章節 1967: Swift Resolution, Sentiments, and Nostalgia
Hearing Nobunaga implicitly introducing herself as Vahn's wife, Lotte, Tully, and the rest of her team were, understandably, at a loss for words.
Though there was a lot of discussion regarding the people related to Vahn and the Aldrnari Empire, no substantial information had been regarding any of them. They rarely made public appearances, and, even when people were bold enough to try and approach them, they would either be ignored or assaulted. Thus, with the exception of a few names, nobody knew what status or position each of the people appearing around Vahn held.
Noticing the 'skepticism' contained within the group's gaze, Nobunaga squinted her eyes without losing her predatory smile. This caused Lotte, in particular, to tense up, but, rather than attacking, Nobunaga just shrugged her shoulders before pivoting on her heel and stating, "I don't like being followed." without bothering to look over her shoulder.
Fearing the loss of their only lead, the ground around Lotte collapsed as her figure vanished from view. In the next instant, she was standing in front of Nobunaga, arms spread as she said, "Please, don't go. There are-"
Without waiting for the woman to finish her words, Nobunaga manifested a scarlet tanegashima-style matchlock rifle out of thin air, the tip of its barrel resting on the former's head as she said, "I hate being blocked even more."
Punctuating her words, Nobunaga pulled the trigger without a moment's hesitation. Rather than blowing off Lotte's head, however, the giant woman's body slumped to the ground as a phantom version of herself stumbled backward before plopping onto the ground. This particular version of Nobunaga's rifle had an effect similar to the items used in Bleach to separate a person's spirit from their physical body. Since most people were incapable of interacting with the physical world whilst in a spiritual state, it was one of the most effective ways to deal with troublesome opponents, and, most importantly, it was suitable for revealing the 'true natures' of certain beings.
Though Lotte's form didn't change in the slightest, there was a blood-red tattoo reminiscent of a spined serpent coiling around and covering most of her body. Even more noticeable, however, was the three-eyed symbol engraved beneath her abdomen and the visible cracks present all across her arms, legs, and, most notably, the left side of her face.
Demonstrating comparable surprise to Lotte herself, Nobunaga's brows were raised to an almost comical extent as she remarked, "Wow, you're pretty fucked up, aren't you? Is this the influence of Jahad's Blood Curse?'
Before Lotte could even think to answer, a branching crimson spear attempted to skewer Nobunaga from behind. To the surprise of the person throwing it, however, each of the laser-like points ended up being reflected after contacting a series of invisible swords, spears, and, of course, guns. Then, as a series of explosions erupted in the surroundings, leveling several buildings and sending countless pedestrians fleeing for their lives, a pulse of blood-red energy cleared the area around Nobunaga as she asked, "Are you daft? What kind of idiot fires off an AoE ability in the middle of a population center? Are you trying to piss me off?"
With the upper half of a vicious-looking red skeleton protecting her body and a pattern reminiscent of a six-pointed star replacing her previous cat-like pupils, Nobunaga stepped forward with a sword in hand. If her opponents wanted to fight, there was no way in hell she was going to just walk away, so, depending on their response, she was prepared to cut them down without mercy.
Unfortunately, as soon as that thought crossed her mind, a 'very' familiar figure appeared right in front of her, asking, "What's going on here? Are these people giving you trouble?" with a somber expression on his face.
Feeling as if someone had just blown a hole in her sails, an exasperated sigh escaped Nobunaga's throat as she allowed her variation of the Susanno, aptly designated as the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, to dissipate whilst explaining, "I think these brats were looking for you. Unfortunately, they have about as much tact and sense as a stone thrown by a rioteer. They tried to block my path, and, even though I attempted to settle things without a loss of life, that amazon-looking chick nuked the place."
With Nobunaga pointing directly at her, the Spearbearer of Lotte's team, a dark-skinned woman with red hair named Leona, exclaimed, "You attacked first!" while readying her oversized spear in hand.
Frowning in response to the moderately muscular woman's words, Vahn immediately took Nobu's side on the matter, as, despite her nature, she didn't go out of her way to start fights. If they were blocking her path, she had every right to take the initiative to defend herself. It didn't matter if the group just wanted to talk. If she wasn't willing to humor them, they had no right to force her to stay and listen.
Before the red-headed woman could even finish brandishing her spear, Vahn appeared right in front of her, seizing it from her hands as he said, "If you continue displaying hostility, I will respond in kind. This is the middle of a city. You're not the one who has to fix things once the battle ends. If you can't control your power and are unwilling to use it responsibly, it can and will be taken away from you..."
Though the indignant look on her face made it pretty clear she wanted to say something, Tully did her best to deescalate things by shouting, "Leona! That's enough! We didn't come here to fight!" in a harsh, chiding, tone. This was surprisingly enough to completely cow the woman, her expression morphing from anger to nervousness as she replied, "But they attacked first..." in a meek tone that didn't suit her rather fierce, warrior-like, appearance in the slightest.
Answering in response to Leona's mutterings, it was Lotte who stated, "I'm fine, Leo. Please stand down. Tully is right. We didn't come here to fight. We came here to ask for help. How can we expect the Sage Dragon Emperor to lend his assistance if we're insistent on attacking his wife? Please don't make things any more complicated than they already are..."
Hanging her head in response to Lotte's words, a depressive atmosphere immediately descended upon Leo as she exclaimed, "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" before bowing so hastily that she nearly headbutt Vahn in the chest. Fortunately for the befuddled redhead, Vahn was easily able to evade this, and, shortly thereafter, tensions between the two groups began to settle as he opted to hear Lotte's explanation of the circumstances...
---
As tempting as the proposal was, Vahn ended up agreeing to Lotte's request while concurrently refusing her 'services'. She was a remarkably beautiful woman, sure, but, the moment he started treating people on the premise that he expected 'favors' in return, he would doubtlessly begin to accrue negative karma. Healing people was something he genuinely enjoyed, so, while there were times when he had made exceptions, specifically related to events in Danmachi, the gratitude of his patients was more than enough as payment.
Fortunately for Lotte's group, Vahn did allow them to stay within the Little Garden for a short while, and, as part of playing host, he afforded them the opportunity to sample foods provided courtesy of Rindo. He enjoyed seeing the reactions of people who were eating Rindo's cooking for the first time, and, though some of their responses inspired lascivious thoughts, it was a truly eye-opening experience for all parties involved. After all, even though it was relatively simple-looking food, the meals prepared by Rindo had the potential of, quite literally, increasing the power and potential of the beneficiary. The only downside was, after eating such a delicious meal, other food would taste comparably bland for upwards of three months...
After experiencing Rindo's food for themselves, Lotte's team genuinely considered whether or not they should request permission to stay in the Little Garden. They didn't really have anything going on in the Tower, and, due to her status as the only main-line descendant chosen as a Princess in the last five-thousand-years, Lotte was generally disallowed to participate in any major conflicts. Her life and status were of paramount importance to the Hendo Lok Family, so, while it was bound to result in a number of rumors proliferating through the Tower, there were a lot of justifications for why she should stay in the Little Garden. It might very well be the most secure place in the entire Tower, and, most importantly, everyone who had spent any considerable length of time with Vahn had emerged noticeably stronger.
The only issue, at least from their perspective, was that they had no legitimate reason to make such a request. Vahn had already refused Lotte's 'services', so, with nothing to really offer him in the way of payment, asking to stay in the Little Garden was the same as asking Vahn to protect and provide for them without receiving any benefits. This was inconceivable in the minds of the group that had lived for a combined 11,318 years, so, for the better part of their week-long stay, each of them had been looking for anything that could be used as leverage in their favor. Tully even floated the idea of joining the research team, but, after learning that the majority of their members had an ongoing physical relationship with Vahn, asking to join could be misunderstood as them trying to force their way into his bed...
Fortunately, while the rest of her team was searching for justifications that might allow her to reside within the Little Garden, Lotte had been getting along rather splendidly with several residents of the Emerald Grove. In particular, she felt a certain kinship towards Mash, and, though their training was what some would refer to as hellish, Lotte had been having a little too much fun strengthening her body using the unique cultivation technique Vahn had bequeathed unto her. As for why he would give her such a thing, it was partly due to the sincerity she had shown after he treated her eye and removed the curse from her body. As for the actual reason, it was because the blemish on her eye and the tears she shed after the fact reminded him a lot of Hephaestus...
As more and more time passed since his departure from Danmachi, Vahn's sentiments towards the family he had left behind only became stronger. This resulted in moments where he was completely overwhelmed by nostalgia, and, more often than not, this was more than enough reason for him to change how he viewed particular people. In this regard, Lotte had hit the proverbial lottery, as, not only did her reaction remind him of Hephaestus, the situation she had been born into and the life she lived till now was rife with tragedy. Despite this, she forced herself to stay positive, and, though she had lashed out at Yuri when the latter had just become a Ranker, she had never harbored any actual hatred towards her. Rather, she was envious of Yuri's freedom, as, despite being a Defender, she had been forced to live an extremely sheltered life from the moment she became a Princess of Jahad.
With all these factors liking up like sevens on a slot machine, Lotte had found herself in the rather enviable position of receiving Vahn's favor without the latter having any expectations from her. If anything, he just wanted her to be happy, so, even if she chose to spend the remainder of her days resting peacefully within the Little Garden, he wouldn't mind at all. Instead, she chose to make the most of her remaining time within his realm, constantly forcing her body beyond its limits before she and Mash bonded like sisters within a pool of literal magma...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Boom, headshot~!','Vahn is like a father taking away a disobedient child's toys xD...','Lotte's Luck stat must be through the roof...')
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章節 1968: Matter of Course
With more than seventy hours having passed since their arrival on the 60th Floor, Vahn began to send out telepathic messages before subsequently recalling everyone who had ventured beyond the borders of the Gateport. At the same time, having accepted his invitation to reside in the Little Garden, Lotte was communicating with her family to explain the situation and convey Vahn's terms.
Though he would have liked to heal everyone, Vahn couldn't simply ignore the depravity of many members of the Hendo Lok Family. Many of their members pursued forbidden methods to increase their lifespans, and, more often than not, they ended up willfully sacrificing countless lives with the goal of extending their own.
While this behavior was almost entirely the result of the circumstances of their birth, Vahn refused to extend the lives of people who would simply go on to torment others for an even longer period of time. Thus, in order to receive treatment, members of the Hendo Lok Family would need to pass a similar evaluation to the one imposed upon Regulars on the lower floors.
Fortunately, just as he had taken into consideration the 'nature' of the Lo Po Bia Family members, Vahn viewed the descendants of the Hendo Lok Family in a similar light. He couldn't blame them for circumstances beyond their control, so, as long as they were willing to sign a contract, he would still treat them. As for the terms, that would depend entirely on the severity of their transgressions, and, most importantly, whether or not children were among their victims. This precluded most of the so-called Elders from receiving treatment, but, as they were supposed to live for the sake of the Family, those with more sense would ultimately accept this and begin preparing their replacements. As for the rest...well, they would be forced to face the consequences of their actions...
Finished with her report, Lotte emerged from the relative privacy of the suite's master bedroom, her expression one of considerable surprise as she observed the twenty-three exceptional beauties that had appeared during the short period she was away. This included a surprising number of uncannily similar women, who, at a glance, could easily be mistaken for septuplets.
Noticing the scantily-clad woman emerging from Vahn's room, nearly every woman present turned towards Lotte as Nero, standing out even among the 'septuplets', remarked, "Oh? I don't recognize you. Since my memory is perfect, that must mean you are a new addition to the harem. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. As your senior, I will do my best to guide you properly. Umu!"
Following up on Nero's words and interrupting Lotte's attempt to correct the misunderstanding, it was Theo who said, "Wow. You're pretty big..." before directing her gaze to the former's chest and thighs, adding, "In a lot of ways..."
Though her height was certainly a factor, Lotte's proportions were, by and large, 'fuller' than every other woman present. Her bust, alone, was close to 100cm, and, though she looked somewhat thin and muscular from a distance, her individual thighs were more than 70cm in circumference. Simply put, she was 'massive' compared to the average woman, and, even if stood next to Vahn, she would be nearly a full head taller.
Blushing in response to Theo's remark, Lotte raised her hand in a bashful manner while averting her eyes to the side. This cause the fabric of her halter-top to strain to an incredible extent, and, though it was unintentional, she ended up accenting her bust even more due to her arm pressing between the two melon-like mounds of flesh...
Noticing a few tell-tale indicators in Lotte's reaction, a knowing smile flashed across Theo's face as she attempted to approach the girl and confirm her theory. Before she could, however, Vahn lightly clapped his hands, drawing the eyes of everyone present as he said, "The future remains to be seen, but, for the time being, Lotte is not a member of my harem. You're jumping to conclusions."
Since a firm denial would end up hurting her feelings, Vahn decided to leave things ambiguous by speaking in a way that implied he wasn't against the idea. He had actually grown rather fond of the inordinately tall woman during her sojourn in the Little Garden, and, though he had no intention of forcing the matter, he couldn't deny certain thoughts had crossed his mind. Her outfit was, after all, more than a little eye-catching...
Understanding the implication contained within Vahn's words, literal steam began to emanate from Lotte's body as she covered her beet-red face with both hands. This exceptionally innocent reaction earned her quite a bit of favor among the veritable garden of girls present, but, most notably, it was Mash who seemed the happiest about this particular development. She and Lotte had spent a lot of time together over the last week, and, though the latter was significantly older, she always felt like the bigger sister whenever they bonded...
Though various thoughts had emerged within the minds of those present, it was Nero who opted to nod her head, arms crossed beneath her ample bosom as she remarked, "It seems I was off by a day or two. Umu! Either way, my offer still stands. If you ever need advice, counseling, or just want to talk, you need only say the word. We are a sisterhood that supports each other no matter what. Umu! Umu~!"
Hearing Nero's words, Lotte peeked through her fingers to find that most of the people present were looking at her with approving, or, at the very least, helpless smiles. The most important thing was that there was no resentment or malice visible in the eyes of anyone present, something that was impossible to imagine regarding the expansive harems associated with the Ten Great Families. Even her own mother had fought tooth and nail for political power prior to being poisoned, so, for a variety of reasons, Lotte couldn't quite believe her eyes. Despite this, an awkward smile developed across her face as she meekly responded with a bashful, "Nn...".
---
Following Vahn's departure from the 60th Floor, Maschenny, who had been keeping a close eye on the situation, couldn't help adopting a somewhat cold look as she heard the report attesting to the fact that Lotte had not appeared after initially entering the frozen pavilion serving as his temporary residence. This implied that she was still inside of Vahn's miniature world, a place rumored to be rife with treasures capable of increasing a person's strength, exponentially, in a short period of time...
Though she had already made the decision to pursue a different path, that didn't mean Maschenny had given up on receiving benefits from Vahn. The more she could learn about the structure of the worlds beyond the Tower, the better prepared she would be. She also wanted to increase her power as much as possible prior to her transmigration, not because she had any grand ambitions to fulfill, but because she wanted to, at the very least, experience what it was like to stand near the pinnacle...
Having already made up her mind, Maschenny turned towards Lucian, the Silver Dwarf who served as her personal Guide, Light Bearer, and Butler, ordering, "We're returning to the 123rd Floor. Have everyone prepared and ready to move within the hour. Also, contact those rascals and tell them to hurry up and ascend the Tower. If they can't reach the 100th Floor within a year, there might not be a place for them to return to."
Suppressing a sigh, Lucian removed his silver-rimmed spectacles in order to clean the lenses as he remarked, "Even Ureko took fifty years to ascend the Tower. She might have taken her time, but she is still the current record holder. Unless you provide them with a Guide and the necessary resources, even a team with multiple Princess of Jahad wouldn't be able to reach the 100th Floor within a year. They might be able to manage if they work together, but, even then, the odds are slim..."
As her own climb had taken approximately a hundred years, Maschenny was well aware of the truth contained within Lucian's words. In her case, however, her pride had compelled her to take on all of the Tower's most infamous challenges on her own. If all the Regular Princesses were to team up and work together, setting aside their pride and differences, their ascent would be meteoric. With this in mind, she manifested both her Arms and regular Inventory, emptying both except for a few choice items such as the Yellow May and her favorite artifacts. Then, with a severe yet excited undertone to her voice, she said, "I don't care what it takes. Empty out the treasury if you have to. Either way, they only have a year or so before they miss this opportunity in its entirety. Unless they want to fade into obscurity, tell them to light a fire under their asses and hurry the hell up."
Seeing Maschenny toss out her treasures with complete disregard, Lucian couldn't help feeling a little perturbed. She had inherited her father's trait as a collector, so, unless the situation forced her hand, she would never part with her treasures. A few months ago, she had even been coordinating with groups in the lower floors to capture and imprison Khun Aguero Agnis, as, prior to becoming a Regular, the youth had stolen their father's entire collection. Now, however, she was throwing away painstakingly acquired treasures without batting an eyelash...
Amused by Lucian's reaction, Maschenny crossed her arms with a haughty smile on her face as she mused, "Oh? Do you mean to tell me that you didn't see this coming? It seems actions inspired by the Sage Dragon Emperor's influence are beyond even the abilities of an A-Rank Guide to foresee. How interesting..."
As he hadn't been proactively using his power, Lucian couldn't help furrowing his brows in response to Maschenny's teasing remark. Then, with his eyes releasing an illusory silver glow, he peered into the predatory Princess' future before paling as images of her lifeless yet smiling body infiltrated his mind. This gave him the urge to refuse her order, but, as a Guide, it wasn't his place to decide what path others walked, only to advise them when they felt lost. Maschenny had clearly resolved herself to this particular path, so, even if he wanted to advise her to choose a different route, he could only clench his teeth and stay the course she had decided upon...such was the responsibility and curse of a Silver Dwarf...
---
Though she understood it would take approximately 51 days for him to reach her Floor, a certain tomboyish blonde could already be seen waiting expectantly in the canopy of a massive tree that, from a distance, resembled an amalgamation of glowing white wings. This was none other than the Wing-Tree, and, as could be expected, the only person with enough insolence to casually relax in its branches was none other than Ureko.
After hearing reports regarding Yuri's spontaneous increase in strength, something she was looking forward to experiencing directly, Ureko was convinced that Vahn had surpassed her expectations by a considerable amount. This made it difficult for her to remain calm, so, after stealing another seven pairs of panties, she promptly decided to return to the 77th Floor. There, a considerable number of Wolhaiksong members, several of which Vahn would have immediately recognized, had gathered in anticipation of his arrival. They were all looking forward to meeting the person rumored to possess the ability to make their collective dream come true, so, along with Ureko, a veritable horde of High and Advanced Rankers were 'patiently' awaiting the appearance of both Yuri and the Sage Dragon Emperor...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'One of us. One of us. One of us~','Maschenny employing those late-game speedrun strats...','Prepare the boss music track o_o...')
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