Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 450 (Part 1):

“This is the first time we’re meeting like this, isn’t it?”

It was an uncomfortable encounter. His hand instinctively sought his sword.

But Helmut forced down the impulse.
Standing before him was High Priest Levina—the one who had twice sent him into the Forest of Roots.

He had already heard that it had been her doing.

He knew she had only been fulfilling her duty.

He knew she was the most upright among the High Priests, living an irreproachable life—at least in moral terms.

He also knew that, should the sacred barrier fall, she would willingly lay down her life to stand against the Demon King.

Just as the Temple needed Renosa to face an absolute enemy like the Demon King, Renosa too needed the Temple’s strength.

However—

‘Can a man truly stay calm in front of someone who tried to erase him from existence?’

Was that so easy? Beyond the lines of absolute good and evil, their convictions had destroyed countless lives.

Helmut had merely been one of them—a failed attempt in their eyes.

The only reason they had “failed” was because he survived.

They might even regret that. Tell themselves they should have been more thorough.

He could not hold them accountable. It was in the past. It hadn’t been done out of personal malice.

In words, it could sound like nothing at all—just another of those unfortunate stories the world is full of.

Could one forgive such people? His heart answered immediately.

‘I cannot.’

It was as clear as a sword driven into his heart. Only the saintliest of saints, or those with an unshakable faith, might manage it.

Or those too soft to bear the weight of their own hatred.

But Helmut was neither. He was patient. Tenacious. Even his hatred, he could not let go of.

Because of that, he had to fight to keep his roiling insides from showing now.

Even Helmut, usually detached in most situations, could not be magnanimous toward someone who had tried to annihilate him.

The rage burned deep in his chest. The pain he had endured—

Could that really be erased by someone saying, “It couldn’t be helped”?

Helmut forgave no one. Not the Grand Duchess, not Michael, not even the Grand Duke himself. He had simply accepted what was necessary.

Because he needed Renosa.
Because claiming Renosa was the one way to prove his existence—
And because it was the one thing his enemies least wanted to see.

Like unburned logs that never die out, the embers always flared back to life.

Until a distant day when time finally dulled it all, he would never be able to sit peacefully face-to-face with them.

His memory was too sharp to forget.

‘Allies, how laughable. If I ever get the chance—’

His heart was brimming with the intent to strike them down.

And they, too, would gladly see him gone if given the opportunity.

“You hate me, don’t you?” Levina said, accepting the fact with a composure that bordered on shameless.

She, too, could not think favorably of Helmut.

The will of Lumen was righteous, and thus, she was righteous.

That Helmut hated her—and the Temple—seemed, to her, almost unjust.

Hadn’t he already had his share of revenge when he crushed the Temple’s army?

From the Temple’s perspective, sworn to protect justice in Lumen’s name, they had given more than they had taken—almost as if they had let him off lightly.

Because they bore the mission of defending the world from the Demon King.

‘What has he even lost?’

The Temple was busy repairing the damage from the war with Renosa.

And yet the offender could so easily be freed from blame.

The stronger the victim, the more dignified they stood, the easier it was for the perpetrator to feel absolved.

If you couldn’t see it, it was as if it didn’t exist. Looking away was so very easy.

And was it only the High Priest who was like that?

No—it was human nature.

Darien had known this. That’s why he chose to die in the Forest of Roots.

Because he didn’t want to face what he would have to confront. Because he knew how ugly it was.

It took Helmut some time to swallow the emotion before speaking.

“I heard you want to verify me.”

At last—finally.

After trying to kill him outright, and only after losing, they now wanted this. How absurd.

“It is a necessary procedure,” she said.

Helmut was undeniably powerful. If he could be an asset, he would be a great one.

Thinking of the priests and Holy Knights who had died by his hand, Levina too had to work to compose herself.

“I will have to place my hand on your chest.”

Only then could she properly confirm how the Seed of Darkness was sealed.

Just then, Alea stepped forward.

“If you try anything foolish, you’ll die here.”

Her voice was so cold and sharp that even Helmut was surprised.

In terms of combat ability, a mage was more dangerous than a High Priest.

And Alea was only a single step away from reaching the realm of an Archmage.

“I know your face… now I remember.”

She knew.
The granddaughter of Archmage Heike.
One of the few blood relatives who had survived.
She knew exactly what kind of grudge there was between her family and the Temple.

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