endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 194

As Vahn was making his way back towards the surface, it wasn't long before he came across a group of people that were slowly making their way through the escape tunnels. Since the majority of people weren't adept at detecting and dealing with traps, it meant they weren't able to clear the path quickly. Seeing who was in the group, a lot of the negative feelings that Vahn had been feeling began to disperse.

Noticing Vahn's presence, two of the members of the group immediately ran forward to intercept Vahn with varying degrees of happiness on their faces. The first person to arrive and tackle his body had been Tiona and she immediately used her monstrous strength to stress Vahn's ribs as he rubbed her hair with a pained smile. Soon after, Ais showed up next to him with a smile on her face and asked, "Is it over?"

Tiona finally stopped squeezing Vahn, but she didn't let go of him as she stared at his face waiting for the answer. Vahn smiled and began explaining everything that happened as the rest of the group caught up. The members comprised of the entire first and second parties of the Loki Familia as well as a few powerful looking adventurers Vahn had never seen before.

When he approached, Finn had an amiable smile on his face as he said, "Good job, Vahn, it looks like things will wrap up smoothly after this. We've already sent groups to inspect each tunnel, so you should make your way to the surface and explain the situation there. We'll continue clearing the area before making our way back and regrouping with everyone else." Then, after tilting his head for a few moments, Finn smiled and said, "There don't seem to be many strong enemies, so those two can accompany you back."

Finn had been staring at Tiona who was literally dangling from Vahn's neck while Ais stood close to his side and split her attention between the surroundings and Vahn's face. He realized that the two would be useless for the rest of the operation, not that they were very helpful in the first place. Since they had been rushing through the corridors, they actually set off a number of traps that had caused problems for the rest of the group.

Hearing Finn's words, Tiona laughed out and said, "Hahaha, good going Captain~!" Ais also seemed to be pleased as her smile widened by a marginal amount and she grabbed Vahn's hand and said, "Let's go, everyone is waiting." Vahn nearly dropped Tiona when Ais pulled him forward, but she managed to correct her own balance before jumping onto his back.

Vahn was surprised by her action and barely managed to prevent himself from falling over as he used both of his hands to support her legs. Ais looked back after Vahn let go of her hand and stared at Tiona with slightly furrowed brows. Tiona saw her look and smiled wide enough that both of her eyes were nearly closed. She pressed herself against Vahn's back and nuzzled against the side of his face as she said, "I want to feel like a damsel that got saved by the hero as well~!"

Ais's mouth became very small and it looked like an upside down v as her brows furrowed to a degree Vahn had never seen before. She looked toward Tiona and muttered, "Unfair." In response, Tiona giggled and before patting Vahn's shoulder and climbing down from his back. She walked forward and poked Ais's cheek which caused the taciturn girl to puff out her cheek in response.

Everyone in the area, including Vahn, looked at the sight and felt like laughing. Tiona leaned forward and stepped back a few steps before spinning around on her heel and trotting over next to Vahn. Grabbing his arm, she looked toward Ais and said, "This is better, right~?" Ais stared at her for a few seconds before her expression loosened a bit and she nodded her head before grabbing Vahn's right arm.

After storing the two girl's weapons into his inventory so it wouldn't get in the way, Vahn made his way through the corridors while flanked by Tiona and Ais. Though he felt happy to be escorting him, he couldn't stop himself from blushing every time they passed by one of the rescue operation members. Each time he met someone they would give him a strange look before staring at the two girls he was leading. Most of the time, they would immediately move on after giving a curt greeting while other times Tiona would shoo them away to keep them from spoiling the mood.