HFMD - Chapter 26 < Honey? >


'That guy named Rapold, and all the demons these days... Are they that strange?'

Sylvia narrowed her eyebrows slightly. It was normal for demons to be anxious to harm humans. Although they say they have an intellect closer to that of a human than that of a monster, it is no different for demons to get the ultimate pleasure from killing. In other words, it meant that it was normal to find it difficult to tolerate the nature of murder. That was the reason why most demons were discovered not long after crossing the twisting point.

‘The intent to kill... It doesn't exist.'

However, the demon in front of her did not feel alive at all. After being beaten so much by Rapold and Randall, even if it was just for a moment that reason overcame instinct due to fear of him. The friendliness shown by this demon in front of her cannot be explained. No, the demon attitude goes beyond friendliness... 

It was more slyness than most people. Look at the way he naturally uses the title ‘self’. What do you think is a demon trying to kill humans?

‘Is it a mutation? Do demons also have mutations?'

Sylvia bit her lip slightly in confusion. Then the lady raised her hand and lightly flicked her lips.

“Then I can’t use it. It ruins your pretty lips.”

"No..."

Sylvia gaped in absurdity. Does that matter to her now? 

In this situation where she was caught following her? But to this demon, it really did matter more.

'I think it would be perfect if you could persuade her and hire her as an employee.'

The demon, Bella, smiled inwardly, thinking that this was a windfall. At first, she thought that some crazy guy who fell in love with her beauty was following her. Since she had nothing to do, she thought about cutting off her limbs for fun and asking her about her identity. But the human woman in front of her was too precious to be killed like that.

'A beauty rivaling that of a succubus. Not common.'

Silver hair as white as snow and golden eyes that look somewhat languid. In addition, she has perfect facial features, like a statue carefully created by a craftsman. The woman was truly a beauty that made even the demons sigh.

'Is she a nobleman?'

It is rare to find such a cute beauty. Moreover, if a commoner had such beauty, rumors would have already spread around the area.

'Well, it doesn't matter, just a drink from our store will do.'

Bella thought nothing of it and stretched the corners of her mouth. She laughed and wrapped her arms around Sylvia.

“Honey. It’s fate that we met like this, so how about having a drink?”

“...Fate? This?"

“Don’t worry about small things. I said forget the past.”

“It doesn’t seem trivial at all...”

“There’s a store I run nearby. Let’s go there! Come quickly!”

Sylvia muttered as if it were absurd, but Bella ignored her and dragged her away. Her power was so strong that Sylvia had no strength to resist. In the end, Sylvia relaxed her body because she wanted to figure out where the store was. Then Bella made a serious face.

“Honey, your body feels like a piece of paper. How did you come to be born with a body that looks like it’s not worth the weight of a fist?”

'If you say something like that, you must be a demon...'

Sylvia followed Bella, thinking she was a very strange demon. As she said, the shop was not far away. They opened the door in a corner and went in, and the sound of a bell and a noisy commotion greeted them. 

The interior of the bar, which had a sign that said, “Shop without a Sign,” was dark. The furniture, illuminated by the soft lighting, was luxurious. The employee who was busy serving drinks recognized Bella and smiled brightly.

“Is the boss here?”

“Uh. Where is my seat?”

“Of course, I left it empty!”

"Good job. A glass of our store's signature drink and something I always drink. You know?"

"Sure!"

Bella winked at the staff member, subtly looking at Sylvia. The employee recognized the signal, nodded, and disappeared.

“Okay, over here.”

Bella led Sylvia to the inner seats. There were thick curtains around the walls and tables, somewhat separating it from the surroundings.

'The staff and customers... are all human. Is this just an ordinary bar?'

Sylvia was led by Bella and headed to the inner seat, looking around discreetly. However, there were no demons here except Bella. The customers and staff were human, their eyes wide as they must have had a few drinks since broad daylight. Since she didn't see anything particularly suspicious, Sylvia tilted her head.

'Eww.'

Of course, the overall atmosphere was quite sticky, including the couple kissing passionately at the entrance. The demons laughing without any murderous intent in such a place with so many people were very suspicious.

“He will bring it to you soon. Let’s sit down.”

Bella sat Sylvia down on the soft sofa and closed the curtains. As thick curtains surrounded the area, the commotion outside quieted down a bit. She raised her arm on the table, rested her chin on it, and smiled seductively. Her light brown bob was flowing and her pink eyes sparkled with interest.

“So, honey. Why did you follow me?”

Sylvia flinched.

“...Let’s forget about minor problems?”

“Anyway, there’s nothing to talk about until the drinks come out, so what’s the point?”

Bella shrugged and smiled. Sylvia clicked her tongue inwardly, thinking that it was hard to follow her way of thinking. On the other hand, since her way of thinking was different from that of humans, it seemed easy to fool her with some lame excuse. Sylvia said calmly, with an innocent smile on her lips.

“Because the voice I heard when we bumped into each other was my favorite. I was thinking of asking you to sing a song.”

Bella opened her eyes and covered her mouth with one hand.

“Oh my. Are you confessing that now?”

"No."

“You’re cute. Actually, I like everything pretty. Do you want to have a glass of whiskey at my house before you go?”

“I said no.”

Sylvia was amazed at how such an excuse worked, even as she pushed Bella away from her. Then, a staff member appeared with two glasses on a tray.

“The drink you ordered is here. Enjoy it!”

“Try it quickly. This is our restaurant’s signature menu!”

Bella snatched the glass from the waiter and offered one to Sylvia. Sylvia stared at the pale blue drink for a moment.

'It doesn't look like it's poisonous.'

If what's inside is a poison that kills people, she might die. Unfortunately, the demon in front of her didn't seem to have any intention of killing her right away.

'Because I don't know what it is.'

Sylvia took a sip of the drink, casting a secret detoxifying spell on her body.

“How about it, is it delicious? I think you’ll still think about it even after I get home, right?”

“...That’s definitely true.”

Sylvia responded with a numb smile. She felt the magic she had placed on her body working. Still, if it was a poison that could harm people, there should have been some degree of pain, but there was no pain. It wasn't poison, but it was something that was no different from poison.

'This isn't an ordinary bar after all.'

Sylvia tilted her glass again as if she liked the drink. Bella looked at her with satisfaction and then spoke in a subdued tone.

“Honey, do you ever want to work at our store?”

"Work?"

"Yes. All you have to do is carry drinks like that and clean occasionally. If you become an employee of our store, you can drink this drink for free.”

Bella laughed, shaking the glass in her hand. The liquor illuminated in the store sparkled mysteriously as if it were a magic potion. But Sylvia still had a calm smile on her face. As she looked calm, Bella became impatient and added this and that.

“Your daily wage is also high. And I will give you double the daily wage as a special treat. It will be a secret from the other employees.”

“Double is not a bad deal.”

Bella blushed at Sylvia's muttered words. She wiggled her hips as if she was going to sit up at any moment.

"Yes? Then in the contract...”

“But I don’t like it unless the CEO steps forward and hires me.”

For a moment, the smile disappeared from Bella's face. Then, her fox-like expression suddenly changed into something creepy. But Bella quickly regained her composure and narrowed her eyes again. She laughed as if she had heard a funny joke.

"What are you talking about? I'm the boss...”

“No.”

Bella paused, filled with strange confidence. Sylvia put down the glass she was holding in her hand and tapped the surface of the glass with her fingertips.

'It's not something that a demon can accomplish alone in the first place.'

Demons that escape from a twist are usually discovered soon after. There is also a reason why they will kill humans if they let go of reason for a moment. In addition, the biggest reason was appearance. Purple skin, black eyes with vertically slit red pupils. It was a sign and symbol of being a demon. However, Bella had the appearance of an extremely perfect human being. This was impossible without taking magic potions.

'Even if there is a wizard among the Dark Bug horde, it is rare to find someone who can create a potion with such perfect effects.'

Usually, wizards who are skilled enough to make such potions have a strong sense of pride. That is why they do not easily sell magic or magic potions even if you offer them tens of gold. The exception is Auston, who sells everything for money. So what moves high-ranking wizards?

'Power.'

The most convenient way to live in human society is to become a person in power or join hands with that person. Therefore, high-ranking wizards usually joined hands with a certain powerful person and used magic upon receiving requests only from that powerful person. That was the most convenient way for a wizard to protect his pride and ensure his personal safety.

'Is it the wizard himself or a person in power?'

A wizard who creates a medicine that makes demons appear fully human. And someone who may be under the wizard's control. She didn't know exactly which of the two it was, but what was certain was that the demon in front of her was holding hands with someone. There wouldn't be many ways for a demon who came from a twist and had no connection to the human world to hide like that.

'This store was a mess from the start.'

Golden eyes scanned the inside of the store again. The entire store was luxurious. In other words, it was full of rich things.

'It's not an amount that an unconnected demon would dare to pay.'

The effects of magic potions are not permanent. No matter what the effects are, they are the same. That is the only unchanging truth. So, for the demons to maintain their human form, they must take the potion periodically. The money it costs to maintain that form alone would be enough to uproot a noble family. 

Since she's come this far, it wouldn’t hurt to see the face of the guy who is hiding the demons in the human world. Sylvia, who had collected her thoughts, smiled and finished speaking.

“If you really want to hire me, call the boss. Talk to the boss.”

Only then did Bella begin to feel that the other person's attitude was strange.

'What is this human?'

Pink eyes narrowed into alarm. She wish she could rip those pretty hands and feet off like a toy right now. That face is too much of a waste for that. Anyway, Bella sent a signal to the staff to find out about the woman, so she'll find out soon.

'First, let's take our time until then.'

Since she also drank drugged alcohol, it wouldn't be difficult to appease her. Bella tilted her head with a smile that everyone had come across before.

“Honey, are you drunk? I'm the real boss...”

“Yes, boss!”

“Look, he calls me boss too. What’s going on beyond that?”

Just then, an employee pulled back the curtain and rushed in. Bella welcomed the employee with open arms and asked softly.

“Did you find out?”

“That woman is the Duchess of Belfort.”

"...What?"

When the employee told her with a pale face, Bella wondered if she had misheard him, so she asked him again. But the answer she got was the same.

“The Duchess of Belfort! The Knights of Belfort are swarming the streets right now, looking for her...!”

Boom! 

At that moment, the door to the bar opened with a loud noise.


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