The four exchanged looks, but no one spoke. In the end, Aiden said with a strange expression,
"Let's just say, you made a very basic mistake."
Trish, "..."
Inside the speeding sports car, aside from the driver Enzo, only Aiden and Bayonetta were seated. As for Jeanne, she was racing alongside Trish on her motorcycle.
In fact, Enzo had originally planned to accompany Trish alone to go find Dante, but Aiden was worried he might run into danger, so he brought the two witches along.
After all, Enzo could also be considered his friend.
Facing the wind rushing toward him, Aiden sorted through his thoughts. The change in the story left him unable to figure out what exactly Trish wanted to do.
Because according to the original plot, Trish found Dante under a demon's guidance, and the first meeting was a fight.
Only after realizing she couldn't beat Dante did she change her tune and say she wanted his help to kill Mundus.
But now, this Trish's personality was very different from the original. Even though most of the time she kept a cold face and spoke in an icy tone, she actually showed a tender, motherly side toward strange children, hard to even imagine.
Still, just like with the story changes he had experienced before, Aiden wasn't too surprised. So after thinking for a while, he cut off the headache-inducing thoughts.
In the end, the truth would always come out. He might as well treat it as experiencing a new storyline.
Thinking this way, Aiden's expression relaxed a lot. After asking Bayonetta for a lollipop, he started chatting idly with her.
Before long, the sports car stopped in front of a very hidden general store.
"It's here." Enzo pointed at the shopfront with the sign that read General Goods Store.
But in Aiden and the others' eyes, that sign revealed something entirely different…
"Devil May Cry!"
Bayonetta softly read the words she saw on the sign.
Then she smiled, "Whoever thought of this sign must be quite an interesting person."
"I lean more toward him being an idiot." Jeanne curled her lip disdainfully.
"Most people harassed by demons are ordinary humans. How could they possibly see through words hidden by magic? No wonder he doesn't get any jobs."
"Good point." Aiden nodded in strong agreement, then got out of the car and followed behind Enzo into the shop.
Enzo pushed open the heavy tempered-glass door. The group filed in one after another. Inside, they immediately noticed how different this store was compared to others.
The register was all the way in the back, and though it was called a general store, the shelves barely had any goods. Some were even completely empty.
"Sorry, it's already midnight. The store's about to close, no more customers."
Behind the register, a white-haired man held up a magazine, flipping through it without even raising his head to see who had walked in. His words left everyone speechless.
Enzo rubbed his forehead helplessly, then said, "Dante, my friend, no wonder you're always complaining about scraping by meal to meal."
"Doing business this way, the only reason you haven't starved is thanks to having a good father!"
"In fact, my father also needed to eat. My mother's cooking was really good. Of course, if possible, I wouldn't mind you treating me to a big meal right now, pizza, hamburgers, anything. Best if there's also a pink sundae, strawberry flavor!"
Hearing that familiar voice, the white-haired man set down his magazine and raised his head, looking at Enzo and the group with Aiden.
"So many people, what, you bringing me a big job? But I heard you've been cozying up to those legendary Umbra Witches lately. What, they couldn't handle it so you came crawling to me?"
Dante kept talking, his eyes sweeping over the group. Finally… his gaze froze on Trish's face.
"You're… Mom!"
Trish wasn't wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night. Seeing her face, memories buried deep for decades awakened in him. That unforgettable face made him cry out uncontrollably.
But he immediately realized, the woman in front of him wasn't his mother, just someone who looked like her.
Still, his slip of the tongue made Enzo and the witches both turn to look at Trish.
Aiden, standing only a step away, even poked her in the waist, holding back a laugh as he said, "Aren't you gonna answer him? He called you mom! Not taking advantage of this feels like a waste."
Trish smacked away his hand, annoyed. "I didn't even have time to react. And besides, how old do you think I am? How could I have such a grown son?"
Then she looked coldly at Dante. That strange sense of familiarity made her frown, and she said sharply, "Don't call me that. I am not your mom!"
"Of course I know you're not…" Dante muttered, a little regretful, cursing his quick tongue. But this was the normal reaction of a child who had long missed his mother.
Glancing at Enzo, who was also suppressing laughter, Dante pointed at some crates stacked in the room.
"There aren't any extra chairs. Make do. Also, if you want something to drink, help yourselves. In the fridge… well, there's only bottled water and cola left. Hope that works for you. Just remember to pay afterward, I'm running a small business here."
Hearing that, Enzo sighed. "Dante, my friend, how are you doing so badly these days!"
Dante sighed too, "What can I do if no jobs come in? Lately, the demons have been unusually quiet. Not a single referral from old clients… Oh right, Enzo, you still haven't said what you're here for. Is there business?"
"Sort of…" Enzo glanced at Trish. The woman stood there with her arms folded and a frown, clearly unhappy about the lack of seating.
"This time the client is her. She wants to hire you to kill a demon." Enzo pointed toward Trish.
"Just one, huh. Then what about them?" Dante looked at Aiden and the witches. "Do you all need my services too? I can handle any problem for you."
"No need. If we have trouble, we can handle it ourselves." Jeanne shook her head and took the cola Aiden handed her.
Glancing at the label, Jeanne muttered, "Coke, huh."
"Nope, only this. And it's almost expired." Aiden shrugged, handing Bayonetta a bottle of water. Then he asked Trish, "And you, Miss Trish? Want something to drink?"
"Cola!" Trish thought for a moment. "And also, if you insist on using a title, could you change 'Missus' to 'Miss'? Keep calling me 'Missus' and I really feel like I'm his mom!"
"Hey hey hey, don't take advantage of me in words. That was just a slip. You just happen to look way too much like my mom." Dante immediately protested, pointing to a framed portrait on the wall. The woman in the picture looked almost identical to Trish.
Everyone followed his finger. After one glance, they all turned to look back at Trish, surprised to see that aside from a different look in the eyes, the two were nearly indistinguishable.
When Trish saw the portrait, she went absent-minded. She reached up to touch her own face, her eyes flickering.
She remembered what that masked man calling himself a Sage had told her earlier.
"Your body carries demon's blood, but your soul belongs to another person. Though incomplete, it feels familiar to me…"
"You're nothing more than a puppet created by a high-level demon. Poor child. So, do you want to live a free life?"
"If you want to escape a fate of being controlled, go seek out someone strong enough to kill that demon. Too bad I have more important matters, otherwise I could have helped you…"
"But although I can't free you from control, I can awaken what remains of your incomplete soul's true nature. You should be a good girl. Don't let demons deceive you…"
Thinking of this, Trish's hand moved from her cheek to her brow. When the masked man left, he had tapped her there with a glowing blue fingertip.
Ever since, she had noticed her personality changing. She seemed to have developed something called kindness.
'So… my soul, could it be…' Trish remembered what Mundus, the Demon King, had told her about Dante's origins when she left Hell, and also recalled the strange familiarity she felt the first time she saw Dante.
But soon, she firmed her resolve, 'No. I am me. That's only a fragment of a soul. And I… am whole!'
Lowering her hand, Trish looked at Dante. Noticing her gaze, Dante asked, "As my only client right now, Miss, where's the demon you want me to kill?"
"In Hell." Trish said calmly. "The one calling himself Demon King Mundus."
"What?" Dante froze. "Mundus? Isn't he…"
"He already awakened twenty years ago. And this time, he's gained even greater power, seemingly aided by some mysterious figure."
Trish recounted what she knew of Mundus. "He wants to return to the human world and rule it again."
"How do you know this?" Dante chose to believe her, since she looked exactly like his mother, but he still asked cautiously.
"You don't need to know."
If she said why, she'd expose herself as a demon's creation. Since awakening part of her soul, she no longer wanted to bring that up.
"Alright, alright, if you say so." Dante didn't press. He just shrugged,
"But hiring me isn't cheap. Can you pay?"
Hearing this, Trish turned to Enzo, "Pay up."
"What? Why me? I only brought you here to meet him." Enzo shouted, feeling he had already completed his job.
"Because we signed a contract." Though she now had kindness, cunning was still a demon's nature.
Trish smirked smugly, "The contract clearly states the mission isn't complete until Mundus is dead, and until then, you must obey all my orders unconditionally."
Enzo went dumbfounded, "Huh?"
At this point, Bayonetta, who had been quietly watching, sighed. She said to Aiden and Jeanne, "I warned him already, don't sign anything in demon language if you don't understand it. See? He got played."
At once, Enzo looked like he was about to cry.
Though Enzo was Dante's friend, since Dante had opened a Devil Hunter agency, he was still a businessman after all.
He had to eat. He couldn't just live off thin air every day, better to go stay in Hell and drink lava when hungry. At least that would fill his stomach, better than gulping down cold air and farting it all back out.
Still, whether out of friendship… or maybe because Trish's face looked so much like his mom's, Dante didn't ask for much. He quoted a price Enzo could actually handle.
"Don't look so bitter, Enzo. This is already the friends-and-family discount."
Once Enzo swiped his card, Dante warmly slung an arm around his shoulders. Their height difference made the sight a little comical.
"Worst case, when this job's done, I'll treat you to the best pizza in town, or take you to Rodin's bar for a drink."
"Then I'll definitely order the most expensive bottle."
"No problem."
Dante clapped Enzo's shoulder heartily, laughing out loud.
Meanwhile, Aiden, watching Dante take the job, felt there was no need for them to intervene further.
With the demon blood inherited from his father, Dante had the power to defeat Mundus for sure. So Aiden signaled to Bayonetta and Jeanne that they should head home.
As for Enzo, he was safe now. He could drive himself back.
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