Marta Senara Ramirez... Who would have thought that Dracula was actually a woman? Either way, they had to stop it at all costs.
(A few hours later)
Zantanel: "I can tell you're following me...Who's there?"
The Joker: "Whoa...whoa...Sorry."
Zantanel: "Hmm?...Who are you?"
The Joker: "The Joker."
Zantanel: "Mmm...One of the Hunters. What an honor that you, of all people, want to meet me...Although I would have preferred to meet The Finger."
The Joker: "Hehe...I heard you have the other keys."
Zantanel: "Do you want them back?"
The Joker: "No...I wanted to...give you these."
The remaining keys.
Zantanel: "Hmm...For what?"
The Joker: "We want something from Labyrinth City itself...So...how about a deal? We give you the keys, and you help us."
Zantanel: "Why should I trust you?"
The Joker: "Nobody says you have to...I'm only making you an offer."
Zantanel: "Hmmm..."
The Joker: "If you really want to know how I can prove that we have no intentions against you..."
She exposed her neck.
The Joker: "You can touch me now and kill me...I know you have that curse."
Zantanel: ".Mmm...Hehe...Alright...Deal."
She took the keys.
The Joker: "We'll meet the day after tomorrow...in front of the Labyrinth...okay?"
Zantanel: "Fine with me...But why the day after tomorrow?"
The Joker: "We need time. Some of our people are still there."
Zantanel: "I understand...Alright."
(A few hours later)
The Joker: "Hmmm."
She walked inside.
The Joker: "Hehe."
Fiona: "Well?"
The Joker: "Exactly according to plan."
Sophie: "Great."
Siegfried: "Yes!"
Celia: "Hahhh."
Rosika: "Hehe...Good."
Rosika had arrived as well, along with Marcus.
Marcus: "Good...I understand...That's good."
The Finger: "Mhm...Good. That means we can continue with the Labyrinth mission."
Sophie: "Labyrinth?"
Celia: "The City of Vampires...is a labyrinth, or at least that's what it's called. It is a city located between the Basken Kingdom and Villicia...It consists of many houses...The vampires there...are actually alive...but because they don't drink blood, they are weak."
Fiona: "Why did you imprison them?...And not the Green Vampires?"
Celia: "You mean the Green Star Vampires?...Very simple. The Green Star Vampires...are generally very peaceful. About 0.8 percent of Villicia's population consists of Green Star Vampires...There are around four hundred thousand vampires in Villicia."
Sophie: "Wow...That's a lot...But I haven't heard of any incidents."
Celia: "The Green Star Vampires...can feed on other things as well. That's the good thing about them...They can actually eat plants and fruits...Something the Blue Star or Red Star Vampires cannot do."
Fiona: "Hmm...I haven't met any yet."
Celia: "Of course. They exist in San Madrin, but most of them live in Naranja and Cereza."
Sophie: "I see...And what about the Basken Kingdom?"
Celia: "About twenty million people live in the Basken Kingdom...Around 0.3 percent of the population are Green Star Vampires...That's about sixty thousand."
Sophie: "Oh...Okay."
Celia: "Exactly...They follow the rules...and are usually peaceful."
Fiona: "They're still vampires. What if they crave blood?"
Celia: "Hahhh...Good...I want you to come with me. I'll show you what happens then."
Sophie and Fiona looked at each other...then they looked at The Joker. The Joker simply nodded.
Fiona: "Where are we going?"
The Joker: "Come on, Fionalein, where are we going?"
Fiona: "Hahhh...As you wish. For the mission, you're the boss for once."
The Joker: "Oh...Of course. Then let's go."
They followed Celia. They got into her vehicle, and it drove off.
Celia: "One more thing...What you're about to see stays between us."
Sophie: "Okay."
Fiona: "Yes."
The Joker: "No problem."
Rosika: "This is a huge vehicle."
Celia: "Of course...It's a military vehicle. At least eight people can fit inside."
(A few minutes later)
The vehicle stopped.
Celia: "Here."
They got out.
Sophie: "Ugh."
Fiona: "A...prison."
Celia: "La Muerta Prison...People who receive life sentences or are sentenced to execution...are brought here."
She swallowed a pill and walked inside. They followed her.
Celia: "Don't worry. They're my guests...And since The Joker is dressed like that employee, Sandy, it doesn't seem so frightening."
The Joker: "The Finger is waiting outside...Hehehe...He's a little shy."
They entered a room.
Celia: "Here. Watch."
Fiona: "Hmm?"
Behind the glass was someone who had been restrained.
Celia: "This man...abused a young girl...murdered her...and dismembered her...He deserves no mercy."
A vampire appeared, leaped onto him, and began drinking his blood.
Prisoner: "Aaaaaaargh!...Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Sophie: "Ugh."
Fiona: "I see...You feed them with the blood of prisoners."
Celia: "Yes...But only those who committed severe crimes...rape, kidnapping, and of course child abuse."
Fiona: "I understand...I like that."
Sophie: "You're serious?"
Fiona: "Yes...I like it. People like that deserve this. This is where child abusers belong."
Sophie: "But...is it really right...to go that far with them?"
Fiona: "Sophie...Hahhh...Once we're back...I might have to make you kill someone...so you'll stop playing the nice girl."
Sophie: "Huh?...What do you mean?"
Fiona: "I mean that lately...you've become weaker...Emotions have no place in our job. Stop pitying everyone...or it will become your downfall."
Sophie: "Ugh..."
Fiona: "Don't forget...that's why you're no longer a Crow. If you keep this up, the Dark Umbrella might even remove you from the detectives...and make you an ordinary officer."
Sophie: "Mm..."
Fiona: "So..."
The Joker: "You all seem to be enjoying yourselves...Fionalein, question...How many people have you killed so far?"
Fiona: "I think...at least twenty four."
The Joker: "Woohoo...More than I expected...How many has Marcus killed?"
Fiona: "I'm sure...over three hundred."
The Joker: "And you, Sophie?"
Sophie: "Ugh...I...uh..."
The Joker: "...One."
Fiona: "That was in Demari. You did it out of anger...But that was a killing driven by emotion. It's okay, Sophie...But...try to become stricter...No offense, I like you the way you are...but the Dark Umbrella could cause problems...So...I expect you to become...a little tougher."
Siegfried: "I'm hard."
Sophie: "Siegfried...You're only hard down there."
Fiona: "Too hard...Stop it."
Celia: "(Sweat)...Um...Okay...I think we should leave now."
They started heading back.
Sophie: "Alright...So now...we continue tricking Zantanel?"
The Joker: "Leave that to me...You just follow us...The Boss has given us the green light...It seems...he has taken quite a liking to all of you."
Meanwhile, The Finger and Rosika were waiting outside.
The Finger: "Hmm."
Rosika: "Mmm..."
The Finger: "Hey...Are you cold?"
Rosika: "No...I'm...fi...(Achoo)...fine."
The Finger: "Mm."
He took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
The Finger: "Here."
Rosika: "Huh?...T...thank you."
The Finger: "Of course."
Rosika: "...You seem like a nice...guy. Why do you work for the Hunters?"
The Finger: "...I'm sorry...I can't answer that...And...I'm not nice. By the way...young lady...I admire your determination."
Rosika: "Huh?"
The Finger: "You're blind...And yet you still work for the Dark Umbrella."
Rosika: "Oh...Well...It's my job."
The Finger: "Do you trust Sophie and Fiona?"
Rosika: "Yes."
The Finger: "One question...What kind of person is Fiona?"
Rosika: "Huh?"
The Finger: "Whenever I look into her eyes...I can immediately tell...that she also carries anger inside her."
Rosika: "...Fiona is kind...but she doesn't like showing it...She's bold when it comes to making decisions and is willing to go as far as killing people, as long as they're not innocent...Sometimes she makes risky decisions...Besides that, she only listens to herself...or Meliodas...or Sophie...I'm not entirely sure...Whether you could call her...too strict...or...too mysterious...I think that's why she earned the title Lady Mystery."
The Finger: "I see...What would you do...if Fiona made a decision where many innocent people died? For example...if she sacrificed an entire city to save a kingdom from Marta. Do you think Fiona would do something like that?"
Rosika: "...Hmm...If there was someone...who would make such a risky decision...it would have been Tom Fog...As for Fiona...I'm not sure she would go that far."
The Finger: "Hmm."
Rosika: "Why are you asking me that?"
The Finger: "Just curious...Sometimes I feel she's a kind girl...Other times...a cruel one...In that sense, she's almost like a bee...A bee flies around you...doesn't hurt you...but...it can sting...depending on the situation...So...she's more like...a crow."
Rosika: "...Fiona is human...She can feel pain too...and she suffered because of the Dark Umbrella's experiments."
The Finger: "Hmm?...What...experiments?"
Rosika: "I think...they were called the Howgarts Experiments."
The Finger: "Ugh...Howgarts..."
He grabbed her shoulder.
The Finger: "Are you sure...that was the name...Howgarts?"
Rosika: "Yes...Why?"
The Finger: "...(That's impossible...)...(Cough)...Sorry...My mistake."
He returned to where he had been standing, stared ahead, and clenched his teeth.
The Finger: "(...Who would have thought I'd hear that name again...Howgarts...But it can't be the same one...A family member?...She talks as if it were a man...But...Howgarts was a woman...Wait...)...Hey...Was this Howgarts married?"
Rosika: "Oh...The documents actually said she had a wife...But she left her, and nobody knew where she went."
The Finger: "(...So I was right...Hehehe...What a coincidence...So Fiona is another one...who suffered because of Howgarts)...And was Sophie part of the experiments too?"
Rosika: "Yes...As far as I know."
The Finger: "(...Hmmm...Fiona and Sophie...Hehehe...You're just like me and The Joker...Victims...of Howgarts...I understand...)"
(Patch)
Celia: "Hmm?"
Rosika: "Oh...You're back."
She walked over to Fiona.
Fiona: "So...Did you behave while we were gone?"
Rosika: "Yes...The Finger was kind enough to lend me his jacket."
Fiona: "Hmm?"
She looked at him...He looked back at her...She nodded.
Fiona: "Thank you very much."
The Finger: "No need."