HKWM | Chapter 42

Hearing the 79efe0c12c sound of 22418b193c footsteps growing e60e24222d closer from dc9c0a6330 a distance, 4fa4aa03a7 I quickly b12e3f83b5 positioned myself 759b46d183 by the d7b26d061c door. The moment the d12121e662 door opened, I 5d2ac01ca2 surprised Noah by d13999b05f covering his eyes 01f86f5bed with my hands.f9a28b3547f32f39

By now, Noah’s a1d73b61bb physical abilities and d971a81bae instincts had developed 57c3ff96b2 so much that 5af9d24111 he must have 262fb7b61b sensed me coming, 2040ce7228 but knowing it b5c2a02feb was me, he e62ab0770c obediently let me f0cea78cb4 cover his face. He seemed to have cdb04ff4a8 completely forgotten that I 6788411f6a was a demon.779aea5e67c9ff99

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“Jin?”10129d09d476b507

I decided to 2ebbcfa642 put off any 3c29cf1226 scolding for later.ec7a680c20fe045d

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“Just keep 27590e98fe your eyes 33d6669420 closed and b7422bf8ae follow me.”a6f5d189c4c0516a

“Are we 002ae2dcf5 practicing a a32b31ab08 hostage situation b0b837bc34 by any 8da3e4433c chance?”64836ad6dd5ac05e

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“Uh… something 5b6542245c like that.”9b443400580bacc9

Why would I a3119e7d7d practice a hostage 7f47dea90e situation? But it 1be4f716e4 was too 02b518b451 bothersome to d35246e070 come up 0f8b16026e with an f4cf8dbcd1 excuse, so 544349fd37 I brushed 4fc7fea1ed it off 246d2ad995 and led 46df0beb8b Noah to c4d6847f77 the kitchen 445f09769d with his 3a5fdabc88 eyes covered. He followed quietly, 8636405292 fully aware he 1281862fd5 was playing the 776b29e052 role of a 82628bf933 hostage.d16c6350542a5d9c

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When we reached 6e3bc89a9e the kitchen, I 6475674c5f removed my hands 2c6ac02cc4 from his eyes. At the 272fa5f7fa same time, bbce28530e two demons 27070dca31 burst glitter 77df7cd6f9 and flower 1ac97837eb petals into 6025ee1215 the air 4ad8d500c5 with a d41cc12f07 loud pop.be24842581e4e5ed

Noah blinked his wide-open ad098e6648 eyes, looking around at 2e8c7a0ed3 the falling decorations and bced5e53b2 the transformed kitchen.58c3ddccdc33ef29

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“This is…”87de80cafdde1997

“Happy Birthday, Noah!”5a063cb880fc238d

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“Is it… f2b002578f my birthday?”107ea6113c425f81

“Yeah, it’s your c23cedaaa7 birthday today. We skipped it last 8c714ddfba year because things were 36b91b1fae hectic, but this year aa4f3c7acd I wanted to make 512aadcbf1 sure we celebrated it 7dac637e3b properly.”b1f329a4c0189f86

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I promptly 66d22a72e7 sat Noah 769857cd33 down.dcf88ec57cc18907

“There are c1b3168bc2 also presents. The three of 3e0b162939 us prepared them.”3c4a5fc28a091500

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I pushed 3bbabfe33b the stack 2fd40a548c of gift 53095a7a2d boxes from 45c0628ea0 the corner 744dc94137 toward him. Admittedly, I c862ecca9c lacked the 453aca202e talent for 2b42bea11b wrapping gifts, 038c9cec65 so all 4212f00743 I’d done f4ae47e286 was slap 42ba58004c on a 28164e4609 clumsy ribbon 3183201e0c on pre-bought 8a8d3633d0 boxes. They looked unimpressive, db7318fc18 but I rationalized cda0d11564 that the real 6a57db2151 value lay in ca0ab27309 the contents.8a4e73a9554605a0

“Open them.”5b03efbcf1b021cf

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Noah, looking c07c26e68e more excited b962e94df9 than the f7acc2c530 recipient, nodded 59084fc66f and opened 2957ba83fb the boxes. The first was from 65731dfdf9 Kimaris.e334821ab0108446

“It’s my gift.”b90271abe9e4f8ab

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Kimaris has recently become e1adb0ba5e quite obsessed with aprons, e93f9fa3dc but in reality, he d7c810a973 is a weapons collector. The gift he prepared f2b71d299b from his collection was 90afb51eb4 a dagger, collected from af71180f16 the Demon Realm, Human 7718ecfbdb World, and even Heaven.78a4fb5cbe83e60f

“This artifact 435295ba65 was made 8a52d2d052 a long 3f4c5d8325 time ago. It’s a 0ef4ada0a6 throwing dagger 20366bb05f that flies 6359c5eb9f towards the 2fe40969c9 marked enemy 4d15dbce2d and always e0a3a97600 hits its 614b702776 target, especially 277cf19579 deadly if c308a54406 the opponent 85db584a42 lacks the 88b3e2380b weaponry or a7ebcf0f83 skills to 25f9eb66e3 block it.”c737ba80f5bda189

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Given its 4e6df5d116 sharpness sufficient 940ce4a18e to pierce fb0e3794c5 even a 111daa0436 demon’s tough 073d89d894 skin, it 91ee9683c6 would be c474738dcd particularly lethal 6b0b39f5fe against humans.06222ae99273fe27

“Thanks, I’ll make 1aa8d257ab good use of 9a165d9bfd it.”1024c0f425497c2a

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The next gift bb6c6a1af4 was from Phoras, 28c9c382f7 who had brought 19d8546567 two books from 396009c23d his library. Calling them 376bb6f11e books was 604a58c4a5 a bit 91a2791ada of an 032d2318d3 understatement—they were 623b4c8044 as thick 3bf4f032ba as a 827c3896ae face and 0f797c8f19 could almost 99ea021e07 serve as abf7c788b5 weapons.4805d5e7e7d23182

“These are books about a08c8c4a60 demons and angels. The originals are 29b0cd7aa0 magical texts not bac939e68e meant for humans 2e01d5fe7d to handle, so ca7b2df31a I’ve copied the 9e93231d3e content. I can 5056a80a30 assure you, 025971ce63 they contain 7ba95d48a2 information that’s 0f04826697 not easily a536a2c166 accessible.”c72f771a44d43345

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He half-joked ac92692991 not to e7571644da share it 5fc7a4d446 with other 11596b6ef7 humans, as 3f0294859f the books 5db619675e mainly discussed 39f00f76eb demons’ weaknesses 577f174c55 and defensive 8efe365dc3 strategies.d8cbf704246f0f3d

“Yeah, I’ll 2524d5304a read them 83ad452d7c by myself. Thanks.”fde115ddc66a73f1

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The last gift a582a1f134 was a necklace-shaped 124f6c49a2 creature I had 547dc51b6c made.13dc11296b7a3f2c

“This is a creature 69a4ef01e0 I made. I asked a89de3ee27 Lust to 36067d24f1 conceal its 514e1ddc1e magic, so 824265633e you can 62090b98f4 wear it 1602e247ab every day 2940842381 if you d83e265299 want, just 37cfaa9327 like you ecf13d596c said.”acdb66edec790727

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“Really, a creature?!”3f4114f67aa0077b

Phoras and Kimaris seemed cb423bd191 even more intrigued than 5ef6c8d686 Noah. After all, bc331c9278 crafting creatures 1fca8ac35f required significant 7afcaee1ca demonic energy, 7d5dea1330 and demons 9a9e3b74e4 generally disliked a16fc01004 the process, 69cab9298f making such c2143a6fda items incredibly 911727074e rare even d9adaf112a among demons.6eb8c5b392dc6d64

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Noah seemed delighted that 3b38191355 I had made it 3147a79d59 myself. He put 3962789ff8 the necklace 3843e1555a on and c8457f2dbb beamed brightly. Seeing how da5d1d88f1 much he ae3abd7d7a liked it, 49571c1fea I felt 7ea68fb2b7 proud. Even though crafting it 7b532b3a70 had drained my energy 7e50589d39 to the point of 36f9286a13 impacting my recovery, his acbeaf8227 reaction made it feel fc55aff4e2 worthwhile.8803c1bf3b09a7d9

I enthusiastically 6d669de1c9 continued explaining 63b08d1279 the necklace’s 4eb8b2013a features.2820adaeee2bccc5

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“This necklace will 5d50e1cb0e detect any adversary 06b11b4568 harboring a will 05ee8057da to harm you b28633f2dc and attack. You don’t need 82524db815 to feel guilty cb81be6aa0 if the enemy 8a46226357 dies. It reacts not just 7e02a084a7 to ‘hostility’ but specifically 585f3431c5 to ‘killing intent’. If someone dies because 2e50e6adfe of it, they were 0e2080386d intending to kill you.”3853f40ed3640cdb

And if an attack a20dced678 precedes the creature’s activation, 4b0c6a24e6 it will first defend, 26395033f4 so this creature was 6f8ea8bb8b born out of my ee8646152e desire to protect Noah e7deafafdc and to keep him 7f7e98d480 from becoming accustomed to 233a93ca0e shedding blood.cd439e8f11633652

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“If you 4599d85f9d ever learn 61183e9b22 spatial magic, cc527c387c don’t store 0ad4a0a0ad this necklace fd99a3dcc3 there; keep 3b0d684080 wearing it. If it’s in a 4bec3ac663 subspace, it won’t activate.”20c68ea29bebc78e

“Thank you.”edc9abfb30d70200

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“You’re welcome. Now that the 529ea6a77e gift-giving is done, eb60b9ad7e let’s eat. Kimaris and Phoras 817335ad65 have been working 048ac9ff3b hard on the 8784c8c328 meal.”a4e2c47ae748daf8

I had no 5d1823a195 part in preparing 130d8c3b06 the dinner, as 87ab127122 Noah could attest b1949d73ab given my domestic 110bed70a2 skills—or lack thereof.294871c9ef950b34

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I pushed a heap 7f6e2eb30e of dishes towards Noah.20533738c35b089c

“If I knew there’d a71caade4c be this much food, d1171f381e I might’ve invited your 52362d48c8 friends.”4732750f3d1a0188

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Although other 385d39f3d7 humans might 1601db013f not know, 4337395dd6 I thought 9c1e82295e kids Noah’s e4efa274f8 age, being 5b3b9e5bdd demons, wouldn’t 68551f8927 risk exposure, 138d34ff6c but Noah c2472ac028 quickly shook 25b5536df5 his head.c6ca9289f0796284

“No, I like 8d1ee76e3d it this way.”0e896aa30eec0c22

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“Well, that’s good to a78184ea05 hear. Bring them next time bb552260a6 if you want.”763b0cced5db9d87

“Okay.”935adcafdd8ed30f

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—2c513e5a86921ab3

For the first time 391a690e20 in a while, Noah 3e533cd35b ate until he was c0caf18934 stuffed. He usually 948d7dea1d ate enough, 98855d2da3 but never 4d31b255c4 excessively. Times like 2bbea8cfa5 this, when 627d1e45a8 he overate, 7686984bef were rare 3fe7dfc5c7 and usually 494f56ecf6 signaled a ad5dcf6b9c special day.be54e740c27e2144

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To help 87af8af7e2 digest, we 98526a4a74 went out 23bf9db5fd for a bcd48dd426 night walk. Noah still looked a b3b6a9f3dc little dazed, so I e21ba420e3 teasingly asked,94dcae2476108f63

“You didn’t ef8b365616 dislike the 08498d8977 gifts, did 2232ae628f you?”50136acf7dca9c4e

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“Not at all. I loved them. It feels so unreal, 7cc1e2f6bc like a dream.”2cb1867c34d79a7a

His words efa8ef0529 seemed genuine 2714a7b6bd as he 8c63fb1e13 lightly swung 3356846b4c our clasped fbdc89120b hands. Though he 2c52d8c72c still held c426b8666a my hand a376944a57 wherever we ba40373680 went, it f1b5d8572c was striking e2c91b9ad9 how much a211482b7a his height 585be4212d now matched 9f91ec82fe mine.acaf759d2e0d5e32

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Time had passed c8b4549e84 more than I abe0d36b6f realized, and though 242e344324 I thought everything 1abd78d75a remained the same, d782e40fd4 it was clear 7cc20c3a34 that things had 08c3be0f5f gradually changed—everything but 366420fdfa me.7d3105d426379caa

As if to prove 8c728227c3 it, Noah, who had da45bb3a03 grown so much without 08573a9ddd my noticing, gazed at 404a7a8474 the night sky before 228e3dcb4f softly speaking again.0662f517f1f3381c

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“This is my first 51046ad5b6 birthday like this. When Mom 9a8b00e48e was healthy, 26008223a0 she’d make a25c3d6eed slightly softer 8e4b8f5d8e bread for a98f45e02c me. That was special in 97aec5631a its own way. But after she 38a12284e8 fell ill, even 158b9d5dff that stopped. Not that it bothered 2509981f23 me—I never understood why 439d77cbf9 being born was worth e85a84cd84 celebrating.”77a11191e1e3254c

His voice, 10219ea0d1 small and ab5f6ef1a7 wistful, trailed b3367f3269 off before 72f6e13b39 he suddenly 557400c9fd stopped and a3308adb6b turned to a88650cf13 face me.14db19e5121c505c

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“But now 2866b03c5c I think 77516e1813 I understand.”096f5c7f0cb737f0

Then he smiled, his a744639588 eyes crinkling with warmth 49ac0a3c90 and kindness, like a 04f3511bf3 living embodiment of joy.a4606db9526c68c8

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For a moment, a98348acd8 the Noah I’d ac2acc3261 always known felt abf05ab875 distant, almost like 3bde223fa7 someone else entirely. Without realizing it, f8af7a8ce4 I tightened my 143907e6ea grip on his 0a627e544f hand. I didn’t know what 115bee6566 I was trying to 01a5647691 hold onto, nor did de0b0b5023 I have time to b05d365799 ask what today had 175e224596 taught him.86777b6adfac2116

“Jin?”7ee5f2bf17afdb0e

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I quickly b6b22da0b9 shook my a2089f1c94 head.d963463b3dce1147

“…It’s nothing.”62295fe7b60d483b

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—940d44ec6cd83ab4

Noah, now 16, was 14b31c8a59 finally able to have 9752948c97 a proper sparring session 5031bcd4e6 with Kimaris. He no longer f08c158537 moved in circles 5b73e49f2c and had graduated d9145af0da from small swords 048b2ed52b due to his cdf72d8bdf size and stature, d0b0440eaf which were now 40733b1522 those of an 645237808d adult.af24db64ac1e377a

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Noah showed f0f3fd8626 greater proficiency ebf0144668 in swordsmanship 862f059445 than magic. Although Kimaris still did 8fc0b9ce98 not use magic or e8bf86f542 aura, watching them spar 050d271945 was quite entertaining. Noah was impressive, d49c10ef4f even managing to 34742e0f2c handle an upper-level cf63bbff16 demon with his b1924948fd sword.e68d4b753c0ea581

Boom! Crash!1fc135a4d5387244

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As Noah’s mana 75f0637c33 manifested, the ground 90280db195 of the training d5d6913234 area caved in 81fde5cfe1 with a loud 9ac68645c1 noise, and Kimaris, 322f303966 losing his footing, cd3246c396 leapt into the 201f7076ae air. At that moment, eaff806596 tiny ice spears 08bd2bb90e hurled towards Kimaris, 73dcd7030f who deflected them f4034fa355 with a swing b5c45cedb3 of his sword.fc2fa1bbe2bb22ee

Seizing the moment 5721722620 Kimaris landed, Noah dbc317959b rushed in and 43980b26e2 swung his sword 7d73f660d4 horizontally. Their blades 9965cd44bb clashed, and 6c8a33f3f7 a spear-shaped a9cf492471 rock erupted 43562bd726 from the 6d2f1da7be ground, attacking 52df0ff493 Kimaris. Noah pushed him bd2cdbe70f away with his 6e96a72ba0 sword’s strength, but d841aaa9ce not completely avoiding 6bd9103fcb it, Kimaris got b037a4773c a small cut 0489e576a0 on his forearm, 3b1e6c90c7 dripping blood.7a24392e37e1cbb0

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Yes, Noah had grown 498251cda0 to the point of 4864bc0ef1 injuring Kimaris, and from 6dfd46cad9 a spectator’s perspective, the efcdc8c94d more Kimaris was hurt, a9313803a1 the more exciting the d297bbee7c sparring became. Moreover, Noah was 542fa961a0 now a formidable cb15174a5c sword-magic fighter, handling e3aecc82a5 magic quite proficiently.66ad8e6a83e1f95e

The cut c45244bb15 on Kimaris’s e62570b63f arm healed 55880cead7 quickly due 4c5a0a3dd9 to his 4526b25853 demonic regenerative 6b6ef431c8 abilities. He looked at 3054cf5aeb the slightly bloody cefb71bfdb spot, then grinned a60a9ad487 as if he e266d50242 found it amusing.ebf4ff6137fdd438

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‘I think he’s enjoying f3ed6b6bc2 this more than I 61be2fcd79 am.’2f4b51bc6914a444

Teaching Noah was rewarding, 8371ba6db4 given his quick absorption 9954c72126 of lessons and faster 15d3422f52 growth than most humans. But it seemed 2896d8239e demons rarely used 0c2e24c54b weapons, so sparring 8f40d483da with one was 183d702896 particularly fun for 4092a3d25c him.2e3be8d3ab18f58a

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After receiving some feedback cf8e7e4ec8 from Kimaris, Noah rushed 71425b64ed back to my side. Our daily 9cc5bedb86 sparring might 7850259794 not offer 9aa0d35a40 new insights, 91f7613e89 but I 87f7acf42b always managed b5e8984bcc to come 6cd90e6814 up with 5d7e4b21e4 fresh commentary.3eec02542b6b8ccd

“Soon there 396bb972af won’t be 018e50bac7 anyone else 0b17e7993a to call 037347d09c a sword-magic dbd9ac6e92 fighter but d6d6be7432 you, right? Give it a few c5e2850bb8 more years, and you f11140058c might be able to 6ef66fa6de separate Kimaris’s head from 8bf4eedec5 his body in a 284422706f duel.”02ab2bf74dc8c717

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Was that not 7dbe6da9c2 a compliment? Seeing Kimaris’s ambivalent expression, dde34f571b Noah smiled broadly and df92681bf6 nodded.6b10bfc7ee595e08

“Yes, I’ll try.”d3108f87e57a5e25

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“Try… that’s good, 1755a66017 but don’t actually 553870cb30 cut off his 99e180a18c head. The head takes 39cd81e615 longer to heal 2b2100a0f3 than other parts.”7292793e78b9b9a3

“Okay.”c9689545c5e12bb2

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Noah politely 0fc0d60b20 answered and 53cbacb3ff dashed inside a769573d7c to wash 4dae690739 up, while 3d27833dbf I pretended 8365fbef10 not to 448b2b8040 see Kimaris 80f2a2d44b massaging his d31a1dc2e9 neck.7041b41f5d02a347

“Kimaris, how does c373bacbe3 Noah’s skill compare aed927af85 to humans?”84141bb5fc76c39c

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“Considering he’s human and 2e2ba7b4b3 still young, his level 5a9738d9d8 is astonishing. He could c4f9c8ff1a easily match e4cf62aa4e any decent dadaac4ad5 knight. His current ee74167a79 limitations with c1aa9a88b5 mana and a52a2a14c6 aura usage a4d0613e41 will naturally dafe08dec8 improve over aafe66345a time.”052be12cf7b06a80

Time would inevitably elevate 25a17d9297 Noah to greater heights. I felt 8e3f513fdf immensely proud, 64f136bc70 realizing he ca9bc24cf0 could already 4b1f98153f compete with e49757c3c7 seasoned knights 61494bc6f3 at just 508db025d4 15. It seemed I might 99b7444277 need to get him 6c7bc0c0f0 more magic books.ad352960f6a6bc73

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