Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 450 (Part 2):

The fact that these enemies of the Temple stood together was remarkable enough—especially when all of them were people the Temple could not easily touch.

Levina raised her brows.

“…I will only verify the seal. I am a High Priest, and I do not go back on my word.”

“Go ahead, then. Just remember… my hand will be on my sword.”

Helmut’s voice was calm, but it was a warning.

Checking the seal would not require much holy power.

But if she even gave the faintest sign of trying to channel holy power to attack him, he would cut her down instantly.

“Then, I will begin.”

When had a High Priest ever been threatened like this?

But the shocks she had endured recently had dulled her.

High Priest Levina carefully placed her hand over Helmut’s chest.

At once, her insight pierced beyond flesh and bone, probing the seal within.

After a moment, she withdrew her hand quietly.

Not being a mage herself, it was hard for her to gauge just how powerful the intricate seal was.

However—

“The Seed of Darkness seems unresponsive.”

Magi was sensitive to its natural enemy—holy power.

A High Priest was a being composed of pure holy power.

If she could get this close and personally inspect him without any reaction, then the seal was likely almost completely cut off from the outside.

There was now some basis for trust.

If the worst happened, even if they could not eliminate him because of Renosa, she had been prepared to exclude him.

‘If he stands here, it must be Lumen’s will to accept him.’

With difficulty, Levina crossed the line of principles and convictions she had always upheld, accepting Helmut as an ally to fight alongside them.

Even if her heart could not feel it, her head would recognize and obey it.

“The seal is strong. However, I have a question.”

It was the final step.

They were not comrades who could share friendship—that much was clear. Levina’s voice was formal.

“The heir of Renosa has reason to protect it. But you carry the Seed of Darkness. That is a matter apart from whether you are good or evil.”

She met his eyes squarely.

“The Demon King commands demonic beasts. If the seal were to break in an emergency, could you truly endure it, no matter how strong your will?”

There was no such thing as an unbreakable magic.

Under a powerful enough magi attack, the seal would fall.

Levina wanted to hear his answer to that possibility.

Helmut’s reply was simple.

“Of course.”

Short, but brimming with conviction.

Beyond the pride of a Swordmaster—because it meant survival. He had always survived. Always won.

“I have something to say to that,” a new voice spoke.

Everyone turned to look.

It was Sian.

He made no attempt to hide it, laying his entire presence bare. His mana carried a different nature from an ordinary mage’s.

Levina frowned.

“A Rodril…? I heard the Rodril in Greencana was a woman…”

“I am Sian, who recently inherited the Earth Spirit. A friend of Helmut’s.”

Sian said it boldly, placing a hand on Helmut’s shoulder.

He usually had the air of someone who slipped out of trouble quietly, so it was a surprising move.

“May I take this to mean that the Earth Spirit has accepted him as well?”

The arrogant Temple, who acknowledged only the will of Lumen, was hardly fond of the Earth Spirit.

But they recognized the Earth Spirit’s power.

For it was a being no less than a god, and had fought alongside them in the Demon King War a thousand years ago.

“Helmut already met the Earth Spirit in Greencana. The Earth Spirit foretold him of the coming upheaval. The Earth Spirit has judged that Helmut, who has overcome the Seed of Darkness, is a warrior to stand against the Demon King!”

Sian’s words were firm.

Like Lumen’s oracles, the Earth Spirit’s will as given to a Rodril was not always explicit. It could be interpreted.

And this was Sian’s interpretation. He was the new Rodril—if he said so, then so it was.

But for Helmut and Alea, hearing it for the first time, it felt a bit off.

A “warrior” was hardly a word that suited Helmut.

Levina looked taken aback.

“…That much?”

“Furthermore, the Earth Spirit has given us a way to prevent the Demon King’s will from controlling those who carry magi.”

Sian produced the Root of Rosetta from his pocket, explaining its properties as if he had been waiting for this moment.

His tone was like that of a salesman.

“Testing is already underway, and the results are promising. A detailed report will be ready soon.”

It wasn’t his work, but the Archmages would deliver results. That was trustworthy enough.

Levina nodded slowly, her demeanor more positive than before.

“In that case… very well. The Temple will not raise this matter again.”

The unofficial meeting ended there.

Levina inclined her head, then turned away.

A cold voice struck her back as she left.

“You don’t even think to ask for forgiveness.”

Alea’s eyes were calm but frigid.

When it came to grudges, a woman who had lost her parents could match Helmut’s in full.

Levina’s steps halted briefly.

“…We are merely fulfilling our duty.”

With that, she quietly departed the place.

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