Capítulo 988: Tremor
Now that he was an Emperor, there were several things Vahn needed to consider before he took any action, including venturing into the Dungeon. Though he could manage most affairs with one of his bodies, Vahn still spent the final days leading up to his expedition in several long meetings with the Divine Council. He was in the process of selected capable Ministers to help manage the affairs of the Empire as, instead of relying on the various goddesses around him, Vahn needed his own personnel to avoid overlap between his Court and the Divine Council. Fortunately, as they had long foreseen this moment, Loki and Fortuna had come forth with a list of potential candidates that could fill in the positions, both temporarily and long-term.
Each candidate presented was either a successful merchant, personally groomed by Fortuna herself, or an acting member of the Civilian Legislative Branch. Now that he was the Emperor, there was a need to shuffle around the organizational structure of the CLB so it was helpful to have core members of the organization become, even temporarily, his Imperial Ministers. Though there were a few rumors circulating, especially since all but one of his Ministers ended up being a female, Vahn believed the candidates proferred forth by the two goddesses were excellent choices for the responsibilities required of them. Besides, though he wouldn't openly admit it to any naysayers, it was far more pleasant to spend his mornings in counsel with a group of rather attractive females than a bunch of old men...
This was the thought going through Vahn's mind as he sat at the head of an ornate metallic table and listened to the preliminary financial report of his new Minister, a woman so capable she held both the titles of 'Minster of Finance' and 'Minister of the Treasury'. Her name was Arethusa, a young Demigoddess that, similar to Asfi, was forced away from her homeland before finding sanctuary within Orario. She had an impeccably sharp mind and, before receiving her current position, her fate had her walking down the path of becoming the Fortuna Familia's next Captain. With her light blue hair, neatly arranged in a braided bun, combined with her icy blue eyes, Vahn felt as if the air in the chamber had become rather frigid. Regardless of this, he still found her presence rather refreshing when accounted for alongside the other exotic and unique women that had now become members of his Court.
Having finished her report, Arethusa gave a polite bow before returning to her seat at Vahn's behest. Each of the seven members that had been elected as his Ministers were polite to an extreme and, other than a few small noises from minor movements, there was absolutely no sound within the chamber after the report was completed. Even as Vahn sorted information through his mind, primarily with the assistance of Sis, nobody uttered so much as a single word of cross-talk until he lightly tapped the table with his fingers and said, "It may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but I will use my personal finances as the foundation for the Empire's Treasury. As for taxes, I will delay implementing anything for a period of three years...hmmm..."
Vahn was trying to be considerate of the people and, as there was no great need to begin collecting taxes immediately, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary strain on people just as his reign had begun. This didn't mean he had the intention of bankrupting the Empire, however, as he immediately followed his words by adding, "Fortunately, we haven't begun selling the higher-grade items that were intended to be passed through the Alliance. From now on, those items will become proprietary goods that are regulated by the Empire. We will still allow the Alliance to auction off the goods, but the Empire will now become the sole source for items such as the [Interspatial Ring] and [Sage Aldrnari's Tears]..."
Hearing Vahn's words, the expressionless face of Arethusa turned into one of mild surprise as she had never expected Vahn to make such a decision, at least this early on. She had already come up with a transition plan with Fortuna so that many of the Alliances finances would begin to overlap with the Empire, but that would have taken place behind the scenes. Vahn's method was almost like a power grab, at least from the perspective of the public. Though there were some small detriments involved, Arethusa knew that the positives would far outweigh the negatives as, in the future, this one precedent would give Vahn much greater power to act. After all, the Alliance was already considered the strongest power on the Continent and, though it was always planned to become the foundation for the Empire, the transition was, originally, going to be much slower...
Believing that Arethusa's small 'slip' was the result of her finding his words acceptable, Vahn gave a small nod before waving his hand to store away the large stack of documents that had been set out for his perusal. This was noted by all seven Ministers who, without delay, rose to their feet and gave steep bows before Vahn was able to rise himself. With another wave of his hand, Vahn lightly uttered, "You are dismissed until our next meeting. If there are any other matters to attend, please send a notice through one of the Valkyries and I will schedule an audience at my earliest convenience. My focus will be on the Dungeon for the next few days, at the very least, so I would prefer that you deal with your own responsibilities without my guidance, so long as there are no issues..."
Though he now held absolute power within his newly established Empire, Vahn had no intentions of being an overbearing Ruler that micromanaged everything. Many of the documents he had read regarding how to properly rule over an Empire showed that the most successful Empires were always helmed by an Emperor but were kept afloat by the capable Ministers beneath them. He needed to be able to trust them with their duties without them having to worry about him constantly breathing down his neck. This would give them the confidence to take future actions on their own and, though it also opened the route forward for corruption, such things could be prevented rather easily if he didn't become complacent...
In response to his words, the seven Ministers gave a rather sonorous response, another benefit of having a predominately female Court, before quickly excusing themselves from the room. The only one to remain standing in their position was the only male with the chamber, excluding Vahn, which indicated there were matters he wished to discuss in private. Vahn waited until everyone else had exited the chamber before turning his attention to the silver-haired old man, smiling as he asked, "Is there something you wanted to bring to my attention, Sebas...?"
Hearing Vahn address him, Sebas gave a respectful bow as he responded, "Your Majesty, no words can ever truly express how grateful I am for having been given this position and responsibility. However, I..." Without being able to finish his words, Sebas, the very same 'Bartender' that had been managing the affairs of his Clubhouse, came to a solemn silence. Vahn had raised his hand slightly, indicating for silence, so there was nothing he could do but swallow the words he already found rather difficult to say aloud. Fortunately, things didn't progress in a negative manner as Vahn quickly clarified things, saying, "I have already received a report about the situation of your village. Though now is not the most ideal time, I will allow you a temporary leave so that you may manage your personal affairs. I'm sure these recent changes have been difficult for you and, as I have my own matters to attend, I will not fault you for doing the same."
Vahn had long developed an appreciation for Sebas' talents and, though there were certainly better people suited to the position, none held the same wisdom and experience as the elderly gentlemen before him. As a result, Vahn had nominated Sebas as his Minister of the Interior, placing him in charge of managing all of the personnel that would work within his 'palace' in the future. The only groups he would have no authority over were the Imperial Guards who, as one would expect, only took orders directly from the Emperor, Vahn himself. Even so, Sebas had found himself in a rather unexpected position where, instead of simply earning money to send back to his village, he was now one of the most powerful people within Vahn's Empire.
Since Vahn had promised a 'stimulus' of 100,000,000V, combined with a protection agreement that would allow his village to prosper, Sebas had agreed to take up the responsibility after only a few days of consideration. Unfortunately, as 'Fate' was ought to do, the moment things appeared to be irrefutably positive, Sebas received a missive from his village that mentioned that his Granddaughter had become severely ill. The disease was supposedly incurable but, with one of the coveted [Sage Aldrnari's Tears] at his disposal, Sebas was confident his Granddaughter would make a full recovery. After all, the peculiar green potion could supposedly cure almost any ailment, regardless of severity, making it a highly sought after item after the Alliance had revealed its existence during the attack by Enyo's forces...
Bowing even lower than before, Sebas felt an extreme amount of gratitude toward Vahn as he quickly excused himself after the latter gave a small nod in response. As for Vahn, he had a small smile on his face as he wondered what Sebas' reaction would be when he found out that his Granddaughter had already been treated. When Vahn had received the report, it only took a few minutes of his time to teleport over to the rather demure village before personally healing the adorable little girl that Vahn knew Sebas was incredibly fond of. Since it would take several days, at the earliest, for the information to reach Sebas' ears, Vahn felt pleased by the minor 'prank' he had pulled on his most senior Minister. As for why he allowed Sebas to return, it was to allay the old man's worries and allow him to spend time with his family, something that Vahn believed would greatly benefit Sebas' mental and physical wellness.
With his duties tended to, Vahn stretched his body for a few moments before turning his gaze to the floor below. In an instant, Vahn's intent began to probe through the Tower of Babel, almost completely ignoring the various barriers that generally prevented such actions, before sinking into the Dungeon proper. Though it took incredible focus, Vahn was able to move his 'intent' around freely and, after assuming his Qinglong form, teleport to any location in an instant. Even the Dungeon could do little to stop him from probing into its depths, though this was only true up until he reached the 73rd Floor. The same mechanism that prevented new Adventurers from immediately accessing the 18th Floor also prevented Vahn's 'intent' from probing deeper than he had explored. It was a peculiar experience, crashing into an unseen barrier with something as abstract as his 'intent', but Vahn didn't really mind it too much since it would have been a little too easy if he could simply teleport to the lowest Floor in an instant...
After entering the 73rd Floor with his intent, Vahn immediately sensed that he had been locked onto by a secondary force but, as this was not the first time he had taken a peek into the Dungeon like this, he wasn't too surprised when a spatial tear appeared near him. From within this tear, the One-Eyed Black Dragon emerged and, after looking around for a short while, she snorted a wisp of blue flames before loudly exclaiming, "Are you going to come out or not!?" Vahn couldn't help but lightly chuckle in response to this, something the One-Eyed Dragon seemed to take note of as her face furrowed into a deep frown moments later. Since she had gone 'out of her way' to come to where he was located, the One-Eyed Black Dragon was very annoyed by the fact that Vahn hadn't actually appeared as, though she was able to sense his intent, she was actually unable to sense his exact location as it was impossible to trace Vahn's origin through the spatial fluctuations caused by his Source Energy.
Since he didn't want to transform into his Qinglong form right now, as he was planning to return home shortly, Vahn focused his mind before asking, "Can you hear me...?" Though he couldn't easily transfer matter through spatial tears, without turning into his Qinglong form, Vahn had been working on methods to send messages through the void. These messages could completely bypass most barriers and, as they were untraceable, Vahn had been able to play a few small pranks on the girls back at the Manor. The only people it didn't work against were the goddesses he had 'melded' with and, as was often the case, Fenrir...
With Vahn's voice literally sounding out next to her ear, the One-Eyed Black Dragon showed a slightly startled expression as her scale-covered ear flickered in response. She nearly attacked the area out of habit but managed to restrain herself as her 'instincts' told her it would be very troublesome if she were to accidentally injure Vahn. Since she had made a promise not to attack him during their last meeting, the One-Eyed Black Dragon wouldn't easily go back on her word as it was simply 'beneath' her to do so. However, in an attempt to hide the fact that she had been startled, the One-Eyed Black Dragon sent a small ripple through the void with her own power, attempting to 'punish' Vahn as she replied, "I can hear you. Where are you...?"
Vahn could sense the One-Eyed Black Dragon's on intent try to pass along his own but, other than a strange tingling sensation in the back of his mind, there were no other significant effects. Even so, as it would be even more troublesome if he riled her up, Vahn decided not to tease the One-Eyed Black Dragon too much as he plainly stated, "I am currently back on the Surface. I'm just sending this message to inform you that I'll be bringing some of my allies along with me during my next visit into the Dungeon. I can't force you to behave yourself so I'm letting you know in advance that, if you try to harm them..." Since he was able to imagine how he would react in such a situation with almost crystal clarity, the spatial fluctuations caused by Vahn began to ripple violently in response to his own rising emotions. The One-Eyed Black Dragon made a show of not being intimidated in the slightest but, much like Terra, Vahn could see her wings twitch slightly in response to the pressure he had instinctually sent through the void.
Before she could front, Vahn calmed his mind in an instant before adding, "I'll be bringing along another True Dragon with me. Though she is a fair bit younger than you are...well, I'll let you experience first hand that time is forever flowing forward." Though Terra wasn't nearly as 'powerful' as the One-Eyed Black Dragon, Vahn was confident she would be able to emerge victoriously in seven-out-of-ten instances. Her Innates were much weaker than the One-Eyed Black Dragon's but, unlike the latter, Terra has full mastery over her magical energy and, with the hundreds of years she had trained with Eva, there were very few existences in the record that could even hope to contend against her. After all, the magic system from a Tier 5 world was simply beyond anything that had previously existed in this world, Innates included...
Sensing the 'challenge' in Vahn's words, the One-Eyed Black Dragon puffed out her rather modest chest while flaring her wings outward in a domineering manner. Vahn made a mental note to 'train' her to wear proper clothing in the future before severing the connection, leaving the One-Eyed Black Dragon making a proclamation to thin air. He knew this would make her very angry but, for reasons he didn't quite understand, Vahn felt compelled to annoy the One-Eyed Black Dragon at every instance. There was something about her that grated on his nerves and, considering how she behaved towards Ais and Shizune, Vahn knew her existence would be increasingly problematic unless she was reigned in relatively soon...
As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn felt small vibrations passing through his feet that caused his brows to rise slightly in response. He was currently on the 50th Floor of Babel Tower and, as there were no faultlines remotely close to Orario, it shouldn't be possible for him to feel any tremors when he was nearly 300km in the sky. To his surprise, the tremors actually continued to build until, moments later, Vahn felt a 'ripple' of magical energy pass through the surrounding barriers before dissipating into the air above. This ripple caused his blood to boil while, at the same time, Vahn felt a chill run up his spine since he could sense the intent contained within the pulse. He turned his attention back to the floor below, this time without sending his intent into the Dungeon, while asking himself, "Did I push her too hard...?"
---
Unlike the small tremors that Vahn was feeling, the people of Orario weren't nearly as fortunate as, instead of small vibrations, it was as if the entire city was experiencing a high-magnitude earthquake. Though the buildings were incredibly durable, enough to resist random monster attacks and the occasional brawl between High-Level Adventurers, they were not designed to resist sudden and intense earthquakes. As a result, several buildings that were under construction had completely capsized, primarily around Daedelus Street. The once quiet streets of Orario had immediately become chaotic as everyone trembled in fear and confusion, not as a result of the earthquake, but in response to the loud 'roar' that had passed over the entire City. Even without seeing it directly, even children knew that the ripple that had caused several hundred thousand people to collapse had originated from the living nightmare, the one and only One-Eyed Black Dragon...
(A/N: Just a small update to let everyone know what is going on. I clocked in a whopping 93 hours last week and am feeling incredibly burnt out as a result. The fact that I released less chapters last week than when my own Mother died is something that kept me awake for quite a while after realizing the truth of the matter. Fortunately, now that my coworker is back in working order, I was able to 'negotiate' having a bit of extra time off over the next two weeks until I am finally free from my responsibilities. Though I still have to work full days, I'll have most of my evenings free so there shouldn't be any issues in the release schedule in the days leading up to the 16th. After that, I'll probably transition to releasing three chapters a day once I'm able to fly home and relax for a bit. Let's just say I am eagerly counting down each and every day before I'm finally able to write full-time once again xD...)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn, Emperor of the Flower Garden','Sebas getting pranked in the most wholesome way...this is how to breed loyalty amongst your Retainers xD...','You would think that Vahn would understand not to slight the pride of a True Dragon...')
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Capítulo 989: Final Preparations
The days following the One-Eyed Black Dragon's outburst were some of the most troublesome Vahn had ever dealt with but, knowing he held a large part of the blame in instigating the event, he spared no expense when it came to stabilizing the populous once again. Fortunately, ever since the air raid that had originated from the Iron Hills, people had become more vigilant while the Alliance's forces had become much better prepared to deal with emergency situations. The hardest part of the whole situation was dealing with the loss of lives as, even though there were only a few people that had died as a result of the One-Eyed Black Dragon's rage, Vahn felt personally responsible for them. Though he harbored no delusions that innocent lives hadn't been lost as a result of his actions, this was the first time Vahn was forced to face the reality of the situation directly. As a result of him unnecessarily teasing the One-Eyed Black Dragon, an entity he knew to be one of the most powerful in the entire record, he now had an additional 108 deaths weighing on his conscience...
From the perspective of the people, they interpreted Vahn's actions in the aftermath of the event as those of a truly benevolent and kind Emperor. Not only did he go around to help in the rescue efforts but, whenever he learned about the loss of life that had occurred, he was visibly upset as a result. Seeing someone that held an unfathomable amount of power nearly brought to tears was a big impact on several people, especially those that were related to the victims. This only made Vahn feel worse about the situation, however, as he was unable to come forward and take responsibility directly. He couldn't take any proactive action that would cause the people to lose faith in his leadership ability as, with how young the Empire was, even small incidents could significantly impact the stability of the entire Continent...
Fortunately, though it didn't exactly make Vahn feel better about the situation, this most recent 'attack' had reawakened the fear people held towards the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Though this alone wasn't necessarily a good thing, the unity it brought about was something that could easily be taken advantage of to make real and lasting progress towards his goals. Since his coronation was still fresh on everyone's mind, so too was his promise of dealing with the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Now, the entire population of Orario had assumed an atmosphere of righteous indignation as the public consensus had them crying out for the subjugation of the One-Eyed Black Dragon. With so many people directing their focus and 'hope' towards him, Vahn found that he couldn't even sleep as a result of the incredible power that was constantly pulsing through his body...
On the eve of his sixth day as an Emperor, Vahn was seated beneath the canopy of Yggy's branches as the young High Spirit curled up in his lap with a blissful smile on her sleeping face. Contrasting this, Vahn himself had a penitent expression, accented by a touch of remorse, as he had been unable to smile much after realizing the consequences of his mistake. With the coming dawn, he would be descending into the Dungeon and, depending on the circumstances, he may very well have to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon. He hadn't peeked into the 73rd Floor after the incident but, after taking a look at the Unit Management function of his system interface, he noticed that the One-Eyed Black Dragon was now missing from his list of Subordinates. She was obviously very upset after he had slighted her and, now that the people were crying out for her death, Vahn had to seriously consider what action he would be taking during their next encounter...
As she was sensitive to negative emotions, Yggy's eyes slowly opened in response to Vahn's thoughts, causing her large emerald green eyes to look toward him with concern clearly expressed on her childish face. Vahn forced a smile in an effort to allay her concerns but it didn't quite reach his eyes as he reached out his hand to gently stroke Yggy's head. In response, Yggy grabbed his wrist with her tiny hands to prevent his actions while shifting around so that she could better face him. Then, without any words, Yggy released his hand before her body began to emanate a gentle glow as the runes on her body shimmered with emerald light. Vahn felt an incredible amount of warmth flow into his body before, moments later, the young and childish Yggy was soon replaced by a much more mature version of herself.
Since it wasn't the first time she had changed her body, Vahn wasn't too surprised by the sudden change. What did surprise him, however, was when Yggy pulled him into a gentle hug in a way that only women like Hestia and Tsubaki could manage before she began to stroke the back of his head with her hand. Vahn's nose was tickled by an aroma that smelled of honey and flowers as his ruminating mind instantly became chaotic in response to the unexpected actions of this surrogate daughter of his. Though he knew she was just trying to help him calm down, Vahn felt incredibly flustered as a mixture of emotions suddenly overwhelmed as a result of the 'too intimate' action that Yggy had obviously copied from the more mature girls in his life...
Fortunately, Yggy quickly picked up on the fact that she had exacerbated the situation as her body quickly shrank back to normal, her mature features replaced by her child-like proportions as she looked up at him with an apologetic expression. Vahn was able to calm down his tumultuous emotions rather quickly when he saw this, causing his smile to turn genuine as he gently pulled Yggy into his embrace and said, "Thank you for trying to help, Yggy, but I'm okay. Besides, I'm already plenty happy with your adorable child-form...sorry for making you worry..." This time, Yggy was unable to prevent him from rubbing her head and, as a result, a pacified smile slowly spread across her still-concerned face. It didn't take long for the ridiculously powerful High Spirit to completely submit under his touch as, even though she did not require it, Yggy was gently snoring mere moments after he had embraced her...
Seeing his 'daughter' fall back into a peaceful slumber, Vahn's smile slowly faded away before he turned his head towards the vast canopy above and, once again, began his rumination. In a way, he was started to empathize more with his Emperor-self from the Divination as, now that he had just small taste of the 'responsibility' he had acquired, Vahn knew it couldn't have been easy to shoulder such burdens over the course of a decade. Fortunately, unlike his counterpart, he had never even tried to sever the ties between him and his extended family. No matter how difficult things got, Vahn knew he could always rely on his loved ones for a momentary reprieve. There was even a chance that, in the far future, he would be able to surrender the mantle of Emperor to another before living a truly peaceful life, surrounded by the smiling faces of everyone he shared mutual love and affection with...
With that thought in mind, Vahn placed the sleeping figure of Yggy into a small nook on the inside of her trunk that served as a place where others could rest. Though it was a bit surreal, placing a Tree Spirit to sleep inside of itself, Vahn didn't put too much thought into it before he slowly made his way towards the rendezvous point near Spero Village. His main body would be staying behind, as there were now endless duties that would require his presence, while he would be using his avatar to subjugate the Dungeon in its entirety. He didn't know how long it would take but, depending on the circumstances, Vahn was prepared to forcibly break through to the 99th Floor. It would ultimately depend on how the One-Eyed Black Dragon behaved and whether or not the girls wanted to advance forward in a more 'genuine' way. After all, the Dungeon seemed to have been designed with the purpose of helping people rapidly increase their strength, testing their willpower in the hopes of helping mortals rise to godhood.
Vahn was tempted to test to the veracity of his hypothesis and, with girls like Jeanne and Terra at his side, there was a fair chance he would be able to see someone else reach Tier 4 before him. Though Terra was still a ways away from reaching that point, Vahn knew what kinds of enemies she would have to face in the deepest Floors of the Dungeon and there was a fair chance she would be able to make rapid progress in her currently stagnant power. With an entity like the One-Eyed Black Dragon constantly pressuring her, there was no way Terra would simply be content with her current strength, pacifist or no. As for those like Fenrir and Helen, Vahn didn't believe the latter would be able to move forward with her current mentality while Fenrir, even without reaching Tier 4, could very well conquer the entire Dungeon if she began to ravenously devour every enemy she encountered...
As if in response to his thoughts, Vahn felt a presence enter into the area of his domain before, less than a millisecond later, Fenrir had appeared with her arms wrapped around his body from behind. She was currently in her 'fluffy' state and, even though Vahn couldn't feel the fur through his clothes, her tight embrace felt particularly 'plush' as a result of the densely packed midnight blue fur. Though he couldn't see her face from his current vantage, Vahn knew that Fenrir had probably been worrying about him but, for fear of disturbing his mental state, forced herself to stay away. Since she had crossed his mind, however, Fenrir took that as a sign that he had 'needed' her, causing the faithful Vanargandr to immediately rush to his side.
Vahn felt extremely gratified to have such a reliable subordinate at his side, even though their relationship had long progressed beyond the simple relationship between a Master and his Subordinate. He tapped the back of her paw to get her to release him from her embrace before turning around to face the scarlet-eyed Vanargandr as he smiled and said, "Let's go, Fenrir..." As he had extended his hand while speaking, Fenrir had quickly linked the digits of her paw between Vahn's fingers, allowing her plush paw pads to press against the palm of his hand. This always brought an even bigger smile to Vahn's face as he had long-since developed an appreciation for the squishy pink bumps of tender flesh. As a result, Vahn found himself naturally shifting into his pseudo-Vanargandr form as the two of them quietly walked toward their destination in no particular hurry.
Fenrir was quiet nearly the entire trip, having decided it was best to simply enjoy the moment in silence, but that changed rather quickly when the sound of fluttering wings could be heard from the surroundings. Some of the Harpy-Xenos that had been patrolling the area had caught sight of Vahn and, completely lacking the ability to read the atmosphere, the three nearly naked Xenos quickly swooped down to greet him. As a result of their flexibility and the need for a full range of motion during flight, they dressed much like members of the Amazoness race, wearing mere scraps of clothing to cover their increasingly humanoid features. They also had a complete disregard for personal space so, without dallying at all, Vahn found himself quickly surrounded by the three girls as they clung to his arms, each expecting a bit of pampering in return for their 'hard work' in patrolling so early in the morning...
After separating from the group of Harpies near the rendezvous point, Vahn gave a wry smile to the pouting Fenrir as the latter stared daggers towards the retreating Xenos. One of them had nearly fallen from the sky as a result of Fenrir's bloodlust, causing the other two to laugh and snicker at their companion, even as they deftly caught her out of the air. It wasn't until Vahn plopped his hand down on Fenrir's head that the 'offending' Xenos was able to recover, causing the latter to stare back confusedly before resuming her morning patrol duties. As for Fenrir, she had a small frown on her face as her expression become increasingly complicated before she lightly muttered, "Dumb birds..." under her breath.
Vahn pretended not to hear Fenrir's remark and simply smiled as he ruffled her hair and said, "Come now, the others are already waiting for us." Before Fenrir could respond, Vahn picked her up into a bridal carry and proceeded towards the three rather large auras that had congregated near the teleportation ward nearby. In response to the sudden 'benefit', Fenrir buried her head into Vahn's chest and began to breathe rather audibly through her nose while tightly hugging his neck. This kind of intimacy was something Vahn had long grown immune to so he didn't pay it any mind as he greeted several respectful Xenos before finally arriving at the chamber where Terra was seated across from Jeanne and Helen, a hint of derision on her face that quickly morphed into a smile as she turned her attention to Vahn and said, "Good morning, Master~."
Knowing that Terra had never been fond of Helen, Vahn chose not to pry into the matter as he gave a small nod before saying, "Good morning, Terra. I'm surprised that Alexa didn't follow along with you." Though she would never be able to enter into the Dungeon without his consent, Vahn had expected Alexa to make another last-minute attempt to convince him to allow her to follow along. In response to this, Terra issued a peal of sonorous laughter before explaining, "She has actually been spending a lot of time within some of the prototype Space-Time orbs I've been working on. Ever since that 'roar' sent a ripple through the city, Alexa's competitiveness has been stirred up...fufufufu~."
Though Alexa had never shown any signs of wanting to 'overthrow' her mother, she simply couldn't allow a second True Dragon to be more powerful than her. Now that she knew that the One-Eyed Black Dragon was much stronger than she was, Alexa was determined to grow much stronger as a result. There were several reasons for this but the biggest was simply the result of a True Dragon's 'pride' as, without being able to recognize Vahn as her 'King', Alexa needed to shift her focus to pacify other aspects of her base instincts. With the exception of Terra, who she knew would never actually be a 'threat', Alexa would never allow another True Dragon to be more powerful than she was, at least for a long period of time...
Imagining his daughter curled up with a Space-Time orb as she diligently studied magic with her mother's memory fragment, Vahn couldn't help but issue a small yet concerned smile. He knew he had complicated Alexa's life a great deal as a result of decisions he had made so, while he was glad she was so focused on a new goal, part of him was worried she would deviate down a dangerous path if she continued to seek power at such an 'early' age. Not only would it make the matter of her finding a mate more difficult, as she would likely need to look towards other records just to find someone her equal, but Vahn was worried that Alexa's 'pride' would only grow as her strength increased. Though she wasn't currently hostile towards Terra, it didn't seem like True Dragons had the same feelings of love and attachment that he had grown to 'expect' from sentient races...
Shaking his head to clear away such negative thoughts, Vahn turned his attention to Jeanne and Helen as he gave a polite nod and said, "Good morning, Jeanne, Helen. Have you finished your preparations...?" Vahn made a point of saying Helen's name last, causing the silvery-haired maiden to squint her eyes slightly as a result while Jeanne gave a respectful bow and replied, "My Lord, with the equipment you have provided, we were able to complete our preparations without issue...!" Since Jeanne held such an important position, she not only had equipment that had been personally forged by Hephaestus but, if you were to look beyond the armored collar of her silver breastplate, you would find a pristine white choker that also served as an interspatial storage device.
Vahn gave another small nod in response to Jeanne's overly polite response before changing into his own Adventurer garb for the first time in what felt like ages. Though the equipment was now almost entirely comprised of A and S-Rank items, Vahn's overall appearance hadn't changed much from the time he had proactively ventured into the Dungeon. He still had the habit of wearing shin guards over a pair of black trousers while his forearms were covered in layered metallic gauntlets. As for his tunic, it was woven with several layers of Cadmus hide, each having a network of mana-circuits interwoven into the dyed-black fabric.
The biggest change to his outfit, which was designed for ease of movement and unarmed combat, was the inclusion of several ornate accessories while his waist was fitted with a very 'peculiar' belt. This was one of Ina's inventions and, though Vahn could easily store things within his Inventory, his brilliant daughter had come up with a method that would allow a small number of physical objects to be stored within an interspatial artifact that could be 'propelled' outward with a simple thought. Vahn had promised to field-test the item in the past and, now that he would be venturing into the Dungeon's deepest depths, it was a good opportunity to see just how powerful Ina's creation could truly become...
With his own preparations completed, Vahn gave a cursory glance at everyone to 'inspect' their own equipment before giving a firm and satisfied nod. Though Terra chose to simply wear the dress he had gifted her long ago, as she was of a similar mentality to Eva, everyone else was fitted with equipment that smaller Kingdoms might literally wage war to obtain. This was especially true for Jeanne and Fenrir as, with the exception of a few A-Rank accessories, they were both wearing a full assortment of S-Rank equipment. For Fenrir, this meant she was wearing the [Aegis Mk. 7] set of equipment while Jeanne, being one of the only 'heavy' knights Vahn had ever encountered was wearing full-body armor, complete with a helmet that she was currently holding under her arm. He found it somewhat ironic that someone that was practically indestructible would wear so much armor but, as Jeanne seemed more comfortable when fully covered, he didn't make any comments about it...
After looking over Fenrir and Jeanne, Vahn's eyes glanced over Helen's figure for a short moment before he locked eyes with the stone-faced demigoddess. Their gazes matched only briefly, however, before Vahn lightly shook his head and walked over toward the 'key' of the teleportation ward. Helen was attired in the same equipment that she had arrived with, having refused any offers to have other equipment produced for her. Though her long white gown was still an S-Rank magic robe, Vahn knew it lacked the functionality that many of the equipment produced in the Manor possessed. After all, Hephaestus was 'literally' the greatest blacksmith in both Heaven and the Mortal World so it was simply foolish to refuse the offer for basically free equipment...
As if she could read his mind, Jeanne gave her friend a wry smile before staring towards Vahn's back and saying, "Don't worry about Helen, Vahn. I'll do my best to protect her..." In response to this, Vahn just gave a small and dismissive nod while Helen, reading too much into what her friend had said, gained a slightly distant look in her eyes. Her mind wandered to create scenes of Vahn and Jeanne meeting in secret, coming up with a plan that had eluded her ears. Though she trusted Jeanne completely, Helen knew that her friend had changed a lot over the past few months that they had been staying within the Manor. As a result, though she didn't allow it to show on her face, Helen suddenly felt incredibly lonely, believing that her only friend may have betrayed her...
Sensing the fluctuations in Jeanne's aura, Vahn shook his head in mild exasperation as he finished powering the teleportation ward. Then, after a brilliant light flared within the room, five of the most powerful people in the world had vanished from their previous locations. Later historical accounts would mark this event, which took place without public knowledge, as the pivotal moment in which Vahn's reign as Emperor truly began...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is a big baby','Fenrir is still the Goodest girl','Helen's delusions might as well be an Innate at this point...')
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