Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 364 (Part 1):

Two weeks is not a long time. But for Asuka, it felt like an eternity. The days dragged on, and he couldn’t help but feel bored, wondering why time seemed to crawl so slowly.

Asuka endured the Crown Prince’s harassment—which, for him, meant being pestered and forced to think—and just wanted this time to pass as quickly as possible.

He knew Grand Duke Farnese wouldn’t let him go, but perhaps he could at least free him from this ill-suited life as a bodyguard?

The Crown Prince would fling questions at him about difficult or headache-inducing matters—national affairs or internal issues of the empire—and he wouldn’t tolerate half-hearted answers. Sometimes, the prince even touched on topics so sensitive they bordered on classified information.

Asuka realized he was becoming more aware of the empire’s inner workings and felt a wave of anxiety wash over him.

‘They’re never going to release me if I know this much, are they?’

He sensed that the Crown Prince intended to make him into a right-hand man.

But from Asuka’s point of view, that was just another form of harassment. He had absolutely no intention of serving the Crown Prince.

On the day of the assassination attempt, Asuka had stayed by the prince’s side until late. It was just one more instance of that ongoing torment.

He was certain the Crown Prince didn’t actually rely on him.

Maybe it was because the prince was annoyed about Asuka yawning ostentatiously during a speech to his retainers.

In any case, out of the new quartet of recruits, Asuka was the only one left.

While there were a few other royal—or rather, *imperial*—knights outside the door, he was the only one inside the room, guarding the Crown Prince.

That particular day, the Crown Prince was especially busy. After a morning meeting, he spent the rest of the day in his office, reading documents until midnight and giving Asuka a vivid taste of what life was like for the heir to the throne.

Asuka looked at the Crown Prince and felt relieved he was merely a member of the imperial family—and not the heir himself.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince murmured, “It’s already midnight.”

“Yes, I’ve been guarding Your Highness until midnight.”

Asuka couldn’t hide his displeasure. The Crown Prince smiled faintly.

“I must drop by the library. You can leave now.”

The Crown Prince rarely slept much—more than six hours a day was uncommon for him.

Asuka nodded awkwardly and opened the door to leave.

‘He works so hard, no wonder he’s the Crown Prince.’

Still, doing nothing but being buried in paperwork that long made Asuka restless just watching him.

After all, he was the type who preferred freely wielding his sword.

‘I guarantee the Palma Knights are off hunting beasts in the desert right now.’

He was more than qualified to join the Palma Knights if he wanted.

Asuka briefly pondered his future as he walked. At some point, he came to a complete stop.

‘Wait, come to think of it, if he’s going to the library, that means Sian might be there, too.’

These days, Sian had been holed up in the imperial palace library until late at night.

The library stayed open until the early hours of the morning, and since using magic was restricted in the palace, Sian found it more convenient just to stay in the library rather than lug stacks of books around.

Asuka hadn’t run into Sian yet, so he still hadn’t managed to tell him about meeting Michael. He needed Sian if he wanted to talk with Helmut’s side.

‘Does this guy even have a brain?’

He wondered if Sian had forgotten that Asuka was basically a hostage in the palace.

They hadn’t even discussed any plan to escape, yet Sian was buried in his books. ‘Mages really are hopeless,’ Asuka thought as he resumed walking.

He headed in the direction of the imperial palace library.

By now, the Crown Prince was surely on his way. Asuka hoped he wouldn’t bump into him. There was no benefit to the Crown Prince discovering Sian’s presence—though for all he knew, the Crown Prince might already be aware.

As Asuka walked, a strange sensation pricked at him.

At this hour, the only people wandering around the palace should be lookouts, guards, or knights. It wouldn’t be unusual for the corridors to be mostly empty.

Yet something about this eerie stillness felt off. Asuka trusted his instincts—they were practically animal in their sharpness.

‘Something’s happening.’

Then, a jolt of tension passed through him as he considered the possibility that it involved the Crown Prince on his way to the library.

Even so, he didn’t rush. Instead, Asuka moved with caution and silenced his footsteps.

Like a cat padding silently through the night, he approached the palace library.

Eventually, he picked up faint sounds.

‘Clang! Cla-chang!’

The ring of clashing swords and the heavy air filled with killing intent. The noise came from just beyond the alleyway.

Pressing himself against the wall, Asuka quietly peered around the corner to assess the situation.

There was the Crown Prince, his face grim, while his knights fought against masked attackers.

Though the assassins were slightly less skilled than the imperial knights, they had more than twice as many fighters.

The knights had better organization, but they wouldn’t be able to hold out long.

And in their midst, the Crown Prince was merely deadweight.

Asuka felt a twinge of surprise.

‘So this is an assassination attempt.’

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