Traces of war between the two factions of the drug plant had begun spreading. There was no denying that both sides were unbelievably secretive and powerful.
All their drugs used ingredients mostly found commonly in the cities and their operators were also undeniably powerful. If all of them were not spiked with low amounts of demonic energy that helped them be downed by the demons, then even we would have never had a shot at finding them.
"Such a powerful recipe, I do wonder what kind of master designed it," muttered Irina.
Wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, Irina sat across me in a sundress that fluttered with the wind. In her hands a fork rolled up her pasta.
I picked up the cup of coffee on our table and took a small sip, leaning back on my chair.
Above us was a parasol, hiding us from the sun in the outdoor seats of the lavish restaurant in the kingdom's capital, and beside us, was the head quarters of one of the larger merchant groups in the country.
"Luka said it might be one of them, actually. A lord at that."
Irina picked up her own coffee and looked toward me.
"What kind of demon is that involved in these things?"
"One named Bathym."
It seemed that was a rhetorical question as Irina tried to kick my shin from under the table, but I dodged. She kicked again, but I dodged once more. In the end, she grit her teeth and glared at me.
"Why would demons be so interested in these things? After so long even."
I crossed my legs and took another sip.
"Also, are you sure you don't want to eat anything? This pasta's pretty good."
"Give me a taste."
Irina rolled up some and dragged it over. I leaned in and took a bite.
"Hm, pretty good."
"Tell me about it."
She was off to take a bite of her own when she suddenly stopped at stared at the fork.
"Hah, fuck," she muttered as she tossed the fork away and picked out a new one. "Take your own fork next time, brat."
"Tsk. Keep it in mind yourself. That's why the taste sucked, huh?"
"Shut up! You already called it good."
"It was good for having been in your mouth!"
"Don't delude yourself. You're probably giggling inside from happiness. Perverted creep."
"Who is deluding who now?"
Sparks almost seemed to have flown about as we glared at each other. In the end, we both sighed and got back to our own things.
After using some coffee to flush down the icky and the ew down my throat, I spoke.
"It's possible they have been trying for a while. Hell is quite the place, I don't think I would like to be there either."
"It was quite the nightmare," she added. "But, people in hell would build a strong solidarity. Just like we here hate demons they hate us, but I have never heard of them living amongst us."
"There have been wars previously. The most recent one was a hundred and thirty years back and the principal participated too."
He was a powerhouse back then as well, and his names were already in history books.
It made sense for demons to attack us, thinking of us as enemies. But trying to live here like this was odd.
My mind flashed back to the cellar in the castle of Balam.
The four realms were divided quite strictly in this world. With the higher plane on earth being used by gods and angels, the mortal plane for Humans, Hell where demons resided, and Alfheim where fairies like Titania lived.
In a sense, these were different fabrics of space itself, though it was all a part of the same world.
The people in them were just as strictly divided as their distinctions, it was nigh to find one from someplace in another without any ancient spatial magic that connected the realms.
But in Balam's castle.
There were humans there too. It was equally strange to find humans in hell.
Did that mean people had gone there? No. It was also people that they had been there all along, just like the demons here.
"Some could have moved over to the mortal realm to escape hell, others…" I lowered my voice. "Could be anything. Remnants from the wars, their stranded children, maybe even spies."
It felt wrong to accuse my own kind like this, but I guess I was still just an honorary demon and not a full fledged one.
"That is possible," Irina said, crossing her arms.
"It's not just possible," Titania spoke now. "It is exactly what that is. Both remnants and refugees, from the war and from now. Those drugs are probably helping them be more human."
"Something like halves?" I asked Titania.
"It's possible."
"You mean half demons?" Asked Irina, and I nodded. "Those could be part of it too. No, all of them must be it."
Irina nodded at my words.
"Good use of your head, student. I agree with your assessments. I have seen my fair share of battlefields, and this happens a fair deal too."
Miss Irina didn't seem like someone from around either…
Whatever the case, the merchant group next to us were some of the prime customers of the drug plant. And it was soon going to be time to take them down.
Right then, a waiter stepped to my side.
"Hello, customer."
I nodded at her words.
She simply pulled out a book from behind her and placed it in front of us.
"We're selecting lucky couples to win a limited edition menu, here, please have a look."
Couple? I wanted to sink this waiter's teeth in.
But.
I couldn't do that.
"I get it," I said, "You may leave."
The waiter bowed and walked away.
Leaving only Irina and me, and between the two of us.
Was the menu with the mark of the Dark Moon.
Information about our prey had finally found its way toward us.
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