Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 439 (Part 2):

Before the Grand Duke could voice the obvious question—why a thousand-year-old demonic beast was here, and how Helmut knew that—Alea pressed urgently,

“What did Igrelle find?”

“The Sacred Barrier. I happened to visit it. Purely by chance.”

Igrelle began describing what she had seen.

A black stain spreading at the very center of the Sacred Barrier’s uppermost layer. Slowly but surely, it was corroding the barrier like a creeping plague—an ominous phenomenon.

She had tried to approach for a closer look, but the Sacred Barrier had not yet lost its power.

The stinging divine energy repelled Igrelle’s advance.

With her exceptional vision, she could only glimpse beyond the barrier from afar.

“It was like living demonic energy. Almost like what you humans call the Seed of Darkness.”

Igrelle’s gaze fixed on Helmut’s chest.

“If it’s spread to the barrier, the situation inside must be dire.”

Alea murmured, almost to herself.

“The demonic beasts in the Forest of Roots will be affected as well.”

“Creatures like Baharek or Kantara should be fine, but others could easily be caught up in it.”

Igrelle nodded and continued.

“Seeing that, I thought I should let you know. Problem is, I didn’t know where you were.”

Igrelle had left before they headed to Baden. She could have visited Greencana, but she didn’t recall its exact location.

Lost in the skies and ending up above the Forest of Roots, she barely knew where she was herself.

The artifact Heike had given her allowed for tracking and surveillance but lacked communication functions.

Igrelle couldn’t use it to contact Heike. Breaking it might summon Heike, but there was no guarantee she’d replace it.

So Igrelle chose another method.

“So I went to a nearby human village in my true form and caused a ruckus. The humans came at me with swords—cute, really. Don’t worry, I didn’t kill anyone or destroy the village.”

She had merely ordered them to groom her feathers.

That said, Igrelle’s sudden appearance had sent the village’s militia flying, plunging the settlement into terror—an unavoidable consequence.

Igrelle waited patiently for Heike to show up.

Monitoring Igrelle’s antics was Heike’s responsibility.

The moment she realized what Igrelle had done, Heike rushed to the scene.

What she found was a group of terrified villagers taking turns brushing Igrelle’s fur.

“It was quite a headache. I was busy erasing memories and cleaning up the mess.”

Heike sighed.

Fortunately, the village Igrelle had “visited” was small.

Only after resolving the situation did Heike hear about the Sacred Barrier from Igrelle.

She immediately contacted Antiol, and together they rode Igrelle to the Sacred Barrier to investigate.

That was why neither had responded to Alea’s attempts to reach them.

“Antiol is at the Mages’ Association now. I agreed to inform you of this.”

“That there’s something wrong with the Sacred Barrier?”

It made sense to inform Helmut and Alea of this development.

But was it necessary for Heike to meet the Grand Duke of Renosa in person?

‘She didn’t just want to see the Grand Duke’s face, did she?’

Alea’s suspicion lingered.

“So, what do you want from me?”

The Grand Duke asked bluntly. The Sacred Barrier was far from Renosa’s territory. His options were limited.

The smile faded from Heike’s face. With a resolute expression, she declared,

“This must be announced to the entire nation.”

Alea’s violet eyes wavered, as if she’d sensed something. Helmut’s eyebrow twitched as well.

Heike looked at them, her voice grave as she confessed,

“Yes, we’ve concluded that the Sacred Barrier will collapse.”

Shock rippled through the room in short, sharp waves.

None present were prone to losing their composure.

Yet the moment those words sank in, none remained unshaken.

“The Sacred Barrier… will collapse.”

Helmut repeated her words slowly, as if testing their weight. Even for someone who had emerged from the Forest of Roots, the notion felt surreal.

Heike met his gaze.

“Yes, and soon. Antiol is determining how much time remains. I came to share this with everyone.”

Her voice lowered.

“Because we must prepare.”

The Forest of Roots, the sealed gateway to a demonic realm for a thousand years, was on the verge of opening.

Countless demonic beasts lurked within.

If the barrier holding them back vanished, those ferocious creatures would swarm out of the barren Forest of Roots, flooding the human world like a plague of locusts.

Soft, frail humans were the perfect prey for demonic beasts.

Beasts capable of smashing stone walls with their bodies were strong, while the defenses protecting humans were as fragile as woven twigs.

How quickly would villages vanish under the onslaught of these savage creatures?

Could even cities be defended by human armies?

A world stained with blood and flesh loomed vividly in their minds.

And that might not be the only threat they needed to prepare for.

As silence gripped the room, a window swung open, and a white cat leapt inside with a *thud!*

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