Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the exhibition coming to a close, Vahn's duties for the Monster Feria had officially come to a conclusion. However, as the person solely responsible for the Alliance's involvement in the event, Vahn wasn't just going to play around while everyone else had to work. After sending back the main group to take care of the setup for the Hostess of Fertility, Vahn decided to check in with the goddesses to see if there was anything he could help out with.After tracing his way through various spiraling corridors, Vahn ended up at the giant doorway connecting to the balcony where the gods were seated. Though there were some guards from the Loki and Ganesha Familias present, the two people in charge immediately recognized Vahn. Finn had been put in charge of managing the security forces of the Alliance and was currently guarding Loki, whilst Shakti was in charge of the event itself and was presently watching over Ganesha. When they saw him approach, Finn showed his characteristic smile and walked forward to meet Vahn, saying, "Good afternoon, Vahn, I didn't get to see it myself, but I heard you put on quite the show for everyone. Tell me, is there something that has brought you here?"Vahn returned Finn's smile and nodded before saying in a casual manner, "I came to see if I could help out with anything. I didn't want to be sitting around while everyone else worked hard." Shakti, who had been standing a short distance away, said, "You have done your duty already; you're now just a spectator in an area you shouldn't be in. Please return to the stands unless there is something important that needs to be brought to the attention of the gathered gods." Hearing Shakti's words, Vahn squinted his eyes a bit as Finn showed a wry and apologetic smile before saying, "Shakti, Vahn is a very important member of the Alliance. If nothing else, he can join us in guarding this point, after all, he is the Captain of the Hestia Familia."Shakti looked as though she was considering the matter for a moment before nodding her head and saying, "Very well, but you can't enter the viewing area unless there is an emergency. Only designated personnel are allowed there and it could cause problems if you distract from the main event by suddenly appearing the viewing stands allocated to gods. Did you even bring a weapon?" As Shakti hadn't been watching Vahn's exhibition, she hadn't seen him materialize the armored mannequins that assumed he was just 'playing around' now. He was simply dressed, with a grey tunic and black trousers without a single piece of actual equipment on display, hardly appropriate for someone trying to help out with security. In fact, because of his relative fame, Vahn was more likely to cause a disturbance by his presence than resolve any.Vahn didn't appreciate the abrasive nature of Shakti's words but, remembering the 'intuition' of the girls in the waiting area, he decided not to make a big deal out of it and simply pulled out his [Lævateinn] and expanded his aura while equipping his full gear in an instant. Shakti became guarded after the sudden change and took a step back before realizing that Vahn wasn't actually doing anything but standing there in a casual manner. Of course, there was something else she noticed as well, the fact that Vahn had a subtle and teasing smile on his face.Finn was also very perceptive and just began to laugh in an effort to diffuse the tensions as he said, "I am very envious of your space magic, and you're so capable at using it, Vahn, very impressive. Exactly how much are you capable of storing nowadays?" Deciding not to tease Shakti unnecessarily, Vahn turned to Finn and said, "I'm at around 170,000 cubic meters of space, though I'm trying to increase it in preparation for the future expeditions."Not only Finn, but Shakti was very surprised by Vahn's claim of having such a massive space for storage. As the Captains of their respective Familia, they knew that was a monstrous amount of space and would make Vahn the ultimate asset for deep floor exploration. One of the biggest problems when proceeding into the lower floors was protecting the support convoy and ensuring there were adequate supplies for continued exploration. The majority of expeditions came to an early end because something happened that either endangers the Supporter's lives or compromised the food reserves that had been prepared. During an emergency situation, it was impossible to protect the heavy carts full of food, grain, and rations, so they were usually abandoned during the retreat.Shakti suddenly recalled her god heavily emphasizing building a strong relationship with the members of the Alliance, with a special focus on Vahn himself. She knew Ganesha was always trying to set her up on blind dates, so she had thought he was just up to his old schemes. Now, however, she was starting to see Vahn capabilities and, based on simple observations, Shakti knew it was likely just the tip of the iceberg. Releasing a muted sigh, Shakti gave Vahn a once-over and took note of the protectors, greaves, and the somewhat intimidating greatsword. Even compared to her own spear, which had cost her nearly 300MV, Vahn's sword seemed to be of a much higher quality.Though he had been talking with Finn, Vahn noticed Shakti's appraising look and focus on his weapon so he smiled before storing it away in his inventory. Shakti's eyes squinted slightly as she looked up into Vahn's face as he explained, "That was my sword, [Lævateinn], one of the most powerful weapons I forged on my road to becoming a [Master Smith]. Though it's not as capable as the [Promise] I gave to Hephaestus, it's still a decent piece of equipment."Hearing Vahn's words, Shakti furrowed her brows slightly while Finn palmed his fist in sudden realization and said in a cheerful voice, "Ah, yes, Vahn, I suppose congratulations are in order? I had heard from Loki-sama that you had officially become a [Master Smith] and had beaten the original record-holder by more than sixteen years? The last spear you gave me was quite exceptional, but I wonder if it would be possible to book a contract with you in the future? Ahahaha~" Though he wasn't sure why, Vahn could see that Finn was trying to 'support' him in his interactions with Shakti. There was a subtle teasing look in the Pallum's eyes as he looked back and forth between Vahn and Shakti with an amused expression on his face.Shakti wasn't senseless and could tell what Finn was trying to do but she just crossed her arms and averted her eyes slightly without changing her expression much at all. Vahn was a little surprised by her reaction and had a strange urge to know if her Affection was influenced at all by their interactions. Deciding it wasn't really worth worrying about, Vahn just made conversation with Finn while Shakti stood at the side in a statuesque manner.He and Finn talked about what to expect on the lower floors and Vahn was very surprised to learn about a variety of things he hadn't taken into consideration. It wasn't just for show that Finn was a Veteran Adventurer with more than twenty-five years of experience under his belt. He hadn't gotten to his position as Captain of the Rank 1 Familia on accident and was a veritable compendium of information so Vahn asked as many questions as he could since he planned to visit the lower floors in the very near future.Now that he had finished the 'basic training' for Haruhime, Maemi, and Emiru, Vahn wanted to focus on increasing his own strength for a bit. Pushing the girls too hard would be more harmful than conducive so Vahn wanted to give them time to adapt to the changes in their fighting styles. Just as he had experienced in the past by training with Tsubaki, Vahn understood that it was necessary to 'consolidate' your strength and learn how best to adapt your fighting style to the situation. He also wanted them to seriously learn from the veterans in the group and take magic lessons from Riveria, though had hadn't gotten her consent yet.While they were improving their foundation, Vahn wanted to start probing into the Lower Floors and starting taking some missions from the Guild in order to increase the rank of the Familia. Since he could likely get Tiona, Ais, Tione, and various others, to accompany him into the Lower Floors, Vahn knew it would be a lot safer to do so now. After all, even Lili and Naaza had ventured down to the 25th floor during their mock expedition and Vahn knew his capabilities exceeded theirs by a fair amount.As long as he had mana, and wasn't caught in an enclosed space, Vahn would be able to use Shundo to avoid most dangerous situations. However, Vahn wouldn't let himself get overconfident, after all, he had literally collapsed four times in the Dungeon within the last half a year. If he had been unlucky, any of those instances could have spelled disaster and cost him his life. Vahn was at the point where he couldn't afford the mental burden of his own death because he knew it would impact the lives of so many people if he were to fall. He wouldn't stop pushing himself to reach the bottom of the Dungeon, as it was one of the things he had decided to pursue, but he would take the necessary precautions to ensure that, not just himself, but everyone came back alive.After a few hours passed, the nearby double doors opened wide and brought their conversation to a conclusion as the three walked forward to receive their respective gods. Loki, seeing Vahn, began to laugh loudly as she nudged Take' and said, "See, I told you he would definitely be here waiting for us! Looks like you owe me ten bottles of wine from the Far East, kekekekeke~!" Take' laughed in a complacent tone before remarking, "Yes, I shouldn't have doubted Vahn. I will accept my defeat with grace and dignity..."Ganesha also began to laugh in a boisterous tone that made Shakti's brows twitch when he asked, "Have you been getting along well with my Shakti, Vahn? She might appear a bit feisty on the surface, but I think the two of you could be good friends! Graaaahahahahahahahaha!" Vahn laughed in the most casual manner he could manage before replying, "Ah, I wouldn't mind being friends in the future. Even if they never joined the Alliance, I think the Ganesha Familia would be reliable allies to have. As Captain of the Hestia Familia, I look forward to any cooperation we might have from here on."Hestia, who was standing with Hephaestus, chimed in after hearing Vahn's words, "That's okay, but just remember that Vahn isn't so easily taken advantage of if you get any strange ideas! Don't expect us goddesses to stand at the side and just watch things progress~! Isn't that right, Hephaestus, Loki, Anubis!?" Loki began laughing at Hestia's words but Hephaestus just nodded with a happy smile on her face as she looked straight at Vahn and said, "That's right, we will protect Vahn, no matter what happens in the future...that is the 'promise' I keep in my heart." As she spoke, Hephaestus placed her hand over her heart and Vahn could feel a 'pulse' in his own chest where the eternal flame was dancing around.From the side, Loki suddenly said in a tone filled with awe, "Wow...this must be the power of the head wife...? Maybe I should ask Hephaestus-'sama' for Vahn's hand in marriage next~?" Loki's words instantly destroyed the spontaneously warm atmosphere and caused Hephaestus to blush slightly before she walked forward and grabbed Vahn's arm and said, "Let's get something to eat, I know a nice place that isn't too far away from here..." The rest of the group said some quick goodbyes and started to follow along as well now that Hephaestus had taken control of the situation.After leaving the Coliseum, the group continued onwards together and made lively conversation with each other until they arrived near Babel Plaza nearly an hour later. Vahn hadn't expected them to travel such a distance, but it was on the way to the Hearth Manor and Hephaestus's workshop, so it wouldn't cause any problems at all. When they entered the Plaza proper, Hephaestus turned to Hestia and Anubis before saying, "You two should join us as well, I think it would be nice for us to spend time together." Anubis nodded her head politely but Hestia said, "Of course~! There is no way I'm going to be left out of a dinner date with Vahn when we're already together like this!"Hephaestus nodded her head and began 'leading' the way as Loki shouted out, "Eeeiiii!? What about me!?" Hearing her words, Hephaestus looked over her shoulder with a teasing smile and said, "This is the power of the Head Wife~. Besides, are you just going to leave your escort standing outside waiting for you?" Behind Loki, there was Finn, Bete, and various other members of the Loki Familia present. Loki had increased her personal security after getting pregnant and was taking extra precautions to make sure nothing adverse happened to her child. No matter how much time passed, even if she lived for a hundred million more years, Loki would never stop resenting whoever harmed her baby while she was pregnant.Loki gnashed her teeth in mock frustration before taking a few steps and leaping to cling to Vahn's neck as she complained, "Vaaaaahn, Hephaestus-'sama' is bullying me~! Don't tell me...I'm being thrown away right after you knocked me up!?" Though he had been planning to play along with Hephaestus, Vahn felt more than a little pressure from Loki's words and couldn't help but swallow nervously as he stared at Hephaestus with a 'pleading' expression and an awkward smile. Hephaestus, against his expectations, simply smiled and said, "If I have power as the Head Wife, don't you also have power as my Husband? I won't change my mind, but I also won't argue with you if you decide to let her come with us...fufufu~."Before Vahn could make a decision himself, Loki swatted her hand toward the waiting Loki Familia and said, "Shoo, shoo, if you're here I might not be able to go along on the date! Come pick me up at the Hearth Manor in the morning! Get, get, get~!" Finn laughed in a mechanical manner before signaling Loki's escort to return to the Twilight Manor. As he passed the group that consisted of Vahn, Hephaestus, Hestia, Anubis, and his own troublesome goddess, Finn said in a somewhat serious manner, "Take care of Loki-sama, Vahn. I'll leave her safety to you...farewell." Vahn nodded his head and watched the group make their way across the Plaza before realizing that, even if he wanted to refuse Loki's attendance, he had lost the timing.With this realization, Vahn also noticed something else and asked in a curious manner, "You're going to stay at the Hearth Manor tonight?" Loki squeezed herself against his back and licked the back of Vahn's ear before saying, "It's not that common for all of us goddesses to already be gathered together and Eina had prevented anything from happening last night. I heard about your little plays in the past, surely you can tend to us in the same manner~?" Loki's words seemed to influence the entire group and Vahn could feel passionate reds slowly spreading through the gigantic pinks auras that had already been surrounding him.Looking around, Vahn couldn't see any signs of apprehension on any of the girls faces so he squeezed Hephaestus's and Hestia's hands before nodding and saying, "I'll be fine...leave it to me, I'll make sure everyone is satisfied properly..." Vahn's words caused the girls to blush a deeper shade of pink as Loki playfully commented, "Most people would go crazy just to sleep with a single goddess, but here is a boy that casually promises to take care of four...how manly~." Loki had been sticking to his back for a while and, now that she had once again inflated things with her words, both Hephaestus and Hestia reached around and pinched the mischevious goddess on her pert little butt...Following Loki's loud yelp, the group made their way to Babel Tower and ate at a relatively fancy restaurant where a single meal cost more than 50,000V. After enjoying the rich and flavorful food, they made their way to the Hearth Manor and threw a wrench into the plans of some of the others girls by all being together. Though the status quo might change in the future, everyone on the network knew better than to interfere with Vahn's time with Hephaestus and Loki, the two goddesses that currently carried his child. Syr even gathered everyone for a small get-together while Vahn, Hephaestus, Hestia, Loki, and Anubis were all taking a bath together and preparing for the relatively long night.Afterward, Vahn got to experience something that could only be described as 'Heavenly' as he spent the night with the four beautiful goddesses. Other than Hestia, the other three were far more durable than normal girls and were also very receptive to almost anything Vahn wanted to do. They actually ended up 'coaching' Hestia a bit so she wouldn't always be so easily 'defeated' after a single round. Needless to say, it was a very educational experience for Vahn as well since he had become the 'object' they were using for practice. He also got to experience the somewhat dangerous sight of Hestia being teased by both Loki and Hephaestus. They were both 165cm tall, compared to the 140cm Hestia, so Vahn had a strange delusion that they were 'bullying' the petite goddess as she mewled sensual cries that itched his heart while he pinned down the heavily breathing Anubis from the side...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Finn, Pallum Wingman','Desire to probe Dungeon-chan's depths','Vahn's ascension to Heaven')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;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

By the time Vahn arrived at the Hearth Manor, his tensions had increased a great deal and he felt like, instead of entering his own home, he was about to face a floor boss in the depths of the Dungeon. However, even though he felt some inhibitions, Vahn was somewhat looking forward to what might happen. He continued forward with a subtle smile on his face and tried his best to maintain a casual demeanor all the way up until they made their way into the foyer.Because they were able to detect when people arrived at the gate, the group's arrival had already been noticed by various people inside the Manor, including the 'fearsome' four. Soon after their entrance, several girls came into the foyer from connecting corridors including Hephaestus, Eina, Loki, and Anubis. The very moment they laid eyes on him, Vahn could see a visible shift in their auras as they began to flare up with vibrant and warm colors. Vahn released an awkward laugh as he held out his arms to make it easier for Hephaestus, who had walked over with a fast gait, to pick him up.For what felt like the tenth time today, Vahn was squeezed into a pair of breasts as Hephaestus practically squealed, "Hnnnnnn, how can you be so cute!? I didn't believe it at first, but you really have become adorable, Vahn! Ahhh, I just want to keep you for myself~fufufufu..." Vahn was getting somewhat accustomed to being 'handled', but he wasn't going to let her go at her own pace as he sneakily fondled her butt a bit with his tiny hands. Hephaestus made an 'Eh?' sound before tilting her head down toward Vahn and saying "Uuuuhh, even if you look like a little boy, you're still a 'man' after all..."Unwilling to be left out, Vahn ended up having to be hugged by Loki, Anubis, and eventually Eina. Loki, as expected, had teased him a fair amount before whispering in a low voice, "Your curiosity knows no bounds...did you want to give it a go~?" Without Vahn having to say anything, Loki took a fist to the top of her head for her troubles. Anubis had strong motherly instincts, so she behaved in a relatively tame manner and just cuddled Vahn a bit before turning him over to his new protector, Eina. Though Vahn had expected her to have a reaction, Eina surprised him a bit with her somewhat flushed expression as she 'gently' hugged his body and patted the top of his head.When she thought the others weren't paying attention, she had whispered into his ear, "Can you...call me big sis? Just once is okay..." Vahn had already expected something like this to happen so he leaned forward, very close to Eina's pointed ear, and whispered in a gentle voice of his own, "Big sis..." Eina released a strange laughter and hugged him tightly before taking Fenrir's place as his temporary 'caretaker'. Though he had to interact with everyone, Eina was almost always at his side for the rest of the afternoon as they discussed the plans for the Monster Feria the following day. During dinner, Vahn was sitting in her lap while Hephaestus and Loki sat at his flanks. Even if there were a schedule for the other girls to sit with him, it was superseded by the presence of the 'head wives' and Loki.By the time the discussions had come to an end, Vahn had another interesting experience where he had to send off each of the girls after allowing them to hug his body. Vahn felt it was a little strange, since he was actually in the form of an adult Pallum. The fact all of the girls were treating him like a child left Vahn a little confused so he had asked Eina, "Eina, why is everyone behaving so strangely after I became a Pallum? I don't think there is anything wrong with the image I used for my transformation..."Eina's response was to hug him tightly and laugh before explaining, "Even if you're a Pallum, you look like a younger and frailer version of your usual self. It's almost like you've regressed and become a child, much like Shizune. I'm sure everyone just wants to protect you because of their motherly instincts...after all, we all know about your past and many of us would have wanted to help you...myself included. The only thing I've ever wanted for you is to allow you to live a normal life, Vahn..."As they had all been in his room, Eina's response was heard by the other girls and Hephaestus nodded her head and continued, "Eina's right, Vahn. Especially now that I'm pregnant, I've been thinking a lot about what I can do to take care of our child...seeing you like this is like seeing what our own child would grow up to look like...haaaaaauuu~." Loki also began to laugh as she rubbed her own exposed belly and said, "I'm actually wondering what my kid will look like since Vahn is so easily able to change his form, kekeke, the future is looking more and more interesting everysingle day~!"As for Anubis, she was sitting silently in the bed and looked like she wanted to take Eina's position and hold Vahn but kept silent about the matter. She just had a gentle expression on her face as her moonlight eyes glowed in a very subtle manner. If not for the fact that her tail was gently beating against the bedspread, it would have almost been impossible to tell she was affected by the situation. There was also the existence of her large aura, but that was someone only Vahn could see.Though it might have been an 'opportunity' to experience something new, it became a situation where Vahn was simply pampered by the four 'motherly' girls until it was time for bed. Even though his body was still 'mature', it was somewhat difficult to see him as anything other than a childlike version of himself so the girls, with the exception of Loki, were more interested in showing gentle affections than doing anything more intense. When it finally came time for bed, Vahn ended up sandwiched by Hephaestus and Eina in a combined embrace and he realized just how small his body was when there were two mature girls surrounding him. Vahn felt like he was going to be enveloped by the two girls and went to sleep fully immersed in their warmth.---Since he had made no effort to maintain the image, by the time Vahn awoke the next morning he looked more like a Half-Pallum than a pureblood Human or Pallum. His body had increased to around 150cm while he was asleep so, before the other girls woke up, Vahn focused his mind to fully transition back to his normal appearance. One thing he had decided to change, however, was his original height. Though he liked to be the same size as the women around him, Vahn had developed a desire to be 'taller' than they were now that he experienced being small. It wasn't much, just a few centimeters, but Vahn's final height had come to 170cm.As one might expect, the girls began to wake up as Vahn's body was literally 'growing' in size in their embrace. In his Pallum form, he only weighed around 37kgs and was very small. Now, however, he had become much taller and weighed around 80kgs with a lean and athletic body. Hephaestus and Eina had watched the later part of his transformation quietly until Vahn opened his aquamarine eyes and hugged them tightly against his bare chest. He had removed his clothing since it had been tightly sticking to his body earlier and was now completely naked while the two girls rested against his body.Vahn heard Eina release a silent sigh and laughed a little before giving her an 'unexpected' kiss. When he finally released the bashful half-elf, Vahn teased her a bit by saying, "Big sis...do you not like me unless I'm smaller than you?" Hearing his words, Eina's face flushed even more and she buried her head into his shoulder and mumbled, "Hauu, I miss the small Vahn...no you're going to bully me freely...ehehehe~!" Vahn had started to panic a little bit at Eina's reaction, but she sneakily gave him another kiss when he tried to say something to 'console' her.Hephaestus wasn't willing to remain second fiddle while the two flirted, so she proactively sought a kiss from Vahn as well which eventually required him to kiss the now awakened Loki and Anubis. If not for the fact that Eina was 'reserved' for the future, Vahn expected things might have developed in an interesting direction afterward but they instead just flirted and made out a bit before finally leaving the bedroom around an hour later. From this experience, Vahn realized it was actually more difficult to manage multiple girls when they 'weren't' having sex with each other. Showing simple affections was somewhat difficult since it was harder to regulate things and make sure everyone was enjoying it.As they needed to head out and arrange the security for the Monster Feria, Hephaestus, Loki, Anubis, and Eina ended up leaving soon after having an early breakfast. In exchange for allowing his exhibition, the Alliance had guaranteed they would provide security for the event and would be seated alongside Ganesha during the opening ceremony. Though they wouldn't be handling all the matters personally, there were still several hundred people that needed to be assigned throughout the area. As for why Eina was also leaving, she had asked a friend of her's to cover her shift the previous evening in order to visit Vahn. Since her replacement had been on during the morning shift, it meant she would have been at the Guild for nearly 24 hours by now and Eina needed to hurry back before an incident occurred.Since the Hestia Familia was also part of the Alliance now, they also had some duties to perform but it wasn't going to be as normal security. Their task had been designated as ensuring that Fafnir didn't cause any damage 'if it lost control'. It was a pointless assignment, but that was only due to the fact that Vahn's 'taming' was fundamentally different than normal. Other monsters could actually betray their tamers, but Vahn's would continue to follow his every 'order' unless their Loyalty had reached 0. Vahn couldn't give this type of information to anyone, as it was a function of The Path, so it was a well-kept secret and anything that had been intuited by the girls around him was simply speculation.After idling about and spending time together in the morning, everyone began to leave the Manor in one large group with Vahn leading the way. They needed to walk all the way to the eastern side of the City where the Coliseum could be found so there was quite a distance to cover. Tiona, Ais, Tione, and Lefiya had all left with Loki, since they were part of the security detail, but Riveria had stayed behind because she would be taking part in the exhibition. Vahn led the group of sixteen girls through the City while drawing a lot of attention from passersby. Since they were moving as a Familia, Vahn was proudly carrying a large banner that he had made which displayed the Hestia Familia Emblem. Though they weren't well-known for any achievements yet, the Hestia Familia was incredibly famous in the City because of Vahn's exploits and their inclusion in the Alliance.When they had talked about it the previous night, Loki and Hephaestus had mentioned that Vahn should focus on 'exposure' and publicizing the Familia more often if he wanted to avoid all the negative rumors circulating. Though it was commendable to help others, the only way he could truly influence public opinion was the advocate to the public and garner support from the masses. Staying low key would just make him look mysterious and cause even more rumors to circulate so it was suggested that, if he truly wanted to increase the rapport the Hestia Familia had with the public, he needed to act more openly and slowly change the impression of people through his actions in public.The Monster Feria was an important first step, but displaying the forces of his Familia was equally as important. Even when the Loki and Hephaestus Familia's returned from expeditions, they would turn it into a minor event by marching all the way to the Guild in order to report the successful completion of the mission. This publicized their forces and increased the reputation of their Familia and also made it easier to recruit people in the future, though that probably wouldn't apply to the Hestia Familia for the time being.After nearly two hours of travel, the group arrived at the Coliseum and were escorted to their designated area by a woman who introduced herself as Shakti Varma, Captain of the Ganesha Familia. She was a beautiful woman with short, azure blue, hair, a cool and confident expression, and a professional and stoic disposition. Shakti was around 175cm tall, which Vahn paid special notice of since he had just adjusted his height to 170cm earlier, and she had relatively modest breasts that were around a B-Cup.When they had arrived carrying their banner, a messenger asked them to wait for a moment before returning alongside the cool beauty. After introductions were carried out, Shakti looked around and asked, "I heard from Ganesha-sama that you were going to be performing an exhibition with a dragon? All I see is a horde of girls behind you..." Though Vahn didn't understand the reason, he could sense that Shakti was somewhat 'hostile' toward him ever since her earlier introduction. Though her aura didn't make her appear to be an enemy, it was very obvious she wasn't fond of him for reasons he was unaware.Deciding not to mind it too much, Vahn smiled as best he could manage and said in a polite tone, "I have a method to keep it concealed so as not to cause trouble for others. Don't worry, I'm ready to perform the exhibition as soon as the arena is prepared." Shakti gave a curt nod after hearing his explanation and said, "Very well, you will be called when the time comes. Please don't wander around as you will be held accountable for any monsters losing control as a result of your negligence. If your Familia members would like to look around, they have access to the waiting area and the viewing stands alongside everyone else..." Without explaining things further, Shakti gave everyone a glance before quickly leaving the area.Vahn didn't know what he had done to upset the woman since they had never met before this moment. Hestia, however, seemed to have seen through something as she commented, "That woman, she is viewing you as a man. Even though she is old, I can tell that she is still a virgin...that elephant fool had probably tried to set her up with you. He talked about it a lot during the Denatus, saying that he wanted to see if you were capable of taming the Captain of his Familia as well. Looks like she got mad seeing how many girls you had accompanying you, tough luck for her I guess, shishishishi~."Though Vahn wasn't sure Hestia's intuition was on the mark, her sentiments seemed to be shared by many of the girls present and Vahn couldn't help but remark internally about the dangers of a woman's intuition. Shakti was a very beautiful woman, almost remarkably beautiful, but Vahn could tell she was also on the mature side of the spectrum. He couldn't tell her exact age, as she appeared very youthful, but Vahn could determine by the complexion of her skin and the flow of energy in her body she was likely in her thirties, perhaps even older. Since she seemed to be a normal human, it was very peculiar that she had remained single and pure well after what was considered the 'prime' of a woman's life in the Danmachi record.Vahn decided to put the matter to the back of his mind, especially considering the fact that Shakti was the Captain of a Familia. Even if he wanted to pursue her, she wouldn't move into the Manor and would have to tend to her responsibilities, same as Tsubaki. Vahn had become somewhat promiscuous after his exposure to so many women, and he couldn't deny he was interested in Shakti as well, but he wouldn't go out of his way to pursue her at all. Just as he had done for Senna, Vahn wasn't trying to 'build up' the number of girls around him.Though he wasn't against a temporary 'rendezvous', Vahn wouldn't do anything without discussing it with some of the girls on the network first. Just like he was treating Freya, Vahn was very interested in the potential experience, but he wasn't going to ignore his current relationships just to sate his own curiosity. There were very nearly twenty women he could 'visit' if he was feeling lonely, so it seemed somewhat shameless to even consider sleeping with other girls.It was currently slightly after 10 AM and the Monster Feria had officially started with the opening ceremony and speech of Ganesha. Hestia had left to join the other gods of the alliance and they were all seated around the somewhat outgoing and flamboyant god. As Vahn watched him move about excitedly and yell loud enough that the entire Coliseum could hear him, he couldn't help but feel a desire to befriend the strange god wearing a red elephant mask. He seemed like a really interesting person to hang around with and Vahn considered trying to approach him in the future. If he had really sent Shakti to him earlier, Ganesha was also likely considering working with the Hestia Familia in the future and had probably been trying to establish a 'connection' between the two Familia through his intervention in Shakti's love life.As if he had been able to read Vahn's mind, Ganesha turned toward the waiting area where Vahn was currently standing with a large grin on his face as he loudly shouted, "Aaaaand without further ado, Ganesha says let the Monster Feria officially begin~! Today, the Ganesha Familia, in cooperation with the Alliance between the Hephaestus, Loki, Hestia, Anubis, Miach, and Takemikazuchi Familias proudly presents a special treat for your enjoyment! You may have heard some of the rumors, but let Ganesha be the first person to officially introduce you to the one, the only, the Legendary Sage Aldrnari, Vaaaaaaaahn Maaaaaaaasooonn~! Ganesha welcomes you, young hero, graaaaaahahahahahahahahaha~!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'This is mine now...','Shakti is not impressed','Ganesha is very excited, Gaaaaneshaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahaha~!')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;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 390: Crowd Control