Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 6 (Part 1):

Helmut didn’t understand.

‘I’m a human, so why are you trying to make me into one?’

But the situation was clearly unfolding on its own.

From that day on, Helmut lived with the stranger. The man, who revealed his name as Darien, ordered Helmut to clean the old cabin.

Helmut muttered as he swept the dust for the first time in his life.

Helmut had no concept of hygiene. He didn’t have a home. Maybe a territory.

He had a place to stay. But he didn’t settle down there, whether it was in a cave or a makeshift tree nest.

“Humans originally live like this.”

Darien was unfriendly, and he seemed to lack talent in explaining things. He filled most of his explanations with, ‘Humans do it this way, so you should too.’

If a house gets dusty and dirty, humans clean it.

Under the pretext of teaching cleaning, Darien showed Helmut how to use a broom and a mop.

But looking at how dirty the house was, had Darien not cleaned it all this time?

Helmut’s sharp observation was blocked by Darien’s words, ‘So you don’t want to leave the forest?’

He didn’t give a reason. He just commanded. Helmut had no choice.

As Helmut swept the inside of the house with an old broom and mopped with wide, damp leaves, the cabin, which had cobwebs hanging all over it, became noticeably cleaner.

While Helmut was cleaning the house, Darien was making something.

Before long, in one corner of the cabin, a soft nest made of slender branches and grass appeared.

“It’s your bed.”

Lying down, it felt cozy like a new nest. It was different from the feeling when he slept leaning against Elaga while getting soaked in dew.

Rest was short-lived as Darien shouted at Helmut, who was lying down.

“Young man, get up! There’s still work to be done.”

Darien’s voice contained his unique oppressive energy.

Helmut, who was suddenly awakened, got up.
Darien found clothes from somewhere and put them on Helmut, who was almost naked with only an old cloth around his waist. Helmut twisted his body uncomfortably.

“This is tight and uncomfortable.”

“Humans have to wear clothes. There aren’t many, so be careful not to tear them.”

Darien spoke as if he wouldn’t let it go if Helmut tore the clothes. The threat was not just words.

Among the necessities of life, once the problem of wearing and sleeping was solved, the next was food.

Even though he was a human without any Seed of Darkness, Darien wasn’t overly concerned about what he ate. He had an efficient body that could last for several days with a small amount of food.

However, that didn’t mean he could live without eating.

“What have you been eating until now?”

“Hunted meat or forest fruits…?”

Darien nodded his head and said.

“I’ll teach you what you can eat and what you can’t, and how to make what you can’t eat edible.”

The magic in the Forest of Roots contaminated plants with toxicity.

Although various plants grew in the Forest of Roots, there were fewer edible ones compared to the outside world.

“Water represents purification here. Even in Roots, water doesn’t get contaminated. Remove the nucleus and wash it with water.”

He took a whole root plant and cut it in half. Inside, the nucleus, the core of the darkness, was embedded like a black seed.

Darien removed the core and washed it thoroughly with water.

“Try eating it.”

The white flesh of the root was chewy in his mouth. It had a sweet taste on the tip of his moist tongue. It was a cloudy taste compared to meat or forest fruits, but it felt rich in nutrients.

For Helmut, a meal was an act of supplying nutrients. As long as it didn’t taste bad, he thought it was fine.

‘If it’s delicious, all the better.’

Helmut concentrated and listened carefully to Darien’s words. After that, Darien taught him a few more things that could be food.

The lessons were certainly effective. Once Helmut followed Darien’s words, he gained the understanding that he could obtain something from anything. That understanding brought patience to Helmut.

‘Human knowledge is definitely useful to me.’

For now, only Darien could teach Helmut that.

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