Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 32 (Part 1):

“So, Kelop is dead then.”

The members of the Tariq Mercenary Corps showed disapproval. Truly, he died in a way that was hard to speak of to anyone.

Even his brother would find it ridiculous. To think he followed a young 4th-rank mercenary into the forest to bully him, only to get eaten by a demonic beast. His body couldn’t even be found.

Moreover, it was already a problem with the discipline of the Tariq Mercenary Corps that on the day of the attack, when two of their comrades had already died, he went off to do such a thing.

“On behalf of the Tariq Mercenary Corps, I apologize.”

One of the 2nd-rank mercenaries slightly bowed his head. It seemed like a well-handled apology without raising suspicion, but something felt lacking. Tanya stepped forward.

“Is this all going to end with just a verbal apology, Max? You knew what that Kelop was up to. And you left him be until this kid almost died!”

“The reward for Kelop’s task will be paid to this child. Please handle it that way, Miles.”

Max, the 2nd-rank mercenary called out promptly. It wasn’t his money anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal to him.

Actually, he was somewhat annoyed. Not just because of Kelop’s case but also because this situation had exposed the flaws of the Tariq Mercenary Corps in front of a client.

‘No one died from the Pace Mercenary Corps, but three from ours.’

The loss of manpower was a problem, but what was worse was the atmosphere of the commercial guilds already favoring the Pace Mercenary Corps over theirs, and this incident would only confirm that sentiment.

Perhaps the only positive was that a useless person had died.

“It’s quite disappointing, really. I tried not to get involved in the problems between the two mercenary corps, expecting you to handle it yourselves. Now the atmosphere has been disrupted, and who knows what might happen before we even leave the forest. Three have already died.”

“We will be cautious.”

Miles sighed deeply. He had experienced many dangerous moments while leading the caravan.

But this was the first time he felt so uneasy. The forest was more dangerous than expected, and the monsters were stronger.

‘Maybe we should have hired more mercenaries.’

Miles always hired mercenaries with a margin for potential risks. He regretted that his calculations might have been too conservative.

“Well, it seems it wasn’t a big problem, so let’s move on. There’s a chance that monkey beast could appear again, which would be a big problem. Make sure your people don’t wander around at night.”

“Yes.”

And then they dispersed, each returning to their respective campsites. As soon as they reached the campsite, Tanya turned around sharply.

Snap! Helmut blinked. It was Tanya who had hit him. It hurt quite a bit.

He sensed the swing. He thought it would hurt, so he tried to dodge, but while he was pondering whether it was okay to dodge, the fist had already reached him.

Helmut protested.

“It hurts.”

“It should hurt! You fool, you were almost killed! If you had just told me when you were on guard, I could have watched your back! What were you thinking, wandering around here alone without thinking.”

The accusation of not thinking was unfair. Kelop or a hundred like him wouldn’t have mattered, and Helmut had driven away that demonic beast earlier.

But he was the only one who knew that.

Helmut’s eyebrows twitched.

‘Should I just tell her?’

He was strong. Strong enough to protect himself. He was confident he could prove it. Honestly, being considered on the same level as Finn didn’t sit right with him.

But there was something bothering him. Tanya had found Helmut near the Forest of Roots. If she were to connect that Forest and him…

It might not have been a good idea to reveal himself to her.

Tanya crossed her arms and said,

“Do you know how shocked I was when you were the only one not seen among our mercenary corps? Are you going to wander around on your own again?”

“I was in a hurry because of an upset stomach. Maybe it was something I ate last night.”

Helmut made an excuse.

“That’s what you get for eating so recklessly.”

“I was hungry…”

As he made excuses, he noticed Tanya’s expression becoming increasingly stern.

Helmut suddenly remembered what to say in this situation. What did Finn say when he was pressed like this?

“I’m sorry.”

He had never said that to Darien. In truth, Helmut had never done anything to apologize to Darien for.

Darien wouldn’t have thought to apologize while bossing Helmut around, though he might have expected gratitude.

It was a learned response. Hanging out with Finn had slowly been improving Helmut’s social skills. Tanya’s expression softened a bit.

“That’s right, don’t worry about Kelop’s death. He deserved to die. Don’t feel guilty about it.”

“Okay.”

He wasn’t sure about guilt, but he was feeling another emotion. Helmut had his prey stolen by that monster. It was an infuriating situation. A one-sided loss.

‘He won’t just let it go, will he?’

Not as malicious as Naho, but he was a creature filled with toxicity. It would attack again before they left this forest.

‘Since I got Kelop’s reward, is it a gain?’

He needed money, and now he had more. That was satisfying, at least.

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