HKWM | Chapter 29

Before I even rummaged through my memories to answer Noah’s question, my face twisted on its own. The mere mention of the word “angel” made me feel repelled.

“Well, angels…”

Even though Phoras and Kimaris often referred to angels derogatorily as “featherheads,” there wasn’t really an incident that made them hate angels. Even in my head, which inherited all the memories of the previous Wraths, my encounters with angels could be counted on one hand, so the mutual dislike was more like an instinct.

Of course, that didn’t mean the aversion was completely without reason. The images of angels left in my memory were quite strange and peculiar. Maybe “uncomfortable” would be more accurate.

Unlike demons who act according to their desires and are faithful to their emotions and lust, angels prioritize rules and blindly follow the will of the god above all else. Because of this, sometimes they felt like something pretending to be a living being, like an unpleasant valley.

After pondering for a while, I felt Noah’s gaze watching my face and quickly continued speaking.

“They’re unpleasant. Disturbing.”

“Why’s that?”

“If they’re hiding their instincts, they’re hypocritical. If not, then they’re just lunatics.”

Perhaps because such a harsh judgment came from my mouth for the first time, Noah’s eyes widened. Of course, angels might feel the same about us, but that was my impression.

“Of course, that’s from a demon’s perspective. For humans, angels are much more beneficial. No matter what their nature, they are bound by God to love humans.”

After thinking about my words for a moment, Noah asked again.

“The Archangel of Charity, Caritas, is said to love all beings equally. Is that even possible?”

I burst into a sneer. That was the most ridiculous thing I’d heard since becoming a demon.

“No way. Treating everyone equally means not cherishing anything in particular. How can that be love?”

As I was speaking, I suddenly shut my mouth.

Maybe, my last lover I promised marriage to thought the same. Because the way I treated her was no different from how I treated others. Because she wasn’t prioritized or special to me, she was sure I didn’t love her.

“Jin, what’s wrong?”

I quickly shook my head and changed the subject.

“Nothing. Oh, did you learn about Patiencia too?”

“She’s the Archangel of Patience, and the adversary of Wrath.”

The term “adversary” means they have completely opposite natures, capable of causing the most harm to each other. In other words, there’s nothing good about them meeting.

“They didn’t teach you that she’s annoying, huh?”

Noah nodded nonchalantly. He no longer seemed to care about my harsh judgments on angels.

“Have you made any new friends?”

“Not yet. Oh, but there’s a kid who seems to dislike me.”

“What? Why would anyone dare to dislike you?”

I leaned forward over the table as I watched Noah eating, my chin resting on my hand. While likes and dislikes are highly subjective, the word “dare” came out naturally. After all, who could possibly dislike a child as angelic as this?

“I don’t really know.”

“How mean is he?”

“It’s not bothersome enough for me to care.”

Having spent quite some time in the slave gladiator arena, Noah was used to malice and killing intent, so the antics of a young child would seem merely cute to him. Still, as his guardian, I couldn’t help but be concerned. Though I wasn’t eager to become an overzealous parent and go to the school, my heart felt like it was on fire.

“… Are you really okay?”

“Yes, since we’re in different classes, we don’t meet often, and I get along well with other kids, so it’s fine.”

“That’s good then.”

Noah looked at my gloomy face for a moment before asking.

“But can’t you use magic to see how I’m doing at school?”

“Well, I can. Why? Is it a hassle to tell me everything?”

I asked cautiously, considering it might be bothersome from a child’s perspective, but Noah shook his head quickly.

“No, it’s not that. I was just thinking I could lie about getting along well even if I was bullying others or doing bad things.”

I burst out laughing at the unexpected comment. I hadn’t thought he’d wonder about that. He has his quirky side.

“That’s because I respect you. I’m curious about how you’re doing, but you might not want to tell me everything all the time.”

Since I decided to send him to school without consulting him, I was worried it might have a negative impact. So, I checked the school with magic on the first day, but it was only for a brief moment.

“Things you don’t want to tell me?”

“Yeah. Like, if something bad happened to you, but you wanted to solve it yourself even if I had the power to help, or if you confessed to a girl you liked and got rejected, and you’re too embarrassed to talk about it. Right?”

The last part was just a jest. Who would reject Noah if he ever confessed? Humans instinctively feel affection for angels who protect them, so if Noah, with his angel-like appearance, confessed, he’d get a positive response nine times out of ten.

Noah seemed surprised that I thought that way. Then he answered.

“There won’t be anything like that.”

“Huh?”

“I won’t have anything I don’t want to tell you. So, you can check on me whenever you want. I’m okay with you knowing all about my day. I’d rather you know everything.”

It felt good to know he trusted me so much and had nothing to hide, but I had no intention of observing his every move like a stalker with magic. Above all, I enjoyed these conversation times with him.

“Still, I’ll ask. That way, we can talk a bit more.”

“Oh, I see.”

I pushed the plate closer to Noah, who nodded as if he had learned something new. His raised corners of the mouth, proving he was in a good mood, made me laugh involuntarily.

“But let’s talk while eating. Your plate is still full.”

“Okay.”

“Why are the Holy Knights here…?”

“Could it be that a demon appeared?”

Recently, the atmosphere in the capital had been quite tense. This was because the Holy Knight Order of the Sacred Empire was stationed there, investigating something as if they were searching through everything.

Unlike other knights, Holy Knights are not usually authoritarian; they have a gentle disposition and do not persecute or ostracize those who follow different beliefs or entities. Thus, even to non-believers, Holy Knights are seen as symbols of compassion.

Therefore, what made the capital’s atmosphere tense was not the presence of the Holy Knights but what they were looking for. Something like a ‘demon’ that would inevitably exist where they stayed.

As soon as the reinforcements arrived in the capital, they first investigated the home and workshop of the executed blacksmith, then the house of the knight killed by him.

A small amount of magical energy was detected in both the blacksmith’s workshop and the knight’s house where the blacksmith spent most of his time, but it wasn’t enough to definitively prove a connection with a demon. Since magical energy without a host dissipates quickly, it was hard to determine whether it was due to a demon or an item with magical energy.

“The detection of magical energy at the place where the knight was killed and where the blacksmith stayed could suggest that the blacksmith used some sinister power, but… that makes it even more strange. The bell of the divine judgment didn’t ring.”

“Could it be that the holy relic exhausted its power?”

“We checked after that, but the holy relic was intact.”

Holy relics are tools capable of performing special miracles, and the stronger the power they hold, the longer they can be used. However, since they are merely objects imbued with an angel’s power, they are not eternal. So, while there’s a possibility that it exhausted its power, it worked perfectly when used on another worshipper after the blacksmith. Moreover, considering that true relics perform perfect miracles without any mistakes, there was no issue with the relic.

One of the Holy Knights, listening to the confused conversation, asked the vice commander.

“Could it be that the demon retrieved its power, so the bell didn’t ring?”

“That’s possible. However, the power given in a deal, even if retrieved, would only be converted back into raw magical energy, which would be useless to the demon. Would they really go through such a hassle?”

“You’re right…”

“Let’s investigate a bit more for now.”

They began to investigate individuals around the blacksmith. Tom, who always brought customers to the blacksmith even without being asked, was one of them.

Tom grimaced as soon as he saw the Holy Knights. Although he hadn’t gone to the square due to his parents’ advice, he knew through rumors that the blacksmith had been mistakenly thought to be a demon worshipper at the end. Thus, the arriving Holy Knights did not look favorable to him.

“… Why have you come here?”

“We have a few questions to ask. Would that be alright?”

“Uncle isn’t someone who’d make a deal with a demon! If you’re going to say that, leave!”

The knight lowered himself, smiling kindly to reassure the child.

“We know that. Moreover, he has already proven his innocence with the holy relic. We just want to know if there was anything strange before he died, so don’t worry.”

Only then did Tom calm down a bit and start recounting past memories.

“Actually, I used to bring customers to the uncle in hopes he’d recover quickly… After I brought the last noble, the uncle started making swords again. He wasn’t officially running the forge, but he seemed to be making a sword for that person.”

“Do you remember what kind of person they were?”

“I couldn’t see their face because they were wearing a hood.”

“Anything unusual?”

“Not really… They seemed to have a lot of money…”

The child trailed off before suddenly looking up.

“It’s not much, but… I heard they were looking for a sword for a boy my age.”

“A boy?”

“Yes, that’s all I know.”

“Thanks for your help.”

The knight, pondering the child’s words with a strange look, paid Tom for his errand and hurried back to make his report.