Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 458 (Part 1):

“Lord Asuka, someone is requesting your presence.”

Asuka was called away, and in the pause someone brought up a sensitive subject.

“Oh, by the way, Alea. I mean, Lady Alea is a woman, right?”

Alea was of common birth, but she was now known as Helmut’s fiancée.

With her level of skill as a mage, she could have been granted a noble title in any country, so her origins were meaningless.

“But, you already knew about it back then, right?”

Helmut had to think for a moment before answering that question.

“I had suspected.”

Since it wasn’t impossible for someone to be androgynous or an exceptional case, he couldn’t say he truly knew.

Only after Alea confirmed his suspicions did he become certain.

“You even shared a room together.”

“Don’t tell me—you were already dating back then…!”

“No wonder the atmosphere between you two felt off. Alea never got along with anyone else, after all.”

It was a situation that could easily be criticized.

True, she had her reasons, and she’d always kept to herself rather than mingling with classmates…

“But never in my dreams did I imagine Alea was a woman. In any case…”

All at once, everyone turned their gaze on Helmut, eyes filled with envy.

“You’re lucky. She’s not only beautiful but also an incredibly strong mage.”

The reaction was unexpected—genuinely positive.

Was it because so much time had passed? Or perhaps…

‘Well, the swordsmanship department guys always thought being pretty was everything.’

Their standards were painfully simple.

“Anyway, let’s just enjoy the banquet today!”

“Eat, drink, and die trying!”

After only a short exchange, the swordsmanship department alumni began pouring drinks down their throats like there was no tomorrow.

Helmut, who was leaving the next day, was the exception.

‘Can I really trust these guys with guarding the barrier?’

It was surprising how little they had changed. Leaving them to their drunken merriment, Helmut quietly slipped away.

As he neared the banquet hall doors, Alea suddenly appeared, having vanished earlier.

She too seemed to have been harassed by their former classmates.

“The mages wouldn’t stop bothering me.”

“Because they only just learned you’re a woman?”

Until now, they’d only heard rumors about Alea after graduation. Today was the first time most had seen her face-to-face.

For all six years of her Academy life, she had disguised herself as a man.

The shock would have been greater for the magic department students.

To call it deception was fair—it was a revelation that could well spark outrage.

But Alea’s reply was far from what he expected.

“They don’t care about things like that.”

“Of course not. To them, Alea is the beautiful Alea. Whether you’re a man or woman doesn’t matter. Honestly, even if you turned out to be a cat, they’d still worship you as long as you’re beautiful.”

Sian appeared, dripping sarcasm.

Perhaps it was because they were mages—their reactions weren’t those of ordinary people.

Elaga ambled over and added his own input.

[If she were a cat, that would make a lot of things easier.]

His comment was wildly off-point.

Alea, a faint smile on her lips, asked:

“Did you enjoy yourself?”

Now it was clear—she had given him space to reconnect with the Academy alumni.

Helmut nodded.

“Their faces are so changed they were hard to recognize, but yes, it was fun.”

He felt at ease.

The Academy classmates were, surprisingly, quite warm toward him.

Shouldn’t they feel unsettled by the fact that he carried the Seed of Darkness?

To Helmut’s unspoken question, Alea gave a simple answer.

“People trust their own experiences. They experienced you for themselves.”

Even if it was just for one year, Helmut’s presence had left an impression.

And a good one at that.

He had believed that once the truth was out, everyone would turn on him with hostility.

But though the situation had been clarified, acceptance came swiftly.

Not just because he was powerful—Helmut had gone out into the human world and proved it. He was human.

“Helmut is Helmut.”

Sian nodded, then grumbled:

“Even here I have to hear that I’m only second best. It’s maddening. The Earth Spirit should have passed me its power sooner. I could’ve surpassed Alea by now.”

That might indeed have been possible.

Alea chose not to answer.

Just then, as they were leaving the hall, Asuka returned at last.

Sian was the first to call out.

“Hey, Asuka. What took you so long?”

“I was summoned by my father.”

Asuka’s expression was unusually grim.

“He must be worried. You’re the only heir, after all.”

“I’m not the only one. Actually…”

His mother was with child.

At those words, Sian’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, isn’t that something to celebrate?”

“A younger sibling at my age?”

The word itself seemed foreign to Asuka.

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