Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 313 (Part 1):

Like Elaga who was enjoying his life as a cat, Igrelle was also finding her own way of having fun.

Pink hair and crimson eyes. Her striking beauty was noticeable even from a distance.

Moreover, she was an extraordinary beauty. The kind that would be hard to find not just in this rural village, but even in the city.

“Wow!”

Exclamations burst out whenever Igrelle walked down the street. Some even dropped their baskets when they unexpectedly encountered her coming out of alleyways.

Naturally, intense whispers followed.

“Who is that lady? A guest of Rodril?”

“You should have seen them yesterday! The guests who came this time are something else!”

“It was a feast for the eyes – they’re all gorgeous, both men and women!”

“Yeah, everyone except Sian.”

The last comment would have been particularly depressing for the person in question.

Finally annoyed by the constant exclamations, Igrelle grabbed someone – literally seized them by the nape of their neck.

‘How can a woman have such grip strength!’

Igrelle asked casually, though it sounded half like a threat.

“Why do you people shout such unpleasant things when you see someone?”

“N-no… It’s just… You’re incredibly beautiful.”

The young man answered with a stammering voice. Gone was his earlier enthusiasm when shouting in admiration; now his ears were red as he was held by Igrelle.

“Beautiful? So you’re interested in me?”

“H-how could I dare…”

Igrelle’s lips curled into a smile.

“What a spineless male. When there’s such a beautiful female before you, don’t you want to claim her?”

The young man thought this was too much, regardless of how beautiful she was. Her boldness was beyond aggressive – it was scary.

“Don’t tell me I’m not your type?”

“Ah, I, I…! You’re beautiful enough to transcend preferences, but… I’m married! I have a wife and child…!”

The young man, who actually had neither a wife nor a lover but only someone he had a crush on, improvised by making up a non-existent wife and child.

“Hmm, is that so? I suppose I shouldn’t mess with taken males.”

Igrelle let go of the young man. Or rather, threw him away.

Thud! The young man, who had landed on his behind, scrambled to his feet and fled in terror. It felt eerily like being held and released by an enormous being.

“How boring.”

Igrelle clicked her tongue. Perhaps it was because it was a small village. The males here were lacking in spirit and were wimpy.

True strength is forged in the fires of competition. Perhaps in the crowded cities where humans swarmed, things would be more interesting, but for now, she had to stay here.

‘This is no fun. Should I look for someone else to toy with?’

Somehow, Igrelle’s objective seemed to have shifted from ‘seducing humans’ to something more like ‘defeating humans.’

*
Elaga, who had been playing in the village all day, suddenly dropped something in front of Sian’s house.

At that moment, Sian’s sister Siena, who was just opening the door to come out, let out a shrill scream and ran back inside.

Hearing her scream, all family members rushed outside.

Sian came out and picked up what Elaga had left there, frowning.

“Elaga, what is this?”

What Elaga had brought was a dead mouse.

A plump, well-fed mouse that looked like it came from the mountains.

It appeared to have died instantly from a single strike with his paw, as there were no visible wounds on its body.

[I heard cats bring their prey as a show of goodwill. I caught this while staying here. You should be grateful to receive a gift from a guest.]

Elaga replied haughtily.

He remained sitting there leisurely, deliberately ignoring the fact that Siena had run away screaming.

Sian dangled the mouse corpse and said,

“No… Do you really think you’re a cat? You don’t need to give us things like this. You scared Siena.”

[Isn’t this the right size for humans to eat? Everyone was always happy when I brought them prey.]

Elaga asked, perplexed. Not only when raising Helmut, but he had also provided daily hunted food for Sarah and her mother.

In the Forest of Roots, food wasn’t easy to come by, so they were happy when he brought them something with tender meat.

It was Elaga’s pleasure to watch humans cook and eat the prey he caught, doing what they called ‘cuisine’ or whatever.

Sian held his forehead.

“Normal humans don’t eat mice unless they’re about to starve to death, you know?”

[Is that so? Then let it go.]

Just then, the mouse in Sian’s hand suddenly writhed and bared its teeth. Squeak!

“Whoa!”

Sian let go in shock. The mouse, landing on the ground, darted away and disappeared somewhere. Elaga meowed in disapproval.

[I went through the trouble of knocking it unconscious to bring it fresh and alive, tsk tsk. For a mere human, you’re too picky. You should eat what you’re given.]

“What are you saying? Please, just stop with the human-belittling comments.”

Sian’s heart was still racing. Bringing a rat to someone’s doorstep was practically a curse!

At least it was fortunate that it wasn’t actually dead, so there wouldn’t be a corpse to dispose of.

[You, are you getting more uppity because you’re Helmut’s friend? I tolerate you, but don’t push your luck. I’m leaving now.]

Meow! Elaga snorted and walked away gracefully. He seemed to be heading toward the village, probably planning to find a suitable basket to sleep in.

He had completely adapted to cat life, and everyone calling him pretty had only made his attitude worse.

Otaku_Tensei

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