HKWM | Chapter 31

“What kind of major wrong could you do to me? If you wanted to kill or hurt me, you’d need at least a hundred years.”

“Not that kind of thing!”

“Then?”

“Just… just.”

Just what… how picky can you be?

“First, I’d be angry, but eventually, I’d forgive you.”

“…You promised. That you’d forgive me.”

“I didn’t promise; it’s just that I think I would.”

“Then promise me.”

What kind of turbulent teenage years is he planning to have that he’s putting so much pressure on me? Although I was somewhat anxious about receiving this notification of a fiery adolescence, I couldn’t picture Noah doing something unforgivable to me. Even if he touched my wallet or went around swindling in my name, I’d probably let it slide.

“Okay, I promise. Geez, I seem to be making all sorts of promises to you. Anyway, apologize to Philip first when you go to school tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“It’s all about image management.”

“Will you apologize to Philip’s parents then?”

“Definitely not.”

Only then did Noah look up sharply at me, his cheeks flushed, giving me a look of disbelief that was quite adorable.

“If you’re not happy about it, be born as a demon in your next life.”

“…Could I meet you again then?”

“If I’m still alive by then.”

“But demons live forever, don’t they?”

Of course, demons have eternal life. They don’t age or get sick no matter how time passes. They don’t die even if their head is cut off or whatever, as long as their core is intact, making them seem immortal, but strictly speaking, they aren’t perfectly immortal.

“That’s assuming no one kills me.”

“…Kill you? Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because demons are so nasty. The previous Wrath died, and that’s how I became Wrath.”

Noah, unlike himself, looked very shocked. Isn’t it common knowledge that demons can die? They must have learned this at school too, but he probably thought great demons like me wouldn’t die.

“Who killed him?”

“Pride.”

“Archdemon Pride?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“How would I know? They both had such terrible personalities, they probably fought.”

It’s an obvious fact that demons are all over the place, but among them, the personalities of Gluttony, Pride, and Wrath have always been notoriously bad.

“You shouldn’t fight, Jin. Got it? If you get seriously hurt in a fight…”

Seeing him so anxious made me laugh. What kind of cute scenario was he imagining?

“Okay, I got it. And I don’t like fighting much either.”

Above all, even if those annoying demons come to bother me, I just get annoyed; there’s nothing to fight about.

“Really?”

“I told you.”

Only after confirming again did Noah look relieved.

“Since you worked hard today, shall we ask Kimaris to eat some meat?”

“Yes.”

“-So, I had to submit an absence note because I need to help at my mother’s shop for a while.”

“An absence note?”

“Yes.”

As I nodded while listening to what happened at school today over dinner, the story was that Caleb, a boy in the same class, had to submit an absence note because his father would be away from home for a few days, and he needed to help at his mother’s shop.

Given that this place is more like a daycare than an educational facility, there are no separate holidays or vacations. If there’s a situation like Caleb’s, all you need to do is submit an absence note with the reason. Whether the school records or attendance sheets would be needed when commoner children apply for jobs at other institutions, I didn’t know, but it didn’t really apply to Noah.

‘An absence note…’

But the mention of an absence note sparked a good idea in me.

“Then, shall we take an absence and go on a trip?”

“A trip?”

Even though there was a fight with Philip, which led to a call to the school, they’ve since made up and things are going smoothly, so Noah’s social skills are developing nicely. If that’s the case, we should occasionally give him a break. Not that I want one; I’m already living like a carefree soul every day.

‘But I am curious about this world’s human realm…’

I first had Phoras bring maps of the Roman Empire and its adjacent kingdoms.

“If you like the travel destination, we could buy a house there as a sort of villa.”

“So we can visit anytime?”

“Yeah.”

Noah nodded enthusiastically as he looked at the map. It seemed the trip to the capital last time was fun, as he looked quite excited about this one too.

“Noah, pick where you want to go. We’ve got plenty of time, so take your time deciding.”

“Is it okay even if it’s far?”

If it’s close, we could go by carriage; if not, we’d use magic. It was an impulsive decision, but I didn’t want to fuss over details like magic or demonic energy for our first trip.

“Of course.”

“What about the Demon Realm? I want to see your castle…”

“No way.”

It seemed like he was just testing the waters, as Noah quickly gave up and started pondering again. Meanwhile, I called Phoras and Kimaris over to sit and explained about the trip. I thought they wouldn’t be too interested, since they were just coming along for Noah’s safety, but surprisingly, they seemed quite positive about it.

“A trip sounds great. It will be an opportunity for our young master to broaden his horizons and grow. Right, Kimaris?”

“I should check out the aprons at the travel destination. If I find any I like, I’ll buy two each, one for use and one for storage…”

Was this level of expectation? While the two demons exchanged words that hardly resembled a conversation, Noah pointed to a spot on the map.

“Jin, have you ever been to the northern territory of the empire?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“They say summer is very short there, and in the middle of winter, it snows almost every day. But there’s a forest where it doesn’t rain or snow, but flower rain falls. Is that true?”

“Flower rain?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t even know what the northern part of the empire was like, let alone flower rain, so I quickly signaled to Phoras. Understanding my intent, he pulled out a thick book from his subspace and after flipping through it, he explained.

“There’s a place called the ‘Spirit Forest’ in Adam County in the north. It got its name because of the deer spirit that lives there, along with a flower spirit that often visits for fun. The ‘flower rain’ our young master mentioned seems to be a phenomenon caused by the release of spiritual energy.”

If demonic energy looks like a red mist of blood, the nature of spiritual energy varies slightly depending on the type of spirit. Since it’s a flower spirit, the spiritual energy disperses like flower petals.

“People describe it as petals swirling in the air, creating a magnificent sight, but due to the nature of spirits, the chance of seeing it is quite slim.”

Well, you wouldn’t know when the spirits visit the forest, and even if the timing was right by chance, there’s no guarantee the spirits would show the flower rain. Spirits are naturally cautious and won’t easily reveal themselves unless you have an affinity with them.

However, there wasn’t absolutely no way to see the flower rain. I roughly formed a plan in my head and asked Noah.

“Shall we go?”

“Can we?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I want to go.”

If he wants to go, we should go. As the saying goes, strike the iron while it’s hot, I immediately started preparing for the trip.

“Kimaris, you go write the absence note and submit it to the school.”

“I obey my lord’s command.”

Originally, I would have had Phoras do it, but it seemed better to submit it through Kimaris, who’s rumored to be my lover. I just hoped that this would make Adam, who still lingers around me, give up completely.

“Phoras, how’s the weather there?”

“It wouldn’t make much difference to us, but it would be very cold for humans.”

“We have winter here too.”

“It’s nowhere near as cold as the northernmost part of the empire.”

“Then, get some clothes for Noah. Not just thick ones, but artifacts enchanted with magic.”

If it’s that much colder than our winter here, several layers of clothes might not be enough. And since we’re not short on money, there’s no need to skimp, so I handed Phoras the wallet.

“I’ll make sure the young master doesn’t feel even a bit of the cold!”

“Good, but do we need to worry about the lord there?”

The biggest thing we need to be careful about on this trip is, of course, humans. Specifically, humans who can sense demonic energy. Even if they are just humans, not much of a threat, we should be cautious to avoid getting entangled in annoying situations.

“Hmm, usually, the far east sees frequent sea monsters, and the far north sees land monsters. So, the count in the northern frontier would be quite capable, but since where we’re going is far from the count’s castle, I don’t think you need to worry too much.”

“That’s good.”

Moreover, the distance between Adam County and Lloyd Viscounty where we’re staying is so vast that it would be easy to shake off any pursuit. If push comes to shove, we could always run away.

While Phoras and Kimaris were bustling about, Noah looked up at me with his pretty eyes and asked.

“Then, what should I do?”

I put the map in Noah’s hands.

“Think about where else you want to go while looking at the map.”

“Okay.”