Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 122 (Part 1):
Their gazes met. An ominous premonition washed over them.
Without waiting to see who would move first, they dashed towards the direction of the scream.
‘A trap? Did Black Hawk attack someone?’
Except for Helmut and Asuka, all the members of Group 9 were nobles. Wouldn’t Asuka be the most likely target if there was one? Black Hawk had targeted Asuka once before.
Several assumptions flashed through his mind.
From afar, they could see the members of Group 9 who had rushed over upon hearing the scream.
It seemed they were all nearby, having taken a brief rest and scattered not long ago.
“What do we do now?”
“Someone hurry and fetch Professor Dwayne!”
“We need to remove the leg first!”
“Don’t just recklessly touch it. You’ll get hurt too!”
“Damn it, there’s too much blood! Basil’s going to die!”
The face of Basil, whom Helmut saw, was pale with pain.
Looking down, he saw Basil’s leg caught in the jaws of a trap, half-severed and bleeding profusely.
The trap was identical to the one Helmut had seen before.
‘It wasn’t only me they were after.’
It was unlikely for Helmut to fall for such a trap. This was no coincidence.
Clearly, it was Group 9’s members they targeted. It was evident that one of his teammates was the target.
‘Why?’
Basil was a noble, as were all the members of Group 9. Did it mean that it was okay to mess with nobles?
But to Group 9’s members, Helmut was just another academy student, not any special relationship. They wouldn’t bat an eye even if they died. Did they not realize this?
‘They might not know.’
Perhaps they attacked thinking that since they were teammates, even if they were nobles or Greta Academy students, it wouldn’t matter. But why go to such lengths?
‘After all, the target is me. It would be easier if they just approached me.’
It seemed excessive for just gaining the upper hand.
‘If they wanted to kill, they could have. It’s simpler than setting traps.’
Perhaps this meant they weren’t intending to go as far as murder. Whatever the motive, it only sparked curiosity without any real effect.
Helmut was too accustomed to tension to be unnerved by this alone.
“Move aside.”
Helmut pushed through his teammates and swung his sword before anyone could stop him.
Crack! The trap was cleanly split in half. Basil’s leg was a horrific sight, as if it had been in the jaws of a beast, completely bloodied.
Helmut carefully removed the trap fragments from Basil’s leg, who shivered and barely suppressed his screams.
“That’s dangerous, cutting it with a sword like that!”
“Leaving it would be more dangerous.”
Helmut replied firmly, then grabbed James, who was standing by.
“What, what is it?”
“You’re friends with this guy, right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Instead of answering, James’s cloak was torn. Helmut used it to tightly wrap Basil’s leg.
“Hold this tight for now. We can’t let it bleed more.”
James, suddenly without a piece of his cloak, held Basil’s leg without complaint. Helmut looked around. Before he could say anything, Asuka stepped forward.
“I’ll fetch Professor Dwayne. I’m faster.”
It was unusual for Asuka to take initiative. He was the only one who could reach the campsite quickly without getting tired here.
After Asuka left, Helmut scouted the surroundings and noticed grass under a tree.
‘That will do.’
Chewing the grass, he tasted its bitterness. Helmut spat it onto his palm and approached Basil, who was sweating coldly and half-conscious.
It didn’t seem like poison, more so excessive blood loss.
“This herb has hemostatic properties.”
A piece of knowledge learned from Darien. He hadn’t expected to use it like this.
After explaining, Helmut spread the chewed herb over the wound.
As the pain intensified, Basil moaned continuously.
“Huuuh!”
James willingly took off his cloak. Helmut tore it into strips for a makeshift bandage and stood up.
The experience of emergency treatment was strangely satisfying. Indeed, learning anything had its uses.
Looking up, Helmut found the others gazing at him with peculiar expressions.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, nothing.”
“To handle this so calmly in such a situation… I’m impressed.”
Helmut raised an eyebrow. Basil was the one hurt, not him. Even if Basil had died, Helmut would have remained calm. He had prepared for the worst on their way here.
But unlike him, the initial panic had made Helmut’s calmness seem remarkable to Group 9’s members.
“How did this happen?”
The location was tricky. There were sharp thorn bushes on either side, and Basil had stepped on a seemingly shallow patch of grass. It seemed possible to step on, but they needed to understand how it happened.
“James, you were with Basil, right?”
As one pointed out, James rubbed his face sheepishly.
“Basil saw something over there and started running. I was chasing after him when he suddenly screamed and fell.”
“What did he see?”
Basil managed to answer despite his condition.
“A bear? Something big like that.”
“To think someone set a trap here to catch such a creature. It was inevitable to step on it.”
Agreement was shared with nods all around.