MTLNOVEL Chapter 142: Sweet
[August 20th DxD/April 9th DBT]
"I'm beginning to notice a trend..." hummed Vahn, extending his hand and right index finger to the Poisonous Honeybee, now nearly 60cm tall with bright yellow hair that framed a markedly human face in short layers with jagged, flared ends. Her black antennae now poked out from the sides of her head like droopy elven ears, and, denoting her status as a brand new Poisonous Honeybee Queen, a three-pronged crown of light adorned her head.
Were she just a large bee, Vahn wouldn't be surprised, but the Poisonous Honeybee Queen before him had distinctly human proportions, including broad hips, a fur coat that resembled a yellow bunny suit, thick thighs and pointed feet covered in black fur, thick white fur around her neck and the upper portion of her chest and shoulders, four-pronged and flexible black claws, a bulbous, black-and-yellow-striped abdomen with a bright purple stinger, and, most notably, a pair of furry white breasts.
"Vahn-oppa, I evolved~" sang the Poisonous Honeybee Queen, her voice pleasant and mature as she grabbed Vahn's finger and habitually suckled it with a happy smile, her bright purple eyes narrowing contentedly.
"Yes, that's exceptionally obvious. Congratulations..." said Vahn, a smile adorning his face as he wondered what the artist of Top Dungeon Farmer was thinking when he designed the Poisonous Honeybee Queens to be as sexy as they were. They didn't have breasts in his memory, but even then, they were given very prominent curves.
'Well, at least she doesn't have human lady bits like a certain naughty bunny...' thought Vahn, referring to Seul-bi. The buxom, blonde, black-furred bunny had taken up residence in his and Grayfia's cottage as if it were completely natural, and when he arrived that morning, there was a distinct smell of animal pheromones and musk lingering in the air as she emerged from the upstairs bedroom, wearing one of his shirts as a nearly ankle-length nightgown.
"Is it alright if I stay here from now on...?" asked the Poisonous Honeybee Queen, either by accident or intention, drawing Vahn's hand to her chest, enabling him to feel the rapid pounding of her heart through the backs of his fingers.
"Of course..." responded Vahn, his smile broadening as he asserted, "We would be happy to have you, Your Majesty..."
Gently pinching the Poisonous Honeybee Queen's right hand, Vahn drew her forward, bowed his head, and kissed the back of it as a Gentleman's courtesy. The PHQ didn't blush or anything, but Vahn got the impression she was exceedingly pleased by his actions as her four semi-transparent wings beat audibly quicker, causing her to rise slightly. Then, as he felt his plans for it would never come to fruition, he invited her to claim the tunnel and cavern he had dug out as the site of what would become a very large hive. He also named her Melissandra, derived from the Melissa and Melis, the former meaning bee and the latter meaning honey...
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After tending to his farm and spending more time than he had expected with Aileen, who had been in exceedingly high spirits since the previous Blue Moon, Vahn retreated to the Crimson Palace, intending to relax and recharge his social and emotional batteries. Fortunately, while Venelana had yet to return from her assignment, there was someone waiting in his room for his return.
"Ah, you've returned. Welcome back..." greeted Robin, adopting a mature smile and calmly setting aside the book she was reading, adding it to her rapidly growing pile before rising to her feet. More notably, rather than the long-sleeved, black leather, deep-cut one-piece and thigh-high boots she had brought with her from her world, she was currently modeling a short-skirted Maid outfit that barely covered more than half her voluminous ass, a frilly choker with a black ribbon, and translucent black stockings with a garter belt and black lace panties.
"And to quite the sight...you look incredible..." remarked Vahn, standing still and holding Robin's gaze as she gradually sauntered over to him. Her inordinate height of 188cm had compelled him to boost his own from 178 to 193cm, so their eye lines were nearly level until she was close enough that her breasts depressed against his chest.
Whipping out a line Vahn didn't expect, Robin's eyes narrowed seductively as she asked, "Now that you've returned...would you like a bath, dinner, or perhaps...me?"
"All of the above..." responded Vahn. However, instead of grabbing Robin's butt as he would virtually any other woman, he carefully placed his hands on her waist and softly asserted, "But there's no need to rush things...I'm not fond of seeing people force themselves. Tell me, what's on your mind? If there's anything I can do, just tell me. If not, well, I've always preferred listening to speaking..."
"Mmn...I see..." muttered Robin, wrapping her primary arms around Vahn's neck and shoulders, a second pair around his ribcage, and a third around his waist, her hands unabashedly cupping his butt as she confessed, "The truth is...I'm thinking of leaving the Straw Hats..."
"This sounds like a conversation to have while sitting..." remarked Vahn, lifting Robin off the ground as if she weighed nothing, prompting her to dematerialize her extra sets of arms in favor of instinctively or purposely wrapping her legs around his waist, making it easier for him to carry her over to a thin chair roughly shaped like a banana. It was weighted at the front and base to ensure it would always rock back to a neutral position, so it was perfect for lounging or sitting with someone straddled or lying atop you.
"How convenient..." muttered Robin, quickly realizing the purpose behind the chair's structure as she ended up seated atop Vahn with him reclining comfortably and her feet planted on the ground. If she shifted her weight to the front or back, it would cause the chair to rock, so after roughly half a second of deliberation, she spontaneously pulled down her low-cut top, freeing her large and remarkably well-shaped breasts as she stated, "If I remain with the Straw Hats, I will only invite disaster and misfortune upon them. The World Government, the largest and most powerful organization in my world, has already been pursuing me for twenty years, and they will not stop so long as I'm alive..."
"You must have been through a lot..." muttered Vahn, focusing on Robin's sad blue eyes rather than her breasts as he asserted, "And you must have had something important that kept you going all this time...tell me, what's changed? It wasn't learning about me..."
Realizing that Vahn wasn't going to be distracted, Robin exhaled faintly from her nose, several seconds of silence lingering between them before she revealed, "It's because they're too kind...they're prepared to risk their lives and confront foes far more powerful than themselves for those they consider friends. And, even though we started as enemies, their Captain, Monkey D. Luffy, accepted me as a member of his crew and treated me as if I had always belonged there..."
"In other words...you're trying to protect them..." concluded Vahn, aided by his knowledge of the series but not requiring it to infer what Robin was trying to convey.
"I'm trying to protect myself..." contended Robin, guiding Vahn's hands to her breasts, her voice tinged with pain as she held his gaze and asserted, "I'm tired, Vahn...I've been on the run from the entire world since I was an eight-year-old girl. Since then, I've had to do terrible...horrible things just to survive. And I've been betrayed and forced to betray others more times than I can count. That's why I need to leave the Straw Hats...because if a group as kind as theirs betrays me...my heart would shatter to pieces, and I would never recover..."
"Mmn...put this on..." said Vahn, leaving Robin feeling more than a little taken aback as he presented her with what looked like a sleeveless black compression crop top.
"You're surprisingly callous..." muttered Robin, her voice faint and neutral as she permitted a hint of frustration to bleed into her expression. Despite this, she accepted the garment and tried it on, her offense quickly turning to confusion as she witnessed her I-Cup breasts vanish as she pulled the cloth into position.
"Now put your head down..." said Vahn, his expression and tone gentle as he guided Robin to lie against his chest, embracing her with every ounce of tenderness he could muster as he stated, "You've done well to endure and make it this far...even if I'm not the one you want to hear these words from, I'm very proud of you, Robin..."
"I wasn't trying to earn your sympathy..." muttered Robin, lying as easily as she breathed. She did, in fact, want Vahn to sympathize with her, but not because she sought his consolation. She didn't mind dressing up for and serving him, but if she were going to stay in the Crimson Palace long-term, she wanted him to have reservations about approaching and asking her to do things that were troublesome or demeaning...
"That's why I clarified that I'm probably not the person you want to hear such words from..." hummed Vahn, running the tips of his fingers through Robin's long and silky black hair as he appended, "More importantly...my compassion and sympathy are mine to give...just as it's by the Straw Hats' own volition that they cherish and treat you as a friend..."
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Continuing to caress Robin's hair, Vahn shut his eyes, his voice softening further as he added, "More important than even that...you wouldn't have made it this far if you were the type to give up. You can come here to rest as often as you require, but I don't believe whatever drove you these past twenty years has disappeared. Luffy and Nami would also rather die than betray one of their friends, so your fears, while founded in experience, are ultimately unwarranted. If I'm wrong about that, then not only will I allow you to stay here, but I will serve you..."
"..."
Feeling a strangely nostalgic sense of comfort pervade her body, causing her eyelids to feel increasingly heavy, Robin remained completely silent in response to Vahn's words. She also believed that Luffy and Nami wouldn't betray her, but that only made her more afraid. People changed based on their circumstances and experiences, and while they might fight tooth and nail for her now, the endless pursuit and persistent attempts to kidnap her by the World Government and their covert operatives were bound to wear even the Straw Hats' patience thin. It might take months, years, or maybe even decades, but no one could bear another's burden indefinitely...
"It's alright to be happy..." muttered Vahn, causing Robin's eyelids to feel marginally less heavy as she processed the words. Her first impulse was to refute or dismiss the claim, as she had perpetrated and performed far too many evil and outright malicious deeds to be forgiven, but something about hearing the words from Vahn made them linger...
"It's alright to be happy..." repeated Vahn, feeling that Robin needed to hear it multiple times. At the same time, he continued combing her hair with his fingers; his domain suffused with the feeling of contentedness and warmth he got when being held by others. It might take a while, but so long as Robin gave him a chance, he was confident he could ease her fear and anxieties and help her find the strength within herself to accept that she, more than most people, deserved to be happy...
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With Robin ultimately returning to her world after a protracted nap, Vahn found himself feeling pensive and contemplative. If he and Sis had been more liberal with the starting points of the myriad worlds manifested in Invirtua, he could have prevented the tragedy that was Robin's life from its outset. However, much like in the case of Riko, it was her experiences and tragic past that made Robin into the strong and exceptionally capable woman she had grown into. And once she learned to accept that she had the right to live and be happy, everything she endured up to that point will become a distant, potentially even nostalgic memory...
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