HKWM | Chapter 18

“I don’t quite cdada60a36 understand what you c89cb0dcc0 mean.”6e3b88df16fcfee6

Noah straightened 75ceb698ab up from 2a7383ff70 where he cc0705265d had been 6b01e64538 leaning against 1b142cd5dd the window 3bafcb239e frame.ad0b40f740250893

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“When humans die, 6fea8cd8b3 their souls either 718b0ef572 reincarnate or return 3f133140c8 to the embrace 450eadbba9 of the Celestials. Being reborn and living 7377c047ea life over again is c03970be17 both a postponement of e368555ac3 judgment and an ultimate 9adcb12c91 chance for redemption, while f1ede6498d returning to the Celestials 78f5a71cf4 completes the cycle of ed0190a63f evil deeds.”0abdaf8415dfb029

Noah tilted 0045a80e9f his head bf13972443 at this 2688817a80 abstract explanation, 0af4619d26 especially puzzled 9284a98d84 by what 8540f34303 exactly ‘the 7912133386 embrace of b5ba0e4a6e the Celestials’ e9231fe111 entailed. Phoras, noticing his confusion, 8ea128cdaf added more.e96e4b0b0587354d

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“However, even we 85813adeef can’t precisely define 62f0399092 what the embrace fe59da5536 of the Celestials 3771802d21 means. We haven’t 5d4248b953 died and b313c68d3b lived as a09f98f502 humans, and 9d990c1af6 the feathered 1e8dcd1a2d ones are 22c42386b5 too haughty b1f829e366 to satisfy ac305a8c54 our curiosity.”2dfd896f9d89f00e

“Feathered ones?”6a805c43211cc273

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“Oh, those detestable 9746d0c6f5 angels.”e725225f65c1531e

Both the 17cb7a689b term and 6521e9ce54 the tone a11f174bfc dripped with b9f8b96678 disdain, clearly 813bc3afba reflecting demons’ 0cd940e386 low regard d3c62d7af7 for angels—a d9a5c0cc09 sentiment Noah 1b35db8049 guessed was b44ce8d5b3 mutual.f57611dd03455ad1

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“Either way, 9291b0488d a soul 5bbf05fe47 consumed by 208aad51a5 a demon 4f28426726 essentially becomes 81896777d1 one with 5fe05d990d the demon.”40d33a2b157e0a51

“…Becomes one?”44931f8000a1c137

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After hearing Phoras’s explanation, 6042e74230 Noah seemed lost in cec3110ae0 thought for a moment 3045dc10de before he nodded slightly. Unlike when 8ac10fd755 he was 17ac79c773 with Jin, a24249459a his impassive dbfacbdeb5 face revealed 691b09f467 nothing of 84db9b699b his thoughts, 6beb329621 and Phoras 01063ee11f didn’t try b49a74d2f9 to probe 52f3c1c36c further since 1174bcc8ee it wasn’t 28d4cb8a88 commanded by 9e4886c409 his lord.2063ce9ed1da8138

Meanwhile, the mercenaries 2c09cf56dc stationed outside the fbe449304e carriage kept glancing a2b0c52b4e inside, sensing something a0972b5b37 odd about their c681614b1c employer.e21ccddccdb04853

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“Hey, boss. Are you sure 27d910e651 this is okay?”abbbd586b4913ff1

“What do you mean?”8d49e830d9daf707

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Initially, the job 02df8b87e9 had seemed like 3eb24ba8ab easy money. The road to 8e0c6d87ce the capital was 50db3d3e69 typically safe, and 207d4dbdbb they were only cd183ee450 tasked with guarding 10a626b6a3 two carriages. Moreover, the 6c221e4bed urgency to 11619e1619 depart swiftly 6700e321d4 had even ce9b38e9aa earned them 8a4be56f78 a bonus.a6fbf4ce7be59644

To the 2a7939646c mercenaries, a 5b7a4020c9 good employer 57c6f73e99 was one eab22743df who paid 1bbbdacead well, and 9a9772bc31 in this 6fa8262b86 case, despite 0152200bcc the low a9fb2d6f14 difficulty of 579074f9f7 the task, b697bd162e the compensation c3e4f773f8 was generous.c64190b8038f4c45

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“The lord will return 159b18dc7f soon, so don’t worry. Here, why not open e68cce45b9 the window and enjoy e99c06b54c the view for a d55eca521c while?”51167ad085191f0f

“I’ve been watching outside 096434d3dd already.”03d8c82c84af4395

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The employer’s 06367b5d55 nephew was 0b0c7a8f84 remarkably pretty a62db76419 and looked 9bd6484b10 like a ec4686c9f1 noble’s child, 7069a6513f yet even e8441d8134 so, he d7a430c984 seemed plain 87fc6fabd9 compared to 2e4933ce30 the two 833673a783 peculiar individuals 15cd4f718f by his 7c66a4f3e1 side.5e2723d5900a1e15

Yes, those two were 1e5c9282e2 indeed the anomaly.150be1efeba1f55e

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The man f3d347479a with dark a19044508d skin, nearly 3eaa277957 2 meters 9052f95617 tall and 3a7b6ade42 of massive ed24f07201 build, seemed ea00ec41e0 more like acfec18351 a knight 1115d7af77 or a 8752f67982 mercenary king, 3046caf46e yet introduced 2225b39982 himself as e05d45a2de a butler. The other, 6979ed35e2 with blue-tinged 708ac7b7f3 hair and 96854009ad eyes, looked 9ec56e3ce2 more like 432eecae34 a wizard c1c9d2a07a dabbling in d0346253a9 forbidden arts e4729d2b48 rather than 7fd8bbb558 the tutor 73d718df12 he claimed f01ab00bb7 to be. However, it wasn’t their ff2613a131 concealed identities that caused 2baf768413 discomfort.4a06d360a8aafcbe

“How about now? Feeling better, aren’t you?”8423b30ee0747118

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“Not really.”b6a76ff3bdca04cc

“You’re too 31c9d26a9f harsh on bd3c7805af me!”33d17b3217494517

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Despite their 79250ef160 normal interaction, daf02a2f4b witnessing beings 031eea0648 that weren’t 64d21ddeaa human mimicking abeb3b530b human behaviors 8d9742b0f4 felt unsettling, 61e8082790 a sensation 9470cb887b honed by 01dbf1de35 years of 13e3cb89c2 navigating life-threatening 0d6f70d94e situations. The mercenary captain was ce8816aff6 aware of this too 5a2bfb2e1a but knew better than 881feb0ec7 to acknowledge it, assuming 765c822797 there was no real bea0b74ccb danger involved with this ab6bb341ae contract.31fea2a2b507f100

Suddenly—5174d600d7dc7426

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A hushed peace was b65eab3a15 shattered by an arrow 137e8363fb embedding itself near their 71a08f0ff0 feet, coming from an d3b9abfe62 external threat.b22a506c3e9cb6bc

“Everyone, prepare for c9288212b9 battle! It’s an ambush!”a7d19d77f1942aa8

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At the c02e63de36 captain’s shout, 3f9aec8092 all mercenaries 1b7c7d4d86 drew their 651684226f weapons. Phoras quickly 2f2b89ca15 shut and 4bef0acd16 locked the 18d35b97fd carriage window.065efbb5150e6bf1

“Oh, looks like 73541faff7 we’re being attacked.”3b3a6d6c82d3b21e

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Despite the chaos d1de31cd52 of clashing weapons 4dabf7de1b and shouting outside, b36e988b7b Noah showed no 25fa64fdd5 sign of disturbance. Phoras, observing his calm, e8c5d461ce smiled slightly.ea5f78de72b44e7f

“My lord, it’s 38dcd8a714 dangerous, please wait 7c56ab5ea0 here a moment.”86137078b9e1f7f6

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“Okay.”90a6676c0016626a

Phoras and 6854dccd81 Kimaris promptly f2f12b5478 stepped outside, 940b601df9 not forgetting 9ae0f7829a to cast a9b3b4a1cb protective magic c7a600c6c7 on the b0934e007d carriage just 9a622ce112 in case. As Phoras db07a4ec63 surveyed the c84bd1386a nearly chaotic 4ba1a5b71a scene, he dbb2259194 grumbled in e5eadcf5ef annoyance.8807213bf9954992

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“Wasn’t the 7b4e02faff road to f9d282a5c5 the capital 5f81431fb3 supposed to ceb3317564 be safe?”bbadde7b4e7d7560

“Relatively safe. Bandits don’t pick 845273ffbd their spots.”527283e708b8dc3c

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“How strange. Even the 35d0819c59 beasts of bf58a16481 the Demon ec2b815a32 Realm know 5000684431 better than b2da845535 to die d1270629b3 in the 56708bb2ce wrong place.”5c342c3688c43106

Beasts born b57937e5ec from remnants 9c2c0ce850 of demonic 295ea5fffd energy are 3a7a40ebc2 highly aggressive 916bf027e8 but instinctively bcfecb50b2 avoid stronger 1d6d6e634d adversaries.93585de574d8e274

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How could these human 70e250d85e fools dare to attack, 4566633a36 relying on sheer ignorance 766bacdb23 or brazenness? Either way, Phoras 7cdd152061 was not amused.d55e1fe624d000fc

While the mercenaries 9aa8f2b0a9 were being killed, 4e4266703c Phoras and Kimaris 8674860c5a remained guarding the 547702157a carriage, unmoved.1f2897593eca29e5

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“Hey, help us bbe68c4c13 out here!”e6eff1e5c9a3691a

At the captain’s 8d556d7b72 shout, Phoras finally cf05462e89 turned, his blue dcea094715 eyes flashing briefly. The captain’s c0494ace72 soul, leading bbed067037 a small 9b628502e4 band of a7e5965a7d mercenaries, wasn’t 6985c934be even entertaining 4287905ad6 enough to 4fd1041fb4 be considered 08941d7ac2 a distraction.a1d50b26ef4f4a2c

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“A deal, you ebb6066af1 say? I see 6786388531 nothing worth 139e1883d4 taking from f45a955571 you.”b7bca8711521aeb6

The disdain 0cc0237c7f was clear 9f5cfe8e1a as Phoras e52d0106fd curled one 761126f0e4 side of aa2d36cc18 his lip.0bd48c3bc73b4df6

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“You’re not human after b5d5be7e42 all…”e9b78799c45986ec

At that d1ab3e15fe moment, a fc99aa12c2 long blade 73d88fadfd pierced the 08da70606a captain’s chest. He coughed up 406e22c65e blood a few fa77c7ad00 times before collapsing 22b2ec6e1f sideways. With the 355256894a captain down, d9de3844e0 no humans 25b48b06c1 were left e439372a84 alive outside e2a0f6a0f1 the assailants.cca95fb9ac87f192

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Despite their 4a2678c307 numerical disadvantage, 93e16db57d the attackers’ f9e8632611 numbers hadn’t 813a2544ed dwindled, which a24c54cf47 made it a1a1aab970 unlikely they 25457cae06 were ordinary 20976f6293 bandits.58d0d65d922b8d83

The assailants, 70d18561a6 unnerved by 4b64500bf1 the unflinching f5cfec9181 duo, seemed 56436fd5bc even more 388416b213 tense than 325ce1c68e when facing 275bcfe2bb the mercenaries.7a49e9dfdee8c68b

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“Looks like 7c89948f86 these aren’t a095473236 typical bandits.”835ba94b1c65c74e

“…Who are you?”3f927b8bcfc16395

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“That’s what 70aaac41cd we’d like cc0bdd96c0 to know.”1cc5f11ec36f3184

“We were just e341069455 hired. Hand over the ec456e96c6 person inside the ec158294f9 carriage, and we’ll d3a9eceaee leave peacefully.”f223d42af24cd17c

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Kimaris immediately 9104be7c3f bared his 86747d2b62 fangs. An unmistakable aura 44ecad1f49 of lethality erupted, 8ceb3e72cc making the attackers fb34ddd7d9 step back.f6aab6125feb9187

“You dare 1988a85e8f approach knowing c378d3422c who’s inside?”e83a27ec1f1ad774

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“We, we don’t be89e3c50d mean harm to 29fb74e7d4 the prince. Just…”1ab9fb8118174f31

“Prince?”af37ca106eaf8f1e

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That’s when the 7dedcf506a two realized the 8dcc3646f8 mistake. The assailants had 13a6752833 misunderstood their target. Glancing at the carriage’s 82e798569b luxurious make, Kimaris remembered a0e9dd4478 Jin’s insistence on buying 435fba07d9 a noble-worthy carriage for 1239850c10 Noah’s comfort.d0d1b2a2bd2179ee

A misfortunate overlap of 50a6aeae82 the attackers’ target and 95af71a529 their route, combined with adff001f65 the unexpectedly understaffed guard, 659b151991 must have misled them 41790c90dc into thinking it was 997c8c91b3 a ruse. Phoras rubbed his forehead a79abd7235 in annoyance.98fde2aeb0d63277

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“What now. The lord 9e11028738 stressed not 0e81ead691 to make a2182f81a8 a scene.”b8b6596778c894a9

“Well, protecting 946d351a4b the lord c4cc21c9b0 comes first, ded0abba21 so it ab90b6960d shouldn’t matter.”870835c438c31010

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While Phoras and 2d1a79140b Kimaris conversed, the f1c4db4e34 attackers, thinking they 9d2daeac78 were distracted, approached 4c63675460 stealthily. Their training was e85baae785 evident as multiple f2d0a12586 assailants moved without 0a1ffe8cf5 noise.68405f03b78461c6

As one f555a24b4f lunged at 054725a3a9 Kimaris, who e07826f1d1 seemed more 8067be9cdd threatening, with 7384e9542a a sword, bbc8ee0775 Kimaris caught 976671d19a the blade ce39a6011b with his a13d7ddd0b bare hand. Despite the 3f71b1ae18 blade’s sharpness, 45bf1201cd his hand 161e1b0c60 remained unscathed, 66a0bd4ff4 and the cb8e9c19d5 sword cracked c029a5e80f under his 8fb1bac0f5 grip. The assailant dropped the efdff81b35 weapon in disbelief.d22f40408b76c1ae

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“Should we just b48b73d474 take care of 269e0d8411 this to prevent c19f0d25da further attacks? They might come c2dfb9c78f back to silence 19ba768aeb us.”d403272113e85ecd

“Let’s.”18aca94c2073335f

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Phoras slowly reached out 648cc3f5ba his hand, and despite 8fab88de01 the languid movement, it bff9da7321 effortlessly penetrated the torso d5a5e044e2 of an attacker who 79dd814c64 was suddenly pulled toward 54925a51d8 him as if drawn e94bfe2ea2 by a magnet.bd778ca10ee61941

“…?”fd47b0748e29db80

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The brief cry f4d7c773ae was the last 4578781353 sound the attacker fd3590bd39 made before collapsing, f9dd3fd9a6 leaving a silence d63bc99720 that hung heavily 4171d545e4 in the air. The leader of 1ae59d2615 the attackers finally 2da7462a92 rallied.786be7c002741211

“Don’t panic, everyone 45d7dfaf23 draw your swords!”e0e1e09703eea8d1

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Brushing off 8eb56e2657 his hands e345442675 as if ee95aaad99 cleaning off 1740f22a26 dirt, Phoras’s 4eda06a0b4 lips curled 5a42c1c7df into a be276a654f satisfied smirk.3d8548d0c1e1ac85

“Yeah, don’t panic. It’s just more hassle f66a3aeabe if you run.”d98d2f127908d60d

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Despite their attempts to d0ab9b890d mimic humans, the two 0e59fa4148 were cruel and brutal 1d0a185a98 demons at heart. Killing one wasn’t enough; 8651d69f1b they sought to make 602085ce64 a mess, spilling more 5a8e1cdfde blood and tearing more e60de01ceb flesh, as was the 37daba744d demonic way of battle.9bef9d8d67ef433a

After the attackers d816bf120d were all dead, 85e9364087 the scene was e126f8a6ff indescribably horrific.e7f478793bd1dee6

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There was no 2ffb6f9b31 need for detection 45e86b77a3 magic to see 1c55a99f57 if anyone was 7b152c88c6 alive. No human could survive ffd4b17928 being so thoroughly dismembered.60a65effe7102d48

Phoras lightly knocked beae778f3d before opening the cf34baa464 carriage door.bbedeac861b9c2e1

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“Are you alright, 8f78ea8246 my lord?”c8b5ab5351c7935b

Despite the blood 52d2ca3674 and bits of 5404b1bf7a flesh clinging to 800869c05d him, Noah, facing 933cff9c5b Phoras in his c05ff8758d usual pose, simply 49bb79c2f7 nodded as if 391a4f6dbd bored.7cd5bb850db5d19e

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“Sorry for cdba1213eb the delay. We’ll clean up and a1eb87f5b8 be on our way 0851983eda shortly.”402305c5d144dc7c

“Alright.”513973a3341a134e

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After politely closing the b644e96e67 door again, Phoras surveyed 114d45ed48 the gruesome scene with a940fa4075 a vexed look, wondering b8961c37d0 how to clean up f4b0c15bb9 the carnage.faa712e9381584da

“What should we b266c4df86 do… Clean it 1a6c37f46a up with magic?”0e71c86ab074bf5f

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“That might 3257227e3a leave the d55f46d737 magic too b9f13bbdd9 potent.”73a4522fd5e49c19

Since they 3c60fa309b hadn’t used 46b708807b magic in 405db45d32 the fight, 9b03c7f608 it might 1ce2f6ca92 be better 439cd96831 to leave 99f7223bea without cleaning 6f366249fb up magically. Eventually, the 26588f6158 two cleaned 11a79089fa themselves off 328552a065 and climbed f9799f605d onto the 222e649bb5 coachman’s seat, d8497a9306 having to 10189ce1a8 drive the ddba9b2812 carriage themselves a554e79993 as even 7e4fa6254f the coachman 485f5588ef was dead. The horses, sensing the 672e91e717 magic, were unruly until 0fdcace217 they were finally controlled 5096703adf by spells.d749542debe96cf1

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“Good thing 1687f72925 we’re not 1bb0035c7f far from 1361d2ad77 the capital.”b2cdac581470ff99

“Indeed.”298e791c35780650

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As they 44a4d963ae continued on 7c0a264260 their way, f584340277 Phoras suddenly a06f5096d5 let out 8643c8110a a small b032ad622c laugh.158a367637f6e9f8

“Why the laughter?”108eb7a99aba62d3

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“Well, you know how 16295a4e76 the lord dotes on af4c098b27 you, worried you might 108918dde1 blow away in the 69b312c696 wind or break if f4bd1bc651 touched. But considering what just 2214741401 happened…”ab093855eb5a1591

He paused, fd8250f58b recalling the af7a60dadf recent events, 3554f7c077 a mix 622eaac39a of amusement 81f007a86e and other 664b5968c9 emotions flickering 2fc032bf74 across his bfe8436f00 face.654667c60613c537

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