Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 175 (Part 2):

“I don’t have a girlfriend! Wesley does.”

“Why don’t you? Even though you’re friends.”

“You don’t have one either. And my grades are fine. I’m in the top 30.”

“That’s surprisingly good.”

Asuka seemed genuinely surprised, which annoyed Mitchell.

“Don’t pick a fight. Anyway, what do you think, Helmut? Won’t you join?”

It felt like a limited-time offer, as if now was the only chance.

But before Helmut could even ponder, Asuka pushed Mitchell away.

“Hey, go on. Helmut’s not doing it.”

“Helmut hasn’t said anything…”

“I heard it. The voice of his heart.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Hey, Asuka, don’t push. What are you doing! Helmut! Think about it!”

“Think about what? Hurry up and go.”

Eventually, Mitchell, pushed away by Asuka, could only grumble and leave. Helmut looked at the returning Asuka and raised an eyebrow.

“When did I say I won’t do it?”

“Were you going to?”

He was considering it. He wasn’t short on money, and he didn’t want to be tied to a shop during the festival.

Asuka looked dissatisfied with the lack of response.

“Weren’t you planning to do it alone without any loyalty?”

Of course, he wouldn’t even jokingly suggest to Asuka that they do it together. Not if he didn’t want to ruin the business. Asuka wouldn’t be able to behave himself there.

Blocking him was no less effective than Alea’s methods. In fact, Asuka’s influence was even stronger. When he was around, people wouldn’t even approach Helmut.

“It’s just a hassle. Festival or whatever.”

That was an uncharacteristically joyless comment from someone who had been excitedly planning with Sian just the day before. It seemed like his plans had included Helmut as well.

Helmut casually brushed off Asuka’s complaints.

“Hey, Wesley. Let me join too. You haven’t filled your team yet, have you?”

“How did you know?”

“I asked around. Except for Helmut and Asuka, who obviously won’t be joining, no one else from the swordsmanship department said they’d be working in your shop. You can’t just fill it with magic department guys, right?”

“Persistent kid.”

Wesley clicked his tongue. Meanwhile, he was still being pestered by fellow students. Everyone thought of Wesley as annoying but during the festival, he was incredibly popular.

Someone trying to curry favor with Wesley chimed in.

“Ah, Wesley, I heard an amazing rumor recently.”

“If I find it interesting after hearing it, you’re in.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Wesley sighed, already tired of the conversation. The swordsmanship department was known for being tenacious. There was still time before classes started.

“About the swordsmanship tournament. The academies in Baden are now allowed to participate. I heard the temple granted permission.”

A bystander scoffed.

“The temple? What authority do they have to grant permission? After acting so high and mighty all this time.”

“Hey, keep it down. There are followers of Lumen here. You don’t want to get marked.”

“Go on with the story.”

“Recently, there was a significant conflict between the temple and Basor. Seems like they’re laying low because of that. Basor is a powerful country, right?”

“The Palma Knights there are famous.”

“So, it’s like they’ve softened their stance on things they used to be strict about because their relationship with Basor soured. They eased the restrictions on Baden.”

“Basor? What’s the conflict about? Something to do with establishing a temple?”

“I’m not sure. Something about collusion with the first prince of Basor, but I don’t know the details.”

Helmut involuntarily turned his attention to the conversation. Although not loud, it was clearly audible.

The noble offspring attending Greta Academy were well-informed. They often picked up on their families’ affairs. The speaker was likely from a high-ranking noble family.

“Is that all?”

“Not everything. While they’ve granted permission for the tournament, the temple knows only that Baden is full of mages. So, they’re sending a High Priest to Baden to supervise, along with knights and priests.”

“Did Baden agree?”

“They had to. It’s not like Baden can win against the temple. If they come with a cause, what can Baden do?”

“Ah, so that’s why the academy’s faculty was called for a meeting yesterday. I saw them coming out of that building. They’ll be visiting Greta Academy too, right?”

“The pretext is to check for any attempts at dark magic or forbidden powers. The temple sees Baden as a dangerous city that could easily veer into forbidden territory.”

“Whatever happens, it’s unrelated to the swordsmanship department, right? The magic department guys might be a bit upset, though.”

“They might come to observe the classes. They could be scouting for knights. We have a few devout ones here.”

“They’ll probably just look at the upper grades, not second years.”

“Probably.”

“So, Wesley, is my story good enough? Am I in?”

“Fine, you’re in! Welcome to the team.”

“Yesss!”

The area around Wesley became momentarily noisy.

“Hey, that’s an interesting story. A High Priest visiting. I’ve heard those high-and-mighty types are so elusive even kings struggle to meet them.”

Asuka, with his keen hearing, had been listening. He smiled slyly and looked at Helmut, then suddenly seemed startled.

“Why do you look so cold? Do you have a grudge against the priest?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

‘Is it a coincidence, or…’

Only time would tell, but it was possible that information about him had leaked. That the priest’s death was connected to him being there.

In Basor, Helmut had disguised himself as a 16-year-old named Hyde, even changing his appearance. It shouldn’t be easy to track him down.

But his skills were extraordinary. At such a young age, he had won Basor’s martial arts competition.

No matter how talented, such skill doesn’t come from nowhere.

He must have had an exceptional master, come from a family of swordsmen, or been educated at a prestigious academy. There weren’t many possibilities.

As Michael had speculated, if the temple also guessed he was an academy student, they might suspect he was at Baden’s academy.

The High Priest visiting Baden might be coming for him. If the temple was looking for Hyde in connection with the priest’s death, their intentions couldn’t be good.

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