Path of the Demonic Villain

Dante pulled open one of the drawers in his cabinet and took out an appraisal lens. Then, he walked over to the desk and sat down, rapping his fingers as he studied the two items in front of him.

There was a silver filigree ring and a bloodied cloak.

After a deep exhale, Dante picked up the ring and brought it close to the lens now near his eye to study it.

Just then, glowing runes with the artifact’s information materialized in his vision.

[Name: The Lady’s Yellow Bag]

[Tier & Grade: Tier 2 (Blue)]

[Description: Stores up to twenty items for the user in its spatial pocket. Items can be retrieved or stored on mental command. It can also preserve perishables for slightly longer.]

[Cost / Drawback: The more items in the bag, the heavier the ring becomes.]

’Preserve food for slightly longer?’

It was rare to find spatial artifacts that could hold on to perishables.

Anyway, Dante smiled because he had really needed a spatial artifact and he finally had one. He immediately willed the other items out of the ’Bag’, and everything spilled onto the desk alongside a pair of daggers.

Dante reached for one of the daggers first. Both had dark steel blades that were curved slightly, resembling a pair of predatory fangs. There were also tiny sockets near the hilt where mana-gems could be inserted, which meant these were weapons equipped with innate skills.

Bringing one closer to the lens, Dante read the description for the weapons.

[Name: Twin Sisters of the Dark]

[Tier & Grade: Tier 2 (Blue)]

[Description: When wielded together, they grant the user a 20% increase to speed and agility. They also shorten spell casting time for magic from the Source of Night by 80%. Finally, they grant the user enhanced night vision.]

[Note: This is a skilled weapon set.]

[Cost / Drawback: The blades are only at their full potential during the night or in darkness.]

[Compatibility: Most Suitable for Rogues.]

[Skills: Shadow Cleave, Shadow Binding]

[Shadow Cleave: The blade leaves behind a shadowy after-image that repeats the wielder’s slash a fraction of a second later, dealing a second strike to the same spot.]

[Shadow Binding: The blade can briefly pin down the physical shadow of a target, paralyzing the target in place for up to three seconds.]

Upon reading those awesome skills, Dante should have been filled with joy, but instead, a frown crept up his face, and he began kicking his legs and whining.

"Why did I have to be born without the ability to use mana?~ This is so frustrating, urgh! Now I can’t use any of the skills here!"

He leaned back and sighed deeply when he finished whining. After taking a few breaths to dispel his frustration, he leaned forward again and clicked his tongue.

"Tsk."

His eyes then dropped onto the other items that had come out of the Lady’s Yellow Bag. There were a few silver francs, a handful of parchment-wrapped amaretti cookies and dried figs, several books on mana theory — including a spellbook on the Source of Night — and a scatter of personal belongings. These belongings included a silver-cased handheld mirror, a glass vial of lavender smelling salts, an engraved ivory hairpin, and a small lace-trimmed handkerchief.

Dante leaned his chin on his palm, looking at them detachedly.

’In the end, only the Bag is useful to me right now. Goddess, I really need a weapon artifact. It’s a shame that most of the black market exchanges I know are not happening until some time in the future. I need to find out other black markets.’

He picked up an amaretti cookie and, as he began walking over to the bell rope by the wall, he popped it into his mouth.

When he reached the rope, he yanked it down twice, causing a bell to chime somewhere outside his room.

Not long after, Elio strolled in holding a fresh newspaper and wearing a bright smile.

"Good afternoon, Signore~" He sounded like he was practically singing as he offered an exaggerated, low bow.

Dante winced, shielding his eyes as if blinded by the man’s energy. "Could you dial down the radiant sunshine by about eighty percent? It’s making my mood worse."

The blonde-haired man chuckled and teased. "My, my. Looks like someone is in a depressed mood."

Dante sighed and plopped back down onto his plush armchair. "I’m a single, brooding teenager. Aren’t we all?"

Elio blinked, before offering a sly smirk.

"Anything interesting, by the way?" Dante asked, extending a hand for the newspaper while arching a brow imperceptibly.

As Elio handed over the folded press, he shrugged casually. "Ah, nothing important. There are a few mundane headlines, like an accidental gas explosion in an old tenement house and some gang fights in the lower district. But then, that’s the lower district for you. Every bad thing you can imagine goes on down there."

"I see." Dante nodded as he unfolded the paper and began to flip through the pages.

Truth be told, he wasn’t worried about being linked to one of those "accidental explosions." That was the lower district, where murder cases were rarely investigated thoroughly by the normal authorities. Unless an influential noble’s wallet was involved or a cultist ritual painted the streets red, the police would simply stamp it as a tragic accident, sweep the ashes away, and move on with their day.

"By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask..." Elio’s eyes drifted toward the desk, and his cheerful voice dropped into genuine concern. "...what’s with all the blood? Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?"

Dante didn’t look up from the paper. "Do I look injured?"

Elio studied him carefully, scanning his frame for any hidden cuts. "No, but... then whose —"

Before he could finish the thought, Dante cut in smoothly. "Have someone discreetly wash the cloak and return it to Kate. She can’t know there was ever blood on it."

He raised his head, shifting his gaze to the desk, and pointed at the silver filigree ring. "Take the ring to an artisan. Have it remodeled to look simpler, tailored to my taste, and resized to fit my index finger. You can have them add a few other features to it. Leave the daggers. As for the coins, you can keep them or hand them off to someone who needs them. Dump the rest of the women’s trinkets."

Elio nodded in understanding, and the slight tension left his shoulders as he gave a small bow. "Consider it done, Signore."

***

Sometime later in the evening...

——

The private workshop was filled with a few wooden shelves, racks of drying clay pots, and rows of unglazed stoneware.

In the center of the room, the potter’s wheel spun, and after a few seconds, Dante wet his hands and began to shape the spinning lump of clay into a smooth vase.

Wheel throwing was another hobby of his that he often indulged in to pass the time. He had picked up this hobby in this life, and preferred it to most of the things noblemen his age liked.

After some time, he stood up, wiping the wet clay off his forearms with a damp linen cloth and untying his apron. Then he walked to the side table where there was a crystal pitcher of water and a glass tumbler. After pouring himself a full drink, he downed the entire glass, then filled it back up to the brim. This time, he didn’t drink it though, and just stared at the still surface of the water for some time before muttering under his breath.

"Speak to me, Siren of Dread, Isabella."

It was quiet for a few seconds after he spoke. Then, the water rumbled softly, followed by a familiar voice which echoed out from the liquid’s depths.

"Oh, my sweet boy. You finally decided to talk to me after so long.~ I almost thought you had forgotten me already."

Dante’s brow twitched, and he scratched the side of his head with his index finger.

"It hasn’t even been that long, Mother. Actually, I planned on speaking to you a few days ago, but I never found the time until today."

"Liar!"

"Eh?"

She chuckled softly. "I’m sure if Caterina didn’t ask you to call me, you wouldn’t have bothered until sometime next week... or even later."

’Ah... she’s spot on.’ Dante shook his head with a silent sigh. "No, Mother. That’s not true. You know I think of you every day."

She fell silent, and Dante could tell without seeing her that she was smiling on the other end of the connection right now.

He smiled too, and his tone softened. "How have you been, Mother?"

"Extremely good lately." She sounded utterly delighted. "My man is back."

Dante arched a curious brow. "Father is back?"

"Yes."

As she spoke, the water in the tumbler rippled, and her faint silhouette began to take shape within the glass.

She appeared to be soaking in her porcelain bathtub. She was leaning over its edge, resting her elbows on the rim with her chin cupped in one hand and a smoke pipe in the other. At the moment, her gaze was fixed fondly on a glass of water resting on a small table beside her.

"He did it. He actually managed to progress to the fourth tier! Oh, Goddess, I’m so proud of my man."

She waved the pipe lightheartedly as she spoke.

"You should have seen him when he walked through the door, Dante. He looked absolutely divine. Drenched in sweat and carrying that dangerous, exhausted edge... oh dear, it almost drove me mad! And his eye... he lost his left eye during the Test, but honestly? The scar just makes him look ten times hotter. It gives him this rugged, lethal charm that I just couldn’t resist."

She smiled excitedly. "Needless to say, the second the door locked, I practically tore his clothes off. We didn’t even make it to the bed—"

"Mother, Mother, Mother." Dante rubbed his temples, and his eye twitched furiously. "Please. I am your son. I do not need a play-by-play of those details."

She giggled and the melodious sound vibrated through the water. "Oh, don’t be such a prude, sweetie. You’ll understand when you find a nice girl of your own."

Dante paused. "Wait a minute, Mother. Did you say he lost his eye?"

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