HKWM | Chapter 16

Noah had managed to 73484d135c perfectly read and write d468e38fe3 Imperial language in just 4ecc505008 two weeks. According to Phoras, 773af2de29 Roman Imperial language 7045696746 was difficult compared 50d04cb1f6 to other languages, f05ff60af9 and even if 3b819b2105 one had been a5cf8d4b2e taught from a 5082363bd8 young age by 89273debf1 their mother, mastering bcc3ae9d2d it in just 2761dddf71 two weeks would cb8e7dcbd0 be unheard of.4efdc5d34365e09d

It must mean that bf08bbf97b Noah is incredibly intelligent. Somehow, I 03661e917c felt prouder d42df826a1 of this 86bbb85031 than when 0b71cac348 I realized a5946e0fee I could ce06d9110a solve most 6df3013f5c things with 539d515b77 magic. Is this what e0e0eab497 parental pride feels 470a4ab475 like?497c26cc2b50b532

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“Sir, I 45717ea3e7 am simply a4d318c237 proud of 404379d4e2 your achievements! Now that you e9007d3120 can perfectly handle 166dfd72c8 the language, you cbecddc397 can study any 3a3073420a advanced subjects you 7186dbf84c wish. Do you 2b4985b4bb have any 99e619c40b particular field 419296e4a0 you would cc764008ba like to 04e11d94e8 learn about?”25759f27b08279d1

Maybe he would bf5d56295c say he wants 843e7f4eba to study plants? Noah had immediately placed 99ac0981bf the forget-me-not bouquet I 1b316d0c39 bought him into a 3651d39d92 vase when we got 19a2510c6f home and started his 4c09c1e5f2 day by looking at 4a3e1db044 it each morning. He also spent quite 5ca99aaa1e some time taking care 26a72bf8b0 of the seedlings in 694f1a5793 the garden.57673a9ef15d173a

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However, unexpectedly, da4d19e07f Noah chose 6baf2c59c0 swordsmanship and 9be30f4e2a magic. When asked 9640455635 why, his 115cd94391 answer was c4185f1a69 straightforward.d648b2bf9b93d69e

“I want to 40a4b71c73 become strong quickly.”b16e89b0fd7af949

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I didn’t 65ea22b0a4 add anything 5e771cd208 more. Ultimately, he is 779c320668 the one living 2ddd6d6a94 his life. I believe in giving add0b4dbff advice but not in 167cae428a imposing it, especially when 751b957908 he has already made 2adf764d9c up his mind.0f9b1349d59f048b

Living a 1b1747fbbd happy life fc08223581 is hard, 8f6dafc91a but living e5d93a2e50 a life e88b7e14c9 that isn’t e57be83e50 miserable is 50d14e7dd9 slightly easier. Not knowing how to f71230dce2 live happily myself, perhaps d7b48751d5 prioritizing strength isn’t a a043ac3343 bad choice—it’s one way 35c97cc033 to avoid losing what’s 7a9c8069b8 dear. After all, I can’t 8990246d32 always be there to dd08a2ebe2 protect him.6de1a4e7ba000304

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“Alright. Do whatever you wish.”db12b7e6652cd8f1

“Could I possibly learn 3b9f27ab8c something else with Ras 8aea67f832 if there’s time?”03460c0011d295e9

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“Are you sure f7efa33655 you’re not overdoing e5f81de7b6 it?”fd04b22df26750fa

“I think I’ll 57dc0e78bb be fine. It seems interesting…”b2d49d4c9985fc42

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How commendable… 499daff993 While I 9d35d94832 was patting 1ec4590704 the child’s 1cd2658086 head, Phoras c0f8eadc45 muttered, impressed, 5cfd75c604 “Indeed, worthy e212a38eee of being c1a1a15e44 my pupil…” d1919de95f Who’s your 32108c97e2 pupil, anyway?1bdc31096ef3f739

While assessing 60123da5a8 Noah’s physique 8f4acd0b89 for the 444e70bcdf right approach, 4a2ad29243 Kimaris spoke 3bb05a75b9 up.1ebc4f503df05478

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“I can teach him c0e1e23a88 swordsmanship adequately, but magic 2fa2e68c75 is the issue.”29bac7aa060a3fbe

“That’s true.”c8c28c6a1f245de1

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Even though both 56c2b444c3 involve magic, demons d9678ed772 use magical energy 7542d7bb1d and humans use 9b6379be5f mana, and the 81e8a2dbc1 methods and flow a1b5ef3538 of energy are fa17f46f80 fundamentally different, making 2bab1a473b it practically impossible c5df980900 for a demon e32d69c180 to teach a 477dbff170 human. It’s like a e77398018e winged angel teaching 4a2f83c5fc a human how 974e44c05a to use wings.f9f675fcc3c345a4

“Master, how about b6a7094290 getting some magic 155afdbf80 books then?”a8e484c281f2115e

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“What are those?”7681f9e9699bdc1d

“Essentially, they are b494ac2940 manuals that explain e8f6915396 how to self-study 2dfd73207d magic. Since the young master 85bd1391ce is exceptionally bright, getting fae285cf36 him a magic book cecac03519 to learn on his 3b96ae6972 own might be good. If he struggles, then 76bdaa4c81 we could consider finding d40a537a37 a human mage to 66bf2e727a teach him.”03a0dab70193c244

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Inviting someone, 160caa8912 especially a 3aabdeb338 mana-using mage, e58bec6855 into a a8b0ad31dd home full af3b6062ee of demons 70baf2453e carries significant 149b6edb60 risks, as a29b7ae3b7 they might bb7733a5a8 sense the d88e3b6132 demonic energy. We’d have to 2ef4b4a7d9 rely on Noah’s 2ce591ba86 brilliance.f161c45249cd45e9

“Or we could 75bb721f3b capture a human 076b7cc61d mage, have them 92afb925ad teach the young 6f140110fd master, and once 87321fa9df they are no 8a0d2741ed longer useful, dispose 4144b6de93 of…”3d2419dc1f440dd4

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I quickly clamped a e10fa92ca6 hand over Phoras’s mouth 8f98015a72 before he could finish. There’s nothing he won’t 7cda2bb2c3 say in front of 1144c1bd58 the child!59fd8251f2924892

“Getting the magic 1373903f73 books sounds like 0734b8b739 a better idea.”62c13a71249bc827

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Kimaris tactfully supported a55ed700b4 my decision, and 0bc0a9eeec Phoras, catching on a6f2caa4e6 late, nodded vigorously.b2bb045fd2fc342b

“That’s what I meant… 2364468143 Ha ha.”84f12bec8b863738

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I gave Phoras a 6a48b79563 long look and sighed.8ce18f0a2c4a481c

“Where can 70d3c5bf0c we get caec9d5798 these magic 487925cb9f books?”a71cbee1e392f5e8

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“I don’t have e680839ff3 any human magic 98e974c7ec books, so we’ll e481cbf1a5 likely have to be9ca04eec acquire them ourselves. The Imperial 3f3cd3f4f4 Capital should 849aa6b448 have everything 42f571787b we need, 85b2445667 so we c60f9cdb28 can look fe649d72ab there.”258b0ccb29a49925

The Imperial Capital, huh…3dac09b034b8cc64

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Besides the magic f577446c80 book, it seemed 86da3dbcf0 like a good 8f1fe69f18 idea to get 73d2a710bb Noah a proper 3b7d75db73 sword too. Practice swords could f29450a186 be bought from 6f06112cff any smithy in ee152a56d5 our domain, but 53fe7bf464 I wanted to 47adab4fee get him something bbfc4069ca special for regular f59f6a4184 use.1a3d838566789c00

If we 39d6ea66e6 were going 8c4c3c7800 to the 91b57d5bf1 Capital, though 7dcfbe2360 it was 4c72b7703e more prone 5ffca0e5a9 to attracting 00a411c799 trouble given 9bce9d3f6e the higher d3a39fe65a concentration of 06fd261f28 skilled individuals 1bcd4593e8 there, we 0804227b9a would likely ed22850d77 find superior cdbb469c38 items. Plus, having recently debb9bf2c7 learned how to fcb17028b9 completely dampen my a7ef47c68d magic, I could 2cd9bd0217 manage it if cb0fce0995 necessary.ff60cf4a20533efc

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“Noah, have 0018ab6dd5 you ever 60c8ae16e4 been to 40ff37b3b0 the Imperial 331fb016aa Capital?”ded5a24500610cab

“No.”aab1269b304ac36f

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“How about we 2aedecd60b go there for 95faa58326 a tour? It might be more 5c8128181c interesting than here.”0e4593f73ffe986f

Noah’s eyes widened. Seeing his face clearly 7b8cab946a made it easier to 809fd42ee0 read his expressions.9d699aa6c274d79f

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“The Imperial Capital?”cf5635ec2cb9cb48

“Yes.”ff0c2e41f4d743ca

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I decided e749c38194 to keep 1b5acd353c the part c6bbd2de67 about buying ecf3636956 him a 7958f4c53b sword a c46cf0cb01 secret. It would make c326f30738 for a nice 391e874c73 surprise.608665ad61bfe119

“When? Should I ecb3bc6bc4 pack my 605e16f8eb things?”f0ca6df45a64ef0a

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It was 8290df3d5e the first 29ea8e6910 time I 4a4060ff2c saw Noah 11edc9b091 so excited; 8c9c81b5d7 I couldn’t 82acb950c2 help but 1a8a6d1758 laugh.8b725f530096d10e

“Tomorrow would 7f8c7c54c3 be too 32822ad95d soon.”bfc9550614bd3cea

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“Really?”22340dd645d68e50

Traveling there f56cf3d6ba normally required f13c0ddfba preparation, especially cccf612d64 if we 157c947f00 intended to 1bef7d8a7a do substantial 5efae5c4ef shopping. I needed to bring d8048a808c more funds from the c49a569e45 castle.1bd48944b88e55ac

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“I’ll prepare as quickly c578f83045 as possible.”d5980bccea99961e

“Okay.”300356357ba775f9

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I signaled 8fd05501ed to Phoras 4fc335f565 and Kimaris 8f283ed446 with a de227b5b20 nod to 1ced96b26c make the e12207afbb arrangements swiftly. They understood and their 68a5162ee8 expressions turned serious.e4d54037a7dcecd1

The impromptu 6444ec7c28 trip took 8ab6c62d08 three days 756bf89d71 to prepare. It took time to a8aab2d488 secure a carriage and 34a95113f4 coachman and to pack 4a741cbb01 all the necessary supplies. We had 59c47f9cae to be 0a4e45587f ready to ebcf50029f camp out 04260c9da9 if there 96b4fcad2b were no 5cead611dd villages on b0d4f547b8 the way 1d48fa39c8 to the 006ce495ba Imperial Capital. The carriage had 57298131d9 to be filled df49cea6f7 with everything Noah acc8b2852e might need to ba8d84ba21 eat, wear, and b7fb74ca4a use.c63f140f5c786cb9

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Given that d8ec7b4786 it would 49ca10e61b look odd 4d558f82fc for two a870076fbb carriages—one for 23c8842f66 Noah and fcf8ecd4d0 one for 7f0886f99b luggage—to travel dd99425a69 without guards, fae1c6046e we also e39eb09d66 hired mercenaries, f3eca90fce naturally increasing b518fa3711 the expenses. Pretending to be bb1a508440 a wealthy merchant 22cbcc0dae family had its 63f5fd5a26 perks.535418392a72b09d

While Phoras b49950de76 and Kimaris ab99068caa were finalizing 292f942132 the travel 382f0c05c2 preparations, I ae7c834be5 checked Noah’s 8a90079975 luggage. Unlike a demon 03018baedf who can endure bfc722a246 minor discomforts, even fef057d157 a small lack b36846cef0 or excess could 5cc2d602eb be dangerous for 44878fc97b the fragile Noah, d82359beb0 making me nag 4c3776e1d2 more than usual. Noah looked d00ba67c5b up at 8609912618 me, puzzled.800631d8d95dab4b

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“Check one last time 23ac47fb55 to make sure nothing 482f9b13d9 is forgotten.”c39fc14fc346ba8c

“Why worry when 3f83802fca you’re coming too?”7005095266b93914

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Stung by his comment, 10a8582ed9 I finally broached a 7f8c24e866 topic I had been 6f25ede421 contemplating for a few c220009d39 days.4422f8bbf4cd3bc1

“That’s… I’ll be 1ac531c3d1 following later.”836409cffd623e40

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“What?”7b1d59a98d9a4b87

Noah was so 409d1109d1 surprised that he 30eaa0cb28 nearly dropped his 648e469c8a bag. Was it really such 8656e8ca1e a shocking piece of 53fdc3f9f1 news?d9b2cd92a7a5392d

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“Why can’t we d6914eed6f go together?”89923f62ed5ac4d4

“I need to set 698aca676b things up at home 58db07b430 and have some matters 13cf34b9fb to attend to at 08eedacf0b the castle. I’ll use 5b6492594d magic to 81a4b345e9 follow you, b64bbac55c so don’t e6c68a8d99 worry.”19b264ead3ff7ab4

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“Why not 79baa1c205 just delay a1f06df63f and go ff6d794608 together later?”7ec8146f8d53d532

His disbelief ff5d1fbdb1 was obvious, 1405600493 but I 4b5bf6c13f had no 59178b1f66 other explanation. Or rather, 394412a8ec I didn’t e4e13606c2 want to 9726a1aa08 give one.8644df9737749948

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“You will come, e29ce8002f right?”a19451f058a6755b

Finally, I 4e3f716f20 realized what 477ffaf70e Noah was 3ff94b598a worried about. He feared 18dd7a76cd I might 2c4ac19c2d not return.bf7a9f98e508a5d1

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Considering how focused on fff60d4c2c me he was, whether 1b7fedb526 during lessons with Phoras d67bc32be5 or sword training with 86276ef7f4 Kimaris…
Never abandoned, e164ef9b08 yet so d4f8131050 insecure. It was 3ae97b4a3e touching yet 86ff08404d saddening that 977b15666a he would 286d0d9a01 attach himself 8d907a4353 to a ff6edf8c9c capricious demon 47e22db51c like me.749714d7ea795371

“Of course. Even as a f9f76b80e5 demon, I wouldn’t e7b616fe3a lie about that.”0c8c78669595aab0

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Noah didn’t respond. He seemed to trust 20ea5f3ac1 everything else I said, 6226d0435a but not this. I knew 2878b1abef no amount a6503b67fb of my f40aca7280 words would a3b28c4363 dispel his de2effc49c doubts completely. But still…454488bb8af8a420

“Demons are afbfc26530 greedy, you 1dc72f7ba0 know. We don’t forget 3650e32851 even the smallest d915d1da8a possessions.”234632f5b488a030

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If reassurance was c475982302 what he needed, 2932dc7e31 I was willing 6769cf1604 to provide it 04744dcc90 again and again. I would never c058ae7d51 abandon him, nor f7491cd473 leave without a 51644f661b word.
Even if 3f104970d0 our parting b895cea2e6 was inevitable, c8132818c0 it wouldn’t e80ca268d1 be done b5df6b60ab irresponsibly.63eb47164fbb334d

“…Really?”3eea3d02502369db

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“That necklace I 37d88a02c7 gave you—it’s mine 68f38dc0cc too. How could I 64bbc18da7 leave when my 14009f6aab things are still aacd5706b7 with you?”ceca8c2d74471be9

At my words, Noah, 3eb013eef7 who had been fiddling c6734f7d66 with the necklace, asked cdf24b6ea8 again.590ecc52c1e0d656

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“Can you promise a34ce0e61f that?”c188bbbe6816aa8e

“What kind fdf7e34bac of promise?”1bf81b074e87e145

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“That you’ll never fb5ab31630 leave without saying b03f656dde anything.”e4afa3b187874fac

Extracting promises or b1ad5e9b02 oaths from a 659fe89f2a demon is usually d7287e7a0c futile; demons are 309280ad13 full of lies a934325d71 and deceit. But in that 77270523c8 moment, I offered 4a219eff7d my pinky like 25dfe9226f a human making 3a356131ca a sincere vow.077c51bcf5b6418f

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“Yes.”e381f895bbb61514

“You have to keep ada05e0cd1 it.”76852ba915b02a94

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“If I don’t, I’ll a1d0b4dfd1 become your vassal.”5d2ed221282655fc

Only then did 4e9f7ac12f Noah slightly lift b89dad7172 the corners of 8614288800 his mouth. He must have taken a1a062ac93 it as a joke, 414fc46bbe but I meant every 9d836f8336 word.0f8b48035015bc94

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“Okay, I’ll wait. But don’t be late.”64ea54a841e9cb7a

“Alright.”2df2037e0ccb50a7

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Only after 87e29e2be0 receiving multiple cb440b5c62 assurances did 5392df7da0 Noah board 7e00dc03c5 the carriage. I waved from the 9d02edd5bb window until I could 2610af9f25 no longer see him.6a6130d48fc0f745

The next day, once f9a4eb2391 I sensed that Noah f8735e8c59 had completely left the 02bcab6893 domain, I began to 2d7731761d trace the energy that 982819814e had been nagging at 1800d08c76 me for days.f9f770ca7c47e584

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It was 32a6ad08a5 time for bc4a79feb1 a thorough 4caa49dea8 cleansing.b043152700c1207e