Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 98 (Part 1):
“Is it really necessary to use the word… lose?”
Sian muttered nervously. He thought the term ‘lose’ was a bit too harsh just because he was slightly behind in grades.
“Sure, since you’re used to it, you might not find it a big deal.”
Alea retorted with a smug look on her face. Sian could almost hear her saying, ‘You loser!’
“That’s too much, isn’t it? I’m still second in my class, and you’re calling me a loser. What does that make the people below me? Is Greta Academy a group of losers?”
Sian grumbled. Alea ignored his words and looked at Helmut.
“We have two weeks until the midterm exams, so put aside thoughts of having fun on holidays.”
She said with a burning determination in her eyes, as if declaring a special training session. It seemed like she wouldn’t even consider him a human if he really lost to Asuka.
“How about we make a bet instead?” Sian suggested with a clenched jaw.
“What kind of bet?”
“If Helmut loses to Asuka, you, Alea, will have to run 100 laps around the sports field. Of course, without using magic.”
“Why do I have to do it, not Helmut?”
“Because you’re the one who wants Helmut to win.”
“And what if Helmut beats Asuka?”
“Then Asuka has to run 100 laps around the field?”
“Why should I make such a bet?”
Asuka reacted as if he was taken aback.
“Don’t you have confidence?”
“You’re trying to provoke me… Do you think I’m that naive? If you want to make a bet, you should do it.”
“Me? You want me to stake my fate on you?”
Sian feigned surprise.
“Sian, do you really want to die?”
Asuka clenched his fist. It was a warning sign.
Sian stepped back, raising his hands.
“Whoa, calm down. It was just a joke. I meant, you can handle it. Okay, I’ll do 100 laps around the field if you lose.”
Sian regretted it after blurting it out.
No matter how messed up Helmut’s answer sheet was, Asuka wasn’t a reliable person.
Asuka put down his clenched fist, looking annoyed. So far, he had never resorted to violence against Sian.
Unlike the big guys in the swordsmanship department, even if Sian made fun of him, hitting the delicate and skinny Sian seemed like a hesitant thing to do.
Although Sian, the second in his class in the magical department, might not be an easy opponent, at least on the surface.
Sian spoke seriously.
“One thing is clear. If we continue like this, we’ll all fail the exam.”
Helmut agreed. They were always busy babbling, whether it was Sian or Asuka.
‘What’s the use?’
At this point, they were just obstacles.
“That’s probably about you guys. Not me.”
Alea coldly denied. She adhered to the mindset of being the top student in the whole school when it came to studying.
She believed that she could maintain the top position even if she played around for the next two weeks until the midterm exams. That’s why she had the luxury of offering private lessons.
“Anyway, fine. If Helmut loses to Asuka, I’ll run 100 laps around the field. If he wins, Sian, you’ll run 100 laps.”
Sian nodded in agreement, but soon added.
“Wait, what if someone other than Helmut or Asuka becomes the top student? Both of them could fail the exam.”
“In that case, both of them will run.”
Alea’s resolute response carried the pride of a private tutor who believed that there was no way her student would fail.
‘What a useless thing to stake pride on when it’s not even your own exam.’
Sian thought. It might not happen, but what if Helmut fell ill during the exam and collapsed? He didn’t know why Alea was so confident.
Choosing an outcome that depended on someone else’s results didn’t suit Alea.
But she wouldn’t do that to just anyone. Helmut was the first person she offered to tutor.
She was the kind of person who didn’t get involved with anyone, but strangely, she didn’t hesitate to get involved with Helmut. Sian was suspicious.
‘Helmut, does that guy have something I don’t know about? It’s suspicious.’
Aside from what was revealed about Helmut, he may have been a great guy with something to offer.
Alea, who always looks at her face in the mirror, wasn’t treating Helmut special just because he happened to be handsome.
But that wasn’t important right now. Sian felt a tragic mood.
‘Running 100 laps around the field…’
Somehow, the feeling of an inevitable future rushing in already overwhelmed him.
Sian was an ordinary magical department student who would be out of breath after just two laps around the field.
‘They didn’t say it couldn’t be split, right?’
If he did one lap a day for 100 days, it would be okay.
Sian was already assuming he would lose the bet and was thinking of a less painful way.
But Alea, who was determined to win the bet at all costs, grabbed Helmut’s wrist.
Her obsession with victory was as strong as her obsession with being the top student.
“I believe I won’t have to run 100 laps around the field!”
Her eyes were ablaze. Helmut, feeling the pressure, nodded.
It would be very tiring to be treated like that by Alea. Not to mention her followers, even if he ignored her.
-How dare you make Alea run around the field!-
Would he be able to walk around the school comfortably?
However, he wasn’t too worried. Helmut had already passed the transfer exam, which initially felt quite daunting.
Sian asked Asuka subtly, “Asuka, can I believe that I won’t have to run 100 laps on the field?”
In response to that question, Asuka snorted with skepticism.
“I suddenly want to see you sweating and running around the field.”
“Isn’t that too much?”
Alea coldly interrupted their bickering.
“You two, be quiet. Either study or leave.”
There was nothing more to say; they immediately closed their mouths.
The four gathered together and maintained their positions in the study room until late at night.
A considerable amount of quiet time followed. Despite the precarious state of Sian, Alea, and Helmut, Asuka, strangely, had no intention of going to sleep, even though his whole body was tense.