Capítulo 418: Reflection : The Way Forward
As the days continued counting down towards the wedding, Vahn was spending the majority of his time within his workshop to make preparations. He knew the girls had long suspected he was up to something as they had stopped seeking him out during the lunch block. Vahn planned to spend more time with the rest of the girls in the future, as he really wanted to know more about them, but he was grateful for the time they had given him. The matters regarding Tiona, Ais, and Arnya, weighed somewhat heavily on his mind and, now that he had some success making armor out of fabric, Vahn was in a creative frenzy.
Of course, before he got to into his current groove, Vahn had completed Eina's dress within the four-day time frame he had set for himself. The final product looked nearly identical to the one he had created for Hephaestus, except that it made use of blues, purples, and icy whites with the inclusion of the Snow Falcon feathers. Instead of a flame pattern on the bodice, Vahn had decided to sew white threads that linked together glimmering gemstones that made the entire outfit appear similar to constellations in the night sky. If Hephaestus's dress was supposed to represent a Phoenix standing out against the backdrop of the sun, Vahn wanted Eina's to embody the cool embrace of the night and the peaceful end of the day. Eina's dress didn't 'compete' to stand out amongst anything and almost seemed like a natural part of the night sky with wispy clouds that slowly ambled through the upper atmosphere...
--------------------------------------------------------------
[Phoenix Night Dress]
Rank: A (Magic)
Slots: 0
P.Def: 349
M.Def: 920
Ability: Phoenix's Embrace(A), Ice Immunity(A), Shock Resistant(C), Weatherproof(B)
A wedding dress created with care by a skilled Master Smith for the Half-Elf, Eina Tulle. Makes use of a variety of precious materials, as if embodying the feelings the creator had during its productions. When wearing this dress, the user creates a calming aura that affects everyone that enters their vision, like the night overtaking the day and welcoming them into a peaceful and pleasant rest.
--------------------------------------------------------------
When Vahn had first laid eyes on the completed dress, he imagined Eina wearing it and had a strange urge to simply rest his face against the mannequin and go to sleep. The best part was that the cool colors of the dress wouldn't compete with the neutral brown hair of Eina, her gentle expression, and her emerald green eyes which would shine like two beautiful stars when the ensemble was brought together around her thin frame. He planned to have the two women try on the dresses this weekend so he could tailor them, though it likely wouldn't be necessary, before the wedding on Wednesday. Even though it hadn't been publicized much, the entire City was talking about Hephaestus' wedding to Vahn and, as he had come to know through the rumors, her intent to make an 'Eternal Vow' pledging herself to him.
The fact that Eina was also going to be marrying Vahn was also being spread, but it was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that the most prolific forging goddess in all eight regions of Heaven was marrying a mortal man and making an Eternal Vow to him. This meant that, no matter how much time passed after Vahn's death, Hephaestus would continue to devote her love solely to him until the very end of her immortal life. When Vahn learned about this, he was completely overwhelmed by the information and his behavior after the fact had been the reason why the girls gave him a bit of space.
Vahn knew it was very possible for him to live forever, but only if he forsook the growth of his soul and restricted himself to this record for the rest of time. He had even discussed the matter with Sis and learned that it was possible to work hard to obtain his own Divinity, which would make him immortal within the record of Danmachi, same as the other gods and goddesses. Doing so would upset the balance of the world if he remained in the mortal plane, so he would have to 'ascend' to Heaven if he wanted to take that route. This would make him suffer the same restrictions as other gods, except that he would have The Path to help him resist the compulsion of his Divinity. The downside to this was, Vahn's ascension would fundamentally alter the record and cause it to evolve over time to match the limitations of his own soul, which was inherently without limit.
It might not happen any time soon, but Vahn's presence would eventually cause the record to proceed to Tier 5 and, if an incredible amount of time passed, all the way to Tier 9. This might not seem to bad if not for the fact that the laws that would come into play within the record could drastically change the power balance of the world. Just like the chaos and uncertainty during the Age of Myths, Vahn would throw the entire record into perpetual chaos and, after enough time passed, there would even be several entities naturally born into the world that would exceed the current gods. He couldn't learn all of the Tiers just yet, but Vahn knew that Tier 4 was called the 'Divine Soul Tier' while Tier 5 was known as the 'Realm Soul Tier'.
At Tier 4, a person at the peak of power could even create entire worlds if their understanding of the laws was comprehensive enough. Once someone grew beyond the peak of Tier 4 and entered the Realm Soul Tier, they could conceivably create an entire realm, which divergent timelines, parallel worlds, and a nearly infinite number of planets that could support life. This sounded like an incredible thing, if not for the fact that the laws themselves would create a being to 'regulate' things at this tier. Before Vahn even reached Tier 5 himself, it was very likely a different entity would be born into an existence that would be much stronger than the power he would possess at the time.
The records constantly had to maintain a balance, which was regulated by karma, which meant that the more powerful and good Vahn became, the stronger the influence of evil that would emerge to counterbalance his power. Unless he could throw away his emotions and become the balancing factor himself, Vahn would enter an eternal contest against progressively stronger enemies that would be created by the record itself to serve as his 'labors'. Overcoming his enemies would further increase his growth, which would, in turn, lead to even stronger enemies coming into existence. Since his soul was fused with The Path, there was a very real possibility that other records would eventually become linked with the Danmachi record and he could conceivably bring chaos to every record in The Path if enough time passed...
Even if that was the case, Vahn actually didn't mind that much at all, as there would always be an infinite amount of chaos that intermixed together with all records. Linking them would introduce new variables within the world, but things would always stabilize after enough time passed and he would be one of the guiding forces in such a world. One of the problems Vahn faced, if he were to accept such a life, would be the feelings of 'loss' he would have to deal with when his loved ones inevitably died. He might live forever, but that didn't mean all the girls around him would have the same capacity. The same applied to his future children as well and, even if he could conceivably make them all immortal, this wouldn't necessarily be a good thing for the record itself.
Vahn had no delusions that all of his children would be good, and he also knew that not everyone wanted to live forever. One of the things that made life worth living for so many people was knowing that each of their actions in the present were 'significant' in their shorts lives. They could measure their own value by the life they led and accept death peacefully before returning to the cycle of reincarnation. By the time Vahn helped people become immortal, they would eventually go through the same thing as the various gods and goddesses, where their mentality would slowly wear down over time unless they fulfilled their 'purpose'. One of the reasons gods could tolerate eternity was because they always had a purpose that defined them from the very beginning, a fundamentally different mindset than that which was 'enjoyed' by mortals.
Other than the ones that would die naturally, after refusing to live forever, Vahn knew he would be faced with a decision in the future where he might be asked to let the girls he loved die after they simply get tired of living. It was also a near-guarantee that, after enough time passed, Vahn would even have to strike down one of his former lovers that had turned to evil or even put down his very children because they had gone down a deviant path. Unless he stopped having children, Vahn's progeny would eventually spread through the world, and perhaps all worlds, that would come about as a result of his ascension. As the lynchpin for everything, it would always fall to Vahn to take action and there was even a very high chance that his own children would try to 'overcome' him for their own ends. This wasn't even the worst case scenario, however, which would be if Vahn himself entered the deviant path...
Vahn really did want to visit more worlds in the future, but if he became the core of the Danmachi record and propelled it into higher planes, the only way to do so would be to link the worlds using The Path as an intermediary. Unless he was also strong enough to keep them from influencing each other, this meant that entire multiverses would eventually collide in the future, simply because Vahn was 'curious'. The sheer devastation that would result from his actions would be incomprehensible and, if Vahn himself decided to destroy things after having a change of heart, he might become some kind of universal threat that gave birth to a powerful force of good that would eventually eject him from the record after striking him down. Depending on how he dealt with the situation, Vahn might enter a cycle where he visits several worlds solely for the purpose of destroying them or trying to connect them back to the Danmachi record itself...such a concept sent shivers down Vahn's spine just thinking about it.
The most frustrating thing of all was knowing that Vahn would eventually have to face a situation where records overlapped in the future, regardless of if he wanted to or not. Unless he completely stopped his own growth by sealing away his power, Vahn would continue to rise to greater height and would eventually find his way in a record where that kind of thing was considered normal. If Tier 5 could create an entire universe, with divergent timelines, that meant Tier 6 was likely capable of creating entire multiverses, or more. Vahn couldn't even wrap his head around what Tier 7 and Tier 8 were like, though he knew that Klyscha, the Goddess of Dreams, was an entity that existed at Tier 8. From what Vahn could infer, she was literally the lynchpin for a nigh-infinite number of records, each with a potentially infinite number of worlds, fates, and the lives that lived them...
It was hard to conceptualize, but Vahn would one day be at the same level as Klyscha herself, and inevitably even exceed her with enough time. Vahn couldn't comprehend what kind of changes he would go through in order to reach such a point, but the one thing he knew was that he didn't want to arrive at the apex through cruel means. He might have to ruthlessly strike down his enemies, destroy entire species of terrifying creatures, and even create entire universes, but Vahn didn't want to be cruel in his methods.
Ultimately, the decision Vahn found himself facing was a relatively simple one...he had to choose if he wanted to walk The Path alone, before eventually reuniting with some of the girls in the future, or he would walk it alongside them and face the challenges of the future together...at least, that was what Vahn believed until Sis stepped in with a chuckle and said, (*There are so many more paths you can walk, Vahn. The Path itself is here to help guarantee your freedom, not force you down a tragic route that would bring you heartbreak. As long as you search for a way forward and truly desire it, you will always find the route that leads to the greatest amount of happiness.*)
Vahn blinked, shocked by Sis's sudden interruption of his internal reflection. Sis, as if finding his reaction amusing, laughed within his mind for a short while before continuing in a gentle tone, (*You will have to deal with several difficult situations and it is almost guaranteed you will face heartbreak and loss...but that doesn't have to be how you define your life in the future. Death is a natural part of the cycle of all things and, as you yourself have realized, not everyone desires eternal life. The vast majority that seek it aren't capable of comprehending what that means and, like in the case of Eva, it often quickly turns into a curse...*)
Listening to Sis's words, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation because he knew she was speaking the truth that he had already discovered for himself. What he didn't understand is what she meant by there being other paths forward, other than the ones he had seen for himself. Answering his unasked question, Sis said, (*You may lack the power yourself, but you can use The Path to 'buy time' for yourself in the future. If you still want to visit other worlds without having to worry about the passage of time in the Danmachi record, you can always seal away the entire thing and put it into stasis. You might not possess the power yourself, yet, but that doesn't mean you can't make use of The Path to obtain the means...you simply have to desire it with all your heart and it will be so...that is your power, Vahn.*)
Almost at the same exact time as Sis finished speaking, Vahn heard a loud notification within his mind and became startled when he investigated the source. Vahn intuitively believed almost everything Sis said, as she had been the compass that had guided him forward for his entire second life. When he heard her words, he knew she was showing him the way forward and, as she had suggested, he believed that there would be a 'path' that would allow him to experience the necessary growth without having to guide an entire world forward and face constant strife in trying to deal with the aftermath. This belief was answered immediately, and now Vahn laughed loudly within the confines of his soundproof workshop as he scanned over the notification several times before saying, ("Sis, you really are the best...if you were a real woman, I think I might fall in love with you.") Sis began to laugh like a bell within his mind as Vahn took one last look at the notification with her soothing laughter as the background music...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
//Optional Quest Triggered//
[Quest: I Shall Seal The Heavens](A/N: Kappa o3o)
Rank: SSS
Objective: Obtain 100,000,000,000 OP and purchase a [Dimensional Anchor: Stasis] from the system shop.
Rewards: All unlocked functions in 'The Path' evolve, 3x[Spirit Vessels], 1x[Enlightenment Stone]
Failure Condition(s): Death, Failure to obtain requisite amount of OP before leaving the record.
Penalty: Danmachi Record inaccessible until Tier 8, All Karma Nullified after leaving the record.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Eina's Ethereal Beauty','The Burden of Eternity','Thats a lot of zeroes...would only take 1,369 years of farming Bloodsaurus to obtain though~!')
If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the Patreon link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful <3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=14397149
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
Capítulo 419: Development
Now that Vahn knew there was a method available that could solve some of the problems he was facing in the future, he felt a lot more confident about things to come. Though it was a somewhat ridiculous amount of OP required, it made sense considering he would be putting an entire record, comprised of three realms, into stasis. If it didn't cost a lot, Vahn would begin to seriously question how the world worked as even some skills cost several hundreds-of-millions of OP.
Of course, knowing there was a way didn't actually mean it was accessible and now Vahn was in a peculiar situation where, like when he was doing his weapons quest, he had to potentially stockpile a lot of OP. He could average slightly more than 200K OP on a good day hunting Bloodsaurus, but that would mean that it would take nearly 1,400 years for him to actually obtain the requisite amount, assuming he didn't spend a single point of OP before then. Even 'quests' that could take nearly nine months to finish, such as the [A Man's Responsibility] that populated his quest log, only awarded 100,000 OP as their base reward...
Vahn needed to come up with a method to make a lot more OP in the future and he knew there were a number of ways he could do so. Just like when it came to 'forging', Vahn knew that taking up a trade could generate OP. Even when Vahn did something relatively simple, like cook a meal for the girls, he would generate a small amount of OP as a result of the effort he put in. There was also the fact that his subordinates generated OP for him every time they killed something, as well as his ability to convert items containing magic into sources of OP as well. This showed that there were a variety of methods he could employ, and he could probably even create more depending on the amount of effort he put into things. The most important thing seemed to be his own perception, just like how The Path awarded him a Quest based on the understanding he had derived from Sis's words.
If Vahn placed enough value into the things he was doing he could, theoretically, even earn OP from simple actions like 'petting' Fenrir's head or brushing her tail...with this thought in mind, Vahn immediately left his workshop in order to test his new theory. It was currently Thursday, but he knew that Fenrir had stayed home after obtaining Level 3 the previous evening. She had gotten the opportunity to cut loose and had wiped out an entire Monster Party on the 19th floor while Ryuu, Tiona, and Milan watched over her. Milan had been accompanying Fenrir's party a lot recently and was even more reliable than Ryuu when it came to calming her down. Fenrir had actually been able to level up for a long time, but it had been delayed since her parameters were still hovering around a value of 3,000. After defeating nearly six hundred monsters sequentially, and putting forth an incredible amount of effort in the process, her parameters had shot upwards of 4,000 and she wanted to finally level up.
(A/N: I noticed that I haven't actually been updating Fenrir's status with her Innates, my bad~! Also, since someone wanted to know what the (-) means, it's an Innate that how no inherent limit at all. If Fenrir's soul could bear the burden, she could eventually get to the point where she could devour entire realities, or even concepts like 'Laws' xD)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[STATUS]]
Name: [Fenrir]
Level:2->3
POW: D582->S902->I0
END: E470->A805->I0
DEX: B801->SS1089->I0
AGI: C671->S943->I0
MAG: G275->F388->I0
Skills: [Insatiable Hunger:Innate(-)], [Lunar Cry:C->B], [Freezing Roar:B->A], [Chainbreaker:C], [Devour:SS], [Huntress:A->S], [Endeavor:H](new)
Magic: -
Development Abilities: [Chain Attack:I](new)
[Endeavor]
Rank: H
Use: Parameters increase the longer the user is in active combat.
[Chain Attack]
Rank: I
Use: Increases comprehension of combo attacks and allows the user to draw more power from longer combination chains. (A/N: Generally, the more attacks in a combo, the bigger the falloff since you have to expose yourself to continue the attack. Fenrir doesn't have this restriction anymore and would just get stronger the more fervently she attacked something~! Protect your backs!!!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fenrir theoretically had unlimited potential, but Vahn knew the requirement was counterproductive and would negatively affect her mental state if she fully committed to using it. The [Insatiable Hunger] Innate ability was the source of her potential and, in order to make the 'best' use of it, Fenrir would have to give in to her urges and devour everything around her. This would make her emotional state unstable and, in order for her to become even stronger, she would have to suffer the burden of a perpetual hunger that literally drove her mad. Vahn would much rather her be an adorable little wolf girl than a crazed beast that simply killed everything in its path to obtain strength. He knew Fenrir wouldn't be happy living such a life and simply recalling the first few weeks where she struggled to adapt to other people pained his heart a little.
---
As he could keep track of everyone within the Manor, Vahn easily located Fenrir and noticed that, from the very moment he began looking for her, she was already inbound and looking for him. One of the things he had verified after returning from the Dungeon previous was that Fenrir was a bit of a unique case amongst his subordinates, like due to her incredibly high loyalty. Anubis admitted that she has always had her 'tendencies', which was verified by Loki who had already been aware of it from the 'rumors' she had heard about Anubis's past. As for Fafnir, it understood Vahn's intents well, but it seemed to have much more of an open mind compared to Fenrir.
Vahn knew that Fenrir hadn't truly opened up to other people and most of her interactions with them were closer to a compromise than actual affection. The closest exceptions were Milan, Tina, and Preasia, but she wasn't quite to the point where she genuinely cared for them. If Vahn 'ordered' her to not associate with the other girls, he knew she would easily toss them aside and follow his order without even batting an eye. It was something disconcerting, but Vahn knew this would change with time and was looking forward to the day where Fenrir would show an actual smile, instead of the crooked attempt she often made at one.
Less than two minutes after he had left the workshop, Fenrir came trotting down the hallway he was in wearing her adorable little maid outfit. Vahn could see that her hair was partially brushed, which meant she had walked away from whoever she had gotten to brush it for her. He could sense presences coming towards them and knew they had been in the room with Fenrir when she had likely made a swift, and probably unexplained, exit. With her same crooked smile, Fenrir stopped right in front of Vahn before tilting her head to the side and asking, "Vahn was looking for Fenrir~?"
Nodding his head, Vahn smiled and said in a casual manner, "Yes, I was thinking of rewarding you for the efforts you've been putting into becoming stronger. Since you leveled up recently, I thought I would spend the rest of the day spoiling you however you like, as long as it's not anything too bad." Hearing his words, Fenrir's scarlet eyes began to glow and she began to fidget with excitement as she shouted, "Yes, Fenrir has been waiting~! Don't worry, Fenrir is a good girl, she won't make Vahn do anything strange~! Here, Vahn, follow Fenrir!" Even though she said to follow her, Fenrir trotted around to Vahn's back and used her paws to urge him forward towards the door she had arrived through.
Fenrir ended up 'taking' Vahn to the room where she had been previously with Preasia, Tina, and Shizune. They had been searching for her after she left and had met Vahn and Fenrir along the way before they all returned to the room together. Vahn felt it was a little strange to be 'locked' in a room with small girls, but he wasn't exactly worried about it either. Tina was a sensible girl, Fenrir was a 'good' girl, and Shizune was...well, she was a bit of a troublemaker but still acted appropriately most of the time. She did have a bad habit of goading people, but she never actually did anything that might upset anyone.
It was arguably Preasia that was the most difficult girl to deal with, as she was the quiet type that liked to stare at Vahn silently from the side. She had opened up a lot to the other girls, as the majority were younger than she was, but she still stayed very quiet whenever Vahn was around. He knew she talked often when he wasn't in the room, but it was hard to believe since the majority of the time he spent around her involved her 'watching' him with her watery aura.
Before he had started looking for Fenrir, all of the girls were playing dress up and had been helping to style Fenrir's hair for her. Vahn had given them all cute clothes in the past and they had been mixing and matching outfits to try and find things that suited each of them. Now that he had entered the room, however, they were more focused on why he had stopped by than doing what they were previously up to. When Tina had asked, Fenrir answered in a very matter-of-fact kind of voice, "Vahn is going to spoil me properly, pay attention, okay? If you work hard, you can get Vahn to spoil you as well~! Fenrir will show you how to be a good girl, kukukuku~."
The other girls stared at Fenrir in confusion before turning their eyes to Vahn as he explained with a smile, "Fenrir isn't wrong, as I often try to reward people for their efforts. Since she had been performing well in the Dungeon, and had recently leveled up, I decided to spend the next few hours pampering her however she wants me to." Fenrir thumped her chest in pride before raising her chin high as if looking down on the other girls in the room. She had her same crooked smile as she said in a chipper tone, "Fenrir may not be the strongest, but she works super hard to become stronger! One day, Fenrir will be the strongest of all and will get Vahn to pamper her everyday~!"
It was Vahn's turn to raise his brows slightly because, from how Fenrir worded things, it seemed like she wanted to monopolize him a bit in the future. He already pampered her plentily, nearly every single day, but it seems like she isn't completely satisfied with that. Though he had already resolved himself to become much stronger, Vahn now felt moderately more motivated to increase his strength to stay ahead of the rambunctious little wolf girl. While he was having an internal dialogue, Fenrir had been 'lecturing' the other girls before turning to Vahn and spreading both of her arms as she said, "Vahn, hug Fenir~!"
Vahn opened his arms marginally and Fenrir completed the action and nuzzled against him as she remarked, "See, Vahn is a good boy, he treats Fenrir the best of all~. As long as Fenrir works hard, Vahn will pamper her lots and lots, ehehehe~." As he had come with the intent to 'pamper her seriously', Vahn held Fenrir tightly and stroked the back of her hair as she wiggled about in his embrace. He could tell she was much stronger than in the past, likely even more powerful than he was currently, as her movements were kind of hard to control and she was able to move about quite a bit even though he hugged her tightly. After a few seconds passed, Vahn heard a small blip in his mind and turned his attention to the system interface where he saw something that brought a smile to his face.
--------------------------------------------------------------
//[Petting] Development Ability Unlocked. Current Rank: (I)//
2 OP obtained...
1 OP obtained...
2 OP obtained...
--------------------------------------------------------------
Just like when he had obtained the brand new Development Ability [Mentor], Vahn was able to create an entirely new one based on his perception. Since he decided to genuinely consider petting as something that he could get 'better' at over time, much like most Development Abilities, he was able to create an entirely new skill. Vahn didn't gain his abilities through the normal method, which required a person to unlock them when they leveled up. Instead, his were almost exclusively quest rewards from raising his affection with other people and from the Optional Quests he would 'randomly' unlock.
Vahn was beginning to understand how The Path allowed him to pursue the 'freedom' he desired, as it made the impossible possible based on the effort he put into things. Since he had a lot of 'experience' petting, he was able to turn it into a Development Ability entirely unique to him. This one was somewhat embarrassing, however, so Vahn intended to keep it a secret for the time being and see how far he could 'develop' it over time. Just being able to gain small amounts of OP while 'petting' the girls made Vahn want to laugh out and thank The Path for its 'benevolence'.
Fenrir, as if noticing a change, raised her head and said, "Master is getting better at pampering Fenrir..." Then, as if to contradict her own words, Fenrir let go of Vahn and freed herself from his arms before walking over to the sofa and saying, "Tina, move, please, Fenrir wants to use the sofa" Tina's eyes opened before she flusteredly jumped off the couch while saying, "E-excuse me~nya." After Tina moved, Fenrir nodded her head before patting the sofa and saying, "Vahn, sit here, Fenrir wants to sit on your lap~." Vahn was beginning to feel like things were taking a strange turn, but he was still in a good mood after having unlocked a unique Development Ability so he let Fenrir be a little selfish for the time being and sat on the sofa.
After he sat down, Fenrir did something somewhat out of character and climbed onto lap with her legs straddling him. Vahn's brow twitched very slightly, as Fenrir had usually sat with her back to him so he could brush her hair. Either that, or she was lay on his lap and behave as he stroked her hair and ears. The way she was currently sitting was far more 'intimate' than normal, and Vahn felt a terrifying premonition which was confirmed when Fenrir said, "Vahn, kiss Fenrir~!" Without waiting for Vahn to 'obey', Fenrir tried to raise her body and 'steal' a kiss from Vahn but he was able to stop her action by holding down her waist.
Fenrir's eyes immediately began to glow slightly as she asked, "Vahn won't kiss Fenrir?" To prevent her from making a second attempt, Vahn placed his hand on top of Fenrir's head and used [Hands of Nirvana] to stroke her hair and ears. He noticed that the OP he was earning increased slightly, but he ignored that for now and asked in a soothing tone, "Fenrir is a good girl, why are you trying to make me kiss you so suddenly? That kind of thing-" Fenrir, completely against the character she had developed, interrupted Vahn and said, "Fenrir has seen Vahn kiss all of the other girls, but he doesn't kiss Fenrir at all. Fenrir knows Vahn is the best to her, but she doesn't understand why Vahn treats her different. Is it because Fenrir is a monster? If Fenrir is a monster, then why does she have to act like a girl and wear clothes? Fenrir doesn't understand, Vahn, please tell Fenrir!"
Vahn frowned slightly and looked around at the other girls for a brief moment and saw a 'guilty' look in Shizune's eyes as she averted her gaze away from his when he looked at her. For Fenrir to be behaving like this so suddenly, she must have been influenced by someone else since she was typically rather 'docile' when it came to interacting with him. She usually tried very hard to not make trouble for him, but now she was getting stressed out and trying to 'force' him on the issue. The biggest problem was, Vahn didn't really have an easy way to answer the majority of her questions at all. He treated Fenrir more like a daughter than anything else, and he didn't want her to become like the other girls in his life...
After forming his thoughts, Vahn looked into Fenrir's scarlet eyes and framed her face with his hands as he said in a soft tone, "Fenrir, I worry for you a great deal...you know that, right?" Fenrir nodded her head slowly and Vahn continued, "I want you to be able to live a happy life, without that kind of influence. Until you can open your heart to other people, and before you are able to become more mature, I don't think its a good idea to do anything like kissing. It's just like Emiru, Maemi, Haruhime, Preasia, and the other young girls. I can pamper you as much as you want, but until your mind becomes more stable, I can't do anything else with you. Since we'll be together forever, I don't want to see Fenrir become a bad girl that always tries to get her way by force..."
Fenrir frowned while Vahn was speaking and he could see her clenching he paws open and closed as her claws constantly changed their length. He knew she was trying to rationalize what he was saying in her own way, and he was even helping her a bit by making his intent known through their bond without directly ordering her to do anything. After thinking for a while, Fenrir lifted her head and asked a question that dealt critical damage to Vahn, "Can you grab Fenrir's butt?" Vahn resolved himself to try and avoid showing too much affection to the other girls in front of Fenrir from now on.
He had been so good about avoiding it in the past, but he knows she had seen a fair amount of things he should have kept from her during their trip into the Dungeon. The constantly 'assault' of Ais and Tiona had quickly worn away at his inhibitions before the first day had even come to an end. One of his 'bad habits' involved grabbed the girls' butts, so it seemed like Fenrir had taken an interest in it as well. Vahn had washed her body several times, including her small butt, but he had never actually 'grabbed' it before. Being asked in such a question, while he had been waiting for her to work through things, was a bit unexpected for Vahn and his mind blanked for a short while after.
Fenrir showed a pouting expression and asked in a low voice, "Vahn touches Fenrir lots and lots, so why can't he grab her butt now? Fenrir doesn't understand..." Stirred awake by Fenrir's words, Vahn explained as best he could, "Washing in the bath, massages, and even pampering you, these are all different than what you're asking for Fenrir. There is a big difference between affectionate actions and intimate actions, and I can't do the latter with you until you grow up a little more..." Fenrir continued to show a pouting expression before eventually releasing the first sigh Vahn had ever heard from her. With a somewhat pitiable expression on her face, Fenrir titled her head up and asked in a quiet voice, "Can Fenrir sit on Vahn's lap and have him hug her? Fenrir can tell...Vahn isn't comfortable...but Fenrir wants to be closer to Vahn even more..."
This was a much easier request to answer, even though it was a bit awkward being straddled by a girl in a 'non-intimate' manner and Vahn decided to concede defeat and say, "That should be fine, as long as you're wearing proper clothing..." As if all her 'sadness' from earlier had been an illusion, Fenrir's expression became brighter as she hugged around his body and said, "Vahn is the best to Fenrir~!" Vahn stroked the back of her hair and looked around at the other girls in the room with a wry smile on his face. He could see that each girl, especially Shizune and Preasia, had wavering auras that were intermixed with a bit of pink. Vahn hadn't expected the situation to turn so awkward and decided that he needed to make sure to always have one of the older girls around so that he didn't get caught up in the momentum of the youth troupe.
After Fenrir had calmed down a bit, Vahn continued to pamper her after he convinced her to interact with the other girls. Just having them awkwardly watch was a bit unnerving, so Vahn ended up in a situation where he helped brush all of their hair, though only after moving to the main study where other people often frequented. Shizune had tried to pitch the idea of Vahn playing 'dress up' with them, but Vahn 'gently' flicked her fluffy ear in response and earned the title of 'bully' from yet another girl.
Even though her mind had appeared to have regressed somewhat, she still had all of her memories from her life as a slave. Shizune had made marked improvements in her behavior, but it was very obvious that she wasn't acting like a 'kid her age'. Since Milan had been going into the Dungeon more often, she hadn't been spending as much time with the two young girls and Vahn was considering measures to help them develop into proper adults. Syr was often around the Manor, and there was also Tsubaki present, so he could probably have them look after the youth troupe during the day.
There was also the possibility of getting Hestia more involved in the Familia, as she was the temporary caretaker of Fenrir before Ryuu moved in. They actually got along very well with each other, as Fenrir was 'closer' to the girls that Vahn was in a 'dependant' relationship with. Other than Loki, Fenrir got along well with Hephaestus, Eina, Hestia, and Tsubaki, even though she wasn't exactly 'close' with them like she was with Milan, Tina, and Preasia. For the girls that were more reliant on him, Fenrir simply 'tolerated' them, likely because she could sense the stress that they sometimes caused him.
Since Hestia was going to be one of the primary caretakers of the children in the future, it would be a good chance for her to get some early practice in...or he could just have all the more mature women rotate the duty? Either way, there was a simple way to resolve the situation so, when they had taken their break to eat lunch Vahn brought the idea up through his own personal network and knew it would undoubtedly reach the 'correct' person. When he couldn't come up with the answer on his own, consulting the network was often the best choice since the girls were actually very sociable with each other and knew a great deal about everyone else on the network. Vahn suspected that, as early as this evening, there would probably be a 'mother' figure around the youth troupe from now on.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Path is an enabler','Fenrir's Frustrations','Ticking time bomb...')
If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the Patreon link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful <3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=14397149
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
Status de energia semanal
200+ Ranking de
Poder 
180 Pedra de
Poder 
Comentário de parágrafo