"Triggered?"
He tossed the phone aside, mana erupted, and in a flash he stood before Patty, scooping Alessa, who was on the verge of erupting, into his arms.
"Relax, Alessa."
Sephirot's palm gently pressed against her back, soothing the restless dark power, his voice steady. "No one will send you away. She just wanted to take you out to play. If you don't want to go, then don't. No one here can force you."
"This time... no one will abandon you."
With that promise, the flickering lights around them steadied, and the dark power that had nearly dragged the Agency into the Otherworld slowly subsided.
Alessa clung tightly to Sephirot's coat, burying her face against his shoulder, her body still trembling slightly.
But those eyes remained vigilant, fixed on Patty.
"Whew..."
Once sure everything was calm, Sephirot sighed in relief, turning toward Patty, who had kept her composure fairly well, his tone carrying a hint of apology:
"Sorry, Patty. You know her background is... unusual. It probably reminded her of bad memories."
"I..."
Patty opened her mouth. She had just heard Sephirot recount Alessa's past, so naturally she could understand the girl's fear.
She looked at Alessa's cold, almost gloomy expression, nervously fiddling with the hem of her skirt, her voice softening: "I just thought the scenery there was beautiful... wanted to take her out to relax..."
"Sorry, Alessa."
Sephirot glanced at Patty, who looked like a child who'd done something wrong, and chuckled. "Patty, don't make that face. It doesn't suit you."
"This kid is sensitive to emotions. She can feel your goodwill. It's just... because of her past, she needs some time to adjust to the feeling of being cared for."
Then Sephirot blinked at Patty, teasing, "Looks like this spring break trip, you'll have to go alone."
"I..."
Seeing Alessa was fine and Sephirot's teasing expression, Patty quickly adjusted her mood, reverting to her usual haughty demeanor. "Alone then alone! That's what I planned anyway!"
But she still felt somewhat guilty and added:
"I noticed the fridge is empty. If you're not going, I'll buy some daily supplies for you tomorrow. Alessa can't just eat pizza with you every day."
"You're skipping class tomorrow?" Sephirot asked.
"Isn't class meant to be skipped?"
"..."
—--
The next day, sunny and bright.
"Uncle Morrison, why are you here? Do you know where Dante went?"
"Are you looking for Sephirot?"
Sephirot awoke groggily from the couch, vaguely hearing Patty talking to someone.
A fluffy, pale yellow blanket was draped over him, carrying a faint, pleasant scent.
It couldn't be helped. The Agency looked spacious, but in reality, it only had three rooms. Two of them were prepared by Dante for his two charming lady friends, leaving the last one naturally belonging to Patty.
As for Sephirot?
As the sole labor force and mascot of this Agency, he usually curled up on the couch in the main hall downstairs.
Nighttime security for the Agency relied solely on him.
His domestic status... there was no need to elaborate.
"Sephirot, wake up! Uncle Morrison is here!"
He wanted to turn over and continue pretending to be dead, but the next moment, his nose was pinched by Patty.
"Cough... Uncle Morrison, long time no see."
Sephirot could only helplessly slap Patty's hand away, sit up, and yawn.
Morrison was sitting on the couch opposite, holding a bowler hat, with a look of watching the show.
He was one of Dante's most trusted human partners, as well as a top-tier information broker in the industry.
Besides delivering information and assignments to Dante, he also acted as Dante's driver and odd-job man, even occasionally moonlighting as a babysitter.
He was the sole miraculous figure capable of cleaning up Dante's messes and actually profiting from it.
"Morning? It's almost noon. The sleep schedule of youngsters is truly enviable."
Morrison smiled, looking at Sephirot and Patty.
He had watched these two kids grow up. When Dante was out on assignments and couldn't attend to them, he was responsible for their daily care. And now, they had grown so much seemingly overnight.
Seeming to recall something amusing, he suppressed a laugh: "But I'm not here today for idle chatter."
"I mainly want to discuss with you... the Agency's debt issue."
"Stop! Stop!"
Sephirot raised his hand, interrupting the forthcoming words. "Uncle Morrison, talk to Dante about the debts. What does that have to do with me? I'm just a hired hand."
"Oh? Didn't Dante tell you?"
Morrison feigned surprise. "Before he left, he transferred most of the Agency's debts to your name."
"As a trade-off, he said you can freely use whatever remains in the Agency."
Freely use what remains?
Sephirot felt his vision darken and his blood pressure skyrocket.
He glanced around the Agency. Only air and these worn-out couches remained. He had even taken the custom weapon hanging on the wall.
Right then, a notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Long-term Side Quest: The Debt-Ridden Sparda triggered]
[Quest Description: You have inherited the Agency of the legendary Devil Hunter Dante, along with all his debts (including but not limited to city hall fines, pizza bills, Lady's ammunition fees, Trish's shopping overdraft bills)]
[Quest Objective: Please repay all debts through legitimate means]
[Current Progress: $0 / $100,000,000]
[Phase Reward: Whenever $1 million is repaid, you will be randomly rewarded with temporary usage rights for one Devil Arm.]
[Final Reward: After clearing all debts, obtain full ownership of the "Devil May Cry" Agency and unlock hidden reward, Sparda's Legacy.]
There's even a quest? The system is so considerate? Wait...
One, ten, hundred... ten million... one hundred million?!
Sephirot was stunned at first, but when he clearly saw that string of zeros, he felt like he had arrived in a city famous for pandas.
Did Dante blow up the White House?!
"Where did he go?"
Sephirot asked, gritting his teeth.
"He might be vacationing on some island full of demons, or maybe went back to Hell, his hometown. Who knows?"
Morrison shrugged. "You know, when he wants to vanish, no one can find him."
"Regardless of him, you are temporarily taking over the Agency now."
Morrison's smile faded slightly, becoming serious.
"As an agent, I'll be responsible for screening some suitable assignments for you."
"However, most of the assignment rewards must be prioritized to repay the debts Dante left behind and the pizza bills."
Sephirot felt his vision darken once more.
Not only had to work, but work unpaid.
Could he still become a wandering Devil Hunter now?
"Hahahaha."
Beside him, Patty's gloating laughter came.
"Inheriting such a big Agency, a debt millionaire..."
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES — CROSSOVER GUIDE
The notes below are here to help readers unfamiliar with these universes follow along more easily.
CHARACTERS
Morrison — A recurring figure in DMC expanded media, most prominently the 2007 Devil May Cry animated series. He functions as Dante's liaison, bringing him clients and commissions, and acts as an informal fixer who keeps the agency from collapsing entirely under the weight of Dante's financial chaos. His cool-headed competence is a direct foil to Dante's recklessness. In this story he serves the same role and has been entrusted with managing the agency during Dante's absence.
LORE
Sparda's Legacy — Sparda is the name of Dante and Vergil's father: a demon of immense power who, two thousand years before the events of the DMC games, chose to rebel against the demon world and seal it off from the human realm at enormous personal cost. He then lived among humans for a time under a human name. His legacy encompasses his power, his weapons, and an ongoing responsibility for the boundary between worlds. The fact that "Sparda's Legacy" appears as the hidden final reward for clearing the agency's debt suggests Sephirot's story is building toward something far larger than debt repayment.