Chương 254: Contemplation

When Vahn awoke early the next morning, he could feel a pleasant warmth and a comfortable weight on his back. Even without looking he could tell that Eina had fallen asleep on top of him and had both of her hands on his shoulders with her head resting against his back. Judging by the direct heat, Vahn knew she was still topless as well and thought she might have slept on top of him to prevent him from leaving. Since Eina wanted him to relax more, it seemed like she was taking passive action to force him to think about things clearly before taking action.

While enjoying the warmth against his body, Vahn started to contemplate his next course of action seriously. He could either challenge the Ishtar Familia to a Wargame after he gathered more information, or he could continue with his plan to kidnap Haruhime. The first course of action had the downside that he would have to leave Haruhime in the brothel for another whole month. There was also the possibility that, since she was important to the original plot, there was something unique about her that had drawn Ishtar's attention in the first place. If she knew Haruhime was the stakes in the bet, Ishtar might simply remove her or move her plans up before the Wargame even begins.

If Vahn took the second route, though it would almost guarantee Haruhime's safety, he would have to keep her hidden away or sneak her out of the City. Hiding her away would cause Ishtar to continue searching for her, but it would also give him time to pressure the Ishtar Familia through legal channels. Even though her Familia was quite powerful, it couldn't stand up to the might of the Loki Familia and the logistical support of the Hephaestus Familia. Letting her leave the City alongside the Takemikazuchi Familia could be a good choice, but Vahn wasn't sure sending them away would be enough.

The Takemikazuchi Familia wasn't that strong and Haruhime could have been targeted by some scheme even back in her homeland of the Far East. Though he couldn't be sure, Vahn suspected this was the case since it didn't make sense for so many conveniences to align. Not only was she framed, but when her father was pressured by others and left her to a Pallum trader, he got immediately ambushed by bandits? Vahn didn't think there were such conveniences in the world, especially since Haruhime was part of the original plot.

The fact that the bandits didn't do anything to her and immediately shipped her across the ocean was another red flag since the trip was incredibly costly. Unless they were bandits that also doubled as sailors, there wouldn't be a lot of profit in her export since Renards weren't that uncommon in the Far East. One key detail that had captured his attention was the fact that Haruhime wasn't sold to the slave trader even when he supposedly made a large offer. This meant that Ishtar treated her as a special commodity instead of common merchandise.

Besides, though he couldn't explain why, Vahn somehow felt it would fall to him to protect Haruhime for some reason. He already empathized with her greatly and wanted to help her and there didn't seem to be an easy way to entrust her to the Takemikazuchi Familia either. Given his current track record of saving girls and them falling for him, Vahn suspected there was something about his character that drew damaged and traumatized girls to him. He knew he was somewhat broken as well, and perhaps it was the mutual comfort they sought in each other that brought them closer. Though he wasn't entirely sure, it felt like the only girl in his life that wasn't 'damaged' was Eina...if he found out she had a tragic past as well, Vahn wouldn't know what to say.

Ultimately, Vahn decided to leave it up to what Haruhime wanted to do. Since she had been separated from her homeland and lived a life filled with suffering, Vahn would do whatever it took to restore some normalcy to her life. If she decided to stay in the Hearth Manor, he would protect her and slowly try to weaken the Ishtar Familia over time. If she went with the Takemikazuchi Familia, Vahn would pay for their return trip back to the Far East and have them escort Shizune.

But, no matter how Vahn looked at it, he was almost positive she would decide to stay with him for some reason. Perhaps it was the whims of fate or the influence of karma, but Vahn had deeply immersed himself into the core of this record. His actions affected events so strongly that 'The Path' actually had to assign him quests just to prevent the record from destabilizing in the future. Since Haruhime was part of the original plot, she likely played a key role in the conclusion of the original story and might even feel some compulsion to stay within the City.

Releasing a stifled sigh, Vahn slowly moved his body to the side until he could get Eina off of his body. She opened her eyes because of the change and asked in a low tone, "Do you really have to go?" Vahn looked into her emerald green eyes and saw the concern deep within. Removing some of the hair from her face, Vahn stroked Eina's cheek and replied, "After this, I'll do what I can to manage things from within the Familia. I might not be able to act openly with the Alliance, but I'll see if Loki can put some pressure on Ishtar if she gets out of control. Just like with Lili, I'll save Haruhime and help her grow strong enough to protect herself...I want to save her."

Though Vahn felt like he was compelled by fate, he also knew it was a fate of his own choosing. Had he decided to avoid Orario, he likely wouldn't have changed events at all. Instead, he threw himself right into the thick of things just because of his own desires and curiosity. Now that he had changed events to such an extent that it had a negative impact on another person's life, Vahn wanted to step in and fix things. Regardless of how he thought about it, it wasn't his responsibility, but it was his actual desire to save Haruhime that drove him forward. Just like when he saved the six girls, it was a decision he had made without even consulting others and it was these choices that helped him maintain his personal happiness...

Eina showed a somewhat sad smile before sitting up in the bed and kissing Vahn. Since she was still topless, her breasts pressed against his bare chest and he could feel the warmth coming from her body as he hugged her back and waist. After a few seconds had passed, Eina pulled away and spoke with a gentle tone, "I love you Vahn, make sure you take care of yourself. If you're back early enough, I'll make you breakfast."

Vahn gingerly stroked both sides of Eina's face with his palms before placing his forehead against her's and saying, "You're too good for me Eina...I love you too. I'll be back before the sun even rises in the sky." In response, Eina giggled a bit before saying, "Fine, don't keep me waiting. Bad boys get punished for breaking their word~!"

Giving Eina one last kiss, Vahn tucked her into bed and allowed her to go back to sleep. It was currently only around 2 AM, so there were still several hours before sunrise. As he walked through the room, Vahn noticed a presence stir next door and sent a mental command as he whispered lightly, "I'll be back soon Fenrir...take care of our family while I'm away." After moving around a bit more, the presence laid back down and Vahn knew Fenrir had returned to sleep while protecting Hestia and Preasia.

Leaving the Manor, Vahn dashed through the early morning mist with nearly soundless footsteps while wearing a light-grey cloak that blended into the surroundings. Once he got to an open area, he used Shundo to quickly make his way across the rooftops as he headed toward the brothel where Haruhime and purportedly been seen. Unless they had been alerted by his actions the previous day, she should still be there even now since it was still the active hours for several of the brothels.

Because he had been moving at a swift pace, Vahn reached his destination within twenty minutes and stood atop a brothel that was ten stories above ground while having six basement levels. It was a rather luxurious brothel and Vhan could detect the presences of more than sixty people contained within. Hoping that she was one of the singular presences, Vahn used his [Eyes of Truth] to inspect each person until he finally set his sights on a very petite young girl with blond hair and fox-like ears. She was wearing a red kimono that had been opened slightly to reveal her budding breasts and it looked like she had been covered in various liquids that made the cold sensation in Vahn's mind begin to spread rapidly.

Calming himself for a few minutes, Vahn continued to inspect her body for any injuries or peculiarities as he noticed something out of place. Since he had peered into the bodies of others before, including women like Hephaestus and Eva, Vahn knew about the differences between a mature body and that of a maiden. He could tell, though she seemed to be in a sorry state, that Haruhime was still the later of the two.

Perhaps because they thought she was too young, but she still seemed to be a virgin for the time being. Though Vahn realized this, he also knew that didn't necessarily mean she wasn't mistreated. Unless those liquids were put on her body artificially, Haruhime had likely be subjected to several deviant treatments. Fortunately, her body seemed to be unblemished even though it was somewhat dirty which showed she didn't have any injuries.

Releasing a relieved sigh, Vahn inspected through the rest of the brothel and gave a cursory inspection of any strong auras. He could tell there was at least two Level 4's within the building but the one near Haruhime was on the weaker end of the spectrum. She looked like she had just recently reached Level 4, but Vahn still inspected her to see if he could find anything strange. Using his [Eyes of Truth], he penetrated through the various levels of the building and saw someone he hadn't expected to see at all.

Vahn released a second sigh, this one of pure exasperation because the woman he had just seen was the very same Amazon that had tried to seduce him on the first day of his investigation. Though he didn't regret refusing her 'challenge', Vahn realized he could have met Haruhime even sooner and avoided the incident with the slave trafficker. Of course, that meant he wouldn't have saved the six girls either, so Vahn wasn't entirely upset at the outcome. He simply disliked how whimsical fate seemed to be and wondered if it was somehow the machinations of 'The Path' setting him down an 'optimal' route.

He didn't blame 'The Path' at all, since Vahn knew it only responded to his actual desires and needs. Because he had truly wanted to meet and save Haruhime, his actions had inadvertently led him to meet one of the prostitutes close to her. If he had accepted the girl's offer at the time, Vahn would have come across Haruhime much sooner. Since he had played it safe and wanted to take the more heroic route, Vahn ended up on a side path that allowed him to save several other people and still find out information about Haruhime...it was like all of his actions eventually led him where he wanted to go as long as he didn't give up.

Of course, Vahn had no illusions that it meant the path he wanted to take would be without dangers. Because of his actions, he had almost died three times and only escaped because of his efforts and the strategies he incorporated. The completion of this quest would be the same, as long as he prepared properly and pushed forward without giving up, Vahn could overcome the situation and benefit greatly from it. If he got complacent and dropped his guard, Vahn could die from a single well-placed punch by someone as weak as Level 2.

Taking a deep breath, Vahn gave the area one last inspection before deciding the course of action he wanted to take. Since the Level 4 Amazon seemed to be guarding Haruhime, he would likely have to confront her unless he wanted to pretend to be a client. This would potentially expose him though since Vahn was certain the matters related to the slave trafficker bust had been spread through the Entertainment District by now. The only viable option seemed to be to infiltrate the brothel and whisk away Haruhime before anyone noticed.

He could also use [Enkidu] and directly kill the Amazon woman before she even knew what was happening, but Vahn saw that she actually had a mellow aura that was colored with a yellow coloration. This meant she either had a personal liking toward him for some reason or that she was an actual kind person. If Vahn killed her without verifying it from himself, he wouldn't be able to deal with the situation if he found out she was actually protecting Haruhime. Saving the girl after killing someone they cared about didn't seem like the best method for making Haruhime happy in the future.

(A/N: Alternate Titles:'Vahn uses his head','Vahn uses his head again','Since when does Vahn think things through!?')

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Chương 255: Convictions

After formulating his plan, Vahn snuck into the brothel and avoided detection as he made his way down several floors until he was on the ground level. There were several people asleep in many rooms while the noises of intimate actions echoed from others. Vahn kept his mind calm and slowly made his way through using his stealth to avoid drawing attention to himself. When he finally entered the large corridor where Haruhime's room was located, Vahn saw the Amazon sitting at the end of the hallway outside the door.

Noticing the arrival of the figure wearing a light-grey cloak, the Amazon stood up and tilted her head sideways as she asked, "Hmm~? If you're a customer, I'll ask you to remove your cloak. If you continue to hide your face, I might just have to punish you." Without responding, Vahn grabbed the hood of his cloak and pulled it back revealing his white hair, tiger-like ears, and icy-blue eyes.

When she saw his face, the Amazon woman's brow raised slightly as she said, "It's you?"

Vahn showed a slight smile and responded, "Sorry about that." Though he could see the Amazon's aura turn somewhat fiery, Vahn noticed that she didn't immediately become hostile. Instead, she had a seductive smile on her face as she asked, "Oh? Have you come to make it up to me~?" Before she could walk forward, Vahn raised his hand slowly and explained, "My purpose here is somewhat different..."

Before he finished, the Amazon began laughing seductively and said, "So the person looking for Haruhime was actually the famous Vahn Mason? Here to play hero?" Vahn's brows raised momentarily before a somewhat fierce look appeared on his face. When he was about to ask, the Amazon woman explained, "Even if it isn't common knowledge, there are quite a few people that know about your transformation ability. Didn't you make it public knowledge when you entered the dungeon in the past~? There aren't many weretigers in the City, especially ones with white hair and blue eyes..."

After thinking it over briefly, Vahn realized she was correct and that he hadn't done nearly enough to actually hide his identity. Dropping his hands, Vahn stood casually and asked, "Are you going to stop me?" In response, the Amazon woman playfully touched the clasp on her revealing bottoms and had a glimmer in her eye as she asked, "It depends on what you intend to do~? If you're here for business, I don't mind attending to you. But, if you want to touch Haruhime...I'm not sure you have the capabilities."

With a frown on his face, Vahn asked, "What is Haruhime to you? You seem protective of her, but I've seen the state she is in...that isn't something that happens when you're being protected." As he spoke, the Amazon woman's smile slowly faded and she had a serious look on her face as her aura became tinged with the colors of hatred. Glaring at Vahn, the Amazon said, "I am protecting her...you have no idea of the situation. If I could, I would have taken her away from this place long ago."

Flexing his claws a bit, Vahn asked in a serious manner, "I've come to help her, will you stand in my way?" Even if Ishtar already knew about his presence, this only meant Vahn was more pressed to save Haruhime now instead of waiting for Ishtar to take action. However, he suspected the goddess had something different in mind seeing how she only left one person to guard Haruhime, two if counting the second Level 4 that was in a room in the lower levels.

With a fierce look on her face, the Amazon asked, "Do you really have the resolve to protect Haruhime from what is to come? Why should I entrust her to you?" Without answering her question, Vahn compressed his domain and focused his intent on the Amazon girl in an instant. She was temporarily stunned and, in the time it took for her to regain control of her body, Vahn wrapped her arms and legs with [Enkidu] before stepping in with Shundo and placing his hand on her abdomen.

The Amazon looked at him with absolute shock and discovered she could do nothing about the chains holding her arms and legs tightly. No matter how much strength she mustered, the didn't even move by a single millimeter. She looked down at Vahn and was about to berate him before she felt a powerful heat spreading through her body that made all the muscles in her lower body forcibly relax. The chains wrapping around her legs dissipated and she was lowered to her knees with the chains holding up her torso and arms.

Placing his palm on the Amazon's head, Vahn stated plainly, "No matter what happens, I will always fight to protect the things I've chosen to protect. Even if I have to face difficulties, I will never give up in my goal of creating a happy world for myself and the people in my care." Without giving her time to respond, Vahn converged his aura into the Amazon's body and began driving out the foreign energy that had been soaked into her mind.

The Amazon's eyes widened as she gritted her teeth to resist the wave of energy overtaking her body without explanation. After a few seconds passed, she felt most of her stamina had completely drained as an emptiness overtook her body. Accompanying the emptiness, however, she could feel a sense of liberation, almost like a burden that had plagued her mind had been removed. The chains wrapped her arms loosened and Vahn helped lay her on the floor as he looked into her eyes and said, "You aren't the only one that is willing to do whatever it takes to help others. Now you can make your own decisions...just don't get in my way."

Vahn stood up after driving out the poisonous pink energy that had been tainting the Amazon's body. Though he wasn't entirely sure, he intuited that it was like the charm Divinity of Isthar and it had been controlling the actions of the girl in front of him. She obviously cared about Haruhime yet chose to let her stay in this nightmare facility. The only reason Vahn could think of behind her actions was that she was acting against her will. Since she still kept a bit of her sanity and protected Haruhime even under the influence of another, Vahn knew she had to be someone with a strong mentality.

The Amazon looked up at him with confusion and relief on her face as she asked, "How? It shouldn't be possible..." Vahn looked down and showed a somewhat confident smile as he responded, "I've never much cared for what other's thought possible. My only concern is doing my best to protect the things I care about...I'm going now, will you stop me?"

For several seconds, the Amazon looked at Vahn as if he was some anomalous entity that defied common sense. Even though she could tell he was weaker than her, he was able to defeat her before she even had enough time to process a war cry. Now, he had weakened her to the point where she couldn't fight back at all and had even removed the charm effect from her mind. There was nothing she could do to stop him, even if she wanted to take a hard stance to protect Haruhime. Releasing a muted sigh, she looked up at Vahn with an appraising smile as she said, "My name is Aisha Belka...please protect Haruhime. I'll trust you for now and try to buy you some time."

Vahn nodded his head before setting a 'Hi-Stamina-Potion' on the ground that would allow Aisha to recover a bit of her strength. Even after his surprise attack, her aura hadn't turned hostile toward him at all so he knew she wasn't currently a threat. Before turning away and entering the room with Haruhime, Vahn muttered, "We all choose the path we follow...don't do anything that would make others sad. Ishtar can't move against me easily and I'll do what I can do deal with her in my own way."

Without waiting for her response, Vahn opened up the door to Haruhime's room and stepped over the threshold. He could sense Aisha picking up the potion before moving along the corridor with a spirited aura that was much more lively than the mellow aura she had previously. While he was focused on her, Haruhime twitched a bit before she sat up from the large futon that was soiled with somewhat disgusting fluids. She saw the entrance of the boy before her and made no efforts to conceal her body as she wiped off her exposed skin with a towel and moved toward her 'client'.

Vahn noticed her movements and his expression turned a bit pained as he grabbed Haruhime's wrists and prevent her from trying to remove his clothes. She had a confused expression on her face as she looked up at him with her placid green eyes and asked, "Did you want something else Sir? I...might be a bit inexperienced-" Before Haruhime could continue, Vahn placed his hand on her head and used [Hands of Nirvana] to drive away her anxiety as he explained, "I have come here to save you from this place Haruhime. I'm friends with the Takemikazuchi Familia and they asked me to help you..."

Though she was confused, Haruhime's body flinched when Vahn mentioned saving her and the fact that he knew her friends. She could hardly believe that his words were true, but the warmth coming from his hand made her feel strangely safe and secure as it pushed away the bad feelings from her mind. With tears in her eyes, Haruhime shook her head and explained, "It's too late...I don't deserve to be saved anymore. I'm a prostitute...a dirty girl that is the enemy of heroes. If you try to save me, you'll just invite disaster on yourself..."

Vahn's heart felt like it twisted in his chest as he shook his head and cradled the sides of Haruhime's face and looked directly into her watery green eyes. He explained seriously, "This isn't a life you chose for yourself, you have just as much a right as anyone else to be free and search for your happiness. I don't know what kind of life you've lived for the past three years but I can say with certainty you're not a dirty girl that doesn't deserve salvation."

Haruhime's grabbed Vahn's wrists and pulled her head away from his hands as she exclaimed, "No, you don't understand..." Before she could continue, Vahn decided he needed to clarify something since it might help her come to terms with the situation, "Haruhime, I'm not sure what you think, but I'm something of an expert when it comes to inspecting the bodies of others. Without any doubt, I can guarantee you are still a virgin..."

Though she had a melancholic expression before, now Haruhime had an incredulous look on her face as she stared at Vahn and said, "Eeeiii~? That isn't possible!" As if to prove some kind of point, Haruhime picked up the towel she had used to wipe down her body, "Look, look at all this dirty stuff! Every time I have a client, I always wake up covered in this foul liquid!" Grabbing the towel from Haruhime's hands, Vahn turned it into ashes before shaking his head and explaining, "There are several ways to confirm it once we get you out of here. All you have to do is ask a goddess of Fertility or have another woman verify it for you. If I had to guess, that fluid was probably placed on your body just to put mental pressure on you and prevent you from developing the desire to escape on your own..."

Haruhime's eyes were wide and she seemed to have trouble contemplating everything Vahn was saying. Pressing down her ears with her hands, Haruhime squatted down on the floor and muttered to herself, "Can it really be true...am I not a dirty girl after all?" While she was lost in thought, Vahn walked over and helped calm her mind as he knelt down beside her and helped close up her red kimono. She looked into his blue eyes and saw the care and concern he had for her and asked, "Is it really true? Can I still become happy? Will you really save me?"

Vahn showed a slight smile and said, "Of course, even if you didn't want me to save you, I would still take you away from this place. The world is far bigger than this small room and you'll eventually find the happiness you seek if you never give up. Don't worry about Ishtar or any of her Familia, there are a lot of great people that will help to protect you from her influence." As he spoke, Haruhime's eyes began to clear up a bit as her tail brushed the ground slowly.

For a brief moment, Haruhime hung her head and muttered to herself for a bit until she looked up and said with a hopeful voice, "Please save me!" Responding to her words, Vahn had a smile on his face as he gently stroked her hair and said, "You don't need to ask at all... let's go, there are a lot of people that would like to see you safe and happy. If we work together, there is nothing we can't overcome."

Without continuing the conversation any further, Vahn picked up Haruhime in a princess carry that made her fluster a bit before wrapped her arms around his neck. She immediately noticed that Vahn's body was incredibly hot, almost like a hearth whose warmth brought safety and comfort while driving away the darkness in her heart. Since he was carrying her like a princess, Haruhime couldn't help but feel like he was a hero that had arrived in her hour of need and freed her from her suffering. Just like the stories she read often in the past, Vahn had suddenly taken the place of each of the heroes in the novels while she was the damsel in distress that needed saving. Though she wasn't sure what the future held, Haruhime wondered if she might be able to live happily ever after just like the heroine in a fairy tale...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Reunion : Solicitation','Vahn's Resolve','Haruhime's Desire')

I am currently at $718/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images <3