Dante’s Immortality – Chapter 117

“Are you familiar with them?” Jayden inquired, noting his reaction to Diana being from House Ailloss.

“You could say that.” Dante’s mind was reeling. Jayden said that Diana had been in the wastelands for a year and a half, which should be right around when he and Edward met. It explained why Edward was so interested in him. He likely needed someone to replace her.

Still, Edward sending his daughter to the wastelands to form an army seemed ambitious. Even for a noble.

“If you wish to eliminate Diana, we will need to wait until Alissa is finished with her. It would be rather rude to interrupt her plans.”

“I don’t want to eliminate her.” Dante rubbed his eyes. “And what plans?”

“She is using Diana to rid herself of those pestering ‘lords’ that she keeps around. They will be joining Diana on her little escapade.”

That was an interesting development. Though he didn’t understand why Alissa would do such a thing.

“I’m sure that Diana wouldn’t take them if they didn’t have their own combatants, wouldn’t it weaken your sisters position if they left? I can’t imagine that a city with this amount of wealth doesn’t have others eyeing it.”

“That is true enough,” Jayden acknowledged. “But they don’t have nearly as many combatants as they believe they do. I’m sure that you’ve seen the demographic of Sloria. All of those women have already started to find men for themselves. And even if we discount the number of combatants who have found a woman to tie them down, there will be many others who have grown used to a stable life here. I can’t imagine that they would willingly join an army to conquer the noble’s territory.”

Dante sat up. “Is that why she invited so many women and children to Sloria?”

“Her intentions are pure, if that is what you’re asking. That doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t take advantage of the situation though.” Jayden walked over to Shade with the intention of petting the fox, only stopping when he was hissed at. “It was a great deterrent when the city was under attack.”

Thinking back to Sloria’s unblemished state when the rest of the valley was almost destroyed, Dante had to agree that the buffer of refugees was effective, if that was the reason they didn’t directly invade the city.

Alissa might be just as dangerous as Jayden. With that line of thought, he couldn’t help but remember the way Alissa looked at him when Jayden said he had no use for Diana.

Dante’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you so vehement about following me?”

Jayden noted the severity of the question. He held up his right hand and slid down the glove that was covering it, revealing the symbol of the Goddess, one cooking Classification symbol, and a symbol of several intersecting lines that made up his Strategist Classification. “I am afraid that I am somewhat handicapped.” He slid the glove back down. “Which, to be blunt, means that tying myself to others is in my best interest. If you wish to know what I would like to accomplish, I would eventually like to kill my father. But I’m in no rush.”

Dante slumped back down onto the bed, not bothering to ask Jayden why he wanted to kill his father.

Just as he was about to experience his own mental breakdown, Shade perked up. Someone else had entered his courtyard.

Dante let out a relieved sigh. Victoria was finally back, and he was ready to leave. More than ready.

He looked out of the small room he and Jayden were in, full of expectations. Expectations that were utterly crushed when Dante saw Diana walking over to him. Or at least he was pretty sure it was Diana. He was having a hard time matching the girl in front of him with the one he had met earlier.

Diana was no longer covered in leather armor. Instead, she was wearing snug pants that clung to her figure and a loose fitting white shirt. Her ponytail was undone, leaving her thick black hair to fall down to her shoulders in waves. And the smell of blood was entirely gone. Apparently, she had bathed.

Dante stood, removing himself from his vulnerable sitting position.

Diana walked right into the room, greeting the two of them. Her eyes on him specifically. “Hello,” she said as she looked toward Jayden. “Could you please excuse the two of us.”

Dante also turned his attention to Jayden, motioning with his eyes that Jayden should refuse. Jayden didn’t seem to notice, or just ignored him. “Miss Diana, you look rather fetching.” Jayden looked between him and Diana. “I must say, it is hard not to be envious in your presence. I will, begrudgingly, excuse myself.” Without another word, Jayden strutted out of the room.

Dante took a deep breath. He was going to strangle Jayden.

Diana looked around the spacious wooden room with interest, noting the craftsmanship of the maple dressers and the scenic paintings that hung on the walls as decorations. The corners of her mouth curled. “I see that your accommodations are more favorable than mine. That is unsurprising.”

He should have asked Jayden whether or not he gave Diana his name. He didn’t know how often she contacted her father, news about him might have already reached her.

Despite being on edge, he decided to play along. “With the way Jayden treats me, I beg to differ.”

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“He is a bit strange, even compared to his sister,” Diana admitted. She looked at the bed. “May I sit?”

Apparently, this was going to be a long conversation. Dante gestured to the bed. “Be my guest.”

Diana didn’t stand on ceremony. She sat on the bed and crossed her legs in a manner that spoke of sophistication. She even began to pet Shade. And instead of stopping her, Dante ordered Shade to move closer. If push came to shove, the fox could at least be a distraction.

“I’m surprised that someone like you would bond with such a cute creature,” she said. A smile spreading across her face.

This meeting was far more casual than he would have thought, and he now looked silly standing on guard while she was sitting on the bed petting his pet fox. Dante leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Diana looked up from Shade. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Your fox just seems like a creature that women and young girls would adore, and you don’t seem like the type to chose based on that. Though, I suppose it’s fitting that you have an umbra fox, given that you are an assassin.”

Dante stared at Diana, unsure of what she was doing. She wouldn’t have come to see him without reason. He just wished she would get it over with and leave.

Diana continued, “We weren’t properly introduced earlier, and I was unable to get your name.”

Well, that was something. “Jack.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am sure you’re wondering why I am here.”

“Not really, you want Jayden.” Dante said, easing himself off the wall in preparation. “I am wondering what lengths you are willing to go to in order to acquire him though.”

Diana’s hand paused on Shade mid-stroke as one of her brows arched. “You think I want to kill you?”

“I think it is a possibility.”

Diana resumed stroking Shade, turning smug. “Am I that scary?”

She was acting as though he was the one being unreasonable when she smelt like blood only hours ago. “How else would you get Jayden?”

“Not by killing you,” she said. “Not only is there a possibility of Jayden and Alissa turning against me if I did, but I also have no intention of tangling with the assassin’s guild. I am actually acquainted with the branch located in the noble’s territory and wouldn’t want to tarnish the relationship I have with them. Besides, you and I aren’t enemies. Even if you are a large inconvenience at the moment.”

Looking at it from Diana’s point of view, killing him would be foolish. Dante once again relaxed against the wall. “Then why did you come here?”

“Because I need Jayden. Or Alissa, for that matter. You may not be aware of the matters in the noble’s territory, but one of the Houses has a commander that is almost on par with a Strategist. Without a Strategist of my own, even attempting to uproot his House would be foolish.”

“Some people might think that conquering the noble’s territory at all is foolish,” he countered.

Diana’s shoulders lifted into a shrug. “I probably wouldn’t argue with them. But I have no intention of staying in the wastelands for the rest of my life, and returning to the noble’s territory is equally impossible in my current situation.

“Which is why I need Jayden. I don’t understand why you don’t want him to help me, I’ll make sure to keep him out of harm’s way and return him to you as soon as possible.”

The way she was talking about Jayden was comical. It almost sounded like he was merchandise to be exchanged.

“I think you misunderstand. If Jayden wants to go with you he is welcome to. But I have no intention of joining in on the fun myself.”

“Yes, but for some reason he won’t go without you.” Diana paused. “If it’s a matter of pay, I am more than willing to negotiate. Even giving you a piece of land in the Outer region of the noble’s territory isn’t out of the question.”

That was actually tempting. He would be going back to the noble’s territory soon anyways. All he would need to do is drop Jayden off with Diana and most of his problems would be solved. And what’s more, he would get paid for it as well.

But he did have a few questions.

“Why would House Ailloss want to conquer the noble’s territory?”

Diana’s head cocked to the side. “Shouldn’t an assassin be jumping at an opportunity to accumulate so much wealth?”

“Being an assassin wasn’t exactly my first choice in profession,” Dante looked toward the courtyard, as if Victoria would choose that moment to appear. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“Fair enough,” Diana admitted. “I left because I was being forced into a marriage I wanted no part in. Once I march an army over the border, I’ll force my father to surrender and absorb his combatants. Once he signs a mana contract saying that he won’t force me into a marriage, my problems will be over.

“That is where I would stop, had I not created an army full of Warlords. But since I did, I’ll expend them on my family’s enemies to weaken their mercenaries while also keeping them busy enough to delay any mutiny. After that, I’ll just need to bother myself with the cleanup.”

“I’m guessing that you also promised those Warlords land?”

“I did,” Diana’s mouth formed into a sly smile. “But it’s worth pointing out that they will turn against me at the first opportunity. I don’t think I will have that problem with you.”

Dante rubbed his eyes for what seemed like the fifth time that day. Diana was actually starting to sound reasonable. Being tied down to a noble with marriage sounded like a nightmare to him, so he could empathize with her.

Though, building an army to force her father into surrendering was a bit much in his opinion.

“When do you need him and for how long?”

“It will take me around two months to amass my army and breach the border wall, and an additional two to march them to Devil’s Edge where the battle is taking place. So, four months,” Diana said. “As for how long the fighting will last… maybe another month? Possibly two, I’m not really sure. The location of the battle is a bit troublesome and suited for drawn out fights. Fortunately, I won’t be worried about losses.”

Unleashing Jayden without worrying about the losses on either side… That sounded like a calamity.

Dante pondered over the timeframe and what results that Diana’s plan would bring. From his perspective, helping her was too convenient to pass up. And while Jayden was dealing with House Calman on the frontlines, he could take advantage of their weakened position to handle his own business.

“And for payment?”

“I already offered land. I can give you enough territory to establish a powerful House.”

“Not interested,” he brushed what she said aside. “Monster and essence crystals interest me though.”

Even after completing the dungeon he was fighting Jace over, he would need an additional four monster crystals.

Diana contemplated it. “I’ll offer you the same as Jayden. Five high-quality dungeons. And you can keep the essence crystals from the monsters.”

He was getting scammed. Going from being offered actual land to only five monster crystals was horrendous. But since he didn’t want to interact with Diana again in the future, he decided that the small deal would leave little room for any future dealings with her. Just a single one-time transaction, then they could go their own ways.

“That’s fine.”

“Excellent!” Diana lifted Shade off of her lap and placed the fox on the bed. Then she stood and dusted any lingering hairs from the fox off of her pants, smiling triumphantly. “Was there really any need to play hard to get?”

Dante rolled his eyes. “I’ll deliver Jayden to the noble’s territory sometime in the next for months.” He already knew Jayden wouldn’t have a problem with it. He was practically jumping at Diana’s offer earlier.

Diana nodded. “I’ll see you then.”

Diana walked out of the wooden room and Dante slumped back down onto the bed.