I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Arthur's Point of View

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Before we could reach the demon lord's kingdom, we needed to pass through the Kingdom of Caerleon. Since Merleen and I needed to refill our nourishments, that city was the perfect candidate for our brief break.

However, the journey towards that place proved to be an arduous feat.

After telling all of that to Fenrir, that wolf girl crossed her arms. She afterwards growled at me for the entire exploration while baring her fangs in front of me. She maintained her figure for about three days, and until now. Although there was no point in creating mutual understanding with this girl, Fenrir would still be a part of our team.

It would be nice to establish some teamwork of some sort in this sudden formation of our group. That attitude could become a problem as soon as we step foot inside a problem.

That wolf girl would only talk to me when she wished for more food. Fenrir would ask for seconds while raising the make-shift bowl. Since she was the one hunting down the animals, I had no other choice but to cook in our temporary campsites.

"If I can't talk to Fenrir, maybe her stomach would listen to me," I murmured.

And that thought proved to be true to me. Every time I wanted something from Fenrir, I would just make a dish that came from my world. I had skills in cooking back from my world. But I watched tons of videos that lived up to my expectations.

With the help of the system, I could prepare dishes mixed with my culture and this world. Considering the bland taste of dishes from Magique, the spices found everywhere served as our salt in our nourishments.

I could also say that the meals I kept preparing were like our bread and butter in our everyday lives.

"Hey, Arthur. Aren't we walking around in circles?" Fenrir asked, with her eyes wandering around the forest.

"I know where we're going. Can't you have little faith in me, Fenrir? We're almost there. I promise," I retorted, while looking at the map shown by my system.

Merleen was the only one who remained calm, but vigilant in our group. She never complained about anything besides wanting to drink water and have breaks. Those pauses that we had looked like she planned it all along, given the time we walked around the place.

Although Fenrir was, technically, a wolf, we did not let her sniff the ground. I could not even imagine how Fenrir would react if she heard me suggest that. If worse comes to worst, Fenrir could chop my head off. She would then offer it to the cyclops down the road.

Instead, that wolf girl acted like a human being, walking beside us on foot and not on all fours. Fenrir's gigantic claws became razor nails that she always used as weapons. Those nails were even sharper than blades and had the height of a dagger.

Fenrir told me that walking like the rest of us would drive less attention from bandits. And using her wolf form would hunger for her for more, which would slow us down.

The three of us camped out on our fourth night, with the leaves as our only roof above us. Despite our struggles, I could say we were still fortunate enough to avoid terrible weather.

If the rain poured down while we were still on the road, we would have no other choice but to sit tight and wait for the next sun to shine.

We did our usual routines: Fenrir hunted domestic animals, Merleen plucked some spices, and I prepared the campfire. The three of us had roles to fulfil. If someone wanted to eat my cooked meal, all of us should work hard.

"Dinner is served! I called it mushroom soup with some meat in it. Dig in!" I announced, and handed them one bowl each.

However, I already knew that Fenrir was a heavy eater. So I added more content to her plate than usual.

Fenrir looked at me with confusing eyes when she saw the bowl. She thought I placed poison in her meal and ordered me to sip the soup. I did as Fenrir told and took a slurp at her share.

"It tastes the same to me," I answered, and returned the plate to her.

"This is unusual," Fenrir remarked. "You aren't stingy tonight, Arthur. I thought you told me to limit my food, since you're just a mere human? Why the change of heart?"

"It's because you're the one who is hunting our meal. I saw your efforts, and I rewarded them. Nothing more, and nothing less," I answered. "Also, I prepared seconds for the three of us because of Merleen."

I turned my face towards the mage girl and smiled. "You need to eat too, okay?"

Merleen replied to me with an "Mhm" while gobbling up the rest of her share. I took my spoon and tasted my homemade meal.

It was one hell of a ride as soon as the food entered my mouth. The ingredients I used in this world had a superior taste to those back from my hometown. Even without other spices, the soup went out normal than what I had initially expected.

After our exchange, Fenrir resumed eating the soup without constraints. She even took the seconds I reserved for her behind my back. Well, that bowl was for her. And I did not plan on eating three meals within the same night.

"Now, for the watch. I'll be the first one to check the perimeters while you two catch some snooze," I announced, and organised the dishes.

Since all I had to do was clean them up and keep them for next time, my job became easier. It was way more effortless than the ones I had on Earth.

"You're too kind, Arthur…. too... kind," Fenrir commented. "I will take you up on that offer."

Fenrir heeded my call and snuck out to her temporary bed. After a few minutes, blaring snore sounds came from her direction, almost startling every fibre inside my body. But thanks to Merleen's barrier, those sound waves remained inside her area.

The two of us won't be waking up from those noises for now… I hope so.

"You should get to bed too. It's getting quite late, Merleen."

"Are you sure you're fine on your own? For the past three days, you're always been the one who gets the first shift. I don't mind getting that throne from you, Arthur."

I couldn't get myself used to Merleen's sudden change of tone since the first time I met her. Merleen would always use the word "Merleen this" and "Merleen that" without saying the word "I".

But after defending me from the mercenaries, that mage girl steeled her confidence. She finally overcame that obstacle that hauled her down.

However, despite these changes, I never had the chance to ask her… I did, but Merleen refused to share it with me.

But now, we had all the time we needed in the world of Magique.

Merleen fiddled her hands for a few minutes before opening her mouth. She looked me in the eye and stared at me for a while, thinking about the words she wished to say.

"You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to, Merleen. I'll give you time to work that out," I said, and patted her shoulder.

I learned a dozen's worth of lessons when I first met Aferous and his family. If I almost felt like I became a mature person thanks to those mistakes I committed. I could not even imagine what my former self would do in this situation….

But if I had to be true to myself, that old me would have forced Merleen and hurt her with such words. I never liked that… it was not the way of becoming the "hero" that I wanted.

"A hero needs to understand the people….," I murmured, while getting up from the ground.

My first job was to look around the forest, hunting down close by monsters. If I found one, I would kill it. If I didn't, I would remain on watch with my eyes in front of me.

But as I glanced behind, Merleen's hand stopped me from moving any further. Her arms remained stretched out, but her head looked on the ground. When I leaned down and stole a peek at her face, Merleen averted her gaze and looked in the opposite direction.

'Shit!' I cursed inside my brain. 'Did I do something bad again?'

"Merleen, I'm sorry if I-,"

"Arthur, can you teach me how to control my magic?" Merleen cut me off, and requested me as her mentor.

I, who could barely control magic, got asked by a mage. My hands felt accustomed to the metal pommels of my blade. And I never fathom the idea of using wands as my weapon.

"I'm a knight, Merleen. Although I have some knowledge in this game, I don't know what to teach you,"

"Don't worry," Merleen retorted. "I just need the principles behind that magic."