I was taking a bit of time and being careful with others like when Haruhime and Lili got there hugs at my return I was careful to not squeeze them much at all as I was basically ready to level up with literally a couple days worth of adventuring.
Either way I spent time just catching up with the other members of the Familia and learned of Lili and Haruhime just made it too level four together and more importantly to me, Aisha went back into the red-light district and found one of the caches of high value stuff Ishtar had stashed away.
What was found was a grimoire that was given to Haruhime to hopefully accent her combat abilities as she was falling behind in terms of fighting larger groups or just more durable monsters with her single spell that launched a series of icicles at her choosing.
Her grimoire allowed her to unveil her true potential and Renard bloodline created by the goddess Inari and grow a full set of Nine Tails and each tail would glow and empower her magic but also costed additional mana and stamina to cast said magic.
"I hereby declare Haruhime is to be my pillow as captain of this Familia!" I declared resting my face between Haruhime's ample chest while her long tails were wrapped around me covering me in soft downy fur that shared Haruhime's gentle sandalwood scent.
Haruhime although she was blushing at the affection, I was laying upon her, didnt hesitate to take advantage and gently brushed her fingers though my hair and on my head as she hummed to soothe me.
Lili who I had basically only given like three ear scritches and then abandoned her to experience the full floof treatment was sitting off to the side pouting as she muttered. "Stupid Jake... Lili can be fluffy too."
My body twitch at the thought of having literally eighteen tails wrapping around me and I could only bemoan how such a fate would be entirely too powerful for any man to withstand. "Here Haruhime let me scoot over that way Lili wont be left out."
Having said that I moved off Haruhime and instead laid her against my chest making her 'Eep' in surprise as I moved her and then grabbed the pallum turned cat girl by the scruff of her collar on the seat across from her to pull her next to Haruhime on the other side of my chest.
With them both in an equal position I just relaxed fully into the plush couch on the Gazebo outside the church in back just absent mindedly running my fingers through there hair while mentally comparing the feeling between Haruhime's fox ears and Lili's cat ears and then my mind wandered off to the taboo topic of whether which animal girl was in fact the best.
Cat girl? Fox girl? Dog Girl?
'No... Just go back to floofing my girls no need to overthink, I still need to get going back to Demon Slayer to pick them up the new Familia members in a couple hours, with the difference in the way time flows between the two worlds.' I thought giving up on deeper thoughts and just embracing my girls.
-
After relaxing with the girls, we talked some more, and I heard some somewhat disturbing news. "Wait so Inari wants Haruhime to join her Familia just because she has nine tails like her?" I asked not really surprised but more just exasperated as I thought people with knowing our strength in literally ripping Knossos apart and our connections to the Loki and Hephaestus Familia would dissuade people from stupidly trying to interfere with our growth at this point.
Haruhime and Lili shared a look with Haruhime explaining further. "Well, its a Renard secret but basically the more tails you are born with and develop would show supposedly what level that person could grow to with the Falna."
If my hands weren't full of holding Lili and Haruhime's hips I would facepalm at that sheer stupidity. "Wait if the tails Renard's gain later on count, then how the hell does it makes sense as couldn't Renard's gain more tails later or whatever and keep bringing up their potential."
The nine tailed Renard shook her head, and her response answered my doubts. "Thats the thing. Renard's may only gain additional tails once in there lives but the base tail showing the Renard's potential can only be seen by Inari after much study over the course of months with that person."
Ah so that explains why Inari doesn't just hoard all the ones with great potential and all that left me on last question.
"Alright I get all that, but they aren't really a threat to the Hestia Familia now, are they?"
Lili shrugged saying. "They have two level six twins and several level fours but there biggest source of danger is how Inari is basically the ruler of the far eastern Familia's with an iron fist even with her being here in Orario she has so many spies and assassins she can project power all the way back the Far East and keep all those Familia's in check and more importantly forcing them to pay tithes to her."
"They haven't overthrown her or something?" I asked incredulously as if even Freya at the height of her power wouldn't dare to make the other Familia's pay taxes to her as all it would take would be a couple dozen pissed off mages to just carpet bombing their mansion or homes repeatedly till all the members just said screw it and left the Familia... Well, that's if she doesn't charm them from leaving her so maybe Loki would have been a better example.
"No like I said she has whole clans of ninja's bred over millennium to be the best killers in the world that she has protected even at great cost from the heavens before the Falna was a thing from the wander monster tribes who are totally loyal unto death to Inari."
I wanna call this a load of bullshit but then again literally four girls working at the Hostess of Fertility were assassins and being one of those is a great way to grow in strength as literally the most dangerous monsters here on the surface other than the One-Eyed Black Dragon is your fellow man.
"Let me guess... Those assassin clans have some weird abilities that popped up with the Falna like the Crozzo blood does?" I swear to God if there's an Uchiha clan or whatever I will purge them...
Haruhime nodded setting my heart ease slightly at the knowledge I didnt have to worry about some stupid Susanoo or whatever reenacting Attack on Titan and kicking down the walls of Orario to steal Haruhime. "Yes, it gives them the assassin development ability the moment the falna is applied." Seeing my confusion at her explanation she went onto explain how the Assassin development ability was basically only found within the clans as it literally required people to never once be acknowledged by a target before killing them for an entire level and in return it provided additional Excellia for assassinating a target.
Alright so basically a group of devote killers who grow by sneakily killing others is possibly going to start hunting us. "Alright well I suppose I shall be paying Inari a visit after I settle in our new members to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid as you are mine Haruhime." I said patting said Renard on her bum as although I did respect the danger of a dagger in the dark as we delved in the dungeon I honestly didnt fear anyone beneath level five which I doubted said ninja's had dozens of and unless they had some uber assassin that came close to the First Hassan with his nonsense my armor could protect me from assassination while we were in the dungeon though Bell and the others could targeted.
"And should one of you be targeted I will pull the Inari Familia up from the roots." I promised them deadly serious on this.
Shaking my head I cleared my thoughts and stood up to stretch while telling Lili. "Its time for me to Pop over to the world I was at. I will be back in a few minutes at most." Especially with the time difference. I thought before my vision was taken by fog and my next sight was the Uybaushiki mansion where I told all the Hashira to gather after getting their stuff together for me to pick them up.
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