This Clueless Hero

"I tell you what, those nobles see us as slaves! All of us!"

Mildred slammed her mug on the table with anger. Her face was flushed and her words began to slur.

The bartender laughed.

"Not like we can change how those stubborn things see us. We just have to deal with it."

Mildred slapped the table with her free hand a few times.

"But what gives them the right to do that! Fuck, I just wanted to do my own thing but of course, I had to be a commoner."

She seemed to be getting angry. Her actions became a little more forceful, even cutting herself against a splinter. Yet, Mildred didn't notice this. It was as though she was becoming a different person, magnified by the fact her speech rapidly lost its formality.

While standing behind Mildred, I lightly tapped her shoulder. I was a little tense from the fear.

"Are you ok?"

Mildred's head snapped to me, with unfocused eyes.

"Of course I'm ok! If anything, I'm better than ever!"

She raised her hands in the air along with the mug of beer, almost like she was attached to it.

Mildred began to giggle. Although I considered laughter to be a happy thing, the way she was laughing just didn't sit right with me.

The corner of the bartender's mouth turned up. He looked at me with a bit of condescension. 

"Young lass, you worry about things way too much. Frankly, you should be more worried about everyone else!"

Mildred slammed down her mug, emptied out once again. She let out a loud laugh.

"That's damn right!"

Like it was natural, the bartender already began pouring more alcohol into the mug, while Mildred slammed down another silver.

Mildred was... slowly getting more unstable. She was becoming the Mildred that snapped my shoulder and dislocated my jaw.

The Mildred that I pretended didn't exist.

She continued to throw down drinks like someone dying of thirst. After a bit of hesitation, I got the courage to put a hand on Mildred's shoulder.

"This is..."

I cleared my throat.

"You are drinking really fast. Maybe you should slow down a little?"

Mildred tilted her head back as though she were falling over. A dissatisfied groan came out of her lips.

"Slow? I can go way faster than this!"

"Haha, someone is trying to tell the drunken warrior to stop drinking!"

A man sitting at a nearby table pointed at me mockingly. He had a messy beard and scraggly body. The clothes he wore were already stained with what were presumably alcohol stains.

I looked at him with a bit of confusion.

"The drunken warrior?"

The man threw back his head in laughter.

"Kid, you seriously don't know? A first-timer is it now?"

Well... not exactly the first time. Still, it was basically so for me.

I nodded with a bit of trepidation.

Seeing this, the man slapped his knee several times. He laughed with his mouth closed.

"Kid... let me give you some advice. You can tell anyone else to stop drinking, but not her."

The man smirked.

"Not the drunken warrior."

The bartender laughed heartily while pouring someone else their drink.

"I still remember the last time someone tried to stop her."

The man grinned, showing his yellow teeth.

"Haha, that dumbass got floored! After just one hit, he was out like a light!"

Mildred raised her fist in the air confidently while drinking from her mug. Once she finished, she burst out into laughter.

"Even I was surprised! He talked so big, yet went down like a wuss!"

Mildred slammed her fist on the counter, causing a few mugs to bounce up.

"Where is he now, huh? He doesn't even dare show his face to me!"

The bartender smirked.

"Haha, you still gotta give him some credit. That punch was so loud, it still echoes in my ears! If it was me, the best case scenario would be being bedridden for months!"

The man scoffed and laid his elbow on the table.

"Oh, that's way too much credit. In the end, we'd all take one hit if it's the drunken warrior. How long you remain after that means jack shit!"

The bartender nodded with a chuckle.

"You got me there."

With that, Mildred continued to drink even more. The smile on her face grew wider... and more malicious. Her lips loosened and her inner thoughts poured out.

"And all those damn villagers, if they weren't such cowards! Can you at least try to fight back if the slave traders come for you?"

Mildred slammed down her mug of beer and pushed down on it to support her body. Though that didn't stop her from swaying around like she was a string, rocking violently to keep a kite attached to it.

Mildred mumbled something before dragging the mug of beer across the table.

"Seriously! If you can't even try to resist, you deserve to be captured."

She hunched over and closed her eyes partway.

"At that point, you might as well kill your-"

"Mildred."

I cut her off. My heart was in so much pain seeing her like this. Mildred... she wouldn't say those things. Something must've happened.

This just didn't make any sense.

Mildred slowly turned to me with a deep frown.

"Hah? What do you want?"

A small, yet sad smile emerged on my face.

"Let's go home. Please."

Mildred raised an eyebrow provocatively.

"Did you not hear about the last guy who tried to stop me? I brought you over here to have some fun but..."

She scoffed.

"You aren't even willing to spend a bit of change on a drink."

The bartender laughed mockingly.

"You tell him, drunken warrior!"

Mildred clicked her tongue and faced forward once again.

"Such a bother."

Her words hurt. Not because of what they meant, but who they were coming from.

This... this place.

It must be what made Mildred this way.

My resolve became both weak and strong at the same time. I wrapped my hand around Mildred's waist.

"Please... let's just leave."

Mildred turned around to glare at me.

"If you want to go, just do it! Don't drag me with you!"

The man from earlier chuckled.

"Seriously kid."

He narrowed his eyes.

"You're walking on thin ice."

I slowly closed my eyes.

...So what if I was?

My grip around Mildred tightened while a small frown emerged on my face.

"I'm sorry."

I tried to pull Mildred up, but she was far heavier than I imagined she would be. Mildred responded with an angry glare.

"Fuck you!"

In a flash, Mildred's elbow crashed against my skull, sending my mind into a blur. I lost my footing and fell backward.

Yet, before I even hit the ground, a merciless punch slammed me in the stomach. With a bang, I hit the floor. It was painful.

Really painful.

I could barely pick up on muffled roaring and jeering. After a few moments, my hearing returned, letting me listen in on the crowd.

"Hell yeah, beat him down!"

"Show that loser what you're made of!"

"Hahaha, that's our drunken warrior!"

My vision slowly cleared to see Mildred standing over me with her arms crossed. There was a disdainful look in her eyes.

"I bring you here out of the goodness in my heart to show you how to have a little fun."

Mildred's tone dropped.

"And this is how you repay me?"

The crowd grew more boisterous and excited.

"Beat that loser black and blue! Maybe then he'll get it!"

"There's no need to make someone like him understand the refined culture of this bar!"

"Seriously, why bring that guy here? You're the drunken warrior, you don't need anyone!"

Mildred pointed towards the door.

"Scram."

My vision became blurry and my eyes warmed up. It was because tears formed on my face.

I couldn't help but remember the times Mildred brought me up when I fell so far down.

When I felt useless because everyone else had extraordinary talent while I had nothing...

Mildred was there to encourage me. She gave me the confidence to stand.

When I tried to end it all because of how hard it all felt...

Mildred caught me. She gave me the courage to walk forward.

When I broke down because of the burden that not even I realized was on my back...

Mildred comforted me. She let my tired soul rest.

...This couldn't be her. There must be something else. Some other reason.

I pushed off the ground and slowly got up to my feet. My body was wavering, while my mind still felt blurry.

But in the end, I was standing.

The crowd got even more excited.

"Woah, he stood!"

"Someone took on the drunken warrior's hit?"

"Haha, let's take bets on how long he lasts!"

Mildred raised an eyebrow and clicked her tongue.

"So? Are you going to get out of my sight now?"

I didn't blink, but tears overflowed from my eyes anyway. Then... with a determination that lurked deep in the ocean, I raised my head.

"No."