When the grand Vampire King announced that Dante Scarlet was one of the Vampire Counts, it triggered chaos throughout the world... Not just the Vampire world, but the world in a general context.
Although the capital city, Yharnam, served as the home for all Vampires in the world, it wasn't quite like that... There were commercial areas and spaces specifically for the development of other races, like Witches...
And when we talk about Witches... We know what we're talking about, right? Global Transmission Magic... Yes, at this point... Everyone knew that Dante Scarlet had been promoted to Vampire Count...
And it was just idiotic how their reaction affected everything...
I mean...
Why are they afraid of a Vampire Count? Since he is a Demon King! It even sounds contradictory, but... Isn't a count inferior to a King?
It was for another reason... If he was being referred to as a Count, it meant that the global power balance had shifted again, now... Vlad had not only the Demon King but also the Goddess of the Lance by his side.
Everyone already knew that Valentina had stopped following Vlad, and news that Valentina had faithfully joined Dante was already circulating around the world, but now, the hierarchy had been shaken again.
The title of Demon King is truly incredible, but in the Supernatural world, it makes no sense. Why? Because if only one Demon lives in this world, how can he compare to a whole Race? It's really confusing how these people think, but now...
Dante was again at the top of the world and at the center of attention... This is because only a few know about his true current strength... If they knew he had a Progenitor Goddess by his side...
Fortunately, Morgana did a good job of hiding everything about Voralith, Lilith, and Fey.
Imagine if the world found out that only one man possesses an ancient Dragon God, a Progenitor Goddess, and a World Tree.
"That's very funny," Dante said, having completely changed his appearance using his vampire abilities.
He was actually testing all this that he had ignored... If his Valentina who taught him so much heard this... He would really be dead underground.
"Funny?" Rose questioned, walking beside him...
"I generally haven't had much fun, walking around the city pretending to be someone else, without my worries—it's really funny and enjoyable," Dante replied lightly.
Dante was now taking on the appearance of a famous Vampire from his other world. He wore a dark suit, riding boots, a tie, a long red overcoat, and a red fedora with a flexible brim to cover his long black hair.
'If I had two guns called Casull and Jackal...' he thought with a smile, "So, what do you want to do, little girl?" Dante asked the girl perched on his shoulders.
At this exact moment, Dante was on a date.
It might sound almost surreal and a bit ridiculous, considering his position and the nature of the world he was in.
The Demon King, a being of immeasurable power and an overwhelming presence, was sitting across from an ordinary woman—a single widow who, besides dealing with her own adversities, had a young daughter.
The situation was a funny paradox; from the outside, it was just very amusing!
"I want to eat sweet daggers!" the little girl exclaimed with contagious enthusiasm, her eyes shining with childish energy. But Rose, with a serious expression and a firm tone, cut the girl's excitement with a simple "No."
"Boring!" the little girl retorted, her frustration evident in the way her small fists clenched. Dante, observing the scene with growing interest, decided to intervene.
"What's your name?" Dante murmured, almost as if speaking to himself but with a genuine touch of curiosity. "I know it's rude, but I really don't remember..."
The little girl, with a softness that contrasted with her irritated expression, replied, "Of course you don't remember. I didn't let you think you could ask." She paused, her eyes shining with an intelligence beyond her age. "Ophis. That's my name."
Dante looked at her, his thoughts revolving around the name he had just heard. 'Why do little girls have names of legendary dragons from strange mythologies? Ophis is the name of Ouroboros, the Dragon of Infinity,' Dante reflected, with controlled surprise. 'Nothing more surprising from a little girl who is, apparently, an enigma.'
However, the surprise intensified when a soft and ethereal voice echoed in Dante's mind. 'You catch on quickly, little one.'
'W-What?!' Dante thought, his mind reeling with the sudden mental intrusion.
'As I said... I didn't let you think of my name... Little one,' the voice continued, a tone of amusement evident in its words. Dante could almost feel the smile that accompanied the voice as it seemed to hold his head, a gesture that somehow conveyed a disturbing intimacy. 'Hello... Red Dragon Emperor.'
The mention of the ancient title made Dante's body shudder. 'Good to know you reincarnated Azi Dahaka,' the voice continued, with a melancholic tone. 'A pity you are no longer the Great Dragon Emperor, but we move on, don't we? I'm not a Dragon anymore, not completely.'
Dante thought of the previous reincarnations he had encountered: Tsukiyomi and Amaterasu, Li Mei, Kazzes, and Cherry. Now, it was something even worse than a reincarnation from his first life... 'Ouroboros.'
'So cute,' Ophis's voice resonated again, with a note of irony. 'We'll talk later, okay? For now, help this woman stop being a cruel bitch. She annoys me. I want sweets.'
Dante looked at the scene before him, and a sigh escaped his lips. The situation was undoubtedly absurd, but there was something inevitably captivating about the little girl's insistence.
"Let's buy sweets," Dante said firmly, his voice steady as he tried to follow the peculiar direction the events were taking. Ophis, upon hearing the decision, couldn't suppress a satisfied smile, her eyes sparkling with mischievous joy.
"Be like him, you see?!" Ophis exclaimed, making a playful face and sticking her tongue out at Rose. Rose's reaction was instant, her expression changing to one of disgust, as if she had swallowed something bitter.
"Come on, it's just candy. It's not that bad, is it?" Dante asked, his voice laden with an attempt at rationalization. He turned to Rose, who had taken on a new appearance—a detail he noticed but didn't comment on. Rose, however, placed her hand on her head with a resigned sigh.
"She only thinks about sweets..." Rose replied, her voice tinged with exasperation.
Dante, Ophis, and Rose walked through the vampire city, the atmosphere still charged with the chaos caused by Vlad's statements, which had forced them to blend in.
As they progressed, they reached the city's central market. The market was a strange labyrinth of shops with odd names... But what stood out were the extra stalls in a sort of plaza... Clearly not created by Vampires. Each one offered an impressive variety of goods—from exotic spices and enchanted potions to culinary delights of all kinds.
The environment was lively and chaotic, with vendors shouting their offers and the smell of food and spices mingling in the air.
Most? Goods distributed by witches.
Ophis, her eyes sparkling with excitement, ran from stall to stall, examining the sweets with an almost reverent interest. "Look at this!" She exclaimed, pointing to a bar of red chocolate with intricate shapes that looked almost magical. "I want to try this!"
Dante, keeping a watchful eye, approached the stall and bought the bar. Ophis accepted the candy with a satisfied smile and took a bite, her eyes closing in pleasure at the taste. "Delicious!" she declared, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
They came across a stall of colorful caramels that, when tasted, revealed surprisingly exotic flavors like lavender and black pepper. Each candy seemed to have a magical quality, mixing flavors in unexpected and delightful ways.
The little girl jumped for joy with each new flavor she tried, while Dante and Rose exchanged looks of understanding and resignation.
'To think a joke would lead me to actually find a Dragon... Damn...' Dante thought as he followed along... 'At least she's cute... even if she's millions of years old.'
Rose, although seeming a bit less enthusiastic than the others, found some pleasure in Ophis's liveliness. "I can't deny," she said with a slight smile, "her joy is contagious, even if it's just because of sweets."
Eventually, the trio found a stall selling a kind of magical cake, covered with a glaze that seemed to glow softly. Ophis, with a look of pure delight, tried a piece and let out a sigh of happiness. "This is definitely the best of all!"
Dante, watching the little girl savor the sweets, felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.
"At least she's not destroying a universe like the last time I saw her," he thought, already searching his memory for where he had seen Ouroboros in his past life and recalling a few things...
Some things he wondered might affect his judgment of this little girl now...
"I can't keep thinking about this..."
"Hey, let's go over there!" she said, pointing to a dress shop... Rose looked at him and sighed, "Alright, let's go."