Hello my dear readers and welcome!

Before we dive into it, I would just like everyone to keep a few things in mind when it comes to this story.

1. This is a romance Fanfic that does focus heavily on the relationship between Glass and Naofumi as the main couple so expect to see a fair bit of fluff between them later on.

2. There will be no harem.

3. This story is AU and therefore will be completely different from the canon material.

Other than that, I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer - I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero.

Chapter 1: The Miracle Encounter

"Normally you would be executed for such an act! But because you are a hero, we will excuse your actions just this once due to how close the next wave is. However, your crimes have already spread to the general public and you shall live your days in shame as punishment. Don't think for a second that you will ever be able to lead a decent life."

The King of Melromarc's words rung painfully loudly in Naofumi's mind as he walked away from the castle gates without a destination in mind, hearing the sounds of the closing castle gates behind him.

Even as his feet carried him aimlessly past the central market where vendors were busy closing shop for the day, all Naofumi could think about was the unbelievable act of betrayal he had experienced earlier today.

"I can't believe I was so stupid." He gritted his teeth in frustration, appalled at how naive he had been. "I should have known from the start...I was shunned from the very moment I was summoned."

To be honest, he always had an inkling especially with the attitude that the King had displayed when they were introducing themselves to him. The old man had completely disregarded him then, brushing him aside as though he was invisible, treating him completely differently to the other three. Had he not been so completely blind, he would have seen this coming from a mile away.

"Hey isn't he the criminal?"

"Why is he not locked up?"

"Why the hell did they summon the Shield Hero? The spear, bow and sword were more than enough."

"I know right? If anything, the shield just made things so much worse."

"Just ignore him, pretend he isn't there otherwise your eyes might rot."

"Some hero he is for performing such a crime."

Naofumi balled his fist in anguish, as the baseless gossip from various passerby's filled his ears, threatening to crush his already rock bottom self-esteem. He wanted to yell out his thoughts, he desperately wanted to explain himself...to have everyone truly understand what happened...to prove to them that he was innocent.

But who would believe him?

It was evident from a single glance that he wasn't going to get through to anyone, for the looks he received in return were filled with nothing but disgust and rejection. Forget hero, they were all eyeing him like he was the devil himself, as mothers pulled their children away and others spat in his direction.

The whole world was against him and he couldn't trust anyone nor could anyone trust him. No one was going to be there for him, it was as simple as that.

For the first time in his life, Naofumi wanted to sink through the floor, to disappear without a trace. Everything felt meaningless. What did he even do to deserve this in the first place?

The young man directed his gaze towards the setting sun as though hoping to hear an answer from God himself. But only silence returned as a cool evening breeze blew past, causing him to shiver a little.

"Perhaps I will be sent back to my world if I die here. After all, this is kind of like a second life right?" Naofumi theorized somewhat convinced at the idiotic hypothesis he had arrived at. Yet in his current mental state, delusional thoughts crept in one by one eventually causing the college student to come to a rash decision.

At this point, no one was going to ever join his party anyway given his infamous reputation. Given the fact that he is unable to level up effectively thanks to his ridiculously low attack power, he was going to be doomed one way or another when the wave hits. So why wait?

"If death won't find me, then I shall come looking for you instead."

With that said, the boy steeled his nerves. Tonight, he would leave the safety of the city walls and venture as far as he could.

Maybe a miracle would happen or maybe he would die a painful death at the hands of some monstrosity.

Either way, he had nothing to lose.

By now the sun had already retired for the day as darkness enveloped the entire world, which was illuminated weakly by the moon. Most of the Kingdom's citizens had already returned to their homes and were probably preparing to enjoy a warm night's feast...at least for those that had a home to return to.

Unfortunately for a certain black-haired man, he didn't belong to that category, instead hugging his tattered white shirt against him. But one could easily tell from his purposeful strides that the individual was anything but lost at the moment.

Naofumi had specifically chosen this time to take action, finding it much more comfortable to travel under the veil of darkness rather than under the judgmental gazes of those during broad daylight.

His path eventually diverged from the well-maintained pavement of the main road, directing his course towards a dark alleyway instead. The shield hero silently praised himself for familiarizing himself with the city earlier as his surroundings were almost pitch black right now, and he was certain he would have gotten lost had he not practiced this route several times beforehand. Taking a swift turn left followed by a right, Naofumi finally found the destination he was looking for as he casually threw the weathered store sign a glance.

'This place has sure seen better days huh?'

That was hardly a surprise though for almost everything within this area was broken down and neglected to some degree. It was clear from it's inhabitants that this was a place for those beneath the poor. In other words, this was something akin to the slums as Naofumi walked past several homeless strangers, each laying in what one could assume was a makeshift bed but looked more like a pile of trash. Needless to say, it smelt and looked absolutely horrid around here.

Naofumi knew that he too would eventually end up like this if he simply tried to survive. Sure he could probably try and stay alive by killing balloons and selling their drops. But the amount that yielded was extremely meager...almost laughable. The thought of living day to day with nothing but dry rye bread filling his stomach whilst sleeping under the stars every night simply didn't sound like a worthwhile life. If his path lead to something so pointless, why not just give up on it all together?

No one wanted him around anyway. There was no way he would even think about trying to save a world that was willing to abandon him, so his status as a hero held absolutely no attached responsibilities.

Arriving at the entrance of an extremely questionable shop, Naofumi considered giving a couple of knocks in light of the late hour but ultimately decided that pleasantries were useless. Throwing the wooden door open with a loud slam, the shield hero walked in without a care in the world, heading straight for the shop keeper behind the counter.

"Ohhh, if it isn't the famous Shield hero himself. What a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance."

"Save it, I'm not here to chit chat." Waving his hand to signal his disinterest, Naofumi wasted not a second to get to the point. "I understand this shop operates not just by selling various products but you also purchase goods from customers too?"

"That is correct. My name is Beloukas, a slave trader by day and a black market dealer by night." The short creepy looking man wore a tuxedo akin to one that a circus ringmaster would wear. He certainly gave off a different vibe from the rest of the citizens around this particular area, just based off his attire alone. Whether it be, the glasses attached to a chain, white alchemist gloves, long top hat or the red bow tie ingrained with a diamond brooch, the mysterious individual certainly spared no expense in creating...a somewhat memorable impression upon those who ever crossed paths with him. However, despite his fancy wear, Naofumi felt like he could trust one of the homeless men outside more than he could this particular person. It was like he was hiding something behind that sinister grin of his.

Regardless, such a small detail mattered not to Naofumi who's only intention was to sell what he had before beginning what could potentially be his final night in this world.

"I never remembered asking for your name but that's okay, I'm here to sell this particular item." Reaching into his shallow pockets, Naofumi retrieved a small metal wristwatch he had been wearing on the day he had been teleported here. This was amongst the few things that didn't get stolen by that...wrench of a woman.

"Hooohh, what a magnificent piece! I have never seen such fine craftsmanship before." The slave trader exclaimed whilst inspecting the small accessory, holding it up the light and admiring it like it was some precious jewel.

'It's just a cheap watch you get from my world.' That was what Naofumi wanted to say but stopped himself. After all, doing so would just lower the sum he would get in return.

"So are you interested in purchasing it? I haven't got all day."

"My yes of course I do. Such a fine piece would surely do well for my collection." The short man responded with his usual toothy grin before directing his attention towards Naofumi. "In light of our first business transaction, how about I throw in a special bonus at 100 silver?"

"200 silver and throw in a bag for luggage too. That is an artifact that you can't get anywhere else in this world. Needless to say, that watch is nearly priceless."

"Hahaha, I like your attitude Shield hero, reminds me of my earlier years." Beloukas nodded with a satisfied grin before offering a handshake to his much younger client. "200 silver it is."

"Deal."

As per the agreed amount, Naofumi found himself 200 silver richer, the bag of coins weighed somewhat heavily in the leather bag slung over his right shoulder. At least now, he could afford to buy some essentials before setting on his journey.

Turning around to leave, the young man was stopped by an unexpected offer from the only other occupant within the shop.

"Say Shield Hero, would you perhaps be interested in acquiring some teammates? After all, you do need the extra assistance from what I have heard."

"Let me guess, you want me to purchase a slave or two from your daytime business?" The short man had mentioned his other occupation earlier in the conversation so it wasn't hard to put two and two together.

"As expected from someone of your caliber to catch on so quick. It has come to my attention, that your previous...companion left you with some rather unpleasant memories. But worry not you shall for slaves cannot lie or betray their master as they are placed under the effects of a powerful curse. You see, upon purchase, slaves are marked with a strong, seal-based curse that can take their very lives if they refuse to act according to their owner's wishes."

"So it's like a binding pact of some sort?"

"Yes you could consider it one, so what do you say?"

To be honest, Naofumi was intrigued for his knowledge of light novels and animes never touched upon the exact reason as to why slaves always obeyed their masters. However, it only took a second for the young man to be disgusted with himself, knowing that he would effectively be doing the same as the King of Melromarc himself should be go ahead and purchase a slave.

After all, he would effectively be forcing someone to fight against their wishes and the thought of him being even remotely similar to that royal old fart made him sick.

"Not interested." With that said, Naofumi once again resumed his pace, leaving a few parting words before closing the door completely. "I might be back to do some more trading but you can keep your slaves to yourself."

"Oiii kid, I heard what you did to that girl. You deserve a punch to the face for your actions."

The weapons trader wore a completely different expression from when Naofumi met him yesterday, wearing an angry scowl upon his features as he grabbed a handful of the young man's shirt before raising his other fist.

"You too huh?"

He was just like the rest. Everyone was so quick to judge and condemn him without even bothering to learn the full story, simply believing the rumors that had spread from the royal family.

They were all the same...his enemies.

Clouded with these dark thoughts, the shield hero retaliated with a tone that clearly conveyed his hatred even if it wasn't directed specifically at the older man

"You..."

Naofumi figured he must have worn a really scary look for the trader to look somewhat taken back, even releasing his grasp in the process.

"What is it? Weren't you going to deliver a punch of justice to the criminal himself?"

"No I change my mind."

Over his numerous years in the trading industry, Erhard (the weapons/armor dealer) had come to meet all sorts of people. In his line of work, it was fairly important for one to be able to deal with liars so as to avoid a bad transaction. You didn't need to be an expert mind-reader once you meet with enough people. Often it was just subtle gestures that gave one away whether it be avoiding your gaze, a fidget here or there and even, a slight change in tone or perhaps a few too many blinks. It always boiled down to the same little things that split a lie apart from the truth.

Yet, the expression he had seen on the young boy was completely void of dishonesty.

"Good. You would have lost your life had you continued." Fixing his shirt without so much as a glance in return, Naofumi proceeded to the real reason for his visit. "I'm here to buy some combat equipment."

"Combat equipment?" Erhard questioned, obviously puzzled by the time and place of his request. "Didn't I already sell you some before?"

"I'm not here to play 20 questions, do you have anything cheap for the road? Also I know you are a weapons and armor shop, but if you have some food, drinks and potions that you are willing to part with, I'll take those too."

"The gear I can provide but it might be better for you to try other vendors for the edible essentials." Rubbing his head in confusion, Erhand threw a glance behind the counter, seeing if he could spot any of the requested items. He knew he had some food in the kitchen but not in a large quantity and he never really left the safety of the city walls so his stock of potions were of course minimal.

"In case you haven't noticed, no one around is particularly keen on rolling out the red carpet for me." The young man gritted his teeth before beginning to retrieve the coins, figuring it was a waste of time to continue. "Fine, if you don't have any, then I'll just take the equipment."

"Alright alright kid, I'll go and see what I can find for you but I'm telling you right now to not expect a whole lot."

"I'll take what you have to offer." Naofumi finished before placing a few handfuls of silver coins on the table.

"Not an awful lot my backside."

Once again readjusting the strap on his shoulder, Naofumi heaved a sigh as he felt the ridiculous weight pressing against his back.

"Perhaps I bought too much."

He didn't exactly have a good look at it all but there were roughly enough rations to last him easily for a week as well as enough potions for him to heal a multitude of times. Furthermore, he was now wearing much more appropriate attire for the cold evening night. The brand new grey pants and white shirt were comfortable and smelt of fresh soap whilst the large black and green overcoat insulated all his heat. Pulling the hood of his coat over his head, the young man felt as cosy as he had been all day as he continued to make his way towards the city entrance.

Despite it being a rather long and harsh day, Naofumi still felt fairly energetic surprising even himself as he wasn't exactly the most active type in the real world, often preferring to stay at home more than anything.

But right now, he had a drive...a purpose and that in turn was pushing him onward. Of course, it was a rather stupid one that could potentially get himself killed, but it was also his first real taste of adventure, to see what the world had to offer besides the cruel treatment of the Kingdom's people.

After all, the best way to not get betrayed anymore was to fight alone. That way, there was no way for a companion to trick and deceive him.

And a part of him was eager to see how far he could get alone.

The amount of pedestrians at this time was scarce allowing Naofumi to make quick progress. It wasn't long before the city gates came into view along with two guards that were on night duty.

It didn't take them long to figure out who he was.

"Ohhhh if it isn't the famous Shield Hero himself!"

"Hahaha, heading somewhere are we?"

"He must have gotten bored of all the women here already."

It was infuriating but he could do nothing about it. If he even so much as raised a fist, there was little to no doubt that his actions would get reported, which may very well lead him straight to prison for real this time.

"I want to head outside the city, got a problem with that?" Naofumi simply gritted his teeth and glared at the soldiers who seemed to be having a bit too much fun.

"We don't have a problem with you leaving the city, can't say the same for when you want to enter though."

"Hahaha, you're doing us a favor by leaving anyway."

"Tchhh." Naofumi clicked his tongue angrily before quickly passing through the guards, hearing their laughter echoing behind him even after he had gained a bit of distance from them.

Still he found his mood lightened significantly once he realized that he was finally free.

'Its kinda odd that I find it more comfortable outside those walls than within them.' The college student pondered thoughtfully as he walked absentmindedly along the path, leading away from the city.

To be completely honest, he had no idea where he was going. His plan which he had conjured up earlier today out of momentum had only just now revealed it's stupidity in all it's glory before him.

One lone man in the middle of goodness knows where.

'Brilliant plan, Naofumi, absolutely brilliant.'

His day had just been so hectic that he somehow got into the routine of expecting trouble to come and find him rather than the other way around. Perhaps due to muscle memory, his feet has instinctively taken him to the very same plains where his first encounter with balloons had taken place.

Although the sight of it surfaced a wave of unpleasant memories, Naofumi ultimately decided that they would serve as a good warmup.

"Hahhh...Hahhhh...Hahhhh..."

A lone figure could be seen leaning against a thick tree trunk in the middle of a forest clearing as they slowly regained their breath, the remains of several dozens of balloon lying at their feet like a war zone.

Naofumi had spent almost all night fighting, punch after punch after punch he had thrown at the same harmless targets. Unfortunately time didn't always equate to results, as he stared grimly at the status screen before him.

You have leveled up from 1 to 2.

"Hehhh...even after all that effort, I couldn't even achieve what the other 3 achieved in probably a few minutes." Naofumi muttered as a self-deprecating laugh escaped his dry lips before directing his attention above. "When it rains it pours huh?"

Thick droplets of water fell relentlessly from the sky, bathing the earth with it's life-giving moisture. Naofumi closed his eyes and enjoyed the soundtrack that mother nature was currently providing him, whilst gulping down a mouthful of water from his water pouch, feeling the liquid reinvigorate his parched throat.

"What should I do now?" The young man thought to himself but the sound of rustling leaves reached his ears, breaking his trail of thoughts. Scanning the environment, Naofumi realized that a brand new swarm of balloons surrounded him like a group of bandits. "I guess that's my answer."

It felt bad to leave his undercover shelter only to get soaked in combat, but the thought of being nibbled on by all these annoying creatures didn't sound all that appealing either. Deciding that the first was the lesser of two evils, Naofumi slowly got up and prepared himself for yet another round of agonizingly slow hunting.

Just as he raised his fists however, a small window filled his vision, alerting him with a rather weird message.

Attention - A vassal wielder (currently not in a party) in a critical state has been detected. Would you like to activate unique skill - Bridge of Bond? Yes/No

(Bridge of Bond - Allows the Shield hero to teleport instantly to the aid of a vassal wielder who is currently not in a party. This unique skill can only be used once before disappearing forever.)

"What in the world does that mean?" Wearing an unconvinced expression, Naofumi reluctantly pressed the yes button. "Sure why not I guess, sure seems more interesting than what I was about to do."

But it soon proved to be more than what he had originally expected, as a brilliant ray of bright white light erupted from the green gem on his shield, surrounding and engulfing the young man in an coat of blinding light. At this point he was starting to have second thoughts but it did little to stop the process. By now, Naofumi could feel his feet leaving the floor, entering a rather peculiar state of weightlessness as he lost all sense of direction.

Then without any form of warning, he felt his stomach lurch horribly as though someone had grabbed his little dome of light and thrown him high into the sky.

"Uwaahhhhh!"

Naofumi couldn't exactly see what was going on as he was still blinded in his little area of light. But if he had to describe exactly what he had felt in the past ten seconds, the sensation would be akin to going on one of those free fall drop towers in amusement parks at ten times the speed...

Thankfully, his shield seemed to have activated some sort of healing effect causing the unpleasant feeling to fade shortly afterwards. Regardless, it was one horrific experience.

'I am going to stay away from teleportation spells for a while now.'

The light that surrounded him gradually disappeared into small specks of light as Naofumi slowly lowered his arms and opened his eyes. It took several moments for his vision to adjust to the dark surroundings that he was currently in.

The only guess that sprung to Naofumi's mind as he surveyed his surroundings was a cave of some kind. The walls were cold, damp and mossy as the sound of water droplets falling echoed all around. A single whiff of the air was enough to cause a series of coughs to erupt from the young man, the stale and somewhat revolting smell completely contrasted the air he had access to only moments ago when fighting the balloons. In fact, it was so bad that Naofumi immediately checked his status screen for any indication that he might have been poisoned.

Fortunately, it didn't appear as though he had inhaled any toxic fumes but that didn't stop him from wondering why any form of life would even try to exist in here. Even after setting his earlier complaints aside, there was still the whole eerie and creepy vibe that this place gave off. The darkness felt menacing and the lack of noise only further worsened the paranoia Naofumi felt, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. It was almost like something dangerous was lurking from right around the corner, watching his every move while waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Heck, the Shield hero had only been in this cave for what...like 1 minute and he already felt like the place was slowly wearing him down both physically and mentally.

Surely, this was not the kind of place place where one would trek into without a very good reason...

"Crap, now what? Can I even get out of here?" Naofumi mumbled grimly as he ruffled his hair in annoyance. As if in response to his dilemma, a small window popped into his view much like when it alerted him earlier.

Attention - Unique skill Return from a different dimension has been added to your list.

(Return of a different dimension - Allows the Shield hero to return to his original location prior to using the Bridge of Bond skill. This skill can only be used once before disappearing forever.)

"Well at least I have an escape plan."

With his nerves now slightly eased, Naofumi dismissed the message window with a flick of his arm, deciding that it would be extremely pointless to return right now especially since he wasn't too keen on experiencing that ridiculous motion sickness back to back. Besides, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was sent here for a reason. Heaving a small sigh, the young man gathered his belongings that lay scattered on the floor. He might as well see what he could find in here.

"Don't move."

Naofumi froze upon hearing the quiet feminine voice, immediately stopping what he was doing in compliance, silently cursing himself for dropping his guard even in what seemed like a deserted place.

"Keep your hands up and slowly turn around. Try anything and you will breathe your last."

Doing as he was told, Naofumi raised his hands before slowly spinning around to face the mysterious individual.

But his eyes widened at the unexpected scene.

There standing before him was a beautiful girl with long flowing black hair that extended all the way past her waist. Her skin was rather pale although in a healthy looking way but what really stood out the most were those captivating red eyes that were currently aimed directly at his own, seemingly piercing the very depths of his soul. Naofumi almost felt like she could read his innermost thoughts with the way she was staring so intently at him.

Even with a frown evident on her features, Naofumi couldn't deny that the young girl was extremely attractive, almost dangerously so as she slowly closed the distance between them with her weapon still directed at him.

"You're not from the village..." She muttered quietly more to herself than Naofumi, her expression reflected her confusion for a brief moment before regaining it's original flare. "...I see...they hired someone to finish me off huh? It wasn't enough to simply banish me."

"What...I..." There was something about the girl that had jumped out to him ever since he first set his eyes on her but it wasn't until he heard her monologue that he was finally able piece it together. That glare she currently displayed was almost identical to the one he had worn after being framed for his false charges, the very same expression he had worn as he walked angrily past the judgemental and condemning gazes of the Kingdom's citizens, the very same look that had appeared when Erhard tried to deliver a punch to his face.

It was one of pure hatred caused by a mixture of betrayal, humiliation and exclusion.

It was precisely due to this realization that caused Naofumi to widen his eyes in shock, surfacing an emotion in him that he never thought would be possible in this new world.

Empathy.

Unfortunately, the black-haired beauty took this the wrong way, mistaking his reaction as confirmation towards her earlier accusation.

"So they really want me gone for good." Her tone was bitter but Naofumi could detect the slightest hint of loneliness in it. Yet she took only a second to recover before directing her weapon from his neck to his head. "I don't know how much you were paid or what you were told, but you should have never gotten involved in the first place. Sorry but this is the end of the road for you."

'Is this really how it all ends for me?'

But the cry of pain that followed in the seconds to come didn't belong to Naofumi.

"Ngghhhh..." Clutching her side in agony, the young girl tried desperately to maintain her posture but to no avail, her weapons dropping from her shaking hands with a loud clang.

Even standing proved too difficult a task as she felt her feet give way, watching helplessly as the floor rushed up to meet her face. But the impact she had expected never came, instead feeling a unfamiliar yet warming sensation. It didn't take her long to realize what it was.

"Let go of me..." She muttered weakly through half-lidded eyes, clearly on the verge of losing consciousness.

"You're hurt." It wasn't until Naofumi caught her did he realize that half her attire was soaked in crimson red blood, no doubt caused by an injury she had sustained prior to their meeting. "You should drink this."

"I said...Let...me...go..."

"And I said drink." He repeated whilst matching her stubbornness, watching in relief as she eventually surrendered and gulped down several vials of potion before slowly dozing off. After confirming her pulse, Naofumi calmed down and even let out a small smile at how relaxed the girl looked, nothing like how she was just moments ago.

He couldn't deny that he was beginning to grow interested in her and it wasn't because of any superficial reasons...at least not now anyway. Rather it was the fact that he saw a bit of himself in her, almost like they had gone through some similar situations before. Furthermore, it seemed like she was currently in some form of predicament judging by what she had said earlier too.

For the first time since his arrival in this world, Naofumi felt like he had found someone who could potentially understand him and everything he was going through...perhaps even possibly the other way around too.

"I hope you rest well." He whispered before gently laying his overcoat over the sleeping beauty.

A/N - Thank you for taking the time to read my first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed!

Have a great day everyone and see you in the next one !