Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 142 (Part 2):

“The holidays are coming up. What do you plan to do?”

Helmut had pondered this as well. During the holidays, Asuka, Sian, and Alea would all leave Baden. He was the only one without a reason to leave.

When Sian invited him to his house, Helmut said he might visit if he had the chance. Asuka, hiding something, made no such invitation. Alea wasn’t the type to extend invitations.

Students at Greta Academy hid their identities. While unavoidable among close friends, they typically kept quiet about holiday plans for that reason.

“I’m thinking of taking on some mercenary work and traveling a bit.”

He had no specific plans. But the world was vast. Having lived confined in the Forest of Roots, there were countless places for him to explore.

“You’re not planning to leave Greta Academy, are you? In terms of swordsmanship, there’s no instructor here who can teach you. That’ll remain true no matter your grade level.”

“I’ve learned a lot at Greta Academy. I still think there’s more for me to learn.”

Unfamiliar emotions, new relationships, novel knowledge—he had learned much. The way of the sword is a solitary, endless path that one must tread alone.

There was no one at the academy capable of teaching him the sword. But that would be the same outside as well.

Even if Darien were alive, he could no longer teach him. Helmut had reached a level where he was beyond being taught by others.

His mastery of the sword was solely up to him. Training was possible at the academy. He had made progress recently, so it wasn’t a waste of time.

Among his peers, being part of a group was a life Helmut had never lived before. He realized anew his satisfaction with his place here.

And there were… faces that flitted through his mind, one in particular looming large. Helmut flinched. It was a bad omen. He forcibly brought another face to mind.

‘Following Charlotte might make things easier.’

He kept that in mind too. Ethan shook his head.

“The Black Hawk targeting you could pose a danger if you go outside.”

Someone from Black Hawk had accepted a commission to attack a student of Greta Academy. That’s all that was publicly known.

Since then, Black Hawk had pulled back its operations near Baden to avoid tracking.

Helmut felt compelled to say,

“Black Hawk won’t target me anymore. I can’t tell you why, but there’s a reason.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Being confined to Greta Academy and not being allowed to venture into Baden’s downtown was suffocating for Helmut. It was clear overprotection. He wasn’t a child anymore.

Ethan did not press further.

“Let’s leave it at that then. So, there’s nothing in particular you feel you must do?”

There were things he could do and things he shouldn’t, but nothing he felt he absolutely had to do.

“Yes.”

“Then, I have a proposal. Would you like to hear it?”

Helmut nodded. Ethan’s mouth opened again.

***

99.3

That was Helmut’s final exam score, announced a week later. It was also the score of the top student in the second year of the swordsmanship department at Greta Academy. It was confirmed.

Asuka grumbled in front of the bulletin board where the scores were posted.

“I got 96.5.”

The difference from the practical exam had widened the gap even further. Helmut’s score was near perfect.

‘I should aim for a perfect score next semester.’

He felt a sense of pride. Having lived 14 years in the forest, he was achieving better results than those who had spent their lives in human society, even though he was deemed to carry the seed of darkness.

‘What on earth have they all been doing?’

The moment he thought this dismissively, Helmut realized it sounded like something Alea would think. Just then, Alea’s voice reached him.

“Well done, your score is decent.”

Alea was shining as always today. Her silver hair was impeccable, and his vivid violet eyes brightened the surroundings.

She seemed in a good mood, probably since she found out Sian had been eliminated in the 8th stage.

“Not bad for your first semester.”

Helmut thought it wasn’t something Alea, who had entered the academy with a perfect entrance exam score and maintained top marks, should say. As always, she probably had a perfect score this semester. The top spot in the magic department was hers, unchanged.

Asuka chimed in from the side.

“Alea, what did you eat wrong? Since when do you acknowledge anyone?”

“Don’t make a fuss. You’ll never be acknowledged by me, so don’t worry about it.”

“Who knows? People change. I’m getting used to your crappy attitude.”

From Helmut’s perspective, Asuka was adapting and then not adapting. He often got worked up.

Before Alea could retort, Sian, who had appeared out of nowhere, interjected.

“I’m second place again! 95.1 points!”

Asuka responded dully.

“Your score went up. Guess you studied more this time.”

“That’s right. Next time, I better not rent the study room. The nervous breakdown during the midterms was definitely because of that study room!”

Sian cunningly shifted the blame for his own distractions. Asuka grumbled.

“It’s annoying. If it weren’t for that bizarre practical exam, I could have won.”

“Really?”

“Shut up.”

‘I’ll catch up to him during the break, no matter what.’

Asuka made up his mind.

Anyway, after completing their exams, all four were gathered together. Such a unique combination was rare. By academic standards, they were an elite group, although the details varied.

Starting tonight, they would all leave Greta Academy to return to their homes. With three academies breaking for holidays simultaneously, the exodus from Baden would be significant.

This gathering marked the end of the semester. The holiday was almost two months long.

Knowing this, Alea did not rush to leave. Sian proposed.

“Let’s go out and have fun one last time today? We won’t see each other much during the holidays.”

“Sounds good!”

For once, Alea didn’t object.

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