Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 444 (Part 1):

At that moment, a heavy *thud-thud* echoed from behind. It was the sound of Igrelle approaching.

Elaga’s cold reprimand rang out as he kept a close eye on Igrelle, who had been showing unusual symptoms.

[Transform into your human form, I said!]

[My head hurts, so no way. I’m not in the mood for that right now.]

[You’re too loud, and you’re kicking up dust, you heavy beast!]

[What’s it to you if a demonic beast wants to stay in its true form? You roamed around like that all the time in the Forest of Roots!]

[That’s because it’s *my* territory, so it’s fine!]

A massive bird and a small cat were bickering as they approached.

Elaga was so tiny that a single peck from Igrelle’s beak could erase him entirely.

Igrelle, looking at Elaga’s outward appearance, felt a sudden impulse. ‘What if I accidentally swat him with my wing?’

‘No, I’m injured.’

If she tried something like that, Elaga would probably tear her wings to shreds.

For once, Igrelle, recognizing the difference in their strength, held herself back.

Then, abruptly, she stopped walking.

[Hey, fatty. Why’d you stop?]

Igrelle lowered her stance and buried her beak in the ground.

The grass, withered from the aftermath of Sian’s succession, now vibrantly alive, caught her attention. Among the lush greenery, a single blade of grass stood out, proudly displaying its leaves. For some reason, it drew her in.

It felt as though a faint light shimmered near the roots of the Rosetta. Almost as if it were blessed by the Earth Spirit.

[This… smells good.]

[What, you eat plants now? Are you sick or something?]

At that moment, Alea approached them.

She carefully examined the plant Igrelle was sniffing, her expression turning to one of surprise.

“Ah, this is Rosetta, isn’t it?”

“Rosetta?”

Helmut, who had followed her, tilted his head.

The name sounded familiar. From the depths of his distant past, Helmut dredged up the memory.

“The colorless, odorless sleeping draught?”

It was back when he was working as a mercenary on his way to Greta Academy in Baden.

There had been a group that attacked travelers by mixing a sedative made from Rosetta’s roots into a spring.

That was when he first met Alea. The memory stirred a sense of nostalgia.

Alea, perhaps recalling the same moment, let a faint smile grace her lips.

“The roots of Rosetta are the useful part.”

At her words, Helmut immediately uprooted the Rosetta. It came out with a soft *shunk*, offering little resistance.

Alea took the Rosetta from him and used magic to clear away the dirt.

The Rosetta’s roots were as thick as a woman’s forearm, with fine tendrils branching out from the massive central root.

A faint purple hue shimmered on the white column.

“It’s just Rosetta. Nothing special about it… though it’s quite large.”

Alea tilted her head. Even she, despite her expertise, didn’t have extensive knowledge in herbology, which wasn’t her specialty.

Igrelle poked her beak closer again.

[Give it to me. It’s calling to me for some reason.]

Those words meant it was the instinct of a demonic beast drawing her in.

“Go ahead and eat it.”

Alea held it out, and Igrelle eagerly gobbled it down, *gulp-gulp*.

*Crunch-crunch*.

With just two bites, the thick root vanished into her stomach.

Igrelle’s expression turned satisfied.

[This is good. It’s like my head’s clearing up.]

Alea looked puzzled.

“Does it have a different effect on demonic beasts?”

Rosetta’s roots were known for their immediate effect—immediate in the sense that they induced sleep.

Yet Igrelle’s mind seemed sharper, almost invigorated.

Did it act as a stimulant for demonic beasts?

At that moment, Helmut glanced around.

Rosetta was a plant that spread outward. Upon closer inspection, the entire area was a field of Rosetta.

Every single one shimmered with a faint light near its leaves.

The light of the Spirit.

“The Earth Spirit…?”

Sian approached them.

“The Earth Spirit seems to be saying that Rosetta will be helpful.”

His tone was vague because, as a novice Earth Spiritmaster, he struggled to fully grasp the subtle intentions of the Spirit.

“For now, we should gather them all.”

Alea declared, and so began an impromptu harvest.

Since it was physical labor, Helmut, the only swordsman, took on most of the uprooting. The refining was left to the mages.

Grabbing the stem, he pulled them out in one swift motion. With a firm tug, the roots came up cleanly, even the fine tendrils.

Helmut’s harvesting efficiency was remarkable.

With the division of labor, the work was completed astonishingly quickly.

A wide cloth was spread on the ground, and the harvested Rosetta roots, neatly trimmed, formed a small mound atop it.

It seemed as though even the tiniest unbloomed Rosetta seeds had sprouted and flourished.

[It’s just grass, isn’t it? I’m not eating grass! I’m not some weakling like her!]

Elaga, a carnivorous beast, glared at the mound with blatant hostility.

He scratched at the ground, mimicking burying the Rosetta. Very cat-like.

“You’d better hope you can resist the Demon King on your own.”

Helmut spoke indifferently, brushing his hands off with a *tap-tap*.

They had scoured the area, uprooting every Rosetta grown under the influence of the Earth Spirit. The supply was likely exhausted.

“These are of excellent quality. Top-grade herbs.”

Alea seemed oddly pleased, as if she’d secured rare materials for a magical experiment.

“Then we should conduct an experiment.”

A foreboding tone slipped from her lips. Everyone understood what she meant.

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