Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1872 Preservation : Pampering

After indulging himself in the Princess' hair and fur a little longer than he should have, Vahn was escorted by the Princess' Maid Squad, a group filled with inordinately pettable women, to his usual residence. He was a frequent visitor in the Biscotti Republic, and, thanks to his unique status as the God of Petting, he was allowed to reside directly in the Firianno Castle, the primary residence of the Royal Family.

Since Millhi needed to get ready for the inevitable meeting between heads of state, Vahn enjoyed the company of an entire squadron of Maids, each possessing dog-like features, devoted natures, and commendable combat capabilities.

Though others might assign greater meaning to the act, the thing that continuously brought Vahn back to Flognarde, the name of this particular world within the Dog Days Metaverse, was the fact that petting was considered completely normal. The only time it was considered inappropriate was when you attempted to pet someone of a higher status without their permission. Inversely, those in positions of power and authority could essentially pet whoever they wanted, and, more often than not, it was considered a great honor.

Were this a 'normal' world, it would be easy to imagine those in power taking advantage of this particular rule to do whatever they wanted with their citizens. Instead, the various heads of state often spent most of their time and effort on ensuring the prosperity of their people. Millhi even acted as an Idol Singer, performing bi-weekly concerts in order to improve morale and personally witness the smiling faces of her people.

Though he had expected to find some 'underlying darkness' during his first visit to the idyllic world, Vahn was surprised to find that the most heinous crime committed in the last decade was someone skipping town without paying their bar tab. Things like murder were virtually unheard of, and, even if he visited the regions where the poorer residents resided, there wasn't a single homeless person, brothel, or black market to be found. Instead, there were shared houses where vagrants could stay at the expense of the state, 'petting cafes' where you could sip coffee while resting your head in the lap of a beautiful woman, and non-competitive markets that traded goods at fair, easily affordable, rates.

In many ways, the nations of Flognarde were the closest thing to a 'perfect society' that Vahn could imagine. This didn't mean they were without issues, but, more often than not, disputes were settled with games and various forms of recreational activities. Even war was just a series of competitions between two countries, and, though armaments such as swords, spears, and even guns existed, they were not instruments of death.

Critically injuring or knocking out someone with a Tier 1 Soul turned them into an indestructible ball of fluff known as a pet ball. As for those with higher Soul Tiers, they were effectively immortal so long as they were in a region governed by the Great Spirits. Swords, spears, and bullets simply 'passed through' them; and, even if they suffered a critical injury such as having their head or heart pierced, it would result in their armor, equipment, clothing, and even underwear simply 'exploding'.

War was a popular pastime in Flognarde, so much so that rival powers would sometimes declare war on each other just because the people wanted to have some fun. It was also an opportunity for them to witness the rulers of their respective countries in their underwear, as, more often than not, the representatives of each nation proactively participated in the fighting. This often placed them in rather 'compromising' positions, and, due to the wars being broadcast to all participating countries, it was quite common for them to be seen naked.

Unlike other worlds, where nakedness was viewed in a negative light and directly associated with the more carnal aspects of humanity, nudity within Flongnard was something to be appreciated. It was something people banded together over to spiritedly discuss with smiles on their faces. There were no cases of people overtly lusting after members of the opposite sex, and, even though they were commonly exposed before their people, Millhi and other heads of state could happily interact with their people without fear of censure or admonishment.

Though he needed to be careful during the 3-5 week window between the months of March and May, the period when most of the female population of Biscotti went into heat, the rest of the year was pretty safe. The people of Flognarde treated sex as a means to reproduce, and, though things commonly got out of hand during Spring, there hadn't been any major incidents in the past several hundred years. This was achieved by having of-age men and women live separately from each other unless they were married, a union that was often overseen by Millhi herself.

Curiously, marriage within the Biscotti Republic was pretty rare. Most children were born out of wedlock, and, rather than be raised by their parents alone, they were cared for and nourished by the entire community. Marriage was more of a 'statement' than anything else, a ceremony that brought together two parties, quite literally binding them to each other in the eyes of the Great Spirits. It was a 'very' big deal, so, more often than not, the entire community would come together to celebrate the union of a newly wedded couple. As for why it was rare...this could be attributed to the fact that dog girls in the Biscotti Republic weren't very 'particular' whenever they were in heat...

Though tourism was restricted during the Spring season, anyone found walking around the streets of Firianno during this particular period of time generally had one thing on their mind. This applied to men and women alike, and, unless they had a good reason not to, most men and women would have multiple partners during this period. The women would, quite literally, approach the men, and, due to their sensitive noses, the men would loiter around designated areas, 'patiently' waiting to be chosen as someone's partner.

In order to increase the chances of being chosen, most people spent an inordinate amount of time and effort on improving themselves. This also gave them a significant advantage during wars, and, so long as they worked hard, they could even earn Knight's status after increasing their Soul Tier to the point of being able to maintain their physical body after injury. This drastically increased their chances of being chosen as someone's mate, so, more often than not, the men of Biscotti began training at a very early age.

Vahn had previously made the 'mistake' of visiting during the Spring season, and, as a result, he was forced to temporarily migrate to the neighboring Galette Lion Territory. He appreciated the fact that Millhi had given him express permission to remain in the castle, but, having a thirteen-year-old girl staring at him with hungry eyes was never a comfortable feeling. The Maids were one thing, as they were largely comprised of mature and buxom beauties, but Vahn drew the line at having a bunch of Lolis(Millhi's friends) conspiring to sneak in on him during the bath...

Fortunately, while they had their own estrus period, the residents of the Galette Lion Territory were the type that only went into heat whenever they were excessively excited, a state that could only be reached after a very long and drawn-out battle. Since there were no wars fought during the Spring season, this made it a relatively safe place to stay, as, despite her insistence of challenging him to a battle, Vahn could easily end the fight before the country's leader, Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois, had her switch flipped.

Though he had become her 'goal', Vahn would just smile and pet her head whenever Leo insisted that she would one day defeat him and make him her country's Grand Marshall. As for the position of King, that was a position reserved for her younger brother, the heir-apparent and Prince of the Galette Lion Territory, Gaul Galette des Rois.

Gaul, in spite of his age, was a powerful and charismatic youth with the characteristic white hair of the royal family, lion-like features, and, as could be expected, a hot-headed personality. He was also an honorable fighter, and, despite his propensity for pranks, he possessed a kind and caring nature that made him exceptionally popular among the people. He was someone that Vahn was genuinely impressed with, and, due to their 'very' similar appearances and personalities, Gaul had become fast friends with Xiao Bai.

Fearful that something might happen to the unspoiled world, Vahn had entrusted Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu the task of keeping it safe from external influences. They had now become the Guardian Gods of Flognarde, Qinglong protecting the East, Zhuque watching over the South, Baihu guarding the West, and Xuanwu safeguarding the borders to the North. These positions were based on the fact that he represented the 'Guardian God of the Center', a convenient arrangement since the Biscotti Republic was actually located near the very center of the continent.

Since the Actualized World of Dog Days existed within his Internal World, Xiao Bai and the rest were able to retain their forms even when Vahn wasn't present. They served as a constant reminder of his status within the world, and, due to their power rivaling his own, they were capable of dealing with virtually any threats that might appear, irrespective of their origin. The only exception would be an existence on the level of the Ethereal Queen, but, as an Omniscient Overseer within the Metaverse, Vahn knew there were no threats even remotely close to that level...

---

With Flognarde currently in the midst of Fall, Vahn could enjoy petting people to his heart's content, a satisfied smile on his face as he watched various beauties 'melt' beneath his palm.

By the time an hour had passed, more than seventy percent of the Princess' Maid Squad had cycled through Vahn's room, each taking turns to receive his caress before getting back in line or returning to their duties. This resulted in an orderly queue forming outside his door, a sight to behold for any Knights patrolling through the area.

Though he could sense their approach, Vahn was alerted to the presence of his 'guests' long before their arrival. The rapid dispersal of disappointed Maids was hard to miss, and, though it wasn't his first time seeing such a scene, Vahn couldn't help but chuckle as he finished fluffing up the purple-haired Maid who had elected to stand her ground. This earned her a few curious looks from the trio that had appeared, but, rather than stop her, they just stepped aside as the embarrassed beauty ran out of the room after a series of apologetic bows...

Never missing the opportunity to say something sarcastic, the green-haired girl standing at Millhi's side crossed her arms beneath her virtually non-existent breasts as she remarked, "I see you're still the same insatiable petting fiend as before..."

Understanding that the young Knight, Eclair Martinozzi, was just a Tsundere, Vahn simply laughed off her comment as he extended his hands to caress Millhi and the youngest of her trio of friends, Ricotta Elmar. The latter, despite appearing no older than ten-years-old, was actually only a single month younger than Millhi. She was simply 'very' petite for her age, something that used to stress her out quite a bit until Vahn convinced the young genius that she was very cute.

Fortunately, unlike the 'hopeless' Eclair, whose mother was also as flat as a board, Rico was actually a member of the Fox Tribe. They had a marginally longer adolescent period, and, the moment they hit puberty, they would experience a sudden and spontaneous growth spurt. The best example of this was a young fox girl named Yukikaze Panettone, a beautiful blonde kunoichi with a bombshell body. She had gone from looking like a 'brat' to a buxom beauty in less than seven months, her height increasing more than 25cm and her breasts 'exploding' to become E-Cups in a very short period of time...

As if she could sense his 'rude' thoughts, Eclair's brow began to twitch, index finger tapping her arm in an expression of annoyance as she asked, "How long are you planning to stay?"

While continuing to pet the pink and orange-haired girls, Vahn directed his gaze towards Eclair, his smile widening ever-so-slightly. This caused the green-haired girl to avert her eyes, blushing slightly as her tail began to wag in spite of her efforts to keep it under control.

Ever since the time he had appeared during the Spring season, Eclair had begun viewing Vahn as a member of the opposite sex. This caused her to act somewhat rebelliously whenever he was around others, but, whenever they were alone, she would still 'allow' him to pet her head. She also got very excited whenever they went on walks and played 'fetch' with a frisbee, so, rather than feel annoyed, Vahn found Eclair's behavior refreshingly endearing.

With that thought dancing across his mind, Vahn retracted his hands from Millhi's and Rico's heads, disheartening the two girls until he said, "I think I'll stay for around two weeks. That should give us plenty of time to play around and arrange a few games, right?"

Since he would normally leave after 2-3 days, Millhi couldn't help but grab Vahn's hand with both her own, happily exclaiming, "That's wonderful news! You'll be able to attend my next concert and we can all get together during the Winter Festival for a huge banquet! I can't wait to tell everyone the good news~!"

Though he had just retracted his hand, Vahn couldn't resist the urge to continue petting the ever-cheerful Princess, his expression turning gentle as he said, "I'll leave it to you..." in an affectionate, parental, tone. Millhi's parents had both died when she was very young, so, while he might be able to see her as a woman once she matured, he currently viewed her as an untainted ray of sunshine, someone whose very presence made the world appear a little brighter.

With her tail wagging from side-to-side at a maddening pace, Millhi continued to smile radiantly, hands folded neatly across her lap as she enjoyed having her head pat. This earned her an enviable stare from Rico, but, with Vahn's free hand soon coming to rest atop her head, the only person left without a smile was the dishonest girl pouting near the entrance of the room...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'How enviable...','Vahn protec..!','Tsunderes never prosper (O,...,O)....!')

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