Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 451 (Part 2):

*Creak.*

A window opened, and a cat sauntered in gracefully.

This was the imperial palace. Not a single window was treated carelessly.

Yet, this extraordinary cat had easily broken through the window’s defensive magic and made its entrance, from which a voice suddenly rang out.

[Why not let me join? The Forest of Roots is my specialty.]

“Elaga.”

Helmut called out his name, flustered.

He had told Elaga to stay quiet until the discussion progressed, but here he was, butting in again.

He never listened. He was getting more and more willful.

Elaga’s appearance startled everyone. The Crown Prince pointed at him.

“A talking cat? What in the world?”

[Guess.]

Upon seeing Elaga’s white fur, Levina shot up from her seat.

Through the High Priest’s characteristic insight, she realized his true identity.

“…Could it be, you?!”

[Oh? You know me?]

Elaga’s eyes gleamed innocently, as if he knew nothing.

Holy power began to rise from Levina’s body.

But Elaga’s response was nonchalant.

[Put that away. Your power can’t hurt me anyway. I’m warning you—if you attack me, I’ll hit you back. And it’ll hurt. A lot.]

It was a lax voice for a threat.

Levina immediately raised her staff.

“The demonic beast that invaded the Temple! How dare such a… demonic beast disguise itself and appear here!”

Suspecting a connection between this demonic beast and Renosa, Levina alternated her gaze between Helmut and the Grand Duke of Renosa, demanding an explanation.

They had planned to address this after the meeting, with no way to dodge it, but it had been revealed too soon.

Why did he show up here? Helmut and Alea glared at Elaga.

But Elaga calmly denied it.

[Oh, the Temple invasion? That wasn’t me.]

“Don’t lie! I swear by Lumen, that magi… it’s unmistakably you!”

It was the sharpness of a High Priest.

Levina was the most sensitive to magi among the High Priests.

Beyond mere quality or quantity, she could distinguish the unique magi of each demonic beast.

And that demonic beast had been a leopard. A feline, just like this one. A perfect form for disguise.

As Helmut was about to explain, Elaga quickly shouted.

[I’m telling you, it wasn’t me! It was my sibling!]

“…Your sibling?”

Levina, who had been ready for battle, slightly lowered her raised staff.

Agato, who had quietly moved to her side, stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

Their suspicious gazes pierced Elaga. He responded calmly.

[Yeah, my twin sibling. They attacked the Temple under the Demon King’s orders.]

Helmut wondered if Elaga was truly under the Demon King’s control, given this creative excuse for a demonic beast.

Levina erupted in anger.

“You expect us to believe that?”

[I’m telling you, it’s true. They were weak and fell under the Demon King’s control. That’s why they fled after only half-destroying the Temple. If it were me, I’d have finished the job.]

A glint flashed in Elaga’s eyes. The High Priests flinched.

[Just so you know, I’m stronger than them.]

Before them was a white cat.

Small, cute, not a ferocious beast but the kind that might coquettishly curl up on a noble’s lap.

Yet the magi emanating from that tiny body was far from ordinary.

The High Priests, sensitive to magi, felt it keenly.

“You’re trying to cover up your deeds with nonsense!” High Priest Romulo raised his voice.

[In human courts, you’re not treated as guilty until a verdict is reached, right? And for a guilty verdict, you need evidence. Got any proof it was me?]

Elaga stepped forward brazenly. His fluent talk of evidence sounded even more suspicious.

But how could they know if this demonic beast really had a twin?

They had suspicions but no concrete evidence. This was a demonic beast, not subject to human reasoning.

The pursuit of Elaga had already failed.

Levina directed her suspicions at Helmut.

“How could such a powerful demonic beast… Did you bring it from the Forest of Roots?”

There was no point in denying it. Helmut admitted plainly.

“He helped us get out of the Forest. Elaga is the strongest demonic beast there—he’ll be a great asset.”

[That’s right, a great asset. You should feel honored to have my help.]

“The most powerful demonic beast in the Forest of Roots? How can you trust such a creature?”

“If he turns against us, wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

No matter how you looked at it, a demonic beast bold enough to invade the Temple alone, even if it was an empty house, couldn’t be ordinary.

As Agato and Levina expressed their shock and disapproval, a murmur rippled through the room.

Helmut responded with a calm expression.

“He’s so powerful that even the Demon King can’t control him. And to prepare for that, didn’t the Earth Spirit inform us about the Root of Rosetta?”

“Exactly. If Elaga were dangerous, the Earth Spirit would have reacted,” Sian added.

In truth, he wasn’t sure if the Earth Spirit would give such detailed warnings, but it probably would.

“He’s a vital asset in fighting the Demon King. In the Forest of Roots, he fought other demonic beasts on the side of humans, so there’s no need to doubt him.”

Helmut drove the point home.

Antiol casually shifted the topic.

“Now is the time to think about how to fight the Demon King.”

The High Priests closed their mouths, their expressions displeased.

Helmut’s party brushed it off as if it were no issue, making it awkward to keep pressing the matter.

They also knew they couldn’t win a fight against this demonic beast here.

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