Thanks to Batista, they now knew where they had to go. Sophie, Rosika, and Siegfried prepared themselves.
Sophie: "Alright... Esperedo."
Siegfried: "Let's hope... we find something."
Rosika: "Mhm."
Siegfried: "(Yawns)... And let's hope the werewolf shows up."
They set off.
Siegfried: "Hmm..."
Rosika: "Hmm... So that Batista injured Fiona and Marcus."
Sophie: "Back then they were really good at getting themselves into danger over and over again... Well, they were young. Marcus recovered from the trauma... but Fiona never really did."
Rosika: "Does Fiona have that many scars?"
Sophie: "So do I. All of us do. Around here, we usually cover them with tattoos. Once there are too many... Want to see mine?"
Rosika: "Ugh."
She stretched out her arm and showed the side beneath her armpit.
Sophie: "This scar came from a gunshot. I barely survived, but luckily it missed every vital organ. And here..."
She showed her back.
Sophie: "As you can see, I have a seagull tattoo, but you can still see part of the scar. I didn't want a huge tattoo."
Siegfried: "I understand..."
Sophie: "I have one on my butt too..."
Siegfried: "Ugh."
Sophie: "Forget it."
Siegfried: "Too bad..."
Sophie: "I'm telling you this because... you two could end up getting injured too. So be careful."
Rosika: "I have a scar..."
Siegfried: "Really? Where?"
Rosika: "On my leg..."
Sophie: "Don't show him."
Rosika: "Huh?... Oh right... okay."
Sophie: "How did you get it?"
Rosika: "Oh... Miss Daisy told me to crawl into a basement. When I did... one of the bandits attacked me and wounded me."
Sophie: "Now I want to see it too. Show me."
Rosika revealed it.
Sophie: "Ugh... That looks painful."
Rosika: "It goes all the way to the beginning of my stomach. Luckily my thorns and Miss Daisy healed it quickly."
Sophie: "Miss Daisy?"
Rosika: "Hehe... Miss Daisy isn't like you or Fiona. She really likes being called Miss or Honored Lady."
Sophie: "Hahh... I guess she enjoys showing off..."
(Silence)
Siegfried: "First, we need to find the werewolf..."
Sophie: "Yeah... I hope he really is in Esperedo."
Siegfried: "Question... How long are we staying in Villicia?"
Sophie leaned against the carriage seat.
Sophie: "Well... I think we'll stay here for a very long time. Maybe even years. We stayed in the Slavic Kingdom for over a year. I assume we'll stay here at least that long. Villicia used to work with the Owls, but they ran into problems and left without saying anything. That's why they contacted Dark Umbrella, and now we're here. Since we're new, we first have to earn the trust of the Villician authorities, complete missions, and support them for as long as possible. There's actually a good chance we'll stay here permanently... though I doubt it. The Master wants a main headquarters in Dehl or Dukewood. Since Dehl is already full, it'll probably be Dukewood. Many of us come from there. Ms. Valentine, Fiona, Daisy, and Oliver. It makes sense. Not to mention Meliodas lived near Dukewood, so he knows the area well."
Siegfried: "I see."
Sophie: "Still, it's also possible that it won't be Dehl or Dukewood... and we'll simply remain here."
Siegfried: "Hmm..."
Rosika: "Hmm... I like Villicia. It's beautiful, the people are kind, and don't forget Celia is here."
Sophie: "Yeah. That's why the Master is even considering making Villicia the main branch of Lily Moon. He originally wanted Dehl or Dukewood, but he told me this place is also a possibility. We've built really good relationships here. The people are kind, and our neighbors know us by now. So... I think staying here would be fine. I'm sure Fiona wouldn't mind either."
Siegfried: "I agree. We could stay here."
Sophie: "Good... I'll let Meliodas know."
Rosika: "What do you actually think about Master Meliodas?"
Sophie: "Meliodas... is the one who turned Dark Umbrella from a truly terrible organization into... at least a somewhat respectable one. He changed Dark Umbrella's rules. Back then, anyone who left Dark Umbrella, whether willingly or not, was executed. He abolished that rule. He also changed the rules regarding human experiments. They are no longer allowed to take orphaned or homeless children and torture them through experiments. He even allowed members to have relationships. In the past, that wasn't allowed, especially not with someone outside Dark Umbrella. A lot changed under Meliodas. Unfortunately, the higher ranking members weren't happy with his leadership, and he had to step down into more of a mentor role. After him came Lady Natasha. She caused countless problems. Eventually, after Fiona discovered that Lady Natasha had been working with several dark organizations, Fiona killed her. And for almost four years now, Ms. Valentine has been the leader. She's somewhere in the middle. Not as kind as Meliodas, but not as cruel as Lady Natasha."
Siegfried: "Let's say she resigns. Who takes over?"
Sophie: "Hmm... Rosalie isn't that far from it... but I think... Milim."
Rosika: "The half elf?"
Sophie: "Yeah. The pretty girl who's almost always quiet. Still... she's incredibly smart. Lady Natasha trained her, but so did Ms. Valentine. I think... she won't be exactly like Meliodas or Ms. Valentine. Then there's someone else... I really hope it won't be him. His name is Jose Wood."
Siegfried: "Why don't you want him to become the leader?"
Sophie: "Because he's a fool. He once poisoned an entire school because he claimed there was a Nemesis hiding among the students. It turned out there wasn't. Three hundred students died for absolutely nothing. No investigation. No evidence. He simply ordered it. We had to pay compensation to the parents afterward... but no amount of money can ever replace someone's child. Pay them as much as you want... it changes nothing. He doesn't like Marcus, Daisy, or Fiona. Marcus isn't impressive enough in his eyes. Daisy is too disrespectful, which... might actually be true, but she's still kind. And Fiona... he hates that she only listens to Meliodas or Ms. Valentine. On top of that, Fiona refused to save his daughter during a mission where several children died. His daughter died as well, and Fiona never even visited her grave. When he asked why, she asked him if he had visited the graves of the children he had killed years ago. Let's just say... Fiona is strict about those things. Daisy also refused to work with him... and even called him a son of a bitch right in front of his own son. Honestly, nobody likes the guy. He's a narcissist... an arrogant asshole... and a child murderer. I refused to work with him too. The only one who accepted because of his loyalty to Dark Umbrella was Tom Fog."
The carriage driver stopped.
Carriage Driver: "Hey, we're here."
Sophie: "Thank you. Head back to Dark Umbrella. It's too dangerous here."
Carriage Driver: "Alright."
They got out.
Sophie: "Esperedo... so..."
Siegfried: "Hmm..."
Rosika: "And... how are we supposed to find him?"
Sophie: "Batista said... an old werewolf who has lost control..."
Siegfried: "Hmm... Do you really think so?"
Sophie: "Well... he might be trying to mislead us... but I don't think so. I don't think he's trying to fool us. Anyway... let's go."
They walked along the road. It was built on a mountainside, surrounded by countless trees, grass, and flowers.
Rosika: "Huh... It smells like flowers."
Sophie: "Yeah..."
Siegfried: "Hmm..."
Rosika: "I love flowers."
Siegfried: "Huh?"
They suddenly stopped.
Rosika: "I smell... blood."
Siegfried: "Yeah... I smell blood too."
Sophie: "Oh, you two are so annoying with that... How can you even smell it? I can't even smell the damn plate sitting right in front of me!"
She pinched her nose.
Sophie: "Ugh..."
Siegfried: "(Sweats)... Wow... you're really irritated."
Sophie: "No."
Rosika: "Well... Siegfried, why is your sense of smell so strong? Mine is because I trained it since I'm blind."
Siegfried: "Ah..."
Sophie: "Let me guess... you trained yours by sniffing women's underwear."
Siegfried: "...No... My mother owned a flower shop."
Sophie: "Oh."
Siegfried: "Well... after that I started sniffing women's underwear."
Sophie: "Ugh... At least you're honest."
Siegfried: "I was a kid... I was just fascinated."
Sophie: "Hahh... Let me guess. You thought women don't poop or fart?"
Siegfried: "How did you know that?!"
Sophie: "Trust me... a lot of boys think that. And believe me... we women fart a lot too."
Rosika: "What do you mean 'we'? You're the only one who farts every minute while sleeping."
Sophie: "(Sweats)... Hey..."
Siegfried: "Oh... so it was you? I thought it was Rosika."
Rosika: "Huh?... Hey..."
She pouted.
Rosika: "That's mean..."
Siegfried: "Okay... let's change the subject... Um..."
Sophie: "Huh?"
Rosika: "What?"
Siegfried: "Over there... Is... is there a werewolf standing in front of us?"
Sophie: "Huh?"
Rosika: "Ugh..."
Siegfried: "Hmm... He's just... standing there..."
Sophie: "Hey... that's... that's actually creepy."
Rosika: "Well... luckily I can't see it... but... yeah... it sounds creepy."
Sophie: "Hey... do something. Don't just stand there staring at us."
Siegfried: "...Hmm? Maybe he's traumatized."
Sophie: "Why?"
Siegfried: "We were just talking about women farting."
Sophie: "(Sweats)... Yeah... good point..."
He slowly began to move.
Werewolf: "Please... leave."
Sophie: "Huh?"
Werewolf: "I... don't... want to hurt humans anymore... Please... leave... before the moon rises... please."
Sophie: "Wait... Are you the one who killed those people?"
Werewolf: "Yes... I am... Something is wrong with me... My bloodlust is stronger than usual... Ghh..."
Siegfried: "You're losing your mind."
Werewolf: "Stop... It has nothing to do with that... Something is wrong... Ugh..."
He suddenly paused.
Werewolf: "I... smell something... Something is coming toward us... What is that?... A vampi..."
(Slash!)
The werewolf was cut down and collapsed.
Sophie: "Seriously?... Another loser."
Siegfried: "(Sweats)... Why are you annoyed? Do you want us to get killed?"
Rosika: "Um... everyone..."
The vampire turned around.
Vampire: "Hmm... Two beautiful women... Hmph... I'll start with the boy. I'll kill you... I don't want your blood."
He attacked Siegfried, but Siegfried blocked him.
Vampire: "Ugh."
Sophie: "Ugh... Siegfried?"
Rosika: "Huh?"
Siegfried transformed. His skin became covered with flowers, his eyebrows changed as well, and his skin turned gray like metal.
Siegfried: "Hahh..."
Sophie: "Wait... You can control plants too?"
Siegfried: "Run. He's strong... Werewolves aren't supposed to be killed by vampires."
He punched the vampire away.
Vampire: "Hhhh... I understand... So that's how it is..."
Siegfried: "Ugh."
The werewolf from earlier suddenly appeared behind the vampire.
Vampire: "Huh?"
The wolf grabbed him with both hands and bit his head clean off.
(Splash!)
Sophie: "Ugh..."
Siegfried: "Ugh..."
Werewolf: "Hahhh... I wasn't mistaken... You're a human... but you're also a monster..."
He looked at Sophie and walked toward her.
Sophie: "Idiot!"
(Bang!)
Werewolf: "Hahaha."
Sophie: "Ugh..."
Siegfried: "No... Forget it."
He grabbed the werewolf by the tail and hurled him away.
Siegfried: "Hahhh... Fight like a man!"
Werewolf: "Rooaaarrr!"
He charged at him.
Siegfried punched him in the stomach.
Werewolf: "Urk..."
Siegfried: "Ghh..."
He grabbed hold of him.
Siegfried: "Sophie! Shoot him in the back!"
Sophie: "Ugh... Okay."
She aimed at his back. He struggled, but she fired and hit him.
Werewolf: "Ugh... Arghh..."
He fell to the ground.
Siegfried: "Hahhh... Hahh..."
Sophie: "...Ugh... Siegfried..."
Siegfried: "It's not a flower curse... and not stone. It's metal. My skin."
Sophie: "Huh?... I don't understand... What kind of curse is that?"
Siegfried: "I told you... I'm an Arcanist. I have both a curse and an arcane ability. This is my arcane ability. I can harden my skin."
Sophie: "And... the flowers... on your skin?"
Siegfried: "Oh... those... That's part of the curse. I guess it's time to explain it. My curse causes plants to grow inside me. Every five years I fall asleep in unbearable pain and wake up again. It's not death... more like a coma. Because of those plants, my sense of smell became much stronger."
Sophie: "How did it happen?"
Siegfried: "Hahh... I once stepped on a flower... and unfortunately for me, that flower happened to be one of Rumpelstiltskin's favorite flowers. So he cursed me. It's not like Rosika's ability to control thorns. I only gained an enhanced sense of smell for flowers... and heightened perception."
Rosika: "Oh no... Does it hurt?"
Siegfried: "Hmm?... Yes... It does. It's a curse... Just like your blindness... except mine wasn't something I was born with."
Rosika: "Hmm."
Sophie: "Why did you never tell us or show us that you could turn your skin into metal?"
Siegfried: "Because I don't like it... I look terrible like this."
Rosika: "That's not true."
Sophie: "No offense, Rosika... but you're blind, so telling him he doesn't look terrible probably won't comfort him. But... Siegfried... you've misunderstood something about these powers. You actually look... okay. Can you harden your whole body?"
Siegfried: "Hmm?... Yes. It's a complete transformation. I can't just turn one arm into metal."
Sophie: "Hahh... Okay... Well, I guess we've settled the matter with the werewolf... So... let's head back."
Siegfried: "Okay."
Rosika: "Yeah."