Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 180 (Part 1):

“Helmut has a girlfriend?”

It sounded almost like an interrogation. The suddenly appeared third-year top student of the Magic Department, Teresa, was stared at in bewilderment by the second-year students of the Swordsmanship Department.

“Senior has already been rejected……”

The moment he had said that, he clamped his mouth shut with a flinching expression.

It was probably because of the slight curl of Teresa’s lips, from which a cold aura seemed to emanate.

“Who got rejected? Do you want to die?”

The gentle and sweet tone usually directed at Helmut was nowhere to be found. The tone dripping with murderous intent was genuinely sincere.

There are no normal people in the Magic Department. Especially not someone who is a top student; it’s impossible for them to be normal. This was an immutable truth known throughout the academy. The students from the Swordsmanship Department knew this as well.

Noticing their hesitation, Teresa asked arrogantly, lifting her chin.

“Who is that girl?”

“We’ve never seen her before.”

“How can you be sure she’s his girlfriend?”

“Not sure, but… would they be together otherwise?”

“Helmut isn’t the type to be so friendly, is he?”

“It’s the first time we’ve seen Helmut with a woman, too.”

“Is she even a student at our school? It could be possible.”

“She looks our age, but there’s no such girl in the Swordsmanship Department. Not in the first, second, or third years.”

“Maybe she’s from the Magic Department or the Academic Department?”

Teresa narrowed her eyes and stared intensely at the back of the mysterious girl’s head.

Her hair was a unique shade of light purple—a rare color. Although there wasn’t much interaction between different years, as far as Teresa knew, there was no female student in the Magic Department with such hair color.

“Well, we’ll just have to check who she is.”

Teresa spoke as if it were no big deal. However, inside, she was boiling with rage.

Teresa had been able to remain calm because there had been no other girls hovering around Helmut.

Alea, no matter how beautiful, was just a boy (as they thought) and merely a friend of Helmut.

Just like the delicate-looking Asuka.

‘I’ve aimed for him, and to have him snatched away like this? Unbelievable!’

No matter how much Alea had embarrassed her, Teresa was someone who held grudges.

A competent mage cannot help but be confident. And that confidence manifests itself in a will to achieve any goal.

That was also why Teresa couldn’t give up on Helmut easily after such a humiliation.

She immediately took action. Watching Teresa head towards Helmut, the second-year students of the Swordsmanship Department murmured.

“Helmut really screwed up, didn’t he?”

“She looks ready to grab him by the hair?”

“I don’t know, if you have a girlfriend and still get targeted by such a beauty, you should be thankful, right?”

“I’m so jealous it hurts. Damn, who wants to spend the festival with these gloomy guys.”

“I don’t want to be with someone like you either.”

“But who is Helmut’s girlfriend?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

Amidst everyone’s curiosity, Teresa was chasing after the two.

*
It was almost time for the puppet show, which happens only during the festival for a brief 20 minutes, performed once an hour.

The guys from the Swordsmanship Department preferred more dynamic events, so it was unlikely to find anyone Helmut knew there. This was more comfortable for him.

Despite the occasional glance, the two who had paid and entered were quietly sitting down in their seats.

Inside the small theater where the puppet show would unfold, mostly pairs of men and women from the Academic and Magic Departments occupied the seats.

Seeing this, Alea felt a slight regret.

‘Did I really have to come to see a puppet show?’

It wasn’t intentional, but it seemed almost like they had come on a date.

What was unexpected was that the puppet show was a horror story. Unlike the fairy-tale style usually associated with puppet shows, the title “Curse of the Puppet” was already not ordinary.

Since it was prepared with great effort by the top students of the Magic and Academic Departments, the effects were expected to be impressive.

It felt strange seeing a few people looking pale as they entered.

‘Puppets, of all things…’

Alea frowned.

“Curse of the Puppet? Does it mean the puppet is a mage, or that the puppet is cursed?”

Helmut analyzed the name of the puppet show with a comment that wasn’t exactly humorous. He seemed to be without much thought.

‘Well, it should be fine.’

Alea believed in his own bravery. He maintained his composure in life-threatening situations or in battle. Surely, a mere puppet show couldn’t be scary.

However, as the show began, the atmosphere turned decidedly eerie.

The room darkened significantly, and red lights spread across the stage, creating an atmosphere that made one want to flee just from the lighting alone.

With unsettling music rising, a bisque doll that could make anyone flinch walked onto the stage.

Not a person dressed up, but an actual doll walked out. It sent shivers down the spine.

‘Such delicate magic, just for a puppet show.’

This wasn’t prepared in a day or two. The talented students of the Greta Magic Department were indeed pouring their skills into something unnecessary.

“Thank you for visiting to see our puppet story during the festival,” said a doll in a dress, spreading the hem of her skirt and greeting in a weak voice.

It wasn’t manipulated by strings but was magically operated, adding an even eerier feel.

Its lifeless eyes and mask-like face curled into a grin, sending chills all over.

Alea involuntarily leaned back in his chair, sticking to it.

He had chosen a secluded spot away from others, but now he regretted it.

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