Chapter 11

Shoulders slouch, all Clifford can do was follow the two lively youths, as they went their merry way into the cathedral.

Yet his eyes remained keen on the structures surrounding them.

Within the entire town, the place stood out loud, being the only one having walls of stone.

It also had an extensive garden, filled with flowering plants, vegetables, and a vineyard.

What truly caught his sights were the murals and statues adoring it.

It was the image of a woman with a large ring behind her, arms stretched out as if enticing someone to be in her embrace.

It wouldn’t have been a cause for concern if he had not seen the sculptures and paintings.

As the picture on it reminded him of the sphere, he saw in the void. And from the looks of it, the figure could be the deity of that kingdom.

“What class do you think sir Clifford belongs to?”

Arty couldn’t help his enthusiasm and excitement. Just imagining about it was making his insides giddy. Also, there was this sense of ease within him, knowing they were going to team up with the man.

“Well, if we consider about how high his hp is, together with being how sturdy he is. Possible classes would be the berserker, monk, or barbarian.”

Jack had this long grin on his face. Already imagining Clifford wearing leather mail and brass knuckles with spikes for weapons.

“He can also be a knight, paladin, or druid.”

Arty’s eyes grew wide, picturing his own version.

On his mind, the man had a full plated armor, a giant kite shield, and a huge hammer for a weapon.

Unbeknownst to the teens, Clifford had already decided on the topic. He remained silent about it, not wanting to ruin the mood.

“I think it’s best not to get our hopes up. I mean, I wasn’t here on purpose, unlike you guys.”

He ended up laughing it off when both boys looked at him with twinkling eyes. He can’t help but end up in an awkward situation, noticing the expectations in their gaze.

“Well, you faced off with that boss dire wolf, so I am sure you’d have a really cool class.”

Jack pointed out, nodding with confidence that the guy will in fact be a hero too. His smile did not fade, as he is positive such power only belonged to people like them.

“I’m not so certain about that.”

He waves a hand to dismiss the idea, as he didn’t want to disappoint them.

Their conversation got cut short upon hearing the bells. Both teens turned to each other, eyes growing wide, realizing their mistake.

“Hurry, they’re almost closing.”

Without warning, Jack and Arty hoisted Clifford, causing the man to scream aloud when they grab hold of his arms and legs.

In minutes, they were dashing with such speed towards the three towered building, as the boys used their skill to get there.

Atop the stairs of the cathedral, a few elder clergy men busied themselves with sweeping. Unaware of what was about to come their way.

Brooms on hand, they diligently made sure they would leave no dust on those clear marbled floors.

There was a stop, as many of them began muttering at the sight of a shining star rushing towards them.

Fear and panic took over some of them, causing a few members to scurry inside, yelping in terror. While some frowned, somewhat curious to what it could be.

From afar, the shape of the approaching entity seemed that of a four-legged beast, yet the odd manner in which it moved with such sync, together with the extra legs, made it look demonic.

It was only when they saw the thing up close, things finally settled down.

A fellow with a long white beard stepping up front to greet their visitors with a smile.

It took a few more moments for everyone to recover from the shock, as many of them cannot stop their body from shaking.

“Good day, heroes. Do what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”

The bearded elder gave a quick bow, making the others follow.

All of them were well aware of the importance of the youth, being deemed one of the most important assets of their kingdom.

They waited as the youngsters fixed themselves. But each of them threw a suspicious glance at each other.

As they were immediately able to differentiate the additional person in the group.

“We found someone else from our world!”

Arty’s announcement boomed into the halls, his voice seeming to travel through the corners of the place.

This cause everybody to go silent, as nobody knew the right words to stay upon hearing that. Whispers and glances got exchange, as brows furrowed and lifted.

From the humble looks, all the elderly men there gave hostile aura, their foreheads creasing as if annoyed by what the lad said.

Both Jack and Arty ended up giving each other a confused gaze, not understanding the condescending stares being thrown at them.

Clifford was keen to notice this, along with the sudden change in demeanor from those old men wearing robes.

It took a good few minutes before the bearded elder cough out loud, causing all the other to return to their senses, remembering who they were dealing with.

“You must be mistaken, young one. The kingdom can only summon twelve heroes at a time, and it takes a hundred years to recharge the summoning stones. So what you say is impossible.”

Bearded guy was quick to put on a warm smile, hiding his contempt upon them.

“But it’s true.”

Arty’s face fell, stuttering as once again he felt those belittling gazes being thrown his way.

“And what proof does this person have that he is from the land where you come from?”

A balding clergy with a smug grin, gesturing a hand in reproach towards their new companion.

Though the man seemed to look like them, his clothes were the same garb as a commoner, and was beyond the age of those who were called forth.

Clifford couldn’t stay quiet at that point, noticing how the youths were having trouble thinking of a way to convince the group.

“Because your summoning circle dragged me here, along with Arty, who can attest to that?”

With a straight laced face, he gives the old men a challenging glare, waiting to see how they were going to make an excuse for this.

The sudden bringing of the kid put the coots into a state of daze, gaping in shock at the intrusion.

Of course, they cannot snap back, considering the person was an acquaintance of their chosen ones.

“But that is completely outrageous. There has never been a case wherein such a phenomenon has happened.”

The bearded one was keen to intervene, his voice soft and calming, seeing how his companions’ faces twitch and turn red in humiliation.

He among the others remained cautious, remaining vigilant to not make any kind of mistake towards their chosen ones, especially after having sense the oddity coming from the person the heroes have brought.

The way the man spoke, stand, and faced head on with them was not something a mere commoner would dare do.

There’s also the part where they were being told to challenge the words of an otherworlder. A thing which is considered folly, as it could break the trust between them and the youths.

Clifford’s lips twisted into a wry smile, his expression contorting upon the notice of how the geezer’s were being wary, just from the slight change in their tone.

“So you’re saying these boys are lying? And that the word of a hero does not amount that much to be believed.”

With a raise brow, he threw a mocking smirk upon them to instigate a response. His eyes peering into each reaction of their faces and body movements.

He’d understood the significance and importance of the youths during with his conversation with Malver, so he put that into work to see how far they can go with the title.

Every clergy man’s mouth gaped, gasping in shock. Though some wish to retaliate, none of them dared to speak out.

That pushed them into a corner, seeing how the two lads were now whispering at one another, all the while throwing questioning glances at them.

“Exactly what do you require from us, oh chosen ones?”

Alas, the bearded man surrenders, lowering his head to hide the rage and contempt. He thought it best to swallow their pride, rather than become the probable cause of blame when things go awry.

Also, being a small temple, there wasn’t much to be taken there, so he became curious what it was they needed there.

The lads jump for joy, throwing a high-five at each other in celebration and excitement.

They then quickly fixed themselves, walking upfront upon seeing Clifford secretly signaling them with the hand behind him for them to move forward as he steps back.

“We need him assessed, please.”

Arty huffed, eyes growing wide in anticipation and glee. Unable to hide his smile, as they proceeded.

“Yeah, so we can finally form a proper party!”

Jack second it, throwing a gallant pose as he, too, got filled with enthusiasm.

The clergymen turned to one another with confused looks. But then, the bearded man wave a hand to settle the unrest.

“If that is all, then follow me.”

After a quick bow, he makes his way into the entrance, guiding the three inside.

Skeptics remained glancing at the group, but the youths were oblivious to it.

Only Clifford had the sense to stay vigilant. Though his sights were looking upfront, his focus was on the sides, studying, listening, and noting their actions.

Many of them were uttering curses, grimacing behind the group’s backs. Watchful as the otherworlder made their way into the inner temple.

The rest of the walk was peaceful, with the youngsters doing much of the conversation, as both continued to exchange their thoughts.

From a spiral staircase going underground, then to a long corridor with giant statues of those female figures perfectly lined up. They stop upon reaching two enormous double doors.

The minute those opened, Clifford’s entire demeanor changed. Eyes growing wide at the sight of a white sphere similar to the one he saw in the void.

Yet this did not have the same immense warming sensation he felt during that time. Instead, it let out an oddly annoying humming sound.

“Stand in front of the orb of power.”

The bearded man gesture him into what looks like a monolith in the middle.

With a nod from the youths, he obliges. His system didn’t show any signs of danger, plus it was showing some information about the structure as he got closer.

The minute he stood at the center of the circular pattern on the floor, the object immediately glowed.

Inscriptions appeared before it, giving out certain details about him, similar to the one he had in his window.

The teens gawk at the scene, their smile widening while reading the engravings of light within the thing.

Otherworld commoner is what it showed, along with a good detail of the amount of life points, mana, and a few skills.

Even the elder could not help gaping, seeing the title.

This caused distress to the clergy as a sudden sense of dread creeped upon him, realizing that the lads were telling the truth.

As all three stared in awe, Clifford was fighting his grin from showing.

There was nothing else that gave away his system, let alone inform him of the other modes.

The only thing that was visible were the status and specifics he had put before they got there.

This solidified his speculations, having bypass their assessment by just a matter of changing some info.

This was his plan to secure himself, putting in a low profile to remain invisible from the prying eyes of those that were around them.

A simple class with extra abilities was the perfect cover for him, as he did not want to divulge too much.

If the situation did not force him to fight the dire wolf, he would have lowered his stats, but since that was no longer an option, choosing to become weaker than the heroes, but stronger than the average person in that world.