"It's much easier to find a place to stay than wandering through the forest. Look over there."
Dino, one of the group members, pointed towards a small clearing by the side of the road. Although there were roots and some grass protruding, the ground was relatively flat, making it a suitable place to rest.
James, who had dismounted from his horse, rubbed his sore buttocks and exclaimed in admiration.
"Wow, there's such a nice little campsite here."
"There's also a spring nearby. No need to go far to fetch water. Isn't that great?"
"People must come here often, just like that large campsite, right?"
"Well, students from the Magic and Scholarly Departments of Baden Academy often come to this forest."
"They must be more accustomed to camping."
"We're lucky. Not all 12 groups will get a place like this."
Despite their grumbling about the distance, everyone dismounted and began setting up.
Helmut scanned the surroundings. Nothing seemed amiss, but he felt a sense of déjà vu. It reminded him of when he was escorting Zenia of Cheringen.
'It might have been then.'
He remembered camping in a clearing with a spring, and everyone had fallen asleep.
'Will something similar happen this time?'
Helmut first went to the spring to drink some water, unsure of what to expect.
Back then, they all fell asleep because thieves had mixed the concentrated extract of the Rosetta root into the spring. The Rosetta root is odorless and tasteless, but a strong concentration could be slightly tasted.
Meaning, if it wasn't concentrated, even Helmut wouldn't detect it.
A diluted mixture could naturally induce sleepiness. It wouldn't cause a deep sleep to the point of not waking up from noises, but it was worth considering.
Helmut stood up, realizing he wouldn't know unless he tested it on someone else. Since it wouldn't affect him anyway.
"What are you doing, Helmut? Let's unpack."
It was still afternoon, and after seeing Basil bleeding profusely from a trap, none of the group members wanted to hunt.
They had plenty of food for now, enough to last until the next day.
On the last day, they planned to prepare a meal for those who were fasting back at the campsite.
At Asuka's suggestion, Helmut tied up the horses and started to unpack.
Asuka, who had also tied up his horse and was unpacking, stretched as if bored. He didn't seem interested in taking a nap.
The others, sensing an opportunity for unique training in a new place, one by one, took out their swords and found spots to practice.
Seeing this, Helmut felt slightly guilty for neglecting his training lately.
But first, he wanted to explore the surroundings.
"I'll go gather some firewood and come back."
As Helmut made his move, Asuka immediately followed.
"Me too."
'How bothersome, he's tagging along.'
Asuka led the way into the forest, but soon the roles were reversed.
Asuka knew nothing about forests. With trees and bushes everywhere, walking was difficult, let alone looking around. Even making their way through was challenging.
"Is this good enough for firewood?"
"That's too damp. It won't catch fire easily."
"Isn't this too thin?"
"Dry ones catch fire easily. Let's collect these."
Helmut picked up a branch of suitable thickness as an example, and Asuka started gathering branches, humming a tune.
"Camping, camping, exciting camping! Yay!"
Asuka was tone-deaf. Helmut, pained by his singing, glanced at him.
"Asuka, be quiet."
His song was enough to provoke violence. Asuka grumbled.
"You don't even talk, and now I can't even sing because it's boring. Are you a tyrant?"
Then, Helmut called out to him.
"Asuka."
His voice felt unusually cold. Asuka was puzzled.
'What? Is he angry about something I said?'
He cautiously asked,
"Why?"
"Go back to where the others are with this firewood."
Helmut pointed towards the pile of firewood.
"Don't ask, just go."
Even Asuka, who usually had a strong personality, couldn't question Helmut's cold black eyes.
"Alright."
Asuka, carrying a bunch of firewood, kept looking back as he returned the way they came.
Helmut was left alone in the forest. His gaze fixed on the shadowy depths.
He felt a presence. Asuka hadn't noticed it, but the deliberately exposed presence was stealthy. The individual was no ordinary person.
"It looks like it's time for you to show up."
Tired of waiting, Helmut thought it was just the right time.
Helmut's hand moved towards the sword at his waist. If it was nothing significant, he'd deal with it and return.
Helmut walked towards the forest. There was no rush.
Something appeared ahead.
"Here you are, young friend."
Hanging upside-down from a tree, a man in black clothes wore a mask. A grotesque clown face mask, an eerie sight.
If someone faint-hearted saw this, they might have fallen backward. Especially dangerous for pregnant women.
Fortunately, Helmut was among those with the strongest hearts in the human world. He looked unimpressed and tilted his head slightly.
"A mask? Strange taste."
It felt like discovering something odd in the forest. Not a fairy or spirit, but something akin to a magical beast.
"Hehehe."
A low laugh leaked from the man's mask. Helmut remembered Cyan insisting on wearing masks for mystique, which all his friends ignored. Black Hawk would be no different. They'd think it's a bad hobby.
Yet, the man stubbornly wore such a thing, indicating he was incredibly shameless.
'He must not care about others.'
Such individuals are morally devoid, cruel, and indiscriminate in their methods. Moreover, this person came from Black Hawk.
Judging the man as evil just by his mask and aura, Helmut asked to confirm,
"How much did Sabath Rugal pay you?"
"It's true Sabath wants you dead. But I didn't come for that reason."
"Then why?"
"If you remember all the people you've killed so far, you would know."
The man spoke as if rebuking him. It was ridiculous since they were the ones who attacked first.
But there was no need to argue over right and wrong. What mattered was the outcome. Black Hawk had sent people, and Helmut had dealt with them. That was enough.
"Two second-class mercenaries came for me and died. Your solo appearance suggests you're stronger than them."
"Of course, but I'm not the type to confront someone directly. I prefer fighting at an advantageous time in a favorable way."
'Indeed.'
They were about 50 paces apart. Helmut didn't approach further. The ground below was full of traps.
There was no need to jump into an unfavorable battlefield. Not yet, at least.
"An assassin?"
"Yes."
'A first-class mercenary-level assassin.'
If he was confident in being stronger than two second-class mercenaries, he must be on par with a first-class mercenary. It was hard to judge due to the assassin hiding his aura well, but it seemed likely.
'His presence is quite subtle. No wonder I hadn't noticed until now.'
"Forgot to introduce myself. I am the Dark Jester of Hawk Eye, Pasho."
"..."
Helmut hesitated for a moment. Normally, the first name comes before the surname. Was "Dark Jester" the name and Pasho the surname? That seemed unlikely. Something was off.
The man, introducing himself as Pasho, kindly added,
"In Hawk Eye, we all have nicknames. Dark Jester is the nickname given to me, Pasho."
While Helmut couldn't understand the need for such nicknames, he chose not to. Humans often do incomprehensible things.
"If it's Hawk Eye, like the eye of a hawk. Black Hawk is the black hawk, so it's related to that. But it didn't seem like a group capable of having several first-class mercenaries."
"Ordinarily known Black Hawk might be so. But Black Hawk is the black hawk that overlooks everything in the world from the sky. The lowly thugs are just visible henchmen."
Like peeling an onion, there was more inside. The upside-down Pasho spoke arrogantly.
"I'll give you a chance to join us."
"And if I refuse?"
"I've never seen someone your age with your skill. You're an untamed beast. It's not beneficial to keep you alive. We'll eliminate you by any means necessary."
Throughout his time at the academy, Helmut tried not to cause trouble. But that didn't mean he'd back down against enemies.
Helmut smiled. It was his aggressive smile, filled with a unique murderous intent.
"Are you confident you can?"
"I don't fight head-on. I'll choose a way that's advantageous to me."
"And what's that?"
"I'll kill your friend."
'Friend.' The singular term could only apply to one person among the four group members, excluding Helmut. Did he know that? The person in front of him was as cunning as a dark wizard.
"My friends are nobles."
Helmut responded calmly, one of his specialties. Pasho replied just as calmly.
"There's one who isn't a noble. And not all nobles are the same. Among your group members, there's no one whose death would pose a problem to Hawk Eye."
"So, you're saying to accept or you'll let my friends die. Well, then, fine."
Helmut spoke nonchalantly. While he wouldn't mourn the loss of his group members, minimizing sacrifices was preferable. He had no qualms about lying again.
"Take it."
Pasho threw something. Helmut, cautious, caught it.
"You didn't think just verbally accepting would be the end, did you?"
It was a small black ring. A slight wriggling movement could be felt inside. Pasho kindly suggested,
"Don't chew it. Swallow it."
"What is this?"
"Inside is a worm. It will reside in your heart, surviving with sharp teeth. It won't matter if you leave it be now, but if you don't consume a specially prepared medicine once a month, you'll die. Oh, and don't try to remove the worm by force. If threatened, the worm will devour your heart and end your life."
After giving a gruesome explanation, Pasho smiled eerily.
"Don't worry. You're too valuable a talent to lose like this. As long as you're on our side, the medicine will be provided without fail. Show enough loyalty, and I'll remove the worm for you. Now, swallow it."
Helmut looked coldly at the ring in his hand.
'Such a thing exists.'
A proposal of uncertain truth. But if true, it would dissolve the hostility with Black Hawk.
All Helmut had to do was swallow it.