Chapter 1938: Temptation
Emerging from the Hidden Floor, Vahn had to take a moment to collect himself as it felt like years had passed since the last time he was on the Hell Train. This wasn't an exaggeration either, and, if he combined the time spent within his Realm, the Little Garden, and various Actualized Worlds, his month-long stint within the Hidden Floor had taken just under nineteen months.
Shaking his head, Vahn attempted to expand his senses in order to teleport to the closest exit only to remember that spatial movements were extremely limited within the express. This caused a wry smile to develop across his face, so, with nothing better to do, he began slowly moving towards his destination before pulling out his Pocket and connecting with Poro Poe, the interim Conductor of the Hell Express.
With time quickly counting down to the moment when he would be forced to flee the Hell Train to avoid facing the consequences of his actions, Poe had been feeling extremely unnerved by Vahn's absence. Thus, upon hearing his Pocket vibrate, he answered without hesitation, his voice cracking as he asked, "How did it go? Did you manage to revive Roen!?"
Though it wasn't entirely accurate, Vahn decided to help ease the portly fellow's fears by nodding his head and saying, "Indeed. The situation is a little complicated, but she is currently resting within the Little Garden alongside Daniel. Meet me at exit 13-C. I'll let you reside in the Second Layer until I get a better grasp of the situation outside. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."
Holding back tears, a massive grin developed across Poe's face as he sobbingly yet eagerly replied, "I'll be there in five, no, three minutes...!"
Chuckling in response to the man's words, Vahn cut the connection between their Pockets before allowing his gaze to wander about the Hell Express's interior. The interior had become reminiscent of a tundra, but, rather than icicles in snow, the crystalline structures protruding from every surface were almost entirely comprised of Shinsu. These crystals had served as nourishment for one of the more troublesome enemies onboard the express, a type of Shinheuh known as Crystal Fish. Though they had been easily defeated by the members of Vahn's entourage, it was easy to imagine anyone beneath C-Rank being consumed by the seemingly infinite swarm of crystalline creatures.
Fortunately, now that the Hell Express had arrived at its final destination, the majority of Shinheuh and Guardians no longer spawned. Only those who had been installed to protect specific locations remained, but, now that the train was inactive, the teleportals leading to different paths no longer functioned. They would only reactive in six month's time, just in time for the Hell Train to begin it's annual journey anew.
Now that he had resolved the issue of spirits being used as fuel, Vahn had decided to allow the Hell Express to continue operating. The God of Guardians had agreed to change the rules so that people who had cleared the train would no longer be able to board, so, while it was only a matter of time before someone found a loophole to exploit, the problems that had plagued the hellish locomotive for generations had been largely resolved. The only people who could conceivably change things at this point were members of the Workshop, but, the moment they tried to modify the formation he had left behind, they would effectively be converting the core room into a mausoleum.
Vahn didn't particularly mind if people researched the magic formations he left in his wake, but he sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for them. He was pretty sure the Workshop were the bad guys in this particular story, so, until he had uncovered the whole truth, he had decided to regard them in a similar light to Jahad and the Ten Great Families. If they proved to be even half as wicked as he imagined, they would find themselves at the end of a long list of enemies who had made the mistake of crossing his bottom line.
With such thoughts dancing across his mind, Vahn reached his destination to find a panting Poe already waiting for him. The portly man had been endeavoring for six-hundred-years in an attempt to meet the woman who had shown him kindness when everyone else had shunned him; so, even if they could never be together, just confirming her safety was enough to permit him to begin a new chapter in his life.
Pulling a bottle of sport's water from his Inventory, Vahn handed it over to the gasping man before manifesting the Little Garden and saying, "Though you can't stay indefinitely, I will allow you to take up residence in the Second Layer if you need time to organize your thoughts. What is the highest Floor you've managed to clear?"
Understanding the reason for Vahn's question, Poe's expression became awkward as he rubbed the back of his head and answered, "The 44th..."
As they were currently located on said Floor, Vahn couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation as he clapped the man on his back and said, "Time flows five times faster within the Second Layer. I have a few things to take care of here and on the 50th Floor, so you'll have a few months to catch up and make preparations for the future. If you choose to stay longer, you'll be forced to backtrack through the Middle Tower if you want to continue climbing."
Smiling in response to Vahn's words, Poe was preparing to express his tremendous gratitude when his figure spontaneously disappeared. In the wake of his departure, Vahn allowed a light chuckle to escape his throat as he finally disembarked the Hell Express. There, undoubtedly waiting for him, in particular, a rather sizeable group consisting almost entirely women had gathered. This included a number of familiar faces, two of which stood out among the rest as every other group present gave them a considerably wide berth.
Restraining the urge to sigh, Vahn forced a smile as he remarked, "After what happened last time, I wouldn't have expected a Princess of Jahad to be waiting for me at the Last Station...tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure, Princess Maschenny?"
Offering a smile that was equal parts predatory as it was seductive and cunning, Maschenny replied, "Considering your reputation, I doubt I need to explain to you the reason behind my visit. Since you did go out of your way to ask, however, I supposed it would only be proper to offer an explanation. If you would be so kind as to accompany me to a more...private venue...I would be more than happy to be your conversational partner."
Speaking in the wake of Maschenny's inviting words, the most notable of the women present, at least in Vahn's opinion, playfully mused, "Oh my. Such scandalous words from a Princess of Jahad. I'm sure your mission is of the utmost importance, Hime-sama, but the dignity of the Jahad Empire cannot be forgotten so easily. Please remember your place~."
With the only change in her expression being the ends of her smile curling upwards, Maschenny turned her attention to the woman who had effectively accused her of misconduct before several dozen representatives of the Ten Great Families. This caused the woman in question to pale ever-so-slightly, but, with countless witnesses present, she was pretty sure that Maschenny wouldn't try to kill her directly. The authority of a Princess of Jahad was surprisingly limited when they weren't acting in their capacity as envoys of Jahad, so, unless she wanted to worsen relations between the Khun and other Great Families, even someone as infamous as Maschenny's needed to measure her behavior around other representatives.
In the end, Maschenny's smile grew to the point that she was lightly squinting. This caused a tense atmosphere to descend upon the entire platform before Vahn, wearing a mask of disinterest, plainly stated, "I'd rather just check into my room and get some rest. As you pointed out, I'm well aware of the reason for your visit. Rather, I'm aware of the motives of everyone present. Return and tell your respective masters that I have no particular interest in forming any kind of alliances at present. They have nothing to offer me, and, while many of you are remarkably beautiful, I'm not exactly wanting for companionship. That includes you, Ms. Pram. As captivating as your ears and tail might be, your Snow Leopard Family isn't exactly in my good graces. Despite that, I presently have no intention of seeking any kind of remunerations from them. So long as you don't bring me unnecessary troubles, I have no reason to come seeking recompense."
Though his words weren't completely truthful, Vahn had decided to leave the fates of the Ten Great Families to those who had been victimized by them. He wouldn't turn a blind eye to them getting in his way, but, so long as they didn't expose their crimes before him, he wasn't going to go out of his way to seek out and slaughter them. He would rather empower the people who had been wronged by them in the past, and, once they had become strong enough to right the wrongs that had been committed against him, he would watch from the sidelines to prevent them from taking things too far...
Showing a surprising amount of disregard for the words that had just come out of Vahn's mouth, the Elder of the Snow Leopard Family held up her absurdly fluffy tail with both hands, smiling as she asked, "You think my tail and ears are captivating~?". Then, with a playfully seductive glimmer in her eyes, she showed off the fact she had a cat-like tongue by shamelessly grooming herself for all eyes to see.
Despite his best efforts to appear unperturbed, Vahn couldn't help but open his mouth slightly as he attempted to vocalize words that had never formed within his mind. This caused Pram to squint her silvery eyes in amusement, and, though some had been intending to give up after Vahn's earlier words, the more confident among them began formulating plans of their own after observing his reaction.
Realizing he had just made a number of problems for himself, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he shook his head and said, "Don't tempt me. Any man of worth wouldn't be able to simply ignore a beauty standing right in front of him. That doesn't mean I'm prone to things like seduction. If you overextend and end up trying my patience, there is a chance that neither you nor your family would be able to bear the consequences..."
Seemingly undaunted, Pram creased grooming her tail to offer a playful wink as she said, "I think it might surprise you to discover just how much I can bear..."
Shaking his head in exasperation, Vahn decided to withhold further comment as he said, "I'm going to my room. If you don't move, I'll-"
Before he could finish speaking, Pram promptly released her tail before taking a few steps forward and asking, "You'll what~? I'm sure everyone here would like to know. Please speak loudly so that your words reach all the way to the back~."
After gauging Vahn's previous reactions, Pram was pretty sure he was actually a pushover when it came to beautiful and assertive women. His behavior while climbing the Tower also demonstrated an inherent kindness and a busybody nature that couldn't ignore people in need. Such individuals were wholly incapable of raising their hand against people who wished them no harm, so, without a single sign of fear or hesitation, she reduced the distance between her and Vahn with a few decisive steps.
Understanding the woman's thoughts, narrated between the laughter of the Law of Identity, Vahn found himself at a complete loss for words. To make matters even worse, his mastery over the Law of Petting gave him an almost instinctual urge to reach out and caress her fluffy ears. She was only 161cm tall, including her ears, so, in more ways than one, she had what some aficionados might call a perfectly pettable height. The fact she was staring up at him with an expectant smile didn't help in the slightest, and, were it not for the substantial number of onlookers, he might not have been able to hold out for more than a few seconds...
Unfortunately, a few seconds was exactly how long Vahn had lasted, and, before he knew it, he was using both hands to fondle Pram's fluffy hair and immaculately soft ears. This earned him a number of judgmental looks from the peanut gallery but, with one of the most pettable people he had ever met standing right in front of him, how could he, a self-professed God of Petting, resist?
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Time Shenaniganery...!','Politics is just a pissing contest...','Pram be like, "I am inevitable."')
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