ดาวน์โหลดแอป
1.94% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 41: Affection : Love

บท 41: Affection : Love

Vahn blanked out as he stared at the system notification. He never expected that Lili would fall in 'love' with him after such a short period of time. Staring at the young girl that had gotten close to his body during his absentmindedness, he wasn't really sure what to feel. Though he understood what love was from reading manga and the memory of his mother, he didn't really know how to express it. He knew he liked Lili, since she was very adorable, but he also liked Chloe's playfulness and Hephaestus's bashful coolness.

Seeing the quest required him to get 100 affection, Vahn was at a loss. Even though they had spent a fair amount of time together, her affection had only increased twice throughout the entire duration. He had almost even forgotten about it since her aura had remained persistent since he saved her the previous day.

Since he couldn't think of the solution himself, he tried asking his reliable big Sis. ("Sis, how can I increase someones affection to 100? Do I...need to marry them or something?")

A deep, mechanical sigh sounded in his mind. (*I'm sure if you got someone to 100 Affection and they loved you as a member of the opposite sex, they would probably marry you. But marriage doesn't mean someone has 100 affection. There are several types of love as well, such as the bonds between comrades that have fought together, or the familial love like what your mother had for you. How you get the affection to 100 will be entirely dependant on you, since my help would have more negative influence than positive gain.*)

Vahn sighed within his mind. ("Why is love such a complicated thing..."). He looked towards Lili who had been sticking to his body for some time now. It seemed like she was developing the tendencies of some kind of hug type monster. He even noticed she would periodically smell his body, which always caused a cold sweat to drip down his back.

As a test, he tried seeing if he could increase her affection by petting her...

When his hand came into contact with her head, she began to snuggle against him more intensely, almost as if the hand was a signal that allowed her behavior. Though Vahn was beginning to get uncomfortable, he also felt an 'awkward' feeling within his chest as his pulse began to markedly increase. Through his petting, he noticed that her aura seemed to become very lively as it danced about, but there was no change in the amount of affection displayed in the system.

He almost thought about giving her a kiss, but eventually dismissed the idea. They hadn't known each other for very long, and there was still a long while before he could complete her training. If he kissed her now before she had become more stable, he would feel like he was manipulating her. This thought brought back memories of his sunset rendezvous with Chloe, and he began to truly understand why she had prevented him from confessing at that moment. If she had accepted his feelings then and there, he would have become reliant on her. All of his efforts would have been spent trying to make her happy, and it would most likely cause him to make a mistake in the future.

Once again he could see the parallels between himself and Lili. Since she had been neglected so much as a child and also exploited by the people she should have been able to rely on, she was in desperate need of an anchor to ground her emotions. Though he could see she 'loved' him through the system, it was more of a 'puppy love' or 'dependency' instead of genuine infatuation...

He began to understand the dangers of the current situation, so after he gave her two more soft pats he stood up. "It's time we head out of the dungeon. Even if this is the corridor of the first floor, there is no guarantee that danger won't present itself. I also have several things to take care of this evening, so we shouldn't loiter around here for too long."

Lili was disappointed that he put an end to their little moment. She thought things were progressing in a good direction, but right as she was about to try and push things forward he ended up running away. She began thinking Vahn was either too dense to sense the atmosphere, or maybe he wasn't interested in her. Looking at his face, he seemed calm and collected, which caused her to feel a little down.

Vahn noticed her actions but knew if he gave her too much attention it would probably develop into an issue in the near future. He still gave her a gentle smile and softly called out to her. "Come, Lili. Let's get out of this dreary dungeon. We might even make it in time to see the sunset from the plaza."

Her ears twitched at his words, and she immediately bounded to her feet. "Yes, Vahn-sama~ Lets go go go~!" She began leading the way while Vahn just helplessly shook his head.

They made their way out of the dungeon, and Lili took the few cores they had earned to a guild managed window near the information desks outside the dungeon entrance. Vahn watched her curiously, and he wondered why she had taken the cores. After fifteen minutes, she rushed back holding a small bag of Valis and presented it to him.

"Here you go Vahn-sama. You managed to earn 14,830V today~!" She stuffed the bag into his hands and gave him a look like she wanted to be praised. Vahn decided to give in, and began rubbing her head which caused her to squirm about while making strange noises.

"This Valis, it came from the cores we earned today? Were you able to exchange them here at the tower?" He looked towards the direction she had left earlier. He noticed there were a few adventurers entering and exiting the small building he had previously neglected.

Lili gave him a confused look before asking, "Eh? Vahn-sama? Have you not been exchanging your cores outside the dungeon?"

Vahn shook his head and told her he had been trading them in at the main Guild branch. She looked at him like he was a weirdo, but then recalled that he was a newbie freelancer that had been in the City for little more than a week.

"Vahn-sama, it would be very time-consuming if people had to walk all the way to the Guild every time they wanted to exchange cores and drop items. That's why the Guild set up an exchange booth near the entrance of the dungeon. Though they offer a 1% markup from the normal tax, it's still much more convenient than spending nearly an hour just to take your spoils to the Guild. Most people only visit the main office to accept and report quests and level ups."

Vahn couldn't help but laugh after hearing her words. It definitely made sense, and he probably should have paid more attention to his surroundings. He began to consider mapping the entire City in the future and trying to obtain as much information as he could. Seeing the expectant expression on Lili's face, he decided to pat her again while teasing her a bit.

"Thanks, Liliruca-sama. This ignorant one has heard your guidance and taken it to heart."

After he had spoken, Lili visibly froze. She mechanically turned to him with an incredulous expression on her face. "Vahn-sama...please don't address me like that. I'm offering my advice because I want to, not because I think I'm in a higher position than you are..."

Vahn simply smiled in response. "It's the same for me Lili. I'm helping you because I want to, so you shouldn't address me as sama either. We'll be together for a long time, so it feels awkward being addressed in such a subservient way.

She began to grit her teeth while she struggled with the words. After a while, she looked into his eyes while nodding slightly. "Yes...Vahn. I will try to fix my bad habit."

They continued generating their unique atmosphere as the passing adventurers gave them strange looks. Some of the less sensitive ones even whistled and gave them playful calls to embarrass the two senseless children.

Hearing the surrounding voices, Lili hung her head and began to blush. She gave shy glances at Vahn, but seeing his composed expression she couldn't help but sigh. "Vahn-sa...Vahn, where are you going from here?"

Vahn smiled before looking towards the sky. The sun was going to set in about twenty minutes, so he decided to keep his word and view it together. "For now let's find a better vantage point to watch the sunset. I did say we would watch it if we made it in time. After that, I'll head back towards my Inn after stopping at the market to purchase a gift."

"Eh, gift? For who?" Hearing the words gift, Lili became excited and concerned at the same time. She hoped that the gift might be for her, but seeing as how he mentioned it casually it was likely for someone else...probably a woman.

"Ah, it's for the Proprietress' daughter. She was the one that made the lunchbox I ate during our break in the dungeon, remember?" Vahn casually mentioned Tina, as it wasn't really a secret.

"Umu...I want to meet her." There was a cautious glint in her eye, with a hint of competitiveness. If it was a cute girl, she had to make sure to protect Vahn from her devious clutches. There was also the matter of the Proprietress who allowed her daughter to make a lunchbox for a customer...

"Sure, I'll introduce you in the future."

They two eventually ended up on the same viewing platform where Vahn had watched the sunset with Chloe. Lili used the opportunity snuggle again Vahn, but wasn't as restless as she had been previously. She just continued staring towards the sunset in a daze, silent until it had disappeared beyond the horizon. Vahn observed the silence and allowed her to lean against his body. For some reason, as the light faded he felt a melancholy deep within his heart that he couldn't explain. It wasn't until the light had completely faded that he broke the silence.

"What will you do from here on Lili?" Though they had agreed to meet up again, much earlier this time, Vahn was still curious about what she had decided upon. He knew, given her current disguise, that she was still actively hiding from her Familia.

Lili silently contemplated her next words carefully. She looked towards Vahn and noticed the concern in his eyes, so she mustered up her courage. "I...I want to stay in the same Inn as you. I don't want to return to my Familia as they'll likely blame me for the deaths of the three members that died in the dungeon. Though there isn't a lot of camaraderie in that detestable place, they'll still punish me severely to appease their own unease. In the worst case, they may even kill me..."

Vahn grit his teeth in anger hearing her words. He understood what she said was true, and since it was due to his actions that caused the death of the three, he needed to take responsibility and protect her until she became strong enough. Seeing the fear that begun to show in Lili's eyes, he smiled before walking towards the stairs leading to the lower levels.

After he took a few steps, he turned towards the dejected looking Pallum. "Come on Lili, lets go home." As the words left his lips, he felt a powerful force nearly knock him to the ground.

"Vahn-saaaama~" Lili had lept into his body after his Vahn's words. She nuzzled against his abdomen and gripped his body like a vice.

//[Liliruca Arde] Affection +1//

After several painstaking minutes, Vahn finally managed to separate the hugging demon from his body. He turned and continued his way outside of the tower, as the cheerful girl followed closely behind.


ความคิดของผู้สร้าง
Einlion Einlion

I think it would almost be more appropriate for Lili to be a chienthrope at this point instead of an elf. She acts a lot like a Puppy~

Let me know what you think in the comments section~

BTW. This volume has upwards of three character arcs overlapping with each other, so it may be as many as 25-30 chapters long~! Don't worry though, as it's a very important setup for future events!

บท 42: Showdown Within the Hearths Embrace

Vahn and Lili made their way towards the 'Hearth's Embrace' and stopped at a small stall that sold trinkets and gifts. Since he didn't know what to buy as a gift for a young girl, he decided to ask Lili since she was around the same age as Tina.

"Eh? You want me to help you pick a gift for another girl...?" She began to pout while giving him a look of dissatisfaction.

Vahn nodded while picking up and examining some animal shaped charms. "Yeah, I've never bought a gift for anyone before, so I'm not really sure what to get."

Never bought a gift before? The words repeated themselves in Lili's mind over and over. ('I have to get him to buy me something as well. I can't let the first gift he ever purchases go to some random Inn employee!') She began forming a plan in her head...

"Vahn-sa...Vahn. How about in exchange for me helping you pick a gift, you buy me one as well? It doesn't have to be something expensive, but I would like something to remember our meeting and the first day of training by. Ah! I know, I can buy you a gift and we can exchange presents!" She began getting fired up at the thought of exchanging gifts. As far as she knew, if he had never given a gift, wasn't it almost as likely he had never received any!?

"Sure, Lili. I don't really see a reason not to reward you for your help. Though, you don't really need to get me anything." From manga, Vahn remembered that girls liked gifts and sweets, and he could see from her aura that she was happy at the idea of receiving a present.

Lili began dragging Vahn around the stalls until she came upon an area that sold ornamental brooches and accessories for women. After asking Vahn more than a fair amount of questions about Tina, she finally selected a small green brooch shaped like a fish.

Vahn inspected the small brooch and noticed it was a similar aquamarine color as his eyes, and thought it was a bit strange to purchase it. Seeing his hesitation, Lili insisted that it would be well-received so he eventually gave in. As a precaution, he also purchased some salted caramel wrapped in a decorative container. After having the two items packaged, Lili ended up dragging him to another section of the store.

When they were browsing around earlier, Lili had found an object that caught her eye and thought it would be the ideal exchange item. Within the display case were a pair of lockets shaped to represent hearts. The larger of the two was silver in color, while the slightly smaller locket was a vibrant bronze similar to brass. Though other items could be stored inside them, what drew Lili's attention was how the smaller bronze locket could be seated inside the silver locket, turning the two individual parts into a singular whole.

Vahn noticed the item on display and thought it was kind of cool how two different pieces of jewelry were made to be able to fit together. Without thinking too much about it, he ended up asking the shopkeep to ring up the item, but Lili interrupted...

"I want to pay for the silver locket myself. You can buy the bronze locket, and then we'll exchange them." Lili seemed adamant at the idea, and Vahn recalled that she had gotten excited at the idea of purchasing gifts for each other. He decided to give in to her whimsy, even though he noticed that the silver locket was the more expensive of the two. Vahn figured there always time to make up for the difference later.

After they had finished the purchase, Lili had the two of them stop a few meters away from the stall. She had Vahn kneel down so she could more easily reach around his neck. With a blush on her face, she connected the locket around his neck before staring into Vahn's face with an anticipatory look. Realizing what she wanted, he took the small bronze locket and placed it around her small, fragile, neck in return. (A/N: Flashbacks anyone?)

//[Liliruca Arde] Affection +3//

---

Once the exchange was completed, the two walked towards the direction of the Inn. Lili became very quiet for the duration of the trip and kept fiddling with the locket. She would mumble to herself while releasing a dream-like expression on her face.

Vahn, seeing how much she liked the locket, became certain that girls must really love receiving gifts. He hadn't expected to get a whopping three additional affection for a trinket that only cost 800 Valis. Looking at his own locket, he could feel a discomforting pressure from around his neck. However, this discomfort was offset by the sense of warmth he could feel emanating from the cold metal.

---

They finally arrived outside the Inn, and Lili seemed to become more alert than she had appeared even when they were in the dungeon. There was a glint in her eye like she was about to face a dangerous enemy. Vahn was very surprised, ('Why doesn't she show this kind of motivation in the dungeon?') Thinking it would be a dangerous question, he decided to lead the way through the Inn's entrance.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeelcome~! Would you like to stay the nya-ight~?" In a manner almost identical to the first time he stepped into the Inn, a young cat girl excitedly greeted them when they stepped through the door.

"Ah, Mister-nya~!? You're finally back! I'm super angry-nya!" The small 120cm tall cat girl rushed forward before standing directly in front of Vahn. "Kneel." She stomped her tiny foot and gave him a fierce look with her arms across her non-existent chest.

Though he was confused, Vahn figured it was best to listen to her for the time being. It was his fault for worrying her in the first place, and there wasn't any harm in allowing her to release her pent-up emotions. Besides, he also found her attempts at acting mature to be rather adorable.

Just as Tina was about to begin lecturing, she paused after seeing the small cloaked girl standing behind Vahn. The two made eye contact, and Tina could feel her instincts screaming that the girl before her was an 'enemy'.

Turning her focus away from the kneeling Vahn, she began sizing up the slightly smaller girl in front of her. At first, she smiled after noticing that the girl was shorter than she was, but when her eyes came across the chest area she felt an impact to her mental state. Tina began to pat her flat chest with a sad expression which quickly turned to anger when she noticed the small girl proudly 'puff' out with a gloating look on her face. Between the two shapely mounds, Tina could even see the existence of a small brass locket that seemed very similar to the silver locket worn by the kneeling Vahn!

"Who are you-nya? What is your relationship with Mister-nya?" Tina refused to yield before the unknown girl before her. She looked directly into her eyes, trying to pry out any information she could obtain.

Lili smiled while continuing to flaunt her 'weapons'. She began to fiddle with the locket before giving the cat girl a cheeky look and responding, "I'm Vahn-sama's partner and Supporter. He is also training me from sunrise to sunset~What about you, 'little' girl~?"

From the side, Vahn could see an illusion of sparks colliding between the area where the twos line-of-sight crossed. He could also see that both of their auras were dancing around like flames and he began to feel a cold sweat streak down his back. Thinking he needed to step in to prevent a fight from starting, he tried standing and separating the two.

"Lili, Tina, why are you glaring at each other after just meeting? Lili, Tina is the daughter of the Proprietress I mentioned earlier. Both she and her mother have shown me kindness after I arrived in the City, so I don't want to see you making trouble with them for no reason." As he admonished Lili, she began showing an ashamed expression while Tina began beaming with a smile on her face.

"And Tina, Lili is an important companion and student of mine. I am training her to become stronger, while she helps supplement for my own lack of knowledge. There would be many things I couldn't do without her, including this..." Seeing the demeanor of the two invert, with Lili now showing a smile while Tina began to sulk, Vahn pulled out his trump card.

"Here you go Tina. A present to apologize for making you worry, and some salted caramel to thank you for the delicious lunch you prepared on my behalf. Thanks, I really appreciate it." As he spoke he passed the two items to the young cat girl and she received them with a gleeful expression. When she saw the fish-shaped brooch that matched Vahn's eyes, she was extremely happy.

Tina held the brooch in her hands as she glanced at the girl introduced as Lili. Since Vahn had said Lili helped pick out the present, she wanted to thank her, but seeing the locket around Lili's neck made her annoyed. With a sudden burst of inspiration, she handed the brooch back to Vahn before asking him to pin it to the collar of her blouse.

Vahn received the brooch and did as she asked, noticing a fierce blush spread on her cheeks in the process.

//[Tina Yuel] Affection +8//

Hearing the notification, Vahn almost tripped and fumbled with the brooch in his right hand. He managed to catch himself but noticed a stillness spread through the atmosphere. Looking around he saw Lili with a shocked expression, while Tina was blushing so fiercely that the aura emitting from her body created the illusion of steam. From his left hand, Vahn could feel an incredibly subtle but soft sensation on his palm. Perhaps due to some base instinct, he slightly squeezed the hand which caused the blushing Tina to mewl and immediately dash towards the back room.

"Vaaaaahn-nya~ Yoooou perveeert~idiot~demon~nya!!!" She quickly dashed through the door, leaving a stunned Vahn still holding out his hand.

("Sis, what did I just grab?") Vahn was very confused at the turn of events and tried asking the only person that would be able to help him make sense of his predicament.

(*Pervert.*) Hearing Sis also call him a pervert, Vahn almost fell over for the second time. 'What on earth had he done to be labeled as a pervert by two girls in such a brief period of time!?' He looked towards his last hope of getting an answer, Lili, who was staring at him with a sad expression on her face.

"Vahn-sama...do you like smaller ones?" As she asked the question, she closed both hands over her chest and Vahn began to realize the seriousness of his offense. When he slipped he must have accidentally touched Tina's boobs...and then he even squeezed.

Even the dense Vahn understood he had done something inexcusable, but he didn't know what he had to do to remedy the situation. For now, he just looked towards Lili and gave an awkward smile. "I...I don't really have a preference...I think."

Lili released a sigh of relief while patting her own developing chest. "Thank goodness Vahn-sama~" As she spoke she began to close the gap between them.

A terrible premonition began to arise within Vahn's mind and he began to backstep to keep the distance from shortening. He could see an evil look in Lili's eyes as she approached him with a 'kind' smile on her face. Eventually, he backed up into a wall and lost all possibility of further retreat.

Lili continued to close the gap until she was standing just beneath him. While looking upwards with those same fearful eyes, she suddenly reached back her right hand...and smacked him across the face.

"VAHN-SAMA, YOU PERVERT!"

The pain from the slap and the fact he had been called a pervert three times in such a short period dealt critical damage to Vahn's mental state. As he used one hand to cover his burning face, Lili ended up seizing his free hand...and placed it directly onto her chest.

"I won't lose..." She mumbled almost inaudibly.


ความคิดของผู้สร้าง
Einlion Einlion

Sorry guy, I've been feeling kind of sick all day. I'll try to get out another chapter, but I can't make any promises~

*Notice*

Vahn is only 14, so it's somewhat acceptable for him to have intimate contact with young girls very similar to his age. However, please note this does not mean he will be taking 'advanced' liberties with any of them. Don't expect any overly sexualized interactions between him and underage women.

*End Notice*

Please let me know what you think in the comments~

Load failed, please RETRY

สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์

ป้ายปลดล็อกตอน

สารบัญ

ตัวเลือกแสดง

พื้นหลัง

แบบอักษร

ขนาด

ความคิดเห็นต่อตอน

เขียนรีวิว สถานะการอ่าน: C41
ไม่สามารถโพสต์ได้ กรุณาลองใหม่อีกครั้ง
  • คุณภาพงานเขียน
  • ความเสถียรของการอัปเดต
  • การดำเนินเรื่อง
  • กาสร้างตัวละคร
  • พื้นหลังโลก

คะแนนรวม 0.0

รีวิวโพสต์สําเร็จ! อ่านรีวิวเพิ่มเติม
โหวตด้วย Power Stone
Rank 200+ การจัดอันดับพลัง
Stone 98 หินพลัง
รายงานเนื้อหาที่ไม่เหมาะสม
เคล็ดลับข้อผิดพลาด

รายงานการล่วงละเมิด

ความคิดเห็นย่อหน้า

เข้า สู่ ระบบ

tip ความคิดเห็นย่อย

คุณลักษณะความคิดเห็นย่อหน้าอยู่ในขณะนี้บนเว็บ! เลื่อนเมาส์ไปที่ย่อหน้าใดก็ได้แล้วคลิกไอคอนเพื่อเพิ่มความคิดเห็นของคุณ

นอกจากนี้คุณสามารถปิด / เปิดได้ตลอดเวลาในการตั้งค่า

เข้าใจแล้ว