# 153
Helmut
Episode 153
Just as Helmut was about to leave, a loud voice came from beyond.
“Luke! Luke!”
“Anthony! “What do you think?”
“I came to watch Luke play!”
He was a small kid who looked no older than ten years old. He quickly ran over and clung to Luke’s leg, laughing.
Luke also quickly patted his head.
However, a woman who appeared to be a nanny ran after him and grabbed Luke.
“young master! You are not allowed to come in here without permission. “I’m sorry, Sir Luke.”
“It’s okay, I’ll take you with me.”
He patted the child on the shoulder in a friendly manner.
“See you later, Anthony?”
“yes yes!”
The child named Antony was dragged by the nanny while waving his hand repeatedly.
Helmut, who had always been calm since he was a child, felt like he was a crazy child.
He asked before leaving.
“What kid?”
Judging from his attire, he does not appear to be of an ordinary status. As long as you get close to where the contestants are.
“Ah, the grandson of the knight commander. Antony Cicero. The knight commander’s son asked me to teach him some basics. “After that, he followed me well.”
“The son of the knight commander… isn’t he a knight?”
“Yeah, I don’t have any talent with a sword. Instead, he is an outstanding bureaucrat who has even been recognized by His Majesty. “Even though I don’t have a good relationship with the knight commander.”
Luke, who had been talking loudly, suddenly closed his mouth.
“Don’t keep prying.”
He frowned and turned his gaze toward the stage. It’s a ridiculous attitude, considering he said it himself. The contestants were just about to get up after their name was called.
Helmut also left the place without saying goodbye.
“I hope you have a good game.”
***
Not knowing anything creates complicated relationships.
‘It seems like the Commander of the Knights of Palma is trying to get rid of Luke, but his son attached his child to Luke. Luke finds the child cute. ‘The situation is a mess.’
The document given by Talon stated that the son of the commander of the Knights of Palma was in conflict with his father because he supported the second prince.
So, does he have nothing to do with what happened 20 years ago? You may not even know that Luke is a descendant of the Sword Saint.
‘It’s difficult to distinguish between those who can be killed and those who cannot be touched.’
The opponent was not formidable enough to touch him directly. Although his own skills were formidable, he had the Knights of Palma. As the leader of the knights, he always leads the knights.
Luke got caught for messing with his family. It’s as if the person seeking revenge has become the villain. I’m just trying to make you pay what you deserve.
‘Should I just reveal everything to Luke and ask him outright which guy should be saved and which one should be killed?’
But what if Luke Yeager makes a lenient choice? What if we say it’s a thing of the past and we should bury it?
Helmut has no intention of accepting it as is. So it was a problem.
He may interfere with Helmut because they may have different thoughts. Helmut cannot harm him. No harm should come to Luke Yeager.
‘Actually, Darian didn’t ask me to take revenge, but he also didn’t tell me to protect his descendants.’
But Darian didn’t know Luke existed. If I had known, I wouldn’t have said anything back then.
Anyway, advancement to the quarterfinals was confirmed. The prize money was returned to him every day he won.
Helmut headed to the inn with his fat pockets. Before leaving the waiting area, Helmut looked around, put on his hood, and moved quietly when no one was around.
There was one thing that Helmut also realized when he saw the people surrounding the finalists. Michael is dismissing those who show interest in him as if he has already taken over.
Still, there were people who occasionally clung to me, but I was able to get rid of them.
‘It was annoying, but it worked out well.’
I received an offer to join the Knights of Palma, so that was it. It was easier to get information from Michael.
If you are truly powerful, you will be able to approach when you are in the waiting area. Or maybe you wanted to come and meet us at the Golden Leaf Inn.
‘If you are a powerful person in Basor, even Michael will not be able to refuse you.’
His role is just to cut out small pieces.
I met Michael at the inn as I had done before.
When the game is over, everyone takes refuge in an inn to avoid the hot sun. It was the sorrow of the non-Basore people.
Michael said, putting his hands together. It’s a movement that seems like a prayer.
“Hyde, it’s not long now. “It’s already the quarterfinals.”
“Ah yes.”
There are now just a few steps left until the finals. That point struck me again.
Usually, when we think of a martial arts festival, we think of a fierce battle, but it was different for Helmut. With only a little effort today, he has been able to compete very smoothly so far. This is because there was no opponent to struggle with.
It almost felt more intense to practice sword training in the open space attached to the room.
This is not an ordinary phenomenon, considering the high level of Basor’s martial arts competitions, where huge prize money is at stake.
‘Is Great Jinwoon good or am I strong?’
Helmut leaned towards the latter. It felt good to realize my own strength.
Michael spoke up.
“The opponent you defeated this time was a member of the Knights of Palma. The opponent is a fairly high-ranking knight in Palma, so I think the impact will be significant. Everyone is paying more attention to you. “For the past five years, there has never been a time when a member of the Knights of Palma failed to win the championship.”
Does this mean that he is now slowly starting to stand out as a candidate for the championship?
“He must be lower in rank than Luke Yeager.”
Palma is said to strictly rank players based on ability, so that would be the case. Michael’s eyes widened at the words he blurted out inadvertently.
“Luke Yeager? Oh well, Hyde visited him before. “At that time, I also met the Commander of the Knights of Palma.”
Since he did not talk to Luke anywhere other than under the stage of the martial arts venue or in the waiting area, Michael would not have been able to understand the content of the conversation.
The reason I noticed that the Knight Commander of Palma had offered to join was because I saw him heading towards the waiting area.
Helmut looked around roughly.
“Luke Yeager will be my opponent in the finals.”
“Are you saying it’s a conscious partner? It is said that he is also a rising star in the Knights of Palma. “I don’t think Hyde is interested in him for that reason.”
Those were sharp words. Michael laughed softly.
“I have no intention of digging. I was just wondering what Hyde’s purpose was. From my perspective, it doesn’t seem like the goal is simply to win a martial arts competition and get a prize or to make yourself known. “I’m confident in my own skills, so I don’t think I’m trying to check my skills.”
“in conclusion?”
“We won again today, so let’s eat. I wish I could go out, but if I do now, troublesome situations will arise. “Because more people will recognize Hyde.”
“Right.”
Now it is essential to cover your face. It would be okay to go around without a disguise, but if you do that, you run the risk of your true identity being discovered by someone. This is Michael in front of me.
‘It would be difficult if I revealed more to this guy.’
Areya, I also had something to hide, so I didn’t pry, but this smart guy was different. I’m sure I’ll dig into it endlessly. I didn’t know how far it would go.
Helmut suggested.
“Let’s eat.”
They dined together, as they always did, in the Emerald Room of the Golden Leaf Inn. Now it has almost become a rite of passage.
***
Luke Yeager, as expected, also succeeded in advancing to the quarterfinals. In a bracket divided on both sides, they were slowly getting closer to each other.
Michael said to him as he looked at the bracket before leaving on the day of the game.
“It is said that your opponent in the quarterfinals is the only non-Bathorian to advance except you. In the round of 16, he fought for over an hour against the Knights of Palma, who were of a lower level than Horten Cicero, and barely won. “He won’t be a difficult opponent for Hyde.”
“I said his name was Hutton.”
“I heard he’s a pretty famous first-class mercenary. Was he in his mid 30s? “Mercenaries like him don’t often participate in martial arts competitions, even if it’s because they don’t want to lose to young knights, but unfortunately, you met Hyde.”
It’s a voice that makes me feel victorious.
Michael seemed to look down on Hutton when he heard that he had a hard time, but Helmut thought differently.
A mercenary at that age would have gained quite a bit of practical experience. In fact, he could have been a more difficult opponent than Horten Cicero, a member of the Knights of Palma whom he had previously met. A swordsman who knows how to overcome his opponents even in difficult times.
‘I don’t think I’ll lose, though.’
In this case, it is better to show less of your skills, so it would be better to go hard from the beginning.
There are now two steps left until the finals. Helmut composed himself.
***
Michael was sitting in a seat with a good view overlooking the stadium again today. It was just before Hyde’s game started.
‘Hyde seems to be overestimating the other person. What do you think?’
Michael stared at the stage with interesting eyes.
No matter how weak his constitution was, after being in Basor for several days, he gradually got used to the intense sunlight and heat.
Perhaps due to the influence of Hyde, who was nearby, I felt like my energy had increased significantly these days because I had been eating well.
‘In the past, I hated watching knights spar in martial arts or anything like that.’
One day, Michael changed his mind. It was painful because I wanted something I couldn’t have. If you can’t have it, it’s better not to want it.
Even though he had such a weak and weak body that he couldn’t even swing a sword, Michael had something that others didn’t have.
He used his own abilities and what he was born with to place strong swordsmen under his feet.
“Mr. Michael.”
Suddenly Robert whispered something in his ear. Michael answered in a soft voice.
“Bring it here.”
Soon, a strange-looking man with an untrimmed black beard appeared with Robert. He politely bowed his head towards Michael.
“Thank you, Michael, for letting us watch the game with you.”
All of this spacious space was Michael’s seat. Seats for those who must have an escort. Of course, it was incomparably more expensive than the regular seats at the martial arts venue.
Michael gave a drawn smile.
“you’re welcome. “Thanks to you, my knights were able to get new, better swords.”
The man who appeared was none other than Cabin, a famous blacksmith in Basor.
He is a sword maker for members of the Knights of Palma, and this time he received an order from Michael to create five swords.
Cabin is known to have learned blacksmithing skills directly from the legendary blacksmith Layton.
He was a blacksmith so famous in Basor that the king gave him an honorary title, but he was attracted to Michael, who respected him as a commoner.
As expected, gaining someone’s favor was Michael’s specialty.
“But I didn’t expect you to come to a place like this. “I know you’re busy these days because there are a lot of orders.”
“Of course I’m busy. But there is something interesting about this martial arts festival.”
“What if it’s interesting?”
“For example, a certain martial arts contestant. Oh, I think the game is about to start. “Let’s watch and talk.”
Kevin naturally sat down next to Michael without asking for permission.
Even though he is a well-respected craftsman, he doesn’t seem to care about his appearance at all, even down to his messy beard and hair. Everyone seemed to be avoiding it.
Although the fabric is of high quality, his oil-stained clothes are extremely dirty. A strong smell of sweat wafted from the cabin, as if I had been hammering a hammer in a boiling blacksmith shop just a moment ago.
‘I don’t know if he can make a sword look convincing, but he has no culture whatsoever.’
Robert frowned. But Michael’s expression did not change at all.
Dang!
As soon as the bell rang, the game started.
