The Goat That Conquered a Village

Chapter 2: The Goat That Conquered a Village

Ren trudged through the open field, an army of beasts marching behind him.

It was surreal.

Less than an hour ago, he had been a nobody a confused, terrified guy who had no idea where he was. Now? He had a thunder-wolf battalion, a bear the size of a small house, and a goat that could probably destroy the world if it felt like it.

The problem?

None of this made any damn sense.

Where was he? How did he get here? Why did he have a system? And why, of all things, was his familiar a goat?

Ren sighed, rubbing his temples as he walked.

One problem at a time.

His first priority was finding civilization. He needed to know if people existed in this world if there were towns, merchants, and most importantly, food.

He glanced at Goaty, who was still happily chewing grass as it walked beside him. "You don't happen to have a built-in GPS, do you?"

Goaty ignored him.

Ren groaned. "Figures."

Then 

In the distance, beyond the rolling hills and sparse trees, he saw smoke.

Not the terrifying, "everything-is-burning" kind of smoke. No, this was thinner, lighter like chimney smoke.

Ren's heart leaped.

A village!

Finally, something normal.

He picked up his pace, practically jogging toward the source. His army of beasts followed, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground.

The village came into view within minutes. It was small maybe thirty or forty houses made of wood and stone, surrounded by simple farmland. There was a dirt road leading to the entrance, where a few guards stood, spears in hand.

Ren exhaled in relief.

Actual people.

Civilization.

Maybe now he could finally get some answer

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE GODS?!"

Ren barely had time to react before the guards at the entrance panicked.

One of them immediately dropped his spear and ran. The other stood frozen, his face turning pale as he stared at the monstrous horde behind Ren.

Ah.

Right.

He probably should've thought this through.

"Wait!" Ren raised his hands. "I'm not here to attack—"

"MONSTERS! A HORDE OF THEM!" The guard stumbled backward. "R-RING THE ALARM!"

A loud bell began ringing from the center of the village. Within seconds, doors flew open, and terrified villagers ran for cover.

Ren cursed.

This was not how he wanted to make his first impression.

One Minute Later...

The entire village had gone into lockdown.

Windows were shut. Doors were barred. Archers had taken positions on the rooftops, their arrows trained directly on Ren's head.

And standing at the entrance, gripping a massive steel greatsword, was a mountain of a man.

His armor was old but well maintained, and his grizzled face was etched with battle scars. The moment he locked eyes with Ren, his killing intent hit like a tidal wave.

Ren gulped. This guy was strong.

"State your name and your intentions, outsider," the man growled. "And tell your monsters to stand down."

Ren took a slow breath. He had two options.

Try to explain himself peacefully. Accidentally start a war.

He decided to go with option one.

"My name is Ren," he said, carefully lowering his hands. "And, uh... these guys?" He gestured at his army. "They're with me."

Silence.

The villagers murmured in confusion. Some archers hesitated, lowering their bows slightly.

The armored man narrowed his eyes. "You're controlling them?"

Ren nodded. "Yeah. It's... complicated, but they won't attack unless I tell them to."

A beat passed.

Then, before Ren could stop him, Goaty took a single step forward.

The ground cracked.

A massive shockwave erupted from the goat's hoof, sending ripples of force through the dirt road. The sheer pressure knocked some of the archers off balance. The armored man flinched, his grip tightening on his sword.

Ren froze.

The entire village went dead silent.

Even the wind stopped blowing.

And then 

The armored man did the last thing Ren expected.

He dropped his sword.

Then he knelt.

The villagers followed. One by one, they fell to their knees, bowing their heads.

Ren's brain short-circuited.

"...Huh?"

The armored man's voice trembled with something close to awe.

"Y-You... walk beside the Calamity Beast."

Ren blinked. "...The what?"

Goaty let out a casual baa.

The armored man lowered his head further.

"This divine creature this holy being is spoken of in ancient texts." His voice shook. "Legends say that one day, a warrior shall appear, walking beside the Great Calamity. He shall bring forth an age of dominance... or destruction."

Ren's stomach sank.

Wait. They think I'm some kind of prophesied figure?!

This was bad.

If they expected him to be some legendary conqueror, then the moment they found out he was just a guy with no idea what he was doing, things could go very, very wrong.

But then again…

Ren's gaze flickered toward the villagers, all still bowing in fear and reverence.

This was an opportunity.

He had no money. No food. No clue where he was.

If they already believed he was someone powerful… why not play along?

Slowly, Ren straightened his posture. He glanced down at Goaty, who was still happily chewing grass, completely oblivious to the chaos it had caused.

He inhaled deeply then spoke.

"...Rise," he commanded.

The villagers obeyed instantly.

The armored man stood first. "Forgive us, great one. We did not recognize you."

Ren nodded, trying to look as mysterious as possible. "I understand. I have only recently begun my journey."

The man bowed. "Please, allow us to offer you shelter and food. It would be an honor."

Jackpot.

Ren fought back a grin. "That would be acceptable."

The villagers immediately rushed to prepare a feast, whispering in excitement.

Ren turned, rubbing his temples.

Somehow…

Someway…

He had just accidentally conquered a village.

Goaty let out a smug baa.

---

Ren sat at the center of a long wooden table, struggling to keep a straight face.

All around him, villagers bustled about, bringing in platters of roasted meat, baskets of fresh bread, and bowls of steaming stew. It was a full-on banquet, a celebration of their so-called "legendary warrior" and his "divine companion."

And that divine companion?

Goaty sat beside him on a throne.

An actual throne.

Someone had literally dragged out an ornate stone chair and placed it next to Ren's seat, treating the damn goat like it was some kind of god-king.

Ren clenched his fist under the table, forcing himself to maintain his calm, mysterious facade.

This was insane.

Just hours ago, he was starving in the wilderness. Now, an entire village was treating him like royalty.

Not that he was complaining.

Food was food.

He tore off a chunk of bread, dipped it into the thick, spiced stew, and took a bite. Heaven. His taste buds nearly exploded.

"Do you like it, great one?"

Ren swallowed and turned to the armored man sitting beside him—the village leader, apparently. His name was Garrick, a retired warrior who had taken charge of the settlement after years of battle.

Ren wiped his mouth with a cloth, nodding with as much dignity as he could muster. "It is… acceptable."

Garrick's eyes lit up like a kid receiving praise from his hero. "We are honored!"

Ren coughed, hiding his amusement. These people were way too easy to impress.

He glanced at Goaty, who was being hand-fed by a group of villagers.

Every time someone placed food near its mouth, it would take a single slow bite, chewing with exaggerated grace. The villagers gasped and clapped like they were watching a divine ritual.

Ren sighed. This goat is such a show-off…

Still, he needed to be careful.