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39.4% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 927: Observation

Chapter 927: Observation

Around the same time that Vahn was taking care of Alexa, he was using his avatar to venture down into the 60th Floor of the Dungeon. Even during his 'vacation', Vahn had to pay attention to what was taking place around Enyo's seal as ignoring her simply wasn't an option. Though there hadn't been any accidents thus far, it was simply foolish to overlook her presence and 'assume' nothing would go wrong. With the amount of Karma he had, Vahn wouldn't be surprised if some random change happened in the Dungeon that would compromise the seal. If Enyo managed to escape, she would be a Tier 4 monster within the mortal world and, though he had a few means to deal with her, that too was just an assumption.

After stepping through the teleportation magic circle, Vahn found himself in a large circular chamber that was comprised almost entirely out of dark blue stone. The teleportation war on the ground emitted a magical blue light that illuminated the entire room, refracting off the blue crystals growing out of the wall and ceiling. Waiting for his arrival were two humanoid Xenos named Trix and Davr, both belonging to the Goblin-Xenos lineage. Compared to their past selves, they shared almost no similarities with other Goblins, now standing around 140-145cm tall with pale green skin and a few areas of matted brown fur. They had grown slightly more muscular, losing the emaciated appearance of their kin, while their facial features were now almost entirely human.

As was often the case for those guarding the teleportation ward, the two quickly greeted Vahn upon his arrival before Davr ran off to inform Gros. Trix stayed behind, explaining, "There be no changes since the last time you come, Boss." The Xenos took their duty of guarding Enyo's seal very seriously, something Vahn was grateful for, but he always had to personally make sure things were okay. His eyes were able to discern far more than most people so there was a chance he would be able to discern something they had overlooked. Even so, Vahn nodded his head and said, "Thank you, Trix, you have been working hard."

Though Trix was a male Xenos, like many of the Goblin-Type, Vahn still reached out his hand and used his [Grooming] to show his appreciation. He had the feeling that he would break through to the next evolution of the skill pretty soon and, knowing his mentality played a large part in that, Vahn had become somewhat 'indiscriminate' in his petting as of late. Besides, Trix was around the size of one of the older students at the School so Vahn was easily able to perform the act without any real inconvenience. As for Trix himself, he had a happy smile on his face until Vahn departed, heading towards the Observation Room.

By the time Vahn reached the room, Gros had already been waiting for him, Davr at his side while several other Xenos were monitoring the various screens located around the room. All of the central screens showed the surrounding Floors of Haven, making sure there was no danger to the rapidly expanding City. Just with the members of the HDF, there were already 14,000 permanant residents while the rest of Haven's population, already having reached 23,000 members, was comprised of various Familia belonging to the Alliance. There were a few Merchants that ran their own businesses as well, but they were in the minority at the moment since the Alliance's influence in the market had been expanding rapidly.

Gros gave a salute that he had copied from the Valkyrie, thumping his chest with a proud smile on his face as he exclaimed, "Welcome back, Master! Since your last visit, we have rescued three more Xenos refugees and evacuated them to the village. There is also one incident that I wanted to discuss with you, as I'm unsure of how to deal with it..." Gros gestured to the side where three Almiraj-Type Xenos were paying close attention to what was happening on a series of screens. They hadn't grown enough to develop humanoid features just yet but, true to the nature of Xenos, they were happy to be able to help track down and rescue their fellow Xenos.

Even now, there were a few incidents where Adventurers would encounter Xenos and try to kill them, either out of ignorance or in sheer violation of the changing laws. These weren't nearly as bad as some of the 'deviants' who would encounter Xenos with female characteristics, sometimes trying to force themselves upon them for the 'thrill' of the experience. The Xenos charged with rescuing their fellow kin had ended up fighting with and slaying a few Adventurers over the last few months but, in each case, their justification for doing so was perfectly understandable. Generally, it was during such incidents that the Xenos would defer to him, causing Vahn to feel slightly exasperated as he turned his attention to the monitors.

Upon seeing the people on screen, Vahn's exasperation reached a critical level and he couldn't help releasing an outward sigh while shaking his head. There, hiding away in one of the various safe areas in the Dungeon, Bell was sitting alongside a humanoid Xenos with pale purple skin, silver-blue hair, and amber colored eyes. She had long ears like an Elf and a thick blue lizard-like tail protruding out of the tattered red mantle that Bell had likely lent to her. Vahn was able to identify her as a Vouivre Xenos because of the red gemstone at the center of her forehead and the sapphire-like scales covering sections of her body.

After seeing the scene, Vahn noticed something 'wrong', asking, "Where are Bell's companions...?" Though he had asked Gros, it was one of the Almiraj-Xenos that pointed to a screen that was being monitored by a Kobold-Xenos. It reflected the image of a group of four girls searching through the Dungeon, obviously looking for Bell. Seeing this, Vahn felt even more exasperated until Gros explained, "We managed to find that Xenos as she was being chased by a group of Adventurers. At the time, she had been naked and injured and we were afraid we may be too late to arrive and help her..." Gros had tightly gripped his fists as he was speaking, clearly upset that there were so many depraved Adventurers targeting his 'newborn' kin.

Continuing where he left off, Gros explained, "Just as she was corned by the group of Adventurers, Bell had entered into the area after being separated from his party. He managed to fight off the group of Adventurers and flee with the Xenos girl while the group gave chase. Eventually, the Xenos girl must have detected one of the safe areas as she pulled Bell inside so they could escape pursuit. Since then, we've been monitoring their interactions and awaiting your arrival, Master..." Bell was actually one of the people Vahn had asked the Xenos to monitor semi-actively, as he was interested in how the 'world' would treat Bell after the threat of Enyo was removed.

At this point, Bell's 'party' had grown from three members, consisting of Line, Plum, and Bell himself, to a total of six members. There was the tomboyish Amazoness Taliah who, when meeting Vahn after the past 'incident', would turn skittish and hide behind Bell for protection. Following her addition to the group, there was now a peculiar Cat Person with green hair and yellow eyes. She was wielding a longsword and a rather revealing outfit that looked like a leather swimsuit with various belts and a thick mantle. It was the existence of the Bell's final party member, however, that caught Vahn's eye the most as it was actually someone he recognized...

Located at the center of formation looking for Bell, Vahn saw a red-haired Elven woman with light freckles dotting her face. This was the same Elven girl who had shown up during his open challenge, showing a great deal of hostility towards him while casting Fire Magic with lethal intent. Vahn latter learned that she was one of the Elves who thought he had been blackmailing and forcing Riveria against her will. Her true identity was that of a branch member that used to serve the Hokai Elven Noble Family. Vahn learned from the investigation into her past that she was an illegitimate child that had been born to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mesir Aod Hokai. Vahn recalled that her name was Julienne Eastvale and hadn't expected that she would end up as part of Bell's 'entourage'...

Fate was a curious thing at times and Vahn couldn't help but shake his head slightly as he asked, "Where are they located...?" Without any delay, Gros immediately answered, "They are currently located on the 19th Floor. If you'd like, we can reach them within ten minutes, Master." To this, Vahn shook his head and gave the screen one last glance as he said, "Continue to monitor the situation, but you don't have to interfere. If they're only on the 19th Floor, then there shouldn't be any problems that Bell can't deal with. When they're trying to exit the Dungeon, make sure to pick them up and guide the Xenos to Spero and get her situated. If she wants to continue to associate with Bell, we can make arrangements to start publicizing the existence of the Xenos and have her begin accompanying Bell's party..."

At this point, Bell had been an Adventurer for over seven months and, even without much assistance, his Level was around the peak of Level 4. He had even been able to overtake Line who, even while trying her best, had only reached the peak of Level 3. As for Plum, she was still only Level 2 while the excitable Taliah should have become Level 4 around a month ago. Vahn wasn't sure about the other two members of the party but he knew the Elven Mage had been Level 3 during their battle and it seemed like the longsword wielding Cat Person was actually leading the group in Bell's absence. This meant she was probably Level 4 as well, meaning Bell's group had already become one of the more powerful parties in a very short period of time...

As he was thinking this, Vahn saw something rather unexpected reflected on the monitor that showed Bell and the Xenos girl. Though he didn't really have the means to heal wounds without potions and Elixirs, it seemed like Bell was worried about the wounds sustained by the Xenos girl. With her constitution, she would eventually regenerate just by being exposed to the Dungeon but Bell was entirely unaware of this. As a result, he had a flushed face and was stammering words that none of them could hear. Then, after the Xenos girl laughed at his antics and nodded her head, Bell began to flusteredly draw a familiar magic circle on the ground...

The moment Vahn realized what was going on, he couldn't stop himself from rubbing his temples and remarking at how unbelievably stupid Bell was at times. Currently, he was separated from his party and, instead of summoning them to his side using the very same [Pactio], he was unnecessarily using the [Pactio] just to help a Xenos woman he didn't even know that well heal her injuries. Based on their proximity, Vahn knew that Bell's party would find him pretty soon and, as expected, the moment Bell activated the [Pactio], the red-haired Elf detected the mana. The group discovered the secret door and broke into the room, just as Bell and the Xenos woman were kissing each other and sealing their [Pactio] contract...

Vahn watched as Julienne and Line began 'beating' Bell while the rest of his party members began to question the Xenos girl. They seemed a little 'too accustomed' to Bell's antics and were ignoring the boy's cries as he was getting beaten up by the two 'sensible' girls in the group. As for the Xenos girl, they ended up providing her some extra clothing and talking for a few minutes until Bell ended up in a seiza and started listening to a long lecture from Line and Julienne. At this point, Vahn shook his head and turned away from the monitor, saying, "I'm going to check Enyo's seal before venturing into the 61st Floor for some materials. Keep monitoring the situation and be prepared to receive the new Xenos when they are trying to exit the Dungeon..."

Gros gave another salute, which was emulated by several of the Xenos, as Vahn left the room with an expression of light amusement on his face. If he were being honest, he didn't actually understand why so many girls were drawn to Bell, even though he was also somewhat fond of the boy's nature. The confusion was the result of the fact that, even though Bell was surrounded by girls, and they would sometimes kiss and hold hands, he hadn't actually done anything more with them. Even Vahn could see that some of the girls were very 'frustrated' with Bell's dense and passive nature, yet the boy himself seemed completely unaware of the 'hungry' looks some of the girls gave him. They were well within their rights to hit and berate him as even Vahn felt incredulity after witnessing some of the things Bell would do...

Deciding to meet up with Bell at the Clubhouse at some point and have a 'serious' talk with him, Vahn made his way to where Enyo was sealed and began checking the structural integrity of the Dungeon and the incorporated seal. With the various failsafes, it would take years for Enyo to break free, even if the seal was broken, but Vahn would rather be safe than sorry. Fortunately, there hadn't been any abnormalities in the seal thus far and, even after triple checking it this time around, Vahn was able to confirm it was holding strong. He then checked the surrounding area to make sure there weren't any other issues before making his way to where he had previously fought Enyo.

Unlike other areas of the Dungeon, which would regenerate with the passing of time, the chamber where Enyo's egg had been located had never repaired itself. It was part of the 'safe area' of the Dungeon and had an isolated mana current that was distinctly different than the mana that gave the rest of the Dungeon its structure. As a result, Vahn was able to descend into lower Floors by using the large hole that he had bored into the Dungeon during their conflict. It originally continued all the way to the 63rd Floor but, after the Floors themselves were repaired, it now only connected to the 61st.

The reason for Vahn's visit to the 61st Floor was because he had long ago determined exactly what the 'essence' liquid used in Terra's wellspring was. Sometimes, after killing a Slime, it would drop a small clear membrane that looked like a gelatinous balloon. Inside of this balloon was around 1 litre of the 'essence' while the actual name of the unprocessed item was [Slime Ration]. In its natural and unprocessed state, it was an item that could rapidly regenerate wounds and suppress hunger. If you drained the insides and boiled the contained liquid, it would separate into two layers, one consisting of thick and resilient gelatine while the runoff was the same versatile liquid essence that Vahn had researched heavily in the past.

Though he could purchase [Slime Ration]s from the system shop, each one was worth between 6,000 and 4,000,000OP, depending on the 'size'. This told Vahn that there were much larger Slimes that would likely appear on lower Floors, presumably in the form of a Monster Rex. Since he didn't want to invest heavily into something he could easily obtain on his own, Vahn decided to make a habit of harvesting a few [Slime Ration]s every time he visited the 60th Floor to check on Enyo's seal. As a result, Terra's wellspring had been slowly increasing in size and depth while the amount of energy it was able to absorb from Yggy's presence had caused her dominion itself to spread rapidly.

Currently, Terra's area of influence was a 7.3km radius around her Garden while the depth her dominion reached was around 2.7km, creating a dome shape. This was because the Dungeon actively 'resisted' Terra's encroachment and it took her a lot longer to seize the parts of the Dungeon than it did the surrounding terrain. Even so, Terra was very persistent and, as a result, had created a relatively 'safe' area in the Dungeon where she could manipulate the spawning of Monsters. This had been very helpful for dealing with Ioke's urges as she would visit every few days with Juno and venture into the segmented area of the Dungeon and slaughter to her heart's content before using the bath and departing once again. She currently appeared very 'cautious' around Vahn but was steadily opening up to others under the constant support of various goddesses...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is a little paranoid xD...','Be(ta)ll needs to man up (o 3 o)...','Delicious Slime essence...?')

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Chapter 928: Daily Life : Little Slice of Happiness

After collecting a few dozen [Slime Ration]s, Vahn ended up calling it a day and deciding to head back to the surface. They were a relatively rare Drop Item, averaging around 1 per 30 Slimes, but Vahn was able to supplement the amount by exchanging the magic cores for OP and then converting them into more. Though he was trying to conserve his OP, Vahn made exceptions during moments like this since it always felt better to return with a large harvest. Since he was only using OP gained from hunting the Slimes themselves, it wasn't really eating into his 'actual' reserves.

Satisfied with his harvest, Vahn returned to the Manor and promptly re-entered the Sub-Space orb since he was currently eating dinner with everyone using his main body. Having both of his forms in the same place was actually 'harder' for Vahn since he could see his own actions through a second set of eyes. He wasn't entirely sure why it was harder but, having experienced it several times, Vahn tried to avoid himself as much as possible. Since it also made things less awkward for the girls, as they wouldn't have to split their attention between two of him, it was generally for the best.

Upon entering into the Sub-Space orb, Vahn took a few seconds to acclimate before expanding his domain to see if anyone was nearby. There were a few people missing from the dinner table so there was a high chance some would be lingering around the area. This was most often the case for girls like Risna who, at this point, was several years older than her elder sister, Eina. She spent a little too much time in the Sub-Space orb but, with an average life-span of several hundred years, even without his 'assistance', it didn't affect her much. If anything, she had become a little quirky after they started a physical relationship, but it was usually very fun to spend time with her.

At this point, she had written several dozen books that had been painstakingly edited and published into the market. She had been slowly building a following amongst female Adventurers by writing rather 'risque' novels from the perspective of women. Vahn had read a few of them himself and, knowing some of the characters were based on the residents within the Manor, it was pretty interesting to read. The fact that many of the male characters were based on him always made him feel strangely giddy and heated whenever he read some of the more 'intense' scenes she had written...

After expanding his domain, Vahn did confirm that Risna was still secluded in her room but his focus almost immediately deviated elsewhere. There were a few girls bathing within the large bath located near the center of the residential area of the Sub-Space orb. It was an open bath that anyone could use so it wasn't that uncommon to find people entering the orb just to 'save time' in the real world. Vahn noticed that a few of the Artemis Familia members were lounging in the bath, talking amongst themselves and enjoying a bit of skinship without care. They had all been training hard ever since becoming 'Battle Maids', but it didn't mean they were always performing their duties in the real world. It was common for nearly half their members to be within the Sub Space orb, either training, studying, or simply lounging about.

Vahn was momentarily tempted to join them in the bath but decided against it and instead made his way towards a large workshop on the western side of the residential area. This was where Asfi usually worked and, though she was back in the real world eating dinner with everyone else, there were a few things Vahn wanted to check on. He also made use of the area for the production of some items, after all, so there were several tasks he could take care of now that would save him time later. Though Asfi would probably have 'preferred' to be there when he was working on them, Vahn knew her quirks well at this point and knew she was prone to making small mistakes whenever they worked alongside each other.

Entering into the workshop, the most noticeable thing was a large rig that had several complex pieces of metallic armor strapped to it. Ina lacked the proficiency that Asfi had when it came to manipulating metal so Asfi would often prepare some of the more complex pieces on her behalf. The two had become relatively close over the last few months as Ina had relied on Asfi's assistance to develop her [Metalworking] and [Mystery] to greater heights. As for Asfi herself, she was still on A-Rank with the [Mystery] Development Ability but should be able to reach mastery in the next few months, Sub-Orb-Time.

Vahn did a cursory inspection of the armor components that Asfi had been working on, marveling at how she was able to make the channels for mana circuitry after just a few demonstrations. Asfi was inarguably a 'prodigy' when it came to the creation of Magic Items and, as her knowledge of Eva's magic system increased, she was steadily improving her comprehension and abilities further. Vahn relied on his use of 'Oblivion' to create similar channels but Asfi had been able to emulate the feat using her [Metalworking] and genuine understanding of the alloy's structure. If not for the fact that he knew it was inordinately more beneficial to develop his Innates, Vahn would have worked on developing the [Metalworking] ability himself.

With that thought in mind, Vahn moved to his own small workstation and began calming his mind for a few minutes before opening his eyes, revealing striking blue irises that glowed with a divine radiance. Though he wasn't aware of it himself, his pupils also had complex runes revolving within their depths as a black void took shape before him. It continued to expand outward for 10cm until Vahn felt like his eyes were going to start bleeding and was forced to stop. When the black void faded away, there was a pure red crystalline sphere that dropped onto the padded table.

This orb shared similar qualities to a [Dragon Heart], the phenomenally powerful magic crystals that could be obtained from Dragon's. Vahn had been increasing his comprehension of the structure of complex objects, such as magic core and crystals, and had been trying to replicate them with his 'Oblivion'. It had been slow and arduous training, but each successive day brought him one small step closer towards the goal he had set for himself. Vahn knew that his 'Oblivion' used the duality of Creation and Destruction Laws as its core principle. If he mastered its use, Vahn was certain he would even be able to create life in the future, elevating his Soul Tier much higher as a result.

Because he had the ability to choose 'any' path that he wanted to walk, Vahn had decided he would pursue the path of Creation and Destruction itself. When he reached Tier 6 and 7, Vahn wanted his comprehension of such Laws to have reached the pinnacle as, even if he had extreme power, it didn't guarantee he would be able to act as he pleased. If he reached Tier 6 based on something like Fire Elemental Laws, he would be able to 'create' some forms of life using his flames, but that would be the limit. The more he went down a specific path, the harder it would be to develop other types of Laws because of his skewed comprehension. To avoid this, Vahn set his goal as learning Creation and Destruction Laws themselves, confident his own Innates would supplement his growth and comprehension through constant use.

Though he was extremely limited by his own understanding of such Laws, Vahn was still able to make use of them with his 'Oblivion'. Slowly but surely, he was making small steps towards his goal and, though the pseudo-Dragon Heart he had developed was a failure, it was still very useful. This was because, even though it lacked the sheer power and intricacy of an actual Dragon's Heart, the ruby-red sphere Vahn had produced still absorbed external mana and converted it into pure Fire Elemental energy that was stored on the inside. These could be used as power sources for some of the Magic Items that Asfi and Ina would produce. Ina had even had him design a few complex gem-like 'power cores' that could be slotted into her armored [Aegis Mk 4].

Vahn knew that the day when his exceptionally brilliant daughter shocked the entire world with her creations wasn't that far off. The only real limit to her growth right now was her experience, which was severely lacking considering she was barely over three years old. It would take her another year or so to reach the Master rank in any of her Development Abilities, assuming she continued working earnestly. When she finally did become a Master, Ina would undoubtedly start producing a version of her [Aegis] armor that would completely outperform most S-Rank equipment sets. She even had a version of the suit that was nearly 5m tall that she wanted to prototype, called the [Aegis Dragon Buster Mk 1].

In his pursuit of research material to help inspire his daughter, Vahn had come across a few schematics and blueprints within the system shop that detailed the engineering of large mechanical suits of armor. Ina had been 'heavily' impacted by the descriptions contained within and, though she lacked the current proficiency to produce such machines, it didn't stop her from investing long hours designing prototypes and developing machines that would assist her in fabricating the parts. She was determined to make a suit that would even be able to fight against a True Dragon in the future, though Vahn felt that such a feat would require her to likely reach Tier 4 to perform...

While thinking of his amazing children, Vahn continued to cycle between meditating and producing items of various complexity with his 'Oblivion' skill. This continued for nearly six hours and only came to a stop when dinner was wrapping up in the real world. Vahn knew a lot of the girls would return to the Sub-Space orb, Asfi included, so he was going to rest for a few minutes before they arrived. He took the opportunity to use the now emptied bath, soaking his body in the hot mineral-rich water and enjoying the cool air touching his skin. The inside of the Sub-Space orbs was usually on the colder side, so it was very enjoyable to soak your body while the refreshingly cold air tickled your skin...

Like this, Vahn enjoyed a few more minutes of peace and quiet before his senses picked up on spatial fluctuations. He had grown increasingly sensitive to them ever since awakening his Qinglong transformation so Vahn could feel when the girls were entering into the Sub-Space orb, even before they actually appeared. Since he knew they would also be able to sense him shortly after entering, as many of the girls were 'extremely' sensitive to his presence, Vahn quickly extricated himself from the hot water and made his way over to the padded gazebo where everyone generally rested together. It was sometimes used for 'other' activities and Vahn expected that he would need to make a bit of effort since both Tione and Tiona had been eyeing him like a predator during dinner.

Unexpectedly, Vahn had come to learn that Tione managed to get a small victory against Tiona in their previous sparring session. Though he didn't really look down on Tione's combat prowess, it was still very surprising to learn she managed to edge out a victory against the battle-junkie Tiona. This showed that the efficacy of the magic circle carved into her back was far more potent than he had expected, giving Tione the ability to overpower her younger sister for the first time in many years. Though she had lost in later exchanges, the fact that she was able to 'keep up' with Tiona had made Tione a little more excited than normal. Since he had promised to 'discuss' the efficacy of the magic circle with her later, Vahn was already prepared for the inevitable development that would follow.

He wasn't entirely sure which girl had 'detected' him, but Vahn could sense the group split into smaller pairing as Tiona and Tione made their way over toward him. Neither had the ability to sense him so they had to have been directed by Lefiya or Lili before the group came to an agreement of their own. Since Vahn could sense the changes in their auras, he knew the next few hours of his schedule had likely been determined for him. This didn't really bother him much, however, as, unlike Bell, Vahn wasn't against the advances of the women he cared deeply for. When Tiona and Tione showed up with heated expressions and hot bodies, Vahn knew it was up to him to quell the fires burning their bodies and give them relief...

---

Back in the real world, a very different scene was playing out as Vahn was playing with Meinya, Anise, and Sakuya. They had developed the habit of playing after dinner before finally taking a bath and going to bed after they were tuckered out. Vahn enjoyed spending time with the rambunctious little girls and their Guardians, even though Chamo, Meinya's Tyrant Mountain Bear, had a habit of clawing his ankles and play-biting his leg as Vahn chased after his and Arnya's mischevious little daughter. As for Arnya herself, she was sitting at the side with Aki and Tsubaki, all watching the interaction between Father and daughters with affectionate smiles on their faces. When the girls were eventually tired out, they would be the ones to take them off to prepare for bed while Vahn would usually spend the evening with one of the goddesses.

Of the three troublemakers, Sakuya was the easiest to deal with since she didn't possess the natural agility and flexibility of Cat People like Meinya and Anise. As a result, Vahn managed to snatch her up several times, giving her a tickle attack that would usually make her short of breath, before freeing her once again. During the time when she would try to catch her breath, Vahn would try to catch Meinya and Anise but they usually coordinated together to evade capture. He had to be careful not to get them too excited as they had the bad habit of bumping into things or doing 'dangerous' stunts when in a pinch.

A good example of such antics was when Vahn tried to grab Anise by the back of her little tunic yet, as soon as his hand grabbed the fabric, she slipped out of it in an instant before laughing in her characteristic 'nyahahahaha~' as she shook waggled her butt tauntingly. This was brought to a quick end, however, when Aki snatched her up and said, "It looks like Anise is ready for a bath~". Anise's response was her ears perking up as she struggled to free herself, complaining, "Nyoo, Anise want play with Papnya~!" Aki, however, just kept her motherly smile, which didn't quite reach her eyes, as she carried off the struggling Anise, a quiet laugh escaping her lips.

Even when Anise called out for him, Vahn kept a casual smile on his face and just waved in response, saying, "Listen to your mother, Anise. You know better than to try and run around without clothes~." Though the girls were still very young, it was important that they learn a sense of propriety early on or it would be too late once they developed 'strange' habits. Cat People were known for their easy-going and carefree natures so they needed to be disciplined while they were young or it could become a problem. Vahn himself wasn't good at disciplining his children, so it was generally left to their mothers when the girls did something they weren't supposed to.

Without her cohort, Meinya tactics were limited so, even though she had already become very nimble, Vahn managed to box her into a corner after blocking her escape route a few times. Meinya ended up with her back to the wall but there was still a 'determined' look in her mischevious eyes as an excited smile lingered on her face. Vahn, undaunted, held out his hands to the side with a look in his eyes that said, 'go ahead and try'. As if she could read this intention, Meinya ducked toward his left and appeared as if she were going to roll under Vahn's arm. When he moved to swoop her up, however, Meinya kicked against the floor and tried to leap through the cap in his legs and escape to freedom.

Vahn's eyes flashed with a playful glint when he saw Meinya's attempt to trick him, as it really was pretty clever on her part. He restricted himself quite a bit when playing with the girls so they would be able to avoid him without becoming disheartened. This didn't mean he wasn't going to subvert her expectations of success a bit, as Meinya's reaction to 'failure' was to simply improve even further in the future. Thus, when Meinya tried to sneak through his legs, Vahn closed them slightly to catch her body while reaching down with his left hand and grabbing Meinya's ankle. She tried to kick free and escape the 'pincer' movement but was ultimately unsuccessful as Vahn created a thread of stimulating energy on his index finger and began to tickle the bottom of her foot.

Meinya laughed hard enough that tears came to her eyes before Vahn finally freed her foot and let her try to run away. Her response was to just gasp for air on the ground for a few seconds as Arnya laughed from her spot on the sofa, asking, "Did you already give up, Meinya~?" Though she acted like she hadn't heard it, Meinya's ears had twitched after hearing Arnya's words. She had her eyes closed previously but Vahn could see the reflection of her irises through her eyelashes as she snuck a peek at him. It was clear that Meinya was trying to 'pretend' she was too tired to keep playing, all so that she could recover more energy to play even longer...

Vahn's response to this was to reach down, this time without using his [Hands of Nirvana], poking Meinya's exposed belly and causing her to flinch as she rolled away to escape. Like this, their game continued once again, all the way until Sakuya had been captured five times. Five tickle attacks were too much for her so she ended up being carried away by Tsubaki, leaving Meinya 'alone' to face against her tyrannical Papa. This caused her to take drastic action as she attempted to flee the room and run around the Manor itself, something Vahn had seen coming since she continued to eye the door periodically.

When she made a break for the slightly ajar door, Meinya found herself running into a 'soft' barrier that slowly lifted her off the ground. Vahn had set a 'trap' there for her by placing a small ward on the ground that had the effects of nullifying impacts and levitating the target for a few seconds. As a result, Vahn was able to walk over while Meinya kicked around helpless in the air, exclaiming, "Papa, nyo fair~nyahaha!" Vahn, however, began his tickle attack in earnest, explaining, "Who was it that tried to break the rules and run out of the room, I wonder~?" Even if she wanted to answer, it didn't seem like Meinya was able to manage it as a result of her intense laughing fit.

This time, instead of letting her go free, Vahn handed over the exhausted and limp Meinya to Arnya, giving the latter a small peck on the lips before seeing them off. Like this, another fulfilling day had come to an end, officially signaling the start of an equally fulfilling evening for Vahn. After leaving the playroom, which was filled with all kinds of toys and had been 'child-proofed', Vahn met up with Artemis and Hestia, joining the two for the evening. Traditionally, Artemis would usually spend time with Vahn in the Sub-Space orb, generally alongside Lante, but it was nice to spend time with other people she was close with. She and Hestia had been very close for millions of years and, when the two were together, Vahn got to experience an event that was both exhilarating, and incredibly relaxing at the same time...

(A/N: This chapter was made a bit long since I'm not sure if I'll have time to write a third later. I'm not going to be taking any more 'break' days until just before my job begins so I'll try to make up for any 'missing' chapters when I have the time to do so. Also, this should be one of the last 'slice-of-life' chapters for a while, as there are a lot of events that are being set in motion that require Vahn's attention. This was essentially to highlight that, even though I don't detail everything that happens in Vahn's interactions with his family, they are almost always ongoing. Some people may feel like Vahn doesn't spend time with his family, but this is 'incredibly' far from the truth. Even in the real world, most parents don't really spend that much time proactively engaging with their children while Vahn usually spends several hours a day just horsing around, training, or teaching his children personally. He cares for them deeply and, even though he has to split his focus to deal with his 'duties', you can expect that he is constantly trying to make sure his children are happy and feel loved...)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The origin of the 'essence' was Slimes all along~!','Who would have thought that a magic circle powered by Source Energy infused cells would be effective...','10 years later, Ina would have developed a Gundam that could fight against Gods!?','Poor Sakuya, has to 'suffer' five times because Meinya is a cheat~!')

https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)

paypal.me/Einlion

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