[Day 35]
Though most of his free ti was spent with his harem and children, Vahn wasn't especially against spending ti with other n if they invited him out for drinks or simply wanted to chat in person. It was thanks to that he knew that Azazel was expecting no less than five kids, that Gojo was able to prevent a major disaster from occurring, and that Kiba had entered into a relationship with a girl nad Kobayashi Rindo—who recently beca a Devil.
With such revelations still fresh in his mory, Vahn wasn't too surprised when Himl invited him out for drinks and a al in the resort's bar and lounge, leading to him casually disclosing, "This might co as a surprise to you, but I've been seeing soone..." midway through their fifth round.
"That's exceedingly good news..." responded Vahn, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his heart as he offered a genuine smile and asked, "Who's the lucky lady?"
"Her na is Elinalise Dragonroad..." revealed Himl, causing Vahn to spit-take ntally. The woman in question was an Elf originating from the sa world as Paul Greyrat and Ghislaine Dedoldia. She had co to him in the past in search of a cure to a malicious curse that forced her to have sex and intake n's sen to survive, and though he initially refused her offer to repay him with her body, their paths had crossed more than once due to her status as a First-Grade Maid.
Though Vahn's expression didn't change outside a slight raising of his eyebrows, Himl knew what he was thinking, a wry smile adorning his face as he nodded and confird, "It's the sa Elinalise you're thinking of. The two of us ford a Party last cycle, but we only recently beca a couple. That's why I wished to speak with you. I would like you to annul her contract or at least facilitate her demotion to a Third-Grade Maid..."
"Oh, is that all...?" responded Vahn, exhaling from his nose and smiling as he produced a copy of the contract mbers of the Maid Battalion signed as he explained, "Feel free to review it if you like. Every Maid we employ is an at-will employee, so there aren't any provisions or penalties that would preclude Elinalise from leaving our service or modifying her classification. She's free to leave, and out of consideration for our friendship, I will sync your keys to facilitate you traveling to her world and vice-versa."
Blinking in surprise, Himl's first instinct was to refuse Vahn's offer on principle but it was simply too generous and opportune a gift to pass on. He would need to discuss the matter with Elinalise, but if she agreed, it would allow them to spend ti together and aid one another without the palace or Tower as proxies.
"Hey, don't even think about refusing it..." said Vahn, noticing Himl's hesitation and smiling as he added, "I want both you and Elizalise to be happy, Himl. Everyone deserves happiness, but the two of you have put in the work. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise."
Exhaling from his nose, Himl adopted a smile of his own, nodded his head, and responded, "Thanks, Vahn. I honestly didn't expect things to turn out like this, but I suppose that was my youth talking. As it happens, life is full of surprises and possibilities that only co into view when you stop thinking about how things should be and open your eyes to what is right in front of you..."
"That's deep..." muttered Vahn, holding his rocks glass up to his lips and taking a slow, reflective sip. He believed his perspective was fairly broad, but it never hurt to take a step back and reassess things.
"That said..." started Himl, his voice low and face lightly flushed from mild intoxication as he leaned closer to Vahn and made a special request. Vahn was briefly caught off guard, but after his initial surprise, he adopted a wry smile and passed Himl a wooden case treated with Preservation Magic—the interior of which held six conspicuously shaped, deep purple, faintly pulsing eggplants...
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After parting ways with Himl, who sobered himself using Detoxification Magic, Vahn rode the resort's elevator up to the 42nd-floor penthouse—a spacious communal living area that felt like entering a separate reality the mont you entered. The original floor plan was already sizable at 1,938 square ters, but its interior space had been cubed, allowing the lobby alone to accommodate a sprawling garden with artificial cliffs suitable for climbing, a sizeable waterfall concealing a not-so-secret ditation cave, and a lazy river—all beneath a massive skydo that simulated a twenty-four-hour day-night cycle and had its own weather.
'The Dragon's Pavilion really could help a lot of people with Magic and technology like this...' thought Vahn, staring up at the artificial night sky, twinkling like a vast sea of stardust against a backdrop of deep, abyssal blue. He was well aware that achieving long-term prosperity required an abundance of restrictions and control asures that would make certain types of people feel suppressed, but the majority could enjoy happy and content lives under the Pavilion's supervision rather than rule...
'It's sothing worth trying...' concluded Vahn. Though, with children on the way and a functional eternity to implent various ideas and try new things, he didn't need to force the matter blindly. Instead, he could study how other Gods and societies developed, particularly those who reached the point of expanding throughout or even beyond the stars.
With such thoughts in mind, Vahn was nearly caught off guard by a figure silently snaking across the ground with impressive speed. Despite sensing it, however, he didn't react, allowing the figure to leap through the air with its four crimson-clawed forelimbs splayed wide before it latched onto him from behind.
"Where is the fatherly one going? You sll like spirits, sosu..." remarked Faputa, rubbing her cheek against Vahn's before biting and pulling on it as he habitually converted his body to rubber.
"Shouldn't you be in bed, Princess...?" asked Vahn, reaching up to caress Faputa's head, compelling her to release his cheek and nuzzle against his palm before crawling around the front of his body, obligating him to cradle and tickle the underside of her chin. Fortunately, though she preferred not to, she was wearing the elastic, cream-colored bandeau top he had gifted her to avoid her roaming around topless. It didn't particularly bother him, but so of the other Ascendees had expressed concerns since she had the appearance of a young girl despite being 638 years old.
"I was curious, sosu," revealed Faputa, adjusting her position so that she was standing on Vahn's hands, face to face with him, as she remarked, "It isn't typical for you to leave around this ti. Where did you go? You don't sll like a woman, sosu."
"That's because I was eting with a friend," explained Vahn, producing a second set of arms to grab Faputa by her sides, causing her to startle and climb to the top of his head, hissing. She enjoyed being caressed but was very sensitive to tickling, making it a convenient thod to deter her from sniffing and inspecting him too invasively.
"Shall I see you back to your den...?" proposed Vahn, already heading in the direction, causing Faputa to puff her cheeks and poutily inquire, "You won't play with Faputa? Faputa will rember this discourtesy and lack of consideration, sosu..."
"Night ti is for rest, not playing around..." contended Vahn, causing Faputa's golden eyes to narrow accusingly. He knew exactly what she was thinking, as she was well aware of what n and won did behind closed doors, but it didn't make his statent untrue. He was simply an exception since he didn't require conventional rest...
"Tell you what..." started Vahn, not wanting to see Faputa in a dour mood for the rest of the cycle. The diminutive Narehate Princess could seriously hold a grudge, having spent nearly her entire life resenting the group who turned her mother's body into their sanctuary, so after raising his hands to provoke her return to his embrace, he stated, "We'll watch a docuntary or play an hour of video gas. After that, you can have a bottle of peach milk tea. Then it's brushing your teeth and straight to bed, okay?"
"Mou...we have an accord..." responded Faputa, dragging her belly and tails across Vahn's face and smacking him a few tis to mark him with her starchy, faintly sweet-slling musk before curling into an adorably fluffy ball in his arms. Her intelligence parater was startlingly high, on the level of individuals like Bulma, but the lack of a formal education and spending most of her life roughing it in the inhospitable environnt of the Abyss had given her certain animalistic proclivities that would need ti and patience to redy. Fortunately, even without the benefits of being an Ascendee, she was biologically immortal, having maintained the sa appearance from the ti she was born to the present...
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With Faputa obediently going to bed after an hour-long docuntary on sharks, Vahn briefly checked on the other mbers of the youth troupe, including his adoptive daughters, to ensure they weren't still up several hours past their bedtis. Lupheria, in particular, didn't need to sleep, but as a bonafide good girl, she could typically be found curled up at the foot of Lastia's bed as a large wolf pup with a top coat of midnight blue fur and a snow-white underbelly.
After seeing Lupheria open her luminous golden eyes and et his gaze from her usual position, Vahn nodded approvingly before closing the door to her and Lastia's room. From there, he intended to check on Riko, Mitty, Prushka, Sherumi, and nae, who occupied the sa room despite the latter being male, but a familiar sound stopped him in his tracks.
Ding!
'Hmn? Who could be contacting this late...?' Vahn wondered, opening his chat interface without delay. If it were an ergency, Sis would inform him imdiately, so he wasn't surprised to find that it was Bonney, once again using the priority ssage function to ensure he read her ssages as soon as possible.
[Hey, my Party just got sward in Dungeon. Co and help blow off so steam, you slly lizard.]
[Sward?] Vahn asked, his brows furrowing as the implication was that Bonney and her Party had been killed attempting a Dungeon they had either underprepared for or was beyond their level. Death and respawning were things most Ascendees were acquainted with, but since Bonney was ultimately a twelve-year-old girl, he felt she should be in bed, not tackling difficult Dungeons in the dead of night.
[Literally] responded Bonney, revealing [It was a C-Rank Dungeon called Char's Crucible. We thought it would be easy, and it was until we reached the Boss—so creepy ass monster called a Zerg Broodmother. It had a skill that covered the ground in a disgusting liquid that made it difficult for us to move but allowed its Zerglings to move even faster than they did on normal terrain. It was complete bullshit.]
[Alright, then. Let's et at the usual place] ssaged Vahn, externally sighing and shaking his head. It wasn't his place to lecture Bonney or tell her how she should live after the hardships she had endured, but he could be there for her when she needed him. It might take a while, but once she realized that her carelessness was causing him to worry, she would either learn from her mistakes and make smarter decisions or gradually distance herself from him. Either way, she was the only person who could walk the path she had chosen for herself. His sole concern was ensuring she was happy—wherever she ended up...
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