#51
Helmut
Episode 51
‘I should go do some training.’
Helmut headed to an empty lot just outside the village that he had seen on his way. It was originally a place to trim firewood, but there are no people there at night. In a rural village like this, when the sun sets, everything becomes dark. In any case, I don’t go out and about.
‘This request will give you quite a bit of free time.’
During the convoy mission with the Face Mercenaries, there were so many chores to take care of that it was difficult to secure much training time. At that time, his body also had to recover.
Helmut took his seat and began training. You need to exclude muscle mass and rebuild the muscles that have been lost by overusing the body. As I swung the sword until my grip was sore and hung from the tree with only the strength of my legs, my whole body became wet with sweat. Although the temperature does not drop significantly even in winter in the Kingdom of Kinen, the night temperature was quite cold. My body quickly cooled down and my mind became clearer.
‘Vis doesn’t really increase.’
Helmut increased the emphasis on physical training during training. His muscles had shrunk a lot compared to when he was in the Forest of Pahe. He cannot handle a large amount of vis unless the vessel is strong. In the meantime, even though I recovered as much as I did when I was in the Forest of Pahe, my vis increased by about a third. But it was stagnant there. I’m making progress, but I feel like I’m stuck.
Needless to say, it was better for Jindeuk to settle down in a place with abundant energy to practice Vis. The problem is that this is not possible.
‘Is it because of the environment? That forest, although not as good as Pahe’s Forest, was rich in magical power.’
As a large number of monsters were cut down, demonic energy permeated the forest. Some remain as magical energy, but some are sublimated into the forest’s own magic. Helmut was able to accept that magical power as his vis. However, the outside world as a whole has little magical power. There weren’t many places where you could get stronger as quickly as Pahe’s Forest.
‘Darian said that prosecutors will build a separate Vis training center.’
I remembered him saying in passing that it was good that there was no need for that in Pahe Forest. Is there such a place at the Academy? Helmut, lost in thought, suddenly looked up into space. There was something about him that subtly stimulated my senses. Up there.
‘Is it all night?’
There was nothing to be found in the starry night sky. Helmut frowned and began training again. That was what Helmut had to do now.
The wizard, Area, has gained magic.
‘Eagle’s eyes.’
It is a magic that requires a lot of concentration. It was more secretive than typical surveillance magic. Separate your mind and raise your gaze to the distant skies. If you zoom in like a telescope, you can see exactly the point you want. Although the limitations of looking down from above cannot be overcome. It was a magic that Area’s teacher assured that even the most sensitive swordsman would not notice.
“He’s a guy with good sense. “If you watch it for a long time, it will catch on.”
Area muttered. This guy named Helmut gave me a strange feeling. For a mercenary, he has a pretty face and prescription glasses. My first impression after observing for a short time was not good.
‘A guy like a swallow.’
That was exactly what Area felt. However, contrary to expectations, the boy named Helmut was a mercenary. He is quiet and diligent in his training. He had no other unusual features.
I have seen many skilled mercenaries. Level 3 mercenaries at that age are rare, but boys with that level of skill are not rare in famous sword families. At Greta Academy, where talented people gather, there were quite a few talented swordsmen who were praised as geniuses.
Just because she has good skills doesn’t explain the strange sensations that Area feels. And the wizard’s extra senses could not be ignored.
‘It doesn’t seem dangerous at first.’
Area lay down her tired body on the bed. It was still difficult to judge. I plan to keep an eye on it in the future, but this is enough for today. Just as Area was gathering his thoughts, there was a knock on his door.
“Area, are you sleeping?”
The cheerful voice made Alea’s mood plummet. Area frowned blatantly. No matter how immature she is, is she going to torture herself until midnight? Fortunately, it seems she wasn’t the only one who thought that way, and her two maids appeared and tried to dissuade her.
“Miss Xenia, it’s time to go to bed, but you’re looking for Area.”
“No, I couldn’t sleep so I just wanted to talk.”
“No matter what, a man and a woman are together at this late hour… … .”
“I’m only thirteen. “You guys can stay together too!”
“But I think Area is already asleep?”
“I think you left the light on? “Aren’t you sleeping?”
I heard a clicking sound as if the door was being opened. It was a good thing it was locked. Area let out her nervous sigh. It’s the worst that she even suffers from going to bed.
“You can sleep with the light on. Come here quickly. You need to rest too, young lady. “I have to ride the carriage for as long tomorrow as I did today.”
“Hurry up and change into your pajamas.”
“Tch, okay.”
Area closed her eyes while listening to them talking. She needed to rest quickly. Because tomorrow too, he has to endure that girl. Only then, upon arriving in Baden, will Area be able to find his freedom.
***
A peaceful journey continued. Nobles do not like their subordinates to chat. In an atmosphere where knights did not engage in personal chat, the mercenaries, who were as affable as Helmut, spoke even less. All Helmut could hear was Xenia’s voice flowing through the carriage window. The wizard’s voice occasionally answers.
“My cousin Leon is doing great at Greta Academy.”
“I’ve heard of it.”
To be precise, I had only heard the name. How can I find out if that Leon is the Leon that Xenia is talking about? Area showed a sour attitude.
“As expected, Area-sama also knows. “My cousin Leon is probably two years older than you, Leah, so I thought he might not know.”
This time, it seemed like he was going to talk about my cousin. For a while, Xenia talked about Greta Academy and Baden, which she had heard through Leon. Helmut thought that Leon was probably quite a chatterbox, but he listened intently.
They had decided to hasten the schedule because they feared that this border might also be blocked. Still, since it was a procession to attend a noble lady, we had to take a few breaks along the way. As I walked, I came across a nice place for the first time in a long time. It was a place where travelers passing by seemed to stay. Near the spring, there were chairs made of vertically cut wood and a table shaped like a stump. Gilton gestured.
“It would be best to rest here for a bit. “You must be tired too.”
“Is there a spring in a place like this?”
“How is your condition?”
“The water is clear.”
The driver who drew some spring water and drank it answered. It is always important to have water while traveling. Gilton nodded and said.
“Let’s eat here.”
The maids came and went diligently to prepare the meal. Of course, it is a meal for ladies and knights. The mercenaries were also provided with soup, but the basics were bread, cheese, and beef jerky.
“Why does it take half a day just to eat?”
One mercenary grumbled quietly and chewed his bread. Helmut also agreed while chewing bread. More than anything, I really didn’t like the fact that they discriminated against meals. At the Butan Merchant Association, both mercenaries and merchants ate the same food. However, like nobles, they seemed to have to eat their food in several stages, even if it was not a full course. It is impossible to provide such a cumbersome meal to everyone.
‘The water tastes a little strange.’
Helmut, who was scooping up spring water and tasting it, tilted his head. Having consumed Mato for a long time in the forest of Pahe, he had a high resistance to all kinds of poisons. Darian said he could survive even if a large dose of a very lethal and powerful poison was administered.
If this were poison, the body would have shown signs of resistance by rising a slight fever. But there was no special reaction. If this were poison, the knight who drank the water for the first time would have already passed out.
Helmut glanced at the people around him. No one shows anything particularly abnormal. However, when it was time to finish the meal and settle down, one or two people started showing abnormal symptoms. Even if they did not drink water separately, they used to draw water for cooking, so everyone drank spring water without exception. One by one, they showed signs of sleepiness by rubbing their eyes or blinking.
“I’m tired. “I’m feeling sleepy.”
“I guess it’s because I’m full.”
“It’s better to take a little rest and then leave…” … .”
“That’s not allowed. “I have to hurry up with my schedule.”
There was no time to talk for a while, and one by one, they fell down and started snoring and falling asleep on the spot. People who noticed something was wrong tried to shake off the drowsiness.
“It’s a trap!”
“Is it poisoned?”
“Sleep… … “You have to chase it!”
There was a knight with a will to drive away drowsiness by cutting his own hand with a sword, but his will could not overcome the effectiveness of the medicine. His movements disappeared as he saw the fallen knight clutching the handle of his sword. Helmut was the only one with his eyes open in a place that quickly became a bedroom.
“It wasn’t poison, but something like a sleeping pill.”
Helmut muttered and glanced around, deciding to follow the trend for now. He lay down on the floor and pretended to sleep. If someone intended this situation, it will be revealed. I felt subtle signs from far away. There are probably dozens of people. They must have put a sleeping pill in the spring.
After a while, I heard footsteps running this way. Helmut narrowed his eyes and studied them. Because the position was exquisitely obscured by other fallen mercenaries, it was possible to observe it without difficulty.
They were all holding bows and swords, and their clothes were not shabby. For an ordinary thief, he is well-equipped with armor. Have the soldiers in the border area of Kinnen turned into bandits? Those who arrived, perhaps not being a strictly disciplined army, were making noise and wandering among the group of Zheringen caught in a trap.
“Dude, I said I was a big hit, right? Look at those words. Are you getting a new horse this time?”
“He’s a nobleman. Oh ho! “Is this going to make money?”
“Let’s see.” “Aren’t you a Kinen noble?”
“I guess he’s an imperial noble. Here is a sentence. Zheringen? “Isn’t Zheringen a marquess?”
“Oh my gosh, go numb. “A marquis of the empire?”
“I guess I can get a big ransom!”
“Hurry up and grab them one by one and tie them up. “When I wake up, I have a headache.”
“Don’t be kidding. “If you drink something from that spring, even a horse the size of a house will lose consciousness for a whole day.”
“Yes, that is our treasure. I didn’t know that noblemen would get caught so easily. “I guess bad heads are the same for both nobles and commoners?”
Loud laughter poured out. At that time, a particularly large man came forward and stamped his foot. Even at first glance, he was a leader.
“How long are you going to do something else? “Move now!”
“Yes, yes. boss.”
As if they had already done this many times, the bandits took out their weapons and began to tie up the knights. All hands and feet were carefully tied with rope that looked tough. No matter how much you strengthen your muscles with bis, it will be difficult to break that thing with just your physical strength. However, this did not apply to Helmut.
‘Should I leave it tied up?’
Helmut was worried. You can do it all by yourself. If they clean up the body, erase all traces, and pretend not to know, even when they wake up, they won’t know what Helmut did. It may feel strange, but Helmut will not be viewed with suspicion.
But murder grows the seeds of darkness. I didn’t want to experience the nauseating repercussions a second time. And there was something, a subtle feeling of being caught.
‘I guess I should think about it some more.’
The leader gave an order to the bandits who were tying up the knights first.
“Take a look inside that carriage. “There must be a noble riding in there.”
A few thieves headed that way and soon the carriage door opened. Cheers were heard.
