Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 320 (Part 2):

A woman, and judging by the magical power he sensed, a fairly strong one. But he didn’t sense any hostile intent from her, and she hadn’t approached them.

That’s why Helmut hadn’t paid much attention to her.

[That mage helped me when I was being chased by children. She followed me, saying she’d protect me. A rare, decent human. Are mages generally fond of animals?]

Elaga generalized, recalling Greencana.

He wouldn’t have said that if he knew how many animals and beasts had been sacrificed for mage experiments.

Helmut searched his memory.

‘Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve seen that woman somewhere before.’

He couldn’t recall clearly, as it was only a fleeting glimpse. He must have seen her briefly at the academy or somewhere else.

Since this was Fidelis, it wasn’t strange to encounter a mage or two in the streets.

“I wonder how Sian is doing?”

Alea muttered suddenly. She didn’t know Teresa was from Fidelis, or even that she was from the Kingdom of Veneta.

Though Teresa was the top student in the magic department a year above her, Alea had never taken an interest in her, partly due to their strained relationship.

Alea was a genius, and Teresa wasn’t. At least, not in Alea’s eyes.

There was no need to waste attention on someone clearly beneath her.

If she hadn’t shown interest in Helmut, they wouldn’t have clashed.

‘Anyway, it seems Sian has connections with mages from Fidelis.’

Alea assumed Sian would try to get information from whoever it was. Tilting her head, she asked,

“What shall we do now?”

“Why not go to crowded places and gather information? That’s why we came to Fidelis, after all.”

Neither of them were particularly skilled at making friendly conversation, but Alea could extract information from people using simple mental magic. She smiled faintly.

“That sounds interesting.”

In any case, Alea didn’t seem interested in an ordinary date.

The same went for Helmut. With Elaga, the mood-killer, tagging along, a cozy date was impossible, and at this point, he wasn’t even sure what a “normal” one looked like.

The two of them set off immediately.

*
Sian was in a kind of luck. After a quick meal in the city, they ran into Teresa near the Fidelis estate.

They had been pondering how to call Teresa, as it wouldn’t be good to be discovered by Duke Fidelis, given their uncertainty about his relationship with the new King.

Teresa, returning to the Fidelis estate after following Elaga, stopped upon spotting the conspicuous group. They noticed each other almost simultaneously.

Sian waved first, greeting her with his characteristically friendly smile.

“Senior Teresa?”

“It’s been a while, Sian.”

‘I’m glad I separated those two.’

“It’s been a little over a year since you graduated. I heard you were returning to Veneta, but you were here all along. How have you been?”

“Yes. The people with you—I think I know who they are. They’re from Greta Academy, aren’t they?”

Teresa observed those beside Sian with a smile.

Despite her expression, her eyes were cold. Her mind was racing.

‘Asuka, he’s suspicious, but a commoner nonetheless. But Charlotte… Why is the Duchess of Renosa with Sian? And during the middle of the semester?’

A clash with Charlotte could risk conflict with Renosa.

That would be troublesome. The Kingdom of Veneta had only recently stabilized, and Renosa wasn’t just any principality.

Renosa’s military power surpassed Veneta’s. Even the Empire couldn’t easily disregard Renosa.

Furthermore, Charlotte was the top student in the swordsmanship department. She was a force to be reckoned with.

‘I expected some mage friends, but these people are more troublesome than I anticipated.’

She had no intention of clashing with them. This would be settled through negotiation. Neither side would want a conflict.

While guessing Sian’s purpose in leaving Greencana and appearing here, Teresa asked,

“You look well. What brings you here? Are you traveling?”

However, Sian was just as astute as she was. Seeing Teresa feigning ignorance, he saw through her, even the things she wasn’t saying.

‘The Duke of Fidelis’s daughter couldn’t be unaware of Veneta’s meddling in Greencana.’

“You already know why I’m here.”

At his direct remark, Teresa’s smile deepened.

“Well, I wouldn’t know. Why don’t you introduce your friends instead?”

“Senior, you know who we are.”

Asuka interjected with a displeased expression. Charlotte also stared at her with a hardened look.

“Since we’re in Fidelis, we thought of you, Senior Teresa. We came hoping to get some information from you. But it seems that’s not the case. You knew and you’re involved.”

Sian’s expression turned cold, an unusual look for him, always amicable.

Finally, Teresa responded.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you make that face. Greencana must be very important to you.”

“Are you working for the king?”

“It’s natural for Veneta’s nobility to serve the king. However…”

Teresa looked around. People were staring. This wasn’t a suitable place for a conversation.

“Why don’t we go somewhere quiet to talk? We can’t do this out in the open. If you don’t want to come to my mansion, we can go somewhere else. We can talk about what you want there.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

Sian readily agreed.

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