lævateinn] into his inventory, Vahn decided to even the playing field a bit and also test his new form in practical combat. The white fur on his arms and legs began to condense into black scales as his skin darkened and the tattoo of a snake coiled around his arms, back, and shoulders. Instead of using his Báihǔ form, Vahn wanted to test his Xuánwǔ form since Tammuz seemed like a brawler. Of course, this didn't mean that Vahn was going to play 'fair' at all, since he compressed his domain and began to condense fire elements into his body until he began to glow red-hot in the cold night air.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Trying to steal the cubs of a tiger while mama is still home','All kinds of flags were raised','Vahn's 'curiosity' isn't always pleasurable for people')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

From the moment Vahn transformed into his Xuánwǔ form and began to glow, Tammuz's expression became especially serious. Without waiting any further, he kicked off from the ground to try and subdue Vahn before things got out of hand. Unexpectedly, instead of trying to evade as he had done previously, Vahn stood his ground and struck forward with a precise strike at Tammuz's chest. Since he figured something was abnormal, Tammuz dodged the blow by twisted his body and vaulting toward Vahn's flank. During the motion, he felt an intense heat pass near his torso and looked toward Vahn with a fierce glare.Since he had recently just 'exposed' himself during the fight with Tione, Vahn had purchased a pair of trousers that were incredibly resistant to heat. They weren't fire-proof, but they would be able to last for a while as long as he only heated up certain parts of his body. He was, however, completely topless in the cold air as heat radiated from his body in waves. His muscles were exposed and his healthy tanned skin covered in tattoos was clearly visible to any observers. Because his muscles became slightly larger in his Xuánwǔ form, Vahn currently looked as though he had a tyrannical strength and Tammuz could feel the pressure.Instead of trying to trade blows directly, Tammuz pulled out several nail-like projectiles and threw them fast enough to make popping sounds in the air. They passed through the after-image of Vahn and buried themselves deep into the ground more than 40m away. Tammuz frowned and rolled forward before vaulting off his hand after evading Vahn's kick. He could feel the intense heat from the blows and knew it wouldn't be easy to resist unless he was looking for an internecine outcome. Curiously, Tammuz noticed that Vahn wasn't moving around much compared to his actions when he was a 'weretiger'.Though he couldn't be sure, Tammuz thought that Vahn had given up his mobility in exchange for power and endurance. Since the movement technique he used had the fluctuations of mana, it would be possible to turn the fight into a battle of attrition if he planned things well. The problem was that Vahn was able to use 'storage magic' and Tammuz couldn't even begin to guess how many recovery items he might have within. It might be a difficult fight, but it seemed the only way to progress was to suffer a bit and then get healed later.Vahn noticed that Tammuz had taken on a more defensive stance and didn't seem to be willing to trade blows with him directly. It was a bit annoying since he wasn't able to test his Xuánwǔ form if the opponent wasn't willing to actually fight him. Vahn began to realize that it wasn't always advantageous to use techniques that the opponent didn't expect. When against a veteran fighter, they would evaluate any new changes and try to find a countermeasure instead of tackling the matter head-on. Now Vahn understood why information about people was often highly sought after and could cost an incredible amount of Valis to obtain. If you knew all of your opponent's skills, you could formulate a strategy to deal with them easily. Since Tammus knew next to nothing about his actual abilities, he was playing it safe and being more reactive than proactive.For a brief moment, Vahn humored the idea of removing the fire elements from his body to try and draw in Tammuz, but it didn't seem like a rational idea unless he was able to somehow convince him that he was running low on mana. Since Vahn wasn't the greatest at 'deceiving' others, he didn't have a lot of confidence in pulling it off without actually exposing himself. He had let Tione keep the effigy, and he was now realizing he should have perhaps kept it for himself. Ever since he was 'instantly killed' by Tione's accidental strike, Vahn knew that a fight could change in an instant if he dropped his guard.Thinking Vahn had dropped his guard, Tammuz pulled out a single, long, nail and threw it toward Vahn's leg with an incredible force. Without even putting in much effort to evade, Vahn widened his footing a bit and the nail passed harmlessly in the ground behind him. Even if he didn't 'seem' to be paying attention to Tammuz, his training with Tsubaki was deeply ingrained into his body. Since everything currently was happening within his domain, Vahn was almost untouchable unless the opponent could do something to drastic to distract him. Using the incredible brief window when Tammus had shifted his weight to throw the nail, Vahn stepped forward with Shundo as a green glow emerged from his scales.Tammuz backstepped to evade the blow, but he hadn't expected that Vahn's attack didn't require him to actually make contact. Vahn had converged the shockwave that would have resulted from his attack and compressed it to a point before releasing it in front of his hand. Instead of dissipating into the air, the compressed force shot forward like an air cannon and slammed into Tammuz's body before sending him backward nearly ten meters. Before he had the chance to recover, Vahn had already appeared behind him and sent a powerful side-kick to Tammuz's exposed back.Since he was still receiving the 'air cannon', Tammuz wasn't able to react to the blow from his blindspot and felt his bones creak under the force of Vahn's kick as the back of his tunic and the skin beneath began to burn away. He vaulted through the air once again and tried to recover, but Vahn appeared right in front of him with wide eyes and a somewhat tyrannical expression on his face with an uncharacteristically cruel smile. This was a trait Vahn had developed while soloing in the dungeon back when he was more active. Whenever he got deeply invested in combat, the cold sensation in his mind would continue to grow stronger and he felt compelled to dominate whatever he was fighting. It wasn't a simple rush of adrenaline, but the [Heart of the Eternal Flame] was pumping an incredible amount of oxygen-rich blood through his body and made him feel a little giddy and excitable.Vahn struck forward once again as the tattoo on his back glowed with a golden light before the scales on his forearm expanded slightly with green runes present in the centers of each one. Tammuz gnashed his teeth and tried to protect himself but was unable to resist the force since he had previously been sent flying by Vahn. Without hesitating for a single instant, Vahn brought his arm forward like a guillotine and connected his forearm with the cross-guard of Tammuz as he aimed for the neck. Since he wasn't able to completely defend against the blow, Vahn smashed Tammuz's own limbs into his neck and body before sending him spinning on the spot several times before he collided hard with the ground.Before Tammuz was able to recover from the blow, Vahn used several chains of [Enkidu] to appear near the ground and arch over Tammuz's body before pulling them tight and pinning him to the ground. Most of the chains wrapped around his body, but Vahn had managed to get one around his thighs while another had managed to slip through his guard and was firmly pinning down Tammuz's neck. For a brief instant, Vahn had a strange desire to smash Tammuz's head like a watermelon since he still had a condescending glare in his eyes. Instead, Vahn decided to change his expression a bit and converged a small number of fire elements into the exposed ocular devices of Tammuz. Though it wasn't enough to permanently blind him, it was still an incredibly painful attack and there was nothing he could do to protect himself even by closing his eyes.Tammuz screamed out in pain, but Vahn stopped his cries by tightening the chain around his neck and temporarily stopping the flow of air. When his face began to turn purple and he had 'calmed down', Vahn eased up the chains a bit and said, "Don't move; if you piss me off any further, you won't be able to blame me for what happens." Tammuz tried to refute Vahn's words, but the only thing he got for his troubles was [Enkidu] tightening around his neck and body. There was nothing he could do but stare as Vahn placed his hand upon his head and a powerful energy began to pass through his body.Since he had experience with it, Vahn was able to dispel the charm effect from Tammuz's mind before pressing several points within his chest and abdomen to seal any chance he would have of trying to fight back when Vahn released him. When he was done, Vahn loosened the chains a bit, but didn't release Tammuz as he asked, "Tell me, do you still act in the interests of Ishtar?" Vahn knew that, even if someone was under the effects of charm, it wouldn't change their base personality much. If Tammuz was still hostile toward him, there wasn't any reason to let him continue putting the people he cared about in danger.Without any hesitation, Tammuz tried to spit toward Vahn as he shouted, "You think you can change my loyalty to my Mistress with your paltry tricks!? You overestimate yourself; you and your little Familia will be destroyed for having the audacity to interfere with my goddess's plans!" Vahn nodded his head with an 'approving' smile as he said amicably, "Your loyalty is impressive, commendable even..." Then, without any hesitation, Vahn pulled out a non-descript black blade before driving it straight into Tammuz's heart. Since he was still a Level 4, Tammuz didn't immediately die as he resisted against the chains and tried to pull the sword out of his chest. Vahn bowed his head slightly and continued his words, "I hope she remembers everything you did for her in her final days." His words finished, Vahn twisted the sword and Tammuz instantly died from the severe trauma.Since it had been a 'duel', and he hadn't gone out of his way to excessively hurt Tammuz, Vahn got a surprising amount of good karma from the fight while only accumulating 2 points of negative karma. He suspected it was probably due to the fact that he had 'slightly' burned Tammuz's eyes earlier. As he wasn't able to fight back, it was an unnecessary action while the execution of Tammuz had been because of personal differences and not an actual grudge. Tammuz was genuinely willing to do whatever it took, including harming the people he cared about, all to appease Ishtar. Since he was in direct confrontation to Vahn, there was no negative karma involved in their dispute and Vahn actually got 'rewarded' for all the terrible things Tammuz had done in the name of his loyalty in the past.For a short while, Vahn considered if he should turn Tammuz's corpse over to the authorities, or if he should inform the Alliance through the network so they could take action. Eventually, Vahn decided to not use the corpse of a person to send a message or as a tool to be exploited by others. Though his reasons were misguided, Tammuz was a loyal subordinate and had fought against Vahn in a relatively straightforward manner. Since Vahn had learned much from the fight, he didn't want to desecrate the corpse of his opponent so he performed a short burial rite before cremating the remains.Within Tammuz's belongings, there was a small locket that showed the picture of a relatively beautiful brown-skinned woman with amorous eyes. Vahn assumed the image belonged to Ishtar and he was able to see the initials T.B. underneath the picture. Considering it might be a memento, even though Vahn owed nothing to Ishtar, he decided to return it to her in the future. Even if she didn't personally care for it, it could be used to decorate her altar if she continued trying to pry into the lives of the people he cared about...After spreading Tammuz's ashes in the garden, Vahn informed Aki of everything that happened so she could spread word on the network. Other than Hestia, Aki also had two different scrolls within her room. One of them connected to the network, while the other specifically only transmitted to Loki. She had told Vahn about it, and he knew she was keeping tabs on both himself and Hestia while also regulating things within the Familia on his behalf. Though he realized it could be related to one of Loki's schemes, Vahn was able to tell that Aki had no ill-will towards him and he still informed Hestia about anything that happened so the network would always be aware of what was going on. The only reason he didn't tell her now was that it was very early in the morning and Vahn didn't want to blow the 'relatively minor' event out of proportion.Leaving Aki's room, Vahn made his way to the bath and soaked his body for a short while to remove the layer of sweat that had covered his body. Most of his sweat actually evaporated when he had drawn fire elements into his body, but it didn't mean he had stopped perspiring altogether. Whenever his blood was pumping rapidly, Vahn actually used up a fair amount of energy to maintain his actions. The moment he released his tensions and returned to his human form, Vahn began to sweat profusely even though it was -4 degrees Celcius outside.During his bath, Vahn was able to detect the presence approaching and knew it was most likely Aki since everyone else was currently asleep. As expected, she showed up within the onsen a few minutes later and was completely naked. Vahn gave her a smile and made a bit of room so she could dip into the onsen next to him. Since he was bathing alone, he was using the same small pool that he had shared with Ryuu and Hestia in the past. She told him about the messages she had received from Loki while they cuddled together for a bit in the bath and shared some minor intimacy between each other for around half an hour. To reward her for her 'hard work' so early in the morning, Vahn gave her a minor massage after she sat in his lap once again, this time completely naked...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Learning Through Experience','Tammuz's Loyalty','Aki working overtime')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

After the first night 'alone', Vahn felt a bit of incongruity in his own body because he had a phantom sensation that something was 'missing' when he first went to sleep. He woke up several times through the night and realized that his fears that Hestia was adapting his body to her presence became cemented in his mind. Vahn knew she had no malicious intent, but it was still a bit awkward to realize how his own body had changed to have a strange expectation. He had even, for the first time, awoke to find his own penis standing proudly without his consent.Hestia wasn't much better since Vahn saw a pair of bags under her eyes during breakfast and then carried her back to her own bed because she was lazing about later. He gave her a short massage and noticed she was having the reaction of a 'mature' woman, so he hoped it would help her calm down a bit and give her the opportunity to get some sleep. As for the other things going on in the house, Aki had very quickly become the 'go to' for any matters and concerns had by the other girls. Though they had a fierce 'respect' for Ryuu, most of the girls couldn't mesh with her well since she was relatively taciturn and serious.It was also through Aki's management of things that Vahn actually had a wealth of time to himself to tend to his own matters. He was surprised that even Haruhime deferred to Aki, even though she still almost always sat next to him during meals. She had adapted her characteristic elegance and Vahn thought she was actually more 'naturally' than she had been when trying to approach him. If not for the fact her aura was usually gravitating toward him, Vahn would have had the suspicion that her mentality had changed and she was beginning to focus more on her own life and development.The most notable change was how Preasia had begun to open up to the other girls more and had actually become very close with Haruhime and Mikoto alongside Fenrir. Since Fenrir liked having her own bush tail brushed, she got along really well with Haruhime as they both groomed each other with brushes. Vahn noticed that Fenrir was getting much better at controlling her own urges because she used to not be able to go three days without venturing into the dungeon to 'vent'. Though it wasn't likely to ever be the case, Vahn wanted Fenrir to be able to live a life without being controlled by her 'hunger'.After a few peaceful days had passed, Vahn began to realize that a lot of the things that had stressed him out previously were due to his own oversights. Now that there was 'order' and regulations within the Manor, things had suddenly become a lot easier for him. Other than when he approached people, Vahn spent a great deal of his time working and having time to himself. It was a very big shift, since Vahn hadn't realized how important it was to have quality time alone. He learned a bit about management from Aki on occasion, and also shared some intimate moments whenever he was feeling affectionate.It was during some of his 'intimate' moments that Vahn was able to check the Status Boards of Ryuu and Aki, since he hadn't found the time to do so previously. Ryuu had been happy about the changes in the Manor because there were actually more opportunities for her to spend time alone with Vahn. She wasn't fond of public affection and did a lot to constrain herself so it wouldn't cause disorder within the group. On one of the days she had stayed a bit later, Vahn and Ryuu had cuddled a bit in the library while talking about the progress of the girls. They didn't do anything too forward, but Vahn did get to experience a bit of the bashful side of Ryuu when he nibbled on her long ears a bit.(A/N: Level 4's have a ton of skills~!)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Ryuu LionRace: ElfLV. 4POW: F385END: F311DEX: B798AGI: A804MAG: C645Skill: [Aeolus:Innate(sealed)], [Fairy Serenade:C], [Mind Load:C], [Aero Mana:A], [Concurrent Chanting:A]Magic: [Sovereign of the Wind:Innate(sealed)], [Luminous Wind:B], [Noah Heal:D]Development Skill: [Hunter:B], [Abnormal Resistance:B], [Magic Resistance:C][Fairy Serenade]Rank:CUse: Increases the efficacy of magic at night.[Mind Load]Rank:CUse: Increases power in proportion to the amount of mana imbued into attacks.[Aero Mana]Rank:AUse: Greatly increases attack power based on how fast the user is running.[Concurrent Chanting]Rank:AUse: Allows the user to chant while moving about even under intense strain. Provides enhanced control over magical energy and prevents backlash from chant disruption.[Luminous Wind]Rank:BUse: Attack Magic that summons green stardust to attack the enemyChant: In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky. Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire. Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler. Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy[Noah Heal]Rank:DUse: Healing magic that is capable of healing wounds and restoring the target's staminaChant: The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you[Hunter]Rank:BUse: Improves abilities against monsters that the user has fought before and gained exilia from[Abnormal Resistance]Rank:BUse: Nullifies abnormal status effects such as poison under the given rank.[Magic Resistance]Rank:CUse: Increases resistance against all magical attacks.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Anakitty AutumnRace: Cat PersonLV. 4POW: E441END: F320DEX: C605AGI: C663MAG: G206Skill: [Imprint:Innate(sealed)], [Command Howl:D], [Featherfoot:D]Magic: [Swift Tempo:C]Development Skill: [Hunter:B], [Abnormal Resistance:C], [Swordsman:B][Swordsman]Rank:BUse: Increases comprehension of sword skills and techniques. Provides a moderate increase to the kinetic vision and spatial awareness of the user.[Command Howl]Rank:DUse: Increases transmission functions of users voice when tensions increase. Allows for commands to be heard clearly across great distances.[Featherfoot]Rank:DUse: Increases comprehension of movement abilities and footwork. Provides a moderate increase to stealth related abilities.[Swift Tempo]Rank:CUse: Increases agility of the target.Chant: Errant gale, become a swift tempo~![Hunter]Rank:BUse: Improves abilities against monsters that the user has fought before and gained exilia from[Abnormal Resistance]Rank:CUse: Nullifies abnormal status effects such as poison under the given rank.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------As expected, Vahn noticed that both Ryuu and Aki had Innate abilities so he was able to intuit that a person would have, at the very least, one Innate skill. For characters that had more impact to the main story, they seemed to have stronger Innates, or in the case of Haruhime and Ryuu, more than one Innate ability in their repertoire. Vahn began to compile all of the Innate skills he had seen into a journal and wanted to keep track of their influence on a person's growth as well as their activation, assuming he was able to help any of the girls unseal their abilities. He knew it required a great amount of strain, as well as mental development for an Innate ability to awaken but, even if they were exposed to a real life-and-death situation, they may not awaken at all...By the time the weekend had come, a lot of things had changed in the Manor and things had calmed down a great deal. When Milan and Tina visited, they were received by all of the current residents of the Manor in high spirits and Vahn got to spend some quality time with the Mother-Daughter duo. Tina had calmed down a lot compared to her past self, and she was actively talking with the other girls to improve their relationships. She got along best with Preasia and Fenrir, but she also played with the twins a bit. Haruhime wanted to grow closer to the tiny cat girl, but Milan and Mikoto had stepped in because they were afraid she might be a bad influence on Tina.However, the calmer and more peaceful things became, the more unnerved Vahn was feeling about everything that was happening. He felt like he needed to be taking proactive action instead of spending his time cooped up in the Manor and 'relaxing'. Though he liked having time to work on the clothing and equipment designs, Vahn felt a bit anxious about how smoothly things were developing. The Denatus was only two weeks away, and Vahn felt like the coming two weeks would be full of challenges and developments that he may not be prepared for. On his immediate list of things that needed to be taken care of, there was the matter of Loki's pregnancy, trying to spend time with some of the girls outside of the Manor, as well as taking counter-action against the movements of the Ishtar Familia.Though he still spent some intimate moments with Hestia, Vahn felt a strange 'itch' within his heart when he thought about the other girls like Loki and Hephaestus. He also began to have fantasies about his potential relationships with other girls and Vahn realized he might be developing the 'deviant' tendencies that he had been cautioned about previously. Since he had so much 'free time', Vahn spent a fair amount thinking about possible date ideas, how he should interact with the girls, and potentially how they would spend their first time together. As he hadn't been able to visit the Hostess of Fertility recently, Vahn had begun to miss Chloe, and to a lesser extent, the other girls like Syr, Arnya, and Lunoire. He also wanted to check up on Mona and Shizune, since he hadn't seen the two ever since he helped save them from the clutches of the slave trader.Of course, the more Vahn thought about that type of thing, the more he wanted to associate with other guys since he still knew he was missing a few things to function properly. Though he knew a few people that had several wives, Vahn noticed there weren't many, if any, guys that were surrounded by as many women as he was. Since he had seen Welf's reaction in the past, Vahn knew his situation was somewhat precarious and was afraid things would devolve to a point where he couldn't manage everything. Vahn was hoping that Eina would be able to help him manage things when she moved in after their marriage. Though he had an interest in several women, Vahn knew it wouldn't be possible for him to show every girl the same amount of attention and he was very worried about the future.Ever since Aki cautioned him about turning the Familia into his own 'Harem', Vahn had been thinking about what steps he needed to take to prevent people from seeing him in a strange light. He decided that it would be best to defer to his wives on the matter and only proactively pursue a small number of women. Because of his interactions with Aki and Hestia, Vahn knew there were different levels of intimacy he could have with women. Even though they had 'played' around a bit, Aki's affection had never increased over 85 and usually returned to 80 after she had calmed down. Hestia, however, was always in a high-tension state and Vahn had to tend to her occasionally in fear that she might overburden herself.Since there was no way Vahn could marry every woman around him, he knew that a lot of his relationships with girls were probably temporary. He was a bit sad about it, since he had an interest in many of the girls both physically and mentally. Vahn didn't know if it would be appropriate for him to actually take action against them if they would eventually move on. The only thing he was truly concerned about was their happiness, but it still felt a little sad to think about separating from people he cared for. He knew that, if he couldn't provide for their heart and offer them peace of mind, it was very possible the girls would grow distant from him just like Aki had been doing with Raul. The fact that he could still see Aki had affections for Raul prevented Vahn from thinking everything would always go as smoothly as they had been...One of the big impacts Vahn had suffered was knowing that Tione and Tiona weren't able to visit him due to 'personal reasons'. Ever since he had 'defeated' her in combat, Tione had been on edge and had been struggling with her own emotions. After the matter of their duel spread on the network, Tione had been severely reprimanded and denied any opportunity to approach Vahn in the near future. Since she couldn't be 'trusted' to control herself properly, Tiona also couldn't visit the Hearth Manor for the time being so she had been venting a few her frustrations with Tione as they went into the dungeon and caused a rather large amount of devastation with Riveria and Gareth watching over them.This led to the unique situation where Ais and Lefiya visited the Manor as a duo and lounged about in Vahn's workshop. When they had seen the 'mannequins' of themselves, Ais had a glint in her eyes and Vahn was given the opportunity to take her measurements and have her try on some of the clothing he had been designing for her. Since she was the type to get wrapped up in the momentum, especially when the matters concerned Ais, Lefiya also abashedly had her measurements taken by Vahn and had him promise to keep the information a secret.Though he already suspected it would be the case, Vahn was in very high tensions and felt happy whenever he saw the girls in outfits of his own design. Ais even pushed things further and had Vahn help her dress whenever he was explaining matters. Since he also got to appraise their body from various angles, Vahn began humoring the idea of mastering the trade of being a tailor and dressmaker in the future. Seeing the various reactions of Ais and Lefiya was a very refreshing feeling for Vahn and he realized that he was the type that liked creating things to be used by the people he cared about.Vahn didn't really like blacksmithing that much, and had only put in the effort because he wanted to keep his promise with Hephaestus. Ever since then, Vahn had been somewhat lax and hadn't been working on his forging much and instead focused on creating diagrams and blueprints for future projects. He figured that he would be able to focus his efforts more when he had a reason to create items versus when he was just working to make money. The final nail in the coffin had been when Vahn was asked by Ais to help design a pair of form-fitting of undergarments for her since she didn't like the constrictive feeling of most fabrics. She often wore open-backed clothing which meant she only wore tape to cover her breasts normally. Piggybacking off her words, Lefiya also muttered through stuttered sentences about wanting a pair for herself as well. When Vahn saw their reactions, his heart practically melted and he felt a powerful motivation rising up inside of him.(A/N: It wasn't specifically stated, so this 'time skip' was between Tuesday-Monday of the following week. So roughly six days, which makes the Denatus is 14 days~! Also, for those that keep making comments about Aki's presence...she is necessary to actually 'manage' the Familia and was sent by Loki to keep an eye on both Vahn and Hestia. Vahn might be powerful, but he has few leadership qualities and no management capabilities. Ryuu might be strong and stoic, but she also lacks the qualities of a good leader and is more likely to follow order than dish them out. Aki was an active lieutenant and knows what it takes to make a Familia function and properly prepared before they enter a dungeon. She was a supporter when she was 12, and became an active adventurer when she was 14. She has a great deal of experience to draw from and is also a stable existence that isn't overly-reliant on Vahn. People compare her to Eina, but they serve two fundamentally different roles. Aki is there to make sure the Familia functions, while Eina's main purpose is to make sure Vahn functions o3o.)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Stable Living Conditions','Level 4 OP','Vahn Doesn't Simply Slice Life, He Makes A Twelve-Layer Sandwich And Is Afraid To Eat It')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

Chapter 292: Intruder