章節 423: Within the Darkness
Progressing through the tunnel, Vahn had a scowl on his face as the corridor had quickly broken off into several directions after progressing for nearly 300m. Because his domain stretched 474m, he was able to tell that the system of tunnels was far more complicated than he had anticipated and it seemed like the one he had just passed through was just a recent addition. The most annoying thing of all was that the smell he had been tracking went down every single corridor and he was able to understand that it was a 'false scent' that had been spread to mislead anyone trying to pursue those that had fled through the complex system.
However, Vahn wasn't so easily led astray by the lack of a proper scent and there were several ways he could track his 'enemies'. Using his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn scanned through the area and looked for any signs that the elemental energies in the air had been disturbed. Just like when he was tracking the goddess Laverna, Vahn was able to see the somewhat chaotic fluctuations that occurred in the air when people passed through a location very recently.
Everything, be they people or monsters, were constantly absorbing elemental energies from the air while releasing small amounts passively. Unless they could completely constrain their energy, Vahn would still be able to follow them even without their scent. The only exception would be is if there was a powerful flow of mana through an environment, which could happen with some formations, but nothing like that had been installed in the tunnel system, at least at his current juncture.
Knowing that his enemies had tried to trick him through such a method, Vahn's anger increased marginally as he used [Shundo] to arrive at the next juncture and repeated the process of inspecting the fluctuations in the air. During this time, he detected the arrival of two of his own allies and waited for them to catch up to his current position before continuing forward. Moments later, Vahn saw the subtle glow of two pairs of eyes before both Chloe and Arnya showed up inside the corridor and quickly closed the distance with him. Removing their hoods, Chloe asked in a cold tone, "Did you find anything?"
Nodding his head, Vahn explained, "I don't know who they are, but to have a system like this shows they have to belong to a large organization or Familia. The way the tunnels are constructed doesn't seem like they were dug out normally, but more like they had been carved with the use of magic. I can track them through their energy fluctuations, but I'm not sure if I should continue forward. Since the scent in the air is fake, they probably already returned to the surface and blended into the crowd...what do you think we should do, Chloe, Arnya?"
Chloe was wearing her 'assassin' attired that consisted of a black top, white shorts, a black cloak, and several sets of daggers fixed to the belt around her waist. As for Arnya, she looked like a typical adventurer wearing a white tunic, red skirt, black spats, and a pair of leather gloves and boots. There was a large belt wrapped across her chest and abdomen, and she was carrying a spear that had the head concealed by a tan cloth.
Vahn knew that is was the golden spear that was partnered to the silver spear of her brother Allen, though he didn't yet know why she kept it concealed. He wanted to mention that, if her spear gave away an identity that she wanted to conceal, she could simply use a different weapon. However, though she pretended to be a ditz at times, Vahn knew Arnya was actually very intelligent and she had to have her reasons behind it. Even now, she had a cool look that completely contradicted her normal character and her expression was very serious.
After listening to Vahn's words, both Chloe and Arnya sniffed the air before Chloe sighed and said, "Nyahaaa, I can tell that the scent is fake as well. It smells like someone walks through here periodically and just sprays around...they have to be part of an organized group to pull off something like this. I think we should fall back and let the Alliance investigate it and just report it to the Guild for now. It could very well be a trap they had laid specifically to draw you in, so it's not a good idea to continue the pursuit if there is little chance we'll actually catch them."
Continuing where Chloe left off, Arnya nodded her head and said in a clear tone that belied her usual mischievousness, "For them to have been so close to the Manor and avoid detection, they couldn't have been there for long. The Alliance has patrols that periodically sweep the buildings, so there is a high chance this entire setup is just a trap. Let's return to the surface and then we can try to map out the corridors from above ground. Even if you can probably escape it, I imagine it wouldn't be pleasant to have the ceiling collapse in on you. Its too dangerous for you to expose yourself like this, especially when the enemy seems to be organized, Vahn."
Hearing both girls telling him to return to the surface restored a bit of clarity to Vahn's mind and allowed him to relax a little. He could see the concern clearly shown in their expressions and knew it was as they said, that he was the likely target for any larger schemes. Even if one of the girls was captured, they would have likely been used as leverage to get to him specifically. By heading into the enemies territory without any information, Vahn not only exposed himself to more danger, but he also left fewer defenses for the Manor as a result. As Arnya said, he could just as easily map the tunnel system from above as he could from below. It was far less likely they had set traps on the surface, as they would have been noticed by the Alliance patrols when doing so.
Though it wasn't the best time for such a thing, Vahn reached over and stroked both girls on their heads and felt a little at ease when they both squinted their eyes and dropped their serious expressions. With a smile on his face, Vahn said, "Let's get out of this place...I can just stroll around when we get to the surface and create a map of the tunnel network. My [Shundo] will be much more effective aboveground anyways..." As he spoke, Vahn felt his instincts flare up slightly and he turned his vision to the corridor he was about to go down earlier.
For a very brief moment, Vahn felt fluctuations in the air so, without questioning his own instincts, he sent a wave of flames down the corridor and increased the temperature to nearly 1,000 degrees Celsius after a few seconds passed. The flames caused the airflow in the tunnel system to fluctuate greatly and created a powerful backdraft as the fire consumed the oxygen in the air. Within the flames, Vahn saw a silhouette appear for a brief moment before they slammed their hand in the wall and lines of earth elemental energy appeared which caused the entire tunnel system surrounding them to begin collapsing.
Arnya's tail turned rigid as she tried to grab Vahn's arm as she shouted, "We need to get out of here, nyaow!" Vahn pulled free from her arm as he glared at the 'person' that had started the collapse. He wasn't sure how the figure was able to pull it off, but their aura was almost entirely concealed and the only thing that gave it away was the 'absence' of energy within the area surrounding it. Vahn's domain turned a pale gold as [Enkidu] emerged from the air and created a grid above their heads that stopped the collapse from reaching them as he extended two chains to try and capture the figure. Realizing the danger contained within the chain, or perhaps just trying to escape, the silhouette dropped into the ground and 'burrowed' deep into the earth before disappearing from Vahn's perception several seconds later.
Chloe had been watching Vahn's actions and asked, "What was that, the enemy? Could you tell how strong they were?" Vahn shook his head before looking back at the two girls and saying, "I couldn't sense them at all. If not for my instincts warning me something was wrong, they might have been able to walk right up to us without me noticing at all. The only thing I could detect was 'nothing', and that was what gave them away. Just seeing that it was able to resist my flames shows that, at the very least, they have high capabilities...though I don't think they were that strong. They're probably a specialist that uses unique magic related to the earth, but I didn't sense any magical fluctuations until after the magic activated...it could also just be a rare skill since I wasn't able to see through it at all..."
Chloe nodded her head before looking at the beautiful golden chains preventing the ceiling from collapsing in on them. Most of the tunnels surrounding them had collapsed and they would have been buried in debris if Vahn hadn't taken action when he did. It was somewhat ironic that they had been warning him about such a possibility right before it actually happened to them. Realizing what she was thinking, Vahn chuckled before reaching out and patting her again as he said, "It was actually your warning that made me more cautious and I had already started thinking about preventative measures if such a situation actually occurred. Thanks, Chloe, Arnya."
Arnya didn't stop Vahn from stroking her ears, but she still cocked her head slightly and asked, "How are we going to get out of here? My spear isn't very suitable for digging..." Vahn laughed at her words before pointing toward the ground where the shadow beneath their feet had been growing and becoming darker. There was nearly no light in the tunnel earlier, but Vahn's [Enkidu] was casting a beautiful golden light that illuminated the area they were in and cast long shadows in the small area. Once they saw the shadow, both girls understood what was going on and made room for Fafnir to peek up out of the spot it had been hiding in since earlier. Since the Hearth Manor was nearby, Vahn had been able to call over Fafnir and it arrived a few seconds later and had been on standby since before he even entered the tunnels.
Once they had cleared enough space, Fafnir lifted its head out of the shadows and asked, ("Vahn, Chloe, Arnya, do you need my help~?") Vahn smiled before walking forward and stroking Fafnir's head and saying, "Yes, please help us get out of here Fafnir. You should be able to shield us from the debris and break through to the surface, right?" Fafnir lifted its head toward the ceiling and its stark blue eyes glowed for a bit before it said, ("I can't get through the chains, Vahn. You will have to move them or I will be stuck in the shadows.") As it spoke, Fafnir raised its body and leaned over Vahn to shield him from the debris that would be freed as soon as he removed [Enkidu].
Chloe and Arnya moved under Fafnir's head as well and clung to Vahn as he allowed [Enkidu] to disperse so that Fafnir could take further action. He had already confirmed there was nobody on the surface so, other than a bit of collateral damage, everything else should be okay. When the silhouette collapsed the ceiling earlier, it had probably done a fair amount of damage on the surface anyway, so it wasn't like adding a little more would have any major consequences. Thus, when the golden radiance faded and the entire tunnel returned to darkness, Fafnir began to raise its body from the shadows while using its darkness magic to 'dissolve' the surrounding earth.
Other than the magical light glowing from the scar on its chest, everything else was completely dark for several agonizing seconds until beams of light broke through from above and entered the tunnel. Fafnir continued to clear around the area until debris stopped falling onto its back before saying, ("Okay, everything is clear, Vahn~!") Vahn rubbed Fafnir's stomach and used [Hands of Nirvana] to pass energy into its body as he said, "Thank you, Fafnir, you've been a great help once again." Fafnir 'giggled' under his touch and said, ("Vahn, that feels very nice, much better than normal! How strange, hehehehe~!") As it spoke, Vahn noticed that his OP was increasing and this made him laugh because he had been somewhat distracted earlier and forgot about his [Petting] ability for a moment.
After Fafnir dove back into the shadows, Vahn grabbed Chloe's and Arnya's waists before using [Shundo] to escape from the tunnel. They would have easily been able to climb out on their own, but Vahn wanted to be 'gentlemanly' and save them the effort. The tunnel system had only been about 10m underground, enough that they could have jumped out, but they still allowed Vahn to do as he pleased and 'obediently' held onto his body. When they appeared on the surface an instant later, Vahn released their waists as Arnya said, "That technique is amazing...if possible, I'd like to learn it in the future. Or, if nyaat myself, you should at least teach it to our child. Yes, that sounds like a good idea~nya."
Vahn nodded his head complacently as he scanned around the area for any signs of the enemy, even though they had likely escaped long ago. It was weird to be looking for 'nothing', but now that Vahn knew what he needed to be aware of it was much easier. He could from the surrounding devastation that nearly an entire City block had been collapsed from the enemies earlier attempt to entrap them, and this showed they were likely a mage that was around Level 5. Vahn would probably come out ahead in a normal fight, but they would be a troublesome enemy if they used guerrilla tactics like this.
Since reinforcements were already mobilizing, Vahn surveyed the area with Arnya and Chloe for a while making casual conversation. When people began to arrive, Chloe and Arnya had dawned their hoods and retreated from the area, as they both had somewhat sensitive identities. Their enemies probably already knew about them, as they lived at the Hearth Manor, but they still didn't reveal themselves to the public, or even the Alliance at large. Knowing they wanted to protect their identities, Vahn started thinking about a few new equipment designs that might be suitable for such things while he explained the situation to the Alliance squadrons and the City Guards from the Eirene Familia.
Though he had planned to walk around the area and visit his friends, Vahn spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and 'mapping' the tunnel system instead. He drew out a map for the Alliance so they could investigate the network of tunnels at a later date and also alerted them to several empty buildings that were connected to the system. The network was far extensive than even Vahn had suspected and he realized that the enemy 'earth mage' was going to be a pain to deal with.
Unless they set up formations to prevent them from using magic, it was even possible that the mage could burrow underneath the Hearth Manor itself and collapse the entire building. Fortunately, the type of security formation they had installed prevented such thing and, unless they collapsed the entire ground supporting the foundation of the land the Manor was built on, it wouldn't be a problem. However, realizing that the enemy had such an extensive network, Vahn knew it was possible for them to actually perform such a feat given enough time. The fact that they didn't try allowed Vahn to infer a very important piece of information and allowed him to connect the dots on a few factors that might have otherwise been overlooked. For them to avoid tunneling under the Manor in such a manner showed that, one way or another, the enemy knew about his detection ability...
---
During the evening, after he had returned from assisting in the mapping of the tunnels, Vahn gathered everyone in the Hearth Manor to discussed the matter in detail. Even Loki and Hephaestus had shown up for the occasion and gave their input on the matter as they discussed countermeasures that could be implemented against the mage. The Manor was about to be under construction soon, since they were going to be expanding several things and building a few new structures, so they would also be digging a network of tunnels themselves that would serve as the core of a much more powerful formation that would link together all five of the main Alliance Manors in a massive defense network.
This would be an exorbitant cost, but there were plenty of ways they could make enough Valis to cover the costs in the future. Though they hadn't sold any of the materials, Vahn's mini-expedition had earned over a billion Valis in just the span of a week so, if he accompanied a larger expedition, they could likely increase their earnings greatly. It was already planned, since the Loki Expedition usually made deep Dungeon probes every 3 months, that they would be trying to increase the record floor clear towards the middle of January. This meant that in as early as three weeks, Vahn would be on an expedition that would last upwards of a month. During this period, as many powerful members of the Hearth Manor would be away, the Hestia Familia would be protected almost exclusively by the Hephaestus Familia and, after Loki suggested it, the Freya Familia.
Vahn was 'scheduled' to meet Freya before the expedition began and they would be able to use the protection of the Hestia Familia as leverage since Vahn was going to be doing her a big 'favor'. It was a bit awkward, but he had agreed to help Freya get pregnant with one of her other lovers so that he wouldn't have to worry about her doing anything to him or the people around him for at least nine months. Though she wasn't part of the Alliance proper, Freya was one of the three members of the Tripartite Cooperative, so she had actually been 'taking care' of several enemy forces that were approaching the Hestia Familia in the shadows.
As for other security measures, it was decided that everyone would always travel in groups of four, even though this was already the case from before. Because there were a few low leveled members in the Hestia Familia, they were almost always looked after by someone that was Level 4 or higher, with someone that was Level 5 accompanying them in the Dungeon itself. It might seem a little 'overprotective', but Vahn wasn't the only potential target for their enemies. In order to get to him, or just to weaken the Alliance, any of the girls were a potential target, just like Milan and Tina had been in the past. They each understood this and hadn't any intentions of going against the decision in the first place, so everyone agreed to follow the security protocols without complaint.
After the long discussion came to an end, Vahn retired for the evening with the accompaniment of Hephaestus, Loki, Arnya, and Chloe. They had all worked very hard on his behalf today, so Vahn wanted to thank them for their efforts and reward them while developing his [Petting] ability. Though Chloe and Arnya had already noticed it the previous night, Hephaestus and Loki also realized the 'difference' in Vahn's touch and gave him a few heavy compliments that inflated his ego somewhat. By the end of the night, he had actually given each of the girls a half-hour massage before they 'thanked' him in their own way after the fact. It was the first time the girls had cooperated together and Vahn was reminded once again about how 'dangerous' Loki could be when she made Arnya's back arch after playing with her for a few minutes...Vahn could get a similar reaction with a bit of effort, but he was surprised with how 'deftly' Loki was able to handle other girls...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I have 'special eyes'~!','Who dat!?','Countermeasures')
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章節 424: Gift
Waking up sandwiched by two goddesses was something Vahn had experienced several times, but each time seemed like a completely new experience. Even though they had very differently sized breasts, Vahn felt comfortable with both Hephaestus and Loki snuggled up and laying against his chest. Chloe was hugging Loki from behind and seemed to be 'chewing' on her ponytail while Arnya was laying in a very 'dangerous' situation with her head on his thighs as she drooled against his leg in a somewhat awkward fashion. Vahn was amazed at how 'dedicated' she was when it came to putting on her act, even though the majority of people had seen through it long ago. Loki had even tried to get her to 'confess' the previous night, but her reaction was to bite Loki's butt after she could no longer deal with the 'teasing' of the mischevious goddess.
Since it was Saturday, there was no need to wake up early, at least in normal circumstances. Vahn, however, had several things he wanted to work on and he knew that Eina would be arriving relatively early as well. He hadn't explained the reason, but he had asked both she and Hephaestus to visit his workshop early in the morning. Hephaestus had stayed the night, but she was busier than ever lately as she had been preparing for the wedding, taking on new contracts, and also dealing with matters relating to the Alliance and the ongoing construction. Loki and Hestia were helping her out a lot, but Hephaestus had the largest responsibility as the 'Chairman' of the Alliance. Since she was also the chief financial guarantor, there was a great deal of paperwork she had been tending to in the last few weeks.
Knowing this, Vahn had spent the vast majority of the previous night simply pampering her after they had engaged in a few 'bouts'. He knew that, even when they were married, Hephaestus would often be busy until things had stabilized. Even though she would be moving into the Manor after the wedding, she would still have to take care of her other responsibilities until the 'migration' of personnel had been completed. The only complaint she had about the situation was something that made Vahn very flustered, as it was primarily related to his 'activities' during the daytime. Because he hadn't been limiting his intimacy with the girls to the evening hours, Hephaestus sometimes had to 'deal' with phantom sensations in her body that would sometimes continue for hours since Vahn's stamina was abnormal.
Fortunately, the [Promise] he had given her in the past seemed to help deal with the urges by a great deal and she had also been growing accustomed to the sensations on her own. As a goddess, her adaptability was quite high but she still asked Vahn to show a bit of restraint or to at least give her a warning beforehand. She had apparently been in a meeting with contractors before having to call it to a quick end when Vahn had been 'playing' around with Tiona previously. Since Tiona was the first girl that he had spent time with during the 'lunch' block of his schedule, Hephaestus had been caught completely off guard and had to 'retire' to her workshop after dismissing the contractors.
Knowing that Hephaestus was working so hard for their futures, yet he was constantly inconveniencing her, made Vahn feel very guilty. However, Hephaestus didn't seem to mind at all and simply encouraged him to do as he pleased, as his happiness was her happiness as well. Once the matters regarding the migrations and construction were completed, it wouldn't be a problem anymore so Hephaestus told him not to worry about it. Vahn nodded his head in affirmation, even though it was clearly written on his face that he was still going to worry about it. He had already started thinking of several ways to make things easier for Hephaestus, or else he would have to restrict his 'activities' more in the future.
Because of his guilt, Vahn pampered Hephaestus after waking everyone up and, after they had all taken a bath, he helped her get dressed and also brushed her hair. Loki had left soon after breakfast while both Chloe and Arnya left to take care of a few things before heading out to the Hostess of Fertility. The weekends were usually far busier than the rest of the week so the Hostess of Fertility opening at 8 AM instead of 10 AM. Since it was a short distance, Vahn escorted them over while also making rounds outside of the perimeter of the Manor before returning to the interior. Though there were patrols investigating the area, Vahn's perception was far higher than theirs and he was able to 'scan' the surroundings far more efficiently.
While he was making the rounds, Vahn detected Eina's arrival and used [Shundo] to intercept her soon after she walked through the gate. She was startled by his sudden appearance and dropped the box she had been holding in her arms. Vahn swooped forward to catch the package while also supported Eina's body after she lost her balance trying to hurriedly catch it. Eina gave him an accusatory look with a blush on her face as she said, "Thank you, Vahn, but please don't startle me like that. You're going to give me a heart attack..."
Vahn smiled widely at her reaction before placing his forehead against her's and whispering, "Eina, I'm glad you're here...even though it's only been a few days, I've missed you." Vahn was now taller than Eina by several centimeters, so she had to look up slightly at him with a somewhat bashful look on her face accompanying her gentle smile. Vahn was always surprised by how beautiful her emerald green eyes were and he felt like he could get lost staring at them as a powerful instinct to 'rest' began to rise up inside of him.
Even though her blush had started to spread to her ears, Eina reached her arms around Vahn's back before tilting her head up and giving him a quick peck on the lips. After pulling away, Eina hung her head low and said in a very soft voice, "I missed you too, Vahn...I brought you something, but you'll have to wait until we get inside before you open it." Eina looked around the area before separating from Vahn and grabbing his hand as she led the way toward the entrance of the Manor. Vahn could see that her aura was flaring up with a pink hue that danced about like it was being influenced by the wind. She seemed to be very embarrassed, so he was looking forward to what Eina had brought for him. He was very tempted to 'peek' into the package with his [Eyes of Truth], but he didn't want to betray her just to appease his own curiosity.
When they entered into the door, Fenrir had popped up and startled Eina once again as she spread her arms and said, "Eina, welcome home!" Just like she often 'pandered' to Hephaestus, Fenrir had shown up to greet Eina when she entered into the foyer. After raising her hands in an excited manner, she then tried to lift up the corners of her dress as if trying to perform a curtsy. There were two tiny golden knots that had been tied to strings so that she could grab it between her small paws without tearing her dress with her claws. It was an incredibly adorable display and Eina let go of Vahn's hand as she leaned forward slightly and affectionately stroked Fenrir's head as she said, "Thank you, Fenrir, you're very cute this morning~."
Fenrir blinked several times as she tilted her head slightly and 'repeated', "Eina looks very cute this morning as well." As she spoke, Vahn and Eina both caught her sending glances at Vahn so he walked forward as both he and Eina pet her ears and praised her for a few minutes. After completing her 'mission', Fenrir ran off to return to wherever she had been before detecting Eina's arrival with Vahn. Through his perception, Vahn could see she was going to where Hestia and several of the girls were gathered. The large study that connected to the dining room was a commonly used area by everyone in the Manor and more than half of the residents were currently gathered there.
After Fenrir had trotted away, Vahn led Eina this time as he escorted her to the East Wing and followed it through to the connecting Annex where his workshop was located. Hephaestus and Tsubaki were already there waiting and, when he saw what they were discussing, Vahn nearly fell over. Because the workshop was a 'private' area where few people had access to, Tsubaki was currently showing off the [Midnight Passion Panties] to Hephaestus. The reason he had been so caught off guard wasn't that Tsubaki was wearing just panties and her sarashi, but that Hephaestus had been kneeling down and 'inspecting' the garment with a very serious expression on her face.
Eina was also caught off guard by the sight and said in a confused voice, "Ano...good morning Hephaestus, Tsubaki...I see you are in high spirits...?" Hephaestus blushed slightly and stood up as Tsubaki began laughing boisterously as she 'casually' stripped off the panties and set them on the table before fixing her hakama. When she had removed them, the black silk garment noticeably shrunk and Hephaestus picked them up and explained, "Tsubaki was showing me an item Vahn had 'forged'...please don't misunderstand...*cough*..." Hearing Hephaestus' words, Vahn felt a cold sweat build up on his back as Eina sent him a look as she mused, "Ooooh? I've never heard of someone forging a pair of panties before...is that why I was asked to come here so early?"
Vahn laughed awkwardly before explaining, "I actually called you and Hephaestus here because I had prepared a gift for the two of you. The panties...they were just an experiment related to creating armor that looked like normal clothing for the girls. They might look like a normal pair of panties, but they can automatically adjust their size to the wearer and also have high defensive capabilities..." Eina continued to give Vahn a slightly 'worried' look as he justified his actions and tried to explain the specifics of their 'functionality'. Fortunately, Tsubaki and Hephaestus both came to his aide and convinced Eina that he was speaking the truth. It wasn't that she hadn't believed Vahn, it was just a relatively abnormal situation and she was just caught off guard a bit.
In order to ease some of the awkwardness, Vahn handed Tsubaki a purple tunic before having all three girls sit down on a large sofa he had set out for them. Once they were situated, Vahn released a sigh and began to amp himself up as he said, "For the last two weeks, I've actually been working on a special gift that I'm hoping you would both be pleased with..." Seeing how 'nervous' Vahn was, both Hephaestus and Eina began to build their expectations as they watched him with slightly glittering eyes. Vahn usually put an exorbitant amount of effort into the things he created so, for him to be so nervous about the gift he had prepared, it must be something incredible.
Vahn pulled out the two mannequins that were covered in a white film that obstructed the contents and he began to feel giddy as he explained, "I know that its a tradition that the groom doesn't see the wedding dress until the ceremony, but I wanted to take a more proactive role instead of sitting on the sidelines and having the two of you deal with everything. You don't have to use them, but I'd like you to consider these dresses...I put all of my efforts into creating them, and I hope they are to your liking..." As he spoke, Vahn placed his hand on the white film and threw them into his inventory while leaving the Hephaestus and Eina shaped mannequins wearing the [Phoenix Fire Dress] and [Phoenix Night Dress].
When he had revealed the two dresses, all three girls' eyes opened widely because, though they had speculated about what Vahn was working on, none of them had guessed it was wedding gowns. The most incredulous thing was that each dress looked like a masterpiece and both Tsubaki and Hephaestus were very aware of the amount of effort he had to put into their construction. Eina was stuck in a stupor as she looked at the beautiful blue dress that she assumed had been personally made by Vahn for her use. Her current dress was very beautiful, but staring at the blue dress Vahn had created made her heart thumb powerfully in her chest and she began to take deeper breaths as she asked, "Is that...for me...?" She pointed to the blue dress and Vahn smiled widely and before explaining, "Yes, this wedding dress is called [Phoenix Night Dress]...when I created it, I wanted it to embody the-" Before Vahn could explain the creation process, Eina had leaped up from the sofa before happily embracing him.
As if she had been awakened by Eina's action, Hephaestus also rose from the sofa before walking over and affectionately stroking the beautiful red dress until Eina had finally freed Vahn. Taking the opportunity, Hephaestus also hugged Vahn tightly and shared a long kiss with him before saying in a tone full of affection, "Thank you, Vahn, it's beautiful..." Vahn nodded his head with a large smile on his face as he hugged Hephaestus' waist tightly and responded, "It had to be, or it wouldn't be worthy of someone as beautiful as you, Hephaestus..." Vahn received another passionate kiss for his compliment and it almost seemed like Hephaestus was about to push him down on the floor before Tsubaki's cough brought her back to reality.
Though the atmosphere was still rose-colored, everyone had calmed down a bit and Vahn explained, "The red dress is called [Phoenix Fire Dress]...it has high defensive stats and is also a magic item with four abilities infused into it, including one unique ability called 'Phoenix's Pride'. Its other abilities are 'Fire Immunity', 'Shock Resistance', and 'Weatherproof'. When you wear this, it will enhance your beauty greatly and make you stand out regardless of how many other people are present..." Hephaestus listened to Vahn's words as she looked at the dress with an enamored look on her face as she traced her fingers along the complex arrangement of magic stones that adorned the bodice.
Seeing that Hephaestus seemed very pleased, Vahn smiled before continuing for the equally enamored Eina, "The blue dress is called [Phoenix Night Dress] and has equally high defensive capabilities. Like the [Phoneix Fire Dress], it has four abilities including a unique ability called 'Phoenix's Embrace'. As for the other abilities, they are 'Ice Immunity', 'Shock Resistance', and 'Weatherproof'. When you wear this dress, it will emit a calming aura to everyone that looks in your direction. I wanted to create a dress that embodied the peaceful feeling you always bring me..."
Hearing Vahn's words, Eina turned her attention away from the dress and her expression melted into an incredibly gentle look as she smiled and said, "Vahn...thank you so much. I will always look after you from now on...because..." Eina began to blush furiously and her gentle expression turned into a flustered one as she continued, "Because...I love you~!" Eina's sudden exclamation surprised, not just Vahn, but the other two girls in the room. Everyone present loved Vahn, and he loved them, so it was a 'triggering' mechanism for someone to exclaim it so suddenly.
Hephaestus giggled with a slight blush on her face as she said, "Ara~? Eina is so bold this morning...I don't want to be left out, so let me also profess my love." As she had been closer to Vahn, Hephaestus moved over and embraced Vahn's head into her breasts tightly as she whispered in a sensuous tone, "I love you...Vahn." Vahn nodded his head and stammered, "I love you too, Hephaestus...I love Eina and Tsubaki as well.... every day I-" Before Vahn could continue, Tsubaki hugged his body from behind and gave Hephaestus a playful look as she whispered, "You talk too much, Vahn...but that is one of the things I love about you...fufufufu~"
Eina showed a pouting expression at the two 'mature' girls' behavior as she said, "Muuuu, you girls are being sneaky today. I can barely tolerate Vahn's teasing, so please go easy on me..." Tsubaki and Hephaestus laughed in an amused manner before releasing Vahn and pushing him towards the bashful Half-Elf. Eina 'caught' Vahn's head before mimicking Hephaestus' action of hugging his face to her chest as she squeezed him tightly and repeated, "I love you, Vahn...thank you for the dress." Vahn knew Eina was pushing herself a bit by doing something so intimate, so he felt very warm inside as he hugged her waist and rested his head against her chest as he said, "I love you too, Eina...you're welcome."
---
After the atmosphere cleared up a bit, Eina and Hephaestus began undressing in the middle of the workshop before Vahn helped them fit into the dresses. He didn't want to reveal the 'mechanism' yet, so they had to squeeze into the dress from the bottom and it required a bit of assistance. Fortunately, Vahn had used fabric that had a bit of give, so they were able to get into them without any great difficulty. Since he had made the dressed to perfectly match the figure of both girls, they didn't actually require any additional tailoring at all and Vahn just spent a few minutes questioning them about the feel and balance of the outfit.
While they were answering his questions, Tsubaki had been inspecting the mannequins that Vahn had used when creating the dresses and noticed that there were a lot of 'extra' details. When a lully appeared in the conversation, Tsubaki asked in a teasing tone, "So, did you make these mannequins yourself, Vahn~?" Though he could hear the insinuation in her voice, Vahn answered her question with a bit of confusion on his face, "Yes? I used a material called [Memory Putty] and sculpted them to emulate Hephaestus and Eina as accurately...as possible..." As he spoke, Vahn realized why Tsubaki had a teasing look in her eyes and his expression had been noticed by both Hephaestus and Eina so they looked over as well.
They had been so distracted by the dresses earlier that neither girl had paid too much attention to the mannequins that were in their 'likeness'. Hephaestus had simply assumed it was 'similar' to her, but now she saw the amount of 'detail' Vahn had put into it and she couldn't help but blush as she inspected the mannequin by walking around it slowly. Eina's face had turned completely crimson and her ears were drooping slightly as she 'glared' at Vahn and said, "Vaaaaaahn, we need to have a serious talk~!" Even though she was still wearing the wedding dress Vahn had made for her, Eina walked over and began lecturing him in a serious tone with a very flustered expression on her face.
All the while this was going on, Tsubaki was laughing loudly before deciding to tease Hephaestus a bit by grabbing the mannequins butt. She actually hadn't expected it to be 'soft' to the touch, so Tsubaki's eyes opened wider and she remarked, "Wow, it's so big and soft...I think I know why Vahn... wait a second!" Though Eina was still currently lecturing Vahn, Tsubaki interrupted her and asked, "Vahn, who else did you make a mannequin of? Did you make one for me as well!?" Knowing there might be a life-sized mannequin that showed her privates in detail made Tsubaki feel very embarrassed. She had been intending to tease Eina and Hephaestus a bit, but now she realized that if Vahn was able to make mannequins of the two, he could have very easily made one of her as well.
Tsubaki's words had caused all three girls to stare at Vahn and he suddenly felt very embarrassed as he tried to explain, "I just wanted them to be as accurate as possible...I made a few, but I haven't made one for you yet, Tsubaki..." Tsubaki released a sigh of relief before giving Vahn a serious look and saying, "If you ever want to make something for me, just let me know. I'd rather be here personally than have you gawking at a doll that looks like me..." Hearing Tsubaki's words, both Hephaestus and Eina also asked Vahn to inform them if he wanted to make more clothing for them in the future. At the very least, he shouldn't use such 'detailed' mannequins anymore.
Even if there was a negligible chance anyone would ever see them, just knowing such things existed was a very unnerving thing. As he had felt the same way when Eva made nude statues of him, Vahn acceded to the girls' words but still had to listen to their combined lecture for nearly an hour after the fact. The only consolation he found at the sudden series of events was that both Hephaestus and Eina looked very beautiful in the dresses he had made for them...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A Goddess in each arm, a cat on each leg~?','Fenrir is a smart girl','Vahn's attention to 'detail'')
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