The entire room was filled with bitter taste. As everyone except for the two laying on the floor, even the messenger is half way there.
"Spare me! I'll tell you what you want!"
The messenger laid on the ground. With his trembling feet and low effort to keep moving backwards. The floor around him was wet, and he smelled eerily like urine.
"What have you come here for?". Arthur came closer and stared at his eyes with his face of endless darkness. "Third rate cliche.", he whispered.
"I have come to deliver the usual goods!"
"Goods? I am new here, do tell me."
"I have brought the stone swords, logs, and children. I have also come to get the offerings."
What came out of the messenger's mouth was way too surprising. It was too much shock to be said in a single sentence.
"Lead me to it immediately!"
The messenger ran fast, it seems like he wanted to escape even at the least amount of possibilities.
With the information Arthur got, he already knew he had to reset or to learn more about these people.
Even the Saintess which could be argued as his sole closest in the village dared no hesitation to aim her sword at him in one command.
"I'll save right now."
[You Have Gained 10 Exp][26x]
Arthur went back to the first save he made coming into this village [First Conversation].
After leaving the village, Arthur went to the forest and settled there. This entire situation was something Arthur will never ever do. Is this even him...
"Never said I was an idiot, that was just an insult from my playfulness." I repeat this is not a 4th wall break series.
Arthur left obvious traces on where he went.
Just after a few hours, Arthur went to sleep. And what happened was what he definitely, not expected, yet wanted...
"Arthur!" Came running and shouting was the Saintess.
Arthur woke up from his fake sleep, and went towards the Saintess. "What is it Saintess? I am truly-".
"Shut up and get out of here, the village has ordered a hunt for you, they are behind me right now!". With the improved eye sight of Arthur he can clearly see the goblins. But he can defeat them with no problem so he showed no interest.
What he was interested in was the Saintess. It wasn't what you incel thinks, it was interest from how she acted. Just a few hours ago, when he met the messenger, she raised her sword at him with no hesitation. But right now with just a day of knowing each other, and are basically strangers, she was trying to protect him...
Arthur didn't move.
"Go! Go! What are you doing!"
"You know they can hear you, you will be treated as a traitor."
"I am the Saintess, I can't be a traitor." Once again, that makes some sort of sense. But it makes sense, if the people following it have 0 actual sanity. But he has spent lots of time with the goblins, he does know they only follow orders and are basically robots trying to have emotions.
The goblins were only a few meters close, the Saintess repeatedly told Arthur to go, but he just didn't budge. Then, the Saintess changed.
She stabbed him. She didn't talk at all but just attacked him. Arthur removed himself from the sword plunged in his stomach. The goblins arrived and including the Saintess they yelled. "Hunt the monster!".
All Arthur could think of was... "Fine, I can't be such an idiot for far too long." Said, Arthur, in a very cringy tone. "Only when I can!". And that in his normal idi- playful tone.
Arthur wanted to go back now, he had gathered all he wanted. In one simple conclusion. They were-
"Cursed, or manipulated..."
...
"By the way I can win."
Arthur went and chased the messenger leaving the goblins passed out.
But as Arthur walked slowly to act in a mature and cri- cool manner, the messenger was nowhere to be found. But only the goblins who don't seem to be hostile to him were left.
But there was another thing left other than the ones who were originally here. It was the carriages. That first was carrying the broken stone swords, which answered where they get swords without blacksmiths. There was also a transport cart filled with logs.
Then lastly, a disgusting taste to the mouth that can last for days. Thankfully he had no mouth. Were 5 baby goblins that the female adults we're carrying.
Arthur went ahead and talked to these five women.
"Congratulations for your new born babies."
"Thank you Cheiftan." Truly disgusting. These people don't even birth their own children. This gave more questions than answers. Whose children are they really.
"Cheiftan, the messenger left without taking the offerings, did something happen?". A man pulling a cart of butchered dead animals.
"They let us off this time, to congratulate my preferment." The goblin went away and stashed the animals back at the storage. Arthur was now cautious of these people he supposedly ruled.
But as the messenger ran away and escaped, it was for sure going to report to the king. So before anything happens. Arthur will just relax more, because he has used too much of his brain power for the day.
"Waaaaahhhhh, that was a tiring day.". Arthur left the "supplies" alone to the goblins. Arthur isn't necessarily an upright man, but he can be disgusted by morally wrong acts.
Arthur went back to his chamber and waited till the Saintess came in. He called the Saintess to see what she would have to say. But unlike what he expected, of her to turn back normal. A different goblin entered.
"We have killed the traitors chieftain.". Arthur slapped his face, and he realized, he should not have let go of the messenger.
Arthur went back and caught the messenger before he could even leave the village. Arthur hung the messenger on top of the hall and laughed at him.
Though of course this action would lead for the entire village to attack him, it felt worth it.
[You Have Gained 10 Exp][x172]
Arthur finally did it the right way, by not even letting the messenger get outside the hall.
Arthur captured the messenger and tied him to the chair. He waited till the fainted goblins woke up.
"As soon as they wake up, cancel your order, will ya."
"Yes! Of-course!". With trembling hands and feet. With his chest so tight blood spilled from his mouth. Was Arthur really that terrifying. Well glad to have him wonder that too.
"Don't be so scared, I am not that dangerous you know.". As the point of view of the messenger was filled with a crawling black figure. With vine-like stems melting in his face. As Arthur's body glowed in red, and his body twisted in unnatural ways, the messenger fainted.
"Oh come on, that was supposed to be a joke.".
Arthur slapped the messenger just in time for the others to wake up.
"Stop your attack! You are all dismissed."
The goblins left the hall, and only the two were left. "Well, I didn't even tell you to do that, well done."
The royal messenger, is not normal either. Even after all he went through, he still had the balls to act confidently in front of Arthur.
"What are you?!". Asked by the messenger.
"Well, as you would die already... I am being brought by the Gods, to kill you!". It was a twist on reality, but technically it was correct.
Arthur circled the man as he placed him in the middle.
"Well unfortunately for you, you are not strong enough to defeat the kingdom."
"And how do you know that." Arthur intimidated the man again.
"Simple... Can you cut a mountain?". That response surely made Arthur jump. But if it was only that, he can always just challenge the king.
"Oh, and that is just the weakest of the-".
[You Have Gained 10 Exp]
Arthur got what he wanted, but not everything. As more information sure could have been gathered, he could not really capture the messenger.
And as Arthur was far too angry at the mission again, to continue anymore.
"For the first year I could choose, this world sure has overpowered beings in it!".
Arthur burned the hall, and as the goblin gathered to ask him about it, he responded. "Sorry but the royal messenger died in the fire.". Of course it was a weak excuse, but these goblins would believe anything a superior says.
Arthur repeated the rest of what he did previously to greet the new parents and stash the "offerings" back to the storage. After all that he rested the whole day.
The next day Arthur just did nothing, not even improving his kingdom. All Arthur did was stay still. Sometimes checking his status or not. But other than that, he just stood. For 2 days he did nothing.
And all the reason for this came on the 3rd day. As Arthur climbed the tower he made, that was double the height of the other archer towers, and double the size, Arthur saw a marching army.
It was an army of goblins, but it was not a huge number. It was only an army of around 50. Which makes sense if a royal messenger that doesn't even have a shut mouth is just valued that low. But that was of course not the case.
Arthur rushed the marching goblins. He jumped off the tower and landed on the ground.
"Well time to ki-
A huge wave of a blade in wind instantly blew to Arthur's direction.
[You Have Died]