Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 271 (Part 2):

[What! Why are you here again? I said I won’t help!]

Elaga, who was sprawled out in the cave grooming its fur, immediately got irritated as soon as it saw Helmut. Helmut asked straightforwardly.

“You just don’t want to let them go, right? You like them more than me.”

Elaga often grumbled that Helmut had no charm or cuteness. It probably preferred the more gentle pet humans.

Helmut stared intently at Elaga, then said as if doing it a favor.

“If you want, I can brush your fur.”

Having attended Greta Academy, he had learned about the norms of parent-child relationships.

Elaga was like a foster parent to Helmut. Since it wasn’t human, he couldn’t do much else for it, but he thought he could at least brush its fur.

Elaga gave him a suspicious look.

[Why are you suddenly concerned about them? I thought you said you didn’t want to mate with either of them.]

Helmut answered calmly.

“I feel indebted.”

Although Elaga had ordered it, Susan had taken good care of Helmut for the past 4 years. Even if there wasn’t much to do in the Forest of Roots, preparing meals every day was no easy task.

Not only that, she made his bed and sewed new clothes for him. Susan took care of Helmut with all her heart.

‘She said I reminded her of her brother who was a knight.’

It also seemed she felt sympathy seeing Helmut’s despairing state at first. Not just Susan, but Sarah had been a great help to Helmut too.

Her chattering voice always filled his ears, preventing him from thinking of other things.

Sarah was an exceptionally lively presence in this Forest of Roots.

Elaga blurted out.

[I don’t like your hands. They look hard and rough. You’ll probably end up pulling out my precious fur while brushing.]

That was an unfair assessment. Helmut, taking it as dismissal, raised an eyebrow.

“I’m a swordsman. I’m good with my hands. Why don’t you give me a chance?”

His tone was resolute, as if he would prove his abilities. Elaga immediately frowned deeply.

[The thought of you brushing my fur makes me sick. Forget it!]

It was ironic, considering Elaga had often demanded affection from him. Helmut asked after a brief pause.

“Do you just dislike the idea? No other reason?”

[Like I said. You came back in that state, and they’re weaker than you.]

“Even if there are dangers, they want to leave. Just as I did in the past.”

Helmut posed a question.

“And humans need to live among humans. Isn’t that why you let me go?”

[So you’re saying you want to leave again?]

“…I can no longer be called human. But they’re different.”

Elaga stared blankly at Helmut.

[Since you had the Seed of Darkness, you must have been in excruciating pain when passing through the sacred barrier. You risked your life to leave, and look what happened. Don’t you regret it?]

That question was surprisingly close to the essence. Something seemed to spark inside him. Like light shining through clouds.

After a moment, Helmut gave his answer.

“I don’t regret it.”

A clearer answer than ever.

Although despair found him in the end, everything he experienced before that was still alive and breathing within Helmut.

It still was.

Elaga, who had been staring at Helmut, soon nodded. As if his answer had convinced it.

[Well, in that case, I’ll think about it. Like I said, I’ll *think* about it! That doesn’t mean I’m going to help!]

Helmut knew that those words from Elaga ultimately meant agreement. That leopard always spoke that way.

*

Alea and her group of four were caught in an unexpected ordeal.

It wasn’t the kind of ordeal they had expected when first entering the Forest of Roots.

Hadn’t they come prepared to fight beasts and overcome life-and-death situations in a state of tension?

At least for now, they weren’t in danger. But they were in danger in another sense. In terms of mental health and blood pressure.

[Ah, my legs are stiff? Let’s rest a bit before going on.]

Igrelle was a bird. A colorful bird that constantly stretched out the schedule and did as it pleased.

It was incomprehensible that a bird would insist on walking, but Igrelle frequently showed signs of fatigue, using the excuse that it usually flies.

Despite the demonic energy filling its body, which should have prevented any fatigue.

[I need to take a nap. You all should rest too. Fragile humans shouldn’t overexert yourselves.]

As if doing them a favor, not only irritated them but also,

[That’s it for today. Hurry and groom my feathers. I think my feathers have lost their shine from walking too long. Tsk tsk. This is why I shouldn’t stay on the ground for too long. I feel like I’ve become a lowly land beast.]

It treated the humans traveling with it like servants.

Asuka, the least patient, mentally hurled all sorts of curses.

‘This damn bird bastard. Is it joking? I ought to wring its neck!’

But Igrelle’s neck was thick, and surrounded by demonic energy, it didn’t seem like Asuka’s sword could cut it.

Alea coolly assessed the current situation.

“Our progress is slow, but at least it’s not dangerous. We hardly need to use magic either.”

As long as they couldn’t get rid of Igrelle, they had to accept the slight trials it gave them.

Even if they couldn’t accept it gladly.

Sian pointed out.

“But at this rate, it will take months to reach the central region.”

“Yes, then we need to find a solution.”

A gleam flashed across Alea’s purple eyes.

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