Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 9 (Part 1):

The meat that was brought was in two pieces. Helmut ate the remaining piece as if to show off.

Elaga squinted as if she couldn’t eat his food. The moment he swallowed the food, Elaga suddenly spoke.

-You seem to have grown a bit taller.

“Really? It’s my growth period.”

Helmut ran his hand through his hair. With regular training, eating, and sleeping, it seemed his height was growing well.

The face that had been merely cute with a slightly chubby baby look became colder, transforming into a handsome appearance. However, it was only a subtle change.

Elaga chuckled.

-At best, you’ve grown from an acorn to a chestnut.

“I’m going to grow more.”

-How much can a human grow anyway?

Compared to Elaga’s massive body, Helmut seemed like a bite-sized snack. Even Darien, with his large stature, appeared like a rabbit in front of Elaga.
A sudden memory crossed Helmut’s mind.

“Darien mentioned that he owes to Elaga.”

-Is that human’s name Darien?

“What happened between you and Darien?”

Judging by the fact that she didn’t even know his name, they didn’t seem particularly close. They lived nearby, but encounters were rare.

Elaga bluntly replied.

-I allowed him to live here. When he settled near my territory, I could have driven him away, but I talked to him and decided to let him be. That’s how he could live here.

“You didn’t want to fight?”

Thud! At the sharp question, her thick tail hit Helmut’s head.

-I am Elaga! I have no reason to avoid a fight with anyone…

Elaga, who was shouting angrily, hesitated as if she was pricked by something.

-…Well, there is. Fighting with him for no reason could make other creatures target me if I get injured. Why bother with such things?

In fact, she didn’t think about anything at that time. Elaga just made up a reason.

-Of course, if that human caused trouble, I would have driven him away. But when I went to see him, he asked for permission to live here.

It wasn’t a particularly polite request, but the opponent didn’t seem hostile.There was no need to fight if he didn’t show hostility to take over the territory.

Since he’s a human, he wouldn’t need much territory. He bent a little first, and if this side accepted it, that was it. There was no need to fight.

Of course, it was a rare calculation for Elaga.

-Well, having one human around wouldn’t hurt. That disgusting snake monster hopes me and the human fight and become bloody. It’s a perfect opportunity to control my territory.

-Disgusting snake? Are you talking about Naho?

In the Forest of Roots, there were monsters holding large territories in each zone.

Elaga occupied a large area in the central region of the forest, while Naho resided in the eastern region. Despite not knowing their relationship with other monsters, Elaga particularly disliked Naho.

Naho of the East. Naturally, monsters with known names were at the top of the food chain in the Forest of Roots.

-Naho wanted to eat that human. But he also hesitated to fight him. He couldn’t retaliate against the opponent who had destroyed his human farm.

“Human farm?”

-…Something like that.

Elaga mumbled and turned her head. Helmut briefly pondered the unsettling word, but soon shifted his attention elsewhere.

Naho and Elaga were monsters who considered each other equals. Despite hating each other, if they fought, one of them would die or be significantly injured.

If that happened, the survivor would become a target for other monsters. Therefore, they avoided provoking each other and kept a wary distance.

Naho is fierce and cunning. If he suffered damage from humans, he would never let it go. Both Naho and Elaga avoided unnecessary fights.

– Who do you think would have won if you and Darien fought?

Helmut didn’t hide his curiosity. For a ten-year-old boy, it’s important to determine who is stronger and weaker.

Elaga growled as if to say that she was obviously stronger.

-…I don’t know.

But Elaga was a strangely honest leopard at that time.

– Monsters like me instinctively know whether the opponent is stronger or weaker. However, when the opponent is human, unlike us who can feel the strength in the aura, humans are good at concealing their strength. I have a feeling, but I can’t be sure. There must have been many who attacked that human ended up dead. The important thing is that even Naho, who enjoys human flesh, couldn’t touch him.

Not knowing meant that there was a possibility of defeat. In the Forest of Roots, even monsters considered to be at the top of the hierarchy couldn’t touch that human.

Recalling what Darien had said, he seemed to have fallen into the Forest of Roots because of a trap.

Although he came into the forest already strong, Darien was still human. Humans were different from monsters. They were inherently weak. Helmut, without Elaga’s care, would never have survived.

But there was a human here that even the monsters were wary of.

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