Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After promising to meet with Loki in the coming days, as she was busy managing matters with her Familia after the expedition, Vahn mounted Fafnir along with Riveria, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Fenrir. Tiona had wanted to ride Terra, but the elegant green dragon actually refused her, saying, "I would want my Master to be the first person to ride on my back. Please forgive me, Tiona." This was one of the 'troublesome' things about having a dragon that could take human form from the beginning, as Vahn found it somewhat difficult to rationalize riding on Terra's back since he had Fafnir with him. Since it spent the majority of its time stuck in the shadows, Vahn also felt 'obligated' to use it as a mount because Fafnir seemed to enjoy it greatly. He could always make it up to Terra by spending time with her in the Manor, after all, which was something that Fafnir couldn't easily do since it's size was currently fixed.On the flight back to the Manor, Vahn found himself flanked by Tiona and Tione and it was very obvious they were more 'excited' than normal. With his increase in parameters, Vahn was relatively close to the two in strength and, until he 'tamed' their eager hearts, they likely wouldn't be able to calm down any time soon. As he had already planned to spend the evening with the girls from the Hostess of Fertility, Vahn was currently considering if he should tend to the two beautiful brown-skinned girls sooner, rather than later. Being able to 'defeat' them in the bedroom should help them calm down a great deal since it would pacify their instincts and allow them to act calmly around him in the future, except of course when he 'triggered' them by doing something showy.Once they reached the Manor, Tiona made the comment, "Wow, it feels like we're just now returning home~!" in a cheerful voice as she leaped down from Fafnir's back. The other girls seemed to share her sentiments and everyone appeared more lively as they happily made their way into the interior of the Manor to explore. Vahn had stayed back with Tione a bit and grabbed her arm as he 'whispered', "Tione, if you're struggling so much..." Contrary to his expectations, Tione simply embraced him all of a sudden and said, "I'm fine, Vahn, just call on me when you're ready. I know you must be busy after just returning to the surface, so just make time in the future for me and I'll be happy. We can invite Tiona and Ais along and make it into a celebration about returning to the surface~."Vahn felt a bit of warmth spread through his chest with how thoughtful Tione was being as he embraced her in return and sealed her lips with an 'unexpected' kiss. He kept things brief since he wasn't trying to make things even more difficult, but it still caused her to breathe a little heavier before she made her way toward the Manor. The only 'people' remaining outside were Vahn, Riveria, Lefiya, Fenrir, Terra, and Fafnir, so Vahn felt like it was time to face his fate as he turned to Riveria and bowed his head low, saying, "Riveria, please forgive me for forgetting my promise to allow you to observe the naming ceremony. I had been so eager to complete it that I hadn't been thinking properly and have let you down...I will do better in the future."Seeing Vahn's somewhat 'eager' apology, Riveria released a sigh and cast a glance at the 'grimacing' Lefiya before saying, "Raise your head, Vahn. It is expected that people make mistakes, and you have a lot on your plate compared to most. The naming was just a matter I was curious about, and it isn't as though it will be the last time you perform such a feat. However, I would like to be part of the next one so please keep that in mind." Though she felt a small amount of resentment at having missed the opportunity, Riveria couldn't imagine holding an actual grudge against Vahn for very long anymore. He worked very hard and had already started laying a foundation for the future, not just for herself and Lefiya, but for the entire Elven people. She had already decided to be with Vahn in the future, so it was difficult to rationalize staying angry at him when she knew it would actually 'hurt' him more than most people.Hearing Riveria's words, Vahn raised his head and smiled gratefully after seeing how stable and calm her aura was compared to the mild fluctuations that were present earlier. Since he suddenly found himself with more free time, as the matter with Tione had been pushed back temporarily, Vahn gestured to Terra and said, "Terra, please return to your humanoid form, and remember to wear your robe properly." Vahn's words caused Riveria to squint slightly as she turned her gaze to Terra and watched as the 14m long dragon became enshrouded in a vibrant green light that rapidly shrunk. By the time it reached 3m in diameter, the light 'burst' apart into wispy strands and there was suddenly a woman standing in a high-quality robe.Seeing Terra's appearance, Riveria understood what Ryuu meant when she compared her to a spirit as the 'feeling' she gave off was very similar. If she didn't have wings on her back, something Riveria found fascinating, she would have been indiscernible from the majority of spirits that took on human form. There was vibrant energy radiating from her body that was filled with life and warmth and, under her bare feet, flowers bloomed as grass coiled about in an almost 'playful' manner. Riveria felt that, with her ability to create a 'wellspring' of life, Terra could have become an idol for the Elven people. It seemed that Vahn had a natural inclination to do things that would eventually unify the Elves with other cultures in the future, as he not only had Terra's support, but also possessed a [Seed of the Tree of Life], could transform into a High Elf, and had already gained some insight into finding a solution to the issues concerning Elven infertility...Lefiya had also noticed the peculiarities with Terra, but the thing she most took note of at the present was the fact that Terra was also one of Vahn's 'subordinates'. They had already introduced themselves earlier, but Lefiya still took the opportunity to bow politely and say, "We'll be working together from now on, Terra. Lets both do our best for Master~!" Since she wouldn't have been able to keep it from Riveria, Lefiya had already explained the change in 'status' between her and Vahn, though she didn't go into too many details. What Lefiya had discussed was the fact that she had taken Vahn as her Master to learn magic, which was something Riveria had even encouraged her to do, so it wasn't incorrect to address him as such.Terra, however, understood the true context of Lefiya's words because she could subtly feel a connection with the small Elven girl. Emulating the polite bow displayed by Lefiya, Terra returned the courtesy and said, "I look forward to working alongside you, Lefiya. I'm certain we can accomplish more working together rather than dividing our efforts." Though the two girls smiled at each other, Riveria had a look of suspicion on her face as she looked between their unique interaction. She assumed there was likely more to things that weren't currently made apparent, but decided to probe into them later as there was another matter that concerned her at the moment.Asking a question that Vahn was also curious about, Riveria turned to Terra and asked, "Terra, how is it that you are able to speak so fluently and behave similarly to the surface races? I understand you were an intelligent monster within the Dungeon, but that doesn't explain how you're able to carry yourself in such a 'proper' manner..." Even now, Terra stood tall and had an almost noble disposition in the way that she carried herself. It was possible that it was simply 'instinctual' for her, but Riveria wanted to learn more about the matter.Terra tilted her head slightly as a reminiscent look appeared in her eyes and she said, "I'm not sure exactly how long I lived, but I had once roamed about on the surface. One day, I had been seriously injured by another monster and a small child had discovered my body. Though she wasn't very skilled, she happened to be the apprentice of her village's physician and she helped treat my wounds. I never recovered completely, but I was able to survive with her assistance over the course of several long months. Though I couldn't understand speech at the time, I felt indebted to the girl and she was always talking to me as she treated my wounds..."Though it seemed like Terra didn't mind going on even further, Rivera raised her hand and said, "I understand now, you learned how to interact with surface dwellers through your relationship with that girl. Since you aren't certain of your own age, you likely tracked it by the age of the girl over the course of her life until you eventually separated. As I do not want to pry into your past, I will drop this matter here for the time being...thank you for sharing with me." Riveria was very interested in Terr's life, but she didn't want to hear her narrate the entire thing while they were standing out in the courtyard. She would leave it to Vahn to 'discover' the elements about her past as Riveria was truly more interested in the 'future' right now.Terra smiled and bowed slightly to Riveria without continuing further, as it was something she struggled narrating as well. She didn't remember everything from her previous life, though her memories had slowly started to come back to her, but she did remember the little girl that slowly became a woman and eventually even had a family of her own. However, the most prominent memory in her mind was going to the aide of the girl's family in her time of need before she was eventually killed by a horde of monsters.Because there were so many enemies, the girl and her family died long before she fell and it was their deaths that eventually caused her to give up her own struggle. She might have been able to fly away if she was in her peak condition, but the injury she had sustained in the past had been to her wing and she was no longer capable of flight at the time. The only thing she remembered after that was waking up within the Dungeon and longing for the blue sky once again. Strangely, it had been one of the things she couldn't recall directly and it was almost 'heartbreaking' not being able to remember it...As a result of her struggles in her previous life, Terra had grown 'tired' of combat and she lamented her new life where she was constantly attacked by Adventurers that sought her treasure. Even when she tried to reason with them, they often just came back with a larger group and there would almost always be a fight. If not for her desire to return to the surface, and her instinctual desire to protect the Treasure Tree, Terra would have given up on life because she truly disliked fighting. When Vahn offered to make both of her desires a reality, Terra didn't truly believe him because it was difficult to trust humans. However, she could see the honesty contained within his eyes and it reminded her of past memories long forgotten. This was the reason why she decided to place her trust in him at the time and it seemed now that her fortunes had been favorable.After the brief conversation took place, the four went into the Manor as Fafnir plopped down in the same spot as the previous day and laid down on the ground to sunbathe once again. It opened his massive maw to 'yawn' as a rumbling growl escaped its throat and a sleepy look appeared in its eyes.It was happy to be able to stay on the surface now, but things seemed somewhat boring except when it was flying around with Vahn and having fun. Even flying in sky around the territory of the Alliance wasn't really that interesting so it spent the majority of its time sleeping as it released an intimidating aura at anyone, or anything, that might come near the Manor. There were several people that passed by the outer walls that would find themselves spook as the stopped and looked over the top of the walls with thoughtful expressions. They didn't actually plan to break in, they were simply curious what kind of place the 'famous' Hearth Manor really was. Unfortunately, they curiosity earned them a lingering feeling of dread if they stayed too long because Fafnir would bear its aura down on anyone that overstayed their welcome without going through the front gate.Since it was nice and sunny outside, Terra went into the illusory forest and made her way to the secret garden to continue nourishing the plants in the area while expanding her territory even further. It would require constant effort on her behalf to expand her dominion and Terra knew it was her 'duty' to make sure she did her best in guarding to Manor in exchange for a relatively peaceful lifestyle. It was very similar to her duty guarding the Treasure Tree, but Terra didn't mind at all since there was a beautiful sky overhead and she had a lot of freedom to move about as long as she informed people what she was doing. She also had a kind Master and there were many girls that treated her nicely, especially Ryuu, Haruhime, Maemi, and Emiru. It was much better to be surrounded by friendly people that it was to be 'trapped' in the lonely Dungeon where she would periodically be forced to fight for her life.As for Vahn, Riveria, and Lefiya, they made their way towards the Library while Fenrir ran off to explore the Manor with the other girls. Now that they were back at the Manor, there were a few things they needed to properly catalog and discuss regarding their future research and Vahn also wanted to pander to Riveria as an apology for forgetting his promise. She seemed to realize this as well and took the opportunity to question Vahn about some of the things she had been curious about, including the evolution of his magical abilities and the 'specifics' of his sensory capabilities. Though he couldn't explain everything to her, Vahn did he best to convey it in a manner that Riveria would understand and even broke down the existence of 'magic particles' and the structure of molecules for her, 'revolutionary' ideas that were somewhat hard to grasp.One of the things that was rather difficult to believe was Vahn's explanation that mana itself had no elemental properties at all, at least in its basic structure. It wasn't until mana was given a 'purpose', as a result of the influence of laws within the world, that it finally gained an 'elemental charge'. This meant it was possible to transition one elemental energy into a completely different one, which was easily seen through the process of converting water elemental energy into ice. Though they were similar, they were actually fundamentally different when it came to the aspect of the energies contained within them. Fortunately, their affinities were very close to each other so it was much easier to transition water into ice, and vice versa, than it was to change water into fire.This didn't mean it was impossible, however, which Vahn painstakingly demonstrated at the cost of using nearly 70% of his entire energy to turn a marble-sized ball of water into a ball of flame. With his newfound mastery of water elemental energies, Vahn could use his perfect affinity with fire to perform such feats, effectively shocking both Riveria and Lefiya to the core. The biggest impact to them hadn't been in that 'small' display though, as Vahn took things to an entirely different extent when he demonstrated that it was possible to create something from 'nothing' right before their eyes. Unlike the energy he used to 'create' things within his body, which made use of external energy, Vahn used his 'Oblivion' to created a sphere of iron roughly the size of a crystal ball that 'grew' right before the girls' eyes.Riveria had several difficult questions to ask after that, since she was interested in the 'differences' between Vahn 'creation' divinity and his ability to 'create' things from nothing. He could already materialize weapons, armor, clothing, and even food from thin air, so she wondered about why he stressed the significance of being able to make an orb of iron. It took a bit of effort, but Vahn essentially explained it at using a template, image, and desire to 'form' and item from his understanding and using his soul as a medium to essentially perform an 'exchange' with the world itself to produce items. The fundamental difference between creating an orb in the real world, and creating one through his 'divinity' was that one created something from 'nothing'. If they had enough understanding of the process, both Riveria and Lefiya would be able to create things in the future, even without a 'divinity' of their own.Though she suspected there was more to it than Vahn explained, Riveria felt like he was trying to be truthful to her so it was likely just his own difficulties in explaining the matter in a way she could understand. It made her feel slightly awkward so she didn't press him too much after he drew out various diagrams for her in order to describe the process. She suddenly felt like a child being educated by her tutor again, which was both refreshing and strangely disconcerting at the same time. One of the reasons she had left her home was because she craved knowledge and wanted to experience the outside world for herself, so being able to learn so much from Vahn was a very fulfilling thing for her. However, his age made her a little self-conscious because it almost felt like she was being treated like a child by someone that was 83 years younger than she was...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Good to be home','Terra's Past','Kouhai-Riveria and Vahn-Senpai~!')(A/N: Once again, I'd like to thank everyone that has been making pledges on ******* to show their support for the novel. We went from $631 to $821 pledged over the course of a single day so, if everything clears at the end of the month, I should be in a much better position to continue doing this even further into the future~! As for the lovely people that have made Paypal donations, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to each of you as receiving direct payments always makes me very happy xD, which I'm certain most people can empathize with &lt;3.)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Vahn spent the rest of the morning in the Library with Riveria and Lefiya before it was finally time for the second block of his schedule. He enjoyed a light lunch with the two girls as they made light conversation for a while before eventually parting ways. With the amount of information he had given Riveria, the two had a lot of things to discuss and ruminate over so he was now looking to settle a few other matters. With his return to the surface this time, Vahn felt like he had some 'loose ends' that required wrapping up and he wanted to take care of them before he returned to his normal schedule.Though she was okay with 'delaying' things for a bit, Vahn still wanted to tend to Tione in the near future because he felt somewhat guilty having her wait since she had already waited quite a while. He already made plans with Syr, Ryuu, Chloe, Arnya, and Lunoire for this evening, but Vahn decided that he would spend the following night with Tione, Tiona, and Ais. He imagined things would get a little intense at the time, but that shouldn't be a problem as long as he put in the effort. Even without Haruhime's buff, Vahn knew that parameters were actually higher than depicted when he made use of [Will of the Emperor]. If he made proper use of his [Hands of Nirvana] and [Petting], Vahn was confident he would be able to gain an advantage against them.As for the other things he needed to tend to before things returned to 'normal', Vahn wanted to sort out matters with Haruhime, talk to Maemi, Emiru, and Preasia about the concerns they likely had, and eventually check out his 'clubhouse', talk with the people he wanted to add to his network, and then inspect the ongoing construction efforts. The thing at the top of his list, however, was spending a bit of time with Milan, Tina, and Shizune because he knew the original mother-daughter pair had likely been some of the most worried about his safety. Though Tsubaki was in a similar boat, she was a lot 'stronger' than the two girls and Vahn could tell she was 'stable' during the earlier bath.The 'family' group could typically be found around the first floor, near the kitchen, as they often studied there and helped Maemi and Emiru with chores. This time though, Vahn found several presences in the central courtyard, which had previously been their backyard, and he could see Milan, Tina, Shizune, Preasia, Fenrir, and Ryuu all in outside training together. Vahn realized there was another matter he probably needed to deal with very soon, which was deciding whether he would allow the girls to enter the Dungeon for training. Though Shizune was in a younger body now, she was technically still an adult and Vahn didn't have a strong case to stop her from entering the Dungeon. As for Tina, she had already brought up the matter of Tiona, Tione, Ais, and even Lefiya and Lili, as points to use against him as a reason to allow her to grow stronger sooner. Lefiya and Lili had yet to reach adulthood and Lili's actual start was lower than Tina's current which made it difficult for Vahn to rationalize stopping her...After making his way to the training area, Vahn sat at the side with Preasia since the girls actually continued their training even though they had taken note of his presence. This showed they were trying to follow the proper 'discipline' expected of someone that wanted to enter the Dungeon and Vahn knew they were trying to show him this. As for Preasia, she had a small smile on her face when Vahn sat next to her and asked, "Vahn...can you...?" Not knowing how long he would be waiting, and considering that he hadn't spent much time with her, Vahn nodded his head and reached out his hand. Preasia, however, took 'advantage' of the situation and 'stole' his lap and leaned against him with a surprising deftness that caused Fenrir to cast her a glance.Vahn issued a silent chuckle and began 'fluffing' Preasia's hair as he played around with her droopy ears and pet her head plentily. Since she was a Sheep Person, her ears were similar to an actual sheep's and they were somewhat long, rounded, and drooped down slightly in a manner that made her seem even more...sheepish. She was also a very petite girl, so it was easy to handle her when she was sitting in his lap, even when she wriggled around a bit under his movements. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Vahn asked, "What have you been up to while I was away, Preasia?"Preasia uttered a silent 'Uguuu' sound before muttering, "I studied with Chloe a lot...but she is only good at poisons...and a few medicines. Without Naaza and Fenrir around...I spent most of my time reading books...and waiting for you to come back. I also spent a lot of time...with Milan...Tina...and Shizune..." Though she had started to get along with everyone in the Manor, Preasia had spent the majority of her time with Fenrir, Naaza, Lili, and Haruhime as her close friends so she had been a little lonely when they all went into the Dungeon. Because Hestia had 'claimed' Vahn's room as her own while he was away, she couldn't sneak in easily and even spent some of her nights staying with Milan because she was a little afraid of staying on her own.Vahn could feel the subtle fluctuations in Preasia's aura and gently hugged around her stomach to comfort her body as he rested his chin against the top of her head. It was a little peculiar feeling her breasts resting against his arms, but Vahn didn't mind it and just hugged her until her aura stabilized a bit. Though he was 'disturbing' the training a bit, Ryuu just used it as an opportunity to make the girls work on improving their focus. If they couldn't keep their senses about them during emotional turmoil, they could end up losing their lives in the Dungeon. They also needed to simply get used to Vahn's interactions with other girls if they truly wanted to be with him in the future, so Ryuu herself put in a little more effort.After around an hour of hard training, which had including things like sprinting, evading attacks for several minutes at a time, and actual sparring, it was finally time for a break so the girls approached Vahn and Preasia. Contrary to expectations, Fenrir didn't say anything about Preasia sitting in Vahn's lap at all and just sat down near him, obviously making room for Tina and Shizune to be at his sides if they wanted to. Preasia was aware of this as well and eventually wiggled her butt a little before climbing out of the comfortable seat with a bit of hesitation.With the 'seat' currently freed up, Vahn earned a peculiar look from Fenrir, Tina, and Shizune but none of them moved forward to take it since they were covered in sweat and feeling more than a little self-conscious about it. Milan didn't seem to mind too much, however, as she sat down next to Vahn in a casual manner before asking, "Can you lend us some towels, Vahn?" Though the children seemed to have forgotten about it, Milan knew Vahn had towels that could help mask scents completely which would solve the current 'predicament' easily. Understanding her intentions, Vahn produced enough towels for everyone, including Ryuu, who accepted it gratefully and wiped down her own body.When they smelled the 'scentless' towel, Tina and Shizune understood its purpose and dabbed at the sweat on their bodies as if they were racing against each other. Both girls were wearing training garb that consisted of a black tunic and small shorts for ease of movement. They also had on a pair of black spats-like undershorts with long socks that made the small shin guards they were wearing more comfortable. As they were both 'agility' type fightings, at least for the moment, they were practicing with daggers and short swords since longsword and greatswords were a bit much for them at the moment. Tina also wore a small breastplate atop her tunic, similar in structure to the one her mother was wearing and had a small buckler to guard against attacks.Tina seemed to be following the same route as her mother and fought primarily with a sword and shield while Shizune made use of a pair of daggers, one marginally longer than the other. She actually practiced with Chloe a lot on her days off and also had a pouch on her hip that would one day hold things like smoke bombs, poisons, and other tools. Because of her rather unfortunate past, she was somewhat similar to Chloe and was drawn to the darkness a bit and her developing combat style showed it. Vahn wouldn't be surprised if she became something akin to a ninja or assassin in the future, though he would try to keep her closer to the light instead of letting her fall completely in the darkness.Perhaps due to her experience in life, Shizune finished wiping her body down much faster than Tina and 'proudly' claimed Vahn's lap as her reward. Tina had a 'devastated' look on her face but bottled it up as she took her spot in her Mother's lap instead. Since they were all sitting together, it made her feel like they were a real family and it wasn't 'too' bad. Just as she was thinking about how to start trying to convince her 'Papa' about letting her go into the Dungeon, Vahn had beaten her to the punch as he smiled and said, "I'll be taking a two-week break to focus on other things, but I'll take both of you into the Dungeon in the future if you get passing marks from Tsubaki, Ryuu, and Chloe."Tina's ears perked up and she leaned over toward Vahn and grabbed his arm as she excitedly asked, "Is nyat really true~nya!?" As a result of her excitement, her verbal tick showed up which made the small cat girl blush fiercely but she continued to stare hopefully at Vahn regardless. His smile turned especially gentle as he nodded his head and said, "Yes, though I think I'll have Milan accompany us when I train you while I'll leave Chloe to help watch over Shizune. The two of you will continue training together, but I want you to pursue the paths you choose instead of feeling like you're forced into making a decision. If you'd like to learn anything specific, please let me know from now on and I'll do my best to take care of it."Vahn's words were very well received by the two girls as Tina launched herself at Vahn and rubbed her cheek against his affectionately while Shizune took the opportunity to ask, "Does that mean we'll get one of those flame seeds soon? Since I was born as a kitsune, my magic is somewhat weak and I'd like to develop it further in the future..." Vahn pat Tina's back to help her calm down as he explained, "I've almost reached the threshold of using that skill, and I think it's a bit too early for the two of you to receive a seed. Because you're so young, I think it would be better for you to naturally develop your abilities instead of having them increase too quickly. We can focus on unlocking your rare skills and promoting your growth through your own efforts. Don't worry though, I'll give you flame seeds one day, just not right now. I can't even give them to all the other girls that 'need' one, so please be a little patient..."Shizune didn't seem to mind at all as her ears bobbed a few times and she remarked, "That's fine with me, as it means we'll get to spend even more time together, ufufufufu~." Without the growth promotion of the flame seed, Vahn would have to look after them even more as they fought to increase their strength the 'normal' way. Unbeknownst to the two girls, however, Vahn was planning to promote their growth through other means while also discovering the 'actual' effects of his [Mentor] Development Ability. It was hard to know exactly what benefits it offered since most of the other girls he trained had flame seeds. With the Level 1 Tina and Shizune, combined with the Levels 3 and 4 Milan and Chloe, Vahn would be able to collect more accurate data.Though Milan had a few inhibitions about her daughter entering the Dungeon so early, knowing that she would be there alongside both Tina and Vahn made her worries seem negligible. She knew it was important for her daughter to get stronger for the future, and it was a great opportunity for them to spend time together. Vahn might put her daughter through a few trials, but Milan knew he would never let anything happen to her and there shouldn't be any actual danger. He had already been strong enough to fight against Level 4s and 5s as a Level 3, so Milan had confidence that Vahn had become unimaginably strong after reaching Level 4 himself.For the two-and-a-half remaining hours of the second block of his schedule, Vahn spent his time with six girls and helped guide their training. Mikoto had shown up at one point, but she ended up making her way into the forest in the back so as not to disturb their training. Her destination was the clearing that she had heard about and she already knew the correct path from Ryuu. She knew the 'heritage' Vahn had given her was actually far more advanced than her initial expectations and, after reading it through to the end, Mikoto understood she could reach a level of swordsmanship never before seen in the world. Knowing that the skill relied on speed, perception, and reaction timing, Mikoto had even taken the [Acrobatics] Development Ability to increase the flexibility of her body and her spatial awareness.By the time Vahn's schedule was transitioning to the third segment, he had promised to help design outfits for both Tina and Shizune in the future as well help them choose a 'proper' weapon. Vahn had an idea about making growth weapons for the two girls, but he was somewhat worried it would skew his own research results. However, it was far more important that the girls were safe and able to grow properly so Vahn was going to consult Hephaestus on the matter as growth weapons didn't actually exist in the record yet. Vahn couldn't even find the [Hestia Knife] through the system shop, since it was a 'unique' weapon that was directly connected to Hestia. He would likely be able to purchase it in another record, but that wasn't very helpful given the current circumstances.Fortunately, Vahn knew that Hephaestus had the potential to make such weapons and she would likely be more than willing to help out. If he assisted her during the forging process, he could potentially even learn the skill himself while also spending time with the loveable goddess of the forge. They would also need Hestia's support during the process, as her ichor would be the catalyst that made the weapon function, but there was little chance she would refuse. She was actually very fond of Tina, Shizune, and Fenrir since her motherly instincts were quite developed. As one of her divinities related to 'Family' itself, she had a soft spot for children and would probably be very motivated to assist them.As there was no time like the present, and knowing that Hephaestus had said she would be in the Manor in the afternoon, Vahn made his way toward the workshops after parting with the girls. Knowing they would need to getting 'passing marks' from several people, their motivation for training had been ignited and they were planning to spend the afternoon studying about the Dungeon and training with Ryuu, Fenrir, and Milan. Though Fenrir might not be the best teacher, she was very strong and could demonstrate her fighting methods to the girls, which they were both interested in considering her foundation was built on 'copying' Vahn. She had even taken the [Mimickry] Development Ability when she increased her Level and was able to emulate Vahn's voice if she put in the effort. The first time Vahn heard her practicing it, it made him feel a little bit of a chill, not because she was copying him, but because he was afraid who else she would copy in the future...(A/N: I hadn't clarified this previously, but items like grimoires and personal-made weapons that are bound to people typically can't be purchased when Vahn is in the record. If Vahn was in another world, he could actually buy grimoire from Danmachi, but their effects would be far different than their function in the original world. This will be explained more in the future, so stay tuned~! Also, though this is a three-part mini-arc, you don't really lose much reading from chapter-to-chapter, so don't feel like you need to stockpile them~! I wonder if the people actually stockpiling them will read this message...xD)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Preparing for 'battle'','Permission Granted','Fenrir was the 'sneaky' girl all along!')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

As the Twilight Manor was one of the furthest points at the north of the City, it placed it as nearly 104km away from the Hearth Manor. Fortunately, it wasn't a great distance at all for many Adventurers and even Vahn could cover the distance within fifteen minutes at a relatively quick pace. With Fafnir, however, even when they flew at a slow and steady pace to allowed Terra to keep up, they still reached the area above the Twilight Manor in less than four minutes. Terra was currently in her dragon form, so it was quite the sight to behold seeing two dragons flying next to each other as their massive frames dominated the sky.The Twilight Manor was built on a plot of land that was nearly 5km wide so there was plenty of space for them to land even though there were numerous people out and about. Terra would have normally been at least 'slowed down' by the barrier surrounding the Manor, but she was able to bypass it completely since her 'signature' was actually identical to Vahn's. The same applied to both Fafnir and Fenrir as their bodies had been completely restructured by his source energy during their evolutions.Several members of the Loki Familia showed up after Vahn landed in the massive courtyard but they didn't show any hostility at all as they were already familiar with Vahn and Fafnir. Though Terra was a new existence, she was actually quite beautiful as far as dragons were concerned and she was much easier on the eyes than the 'evil' looking Fafnir. Her scales glimmered vibrantly in the sunshine above and the aroma that followed in her wake was extremely pleasant for everyone that smelled it. It was a strangely 'reminiscent' smell that was hard to describe, and Vahn speculated it actually had a different scent for everyone that had the opportunity to inhale it.Vahn hopped down from Fafnir's back and waved to the guards who returned a salutation of their own before resuming their posts as one of them ran off to inform Loki of Vahn's arrival. Though there was no way she hadn't detected his arrival through the barrier, it was still required to convey the details directly to her so she could 'prepare' herself properly. Not that he minded waiting, but it was fortunate that the girls had already been expecting his arrival as they emerged from the Manor just a few short minutes later. Vahn had a casual smile on his face at first, but his eyes widened marginally when he saw Loki's 'unbalanced' appearance and the somewhat 'cold' gaze of Riveria.Loki was around ten-eleven weeks pregnant at this point but she looked strangely 'ahead' of that timeline with how her belly was protruding. She was nearly the same 'size' as Hephaestus, who was already well into her fourteenth week, with twins to boot. Vahn ignored the gaze of Riveria for the time being and inspected Loki's abdomen with his [Eyes of Truth] and didn't see any signs of complications at all. Their daughter simply seemed to be gestating slightly faster than normal, not that there was anything 'normal' about a goddess' pregnancy. Vahn speculated it was just a result of the mild differences in Divinities and potential even subtle variations in the construction of their bodies before they descended from Heaven. He would have to carefully document things in the future so there wouldn't be any 'surprises'.Since Vahn felt strangely guilty about having Loki walk all the way to him, he stepped forward with [Shundo] and startled the goddess slightly before a 'cheeky' grin appeared on her face and she mused, "My, how thoughtful~" and allowed Vahn to support her body. He wasn't sure why himself, but Vahn felt very 'alert' around the pregnant women and it made him worried just seeing them walk around. Though goddesses had a bit of an immunity to the weather, Vahn infused fire elements into his domain and warmed up the surrounding air to keep her warm as he greeted Riveria, Tiona, Ais, Tione, and Lefiya in turn.After 'pleasantries' were shared, Riveria looked over at Terra with interest and asked, "So this is the Green Dragon that you named previously...Terra Evergreen, was it?" As she had access to the network, Riveria was already aware of a lot of the information concerning Terra, including that she had a human form. However, Terra maintained her dragon form as she said in a soft tone that was somewhat unexpected from a 14m long dragon, "Good morning, everyone, my name is indeed Terra Evergreen. I had the honor of being saved from the darkness of the Dungeon by my Master, who also saw fit to bestow upon me greater power and various opportunities. As we may be associating with each other for a time, please treat me well as I will do my best to return your kindness."Riveria's cold expression softened up a bit as she waved her hand around in the air and enjoyed the fragrance coming from Terra's body. As a High Elf, she was even more 'fond' of Terra's presence than Ryuu and she could feel the natural energy radiating off of her. Even the ground below them, which was cobblestone tiles, had started to show signs of plants emerging through the cracks. Ryuu had told her about the 'wellspring' in the center of the Hearth Manor, so Riveria was quite interested in the rather beautiful looking dragon. However, this interest actually made her a little more annoyed with Vahn since she would have liked to see the 'evolution' process even more now...With a new dragon appearing, Loki's eyes had widened fully as she inspected the new 'beautiful' dragon with a great deal of interest. She had been thinking about asking Vahn to help her obtain a dragon of her own, so seeing him alongside a new one made her a little excited. Though she knew it would be next to impossible to get Terra for herself, Loki wanted to try and secure the next one for herself in the future. If possible, she'd like one that looks more like Fafnir though, as it had a more 'tyrannical' appearance instead of a 'gentle' and slender one such as Terra.Overall, Terra was quite popular with everyone and Tiona had even unhesitantly climbed onto her back and commented, "Wow, her back is super soft~!" as she lay down and reclined against the grass-like feathers. Terra couldn't alter her scales like Fafnir, but her back was still wide enough to support 2-3 people comfortably and it was also covered in grass-like feathers that covered the scales near her wings. Because of the vital energy from her body, she even produced actual plant life and there were flowers that had sprouted on her body. Vahn suspected that, if Terra laid down in one area for long enough, she might actually become part of the landscape after enough time passed.As Terra was getting more familiar with the girls, Loki asked, "So, what are you going to be doing from now on, Vahn? I already heard from Finn and Riveria and it looks like you have a few big plans in mind." Vahn nodded his head and explained, "Yes, I want to prepare things for creating a supply-station on the 39th Floor, which could eventually even become an actual settlement, before moving deeper into the Dungeon and finding a foothold in the 50th Floor. Other than that, I'll be focusing all of my efforts on my research since I want to ensure that everyone is properly protected..."Loki leaned her back into Vahn's chest, as he had been holding her shoulders from behind, and said, "Don't forget that you also need to think about our babies in the coming months...there are also a few things that you need to take care of to cement our position on the 'surface'. Though she has already had a few children over her own, Demeter would like our assistance conceiving a child and Eirene has also considered the matter seriously before joining the Alliance..." As he had already expected this to be the case, as both girls had shown up at the wedding to show their support, Vahn nodded his head and gently rocked Loki as he said, "Yes, I'll take care of it properly...just tell me when it's necessary and I'll make time. Preferably, it should be during the weekdays since I plan to spend the weekends with everyone."Though she enjoyed Vahn's warmth, Loki still had to treat matters seriously so she explained in a firm manner that didn't really leave room for misunderstandings, "You may not have any feelings for them, Vahn, but you can also consider having them wait until a bit later if you're willing to help them bear children with your bloodline. Demeter has a few partners on-and-off, but she is the type that would be able to take care of children with love and care. As for Eirene, she has a strong sense of duty and nobility and would help firmly secure our position on the surface...you may not have feelings for them, but such things aren't nearly as important to gods as they are to mortals. If you decide to have them wait, you'd have to deal with Freya first though...she probably wouldn't take it well if she 'lost' her chance to other goddesses."Vahn had been caught off guard by Loki's words but he couldn't help but consider them seriously as he understood the reasons behind her words. After the Divination, Vahn had looked into a variety of texts relating to governing as an Emperor and a King. He knew the importance of marrying and having children to 'strengthen' Alliances and it would have to be a matter he treated seriously if he wanted to eventually seize control of the City. He wouldn't do anything to rob power from the Guild, he actually intended to help it grow, but Vahn knew he would one day need to 'interfere' with the governance of the City if he wanted to root out criminals and the like in the future.The Demeter Familia was in charge of the production of food for Orario and the Eirene Familia were the ones that guarded and policed the City. Having them as part of the Alliance was a big 'power move' already, but it would be firmly cemented if he helped them give birth to Vanir. There were few mortal women, much less goddesses, that wouldn't be proud to have powerful and capable children with endless potential. Since they would also 'inherit' the traits of their mother's, they would have an even stronger bond with each other, one that could even last for millennia given how long-lived the Vanir likely were.However, as Loki had pointed out, he would have to deal with the matters related to Freya in the future if he wanted to pursue that path. Though she had officially joined the Alliance, making them the strongest power within the City, she still stood 'alone' amongst all the other gods and goddesses. Her pride wouldn't allow her to take a 'lesser' position against goddesses less accomplished than she was. Though she made exceptions for Hestia, Hephaestus, and Loki, she wasn't the type that would be 'content' with being passed-over in lieu of different goddesses...As if she could read his mind, Loki reached up and stroked the side of Vahn's face as she said, "You don't have to worry about it too much, Vahn. Demeter and Eirene aren't 'desperate' girls, so they wouldn't mind waiting for several years as long as there was a 'promise'. They both think highly of your character, especially Eirene, so you don't have to stress over the matter that much. I know you're worried about 'Lenneth', but that isn't something that should be at the forefront of your attention. We just have to take certain actions to keep the current godly assembly happy and there is literally a line of goddesses that want children. Eirene and Demeter had just skipped the queue a bit when they joined the Alliance..."Vahn thought about it for a short while before nodding his head and saying, "I'll meet with Eirene and Demeter to discuss the matter personally...as for the other goddesses that seek children, I'll let the network deal with the selection." In response to Vahn's words, Loki began laughing in a somewhat mischevious manner as she patted his hand and said, "You're so well-behaved, Vahn~. However, you need to be a bit 'firmer' in the future so you aren't taken advantage of...never forget that you are the reason we're all gathered, so don't be afraid to take a firm stance on matters if you're worried about them. Just like when you showed up at the Vahnatus in the past...have a bit of confidence, as it makes our hearts more at ease knowing you aren't going to 'break' if things don't go well."Though she couldn't help but scheme a bit, as the matter regarding Eirene and Demeter wanting Vahn's children was something she 'machinated' after discussing it with the two goddesses, Loki was still very worried about Vahn. She was 'satisfied' having a child of her own, but Loki's perspective had expanded a great deal after the revelations from the Divination. She had always known Vahn had the potential to 'rule', which was even more evident after the Expedition, but he wasn't the greatest 'leader'.As long as there were other people working to make his intentions a reality, Vahn would likely take them all towards a greater future, even if there is a bit of conflict along the way. However, if he tried to take care of everything himself, or left the decisions to other people, Vahn could just as easily become a 'puppet' instead. Fortunately, there were girls like Hestia, Eina, and Syr looking after him on a daily basis, but Loki couldn't help but worry just a little bit...after all, though she felt like the child 'belonged' to her, Loki wanted Vahn's influence in the life of their daughter. She had seen many orphans, and children that had grown up with just one parent, and wanted to make sure her own child was given all the best that life had to offer...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Smells like the *insert nostalgic time period here*','Riveria does not find this turn of events amusing','Loki's maternal instincts?')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 501: Pandering