"Pointing a sword at a stranger's throat is rude, you know?" I mocked as I felt the person's breath on my back.
"Invading Valentina Scarlet's private property is also a major breach of etiquette, you know?" She countered, coldly, without any hint of mockery.
"Reveal yourself," I said calmly, and the sword tightened around my neck, causing a small cut to trickle blood.
"You're not in a position to demand anything, Knight," she said, her feminine voice muffled by a cloth over her mouth.
"I understand, let's play it this way," I said, raising my hands in surrender; she seized them and placed them behind my back, swiftly removing the sword from my waist and tossing it aside.
"Sit down," she said, and I complied. It took less than twenty seconds for me to be completely immobilized, as I looked at the woman in front of me: sturdy, with green hair, wearing a black cap and a black mask.
"Who are you?" she questioned, in an interrogative tone, and I simply nodded. If she was truly allied with Valentina, there was no reason to lie. At least, that was the naive thought I would have had before, but not anymore.
"Ziriel Azure," I replied. She clearly used lie detection magic; the symbol concealed in the palm of her hand was one of the magic circles Morgana taught me.
She nodded, confirming it was true. After all, even though I used to be Dante, I am currently Ziriel Azure.
"Why did you invade this place?" she asked, pointing the sword at me, clearly stating that if I lied, I would die.
"My mother told me to come," I replied, never averting my eyes from her for a second.
"Who is your mother?" she asked. I couldn't reveal it yet but simply said, "Your superior," which was true, after all, Valentina has always been the superior and always will be.
"None of us have daughters," she said and began to approach, she was a devout one and knew that all the women and people of the guild had no daughters, so it meant she was well-informed.
"Which shadow are you?" I questioned, but she instinctively stopped and looked at me without even trembling at the implication. "How do you know about this?" she asked. "My mother is your superior." I affirmed again.
She analyzed me, briefly looked over my entire body, and soon I saw a frightened expression behind the mask. She could cover her mouth but not the upper part of her face, her eyebrows and eyes were quite expressive.
I thought it would be hard for someone to believe, but the one in front of me clearly seems beyond being confused, she hadn't given up yet.
I wanted to reveal immediately, but there was something I wanted to check.
"Does your loyalty to Valentina remain? Or are you like the others who abandoned their post?" I questioned, clearly implicating her. Despite being well-trained, most servants get offended when it comes to their masters. If she still has the flame within her heart, she will reveal herself soon.
"Quiet, poor lost child," she said, showing anger in her words, she had fallen into my mental game.
"Alright, seems like the honor of the former countess went to waste, just like her." I commented and the woman's expression changed, she looked into my eyes and kept staring at me waiting for me to say something.
"Hm, what a strange expression for a mediocre servant who abandoned her mistress in her time of mourning. Is it really a shadow? My mother once said that you are her arms and legs, it's a shame." I said and she lost her cool looking at me and grabbing my hair.
"Ah~" I groaned in pain as she pulled it hard and got closer "Dare to insult my mistress again and I will kill you and find your mother to deliver this putrefied and devastated body filled with rage and agony I feel" She said and then I smiled.
"Ah" I sighed relieved "It's good to know that my mother still lives in the hearts of her subordinates, seriously, I was afraid you had betrayed her." I said and the woman let go of me confused.
"Oh, thank you, I was tired of acting, even knowing that you can kill me with one blow I still had to risk it, seriously, I'm really relieved." I said completely changing my posture and adjusting my hair slowly, the woman in question went into attack mode holding the sword and pointing at me while I tried to look more presentable for the occasion happily.
"Hey lower those things, if you kill me your mistress will erase you and the rest of the world from the map, we don't want that yet okay? So please Miss Shadow, don't do that anymore" I said mockingly, it was good to be able to be myself a little.
"Well, let's get back to business," I clapped smiling at her who was still in battle form.
"Okay, that's not going to work like that... let's see... how was it again?... ah... this... yes, this would work."
Clep
"Okay, Miss Shadow, from here on it's at your own risk so let's do this," I said and she looked at me "Who are you?" she questioned still in defense.
"Bloody Lance Burns in the Bloodied Lands, Revealing Legacy Beyond the Ordinary." I intoned the code and the woman seemed like she heard a ghost, she turned pale and started having a crisis instantly and her eyes started to tear up.
She didn't take half a second; just hearing the code, she had already slightly broken, which meant at least her loyalty was absolute.
Everything was always easier when you know a few things. I, however, knew almost nothing about the Shadows. But one thing I knew: the code they used to identify me in case something happened, something my mother planned in the early years of life. I didn't take it too seriously, but it was quite simple to understand.
If something ever happened to her, the shadows' duty was this: to protect what is most important to me, Dante Scarlet.
That was the order Valentina gave in case something happened. I knew because, talking to Skyla, it was easy to extract information like this. At the same time, now, however, I just saw a poor little girl crying.
The sturdy woman was nothing but an abandoned puppy, crying in sobs. She looked at me again.
Snif
"How do you know about this?" she questioned, sobbing. She didn't even think about what was happening. It was a very strong trigger for someone who is so devoted to their services. A strong woman like that crying was both comical and sad.
"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting for so long, but rebuilding a body from scratch takes a lot of time, you know? After I died, it took me a long time to get something. It was quite lucky to be able to return," I said, jokingly, as I approached the woman and extended my hand.
"But you know, I would never leave my lovely wife alone in a world where I died, you know? So please, return to being my dear Valentina's subordinate, and also my Shadow," I said with a gentle smile, as the woman continued to be in shock.
"Y-Young M-master? Is it you? Dante?" She questioned, her face paled for a moment as she realized who stood before her, well, if she truly believed it would be very good.
"Well, I don't have anything young left in me anymore, and when I married Valentina, I inadvertently became her master by default, didn't I? And now... well, I'm stuck in this female body for a while, so Young Master doesn't quite fit me, at least not for now," I said with a smile, slightly chuckling at the situation, there were so many absurdities that I couldn't contain myself anymore.
"N-Never! This is impossible! You died ten years ago!" She roared, afraid that it might all be a figment of her imagination. After all, like the others, she had been waiting for Valentina's return all this time.
"It's complicated... But well, despite being doomed to have this body for this period, soon I'll return to my real appearance, it may take a few months but I assure you it's me," I said, extending my hand to her.
She hesitated for a few seconds, but with a trembling smile, she took my hand and quickly stood up.
Sniff
She resumed crying as she tried to dry her eyes with so many emotions. Her mask slightly fell, revealing the woman behind it. Beautiful, like a piece of art. Her silky, dark green hair, bright green eyes, and a tight black outfit that hugged her curves.
"Cough," I coughed to get her attention, and she looked at me.
"Could you explain the current situation to me? I'm... outdated by ten years, if you understand what I mean. I woke up a few days ago and I need help getting to Valentina. It will be easier this way if I have information, I'm already aware of the new Emperor to be declared, but the rest of the world is still out of my sight," I said.
"R-right!" She said and quickly straightened up, fixing her tear-stained face.