Chapter 91: Victory Road

Everyone expected to disappear and meet with their loved ones on the other side of this world. It was as if those dark spheres became the grim reapers that invited our deaths. And those spells would abruptly kill us within seconds, which was the most anticipated thing we wanted right now.

An... Unbearable pain that would end our lives instantly, without fail.

However, the world answered my prayers when these dark bubbles vanished from sight. As I opened my eyes, Green stood tall in front of me, staring into my eyes. He still had Clarent clipped in his dominant hand, while the bastard sword rested on the ground.

"We won… Arthur… We won."

Those were the few words Green told me before the king could pass out. As soon as the crowned bloke closed his eyes, the darkened barrier also vanished, allowing us to enter inside. Despite my worn-out muscles, I stood from the ground and went towards Green. I dragged my feet away, with my good arm caressing the injured one.

"We won….," I repeated, while nudging his hand. "It was all thanks to-."

"You," Interrupted Green. "I did nothing. In fact, you're the one who gave me this sword."

"But you're the one who's standing here. You protected everyone else, Green... You saved this kingdom!" I announced, while looking at Green with puzzling eyes.

I, who had not lived inside this town, wanted to protect the people inside of it. I did not care if I was not one of them. As long as someone needed my help, I would gladly defend them with my life.

"Arthur…. I…. I almost failed. I almost killed everyone," Green retorted, while shaking his head. "I know we need to win. But we could have lost the match because of me…"

"Slow down, man. What's wrong? Tell me. You knocked out the tyrant king and stopped his wrongdoings…. What do you mean?"

"Do you know why I lost my grip on Clarent? That sword…. that sword knew I wasn't ready to win. There was a moment that I wanted to kill the king with my two hands. After all, he had said, I wanted to take my revenge against him, even after now… But when I realised that, I lost my power. I lost all the power you gave me because of my selfish desires. We won the match, but at what cost? I had to give up my vengeance to save the villagers…. But I couldn't save my comrades who died because of this bastard king," Green confessed, while staring at the unconscious king.

I stared at Clarent and asked, "Do you know why you're still holding that sword?"

"No," Green replied.

"It's because that sword chose you to be its wielder. Only a few individuals could handle the power of Clarent. And you're one of them, Green," I said, and finally answered his question. "As soon as you recognised your mistakes, Clarent gave you another chance to use again. Not everyone has a second chance, especially a hero. From where I came from, we don't have any heroes. But right now, you proved me wrong. You're a hero to their eyes, Green. It'd be unfair for them if you don't recognise yourself as one."

Upon saying my fill, Green glanced behind me and witnessed the villagers. Those people participated in this fight and stood their ground. Some of them cast protective spells to protect everyone from harm before Green could finish the king off.

After a few seconds, everyone cheered for all of us who fought against the king. They did not know our names, but those villagers praised our presence. Those children and injured people smiled at us while waving their hands, inviting us over to their side.

"Come on, Green. They're waiting for you," I said, and turned around.

I planned on leaving him be with the rest of the villagers and mercenaries waiting for him. Since my team was not part of this town, I did not want to join in their celebration. We were just wanderers who had saved them from despair.

There was no ideal thing we could do but give hope to people who needed it the most.

But before I left him, Green snatched my hand and placed my sword between my fingers. Clarent, my favourite weapon, latched itself onto my fingers. It chose me as its master once again, despite helping Green from this battle.

"What? I-I thought….,"

"This sword belongs to you. I've learned so much from wielding that weapon. It filled up my holes and shortcomings as a warrior…. and as a hero. Thank you, Arthur, for teaching me the consequences of my actions."

After Green had said those words, he averted his gaze and stared at the king besides his feet, "This king…. Despite killing off my friends, I cannot kill him or make the king suffer…. If I wanted that to happen, it would bring me no lesser than him."

As soon as I heard his remarkable speech, he went to my side and pushed me back forward. Green grinned at me and urged me to raise my hand. I followed his instructions and waited for something to happen.

"You are cheering for the wrong person! This man saved us all! He, who is not a part of this place, became our family! Let us cheer him on and praise his name!"

"Arthur!"

"ARTHUR!"

"ARTHUR!"

"MERLEEN AND ARTHUR!"

"Don't forget about Fenrir!"

"FENRIR!? LOOK AT HER!"

"SHE LOOKS SO SCARY BUT PROTECTED US!"

Those were some cheers that the villagers pronounced when I raised my hands. I could not help myself but feel delighted about this situation. I, who felt useless and powerless against monsters and evil beings, found a purpose in my life.

It did not matter if I had powers or not…. As long as I could have a good heart, everything could be possible.

"Those soldiers who believed in the king, what do you want to do? Now that we have the upper hand, do you still choose to fight or surrender?" Green shouted, while scanning the place with all those soldiers watching the scene.

Some knights and mages surrendered after hearing Green's words. Those who wanted to protect the king got locked by Fenrir, who worked in the shadows. Green's teammates also pinned down some soldiers who still wanted to attack the shelter, claiming that the king's orders were absolute.

By the time that the army went to us, they asked Green about their future. "What will happen to us if we believe in you? We worked for the king, but all of us had no choice but to listen to his demands. If we didn't, that bastard would have done something to our family."

"I can't promise you anything. But I assure you that nobody could get hurt as soon as we dethrone this king. Tell us the location of that cell, and we will free your families in an instant," Green announced, while waving his hands. "From this day forward, Arthur will become the next ruler of Caerleon! I will become his right-hand man or supervisor! We cannot let this king rule anymore, considering what he wanted to do with these injured people! Although we haven't found an answer yet to the famine, Arthur and I will come up with a plan to save this kingdom!"

I blinked a million times and shouted, "A-A-A-A KIIING?! Woah, Woah, Green. If there's one thing I could call myself, that ain't a king! I cannot rule! All my elementary and high school classmates mocked me every time I became the leader! Nobody listens to me!"

"High School and elementary?" Green asked.

"Just… some jargon. Anyway, the thing is, I cannot be the next king!" I repeated. "We still need to meet with the demons! I cannot let them have the Excalibur in their hands, or else this world would perish even before the famine could kill us! Which is why Fenrir, Merleen, and I will continue our adventure and look for the demonic kingdom!"

Everyone gasped as soon as they heard my speech. These villagers walked backwards while holding their shivering hands. If there was one thing they feared the most, those were the demons on the other side of this world.

"An adventurer? But how are we going to lead these people?" Green asked.

A light bulb emerged above my head as I announced something that would blow their minds. "Why not make Green the king of Caerleon? I mean, he's strong, intelligent, and has the charisma for it? And most importantly, you guys would follow him, right?! After all, he wants nothing but the betterment of you, people!"

Everyone cheered Green's name as soon as they heard he would become their new ruler. I instantly backfired Green's statement and shifted the responsibility to Green. Since we had a quest to complete, there was no chance for me to idle around this kingdom.

As soon as the villagers preoccupied themselves with Green, I went to Merleen and checked her up.