Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Chapter 158

He was once called the First Lich King. He was known as the Lord of All Undeath. He had been the One Who Tamed the FIve Grand Revenants of Arelioth’s Path. But now, he was simply a bartender.

Arthur was glad to have shed his dark past— to be given a second chance in life thanks to Amelia.

…well, it was actually his fourth chance at this point, considering how often he had been brought back to life. But regardless of that minutiae, he was still grateful to his employer and savior for letting him make up for his past sins.

Even if whatever actions he carried out now would never be enough, he still wanted to right at least some of his wrongs. He believed that he needed to dedicate his new life to protecting others— helping those who were in need.

But without a Class and without Skills, there was very little Arthur could do to repent. So he worked an ordinary job at Amelia’s restaurant, earning a modest salary, and doing what he could to help around the farming village.

It was a simple job. It was a slow life. And… while he was very grateful for the opportunity he had been given, he believed it was too slow for him.

Arthur wanted to do something more. When he learned more about the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns— the very same organization that led to his current revival today— and what they had done, he had wanted to do something to stop them. When he learned that a [Hero King] had kidnapped Amelia’s friend, he wanted to intervene. And when he saw the destruction that had been wrought across the nearby farmlands, he so greatly desired to head out with Noele, Jax, and Garron to figure out the cause of what had happened.

Unfortunately, there was nothing Arthur could do in his current state. He was weak. He was incapable. He struggled to even carry out his job as a bartender. So he was helpless. Useless. Hopeless.

Or so he thought.

The hopelessness in his heart spiraled into despair, and the pit of frustration in his stomach grew into anger. And that was when he sensed it.

He had been standing at the bar of Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant, tightly gripping the wooden countertop, when he heard the crack. A surge of an alien power washed over him, and he recognized it. It was just for a single instant, but it gave him an immense well of strength, he accidentally splintered the wood he had been clutching.

When Arthur realized what happened, he stumbled back, before seeing the wisping purple aura flake from his fingers. He knew what it was immediately. It was a power he possessed only briefly— or rather, it was a power that had possessed him.

The power of the Void.

It touched him, even when he tried to reject it. It blessed him, but he thought it was a curse. He felt the creeping sensation of its foreign presence crawl over him like ants, and he recalled the torture he had undergone.

Against his will, the former Lich King had been revived to be a vessel for the Void. He was to return with the Fal-Deus, and there had been nothing he could do to resist its control. But Amelia had freed him then.

And now, knowing that she was capable of saving him, Arthur sought her out once again, because the Void had returned to possess him— whatever seal Guardian Angel Z357 placed on him was gone, so all he could do was ask to be saved once again.

“When I sensed the Void’s essence this morning, I knew something was wrong,” the bartender said as he looked down at his palms. He flexed his hands, and it simply felt… odd. “I never thought that the Fal-Deus would come for me again. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how we’re going to…”

He trailed off.

Amelia narrowed her eyes as she looked him up and down. She sat at the back of the kitchen, eating from a plate of leftover food. She had her legs crossed, and a frown worn on her face. Arthur wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about her reaction.

He wanted to run away. Her scrutinizing gaze alone made him shudder— would she kill him to preserve the peace in Vacuos? Arthur wasn’t opposed to… dying for the greater good. He had died many times before. But that was exactly why he found himself shivering at the thought of his death.

The pain of dying was fresh in his mind, and he couldn’t help but fear it.

Arthur steeled himself as he met Amelia’s gaze. Her deathly brown eyes peered into him, and he had to stop himself from shrinking back in fear. He bit his lower lip in anticipation of her response.

And she finally said, “So what?”

The former Lich King blinked. He stared at the brown-haired woman— at his employer. He took a moment to process her words, but she wasn’t done. She gave him a flat stare as she waved a hand dismissively.

“The Voidgod isn’t going to possess you again. He knows I’d just beat him back to the Fractured Realm if he tries to escape into Vacuos through you, so you’ll be fine.”

“I… what?” Arthur worked his jaw.

Amelia shook her head. “Honestly, this is a good thing for you. If you can draw the Void’s power, then that means you can fight again, right? You don’t need a Class to help you cast magic when you can do Void shit.”

Her words completely took the bartender off-guard. He expected her to be as worried as he was— and if not, he thought she would at least take the news seriously. But she didn’t care. And Arthur didn’t know how to react to her lack-of-a-reaction.

All he could do was ask the only question in his mind. “What is… Void shit?”

“When you use Void essence to do Void things.” She shrugged. “Dunno, honestly. But my point is you don’t have to just sit around working as a bartender anymore now, right?”

Amelia crossed her arms as she spoke casually. Arthur was still reeling from her words. He slowly nodded, even when he didn’t understand what she was saying.

And she continued, “You were worried about not being able to effect change in the world with what you’re currently doing, weren’t you?”

“Wait, how did you know that?” He blinked a few times, but she ignored his question.

“So now that you can draw from the Void’s power, that’s not a problem,” Amelia said simply. “You can fight and save lives. Do what’s right.”

“I can—” Arthur started, before his eyes snapped wide open. He realized what she was suggesting, and he recoiled in disgust. “Are you telling me to use the power of the Void? The very same Void that had once enslaved all of Vacuos?”

The deadpan expression on Amelia’s face didn’t change. “Yes.”

“But it’s the Fal-Deus! I can’t just use its—” He opened his mouth, only for a head to poke into the kitchen, interrupting him.

“Sorry, Amelia?” Harlan called into the kitchen. “Will you be back from your break soon? A lot of guys are coming in for lunch.”

“Yeah, I’ll be done in a minute.” She got to her feet as she placed her half-empty plate to the side. “Let them know I’ll be back to cooking soon.”

Harlan nodded and quickly exited the room. “Got it!”

Arthur watched as his fellow co-worker left, before pursing his lips. He lowered his head, mentally sighing in relief. Harlan didn’t overhear our conversation… good.

Slowly, the bartender turned to his boss once more. “Amelia, you don’t understand— the Fal-Deus is evil.”

“I am very much aware of that,” she quickly said before he could continue. “I am pretty sure I know that fact more than anyone else alive.”

“R-right…” Arthur shrank back at her response.

“But just because the Voidgod is an asshole, doesn’t mean you have to be one too. You can use your strength for good. So there isn’t really anything to worry about.” Amelia nodded reassuringly at Arthur, despite his clear apprehension. She suddenly paused for a moment and tilted her head back. “Well, my only concern is…”

“Is…?” Arthur waited as she placed a hand on her chin.

“It’s nothing,” the brown-haired woman said, stepping past him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile. “You’ll be fine, Arthur. You’re no longer the Lich King, and you’re no longer a vessel for the Void. So stop worrying about it. You’ll be able to do much more good in this world if you stop stressing so much.”

Arthur stared at her as she continued on. She grabbed an apron, before resuming her cooking. As she did that, the former Lich King slowly looked back down at himself— he sensed the power flowing through him.

He didn’t know how Amelia noticed his apprehensions about his new life, and he didn’t know why she was so apathetic towards the alarming news about the Void. But he heeded her words. He thought about what could be accomplished with his strength.

And Arthur knew what he needed to do.

—--

I watched as Arthur returned to bartending, before I shook my head. I was glad to see that he was mostly at ease now— he was still nervous, but he didn’t look nearly as pale as when he first approached me earlier.

To say I didn’t care about the sudden resurgence of the former Lich King’s Void powers wasn’t exactly true. I did have some concerns. However, none related to what he was capable of, nor did I really care about what the Voidgod was planning.

But the fact was, Arthur had only been defeated because of Guardian Angel Z357’s Seal of the System. It should have dispelled the power of the Void from his body entirely, but now it was back. And considering what happened overnight, I was starting to worry that something might have happened to Z.

“Come on, you’re supposed to deal with the Void for me…” I muttered under my breath as I prepared a platter of pita.

If he failed, I was probably going to have to do something eventually. Unless Noele stepped up to the task and somehow put a halt to the Voidgod’s attempt at a return. Otherwise, I really was going to have to intervene. Again.

“Well, whatever,” I sighed as I stepped out of the kitchen and handed the dish to Harlan. “That’s a problem for me to deal with later.”

For now, I had more important matters to tackle— like telling my employees and my friends that I was going to be out of town for a few days because I was invited to Astral. I wasn’t sure how they were going to react, but I knew that that was going to be the real challenge for me.

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