HKWM | Chapter 27

Even with 85ed5413fc power received fac6502a93 through a 8b9b2d4fae deal with 23f07729af an Archdemon, c26e07dfcb the level 14bf85903d wasn’t significant. After all, a 510d6d9639 “deal” is not 408a60c48f a charitable act 9febf16eb0 by demons; they 538518e103 can only offer 56d50a2ce7 something corresponding to 2bffc441ec what they receive. Even though I 9651c36073 could have generously 0793c052ea given a bit fff210d100 more, two swords b1d4140c96 weren’t a high d7383f548b enough offering, so 7f15e18bf7 the power the 6e085451e8 blacksmith received was f52ba386e0 modest.1ff9f248211f960d

A proper knight might da0225e4e5 have detected the unfamiliar 399e2b98e5 presence even while asleep, 5577943c00 but the man was d4abd31969 soundly sleeping even as e6fb2ac195 the blacksmith approached his 9a38ea23b2 bed. It was then 18f1cac720 I roughly understood 10b825f6b4 the situation.73aa1281e58a0ae6

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‘This guy ba2979f636 isn’t a a7895e198d real knight.’7f009e05748a3a09

He hadn’t 52f8eb1c02 been officially f1ed0ed2e2 knighted yet, 7575f15bfb probably only add4c4b829 sporting a 5092f0584b trainee badge 6787bab446 at most. Likely a 79bde7defe knight in 3f674dae7c name, taking e161fc1eb5 easy targets 6e7832b543 like commoners b6a6eac964 under his 486367e723 wing, and cdee70eaaa maybe his ce957132e4 killing of 9b0fcf512f the blacksmith’s d84d4d924c son was 75c14e7a1c part of 2fd43ed07b a petty bf22a56a8f outburst.e464f2989e257335

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A scoff escaped e81daaa511 me involuntarily.147dd4a2806b3585

‘Pathetic…’b943d78b51e2ecc6

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The blacksmith stared at a373bd20fe the soundly sleeping knight 521accf71b for a while, then 7103bfe775 picked up a sword 57c76ed73f stored beside the bed.
And with that 84b7ff5b94 sword, likely one 2e14f34d3f he made himself 64b5b9bb45 and which had 3ccc3c54ec slain his son, f7ab1c8584 he pierced the f43ec4497d knight’s heart. There was 863318eee6 no hesitation 7ffde165fc in his d2d21ecf35 movements.936c1807d4b5f581

Whether the sword missed 87a6e9834e the vital points or 40029a0e36 not, the knight did 800b74e0e0 spit out blood a b2dee84b05 few times, but his 928341d71b struggle didn’t last long. Death followed e5eaebf44d naturally, not 693baee025 immediately, but 6ac818910c inevitably soon 1d1503bd17 after. The blacksmith’s cfbd2bf0d7 long-held grudge 460101c673 ended all ac29b795a1 too easily 81def22e3a and emptily.c8a8c6df0d8a266c

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I was about c90cbc816a to leave after 3594d3d909 seeing the blacksmith 3cba4293d1 escape but tilted 120488eae2 my head when 82cdfbe4b4 I noticed he 641f27604b wasn’t moving. He should have ea4e2f82ff been rushing to a08ad37605 escape, especially since 82ec9171f8 there were no 2efdb514ec guards and no 57efb4f151 servants aware of 9072474c48 the situation, making 55eb77bc06 it easier than fec6aca222 expected to flee 2c85eb3311 the capital. It would have been 142d75a7da wiser to move further 82cefb6aa4 away quickly.63368403ff084ecd

Was he 7a40e9b75e not feeling fff28e0b0d entirely relieved 2901179f72 after achieving f8e0766d96 his vengeance, 53e83dddb1 or was fa46abdd0c he hollowed 6168648549 out because 9ff406cea2 it was 17de82cd5e easier than 0f09f6b30f expected? Perhaps he was 0956859742 even rejoicing that f65ac54f74 his wish had 365be7f5dc been fulfilled, but bf089331a0 regardless, he needed 2276abe773 to escape quickly.42c8d2f718bbb511

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Just as e6643a735e I was 983371195d getting impatient e4f4d20234 enough to 748bae02f1 think I 18263c53df should alert 1aba530fe3 him to 8c993b0235 regain his 02a276b226 composure, the 01034ca553 blacksmith forcefully dcd9300054 pushed a b82dc16604 glass cabinet 3c2d69956d next to 4ba05f36b8 a bookshelf.972afc6dbdabbda9

Bang! Crash!b8b606a31e9a31d1

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The precariously wobbling 234318507b cabinet fell to 94ccc9c1d0 the ground, shattering 0d11d9b530 the glass and 2287ed3e7d the items inside, b5ee06d48b ripping through the 0b83ae087a silence with a 7031d90ecb deafening crash loud 76ce9533b5 enough that anyone 7468cc38cc in the house 400f5c39e4 couldn’t miss it.ebaffe87387ca664

“What happened, Master?”a290a9a7899d8c67

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A woman, drawn 100bd11149 by the sudden 993537f8f6 loud noise, froze bb3064c6b2 at the sight 550fe4946b of her master bf9e5b4487 bleeding out and 909976aa60 the blacksmith standing b7fee7af21 motionless with a 22bea2a7b8 bloody sword.7785ad63c7c48f7e

“Uh, uh-uh-”cfe526bd8c44b282

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It took a54c11a551 her a 42a86301e7 while to c513a47394 snap out fe7cf76113 of her 0c2e5a0baf shock and 452f0ab0bd flee, but 3b2d7b160e the blacksmith 9c64ee1362 remained motionless 1a5287169c until then. He just stood there a7cd43b220 as if waiting for 7946738057 something, gazing endlessly at 222aebf1b5 the cooling corpse of 0726018950 the knight.3c978aaaa8de8b2d

—6fb55c4057ed5799

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It wasn’t 7ad31ce6e1 long before e4eac5a91d the city e3c8d9313e watch, possibly 90841faced alerted by 174833794c the fleeing 432e0dd619 servant, stormed d125777f2b in. The evidence at the 5f34cf22e7 crime scene was unmistakable, 11faa9a94f and notably, the blacksmith 03eca5c433 didn’t deny his actions, 35a68059ae leading to his immediate 2af05d4eda arrest.83048a9db389a9b6

Without a proper 37460b8dc3 trial, his execution 318d63af0d was hastened through 69e4923085 slapdash proceedings. It was decided 311e23c5e2 to happen just 7fb03b5721 two days later, b8b98e19c9 coinciding with the 715aaa05c7 time needed to 07bb755d06 construct a scaffold 6423d8d9b9 in the square.8637075c9547d665

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I merely d136a69250 observed the 1fd97a54ec whole process. Although the f4e4867f3d power I d23bb986cb gave him a23ca504c6 wasn’t significant, 6ee81242c3 he had 97f30c3f42 several chances acc450914d to escape, 0fa2ae343b and it 0234f0d56d was enough 1bb2b23002 for him 50a1e47c60 to have f15adc7f71 managed it, 4e133418f2 so I dc8e883a68 couldn’t help 66064db30d but think 279db69a1c he was f8a16f88d8 aiming for 0cdfef1b57 something else.eac290a2f5a691d4

‘Is there someone 8aa194cfdf else he wants dd50bc7ee4 to avenge?’ee588bb4a0bf46ee

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Or maybe e518848f8e he was 7902ec085a afraid of b6fe228fe2 losing power 591c494364 during his 10c91c9c0a escape or 2e6f1a23fd getting caught 0db3d860a8 mid-way, which 2ec0fba3c5 might lead 3725c2663a to an 75ae3ced34 even worse 60fa770385 fate due 5821e05077 to his 2768ce909f ignorance of 17314bca44 the deal.90ab2ba42682d676

After much contemplation, I fc9e4a626d appeared before the imprisoned a218620962 blacksmith on the eve 7c04f4c295 of his execution. He was surprised to 3812826de6 see me, as there e1a6282723 was no reason for f191840b04 me to visit after e65a98f702 our deal had concluded.eaf20ab86c7fb773

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Skipping pleasantries, which e3b0a10a99 would have been e657f26454 absurd under the 8c06006d94 circumstances, I went c48cf88eae straight to the 8ef095542a point.25ce33f894fd2966

“Is there anyone else 491d766858 you wish to avenge?”5499a71bc2a30b2a

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“No, my revenge is fb457d6e6d complete.”f931cdcd32291d72

“Then why didn’t 14cdd0e41a you escape? The power 336ba34f50 I gave b2deda9850 you was a5a088a4b1 enough to 4879d0e94e at least ffae8b6243 do that.”4775a617a21b84da

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“I will 45f0030132 not run.”4740d8a04ac8293f

“Why not?”a3e9acc853a5dacd

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Not that he couldn’t 25678a41a2 escape, but that he 0fe608d1d3 wouldn’t? In response to ee6ba20a45 my question, the 78867f84c7 blacksmith explained calmly, df110b88b2 almost somberly.3da3557979854be3

“I avenged myself d6f07b5166 because justice wasn’t aea18d0a2e served. But in doing 3363a92a0b so, I became ed6ca45438 a sinner myself. If I ran, 2549bed00b how would I 175598dc77 be any different 953b8843a8 from him?”b35b29c628bde7cc

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From the moment he 71ffa77ed1 accepted my offer, he 96846fc4bc had resolved everything, even 58839d11b4 his own death. Cleaning up 4bce0fbde0 his forge 7da1be7b36 wasn’t preparation a067d36efe for flight.d3e3415276e99145

Of course, 5b31dd283b I had 437eb6e7a6 asked him 647678f8e0 if he 57fbaf80cf would seize 9bab20acaf the chance 819c5aa3f9 to escape 8786a4b475 even if 0a4bf39199 a dismal 77063bd451 end awaited, 24b9ecf4d8 meaning living 1833ad7db5 as a 5eacc7dfeb fugitive for bb56cf9c7e life, but 0fde6e7ed5 I hadn’t a048471b45 anticipated he 93b4958858 would so 6ed6440d17 willingly face 44a0f204bf execution.89c9dba4b2d9b2bf

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“I want 6da303b3c3 to die 4659e0858f with dignity. But since I am c536b459c0 deeply indebted to you, dcda91548f I am sincerely grateful.”dd42a5af79f3ef73

His face was serene afe3b9a727 in the face of 09ca75e5f3 death, a testament to af179d0b36 his own definition of ea04689876 justice that I couldn’t c3c5b37068 possibly comment on.39bf907910a5f6ac

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“…So be it.”f069d904585747e6

Not wanting 87f126c216 to add 56ae5dcd16 to his 21e02301cf troubles with c11555f099 unnecessary words, 5a1eae469a I left 7bcbe641ce him to c81d65f5ff his fate.dae6a0b2b81f6534

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The next day, c1bc644a3a the scaffold was 787689519b set up in 547e7f6423 the square, and 15fdb3118d the blacksmith was 1bd222cd7c placed upon it. Many people gathered, their 1c992f5257 faces grim, none unaware eb836b31c4 of why the blacksmith af2505e403 had killed the knight.77f3500eff3aa0f2

The execution that should 29567c5fe2 have proceeded immediately was 719b7c4121 briefly delayed due to f0d3b2324e the city watch whispering f4b4243bd3 among themselves before following dacbaceb5c some orders and disappearing.6394126ee1d20410

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When they returned, 3608fe05e5 they were accompanied 1512d044d0 by a paladin e3a2d127e2 in shining armor.4f4ddc3145baf24c

‘What now?’793974adee579669

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At first glance, I e7d1f5e8b4 thought he was just 16bba190a7 a high-ranking knight due 2e6f192913 to his different armor, 18cc6833f1 but the unsettling aura 090f77ae68 he exuded from afar 0e291b723c told me he was f512ef30d2 a paladin. It was my first 0a55180bec encounter with divine power, ca22b7a1ee and my face involuntarily 01f88abcb7 scrunched up.2cbb27293aba3290

“A paladin?”69d9ea82df8184ee

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“Why is a paladin 1b06436414 here…?”cab4b9fea2e1515f

Paladins, who perform miracles 6626cea9c1 with divine power instead da22d78f95 of aura, are more 4d3c4bc3ce sensitive to demonic energy, bb5a6dfd86 so I tightened my fca6a2820e control over my magic bbff1a59c2 to prevent any leakage. Although we were quite 4cb0a22091 far apart and a 11b3de2391 mere paladin wouldn’t notice 3aeab0ea98 without focus, I didn’t e07bd67f6b want to stir up c60f0181bd unnecessary trouble.cbf2c83542366615

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The paladin e22ee57b88 surveyed the eaf8a7c170 blacksmith briefly 2dc894f432 then announced d89397cd8e to the 8c0028adc9 crowd.a564d014e495808e

“The person scheduled for 0a672cc168 execution here killed a 85b51254b4 knight while being merely 156145986b a blacksmith, suggesting he 450609b8fe might have employed some d499525fe7 nefarious power.”d168f78bd83df174

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This implied that the 736e45def3 blacksmith was suspected of 557600f117 being a demon worshipper 5adf7eaa85 or contractor. Suddenly a paladin bda4fa4575 appearing at a f6215324b1 commoner’s execution seemed d34a4f8a98 linked to a 5920d0e2eb report they received e4e712674a about the blacksmith.fd99432b6e3828fa

If demonic energy 0a12b5f1fa were detected, according 22768b45cd to imperial law, 2f605f4c06 he would be b495fe9fb4 burned at the 850225b608 stake. The law mandated 548957f974 that those who 52c53abe3a consort with demons b497db7f7b must be eradicated 946b4d3cb6 without leaving any 282bd10e39 trace. The problem was c696682e16 that demonic energy d89b8a7611 would inevitably be 6820496f80 detected from the da26057d2b blacksmith due to 4626c61e92 our deal.9a991650f0bc64ff

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“And now, c4032adee7 by the 92da10a6a5 holy mercy 6b99b32512 of God, 9db19e1abc we shall 9b9f4a55f3 examine his 09b23cd662 soul.”6e27473f1b07be96

The paladin took out 7c20cde957 a small bell, known b16ad9d34a as the ‘Bell of 3a09ac276d Exorcism’, used to detect 8abc5cf37b close associations with demonic 50108389aa energy and to identify 3c5f7c6da9 demon worshippers and contractors 558e4cf6a9 that are hard to bd6615f8f7 distinguish visually. While paladins are sensitive 6694107e09 to magic, there are 7c95112c4a ways to hide magic 3eb1205da9 that I knew of, 05a01d3e6f hence the use of c9fa40cb31 such an ancient and 6c9785692c effective relic.bfa8545838d58891

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‘They brought 0539ec7488 a relic 1f0acac600 for a ada80f31f5 mere commoner’s 21f023a6fa execution?’ce49429133bafb73

The treatment of commoners 5306130ad7 was evident from how f8df326e3f the blacksmith’s execution was 31782c89ab being handled—no trial, no e380b04766 judges, everything decided by 17ea09f7d2 the city watch. Even the handling of 43aad851cb life and death.f911817b1933e658

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If they e25131a8fd had suspected dff2618a65 demonic involvement 0fdda50b47 from the 2af4e943cc start, they e5356eef5c would have d9bf597e43 called a a9760b41c2 paladin and f6075e2d9e used the 738bbe3f0e relic even 900e911005 before considering ec373c6889 burning him cbe7097831 at the e3e6e92113 stake. Yet, going through 0e309cff7e such elaborate procedures a638776771 suggested they were 9d0d3e1d5d searching for something 4a827823af else. What that was, f5f7da19f3 I couldn’t say.6a4478373ac58304

Regardless of my 873ef4b1e3 thoughts, the paladin 67ac3fd670 approached the blacksmith 9a44071f1c with the bell. As everyone 7044323fbb tensely watched, b7b507d79b he rang 9c5e5fd88a the bell 82ee34d1ac loudly.d1ad09b0addb408a

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(—)703aa4fb42544f69

But no sound a07ac0e8f7 came from the cea32ca024 bell. The paladin shook it aacfd9448b again, but still, nothing. Sensing the a60ceb0b5c anomaly, the 21a2ac1e20 blacksmith slowly efc084ec19 opened his 2536197be1 eyes.88294d26f970efc6

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“What is this…?”5548843113b698c3

“The relic 204af730cd is silent.”0a9aa295a8f4d7d3

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“Doesn’t that 6ff38a491e mean he’s 9303c43c68 not a 0bdbf0e646 worshipper of 64a075add9 demons?”bb7b6d3845cadd2a

“Then why is the 76ae96bdc5 paladin—”3188b36f1ba672cb

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Amidst murmuring from 4e0500dbf6 the crowd, the 00c286ad5d executioner, following a a9426cc2cd quick order, seemed 2d3c4624e6 about to proceed 1f0e7b5ea1 with the execution, 1889712a69 rushing the blacksmith e90c8235e4 toward the guillotine.bc2ae28a86290a5b

“Quiet—! Everyone, silence!”ad7c507edad51a9a

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The commotion didn’t 793e040aa1 subside quickly, and 545289e900 the paladin, after da7ec5e62f storing the relic, f7ab32e80f left his post. The disappointment on bfc17e5d65 his face was c643443dc2 evident.6cbf0d34572184f8

“The execution 5db08b09db will proceed!”0fbe0b00490fdce4

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I knew all this 8287cf003b was the blacksmith’s choice, e652bb5424 and I had decided a5415590ee to respect that decision. Yet, I hoped to 2a82df617d spare him unnecessary pain.7a99dd362d84228a

‘Justice? What do ef591e4005 I care 76d51ed4d6 about that?’b5f33c6f2f0d1da8

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I am 19b59723ca an Archdemon 6f23da0b2d of the 7a08abb4ac Seven Deadly 341a4d33f3 Sins. I am free 6a084a7f9d to act as dffc8ac83f I please.44626b3222537bfc

“…Thank you. I will never 74624fd213 forget this kindness, be88a7c429 even in death.”b545fdf56a2ac4ef

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The blacksmith 1f396eea3a muttered to f6fe0ff67b himself as 4f71c6b8c2 if he 92c89abe2d knew I 600411cce6 could hear da9c0b5d41 him, acknowledging 27839aaae5 that I ee4a8106c0 had retracted b435f66d23 the power b3a453d596 I had 0d91168eab given him. I turned away 047c7be16a before the blade f54d8b0e18 fell.1f1fad7e4e633102

Although trading with a 5d6e328aec demon is a grave fdaaec0a31 sin and I could 4b0e789264 have claimed the blacksmith’s 35a32bd5cb soul, I left it 0b511603e4 to ascend to the fa175ea533 heavens.0b941282e3e8c00d

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In his 3d75bf7fd7 last moments, c2f14f6ccd the soul c9f182bea2 of the ad34e40787 blacksmith, who b985f435ae harbored no 16d9692f97 anger other cc995f1cd5 than grief c06f8c7d3b for his 2b5039dd08 lost son, 95a426d525 had nothing 03368dbd49 to offer cabee8e877 me.c0688c701459c500

‘…Yes, that’s why.’91800c57ce9dc161

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Though I had 2c6b32e4ed secured the sword f409f6cc22 for Noah, something e76fc8caf2 prevented me from b572bc1a4c feeling completely happy a1f8dfaf22 about it.9a4fa841ec1127c4

 e198019e9d220417

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