Chapter 69: Kingdom of Caerleon (6)

"Defenseless? Those wolves you helped ruined our crops! And that land was the only livelihood we had! Now that we cannot pay our taxes and feed our families, what do you want us to do!"

The conversation became a heated battle, with the rest of the mercenary group appearing beside the man. There were four of them, with the remaining five missing in action. I suspect that most of them waited outside this guild. Or they did not want to show up at all.

But that did not matter right now, since a battle may appear soon. And that fight included us on the line. We had no choice but to clash our fists against each other, despite all these people watching around us.

However, before any of us could land a hit, Galehaut interfered between us with a magic barrier. Although the protective spell had a mediocre arcane, it was still enough to block our physical attacks.

"Do not fight inside the guild. You will endanger everyone living in the shelter. Look around you! Can't you see the people affected by your crude actions?" Galehaut chided, and looked at the mercenary.

He knew I did not start the battle. But it was still my fault for acting aggressively against the mercenary. My pride had gotten in the way, and the only communication that would reach the man was my own fists.

Well, that was what I thought.

Fenrir and Merleen were also on their guard in case something terrible might happen. Fortunately for everyone, the tension collapsed, with the people exhaling in relief after witnessing the scene.

Although those villagers desperately wanted to retort, they abided by Galehaut's words and resumed their daily activities without uttering a word. Pointing out the mistakes and the potential threat of the battle would have done nothing but more chaos in the group.

The entire event was a perfect example of peace within the people and their village. Their unity made my mouth gaped in awe, while comparing them to the people back on Earth.

However, that train of thought got interrupted when the mercenary turned his back and walked out of the building. He slammed the door shut, with his two henchmen following close behind.

"What was that about? Are they picking up a fight they can't win?!" Fenrir growled, while baring her teeth and claws.

It was a good thing that the people watching us thought those pointed objects were only weapons. Considering Fenrir already had those nails attached to her body, they acted as a weapon from afar. If they knew Fenrir was not a human, they would have fled from this place, asking for help from those guards. Despite their conflicts with the kingdom, the villagers despised these monsters.

It was because of their name and classifications. The people called them monsters for wreaking havoc on their crops and agricultural lands. And those beasts we claimed as fiends continued to take pride in destroying the environment.

But not everyone had that same goal as Fenrir…. That thought was something I wanted to believe throughout our journey.

After the event, Galehaut guided us towards the rooms and showed us the way. We walked towards a hallway in silence, afraid of saying anything that would furthermore cause an uproar.

Within a few minutes, all of us arrived at the farthest door that had the same look from all the thirty rooms we passed by. All of those studious people had a family staying inside.

If I had to guess it right, those families were relatives of adventurers willing to fight against the kingdom. Since they were going on the front lines, Galehaut ordered the guild to reserve these spaces. Hence, they stay inside a room, unlike those villagers living in the lobby.

I finally broke the noiseless atmosphere and struck Galehaut with a question, "Why are you so kind to our team? We just planned on accepting your errands, and yet you're giving us a room to stay? I could keep this thought at the back of my mind, but I wanted to know your purpose. You're not helping random adventurers and providing them with a decent home out of charity, are you? Those villagers in the lobby need this room more than us…"

Although I already knew the answer, I wanted the words to come out from Galehaut. Since he gave us this room and future meals from helping their errands, it was still a dubious offer for me.

Nobody would help someone and give them a room with nothing in return. Although our team promised to run errands and tasks that the villagers needed, we never promised on helping the civil war.

Although the tyrant king could have done terrible things to the people, I lacked information to confirm those happenings. I wanted to become a hero that everyone could depend on when the skies turned blue. But if I did not know the context, I could not help those who were in need.

And besides, I did not want to make an enemy out of the kingdom by helping villagers fight their rights. Although I called myself a hero, fighting an entire kingdom was on another different level.

Galehaut met my gaze and stared into my eyes. He knew that my statement had a serious note that struck his mind. Before he could answer my question, he took a deep breath and calmed his nerves.

Within a few minutes, Galehaut finally gathered his thoughts and spelt the meaning behind his actions.

"I know where you're getting at. And I know this is not the right thing for me to do…. I will be honest, I want to get on your good side. Since the three of you have extraordinary powers, we want to recruit you in this upcoming fight... but if you still reject the idea despite witnessing the scene, you may do what you seem to fit. I... just want to do everything that I can as a chief to gather powerful forces against the Kingdom of Caerleon...… forgive me for acting directly on behalf of my people. But, also, be aware that your help in doing minor tasks still hastens our progress… I would love to commend your work starting tomorrow."

Besides Galehaut's speech and answers, he cleared his throat and looked me in the eye.

"Please forgive us, Arthur. You're our guests, and yet my people caused you trouble," Galehaut apologetically said, while lowering his head in embarrassment. "That group is our finest team that fights against the Caerleon's knights. Those mercenaries were the only ones that could stand their ground against those soldiers in hand-to-hand combat and magic. However, since losing their two couple of leaders, that group fell into ruins. None of them had the motivation to attend meetings about overthrowing the kingdom."

I shook my head and retorted, "No. You did nothing wrong. We're actually thankful for the hospitality and kindness you brought to my team... In fact, those mercenaries are doing a great job of serving their people. We're the ones who should be sorry, since I…,"

"Since what?" Galehaut asked.

"I was the one who killed those two leaders... Those mercenaries fought a pack of wolves and their puppies. I couldn't bat an eye and leave the place. And before I knew it, I stood in front of the creature and protected it with all my might."

I could hear Fenrir snarl while listening at the back. Considering that she was the wolf I was talking about, Fenrir must have disliked listening to the past. If it were not for me, those mercenaries would have injured the puppies by now. Thanks to my interference, those adorable pups get to live for another day.

And Fenrir's pride would not allow her to accept that fact. She was a stubborn beast with a prideful heart, much like any other monster.

After hearing our reply, Galehaut ceased to give his answer. He just opened the door for us to go inside and introduced us to the room's interior. It was as if the conversation we had earlier vanished from our history log.

When Galehaut concluded his introduction, he went outside and said his goodbyes without touching the conversation. He left the topic at bay and never grasped it again. It was a big deal to both sides, considering we took down one of their powerful mercenaries.

But it felt like Galehaut did not care about his people…. since he never wanted revenge or asked for further details about the event.

"And just like that, he walked away. I suspect he is hiding something from us, Arthur…. Not that I care, though," Fenrir expressed her concerns as she buried herself around the pillows.

That hound went to the bed and used all the spaces that she could. Within a few seconds, Fenrir blasts continuous snores, telling us she already fell asleep.

"What a wolf you are," I remarked, and shook my head.

But it was already too late, and I did not want to wake her up. Merleen went to my side and waited for my instructions. This girl would listen to everything I said and did not want to burden me, unlike Fenrir.