CHAPTER 35: WEREN’T THEY IN YOUR OLD LANDS?

Dante cut apart several guards, trying to stop him from entering the nearby tower; their blood painted the walls and scared the remaining soldiers. Alarms blared, but he ignored them as the Death Knights killed everyone else at his command. Now that the ramparts were cleared, he headed toward the keep.

An older man in fine clothing stepped out with the last of his personal guard, looking scared, but he signalled for Gilbert the Bloodraven Knight to kill them, which he did instantly. He vanished, only to reappear behind the soldiers, three slices the eight men dropped dead as the City Lord was pushed forward.

’’Why are you doing this?! We’ve done nothing to you, Necromancer!’’ the Darkmoore noble pleaded.

’’There’s no reason, I choose Dreadport randomly, but for the other cities they will get destroyed as well, it’s only fair I give them the same fate,’’ he answered the human.

The City Lord looked shocked. He was just about to reply, but Dante cut his head off with a swift strike. Blood splattered on the ground below, causing him to order the Death Knights. ’’Loot every bit of wealth, food, and wine from the city. I’m going to rest in the Domain.’’

Dante stepped into his realm and made his way to the treehouse he’d built long ago, only to freeze in surprise upon entering the building. The interior was sparsely furnished, featuring a few worn sofas, a simple bed tucked in the corner, and a set of sturdy shelves. Mana lights were lighting up the small space.

’’This place will be good to hide in during the nights, but it costs mana to stay in here,’’ he muttered.

Following that, Dante took off his shirt and boots before collapsing onto the bed, only to relax into the comfortable mattress. He soon fell asleep, only to be woken up hours later as Medea appeared in the treehouse. ’’My Lord, we’ve looted the city, and the Domain is full of bodies. Sulla has sent out two more armies from the leftovers.’’

’’Huh?’’ he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Dante nodded when realizing the Plague Maiden was sent in here because the others didn’t want to enter. This made him laugh, but soon enough, he sent out a Death Bird made from his mana to see what was happening with Dreadport. This would allow him to see if the Darkmoore Kingdom sent anyone to check out the now ruined city.

Before falling into a trance, he spoke to Medea. ’’Have the others rest, and have Bella come here.’’

’’Yes, my lord,’’ she responded and vanished.

Dante lay back down as his vision went to the Death Bird, who was sitting on top of the City Lord’s home, watching the burning city churn black clouds into the air, blocking out the morning sun. The creature’s head turned toward the docks only to notice several ships entering the now-empty port.

At his command, it soared toward the port and landed on a Darkmoore naval ship. He surveyed the unfamiliar soldiers, mages, and warriors, a wave of confusion rising within him just as Bella stepped into the treehouse. His attention was drawn to the blonde elf who was wearing a nice dress.

As Dante finally took a moment to observe Bella, he found her beauty surpassed that of Ashley and the other heroes in his previous life. He hadn’t often considered other races, but his gaze now lingered on the elf’s hourglass figure and the way her big chest strained against the fabric.

’’What are you looking at?’’ she curiously asked.

’’You.’’

Bella’s cheeks flushed as she noticed Dante’s gaze on her chest, quickly moving to cover herself. Dante let out a soft chuckle, then offered a reassuring smile. ’’I find you beautiful,’’ he said gently. ’’I’ve never looked at an Elf this way before; it’s new to me.’’

’’Why? Weren’t they in your old lands?’’

’’No, where I’m from, humans are the only race,’’ he admitted openly. ’’Then we arrived in this world, surrounded by demi-humans, elves, and dwarves. I never fully adjusted, so I kept my distance. Honestly, it’s one of my regrets from my past life.’’

When Bella heard this, her blue eyes lit up as she replied in a whisper. ’’So you want to get to know me?’’

’’There’s a reason you’re not dead, Bel,’’ he said, pulling out some wine and downing some. ’’You interested me.’’

Just then, the Elf bounded across the treehouse and suddenly hugged him. The touch for foreign to him, but all he did was scowl at the young woman who giggled at his reaction before kissing him on the cheek.

’’Thanks for not killing me,’’ she chirped. ’’I see there’s some kindness in you.’’

Dante pushed her away. ’’Enough touching and don’t kiss me again, woman,’’ he warned.

Bella’s laughter grew as he offered her a plate of monster meat covered in spicy sauce he’d prepared. She accepted it eagerly and began eating, while he watched this with a warm smile crossed his face. Just then, Mary the Death Wraith appeared in her Demoness form and looked at him, red eyes blazing.

’’Why do you give this Elf a chance and not me!’’ she demanded angrily. ’’I’m loyal to you, my family serves you, and all I want is for you to care!’’

Henry and Marianne were behind her, but Dante waved his hand, sending them flying backwards as he stood up. With narrowed eyes, he approached the young dark-haired woman and replied. ’’Who said I would give you one, Mary? I’m just angry and now I’ve got some of that out, I realize this life isn’t all about death and slaughter, maybe I need to have fun myself?’’

’’Do you know how much I’ve suffered?’’ he continued, putting his hand on her cheek before sending the memories of his betrayal and death to her.

The woman’s red eyes widened in horror as Dante turned to Bella. ’’Come here, Elf.’’

She looked up with a messy face, covered in sauce, but she jumped up and walked in his direction until he touched her face. Both women started crying as Mary muttered, rage laced in her voice. ’’She betrayed you after declaring her love in front of the people? Dispicable.’’

Bella broke down crying, her shoulders shaking as she looked into his eyes. ’’You didn’t scream in pain, how strong were you?’’

’’Well, they tortured me for days,’’ Dante shrugged, trying not to let it get the better of him. ’’Once I got used to the pain, being burned alive was nothing.’’

Moments later, Mary moved toward him, wrapping him in a tight hug, making him stiffen as she spoke. ’’I’m sorry for pushing you, my lord. Now I understand why you don’t trust women anymore.’’

Dante waved her away. ’’Well, I’m opening up to you two, aren’t I? But don’t expect the old Dante to come back, he’s dead and that’s for the best.’’

He sat back down and started drinking as the women looked at him before quietly sitting beside him. Bella stared into nothing, remembering everything she saw. The love of a young man and woman blossoms over a journey to slay the Demon King. She witnessed their first kiss, the confession, and Ashley’s declaration, only for all that to burn when she betrayed him.

Tears ran down her face as she thought. ’No wonder he’s evil, if anyone deserves revenge it’s him.’

Bella turned to him and said in a low voice full of conviction. ’’Burn it all down, show them evil, vile humans what it’s like to have their world torn apart.’’

Dante noticed the Elf’s aura exploded outwards, sending Mary flying as she continued raging. ’’I knew they were no good! You saved them!’’

She looked into his eyes just as her mana began to shift from blue to red, shocking, but she concluded. ’’They butchered my family in their sleep on Dawnfen, and now I can get my revenge. Turn me into a Death Knight.’’

’’No, when someone offers that freely, they become tied to me for life to suffer from my chaotic emotions,’’ he declined. ’’You’ll never be the same woman I met.’’

’’Try me!’’ she demanded. ’’I have no one or nothing except for being a merchant! Let me prove to you that I can be something different.’’

Dante’s eyes narrowed as a notification popped up.

[System Question: Turn the Elf - Reward: 4000 Death points]

’What the fuck?’ he thought, shocked.

Dante shook his head and placed his hand onto hers, letting the death mana seep into her body as she stabbed herself in the heart. He panicked but spoke the words that were needed. ’’Arise!’’

Mana exploded around Bella, forcing Mary to flee from the treehouse, and even he felt threatened by the intensity. The Elf’s skin changed to a paler white, her blonde hair looked more alive as he glowed, and her eyes opened only for them to be bright red; the same color mana danced over her body.

[Death Mistress - Rank A]

[A powerful being who controls the dead and wields deadly death magic, but it is one more step to becoming a Death Empress - The woman who stands beside the Death Monarch unleashing chaos across the world]