I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Chapter 78: The Eight Mercenaries (2)

The villagers watched our every move, considering that we were ten guests that the town knew. This mercenary became the village's heroes since they shared their hunts with these poor families. My team was a pack of adventurers that could defend this place against the army of Caerleon.

Ten hotshots butting heads against each other was a spectacle to watch for the villager's eyes. And we were both adventurers, which made the battle more intense and exciting. If I was a villager living in this town, I would have done the same thing.

But that was not important right now. The only thing that I could do was begging for forgiveness. I knew too well that death cannot return to life. And no matter how hard we would try to twist the story, it was still my fault for butting in to save the puppies. Merleen killed the two leaders of this mercenary group, which was the breadwinner of this ghost town.

But regardless of this, Merleen and I pleaded for a second chance, hoping for their kind considerations.

However, that hopeless thinking came back, biting the crap out of me.

"I'm sorry for taking the life of your leaders. I know that what I did could not return those two lives. That's why I want to atone for them but protect this village. If there is one thing I know, I need to do the right thing," I said, with my head looking at the ground.

I did not want to cry, since there was nothing we could do about this situation. It was all my fault, and I accepted my mistakes. There was no point in shifting the blame to them, since there was no way around this situation.

But before I could even continue my sentence, the mercenary cut me off with a wave of his hand. "I don't need your apologies. What I need is your life or that girl's life. You took one of our own. We would like to return the favour."

That mercenary pushed me backwards and aimed his bastard sword at my neck. But despite his threatening actions, this man refused to injure me. I could only guess something held him back from attacking me. And if I had to double guess my mind, the chief's words might have done something about this.

As if proving my hunches, the mercenary retracted his weapon while continuing his sentence, "Thank Chief Galehaut for protecting you. Despite hearing our sides, that old man refused to listen. he disliked throwing you behind bars. And yet, here you are, talking about protecting our village when you killed one of its defenders. You are nothing but a hypocrite, Arthur."

"I was the one who killed him-!" Merleen shouted, but I raised my hand, telling Merleen to shut her mouth.

Merleen immediately knew my actions remained silent for a while. I knew this girl only wanted to defend me. But I did not want these mercenaries to hate her for it. If they need to blame someone, it should have been me, not Merleen or Fenrir.

Despite protecting Merleen from sexual harassment, this mercenary still planned on killing us. He did not care about our well-being, considering that saw us as his enemies. Well, if it were not for the chief, this bloke would have taken our lives already.

Instead of piercing his blade into my chest, the mercenary met my eyes and talked again. "Just because your team is full of adventurers, it doesn't mean you could kill someone getting anything back!"

There was no chance for me to escape this prison, especially when we lost some lives. Even though I was not the one who took the lives of their leaders, Merleen was still my partner. I was also responsible for the death of those fighting against the tyrant king.

"I-I only have two things to say; I'm sorry, and we're fighting the same enemy. If we come to the king, we better not miss."

(Author's note: This quote comes from the movie "The Wire". Omar Little spoke this line (played by Michael K. Williams) written by David Simon and Ed Burns. I have to edit it to add more uniqueness to the story. But the thought comes from the movie itself.)

After saying my fill, the mercenary rushed towards me and punched my face. A back tooth even came out of my mouth as my face came into contact with the mercenary's fist. My skin turned bright, beating red, with a mark covering my cheeks. I could only grit in pain as I kissed the ground and caressed my gum.

Blood came out from my lips every time I coughed. I did not want those crimson fluids blocking my airway, so I had to push them out. And I could not raise my head and stare at the mercenary, despite receiving a punch from him. He had the right to attack me, regardless of my excuse. Since I killed two skilled warriors in his team, the mercenary group wanted something in return.

"And I have two things to say to you too. Number one, don't stand in our way. And number two, we will never help a man like you. You are an incompetent fool of a leader, Arthur. We will defend this place on our own, even without your help. And these villagers will not take orders from you, regardless of the situation's weight. We have protected the city much more than you could. We've worked hard and sweated blood to feed these families. Unfortunately, you killed one of our protectors. That's your punishment as a kid who puts his nose to someone else's business," the mercenary said, while rallying his lackeys back to the building. "You don't belong here, Arthur. Leave this village and let the rest of us protect them."

"I can't," I whispered, hoping they could hear it. "I can't turn a blind eye to those who need me."

After our exchange, the eight mercenaries finally returned to the shelter. I could not move a muscle after listening to those painful words spoken by that man. It hurt more than a truck ramming my already burnt out body.

And the only thing that kept me alive was the warm touch Merleen gave, with her arms wrapped around my body.

"You didn't kill anyone! I-It's me who killed them...."

"No, Merleen. It's an accident. You couldn't control your powers, so that light took them away. And I didn't teach you to control it. You're not at fault, Merleen. I know you just wanted to protect me," I said, while kissing her forehead.

This event was my first time showing how I cared about Merleen. Regardless of the relationship, I wanted to be beside Merleen.

"She needs me, and I need her the most," I thought, before standing on the ground.

"Okay, Merleen. Break times over! We need to protect the village with just the two of us. Are you willing to... sacrifice yourself for the sake of these people They might not know what we would do... And they might not appreciate the work we plan to do. You don't have to fight my battles, Merleen. If you wish to stay behind and live your own life, nobody's going to get mad at you," I expressed, while gazing into her eyes.

"I know... That's why I'm going to fight. You gave me the reason to fight. I have these powers, and I want to use them for good! I don't want the other girls to suffer as I did.," Merleen replied, while flashing me a smile. "I will follow you until the end of time, Arthur. You're the only one I have."

After hearing her motivational support, I gave her the tightest hug I could do. My fragile bones inside my body cracked a song, but I did not care. As long as I was with Merleen, everything would be okay.

If we die protecting this city, we die as heroes. It did not matter if those people would cheer us or fight with us. Because doing something right was the action of heroes. Regardless of our powers, we will protect this village, even if it was the last thing we would do.

There was no doubt that this was the stupidest thing I would do in my life, since I would gain nothing. Protecting these villagers would only risk my life dying for them.

But that did not matter to me. I, who dreamed of becoming a hero, had finally reached my goal. I could chicken out and escape this place, but I didn't. Unlike the village of Cornwall from before, I remained here to protect those who needed me the most.

"Am I going to be a hero, Arthur?" Merleen asked, with glittering eyes.

"You don't have to be one, Merleen," I said, and brushed her head using my hand. "You are already a hero in my dictionary."

"What's a dictionary?" Merleen asked.

I could not help but giggle at her question. "Oh, right? You don't have one of those yet. Don't worry. As soon as we win this fight, I will tell you how to make one!"