Chapter 906: First Date in Venice

Yamato’s slash appeared high above a building near Piazzale Roma, opening a violet line through space before expanding enough for two people to pass through.

Vergil stepped out first, sheathing the sword as soon as his feet touched the rooftop, while Hela appeared just behind him.

The rift closed almost immediately, leaving the two of them facing a Venice illuminated by the beginning of night.

From there, they could see old rooftops, church towers, and canals cutting through the city, while the lights from the buildings reflected across the dark water.

The air carried the salty smell of the lagoon mixed with food drifting from restaurants scattered through the nearby streets.

Hela walked to the edge of the rooftop and observed the city for a few seconds.

"I’ve been here a few times," she commented, resting her hands on the parapet. "But I never really enjoyed Venice. Usually I came to collect some soul, deal with something related to the dead, or accompany someone who was going to die a few hours later. Not exactly tourism."

"Then this is the first time you’re here for the right reason," Vergil replied, approaching her.

Hela glanced sideways.

"And what would the right reason be?"

"Having no reason at all."

Vergil rested one hand on the parapet beside her.

"That’s basically what a date is. You enjoy the place and the company without needing to kill someone, stop a war, or solve a cosmological problem."

"That sounds strangely unproductive."

"Exactly."

She let out a small laugh and looked back at the city.

"Maybe I’ll like it."

Vergil wrapped one arm around her waist and pointed toward a lower building across the street.

"Let’s go down."

"You’re going to jump?"

"Yes."

"There are stairs."

"I know."

Before Hela could argue, Vergil jumped from the roof with her.

She did not show even a trace of fear, simply holding onto his shoulder as they dropped several stories.

Vergil slowed their descent just before reaching the ground, using demonic energy to soften the fall until both landed smoothly in a quiet area.

Hela released his waist and adjusted her clothes as though that were a perfectly normal way to leave a building.

"You really avoid stairs whenever possible, don’t you?"

"They’re slow."

"You have a problem with slow things."

"I have a problem with unnecessarily slow things."

Hela was about to answer when Vergil pulled a phone from his pocket.

The sight made the Queen of Helheim pause for a moment.

She had seen him use human technology before, but there was still something particularly strange about watching someone capable of cutting dimensions pull out a phone like any ordinary person.

Vergil unlocked it, quickly found a contact, and made a call.

"I’m in Venice, near Piazzale Roma. I need a car."

He listened to the answer on the other end for several seconds.

"Yes. That one is fine. Bring it here."

He hung up.

Hela tilted her head.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Someone who works for me."

"That explains almost nothing."

Vergil slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"I figured it would be a little unfair to make you walk across the entire city on our first date, so I asked them to bring a vehicle."

Hela looked around, then toward the canals farther ahead.

"Vergil, you do know a considerable part of this city wasn’t built for cars, right?"

"I know."

"Then why did you ask for one?"

"Because we can drive as far as possible, park, and keep walking."

She narrowed her eyes.

"You really wanted to use a car."

Vergil smiled.

"Maybe."

Hela crossed her arms, amused.

"Which one?"

"Wait."

They did not have to wait long.

A few minutes later, a deep sound began to emerge from the nearby street.

It was not excessively loud, but it had a deep mechanical tone that immediately drew the attention of several people walking through the area.

A low, aggressive vehicle appeared at the end of the street, approaching slowly before parking in front of them.

Hela fell silent.

The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut looked absurdly out of place among Venice’s historic architecture.

Its low body, aerodynamic lines, and almost futuristic presence contrasted almost comically with the old buildings around it.

Even so, Vergil looked at the car with a satisfied expression.

"Subtle," Hela commented.

"I never said it would be subtle."

The door opened and a human-looking man quickly stepped out of the vehicle.

To any ordinary person, he would have looked like nothing more than a very well-dressed driver, but Hela immediately noticed the demonic signature carefully suppressed beneath his skin.

The demon walked over to Vergil, handed him the keys with both hands, and bowed respectfully.

"My King."

"Thank you."

"There is enough fuel, and the vehicle was prepared as requested."

Vergil nodded.

"You can return."

The demon bowed again, gave Hela a brief respectful glance, and walked away.

A few seconds later, he disappeared through a small demonic distortion at the entrance of a side street, leaving the two of them alone beside the car.

Hela watched everything.

"You have demons responsible for delivering cars."

"I have demons responsible for much stranger things."

"Should I ask?"

"Probably not on the first date."

She laughed.

Vergil raised the keys and smiled at her.

"Shall we?"

He walked to the passenger side and opened the door himself.

Hela observed the gesture for a moment, clearly pleased by the unexpectedly traditional courtesy, before getting in.

The inside of the Jesko was low and cramped compared to the halls she was accustomed to, so she had to adjust her legs before finding a comfortable position.

Vergil closed the door, walked around the vehicle, and got into the driver’s seat.

As soon as he sat down, Hela looked over the interior details, touching a few controls with curiosity.

"How much does this cost?"

Vergil put the key in place.

"I don’t know."

"You bought it without knowing the price?"

"Probably."

Hela slowly turned her face toward him.

"Are you terrible with money?"

"No. I simply have too much money to ask."

She stared at him for several seconds before starting to laugh.

"That was one of the most arrogant things I’ve heard today."

"I warned you I’m arrogant."

Vergil started the car.

The engine came alive behind them with a deep sound that immediately made Hela look back, though she obviously could not see much from there.

She smiled.

"I like it."

"I figured."

Vergil began pulling slowly out of the parking spot, but Hela crossed one leg over the other and looked at him.

"So where are we going?"

He did not answer.

Instead, he pulled the phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and simply tossed it toward her.

Hela caught it instinctively.

"Pick something," Vergil said, smiling while keeping his eyes on the road.

She looked at the phone.

Then at him.

"You brought me on a date without planning where we’re going to eat?"

"I planned to bring you to Venice."

"That isn’t complete planning."

"Too much planning ruins the fun."

Hela stared at him for a few more seconds.

Then she started laughing again, shaking her head as she unlocked the phone he had left open for her.

"You’re unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"It is now."

She opened Google Maps and started typing.

Vergil glanced quickly in her direction.

"What are you searching for?"

Hela read aloud as she typed:

"Restaurants in Venice that are worth it."

Vergil held back a laugh.

"Very specific."

"I manage the dead, not restaurant reviews."

The screen filled with options.

Hela started scrolling through the list, looking at photos, ratings, and comments.

Within seconds, her expression shifted from curiosity to suspicion.

"Why do humans take so many pictures of food before eating it?"

"I don’t know."

"Doesn’t it get cold?"

"Probably."

"Then why do they do it?"

"You’ve ruled the dead for ages, and this is the part of humanity that confuses you?"

"The dead usually make more sense."

Vergil laughed while slowly driving through the streets where vehicles were allowed.

Hela continued examining restaurants as though she were evaluating diplomatic proposals from different kingdoms, opening photos, closing pages, and rejecting places for reasons Vergil could not follow.

"This one has too many stars," she said.

Vergil frowned.

"Isn’t that good?"

"It looks suspicious."

"How are good reviews suspicious?"

"Maybe they bribed someone."

"There are thousands of people."

"Efficient bribery."

Vergil glanced at her.

Hela remained perfectly serious.

He decided not to argue.

A few seconds later, she opened another place.

"This one looks good."

"Why?"

"There’s a picture of seafood pasta."

"That’s your criterion?"

"It is now."

Vergil nodded.

"Then set the route."

Hela tapped the navigation option, but when the app showed that they would eventually need to park and continue on foot, she slowly turned the phone toward Vergil.

"Look."

He checked quickly.

"Yes."

"We’re going to have to walk."

"A little."

Hela narrowed her eyes.

"You asked for a hypercar to drive for a few minutes."

Vergil remained silent.

She began to smile.

"You really just wanted to drive this."

Vergil finally looked at her.

"I like cars."

Hela laughed and rested her head against the seat, clearly pleased to discover something so mundane about him.

"Demon King, god killer, thief of divine artifacts, owner of three dragons inside his soul..."

"Temporarily three."

"And you like expensive cars."

"Everyone needs hobbies."

She watched his face as the Jesko moved forward, then looked back out the window at Venice.

Maybe this was exactly what Vergil had meant.

No war.

No obligation.

No dead person waiting to be judged.

Just a city, a restaurant chosen almost at random, and the company of a man who apparently thought it was perfectly reasonable to use one of the fastest cars in the world to cover a distance they could have walked.

Hela smiled to herself.

Maybe dates really were interesting.