Though it had only been six days since he started venturing into the Dungeon, Bell was already on the Twelfth Floor, much to the frustration of Line and the lamentation of Plum. Because she didn't want to let him run off on his own, Line had been spending an average of fourteen hours a day in the Dungeon with Bell, something that wasn't that difficult for her but was very taxing for the Level 1 Plum. Unlike Bell, who seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of energy, even when fighting in the frontlines for hours, Plum wasn't really a combatant and had taken on more of a support role. She had even started apprenticing with Line and was building up her stamina while slowly growing accustomed to carrying greater loads...
As for Bell, he currently had a fierce expression on his face as she stood just a few meters away from a large red armadillo-like monster, a variant version of a Hard Armored. The fight had already been going on for nearly ten minutes and, though Bell had been able to outmaneuver the rather simple creature, none of his attacks had been able to penetrate the thick red barb-like scales along its back. Every attempt to do so would cause a small amount of pain to spread through his hand as the tear between his thumb and index finger had gotten progressively worse. Even so, his expression didn't waver in the slightest and, the moment the monster released a loud roar and curled up into a ball, rolling towards him a fierce momentum, Bell's eyes shone with a resolute light as he leaped towards the monster.
Seeing this, Plum covered her eyes in panic while Line screamed out, "You idiot, dodge!" while running forward with a stark white dagger of her own. It was a baselard-type dagger simply named [Armor Piercer], a weapon that had cost her 1300KV of her hard earned savings. Though she didn't fight on the frontlines much, Line was still a Level 2 Adventurer and it wouldn't take her too much effort to kill a Hard Armored, even if it was a variant. Unfortunately, she hadn't expected Bell to be stupid enough to charge directly at the sharp spines of the monster and now she could only regret allowing him to try and accumulate experience in a difficult battle...
Completely immersed in his own unique state of mind, Bell hadn't even heard Line's voice as he lunged forward and, just as the razor-sharp spines were about to grind into him, he jumped to the side while aiming towards the monster's soft underbelly. His dagger pierced directly into the exposed skin as the monster continued forward, twisting his arm with its momentum and causing Bell's shoulder to dislocate. Even so, he managed to evade the larger attack and even had a satisfied grin on his face, seemingly proud of himself for giving up an arm in exchange for lightly wounding a monster.
As the Variant Hard Armored turned around and released a primal roar from deep within its throat, Line dropped down from above and buried her dagger through the hard scales of its head, accurately piercing its medulla and instantly killing the monster. Its death caused an explosion of dust, leaving behind a few red scales and a horribly bent dagger as the only indicator of its prior existence. Seeing this, Bell released an impressed 'oooooooh~' before smiling radiantly and saying, "Wow, Line, that was amazing~!"
Line, finding her balance, turned her hazel-brown eyes towards the smiling boy, frowning when she felt her own heart throb. Ignoring the giddy feeling, she walked over towards him and, seemingly against his expectation, used the pommel of her dagger to bonk him on the head, shouting, "You idiot! What is the point of losing an arm and one of your weapons just to deal such a small amount of damage! Geez! Stupid Bell!"
Bell had plopped onto the ground, teary-eyed as he nursed the growing bump on his head and instinctually assumed a seiza-like position. He was completely prepared for another lecture but, before Line could choose between lecturing him or mending his wounds, Plum had run over with a worried expression, exclaiming, "Bell, your arm, are you okay!?" Since she had also been worried about Bell's arm, Line suddenly felt very awkward and inadvertently turned her head to the side with a small blush as she moved over to pick up the Drop Items. She left Plum to use a potion on Bell's arm while picking up the scales and safely storing them away before inspecting the now bent dagger.
This was actually the second weapon that Bell had broken, the first being the one she had gifted him just four days prior. Though it previously had an incredible make, Bell's unskilled use of the dagger, combined with his failure to properly maintain it, had resulted in the B-Grade item already losing it function. If anyone else were to learn of this, they would have looked at Bell like he was a wasteful idiot but, seeing how much he had been fighting to grow stronger, Line couldn't really blame the weapon for giving out. Bell was very earnest in trying to increase his strength, having a natural talent that was far beyond the norm, but there was a distinct lack of skill in his movements.
Line had already suggested that he try to ask some of the more skilled Adventurers to help train him but Bell had refused, saying he wanted to forge his path alone. She was hoping that, now that he was without any weapons, Bell would seriously consider her advice and slow down a bit. In all honesty, she also wanted a break from constantly staying within the Dungeon and felt it would be nice to relax after a week of hard Dungeoneering. His dagger breaking was like a small grace to their team, as it should make Bell reflect on his actions a bit and actually listen to her advice for once...
Carrying over the broken dagger, Line held it up for Bell to see and said, "Now that your weapons are destroyed, we should take a break from the Dungeon and purchase some new equipment for you. This is also a good opportunity for you to get some training in and, even if you don't want to learn from other people, you can still benefit a lot from sparring against them. Right now, your only experience is in fighting monsters and you should familiarize yourself with fighting against people. When we get to the lower floors, there are numerous enemies that can even fight with weapons so you will be at a significant disadvantage as things stand..."
Bell was listening attentively, at least he appeared to be, but it was Plum who ended up answering as she jumped up, spreading her arms in a defensive manner as she shouted, "Line, you can't be so hard on Bell! You've seen how hard he is working, so why are you always lecturing him!? Can't you say anything nice for once!?" Unlike Line, who had only been tasked to support Bell, Plum had been saved by him, resulting in her tiny Pallum heart falling for the young Hero almost instantly. Though she was also very tired of spending her time in the Dungeon, as she wanted to go on a date with Bell, it bothered her that Line was always telling Bell what to do. Initially, she hadn't minded that much, even finding Bell's reactions when being lectured to be very cute. Now, likely as a result of her fatigue, it was starting to become very annoying hearing Line constantly badger the boy she liked...
Line was very surprised by Plum's sudden outburst, causing her somewhat large eyes to become even wider, glasses dropping slightly from the bridge of her nose. She didn't think she was being that hard on Bell and, if he had actually listened to her advice, many of the troubles they had faced would have been avoided. Thus, though she knew it was a little harsh, Line pushed up her glasses and assumed a serious expression as she said, "Plum, this kind of childish mentality is exactly why so many rookie Adventurers lose their lives in the Dungeon. You might not like the fact that I'm always telling Bell what to do but, even if it made both of you hate me, I'd rather tolerate your ire than watch both of you die..."
For a few seconds, Line let her words linger in the air, causing Plum to shrink back slightly while Bell's expression became more serious. Then, with a small nod, she added, "You might not be aware of it, but it is actually very rare for a rookie Adventurer to even have a veteran Supporter look after them. Now, imagine for a moment that it had just been the two of you this week, what do you think would have happened...?" This time, all of Plum's previous flair had completely faded away and she couldn't help but hang her head as several memories of Line bailing them out of sticky situations played through her mind. Even now, as Bell had clearly lost his weapon and crippled an arm, there was almost no way they would have been able to come out of the fight without serious injury...or even death.
Just as Plum was beginning to doubt the choices she had made, a warm hand landed on her shoulder as Bell rose to his feet, an air of confidence radiating from his body as he said, "Line, you're right...I have been relying on you a lot this week and, without your help, I may have already died. Truly, thank you..." Following his words, Bell bowed low for a few seconds before raising his head and saying, "It is my dream to one day become a powerful Hero that can protect the people he cares about...if I end up pursuing that path at the expense of those very people, I would never become the hero I aspire to be. Thank you for opening my eyes...I will do better in the future. I promise."
At the end of his words, Bell smiled radiantly, this time causing Line's glasses to almost completely slip off her face as she stared blankly towards the young boy left in her charge. After inadvertently swallowing, Line suddenly felt very embarrassed and had to turn her face away as Bell's words somewhat replayed themselves in her mind. He had essentially said they were people he wanted to protect and, though it wasn't that clear, his words also made it seem like he wanted to stay with them for a long period of time. Though it wasn't uncommon for people to form teams that stuck together for years, especially within the same Familia, Line somehow felt this was a little different and had to pat her chest a little to calm her rapidly beating heart...
Suddenly, just as the atmosphere was becoming a little strange, the sound of footsteps emerged from a nearby corridor. Line pulled out a small dagger that was used for harvesting specific monster drops and passed it over to Bell while she tightly gripped her own dagger in a ready position. Plum immediately moved to position herself behind Bell and pulled out her crossbow, seating two bolts into the spring channels and waiting for the identity of the new arrivals to be revealed. As for Bell himself, he held the rather small dagger in his right hand in a backhand grip since his left arm still ached a little from the previous injury.
After a tense few seconds had passed, a group of four people appeared, two showing expressions of surprise while the others strengthened the grip on their weapons. The group was comprised of a man with messy red hair, possessing of a lanky but muscular figure while a large black plank-like sword rested on his back. As for his three companions, they were all very attractive women with healthy brown skin, dark hair, and similarly dark eyes. Each had rather unique weapons that were uncommon amongst other Adventurers based on their sheer size and structure. The woman at the very front even had a large curved blade that also looked similar to a battleax. It was actually longer than she was tall and, even ballparking the weight, it must have been close to 100kg.
The other two women also had rather unique weapons, with the smallest of the three using two mace-like weapons that were nearly 110cm long and had vicious looking spikes along the ends. As for the final of the three, a woman with a strangely predatory expression, her weapon of choice was a strange crescent blade that curved in the opposite direction like a sickle. The thing that made it stand out the most, however, was the fact that it was nearly 150cm long while the blade's thickness was around 5cm. It wasn't as large as the weapon of the more mature looking woman, but the difference in their weight couldn't have been that different from each other...
Just as Line was about to engage in introductions, the red-haired man behind the mature woman suddenly opened his eyes wide, exclaiming, "Hey, that dagger! Where did you get that!?" Without minding the tense atmosphere, the man came forward with a look of intrigue as he stared at the bent dagger still held by Line. She was a little off-put by his excitement but, seeing as how he didn't seem hostile, gave an awkward smile and said, "We're members of the Loki Familia...who are you?" At the same time, she moved to wrap the dagger's blade with a piece of leather and store it away.
The man watched her actions with slightly furrowed brows but eventually showed a wry smile and scratched the back of his head as he said, "Hey, we're actually allies, you know? The names Welf, from the Hephaestus Familia. These three beautiful Amazonesses are Sonia, Maia, and Vesta, my fiancees. They're actually from the Loki Familia, just like you, though they've been staying at my place for the last year and a half, ahahahahaha~!" The red-haired man, Welf, seemed very proud of himself as he was speaking while the three Amazonesses behind him all relaxed a little and walked over to join him.
Line was surprised that the three powerful looking girls were actually in her same Familia but, hearing the boy's introduction, she knew it was the truth. Though he wasn't nearly as famous as someone like Vahn, Welf had also garnered himself a bit of fame after forging a few pieces of magical equipment. Within the Alliance, his wears were rather popular among some of the lower Level Adventurers, as the gear was high-quality while being relatively cheap. In fact, in exchange for entering a contract to field test some of his equipment, Welf often produced equipment free of charge for some of the newer Adventurers.
With a more relaxed smile on her face, Line bowed slightly and said, "My name is Line, a Level 2 Supporter in the Loki Familia. This boy with the white hair is Bell, a rookie Adventurer who just started entering into the Dungeon six days ago. As for the Pallum girl with purple hair, her name is Plum, and apprenticing Supporter who had started venturing into the journey around the same time as Bell. All three of us are in the Loki Familia..." Upon being introduced, Bell, who had been somewhat dazed and embarrassed at seeing the incredibly skimpy outfits of Sonia, Maia, and Vesta, immediately bowed low, stammering as he said, "H-H-Hello, my name is Bell Cranel, it is nice to meet you!"
While Bell lowered his head, he could see the panty-like bottoms of the three girls and there plump and full thighs, glistening slightly in the Dungeon's low light. Then, from his left, a painful sensation spread from his waist as Plum pinched him as hard as she could while saying, "My name is Plum Vino..." At the same time as she was introducing herself, Plum tried to stand in between Bell and the three Amazonesses, causing Maia and Vesta to have amused expressions. However, though they wanted to tease Bell and annoy the little Pallum girl, they didn't want to upset Welf and just bowed slightly and introduced themselves instead.
Once all the introductions were out of the way, Welf immediately focused his gaze on Line and asked, "That broken dagger, where did you get it...?" Though Line had already placed the dagger in her pack, Welf's intrigue hadn't faded in the slightest. He had only gotten a glimpse at it but his instincts were telling him that he wouldn't have been able to forge such a dagger without an incredible amount of effort. Even in its damaged state, Welf felt like it was a masterpiece in its simplicity and, if they were willing to part with it, he intended to purchase it off of them.
Since she knew Welf was a capable Blacksmith, Line didn't see any harm in allowing him to inspect the dagger. There was even a chance he might be able to repair it for them, which would save them the effort of having to purchase a new weapon. This, combined with the fact that Welf might actually forge some armor for Bell, caused Line to hand it over willingly. When Welf took it into his hands and unwrapped the leather bindings, his blue-grey eyes began to glimmer excitedly as he turned to Line and asked, "Where did you get this dagger!? How did you end up breaking it!?"
At this point, Bell had recovered a bit and, even though his eyes would wander towards the scantily clad Amazonesses, he managed to focus long enough to make eye contact with Welf and explain, "That dagger belongs to me. It was a gift when I first joined the Loki Familia and...I'm ashamed to say that I broke it..." When Welf heard this, even with Bell explaining in greater detail, he understood the origins of the dagger. If Bell had received it when he first joined the Loki Familia, it had to have been a gift from Vahn as, though she did favor her 'children' a great deal, Loki wouldn't simply give gifts to young boys that joined her Familia. She had become 'famously' loyal towards Vahn over the last two years and would have gotten someone else to pass off such things, if not outright requiring the members of her Familia to earn their equipment themselves.
Confident in his analysis, Welf turned over the dagger a few times and noticed there wasn't a maker's mark, meaning Vahn had likely just made this as a 'casual' weapon to give away. The fact such a simple dagger was beyond his current means made Welf feel a strange emptiness in his chest, though it faded away very quickly as he handed the dagger back to Bell and said, "I can tell from the wear and tear that you haven't been maintaining your equipment properly. In the future, you'll need to take better care of your gear, as it will save your life in a sticky situation. If you don't want to learn how to do it yourself, it's best that you find a blacksmith and pay a fee to have them repair it for you. It'll be much cheaper than having to purchase new equipment every time yours breaks."
Hearing this, Bell was apologetic for a moment but, with Welf's words as a catalyst, his expression immediately became more vibrant as he asked, "I know! Since you're a Blacksmith, will you help me out, Welf!? I promise to take better care of my equipment in the future!" Not only Bell, but Line and Plum also had expectant and hopeful looks on their faces, causing Welf to feel a little awkward but proud at the same time. However, just as they were thinking he would agree, Welf's expression turned slightly fierce as he looked into Bell's eyes and said, "I wouldn't have minded helping you out if you had asked previously, but...you can't really expect me to help out a guy that thinks he can just eye my fiancees whenever he wants, right? Honestly, I'm already resisting an urge to pummel you, hahahahaha~!"
Though Welf was laughing, it didn't quite reach his eyes and, though Bell had already been embarrassed about his earlier actions, he now lowered his head in shame. Fortunately, the more mature looking Amazoness stepped in and grabbed Welf's arm and said, "Welf...thank you for defending us, but we wouldn't dress like this if we cared about the gazes of other men. Be more confident, after all, aren't you the one that managed to conquer our hearts~?" Though he was still weaker than them, Welf had managed to just reach Level 3 a month prior, making his growth very fast for a Blacksmith. In order to try and become a man worthy of his lovers' respect, Welf had been doing his best to increase his strength while also working hard to improve his [Blacksmith] Development Ability.
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Welf's fierce expression softened a little as he smiled and said, "Consider yourself lucky this time, kid...I'll help you out for now but, if you ever ogle my girls in front of me again, don't blame me for knocking some sense into you!" Then, turning to Sona, Maia, and Vesta, Welf puffed out his chest slightly and said, "Even if you girls are fine with other people looking, it is my pride as a man to protect your dignity! Though I might still be weaker than the three of you, I'm still a man, and I won't throw away my pride so easily!" Welf held up his fist, a firm and resolute look in his eyes that caused all three Amazonesses to look at him with gentle and appreciative expressions...
At the same time that Welf was giving his speech, Line had looked over to Bell was a lazy and judgmental expression on her face as she muttered, "That is what you get for looking at other women..." Though she had intended to say 'women that were already in a relationship', Line had misspoken her words, seemingly unaware of her own slip as Plum nodded her head, completely agreeing with her companion's words. As for Bell, he kept his head lowered and had become somewhat pale as he muttered, "I'm sorry..." in a small voice...
(A/N: I have to go somewhere this morning, so the other chapters will be in the afternoon. There should be one more EPIC and three Fenrir's Journey today. Depending on if there is a cliff at the end of next chapter, I may write two EPIC though and just one FJ. Also, it looks like QI is trying to push EPIC out of the top three slots this week, so stay strong and don't let the broken system win xD!)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Yes, I have successfully crippled myself!','Welf ain't playing no games...','Bell is whipped so hard, even though he isn't in a relationship yet xD...')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
Somewhat unexpectedly, Vahn spent the better part of three days within the orb looking after Shizune after their first time together. In that time, they didn't have sex again and it was just him looking over her, cooking meals together, chatting about various subjects, bathing in a small tub, and then cuddling up together when they were tired. Vahn understood the 'aftercare' for someone like Shizune needed to be taken very seriously and, as she had undergone a defining moment in her life, leaving her so suddenly thereafter could have been harmful to her mentality. Vahn didn't want her to ever have the thought that he just 'stopped by' to have sex with her, like one of her clients from the past. He wanted her to understand his care and concern for her until she herself eventually said she was okay and chased him off...
After leaving the 'fox shrine, Vahn made his way over to the central building of the orb, seeing that the clocktower showed it was nearing 9PM in the real world. His main body and Shizune had ended up missing out on dinner in the real world, but he had still eaten a lively meal with everyone using his avatar. Currently, he was sharing a bed with Aki, Arnya, and his daughters, Anise, and Meinya. As was 'tradition' within the Manor, the adorable little kittens both had animal pajamas, with Meinya wearing tiger while Anise wore light blue pajamas with a cartoonish cat appearance. The best part, from Vahn's perspective, were the holes that allowed for the girls' ears and tails to poke through, bringing together the image very nicely...
Not too surprisingly, Vahn found Tsubaki, Haruhime, Chloe, and even Syr sitting within the small room where some of the girls would gather when they weren't training. Since it was the evening in the real world, some of the girls that spent their days in the real world would come into the orb to either get more rest or work on various small projects. Though he was a little surprised to see Tsubaki right now, she seemed to understand his concerns and immediately adopted a natural smile as she said, "Sakuya is having a slumber party with Aisha and Autumn. They are sleeping in Demeter's room tonight."
With an understanding nod, Vahn made his way over to the low square table and sat down next to Tsubaki and explained, "I think Shizune will be okay, but she'll need everyone's help to look after her for the next couple of weeks. Though I believe I made the correct decision, the only way to know for sure is to observe her while showing both physical and emotional support. If any of you have advice that might prove beneficial, I'm open ears..." Since he knew they were likely waiting for him from the start to talk about Shizune's state, Vahn didn't foot around the issue and brought it up directly.
Chloe, being the most familiar with Shizune, leaned forward with her head resting on her palms, smiling as she said, "You are generally very perceptive when it comes to things like this, so I'm sure Shizune will be fine if you just follow your intuition. Though others might struggle to pull it off, you have always been able to heal the hearts of troubled girls...nyahahaha~." In truth, Chloe had been very worried about her not-so-young disciple but, after Vahn stayed with Shizune for almost three days, likely just taking care of her, the worries in her heart were alleviated. If the man she loved spent three days of his busy schedule tending to her wellbeing, Chloe felt like she would be over the moon with happiness as a result. Though she and Shizune weren't exactly the same, Chloe felt like her prided apprentice wasn't that dissimilar to herself and should be feeling the same way...
Seemingly agreeing with Chloe's sentiment, Haruhime had an elegant smile while her four tails danced around behind her, adding, "I didn't have to suffer nearly as much as Shizune, but I believe I can empathize with her. Though it had been a struggle for her, I think it was a good thing she had so much time to live a 'normal' life for the last few years...as long as people treat her normally, she should be able to live a happier life in the future. Don't worry, Master, I will make sure to look after her properly~." Because of their similar background, Haruhime and Shizune had always been very close, often spending time together and talking about their homeland, the past, and the future...
Vahn's smile softened when he heard Chloe and Haruhime affirm that everyone would be okay but, out of a habit that had formed over the last few years, Vahn still turned to Syr to get her opinion. She had a similarly elegant smile as Haruhime, subtly changed over the years from her normal gentle and calm appearance. Though it wouldn't be as prevalent as the Vanir, Syr's own pseudo-divinity had been developing with time and she had a strangely 'seductive' aura to her, even when she was just smiling normally. This, combined with her beauty that could even rival goddesses, gave Syr an almost otherworldly appeal that few could ever hope to match.
Though she had already know Vahn would look to her for an opinion, Syr still felt happy when his aquamarine eyes fell upon her. The thing that gave her the greatest sense of fulfillment had always been when Vahn would rely on her, as it was the purpose she had given herself from the very beginning. Thus, the already beautiful smile on her face turned even more radiant as she asked, "When you left, did you do so on your own, or because Shizune asked you to...?"
Even without having to answer himself, Syr had already intuited the answer based on the subtle changes in Vahn's demeanor, causing her to give a small nod and say, "If that is the case, she will be fine. Unless she tried to hide one of her familiars inside of your shadow to spy on you, she probably just needs a bit of time to sort her own thoughts and feelings. This is a good thing, so long as you make yourself available if she needs you...she might come to find you just to see if her presence is an inconvenience to you. Don't worry, though, as she will eventually calm down after spending time with the other girls. This is a good time for her to improve her relationship with everyone, not just you~."
For someone with such a heavy psychological trauma, it was very important for them to have a large support group to help them stabilize. For the last four and a half years, from Shizune's perspective, she had been constantly surrounded by people who understood her past, supported her happiness in the present, and were genuinely concerned for her future. Now, she also had the thing she had convinced herself that she 'wanted' so, after enough time had passed under these unchanging conditions, the odds of her making meaningful steps towards a full recovery were possible.
With Tsubaki, Chloe, Haruhime, and Syr all showing their support and confidence, Vahn felt like a burden had been lifted off of his heart. Surprisingly, the burden didn't feel that heavy, leading Vahn to believe that Shizune was actually further along in her recovery than he expected. Still, deciding to take Syr's advice seriously, Vahn made the decision to make himself available within the orb for the next few days, only spending a few hours in the real world with his daughters and visiting Alexa.
If he kept both of his bodies within the orb for a long period of time, he could always be available to look after Shizune while also going around and spending time with the other girls without burdening her heart and mind. If she was paying attention to the events transpiring around her, instead of just the things going on in her own life, it would be a sign that Shizune was recovering steadily. Eventually, after a few weeks had passed within the orb, she might even have a completely different personality compared to the past. This time, instead of hiding behind a facade, there was a genuine chance that she could open her heart to others and be happy...
As he wasn't particularly busy, and would need to wait for his other body to wake up in the morning, Vahn decided to spend some time chatting with the four girls as other residents of the orb would stop by from time to time, joining in on the pleasant atmosphere. After a few hours had passed, nearly everyone within the orb had ended up arriving in the room, causing things to become even more lively as time passed. Eventually, bringing a smile to the face of many people, even Shizune showed up to 'investigate' what was going on. Vahn had noticed one of her familiars had arrived a few minutes before she did so it wasn't exactly a random decision on her part and instead showed that she simply wanted to come and spend time with everyone, a stark contrast to how she had been distancing herself recently...
With Shizune's presence, the atmosphere got to the point that it was almost as though they were celebrating, delicious food and alcohol readily available. There was even a bit of entertainment as Lili and Tiona both took a small dosage of 'Fallen' to weaken their strength and began to wrestle around on the floor in nothing by their skivvies. Though it could have been mistaken as an attempt to appeal to him, the fact they were being egged on by the other drunk girls was a testament to the truth of the matter. As for Vahn himself, he just watched the wrestling match with moderated intrigue while Shizune curled up in his lap with a ruddy red face and a contented smile as she slept peacefully through the rest of the impromptu party.
---
Following through with his intent, Vahn started spending a greater amount of time in the orb with both of his bodies, leaving only when it was time to visit Alexa and to eat meals with the rest of the Manor's residents. He also spent a bit of time playing with his children, but still spent nearly twenty-two hours in the orb using his Avatar while his main body was averaging around fourteen. If accounting for both of his bodies, this equated to Vahn spending an average of 216 hours within the Sub-Space orb daily. He used this time to work on his training, spend time with the girls, and, making good on his internalized promise, watching over Shizune.
Slowly but surely, Shizune started to show noticeable changes in her behavioral patterns and, though she started off by just wanting to spend time with him alone, it had quickly developed into her wanting to train with the other girls. Because she knew he was pandering to her a great deal, Shizune had started to feel slightly guilty since it was almost as though she were selfishly monopolizing Vahn's time. Since she still wanted to spend time with him, the natural solution was just to accompany Vahn to spend time with the other girls as well. Training was the most practical method to justify this and, as a result of simply making herself more available, combined with how amicable most of the girls were, Shizune was starting to open her heart to more people.
After around five days had passed within the real world, Shizune's personality had nearly done a one-eighty compared to the past. With nearly a month to adapt to the changes in her life, including spending a few intimate moments with Vahn, Shizune had started to behave more and more like Chloe. Though she still had a heavy burden on her heart that may never truly go away, Shizune was truly beginning to move on from her past and accepting the new and happy life she had within this unique and special place. Here, she had dozens of people who cared for her, a man who loved her, and absolute security from both a financial and livelihood perspective. She now realized that her options for the future were functionally limitless, no longer bound by the worry that she might be forced to leave if she acted out more than was 'acceptable'...
As a result of this change, for better or worse, Shizune had stopped holding herself back and, by the end of a month's time within the orb, she had developed a strangely slovenly and teasing disposition. Whenever she wasn't training, Shizune would wear nothing but a loose kimono with her hair tied up in a somewhat messy yet strangely stylish ponytail. She could often be found sitting at the edge of her shrine, leaning against one of the pillars with a long kiseru in her hands, a unique pipe that originated from the Far East. Vahn had seen Tsubaki use one on occasion and it was apparently a means of calming the nerves and allowing a person to focus on introspection and relaxation. When he asked Shizune about it, she had laughed and, after shifting her body in a somewhat seductive manner, explained that she was thinking about 'their' future together, including the number of children she wanted to have...
In this manner, things were progressing relatively peacefully for the residents of the Hearth Manor, and the Alliance in general. Though the City was alive with rumors regarding the upcoming expedition, many somehow deducing that the Alliance wanted to build a headquarters within the Dungeon, things hadn't gotten too out of hand. Other than the Nobles trying to form together a small expedition party of their own, likely to try and follow behind the Alliance and try to make a claim of their own within the 50th Floor, Vahn wasn't even remotely worried about such a possibility. After all, even if such a group pitched up tents and tried to force a bit of contention, there was no way they would be able to stay down there for long. Given the fact that Enyo's forced would likely emerge to try and repel the Alliance, smaller groups would either move out of the way or become victims of their Masters' greed and hubris.
A group of Adventurers, more specifically 'freelance' Adventurers, simply lacked the logistical power and individual power required to get a foothold in the depths of the Dungeon. The fact they would need to rely on the Alliance to clear the way automatically made them unqualified to 'compete'. There was also the fact that they couldn't genuinely afford to offend the Alliance so, other than trying to claim an area far away from the central region where Haven would be built, there was no way they could even build an actual settlement. Since there was no way the Alliance would provide such people with building materials and supplies, any attempt for them to establish themselves was doomed to failure from the start.
The Nobles themselves were aware of this but, if they didn't at least try to secure their future, it would be the same as standing idly by as their power is slowly stripped away from them. Though they had implemented regulations that had favored their families over the last thousand years, things were changing much faster than they could adapt to. The Alliance wasn't exactly introducing change forcibly within the City, but the living conditions within their territory had impacted the mentality of everyone outside as well.
The same citizens who had kept their frustrations withheld in the past, even though they didn't like the system of taxation and exploitation of the Nobles, were now advocating for real change. After all, there were few people who could live next to a prosperous district and simply be content with the lot they had been given in life, especially if they could band together and bring about change. As a result of this shift in the mentality of the civilian populous, the Noble families were slowly losing their influence as any attempts to try and forcibly repress the dissidence would be the same as giving themselves a 'death' sentence.
A civilian council had been formed while Vahn was enacting his policy changes within the Elven Kingdom and expanding the Alliance's territory and influence. They had been very vocal in portraying the Nobles out to be to corrupt crooks their families had become after holding power and influence for far too long. There were a seemingly infinite number of incidents they could reference where one of the Nobles, especially those in the younger generation, exploited their power to ruin and take advantage of others. Since these weren't exactly isolated incidents, as many people within the City had been subjected to this reality, the momentum had quickly built in favor of the new civilian council.
To make matters worse for the Noble faction, the representative of the civilian council had actually gone to meet with Vahn who, that very same day, announced that the Alliance was backing their efforts to improve the quality of life for everyone within the City. Though some of the Nobles tried to use their networks to paint the representative out to be a 'whore who sold her body for benefits', as she was a very attractive woman, this only served to create a bigger backlash for themselves. One of the earliest actions of the civilian council had been to identify the members of the Nobles' network and publically oust them, making almost anything they tried to say in taverns and pubs earn the Nobles even greater admonishment from the people.
So that their fealty towards their purpose couldn't be questioned, every member acting on the civilian council made a huge show of taking a public vow, swearing that they would never use their positions for personal gains and, should the general public find them unsuitable for the role, they would step down and allow for the populous to elect a replacement. Like this, for the first time in the record of danmachi, a small democratic society had taken root within the city, something that many of the gods found rather amusing. Few of them believed such a society would be able to last, considering that humans could be very fickle and constantly sought ways to exploit the systems they themselves established, but it was still a very 'interesting' development, nonetheless.
Of course, those same gods knew there was an 'exception' to the rule of mortals, though they weren't even sure if he should be classified as such anymore. At this point, more than a hundred gods associated with Vahn through the Alliance and, with very few exceptions, they had extremely positive impressions of him. Most of the things he did were considered 'impossible', even from their perspective as entities who had lived for several hundred million years. At the same time, his personal capacity seemed limitless and almost every action he took was revolutionary in both concept and implementation.
In just two years, he had become the center of an organization that had greater financial clout, logistical support, and military might than any other organization in history. With his efforts, Orario was becoming even more powerful than ever before, with the economy practically booming with vitality. The living conditions of almost everyone had been steadily improving and the rapport he had built with the citizenship was so great that Vahn could potentially, for the first time in history, unify the entire city under the rule of a single person. Even now, though they mainly said it as a joke, people had already started to refer to him by a slightly modified name than the one which had become popularized after his battle with Ottar. Instead of 'Flame Emperor', many people had begun to 'affectionately' refer to Vahn as the 'God of Progress' and 'The Immortal Emperor of Orario'...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Everyone deserves a strong support group','Shizune is becoming an Onee-san...(OwO)~!','All Hail The Emperor!')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
ความคิดเห็นย่อย
คุณลักษณะความคิดเห็นย่อหน้าอยู่ในขณะนี้บนเว็บ! เลื่อนเมาส์ไปที่ย่อหน้าใดก็ได้แล้วคลิกไอคอนเพื่อเพิ่มความคิดเห็นของคุณ
นอกจากนี้คุณสามารถปิด / เปิดได้ตลอดเวลาในการตั้งค่า
เข้าใจแล้ว