However, Helmut's response was decisively negative.
"From the start, this wasn't an option. If I trusted you and swallowed this, I'd be a fool."
Enough with the nonsense. Helmut sharply rejected the offer, dropping the ring. It shattered underfoot, revealing the crushed remains of a worm amidst the liquid.
Pasho, his laughter gone, declared,
"Then the offer ends here. I gave you a chance, and you threw it away. You'll pay a severe price for this!"
Pasho's sinister laughter echoed. His actions and words were both distasteful.
'Is this what they call a pervert?'
"Why do you think I've been playing around until now?"
Before Helmut could answer, Pasho shouted,
"Scouting! I've killed many strong ones before. To hunt difficult prey, you need to know about them. How they react, how fast they are."
"And how much did you figure out?"
"A lot. It seems you've been hiding your skills from your friends. Rare is someone with your abilities. That will be your weakness."
Weakness? It's a laughable idea, but there was no need to deny it. If they thought so, it made things easier.
"For two days, you'll struggle in vain and die in despair. Your friends will be killed instantly, and you'll be powerless to stop it."
"So I see. Understood."
It sounded like a sneak attack was coming. Helmut had a simple thought,
'Why not just kill him here?'
While murder should be avoided, there are times when it's necessary. Some people just need to be killed.
No need for warnings. Helmut instantly kicked off the ground, drawing his sword. But the sensation underfoot was off.
Two chains flew at him, attempting to entangle him in an X formation. A trap perfectly calculating his trajectory.
Helmut summoned his vis, but the chains didn't cut easily. There were metals resistant to magic or vis.
Helmut extracted his sword from the entangling chains and landed, only to feel the ground give way beneath him. Below were sharp spikes.
The ground was littered with traps.
But even the sharpest blade couldn't pierce balance.
Standing on the protruding spikes with vis-wrapped feet, Helmut looked up to find his opponent gone. But he was still nearby.
"Now the hunt begins! Better to look after your friends than chase me. You don't think I'm alone, do you?"
After his kindly advice, Pasho vanished. His presence faded remarkably with distance. Among those Helmut had encountered, Pasho had the most stealthy presence and was skilled at concealing his energy.
But this was the forest. Helmut grew up in the forest. He was confident he knew how to fight in the forest better than Pasho.
'However...'
His companions were weak. Even the strongest among them, Asuka, wasn't inclined to look after the others.
Weak ones dying was inevitable. But being the cause of their death didn't sit well with him.
'No choice then.'
Helmut sprang from the trap and raced towards the campsite. An unusual sense of urgency. A feeling he hadn't experienced before.
The people he knew before were stronger than him. He never had to worry about them getting hurt.
But those he met in the human world were too fragile. Drink poison, and they'd fall; cut them, and they'd bleed easily. Losing them was a matter of moments.
Helmut knew death was irreversible. But he needed to make a cold decision.
'If they're dead or captured by the time I get there, I'll have to abandon them.'
But if they're alive, he was willing to take the penalty of protecting them. Helmut preferred the harder path. It was more rewarding.
As he neared the campsite, a faint glow of fire greeted him. The newly lit campfire crackled as it consumed the wood. Peaceful, as if nothing had happened.
'Was it all just to distract me?'
Entering the campsite, Helmut scanned the surroundings. No sign of anyone. The slightly menacing presence of Helmut made James flinch.
"Helmut? What happened?"
Asuka, adding wood to the fire, asked without turning around.
"Hey, do you know how much trouble I went through to carry this by myself? What's going on?"
"Where are the others?"
Dino and Andro weren't visible. He hadn't encountered them on the way, so they must be elsewhere. James answered,
"They got restless and said they'd look around. They didn't go far."
"We should look for them."
"What's going on?"
"There's no time to explain. Both of you, come with me."
Staying together was safer than being separated.
"This way."
Ignoring James's anxiety, Helmut led the way, with Asuka complaining behind him.
"Ah, really, what's this about? Did you see a giant leopard or something? We're from the Swordsmanship Department, couldn't we handle that ourselves?"
"Could've been a magical beast."
"A magical beast? That'd be interesting."
"If Helmut's acting like this, it's probably no ordinary creature."
A magical beast would have been preferable, unless it was as intelligent and strong as the monkey magical beast that attacked the Buhtan Trading Company. Fighting it would be easier.
Listening to their conversation and observing the ground, Helmut followed the tracks. As they moved, James loudly called out for his friends. After the incident earlier, where three members couldn't return, they couldn't be too cautious.
"Andro, Dino!"
"Where are these guys?"
Finally, they encountered the two, staring blankly back at them.
"What's going on?"
"We were about to return."
They weren't far from the campsite. Avoiding traps carefully, their progress had been slow.
"Anything happen?"
"Uh, not really."
"Just picked some mushrooms. Thought they might be edible."
Andro showed some mushrooms wrapped in cloth. Helmut nodded in acknowledgment. They were indeed edible. Asuka continued to grumble.
"What? These guys aren't kids. What could possibly happen?"
"Why are you acting like this, Helmut? It's unlike you."
"Let's go back and I'll explain."
Helmut briefly explained on the way back that Black Hawk was targeting him, and an assassin they sent was planning to kill all his friends. The news shocked them.
"What? Black Hawk?"
"They sent an assassin to target academy students?"
"Must be Sabat or Jerome holding a grudge. We did give them a hard time."
"They couldn't do anything on their own. If they hired Black Hawk, it must be their families. But would noble families go to such lengths against academy students?"
"We're all going to be killed? Does that even make sense?"
"Why are they after you?"
The situation seemed unbelievable. Helmut continued,
"There was friction with Black Hawk before Sabat's incident, during my time as a mercenary. After hiding and entering the academy, it seems my existence became known to them through Asuka's incident."
"Ah, right. The thugs who attacked Asuka escaped. Remember?"
"I didn't think it would lead to this."
Asuka muttered guiltily. The others were puzzled.
"I've heard about Black Hawk. Some noble families support them, I heard."
"But killing three nobles just to get one person seems odd."
"What kind of friction was it that they're going so far?"
"Well, I killed a few of them."
Helmut replied casually, then quickly added upon seeing their shocked faces,
"They attacked me first. Had no choice."
He regretted saying it. The academy valued morality. Being a murderer wasn't welcome.
However, the reaction was different from what he expected.
"Really?"
"You killed Black Hawk members?"
"That's... impressive."
Dino exclaimed first,
"That's amazing."
"You had quite the experience."
Their gaze fixed on Helmut. Not the scorn or fear he anticipated.
Even Asuka seemed to admire him, thinking, 'Killing someone, that's incredible. He's so grown-up.'
Depending on the family or country, murder was an unavoidable aspect of a swordsman's life, especially for nobles or knights, where it wasn't always considered a crime.
"Anyway, that's why."
"You've made quite an enemy."
"The three members not returning wasn't a coincidence?"
"Those traps weren't either."
"What did we do to deserve this?"
"Wrong association."
Asuka muttered indifferently. Unlike the others, he seemed unfazed by the situation. Rather, he smiled, intrigued by the unfolding events.