The celebration continued for a few hours, connecting into lunch so the group moved into the back yard to enjoy the nice weather. Loki eventually managed to get Vahn's 'seat' as her own with the excuse that she wanted to talk to him about the Elven Kingdom and the Rakia Kingdom. During their private meetings, it was decided that Loki would take charge of the situation since she had the closest relationship with Freya and Minerva while also having the largest social sphere amongst the other goddesses within the Alliance. Hephaestus was never very social in the past and that hadn't changed even after her eye had been healed by Vahn. As for Hestia and Anubis, the former hadn't enjoyed a great reputation in Heaven while the latter simply had no interest in pandering to other gods after taking Vahn as her Master.
Loki and Vahn were currently sitting against the side of Fafnir, using its wings as protection from the sun, while watching over the game that was being played nearby. Vahn had previously researched a bunch of fun activities everyone could play and introduced the concept of Volleyball since he thought watching the girls play a game in their swimsuits would be very interesting. Loki seemed to be in agreement as well since her eyes were parted and she had a lecherous look, almost like a middle-aged man. Vahn felt it was a little awkward hugging a goddess who was 'steaming' from her nostrils while looking at scantily clad girls, but that was simply Loki. He had started to learn that 'love' was a pretty complex emotion and that, sometimes you simply had to take the bad parts of a person along with the good.
To remind her what they were supposed to be talking about, Vahn nuzzled against Loki's head and asked, "Didn't you want to talk about the Rakia and Elven Kingdoms, Loki? If you keep staring at the girls when we're together, I might get a little jealous..." To emphasize his 'point', Vahn nibbled on Loki's right ear and traced his finger around the area where her belly button was located. Loki cocked her head to the side with a mischevious look on her face and said, "I should be the one that is jealous, after all, all of those girls are your little 'flower garden'~." Vahn flinched slightly at Loki's words before smiling and saying, "One of my flowers seems to have a few thorns..."
Though she had been tempted to refute Vahn's words, claiming that she was far from being a flower that he was capable of plucking, Loki remembered their first time together with [Enkidu] and swallowed her words. Vahn noticed the change in her aura and held her closely, asking, "Is something wrong, Loki? I wasn't trying to upset you..." Loki shook her head with enough force to intentionally smack Vahn's face with her ponytail a few times as she asked, "What do you know about Riveria, Vahn? Has she told you anything?"
Vahn turned silent and contemplated his words for a bit before adopting the same serious mood as Loki, responding, "I now know that she is the daughter of the Elven King...and that she had a previous engagement with another High Elf, Alosrin. As for Riveria herself, I know she is a kind and intelligent woman, even though she can be a bit cold at times when she is embarrassed. She is very considerate of others and has a strong sense of duty, which I guess makes sense considering she was one of the potential heirs to the throne. Like me, she wants to see a world where every race can co-exist alongside each other, fearing that her people will stagnate and bring about their destruction if changes aren't made soon."
Loki widened her eyes slightly before nodding her head and saying, "That is a pretty decent summary...I'm honestly a bit surprised. I hadn't expected Riveria to reveal so much to you...I wonder if she was trying to keep it a secret...?" Even now, Riveria was Loki's point of contact within the Hearth Manor and she often made reports to her about what was going on. However, one of the things she rarely ever mentioned were the things going on between her and Vahn. Though she knew there was certainly something, even to the point that they had made 'promises' to each other, Loki was still surprised to learn how 'open' Riveria had been to Vahn.
Presently, Riveria was watching the games from the side, sitting next to Terra, Ryuu, Syr, and Eina. Loki stared at her thoughtfully before saying, "You should know about the elitism of the High Elves and the values they propagate. However, things are never that straightforward and there are power struggles in every society, especially in those that have multiple Dukes and succession lines. Larfal hates the gods because he, along with the 'elder' faction, blames our presence for corrupting the world and leading to the stagnation of their culture. He has always taken the stance that Orario should be destroyed, claiming it is something akin to a melting pot of inferior beings that is being spoiled by the existence of the gods. Of course, the truth of the matter is they simply desire control over the Dungeon and its resources for themselves...kukuku."
Vahn had already been thinking about the various countries surrounding Orario and knew that the Elven Kingdom wasn't unique in their beliefs at all. Telskyura, the country of the Amazons, also wants to destroy Orario for the same reasons, while the Dwarves from the Iron Hills simply treat the existence of the City as a convenient place to obtain slaves and sell their merchandise. As for the Beast Human tribes, they usually kept to themselves but had formed a large alliance to protect each other whilst the Pallums were the 'universal' slave race that didn't even have a country of their own. Orario was a place of 'hope' for many people, regardless of age, sex, or race, but it was also the only access point to the Dungeon and its resources. Either for political reasons, cultural reasons, or economic reasons, every other country on the Continent eyed Orario as a 'prize' to be won.
Loki had paused for a while, knowing that Vahn was likely ruminating over his own thoughts, before saying, "As I said, things are never straightforward...one of the things you probably didn't know is that the only thing keeping Riveria from claiming the throne is the fact that she is female. Though she was the most capable heir, she had been forced into a situation where she eventually left the City and joined my Familia in order to escape the power struggle of the various Duke families. Alfred Els Lainu, the father of that idiot Alosrin, had been the heir to the second most powerful family within the Elven Kingdom, the Lainu Duke Family, and enjoyed a close relationship with the current King, Larfal, ever since they were young. Because Larfal's unwillingness to remarry after the death of Riveria's mother, he was forced into a situation where he needed to find a husband of suitable status for her to marry..."
Vahn released a heavy sigh as he listened to Loki's words, looking toward the sky and wondering what kind of foolishness allowed such policies to ever come into existence. Originally, all of the High Elves were females, which meant there were several Elven Queens long before any Elven King cames into existence. However, nearly a thousand years ago, the Elven Queen, Celdia, had fought alongside Albert Waldenstein, Ais' father, and presumably lost her life soon thereafter. Previously, the High Elves weren't such an abrasive species that spread the idea of racial superiority and they simply protected the various forests that used to dot the Continent.
After the first Elven King came into power, this had changed drastically and their society had become patriarchal in nature, stating that the 'decline' of the Elves had been related to their interactions with other species and the diminishing purity of their blood. In the past, the person to become the Elven Queen had been 'elected' that position as a result of their efforts and magical power, but now the position of 'King' was fought over by seven different families that all undermined each other to gain greater benefits for their individual families. They treated their own people, the Elves, as 'conveniences' and had forced a system that painted the High Elves as some 'superior' race while the other Elves served them loyally and did their bidding...
The fact that Riveria, who likely would have made an exceptional Queen, had been denied the right simply because she was a 'woman' made absolutely no sense to Vahn. What kind of 'cowards' would those in power have to be to use gender as the justification for why someone wasn't qualified for a position? Why was it that, for several thousand years, the Elves had thrived as a species when rallied behind their Queen? How could they not see that their policies for the last 998 years were the exact reason for their stagnation? Vahn felt that he would never understand what was going through the minds of such people, seeing them as greedy fools who lusted for power instead of showing the capacity to lead and guide their people to a better future.
Loki hummed in intrigue when she saw the solemn look in Vahn's eyes, feeling that the 'shadow' of his 'Emperor' self was showing on his face. To make sure he understood the situation completely, Loki continued, saying, "By entering into a relationship with Riveria, you have essentially taken away one of the 'chess pieces' that had been part of the political game within the Elven Kingdom. Without an heir, the King will eventually be forced into a difficult situation where he would need to select his successor from amongst the other noble households. They will likely fight and squabble, trying to promote their own progeny as a contender for the title...buuuut, that will not be an easy thing for them to do, fufufu~."
Reaching up, Loki stroked Vahn's face with a mischevious look and explained, "Riveria is simply too 'popular' within the Elven Kingdom after all of her accomplishments. As long as she exists, the people wouldn't easily accept someone taking the throne unless they were married to her. Alosrin likely lost his engagement to Riveria after this fiasco, so she will be the 'focus' of every faction within the Elven Kingdom. However, they won't be able to take action as long as you, and the Alliance, exist as her backer. Once it becomes known that Riveria is pregnant, however, things will definitely come to a head and it could result in a War..."
Though she didn't say it, Loki could see them forcing Riveria to have a miscarriage and then trying to cover up the situation completely. If they couldn't force her to take a vow, they would likely try to put her to death and claim it was the result of the other races that 'betrayed' her. She would become a 'martyr' to continue propagating their foolish ideals all because a bunch of old and egotistical men were afraid to lose the power and status they desperately clung to. If it weren't for the existence of the Sage Council and the High Priestess of the Sacred Trees, the Elven Kingdom likely would have collapsed long ago.
Vahn stared at Riveria from a distance, apparently with enough intent to draw her attention as she looked over and made eye contact with him. Though she couldn't be certain, Riveria had a good idea what Vahn and Loki were talking about and felt compelled to support Vahn by nodding her head. Vahn's eyes opened wider when he saw this and a confident smile appeared on his face as he said, "I believe it will be possible to avoid war if we win over the larger Elven communities. Also, the Elven Kingdom simply doesn't have the forces necessary to launch an attack against us so they will likely fight amongst themselves for several years before we are forced to take action. Riveria's father is still relatively young, so they couldn't force him to abdicate the throne so quickly unless he made large policy changes..."
Loki nodded her head and said, "Yes, that is true, but you may be underestimating how desperate old men who cling to power can be. They will likely try to spin things to their advantage, even claiming Riveria to be a traitor by trying to pin various crimes on her in order to sway public opinion. It wouldn't be that effective at first, but people will believe anything if they hear it regurgitated endlessly...you will need to take action sooner, rather than later, if you want to avoid things getting out of control."
However, contrary to her expectations, Vahn shook his head and said, "If the Elves within the Kingdom believe the words of such fools, walking the path towards their own destruction, that is the fate they decided for themselves...if necessary, I will create an entirely new Elven Kingdom to give sanctuary to those that can see through the lies and seek a better life for themselves. Though I wouldn't make the argument they are superior because of it, many Elves are very intelligent and they have an intrinsic love for nature...I believe that more of them will pursue the path of peace rather than wage war because of propoganda...it is our duty to simply outlast the hate and fight fundamentalism with the truth. We can bring about change by impacting the future generations, allowing the hatred and egotism of the past to fade into irrelevance."
Loki looked at Vahn like he was an idiot before her shoulders began to tremble and a loud cackle sounded for her throat, causing several people to look over out of curiosity. She knew Vahn was something of an idealist, but she didn't think he would come up with a solution like 'outlasting' hatred and simply letting it die of old age. It wasn't actually an exaggeration to say they could slowly build a foothold in the Dungeon, maintain a defensive embargo against the Elven Kingdom, and just accept the refugees that would eventually come streaming out. It would likely take decades, but more and more Elves would seek to escape the 'rotting' core of the Elven Kingdom in order to make better lives for themselves once they know of the lives their fellows were leading.
Because it was very unlikely for the High Elves that had seized power to take a step back, they would crack down on those that remained behind, forcing them into more difficult positions simply as a result of their inability to give up the frivolous paradise they had created for themselves. It was either that, or they would eventually get pushed back by the Rakia Kingdom until they eventually had to compromise and seek an Alliance with the other races, likely making large concessions simply to survive. No matter what, the current Elven Kingdom couldn't persist for long from the very moment Vahn decided to better the lives of Elves that left that 'rotting' Kingdom behind.
Though things would likely not go as smoothly as Vahn expected, Loki was interested to see how he would handle things as they continued to develop. She, along with the rest of the Alliance, would do their best to support him. Depending on how things played out, especially if they took a defensive stance instead of acting as the aggressors, the Guild would likely back them as well. With public opinion constantly changing to show further support for the Alliance, their momentum would continue to increase until the point where the City itself supported Vahn's decisions. Though he may not rise to the position of an Emperor, it wasn't hard to imagine that the position of 'Leader of the Alliance' would give him even more authority. Orario was the strongest 'nation' within the Continent, and it had been for nearly a thousand years. Though he may not 'rule' over it directly, Vahn would undoubtedly be pulling the strings from behind...
Remembering that their daughter had actually become the Governor of Orario in the Divination, Loki's eyes gleamed with various schemes. She was starting to understand what her original self had likely been thinking around this same time...it was very likely that a conversation like this had played out at some point and, after hearing what Vahn wanted to accomplish, she probably became determined to raise their daughter to be a capable politician. If Vahn was the head of the Alliance, while their children were the ones regulating the laws and tariffs within the City, they would have 'absolute power' when it came to making decisions about how to interact with other countries. It would certainly take many years, but Loki was beginning to see several paths forward, each more interesting than the next...
After she managed to calm down, Vahn and Loki discussed the matter regarding Rakia, which was a little less complicated than the Elven Kingdom. The Rakia Kingdom was established as the Empire's arm into the Continent of Eden. The Empire itself was located on a Continent to the far west, taking nearly two years across the dangerous Poseidon Sea to reach. When it had been discovered by the mortals of the Continent of Eden, they had named it the 'New World' and expected to find a completely unexplored land, rich in resources and new discoveries. Instead, they found that more than 70% of the continent had belonged to a massive Empire who, after finding out about the existence of a 'magical continent' across the 'ocean', immediately set out to conquer it for themselves.
Though there was little known about the Empire itself, at least amongst mortals, almost everyone on the continent knew of the Ares Familia and the Rakia Kingdom. They were considered the largest Familia in the entire world, having more than 100,000 members, and the Rakia Kingdom was notorious for its terrible living conditions and its hierarchal society. However, they actually weren't considered a major threat by most countries since they had a severe lack of resources and typically destroyed the lands they conquered, making them infertile and inhospitable to life as a result of killing the spirits in the area.
Right now, the Rakia Kingdom posed almost no threat to them since there were thousands of kilometers of forest separating the Rakia Kingdom and Orario. Even if they could march troops this far, they wouldn't be able to maintain a supply line and it would open them up to attacks from both the Iron Hills and the Elven Kingdom. They were essentially stuck turtling up on the western coasts of the continent while periodically trying to probe into other areas by constructing ships to get around the large mountains and cliffs of the continent. All Vahn had to do, at least for the time being, is 'harass' them a bit so that larger amounts of refugees could escape.
Since the Rakia Kingdom relied on forced conscription to maintain their numbers, there was no end to the number of people trying to escape and find better lives for themselves. They prevented this by maintaining powerful borders and harshly punishing those that tried to escape, typically forcing them to their deaths or having them become criminal slaves that worked in the mines. This type of mentality was obviously unsustainable so, harassing them over a long period of time would eventually wear them down to the point where they had to try a 'suicide' invasion or cease hostilities. If Vahn continued to pressure them, which wasn't that difficult with Fafnir as his mount, he could eventually force them into negotiations and force them to change their policies or flee the continent.
In order to make sure their options were limited, Vahn decided he would wait for a while, so that information could travel, before charging over with Fafnir and destroying the outposts along their borders. Many of the people that manned such outposts were members of the Ares Familia itself, and most of them were zealots that had killed dozens, if not hundreds, of people. Vahn would give them a chance to evacuate at first, but it would be up to them to take his words seriously before the attack. Afterward, Vahn would hit their supply lines directly by targetting their shipping lanes and destroying their drydocks. This would likely lead to greater famine within the Kingdom, but that was something Vahn couldn't avoid given the nature and policies of the Ares Familia. Regardless of what actions he took, unless he could destroy the leadership of Rakia Kingdom directly, their citizens would continue to suffer since the society itself was created to weed out the weak while promoting the strong...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'This is my seat...kukuku~','Politics (=,...,=);','DRAGOOOOON!')
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Once his conversation with Loki had come to an end, Vahn spent a bit of time watching the girls play Volleyball with Fenrir sitting in his lap since she was unable to play without damaging the ball. They had several restrictions in place to keep things fair, but the teams had been broken down to have Ais, Tione, Lefiya, and Emiru on one side with Tiona, Lunoire, Chloe, and Maemi on the other. The match was surprisingly very close, but Tiona ended up getting a power spike on her own sister, causing Tione to 'break' the rules by using her power and destroying the ball when her [Berserk] triggered.
Vahn wanted to bring a bit of happiness to the world by introducing various sports and games that could be played by people, with rules restricting their levels to even the playing field. The Path had an infinite number of books related to various different sports, so once things began to calm down within the world, Vahn figured it would be a good way to develop culture. If people focused less on 'surviving' and obtaining wealth, Vahn expected society would stabilize, even if people were split by their preferences for specific sports. He intended to introduce the concepts when they opened up the school, hoping that the games would spread amongst the children and disseminate throughout the City naturally.
There was also the option of showing exhibition matches in the future where they could play an 'advanced' version of the sports in front of a large crowd. Vahn didn't believe 'combat' was the only form of entertainment people could enjoy, as all the girls in the Manor seemed fond of the different 'games' he had come up with. It was a bit shameless, but Vahn expected they could popularize the idea if they made leagues and had the competitors wear uniforms that showed off their figures a bit. Adventurers already wore somewhat revealing clothing, especially the women, so Vahn expected it would be very popular if he could get attractive girls to participate in the event to draw a crowd. He had a few inhibitions about letting other men see the girls in the Manor, but they didn't really dress in a reserved manner and he honestly couldn't blame others for wanting to look...
After the game had finished, the celebratory atmosphere slowly began to fade because they had already been playing around for nearly six hours. Since everyone was likely relying on him to bring things to an end, Vahn ended up giving a small speech to motivate the girls to continue working hard before 'releasing' them all. They would begin going into the Dungeon again starting tomorrow, so he encouraged them to get a bit of a rest and perform maintenance on their equipment. Tsubaki handled most of the general maintenance for the girls, but Vahn also contributed when it came to the equipment he had purchased through the shop.
Since they had several things to discuss, Vahn invited Riveria to his workshop, to which she somewhat hesitantly agreed. Once they entered inside, Vahn set out a chair and circular table for her to sit at since she typically sat on harder chairs instead of relaxing on sofas. After he helped her sit down, doing his best to act as gentlemanly as possible, Vahn set out some tea before sitting opposite of Riveria. For several minutes they simply sat in silence and enjoyed the fragrant tea before Vahn took the initiative and said, "Starting tomorrow, I would like your assistance in creating the band for absorbing natural energy and creating the formation to help the body absorb it..."
Riveria had a plain expression on her face, but Vahn could see her aura fluctuating slightly before she released a small sigh and said, "I understand...it seems things are progressing a bit faster than I expected. How soon do you think you will be able to finish everything...?" Vahn produced all of the notes he had been keeping in regards to the topic, many of which Riveria had already read previously. He had already gleaned insight into the solution while he was researching the preservation of his own blood for use in creating catalysts.
With Terra's feathers and blood, Vahn could easily make equipment that could passively absorb natural elemental energy from the air. By having an amulet, or a medallion, infused with a 'disc' of his crystallized blood, it would be able to store large amounts of natural energy for use. However, with very few exceptions, most people couldn't absorb this energy fast enough to receive any major benefits. Those with high attainments in [Spirit Healing] were a little better at it, but they simply absorbed the energy into their 'core' and couldn't channel it into the womb, as would be necessary to increase fertility and nourish the developing fetus.
Riveria looked through Vahn's notes, finding an almost perfect diagram of her own body that had a rather complex formation 'tattoed' on her abdomen. She already knew that Vahn couldn't perform 'Nirvana' on everyone that would need the procedure so they had to come up with a more practical solution. It wasn't actually a new concept, tattooing runes into the body to allow for use of specialized magic, but Vahn's formation was far more complex and worked in concert with the 'belt' he wanted to make. He had originally gotten the idea from Riveria herself but had refined it greatly after studying the complex formation on Tsubaki's abdomen. Her's literally created a barrier to protect the fetus and Vahn wanted to develop something similar so that there would be less chance of miscarriages. Unfortunately, perhaps by virtue of some law he had yet to understand, the core of the formation created a heart shape and was very embarrassing to see at first glance.
When Riveria saw this, she released a long sigh but accepted that it was 'necessary' if she wanted to prove that the solution they had found could benefit other Elves. If things worked out, High Elves, Elves, and potentially even Half-Elves, would be able to get pregnant far more easily than in the past, even if they were far away from their home forests. This would allow the Elves to take up residence within Cities, plains, even mountains, as natural energy could be found all over the world. With formations set up to increase the concentration of energy within the environment, they could also minimize the chance of female Elves dying after childbirth since the fetus wouldn't 'parasitize' the energy of their mother's to sustain themselves.
After reviewing the information for around forty minutes, Riveria turned her jade eyes to Vahn and asked, "How confident are you in this method?" Vahn had been waiting patiently for Riveria to review everything, understanding she needed to 'rationalize' things in accordance with her own sense of duty and the pride that was rooted deep inside of her nature. When she asked her question, Vahn showed a confident smile and gave her the same number that Sis had helped him calculated, "I'm around 98.24% certain this will be a permanant solution that will benefit Elves and High Elves. Things are a little more complicated for Half-Elves, but my research into the various Half-Races will likely take much longer as it's more a physical problem than something solved by magic..."
Riveria raised her brows when she heard Vahn's estimate, asking, "How did you come up with that number?" The fact he had even given numbers within two decimal points made Riveria somewhat skeptical, even though she could tell he was being honest. Vahn nodded his head, already expecting her question, and said, "It should actually be 100% but, after taking into consideration various environmental factors, the way energy flowed through the bodies of both Elves and High Elves, and accounting for natural deviation and damage to the belt, I came to around 98.24%."
Hearing his explanation, Riveria raised her thumb to her chin and tilted her head in thought, realizing Vahn was essentially saying the procedure itself was a perfect solution and the reduced success rate was related to external variables. Knowing this made Riveria felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but it also increased her own anxiety because she still felt like she wasn't ready to take her relationship with Vahn to the next level. However, she couldn't easily go back on her word since it was actually her actions that led to this situation and she had been the one to initially compromise with Vahn. He had been working hard to meet her expectations, performing feats that scholars hadn't gleaned any insight into for thousands of years...
After closing her eyes for several seconds, Riveria found her resolve and looked toward Vahn with a somewhat serious expression as she said, "Vahn, I want you to know that I intend to have our child sit upon the throne in the future...since my child would have been the heir-apparent in the future, I want to do my duty and raise our child to be a capable leader, regardless of if they are a boy, or a girl." The 'best case scenario' in Riveria's mind was to fix the policies of the Elven Kingdom without leading to its complete destruction. Their people had made the Western Forests their home for millennia and it would be a great travesty if they forsook their Ancestral Lands, where many of their ancestors had been returned to the soil to nourish the future generations.
Vahn had already expected something like this to happen from the very moment he learned that Riveria was actually the daughter of the Elven King. He had previously wondered how his son had become Elven King in the Divination, but it made a lot of sense since Riveria was already the only child of the current King. Her husband would have likely been made the future King, making any children she bore as the heir that would have united two different noble bloodlines. Though he didn't know it just yet, this had been the original intent of Alfred when he pressured the King into accepting the marriage proposal betrothing Riveria to Alosrin. Seeing that his own progeny were somewhat 'incapable', Alfred was worried that the next generation would have been even weaker so he wanted to strengthen their bloodline by intermixing with the Royal Family, essentially assimilating the two Families over time to obtain greater power and authority.
Without overthinking things too much, Vahn nodded his head and said, "I don't mind, Riveria...if that is your wish, I will do my best to support you. However, I don't want our child to simply be a means to an end...we still need to show them all the love they deserve or else they would never be a qualified leader. Without empathy, love, and happiness deeply rooted inside their heart, they would struggle to show it for others and they would simply become a figurehead to promote the growth of the Elven people..." Vahn felt that one of the greatest 'flaws' of the Elves was that they didn't show their emotions, meaning their bonds with each other were typically very shallow. There were obvious exceptions, but they were mostly Elves that had left the forest and opened their hearts by exposing themselves to a variety of different peoples and cultures...
Riveria showed a gentle smile when she heard Vahn's words because she also wished their child would grow up in a loving household. She had struggled a great deal living in the Palance and knew how difficult it could be to treat relationships like an obligation. Her father had always been busy managing the affairs of the Kingdom, so Riveria had found her calling in reading books and training to become a capable mage and the future leader of their people. When she found out that she had been 'disqualified' from the position based on her gender, Riveria had been shocked because there were tens of Elven Queens within their history, far more than the three Kings that had existed.
It was at that moment that Riveria truly understood that her people were walking a road towards their inevitable destruction as a result of policies that only created enemies for themselves while destabilizing their own internal structure simply to maintain some asinine status quo that had been established between the various households. She realized that, even though she was the most suitable person for the position, literally spending decades of her life preparing to take up the mantle, she had been relegated to simple 'breeding stock' by people far less qualified than she was. Though she had accepted it would be 'necessary' for her people in the future, Riveria had been putting it off for more than fifty years at this point since she wanted to find a better solution...
Vahn was an existence she had never expected to come across and he had very quickly changed, not only her life, but the lives of everyone around him. His capabilities were simply 'ridiculous' and he had introduced so many revolutionary concepts that Riveria struggled to even keep up with him. She knew that her relationship with him could be seen as taking advantage of him, but Riveria believed in the 'foolish' little boy that showed care and concern for her. Though she wasn't good at dealing with her emotions, Riveria believed she could be happy if they worked together to create a better future for everyone. He was the 'hope' she had found, allowing her to escape the fate that had been forced upon her as the daughter of royalty.
For nearly a minute, Vahn just watched Riveria's smiling face and enjoyed the subtle changes in her expression and aura. She really was a very beautiful woman, having some of the most refined features of any moral girl he had ever seen. When she smiled, Riveria became even more beautiful and the only person that could compete with her was the inordinately beautiful Syr. Considering that the latter was a demigoddess, it was almost unfair to compare them since Riveria's beauty felt far more 'natural'. Syr was almost 'scary' at times and it felt like her beauty could pull you in, threatening to consume you if you weren't prepared. Riveria's was like the warm rays of the sun that comfort to anyone that was able to experience its radiance...
Since he was bad at hiding his thoughts, Riveria saw the silly look on Vahn's face and frowned slightly before averting her eyes from him. She could see his expression turn even softer from the corner of her eye, making her feel a little frustrated because of how 'unfair' it was for him to be able to read auras. After calming her mind, Riveria turned to Vahn, answering his earlier words, "Though I want our child to become a capable leader, I will never allow them to grow up without knowing the love of both parents...make sure you look after them properly as well...Vahn." Talking about their child made Riveria feel very awkward because they hadn't yet 'made' it, a moment she would be excited about if not for the overwhelming sense of shame she experienced just imagining the scene.
Though it was as thin as a hair, Vahn could see the small strand of passionate red in Riveria's aura, causing his own heart to begin racing. He was looking forward to his union with Riveria, but it almost seemed 'impossible' to imagine what they would do when the moment finally came. From experience, Vahn knew he would have to take the initiative and Riveria would probably be unable to face him for a while after the fact. Even if he didn't do it intentionally, Vahn knew that Riveria would become very flustered during the event and would probably lash out at him for 'bullying' and 'teasing' her later on.
Sensing the change in Vahn's expression, Riveria furrowed her brows slightly and returned to their original topic so as to ease the awkward atmosphere. She saw the diagram of her own body and felt her heart palpitate slightly before asking, "This formation...how soon do you intend to inscribe it?" Hearing her words, Vahn was somewhat surprised by Riveria's question since he would expect her to try and put it off as long as possible. Realizing that she probably wanted to get closer to him before they became an official couple, Vahn smiled and said, "I can inscribe it whenever you're ready, Riveria. It will take around three hours to complete, so let me know when you have time and we'll take care of it as soon as possible. It will greatly reduce the time taken for the development of the belt, so I would like to inscribe it before we begin the production process..."
Riveria's face flushed slightly and Vahn could see that she was actually holding her breath to stifle the sigh she almost instinctually released. After a few long seconds of silence, Riveria said in a somewhat low voice, "Tomorrow afternoon then..." before rising from the table and exiting the room without another word. Vahn watched her retreating figure with his eyes and, even though the curve of her body couldn't be seen clearly through her relatively thick robes, Vahn's eyes were 'trained' to be able to discern such things. She was on the thin and lithe side, but Vahn thought Riveria's figure suited her very well and was looking forward to tomorrow. However, there was another important event he had to prepare for and he shouldn't slack on his preparations.
After waiting patiently for several weeks, Maemi and Emiru would be sleeping in his room tonight and Vahn knew he owed it to the twins to treat them well. He had unfairly forced them into a situation where they needed to expose themselves to danger just so they could 'earn' the right to be with him. Vahn realized that the person he should have put restrictions on in the past was himself, as it was somewhat cruel to force young girls to fight for the right to love. They were very strong and resolute women, so Vahn should have reciprocated their feelings much earlier instead of forcing them to wait.
Since there were a few hours until dinner, Vahn decided to spend a bit of time making matching accessories for the two as an apology for his previous actions. He knew a bit about their culture so Vahn decided to create pendants for them since their tribes had a tradition of the men giving red beryl pendants during the night they lost their virginities. It wasn't absolutely guaranteed that they would be having sex tonight, but Vahn put the odds to be higher than the success rate of the procedure he had developed for the Elves. The only thing that would prevent things from progressing to that point was if he made the decision not to, which had had no intention of doing...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Long Periods of Silence','Larfal won't be getting any 'father of the year' rewards','Vahn intending to expand his bouquet...')
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