# 14
Helmut
Episode 14
“I am not leaving.”
Darian, with his firm assertion, continued.
“The way out is simple. Beyond the south of Pahe Forest lies the human world. To get there, of course you have to cross the sacred barrier. It is said that there is a specific place where the sacred barrier becomes weak. In theory, you can go to the human world through there. “If there is no sprout of darkness or a human who can withstand the sacred barrier even if there is a sprout of darkness goes there.”
There were several restrictions. But Helmut realized that he quite satisfied the conditions.
There are dark sprouts, but they are small. Since you can protect your body with vis, you will be able to withstand the weakened sacred barrier to some extent. Getting there might be a problem, though.
“I don’t know that place. “I didn’t even try to find out because I had no intention of leaving.”
“Then how can I get there?”
“There is someone who knows that place. This is the realm of a monster with two snake heads. Erugo, the head of the human village there, knows how. “The leopard will know where it is.”
Erugo is a name I have never heard of. Is it him after all? Helmut nodded.
“Erugo is a wizard, but he is not a great wizard, so he will be worth dealing with. But don’t let your guard down. He has a lot of subordinates, so aim to infiltrate the village and look for an opportunity to subdue him. He is someone who values his life, so if a knife is put to his throat, he will confess. It shouldn’t drag on for too long. “It’s winter, so that snake-headed monster must be hibernating, but it will appear when Erugo summons it.”
Darian declared.
“Remember, you can’t beat him. This guy is a monster with a territory. Since you can’t escape its territory, don’t try to deal with it clumsily and just run away. Did you understand?”
“yes.”
Four years ago, Helmut clearly saw Naho’s ugly appearance with his own eyes. When I remembered the memory, every cell in my body tensed up. There was a lot of power in his pitch-black eyes.
‘Even if we end up fighting.’
I won’t just tremble helplessly like I did back then. Helmut strengthened his will.
‘Rather than that, he’s a wizard?’
Although I have never actually fought, I know how wizards fight.
In fact, it was the first real battle against humans. And the opportunity to put what I’ve learned to work for the first time.
My fists automatically clenched due to the tension rising deep in my stomach.
Darian continued his long story further. It was a story about Darian’s past and the human world.
Helmut engraved Darian’s words into his mind.
I was excited because I had been struggling to get out of the forest, but I felt strangely depressed.
Darian looked at Helmut intently. A young boy who is just becoming a prosecutor.
It was a persistent gaze that seemed to be engraved on the retina. A treasured sword that he refined with the end of his life. Darian was also impressed.
‘It’s not finished yet. but.’
Helmut had endless possibilities. I couldn’t imagine what kind of sword he would wield in the future.
Darian felt regretful that he could no longer watch Helmut grow.
That’s something you can’t help. His career came to an end today.
‘He’s bound to have many enemies.’
Excellent people stick out like an awl. If you attract attention, you will create enemies. Moreover, Helmut, who has sprouts of darkness, will one day face an enemy that is difficult to handle.
‘Your future may not be smooth, but I hope that trials come late.’
“There is no black vis in humans. Only Magi are black. Even if you go out to the human world, stay away from demonic energy to prevent Nevis from becoming darker. Did you understand?”
“yes.”
“And I have one last thing to say.”
The low voice contained heavy emotions. Darian opened his mouth with eyes full of regret. It was a statement that sounded like a confession of his life.
“Once you leave the forest, you will experience many things in the human world. The outside world must be exciting for you who have lived only in the forest. “Perhaps only pleasant events can continue without much difficulty.”
Suddenly his voice became hoarse and rough.
“But tragedy always strikes silently. “It will hide in the shadows and take the opportunity to grab your ankles and throw you off the cliff.”
“….”
“Just because you’re not careful doesn’t mean you won’t get hit, and it doesn’t mean you can avoid it just because you avoid it. You will feel helpless and in pain. There may come a moment more hellish than falling into a fire. But under no circumstances.”
As if yelling, Darian begged to be heard.
“You must not lose yourself! Do you understand?”
Helmut frowned. I have no idea how the situation Darian is talking about will turn out.
But I vaguely felt like I knew what he wanted to say.
The darkness lurking within Helmut. Although it is still quiet, its essence is a greedy and evil power.
The moment reason becomes clouded and ego is lost, it will not miss the opportunity to devour Helmut.
Helmut answered thoughtfully.
“yes.”
“Your body is as hard as a rock, but the cracks inside can break even the hardest rock. It won’t be easy. However, even if humans fall, they can stand up again. “As long as you don’t lose yourself.”
With those words, silence followed. Darian looked like he was going to say something again, but then he asked.
“Is there anything you’d like to ask me one last time?”
“Are you sure you want to stay here?”
“okay.”
It was a firm answer that even felt like a will.
“Is there nothing more to say?”
Darian waved his hand. It was a movement that seemed to chase away something bothersome.
“I guess I’ll just take a nap. I have something to give you. I’ll sort it out, so come back tomorrow morning. “I want to be alone for the first time in a long time.”
Helmut stared at Darian’s back as he entered the cabin.
Broad, strong back. His back, which was still upright, looked smaller today.
A cold premonition passed through my heart.
‘What is this feeling?’
“What are you doing? You’re not going!”
Only then did Helmut move his feet when a thunderous shout came from inside the cabin.
Something inexplicable held me back, but it wasn’t enough to give me a reason to stay. That was Darian’s will.
*
That day, Helmut sat all night by the water. It was a strangely sleepless night. Elaga slowly approached and stayed by his side without saying a word.
After spending the night with open eyes, Helmut stood up when the sun came up.
Elaga’s voice echoed behind me.
– Come back.
Helmut stood in front of the cabin and froze. Darian’s sword and a small baggage were placed in front of the wide open door. And inside the cabin…
“Darian.”
There was no response. Darian was sitting neatly, looking straight ahead, with his eyes closed.
‘Is he asleep?’
Helmut, who was about to approach, felt a strange sensation and stopped dead in his tracks. There was no sound of breathing.
A body that feels empty, like an empty shell, without any vitality. My heart felt like it was freezing.
Darian, who was solidified like a carved rock, felt an indescribable weight.
Helmut reached out and picked up the sword. My hands were heavy.
The scabbard was a mess, with decorations falling off and broken here and there, but the drawn blade shined with a surprisingly sharp edge.
A rare and famous sword.
One day, I remembered Darian yelling at Helmut, who showed interest in this sword, telling him not to even dream of touching it before I die.
Suddenly, I started crying and my eyes got hot.
‘Did I not know? No, I knew.’
I had a vague premonition. The time of sparring is decreasing day by day, the energy is fading away.
Helmut suddenly remembered what Elaga had said in the past.
‘He was a rarely strong human being. However, in this forest of Pahe, no matter how strong humans are, they cannot withstand the demon energy and become weaker. Since I don’t have the sprouts of darkness like you, I probably wouldn’t have lived long. I saw him long before you showed up, so he must be dead now.’
The fact that Darian’s life is probably coming to an end. It’s not that I didn’t know. I just didn’t care because I didn’t know what to do. I think I tried not to think about it on purpose.
Because Darian is strong. It vaguely felt like death and such would not break it.
My hands and feet felt cold as if the blood had drained from them, and my heart pounded. On the contrary, I felt hot emotions rising from my stomach to my throat. Chill and heat were mixing together.
Helmut gritted his teeth. It was a feeling I felt for the first time.
sadness of loss.
‘Would it have been better to stay by my side until the end?’
However, it seems that Darian did not want to show Helmut his final fate.
To die alone, away from the herd like an animal. That was the end he chose. It was also a lonely death for a prosecutor.
Helmut closed his eyes tightly. And I thought about what Darian said last night.
Each and every will he left behind. These were words that should never be forgotten and never heard again.
Helmut soon opened his eyes again and cleaned up the cabin. After gathering the things we needed to pack, we filled the room with firewood and burned it along with the hut.
Burning it would be better than burying it and having it eaten by animals.
‘Everything he left behind is now within me.’
Helmut stared at the burning cabin for a long time. Only when the fire died down and nothing was left but a pile of ashes did he pack up his belongings and start walking.
Life here has come to an end. Now it was time to leave.
This cabin and the forest of digging.
