AliceIngenue

When He Left, Only a Shell of Her Remained

From: "Chapter 2: Missing (Dante Falzone, 1 febbraio 1926)"

When He Left, Only a Shell of Her Remained - Chapter 1 - AliceIngenue - ピオフィオーレの晩鐘 | Piofiore no Banshou (Visual Novels) [Archive of Our Own]

We already had a search party coordinated before we left. There were six men posted discreetly around the southern port, five-man teams assigned to Falce, Arca, Creta, and Strano—one per district—and ten spies infiltrating Veleno. Another ten were to scan the woods once the morning fog cleared. So, once I was alone in that room with Nicola, I asked what he wished to discuss in private.  

“I think there was something going on in Lili’s head that they didn’t know about,” Nicola said. He paused—I knew he was carefully considering his next words. “I couldn’t help but think... The reason Lili’s mood improved might have been that she was planning to leave,” he said. 

“You don’t mean—”

“It’s just a hunch, but I think we should consider the possibility,” Nicola said. 

Nicola managed the search party outside with Leo while I waited for new information in the telephone room. At that point, my suspicions were primarily directed at Yang. Even knowing that Lili was no longer the Key Maiden, it wouldn’t be out of character, as the Lao-Shu have been abducting women to sell overseas. It was also possible that she was abducted by a lone actor completely unrelated to the Burlone Mafia. In that case, she would be much harder to find. 

Just then, I saw Yang sauntering down the path to the church, as if the mere thought of him were enough to summon him. “Buongiorno, Falzone,” Yang said with his insufferable smirk.

“Yang, what business do you have here?” I asked. There had been no meetings since the Visconti disbanded, and Yang was certainly not a believer.

“I see you’re as to the point as always, so I’ll cut to the chase too. A little birdie told me that you’ve sent some of your men into my base. As leader of the Lao-Shu, that immediately caught my interest. I couldn’t imagine what would be so important that you’d send perfectly capable men to their deaths,” Yang said. He took a dramatic pause, clearly savoring my irritation.  “So the little princess escaped her tower, and now her faithful knight is running after her,” Yang said. 

“You took her to the Lao-Shu,” I said. Some nerve this man had, abducting Lili, then waltzing into Arca to announce it once there was sufficient chaos for his amusement.   

“You wound me, Falzone. First you send spies instead of speaking with me, and now you paint me as the villain,” Yang said, although his smirk only widened. 

“So, you didn’t take her,” I said. 

“No, I did not,” Yang said.

“Then, if you did not take her, you wouldn’t mind if I sent some soldiers to check if she got lost in Veleno or if one of your rats took her by mistake,” I said. I had no time to be polite with him. 

But Yang didn’t show the slightest sign of cooperation, only asking, “Falzone, do you really think I’d allow such a blatant raid?” 

It took every last bit of restraint not to draw my gun then and there. Instead, I took a deep breath. “Yang, consider this your warning: if you took Signorina Adornato, I will find out, and I will see to it that both you and your rats regret it.”

What would you think of a person who manipulates someone into becoming a critical thinker?

The Second-Worst Route To Isekai

Excerpt from Chapter 3: "Helping Orlok Help His Excellency?"

The Second-Worst Route to Isekai - Chapter 1 - AliceIngenue - ピオフィオーレの晩鐘 | Piofiore no Banshou (Visual Novels) [Archive of Our Own]

“I’m sorry if it feels weird, but I want to talk freely with you,” I said. “... I don’t completely trust Yang.” If we stay with Yang, we’ll trigger Nicola’s death and Bad DanteTM. 

“His Excellency told me that I needed to work with the Lao-Shu to protect you from the Falzone…” Orlok said. 

Protection my ass. It’ll make Dante go mad, then kidnap us. “But something doesn’t add up, right?” I said. I swear, it’s almost like he was taken by a body snatcher in that route.

“But His Excellency…” Orlok said. He shifted awkwardly on the bed, wearing a subtle frown, his cheeks puffed. 

“Yes, but you still feel like something’s wrong,” I said. Orlok nodded. I need to tread lightly because this fucker is brainwashed. “That’s why I need to get your understanding of some things… to make sure we’re not misinterpreting His Excellency, of course. We want to help His Excellency as best as we can, right?”