This really wasn't what Shirou was expecting by the time he arrived with Naofumi, Keel, and Raphtalia to the shop of Erhard the blacksmith. It was packed with people forming a line all the way down the street, and what was even more disconcerting was that the line was filled with people who weren't even going to buy anything.

These people in line were just attracted to some commotion occurring within the blacksmith's shop involving three of the Four Legendary Heroes.

Listening to the buzz and chatter of the crowd, Shirou began to frown when others began to push and shove just to get closer.

If he was by himself, he wouldn't exactly mind the pushing and shoving, but Keel and Raphtalia were practically as tall as his knees in height. They were nearly got pushed over by nearby people who couldn't even see them through the denseness of the crowd.

"Naofumi," he called out to his partner while gesturing to Keel and Raphtalia desperately clinging onto their pant legs lest they get separated.

"I got it," Naofumi answered, prompting him to nod before hoisting Keel up onto his shoulders and securing her legs with his hands over her knees.

Naofumi did the same for Raphtalia before both adults began making their way through the crowd. Since most of them weren't buyers and were just in the way, it wasn't as if they were cutting the line anyway.

They were actually there to buy armour and not solicit business by blocking customers, making their motives much better than the others to justify moving past them.

It was only after entering Erhard's shop that he could see first hand just why the store was being so backed up, and why a crowd had gathered.

"Like we said," Motoyasu thumped his fist over the reception table with Erhard standing across from it. "How can you expect us to pay first without even letting us inspect the weapons?!"

Rena and Itsuki were on either side of Motoyasu, all of them staring fervently at the Noble Phantasms out on display behind Erhard inaccessible by common customers.

Shirou had put these Noble Phantasms for sale not only to generate profit for funds, but also because they could elevate the capability of the world's heroes. The more heroes that the world had, the more people could be saved through a collective effort.

There was no other reason more important than this.

He was never a selfish person, and there was no need to horde equipment that could be used to help save others. The only problem was whose hands said weapons would fall into.

"Sorry," Erhard said in reply to Motoyasu. Erhard's tone was flat as he crossed his muscled arms. He was an old man in a thick armoury apron, but his lean figure couldn't be hidden.

"Again, this makes no sense," Motoyasu argued as Erhard continued to reject. "We're not even making an unreasonable request here."

"Indeed. We'd appreciate it if we can just ascertain the quality of the weapons ourselves," Ren chipped in while Itsuki tried to levy a rapport with the rest of his party members behind him.

Shirou watched as Erhard remained steadfast in his refusals. It showed the man's stubborn, yet trustworthy character.

"Apologies, but I'm honour bound as a blacksmith to adhere to the instructions of the weapon's supplier." Erhard explained patiently despite knowing he may offend the heroes of the sword, bow, and spear. "If you're unsatisfied after buying it, we can discuss more from there, but the buyer has to be of a certain moral code. I was told not to sell these weapons for those who would misuse them, and this includes letting others appraise them."

Watching Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki look helpless at the face of Erhard's refusal, Shirou slowly making his way through the crowd in order to reach the reception desk.

"What sort of reason would the supplier have to not even let the customer observe the weapon?" Ren inquired politely.

Erhard made to speak, but it was here that Shirou finally arrived on scene.

"Because I know how Hero Weapons work," he directly interjected.

Upon bringing attention to himself, Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki all regarded him.

"It's you," Motoyasu nodded his head in greeting.

They were all summoned as heroes at the same time, but only Shirou wasn't in possession of a legendary weapon. It still didn't change the fact that he was also a summoned hero though. However, the sight of Keel seated over his shoulders with her hands holding onto his head for support did take Motoyasu and everyone else aback.

The sight of Naofumi with Raphtalia was equally jarring.

Shirou saw Motoyasu's strange expression and could practically guess what he was thinking about him and Naofumi right now. The same stunned look was also on Ren and Itsuki's faces.

While every other summoned hero formed their own parties with diverse members, the Hero of the Shield's party both recruited children who probably didn't know any better.

"It's not what you think," Shirou said, leveling a stern glare at Motoyasu before he could speak nonsense with his mouth. "Circumstances happened, and we ended up taking care of these two for now."

"Uhg, sure. Whatever you say," Motoyasu couldn't quite meet either Shirou or Naofumi's eyes as if he discovered some sort of dark secret.

Itsuki wasn't as reserved. "Does this world have an FBI?" He muttered aloud, and suddenly Naofumi who hadn't been paying too much attention to the conversation began to sweat at the implication. "Hey! It's not like that!" He insisted.

Ren ignored both Shirou and Naofumi's excuses and focused on Raphtalia and Keel instead. "How did the both of you meet with Shirou and Naofumi?" He inquired out of curiosity.

"Mr. Shirou saved me," Keel answered politely. The Four Heroes were renowned throughout the world, and she didn't have much of an impression on Motoyasu and the others yet. At the very least, they didn't feel as deceitful as Myne so she'd give them the benefit of the doubt.

Everyone then looked towards innocent Raphtalia, even Shirou, and Naofumi began to shudder heavily. Subtly, Naofumi kept eyeing Raphtalia not to say anything misleading, but she'd never been much for lying.

"Mr. Naofumi bought me," Raphtalia answered, and Shirou could practically feel the way Naofumi wanted to dig himself a hole to hid in.

Raphtalia's words were damning.

"I don't know you," Itsuki said before taking a step away from Naofumi. Motoyasu and Ren followed suit despite Naofumi desperately trying to explain.

Meanwhile, Shirou gave an appreciative nod towards Erhard who'd stood his ground.

"What can I do for you today?" Erhard inquired.

"I'd like to purchase some armour for these two," Shirou said while pointing out Keel then Raphtalia.

Erhard nodded and began perusing through the armours he had available. "Any weapons?" He asked offhandedly.

Shirou considered it. Weapons were the one thing he could provide by himself to others, but it didn't mean that he should take away Keel and Raphtalia's choice to choose their own weapons. The experience itself would allow them to differentiate between a good weapon and a bad one in the future. After all, he may not always be around. Moreover, if they chose an unsuitable weapon, he'd be around to gift them another.

"Any weapon you want?" He asked Keel first.

Keel thought on the question, and then pointed excitedly at the red spear on the far wall behind Erhard.

His mouth twitched in equal parts amusement and exasperation. Leave it to children to pick out the most expensive and dangerous items.

"Raphtalia?" He called out.

Raphtalia who was seated over Naofumi's shoulders got the gist of what was happening from Keel's wild gestures with her arms, and eventually pointed to the sword directly next to the spear Keel had chosen.

Erhard saw this, and simply nodded before moving to take the weapons off the wall. This instantly attracted everyone's attention as the weapons specified were two-out-of-the-three rare weapons that appeared in the shop.

"Now hold on just a moment!" Motoyasu's eyes bulged out indignantly. "They don't have to pay, and they just get it?!"

Ren and Itsuki were equally feeling aggrieved. No one said anything, but the three of them had been holed up in this shop for hours trying to haggle to no success.

"I'm the one who put them for sale," Shirou then said, silencing everyone completely when Erhard nodded in support.

In the ensuing silence, the weapons were given to Keel and Raphtalia while Shirou and Naofumi held onto the new armour sets.

No one wanted to believe it. The weapons up for contention even among the heroes was taken away just like that?

Moreover, t-they were given to children?

Everyone's gazes followed Naofumi and the others out of the store.

…That's such a waste.

Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki couldn't wrap their mind around what had just happened. The game that they knew didn't possess such high-level equipment for starter items which was why they'd wished to obtain them.

Suddenly, they all had a thought.

If each of them including Naofumi was summoned with a legendary weapon which made them special in a way, then what was it about Shirou that made him special?

There had to be a reason why he'd been summoned, and could he really be someone weak?

In any case, this still didn't change that Motoyasu and the others hadn't achieved their goal for the day.

They glanced at each other, and all left the smithy.


Shirou could feel a headache coming on while heading back to camp with Naofumi, Keel, and Raphtalia.

"Wait, wait hold up!" Motoyasu chased after them and circled in front of their path with a strained expression. There was an odd twitch at the end of his mouth, and his charming smile wasn't quite reaching his eyes. "Can we just take at look at them?"

Everyone obviously knew what Motoyasu was referring to, but neither Keel or Raphtalia were too keen on listening to such a request. This was especially due to the fact that the armour and weapons could be considered the first 'gift' Shirou and Naofumi had ever given them.

Ren and Itsuki weren't far from Motoyasu, and the both of them appeared sheepish. However, they still maintained their stance, thus was the allure of the rumoured weapons sold by Erhard.

Shirou could see that the way they viewed him also had a subtle change ever since they found out he was the one who supplied the weapons to Erhard. Curiosity was the most apparent emotion, but he wasn't going to elaborate on what he considered his trump card in this new world.

"It's up to these two if they want to let you see them," Naofumi said, prompting Ren and Motoyasu to look over. Itsuki wasn't as invested as the bow weapon he was eyeing was still left with Erhard, but he too wished to know the capabilities of the weapons sold.

The three renowned heroes looked over Keel and Raphtalia silently as if they would agree for sure. This snubbed Keel the wrong way, and she huffed. "No," she said flatly, turning up her nose and showing them her back.

Raphtalia glanced from Keel to Motoyasu and the others, then back to Keel before clumsily following Keel's example. "No," she puffed up her cheeks and then turned her back on them.

"Well, you heard them," Shirou clapped his hands and began walking away with Naofumi, Keel, and Raphtalia, leaving the other heroes stunned.

Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki swallowed down their embarrassment and quickly followed.

"H-How about a spar, and a friendly wager?" Ren suggested, garnering the attention of many in the listening crowd who'd yet to disperse. It wasn't everyday that one could see the world's legendary heroes in one group.

"Against a child? Are you joking?" Naofumi was incredulous, but so were the others.

"No. No obviously not. Mr. Naofumi," Itsuki interjected politely. Yet, Itsuki's politeness did nothing to help Naofumi's mood. Adding Mr. to his name gave an aspect of distance, and he was the clearest as to why.

Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren were staring at Naofumi with judging pedo-eyes, and it greatly discouraged him, preventing him from keeping his head up high.

"He meant the both of you." Ren clarified before things got awkward. "We'll all be fighting together through the Waves of Calamity and therefore a spar between us summoned heroes could let us get to know each other better. If we win, we hope you'd let us see the weapons?"

Seeing how persistent Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki were being, Shirou sighed. To be honest, he didn't really have anything against them, but there was a reason why he put limitations on those seeking to purchase said weapons.

"Look, I know what you're all trying to do, and I get it," he reasoned slowly such that all could hear. "We're all going to be fighting in this world together, and can be considered comrades. However, as you all are now, you really can't wield these weapons. They are too dangerous."

"And children can?" Motoyasu asked in disbelief.

Everyone shook their heads at this. If the summoned heroes weren't worthy or capable enough to wield said weapons, then who else could?

Shirou knew he couldn't use words to reason with the others anymore. Clearly, none of them believe in him without experiencing it for themselves.

If they were hung up on the fact that Keel and Raphtalia were in possession of said weapons despite being children, they had to understand that it was because of certain factors.

Legendary heroes with their respective weapons could immediately unlock the basic level of a new weapon's skill tree upon assimilation. He'd seen this aspect first-hand with Naofumi already, and the power of Noble Phantasms wasn't to be trifled with. This was why he hadn't even given one to Naofumi yet.

"You really can't handle these weapons," he stressed again. There levels and mental fortitude weren't high enough to not get overwhelmed by a Noble Phantasm's innate aura.

All that he was saying; all the warning; everything was done out of good intentions, but no one seemed to understand.

Everyone remained unmoved.

"Alright, fine then." He relented in the face of everyone's persistence. He stared Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki in the eyes. "If any of you can defeat either Naofumi or myself in a spar, then I'll let you copy these weapons," he promised.

"It's a deal," Motoyasu's confidence was astounding based on how fast he answered.

Itsuki and Ren weren't as vocal in their agreement, but they nodded to the terms nonetheless.

"Are you sure about this?" Naofumi whispered to him.

Honestly? He wasn't too sure.

Be that as it may, in the end, they were all Heroes fighting for the sake of this world. It wasn't a bad thing if he was proven wrong and Motoyasu and the others could have a qualitative leap in performance.


News quickly spread about a spar between the legendary heroes summoned in Melromarc. General excitement and craze gave way to a packed venue in an unassuming stage whose boundaries were set up with twine rope.

The fame of the Heroes of the Sword, Spear, and Bow were renowned in Melromarc while the Shield Hero was often scorned. Now that a match between the Three Heroes and the Shield Hero was happening, everyone came to watch.

Myne had also come to spectate with the rest of Motoyasu's, Itsuki's, and Ren's party. The moment Keel saw Myne, Keel's hair bristled, her tail lifting up in an aggressive manner immediately.

Keel held Myne accountable for the 'near death' encounter Naofumi had with the Earth Dragon.

In comparison, Naofumi looked regretfully at Myne, causing Raphtalia to pout and kick at his pant legs. "Bad lady," Raphtalia wasn't much for insults.

Naofumi wasn't saying anything nor reacting too much at Raphtalia's attacks, and instead continued gazing wistfully at Myne.

Shirou could tell that Naofumi may still be hung up on the fact that they'd rejected Myne's kind intentions to join their party at the start, but not everything was how it seemed. With Aultcray's change of heart, the wise King had begun an operation to reel in Melromarc's powers.

No one should have any thoughts of doing anything untoward anytime soon to the Shield Hero's party.

This one aspect could explain the downtrodden mood Myne was in, but she still flashed a winning smile at Naofumi who grinned back dumbly and waved with a shy gesture.

Suddenly, Keel ended up joining Raphtalia in kicking some sense into Naofumi's brain. Myne was bad news, and children could perceive some things better than adults.

In any case, Shirou knew that this current matter didn't have anything to do with Myne, but his sparring opponents across from them.

"I hope you don't come to regret this," Motoyasu advised with an easy, yet friendly grin as he stepped up onto the center of the make-shift ring. It was easy to see why he was the most popular of the summoned heroes such that many people were willing to join his party. "I thought this would just be a spar between us, but so many came that it might be embarrassing to lose."

Then you shouldn't have asked for a spar in the first place. Shirou sighed. Speaking of choices, he really had to question why he had been chosen to spar first by Motoyasu rather than Naofumi.

It wasn't a bad decision on Motoyasu's part per say, yet Shirou wasn't one to prolong a fight if he could help it.

"You really don't wan to reconsider this at all?" He tried one more time to be civil about all this.

Motoyasu let out a roguish laugh and flourished his spear in front of him, bending his knees and shifting into a forward stance with his hands clasped over the shaft of his spear. "I'll take this as a learning experience."

Learning experience? Shirou was afraid it would end far too quickly for that. In the end, all he could say was one thing. "Learn to choose your opponents wisely."

His words generated a stir, both because he was relatively unknown and the fact it was said against a legendary hero.

Motoyasu took it in stride. The match would prove everything. "You're not using a weapon?" He inquired.

Shirou nodded. "Don't need it."

Any weapon he may choose may lead to overkill. Unlike Naofumi, he couldn't exactly see the levels of his opponent, but considering the type of monsters he'd already faced and comparing them to Motoyasu and the rest, the three heroes were lacking.

"Suit yourself. You're a good guy if you're just letting me win," Motoyasu let out a breath and tapped a finger over the blade end of his weapon.

Brilliant arcs of electricity thrummed up and down the spears body all the way through to the end of the red tassel at the butt.

Motoyasu invoked an attack skill whose flare overshadowed all. Tendrils of magic energy scorched the ground where he stood and spread out to encompass the area above his figure. With his hair tied up into a ponytail and swaying in the wind, he was the very picture of the famed Hero of the Spear.

"Be careful," Motoyasu warned solemnly, a white glow flickering across his eyes. "This skill killed a monster in an instant in the training grounds."

The crowd clamoured in excitement, and Myne had a narrow gaze, her lips curving upward in anticipation.

"Make him kneel in your might!"

Naofumi yawned while Keel glared at the woman who just spoke.

Shirou watched on and took a basic stance with his arms out in front of him, and legs forward.

Trace. On.

Wind silently circled around him and blew outwards with surprising force. Beneath his skin, circuit-like patterns began to flare and encircle his body. The sight itself was bizarre to everyone who'd never seen such an odd magic.

"You really do have something up your sleeve, but it isn't going to help you." Motoyasu observed everything and maintained his calm.

Shirou watched as Motoyasu raised up his spear to the air, the scent of ozone permeating.

"Lightning gathers!"

The clouds above began to stir as if in reaction to Motoyasu's shout, the rumbling of thunder echoing on for miles on end and acting as a backdrop to the might of the Spear Hero.

"Lightning forms!"

A bolt struck down from the heavens, meeting the tip of Motoyasu's spear and materializing into an illusory blade of light. This blade of light ran parallel to Motoyasu's spear, and the moment Motoyasu swung down, this light was released.

"It strikes with the furor of the storms!"

Charging forward, Motoyasu shifted his weight to his side, and thrust his weapon out with full confidence of assured victory.

"Lightning Spear!"

The high voltage zap of energy was near deafening, the light of the strike, blinding. No one in the crowd felt as if they could survive if the attack was launched at them, but from Shirou's expression, nothing could be seen. He didn't even move.

The attack struck him head on, the horrific arcs of electricity and the impact of the blow, cratering the ground and kicking up a storm of dust and debris that obscured visibility.

Small flashes of light zapped over the ground as Motoyasu eased his grip and loosened his stance with his spear.

There was nothing to be seen through the cloud of debris, but soon enough everything began to settle.

"Is that all?" The unhurried tone was jarring considering the level of damage done to the surroundings.

Shirou stood exactly where he was from the beginning. Other than a damaged upper shirt which now revealed a toned upper body that caused half the crowd to blush and Naofumi to scoff, there was no damage to be seen.

Motoyasu frowned. "What sort of skill is that?"

Shirou didn't bother answering. Reinforcement could be considered a skill from one aspect, but it was more of a self-taught craft. "Are you done?" He asked rather than answered.

Motoyasu scoffed, shook his head to clear his doubts, then charged in.

Once Motoyasu got within strike range, he reared his spear back and invoked another attack skill. "Chaos Spear!"

The single spear that had been aimed towards Shirou turned from one into many in an instant.

To anyone else, it would be almost unblockable, forcing an adversary to evade…but why would he do that?

There was something about him that Naofumi and everyone was inevitably going to find out about anyway. It wasn't like he intended to keep a secret from future allies fighting on the same side.

He glanced up at the incoming spearheads, looked towards Motoyasu's eyes, and in the tension of the watching crowd, he spoke the lines that shaped his reality to his core; his will exerted upon the world.

"Steel is my body."

The spears clanged against his chest violently, a shower of sparks giving way to exclamations of shock and disbelief as his skin effectively nullified the attack. Once the attack skill was executed, the spear returned to its original state and a firm hand gripped tightly onto the spear's shaft.

"Fire is my blood."

The tiny dent the spear had made over his skin expunged a small spout of flame that lifted into the air and illuminated Motoyasu's rapidly paling face.

When Motoyasu looked into Shirou eyes, all he saw was an unfeeling indifference.

This one strike alone would harness the essence of metal and steel skin, and hold a power beyond human limitation.

"Clench your teeth," Shirou chambered his right fist back and struck forward.

A bang reverberated through the air, as the speed and strength in the punch shattered apart Motoyasu's armour and blew him to the other side of the make-shift arena. The air pressure forced many to shield their face with their arms.

Myne's pupils dilated in the crowd.

Just what sort of monster had been summoned?

No one spoke and instead stared at the figure half-buried into the dirt and coughing violently for to breath. This was the result in level difference and skill level.

W-Wasn't this just a spar? The others around shivered.

A healer in Motoyasu's party instantly moved to aid him, and found that though the damage looked serious, a majority of the force had been redirected away from the vital regions.

On Motoyasu's chest was just a massive bruise that would probably take days to heal.

Ren and Itsuki who were up next for a spar stood rooted almost nervously. They took a long moment to stare at a groaning Motoyasu before coming to a decisive decision.

"We challenge Naofumi," both said quickly.

Everyone was staring at Shirou as if he were some freak of nature, still, no one scorned Ren and Itsuki for their decision. Even Shirou could understand.

If they couldn't defeat him, then there was still one other person that they could try, but it was going to be a mistake. Don't let Naofumi's naïve expression fool you.

Naofumi had been forced to adapt in an environment where one mistake could lead to death by a high-level monster. With a paltry level of attack due to level differences, his defense and vitality had become monstrous just to survive. It was where Naofumi had put all his points into as the wielder of the strongest shield.

Comparing Naofumi's vitality to Shirou's own was like comparing an ocean to a lake, a mountain to a rock.

Worse, as a 'tank' Naofumi had learned an aggravating style of combat revolving around the concept of reflection damage. His earlier actions against the [Elder Earth Dragon] wasn't a coincidence.

Ren and the Itsuki were going to have to understand that Naofumi wasn't the easier target:

He was the rage-inducing one.

Rather than be the target of other's animosity, Naofumi would be the cause.

Shirou shrugged helplessly as he walked out of the sparring arena. Rather than let things end quickly with him as their opponent, they really had to go against the one with the shield.

It was their misjudgment, he supposed.


Thanks for reading!

I have a new novel out and the link is below for Survivor's Log: Reflections. Samples can be read at Fiction Press, and the Paper back is also available now.

Next update: Huntsman V2

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