Chapter 447: Departure

In the span of a month, Deep Blue had collected enough language data from the town to organize it into a language called Avetian.

This was the language spoken by Aed and the other townspeople, and overall, it was relatively simple. Helag quickly mastered it.

He could now communicate normally with Aed and the others, understanding most of what was said.

During this time, Helag also gathered information about the surrounding area.

He was currently in an empire called Portlands. Leaf Town was located on the empire’s far western edge, near the Gravel Desert, a very remote place.

The Gravel Desert was where Helag had first appeared—a barren, uninhabited land with nothing but demons and no human settlements.

Leaf Town was situated on the empire’s frontier, a place completely ignored by the central government, left to fend for itself.

The nearest city to Leaf Town was called Greenfield City, which the townspeople described as a very large city, though they couldn’t specify how large.

From what Helag learned, the Portlands Empire had little control over these cities. Most cities operated autonomously.

The imperial family of Portlands was mostly symbolic. Aside from their own army, they had no authority over cities like Greenfield.

Due to the constant threat of demon attacks, everyone was primarily focused on survival, with little regard for the royal family’s decrees.

Exorcists were the most important profession here, serving as the main force against demons.

Given Aed’s talent, he could have long since moved to Greenfield City to enjoy better benefits.

Talented exorcists were always in high demand, receiving excellent treatment from various factions.

But Aed stayed because he was the only exorcist in Leaf Town.

If he left, there would be no one to defend the town from demon attacks, so he couldn’t leave.

In Aed’s yard, Helag held a sword in one hand while Aed, gripping his sword with both hands, attacked with all his might.

Yet every strike was effortlessly blocked by Helag.

Helag moved as if he were taking a leisurely stroll, while Aed, despite giving it his all, couldn’t even touch Helag’s clothes.

“Not bad. You’ve improved a lot compared to a month ago,” Helag praised.

Aed’s growth was astonishing. His talent was so exceptional that even Helag found himself interested in teaching him.

Aed quickly absorbed everything Helag taught him.

In just one month, Aed’s combat skills had improved significantly. He could now easily defeat two of his past selves from a month ago.

“Master, you’re too strong. Even though I’ve improved a lot recently, it feels like I haven’t made any progress when I’m up against you,” Aed said, a bit disheartened.

“I never said I’d take you as a disciple. No need to call me Master. I’ll be leaving soon,” Helag replied.

Though he had taught Aed many things, Helag had never officially accepted him as a disciple.

To Helag, this town was just a temporary stop. He didn’t want to get too involved.

A month had passed, and it was about time for him to leave.

He had learned the local language and gathered enough information about the area. His goals were accomplished.

“Master, are you leaving?” Aed asked, feeling a bit sad. He had known this day would come, but he hadn’t expected it so soon.

Though Helag hadn’t formally taken him as a disciple, Aed had long since regarded him as his teacher.

Helag nodded. “Yes, I have my own matters to attend to.”

Aed knew he couldn’t stop him. A powerful exorcist like Helag surely had important things to do.

“When will you leave, Master?” Aed asked.

“In the next couple of days,” Helag replied.

“Then let me prepare some food for your journey,” Aed offered.

As they spoke, Henk hurried over, looking grim. “Aed, Lord Grant, Andal hasn’t returned in five days. I’m afraid something’s happened.”

Grant was the alias Helag had been using. For caution’s sake, he hadn’t revealed his real name to Aed and the others.

Andal was a resident of the town, and the three-year-old boy who had climbed up Helag’s leg was his son.

Andal was responsible for traveling to Greenfield City to trade goods, selling items from the town and buying supplies for the townspeople.

He had been doing this for years, and normally, the trip took only three days.

But this time, Andal had been gone for five days and still hadn’t returned.

Sensing something was wrong, Henk had come to inform Helag and Aed.

“Andal’s been gone for five days?” Aed thought for a moment. “Maybe he was delayed on the road. I’ll go check.”

“Let’s hope it’s just a delay,” Henk sighed, clearly worried.

He knew Aed was just trying to reassure him. It was likely that something had happened to Andal.

The weather had been good these past few days, so it wasn’t likely that bad weather had caused the delay.

It was more probable that Andal had encountered bandits or demons, which would explain why he hadn’t returned.

Andal’s family depended on him. If he didn’t come back, they would have to rely on the town’s neighbors for help.

And it would be years before little Maggie could take on the responsibility of supporting the family.

“I’ll go with you. I was planning to leave anyway,” Helag said.

There was only one road from Leaf Town to Greenfield City, so Andal must have run into trouble along that route.

Helag had already planned to head to Greenfield City, so this was a convenient opportunity.

With Helag accompanying him, Aed felt more confident about solving the problem and didn’t refuse.

The two set off on foot, keeping an eye out for any clues along the way.

They traveled on foot because the town only had one cart.

That cart was the one Andal used to transport goods, and since he had taken it, the town had no other means of transportation.

Even if there had been a cart, Helag wouldn’t have been able to ride in it.

In his Titan form, he was far too large to fit.

Despite walking, they moved quickly, both of them in excellent physical condition.

As a full-fledged exorcist, Aed had absorbed a lot of demonic aura, making his body far stronger than an ordinary person.

But compared to Helag in his Titan form, Aed’s strength was still lacking.