Vampires are creatures that drink the blood of humans... but also that of other living beings. They have sharp teeth, are dangerous, and possess excellent hearing and eyesight. They fear light and roses.
The oldest vampire, Dracula, the brother of Death, who has not appeared for years, is the first vampire in Grimmhoth. He is said to have long black hair and four wings, each of which has a large eye. He is also supposedly so powerful that he can kill several people within seconds without any difficulty.
According to the descriptions, humans taste delicious to him... but elves, especially female elves, taste so sweet... That is why he mostly hunted elves. Of course, he stopped because the Dark Bride herself is supposedly half elf and half witch...
(Lightning!)
You must understand that vampires are indeed afraid of light, but... there is only one kind of light that can kill them... the light of lightning, or rather, electricity. A kind of electrical light, not the light from lamps... By the way, they are also supposed to fear roses... Their scent makes them dizzy..."
Fiona: "But there hasn't been a single rose discovered in six hundred years."
Clemence: "Oh... there has. In our garden... The Lacroix family has owned quite a lot of them in our garden for a long time... After all, we are hunters..."
Fiona: "Hunters?"
Elizabeth: "The Lacroix family, Les mains des damnés, also fights against supernatural monsters. We hunt creatures such as Namesis, zombies, vampires, and... Wendigos."
Fiona: "Wendigos..."
The problem is that Wendigo attacks are often mistaken for vampire attacks. They have similar characteristics... pale skin, a taste for blood, and they are monsters. However... they aren't intelligent, unlike vampires... Wendigos are also considerably weaker because they cannot use magic."
Fiona: "Vampires, on the other hand, can... specifically, curses and... blood magic..."
Clemence: "Exactly! You paid good attention in class..."
Fiona: "No... but I'm interested in this kind of thing... Curses from spirits and Banshees. Vampires and Banshees make a damn good team... That means these cases might be connected to Banshees..."
Clemence: "Or they are using the usual simple trick..."
Fiona: "...Necromancy?"
Clemence: "The books of Oz, the dark magicians of the Oz family... Necromancers... There is another one, also called Occhio Morto, the Dead Eye."
Fiona: "You don't mean the book Dead Eye by Oz's rival, Leonardo da Vinci the Second?"
Clemence: "Yes, that's the one I mean... Funny, isn't it? His father was a famous painter, while his son simply became a dark magician... and chose the dark path..."
Fiona: "I thought that was just a legend..."
But the reason behind it is simple... Leonardo da Vinci the Second fell in love with a woman... However... it turned out that she was a vampire... So... he learned about dark magic to find a way to help the woman he loved... to protect her from light and from the torture her own body subjected her to. Occhio Morto contains spells that only the undead know how to use..."
Fiona: "How could he know them if he wasn't undead?"
Clemence: "Well, he was practically dead because he was seriously ill. That's also why he could see ghosts..."
Fiona: "Hmm..."
Elizabeth: "Sorry to interrupt, but what does all of this have to do with our case?"
Clemence: "It's simple... This book, the Dead Eye, Occhio Morto, actually gave vampires a way to become resistant to light... namely, an earring."
Fiona: "Well... we can't attack everyone who wears an earring... We'd practically have to kill or capture almost everyone."
Clemence: "That's why we have roses... We can arrange for roses to be used at the festival..."
Fiona: "What festival?"
Elizabeth: "Oh, right... She probably means the Festival of Joy..."
Fiona: "I see... Doesn't sound like something for me..."
Daisy: "(Sweating)..."
Oliver: "Oh, my goodness..."
Grey: "She's creepy..."
Fiona: "I can hear you when you speak loudly, you know?"
Grey: "We wanted you to hear us."
Fiona: "...(Sweating)... I see... Now I understand why I think you're a bird..."
Grey: "I'm not a bird..."
Fiona: "I see..."
Clemence: "(Sweating)... Uh..."
Elizabeth: "Hahhh..."
(A Few Hours Later)
They set off for the street where the victim had been found. However, the body had already been removed, so they had to go to the morgue.
(Lightning!)
Clemence: "This is her."
Fiona: "Hmm..."
It was a young woman, apparently about twenty-seven years old. She had blonde hair and a wound on the back of her neck, but for some reason, she was clutching her stomach.
Grey: "Look, she's holding her stomach."
Fiona: "Hmm..."
She moved the woman's hands away.
Fiona: "Ugh..."
They were... her organs...
Clemence: "Oh... That's... yes... Those are her organs..."
Fiona: "The strange thing is... was this really a vampire attack?"
Grey: "Hmm..."
Fiona: "Hmm..."
She opened the woman's mouth...
Fiona: "The smell of food... Something sweet..."
Clemence: "She was last seen near a restaurant... That would explain it..."
Fiona: "One thing is certain... The vampire didn't kill her just for her blood."
Clemence: "Hmm?"
Fiona: "The wound on her neck is considerably deeper than an ordinary vampire bite... The wound on her stomach... isn't really important to a vampire... Vampires only want blood, not flesh, unlike ghouls."
Grey: "Maybe it was a ghoul."
Fiona: "Then it would have eaten her organs instead of simply opening her stomach and leaving them there..."
Daisy: "Maybe it was discovered or heard something..."
Fiona: "That's possible... but I don't think that's what happened... Because I suspect there were hardly any people outside at that time. When was the body discovered?"
Clemence: "At around nine in the evening..."
Fiona: "Hmm... So, more than ten hours ago... Hmm?"
She looked at the woman's hand... it was crushed.
Fiona: "Hmm?"
Clemence: "What is it?"
Fiona: "Her hand... and her arm are broken too."
Grey: "She fought back."
Fiona: "No... I don't think she even heard him coming. Vampires are three times as fast as humans, have five times better hearing, and see six times better than humans. Since it's always night here, she would have had less chance of seeing what was happening..."
Daisy: "Hmm..."
Fiona: "Was she also found near the restaurant where she was last seen?"
Clemence: "No... I don't think so..."
Elizabeth: "According to the authorities, she suddenly appeared on a street. There was nothing before that... One witness said the body... simply appeared out of nowhere..."
Daisy: "Strange."
Fiona: "Hmm... Are there any pictures of her?"
Elizabeth: "Hmm... Yes."
Clemence: "Why?"
Elizabeth: "Here. I already expected we might need something like this. Well, it isn't a photograph... It's more like... Would an object be enough?"
Fiona: "Hmm? That might work... as long as it belongs to her..."
Clemence: "Hmm?"
Fiona held the object and took out a pistol.
Clemence: "Ugh."
(Bang!)
She shot herself in the head. As usual, her clock hand began to move, and she fell to the floor.
(Wshhh!)
Fiona: "Ugh..."
She became a spirit again.
Fiona: "Hmm..."
But it was... a child's bedroom.
Fiona: "Damn it... Just as I thought. This won't work unless the object was last held at the moment she died... It must have been a long time since she last touched it..."
She looked around.
Fiona: "Hmm..."
There was a picture with a name on it. Her name was Emma. Emma Trenthold.
Fiona: "Hmm... She was still a child back then..."
She examined the picture more closely.
Fiona: "The date is written here... 1448... She was older than I thought... Unfortunately, I can't learn anything else or help you. After all, I'm just a human who can't help... I'm sorry... I hope you aren't suffering as a spirit..."
She looked around again.
Fiona: "I'm certain a vampire did this... I'm sorry I can't help you or save you... I'm just a human who can occasionally become a spirit..."
She continued walking and looking around.
Fiona: "Hmm?"
(Tick!)
Fiona: "I should return now."
She returned to her body.
Fiona: "Ghhhhhh... Hahhhhh... Hahhhhh..."
Clemence: "Ugh... Incredible... Is that the ability of the Card of Mystery?"
Fiona: "Hahhh... Yes, but I can't use it for very long... For you, it feels like an hour, but for me, it's only a minute, or sometimes five minutes. It depends. Five minutes at most..."
Clemence: "I see... Did you see anything?"
Fiona: "No. This object does belong to her, but she apparently hasn't used it in a long time. It only takes me back to the moment when she last touched it..."
Clemence: "Does it work the same way with pictures?"
Fiona: "No... With pictures, it takes me to the moment when the person died... The clock hand in my left eye moves to that point in time. However, the person must already be dead... That means I can't save someone when I'm trying to find out what happened to them. For that, I need an object, for example..."
Clemence: "Wow..."
Fiona: "Anyway... We need to find another way to track down the vampire..."
Clemence: "And how?"
Fiona thought for a moment and sat down on a chair...
Fiona: "Hmm... (She wasn't murdered in front of the restaurant... but her body was found there. Her organs were taken out of her stomach, so this might not simply be a vampire looking for blood... but a vampire who hunts people for fun... The woman was holding her stomach, which means... it's very possible he first tore open her stomach and only then bit her neck... That would also explain why she was holding her stomach...)."
Clemence: "Hmm?"
Fiona: "I think this is roughly how the vampire killed her... I'll show you. Crane... how about helping me?"
Crane: "Hmm."
The hat opened, and he came out of it.
Crane: "Fine by me."
Clemence: "Oh..."
Fiona: "It's time to show you how it might have happened..."
She took out a veil and several stage puppets. Crane began to sing a song, or rather, produce music using instruments.
(Ding!)
Fiona: "All right, now..."
Clemence: "What is this supposed to be...?"
Fiona: "You'll see."
(Bzzz!)
The stage began to move.
Fiona: "I learned something similar from someone I once knew. His name was Pinocchio, and through the Card of Mystery... I gained a similar ability. It's called Stage Scene... It shows roughly how a crime took place..."
The puppets began to move, growing as large as humans. The stage transformed into a proper stage, and they began acting out the scene.
Fiona: "Although the victim was found in front of the restaurant... she wasn't murdered there..."
Clemence: "Oh..."
The puppets began moving.
Fiona: "The victim was somewhere else... probably out for a walk..."
Clemence: "But they said she was last seen in front of the restaurant."
Fiona: "That's because the victim had visited the restaurant... But then she left... probably to go for a walk or head home... Then the vampire appeared."
Another puppet appeared, taking the form of a vampire.
Fiona: "He tore open her stomach so quickly that she didn't even... realize what was happening..."
Clemence: "Oh..."
The puppet held her stomach, just as the woman had done.
Fiona: "That's how she held her stomach... Understandable. It's a human reflex... Then she died... A few seconds later, the vampire returned and drank her blood... After that, he took her body and threw it in front of the restaurant..."
Clemence: "But why?"
Fiona: "Most likely, he met her there..."
Clemence: "You mean he followed her..."
Fiona: "Exactly..."
The stage closed.
Fiona: "Now, let's do it again... only this time..."
She took out a cassette.
Fiona: "I also got this cassette through the Card of Mystery... One of its abilities is called... Drawing. This will show you the details more clearly."
She inserted it into a screen. A cartoon appeared, drawn in black and white, showing exactly how the victim had been killed.
Elizabeth: "An interesting ability... How did you film all of that so quickly?"
Fiona: "Oh... This cassette records everything I say and turns it into a short animated film... It just takes time... That's why I showed you the stage performance first... All right... The vampire didn't do this just to drink blood, but..."
Clemence: "To kill... His goal wasn't the blood... It was to kill her."
Fiona: "Exactly... This reminds me of someone... a criminal I once read about in the newspapers... Jack the Ripper..."
Elizabeth: "Hmm..."
Fiona: "I think it's him... The method is the same... Back then, the people writing the newspapers probably didn't know they were dealing with a vampire, not a human..."
Clemence: "That also explains why he disappeared without leaving any real details behind..."
Fiona: "Exactly..."
Elizabeth: "Couldn't it simply be someone imitating him?"
Fiona: "No... Let me tell you something... When I was still working for Dark Umbrella, I was given a task... namely, to find Jack the Ripper... There was too much evidence suggesting he was still alive, just somewhere else..."
Clemence: "Oho..."
Fiona: "And while I was researching... I noticed something... Every ten years... several unexplained murders of young women occur... Every ten years... Also, although he was fast and clever... one thing was discovered regardless... One of his victims had a child... a little girl... She witnessed what happened. Of course, nobody thought she could help because she was still a child. They asked her what she had seen, and she said... sharp teeth and red eyes..."
She took out a picture... It showed a young woman.
Fiona: "This girl was murdered ten years ago... in exactly the same way... when she had just turned sixteen..."
Clemence: "Poor girl..."
Fiona: "Maybe he wanted revenge on her because she had witnessed something..."
Grey: "That makes no sense... Why would he wait ten years?"
Fiona: "...Probably because he didn't want to kill a child... Although I personally think he appears every ten years and then disappears for a simple reason... Something is holding him back... Some kind of limit... a transformation..."
Clemence: "Hmm?"
Fiona: "Hmm?"
Clemence: "What if... he's only a half vampire?"
Fiona: "What?"
Clemence: "Surely you've heard about half vampires... half human, half vampire... After all, the Clown himself is half vampire and half..."
Fiona: "That's true..."
Clemence: "So there could be another one..."
Fiona: "You're forgetting something... The Clown isn't half vampire and half human. He's half vampire and half spirit... He was probably born that way because of his mother. After all, he was born even though she had already been dead for weeks... Her spirit was what kept him warm..."
Clemence: "Oh..."
Fiona: "I think this one is half human and half vampire."
Elizabeth: "Hmm... And why do you think that?"
Fiona: "Well... Look at her fingers... She had no time to react, but apparently, just before she died and he drank her blood... she grabbed his neck or arm very tightly... tightly enough to break her own fingers..."
Grey: "Oh... She's right. Her fingers are twisted."
Fiona: "That means the vampire wasn't strong enough to break them immediately, or rather, he wasn't fast enough... Vampires are much faster than humans, but a half-vampire... is only three or four times as fast as a human, while ordinary vampires are usually... seven or eight times as fast."
Clemence: "And how are we supposed to catch him?"
Fiona: "Hmm... There is one major advantage when dealing with a half vampire..."
Clemence: "Hmm?"
Fiona: "Roses... They might not affect him as strongly. They might not affect him at all."
Clemence: "Ugh..."
She sat down again.
Fiona: "Think about it... He still has a half human body and a half vampire body. That means the roses will either have only a small effect... or no effect at all..."
Grey: "Hmm..."
Fiona stood up and walked over to the body.
Fiona: "I need a picture of her immediately... Why does nobody know who she is?"
Clemence: "Well... the thing is... this woman was shunned..."
Fiona: "Why?"
Clemence: "...People said she was... a witch..."
Fiona: "Hmm? Well, I know her name. I saw a photograph through the object. Her name was Emma Trenthold..."
Clemence: "Oh... That could help. I can quickly ask my friends at the police station..."
Fiona: "Please do that..."
(A Few Days Earlier)
(On a Gloomy, Cold, Dark Street)
(Splatter!)
(Hrrrrrrrrrr...)
Clown: "Hey..."
He turned around.
Clown: "You look hungry... Jack..."
Jack: "Ugh... You're... the one I met a hundred years ago... You... you turned me into this... a half vampire... by killing my mother and filling her womb with your blood!"
Clown: "You remember?"
Jack: "I last saw you seventy years ago..."
Clown: "I want to tell you... that I'm proud... that you've made it this far... I have a task for you... I want you to commit... a murder... Just as you do every time... as I've planted in your mind... At least one or two people every ten years..."
Jack: "Ugh..."
Clown: "Be careful... You might get caught. You need to watch yourself. There's a detective here at the moment..."
Jack: "A woman?"
Clown: "Yes... Her name is Fiona Household... I want you to watch her... You must not kill her..."
Jack: "And what if I have to?"
Clown: "You must not... because if you do... I'll kill your descendants... your great great granddaughter..."
Jack: "Ugh..."
Clown: "Hahhh..."
He walked up to Jack and whispered...
Clown: "You will kill someone... the woman you're currently in a relationship with... You will believe she has cheated on you... You will kill her out of anger, and only an hour later will you remember that she never cheated on you... You must not kill the detective..."
He looked at him.
Clown: "Fiona Household must not die... Do you hear me? I need her..."
Jack: "And why... why must I remember that I killed my wife even though she was innocent?"
Clown: "Because I enjoy torturing you... Do it... You have only four days... Understood?"
(Back to the Present)
Clemence: "We've found something."
Elizabeth: "Her name is exactly as you remembered it. Emma Trenthold..."
Fiona: "Hmm..."
Clemence: "Here is the photograph... Are you going to use the Card of Mystery again?"
Fiona: "No... Actually, I'm only allowed to use it three times a week..."
Clemence: "Hmm?"
Fiona: "Using it several times a day is dangerous... I could end up remaining in the spirit world... That wouldn't be good..."
Clemence: "I understand..."
Fiona: "We have to wait twenty four hours... Until then, I'd say we should look for more clues..."
(A Few Hours Later)
Fiona had to rest... After all, she had a headache... She returned to the Ainsworth family's castle and went to her room, where she lay down on the bed.
Fiona: "Ahhhhh..."
Crane: "Tired?"
Fiona: "Yes..."
Crane: "You're still a young girl, after all... This must be too much for you..."
Fiona: "(Cough)... I think I stayed in spirit form for too long..."
Crane: "Be careful... It's dangerous for a human to remain in the spirit world for too long... You could get trapped there."
Fiona: "I know..."
Crane: "And what do you think?"
Fiona: "Something isn't right... Look here... in the photograph... She is wearing a ring..."
Crane: "Hmm?"
Fiona: "She is, or at least was, married..."
Crane: "I see..."
Fiona: "Why haven't we heard anything about her partner or ex partner? That means..."
Crane: "He's the murderer..."
Fiona: "Well... it's not proof yet, but in cases like this, the partner, especially an ex partner, is always a prime suspect... There must have been a lot of hatred... It makes no sense for someone who didn't know her to do this... That means the person hated her."
Crane: "Hmm?"
Fiona: "Hmm..."
Crane: "...No... Fiona... Whatever happens, don't call him..."
Fiona: "I have to use the card, Crane..."
She took out a card. It said White Rabbit. The card also had a picture or painting of a rabbit wearing a suit and hat. She threw the card, and he appeared.
Fiona: "Hahh... Long time no see, Mr. Herold... Or should I call you Mr. White Rabbit?"
Mr. Herold: "How rude of you to summon me during my tea time, and so suddenly..."
Fiona: "I need your help..."
Mr. Herold: "Oh... So suddenly? The last time you used me, you said you would never use me again... Do you know how that feels? I was alone in Wonderland for seven years..."
Fiona: "Hahhh... Okay... Okay... I'm sorry."
Mr. Herold: "That isn't enough, Miss Fiona... The contract remains the same... From now on, you must use me more often, or I'll have to look for another user."
Fiona: "What do you want...?"
Mr. Herold: "Proof that you'll use me more from now on..."
Fiona: "Hahhhh... Okay... Okay... I'll change my contract with you..."
Mr. Herold: "How kind of you... Don't forget that you received me as a gift. Alongside the Card of Mystery, you also received the Card of the White Rabbit... me. I can help you... I'll prepare your weapons and give you these gloves... I gave them to you, but you never use them."
Fiona: "Hahhhh... Okay... Okay... Herold... That's enough..."
Mr. Herold: "Mr. Herold!"
Fiona: "Mr. Herold... Happy now?"
Mr. Herold: "...Now I just need some tea... Will you make a cup for both of us?"
Crane: "What about me?"
Mr. Herold: "You're a crow, Crane... You don't drink coffee... Perhaps soup..."
Fiona: "...Hahhh... Listen, Herold... Mr. Herold... I'll only use you if you treat Crane more nicely... Crane is my most important partner and my best buddy... Do you understand?"
Mr. Herold: "Very well... I have no objections..."
She went to the kitchen and started making coffee. To do so, she had to go downstairs, since the kitchen was there...
(Cooking!)
Fiona: "Hahhh..."
Daisy: "Coffee?"
Fiona: "Hahh? ...Yes..."
Daisy: "For you... and for... the crow?"
Fiona: "The crow...? No... it's for the rabbit..."
Daisy: "Hehehe... You actually have a pretty good sense of humor when it comes to jokes like that..."
Fiona: "He is a rabbit... Seriously..."
Daisy: "Huh?"
Fiona: "If you want, come with me... You can see him for yourself..."
Daisy: "Uh..."
(A Few Minutes Later)
Daisy: "Whaaaaa...?"
Mr. Herold: "Well... what do we have here? A friend?"
Fiona: "We're working together..."
Daisy: "A... a... a... a talking... rabbit... wearing a hat... and a suit... and speaking so elegantly... He has a monocle... and... uses a watch... and... has ears..."
Fiona: "(Sweating)... Rabbits... always... have ears..."
Mr. Herold: "Well... my ears are better than ordinary ears... Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
Daisy: "Uh... My name is... Daisy... Heinsenheim..."
Mr. Herold: "Oh... What an... annoying surname. It doesn't suit your first name... Hmm."
Daisy: "Huh?"
Fiona: "Don't listen to him..."
Mr. Herold: "Where is my tea...?"
Fiona: "There was no tea... only coffee..."
Mr. Herold: "What an unrefined household... No tea... Very well, I'll get some myself."
He took a cup of tea out of his hat.
Fiona: "You had tea with you the whole time?"
Mr. Herold: "Of course."
Fiona: "Then why did I have to make you some?"
Mr. Herold: "Out of respect... and because tea tastes better when served by a woman..."
Fiona: "Huh? ...Is there a difference?"
Mr. Herold: "Hahhh... My tea isn't very delicious, though."
Fiona: "Ugh... Fine... I'll make you some... Hahh..."
(A Few Minutes Later)
(Ding!)
Fiona: "Satisfied...?"
Mr. Herold: "Hahhhhh... What a taste... What... an... awful preparation."
Fiona: "...(Silently)... I'll kill you someday..."
Mr. Herold: "Nahahah... How rude... Watch your tongue... or you'll die a virgin..."
Fiona: "(Sweating)..."
Daisy: "(Sweating)... Is he... always... like this...?"
Fiona: "Annoying...? Yes... always... Even alarm bells are less annoying than he is."
Mr. Herold: "I can hear you, ladies..."
Fiona: "That's the point... I wanted you to hear that..."
Mr. Herold: "Very well... Why did you summon me? By the way, the tea needs sugar... Bring me some sugar..."
Fiona: "Hahhh..."
(A Few Minutes Later)
Fiona: "Here..."
Mr. Herold: "Thank you very much..."
He added sugar.
Mr. Herold: "Perhaps a little flower as well, to make it look elegant..."
Fiona took out her pistol...
Mr. Herold: "(Sweating)... (Cough)... Okay... Okay..."
Fiona: "Hmm..."
Mr. Herold: "But perhaps some music?"
Fiona: "...Hahhh..."
(Tears...)
Fiona: "What am I going to do...? I'm going to throw myself out of a window soon..."
They turned on some music...
Fiona: "There..."
Mr. Herold: "Chase music, please..."
Fiona: "(Staring)..."
She turned it on.
Mr. Herold: "Hahhh... Much better. Come on... Sit down..."
Fiona: "Finally..."
She sat down.
Mr. Herold: "My lady... Daisy... Why don't you sit down too?"
Daisy: "There... isn't another chair."
Mr. Herold: "My lap is available."
Daisy: "(Sweating)... Huh?"
Daisy looked at Crane and then at Fiona. They nodded.
Daisy: "Ahhh..."
She sat on his lap.
Daisy: "Hahhh..."
Mr. Herold: "You're too heavy... Get off..."
Daisy: "Dude!"
She stood up.
Daisy: "NOPE! I'm leaving... I can't take this anymore..."
She walked away.
Mr. Herold: "Now we're alone... Much better..."
Fiona: "You wanted her to leave."
Mr. Herold: "Exactly... I want to discuss this with you and Crane, Fiona..."
Fiona: "Fine by me..."
Mr. Herold: "Hahhh... First, explain what you want..."
Fiona: "And the contract?"
Mr. Herold: "Tell me what's going on first... Then... we'll do that."
Fiona: "Okay..."
She told him about Emma Trenthold, her murder, and the vampire case.
Mr. Herold: "Vampires... I haven't seen them for centuries..."
Fiona: "Mhm... That's the problem... Most vampires come from Sora, and it's sealed..."
Mr. Herold: "Hmm..."
Fiona: "What's the Wonderland Kingdom like these days?"
Mr. Herold: "Too peaceful..."
Fiona: "I see..."
Mr. Herold: "Hmm..."
Fiona: "Something wrong?"
Mr. Herold: "Are there no cookies here?"
Fiona: "Hahhhh..."
She fetched some cookies.
Fiona: "I have no idea if they're any good..."
Mr. Herold: "Thank you."
(Crunch!)
Mr. Herold: "Hmm... Delicious..."
Fiona: "So... what do you think?"
Mr. Herold: "Hmm... I think your idea that this might have been her current or former partner is an interesting one, and it makes sense... However... the question is, why would someone remove her organs out of anger...?"
Fiona: "Hmm..."
Mr. Herold: "He's a half vampire... which means he's half human... That means... he can be manipulated by a vampire..."
Fiona: "Ugh... You think it was another vampire? There are others?"
Mr. Herold: "Have you already forgotten that there have been several cases lately? That's why you're investigating them..."
Fiona: "I thought it might be the same one..."
Mr. Herold: "No... The others before this were considerably cleverer..."
Fiona: "But why would anyone do something like this...?"
Mr. Herold: "Hahhh... I don't know... By the way... that's exactly why you need my ability and should use the White Rabbit card more often..."
Fiona: "Hahhh... I... understand..."
Mr. Herold: "Hmmmm... Perhaps a friend of mine could help you..."
Fiona: "Who?"
Mr. Herold: "Who else...? The strongest witch in Wonderland... Alice..."
Fiona: "What? But she's almost as powerful as a Guardian..."
Mr. Herold: "Well... Alice really is powerful... Wonderland has been much safer since she arrived there... Perhaps she can help you..."
Fiona: "So I have to meet... the Witch of Dreams and Sweets..."
Mr. Herold: "Exactly... The Witch of Dreams and Sweets..."
Fiona: "Hmm... But then I'd have to travel to Wonderland, and I don't have that much time..."
Mr. Herold: "You're right... That's why I'll go there myself... I think I know who can help us... but you must agree to it..."
Fiona: "And who would that be?"
Mr. Herold: "The Scarecrow..."
Fiona: "Huh? How can she help us? I don't have a contract with her..."
Mr. Herold: "I know... Nevertheless, she could be important to you... You can make three... no, four contracts with spirits, nature spirits, or even supernatural objects... or animals... like me, for example..."
Fiona: "Hahh... Crane and Bob count as one... so that's one contract... The Card of Mystery... then the White Rabbit... That means I can still make one more... How can the Scarecrow convince me?"
Mr. Herold: "First, renew your contract with me... Then I'll tell you... Hahhh... All right... Hold my hand."
Fiona: "Okay... Hhhh..."
She held his hand...
Fiona: "And what are the conditions?"
Mr. Herold: "From now on, you use me, and I'll help you... In return, I get an invitation for tea and cookies once a week..."
Fiona: "Huh? That's it?"
Mr. Herold: "Yes."
Fiona: "I thought you wanted something more... like permission to live with me... or a part of my body, such as my ears or eyes."
Mr. Herold: "Oh... My goodness... Do you think I'm a pervert?"
Fiona: "You just asked a woman you'd known for less than ten minutes to sit on your lap... Yes... I'm absolutely sure you're a pervert. I don't just think you're a pervert... You are a pervert..."
Mr. Herold: "(Sweating)... Fine... Then I also want to live with you from now on... I didn't want to say it because I was afraid... you'd get angry..."
Fiona: "No problem... But I get to set one condition... You mustn't annoy me... And... where is your brother Finrow, anyway?"
Mr. Herold: "No... He isn't coming with us..."
Fiona: "Oh, come on... He was funny, after all..."
Mr. Herold: "Am I not funny?"
Fiona: "Well... if you were funny, I wouldn't have fallen asleep three times while you were talking..."
Mr. Herold: "Hahhh... Fine... But he isn't here right now... I'll call him..."
He took out an old telephone...
(Ringing)
Finrow: "Hello... Brother... How can I help?"
Mr. Herold: "Come here... Fiona wants to see you..."
Finrow: "Oh... Really...?"
Mr. Herold: "Get over here already!"
He shouted loudly, startling Fiona.
Fiona: "(Sweating)... Whoa..."
Crane: "(Sweating)... Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Finrow appeared from his hat.
Finrow: "Oh... Fiona... I'm so happy to see you..."
However, he was just an ordinary rabbit in his normal form... who could talk.
Fiona: "Hello, Finrow..."
He jumped onto her lap, and she stroked him.
Finrow: "It's nice to see you again..."
Fiona: "Likewise..."
Mr. Herold: "Hmph... Are you satisfied now?"
Fiona: "Okay... Then... it's a deal."
She held his hand.
Mr. Herold: "Finally... By the way... I really need to use the toilet this time..."
Finrow: "I advise you to tell him where it is quickly... He really does make funny noises from his stomach quite often... Bbbbbb... Ughhhh... My stomach..."
Mr. Herold: "...Ghhhhhhhhhh... Finrow!"
Fiona: "Hehehehe... Okay... It's over there on the left..."
Mr. Herold: "Thanks a lot... Honestly..."
(Crash!)
(Bbbbbbbbbbb!)
Mr. Herold: "Ughhhh... My stomach..."
Fiona: "(Sweating)..."
Finrow: "See...?"