Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 399 (Part 2):

“Word is the Grand Duke of Renosa will arrive here by the end of today’s match. Probably to watch the finals.”

On the morning of the semifinals, Asuka casually mentioned this to Helmut, who nodded slowly.

The finals were just two days away. With magic, the journey from Renosa to here was trivial—but the Grand Duke wasn’t attending just to spectate.

“My father arrived yesterday, and His Imperial Majesty will be here by tomorrow.”

Their gathering held immense significance—it meant the tournament’s purpose was being fulfilled.

The rulers of both nations would watch the finals together, showcasing the strong alliance between the Deus Empire and Renosa to the world.

And the Temple of Lumen had dispatched their most powerful holy knights to ruin that unity.

It was possible to capture or repel them if they tried anything from the shadows, but if the Temple made an overt move, there was no good way to handle it on the spot.

Hosting a joint tournament to reinforce the two nations’ friendship had seemed like an excellent idea—no one expected it would also open an opportunity for the Temple. After all, the lofty Temple of Lumen rarely acted so aggressively.

It was a sign of how deeply they felt the crisis of being driven out of the Empire.

But there was one thing even the Temple hadn’t foreseen—Helmut’s existence.

This tournament was also a chance the Grand Duke of Renosa had set up for him.

If he was as fair as Charlotte claimed, Helmut would obtain what he desired as the prize for victory. Whether it would be enough to satisfy him remained to be seen.

‘Even if things don’t go as planned…’

A cold light flickered in Helmut’s dark eyes. He had already decided.

He wouldn’t fall defeated and slink away into obscurity.

The path Darien hadn’t taken—he would tread it without hesitation. A ruthless, brutal path of imposing his will through strength.

Even if the whole world pointed fingers, even if rivers of blood flowed and countless lives were crushed beneath his feet.

Unlike Darien, Helmut now had something to protect.

‘When have I ever hesitated to cut down my enemies?’

He had lived by his master’s teachings because that was what the man had wanted. But Helmut’s true nature was closer to that of a demonic beast.

He wasn’t so weak or soft as to falter just because his enemy was human.

He had climbed to his master’s level and cast off his shackles. He had already fallen to the very bottom.

He had seen what lay in the deepest abyss and clawed his way back up again.

Lumen’s will, which sought to imprison all malice within the Forest of Roots, had failed to overpower Helmut’s own resolve.

Now, nothing could stop him. Even if he had to raise his sword against the world itself, he would not halt.

Asuka hesitated briefly before speaking again.

“Oh, and… the Grand Duchess of Renosa is likely coming too.”

Helmut couldn’t help but react. An inexplicable throb echoed in his chest—a surge of something hot and turbulent.

Mother. No, now she was just another enemy.

A cold voice escaped him.

“…What about Michael?”

Asuka answered in a tone that would’ve earned him a brutal etiquette lesson from Grand Duke Farnese.

“No clue. Since Charlotte’s stuck cleaning up his mess, he’ll probably come if he wants to handle it himself. Depends on his health, I guess.”

That cursed, frail body of his was apparently still the same.

“It’s time for me to go.”

Helmut rose from his seat. Asuka waved at him with a smirk.

“Yeah, it’s your time to suffer. Good luck surviving.”

From a troublemaker’s perspective, this was pure entertainment.

—

“How do you feel?”

Alea was smiling—a bright, unshadowed grin, the kind she wore after successfully completing major magical research.

Why was she making that expression now, of all times? Right before facing him in battle?

‘This isn’t fair.’

Helmut shot her a sullen glance before looking down at his sword.

He had thought himself fully prepared, yet no matter how much he steeled his heart, the sight of her made it waver uncontrollably.

Slash, press the blade to a vital point, force surrender—the simple process he had always followed now felt like an insurmountable ordeal.

Facing a skilled mage would normally have been something Helmut found intriguing. But when the name was “Alea,” that same experience turned into an ordeal.

It was only when he stood here, face-to-face with her, that Helmut realized it again—vividly.

That his sword, which he believed could cut down anything, had one impossibility before it. And it was this woman.

“Helmut?”

“Not great,” he muttered bluntly. Alea laughed out loud, as if something about that amused her.

“You’re honest. Good boy.”

“…Why am I a boy? We’re the same age.”

Helmut firmly corrected her. Alea tilted her head slightly.

“Really? I was going to give you a reward for being a good boy.”

‘A reward…? Is she talking about the championship prize?’

This was the semifinals, after all. It might’ve meant she was planning to forfeit. Hope stirred in Helmut, and he asked immediately:

“What is it?”

“I’d like to make a proposal.”

Her voice was gentle. The match hadn’t begun yet.

“Let’s set some rules for the match—ones that we can both agree on and accept as fair.”

Helmut’s gaze fixed sharply on her.

He wasn’t so heartless. The same dilemma he had faced, Alea had, too.

She knew better than anyone else that Helmut, more than any other opponent she had faced, would hesitate to attack her.

Even if a head-on duel was out of the question, there were certainly underhanded and shady methods by which Alea could still defeat him.

But setting those methods aside, she also didn’t want to hurl destructive magic at him.

‘Either way, we need a winner.’

So she had come up with this solution. A way to determine victory without either of them getting hurt.

Alea opened her mouth to speak.

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