"You know, it's not a good habit to be so prejudiced against others," Naofumi lectured Keel while navigating down the dark tunnel with the two children following tentatively behind him. Raphtalia held onto the hem of his long mantle while Keel trailed further back with her arms crossed.

It was like a mother duck and two ducklings waddling down the road of life, and Keel was having none of it while frowning. "I still don't like her," she insisted, her dog ears twitching in frustration.

"Can you explain why?" Naofumi asked patiently, using the glow of his shield and steadily burning mana to illuminate the path ahead. Different from before, Myne wasn't around to light the nearby torches, leaving the path dark and dreary. To prevent themselves from tripping over any debris that may or may not have been bones dropped from low caskets on either wall, the group stayed fairly close and tight nit.

"She reminds of the Nobles," Keel shuddered, earning a sympathetic look from Raphtalia, but a confused one from Naofumi.

"She is a noble though," Naofumi tilted his head.

"B-But Keel said all Noble's are liars," Raphtalia spoke up while Keel nodded. "T-Two faced?"

"They promise food, then never deliver," Keel's stomach rumbled from phantom aches from the numerous days she'd spent starving.

"And you're saying Myne is like that?" Naofumi didn't sound very convinced, but judging from the anxiousness Keel was displaying, he kept it in mind and nodded. Demi-Humans may have a sixth sense for these kinds of things, just like dogs and animals use instinct to decide whether something is dangerous or not. "Would you prefer it if I stayed away from her?"

The instant nod that Keel gave followed by Raphtalia who followed Keel's example had Naofumi realizing just how harsh kids could be. He'd only asked rhetorically, hoping that they'd have some sense of propriety to not instantly dismiss someone as devious without getting to know them. For now though, he'd just play along. "Fine, you both win." He smiled wryly.

Sure enough, his acceptance of the matter allowed Keel to grin brightly and Raphtalia to ease away the tension she'd been feeling from Keel's wariness.

With the matter temporarily solved, Naofumi turned his attention back to what was ahead of him. It had been more than twenty minutes now walking on a straight path, but he wasn't seeing anything close to resembling an exit like Myne had said. Then again, she didn't specify how far they'd have to go, and if this was really an emergency escape route, the farther away they walked underground, the safer it would be.

After another ten minutes, Naofumi noticed a certain detail up ahead. The tunnel was widening and through the sweat matting his forehead, he could feel a distinct draft of air.

He chuckled inwardly.

He knew Myne hadn't been lying. Keel and Raphtalia had likely just overreacted.

Indeed, right after increasing his pace and urging the two kids faster by holding their hands, the corridor stretched into a large cave in which a large exit was visible. Stalactites and stalagmites covered the cave's interior, but Naofumi hardly paid attention to them. His priority inlaid with the forest he could see past the cave's opening.

"See, we're out," Naofumi sighed in relief when the outdoor breeze assailed him and ruffled his hair. For an outdoor breeze though, it was awfully warm.

"M-Mr. Naofumi," Keel called out stiffly while Raphtalia clung tightly to Naofumi's pant leg.

Slowly, Naofumi stared up at the maw of a ginormous beast and froze as the breath it let out caressed his cheeks. "That's not a breeze," he felt his stomach drop.

[Aged Earth Dragon: lvl 40.]

"Run!" He reflexively grabbed both Keel and Raphtalia and hoisted them both beneath his arms. The exertion caused veins to pop over his neck and he had to really question his decision not to invest more energy into strength.

Regardless, with the two children hanging like sacks of potatoes on either side of him, he sprinted in an attempt to get back into the cave they'd left from. A passing shadow overhead forced him to stop his feet in place when a long-jagged tail blocked the path. Boned edges and scales lined the tail leading up to the earth dragon staring him down with a glint of ravenous intent.

Myne hadn't been lying about a secret passage out of Melromarc, but the thing was, the passage itself had long since been compromised in the last war between Siltvelt. In the case of the Melromarc's royalty fleeing, various territorial monsters were led to the exits of each compromised passageway. This Aged Earth Dragon was one such example, and in the long years that have passed, it had established itself as the apex predator of the area.

It wouldn't never let any intruders go, and this included Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Keel.

"I knew she was bad," Keel scowled, doing her best to keep her trembling in check while secured under Naofumi's arm.

"O, c'mon she wasn't lying," Naofumi tried to argue while his eyes darted left and right for an escape. "We got out, didn't we?"

"Up! UP!" Raphtalia abruptly yelled just in time for everyone to notice a boulder being hurled at them.

Hairs rising at the back of his neck, Naofumi narrowly side-stepped, but was forced into a passive position when several more boulders were hurled at him.

Dropping Keel and Raphtalia, he raised his guard. The jade-coloured jewel at the center of his shield glowed brightly before a barrier-like wall of energy formed a blockade around him and the children who huddled near his legs.

This wasn't an attack that Naofumi should have been able to endure. At the very least, no starting Hero training in Melromarc's beginner monster fields would have survived. Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren would have high-tailed it out of here at first sight of the monster if they had the choice, but Naofumi was different.

He'd retreated not just for his sake, but for Keel and Raphtalia who would die if even one of those boulders crushed them. Moreover, the most glaring difference between Naofumi and the rest of the current heroes was level. At the very least, Naofumi became certain of one thing after this attack.

"You aren't that strong," he mumbled absently, noting that his health had hardly taken a dent. In comparison to the monsters that he'd been hunting with Shirou, this guy seemed average.

"Keel, I need you to take Raphtalia and hide somewhere safe," Naofumi said calmly.

Staring at Naofumi's stalwart figure as he shielded her and Raphtalia from harm, for the first time Keel acknowledged that she harboured a bit of admiration for the Legendary Shield Hero. If the human races valued their heroes of the Sword, Spear, and Bow, then Demi-humans had always admired the Shield Hero with tales of his glory and protective nature.

"Let's go Raphtalia," Keel tugged on Raphtalia's sleeve. Naofumi wasn't Shirou, but at this moment, Keel realized that she could also trust him. The fact that Raphtalia looked so torn about leaving Naofumi spoke volumes for Naofumi's character.

"I'll be fine, hurry," Naofumi urged while shifting his shield to block an incoming tail swipe. His feet dug deep grooves into the dirt from the impact, but he remained steady. "Go!" He yelled. If he wasn't getting a fantasy sort of setting in the past few days, he was feeling it now.

Raphtalia nodded and followed Keel to hide out of sight in the forest shrubbery. Naofumi would have found it kind of cute that the two's animal ears peaked out from the bushes if not for his current dilemma.

He batted away another boulder before raising his shield up when a breath attack shot towards him. The heat of the spewed flame could hardly be felt from the barrier exuded around him, but he had to move lest he risk dragging in Keel and Raphtalia.

[Traced Series Shield Branch: Point Shield.]

Before Naofumi's eyes, his shield began to morph into a large riveted tower shield wider than he was tall. Positioned at the center was a serrated pike surrounded by bolted protrusions used to catch and unarm opponent's weapons.

Without hesitation, he charged forward, ramming the serrated pike into the Earth Dragon's belly and dealing damage as he dragged it along with his momentum. It was a shield that could directly deal damage just like the sword shield. However, this shield offered a balance of attack and defence.

The moment he'd drawn in close and attacked, Naofumi shifted his weight to raise the shield above him. The screech of claws grating over metal entered his ears, prompting him to wince while Keel and Raphtalia gasped when the Dragon then stomped down on him.

The shield rattled at the impact, but as if a giant stepping on a lego, the dragon grimaced before pulling back.

Idly observing the dragon's health, Naofumi winced at his lack of damage. He'd barely taken off a nick. Against ordinary monsters in Melromarc's training field, he was more than capable of dealing fatal damage, but against stronger monsters, his role wasn't to attack.

This was never going to end; both of their damage outputs were just too pitiful.

Grunting, he watched the Earth Dragon stare at him weirdly. Its thoughts mirrored his completely.

"T-Truce?" Naofumi offered stiffly. He wasn't even sure if the thing would understand him, but all he got for his efforts was another swipe to the face. "Damn it."

He endured the onslaught of attacks and never once moved from his place. The small injuries over his person began to add up bit by bit until the bruise forming over his arms had spread to his shoulders. The serrated pike on his shield had the intended effect of damaging the Earth Dragon each time it struck. Therefore, the chip damage was two-ways.

There was no doubt that he could have run or dodged instead of tanking every single blow, but stubbornly he didn't.

Naofumi was being pelted into the ground, forming a crater with cracks spreading outwards in a web. His knees buckled, his face reddening from blood pressure and adrenaline.

Hiding in the bushes, Keel and Raphtalia sucked in a breath knowing full well why Naofumi was willing to take the Earth Dragon's attacks head on. It was all because of them and his desire to protect them. Moreover, to prevent the Dragon from using breath attacks, he was clearly inciting it.

"You chicken I can do this all day! Must hurt, don't it? That's the sound of your ego breaking!"

Keel flinched. Naofumi's bravado had to have limits, and he was just yelling whatever to ease their minds, but it was having the opposite effect. She pursed her lips, not daring to look at Raphtalia who'd crouched on the ground crying with her hands over her ears to drown out the sound. Each of the Earth Dragon's attacks left a heavy thud that reverberated through the ground followed by the pop of grating bones which had Raphtalia whimpering.

There was no doubt in Keel and Raphtalia's minds about just who's bones were groaning in protest right now, and it ate away at their conscience.

Keel couldn't understand why Naofumi would go to such an extent for their sake. First it was Shirou, now Naofumi. Had humans always been this kind, or was it because it was the famed Shield Hero and his party?

Thud. Thud!

No, it didn't matter. This was too hard to endure. It was happening again. Just like the slaughtering of the people in their village at Rock Valley, she and Raphtalia could do nothing while others fought for their sakes.

Keel swallowed audibly. The very least she could do if she couldn't be of help was brand this sight into her memories, never to be forgotten.

"This lego is unbreakable!"

Naofumi continued his bravado, causing Keel to flinch again when an even stronger blow smashed down. The crater Naofumi was in had sunk into the ground so low that only Naofumi's head could be seen peaking out from the ground.

Gnashing her teeth, Keel forced herself to keep watching while inwardly cursing at Myne. This was her fault. It had to be.

Unknowing of the thoughts and emotions crossing through both Keel and Raphtalia's heads, Naofumi just felt mentally exhausted. Neither his attacks or the Earth Dragon's were really doing anything to each other, other than testing their own patience. At this point, the Earth Dragon seemed to be treating this development as a matter of pride, refusing to concede.

Five minutes passed, then ten, and fifteen.

By this point, Naofumi had grown tired of standing up and just sprawled on the crater below him with his shield kept over his chest while the Earth Dragon continued to assault him. Each strike would take a chink from his health and his opponent's without needing him to lift a hand. With his present stats from speed leveling, he could do this all day. Moreover, the Dragon was doing its best to damage itself anyway. Surely, he had more health than this thing, and time would prove him the victor in this battle of attrition.

How long would this take? A day? Maybe two?

The thought was disgruntling, but one thing was for sure, he didn't know how to describe the grief he could see on Keel and Raphtalia's faces from where they were hiding. It was almost as if they thought he was going to die, but then again, they'd never actually seen him and Shirou farm EXP.

"Naofumi,"

A voice called out in the midst of his thoughts. His ears immediately perked up while Keel looked like she was going to cry while Raphtalia openly sobbed in relief.

Stiffly, he craned his neck up.

"Yeees," he dared to hope, his gaze shifting to stare further up at the direction of the cave and focusing on that beautiful figure. "YEEEES!"

Shirou stood staring dumbfounded at the scene for the longest moment, but Naofumi could hardly care.

The party was complete.

A party was a formation in which you trusted your back to someone else, your comrades.

If Naofumi was the strongest shield, then Shirou was the party's strongest sword. The damage dealer.

"Oh, it's on now!" With new found motivation, Naofumi shot up onto his feet and held his shield up proudly. Knowing that Shirou had his back was the greatest reassurance.

"Trace. On."

Expectedly, those two magic words entered Naofumi's ears before everything suddenly reversed.


The sight Aultcray would bear witness to at his arrival would forever remain deep in his psyche which would directly affect the handling of the oncoming waves.

An unmoving shield, and an unstoppable attack.

An army of two.

The legend of a legendary shield and a foreign hero.


Within a certain building in Melromarc, the sands of an hourglass continued to trickle.

-Three days left until the first wave.


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Next update: Huntsman V2

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Survivor's Log: Reflections (In editing phase: Preview can be read on Fiction Press)

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