As Roy looked at the burning and dying blue ogre, a rush of dizziness washed over his head. The world spun on its head, and the young man’s legs gave out. The last thing he saw before falling unconscious was the dark silhouette of the monster burning inside the inferno he created.
Time passed and Roy slowly opened his eyes. The first thing that greeted him was a barrage of floating words and screens.
“Congratulation, you have unlocked an achievement.”
Pioneer: Boss Killer Description You are one of the first 100 to have defeated a boss-grade monster. Reward
Great increase in stats at the next update.
100 red monster gems (can be accessed once you become an official citizen of a territory).
As Roy read through the notification, he felt a sense of relief and accomplishment. His last attack, in which he put all of his will and hope, was able to kill the giant blue ogre. And to boot it off, they were one of the first in the world to accomplish such a feat.
When the floating words dissipated, Roy saw the middle-aged knight throwing sand at the campfire he had set up. Dawn broke and flocks of birds were flying over the ghastly village.
The knight captain, who noticed that the two young men had woken up, looked at them with a smile.
Roy looked to his side to find Robb struggling to stand up. He then turned around to check his surroundings, only to find them filled with goblin corpses. It didn’t take him long to put two and two together and understand what was happening.
“Thank you for guarding us when we were asleep.”
The middle-aged man had a weak smile on his face and shook his head at Roy’s gratitude. “I should be the one thanking you. You saved me and the last of my squad.”
Roy scratched his head as he did not know how to answer such heartfelt words. As the two stood in awkward silence, Roy hastily found a new topic. “But man, I was impressed when I saw your fight. You’re very strong.”
The knight captain’s eyes turned dark. “It is not an honorable power.” He then smiled at the duo and said, “But yours, that is truly incredible. You both must have worked incredibly hard to acquire such strength.”
Robb laughed and said, “It’s nothing. We just killed goblins and hunted ogres.”
The knight captain nodded with a proud smile at Roy and Robb, as if he was a father looking at his two successful sons.
“I’m glad that there are strong people like you around. It makes me regain some faith in humanity.”
“Same for us,” Roy let out a chuckle. “To think that the knights had such a good leader. Your squad members are lucky to have you.”
The words came out before Roy could stop them. Even Robb gave him a side eye that said, “What the hell are you thinking?!”. Roy could only close his eyes in shame at his thoughtless tongue.
The knight captain looked down with a melancholic expression. “I do wonder about that.”
Robb who saw the situation derail into an awkward shitshow, cut in and changed the subject. “By the way, what would be your name, sir?”
“My name is Davis, squad captain serving under the Kasperian Order.”
“Well, nice to meet you, sir Davis,” Robb smiled at the knight’s stiff and professional attitude. “My name is Robb, and this is Roy.”
“I’m honored to make your acquaintance.” Davis slightly bowed. He then turned and looked in the direction of the village hall while furrowing his eyebrows. “I’m very sorry, but I must cut our discussion short—I need to go back and report my failures to the lord. If the day comes and we meet again, I will be sure to return your favor.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Roy laughed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, we just did what felt right. Take care of yourself, sir Davis.”
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The knight captain nodded with a smile before walking out of the dirt field. As he was making his way toward the village hall, he couldn’t help but feel that the two young men’s names were familiar.
“Roy, where did I hear that name before?”
That’s when he remembered the group of mountain bandits that they had captured several days ago. There were no records of them ever killing or maiming anyone, and as such, the law stated that they were to be imprisoned for five years or be sent into forced labor. Unfortunately, they ended up in the crosshairs of lord John Kasper’s plans and were set to be executed.
“Could it be them? But those bandits were just scrawny little kids…”
The bandits they had captured were all frail with barely any muscles on their bones. On the contrary, these two young men were built like veterans of the battlefield. Nevertheless, this was a new world with new rules; would it be strange for weak young men to become strong when there are monsters roaming around, and magic-wielding awakened?
Davis shook off these thoughts from his head and focused on the more urgent matter. He would now have to face lord John and take full responsibility for his mistakes and failure. If he could keep his head after this meeting, that would already be the best-case scenario.
He soon reached the gates of the hall and passed by the guards. After a quick greeting, he went inside only to find the village head waiting for him. He was a man in his mid-fifties, with an almost bald head and a greying short beard.
“I heard that you have failed in your mission,” the village head looked at Davis with a hint of a smile.
The knight captain did not respond to the old man’s provocation. “I have come to report to my lord.”
“As you should, you need to answer for your costly mistakes.” The village head had a proud and high expression on his face. “But lord Kasper is not here currently.”
Davis calmed his rage against the rude and cowardly old man. With the difference in their strength, he could cut off his head in an instant. However, the moment he would do that he would lose everything, and not even his family would be spared from the wrath of the viscount.
“So, where did his lordship go?”
“I wonder about that too,” the old man said with a mischievous grin. However, as Davis stared at him with a cold gaze, he stammered and coughed. “Lord Kasper has gone on a raid to clean the village of those monstrous ogres. I believe he went in the direction of the mills.”
Davis softened his expression and responded with a smile, “Thank you, Mr. Gregory.”
With the pressure from Davis’ bloodlust gone, Gregory just clicked his tongue and did not answer. The knight captain also did not wait for a response and immediately walked out of the hall.
He made his way through the bloody streets before finally reaching a wheat field—or at least what remained of it. Most of the grown wheat was now stomped, cut, or crushed, making it a major concern regarding the village’s future food situation.
Davis crossed the field and made his way toward the knight army. He found the majority of the forces battling against a three meters long ogre. Lord Kasper, on the other hand, was watching from afar along with his trusted aid: squad captain Floyd.
Davis kneeled toward his lord and looked down at the ground. “Squad Captain Davis, here to report to you, my lord.”
“I heard that your squad had been massacred and only a little boy squire has survived,” Lord Kasper did not look at Davis and was instead focusing on the battle in front of him. “Now that I see you alive in front of me. Have you run away with no honor, or did you kill that cursed blue ogre as I have commanded you?”
The knight captain hesitated for a second before responding, “I have been saved by two young men who killed the ogre.”
Lord Kasper turned toward Davis and looked at him with a calm expression. “From now on, whenever someone asks who killed the blue ogre, you say that you slayed it, understood?”
“But, my lord-”
“Am I understood?” The noble’s voice was low and cold, and his expression made it clear to Davis that this was a matter that could not be discussed.
The knight captain bit his lips before reluctantly answering, “Understood, my lord.”
“Good!” Lord Kasper’s face beamed with satisfaction as he laughed wildly. “Your merit for having killed the blue ogre is great. You can go rest now, you will be assigned a new squad soon enough.”
“Thank you for your generosity, my lord.” Davis stood up and left the field with haste.
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After the knight captain had left, lord Kasper let out a small chuckle. “He is a good subordinate, a very faithful and competent one. But sometimes, he lets his honor get the best of him. Don’t you think so, Floyd?”
“Certainly, my lord. He needs to understand the ways of the world.” Knight Captain Floyd had a pleasing smile on his face as he lightly bowed to his lord.
The noble snickered, “Anyways, let’s forget about that. What about our man, did he contact us yet?”
Floyd’s expression turned serious. “Not yet my lord, but I’m sure he will soon.”
“I hope so. I have no need for subordinates who cannot execute my orders.” John’s voice was low and his eyes were cold. His face soon regained its calmness as he focused back on the battle in front of him. The ogre had been beaten an inch of its life, and its red aura was already dimming.
“Sword!” Lord Kasper spread his hand open and one of the squires hurriedly came and handed him a sword. He unsheathed his weapon as he walked toward the defeated monster. The knights that were fighting the ogre spread out and opened a clear path for their lord.
He looked at the giant green beast with disgust before plunging his sword deep into its heart.
“What a filthy creature.”