endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 114

After settling into their new home, the Hounds, Rasui, Chione, Nou, Maat, Nanu, Akil, and Ata, were now surrounding Vahn in the main dining room as Anubis stood behind him. Unlike Tsubaki's manor, Vahn's residence looked more western in design, very much like a small mansion. The total rooms ended up being eleven, with two bathrooms between the west and east sides of the residence. Vahn's room was located the further east, oriented in the direction of Tsubaki's manor, while most of the children actually occupied two rooms.

Though Vahn said they could have their own rooms, it seems they preferred to split between genders and stay in two rooms instead. Rasui, Nour, and the twins, Akil and Ata, were both staying in one of the smaller rooms, which Vahn was surprised about. The girls ended up occupying the third largest room in the house located next to the second bathroom. Vahn found it strange that everyone was staying somewhat far apart from each other.

The most notable features of the house were the workshop and the main bathroom. The entire residence was squarish in shape, with all the rooms surrounding the large workshop in the center of the house. Vahn was surprised to find a variety of materials already stocking the shelves, including some rather expensive things like mithril and magisteel. The bathroom wasn't an onsen like Tsubaki's, but it was still a very large shallow tub that was 5x5m and had marble tile flooring. Vahn thought the design of the bathroom looked expensive, even more so than everything else in the house. If he had to guess, the entire structure likely cost several tens of millions of Valis when it was constructed.

After investigating everything, Vahn had gathered everyone together and was now sitting in the main dining area which originally had a long rectangular table which Vahn stored into his inventory. Now he sat on the ground with all the 'kids' surrounding him and waiting for his words. Vahn felt it was somewhat strange to call them kids, as they were all only slightly younger than he was, but now his position was much higher, at least according to their 'hierarchy'. Anubis stood behind him at his side, overwatching the entire scene play out with a smile on her face.

Vahn was sitting cross-legged with his arms crossed in contemplation as he tried arranging everything he needed to say within his mind. After several minutes, he opened his eyes and in a firm tone said, "Rasui, as the eldest, you will still be required to look after your 'siblings'. You know them better than I do, and I trust you'll handle the responsibilities with care." As his words fell, the young boy bowed slightly before saying, "Yes, Master Vahn!"

Though Vahn was a bit off-put by the address, he let it be for now as he directed his gaze to the other children. Rasui had been in the center, while the boys flanked his right with the girls on his left. Maat was the oldest of the girls, at 13, so Vahn put her in charge of the matters within the girls 'den' as they called it. Maat seemed very excited and her tail was wagging to express her emotions as she too answered, "Yes, Master Vahn!"

Hearing a girl similar in age to him call him Master, Vahn felt a peculiar feeling in his mind. It wasn't the normal 'excitement' he had been experiencing lately, but it made him slightly concerned for some reason. Now that he had assigned 'leaders' to the two rooms, Vahn took a note out of Tsubaki's book and began trying to lay the foundation for their future.

"Though I still need to learn more about everyone and each of your capabilities, from now on you will all be undergoing training in the mornings. Though I am by no means a master, I think I can help improve your skills through sparring and other means. We will start early, every morning except for weekends, and you will be expected to continue your traning until 10 AM each day. From then on, you will have free time until 8 PM in the evening, though you can request an extension if you make any plans." Vahn slowly spoke the words, and he was satisfied to see that the 'kids' were listening attentively.