Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 134 (Part 2):
On one side, Professor Dwayne was casting healing magic on the injured while Helmut recounted his experience. He omitted certain details for brevity, as Andro had already explained much of it.
Instructor Patricia touched her forehead silently after hearing his story.
“So, the assassin escaped without being seen?”
“Yes, I lost track of them and returned.”
Continuing to lie stung his conscience. Helmut felt he had adapted quite well to Greta Academy, considering he now had a conscience.
“I’m not sure about Dino’s condition.”
Helmut didn’t detail how he had saved Dino from his rampage.
But considering Dino’s unusual state, it seemed necessary to inform them of what had happened for proper treatment.
Helmut briefly explained why Dino had gone berserk, mentioning the magic infused into him and how, at some point, Dino collapsed.
While Helmut omitted how he extracted the magic, it wasn’t a lie.
“Dino still has traces of magic in him. It seems we might need to take him to the temple for purification.”
Professor Dwayne added, after examining Dino’s condition. The mention of the temple caused Helmut to flinch slightly.
“He was really lucky. If the magic and his own Vis had clashed, his blood vessels could have burst, leading to death. Somehow, the magic was drawn out of his body.”
“Black Hawk, truly persistent. I didn’t expect them to send someone this far.”
“I should have contacted you sooner. It’s our fault you were put in danger. I’m sorry.”
Patricia apologized, patting Helmut’s shoulder. The scene they arrived to was indeed shocking.
Asuka, spewing blood; James, battered; Dino, unconscious with a severed finger; and Helmut missing. Only Andro was relatively unharmed.
‘The danger was my doing.’
Initially, Helmut’s unilateral decision not to inform the instructors was to blame. He enjoyed knowing that enemies lurked nearby, reveling in the tension.
However, he eventually lost the ability to enjoy it, possibly because his teammates were in danger.
The moment he saw his fallen comrades upon returning to the campsite, he felt anger and realized he had changed.
The current Helmut wasn’t the same as before, who only cared for himself and saw no need to look after others.
An additional constraint emerged, making him feel constrained and unfamiliar.
Yet, there was no aversion. While the change was unwelcome, it wasn’t unacceptable. It felt like taking a step further into society.
Instructors Alan, Patricia, and Professor Dwayne began a meeting among themselves.
They had left the camp in a hurry. Moving all these people would be too much for Professor Dwayne, already drained from using healing magic.
It was also a problem to go back with these five students, and they had to decide what to do with the hunting picnic that was left for a day.
‘When will we find the horse?’
For Helmut, that was the most pressing concern. Solo action seemed no longer permissible. Yet, he couldn’t just leave his horse behind. He grew slightly anxious.
“Ah, I feel a bit better now.”
Asuka, who had been receiving treatment, chugged water voraciously. Surprisingly calm for someone who nearly died, his good spirits likely stemmed from successfully striking the assassin’s arm, a formidable opponent.
In contrast, the others looked grim, eager to return.
Why two? Because Dino was still unconscious.
Suddenly, Asuka widened his eyes and pointed.
“Look over there.”
Helmut was already looking in that direction. Accompanied by the sound of hooves, a white horse emerged from the forest. Helmut raised an eyebrow.
“White.”
As if it had been frolicking in the woods, the horse appeared lively. Recognizing its name, White approached Helmut cheerfully.
Helmut stroked the horse’s mane, and White neighed contentedly. It seemed unbothered by any tampering, almost like a service.
‘Not bad.’
Suddenly, Talon became somewhat likable to Helmut. Though he nearly hunted him down, the residual feelings softened.
Following shortly, four more horses appeared in line. Andro and James stood up.
“How did this happen?”
“Why did the horses return?”
Despite their confusion, everyone was happy to have their horses back. For a knight, a long-time companion horse is precious, as finely tuned to them as their sword.
“The missing horses returning is indeed strange.”
Professor Dwayne checked the horses with magic, unable to find anything amiss, he shrugged.
“It doesn’t seem like anything has been done to the horses.”
Instructors Patricia and Alan followed with their observations.
“It feels odd that the assassin would return the horses.”
“Either they were chased away and returned or the ropes came undone, but it’s definitely peculiar.”
“We should take the students back now.”
Having the horses made things easier. The three agreed on how to proceed. Patricia addressed the five students of Team 9.
“We’ve requested support from the academy due to the emergency. Professors from the Magic and Swordsmanship departments will arrive soon. Since we need to greet them and gather the other students, Professor Dwayne and I will return to the campsite with Dino first. The rest of you, unfortunately, will have a bit of a struggle. With all the gear, you’ll need to ride back with Instructor Alan.”
Magic transport for everyone wasn’t feasible without overexerting Professor Dwayne.
Dino, unconscious, couldn’t ride, and Professor Dwayne had too many students to contact if he went back alone. Thus, the decision was made.
“No problem!”
Asuka, burdened with the most luggage, was visibly pleased. He had packed various items for the hunting trip, including a magical scroll that created a vacuum in a specific area, proving useful.
“We have a crystal ball, so contact us if anything happens on the way back, Alan. We’ll go ahead.”
“Yes, Patricia. See you at the campsite.”
With that, the return method was settled.
After the departure of Professor Dwayne and the others, Team 9 immediately set off, taking as long to return as when they arrived: a full four hours.
Healing magic only treated wounds, not fatigue from lack of sleep and the ordeal of battle. Hunger added to their exhaustion.
Purely in terms of physical exertion, their training was more demanding. However, the relentless tension drained them further.
Upon sighting their initial campsite, Team 9’s members, worn out from fatigue, collectively sighed in relief. Helmut was no exception.
“Helmut!”
Entering the campsite, a man rushed towards them.
“Instructor Ethan.”
Helmut nodded respectfully. Uncharacteristically frantic, Ethan focused solely on Helmut, dismounting to grasp his shoulders.
“Helmut, you had warned me, but I never imagined such an event would actually occur.”
It seems he had already heard about the Black Hawk’s attack.
Ethan Kudrow knew of the history between Helmut and the Black Hawk, as Helmut had previously informed him. Helmut responded lightly.
“I didn’t expect it either, so there’s no need to blame yourself.”
“I should have been here… I’m sorry.”
Ethan smoothed his troubled face. Being worried about felt rather nice.
Just as Helmut had changed, so had the people around him. This change held significance.