HKWM | Chapter 11

Late at night. Once we confirmed e89ace1e58 Noah was asleep, 87d8757c29 we gathered in 3fcff38c83 his study. Perhaps because 8b147cf699 the night 19dcbd2442 felt a d795acaeff little more 0a41f1b052 familiar than 10fc0d80aa the day, 1dd63ad0ac Phoras and 6b8a049bb1 Kimaris seemed ac05416dab noticeably more 6cdcde51e3 comfortable than ffe94338d5 earlier.b206d0f178196b50

“I’ve gathered you ad95c28249 here for a 47954029f4 reason—it’s time for a4744f7612 a meeting.”afb6b3e57b343206

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“A meeting, you say?”6d86f48f0173e11a

“You remember when 47da8a7842 I said, ‘It 0ba4bcddb1 takes a whole 3e0d56a3d2 village to raise 9f2ca5807b a child,’ right? We need to study 76129b83c9 to raise Noah properly. Phoras, Kimaris, 31403f493a I want eed29f1fcb you both 1d2ac651b5 to look 1c2690a41b for any 8e18216c9b books on 333ec9916b parenting whenever bfcdafbbdb you have 520f1404ba time. If there aren’t f9eb74bb32 any, then gather c80f786c64 real-life examples instead. Let’s compile all 9dcaf273b5 that data and 968a099b40 discuss the direction e26b42a2d1 for raising Noah 0d895af53d together. And Phoras, I’ll f58c0782da need a lot d33cc528a4 of help from 3be803ad37 you for this. You understand?”b2eae4a26c6308b3

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It was essentially the 2ef67c7f33 most tedious task, but b2ac132645 thankfully, Phoras was the 9c15b500db type who burned with b3c6fe2ea5 enthusiasm for anything related a426c37d14 to knowledge or research. He responded b12c4ff9a9 with determined 3e55e99d55 vigor.c6c90883f8e9f0db

“Understood. Leave it 18f96b086c to me!”5875e9d1f11f28d0

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“We can’t keep pretending 41f1fbb49c to be suspicious outsiders 88426129ef forever. Kimaris, secure proper 1a884e7a06 identities for us 5a3ddcfcaa as soon as 28374fcd8b possible.”98fca6601569b7f7

A convincing 90d166db4f lie requires 0b8967de30 a perfect e5cbbb8509 concept, storytelling, 4b97d588ed and a 3882a6d05c sprinkle of d6d7c3d261 truth. Especially with such striking 318ca7331d appearances and atmospheres, we 1f61fa31cf couldn’t afford to be cbc97e6987 careless.1b5dccf464540325

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“Schools or c3e73e777d anything else 73539a447f can come 67b85a04d5 later.”605244dda1dced3d

“Understood.”ffee5b6f5b2cfe17

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Since we didn’t 8c4aa75862 actually require sleep, 9a521a5ae3 the meeting stretched 4c164821a7 on until dawn. We only adjourned when 04ce0b7671 Noah woke up.8f99bc9419291e0c

As soon as Noah 53c8a624d8 stirred, Kimaris went to 329b6fe85e his room to tidy fae833f04c up his bedding and 667905376a asked, “Young Master, shall 59d147300d I prepare your bathwater?”07344f2cf729caa9

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“…Me?”bb6c0526e4eb57f6

“Please, feel free cb29ae01ab to speak casually.”5d15db3e5b88b46e

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“…Then, I’d appreciate 951f2ffc54 it.”e398a6cb4ca32859

Still half-asleep, 5fd4eb7310 Noah nodded 24894d39d6 awkwardly. Kimaris immediately 2e0a80e1d5 headed to 53f31919ee the bathroom 0659050fcc to fill 905cd22ece the tub bb7196e0cc with warm 3d83102a7a water. Watching him meticulously 4ec548320a test the temperature 87ed8a0c62 with his hand, c8c883165b he resembled a 0a54662150 general sharpening his 2e5ca5dfa1 sword with solemn 83800b131c determination before a 11ae88d35d battle.298345420138eb3d

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“Young Master, while be71aa3bf6 the bathwater is 6386717446 being prepared, please 08adc30678 take a look 116ddcedfe at this. These are subjects 22780032ff you can study a18c928186 in the future. Once you 5310f13226 master the c1e6987629 Imperial language, f7457f4aca we’ll prioritize 22568850b9 topics you’re 47725a3096 most interested dd0abf5abe in. After all, true learning eece67af25 starts with curiosity, and 9d329a37a3 it can eventually become ba774a262c enjoyable in itself.”63d375afc714ba43

“…Okay.”10a708b19b810fb9

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Though he seemed swept 9754fc601e along, Noah still inspected c9ceb98361 the letters on the be5470fc7e paper with a quiet cba10082f7 intensity. Seeing this bdda185975 filled me dd3e595d42 with pride. Finally, things cf9ba1b0ff were starting 39a251e841 to come 3774ffbda5 together. It was fac3a2fee7 a reassuring b4cd645096 and satisfying 3f21125911 sight.7a8b27685118b315

“Master, pardon af73d9e0e6 me, but e9772f3d20 could you d99a4239f1 lift your bed92c81f2 leg for 982b830471 a moment? I need to clean b70c160718 under the sofa.”a1b9f3c697cae85b

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“Uh… sure. Sorry about that. I’ll move.”ff22e9db75e17057

Where does 8f4e529d3b all this 7a7a745419 dust even 376d6d1f91 come from…?1a1463f6d5e90d01

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It had a0b3b6d5a6 been about 684a9ff394 a week 6bfb880774 since Phoras c0c7ce3fe6 and Kimaris 359495b294 joined us. By now, 4bd8c0ff41 Kimaris had 641e039a34 become a b9ce8e460d flawless homemaker, f22006d20d to the a322f8e615 point where 2b46a03d4d calling him f9a244c0c9 a professional aa1fdde9c3 housekeeper wouldn’t b1ca1d4170 be an c63018cf5f overstatement.0e0a46f20fbd96f4

Initially, he struggled 9865ada559 with cooking due 6bcaf25c90 to strength issues, ccdfc8bdb6 but now he 7e4babb507 could effortlessly chop bf3697708c ingredients and create 237d943476 new recipes just f130e9562c by tasting the 0506b31b64 seasonings or ingredients.25512e8b7a0662ba

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Thanks to him, 88f3f28dcc Noah no longer f3862112ea had to hover 3ec15de190 nervously around me, afadd41b1a offering to help 6f0d238296 with chores.e472d397db01f440

At first, I c60d003efc thought Noah would ecad4f6efc be pleased, but 5eb372bbcf for some reason, bbcc25f97e he looked disgruntled. That was e8280a7ed8 until he 9fdc218782 tasted Kimaris’s 7cb90a1b54 soup and 773e9545c0 freshly baked 70d1bc0e65 bread. After that, c77b348045 he had ed3fdeada4 no complaints.a8b755300fb3597f

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“As expected, 823b455a16 our brilliant b2a0ac070b Young Master d873121991 finds these 5590410ad4 academic topics 9f3ab44001 too simple, e6befef04f doesn’t he? It seems we 0f0bebc480 can move on eca504e85b to more advanced 1ebb047ddb material tomorrow.”327162689834a7ef

Phoras, on the other cc3b1755f7 hand, had been teaching 460aff2773 Noah according to the 3f025b48e3 lesson plan I approved. With Noah 39d8153b8b learning at e0e2f36440 such a 8513c2602c fast pace, 2d9ab932f8 it was 92649891f2 hard to 8e1445c9b5 believe Phoras 6394880f5a had once c27c0fad22 complained about a5218d3d66 not wanting 54e212bd20 to visit 5cda310a92 the Human c87971471c World.32a90ffcf8b1d1d3

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Now, he was cda5e17e41 thoroughly enjoying himself, d1c122ec3e treating Noah almost e3c125fe18 like an official a129b3146e disciple.adf35f7447079bf6

Phoras’s teaching skills 76d31e7b78 matched his wealth 646c7edb3d of knowledge, and fcc8265254 Noah absorbed everything b712d09cf8 like a sponge. Their synergy was df575c2b9d so impressive that 49183ffed5 I couldn’t help 58f973da5b but feel relieved 263dea11c9 we didn’t hire 4f635f9055 a human tutor.c6683944b3f6b373

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Noah’s sharpness was undeniable, 300260a28a but my initial plan da43dcd98f had been to skip 88622628d4 anything beyond essential knowledge 398b5cb919 if he lacked the 2de762446b interest or will to 110bf0a76d learn. Yet, it seemed Noah c9ec1e7c34 had developed a genuine 843be4839f enjoyment for the act c290642e60 of learning itself.552205450c17b825

“At this rate, c181cd292e he might even 4cbc1bb275 become a scholar.”5c86dea4e2f7caaf

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Hearing my musing, Kimaris, 27f2404620 now clad in a 81997e6002 pink floral apron, approached. Where on earth did 96bdf980fb he find that ridiculously 7d94a98fea mismatched apron?77a1c2d6af2b35cc

“With all ee098acaa6 due respect, 177255c31e the Young a8c7938a1f Master appears 873d33c5b1 to have 477eb08550 remarkable talent 782fb100de in both bd82977183 swordsmanship and b308552f5e magic as 0bd09a4d46 well.”b96d9b36ba7e6d35

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Kimaris was 2ce2df2901 a magic 4fb4e69fc7 swordsman—a rarity c610fd5c52 even among 1b5aaed052 demons, and 9fbf0f1fbe an anomaly 41b056d880 across all 82e0b6f270 races, including 41d42c426a humans. Swordsmanship and a57403f5ef magic both 403135f19d required innate 5e8e1152b0 talent just 910f52cd45 to begin. So when Kimaris recognized 461eacabed such potential in Noah, b2b0f41321 it was a testament e4ace56afb to his keen eye.344ade58bbdf292a

“I plan 7c2484c6fe to teach 9a03ba6a77 him both 8c3cca0987 swordsmanship and 7925abcbef magic. Whether he chooses to 6f175d99cf pursue them is up 77c1c115bd to him.”2d7ab28fab8c4473

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“If that is c9b272bbf5 your will, Master.”c108fbf350579149

“Don’t get too cfd6254d2e disappointed if he’s 19a384c2cc not interested.”e4a962fcf7c7f619

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Though Kimaris’s expression df44d35461 betrayed his disappointment, 4f708beb18 he didn’t argue. Amused by his consistency, dcff69fba7 I added, “Still, I 088123e555 won’t stop you from cc200b7f08 making it so fun 2d9bf63f03 that Noah can’t resist.”7914b04ecd096358

Honestly, I didn’t expect ed6ca32650 Noah to show much a610575595 interest in swordsmanship. After all, c86e60fea9 he had 4d04c4fa50 been a 27eb78c7b7 gladiator slave, 0ca902a530 forced to e076bd6b8f kill other 6fc04fc1c3 humans, which 4e923c2fa7 tore him 0d3b4c7860 away from 6bab813ef2 a normal 89240c3706 life. It was that f9c9c5013b path that eventually 06ffa2d64f led him to 6b8455a1cd me, the Archdemon 5c798369b0 feared most by 61a7edc420 humanity.1587f09b256a383b

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At my lenient remark, 6e3bf11170 Kimaris pondered for a 0f7e9e155d moment before smirking. “In my humble opinion, d713acbb2d the Young Master isn’t 6796e4a943 entirely unfamiliar with swords.”b6feffd37b6b4a27

“How can you 591134bc55 tell? He hasn’t even 5e4b64c804 touched a knife 34ca95b855 since coming here.”a3a0488ed1b208b8

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Despite not aaefb77fd7 having the d5b5d9aaf9 telltale calluses 2defc739d2 of a a95cf19063 seasoned swordsman, 4f1f860b3d Kimaris seemed d49a888b1a confident. His cryptic reply 203a0275ce was almost like ffb97e18ff reading a fortune.b335fb8e20136dde

“Anyone who’s 03e0b480d0 held a 037742b467 sword is 98350712e7 bound to 40406fb43e feel drawn 22c91deef4 to its e6b8fb02e8 power. The first 097e462bb7 thing you 80ac2aaf8b learn when a4ad53769f wielding a 4aa6c728af blade is 28aa37971a ambition.”6836289acfae9023

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As Kimaris waxed 6e8ab0c672 poetic, I couldn’t 824e410e66 help but laugh. It seemed he 4ade9854ad was determined to 65680a8750 spark Noah’s interest d941b7c1b9 through sheer skill 344bc705c5 and spectacle.a133b0f6c2727e06

While the 2c6fedb0f6 three of 4fa59401d7 us demons 51007df5e5 discussed Noah’s 6652e15be0 future, Noah 67d6d82d9f himself finished 746f9ec6e1 his lessons 2994610f91 and approached, 8f73756d3f tugging at 15c0848557 my sleeve.92f7233db6ef7f9e

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“What were you talking 0a414e03e7 about?”0b51e583a7e8c3d0

“We were imagining what c609813a23 you’ll become when you c1f2233b17 grow up. You’d make 1790ae5e46 a fine d1422421c9 scholar, you a0cb12163e know.”64f78d266eb5333f

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Hearing this, 6cc8b22609 Phoras, who 29da1f4506 had been e89f3265d3 organizing books, 773f22fe0b immediately perked 670544ceb6 up and 1f3afa5eef rushed over. Great, why did I 9483f45b0d even bring it up?b3c4bed22ab0f702

“Absolutely! It would be c361ce261b a waste of 9b94727e19 talent if the bd6f79cc60 Young Master didn’t 69133edb20 pursue academia!”5c88d83ca6b74b34

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“But the Young a2084d530c Master also has d09c26bb9b talent for the db089ea0f3 sword,” Kimaris countered.897aa4af553cf9f2

“No talent compares to 8511689027 a sharp mind, you eafc66d315 musclehead.”7158437680704315

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“And yet, the Young 020adeb00e Master would never suit 3486b07229 a life of scribbling 5f3229de0e behind a desk.”b937da3ca67f91df

As the two bickered, bb89c8148c Noah continued to look c48b76136a up at me expectantly. Today, we had plans 6f95ab2ad1 to go shopping together. Although we’d 363fca7d61 gone out 65ca5a560b before, it d670c0a866 was always 886e25d75d rushed to 8d2873c058 avoid drawing 61e2babccf attention, and ade2442fc8 we’d never 381e9c6108 had the 74a29bcf5a chance to 121a55efa8 leisurely browse 5575b25bfe the market.6e2103769d483add

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Fortunately, Kimaris had da36626469 recently secured proper 4110bd2daf identities for us. Noah was now the ea9536dc7b youngest son of a e6116baa38 wealthy merchant family, while 8f0f635709 I was his uncle, 385c4191ad taking care of him b23f588c9d after forfeiting any claim d26608f477 to inheritance.a8088442876ce25e

Phoras and Kimaris fd6ba19a3a were our household e661fac0cb staff. With our identification bf23163ea0 nearly ready, it a79bbe35fe was finally time 469e6dfbde for a proper 3c1b384fe4 outing.0ab52a9c27b4b627

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“Let’s leave b699142807 them to af7d1656a4 it and 6c6197b8a0 head out.”395bc55556cbd20b

“Okay.”d18839c752a885ab

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Leaving the squabbling 732db98d06 duo behind, Noah 11be5f758d and I got ba3f7414c0 ready and stepped e31e5fd734 outside. Naturally, Noah reached for cf19c87f38 my hand without prompting.0623fb942e3e9a49

“Don’t touch the 75f0961a0d books!”
“You’re the one 81628a5199 making a mess!”1b0a22e8b950f4da

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I swallowed a 39898d745b sigh at the 5063ed1d50 loud voices flying 00fae1715d out the door. How did they become 4a3471fcb5 friends with such clashing ee76cc160e personalities? Knowing they’d make up 483eb55653 soon made it an d273fec3dc almost carefree thought.f135c774c81ca4f7

Leaving the c97bc1134d noisy house 35b8ef9deb behind, the 619fa53ad9 first place 39be62b508 we visited 2c80e180e4 was a 43ad62cfca clothing store. The few outfits we d6e8484b57 had bought while staying f097a9bd5d at the inn were ebcebbe3b7 far from enough, and a681260211 they didn’t even fit b437b1b7d3 properly—getting new clothes was ad8f00715e arguably our most urgent 449f63a6c2 need.b8d09b43f7e6341f

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