Kluger summoned a pudgy female wizard with black and white ears atop her head. Raphtalia informed Naofumi that she was the one who had transported them all the way from Melromarc castle to here. Kluger introduced her as the court mage Asrial Hodson.

She immediately placed a hand to her heart and bowed. "Please forgive me, Shield Lord. I wanted to fight beside you as well. His majesty forbade it."

"Her magical abilities are vital to this country's defenses," Kluger said.

Which means that even though this king at least is sincere in wanting to help me, Naofumi thought. There are still some things that are a higher priority.

"Not a problem. Thank you for helping us come here."

Kluger explained the situation and swore Asrial to secrecy. She was every bit as shocked as the others had been but agreed to do what was needed. She placed advanced slave seals on both Roland and Cassandra.

"These will be invisible unless you their… master activates them or wishes to make them visible. I will need some of your blood."

"No problem, I've done this before."

"…"

Naofumi took a paring knife and sliced open his thumb, letting a few drops fall into the tray with the ink. Asrial took a brush and smeared the ink across Roland's and then Cassandra's seals. Both times the seals sparked, and the recipient grunted in pain. Naofumi's screen showed both appearing as new slaves and party members. He immediately set the condition of both seals to only activate if he were to be directly attacked. He then sent Groo a party invitation. The minotaur grunted and accepted. Naofumi now had six members in his party with himself designated the party leader. Raphtalia and Firo were both still at level forty, but there was no longer a star next to their names.

"It's done," Asrial said with a clear lack of enthusiasm. The seals promptly vanished.

That was when Naofumi noticed his shield reacting to the tray with the remaining ink. "Can I have that?"

"Ah, certainly."

Naofumi took the tray from her and eagerly poured the ink into the gem on his shield. It must have been a different variety than what the slave trader had used. A message immediately appeared.

The requirement for Slave Shield 3 has been unlocked.

Slave Shield 3

Equipment Bonus: Increase Slave experience 30% Unmastered

Equipment Bonus: Increase Slave statistics 10% Unmastered

The stat bonus was a new feature, the first two slave shields hadn't included it. With the bonuses from the previous versions his slaves would get a 60% boost to all their experience. Naofumi immediately told everyone the good news.

"That's great, Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia said.

"Yeah, master! Great!" Firo pumped a fist in the air.

"How wonderful," Asrial said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Cassandra shrugged. "Well as long as we've got the things we might as well get as much use out of them as we can." She turned to Groo. "You sure you don't want to get in on this, big guy?"

The minotaur snorted. "Groo still says you're both idiots."

"All of you remember," Kluger spoke up. "You will not speak of this to anyone. Not your mother, your brother, or your best friend lying on his death bed. NO ONE outside this room learns about this."

Heads all nodded, including Naofumi's.

"So, I guess it's time for us to go out and start grinding levels," Naofumi said. "Does anyone know some good hunting grounds?"

"The swamps of Dagobah," Groo said. "It's filled with monsters and wild beasts and there are no people living there. You go there you fight and fight and fight."

"Sounds perfect."

"It's about six days from here by wagon," Roland said.

"That will not be a problem." Asrial began casting a spell. "I am the caster of spells and master of the arcane. I have studied and deciphered the laws of magic! Show me the path I seek! Gateway!" A seven-foot-wide circle of light appeared. "This will take you near the swamp." From her belt she removed what appeared to be a metal stake with a fist sized crystal ball on top of it. She handed it to Naofumi. "When you are ready to return plant this in the ground and I will open a gateway home. I can only open them to places I have visited, but this guidon will act as a locator and allow me to open it even in a place I've never been. Please remember to take it with you before you return. It's very difficult to make and I only have the one."

"Asrial is a level ninety-five spell caster," Kluger announced with pride. "She is the only mage we know of who can use the gateway spell."

Naofumi took the guidon from her and put it safely in his pack. "Thank you, this will be a huge help."

She placed a hand to her heart and bowed. "I am servant to the Shield Lord."

With that the six of them walked through the circle. As soon as they were gone Asrial terminated the spell and the circle blinked out. The court mage turned a worried face to the chancellor.

"To think the Shield Lord would use his people as slaves!"

"Never forget that he is only partially a god," Kluger said. "The rest of him is still human. We have to be understanding if our lord has flaws."

"This isn't bad table manners or him burping! He's violating one of our most sacred laws. What will the king say about this?"

Kluger turned to her and spoke in a low voice. "Nothing, because his majesty is never going to find out."

"What?! That's treason!"

Kluger spoke calmly, keeping his voice subdued. "If his majesty finds out he will tell his advisors. If he tells his advisors, some of them will tell the High Priest and the Dukes and others. If he High Priest finds out he will speak of it to the Bishops. If the dukes find out they will tell their own advisors. How many people would that be? Fifty? Sixty? A hundred? How could the secret possibly be kept at that point? No. To prevent the public from finding out about this we must not tell his majesty."

Asrial paled. She knew what Kluger said was true. His majesty did rely on his advisors and his advisors' loyalties were to more than just the crown. But even so…

"Keeping secrets from his majesty, especially about the Shield Lord, is treason."

"I know. But if committing treason is the only way to safeguard the kingdom and the people, isn't it the right thing to do?" He placed a hand over his heart. "I am servant to the Shield Lord."

Asrial took a long and deliberate breath before matching the gesture. "I am servant to the Shield Lord."

XXX

Apparently Asrial had never actually visited the swamps themselves. The gateway deposited them just outside a tiny village called Mud Flats that was about ten miles from the edge of the swamp. The locals all stared wide eyed as Naofumi and party headed out.

Before they even reached the swamp they were attacked by small shuffling masses of green, brown, and yellow moss. Apparently these were about the equivalent of the balloons that had infested the woods near Melromarc castle. Raphtalia and he others dispatched them without comment. Roland, Groo, and Cassandra were all surprised when he asked them all to wait as he put samples of the moss into his shield.

The requirement for Green Moss Shield has been unlocked.

The requirement for Brown Moss Shield has been unlocked.

The requirement for Yellow Moss Shield has been unlocked.

Green Moss Shield

Equipment Bonus: Herbal Knowledge +1 Unmastered

Brown Moss Shield

Equipment Bonus: Herbal Knowledge +1 Unmastered

Yellow Moss Shield

Equipment Bonus: Medicinal Recipes Basic Unmastered

"Are they even worth the effort to absorb, Naofumi-dono?" Roland asked. "Mosses are about as weak as any monster you'll find."

"Every little bit helps," Naofumi told him. "The equipment bonuses they give me stack up. I won't turn my nose up at anything my shield reacts to."

Naofumi had also noticed the effects when it came to xp. When Raphtalia, Firo, Roland, or Cassandra killed a Green Moss they received 8 xp, he received 3 xp, and everyone else but Groo got 2. Groo would get 1. When Groo killed a Green Moss he got 5 xp, Naofumi 2 and everyone else 1.

As they continued they kept getting attacked my minor monsters and animals. There were rats, toadstools, foot long dragonflies, a wide variety of snakes, green, blue, and red poison frogs as big as a sheep, wild birds, snapping turtles, lizards, and one carnivorous snail. All this before reaching the actual swamp.

Naofumi was pleased. The experience points weren't enough to really worry about. Even with all the creatures they killed no one gained a single level. However, all these creatures were ones he'd never encountered before. He was able to unlock fifteen new shields and gain bonuses ranging from defense and poison resistance to basic camouflage. As he had said earlier, every little bit would help.

The first real fight came later in the day when they were knee deep in swamp muck struggling through a mangrove. A hydra as big as an elephant emerged in front of them and perhaps twenty alligators surrounded them. Five snake heads were snapping as the hydra charged.

Naofumi rushed forward to meet it. He had the chimeric viper shield active. "I'll draw its attack!"

A pair of snake heads tried to bite him. One slammed into his shield and bounced off. The other tried to bite into his shoulder, but its fangs could not even scratch his armor. Behind him he heard chants.

"I am a royal knight. I have studied and deciphered the laws of nature. Let me move with great speed. Haste!"

"Groo is the mighty Groo! Groo has studied and deciphered the laws of nature. Mother earth guard and protect me. Stone skin!"

"I am the Crazy Bunny. I have studied and deciphered the laws of magic. Let my enemies die in flame! Stream of fire!"

"I am the Shield Hero's sword. I have studied and deciphered the laws of nature. Blind my enemies! Blazing light!"

Bright light filled the air. The hydra's heads all hissed and the one trying to bite Naofumi let go and retracted. A stream of fire flew above him and struck two of the hydra's heads, making them burn like torches. Naofumi saw a momentary blur and two other heads were chopped clean off, falling as the necks spurted out a stream of blood. Groo thundered past, his skin grey and stony, his huge battle axe in both hands held high. He swung down and buried it deep inside the Hydra's chest, causing a fresh spray of blood. Groo yanked it back out and started swinging, hacking off chunks from the monster. As he did so the last remaining head tried to bite him. Naofumi saw the fangs break off.

From his peripheral vision Naofumi saw Firo stomping on alligators hard enough to squish them like worms and send their guts flying. He saw Raphtalia killing them as well, driving her sword into their skulls or slicing open their necks.

The two hydra heads that were still burning were hanging limp from their necks. The two that had been chopped off were no longer bleeding, but the stumps were splitting in two and he could see new heads starting to sprout.

"Oh no you don't," Cassandra called out. "I am the Crazy Bunny. I have studied and deciphered the laws of magic. Strike all my enemies down! Flame arrows!"

About a dozen small steaks of fire lanced out. They hit the still growing stumps as well as the last remaining full head. The ends of all the necks were now burning as Groo kept chopping. The huge body stumbled and then crashed over on its side. Naofumi saw Cassandra get 8,000 xp so he assumed hers was the killing blow. With he hydra down everyone concentrated on the alligators who were quickly dispatched.

Though it had felt a lot longer the entire fight had probably lasted less than two minutes. Naofumi was sure if he had encountered this with just him, Raphtalia, and Firo they would have won. But it wouldn't have been this quick.

Roland was no longer a blur. He was now standing in front of him, his armor caked in blood and pieces of meat, his sword clean. "Well, what do you think, Naofumi-dono?"

"I think, we will make a great team." Reaching down he picked up one of the severed heads and fed it to his shield.

The requirement for Hydra Shield has been unlocked.

Hydra Shield

Equipment Bonus: Defense +2 Unmastered

Equipment Bonus: Poison Resistance Medium Unmastered

Equipment Bonus: Regeneration Advanced Unmastered

He smiled.

XXX

Three days had passed, and the Shield Lord and party were still out in Dagobah leveling up. Kluger trusted everything was going well. He and his country were committed to doing everything possible to help the Shield Lord grow stronger so that he could defeat the wave.

He was in his office when a royal messenger arrived. He had with him a formal diplomatic message from the Kingdom of Melromarc. His interest piques the chancellor opened it. He saw it was a formal invitation from Queen Mirelia for the Shield Hero and his companions to attend the awakening of Camria Island. Every ten years all sort of powerful monsters would awaken and become active in almost countless numbers. The awakening was an event that drew adventurers from all over the world as it was a unique chance to gain a mountain of experience within a short period of time. The message also stated the other Legendary Heroes would be attending as she herself would. She requested to meet with him so they could exchange information and establish a friendship.

"Friendship my furry ass!" Kluger ripped the message to shreds. There was no need to bother the Shield Lord with this nonsense. Camria Island would indeed provide a lot of experience, but the Shield Lord would manage just fine without it.