Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After one of the most unsuspenseful Gift Games in Little Garden history, Vahn, accompanied by Seraphina and Usalia, was guided into the estate of the Leviathan's Tail Community. There, they were guided into a large study with three people inside. The first was a handsome man with stylish red hair and lime-green eyes. He wore relatively casual clothes consisting of a light-grey tunic, black trousers, simple boots, and a red plaid scarf.

Standing behind the man were two women, both possessing fiery red hair. Unlike the man, they were dressed as warriors. One, a woman with short red hair and matching eyes, was garbed in a long-sleeved brown top and beige trousers that hugged her remarkable physique. She wielded a spear in her right hand while a shortsword dangled from the left side of her waist in a black and silver hilt that matched the coloration of her boots and shin guards.

Appearing to be the elder sister of the other woman, despite being much shorter, was a rather heroic redhead with a hairstyle and attire reminiscent of an ancient Viking. She had blue facepaint forming a pattern on her forehead that ran through both of her eyes. As for her outfit, it consisted of a fur-lined skirt, form-fitting leather armor, spiked metal pauldrons, fur-lined vambraces, a furry mantle, and fur-lined boots. She also had two large battleaxes strapped to her waist, their surfaces glimmering with golden runes that periodically emitted an electric-blue glow.

Though the man appeared far more delicate than the two women, almost like a young male model, it was easy to surmise he was their Leader based on the fact he was the only one sitting down. He also possessed a remarkably powerful and demonic aura, but, unless you had incredible perception, it was impossible to distinguish his aura from that of a normal person.

"I take it you are the Leader of the Sage Dragon's Hearth? My name is Sigurd. These are my sisters, Ragna and Gyda. I would say it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance but the incident at the gate leads me to believe you're not particularly fond of my Community."

Returning an affable smile of his own, Vahn explained, "That remains to be seen. As for the incident at the gate, that can be attributed to the crowd that has gathered outside. I'm not particularly fond of people gazing upon my women with covetous or lascivious eyes. Simply put, I merely wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible."

Though Sigurd briefly cast his gaze upon Seraphina and Usalia when they were mentioned, there was no greed or lust in his eyes. His aura was actually devoid of most emotions, the sole exceptions being curiosity and a hint of fear. This wasn't directed towards Vahn, however. Instead, both Sigurd and his two sisters seemed to sense the untamed demonic energies concealed within Usalia's body.

"I see. Please accept my apologies. While I am grateful for the amount of attention our Gift Game has garnered, it has also invited some...unsavory types to our doorstep. It was never my intention to offend you and your companions. You have my word, Mr...?"

"Vahn. Vahn Aldrnari Mason. As for these two, I suppose it would be most accurate to refer to them as my fiancees. The mischievous-looking beauty with pink hair is Seraphina. As for this bunny-eared beauty, she goes by Usalia."

Though it earned him strange looks from the three people from Leviathan's Tail, Vahn proceeded to caress the heads of Seraphina and Usalia as he introduced them. Fortunately, Sigurd managed to recover quickly, a wry smile developing across his face as he gestured to the sofa opposite of him and said, "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I believe you've come to discuss your Community's participation in our impending Gift Game, correct?"

Nodding his head, Vahn guided Seraphina and Usalia to sit down before taking his place between them and answering, "Indeed. Pure-Blooded Vampires are quite rare. At present, I believe there are fewer than thirteen in the entirety of the Little Garden. How could I possibly ignore a Gift Game that purports to have one as its prize?"

Demonstrating a remarkable poker face, Sigurd simply returned a curt nod and a genial smile as he said, "I see. Your reason appears to be the same as everyone else who has come to our doorstep. To that end, I suppose I should explain the conditions for participation."

With a simple clap of his hands, Sigurd caused two lottery wheels to manifest out of thin air, each possessing hundreds of multi-colored orbs. At the same time, he produced a Geass Roll from his breast pocket, handing it over as he casually explained, "Since it would be remarkably difficult for other Communities to offer a chip matching our own, we developed a lottery system to keep things relatively fair. Participation is actually free. However, you will be required to draw ten balls from the lottery wheels behind me. Depending on your luck, you could be compelled to wager something as inconsequential as a single strand of hair or something as monumental as the lives of everyone in your Community. Quite exciting, no?"

Reading the information recorded in the scroll, Vahn's brows raised as he asked, "So the wheel on the left is filled with blanks?"

Nodding his head, Sigurd explained, "That is correct. However, drawing from the left side requires 1kg of pure gold. After that, the price doubles with each successive draw. In other words, to draw ten balls from the left lottery wheel, you would need to produce a grand total of 1023kg of refined gold. This might sound like a lot, but, compared to the market value of a Pure-Blooded Vampire, it's quite the bargain."

While the average 6-Digit Community would have no choice but to draw from the lottery on the right, Vahn didn't even flinch as he manifested a total of one-hundred gold bars out of thin air. Each of these weighed approximately 12.4kg so it was more than enough to cover the cost of ten lottery balls.

Though his smile appeared to remain unchanged, those with enhanced perception would have been able to see the corner of Sigurd's mouth twitch as he gestured to Ragna and said, "Please confirm the weight and purity..."

Hearing her brother's command, the somewhat stupefied expression on Ragna's face quickly faded away as she evaluated the stack of gold bars. To Vahn's surprise, she actually separated the excess gold before pulling out one of her axes to shave away one of the gold bars until there was precisely 1023kg.

"It would appear your Community takes its conditions very seriously..."

Having recovered from his previous mental state, Sigurd promptly replied, "Of course. There have been countless instances of people crying foul play over such discrepancies. While our Community is relatively new, we consider ourselves honorable. Only short-sighted fools would jeopardize their good name and reputation over a few kilograms of gold."

Though he was tempted to point out that no honorable Community would wager someone's life as a prize, Vahn just smiled in response to Sigurd's words. He didn't particularly care what the Demon Lord was up to, as, regardless of their machinations, it was only a matter of time until he shattered their plans. This might sound like hubris, but, in actuality, it was the natural consequence of people touching his bottom line.

"So? Where is this Pure-Blooded Vampire? I've already signed your Geass Scroll and provided a thousand kilograms of gold as collateral. I don't believe it would be asking for too much to take a peek at the prize being offered?"

Maintaining his smile, Sigurd casually replied, "Though my Community does not fear attention, we are not foolish enough to flaunt such a coveted item. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the day of the Gift Game to see what she looks like. Rest assured. While her appearance might not compare to your brides-to-be, she is quite a remarkable specimen. You won't be disappointed."

Since he wasn't able to sense Leticia's location anywhere in the castle, Vahn assumed she was being kept at a far more secure location. Leviathan's Tail was simply a front for a much larger organization so it wasn't too surprising that they would keep her somewhere safe.

Returning a smile of his own, Vahn answered, "Very well. However, now that I've taken an interest in this competition, you would be wise to ensure not a single hair on her head is harmed. The name of my Community isn't particularly well known at the moment but it won't be long before everyone in the Divine Realm fears the name Sage Dragon's Hearth..."

Punctuating his words, Vahn's eyes shifted from his characteristic aquamarine to a vibrant gold that caused the surrounding space to stagnate. At the same time, Ragna and Gydra drew their weapons, but, before either could even think to attack, Sigurd raised his hand, saying, "Stand down." in a calm yet commanding tone.

Though the two women seemed reluctant to obey, both took a step back with their weapons still drawn. As for Sigurd, his smile and aura reflected the tell-tale signs of an irredeemable battle junky as he stared directly into Vahn's eyes and stated, "I look forward to meeting you on the day of the Gift Game. Until then, rest assured. We would not jeopardize our standing with the Central Network by damaging the prize we, ourselves, have put forth. Now, if there is nothing else, I believe we both have other matters to attend?"

Rising to his feet, Sigurd extended his right hand with the obvious intention of shaking hands. This caused the corners of Vahn's smile to curl upward as he unhesitantly accepted the ostensibly genial offer.

Unsurprisingly, Sigurd's hand tightened around Vahn's like a vice that caused a powerful shockwave to ripple through the study. Everything on his side of the room, Ragna and Gyda included was sent smashing against the wall. This created a stark contrast with Vahn's side, which, thanks to the barrier he had erected, appeared undisturbed in the wake of the powerful shockwave.

Smiling widely, Sigurd revealed two rows of sharp teeth as red markings appeared on his face and hands. His ears had become noticeably sharper, and, though he concealed it surprisingly well, a hint of bloodlust leaked out as he said, "Nine days suddenly seems like a long time..."

Recognizing the man's transformation as the Lesser Demonification bestowed by a Pure-Blooded Vampire's Gift, most of Vahn's excitement faded away. He had mistakenly believed the man was a Demon Lord in disguise. Instead, he barely even qualified as a half-breed. The strength of his grip was commendable, but, were it not for the Divine Protection of the Little Garden, his hand would have been crushed the moment Vahn got serious.

Returning a smile of his own, Vahn replied, "I'll be counting the minutes..." despite most of his expectations having waned. Fortunately, Sigurd was unable to see through this. Instead, his smile became even more prominent as he retracted his hand and barked, "Ragna! Escort our guests to the front entrance."

Though she snorted through her nose, Ragna didn't hesitate to reply, "Understood." in an audibly annoyed tone before sheathing her axes behind her back. Being slammed into a reinforced castle wall had angered her quite a bit, but, understanding the disparity between hers and her brother's strength, she obeyed his orders without question...

"Follow me..."

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Waiting until Vahn and his party had departed, Sigurd shifted his attention to Gyda, saying, "Come here." in a stern tone. This elicited a soft sigh from the taciturn-looking woman, but, much like her sister, she obeyed her brother's orders. He would quickly lose his temper if they didn't listen to him, so, after cursing Vahn for riling him up, she loosened her belt before placing her sword and spear to the side. Then, in spite of their blood relation, she sat in Sigurd's lap, an expressionless mask on her face as he shredded apart her blouse and dragged his inordinately long tongue along the nape of her neck...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Redheads galore...','Vahn be like, "This pansy-ass half-demon..."','Um...sweet home Alabama...? *heavy sweating*')