Path of the Demonic Villain

...Today was a Saturday.

Even though Dante wasn’t a nine to fiver anymore, there was just something about weekends that gave him an unexplainable sense of joy.

He would have loved to lie and toss about on his bed all day long, but he had work to do today, and plans that he could not postpone.

He lifted his weary gaze to the clock on the mantelpiece.

It was nine o’clock in the morning.

’Goddess... It should be a crime to wake up this early on a weekend.’

He lazily rolled to the edge of the bed and reached for a cylindrical container on the nightstand.

It was a gold casing with a small crystal on the side that glowed a soft green. This device was called a Script, a handy little creation people used to send messages to each other across the city. The fact that it was glowing meant someone had written to him.

Dante unscrewed the top of the Script and took out a folded letter from inside.

It was from Vincenzo.

"Signore, this is to let you know that all the preparations have been made. If all goes well, the young man Ezio will be leaving the penitentiary tonight."

Dante smiled subtly.

He dropped the letter on the nightstand and capped the cylinder.

Then he pushed himself off the bed, wrapped his bedsheet around his shoulders, and walked over to the wall to pull the velvet bell rope.

The sound of a bell ringing outside the bedchamber sounded, and not long after, a man dressed in a tailored vest and trousers with blonde hair and blue eyes stepped in holding a newspaper in his hand.

This was Elio, Dante’s personal valet here in their townhouse.

"Good morning, Signore." He bowed slightly. "Did you sleep well?"

Dante shook his head as he reached out his hand. "I slept well, but I didn’t sleep enough."

Elio chuckled as he handed over the paper. "That seems to be a chronic affliction for you, Signore."

Dante unfurled the fresh newsprint and scanned the headline as he began walking over to his table. "Is there anything actually worth my attention today, or is it just the usual noise?"

The valet smoothed his gloves and followed a pace behind. "Just the usual chatter, I am afraid. Further debate in Parliament regarding the expansion of the rail lines, another slight dip in municipal coal stocks, and an advertisement for tonight’s opera season opening."

"I see..." Dante exhaled and dropped down into his armchair.

Then, as if remembering something, Elio paused before turning toward the desk. "Oh, by the way, I’ve found out what you tasked me with."

When Dante turned to him, he added, "The address for the teaching assistant, Miss Vi Rossini."

Dante smiled and nodded politely. "Good job, Elio."

Elio smirked as he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. "Naturally, Signore. It wasn’t that hard to find it at the post office directory."

He dropped the note onto the table, and Dante took it.

"17 Lilac Street, Civic Quarter."

After reading it, Dante left it on the desk.

Meanwhile, Elio offered a dramatic, respectful nod. "Since you’ve managed to pull yourself out of bed, well done, Signore. I know it’s not an easy task."

Dante exhaled showing just how draining it really was.

Elio offered a subtle, knowing grin. "I’ll go make you some tea."

"You are a good man, Elio," Dante complimented, before the man bowed slightly and stepped out of the room.

With him gone, Dante stood up, walked over to his cabinet, and took out the [Pocket of Stolen Moments].

Then he returned to his desk and just began idly turning the strange item over in his hands as he waited.

Not long later, Elio returned with a steaming porcelain cup of Amber Black Sand. He set the saucer down quietly on the edge of the desk.

"Thank you." As Dante reached for it, Elio bowed and left.

Dante cradled the warm porcelain between his hands, letting the bitter, earthy aroma wash over him before taking a long, slow sip. The heat bled through his mouth and settled deep in his chest, sharpening his hazy morning thoughts little by little.

He set the cup down, and his gaze drifted to the sheet of paper with Vi’s address resting beside it.

’It’s going to be long night.’

***

House Fioravanti’s greatest crime against the Holy Empire was being in cahoots with demons.

These beings, who called themselves demons, were denounced as vile and actively targeted by the orthodox churches under the instructions of the Holy See.

It was the classic cliche of indiscriminate hatred.

Of course, there were good demons just as there were bad ones, but in the eyes of the Church, morality did not matter.

All demons were vile, without exception.

However, despite the active suppression, many of them not only survived but thrived within the Holy Empire. They were able to do so for several reasons, the primary one being their ability to disguise themselves seamlessly as humans.

Unless one possessed certain truth-seeking artifacts, especially from the Source of Light, it was nearly impossible to tell a demon apart from a human.

But then, it was this very ability to disguise themselves that branded all of them as vile. You see, many demons came to the human realm just to live and enjoy all the good things life had to offer.

However, in order to be able to live among humans, they needed to inhabit the bodies of humans through pacts.

As for how they got them, most obtained their bodies from loan sharks, who sold off people that defaulted on debts, allowing the demons to sever the soul and take over the defaulters’ bodies permanently.

Others exploited human weaknesses, preying on greed or despair. Some even made fair trades, granting humans whatever they desired in exchange for their bodies.

Yet to survive long enough, keep their true identities hidden, thrive in human society as normal citizens, and do the things they wanted to do, they still needed allies with real power and influence.

This was where their partnership with people like the Fioravantis came in.

People like the Fioravantis provided a few of them with forged papers, a place to stay in their territory, and a way to fit into society. They protected them from the eyes of the churches and created the black market networks they needed to acquire bodies without raising suspicion.

But since this was a crime that could cause them to lose more than just their noble status, it was paramount that the Holy See did not know about this.

Unfortunately...

’Miss Vi would soon find out about the secret of the Fioravantis. That’s if she hasn’t already found out,’ Dante thought with an exhale.

After a minute, he raised the pocket watch in his hand slightly, and pressed the button on the winding crown.

’Dario Rossini, after failing to pay off his debts, was kidnapped by loan sharks. In accordance with the terms of a contract he signed without fully understanding, he was sold to a small demon faction known as the White Assembly, who put him up as a prize at the Circus of Miracles for the pit game champion.

’Vi Rossini, while looking for her brother, had hired a private detective from the Lower District to track his whereabouts.

’Since the man had a case he had already been looking into, this assisted him and it didn’t take him long to discover intel about the faction. After having enough evidence, he had agreed to meet Vi at a warehouse in the Industrial Quarter to relay his findings, but unfortunately for him and Vi, he didn’t know that he was being followed. He ended up leading the demons straight to Vi, and both of them were caught and kidnapped.

’They were tossed into the Circus of Miracles where they had to fight for their lives as entertainment for the few nobles, beastfolk, and demons present.

’To make things interesting, Vi and the detective had been promised that if they won the pit tournament, they could both leave unharmed. Unfortunately, while the detective was murdered outright, Vi was almost killed in just her first performance by a demon known as Big Jack.’

Dante exhaled as he pulled up more information.

’Vi possessed a Tier 4 Blue twin artifact called the Sanctuary Pair, given to her by her late mother. Before her meeting with the detective, she had left the other half hidden away in her home. The function of the Sanctuary Pair is that when the wearer is in certain life-threatening danger, it automatically teleports her to the matching artifact while leaving a lifeless clone substitute in her place.

’That was how she escaped the Circus of Miracles. At this point, she was consumed by a desire for revenge, and to fulfill the detective’s last wishes to bring down the Fioravantis, she decided to expose information on them.

’To get evidence of their connection to demons, she visited the detective’s home in the tenement quarters of the Lower District on the same night of her escape. After retrieving his hidden notes, she leaked the documents directly to the Holy See.’

Dante frowned.

’Although Father helps out demons, he doesn’t have anything to do with the White Assembly. From the way things are phrased, it seems that the main person with an issue with us is the detective. I do not know who he is, or why he has a personal vendetta against us. It’s probably related to demons. Maybe he is a victim of one of the demons Father has helped? I’m not sure.

’What I’m sure of, however, is that since Miss Vi is a victim of demons, they are both working together. She is going to be the one to expose our family’s secret and I can’t let that happen.’