Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 404 (Part 2):

Coincidentally, the holy knight’s goal had been the same as Elaga’s—the Grand Duchess of Renosa.

Elaga had seen Helmut return from the Forest of Roots, drowning in despair, lying half-dead on the ground. He had been curious—just what kind of woman could inflict such a devastating blow on Helmut?

But the holy knight had beaten him to it. Too focused on approaching her, the knight had missed Elaga entirely.

A stroke of luck for both of them. Even with that holy sword nonsense, a holy knight stood no chance against Elaga.

Shortly after the knight approached, Helmut’s mother had left.

Elaga’s plan—to stealthily approach Margret under the guise of a cat and witness firsthand her wicked nature (since villains always hated cute animals, by his logic)—had been ruined.

‘Temple scum really are the worst.’

Still, from a distance, Elaga had seen her. The woman who bore no resemblance to Helmut.

Golden hair that even Igrelle would admire, a beautiful and elegant human woman.

‘She looked nothing like Helmut. And worse—she seemed perfectly fine.’

Her radiant face, youthful for her age, showed no trace of past anguish or pain.

Even demonic beasts cared for their young. To abandon her own child twice and still appear so composed? She had to be a monster among monsters—a creature like Naho.

By Elaga’s standards, Helmut was soft and weak, so it made sense he’d been so thoroughly crushed.

‘Nothing beats the bond of raising someone yourself.’

Privately, Elaga felt smug. Helmut, the fool who had rejected his care and run off to find his birth mother, had been an idiot of unparalleled proportions. Meanwhile, Elaga was the devoted, exemplary guardian.

His thoughts inevitably circled back to praising himself—not just for his strength, but for his impeccable character.

Alea glanced at Elaga and offered a different perspective.

“A holy knight’s sword can pierce even the toughest demonic beasts. It’s natural you’d feel threatened.”

[Who said anything about feeling threatened? By mere humans?]

“By your own admission, they’re the ones who locked you in the Forest of Roots for nearly a millennium using Lumen’s power. We’ve never even seen the Temple’s true strength.”

[You hear that, Helmut? Don’t let your guard down.]

When Alea pressed, Elaga casually shifted the burden onto Helmut. For a moment, Helmut just stared at him, dumbfounded.

“…Right.”

Helmut’s gaze lifted from the banquet lights to the sky, now completely devoid of red hues.

A starry night. The pinpricks of light in the dark expanse seemed to shine even brighter, while the shadows grew deeper as midnight approached.

Tonight, it seemed, would be a long one.

Only one step remained.

***

As dawn broke on the day of the final match, a massive bird cut through the sky at blinding speed, as though splitting the heavens in two.

Its vividly colored feathers were dazzling enough to be seen from afar, but beneath it lay a cushion of soft clouds—so high that no one below could spot it.

For an ordinary bird, flying at such an altitude would be impossible. But Igrelle was no ordinary creature. As one of the world’s most powerful winged beasts, the rules didn’t apply to her.

[Hmm… I have no idea where I am.]

Igrelle muttered to herself after carelessly flying around and losing her bearings.

At this height, far beyond human sight, she had traveled across the world.

The world beyond the Forest of Roots’ barrier was new and beautiful, and Igrelle reveled in it all as she soared through the skies.

From up here, the landscapes below unfolded before her like a painting.

What fueled her wings was her immense demonic energy.

The high altitudes were rich with pure energy, which Igrelle naturally absorbed.

As a result, her demonic energy replenished steadily—enough that she could fly indefinitely without ever needing to land.

That was how she could roam unseen by human eyes.

[I’d like to land and rest for a bit…]

Even Igrelle needed breaks sometimes. But to avoid detection, she had to descend only in secluded places.

The problem was—she had no idea where she was.

‘Should I just go down?’

As she gradually descended, something caught her eye.

An unpleasant energy brushed against her feathers first. Then, in her line of sight—a curved, glowing white barrier below.

[Huh? Don’t tell me I’ve wandered back to the Forest of Roots.]

Igrelle shuddered at the terrifying thought of her instincts leading her back.

After risking her life to escape, returning to that prison was unthinkable. But soon, she relaxed.

‘Well, since I’m here… maybe I’ll follow the barrier for a bit.’

Once she passed the Forest of Roots, she could gauge her location. She could land somewhere nearby—since no humans lived in the area.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the place she was born and raised from the outside?

Following the gradually rising barrier, Igrelle flew in a leisurely upward arc.

She maintained a safe distance to avoid the sacred energy’s influence.

But when she reached the center of the Forest of Roots—the very place she had fought so hard to escape—something made her freeze.

[…What is that?]

A black stain, spreading at the very top of the sacred barrier’s core.

The grotesque blotch writhed as though alive.

Like a caterpillar gnawing at a leaf, the stain slowly, sickeningly eroded the barrier.

‘What in the…’

For the first time in her life, Igrelle was seized by an indescribable sense of dread.

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!

•