Chapter 556: Reflection : Guidance
By the time Vahn came back to awareness, he found himself awakening from sleep with a very pleasant numbness permeating through his whole body. He lazily looked to his right and saw Arnya's rather innocent looking sleeping face as she dribbled a bit of drool against his shoulder. To his left, he could see the back of Aki, as the pregnant girls often slept on their left sides as it was supposed to be better for the baby. She was curled up and using his arm as a pillow while, sitting over at the sofa he sat out earlier, Loki could be seen writing away on a communication scroll with a dim lamp at her side.
Vahn was interested in what she was doing so early in the morning, as it was nearing 4 AM, but rested his head against the plush pillows so he could recall what happened the previous evening. Even though he had willingly fallen into a hypnotic state, Vahn could recall the memories clearly even though there was a strange that blurred his vision. Soon after they had started, Loki ended up explaining the situation to Arnya and Aki since Arnya had become alert not long after. She explained the concerns they had regarding Vahn and also took into account that Vahn would likely recall everything that was happening even though he was in a dazed state. To prevent him from knowing the full details, Loki had the two girls read from a journal as she personally tended to him.
A few minutes after they read through the notes, Arnya and Aki decided to relent and help Vahn relax properly and began doing things like stroking his hair and massaging his body with their caress. Because of his receptive state, Vahn followed Loki's words closely and 'confessed' some of his thoughts to her while Arnya and Aki listened closely to each word. It was a bit embarrassing, but he admitted to feeling 'inadequate' to the girls and also admitted to feeling worried that they would eventually end up leaving him if he 'failed' to make them happy.
Though he tended to avoid that line of thinking, Vahn knew he really was worried about losing the girls just because he ended up letting them down. By creating the memory orbs and the temporal distortion orb, he was hoping to fill in the gaps a bit but also confessed that it wouldn't be a real solution. Though he could spend more time with the girls in the orb, it would also increase his burden at the same time because he would constantly be trying to tend to everyone as equally as possible. The simple fact of the matter was, Vahn didn't truly love all the girls at the same level and, except for the girls he had already impregnated and the ones that had helped shape his life, he was just doing his best to learn how 'best' to love everyone else...
Vahn really did want to make everyone happy because, before he had the opportunity to experience the 'bliss' of his current life, he had suffered for a very long period of time. He didn't think himself unworthy of love, affection, and general happiness, but it couldn't be denied they were 'foreign' concepts before he actually opened up to others. Without the ability to see auras, even though it was a bit of a crutch, he likely would have kept his heart closed for a very long period of time. Depending on how things played out, especially considering some of the events he had experienced, he may have never actually opened up to anyone. Even Chloe, one of the girls that had 'saved' him from his personal darkness, may not have been able to touch his heart if he couldn't see the amiable feelings she directed toward him.
Just like he had experienced in the Divination, things could have been drastically different if just a few things had been changed. He most likely would have still tried to save Lili and, unable to understand her psychological state, he probably would have walked down a moderately darker path at her side. He wouldn't have been able to truly understand what Hephaestus had felt for him and, each of his interactions with the girls likely would have gone in a drastically different manner. Even Syr, someone that had very quickly fallen in love with him might have only taken a slight interest in his capabilities without ever moving forward, at least not for a very long time. Without her inciting the other girls to action, Vahn very well may have never gotten with Ryuu, while Lunoire and Arnya were almost 'impossible' to approach without being slowly warmed up to the idea...
Realizing his 'happiness' had been the product of a series of coincidences, combined with the 'guiding' function of The Path, Vahn released a long sigh that caused Loki to turn her head. She stood up, wearing a thin transparent nightgown and had a very gentle look in her eyes as she said, "You've done well, Vahn...leave the rest to us. We won't let you carry these burdens on your own...just believe in the love we have for you. Even if it takes you a bit longer to return their feelings, everyone is much stronger than you think...they won't leave you over something so small. Most of the girls had gone their entire lives without having sex, so don't think they'll fall out of love with you just because you don't pamper them all the time...hell, even we goddesses could easily hold out for years if necessary...you are that important to us."
Though she hadn't realized it previously, Loki now understood that Vahn's presence in her heart had grown beyond her own understanding of the situation. Seeing him in a dazed state while he confessed his 'suffering' to her hade made something deep inside of her wake up and she felt genuine distress knowing he had been trying so hard. After reflecting on it, Loki felt like this was her maternal instinct, something she had only briefly felt whenever she was defending the children of her Familia and, even more recently, something that had stirred inside her when she rubbed her pregnant belly. Last night, Loki realized that Vahn was still a child, albeit a very abnormal and hard-working one, and her heart had softened up a bit when he broke down his thoughts and admitted the secrets he had been keeping, likely even from himself.
Loki knew that Vahn had the makings of an Emperor, including the ability to bring about great change with a resolute state of mind, but this wasn't the same Vahn that she had actually fallen for. When he had wrapped her up in [Enkidu], Loki felt 'real' emotions for the first time and it was Vahn's gentle actions and his overwhelming love and compassion that had 'conquered' her. Though she felt compelled to help him rise to the apex of the world, this wasn't something that he truly needed the help of others to accomplish. Instead of 'pushing' him forward, it is their 'duty' to reign him in, protect him, and provide him the comforts he never experienced.
She had been communicating with Hephaestus for hours at this point trying to come up with methods to help Vahn be happier. Unfortunately, the best method they came up with would be to have Vahn experience being a child by promoting his relationship with something like a surrogate mother. This was something Hephaestus had already done when she introduced Tsubaki into his life, but Vahn had simply grown beyond the comforts she offered to him. They also couldn't 'forcibly' pamper him, because that would just cause him to feel even more burdened since he had the type of mentality that 'needed' to reciprocate feelings.
The problem was, Vahn couldn't be happy normally, as he intrinsically treated it like something that needed to be 'exchanged' or 'shared' between people. His mind desperately sought peace and structure, but he was also insatiably curious and highly committed to the things he was interested in. As he hadn't experienced many things, Vahn was eager to experience all kinds of new stimulus because, as they could see now, he was afraid that he wouldn't have the opportunity to experience it in the future. He still hadn't adapted to a normal lifestyle and it became very apparent that Eina's concerns for Vahn were well-founded. She had, before anyone else truly understood it, seen through Vahn's 'facade' and saw the broken boy contained at his core, the one that desperately sought love and affection but didn't actually know how to accept it...
Vahn considered Loki's words very seriously as he reflected over his memories of the previous night, glossing over the period of time when Loki had been teaching Arnya and Aki how to better please him. He knew what Loki was trying to say, but he couldn't easily back down since this is what he decided for himself. Though he has had to make some concessions, even to the point that he put restrictions on himself, this was the happiness Vahn had found for himself. It hasn't always been easy, but Vahn willingly walked this path and was willing to bear the burdens even if it caused him to experience greater hardship in the future.
Looking to Loki, Vahn said in a quiet yet firm tone, "I can't stop doing my best, Loki..." However, somewhat against his expectations, Loki gave him a very serious look as her eyes opened to reveal a great deal of concern contained within their red depth. After several seconds of silence passed, Vahn averted his eyes from her gaze and she said, "You will continue to do your best...but we'll be taking action so that 'we' can do better by you as well...from now on, until we believe you have stabilized properly, you can only sleep with one woman per night. You don't have to treat sex as something so 'important' to the happiness of every girl that you have to plan around them so seriously. Even if it's only once or twice a month, most girls would be satisfied if they got to spend that entire time alone with you..."
Loki released a long sigh because she knew her own disposition was more on the 'needy' side of things and that it would be a bit difficult for her. However, she could always 'confide' in the other girls close to Vahn and wasn't above bringing comfort to her own body. After collecting her thoughts, she continued, "You can plan events with the girls and put together small get-togethers, but from now on you need to rest properly during the evenings. If necessary, the more mature members in the Hearth Manor will 'educate' the younger girls so you don't feel so much pressure by trying to please everyone...if things continue at this rate, you'll eventually start to dislike sex and will simply be doing it out of obligation. Remember the 'painful' feeling you had when you talked about how sad and 'grateful' Hephaestus had been during the Divination...? Don't become that person, Vahn...let us be as good to you as you have been to us, okay?"
Vahn knew Loki's words cut to the core of the matter, but he still had a bit of difficulty backing down on the issue until she mentioned how he treated Hephaestus in the Divination. Having her thank him for such a small matter had shaken him to the core at the time and Vahn realized, even if he tried his best to avoid having things progress to that extent, there was a chance he would treat sex as a laborious task than an emotional connection he experienced with the girls. After all, he only really cared about sex at first because it made him feel closer with the girls...that had slowly been changing over time and he now simply wanted to 'satisfy' them without caring much for his own thoughts and needs at all. This was why, when he was alone with Eina or one of the more 'mature' girls, Vahn often just confided and cuddled with them instead...without realizing it, he had slowly been breaking further.
As he was lost in the realization of what had been happening, Aki stirred from his side while Arnya hugged his body from the right. Though it was a bit awkward to have his head pulled so low, Arnya hugged him close to her very comfortable breasts and stroked his head, saying, "You have worked very hard, Vahn..." Though he couldn't see her right now, Loki added, "Once a month, we'll be doing a short therapy session where Eina, Hephaestus, Syr, Tsubaki, and myself will all try to find out how your mental state is progressing. When we're confident you have recovered properly, we'll let you continue 'playing' around. Until then, however, you need to keep things tame and simply enjoy the company of the girls you are with. Don't worry, Anubis might be a bit of a masochist but she is also good at pampering people...if the Hearth Manor is putting so much pressure on you, feel free to go stay at the Southern Manor for a few days or rest at your Clubhouse. We'll let you know if anything serious happens..."
Though it felt like his heart was twisting in pain, Vahn also felt a great deal of warmth coming from the embrace of Aki and Arnya and it helped him stay calm. For things to have come to this point, Vahn felt like he had 'failed' the girls but he could also feel their love enveloping him, proving that his fears weren't founded in hard truth. As he had been reading a bunch of books on therapy and child psychology in preparation for his own kids, Vahn knew Loki's words tore through the mental barriers he had set up on his own. Her actions were something he could understand well because, if he analyzed himself as a damaged child, it was easy to see where many of his problems lay...
After releasing a hot sigh into Arnya's cleavage, enough to cause her aura to flicker and expand slightly, Vahn raised his head and looked into Loki's concern-filled eyes and nodded. Though he felt very guilty about everything that was happening, the only way to move on was to accept the feelings in his heart and take small steps forward to fix them. He needed to use this time to build his own confidence, get truly close to the girls and promote 'normal' relationships, and also proactively work on the things he wanted to research. Since he was supposed to be trying to help Tina and Shizune get stronger, while also preparing for the awakening of Eva's orb and the birth of his children, Vahn really should use this time in a more focused manner instead of just having sex all the time.
Loki nodded her head and pulled out a piece of paper she had been working on the check the details once again before saying, "You can still have your little dress-up event with Ais and the other girls, but you should do it in your workshop and try to keep it from devolving into a sexual competition. We'll draw up a schedule and everyone that is currently on your Status Log, with the exceptions of Riveria, Liliruca, Naaza, and Lefiya. After some consideration, we allowed Emiru, Maemi, and Preasia to add themselves to the list..." Vahn's brows raised at this and he gave Loki a curious look so she explained, "Maemi and Emiru have a service mentality and are the type of girls that will do their best to make you happy without too much concern for themselves. As for Preasia...she is a bit on the broken side as well and it will likely do you both some good if you spend some time with her. You need a girl that is on the 'weaker' side that has deep emotions for you so that you can have a moment to 'reset'..."
Seeing that Vahn was still a little confused, Loki opened her eyes slightly and said, "Those restrictions you placed weren't a bad idea at the time, but they're slowly putting even more pressure on you. I'm certain you've noticed it yourself, but you've probably been thinking of 'how' you can get with those three but refused to take a step forward because of your previous promise, right?" Vahn hung his head slightly in shame at Loki's words because it showed that she had completely seen through him on the matter. She released a small sigh in response and said, "Vahn, the type of mentality where you treat such things as if they're matters to 'be taken care of' is very dangerous. If you wanted to be with the girls, that should have been the only reason you need since they also wanted to be with you. Girls are very receptive to things like that, so you can expect they have been feeling a lot of pressure ever since your mentality shifted. That kind of pressure will potentially cause them to make mistakes and it'll also make you feel the need to look after them because of your own sense of obligation regarding the matter..."
After making a small note, Loki looked up and said, "You're no longer in a situation where you need to keep pushing the girls forward and motivating them in such ways. It may have been fine at first, but things have changed a lot since then, especially after the matter regarding the Divination. Stop acting in such a restrained manner and try to relax more often, just like you did yesterday with the picnic and playing around. You may be an adult, Vahn, but you are still a child in both heart and mind...don't let your capabilities get to your head and don't be afraid to seek out girls if you want to be pampered. Just like others come to you when they want to spend time together, you should be going to them more often and simply enjoy the moments you share without worrying too much about what you 'need' to be doing."
Vahn nodded his head slowly in affirmation but the image of Fenrir and Terra crossed his mind and he couldn't help but feel great inhibitions toward them both. As if she had read his mind, Loki tilted her head to the side and said, "Don't worry, Terra has already made a resolution of her own and shouldn't do anything that would cause you too much stress. As for Fenrir, we already talked to her previously and she has reflected on her actions greatly. Things might change after the first batch of children are born, or after that little orb of your's wakes up, but you shouldn't have to worry about them too much. The only thing Fenrir really wants from you Vahn, is to be 'together' with you and 'protect' you. Petting, Bathing, Cuddling, and even Sex, these are all things she has 'learned' to appeal to you so you can spend more time together. Even if you just sat and brushed her hair like in the past, she would likely be content unless you 'ignore' her for other girls...as for Terra, she has a scary amount of intellect, but she is also somewhat gullible and prone to misunderstandings. She already has a support group around her, so just grooming and petting her should be enough since she also seems to simply want to be 'together' with you..."
It was rather long-winded, but Vahn listened to Loki's words very closely and found that they made a lot of sense when he considered his interactions with the two. Fenrir had always watched how he interacted with other girls and she started emulating their behaviors just so she could be closer to him. As for Terra, she was still relatively new to living on the surface and spent most of her time in relative solitude as she sunbathed inside the garden. Ever since she 'hatched' from her chrysalis, she had always been trying to be around him and had picked up books and other studies simply because it was 'necessary' for her to spend more time with him. Vahn realized he had been somewhat 'cruel' to the two girls by putting such restrictions on them, especially with how innocent they both are...
Loki finished writing another line on her communication scroll and sat down in the sofa before pouring herself a glass of wine. She brought it to her lips and inhaled the aroma before setting it back on the table without actually drinking it. Even if he didn't intend to do it, Loki had felt Vahn's gaze and noticed the subtle change in his expression as she was about to drink the alcohol. Though it wouldn't actually endanger the baby, Loki didn't want Vahn to stress over the matter so she decided to simply set it to the side. Afterward, she looked over and said, "Today, you shouldn't have sex with anyone and just enjoy your time with the girls. You can stay here and rest as long as you want, but I'll have to leave to take care of some matters in a bit. Go spend some time with Hephaestus and Tsubaki, or maybe you should just cuddle up with Fenrir or Preasia. The latter would probably appreciate it quite a bit...yaaaaaah~." Toward the end of her words, Loki released a yawn because she didn't get that much sleep last night. Vahn made eye contact with Arnya and Aki before extricating himself from the bed and walking over, saying, "Thank you for everything, Loki..." and giving her a pat on the head to infuse energy into her body...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I feel so numb...','Hardworking Trickser~?','Vahn is a big baby...')
(A/N: Probably just one more after this because all of today's chapters have been kind of long. I'll be hitting around 16-17k words after the next one is done, assuming its the same length. If my coffee vibe lasts long enough, I'll try to pump out number six after taking a short rest and maybe grabbing some food.)
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=14397149
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
Chapter 557: Doing what one wants...
Vahn ended up leaving the Twilight Manor alongside Arnya and Aki after preparing breakfast for the three girls. As cooking was something he liked to do recreationally, Loki didn't have much to say about it other than the compliments she had for the food itself. He was in no way a qualified chef, but Vahn's attention to detail and his knowledge of recipes allowed him to make most dishes to a reasonable degree. Many of the foods he cooked used recipes from different records, so they had always been popular which made Vahn feel happy. He liked seeing the girls eating the food he cooked, just as the girls that cooked for him loved watching him eat.
Deciding to enjoy the cool morning air together, Vahn walked hand-in-hand with both girls as they slowly made their way towards the Hearth Manor. It would easily take them more than two hours to travel there on foot, but the journey was peaceful and pleasant so there was no need to hurry. As he had decided to make the trip in his Cat Person form, as it made him feel closer to the two girls, he got to experience the rather interesting event of walking with their tails intertwined. Arnya's tail was a bit short, because she had apparently had the end cut off when she was younger, but it was more than enough given how close together they were. Even when people gave them strange looks, as it was rather uncommon to see someone escorting two pregnant girls through the City, they just returned polite smiles or outright ignored them.
By the time they reached the Manor, the sun had already peeked up over the surrounding hills and had begun to cast its gentle rays upon the land. As if the cold front from the previous day had been an illusion, there was a warmth in the air and, as Vahn's sense of smell was very strong right now, he could smell the fragrance of the grass and trees as they emanated subtle ripples of natural energy. Once they reached the front gate, Arnya slowed her steps and Vahn felt a little at a loss when her tail separated from his. She gave him a gentle smile and said, "You should go spend some time with the others, unless you really want to spend time with me~? I don't mind, but I'm certain there are other things you could be doing right nyow." Aki used this as an opportunity to separate her own tail from Vahn, albeit with a little bit of difficulty as they had 'coiled' around each other. Vahn's control over his tail was subpar at best, so she giggled as she peeled his tail away from her's.
Vahn smiled and took one last deep breath of the morning air as his body visibly began to change into his human form. After undergoing a shift in his mentality, Vahn realized Humans were as much an animal as any other race and had been able to use [Thria*Mimos] to accelerate his transformations. Instead of spending almost an hour to make the change, Vahn could manage it within five minutes, though drastic changes would take a much longer period of time. When he opened his eyes, Vahn said, "Before we part, I would like to embrace you both and give you a kiss..." Aki and Arnya made brief eye contact with each other before simultaneously walking forward and giving Vahn a hug. He was a little surprised, but loosely held their waists and gave them both a fairly long, yet admittedly tame, kiss on the lips.
Before they went on their way, Arnya placed her palm over Vahn's heart and looked into his eyes with a soft expression as she said, "Vahn, you really are one of the strongest people I've met in my life. However...it is never the role of one person to bear the burdens of another. Just like when we first promised ourselves to each other, let's do our best to share the burdens...together." Vahn nodded and gave Arnya's face one final caress before seeing her off as she followed behind Aki and 'retreated' toward the Manor. Vahn felt a little awkward because, unless he went a different direction it would almost be like he was following. Of course, with his [Shundo] it wasn't difficult to avoid such awkwardness so he vanished from the front courtyard and walked back out into the street to think about his next course of action.
His mind was in a peculiar state right now, but Vahn also felt a sense of liberation knowing that things would stabilize a little. He was looking forward to spending time with the girls individually because there were many he had actually never been alone with. They way they acted in a group was always distinctly different than if they were alone, so Vahn was looking forward to the quality time they would share in the future. Before that, however, Vahn had decided to put another matter to rest because one of the biggest points behind his frustration were the enemies lurking in the darkness.
Walking down the street with his hands in pocket, Vahn aimlessly watched the random passersby as he sent a signal to Terra, Fafnir, and Fenrir. As he hadn't been that far away, Vahn could hear the sound of footsteps less than a minute later as Fenrir came trotting out of the front gate wearing her adorable little maid outfit and carrying an unpeeled banana between her two paws as she made her way over to him. Vahn cocked his head to the side and asked, "Why do you have a banana, Fenrir?" As if he just asked her the most difficult to answer question in the entire world, Fenrir's eyes turned round as saucers and she stared at the banana in her paws with abject terror in her expression.
Vahn arched his brow in confusion before a fluttering silhouette dropped down shortly thereafter, belonging to the 'naturally beautiful' Terra who smiled elegantly and said, "Good morning, Master~." She flicked her wings to before tucking them up behind her and walking forward to receive head pats from Vahn. He absentmindedly reached out his hand to stroke Terra's head as he once again asked, "Fenrir, why do you have a banana?" Fenrir's 'terrified' expression slowly turned a little darker as clear frustration built up on her face and she furrowed her brows deeply. Her scarlet eyes began to glow and, for the first time in his life, Vahn saw Fenrir's face show a very light blush as she said, "Gnuuu, Fenrir was practicing..."
It took a while for the gears in his head to begin spinning fast enough to understand what Fenrir must have been 'practicing'. As if to demonstrate, Fenrir opened her mouth and tried to take the banana into her cheek but, while she had some small success, the part nearest to her teeth began to dissolve away which made her expression turn sour as she chomped the entire banana down in one 'large' bite. Vahn released a sigh and just plopped his hand down on her head, saying, "Fenrir, keep working hard, but don't push yourself to do strange things. If you're lonely, just let me know and we can spend time together. Just like in the past, you can always come and watch me in my workshop if you want..."
Fenrir squinted her eyes and enjoyed Vahn's caress as random passersby looked at their interaction with a bit of incredulity in their gazes. Some of the men had seen Fenrir's actions with the banana and had sly grins on their faces at first until immediately becoming pale after seeing the final state of the banana, complete annihilation. There was even one rather unfortunate middle-aged man that looked like he had dislocated his hip and was using a nearby wall as support as he held his thighs together...
Vahn looked around and inspected the nearby shadows before asking, "Where is Fafnir?" since he figured Terra would probably have the answer. Terra nodded her head and explained, "Fafnir was playing with Tina in the inner courtyard and I told them I would find out the situation since you could always call him over very quickly." Hearing her explanation, Vahn nodded his head since Fafnir was just a 'failsafe' for what he intended to do. Fafnir could cross the entire City in less than a minute if it was going full speed, with a similar rate of speed if it took the shadows as a medium, so there was no real need to pull it away from Tina if they were having fun.
After considering the matter, Vahn pulled his hands away from Terra and Fenrir so they could focus properly and explained, "Terra, Fenrir, I want to see if we can find any traces of the earth mage that has been annoying me lately. We'll go inspect the tunnels where I encountered them last to see if Fenrir can pick up the scent. Since your mastery over the earth should be far greater than their's, I will always rely on you to counter them if they try to trigger a trap. They seem to have some basic control over earth elemental energy and had even been able to escape through the earth previously..." Terra's eyes squinted slightly and her tail flicked against the ground with a surprising amount of force that cracked one of the cobblestones.
Vahn was somewhat confused by her action until she explained, "That little ant actually tried to burrow into one of the side tunnels while you were away last night. I tried to capture them, but they were outside of my domain and I don't have that much power when I leave my territory..."Terra was very annoyed by the 'pest' that had been antagonizing her Master and she was looking forward to helping squash it if necessary. Vahn was surprised to learn there had been an attempt to infiltrate the Manor last night and asked, "Who else knows about this, Terra?" She blinked her eyes in confusion before saying, "Everyone~? I told Hephaestus, Hestia, Riveria, and Syr, and I believe they told everyone else."
Vahn released a sigh and realized that it must have been kept from him since it would have made the earlier explanations more difficult. After all, it didn't make a big difference when he learned about the attempted infiltration since there wasn't much he could do about it without picking up the trail directly. Just knowing that the earth mage had tried something was a 'good' sign though. as it showed that they were still actively trying to interfere with the Hestia Familia and hadn't left the City, at least before this morning. It also showed they were paying attention to his movements and may even be watching him now, though hopefully not to the extent they were able to hear his rather quiet conversation with the two girls.
After thinking about it for a moment, Vahn realized there was a 'sharper' mind present so he asked, "Terra, what do you think we should do to try an capture this person? I'd like to interrogate them to find out where the came from but, if they turn out to be too much trouble, we can kill them if necessary." Terra's wings twitched open a bit before she caressed her left arm with her right hand and said, "Sorry, Master, but I would like to avoid being involved in any killing. If they attack the Manor, I think I could do it, but I don't want to hunt them down. If it's just finding them, however, I believe I could follow their scent just as well as Fenrir if I trace the ambient earth elemental energies they left behind."
Terra was still a pacifist, both by nature and by virtue of her own Development Ability, so she wasn't comfortable with the idea of tracking someone down just to kill them. Capturing wouldn't be a problem but, unless she 'had' to protect her Master, she wouldn't kill anyone. Even if the earth mage was a 'pest' that she wanted to squash, that enmity was restricted to wanting to protect her home and didn't carry over when they were outside her territory. However, she could strangely imagine killing them if they affronted her Master, which made her feel a little strange and scared about the changes in her own mentality. Vahn blew these away, however, when he reached out his hand and gently stroked her head, saying, "I won't allow you to become a killer, Terra. I also don't appreciate unnecessary killings, so I'll try to capture them and reach a compromise if possible..."
Vahn didn't even like the thought of Fenrir killing an actual person, even going so far as to place severe restrictions on her in the past. If he could avoid having them take the life of another, that would be the most ideal situation as they were both relatively 'pure' beings. Fenrir might be a little 'fluffy murder machine', but that was something he wanted her to direct towards monsters and not people. She had made great strides in her mental growth and Vahn wanted to protect her paws from becoming tainted with the blood of villains if at all possible. As for Terra, he had originally promised her a life where she wouldn't have to fight and he wasn't going to push her forward out of his own selfishness.
After coming up with a plan of action, Vahn took Fenrir and Terra down into the underground passage that had been restored after its previous collapse. As the network of tunnels was more problematic to remove than it was to make use of, the Alliance had been sending patrols through it and actually used it to cut across some other properties as a short cut of sorts. Vahn activated his [Eyes of Truth] and sent pulses of energy through the tunnels as Terra placed her bare hands against the wall and touched around various spots with the tips of her wings. She also stepped forward in a strange manner and Vahn could feel her energy dispersing into the floor, walls, and ceiling before it retracted back into her body. As for Fenrir, she was smelling around the tunnel with her [Huntress] active and was determined to hunt down the earth mage to make her Master happy.
For more than two hours, they continued progressing through the tunnels, even crossing paths with a three-person patrol group that was very surprised to see Vahn. Even though he wasn't in charge of them, the three men gave him a respectful salute so Vahn exchanged a few pleasantries with them before moving on. They were some of the lower rung troops in the Eirene Familia, so they had a lot of respect for Vahn's accomplishments. Eirene often showed up during their mass dinners and recounted Vahn's tales as a form of inspiration and she wasn't shy when it came to laying on the praises regarding his character and accomplishments. Vahn felt a little embarrassed to hear about this from the three guards and told them to give Eirene his regards if they came across her before he did.
Once the small patrol had left, in much higher spirits than they had been in initially, Terra commented, "Master, I believe I should be able to trace the earth mages mana now. We just need to find a fresher trail and they wouldn't be able to escape my senses~." Fenrir's large fluffy ears perked up at Terra's words and she seemed somewhat upset because she hadn't found any scents that would be helpful. There were many different aromas in the tunnels, but Fenrir wasn't confident any of them belonged to the earth mage because they smelled very 'normal'. Since she didn't have a base scent to work with, as the original site hadn't offered them any leads, she was at a significant disadvantage compared to Terra.
Vahn ruffled Fenrir's head and said, "Don't be jealous of your own little sister, Fenrir." before turning to Terra and asking, "What would be the best method to find their trail? Do you have anything in mind?" Having Vahn defer to her about her opinion made Terra feel very fluttery and she couldn't stop her own wings from wiggling in satisfaction as she smiled and said, "Even when I fly above the City, I can still sense the flow of mana through the earth. If there are any large fluctuations or concentrated areas where the mana density is higher, we could check there and potentially find the trail. I believe we can even pinpoint their location over time if Big Sis discovers any scents that match the ones she already picked up in the tunnels~"
Hearing Terra's words, Fenrir's ears twitched and a crude smile appeared on her face as a result of the fact she was in her [Huntress] form. She had actually gotten much better at smiling recently, but her [Huntress] made her look far wilder since her teeth became very sharp, her hairs raised like the hackles of an animal, and the claws on her paws became much longer. Vahn shook his head slightly with a smile because this was another incident of Terra showing how well she could 'handle' other people, especially her own siblings. Unfortunately, he had no idea that Terra also played him quite hard on occasion, though she had 'suffered' for it a few times as a result of underestimating him.
After leaving the tunnels, Terra turned into her dragon form, effectively spooking surrounding Adventurers before they realized what was going on. She was sometimes seen flying around the sky above the Alliance so Terra was one of Vahn's known 'tamed' monsters. Few people had seen her human form, however, even though the rumors about its existence had already spread through the City. Fenrir had become a bit of a mascot for the Hestia Familia after many of the older men talked about how adorable she was when they had gone out drinking.
Many of the older generation said Fenrir reminded them a lot of their adorable granddaughters and it was amazing how Vahn was able to help monsters evolve into a human form. The Ganesha Familia had heard the rumors as well so Ganesha had actually been negotiating with the leaders of the Alliance to get Vahn to put on another exhibition in the future. Though it irked her to no end, he had even tried to use Shakti as a 'bargaining' chip at times, saying that she really needs to find a man and settle down if she didn't want to end up as an old maid...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A fertile flower on each arm~?','RIP Earth Mage-san','Stay strong Shakti...')
(A/N: Okay, this puts me at about 8.2 chapters worth of content, so I'll call it a day here so I'll see you, beautiful people, tomorrow <3)
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=14397149
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
24 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment