Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 358 (Part 2):

Baden. The moment they stepped into the city with its perpetually mild climate, the familiar air greeted them.

A city of mages, and at the same time, a city of academia. A hub of academies.

Yet, one couldn’t overlook the swordsmen in Baden.

As the familiar air enveloped him, a wave of nostalgia followed.

Helmut closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. Buried memories resurfaced.

“How does it feel to be back in Baden after four years?”

Alea asked. Helmut had once attended Greta Academy here for less than a year.

But he had learned much here and experienced some of the most peaceful and special moments of his life.

Including meeting Alea. He had gained so much. What he gained here had saved him.

“I think… I missed this place.”

The Forest of Roots was where Helmut had lived his entire life, but he didn’t miss it. In the Forest of Roots, Helmut was an outsider, a place he didn’t belong to and had to leave.

Now, after four long yet short years, Baden hadn’t changed much from his memories.

As Helmut was lost in sentiment, Elaga spoke.

[Is this that academy place or whatever you were talking about? The one where you ranked first and all that?]

“Yes.”

[Are Susan and Sarah here too?]

“Probably? If they arrived safely.”

Ethan Kudrow would have taken good care of them. Even if not, they had resources and would have settled well in Baden.

Though connected through Antiol, they seemed determined to be independent, as they hadn’t contacted Helmut at all.

That alone meant they were doing fine.

“Let’s go.”

Helmut and Alea slowly walked through Baden’s streets. Memories of walking and blending in together surged up.

Helmut realized he was feeling a sense of regret.

‘Regret…’

If four years ago, he hadn’t met his mother. If he hadn’t been sent to the Forest of Roots after being betrayed by Renosa.

He might have graduated from Greta Academy without incident.

Instead, Asuka would have been the second top graduate, but Helmut wouldn’t have felt particularly unhappy about that.

During those four years, Helmut would have stayed in Baden, spending countless hours learning and experiencing human life, building memories.

Of course, what could be learned in the swordsmanship department was limited, and it wasn’t particularly helpful for honing swordsmanship.

The experiences Helmut went through had grown him, and his achievements in the Forest of Roots were significant.

In Baden, such achievements were hard to come by, and for a swordsman, those achievements were the most important. Yet, he felt regret.

A sense of emptiness welled up from deep within.

What he had lost, what he had to lose. Those things meant more to Helmut than his achievements.

It was unsettling to realize the priorities he’d believed to be rock-solid were not, in fact, absolute.

The moments he had lost forever.

Although those events led to new realizations and gains, and though those gains weren’t just about his achievements as a swordsman, it didn’t make Helmut’s losses any less significant.

Helmut had been forever deprived of certain experiences and times he could have enjoyed. During those times, Alea would have always been by his side.

His chest felt warm.

Renosa had to pay the price. No, not Renosa itself. Helmut knew exactly who had to pay the price.

His mother, Margret, the Duchess of Renosa. Though there was no trust between him and Michael, Helmut had trusted his mother.

Because she was his mother. Because Helmut was her child.

He took the first step. And now it was time to take the second.

Before he knew it, Ethan Kudrow’s mansion came into view. Naturally, his steps led him there.

In Baden, the first place he always had to visit was there.

Alea followed him silently.

During those four years, the door of Ethan mansion’s estate had only faded a bit, yet otherwise remained unchanged.

The guard who saw Helmut tilted his head. He looked familiar. The feeling was mutual. It seemed there was one more thing that hadn’t changed in four years.

The guard asked.

“Uh, by any chance… you.”

Helmut spoke.

“Helmut. I’m here to see Ethan.”

The guard’s eyes widened. He immediately rushed inside.

Not long after, someone came running to the door.

Ethan Kudrow, who was always calm and stern, was not someone you’d imagine running in such a disheveled manner.

He had always acted like a father to Helmut.

But now, he was showing a side of himself Helmut had never seen before.

“Helmut!”

He exclaimed. Even though he must have heard the news from Susan and Sarah, he looked like he couldn’t believe it.

Helmut smiled at his former patron. It was a rare emotional expression from someone who had never laughed out loud.

“It’s been a long time.”

With eyes filled with emotion, Ethan Kudrow grasped Helmut’s shoulders.

After a moment, he spoke as if exhaling a sigh.

“Let’s go inside first.”

There was so much to talk about.

Otaku_Tensei

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