Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Nearly three weeks had passed since the birth of his daughters, the majority of which had been spent helping the girls train while tending to his own duties. However, if you were to ask anyone in the Manor what Vahn had been focused on, it was none other than his children. If he wasn't busy with other things, Vahn could be found lingering around the maternity ward or following Loki and Hephaestus around like a lost puppy. Presently, however, Vahn was flying through the sky holding Ina as a small kitten-like white tiger ambled through the air and chased after them. Ina, though only three weeks old, had the appearance of baby nearing four months of age. Most surprisingly, however, was the fact that she could already form rudimentary words, with the first, second, and third words all being some form of Papa, Daddy, and Father...Unsurprisingly, Ina reached 100 Affection naturally and, to his relief, Vahn hadn't actually received any benefits or quests from the achievement. Instead, Ina obtained the hidden parameter (Familial Love), which now hovered around a value of 300. Though he didn't think about it much, there was a small part of his mind that feared one of his children would fall in love with him, much like Lenneth had within the Divination. Fortunately, he hadn't learned of any problems, other than Lenneth, so Vahn assumed it had never been a concern until the latter had been born.Suddenly, after Vahn dodged the small winged-tiger for the umpteenth time, earning a peal of bell-like laughter from Ina, he heard a voice of indignation from below. Hephaestus had been holding Vana, playing around with the energetic toddler who already had a head of short red hair. She had been perfectly content playing with her mother but, after casting a few glances at Ina playing around above, Vana began to cry in a loud voice. Hephaestus had a wry smile on her face, giving her eldest daughter a hug as Vahn blinked next to them, holding Ina in his right arm while carrying the tiger cub in his left hand.After setting the cub next to the sleeping red dragon on the edge of the picnic blanket, Vahn kneeled down and stroked Vana's cheek with the back of his hand, asking, "Did you want to play with Papa~?" in a soothing voice. Ina, however, answered for Vana, saying, "No!" while squeezing his neck as if refusing to give up her spot. This wasn't the first time Ina had acted somewhat selfishly but, after a bit of coaxing, she agreed to let Vana play with them. The final straw had been when Vahn had Ina stare at her big sister, seeing the teary-eyed girl with snot dripping from her nose. Though she showed a tiny frown, Ina relented and, under the guidance of Hephaestus, apologized to her big sister for being selfish.Vana, happy to get her way, clapped her hands together before raising them up so Vahn could carry her properly. She hadn't been able to speak just yet, only making baby sounds, but Vana still managed an "Ooooowaaaaah~" when they started to fly around in the sky. The small tiger and dragon both became alert the moment Vahn took to the sky, giving chase with worried expressions on their faces as they struggled to keep up. This earned laughter from the two girls while Vahn gave the two guardians an apologetic smile as he dodged around them. He knew this was good training for them and, since his daughters seemed to enjoy the 'game', Vahn continued playing with the two guardians until they got tired.By the time he landed, both girls had laughed to the point of exhaustion and were now sleeping peacefully in his arms. The tiger and dragon landed on his shoulders, giving noises of complaint as they plopped down into the two girls' bodies and became crests once again. Vahn smiled, internally promising to make it up to the two guardians in the future once the girls had matured and given them names. He then passed Vana over to Hephaestus since Ina, even while sleeping, clung to his tunic with her tiny hands as if she were unwilling to part with him. If not for the need to feed, bathe, and be changed, Ina probably would have continued to cling to him the entire day.As they walked to the maternity ward to let the girls rest, two small figures came barreling around the corner, one chasing after the other before crashing into the back of the leading figure when she suddenly stopped. This was none other than Erika, looking like she was nearly nine months old and already running around the Manor like it was her own territory. However, whenever she came across Vahn, Erika always became somewhat shy and reserved. She hung her head, showing an embarrassed expression on her face as she said, "Good morning, Papa, Mama..." Though Hephaestus wasn't her mother, Erika still referred to her as 'Mama', while Loki was called 'Mother'. It was actually Erika who spoke her first words, nearly a week ago, as she had the fastest growth amongst the Vanir.Vahn smiled as he knelt down, stroking Erika's hair as she made a small pouting expression before easing up into a small smile. She was a very brilliant and already had an air of 'pride' around her that extended towards almost everyone, with the only exceptions being Loki, Hephaestus, Eina, Mona, Syr, and Vahn himself. It made her upset knowing that Vahn could manage her so easily, even though she was inarguably at a point in her life where it was perfectly normal to be doted on by her father. The most 'difficult' part, which she had complained to her Mother about, was the fact that it made her very happy to be pampered by her, even though she wanted to be a strong and independent girl...While he was stroking Erika's hair, the small brown figure that had crashed into her back stood up, rubbing her forehead with a teary-eyed expression as she tried to stifle the urge to cry. With a sobbing tone, the Doppelganger repeated Erika's words, muttering "Good morning, Papa, Mama..." At this point, the Doppelgangers white hair extended all the way to the floor and she was able to freely change its shape and rigidity to protect Erika. Since the latter had an adventurous spirit and was constantly roaming around the Manor, the Doppelganger, named Doppel by the young Erika, constantly had to protect her charge from harm.Vahn smiled, stroking Doppel's head for a few seconds, giving Erika an opportunity to retreat away as she said, "Papa, please me...I want to read." Though she had picked up speaking at a ridiculous rate, primarily as a result of sticking around Loki, Juno, and Syr, Erika still struggled with reading. Strangely, she couldn't find it in her to ask her own Mother for assistance so, without any better alternatives, Erika wanted her Papa to teach her how to read. She believed this was the best course of action and would also allow her to surprise her Mother, who always seemed to be testing her in some way.Unwilling to deny his daughter's request, Vahn nodded his head with a smile, saying, "Very well, I'll read you some stories tonight and start teaching you how to read and write tomorrow." Erika gave a curt nod, something unexpected for someone so young, before showing a small smile as she grabbed Doppel's hand and ran off. The pitter-patter of their small feet made Vahn's smile widen and he nearly burst out laughing when he saw the light blush on Erika's face when she turned the corner. It was actually very refreshing not being able to see the auras of his own children and it made Vahn feel grateful for every day he spent with the lovable little angels.When they reached the maternity ward, Mona was resting on the sofa with an open book resting on her stomach. She had been up late the previous night and, since Vahn had taken the girls out to play, Mona decided to take a short nap. Hephaestus giggled lightly, causing Mona's droopy cow-like ears to twitch as she startled awake. With a flustered and terrified expression, Mona fixed the wrinkles in her dress as she stood up and bowed, saying, "My apologies, Hephaestus-sama, Vahn-sama, I didn't mean to-" Before she was able to finish, Vahn gestured for her to stop, showing a calm expression as he said, "Mona, you are almost like family to us at this point, so stop with the formalities. If you're tired, please rest more and let us know if we can help. I'm sure Tsubaki and Aki would help out more if you need it..."Mona gave a slow nod in response but didn't say anything as she walked over to Hephaestus and asked, "Have they eaten since this morning?" Hephaestus shook her head, handing Vana over to Mona as she said, "No, but it looks like the period between their bouts of hunger is beginning to open up. I think Vana may need a bit more time, but Ina may start weening in the next month or so..." It was very strange to talk about newborns weening within two months of being born but, by the time designated by Hephaestus, Ina and Vana would be the equivalent of a year old by then. It made Hephaestus somewhat sad knowing her daughters were growing up so fast but, seeing them happy and healthy was all that really mattered to her.As if she realized what was happening, Vana woke up in Mona's arms and began to show a frustrated face that was on the verge of crying. Vahn had already turned his head, even though Mona eventually told him not to mind the matter so much a couple of days ago. She unhesitantly pulled the cloth around her chest, revealing one of her massive mammary glands and feeding the voracious Vana before the latter started crying. She consumed far more milk than both Erika and Ina combined, but Mona didn't mind it since it made her feel closer to the small bundle of energy. Though she had intended to completely cut ties with the Manor in the future, Mona had been finding the idea almost 'unthinkable' in recent days. Even though they weren't her children, Mona felt close to all three girls and a strong desire to protect them had already deeply rooted itself in her heart.After Vana had gotten her fill, Mona burped the young girl and began rocking her body back to sleep, a pattern that had repeated more than a dozen times per day over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, as she went to put Vana in the crib, a pungent aroma spread through the room as Vana woke back up and began crying like she had been wronged by the world. Mona just smiled in response, stroking the young girl's red hair to calm her before quickly changing the soiled diaper. While this was going on, Vahn stood at the side and rocked Ina's body, smiling at his daughter's attempt to pretend she was still asleep. Ina knew that, once she was found out, her separation with her Papa would come and she would once again have to be away from him for a few hours...Unfortunately for her, as a young infant, Ina couldn't deny her own urges easily and the desire for sustenance had almost exceeded her desire to stay with her Papa. Knowing he would be worried for her, Ina eventually opened one of her eyes, pretending like she had just woken up before smiling towards her Papa. Vahn played along, touching noses with Ina as he said, "Hello there, sleepy head. It's about time for your lunch and then you'll have to take a nap, okay? Don't worry, I'll be here later to play with you again before bed~." Ina had a slight moisture in her eyes but still nodded her head, muttering, "Okay, Papa..." in an almost sobbing tone.Vahn felt his heart twist in his chest but, following the advice of Loki, Hephaestus, Juno, and even Hestia, he kept his composure and just comforted his daughter before passing her over to Mona. Until she had fallen asleep in her crib, Vahn stayed within the room, spreading a calming energy through his domain to make them feel as comfortable as possible. When they were both completely asleep, Vahn let Mona get some rest as he accompanied Hephaestus to find a replacement for the tired Cow Person. Fortunately, Aki, Arnya, and Tsubaki had already moved to the West Wing in preparation for their own deliveries, as they only a few short weeks away from the event.Arnya, though starting with larger breasts than normal, didn't actually produce that much milk during her pregnancy, so it fell upon Aki and Tsubaki to help out, assuming Epona wasn't around. Fortunately, Tsubaki immediately agreed and, as if she didn't have a pregnant belly to worry about, quickly alighted from the room as she made her way to the maternity ward. She loved watching the sleeping faces of the girls and it made her progressively more excited for the birth of her own child. Since she just had to rest on the sofa and tend to the girls' needs, Tsubaki didn't mind helping out whenever she was available.Since she understood Vahn would probably want to spend time with Aki and Arnya, now that he was in the area, Hephaestus give him a kiss on the cheek and a firm embrace before saying, "Okay, I'm going to go prepare a few things in my workshop. Ina and Vana will probably want to start working on their own projects in the future so I need to make sure everything is prepared so they don't injure themselves." Vahn nodded his head, understanding Hephaestus' concerns since they had talked about it in great detail. Though she spent most of her waking moments with him, Ina had a propensity to disassemble anything she could get her hands on while Vana could already make tiny flames appear on her fingertips. She learned it after watching the flame dragon pup release a small spout of flame towards Vahn, frustrated by his actions when they first began 'playing'.After seeing Hephaestus off, Vahn entered the room where Arnya resided, not surprised by the presence of Lunoire and Chloe, as he had already detected them long ago. Arnya had a happy smile on her face as she laid in the bed while Lunoire and Chloe both turned to him with small lights of expectation in their eyes. They had both been thinking about having children of their own and, after seeing how incredible Vahn's current children were, this desire had only grown stronger. A lot of things had changed over the last few weeks, after all, including the fact that their own power and increased exponentially. Though they wouldn't be able to reach the same peaks as some of the younger girls, the women from the Hostess of Fertility were all rather exceptional and had been able to start developing their own magic power under Vahn's guidance.Without minding the presence of the other two, Chloe adopted a mischevious smile on her face before vanishing from sight. Vahn shook his head in mock exasperation as his own body tensed up as a result of Chloe latching onto his shadow. She then appeared at his back, hugging him from behind as she playfully licked his ear and asked, "I wonder if I'll be fortunate enough to get a baby of my ownya~?" Chloe had been toying with the idea of avoiding contraception over the last few months but, knowing about the new magic system Vahn was introducing, and the amount of power and influence the Alliance would have in the future, Chloe had made her resolution. She wanted her children to be able to see the world as it changed so they would have a greater appreciation for the lives they were blessed with...Though it was difficult to move, Vahn made it look easy as he turned around and snatched up the giggling Chloe in his arms, play biting the tip of her pointy ear as she mewled in his grasp. If she wanted a child, he didn't mind giving her one but knew she would be happier if it happened naturally. Fortunately, he had returned to his nightly habits and it would be a simple thing to invite her to stay in his room for the evening. Given the look that Lunoire was giving him, Vahn decided to extend the invitation to both of them, earning a blush from Lunoire as she nodded her head in agreement. She wasn't really ovulating right now but didn't want to miss the opportunity to spend time with Vahn, especially since he was the one offering.After spending the rest of the day circulating around and visiting most of the girls, Vahn spent some more time with his daughters, this time reading them stories before helping Erika write the alphabet on a piece of paper. When they were getting tired, he took them to the bath with Loki and Hephaestus, spending some quality time with the two as they watched their daughters play around in the shallow pool of water. Loki was already busy with other affairs but now resided within the Hearth Manor permanently after moving some of her forces into the estate she had constructed to the north. It would be her official home in the future but, for the time being, Loki knew it was important to spend time with both her daughter and, perhaps more importantly, Vahn. Her maternal instincts were in full force these days and she had been proactively arranging to have any potential enemies eliminated before they could even think about causing harm to the Alliance or, more specifically, her 'family'...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'No bulli Guardian-chans (TT_TT)','Erika's Growth : Tsundere Syndrome?','Mama Bear is on the Prowl')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

It was early in the morning, during the period of time when Vahn had been helping guide the girls in their studies when Vahn got a telepathic message. There was a small ping within his mind before Lefiya's voice sounded like a whisper in his ears, ("Hello, Master, can you hear me?") Vahn had paused in the middle of his sentence, earning curious looks from the girls as he smiled and explained, "Lefiya is sending me a telepathic message. Give me a moment..." After that, Vahn relaxed his mind and said, ("Yes, I can hear you, Lefiya. Are you almost at the surface?") Since the Dungeon blocked messages under normal circumstances, they must have already been within the Upper Floors of the Dungeon.There was a short delay before a small ping sounded once again, followed by Lefiya saying, ("Ah, I'm glad I was able to reach you~! Yes, we're on the eighteenth Floor right now and I was curious if my messages would be able to go through so many Floors. It looks like the weakened density of mana makes the transmission carry further in the Upper Floors as compared to those deeper within the Dungeon.") As this was already their expectation, Vahn wasn't too surprised by the information and simply asked, ("How is everyone? Were there any emergency situations that occurred after I left?")Once again, there was a small pause, causing Vahn to wonder if there was some kind of lag or interference with their messages. When Lefiya finally responded, he could sense a bit of tension in her words while a fair amount of pride was also present in her tone, ("Yes, there was a small attack by some strange green caterpillars that were able to spew acid. Fortunately, Ais and I were able to eliminate a large portion of them while the acid attacks weren't able to break through the defensive wards we had established. By the time reinforcements showed up, we had already beaten back the enemies and were able to set up a defensive perimeter around the entrances to the Floor while Finn arranged a patrol using the newly acquired reinforcements~!")One of the things Vahn had done upon his return was to request the reinforcements he had promised to Finn, though Lok had managed most of the details. She had even arranged a few concessions from Hermes, forcing the god to disclose a great deal of information about the Xenos in exchange for accidentally leaking information about the Alliance to their enemies. Asfi, Tallow, and Reid were also being held personally responsible for the failure and were required to pay a compensation of 100,000,000V each over the course of the next ten years, with Asfi having the inclusion of forging three magic items at Vahn's request.Asfi wouldn't be allowed to disclose any of the information she obtained during the production process, nor would she be able to share the details of the items he would have her produce. Though it was obvious that Hermes didn't mind such an outcome, even showing signs that he somewhat anticipated things to happen this way, it was still very beneficial to the Alliance. There was also the fact that Vahn also took responsibility for his own failure, showing leniency towards them since the original terms were 500,000,000V and 10 magic items. Tallow and Reid had suffered a pretty severe trauma and he had also been able to save Rufina, effectively eliminating a powerful enemy while increasing the strength of their own forces...Knowing that the girls had worked hard in his absence, Vahn smiled toward the void, not missing the small reaction from his bond with Lefiya that showed she was happy. Her Affection actually shot up ten points when he said, ("You did great, Lefiya. A lot has been going on at the Manor these days but I'll make sure to reward you properly when you return.") Vahn could practically feel Lefiya's giddiness when she hesitantly responded, ("Ano...Master...I think I want to try and use my 'Heavy Petting' coupon when I return. Please treat me kindly...!") Though he was momentarily dazed, Vahn nodded his head towards the void, sending Lefiya his affirmation before explaining to the spectators what was going on.Initially, Vahn was supposed to accompany the reinforcements into the Dungeon but, after learning about the birth of the Vanir through Hephaestus and Loki, Freya had taken the initiative to mobilize her own elites. With Ottar at the lead, followed by the Gulliver Brothers, the Freya Familia led a large Expedition, comprised of ninety of her own forces with more than three hundred people from the Loki and Hephaestus Familias as 'support'. In total, with the number of artisans set to accompany them, the Expedition had more than six-hundred people. The only downside was that they had to quickly make their way to the 39th Floor on limited supplies, choosing to forego carrying a lot of equipment since the stocks within the Lil Geirr were plenty to cover them.With the loss of only seven people, mainly as a result of traps within the Dungeon, the Freya Familia had successfully reached the 39th Floor, providing defense for the Supply Depot while Gareth led the return Expedition towards the surface. Unsurprisingly, with Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya at the vanguard, they were able to reach the 18th Floor without a single loss, though there were a number of casualties and small injuries. It was very possible for them to reach the Upper Floors without a single casualty but, as they were short on supplies, the speed they had traveled was faster than recommended. Perhaps as a result of having Vahn's support, but many of the people on the Expedition had a slightly skewed sense for the pace they should be traveling at. It was fortunate that the girls were now much stronger than in the past, or their haste may have caused a lot more problems than it had.Since it wouldn't take long for them to reach the surface, Vahn decided to go wait for the girls at Babel Plaza. It was a good opportunity so Vahn took along Tina and Milan to do a bit of shopping, as he had promised the young Cat Person a 'date' in the past. Tina was very excited to go exploring around Babel Tower with Vahn, as she had never had the opportunity to venture into the higher floors in the past. Though most people could enter the first few levels, you were barred entry to the higher floors unless you belonged to a reputable Familia, had high personal strength, or were escorted by someone with the clearance to do so.After waiting for Tina to change, which took a bit longer than expected since she somehow forgot her skirt the first time she came out, the three made their way into the City. Vahn had a basic grasp of telekinesis so he was able to lift both girls into the sky, giving them a beautiful view of the City from above while Tina embarrassedly held the front and back of her skirt, fearful that people below would see her Vahn-print panties. Milan shook her head but didn't show any other changes, clearly used to her daughter's behavior now that a few months had passed. Fortunately, nothing major had happened and, as a result of Vahn always tending to his daughters, they had avoided any significantly awkward situations.Though it was considered rude to do so, Vahn landed on the tenth floor of Babel, helping Tina and Milan land on their feet before escorting them into the Tower proper. Generally, nobody was allowed to enter the upper floors without passing through the security checkpoints at the elevators. Vahn, however, was a bit of a unique existence within the City and could take small liberties like this since he already inconvenienced himself a great deal out of respect for the Guild. In exchange, they tolerated minor grievances and, unless he caused a major scene, most of the security detail would completely ignore his actions.As it was her first time in the markets located on the upper floors, Tina was full of energy and kept running between the various stalls and shops with glittering eyes. Vahn, holding onto Milan's hand, followed behind her and, if it was an item that might be useful, purchased anything Tina took an interest in. Knowing that Vahn could easily make better items, she avoided most of the various weapons and armors on display. Instead, Tina focused on various interesting toys, accessories, and a few books that seemed interesting. Vahn was a billionaire so spending a few tens-of-thousands of Valis on the various small items wasn't much. However, when Tina stumbled upon a stall with an old man selling small books, Vahn was utterly shocked when one of the items she picked up happened to be a grimoire.The old man only had one good eye but, seeing Tina take an interest in the grimoire, both of his stark blue orbs focused on her before turning towards Vahn with a smile. With a wry grin on his face, Vahn asked, "How much?" in a calm voice. When the man held up two fingers, Vahn didn't bother assuming he meant 2,000V and instead pulled out two purple cards, each representing a value of 1MV. The man gave an appreciative nod, saying, "You're a good lad. Generally, people that accumulate a lot of wealth tend to be greedy. It makes this old man feel gratified knowing you aren't such a character..." Without any great flair, the man wrapped up the grimoire for Tina, not even bothering to explain the contents.Though he was using some kind of artifact to hide it, Vahn could tell that this man was a god that was doing his best to conceal his presence. Since there were numerous enigmatic gods, and Vahn didn't detect any form of negative energy coming from the Grimoire, he simply gave a polite bow to the disguised god before leading the mother-daughter pair away. The man, understanding that Vahn had seen through his guise, produced a wry grin before his complexion softened, revealing a handsome face with onyx black hair and an eye patch covering his right eye. Then, as if he was completely invisible to the crowd, he began walking through the streets while people absentmindedly walked around him, unaware they stood in the presence of one of the most powerful gods within the mortal world, Odin.Vahn didn't know the god's identity so he temporarily confiscated the Grimoire so that his Inventory could analyze it. He also intended for Riveria to scan it with her artifact, curious to know if it was able to analyze 'unique' grade objects. They had already tried to do so with the [Seed of the Tree of Life], but it hadn't been able to get any information other than a picture. The rest of the page was full of question marks, showing that Riveria's capabilities weren't at the level where she could identify such high-grade items just yet.After running around for the better part of an hour, Vahn sensed a fluctuation in his bond with the other girls, hearing several pings in his ears simultaneously. Tuning in to one of them, Vahn heard Tiona's happy voice shouting, ("Ya-ho~! We're on the surface, Vahn~! Come pick us up, hurry, hurry, hurry~!") Vahn smiled, informing Tina that it was time to meet up with the others, nearly allowing her to ride on his shoulders before Milan reminded him that she was wearing a skirt. Tina seemed to have suffered a mental impact because she had been excited to be able to ride on Vahn's shoulders. She regretted wearing a cute skirt for her 'date' with Vahn and had a strong desire to pout until Vahn began rubbing her head with his [Grooming] in full effect...It didn't take long for them to rendezvous with the other girls, already waiting for them a bit away from the Expedition. Unlike previous Expeditions, they weren't carrying back a lot of supplies and there was no need to report back to the Guild with their findings. However, this didn't do anything to the festive atmosphere and, even though they had already been dismissed by Gareth, several people were lingering about as they formed smaller groups, each heading to various bars to celebrate their return to the surface. Even Gareth, after grouping up with some of the other members of the Clubhouse, had already gotten into a carriage with a solemn look on his face as he prepared to sample any of the new alcohols that might be available.Vahn caught the Tiona-shaped projectile in his arms, returning her embrace without minding the crowd that was eyeing them in the distance. It didn't take long for the other girls to approach either, drawing even more attention to their small group as many envious eyes settled upon Vahn's figure. Though it would have bothered him in the past, Vahn was almost entirely unaffected these days, deciding he needed to have greater composure to set a good example for his daughters. The girls seemed to notice his change as well, prompting Tiona to give him a somewhat sloppy kiss that nearly caused him to trip over Tina, who had been standing slightly behind him. This caused her to fall back, 'dodging' the attempts of Vahn and Milan in catching her so she could land on her butt, pristine white panties on full display with a cartoonish Vahn 'smiling' back at him...After their short reunion, Vahn sent for Terra since he was unable to fly so many people under his own efforts. Unlike before, where she would have flown over to them, Terra appeared at his side in an instant, showing a gentle smile on her face as she said, "Welcome back to the surface..." before turning to her Master and saying, "Master, I have come to pick you up~." She had a somewhat teasing tone in her voice since, just the other day, she had commented about being able to 'ride' her whenever he wanted. Since she had been naked at the time, tracing her beautiful green feathers through the wellspring, the image and words were still fresh in Vahn's mind. Though his expression didn't change much, there was a light blush on his cheeks that earned him a peal of laughter from Terra as she changed into her dragon form.Terra could have teleported them all back, as the distance wasn't that great, but enjoyed serving as Vahn's mount, earning the right from Fafnir, who had now recognized her as its 'temporary' superior. Fafnir, though somewhat childish, was still very intelligent and it knew that Terra had made a large sacrifice in order to protect their Master. Since she was now more than 150 years old, Fafnir gave her the responsibility of protecting their Master and instead focused on its own training. In exchange, Terra had been teaching it personally, starting from the basics since Eva had only taught it a few select abilities as a result of its unique capabilities. Right now, Fafnir wanted to learn transformation magic, learning it alongside Fenrir, who wanted to get to the point that her claws wouldn't cut through anything she touched.After a relatively short flight, made longer by Terra lazily flying around the territory so the girls could take in all the changes, the group landed in the large training area in the back yard. Everyone was already waiting for their return, including the rarely seen Risna and the somewhat sleepy Eina. She had taken the morning shift and had only been sleeping for a few hours, deciding to forgo sleep in order to celebrate the girls' return since she could always ask for Vahn to help replenish her stamina before work. It wasn't that uncommon for the girls working in the Guild branch to sometimes ask for his assistance, as he would stop by occasionally to check the updated quests to see if there was anything important going on.Though the atmosphere was already very festive, it became even more so when the girls dismounted and saw Loki, Hephaestus, and Hestia all carrying a baby in their hands. Tiona's eyes shimmered like stars as she jumped over, nearly shouting her words before she noticed that two of the younglings were sleeping. Catching the warning look in Loki's eyes, Tiona laughed quietly while rubbing the back of her head, saying, "Sorry, they are just super cute..." As if on some practice cue, almost everyone present nodded at the same time, even Tione and Ais. Lefiya, one of the few exceptions, had a very red face on her head as the aura from her body wavered, almost like steam. She suddenly got caught in a loop, imagining what it would be like to have a cute daughter of her own before remembering what was 'necessary' to obtain one...Ina, being the only one awake right now, extended both of her small arms towards Vahn, not minding the other two sleeping children as she shouted, "Papa!" with a teary-eyed expression. Not only Vahn, but everyone present felt their hearts melt as he practically blinked forward, accepting Ina from Hestia's arms while Hephaestus continued holding Vana. Having played all morning, and eaten her fill, Vana was in a deep slumber. However, the outburst from Ina had caused a small head to peak up out of Vana's body, looking around at the new faces with a small amount of apprehension before retreating back to the interior of its host. With the 'annoying' male around, it knew that its host wouldn't be in danger so it decided to sleep in preparation for the next time they would 'play'. If possible, it really wanted to burn the annoying male, at least once...Unaware he was being plotted against by the tiny dragon, Vahn went inside with everyone as they began to celebrate the safe return of the Expedition. Lefiya and Tione took it upon themselves to explain the details since Tiona struggled to form cohesive sentences when she was excited. As for Ais, she had her eyes glued to Ina the entire time, sometimes matching gazes with the small child who shied away by hiding her face in Vahn's chest. Though it wasn't the first child she had ever seen, Ais felt that Vahn's daughters were exceptionally cute. Part of her wanted to just reach out and poke the chubby cheeks of the adorable little girl but, after seeing the inhibitions on Ina's face, Ais held herself back. Instead, much like how Chloe and Lunoire had, Ais began wondering if she should try to have a child of her own in the near future...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Leniency','Tina's [Luck] is Still Going Strong','Simply Irresistible (UwU)~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 671: Parental Instincts