Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 306 (Part 1):

“You decided to visit Sian’s house?”

The next day, Alea, waking up with a hangover, confirmed this while rubbing her furrowed brow.

Her memories of last night were completely gone. She couldn’t recall anything that had happened.

Helmut faced her sharp gaze, which questioned why he had made the decision without asking her.

Wasn’t this something he could decide on his own?

A feeling of discontent, similar to what he felt when being pressured by Darien, sprouted within him, but Helmut answered without showing it.

“Yes, he said it’s not far from here.”

Alea tried to recall a spell that might help alleviate her hangover, but her mind wasn’t cooperating.

She could use magic to get rid of her hangover. The problem was that she couldn’t focus enough to find and cast the spell.

Since she didn’t enjoy alcohol in the first place, this was the first time she had been in such a state. The snake wine was truly potent, and Alea’s ability to even think about using a detox spell was paralyzed.

‘This is the first time I’ve been this disoriented.’

Shaking her head, Alea, amidst her headache, recalled something other than a magic spell.

“…This is the eastern part of the Sacred Barrier. Then it wouldn’t be far. Greenkana … Rodril, I assume.”

“You knew about Sian’s family?”

Alea shook her head.

“Sian is a Spirit Mage. The abilities of a Spirit Mage are inherited through bloodline. They’re influenced by bloodline even more strongly than typical mage families. And Sian can control spirits of all attributes. That’s an incredible talent. A talent he could never have without being born into a powerful Spirit Mage family. His weakness is that he doesn’t particularly excel in any one area. So I was guessing. That Sian was from a Spirit Mage family. A case where both parents are Spirit Mages, at that.”

Alea added,

“And it’s rare for two Spirit Mages to marry.”

“Even if it’s rare, Spirit Mages aren’t so uncommon that their marriages would make headlines.”

Even though Helmut wasn’t well-versed in the ways of the human world, that still seemed odd to him.

“Sian was going to enter the Forest of Roots with us, so I had to know more about him. I didn’t dig too deeply, but I had a hunch.”

So, she was saying that because she didn’t trust Sian and was worried he might betray them, she investigated him before letting him join. That was very Alea-like.

“But why did Sian invite you?”

It wouldn’t have been strange if Sian had just wanted to involve himself in Helmut’s affairs. But bringing family into it was a different story. Both Asuka and Sian had left behind letters as if they were running away from home.

Entering the Forest of Roots meant potentially becoming enemies of the Temple.

Of course, neither Asuka nor Sian would have needed immense friendship or resolve to accept that risk.

They were similar to each other as friends in that they both tended to act impulsively.

“He didn’t say he wanted them to join our group. He said there was no special meaning behind it.”

Sian had invited him to visit his home in a very casual tone, as if simply inviting a friend over.

‘I don’t know much about you, and you don’t know much about me. So, let’s get to know each other. It’ll be fun.’

There was no particular reason to refuse such an invitation. He was also curious. A normal human family, something he had never seen before.

Well, maybe not that ordinary. A family of spirit mages didn’t exactly fit the category of “normal.”

Alea nodded.

“Of course he would do that without thinking. Well, as long as we avoid catching the temple’s attention, it should be fine. Spirit mages are experts at concealment, so even if they’re spotted, they’ll know how to slip away.”

Besides, they had immense power on their side.

With Igrelle and Elaga, it didn’t seem like they would lose, even if they went head-to-head with the temple.

No matter how much Holy Power countered Demonic Energy, even if the Temple gathered all its Holy Power, it wouldn’t be as much as the Sacred Barrier.

“But this cat… what’s its deal?”

Alea’s gaze suddenly shifted to the white cat that had somehow climbed onto Helmut’s lap. It was a fluffy and pretty cat, like a doll.

With her memory gone, Alea couldn’t even imagine that it was Elaga.

‘It’s cute.’

She reached out and stroked the cat, which was sitting on Helmut’s lap, yawning with its mouth wide open.

“Meow!”

Now fully accustomed to being in a cat’s form, a cute sound escaped Elaga’s mouth.

Helmut still felt awkward, but unlike the obvious looks of discomfort from Sian and Asuka, he managed to keep his expression neutral.

Elaga, now fully embodying a cat’s mannerisms, purred and stretched out on Helmut’s lap. It didn’t seem like an act; Elaga genuinely looked like a cat.

Well, leopards were part of the feline family, so it made sense. Elaga had perfectly adapted to this smaller form.

“I don’t think I saw it last time. Did Antiol start keeping a cat?”

At that moment, the cat raised its head and answered.

[Keeping me? As if a mere human could keep me.]

Alea was startled in a way Helmut had never seen before. She asked, in disbelief.

“Elaga… lord?”

Only then did her numbed senses return. The faintly perceptible magical power. And within it, a heavy concentration of immense demonic energy.

The white cat yawned once more and licked its lips before replying,

[Yes, drop the honorifics and just call me Elaga. Helmut treats me like I’m a rat, so there’s no need to be so formal with me, is there?]

“When did I ever treat you like a rat…”

“I’m not a rat.”

When Helmut answered seriously, Elaga immediately retorted,

[Helmut, how come you understand jokes less than a demonic beast like me?]

“…”

[Anyway, we’re going to that Sian guy’s house, right? I’m curious about human villages, so I’m going too.]

“Elaga’s going to the human village too?”

[I told you I don’t eat humans. And I’m going because I’m worried that you, a frail human, might get into trouble again on your own.]

It would be interesting to see how Sian’s parents would react to the idea of a ruler of the Forest of Roots visiting their home.

And Elaga wasn’t the only one coming along.

Otaku_Tensei

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