# 34
Helmut Episode
34
On that day, the conditions of the two camps that made up the uphill route were completely different.
Tariq’s mercenary group was much more relaxed as they barely fought today, and the members of the Faith mercenary group were all dying.
Because everyone was exhausted, the sentry decided to stand by Tariq’s mercenary group. They were just watching the whole time, so if they had a conscience, they should have done that.
The number of injured also increased by one. The new wounded man said happily.
“Hey, if it lasts a few more days like this, there will be more injured people than uninjured people.”
“Shut up.”
“How slow are you when you get bitten on the leg? Are you a slug?”
“You should have bitten off this bastard’s snout.”
It was Sean. Following Uter and Maros, Sean was also injured.
Sean tore his left wrist while trying to stop a guy suddenly jumping towards his body. It was poisonous and swollen, so I took action by applying medicinal herbs.
Sean didn’t lose his vitality even though he felt tremendous pain now that effective medicine had been applied to the wound, which exposed the bone.
In fact, rather than saying everyone was dying, they were quite lively. I didn’t even know if he was making it up like that. To soothe the anxiety of not knowing when I might die.
Finn was fine. It was worth it since we fought in the safest area with Helmut next to us, who cut up monsters like meat.
Finn, who had gained some confidence thanks to that, was shocked when he saw as many as ten monsters lying near Helmut at the end of the battle.
Finn sat down next to Helmut, who was making a bonfire, and asked quietly.
“You are really good at using a sword. “Where did you learn it?”
“I do not remember.”
“Oh, right. “But I don’t even remember, so how do you remember swordsmanship?”
It was a sharp question. Helmut also often forgot that he actually said he had amnesia.
“Because I got used to it.”
“okay? “Then please do me one favor.”
“What.”
“Friend, when I die, please at least take my body back to my hometown. So, in a sunny place….”
Hehehe! Finn covered his face and crouched, making a noise.
Finn complained that his arm muscles were sore from swinging his sword with such force. I guess I still have the strength to tease my snout. That aside.
‘Who is your friend?’
One eyebrow rose up. Helmut spoke in a cold voice.
“It’s harder to take the body with you, so go home on your own two legs.”
“Ruthless guy!”
Helmut lightly shook him off as he wrapped his arms around his neck. When I tried to ignore it and stand up, Finn pulled out his only weapon.
“I know how to put a lot of salt in your soup!”
Helmut sat down again. This guy doesn’t know much about grace. Even today, every time I was in danger, Helmut secretly helped me.
The reason he wasn’t in danger in the first place was because Helmut slaughtered all the monsters that came near him.
‘You probably don’t even have the foresight to notice that.’
Helmut sighed inwardly. He had never interacted on an equal footing with someone weaker than himself for this long. It was a strange feeling that I was getting used to.
“Do you guys still have any energy left?”
Tanya said as she passed by.
“Helmut, you seem to be fighting well. I guess your body has fully recovered now?”
“yes.”
It can’t even be compared to when I sparred with Tanya. It’s like a cripple who can run on two legs.
As the mercenaries cut down the struggling monsters, Helmut finally became convinced.
You are strong. There is no need to spar. If he meets Tanya again, he will win.
That fact satisfied Helmut.
“It would be a good idea to go through the promotion review as soon as I get back. “Puen will tell Miles to pay you more.”
“I am I? “I fought well too!”
“Yes, you did well too. “Work hard tomorrow too.”
Tanya spoke in a half-hearted tone and left immediately.
Helmut ignored Finn’s grumbling and threw firewood into the bonfire.
At that time, a conversation was taking place on one side of the camp.
Miles was confronting Paul, a second-level mercenary and leader of Tariq’s mercenary group.
Miles was very worried about the crisis he faced as the head of the business. The wrinkles on my forehead were deeper than before I started ascending.
“What business do you have?”
“If you saw it, you would know, but strangely, the offensive is focused on the Face Mercenaries. Since you are more numerous, I hope you will actively help us.”
Miles, who did not like Tariq’s mercenary group’s passive movements, spoke in a strong tone.
But Paul said something else with a cold face.
“I think it would be better to move only the important things from the back carriage to the front.”
Miles narrowed his eyes.
“That means…”
“It’s an unavoidable situation. They are very tired. They may soon no longer be able to function as combat personnel. A bold decision is needed.”
The Face Mercenaries have a total of 8 members. There are only a few people and there are only three injured. Almost half of us are injured, so it will be even harder to hold on tomorrow.
It seemed that even 4th grade mercenaries were being made to fight, but it was questionable whether it would be effective.
“If I had hired only Tariq’s mercenaries and only some of them were attacked, would you have said the same thing? Even though the two mercenary groups are rivals, isn’t there something called morality?”
Miles was shaken for a moment and started to get angry.
We have had a long-standing relationship with the Face Mercenaries. If you abandon those people like this, it is no different than losing a mercenary group that you can trust and entrust with your mission.
Regardless of whether he was heartless or not, now was not the time to discuss abandoning the Face Mercenaries.
But the opponent was in control.
Paul grinned. It was a smile that conveyed a chill.
He held the real power in Tariq’s mercenary group and was said to be as cunning as a snake. He is famously cold-blooded.
Paul never stepped forward unless it was absolutely necessary. Even when there was a minor conflict with the Face mercenaries and even when Kelop took action, he just watched the situation with his back.
Puen thought of him as neutral.
But Paul thought. Wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to take advantage of a crisis to defeat competitors?
“Miles, you were the one who hired Tariq and Faith together in the first place even though you knew that their relationship was not good. You should know that we will not unilaterally run after the Face Mercenaries. “You have to endure this situation.”
“I still thought you would cooperate with each other to carry out the request. “I didn’t know you would come out so indistinguishable.”
“You probably didn’t know this situation would come. Incorrect information on a dangerous request. If you were going to deal with monsters of that size, you should have hired at least 50 people. “How many people are here now?”
It would be enough to make a name for himself as a merchant who killed a mercenary group while trying to save money.
Miles’ expression twitched. In fact, he took the number of people into account considering the risk of the request.
However, it is true that in trying to save costs, the result was a bit tight.
“It is true that my mistake made things difficult. But you decided to pay that much. “The Butan Chamber of Commerce plans to pay a generous price for the mercenaries’ hard work!”
“That’s right. But that’s only if you get out of this forest alive. When you die, don’t those thoughts become meaningless? As you know, the situation is not easy. This is a battlefield and we don’t have the capacity to take care of the wounded. “If you make a fuss, you might be wiped out.”
In this situation, if you abandon your commercial journey and run away, Tariq’s mercenary group’s reputation will drop somewhat, but this will be offset to some extent by the fact that it will be known that it was an unreasonable request.
However, going to extremes against a large trading company like Butan Trading Company is a difficult choice for a mercenary group to make.
Paul and Miles were just looking at each other, and in the end, Miles ended up throwing first.
“If we last a few days, we’ll be out of the forest. Until then…”
“The best way is to abandon the carriage here and just let the people get out. It’s a deserted place, so if you’re lucky, it will still be there when you come back with a bunch of mercenaries to look for it. If you do that, the Face Mercenaries will be fine because they only need to lose their bodies. Would you like to do that?”
It was Miles who couldn’t choose this alternative. Those requested items are not worth exchanging for less than ten mercenaries.
If the commissioned product is lost, not only will he have to pay a huge amount of compensation, but he will also be reprimanded by the merchant owner.
For Miles, it was a difficult situation to handle.
“So what is your plan?”
“When an attack comes to the rear, the entire rear line, including the carriage, is abandoned. Since the numbers there are small and the attack will be concentrated anyway, the monsters won’t be able to pay attention to the front. Meanwhile, we break through the forest.”
“…Let’s move the luggage. But what you said…”
“I guess it depends on the situation. I know very well. “You don’t have to worry.”
Paul smiled. It was a snake-like smile with its fangs exposed.
*
“It was a bit quiet last night. thank god.”
“So there was only one attack, right?”
“I think we stopped the monsters living in this forest.”
The members of the Face Mercenary Group talked over breakfast.
Everyone would be quiet once we left, but it was the only time we had time to talk. Fuen said.
“Miles has instructed us that if it is unavoidable, we can abandon the last carriage. “It looks like the luggage was changed last night.”
“Then the carriage in the back mainly contains food?”
“Yes, we can get food once we get out of this damn forest. Hey Helmut!”
“yes.”
“I might have to see your hunting skills soon. “There are some guys here who eat a lot, so you’ll have to run diligently.”
“yes.”
Helmut thought for a moment. Should he talk about what he heard?
I had just gone into the nearby forest to get more firewood.
Although no one could truly confirm his skills, Helmut was recognized to some extent and was free to move on his own.
Meanwhile, he heard Miles and Paul gathered together and talking.
Helmut instinctively killed the sight. Since we were more than fifty steps away, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I just heard it. The problem was that my hearing was extraordinary.
‘I abandon the Face mercenaries and use them as a shield.’
That was their plan. Helmut knew that this wasn’t a common decision even among humans.
‘Is this a betrayal?’
The betrayal that Darian suffered. Perhaps the first betrayal in the human world that he witnessed.
The people of the Face Mercenaries knew nothing and were determined to get through the day well.
‘What will he do if I tell him?’
I might argue with Miles.
But there is no evidence. The only evidence is Helmut’s words. Even if we believed Helmut’s words, Füen was not one to give up on the request and say that we would go out of the forest on our own.
If this fact becomes known, it could lower the morale of the Face Mercenaries.
‘If they get caught, they might just blatantly throw it away.’
The damage from yesterday’s battle was great. There are also three injured. The Face Mercenaries are tight-knit and will not abandon anyone.
In that case, the other side could choose without hesitation to abandon the entire Face mercenary group once their intentions were discovered.
Helmut quietly gathered his thoughts.
‘If this trend continues, there will never be a situation where three second-rate mercenaries work together to take down that monkey monster. Then I’m the only one who can catch him. You can’t hide your skills. Then the fewer people who witness my skills, the better.’
Rather, it was a good opportunity.
Finn, who found out that Helmut was a stronger swordsman than he thought, also seemed unable to connect Helmut and the Forest of Farhe at all.
When asked to guess about his past, Finn concocted an original story that suggested that Helmut had probably lived with a retired swordsman deep in the woods and ended up like that after being chased out by his teacher’s enemies.
There was also speculation that Helmut might actually be from an extinct noble family.
There were some parts that were right, so it was a bit uncomfortable, but it gave Helmut the confidence to show off his skills.
‘If anyone can guess my relationship with the Forest of Pahe.’
Helmut had to silence them. Even if it kills me.
I was glad that didn’t happen that way. The scenario Finn told me would be useful in the future.
