# 41
Helmut
Episode 41
“What if you’re not serious?”
Helmut questioned. It was an expressionless face that felt cold. Finn knew that his dark, abyss-like eyes always took on a serious glow.
Helmut is not the kind of person who would build up someone’s spirit by saying he has talent when he doesn’t. There was no reason for him to impress Finn.
Finn felt better. Helmut was a stronger swordsman than Füen. A boy worthy of the word genius. He is a swordsman among swordsmen who single-handedly defeated even fearsome monsters.
I was glad that Helmut recognized something that he was confident about.
“Do you really think I’m good at cooking?”
“I said the food you made was delicious.”
Finn scratched his cheek shyly.
“That’s right. “Somehow, you seem to be eating well.”
Finn was excited and took a gulp of beer. It was clear that he would have a huge hangover tomorrow, but there was no one to stop him. Finn mumbled as if he was lost in his own words.
“I did some cooking. “Yes, no one said the food I cooked was not delicious.”
“But isn’t a mercenary cooler than a chef? “Raising a sword to cut meat is different from swinging it while fighting.”
“I’m not sure.”
Neither was cool by Helmut’s standards. Actually, I don’t know what it feels like to be cool.
Before he knew it, Finn was seriously considering changing his career path.
“Well, even chefs can make a lot of money if they make a name for themselves. I might be better off that way. To be honest, I learned how to use a sword, but I always seem to forget it. “Training while sweating is no fun.”
And then he even asks:
“Hey, which do you think is higher: your talent with a sword or my talent in cooking?”
‘You call that a horse?’
Helmut was dumbfounded by the grinning face.
‘Of course it’s mine…’
? I’m at a loss for words when I make such a blatant comparison. Helmut also had no clear idea of the extent of his skills.
‘I’m stronger than Fuen, so I’ll be at least a second-class mercenary.’
However, when asked how many 14-year-old boys have the skills of a second-level mercenary or higher, and how many are fewer than a 14-year-old boy who can cook as well as Finn, the answer became difficult.
It’s probably his side, but I can’t be sure.
Helmut chose to remain silent.
“Hey, I’m going to become a real chef and open my own restaurant. Then I’ll invite you too! Please come.”
“okay.”
No matter what Finn, who was very drunk, said, Helmut gave a cursory answer and ignored it.
Finn soon reached his limit and hit his head on the table. thud!
Helmut silently looked down at the back of his head, which was still asleep, wheezing as if it wasn’t even in pain. Now I was alone.
He was quiet and lost in thought. I have experienced many things since I came out to the Forest of Pahe.
From his perspective, things were going smoothly without any problems. The human world was new and exciting. So much so that the pain I experienced while passing through the barrier was not worth it.
But this is just the beginning. My body has recovered and I know that I am strong.
‘Once I complete the request…’
I’m not sure how much it will be, but I’m sure I’ll be quite wealthy.
There was a place to go with that. I was skeptical about whether it was right to go there.
But what Darian said was necessary. He must have thoughts too.
‘Because I need time too.’
As I refine my sword, gain more experience, and get used to the human world, I will slowly figure it out.
Who is Helmut’s mother, the woman in his pendant?
Helmut was going up the river. Even if you encounter walls on your way, you will overcome them. As it has been until now.
Helmut went back to his room alone, leaving Finn asleep on the table.
It wasn’t until dawn that Finn woke up feeling uncomfortable. He hurried up to the room and fell asleep again without even knowing how he got there.
It was a shame because the departure time wasn’t early in the morning, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to wake up.
As we were leaving the inn, Puen frowned as he calculated the cost of the drinks.
“How much alcohol did you drink?”
“That guy can’t even stand properly.”
“Oh, my head hurts. Hey, how can you be so alone? “Disgraceful.”
Finn grumbled, holding his head and groaning. Helmut continued to ignore it.
Unlike Finn, Helmut was fine. What I drank wasn’t water, it was just alcohol. With the power of Vis, the remaining alcohol in my body was completely evaporated.
There are really only a few days left now. The members of the Face Mercenaries, who had rested well until the morning, looked much better than yesterday.
This is because I focused on rest instead of letting go until the end like a pin that was being requested. Finn, who had been drinking late into the night, naturally got scolded.
“This bastard is already into the topic of level 4 mercenaries. Hey, the request isn’t finished yet!”
Finn almost fell forward when a hand hit his back. Finn shouted, his face twitching.
“Sean knows he can’t be invited to my restaurant! “I’m going to open an expensive restaurant that Sean’s salary can’t afford, so we’ll see!”
Sean made a dumbfounded expression.
“What is he saying now?”
Even after drinking so much, I guess I didn’t forget the conversation we had yesterday.
Finn shouted triumphantly at Sean and narrowed his eyes at Helmut. The new life of a boy who changed his career path was beginning.
*
A few days passed and the trip slowly came to an end.
When it was time to arrive, Miles also opened the carriage window and looked outside. The gaze seemed to be searching for something.
Miles was now the only person from the Butan Company, that is, the client. The merchant from the Butan Chamber of Commerce who survived with him remained in the last village.
Although he regained consciousness, he was so mentally shocked that he was unable to speak properly and was in no condition to continue his journey. I have sent the message to the Chamber of Commerce, so there will be no problem.
In contrast, the Face Mercenaries had almost recovered from their injuries. Uter, Maros, and Shen.
Compared to the danger they faced, the Face mercenaries were in very good condition. When the last day arrived, we chatted in an almost relaxed mood.
“It’s time for the request to end and my body is fully healed. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“I guess it’s a good thing that I used the injury as an excuse to spend my time leisurely.”
“I need to get a good rest when I get back.”
“I won’t even pay attention to requests for the time being.”
“me too. Especially when it comes to subjugating monsters. That monkey’s head split in half keeps appearing in my dreams! “I need urgent medical attention.”
“He said he would do it as long as I paid a lot of commission fee.”
“It’s not over yet, so everyone come to their senses. “This is not a village.”
Since you are on the road, thieves may appear even if they are not monsters. But there was no sign of that happening.
The mercenaries’ senses were heightened as if they had the effect of being on high alert because of the monster, but they didn’t get caught in anything.
Tanya spoke to Miles.
“We will soon arrive at our destination. “It’s not a village on the map, it’s just a road, so do we meet here and deliver the goods?”
“That’s right, because we’re not meeting in the village. “They said I could come to the point marked on the map.”
“So how will our client, Antiol, receive the items we delivered? Even if you take the whole wagon, you won’t be able to pull it by yourself. Do you think you have a subordinate?”
“He doesn’t have to take it. “We are carrying the goods to Antiol’s residence.”
“You mean to deliver it?”
“Yes, he will open the hiding place. “We can just go in, leave our stuff, and come out.”
The more I heard it, the more puzzling it became. Opening the hiding place. Does this mean there is a building nearby?
Miles, who was examining the map with magnifying glasses, raised his hand after a while.
“Here.”
Miles got off the carriage and stood holding something in his hand. It was a pendant with a long string of unusually colored red gemstones. A faint light shimmered in the jewel. As if it meant something.
He looked around from where he got off and asked the mercenaries.
“Let me see, I think it’s like this. “Isn’t there a dry old tree?”
“There it is.”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Miles walked up to the tree and pushed the pendant into the fan groove in the middle of the old tree. It fit perfectly, as if the missing piece had been put in place.
At that moment, I heard the sound of something moving.
-purr.
Dust rose from the floor. Helmut’s face hardened.
This alien force that surrounds and circulates around the body. However, it was subtle and not aggressive enough to have any harmful effects.
Helmut suppressed Vis, who was trying to rise up. The forest was opening a path beyond the old tree.
Beyond that, the dense, lush trees and bushes gave way, creating a forest path barely wide enough for a single carriage to pass through.
The mercenaries widened their eyes.
“This this. “Is it magic?”
“It’s like the archmage’s hideout. Interesting.”
“Okay, now it’s all over. “Let’s go inside.”
Miles urged leisurely. His expression, which had always been stubbornly frozen, had relaxed a bit. I am finally relieved. Towards the end of the journey.
They moved along the forest path. The surroundings were shrouded in a subtle fog that disoriented one’s sense of direction. The forest path seemed to lead in a straight line, but I couldn’t be sure.
It seemed to go down, then up, and seemed to bend to the left, then to the right. I can’t figure out where I’m going.
“It seems like there is a spell that allows it to skip through space.”
Fuen muttered.
“Actually, we are going somewhere far away from the place we were talking about earlier. Through this forest path.”
Helmut asked.
“How do you know?”
“I can feel the temperature getting cooler. “If there is such a difference in temperature, it means that it is traveling a long distance.”
It was a strange phenomenon. Wizards are divided into two categories. Regular wizards and wizards based on solitary lore.
The latter wizards were rare. They do not form groups, and magic is mainly passed down one-on-one from master to disciple.
For that reason, lore wizards were not easy to come into contact with, even for mercenaries.
Legendary wizards were generally more skilled than wizards who were educated at academies or learned magic through tutoring. They also performed their own unique magic like this.
Through the fog, I could see a clearing in the distance. The wide open space covered with green grass was large enough to accommodate all the carriages.
They found a figure standing with his back to me at the end of the clearing.
A gentle-looking old man with a long white beard and a monocle.
“Welcome, guests of Butan Chamber of Commerce.”
Miles approached the old man who greeted him with open arms.
“Are you Antiol?”
“Then who else but me would cast such a spell on a place like this?”
“Please check the requested item for yourself. “I checked and nothing was lost, but here’s the list.”
“Yeah, sure. Fortunately, it arrived just in time. I was waiting so anxiously. If I had come late, I would have had to change the formula for the barrier. Forests change over time, so different formulas must be developed and applied each time. It’s nice that it’s not annoying. After all, it’s Butan Trading Company.”
An old man with a scholarly look opened the door of a carriage in a vacant lot, looked inside, and spoke non-stop. They said he was a nerd, but he seemed more like a chatterbox.
The old man clapped after checking the list for a while. match!
“Okay, you came to the right place. There are some things that are hard to find, so thank you for your hard work. “I’m very satisfied.”
“Actually, I was attacked by a monster on the way and had a bit of trouble, but I am glad that I was able to deliver the requested item safely.”
Miles subtly brought up the hardships of commercial travel. Now it is time to collect the request fee.
