Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 4 (Part 2):

He had reached the other side, where he had left a mark, by going up the stream again. Helmut felt that Elaga was stealthily following him, even though she didn’t show herself openly.

‘She could have come with me.’

She seemed to dislike that. She doesn’t like meeting humans, but she doesn’t interfere either.

‘She’s not honest.’

Helmut decided to let it go. There was another problem.

‘Am I going the right way?’

Helmut tilted his head. It should be nearby, but there were no signs of human habitation.

Humans, who tread on the ground with two feet and use tools, leave traces in a different way from monsters.

But Helmut couldn’t find any special traces anywhere he looked.

‘Perhaps he’s already died… or left.’

He felt a little disappointed. He had just narrowly escaped death. He had hoped to meet that human.

‘Should I look around a bit more?’

After walking for about ten more minutes, he saw something unfamiliar on the other side. A fence made by stacking branches of various kinds, twice Helmut’s height.

Monsters don’t build fences. It’s a human trace.

However, the joy of discovery was short-lived, and Helmut became suspicious.

‘It’s too amateurish.’

If it were a monster living in the Forest of Roots, it could easily jump over such a fence.

‘Was it not made to block?’

Helmut suddenly realized.

‘It’s a territory marker.’

If anyone broke that, the human would know. That someone had entered his territory.

‘It’s better to give him a warning.’

If the fence were to break, the human might feel uncomfortable. Just like Elaga didn’t like it when Helmut touched her collection of miscellaneous items.

“Elaga, I’ll go on alone from here.”

If he took Elaga with him, it could be taken as a sign of wanting to fight.

Helmut, who had thrown the words, hesitated a bit and then put his hand on the fence. It was a fairly sturdy fence, woven out of large and small branches.

Helmut, who had climbed the fence with strength in his hands and feet, did not jump down recklessly but carefully descended.

That human had settled here for more than ten years. He didn’t know what kind of trap was inside.

‘It’s this way.’

In front of him, he saw a narrow path cut out of the tree artificially. Since he was not visiting with hostility, it was right to follow the path.

But he also had to keep in mind the possibility that the other party could be hostile to visitors.

Helmut walked along the path with tension. The surroundings were eerily quiet, strangely so.

‘The feeling is strange.’

Helmut, whose spine was chilling, anxiously looked back. At that moment,

Thunk! Something from above pounced on him, instantly freezing his body.

Helmut barely turned his head sideways to prevent his face from hitting the ground. His breath was choked by the hand gripping the back of his neck.

It happened just like his last hunt a few days ago, but this time, Helmut was on the receiving end.

“Whoa.”

A growling, rough voice echoed in his ears.

Helmut’s body tensed. However, the hand on his nape was not gentle. He couldn’t move.

Even if his neck were to snap like a twig in this position, he wouldn’t be able to resist. Overwhelming difference in strength. His heart pounded as if it would burst.

“What’s your name?”

His breath came in slightly. Helmut shouted urgently.

“He-Helmut!”

“Full name?”

“I don’t… know…”

“Who sent you?”

His grip tightened. The pain, unfamiliar, felt like it was about to crush his spine. His consciousness grew distant. Helmut barely managed to answer.

“I… I came on my own…”

The hand that had been holding the back of his neck disappeared in an instant. Helmut rolled to his feet. A cold blade touched the end of his neck.

“Don’t attempt any futile tricks.”

The bearded, wrinkled face was that of an old man, but his eyes were as fierce as a beast’s.

A muscular, giant of a man, strong enough for Elaga to describe as a ‘strong human.’

A shiver ran through him. Helmut trembled.

‘Truly, a strong human!’

Helmut, who had been abandoned in the Forest of Roots as a baby, had received Elaga’s protection, but he was familiar with the fierce gaze aimed at him.

However, the pressure he felt from the figure in front of him was truly suffocating.

Whether it was hostility or anything else, it didn’t matter. It was an overwhelming pressure that defined his existence.

A hoarse, rough voice emanated from the figure.

“If you want to live, answer my questions. Kid, how did you find your way here?”

“Elaga told me. She said you were here.”

He could answer the question because the pressure from the man had eased. Helmut blurted out urgently.

“Elaga…”

The figure, as if pondering the name, furrowed his brow. The sharp aura around him gradually softened. After some thought, the man asked.

“Why did you come looking for me?”

The one in front of him was a human. And a particularly strong human. Helmut was curious about the fact that another human existed nearby.

But strangely, Helmut was unable to respond to the stranger’s words.

‘The reason for coming…’

Curiosity led him. And he met him.

What do you want to do after meeting him?

To become independent, you learn how to hunt, ask questions, think, and learn. Until now, Helmut had lived a simple life.

Helmut, whose purpose was to meet him, lost his purpose after he met him.

No, he didn’t lose it.

There was something essential beyond the curiosity that led him to him.

As if he knew it, as if he didn’t, some words got stuck in his throat.

The reason for coming to him.

Hot confusion seized Helmut.

Otaku_Tensei

I'm currently Translating the following novel: Helmut: The Forsaken Child. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

•