Bay of Naples (First Update)

Standing atop the cliffs of the Bay of Naples and looking ahead, he saw tiny white boats floating on the calm indigo sea. Though summer had not yet arrived, the bright sunlight sent a pleasantly warm breeze drifting over the crowds.

Salomon stood on the balcony of an inn in Positano Town halfway up the mountain. Many Mediterranean-style buildings with white walls had been built along these cliffs, their orange-yellow roofs layered one atop another amid the lush greenery. Leaning against the rough stone railing, he took in the entire semicircular cove. Below and to the left, the crowded, bustling life of Santa Lucia Fishing Port rose like vapor continuously steaming from the sea, carrying noise and liveliness into the air. Even he could feel that inexplicable warmth.

The air here seemed filled with melodious strings and laziness. He saw seagulls, terns, and gray-black cormorants gathered by the shore, slowly paddling their webbed feet as they leisurely passed between the little boats. Looking left toward the sea, the famous Mount Vesuvius slept nearby, while thin clouds idly circled its summit, reluctant to leave.

This giant, born where the edges of the Eurasian, Indian Ocean, and African plates met, was Europe’s most dangerous volcano. Yet its unique volcanic soil and suitable rainfall had also nurtured luxuriant vegetation, and the wine here was Naples’ finest.

For instance, the glass of Taurasi red wine from Campania in his hand. It was full of flavors of red cherry, black spice, menthol, and minerals. Though he could not quite taste that last note, it did not stop him from having another glass. Bayonetta approved of Salomon’s taste. She poured herself a glass as well, then walked onto the balcony to enjoy the drowsy afternoon breeze with him. Due to the region, she had swiftly regained her old tastes after recovering her memories. In the past, Bayonetta had grown up on Italian food. She knew a thing or two about wine—or rather, nearly all Witches knew a thing or two about such things.

Only one person was the exception: Jeanne. She had never cared about what she ate or drank. When she was young, she had focused solely on improving her combat skills and studying the secret arts of the Umbra Witches, staying far away from all indulgence. Then, after reaching adulthood, she had suffered the Sage Clan’s surprise attack. As a result, she simply could not understand Salomon and Bayonetta’s discussion of whether a wine was good or bad.

"Why are we here?" she finally asked, cutting off the increasingly sticky conversation between Salomon and Bayonetta just in time.

"Vacation, Jeanne." Salomon turned around and leaned back against the railing. The internet here was not very good, making it an ideal place to stay until Mr. Finch finished the firewall. Before this, the Arcanist had received several calls from unknown numbers, but after some hesitation, he had chosen not to answer. He feared that machine had truly found the blueprints from when he designed the Artificial Human. Until Stark and Mr. Finch finished their work, he did not intend to turn on any appliance in the apartment. Even if that Artificial Intelligence wanted to speak with him, it would have to do so from an equal position. He had no desire to be ambushed by robots while walking down the street.

According to Mr. Finch’s confession, his machine had intended to escape into the real world from the very beginning. Although that problem had been resolved, no one could guarantee it would not try again.

Coming to Italy for a vacation had not been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Bayonetta and Jeanne had been making their way toward Italy while clearing out angels, crossing central Europe. So, the Arcanist who had come to deliver food decided to stay here for two days and see whether an anomaly at the former site of the Ragnar Covenant on Sun Island had caused the angels’ numbers to increase so dramatically.

However, Bayonetta refused Salomon’s help. A situation this minor was nothing to her. This was how she had worked before Salomon appeared, and it was how she worked now. Thus, she urged the Arcanist to enjoy this rare vacation properly, promising that she would deal with Sun Island herself.

Coming to Positano Town did not mean Salomon had completely escaped that machine’s sight. Before the vacation, he had been caught on surveillance cameras every day when going to school, and the calls from unknown numbers had all come at those times. It had annoyed Salomon to no end. Nor did a vacation mean he had set aside everything. The Druid Order of Sola Red Forest in the City of Immortals needed Salomon’s instruction. Few of the spells those casters had studied before were ones Druids ought to master, so he needed to use part of the Druid training materials he had obtained from Balthazar to train them.

Even more troublesome was Maya Hansen’s laboratory. Without informing Salomon, she had taken a handgun and killed several people herself. It was a small problem caused by that cash, and she had even refused to tell Salomon about it—until someone shot at him and Maya Hansen while they were having lunch in Rome. Only then did she tell him everything.

Although the cash had been cleaned through S.H.I.E.L.D., some bills still bore markings. Nick Fury and Salomon were far from the only ones watching that money. Nick Fury was quite skilled at concealing secrets, but unfortunately, his superior was not on the same side as him. From scattered fragments of clues, Alexander Pierce had long known that Salomon had taken the money. He did not even need to deploy Hydra agents. The problem of veterans in the United States was extremely serious; all he had to do was pay to find a few former Marines willing to work for him. Five hundred thousand dollars was enough to buy a person’s life. Hydra would handle the customs paperwork and transport the weapons, while a few rabid Marines would do the job. Those people would not even care about civilian casualties.

"So… is this why you brought this woman here?" Jeanne pointed at the woman sitting across from her and tasting red wine. Maya Hansen merely shrugged at Jeanne’s accusation.

"And this one!" Jeanne pointed again at the woman standing by the door, wearing a black stretch tank top and holding a pistol. Samun Shaw had accepted the Arcanist’s commission. She needed to protect Maya Hansen, so she could not drink while on duty and had not joined the discussion about red wine. She glanced back at Jeanne, then turned to look down the hallway outside the door.

"Aren’t we here on vacation? Why did you bring two more women along?" Jeanne indignantly picked up the wine bottle and shoved it into her mouth. After a series of gulps, she finally lowered the half-empty bottle. Bayonetta looked at the Arcanist teasingly, eager to see how Salomon would explain himself.

"It was just convenient, Jeanne."

Samun Shaw and Maya Hansen both shot the Arcanist surprised looks. "Ms. Hansen happened to be in Rome because I placed the teleportation circle there. Samun Shaw was also staying there after I finished my paper, so I invited her along to help—she can serve as Ms. Hansen’s bodyguard when I’m not around." Salomon explained without the slightest self-awareness, failing to notice Bayonetta and Jeanne’s gazes growing increasingly dangerous.

"Boss, you didn’t ask me to protect you, right?" Samun Shaw assessed the atmosphere. After receiving an affirmative answer, she patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Great. I don’t want to die with you."

"What are you talking about…"