Village Hidden in Plain Sight

After looting all the valuables that they could off the bodies, the small group of Norsemen began to move back toward their village. Many of them got more spoils than they had expected because Sigurd (will be how the MC will be addressed for now) did not accept most of his loot. All he took were a pair of axes, a sword, and several fur cloaks.

Seeing that Sigurd was so modest, Thorkell's impression of Sigurd improved even further. He was determined to bring him in as one of his Housecarls.

Sigurd traveled along with Thorkell and his troops for several miles until they reached a small village. The village was truly a small one with only around 20 buildings. Sigurd could estimate that there were no more than 200 people that lived in the community. Each of the buildings seemed to only be made out of wood and straw.

'And I came here in only a leotard. I was gonna freeze to death here if I didn't keep some of those other guys' clothing for myself.'

{That is where old lady Norja lives. She makes the best bread in the surrounding 50 villages. Over there is Vott and his family. They always grow the fattest livestock so he has a lot of influence in the village. And then there is...}

Thorkell led Sigurd through the village while explaining as much as he could to the latter. Even if he knew that Sigurd couldn't understand him, he still spoke passionately about the village. It was the place he had grown up in and was proud of.

The men that accompanied Thorkell all split off when they arrived at the village, only one of them accompanying Thorkell and Sigurd back to the largest house.

The trio soon arrived outside Jarl Ugar's home, Thorkell's father and the leader of this village as well as the surrounding 10 villages.

Several boys and girls were running around outside the home. When they saw their older cousin had returned, many of them began to rush over towards him but stopped when they saw the unfamiliar figure.

Thorkel opened the front door before motioning for Sigurd to follow behind him. Both Sigurd and the man that accompanied them followed them inside. The inside of the room was even larger than Sigurd had imagined.

It did not seem to just be an ordinary home but also a meeting lodge and dining hall. The main room could easily fit over 100 people comfortably. There was also a second floor and many more rooms scattered all about.

{Ah. Thorkell. You have returned sooner than, hmm? Who is that?}

A beautiful, brunette woman in her early 20s appeared before the trio. In her hands was a sword and shield and the woman's body was covered in sweat. It seemed as though she had just returned from training.

{Sister! This is a new friend I have made. He doesn't speak our language but his name is Sigurd. He saved the lives of me and my men when we were ambushed by raiders. He has the powers of a demi-god} Thorkell explained to his older sister

The woman didn't look like she believed him. She turned her gaze to her father's Housecarl who had accompanied Thorkell.

{What he says is correct, Lady Ragna. The boy was able to kill 5 men from over 5 meters away with the slash of his sword. He also moved around the battlefield with ease and cut down men from a distance while supporting us while we fought.}

Ragna looked both impressed and skeptical by this claim. She knew that Orn wouldn't dare to lie to her, especially when it could easily be exposed but the sudden appearance of Sigurd didn't make any sense. There was no crisis they needed to face nor did they offer any prayers to the gods for one of their children.

{I see. Father is currently speaking with both of our uncles right now. Wait around the fire for them. I'll be back after I clean myself up.}

Ragna walked off while thinking of whether the arrival of Sigurd would be a blessing or curse from the gods. Either way, she could only patiently wait to find out the answers.

Thorkell motioned for Sigurd to follow him and sit in one of the chairs in the center of the room while the other man went into one of the rooms on the east side of the building. The pair sat by the fire and were served plates of meat that Sigurd couldn't identify.

'Well, I'm used to eating burgers from WacDonalds or Burger Empress. Pretty sure I couldn't recognize anything like lamb or goat anyway.'

While he was enjoying the snacks and listening to Thorkell drone on and on, in another room, Ugar was discussing with his brothers an issue that they were facing.

Two thin men were trying to convince a large, bear of a man to make a move that he was reluctant to make.

{The number of raiders has increased. Thorkell may have even been attacked on his way to the Rumar's village. Brother, you must call all the men under you so they can understand how serious the situation is.}

{I agree. the longer we stall, the worse it will become for us. We must put the others in their place before it is too late.}

Ugar slammed his hand on the table next to him.

{You both are fools! If we tell them that we are unable to handle the situation with just the men in our clan, that is telling them that we are weak. If they know this, one of them may even strike a deal with the raiders to take us out in order to become Jarl himself. We must be patient.}

The other two men looked down as they ground their teeth. They also knew that asking for assistance would make the others think they were weak but they had no other choices. they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

A knock was heard on the door before a woman's voice was transmitted through.

{Jarl Ugar. Thorkell has returned and he brought a stranger with him.}

Ugar wiped his face in frustration before standing up.

{Alright. I shall be there soon.}

Ugar and his brothers walked into the main room soon after to see the guest his son had brought with him but right as they walked out the back room, they saw Thorkell and Sigurd heading out the front door.

---

Outside the lodge, Ragna wanted to see Sigurd's power in person. Even though both of the others had told her themselves, she couldn't just believe what they said without seeing it for themselves.

{Get him to cut down the trees over there.} Ragna said while pointing toward trees at the edge of the village. The distance was easily over 100 meters away.

Thorkell looked at his sister as if she was a slave driver but he was also curious about how powerful Sigurd was. Before, the latter had to fight while around allies and was close to the enemies. He didn't really have a chance to show off his powers.

So Thorkell walked in front of Sigurd before pointing at the trees in the distance and making a chopping motion. He then pointed at the ground where they were standing.

Sigurd tilted his head in confusion before piecing together what they wanted him to do.

'Ah. So the sister or cousin wants to test me. That's fine.'

Ugar and his siblings exited the lodge to see Sigurd toss his katana toward Thorkell before he lowered his body and extended one of his legs behind him. He then swiped his leg forward in a wide arc.

At first, no one saw anything but they heard a loud whistling sound. Then, there was the explosion. The group turned to see the trees in the distance had basically been blown up around the lower parts of them and had fallen over. Sigurd also looked at the damage he had done before clicking his tongue.

'The further away, the blunter my attacks become. Good thing I decided to use my legs so that I add extra power and distance to it. Guess I need to work on my long-range attacks.'

While Sigurd was thinking of how he needed to improve himself, all those that watched were amazed and shared the same thought.

'He truly is a demigod!'