Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though the night wasn’t completely without incident, the children were able to enjoy exploring the Yokai District without obstruction. Rather, the majority of Yokai they encountered, while mischievous, were also very polite and helpful. They happily explained away the children’s curiosities, performing a few small tricks in exchange for small, bean-sized, nuggets of gold. There was even a point where a large crowd of Yokai had gathered, happily staging an impromptu circus for the trio of Isanna, Naavi, and Daiki.

Ironically, the only group that encountered any real trouble was the one Vahn was in, Kamiya’s. The boy had been emboldened by his Father’s words, and, though he didn’t proactively seek trouble, he wanted to explore all the regions that seemed ’off-limits’. As a result, they ventured onto a lantern-lit path that encircled the mountain containing Ibaraki’s villa, a place that was usually left empty due to the fact she spent the majority of her time following Shuten.

Compared to other territories within the Yokai District, Ibaraki’s was poorly maintained by design. It was also one of the few areas where monsters could be found, a matter that was largely ignored to allow Yokai with more predatory instincts to hunt fresh prey. As a result, it was possible to find a few dangerous entities walking around, but, despite the warning of several kindly Yokai along the way, Kamiya had ’fearlessly’ chosen to enter the jungle-like region.

As he had already promised to allow Kamiya to lead the way, Vahn chose not to outright discourage his son’s behavior. Courage and curiosity were the traits of the adventurous, and, though it was still a little too early to allow him to explore freely, Kamiya was actually ’very’ strong for his age. Nobunaga and Mordred had been rearing him as a ’strong man’ since before he could even speak, and, with an ’arch-rival’ like Daiki, they had both grown at an exceptional rate. It was because of this that, when a medium-sized, wolf-like, monster appeared, Vahn watched patiently as his son forcibly restrained the trembling of his body...

From the perspective of the ’wolf’, it couldn’t even detect Vahn’s presence. The latter had completely melded his aura with the surroundings, so, while he was still visible, his lack of presence allowed him to move freely without triggering barriers or alerting otherwise skittish animals. He was even able to fool Isanna’s perception, spying on her whenever she would sneak out of the castle to frolic amongst her forest companions.

Emboldened by the fact his enemy was just a ’child’, the wolf showed no sign of fear as it began to slowly circle Kamiya, steamy vapor erupting from its maw with each heated breath. This was enough to terrify even the average adult, but, undaunted, Kamiya held a black Bokken in his hand, while, on his chest, a green rune, shaped similarly to a four-armed monkey, could be seen shining. If he was in any actual danger, the Four-Armed Adamant Ape would immediately emerge, giving the wolf-like monster more than a simple fright.

After circling to Kamiya’s flank, the wolf waited until the boy moved to change his position, its eyes glimmering with murderous intent as it pounced toward him. This caused Kamiya to tense up for a brief moment, but, as if guided by an unseen force, his body dutifully obeyed his original intent. This brought a large smile to Vahn’s face, as, from his perspective, he could see the trajectory of Kamiya’s attacks before he even moved. This was exactly the same phenomenon he witnessed when someone like Bell or Artoria fought, their powerful fate helping to guide them to victory.

With movements greatly exceeding those expected of a child, Kamiya was able to evade the wolf’s leap with a side-step, sweeping his bokken across the bridge of its nose. This startled the aggressive creature quite a bit, but, as it hadn’t taken much damage, it just shook its head a few times before snarling at the heaving youth. This was Kamiya’s first actual battle, so, despite having participated in several spars, his heart was beating like a drum due to the surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Due to his panicked state, Kamiya made the novice mistake of taking his eyes off his opponent, his ruby-red irises flickering toward the direction of his father for a brief moment. The presence of the latter allowed him to relax more than he should of, creating a gap in his mentality that left him wide open as the wolf lunged a second time.

Unable to evade in time, Kamiya brought his bokken up to protect his body, intercepting the maw of the wolf as it tackled him to the ground. He could feel its sharp nails begin to press into his skin, but, due to the protection of the Four-Armed Adamant Ape, his flesh became even harder than steel. This didn’t immediately click for Kamiya, however, as he was more focused on the vicious maw of canine teeth that was intent on ripping out his throat.

Just as it seemed like the wolf would have some success, its body was jerked backward in an instant, leaving Kamiya both scared and confused as he continued to pant on the ground. It was only after a few seconds had passed that he noticed his father holding the now-obedient wolf by the scruff of its neck. It didn’t even try to break free, its body becoming statuesque as its tail curled between its legs.

Before Kamiya could do anything like apologize, Vahn gave an approving nod, saying, "You did well for your first real battle. Though you made a mistake towards the end, most people can’t even keep their senses when facing a monster for the first time. Here, I want to show you something..."

Following his words, Vahn ’gently’ tossed the wolf to the side, causing it to roll and slide for a few meters before it managed to recover enough to bolt off into the woods. He didn’t blame it for just following its instincts, so, knowing it would meet its end at the hand of a hungry Yokai, Vahn saw no reason to dirty his own hands. It was better for Kamiya to think there was still danger in the woods, keeping him on his toes for the remainder of their little adventure.

After half-forcing Kamiya to sit in his lap, Vahn pulled out one of his oldest [Memory Orb]s, the one showing his first encounter with a Goblin. He was not ashamed to reveal his moments of weakness to his children. While he enjoyed their borderline deification of him, it was more important to teach them the importance of effort and growth. They needed to know that, while some were born strong, only those who made a sincere effort would be able to reach the peak...

While his other three bodies were attending various affairs, Vahn’s fourth body was having a fun time within the rather lively kitchen of the Enma-tei. There were dozens of chubby sparrow yokai flittering about with tiny aprons wrapped around them, and, though she had threatened to hit him with a ladle, Vahn couldn’t help but smile when he saw Benienma tip-toeing on a stool just to be able to reach the countertop. He was tempted to ask why she didn’t either change the size of her body or construct lower countertops, but, as she was surprisingly defensive about her stature, he primarily focused on preparing ingredients alongside none other than Medusa.

Using her hair like additional hands, Medusa was able to handle a variety of different tasks all at once. Once, in the distant past, Vahn had even joked about her learning how to wield dozens of swords all at once. She had taken this a little too seriously, and, as a result, she had learned how to use knives and swords with a surprising amount of finesse. Now, she could cut several ingredients all at once, leaving Vahn to wash and process them.

Originally, Vahn had been intending to help cook, but, the moment he offered, Benienma reacted as if he had plucked out her tail feathers. It took several others convincing her before he was allowed to step into the kitchen, the so-called ’women’s battlefield’. Unfortunately, he was only allowed to help prepare the ingredients, while, at their respective stations, Benienma, Circe, and Medea, all wearing rather adorable aprons, seemed to be engaged in a rather intense competition.

Circe and Benienma both had Innates related to cooking, and, though they recognized each other’s skill, both claimed themselves the superior chef. As for Medea, she had learned a fair amount from her Aunt, and, while her cooking couldn’t compare to the two ’monsters’, her meals gave everyone the impression of ’home cooking’. The flavor might not be the best, but you could tase the amount of care she put into each dish. This earned her a significant amount of praise from virtually everyone who had sampled her cooking, including Circe and Benienma. In fact, after tasting Medea’s cooking for the first time, Benienma asked Medusa to become her apprentice, claiming she had what it took to be her successor...

Medea, as could be expected, refused Benienma’s offer, but, at least once a month, she would stay at the Enma-tei for a few days to learn more about cooking, cleaning, and attending others. Vahn knew the reason for this, but, out of consideration for the person in question, he pretended to be unaware. Instead, whenever Medea would randomly ask him to sample her new dishes, Vahn would savor each and every bite, enjoying the presence of the devoted young woman, who, with the passage of time, had blossomed into adulthood.

Though she was still somewhat petite, the current Medea had grown from her original height, just under 149cm, to her present height, 160cm. She still had a very youthful expression and soft layer of subcutaneous ’baby fat’, but, compared to her delicate physique from before, Medea’s femininity was in full bloom. She had matured considerably, doing away with cute, fairy-like, clothing in lieu of elegant gowns and dresses. She had even let her hair down, discarding her ponytail and allowing her silky hair to fall gracefully around her shoulders.

At this point, the only thing preventing Vahn from ’pushing’ Medea down was the fact she seemed intent on becoming a ’perfect wife’. As a result, she had become the understudy of Circe, Tamamo, Benienma, Fenrir, and, most concernedly, Nero. They had been teaching her their various specialties, cultivating her into a motherly woman that, for a variety of reasons, actually terrified Vahn. It was like they were grooming her into an ’ultimate weapon’ to use against him, and, due to his unwillingness to undermine her efforts, Vahn was powerless to prevent her ’evolution’...

Due to controlling five bodies at once, Vahn’s awareness was a little lacking compared to normal. As a result, he had completely missed the fact Medusa called out to him. It was only when a section of her hair morphed into an admittedly cute white snake, its tongue tickling his ear, that he noticed she was trying to get his attention. Her pouting expression inadvertently caused him to smile, earning him a few small pricks from her hair-formed snakes in protest...

Though not to the extent of Medea, Medusa had also matured quite a bit compared to her past self. She was now around 158cm tall, and, though the development was slow, she had started to develop in the places expected of a mature woman. The most notable changes could be seen in her butt and thighs, but, compared to her previously ’nonexistent’ breasts, her borderline B-Cups were a marked improvement.

Curiously, Medusa had stopped proactively molting by the time her appearance reached its ’late teens’. She could have continued until she became a buxom beauty, but, for reasons she had never vocalized, Medusa stunted her own growth. More surprisingly, however, was the fact that, despite looking forward to it in the past, Medusa had never had sex with him. She was always present when he got intimate with other women in the Menagerie, but, other than heavy petting and a few acts of service, they never went all the way.

In the past, Vahn had tried to ascertain what had changed, but, much to his surprise, Medusa had refused to explain her intentions. Instead, she simply stated she was ’waiting’ for something, leaving him to guess the meaning behind her words.

At the time, Vahn had been somewhat concerned about Medusa’s behavior, but, with a Loyalty value exceeding three-million, he knew she wasn’t conspiring against him. Rather, similar to Fenrir, she was one of his most loyal companions, someone who had vowed to walk alongside him until the ends of Eternity. She was also ’very’ clingy when they were together, and, though they had never had sex, the number of intimate moments they shared made her feelings transparently clear.

Since he wanted to respect her intentions, Vahn hadn’t pressed Medusa to reveal her intentions. He wanted his Subordinates to have a certain level of independence, so, while he could have ’ordered’ her to reveal the truth, doing so would be a grievous breach of trust. If he tried to force her, it would be a betrayal of everything he believed in, and, while Medusa would ’undoubtedly’ forgive him, there would be a drastic and irreversible shift in the dynamic between them...

Though she couldn’t know her Master’s thoughts, Medusa could sense that he was thinking about her. This made her feel somewhat giddy, bringing a small smile to her face as she pretended not to notice. Her hair, however, was surprisingly disobedient at times like this, so, against her will, several tiny snakes had formed, each planting tiny kisses on her Master, eliciting a light chuckle in response. This caused her face to flush slightly, while, in Vahn’s mind, he commented, ("How could I not trust such an adorable creature...?")

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’*Casually picks up monster wolf by the scruff*’,’Medea’s bridal training’,’The sneakiest of sneks is also the most adorable’)