Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 58 (Part 1):

For a whole week, Helmut and the others faced each other every morning, filling up their study time to the brim. Helmut never once was tardy, appearing precisely at 10 o’clock each morning, as if it was carved in stone. Even Alea, who once appeared just 2 minutes late, was silently stared down by Helmut, feeling the pressure of such punctuality. Thus, Alea had to extend that day’s lesson by 2 minutes as a result.

“Being diligent and overflowing with enthusiasm.”

While it was a positive trait, Alea, who was merely a private tutor and not Helmut’s official teacher, felt somewhat weary of it. It felt like being drained to the bone. Moreover, Helmut went above and beyond, studying not only the review materials but also things beyond the scope of the exams.

“Have you read all of this too?”

“I’ve reviewed everything you taught. I have nothing else to do.”

“Don’t you have any hobbies?”

Helmut, whose activities seemed far removed from lounging or idly spending time, promptly nodded.

“None.”

More than exemplary, there was something almost inhuman about him. Alea was unaware, but after studying, Helmut would practice swordsmanship until dawn, nearly filling his schedule to the brim if one were to exclude sleeping time. He practiced even harder to compensate for the reduced training time compared to when he was with Darien.

For Helmut, even being out in the human world, he found little joy outside of comfortably staying at Ethan Kudrow’s mansion. Delicious food, a comfortable bed, warm baths, and clean clothes were all luxuries unimaginable in his old, rundown shack.

He also quite enjoyed his lessons with Alea. Alea was the first proper conversation partner Helmut had ever had. Whether it was Elaga or Darien, they seemed bothered to answer Helmut’s questions. The conversation was quite one-sided.

However, Alea earnestly answered even Helmut’s follow-up questions in depth, though his tone was not always pleasant. It was natural for a mage to constantly think and probe, but explaining that in words was another matter. Teaching Helmut, Alea found a certain enjoyment in it. Teaching others meant learning something new yourself, which also benefitted Alea.

Helmut, as he had claimed, was quickly filling the empty spaces with knowledge, and at a rapid pace. Alea eventually commented with admiration,

“Given your aptitude, you should have been a scholar or a mage.”

But magic conflicted with Vis. Thus, swordsmen could not learn magic directly. They could use magical scrolls or artifacts to cast spells, but not directly.

“The memorization part seems fine. The problem is with subjects that can’t be solved by memorization alone.”

To understand where things went wrong and how to correct them, one needed to know the root of the problem. Alea asked with a probing attitude,

“Where exactly did you grow up? In some forest?”

“Correct.”

“Your parents?”

“They’re not around.”

This response came a bit slower. Saying he had never met them was one thing, but it wasn’t entirely certain. Helmut didn’t know whether his parents were alive or dead. Fourteen years had passed, enough time for the landscape to change. Not that the parents of a child born with the seed of darkness would be punished, but if they were of high status, they might have been entangled in other affairs.

“Then, who raised you? Your grandparents?”

The next question made Helmut even more uncomfortable. It wasn’t as if he could say that he was raised by a giant leopard ruling over the central region of the Forest of Roots, could he? Alea was sensitive to lies and was just as persistent in questioning as he was in providing answers. Helmut eventually fabricated an answer.

“My grandfather.”

Darien was an old man, so he could be considered a grandfather, though not by blood.

“Did you also learn swordsmanship from him?”

“Yes.”

“Was it just the two of you living in the forest?”

“Correct.”

Realizing Helmut was not keen on answering, Alea stopped questioning. Although Alea had a rich curiosity as a mage, he generally lacked interest in others. However, Helmut intrigued him, not only because of his unique nature but also because he seemed to be connected to the “fate of a mage.” Nonetheless, Alea decided not to probe further. If the roles were reversed, Alea would have secrets to hide as well.

“Never had a tutor, nor friends? Haven’t you met many people?”

“It was just the two of us.”

‘Even more so than me.’

Alea, who hadn’t grown up close to the human world, had occasionally visited towns and interacted with people. But Helmut had none of that. If his grandfather was a swordsman, he likely did not earnestly teach him about knowledge or common sense.

“I see the problem now.”

Helmut was practically a wild animal. Although he had somewhat assimilated through his mercenary life, he still tended to deviate when it came to pursuing standard answers.

“Let me show you how to find the answers.”

Otaku_Tensei

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