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33.02% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 776: Fate

Capítulo 776: Fate

As he was ought to do, Vahn awoke early in the morning with a beautiful woman snuggled up in his arms, bare body pressed into his own as subtle signs of the previous night's activities marred their flesh. Leaning over, Vahn kissed the light grey hair that had been tickling his nose, stirring awake the blissfully sleeping beauty, causing similarly light grey eyes to turn up and meet his as she lazily mused, "Good morning...Vahn..." Reaching out his hand, removing some stray strands of hair, Vahn pressed forward with his lips, sampling the sensuous sweetness of her lips and tantalizing tongue before responding, "Good morning, Syr..." In response to his kiss, Syr just nuzzled into the nook of his neck and released a sigh as she said, "We won't be able to have sex for a while pretty soon...did you want to 'sleep in' with me this morning~?"

Vahn released a light chuckle before reaching his right hand down, tracing the curve of Syr's body before bringing his palm to rest on her abdomen. Turning his glimmering green eyes to match the loving expression of the beautiful girl in his arms, Vahn smiled and began gently stroking her stomach as he said, "There will be plenty of time for things like that in the future...you shouldn't push yourself so hard, Syr."

Feeling Vahn's warm palm diffusing energy into her body, Syr felt very comfortable and simply entrusted her body to his completely while playfully pouting, "Moouuu...you better not let my body get saggy after I give birth, Vahn..." This caused Vahn to begin laughing loudly, as he couldn't even imagine any part of Syr's flawless body 'sagging', regardless of what happened in the future. Even if she gave birth a thousand times, Vahn still felt like Syr would look like an inordinately beautiful young woman, constantly skirting the border between innocence and sensuality. For now, however, he was content with her just giving birth once, proud that their 'efforts' had borne fruit two months prior.

Syr was currently the only girl within the Manor that was pregnant, something that had caught all of them off guard since it was 'very' rare for a Demigoddess to get pregnant. Because she had wanted her pregnancy to occur naturally, it had taken nearly twenty months of 'effort' before Syr ended up getting pregnant. Though they didn't spend every night together, she was one of the girls that often appeared whenever he had group activities, at least in the beginning. Later on, his time with Syr had been cut down a bit, as a result of being split between Orario and the Elven Kingdom. However, quantity didn't seem to matter much and, after spending an intimate night alone together, Syr ended up getting pregnant completely naturally.

Though they didn't do anything more sensual, Vahn still decided to take Syr up on her offer and spent the better part of two hours just cuddling with her. It wasn't until Maemi had sent him a telepathic message, informing him that Loki was looking for him, that Vahn finally crawled out of bed. As for Syr herself, she decided to sleep in for a bit since she was still tired from the previous night's exertions. Vahn spent a few minutes helping her get comfortable and making sure she was properly tucked in before making his way down the stairs to the main study, where Loki, Hestia, Anubis, Maemi, and Emiru were all waiting for him.

Anubis' tail began to wag gently when she saw him enter into the room, bowing slightly as she said, "Good morning, Master..." Vahn smiled, returning her greeting and stroking her head for a short while before sitting down next to Hestia and Eirene. Loki made a small frowny face, acting as though she was bothered that he chose to sit in between them instead of next to her. However, she was only playing around and quickly got to the point before Vahn even asked, "That boy, Bell Cranel, had registered at the Guild and started looking around for a Familia this morning. The little werewolf girl, Rose, received the message and relayed it through Aisha, who then told Eina, who passed on the message onto the Network. What did you want to do about it, Vahn~?"

The moment he heard Loki's words, Vahn's somewhat tired expression immediately morphed into a more serious one as he reminded, "That boy has an incredibly powerful fate and will likely become one of the Alliance's most important allies. However, that doesn't mean we should cater to him and provide everything that he needs. Even if left alone, I believe events will transpire that forces our paths to converge at some point...though, that isn't really my intent..." Vahn knew that, if he let Bell's 'fate' jumpstart things, it might be in the form of an event outside of their control. By bringing Bell into their fold early on, even if he allowed the boy to take action on his own, Vahn believed they would be able to avoid some of the more troublesome events that would normally surround a 'protagonist'.

After thinking this far, Vahn matched Loki's gaze and said, "I want to observe him and see what kind of person he is with my own eyes. Since he had been raised by Zeus, there is always a chance that he could have become brainwashed by that old pervert's idea of what it means to be a hero. As we previously planned, I think it would be best for him to join the Loki Familia but I also want to see if events transpire that lead him to any particular Familia. I'll leave my avatar here and go observe him personally for the next couple of days."

Loki nodded her head, also adopting a serious expression as she reminded, "I don't mind if that boy ends up becoming the 'heart' of my Familia, but I won't let my other children be endangered so easily. Though I'm also curious to see what kind of existence could have such a powerful 'fate' around them, I'm not going to just watch on the sidelines if things begin going south. For now, I'll let Finn take the actions he deems prudent but, if that boy triggers an event bigger than they can handle, you'll have to be ready to step in at a moment's notice." Even if some people assumed she only treated her 'children' as tools, Loki still cared for them very deeply. After being influenced by Vahn, this nature of her's had become even stronger, especially after having an actual daughter of her own.

Previously, in preparation for the events that would follow, everyone within the Hearth Manor had gotten together to discuss Enyo, the forces outside Orario, and key figures such as the 'Heroes' and Bell Cranel. Since Bell had even been able to reach Level 9 in the Divination, becoming the Commander of the forces probing deeper into the Dungeon, his potential couldn't be ignored. Though he certainly wasn't 'necessary', Vahn knew that things would actually be harder to deal with if he tried to remove Bell from the equation. It was similar to how he had received a quest to save Haruhime in the past, an event he could have avoided entirely if he had been willing to shoulder the burden of the world on his own.

Vahn knew that there were certain 'key' figures that would likely be involved with future events, primarily revolving around Bell, Ais, and Haruhime. Ais had been the 'heroine' in the story and, now that she was involved with him, Vahn didn't know how fate would have changed to incorporate her into the events that would follow. This was the same for Haruhime, though Vahn assumed that her influence on events was likely related to her Level-Up magic, not necessarily any specific action she would have taken. Still, he didn't know these things for certain and, fearing that withholding the knowledge would cause even more problems, Vahn had disclosed as much information as he could without exposing the existence of The Path. It helped that he actually had access to several different means of divining the future, with Cassandra, Sylfia, and Ina, while also having experienced an actual Divination himself.

The current 'plan', if it could be called that, was simply to go about their own lives as much as possible while simultaneously doing their best to keep each other informed of any 'events' that might take place. One of the best means to maneuver around fate was simply to communicate with each other and, as they were able to telepathically communicate, they already had some massive advantages. As for everything else, such as interacting with Bell himself, that would be up to the prerogative of everyone on an individual level, so long as they weren't going out of their way to act out of character or on a 'whim'.

Vahn had already warned everyone about Bell's [Luck] so, if anything happened to 'trigger' an event, they needed to be firm with the boy to prevent the unique Development Ability from putting them in compromising positions. Though Vahn believed [Luck] wouldn't lead Bell into a situation where it drew him the ire of other people, Vahn would personally extend some punishment on the boy if he ended up having a 'fated encounter' with one of his girls. Since he had already seen the type of person Zeus was, and interacted with Hera, Vahn didn't believe for a moment that the two gods didn't intend to use Bell to their advantage at some point.

One of the things Vahn couldn't help thinking about was how fate might alter the flow of events to allow Bell to cross paths with one of the Vanir in the future. He didn't believe it was a coincidence that the Vanir's ages put them around the same age as the young Hero, especially with how Vana was already pressing him to allow her to venture into the Dungeon. Though Vahn wouldn't prevent his daughter's from falling in love in the future, he didn't like the idea that 'fate' would have already paired his children with someone else, at least until they were of age. If Bell tried to make a pass at one of his 2-3-year-old daughters, Vahn would take the boy so far away from the continent of Eden that the young protagonist would never be able to influence events again, fate be damned...

After getting the information regarding Bell's last known location, Vahn changed his form slightly and set out into the City, seeking out the boy that used to be his favorite character within the original story. Now, that impression had faded a bit, likely as a result of accruing nearly 120 years of experience within the Space-Time orb, so Vahn wasn't as excited to meet him. Though he was certain Bell would be a good friend, Vahn no longer felt bound by the idea that he 'needed' to befriend him simply based on his previous understanding of the boy's character.

Any number of things could have changed over the last three years to fundamentally change the type of person Bell was, especially since Zeus probably wasn't too fond of him. Even so, Vahn believed that Zeus had probably tried to bother him within the Divination as well and, considering Bell had still become a central character, Vahn believed it was still worth getting to know him. At the very least, it would be nice to have a male friend that might actually be able to stand at his back in the middle of a fight. Though he trusted the girls with his life, there was also a part of Vahn that was absolutely terrified by the prospect of losing any of them. Unless it was a situation where he could be reasonably certain they weren't endangered, Vahn couldn't easily expose the girls to the 'real' monsters that inhabited the world...

Since he had seen existences like Siegfried and Jeanne, Vahn knew it was possible for people to reach a degree of power he hadn't actually considered possible before glimpsing it with his own eyes. He knew Bell would actually be able to become much stronger than either of those two, as he was the 'main character', so his expectations for the boy had gone up greatly after his battle with the Dragon Knight. Vahn was curious to see how quickly Bell would grow as well, especially since the latter must have been able to reach a strength that allowed him to 'save' the world in a relatively short period of time...

While ruminating over the future, Vahn arrived in the area where Bell was last seen, which happened to be one of the Familia associated with the Alliance, the Skadi Familia. Without announcing his presence, Vahn walked in through the front gate and beheld the rather homely looking residence of the Skadi Familia, looking like an oversized hut that might belong to a skilled Hunter. There were numerous hides, bones, and drop items on display all around while the majority of the members present carried various different sized bows, shortswords, and daggers. The Skadi Familia was one of the few that focused on 'hunting' monsters instead of killing them, harvesting them for the greatest number of resources instead of simply killing them.

Though many of them had noticed his presence, it was a young woman with dark brown hair, styled in a boyish cut without any attempts to manage it. There were two red markings under her hazel-brown eyes and she was wearing leather armor that, contrary to how many females Adventurers wore their clothing, covered most of her body. On her back, there was a green shortbow that had a small amount of mana present within, making it a relatively high-grade magic weapon, even though it looked rather simple at a glance.

With a look of intrigue, the woman came forward and asked, "Are you here to try and join our Familia as well? We're lucky to get a new member each month, much less two prospective members in one day...tell me, kiddo, do you know your way around a bow? Ever hunted anything?" While speaking, the girl was giving Vahn an appraising look and, even though he had disguised himself to an extent, she was still 'very' impressed by what she saw. At the very least, from her perspective, he was much better than the scrawny kid that had barely been able to form a coherent sentence...

Vahn was almost seized by his urge to show off but, remembering the times he had embarrassed himself in the past, he simply smiled and said, "My skills with a bow aren't bad, but that isn't why I came here. That other boy you mentioned, with white hair and red eyes, I'm actually looking for him. It would help me out if you could point me in his direction..." As he was speaking, though he tried to keep things casual, Vahn noticed that the girl's aura had taken on a slightly pink hue. Seeing this caused his smile to tense up slightly, but he kept his calm and simply cursed the Development Ability he had never intended to awaken...

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[[Stats]]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 15

Race: Half-Doppelganger, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level: 6(+)

-Power: 4001+(E408)(A/N: Weak!!!)

-Endurance: 5713+(D577)

-Dexterity: 5156+(C623)

-Agility: 4492+(D501)

-Magic: 11611+(S924)(A/N: Vahn's Magic would make him a Level 12 xD...)

Total: 30,973+(3,033)

Soul Tier: 3 (Lord Soul)

[Karma]: 93,413

[OP]: 103,408,882

[Valis]: 11,007,912,050

Skills: [Will of the Emperor:SSS], [Rakshasa Body:D->C], [Keeper of the Akashic Tome:B], [Eyes of Truth: B],[Bow Mastery:S], [Stealth:A->S], [Chainbreaker:S], [Heart of the Eternal Flame:SS], [Prometheus:A], [Call of the Reaper:A],[Yggdrasil's Favor:S], [Veil of the Traveler: S], [Featherfoot:S], [Hands of Nirvana:S->SS], [Metallurgy:B], [Fist Strike:A->S], [Friend of Spirits:A], [Void Ward:E->A]

Magic: [Thria*Mimos:A->S], [Shundo:S->SS], [Koku Shundo:C->B], [Cantus Bellax:S], [Mellodia Bellax:B], [Vis Maxima:E->B], [Sagitta Magica:B->S], [Pactio:S], [Magia Erebea:SS], [Dios Tukos:C]

Development Skills: [Wound Transfer:S], [Well of Spirit:C->A], [Swordsman:A], [Master Smith:H], [Mixing:C], [Mentor:A], [Grooming:D->B], [Arch Mage:I->G], [Charm:E](new)

[Charm]

Rank: E

Use: Increases the ability to build rapport with other people, especially members of the opposite sex.

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While he had been dealing with the affairs of the Elven Kingdom, Vahn had left a deep impression on a great number of people, especially the female Elves he interacted with. He had personally applied the crests of 1,739 females and, as Elven women are typically very reserved, the rather intimate ceremony had won him the favor and fanfare of more than a few of them. As his reputation continued to improve, Vahn eventually awakened the [Charm] Development Ability, an exceedingly rare ability that has only been documented a few times within the Guild's records. Ever since he had awakened the ability that would have earned him the envy of almost any other man, Vahn's life had been filled with troubles as even his own women seemed marginally more attached than normal...

Mentally shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Vahn listened as the woman explained, "Ah, that kid wanted to join our Familia but I sent him along after he said he had never used a bow before. All he had on him was the dagger given out by the Guild, so I guess he is a complete novice..." Then, as if realizing something, the woman frowned slightly and said, "Actually, I think I saw him run off in the direction of Babel Tower after I turned him away...you should probably hurry along if he is your friend. I hope he hasn't done anything stupid just because some of our members teased him a little..."

Vahn, having just cleared his head from stray thoughts, felt like his brain had been completely emptied by the woman's words. He couldn't help but ask, ("Sis...do you think...there is no way that could be the case...right?") Unfortunately, the only thing Vahn heard in response was a sigh before Sis said, (*You should be an existence outside the influence of fate, under normal circumstances...but, as you have seen with Tina, your willingness to be involved in events allows fate to have some indirect influence on you. If you don't chase after Bell now, he may end up dying before his journey even begins...*)

Before Sis had even finished her words, Vahn had already disappeared from the small courtyard, stunning the members of the Skadi Familia. Vahn now realized that it might not even be the other people around him that ended up getting wrapped up in Bell's fate, but he himself would be the anchor between the other significant characters and Bell. This wasn't that much of a surprise but, given how events were playing out, Vahn couldn't help but feel as though he had become the 'key' to Bell's future growth. Just as Ais had saved him in the original story, it looked like fate had conspired to put him into the position of Bell's would-be savior. The fact that he didn't get a quest for it was a little bothersome but, considering how annoying things would be if Bell spontaneously died, it didn't really matter too much...

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//Optional Quest Triggered//

[Quest: Is it Wrong to Pick up Heroes in a Dungeon?]

Rank: B

Objective: Save Bell Cranel from his inevitable death as a result of the changes to fate. [0H17M43S]

Rewards: 1x[Fate Severing Knife], 18,000OP

Failure Conditions: Death, Death of Bell Cranel

Penalty: 5,000 Karma, Recognition as a threat by the Record's Laws

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Seeing the sudden notification, Vahn nearly 'slipped' in mid-air and, after regaining his senses, immediately began chanting his [Dios Tukos] before absorbing it with his [Magia Erebea]. Then, like a flash of lightning, Vahn made his way to the entrance of Babel Tower, bypassed all the startled Adventurers located within, and then made his way into the entrance of the Dungeon. With less than seventeen minutes to find a single person within the Dungeon, Vahn knew he didn't have that much time. Though he knew it might be the machinations of fate, trying to set things in motion, Vahn also sent a telepathic message to the girls explaining the situation. While he was quickly making his way through the first floor, he summoned Fenrir, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Lili, Naaza, Chloe, Arnya, and Nanu to his side, having them break off to find the boy 'supposedly' loved by fate...

(A/N: I laughed when I realized that Rose/Aisha share names with Vahn's daughter's xD. However, just like in the real world, I consider it perfectly normal for people to sometimes have the same name :3. Also, fate is such a fickle little bitch...I swear, even though I'm the Author, these events have nothing to do with me (o 3 o)...!)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Syr is the Preggers (*w*)!','What a Charmer xD...','I feel like he should have let Ais stay at home...kappa~')

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

paypal.me/Einlion

Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh


Capítulo 777: Brink

Though his 'Lightning Emperor' mode gave him incredible speed, far above the standards of the world, Vahn was learning very quickly that it wasn't that suitable for use inside closed areas. He was still able to move through the various corridors and rooms at high speed, but it wasn't actually that much higher than if he were using normal [Shundo]. However, as he had already transformed, Vahn felt it would be a waste to transition back, at least for the time being. If necessary, even if it meant potentially spawning a Juggernaut, he was willing to bore 'through' the Dungeon in order to track down the errant Bell, who had immediately been promoted to the top of his bucket list.

Vahn knew that Bell wasn't exactly the most sensible person, always seeming to ignore the advice that people gave him, but he hadn't expected to get wrapped up in the boy's quirks from the start. Once he found Bell, Vahn intended to, at the very least, harshly reprimand the youth for not considering his actions. Depending on the circumstances, that lesson might become something a little more physical, assuming he was the one to even discover Bell from the start. Part of him felt like Ais would be the one to discover Bell's location, even though she had immediately gone down to the Second Floor with Tiona and Tione...

---

Ever since I can remember, at least after the time Grandpa had saved me, it had always been my dream to become a Hero. Hearing all the stories about great men and women who faced adversity and, against all odds, overcame the trials that prevented their rise...I had hoped, by aspiring to be a Hero myself, that I would be able to create a legend that could be passed down through the ages. Along the way, I would make lots of friends, save damsels in distress, and, if I was lucky, maybe even surround myself with several cute girls. I never told Grandpa, but it had been my dream to have a Harem filled with girls of various different shapes and sizes, comprised of the members of several different races. It didn't matter if it was a long-eared Rabbit Hume, an adorable Pallum girl, or even a goddess...in truth, however, I just wanted a real family to call my own, other than just my Grandpa...

I now understood why the stories of Heroes and Heroines were fairy tales or, at the very least, something that only a few exceptional men and women could become. My overzealous attitude, believing I was something special, caused me to overstep my boundaries a great deal. All because I was too embarrassed to talk directly with the beautiful girl that had the red marks on her face and ended up getting teased by her companions. I wanted to show them I wasn't just some useless kid that would burden them and, even though the nice people at the Guild had told me not to venture into the Dungeon before joining a Familia, I ignored their advice and now had to pay the price...

Still, I didn't feel like it was entirely my fault as, at least when I was fighting Goblins, it wasn't that difficult of a battle. As for the monster before me, it shouldn't even have been on this Floor at all, at least if the information provided by the Guild staff was accurate. Since they were very helpful and gave me lots of advice, I believe that their words had been the truth. That's why, even though I was probably going to die in a few moments, I only blamed my terrible luck and lack of foresight for the current predicament I was facing...at least, that's what I was trying to tell myself within my mind while my mouth only managed a guttural scream that sounded almost inhuman in its savagery...

Swinging my dagger forward, a simple blade of around 30cm long that was a bit heavy in the handle, it bounced off the hard surface of the strange blue lizards body and, as if to taunt me for my attempt, the lizard hissed before swinging its body like a whip, striking my abdomen with its tail. A very sharp pain spread through my body, almost like something inside of me had 'broken' while an overwhelming sense of powerlessness rose up from my stomach...or was that my lunch? It was hard to tell what was going on at this point and the only thing I could really discern was that a volume of liquid, filled with some dangerous looking bits, had burst forth from my mouth after I was pushed back into the hard Dungeon wall behind.

Though I had managed to get up and run after the first couple of hits, it didn't seem like my body was listening to me anymore. I didn't want to die, especially before I was even able to have a serious conversation with a single girl, but my body simply wouldn't listen. The only thing I got for my efforts was sharp and agonizing pain but, as if to exacerbate and mock my situation, something was blocking my throat, preventing me from even crying out any longer. As for the strange blue lizard, nearly 4m long and possessing thick blue hide as it skulked forward on four legs, I could swear it was laughing at me. Then, like a cat toying with a small field mouse, it began to move forward with a predatory glint in its deep red eyes, now reflecting the image of my own terrified face within their depths...

Step by step, almost as if time had slowed to a crawl, the strange lizard made its way forward until it was right next to my feet. As though it was intending to make things as painful as possible, it opened its mouth and aimed for my legs with its long and serrated jaws, lined with three rows of teeth that glistened with viscous green saliva. At this moment, just as another wave of pain was about to greet my existence, I was able to understand why my body had been getting progressively slower as the fight went on. It seemed to have some kind of paralytic venom, even possessing a light layer covering its durable blue hide...

Just as the lizard was about to bite down on my legs, I tried to muster what remained of my strength, pulling forth from reserves I didn't even know I had. Even so, other than moving my head away from the Dungeon wall slightly, my body simply refused to allow me to evade the sharp teeth. I could only watch helplessly as the lizards head lowered towards my legs, jaws agape as its head fell lifelessly to the ground in between my calves. Like a broken faucet under a large amount of pressure, blood shot out from the now exposed viscera of the neck and, even though it had completely soaked my body, the only action available to me was staring slack-jawed at the decapitated blue lizard as its body broke down into small particles of purple dust...

"Haaaaa...it looks like I made it in time. From now on, don't do such reckless things, okay, kid...?"

Even before I turned my head towards the voice, I could already sense a powerful and almost overbearing pressure weighing down on my body. The most noticeable thing, however, was the intense light that made it almost impossible to look directly at the source, which seemed to be a boy around my own age. When I looked towards him, it was like looking at a statue that had been carved from black marble as some great master sculptors take on 'perfection'. This look, however, caused me to realize I could actually move and, instead of being blocked, a natural, "Eh...?" came out of my mouth. Then, when the boy reached out his hand to pull me up, I absentmindedly grabbed it, feeling a powerful warmth spread through my body that chased away all the negative emotions that had been building up inside...

---

After helping Bell stand, Vahn looked into the dazed boy's red eyes, noticing they actually had a very unique and 'clear' feeling to them. His hair was also startlingly white, with a slightly translucent appearance that made it seem like fibers of pristine white jade. The weirdest thing was, unlike how he appeared within the manga, Bell's facial features were like a blend between a handsome boy and a cute girl. His face was slightly rounded in a youthful manner and, if not for the blood covering nearly half of it, Vahn had the strangest impression that Bell would have actually looked 'cute'. This, combined with the fact that Bell was actually thinner and smaller than he had expected, almost made the young Hero look more like a girl than the boy Vahn knew him to be...

Since it didn't seem like he was capable of forming any words at the moment, Vahn waved his hand in front of Bell's face and asked, "You okay, kid? I healed your physical wounds, so you'll be fine after returning to the surface and relaxing for a bit...sorry, I can't do anything if you experienced a trauma. If that's the case, the only thing you can do is work hard to overcome it..." Though he had always considered what he might say after meeting Bell, watching the boy simply stand there in a daze was making it very difficult to find his words. Fortunately, or perhaps not, Vahn had already sent messages to the other girls and, as they were only a few Floors apart, they immediately teleported to his side.

Upon seeing a group of beautiful girls 'pop' into existence, Bell's eyes widened and he backpedaled several times until colliding into the wall once again. Much like how Lefiya would in the past, his blood covered face became beet red and he uttered a 'wawawawa' sound. Then, as if compelled by some tug of fate, Ais, who had teleported the closest to Bell, walked forward with a curious and reminiscent expression on her face as she asked, "Are you okay...can you stand?" This caused Bell to release a 'squeak' but, unlike how he had originally run away, he just quietly stammered, "Ah...I'm okay...I'm...ah...I..."

Though Ais had extended her hand to help Bell stand, he didn't reach out to grab it and just kept looking into her face as a deep blush began to spread across his own. Seeing this, Vahn released a sigh while Tiona and Tione just looked at Bell, the boy who was supposed to become very strong one day, like he was some kind of strange animal. They had never seen an effeminate boy with white hair and red eyes before, causing Tione to incredulously ask, "Are you sure this is the right kid...? He doesn't really look on anything special...well, other than his appearance?"

Seemingly tired of extending her hand, Ais frowned slightly before turning her head towards Vahn and mentally communicating, ("This boy...it feels like I know him. It's hard to explain...almost like it is something sealed away in my memory..."). Vahn gave a small nod in response, saying, ("It is likely related to the 'blank' period in your memories that we talked about. Though he might not have a direct connection to your past, there is a good chance there is an indirect one. For the time being, just let me know if you realize anything and, if you feel any awkwardness or discomfort, please tell me...")

Vahn knew there was definitely more to the relationship with Bell and Ais than he had seen within the limited amount of manga he had read. Her reactions towards him had always been strange and, though it could just be a result of the crush he had on her, Bell's 'pursuit' of Ais had definitely been unnatural. He obviously didn't truly 'love' her, not in any obvious or meaningful way, or he wouldn't have paid so little attention to his emotions and influenced so many other girls in his life. After all, it was his 'focus' on Ais that had caused some resentment to build up within the girls around him, even though it wasn't truly that obvious that Bell had 'loved' her. It was like they were inextricably drawn to each other, which might have turned into love over time, but definitely wasn't love from the start...

Moving forward, Vahn reached out and, as Bell seemed incapable of 'functioning' right now, picked him up by the scruff of his tanned tunic and brought the boy to his feet. Since the latter only weighed around 60kg, it was almost like picking up a slightly heavier pebble, even though Vahn's Power was his lowest parameter. When the catatonic boy was finally back on his feet, Vahn released a sigh and asked, "What is your name, kid? Why are you here in the Dungeon on your own? How did you even encounter a variant Dungeon Lizard on the First Floor...?" Generally, variant monsters didn't even start appearing until you reached the Seventh Floor...after all, if such strong monsters could appear in an area with Rookie Adventures, the statistics of deaths recorded by the Guild would be much higher...

Hearing Vahn questioning him, Bell's mouth just opened and closed a few times before suddenly trying to run off. Vahn, however, quickly grabbed the boy's shoulder, asking, "You're not just going to run away after I saved your life, are you? I understand that you might want to hurry out of the Dungeon, but wouldn't it just cause misunderstandings if you run off...?" To this, Bell showed a face of embarrassment and hung his head as though he was contemplating what to say. He noticed that Vahn's grip on his shoulder strap hadn't loosened at all so, even though he wanted to run away and escape his embarrassment, it didn't seem like that would be possible...

After several long seconds of silence, Bell released a sigh and it seemed like all the tension in his body was slowly released as he muttered, "My name is Bell Cranel...thank you for saving me...I'm sorry for trying to run away..." Then, with Vahn's hand still on his shoulder, Bell tried to bow in a polite manner with an apologetic expression on his face. Vahn's brows raised slightly when he saw this and he couldn't help but smile before hearing a ping sound within his mind. Turning his attention to the system notification, Vahn resisted taking in a sharp breath and instinctually let go of Bell's shoulder as he read...

//Bell Cranel's Affection+44, Intrigue+50//

//Bell Cranel Affection:95(Reverence), Intrigue:100(Insatiable Curiosity)//

Bell, being released from the seemingly immovable grip, put on a bright smile with blood still covering his fair skin, almost as though he was oblivious to the fact he was covered in blood. With glittering red eyes, he excitedly asked, "Ah, I never got your name! Please, can you tell me who you are? Who are these girls behind you? How did they appear out of thin air!?" Reaching out, Bell clasped Vahn's hand, which had been hovering in the air, and seemed intent to keep holding onto it as his excitement continued to build. Vahn noticed his Affection go up another two points and was unable to resist the urge to pull his hand away, shocking Bell slightly in the process.

Though he was jolted by the ambient lightning energy, Bell just flinched slightly before resuming his smiling expression as if nothing had happened. From behind, Tione suddenly whispered, "This kid...is he an idiot...?" Tiona began laughing when she heard this while Fenrir just lightly nodded her head while continuing to watch the events play out. Chloe, Lili, Naaza, and Arnya had already been summoned back to the Manor by his Avatar, who was now explaining the situation to the rest of the girls. Even so, Vahn couldn't help but think that Bell was definitely a little scatterbrained, not that it stopped him from putting on a casual smile as he said, "My name is Vahn, Vahn Mason, Ca-"

Before he was able to finish, Bell's eyes became round like saucers as he practically jumped forward, asking, "You're Vahn Mason!? THE Vahn Mason!? Captain of the Hestia Familia? Commander in Chief of the Alliance!? The strongest Adventurer within the City, possessing the dual title of 'Flame Emperor' and the alias 'Sage Aldrnari'!?" Then, without giving his response, Bell had already let go of his hand and started sorting through a small brown bag at his waist before pulling out a small broken pencil and a piece of paper as he excitedly asked, "Can I have your autograph!?"

Vahn absentmindedly accepted the bloodstained piece of paper and quickly signed his signature, something he had gotten used to when the children at the School would approach him. This action caused him to suddenly see Bell as though he were one of the children in his charge and, considering how excitable the boy seemed to be, that didn't seem to be beyond the realm of possibility. Thus, adopting a softer smile, Vahn said, "Bell, there is nothing wrong with trying to venture into the Dungeon in order to become stronger. However, you'll learn that real strength is a combination of experience, wisdom, insight, and power...you can't just run headlong into situations without making the proper preparations. Though you may become strong enough to do so one day, you'll never reach that point if you end up dying to a random monster before you're even able to get your footing..."

The entire time Vahn was speaking, Bell's eyes continued to glimmer and it was almost like he was gravitating towards Vahn, only stopping when he was looking up into the latter's face with an expression that made him appear like a small and excitable animal. Vahn nearly took a step back but, instead of backing down, brought his hand up to Bell's shoulder and pushed him back to create some distance between them. Still, the smile on his face didn't fade as he asked, "I can't let you join my Familia, but I can help you find a good place within the Alliance if you're interested...?"

As if completely unaware of the distance Vahn had created between them, Bell tried to grab the former's hand again and ended up falling forward since Vahn had moved to evade. This put him on a crash course towards Tiona and Tione but, unlike what might have been expected to happen, both girls immediately stepped far outside Bell's trajectory. As they were aware of the boy's [Luck] Development Ability, even if it hadn't awakened, they were more than prepared to avoid any 'accidents' from happening. Vahn had also stepped in, grabbing Bell but the scruff of his tunic and holding him up so the latter didn't fall flat on his face.

Releasing a deep and profound sigh, Vahn once again asked, "So, did you want to join one of the Alliance Familia?" This time, with a face filled with embarrassment, Bell rubbed the back of his head, smearing more blood into his white hair as he said, "Yes, please...thank you..."

Setting Bell back on the ground, Vahn lightly tapped his shoulder and said, "You have to be careful and less excitable in the future...though some people might not mind, it would be pretty easy to offend someone if you end up tripping and falling into their women. Since you seem to know me, you should know that I'm pretty protective of the girls around me...please keep that in mind, Bell..." While speaking, Vahn put a little bit of strength into his hand, squeezing Bell's shoulder since he had very nearly had one of his 'accidents', seeming to make a beeline towards Tiona's chest as he fell. Vahn knew it wasn't exactly Bell's fault, as he had actually been 'victim' to the skill's influence before, but it still made his mind buzz slightly knowing that another man had almost touched the breasts of one of his women...even if Tiona didn't have much to touch...

Bell had an apologetic expression on his face again as he made no effort to even struggle out of Vahn's grasp. The fact that he was being held up by another person didn't really seem to phase the boy at all, seemingly more focused on the fact he had almost offended the person he respected. Thus, while still being held up by his scruff, Bell brought his hands together and exclaimed, "Please forgive me! It was never my intention to do something so-so-so...uncouth! Waaaaaaaaah, I'm sorry, please don't be mad..." Hearing this, Vahn let go of Bell's collar and just released a sigh as he turned to the girls and said, "I'll send all of you back to the Manor and take Bell over to the Loki Familia to get him situated."

Fenrir, Ais, and Tione all nodded their heads in affirmation while Tiona waved playfully towards Bell and said, "Sorry, little rabbit, but I'm already taken. If you touch my breasts, even by accident, I might break your fingers, okay~?" Then, as though she didn't just threaten bodily harm, Tiona began to laugh happily before vanishing in a magical light. When she was gone, Bell stared blankly towards space as the complexion on his face became slightly pale. It took him a few seconds to compose himself after the fact before he turned to Vahn with a wry smile and said, "I'll be more careful in the future...hahahaha..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bell, lucky, or unlucky...?','Fanboy +1...','Bell avoids tragedy...')

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

paypal.me/Einlion

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