Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After enjoying a long lunch break, it was time for the group to breach into the 54th Floor and start their exploration. Though they would document the approximate location of the stairs leading down, it was decided that they would stay on the 54th Floor unless it was the closest point to retreat to during the evening. Their goal became to explore as much of the 54th Floor as possible before their supplies started to run low and they were forced to turn back to the 50th Floor. Based on how the size of the Dungeon increased the further down you went, it was approximated that the 54th Floor was more than 300km in diameter and had unknown dimensions, as there were variations in elevation for some areas while others became complex labyrinthian structures.Finn gave the order to proceed forward and everyone began running through the Dungeon once again as, a few seconds after they started their journey, pillars of fire once again shot up from the floors below. It was amazing how the Valgang Dragons were able to calculate the trajectory of fast-moving objects and target them from several kilometers away. Vahn wasn't sure how they were able to accomplish such a feat, but it reminded him of how the red-haired woman was able to sense his presence when he had looked at her in the past. Since there shouldn't be any easy way for them to detect his presence, especially if he used [Stealth] on his domain, Vahn likened it to some kind of sixth sense. It was either that or the Dungeon itself that was helping them make the complex calculations that would be necessary. After all, the pillar of fire didn't really travel that fast, as it had to melt through several hundred meters of bedrock, which meant the Valgang Dragons would have to account for nearly thirty seconds of high-speed movements when they released their fiery breath.The progress through the 54th Floor, while relatively fast as a result of their speed, was a slow and arduous process. Vahn actually found himself growing slightly bored because there were so few monsters and the flame breath would have entirely no effect on him even if it did hit. Since he could detect it long before it reached them, Vahn was in no danger at all and kind of wanted to start walking through the Dungeon and cataloging everything at a casual pace. He could understand why these Floors were very dangerous for the majority of Adventurers, but that didn't apply to him at all and it made him a little on-edge continuing this 'farce'.Another group of Venom Scorpians intercepted the party and, as they only numbered eight in total, were quickly taken care of by Bete, Ais, and Tiona. When they went to loot the drop items, the floor heated up and they all jumped to the side, once again evading the flame breath without any major difficulty. To prevent any waste, Vahn had looted the 'lost' items before the floor completely broke down and separated them from the other items in his inventory, as per usual. This was another one of the reasons Vahn was growing bored, because Ais, Tiona, and even Bete, tore through the monsters with unstoppable momentum as if they were illusions instead of actual Level 4 enemies. Though Tiona wasn't really an agility-based fighter, she still had more than 3400 total agility and could easily kick off from the ground with enough force to cover a 50m distance in less than a quarter of a second. As for Ais and Bete, they easily fit the description of agility-fighters as Ais tore through enemies with her [Ariel] while Bete kicked his enemies hard enough to make air pockets in their bodies as a result of the shockwave.Since Lefiya and Riveria weren't really using their magic, Vahn wasn't even helping to recover their mana so he found himself just looting items and scanning around the Dungeon for signs of danger. He had expected the Deeper Floors to be somewhat more exhilarating than this and was somewhat disappointed by the reality. To pass the time, he started trying to 'catch' the Valgang Dragon's flame breath with his domain since he had a perfect fire affinity. The breath was made up of pure fire elemental energies, though it was incredibly powerful and chaotic, so Vahn figured he would be able to divert them with enough practice.Unfortunately, it was already somewhat difficult to control 'stagnant' fire elemental energy, much less the super-volatile flame breath that was emitted by the Valgang Dragon. Though it was surprisingly not that hot, the flames had a corrosive element to them that allowed them to eat through the bedrock of the Dungeon without any major difficulty. Vahn couldn't isolate what this element was, but it was very similar to his [Lævateinn]'s flames. If he could figure it out, and truly exercise control over their breath, Vahn theorized he could add such an effect to his own flames to make them 'perpetual' in the future. Unless he extinguished them himself, the flames would continue burning without ceasing and, since Vahn's flames could reach up to Tier 4 in strength, he knew they would be a devastating weapon against most enemies.After nearly six hours of running, the group arrived at a stairwell that led down to the 55th Floor and proceeded inside of it to take a break and set up camp for the evening. Though Finn was very tempted to breach into the 55th Floor, he had already given his word and wasn't going to break it since it would cause his own credibility to take a hit. Unless others wanted to venture further in, specifically Vahn, Finn would let the matter lay for the time being and be content that they already reached a deeper floor. Bete, however, explored ahead a bit and even entered the 55th Floor for a short while before returning. Since simply reaching the floor wasn't enough, as it was called a 'clear' record for a reason, it wouldn't count as an achievement and was simply him obtained a new 'personal best' for himself.When it came time to set up camp, everyone had their own personal tents to use but Vahn still set up a larger tent for the residents of the Hearth Manor. It wasn't as big as the one that was used on the 50th Floor, which had been left behind, but it had enough sleeping room for ten people. As there would only be six using it, it wasn't that cramped at all. As for Riveria, she used her own tent, which had also been provided by Vahn, while Gareth, Finn, and Bete all set up individual tents for themselves. Bete seemed to be annoyed by the fact Vahn was still sharing a tent with the girls, but he had momentarily given up on trying to 'address' the matter. There wasn't anything he could do to change the situation, so he kept to himself and just retreated into his own tent after dinner.For the evening watch, it was decided that people would have two-hour shifts to keep guard with Vahn, Fenrir, and Lefiya being made exceptions. Since Vahn slept with his domain active, while also using his own energy to 'conceal' them somewhat, it wouldn't be 'fair' to make him stand guard as well. As for why Fenrir and Lefiya were removed, it was because Fenrir needed to be watched over by Vahn while Lefiya's senses, except when it came to magic, were somewhat weak. The rest period had been designated as a ten hour period, so that everyone could get proper rest, with the first watch belonging to Finn...---Though he was relaxing his body and mind in a peaceful slumber, accompanied by the warmth of Fenrir, Tiona, and Tione, Vahn was still aware of his surroundings somewhat. Whenever people moved around within his domain, a part of his mind constantly tracked them and it was things like this that made Vahn feel like his brain had 'split' at some point. Even when his mind itself had slipped away into unconsciousness, he would still probe around with his intent and sense his surroundings. Though he couldn't 'see' what was happening, Vahn could envision it somewhat based on his imagination and perception of things so it was almost like he had the ability to 'wander' around even when he was asleep.Things were relatively peaceful for the first half of the night and Vahn only stirred slightly whenever an enemy would appear within his domain. His 'second' self would alert the person on watch by infusing [Enkidu] into his domain to light up the surrounding area. As all those on the watch were Level 5-6, they would make short work of the enemies without having to stir the others awake. Everyone was surprised the first time Vahn's domain 'alerted' them, but then they appreciated it a bit after a while. Even Bete, who didn't think it was fair that Vahn got to stay sleeping in the comfort of women couldn't complain too much after Vahn 'alerted' him for the fifth time. This showed that, even though he was asleep, Vahn was 'always' on watch while he only had to stay up for two hours. Vahn even picked up on the enemy's presence before his enhanced senses could so Bete just sat quietly atop a rock with a solemn expression on his face...The third shift was taken by Gareth and had been relatively uneventful as he sat with his axe in his lap and sipped away at the small flask Vahn had given him. He usually diluted the [Dwarven Drought] by a fair amount, but he had entrusted Gareth with a bit of the 'real' thing and the veteran Dwarf was very grateful. After the first 'surprise' of Vahn's domain alerting him to the enemy, Gareth had eased up a lot and simply overlooked the tents from a higher vantage point. Whenever an enemy would show up after that, Gareth would toss over a small rock in an attempt to smash them without leaving his perch. Though it made a loud sound, that would have awoken most people, the Loki Familia members were able to ignore it since they weren't being alerted to any danger.Once Gareth's watch came to an end, the next person to take up the post was the somewhat sleepy Ais. She escaped from Lefiya's grasp before climbing atop the large rock nearby with nothing but her sword. She hadn't bothered wearing all of her armor and was just dressed in the 'basic' equipment that she went to sleep in. When she sat down atop the rock, Ais found a small tray with snacks and steamy tea on it before she sat down and enjoyed the calm and quiet atmosphere. She noticed that there would be a brief golden flash every now and then and quickly dealt with the monsters nearby. After returning to her perch, Ais patted herself down before sitting atop the small blanket Vahn had set out and began to relax a bit when she felt the cold air of the Dungeon fade away as a warmth surrounded her...The final shift was taken up by Riveria and, shortly after she finished preparing for her post, she found a wooden table had been sat out for her with a comfortable chair to accompany it. On the table, there were various journals and books present with a freshly brewed pot of tea and bite-sized snickerdoodle cookies at the side. Riveria released a sigh before looking over at the tent where Vahn was sleeping with the other girls. After shaking her head slightly, she sat down at the table and partook of one of the cookies before opening up one of the journals present. It was all of Vahn's notes that he had been taking throughout the day and there was even a few excerpts about things they had discussed in the past. Riveria realized that Vahn must have been somewhat bored during their expedition and it brought a small smile to her face as she picked up the quill and began writing notes of her own.Though there were no visible changes in the layout of the Dungeon, it was time for everyone to wake up and Vahn had been one of the firsts to stir since he wanted to prepare breakfast. When he came out of the tent with Fenrir and the somewhat drowsy Tiona, Vahn saw Riveria writing in the journals while periodically looking around at the surroundings. She noticed their presence and gave Vahn a curt nod before returning to the journal in hand. Tiona stretched her body before clinging to Vahn and asking in a sleepy voice, "Vahn, make something sweet for breakfast, okay~?" As a result, Vahn decided to make the main dish as pancakes and then accompanied it with bacon, eggs, and some rice porridge for those that weren't too fond of sweets.With the smell of food on the air, everyone in the camp started to wake up soon after and came out of their tents seeking the source. Finn looked over at Riveria and was slightly stunned to see her sitting at a desk before promptly ignoring the matter and walking over to Vahn. Seeing what he was making, Finn asked, "Would you like my assistance, Vahn? I'm not the greatest chef in the world, but I should be able to assist you easily enough." Though Vahn was tempted to decline, it felt like it would have been unnecessarily rude of him to do so. After nodding his head, Vahn turned over the skillet to Finn before he moved on to the next set of items and they started cooking together. As for Tiona and Fenrir, they were already sitting down at the table as Tiona helped Fenrir eat some of the snacks Vahn had set out.Unlike the previous lunch incident, Vahn had set out a low table with a total of ten cushions present with the same red one designating Bete's spot. Without offering any complaints, Bete just walked over and sat down next to the slightly groggy Gareth who had inadvertently emptied the flask Vahn had given him after returning to his own tent. He wouldn't be affected for long, but he was slightly hungover for the time-being and was nursing a cup of dark-black coffee that Vahn had set out. As Bete had been one of the last people to sit at the table, the atmosphere was already somewhat lively after the girls had all washed up a bit and sat down. They hadn't taken a bath, but Vahn set out a small basin so they could rinse off their faces and brush their teeth before breakfast.Finn saw the lively atmosphere as he dexterously flipped over an omelet and remarked, "This is rather different from any other expedition I've ever been on, not that I'm complaining. It's good to see everyone's morale is so high even though we're so deep in the Dungeon..." Vahn nodded his head lazily and cast a glance over at Finn before saying, "I used to think you had to treat the Dungeon very seriously because I had been made aware of the dangers by Tsubaki when she trained me in the past. Now...I don't think that is entirely the case...after all, we're supposed to be on an 'adventure' right now, and all the stories make them out to be fun and exciting affairs. Though I'm not going to promote complacency, I think exploring the Dungeon should be something that is enjoyable when we have the capabilities to make it so..."Hearing Vahn's words, Finn was slightly surprised and had even paused his hands for a brief moment until the small of slightly burnt eggs reached his nose and he slid it off onto a plate. Vahn's words, though somewhat 'romantic' in nature, really were what Adventurers were supposed to aspire towards. Other than those that entered the Dungeon simply to 'get by', many people pursued its depths in the pursuit of fame, glory, wealth, and power. Most of those that actually achieved them were typically very free-spirited people that eagerly sought new stimulus and wanted to experience new things, even though it wasn't always pleasant.It was this desire for adventure that had caused the Guild to begin labeling explorers and dungeoneers as Adventurers in the first place. However, this was something that was often overlooked on missions and expeditions, and Finn hadn't really thought about it too much until he heard the words from Vahn's mouth. It suddenly seemed like him harping over the small details was 'incorrect' as there was no need to follow established conventions when people could be 'happy' and productive at the same time.Typically, as an expedition reached the end, it had become something of a slog and people just wanted it to be over. This was why the majority of losses happened on the return trip, because people were simply 'too eager' and were prone to making mistakes. However, Finn could actually imagine people wanting to stay longer with people like Vahn making things more 'fun' for everyone. Though he couldn't imagine it happening any time soon, Finn was starting to see Vahn's image of creating a permanant settlement in the Dungeon as a reality. Even if it was only a 'possibility', Finn knew it would be better to jump on the bandwagon early so a smile appeared on his face as he gave the young human boy a thoughtful look...(A/N:Alternate Titles: 'These flames are 'boring'...','The Night's Watch','Happy Fun Times')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

After an uneventful rest, Vahn awoke early in the morning, around 3 AM, so that he could ensure everything was ready by the time they left at 5 AM. Since they were going to be apart for several days, everyone woke up along with Vahn and they all enjoyed a lively breakfast with each other as they talked about what they wanted to do when they returned to the surface. Vahn wanted to focus on forging for a while, make some headway on his research, and eventually start using the orb again once it reactivated. He accepted that Naaza and Lefiya wanted to help in his research, and Vahn expected Riveria would probably join them, or at the very least compare notes.As for the girls, many of them just wanted to find more ways to spend time with him in the future so Vahn promised that they would do 'family' excursions on the weekends and go do some thrill-seeking in the countryside. He also wanted to map out the area around Orario more comprehensively in preparation for when enemies begin to appear. He also had the idea to start making secret bases all around the City so they would always have a safe haven if the Hearth Manor came under attack. Though he didn't expect many people would have the power to break through to the heart of the City, especially when they were surrounded by the Alliance, it was better safe than sorry.The last part of his 'departing ceremony' with the girls was to pamper them a bit before sharing short exchanges, which typically involved him having to embrace and kiss them. It was a little awkward, as he hadn't actually kissed them too often, but Vahn also gave Haruhime and Lili a kiss when they had asked. Having to kneel down for Lili made Vahn feel a little dull in the head, while Haruhime was far more skilled than he expected her to be. She actually had a strange honey-like taste to her saliva that was a little peculiar. His most surprising parting, however, had been when Naaza also asked for a kiss, though it was significantly tamer than the 'efforts' of Lili and the 'assault' of Haruhime. As for Mikoto, she wasn't quite at that stage yet though Vahn expected she would agree if he asked her to...Shortly after sharing his final exchange, something slightly troublesome happened that made Vahn feel a bit of panic stir inside of him. Fenrir had been watching the proceedings with her scarlet eyes and, once everyone had a turn, she asked, "Can Vahn kiss Fenrir~?" Though she knew about 'waiting' until she was older, that had been before she became more aware of the important differences between the opposite sex. Since Vahn 'even' kissed Lili and Haruhime, Fenrir didn't want to be the only person left out so she stared at him with 'pleading' eyes that actually made her look somewhat miffed.Vahn thought about it for a short moment before asking, "Fenrir, can you keep things in your mouth without them dissolving?" Though he didn't plan to give her a 'deep' kiss, Vahn was curious about it as it could be very important information for the future. Even the Fenrir in the Divination didn't try to kiss him at all so Vahn suspected it was a 'problem'. Hearing his words, Fenrir tilted her head to the side and allowed her ears to flop before taking out her 'favorite' magic core and placing it into her mouth. There was a small knotted cord attached to the zipper of her pouch that allowed her to open it by pulling it between the gaps of her paws.As Vahn had expected, the moment the core went beyond her teeth it broke down into a liquid form and Fenrir swallowed it on instinct. She had an expression like she had swallowed a fly until Vahn said, "I'll give you a small peck on the lips, but you can't do anything further. I might get a phobia related to kissing if I ended up losing my tongue..." Fenrir perked up a bit and trotted over to Vahn as she said, "Fenrir won't eat Vahn's tongue~! Kiss, kiss, kiss~!" As 'innocent' as it sounded, Vahn couldn't help but feel slightly worried as he bent down and kissed the excited wolf girl for a brief moment before parting. She placed both of her paws over her mouth and rocked her body from side to side in a happy manner like she was trying to stifle a laugh.Once that small trouble was taken care of, though Vahn expected it might evolve into a bigger one later, he made his way to the rendezvous area with Ais, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Fenrir in tow. Command of the encampment had already been turned over to Raul, though Vahn wasn't exactly sure of the reasoning, so Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Bete were already waiting for them near the camp's entrance. Bete, always the abrasive egoist, saw them arriving and commented, "It's about time you bastards showed up..." before sniffing the air and saying and scoffing. Fenrir seemed to be very annoyed by Bete's well, everything, but Vahn had told her several times not to associate with him. To enforce it, Vahn had even 'ordered' her to do her best to ignore him unless he was trying to harm her or one of the members of the Hestia Familia.Completely ignoring Bete, Vahn smiled to Riveria and Gareth before saying, "I double-checked all the supplies, so we're good to go, Finn." Nodding his head, Finn smiled at the group before looking around and saying, "Very well, it looks like everyone is ready to go. Our objective is to clear down the 54th floor and gather proof from the monsters located there. If possible, we'll document any new species and collect as many items as we can before returning to the encampment. If our supplies hold out well over this short expedition, we may stay a while longer on the 50th floor, but we'll evaluate that when the time comes."Vahn nodded his head in affirmation before adding, "Keep in mind that there are enemies lurking within the Dungeon, so if you see anything strange share it with the group. Don't wander off on your own and keep your wits about you..." Hearing his words, Beta clicked his tongue before muttering, "This weakling is cautioning other people..." However, Vahn didn't even have to consider rebutting him because Ais looked at Bete with her golden eyes and a slightly displeased expression as she said, "Vahn is already very strong...even stronger than you...probably." Though she was confident in Vahn, Ais hadn't actually seen his performance recently and she knew that Bete wasn't exactly weak either.Bete seemed to be very offended by Ais's words and shouted, "Eeeeeiii!? What the fuck did you say!?" Just as he was about to take a step forward though, Gareth grabbed him by the arm and had a stern expression on his face as he said, "We have a mission to perform, now isn't the time for things like this. If you want to butt heads, do it like men and make a wager of it up on the surface. No sense in insulting each other and starting fights in the heart of the Dungeon. Besides, Vahn is right to be cautious, as that is the type of mentality that saves lives. You should be well aware of that, Bete..." As Gareth had been something of a father-figure for Bete for many years, the aggressive Werewolf boy simply jerked his arm away from Gareth's grasp and started walking toward their destination.Finn turned to the rest of the group with a somewhat awkward smile before returning to normal as he said, "Everyone, stay on your toes and let's do our best to set a new record for both of our Familia!" Following Finn's words, everyone raised their respective weapons and gave a short hurrah before heading in the same direction as Bete. Their pace would be relatively slow, as they were trying to conserve as much energy as possible, so it was a good opportunity to just make idle conversation for a while. Vahn was in the back of the group, acting as a Supporter and ranged combatant, alongside Riveria, Lefiya, and Fenrir. Since they had yet to actually start fighting, Tiona was hanging around Vahn and they were having a fun conversation until reaching the entrance to the 51st Floor.Though he normally would have explained things, Finn knew that Vahn's group had enjoyed a great deal of success on the 51st floor and it was unnecessary to brief them on it. Thus, without any major flair or hesitation, the group continued along the path until the first batch of monsters spawned. It was still the same old Black Rhinos, something Vahn had seen more than ten-thousand times over the last two weeks, but the number that emerged from the corridor was much higher than what he had seen previously. As their party size was at ten, far more than the three Vahn had been traveling with, the standard spawn of monsters was between 60-200 on the low end, compared to the 9-15 Vahn usually dealt with. Though they weren't a major threat, especially with Lefiya's 'Radiant Lancers' now piercing through enemies and devastating them, Vahn could see why it was impossible to take an expedition through these floors.Unlike the majority of the upper floors, the 51st and beyond had corridors that were only around 8m wide, 8m tall, and there were several twists and turns that appeared all around. It was truly the most labyrinthine structure Vahn had seen and it would be impossible for a large group to traverse through with how many monsters would spawn. Vahn couldn't even imagine what it would look like with several thousand Black Rhinos clogging up the Dungeon floor, but it didn't seem like it would be pleasant at all. Even now, with groups larger than one-hundred, they had to be dealt with quickly or there was a chance of them overwhelming the group with their tireless charging.Seeing how 'devastating' Lefiya had become in such a short period of time, Finn looked back and commented, "It seems your training with Vahn has been going well, Lefiya. I'm truly amazed at how strong you've become in such a short period of time..." Though he truly meant the compliment, Finn's expression became a little weird because he saw Vahn walking with his hand on Lefiya's shoulder. It was a little out of place, as they were in the Dungeon, but it was especially strange that Lefiya was 'okay' with it. As it seemed like a strange thing to ask, the only thing Finn could do was shake his head and continue fighting while mentally commenting how 'another' girl had 'fallen' to Vahn.Finn was beginning to think that Vahn's idea about 'saving' people and helping them become stronger was the 'correct' path since Lefiya's growth was simply ridiculous. Seeing as how she also seemed fond of Vahn, Finn wondered what it would be like if he raised a few capable Pallums up into warriors in the future. Even if he didn't specifically raise a girl to become his wife in the future, there was still a chance something might happen. Though he wasn't the type to brag about it, there had been more than four-hundred women that had sought him out in the past so Finn believed the odds were favorable...As for why Vahn was walking through the Dungeon with his hand on Lefiya's shoulder, it was to obviously let the girl continually cast her magic without having to worry too much about her mana consumption. Vahn had already confirmed that he could help promote Lefiya's Endurance by the constant baptism of source energy, so there was really no reason not to do it. He had even shared this with Riveria, though he didn't mention anything about source energy, and she had even been tempted to 'test' it herself. However, Riveria wasn't really casting magic simultaneously like Lefiya so there was no need for Vahn to 'feed' her a constant supply. She was conserving her mana for things like Monster Parties and other dangerous situations, so it simply wasn't the proper time to test Vahn's theory. Besides, Riveria wasn't like Lefiya and she couldn't imagine showing any form of affection in public, even if it wasn't actually intended to be one.Since he wasn't supposed to be fighting, unless it was an emergency, Vahn continued to scan around the Dungeon and picking up any of the loose materials that would sometimes be hidden in the grass. Some of them were important ingredients in creating potions and Vahn knew that Naaza would be grateful for the extra resources for her research. He was also looking for any signs of 'tampering' to the Dungeon itself while keeping his eyes peeled for enemy movements.It had been a total of sixteen days since the expedition entered the Dungeon and there had yet to be any signs of them at all. However, since the red-haired woman was able to track him down twice in a short period of time, Vahn knew they had some way to track them. They had probably set up some kind of trap, perhaps during their return trip, so Vahn hadn't dropped his guard.---Because of the complexity of the floor, it took the group nearly seven hours before they reached the stairs leading to the 52nd Floor. Along the way, they had killed more than nine-thousand Black Rhinos and a total of 108 Formis Spiders, which had almost all been killed by Lefiya. Though she was already near the peak of Level 3, Lefiya still had a bit of room for further development and she would potentially even be able to reach as high as 5,000 parameters if she were lucky. Vahn had noticed a subtle change in her 'spiritual body' after she awakened her Innate and it seemed to have increased her 'potential' a fair amount.Vahn had previously discussed this with Lefiya and also mentioned the existence of the two items he had received from her, which he explained were the 'proof' of their bond with each other. Knowing that Vahn had been able to create an item that was actually capable of reviving the dead had been a shocker to Lefiya, but hearing about the [Wishe's Blessing] had left her in complete disbelief. An item that could purify the bloodline of Elves and High Elves was something that would, without embellishment, cause the High Elves to go to war in an effort to obtain. There would be no end to the killing that would be brought about as the result of such discovery because the 'purity' of their blood was the most important thing.Though he had offered to use it on her, after returning to the surface, Lefiya adamantly refused to accept it because it was far too dangerous. She was well-known amongst the other Elves and High Elves so there was no way she would be able to keep it a secret if it somehow made her into something like a High Elf, or even a Spirit. Just knowing she was a direct descendant of Wishe was enough for her right now, though Vahn didn't plan to let the matter lay in the future. He would undoubtedly have a conflict with the High Elves anyways, so he didn't see the need to be so round-about regarding the situation. Lefiya would only benefit from receiving [Wishe's Blessing] in the future, and Vahn was certain he could convince her to take it when they return.To guarantee things would go well, Vahn also discussed the matter with Riveria, who had an equally 'mortified' response. Riveria didn't know that Lefiya was a direct descendant of Wishe, as most of her descendants were High Elves, but knowing that he had an item that purifies blood was a big 'problem'. Lefiya wasn't a High Elf, so she would probably be killed if she tried to return to the Elven Kingdom after it became known. There was no possibility that the noble families would allow someone that wasn't a member to run around with 'their' bloodline contained within her. They would treat her as the daughter of a traitor and potentially even kill her entire family just to ensure that there were no others born of the same heritage.Vahn hadn't taken into consideration Lefiya's family as she had never really talked about them in the past. Though he had her [Hearts Desire], Vahn talked to her about it and she asked him to hold onto it for the time being, just like Riveria. Though she couldn't give many details, Vahn learned from Riveria that Lefiya was actually 'orphaned' and had spent many of her formative years studying at the Guild-sponsored School in Orario. Even Riveria wasn't entirely sure about where Lefiya originated, but it was actually very rare for an Elf to have dark-blue eyes. One of the reasons Riveria had made Lefiya her protege was in order to protect her while she researched her origins.Now that she had learned that Lefiya was a descendant of Wishe, her origins likely related to the High Elf family known as Dal Alfan. Though they weren't the only Elves to have dark-blue eyes, they were the ones that purportedly claimed to belong to the direct lineage of Wishe. Riveria wasn't sure how an 'Elf' was born to a family of High Elves, but it most likely meant that one of their members had a tryst with a normal Elf that resulted in pregnancy. Typically, such children would become servants and sent out to various branch families where their lives wouldn't be that great. If they actually found out about Lefiya's existence, they would likely try to 'claim' or 'kill' her in the future.Though she didn't disagree with Vahn using the [Wishe's Blessing] on Lefiya in the future, Riveria stressed that he should wait until they had already opened dialogue with the Elven Kingdom. At the very least, the Hestia Familia needed to increase its own power, so that assassins wouldn't be able to target her in the future. When he mentioned potentially having Eina or herself use the item, Riveria hesitated for a while before saying it was only 'right' to use it on Lefiya. Besides, she wasn't a 'direct' descendant of Wishe and actually hailed from the 'main' bloodline of Alf, one of the ancestors of the High Elves. All of the members of her Family could typically be recognized by their emerald-green hair, but their most distinctive trait was their jade-colored eyes. Of all the elven families, they were the only ones that had 'jade' eyes, though there were several variations of green spread amongst other families. The easiest way to confirm if the green was the correct 'jade' was the fact that their eyes caught the light from angles and made them appear to glow, whereas normal green eyes didn't have such a feature...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir want kiss (Ծ‸ Ծ)','BeteReeeeeeeee~!','Lefiya's Origins (⊙﹏⊙)?'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 486: Flame Pillar