As soon as the fight ended, all the surrounding people returned to their normal reaction. It happened because the spell broke when I rendered Meliodas unconscious.
After heaving out my last sigh, I knelt on the ground and desperately tried to pick myself from the ground. All my muscles inside my body twisted themselves, giving me some colossal pain. I even groaned while caressing my skin, covered in scars and wounds from the musical blast.
"What was that power…. I received?" I asked myself, while gazing at my bastard sword.
Clarent only increased my powers if my deed coincided with that righteous chivalry. However, when Meliodas hurt my partner, my mind went blank and turned berserk against Meliodas. My emotions took the better out of me and controlled my mind while fighting the bard.
All my thoughts clouded me with negative ideas, wanting to kill the person who hurt my girl. And that line of thinking did not touch the kind gestures of Clarent, considering my inner desires.
But despite those evil thoughts, I still gained that power, even greater than those of Clarent. If my sword gave me these buffs, my system would have notified me. However, that was not the case, since I received no notifications from my system. Nothing appeared in my sight, except for the dark entity floating before my eyes.
Coincidentally, that event happened when I activated my dark magic out of my body. When those obsidian aurae appeared on my face, clouding my senses. And when that happened, those distinct powers came into me, amplifying all my abilities.
It was as if everything got dialled to eleven, strengthening me more than ever before. And when I realised it, I already defeated Meliodas using that borrowed power.
"It didn't come from Clarent….. Where did that come from?" I asked another question, but no one gave me the answer.
I brushed off those thoughts and focused on my surroundings. I needed to check the battle's aftermath, considering the fight against Meliodas. He was not as strong as the tyrant king. But Meliodas was still a formidable foe that I fought on my journey.
Since the innocent people got affected by our fight, they all rose from the ground and looked at the surroundings. Those villagers finally met my eyes, wondering what had happened.
But before they could say and think anything terrible, Fisher went in front of me and interrupted their thoughts. "These two men did nothing wrong! They fought because they had a small argument! And these two men saved us by putting ourselves asleep! That spell actually replenished our strength. So don't forget to thank them after they feel rested. For now, please return to your designated spots. Work hard, but don't forget to take breaks in between."
The crowd believed the soldier's words and gave him a nod. After listening to Fisher's words, all the villages returned to the town. They said nothing but kind words to us as they went back to their houses.
"Why did you do that?" I asked. "Why did you lie to them when Meliodas could harm everyone and nearly kill you?"
Fisher heaved out a sigh and nudged me onward. "I will answer all of your questions inside the guild. For now, you should get some rest and contain your friend. You are welcomed inside the village…. You look tired, young man. And thank you for saving our lives."
As soon as Fisher said his fill, he and his wife went along with the villagers. They wanted to help me with my friends. However, Fisher and his partner knew I should explain everything he said to them. And those two were also leaders of that village. Since they held some title to their name, they needed their presence to calm everything down inside that town.
Fisher turned back around and gestured for me to follow him back. I nodded at him and went to my friends to tell them what would happen from now on.
Merleen suffered minor injuries from the battle, especially from the sound waves. Fortunately, Merleen was still conscious even after that, but couldn't hear anything but ringing in her ears. According to my system, that condition would continue after a few hours of rest. As luck would have it, that illness was still reversible inside this world.
I did not know any sign language to help Merleen. And even if I learned them, Merleen wouldn't know their meanings.
I did what I could to tell them about our situation. And for starters, I nonverbally gesture to Merleen to help me carry Meliodas towards the town.
After talking with Merleen, I went towards Fenrir and inspected her condition. Since she had the genes of a wolf, Fenrir heard all those blasts with doubled intensity. It only meant that Fenrir's ears multiplied the damage she received, which knocked her out for a while.
I also had to carry Fenrir on my back, together with the sleeping Meliodas. Thankfully, Fenrir was strong enough to handle Meliodas' weight, even with those slim arms. Well, I could argue that Merleen used some light enhancement magic to conjure a barrier. And that wall was the one carrying Meliodas' body as we walked on the lively road.
Even after experiencing that battle, the villagers still flashed a smile at us. They were all working hard on their fields but stopped by to greet our faces. I returned their kind gesture and smiled back at them, together with Merleen by my side.
As soon as we entered the village, some people greeted us.
"Sir Fisher wants to talk to you. We will escort you towards the guild. He prepared a ban," the scouts said, and lowered their heads.
"Raise your heads. We're nothing but guests to your village," I answered, and motioned my fingers. "And I also wanted to ask this, but…..is that guild perhaps an adventurer guild?"
Those two scouts shook their heads and answered, "No. This guild Fisher made is a home to us who wants to protect the village! It's not something that Camelot has, but it's still a barracks that teaches people how to fight."
I accepted their offer and let these scouts lead the way. After a few minutes, we arrived at the guild that Fisher told us. It was not the adventurer guild that I expected. It was an organization inside this village that acted as a camp for soldiers, like in Camelot. But since they cannot receive the king's blessings as a knight, these villagers would not have the class. Instead of calling themselves soldiers, these people enrolled in that guild would just become guardians of this village.
It was like the scouts had mentioned earlier. Children and young adults held a wooden sword, which they swung in front of them. Dozens of screams echoed around our vicinity that belonged to the youths practising the sword.
As we entered the gates, the scouts left us be and told us to wait for Fisher. Within a few moments, the soldier arrived, together with his elegant wife at his side. He still wore his armour even inside this building. I could only guess that Fisher would always show up in a fight if the village got under attack.
"I introduced myself before, but I will do it again," the soldier exclaimed, as he placed his hand near his chest. "My name is Fisher Fling. This is my lovely wife, Gwen Fling. We are honoured to greet you youngsters who saved my children's lives. As you may all know, the villagers anointed me as their chief. And since they trusted me with this position, I would do as I could to help my village. I am also a knight from the Camelot Kingdom. But since I married Gwen, I relocated my duty in this village. We are not part of the kingdom or.... Al. Nothing."
Fisher's last words spelt "Albion", which was the group that the kingdom's alliance named. That information remained a secret from the mass. However, when that word got mentioned in the fight, Fisher had his doubts about me. Fisher might be a knight with high status since he knew about that news.
The soldier asked me a question before giving me the spotlight. "I'd like to hear your reasons first, why you know about Albion. Are you a spy from a traitorous kingdom? Or are you a demon disguised as a knight…. like me?"
Fisher asked such a delicate question to me. If the kings of Albion heard his query, they would strip off Fisher from his status as a knight. No one should mention anyone as a traitor of Albion. I remembered reading that from the community before arriving in this world.
I also lowered my head while introducing our names. "My name is Arthur Wyllt. That girl with the staff is my…. lover, Merleen. The girl wearing black clothing is Fenrir. And the bard is Meliodas."
Before Fisher could say anything to me, I interposed his words and exclaimed, "Forgive us, Fisher, for the troubles we caused. Meliodas has a dark past, and I would like to keep that confidential."