HKWM | Chapter 20

Proof of my existence was unnecessary. A bloody aura of magical energy was constantly leaking from me as I discussed a ‘deal’ with a human.

If he wasn’t a fool, the blacksmith would know that the dark crimson mist was magic, so he immediately recognized my identity and his eyes widened.

“I’m in luck. You’re the first to accept my sacrifice.”

As if in a dream, the blacksmith mulled over my words for a long time before slowly rising from his seat and laying flat on the floor.
It was not out of fear or disgust, but profound reverence and immense gratitude from someone about to embark on a path of vengeance.

“…I accept your command.”

“Jin!”

As soon as Noah saw me, he ran over without hesitation, hesitatingly reaching out to take my hand—a rather endearing gesture he’d learned from me. But perhaps a more special expression was needed in this moment.

I let go of his hand and crouched down to pull him into a tight embrace.

“It’s been a while.”

Startled, Noah stiffened for a moment but soon reached out slowly and wrapped his arms around me as I had done.

“…Yes.”

We had only been apart for a few days, yet our reunion seemed as dramatic as long-lost family meeting, but being welcomed wasn’t a bad feeling.

After letting him go, Noah looked up at me with a face that seemed more lively than usual.

“When did you get here?”

“I arrived earlier today. You seem to have grown a bit since?”

“That’s not true.”

“Yep, you got me. I was just kidding.”

Noah chuckled at my teasing, his laugh coming easier than usual, likely glad to see me. I tidied up his hair, which was sticking out in all directions from running.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“I watched out the window the whole way here, waiting for you, Jin. It felt suffocating not seeing you. Is that what you call feeling disappointed or let down?”

Was he giving me a hint? Feeling somewhat guilty, I laughed awkwardly.

“…Probably.”

“I was disappointed that you didn’t come sooner.”

“…That… I see, sorry….”

He was indeed giving me a hint. He even confirmed the exact expression to use for his complaint, suggesting he was quite upset.

“So, what do you say when you meet someone you’ve been waiting for?”

Ah, maybe what Noah really wanted to say was this. I smiled softly and replied.

“You say, ‘I missed you.’ Noah, I missed you.”

“Me too. I missed you.”

When did our little one grow up so much…

“Ahem-”

Feeling proud of how well Noah was growing despite the questionable upbringing by three demons, I heard a forced cough from beside us. Phoras was clearly seeking attention. Are you a child too…

“Alright, you guys did well too. Anything happens on the way here?”

I almost asked carelessly but nodded offhandedly after noticing the empty carriage that followed. The mercenaries I had hired were nowhere in sight, suggesting something had happened in the last few days.

“It seems there was a mix-up with the person inside the carriage.”

Whatever the reason, as long as Noah was safe, I didn’t pry further. Instead, we headed to the accommodations Phoras had booked in advance to unpack first.

The place Phoras reserved was a high-end lodging concept for nobles without townhouses in the capital, and indeed, the facilities were incomparably better than regular inns.

“Nice. How did you make the reservation?”

“Thanks to the identity badge I had made in advance.”

Phoras replied with pride, his shoulders almost lifting to the heavens. Ah, a merchant concept that even bought status with money. Understood.

Each room was single occupancy. I would have preferred Phoras and Kimaris to share one, but demons take their personal living space very seriously, and even a concept couldn’t change that.

“So, what’s next on the agenda?”

“Looks like we should start with shopping. We can take our time sightseeing later.”

“Right, I brought enough cash.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, I’m loaded.”

Realizing what I meant, Phoras nodded and pulled out a pen and notebook, jotting something down. He was noting down the idiom I used as if it was something new. I sighed. Don’t bother noting down every little thing…

“Anyway, there should be plenty of fine goods here in the capital. It’s been a long time since I’ve been up in the human world.”

Why are you excited when we came for Noah… I turned to Kimaris, who always had the same expression, making it hard to read his thoughts, though he seemed slightly excited too.

“Kimaris, need to buy anything?”

“I should look at cleaning supplies. The current brooms at the mansion can’t sweep away the dust perfectly; there’s always some residue left…”

I tuned out his explanation, closing my ears. The thought that I was responsible for these demons’ condition made me briefly bitter as I checked the money in my wallet again. They’re struggling in the human world, so I guess I should provide what I can…

Meanwhile, after whispering something to Phoras, Noah approached me hesitantly.

“What’s up? Something on your mind?”

“Well…”

Fidgeting, Noah finally looked up at me after Phoras gave him a slight push.

“Actually… there’s something I want to buy.”

“What is it?”

“It’s called a spirit stone… Could you buy it for me? Ras said it’s really expensive, so…”

I finally understood why Noah had hesitated. Was he the only demon worried about a demon’s wallet?

Even if a spirit stone was expensive, it wouldn’t make a significant dent in an Archdemon’s wealth, which was akin to a speck of dust to Phoras, who was also holding back laughter in the background.

“If it’s too expensive, I can eat fewer skewers…”

“Cough-”

Nearly bursting into laughter at his words, I bit my lip hard and quickly covered it with a cough as Noah looked at me with an innocent face. I decided to clear up his misunderstanding right away.

“I’ll buy it.”

“But Ras said it’s a lot…”

“Even if you asked me to build a house with spirit stones, I could afford that, my dear. So don’t worry.”

“I’m not a baby.”

His cheeks flushed with happiness, yet he retorted sharply, which was quite adorable.

“Well done. Always tell me if there’s something else you want. I’m proud of you.”

The corners of my mouth lifted as Noah’s cheeks plumped up pleasantly to the touch. Phoras laughed out loud when I poked those squishy cheeks.

“See? The master is happier when the young lord asks him to buy something. Was I right?”

“Yes, and I even got praised.”

“I shall praise the master too!”

“That’s enough.”

“Ah, you’re so cold…”

Phoras pretended to wipe a tear from his dry eyes, his face unbothered. Watching his exaggerated act, I asked,

“So why do you want a spirit stone?”

“Spirit masters usually have spirits come to them to form contracts, but you can use a spirit stone to check if someone has the qualities of a spirit master first. If they have the qualities, they might be able to form a contract through training eventually, so we thought it might be good for the young lord to check.”

Being a spirit master was a rare talent, another realm of ability entirely, as it required a harmonious wavelength with the spirits and a pure soul to form a contract. However, Phoras’s method was a sort of workaround that others sometimes attempted.

“Yes, if it’s our Noah, he might well have the qualities of a spirit master.”

It might sound overly enthusiastic, but considering Noah’s learning abilities I had observed so far, it was a very reasonable assessment.

“Shall we go buy it now?”

Checking outside, Phoras shook his head.

“It’s too early; the market won’t be open yet.”

“What, does it only open at night?”

“Of course, the magic books we came to buy are usually managed by the mage tower, and the spirit stones are controlled by the elves, so if they’re not illegally traded, there’s no way to get them.”

That meant we had to go to the black market with Noah. I covered my face with my hands. Nothing was ever easy…

Getting to the black market was simpler than I thought. You just needed to buy a ticket and follow the coordinates on it, whether by walking or using magic.

Of course, getting the ticket was the biggest challenge, but at least it wasn’t impossible with money.

The location of the black market changed every time, and this time it was on a deserted island, which, with the occasional sound of waves, was quite picturesque. Noah seemed fascinated by the scenery, looking around repeatedly.

I adjusted Noah’s hood to make sure his face was hidden, then reminded him again.

“There will be lots of interesting items besides magic books and spirit stones, so take your time to look around and tell me if you want something. But don’t let go of my hand.”

“Okay!”

All four of us, our hoods pulled deep, began walking and browsing the items. While the three demons didn’t really need the hoods, most of those coming here weren’t exactly honest, and not wearing hoods actually attracted more attention.

It was unusual to see someone with a child like Noah, so occasionally people stared at us. But that stopped too when Kimaris cleverly conjured a large halberd to carry on his back, making our stroll much more comfortable.