Intermission: Enemy within | EW. The man in white

SOMEWHERE FAR, FAR AWAY

"It feels like the farther from the capital we go, the worse the choice of food becomes. Look at this, Romeo," Arca lifted a piece of what the owner of the restaurant claimed to be 'the best pasta in the town'. "They are overcooked! Soggy! Mushy! This must be a sin in the eyes of gods. Somewhere, someone must've written that—'thou shall not overcook pasta'."

"Father Santangelo, but didn't Allfather say about, um… the virtue of austerity?" Romeo replied after swallowing a big mouthful. "Besides, it's better than food in road inns."

Arca sighed. "That it is. Well, Romeo, I'm grateful to Allfather for even that food… But next time we will eat somewhere else."

Truthfully, the soggy pasta wasn't the real reason for his ire. There were a lot of things on his mind lately.

The chase after vampire haters turned out to be much longer than Arca expected. Whenever he pulled one out, a dozen new ones sprouted seemingly out of nowhere.