Two days had passed since the incident caused by Dante, which was dubbed "The Domination of the Demon King."
No one dared to utter Dante's name directly anymore. They either referred to him as Scarlet out of respect or as Demon out of arrogance. Dante had essentially become a celebrity.
He didn't care about the fame he had on Nighitter, a supernatural social network, or about his fan club profiles.
Despite his disregard, modern technology like the internet existed, albeit through a magical neural network created by a witch Morgana had been at odds with since childhood. Throughout this entire period, at Morgana's request, Dante had avoided anything related to Technomagic because his wife's words were like an eternal commandment to him.
During this time, his nightmares had become even more routine, and he forced himself to be something he was not.
Dante wanted to be left alone, but if everyone treated him like a demon, he would act like one. His mother taught him, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, blood for blood, and if someone does something to you, do it a thousand times worse. He knew his mother was quite similar to a certain woman, but he didn't know it was to this extent.
Dante was now the greatest terror that could exist. He was a demon in the body of a vampire, and the people around him regarded him as such, so he stopped caring about their glances. In fact, he even enjoyed this fame. It meant fewer people would really bother him...
Except for one in particular who had been relentlessly pursuing him... that would be Katarina Ainsworth. Dante had been trying to stay hidden from her lately, but she always found him. It was as if she had put a tracker on him... or rather, she had marked him with her scent. As a Catkin, she could do that since despite being humanoid, she still had her feline instincts, and it had reached an extreme.
She had tried every way to capture Dante, but even the Director had to intervene. She became slightly obsessed with Dante, and after her outburst at the end of the event...
Everyone thinks they're a couple, especially since Katarina refers to him as "Dear" wherever he goes.
Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, considering Katarina was one of the most heavenly beauties Dante had ever met. But on the other hand... Well, the vampire was having several domestic disputes with a certain woman with blue hair who was becoming bolder in her actions every day...
To the point of putting him to sleep in the living room, not helping him prepare breakfast, ignoring his existence, and especially... Talking to other men in Dante's presence...
And that was starting to bother Dante. It was like a trigger was constantly being set, and Dante couldn't decide what to do. At some point, the Russian roulette was going to be activated with a shot, my god, I feel sorry for anyone who meets that bullet...
Listening to the explanations from the teachers, Dante was now preparing for what would happen in a few weeks: the guild's first official mission of the first year. But a problem stood in his way.
Sara's heart still burned with anger and confusion because of Dante's unexpected kiss with Katarina. She couldn't understand why he let that happen, and the idea of him being with someone else ignited a fire within her. But she refused to show any sign of weakness or vulnerability in front of him. Instead, she decided to make him feel the same twinge of jealousy and frustration that she was feeling.
As they walked through the hallways, Sara made a point of greeting every boy they passed, giving them a bright smile and chatting casually. She knew Dante was watching, his gaze shifting between her and the other students, his expression unreadable. With each friendly exchange, she hoped to awaken something within him, to make him realize what he had to lose.
Meanwhile, Dante couldn't shake off the regret weighing on his shoulders, but it wasn't like he had any choice. Katarina was much stronger than him. He knew he had hurt Sara deeply with his impulsive actions, and the idea of her anger and disappointment haunted him.
However, he couldn't confront her or apologize for "his mistake." Instead, he chose to bury his feelings under a mask of indifference, to not show what he was feeling, but it was starting to become useless...
Dante was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, but he never said a word. He didn't want to give any openings to suggest that he was feeling jealous.
Yes, the all-powerful Demon King of Devastation was clearly feeling jealous of a mere Paladin girl of Justice, or rather... of Humility.
"Stay quiet and don't do anything. She'll get into the game, and everything will go wrong. Stay strong, Dante Scarlet, you're strong enough for this! Come on, boy! You can do it!" Dante shouted internally as he continued to walk.
Finally, when they turned a corner and found themselves alone in a corridor, Sara couldn't contain her emotions any longer. Turning to face Dante, her eyes blazing with anger and hurt, she confronted him head-on.
"Explain yourself before I take Durandal and rip your balls off," she demanded, her voice trembling with rage.
"The princess decided to listen to me, how impressive," Dante mocked Sara, who trembled with anger. She was beginning to turn as red as a tomato out of pure rage and fury; her feelings for him were clear, but she wouldn't dare admit it even a bit.
"Why did you let her kiss you?" She demanded again, and Dante felt his body being pressed by an invisible force and an insane thirst for killing.
"I didn't let anyone kiss me. She forced me, princess. She's dozens of times stronger than me! Believe me, it wasn't consensual," Dante replied as he continued to walk without looking at Sara. He was also angry, very angry indeed.
Sara's anger faltered for a moment when she looked into Dante's eyes, seeing raw honesty there. But the pain was deep, and she couldn't abandon it so easily. "Believe you? How can I believe anything you say when you're kissing other girls behind my back?!" Sara shouted.
Dante flinched at her words, his own guilt weighing heavily on him. "You know damn well it wasn't like that, Sara. I didn't plan it, and I was forced. It just... happened because I couldn't break free."
"Convenient apology," Sara retorted, her tone bitter. "Just like everything with you, Dante. You never think about the consequences of your actions."
The accusation stung, and Dante felt a wave of defensiveness rise within him. "That's not fair, Sara. You know I care about you."
"Care about me?" Sara scoffed, her anger reigniting. "If you cared about me, you wouldn't have kissed her. You wouldn't have betrayed my trust. I thought we were starting to have something!"
Dante's jaw clenched, his frustration spilling over. "What do you want from me, Sara? I've apologized. What more do you want, you want me to become a god instantly and go back in time?!" He mocked.
Sara took a step back, afraid of his tone, her anger giving way to hurt and sadness. "I want to trust you again, Dante," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But how can I, if you keep hurting me like this? First, you abandon me, then when I thought you were coming back to me... this happens."
Dante felt a pang of guilt in his chest, realizing the depth of Sara's pain. "I'm sorry, Sara," he said softly, his voice laden with remorse. "I'll do whatever it takes to make things right."
Sara met his gaze, searching his eyes for any sign of sincerity. After a moment, she nodded slowly with a heavy sigh, her resolve softening. "It's okay, Dante," she whispered, her voice almost inaudible. "I'll give you a chance."
. . .
Unknown Location.
"Did you hear?" commented a feminine voice, draped in a black cloak. With her remark, several nods were received in agreement, and she continued to speak.
"Due to the recent incidents, we need direction, any suggestions?" She asked, crossing her arms as her black hair lightly spilled out from the hood.
"Our representative is absent due to leads on the artifacts we seek. We've located the manuscript in the Akaar Desert in the South of the Capital of Khoz in the Werewolf Kingdom, in an ancient tomb," a man said, initiating their discussions.
"The Black Orb is located within the Kryoris Academy, unfortunately, the location is heavily guarded," another man commented, crossing his legs with a diabolical smile.
"Should we go after the Orb? I believe in terms of utility, it's our best bet at the moment. We might be able to use it to retrieve the rest of the artifacts," someone asked while sipping on a strange neon green drink.
"To infiltrate the academy, we need to eliminate the two Grand Masters and the Supreme Mage. What do you think we can do?" one of them commented.
"We could stage an incident. Since Kryoris has established a Sub-Guild, their students may leave the school. If we target the right individuals, those two might try to intervene," he said.
"It's not worth the risk."
As they began to discuss, a new figure entered the room. He wasn't wearing a cloak or hiding his appearance.
"Marlon," one of them said, glancing at the man with two horns on his head and a black trench coat.
"The Master has sent the plans," he said, disregarding everyone, and a hologram appeared with purple magic.
"The demonic sects are emerging, and my master has made contact with some of them," he said, turning to one of the agents present.
"Go to the Eastern Empire and assist in the search for the Celestial Demon's Legacy," he said, and the agent disappeared.
"In one of those churches, the Holy Grail is being guarded. Retrieve it," he said, and more agents disappeared.
"And me, Marlon?" The man who had been smiling asked.
Sigh
"Go to the small towns and villages, massacre them, and take the bodies of the dead. We're going to perform a sacrifice," he said, turning away.
"And you, Marlon? What will you do?" He asked as he stood up and adjusted his clothes.
"I'll go after a retired Supreme Mage," she commented, picking up a small magic sphere. "Head to the ancient catacombs that Kryoris has maintained, keep an eye out below the tenth floor. We need to retrieve that artifact."
The World Started to Move.