EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons-Chapter 264: Just Reward

"Rihoko-chan! Mama is here for you...!" exclaimed Masane, bursting into the room where her daughter, an unquestionably adorable, six-year-old girl with large brown eyes and blue-tinted black hair fixed into tiny twin tails, was eating shaved ice under the supervision of Venelana.

"M-Mama!?" cried Rihoko, startling considerably and dropping her shaved ice as she hadn't expected her mother to suddenly burst into the room as enthusiastically as she had.

Seeing Rihoko safe and sound, Masane's expression crumpled, tears swelling in her eyes as she rushed forward, crying, "Rihokoooo. I was so, so worried about yoooou—" while hugging her daughter like she was the one in need of consoling.

"There, there...everything's okay now..." sighed Rihoko, closing her eyes and exhaling as she hugged her mother's head and caressed it with her right hand, lamenting the loss of her shaved ice—presently spilled on her frilly, bright pink pleated skirt and thighs.

'Just who is the parent...?' mused Vahn, shaking his head and exhaling faintly from his nose with an appreciative smile before leaving Masane and Rihoko to speak with Venelana a room over. There, he recounted to her everything Masane had told him about her situation and her decision to grow stronger. In turn, she told him how smart Rihoko was, even going as far as to claim she was a genius—held back by a lack of stimulus and environmental conditions that had failed to nurture her talents.

Based on Rihoko's Status, provided by Sis, she was right...

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Name: Amaha Rihoko

Race: Neogene, Human

Age: 6

Height: 106.4 cm

Weight: 22.8 kg

B/W/H: 53 / 49 / 58

Origin: Earth [WB-4295]

[Parameters]

Power Level: 3

Strength: F

Dexterity: F+

Constitution: F

Intelligence: D+

Wisdom: D

Charisma: D+

Luck: C

[Skills]

[Witchblade's Chosen(-)]

[Eidetic Memory (C)]

[Cooking (C)]

[Adaptability (D)]

[Keen Senses (D)]

[Homemaking (D)]

[Hunger Resistance (E)]

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"Are we intruding? If so, we can come back later," stated Vahn, smiling as he and Venelana returned to the room where Masane was cradling Rihoko in her arms.

"No, it's fine," assured Masane, shaking her head and reciprocating with a smile of her own as she revealed, "Rihoko and I were just talking about how strange and wonderous all of this is. To think Gods and other worlds actually existed..."

"Will we really be allowed to stay here...?" asked Rihoko, her large brown eyes fixed on Vahn as she cut to the heart of the matter, appending, "How do you benefit from helping us?"

Before responding to Rihoko's queries, Vahn approached her and Masane and took a knee, sweeping his left hand above her lap to remove the stain on her skirt as he calmly responded, "If nothing else, I get to sleep easier at night, knowing I did the right thing by helping you. And whenever I see you and your mother doing well from here on, I get to feel proud, knowing I had a hand in making that possible."

"See? What did I tell you? Isn't he super cool...?" asked Masane, beaming from ear to ear as she hugged Rihoko's shoulders and gazed at Vahn with wide, sparkling eyes.

"He seems nice..." conceded Rihoko, but her expression, stare, and body language exuded suspicion as she squeezed the plush toy Venelana had provided to her previously, a chubby version of Aileen.

"It's good to be cautious, especially when dealing with the unknown..." affirmed Vahn, nodding. Then, rising to his full height, his smile softened as he stated, "I'll just have to prove myself worthy of your trust with my words and actions over the coming days, weeks, and months. Let's start by discussing your and your mother's living arrangements."

Prompted by Vahn's words, Venelana took over the discussion, leading to a detailed explanation of the Intertwining Dragon's Palace's structure, the Tower of Ascension, and the objectives of the Dragon's Pavilion, aided by brochures and holograms. It was an overwhelming amount of information for the mother-daughter duo to process in a single sitting, but they would have four months to get their bearings as they lived together in one of the Abyssal Maw Resort's larger suites...

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[Day 13]

With little else to do as he awaited his next client's arrival, Vahn kept tabs on Masane and Rihoko—the former undergoing special training to control the Witchblade's power and the latter studying alongside Lastia, Lupheria, Riko, Reg, Mitty, Prushka, Faputa, and the recently added Narehate twins, Sherumi and Manae. Riko's party had made little progress in reaching the bottom layer of the Abyss due to the compounding time compression, but they didn't mind that barely three days had passed since they were last in the Tower, as it meant they had more time to train and play together.

'The Witchblade...' mused Vahn, his gaze fixed on Masane, narrowing as she ran along the beach in a scant, side-tie white bikini with Xenovia and Erza, struggling but doing her best to keep up. Her physique was nothing short of phenomenal, but it wasn't entirely her own. The Witchblade was apparently male, born from the primal forces of Light and Darkness to act as a fulcrum between the two, and it appeared to choose its hosts based on their inborn sex appeal and determination. Each time they transformed using its power, their physique would further be shaped according to the Witchblade's preferences, but while this made its hosts more attractive, it had the side-effect of gradually crystalizing their bodies until they broke down—unable to meet the expectations or contain the limitless power of the primal entity.

Fortunately for Masane, the Witchblade was basically her world's version of a Longinus Sacred Gear. There were even thirteen of them, including a True Longinus proxy known as the Spear of Destiny. As such, Azazel was able to develop an inhibitor for her using an existing design. Better still, as long as she periodically received transfusions with at least a small amount of Vahn's blood mixed in, she would never have to worry about overtaxing her body and being reduced to a pile of crystalline ash.

kacha

Interrupting Vahn's thoughts, the door to his office opened, followed by a young, sickly but determined-looking woman with long, straight, verdant-green hair and almond-shaped amber eyes with slit-like pupils, the left of which was currently concealed by a sterile eye patch. Much of her visible body was covered in black, faintly pulsing, vein-like patterns that caused her great pain, but she managed to sit straight and appear resolute as she was wheelchaired into the room by a similarly but not as seriously injured cat boy with androgynous features, flax-colored hair, yellow eyes, and a lithe body adorned in a cute, frilly, striped, blue-and-white, skirted outfit reminiscent of a magical girl.

Sparring the woman the need to introduce herself, Vahn exhaled from his nose, adopted a faint smile, and stated, "Crusch Karsten of House Karsten and Sir Felix Argyle. I have heard about your situation from Subaru. You've endured much to reach this point."

"No more than duty demanded of us..." responded Crusch, forcing herself to stand before taking a knee and bowing steeply with her right hand over her heart as she declared, "We are privileged to be permitted an audience with Dragon God-sama. Though I regret having to greet you with such an unsightly form..."

"On the contrary..." responded Vahn, his tone serious, bereft of even a hint of pretense as he stated, "There is nothing unsightly about a woman who has committed their mind, body, and soul to safeguard and improve the lives of all peoples, not just her own. Now, rise, Crusch Karsten, for I am neither your God nor your King, and a woman of your noble character deserves to stand as tall as your ideals are lofty..."

"As you will..." responded Crusch, offering a slight nod before rising to her feet. She expected it to take significant effort, but as she put strength into her legs, a pleasant heat permeated her body, relieving her pain and filling her with strength.

"Crusch-sama..." muttered Felix, his voice faint, tinged with a sob as he covered his mouth with his gloved hands and became teary-eyed after seeing the black veins across Crusch's body evaporate away as if they had never existed.

Staring down at the unblemished backs of her hands, Crusch's expression became thoughtful. She had heard about Vahn's extraordinary capabilities from Subaru, but witnessing and experiencing him effortlessly remedying a curse even the greatest Mages and Physicians in the Royal Capital were helpless even to mitigate reinforced that she was dealing with someone—something extraordinary.

Meeting Vahn's gaze, Crusch's brows furrowed slightly as she stated, "I am grateful for Dragon God's consideration, but the preconditions for my treatment are my reason for being here. Being treated as though it were a matter of course places me in a difficult situation..."

"You'll get over it," responded Vahn, sporting a playful but sincere smile as he explained, "You're a companion of Subaru's, and that young man works harder than most to achieve a good end for as many people as possible. I previously promised that I would support him, so rather than dealing with me, you should consider how you can work alongside him to achieve your goals together. Besides, I would never leverage someone's health against them in a negotiation. That's villain behavior."

"I see..." muttered Crusch, gaining a faint smile as she gripped her right hand into a fist and affirmed, "Sir Natsuki wasn't exaggerating when he attested that you were a kind, compassionate, and reasonable God. I'm ashamed that I ever doubted it."

"Doubts are healthy and, in your position, wise," stated Vahn, gesturing to the prepared chairs across from him as he appended, "Now, if we've more to discuss, please, make yourselves comfortable. If nothing else, you can sample my tea while I address any questions or concerns you might have about the Tower, myself, or the Dragon's Pavilion."

"It would be our pleasure," asserted Crusch, nodding affirmingly before glancing back at Felix over her shoulder. The flaxen-haired cat boy was still a little emotional, but he recovered quickly, wiping the tears from his eyes and adopting a catty smile as he playfully appended, "Munya? Ferri-chan has never had tea and snacks prepared by a God before. I hope my maidenly tongue can appreciate them properly-nya~."

"Coincidentally, we have a variety of tea and snacks especially suited to those with feline palates..." hummed Vahn, adopting a smile as he found Felix's attempts to appear cute endearing. He wasn't particularly fond of trap-type characters, but the effort Felix put into appearing and sounding cute wasn't lost on him. Were it not for the table separating them as they conversed over three hours, he may have even given the cat-eared man a parting headpat...

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[Day 17]

"I think this is the last time I'll enter the Tower until the baby is born..." sighed Korra, her face lightly flushed as she and Vahn spooned on a large couple's sofa, she in her pastel blue pajamas and him in his loose black and grey yukata. At that point, her belly had a distinct, rounded shape, and every so often, it would shift noticeably beneath Vahn's left palm as he lovingly caressed it and peppered her neck and shoulder with kisses.

"I will support you, no matter what you decide..." Vahn affirmed, nestling closer to Korra's body and embracing her tightly but tenderly. Four more Tower cycles would prolong Korra's already lengthy pregnancy an extra sixteen months, so he wasn't surprised by her decision. In fact, there was a growing consensus among the other pregnant women that they should conclude their pregnancies in one fell swoop using a Training Room—as it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to perform their duties.

"Mmn...I know you will..." responded Korra, a smile developing across her face as she closed her eyes and allowed the tensions in her body to relax. It was a little difficult with something hard and thick pressing against her butt, but as it was proof that Vahn found her attractive even when she felt like her body was becoming fat and difficult to look at, she deliberated for several minutes before wiggling it a tentative and immediately successful attempt at seducing him...

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