It took two days for Motoyasu to be able to talk to anyone. He was confined to his room while the big shots scrambled to revise security. He had to wait while a taste tester sampled each dish he requested for poison. After the first time, Motoyasu took to feeding the taste tester personally. He had a passive skill for enhancing the effectiveness of potions. If he had to someone eat his food and then wait to see whether or not the man keeled over, then it might as well be a shorter wait.

There were no parades or stuffy meetings. There weren't even women waiting for him when he bathed or lay down in bed. All contact was halted. He had to pitch a fit and threaten to run away again just to get Birdie moved to his room during the whole ordeal.

It was while the two of them were alone in his room that Birdie leaned in and whispered softly so as not to be heard by the score or so of guards outside his door, "I don't think they caught whoever put poison in my food."

Motoyasu didn't see any reason to whisper. If Birdie were right, then it was a conspiracy they wanted to play dumb to. He just didn't think she was right.

Still, he whispered to appease her. "They already told us they did. They even got him to confess to people who helped him sneak the poison into the kitchen."

"Motoyasu-sama, with as many people as are in the palace alone, I don't think they could weed out an assassin that quickly. Especially not when they seemed focused entirely on catching us as soon as they saw us running away," Birdie argued.

"They executed him within view of the window."

Motoyasu had glanced up from time to tome to see how it went and get assurance that Birdie's killer wouldn't threaten her any longer, but he hadn't been able to watch the whole thing. Even the crowd that gathered to cheer on the criminal's death seemed excessive.

"We only have their word to go on that he was the culprit. Didn't Fitoria warn us about Siltvelt?"

She had.

But that didn't mean Motoyasu liked the implication of any of it.

For one, that meant there were people at large who wanted to do Birdie harm. Beyond that, it meant that gruesome death befell an innocent man.

"It's such a pain that I can't even see Werner right now," Motoyasu complained. "At this rate, I'm going to run out of paper to make notes on what to talk to him about once they finally settle the security issues."

He'd started to worry they might never relax their guard, but it was later that afternoon that Werner came to see him. Werner, and an old man with a turtle shell who stepped in before Werner could shut the door, leaving the bird-man looking peeved.

Motoyasu recalled seeing that old man at some assembly where he had to give an opening speech. The whole thing had been written for him, but everyone acted like they were his words and praised him anyway. Something about Siltvelt's might and righteousness or whatever. He'd been ushered out of the room just as discussions began, so he hadn't marked the event as important.

"Am I released from house arrest?" Motoyasu asked. "I said before I was brought back that I wanted more freedom to move around."

"My deepest apologies." Werner bowed in a way that was getting on Motoyasu's nerves. The man always did that while pacifying him. "We're still reviewing security measures. I've only just received clearance to visit you. We would like to grant you more freedom, but with the severity of this threat and your current level—"

"My level would be higher if I could leave my room and train," Motoyasu snapped. "I got this far with Birdie. Rather than tell me to wait until someone else can train me, let me go out with her. Post guards nearby in case we need help if you insist, but let us train. I can't defend against the waves if you don't let me raise my defense."

"We understand that, but your safety—"

"Birdie and I will be summoned to waves no matter what you do. If you want is to be safe, we need to train. Besides, didn't you plan to include me in the fight with Melromarc? Itsuki and that princess have been able to focus on their levels since they got here. Right now, his attacks can definitely trump my defense."

"The boy makes a fair point," said the old turtle, whose eyesight might be shot with his advanced age, so Motoyasu let it slide that he was called a boy. "A small, trusted guard ought to be able to watch him from nearby while he and his talons ready themselves for their work. No matter what other plans we may have for the Shield Hero, we can't overrule the shield itself. He will be safer from threats inside and out if allowed to fight. Think of how it might look if we pit him against Melromarc's hero, only for him to fail because we were overprotective."

Werner scowled at the turtle, but Motoyasu jumped up to clasp the old man's wrinkly hands in his and say loudly, "Thank you! I have absolute faith you'll find only the best guards to keep an eye on us."

He could hear the men posted outside his door shuffle and whisper in response.

"As a matter of safety, allowing Motoyasu-sama to—"

"Werner! You said I needed to show the therianthrope families more favor, right? Would it make up for ignoring those girls if they had family who were suited to accompany me? That was a task you previously only wanted to trust another hero with, right?"

He didn't want to sleep with a furball, but a large beast of a guard was tolerable. And Werner had been on his case about showing therianthropes favor. Motoyasu had plenty of time to think of that pitch while trapped in his room.

The proposal to kill two birds with one stone his its mark. Werner fell silent while he considered it.

On a role, Motoyasu seized the chance to push further.

"No one's taught me magic yet either. Mei offered, but… Anyway, that's also important. If someone is targeting heroes, I'll need every skill I can to counter them, won't I? Since I can't use any weapons and don't have an attack stat, magic is essential."

Hopefully he had affinities that could deal damage…

In Emerald Online… Well, he couldn't use the game to predict things. There were no angels in the game.

"We can conduct magic lessons within the safety of the palace," the turtle said before Werner could respond. "Shield Hero-sama, until we have the Claw Hero back, would you accept only being able to get practical experience with spell casting during your supervised training?"

When he said it that way, it sounded like they were giving a child an inch to calm a tantrum.

So be it. Motoyasu could take the inch for the time being and a mile whenever he wanted. An entire battalion couldn't catch Birdie while she ran through a crowded city after they jumped out a window. They stood no chance of stopping her if she took off at full speed in a crowded field. It was the fear of going hungry again that kept him in place, not the guards.

Now… What else had he wanted to address?

Motoyasu looked to Birdie for cues, and she mouthed out a reminder.

Poison.

It was still an unpleasant thought, but if whoever poisoned her was still at large, he couldn't ignore that.

"Now if we've resolved your leveling concerns,I'd like to discuss—"

"How did you find the man who poisoned Birdie's food so fast?" Motoyasu asked.

Werner paused before answering. "We were lucky enough to find a witness, and the guilty party quickly confessed. Both he and the one responsible for the curse you were under when you first came to us have been executed, and you don't have to worry about them any longer. Although I don't think 'sneaking out' is the correct term for the chase you gave those men through the city, and if your main concern was Birdie's safety, then I would call into question why you chose to take so many men away from searching for her would-be killer."

"It's because we left that Motoyasu-sama was under the protection of someone who could swiftly deal with the false Claw Hero," Biride pointed out. "We were safer outside the palace than we were with the monster you let in."

"Which is why we are currently correcting our security. Many nations are. We've already sent out a warning to everyone else about the Claw Hero's abduction. Everyone has called their heroes back to verify their wellbeing. Even Melromarc has sured up their borders and placed a closer eye on the three holy heroes they've apparently let thus far roam the countryside without direction."

Motoyasu sat back down on his bed, all ears despite Birdie's frantic waving. "You know what those three are up to? How is Naofumi? What about that bow jerk?"

"Our sources are limited, but both are alive. There are few opportunities for anyone affiliated with heroes to reach them, and thus fewer chances for them to be harmed. Melromarc has been under suspicion from the other world powers since we lost contact with your escorts. The insincerity of their offer to let other nations claim their heroes was a great mistake on their part, and we'll have no shortage of allies when we retaliate. We've already enlisted several. We hope that it will be enough to match the might of Melromarc's heroes."

Good. Naofumi wouldn't be duped, at least. Hopefully if whoever attacked the Claw Hero went after him in a different disguise, it would be while Fitoria was speaking with him.

But the king was a hero? The word hero really didn't mean anything other than 'has a weapon glued to them' in Birdie's world, did it? Motoyasu didn't even want to know what weapon the king had. Something neat and effective no doubt. A useful weapon that would make him feel all the more at ease trashing someone for the crime of being summoned by him with a shield.

How nice, that other kingdoms were going to join in on attacking Melromarc. Those jerks had it coming. All of the except Naofumi (and maybe Ren?) who was at least safer than Motoyasu was for the moment.

"I don't expect to fight Naofumi, but whether Ren fights or not, I don't know if I could manage. You really think you can beat better trained heroes?"

"The current situation is that our Claw Hero is missing and the Holy Hero who came to us has yet to grow his strength—"

"What a shame. How did that happen?"

"—So we've communicated to the other kingdoms that once they've verified the wellbeing of their heroes, we would like their support, both in helping the Shield Hero to get his footing, and in recovering the Claw Hero. Faubrey's Whip Hero has already expressed he's eager to come. He'll be here as soon as Faubrey can give assurance that he isn't an impersonator like the woman who attacked you."

"Good. Although since it's already been decided that I can raise my level with Birdie while your men watch from a safe distance, I plan to 'have my footing' by the time this new hero arrives." Motoyasu leaned back in his bed, doing his best to appear laid back and in control. "It's been a while since I was able to unlock new shields. I'm looking forward to seeing what I might get from the monsters here. For that matter, next time you arrange for me to go out around the city, can you include plans for me to visit weapon shops? The shield has the ability to learn the form of any other shields people make, so I'd like to expand my arsenal that way as well."

"Of course." Werner bowed. "I hadn't realized there was a simple method to improving your weapon. Rather than parade you through stores, we will have the cities smiths loan their shields to us, and pass any new designs they create to you for copying before they go on shelves. Now if we've resolved all your concerns, I'd like to discuss your duties around the palace again. Although no large appearances are planned until the entire senate has been approved again, we will resume dinners with those who have undergone the screening this evening. A number of women have also been verified to be safe, so we can offer you more company to help ease your boredom during this security overhaul starting tonight."

Not that Motoyasu was too bent out of shape to hear that could start up again, but under the circumstances, was it really the time? He pulled Birdie closer to himself and said, "I have a roommate until you can verify the palace is completely safe. So I don't think it's appropriate to send me company at night."

"Does your roommate stay with you during your evening bath?"

Good point.

"I suppose then is fine…"

"I'm glad to hear it. Well then, we'll leave you and your roommate to your business. I need to make arrangements for you to receive new shields."

"And select guards for his training," the old turtle reminded Werner.

"Of course. We'll see you at dinner."

Werner walked out the door before looking back and seeing that the old turtle hadn't followed him.

"I had one other matter I wished to discuss with the Shield Hero."

"As the overseer of his care, I can address any matters of concern."

"Werner, you're too greedy," the old turtle said. "The boy's already run away once with your attempts to keep him under thumb. And what do you think the rest of the senate might say if they learn that while you may let him attend public meetings, you bar anyone but yourself from speaking to him privately? I have no interest in undermining your authority. I simply have my own safety concerns to address. We of the genmu are known for our own defensive prowess. This is an area of expertise for me. Would you deny the boy advice from one shield wearer to another when a fake hero so recently tried to take him from us?"

Werner scowled at the argument, but bowed deeply and stepped back. For a moment, Motoyasu mistook the man for listening to a reasonable concern about that security he rambled on so much about.

"Very well. I would hate for rumors to spread that I am unfairly hoarding our hero."

"I appreciate that. Whoever you chose as his field guard. I won't make any suggestions of my own."

The old turtle waited for Werner to be out of sight of the door, and then shut it.

"Off the bed with you. There are plenty of chairs in this room with backs to them, and you'll want that support," the old turtle told Motoyasu. "We're going to have a long chat. Brace yourself."

-o-

A taste tester gave Motoyasu and the old turtle lukewarm tea. Motoyasu sipped it and pretended it didn't suck while the old turtle spoke.

"I don't fault you in the slightest for asserting yourself, but be careful. A Shield Hero who is difficult to control is inconvenient to the senate. In the future, if you want a freedom that Werner is withholding, pass the word on to me. I'll persuade others when possible. The Shield Hero being allowed to level himself up is perfectly reasonable, although there will be furious debate over who has the honor of training you now that the compromise of letting the Claw Hero handle it has collapsed."

Motoyasu gave an affirmative noise to assure the man he was listening, but he was only half paying attention. The old turtle lost him at the instruction not to fight for his own freedoms.

"You were lucky this time. The therianthrope families are divided between a most political factions. Any affronts or favor to them as a whole will be divided between factions as well. If you dangle the possibility of letting guards who prove themselves to you become permanent party members, you might even see some families completely forgive your affront to their daughters."

Was it really that big a deal that he hadn't wanted to sleep with anyone covered in fur? Girls shot him down every once in a while, and he moved on to girls with better tastes. Besides, they weren't talking about dating. He could swallow his disinterest and flatter an ugly girl over a nice dinner date, but the girls they sent him skipped all the chase and foreplay. Complaining that he was choosy in bed was practically like demanding he pay for ugly prostitutes.

"You stayed behind to talk to us more candidly about everything Werner discussed?" Birdie asked. Motoyasu had offered her his lap while they all made themselves comfortable in the chairs, but she had opted for a seat near enough to his that she could reach out and grab his arm instead. "Then was what he said about catching my poisoner so quickly true?"

There was no reason things couldn't run so smoothly. Motoyasu almost said they shouldn't complain about their good fortune in those two criminals being caught so quickly, but stopped himself.

There weren't two criminals. Someone had slipped poison into Birdie's food, but the culprit behind the curse he was under had been himself and his shield. How could they have properly executed the culprit behind the curse when he sat there alive and well and with the shield still attached to him?

They executed someone over the curse? Motoyasu passed up every the chance to explain that it was his own fault, and they executed someone?

The thought would have left Motoyasu reeling, except that came up with a possible consolation. If someone was suspected, they must have seems suspicious, so they were likely guilty of something else. He didn't get a person killed carelessly assuming the truth would come to light. There must have been some other reason the man was guilty.

That kept him calm until the old turtle spoke. "You were right to think it suspicious. With regard to suspects in the attempt to kill you, the likely candidates are anyone in Siltvelt who could wed Motoyasu-sama, anyone in Siltvelt with a relative who could wed Motoyasu-sama, and, less likely, any enemy of Siltvelt who sought to strip our Shield Hero of his talons. It's a longstanding and well known rule that a Shield Hero may take multiple wives. The Shield Hero is our god, and anyone he choses is blessed whether the choice is exclusive or not." The old turtle turned his attention to Motoyasu. "It's a less spoken but still well understood problem that the Shield Hero will favor one woman above all others. The favorite wife can use her position to influence her hero. The senate may make the decisions for the country, but for the common people, the Shield Hero in the flesh holds more power to inspire. Your backing would guarantee public support. Moreover, her position lets her give her opinion on other women who the hero might bring into the marriage, or even to discourage certain women from being granted children. To be the Shield Hero's favorite is a position many would kill for. And you've declared at every opportunity that a certain girl is already first in your heart."

Motoyasu blinked slowly, trying to process all of that. The talk about wives wasn't a subject he liked, but it beat thinking about that other thing the turtle said, so he placed his focus there. Politics weren't his thing, but he was expected to play some sort of role? And letting one woman control which other women he saw? He didn't like the sound of that.

When he didn't respond even to affirm he heard and understood, the old turtle sighed and continued.

"Once you've chosen your first wife, know that most other women who she allows into your bed will be from families allied with her own. Yet even if you have no plans to wed your filolial, your relation to her means any women you do marry will be hardpressed to assert more influence than the girl already beside you does."

"I… um…" Motoyasu looked around as if expecting a door back to Japan to appear. A harem and the assumption that he would take multiple wives was a paradise the likes of which he knew he hadn't really stumbled upon. Those girls sought to gain something from him. He just figured that something was, say, getting to say they had been favored by a Holy Hero, or perhaps some sort of payment by his retainers for keeping him complicit for another night.

Securing his hand in marriage in order to use the religious sway of the Shield Hero to dominate politics was a little larger a play than he expected. All of the girls who tried to sleep with him were gunning for that? And their families would stoop to murder in order to secure that?

"Let me think… Um… Then… So those girls I already slept with…"

"So far you've chosen… Tort, Irilla, Usa, Trish…"

"I-I don't need the full list," Motoyasu said, because that sounded better than admitting that he couldn't confirm anything based solely on girls' names. There had been the bat girl, the lion girl, the… come to think of it, there'd been a turtle girl that things got steamy with in the bath. If he found himself talking to an old man about having slept with her granddaughter, he was leaving.

"I didn't meant to put you on the spot. I'm only trying to recall them all myself. You've hit quite a few political factions across those girls. Each of them is being watched eagerly by their families to see if you gave them a child. There is an expectation in that case that you will wed them, of course, although some families will be happy to say they have divine blood in their lineage even if you do refuse to marry their daughters. Hopefully, it will only be Tort if any girl is so lucky. If you're split between too many political factions, you run the risk of offending those girls' families by failing to forward their interests, but you're certain to make enemies if you side with any one faction, even by accident. Incidentally, even if my Tort isn't pregnant, I would happily back you against any more underhanded factions. I have two other granddaughters as well who—"

Motoyasu threw the nearest window open and put one foot on the sill.

"—My apologies! I'll save their introductions for a later time. For now, I'm sure you care more about learning the full scope of your role as Shield Hero. Past heroes have found it unsavory to learn this custom. Even those who accept it will too often try to take advantage of their situation and make too many enemies. It's become standard to operate around them, but you're not likely to last long at this rate. Shall I walk you through which factions you're dealing with? And don't worry when someone is confirmed pregnant. You're clearly shooting at random, so the families will sort out how this effects everyone's standing. Additional wives are typically those already allied with the favorite, but it's not unheard of to let the Shield Hero marry in a woman from a rival faction in order to secure a political alliance. A particularly valuable deal might even be struck by granting such a rival approval to bear a child, so—"

"Don't makes deals behind my back about me having kids!"

A figurehead who primarily serviced the real powers via political marriage… wasn't that supposed to be the role of a princess? No. He wasn't even a princess. Princesses weren't whored out to multiple nobleman to give each one a son!

"Uurg…" Motoyasu slumped back down in his chair. "I didn't come here to be bred in political deals. I just wanted to be somewhere safe from Melromarc…"

"The solution is simple," Birdie said. "If Motoyasu-sama stops entertaining these other women, there can't be a fight over which women he'll choose."

The old turtle smiled sympathetically and reached out to place a hand on Motoyasu's shoulder. "It's because you've shown no interest in authority and gone along with what's been asked of you thus far that I felt it safe to tell you this. But as for ignoring all those women… Well, if you'd refused them from the start, it might have gone smoother, but even then, there would be families irritated. Now you've set the precedent. My offer to have my family and our allies back you still stands, of course."

By marrying the turtle girl…

Motoyasu bent over and buried his hands in his face. This was still a better than his situation in Melromarc, but it would have been nice if someone told him upfront that he would be expected to make commitments in exchange for the sex!

"I… was told that the previous Shield Hero died suddenly while here…"

"I was a young boy indeed at the time, but I learned about the event. He passed away in his sleep despite having seemed healthy, and it was deemed an unavoidable tragedy. An unknown health issue, completely unrelated to how he had fought with the high families over how this nation enslaves humans," the old turtle said.

So it wasn't just Birdie who was in danger. Suddenly, Motoyasu felt the desire to give his taste tester a hug and buy the man flowers. That brave soul stood between him and a rushed funeral in which a random innocent was killed to pacify anyone outraged over his death.

Wait. Could they kill an innocent just for that? They certainly executed someone for the crime of trying to poison Birdie. How did they chose?

"I don't mean to jump around too much but… If anyone could have targeted Birdie and you don't know who, the man who was executed…"

"Right now, the two most influential members of the government are Werner and Jaralis. It should go without saying that they would agree on a mutual enemy. I don't know either of those so-called criminals, but I have no doubt they're well known to rival factions who those two wanted to send a message to."

"So if one of them tried to poison Birdie and then blamed someone else to cover it up… The two most powerful factions… They could easily hide it, couldn't they?"

"It could just as easily have been a stable hand who knew the cook well enough to get near your meal. It doesn't matter. We all understood the reason Birdie was targeted and the difficulty in narrowing down suspects. The execution was to appease the Shield Hero. If there were any cover up, they would have arranged for the 'culprit' to be discovered before you ever left the table."

That such a possibility could be tossed out casually was not as consoling as the old turtle intended., Motoyasu reminded himself to nonetheless take solace in knowing that the two most powerful factions were not prime suspects in targeting Birdie.

So many threats all at once. Someone was targeting heroes, Melromarc had chased him at least half way to Siltvelt, and now the country he'd been told was a safe haven might secretly assassinate him or Birdie… Werner was hardly any better than that king who called him a demon. At least the old turtle was forthcoming. Motoyasu almost wanted to marry all three of the man's granddaughters to ensure he'd have honest backing. But it might be better to… give up on Siltvelt?

Could he do that? Melromarc still had it out for him, and Siltvelt had publicly stated they were going to war over how he was abused. He didn't know enough about which other countries took what sides on the matter.

…A war being waged over him?

Melromarc and Siltvelt had already been enemies. He was pretty sure Mei mentioned as much back when he she explained why he'd been treated so cruelly. If Siltvelt big shots would use the attempt on Birdie's life as an excuse to execute a political rival, was his abuse a pretense for a war they already wanted?

Also: Did he care?

If Melromarc suffered for having hurt him, how much did it matter if they were hurt specifically because of his abuse, or if his abuse gave people the excuse to hurt that kingdom? Either way, his telling Siltvelt how he was left to starve and beg, cast out in the cold and forced to sleep in a back alley in the rain, contributed to Melromarc's misfortune, then that was enough.

That was right. It didn't matter what Siltvelt did so long as he and Birdie were safe.

He could try and covertly research other kingdoms and make plans to move again, but that would take time. He'd need to navigate Siltvelt with more caution in the meantime.

"I don't care at all about politics," Motoyasu told the old turtle. "What policies you guys are pushing and whatnot doesn't matter to me. I don't even care about my homeland's politics, but I could follow drama alright. So teach me what you know about all the important people's personalities. Whose underhanded or driven or desperate. Who do I not want to cross? Who would make me too many enemies? I don't care what you people do with the power you have. I came here to be somewhere safe. Whatever arrangement keeps me off of hit lists, that's what I'll aim for."

If he busied himself training, he might be able to use that as an excuse to get out of a few potential pitfalls. Showing off how useful Birdie was could also dissuade some from wanting to harm her. Once they had their levels up, he would block whatever attacks came from the Claw Hero's enemies and keep Birdie safe too. So the biggest threat left was Siltvelt itself.

He didn't care to straighten the country out. More specifically, he didn't care enough about its people to risk his life challenging their setup. So he would put effort into playing along for so long as he depended on their support, and then he would leave.

The people he cared about could be counted on one hand, and the only two in Siltvelt had no loyalties to the country.

-x-

STA: This chapter involved lots and lots of talk while people sit in a room, and I apologize for that. If it helps, I spent a lot of time combing through it for filler-y lines and it's about 10% shorter than it was two days ago.

drmcgraw186: I think it's less an issue of people liking or disliking it and more that some people don't read it, so it makes elements of this fic seem random. As for Rino, presumably she's going about her daily life as an adventurer without any spear heroes hitting on her and then overlooking when she gets sold to brothels.

reality deviant: That's more or less why Sadeena was disapointed. I'm on the fence about whether or not to do a scene with Spearfumi and Fitoria when there's not much for her to exposit to him that isn't already in canon or this fic though.

Uday Sra: Thanks