Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 97 (Part 2):
In the end, the tutoring started again. With the regained focus in the bustling space, they were able to make good progress this time.
Asuka and Sian occasionally marveled at Alea’s talkative nature, pretended to study but alternately looked at Helmut and her.
It was a rare sight, a private lesson from the top student of the magic department.
“If we took the same class, we could have shared the tutoring, right?”
“But that class is all subjective essay questions, isn’t it?”
Asuka raised an eyebrow at Sian’s words.
“What? Seriously, why is the general education class like that?”
“I heard it’s a class that the swordsmanship department students avoid. You didn’t take it either, did you?”
“You keep scratching, and I’ll kill you.”
Asuka’s voice lowered. It was slowly getting tense.
Sian, as always, acted dumb and buried his nose in the book.
Alea, on the other hand, continued with the tutoring at her own pace, regardless of the two’s chattering.
When enough time had passed and she felt that she had sufficiently memorized the lecture, Alea spread out a piece of paper.
“Shall we try a test then?”
‘It’s an essay question,’ Helmut thought.
It was a new experience for him. Helmut stared at the blank sheet of paper with a serious demeanor.
For the first time in his life, he tried to solve an essay question. He wasn’t sure if he wrote it correctly, but once he filled the blank paper with black ink, he felt satisfied.
Helmut confidently handed his answer sheet to Alea.
“Done.”
Alea, reading Helmut’s answer sheet, seemed at a loss for words for a moment.
Sian, who had been peeking at the answer sheet, wore a serious expression.
“This… well, it’s kind of…”
“It’s not just ‘kind of,’ it’s…”
Alea placed her hand on her forehead. Her head was throbbing. She didn’t know where to begin or how to address this.
Helmut’s answer was very straightforward. Even the vocabulary used was simple. It was highly readable, but the writing level was almost at a child’s level, and the content was astonishing.
The question Alea had given was, ‘Describe the difference between a dark mage and a regular mage, and explain the harm caused by dark mages.’ Helmut’s answer went something like this:
‘A dark mage is an evil being, unlike regular mages. I know because I’ve met one. Dark mages dominate and oppress weaker humans.
The dark mage I met tried to seduce me with cunning words to make me his subordinate. When I refused and left, he tried to harm me through deceitful means.’
Helmut had omitted many details about the Forest of Roots out of fear that Alea might catch on.
He must have met a dark mage, he wrote confidently.
But judging by Alea’s expression, something seemed off.
“Helmut, what’s this ‘I know because I’ve met one’ supposed to mean?”
“You told me to write my thoughts.”
Alea stared at Helmut’s answer sheet, speechless.
‘Will it be even possible to reach the middle rank, let alone the top?’
If Professor Luxen gives some leniency for the swordsmanship department and considers Helmut’s sense of humor, maybe it’s possible.
But for now, in this state, there was no answer.
“I’m starting to wonder how to approach this tutoring.”
“But have you really met a dark mage?”
Asuka quickly interjected, his eyes filled with curiosity as he almost slammed his nose into his desk while studying the exam material.
“I met one.”
“You said you lived in the forest, so how did you meet them? Did the dark mage hide in the forest too?”
“That’s right.”
Helmut vaguely replied. Asuka pressed him for more details.
“You lived in the forest, yet you say you were dominated and oppressed. Did the dark mage kidnap and use people as slaves?”
“Something like that.”
While they continued their conversation, Alea thought deeply, resting her chin on her hand.
Sian, who had read Helmut’s answer sheet with great interest, commented, “I can tell one thing for sure. You’ve never solved an essay question before, have you? The transfer exam for the swordsmanship department was all multiple choice, right?”
Alea frowned.
“I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
“But why did you take that class? You should have chosen something easier like me.”
Asuka, who chose a general education class where he only had to answer multiple-choice questions, said cheerfully.
“Helmut didn’t have a choice because he was a transfer student. It’s a bit unfair.”
“But transfer students don’t have grades from the previous semester, so it’s difficult to establish evaluation criteria.”
“That’s true.”
“In any case, I think we’ve reached a conclusion.”
Asuka flashed a self-satisfied smile.
“Helmut, just give up. After all, you’re confident in your swordsmanship skills, right? Your grades will be good enough, so why be greedy?”
“And you mean you’re going to take the top spot in the second year of the swordsmanship department?”
“That’s right. In fact, even if I hadn’t been expelled last year, I would have been the top student in the swordsmanship department.”
Asuka boasted. Come to think of it, except for Helmut, all three of them here were top students.
Asuka was far from being a model student, but his grades were good, so he ended up in that category anyway.
It was an elite group made up of top and second-ranked students. Each of them had a distinctive personality, making them a noticeable group.
“Forget about it and let’s have a duel later. You’ve never fought me before.”
Since he would be the top student anyway, losing a bit in a duel wouldn’t hurt his pride much.
But Alea cut it off sharply.
“Don’t make me laugh.”
She sighed as if it had been a while, and her eyes sharpened.
“I can’t let my tutoring student lose to the likes of you.”
A sense of mission and pride, both were burning fiercely in Alea.