My Wives are Beautiful Demons

[Another Place – A Tranquil Garden]

Under a clear sky and amidst a garden bursting with multicolored flowers, Sapphire sat elegantly at a wrought-iron table. In front of her, a delicate cup of steaming tea rested in her hands, held with the grace of someone completely at ease.

Sitting across from her was Raphael, a woman with soft pink hair cascading in gentle waves over her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with a blend of wisdom and humor as she stirred her tea with a silver spoon.

"You never change, Sapphire," Raphael remarked with a light smile, watching her companion.

"And why should I?" Sapphire replied, her tone both relaxed and sharp. "The world changes around us, but we… we remain constant."

Raphael chuckled softly, setting the spoon down on the edge of her saucer. "Constant, yet always in the middle of everything. Don't you find it ironic that even when you try to step away from certain situations, you still get pulled in?"

Sapphire raised an eyebrow, lifting the cup to her lips. "If that's a comment about what's happening at the coliseum, let me remind you: he came to me. Not the other way around."

"Ah, of course," Raphael said, resting her chin on her hand with a smile that suggested she knew more than she let on. "And the fact that you trained them until they disintegrated a mountain was purely coincidental?"

Sapphire shrugged, her expression unreadable. "Training is necessary. And you know how young ones are… full of potential but lacking discipline."

Raphael leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "So, you're saying you're doing this… out of altruism?"

Sapphire was silent for a moment before responding. "Of course not. I need a strong husband. The world is getting more dangerous, isn't it?"

Raphael laughed, the sound light as a melody. "Always so pragmatic. But tell me, Sapphire… why did you really agree to the tea? It's not like you."

Sapphire glanced at her cup, the steam rising lazily. "Because it's rare to have a moment of peace like this. Besides, they say having tea with an Archangel is a unique experience."

Raphael offered a mischievous smile, tilting her head slightly. "So you admit I'm influencing you?"

"Not exactly," Sapphire replied, her voice dripping with irony, though a faint, rare smile graced her lips. "I'm here because we have a common enemy, isn't that right?"

The silence that followed was comfortable, almost intimate, broken only by the gentle rustling of leaves and the soft fluttering of petals around them.

After a moment, Raphael broke the stillness, her voice suddenly grave. "How much do you know?"

Sapphire lowered her tea cup calmly, her piercing gaze locking onto Raphael. "Enough," she said, her tone hinting that she knew more than she was letting on. "Did you really think I'd ignore demon hybrids being manufactured? Come on." She paused, her eyes narrowing. "I may be a lot of things, but blind isn't one of them."

Raphael nodded slowly, her expression serious. "Good. That's a relief." Read the latest on empire

With a snap of her fingers, Raphael summoned a thick folder onto the table. The cover was black, reinforced with visible enchantments glowing in hues of gold and silver. In bold, striking letters, it read: 9.9.9 – Top Secret.

"This is everything we've gathered so far," Raphael said, sliding the folder toward Sapphire. "And it's not even the tip of the iceberg."

Sapphire stared at the folder for a few moments before picking it up. It felt unusually heavy, not just physically but as if it carried the weight of dangerous secrets and crucial information.

"So, it's that bad," she murmured, flipping through the first few pages quickly.

"Worse," Raphael corrected, her voice low. "And it will get worse before it gets better."

Sapphire closed the folder and set it aside, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair. "If it's so urgent, why didn't you bring this to me earlier? The contract between the three factions is still in place... even with the Inquisition attacking my daughter."

"Don't remind me of that," Raphael said, haunted by the mention. After all, one mistake by her followers, and the Vatican had been struck by a meteor. Still, Raphael didn't blame Sapphire; they had broken the non-aggression pact, so consequences were inevitable.

"Anyway..." Raphael offered a tired smile. "Some things take time to mature. And others, well..." She paused meaningfully. "They need the right person to handle them. We're stretched thin, so all we could do was monitor this organization."

Sapphire let out a short, humorless laugh. "Angels short on manpower. How surreal..."

"You know it is," Raphael replied without hesitation. "That event still echoes through here." She shifted in her seat. "Now... open it. We've identified some targets behind this. You might recognize a few of them."

Sapphire opened the folder slowly, her cold gaze sweeping over the first page. There were photos, names, and detailed information about various individuals. Some appeared to be ordinary people, while others clearly bore features betraying their demonic or hybrid origins.

"Interesting..." Sapphire murmured, turning the page. "So, this is what you've been doing while hiding behind the curtains. Silent investigation."

"Silent because we have no choice," Raphael replied, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hand. "The chaos from that event left us without the resources for direct action. Our priority has been protecting what remains and attempting to reorganize."

Sapphire continued skimming through the pages, stopping when she came across a familiar face. She tapped her fingers on the table, thoughtful. "This one... I know him. He was involved in a contract I handled years ago. I always suspected he was working for someone bigger."

Raphael leaned forward, intrigued. "So, you have some connection to him?"

"Not exactly a connection," Sapphire replied, her eyes fixed on the man's photo. "But enough to know he's not as clever as he thinks. If he's involved in this, someone is pulling his strings."

Raphael sighed. "What we do know is that these hybrids are being created for a specific purpose. They aren't just soldiers or experiments. They're pieces of something much larger, something we haven't fully uncovered yet."

Sapphire turned another page, revealing a diagram of intricate, interlinked demonic circles. She raised an eyebrow. "This is high-level magic. Whoever is behind this has knowledge that rivals even the oldest arcane masters."

"Exactly," Raphael agreed. "And that's the problem. These circles aren't just for containment or summoning. They're being used to fuse human souls with demonic essences, creating something neither human nor demon can predict or control."

"Dangerous," Sapphire commented dryly, snapping the folder shut. "But what exactly do you expect me to do with this? Spy? Neutralize?"

Raphael smiled faintly, though there was a shadow of exhaustion on her face. "You do what you do best, Sapphire. You find the weaknesses. You exploit them. And when the time is right... you cut off the serpent's head."

Sapphire leaned back, crossing her arms. "So basically, you want me to act as your hired blade."

"It's not like you're not used to it," Raphael teased, though her expression softened. "Besides, you know as well as I do that letting this continue is dangerous for all of us—angels or demons alike."

Sapphire remained silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on the folder as if weighing the risks. Finally, she pulled it closer to herself and stood up.

"Fine," she said, tucking the folder under her arm. "But I'll have Vergil handle it. He needs the experience. Unfortunately, we don't live in a chaotic world like the Heian Era or the time of Genesis anymore." She shrugged casually.

"Well, do as you see fit. We just need this resolved..." Raphael murmured, then added, "I don't like asking others for these things, but... Michael is trying to handle too much at once..." She trailed off mid-sentence as she noticed something strange.

"Huh?" Raphael looked around, searching for the other woman, but...

Sapphire had disappeared.