Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 139 (Part 1):

Although overshadowed by Alea, Sian turned out to be a more talented elemental mage than expected.

Sian had only revealed two of his spirits. He claimed to be adept in handling spirits of all elements: earth, fire, wind, water, and mind. The last, the mind, belongs to the mental realm of spirits. There’s a memory of him grumbling that it was the most difficult spirit to handle.

“Alea? Impossible. You still don’t know him.”

Sian clicked his tongue and flicked his fingers. Helmut found this gesture somewhat irritating. After all, Alea was his roommate, whom he thought he knew better and was closer to. Especially since Alea didn’t even consider Sian a friend.

But there was no need for such vehement denial. Helmut spoke coldly.

“It’s not a type of exam that favors Alea.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Sian’s eyes widened as if he had realized something.

“Could it be, this is an acknowledgment of me as a rival! Alea acknowledging me, Sian?”

He seemed moved, placing his hand over his chest. How long had he been ignored?

With final exams approaching, Sian felt checked by the top student of the magic department, who had always looked down on him. It was a significant change of pace.

“My heart is pounding.”

“…Are you confident in fighting against magical beasts?”

Helmut felt ambivalent. The performance of others didn’t concern him, but the thought of Sian outperforming Alea was somehow displeasing.

The thought of Alea wandering around in a bad mood made it worse. Yet, Sian didn’t seem the type to gloat over good grades.

‘I don’t think so, but I can’t guarantee it. After all, there’s bad blood with Alea.’

Despite being a mere bet, Alea had once cruelly made Sian run 100 laps around the field in a day. It wouldn’t be strange if that came back to bite.

“No, confident? I’ve led a sheltered life. Never even fought a bear.”

Sian appeared gentle and soft. With his soft flesh and seemingly muscle-less stomach, he looked weak.

“But I don’t fight alone. I have my spirits.”

Sian stroked the head of a light spirit sitting on his shoulder, looking at Helmut. It was just a gesture, as the spirit was going to pass through anyway.

“Are you confident?”

The light spirit confidently raised its fist. Ironically, this spirit, capable of blinding opponents, was the least useful, kept around mostly to boost spirit affinity.

“See? Confident.”

“… okay.”

There’s no need to worry about Alea. It doesn’t seem like this fellow would fight well. It’s only because of his intelligence that he does well academically.

“Make sure not to lose to Asuka. Good, it’s a rebellion of the second ranks! It’s not a rule that I always have to lose to Alea.”

Sian became noticeably noisier compared to when they first met, perhaps influenced by Asuka or becoming more like him. Helmut didn’t bother to dampen his spirits.

***

The exam venue wasn’t singular. Though the facilities were identical, they were divided into three rooms. Otherwise, how could they accommodate so many students at once?

The exam contents were kept secret. The entrance and exit were separate. To re-enter the waiting area, candidates had to pass a vigilant instructor. Thus, it was impossible to give hints about the magical beasts faced or exam strategies.

Interestingly, Helmut was scheduled right after Asuka. Helmut waited to see when Asuka would emerge.

‘If it takes 5 minutes per creature, 50 minutes for 10 stages.’

Helmut didn’t underestimate Asuka’s abilities, nor did he overestimate them. But Asuka had an explosive style. Unlike fighting assassins, the outcome of such exams would be quick, whether passing or failing.

Though mathematically calculated, there could be unforeseen variables. Helmut had finished duels in less than a minute before.

After fighting an assassin in the Pedica forest, he had only sparred a few times, using wooden swords.

It had been a while since he fought seriously with a real sword. Not fighting Talon was the right decision, though regrettable. Talon was one of the few strong enough to fight without restraint.

Even if it was an exam, fighting with real swords meant Vis could be freely used. Weapons other than swords were generally not allowed unless they were a mage’s primary weapon.

Helmut gripped his sword handle tighter. Focused solely on training, his body yearned for a real duel. There simply weren’t worthy opponents.

‘Magical beasts, familiar yet.’

He had faced many before. They emitted magical energy that negatively affected Helmut’s seed of darkness, but this was different. These beasts were mere illusions.

Considering the test involved skipping stages with intervals, Helmut planned to finish within 15 minutes.

Nearby, second-year students from the swordsmanship department were chatting. They seemed to be relieving tension through conversation.

“This exam should favor you, right? I heard your region has many magical beasts.”

“What’s it like fighting them?”

“It’s like battling a huge, threatening animal. Maybe it’s because they carry magical energy, but it feels unnervingly tense.”

“What does that feel like specifically?”

“When it glares with glowing eyes, there’s this eerie pressure on the skin.”

As he finished, a scream erupted.

“AAAAAAH!”

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