Dante began absorbing the Legacy and returned to the physical world. He quickly descended from the tower and headed back to the main palace. He was making his way toward the party he'd seen earlier, wanting to reflect on a few things. But... he didn't get a chance to think before he heard a soft sigh from Valentina. There they were, Valentina and Lyriana, standing with their arms crossed, expressions somewhere between patience and impatience.
"Finally remembered you have a home and a family, how impressive," Valentina remarked, sounding a bit... irritated.
"And just when we needed you. Where have you been?" Lyriana asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ah, never mind, actually."
"You two seem quite impatient today, huh?" Dante merely smiled at them, trying to ease the situation with his usual charm.
Valentina stepped forward and handed him a sealed letter with the werewolf kingdom's emblem.
"Huh? Siren?" he questioned, but they didn't respond. Dante broke the seal, reading the contents with a mix of curiosity and amusement. The message was clear and direct:
"Come quickly. I've discovered the Sin of Sloth, and I can't handle it alone. Plus, it requires a certain... special touch. Don't take too long. Siren."
"She dismissed me and now she's asking for my help," Dante chuckled as he finished reading, casting a playful look at the two of them.
"I thought you were done with her..." Lyriana murmured. Not being Dante's wife, she had the benefit of knowing more without any rivalries.
"She's difficult, but nothing I can't handle," he replied with a grin.
"Just don't keep her waiting any longer," Valentina advised. "That old lady sent this a while ago already. Knowing her temper..."
With a quick wink, Dante gave them a wave and, in an unexpected flash, disappeared into a blaze. He reappeared just outside Siren's palace in the Werewolf Kingdom, surrounded by the thick mist typical of the region. The wind carried the aroma of the dense forests surrounding the palace.
He followed the muffled sound of a slightly playful argument coming from one of the side chambers. Cautiously, he peeked through the ajar door, trying to understand what was going on. Inside, he found Siren with an expression of both frustration and resignation, arms crossed, while a figure lounged in an almost comically lazy manner on the central sofa. The woman was beautiful in a lethargic way, her disheveled hair sprawled over the back of the sofa, eyes blinking slowly. In one hand, she held a teacup; in the other, a pillow. The contrast between her graceful appearance and her indolent posture was so intense that Dante stifled a laugh.
She had bluish hair, wolf ears, a long tail, and tired eyes with dark circles... her body was petite compared to typical werewolves.
Siren, clearly exasperated, turned to Dante the moment she noticed him.
"There you are. I found what you were looking for," she muttered, as if she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "I think I found the Sin of Sloth... I think."
Dante tried to suppress a laugh, but it was difficult. "So this is...?"
"Well, it seems so, but that's for you to confirm, Dante," Siren sighed. "Her name is Lailah, the Sin of Sloth, and the weakest werewolf in the kingdom."
"Go to hell," Lailah barely glanced at him, just waved him off lazily and yawned before speaking in a soft, slow voice. "I'm tired; leave me alone." Her deadpan expression briefly came alive as she recalled his name.
"This isn't funny, Dante!" Siren snapped, giving him an angry look as she crossed her arms. "Do you think it's easy dealing with someone like this? I don't know what's worse: discovering the Sin of Sloth or thinking she could actually be useful and that you'd help me!"
Lailah, pretending to ignore the scene, took a sip of her tea, staring at the ceiling as she murmured, "Peace is the true essence of life... You both need to learn that."
Dante burst out laughing again, imagining how exasperated Siren must be. He then decided to approach Lailah, leaning in to whisper, "Hey, Lailah... if I promised you a hundred years of rest, would you get up from this couch now?"
She looked at him, considering his proposal with exasperating slowness. "A hundred years, huh? Hmm... interesting... but... getting up is a lot of effort," she replied, shrugging.
Dante laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair. He was truly on the verge of a laughing fit, especially seeing Siren trying to handle the utterly unmovable lazy one. Lailah's energy was almost an unbeatable force of inertia, and the irony of the situation was pure comedy.
"Alright, alright..." he said, still catching his breath. "Maybe it's time to get up, Lailah. Who knows, a little movement could be... relaxing in its own way."
She gave him a lazy look and finally made a small effort to sit up, yawning loudly and stretching. With a sleepy expression, she said, "Well, since you both insist so much... but you know... resting is... an art..."
"Well, Siren, at least you won't have to worry about Lailah running away from you. The only thing she runs from is effort."
Siren, now on the verge of a frustration-induced breakdown, looked at Dante with a desperate expression.
"Dante, seriously. You need to take this woman. Just looking at her makes me exhausted!" she said, pointing at Lailah, who, instead of showing any sign of cooperation, had sunk back into the couch with her eyes closed.
"Lailah," Dante called, trying to stifle a laugh. "How about we leave and find a... more comfortable place?"
Lailah only murmured in response, yawning lazily and settling even more comfortably on the couch. "More comfortable? That... might be hard. This couch... is so cozy." And with that, she finally drifted into a deep sleep, softly snoring.
Dante turned to Siren, who now stood with her arms crossed, breathing deeply to contain her anger. He looked at her with a mischievous smile as she tried to hold back her frustration.
"What?" Siren asked, shooting him a deadly look. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
He only smiled wider, leaning toward her. "You know, Siren... you're really cute when you're angry."
Her face turned red, and she looked at him with a mixture of surprise and indignation.
"I... c-cute?" She tried to compose herself, but her anger quickly turned into visible embarrassment. "I am not cute, Dante! This is serious!"
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"Sure, sure," he replied, still laughing. "But the way you get all flustered... I can't help it, it's adorable."