Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 218 (Part 2):

“Cinus.”

As soon as Charlotte left, Michael called out.

Cinus appeared like a shadow and stood before Michael.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What did you think of Charlotte?”

“She seems unchanged.”

“Right? I thought so too. Good.”

Michael smiled. Unlike the smile he showed Charlotte, this one gave a pure impression.

Of course, purity wasn’t a word that suited Michael.

He tapped his forehead and fell into deep thought.

Charlotte has not changed. Her unambitious nature remains the same.

Despite attending the academy, she hadn’t developed any new ambitions. He had worried about that.

Michael only had one kind of ambition to be wary of: ambition for the position of Renosa’s heir.

Observing Charlotte was important to Michael. She was the only competitor who could take what he had.

Michael was more wary of her than Charlotte realized.

Without Michael, who would oppose Charlotte becoming the heir of Renosa?

She had everything Michael lacked: health, a proper character, and excellent swordsmanship.

Especially the first, which was why the Grand Duke hadn’t readily handed over all authority to Michael.

There was always doubt whether he was sturdy enough to uphold Renosa.

‘Even if I’ve gotten better, I’ll never be healthy enough to wield a sword.’

He still fell ill at least one day a week. But Michael was certain.

‘Even so, Charlotte won’t be able to beat me.’

Michael was superior in securing what he wanted.

Charlotte wasn’t even aiming for the heir’s position. She would accept it only if it were given to her.

As long as Charlotte didn’t confront him or defy their mother, the heir’s position was his.

Michael had to continuously remind her of this. He would be the master of Renosa, and Charlotte would have to support him.

Michael did feel jealousy towards Charlotte, but he also considered her family.

They were twins. His only sister. The bond from birth couldn’t be ignored.

Michael’s actions were always calculated. Although his actions towards Charlotte sometimes lacked calculation, even those emotional actions and words were because Charlotte was special.

Michael never forgot that if Charlotte were an ally, she would be the most reliable sword.

The most trustworthy loyal sword. She would be a good knight.

Michael finished his thoughts and asked.

“How did the investigations go? Cinus.”

“Here is the list of selected students from each academy.”

Michael received the thick documents Cinus handed over. The documents did not contain appearances.

It was impressive to gather this much. Baden’s academies were particularly strict about protecting student information.

After flipping through the documents for a while, Michael wore a bored expression and asked.

“Is he among them? Hyde.”

“He’s skilled enough to be selected. But there’s no one named Hyde on the list.”

“He participated in Basor’s martial arts tournament for a purpose. So he might not participate in the comprehensive swordsmanship tournament, even if he’s skilled. He’s hiding his skills.”

“He’s too skilled to be learning at an academy.”

The voice was laced with doubt. If he was the winner of Basor’s martial arts tournament, he should be teaching, not learning.

He must have a purpose for attending the academy, likely to hide himself.

“But he’s attending an academy. And he must be standing out to some extent.”

He must be achieving excellent results. Michael felt Hyde wouldn’t tolerate being at the bottom, even if he hid his skills.

Could a commoner be that stubborn? He must be a noble.

That was Michael’s judgment.

He thought Hyde was attending an academy in Baden, but he ordered a thorough search of all academies just in case.

Cinus reported his findings.

“Based on what I’ve found, there’s no one named Hyde resembling him across all academies.”

“Of course. He must be using an alias. And perhaps a disguise…”

Michael tried to recall Hyde’s appearance. Once Michael decided to pursue something, he didn’t let go easily.

He had diligently pursued Hyde, despite Hyde leaving almost no trace. There had just been some challenges along the way.

Michael pondered and nodded.

“He must have used a disguise to vanish so cleanly.”

With such a noticeable appearance, it wouldn’t be easy to evade tracking unless he looked completely different.

“He used an artifact. Most likely one that changes appearance.”

“Right, so the question is whether he’s participating in this comprehensive swordsmanship tournament.”

Michael raised an eyebrow.

“If I see his sword, I’ll recognize him, no matter what he looks like.”

It was the swordsmanship of the Sword Saint Darien. He had already eliminated one person because of it. The only question was whether Hyde had brought that sword with him.

“He wouldn’t know you’re here. So he might not avoid the tournament.”

“Right? I hope so.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed.

“More than that, this commoner Helmut…”

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