As soon as I stepped out of the forest, I noticed a large group of people standing there and generally making a lot of noise. While they spoke to each other, they seemed to glance into the forest as if they were curious as to what was happening in the forest yet weren't courageous enough to enter and see for themselves.
Already having suspicions as to why they were there, I began making my way toward the group. Quickly the people began noticing me and started pointing. I too began to get close enough to recognise some of the people gathered.
There was the local baker, Ned the blacksmith, even the florists had come. Finally out came the shepherd who had herded his sheep to this place, the village head stepped out from the crowd and addressed me directly.
" Young man, why did you venture into the forest despite my order not to?" The fat man wearing expensive clothes said with his nose high in the air. Not one to give in to pompous fellows, I answered immediately and cut straight to the chase.
" I have been in the forest since morning, village leader Jakkof. How would I have known about your order? Besides, if you people are all grouped up here to find out what caused the explosion, I can tell you." I said with confidence.
Hearing my quick response, village leader Mios Jakkof frowned and asked me to go on. With a smile, I continued speaking.
" I caused it!" I shouted making as serious a face I could. I needed the villagers to know my strength. I needed political power if I was to convince these oblivious people to build a stupid wall to keep monsters out.
As I had expected, the crowd immediately began their hushed talks. Mios Jakkof's frown deepened as he heard that. As one of the few people left who knew of my lineage, he seemed afraid that I might try to usurp him to reestablish my family. Though he was utterly wrong about me wanting to attain a noble standing again, I had yet to find a way to convince him otherwise.
I sure as heck wouldn't be swearing my loyalty to him, however. I still had my admittedly useless pride. With his weird obsession with preventing my rise to power, he has ignored all my pleas and suggestions for improved security for the past few years. A stupid man indeed.
However, it was different now. I have confirmed that my custom spell and pre-primed spells worked. I had the power to back up my statements now.
" Do you have proof that you caused that explosion?" The village leader asked carelessly as if he was confident that I could not have so much power.
" I can do it again right now if you need proof!" I shouted to ensure the rest of the crowd also heard me. Before the village leader could speak again, a random man asked a rather valid question.
" If you caused the explosion, what did you blow up?!"
" I wiped a small goblin village off the map. You know, I have always been an advocate of culling the monster population!" I replied.
" But won't the explosion attract more monsters to the village?" Said one of the florists, I noticed a few more people nod at her statement too.
" An explosion that size would scare away the smaller monsters and chase them further into the forest. More powerful monsters would go check out the site of the explosion and move away from the edge of the forest." I said calmly answering the woman. However, I kept my eyes on Mios Jakkof and watched as he kept getting cut off from speaking.
As the people heard my response, they began nodding again saying that that was a good thing and agreeing with my statement. Of course, I had committed a few details but telling the villagers would only frighten them.
" Silen-" The village leader tried to say.
" If you are all so afraid of the monsters invading, why don't we build a simple wall to prevent such things from happening? If we build it high enough, we will never need to worry about goblins and orcs again! Besides even if more powerful monsters invade, the wall will give us, the villagers time to run. Aren't our lives most important?!" I continued cutting him off immediately.
" Come folks, just spare a few men and get some women to send some refreshments. We will get this wall up and ready in a few days! Let's go people!" Even though the sun was starting to set, even though I was exhausted from my adventure, I still led the now cheering group.
I helped cut down trees with some wind magic and helped move the logs with an application of earth magic and brute strength. I helped start campfires with some fire magic and continued to do so until early into the next morning. Then, I promptly collapsed from exhaustion while helping another guy with a two-person saw.
Judging by the fact, that I did not feel anything break when I lost consciousness, I guess someone must have caught me and prevented me from hitting anything. Or I did hit something and was too dead to the world to feel the pain associated with it. I was really going to feel all this when I woke up.
