After collecting himself adequately, Vahn contacted Hephaestus, Loki, and Eina through the network and also explained a bit of what he had experienced to Hestia. Because the 'Scroll of Prophecy' showed an actual path that he could walk in the future, this meant that many of people and events that took place were things that would actually happen in the real world. Vahn didn't remember everything, but he remembered many key details and even knew the names of some of his enemies that they would face in the future. Just knowing that the One-Eyed Black Dragon in the Dungeon wasn't the real thing was a piece of information that would drastically impact their future, especially regarding Ais.
Eina was originally too busy to come to the meeting but ended up arranging things after she understood the seriousness of the matter. Coincidentally, when she told the manager she had something to deal with, she was given permission to leave without them asking any details. When Vahn learned about this, he knew that Ouranos probably had expected this to happen ever since he gave the scroll to Eina. Vahn wasn't quite sure what to think about the elderly god, but he knew they weren't enemies, at least for the time being. Their first official meeting would be at the wedding reception, but that was something Vahn would worry about later.
Because of the 'significance' of the matter, Vahn ended up using [Shundo] to retrieve Eina and Hephaestus while he sent Fafnir to pick up Loki. His enemies would find a way to get to him regardless of how 'low-key' he tried to remain, so Vahn decided it simply wasn't worth worrying about at all. Based on what he knew from the Divination, Vahn's enemies were far less successful when he started proactively taking action that they weren't able to adapt to. Giving them breathing room while trying to remain low-key was inviting them to bring harm to those that he loved, so Vahn wasn't going to keep taking a back seat role in his own life.
Fafnir could fly much faster than Vahn could use [Shundo], so Loki was the first to arrive at the Manor, excluding Anubis who lived nearby and, by the time Vahn arrived with Eina and Hephaestus, the atmosphere had become very tense in the residence. Vahn was tempted to alleviate their concerns by explaining things, but he didn't know if it was the best idea since there were several negatives involved. Until he talked things over with people more intelligent than himself, he couldn't make the best use of the information to guide his future actions. Especially when it came to the girls that had died, or those that he had a 'peculiar' relationship with…Vahn was very sensitive to their presence at the moment and knew he still needed to calm down a bit before he associated with them closely.
—
Vahn had been tempted to have Riveria attend the meeting, as she was a very intelligent woman, but he felt awkward at having to explain that they ended up having a child that became the King of the Elves. He still wasn't sure what had transpired to bring them closer together, so Vahn was a bit on edge against her, and many of the other girls for that matter. He knew at some point, the path he had walked resulted in the majority of them getting pregnant and Vahn felt somewhat awkward knowing this, especially with girls like Lefiya, Preasia, and Shizune in the house. The Loki from the Divination mentioned that, of the girls living in the Manor, the only exceptions were, Milan, Tina, Emiru, Maemi, Ryuu, Chloe, Misha, and Eina. Many of the ones that had 'evaded' him were those that had died while it was very understandable why he never managed to sire a child with Milan and Misha.
After gathering Anubis, Hestia, Hephaestus, Loki, and Eina in his own room, since it was the only one that had a soundproof barrier installed in the central building, Vahn explained in as much detail as he could the events that had transpired. He had even written down a 'chronology' of the events so they could get a better grasp of what he was trying to convey. Vahn included everything starting from the death of Chloe to Valletta Grede, his presumed response to the event, Ryuu's death to Fenrir, and many other things. When he got to the part about 'conquering' the world, Hephaestus, Anubis, and Eina had looks of disbelief while Loki seemed to get somewhat excited at the prospect. As for Hestia, she had a serious expression but just listened quietly while looking through the book that Vahn had written regarding the events.
By the time he was finished with his recounting of events, Loki was practically fidgetting around before saying, "So I was right…if things continued as they were, you would eventually take over the entire world! Kekekeke, I never thought about being an empress before…and our daughter became the ruler of Orario? Shishishishi~!" Vahn frowned slightly so Loki put her hands up in a defensive gesture and said, "Don't worry, I know how serious this matter is, Vahn. Ouranos got us really good this time…that sly old fox! Using something as rare as a 'Scroll of Prophecy' just to establish a link with the core of the Alliance!"
Eina, who had been the one to deliver the scroll, had been the most affected by the revelations that were just brought to light. In a hesitant manner, she asked, "The 'Scroll of Prophecy'…how accurate is it?" Loki's eyes opened slightly and she looked between Hephaestus, Anubis, and Hestia before saying, "The 'Scroll of Prophecy' isn't something as simple as letting the user view the future…it creates a perfect replica down to the flow of each particle of mana within the world. Every scroll is a precious artifact dating back to the reformation of the three realms, meaning they are between 500-540 million years old! It shouldn't even be able to exist in the mortal world, so I'm curious to know how that old codger managed to pull such a feat off…"
This time, it was Vahn's turn to be surprised since he had searched through the shop for the scroll and found they were listed at 1,000,000,000OP each. Knowing Ouranos had used such a precious artifact just to establish a connection with him made Vahn feel somewhat uncomfortable. He started to wonder if Ouranos had gleaned something from the future through other methods and wanted to alter the course of events. However, Vahn didn't plan to let himself get wrapped up in such schemes anymore and wanted to simply walk forward confidently while doing his best to protect those close to him. He was better prepared to face potential losses, but he was also determined to prevent them from happening in the first place now.
Vahn looked over everyone and said, "There are several things that need to be changed after taking these matters into consideration. I've never cared much about power, or becoming something like an Emperor, especially if I have to live such a lonely existence…but I will do whatever it takes to prevent such tragedies from happening if it is something I can avoid through proactive measures being taken. I don't want to restrict anyone lives, nor direct which path they walk in the future, but I won't stand idly by as they fall into the schemes of our enemies anymore. Also, Eina…I want you to undergo 'Nirvana' before the wedding, or at least soon thereafter. Knowing that you spent twenty-two years raising my other children is something I can't agree to at all…not when I'm in a position to change such things."
Eina had been brooding a bit about having delivered the scroll to Vahn, but now she completely blanked after hearing Vahn's firm declaration. After processing the information, her face turned beet red and she lowered her head in embarrassment before saying, "Okay…Vahn…" Knowing that Vahn was 'determined' to have her bear his children made her heart beat like a drum in her chest and she could feel a bit of anxiety and nausea welling up in her stomach. A small part of her wanted Vahn to wait before they conceived a child, but his determined look made her feel sheepish and powerless to resist his insistence. She couldn't imagine what it was like to have a burden of twenty-two years of memories to cope with, so she gave in very quickly since she was the root cause of the event.
Vahn smiled as he affectionately stroked Eina's hair for a few seconds before turning his attention to the gathered goddesses and saying, "One of the most important things we need to take into consideration are the 'Vanir' that will be born in the future. The children I sired with goddesses weren't normal Demigods at all, but something far more powerful. They reached physical maturity very early and then seemingly ceased aging after the fact…the most problematic thing is, as they grow in strength, the influence of the Divinities increases and they can potentially even become gods and goddesses if they grow strong enough. The evolution of my soul allowed me to awaken my own Divinities, so you should expect that our children will have such potential as well…"
Though they already knew the matter was very serious, hearing Vahn say it so plainly caused each goddess to show a solemn expression, at least until Hestia asked with a silly smile on her face, "So we had a son named Damen…? Ehehehe~" Vahn had also been serious when he spoke, but his mind stalled a bit when he heard Hestia's words. With Hestia's words as the catalyst, Loki said, "Ah, now I know that my child is going to be girl…I'm kind of tempted not to name her Disa. It's a little frustrating knowing the machinations of fate…" Hephaestus piggybacked her words and mumbled, "Three children…I wonder how far apart they were…?"
The only goddess that didn't get wrapped up in the conversation was Anubis, who had never given birth to a child sired by Vahn. She had a thoughtful expression on her face but remained relatively quiet until Vahn turned his attention to her. With a gentle smile, Anubis said in a low tone, "I will leave it to Master to decide…" Though she had been speaking to Vahn, everyone else heard her words and Loki began to laugh mischievously before snickering as she said, "As long as we try to increase our personal power, we can have as many children as we want~! Let's show fate that it can choke on the sands of time and die off for all we care!" Then, as if realizing something, Loki looked at Vahn and her grin grew abnormally large as she asked, "So, you and Riveria…kekekeke~."
Eina seemed to be awakened by Loki's words and she turned to Vahn with a serious expression on her face as she said, "Vahn, you can't treat Riveria-sama poorly…oh my, can I really be the first wife in this kind of situation…fuuuueeeee~." Because she was a Half-Elf, it would complicate matters if Riveria and Vahn were to marry in the future, but Vahn ignored her plight and just hugged her from behind as he nibbled on her ear and said, "Don't worry about things like that anymore, Eina…it was worrying about such things that caused such a tragic future in the first place. From now on, we'll do our best for our family without worry about how this world looks at us. No matter how you view things, this world is more 'broken' than I am, so it would be better to try and fix it instead of worrying about trying to maintain the status quo…"
Loki shot up at Vahn's words and shouted, "Yes, that is correct! Ahahahaha, the world is constantly changing so why should we worry about keeping things the 'same' when they are so obviously f.u.c.k.i.e.d up! It was never an option for the Alliance to not seize power over time because Vahn's children would simply be too powerful to be suppressed!" Then, as if realizing something, Loki pointed to Vahn and smiled widely as she said, "Vahn, you need to become much stronger if you want to keep your own kids in line~! If they mature in as little as five years, that means they could quickly overtake you unless you 'regulate' them from an early age."
Vahn recalled how deferential his own children were to him when he was an 'Emperor' and knew that was likely the same decision he had made along that path. As Loki stated, his children would grow powerful very quickly and, if there wasn't anything keeping them under control, they would potentially bring devastation to the world. The fact that two of his children 'betrayed' him was something fresh in his mind and Vahn regretted not asking about the identities of each of his children before he brooded in space for several months. He forgot many things from the Divination, but he was able to recall the names and significant events that were conveyed to him through his conversations with other people.
Nodding his head, Vahn looked around and said, "I don't know what it means to be a good father…and I can tell from the Divination that it isn't something I'm capable of without assistance. As long as there are threats, I will always have to increase my own strength to provide security for our family. If I have to become an authority figure for my own children, that is something I'm willing to do, but I never want to be in a position where they are more respectful to me than affectionate. Please, if I ever walk down a path where I'm pushing away those close to me…seriously…slap the crap out of me until I return to my senses. I'm the type that gets caught up in the momentum and suffers under the burden of my own emotions…I don't want to find myself with absolute power sitting on a lonely throne with everyone I love thousands of kilometers away."
Vahn bowed low to the gathered women and 'pleaded' for them to always guide him along the correct path. He knew that he had walked a path where they became distant and Vahn thought this was the greatest mistake he could have made. What was the point of having the power to protect the things he cared about if he couldn't even be close to them? Just imagining Hephaestus' melancholy and her 'gratitude' when they had s.e.x made Vahn feel very uncomfortable. Since she was the closest person to him in the Divination, it meant that he probably didn't spend much time with anyone else…Vahn didn't want to ever find himself in such a sad position again.
As he was bowing, Vahn felt his head lifted by Hephaestus and she hugged him close as she whispered, "Vahn, no matter what, I'll always be at your side…just make sure to grit your teeth when the time comes…" Hearing her words, Vahn began to laugh as he hugged Hephaestus' body tightly against his own before lifting his face from her chest and sealing her lips. Even though he had hurt her so much, Hephaestus had never left his side even when he walked such a lonely path wrought with sadness. He felt like he owed her more than he could ever repay and didn't mind spending the rest of his life paying off the debt…with interest.
Before they got lost in their own world, however, Vahn felt a smack to the top of his head that had come from Loki. She looked at the two of them with an incredulous expression as she asked, "Are we done talking? I don't mind if you lovebirds want to turn this into a massive orgy, but I thought we were having a serious discussion~!" Vahn swallowed his saliva while Hephaestus blushed and pulled away from him slightly without fully separating their bodies.
Loki nodded her head and asked, "So, what are we going to do with this information? We obviously need to consolidate our power and start trying to eliminate our enemies, but what else needs to be considered? Do we share this information with the other girls on the network, or do you want to play it by ear and leave things to develop in a natural manner? I'm sure Chloe would probably be a lot more cautious in her actions if she knew her death was the catalyst for such a dismal future…" Loki's questions struck to the heart of several matters and this was one of the reasons Vahn had gathered the core members of the 'network' to explain the situation.
Vahn knew that telling the core members was necessary, but he was conflicted about who else to inform since it could drastically alter how they choose to live their lives. Telling just those that he 'selected' could be dangerous, since it would affect the group synergy and cause others to feel left out. However, it was the existence of so many 'speculative' lovers within the Manor that made Vahn very worried about informing everyone. With a slight grimace on his face, Vahn said, "I want to tell everyone…but I also don't want to tell everyone…it feels like I'd be manipulating them with information that is no longer 'true', but just 'possible'. Just having this conversation has already altered the outcome of future events and letting them know about such possibilities could have adverse consequences…"
Loki nodded her head casually before asking, "So, you're worried about the girls that you haven't had s.e.x with yet?" Vahn flinched at her words and his reaction confirmed Loki's speculation which caused her to laugh as he earned himself a somewhat distraught look from Hestia. After a short while passed, Loki looked around at everyone present and said, "Who here expected any of the girls to escape Vahn's clutches in the future? Just a show of hands, please~!" Of the girls present, the only one to raise her hand was Eina who looked around in confusion before lowering her hand out of embarrassment. Vahn felt somewhat ashamed knowing that it was 'expected' that he would end up with most of the girls eventually.
Out of nowhere, Vahn received a light slap from Loki and she pointed at him with a serious expression and said, "You wanted to be smacked when you started pushing people away right~? I can almost guarantee that, when you do have 'relations' with those girls, it would most likely be because they wanted to be with you, even if it's just for a short while. If you really want to create a future through proactive action, sitting on such information for fear of causing awkwardness is just ridiculous. If some of the girls get scared and run away, that is less for us to worry about in the future! Vahn, this whole fiasco is a result of you getting caught in the moment, so you need to start thinking about what you can do to overcome adversity, not worry about how it 'might' impact you!"
Without waiting for permission, Loki started walking toward the door while saying, "I know you want to tell them, so I'll save you the anxiety and inform them for you. It might be awkward, but you'll have to learn to deal with such temporary things if you want to be able to deal with real problems in the future. Baaaah, sometimes I wonder how I ever fell for such an idiotic boy…still pretending to be 'innocent' when you're literally playing around with a dozen different girls…" Hephaestus let go of Vahn's arm and shouted, "Loki, don't do anything rash!" Loki looked back and asked in a snide tone, "Tell me, are there any actual downsides besides Vahn potentially losing a girl or two? Most of them would probably be happy knowing they actually got with him at some point, and it's not like anything is set in stone now. Why are we even worrying about this when actual lives are involved?"
Loki looked around at everyone for a brief moment before asking, "Let's simplify things then…go ahead, if you think there are any actual downsides besides some internal stuff that can be easily dealt with, please raise your hand~!" Though her words were harsh, everything Loki said generally cut straight through to the heart of the matter and Vahn couldn't help but agree with her claims. The only real reason he was withholding information was that it was awkward, specifically for Vahn himself. Knowing the potential dangers would make the girls more cautious and it also gave him more room to discuss things openly with them to ensure that such a tragic fate never came to fruition. The best example was how Emiru and Tina died, both fates that could have simply been avoided through simple discussion…
Seeing that nobody raised their hands for several seconds, Loki nodded her head and said, "Such a powerful Divination is something we need to make proper use of, not something we need to keep under wraps. As long as we make the girls take a vow, there isn't any real danger of the information getting out to other people. If we want to make a strong organization to confront our enemies, we'll need to ensure that our internal bonds are unshakeable. Keeping information from those that are directly impacted by the events is just foolishness~!" Though she was interested in the future they would make from now on, especially knowing that Vahn had the potential to be an Emperor.
Loki wanted to ensure that things went as smoothly as possible and knew Vahn would behave like an idiot trying to keep the information to himself. Even if he had no intention of doing so now, he would eventually act on the information in the future even if he didn't tell the girls about it at first. Since they would eventually find out, Loki wanted to bypass the drama and force the situation to a point early on so they could begin taking 'corrective' actions much sooner. If the core of the group wasn't unified, there would be all kinds of problems that would need to be addressed in the future.
—
After being 'convinced' by Loki, the group moved to the dining room where almost everyone had been gathered together waiting for the 'important' discussion to come to an end. Anubis had sent a message to Nanu, since she was one of the girls that gave birth to one of the 'Council' members in the Divination, and she arrived shortly thereafter. Other than Freya and Inari, most of the people Vahn was aware of from the Divination were gathered together when Loki explained, "Okay children, I'll make this as simple as I possible can…if you intend to be involved with this idiot for the rest of your lives, you're going to need to take a final vow to protect all the information you're about to learn. This is something that will greatly impact each of you, so you need to have the conviction to carry the information to your graves regardless of any dissatisfaction you may feel in the future. Even if you choose to leave, you will never be released from this vow so take it seriously!"
As Loki spoke, she pointed to the statuesque Vahn that was flanked by Hephaestus and Eina with a mild blush on his face. Knowing that several of the girls were about to learn they gave birth to his children had overloaded Vahn's circuits. Fenrir was even going to learn that she ended up killing Ryuu and would eventually have a physical relationship with him. Though Vahn expected something to happen between them in the future, as they were both being that could live forever and would travel several worlds together, he hadn't expected things to come to a head like this so early. He was just hoping he would be able to convince her to 'wait', even if it was a bit selfish on his part in doing so.
With the exception of Mona, everyone else was willing to take the vow and Vahn was somewhat surprised since had had almost disregarded her entirely. She spent most of her time working at the Hostess of Fertility so the only time he saw the busty Cow Person was during dinner. Unlike the other girls, she often used a private bath and was the girl that Vahn associated with the least. If Loki's words weren't inaccurate, Vahn would have a child with her in the future unless she had simply left at some point before things got 'serious'. Now that she had excused herself from the discussion, Vahn felt like she would probably leave in the future, or at least would never take a proactive role in the events that would transpire.
Once Mona left, Loki took on the responsibility of conveying the Divination to everyone present and also passed around the five books Vahn had prepared earlier. Chloe had taken a bit of an impact knowing that she would have died within a years time to an enemy she had never met, but it was Ryuu and Fenrir who suffered the biggest blow early on in the discussion. Even though Fenrir hadn't actually killed anyone, she felt regret knowing that such a thing had ever happened. Unless they were trying to harm Vahn, Fenrir didn't want to hurt anyone because she knew it would make Vahn sad. Ryuu, knowing that she would die in such an unexpected manner, showed a serious expression and Vahn could see the flames of resolve burning in her sky blue eyes.
Knowing they would die together, but far apart from one another, Emiru and Maemi promised to never separate in such a manner, no matter what life threw at them. As for Tina and Milan, the small cat girl sobbed in frustration while Milan hugged her tightly with Shizune after the revelation. Vahn felt very guilty seeing how distraught they were but hoped it would give them both a bit of awareness about the dangers they would face if they tried to bear burdens alone. Unless they left the Manor very early, they would always be the target of the enemies that appeared trying to undermine the Alliance…
After that, things got both serious and awkward at the same time because Loki began discussing about Vahn's 'conquest', his unification of the various species, the establishment of an Empire, the creation of an Academy, and even the construction of the Heavenly City. During these events, she also explained Vahn's 'relationsh.i.p.s' with the other girls and told them the positions some of their future children had the potential of holding. Riveria knew about the existence of an item like the 'Scroll of Prophecy' and that it wasn't simply a 'vision' of things that might happen, but things that 'would' happen unless events were changed.
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.
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. Tiona and Tione were at her sides and had been 'comforting' her a bit, even though 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.
As for the rest of the group, knowing that they had conceived Vahn's children in the Divination caused them to have a variety of reactions. Haruhime seemed to be especially jubilant as her tails danced around behind her while Mikoto had a vexed expression on her face. Lili, knowing that she had three children sired by Vahn, felt very prideful and had an excited blush on her face while Naaza's tailed wagged slowly behind her. The 'worrisome' Preasia and Shizune also had reactions that made Vahn feel somewhat unnerved because they both eyed him like a predator after knowing they would 'eventually' get to him. None of the girls from the Hostess of Fertility were surprised at all and Tsubaki was just happy knowing that her future child was a girl that would bear her mother's name. She sat affectionately stroking her stomach with a happy expression on her face while the other girls clamored about.
Some of the biggest reactions had come from the girls that hadn't born Vahn's children, however, especially the girls that had died. Chloe and Ryuu seemed to be burning with resolve to become stronger, but they also gave Vahn periodic and thoughtful glances. Milan had a complex expression on her face but it was Tina who was 'fired up' now that she had been able to process things better. She had resolved herself to become much stronger and to improve her relationsh.i.p.s with the other girls in the Manor in the future. Knowing that Shizune eventually got together with Vahn gave her a bit more confidence, which had been waning in the last few months since she had started to feel that she had lost the chance. She hadn't vocalized it to anyone, but she was somewhat resentful at having been born 'too late' to actually be with Vahn.
The biggest reaction of all, however, had been from the generally bashful Lefiya. Hearing that she eventually gave birth to one of Vahn's children had caused her face to turn maroon and she had passed out on the spot with steam rising from her head. She ended up having to be tended to by Riveria since Vahn's 'interference' would just make the problem worse. As for Vahn himself, he had been watching everyone's reaction with mixed emotions because he felt like all of his defenses had been torn down in an instant. Especially regarding Emiru and Maemi, Vahn felt like he wouldn't be able to 'refuse' them for much longer since they had died before ever having the opportunity to be with him in a meaningful manner. He was positive they had s.e.x before the twins had died, but they didn't give birth to any children before then and now eyed Vahn from the side as they shared a mental conversation with each other.
However, though her reaction wasn't the biggest, the most problematic girl was Fenrir who didn't even know what it meant to bear children yet. Her education on such matters had been limited and now she was about to receive a crash course from Riveria and Milan. Vahn expected that he would be able to keep their current relationship for a few years longer, but Fenrir would eventually want to 'try' various things with him in the future. He was hoping that he would be able to convince her to restrain herself with the excuse that they would be together forever and didn't need to rush such things…
One good thing that emerged from the discussion was the existence of Bell, which had been brought up and emphasized by Vahn. He still hadn't met the hero-class character yet, but he knew that Bell actually played a big role in the events of the Divination when it came to facing their enemies within the Dungeon. Though Ais had been the Commander of Haven, Bell had been the one spearheading the expeditions in the 'Frontier Floors' and was the only other Level 9 that Vahn had been made aware of. Even Ais had only reached Level 8, alongside Haruhime and Lili, and this was a testament to Bell's incredible potential.
During the discussion about the Dungeon, the matters of the Xenos were also brought up and Vahn himself was very curious to meet them in the future. Knowing that he eventually had a lover amongst the group of monster girls stirred up his curiosity a great deal, especially since his own daughter was rather beautiful. Their main reason for bringing this up was to prepare everyone in the Manor for their future meeting with the group so that there were no great tensions and conflict. Of course, since Vahn wasn't sure how their early interactions played out, he made sure everyone was prepared to defend themselves in the event of an emergency…the last thing he wanted was unexpected deaths because people had dropped their guards thinking things would go well.
(A/N: If it isn't obvious, I'm planning on fleshing Danmachi world quite a bit, so don't expect him to move on to a new world within the next 1000 chapters kappa.)
(A/N: 'Vahn speak the tru true','Loki ain't having any of your shit','Add 'em to the schedule!')
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