Larier Hotel and the Ghost from Twenty Years Ago
Larier Hotel, Hotel Larier (???). Fuck, so many damn names. That guy—whether he was Wilson or some coconut-headed bastard, I couldn't tell—was droning on with the same annoying bullshit from earlier. None of it was worth paying attention to anyway. It was obvious he cared more about the family fortune than me.
While Wilson was yapping meaningless crap at Valentina, the door burst open with a bang. A man rushed in, shouting desperately.
"Mr. Wilson... big trouble!"
"Isn't it proper etiquette to state your rank and purpose before barging in...?"
Wilson's expression turned icy as he pulled out his baseball bat. The man, who looked like a Soldato, bowed his head low and replied to Wilson.
"I'm truly sorry... It's about that Blood Fiend you mentioned earlier. We've spotted an individual that matches its description exactly in the same location from twenty years ago!"
Wilson stared at him in surprise and said,
"Is that really true? It's been twenty years since we let that bastard slip away. So, what does it look like? Any distinguishing features...?"
"Yes, sir. It used blood vines to hinder our men's movements and fired thorns grown from those vines for ranged attacks—just like the tactics from back then, without a single change!"
"Tch... something's off. After twenty years of hunting it down, why show up now...?"
Wilson fiddled with his baseball bat, looking suspicious.
"It's definitely that Blood Fiend. The one that nearly wiped out the L Corp Thumb branch and slaughtered countless people... 5th-kin Francois Rosetia."
It had been twenty years already. Francois Rosetia had suddenly appeared at the L Corp Thumb branch, wrapping an entire building in a thicket of thorns and massacring everyone inside. A horrific, terrifying Blood Fiend. Her form carried the colors of roses filled with blood—shades of red, blue, yellow, green—all beautiful enough to seem like a work of art rather than a monster.
Blood Fiends like her weren't a big deal. Whether Thumb members lived or died, it was just business as usual in this city. Replace them and move on. Among the Fingers, Thumb treated people like consumables more than anyone.
"We have to recover that ring she stole, no matter what it takes."
The ring she'd taken seemed to be something pretty important to Thumb.
"We're heading out right now. I guarantee you, Blood Fiends as troublesome as Rosetia are rare. Her techniques are one thing, but that brain of hers... it's a real pain. We've failed to track her down for decades because she's got senses sharp as a tack."
Wilson grabbed his bat and continued,
"Valentina, normally I'd bring you along to take down Francois. But I've got a separate mission for you this time, so it'll just be me and the other organization members."
Valentina bowed her head to her superior, risking rudeness, and asked,
"If I may ask... what important mission are you assigning me? I'm worried I might make even a small mistake..."
Wilson nodded at her words and replied,
"Have you heard of a place around here called Larier Hotel...?"
"No, it's a new name to me."
"According to recent intel—it's a bit dubious, but... people have been going missing there. Sorry to ask, but I want you to investigate the disappearances."
Valentina didn't want to follow Wilson's orders, but he was a heavyweight who dwarfed her—a freshly promoted Capo (|||). She couldn't refuse or ignore him. Pulling a sour face like she'd eaten shit, she had no choice but to head to the hotel.
A fitting fog-shrouded, dark night. Valentina rode in a car and arrived at a spot not too far from here.
Larier Hotel. In Distorted Detectives, this was a haven ruled by the elder Blood Fiend Larier, a decent spot where weak humans who couldn't protect themselves offered blood to Larier in exchange for monster-free lodging.
The problem was the annoying Blood Fiend lurking here.
As Valentina opened the door and entered, the front desk clerk greeted her with a friendly smile.
"Good evening, guest! I'm Ruth, the manager. If you're here to check in..."
"Sorry, manager, but could I meet the owner of this place?"
"The owner? What do you mean?"
"Sigh... you know exactly who I mean. Larier, the owner of this hotel. I'd like to see her."
"...That's not possible. More importantly, why are you looking for Larier? Depending on your answer..."
"I get it. You'll call in a Hana Association Fixer. But here's the thing—looks like she isn't here yet?"
"She...?"
"Ah, never mind. It's ancient history most Fixers wouldn't even note. Hell, I didn't expect the famous Kali to still be a Grade 5 Fixer here. Gotta bruise the ego a bit."
As Ruth moved to call someone at Valentina's cryptic words, Valentina shrugged and said,
"Looks like she's not in today. Guess I'll head out. See you next time."
Valentina turned to leave without hesitation.
"Wait."
When Valentina looked back, an old woman stood ramrod straight, having somehow appeared right behind her in an instant. It was blink-and-you-miss-it fast, but Valentina didn't flinch or act surprised.
"You're the owner of this hotel... no, the elder Blood Fiend Larier, right?"
"Yes, that's me. What brings a Capo of Thumb and daughter of the Bonyatelli family here?"
"Oh? An elder Blood Fiend remembers my name? That's touchingly grateful."
"What did you come here for?"
At Larier's urging, Valentina spoke up.
"Francois Rosetia. You've heard the name, right?"
The moment the name left Valentina's lips, Larier's eyes trembled violently.
"Blood Fiends leaving their district for another violates the rules, doesn't it? So Francois Rosetia must be a Blood Fiend born from one of your kin here. How's my guess?"
"......How has that child been lately?"
At Larier's question, Valentina twirled her still-short bobbed hair and answered.
"How do you think? She took over an entire building at the Thumb branch, stole an artifact, massacred a bunch of our guys, and bolted. Thanks to her, my boss is still chasing her tail right now."
"......Rosetia was a good child..."
Larier's expression looked sorrowful. Elder Blood Fiends existed in every district—immensely powerful due to their Blood Fiend nature. If they wanted, they could create two 2nd-kin Blood Fiends comparable to Grade 1 Fixers, making them forces to be reckoned with.
"Rosetia... was the child of some nameless Blood Fiend."
The old woman opened her mouth, reminiscing like she was lost in memory.
"I don't remember the mother's name... Not because I've weakened, but because that mother truly had no name. Francois Rosetia—that was the name other Blood Fiends gave her. They racked their brains all night to come up with it."
Her face took on a dreamy, ecstatic look, as if she'd returned to her childhood home.
"But in the end... that incident happened."
Larier dropped a bombshell.
"Rosetia fell in love with a human and fled this place with him. That alone wouldn't have mattered. The problem was that the man was a Blood Fiend hunter toying with her heart... On a rainy night, screams echoed through the human city."
Could something like that really happen?
"She was used in the humans' game of hunting Blood Fiends for profit. Sadly, back then and even now, no one sees Blood Fiends as people. Rosetia ran through the city, pierced and slashed by crossbows, arrows, spears, swords—her body torn apart. Before she could return to us, humans kidnapped her back and subjected her to more horrors..."
"So... what were you doing?"
"I... thought that man truly loved Rosetia back then. If I'd realized otherwise, I would've stopped her from going there again..."
"......Fuck, what a clusterfuck."
Valentina pinched her forehead and replied.
"So you don't know why she killed Thumb members and stole that ring?"
"A ring? She was never one for shiny things. I... wouldn't know the reason."
Valentina let her hair fall and answered.
"I see... Well, thanks for the answers anyway. Oh, right—be careful. Take care of your health. There's a Fixer called Rusk who might be after your head."
"...?"
Valentina opened the door and left.
"What kind of person is she?"
"Who knows. At least to me, she seems like quite the intriguing one."