Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 50 (Part 2):

At the moment Helmut began his new assignment, Anton, the branch manager of the Black Hawk, was receiving an unbelievable report.

“Two second-rank mercenaries are dead? Does that even make sense? Paul and Max, those two weren’t just any second-rank mercenaries. They were experienced and skilled!”

The man before him, Cromo, was a direct subordinate of Anton. Although not exceptionally skilled, he was adept in other areas.

He was good at tracking, surveillance, and gathering information. His reports were always concise and perfect.

However, that didn’t mean Anton liked the content of those reports.

“I saw it with my own eyes. I did as Paul asked, just confirming the target and keeping a distance, but they didn’t return. While searching the area, I found two bodies inside a pit.”

Anton sighed deeply. The situation was incomprehensible.

It was unbelievable that a mere third-rank mercenary, a teenager at that, could confront and kill two second-rank mercenaries.

“Were there traces of anyone else?”

“He was alone. The marks on the ground, the size of the footprints, all pointed to one person. No one else was detected.”

“What about the swordsmanship inferred from the wounds?”

“None. It seems the fight lasted quite a while, but there weren’t many injuries on the bodies.”

“He must’ve killed them with nearly a single blow.”

“He knows how to use Vis.”

“That guy. That’s why he killed two second-rank mercenaries.”

“We could call a mage to retrieve memories from the battleground. Shall we do that?”

Hiring a mage was expensive, which is why Cromo needed Anton’s permission.

“That sounds like a good idea. We know too little about him.”

Anton nodded gravely.

He disliked uncertainties and unilateral losses. He had already lost seven men to what he thought would be an easy target.

Losing five silver-ranked assassins was one thing, but the death of two second-rank mercenaries who were about to be initiated was a significant loss.

‘Did we mess with the wrong opponent?’

What kind of enemy had these thugs provoked?

Curiosity welled up beneath his irritation. The power maintaining the Black Hawk wasn’t just brute force. It was intelligence. Information about powerful foes was especially valuable.

“What was his name again? Helmut?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“He must be an heir to a swordsmanship school or have a formidable master. It’s rare for someone of that age to have such skills. It’s nearly impossible for a prodigy to reach such heights alone at that age.”

Anton muttered as if talking to himself, his mind racing with a sense of crisis.

“Such a person doesn’t just fall out of the sky. We need to look into him. Call the others and start tracking his past.”

“Should we stop hunting for now?”

“If we send people now, we’re just feeding him. First, we need to see if he’s someone we can hunt. If we mess with someone of his caliber without knowing, it could spell the end for the Black Hawk.”

The Black Hawk rarely messed with high-ranking nobles or mercenary groups. They strictly preyed on the weak.

But once someone became their enemy, there were few as relentless as them.

“Gather the information as soon as you can and bring it to me. This matter needs to be reported to the higher-ups.”

“Yes.”

Cromo bowed and left. An unusual tension filled the air in the Black Hawk’s district.

*

The group stopped for the evening in a small village with around a hundred households.

Due to the situation in the Kingdom of Kinan, news had arrived that the closest border to Baden had been sealed.

Therefore, although the verification process was strict, they were heading towards another border that allowed passage, leading them through more rustic villages.

A larger village was half a day’s journey away, but traveling non-stop with a gently raised young lady was not feasible.

No matter how comfortable the carriage was, without taking breaks, Xenia’s stamina wouldn’t hold up for her first long journey.

Xenia was tired from the journey, having Alea as a conversational partner was somewhat comforting. For her, keeping quiet was probably better for conserving energy.

They encountered a dilemma even in the village.

“I’d rather sleep in the carriage than in a place like this!”

The so-called inn was a small three-story building.

Upon entering a room and seeing a cockroach scurrying around, Xenia screamed as if she was going to faint and ran out.

It was unreasonable to expect the precious young lady to sleep in a place with cockroaches.

But they couldn’t possibly make her sleep in the carriage either.

Eventually, they decided to rent the largest and most respectable house in the village, belonging to the village chief. Once they offered a generous compensation, the village chief, accustomed to such situations, laughed heartily and offered his house.

“Noble folks sometimes stay in our home.”

Gilton, the butler, managed the situation quite adeptly.

After he gently persuaded the young lady to endure a little inconvenience, Xenia stopped complaining further.

The butler and Alea, along with two maids and the young lady, divided the use of the village chief’s house, while the rest rented another entire house nearby.

Even if a foreign noble, refusing the request of nobility was difficult. Moreover, the amount offered left the villagers with no room to refuse.

Helmut realized in many ways that money was omnipotent.

Paying the village women known for their good cooking, they prepared a meal for the mercenary group.

Several village men took charge of the horses, removing their saddles and feeding them. It was a miracle, as if a restaurant and inn that didn’t exist in this small village had suddenly appeared.

Gilton, meticulous and adept, was in charge of overseeing everything.

Because of this, Helmut had little to do. One knight and one mercenary formed a pair to take turns guarding the village chief’s “mansion”.

Their lodging was a two-story building; the mercenaries used the ground floor, while the knights occupied the upper floor. The knights’ side had bedrooms, which was preferable, but the ground floor wasn’t bad either.

Sleeping in a building with a roof was more comfortable than sleeping outdoors.

The well-disciplined knights made sure not to clash with the mercenaries by accident, and there were no disputes among the mercenaries themselves.

The mercenaries were merely assisting the knights of Zahringen.

But that didn’t mean they were treated like servants. As long as everyone stuck to their roles, there were no issues.

The guard duty was decided by drawing lots. Guards were to be posted for three hours each, starting from 10 p.m., to watch over the village chief’s mansion. Only one person could be exempt from guard duty.

Helmut was fortunately exempt from guard duty. It wasn’t because he drew the lot well but because they drew lots by age, and he was lucky in that regard.

The last remaining lot was ‘exempt from guard duty.’

‘A leisurely assignment.’

Helmut thought. He had less to do than when on escort duty, merely riding his horse.

Ironically, Xenia’s incessant voice was somewhat alleviating his boredom.

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!

•