Chapter 281 Intrigue : Changes

Vahn continued to meditate quietly, but he kept part of his attention focused on everyone around him. He had somewhat expected Mikoto to ask him questions, but he could sense that she had moved off to the side and was trying to swing her katana with one hand as if she were flaring her in a whipping motion. Vahn smiled slightly but couldn't help but remark internally about how serious she was acting while trying to comprehend his attacks on her own. Moving his eyes a bit, Vahn watched the other girls training and used [Eyes of Truth] to stare through his own eyelids to observe them more clearly.

Though he could see they had a fair amount of potential, most of the girls had never really trained before and all of their movements were clumsy and awkward. Other than Fenrir, Haruhime actually had the fastest comprehension of everyone and Vahn could see the subtle influence of dance in her steps. He suspected that she would actually be able to learn 'fluid movement' faster than Mikoto if she put in the effort. Since Vahn felt like Ryuu and Tsubaki's movements were always very fluid, he knew it was the correct route for people that weren't overly reliant on power. Of course, there were exceptions, since Tiona was also very nimble and light on her feet while having an almost monstrous level of strength.

After their training finished up, the girls went off to enjoy a bath while Vahn got a head start on cooking breakfast alongside Milan. He enjoyed the warmth in the atmosphere when it was just the two of them cooking together, even though Preasia sat in a chair off to the side and watched them silently. Tina and the twins, Emiru and Maemi, showed up later and helped prepare the remaining dishes and they all ate together. Hestia was still upstairs sleeping, so Vahn's sides were taken by Ryuu and Haruhime and the overall atmosphere was very pleasant.

Though it was still early, Milan and Tina left for the Hostess of Fertility with Ryuu and Fafnir in the shadows. Unless something changed, they'd be staying at the dorm until the weekend came around again and Ryuu would be accompanying them unless Vahn needed her assistance. Of course, this didn't mean they couldn't come to visit as it was only about a twenty-minute walk at a normal pace. Ryuu could cover the distance in around five minutes if she ran at her with the assistance of her magic and they could even use Fafnir in the event of an emergency and cover the distance in less than thirty seconds. Though it didn't get to use it much, Fafnir was capable of reaching around 4100km/h and flew like a bullet through the air once it got up to speed.

Since Hestia wasn't around to stop them, both Haruhime and Preasia followed Vahn to the library but kept to themselves as all three of them read books in silence. Haruhime did sit on the same sofa, but she was trying not to distract Vahn since he was supposed to be 'relaxing'. Preasia sat a little bit away from the two and would glance from over the top of her book at Vahn without trying to be obvious. Of course, her movements were very noticeable since they were somewhat unnatural to begin with. Vahn had very high perception and awareness of his surroundings, so her attempts to hide her actions were fruitless.

Vahn knew it was too early to easily associate with Preasia, even though he was somewhat curious about how 'fluffy' she was. The same could be said for Haruhime as well since he would be periodically distracted by her long tail. Though she around 150cm tall, her tail was also nearly 80cm long and it looked exceptionally soft and Vahn had often been tempted to want to touch it as she gently tapped it on the sofa while silently reading the book in her hands. Vahn realized that, as Loki had said, he was simply too interested in new things and had an almost insatiable intrigue to experience them. Since that was the case, he understood how dangerous things could get since he didn't imagine that Haruhime or Preasia would resist him at all...

Fortunately, Vahn was able to resist his own urges until lunch came when he finally reunited with Hestia who had a very bubbly disposition and a happy smile on her face. Without caring about the surroundings at all, Hestia hugged Vahn's waist tightly before standing on her toes and reaching up to kiss his face. Vahn was momentarily surprised but returned her affectionate action with moderated passion before they all sat at the dining room table. Even though the other girls gave her strange looks, the only person that said anything was Fenrir who also managed to get a kiss from Vahn on the forehead.

During the meal itself, Hestia acted in a very loving and caring manner as she awkwardly tried to help Vahn eat while also expecting him to return the gestures. Since he really did love Hestia, Vahn didn't mind tending to her while Haruhime helped Fenrir eat her food with an elegant smile on her face. It didn't really need to be said, since every girl knew something must have happened between Vahn and Hestia for them to be acting as they were. Haruhime herself knew that Hestia was essentially making things clear without expressly saying anything so that the others wouldn't be able to use their ignorance as an excuse. If she, and the other girls, wanted to get closer to Vahn, they wouldn't be able to do it in a roundabout manner.

After lunch was finished, Hestia and Vahn shared another kiss before she left him to do his work while accompanying the other girls to teach everyone to read and write. The only person to hesitate was Preasia, who watched Vahn's back for a while until Fenrir pulled her along with the rest of the group. On the way to the annex containing the workshop, Vahn thought about how he could go about making some guy friends and potentially getting out of the house without endangering Haruhime and the other girls. Without Ryuu and Fafnir nearby, Vahn, Fenrir, and Mikoto represented the entire strength of the Hestia Familia. Fortunately, if Haruhime used her level-up magic, Vahn would probably be able to fight on par with a Level 6 while Fenrir and Mikoto should be able to hold their own against lower-ranked Level 3's.

However, even if that were the case, Vahn realized that the actual strength of the Familia needed to be drastically improved in the future. Other than increasing his own strength, he would need members around Level 4-5 so that power could be evenly distributed when people were out and about. He already had Ryuu, who was a Level 4 capable of fighting above her Level, but Vahn needed a magical ace or someone that specialized in defense and formations. Unfortunately, there were just too many restrictions on himself and the other members of the Familia as long as the situation with the Ishtar Familia continued. Since she was the representative of the Entertainment District, that meant he had actually made an enemy out of several dozen criminal Familia as well. Though they couldn't do much to him, the people in his Familia were a vulnerability that couldn't be easily addressed without taking them into the dungeon to Level up.

Once he was in his workshop, Vahn continued to design different types of equipment while also experimenting with a few ideas that he wanted to try. Though he wouldn't easily credit her with the idea, Vahn had a strange desire to 'dress up' the girls around him in the armor he had created for them. Since his dexterity was very high, things like sewing were very easy for Vahn and he was able to intricately stitch together the fabrics if he wanted to. It would take a lot of practice, but Vahn felt like he could ask Milan and Haruhime to teach him how to make dresses and other kinds of clothing.

Since Ais was the most 'doll-like' girl around him, Vahn pictured making an outfit that would suit her that was somewhat different than her original attire. Unlike her future self, she presently wore a fair amount of armor that looked like a multi-plated dress that protected all of her vitals and looked a bit uncomfortable. After giving her [Gram], Vahn felt like the colors white and blue suited her well and he wondered if it was possible to make armor that wouldn't inhibit her mobility that could accent the 'holy' feeling that she gave off when wielding the sword. He decided to go shopping with her and see if there was any armor they could find that suited her. Vahn would then be able to modify the design to match Ais's preferences and enhance her abilities even further...

After a few hours had passed, Vahn had purchased a few mannequins that he had shaped to try and match the features of Tiona, Ais, and Ryuu. Since he could actually recall significant events, Vahn was able to clearly picture the naked figures of the three girls and had modeled the mannequins to match their figures with a surprising amount of detail. He had learned how to shape and sculpt alongside Eva, so he was able to make rudimentary shapes that emulated their original forms accurately. Of course, this didn't mean Vahn modeled their facial features and sexual characteristics since he thought it would be embarrassing if anyone walked in and saw them.

Even though it wasn't the real person, Vahn felt a strange feeling of happiness as he garbed the bare mannequins with different types of cloth and tried finding something that matched his impression of the girls. For Ais, he used whites, greens, and golds, while Tiona was creamy colors and browns with warmer colors intermixed within. For Ryuu, she seemed to like natural colors that went along with those found in nature, so he chose leafy greens, neutral blues, and natural beiges and browns. It would probably take a few days to finalize anything, but even putting together the basic shapes of the outfits was very 'fun' from Vahn's perspective.

They didn't have any visitors in the evening, but Hestia told Vahn that the Loki Familia expedition would likely return tomorrow afternoon. Since he had spent a fair amount of time over the last few hours thinking about them, Vahn was looking forward to Tiona and Ais potentially visiting in the near future. To a lesser extent, he was also looking forward to seeing Tione and Lefiya again as well but mainly wanted to see if he could get some advice from Gareth.

Because of the current state of affairs, it wasn't easy for them to interact with the Alliance, but Vahn was also known as a skilled blacksmith even though his [Master Smith] skill hadn't been revealed yet. There was no way the Guild would be able to interfere if members of the Loki Familia came by to 'purchase equipment'. Since there were several members of the Loki Familia using the items he made, there was plenty of evidence showing that this was the case, at least on the surface.

After dinner, Hestia once again took a bath with Vahn and they affectionately talked about various matters before making their way back to the bedroom. Since Fenrir still stayed with Preasia, Hestia had Vahn all to herself and was intending to take proper advantage of this fact after realized that Loki had left the talismans in the room. Unfortunately, though she seemed willing, Vahn prevented Hestia from pushing herself and said she needed to take better care of her body for the time being. Since she refused to let him heal her, there were various dangers to indulging in intercourse so soon after losing her virginity. And, though he didn't mention it, Vahn was actually a bit intimidated by Hestia's vagina after the experience of the previous night. He was hoping that, after her body healed and became more accustomed to the act, it wouldn't be nearly as 'painful' when Hestia inevitably orgasmed and clamped down on him.

Hestia didn't seem too convinced by Vahn's words, even though she knew he was telling the truth and just showing concern for her body. Knowing that there would probably be various girls around Vahn in the coming weeks, Hestia wasn't willing to lose their personal time together just because of a little discomfort. Since she was a goddess, there wasn't any danger of infection and her body would eventually heal no matter what happened. After sitting on top of Vahn, her clothes wilted away and she looked down at him with glimmering blue eyes and an almost 'scary' expression from Vahn's perspective. He had never seen such a look on Hestia's face and couldn't help but swallow a bot of saliva as he tried to ask if anything was wrong. Before he spoke, however, Hestia asked in a strangely cold, yet sultry, tone "We love each other Vahn...right?"

Without hesitation, Vahn nodded his head and firmly stated, "Of course, I love you dearly Hestia, you're one of the most important people in my entire life." The strange smile on Hestia's face grew a bit and she squinted her eyes and said, "Yes...but you know I'm a jealous and possessive girl...even though I've opened my mind to allow other girls. I know where I stand in your heart, and it's not at the top..." Rubbing her hands on Vahn's chest, she pulled open his tunic button-by-button and continued, "When we're alone like this, even if it isn't true, I want to be the most important person in your heart...I want to experience the undeniable proof of our love...I already gave you my most precious thing, so you can give me at least this much right?"

Vahn could feel his brain buzz as he listened to Hestia's words and felt the caress of her fingers. Though it wasn't much, he could even feel a heat coming from her crotch as a moisture built up on his belly. Without waiting for him to say anything, Hestia leaned down and stared into Vahn's eyes at a near zero distance with her infinitely deep blue gems. With a voice that sent shivers down his spine, Hestia said, "Don't be selfish Vahn...let me worry about my own body...it isn't fair if you think you can use your gentleness to deny me something that my heart wants. Stop hesitating...or I'll always have some doubts about your affections for me...even if I know that isn't the case, I just can't help think about it when I'm alone...so please, make me unable to forgetyour presence even if you have to go away for a long time."

Though he knew she didn't have charm magic, Vahn felt a strange compulsion when hearing Hestia's words. She often spoke gently to him and it helped calm his mind greatly, but now the voice that usually eased his mind was causing the tensions in his body to rise. Even though he didn't normally react without his intent, for the second time in just as many days, Hestia managed to get Vahn's penis erect without any effort on his own part. When she moved back, Hestia could feel the hard object pressing against her inexplicably soft buttocks and she smiled with an enamored expression and said, "I love you Vahn...forever and ever...now make sure I never forget you love me as well...no matter how much time passes."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Return to Routine','Vahn wants to play dress-up','Hestia's Fragile Heart')

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