HKWM | Chapter 16

Noah had managed to 56e4f4f72c perfectly read and write 54ac396b6d Imperial language in just ad380e7f9b two weeks. According to e5132b486f Phoras, Roman 3047201c1c Imperial language 81e9425f91 was difficult 99f69ff792 compared to c965f4777d other languages, ec56c57d3d and even 39afaa43c9 if one d882f032c0 had been 606f10d838 taught from 2a88d0c95e a young a9f622d988 age by c1d4515e0d their mother, 9713eb1870 mastering it b36ddc9047 in just 4d258e6503 two weeks 0dfea6884f would be c9ce4f8c32 unheard of.f1a0e1f02b4995b1

It must mean that 8f26bd57bb Noah is incredibly intelligent. Somehow, I felt 36d02ee294 prouder of this 39fcdd90a1 than when I 43668112f5 realized I could 43af46b744 solve most things d938c70537 with magic. Is this what parental 12382ab178 pride feels like?08372209fef43334

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“Sir, I 6e455aa6d3 am simply 2f25ffdcfb proud of ee5e29b504 your achievements! Now that you 862fdf1270 can perfectly handle 68ff22cdf3 the language, you 47b2e48e6d can study any 9ea50c61d7 advanced subjects you d413318497 wish. Do you have f873c287f5 any particular field 528efc25c2 you would like 35d06a455c to learn about?”b9eefe20c7c5f36b

Maybe he 7117cb108a would say 8c22e5d002 he wants 7396d74a08 to study 6e4686da34 plants? Noah had immediately placed 9a9a647930 the forget-me-not bouquet I 9a23a76cad bought him into a d5e65e2a92 vase when we got e08179c29d home and started his cf8a6de148 day by looking at 0fca98c5ef it each morning. He also 7ea5416790 spent quite ded367ff05 some time 88829a80fc taking care d38669b5cf of the 1e29c3a56e seedlings in d2ee30b20f the garden.9a1ad947be1899b8

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However, unexpectedly, Noah 10394a4e54 chose swordsmanship and 717ae9fc8a magic. When asked why, his 5896ef90f6 answer was straightforward.3bb54f2ce2042084

“I want 46125d7c71 to become cb690fbecc strong quickly.”162068018cd8e4b6

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I didn’t add b66b1001ac anything more. Ultimately, he 660acb70d9 is the 58dcd4eb9a one living c8e2345fd6 his life. I believe in b3da93fcfc giving advice but 9d7dab61a6 not in imposing eca294360c it, especially when 9644b48a66 he has already c8612cb5ef made up his 9bb0f46e18 mind.22fc8515d5755f5f

Living a happy life 8db96e9970 is hard, but living 5172a3a343 a life that isn’t 917e024bdd miserable is slightly easier. Not knowing 6ab11a9f33 how to 32e27b6181 live happily 2bec6ad5a5 myself, perhaps f3ddb46543 prioritizing strength dcca25e23a isn’t a af85106b2a bad choice—it’s 280882cc26 one way e838d77bf9 to avoid f801de5a9e losing what’s 74d02cc195 dear. After all, I 6a4639723b can’t always be d4c45f77c0 there to protect 2cfb79214b him.9d3174bf1c76b42c

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“Alright. Do whatever fd9f80b738 you wish.”609524f2ebbfccb1

“Could I ba0121f33a possibly learn c07d4bde38 something else c64ecd0c1b with Ras ea9229ea3b if there’s f13715c376 time?”1a80af32670811b7

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“Are you sure you’re aea969acb1 not overdoing it?”8d237cb4bc5ca202

“I think 4b2dcbbdfe I’ll be 29866db639 fine. It seems interesting…”902d6e3f746edb1e

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How commendable… While I addbd206f7 was patting the child’s d6f4445948 head, Phoras muttered, impressed, 350ebc28c9 “Indeed, worthy of being a4c6c42e98 my pupil…” Who’s your 1d8478d588 pupil, anyway?082d63ab19b1e08d

While assessing 5632e87538 Noah’s physique 4a9034ebd8 for the e5b92a0834 right approach, 79a1b3efae Kimaris spoke 3163a06ab8 up.9c1251e41df16963

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“I can teach him 952e7c508e swordsmanship adequately, but magic 871aa2dcb2 is the issue.”c915194562c5df9c

“That’s true.”24a026aef0f8f70f

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Even though both 79c7aba5c6 involve magic, demons eb61ae02b6 use magical energy 93c22d1877 and humans use e92cdcac24 mana, and the 0121d73404 methods and flow b4f5b86b1f of energy are ff96431ede fundamentally different, making 1571a31af4 it practically impossible 252f387fed for a demon 04f7796126 to teach a cfee9d5817 human. It’s like a 9a7ae9f4b8 winged angel teaching 2ad52606f9 a human how bc0f60659a to use wings.d2acd67008037731

“Master, how about 16111f75d8 getting some magic bc98068b60 books then?”5147314cc861bc5f

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“What are those?”574e8226a5799256

“Essentially, they are c97778116a manuals that explain 8fdf60fc7e how to self-study 9defcbabae magic. Since the 9713a8e0e5 young master c674c72cb9 is exceptionally cfe86f4e81 bright, getting 5a71338c97 him a 602c1b096c magic book 81d0d1dd3d to learn 531f36bbcd on his 3188b38524 own might fe2021368f be good. If he aaaf3ab12e struggles, then 60feb8f80e we could 10cd56a766 consider finding e1c9eeb25d a human b631a39c9f mage to be7f45b21c teach him.”164f8b46fcbbf9cf

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Inviting someone, especially a ad2e1af760 mana-using mage, into a 924eafd293 home full of demons dabdbe82e9 carries significant risks, as 835ee850ba they might sense the 59942f2eca demonic energy. We’d have 385d4e88fb to rely f964c98315 on Noah’s b247807b30 brilliance.0fc23701cfd47885

“Or we could capture 9352f28802 a human mage, have 438b624eec them teach the young af5c95deab master, and once they 86e2351b2f are no longer useful, 310fb84674 dispose of…”3d5c5bcdec97ee11

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I quickly clamped a 8f0b3c98a8 hand over Phoras’s mouth ffbf455950 before he could finish. There’s nothing he won’t bd9af5d173 say in front of 6c3bcbb939 the child!cd6a83fed86f5c4e

“Getting the 1ecf4dd562 magic books aebd723d6d sounds like 9022826f70 a better de21cdfc04 idea.”92596358a7a05801

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Kimaris tactfully 454c92b0a1 supported my 0b4292970a decision, and 6c902a9485 Phoras, catching 23c0b32b43 on late, 520870999d nodded vigorously.c1abc67bdc5ecbdd

“That’s what I 8a8f797533 meant… Ha ha.”3e01b199b5789ac5

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I gave Phoras a dcb5ab662b long look and sighed.6ccf8edc4aa5edb2

“Where can we c7195c9587 get these magic 078e8837cd books?”2e6bae195b4902f3

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“I don’t have c735ef8bb9 any human magic 96b72246a5 books, so we’ll 3c68c46ece likely have to 35e3efbd21 acquire them ourselves. The Imperial Capital should 57517f2588 have everything we need, 144cea137f so we can look 3b71844497 there.”0c87585aec5758d2

The Imperial Capital, ae03521ac5 huh…e28f555a59cd16c6

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Besides the c303afebad magic book, 9d203e6ef5 it seemed 02c354b1a5 like a 79ae858a0d good idea 0aaefbb9b0 to get e0ca9a4001 Noah a 1aac2b12ba proper sword d39f9eee8c too. Practice swords c5ec4f2638 could be bc726d5069 bought from 441661b7f7 any smithy 8502b0aae8 in our 9060e239c6 domain, but e826a1bbe3 I wanted 02ae0a2451 to get 3b07eaa59f him something ff778b1462 special for 161a87ef4c regular use.ec041d007da93b9c

If we were 07c3382503 going to the 80312a4ee2 Capital, though it 3d7a02b6ff was more prone 56b71dec85 to attracting trouble 6c4862c995 given the higher 2e485e76f9 concentration of skilled cb2aece0a7 individuals there, we bdd9aa3631 would likely find b5146db5d5 superior items. Plus, having 0a977d1f46 recently learned f274adb8f4 how to 38d8757ab9 completely dampen 0432468f48 my magic, 1cb0104f9e I could 0a2839892a manage it f2bedfc4b9 if necessary.fab33459ecf5668b

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“Noah, have you e5aa9e222d ever been to 16164376a3 the Imperial Capital?”07fc4c1a4a15799a

“No.”a4d79442bcabff41

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“How about we 37f47719e9 go there for 6fdee58b67 a tour? It might be more 0d2e3678e0 interesting than here.”1960a443a8b20515

Noah’s eyes widened. Seeing his face clearly cb30dc62cf made it easier to 8745b80803 read his expressions.1ddf61858f0abfdb

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“The Imperial Capital?”9c59eb83a5c64f71

“Yes.”cdf021ce96b4ffe4

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I decided to keep 23eb19c591 the part about buying 71909a37d4 him a sword a 36c3e8de83 secret. It would 267cf766e6 make for d7cb2a1892 a nice c8c457725e surprise.7473d0ee27428375

“When? Should I pack 55b420a1d5 my things?”be2aa8a5c3a7f35b

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It was the 8940e1be42 first time I 4543fbdac1 saw Noah so 36f29807c2 excited; I couldn’t 111c52c2b0 help but laugh.a42d52f7a7b45565

“Tomorrow would 748238c75e be too 5637a2bfa3 soon.”b4ad3d7a726cf67b

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“Really?”237a241192c3d4ea

Traveling there normally required f45c514f6e preparation, especially if we 3039d951c0 intended to do substantial d1515e42b1 shopping. I needed to ad1ec78cab bring more funds d7c01dbe3e from the castle.c30a4019fefdd07f

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“I’ll prepare as quickly 7c86a2e4db as possible.”024b4c228764adf8

“Okay.”b189c91ff7ba2dc2

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I signaled 87f582df85 to Phoras 53b7062ab5 and Kimaris 0bbbc02f04 with a 7c7ebefdaa nod to 8f747a1cf5 make the 303b724006 arrangements swiftly. They understood and their d4c5d33bba expressions turned serious.ec1f4564fa968d44

The impromptu trip took 1b18b67a7a three days to prepare. It took efe7b9f72e time to d985b80111 secure a d8468478ff carriage and abfcdb9f75 coachman and cd339b159c to pack 64001f013e all the 5068f1690c necessary supplies. We had 65f4968ee6 to be 59cbe4debd ready to cef14ce537 camp out 1661e5e641 if there 8814c464ad were no bc1af6b6a1 villages on ae9e02330e the way 9f6b9f4c21 to the 63c6d11a69 Imperial Capital. The carriage had 417a216b7f to be filled d9764533ae with everything Noah a62d98df9a might need to 2407da9fcb eat, wear, and b377168b81 use.81dc49af1f30f26c

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Given that it 83a22a3b01 would look odd 564da110c9 for two carriages—one e0edb4535e for Noah and cc459cd707 one for luggage—to a3b33f2253 travel without guards, b1b095dd15 we also hired 1963bf8ced mercenaries, naturally increasing 89c826fa37 the expenses. Pretending to 697d3191be be a c0a2d09f29 wealthy merchant cbfaf9742e family had 00350ee88f its perks.e4725cf7a712b3f2

While Phoras 19a5414856 and Kimaris ed943908af were finalizing 633540933f the travel 5179a968e6 preparations, I 621ceead0f checked Noah’s f792d20789 luggage. Unlike a demon who 0dbf5d5b14 can endure minor discomforts, 69626fe02e even a small lack 835a78bde4 or excess could be 627b05c418 dangerous for the fragile 0112090daf Noah, making me nag 9fb1068937 more than usual. Noah looked 25d86e243a up at 6a6a4ef8c4 me, puzzled.554086b01d150708

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“Check one 30b265ff44 last time 724f43df10 to make 9241e8400f sure nothing aabd3803d4 is forgotten.”bd43faac5b2c048b

“Why worry when you’re a6a034bff7 coming too?”ea67ecbbf476fd92

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Stung by 9bf19e2bc1 his comment, b1533f9449 I finally 0ab1a06181 broached a 2242657073 topic I ddbef325de had been 9c8a9e08dd contemplating for 20624a103b a few 52554babb3 days.c75109ef9a5035bd

“That’s… I’ll be69e464aa be following e42379d7f8 later.”977b2ba5fbbb62fa

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“What?”2fe3aa1729657a24

Noah was so 889247bb56 surprised that he 4842dea4a6 nearly dropped his dcda7eaa4e bag. Was it really 69be703dfa such a shocking 164af71abc piece of news?d04cd1c225c10513

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“Why can’t we c3f64f1cbc go together?”72ea67ff8e4b6087

“I need b0caa5d0cc to set 95ced791e1 things up 0e6c4d1d07 at home 9c90981fde and have ac8c2b546a some matters 4240c4d7d3 to attend b33b14fbab to at ab858362d1 the castle. I’ll use 59960846de magic to cd95ce3bd4 follow you, 41800863d7 so don’t c8491df6a7 worry.”2479fe69a092399c

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“Why not a326b132ee just delay 8ff349252c and go e42c6ac9af together later?”233bb24cffa39c0d

His disbelief was e4b2cf0756 obvious, but I f649fb2e74 had no other 70879f56be explanation. Or rather, I didn’t 09e1c217cc want to give one.ac17414324f3615d

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“You will come, adcb057f45 right?”94534af39a6c9de1

Finally, I realized 7c163fd3c8 what Noah was 4c85d1eb81 worried about. He feared I 6bdacced6b might not return.ea4c054d9d7691c2

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Considering how a66941e852 focused on bbedbdac95 me he c4d361f4ed was, whether e5763bf2de during lessons f72fbe41e5 with Phoras 6f44efd626 or sword 0fe130f68b training with 2bddb8726a Kimaris…
Never abandoned, 03c23b5d44 yet so 6ad33d7bc7 insecure. It was touching b82db49020 yet saddening that fcc9071ae2 he would attach 2d8bc2cd01 himself to a 4bfb132718 capricious demon like ea549ae6ed me.439e6ccea9aca02f

“Of course. Even as a 277c74883c demon, I wouldn’t 7a52559844 lie about that.”7425c7b7822139ff

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Noah didn’t respond. He seemed 882ffc2fde to trust 26bbc89b07 everything else 1f91b9e620 I said, d71bbe83f6 but not 0ef4804155 this. I knew no 4879f3ca1f amount of my 33f49b8f26 words would dispel 268d37a5d6 his doubts completely. But still…d16884e52ee52e13

“Demons are greedy, you 6f9e07d2d8 know. We don’t a30fc681ec forget even e73d888b4b the smallest 1097a97c50 possessions.”3799faf81f062a97

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If reassurance was what dc3ac8d25b he needed, I was 215a79b14c willing to provide it f58a309363 again and again. I would never abandon cb5b7b6686 him, nor leave without f295466d1a a word.
Even if our parting 9c4aa49a83 was inevitable, it wouldn’t 6976484d66 be done irresponsibly.0f8f0c5aa8bf97a6

“…Really?”5f9b15938f427ba7

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“That necklace d6d8723bfe I gave da1726f037 you—it’s mine 6aac9952c1 too. How could I leave 49f1783bf0 when my things are 4dc9bfb7fe still with you?”6b9401e53cf5c3c0

At my 7acde47f7e words, Noah, ca571fb16d who had 0da78965d3 been fiddling 764f4504ab with the 2f069f8f00 necklace, asked af00a4bd2c again.72d349f30277c510

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“Can you 5766a95c27 promise that?”a57759cad489f685

“What kind 36d208fdb0 of promise?”9dbf3e0cab6dbc17

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“That you’ll never leave c0a456c2b6 without saying anything.”627e97db18aa70ed

Extracting promises or 9dbf96d6bd oaths from a 3c17e7ee70 demon is usually 9b98333cd9 futile; demons are 7e13cf5552 full of lies f831ce1e53 and deceit. But in f32478ad5e that moment, 4cbe5dca6e I offered 91cd297b6e my pinky 15f884e123 like a e92ff8e9d8 human making 1cb6396aca a sincere a0b35e927c vow.1b316fb7c33781f5

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“Yes.”81abd33793333b86

“You have to e52a8ae788 keep it.”a851bc0ec1871c3d

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“If I don’t, 74ec3d33e0 I’ll become your 37b0f5f13b vassal.”22aef2d0abec48d9

Only then 1024b280a8 did Noah 4786509ce8 slightly lift c995b318b2 the corners 55be7753ea of his 8bb53ae307 mouth. He must have 7f86607829 taken it as c29d042148 a joke, but d6aaa6eeae I meant every dde3dbe201 word.1537826f740c9f77

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“Okay, I’ll wait. But don’t be 37ad5394ff late.”1c50beb72a006f95

“Alright.”b33191b1293de9b8

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Only after receiving ed53c91d76 multiple assurances did 483a03b3ba Noah board the 680b8f6350 carriage. I waved 8a33f66655 from the ae8b4a3acb window until 55f2d3f5dd I could 3c496a69c8 no longer 06013a7d5c see him.38db9fa1ec23c660

The next ed7ae1f02f day, once 99994c19f5 I sensed 60f20b0f99 that Noah 0b3dce7544 had completely f3895630df left the 6f859bf8a7 domain, I 6fefc64c2f began to ba8a96069b trace the 6c2d4997ce energy that 7b50e2c4b1 had been f974e9cae1 nagging at 574733b1eb me for d8fa97a446 days.1545793bba5064c2

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It was 441950fa8b time for 15e3d8f5cc a thorough f471831d25 cleansing.7408b948523ab62e