I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

"But that's the problem. Who would do such a thing and leave their valuables behind?" I answered, and told my friend to follow me. "It feels like we stumbled upon a trap...But Lara sent us here? Those villagers could also be the ones who trapped her. I don't know"

Before I could even process my thoughts, a shout echoed from a distance. That voice came from a girl around our age, but not in our group.  It didn't come from Lara or someone we knew. That sound came from someone else, since my eardrums didn't recognize that tone. 

And we assumed the voice came from the villagers outside, where my comrades searched the vicinity.

The two of us retreated outside and went to the sound's origin. But upon arriving at the set, my comrades were already kissing the ground. Luckily, my system notified me that none of them died from the sudden attack. But my system never gave any descriptions about my friend's status. Even my friend beside me couldn't deduce what had happened to our comrades lying on the ground.

The two of us hunched that someone cast a spell or put them in a trance. But even after guessing, we still had more problems on our plate. The two of us still needed to deal with these guests, staring at our figures. 

As my comrade and I lifted our faces, three girls and one male greeted our eyes. Those four people wore the same clothing, just like a villager would inside a town. None of these people armed themselves with a weapon or a wand. These villagers also didn't have any magic inside of them, which made my friend and I widened our eyes. 

Our systems just detected four people gawking at us like statues found on shrines. But none of them had mana or any status that could make them a threat to our well-being. 

Albeit that's what we saw, we didn't let our eyes deceive us. My comrade and I still raised our guard and performed our protective stance. 

My comrade beside me also used a blade, but a shorter one. He used two daggers that the bloke playfully twirled around his hands like toys for children's use. I also let out my sword, which would aid me anywhere I go.

I took the first step and communicated with the villagers before us. "What happened here? These are my friends. Can you explain to us what happened? We are armed, and you are not. We do not want any trouble."

Although these villagers showed up in front of us, it didn't mean they were the culprit. My mercenary and I didn't want to cause some trouble and fight anyone that looked suspicious. If there was one thing that Arthur taught me, it was valuing other people's lives. And saving those people as long as our powers permitted to.

I applied that thought as soon as I said what I wanted to say.

The four villagers exchanged looks and nodded to themselves. One villager also walked forward and lowered his head.

"Are you Green?" the villager spoke, whilst still looking at the ground.

My friend made a jerk after hearing my name from this villager. But I kept the situation civil and maintained our posture.

With a perplexed look, I nodded and gave the man my answer, "Yes. My name is Green Knight, a mercenary and the King of Caerleon. If you know me, you must have known what happened here? And while we're at it, you should probably also know about Lara….She's also a mercenary. Our friend."

Despite my lengthy explanation, these villagers stared at me like fish out of water. They refused to give us their reply and continued gawking at our figures, with the exception of this man.

But little did I know something terrible would happen. 

The man who lowered his head prepared a smell below our feet. Fortunately, my comrade noticed some runes appeared in the soil and warned me about the magic. But my comrade didn't make it on time as the enchanted circles activated themselves and discharged a beam.

The radiance travelled at our figures, targeting the two of us. As luck would have it, my cormade had already shoved me to the other side, which made me evade the beam. That light zoomed across the land from where I stood and continued piercing through the land. It continued for a few moments and never gave any signs of coming back in our direction.

When the light hit my comrade, my friend fell on the ground. He joined the rest of my teammates and slept on the ground without a care for this world. My friend sacrificed himself and took the damage to save me from the radiation. And since I was the only one left, I needed to battle these villagers without any help. 

I couldn't get close to my mercenary friend, since there could be some side effects from the ability. I maintained my distance and inspected those villagers for their next move.

The villager that struck my comrade leapt from the ground and returned with the three girls. Those women still didn't do anything for this battle, which made me showered with beads of sweat. I couldn't contain my nervousness as it made my legs wobble like a slime. 

Despite my cowardly thoughts, I needed to save my comrades and dispel the magic cast upon them.

"What did you do to them!?" I asked, while pointing my sword. "I could undo this spell as soon as I appraise it! I have some cards in my sleeve. And you guys won't like it!" 

After hearing my words, those villagers remained silent throughout my warnings. It was as if the four of them welcomed me to attack their figures with my sword.

A hint of doubt stretched across my mind, unsure if I should strike these people. But before displaying anything rash, I waited for my appraisal to happen. 

Within a few seconds, my system finally appeared before me. It described these four villagers and revealed the concealed status beside their names.

"Just like what I've expected….These people have systems….And they have the ability to conceal their systems? Arthur didn't notify me about this?....Did Arthur know about this or…." I mumbled to myself.

Something was definitely not right about this situation. Arthur claimed that he was the only one who had the system. He was also the only person to share that power with us, since it came directly to him. The people who had this power were Arthur's friends and my comrades. It only included the people we trusted, since it was a powerful tool we could use to save people's lives.

However, that thought had a different story. Suddenly, these four villagers had systems. And these four could also conceal their powers without applying anything at all! 

"Did you know anything about Arthur?" I asked.

But I wasted my saliva, which bought enough time for the villagers to control my movements. These four people conjured another set of magic circles below my feet without my knowledge. Despite standing before me, these villagers already activated their trap. They forced me inside an invisible dome that caged me inside. And upon attempting to blast it with my spells, my system alerted me.

[Caution! If the barrier breaks, anything inside will explode into bits!]

It was a trap that I had never seen or heard before throughout my mercenary years! This forcefield would be enough to cage the strongest criminals that my organizations throughout my years. And even with our systems, we couldn't escape from this jail made by those villagers.

"Release me at once! You are dealing with the King of Caerleon! If you can't release me, free my friends! They did nothing wrong to you! Take me instead!" I yelled, while banging my hands at the barrier.

The four villagers bowed in front of me…..No. Those villagers lowered their heads at the figure behind me.

Upon sensing someone's presence, I turned around and greeted that shape. Much to my surprise, a familiar face addressed my eyes. It was the girl my team had tried finding throughout this journey. But instead of a helpless woman my team and I had envisioned, Lara proudly stood behind me.

Lara wore the same clothing she had when she left the kingdom. She clipped her stave in her hands while returning my gaze. My body froze as I gawked at her blanked expression outside of my barrier. As soon as I regained my focus, I shook my head and asked Lara some questions.

"Why are you here? What's the meaning of this, Lara? I thought you needed our help!? After reading your note, we rushed to this place! We hope we could help you, Lara! What's the meaning of this?!" 

Lara's face softed upon hearing my voice. When she tried to open her mouth, a dark figure emerged beside her.

"Another king….." I mumbled, while lowering my arms. "All of you have systems?!"