Demonic Dragon: Harem System Chapter 799: Food diversion

The sun was still low when Daniela and Cassandra walked along the city’s side streets, far from the main bustle.

The morning had that mixed sll of freshly baked bread and old dust, typical of places that wake up too early to pretend they function properly.

The two walked slowly, stretching their arms, shrugging their shoulders, like people who had spent the whole night awake and yet were strangely energetic.

Daniela stretched her arms above her head, letting out a long sigh.

"I swear," she said, yawning, "that if today involves more incompetent people saying ’it’s always been like this,’ I’m going to lose my patience."

Cassandra walked beside her, hands behind her head, her expression too relaxed for soone talking about the city’s structural problems.

"You always say that," she replied calmly. "And then you’re surprised when you lose your patience anyway."

Daniela gave her a sideways glance. "Because soone needs to try to solve things without turning everything into a bloodbath."

Cassandra gave a lazy half-smile.

"Tried. Failed. Next step is kill."

Daniela sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. "That’s exactly what I’m saying. This ’just kill and that’s it’ can’t be the standard solution for everything."

"It can," Cassandra replied, shrugging. "It works in practically every case."

"It doesn’t work," Daniela retorted. "It only creates temporary fear. Then soone even worse takes their place."

"And then we kill that one too."

Daniela stopped walking for a second, staring at her sister.

"Do you listen to yourself?"

Cassandra stopped too, tilting her head slightly, as if she were really thinking. "I do. And I’m still right."

Daniela shook her head and resud walking. "Finally. What matters now are the storage warehouses. The whole city is complaining about food shortages, and when I went to see the reports... empty. Too empty."

"Probably embezzlent," Cassandra comnted, emotionlessly. "Or incompetence. Or both."

"I bet on bad managent," said Daniela. "People who can’t count, can’t forecast demand, can’t do the basics."

"This will end up killing soone," Cassandra replied.

Daniela laughed humorlessly.

"Do you really believe that violence solves logistics?"

"It solves the problem of who’s responsible for logistics," Cassandra retorted. "Then we put soone better in their place."

"And if there isn’t soone better?"

Cassandra shrugged again. "There always is. They just weren’t at the top."

They turned a wider corner, and the public warehouse building finally appeared ahead.

It was large, square, built of thick stone, with double doors of reinforced wood and windows too high for anyone to easily look inside. The city’s symbol was still carved above the entrance, but the wear and tear was visible.

Daniela slowed her pace, observing the place more closely.

"Look at this..." she murmured. "A warehouse this size should be busy since dawn."

Cassandra looked around.

"And there’s no one going in or out."

Indeed, the courtyard in front of the building was almost empty. A single handcart leaned against the wall, so boxes stacked haphazardly, and two guards sat near the entrance, chatting and laughing about sothing trivial.

Daniela frowned.

"This isn’t normal."

"Nothing here is," replied Cassandra, already walking towards the door.

The guards only noticed their approach when they were a few ters away. One of them stood up hurriedly, wiping his hands on his trousers.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he said. "Restricted area. What are you—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Cassandra stared at him with a smile that was too calm.

"Public warehouse," she said. "Then it’s ours too."

The guard swallowed hard.

"I... need to notify the supervisor."

"No need," Daniela replied firmly. "We’re just going to take a look."

"That’s not how—"

Cassandra stepped past him, pushing the door open with one shoulder. The heavy wood creaked loudly, opening more easily than it should have.

Daniela gave the guard a tired look.

"If you want to keep breathing, stay out there," she said, without raising her voice.

The guard didn’t argue.

The interior of the warehouse was vast... and depressing. Rows of shelves filled the space, but most were empty. So contained torn sacks of old grain, others held boxes with broken seals, contents missing. The sll was of dust, mold, and neglect.

Daniela walked slowly between the rows, touching a shelf with her fingers.

"This isn’t just mismanagent," she said, serious now. "This is systematic theft."

Cassandra watched everything with silent attention.

"I told you so."

"Even so," Daniela sighed, "killing everyone here isn’t going to make food appear out of nowhere."

Cassandra turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"No. But it will make soone talk."

Daniela closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath.

"One day, I’ll convince you there’s another way."

Cassandra smiled slightly, calm as always.

"Maybe. But until then..." she opened her arms, indicating the empty warehouse "it always works."

Daniela didn’t answer imdiately. Instead, she knelt near one of the lower shelves, carefully pushing aside a torn bag of old grain. Dust rose into the air when she moved it, making her wrinkle her nose.

"Sothing’s wrong here," she murmured.

Cassandra approached, curious, watching as her sister ran her fingers along the stone floor.

"Dust," Daniela comnted. "Lots of dust... but look at this."

She pointed.

Among the jagged marks left by dragged boxes and old boots, there were footprints. Many. Crossing the floor in different directions, overlapping, so almost erased by ti, others surprisingly well-defined.

Cassandra crouched beside her, her relaxed expression slowly fading.

"Hm." She ran her hand over one of the marks, instinctively asuring it. "Too small."

Daniela looked up. "Small how...?"

Cassandra didn’t answer imdiately. She just stood up and started walking down the aisle between the shelves, following the almost invisible trail. Daniela followed her.

The footprints were everywhere. Unorganized. Not aligned like those of workers carrying rchandise. They were chaotic, scattered, like people entering too quickly, leaving even faster.

"They’re not adults’ feet," Cassandra finally said. "Small feet. Light. Many steps where there would be no reason to go."

Daniela felt a strange tightness in her chest. "Children..." she finished, in a low voice.

The silence that followed was different from the others. Heavier.

Daniela stood up slowly, looking around with new eyes. The empty warehouse no longer seed rely neglected. Now it seed... slowly looted. Not all at once. Not through efficient organization.

But in small numbers. Repeatedly.

"This city has always had thieves," Daniela said thoughtfully. "But this..."

"They aren’t ordinary thieves," Cassandra interrupted. "They’re street children."

Daniela closed her eyes for a mont.

It was true. Athens—or Athenion, as the records insisted on calling it—had always had pockets of misery hidden among wealthy districts. Children without guilds, without formal families, living off petty theft, running across the rooftops, learning too early not to trust anyone.

"They know the warehouses," Cassandra continued. "They know the guards’ shifts. They know where to step without making a sound."

Daniela ran a hand through her hair, uneasy.

"And nobody did anything."

"Of course not," Cassandra replied dryly. "Children don’t vote. They don’t pay taxes. They don’t matter."

Daniela walked to a half-open side door. As he pushed her, he found a narrow corridor leading out of the building. The floor there was even more marked.

"Look at this," he called out.

Cassandra approached. Footprints piled up there, going back and forth, so running, others dragging. Small bare feet. Others with soles too worn to protect from the cold stone.

"They were carrying food," Daniela said. "A little at a ti. Enough not to attract imdiate attention."

"Clever," Cassandra comnted, almost admiringly. "They learned to survive."

Daniela turned to her, annoyed.

"Don’t romanticize it."

Cassandra shrugged, but didn’t smile.

"I’m not. I’m just saying it worked... so far."

Daniela took a deep breath.

"That changes everything."

"It doesn’t change the thod," Cassandra replied. "It only changes the target."

Daniela shook her head, walking back to the center of the warehouse.

"No. It does change. Because if food is being stolen by hungry children, the problem isn’t just theft. It’s distribution. It’s abandonnt."

"Even so," Cassandra crossed her arms, "soone let this happen."

Daniela nodded slowly.

"Yes. And that person isn’t a ten-year-old child."

They were silent for a few seconds, listening only to the distant echo of the city waking up.

"Do you rember," Daniela finally said, "the lower district, near the old canals?"

Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

"Where the adults pretend there are no children?"

"That’s the one." Daniela sighed. "If soone is using children to divert food, that’s where they’re coming from."

Cassandra tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Either they’re stealing it themselves."

"Or soone is turning a blind eye on purpose," Daniela added. "Guards, supervisors... soone let this warehouse turn into a silent buffet."

Cassandra smiled slightly.

"So, in the end, we’re still going to kill soone."

Daniela let out a short, tired laugh.

"Probably. But not them."

Cassandra didn’t argue.

"Fair enough."

She turned toward the exit, already decided.

"We’re going to find who’s profiting from this."

Daniela cast one last glance at the footprints on the floor.

Small. Many. Old.

"And then," she said, her voice firr, "we’ll make sure no child has to steal food again."

Cassandra opened the door, letting the daylight into the empty warehouse.

"We’ll see," she replied. "But first... let’s follow the tracks."