Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 370 (Part 1):

“Quite a remarkable story. Hard to believe, but still remarkable.”
As Asuka finished speaking, a deep voice rumbled from Grand Duke Farnese.

“Are you saying I’m lying?”
Asuka’s voice rose sharply, his indignation clear. The Grand Duke shook his head.

“You’re not the type to fabricate such grandiose lies. And there’s nothing for you to gain from deceiving me with this story.”

Lies were like detours—roundabout and unnecessary. Asuka was the type to charge straight ahead, breaking through obstacles head-on. He was fairly honest, if a bit impulsive.

Still, the Grand Duke harbored some doubt about Asuka’s ability to judge people accurately.

“But you could have been deceived by them. That’s why I must see them with my own eyes.”

The noble bloodline of Renosa. The Forest of Roots. A man abandoned there twice by the Temple of Lumen, yet surviving both times.

And had it not been for the temple, he would have likely been the closest contender for the position of heir as the eldest child of the Renosa Grand Duke, given his exceptional swordsmanship talent.

This painted a vivid picture in the Grand Duke’s mind. Even though he appeared calm on the surface, he too harbored no small amount of anger toward the temple.

Asuka glanced at Grand Duke Farnese. Helmut had once told Asuka:

*It’s not about me. Make the choice that’s right for you.* He had also offered to lend Asuka five million marks if that was necessary.

Asuka knew how he could help Helmut. The power of the Grand Duke would make it possible.

But Helmut told him, *Make the choice for yourself, not for me.* Those words stirred something in Asuka’s skeptical heart.

‘Well, that’s what friends are for, I guess.’

Asuka was a selfish person. Leaving behind just a single letter to his mother before heading to the Forest of Roots—he did it because he wanted to, not out of some deep consideration for Helmut or righteous indignation against injustice.

He simply followed where his heart led him. And now, once again, his heart moved him. Of course, Asuka wasn’t without calculation.

‘I’ll try being the heir for a while. If it doesn’t work out, I can always run away later. It’ll be easier to escape once Father feels reassured.’

Asuka declared firmly,
“He’s my friend.”

His eyes said clearly: if you summon him to harm him or report him to Renosa, I won’t stand idly by.

The Grand Duke asked,
“Isn’t your connection just from the academy? And the time you’ve spent with Helmut is barely a year.”

“It’s not about the time. I owe Helmut a great deal. He’s given me so much.”

The relationship between Asuka and Helmut hadn’t started off particularly well. But when Asuka found himself in a crisis, Helmut had extended a helping hand without conditions.

Debts weren’t always measured in lives saved. New emotions, a new life—Asuka had felt and gained so much anew.

These were moments that couldn’t be traded for anything else. Since Helmut appeared, Asuka’s monotonous academy life had transformed.

No, it wasn’t just his academy life. Something fundamental in his existence had shifted, like a river violently changing its course.

It had become a part of him.

No one can excise a piece of themselves. No one.

If Grand Duke Farnese threatened Helmut, Asuka would willingly take up his sword.

He was the mad dog of Greta Academy’s swordsmanship department, and Helmut had been the first to hold his leash. A dog doesn’t betray its master.

Grand Duke Farnese saw the resolve in Asuka’s eyes. He was an adept negotiator and a competent statesman.

He knew precisely how he needed to respond.

“I understand what you’re saying. Even if I don’t grant your request, I promise not to harm Helmut in any way. Nor will I inform Renosa about him.”

For now, relations with Renosa would remain strained until the conflict between the empire and the temple was resolved—or until Renosa severed its ties with the temple.

Though Renosa leaned toward the temple, that allegiance belonged to the Grand Duchess and Michael.

The Grand Duke of Renosa had never once supported the temple on behalf of Renosa—not even after the temple had healed his injuries.

“All right. I trust your promise.”

Asuka nodded. If things went well, this would allow him to bring immense help to Helmut.

That was the greatest gift he could give as a friend.

—

At that moment, Helmut and Alea were facing Dean Liam Weiss at Greta Academy.

Just as Asuka had spoken to Grand Duke Farnese, Alea recounted Helmut’s story to the dean with even greater eloquence.

But when she finished, the dean’s attention was more focused on the report she had handed over than on her words.

Spellbound, he reached out and began flipping through the pages, muttering under his breath.

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