Welf stared at the hammer in Vahn’s hand with an incredulous expression on his face. “Where did you get that hammer?” Though he expected the answer, he couldn’t help but ask the question to confirm his suspicions. Vahn could see Welf’s aura, which had been a mixture of reds and blues, suddenly turn a mild yellow tinged with green along …

Vahn and Lili continued towards the inn with low spirits. Lili was very concerned for Vahn, while he was still focusing his attention towards the dangerous feeling that had penetrated through him. He needed to get stronger, and it seemed as if he was running out of time. On the route, Vahn also diverted some of his attention towards his …

Vahn awoke due to a peculiar aroma wafting into the room where Tsubaki had laid him to rest. (A/N: Unintentional pun?). Though it didn’t smell bad, there was a strange burning smell accompanying the smell of food. He made his way out of his room and headed towards the source of the aroma. He entered a kitchen-like area where Tsubaki …

No matter how many times Vahn recovered, he was never able to track Tsubaki’s movements. As the spar progressed his [Will of the Emperor] was constantly being pushed to new heights, but even with the increased parameters and perception each of her movements was instantaneous and a blur. Even when he thought he could react, the direction of the attack …

Vahn awoke early the next morning and accompanied Lili to the City gates. He still had time before his meetup with Hephaestus, so he decided to enjoy the sunrise with Lili before she started her training. Lili was very pleased with the decision and spent the entire breakfast period humming away while happily eating the crepe Vahn had taken from …

Hephaestus was surprised at seeing the ‘eternal flame’ imbue a fragment of its essence into Vahn’s heart. She could now feel the rhythm of his heartbeat gently echo within the interior of her soul. It was almost imperceptible, but when she focused she was easily able to detect its presence. Since the ‘eternal spirit’ was a part of her and …

The two stood in the awkward atmosphere for a while before Hephaestus moved to a corner of the room and grabbed a package wrapped in a green ribbon. She handed the package to the confused Vahn and explained the reason behind it. “It’s a gift to celebrate your joining of the Familia. Go ahead and open it…” Hephaestus felt awkward …

As Hephaestus’s workshop was close to the Inn, Vahn managed to arrive shortly after parting ways with Lili. When he entered the building, one of the security guards immediately approached which caused Vahn to assume an alert stance. When the large man got near him, he asked. “Are you Vahn Mason?” Vahn nodded without breaking his stance. Seeing his affirmation, …

For the next few days, Vahn continued helping Lili with her training. Though she had made noticeable progress, she was still having difficulties increasing her parameters to the point she could fight without assistance. She lacked the stamina for drawn-out fights, and her stats didn’t give her much of an edge against monsters within the dungeon. Even though she was …

After Vahn entered the room the atmosphere became very tense. Lili sat on the bed with her back towards Vahn, and he could see she was trying her best to hide her face which had turned scarlet. He could even see the blush had crept down her neck and started fading into her back. Vahn tried to prevent the atmosphere …