Mob no Longer

Ch.1 | Mission of the Duke

When I arrived, I saw Arthur waiting for me at the entrance.

"Sir Bartfort! I heard the news!" He walked toward me with a smile on his face. 

"You don't have to call me sir." I insisted. Being called 'sir' felt so foreign, it didn't make much sense at all. I

"But you are a knight now. I have to call you sir as a form of respect." I huffed and rolled my eyes. I could tell this was not a battle I would win. I sat down at the dining tables outside and started eating my meal. 

"So? What's next?" Arthur asked, with a smile, "You became the youngest Corporal, skipping the Man-at-arms rank. You are the youngest person to become a knight for exploits in war. Will you get a barony next?" Arthur's eyes shined.

"Me? Don't joke around Arthur, there's no way I'd be given a noble title." I told him, finishing my meal. 

From behind me, I felt someone touch my shoulder. I looked in the direction of my shoulder and saw no one. "Congrats man! I heard the news." on the other side was Fergus with a large grin on his face. He was awfully chipper for someone who had been accused of spying and betraying us.

According to him, he was on the side of the camp, killing anyone who got close.

Arthur and Fergus.

They were both suspicious.

Why was Arthur so good at making speeches? Why did Fergus leave in the middle of the battle to fight alone?

Both tried getting close to me since the start.

"Thanks," I told him putting both hands on the seat and leaning back.

"Haven't you heard of manners, Fergus? I thought you were part of a Barony." Arthur narrowed his eyes. That was rare, Arthur being aggressive.

"Ex-Baron, we were too busy training for war to care about table manners. Though, I find it weird that a supposed low knight knows such things, did you spend your time playing house rather than learning how to fight?" Fergus's grin was growing on me, I wasn't about to lie. 

Both annoyed me equally. 

"Why you --"

I  slammed my hands on the table. Fergus stopped, but Arthur didn't. Seconds later, Fergus was on the ground with a swollen cheek. 

"It's like I'm talking to grade-schoolers. Mind not doing that in front of me?" I asked them, walking away from the table. "Get ready, the queen said we were going to receive a mission sooner enough."

"What?! We just came back! We've barely had any training!"

"Doing is learning." I left to my room. 

Sleeping was hard. Every time I did I would see it. The faces of those scouts.

Weird, I didn't even kill them.

I don't dream of the people I killed using my eyes. Is it because I couldn't see their faces? 

I lay down on my thin blanket on the ground, put both hands behind my head, and tried falling asleep.

*

Just as I expected, I slept poorly.

"S-Sir Bartfort!" I heard Arthur yell from outside. I sighed and walked to the entrance of the tent we slept on. I saw Arthur, he looked panicked.

"What?" I asked, looking around. Everyone looked nervous, but Arthur was the only one freaking out. He looked pale as a ghost.

"D-Did you anger the queen?" his hand came to his face as he stared at the small building for meetings.