Chapter 163: Vahnatus (3/3)
After everyone had introduced themselves and settled in, Hephaestus went over the constraints of the vow and had everyone agree before each party formed the contract. Even the tiny Tina said the vow without any hesitation as she began treating the other girls in the area like her rivals. The only person that hesitated was Arnya, but she didn't want to be the only one left out so she eventually caved in and made the oath. Imagining Chloe alone and surrounded by girls she had labeled as 'enemies' didn't sit well with her.
Once everyone had made the oath, Hephaestus sat down and allowed Eina to take over the discussion. Eina looked at everyone and spoke in a very polite and professional manner as she said, "As Hephaestus said previously, you have all been invited here to discuss the past, present, and future of Vahn. Now you all have a better understanding of each others situations, but there are still two people who have yet to speak."
Eina scanned her eyes across everyone at the table as she introduced herself. "Greetings, my name is Eina Tulle, and I am currently the fiancee of Vahn." The moment her words sounded, it was like a bomb had been dropped on the center of the table. Other than a few unaffected people, everyone else looked at Eina like she had just said the most ridiculous thing they could imagine. After all this setup and introductions, she suddenly tells everyone that she is going to marry Vahn?
The two that had the most adverse reaction to Eina's words were Chloe and Loki. Chloe gave Eina a cold look, almost as if she had marked the beautiful half-elf for death. Loki's eyes had opened slightly as she looked between Eina and Hephaestus with a contemplative expression on her face. As if to answer the question that had been forming in her mind, Eina continued, "It is true, but it isn't just me..."
With Eina's lead, Hephaestus spoke out to piggyback the statement, "I'm Hephaestus, Goddess of the Hephaestus Familia, and I am also engaged with Vahn." If Eina's words had been a bomb, Hephaestus's had been like a strategic class magical spell. Even Tiona, Ais, and Rivieria, who were previously unaffected by the words of Eina, had mildly shocked expressions on their face. However, after a few seconds passed, Tiona began to laugh in a silly manner as she muttered, "Looks like my prestige as Vahn's first is going to get a massive overhaul~"
Though she spoke in a low voice, more than half the girls present had dog and cat ears which had picked up on the muted words Tiona spoke to Ais. The atmosphere immediately became tense as Hephaestus slammed her palm onto the table to draw everyone's attention. In a firm tone, she said, "Everything will be explained, and until then I would suggest everyone be patient. Just considering the number of women present for this meeting, you should understand the necessity of Vahn having two first-wives!"
Everyone was quiet and considered Hephaestus's words for a few moments before Eina spoke out and interrupted their thoughts, "I have discussed this with Hephaestus, but you all need to be aware of something fundamental regarding Vahn. Though I believe Chloe had noticed it previously, Vahn is a broken individual. He has no brakes and needs to be reigned in, or else he might deviate onto a dangerous path which causes all of us to have regrets."
While everyone else was quiet, Loki asked, "It has something to do with his origins, right? That must be why you mentioned discussing his 'past' and having everyone take a vow." Loki had set aside her mischevious nature and was now fully serious as she followed the conversation. She had a deeply rooted interest in Vahn and his origin, and now she had the opportunity to hear the words from the most reliable source.
Eina nodded her head in response to Loki and then began recounting the tale that Vahn had told her. Since it had only been a day, the matter was still fresh on her mind and Hephaestus supplemented with her own input on the areas she was somewhat confused about. The duo told the group about Vahn's origins and that he was likely, at least, 75% god. They went into detail about how Vahn had been taken away from his mother at a very early age and suffered severe trauma and experimentation by various individuals until he was finally rescued by a mystery woman who had taken him to the Western Forests. They recounted how Vahn spent a period of time in intense training while learning survival and hunting skills in preparation for finally becoming an adventurer.
The entire table listened in silence at the tragic tale of Vahn. When some of the lesser aware girls learned about how Vahn had been mistreated for so many years, they couldn't but cry muted tears as the continued to listen to the story. The reason behind Vahn's peculiar behavior began making itself known, and there were many that had several regrets about their interactions with the traumatized boy. Even Ais and Tiona, who had heard the tale directly from Vahn, couldn't help but frown at the recounting of Eina. When Vahn had told the story, he was very dismissive of the facts and played them off, but when it was told by another person they were able to understand the depths of the tragedy that had befallen him.
At this point, Eina paused a bit before taking in the expressions of everyone at the table. Seeing that they were all paying attention, she continued, "And that was only the beginning of his suffering..." Her words caused chills to run down the spines of several girls as Eina gave her interpretation of Vahn's character and how he was 'broken'. Though Hephaestus's actions had been therapeutic for him, it only increased the likelihood of Vahn's future burdens. She then went into detail about how Tiona and Ais had been the catalyst behind much of Vahn's recent behavior and discussed the various burdens Vahn currently carried on his shoulders.
After hearing they had contributed to Vahn's pain, even Tiona had begun to cry a bit as she continually pictured the smiling face of Vahn in her mind. To Tiona, Vahn was a hero that could bear any burden, and she had happily allowed him to carry her's. Ais also felt bad, but she didn't cry as Tiona saw fit to. Instead, she hung her head low and had a very sad expression on her face as she considered her past actions. The person that had taken the biggest impact, however, was Anubis, followed closely behind by Nanu.
In the week they had been living with Vahn, the only thing the two girls had seen was him acting stably and reliably. In Anubis's mind, Vahn was the ideal Master that she had sought for the last three hundred years. Seeing his powerful soul and experiencing the extents he went to in order to guarantee the security of her and her Familia, Anubis had been steadily approaching Vahn, even when he had clearly tried to lay down boundaries. Nanu was in a similar mindset since she had been steadily trying to break down Vahn's resistance against her. Remembering her action of leaving a musk trail for Vahn, she felt both ashamed and guilty of her immature actions. She now understood why Vahn kept telling her to wait until she was older; she was still acting like a child that just wanted to get her way.
The least affected by Eina's story were Loki, Riveria, and Tsubaki. Loki was very intrigued by Vahn's past, and she felt a bit of pity for him, but she had also clearly seen his resolve to overcome his trauma. Though she agreed with Eina's assessment, Loki felt that the only thing Vahn needed was firm guidance, and she knew that he would likely obtain it after this meeting came to an end. Riveria felt pity for Vahn as well, but she wasn't too concerned after considering how many women would be helping him. She even felt that he should be somewhat grateful to have such a large defensive network to support his own mentality. Tsubaki herself had long noticed some of the problems with Vahn, and had been trying to counsel Hephaestus about it in the past. As the person that had spent some of the most time with him, Tsubaki had a better understanding of his character than most.
After everyone had settled down, Hephaestus began explaining how things needed to play out in the future. Vahn either had to be separated from Anubis and her Familia, or they needed to be strictly regulated to prevent future problems from arising. Though Vahn was allowed to approach them, they shouldn't pressure him into the situation just receive his affections. Anubis made a solemn vow, which was repeated by Nanu, Maat, and Chione to show proper restraint in the future.
It was also decided that when it came time for Hephaestus and Vahn to eventually marry, that he would do a conversion and either join the Loki or the Anubis Familia. As their status would change on a fundamental level, Hephaestus and Vahn would be unable to remain 'parent' and 'child' in the future, since she would be inclined to heavily favor him. Hephaestus's assets alone accounted for nearly 25% of the total wealth within the City, and having long-term instability could result in catastrophic effects on the economy.
Loki immediately tried to assume responsibility and offered to take Vahn in since he would already be venturing into the dungeon with her Familia in the future, but Hephaestus firmly denied and left the decision for Vahn to make. That was the third provision that had been decided on, that everyone in the group could still approach Vahn, but they needed to let him make the decisions on his own to advance the relationship. Before they had officially confirmed anything, everyone needed to work hard to help reign in Vahn's behavior so he didn't stray onto a dangerous path.
Everyone agreed to work together, even though they were all still considered rivals for Vahn's affection. The two most cooperative ended up being Tiona and Ais, who wanted to take responsibility for pressuring Vahn into a sexual relationship with them. They were given the enviable task of maintaining a permanent relationship with Vahn while trying to abstain from engaging in too many sexual acts. Eina lectured the girls that, until Vahn had returned to a certain degree of normalcy, that it was very dangerous to over-expose him to sexual acts. If he continued to become dependant on that type of activity in his relationships, it would be next to impossible for him to have platonic and stable relationships in the future.
The final decision of the group had been something unexpected by one of the members of the group, but everyone agreed without any serious opposition. Lili had proposed the idea of allowing Tina to stay with Vahn until the marriage had been finalized. Though she wanted to take the role herself, she knew she wouldn't be able to easily contain herself, so she volunteered Tina for a role that she had labeled 'Vahnguard'. It was decided that Tina would stay with Vahn while he was recovering before the next Denatus, as it would allow her to spend some time with him as well as keep him from performing any overly sexual acts with other girls. As Tina was just ten years old and Vahn recognized age as a significant factor, she was the ideal candidate for the task. Even Milan agreed but required that both Tina and Vahn would have to stay at the Inn on the weekends.
After hearing the proposition from Lili and the following agreement by everyone present, Tina's brain had short-circuited as she imagined spending the next three months living inside Vahn's room. She was excited, scared, and a little bit annoyed by how everyone was treating her like a child. However, she felt really sad after hearing about Vahn's past and how 'broken' he was, so she was willing to do her best to help heal him. There were still more than three years before she became an adult, so she resolved herself to be his little sister for the time being.
The group continued talking and discussing various things for several hours, including how each girl had met Vahn. After the topic had turned to Vahn and their individual interactions, the mood turned a lot more lively and the girls seemed to be getting along well, at least on the surface. One girl in the group still had several misgivings about the situation and intended to try and resolve things when she got a chance. Chloe had agreed with all the provisions, but she still felt like Vahn needed something else to be able to recover. She had initially allowed herself to be his goal, but now Vahn was in a dangerous state that needed further guidance.
Around 6 PM, the group finally began to disperse after exchanging contact information with each other. They had even agreed to make the meeting a monthly matter for the time being and resolved to keep their eyes peeled for any new girls that Vahn had taken an interest in. The moment Vahn had easy access to a receptive partner, there would be a danger of his behavior suffering a relapse that would undermine their efforts. Though it seemed somewhat strange to be concerned when their group already consisted of eighteen people, the fact there was ALREADY eighteen after less than two months was a red flag that made them seriously consider the matter.
After the majority of people left, the only ones that remained behind were Loki, Hephaestus, and Eina. Though Loki had been very cooperative so far, it didn't mean she intended to walk away from the deal with any benefits. Now that the other girls had cleared out, there were several matters related to Vahn that she wanted to discuss. However, before she could speak, Hephaestus interrupted her and asked, "There is a matter that you should be aware of, but you must be willing to take an 'absolute vow' if you want to hear it."
Hearing Hephaestus mention an 'absolute vow', Loki couldn't help but frown as she imagined what important matter she may have to discuss. An 'absolute vow' was one made using the soul as collateral, so if either party violated the terms of the vow, they would suffer severe damage to their souls. Not long would she have to return to Heaven, but Loki would probably have to spend thousands of years recovering before she could eventually return to Eden. However, though she had inhibitions, seeing the serious look on Hephaestus's face made her feel an insatiable curiosity well up inside of her. Without too much hesitation, Loki made the vow with Hephaestus and swore to never reveal the information they were about to discuss in any form, fashion, or through any medium either intentionally, unintentionally or accidental reproduction. Even hinting at the matter could result in a serious backlash which would damage her soul for a long period of time.
Though it should have made her feel 'scared', the only thing Loki could feel at this moment was excitement and intrigue about what Hephaestus had to say. Hephaestus looked into the eyes of Loki and could see the veiled madness contained within. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep the matter hidden, but now she could make use of her alliance with Loki to conceal it for a longer period of time. After releasing a long sigh, she turned her vision towards the Goddess of Trickery and said, "Vahn has an item called [Enkidu]..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tiny Tina, the 1st Vahnguard','Loki is about to have a seizure','Head-Wives Coalition and Concessions')
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Einlion
Einlion Level 1 Vahn: https://imgur.com/a/zFOLFrT
Courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/robusta-mania
Chapter 164: Ruminate
Vahn enjoyed the rest of his lunch and made light conversation with Syr whenever she wasn't busy with other customers. She kept asking him 'probing' questions about his past and what he wanted to do in the future, but Vahn only answered with curt responses and a smile. Though he was certainly interested in Syr, he was still a bit concerned with other matters that he had been dealing with lately. However, his dismissive attitude didn't seem to offend Syr, as she continued to make conversation with him until he paid his tab.
As Vahn was preparing to leave, Syr stopped him and asked, "Will you be coming by again soon? Chloe should be working the rest of the week, and I'm certain she would be happy to see you." Syr had a gentle smile on her face as she put a little extra inflection on her words when she spoke about Chloe. Vahn imagined the image of the playful cat girl in his mind before nodding his head and responding, "Sure, I'll try to stop by more often. It was nice to meet you, Syr."
After giving her a few polite words, Vahn made his way out of the Hostess of Fertility with Syr following his back with her eyes. She wasn't the only one to do so either, as Ryuu had periodically looked toward Vahn as he was eating. Though she never spoke out to him after their initial meeting, she paid attention whenever he and Syr were speaking. Now that Vahn had left, Ryuu approached Syr and asked, "Did you take an interest in him?"
Syr chucked in a sing-song manner as she put her hand over her mouth and asked, "Aren't you the one that took an interest in him, Ryuu? I never expected you to let him grab your hand so easily~" As they had been friends for a long time, Syr knew about Ryuu's personality and past better than anyone, so she couldn't help but tease the taciturn elf. Ryuu, hearing Syr's question, allowed her expression to loosen a bit as she averted her eyes from Syr and said, "I couldn't feel any negative feelings from him..."
Syr nodded her head at Ryuu's words and, with a cheerful smile, said, "He really is an interesting boy, isn't he?" After her words, Syr moved away to tend to other customers while Ryuu watched her back with a hint of contemplation in her sky-blue eyes. It wasn't just Syr who could see through her, but Ryuu had also become well acquainted with how Syr acted. The people she took an interest in were all unique individuals or those with high potential. Turning her eyes to the door where Vahn had left a few minutes prior, Ryuu stared into space for a few seconds before lifting her left hand and recalling the earlier event. As long as she didn't get in the way of Syr, Ryuu wanted to get to know the boy that had taken hold of her hand so easily.
---
Shortly after Vahn left the Hostess of Fertility, his steps paused for a few seconds as he looked back in the direction he had come. The system had given him a notification that Ryuu's affection had gone up an additional 8 points suddenly, and now she had a value of 79(Interest) in him. Though he was surprised when he got the large amount earlier, he didn't know what had happened for her to have another jump. Typically speaking, unless he did something drastic, most actions would only increase affection by +1 at a time.
Vahn remembered her subtly shocked expression when he had grabbed her hand earlier and the speed with which she departed after the fact. Though he didn't think much of it at the time, it should have been an indicator that his actions had a greater impact than he expected. The Ryuu he saw in the manga always seemed somewhat cold, but he also knew she had a warm personality behind the taciturn expression. Now that he had somehow gained her interest, Vahn was looking forward to his future interactions with the elven beauty.
In a better mood than when he had set out, Vahn made his way towards Hephaestus workshop to see if anything had been happening that he wasn't informed about. Surprisingly, after he arrived, Vahn found the workshop had been closed for the day. After he found one of the perimeter security guards, Vahn learned that Hephaestus had left early in the morning for personal matters. At this point, Vahn was absolutely certain there was something going on. The fact that he wasn't informed made Vahn believe that the matter most likely pertained to him, so he went to his next destination to confirm his hunch.
At this point, the entire Anubis Familia, the trio at Tsubaki's, Chloe, and now Hephaestus were all nowhere to be found, and Vahn hadn't been informed of anything. This fact alone made him suspect there was something going on behind the scenes, and when he arrived at the Guild and confirmed that Eina was also absent from work, he became absolutely certain. Given that he had been engaged to Hephaestus and Eina just the previous afternoon, Vahn suspected that hey already made moves to contact the other girls he associated with. He knew they wanted to help him develop 'brakes', and now he was made aware of how serious his previous actions had been.
On his way back home, Vahn was thinking about everything that had happened in the last week and comparing it to how he interacted with people before entering the dungeon. His memory of his past self was that of a small boy that was always polite and helpful to those he cared about. He worked hard to improve and tried to treat people kindly, and they too treated him well so that he would be able to focus on what he wanted to do. There were many people that helped protect his secrets and guide him toward the future he had decided upon. Vahn felt indebted to them all...
However, now he was much taller than his previous self, and had matured a lot in just the twenty or so days since he initially set out. Not only was he more mature physically, but his mentality and strength had undergone significant changes after his interactions with the Loki Familia. He learned about the differences between men and woman and developed an interest regarding the female body and things like sex and other intimate acts.
Before he had entered the dungeon and met Tiona and Ais, Vahn didn't have much of an interest in girls at all. Though he knew the 'basics', he lacked the fundamental knowledge for how relationships worked. Even when he lived with Tsubaki and had been exposed to several nude girls, Vahn never had a reaction and always tried to prevent from staring at the girls so he didn't accidentally offend them. Now, however, his eyes were always drawn to their bodies if they didn't make an effort to conceal themselves from him.
Vahn realized he had developed an interest in physical intimacy when he had previously had a slight aversion towards it. In just a single week, he had been exposed to so many situations that wouldn't have affected him much in the past, but now he proactively took advantage of the situation due to his own intrigue and curiosity. While he was previously just satisfied with patting girls on the head, he now engaged in much more intimate acts and had developed a strong interest in things like teasing girls and giving massages.
Though he thought about all of these things before, Vahn was just now beginning to understand why Eina was able to deduce that he was broken so shortly after their first date began. Even he realized there was definitely something strange with his own sensibilities, but Vahn didn't know what he could do to fix it. Just the thought of one of the girls he cared about being sad because he didn't treat them well made him feel frustrated in his heart. He already struggled a lot just to prevent himself from giving in to Anubis's advances, because he couldn't help but be infatuated with her adorable character and curvaceous body.
On his way toward the Babel Plaza, Vahn once against passed by Hephaestus's workshop and noticed it was still closed. Right now, it was nearing 4 PM, and according to the security personnel, she had set out early in the morning. Vahn felt a bit guilty that the girls supporting him had to make so much effort just to ensure that he would be happy in the future. Releasing a long sigh, Vahn shook he head and walked toward his next destination. He couldn't prevent them from acting as they thought best, so Vahn just decided to treat them better in the future.
As his next destination was quite close, Vahn arrived in just a few minutes and stood outside the Hearths Embrace Inn. Remembering the short few weeks he had resided there in the past, Vahn felt a bit of nostalgia as he made his way into the warm establishment. This place had once served as his home and marked the very beginning of his journey within the City. Both Milan and her daughter Tina had treated him very well, and Vahn still had to apologize about the matter regarding the sword she had given him.
The moment Vahn learned from the purple-haired woman named Sasha that both Milan and Tina had gone out early in the morning, he couldn't help but rub his forehead a bit with his palm as he released an even deeper sigh than before. Vahn was amazed at how quickly Hephaestus and Eina had set everything into motion, as well as how 'efficient' they were to even be aware of the Mother-Daughter pair and get them involved. Vahn even started to suspect that every woman he ever met was currently in an undisclosed location while talking about his matters.
After leaving the Inn, Vahn let his mind wander as he imagined what they would be discussing. He also tried guessing who all had been invited, and was surprised at how many names came to his mind. Imagining each of the woman sitting in a room and chatting about him, Vahn couldn't help but feel a little excited and curious. Though he was a bit disconcerted about the actual topics of discussion, he also had a lot of faith in both Hephaestus and Eina. As long as the two of them were guiding the conversation, Vahn couldn't help but imagine they would come to a decision that benefited him greatly. Imagining the care and concern on each of their faces made him feel both warm and proud. Warm, because they were so considerate of him; proud, because he was able to garner the affections of two incredible girls.
Two of the people that had been most prominent in his mind, other than Hephaestus and Eina, were the duo of Tiona and Ais. If even Milan and Tina had been invited, there was absolutely no way the two girls that were his current lovers didn't get an invitation. That would also pull Loki into the mix, and that was the only matter that genuinely concerned Vahn. Imagining the mischevious goddess being involved in a discussion about his well-being made Vahn feel a moderate degree of discomfort.
So far, Loki was one of the few people he couldn't get a read on at all, because he knew she was considerate of others, but at the same time, she always tried to evaluate people based on usefulness. Vahn hated the idea of people being given value based on their 'use' because he still hadn't gotten over the matters related to his past. But the hardest part of the matter, and the thing Vahn disliked the most about the situation, is that he could slightly understand the points she made.
Though he had confronted her directly at the time, Vahn couldn't help but consider matters from her perspective later, and even began to draw parallels with her on some issues. Vahn realized that he put in a lot of effort when he was focused on something and, because of his own perception of what it took to improve, he also had that same expectation for others. Because of how he acted, girls like Tina, Lili, and even Naaza were now working hard to 'earn' his affection for the future.
After realizing this, Vahn had begun to resent himself a bit, but he couldn't disagree with their desire to improve either. Even when Eina wanted to quit working at the Guild so she could take care of him, Vahn had her stay purely based on his own opinion and desires. Vahn actually didn't want people to make sacrifices for him, and he wanted them to improve on their own so they could make their own decisions in life. However, he contradicted himself, because he would confront their decisions based on his personal interests and preferences. The more the thought about the matter, the more confused he became because Vahn didn't understand which was the most appropriate course of action.
The only thing he truly understood from the situation was that he had his own personal bias in regards to some things, and didn't want people to drastically change their lives just for his own convenience. He empathized a bit with Loki, because she also wanted people to improve, though unlike Vahn, her intent was to improve them so they would be useful. Even the alliance they had forged was based on how useful both parties were to each other in the future.
Vahn released a sigh and shook his head to try and clear the matters from his mind. He felt like he could ruminate over them endlessly, but also knew that it would serve no purpose to get caught up in his own thoughts. He had learned time and again that it was better to take action instead of constantly worrying and developing self-doubts. Instead, Vahn just resolved himself to do his best to meet whatever difficulties the future might entail head on-
Before he could even solidify his own resolutions, Vahn tripped forward and nearly collided into another pedestrian. The man gave Vahn a strange look before walking away with a disgruntled face while Vahn just stared off into space like a solider that had spent too many years on the frontlines of war. After nearly a minute, Vahn finally turned his attention to the notification that had sounded in his system with a completely deadpan expression on his face as he read the information...
//Loki Has Reached Maximum Affection//
//Quest Completed: [The Hearts Desire:C-SS]//
Completion Grade: A
Rewards:10,000OP, 1x[Hearts Desire: Loki]
Grade Rewards: 2x[Transfiguration Lens], 14,000 OP
[Transfiguration Lens]
Rank: Unique
Use: Allows the user to temporarily alter their form regardless of size, shape, gender, or race. Duration: 24H
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn pieces together the puzzle','The scariest hearts desire','Ryuu has a hand fetish')
(A/N: I would like to thank the beautiful people that have been supporting my Patreon recently. We're just shy of half-way to the goal of making this my job~!)
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I am currently at 293/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Einlion
Einlion
Level 1 Vahn: https://imgur.com/a/zFOLFrT
Courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/robusta-mania
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
328 Power
stone 
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