After giving it a little more thought, Dante decided to create an entire pocket dimension for his bony friend. It would be based around the same location in White Hill, though they would have to confirm that the police didn't mess it up first. In the meantime, Lev was going to be staying in one of the room on the third floor of the Red Oni Club.

Dante had a feeling that he was attracting more problems into his life by having the Alchemist under his roof, but what can he do? The bony bastard was an important part of his plans, so he couldn't abandon him, even if he went behind his back to sell the Catalyst booster.

Not wanting to waste money on new machines, Dante went back to the lab to continue packing the red. The place was crawling with police, but no one noticed his presence until most of the equipment was gone. They tried calling the heroes into the scene, but even with him standing right beside them, it was clear that they would never even notice him.

The Shirogane Clan's Silent Breath was truly a terrifying Sorcerous art. It explained why they were the only ones to survive from among the eight clans that had once ruled the Tōseika Empire, though their time was running out now that Dante got his eyes on them.

Speaking of ninjas, the two that had ambushed him in the secret tunnel managed to escape. He had hoped that he could retrieve them after they got caught by the police, but from the looks of it, he would have to wait until the next time he got attacked.

~[ ]~

The next few days were peaceful. The chaos Dante expected to come knocking at his door never arrived. He went about his training in the underground arena, continuing to make Riot regret ever taking the deal to rebuild his gang in Hollowgrid. Dante wasn't making much progress, but Oliver was different. Turns out putting one's life on the line really was the best way to pick up fighting skills. It was still too early to know whether he would be able to learn Soul Manifestation.

As the month reached an end, Dante got a call from Mr. Pike. After meeting with the right people, the old man managed to get them a spot at the Winter House. For that reason, they were going to meet with an appraiser to authenticate the items.

The specialist in question flew all the way from Vetrogard

After spending more than a day packaging everything in high quality luxury boxes, Dante delivered all of them to the Golden Hummingbird's second floor. The bar hardly seemed like the right place for that kind of business, but Dante didn't give it much thought.

Deciding to leave everything to Mr. Pike, Dante turned his Focus to other things. And just like that, the month came to an end.

~[ ]~

The first of June arrived, which meant it was time to return another corpse to the BEO.

Technically speaking, Dante had no reason to maintain the deal. The bastards broke it back when they allowed Silver Wind into his territory, and even if he disregarded that offense and the unwanted visit by the Tigris scion, the very fact that their commander rushed in with her army after the incident was enough of a reason. Still, Dante decided to be the bigger person, at least until he got the call.

Though it should have been obvious that he shouldn't meet with the enemy just like that, Dante still rode his bike to the abandoned warehouse where the BEO Commander set up their meeting.

"Was picking a restaurant too much to ask?"

When he thought about it, Dante realized that it had been some time since he last had a proper meal. He craved a warm bowl of spicy noodles, but just thinking about it took away his appetite.

Caroline wasn't amused by his attempt at conversation. Taking in her state through his Absolute Awareness, Dante noticed that she was clearly on edge.

'An ambush?'

That didn't seem to be the case. Volcan had his androids around the area. If there was anyone preparing for an attack, he would have noticed them by now.

"Guess you aren't in the mood for small talk." And neither was he. "C'mon, out with it already."

Her arms crossed, she continued to stare at him. Dante said nothing for a while, not looking away, but the staring contest was starting to get on his nerves.

"Alright." He heaved a sigh. "I will book the room."

Only when he said that did her expression change.

"Room?"

"You want to do it here?" Dante said. "I don't mind, but… wouldn't you prefer a bed?"

Finally getting the hint, Caroline's calm demeanor collapsed, and exhaustion quickly painted her face. Tormented with a really bad headache, she held hand to her forehead and sighed.

"Never took you for the kind who would joke at times like this."

"Who said I'm joking?" Dante raised one corner of his mouth. "I can tell it has been some time since you last had some company."

"Even if that was the case, I wouldn't seek it from a kid."

"You sure about that? I will let you arrest me if you aren't satified by morning."

Caroline opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was a tired sigh.

"I will get straight to the point." She said. "I want t know why Kaiser Tigris came to you."

"Straight to the point, huh..." Dante said. "Why not just ask him?"

"..."

"Well, sorry to say this, but I have nothing for you. The boss doesn't really share everything with us low level grunts."

One thing Dante learned from his clash with the Tigris scion was that even Eidolon's top had no way of outing VOLCAN's host from the masses. The relic had integrated directly with his soul, so it only made sense, but it was still strange that the blond bastard still believed that Cyberpunk and Ghost were entirely different people, even after fighting both.

"So you want me to believe that you attacked the heir to the Tigris family without knowing the reason he was there?" Caroline said.

"A monster walked into my house, what did you expect me to do?" Dante replied. "Besides, I think I have been very clear about not letting any of your freaks into my place."

"Is that so? From what I was told, you seemed to get along just fine with Silver Wind?"

"There are some exceptions. Sunshine is nice."

It wasn't that he hadn't considered killing all four of the hero team. The only difference was that he took his time and listened to what they had to say, just like what he was doing now. Dante hated the red haired commander, and he couldn't wait for he day he snaps her throat with his own hand. The time will come eventually, but for now, he was going to let her talk.

Caroline kept her silence, and her eyes shifted in his direction every now and then. For a moment there, Dante wondered if she was considering whether to take him up on his offer. Of course, that couldn't have been the case.

"I… I have a job for you."

Dante's eyes widened with surprise. That was the last thing he expecte to hear from the BEO commander.

"A job, you say?"

"Yes."

"I'm guessing it's not something you would want your organization to know about."

"That is correct."

"I refuse."

This time, it was Caroline's turn to be shocked.

"I have a guess as to what gave you the idea, but you it's a bit too late." Dante said. "I no longer do mercenary work."

Even if he was still a freelancer, taking a job directly from the customer wasn't something they do.

"Are you sure about that?" Caroline asked. "I was under the impression that you have a price for everything."

"And what makes you think you can afford it?" Dante said.

"... The job concerns the organization distributing Catalyst."

As it turned out, the red haired commander might be able to afford it after all.

"I'm listening."

"I will assume you have already looked into the attack on Eidolon's branch in the city." Caroline began. "Though it was made to look like just another terrorist attack, we discovered a few things after investigation. The first one I that the Gear Cult was involved. As for the second…" She paused, looking him straight in the eye. "They seemed to be looking for something."

Dante waited for her to elaborate, but the BEO commander said nothing.

"You don't expect me to find out what that is, do you?"

"We know that you are sheltering the Alchemist." Said Caroline. "We know that you are trying to form a connection with the organization."

"You sure know a lot," Dante said. "And here I was thinking we had a deal."

"We also know that the organization might seek an alliance with you."

Dante simmered down right away, giving the commander a chance.

"Don't get me wrong, this isn't an official work from the BEO," Caroline said, her eyes narrowing. "It's a personal request, so make sure the matter stays between us."