Iberia, an unnamed coastline.
After a barrage of merciless criticism, a slightly out-of-breath Irene finally stopped firing.
She put her hands on her hips, her face still flushed, and her tone returned to that of admonition:
"Phew... In short! Your actions have had an extremely negative impact! Please, please, please don't do this again!"
Vane lay on her side on the beach, hugging her knees, facing the sea, leaving only her colorless silhouette.
"Gome Nasai... I'm sorry for being born a human."
Seeing that gloomy appearance, Irene's strong sense of justice cooled slightly, and her tone softened:
"Um... I'm sorry, I might have been a bit too harsh just now."
"Although, although you do have... some not-so-good behavioral tendencies, you're a... uh, I mean, a maverick."
"... But you haven't really hurt us so far, so you can still be considered... I'm sorry!"
Irene couldn't deceive herself. Vane buried his face in the sand, wanting to bury himself on the spot.
"Irene... stop talking."
Dario, with a subtle expression, pulled back his beloved student who was about to continue "comforting" him; this was the first time he had realized how venomous her words could be.
Watching Vane gradually sink into the sand, Dario also felt a bit of a headache.
Whether the legendary Shapeshifters would have such... rich emotional reactions and "shameful" behavior, he didn't know.
But at least one thing can be preliminarily confirmed: this guy in front of them has no ill intentions towards them.
Should we ask the other party to cooperate with the investigation...?
Dario dismissed the idea in his mind; that kinetic energy-absorbing power was too strange... He should report it to the Inquisition first.
Only...
Dario's gaze swept over the unconscious man in black robes on the ground, and over the young Aegir who had been trying to curl up since they started arguing.
Setting aside his doubts for the moment, Dario asked in as calm a tone as possible:
"Change... cough, sir,"
"Could you please explain the purpose of your visit? And, these people...?"
He gestured to the man in the black robe and the boy named Aegir.
"You definitely meant to say 'pervert' just now, didn't you...?"
Vane lifted his sand-covered face, his eyes filled with resentment.
Dario paused for a moment, then chose to be honest:
"... Yes."
"Too honest! Couldn't you have at least tried to hide something and be considerate of my fragile heart?!" Vane said bitterly.
Dario: "..."
Vane sighed deeply, finally accepting the label of "pervert" that he couldn't shake off for the time being.
"Go back to the sea... and don't let me see you for now."
Brushing the sand off his face and standing up, Vane gave orders to the Bloodline Heir who stood silently around him.
The Bloodline Heir acted immediately, leaping into the sea and leaving only ripples in their wake.
Irene cried out in surprise, instinctively trying to stop him, but Dario held her tightly.
Watching the Bloodline Heir disappear, Vane turned to Dario and shrugged.
"My purpose in coming here... would you believe me if I said it was all just an absurd accident?"
Dario watched him silently, while Vane gave a slight smirk.
"Alright... just consider me a lost traveler, and as for those guys, consider them creations of my Originium Arts."
"Traveler?"
Irene blinked, puzzled.
Are you lost? Do you need help?
Vane nodded without denying it, while Dario calmly picked up the conversation:
"If you are simply lost... please tell us where you came from. The Inquisition is not heartless."
"Assuming there is no harm, we can try to help you contact your hometown or arrange a safe journey home."
"You can't do it."
Without hesitation, Vane answered affirmatively.
"And... I can't remember the way home either."
"Have you forgotten?" Irene was even more confused, and also felt a little sympathetic.
"Is your hometown... so, so far from Iberia? So far that even your memory of it is hazy?"
"Yes..." Vane gazed at the sea, his voice almost merging into the sound of the waves.
"So far away that it's almost impossible to go back."
The sea breeze carried a salty smell. Dario looked at the suspicious man, pondered for a moment, and then made a decision:
"Since that's the case...until you 'remember' your way home, or until we uncover the truth,"
Dario's voice regained the composure and strength characteristic of Inquisitor.
"Sir traveler, would you please return to the Inquisition with us for the time being?"
"Perhaps... we can provide you with a temporary place to stay and help you sort out your current situation."
"Do you think I won't understand just because you've phrased 'detention' more politely?"
Vane crossed his arms and looked at Dario with amusement.
"You're joking,"
Dario remained unfazed, making no attempt to conceal his true feelings.
"Then, let's try another approach. Since you're unwilling to accept the Inquisition's temporary guardianship... could you please let us leave? We still have important tasks to complete."
"No!"
Vane's expression suddenly turned fierce. He took a step forward, his aura of pressure emanating from him, though barely perceptible.
"You all saw what happened... Did you really think I would let you go so easily?!"
Dario's heart tightened, and he instinctively shielded Irene behind him.
Vane's "threats" followed one after another, his tone sinister:
"I know! The first thing you'll do when you get back is report it to the Inquisition, right?"
Dario did not deny that this was indeed standard procedure:
"The necessary reporting and risk assessment are for the safety of Iberia..."
"You dare tell anyone about what happened to me—"
Vane interrupted him, took another step closer, and leaned in close to Dario, saying each word slowly and deliberately.
"I will make them look like Inquisitor and make them run naked in the squares of every town in Iberia."
Dario: "???"
Irene: "!!"
For the first time, a crack appeared on Dario's face. He looked at Vane in disbelief, trying to make sure he had heard correctly.
"You heard me right,"
Vane was pleased with the other person's expression, arms crossed, like a mischievous child.
"I mean what I say. If you dare write a report, I'll make the entire Terra laugh at the Inquisition."
"You... you bastard!!"
Irene's face flushed red with anger, her finger trembling as she pointed at Vane, before she finally managed to utter a single sentence.
"And I was just thinking you... ugh!"
Dario covered his apprentice's mouth, as if he had aged twenty years in an instant.
He had never encountered such an opponent before.
Their strength is unpredictable, their behavior is erratic and unpredictable, and their methods of threat are utterly outrageous!!
Silence spread across the beach, the waves continued to crash.
After a long silence, Dario exhaled a breath of stale air and made a difficult decision.
"... Can you guarantee that you will not intentionally harm this land and its people while you are in Iberia?"
Vane blinked, surprised that the other person would ask that question.
"How do you know I won't cause harm if you don't keep an eye on me?"
"..."
"However," Vane changed the subject, shrugging.
"You can stay right next to me and keep an eye on things. Close surveillance to ensure compliance."
"We still have a mission to complete," Dario pointed out the practical difficulties.
"A mission?" Vane curled his lip, tapping the unconscious black-robed man on the ground with his toe.
"The Church of the Deep, right? Aren't there two lying here? Doesn't that count as part of the mission?"
Dario's eyes narrowed, and his gaze toward the man in black robes sharpened.
"Even so, we cannot be away from our posts for long and stay with you indefinitely," Dario insisted.
"It's okay~"
Vane suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent a chill down Dario's spine.
"Until I find a way to safely cause amnesia, you'll all have to cooperate."
He extended his hand to Dario, his face bearing a mixture of malice and seriousness:
"Vane, a Blood Vampire, is currently a lost traveler."
Dario stared silently at the outstretched hand, the setting sun casting a deep shadow on his face.
Vane waited a few seconds, and seeing that the other party did not react,
"What? Scared? I won't suck your blood."
Snap!
A clear clapping sound rang out.
In Vane's slightly widened eyes, he saw Dario's hand reflected in his palm.
Dario's face regained its composure, his gaze fixed on Vane, his voice calm:
"Dario, an Inquisitor, nothing more."
He paused, then continued, each word clear and forceful:
"The Inquisitor fears neither anyone nor anything."
"Our duty is to protect Iberia, and every person who seeks peace in this land—regardless of where they come from or what their identity is."
The sea breeze lifted the hem of his clothes, and the twilight light gilded his silhouette with a golden glow.
At this moment, he was no longer just an awkward prisoner, but had once again become the Inquisitor who protected his homeland.
Vane paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Haha--Not bad, Oreo."
He squeezed Dario's hand tightly, then released it.
"It's Dario," the Inquisitor calmly corrected.
"Okay, Oreo, no problem, Oreo."
Irene watched the two go from confrontation to handshake in complete bewilderment, not keeping up with the pace at all.
When Dario suggested that the two men in black robes on the ground needed to be interrogated immediately, Vane shrugged and said it was fine.
After the two men walked away, Vane calmed down a bit.
Even if it wasn't the first time, when those familiar names and faces from the game actually came to life and stood in front of me.
The awe-inspiring feeling of transcending dimensions remains vivid.
He turned his head, looked at the burning sunset on the sea, and stretched.
Fine, if he's a pervert, then so be it.
Anyway, Vampire's reputation in Terra wasn't good to begin with, so one more label won't make a difference.
Turning around, Vane approached Dario, who was conducting preliminary questioning of the man in black, intending to offer the stern Inquisitor some advice.
A new journey is about to begin.
Let those dark histories of the past be blown away by the sea breeze.
After all...
No one can be unlucky forever, right?