Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 468 (Part 1):

Elaga’s method was drastic, but it worked. Not only had he subdued the demonic beasts, but Baharek had also come to his senses.

Thanks to the ripples of sacred magic, the lesser demonic beasts that had regained their sanity fled the moment they realized Elaga and Baharek were present.

Of course, the effect wouldn’t last long.

Before it wore off, they had to figure out why Baharek and the demonic beasts in this area had collectively descended into madness.

The one who found the answer was Helmut.

“This is…”

The grass on the ground looked familiar. For Helmut, who had nearly died from eating it as a child, it was a type of grass he could never forget.

Mato. A plant said to boost immunity and purify the blood.

In his childhood, Helmut had overdosed on mato, suffering excruciating abdominal pain.

Memories accompanied by pain are not easily forgotten.

‘It’s just a memory.’

Looking back, he had overcome countless life-or-death crises. The important thing was that he had survived, but still.

As he surveyed his surroundings, he saw mato everywhere. Mato was a potent poisonous plant that formed dense colonies.

This entire area was blanketed with it.

“They ate mato,” Helmut concluded.

If that was what caused the demonic beasts to go mad, it made sense. But for it to drive even a domain ruler like Baharek to madness, they must have consumed an enormous amount.

Tigers have no business grazing on grass. Why would they subject themselves to such torment? It was baffling.

[That grass is called mato?]

Baharek was staring at Helmut. As if his earlier rampage had never happened, his eyes were clear and sharp.

Sacred magic inherently carried the power of purification. When it struck Baharek directly, it had purged the toxic effects of the mato.

It was an instinctive calculation on Elaga’s part, a knowledge naturally acquired as a demonic beast.

Helmut asked, “Why did you eat mato?”

[That grass has the effect of sharpening the mind when consumed in small amounts. But as I tried to stay clear-headed…]

“You ate too much and went mad,” Helmut finished.

Alea picked up the conversation. Baharek furrowed his brow. He rummaged through his memories.

[Before I came here… I felt strange. It was as if something was trying to invade my consciousness. I tried to ignore it, but it grew stronger. My head throbbed, and when I came to my senses, I found my body moving eastward.]

Baharek’s territory was the western domain. He had been heading toward the central domain.

He had been summoned by the Demon King!

[Something kept rising within me, trying to dominate me. So I came here. I knew this place had a lot of that grass. I thought eating it would make me feel better.]

“And you didn’t know that eating too much would drive you mad?” Helmut questioned.

Baharek nodded.

[I’m a carnivore! I’ve never eaten grass, let alone gone mad from it. Eating that disgusting weed was torture enough, but I had no choice. It made me feel better at first. But then… I ate too much, and at some point, I lost consciousness.]

Thus, Baharek had lingered here, relying on instinct in his crazed state.

Ironically, his madness had prevented him from being dominated by the Demon King’s will.

Baharek spat out, as if nauseated, [I must have eaten about a hill’s worth.]

That amount would have been toxic enough to kill tens of thousands of humans.

But in another sense, it was no wonder Baharek had gone mad.

For a tiger to eat a hill’s worth of grass? The stress alone would have driven him insane.

Sian, who had been examining the mato, spoke up. “This mato is similar to Rosetta, isn’t it? In plant classification, they’re like cousins.”

“So it’s not the same, but it exerts its effects differently,” Helmut noted.

It made sense that there would be some way to resist in the Forest of Roots. Nature’s law always provided a loophole.

It seemed the demonic beasts in this area had followed Baharek’s lead, eating mato and going mad.

Thanks to the Earth Spirit, Sian had become an expert on flora and fauna. He offered his insight: “They didn’t fight each other because mato seems to have a special property that prevents the demonic beasts who consume it from attacking one another.”

“So that’s why they came after us,” Helmut said.

Elaga clicked his tongue.

[As a fellow feline demonic beast, you should be ashamed! A carnivore grazing on grass and losing your mind?]

Though in pellet form, it was hardly something Elaga, who also consumed Rosetta, should say.

Baharek reacted with disbelief. [You’re one to talk, when you don’t even eat humans! Why do you keep them as pets, you carnivore?]

When humans sent to the Forest of Roots, some of them ended up in Baharek’s domain, he devoured them without hesitation.

Unlike Elaga or Igrelle, he was closer in nature to Naho. He just didn’t go as far as breeding humans for food.

Baharek’s gaze swept over the humans, his words chilling.

The stare of a man-eating tiger carried an eerie menace.

Elaga snorted. [That’s… a matter of taste, let’s say.]

Some people eat chicken or pork but not beef, after all.

Even Elaga couldn’t fully explain why he was friendly toward humans.

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