章節 841: Smile
After collecting himself, Vahn realized there was a slight delay in his thought processes as his main body slowly awoke from a dazed state. Fortunately, Fenrir had kept his body floating above the construction site, even though her telekinesis was rather lacking. She didn't even ask any questions about what he had been doing, instead, coming to his side when Vahn reached out his hand. He hadn't expected the union with Freya would cause his awareness to be completely dominated by what was happening on the surface. Though Sis would have snapped him out of it if there had been an enemy attack, Vahn knew he had erred quite a bit this time around. Since Fenrir had kept him from embarrassing himself, Vahn sat in the air and had her sit in his lap, pulling out an ornate brush as he began combing through her hair...
Back on the surface, Vahn let his constrained domain return to its normal size and immediately noticed the abnormalities in the surrounding area, specifically those in the nearby room. His eyes widened and a bit of cold sweat caused his skin to become clammy as he tried to process what had happened. Sis immediately chimed in at this point, explaining, (*The synchronization between your domain and Freya's Divinity caused the connection between her Avatar and her Divine Body to become much stronger. If not for you instinctually restraining her Arcanum with [Enkidu], Freya would have been forced back to Heaven. However, since you weren't actively trying to seal her Divinity, some of the ambient energy diffused into the surroundings. The Arcanum itself was sealed but the...Sex Energy spread out and likely affected several bystanders...*) As her perception was restricted to Vahn's own, Sis wasn't entirely aware this was happening during the moment and hadn't noticed until Vahn himself expanded his domain...
Vahn knew he would probably have to issue an apology and explanation of what had happened later and wasn't looking forward to it. He was hoping that the fallout wasn't too great as, if something 'tragic' happened during the time he was united with Freya, the amount of regret he would feel...it wasn't a pleasant thought. Fortunately, as he would later learn, the energy emitted by Freya, though influencing several hundred people, mainly resulted in them going to seek their lovers out or head off to the Red Light District. Those in close proximity had to 'suffer' a bit, but the majority of those nearby belonged to the Freya Familia and actually had a fair amount of resistance to charming effects. The greatest 'victims' of this unexpected phenomenon were the five unfortunate girls within the side room, as they were essentially located near 'ground zero' of the energy's influence...
Concerned about what was going on around them, Vahn released Freya from his embrace, a not-so-stoic expression on his face as he said, "I think your Divinity leaked out and affected others..." Vahn didn't really have to explain exactly what happened to Freya, as their union had been a shared experienced where they were able to completely understand the heart and mind of the other person. Thus, when she heard this, Freya became slightly pale and looked toward the side room as she picked up the now golden-crystal bell and rang it.
Everything within the vicinity cordoned off by [Enkidu] had actually been elevated to the extent of materials that could only be found in Heaven, making the space of around 8m around them worth several hundred billion Valis, at the very least. Though this would be a matter of extreme importance in most situations, Freya knew there were more pressing matters to attend. When nearly a minute had passed without the girls showing up, she took the initiative to try and separate from Vahn, nearly falling from the throne in the process. Vahn had reached out to catch her, holding her in his arms as he traced his hands around her butt and the back of her thighs. This wasn't intended to be sexual, however, as Vahn was instead revitalizing the muscles of her legs while removing the rather extreme fatigue that Freya was experiencing...
Once she was able to walk, Freya released a sigh, tracing her palm across Vahn's chest as she said, "I'll be right back...don't worry, I will deal with this...haaaa..." Freya was more than a little worried about the state of the girls next door because, if anything happened to them, Vahn would probably never let her experience that amazing feeling again. Even now, though it felt like her insides were 'full', Freya also felt indescribable loneliness, every step away from Vahn increasing the melancholy in her heart. She didn't stop her steps, however, and tried to keep her chin raised proudly as she hurriedly went to the adjacent room to bear witness to the effects of her Divinity on others...
After passing through an immaculately sculpted marble door, fitted with ivory and gold handles, Freya's heart shook but she almost immediately calmed down and released a sigh upon realizing the 'worst' hadn't happened. Though Momo, Sakuya, Elizabelle, and Merribelle were entangled together on the ground, clothes disheveled as they overlapped each other, their expressions ruddy and filled with fatigue. Sitting a little aways from them, the person Freya had been most concerned about, was a very young girl with a beet red face, peeking over a coloring book as she looked wide-eyed towards the other four girls.
This girl had long blond hair, extending to the small of her back, neatly arranged to frame her adorable facial features. Her eyes were blue like sapphires and, though she was also wearing clothes similar to a Maid, they were light blue, frilly, and matched the large ribbon in her hair. Since she was currently sitting with her knees up, there was a lot of white frills visible beneath her skirt, though her dignity was protected by the pure white hose that she was wearing. When she saw Freya enter, the girl quickly adjusted her seated position to appear more lady-like as she stammered, "L-Lady Freya...I don't know what happened...everyone just...uuwwaaaaa...."
Using the coloring book in her hands, the young girl tried to obstruct her view of the four disheveled Maids on the ground, the two pointed ears on the side of her head waggling anxiously. Freya smiled slightly upon seeing the girl's reaction, walking to the side where a large wardrobe was located so that she could wear something to cover her nakedness. Once she was wrapped in a silk gown, Freya made her way to the girl's side and, performing an action that would shock any that would claim to know her well, picked up the girl and hugged her closely. Still carrying her, Freya made her way to the room's entrance before looking towards the four girls on the ground, plainly stating, "Clean yourselves up...your Master will likely be leaving soon..."
Without sparing them a second glance, Freya gently stroked the back of the young girl and walked along the cold marble floor until reaching the room where Vahn had been waiting. She knew he wouldn't blame her for what the girl had witnessed, as it was both of their faults, so the fear and trepidation she felt earlier had started to melt away. Instead, every step she took closer to Vahn filled Freya with expectation and happiness, chasing away the 'melancholy' that was shrouding her heart after their momentary separation...
Seeing Freya bring in what looked like a very young girl, Vahn couldn't help but inhale rather deeply as he fought to remain calm. Freya seemed to have calmed down a lot and, given the aura of the young girl, Vahn knew the situation probably wasn't as bad as anticipated. Even so, the fact that Freya had a young girl wearing what appeared to be an ornate Maid outfit bothered Vahn a little, though he decided to give Freya the benefit of the doubt and allow her to explain. Since she was carrying the girl personally, Vahn felt like the situation wasn't simple and didn't want to jump to any conclusions, believing Freya wouldn't do anything to overtly trouble him...
Turning her body slightly, Freya stroked the young girls back and said, "Diana...this is Vahn..say hello..." Diana, who had been resting her head on Freya's shoulder, now looked over towards Vahn, her blue eyes widening in an instant as she immediately turned away once again. Freya chuckled lightly, looking toward Vahn and saying, "It looks like your charm even works on Spirits...how peculiar..." Even for Freya, who was known to have one of the most powerful charms in both Heaven and the mortal world, it had absolutely no effect on Spirits, especially a High Spirit like Diana. They were existences that served as the 'template' for the godly Avatars every god used in the mortal world. This was why people referred to Spirits as the 'children loved by the gods', as they were directly created with Divinity and magic to aid the surface races since time immemorial...
Though he had noticed the abnormal energy in Diana's body, Vahn was surprised that Freya referred to her as a Spirit. Generally, what most people referred to as 'Spirits' was actually just the mana contained within the environment. For Spirits that had physical forms, they were known as High Spirits and Great Spirits, with the latter group being considerably rarer. Within the current world, the number of High Spirits was extremely small, to the point that there were less than a dozen even residing in large population zone like Orario. Vahn had only ever seen the 'Gnome' High Spirit, Bom Cornwall, and the 'Undine' High Spirit, Silica Swiftstream. Other than them, only Lefiya could qualify as a High Spirit, though Vahn would liken her closer to a Great Spirit after her body had adapted a bit of his Source Energy...
Vahn was glad he had chosen to wear clothing when Freya had left earlier, even though the Spirit in her arms was likely much older than he was. He rose to his feet, doing his best to assume a calm and gentle appearance as he neared the two girls and softly muttered, "Hello, Diana...it is nice to meet you...?" Vahn tried to look over Freya's shoulder and peer into Diana's face, but she immediately turned her head away, causing Freya to release a peal of bell-like laughter that could make a man's heart tremble. The only thing he felt right now, however, was confusion, at least until Freya explained, "Diana is a 'Xana' High Spirit, so she can't easily look at other people...especially if they are men..."
With Freya's explanation, information regarding the Xana appeared within Vahn's mind, allowing him to better understand the situation. They were a very uncommon Spirit that had actually been hunted to near-extinction long ago after being associated with the deaths of several men. This was a result of their natural charm, their unique abilities, and their hypnotic song that could calm the hearts and minds of 'pure' individuals while causing a suffocating feeling that could drive those with dark hearts to insanity. They were rumored to have been created by the Gods in order to curb the amount of evil-hearted men in the world, giving them the appearance of young women with blond or brown hair that could 'stir' the negativity in men's hearts. When their voices reached the ears of such men, the only thing awaiting them was a rather gruesome death as they clawed at their own eyes and ears...
Knowing that the 'young girl' in Freya's arms was an existence that had been the nightmare of many men, at least before their true nature had been uncovered, Vahn felt more than a little shocked. As far as he knew, there hadn't been any reported sightings of a Xana in almost six-hundred years, to the point that they were considered a protected species by the Guild. Even then, there were no known publically protected Xana and it was even possible that Diana may very well be one of the last of her kind. Since they were immortal, their appearance would never change under normal circumstances and Vahn had no idea how long she had lived...or how lonely and existence she may have had...
As if to clear up his confusion, Freya lightly stroked Diana's back, explaining, "Diana was captured and illegally imprisoned by slave traders...fortunately, the voice of a Xana cannot be obstructed by physical barriers and most of the people that had tried to buy her initially lost their lives. She spent the last sixty years locked away since even the slave owner was afraid to get near her. A member of my Familia stumbled across her cell, completely sealed behind a concrete wall, and alerted me to Diana's existence. I promised to introduce her to someone that could help her live a free and happy life..." Though Freya would have generally found an existence like Diana's to be very 'interesting', it wasn't an exaggeration to say the Spirits were truly loved by the gods. She actually felt a bit of kinship towards Diana, treating her as a proxy of her own daughter since the latter had been living within the Hearth Manor...
Vahn's mind was racing to make sense of what was going on and, now that he had 'melded' with Freya, his understanding of her had increased greatly. He suddenly felt very guilty for having kept Lenneth within the Manor, as the mother and daughter only met each other during supervised visits. Seeing Freya show such care and concern for Diana made Vahn feel like he had been a terrible father, even though he tried to treat Lenneth with as much care and concern as he could manage during the times they were together. Though part of him felt like Freya had orchestrated things so that he felt this way, she couldn't truly hide anything from him and he knew that, while she was a bit extreme in her behavior, Freya wasn't incapable of love...in fact, she had a lesser-Divinity related to it...
Repressing a sigh, Vahn reached out with both hands, one stroking Freya's while the other rested on Diana's as he said, "I think we need to have a discussion with the others...you should spend more time with Lenneth. Though Hestia doesn't want men inside the Manor, I'm certain she wouldn't mind if you brought the little Ottar by as well..." Even before he had finished speaking, Vahn saw one of the most loving smiles he had ever seen on Freya's faces bloom into existence. At the same time, Diana peeked over at him, curious about the source of the very comfortable energy entering into her body. She knew this was the man that Freya had told her she could trust but, after spending such a long period of time locked away, it was rather difficult to believe...
Vahn's eyes stared back at the sapphire blues looking at him, their gazes matching for several seconds before Diana quietly muttered, "Hello..." Though she spoke very quietly, Vahn felt a strangely refreshing 'tingle' in his heart that caused his smile to soften even more. Since it wasn't a negative effect, his [Will of the Emperor] didn't resist the influence of Diana's voice and Vahn was able to experience a very pleasant and peaceful sensation. This caused Diana's eyes to widen slightly as she hesitantly asked, "Are you not going to try and eat me...?"
The pleasant sensation practically washed over him, causing Vahn to release a light-hearted laugh as he stroked Diana's head and said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you...hahahahaha~." Even if she might be several times older than he was, Vahn could never 'eat' a girl with an appearance that made Eva seem mature. Diana's physique was closer to a girl around 7-8 years old, causing absolutely no fluctuations in Vahn's heart, other than a simple desire to protect the beautiful smile that Diana had produced. She now no longer looked away from him, smiling radiantly in the equally radiant Freya's arms, creating a dual-impact on Vahn's mind since the smiles of girls were a lethal weapon in such circumstances...
(A/N: At the time of writing this, I needed to head out to visit my dad and elder brother. There should be two more chapters today, but they will probably be in the afternoon. I can't really predict the future though, so don't spam f5 xD...)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ground Zero...RIP Meido-sans...','High Spirit, Diana Sonata','Ultra Combo Finisher~!')
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章節 842: Caretaker
A few minutes after their first meeting, Vahn ended up having Diana sitting on his lap with a contented expression, enjoying some quality head-pats, as he discussed exactly what Freya wanted him to do. She explained that, in almost all other circumstances, a Xana like Diana would pose a legitimate threat to most people, making her existence rather tragic. Since her voice could be fatal to those with dark hearts, even a place like the Freya Familia wasn't exactly safe for her. Diana could only interact with a few people and could almost never live a free and happy life, at least under normal circumstances.
Freya wanted Diana to be able to live within the Hearth Manor, where her abilities would essentially have no effect, while Vahn helped find a means to let her control her abilities. Since she also knew about his ability to 'modify' those that were his subordinates and retainers, information that had been spread through all the central figures in the Alliance, it was even possible for Vahn to eventually turn Diana into something other than a Xana. However, she also directly opposed this idea, stating that Diana could essentially be a 'failsafe' within the Manor that would also be a very potent asset during any negotiations.
If Diana's existence was made public, it would undoubtedly strike fear into the hearts of any individuals who lived at the expense of others. Most people would outright avoid getting anywhere near the Manor, making things like burglaries, kidnapping, or any other form of subterfuge exceedingly more difficult. Of course, after the next few days, Vahn knew this wouldn't really be necessary since he was still planning on having a reckoning with the Nobles. However, he understood Freya's reasoning and, considering Diana was actually 3,409 years old, it wouldn't necessarily be 'fair' to change her into an existence she was unfamiliar with...
Like gods, High Spirits also had very different thought processes than normal entities within the record of Danmachi, even if they didn't exactly possess Divinity. This was because Spirits were created with a 'purpose' and, as they had biological immortality, their brains weren't really wired in the same way as other creatures. If a normal person had lived for more than 3,000 years in such circumstances, they would have long gone crazy, potentially even killing themselves out of loneliness and depression. Diana, however, didn't seem to take any of this to heart at all and, instead, was more concerned about 'accidentally' hurting other people than the fact she had been locked away for 60 years without any contact with others...Vahn was a little worried that, if he changed her race into something that could 'rationalize' negative emotions better, Diana might suffer a severe trauma and undergo a formative change in personality...
Right now, Diana seemed to have a relatively carefree and innocent nature, especially as she happily hummed away in his lap, kicking her legs out playfully. His [Grooming] had caused her to warm up to him very quickly and, after just a minute or so of discussion, Diana ended up shifting from Freya's arms into his. After that, they sat down to properly discuss the seemingly young Xana's fate and Diana had decided to sit in his lap instead of the chair offered to her. As this was something Vahn was very accustomed to, he didn't think anything of the situation at all, even as Diana's Affection breached 80(Trust) over a few short minutes.
Eventually, the four Maids, consisting of Momo, Sakuya, Elizabelle, and Merribelle, came out from the side room with mild blushes on their faces. Vahn made sure to act 'oblivious' to what had happened to them earlier, so as to make things slightly easier on them, before deciding to wrap up the conversation by saying, "Well, if Diana wants to stay at the Hearth Manor, I don't think there will be any problems. Her ability shouldn't have any effect on children and I don't think any of my sons would be endangered by her 'song' before I find a solution to help her control it." Since he already had a few ideas in mind, Vahn knew it wouldn't be difficult to create a pendant or choker that allowed Diana to regulate her ability. He had more than thirteen years to come up with a solution and that was way more time than he would need to solve such a 'simple' problem...
Freya's smile softened a little, even though she knew Vahn couldn't exactly overlook an adorable girl like Diana, especially considering her 'tragic' past. It was a very well-known fact that Vahn was something of a bleeding heart that was very susceptible to girls with past troubles. Ever since he had done recruiting for the School, this became public knowledge and it was often a means by which some women would try to get close to him. Of course, having such thoughts generally made it impossible for them to genuinely make an impression. Though he was drawn to girls with a tragic past, Vahn's 'appreciation' was generally directed towards those that had stronger personalities that were already trying to change their lives for the better...
Diana, already being told that she would end up staying at the Manor for over half a year, wasn't surprised by Vahn's words at all. She just tilted her head up, looking into his face as she said, "I may be small, but I promise to be a good Maid~." Vahn blinked, somewhat surprised by Diana's words until Freya explained, "Since she saw the other girls working hard to become Maids, Diana also wanted to become a Maid...she worked very hard, ufufufu~." Freya reached out her hand, patting Diana's head and causing the small Spirit to giggle happily. Vahn drew the assumption that Diana probably didn't want to be a 'freeloader' or, given how she had behaved so far, it was very likely she simply treated being a Maid as a 'game' of sorts...
Since he wanted Diana to live with relative freedom, Vahn didn't mind letting her 'play' as a Maid for a bit, confident that his children would be able to influence her positively after a while. Given her innocent and caring personality, Diana would get along with the majority of children and Vahn believed she could become good friends with his daughter's, the Vanir. At the very least, he could guarantee her a decade or so of companionship with other 'children' and give her a chance to acclimate to socializing with people as he worked on an accessory to restrict her voice.
With his mind made up, Vahn nodded his head slightly before saying, "We will need to discuss the changes in your body with the others soon, if not today. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I know it is something very...significant...for now, I'll take everyone back to the Manor and introduce them to Syr and Lunoire. Also, though I'll probably need to send Fafnir to watch over her, I'll try and arrange it so that Lenneth can visit you at the Southern Manor..." Vahn knew it would be very difficult to give Freya access to the Manor, as her presence would cause problems even without her directly intending to. However, so long as precautions were made, it shouldn't be that difficult to at least arrange things so that Lenneth could spend more time with her mother.
Freya's aura flared up and a very beautiful smile spread across her face as she quietly uttered, "Thank you...Vahn..." She had never complained about it, but Freya actually felt a little saddened every time she saw Lenneth, especially seeing how quickly the latter was growing. When actually spent a fair amount of time just absentmindedly looking towards the direction of the Hearth Manor, wondering what her daughter was doing...it was a very strange feeling that she couldn't quite explain. If not for Ottar and Diana, Freya wasn't sure she could cope with only seeing her daughter once or twice a week for much longer...
After a few more minutes of discussion, during which Freya sent a few messages through the Network to explain things, Vahn decided to head back to the Manor. It was starting to get late in the day and he still needed to plan out how he wanted to deal with the Nobles while also checking to make sure things were going smoothly at Spero Village. Tonight would be the first night the Xenos spent on the surface and he wanted to make sure they were comfortable and had plenty of mana-rich food to keep their bodies stable. Until their 'village' was connected with the Dungeon, they needed to supplement their energy requirements with things like magic cores and other items that could supply them with the mana needed to sustain themselves.
Vahn gave Freya one last kiss, promising to come and pick her up in the morning since that is when they would be discussing exactly what happened to her body. It was very obvious that some of the restrictions placed on her Avatar had been loosened at this point and, depending on their future findings, it may even be possible to fully manifest their entire Arcanum in the world one day. Though it would likely require years of research, a great deal of support from the godly community, and the implementation of several precautionary measures, the chance that the gods could use their power in a more meaningful way were actually very high...
Though they panicked a little when he first lifted them into the sky, the girls calmed down after a short while and were more focused on holding their skirts than moving through the air at a relatively high speed. The only clothing they had were several sets of Maid clothing, undergarments included, all safely stowed away within his Inventory. This would have bothered him a little in the past but, after seeing how dedicated Maemi and Emiru were, Vahn's perception of Maids had changed quite a bit. Since the five were willingly becoming Maids, he intended to treat them as such, at least until they themselves decided to try and change their fates.
The Manor actually needed a rather large staff to take care of the cleaning, laundry, and cooking. Thus far, things had only worked out because everyone helped each other out, usually with the girls originating from the Hostess of Fertility assisting Maemi, Emiru, Milan, and, after her retirement, Aki. It would make things much easier on the girls if there were full-time Maids working in the Manor, especially since they had the proper training to provide adequate service. Though it was only a matter of time before the five were 'integrated' into the Manor completely, Vahn believed they would continue to perform their duties diligently without trying to take advantage of the situation...
After a relatively short flight, Vahn integrated the girls' mana signature into the surrounding barriers before touching down within the inner courtyard. He was carrying Diana in his arms and, after setting her on the ground, turned to the girls and explained, "Most of the finer details with be explained by Syr after I introduce you to her. She is essentially the Administrator of the Hearth Manor and also acts as something akin to the 'Head Maid'. As long as she doesn't order you to do anything compromising or dangerous, please listen to what she has to say...other than that, you should try to avoid wandering into the forest until you are properly introduced to Terra. She can be territorial at times..."
Terra was a very well-known entity within the City now as her 'aura' was something that most gods could sense even from several hundred kilometers away. It had caused a bit of a fiasco when people realized she was 'taking over' an area of the City but, after clarifying that she was only influencing the territory of the Alliance, there wasn't much anyone could say. After all, there wasn't anything wrong with ensuring their territory was well protected, especially after pointing out the incident where several streets had collapsed in the past. There weren't any legitimate arguments to make against her efforts to prevent people from illegally tunneling so, with the Alliance taking a hard stance on the issue, Terra was now 'allowed' to take over any land within the Alliance's territories.
Not wanting to make an enemy out of a True Dragon, the four girls nodded while Diana seemed blissfully unaware of the dangers involved. To her, this place was the home where Freya promised she would be protected while finally being able to live a happy life. She just continued to hold Vahn's hand with a smile, looking around at the rather beautiful scenery with a very curious expression on her face. As Vahn's words weren't exactly directed toward her, he didn't bother repeating them since Terra would likely be very fond of Diana even without his interference. Since Xana were High Spirits that resided in heavily forested areas and near rivers, their energy was very pure and he wouldn't be surprised if Terra ended up taking an interest in Diana, assuming she hadn't already...
Other than Anubis, all of the other goddesses were away and Vahn actually felt a little strange that Hestia hadn't been there to greet his return. He hadn't thought about it before, but she had always been here previously and it was only now that he noticed that it didn't quite feel like he had returned without hearing those words. Fortunately, Syr had shown up as they were heading over to the dining room, a welcoming smile on her face as she said, "Welcome home, Vahn..." Though it wasn't quite as impactful as when Hestia said it, potentially because of her Divinity, Vahn's heart felt unburdened by Syr's words, a natural smile spreading across his lips as he embraced Syr and said, "I'm home..."
Since she had already been aware of Momo, Katsuya, Elizabelle, and Merribelle, Syr wasn't that surprised when introductions were made. She quickly began assigning each of them duties and dragged them off for a tour around the Manor, leaving behind Diana until the latter followed on her own initiative. Though she wanted to stay with Vahn, Diana also wanted to treat her Maidly duties very seriously, surprising Syr a bit until Vahn clarified exactly who and what Diana was. Before his explanation, Syr just thought she was a random child that Vahn picked up off the street or saved from some vile scum.
Freya had kept Diana's existence a secret from almost everything so Vahn had to explain the reality of the situation before entrusting the 115cm tall 'Maid' to Syr. When she understood the situation, Syr's expression had softened and she led Diana by hand through the Manor while the other four girls followed behind. She was able to understand Vahn's intentions, even without him stating them openly, and knew Diana was a 'special' existence within the Manor. For the time being, Syr decided to look after the girl to get a better understanding of her character and, though she didn't openly state it, make sure the youthful-looking High Spirit wasn't a danger planted by Freya...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Those that think of Diana as 'legal' would probably end up dying to her voice xD...','3.5x the Meido action~! Maemi and Emiru are gonna bully some newbies...?','Syr will probably never trust Freya (O_O)...')
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