NOVEL WEB Chapter 136: Temperance
"Jeez...and I thought the bath was big..." remarked Nami, her eyes wide and her expression one of disbelief as Vahn introduced her and Robin to the closet attached to the changing room. It had at least a dozen copies of thousands of different outfits and neatly arranged shoes, each able to adjust their size to fit the wearer. Some were intended for dress-up, such as the bevy of multi-colored bunny outfits, but others were designed with form, function, and fashion in mind.
"Feel free to pick out whatever you like..." said Vahn, casually caressing the two women's naked bottoms as he appended, "And if you have any clothes you need cleaned, just toss them in the hamper outside. They will be returned to your rooms within a day."
"Our rooms...?" repeated Nami, her interest piqued.
Nodding, Vahn revealed, "All of my women receive private rooms that can be customized to suit their needs. After all, I can't always be around to accompany you, and there are times when you simply might not be in the mood to accompany me."
Shifting his gaze to Robin and slipping his middle finger between the cleft of her cheeks, Vahn appended, "You'll need to stay with Nami or someone else with a key since most facilities can only be accessed using one. Once you become an Ascendee, that will no longer apply."
"Were you not satisfied before...?" asked Robin, her left hand gravitating to her lower abdomen and her right cupping her left breast as she stared back at Vahn with narrow, seductive eyes.
Kissing the back of Robin's head, Vahn casually commented, "I can have sex for days on end depending on my partner's stamina and needs. You don't need to push yourself to impress or ingratiate yourself with me. My only requirement for my women is that they don't proactively flirt with or have sex with other men. Even if you only appeared at my bedside once a year, I wouldn't feel you were neglecting or avoiding me..."
"You must have a lot of women for that to be the case..." remarked Nami, separating from Vahn's hand to inspect the rows of neatly presented bras and panties.
"Actually, even if we include Robin, the number is only fourteen," revealed Vahn, appending, "That may seem like a lot, but one of my father-in-laws, just as an example, has a harem in the five digits. I intend to keep my own small, prioritizing quality over quantity..."
"Then I will do my best to remain a quality woman..." hummed Robin, her eyes narrowing further as she gave Vahn's bulge a parting caress before joining Nami in picking out clothing and underwear. Vahn found this very tempting, but as Robin suffered from the same problem as other human women, which he had learned was a lack of Mana and Reiki(Spirit Energy), having sex with her was far more gratifying for her than him. It didn't feel bad, on the contrary, but there was a distinct feeling of distance that was difficult to describe with words alone...
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After informing them he had something to do and giving them leave to come, go, and explore at their leisure, Vahn left Nami and Robin to their own devices and teleported to his and Grayfia's abode on the 99th Floor of the Black Tower.
[The Tower Administrator is curious to know where you've been and what happened to your companion.]
"I had some small matters to attend back at my palace," explained Vahn, smiling as he revealed, "As for Grayfia, she's spending some time with her son from her previous marriage."
[The Tower Administrator is surprised by both revelations.]
[You own a palace?] asked who Vahn presumed to be Aileen. However, as the notifications also referred to her mother as the Tower Administrator, it was impossible to be certain without Sis confirming his suspicions.
"I do," confirmed Vahn. "But I'm not a ruler or anything. It's a place for me, my wives, my lovers, and our future children to relax and unwind in a safe and comfortable environment."
[Oh? Is that where I'll be staying in the future?] asked Aileen.
"If you want to," responded Vahn, exhaling from his nose before adding, "But you'll first need to learn to control your suppressive aura. There are some fairly ordinary people who will frequent or reside in the palace, so it would be problematic if you inadvertantly destroyed their souls or caused their physical bodies to disintegrate."
[The Tower Administrator flusters and says she would never do such a thing.]
[The Tower Administrator adds that she is studying hard each day to be able to transform as soon as possible.]
[The Tower Administrator questions if you would prefer her to have large breasts or a more petite build.]
"That's for you to decide," responded Vahn, adopting a smile that caused the notification window to blush as he hummed, "I find you adorable even as a Dragon. Regardless of the form you take, I will have no complaints as it will still be you."
[The Tower Administrator remarks that you just sent her daughter running head-first into a wall.]
[The Tower Administrator complains that her mother shouldn't reveal such things.]
[The Tower Administrator laughs at her daughter.]
"Can something be done about that?" asked Vahn, pointing out, "Reading 'The Tower Administrator' over and over is somewhat confusing, even if I find some of the responses amusing."
[Will this suffice?] asked Elizabeth, her voice emanating from the window and her text appearing with a distinctive bluish-black hue.
"It definitely makes things clearer. Thank you," confirmed Vahn, nodding appreciatively as he made his way to the entrance of his abode, planning to step outside and complete his daily farm maintenance.
[Once you finish tending to your fields, do you want to come over?] asked Aileen, her text black with a pale blue border and her nervous, girlish tone a stark contrast from her mother's deep, husky, and elegant voice.
Though it wasn't how he had planned to spend the late morning or early afternoon, Vahn didn't hesitate to nod and respond, "Of course. I would be honored..." with a relaxed smile. From his perspective, a full five years had passed since he last met the plump, adorable, and surprisingly busty Dragoness, so since she had summoned the courage to invite him over, he felt compelled to respond in kind.
[Great!] exclaimed Aileen, her loud voice causing Vahn to briefly startle as it emanated mere centimeters from his left ear.
[There are a ton of anime and manga I've wanted to watch and read with you~] revealed Aileen, practically singing as she excitedly appended [You can sit on my belly, and then we can cuddle together and—]
With a sound similar to a microphone being unplugged, Aileen's text box and voice vanished, accompanied by Elizabeth's appearing to state [First, see to your duties as Tower Farmer. In the meantime, I will be educating my foolish daughter on propriety and how to interact with members of the opposite sex with dignity and grace.]
Leaving Elizabeth slightly taken aback, Vahn's expression softened as he softly contended, "Hey, try not to be too hard on her. She's been through a lot, including living alone and being without her mother for much of her current life. She has millennia to mature and outgrow such habits. There's no need to rush things..."
[...]
[Perhaps you're right...] conceded Elizabeth, following a lengthy pause. Vahn's smile initially broadened in response but promptly cramped when she teased [Since she's already chosen who she wants to spend her life with, I suppose I don't need to worry too much about her being fooled by strange men. Not that you aren't more than a little peculiar.]
"Right...?" responded Vahn, choosing to simply accept the label as he changed into his farming attire and stepped outside. Both Elizabeth and Aileen had more words for him, but since he had become fairly adept at multi-tasking, he could chat with them, tend to his crops, respond to his messages, and converse with Sis without significantly impacting his focus or work efficiency...
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'Mmm...this will take some getting used to...' thought Vahn, lying atop Aileen's surprisingly soft stomach with her talons linked together and hands covering him from his chest down like a heavy blanket. Aileen's featureless breasts loomed above him like a pair of boulders that could squish him at any moment, but the steady expanding and contracting of her diaphragm, the warmth radiating from her body, and the prominent pulsations of her rapidly beating heart were surprisingly relaxing.
"Thank you for speaking up for me earlier..." muttered Aileen, prompting Vahn to open his eyes as she sheepishly appended, "It made me really happy..."
Closing his eyes and smiling, Vahn contended, "Those words were as much for you as they were for her. I understand why you might feel a sense of urgency, but we both have extraordinarily long lifespans. You don't need to feel pressured or rush things..."
"I don't feel pressured..." responded Aileen, increasing the pressure on Vahn's body tremendously as she contended, "I just really want to have sex and do other naughty things with Vahn. It always looks so pleasant when you do it with Grayfia..."
"Peeping is bad..." remarked Vahn, unsurprised by Aileen's words as he always got a vague feeling she was peeping on them. If not, she used the Tower's video record and playback functions to see what they were up to retroactively...
Fortunately, while Aileen was certainly young for a member of her race, the growth spurt she experienced once her heart was mended elevated her to their version of a teenager. One more growth spurt, and she would be considered an adult. And if canon were anything to go by, that wasn't far off as her diet was more comprehensive, and her Magic Power, which was the principal determinator behind her metamorphosis, increased with each passing day.
"If only I could transform like Tohru-unnie..." sighed Aileen, causing Vahn to tense as she rubbed him against her belly while fantasizing, "I wonder how my own tail would taste..."
"Oi, Earth to Aileen...I'm not a plaything..." remarked Vahn, his expression and tone flat. Fortunately, Aileen immediately ceased rubbing him against her belly, but instead of apologizing or loosening her hold, a tense silence hung in the air before she asserted, "I'm going to keep growing as quickly as I can...and once I learn to polymorph, you will do all the things you did with Grayfia-unnie to me..."
"Why does it feel like you're threatening me...?" asked Vahn, raising his gaze but only finding two matte black boulders obstructing his view of Aileen's face. If he could, he would be able to see she was modeling a very pouty expression as she responded, "I really, really like Vahn...if I could, I would keep you all to myself, but I can't. Since that's the case, you must treat me especially well...you can't ignore me to have fun with other girls behind my back..."
'Dragons aren't known as greedy and possessive without cause...' noted Vahn, closing his eyes and deliberating momentarily before responding, "I have no intention of ignoring you, but there are limits to the concessions I can make to keep you appeased. I'm not your pet or possession, Aileen...I am willing to become your lover, but we can't have a physical relationship until I'm confident you're mentally and emotionally mature enough...acting like this makes it very apparent you aren't ready for such a step..."
"..."
Though she wanted to argue and insist she was more than ready, Aileen wasn't oblivious to how childish that would be. Thus, for several minutes, she reclined against the colossal pillows she had stacked up, periodically squeezing Vahn's body in a state of reflection. Part of her found it absurd that he believed he was in a position to refuse her, as she could crush him to paste by simply increasing the strength of her grip, but Vahn had more than demonstrated that he had capabilities that transcended raw physical strength or magical might. If she was too assertive, he could simply leave and never return to her world, so instead of threatening him, she loosened her hold on his body, exhaled from her nose, and muttered, "I'm sorry for behaving selfishly...it's just that you're the first boy I've ever liked...I want to be with you and experience all kinds of things together..."
"And you will..." reassured Vahn, closing his eyes as he added, "There's just no need to rush things. One to two hundred years might seem like a long time to you now, but when we're a hundred thousand years old, you will look back on this moment with reflective exasperation..."
"Maybe..." conceded Aileen, closing her own eyes and circling Vahn's chest with her surprisingly squishy right index talon as she whispered, "But you have to be there with me...promise..."
"I promise..." responded Vahn, frowning slightly but unsurprised when he felt a sensation similar to a chain forming around his heart. Even a verbal promise with a Great Black Dragon like Aileen was spiritually binding, but thanks to his body being comprised of Source, he didn't even need to use Chainbreaker to undo it. Fortunately, Aileen couldn't sense this, a satisfied smile adorning her face as she believed she had just spiritually bound him to her for a hundred thousand years...
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