Midway through Ruel's explanation, Percedal, no longer able to contain himself, exclaimed, "No way, no how! We can't have Vahn participate in the match! There's no challenge or honor if we know the outcome from the start!"
"Wow. The way they talk about you, you must be one impressive fellow," remarked the aging Ecaflip, Posho, giving Vahn a quick once-over as he added, "You've definitely got the build of an athlete, but I don't see any callouses on your hands, and your skin looks even softer than those two young ladies hovering around you."
"Hovering? Who's hovering?" challenged Amalia, grabbing Vahn's left arm and puffing her chest as she declared, "I'll have you know that Vahn and I are practically engaged! It's completely natural for us to be close, so you can go scratch a post!"
"My, my. This little Gobbowler has a real fire in her..." remarked Posho, laughing awkwardly and raising his hands in a gesture of mock surrender.
"More importantly, we need the money we'd win from securing the 8th Division Championship to acquire a boat. If we lose, we could be here for months, maybe even years, saving the necessary funds...!" asserted Ruel, frowning sternly.
"I don't know, Ruel..." contributed Yugo, drawing everyone's gazes as he reasoned, "I get that we need money for a boat, and I really want to meet my family. But if having Vahn participate with us guarantees our victory, it doesn't feel fair to the other competitors."
"See!? At least Yugo knows the meaning of honor...!" appended Percedal, posing defiantly with his arms crossed.
"Oh, Yugo..." sighed Ruel, adopting a complex expression like a proud yet exasperated grandfather.
"Why do we need to participate in such a lame, barbaric sport in the first place?" questioned Eva, prompting everyone but Vahn and Yugo to glare at her.
"Wh-what? Gobbowl is a barbaric sport..." contended Eva, instinctively positioning herself a little behind Vahn as she argued, "But that's besides the point. We've all seen Ruel's massive treasure hoard. Much less a boat, he could probably afford a city if he weren't so obsessed with stockpiling Kamas like an obsessive Bowmeow..."
"My private savings are unrelated to our journey...!" protested Ruel, his face flushing as he crossed his arms, loudly harumphed, and turned his back on the group. He had considered financing their travels many times, but as their group consisted of a child, an Iop, and a spendthrift Princess and her lady-in-waiting, he suspected they would hemorrhage money like a purse cut open by a knife. The purse in question may be very large, but that would only make the flow of coins faster.
"If you simply require a boat for sea travel, why don't I provide one...?" Vahn calmly suggested, preempting any responses by adding, "Though I believe it would be a good experience for your party to participate in this Gobbowl tournament, you should aim to win for the love of the game, not because it will turn you a profit. That's the best way to honor the legacies of those who came before and those who will follow after you."
"Well, I certainly wouldn't complain about receiving a free boat~" chimed Ruel, reorienting his body toward the group with a broad, yellow-toothed grin.
"Sheesh...just who is this guy...?" asked Posho, directing the question at Ruel as a bead of sweat formed on the left side of his face. He could tell from Vahn's skin and clothing that he was wealthy, but he could scarcely imagine how rich someone would need to be to suggest providing a boat free of charge.
"I would like to know that as well," said the much shorter, goggle-wearing man with the crazy hair and muttonchops, Calben. As an Enutrof, he had a keen eye for quality and people. Others might not notice unless they were primed to pay attention, but to him, Vahn's apparent lack of Class features was jarring.
Adopting a relaxed smile, Vahn offered a curt nod, placed his right hand over his heart, and took the initiative to reveal, "My name is Vahn Mason. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"He's also an honorary member of our party and a situational financier of sorts!" Ruel appended hastily, knowing that, while Vahn wasn't shy about his status as Dragon God, he wasn't in a hurry to make others aware of his existence.
"And the food he cooks is just about the best you can imagine...!" chimed Yugo, pumping his fists excitedly.
"Oh, right! Since you're here, does that mean you're going to prepare a meal for us!?" exclaimed Percedal, ostensibly having forgotten about the meals Vahn occasionally prepared for their party until Yugo mentioned it.
"No way! If you think Vahn's going to cook for you after you were rude to him, you really are an Iop brain...!" barked Amalia, squaring up to Percedal with a confrontational glower and her hands on her hips.
"Rude? How was I rude to him...?" questioned Percedal, visibly confused by Amalia's outburst.
'What a lively bunch...' mused Vahn. Then, before Amalia could needlessly take to his defense, Vahn placed his left hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as he expressed, "Today is a day of firsts and fortuitous encounters. Let matters of the past remain in the past. Now is the time for celebration."
Punctuating his words, Vahn filled the balcony with topped buffet tables, chairs, and two fondue stations, one chocolate and one cheese. Then, as the sky was a little overcast, he spread his Domain to encompass the city and scattered the cloud, allowing them to make the most of the remaining light as the sun slowly descended toward the horizon...
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With the sun having long set, Vahn left an exhausted Amalia and Eva to cuddle in their shared bed and teleported outside. There, Yugo stood hunched over with his arms crossed atop the balcony's stone railing, his brown eyes unfocused as he gazed out at the sea with a wistful air about him.
"The breeze from the sea gets cold at night..." remarked Vahn, moving to stand next to Yugo as he added, "And a boy your age needs ample sleep to grow well."
"Hey, Vahn...do you have a family...?" asked Yugo, catching Vahn a little off guard. His thoughts immediately went to his harem and many children, but it wasn't difficult to extrapolate that Yugo was referring to parents.
"I had a mother..." answered Vahn, joining Yugo in staring wistfully at the horizon as he revealed, "Unfortunately, she died the day I was born. After that, I was alone for what felt like a lifetime..."
As his loneliness hadn't ended until after his death, a somewhat sardonic smile adorned Vahn's face before he shook his head and added, "But then I met many incredible people in a surprisingly brief period. Since then, my family and those I care about have grown exponentially..."
"I'm sorry to hear about your mom..." expressed Yugo, his expression and tone sincere as he looked up at Vahn, smiled, and asserted, "But I'm sure she would be proud to see the person you've become. You're kind, strong, and really reliable. It's embarrassing, but I hope I can be just like you one day..."
Shaking his head, Vahn planted his hand atop Yugo's head, ruffling his hair through the thick fabric of his cat-eared hat as he said, "You should aim to be the best version of yourself, Yugo. Like all adults, I have plenty of flaws I keep hidden—particularly around children. If you were like me but lacked my unique abilities, your life would be full of stress."
"Oh...I see..." muttered Yugo, staring at the horizon for several seconds. Vahn joined him, believing the young protagonist needed time to collect his thoughts. What he didn't expect was that, upon collecting them, Yugo would timidly inquire, "Hey, Vahn? Do you think you could give me advice on how to talk to and impress girls?"
Blinking in surprise, Vahn gazed down at Yugo and asked, "Where's this coming from...?"
"I don't really know how to explain it..." admitted Yugo, his face flushing as he avoided Vahn's gaze and confided, "But there are times when I look at Amalia and Eva, and it makes my heart feel uneasy and excited. I know Amalia likes you and that Evangelyne is too old for someone like me, but I want to believe that, someday, I'll meet someone I want to share the rest of my life with. When that day arrives, I want to be ready..."
"The fact that you're proactively worrying about things like that tells me you don't really need advice," countered Vahn, prompting Yugo to stare at him in confusion until he clarified, "As a loose rule, what most people seek from a relationship is comfort, excitement, and security. There will always be exceptions, but lasting relationships are built on a foundation of mutual support and care. And while it's common to think you should sacrifice for those you love, burdens are meant to be weathered together. If you keep secrets and attempt to handle everything yourself, your efforts to protect others could be what drives them away..."
"So I just need to be honest, take care of those I care for, and let myself be taken care of in turn...?" questioned Yugo, summarizing Vahn's advice surprisingly well.
Though he nodded approvingly, Vahn supplanted, "In the end, everything depends on the dynamic you share with the person you take an interest in and vice versa. No two people or relationships are identical. So, until you meet this person you can share your life with, no one can tell you how you should act around them. The single best course of action is to be yourself. Because if you have to change yourself to be with someone, they haven't fallen in love with you. They've fallen in love with what you can provide for them..."
"Wow, Vahn...I knew you'd have some good advice to share, but this is amazing..." remarked Yugo, his clear brown eyes glistening as if he had just been provided the secret to life itself. In response, Vahn rustled his hair through his hat a second time, his expression fatherly and his tone firm as he hummed, "Now, off to bed. It's late, and you have only eight days to familiarize yourself with a sport that athletes dedicate their lives and careers to mastering. We can discuss things like this as often as you like once you find that special someone..."
"Yeah! You're right...!" affirmed Yugo. Then, catching Vahn off guard, he unexpectedly threw his arms around his waist and gave him a tight hug, expressing, "Thanks for always being patient with us. All of this had been a lot easier with your help..."
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto yourself and those you care about..." hummed Vahn, borrowing a quote from the Bible and many other religious texts. Then, shepherding Yugo back to the inn's interior, he briefly exchanged nods with Ruel, who, before he decided to take action, had been observing Yugo from the shadows for nearly half an hour. The elderly Enutrof had come to view Yugo as a grandson, but since he knew their paths would almost certainly diverge once the latter found his family, he was reluctant to get too close to him.
Though he didn't expose Ruel's position in the shadows, Vahn couldn't help sending the man a telepathic message that caused his eyes to widen in shock. He could tell Ruel was a man with many secrets and regrets, but, just as he had told Yugo, happiness wasn't something that came to you by bottling things up and making sacrifices. And no age was too great to find love and begin living life the way it was meant to be—bound by bonds but unfettered by regrets and self-imposed limitations...
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