Path of the Demonic Villain

The highest denomination of currency in the Holy Empire was known as Crowns, which came in both notes and coins. 20 Francs made 1 Crown, and 100 Pennies made 1 Franc.

For most wealthy people, carrying large stacks of high-value notes or coins was far too cumbersome for high-end transactions. So, at the moment, Dante pulled a leather-bound chequebook from his inner coat pocket, unscrewed his fountain pen, and casually wrote out a cheque for 2,950 Crowns drawn on the Imperial Bank of Florentia.

Then he tore the slip from the book and handed it to a man at the counter, who examined the ink, checked the signature, and stamped it with an official receipt.

The appraiser had already packaged the artifacts in a velvet-lined hard case. He handed it over to Dante, who then gave a polite bow before turning and walking away with his new purchases tucked securely under his arm.

’I really need a spatial artifact,’ he thought as he walked down the corridor and into the main hall.

’But I don’t need something like the bag I had before. Something inconspicuous like a ring would do better. But I don’t know where I can find that at the moment.’

He sighed as he stepped out of the Velvet Lantern.

’Curse those bastards who stole from me! Curse them, Goddess, curse them! I will curse them every day until I see them again!’

Upon catching sight of the carriage some distance away, he began walking toward it.

***

Three hours later, Dante and Vincenzo were inside a cable car suspended high above the water.

Val-de-Grâce Penitentiary was located on an isolated island in the sea east of Ravena, just off the coast of Lagico. To get there, both Dante and Vincenzo had taken a train east out of Ravena before boarding a cable car at the coastal tramway station. At the moment, the iron carriage was moving so fast that what would have taken them hours by a steamer was only taking them minutes. They could already see the outline of the prison fortress getting closer with every passing second.

The only downside to traveling in this manner was that it was noisy, rattling, and drafty due to all the screeching iron cables and grinding machinery. Also, because they were on open sea air with no proper insulation, the chill was biting. Fortunately, cold was no longer a problem for Dante because his blood demon could force warm blood to his skin and extremities, keeping his body temperature steady despite the freezing wind.

After a while, Dante had to hold onto the interior handrail as the iron carriage began to slow its breakneck pace before eventually clanking to a halt inside the prison’s arrival bay.

He felt like he was going to throw up. Truth be told, the only reason he had not was because of his Blood Demon, which was currently also passively regulating his internal blood pressure and stabilizing his inner ear.

Not long after the carriage lurched to a halt, both he and Vincenzo stepped out onto the iron platform. At that moment, Dante was wearing a black cloak that hung heavy all the way down to his boots, and the hood was pulled over his head to hide his features. Vincenzo, who stood right beside him, also wore a similar cloak with the hood pulled low.

Together, they began to slowly approach the heavy iron checkpoint gates, where they were met by a pair of armed guards holding steam-vented rifles.

Vincenzo was the one who approached them with the permit. The guard who took it studied it briefly with his washed-out blue eyes, before looking up to measure the two cloaked men. "Permit’s in order. Keep your hands where we can see them."

Just then, the other guard began searching them for any weapons. He took away Vincenzo’s sword, as well as a small dagger hidden in his belt. When he searched Dante, he couldn’t find any weapon on him.

At that moment, however, Dante was wearing a ring with a sharp, curved claw set into the metal. He hoped that it wouldn’t be taken away from him. Not that the ring had any special properties or hidden enchantment.

"All clear. You can head straight through to the warden’s desk," the man who searched them said hoarsely, before turning away.

Vincenzo offered a tight nod, folding the approved paper and tucking it back inside his coat. He gave Dante a brief glance before stepping through the narrow side-wicket opened by the second guard.

Dante followed, and the heavy gate slammed shut behind them with a loud clatter that echoed straight up the stone entryway.

They followed the curved passageway until it opened into a heavily guarded vestibule. At the far end stood a heavy oak intake counter, and behind it was a fat man who looked to be in his late fifties. He was dressed in a blue guard officer’s uniform and looked thoroughly done with his shift.

Upon reaching him, Dante remained a step back while Vincenzo stepped forward.

"State your business," the man grunted, as he looked up from his ledger.

Vincenzo then showed him the permit. "We are just here to see a man named Ezio Valenti."

The fat man looked down at their paperwork through a pair of spectacles perched on his nose, stamped the transfer log with a heavy thud, and didn’t even bother to stand up. Instead, he reached over to a wall-mounted brass pull cord and gave it two sharp tugs. A mechanical bell chimed somewhere deep in the wall.

A moment later, a junior guard came trotting out from a side archway to collect them. He was a lean, sharp-eyed young man with a heavy brass key ring clanking at his hip. Once he came out, the fat man flicked his pen toward the corridor and said, "Escort them, Julian. They are here to see inmate 4080."

"Alright." The junior guard replied before looking at Vincenzo and Dante. "This way, please."

He began walking while gesturing for the duo to follow. "By the way, I’m Julian. What’s your plan for this visit?"

Vincenzo opened his mouth to speak, but just then, Dante interrupted him calmly. "I require a private meeting. Just us and the inmate."

Upon hearing that, while Julian frowned, Vincenzo froze.

"Signor Dante," Vincenzo was the first to protest. "Pardon me for speaking out of turn, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s too dangerous. I still do not know why you want to meet this fellow, but I looked into him and found out that he is an Apostle. A Red Graded Apostle who is crazy. Even if I’m with you, I still think it’s dangerous, as the both of us are not Apostles. So, it might be good to have an Apostle with us."

Upon hearing that none of them were Apostles, Julian then added with even more certainty, "Uh... I agree with...?"

Vincenzo lied. "Valentino."

"Yes, Valentino." Julian nodded nervously, adjusting the key ring on his belt. "We do have ways to ensure that Apostles in here are not able to bear the cost to use their divine abilities. But there are instances where Ezio has risked being tainted while using his abilities."

Some Apostles, even those of the low tiers, had high-graded skills that made the gap between them and normal people seem a bit more pronounced. Unless one was an Apostle with similar graded abilities, or a normal human with special items and circumstances, confronting someone like Ezio was a bad idea.

’I get why he’s worried. This entire place has anti-magic runes, so normal people can’t use magic here. Also, Vincenzo doesn’t know that I am an Apostle because I never wear my emblem out, but tuck it beneath my clothes, and he’s a warrior who can’t sense divine power,’ Dante thought to himself. ’But then, even though I am an Apostle now, he is still right. It’s too dangerous because I am of a lower tier than Ezio. I cannot fight Ezio and I can only hope to bargain with the information of interest that I have.’

After a few seconds, Dante smiled, and calmly said, "You don’t need to worry. I can handle myself."

"But Signor—"

"You don’t need to worry," Dante politely interrupted.

Vincenzo looked at him for a moment, before exhaling and nodding tentatively. "Yes, signore."

It was quiet for only a brief second before Julian cleared his throat and motioned down the hall. "If you’re certain, then, this way."

He led them to a hydraulic elevator, which was an iron cage set into the damp stone wall. Then he slid open the creaking iron gate, pulled a heavy brass lever, and the elevator shuddered to life. Shadowed brick levels drifted past their eyes until the lift settled with a metallic clunk at the lowest tier.

Julian unlatched the door and stepped out into the chill corridor, then guided them down a narrow passageway lined with reinforced iron doors, before finally stopping outside an oak entrance fitted with a small, barred viewing slot.

There was a dark-skinned woman outside with short dark hair and red eyes. She was dressed in a tailored charcoal guard’s coat over a high-collared vest, with the sleeves neatly pinned back, and she kept calmly swirling a nickel-plated revolver around her index finger.

"You must be the visitors for Ezio," the woman said in a drawling voice.

Vincenzo nodded, then tapped his chest gently. "Valentino."

The woman flashed a faint, unimpressed smirk. "Name’s Mara," she then gestured with her head. "He’s in here. Come on."

Just then, however, Julian quickly stepped forward.

"They want to see him alone," he said, gesturing toward Dante.

The woman turned to study Dante, while Julian shrugged as if to pass the blame off on them.

"Are you sure?" she asked, catching the revolver by its grip with a soft metallic click. "This inmate is an Apostle of Domains."

Apostles of Domains were those who worshiped Athamas, the God of Domains and Unreality. This sort of Apostle were feared because of the unpredictable nature of their powers.

Also, this particular God was said to be very generous when it came to giving his few Apostles all sorts of high-graded abilities.

’I recall that these were the Apostles I hated fighting the most. They’re always pulling all sorts of broken shit out of their ass. So unfair!’

Dante smiled and replied, "Yes I’m sure."