Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 213 (Part 2):
However, before they could clash, there was an intruder. The Instructors, who had just finished their discussion, appeared.
Seeing the confrontation between Leon and Helmut, they paused.
There was no romantic tension between Instructor Alan and Instructor Patricia during work.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Instructor Alan crossed his arms and asked.
“What happened?”
Leon quickly denied. A fabricated smile appeared on his lips.
“Nothing. I was just about to duel with a junior, but it doesn’t seem like the right time.”
There was no benefit to fighting in front of an instructor. He wasn’t really looking for a dueling match anyway.
Instructor Alan didn’t ask further. He judged that intervening in trivial quarrels would have negative effects.
‘Helmut isn’t particularly aggressive, but he strangely attracts fights.’
Maybe it was because of his cold and intimidating demeanor.
Helmut had a knack for provoking swordsmen.
The ambiguity of his skills. His appearance was almost delicate, but his aura wasn’t, creating a contradiction that made others want to challenge him.
Unable to judge, they had to test him.
This was why Helmut often got into fights in Basor.
Instructor Patricia looked around and asked.
“Where’s Charlotte?”
“She went to fetch water.”
In truth, they had brought enough drinking water, and there were mages as well.
There wasn’t a real shortage of water. Instructor Alan frowned.
“Fetch water… Well, maybe it’s because she’s a first-year student. But it’s better not to act alone. This isn’t Greta Academy, so we don’t know what might happen. Always stay together. Helmut, go to the water’s edge.”
“Yes.”
Helmut readily left.
When he reached the water’s edge, Charlotte was sighing deeply with a fully filled water bucket in front of her.
Her face was filled with worry.
‘Is it too heavy for her to lift alone?’
Helmut thought she wouldn’t be that weak, but he asked.
“Is it too heavy for you to carry?”
Charlotte turned around in surprise. Only then did Helmut realize that he had been deadening his footsteps.
It wasn’t that he was trying to ambush someone, it was just a habit. Especially in forests like this.
“You move so quietly, senior.”
Charlotte looked embarrassed, as if ashamed of letting her guard down in a place where she could be attacked at any time.
“I can carry it alone. I was just about to head back. I had something on my mind for a bit. You can go ahead.”
“The instructor said not to act alone.”
“…I see. Then could you give me a moment?”
Charlotte’s expression darkened. Judging by her overall condition, she wasn’t physically unwell.
It was probably a matter of the heart.
‘Could it be because I made her do this task?’
He didn’t know why that would upset her, but he had something to say.
“It wasn’t me who made you do it.”
Helmut himself was aware that he hadn’t done anything wrong, but from the reactions of the other two seniors, he wondered if he had done something strange.
‘I’m still not fully accustomed to the human world.’
But Charlotte nodded readily.
“I know. However, regardless of that, it didn’t seem right to unnecessarily have juniors run errands for the sake of establishing hierarchy.”
She added an unnecessary comment, typical of her. Charlotte wasn’t a fool.
“If I was upset over that, it’s not your fault, senior.”
If it wasn’t Helmut’s fault, it was Leon’s. The conclusion was clear.
There was a brief silence. In the place where only the sound of the stream flowing could be heard, the silence was not too noticeable.
Both were not talkative. Helmut waited leisurely while standing, and Charlotte was lost in thought, watching the flowing water.
Suddenly, she raised her head.
“Senior, I have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
If it was about Margret Irene, he couldn’t tell her.
Helmut hadn’t decided what to do yet.
But Charlotte’s intention was different.
“It’s a trivial concern, but I have no one to ask. I thought you’d listen without any judgment…”
Her words implied that he was insensitive enough to listen to anything without reacting.
But Helmut wasn’t offended. He was indeed indifferent.
“Go ahead.”
“Please don’t tell anyone.”
For a moment, Alea crossed his mind.
Should he keep it a secret from Alea too?
Didn’t she repeatedly tell him not to talk much with Charlotte?
But Helmut trusted his instincts. Charlotte was his blood relative.
After a moment of hesitation, he replied.
“I won’t.”
Charlotte’s voice flowed out slowly.
“What would you do, senior, if your sibling disliked you?”
“I don’t know because I don’t have siblings.”
Isn’t it an emotion one can understand only after having siblings who dislike them?
Humans kill their siblings and parents for power. Is it a big deal if siblings don’t get along?
Charlotte seemed to be troubled by this fact.
“If not siblings, then let’s say relatives. The term ‘family’ would work too, I suppose. What would you do if someone you couldn’t ignore disliked you, senior?”
She was worried about Michael.
Since leaving Renosa, her heart had been restless.
Michael had sent another letter. He wanted to see her face as soon as she arrived in Renosa.
She didn’t understand why he was acting like this suddenly.
It couldn’t be that his heart had softened from not seeing her for a long time. The Michael she knew wasn’t such a tender boy.
So, it troubled her even more.