Before him lay a dead end.

“…….”

‘Where am I?’

Elaga panicked. Leaving the bookstore with such confidence was fine, but finding his way back was a problem.

He had believed it wouldn’t be difficult, but the city of Fidelis was unlike anything Elaga had experienced before.

There were no walls in the Forest of Roots. There were no roads, per se; the path Elaga trampled and pushed through became the road.

He could instinctively grasp his general location. Memorizing the geography of the Forest of Roots, where even the trees and grass shifted, was meaningless.

Greencana, filled with small houses, was the same. It was only natural that Fidelis would be unfamiliar to Elaga.

‘I’m lost?!’

Teresa called out to the shocked Elaga in a dubious voice.

“Excuse me, kitty?”

“Meow?”

Elaga looked up at Teresa as if nothing had happened.

He quietly brushed past her side.

Teresa briefly considered whether she should follow this seemingly lost white cat, then concluded that a human couldn’t possibly fathom the mind of a small animal.

‘Perhaps it led me here on purpose to avoid me.’

She wondered if she should conceal her presence and follow it, but the white cat was walking right in front of her without running away.

Of course, Elaga’s reason was simple: running around would only make him more lost.

After wandering for some time, Teresa’s patience finally wore thin. Just as she was about to capture Elaga and use magic,

“Elaga.”

A low voice called out. A man stood ahead. His blond hair was striking, even from a distance.

However, he was backlit, making it difficult for Teresa to see his features clearly.

Teresa’s eyes widened. The voice sounded familiar.

Elaga immediately darted towards the man. Leaping as if flying, Elaga perched on Helmut’s shoulder and muttered, only for Helmut to hear.

[You should have come out sooner.]

Helmut stared at Elaga, slightly dumbfounded, as the demonic beast complained about how dizzy he was from concentrating so hard on finding his way.

“And you called me slow-witted.”

It seemed Elaga was in no position to make such comments.

[Shut up!]

Teresa stared blankly at the man who appeared to be the cat’s owner. All she could see was his profile, faintly visible against the backlight.

‘He’s handsome. Have I seen him in our estate before? But he looks familiar somehow…’

Before she could get a better look, Helmut, with Elaga on his shoulder, was already turning his back.

Theresa hesitated to call out to him. As the daughter of the Duke and known as the mage of Fidelis, she worried that speaking to someone who looked like an outsider might come across as intimidating.

She glanced at the man for a moment before turning away.

‘Elaga, what an unusual name for a cat.’

With a puzzled look, Teresa turned and headed in the direction of the Fidelis estate. It was time to go back.

Helmut, with Elaga, immediately returned to the bookstore.

Alea had told him to find Elaga after she finished choosing her books.

As soon as they arrived in front of the bookstore, Helmut asked,

“Where have you been?”

[Where else? Just wandering around. But this place seems like a poor area. People looked like they were dying to catch and eat me.]

Helmut’s eyes narrowed as Elaga grumbled about the children throwing stones at him.

“You didn’t harm any humans, did you?”

If a body turned up in an alley, killed by an unknown beast, Elaga would undoubtedly be the suspect.

Elaga shook his head emphatically.

[What are you talking about? Why would I harm humans! Stop talking nonsense. Anyway, I’ll have to stick with you in this town; it won’t do. This place is too cruel to animals.]

While demonic beasts were cruel, humans were no less harsh towards animals weaker than themselves. Elaga, heated with indignation, launched into a tirade against humanity.

Helmut nodded slightly. He had similar thoughts. Besides, for a demonic beast of Elaga’s stature to endure being chased by insignificant humans in a place teeming with potential prey was quite remarkable.

It wasn’t just because Elaga was overwhelmingly powerful that he was being tolerant.

Elaga had faithfully refrained from harming humans or revealing his true nature. So far. That was commendable.

Just then, Alea emerged from the bookstore, having finished paying for her books. She effortlessly stored the stack of books in her subspace before turning her gaze to Helmut.

“There’s quite a bit to read here. It’s a shame, but this should do for now. There’ll be other opportunities later. Did anything happen?”

Helmut frowned slightly.

“There was a mage nearby.”

Otaku_Tensei

I'm currently Translating the following novel: Helmut: The Forsaken Child. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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