Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

A few minutes after their first meeting, Vahn ended up having Diana sitting on his lap with a contented expression, enjoying some quality head-pats, as he discussed exactly what Freya wanted him to do. She explained that, in almost all other circumstances, a Xana like Diana would pose a legitimate threat to most people, making her existence rather tragic. Since her voice could be fatal to those with dark hearts, even a place like the Freya Familia wasn't exactly safe for her. Diana could only interact with a few people and could almost never live a free and happy life, at least under normal circumstances.Freya wanted Diana to be able to live within the Hearth Manor, where her abilities would essentially have no effect, while Vahn helped find a means to let her control her abilities. Since she also knew about his ability to 'modify' those that were his subordinates and retainers, information that had been spread through all the central figures in the Alliance, it was even possible for Vahn to eventually turn Diana into something other than a Xana. However, she also directly opposed this idea, stating that Diana could essentially be a 'failsafe' within the Manor that would also be a very potent asset during any negotiations.If Diana's existence was made public, it would undoubtedly strike fear into the hearts of any individuals who lived at the expense of others. Most people would outright avoid getting anywhere near the Manor, making things like burglaries, kidnapping, or any other form of subterfuge exceedingly more difficult. Of course, after the next few days, Vahn knew this wouldn't really be necessary since he was still planning on having a reckoning with the Nobles. However, he understood Freya's reasoning and, considering Diana was actually 3,409 years old, it wouldn't necessarily be 'fair' to change her into an existence she was unfamiliar with...Like gods, High Spirits also had very different thought processes than normal entities within the record of Danmachi, even if they didn't exactly possess Divinity. This was because Spirits were created with a 'purpose' and, as they had biological immortality, their brains weren't really wired in the same way as other creatures. If a normal person had lived for more than 3,000 years in such circumstances, they would have long gone crazy, potentially even killing themselves out of loneliness and depression. Diana, however, didn't seem to take any of this to heart at all and, instead, was more concerned about 'accidentally' hurting other people than the fact she had been locked away for 60 years without any contact with others...Vahn was a little worried that, if he changed her race into something that could 'rationalize' negative emotions better, Diana might suffer a severe trauma and undergo a formative change in personality...Right now, Diana seemed to have a relatively carefree and innocent nature, especially as she happily hummed away in his lap, kicking her legs out playfully. His [Grooming] had caused her to warm up to him very quickly and, after just a minute or so of discussion, Diana ended up shifting from Freya's arms into his. After that, they sat down to properly discuss the seemingly young Xana's fate and Diana had decided to sit in his lap instead of the chair offered to her. As this was something Vahn was very accustomed to, he didn't think anything of the situation at all, even as Diana's Affection breached 80(Trust) over a few short minutes.Eventually, the four Maids, consisting of Momo, Sakuya, Elizabelle, and Merribelle, came out from the side room with mild blushes on their faces. Vahn made sure to act 'oblivious' to what had happened to them earlier, so as to make things slightly easier on them, before deciding to wrap up the conversation by saying, "Well, if Diana wants to stay at the Hearth Manor, I don't think there will be any problems. Her ability shouldn't have any effect on children and I don't think any of my sons would be endangered by her 'song' before I find a solution to help her control it." Since he already had a few ideas in mind, Vahn knew it wouldn't be difficult to create a pendant or choker that allowed Diana to regulate her ability. He had more than thirteen years to come up with a solution and that was way more time than he would need to solve such a 'simple' problem...Freya's smile softened a little, even though she knew Vahn couldn't exactly overlook an adorable girl like Diana, especially considering her 'tragic' past. It was a very well-known fact that Vahn was something of a bleeding heart that was very susceptible to girls with past troubles. Ever since he had done recruiting for the School, this became public knowledge and it was often a means by which some women would try to get close to him. Of course, having such thoughts generally made it impossible for them to genuinely make an impression. Though he was drawn to girls with a tragic past, Vahn's 'appreciation' was generally directed towards those that had stronger personalities that were already trying to change their lives for the better...Diana, already being told that she would end up staying at the Manor for over half a year, wasn't surprised by Vahn's words at all. She just tilted her head up, looking into his face as she said, "I may be small, but I promise to be a good Maid~." Vahn blinked, somewhat surprised by Diana's words until Freya explained, "Since she saw the other girls working hard to become Maids, Diana also wanted to become a Maid...she worked very hard, ufufufu~." Freya reached out her hand, patting Diana's head and causing the small Spirit to giggle happily. Vahn drew the assumption that Diana probably didn't want to be a 'freeloader' or, given how she had behaved so far, it was very likely she simply treated being a Maid as a 'game' of sorts...Since he wanted Diana to live with relative freedom, Vahn didn't mind letting her 'play' as a Maid for a bit, confident that his children would be able to influence her positively after a while. Given her innocent and caring personality, Diana would get along with the majority of children and Vahn believed she could become good friends with his daughter's, the Vanir. At the very least, he could guarantee her a decade or so of companionship with other 'children' and give her a chance to acclimate to socializing with people as he worked on an accessory to restrict her voice.With his mind made up, Vahn nodded his head slightly before saying, "We will need to discuss the changes in your body with the others soon, if not today. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I know it is something very...significant...for now, I'll take everyone back to the Manor and introduce them to Syr and Lunoire. Also, though I'll probably need to send Fafnir to watch over her, I'll try and arrange it so that Lenneth can visit you at the Southern Manor..." Vahn knew it would be very difficult to give Freya access to the Manor, as her presence would cause problems even without her directly intending to. However, so long as precautions were made, it shouldn't be that difficult to at least arrange things so that Lenneth could spend more time with her mother.Freya's aura flared up and a very beautiful smile spread across her face as she quietly uttered, "Thank you...Vahn..." She had never complained about it, but Freya actually felt a little saddened every time she saw Lenneth, especially seeing how quickly the latter was growing. When actually spent a fair amount of time just absentmindedly looking towards the direction of the Hearth Manor, wondering what her daughter was doing...it was a very strange feeling that she couldn't quite explain. If not for Ottar and Diana, Freya wasn't sure she could cope with only seeing her daughter once or twice a week for much longer...After a few more minutes of discussion, during which Freya sent a few messages through the Network to explain things, Vahn decided to head back to the Manor. It was starting to get late in the day and he still needed to plan out how he wanted to deal with the Nobles while also checking to make sure things were going smoothly at Spero Village. Tonight would be the first night the Xenos spent on the surface and he wanted to make sure they were comfortable and had plenty of mana-rich food to keep their bodies stable. Until their 'village' was connected with the Dungeon, they needed to supplement their energy requirements with things like magic cores and other items that could supply them with the mana needed to sustain themselves.Vahn gave Freya one last kiss, promising to come and pick her up in the morning since that is when they would be discussing exactly what happened to her body. It was very obvious that some of the restrictions placed on her Avatar had been loosened at this point and, depending on their future findings, it may even be possible to fully manifest their entire Arcanum in the world one day. Though it would likely require years of research, a great deal of support from the godly community, and the implementation of several precautionary measures, the chance that the gods could use their power in a more meaningful way were actually very high...Though they panicked a little when he first lifted them into the sky, the girls calmed down after a short while and were more focused on holding their skirts than moving through the air at a relatively high speed. The only clothing they had were several sets of Maid clothing, undergarments included, all safely stowed away within his Inventory. This would have bothered him a little in the past but, after seeing how dedicated Maemi and Emiru were, Vahn's perception of Maids had changed quite a bit. Since the five were willingly becoming Maids, he intended to treat them as such, at least until they themselves decided to try and change their fates.The Manor actually needed a rather large staff to take care of the cleaning, laundry, and cooking. Thus far, things had only worked out because everyone helped each other out, usually with the girls originating from the Hostess of Fertility assisting Maemi, Emiru, Milan, and, after her retirement, Aki. It would make things much easier on the girls if there were full-time Maids working in the Manor, especially since they had the proper training to provide adequate service. Though it was only a matter of time before the five were 'integrated' into the Manor completely, Vahn believed they would continue to perform their duties diligently without trying to take advantage of the situation...After a relatively short flight, Vahn integrated the girls' mana signature into the surrounding barriers before touching down within the inner courtyard. He was carrying Diana in his arms and, after setting her on the ground, turned to the girls and explained, "Most of the finer details with be explained by Syr after I introduce you to her. She is essentially the Administrator of the Hearth Manor and also acts as something akin to the 'Head Maid'. As long as she doesn't order you to do anything compromising or dangerous, please listen to what she has to say...other than that, you should try to avoid wandering into the forest until you are properly introduced to Terra. She can be territorial at times..."Terra was a very well-known entity within the City now as her 'aura' was something that most gods could sense even from several hundred kilometers away. It had caused a bit of a fiasco when people realized she was 'taking over' an area of the City but, after clarifying that she was only influencing the territory of the Alliance, there wasn't much anyone could say. After all, there wasn't anything wrong with ensuring their territory was well protected, especially after pointing out the incident where several streets had collapsed in the past. There weren't any legitimate arguments to make against her efforts to prevent people from illegally tunneling so, with the Alliance taking a hard stance on the issue, Terra was now 'allowed' to take over any land within the Alliance's territories.Not wanting to make an enemy out of a True Dragon, the four girls nodded while Diana seemed blissfully unaware of the dangers involved. To her, this place was the home where Freya promised she would be protected while finally being able to live a happy life. She just continued to hold Vahn's hand with a smile, looking around at the rather beautiful scenery with a very curious expression on her face. As Vahn's words weren't exactly directed toward her, he didn't bother repeating them since Terra would likely be very fond of Diana even without his interference. Since Xana were High Spirits that resided in heavily forested areas and near rivers, their energy was very pure and he wouldn't be surprised if Terra ended up taking an interest in Diana, assuming she hadn't already...Other than Anubis, all of the other goddesses were away and Vahn actually felt a little strange that Hestia hadn't been there to greet his return. He hadn't thought about it before, but she had always been here previously and it was only now that he noticed that it didn't quite feel like he had returned without hearing those words. Fortunately, Syr had shown up as they were heading over to the dining room, a welcoming smile on her face as she said, "Welcome home, Vahn..." Though it wasn't quite as impactful as when Hestia said it, potentially because of her Divinity, Vahn's heart felt unburdened by Syr's words, a natural smile spreading across his lips as he embraced Syr and said, "I'm home..."Since she had already been aware of Momo, Katsuya, Elizabelle, and Merribelle, Syr wasn't that surprised when introductions were made. She quickly began assigning each of them duties and dragged them off for a tour around the Manor, leaving behind Diana until the latter followed on her own initiative. Though she wanted to stay with Vahn, Diana also wanted to treat her Maidly duties very seriously, surprising Syr a bit until Vahn clarified exactly who and what Diana was. Before his explanation, Syr just thought she was a random child that Vahn picked up off the street or saved from some vile scum.Freya had kept Diana's existence a secret from almost everything so Vahn had to explain the reality of the situation before entrusting the 115cm tall 'Maid' to Syr. When she understood the situation, Syr's expression had softened and she led Diana by hand through the Manor while the other four girls followed behind. She was able to understand Vahn's intentions, even without him stating them openly, and knew Diana was a 'special' existence within the Manor. For the time being, Syr decided to look after the girl to get a better understanding of her character and, though she didn't openly state it, make sure the youthful-looking High Spirit wasn't a danger planted by Freya...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Those that think of Diana as 'legal' would probably end up dying to her voice xD...','3.5x the Meido action~! Maemi and Emiru are gonna bully some newbies...?','Syr will probably never trust Freya (O_O)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Without much else to do, as he was just watching over construction efforts within the Dungeon, Vahn decided to spend time with his children until the goddesses returned. He found Eina breastfeeding Eiko within the maternity ward so they talked about everything that had been going on while he played with his sons and daughters in their cribs. Surprisingly, it seemed that Misha and Rose had officially become a couple at some point, bringing a somewhat strange smile to Vahn's face. He had sort of expected the relationship between him and Rose would develop at some point but, with everything that was going on both inside and away from the Manor, things never really had the opportunity.Rose never spent that much time within the actual Manor and, as he didn't proactively seek her out, it wasn't that strange for things to develop differently than expected. Though there were signs from both girls in the past that they might like him, Vahn had to accept the fact that feelings weren't something that could withstand the test of time without proper care. This realization was something he had already come to in the past but, having an actual example of people 'moving on', Vahn knew he needed to treat his own relationships better. Over the course of an eternity, the odds that one of his current relationships would end up falling apart were functionally one-hundred percent. In order to delay that inevitability, Vahn knew he needed to become a 'better' lover for them...Eventually, sometime after dinner would usually take place, the goddesses returned to the Manor in relatively high spirits. This time, Vahn was the one to greet the girls at the door, welcoming them home and sharing an embrace with each of them before they moved to the dining room. Once they had settled in, Loki broke the ice, explaining, "During my investigation into any 'enemies' within the Alliance, we managed to uncover a number of former servants of Nobles that had been infiltrating into several of the smaller Familia. Since this was another obvious attempt by those idiots to cause chaos within the Alliance, combined with the fact that they had colluded with the Iron Hills to bomb Lil Geirr, we essentially told that Old Fool that the Nobles had outlived their purpose. If you want to take care of them, feel free to act as you please, Vahn...kukukuku~."Though his expression didn't change much, Vahn's eyes had started to emit a small amount of illusory light and, though it was imperceptible by those gathered, the armored figure within drew its sword out of the ground. Vahn was fed up with the schemes perpetrated by the Nobles and, though he may not seize their properties and businesses, their 'authority' would be removed in the future. They were no longer qualified to pass laws and, as they weren't even in charge of security for the City in the first place, their usefulness had outlived itself. The moment they allied themselves with the Iron Hills and became the patsies of the Dwarves, they had lost what little remained of Vahn's mercy towards them...Even though it was subtle, Loki noticed the change in Vahn's expression and was wondering what he was cooking up in his mind for how to deal with the Nobles. No gods were allowed to assume control of the politics of Orario so it was very likely the Civilian Council would become the new legislative branch while Vahn would undoubtedly be the Chief Executive, even if he didn't assume the position of Governor. It was a secret that Vahn hadn't been privy to, but many of the members comprising the Civilian Council were people she had supported to rise to their current positions. Loki wanted to establish a foundation so that, if Erika wanted to get into politics one day, the stage was already set for her to do so. Now that things were playing out according to her expectations...well, she wouldn't be able to deny that there was a mess in her shorts...Vahn had noticed the small changes in Loki as well but didn't inquire about what schemes she had cooked up since he had long accepted that she acted behind the scenes in the interest of the Alliance. Instead, he looked to the rather distracted Hestia and asked, "What's wrong, Hestia...? Such a melancholic expression doesn't suit you..." Upon hearing Vahn address her, Hestia adopted a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before explaining, "We also talked to Ouranos about the existence of Enyo and the location of Hermes...haaa..."When Hestia spoke, Hephaestus' expression turned slightly sour and even Loki became serious as she added, "That Old Fool was definitely aware of Enyo, but he wouldn't give us any information at all. As for that cheeky bastard, Hermes, he apparently didn't just skip the City, but the entire fucking Continent. He is on a secret mission issued by the Guild and, though that Old Fool wouldn't give us the key details, he did mention it was related to the Artemis Familia. She and Hestia had been good friends back in Heaven, as they were both one of the three virgin goddesses of the Northern Pantheon, and it seems like there might be some trouble based on how Ouranos was acting..."Hearing Loki mention other continents, Vahn's brows perked up and, after levitating a slightly startled Hestia into his lap to console her, asked, "I can't imagine the Guild having any involvement with the Empire...did he go to the Dark Continent?" From the information Vahn had about the rather enigmatic Empire, there were very few gods within the Empire and even its location wasn't publically known. If not for the fact Vahn had purchased a world map through the system, discovering that the record was actually much larger than expected, he wouldn't even know where to begin looking for them. When he had learned that the Empire was located nearly 400,000km to the West, Vahn had been shocked at the sheer size of this planar world...Loki nodded her head, opening one of her eyes to reveal a slightly envious glint as she looked at Hestia sitting in Vahn's lap, saying, "Though you could probably make it there in an instant with your ridiculous speed, the trip would take more than a week of constant flying if you flew on the back of a Wyvern. That place is very dangerous for both mortals and gods, however, so wait until we have more information before you decide to run over...that goes for you as well, Hestia. Remember, we already have enough problems here on Eden to be worrying about what is happening elsewhere. Artemis is a big girl, she can take care of herself..."Hestia's face became even more melancholic when she heard Loki's words, knowing the latter spoke the truth. However, she just felt like something was 'wrong' about this entire situation, especially with Ouranos going out of his way to reveal specifically that it involved Artemis, her only friend in Heaven besides Hephaestus. Since the red-haired goddess also had a similar feeling, she decided to speak up in response to Loki, saying, "The way everything is lining up worries me more than a little, Loki. We should talk with Ganesha about securing some Wyverns before sending an Investigation team to at least collect information..."Loki immediately frowned when she heard this, questioning, "And where would we even send them, Hephaestus? The Dark Continent is three times the size of Eden and there are almost no significant landmarks. You know very well what kind of environment the investigation team would have to face...I think the existence of everyone in the Manor is affecting your thinking. Not everyone is as powerful as those residing in the Hearth Manor and we can't start treating the lives of the Alliance members as if they are expendable. We just thwarted a large-scale attack on Lil Geirr and Vahn is currently wrapped up in trying to establish Haven on the 50th Floor. You really want to divert even more of our forces to send a group of people to search a massive continent where they wouldn't even know where to begin their investigation...!?"Instead of letting Hephaestus and Loki argue, Vahn held up his hand to ease tensions, giving an apologetic smile as he explained, "Loki is right...until we have more information, there isn't anything we can do about the situation. Our best option is to try and contact Artemis by sending a message through an oracle and seeing if any messenger gods are willing to reach out to her for us. There are just too many things going on right now for us to split focus and stick our fingers in a matter that may not benefit from our intervention...if something does happen, or we find out Artemis is in trouble, I promise to help out...okay?" Vahn cursed the comprehensive lack of information regarding the history of this record as, other than some relatively vague information, there were almost no historical texts within the system that related to the record of Danmachi at all.Since he could purchase items from the future of his own timeline, as the future no longer existed after he entered into the world, the only option was to seek out texts from alternate worlds. Though some of these undoubtedly had events that followed the original events, there were actually hundreds of thousands of years of historical texts with almost no information at all. It was like the mortal world was stuck in a ten-thousand-year cycle and even Enyo was completely missing from every single record he had obtained. All Vahn knew was that Orario had both faced and overcome destruction an infinite number of times, sometimes with Heroes other than Bell being the one to carry the mantle of the record's fate...Hephaestus showed a slightly troubled expression, especially when she looked at Hestia, but eventually released a sigh before nodding as she said, "I understand...it just feels like something terrible is going to happen..." Hestia nodded in agreement, causing Vahn's mind to begin racing since he knew very well that intuition wasn't something to be ignored. If both Hestia and Hephaestus felt like something was wrong, it may be 'too late' to act by the time something actually happened. He just didn't know what he could do about the situation without knowing more details about what was going on. Finding a single goddess on a landmass nearing 118,000,000km² wasn't exactly a small feat, especially without any leads to her approximate location...Loki also knew better than to underestimate the intuition of women, especially when they were goddesses, so she had a complicated expression as she said, "We need more information...someone in Heaven must know where Artemis is located. If we can find her location, it wouldn't be that difficult to assist her...we need to understand the situation better, though, or everything we're working for here in Eden may be jeopardized. The worst case scenario would be Artemis being forced back to Heaven so don't stress out so much..." Even as she spoke, Loki felt there was something 'wrong' about her statement and immediately found herself recalling the information Vahn and Freya had sent through the Network earlier.She had been 'extremely' intrigued in the concept of Vahn performing yet another 'impossible' feat, allowing a god to fully manifest in the Mortal World. However, if he was able to do so, that meant it was intrinsically possible within the laws and restrictions of the natural world. The question was, if a god fully manifested in the Mortal World, what would happen if they somehow managed to die? Could they even destroy their Avatar and return to Heaven after the fact? As excited a thought as gods in the mortal world was, there were many unknowns and she had been looking forward to uncovering each and every one of them. Now, however, a small amount of dread spread through Loki's heart as the thought of 'meaningful death' in the Mortal World become a real possibility. Previously, returning to Heaven for a few decades wasn't that big a deal...but would that be the case if her Arcanum manifested completely and she was somehow killed...?A silence fell over the room as no one knew exactly what to say at the moment to try and ease the tension. Hestia and Hephaestus were obviously concerned about their friend and Loki seemed to have come to some form of realization as she fell into deep thought. Vahn continued to hug Hestia's waist, gauging the reactions of everyone present before his eyes rested on Anubis. She was the least affected by the current situation as she and Artemis had never closely associated in the past. Being a Goddess of Chastity, Artemis had never really been fond of Anubis' personality and they had only met on a few occasions, mainly during gatherings in Heaven.Anubis returned a smile to her Master and, deciding she might be able to help ease tensions, said, "Now that Master is back at the Manor, we don't have to worry so much. If there is anything he can do, everyone knows that he will do his best to ensure everyone is happy. I'm personally very interested in meeting these Xenos and am also curious about the new Maids that have just arrived. If that sounds a little inconsiderate, I apologize..." Though it wasn't that the other goddesses lacked faith in Vahn, Anubis believed wholeheartedly in her Master. She thought it was a little sad that, when the man they all cared about had just returned, the conversation was already related to where he would be going next...Hearing Anubis' words, Loki and Hephaestus were a little shocked and Hestia had raised her head so quickly that she nearly struck Vahn's chin. He managed to tilt his head back in time to dodge her famously hard head as she looked up with an apologetic expression and said, "I'm sorry, Vahn, I...!" Before she could finish, Vahn sent a pulse of energy into Hestia's abdomen and caused her to start laughing as he forcibly broke the tensions and began tickling her, saying, "You know better than to start apologizing over such things, Hestia~." She thrashed about, trying to escape his hands while tears began building up in the corner of her eyes, exclaiming, "Ahh, Vahn, forgive me, ahahahaha~!"Though he relented a little, Vahn continued to tickle Hestia for a bit as he sent a 'warning' look towards Loki and Hephaestus so they didn't try to apologize. Seeing they understood his intentions, Vahn smiled and began to gently rub Hestia's abdomen as he said, "I will be back for a few days in order to make sure there aren't any issues with the Xenos. We have plenty of time to gather more information before anyone starts stressing out over such matters...for now, let's enjoy the time we have together, making the most of the moment until something inevitably requires us to change focus once again..." It wasn't much, but Vahn sent a little thread of stimulating energy into Hestia's body to tease her while he was speaking. This caused her body to heat up very quickly, face flushing red and she issued a small nod in response...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Misha NTR'd Rose!?','Oh no...Artemis-chan...!','Godhand Style: Spontaneous Tickle Technique~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

After collecting himself, Vahn realized there was a slight delay in his thought processes as his main body slowly awoke from a dazed state. Fortunately, Fenrir had kept his body floating above the construction site, even though her telekinesis was rather lacking. She didn't even ask any questions about what he had been doing, instead, coming to his side when Vahn reached out his hand. He hadn't expected the union with Freya would cause his awareness to be completely dominated by what was happening on the surface. Though Sis would have snapped him out of it if there had been an enemy attack, Vahn knew he had erred quite a bit this time around. Since Fenrir had kept him from embarrassing himself, Vahn sat in the air and had her sit in his lap, pulling out an ornate brush as he began combing through her hair...Back on the surface, Vahn let his constrained domain return to its normal size and immediately noticed the abnormalities in the surrounding area, specifically those in the nearby room. His eyes widened and a bit of cold sweat caused his skin to become clammy as he tried to process what had happened. Sis immediately chimed in at this point, explaining, (*The synchronization between your domain and Freya's Divinity caused the connection between her Avatar and her Divine Body to become much stronger. If not for you instinctually restraining her Arcanum with [Enkidu], Freya would have been forced back to Heaven. However, since you weren't actively trying to seal her Divinity, some of the ambient energy diffused into the surroundings. The Arcanum itself was sealed but the...Sex Energy spread out and likely affected several bystanders...*) As her perception was restricted to Vahn's own, Sis wasn't entirely aware this was happening during the moment and hadn't noticed until Vahn himself expanded his domain...Vahn knew he would probably have to issue an apology and explanation of what had happened later and wasn't looking forward to it. He was hoping that the fallout wasn't too great as, if something 'tragic' happened during the time he was united with Freya, the amount of regret he would feel...it wasn't a pleasant thought. Fortunately, as he would later learn, the energy emitted by Freya, though influencing several hundred people, mainly resulted in them going to seek their lovers out or head off to the Red Light District. Those in close proximity had to 'suffer' a bit, but the majority of those nearby belonged to the Freya Familia and actually had a fair amount of resistance to charming effects. The greatest 'victims' of this unexpected phenomenon were the five unfortunate girls within the side room, as they were essentially located near 'ground zero' of the energy's influence...Concerned about what was going on around them, Vahn released Freya from his embrace, a not-so-stoic expression on his face as he said, "I think your Divinity leaked out and affected others..." Vahn didn't really have to explain exactly what happened to Freya, as their union had been a shared experienced where they were able to completely understand the heart and mind of the other person. Thus, when she heard this, Freya became slightly pale and looked toward the side room as she picked up the now golden-crystal bell and rang it.Everything within the vicinity cordoned off by [Enkidu] had actually been elevated to the extent of materials that could only be found in Heaven, making the space of around 8m around them worth several hundred billion Valis, at the very least. Though this would be a matter of extreme importance in most situations, Freya knew there were more pressing matters to attend. When nearly a minute had passed without the girls showing up, she took the initiative to try and separate from Vahn, nearly falling from the throne in the process. Vahn had reached out to catch her, holding her in his arms as he traced his hands around her butt and the back of her thighs. This wasn't intended to be sexual, however, as Vahn was instead revitalizing the muscles of her legs while removing the rather extreme fatigue that Freya was experiencing...Once she was able to walk, Freya released a sigh, tracing her palm across Vahn's chest as she said, "I'll be right back...don't worry, I will deal with this...haaaa..." Freya was more than a little worried about the state of the girls next door because, if anything happened to them, Vahn would probably never let her experience that amazing feeling again. Even now, though it felt like her insides were 'full', Freya also felt indescribable loneliness, every step away from Vahn increasing the melancholy in her heart. She didn't stop her steps, however, and tried to keep her chin raised proudly as she hurriedly went to the adjacent room to bear witness to the effects of her Divinity on others...After passing through an immaculately sculpted marble door, fitted with ivory and gold handles, Freya's heart shook but she almost immediately calmed down and released a sigh upon realizing the 'worst' hadn't happened. Though Momo, Sakuya, Elizabelle, and Merribelle were entangled together on the ground, clothes disheveled as they overlapped each other, their expressions ruddy and filled with fatigue. Sitting a little aways from them, the person Freya had been most concerned about, was a very young girl with a beet red face, peeking over a coloring book as she looked wide-eyed towards the other four girls.This girl had long blond hair, extending to the small of her back, neatly arranged to frame her adorable facial features. Her eyes were blue like sapphires and, though she was also wearing clothes similar to a Maid, they were light blue, frilly, and matched the large ribbon in her hair. Since she was currently sitting with her knees up, there was a lot of white frills visible beneath her skirt, though her dignity was protected by the pure white hose that she was wearing. When she saw Freya enter, the girl quickly adjusted her seated position to appear more lady-like as she stammered, "L-Lady Freya...I don't know what happened...everyone just...uuwwaaaaa...."Using the coloring book in her hands, the young girl tried to obstruct her view of the four disheveled Maids on the ground, the two pointed ears on the side of her head waggling anxiously. Freya smiled slightly upon seeing the girl's reaction, walking to the side where a large wardrobe was located so that she could wear something to cover her nakedness. Once she was wrapped in a silk gown, Freya made her way to the girl's side and, performing an action that would shock any that would claim to know her well, picked up the girl and hugged her closely. Still carrying her, Freya made her way to the room's entrance before looking towards the four girls on the ground, plainly stating, "Clean yourselves up...your Master will likely be leaving soon..."Without sparing them a second glance, Freya gently stroked the back of the young girl and walked along the cold marble floor until reaching the room where Vahn had been waiting. She knew he wouldn't blame her for what the girl had witnessed, as it was both of their faults, so the fear and trepidation she felt earlier had started to melt away. Instead, every step she took closer to Vahn filled Freya with expectation and happiness, chasing away the 'melancholy' that was shrouding her heart after their momentary separation...Seeing Freya bring in what looked like a very young girl, Vahn couldn't help but inhale rather deeply as he fought to remain calm. Freya seemed to have calmed down a lot and, given the aura of the young girl, Vahn knew the situation probably wasn't as bad as anticipated. Even so, the fact that Freya had a young girl wearing what appeared to be an ornate Maid outfit bothered Vahn a little, though he decided to give Freya the benefit of the doubt and allow her to explain. Since she was carrying the girl personally, Vahn felt like the situation wasn't simple and didn't want to jump to any conclusions, believing Freya wouldn't do anything to overtly trouble him...Turning her body slightly, Freya stroked the young girls back and said, "Diana...this is Vahn..say hello..." Diana, who had been resting her head on Freya's shoulder, now looked over towards Vahn, her blue eyes widening in an instant as she immediately turned away once again. Freya chuckled lightly, looking toward Vahn and saying, "It looks like your charm even works on Spirits...how peculiar..." Even for Freya, who was known to have one of the most powerful charms in both Heaven and the mortal world, it had absolutely no effect on Spirits, especially a High Spirit like Diana. They were existences that served as the 'template' for the godly Avatars every god used in the mortal world. This was why people referred to Spirits as the 'children loved by the gods', as they were directly created with Divinity and magic to aid the surface races since time immemorial...Though he had noticed the abnormal energy in Diana's body, Vahn was surprised that Freya referred to her as a Spirit. Generally, what most people referred to as 'Spirits' was actually just the mana contained within the environment. For Spirits that had physical forms, they were known as High Spirits and Great Spirits, with the latter group being considerably rarer. Within the current world, the number of High Spirits was extremely small, to the point that there were less than a dozen even residing in large population zone like Orario. Vahn had only ever seen the 'Gnome' High Spirit, Bom Cornwall, and the 'Undine' High Spirit, Silica Swiftstream. Other than them, only Lefiya could qualify as a High Spirit, though Vahn would liken her closer to a Great Spirit after her body had adapted a bit of his Source Energy...Vahn was glad he had chosen to wear clothing when Freya had left earlier, even though the Spirit in her arms was likely much older than he was. He rose to his feet, doing his best to assume a calm and gentle appearance as he neared the two girls and softly muttered, "Hello, Diana...it is nice to meet you...?" Vahn tried to look over Freya's shoulder and peer into Diana's face, but she immediately turned her head away, causing Freya to release a peal of bell-like laughter that could make a man's heart tremble. The only thing he felt right now, however, was confusion, at least until Freya explained, "Diana is a 'Xana' High Spirit, so she can't easily look at other people...especially if they are men..."With Freya's explanation, information regarding the Xana appeared within Vahn's mind, allowing him to better understand the situation. They were a very uncommon Spirit that had actually been hunted to near-extinction long ago after being associated with the deaths of several men. This was a result of their natural charm, their unique abilities, and their hypnotic song that could calm the hearts and minds of 'pure' individuals while causing a suffocating feeling that could drive those with dark hearts to insanity. They were rumored to have been created by the Gods in order to curb the amount of evil-hearted men in the world, giving them the appearance of young women with blond or brown hair that could 'stir' the negativity in men's hearts. When their voices reached the ears of such men, the only thing awaiting them was a rather gruesome death as they clawed at their own eyes and ears...Knowing that the 'young girl' in Freya's arms was an existence that had been the nightmare of many men, at least before their true nature had been uncovered, Vahn felt more than a little shocked. As far as he knew, there hadn't been any reported sightings of a Xana in almost six-hundred years, to the point that they were considered a protected species by the Guild. Even then, there were no known publically protected Xana and it was even possible that Diana may very well be one of the last of her kind. Since they were immortal, their appearance would never change under normal circumstances and Vahn had no idea how long she had lived...or how lonely and existence she may have had...As if to clear up his confusion, Freya lightly stroked Diana's back, explaining, "Diana was captured and illegally imprisoned by slave traders...fortunately, the voice of a Xana cannot be obstructed by physical barriers and most of the people that had tried to buy her initially lost their lives. She spent the last sixty years locked away since even the slave owner was afraid to get near her. A member of my Familia stumbled across her cell, completely sealed behind a concrete wall, and alerted me to Diana's existence. I promised to introduce her to someone that could help her live a free and happy life..." Though Freya would have generally found an existence like Diana's to be very 'interesting', it wasn't an exaggeration to say the Spirits were truly loved by the gods. She actually felt a bit of kinship towards Diana, treating her as a proxy of her own daughter since the latter had been living within the Hearth Manor...Vahn's mind was racing to make sense of what was going on and, now that he had 'melded' with Freya, his understanding of her had increased greatly. He suddenly felt very guilty for having kept Lenneth within the Manor, as the mother and daughter only met each other during supervised visits. Seeing Freya show such care and concern for Diana made Vahn feel like he had been a terrible father, even though he tried to treat Lenneth with as much care and concern as he could manage during the times they were together. Though part of him felt like Freya had orchestrated things so that he felt this way, she couldn't truly hide anything from him and he knew that, while she was a bit extreme in her behavior, Freya wasn't incapable of love...in fact, she had a lesser-Divinity related to it...Repressing a sigh, Vahn reached out with both hands, one stroking Freya's while the other rested on Diana's as he said, "I think we need to have a discussion with the others...you should spend more time with Lenneth. Though Hestia doesn't want men inside the Manor, I'm certain she wouldn't mind if you brought the little Ottar by as well..." Even before he had finished speaking, Vahn saw one of the most loving smiles he had ever seen on Freya's faces bloom into existence. At the same time, Diana peeked over at him, curious about the source of the very comfortable energy entering into her body. She knew this was the man that Freya had told her she could trust but, after spending such a long period of time locked away, it was rather difficult to believe...Vahn's eyes stared back at the sapphire blues looking at him, their gazes matching for several seconds before Diana quietly muttered, "Hello..." Though she spoke very quietly, Vahn felt a strangely refreshing 'tingle' in his heart that caused his smile to soften even more. Since it wasn't a negative effect, his [Will of the Emperor] didn't resist the influence of Diana's voice and Vahn was able to experience a very pleasant and peaceful sensation. This caused Diana's eyes to widen slightly as she hesitantly asked, "Are you not going to try and eat me...?"The pleasant sensation practically washed over him, causing Vahn to release a light-hearted laugh as he stroked Diana's head and said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you...hahahahaha~." Even if she might be several times older than he was, Vahn could never 'eat' a girl with an appearance that made Eva seem mature. Diana's physique was closer to a girl around 7-8 years old, causing absolutely no fluctuations in Vahn's heart, other than a simple desire to protect the beautiful smile that Diana had produced. She now no longer looked away from him, smiling radiantly in the equally radiant Freya's arms, creating a dual-impact on Vahn's mind since the smiles of girls were a lethal weapon in such circumstances...(A/N: At the time of writing this, I needed to head out to visit my dad and elder brother. There should be two more chapters today, but they will probably be in the afternoon. I can't really predict the future though, so don't spam f5 xD...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ground Zero...RIP Meido-sans...','High Spirit, Diana Sonata','Ultra Combo Finisher~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 842: Caretaker