Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 3 (Part 1):

As he carried the rabbit, Helmut was lost in thought.

Elaga, the leopard, had intelligence but was not accustomed to conveying knowledge or engaging in conversation.

Whenever Helmut asked something, Elaga found it very bothersome to explain or answer and would run away.

Because of this, Helmut developed a habit of immersing himself in contemplation. Through this contemplation, he found and learned answers that no one else could provide.

Helmut was pondering over Elaga’s words.

‘If I could leave, why would I have been abandoned in this forest?’

It was dangerous to reach the boundary, but as long as he was born with the ‘Seed of Darkness’, he could not break through the sacred barrier that repels all kinds of magic.

The same core that was taken out of the rabbit’s body was also embedded in Helmut’s heart.

From some point, Helmut could vividly feel the presence of the Seed of Darkness.

The Seed of Darkness, which had been embedded in his chest since birth, grew bigger by eating things growing in the forest and gradually brought him strange powers.

Strong grip strength, agile movements, developed senses and extrasensory perception, language skills, and the like.

It was the power that allowed Helmut to survive, but at the same time, it was a constraint that bound his fate.

As a monster that had lived for a long time, Elaga, the intelligent leopard, knew a little about human habits.

When Helmut ate raw meat in his childhood and had a stomachache, Elaga naturally lit a fire with magic. From then on, Helmut cooked his meat.

In front of the crackling bonfire, roasting meat, Helmut opened his mouth after much thought.

“Anyway, I can’t leave the Forest of Roots because of the Seed of Darkness. If I can’t leave, isn’t it better to eat the core and become stronger?”

That would be realistic.

Looking at the bonfire, Elaga spoke in a low voice.

-You can leave.

“How do you know?”

At the questioning gaze, Elaga chuckled.

-Just because you haven’t seen anyone leave, you think you can never leave. I said you could leave.

“Who told you that?”

-Somewhere to the east of here, a human I met.

Helmut’s eyes shook from side to side. He was surprised. It was the first time he had been so surprised.

“A human?”

Helmut had never seen a human other than himself since he was born.

The Forest of Roots was vast, and the locations where humans were sent from the outside varied.

Even if they harbored the Seed of Darkness, most babies die within a day or two. Exiled humans last a little longer.

The number of surviving humans was extremely small. Especially around Elaga’s territory, it was difficult to survive because there were many fierce monsters.

The reason Helmut survived was purely due to good luck.

‘Elaga raised me.’

So Helmut thought of Elaga as family. But even so, Elaga and Helmut were not the same. They were different from the root.

Elaga belonged to the Forest of Roots, but Helmut sometimes felt a sense of alienation in the dark and rough Forest of Roots. It felt strange to have to stay here forever.

Perhaps it was because he was human.

-Are you going to look for him? Don’t even dream about it. That human must be dead by now.

“How can you be sure?”

Annoyed by the persistent questioning, Elaga swung his tail and broke a branch.

-Because that human was old.

At the gaze looking up at him, Elaga spat out as if annoyed.

-He was an unusually strong human. But in this Forest of Roots, no matter how strong a human is, they can’t withstand the magic and gradually weaken. He wasn’t like you, having the Seed of Darkness, so he wouldn’t have lived long. I saw him long before you appeared, so he must be dead by now.

“Tell me where you last saw him.”

-Why, now that I’ve raised you, you want to go find a human? You ungrateful creature!

“I have to live on my own when I grow up. I’m ten years old now.”

Ten years old, if you compare it to a leopard, he was a fully matured male. But in Elaga’s eyes, Helmut was a little bigger than a bean.

Elaga was taken aback.

-You’re a human. Humans have a long way to go to grow up. Anyway, that human, let’s see.

Elaga was racking her brains. In fact, she had completely forgotten about it until now.

-He must have been about ninety years old.

“Humans live up to a hundred years, you said. Where did you see him?”

The reason Helmut was persistently asking was nothing special. He was just curious. A human who might still be alive. A human he had never seen since he fell into this forest.

‘He’s bothering me again. If I don’t tell him, he’ll keep bothering me.’

Elaga finally opened her mouth.

-I don’t know if he’s still living there.

“If he’s not there, I’ll come back.”

Elaga said he was strong. In the Forest of Roots, where monsters are frolicking, a human who is strong enough to be recognized by Elaga. He was suddenly curious.

‘A strong human without the Seed of Darkness.’

Even with the Seed of Darkness, Helmut was weak compared to the monsters in the forest. Helmut was curious about his strength.

‘How can a human be as strong as a monster?’

-Do as you please!

In the end, Elaga, who lost her temper, told him the last place she saw that human. It was a three-day walk for Helmut. It was a direction he had never been to before.

-Even if you die on the way, I won’t know.

Elaga turned around and sat down. Helmut, who got up, glanced at Elaga and started walking in the direction it had mentioned.

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