I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

We had an uneventful conversation with the chief when we arrived at the lobby. That chief had nothing to say about us but to congratulate us on our acceptance of an escort job. But I could only guess he staged the entire scene, since our situation and the offer had impeccable timing.

However, I had no choice but to accept the leader's kind gestures while leaving the lobby. Although his means remained despicable to manipulate our decisions, it only showed that the village desperately needed a strong adventurer at its disposal.

I could not bring myself to hate the guy, since he was only doing his job to protect the village. The only thing that I never wanted to help this kingdom was its internal affairs.

Considering that I watched a considerable amount of dramas back in my days, helping a kingdom spelt terrible news to the casts….

As soon as we went inside our rooms, we all got to bed... Merleen and I went to the floor and shared a spare mattress with her.

Under normal circumstances, I would feel giddy sleeping beside a girl. However, we had a dire situation, and my body craved some beauty sleep. It did not take the two of us to snore our way through the night, hoping to wake up tomorrow.

When the sun came shining through our windows, we did not wake up. Our eyes remained still and close, refusing to look at the world surrounding us. Fenrir was also a heavy sleeper like us, so nobody became the living alarm clock for our morning routine.

Everything went well except for one scene.

A knock from the front door alerted my senses, telling me to check on the guest outside. But my body yearned for more sleep, which I instinctively obeyed.

Within a few seconds, the knocking sounds continued and went even louder with every passing second. When my ears finally felt irritated about the noise, I pushed my limits and woke up, with my eyes glaring at the door.

"In a second, you bastard," I yelled, and stomped my way towards the gate.

And when I slid the door open, a familiar man greeted my eyes and introduced himself to me. Much to my surprise, he called himself the "merchant" without a proper name. My orbs widened for the second time upon hearing his introductions.

"Pleased to meet you, Arthur. My name is Merchant as in the tradesperson. I have no name, so I envy you, Arthur. I've heard a lot about you from the chief. He couldn't suppress his happiness that your team will help me. Of course, I will repay your kindness with a caravan specially made for you."

I could already tell from Merchant's gesture that he was a weirdo. If I met him back on Earth, I would have avoided eye contact with him and remained alone for the rest of my life. Involving myself with this guy would only attract doom flags, which I already had.

"Who's that? A friend of yours, Arthur? He looks weak and pathetic to me, so I thought that would be the case," Fenrir murmured, while rubbing her eyes.

But before Fenrir could continue her sentence, the Merchant cut her off and exclaimed, "I believe we have an appointment for today. Am I right, Arthur?"

The Merchant nodded at me while gazing into my eyes. I averted his look and tried acting oblivious about the matter.

I knew about the meeting's schedule, but I neglected that time. Since my body became exhausted from a last night out, I slept like a log, hoping to rejuvenate my lost energy.

And I restored my power throughout my nap... And the only consequence that I experienced was this Merchant whining about my late presence.

"Do you want me to hinder you from taking requests from the village, or do you plan on helping me, Arthur?"

"Yes, we will help you. And quit calling my name. I am not your friend. We're just business partners."

I finally snapped and gave my reply, while suggesting to the two girls about our situation. Merleen knew about this, since she was with me when that happened. However, Fenrir felt like a lost kid, wondering what happened before her.

I briefly explained the situation and told her that this was the quickest way to get into the carriage. And since Fenrir wanted to speed up things, taking the offer became an advantage rather than a chore.

The event happened as I had expected. Fenrir agreed to cooperate with the Merchant as long as we would receive the wagon.

And the only thing that we needed to do right now was meet with the king and protect the Merchant from dying. Since we made a contract, saving Merchant's life became our utmost priority.

As soon as we prepared all the things that we needed, all of us went out towards the citadel. When we arrived at the gates, the two guards we saw from before welcomed us. When he saw our faces, they flashed us a bright smile before meeting with the Merchant.

"I could see you're acquainted with these people," the Merchant asked the guards.

"Yes, we do. Those two look harmless and kind compared to the ones we know," answered the man.

Upon concluding their conversation, the Merchant handed them a piece of paper with words written on the surface. I could not grasp the texts, since the Merchant shoved them off towards the soldiers before I could even read them.

Within a few seconds, those soldiers gave the Merchant a nod and opened the gates. They rolled the gears from the wall and invited us to the other side.

When the two guards finished opening the door, they returned the paper to the Merchant and waved us goodbye. Our party went towards the other side, with the gate slowly crawling down and shut us in.

"What's with that paper you gave them?" I asked. "Did you bribe those guards? Or did you threaten them with the words written on the surface?"

The Merchant laughed after hearing my sentences. After chuckling up a storm, he returned to his serious expression and gave me his answer.

"You're quite sharp despite being low-levelled, Arthur. I commend your observation skills, which none of the people I met had...you're the first one to notice such useless information," the Merchant answered, while taking out the paper I mentioned. "This thing allows anyone to pass through the citadel, regardless of the reason. It could even work in various kingdoms with different rulers besides humans. Since you caught me, I will give you one. In return, I want to establish a connection with you… Are you okay if we meet again soon, Arthur?"

"Not in a million chances, Merchant. I wouldn't even consider your offer even if it kills me!" I answered.

"Then, we have a deal."

Despite my rejection, the Merchant gave the piece of paper to me. I reluctantly agreed to the Merchant. But considering his personality, he would follow me around, regardless of the situation. It would be best for me to take whatever I could for the team's advantage.

We would never know when we could use an unlimited pass for every gate I could see. The Merchant even mentioned that the gate pass would still be effective even in different regions. I could only hope for the best that all that information would appear true soon.

We conversed about different unrelated topics throughout our adventure. We talked about the clothes that the villagers wear and the machineries they tried creating. Much to my surprise, the Merchant's knowledge almost copied mine. And then I suggested the automobiles and telephones to the Merchant. He noted those down and planned on repaying me the next time we would meet.

Since it was a long road towards the castle, our talk sped up the time. Merleen rarely added her opinions about the topic while Fenrir slept while walking. She was a hound for isekai's sake and could sleep wherever she went.

Within a few minutes, we finally arrived at the castle's entrance. Unlike the gates we met earlier, this fort got swarmed by soldiers and mages from every angle. As soon as we stepped foot near the building, all those soldiers glared in our direction, ready to attack us with everything they had.

"Just stay close, and do as I say," the Merchant mumbled to us, with his hands slightly raised.

After a moment, the gate opened, accompanied by a tune from trumpets and make-shift drums. The soldiers moved like dominoes and returned to their original positions. If some butlers could tell me these soldiers and mages were robots, I would have believed them.

"Are you really sure that the king would allow you to enter the castle?" I asked, doubting the words that the Merchant promised me.

The Merchant gave me a smile as his answer and never uttered a word.

We entered the lobby and continued walking on the red carpet. As we travelled a few feet, a gate addressed our eyes. The soldiers in charge told us to wait behind the door for further announcements.