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22.79% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 534: Reality

บท 534: Reality

Although Alosrin had triggered one of his own mines 'accidentally', the robes he had were incredibly resistant to magic and he also possessed various treasures that would protect his life if it were endangered. Vahn could see the small formations and barriers covering his body, which was the main reason he wasn't concerned with the safety of the arrogant High Elf. Even if he did injure himself seriously, it would get out that the spell to injure him was one of his own makings and he would earn the ire of his peers. Given his personality, Alosrin wouldn't mention it to anyone but Vahn wasn't quite satisfied with that. Much like Alosrin's hatred of him had escalated, Vahn's own for the smug fool had increased greatly.

Shaking his head in admonition, Vahn stated icily, "Not only do you lack control over your own magic, but you forget where you set your own traps? Is this some kind of joke to you...?" Alosrin's pupils contracted and he shouted, "You and that bitch are playing foul! There is no way my magic would misfire like this!" Vahn cocked his head to the side as if he had just heard the dumbest thing in the world, turning to face Keelan and asking, "Is he being serious right now? What kind of game are the two of you playing, trying to set me up by injuring yourselves?"

Keelan's focus had been a bit split by Vahn's gaze had inadvertently caused his body to tremble for reasons he couldn't quite speculate. The only thing he knew was that his hatred for the small human 'child' had increased greatly, even though he somewhat agreed that Alosrin was incompetent. He had seen Alosrin setting up some of his traps earlier but hadn't been able to see where he placed all of them. Keelan assumed that Alosrin's temper was clouding his judgment and interfered with his control over his own magic. This was one of the reasons Mages fought at the backline because even simple distractions could cause a chant to go awry. When they returned to the forest, Keelan intended to inform his Master about Alosrin's 'pathetic' performance so the boy could undergo basic training all over again...

While Vahn was 'distracted' looking at Keelan, Alosrin pulled out the small green wand again and waved it twice in Vahn's direction. This time, Vahn simply sidestepped the invisible blades and began walking toward Alosrin with a face filled with contempt, saying, "You assume every action of your opponent is an opening without taking into consideration their capabilities at all. Not only are you unable to form a spell properly, but you rely on cheap tricks and magical treasures to play at being a Mage..." Every step Vahn took increased his momentum and pressure greatly, without any change in his speed at all. Alosrin felt this pressured and opened up the distance once again before pulling out a small blue orb and injecting his mana into it.

Vahn was somewhat curious about the orb since it seemed like a very valuable object so he allowed Alosrin to complete his preparations. He could sense a vast amount of water elemental energy contained within it so Vahn didn't have any fear of what it might be. Though he may not have water immunity, his resistance to the element was incredibly high in his base form, while it was almost perfect in his Xuánwǔ form. Thus, after Alosrin injected nearly 20% of his total mana into the small blue orb, he threw it forward and it 'exploded' into a mass of water that swirled around like a vortex. Curiously, it had glowing azure eyes affixed to the area that should be its head while two watery arms protruded from its side. Vahn recognized the creature to be an artificial Water Elemental, and couldn't help but shake his head at Alosrin's misfortune. Alosrin must have accumulated a great deal of negative karma to have come face-to-face with someone like Vahn...

Alosrin laughed like a madman as he pulled out a shining white vial of liquid and ingested it, greatly increasing his natural mana regeneration while bolstering his actual mana pool by around 20%. It was an Elixir formed from the sap of the sacred tree, one of his 'life-saving' tools when he was in great danger, but Alosrin had used it in a duel that wasn't even supposed to be a fight to the death. With his Water Elemental as protection, he should be able to chant his spells more easily and put pressure on Vahn. However, just as he brandished his staff and began his chant, something mind-numbing happened right in front of his eyes.

Seeing the Water Elemental begin to absorb elemental energy from the atmosphere to channel its own magic, Vahn transformed into his Xuánwǔ form in an instant, converging his domain on the creature comprised of pure energy. He traced his hands in a circular arc before making a pulling motion as he traced his foot back in a smooth motion and swiped his hands down. The entire Water Elemental 'shifted' forward before the blue orb within its body was yanked free, causing the creature to collapse into elemental particulates that slowly evaporated and returned to the air. Vahn bent over and picked up the blue orb and inspected it with interest, saying, "The more reliant you are on such treasures, the less capable you will be when facing real threats. Thus far, you've only shown me your wealth and how grossly incompetent you are...see, this is why I said you shouldn't treat this 'duel' seriously..."

Alosrin's mind had completely blanked at this point because he had no idea how Vahn had been able to defeat his Water Elemental so easily. The only thing he felt was a strange 'tugging' in his body, almost like his stomach had sunken downwards, as his connection with his guardian had been severed. He hadn't even been able to process Vahn's words completely, as the only thing passing through his mind as he returned to awareness was, ("This boy is dangerous..."). Though it was a difficult, almost ridiculous, thing to consider, Alosrin started to understand why Riveria might call someone like Vahn their 'Master'. He wasn't a normal human boy at all, but a monster, no, a 'demon' in the guise of a human child!

Vahn continued to stare at the dazed Alosrin before tilting his head and asking, "Are you going to surrender, or do I have to give you a 'proper' education? Well..." For a moment, Vahn was going to say that he had no intention of drawing things to a close so early, but Alosrin had been stirred awake by his words and cast short chant magic that shot a spear of fire toward him. This time, Vahn didn't dodge at all and just began to yawn like he was very tired of this entire situation...

With its supersonic speeds, the spear crashed into him and made a conal explosion as Alosrin's expression turned into a cruel smile. He hadn't expected Vahn to take the hit directly and there were no fluctuations of mana at all, which meant that the boy didn't even use a barrier to intercept it. However, just as he was about to goad Riveria for her foolishness, his mind buzzed once again as Vahn 'casually' walked out of the quickly dispersing cloud of flames. He saw the boy look around with an annoyed expression on his face before asking, "Who is going to pay for the repairs to my courtyard?" For the first time in his life, Alosrin felt a powerful urge to vomit blood as a result of the incomprehensible rage and frustration he felt.

Vahn shook his head, clearly 'disappointed' by Alosrin's performance, before saying in a firm tone, "I gave you the opportunity to avoid this duel from the beginning, tried to give you some breathing room so you didn't embarrass yourself, and even allowed you to surrender before I have even started my attacks. That is three mark against you and the end of where my patience lays. From here on, I'll be showing you what 'real' magic is, so make sure to pay close attention. It's never too late in life to actually 'learn' something..." Hearing Vahn's words, Alosrin realized that, even though he had used several treasures and had cast multiple spells, Vahn hadn't actually attacked him just yet. The rage in his mind melted as a feeling of dread began to permeate through his body as he watched the young boy before him begin to spread his arms...

Since the purpose of this 'play' was to save the two Elven girls while simultaneously embarrassing and causing fear within Alosrin, Vahn decided to make things rather showy. He let his domain 'explode' from his body like a tidal wave as he infused [Enkidu] into it, not to actually use the chains just yet, but to create the illusion of a divine aura. Even gods misconstrued his domain as a pseudo-divine power so there was no way Alosrin would be able to see through it at all. As expected, the moment they felt the 'divinity' in his domain, Alosrin, Keelan, and even the two Elven girls all showed expression of shock and, in the case of Alosrin, terror.

Vahn uttered in a lecturing tone before Alosrin could form any words or try to surrender, "For a Mage, the most important thing is to have a proper understanding of the situations you find yourself in, ceaselessly pursuing your studies further. Because they often have low physical parameters, you need to prepare yourself for all kinds of opponents so that you aren't caught off guard and killed before you can even cast a spell. Though you used your mines as a fail-safe, you couldn't even keep track of them because your own mental state had clouded your mind...now, I will show you true magic that circumvents your shallow understanding..."

As he was speaking, orbs of fire and a ring of water had started to spin behind Vahn's body, creating the 'illusion' that he had mastery over both elements. Alosrin felt like his mind had been pressed under a large slab of lead as he quickly understood why he was unable to damage Vahn with his fire spear. He wasn't sure how, but Vahn was able to use the elemental control of the Spirits...and he even emitted the aura of a god. The young human had the capabilities of the two entities most revered and respected by the Elves for millennia and he thought he could actually oppose that kind of power? Cast a glance over at Riveria, he could see the 'genuine' respect and appreciation in her eyes and realized he had made a grave error. However, even knowing this, his hatred for Vahn only increased as his envy grew to match it...

Vahn had condensed a large amount of elemental energy into the spheres and circle behind him, but this was merely a display to 'awe' the onlookers and not his true attack. His arms, which had been spread wide in a casual manner were brought to his sides without any haste at all. Alosrin seemed to have completely forgotten they were in a duel and was just glaring at him with eyes filled with hatred. As for Keelan, Vahn was very aware of the hostility radiating from the man as his aura was completely filled with black and the fiery red of hatred. He wasn't really worried about the man, even though he was Level 5, because Vahn could sense from the size and instability of his aura that Keelan's parameters weren't that developed. Without access to something like the Dungeon, even the Elves with high levels weren't actually that strong and it was likely he increased his strength every time he met the basic requirements to do so.

Reaching out his hand, Vahn muttered, "Unbreakable Chains, Divine Spear ~Enkidu!" as nine glowing ripples appeared in the void behind him. He didn't need a chant for [Enkidu], of course, but Vahn wanted to make them think he was using short-chant magic instead of a soulbound item. Even without contacting someone, the resplendent golden radiance of [Enkidu] was enough to even cause gods to feel pressure, much less an incompetent, arrogant, and egotistical High Elf. The moment the nine ripples emerged behind Vahn's back, Alosrin's eyes opened wide and he crushed a teardrop shaped pendant and made a blue barrier covered in runes emerge to protect his body. Vahn shook his head gently before waving his hand forward and sending [Enkidu] flying several times the speed of sound toward Alosrin's barrier...

Alosrin had previously felt like Vahn was a 'demon' but, after having felt his aura and witnessing his magical prowess, he understood the truth of the matter. Vahn was very 'obviously' a demigod that possessed a great deal of power. He even suspected that the only reason Vahn looked so young was that he aged very slowly. Instead of fifteen, Alosrin felt like Vahn was more likely several decades old, perhaps even older than he himself. He felt like he had been played the fool by Riveria and Vahn yet, remembering Vahn's earlier words and the purported feats attributed to him, Alosrin also felt like he had made a gross oversight. Had he researched the matters just a bit, it was likely he would have been able to obtain information about Vahn's capabilities and prepared himself more adequately. Now, seeing the nine 'divine spears' pointing at him, Alosrin reluctantly used his most important treasure, the necklace his handmaiden had gifted him when he became an adult...the same necklace that had caused him to fall madly in love with the woman, even to the point that he 'had' to make her his own...

The nine spearheads of [Enkidu] slammed into the barrier soundlessly and sent small ripples across its surface that confused everyone present except for Vahn and Riveria. He just kept his hand raised in a lazy manner and had a small smile on his face, almost as if he had frozen in time. As for Alosrin, he had regretted using his last treasure to create a barrier when the magic used by Vahn turned out to be very weak. However, this thought faded very quickly when he noticed the chains were still present and that the barrier around him had started to create even more ripples. The dread that had previously vanished returned in full force as he 'realized' that Vahn was likely just toying with him. Alosrin suspected the chains could have broken through the barrier easily but Vahn just wanted to give him false hope to create a gap in his mentality.

After a few seconds passed, the tension in the air had reached a palpable level before the nine spearheads penetrated through the barrier without even destroying it. They traced trajectories around Alosrin's body as they slammed heavily into the ground below while the barrier slowly broke down like a thin glass bubble. Keelan shouted out, "Young Master!" as he charged toward the site and tried to cut the chains with his sword. However, other than causing the skin between his thumbs and forefingers to tear open, he couldn't even budge the chains at all. Seeing that Alosrin wasn't moving, Keelan turned his gaze to Vahn and shouted, "You murderous bastard! Do you really think the Elven Kingdom will stand idly by as you ruthlessly slay its envoys!? I'll take your head for this!"

Keelan charged toward Vahn with the greatest momentum he could manage, ducking around the chains that surrounded Vahn's body. However, he saw a flash of gold as the chains dispersed, temporarily blinding his eyes before a massive impact passed through his chest. Before he realized what had happened, he could feel his body tumbling over several times before he crashed into a hard object. Keelan released a painful grunt as a mouthful of blood escaped his mouth. Opening his eyes, he found himself collapsed against the wall of the compound more than 200m away from where Vahn was located while the boy himself was in a low punching motion. There was even a small amount of steam righting from his knuckles and Keelan felt incredulous after realizing that the thing that hit him was a simple punch by the young human, no, the young demigod...

Vahn shook his hand in an exaggerated manner and said, "I didn't kill that fool, after all, I've never been the type to bully the weak. As I said, I was simply giving a demonstration of 'real magic', so why did you step in and interfere with the duel? Is your arrogance so great that you would even besmirch your own honor by throwing out false accusations while attempting to 'assassinate' the representative of the Alliance? Are you trying to declare war on behalf of your Kingdom? Do you have that authority?" Keelan wanted to rebut Vahn's words but there was a fist-print on his breastplate that was pressing into his diaphragm. He could hardly breathe, much less speak at the moment. However, there was one person that was perfectly capable of forming words as a trembling, "I...surrender..." sounded out over the silence of the battlefield.

Though he had small cuts on his body, Alosrin was relatively unharmed, at least physically. He felt that Vahn had shown him leniency by redirecting the spears away from his body at the last moment. When his body was entangled with the golden chains, Alosrin had felt completely helpless and had fallen into a dazed state filled with dread. After the chains dispersed, he collapsed to the ground powerlessly and it wasn't until he got a taste of dirt that he awakened back to his senses. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw his powerful bodyguard get sent flying by Vahn in a single punch and any hope he had about changing the situation completely vanished. Fearing that Vahn might lose his 'patience' even further, Alosrin surrendered directly to avoid having to face against the monstrous demigod a second time...

Vahn showed a small frown and said, "I've only attacked you once while you had attacked me six times in total. There are still many lessons you've yet to learn, so why should I allow you to surrender so easily?" Just imagining having to suffer another five attacks from Vahn made Alosrin's body tremble like he had a basin of frigid water poured over him. He remembered all the opportunities Vahn had given him to take a step back while he had constantly berated and insulted the powerful demigod. Had he been in Vahn's position, Alosrin would have killed anyone who had slighted him so grievously...realizing this, Alosrin felt like his world was falling apart until a gentle voice sounded out, even though it was laced with a cold undertone, "Master, I think you have taught him as much as his small mind can comprehend right now. I imagine he'll be 'ruminating' over this lesson for many years to come, so why not show your magnanimity by showing him some leniency. After all, it is beneath you to continue trying to educate someone that is 'unwilling to learn'..."

Hearing Riveria's words, Vahn showed a startled expression full of realization as he embarrassedly stroked the back of his head and said, "Ahaha, I guess you're right, Riveria. I'm glad I have such a capable apprentice to keep me on the right track. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is worth 'teaching'..." At this point, Alosrin just wanted to extricate himself from this situation as quickly as possible so he bowed his head low and said, "Yes, this one is unworthy of your esteemed self's guidance...please forgive my hubris and any offenses I may have caused you!" However, instead of the reprieve he had expected, Alosrin felt dread as Vahn said, "Even if I'm not going to teach you, I still have an urge to beat you into a pulp for all the bullshit you spouted earlier. I can tell that you're an arrogant person and have likely enjoyed decades of indulgence at the expense of others...if you don't receive a bit of discipline now, I'm afraid you'll just run back to the Elven Kingdom and ruin the lives of other people..."

Vahn walked toward Alosrin, causing the 99-year-old High Elf to crawl backward before he rolled around and tried to run away. However, he hadn't gotten three steps when Vahn appeared right in front of him and kicked his forearm in a swift motion, snapping the bones contained within into small fragments. As he tried to scream out, an impact struck his diaphragm and Alosrin felt his collapsing world spin as he flew through the sky and collided with the ground. The pain from his arm increased greatly, but he couldn't scream due to the lack of air in his lungs. Instead, he convulsed as his body desperately tried to suck in air.

As he had said, Vahn knew that any lesson he taught Alosrin wouldn't last unless it severely traumatized him. He knew that even if the High Elf showed him proper courtesy and spoke deferentially toward him, the moment he returned to the Elven Kingdom his old habits would return. Vahn couldn't even imagine the number of lives Alosrin had ruined for his own selfish indulgence and it made him upset that he couldn't actually kill the man outright. The only thing he could do for the time being was to make Alosrin's body remember the beating he had taken here so that he was always reminded of what would happen when Vahn got his hands on him a second time...

After walking over, Vahn pulled out a [Heal] staff and treated the wounds on Alosrin's body because his earlier kick had completely ruptured the arrogant High Elf's diaphragm. Once his breathing was restored, Alosrin looked up with fearful eyes and said, "T-thank yo-" before Vahn kicked him in the face this time. Appearing next to his body with [Shundo], Vahn stared down at him and said, "I have shown great tolerance today by not killing you, Alosrin...return to your home and remember what you have learned today. You can be sure that I will have correspondence with the Elven Kingdom in the future so, if I find out you have tried to slander the reputation of myself and my apprentices, or put your hands on another person, I will give you a fate far worse than death."

Alosrin bobbed his head like a chicken as the blood flowing from his nose pooled in his hands. He already knew that Vahn's claims about having fixed the infertility issue were probably true and that his offenses against the boy had earned him a great deal of ire. Instead of getting the solution and returning it to the Kingdom, he had offended their greatest benefactor with his arrogant behavior. Even without Vahn's reminder, Alosrin knew he would likely be punished severely upon his return unless he could come up with a good excuse to cover his mistakes. Much less tarnish the reputation of Vahn, Alosrin intended to inflate his accomplishments greatly if necessary...at least for the time being.

Though he was incredibly fearful of Vahn, Alosrin knew Vahn didn't have an information network within the Elven Kingdom so he would be hard-pressed to find him guilty of any wrong-doings. He would probably have to lay low for a while, but there was no way he was willing to give up his lifestyle so easily. By the time Vahn visited the Kingdom and submitted the information, Keelan was confident he would be able to entrap both him and Riveria. He may not have learned much from Vahn, but his words about making proper preparations resonated heavily within his mind and Alosrin planned to make as many preparations as possible before then...

Vahn could see the deeply rooted fear in Keelan's eyes, but the flickering black flames in his aura was all the proof he needed to know the man hadn't truly repented. After releasing a sigh, Vahn brought his hands together as if he was praying, confusing Alosrin and the onlookers greatly. He didn't know why, but Alosrin felt a powerful dread spread through his body that turned into absolute terror when Vahn opened his eyes and had a 'gentle' and 'apologetic' look on his face. Alosrin realized that Vahn had somehow seen through to his true intentions and had decided to pass 'judgment' on him. Raising his hands, Alosrin shouted out, "No, please, don't!" as Vahn reached out his hand with unstoppable momentum.

Even though he hated Alosrin quite a bit, Vahn had shown him leniency time and again and, seeing that the man was unwilling to repent, he had no choice but to take action. Vahn prayed that the man one day corrected his mindset, but for the time being he was deserving of punishment. Though he couldn't kill him, nor could he stop Alosrin from bringing harm to others, there were a few things he could strip away from him. Vahn placed his palm on Alosrin's head before ripping the green wand from his fingers as he tried to get in another sneak attack.

Vahn wanted to avoid generating a massive amount of negative karma for using a 'healing' skill like [Hands of Nirvana] to do harm so he instead focused his mind and spread his aura directly through Alosrin's body with [Yggdrasil's Blessing]. Targetting the area of Alosrin's brain that helped him process complex equations and spell formations, Vahn infused fire elemental directly into the small lobe and damaged it. There weren't any nerves in the area, so Alosrin didn't feel anything at all, just a powerful sense of dread. From this point on, unless he disciplined himself and studied rigorously, he would never be able to case magic normally.

Finishing with his first punishment, Vahn pushed Alosrin to the ground and kicked his body over before pressing his thumb around the base of his spine. He didn't use [Hands of Nirvana] but instead applied direct pressure to the nerve center that would allow Alosrin to feel sexual stimulation and get erections. Without the aide of a skill, Vahn had to be a bit forceful so Alosrin cried out in pain as he writhed about on the ground. He had no idea what Vahn was doing, but the pain was more than enough to cause him great duress. When he felt the pressure finally release, there was now an ache in his lower body that terrified him as Vahn said, "Consider what I've done to you a powerful curse that will give you the chance to live a better life. If you work hard in the future, I will reverse the effects and allow you to return to normal...now get out of here before I decide you aren't worthy of a second chance..."

Alosrin bobbed his head and tried to rise to his feet and walk away, but he could hardly put any strength into his legs. Using his staff as a walking stick, he slowly ambled towards the gate where not a single one of his escorts could be seen. While he was confused, a figure slammed into the ground next to him and Alosrin looked down to see the battered body of Keelan breathing heavily. Vahn had stripped him of his crushed breastplate, allowing the man to breathe, but he had several broken bones and could barely rise to his feet. Remarkably, he hardened his expression and actually reached out to support Alosrin, which Vahn found strangely admirable for someone with such a terrible character. It seemed that, though he had a heavy bias and elitist mentality, he was still a loyal knight that cared for the wellness of his 'young master'.

As they approached the gate, Keelan muttered in a low voice, "We won't let this matter slide so easily, Young Master. Once your father hears of what happen-" Before he could continue speaking, Alosrin shook his head rapidly and spat through pained words, "We can't do anything to endanger father's position any longer...this matter needs to be kept a closely guarded secret. I don't want anyone speaking of it at all!" Though he had no intentions of obeying Alosrin's orders, Keelan nodded his head with a serious expression as they crossed over the threshold of the gate. The fact nobody had come to retrieve them pissed him off greatly and Keelan wondered what the hell everyone was doing while the person they were escorting was getting thrashed...

Just as Keelan was about to shout out for assistance, he felt Alosrin's weight increase greatly as the man lost all the feeling in his legs. Keelan was confused before looking in the same direction as Alosrin, also causing his legs to feel like jelly. All of their men had been tied up and forced to kneel on the street as several gods and goddesses stood around the gate in a massive concave formation. Though this was enough to inspire a feeling of dread in the 135-year-old Commander, it was the appearance of the creature above everyone that caused his legs to nearly give out. Hovering in the air generating an oppressive aura that threatened to devour them completely, there was a large evil looking dragon looking down upon them with scorn.

Before he could process what was happening, a loud thud sounded from behind as both he and Alosrin looked back to see a second dragon peering down on them from above the gate. Based on the aura, they knew it was the same 'monster' that had claimed itself to be a True Dragon earlier and they now completely believed her words. However, even though their brains had slowly started to catch up with their shock, they hadn't had nearly enough time to process what was happening as three goddesses with pregnant bellies walked toward them. Seeing this, Alosrin knew Vahn's claims were the truth and that he had erred greatly...

Heading the group was Loki while Freya, the goddess responsible for having the soldier kneel, was standing to her left. On her right was the fiery-eyed Hephaestus and they all looked at Alosrin and Keelan with eyes filled with scorn. Loki's eyes opened like a snake eyeing its prey as she said, "The next time you come into the territory of the Alliance and try to pull some shit like this, expect that you will be staying here indefinitely. Know that by offending Vahn, you have touched the reverse scale of almost every goddess both in the mortal world and Heaven..." Loki then pulled out a sealed parchment and handed it over to the trembling Alosrin and said, "You are an Envoy of the Elven Kingdom, so pass on this parchment to your King. If you try to open it before then, that will be the same as declaring War against the Alliance...this is your last and only warning..."

As every word spoken by Loki reverberated through his ears, it was the earlier words of Vahn that echoed in his mind. He didn't realize how grossly unprepared he was to try and antagonize Vahn based on his sense of superiority. Vahn was just a human boy, nothing more than a puppet, within his mind...but now it was very obvious that the rumors of the boy's accomplishments weren't exaggerated. If he had come into this situation and behaved appropriately, things never would have gotten to this point and he might even be returning to his homeland as a hero. Now, however, he had lost two of his favorite servants, offended a powerful demigod, and earned the ire of almost every goddess...other than nodding his head and safely keeping away the parchment, Alosrin couldn't form any thoughts at all and just climbed into his carriage in a daze...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Act II : Introduction to Real Magic','Face slapping? More like Face-Kicking~!','You dun' fucked up now!')

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บท 535: Aftermath

Though they had intended to stay in the City for several days, the delegation from the Elven Kingdom, including its Envoy, quickly left on their return trip to the forest. Each member had a solemn expression on their face filled with a mixture of fear and, in some instances, reverence. The Freya Familia had been the one to subjugate their entire troupe and they had done so back 'liberating' every member of their weapons. When some people tried to fight back with magic, the only thing they received for their troubles were broken limbs and puncture wounds. They had been completely toyed with by people they considered beneath them before Freya, who had won over the hearts of many with a single glance, forced them to kneel as they waited for Alosrin's return.

After reaching the borders of the Western Forest, the slat from the side of the carriage opened up and Keelan approached it to hear Alosrin's words. Nodding his head, he sent a signal to the small convoy and said, "The Envoy wishes to speak!" in a firm tone. However, there was a small trembling undertone that had been noted by several people as the carriage was brought to a halt and everyone waited for Alosrin's words. After a few minutes, the door to the carriage opened and Alosrin appeared with a ghastly expression on his face. He looked around at everyone that was gathered and lamented that is father had sent him an escort full of men...

For nearly a minute, Alosrin looked around at everyone's expressions before saying in a solemn tone, "Everyone here will take a vow to keep what has happened here a secret...Keelan and I will explain the situation to my father and turn the parchment over to him. If you refuse to take the vow, you will forfeit your life here..." No matter what, Alosrin couldn't allow the truth to spread around before he could put his own spin on things. Though the men gathered here were all trustworthy soldiers, there was no way to guarantee they would keep their mouths quiet after getting drunk. After suffering such humiliation, they would obviously have some resentments they needed to release on other people and Alosrin didn't want rumors spreading amongst prostitutes and servants.

Several guards hesitated but none of them refused to take the vow as they all valued their lives more than they valued the information. They also didn't want their shame to be known so it was better that everyone keep the matter a closely guarded secret. Thus, before they continued their journey, everyone had to queue up and make their vow right in front of Alosrin and Keelan before they stood off to the side and waited. When they were finished, Alosrin nodded his head before looking back towards Orario with a grim expression on his face. The only two he had no control over right now were the servants he had lost in the wager. He could try to claim they were traitors that had been swayed by the comforts of the City, but that would only hold up so long as Vahn never came to the Elven Kingdom...

Thinking of Sierra, the girl he had painstakingly 'trained' over the last three years, and Pram, the woman he had forced to become his advisor, Alosrin felt incredibly frustrated. They weren't his only two servants, but Vahn's cautionary words before their parting now weighed heavily on Alosrin's heart. He didn't know what Vahn had done to his body but, considering the apologetic look of pity he had shown beforehand, Alosrin couldn't help but feel like the 'curse' was something that would make his life hell. There was a real chance, given the influence of Vahn and the strength of the Alliance, he would become a scapegoat in the future if he didn't change his ways. For nearly eighty years, Alosrin had valued his own life over everything else and he didn't want to relinquish it so easily. He could need to have his body inspected when they reached the Kingdom to find out what Vahn's 'curse' had done to him. If possible, he would get it removed entirely but, if it turned out to be something that couldn't be remedied by their ancient medicines, Alosrin would have to seriously consider changing the way he lived...

Once he thought till this point, Alosrin struck against the side of his carriage in a rage and felt a powerful urge to cry as a result of his anger and frustration. He didn't even have a woman's body to seek comfort in so the only thing he could do was sit in silence. The return trip would take nearly a month, if not longer, so it was going to be a hellish journey. If not for the lingering threat of Vahn's words, he would have even redirected the convoy to a nearby village and poached a female to keep him company. He had a feeling if he did this, however, the curse within his body would take effect and he would suffer for it. Given the way Vahn acted, Alosrin could tell he was the type that thought ahead on things and there was no way the curse was a small matter. Thus, unable to vent his frustrations the 'normal' way, Alosrin opened up the secure lockbox in his cabin and pulled out a grimoire that had an ancient aura and began reading it seriously for the first time in his life.

---

After sending off Alosrin with a bit of flare, Vahn had invited the leaders of the Alliance into the Guest Residence to hold a small gathering while the members of their Familia either returned to their own Manors or waited in the area for their god's return. Loki was in very high spirits and was running around with a bottle of sparkling wine, without alcohol, as she made a bit of a scene. The way everything had played out was very entertaining to her and she thought the 'plot' of Riveria and Vahn had been quite ingenious. They had managed to make a fool out of the Envoy from the Elven Forest, secure his title as 'Sage', and send the entire delegation fleeing from the City. The best part of it all was that they were able to get away with it without any real repercussions since Alosrin was surely the type to keep such matters under wraps.

Vahn found himself acting as Loki's chair while she wriggled about, obviously trying to tease him, as she narrated the events to everyone present. Hephaestus sat next to him while Hestia had returned to take the seat to his left. As for the others there were present, there was Freya, Anubis, Eirene, Takemikazuchi, and Miach. Demeter's Familia didn't really have much combat potential, even though they had the greatest amount of members, so she hadn't shown up for the event. As for the others that were in attendance, they were the 'stars' of the show, which included Riveria, Emiru, Maemi, Terra, and the two Elven girls that were discussing matters with Riveria at the side.

While he listened to Loki babble on, Vahn watched Take' and Miach very casually try and 'flirt' with the twins as they had awkward expressions on their faces and tried to maintain their polite demeanors. It wasn't that the two gods were trying to woo the girls, they were just natural playboys that paid heavily compliments to girls and often said things that were very pleasing to the ears. However, though this made a good impression on most girls, Maemi and Emiru had made great strides in their 'devotion' towards Vahn and they were even somewhat offended that a man other than Vahn, even if it was a god, was trying to speak with them.

When the two girls looked in his direction, Vahn smiled to them and their expressions immediately brightened up as a response. Seeing this, Take' and Miach felt somewhat awkward because they were the only two girls that were easy to talk to since everyone else present was a goddess that had an interest in Vahn. Noticing the awkwardness in the air, Vahn held Loki's stomach to stop her from wiggling around and asked, "What was in that parchment you handed to Alosrin?" while doing his best to avoid making eye contact with Freya. She had been watching him intently from the beginning and Vahn wasn't that good at dealing with her. He had thanked her for her cooperation earlier, but the looks he had gotten from the rest of her Familia, with the exception of Ottar, had been quite harsh.

Loki leaned against Vahn's chest, as he had returned to his normal state at this point, and said, "It was a message for their King, or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a threat? Even if you have no intention of causing trouble at the Elven Kingdom, they need to understand the situation and what is at stake if they try pulling something like this again. The City already makes a lot of concessions to allow them to exercise some autonomy within the walls, but they pushed things too far this time around. Instead of following the normal protocols, they walked into the heart of the Alliance itself and tried to stir up trouble? Ridiculous...if they do something like this in the future, we decided that it would be better to declare War on the Elven Kingdom and revoke the privileges of Elven Merchant Caravans..."

Though the High Elves purported themselves as the most superior of all species, the truth of the matter was that they were highly reliant on external resources and technological advancements to progress. Their only allies were the Dwarves, but the actual number of exchanges between the two powerful nations were few and far between. The Dwarves treated every race, including Elves and other Dwarves, as nothing more than business partners that could be 'used' for further gains. They were a highly industrious and militaristic people, so they actually didn't get along that well with the Elven Kingdom at all. If not for the benefits offered, such as lumber, rare minerals, agricultural goods, and slaves, the Dwarves wouldn't have any ties with the Elves at all.

Because it wasn't uncommon for Elves to live around two-hundred years old, with some High Elves living nearly three times as long, their cultural development was very slow. There were periods of several centuries where they didn't even allow their members to leave the forest at all and it was only after some 'exiles', that still cared about their home forests, returned with outside technology and knowledge that this policy was changed. However, for long-lived species like the Elves, change came about very slowly and their policies were still incredibly backward as a result of the Elder's of their race propagating their beliefs and imposing them on the younger generations. This was the reason why people like Riveria were genuinely concerned for the future of the Elves, because they were advancing far slower than the other races and would eventually face extinction if they didn't change.

In the past, many other races feared the Elves because of the mystical nature, powerful magic, and the secrecy they had maintained for centuries. In recent decades, however, this 'fear' had started to fade greatly as the average strength of people around the continent slowly increased and the number of Elves that could be found also rose. Instead of fear, or even reverence, people began to hold the Elves in contempt for their arrogance and behavior, earning an ever-increasing number of enemies for themselves. There was even the incident in recent years when the Rakia Kingdom had tried to cut a line through the Western Forest, without any consideration for the Elven Kingdom at all, and even managed to destroy the Forest of Spirits, killing millions.

The Elven Kingdom had fought off the invaders with their powerful magic, effectively halting the invasion of Rakia's forces into the continent, but that was the end of the matter. Because of their small population, at least compared to the other races, the Elves couldn't really maintain a ground army to retaliate against the Rakia Kingdom, or any other nation for that matter. They were forced into a defensive posture to protect their forests while talking down to every other race as if they were the most superior species on the continent. Thus, even if they wanted to fight against the Alliance, the best they could do would be to talk a big game while sitting 'snugly' in their little tree houses thousands of kilometers away.

However, any sensible person would realize how detrimental it was to have a closed-borders policy with a slowly expanding population and stagnant cultural development. If they continued offending other nations, especially Orario, which was ironically their life-line for various products, they would eventually stagnate completely until they started to slowly decay. Their average strength would slowly decline while every other country around them got progressively stronger. When they inevitably expand and try to take resources from the Western Forests, the Elves would have no choice but to fight back and, more than likely, face destruction as a result of their own hubris. If not for the efforts of people like Riveria, who were proactively trying to change this self-destructive path, they likely wouldn't exist in the same manner for another hundred years...

---

While the lively conversation between Vahn and the gods of the Alliance was going on, Riveria was at the side speaking with Sierra and Pram. Both Elves had heard stories of Riveria and they were surprised to have the opportunity, not just to meet her, but essentially be saved by her and Vahn's actions. Pram was very worried about her sister, but Riveria had several allies back at the Elven Forest that would take care of them. For the time being, as Vahn had 'refused' to allow them to actually become servants, both girls would apprentice at the Guild Branch to assist Eina, Rose, Misha, and Mona.

Though they hadn't expressed any interest in him right now, Riveria also explained Vahn's situation and told both girls not to try and get close to him as it would unnecessarily complicate matters. Pram was able to understand this easily, as she was a relatively intelligent girl, while Sierra had no interest in men at all right now. She was still young, so she would likely recover with time, but she had suffered the cruelty of Alosrin for more than three years. Unlike how it was outside the forest, where 'sensible' Elves tried to follow the cultures and traditions of the race they were trying to learn from, an Elf wasn't considered an adult until they were twenty. Sierra had been 'recruited' by Alosrin when she was 19 so she had been more than a little traumatized by the experience. Unlike Pram, she didn't have a family she was trying to protect but had instead been 'exchanged' by her parents to gain benefits...

As the conversation continued to progress, Pram eventually asked, "Riveria-sama, what exactly is Vahn? This is my first time away from the forest, so I don't have a proper grasp of things just yet. What is the purpose of the Alliance, and what are you trying to accomplish here?" Riveria had a plain expression on her face before looking over at the smiling Vahn for several long seconds as she thought about her answer. After ruminating for a bit, Riveria turned back to Pram and Sierra, saying, "Vahn is a demigod that has a much higher blood-purity than any other demigod within history. I can't give you the specifics, but know that his capabilities far outstrip almost any other entity within the world. You'll notice it yourselves over the next few months, but Vahn defied common sense and is trying to change the world for the better...I have decided to devote myself to assist and learn from him, so please avoid doing anything to complicate matters."

Pram squinted her eyes slightly before asking, "Riveria-sama, did you fall in love with a human boy? Even if he is a demi-god, you surely can't be planning to become his wife, right? Look at how many women he has around him...even if they're goddesses, you're a High Elf..." As the spoke, Pram's words become progressively quieter because she could see the deep melancholy and fatigue in Riveria's expression. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, Riveria said, "See, that is one of the misconceptions that will lead our people to destruction. Being a High Elf, while it does provide some benefits, it isn't anything that special. The more important thing is to develop your individual capabilities to the furthest extent possible and work together to overcome difficulties...besides, Vahn is much more than a simple human. You're a smart woman, Pram, so watch closely before you say such things...or else you'll end up sounding like that fool, Alosrin..."

Even though she wasn't nearly as far gone as people like Alosrin and Keelan, Pram was still a pure-blooded Elf that had grown up within the forest. To her, most High Elves were deserving of her respect and there were only a few bad seeds like Alosrin that made the lives of other people miserable. It wasn't nearly as developed as many, but Pram also considered Elves as a superior species compared to other races. If they wanted to, they could be nearly as strong and fast as every other race, but they also had the benefit of powerful magic and a developed intellect. Though there were exceptions, such as Vahn, most of the people from other races were grossly unqualified to be compared to Elves. However, Pram believed that Riveria's words were true and she couldn't stomach being compared to a fool like Alosrin. Believing that the truth would come out in time, just as she had heard Vahn say, Pram nodded and said, "I will do my best, Riveria-sama...please take care of the matter regarding my sister, Plum..."

Riveria nodded her head and said, "Within the next few years, we will likely go to the Elven Kingdom to reach a compromise with the Elven King. When that time comes, you can retrieve your sister or return to the forest and try to rebuild your lives. Know that Orario will provide you with great opportunities to grow stronger and live a happy life, however. If you aren't satisfied working at the Guild, you can leave whenever you'd like and try joining a Familia of your choosing. I would suggest picking one within the Alliance, but the decision is up to the two of you. Vahn will not keep you here, and the only person that can be responsible for your happiness from here onwards is the two of you..."

Even Pram was only in her thirties, so there was plenty of time for the two girls to experience the 'outside' world before making a decision whether or not to return to the forest. Sierra could easily spend the next seventy years wandering around and it would only be a short part of her life. They already had the benefit of being capable Level 3 Mages, so they wouldn't have any trouble finding a Familia that would be willing to take them in. Riveria had even considered having them join the Mage squad in the Loki Familia, but she knew how understaffed the Guild branch near the Manor was. Eina was Aina's important daughter and Riveria wanted to make her life easier so she could spend more time with Vahn...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Shame, Fear, Curse','Wiggle Wiggle','Riveria's Preemptive Measures')

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