Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 331 (Part 1):

‘Was my mother always this kind of person?’

Sian clicked his tongue as he observed the situation.

The son was simply amazed to discover this new side of his mother.

“Now that Your Majesty has received what you wanted, are you satisfied?”

Terra smiled sweetly, almost mimicking Teresa’s signature grin.

Even the knights and soldiers around the king stood frozen, as if overwhelmed.

She was facing them alone. As if she never needed any companions in the first place.

Still supporting Teresa, the king opened his mouth heavily.

“I understand your intentions. Withdraw your magic and your demands will be met.”

“Very well.”

Terra nodded readily. With this, she had gained the upper hand in the negotiations.

She stepped back inside the tree. Walking through as if passing through a doorway, Terra reached the center and once again unleashed her magic.

A bright green light spread out from the center. The massive tree began to shrink in an instant.

Rumble! As if time was being reversed, the extended branches and thick leaves appeared to be sucked back into the tree’s trunk.

Light and the blue sky returned to the royal palace.

And soon, in the western garden stood a massive tree that looked centuries old, its leaves fluttering. It was a mysteriously beautiful sight.

Having completed her work, Terra smiled at the king and said:

“Let’s talk when you have time since this situation is settled.”

*

Though brief, the tree’s occupation of the palace had thrown the outside into chaos.

It looked just like a demon king had appeared and cast a curse.

Fortunately, since the tree had spread its branches so high, there was almost no damage to the palace.

Apart from the sudden plunge into darkness and the collective blindness that ensued, no significant accidents occurred.

It seems they managed to explain it away as a slight mistake during the casting of magic.

A few hours later, they were gathered in the conference room around a large table.

The exhausted king looked extremely tired by then. Teresa was absent, presumably having gone to receive treatment.

“Now, state your demands.”

“What I want is…”

Terra demanded from the king a permanent document of non-interference and non-aggression bearing the royal seal.

She considered indirect interference, like blocking all trade with surrounding villages as they had done this time, to be a violation as well.

“Future kings must not repeat similar actions.”

One demonstration of Rodril’s power was enough. The Earth Spirit wasn’t meant to interfere in human affairs just to show off its power. The king readily accepted her demands. This much went according to plan.

“Is this sufficient?”

However, to the king’s question, Terra shook her head.

“Hardly. You’re thinking too small. Rodril also demands compensation for the direct and indirect damages caused by the Kingdom of Veneta.”

“How much?”

The amount she named was enormous – equivalent to one-third of the national treasury. Even Sian, who was listening from the side, was shocked.

‘Has she developed expensive tastes while living luxuriously in the palace?’

Naturally, the King of Veneta wouldn’t agree so easily.

“If you thought I would accept this, you are gravely mistaken. Veneta experienced major turmoil just a year ago, and we’re still recovering from it.”

“That’s Your Majesty’s circumstance, Veneta’s circumstance. The child in the western garden is under my control. That child is capricious and stubborn. I’m not sure when it might decide to grow again on its own. Perhaps even if it feels its existence is threatened.”

The implication was clear—comply with the deal or face the tree once more engulfing the palace.

The king’s expression grew cold in an instant.

“Is this a threat?”

“You still don’t realize that you have no choice, Your Majesty.”

At Terra’s words, the king’s gaze sharpened.

“You seem to think you have absolute advantage.”

“Don’t I? You monitored Greencana, isolated it, committed petty acts like kidnapping villagers, and brought Rodril all the way to the palace. Your Majesty has taken all that you desired. Now it’s time to pay the price.”

Terra wasn’t doing this simply out of greed for wealth.

Of course, this was an opportunity to legally extract money from the Kingdom of Veneta, and it wasn’t entirely free of personal interest.

But the most important reason was different. The King of Veneta had touched Greencana’s residents.

To prevent such a thing from happening again, the King of Veneta needed to pay a painful price.

Paying a price comes with losses. Since she couldn’t physically strike the king, she would at least take his money.

“I cannot agree.”

“Then Your Majesty will have to pay the price in another way.”

Terra stood up abruptly. Though the surrounding knights all reached for their swords, she had no intention of directly harming the king from the start.

Why would she damage her bargaining partner? She could just grow the tree again and turn the entire palace into a garden, just like before.

“Listen. I must show you a card I had no intention of playing.”

“A card?”

The king gestured toward the door. It opened, and a man walked in.

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