Chapter 76: Protecting the Village

I brought my heavy heart outside and caught some fresh air. The best way to calm me down was to stare at the brilliant stars filling the clouds. Well, that idea was what I had read from an article before arriving at this place.

But that did not stop my brain from thinking too pessimistically.

Every star in the night sky resembled the children dying from the room. And the moon, which served as the parent, guided those children. However, that did not stop from there. That poetic meaning never helped me conquer the bittersweet image of those who needed help.

I had this power to help them. And yet, I kept avoiding my beliefs.

And this situation required my hand to save their lives. I, who promised not to involve myself in the kingdom's affair, had to step in. If I wanted to save everyone, this village would be the perfect chance to redeem myself.

But the throbbing pain never left my heart as I wandered off the buzzing streets.

The outer borders had a limited budget to cater themselves for food and shelter. Some people lived on the streets, while others had houses without roofs. I realised this before when I first arrived at this place. But now that I paid close attention to these details, the scenery weighed heavier than before.

I reached the latter parts of the citadel. Those people did not experience any problems that these villagers had. I could even remember those knights and middle-class people strolling the town without a care for the world.

It reminded me of the world I lived in on Earth. Despite the modern technologies we had, there were still people starving on the streets. Some of them even died from malnutrition, since they could not grab any food.

Poverty struck the farmers the most, and the town was far from modern civilization. The government dealt with the issue, but their efforts were questionable. But that meant nothing to me right now.

Since I was just a student from my previous world, I could not help other people. And when I lent some money to those financially challenged, they would just spend it away on drugs.

But right now, everything has changed. I had the power to move people's hearts with my enhanced arcane. This world granted me a system which dialled all my senses to eleven. And if I don't do something about this situation, it would be my fault. I would blame myself for it.

"This place is the reality we lived in."

A voice called out my attention from the shadows. As I turned around, Galehaut met my eyes and waved his hand.

"Don't feel alarmed, Arthur. It's just me, Galehaut. I found you here, strolling around the empty streets," the chief said calmly. "Why don't you eat some light breakfast and some tea. Come! I could prepare you something inside my home."

I shook my head and politely declined the offer. But Galehaut insisted and grabbed my hand, dragging me towards an unfamiliar street. I could say nothing after that situation, considering that Galehaut was the chief of this town.

As soon as I arrived at the chief's house, his child approached and hugged his thighs. Galehaut's wife went outside the kitchen and greeted her husband.

"Dear, what happened? It's already late! You and our son should sleep right now," Galehaut's wife nagged.

Despite her scolding the chief, Galehaut remained smiling at her while hugging her. His wife could not release Galehaut's temptation, so she squeezed back tight and held his head.

"You brought a guest, dear! Oh, let me prepare the tea and the snacks," Galehaut's wife exclaimed, and zoomed back inside the kitchen.

After a few seconds, dozens of wooden utensils and pans slammed each other. Within a few moments more, a dark cloud emerged from the other room.

"Dear, what are you doing?! I thought you're making some snacks, not some ritual!" Galehaut cried, and went inside the kitchen.

The couple talked inside the room for a long time before fixing things. I waited with the kid, who sat there on a make-shift couch, waiting for his parents. He stole some glimpses in my direction, but never asked me about anything. That kid just accepted a stranger inside his house without questioning everything.

I started the conversation and tried entertaining myself with the matter. But as soon as I went to the child, Galehaut emerged from the door covered with ashes and burnt food. I did not want to ask, but the kid gave it to me.

"Father, what happened to you?! You look horrible!"

The kid had to do it. Although I tried to keep it to myself, I could not help but laugh at the scene. I also never felt pressured about anything at all when I was with Galehaut's family. And since Merleen and Fenrir were still fast asleep, I had the time to think before doing something crazy.

"You finally laugh, Arthur. I thought you lost it when I met you outside the shelter," Galehaut remarked, while giving me a wink.

The chief was not wrong about his comments. It was my first time to feel devastated about my powers and role as a hero. I wanted to help those little guys inside the shelter, but my powers limited me from doing anything.

After getting tons of nerfed to this character, I could not move as well as I wanted. My main account allowed me to cast spells like magic, dealing enormous damage without swinging my sword. Clarent also owned the monsters without leaving their chances to win!

Before the match could even start, I already won my battles. My enemies did nothing but stare at their inevitable death.

And that changed when I arrived in this world.

"I couldn't help them… My powers are not enough to save you or those people. I have a lot of things to do... There's this sword I need to take from the demons... And yet, these people need me," I voiced my concerns, while staring at the table.

A plate slid in front of me, which alerted my senses. My body jerked backwards and gazed at the person who placed it at my fore. Galehaut's wife met my eyes while giving me a smirk, telling me to eat my share.

Upon staring at the meal, my mouth generated a waterfall of saliva. It cascaded down to my pants and ended up soiling my thighs. But that did not stop me from filling my stomach with the curry that Galehaut's family made for me.

"You can't think well with an empty stomach. My family and I must apologise for the meal. Since we cannot get more ingredients from the market, we ended up using our share of relief goods."

"This tastes delicious!" I exclaimed, and cleaned the plate within seconds! "Food is food. And from where I came from, we treated meals as our saving grace!"

After eating our fill, the child became drowsy and ended up sleeping on Galehaut's shoulder. He carried his boy to his wife's hands. The chief's wife fetched their child towards their bedroom, leaving us alone to talk one-on-one.

And now that we stored some food inside our abdomens, it was time for us to talk. Galehaut and I continued talking about our plans for the future and my decision about the village.

"So, what are you going to do now that you know our environment?" Galehaut asked, while lighting tobacco on his hands.

I fell silent for a while, considering all the chances I could face when I accepted the chief's offer. But if I turned a blind eye to the people, my superhero ideals would haunt my brain forever.

Those children and villagers in the shelter would die because of blood loss and other complications. This world did not have any skilled doctors to tend to their needs. And the only thing that these people needed right now was the potion.

The Merchant had the solution in the tip of his hands. However, he only made two potions, which was clearly not enough to save everyone. We needed more money and labour to prepare these sets of potions.

That tyrant king of Caerleon filled his eyes with greedy intentions. The crown wanted to steal the potion and use it for his army. He also wanted to force Merchant to become his slaves, since he was the inventor in this world.

And Fenrir made it worse. Although we all hated the king, Fenrir jumped into action and killed two elite soldiers in a flash. I had to stop Fenrir from killing more people, which led to our battle.

Despite these happenings, the king was at fault. If he cared about his citizens, nothing terrible could have happened! Instead, that crowned leader wanted greed more than anything in this world, regardless of the Albion.

I knew Fenrir would not support my cause since she wanted me to guide her to the demon lord kingdom. However, I could not abandon these people who needed someone to protect them from the king. If I had to guess it right, tomorrow would be the judgement day for these villagers.

The king of Caerleon would order his soldiers to attack the outer village and consider them as threats to the kingdom.