Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 30 (Part 2):

Finn rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being bitten. The creature that had landed in Finn’s place now faced Helmut.

It looked somewhat like a larger monkey, but it was still a monster. It bared its teeth and leaped at Helmut.

Watching this, Helmut’s eyes were eerily calm. Like a flash of light, his sword was drawn.

Helmut’s sword effortlessly sliced through the monster, bisecting it.

-Chwack!

‘What, what… What did I just see?’

Tanya’s eyes widened. The speed of the sword was so fast that its trajectory was invisible.

With a nonchalant tone, Helmut kicked the cleanly split monster aside and said.

“It seems dead.”

“Yeah, it does.”

“Ah, I must have cut through the core too. It won’t be worth anything now.”

Regrettably, Helmut muttered as Finn clumsily got up.

“What happened? Did you do this?”

‘This guy…’

Tanya looked at Helmut with a troubled expression, as if seeing something strange and unfamiliar.

Helmut, instinctively making excuses, sheathed his sword at his waist.

“This sword must be good. It cuts well.”

Darien didn’t like decorations, so no one had really examined the plain sword. But now, the light lingering on the blade was extraordinary.

Tanya nodded.

“Must have been a critter that was playing dead, got a bit stiff, maybe.”

Finn seemed to think nothing of it. He got up and patted Helmut on the shoulder.

“Hey, Helmut, thanks. I owe you one! I’ll fill your bowl with soup later!”

Finn was in charge of cooking. And he was quite good at it.

“Wait, there was a living one?”

“Did you take it down?”

Soon, the mercenaries gathered around, curious about what had happened. But no one had seen it clearly. It seemed like the matter would be resolved just like that.

*

That night, having escaped the site of the bloody battle, the group stopped only when it was late at night.

They needed to leave the forest as soon as possible, fearing the monkey beast might attack again. There was a consensus on this, so they hurried, even though it was burdensome.

The forest, with its paths barely cleared. After cutting down trees to make space for camping, they lit a campfire and had their meal in the peaceful sounds of crickets chirping and occasional birdcalls filling the air.

The presence of magical creatures would usually silence the insects, so their noises were a sign of safety for the moment.

“Guard duty will be split into pairs, rotating in three shifts. Helmut and Tanya, Finn and Maros, Sean and Bern. Uter, you’re out due to your injury.”

Phien, a 2nd-rank mercenary and the leader of the mercenary corps, did not stand guard.

He emphasized the importance of vigilance, warning against any laxity in guard duty. Sean grumbled in response.

“Ah, I should’ve pretended to get a scratch too, then I could’ve slept comfortably.”

“Jealous? Want me to give you a natural scratch with my knife?”

“Enough already. Aren’t you tired?”

After a short exchange, the mercenaries went to sleep much quicker than usual. They fell asleep almost instantly, knowing well the importance of rest with uncertain dangers looming ahead.

Without a headcount, those not on guard duty could sneak away unnoticed.

Helmut waited patiently. He had become accustomed to sneaking out nightly under the guise of practicing Vis, only returning after a couple of hours. In front of others, he only practiced basic movements.

“Time’s up, sleep well.”

With those words, Tanya, who had been struggling to keep her eyes open, was the first to go to sleep.

‘Maybe now’s the chance to create an opportunity.’

A cold smile crossed Helmut’s lips. He had not forgotten his target.

Rising from his spot, Helmut moved stealthily towards the area near the Tariq Mercenary Corps.

Kelop was still awake. Unexpectedly, he slept little and was diligent. Especially when it came to tormenting Helmut and Finn.

On a night when everyone was exhausted from beast extermination, vigilance against Kelop might be lower, thinking he wouldn’t bother harassing 4th-rank mercenaries after a casualty within their mercenary corps.

But fatigue was a foreign concept to both Helmut and Kelop. Kelop had merely watched from under the carriage, excusing it as protecting the 4th-rank mercenaries, and Helmut did the same.

Helmut walked into the nearby woods, sensing Kelop following.

He had half-expected Kelop to shrink back due to fear of beasts, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

While he tried to keep his presence hidden, it was impossible to completely silence his steps given his size.

When Helmut felt he was far enough from the camp, he stopped in a clearing and casually reached for his sword, pretending to start practice.

-Rustle, rustle.

Kelop made no effort to hide his approach, revealing himself with exaggerated footsteps and a smirk.

“Hey, kid! Risky to come here alone, isn’t it? It’s dangerous.”

“……”

“We have unfinished business from before, don’t we?”

Kelop intended to beat Helmut until he was bleeding and crying, still feeling humiliated from being chased off by Tanya.

‘Frozen, huh?’

Helmut didn’t move. Kelop stepped closer, menacingly.

“You should’ve kept a lower profile! No one’s here to help you in places like this! Hiding behind a girl’s skirts won’t work.”

Only then did Helmut speak.

“I knew you would follow.”

“What?”

Kelop’s eyes widened. Helmut’s gaze was as calm as the night. An oppressive aura seemed to emanate from his dark pupils, leaving Kelop in disbelief.

‘Why am I being intimidated by this kid…?’

“It’s so predictable, it’s almost boring.”

This was a good place to deal with Kelop. Here, no one would suspect a 4th-rank mercenary like Helmut.

The narrative would be simple: strayed a bit too far from camp and was attacked by a demonic beast.

Kelop snapped back to reality. This was just bravado. How could this small fry stand a chance against him?

“If that’s what you think, you’re really out of your mind!”

Kelop raised his hand, not to slap but to crush Helmut’s head with his massive palm.

However, the descending hand froze mid-air. Helmut’s pale fingers had seized Kelop’s wrist.

Though it seemed a gentle grip, Kelop couldn’t move as if his thigh had been grabbed. Cold sweat formed on Kelop’s brow.

“The one without fear is you. Or perhaps just stupid.”

“I, I…”

“Or is it both?”

Perhaps it would be best to pluck out such ignorant eyes. After all, who else would recognize Helmut for who he truly was?

Helmut kindly lowered Kelop’s hand and then placed his own on Kelop’s shoulder.

As soon as Helmut applied pressure, an irresistible force pushed down.

“Kghhh…!”

With a groan, Kelop’s two knees, which had collapsed without strength, touched the ground.

Thud! Kelop couldn’t believe what was happening.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Otaku_Tensei

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