Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 193 (Part 1):

It was quite a height, but not dangerously so. A little below, towering trees provided good footing.

Thump! Thud! Thud! Helmut jumped from branch to branch as he descended.

Thump! As he landed on the ground, fresh air rushed into his lungs.

The breath he drew was refreshing. The smell of grass. The surroundings were too bright for it to be dawn.

They had entered the dungeon at midnight. Considering the time taken to traverse the dungeon and Alea taking control of it, it was unlikely to be afternoon yet, even accounting for the time difference.

Helmut squinted, trying to judge the light and shadows.

‘It’s morning, then.’

They seemed to be in the middle of a forest.

From a quick glance before landing, the horizon was enveloped in green.

Suddenly, relaxing his grip caused Alea, who was precariously perched on his shoulder, to slide off.

Nearly hit her head on the ground.

Helmut quickly caught Alea, noting her slender frame.

No matter her disguise as a man, her weight couldn’t be disguised; she was light.

Being a mage, she lacked muscle, especially by the standards of the swordsmanship department.

Alea didn’t stir as he adjusted her to lean against him. Her limp body seemed devoid of strength.

Her breathing was soft. She seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, as if in hibernation.

‘She’s completely defenseless.’

He thought she wouldn’t even notice if he pinched her cheek.

Helmut twitched at that sudden thought. He didn’t act on it for a simple reason.

‘Somehow, I feel like Alea would notice.’

Somehow with Alea, there was no guarantee of a perfect crime, and retaliation was certain.

‘Better not.’

Even Helmut knew it was impolite to pinch the cheek of someone sleeping.

He curbed the impulse and pondered what to do with Alea, who was leaning on him.

‘A place to lay her down…’

The forest was pretty much the same everywhere. He could lay her on a tree trunk.

But just because Alea was unconscious, it didn’t mean they had to stop here. It might be better to move towards Baden.

It would also lessen the burden on Alea to use teleportation magic.

‘But where are we exactly?’

Helmut looked around the forest. He had no idea of the geography between Baden and their destination.

Because they had traveled to the dungeon by teleportation, and all of it had been Alea’s responsibility. He had just followed.

‘But there’s one thing I do know.’

Alea had said they were somewhere between Baden and the dungeon.

The dungeon was to the southwest of Baden. That meant they needed to head northeast.

After estimating the direction based on the position of the sun, Helmut hoisted Alea onto his back again.

It was still daytime. Moving a bit more wouldn’t hurt.

However, Helmut soon encountered a dilemma.

As he made his way through the forest, he stopped abruptly for a simple reason.

“I’m hungry.”

Helmut rubbed his stomach and muttered. It had been quite some time since they had eaten anything in the dungeon.

‘All the food is with Alea.’

Helmut almost called out Alea’s name but hesitated.

The very Alea who had all the food was in no state to respond. He knew where the food was – in Alea’s robe.

But mages often enchant their robes to bind them. That means others can’t search through it and take anything out. In other words, having food was useless.

‘Should I hunt?’

He regretted the sandwiches he had eaten ad nauseam.

Finding food in the forest was not a difficult task for Helmut.

But the moment he decided to hunt, Helmut realized another fact.

‘What about Alea?’

He couldn’t leave her here and go hunting. What if a wild animal attacked her?

Alea had clearly asked him to protect her.

“I shouldn’t leave her; I need to bring her along.”

Hiding her in the underbrush wasn’t an option either. Animals have keen senses.

Hunting wasn’t a problem. He had brought a bow, thinking it might be needed as a long-range weapon.

He didn’t have arrows, but he was used to shooting branches, so it wasn’t an issue.

However, to shoot the bow, he had to set Alea down. He would take down the game with a single shot as soon as he spotted it.

It was a challenge, but Helmut managed it smoothly. Before long, he had successfully hunted a wild bird.

Helmut was an excellent hunter but a terrible cook.

He pondered over the bird.

“How do I eat this?”

Cooking was far from Helmut’s expertise. But plucking and roasting were not unfamiliar, even if most of it had been Darien’s job back in the Forest of Roots.

Holding the bird, Helmut found a suitable clearing, gathered some sticks haphazardly, and started a fire.

After somewhat cooking it, the unseasoned bird meat had a gamey taste. It was edible, if barely.

Helmut ate enough to fill his stomach and buried the rest. His palate had grown fussy from the luxuries enjoyed in Baden.

Glancing at Alea, who was still sprawled out unconscious, Helmut felt a pang of urgency.

‘When will Alea wake up…’

That smart head of hers should’ve handed out some food before fainting.

Or perhaps, from Alea’s perspective, Helmut wouldn’t die from a few days without food, and if he wasn’t going to die, it wouldn’t matter.

After all, an unconscious person doesn’t feel hungry.

What was certain was that Alea was currently a significant burden. Not that he had any intention of abandoning her.

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