Chapter 1999: Dining Room Discussion
With his bedroom looking more like a crime scene than a lover's nest, Vahn, wearing little more than form-fitting Aegis briefs, emerged from the inordinately fragrant chamber with the intent to prepare a meal. Before that, however, he reached into the space between spaces, startling the trio of girls within by grabbing the end of Yuri's tail and asking, "Did you enjoy the show?"
Smiling in response, Yuri's tail twitched in a vain attempt to extricate itself as the person in question answered, "You really are a beast. It was like watching a big bad wolf prey on seven little lambs and two sheep. Did you eat your fill~?"
Sensing the trio's state, Vahn understood the not-so-hidden invitation within Yuri's words, a chuckle emanating from his throat as he teasingly replied, "That'll have to wait till later. For now, let's fill our bellies with something a little more substantial. Come, I'll cook you something."
Though her initial response was to feign a pout, Yuri's expression blossomed into a smile at the mention of food. The meals he prepared might be incomparable to Rindo's when it came to flavor and effect, but, regardless of how simple the meal, eating Vahn's food made you feel happy. It was almost like his love had been infused into even the smallest grain of rice, so, while the flavor might be a little lacking, it had a unique quality reminiscent of 'home cooking'.
Making her thoughts known to all, Yuri's stomach released a growl reminiscent of a voracious beast as she pounced on Vahn, forcibly pressing his face to her chest as she exclaimed, "Great! Let's go~!" in an excited tone of voice. Her exaggerated response left Fenrir and Mikoto shaking their heads in mild exasperation, but, almost immediately thereafter, a potent blush colored the latter's face when her stomach opted to announce its presence...
---
Expecting the nonad to gradually trickle down after recovering from their lethargy, Vahn prepared enough food to seat more than twenty people before taking his own and saying, "Though it might sound a little strange given the current circumstances, recent events have forced me to do a bit of thinking..."
Despite having just bitten into a comically oversized chicken leg, Yuri, mouth filled with food, was the first to remark, "Oh? Don't tell me that little foray in the bedroom has 'awoken' something? I'd rather not have to become a 'loli' in order to-"
Taking into consideration Yuri's durability, Vahn flicked a pea towards the center of her forehead at about thirty-percent the speed of light. Under normal circumstances, this would have generated a massive shockwave, but, thanks to his comprehension of the Laws, he was fully capable of deciding when and how friction affected the objects influenced by his power.
With her head snapping back like someone who had just been sniped, a teasing smile developed across Yuri's face as she corrected her posture, musing, "So violent~." before tearing away a large piece of chicken with her pronounced canines.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn lightly shook his head before explaining, "Once this matter with the Lo Po Bia Family has been resolved, I'm thinking about dealing with Jahad directly. I don't mind sticking around for a few years in order to make sure everything is running smoothly, but, as it stands, my power drastically exceeds the standard of the Tower. I've never been fond of bullying the weak, so, before things get too far out of hand, I intend to cement my place at the pinnacle so I can finish grooming the members of Team Wolf Pack into the next generation of leaders."
Hearing the name 'Team Wolf Pack', Yuri's eyes began shimmering with excitement, but, before she could open her mouth to speak, Mikoto preempted her, calmly inquiring, "What are you intending to do about the Khun Family? After our battle, that blue-haired idiot actually attempted to force his family's problems onto me. Now that the Great Families are supposed to be cleaning house, there's a good chance the Khun Family will tear itself apart due to infighting."
Remembering the conversation he had with Eduan following the press briefing, a tired sich escaped Vahn's throat as he picked up his coffee mug, savoring the contents for several long seconds before finally answering, "Even if I were to defeat Eduan and personally take charge of the Khun Family, the outcome wouldn't be pretty. At present, there are a total of 138 competing factions within the Khun Family, each belonging to one of Eduan's contracted wives. This is where the issues begin, as, prior to wedding them, Eduan had each of his fiancees sign a contract with the Guardians that effectively forces them to obey. To make matters even worse, the contract includes a provision that allows him to transfer ownership of said contract to whoever replaces him as Leader of the Khun Family; so, the moment anyone accepts his position, they will end up with hundreds of contract-bound wives and tens-of- thousands of resentful and opportunistic children..."
Though Mikoto and Fenrir seemed to understand the underlying issue, Yuri demonstrated why her intelligence was her lowest parameter, thoughtlessly remarking, "I don't see the problem. With that kind of contract in effect, won't it be easy to resolve things? I mean, you can literally just order them to unfuck themselves and they should carry it out without question, right?"
Smiling wryly in response to Yuri's relatively innocent question, Vahn was about to explain the crux of the problem before Fenrir beat him to the punch, pointedly stating, "Master doesn't like making people do things against their will. Though some might accuse him of using force to compel people to obey, he is still giving them a choice. They can either learn from their mistakes and move forward with their lives or they can suffer the consequences of the lives they had lived till then. It might be a choice between life and death but it is still their decision to make."
Were she sitting next to him, Vahn would have reached out to caress Fenrir's head and ears. Instead, his expression relaxed into a casual smile as he explained, "Though I am known to make and uphold contracts, it is always the decision of the recipient whether or not they wish to receive my blessing. I disdain contracts that compel obedience, so, the moment I took control of the Khun Family, the first thing I would do is absolve each and every contract. I can pretty much guarantee that none of those women ever considered, not even for a moment, that Eduan would actually be defeated. Thus, even if it might prevent a lot of problems, it simply isn't within my nature to take advantage of a situation and force people to obey me against their will..."
With Mikoto and Fenrir nodding with 'as could be expected' kind of expressions on their faces, Yuri adopted a somewhat perplexed expression as she asked, "So? What are you going to do then? You might not want to force them to obey, but you're also the type of person that blames himself every time something bad happens. Whenever a transition of power occurs, it is always the innocent who suffer the most. There's no way you'll just sit back and watch as the weaker factions get wiped out by those opportunistic whackjobs in the 'main' family."
Though he nodded his head in affirmation, Vahn took the opportunity to empty the contents of his cup before explaining, "That's one of the reasons I wish to hurry and cement myself as the pinnacle of power within the Tower. The sooner I take control, the quicker I will be able to enact my reforms. As for the matter of the Khun Family, I intend to have Eduan continue behaving as a lynchpin until a suitable replacement can be found. A number of changes need to be made before the way forward can be open, so, if he wishes to continue his climb, he will first need to redeem himself by resolving some of the larger issues within his family. I would never let him move on while others are forced to stay behind and clean up after him. If he can't do that, he simply has no right to reincarnate with his memories intact."
While it was far from an 'ideal' solution, Vahn's decision to spare the Great Warriors was predicated on the fact that they would be doing everything within their capacity to fix the issues plaguing their respective families. If any of them thought they could get around this and simply move on, they had another thing coming...
Approving of Vahn's decision, Yuri made a thumbs-up gesture while shoveling two-thirds of a rice ball into her mouth. She wasn't particularly fond of how passive the plan was, but, understanding Vahn cared more about the process than most, she wasn't going to complain. Rather, this outcome meant he wouldn't be wasting time by intervening in the Khun Family's affairs, and, as a result, they would have more time to spend together. This was an ideal outcome, as, ever since he became the Patron God of the Ha Family, every influential member of the family had been pressuring her to seal the deal by bearing his child. Just the thought of this caused her body to warm up like a furnace, so, the moment they settled down, she was intending to pop out as many babies as Vahn would allow...
With Yuri looking at him with a predatory stare, complete with glowing red eyes, Vahn didn't need the Law of Identity to tell him what she was thinking. In fact, her body was producing so much heat and pheromones that Mikoto and Fenrir immediately took notice, the former developing a healthy blush while the latter simply nodded her head in an 'approving' manner. Then, as if decreed by fate, the sound of paradoxically heavy yet light steps could be heard as Blossom trudged into the dining room with little more than a sheet to cover her naked body.
Under normal circumstances, Blossom wore rather flamboyant clothes, and, despite finding it more than a little troublesome, she had a habit of tying up her hair in heart-shaped buns. This was a stark contrast to her current appearance, a lethargic-looking girl with messy pink hair extending past her butt and an expression reminiscent of a researcher who had been away for days on end.
Seemingly unaware of the awkward atmosphere she had both walked in on and directly contributed to, Blossom allowed the sheet to fall from her shoulder as she raised her left hand, pointing to Vahn with moisture in her eyes as she said, "You...!"
Surprised by the emotion contained within the petite woman's voice, Vahn rose to his feet with the intention to approach her and ask what was wrong when Blossom beat him to the punch, inflating her cheeks after accusing, "You did something to prevent us from becoming pregnant, didn't you!? You...you big stupid head...!"
Finding himself at a loss for words, Vahn paused for the better part of ten seconds before regaining his composure and explaining, "You're mistaken. It's not that I took action to prevent you and your daughters from becoming pregnant. Rather, unless I intend to impregnate someone, it is impossible for them to become pregnant. Though this might change in the future, I currently have no intention of arbitrarily impregnating anyone. Please, calm yourself."
Expecting her to tear up and continue pouting, Vahn was genuinely surprised when Blossom stuck out her tongue before smiling as she said, "You're too easy. Consider this payback for bullying me. Seriously, you need to learn some restraint. I might have been the one to goad you on, but holding me upside down until my nose started bleeding was a bit excessive, don't you think?"
Feeling the energy draining from his body, Vahn fell heavily against his chair before leaning forward to rub his temples with his left hand. This caused Blossom to giggle like a mischievous imp, vibrant pink clothing manifesting to cover her body as she flitted over to an empty chair and added, "Don't worry. Despite my size, I'm quite accustomed to being bullied. So long as you continue treating my daughters well, I'm more than willing to accept a bit of abuse. Ufufufufufu~."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'FBI be like: *heavy breathing*','Eduan isn't getting off scot-free...','That's a lot of damage...!')