Author Note - Thanks again HaveaLittleFeith for editing. Not much to say, but I am going to say this is the last chapter that follows the Shield Bro canon very closely. Keep points like the Waves and such will still be hit... But let's just say the next chapter is where things will kick off a new arc that brings a new party into the mix.
Our first client was before we even left the castle town. Aunt wanted a ride to Lute in our carriages and she paid us 25 silver for the ride. That 25 silver went to procuring various goods from the villagers of Lute along with my remaining 100 silvers. My clones gathered herbs and made medicines, Filo and Lial got extra food thanks to carrying wood for the village, and we all practiced our roles for the business plan till the day we left Lute to start our new adventure as traveling merchants.
The first thing we sold was medicines and the various knick-knacks like balls, tools, and monster materials. Since we didn't have that big of a selection, we set our prices a little lower than market value. We would then stock up on herbs and supplies either by buying or collecting before we left for the next village. I had my clones and myself work on compounding new medicines and processing whatever I could from monsters we defeated.
The meat, of course, went to feed us all. That also included the plant-based monsters becoming our vegetables and fruits.
"Why are books so hard?" I mumbled as I wrote notes from the book Doc gave me. It didn't help some of the recipes I got from it I already know from experimenting.
"Master Naruto, you only began learning to read less than a month ago," Raphtalia said as she held Filo's reins. She had gotten better with her motion sickness and driving the carriage of late. "The fact you can read so much in a short time is amazing."
"Yeah, but it's no good if it can't help us." I furrowed my brows at the characters before me. At least this world's language was easier than Kanji. "It will be a little while before we get those clothes for Filo and Lial. I don't know how much it will cost, so we need to make as much money as we can."
"Father, look!" Filo got my attention and I glanced over her. "There's someone up ahead."
A man was desperately running, yet he seemed out of breath and a bit pale. Overexertion? We rode up next to the man and he slowed down to a stop. He took in deep breathes as he bent over.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" Raphtalia asked as I put down the book and walked over. The man looked at us with urgency.
"Please, I beg of you, give me a lift in your carriage!"
"Huh?" Raphtalia blinked at the man as he looked down the road.
"I need to get this medicine to the village quickly!" He held a bottle up in his hand. "It's the one just beyond the mountains. It's urgent, I pray you."
"Just beyond the mountains, huh?" I think I could see it from here. "Lial, do you think you can fly us there quickly?"
"Lial can… But do Lial have to?" The dragon pouted. "Lial don't like flying."
"It's urgent, so we gotta get there fast." I could tell this man was running on fumes. This medicine must have been very important for him to push himself this hard.
"O-kay." Lial sighed and Matthew disconnected her from the back carriage.
"I'll take you there myself." I took Lial's reigns and sat on her back. "The payment will be one silver."
"Huh?" The man gasped and looked at the bottle of medicine. "I already… spent all my money on this medicine."
Damn. What kind of medicine was that to be so expensive? The guy wasn't exactly poor from what I seen of his clothes. Still…
"It doesn't matter how you pay me, just don't worm your way out of it," I said as I moved Lial around Filo's carriage.
"A-A dragon?" The man's eyes lit up at the sight of Lial and me. "That would be fine, sir." I helped the man onto Lial's back. "Thank you."
"Save your thanks." I mean, if I go there and the people the medicine for was dead, then this was worthless to both of us. "Just pay up when the time comes. Hold on."
"R-Right."
"Lial, let's go!"
"O-kay." Lial hummed out as I used my chakra to stick to Lial's back. She outstretched her wings, which seemed to grow in size, before she jumped off the path. With a strong downward stroke, we went flying through the air. The man behind me screamed as we cut through the sky. In a matter of minutes, we saw the village gate in the distance.
"Yay! We're here," Lial chirped. She furled her wings as her feet hit the ground and went into a gallop.
"Haul! Stop! You have to pay the toll!" The guard at the village gate shouted. I tossed my pass at the guard and he caught it in shock as Lial jumped over the gate.
"I'll pick it up on the way back!" I shouted as Lial kept at full speed towards the village.
"T-That way," The man pointed the way till we reached a simple house in the village. We dismounted and I was surprised to see weapons on racks within the house. Was this guy in charge of the village's weaponry?
I followed the man into a room and found an elderly lady laying in bed. She seemed to be in a lot of pain and had lost a lot of weight. "Mother, I got you the medicine." The man said towards the bed-stricken lady. She looked at her son with glossy eyes and coughed hard.
"Listen, you go boil some water." The man looked at me oddly. "I'll give the medicine to your mother."
"But I-"
"Relax. It's free. I'm a medicine maker." I explained. "I can give it to her easier."
"Alright." The man handled the medicine and walked out of the room.
Good. No need to explain what happens next to him.
I went to my skills and chose Potion Efficiency Up. I popped the bottle open and helped the ailing mother sit up. I carefully put the bottle to her lips and slowly poured the medicine into her mouth. Once the medicine was drunk, the mother let out a sigh of relief as her body glowed. I watched as life seemingly returned to her face.
"Thank you so much." The mother sat up and smiled at me.
"Mother?" The man came back with a glass of water. "The medicine? It's already working?"
"Yes. The pain was gone in an instant." The mother faced me with now bright eyes. "Thank you, good sir." By the time we finished the mother's treatment, the sun was beginning to drop towards the mountains. I got on Lial and looked down at the man.
"What exactly… What kind of magic spell did you use?" The man asked as he held onto a sack.
"Trust me… It's better you don't know." I glanced to the bulletin board nearby. The public announcement was on there. "Now, that's done…"
"Right," The man held up the sack and offered it to me. "Here, this should be worth around a silver." I took the sack and checked it. There were several strips of jerky with various vegetables.
"Yeah, that will do." I put the sack's strap over my shoulder. "See you later and good health to your mother and you."
"Thank you very much. Safe travels to you!" The man shouted as I rode off. It didn't take long for Lial and me to return to the carriages, but it did take longer as Lial wanted to run instead of fly. Such a strange dragon, considering the fact that she had wings.
We continued our peddling business with Raphtalia and Matthew dealing with the front and I worked in the back. We would also carry parcels and letters for some extra change with moving from village to village, town to town. Whenever someone needed medicine and was quite ill, I would give it to them directly myself. My Potion Efficacy Up proved to be a very effective skill to have. Especially with my new version of Healing Beverage that restored HP better than Healing Medicine and could heal internal injuries. Though, my experiments to improve the flavor of my medicines hadn't had much success. As we have gotten more funds, I expanded our inventory to include basic need goods when I had seen a need in the countryside and towns.
After we'd been at it for two weeks, we began to get a bit of a reputation as merchants with a weird pair of beasts that sold a little of everything. With making such a good name for ourselves, people became more trusting and we had gotten more passenger requests. In your face, King Melromarc!
And, the most important thing of all, we hit the milestone I wanted.
"Good evening, Sir Shield Hero," The masked lady landed next to me. She started to visit weekly for trading information. It was a mutual trade as I refused to be indebted anymore. "How was your peddling?"
"Very good," I held up a plump sack of coins. "I finally have it. The payoff."
"Seriously, Sir Shield Hero, you don't need to repay my liege."
"No. Take it. We still have enough money of you are worried." 500 silvers to be exact. In the bigger towns, we sold off our haul of monster loot, resulting in a big boon to our profit margin.
"Alright, Sir Shield Hero." The masked lady took the bag with a sigh. "Is there anything you wish me to assist you with?"
"Everything has been good," There were actually lots of benefits with this traveling merchant lifestyle.
The first was that I could sell the medicine I made while we were on the road. It has become quite the item I'm known for. The second was that I was able to absorb any monsters that we came across on our travels. Of course, all I really got were status boosts, but I took whatever I could take. Especially with monsters being very different depending on the location.
"Actually, there is something you can help me with," I pulled out the poster and showed it to the masked lady. "How much do you know about this?"
"We reported it to my liege, but I haven't seen the actual posters myself." The masked lady took the poster and read over it. "It's worse than we expected. She has been sending messages for the king to stop this nonsense… Yet it falls on deaf ears. My liege has become so frustrated by this that she started attacking portraits of the king and princess to vent her frustration."
I whistled. Not that I blamed my benefactor. King Melromarc was probably making her job super hard. "Have these been spread throughout the kingdom?"
"Sadly, yes, from what my fellow Shadows report." Even I caught glances of them in the rural villages I passed through with my travels. Thankfully they forgot to put a clear description of me in it or else my job would be harder. "The borders is still guarded too well and it has made my liege's job to keep the peace with our neighbors harder. We Shadows have been working nonstop to ensure my liege's and her daughter's safety at the conference."
"So assassinations attempts?" The masked lady nodded. "Why so? I know summoning all four of the heroes is part of it."
"It is also the false rumors about you along with news of the King's actions towards you." I raised an eyebrow. "Many religions see the heroes as divine beings. For many demi-humans countries, they worship the Church of the Shield. They have been very vocal about… your abuse in this country."
"And I'm to assume here I'm not worshiped as a hero."
"You are sharp, Sir Shield Hero," The masked lady said. "My liege follows the Church of the Four Heroes, but Melromarc mostly worships the Church of the Three Heroes."
"So that was why you said they were safe." I crossed my arms and looked over my sleeping party. Iruka-sensei stood watch for me. "Those members… they wear this weird symbol like this." I made a cross shape in the air.
"Yes."
"They have control of the clock." I noticed the odd decorations on those women. It seemed to be a cross made from a spear, sword, and bow… It was also on the church building's front.
"It may be hard for you to get a class-up if that is the case."
"How?" I asked in shock. "What's in that process?"
"One has to have a class-up done at the Dragon's Hourglass to break the level cap. It increases one's abilities as well. Have any of your party reached the limit yet?"
I checked my status magic.
Naruto Uzumaki Lv.35
Raphtalia Lv.38
Matthew Lv.35
Iruka Umino Lv.41
Filo Lv.32
Lial Lv.32
Wow. Filo and Lial's level shot up and almost matched my level. As for-Wait a second…
"Iruka-Sensei?! Check your status magic!" I hissed a whisper to him.
"Why?" Iruka-sensei asked and his eyes widened. "I broke… the cap?"
"Somehow," I looked back to the masked lady. "Iruka-sensei is past level 40."
"It must be due to the fact he is from another world like you." The masked lady nodded. "If you see a star by their level indicator, then a class-up is needed."
"Thanks for the heads up," I pulled out some silver coins and handed to the masked lady. "Are there other Dragon's Hourglasses?"
"Yes. There is one in almost every country," My eyes went wide. "And they are inflicted with their own Waves."
"That bastard of a king is trying to wipe out everyone while protecting his own interests." I bit my thumb in anger. "How are the other countries holding up?"
"Thankfully, some of the Seven Star Heroes have been assisting in the foreign lands' Waves, but it is getting harder and harder for the armies to fight the Waves."
"There are other Heroes?" I asked in shock.
"Yes. The Seven Star Heroes, though, have special weapons that can choose a wielder from this world or another world. However, even they are not expected to be strong enough to fend off later Waves without help."
"Jeez. That means we will have to cross the border sooner or later." King Melromarc is probably aiming for that so he could disguise the assassination as a border dispute. "Who are the King's enemies?"
"Siltvelt has had bad blood with Melromarc for a good while. Shieldfreeden was on better terms, but the heroes summoning changed that. Zeltbull is a country of mercenaries and merchants that keep a neutral stance, but I fear they do not do class-ups from what hear. My liege is currently in Faubley which is the strongest country and was supposed to summon the first hero. And I dare say our relationship with our smaller neighbors are just as bad off."
"So my best bet is to avoid Siltvelt and Shieldfrieden at all costs." That would be where the most trouble with King Melromarc placing the most knights and Shadows at. "This conference your liege is at was to decide who would summon who?"
"Correct." The masked lady sighed, "It has turned from that to a negotiation that could decide peace or war."
"Jeez. How the hell are we supposed to save the world when everyone is screwing things over?" I smacked my forehead. "Take that poster to your liege. Tell the people at the conference and her we may need help with class-ups soon and want to help the other countries. So, tell them to stop bickering about war and start using their minds to figure out how to make it happen without a fucking war. We heroes have been summoned to save people's lives. Making a war out of it defeats the whole purpose for dragging us from another world."
"Yes, sir." The masked lady bowed and disappeared into the shadows.
"Damn. It doesn't look good." Iruka-sensei sighed as I returned to the campfire.
"Indeed… With the debt out of the way, we can focus on building war funds." I sighed as I transformed Tate-chan to a shield.
Crystal Ore Shield:
(ability locked) equip bonus: Fine Crafting 1
We just left a booming mine town and I fed some of the low-grade crystals that were lying around.
I took out a piece of crystal and tried to polish it. I furrowed my brows when it broke and crumbled. Don't tell me I needed a recipe for crafting gemstones? There goes that money making idea for now.
At least I managed to translate the medicine grimoire. I unlocked a few good shields due to absorbing the poorer products I made. The recipes I figure out were antidote, herbicide, healing salve, restorative medicine, nutritional drink, gunpowder (what was a gun and what did it have to do with powder?), acidic water, magical water, soul healing medicine, and insecticide. I could use additives to change the effectiveness and experiment to find I could tailor medication to a specific illness.
"So, we will keep going," Iruka-sensei sighed as I took out the medicine tome and absorbed it into my shield. "You're not gonna keep the book?"
"I wrote down everything I needed." I looked at the shield I unlocked.
Book Shield
(ability locked) equip bonus: magic power up(small)
I transformed Tate-chan and found it the Shield looked exactly like a book. That would be handy if not for the very poor defense rating. Best for non-combat uses. "Better that a merchant has a book than a rope." I sighed out before I turned in for the night.
The next day I was swearing.
Why?
Torrent Shield: conditions met.
Blue Torrent Shield: conditions met.
Black Torrent Shield: conditions met.
Torrent Shield
(ability locked) Plant Classification 2
Blue Torrent Shield
(ability locked) equip bonus: Intermediate Compounding Recipe 2
Black Torrent Shield
(ability locked) equip bonus: Rookie Compounding
I just finished translating that damn book! Well, seemed I needed to keep an eye out for plant-based monsters if I wanted to keep improving my medicines.
"You need to synchronize your magic power with the words on the page," Matthew said as I listened to his lecture to Iruka-sensei.
"I'm trying," Iruka-sensei grunted as he focused. "I'm only drawing chakra again." Iruka-sensei sighed in defeat.
"It's alright. If we keep at it, we should figure out how to get magic to work for Master and you."
"I really hope so." I sighed with remembering the result of learning the Fireball Jutsu. Just thinking of it made me wish I had gone into more debt for crystal balls. Especially, when my huge fireball on my first successful attempt could barely damage the monsters we fought. At least I could light up fires now without flint though my control on it is a bit bad when it comes to size.
"I really can't believe I am riding with our Savior of the Heavenly Beasts!"
"Our Savior of the Heavenly Beasts?" I asked as I looked at my current riding customer. He was a bit of a short man but clearly had some money due to how nice his clothes were.
"Why, yes, you have quite the reputation," The trader said with a big grin. "In two carriages drawn by the gods of domesticated birds and dragons, our savior travels and treats the sick."
Huh? How the heck did this happen? I was just trying to earn a quick buck while hiding I am the Shield Hero. The bonus was it helped people, so getting the money didn't feel scummy considering the other options we could go with since Iruka-sensei and I are missing-nin…
Okay, I actually like being a doctor of sorts. I even invested in some books about healing and the body to better serve the people.
How the hell did it turn into such a good thing, though?
"Did he say Filo is a god?" Filo asked and got hushed by Raphtalia.
"I'm surprised at you!" Raphtalia hissed out. "Didn't Master Naruto tell you not to talk when there are strangers?"
"Oooo… Sorry," Filo pouted while I actually enjoyed the look of utter shock on the trader's face.
"Well, I'll be. It talks!" The trader gasped out. "That really is a god!"
"No, she's not," I chuckled. "Her sister and she are more gluttons than anything else."
"Huh?" The trader looked at me in confusion. I just went back to studying the magic book. There was something I was missing. I knew there was, but I couldn't figure out what.
"There's a large gang up ahead blocking our path," I looked towards Raphtalia and sensed them. Around fifteen of them... Wait, one was… I got up and met Raphtalia in the front.
Yep. Fifteen men and women in various equipment stood in our way. I glanced up at the tree line at the top of the chasm we were riding through.
"Whoa, now! You can stop right there." The leader of the bunch shouted as we stopped.
"Well, that's an odd bird you got there, stranger." Another one of the thugs barked out. "We heard an accessory seller was hitching a ride with you. Come on! We know you're in there!"
"Oh no!" The trader squeaked and hid.
Oh, boy. I will have to be more careful about choosing my clients. Then again, I heard rumors that a faction of bandits has taken up residence in the wilderness here. I glanced back to see Iruka-sensei gone from the seat of Lial's carriage.
"Just hand him over quietly and you'll get away with just your lives intact."
"Meaning you'll take everything but our lives." I countered back with a frown. Jeez. This is going to be troublesome… Crap, I'm starting to sound like Shikamaru.
"Hah. This one is sharp as a tack, ain't he." No. More like you guys are acting like the manga I read in class at the academy. Heck, you guys even almost quoted word for word what one villain said to a protagonist in the story. How cliche if I could remember it.
"That one's pretty hot for a demi-human!" One of the men laughed. "Looks like we are going to have some fun tonight!"
"Master Naruto, may I have permission to end these fools' lineage?" Raphtalia snarled as she let go of the reins.
"When do you need permission when protecting your dignity?" I snorted with a bit of disgust. "Have at it. But let's even the odds. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"A smokescreen?" The leader gasped out and then snarled. "Don't even think about it! We have a class-upgraded bodyguard that will make mince-" All the bandits' eyes widened as the smoke cleared. Oh, Filo got free from her reins? When could she do that? Or how, with those wings?
Oh, yeah, focus on the danger before me.
"So that's what I was sensing," One of my clones said as we all changed Tate-chan. I personally went with the Chimera Viper Shield. Others went for the Bee Needle Shield and Light Metal Shield.
"W-What the?!" The leader gasped at the total of forty-five mes. "Your magic trick isn't going to fool us!"
"Too bad. You may have lived if you just backed off." I sighed as Matthew finished his chant.
"All Zweite Aqua Shot!" Matthew appeared beside the carriage and a large orb of water appeared above him. The orbs turned into smaller orbs and fired at the bandits. Some of the orbs struck the bandits and did some serious damage. The bandits charged at us and we sprung into action.
"So you're this so-called class-up bodyguard?" I asked the man with the fancier equipment and a better sword than the others.
"You think you can fight me with a shield?!" The bodyguard barked out in laughter as he swung his blade at me. I blocked it and gritted at from the weight of the blow.
"Gotcha!" The bodyguard went wide-eyed when my clone restrained him from behind.
I selected my skill Potion Efficacy Up in my status magic.
"Why you-Huh?" The snakes on my Chimera Viper Shield came to life and bit the bodyguard on the arm and he glowed purple. "What the hell is with that…" His face turned green and his face morphed into terror. "You're the Shield Hero?!"
"Whoever would have guessed it?" I grinned back at the bodyguard.
"As the source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and conceal me utterly in a magic haze! Hide Mirage!" Raphtalia flickered before disappearing before the bandits.
"Where she go?"
"She used-Agh!" Well, that guy learned it was better to act than talk with getting a slash in his chest.
"Lial!"
"Right!"
"I am the source of all power. Hear my words and understand them. Blow them away! Faust Tornado!" Both created two huge tornadoes and the bandits that gotten too close to the carriage were blown away. When these those two learn that magic? They were worse at learning than me!
"What the- Hey! Come out! We need some help!"
"Good luck with that." The leader's eyes froze in terror as Iruka-sensei came out of the forest with some thugs tied up and over his shoulder like sacks. "I've taken care of the backup!"
"Good," I licked my lips and the bandits all shuddered. "Let's end this." I let loose a grin and the remaining bandits screamed and tried to run. Tried being the keyword thanks to my clones' and my skill Shield Prison. We tied them all up and glared them down.
"Some other trader told us to mug the guy riding with you because he was supposed to be carrying a bunch of really nice stuff, I swear!" The leader tried to explain as Filo and Lial eyed the bandits to make sure they didn't do anything.
"So one of my own sold me out, hmm," The accessory trader sighed.
"What are we going to with these guys now?" I asked as I looked at the numbers. I am not sure we could carry them all to the next village.
"We usually hand them over to the local guards, but I'll leave it up to you." The accessory trader said with a frown.
The leader of the group laughed. "You're the Shield Hero, are you? Kinda obvious since you have no weapons and only that shield."
Oh, boy. Here it comes.
It happened all the time back in Konoha. Especially after I became well known as a prankster.
"We're just some unlucky adventurers who were attacked by the criminal Shield Hero and he treated us all like dirt." I voiced out the probable story these guys were thinking up. "That's what you are going to tell the guards?"
"You are the perceptive one." Another man snark. "Then you can bet they would take our word over the Shield Hero, any day." The bandits began to snicker and smirk.
"That's true," The poster was probably given to all form of this country's law enforcement. I let out a sigh. What to do? "Guess I have no choice… You have to die."
That got the attention of the living bandits. There were a few casualties already. Iruka-sensei couldn't knock out every one of the hidden reinforcements safely, so a few died there. Raphtalia and Matthew got a few kills in, too. The only ones who hadn't gotten kill shots so far…
"Filo, Lial, you two feel like a snack?"
"Yes, Filo do! Filo want food!" Filo chirped out.
"Food, Food," Lial chanted while wringing her little claws. All the bandits gasped out and went pale. Some even glanced back and forth between Filo and Lial.
"See, those two are omnivores. They will gulp down anything in one bite." I said with a smirk as they turned their attention back to me.
"Hey! You're the Savior of the Heavenly Beasts! You can't commit murder!"
"Heh," I grinned, "Oh, don't you know? The crime I was charged for was murder." That made whatever blood remained in their faces drained away. "I'm a trained killer from another world. Do you think you could get away that easily? I have to act with the best interests for everyone around me, especially for my family and me, in mind." I narrowed my eyes at the group while I smiled. "You guys must have killed plenty of people so far. Just consider it your turn."
Exp +1000
Raphtalia Exp +900
Matthew Exp +900
Umino Iruka Exp +900
Filo Exp +900
Lial Exp +900
Huh? Where did this experience come from… And boy, it was a good amount. I looked over the bandits and saw the bodyguard head hung loosely with foam coming out of his mouth.
"See, your so-called bodyguard already gave into the poison I used." My first human kill as me... I fought hard to keep the bile in my throat down. I could puke later, I had to keep up the bluff. A few others looked ready to faint as they were, too, poisoned. Though they didn't know it was minor poison.
"No! Wait!" The leader shouted out in panic. "Please! Take anything you want! Let us get out with our lives!"
Oh? What do we have here? "Now, that ain't such a bad idea." I grinned, "I'll spare your lives, at least." The bandits let out a sigh of relief. "However, you better keep your promise to give me whatever I want." All the bandits gulped as they looked at me.
I treated those poisoned - and still alive from it- and I absorbed the bodies of the dead into my shield… I actually unlocked some shields but decided to ignore them out of squick factor. They were mainly status boosts, but I did get one shield that was different.
Human Shield
(ability locked) equip bonus: Human Status Adjustment(small)
So humans get status based shields, too? I need to unlock that one for Iruka-sensei… Agh… Nausea, stay away. But I need all the boosts…
I distracted myself by focusing on the bandits as they lead us to their hideout. There, the bandits proceeded to bring out all they had as Matthew and I loaded up the carts. Filo and Lial kept the line of bandits in check.
"Are we really looting these bandits?" Raphtalia sighed.
"Yep." Iruka-sensei groaned as he nursed his forehead. "I mean, Naruto and I are missing-nin now… But this is…"
"Doesn't this make us as evil as they are?" Raphtalia shook her head in shame. Sorry for taking this awesome chance to disarm bandits and get a big haul of money and items to sell. Isn't it logical to do this? And why the hell are you siding with Raphtalia, Iruka-sensei? You're a ninja, remember!
"I'm afraid I don't agree," The accessory trader said with a smile. "They are offering up everything they have to purchase safe passage from our savior. He is simply treating their lives as merchandise." The accessory trader grinned with glee. "If I must say, Sir Hero is a shining example of the true trader's spirit. Something lacking in our youth today."
Hey! I was still twelve! I am one of those youth! And why the hell would taking advantage of the situation give me this trader's spirit thing?
"Looks more like intimidation to me."
"That's because it is." Iruka-sensei patted Raphtalia's shoulder. Jeez. Thanks, Iruka-sensei. Maybe you are the one more fit to be Shield Hero than me, no?
How could I not pass up the opportunity to line our pockets? I wish this had popped up earlier as I would have loved to pay off my benefactor with this stuff. Still, money was money and we needed it dearly… As well as there was some nice equipment they were giving up, too. Oh? Some cloth face masks? Awesome! I could...
Wait a second…
"Ah, could you three take a cue and stop chatting?" I felt my eye twitched as I looked at the three. They were next to the carriage just chatting away. "And while we are on the subject… How are you going to compensate me for the pack of trouble for me on this trip?" He should have known better to not travel alone. He should have hired a bodyguard himself!
"I can offer you all the knowledge and connections I possess." The accessory trader bowed to me. "It is at your command."
"Knowledge and connections?" I asked in shock. What did he mean by that?
"Yes," The accessory trader grinned from ear to ear. "I have taken quite a liking to you, Sir Hero!"
"A liking?" I let out half a laugh before we finished collecting the bandits' loot and gear. "Alright. Thank you for your transaction, men and women. Now… Promise me you will change your ways as if I come across you lot again still stealing from and murdering others..." I gave them a smile. "I will personally hunt you down and make you beg for your death."
"Y-Yes, sir." The bandits all gulped and shuttered at looking at me. Good. Hopefully, that bluff I made will solve this area's bandit problem for a little while. We left the bandits at least food and water before we left their hideout.
I wasn't heartless, after all.
"So, about those knowledge and connections?" I asked as we rode in Lial's carriage with Filo's carriage being full to the brim. "How do you use mana?"
"Oh? You can't use magic, Sir Hero?" The accessory merchant asked in shock.
"Both my companion here and I come from a world where something called chakra is used. Not mana." I nodded to Iruka-sensei as I spoke.
"I see… Maybe this will help." The accessory trader reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, translucent object. I felt it brimming with something that wasn't chakra.
"What's this?"
"A piece of very rare ore," He handed it to me and I shivered as it glowed. I felt something… mixed with my chakra. Like it was always there, but I was never able to see it before, with it being just above my chakra.
"I feel weird."
"That's expected. You're feeling your mana for the first time." The accessory seller laughed as I handed the stone to Iruka-sensei. "You can sense mana without the stone's help, but you two never felt it before to know it."
"I think…" I thought of a concept from the book. I pulled on that mysterious… aura in my body and words popped up in my head. "I am the Shield Hero, I order thee. I have read the laws of nature and deciphered them, protect them! Faust Guard!" I become aware of a target marker blinking in my field of vision. I chose myself and found myself covered in soft light.
"Whoa." I looked at my status and saw my defense had risen dramatically.
"See. You seemed to be just missing the feeling for mana." The accessory trader then went into his bag and pulled out a small chest. "Since you can use magic, I'll start teaching you my trade: crafting accessories!"
"Oh!" I smirked before it finally hit me. I ran to the end of the carriage and puked my guts out. Well, at least I managed to last till we were a ways away from the bandit hideout. Hopefully, those guys take my threat seriously as I'd rather not deal with bandits if possible.
I really don't like killing. Good thing I'm becoming quite the medic for a missing-nin.