Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 284 (Part 2):

Alea spoke quickly, as if shooting back.

“Ice? Did a demonic beast shoot it up from that water? Why is it in a place like this? This is near the barrier!”

“It’s because it’s underwater.”

It was a chilling realization.

Water purifies demonic energy, but it acts similarly on holy power.

In other words, if you’re in the water, the influence of holy power might not be so strong even near the barrier.

That’s why he didn’t pass through the waterfall when he crossed the sacred barrier. At that time, he was protected by Igrelle’s demonic energy until he approached the barrier.

Alea immediately understood his words.

“Then, even in that place close to the core of the barrier…”

“Yes, there could be demonic beasts there too. And if it’s strong, it could approach very close to the barrier.”

They were very rare human prey in the Forest of Roots. They were opponents worth taking risks for demonic beasts.

For the first time, a look of dismay crossed Alea’s face. This was a problem she hadn’t calculated.

While they were talking briefly, the golem had regained its balance and was flying through the sky.

But below was still the lake. The water color tinged with the characteristic ash color of the Forest of Roots.

The water below rippled ominously. It wasn’t a natural wave.

Helmut warned.

“It’s not over. Be careful, they’re coming.”

Kwang! Kwang! Kwaggang!

No sooner had he finished speaking than several ice chunks were fired up from below in succession.

A force that would instantly crush flesh and shatter bones upon impact.

No matter how sturdy this golem is, if hit, it couldn’t avoid crashing.

As the golem twisted and turned to avoid the barrage, another wave of attacks followed.

As if they had been charging up power, even more ice chunks were flying towards them.

This is the sky. There’s nowhere to land. It was a crisis.

With only a few hours left to their destination!

*

At the time when they were in crisis, Igrelle and Charlotte had arrived near the southern barrier.

As expected, no demonic beasts in the southern region, ruled by Igrelle, dared to block their path.

They had reached their destination as smoothly as Sian, who had already arrived in the east and was taking a long nap in front of the barrier.

[Aiko, my wings are stiff.]

Despite having wasted time lounging in the central region, Igrelle complained exaggeratedly.

“We’ve already arrived. It’s amazing. I didn’t know it was possible to move so safely and quickly in this Forest of Roots.”

Charlotte said, seemingly impressed.

Due to her personality, she wasn’t one to exaggerate and usually spoke plainly.

So when she praised, it sounded more like the truth.

When Charlotte, a beauty with crow-black hair that shone, though not as brightly as Alea’s, said such things, Igrelle felt unnecessarily proud.

[Yes, it is amazing. Now, we’ll need to activate that Adamantium or whatever soon, so why don’t you check the location?]

At Igrelle’s suggestion, Charlotte took out the Adamantium.

The place they had landed was on the ground.

To the right, a vast stream of gushing water could be seen. At its end was a waterfall, where the water could be seen bending below the horizon.

Fortunately, the light emanating from the Adamantium pointed somewhere on the ground, not in that direction.

Unlike Alea, she didn’t need to dive into the water.

But Charlotte’s gaze was still fixed on the waterfall. As if she had realized something.

“It’s over there.”

[Over there? Ah, yes. That’s where that Helmut guy left the Forest of Roots.]

Charlotte had asked Alea about Helmut, but she had kept silent.

But after they had fully become comrades, on the way to the central region, Alea opened up.

On the back of the golem, she told the story of Helmut.

How he had lived in the Forest of Roots, how he had left the Forest of Roots.

“When he left the Forest of Roots, Senior Helmut was fourteen. To cross this Forest of Roots risking his life and jumping into that waterfall. How much bone-grinding training must he have done? How much courage must he have needed?”

To find the mother who abandoned him. To return to where he was born.

Fighting against Naho, the ruler of the eastern region, and even standing proudly in front of Igrelle, the ruler of the southern region, convincing it with dignity.

Charlotte repeated this heavily.

But it was Renosa’s family who ruined it all.

Sometimes blood relatives can be crueler than strangers, but this is not something that can be justified by such words.

Especially for Charlotte, whose life was saved by Helmut, as a member of that family and his blood relative, this fact still tore at her heart.

Perhaps it would have been better if his mother had left no trace for him to find, nothing to remember her by, not even the name he was given.

Having spent the past few days in the central region, hearing the stories of these humans, Igrelle, who had been lounging around, muttered with a hint of indifference.

[I don’t get it. I’m a demonic beast, so I don’t understand these things. Why do humans want to go back to their parents? If you’re strong enough to stand on your own, isn’t that enough? Once you’re out, why not just live freely? It doesn’t make sense to me.]

“I don’t understand it either. Because I’ve never experienced it. If you haven’t gone through something, you can’t truly say you understand it.”

[So, what are you going to do? After leaving the Forest of Roots, I mean.]

“I’ll know when the time comes. But one thing is certain, I won’t betray Senior Helmut.”

Igrelle looked at Charlotte with indecipherable eyes.

Humans have something that demonic beasts don’t. That attracted Igrelle. It stimulated its inherent curiosity.

After a while, Igrelle said in a nonchalant voice.

[Well, anyway, we have some time left, so why don’t you groom my feathers?]

“…Yes.”

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