Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 194 (Part 1):

‘It’s too late to back out now.’

Helmut decided to wait and see how things unfolded.

The trudging footsteps were now close at hand. One by one, their figures emerged.

The first thing Helmut noticed was a blindingly bright white—the pristine white of their armor, looking as though it would soil easily. His heart raced with the surge of holy power that hit him.

The seed of darkness inside him thrashed violently, as if blaming him for not fleeing.

Helmut recognized them with a chill.

‘The Knights of Lumen.’

Why were they here? What did they know? His body tensed automatically, his hand reaching for his sword.

They were the enemies he was destined to fight one day, according to his own definition of justice.

But there were too many of them—close to twenty.

The temple was said to be corrupt, but the knights before him looked just like the temple that had saved the world from the Demon King.

They tightened their encirclement with a precise knowledge of his location, and upon spotting Helmut, they exchanged looks.

“A boy? He’s quite young.”

“Those dark hair and eyes, ominous.”

“Just as the High Priest said.”

“How dare you glare at the temple’s people like that!”

One of the knights rebuked. Helmut managed to suppress his killing intent.

‘From their tone, it seems they haven’t labeled me as an enemy yet.’

Helmut realized a few things. Their being sent by the High Priest meant the High Priest was nearby.

And the High Priest could track him. Fleeing would be futile.

‘The seed of darkness has diminished, and my level has increased, so even if it’s the High Priest, he might not easily notice my condition.’

That was his only hope. Also, strangely, after the initial disturbance when the Knights of Lumen appeared, the seed of darkness quieted as if hiding from a natural predator.

But Helmut soon faced a dilemma.

”Just appearing out of nowhere like this…”

While trying to buy time with his words, the knights pressed him aggressively.

“Why are you in a place like this?”

“This is not a place for people. It’s suspicious.”

“If you don’t answer directly, we won’t just let this go!”

There was an air of condescension, as if they managed the forest themselves—a clear provocation.

But they were from the temple, and the temple was a law unto itself.

Helmut decided to comply for now.

“I’m a traveler.”

“Why would you travel to a place like this?”

“And who is that behind you?”

They couldn’t ignore Alea’s presence. They probably knew there were two of them from the start.

It was a problem. Considering Alea had avoided the High Priest before, it was likely that her reputation with the temple was not favorable.

Alea wouldn’t have avoided the High Priest just because she was one of the many mages at Greta Academy.

‘Looks like we’ll have to fight.’

While Helmut pondered, a few knights subtly changed their angle and moved towards Alea.

“A robe? A mage, then. Not a dark mage, right?”

“Why is this one lying down? Is he injured?”

A knight who glimpsed Alea’s face inhaled sharply.

‘Have we been discovered?’

Helmut’s hand stealthily moved towards his sword. With so many of them, he would have to strike swiftly and stealthily.

But the words that fell from the knight’s mouth were unexpected.

“An angel here!”

“Such beauty as if Lumen’s Apostle has incarnated.”

“Also young. A friend, or…?”

“Is it a woman or a man? Hard to say. Looks like a man.”

It seemed that even the knights found Alea’s appearance hard to ignore.

Unconscious Alea had become an object of curiosity among them.

Alea’s being a mage was now revealed. Now, how would they deal with this?

Helmut quickly concocted a suitable explanation.

“He’s my client. He’s just sleeping because he’s tired.”

“Why doesn’t he wake up with all this noise?”

“Could it be drugged…?”

One knight harbored a suspicion.

The suspicion immediately turned towards Helmut after seeing Alea’s appearance.

For now, Helmut was relieved. It seemed at this level, they couldn’t discern anything significant about Alea.

Helmut quickly made an excuse.

“He sleeps like the dead once he’s out.”

“A client, so you’re a mercenary?”

“Yes.”

“Did this mage hire you? For what purpose?”

The knights seemed persistently curious, probing for more.

Helmut mixed truth and lies in his answers, relieved that they did not seem inclined to attack right away.

‘I just wish they’d back off.’

However, his hope was not fulfilled. The knights murmured among themselves, then resumed their authoritative tone.

“Alright, you both need to meet the High Priest.”

“Just a brief visit, and if there’s nothing suspicious, you can go. You might even receive the High Priest’s blessing if you’re lucky.”

A blessing was the last thing Helmut wanted. The real problem was making sure the High Priest saw nothing suspicious…

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