Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 352 (Part 2):

‘What is this…? This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.’

He felt like things had gone wrong from the very beginning, but he couldn’t back out now.

Two weeks. That was the time Asuka had to spend here. It was supposed to be a month, but he had stubbornly negotiated it down to half.

He couldn’t declare that he couldn’t even do that. Since he had been brought to the capital, the other side could even mobilize Imperial Mages, leaving him with nowhere to run.

“Anyway, it seems you’re confident in your skills. I’ll trust you for now. You can prove it in a duel.”

“Of course.”

Asuka was familiar with establishing hierarchy. It was something he was used to.

Niel spoke up.

“One thing to make clear: we’re all members of the Imperial Knights, and you mustn’t forget that. Here, we value rank more than social status.”

“That means you can’t treat Ralph, a commoner, like a servant and order him around.”

Despite their differences in status, their bond seemed quite strong. Niel and Ganen were wary of Asuka, and they were protective of Ralph.

It was only natural for them to assume that someone like Asuka, who flaunted his status from the start, would look down on a commoner.

“Who said I’d only order around commoners? You three are all the same to me. If I’m going to order anyone around, it’ll be all three of you!”

Asuka made a loud remark, as if he had decided to take this side from the start. After all, he was of royal blood, not noble, so in a way, it made sense.

Ralph asked awkwardly,

“You’re not going to act that way toward the Vice-Commander, who’s also of commoner origin, are you?”

It was surprising that there was a Vice-Commander of the Imperial Knights who was a commoner.

Asuka’s eyes widened, but before he could speak, Ralph added,

“If you show such disrespect to him, you might be disciplined for insubordination and thrown in jail.”

“That would make things easier for us,” Niel muttered under his breath.

Ganen spoke up,
“Sir Asuka, I don’t know how impressive you are, but we’re not here to do your menial tasks. We’re also Imperial Knights, so we each handle our own duties. Since you’ve just joined, we’ll help if you have any difficulties.”

The three of them were in perfect sync, as if they had formed a team to deal with Asuka.

They weren’t picking a fight, but they were saying what needed to be said, and it was all reasonable.

Asuka, faced with this new situation, didn’t know how to respond.

Ralph reached out his hand.

“Well, let’s get along from now on. You’ll shake hands, right?”

Asuka stared at his hand for a moment, then reluctantly grasped it.

Ralph hadn’t grown up as a commoner the way Asuka had, but he was truly a commoner.

Yet, to have made it into the Imperial Knights, he must have put in an extraordinary amount of effort.

Not only that, but the way these guys protected their commoner friend and the overall atmosphere made Asuka curious. He wanted to know more. Had there been something he hadn’t known?

“Alright, let’s get along. You weaklings.”

Asuka smirked. It was the same mischievous smile he had shown at Greta Academy.

*

At the same time, Sian was granted a bit of freedom. He was allowed to move freely within certain areas of the imperial palace.

It wasn’t exactly imprisonment, given the palace’s vast size, so there was no discomfort.

Moreover, the room he was staying in was luxurious, and as a guest of the Grand Duke, he was treated well.

Though he had suddenly been placed under house arrest, he was also given certain privileges.

Grand Duke Farnese was a man who ensured proper compensation.

‘I’m afraid I’ll have to restrict your movements for now. But since staying here would be boring, I’ll allow you to use the imperial library.’

The imperial library, the treasure trove of the Empire. It was a place where ancient and magical texts were compiled, a dream destination for any mage.

Not just anyone could enter. It was reserved for Imperial Mages, those who had contributed to the nation, or high-ranking nobles.

Only someone of Grand Duke Farnese’s stature could grant such a privilege. For most, it would have been impossible.

Sian’s dissatisfaction vanished. It was moments like these that made him glad he had aligned himself with the powerful.

He nodded to himself, thinking he had chosen the right side.

‘More importantly, I can use magic now.’

Of course, there were still restrictions on using magical powers. Sian’s wrists were shackled with magic-controlling cuffs.

Even if he could use magic, he couldn’t cause trouble with Imperial Mages around, but Grand Duke Farnese was thorough.
He had taken into account that Sian was a rare spirit mage.

‘I can’t do much, but I can at least contact Alea.’

Their planned meeting had been disrupted. He needed to inform them of his situation.

Fortunately, that wasn’t too difficult. Sian had already contacted Alea through her crystal orb before. Once a magical connection was made, it left a trace.

All Sian had to do was reconnect to it.

Alea immediately received the signal Sian sent.

[What’s going on?]

Her clear voice echoed. Sian got straight to the point.

“Uh, Alea. It looks like we won’t be able to make it to Baden. Something’s come up.”

He didn’t know when his magic might be restricted again, so there was no time to waste.

Sian quickly explained everything that had happened so far.

When he finished, there was a brief silence from the crystal orb.

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