Modern World Warlock

It had been a few days since the Jade Dragons gave Irina back to their family, and Dante was hanging out in the inner garden of the Jade Palace.

As he lay on a hammock tied between two trees and relaxed while watching the clouds in the sky, he heard someone approaching, catching his attention.

"Here you are…" said ex-detective Alice as she approached the hammock.

"Were you looking for me?" Dante asked.

"Mhmm… I've been thinking about your last offer," Alice commented, making Dante sit up to make eye contact with her.

After Alice was subjected to Nihilor's blood, she was able to control umbra slightly, but her abilities didn't put her close to Zac or Megan's level.

The woman didn't have the innate talent to become a warlock, so even if she could master the umbra control, she wouldn't be able to cast spells.

Dante offered Alice the same contract he had given Zac and Megan, where he gave them a soulstone that had been cleansed of the demon's wickedness and brought out their potential.

He explained that, in a typical setting, warlocks would ask for something in exchange while making the contract, but Dante didn't need anything from them, so he didn't have any conditions for accepting.

Initially, Alice said she would think about it, as it sounded like an important decision that would affect the rest of her life.

However, seeing the difference in skills between her and the other members of the Omega Team allowed her to make her decision quicker.

"I want to do it… The contract," Alice stated confidently.

"I see—Alright," Dante casually replied, standing up from the hammock.

"That fast?" Alice asked, a bit perplexed at his easygoing nature.

"I was the one who offered the contract in the first place… I've seen you fight, and I've read your umbra plenty of times—There is nothing more for me to think about," he replied.

Dante knew that Alice was a woman who held to her view of justice. She became a detective because she wanted to punish people who committed evil deeds, which Dante thought was a fine objective.

"Truth be told, I decided I wanted to do this a few days ago, but you weren't here…" Alice commented as they walked to the laboratory.

"Heh, even better. If you still want to do it after a few days, then you must be sure of your decision," Dante said with a smirk.

When the pair arrived at the lab, they found Zac and his mother inside one of the rooms, with the redhead asking the woman to rest.

"Please, mom… You look tired—Just rest for a little!" Zac exclaimed.

Clara was focusing her power on the Shadow Well before her, where her blood was slowly swirling as she moved her hand above it.

"I almost have it…" The woman muttered, clenching her teeth as she struggled to control the umbra.

Dante crossed his arms and waited for the woman to finish creating a healthstone, which left Clara on her knees and leaning on the Shadow Well for support.

"Miss Clara…" Dante said, startling the woman for a second as if she had gotten busted.

"Dante, please tell my mom to take it easy!" Zac exclaimed.

The warlock approached the well and picked up the healthstone, putting it closer to his face as he inspected it.

"Huh…" Dante uttered, his voice hinting at interest and curiosity.

Clara seemed a bit embarrassed, remembering that Dante had personally asked her not to practice making healthstones since he didn't want the woman to hurt herself.

"Miss Clara, I understand that you want to get more powerful, but there are reasons why I don't want you using your blood for this…" Dante said with a gentle tone, kneeling before the woman, who was still leaning from the well.

"Your blood… well, everyone's blood is more precious than mine—I can regenerate the blood inside my body quite fast, so it's more disposable than yours," he continued.

"Wh-what do you mean, dear?" Miss Clara asked, still tired from her previous spell.

"Yeah, I wanna know too… What do you mean your blood is more 'disposable'?" Zac interjected.

Dante explained that, after losing a certain amount of blood, it could take a day for the blood volume inside a human's body to be replaced.

However, the warlock's blood volume regenerated almost instantly, so he could use his blood to cast several spells without repercussions.

Moreover, Clara would be more prone to getting sick the more she used her blood to practice, as the red and white cells could take weeks to be fully replaced.

Before Dante arrived on Earth, he didn't know the scientific reason for warlocks getting sick after constantly using their blood to practice their spell casting.

Thankfully, one of the books that Camille gave him was a science book, so he familiarized himself with the concept and came to that conclusion.

"That's what I mean when I say your blood is more precious… Mine is easily replaceable," Dante said.

"Dear, when you say it like that, it sounds a bit sad…" Clara muttered, patting Dante's head like her own son.

"Hold on… Why do you regenerate your blood so quickly, then?" Zac inquired, placing a hand on his chin.

"Erm… It's sort of an effect from my Blood Malevolent Art…" Dante casually replied, but he could see that his friend wanted a deeper explanation.

For Dante to master the malevolent art of blood, he had to trade all of the blood in his body and replace it with the blood that coursed in the place known as "The Infernal Bloodsea," located deep in hell.

When he made the pact, Dante felt as if his body was burning from the inside for weeks until he eventually managed to control the pain.

"So, the blood inside of you isn't yours…?" Zac pondered, slightly confused.

"It is mine—It just has the curse of the Infernal Bloodsea," Dante replied.

"Well, I don't really get it, but if this means my mom can stop cutting her palm, then great!"