#68
Helmut
Episode 68
That day they visited all the haunted places. After looking around in all directions, it soon got dark, so Sian said he had to go back. Helmut decided to finish the investigation that day. He gained nothing. He vaguely knew that the supposedly haunted place had a slightly different vibe, but it was hard for him to put his finger on it. If he were a wizard, he might not know, but as a swordsman, he was.
‘Yes, wizard.’
Although the word “spirit” was used, there was something suspicious about the attitude of Xian, a wizard. As if she realized something and was trying to hide it.
‘Aren’t you trying to intercept the request?’
Once Helmut is unable to resolve a request that has been assigned to him or until fifteen days have passed, someone else can take over the request. Xian, who saw the document, also knew that fact. But it was hard to think that he was a mercenary. Helmut decided to leave his doubts alone for now.
“First, I guess I’ll have to get more information.”
Helmut returned to the mansion and told Ethan about the request he had received. He’s an academy instructor, so maybe he knows something?
“A ghost at the academy? I’ve heard it before. In the end, I left it to the mercenary guild.”
“Do you know anything about that?”
“Well, it was a case that became quite a hot topic for a while, so I consulted with witnesses. They were from the swordsmanship department. Since then, there have been many events such as entrance exams and transfer exams, so it has been handed over to the academy administration. “It’s a mercenary guild, so it’s probably not something a prosecutor can solve.”
“If it is a matter that can be resolved by force, then yes.”
However, mercenaries do not work only by force. There were times when tact and experience were needed.
‘The problem is that I don’t have both, but the important thing is to somehow resolve the request.’
If the request fails, a record of failure will be left not only in Helmut’s career but also in the Face Mercenaries. It was a request he took on lightly just because it was interesting, but he didn’t want to leave a record of failure. He is also paid quite well. I can devote myself to this for 15 days, so I’m going to give it my best effort.
“Do you have any memorable testimony?”
Most of the testimony was written on paper, but it was said in front of academy administrative staff. I could have said a slightly different story in front of Ethan.
“I remember one thing. There was a guy who was sure it was a ghost. It is said that he saw a black and vague figure and swung his sword, and he passed right through it. This guy was a senior at the academy. “He said he put vis on his sword and tried to attack again, but he disappeared.”
That’s not in the documents Helmut has. Helmut asked for confirmation.
“Did you by any chance hear a spell being chanted?”
“If that were the case, I would have known right away. That the opponent is a wizard. Silent spells, which manifest spells without speaking, are only used for simple magic, not that way. Otherwise, it is only possible for high-ranking wizards who are skilled in magic. But would there be any reason for a high-ranking wizard to pull a prank like that?”
“Anyway, physical attacks don’t work.”
The possibilities are narrowed. It’s really a ghost or a spirit. I don’t know about ghosts, but I’ve only seen spirits once. Just a few hours ago. Ethan’s testimony sounded similar to the spirit that Helmut had seen. Then, you will understand Xian’s suspicious behavior. In an instant, I felt like I was getting closer to the answer.
“What is the possibility of it being a spirit?”
If there was an unknown spirit wandering around the academy, there was a possibility that the culprit who caused the incident was Xian. However, Xian remained calm even after hearing about the request. He may not have known it was a spirit, as it showed a strange attitude after investigating the haunting location.
“government ordinance? I don’t know about that either. But there is one elemental wizard at the academy. Something like Xian. “How about asking him?”
When Ethan recommended it, Helmut belatedly realized one thing. When he broke up with Sian, he didn’t promise a future date. That implied one thing. She tells Sian that she has no intention of helping him. By the time they parted ways, Sian seemed to have lost interest in Helmut and was lost in other thoughts. As if she was asking when she had ever pretended to be friendly.
But the clue was in Sian. Either threaten him into telling him what he knows or try to persuade him. Helmut nodded his head.
“Let’s visit the dormitory.”
However, Helmut tried to meet Sian at the dormitory he visited the next morning, but failed. He asked to call Xian, and a student said to Helmut:
“draft? “I heard that guy has been going out since morning.”
I don’t know if he knew he was coming, but he wasn’t there.
‘I can’t stand guard at the dormitory threshold.’
Helmut turned toward the academy. If he knew anything about the ghosts at the academy, then Sian must have been there too. If I encounter him, I plan to question him.
But Helmut’s idea was not realized.
“Today is five days old.”
Helmut muttered. It was a time when he wandered around the academy without any solution. He trained and studied until the afternoon, and in the evening, which was said to be haunted, he wandered around the academy until dawn trying to solve requests. But there is no result. I visited Xian a few times, but he was always away. It was a hopeless situation.
“I have no clue.”
There have been two outbreaks in the past five days. Among them, Helmut was nearby only once, but when I rushed over, he disappeared as if he had washed up. The two witnesses did not provide much helpful testimony. Even if you plot the places where it appears on the Academy map, there is no specific pattern. At this point, Helmut was slowly becoming possessed by an ominous feeling. He had a feeling that after wandering around the academy for 15 days, he would end up in vain.
“3,000 marks… … .”
Yesterday, Ethan hinted at something like that. I don’t know because you’re young, but sometimes time is more precious than money. Although I gave up because the time invested was a waste, it may be better to wash my hands quickly. Anyone can see that it would be a better calculation to lose five days than to lose fifteen days.
But Helmut visited the academy again today.
“You came today too.”
The now familiar guard let Helmut pass with a sour expression on his face. Helmut headed to a different place this time. It was the magic department building of Greta Academy, which was never haunted by ghosts. Since this guy doesn’t show himself in front of the wizard, it’s unlikely that any traces of him will be found around here. All you have to do is look into the areas you left out with the mindset of starting over from scratch.
The Faculty of Magic building was deserted. It’s almost evening, and school is still on vacation. As I walked around the area dressed as a prosecutor, eyes followed me.
Then, meeting him was completely coincidental.
“What are you doing here? “I heard you’ve been going around the academy these days.”
Silver hair sparkling in the dark catches my eye. But even before I saw him, I knew he was nearby. Because it’s a familiar sight. Helmut moved away from Area and looked into space. And he turned away without answering.
“Helmut, what are you doing now? “Can’t you hear what I’m saying?”
Area grabbed his arm and glared at Helmut with a frown. Helmut met his gaze sharply. The answer was simple.
“They told me to pretend not to know.”
“You’re just pretending not to know that… … .”
Area clicked her tongue as if she was shocked.
“Are you really protesting against me now?”
“protest?”
Helmut muttered the words. I thought that I was just doing what he wanted, but I think there was a part of me that felt that way. Area pretends to know Helmut as she pleases, so why shouldn’t she do the same? Even if you pretend not to notice, you are still suffering from his followers.
“You do whatever you want.”
Area grumbled. Do whatever you want. This is a word that leaves too much room for interpretation. Helmut did not miss the opportunity.
“Okay, whatever you like? “I want you to help me.”
This meeting was a coincidence, but I think I had it slightly in mind as I headed towards the Magic Faculty building. Strangely enough, we run into each other often, so it might happen again this time.
When I was receiving tutoring from Area, she once said something like that. Using people well is also an ability. That doesn’t necessarily apply only to monarchs. And Area in front of him was one of the few people Helmut knew, and he was the head of the magic department. It will definitely help.
“Who said that? “What will happen to me if I help you?”
‘I’m sure we can get along well from now on.’ As he tried to spit out what he had done to Sian, Helmut closed his mouth. Unlike Xian, it was obvious that Area would quickly walk away, reacting nervously and asking, ‘Where are you talking?’ People should be dealt with according to their personalities. Area, being rich as she is, would not covet her commission fee. What should she say?
“You’re a wizard.”
“however?”
“It’s something a wizard would be curious about.”
Area solves curiosity, and Helmut earns money by solving requests. It is mutually beneficial. Helmut developed a simple logic. He felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had said it once.
“What is it that a wizard would be curious about?”
Instead of speaking, Helmut handed Area the documents he had been carrying around for several days. Area, who read it through, made a blatantly absurd expression.
“What, were you doing this? What about the 50,000 marks I gave back? “Why on earth do you do this when you have a wealthy guardian?”
“Money and career. “I have some time before school starts.”
“Are you going to become a mercenary again after graduating from the academy?”
“well.”
Helmut asked, tilting his head.
“Anyway, can you guess the identity of that ghost?”
This is something that not even the academy professors have been able to figure out. No, professors may have been too busy to care, like Ethan Kudrow. This was especially true for professors at the Faculty of Magic. I have to look at answer sheets for written exams filled with subjective questions, and I am harassed by enthusiastic students who come with research assignments.
Area was truly knowledgeable.
“Is it a spirit? The reason he doesn’t appear in front of the wizard is probably because the wizard is a threat to him. You have to use your strength to defend against even the slightest magic. Because of that, there is a risk that your identity may be discovered, and you may be chased if you appear in front of a wizard.”
‘I should have found Area earlier.’
Helmut felt a little regret as he watched Area explain in a scholarly manner.
“He’s a smart and cautious guy. It’s difficult for a ghost to have that kind of consciousness. It might be an evil spirit under the influence of black magic. However, if that had been the case, the energy of black magic would have been felt, and the magic school professors would have come forward a long time ago. The only possibility left is spirits. But how did the spirit haunt the academy?”
Helmut also didn’t know the answer to that question.
“How do spirits appear?”
It wouldn’t be common enough to appear anywhere. Area was deep in thought. It’s as if she’s searching through her mind and trying to recall knowledge about spirits.
“… … Summons? I don’t know any other way. Since there are few people who manipulate spirits, not much is known about them. “There is only one person in the magic faculty who knows that, a guy named Sian.”
“Do you know each other?”
Helmut asked as if to confirm, even though he knew that the two knew each other. He didn’t even know why he did that.
“Ah, it’s the same magic school. I was interested because he was a rare spirit mage. I’m being bothered by subjects who don’t even participate in my magic experiments… … .”
Area trailed off.
“Then he might be able to find out something if he goes to the place where the spirit appears.”
“I guess so. “The only person who knows about spirits well is a spirit wizard.”
“But he didn’t say anything.”
“Are you really acquainted with Xian?”
The question came back as if interrogating me. It feels like we’re digging into each other’s personal relationships. why? It was a question that was difficult to find an answer to. Helmut explained lightly.
“We met by chance, but he seemed interested in this matter, so we just hung out together for a short while.”
