I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

The crowd gathered around us, watching every move we made. Every villager murmured to themselves and pointed their forefingers in our direction, judging the general and his ways. In a few seconds, those idle talks became fears carved on their eyes as they met the soldier's eyes.

It only told us that the general had the power to move the villagers. However, that was not all. Since the three of us were new adventurers inside the town, the general bid us his farewell and returned to his duties.

Since that man told us he was just inspecting the post, I expected we would meet again. Although the town had wide streets and various directions, that general knew every corner of this city. He could always track us down if he wanted to.

"Fenrir, shush. He's not worth our time. Once we finish collecting some meals, herbs, and other resources, the three of us will proceed to the demonic kingdom. How about that?" I asked, while attempting to pat Fenrir's hair.

I got carried away and received a bite mark from Fenrir as soon as she noticed my hand. That scar served as my reminder for trying to pet her head without warning. Even if I warned Fenrir about it, she would have done the same thing…

The crowd dispersed as soon as the scene faded away. Those villagers went their separate ways without asking who we were. Although I knew foreigners visited this place, these villagers lacked interest in knowing us people.

I could only guess that the townspeople had other problems to focus on rather than entertaining the unfamiliar faces of the town. But that did not stop us from wandering through the road, looking for a place where we could earn some sum.

If I remembered it correctly, there should be an adventurer's guild stationed around here. The game meant that building for strong yet poor people like us.

As we wandered around the streets, hundreds of rummaged houses welcomed our eyes. A sea of trash entered the scene, with all soiled vegetables and woods covering the roads. The pack of villagers stayed indoors, hiding from the tattered house they called home.

At the end of the road was another wall that separated the current town. As the three of us proceeded to the place, two guards stopped us from our tracks. There were no generals in their post but guards protecting the fence.

"What's on the other side?" I asked.

Curiosity would kill the cat, but I wanted to know the secrets of this town. Since we were new tourists that wanted to make cash, knowing the place would give us knowledge for the future.

"Sorry, but you have to pay the VIP card before entering the second wall," the left guard explained, as he crossed his arms.

"If you don't have any money to pay, I advise you to scram. We don't take beggars inside, so don't cause us any troubles, adventurers," the soldier on the right side continued, with his body still seated on the chair.

Judging from their reactions, these footmen refused to give us a warm welcome. Although we could effortlessly spring our way towards the wall, our group chose not to overdo it. Considering our position, making an enemy out of this kingdom would create strife against the entire empire.

And from what I remembered, the game developers already patched the united forces called "Albion" in this game. However, those bastard game masters never told us the name of the brave ruler.

It remained a mystery for me, despite being a powerful player in this world.

"Do you want me to pulverise them for you, Arthur?!" Fenrir growled at the two guys.

Fortunately for me, those soldiers never heard Fenrir's voice. I kept her mouth covered using my hand, hoping she would shut the hell up.

"Don't do anything stupid, Fenrir... Please, I'm begging you."

As soon as Fenrir heard my plea, Fenrir toned down her voice and averted her gaze. She was not like this before, so I was thankful for her change… Even for a brief time, that moment would save us from making an enemy out of this city.

"I understand. We're just adventurers, so we never planned on getting ahead of ourselves," I said, and bowed my head. "Will you please guide us towards the adventurer's guild? We're kinda lost inside this town."

Despite their crude introductions, the guards told us the way without mocking our presence. Those two told us to make a sharp turn at the end of the darkened street and look for a greyish building.

But after finishing his sentence, the guard scratched his metallic helmet and confessed, "the adventurer's guild got replaced by the mercenary's guild. And around this week, those people inside that guild would get excommunicated from this kingdom."

My eyes widened after hearing such news. When I played this game, the adventurer's guild was the only organisation separated from the kingdom. However, when I reincarnated in this world, it all changed in the blink of an eye.

That adventurer's guild became the mercenaries, which we already met earlier. We were not on good terms, but I knew those people that fought me had powerful abilities. If I had to be an honest man, those mercenaries could stand against the elite soldiers from each kingdom.

"Can you tell me why?" I asked once again, hoping to squeeze in more information about the current happenings of this kingdom.

"Sorry, but we are not allowed to spread the word beyond that…. You're an adventurer, so I thought you should at least know about them…," the left guard apologetically answered.

"All the families, including ours, got caught up with the incident. We did not know how to stop the civil war happening inside this kingdom," the right guard appended, while nudging us away from the gate. "Please be off, adventurer, before our general could see you… he would do everything in his powers to get your beautiful slaves."

"I AM NOT A SLAVE!" Fenrir finally burst out from her shell as she violently flailed her hands. "THAT IDIOT IS MY SLAVE!"

It was a good thing that Merleen read the atmosphere. She dragged Fenrir in front of a house near a street and made sure she was comfortable near the post. It was also the path that the guard showed us towards the guild. And since the guild was also beside the weapon shop, everything became convenient for us.

It was about time to upgrade everything we had before going on a conquest to get the legendary sword from the wrong hands. Although Fenrir's goal differed from mine, our paths still coincide with each other.

I followed behind the two girls and met them in front of the house. But before we could even move forward, a farmer bumped into us. That man came from the street that the three of us planned to go to.

As soon as we collided with each other, the farmer tumbled on the ground, nearly slamming his face as if it were not for Merleen's protective light magic.

"Are you alright?" I asked, while checking for any injuries that came from the man.

Despite walking in this place for ten minutes, we already met different people along the way, including this farmer.

"What do you think you're doing! You're slowing me down….!" the man shouted, but he couldn't get up from the ground.

No matter how hard he tried, the farmer's legs gave up from keeping him upright. I knelt beside the farmer and tried comforting the bloke. But the man refused any help from me since I was the one who pushed him down.

"Sorry. I, uh, I wasn't looking!" I croaked, while stuttering every word I pronounced.

The farmer heaved out an exhausted sigh and answered, "Just... pick me up and help me stand… I'll forget what happened today."

We followed the man's instructions and helped him back up. I asked Merleen to conjure some fire from her magic. I told her not to make the spell too warm or too hot. Since the man had delicate and dry skin, we needed to fiddle with the thermometer. It was a grand thing that I taught Merleen about temperature. She already knew what I talked about before.

Within a few seconds, Merleen waved her hands and produced a warm blaze that melted our hearts. I moved beside the man and pressed the blazing wisp around the man's knee.

"What do you think you're doing!?" the farmer shouted, while he quivered in fright.

He knew we were using magic. But the man was not aware of our cause.

"This flame will mend your wounds and ease your pain. Trust me on this one, gramps."

After a few seconds, the orange glow enveloped the farmer's legs, covering the pinkish spot near his thigh. Within a few moments more, the farmer got up and stretched his legs. It was as if he had rested for a brief second and got a free massage from our magic.