Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 366 (Part 1):

“Who are you?”

The Crown Prince’s eyes sharpened instantly. His hand moved toward the sword at his waist.

“I… as you can see, I’m just a mage.”

Sian waved both hands, showing his palms. His appearance was far from that of an assassin—or anything close to it. He looked like someone who could easily calm a nervous person.

“I don’t recognize you as one of the imperial mages. Access to the imperial library is restricted. How did you get here?”

Even in this situation, the Crown Prince’s suspicion was logical. Sian shrugged his shoulders.

“I have a feeling you might need some help. Are you being chased?”

Even for the Crown Prince, who had relatively free access, it was unusual to be in the library at this hour without any attendants. The fact that he had stumbled around following the light, and that the library’s barrier had been deactivated, allowing magic to be used, suggested that something was seriously wrong.

If the Crown Prince was here, it was clear that someone was after him. This was no time for casual conversation.

The Crown Prince’s face hardened as he glanced toward the entrance. The knight who had accompanied him had to hold off the pursuers. The Crown Prince took the opportunity to rush into the stacks and lock the door. It was unavoidable—the knight’s duty was to protect the Crown Prince.

But the knight wouldn’t last long on his own. The enemies could burst in at any moment.

Sian quickly spoke to reassure him.

“I was granted access to this place by Grand Duke Farnese. I’m a friend of his son.”

Asuka’s friend. The Crown Prince understood immediately. If Sian were an enemy, he would have attacked the Crown Prince on sight.

Right now, the Crown Prince was in no position to be picky; he needed every helping hand. Grimacing, he spoke.

“Something unexpected happened, so reinforcements will be here soon. Until then, help me hide.”

“Y-yes, of course.”

Sian accepted the authoritative command without much concern. Thanks to Grand Duke Farnese, Sian had managed to get into the imperial library. Lending the Crown Prince a hand was hardly an issue.

Besides, by doing so, he might gain favor from those in power—apart from whatever he stood to benefit through Asuka. Sian was already calculating his next move.

Sian quickly cast a spell. Light spirits enveloped them, and dark spirits covered the light. In the darkness that had settled over the imperial library, their vision was secured while their presence was concealed.

The Crown Prince immediately recognized the magic Sian had used.

“You’re quite a skilled mage. Are these spirits?”

From the look in his eyes, it seemed he was considering making Sian one of his subordinates. But Sian was already indebted to Helmut. He smiled faintly and replied, “I may not look like it, but I was the second-ranked graduate of Greta Academy’s magic department.”

The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow. “Then who was first?”

“…Alea.”

Sian couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter about being second place. He added sullenly, “Anyway, this barrier blocks sound and light. Unless there’s a mage stronger than me, they won’t be able to see through my magic.”

“Can we move while it’s active?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s get moving. They’ll know I came this way, so we need to move to a safer location.”

The Crown Prince took the lead with quick strides, mentally mapping out the route to his hideaway.

From within these stacks, if he climbed the stairs to the second floor and went to the left side, there was an entrance leading to a safe room. Once inside, they’d be secure.

Sian followed closely behind the Crown Prince.

Thanks to his experiences in the Forest of Roots, Sian had developed a strong nerve. This unexpected situation was even somewhat intriguing to him.

“Oh no.”

The Crown Prince hesitated as he was about to ascend the stairs. Someone was on the stairs. In the faint light, a cold metallic reflection could be seen.

A man holding a sword. Definitely not an ally.

Sian, who had grabbed the Crown Prince’s sleeve, whispered softly, “It’s okay. As long as we don’t bump into them, they won’t notice.”

A chill ran down the Crown Prince’s spine. He clenched his teeth and moved forward. For now, he had no choice but to trust this guy who claimed to be Asuka’s friend.

A man dressed in black was descending the stairs, holding a small orb of light. He wasn’t alone.

Several more men followed him down. A loud command echoed from the second floor.

“Search every inch of the lower floor! We must find him!”

The door to the first floor was firmly locked, and there was no sound of anyone breaking it down. It wasn’t a door that could be easily smashed.

But the entrance to the stacks wasn’t only on the first floor. The upper floors connected to other parts of the library, too.

Those who had gone directly from the first to the second floor had entered the second-floor stacks and were now sweeping down to the first floor.

They were forming a net to encircle the entire stacks.

Likely, the night-duty librarian and a few guards had already been killed.

Though it weighed heavily on his heart, nothing was more important than the Crown Prince’s life.

‘They followed me here too quickly. What happened to Asuka? Or were there others besides them?’

Could it be they had already defeated the imperial knights fighting outside and then made their way in?

The Crown Prince felt a faint concern for his cousin, Asuka.

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