Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 409 (Part 1):

While they were sharing the joy of victory, someone entered the waiting room.

The right-hand man of the Grand Duke of Renosa, clad in black armor. He bowed to Helmut without hesitation.

“I am Alonso, Commander of the Black Wing Knights. His Grace, the Grand Duke, awaits you.”

That sharp yet resolute face was familiar.

However, the situation was entirely different from four years ago, when he had regarded Helmut with wariness.

Now, Helmut was someone he was duty-bound to protect. A member of the Grand Duchy of Renosa, and the heir destined to inherit its legacy.

Alea, smiling, gave his back a gentle push.

“Go on.”

“Your first meeting with your father, huh? Hope the Grand Duke of Renosa isn’t as much of a stiff as my old man.”

Asuka grinned.

“Talk it out well. Unlike me, you seem like the kind of son he’d take a liking to.”

[Your father resembles you. I liked him.]

The white cat nodded, muttering something oddly affectionate in tone.

“Alright then.”

With a nod to them, Helmut followed Alonso.

Outside the door stood members of the Black Wing Knights who had accompanied Alonso.

Upon seeing Helmut, they bowed respectfully. Their changed demeanor felt strikingly unfamiliar.

Four years ago, Helmut had been a guest in Renosa, but also an outsider, an object of suspicion.

“Let us go.”

As he began to walk, Helmut felt an odd sensation.

A mix of anticipation and tension, his heart pounding somewhere between the two. It was as if he were stepping into an unfamiliar world.

‘The Grand Duke of Renosa, my father….’

Father. An unfamiliar word. From the moment of his birth, through his time in the Forest of Roots and even when he sought out his mother, Helmut had never consciously thought of his father.

Perhaps it was his tendency to fixate on one thing at a time.

If his longing for his origins had centered on his mother, it was only natural that thoughts of his father would remain vague.

Elaga had been there for Helmut, and since Elaga was male, he might have inadvertently filled the role of a father.

‘No, if there’s a reason.’

It was likely because his father had been so distant. Until this martial arts tournament, Helmut had never once heard his father’s voice.

In every moment of abandonment and betrayal, it had been his mother who was present.

Even when Helmut was a newborn abandoned in the Forest of Roots, the Grand Duke of Renosa, who must have decided his fate then, did not look upon him.

Was it fear that his resolve might waver, or had he deemed Helmut so worthless that there was no point in seeing him? That remained unknown.

In any case, the Grand Duke of Renosa was a ruthlessly cold ruler.

The reality that this man had chosen to support him still felt unreal.

Helmut checked the sword at his waist.

‘If he tries anything foolish, I’ll cut him down.’

As a figure so unfamiliar, deciding to commit such an act of defiance felt easy.

While silently following Alonso, Helmut suddenly spoke.

“What happened to that holy knight?”

“He’s been locked in a prison. His fate has yet to be decided.”

Though Alonso spoke of “fate,” whatever was decided would likely be trivial.

The only applicable charges were insulting the heir of Renosa and raising his voice before the emperor.

At best, they might stretch it to imperial defamation.

But even if such charges were applied, actual punishment was unlikely.

The Temple of Lumen held immunity privileges, and their authority still stood firm.

Moreover, that man was said to be the First Sword of Lumen and a holy knight. Keeping him detained would provoke fierce protests from the temple.

“It will be difficult to hold him for long.”

Helmut warned.

It wasn’t just because of the temple. The Sacred Sword was a weapon only the chosen could wield.

When a soldier tried to touch the Sacred Sword Servant had sheathed at his waist, he was carried away injured.

Bound in shackles and chains, Servant was locked in the prison with the Sacred Sword.

In such a state, the moment his body recovered enough to wield the sword’s power, he would escape.

Though defeated by Helmut, that man was a formidable warrior, surpassing the Black Wing Knights before him.

And with the Sacred Sword in his possession, the temple likely had ways to track his location.

“We are aware.”

By then, they had reached their destination.

The door opened, and Helmut stepped into a room heavy with a solemn air.

There, the Grand Duke of Renosa awaited him. A man whose very silhouette exuded the majesty of a ruler.

And she was there too.

‘Mother.’

The Grand Duchess of Renosa, Margret. The moment their eyes met, her pupils trembled faintly.

Seated on a sofa, her face was as pale as lead.

Always maintaining the refined demeanor of a grand duchess, she was no longer composed or calm.

Margret was more shaken than Helmut had ever seen her. As if dreading the punishment that awaited her.

A fitting look for a sinner.

“You summoned me.”

Helmut addressed the Grand Duke.

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