I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Chapter 101: Meliodas (prologue)

Meliodas, the famous bard.

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I always brought my anstruth harp, known for its rarity and graceful design, within my grasp. Music was the only thing that kept me alive in this unfair world.

"Listen, kids!" I exclaimed. "I will tell you about a story of a musician who strived his way to reach the mountains! Now that he has seen the height, that musician sang a song. He sang the song of his life, which became the music of his heart."

All the children gathered in front of me, with beaming eyes, waiting for my song. Even their parents accompanied them while listening to the strums of my harp.

"Ah, yes, there was once a little boy," I said, and told them my story.

The song was about my life and how I climbed my way here. If it were not for my experiences, I would not have become a bard.

My mother died from giving birth to me, while my father stopped moving after working inside his smith. He pounded the metals and made artefacts for the people. My father rarely forged weapons for adventurers, since he wanted anything but a fight. I sold the smith my father owned and travelled the world, exploring new heights as I went onward.

I used all my resources and exchanged them for the food I needed. And since I had limited coins, I saved them up before spending it on those scrumptious foods. And when I finally exhausted my finances, I slept on the grass and hunted wild animals.

But before I knew it, nobody taught me how to fight. All I had was the mysterious anstruth harp my father left before he died.

And when I tried attacking the boars, those monsters flung me into the sky. I tumbled to the ground and nearly lost my life from the assault. But the harp miraculously shielded me from my death's door and kept me alive.

"The boy was meant to die in the garden of grass. But with this harp, he didn't pass! And when he picked himself up from the ground, the boy kept tumbling down," I sang in front of the kids, and continued my story.

After a few days of battling wild animals, I rested on a bark. My growling stomach woke me up every hour. But with nothing to eat, I could not help but continue sleeping throughout the day.

And when my body finally got worn out, a humble old man took me inside his home. I did not even have the energy to retort as the old man carried me in his arms. Within a few moments, an aromatic scent of mixed herbs and cooked meat wafted inside my nose. It kept my nostrils up for the time being, with my tongue dancing inside my mouth.

As I squinted my eyes open, the smoke from the kitchen jerked me awake. I sat upright, with my knees already marching towards the old man.

"The old man chuckled when he saw my face. He asked me to sit down and cut with the chase. I picked my spoon with my hands and stirred the soup. It was a mushroom soup made of moons," I hummed the beat at my children, still listening to my song.

They kept wagging their heads with their ears pointed in my direction. The parents left them to my care as they went to cater to the injured people. I offered the kids a song and continued my story.

"Eat up, young child. You need a lot of food to grow!" the old man said, as he chuckled to himself. "There are plenty more soups inside this bowl. Don't be afraid to ask me for seconds, young man."

I let my weakness sink inside my head while hurriedly filling my mouth with the hot soup. My tongue did not care about the boiling temperature of my food as I gobbled them up like a pig.

After a few seconds, I finished my plate and burped for the first time. The old man glanced behind me and knew what he had to do.

"You sure are hungry, young man! Eat your fill, okay?!" the man exclaimed, as he watched me eat.

I did not care about his eyes staring at my figure, since the old man was the one who fed me. And when my abdomen could not handle the food, I finally gave up my meal and thanked the old man.

I lowered my head and knelt at the kind person, with my hands grasped together as my gratitude.

"Lift your head, boy. I don't need any thanks. In fact, I should be the one thanking you for the company!"

The old man invited me to sit once again in the chair. He tapped his hand and motioned me to come near his side. I immediately heeded his instructions and went to his fore, unsure what to receive from him for the next round.

Instead of offering me more food, the old man told me his tale. He narrated his life and the young child he lost from the woods. When the monsters attacked, the old man protected the kid. But the situation got turned around, with the young child protecting the old man.

The bloke could not forget the bravery the kid had when he saved his life. However, despite being alive, he wanted to see this young man for the last time.

"And then, you came! You cannot replace my kid, but you kept me company inside this lonely house!" the man chuckled some more, and stood from his seat.

He went back to the kitchen and prepared some cups inside. After a few seconds, the old man disrupted the silence and asked me a question.

"How about you, young lad? Where did you come from? How did you get here? Where are your parents?"

I went silent for a while before answering his question.

"It's okay, child. You take all the time that you need. I'll be right here for you."

Within a few seconds of silence, the man prepared the cups on the table. Gripped in his hands were a mixture of unique herbs I had yet seen around the field. My gloomy nature vanished from my face, replacing it with a glistering hope after witnessing the herbs.

The old man could not contain his excitement and poured the leaves on the simmering water filled inside the cup. He mixed the ingredients using a spoon and added more spices from the container.

Instead of feeling baffled, my mouth craved for more, even after eating a full meal.

"Dig up, young man! You need your strength, okay?" the old man suggested, and nudged the cup towards me.

I did not hurry to take my beverages on the board. The old man's words resurfaced inside my head, reminding me to take my time slow. Upon following his advice, the rich tea enlightened my mind. It was as if the liquid itself flew me up the sky, with the birds flying towards the sea.

The aftertaste punched my guts in a good way. I could finally imagine myself resting on the bed of roses, with some sunflowers keeping me company.

But upon opening my eyes, the same setting greeted me. The man waved his hands while sipping the same tea I had.

"How was it?"

"I LOVE IT!" I retorted, without even letting the man finish his sentence.

The old guy could not help himself once again to laugh at my remark. He stood from his chair and went in my direction. As soon as the man was in front of me, he pulled a spare chair towards him. He afterwards sat in that place. The guy took a clean cloth and wiped the remnants glued on my mouth, with his mouth still smiling at me.

"You remind me of my son. I am thankful that you're here with me."

Those were the last words I heard from my old man, who raised me for a few years. He was the only one who helped me grow who I was today. And that old man shaped me as a fine bard, sharing stories across the kingdoms.

However, I did not come here for a noble cause. My goal was to find the monster who slew the son of my old man. The only memory that he gave me was. The monster who took his son's life was not a beast or a demon.

It was a person. knights from a kingdom. So here I was, looking for that bastard who claimed the life of that poor kid.

But I did not include that in my song, since these children were still listening to my tune. After finishing the melody I wrote for myself, I stood from my seat and prepared to leave.

However, before exiting the shelter, two people noticed my presence. Since I contained my overflowing arcane, nobody should perceive my power.

But these two individuals saw a threat inside of me. They glared at me as if I was an unwanted guest inside this lively firm.

However, I swore to myself to finish my goal. I did not come here to fight these two individuals.

I came here to slaughter the knights who killed the old man and his kid.