Encore

Wrong

"Something's going to go wrong," Alucard repeats, unimpressed. "Yes, you told me that when explaining people were certainly killing Sypha. I suppose the same is why I already died hours ago from the deadly experience of looking around."

"I don't know what's going to go wrong, that's the whole problem!" Maybe it has to be something he didn't see coming. That would make sense, wouldn't it? It always goes wrong as soon as he's not expecting it.

"Why, though?" Sypha asks.

"Because it just is!" he shouts.

"And it's something particular to Gresit? It won't be a problem elsewhere?"

Huh. He hadn't been thinking about that. God couldn't make some bastard stab them in the back if there weren't any humans around in the first place. Demons could still show up and kill them, but that wasn't nearly as bad. Monsters were supposed to kill you. And you don't have to ask all sorts of messy questions, like, are they trying to kill me because they think I'm the monster and if I kill them for trying to kill a monster what would that make me?

But if Trevor can so easily say that it's no contest which way he'd prefer, then maybe it's not bad enough to happen at all. But if he says that, says they won't run into trouble, if it does happen and they die because they weren't expecting it then it's his fault - but if he says demons will show up, it pretty much can't happen, right? Because he'd have done everything he could do at that point and if that's not enough it's just not enough, he can't be blamed for what he can't do anything about. So he just has to say that demons could show up and then they actually might be safe between Gresit and Dracula. And it's still a better death if they're not.

"He's just saying anything to get you to agree to leave," Alucard replies. "Even if he thinks he knows, it's not true."

It seems like it's true. Is Trevor wrong? He'd definitely rather get killed by demons, it's not even a question. Trevor tries imagining them all getting torn into chunks by demons. For a moment he thinks yeah, that's bad, sure, but not too terrible. But it doesn't have to be unending demons like he was expecting yesterday, it can be just enough, it can be them without including him and -

Alright, God. It's not true. Point very much taken. But if they'll be fucked regardless of where they are that's not the same as an actual reason to stick around. And they've got to leave at some point to deal with Dracula.

He may not be clear on much but killing Dracula, he got that part right.

Sypha asks, "You don't find it odd he knew you were going to fix the courtyard? Or could?"

"That particular area was already held together by magic and I plan to return here. It's easy to guess I'd restore it. You fell, correct? And he fell through the other area, and perhaps that's why he won't stop insisting it was also made by magic and by me despite it being centuries old."

"So it's Dracula but also it's not magic now?" Trevor demands.

"Yes. Because it was...how did you put it, 'some sadistic vampire joke'. The uppermost area was mundane so as to not give away that joke early. That's why there were no proper lights up there. The lower area is a surprise. If, seeing where they've ended up, they assume the dangers mean there's some equal reward and press forward instead of fleeing, they die pointlessly. I was surprised to see so many statues. When it was explained to me, it didn't sound like something people would fall for," Alucard continues blithely.

Alright, God, he knows, Sypha did stupid stupid things. She'd sounded sure but he met her telling him with utter confidence that since he'd saved her she had to go deeper into a deathtrap, she just always sounded sure.