Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 277 (Part 2):

His face, usually close to emotionless, now carried a faint coldness.

Helmut did not express anger or condemnation. He simply stared at Charlotte silently.

He didn’t know how to treat her. She was a reminder of the nightmare that was four years ago.

“Senior Helmut, I’m glad you’re safe. I just…”

Charlotte spoke with difficulty.

“I wanted to return this to you.”

What she took out from her cloak and held out was a sword.

Helmut looked down at the sword she offered.

Darien’s sword. His master’s heirloom.

Helmut reached out and picked up the sword.

Despite the gap of years past, it fit perfectly in his hand. This sensation of a perfect fit. The feeling of something he thought he had lost forever being filled was truly unfamiliar.

“How did you find this sword?”

“Fortunately, it hadn’t been disposed of. I was lucky to be able to bring it.”

Charlotte replied briefly and kept silent.

She watched as Helmut tucked the sword at his waist. A calm and quiet attitude, as if ready to accept whatever his judgment might be.

‘You’re still the same.’

Though he had never spoken it aloud, Charlotte was his younger sister.

He knew what it meant for her to come here.

Though four years had passed, Helmut remembered what kind of person she was.

Charlotte was an upright and proud swordsman, almost to the point of being inflexible.

For her, it must have been unacceptable, unforgivable injustice to have Helmut cast out of Renosa.

‘But she’s also of Renosa blood.’

And also his sister.

The people of Renosa had hearts of ice. To Helmut, nothing was as meaningless as blood ties.

His mother, who had only seemed affectionate, abandoned him. Michael, who had acted friendly, quickly changed. Charlotte too might be harboring some hidden intentions.

However, what was certain was that Helmut didn’t know well what kind of person his mother was, but he knew Charlotte better than that.

After all, she had been Helmut’s junior before meeting as a younger sister.

What he had observed, he couldn’t have been wrong about.

Whatever hidden intentions there might be, there was no reason for the Duchess of Rinosa to take the risk of entering the Forest of Roots herself.

“Charlotte.”

At his call, Charlotte, who had been slightly bowing her head, raised her gaze.

“I received the sword well. It wasn’t your fault, so there’s no need to act guilty.”

That was his honest truth.

Only then did Charlotte smile faintly.

“I really wanted to see you again and tell you. Thank you for saving my life.”

“I see.”

Although he had lost much in the process of saving Charlotte, it was fortunate that saving her had not been in vain.

Helmut had lost his mother, but at least he had gained a younger sister. He realized that only today.

That what he had experienced wasn’t just loss. There was something that could fill him as much as he had lost.

That the despair he felt was by no means light, but its weight could be lessened.

That if one does not give up on oneself, simply by living on, someday a seed of hope one didn’t even know existed might sprout and bloom.

Though it was a short time of less than two years, the time spent outside the Forest of Roots was by no means futile.

As a result of that time, Helmut was now facing these people.

As Charlotte stepped back slightly, Alea and the other friends approached him and spoke.

A warm reunion scene unfolded.

Before Helmut could even ask how they had been or how they had made it here, words poured out.

Elaga sauntered over and casually interjected.

[Are you all done with your greetings?]

A giant leopard carrying terrifying demonic energy.

As Elaga approached, making the ground tremor heavily, wariness appeared on everyone’s faces.

Helmut casually extended his hand towards Elaga.

“Ah. This is Elaga. The leopard who raised me.”

[Oh, so you do acknowledge that I raised you?]

Elaga retorted indifferently.

Alea bowed her head slightly towards Elaga.

“I’m Alea.”

Elaga scrutinized Alea up and down carefully and asked:

[So, you’re that Alea that Helmut couldn’t forget even in his dreams?]

A moment of silence passed.

Helmut covered his face with his hands.

“…When did I ever say I couldn’t forget her in my dreams.”

[Didn’t you know? You called her name in your sleep. I heard it several times.]

For some reason, his face felt hot.

He felt like violently striking Elaga’s mouth to shut it up.

Alea chuckled.

“Did you?”

“…”

As Helmut remained silent, Asuka giggled and whispered in Sian’s ear.

“Hey, but how can a leopard be that big? One swipe of its front paw and you’d be done for.”

Elaga’s hearing was keen.

Its gaze immediately turned to him.

[Who are you? Blue hair.]

“I’m Asuka, Helmut’s friend. We were in the swordsmanship department together at the academy. We all met at the academy.”

Asuka answered uncharacteristically politely.

Though the other party looked like a leopard, he recognized that it was like a parent figure to Helmut.

Elaga’s curiosity was piqued.

[Academy, you mean that place where humans gather in groups to learn something? What was Helmut like there?]

Asuka shrugged his shoulders.

“Top of the swordsmanship department. He was number one. The strongest.”

[Is that so? Surprising. Looks like that lacking kid didn’t get beaten up outside.]

“Far from getting beaten up, he was the one doing the beating.”

“He was so strong that even the seniors couldn’t handle him.”

Only after hearing his friends’ testimony did Elaga finally accept the fact that Helmut wasn’t such a pathetically weak guy after all.

‘Though he looks frail, that kid is actually strong among humans?’

Elaga, who had swallowed the core of a Naho, failed to realize that it had become too strong itself, making Helmut seem weak in comparison.

Elaga originally didn’t have much feeling about its own strength. After all, it had long ruled the Forest of Roots as a predator.

[Well, fine. If you say so.]

Elaga said flatly, still with a look of disbelief.

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