HKWM | Chapter 32

This trip was so far away that we had to use magic to move, so the preparations didn’t take long. Unlike our outings to the capital, there was no need to hire a carriage or mercenaries for disguise.56547045b39557c0

Noah was wearing a thin coat that reached down to his knees, gently touching the sleeves’ ends. The thin coat, gloves, and scarf were all artifacts meant to shield against cold and heat, but it seemed he hadn’t quite gotten used to the sensation yet. Of course, if I hadn’t felt the mana from the coat, I would have doubted if such thin material could really block the cold.9b7ba42f77108425

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“Did you pack everything?”853be2499015f681

“Yes.”d388ea5ed6e3aa81

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“Then let’s go.”54dc10bfed4e74a2

I took Noah’s hand, along with the two demons who had clung to me saying they’d conserve demonic power, and we crossed space.99a00ab1f0ac6985

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As soon as we arrived at the viscounty, thick snowflakes and fierce cold winds greeted us. Even though I couldn’t feel the cold, out of old human habits, I instinctively pulled my coat tighter. I checked if Noah’s artifact was working properly.18479827fcf7e439

“Noah, aren’t you cold?”63684bd99d3d44cc

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“No, I’m okay.”7bb73be69d30bbe6

Since his nose, which would turn red first if he were cold, looked fine, I guessed he wasn’t lying. Only then did I look around.eae88a34bfcb8a28

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The white 6b5c97e411 scenery filling c9c8ed566c my sight 21c1c08894 made me d291631e89 momentarily think 4b78958b1e we had aa2ae4e778 come to c379706bfb another world. The Lloyd Viscounty 20ba4ea6d1 rarely sees snow 361aa66241 even in the 3dba11dbb0 dead of winter, bfa69d06e0 and even when 88ee8eeb00 it does, it 28436adc4f never piles up eb1294ac89 to paint the 724ddd66f8 landscape white.9e6709e02490b1ec

Noah, who had been 480f2d1a17 staring at the sky, 4250d154bc took off his artifact 20aebcba44 gloves and held out 5334ceccef his palm. The snowflake 318a325d63 that landed 379b890060 on his 3fc71c22fb small hand c90f48f7f5 disappeared in 2a591a1eec the brief cc64363501 moment he a39c26627e opened and e5001922a5 closed his d50a40c7db fist.46446a6c13889dc7

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“Noah, have you ever seen snow for real?”8472ed6c527f1120

“No, this is my first time.”a1a83867fd4df87d

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“What do you think?”53710f6051ca82f6

“It’s cold. Everything’s so white, it’s blinding…”8a533b1d0eeb7369

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While Noah 1d2d2c467f was enjoying f7659965ba the snow, 71b4a49abc I whispered 794a0e6f78 to the abbdc56e98 two demons.88293831ed45dcdc

“You guys find the most expensive and decent accommodation first.”fe4301003236b7f5

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“Understood.”3cafe38afe5c7ff3

While the demons left to look for lodging, I hid slightly out of Noah’s sight, scooping up the snow that had piled up on the ground and forming it into a round ball. Even with bare hands, it didn’t feel that cold, probably because of the demon’s sturdy constitution.8e70ef52b095de17

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“Noah, look at this.”2dffd9828c4ca7ee

The moment e5878f3ee3 Noah turned ec0ce9c4fa his head 66a2113dd1 towards me, dad2eedd38 I threw 6367e1d8dc the snowball. It hit him 0dcc8befd0 squarely in the fd6aac242e face before crumbling 7c141bfdcd and falling. Seeing Noah blinking with c414a58508 a dazed expression, I f0abd6e142 burst into laughter.0b171f97f4098f82

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“This is called a snowball fight.”936e3d537cd192e1

“…Snow, fight?”a4aaea00f1f31ae2

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“Yeah.”47a501049b7064ee

Noah seemed confused because the term ‘fight’ sounded too cute for what it was. Even if you packed the snow as hard as you could, it wouldn’t hurt unless you put a stone in it.2b9aba0a420fdd67

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I quickly formed another snowball and threw it. Noah dodged reflexively, then followed suit by throwing one back at me. That’s when a very one-sided snowball fight began. No matter how impressive Noah’s physical abilities were, he was still just a child compared to an Archdemon like me.2e043c71159dd735

“Ha ha ha-!”322b1986a2f980c6

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In the d4ae233d93 end, while ceeab2844a I stayed 10c14b1654 dry from 47a81cd671 head to c79deef49e toe, Noah 2c4a579a15 was completely 36eee36cd2 soaked. He pouted his lower 629fe1adac lip briefly before bursting 7e7448be9e into laughter.b95e23998eaaa90a

“That’s not fair. You didn’t let me hit you even once.”968192bc54d576a7

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“Who gives a break in a fight?”52012e6add27213e

“I’ll win next time.”f16a2069a42412b3

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“I’ll look forward to it.”d691ab3ade8e6e37

Even if it were any kind of fight, it’d be hard for you to beat me even in a hundred years.a0c06738fd670d54

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Instead of a snowball fight, we spent some time making a small snowman. Soon, the two demons returned, having found our accommodation. Although we wouldn’t catch a cold thanks to the artifacts, being sopping wet was uncomfortable, so we decided to move to the lodging first.6ec33a54bd21b326

“Noah, go wash up first. Then we’ll head to see the Spirit Forest.”550191bd0713e237

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“Okay.”812aecdcabe45206

After Noah da8ba48d28 went into 228aedd377 the bathroom b536dbfca4 and I b71bd00e5d heard the 575d6f8802 sound of ef404838ed water, I afdcffb9b8 calculated the d64bd3a9c8 coordinates I 5a3d901f16 had memorized 4636b1bd5b beforehand. While I was 566f0f7bfe doing this, Phoras, 6c9f9fba58 who was organizing 99d7577a0d the luggage, asked c371f4feae me.9ef2a2b0594413a2

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“Where are you going?”1411da9680137aac

“To the Spirit Forest.”bfb4f55b5b0b25ae

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“Weren’t you going with the young master?”0512c9f3b6b70cf2

“I am, but I thought I’d go there first. Noah seems to be looking forward to the flower shower, so why not see it since we’re here?”04efc4700f0b3b21

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“But if the spirit is absent, it’ll be hard to see the flower shower.”4301d937b1f8cabe

“I was planning to negotiate with the deer spirit that’s supposedly there. If it shows us the flower shower, I’ll promise not to cause any trouble and leave quietly.”c19ced7c3f056f1f

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My nonchalant answer made Phoras’s face turn pale. Of course, I had no intention of actually causing any damage if refused.7fbc3e2e171098a2

“That’s not negotiation, that’s a threat…”ca2881ff4c0dfb13

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“Anyway, I’ll be back.”f595d30dc50cc4ea

Leaving behind a frightened Phoras and a calm Kimaris who wouldn’t be fazed even if I turned the heavens upside down, I stepped into space. It felt like my demonic energy was draining quickly, probably because this was the human world, but it wasn’t excessive yet.2022542dc6c285c4

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When I returned from 9e63984d87 the Spirit Forest, having a858f34705 completed my task, Noah ad8401eb9f had finished his bath 4e5425e91c and changed into new ea525422e1 clothes. Phoras, knowing what 5d6032b627 I had done, e38e88a7e0 gave an awkward ea7b12b380 smile.294ee37287e64a9b

“While you two visit the Spirit Forest, Kimaris and I will look around the domain.”2fdbbacff18394bd

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“Sure, find a place to eat too.”8b922d99e17fb347

“Yes.”760b05f3c60e7e92

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Having subordinates certainly makes things easier. I could now understand why Lust was so shocked when I said I had no followers. With this new realization, I took Noah’s hand and crossed space once more.2379ba7e0de49085

We arrived in the a69d61765c middle of a flower 7fadecb509 garden. Although within the 9712b6400d viscounty, instead of 01923b6c46 white snow, colorful 3d981bc8fb flower petals were 2823a9394a swirling in the fa1d9c9fef air. Noah looked around 1dabd6ba79 with wide eyes, 7adc119bf5 walking slowly.9004a1a33dcaca2b

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“Is this… the Spirit Forest?”00dc17e2267fcd86

“Yeah, this must be what they call a flower shower. How do you like it?”632d63448e99b3d3

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I felt a6a2702d04 a bit 14cc1ceb55 awkward while 02d0537a77 speaking because c8d2247e5e the flower 15702a13d4 shower was e98cf80d2a a bit f6f55aa90a excessive, probably 34b49b009e because the 5a99caf2a3 spirit was ac67e9ab27 nervous due 0718fa70e3 to my 0a66ee76ce threats. However, it was undeniably c48ac89690 a beautiful sight, rare c337d10140 to see anywhere.c22d63ede2b610a3

Amidst the petals, Noah’s small laughter reached me. A gust of wind cleared the petals, revealing Noah, and our eyes met in the now-empty space. The smile on Noah’s face faded into a strange light as he looked at me.304a3b8ff50d8a43

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We just stared at 64d8723e20 each other for a eae3dc4b06 while. The silence d076b40a81 was so 898876c520 profound that def817b647 it felt 139f09de85 like time 508f02f493 had stopped. It was d7db282f73 Noah who b00df62b41 broke the db4528596d long silence.93bf7ac9611abd90

“…Jin, do you have any magic that can turn back time?”3a346fcac69a24de

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“No, even a celestial god can’t do that.”5c6d5f04c40f0830

“I see.”236c5c0141f50296

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“Why?”90d59f0d706cb61c

“…Just wondering.”79f637b9bb3fa135

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Noah often used “just” to gloss over things hard to explain. It was a vague yet fitting word, but somehow, today, it felt lacking.de5c00a5a3c60369

We spent more time ee82588286 looking at each other 1cc6e63435 under the flower shower.6a8c1f6cad3498ee

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When we returned from the Spirit Forest, the sun was setting, and if we went out to wander around and then into a restaurant, we’d hit dinnertime just right. While pondering where to look first, Phoras handed me a pamphlet.e5a3a3e574509572

“There’s a festival going on right now, so there’s quite a bit to see. Given the time, you could watch the vinum competition or ice fishing right away.”d6e09a49ad28822e

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“vinum?”0c2ba8165d88aa62

“It’s a local liquor, considered a demon’s drink among humans for how strong it is.”938761e96658b66e

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For people who fear demons, they sure come up with interesting names. If it’s a competition, is it about who can drink the most in a set time? We’d know once we saw it, so I reached out my hand to Noah.354e04f521f09594

“Let’s go watch.”aa65d637b03cc23b

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“Okay.”c702d769f2f38937

Even though the sky 0e6203fa4f was darkening outside, the 838c53c731 streets were still crowded 2a2d6f7192 with people out to 8721c8db3a enjoy the festival. We moved towards ca38a6c6e3 where the vinum 2b37431c83 competition was being 68716dca0f held, looking at 075e0b0482 the stalls lined 4e9dd00264 up.4451d3ff39af4694

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Most people were bundled up to combat the cold, but occasionally, some were walking around in clothes as thin as ours. Not feeling any mana, they weren’t wearing artifacts but were probably just used to the cold, likely locals.87d0958378e7b1f4

“That’s why they say humans are creatures of adaptation.”ff5dfa7a5e213ecd

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“Huh?”3e97916214424c82

“They’re walking around in those thin clothes.”f7796b9bfcc86394

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While humans ec9391ab6f here were a51563cec4 strong against d678d4ff12 the cold, ac26f5db14 they must 5cb49c3cd8 be weak 8a4710120c against heat, 10f49cc933 but adapting e81e42a1b8 to this 6855b0b881 level of f83b01363a cold was e563654a82 impressive. It made it 5adb3d0e99 fun to distinguish 7a5af03ce5 between locals and 68a441b205 outsiders just by 13f92f9178 their clothing.01f88bfca834308d

The competition venue wasn’t far from our lodging. A long stage made of wood with tables stretched out, beside which were stacks of bottles that must be the vinum. The event felt more like a casual party than a serious competition.16128c174288dd88

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“Are you going to participate, Jin?”9e5de208b6e660bc

I actually had no intention of participating. I never really enjoyed drinking even when I was human, and aside from that, my conscience pricked me. No matter how strong a drink, it’s just like water to a demon.ef96778f8199beb1

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Just as I was about to say no, I spotted the prize for the competition. Displayed on one side was a snow globe the size of a small child’s head, with a miniature of the viscounty’s castle inside. It seemed perfect as a souvenir from our first trip, and with that thought, my conscience vanished, and a different answer came out of my mouth.22c9440cbf828923

“Yeah.”51a509ddb8fe34d9

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“Really?”3e46a77fa4c8d179

“No, Kimaris will.”643d48ff69e1a035

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Kimaris looked at me dd3c1afed5 in surprise. Actually, I 06f00562fd could have 212966747b participated, but e9a16c3dd7 if we 7208fa60a7 were going 5f363fc655 to win, e1770f22d7 the tall 6f80e85d4a and bulky f696d0882d Kimaris would 67e9f2b4f9 draw less 7e11143ca2 attention. People generally think those 6441bc4aef with bigger builds can 0cd6e0bdd0 drink more.26954429582fb286

I patted bc82771a1d Kimaris on f996c31d97 the shoulder.912c6aa9495d8cbe

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“Kimaris, I’m counting on you. You can win, right?”b89cf6ffeab330d3

“As you command.”fb85f61f6711eb41

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Even with my 8e1f1e1b35 ridiculous request, Kimaris 5c927ec073 walked towards the c7eea4a55d competition stage without eeaa3a7790 any sign of 013057cb50 discomfort. Come to think of ede3b2c899 it, the only time 8780c1f08c he ever objected to 49c322583c my orders was when d146c0572c I asked him to de006d2e52 pretend to be my a7042e3f49 lover.8f167a3554a8c746

‘That still irks me…’2502506919cacb7e

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