Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 47 (Part 1):

‘Why?’

He had committed murder. Yet, his emotions remained unstirred, feeling only a slight discomfort. It wasn’t anger or an intense desire to kill that he felt.

He was far removed from negative emotions, almost indifferently so.

Guilt that he hadn’t felt? No, this wasn’t an issue with his emotions.

Does murder nurture the seed of darkness?’

He knew he should avoid the dark magic. But it hadn’t been like this when he had slain beasts.

There had been slight signs when he killed the previous five. Maybe it was because he depleted his Vis, creating a vulnerability.

‘If not me, then who?’

Was it the emotions of his opponent that were the problem? The fear and pain of death, if these were feeding the seed of darkness within Helmut.

The unavoidable emotional trigger during the process of fighting and killing an opponent.

As the seed of darkness grew, Helmut felt an increasing sense of crisis that it might consume him, along with a faint fear.

‘I need to head to my destination quickly…’

Helmut muttered. Though he had previously enjoyed the thrill of real combat, his thoughts had changed.

He couldn’t allow the Black Hawk to track him. If the Black Hawk sent trackers, Helmut had to eliminate them.

The idea of sparing enemies was a naive thought. He had thought killing them would silence them, but it was hardly effective.

‘How did they manage to follow me?’

Helmut soon found the answer. His appearance was not common. If their reach extended to each village, tracking him wouldn’t be difficult.

‘Either avoid villages or change my appearance to evade immediate tracking.’

Either way, the influence of the Black Hawk would likely extend near his destination.

But from there, the assaults would cease. The place he aimed to reach was beyond the Black Hawk’s reach.

“I should change my appearance first.”

Changing his facial features was impossible, but a disguise was feasible. Helmut made up his mind.

‘Also, acting alone makes me a target, so forming a group would be wise. Hidden within a group, I’ll draw less attention.’

The journey wasn’t far off. Helmut decided to visit the mercenary guild in the next village to take on a request.

It would be his first request as a third-rank mercenary.

*

As soon as Helmut arrived in the next village, he immediately sought out the mercenary guild. In a village of this size, there was bound to be a branch.

When asked, a passerby gave him directions with a strange look.

“A member of the Pace Mercenary Corps? The famous one?”

The inside of the guild was quiet. When he spoke up, the receptionist’s eyes widened.

She was a woman in her mid-twenties with a cute, girl-like aura.

From the calluses only on her fingers, it seemed she purely did office work.

Twirling her hair around her finger, she observed Helmut.

“A youngster like you? Impressive. A third-rank mercenary, and a member of the Pace Mercenary Corps at that.”

Despite emphasizing it, her voice held suspicion. It seemed being part of the Pace Mercenary Corps was a big deal.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no problem. Just surprised. It’s rare to see a young third-rank mercenary. Sorry, but I have to check. Why don’t you have an official mercenary badge but this certificate instead?”

She kept looking at the stamp on the mercenary certificate as if she doubted its authenticity.

“I’ve had it since I was a fourth-rank mercenary and recently got promoted. I was planning to get the badge next time I visited the guild.”

“I see. For a fourth-rank mercenary, handling minor requests means an official badge isn’t strictly necessary. Understood.”

After scribbling something in her notebook, she handed back the certificate to Helmut, who suddenly asked.

“Is the Pace Mercenary Corps really that good?”

Having only known them from the start, Helmut had no standard for comparison, though they seemed more skilled and organized than the Tariq Mercenary Corps.

“You’re part of the Pace Mercenary Corps and you don’t know? They’re not just any mercenary Corps; they’re more like a mix between a knight order and a mercenary Corps. They only take in mercenaries who have proven their skills and character. It’s not a Corps anyone can join. Think of it as the Royal Knights among knight orders.”

‘The Royal Knights are the cream of the knight orders, then.’

Helmut nodded, filing away this new information.

The receptionist, now much friendlier, asked,

“It’ll take a few days to issue a mercenary badge, shall I make one for you?”

“No, I don’t have the time. I’m looking for a request on my way to my destination.”

“Where are you heading?”

“To Baden.”

Otaku_Tensei

I'm currently Translating the following novel: Helmut: The Forsaken Child. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

•