Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 360 (Part 1):

“Do as you please.”

Helmut stood there, experiencing the sensation of having something taken away from him. It wasn’t something he even knew he still had in the first place.

The horse, snorting as it glared at its indifferent owner, abruptly turned its head. The brief reunion between White and Helmut came to an end just like that.

Susan and Sarah excused themselves, saying they needed to pack their belongings.

Seeing from Sarah’s light step that she hadn’t been slacking in her training, Helmut turned his attention to Ethan Kudrow.

It was time to finish their earlier conversation. Once they were seated again in the reception room, Ethan began to speak.

“Right, we were talking about the Grand Duke of Renosa. He…”

Ethan furrowed his brow, trying to recall the details. The time Ethan Kudrow was summoned to the palace of Renosa and faced the Grand Duke was late at night.

It was a secret summons through a member of the Black Wing Knights. Ethan had been investigating Helmut’s whereabouts after his disappearance.

If the Grand Duke had something to hide, he might try to eliminate Ethan.

What reason would a man of the Grand Duke’s stature have to summon him so secretly?

Ethan was gripped by unease. But even if he refused the Grand Duke’s summons, he was still in Renosa.

The Grand Duke could eliminate him at any time if he wished. The fact that Ethan Kudrow was an instructor at Greta Academy wouldn’t matter much to someone of the Grand Duke’s standing.

In any case, the outcome wouldn’t change. So, Ethan complied with the Grand Duke’s summons.

“The moment I first saw the Grand Duke of Renosa, I was struck with shock.”

A shiver ran down his spine. The Grand Duke exuded an aura of authority, a presence that weighed heavily on those around him.

He had the most impressive appearance and demeanor among all the rulers Ethan had seen.

But that wasn’t why Ethan was shocked.

“He looked… so much like you.”

Jet-black eyes and hair, a piercing gaze, and facial features that immediately reminded Ethan of Helmut.

Anyone who had seen both of them would have no doubt about their blood relation.

They were remarkably alike.

It was as if Ethan was looking at an older version of Helmut.

Despite having been bedridden for a long time, the Grand Duke’s body appeared robust.

“And now… you resemble him even more.”

Is the power of bloodline this terrifying? Helmut had grown to look even more like the Grand Duke, as if he were a carbon copy.

Ethan clicked his tongue.

“The Grand Duke said he had heard that I was searching for a boy named Helmut. He mentioned that, although he had been bedridden and unable to oversee matters, it would be a disgrace if the winner of the academy’s swordsmanship tournament had gone missing from Renosa. He expressed his willingness to cooperate in finding him. His words… sounded genuine at the time.”

Ethan delved deeper into his memories. He didn’t have a special gift for discerning truth from lies.

But the authority in the Grand Duke’s firm tone and commanding voice was unmistakable.

The Grand Duke of Renosa wasn’t the type to summon someone and test them with lies.

He was a man who had no need to lie to an academy instructor. Ethan could sense that.

Ethan’s gaze met Helmut’s. Though he couldn’t be certain, Ethan’s story allowed Helmut to form some conjectures.

“The Grand Duke asked me about you. He wanted every detail I could provide about the boy named Helmut, saying it would help in the search.”

Was it mere curiosity or interest? Or perhaps…

Even now, knowing the full truth, Ethan Kudrow couldn’t decipher what the Grand Duke’s gaze had meant at that time.

The Grand Duke’s black eyes were even deeper than Helmut’s, making his true intentions difficult to read. Ethan continued.

“I wanted to cling to even the faintest hope, so I told him about you. I left out your secrets, like being the disciple of the Sword Saint, of course. It was all good things. Your academy achievements were really outstanding, after all.”

Ethan Kudrow chuckled softly. The tense atmosphere eased slightly.

“The Grand Duke listened quietly to my story… He seemed to be deep in thought for a while. Then he said he would let me know if he found out anything.”

If Renosa had betrayed him, it wouldn’t be strange for the Grand Duke to be hostile toward Helmut. But Ethan Kudrow sensed no such hostility from the Grand Duke.

Strangely, he was calm and composed. He had asked for information, but it didn’t seem like mere curiosity. There was something more to it.

Ethan Kudrow couldn’t quite put his finger on the strange feeling he had gotten from the Grand Duke at that time.

“And then he told me, too, that if I learned anything or received good news, I should contact him. He gave me this.”

Ethan Kudrow rummaged through a drawer and pulled out an object. It was a small crystal orb, engraved with the seal of Renosa.

This was Alea’s area of expertise. She reached out and picked up the crystal orb.

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