Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos Chapter 433 - Reaction

Chapter 433 - Reaction

(A/N: I wasn't going to release another one today since the previous chapter was so long, but I decided to give a small snippet chapter of everyone's reactions. This won't read like a normal chapter, so I can remove it later if people are annoyed by it. Enjoy your holidays, I sure am~!)
---Chloe PoV---
After hearing about her own death, Chloe wasn't perturbed if not for the fact that she realized it wasn't that far in the future. She had been planning to continue enjoying this lifestyle for a long period of time and even wanted to build a family with Vahn in the future once things had calmed down. Now, however, Chloe realized that things may never actually settle down and, if she continued taking a passive stance regarding things, she may end up losing her happiness because of her own weakness. She had already been working hard to become stronger, but now she felt like there were a fire that had been lit under her butt and she planned to do things above-board if possible. Instead of spending her days working at the Hostess of Fertility and keeping her identity a secret, she intended to become an Adventurer and improve her strength in the Dungeon. As for the matter of having children in the near future, she wasn't entirely sure she was ready but the future wasn't something that waited idly for people to reach it...
---Ryuu PoV---
Ryuu never expected that her death was relatively close at hand and, against all expectations, it would have been at the claws, or perhaps even teeth, of Fenrir. She knew that Fenrir wouldn't be a threat to her for a long time, so this meant her death was likely a result of her own failures at the time. If she was trying to calm Fenrir down, she might have opened herself up to a surprise attack before falling to the unstoppable claws of the berserk wolf girl. As an Elf, she had already planned to be at Vahn's side for several decades, not a mere two years where she was unable to actually accomplish anything. It was almost like an insult to everything she believed in and the promises that she wanted to keep to her fallen comrades.
Most importantly, however, Ryuu didn't want to leave Vahn to walk such a dark road on his own. She believed he was a righteous man that would walk a difficult path, but one where he represented the light, not the darkness. Knowing that he had become an Emperor that ruled over the world from above didn't bring her any comfort because she knew how lonely he must have felt bearing such a responsibility. Ryuu wanted to help guide him along the correct path, and she could only accomplish that by becoming much stronger. She wanted to become strong enough to bear a part of his burden and, if time allowed, she didn't mind bearing his child in the future. Being one of the only girls 'left out' didn't sit well with her, especially considering that they had a life-long promise to each other...
---Maemiru PoV---
Hearing about their deaths, Emiru and Maemi immediately resolved themselves to always be together from now on. The fact that they had fallen in such a tragic fashion irked the two girls because it went against everything they wanted to obtain in life. Yes, they wanted to become much stronger, but only because they wanted to be with Vahn more often. They couldn't tolerate the idea that they had failed in such a way and had decided to be more proactive from now on. Since Vahn was obviously affected by their deaths, as it was written clearly on his face during the recounting, they knew it would be possible to get closer to him in the future. When they made eye contact with him later, they knew he was thinking the same thing so they started coming up with a method to spend more time with him. Ever since he had gifted them, the twins had worn the 'victory' panties almost every single day in anticipation, after having washed them, of course. Now that his defenses were lowered, they began putting some of their plans in motion...
---Milan PoV---
Knowing that her daughter died in such a fashion, Milan wasn't entirely sure what she should do with the information at all. She had been trying to become stronger and had been one of the girls in the 'mother' faction that looked after everyone else, but now it seemed like she was being forced to make a clear decision. According to the chronology that was listed out, Tina would have died around six-or-seven years from now and, since it was the result of her leaving the Familia, it meant that she had never gotten together with Vahn. Now, however, it looked like her daughter was even more determined to be with him in the future and even her adopted daughter, Shizune, also had a mischevious light in her eyes.
If Milan decided to stay here in the future, she might end up in a very awkward position, especially since she also had some affections for the handsome boy. She had hoped, considering how Vahn treated Tina, that they would be closer to a Father-Mother-Daughter trio in the future once he had kids of his own. Now, however, it seemed like she was the odd one out and unless she jumped on the bandwagon or completely go off of it, there would be little chance of her being able to stay comfortably in the Manor in the future. Since she couldn't see herself sharing the same man as her own daughter, Milan was in a peculiar situation and knew that delaying the matter would only complicate things.
The biggest problem was, Milan knew she wouldn't be able to deny Vahn's advances if he proactively sought her in the future. Her body ached every time she saw him in the bath and she had even been trying to avoid him a bit except when he was around the younger girls and 'behaving'. The smell he gave off made her feel very frustrated and she had even been having delusions about hanging around the East Wing when she was bored. If she didn't make her decision soon, Vahn might very well make it for her and then it would be 'too late' unless she was willing to abandon the Hestia Familia when her daughter came of age...
---Tina PoV---
Tina had been very distraught when she learned of her own death, but it wasn't the fact that she had died that upset her the most. Knowing that the situation had developed to the point where she made the decision to leave was a big impact on her mind because she thought she would always be with Vahn and the Hestia Familia. Unlike when she was a simple Inn attendant that was helping her mother, she now felt like her life was full of color and a variety of interesting things. She had fancy clothes, lots of friends, and was quickly becoming stronger while having ample time to play around with the other girls.
Here at the Manor, everyone treated her kindly and Vahn often showed her affection whenever she sought it from him. She couldn't even imagine how things had gotten to the point where she made the decision to leave so she simply made the choice now to never do such a thing in the future no matter how hard things got. At the very least, Tina wanted to become strong enough that, even if something transpired that forced her to leave, she would never become a 'victim'. Knowing the world was full of enemies that would prey on her in a moment of weakness, Tina resolved to simply never be weak again.
Tina knew the shortest path to get to Vahn was to become strong so, just like Ais, Tiona, and Tione, she intended to become strong much sooner. If she pressured him hard enough, Vahn would probably let her enter the Dungeon, even though she wasn't an 'a.d.u.l.t' yet. Tiona and Tione had reached Level 2 when they were five while Ais had managed the feat when she was eight. Since Tina was already eleven, she could use logic against Vahn to allow her to become stronger much sooner. He had a 'convenient' ability like [Mentor] so he would probably even personally escort her to make sure she was safe. If he refused, she could use the secret technique her mother had taught her in the past and stare up into his face with watery eyes until he conceded. Vahn was a big softie, so he wouldn't be able to refuse her if she was persistent enough...
---Shizune PoV---
Shizune felt like everything she was hearing was a fantastical tale that was closer to fiction than fact, but she also knew that the conversation was very serious and everything she was hearing was the truth. She didn't mention it much, since she really wanted to do her best to 're-live' her childhood, but it was actually much harder than she expected. Though she tried to emulate Tina and Fenrir to the best of her ability, it was impossible to erase the memories of the life she had lived before Vahn gave her that magical pill. It might have been possible if she hadn't moved into the Manor, but every time Shizune saw Vahn in the bath and had him wash her she knew how her body reacted to his touch and the thoughts that constantly plagued her mind. Knowing she would be able to be with him made her feel a bit of relief, but it also made the pangs in her body more prominent and she began to wonder if she needed to take medicine just to deal with her 'urges' so she didn't scare him off. Though she was grateful for her new body, Shizune felt like Vahn needed to take responsibility or she might go crazy in the future...four years was a very long time when it was rare for her to go more than four days without a man in the past...
---Aki PoV---
Aki wasn't entirely sure of what to make of the revelations given by Loki, as it was very difficult to actually wrap her head around the events that were mentioned. Her name wasn't brought up in any of the events, so it was safe to assume that nothing had gone wrong and she had likely spent her time managing things at the Hearth Manor, which was her original intent to begin with. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life in the Dungeon, and she couldn't see herself helping Vahn on his 'conquest', so Aki assumed she had stayed with the Alliance and helped take care of things alongside Hestia, Eina, and Syr. This brought her some comfort, but it also made Aki feel a little awkward knowing that she hadn't been able to help Vahn in his time of need and had even 'allowed' him to live a lonely existence in his Heavenly City. She resolved herself that, if Vahn ended up on such a path once again, she would at least be there for him to show him some of the comforts he had brought to her when she was hurting. Since he was willing to take responsibility for her, Aki decided she needed to at least match his commitment...besides, it didn't seem so bad to live in a flying city now that she knew there wasn't any danger even if she fell from the platform...
---Haruhime PoV---
Knowing that she would not only have Vahn's children but also became one of the few Level 8's that assisted him, Haruhime was over the moon with happiness. She could feel the flame seed in her chest releasing a warm heat that became progressively hotter the more she focused on it. By the time the heat had spread through her entire body, she knew her 'transformation' had completed and she wondered what it would be like when she had even more tails. Because her transformation had a charming effect that only worked on Vahn, Haruhime looked forward to his future reactions and the intimate moments they would share. Since there was a chance she would have a rival, Inari, Haruhime wanted to ensure that Vahn was completely satisfied with her 'service' before they ever got a chance to meet. She had failed to reach nine tails within the twenty-two year period, but that didn't mean she would fail this time around...just thinking about it made her release quiet laughter...
---Mikoto PoV---
Though she had resolved herself to allow things to develop naturally, as she wanted to become much stronger in the future, Mikoto had never expected that she would bear Vahn's children in the future. She didn't know if it was in ten years, or ten months, and this uncertainty made her feel anxious. Not knowing how things reached that point made several thoughts pass through her mind and she couldn't stop herself from thinking of all the times she had 'admired' Vahn in the past. He was very strong, to an extent she constantly struggled to comprehend, and now he even had the potential of being an Emperor that presided over the entire world. Mikoto had decided to serve as his 'blade', but now she found herself closer to a 'sheath' that would bring comfort to him when he sought her body.
With Haruhime releasing strange laughter to her left, Mikoto's thought continued to wander and she lowered her head in shame when Vahn turned his attention to her. She wondered what kind of face she was making right now and how she would be able to keep her pride a warrior if things kept up. If not for the fact that almost every girl around her was stronger than she was, Mikoto felt like she wouldn't be able to accept this situation at all. Even Tsubaki, someone she had respected from the very moment they met, was someone that had 'fallen' to Vahn. Mikoto decided to confide in the powerful woman and seek her guidance since she found herself unable to process everything that she had just learned. Knowing she had a future child 'relying' on her made her feel an amount of pressure that she had never experienced before...
---Tsubaki PoV---
Tsubaki had felt very concerned about all of the information that was revealed, but a lot of her worries were washed away when she learned that her child was going to be a girl and that Vahn had decided to name it after her deceased mother. Knowing that she would also grow up to be a powerful warrior that supported Vahn made Tsubaki feel pride, even though her daughter wasn't even born yet. Just knowing her daughter had become someone so capable made her want to laugh out loud and she was planning to tease Vahn as much as possible about the fact from now onwards. Tsubaki knew he kept some of that delicious [Dwarven Drought] laying around in his storage, so she was planning to have him crack out an entire keg later on, even if she wouldn't be able to drink much of it given her current 'condition'.
---Syr PoV---
Knowing that Vahn had the capacity to become an Emperor made Syr feel incredibly vindicated because she was one of the earliest to recognize his potential, even though knowing about his origins at all. Ever since their first meeting, she knew Vahn would become an amazing individual and she wanted to support him to ensure that he would reach his maximum potential in the future. To her surprise, however, it seemed like his potential was actually limitless and this made her feel very excited about the future. She didn't mind the matter about having a child that much, since she knew it would happen sooner or later, and instead began scanning around the room and gauging the reactions of the other girls. They would become Vahn's power in the future, and Syr knew it would be her responsibility to manage things to prevent them from turning into the somewhat 'dreary' future that had been mentioned...
---Arnya PoV---
Arnya was very surprised by everything that was revealed, but she was more surprised by the fact that there weren't any major incidents related to her that were brought up. She had been very worried over the last few weeks that things wouldn't go well, but her concerns now seemed somewhat pointless since there didn't seem to be any issues at all. Other than the fact that she gave birth to Vahn's children, there was almost no other information related to her that had been gleaned from the Divination. This meant that, unless things drastically changed in the very near future, which was very unlikely, there wouldn't be any problems with her having children at all.
Knowing this made Arnya feel very awkward because she had been keeping many things from Vahn in order to 'protect' him, even though it was she that was being taken care of. If she had never revealed them in the Divination, that could be the reason why nothing went wrong, but these types of assumptions seemed strange to make since her previous assumption that things would go wrong was incorrect. It started to seem like the only thing she actually had to worry about was becoming stronger and taking care of her own children...it was a strange thought to have since Arnya thought her life would be a little more 'dramatic' given her past and the worries that plagued her heart...
---Lunoire PoV---
Lunoire sat holding her hand against her cheek in a bit of a daze as she processed all of the information that was revealed by Loki. Other than having a child sired by Vahn, there weren't any major events related to her that were revealed which showed that she was able to live a 'relatively' stress-free life with Vahn. This, however, didn't make her feel very comfortable because Vahn himself seemed to live a life steeped in turmoil. Lunoire wanted an easy life where she could simply laze about, but she didn't want to live it at the expense of others, especially the man she had fallen in love with. She started to wonder if she needed to start training again in order to help bear his burden, or if she should just be one of the women that protected the Manor and helped raise the children...
---Liliruca PoV---
Lili didn't care too much about the revelations of Loki until she got to the point regarding her bearing three children for Vahn, an 'accomplishment' only shared by Hephaestus, the closest woman to Vahn. Though she couldn't put herself on the same level as the prolific goddess, Lili felt like she had gotten a minor victory over the other girls and she began to feel a bit giddy in her stomach knowing that her desire to be with Vahn would one day come true. She had been keeping a secret calendar under her bedding that marked the days until her own birthday and began wondering if that also marked the date when she became pregnant.
Lili's body had changed a lot every since meeting Vahn, primarily regarding how flexible and strong she had become, but she had been worrying about their eventual union. Lili knew he could turn into a Pallum, but she wanted to 'real' Vahn instead and was now planning on getting some advice from some of the more experienced girls in the group. She already knew about the medicine that would help her body 'adapt' to the experience faster, but that didn't get around the problem that she was barely 2/3rds Vahn's size. Though his height fluctuated a bit, something that Lili found very enviable, he was generally around 170cm while she was stuck firmly at 110cm and would likely remain as such for the rest of her life. Her [Cinder*Ella] might be a potential solution, but Lili had never been able to 'increase' her size, only compress it. If not for the fact that she knew Vahn was 'weak' to exotic women, Lili would have given up on developing the skill since it probably wasn't the 'solution' she was looking for...
---Naaza PoV---
Naaza felt like her senses had dulled as she listened to Loki's 'story', but her attention was brought to focus when she heard about some of the things Vahn had created in the Divination. The thought of a floating City high in the sky fascinated her and she was wondering what it would be like to view the world from such a perspective. She had heard about the 'falling' event that Vahn held in the past, so Naaza had been trying to increase her own endurance in order to attend such events in the future. Her own research had been progressing smoothly, but she had begun to feel like her efforts were for naught since Vahn was able to come up with items like the [Heal] staff and the [Effigy of the Hero].
Now, however, Naaza began playing with the idea of helping Vahn along with his research since it was revealed in the notebook that he had obtained the [Alchemy] Development Ability. She wondered if she had a hand in his acquisition of the skill and was looking forward to the long nights they spent together researching different chemical compounds and creating their future children...it was very exciting to think about...
---Ais PoV---(A/N: Some copypasta magic~!)
Ais had also taken a big impact knowing that dragon she was pursuing wasn't the real thing and that, even after twenty-two years had passed, they had never found the true body even when Vahn had the capabilities of traversing the entire world. However, she was able to redirect her 'hatred' towards what she learned to be the true enemy, which was the Goddess Enyo that was 'sealed' within the Dungeon. It brought her some comfort knowing her 'true' enemy and the person that threatened the happiness she had found for herself at Vahn's side.
Ais resolved herself to become strong enough to protect everyone because she didn't want to see the world where Vahn became a lonely Emperor come to fruition. She believed Vahn had the capacity of a hero and he had even promised to become one in order to protect her happiness. If they worked together, there was little that could stand against them and Ais wanted to make sure there were no dangerous enemies left by the time she had their daughter. According to the chronology, she wasn't supposed to give birth for another fourteen years, but this seemed like a very long time and she didn't want to be 'left behind' by the other girls. As long as she got pregnant again in fourteen years, she should still be able to give birth to their daughter so Ais decided that she would have another child when Vahn was focused on his research and they weren't proactively going into the Dungeon...
---Tiona PoV---
Tiona had an awkward smile on her face knowing she had nearly been killed by the adorable Fenrir within the next two years. She decided to become better friends with the wolf girl so that, even if she lost control, there was a better chance that things wouldn't end in such a fashion. Other than this, Tiona was happy knowing that she had been able to have children with Vahn and that he had been able to overcome the Kali Familia and reach a compromise with the Amazon Queen. There weren't any guarantees things would play out in a similar fashion, but just knowing it had gone well once gave her a lot of confidence in the future. She imagined raising their daughter alongside the other children in the Manor and it brought a smile to her face as she eagerly stared at the 'sheepish' Vahn.
---Tione PoV---
Tione had found all of the revelations to be very interesting, though she wasn't quite fond of the path Vahn had taken. She loved that he was willing to go to great lengths to show compassion and understanding for others, even when it often brought harm to himself. Tione didn't want to see a future where he became a tyrant, nor did she want to accept a reality where her own sister nearly died at the hands of one of their allies. Though she wanted to wait for Vahn to become stronger than her, so that they could have a 'real' relationship, Tione now knew that she needed to become much stronger. Even if she wasn't able to obtain much in the way of parameter development, she could continue to improve her own techniques and work towards increasing her combat abilities for the future. She already sparred with Vahn in the mornings, but now she began eyeing some of the other strong girls in the Manor, specifically Tsubaki and her own airheaded little sister...
---Riveria PoV---
Riveria became pale knowing that she ended up in a relationship with Vahn, but her uneasy feelings diminished somewhat knowing that her son became the Elven King and helped in the unification of all species. It was, in many ways, her penultimate goal so she was content knowing things had gone well, even if it was only after a war. Regardless of her wishes, Riveria knew that war was an inevitable consequence of rapid change so she wasn't too surprised knowing it was looming in the future. Knowing that Vahn also had the potential to ascend to godhood and even possessed a Divinity related to magic had returned her complexion to a neutral state as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.
If their son had become King, this meant that he had reached the basic requirement for a.d.u.l.thood and had to be at least twenty unless they had forcibly installed him as King. Since it seemed like they had forged an Alliance with the High Elves, this didn't seem to be the case so it stood to reason that she was expected to have s.e.x with Vahn within the next year or it would break the chronology. Knowing this made her feel somewhat unnerved but, appraising Vahn with her eyes, Riveria didn't think it was actually a bad thing. He had probably come to her after the loss of Choe and, though she wasn't sure of her own reasoning, she had probably consoled him before they consummated the deed.
Riveria knew she wasn't the overly affectionate type so she had likely gotten pregnant after their first time together, especially if she was trying to help Vahn feel better. Knowing that Chloe would likely not suffer the same fate, Riveria lost her 'reason' to be with Vahn and now found herself in an awkward position because the felt 'compelled' to be with him knowing that it would likely serve as the catalyst that unified the Elves and the other species. Since he had still founded the Academy, even though he was 'conquering' the world, this showed that Vahn was a very earnest boy and likely listened to her even when he had started walking down a path more difficult than the one she herself faced. It was hard to believe, but Riveria found herself feeling empathetic towards Vahn and felt that they were more compatible than she had previously thought...
---Lefiya PoV---
Lefiya had been in stunned silence as Loki was speaking but the moment she heard that she was one of the girls that gave birth to Vahn's children, it felt like all the blood in her body had rushed to her head and any thoughts in her mind had completely shattered into oblivion. The last thing that passed through her mind before it was claimed by darkness was the n.a.k.e.d image of Vahn leaning over her own body as she desperately clung to the sheets while Ais watched from the side...
---Preasia PoV---
Though she never had any doubts about it, as she never intended to give up, Preasia was very happy to know she would one day be with Vahn. Now that the matter was brought to light, she knew it was very possible that such an event would take place in the very near future if she played her cards right. It was unlikely that Vahn would go against the 'conditions' he had laid out in the past, but now she should be able to convince him that she was 'ready' for that type of relationship if she could continue to improve her status within the network. She had already gotten close to several of the younger girls so, if she managed to get in with the older women, Preasia was confident that Vahn would 'give in' to her.
At the very least, he shouldn't be able to continue avoiding her to such an extent and she might even be able to get him to kiss her if they are alone together. If the timing was right, that kiss could turn into petting and, if she could rile him up enough, the petting could eventually result in much much more. Though she still had nightmares about her time in the 'dungeon', Preasia was confident she could satisfy Vahn and knew that he would do his best to make her feel safe and secure while also bringing her pleasures that she had never known before. If fate favored her, she might even be able to get pregnant even sooner than her original counterpart and then she would be able to spend even more time with him since he wouldn't be able to ignore his own child...just imagining it made her feel giddy and she couldn't stop herself from smiling at the boy that had impacted her life so greatly. Preasia's only goal, ever since he had healed her body, was impacting his just a little and it was looking like that goal was an inevitability now...
---Nanu PoV---
When she heard what kind of life her Master had lived in the Divination, Nanu felt like she had failed him somehow until she learned that her daughter, the one she had with Vahn, had become one of the members of his Council. This showed that their daughter had been a capable individual and was someone trusted greatly by Vahn, even when he had become an Emperor that ruled over the entire world. Since Persia, a name Nanu became very fond of instantly, was described as a beautiful young woman that was on his Council, this meant that she was likely around her late teens at the time.
Though Nanu wasn't that great at math, she was able to deduce that she had been able to get pregnant not long after she finally became an 'a.d.u.l.t'. She had constantly been worrying that Vahn might one day abandon her, even though she knew he wasn't the type to do such things, but knowing that he had 'given' her a child made her feel so happy that her tail was beating against Naaza and Tione without a care in the world. Even when Tione gave her a slightly annoyed look, Nanu simply smiled at her as she squirmed around on the cushion she was sitting on while resisting the urge to laugh and disrupt the atmosphere that had overtaken the room...
---Fenrir PoV---
Fenrir didn't know what was going on, but she knew that she had done a bad thing somehow and had even killed Ryuu, one of the people close to her Master. Even though she could see Ryuu right across from her, Fenrir knew that she had somehow killed Ryuu in the 'Divination' and had been a bad girl that was sealed away. At least she got to stay by her Master's side, even though she had let him down, so that was something to be happy about. Though she didn't know what it meant, Fenrir knew she even got to be with her Master in an intimate way and she was going to get to learn about a.d.u.l.t things from Riveria and Milan later. She could sense that her Master didn't want to do a.d.u.l.t things with her yet, but just knowing he would eventually be together with her made Fenrir very happy. She promised to herself to never kill anyone close to her Master, unless he specifically ordered her to, so she would be able to spend even more time 'together' with him in the future...
---Mona PoV---
Mona sat in a study far away from the discussion everyone else was having and sipped away at the expensive cup of tea she had prepared for herself. She felt somewhat guilty about excusing herself, especially since she was the only one to do so, but she wasn't sure she wanted to be wrapped up in the 'important' discussion they were having. Mona was grateful to Vahn, and she was enjoying her current lifestyle immensely, but she didn't think she was qualified to keep such important secrets on his behalf, at least for the time being.
She had already made a contract with Hephaestus and Loki to be a wet nurse for their children, as they couldn't produce milk on their own, but this was just a temporary arrangement and Mona was planning on using the compensation to open a bakery later on. If things went well, she would only spend the next two years within the Manor, even though she might be involved with the Alliance for the rest of her life. She had been with a great number of men in her lifetime, and now she just wanted a single man to herself and couldn't open her heart to a man like Vahn, even though he probably had room for her in his.
Because of this, she often displayed her gratitude to him but always made sure to keep a certain amount of distance between them since she didn't actually have much tolerance against handsome young boys. Though she might give in and enjoy a fling with him, that would be the same day she moved out of the Manor since she really didn't want to have a child in a household that contained several...
(A/N: How the hell did this turn into a 5,745-word chapter when I originally thought it would be short!?)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Everyone's Resolve','RIP Lefiya...','Mona's Pragmatism')
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