#268
Helmut
Episode 268
“Ygrel, please come with us. Even if you go to the central region, you won’t have to fight with Elaga if you stay with us. “We will provide plenty of feather trimming as you wish along the way.”
This was the trick that Area came up with. Once you are with Ygrel, safety is guaranteed.
The world of monsters is a world of jungle. In front of Ygrel, the ruler of the south, there will be no monsters that would dare target humans, so the burden will be lightened.
It was a way to avoid risk.
Also, if you are with Ygrel, it will be easier to meet Elaga.
If Ygrel appears in my area, Ella will have no choice but to appear as well.
‘Helmut spoke as if he believed in that leopard named Elaga.’
Almost like family. Monsters are different from humans. If they name Helmut, that monster called Elaga will not attack them.
Elaga must know where Helmut is. We could have been together.
‘It’s not like there’s no way to find Helmut.’
It was unknown whether that method would be effective even in this forest of digging that interferes with magic. Even if it were effective, it would only be possible at close range.
It was a method that could not be used before going to the central region.
Ygrel immediately understood what Area meant.
[So are you asking me to protect you all the way to the central area? You are a clever human being.]
“It’s a mutually beneficial way for Ygrel to be satisfied and for us to be satisfied as well.”
[Why do you trust me to go to Elaga’s territory? Aren’t you trying to ask Elaga to kill me?]
Area said in an eerily calm manner.
“You seem scared.”
Ygrel’s wings flapped. He brought his beak threateningly close to Area.
While Asuka and Charlotte nervously placed their hands on their swords, Area calmly met Igrel’s gaze. As if asking what’s the problem.
[Hey, that Helmut guy is not normal. Immediately after returning to the Forest of Pahe, the core exploded, so you guys call it a ‘sprout of darkness’, right? Because of that, I was running wild all over the place.]
For a moment, Alea’s expressionless face changed.
“I did… … “Is he okay?”
The emotions that were revealed in a trembling voice were so deep that they were earnest.
‘Look at this, does it really look like that Helmut guy’s mate?’
[I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like he’s dead, so he may still be alive. Well, Elaga raised him like her own child, so how could she have taken care of it?]
Ygrel continued speaking indifferently.
[Even if he is alive, humans change easily. Are you still friends with that Helmut guy? He might try to tear you to death as soon as he sees you. Unless it is a monster of my level, it becomes ferocious when it is influenced by demon energy.]
‘Uh, that’s a bit much.’
Asuka and Xian, thinking of the ferocious Helmut, looked at each other. It’s a situation where you want to decline. But Area answered clearly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
[It doesn’t matter? Even if I die?]
A look of interest fell on Area, but Area did not waver.
“I won’t die, and if I were afraid of death, I wouldn’t have entered the forest of Pahe. Mr. Ygrel.”
Area bowed her head towards the huge bird in front of her.
“please.”
Go out strong and then change your attitude to be gentle. This is a method that works quite well in the human world as well. Ygrel couldn’t refuse when a person of his taste appeared like this. He reluctantly agreed.
[…] … Well, okay. A journey with humans. That too is different in its own way. Instead, I have to diligently groom my feathers every day!]
The dangerous forest adventure of Pahe suddenly turned into serving a huge bird.
Although it has become more cumbersome, the risk has definitely decreased.
Asuka remembered something and smiled.
“So you’re flying with us on your back?”
It is a rare experience to fly on such a large bird while overlooking the forest of Pahe. A feeling of excitement came over me.
However, Ygrel immediately flapped his wings and got angry.
[Ruthless bastard! How dare a weak human being climb on top of this beautiful and noble body!]
Charlotte asked as if she was truly curious.
“Then are you going to walk together?”
Ygrel said no. He wanted to go with me, so that was the problem.
Humans are street animals and Igrel is a flying animal. Ygrel’s flying speed is very fast.
He often flew through the sky without thinking and ended up in another area of Pahe Forest.
However, because the concept of a region was close to the ground, the rulers of other regions were not very conscious of the rainbow-colored birds floating in the air.
At that time, I also learned the news about Helmut.
After thinking for a moment, Ygrel spat out.
[Yes, yes! I will walk! Follow me!]
He started walking ahead as if showing off. For some reason, walking through the forest felt awkward.
Anyway, the problem was solved, and the group looked at each other and followed Ygrel.
Asuka grumbled inwardly.
‘Well, this isn’t even a pigeon. ‘Why do birds walk on the ground?’
Fortunately, Asuka didn’t say anything this time. That’s because Area noticed her with her cold gaze.
‘Even if that guy didn’t open his mouth, I could easily coax him into riding.’
Asuka was always causing trouble whenever she opened her mouth.
So their adventure resumed smoothly.
*
The moment the four party members passed through the sacred barrier, a faint wave shook the forest of Pahe.
Jiing! And that wave soon became wind. Passsss.
As it passes by the tree, it makes a sound by falling between the leaves.
“hmm.”
He suddenly looked up at the sky. The gray sky was like yesterday. But I feel strange. A sensation I have never felt in the past four years. Like a sign announcing something.
‘Is it an illusion?’
He lowered his head. This is the forest of Pahe.
For humans outside, it is a scary place where they don’t know what dangers may come, but for some people, it is a quiet place like the scenery of a lake.
Time passes by without any drastic changes.
This was a very familiar fact to him, who had lived here most of his life.
‘… … ‘It’s already been 4 years.’
He, Helmut, suddenly thought about the past years. It’s been 4 years since I came back.
He lived his life oblivious to the passage of time and had grown into a tall young man.
Black hair that is darker than the night in the forest of Pahe, where even the starlight does not shine properly, and eyes filled with an abyss.
The skin, which had once been tanned for a while, became pale and white again.
The calm but sharp face was that of a young man whose youthful appearance had disappeared.
The calm yet intimidating aura revealed in his eyes and entire body was also that of a prosecutor who had reached the peak of his powers.
‘I guess I’ll have to stop here for today.’
Somehow I feel strange. Helmut put down the sword in his hand. In the past, when he had to fear even the smallest beasts in the forest of Pahe, he is now strong enough to rule as a predator even with his bare hands.
Just as he was about to lose himself in his thoughts, there was a voice calling him.
“Helmut, it’s meal time!”
A woman appeared from the other side. She was a good-looking woman dressed in shabby cloth and leather.
“Helmut?”
“Yes, Susan.”
When he looked back from where he was standing in the shadows, Susan trembled. Even though I know that he is not dangerous, perhaps because of his appearance, I feel intimidated whenever I see Helmut in a dark place.
Not only did his eerie and intimidating atmosphere play a part, but his expressionless face somehow did not feel human.
Even though I clearly saw with my own eyes that he was a human being who could feel despair.
She remembered the boy lying like a corpse with empty eyes four years ago.
I watched the boy stand up again, hold the sword, and grow up. For 4 years.
‘And yet it often feels unfamiliar.’
Is it because of the wounds suffered in the human world? Or is it because of his original personality?
Helmut spoke little and rarely revealed what was on his mind.
And although he thanked Susan for serving the meal, he didn’t expect anything more from her.
Their interaction was really minimal, and the distance between Susan and Helmut was always kept at a distance. Neither getting closer nor further away.
A sense of distance, as if a wall had been erected.
Even though we had been together for quite some time, it felt more like close neighbors rather than family. Like we’re together but not accepting it.
But her daughter didn’t seem to feel that way at all.
“Helmut! “Why are you procrastinating, I’m hungry!”
Sarah ran behind Susan and waved her hand fussily. She had grown up a lot and was now in the womb of a young girl.
Originally, she should have grown up beautifully and comfortably as the daughter of a wealthy noble family, but Sera’s hands holding the sword were full of calluses.
Although she felt sorry for that, Susan spoke sternly.
“Sera, you’re procrastinating with your teacher. “What a habit of speaking!”
“What do you think? Helmut won’t mind, right?”
As she said, Helmut didn’t seem to care. He looked at the mother and daughter with her indifferent eyes and answered, “I will go.”
They soon sat down with food in front of the wooden table. Because there was once a human village, there was enough household goods, so there was no major inconvenience in living there. Above all, there is someone who always supplies food.
Helmut suddenly asked.
“What about Elaga?”
Elaga, who did not eat human food, watched them at mealtimes like the head of a family.
But today he was nowhere to be seen. What does it have to do with the sensation I felt a moment ago?
“You said you would take a look around the area and then come back. What’s going on with Helmut? “It looked like he was thinking about something.”
When Sarah asked something that Susan couldn’t ask, Helmut responded indifferently.
“well.”
“You always answer like that, as if everything is a bother! Why is Helmut like this all the time? “Wither.”
‘It’s noisy.’
Helmut looked at Sarah chattering next to him with new eyes.
To the extent that it was strange that her existence had only just come into view, Serah had always been a noisy and annoying student to Helmut.
his disciple. Because Helmut is Sera’s swordsmanship teacher.
‘He’s a teacher… … .’
In fact, although he is a teacher, Helmut has not taught Sarah very carefully.
I was told that if I wanted to learn, I should learn, and if it was hard, I should quit.
But Sarah followed steadfastly and asked to learn more. Unlike Susan, Sarah approached Helmut easily and talked to him like a child.
That means it was a constant annoyance.
