Though it took a little longer than expected, having the artifact used by the Workshop to access the Frozen Waterfall nearby made things relatively simple. The only reason it took a year to activate the device was due to the fact that the surrounding space was remarkably unstable. Circumventing this required a truly phenomenal amount of energy, so, rather than saying it took a year to warm up the device, it was more accurate to say that it needed a year to gather enough Shinsu to create a stable bridge between the outside world and interior space.
Using his domain as a medium, Vahn was able to forcibly stabilize the turbulent space with relative ease. The difficult, or, more accurately, the most time-consuming part was gathering enough Shinsu to trigger the formation linking the sub-realm contained within the giant slab of Suspendium to the outside world.
Under ideal conditions, Vahn would have been able to release some of the Shinsu contained within the Little Garden to power the formation. Unfortunately, due to its slipshod construction, this had a higher chance of destroying the entire thing rather than triggering it. This would complicate things quite a bit, as, even with his power, Vahn couldn’t reconstruct a sub-realm he had no direct access to. Thus, while he was perfectly capable of restoring the Frozen Waterfall, everything stored within would be lost forever.
With someone like Eurasia Enne Jahad sealed within, Vahn was pretty sure that fate would step in to intervene if something went wrong, but, having been screwed over by the mysterious force quite a number of times, he wasn’t willing to take the risk. Instead, he inscribed his own formation overtop the absurdity of a magical configuration that currently existed within the crystalline structure. As for its function, its only purpose was translating the broken language comprising the existing formation into something easier for the ‘world’ to understand.
When everything was said and done, Vahn managed to create a transdimensional bridge between the outside world and the interior of the Frozen Waterfall. From the perspective of others, this had taken no time at all, but, from his own, more than thirty hours had passed. Fortunately, the time axis of the outside world and the interior of the Frozen Waterfall were completely separate, so, without needing to rectify the two, he was able to enter without ‘wasting’ any additional time. There, he was unsurprised to find a miniature world contained within, complete with a number of different biomes and a massive labyrinth that dominated one side of the horizon.
Thanks to the Law of Identity, Vahn’s journey through the labyrinth was relatively straightforward, as, in the distant past, Garam had invaded the interior to meet with Enne. This allowed the Law of Identity to guide him down the path used by the invasive Princess, and, as a result, he soon found himself standing outside a cage reminiscent of the one used to seal the Nine-Tails in the Record of Naruto. The only difference was, rather than allowing its occupant to move around freely, countless hair-like threads had been wrapped around the woman suspended in the very center of the massive prison.
Ignoring the urge to question the wisdom of caging someone who was bound and unable to move, Vahn allowed a bit of his aura to spread through the chamber as he approached the massive metal bars that were more like columns supporting the roof than rods forming a prison. There was even a 3m gap between each bar, more than enough space to pass through if not for the invisible barrier isolating the interior of the cell from the outside.
Sensing Vahn’s presence, albeit only because he had allowed it, the woman who had been hanging her head at the center of the cage lifted her face to reveal that she was completely naked. Despite this, she seemed completely unfazed by the prospect that a strange man had appeared before her, reddish-pink eyes emanating a subtle light as she calmly remarked, “You are not the one I’ve been waiting for…who are you…?”
Smiling wryly in response, Vahn released a pulse of invisible energy that effectively erased the runes inscribed across every visible surface. Then, with a casual sweep of his hand, the massive metal gate providing access to the cage was ripped from its joints as the bindings keeping Enne suspended in the air began to slacken.
Demonstrating her first real emotion, an expression of absolute surprise marred Enne’s inordinately beautiful face as she found herself gently lowered to the ground. Then, before she could collect her senses, Vahn tossed a golden bracelet towards her, saying, “Put that on. It has a bunch of different kinds of clothes sealed within. As much as I’m enjoying the view, conversing in the nude is best left for the bedroom.”
As if she had only just realized the state of her body, Enne made a half-hearted attempt to cover her breasts and privates as she averted her eyes to the side and murmured, “Pervert…” in a meek monotone. Despite this, she made no effort to put on the [REquip] system. Instead, she turned her back towards him, seemingly intending to use her hair to conceal her body as she repeated, “Who are you?” before following it up with, “Did my father send you?”
Pulling a scarlet mantle from his Inventory, Vahn proffered it towards the distrustful woman as he answered, “My name is Vahn Aldrnari Mason, better known as the Sage Dragon Emperor. As for why I am here. Well, I came of my own accord. I heard tale about you being sealed away, so, after confirming a few things with Garama, I decided to break you free. I apologize if I’m not the knight in shining armor you were expecting.”
Punctuating his last statement with a wink, Vahn managed to elicit an apologetic look from the inordinately beautiful redhead as she reached out to grab the cloak he had extended toward her, muttering, “Sorry…” before looking up at him with an ingratiating smile and adding, “You’re pretty handsome…” in an even softer tone.
Chuckling in response to the woman’s words, Vahn pulled a few other articles of clothing from his Inventory before turning his back and explaining, “The power dynamic in the Tower is currently in the process of shifting rather drastically. I’ll go into more details later, but the simplest explanation is that I’m a God who entered the Tower as an Irregular. The current system isn’t to my liking so I’ve decided to introduce a few reforms before moving on. Any questions…?”
Though her first instinct was to ask why the undergarments Vahn had provided fit her perfectly, Enne quickly arranged her clothing before peeking over her shoulder and calmly inquiring, “Where do I fit in your plans? I am grateful for the fact you have freed me, but that doesn’t mean I will fight at your behest…I’ve grown weary of conflict. If possible, I would prefer it if you allow me to rest…”
As a main-line descendent of the Eurasia Family, Enne was far more concerned with sleeping than fighting. The only reason she had fought tirelessly in the past was that people kept interrupting her sleep, so, if Vahn wanted to force her back onto the battlefield, she would rather just fight him and be done with it…
Noticing the threatening gleam in Enne’s reddish-pink eyes, a wry smile developed across Vahn’s face as he answered, “What you do from this moment onward is entirely up to you. I helped you because I wanted to, not because I needed your power. Me referring to myself as a God isn’t just my ego talking. It is a simple truth. If I needed the assistance of others to carry out my objectives, what kind of God would I be?”
Detecting no falsehoods in Vahn’s words, a sigh of relief escaped Enne’s lips before a conflicted look replaced her naturally apathetic expression. From her perspective, very little time had passed since the moment she was sealed. The flow of time within the Frozen Waterall passed thousands of times slower than the outside world, so, despite thousands of years passing since the moment she was sealed, her age had only increased from 482 to 483. She was also aware of the ‘truth’ related to the Tower, so, even if she wanted nothing more than to sleep peacefully, the Empire and the Great Families would never allow it…
With the Law of Identity providing narration, Enne’s thoughts were no secret to Vahn. Thus, before she could completely succumb to the helplessness of her situation, he adopted a friendly smile and said, “You worry too much. I might not have a need for you, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to ignore you. I went out of my way to save you. There’s no way I’m going to let those assholes in the Tower drag you into their problems. Even if you choose to spend the rest of your days sleeping in a small cottage, I will do everything in my power to guarantee you that right. You just need to tell me what it is you want, and, so long as it within my power, I will grant your wish. And don’t worry about your Family. I’ve already come to an agreement of sorts with your mother…”
Though she found it difficult to believe in Vahn’s words, Enne’s face lit up when he mentioned her mother. She was one of the few people to take her side when everyone else, even her actual father, was calling her crazy. The thing she was most afraid of was causing trouble for her mother, so, while it didn’t completely alleviate her concerns, knowing Vahn had reached some kind of agreement with her went a long way. Assuming he was telling the truth…
Intent on confirming the veracity of his claims, Enne moved a little closer to Vahn, her white pupils releasing a subtle pink light as she asked, “Have you ever slept with a member of my Family…?”
Understanding what she was thinking, even without the Law of Identity’s narration, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation before saying, “Thus far, I’ve been the companion of five different members of your family. I also know the truth regarding your mother’s race so you don’t have to be afraid of revealing your heritage in front of me.”
Hearing the last part, Enne couldn’t help furrowing her brows as she remarked, “I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn’s hair spontaneously turned a vibrant shade of pink as a pair of black, cat-like, ears sprouted from his head. At the same time, his ears noticeably sharpened as a short black tail, reminiscent of a canine, popped out from his lower back. The only thing that didn’t change was his height, as, despite it being one of their primary racial characteristics, Vahn wasn’t in the mood to become a ‘shota’.
Though it wasn’t particularly difficult to fake appearances, Enne could tell Vahn that was the real deal due to the aura emanating from his body. What she couldn’t understand was the fact that he also gave off the scent of a male, something that shouldn’t be possible if he was truly a member of her mother’s race…
Waving his hand in a dismissive manner, Vahn explained, “The vastness of creation is so far beyond an individual entity’s ability to understand that it is foolish to consider, even for a moment, that any form of knowledge is indicative of inviolable truth. Your mother hails from just one universe among a functionally infinite number of derivative realities. To that end, the variety of Mares in existence is incalculable. Rather than making assumptions based on knowledge you have received, it is far more meaningful to get out and experience the world for yourself…”
Having never been known for her mental acuity, Enne just stared blankly at Vahn until he had finally finished speaking. Then, disregarding his statements entirely, she asked, “Can I hug you…?” before promptly spreading her arms. This left Vahn feeling more than a little exasperated, but, rather than refusing her request, he spread his own arms, indicating his consent. As a result, Enne unhesitantly nestled into his chest, her rather ample chest pressing against him as she immediately descended into a deep state of unconsciousness. At the same time, though it wasn’t noticeable at first glance, the very tips of her ears became subtly sharper…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘Vahn basically took an MTL and translated it properly xD…’,’That’s a very nice prison you have there…would be a shame if someone were to destroy it with a single sweep of their hand…’,’XD *nuzzles*’, *pounces on you*, (UwU)~you so warm~)
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