"This exceptional masterpiece is called the Moon Dagger," Klaus said, his voice tinged with excitement. "A ritual item passed down through the Mikazuki clan from emperor to emperor. It is said that the blade has an enchantment that allows it to recognize the true heir to the throne from a single drop of blood!"
If he had heard this a month ago, Dante would have dismissed it as just more insane behavior from people who didn’t know better, but now that he knows Sorcery exists, he started to see the sickle in an entirely different light.
[The Mikazuki clan is a family of Aetherions, or Sorcerers, as they are referred to by your people.] Said Volcan. [It is likely that the Moon Dagger is an artifact capable of sensing a certain Aether frequency. I might be able to confirm this theory if we get the chance to analyze it.]
’I will work on that...’
Dante couldn’t deny his interest in trying his luck with the dagger, even though his blood might as well be white. Not that he doesn’t already know it wouldn’t work on him, since he lacked the slightest drop of Aether in him.
"It’s... beautiful..." Said Mr. Pike, appearing genuinely astonished.
"It sure is." Klaus nodded, staring at the relic in silence for a few seconds before turning to the others. "I’m sure you are wondering whether I have tried using it on myself before."
Everyone froze at that moment, but the laughter that followed allowed them to relax.
"Indeed, it was the first thing I did after obtaining it. Of course, I spent a few hours admiring its beauty and craftsmanship first." The rich scion chuckled some more. "The results are as you have expected. Who could have guessed that I’m not the heir to an ancient eastern empire?"
If he had been there, Dante was sure he wouldn’t have been able to stab him with a sharp remark laced with sarcasm. Sadly, he was limited to cringing as he sat in a cafe a few miles away.
"Why would you want to be the heir to a long-dead empire when you’re the head of a far greater dynasty?" A soft voice shattered the silence.
Attracted by it, everyone turned around to face the entrance of the wide hall. A young woman had entered without their notice, followed by two others in classic maid attire. While the latter lacked presence and seemed to blend with the background, the one they followed demanded attention.
Though average in height, the high heels she wore seemed to make up for it, but they only made things worse, considering the one-piece dress she wore, which barely reached below her nether, leaving the milky white skin of her thighs exposed. A fur coat hung loosely over her shoulders, which didn’t seem to do much considering how thinly dressed she was.
White was undoubtedly her favorite color. Everything she had on her was white: the shoes, the dress, the fur coat. Even her hair was white, and so was the lipstick she chose to use. That last one was what brought Dante’s emotions back under control, preventing him from having a very extreme reaction.
"Bianca! What a surprise!" Klaus walked over to the young woman, the genuine smile he wore before replaced with a polite but fake one. "Have you finally grown interested in my marvelous collection?"
"Boredom got to me, that’s all." The young woman said. "When are we going out to have some fun?"
"I have some guests right now, so how about later?" Turning around, Klaus flashed the others a smile. "Let me introduce you to everyone. Mr. Pike Addison, I’m sure you have heard that I’m getting married in a few days. This is my fiancée, Bianca Romano."
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Romano." Said Mr. Pike, his head bowed slightly.
"Mr. Pike?" The young woman furrowed her brows, her gaze turning to Klaus. "The man who gave you that blood-tainted sword?"
"So you do remember. And here I thought you weren’t paying attention when we talked."
"You are far too invested in your hobby. I’m simply unable to keep up."
"Do not fret, my gorgeous bride-to-be! We will have a lifetime to adjust to each other’s preferences!"
"That seems like too much work."
Klaus chuckled, and though she kept an impassive expression at first, Bianca let a soft smile play on her lips. As he watched her through Rose’s eyes, it took Dante a few seconds to realize he was looking at the Romano princess.
Since their biggest problem had always been the Stahlkorps and the Shirogane branch forming it, Dante found himself forgetting that the Romanos were the other sorcerer family involved in this issue. Unlike the former, their origin was strongly linked to Terrarossa, one of the Radmir Union’s twelve states.
Going by how influential they remain to this day, one could say that they have yet to face the same decline as the other families, or so it should have been, at least. Whatever their reason might be, it was difficult not to see their decision to marry one of their princesses to a mundane as a sign of their approaching downfall.
Whatever the case, it didn’t change that the young woman in white is likely one of the most powerful Sorcerers in the world.
"What do you say, Bianca?" Said Klaus. "Would you like to accompany us on this tour? We were just about to go over the articles you missed the last time you were here."
"Better than nothing, I guess."
Though she said that, the white haired woman didn’t look the least bit enthusiastic. That was made even more evident by how she produced a small device as soon as her fiancé went back to leading the tour. Her nonchalance came through as rude, but no one dared to say a word, pretending to be engrossed in the ramblings of the rich scion.
Dante had lost interest as well, his focus remaining on the lady in white. Rose had done him the favor of keeping her in their line of sight, even if it wasn’t an absolute requirement.
As time went on, Volcan hadn’t mentioned anything about signals and signal receptors. As more time passed, it started to look like they weren’t going to find any entry point in the mansion, or at least in the parts they were allowed to enter, that is until the Romanos princess showed up to save the situation.
Like a scene from a decades-old drama, the young princess followed after Rose’s group, her attention focused entirely on a small rectangular device that fit in the palm of her hand. That device was undoubtedly what was once known as a smartphone.