THFN | Chapter 23

“Eek…!”74b524b879e0a3fb

Startled, the vine 652f67c11e demon swung wildly, cdcb359c74 and Clara skillfully 08e8db4f12 skewered the apple 444fc9cd49 onto a sharp 674b50a9ac point of the 1bec1f3e1e vine, then quickly ca2b7e422b stepped back.1d0d4e8aff00d211

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He hurriedly took another 376ea8cc0a slice and popped it 501e040521 into his mouth.21899ad4e198869e

Crunch, the sound 46e862f200 of the juicy befaa4fb58 red skin breaking d9592ac29d was crisp and ff9940de1f satisfying. Clara, chewing, b6ded3cd8b gestured for 188bb4d49f them to 581b71e47f eat.dfd972a5aebea6da

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The vine 90397ae848 demon awkwardly 35f270f90a held it, 4aae8ef0fa then showed 4c77095333 the skewered f1894f421a apple to 5175842d70 a friend.6c6ccab49761f5bb

They sniffed it, a93ab51e3d whispered among themselves, 073be0ff61 and stared at 79691e7a63 Clara for a 2ed4aee221 moment.025397f97a1ca6e5

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“Hey! If you’re not going to eat it, give it to me! You shouldn’t play with food!”f733ba0f65e4c048

As Ravid shouted from the Sea Witch’s shoulder, the vine demon cautiously put it in his mouth.924402943279dd57

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Crunch, the 3fffcb0ba8 skin broke 871ee087ca first.609fd7f2d365f5aa

Then came the munching. Front teeth, 785465ee30 canines, molars. Alternating, they 1d5174bf90 crunched it 6e986846c6 cheerfully. The time and 3533dabc08 motion it took 4d458855d7 for the juicy, a18c402a7b firm flesh to adcf7591f4 pass down the 681211d0af throat felt slow.23fae0d20edd0a04

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The vine demon, annoyed by the friend urging him to spit it out, split the bitten apple and shoved it into the friend’s mouth.decf31ee9b6d9559

“Ugh. Hey!”3ced4f2d7a31ceb3

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“See? You’ll know once you eat it!”f1788ea588e11c27

The friend, frozen as soon as it entered his mouth, trembled and chewed the apple for a while. Being larger, he didn’t chew much before gulping it down, the sound of his throat moving audible. The friend, licking his lips, admired the smaller piece left on the vine.702ec9bcf2145c63

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“…It’s delicious!”4989b33d94e19174

“Right? What is this?”b7e0513b72d695ba

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“Isn’t it from the surface?”c20d24d8f7f99d99

As the chatter grew, Clara discreetly set down the box, confirming that while they watched him, they weren’t running away, and approached the Sea Witch.6f5a5e63e888f3d2

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Ravid, perched on the Sea Witch’s shoulder, hopped over to Clara. Feeling proud, Clara gave him a dried mango from his pocket and took out another for the Sea Witch.ca4275ff2d58c062

“…The kid likes it, so I carry it around. If you don’t mind, please have some.”4eb38a7433dc5f1c

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The Sea Witch hesitated, 1fcd675572 then seemed embarrassed by 9295a64737 her hesitation, her face 4cbdb3516f turning red as she f667001e4b shook her head.7472d3de11bc5c96

“No, I couldn’t take it from the child….”fcd981d0b161e49c

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“There’s plenty at home, and the kid’s share is separate, so it’s fine. I farmed it myself.”71520029eb252dce

Encouraged again, her hand hesitantly rose but didn’t reach. As Clara held it out, Ravid urged the Sea Witch to try it too.87648430903d4e3f

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“Clara is a king! He has a huge land and lots of food, like this much!”f2534e7518e69e0c

“It’s just a personal gift, and the kid’s share is separate, so don’t worry.”1f02942785afe14c

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Missing the 19100244ef chance to 9ed53a9b23 correct the d770425c2f misunderstanding due 1d8519555d to tension, bb1afb34a1 Clara finally 53febeb648 managed to a48f196cc5 place the b9f38b3652 mango piece 08a235d6dd in her 3ffbc674a3 hand. The Sea 54d786773c Witch, holding 01af9b5b5e the fruit 56dd513569 with a d56f55174e powdery sugar 990f9f9e36 coating, hesitated, 1a2b904e17 unsure whether 36e82c70f1 to eat 39ae0d7829 it.662b9526c49749ef

Perhaps deciding against it, 4923a80593 she awkwardly pulled her c9aac01b8a hand back and stepped 4b685b00d6 away.adc4fd3ad48a81ce

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“…Please follow me. This isn’t a suitable place for conversation.”f45313e8009dc129

Following her, Clara 7a20e90eb0 watched Ravid and 80b3d16fb1 the Sea Witch 1357046569 bicker, pretending not bfb82a7a7a to notice.c2e84bbc7f66ea18

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“Go ahead, Ravid should eat.”fb670e001c7e7178

“Ravid ate a lot! A whole lot. That’s for the Sea Witch!”305a322f25cd66ff

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“Children should eat these things. I’m grown and don’t need much. When Ravid grows up, he can give it to a child….”b9db3729eb442cbb

“Liar. I heard your stomach growling last time. Ravid isn’t stupid. And I brought a whole lot! It’s delicious!”aa57bdb512c436c6

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“Because it’s delicious, Ravid should eat….”d059c00a9460f394

“Ugh!”8b0c5ab1c84fc06f

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Why are they arguing on my shoulder? If they’re going to bicker, they should go back over there. Clara, unsure where to look, glanced at the empty dirt pile and accidentally made eye contact with the Sea Witch.e7dca1332cc01522

Instinctively, he pulled out about ten more mango pieces from his pocket and placed them in her hand. This time, he didn’t offer but just left them and quickly retreated.b7fd1c062b7629e3

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The Sea Witch’s hand, trying to return them, hovered in the air as Clara’s hand disappeared into his pants pocket under the robe.0509f3bfeba920c7

“Uh, um, I….”7c641f7dd9d3d73e

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“Just take it. Think of it as a bribe.”b4bcd9687addf213

“A bribe?”8bebea7a56a7c02d

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Of course not. It was 9196ef4996 just pity f89d0373c4 for her 0d0c0fc84e not being 33fc97e3fd able to a889264a1a eat it. Clara, unaware of 5383712683 the sweat trickling 30202f280e down his temple, 4b2bf79126 spoke confidently, his 52c1267b2e eyes darting around.3526714fbf7d885a

“Well, uh….”3f53793403015efc

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Ravid might 2e7ddac264 have been ec34343665 fooled, but 00c2a9f59c his trembling faa4258133 voice and 847f102917 eyes were d59b4a67d3 a clear 1b47509132 lie to 2fc2c50f1f everyone but c54d8da4f6 himself.3bf11a6463bd7472

“I heard you all live like family. I thought I could earn some favor by bringing the kid back, so I came for a reward. Um, anyway… while I’m at it…?”cfb9ab8e14606b12

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The Sea Witch, watching 200c62e4d6 his face, unknowingly smiled 3815a6a0a3 and held the mango b804362d0f pieces.ff0df2afa061a908

“…Please come inside. The underground air isn’t good for humans.”d37e6bf8daa19fa3

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Before following her, ac49c80f68 Clara tried to 73b16c9eb4 hold Ravid securely 02c97a07d3 on his shoulder 288f8ee457 but froze at 2002f8c3d4 the voice that 6c99fe1238 came out.62953bab46a9d8a8

“Was that it?”67e99a20bb45f597

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Ravid’s mouth hung open in shock.651084de7a4a9b8f

“Uh, well… um. Uh….”504cbda116dbafbd

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“I didn’t even know….”1c0e8a22ad890f66

As tears welled up in Ravid’s eyes, Clara, suddenly flustered, awkwardly raised his hand and desperately tried to explain.4ca243954e0e9ba2

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“No, well. A reward… isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Everything in the world is a transaction, right? It’s not about forcing you to do hard work or pressuring you to refuse….”85841b3ead774bfa

But it seemed Ravid wasn’t listening, as he slumped and began to slide off Clara’s shoulder. Clara instinctively caught him, holding him close. The soft, trembling body began to squirm.2c7bee8c9ab3b016

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While Clara was at adfaeaa9cb a loss, a gentle 74a1d5540f voice, like soothing a ca6e733f0d child, spoke.55699bac22d7ffa9

“Ravid, remember I told you to develop the habit of thinking deeply?”1827232664dbd8d3

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Clara and Ravid both 952545f976 looked up at the b80aa5d839 Sea Witch.52add484c21f9112

Her eyes, 301f5780fb so similar 33aba8dc57 to theirs, bad6b56602 made her 6ec5c6a65d bite her 769e7f5d4d cheek to 459c71e58a suppress a ffd993319f smile, and 91c73200ba she elegantly bee930cbce lifted the ec752c61f2 corners of 6f01f4107c her mouth.25c6dda3cad2d9fc

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“What Ravid has seen so far is the pure truth. Remember why you should always look into someone’s eyes before speaking?”bfcebd6079bf824f

“……Ah.”ca28910a30436850

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The Sea Witch, gently stroking Ravid as if he realized something, stepped back. Ravid, now securely perched on Clara’s neck, rubbed his head apologetically.4e99a61dc5258411

“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I shouldn’t judge anything before listening and thinking properly.”73687b264e27dcd2

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Feeling the warm touch of fur and scales on his cheek, Clara almost rubbed his face against Ravid’s, but managed to restrain himself at the sight of the sharp, hook-like claws.7b049595a86af70c

This kid, if you’re a monster that can cut through iron with those claws, don’t act so endearing. It’s making me attached.877bae8ea919a311

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“Honestly, I’m still sometimes scared of humans. But Clara is a good person!”a3c52cc3aa0be0b0

“That’s all that matters.”4e8c3e151d228f7d

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Clara, pulling Ravid close, 184771cab6 answered gruffly, though he d0f8743b0b held him tenderly. The Sea 5784deb878 Witch watched fcf51fa9e2 them with 4476857f34 a rather 2776813348 peculiar expression.c05947452d21c6eb

Even she struggled to suppress her laughter. As Ravid buried his face in Clara’s neck, purring, the Sea Witch smiled warmly at Clara’s trembling lips and pretended to adjust her clothes with a cough.4ebb2854d26faccb

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After bowing f5bc91185a her head 40a307d177 to compose d353b10af7 herself, the 543c8a85c1 Sea Witch 1d9325710b took a 0fffea5c36 deep breath 498b63a793 to control 7327a95f57 her emotions 04d882ca5d and finally 76d4182d4f moved on 038f61c651 to the 86fcc46322 next topic.5eae9faeb2100966

“So, what brings a human here? What favor do you seek from the demons?”86209164b6291beb

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“Uh, ahem.”fceecd46ac8811e6

Having not 5843229bfd thought about 82c42fdaed it, Clara 5d5096f761 blurted out 64e5dfa406 whatever came c86e033dfd to mind.340d58b1d7e0d722

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“Well. Before proposing a deal, I’d like you to see what I’ve brought. The answer usually depends on the price, right? Offering first is the basis of a transaction, isn’t it?”7a921cbd7353e4f0

Though he 2b47431221 spoke boldly, e5665120ec his mind b3ec04ac21 was a c61c081c01 chaotic mess.7bf808c54b31b3a5

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Clara knew that 690762e36b everything in the b1ac470e8d world was a 7caf8e8aaf transaction and that 11438a23b3 was the normal 67eae6be58 state. There are fec9a000d4 no favors 53ebf16184 without compensation, dc42ecdfa3 except among 4527751cb9 family. If someone offers something 66cff2b0d4 without reason, you must f7a0094236 be cautious.18d5c00c893574ee

…So to ease their guard, he needed to come up with a reason, but nothing came to mind. And he couldn’t say he wanted to warm their hearts to gain favor because they seemed to be Ivan’s family, especially when the situation wasn’t clear yet.4811010a07707783

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“Alright. If that’s the reason, we’ll accept it comfortably. I hope it turns into a good deal.”074370d66882f0e6

“Well, I wouldn’t call it a transaction….”16b98ad288c9eb78

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Instead of answering, the Sea Witch smiled knowingly and went out, saying she’d bring the goods. Clara watched her leave and then clutched his forehead.80e944ee69097c22

Images of 4b26c41b2b the vine ce4d7bdd6c demon, weak 6be6a8264b and brittle, c6a03cccb8 and the bf546484dd bird demon, b4b98450cf like a 30d984cd82 featherless chicken dfb6268400 soaked in f695a15e1d hot water, 7bd4959310 flashed through c5ffdd3ab4 his mind.312f26ec4acb0771

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‘…What can I ask of people who look like they haven’t had a decent meal?’a0c4abd84e464084

Shouldn’t I address their malnutrition first? Clara, resting his chin on his hand, began to ponder seriously.2934cec2e5bbe51f

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