Before I knew it I was getting dragged out of the squire academy by two crying women. They pointed at the gate that led outside the city where I was pushed out and sent like an attack dog. Everyone panicked, I panicked, it was pure chaos.
It was a dark night with no moon, though it was impossible for me to know if this world even had a moon to begin with. I was consumed by such thoughts for exactly a second until the first enemies showed up, not near, but close enough for me to spot their red eyes through the shadows cast by the braziers.
"I'm done for..." I mutter to myself as I hurriedly tap on the 'recall' button like my life depended on it, because it did. The silent stares became hissing and then the hissing became growling. 'Is this what field agents go through all the time?' My silent question went unanswered.
[Enemies detected]
The system alert came off as snarky despite me knowing the manager already clocked out and it was likely just an automatic alert. Thankfully, that line of thought led me to my salvation.
I skim through the system and find it to still be active which meant I still had a chance to make it out alive. A wide variety of allowed weapons appeared in front of me and without thinking I scroll to the last item.
Tapping on 'Excalibur' and slashing with it the moment it appeared on my hands took less than a second, but the aftermath echoed in the vast open space as a powerful gust of wind slashed across the unseen enemies and the trees beyond.
Feeling safer already I stand gasping for air as a pile of debris fell behind me as the gate itself was torn to shreds by a single slash of the sword. People gathered as if blocking the entrance and behind them flames rising like a wildfire had taken over the city. For a minute there I thought they were out for blood because I destroyed the gate, but it turned out to the be something way worse. It was the worst possible outcome for an agent.
"Hero! The legendary hero is here!" They chanted as they carried me on their shoulders straight into an impromptu celebration with wine, completely disregarding the fire at the entrance. I had so much to drink I could barely remember what happened in the morning when the system manager woke me up.
"Agent, I checked the logs." The manager said in the monotonous tone used by the system whether there was a manager online or not, yet it carried all the weight of being scolded by a higher up.
"How bad is it?"
"You'll have a lot of paperwork waiting for you in the office." In other words, it was not career ending but close.
"In my defense, I couldn't log off for the night."
"You can't log off until the mission is cleared. Sending people in and out of other worlds is quite expensive and the bureau can not afford people traveling whimsically."
"I didn't know that."
"There's many things you don't know, but here's the summary. You intervened in this world's politics by saving the city, the world's history will now remember you as a hero instead of the subject and you also revealed the existence of an artifact beyond human comprehension which may trigger the greed of people in high standings. In short, you saved the city but condemned it at the same time."
"Is there a way to fix it?" I ask after drinking the water jar by my bed.
"There's a chance, but you need to be more careful in the future. Also, you just drank from a flower pot."
"You can see me!?" I rush for cover as if under attack.
"No, but everything you consume remains in the log. You have a high tolerance for alcohol, by the way."
After getting ready my day started with people saluting me wherever I went, then progressed in pretty much the same fashion. Men paused their work when they saw me to cheer out loud and women glances followed my every movement anticipating my needs. Even the beef I had for lunch was cut into small pieces in front of me and I swear they would have chewed it for me too if I didn't grumble for them to stop.
The system manager informed me that the first step to fix things was to find the subject and finish the mission, but that turned out to be way more difficult than expected. I fumbled something about needing to find an heir as an excuse for them to let me alone, but they didn't let me get near the stables and instead they introduced me to nobles.
"Here he is, the legendary hero!" A man wearing a wig walked down the luxurious stairs of the place I was led to. He opened his arms wide as if greeting an old friend.
"What is your name?" Someone holding a glass of wine asked.
"Could you do that thing with the sword once more? We would love to see it in person." I went from feeling like an art piece to a clown being asked to perform.
'It wasn't me, I didn't do anything. It was Excalibur!' I want to say this out loud so they leave me alone, but it doesn't work like that.
"My name is Arthurian Longdragon and I am here to perform my sacred mission of finding a worthy successor."
"Wonderful, this is just wonderful!" The noble who just walked down the stairs, a fat man in his forties, smiled with a little drool coming off his mouth. "I am the baron of these lands and this is my only son, Oegerius."
I wasn't surprised when the young man introduced to me turned out to be none other than the boy that bullied the subject yesterday.
"I am ready to become your pupil and carry on your legacy, Sir Arthurian." The man bowed his head and extended his hands as if waiting for me to hand over the sword already. People gasped as I drew it from the sheathe to showcase the sword with a craftsmanship so fine it deserved its own saga. I lift it high in the air cringing as I spoke the words that followed.
"This is Excalibur, a sword worthy not for a baron or even a duke. Only a true king can wield this sword." Before I knew it everyone around me was kneeling as if worshiping me.
"You're not making this any better," The system informed."they assumed you are the king since you are the one wielding the sword."
"Ahem," A fake cough might not be the solution, but it certainly buys some time. "and I am burdened with the task of handing it over to its rightful owner."
"Is that so? Do you happen to know this person's name?" The baron swiftly stood up, apparently relieved.
"No."
"His age then?" One of the guards present asked as the spark of hope lit up. One of the nobles was about to scold him, but then thought against it as even a guard could be the chosen one.
"I don't know anything about this person." I shook my head once more.
"Nice save." The system manager said.
"Only the true king will be able to lift this sword!" I declare as I hurled the sword outside towards a conveniently placed rock with such bad luck that it landed on a peddler's foot instead, piercing it through and nailing him to the ground. People rushed out to confirm what just happened leaving me a small window to cough an excuse to the system.
"I'm a desk agent."
"It shows." Was all the system manager replied.
Following the baron's orders the street outside was closed and the area was decorated to fit the ceremony of lifting the sword from... well... from the peddler's foot. Red banners fell from the walls and colorful garlands crossed the entire street in a zig zag pattern. Music was being played in the background as people made a line to try their luck with lifting the sword.
Needless to say the first in line were all from nobility which also meant it would take quite a while for the subject to be granted permission to even get close to the sword. That works for me since I need to get his system fixed before that.
"It's harder that it looks." The baron came to me after having one of his servants wipe the sweat of his forehead.
"If it was easy, it wouldn't be a sword worthy of a king." I nod, inwardly apologizing to the poor peddler who's now passed out still nailed in place.
"You harmed an innocent man, that's going to be in the report." The system warned after I somehow managed to get rid of the nobles following me around. The good thing is at least now I'm able to start looking for the subject.