After Eina and Vahn took their seats, it was officially time for the celebration to begin so Hestia raised up a glass mug full of alcohol called [Honey Stout] as she proclaimed in a loud voice, "Everyone, you did a great job on the expedition this time around. Not only did you increase the reputation of the Hesta Familia, but you also worked hard to increase your strengths and now our Familia has become much stronger than in the past! Most importantly, you all came home safe and sound, so thank you all so very much for your efforts~!" With Hestia's words as the trigger, everyone else raised their own cups and gave various hurrahs before everyone downed the contents of their glass and the festivities officially began.
Other than Tina, Shizune, and the pregnant Hephaestus, Tsubaki, Aki, and Arnya, everyone else was allowed to drink as it was a special occasion. The only people 'too young' were Lili, Fenrir, and Terra, but Vahn wouldn't be able to stop any of them from drinking. Lili put her life on the line as a vanguard in the Dungeon, so it would have been strange if Vahn said she wasn't old enough to drink, while Fenrir couldn't get drunk at all and Terra's body simply didn't process the alcohol in the same way as everyone else.
Terra didn't have a normal digestive tract, nor did she even have intestines. Instead, her body had two 'stomach-like' organs that processed what she ate and she seemed to be restricted to organic produce and lighter 'meats' like fish. Essentially, she was another girl that couldn't get drunk because the enzymes in her stomach broke down the alcohol into parts and then simply filtered it out instead of letting it enter her bloodstream. Vahn suspected it would make her 'sap' slightly alcohol based but he decided not to worry about that kind of thing for the time being...
As Eina had yet to be introduced to Terra, she kept sending curious glances as the mature dragon girl, who always returned a smile as if were her natural expression. Vahn saw this happen a few times before he realized he should be the one to explain such things and said, "It's a bit late, but this celebration also includes the addition of our newest Familia member, Terra. Like Fafnir, she is a True Dragon that I had tamed within the Dungeon and her original form is that of the Green Dragon that I had subordinated during the Bloodsaurus hunt. She is Level 4, but she won't really be a combatant and will instead help to guard the Manor with Fafnir in the future."
Because of her wings, which were spread out behind her since she was sitting low to the floor, Terra was a very 'obvious' presence at the table even without anyone pointing her out. Several of the girls had yet to meet her earlier, including Eina, Chloe, Arnya, Lunoire, Anubis, and Nanu. They had spotted her immediately upon entering the same room since Terra's leafy-green hair and wings stood out a great deal. It was easily understood she was another one of Vahn's 'tamed' monsters, but the fact that she was a woman caused the interest in her to increase a great deal.
Terra smiled at everyone present and said, "Greetings, everyone, my name is Terra Evergreen. I have come to reside in the Manor today after my Master helped me evolve. I will do my best to get along with everyone, so please treat me kindly and teach me many things." After Terra introduced herself, everyone went around the table and made a short introduction of their own as well before the atmosphere of the celebration became decidedly less awkward. It was difficult to open up when there were 'strangers' present, but now everyone had relaxed a lot more after knowing what type of girl Terra was. She seemed to be very popular with the girls, as her hair, wings, and tail, were all somewhat unique and interesting. Since her personality was the 'kind and elegant' type, combined with the fact she had an air of nobility while being highly receptive, made her easy to talk to and befriend.
Though their dinners usually ran very late, things continued deep into the night this time around as the festive atmosphere had become even more so after people began to get a little tipsy. Some of the girls, including Hestia, Lili, and Chloe, got outright drunk while only a few, such as the pregnant group and Syr, remained completely sober throughout. The obvious exceptions included Vahn, Fenrir, and Terra, but that was a result of their constitution and not the amount they had to drink. The truly surprising thing was that even Eina got a little drunk and eventually ended up falling asleep against Vahn's shoulder after a few glasses of beer.
When the atmosphere had slowly started to die down, as a result of several of the younger girls falling asleep, Vahn looked to Chloe, Arnya, and Lunoire, the first two of which were currently teasing each other, and said, "I'd like to check your Status Boards in the near future. I may not be able to give you flame seeds right now, but I might be able to infer some things from your-" As Vahn spoke, the drunken Chloe 'boldy' pulled off her black t-shirt and revealed a cream-colored bra as she said, "Nyahaha, nyou can chyek it nyoow~!" Fortunately, Arnya still had her awareness as the grabbed Chloe around the ribs and picked her up before saying, "I'll take this mischevious cat to her room. We'll see you tomorrow, Vahn."
Arnya was in the pregnant faction, so she was completely sober and surprisingly 'thin' compared to the other pregnant girls. If not for the fact that Vahn could see the small bundle of vitality within her stomach, he might not have even believed she was pregnant. Chloe, though drunk, wasn't going to put up in major resistance and just allowed her body to go limp as Arnya carried her under her arm and left the room. This left less than half the original attendees present, if excluding those that had passed out, and Vahn knew it was time to call the celebration to an end and help everyone back to their rooms. Since it was his first official night back, Vahn retired to his room with just Eina while Hephaestus took the 'initiative' to stay with Hestia, who had been in the faction of girls that had passed out.
Once they were alone in the room, Eina had a deep flush on her face that was enhanced by how 'out' of it she felt at the moment. It was a lot harder to think in her current state and she was wondering how things would play out now that it was just the two of them. Vahn, however, didn't like to take advantage of people when they were drunk so he simply helped Eina wipe down her body before cuddling up with her in the bed. Eina gave him a loving smile for his care and hugged him against her chest as she stroked the back of his head. There was no need to have sex every time they were alone, and Eina actually just wanted Vahn to relax a bit since she knew he probably exerted himself a lot in the Dungeon.
There were very different thoughts running through Vahn's mind, however, as he knew he hadn't actually exerted himself much at all. Other than the 'stress' of wondering when their enemies might attack, and the interesting interactions he had with the girls, there was nothing that exciting about the recent expedition at all. Vahn had felt somewhat constrained, but even when they were free to take action the monsters weren't actually that great a threat, at least to himself. He knew his stamina wouldn't be able to hold out in the long run, but there were few monsters at any Level that could actually threaten him currently.
This was one of the reasons Vahn wasn't as focused on the Dungeon right now, as it couldn't actually provide much stimulus to him presently and there were far more things he was concerned about. He was more interested in his research and working on the prototype armor he had been developing before he left. With his focus also invested heavily in the girls, Vahn was simply 'uninterested' in the Dungeon, at least during expeditions. Since his own capabilities outstripped the 'common sense' of the world, Vahn felt it wasn't that productive at all until he was free to act with just the girls alone. When they made the Dungeon a part of their 'territory' in the future, Vahn wouldn't be taking orders from other people at all. He might not be the most capable leader, likely far from it, but his capabilities more than made up for his lack of leadership qualities. He also had relatively 'devout' girls that followed him, so it wasn't really a concern if he could inspire others to action...
---
Though Vahn found his own leadership qualities lacking, this wasn't a sentiment that was shared by other influential people. Completely unaware of the situation, a stir had been passing through the Loki Familia after the triumphant return of the expedition. Finn had shown up leading the convoy back to the Twilight Manor with their banner waving proudly in the wind, but he couldn't help but feel things were distinctly different than normal. Their members would usually be 'relieved' and happy to return to the surface, not that they didn't show signs of this, but now there was an underlying current of excitement and anticipation. Instead of simply talking about what they were going to spend their earnings on, people were already talking about how the next expedition would go...
One of the most common names that spread around the group was Vahn's, though the girls had their fair share of 'fans' amongst those spreading gossip. The fact that most of the girls were only Level 2, but showed capabilities far greater than their level, impressed many people, even more so because they were all cute girls. Though they 'jokingly' said all the girls were part of Vahn's 'harem', they couldn't ignore the achievements they had earned. Not only Vahn, but all of the girls had a massive boost to their reputation while Vahn himself was talked about almost with a reverential undertone. Those that had been 'saved' by him made their respect very clear and it had quickly spread through the whole convoy.
Since Vahn had been fair and just during the entire trip, even sharing his own supplies with the convoy to make things better for everyone, there were few people that could actually dislike him. He was a handsome boy with a kind disposition that showed care and concern for everyone around him, even if it brought harm to himself in the process. This type of character wasn't the type that sensible people could hold a grudge against, and most of the members present now had a great appreciation for his existence itself. They had never been on an expedition that had gone so smoothly, and it almost seemed 'impossible' that things had actually gone so well.
This was the first time they hadn't lost at least two carts while suffering a number of casualties, with a few fatalities in the mix. Instead, they hadn't lost a single cart at all and actually managed to fill each of them to capacity, increasing their earning by nearly 20%. Other than three unfortunate deaths, there were no other casualties within the group at all because Vahn had been able to heal their wounds flawlessly. As for the three that had died, they had all lost their lives accomplishing missions away from the encampment. It wasn't an exaggeration to say, given the evidence, that Vahn had ensured the expedition hadn't suffered a single loss, be it in supplies or personnel. There wasn't anything he could do about those that died as a result of mishaps, especially if he wasn't there, so those numbers could be removed from consideration on the matter.
Hearing the various rumors, Finn didn't know whether to laugh or cry and simply resolved himself to get along better with Vahn in the future. His position as Captain wasn't threatened, but the number of expeditions he leads would probably be on the decline from now on. Since the majority of their main members were in Vahn's 'faction', Finn didn't really have much of a choice and simply intended to go with the flow from now on instead of trying to oppose it. He could even see that Bete had an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face, as his ears were far more sensitive and he could hear the discussions people were having.
Vahn already had the support of Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Tiona, Tione, and even Lefiya at this point, leaving the only two 'on the fence' as Finn and Bete. Finn had already taken a step back on his own volition, but Bete's personality wasn't the type that could make such decisions without coming to a head against the things that troubled him. At this point, Bete knew he was probably in for a 'thrashing' and his demeanor had become somewhat solemn amongst the expedition that was full of a celebratory atmosphere.
When the Loki Familia reached the Twilight Manor, the rest of the Familia was waiting to receive them, including a somewhat 'disconcerting' looking Loki. She would be completing her first trimester in the coming weeks so her belly had also started to swell up a fair amount. As she was already a thin and petite girl, even though her height was normal, Loki looked somewhat 'odd' as a pregnant woman. However, even though it was a strange sight, she seemed much more vibrant than normal and her expression actually looked somewhat soft as she said, "Welcome home. You all did well."
As many people had already been talking about Vahn, Loki's appearance had reminded them of another 'important' fact about the boy. Not only was he surrounded by girls in his own Familia, but he also had the affections of several goddesses, including their own. Though their impression had already been high, the respect people had felt for Vahn expanded a great deal, even though there was a fair amount of envy mixed in. Vahn enjoyed the 'benefits' of his current lifestyle because of the efforts he put into his life, combined with his character. Given that he was only 15 years old, much younger than many of them, this showed how hard he truly worked to get to where he was. Though they could envy him slightly, the majority knew it would have been impossible for them to take his position as it would have likely overwhelmed them long before they reached that point.
Finn smiled proudly and reported, "This time around, we made it back with all the carts and only suffered the loss of two Adventurers and a Supporter. There are no other casualties to report, and I'll submit the official paperwork after exchanging the materials at the Guild in the morning." Loki nodded her head but was somewhat surprised by the numbers that Finn had reported. She knew Vahn's presence would have been a great asset to the expedition, but she hadn't expected things to go so well. Looking around, she saw the 'atmosphere' of the group and her eyes opened partially as she said, "Good work, Finn. I look forward to your report...for now, get this stuff to the staging area and let's celebrate everyone's return!"
Finn gave a hand signal to the convoy and they once again began moving forward as they took the carts near the massive warehouse at the back of the Twilight Manor. As for the first and second groups of the Loki Familia, their duty officially ended at the Gate and they were free to roam around at their leisure. However, it was typically considered poor taste to avoid a celebration where you were one of the guests of honor, so everyone stayed at the Twilight Manor and made their way inside to bathe and change into casual wear. One exception to this was Riveria, who had followed Loki into her personal study since she was the one that would be reporting the matters regarding Vahn.
Loki sat down in her cushioned chair and released a sigh of exertion as she placed her hand on her stomach and stroked absentmindedly as she asked, "So, anything interesting happen? I can tell something major must have gone down with how everyone was reacting. I don't think I've ever seen Finn with such a bad poker face before, kukuku~." Riveria was standing in front of Loki's desk and watching her rather uncouth behavior with a straight expression as she nodded her head and said, "Vahn's influence on the expedition had been greater than we anticipated. Even without making full use of his capabilities, just his support made everything run much smoother. He also managed to take down the Udaeus and Balor, the last of which was just him and Ais..."
Hearing Riveria's words, Loki wasn't actually that surprised and simply asked, "Did he use the chains?" As Riveria had been assisting in Vahn's research, she knew a great deal about [Enkidu] and nodded her head, saying, "Yes, but only when he fought against the Balor. He was about to suppress it long enough for Ais to finish it off with her [Ariel] and there were no others present to witness it." A flash passed through Loki's eyes for a brief moment before a satisfied smile appeared on her face. Vahn's [Enkidu] was undoubtedly one of his most dangerous secrets at present, and Loki was happy he had enough sense not to use it around the expedition. If she had known he used the aura from [Enkidu] as a 'torch', Loki might have run over to the Hearth Manor and strangled him...just a little.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Terra stands out Firma-ly...kappa','Party hard','Loki about to choke a boi')
(A/N: A lot of people have been showing their support since my last request and I'd like to especially thank, D. Nunes, J. Townsend, and Y. Bouchard for their Paypal donations~! As for the beautiful people that are pledging their support on Patreon, I would like to express my gratitude and know I intend to make a list thanking everyone on the 5th of every month with a bonus chapter based on a theme that will be polled for on Patreon itself. If we can get the funds up to a consistent amount, I'll even let the Patreon decided what artwork we'll have commissioned in the future <3.)
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During the night, Vahn found himself having a dream, which was rather rare as he often slept in complete darkness. In the dream, Vahn felt a sense of weightlessness in his body, but there was also an incredible pressure pressing in on him from all directions. It wasn't painful so much as it was uncomfortable and Vahn struggled to open his eyes within the dream for a great deal of time. When he finally managed the difficult feat, Vahn found himself surrounded, not by the endless darkness he had come to expect, but a deep and vibrant blue. Though he might have believed, at least in the past, that he was submerged in water, Vahn knew that the massive 'ocean' around him was actually pure elemental energy.
Vahn wasn't sure why, but he found himself submerged in pure water elemental energy that seemingly stretched out omnidirectionally endlessly. As for how he knew it was a dream, it was because he couldn't access the system and the only thing he could feel was the everpresent [Will of the Emperor]. Since his dreams often had some 'greater' purpose, Vahn was curious why he found himself in such a strange situation. Other than when he entered the edges of the atmosphere atop Fafnir, Vahn had never even seen something like an ocean so he wasn't even sure what he was experiencing right now.
Suddenly, Vahn felt a 'familiar' presence and turned his head to see a massive shadow that almost looked like a mountain as it moved through the endless blue. As she shadow got progressively closer, Vahn found it had started to dominate his perception and, even though it had a fair distance before he was near it, Vahn had to angle his head up just to see the top of the shadow. Then, although it felt like a strangely long period of time had passed, Vahn found himself face-to-face with the owner of the shadow. It would have been more accurate to say face-to-eye, however, as Vahn was looking into a massive black voice surrounded by vibrant green as the continent-sized eye of Xuánwǔ peered at him.
Vahn felt like the Xuánwǔ before him was the size of a massive planet and, even though it was a great distance away from him, it still dominated everything Vahn could see and just the pupil of its eye seemed like it could seat a mountain range within it and still have room to spare. When the massive creature blinked, Vahn felt the pure water elemental energies shift with a great, yet surprisingly peaceful force. It felt like the 'liquid' around him was displaced at several thousand kilometers per hour but it flowed around his body like a soft breeze. After another unknown period of time passed, Vahn found himself still floating except that the water elements had retreated. He now hovered in the void created by Xuánwǔ's blink as he stared back at the massive creature with intrigue.
Reaching out his hand, Vahn suddenly found himself next to Xuánwǔ as he touched against the side of its face. It almost felt like he was putting his hand against the ground and, if not for the fact he retained his weightlessness, Vahn might have misunderstood he was standing on a giant planetoid. When his hand made contact with Xuánwǔ, massive green lights began emerging from its body as each of its scales began to glow with a sea-green rune. As a single scale was several hundred kilometers across, Vahn had to move away from Xuánwǔ's body to see what had happened. He spontaneously found himself several thousand kilometers away and could take in the view of Xuánwǔ once again, this time seeing the entire body of the immeasurably large turtle. Strangely, it felt like his perspective had changed and, when Vahn reached out his hand again, the massive Xuánwǔ now fit within his palm...
---
Vahn opened his eyes and he could see green lights cast onto the ceiling above before he turned his attention to his own body and saw he had transformed at some point. The first thing he noticed, other than the sleeping Eina leaning against his chest, was that his scales now looked compact and smooth compared to the past. They were almost like the scales of a snake now and there was a glossy texture that reflected a green shimmer, though it could have simply been a result of the scales refracting the light from the glowing runes covering his arms. Instead of the rather large runes on his equally large scales, there were now thousands of small runes covering the fine scales on his arms and the glowed in a strange pattern, almost like waves in the ocean.
Without understanding how he knew this, Vahn felt like his control over water had suddenly increased greatly and he absentmindedly formed a water ball that was more than 2m wide with the wave of his hand. He could also see water elements in the past, but now it felt like they were 'waiting' for his commands and Vahn found he could shape the ball of water into many complex shapes, something that he had previously only managed with the 'essence' liquid. With his excitement beginning to build, Vahn stretched out his index finger and 'commanded' the water elemental energy to transition into ice. Unfortunately, his control didn't seem to stretch into the four phases and the ice arrow he wanted to make fell to the top of the bed instead of hovering in the air.
Eina had awakened after feeling an 'impact' against the bed as the 1m long arrow fell onto it. She saw Vahn's state before lifting up her body and staring at the orb of water. Unable to make sense of the situation, Eina gave Vahn a questioning look and asked, "Vahn, what are you up to? What time is it?" Curious by the answer himself, Vahn turned his attention to the system timer and found that it was 5:03 AM so he dispersed the water orb and said, "It's around 5 AM..." as he pulled out Eva's orb before immediately freezing in place. Though it hadn't activated completely, the orb now had a slight luster to it that made Vahn's heart begin to race.
For a brief moment, Eina was confused by Vahn's reaction until her mind managed to process things properly and she suddenly remembered the existence of 'Eva'. As the prolific mage was someone close to Vahn, that also shared a name similar to her own, Eina had inquired about her several times in the past. Seeing Vahn holding the orb with a shocked expression on his face, a smile appeared on her's as she asked, "Are you going...?" Surprisingly, Vahn shook his head before he stored away the orb and hugged her body closely and muttered, "It's beginning to wake up, but it hasn't completely activated. I can't insert my consciousness into it yet..."
Eina allowed herself to be hugged by Vahn and did her best to ignore the 'slimy' and 'cool' feeling coming from his arms. She had noticed the change in his hair and eye color immediately after awakening and she was now able to see the other changes to his body. Knowing he had the ability to change form, Eina didn't allow herself to be bothered by it as she enjoyed the warm feeling coming from his heart. She could feel how fast it was beating and felt somewhat jealous of the woman she had never met.
Vahn, seeing the mild fluctuation in Eina's aura, felt like she had touched a soft spot in his heart as he reached up with his hand and tilted her chin to kiss her lips. He had seen her body recoil slightly when he touched her with his somewhat slick fingers so Vahn had dispelled his transformation. They hadn't been able to have any fun the previous night, and it would be difficult for them to have a lot of quality time together later on. With his right hand, Vahn reached around Eina's body before tracing it under her pajama top and making her tremble before saying, "Let me take care of you...I know you'll be busy later on. I want to do it..."
Without waiting for his response, Eina moved around to the front of Vahn and weakly pressed against his chest to lower him back against the bed. She knew Vahn liked to tease her, which she allowed more than she probably should, but it was still a little 'scary' for her to be on the receiving end of his affections during sex. Vahn was much stronger than she was and, even though she felt completely safe within his arms, she wanted to be the one to do things for him. Even then, she would still get a great deal of pleasure because of Vahn's 'sneaky' hands, but that was even more of a reason why she wanted to take the initiative.
After straddling Vahn's lower abdomen, Eina unbuttoned her light-yellow pajama top and revealed the somewhat perky breasts contained within. Vahn earlier touch had caused goosebumps to cover her body and her little rose-buds were already standing assertively against the darkness of the room. As for her bottoms, Eina had just been wearing a pair of simple panties because she had somewhat expected that they would have sex the previous night and wanted to be 'prepared'. She was about to remove them on her own before Vahn's 'sneaky' hands found their way to her side and she suddenly felt a bit of heat against her lower body. With the blush on her face growing deeper, Eina gave Vahn a look of mock reproach before whispering, "Leave it to me..." as she traced her body down his...
---
Vahn left his room shortly after 6:30 AM and felt incredibly refreshed as he made his way down the stairs and went to enjoy a nice hot bath in their refurbished onsen. Eina's shift started at noon, so she had decided to take another nap as she was feeling a little fatigued. When Vahn reached the bath, he noticed a few presences inside so his eyes immediately transitioned to a magical blue color as he peered into the interior. After the small 'incident' with Rose, Vahn wanted to avoid offending the woman. He hadn't seen her since his return, which meant she was probably living within the Guild building at the west side of the Manor, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
As she had awoken early to conduct her morning training regimen, Mikoto was within the onsen and was being accompanied by Tsubaki, who was also the type to never skip practice. Vahn could see that the two were talking and that Mikoto had a serious expression on her face compared to the cheerful smile of Tsubaki. Without any real hesitation, Vahn made his way into the bath and captured the attention of the two girls. Mikoto's shoulder shrunk slightly but she didn't make any attempt to hide while Tsubaki stood up in the bath and said, "Good morning, Vahn, have a fun time with Eina~?" Vahn had been preparing a rebuttal of his own but he could see that Tsubaki, though it didn't show when she was wearing clothing, also had a slight bump on her belly.
Noticing Vahn's expression, Tsubaki's smile changed into a grin as she gently caressed her abdomen and said, "You know, if you didn't come out in time, I was planning to break into the Dungeon to pull you out. Make sure you're around...to..." Though she started off strong, a melancholy appeared in Tsubaki's smile before it turned gentle and she said, "It's good that you came back safely, Vahn." Unable to stop himself, Vahn stepped forward with [Shundo] and startled Tsubaki slightly, though not enough to make her panic. He reached out his hand and rubbed her belly with ten times the gentleness she had used as he said in a low voice, "I can't afford to miss the birth of my cute little daughter...she really does look a lot like you, though not as...big?"
As Vahn spoke, he turned his attention to Tsubaki's buxom breasts before she swatted away his hand and pushed him toward the deeper part of the onsen. She stared at Vahn picking himself up out of the water before teasingly saying, "Don't talk about our daughter's body like that Vahn or I might have to break a few bones to teach you a lesson." Instead of picking himself up completely, Vahn kept half of his face in the water and blew bubbles in a dejected manner that made Tsubaki laugh boisterously as she sat back down and relaxed in the hot water. Seeing her action, Vahn sat upright and smiled before saying, "Let me wash your body...it's the least I can do right now." As though she were an Empress from the Far East, Tsubaki tilted her chin high with a smile on her face and said, "I'll allow it." She kept the matter to herself that she had already cleaned her body previously since she didn't mind being pampered by Vahn every now and then.
While he was washing her body, Vahn found out what Mikoto and she had been talking about. During their morning training, Tsubaki had seen Mikoto's unique sword techniques and had taken an interest in them. She was capable of using any kind of weapon, but her preferred weapons were the naginata and katana. Tsubaki's skills were far greater than Mikoto's, but she could tell that the techniques Mikoto was using were unlike anything she had ever seen before. Unfortunately, Mikoto didn't budge at all and simply stated it was a 'heritage' technique she had received from Vahn.
Understanding the situation, Vahn tilted his head to the side and cast a glance at Mikoto from the corner of his eye. After thinking for a moment, Vahn shook his head slightly and said, "Sorry, Tsubaki, but that is a technique I acquired specifically for Mikoto. I wanted her to have something unique that would allow her to keep pace with the other girls even if she walked a slightly different path. She is a pure swordsman, one of the most determined I've ever met, and it would take that level of dedication to pursue that technique to mastery. I'll come up with something else if you're interested in techniques..."
Mikoto's eyes widened slightly as she heard Vahn's words and she hung her head to hide the light layer of blush that had appeared on her face. Vahn's praise was the type that was very important to a young girl like her, and it happened to be related to the things she was most concerned with. After all, though she was a disciplined swordswoman, Mikoto was only a fourteen-year-old girl and she had often been thinking about if it was correct for her to continue on her path, or if she needed to consider matters as a 'woman' properly. Vahn's words were essentially giving her leeway to do as she pleased while also allowing her to forge a path all her own...
Tsubaki hadn't missed Mikoto's reaction at all and her response to Vahn was to simply lay back against him in a lazy manner as she looked up into his face and said, "If you want to give me something, make sure it is the type of thing I'd be able to pass on to our daughter..." Tsubaki decided not to press the matter about Mikoto's sword techniques at all, as she would be able to pick up a few tricks just by watching her train and spar in the future. However, hearing that it was a 'heritage' technique, Tsubaki wanted something to pass to their children as well.
Vahn didn't resist Tsubaki's somewhat 'spoiled' behavior, as she didn't often act like this and it was rather refreshing, and began to seriously consider the matter. However, he didn't want to force his children down any specific path so he said, "Our daughter will be a highly capable girl that has limitless potential...but I think we should let her be the one to choose the path she wishes to walk. I'll pick out a technique for you, but I don't want to see our daughter forced to learn-" Vahn's sentence was cut short because Tsubaki had cupped her hands together before a jet of water shot out and splashed Vahn in the face.
Tsubaki had a playful expression on her face, but there was a serious look in her eyes as she said, "Relax, I know how to properly raise a child without forcing them into anything...after all, I've already looked after a fair number of troublemakers in recent years..." Vahn found himself completely unable to refute Tsubaki's words because he knew she had, in fact, been his surrogate mother after Hephaestus reached out to her. She showed him a great deal of kindness and always looked after his mental state in the hopes that he would recover. Tsubaki had expectations for him, yes, but she never forced him to do anything. When he opposed her decisions with reason, she would take a step back and trust him to do what he thought was best, even if it sometimes resulted in him making mistakes.
Looking down at Tsubaki's face from above, Vahn smiled to match her own and muttered, "You'll make an excellent mother, Tsubaki..." Though it was almost indistinguishable from the general sheen of her eyes, a light layer of moisture appeared in Tsubaki's eyes before she closed them and said, "I'll do my best...for all of our sakes...thank you, Vahn." Since he was in a somewhat awkward position to embrace her, Vahn just reclined against the warm stones of the bath for a while with Tsubaki relaxing against him. From the side, Mikoto looked at them both with a complex expression for a few minutes before saying, "Excuse me..." and rising from the bath. She had already finished bathing earlier and had just stayed in for a little while longer out of a strange sense of obligation. Now that Vahn and Tsubaki were enjoying each other's company, Mikoto felt like she was invading their space a little.
Hearing Mikoto's words, Tsubaki let herself slide down Vahn's body until she was completely submerged before bursting up out of the water full of energy, She had her arms on her hips and said, "Well, I've been in here for like twenty minutes already so I think I'll get out now as well. Don't forget to go pick up the girls at the Loki Familia this morning Vahn. And make sure you take some time off, even if you don't feel tired!" Before she left, Tsubaki splashed a handful of water at Vahn again before laughing and climbing out of the bath. She knew that Vahn wouldn't do anything to her in her current state and felt inclined to tease him a bit knowing he was 'defenseless'.
Vahn didn't mind the water at all and just accepted it 'graciously' without the smile on his face breaking at all. It was Tsubaki's nature to worry about others and she probably intended to talk to Mikoto about a few other things as an apology for making her feel uncomfortable. Other than the 'lead-instructor' during training, Tsubaki was in the 'Motherly' faction with Milan, Lunoire, and even Hestia, so she did her best to look out for the girls. Without a constant effort on the part of everyone involved, the relationships of everyone in the Manor wouldn't be nearly as stable so Vahn was extremely grateful for their actions.
Thinking of other girls he was grateful for, the images of Hephaestus and Syr ran through his mind before Loki's cheeky smile snuck its way in as well. It was actually correct to say Vahn was grateful to all the girls, but there were inarguably some he felt outright indebted to. Suddenly finding himself alone in the bath, Vahn wondered what the other girls were up to so he scanned his logbooks for the first time in a while and peeked at the status of everyone. Vahn noticed that some of the girls that had gone on the expedition hadn't updated their statuses yet, likely because they had broken the habit after not doing it for a while, but the most surprising thing was the new additions...it seems that some of the girls were very proactive within the Manor...
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Hephaestus: Busy: Available in the afternoon...
Eina: Busy: Sleeping...
Loki: Free: Waiting for my prince charming...
Syr: Free: I can make time whenever you need me, Vahn...
Tiona: Free: Boohoo, Vahn, I have bruised on my ribs from Tione's drunken embrace!
Ryuu: Busy: I'm free if you need me, but please spend time with the others as well...
Ais: Busy: Dungeon Expedition...
Aki: Free: I would like to spend more time with you when you're not busy.
Chloe: Free: Just let me know when you want to look at my status...
Arnya: Free: Make sure you're considerate of the baby...
Tione: Busy: Dungeon Expedition...
Aisha: Busy: I'm never really busy, you just have to let me know what is going on...
Lunoire: Free: Welcome back, Vahn...
Anubis: Free: I'd like to go on a walk with Master...
Lefiya: Free: Thank you for helping me get stronger...Master...
Riveria: Free: I heard rumors about you passing through the West Gate...with two dragons...
Tsubaki: Free: I'll be in my workshop all day...
Naaza: Busy: Dungeon Expedition
Lili: Free: I'd like to go on a date in the future, with just the two of us...!
Nanu: Free: I'd like to go on a walk with Master...
Milan: Free: If you have the opportunity, it would be nice if you spent time with me and the girls...
Haruhime: Free: I am waiting, always, Vahn...
Maemi: Busy: Master...
Emiru: Busy: We missed you...
Terra: Free: My, this is quite interesting...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'It's all a matter of perspective...','RIP Mikoto','Availability (O,...,O)'
(A/N: Thanks, once again, to J. Townsend for yet another donation <3. I'd also like to thank the additional patrons that have pledged to Patreon today as well as masterplayr99 for his helpful contribution. I feel blessed to have had so many people express their support for the novel during these trying times. I will do my best to come up with some interesting plot developments that I think everyone will enjoy in the future~!)
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