Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 68 (Part 2):

“You’re here again.”

The now-familiar guard let Helmut through with a listless expression. This time, Helmut headed to a different location—the magic department of Greta Academy, which the ghost had never visited. It seemed unlikely that the ghost, which didn’t appear before mages, would be near this area. Helmut was starting over, checking places he had omitted before.

The magic department building was quiet. It was nearly evening, and still the holiday period. Wearing his swordsman’s attire, Helmut attracted some stares.

Then, he ran into someone by sheer coincidence.

“What are you doing here? I heard you’ve been roaming around the academy lately.”

Silver hair sparkled in the darkness. But Helmut had sensed her presence before seeing her, familiar as it was. Helmut looked past Alea without responding and then turned away.

“Helmut, what are you trying to do? Can’t you hear me talking?”

Alea, who had grabbed Helmut’s arm, glared at him with a frown. Helmut met his gaze squarely. The answer was simple.

“You told me to pretend not to know you.”

“You’re pretending not to know now…”

Alea clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“Are you protesting against me now?”

“Protesting?”

Helmut mused over the word. He had done as Alea wished, but perhaps there was a bit of protest in his action. Why should he pretend not to know Alea when Alea freely acknowledged him? After all, pretending or not, Helmut would still be troubled by Alea’s followers.

“Do what you want.”

Alea grumbled. Such an ambiguous statement left too much room for interpretation. Helmut didn’t miss the opportunity.

“Alright, do what I want? I would like you to help me.”

Their meeting was coincidental, but Helmut had somewhat anticipated running into Alea if he visited the magic department. They seemed to cross paths often.

When Alea had given him private lessons, she had mentioned that utilizing people effectively is also a skill. That advice wasn’t only applicable to monarchs. And Alea, standing before Helmut, was one of the few people he knew and the top student of the magic department. She would surely be of help.

“Who said that meant I’d help you? What’s in it for me?”

‘Getting along well with me in the future,’ Helmut almost said, but he refrained. Unlike with Sian, Alea would likely respond with irritation and walk away. One must approach people according to their nature. Wealthy Alea wouldn’t covet a quest reward. What to say then?

“You’re a mage.”

“And?”

“It’s something that would pique a mage’s curiosity.”

Alea solves her curiosity, and Helmut completes the quest to earn money. It was a win-win situation. Helmut framed the logic simply, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

“What’s this interesting thing for a mage?”

Instead of answering, Helmut handed over the documents he had been carrying around for days. After reading through them, Alea looked openly incredulous.

“What, you’ve been doing this? And after I returned 50,000 marks to you? With a wealthy guardian, why are you even bothering with this?”

“Money and career. I have some time before school starts again.”

“Are you planning to become a mercenary again after graduating from the academy?”

“Maybe.”

Helmut asked, tilting his head.

“So, any idea about the ghost’s identity?”

It was a mystery even the academy professors hadn’t solved. Or perhaps, like Ethan Kudrow suggested, they were too busy to bother. Especially the professors of the magic department, who had to scrutinize subjective exam papers and deal with enthusiastic students bringing research projects.

Alea proved to be well-informed.

“A spirit? It avoids mages because a mage could be a threat. Even minor magic requires effort to defend against, risking exposure. Appearing before a mage could lead to being tracked.”

‘Perhaps I should have sought Alea sooner.’

Watching Alea explain with a scholarly attitude, Helmut felt a slight regret.

“Clever and cautious. It’s unlikely for a ghost to have such consciousness. Unless it’s an evil spirit influenced by black magic, but in that case, the presence of black magic would’ve been felt, prompting the magic department professors to act. The only remaining possibility is a spirit. But how did a spirit come to haunt the academy?”

Helmut didn’t know the answer to that question either.

“How do spirits appear?”

They weren’t common enough to appear just anywhere. Alea pondered deeply, seemingly searching her mind for knowledge on spirits.

“…Summoning? I don’t know of any other way. Given the scarcity of those who deal with spirits, there’s little information available. The one person in the magic department who might know is Sian.”

“Do you know him?”

Helmut asked, even though he knew they were acquainted, seeking confirmation. Why he did so, he wasn’t sure.

“Ah, we’re in the same magic department. He’s a rare spirit mage, so he was of interest. Though he never participated in my magic experiments, always being a nuisance…”

Alea trailed off.

“Then he could discover something if he visited the spirit’s haunting sites.”

“Probably. Those knowledgeable about spirits are spirit mages.”

“But he hasn’t said anything.”

“Do you know Sian?”

The question came back like an accusation. It felt as though they were digging into each other’s relationships. Why? The question was hard to answer. Helmut explained lightly.

“We met by chance, and he seemed interested in this matter, so we briefly worked together.”

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