Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 51 (Part 1):

‘Maybe I’ll go practice.’

Helmut headed to a clearing just outside the village, which he had noticed on his way. It was originally a place for chopping firewood, but it’s deserted at night. In such a rural village, everything becomes pitch-dark once the sun sets. It’s uncommon for people to wander around then.

‘I guess I’ll have some free time on this mission.’

During the escort mission with the Pace Mercenary Corps, there were so many chores to attend to that it was hard to secure time for practice. Then, there was also the need for physical recovery.

Having found a spot, Helmut began his training. Excluding Vis, he pushed his body to its limits to rebuild the muscle mass that had diminished. His grip ached from swinging his sword, and hanging from a tree with just the strength of his legs soaked his body in sweat. Even though the temperatures in the Kingdom of Kinan don’t drop much in winter, the chill of the night air quickly cooled his heated body, sharpening his mind.

‘Vis is hardly increasing.’

Helmut had increased the proportion of physical training during his practice sessions. His muscles had significantly reduced compared to when he was in the Forest of Roots. Without a sturdy vessel, it’s impossible to handle a large amount of Vis. Even then, his Vis had recovered to its state during his time in the Forest of Roots and had increased by a third, but it had plateaued there. There was a feeling of being stuck despite making some progress.

It would have been better, needless to say, to train Vis in a place abundant with energy. The problem was that such a situation was unattainable.

‘Is it because of the environment? That forest, while not as much as the Forest of Roots, was rich in magic.’

Slashing through numerous demonic beasts had infused the forest with magic energy. Some remained as magic energy, but some were sublimated into the forest’s inherent magical power. Helmut was able to absorb that power as his Vis. However, the outside world is generally sparse in magical power. Places where one could quickly become stronger, like the Forest of Roots, were rare.

‘Darien mentioned that swordsmen have separate training grounds for Vis.’

He remembered Darien saying it was nice that he didn’t need such a place when he was in the Forest of Roots. Would there be such a place in the academy? Lost in thought, Helmut suddenly looked up at the sky. Something subtly stimulated his senses from up above.

‘Is it the night air?’

There was nothing to be found in the star-filled night sky. Frowning slightly, Helmut resumed his training. That was what he needed to do right now.

The mage, Alea, withdrew his magic.

“Eagle’s Eye.”

It’s a magic that requires a lot of concentration. More covert than the typical surveillance magic, it detaches the mind to lift the vision high into the sky. From there, it zooms in like a telescope, allowing for a clear view of the desired spot, although it can’t overcome the limitations of a top-down perspective. Alea’s master had assured that even a particularly sensitive swordsman wouldn’t notice it.

“He has keen senses. If I watch him for too long, he’ll notice.”

Alea muttered. There was something strange about Helmut. Despite being a mercenary, he had a delicate face and wore non-prescription glasses. The first impression from a short observation wasn’t great.

‘A guy like a swallow.’

That was exactly what Alea felt. However, contrary to his thoughts, the boy named Helmut was quite the mercenary: reticent and diligent in his training. There were no other peculiarities.

He had seen many skilled mercenaries. It was rare for someone of that age to be a third-rank mercenary, but boys of such skill were not uncommon in famous swordsmanship families. There were also many talented swordsmen hailed as geniuses at Greta Academy.

The strange sensation Alea felt couldn’t just be explained by Helmut’s skills alone. And a mage’s intuition is not to be ignored.

‘It doesn’t seem dangerous for now.’

Alea lay his weary body on the bed. It was still hard to judge. He planned to keep an eye out moving forward, but for today, this was enough. As Alea was organizing his thoughts, there was a knock on the door.

“Lord Alea, are you asleep?”

The cheerful voice instantly soured Alea’s mood. Alea frowned openly. Despite being a naive lady, was she really going to bother him at this late hour? Fortunately, it seemed Alea wasn’t the only one thinking this way, as two maids appeared to dissuade her.

“Lady Xenia, it’s time for bed, and you’re looking for Lord Alea?”

“No, I just couldn’t sleep and wanted to chat a bit.”

“Even so, for a man and a woman to be together at this late hour…”

“I’m only thirteen years old. You can stay with us!”

“But it seems Lord Alea is already asleep?”

“It looks like the light is on. Maybe he’s awake?”

The sound of someone attempting to open the door followed. It was a relief it was locked. Alea sighed irritably. To be disturbed even in his sleep was the worst.

“You can also sleep with the light on. Please, come this way. You need to rest too. We have a long carriage ride tomorrow as well.”

“Go wash up and change into your pajamas.”

“Fine, got it.”

While they spoke, Alea closed his eyes. He needed to rest quickly. Tomorrow, he would have to endure that girl again. Only upon reaching Baden would Alea find his freedom.

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