Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 115 (Part 2):
On the way back to the dormitory, Helmut suddenly looked back. A sharp sensation ran down his spine.
‘Is it a delusion?’
The street was crowded. Helmut scanned the crowd with his eyes, but found nothing unusual.
“What’s wrong?”
Alea, who was ahead, asked, and Helmut turned his body back to her.
“It’s nothing.”
‘A hunting picnic, huh…’
An uneasy feeling stirred in his heart.
‘I can only hope that nothing happens.’
But if something did happen, it couldn’t be helped. Helmut looked down at the sword at his waist. His sword was there to be used when needed.
‘He’s got keen senses.’
A man hidden in an alley let out a breath only after Helmut had disappeared.
The man excelled in stealth, to the extent that only a few could claim to be better.
Even now, just a few steps away from the crowd in the alley, no one noticed his presence.
It was indeed a curious thing. The man stood out, he was taller than most adult men, with unusually long limbs.
Cloaked in a dark gray mantle with his head covered by a hood, the only thing visible beneath the deeply hooded face was a white mask. A sinister grinning jester’s face, with sharp nose and eyes.
If one encountered him in the dark, those with a weak heart might fall backwards in shock.
The man had just tested how close he could get without being noticed by his target.
In such a crowded street, he had followed from a distance where people appeared as mere dots.
Yet, the target sensed his presence with alarming sensitivity. Such skill could not be left to chance.
The man decided to retreat. It was enough to have confirmed the target. The place for action wasn’t here in Baden.
“A challenging prey. I must prepare thoroughly.”
The man’s thin lips curled up. It had been a while since he’d encountered such an exciting challenge.
A predator puts its all into chasing even a rabbit. The man would not be careless, even if the target was just a 15-year-old boy.
Without carelessness, he’d strike swiftly to cut off the breath.
The man was a skilled human hunter and assassin.
“I wonder where such a person came from.”
A genius that appears once in a century. A swordsman built from the ground up by a great master. Sharp senses and a cool head.
Even such a person, knowing his own strength, cannot help but be arrogant. Because he has never experienced defeat.
At that age, unlikely to have much experience, and thus, never targeted by a ruthless venom aiming for his life.
“I hope you make a wise choice.”
Though the man had delivered death to many, strong and weak alike, this target seemed particularly challenging. His heart raced with anticipation, like a child before an outing.
‘A hunting picnic, huh? Wonder who will be hunted.’
The man laughed behind his mask. The moment the target left Baden, his plan would begin.
It was just three days ago, in a mansion in a village adjacent to Baden.
Anton, the branch chief of the Black Hawk in the Kingdom of Kinan, greeted his guest with both hands respectfully folded.
“Welcome, esteemed guest. To what do I owe the honor of your visit to such a place?”
While smart and skilled enough to catch the guild leader’s eye, Anton was merely a branch chief in the Black Hawk.
Certainly, not a low position, but Anton could not afford to be upright against the person sent from headquarters.
If things went wrong, even if Anton were to be killed, no one would object. The guest was part of Hawk Eye, a group within Black Hawk comprised only of those with undisclosed powers.
‘I never imagined Hawk Eye would get involved in this matter.’
As the branch chief, Anton had heard bits and pieces about Hawk Eye.
The man in the strange mask before him was named Fasho. His nickname was the “Dark Jester.” An assassin with skills comparable to a 1st rank platinum medal mercenary.
Those targeted by him witness the ghastly smile of the jester rising from the darkness and find their throats slit.
‘Was that kid considered that important?’
Helmut, the boy, certainly possessed extraordinary skills for his age and was bound to grow stronger.
It was a problem that needed to be resolved quickly, whether in a good way or bad.
However, Anton had not anticipated that a key figure from headquarters would suddenly appear like this.
“Anton, was it? I’ve seen the report sent to headquarters. You have quite the eye for detail.”
A tone devoid of strength. Thin yet androgynous, making it all the more eerie. The jester’s smiling mask was nothing short of terrifying.
“It’s an honor, Mr. Fasho.”
“About the boy’s details.”
“Yes, here it is.”
Hawk Eye’s movements are rarely reported. Unprepared for Fasho’s sudden visit, Anton was fortunate to have a brief report on the clash with Helmut.
Taking the report handed over by Anton with courtesy, Fasho slowly read through it. His eyes sparkled with interest.
“Greta Academy’s Swordsmanship Department 2nd year, Helmut. Killed two 2nd-rank mercenaries on his own. Even if it’s Greta Academy, a student? Is there an instructor capable of teaching someone like him?”
The opponent was on par with a 1st-rank mercenary. Even considering him as a 1st-rank mercenary, only a few among Greta Academy’s graduating students could match that skill.
There were hardly any instructors with skills above that level, making it bizarre for such a person to attend the academy.
“The skills are, frankly, beyond the need for academy education. He transferred this year. His tracks were lost on the way to Baden, likely disguised.”
“The patron is Ethan Kudrow, an instructor at Greta Academy.”
“A noble from the venerable Baden. How they connected is unknown. As you know, Baden is difficult for us to meddle in. There have been incidents recently, limiting our investigation.”
Black Hawk spies were being hunted down in Baden with heightened vigilance.
The escape of Black Hawk members had sparked this alertness.