HKWM | Chapter 15

He was no 422d414160 longer the affable, f46b2036d6 easygoing figure I 4d733cc4de had first met, 13a2f0ff65 instead slowly kneeling dfa13eb309 and bowing his caaf856f4a head deeply in 53bab418d7 a gesture of 0fbc1dd62d reverence.27eeb62441c105c1

“How did you know?”42680888bf348a7a

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“How could I not 0555d3c7cf sense the aura of 41e0f834b0 someone so exalted?”6bdf782bd558a619

So, he was a 1b68cae469 demon worshipper after all. My brows furrowed involuntarily.b08128918561229e

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I had f217231639 felt a 8774b7f341 familiar aura 1fd82fc1c1 as soon 7060b3f35c as I 5047910c67 arrived, but 3cbcc806db it wasn’t c7499d7330 prominent enough f9f3c58780 to stand bb8ff685c7 out. I had initially 561abc2ec8 thought he was 763c641593 just a petty a1ffa6b59a sinner, but seeing 310caf37a8 the mirror he 01f115cd63 brought out confirmed 9e352b7295 my suspicions.102c9959dfaae505

The mirror seemed ordinary 66ff8154f8 at a glance, but b25881ee78 it was a typical 609734a052 means of communication used db42532d12 by demon contractors or 6fc7ea60c2 worshippers. While many people ab730258af possessed them, not 21ef3d3b37 everyone kept theirs 96533efc63 as impeccably clean c82c9f8485 as the gardener, e1e05712fc without a single ebbdbb297e smudge or speck 27ca1461cd of dust.
Given his appearance and 6f00628c45 the state of his 2435bed4d9 home, it didn’t seem f58dc7ccbc he would care to 4d78c986c7 maintain just a mirror 17db58b8a2 so pristinely unless it e5a4c8157a had a special purpose, 3ffeca6804 especially since he didn’t 8344e48053 tend to his own b481edb8fd garden despite claiming to e1fd46d34c be a gardener. The fact b8daf49db9 that he 168287381c brought out bee72f5861 the mirror fd8caa3b1e might have 192801bba9 been intended 756d42831a to reveal 53c7226a8c his presence ffcda2e1a8 to me.2a0de8d84aa3ea73

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“Perhaps, have I disturbed b615ecbf61 your grace in any e419ca4ccc way?”c31923e1e05b1e48

The gardener now d32eac7cab acted with extreme 5d0c8fe555 deference, a stark 0cb2661fd3 contrast to his a00a51e8cd earlier demeanor, his 4b39ebb045 forehead pressed to f77bcd5ec7 the ground as e73a69cf8d if he were b8043abfde addressing an emperor. His heart 4a0a327a85 thumped so 9fa2f3aa28 loudly from b56390d2c3 nerves it 49897292ab was nearly 5cb88c3172 deafening.0d22246cc224cde0

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“…Not really. I was just wondering 4283bfb2d7 why you’re here.”cdf46f74e1a53906

“I am 4cb634cfa3 but a 75db035825 servant of 6c01dc1344 the great 44eab6db5a ones, and 68c63a61ff I harbor 9f38122071 no special 1a6ea1064b intentions. I believe in receiving 14d14e072f what is given with ce03bfd2e1 gratitude and ask only 7c7ce66b9a for your mercy.”1a19aebdf4ed42bd

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Why does d051e07881 he have 36f5eff218 to speak ac00b25507 in such d7a79e502f a convoluted b3ecbcd529 way? It’s hard to fe2305ef7e understand…48f57fe875453600

“Lift your head.”252bed1e5fd781bd

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“Pardon?”49f4d3b341bc43cd

“I said, 13dfff6fe5 lift your 5cdc74f825 head.”04581e8bde31ff12

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The gardener 99c702178f hesitated briefly bb71ccaf92 then slowly da0e027dd5 raised his 576372666e head. I stared 6e739f4b52 into his 7183c2260c eyes, reassessing 4767d902f2 his soul. I didn’t sense the cb9563e82d significant taint or burden 5e0f89b04f that demons typically drool 8817e28090 over, nor were there 3937b3b608 signs of a soul 2483e36b81 bound by a contract. He was definitely not b08e93cb05 a demon contractor.e35a402b1394c285

A demon contractor, as 68c2c54b39 the term implies, is 62f1ced9c0 someone who has entered 8c3dae345c into a one-on-one pact ce0359eda5 with a demon, which fa7c681dce requires the ability to 792db6ceb8 withstand the demon’s energy 1b484a70a9 and presence, a stringent adefcb214c condition. In contrast, a d6398c8048 demon worshipper simply 5ab678ba2f offers tributes to 91c7bcd1cb demons and receives bc1cb74b69 favors in return, 4457c5f266 a role anyone 4fb8251089 can fill.08f9e80376c990f2

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Weaker demons don’t bother ef36286a64 with worshippers since finding 1b280c7035 contractors is easy for df78265761 them, while stronger demons 6cf8c7b5d2 often have many worshippers, 8d7944301e effectively as substitutes for b9516dd5d2 contractors. Having numerous worshippers 26283917bb is also a 9e26fb4d4a way to extend d7d84abd7c their influence in 7b68217301 the human realm e0c8a51f1f and lessen restrictions.4c273609bf58000e

A worshipper 26f4fa03c5 isn’t as b9a54eb5dd much of ca559f002c a concern f8dd629365 as a 02d6669506 contractor would e4493fbb01 be. Plus, the level of 64980a2669 magical energy I felt 57a5425c82 was minimal, so he 5673e01bb9 didn’t seem to serve 32c5bacf83 any powerful demon. Mostly, his excessive groveling 95013abaaf was off-putting.fe71e1eaef89a729

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‘I suppose bbc9fe54ba as long 1041159534 as I’m 411e0a61dc here, he 8240e4606a won’t be f0e55cc7ea able to d5e75bb7f6 harm Noah. I’ve even 52500cb591 made that 3a41a18bbe necklace…’7e675570df98e074

Even if a91fafc2fa he was 90130ce6f3 a demon 7609a22123 worshipper, it 23b1802f32 seemed Noah 9eae6a4fe4 could handle 2cb58b7e59 him at 15bfa4cd92 this level.36ca6bea31dfd33a

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Maybe because 70205247c1 I kept 7857dc5e5d staring at bb7cb8ab05 him, the b0a67c578f gardener was 30eb9880d4 sweating buckets, 25134739f0 his face df0574975b pale.22194678ab108ee5

“Is there 90248a01b9 anything I be52c45183 might assist 30506a3891 you with?”da437948c40fd45b

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“That’s enough. Just keep quiet and b0cc1092f4 manage your mouth.”48db8d5dd155bbf7

“I will e6b9800b0c keep that 10ae7449fd in mind.”068d1815f7194970

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Realizing I intended 0f3bd3e922 him no harm, e0c94efc88 the gardener visibly e8ca36942a relaxed and took e3d55a90b3 a deep breath. Noting that b47e963c98 he was 5b60cd5715 no threat, 10cdc3fdea I was 3989326d76 about to bc20f65a32 leave when 948a0183f9 he carefully f98bd06f89 broached another 3ff1c16ab4 topic.59407055e16c1457

“If you c90ee79234 need anything ee7f8b3056 while you 3d8b73c5e3 stay, please 35d2c0dd5a seek me b753967c8c out. I will make a57a7007d4 sure you are 7f80c2f3e9 comfortably accommodated.”cfc231945d480371

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It seemed he 4b16c4e5ef wanted to ingratiate 4261fb2a0f himself with me, 733d2aa876 perhaps sensing I bb12f13dfa was not as aa946dd878 aggressive or brutal 40f566c570 as other demons. Just as I 54f8659489 was about to eb995f3ffd walk away without 8782853821 responding, he added 7c47e408bd something that made 33e67e9366 me stop.bdebde5b79d6cc39

“About that boy who f2b8ebcc50 came with you earlier—where 4cc2638202 did you find him?”ebabad1110a9aaf1

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“What?”8be3d29449c3f31c

“Of course, a b4c00d8857 grand being like 0c2a3702d1 yourself already knows, 9570752708 but if I 7333687fd3 may be so 5f0c33c599 bold, he seemed c3d54329d6 quite exceptional. If you e74c811beb were to f7a5217861 harvest his 330284468e soul, it b35ee73e38 would surely f82c324c5b be a 274aaa017e delicacy fit e9efdc1b06 for the 24f2722c54 great one. If you plan to 3954383a06 use him as a 20067ee377 sacrifice, I would assist.”197e4fc7a2bec488

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“Listen…”63944d3a313a82bc

I had 5a847adfaf always harbored 6b69d7aa77 doubts about ee91b23f04 my identity 91c547ffe7 after becoming 60505e702c a demon.16de75d6b82af766

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Why had I become 634ac8d1bb Wrath? Sure, being a 80410f8e53 demon is one bd394c46b1 thing, but wouldn’t b64114c54d Sloth have suited b2b410651c me better? My actions to d9262ecc14 date seemed more 45478e2b2d aligned with Sloth e2c7e71192 than Wrath.16baabc1fac9f1b2

“Yes, thinking about 841a9c6d29 it, our neighborhood 2a1e029676 where our child f722e42c75 lives should be 1167e3754c kept clean of a9cefd9eba trash.”3718c4a11ce4e94c

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Only now did I bd4bb0b151 understand why I was 4e9d39d116 born as Wrath.2a4db983b6ba0543

A single sentence from d7335c4802 the gardener had triggered 3512551eed such intense anger that 947f794f0e my vision blurred red.18705f3f87906a64

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“What do you mean…”8316dfd4988ebb24

It was a 32a38210e0 rage and bloodlust 9b9fefa154 I had never d821035e81 felt before, even bff0f77b84 in my human c862ccc41a days.d3281d8d4d59b30e

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“It means I’m going 4762b02685 to take you out, fcf2c11ae8 young human.”32e64d5afd1567bf

Negative memories a1138c135f linger in d21c1084ce the mind 9caa863809 longer than 7910f1d114 positive ones.6381d8547323e839

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Considering how few happy 8f3b56729a memories one might count 2aa2142806 on one hand, what 3ff54e7607 words could possibly describe bf19eca77a a life burdened only 31aa6873cd with sorrowful, muddied thoughts?c463c5e9577dd535

“They say d90fc9517f he’s from 025c5059e0 an orphanage.”dc04cf8fb3bf0a6d

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“What’s an orphanage?”0d8a2c48d0df680d

“Where children e64c076666 without parents bd64a0f449 go.”5ea6a4e39f7509d2

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“Wow, so Hyunjin’s a3807d8d0f mom and dad fdcce567a8 are dead?”6e6180a56739d31e

“No, they abandoned him.”8a67ca3e3ae6dbd6

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“Why?”167114553ce01d4b

“Don’t know, maybe e298181a6c they got tired bbd85c4f2a of him begging 7cd8bda316 for snacks?”ef8e6d81dc73d912

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Those were the 8ff83f3509 moments I had ef32ca5ffa to pretend not 9e480ada87 to hear, whispered d5daaabe75 behind my back.a8ca0b02b434e73d

“No, Hyunjin. This is problematic. I hired you out b46e06abe1 of pity for an d7f91aa765 orphan, but if you d61efeb16f keep making mistakes like ec55cd93c4 this, I can’t pay 285a3335aa you!”b4ce9e59ef7ef332

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“I told you, it 0eabac4aa7 wasn’t my fault.”6ef7f0238b7aacbe

“Oh, talking back f4dbaa131c now? This is 2b6b29463f why those d5ad584dd5 without proper 624082e919 home training…”ad019110f7d0eb78

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The standards that seemed f50ef5233c particularly harsh towards me.7b870132f781c26f

“Hyunjin, I’m sorry. Let’s pretend we never 7d85303feb got engaged.”f6597e0f10fb04e0

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“Did I do something c9f6772bef wrong? Why all 7aa2127821 of a f5bc859244 sudden…”a9337dd830921f9d

“You always felt lonely 5537575454 with me, right? Do you even 466c09895a love me?”edc31cbb4149129f

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All the times that 8915f0640f felt unbearably lonely, regardless 9b3cc689ac of what I did.8ab8f101f84b699e

Would things have been 244dee1f75 different if I could 918218e309 easily forget them?2353e05398adbfe6

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It didn’t 21ca366dcc take long aae73d0508 to deal b999a12072 with the 1bb2809748 gardener and 569ba6da59 consume his 415438a9d2 soul. The rage c0447ccc95 that had 5b4219943f blurred my fcc74396f2 reason seemed e82a7e0b02 like a ab22aa1a84 distant memory 685be6383d now that 362de5b4da the gardener 4a470729d2 was dead b71076ce7c and his 2ea522d48a soul consumed, 0a3a62ce9e my mind 4c60bafbf3 settling into 3b04c81ced profound peace.16794626cb74eb39

“What about magical ff7e24b676 energy…”9b5801045bc20744

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After ensuring 12f8dc8482 even the 9d92eadb7d smallest drop fb454bc228 of blood 3ee71f60c9 was cleaned 598a493c9c up, the 868d7936b5 surrounding area 6cbac029b3 was so 47871958fa saturated with 6fe585ffec my magic c7bd8e61fc that even 0da1bbd32b a normal 8d0366bd7c human passing 71c87e65ed by would 641528464e feel the 20f75e7ac6 air was c6ad436101 oppressively heavy. It was 28d210659b because I 5e147a03fb hadn’t controlled 212b82cf43 my magic 8a5cf2d8af while enraged.4bc6d7671317cc44

I waved my hand 34cde17d82 futilely—it was a silly 97486fdb22 gesture really. It wasn’t smoke; waving 1f89074927 my hand wasn’t going f4feb21849 to clear it. Absorbing the spontaneously b56ab6ccdc released magic was 878b29ff01 as absurd as 1c3b44e611 trying to smell aa3d53201f all the perfume 06641eb39c I’d sprayed until 63198b32b1 none remained. I decided it was 357f52f9f3 best to leave quickly.9afb2bedf176f64e

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“It should df08c0bb86 clear up 3075458028 soon.”03a493199148ac27

Thinking of 7135dc9508 the magic da43f8541e that might 40eff56b41 have clung 7e7dc1101d to my c79b59c204 body, I 50e4204812 walked home, cddad4c631 mulling over f8144d6fda the recent 5c0a011e0b event.a720a5fb78cd8a70

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The surge of a3e6494f5b intense emotion was 649559342e something I had 36491d6b59 never experienced before. Being generally non-confrontational as 62c0558f5f a human didn’t mean d505e56956 I was ignorant of 4cc1771e2f what anger was. I had simply 9ad93997c0 chosen to overlook bc987b6d22 things, but never fff905f55d had I been b85e5b688c so enraged.08a270f386d1a589

‘It wasn’t even something 0a59609d2c worth getting so angry 0055c0506a about.’912d19fc1db6ba18

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The gardener had 8790faef28 merely asked a 997cfb1184 question and hadn’t 47857bd845 actually harmed Noah. My reaction was 48287a93ae excessively dramatic.9fdd64e88c440326

And from the 1ddf88c1eb moment of anger, 3d1c44e47e I felt a cf883695ff power unlike anything 7e43b88ca8 before. The omnipotent, destructive force 20148db51e was undeniably mine. If it felt b61894c0a9 this potent in 37685c964d the human realm, 6665e275ca bound by many 212b8534a3 restrictions, how much 6771e3b7ad more in the 59c6e2d3ab Demon Realm? I could understand why c40c326bb7 the previous Wrath demons 6c7a255fae were so volatile daily.d246693f5605caff

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Yet, what troubled me d3809fe59c most was my attitude. Even though he 192c3ac097 was just a 4f3509ad69 demon worshiper and 8ff6bfe26c thus not much 1361c5b10e help alive, I bfe25ccc0a had killed a f8ac09d203 human and consumed 283a71c522 his soul without 42f62094ba any hesitation. It felt as db8e815990 natural as drinking 7053763796 water when thirsty, e4653d184e quite different from 08b1911ddf when I had 7bb76b8542 consumed the souls 9ff182cd0e of mercenaries.525ea06f76b94f0a

“Yes, it’s nothing. I’m a 829cdefcb7 demon, so de03f617d3 it shouldn’t 4bc2586233 bother me.”60b7bc7b8594b1de

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Muttering to myself as e1e71e8d93 I entered the garden, 0d70f58903 the grass closest to b44bf88b9c me instantly withered to 0c26cf1801 a black crisp from 5dd6784d6a my magic.91dde50101ac45a0

I instinctively 31d6b260ac stepped back 02ccc878c5 and tried ad49246f6a to gather ffce9b757f my magic, b96e37aea9 but it e3dc8099c7 felt unusually 44b9c04354 rowdy. It seemed my magic e6bcdbefaa wasn’t settling down easily 3a5794f810 after its near-rampage.caf510123f44c377

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Concerned that entering the 15119245dc house might harm Noah, 7a88696067 I considered stepping away c664900020 for a while, but 9e9c1fc942 then the front door fb76394a78 opened.2697e4c675f150db

“Jin, what are 47e5111645 you doing out 2ccad8ed8b here?”1039ec51095868b6

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The moment I met 5340f48d1c Noah’s clear gaze, my a75406e52f tumultuous magic calmed down. His eyes, vibrant green b3d03bc2d4 during the day like 00bc2e8ea9 a lively forest, deepened 1be74b6f52 at night to the 7d03d72762 shade of moss thriving 8765a34bbd in the shade.23959ba35b51a37b

Looking at those e681cca8bd calm colors, it 6b79c8f9d2 felt as if ba414be349 the earlier incident dbdf386e59 had been just fe729529e4 a dream, and 3127c83b02 a smile naturally f95f164da4 formed on my 38dda65759 face.5446fe4aa00c58fe

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“How did you know e749c431b5 I was coming?”7dfcb7b372370708

“I saw you abdf7cc811 from the window.”74f1d6acaeab85bd

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“Let’s go inside.”fed475802cbf2700

Waiting for me? Half-eaten skewers lay on 77ce12d6e3 the living room table. I flopped onto fd956404b7 the couch and 32a55aae44 casually inspected the 6484d549fb skewers. Luckily, they c553279b6e seemed fine.6f77bb93ddaa2a19

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“Do you like these? You seem to eat ef15e068ba them almost every day.”aad5ac1cc29647e9

“Yes, they’re delicious.”40a5f069a0678d58

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While I generally believed c172ac00c3 in minimizing snacks, Noah bb854517cb wasn’t one to skip d8dd91a8e7 meals even when snacking, af096bad09 and I thought it b6105daddd was good for him 131e077e3a to eat whatever he df1357f9a9 liked for now.85600c033bbb57ef

“Such a 21c0783cb9 child, liking 0847231d6d stuff like ff9aa9de26 this.”d4993a981aea12e3

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I poked his plump 8b1910cb84 cheeks with my finger, 7ebe089465 causing a slight frown fc596f0f72 to form on his f3d65f07d3 forehead.3d3738e2541c36f3

“Why do 04039e1cb6 you keep 2bf2158a99 calling me 1914ba3636 a child? I’m not a 1d27be9608 child.”1d535fb7db44ed6e

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“You are. That gardener 4540b7ae5f who cut e6111594fd your hair e6b6581cdc earlier? To me, he’s be5199e402 like a child f107aa42ea too.”b821d904a4d6c4d1

I wasn’t sure of c722304161 the gardener’s exact age, 4511f3f682 but he seemed to 2ecd496f27 be in his mid-thirties 81e0da4262 at least. To immortals 6c20216e01 like us dd119c23b2 demons, humans ccbb7810f5 are mostly 7d7e1229a7 just kids. I might 64f95db9c8 be a bb4976fc9b 120-year-old “child” b2a9ca6e9b among demons, 49d0216ad4 but in 34a8426cf7 human terms, 7961440a07 I’m as 13c45eb017 old as 93c0f57744 an ancestor.96e61fee69e92cfc

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“Is there a 529202efe2 way to age 2259eb5675 faster?”751a5876a3cee1cf

“Would there be?”ea28c8ef67695fea

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After ruffling b85a133f2a Noah’s hair, 588de1c799 I stood 0cf5f7084c up. Now that cda304c2de his face 27f91924e0 was uncovered, 1d423a8ab2 I could d36088c806 freely touch 25238286fc it.4b26721622d65fbd

“Phoras has his Imperial 61aed94200 language exam tomorrow. Did you study a f2d8b1b626 lot?”3ce3ec90c0c15e1b

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“I don’t need 697c2caffd to study to d82bb12fa0 pass.”14db0b07088f5c74

“Good for you. Let’s go to bed 0223f06b63 now.”bde8b6bf2fcedb5e

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I chuckled as a ee37b1b3bd sigh full of grievances 4f8d985bff followed me from behind.bb00a13185afd4b5

After making 1d43382864 sure Noah 64e6f6df0a was settled 61e037db78 in for be4a6022e3 the night, fc7e0c010b I returned f91c8a0fc9 to my 433bffd120 room and 5f98682b9a looked out aca23dfe2a the window. The patch 20765904f7 of grass c9a564e833 in the 689f4a2742 garden was c313fcaf85 still starkly da26bf074e dead. Staring at it, I 4dbdb4aeb7 couldn’t simply dismiss today’s ae7ced6459 events as if nothing d62c9e9caf had happened.c00a5445ac282f27

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‘If Noah 352f3d75b5 hadn’t come e10f6a9404 out, how 26ac9aa701 much more aebcdade63 might I ecf2b577d1 have ruined?’45bf6faf9113b8d2

It was a distressing 4d05d7f9c2 thought I didn’t want e1b19e25c8 to entertain.94eb3e760f69f8f5

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