Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 146 (Part 2):

Lost in his sword practice, evening came unnoticed. The lights off in the room indicated Michael, who had mentioned going out, hadn’t returned yet.

A rumbling noise came from the cloak in one corner. Helmut realized the message he had been waiting for had arrived. Extracting the crystal ball, Talon’s voice leaked out.

“The documents have been delivered.”

“Good.”

“Are you participating in the martial arts tournament?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Helmut replied,

“Yes.”

“Interesting. A young prodigy who joined the Palma Knights as the youngest in Basor will participate. Not as good as you, but at 18, he can materialize Vis, a genius.”

“I see.”

Helmut could materialize Vis at 13. Even if the opponent had managed it before turning 18, he couldn’t compare to Helmut. But it might not be entirely uninteresting to face off.

Helmut was aware of the Palma Knights the strongest knight order in Basor. Comprising no more than thirty elite members, every knight could materialize Vis. The authority of the Palma Knights’ leader was so immense that even the king couldn’t treat him lightly.

“Also, he is a descendant of the missing Sword Saint Darien Deferth.”

Helmut was taken aback by the follow-up.

“The Sword Saint’s bloodline?”

Helmut quickly recalled what Darien had said. He had a son, born of his frail wife who died early.

Darien had stated that his son had died, leaving no descendants. Darien wanted his son to follow the path of the sword, but, strangely, the boy had no talent for it.

Darien was a strict and cold teacher even to his own child, and his son was a disciple who fell short of expectations.

Exhausted by his father’s harsh training, Darien’s son left one day for another country, leaving behind a letter of resentment. Darien then considered him dead.

‘Weak and foolish. That halfwit couldn’t possibly live a proper life outside of my shadow.’

But that was more of Darien’s conjecture than truth. Helmut realized that.

“Inside Basor, aside from the king and a few high-ranking officials, it’s almost an unknown fact. We found out through our investigation. About 8 months ago, after passing the entrance exam for the Palma Knights, he declared himself as the descendant of Sword Saint Darien.”

‘So, that son was alive.’

If he lived to have children, then considering the age, it would be about right for him to have seen his grandchildren. Hence, Darien’s great-grandson.

Helmut almost asked how he proved to be Darien’s descendant.

But asking would imply Helmut knew of Darien’s son’s departure from Basor. Pretending ignorance was a tricky task.

‘Darien considered him dead, so Basor might have believed the same.’

Helmut changed his question.

“How come the Palma Knights didn’t recognize the Sword Saint’s descendant?”

“The Sword Saint’s son had severed ties and secretly left for another country, it seems. The Sword Saint treated him as a deceased. He changed his name and lived concealed in another land; it makes sense.”

It was now okay to ask.

“How did he prove his bloodline to the Sword Saint?”

“Swordsmanship, and his grandfather’s identity token. And, despite several generations, a face resembling young portraits of the Sword Saint.”

Swordsmanship… While not entirely, certain techniques of Darien’s were likely preserved within the Palma Knights.

The complete form was solely with Helmut, he believed, but Darien’s son might have it too.

Even if he had abandoned the way of the sword, if Darien’s son had recorded the techniques he learned and passed them to a talented grandson…

‘Interesting.’

If he was indeed Darien’s great-grandson, though distant, blood was blood. What would it be like to confront him? A competitive spirit stirred within Helmut.

Helmut feigned ignorance once more.

“What’s this about the Sword Saint being missing?”

“He went to eradicate the offspring of the desert beast, Scorpion, and vanished in the desert. That’s the official story.”

‘Offspring?’

In the Forest of Roots, monster reproduction was slow. Higher beings like Elaga, with strong self-awareness, didn’t breed, considering reproduction a pursuit of mortals limited by lifespan.

Outside the Forest of Roots, considering this, the Scorpion wasn’t of the highest rank.

But in the unique environment of the desert, a creature commanding many followers could be challenging to eliminate. Its offspring, weaker than the original, would still be a plausible threat to Darien.

“And unofficially?”

“There is a theory that the temple intervened and dealt with him. An absence of high-ranking priests was detected in the Lumen Temple at that time. It’s a plausible theory. The Sword Saint was a being that wielded almost divine influence in Basor. He personally killed the desert beasts that had been neglected by the temple, and was not pleased with the temple’s involvement in Basor.”

“I see.”

“If you wish, I can investigate further. It would use one of the two opportunities I’ve left for you.”

“No need.”

He wasn’t about to be swayed into trading information so easily.

Helmut knew the traitor’s name. He had a rough idea of what had happened, even if not in detail.

Darien was lured to the desert, into a trap.

“I’ll think about what information to ask for next.”

“Whenever you’re ready. Contact me when needed.”

Talon ended the conversation cleanly. Helmut pushed the extinguished crystal ball back into his cloak.

The training ground quickly returned to silence. It was growing dark.

Helmut stood still, lost in thought. It was time to compile the information Talon had provided.

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