HKWM | Chapter 32

This trip was so far away that we had to use magic to move, so the preparations didn’t take long. Unlike our outings to the capital, there was no need to hire a carriage or mercenaries for disguise.d102db6af9619f02

Noah was wearing a thin coat that reached down to his knees, gently touching the sleeves’ ends. The thin coat, gloves, and scarf were all artifacts meant to shield against cold and heat, but it seemed he hadn’t quite gotten used to the sensation yet. Of course, if I hadn’t felt the mana from the coat, I would have doubted if such thin material could really block the cold.a8d8a76230039ba8

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“Did you pack everything?”f5d501df134ffccb

“Yes.”1ee962a7e8747853

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“Then let’s go.”2076dc29bd111ae6

I took Noah’s hand, along with the two demons who had clung to me saying they’d conserve demonic power, and we crossed space.7bf12825f1942c45

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As soon as we arrived at the viscounty, thick snowflakes and fierce cold winds greeted us. Even though I couldn’t feel the cold, out of old human habits, I instinctively pulled my coat tighter. I checked if Noah’s artifact was working properly.4f539eda30d390f2

“Noah, aren’t you cold?”7fdc6ee673a6b209

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“No, I’m okay.”5a83d52e61fa6ceb

Since his nose, which would turn red first if he were cold, looked fine, I guessed he wasn’t lying. Only then did I look around.d2cb8bf60d9b144b

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The white scenery b84def6925 filling my sight c0c7e0efa3 made me momentarily 895a7eb4e1 think we had b27b6b56c8 come to another 51b4d308fe world. The Lloyd Viscounty 05773d7e2a rarely sees snow 61e4850354 even in the bd4099e607 dead of winter, bb935cda53 and even when c84e90ab84 it does, it dcfd76a5b6 never piles up 9116d8b1d2 to paint the e7805c28cd landscape white.ef6f695dc884a540

Noah, who had been 598d0ff40a staring at the sky, 0dfb79ba85 took off his artifact f84e421c11 gloves and held out 070c905eb2 his palm. The snowflake that landed bef27843aa on his small hand 1ecf218963 disappeared in the brief 23b9493148 moment he opened and 0d803a0d18 closed his fist.d793652ab7aacad9

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“Noah, have you ever seen snow for real?”5df3eeea936941aa

“No, this is my first time.”83eb14aa53680494

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“What do you think?”2ededf5033f569ad

“It’s cold. Everything’s so white, it’s blinding…”312360295911424b

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While Noah 1a46381e1e was enjoying 9abf7a964a the snow, 51fbec8de2 I whispered eb4c504ef1 to the be618bf44a two demons.c2d467418b161889

“You guys find the most expensive and decent accommodation first.”dd6d5c4a122ec80c

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“Understood.”26ac68bfddd46404

While the demons left to look for lodging, I hid slightly out of Noah’s sight, scooping up the snow that had piled up on the ground and forming it into a round ball. Even with bare hands, it didn’t feel that cold, probably because of the demon’s sturdy constitution.6fd1fc12ac10cd86

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“Noah, look at this.”3e2388f7e726ba63

The moment 8ecf789cc1 Noah turned 84bbcb0ab0 his head 93374d4f96 towards me, 0ae5abd2b5 I threw f38b10d6b1 the snowball. It hit 26561914f2 him squarely 4e4ada9df7 in the 56b0b25194 face before 5ba33f26b3 crumbling and 0c0c470247 falling. Seeing Noah 2f16f2e133 blinking with c5a03e962b a dazed b734ce2e66 expression, I c6c0610634 burst into e05be67704 laughter.ffb89b470adca5c9

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“This is called a snowball fight.”e7151acdaeafe53e

“…Snow, fight?”5b64f225e2f2a8e8

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“Yeah.”6ef343bd076dc1c6

Noah seemed confused because the term ‘fight’ sounded too cute for what it was. Even if you packed the snow as hard as you could, it wouldn’t hurt unless you put a stone in it.fdd40f0ab564d6c9

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I quickly formed another snowball and threw it. Noah dodged reflexively, then followed suit by throwing one back at me. That’s when a very one-sided snowball fight began. No matter how impressive Noah’s physical abilities were, he was still just a child compared to an Archdemon like me.313eff0e65bf7680

“Ha ha ha-!”7cfd38f2e5f39808

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In the end, a3568d8db1 while I stayed 426177d931 dry from head b13aacd7fa to toe, Noah 87c9ee16d4 was completely soaked. He pouted 4fe753116c his lower a39bc0be25 lip briefly 28602942d4 before bursting 8faef7583a into laughter.cd626df17cdba3f0

“That’s not fair. You didn’t let me hit you even once.”9958d40569fe4f55

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“Who gives a break in a fight?”3d37294e4a17c710

“I’ll win next time.”c4d4881d0ea7bb0d

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“I’ll look forward to it.”737ac6a590d26c66

Even if it were any kind of fight, it’d be hard for you to beat me even in a hundred years.1b547b063356926c

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Instead of a snowball fight, we spent some time making a small snowman. Soon, the two demons returned, having found our accommodation. Although we wouldn’t catch a cold thanks to the artifacts, being sopping wet was uncomfortable, so we decided to move to the lodging first.27e05c0ff725a308

“Noah, go wash up first. Then we’ll head to see the Spirit Forest.”13db46987de016e3

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“Okay.”b85ec50d8e8892c7

After Noah 5e95f40f13 went into 5d067d8b46 the bathroom 9b3fe3e432 and I 3c4ece68df heard the 1e3515efc5 sound of fc3b098254 water, I e31e16f43e calculated the 524646a90b coordinates I d193c6533d had memorized cdaa64e14e beforehand. While I was doing 8af0afb69c this, Phoras, who was b87268d8f4 organizing the luggage, asked e428d9aa9c me.ac272ec3faa7b89a

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“Where are you going?”60dfdcb0dc7611ff

“To the Spirit Forest.”c1fa30d85b25a04f

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“Weren’t you going with the young master?”924be26e0ba3447c

“I am, but I thought I’d go there first. Noah seems to be looking forward to the flower shower, so why not see it since we’re here?”d9c405171c9108f8

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“But if the spirit is absent, it’ll be hard to see the flower shower.”8b4de9d6cbec75b1

“I was planning to negotiate with the deer spirit that’s supposedly there. If it shows us the flower shower, I’ll promise not to cause any trouble and leave quietly.”ecf713a9ac905a3c

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My nonchalant answer made Phoras’s face turn pale. Of course, I had no intention of actually causing any damage if refused.2ee07b050e77ad61

“That’s not negotiation, that’s a threat…”d3949f07e3630b9d

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“Anyway, I’ll be back.”0058716e3a1cc1f2

Leaving behind a frightened Phoras and a calm Kimaris who wouldn’t be fazed even if I turned the heavens upside down, I stepped into space. It felt like my demonic energy was draining quickly, probably because this was the human world, but it wasn’t excessive yet.dc3a7e03205d17b2

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When I ffe3a217d5 returned from 5f2d3f2103 the Spirit 991bb050e2 Forest, having 709e60efbe completed my 09f40b01aa task, Noah 2dfc4cf393 had finished e1a76694db his bath 2cb7b0a4e3 and changed 5a38938add into new ba6679e2fa clothes. Phoras, knowing bea9cadbbe what I 987edda61f had done, 0e8f1bb31c gave an 844b228b86 awkward smile.75f54e4482826493

“While you two visit the Spirit Forest, Kimaris and I will look around the domain.”2c3bcfb334ac3e7b

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“Sure, find a place to eat too.”099a684639be0886

“Yes.”a7be0c413e16fb2e

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Having subordinates certainly makes things easier. I could now understand why Lust was so shocked when I said I had no followers. With this new realization, I took Noah’s hand and crossed space once more.6d784da7b3282add

We arrived a15959ec1a in the 250d521cb4 middle of 39267496e6 a flower 4b6835bf3e garden. Although within 62e415fae7 the viscounty, 91b36723ca instead of eeea3ee9a4 white snow, a06a4f0ff6 colorful flower b795d78788 petals were 486f668fcf swirling in 62c441ece2 the air. Noah looked around 379dc9bb15 with wide eyes, 59b75ac5d7 walking slowly.56b8c62ac4c13825

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“Is this… the Spirit Forest?”b79bb55c795abf4e

“Yeah, this must be what they call a flower shower. How do you like it?”a7f59a46152454d2

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I felt a b2315061f3 bit awkward while c068fa2f4b speaking because the 6eed46af3d flower shower was 3d3a05f69f a bit excessive, 6766fb23d1 probably because the 6681596792 spirit was nervous 4a9b3e0913 due to my d25ddeb9cb threats. However, it was undeniably 5f2914f934 a beautiful sight, rare feff9176fc to see anywhere.234139bb7e8c3e10

Amidst the petals, Noah’s small laughter reached me. A gust of wind cleared the petals, revealing Noah, and our eyes met in the now-empty space. The smile on Noah’s face faded into a strange light as he looked at me.f60da0eb5284aa04

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We just stared 5542d85cd5 at each other 5b155061f8 for a while. The silence 71fbe37c07 was so c50f4e755e profound that 2332821429 it felt 3c80415ffc like time 61bd226810 had stopped. It was Noah who 99bc0d0c7f broke the long silence.8aa08f3e22c2a951

“…Jin, do you have any magic that can turn back time?”5cf0875416fb84f2

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“No, even a celestial god can’t do that.”2916ae4871fa112f

“I see.”dc3fcf37c25a8e1d

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“Why?”53ec5f1418908c0f

“…Just wondering.”4c8a4fba08a796e0

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Noah often used “just” to gloss over things hard to explain. It was a vague yet fitting word, but somehow, today, it felt lacking.40bc5efb40f4baaf

We spent more ff06fa04f8 time looking at c098b66a95 each other under 2e7e9a2213 the flower shower.478815dab89d4c91

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When we returned from the Spirit Forest, the sun was setting, and if we went out to wander around and then into a restaurant, we’d hit dinnertime just right. While pondering where to look first, Phoras handed me a pamphlet.31d0ad9b878502f9

“There’s a festival going on right now, so there’s quite a bit to see. Given the time, you could watch the vinum competition or ice fishing right away.”1ca2e63001580c0e

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“vinum?”f9ecb8acac5903b5

“It’s a local liquor, considered a demon’s drink among humans for how strong it is.”4cb5a15e6b916ae6

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For people who fear demons, they sure come up with interesting names. If it’s a competition, is it about who can drink the most in a set time? We’d know once we saw it, so I reached out my hand to Noah.9aa469ca721c078c

“Let’s go watch.”e93951211338bf64

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“Okay.”83b3c86d7009b3bd

Even though the sky 89d42d7d53 was darkening outside, the 8d612411a5 streets were still crowded 620b7b4420 with people out to b8031ac927 enjoy the festival. We moved towards where 4349f714ca the vinum competition was feb1d3525f being held, looking at 40c902af40 the stalls lined up.c15f8a2d150435cb

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Most people were bundled up to combat the cold, but occasionally, some were walking around in clothes as thin as ours. Not feeling any mana, they weren’t wearing artifacts but were probably just used to the cold, likely locals.92f63c003216204d

“That’s why they say humans are creatures of adaptation.”66b6042a9e54d3c4

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“Huh?”82c667ae385f3a4c

“They’re walking around in those thin clothes.”4e93c3add0a138b4

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While humans b126ab1b41 here were eff5aa9461 strong against 1451f6d888 the cold, dcbf914985 they must 6e8fde6a53 be weak 9e198ad37a against heat, 46d97a403c but adapting d72dcbe5c8 to this 97a68547a9 level of dd815782b0 cold was be765ac048 impressive. It made aa62d41e2a it fun 2eb4d2efe8 to distinguish b23e6dafcc between locals ab5fb0cf23 and outsiders 3af205b7e8 just by ac03e4761f their clothing.65174e5945009702

The competition venue wasn’t far from our lodging. A long stage made of wood with tables stretched out, beside which were stacks of bottles that must be the vinum. The event felt more like a casual party than a serious competition.fe948c64d44325ff

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“Are you going to participate, Jin?”2ee2825a74a7ee4a

I actually had no intention of participating. I never really enjoyed drinking even when I was human, and aside from that, my conscience pricked me. No matter how strong a drink, it’s just like water to a demon.a6ddacee79113dea

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Just as I was about to say no, I spotted the prize for the competition. Displayed on one side was a snow globe the size of a small child’s head, with a miniature of the viscounty’s castle inside. It seemed perfect as a souvenir from our first trip, and with that thought, my conscience vanished, and a different answer came out of my mouth.b537a418f7ffe75b

“Yeah.”5aded63ac7a02c65

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“Really?”5db44f05134e81c4

“No, Kimaris will.”7b44cb8f2898ff2d

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Kimaris looked at b92dbbea9c me in surprise. Actually, I could have a356a03228 participated, but if we 5d75e4f9dc were going to win, 5ed16e17b4 the tall and bulky cb0a912536 Kimaris would draw less 5ede064263 attention. People generally think 2f55f0da82 those with bigger 0b6a28bfaa builds can drink e585baaa7c more.1d6df53eb511e92b

I patted 3a4d603f8b Kimaris on 34aab61a5f the shoulder.0c5c81b94c82ee5a

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“Kimaris, I’m counting on you. You can win, right?”b232094ee5d27c3e

“As you command.”efac315134062ddb

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Even with my ridiculous e0ea858d93 request, Kimaris walked towards e8411edd44 the competition stage without 834053e0f0 any sign of discomfort. Come to think of 3ba5a95b34 it, the only time f2aa95efd2 he ever objected to ac1073ea1b my orders was when 23708a9d79 I asked him to 84dbd857ab pretend to be my 6cf653aa0f lover.cd753b173f308679

‘That still irks me…’0ba70750af57f560

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