To drmcgraw186: Glad to see that you liked the latest chapters. And to answer your question, Naofumi will start forging his own shields after his visit from Mirso Village. That's where Eugeo left the surplus dragon materials and other rare metals after all.

To bloodyredrose1994: Happy that you appreciated the last update and are satisfied with how Arthur and Guinevere met. As for how the 2 Heroes will meet Melty, I'm still working out a good scenario on that one.

To SIAUFUNGYIN: Don't you worry. I'm not gonna leave this story unfinished. I know the feeling and I really hate it when great stories are then left to die by their authors.

To E.T. 2000: I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying my fanfic. As for long range magic users, I actually have someone in the works that will eventually fill that role. But she will officially join Eugeo's party way later down the line. As for Eugeo having children too early, don't worry. None of his girls would be getting pregnant, especially now that he has a method to prevent that from happening. I'll probably write about his children when the anime story is officially over and it's time to write an Epilogue.

To impeccablesin: As I said before, the dark nature of Demi-humans and their over the top traditions of Supremacy will be explored in the future.

To NightHawk The Warrior: I already decided on who the Spear Spirit would be. As for the Bow Spirit, that's still uncertain. Although I prefer the Bow Spirit to be a girl so it matches well with the story that Eugeo and Alice made up back at the duel between Naofumi and Motoyasu.

COUNT OF VOTES:

1.) Start "Black Lotus Blade Works"

Yes - 0

No - 12

2.) Are Heroes forced into teleportation

Yes - 11

No - 0

Make something up - 7

3.) Give Eugeo the Night Sky Blade

Yes - 6

No - 9

RESULTS OF VOTES:

1.) Looks like everyone prefers that I focus on this story first, so that is what I would do.

2.) I already presumed that this is the case, but I just wanted to make sure.

3.) It seems that the Night Sky Blade won't be joining this world, which is very much fine in my opinion.

By the way, my Unofficial Beta is "KiritoIRL" who wrote some additions that made this chapter even better than it already is.

697 Reviews, 860 Favorites, 992 Follows

After sharing an amazing meal with some very pleasant company, Eugeo and Naofumi along with their respective parties eventually said their goodbyes. Both Heroes having their own businesses and plans to take care of for the next following days.

The Shield Hero did have a client waiting for him in a nearby inn while the Sword Hero wished to start his studies regarding this world's style of magic. Eugeo couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit embarrassed when Naofumi admitted to now be capable of using a few simple spells of this world. But then again, with the Wave of Siltvelt arriving just several days after Melromarc's, the blonde Sword Hero simply didn't have the time to just sit down and focus on this otherworldly magic.

So after exchanging respectful handshakes (Eugeo and Naofumi), endearing hugs (Rifana with Raphtalia and Arthur embarrassingly getting hugged by Guinevere) and friendly nods (Anna and Rino), the two groups soon went on their separate ways.

The Shield Hero and his companions found themselves back on the road about 2 hours later. Their somewhat chubby business partner asked for their delivery services once again, informing them that a village to the south was asking for an enormous amount of herbicide and was requiring them immediately.

Claiming all too gleefully that Naofumi was the only one that he could ask to do the job in record time thanks to him possessing the "Heavenly Fowl" Guinevere. Not that the Shielder could deny that claim, as the only other person who could do the same is currently occupied with his own activities to deal with.

Upon hearing from the Shielder of where they are going, Rino cheerfully volunteered to hold the reins for their upcoming journey. When asked about her strange eagerness, the spear woman admitted that she was a local of the village that they're traveling to. Making her the most suited for the job as she was familiar with the forest paths and knew how to avoid getting the local monsters' attention that might slow them down.

Unfortunately, Rino's happy thoughts of possibly seeing her friends and family didn't last long.

"Daddy, the plants here are amazing!" Guinevere exclaimed in awe as Rino's expression quickly turned into one of worry. Everyone else soon took a look outside and noticed the abnormal plant infestation of the surrounding area.

"Guess he's right. They do need tons of herbicide." Naofumi humorlessly mumbled to himself as the rhetorical question that he was discussing with his Mash-Senpai got answered by the situation before them.

"Master Naofumi, look over there." Raphtalia pointed out as her sharper eyes noticed the tall, wooden barricades that are now standing in the far distance.

"That wasn't there before..." Rino comments in distress as she continued to observe the worsening conditions of the nearby vegetation as they further traveled along the road, "More than that, how could this even be possible?!"

"We'll just have to go and find out, now don't we. That's where our delivery is after all." Naofumi said in assurance to his human companion before shifting his Legendary Shield into its [Book Shield] disguise. Turning his attention to his beloved mount, the Shielder says, "Ok then Ginny, get us up there as quick as you can!"

"Righty-oh daddy!" Guinevere responded cheerfully before speeding her pace to reach their destination faster.

Upon arriving at the barricades, they saw a somewhat large encampment set up just outside the wooden walls. There were a few big tents erected with many smaller ones scattered all over the area. The Village elder along with two younger men noticed their arrival and quickly approached the carriage.

"I don't know how to thank you enough... this place was about to fall prey to all the vines too." the village elder sadly admitted to the disguised Shield Hero before recognizing the spear woman standing next to him.

"Elder Pallad!" Rino exclaimed in relief as she ran forward to give the elderly man a hug.

"R-Rino?! Is that you-..?! Humpf!"

His words got cut off by the surprisingly strong embrace that came from the familiar blue head. The two men standing on both their sides eventually smiled in recognition at the teen's youthful face. The young woman who once asked them for training in hopes of becoming an Adventurer like they used to be, despite the disapproval of her parents.

"It's good to see that you're doing well." the elder said in a tired yet genuine smile.

"More or less..." Rino mumbled sheepishly (she certainly met more than just the average bumps on the road upon becoming an Adventurer) as she scratches her cheek and released her hug. Not really in the mood to explain her entire situation, Rino made sure to keep all traces of her Slave Crest hidden from view before spinning a simple yet believable backstory, "I'm currently helping my party leader over here earn some extra cash. I kind of owe him for a new set of armor that he commissioned for me, so I now have to work for him to pay back my debt."

"I see."

"I know how that feels like."

"No kidding."

The elderly man and two former Adventurers chuckled in mild amusement. Their stress and concerns lessened even for a little bit as they reminisced about their good old days.

"But what happened here?" the spear woman asked as she observed the growing plants that are now making their way up the wooden barricades at a rapid pace, "I knew that we were having some troubles with raising our crops since the beginning of this year... but certainly not like this!"

"Have you tried burning them?" Raphtalia asked curiously, "Or did you already tried that?"

"Certainly" the village elder affirmed sadly, his worry lines deepening as he continued, "We've tried everything we could think of. We've even resorted to summoning Adventurers but the situation is worse than we before. Our village was already overrun by the vines.

What's worse, the plants turned into monsters and started to attack us."

'That's not good' Mash commented to her Kouhai as she began to recall the countless plant type monsters that she fought during her time back in Chaldea. Naofumi was just about to ask his Senpai on what she knew when suddenly...

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

As if the plant monsters had the ability to listen in to their conversations, a loud scream echoed throughout the encampment coming from the other side of the barricades. Spooking all the citizens who heard and causing Rino's complexion to pale as she slowly started to realize that these vines are genuinely a dangerous threat and not merely just the extreme inconvenience that she thought it was.

"Some Adventurers went to Level Up, but when they left for the village they had no idea what's ahead of them" Elder Pallad grimly explained as his expression darkened, "I begged them to stay."

'I'll explain about what I know later.' Mash said to Naofumi in a rare serious tone, 'First, let's get those Adventurers back to the camp. Judging by the scream that we just heard, they're most likely at their last leg.'

'Roger that' Naofumi replied in agreement before speaking out loud to his daughter figure, "Guinevere, find the Adventurers and bring them back to the village."

"Okaaay..." the misshapen Filolial said in between mouthfuls as the party saw that she was actually eating a few of the mutant plant's fruits, "Bwee wight bwaaack!"

Guinevere left and returned in short order as she carried in-between her wings the three Adventurers that she was sent to retrieve.

"There were plant monsters all over the place. Some of them even spat poison or acid or something" the avian shapeshifter dutifully reported to her father before adding, "A few of them even started to grow tentacle-like arms and tried to capture me."

Rino couldn't help but shiver at Guinevere's last description. After all, every serious female Adventurer worth their salt knows that the worst kind of monster in the world are those that have tendrils. While she never had an encounter with such monsters before, she's in no hurry to find out now!

As Naofumi pondered with his Senpai in his head on what they're going to do about this situation, the surrounding bystanders began whispering amongst themselves:

"That bird!"

"It talks!"

"That has to be the Heavenly Fowl."

"The Savior of the Heavenly Fowl has come to our village too!"

Meanwhile, after inspecting the unusual injuries that the three unconscious Adventurers were displaying, Rino is practically next to worry. Realizing a very important fact that she disregarded a few minutes earlier, due to this lack of knowledge about the mutant plants.

"Elder Pallad?" Rino spoke out to get everyone's attention while uncontrollably fidgeting, "Where are my parents? Where's my little sister?!"

The sight of the village elder and the two men grimly evading her gaze didn't help her growing worries any. Although she and her parents separated on bad terms, (due to her decision of becoming an Adventurer against their wishes) Rino still loved them deeply. Her sweet little sister even more so. It's the entire reason why she had been sending them some food rations whenever she completed a Quest for these past few months.

Instead of answering Rino's question, Elder Pallad approached Naofumi and asked with faint hope in his expression...

"Please good sir, tell us. Are you truly the Savior who travels on a carriage drawn by the Heavenly Fowl?"

Naofumi stayed silent at first but reluctantly nodded his head in confirmation, due largely to his Mash-Senpai's insistence. The Shield Spirit in question not really seeing the need for her Kouhai to lie about his second identity.

"Then we beg of you! Please use your powers to heal our sick!" the elder said in a desperate plea before painfully admitting to everyone, "A good number of my people – including Rino's parents and younger sister – were infected with a strange, plant like sickness caused by the vines."

Rino was practically shaking at this point, her fears regarding her family's negative condition having just been confirmed. Looking at her Master with tearful and pleading eyes, it didn't really take much for Naofumi to agree in helping them. While the Shield Hero still had trouble interacting with people who haven't earned his trust, he wasn't so petty as to deny them help when they desperately needed it. Besides, his Senpai would be pretty upset if he did!

So after Naofumi agreed to heal their sick, the Shielder and his party (with the exemption of Guinevere who stayed outside in full Filolial form) were quickly escorted to one of the larger tents where the sick and injured are being taken care of. Once inside, the group is met with the horrible sight of numerous people being entangled with seemingly harmless plantlets. But the abnormal vegetation, having now taken root in different parts of their bodies, are now forcibly siphoning their nourishment from their victim's flesh.

'This is even worse than I thought.' Mash couldn't help but gasp at their current condition. Especially after her Kouhai used his Appraisal Skill and saw how the HP and MP of these unfortunate villagers are slowly being depleted.

"As you can see," Elder Pallad grimly explained as Rino spots her parents and little sister sharing a conjoined bed at the far corner, "the plants are devouring their bodies."

"Mom! Dad! Shiina!" the worried sick Rino frantically yelled out as she ran towards the occupied beds. Causing Naofumi to follow her so he could take a look at them first.

'I had my share of fighting plant-based monstrosities before back in my lifetime. Them having tendrils and spitting poison are actually very common traits' Mash elaborated on her previous experiences before adding, 'But this is the first time I've ever encountered something like this.'

"These damn things are even parasitic…" Naofumi grunted while watching Rino trying to get a response out of her parents and sister.

"I can't ask you strongly enough Savior, please do what you can to heal them" the Elder Pallad pleaded.

Naofumi merely gave them a silent nod before bringing up an idea with his Senpai, 'Since their sickness is plant-based by nature... do you think sprinkling them with some enhanced herbicide would help?'

'That might work externally, but the damage from within would still be left behind' Mash pondered in thought for a second before making a calculative conclusion, 'It may be best to apply an enhanced HP potion in conjunction with applying their bodies with the enhanced herbicide. Most likely curing the victim internally and externally.'

'Sounds like a plan.'

As Naofumi requested Raphtalia and the others to gather the necessary materials that he would need, Rino was eventually able to wake her sister and parents from their near-catatonic state.

"Big sister Rino... you're back..." the little girl cried tearfully while taking labored breaths, smiling at her beloved sister despite her less-than-ideal condition. The two siblings resembled each other a lot, with the only difference being the younger one's shoulder-length, light blue hair and a few angles on the younger sister's facial features lined with baby fat.

Both of Rino's parents were a little more subdued in their greetings, but they acknowledged their eldest daughter with small smiles, nonetheless. The mother being quite attractive despite her age and the father being fairly good looking as well. A mixture of pain and shame being mixed together on their faces. An expression that became even more pronounced as Naofumi arrived with the necessary ingredients that he needed for their experimental treatment.

"Can you heal them?" Rino asked her master with a hopeful gaze.

"I won't know until I try. But I'm quite confident that I can do it."

It wasn't a straight-up answer, but it was good enough for Rino as she stepped aside so the Shield Hero can begin her family's healing.

Naofumi began dripping a few drops of HP potion inside Shiina's mouth with utmost care, before pouring a bottle full of herbicide all over the little girl's body. The [Book Shield] strapped on Naofumi's arm shimmered in dim light as Mash also gave her support to the ongoing procedure.

Everyone who was watching gaped in awe as they witnessed how Shiina's body glowed purple for a brief moment. Then right in front of their eyes, the parasitic plantlets began to shrivel in a fast pace before completely disintegrating to dust. Leaving the little girl's body plant-free and most likely on a steady road to recovery.

A few tears started streaming down her eyelids as Rino carefully hugs Shiina in immense relief before aiming a very grateful smile towards Naofumi. The Shielder coolly accepted her gratitude before moving on to the next patient which is Rino's mother.

"Next one."

"Right!" Raphtalia cheerfully replied to her Master and Hero.

Half an hour later...

"That went well," Raphtalia said cheerfully as she and Naofumi exited the last of the sick tents. The said Shielder having just finished healing the last of the infected villagers.

"I guess... but we're out of here as soon as we get our reward" Naofumi declared as he walked towards the direction of their carriage. Seeing Guinevere sitting next to it while helping herself with a few more fruits from the mutant plants, "This isn't our mess to clean up."

'Kouhai!' Mash countered in protest and disapproval. The Senior Shield Hero was just about to try convincing her Kouhai of taking care of the plant problem when she inadvertently got beaten to the punch.

"That might be difficult" Raphtalia unknowingly disrupted the internal conflict between the two Shielders when she looked back to see what was behind them.

"Oh, Savior of the Heavenly Fowl!" the village elder begged as he and his two men went down on their knees with their heads bowed low, "We beg you from the bottom of our hearts, please save our village!"

Despite his reluctance to do another person's duties, (considering the fact that fixing issues like this is technically the Trash King's job) Naofumi decided to hear what the villagers had to say. Rino rejoined their group after double and triple-checking on her family's conditions and was soon given the rundown of how this entire Plant infestation started in the first place.

"Our village was being ravaged by famine." Elder Pallad started the story as he gestured towards Rino, "The only reason that we were able to keep everyone fed for so long is thanks to the efforts of our youngsters like Rino, who would find jobs elsewhere and would regularly send provisions for our village to get by."

Naofumi (who is now sitting on an emptied crate and a couple of feet away from the explaining elder) gave Rino a brief glance, with the young woman nodding in return to vouch for Elder Pallad's truthfulness.

"Until one day, the Spear Hero visited."

Naofumi, Raphtalia, and even Mash's moods plummeted instantly upon hearing this. If Motoyasu was here, then that she-devil of a woman was no doubt here too.

"When he heard of our plight, he went to some nearby ruins and brought back a seed that was sealed there many years before... he called it, a miracle seed."

"A miracle seed sealed away for years..?"

'You don't think that..?'

"Could that empty chest really be..?!"

"Oh no..."

Naofumi, Mash, Rino and Raphtalia (precisely in that order) thought to themselves as a clear yet ugly picture started to form in their minds on how this entire situation went from bad to worse.

"At first we had no idea..." one of the two men beside Elder Pallad admitted, "We were overjoyed when we saw how quickly the plants were growing and bearing fruit... however..."

"They grew too much and overwhelmed your village. Is that what happened?" Raphtalia guessed and is met with a sad confirmation.

"Indeed..." elder Pallad answered before he brought up something peculiar, "While investigating our options, we hit upon an ancient legend passed down among our people. A long time ago, a wicked alchemist who had set up shop in this area created a seed... but for some reason, he sealed it away."

"Legend also said that after only a short while, the plants would overgrow everything in the region."

"Hang on just a second" Naofumi spoke in mild confusion after hearing the legend, "Why didn't any of you have doubts about that seed when you already knew about the legend?"

The village elder and his two men were at a loss for words as all they can do is avert their gazes from them, especially from the understandably pissed off Rino.

"I get it..." Naofumi (and even Mash) sighed in exasperation at the elder's moment of poor judgment, both Shielders already having an inkling of how it happened, "You convinced yourselves that it was safe because a Hero brought it to you, right?"

'Eugeo and Alice would be very upset about this development. They might even feel responsible for inadvertently causing this' Mash-Senpai commented sadly for their fellow Hero and Spirit pair.

The three men in front of them then sank back down on their knees as Elder Pallad pleaded for their help once again. A small pouch of money now being offered towards Naofumi.

"Savior of the Heavenly Fowl, we'll pay for any treatments and even pay for the monster extermination in advance, anything! Just please save our village, I beg you!"

A few moments of silence ensued as Naofumi thought within his head on how he's going to tackle this situation.

Don't get him wrong, his mind was already set on fixing Motoyasu's mistake – though he felt like giving the idiotic ponytail a good hit the next time he saw him. He wasn't heartless after all. Not to mention the fact that Mash-Senpai would never forgive him if he turned a blind eye on people who were in desperate need of help. And by doing this, it would also bring to light just how bad the Spear Hero was at doing his job.

It may not be an instant spread of news as this world doesn't have internet, but words about his carelessness will eventually be passed down by word of mouth to the rest of the masses. Possibly undermining Motoyasu's "oh so perfect" image, which is something that Naofumi finds himself hoping that it would happen in the future.

The next thing that came to mind was if he's going to inform Eugeo about this situation (as he was being asked by Mash if he wants her to contact his fellow Hero) for additional help. It was an appealing idea, but the Shielder ultimately decided not to contact him as he didn't want to bother Eugeo over something that might be trivial. Especially now that the blonde Sword Hero is in the middle of the very vexatious process of learning this world's magic system.

Granted, Eugeo might have an easier time getting the hang of this world's mystic arts compared to him. After all, magic seemed to be a familiar concept in the blonde's homeworld too. Although their magic is probably done with a different system and different style of chanting.

But just as Naofumi finished his thoughts and was about to stand up to accept the elder's request, Rino decided to step forward. Mistaking the Shield Hero's long silence as reluctance to take action, (for a Queendom that had severely wronged him no less) the spear woman stood in front of the Shielder and also sunk to her knees.

But unlike the three older men, Rino went one step further as she rested her head at Naofumi's lap.

Rino had no delusions of what might happen if nothing was immediately done. With the Queen's absence and the King now a shadow of his former self, chances were high that no substantial help from the capital would come. At most, the village would only receive meager food rations and perhaps a few weak Adventurers, instead of the more capable Castle soldiers.

The Adventurers who came would ultimately fail in eradicating the plant infestation, some might even die in their efforts. By the time the Queen returns from her long diplomatic trip, her home would most likely no longer exist and her family and friends would be left homeless. Being homeless during these times was more dangerous than one would think as they were still in the midst of the Waves of Catastrophe. Along with this is the increasing crime rates of bandits and even worse, Slave Hunters.

Sure, they might be able to seek refuge from neighboring villages, but they wouldn't be able to sustain everyone forever and would eventually (albeit with a heavy heart) be forced out. As for traveling towards Castle Town, that was another potential recipe for disaster that could potentially blow up in their faces. Since the Three Heroes Church might be more concerned about silencing them (permanently if necessary) instead of helping them on the pretense of covering up Motoyasu's Plant mess, so word about it wouldn't be spread to the rest of the public.

While Sir Eugeo the Sword Hero was a viable option, being deemed to be the most competent and understanding Hero among the four, Rino had no way of knowing where he could be. By the time Sir Eugeo hears about her village's crisis and arrives to help, it might already be too late. (Please read Author's Explanation at the bottom)

"Please..." Rino spoke with a soft whimper so only Naofumi and Raphtalia could hear her voice while concealing the tears that are now dripping on the Shield Hero's lap, "I offer you my spear... my body... my life... just, please. Save my home."

Naofumi is left speechless as he didn't think Rino would break down into tears like this. Although she was a bit soft-spoken during her first days as his slave, she already started to show more of her true self as time went on. Rino has shown herself to be a strong-willed and capable woman and wouldn't take someone else's rubbish lying down. She wasn't a coward and is more than ready to speak her mind when she deemed it necessary – regardless if the person that she's talking to is a commoner, a noble, or a Hero.

Which is probably the entire reason why the Bitch Princess had no qualms in giving her away, as she undoubtedly wouldn't like a party member like her who would most likely question her authority.

Not really knowing what to do, (as the closest experience Naofumi has of comforting a tearing up girl is Raphtalia back when she was still a child) the Shielder did the first thing that popped into his head and started ruffling Rino's wavy locks. Kind of like what he would sometimes do to Raphtalia's raccoon ears.

"T-There's no need to go that far. I was going to help, even if you hadn't begged…" Naofumi stuttered out softly to the girl while feeling slightly embarrassed over Rino's over-the-top offer to him.

The Shielder may have developed a strong distrust and borderline revulsion against women of all races thanks to what the she-devil Princess did to him, but he was still a guy. And with that, came with all the impulses and hormones that came with the territory of being a guy. It also helped that Mash, Raphtalia, and other females, humans and Demi-humans alike, had shown him a great deal of kindness since that unfortunate day.

So when presented with enough stimulus, (like an admittedly beautiful girl actually offering herself up to him) it was no small wonder why he felt a bit flustered. Fortunately for Naofumi, his impressive poker face successfully masked his inner thoughts from Raphtalia and the others who were watching.

"Your skills with the spear is more than enough payment." Naofumi managed to say while continually patting Rino's head (Raphtalia couldn't help but pout a little at the seemingly affectionate display but stayed silent out of respect) before coaxing her to get up once again.

Naofumi followed suit and stood up before approaching the village elder to accept the money that they were offering to him.

"I don't like cleaning up after that moron Motoyasu," the Shielder said, now back in his resigned tone before turning around to walk towards the village entrance, "But I will earn my keep."

As Naofumi walked away, he absent-mindedly switched his [Book Shield] into the [Chimera Viper Shield] so he could benefit from its passive poison resistance. Not really caring about exposing his identity to the villagers at this point.

"That shield... could it be...?" Elder Pallad looked on in awe as he just realized who Naofumi truly is. The three men looked at the slightly sniffling Rino questioningly, getting a sheepish nod of confirmation in return.

"Let's go, Guinevere! Rino, don't get left behind!"

"Yes, daddy!"

"R-right Sir Naofumi!"

Rino hurriedly grabbed her trusty spear as Guinevere ran past her, catching up with the cold yet kind-hearted Shield Hero shortly afterward.

Throughout this entire interaction, Mash the Shield Spirit watched her Kouhai in proud silence. Although she did blush a bit back when Rino offered herself to Naofumi, which her Kouhai subsequently refused. Anyways, during the verbal exchange, she was already prepared to intervene and coax Naofumi into helping these people if he really did attempt to leave. But she first wanted to see how her Kouhai would handle the situation at hand.

Needless to say, she was both proud and happy that her Kouhai is slowly coming into his own as a Hero that this world needed.

While Naofumi is busy cleaning up Motoyasu's mess in Lerno Village...

Eugeo and his party are currently on their way to the southern regions of Melromarc by Anna's insistent recommendation. The snake lady informed them all earlier that day that she once stumbled upon a high leveled dungeon near a settlement called Kapros Village there.

As Eugeo and Alice noticed that morning, despite the sizable amount of EXP that they gained from the Wave of Siltvelt, their Levels hardly budged from where it once was. Realizing then that the laws that govern this world's leveling system are probably much steeper when compared to their homeworld's.

Eugeo Zuberg - Level 57

Kirin Toudou - Level 49

Arthur - Level 39

Anna Fidi - Level 39

Rifana - Level 38

And because Eugeo and his party members are now high leveled, the monsters that populated the fields of Castle Town are now deemed obsolete. As any EXP that they may gain from them are now minuscule at best. Due to this predicament, they now have no choice but to find more powerful monsters to battle against if they ever wanted to get any significant progress in raising their levels.

Fortunately, thanks to Anna's past experiences as a powerful Adventurer (albeit reluctantly on the humans' part), she revealed herself to be a well of information and knew the best hunting spots for them to gain EXP.

A valuable source of knowledge indeed.

Because of the hidden dungeon being located very close to a dormant volcano, the dungeon is quite hot and home to many fire-themed monsters and other beasts that had adapted well to the high temperatures. Making it the ideal place for Eugeo to put his developing water magic to the test and to also provide them with a more effective area to gain EXP. And as a footnote, Anna also mentioned that the town was also well known for the large number of hot springs that are scattered along its territories thanks to them being settled near the volcano's underground magma chambers.

Unbeknownst to Eugeo though, while the official reason for them going to this village was for leveling in the hidden dungeon. The unofficial reason (that is only known among the girls) was so that they can force- errr... persuade their somewhat overworked Hero into allowing himself some genuine relaxation. (More so in Anna's case, as she plans to secretly invite her man into one of the town's renowned lover's baths)

Having spent the last few weeks in a race against time to get multiple objectives and duties done before, during, and after the Waves...

receiving Shadow training while strengthening themselves as fast as humanely possible...

freeing the survivors of Lurolona Village from Idol's tyranny...

fighting Melromarc's Wave...

traveling all the way to Siltvelt in a hurry without much rest in between...

and finally, fighting Siltvelt's Wave with no other Cardinal Hero to aid them while also limiting Eugeo's move set to keep his identity a secret...

Yeah... they really were due for some slow days for themselves.

Back at the present, Arthur is now pulling the carriage through a forest area in a relatively slow pace as they were in no hurry in reaching their destination. Rifana volunteered to hold the reins for the next couple of hours while Kirin and Anna took turns in helping Eugeo understand this world's magic system. With their guidance and experiences, Eugeo was now slowly starting to understand the concepts behind the magic that the grimoire was talking about. At the rate that he was going now, he just might be able to muster up a few simple spells in the very near future.

Unfortunately for the group though, their plans for some relaxation would have to be put on hold...

'Everyone, get ready! Someone's coming!'

... as Alice detected the familiar presence of a Shadow approaching them at high speeds.

Eugeo dropped the grimoire that he was reading and prepared himself for battle in the event that the approaching Shadow was a hostile one. Everyone else followed suit as the girls bared their newly forged blades while Arthur detached himself from his carriage so he could help better in a fight if need be. The whole group faced the direction that Alice warned them about, preparing themselves for a fight if needed.

"Not bad, not bad..." a familiar female voice echoed through the surrounding forest with enthusiastic clapping along with it, "You've really gotten better since the last time I saw you two. Sir Eugeo, Miss Kirin."

But as it turns out, their worries were unfounded...

" "Miss Ayane?" "

The two aforementioned individuals responded in unison as their Shadow-sensei revealed herself from the undergrowth. Removing her mask while doing so to fully reveal who she is with a proud smile on her face. Anna, Rifana, and Arthur slowly relaxed their guards when they saw that the Shadow in front of them seems to be on friendly terms with Eugeo and Kirin.

"It's nice to see you again Miss Ayane," Eugeo responded to his Shadow mentor with a smile of his own with Kirin doing the same. Having noticed the questioning looks on Anna, Rifana, and Arthur's faces, Eugeo and Kirin quickly made their introductions.

Introducing Ayane as not only a member of the Toudou clan who specializes in stealth but also the one who trained Eugeo and Kirin in the ways of the Shadows. This piece of news instantly endeared Anna and Rifana to the Shadow woman. Thanking her profusely for what she inadvertently did, as her teachings to Eugeo back then is probably the deciding factor that allowed him to effectively save them from Idol. Ayane didn't feel like she deserved their thanks, but she eventually accepted their gratitude.

Things became more serious though as Ayane returned to what Eugeo and Kirin nicknamed as her Shadow business mode.

"As pleasant as this reunion is, I'm afraid that I bring troubling news for all of you."

"I figured as much." said Sword Hero could only sigh upon hearing that as he, along with Kirin and Alice, already suspected that to be the case, "Shadows never reveal themselves unless completely necessary, after all."

"I taught you well." Ayane giggled with an approving nod before speaking up again. Conveying to them the information that she was sent to deliver...

About the plant infestation that Motoyasu inadvertently unleashed into a village to the west. How it all started with the Spear Hero attempting to help the famine-stricken village by giving them some kind of miracle crop (just like what Naofumi had told him). While Motoyasu's motives were genuinely good, he also (unsurprisingly) hadn't thought things through. As the so-called miracle seed that Motoyasu gifted to them turned into a curse as the plants eventually mutated into more monstrous versions of themselves and quickly overwhelmed the village.

And, if they weren't stopped, the plants would most likely spread to the rest of the region... maybe even beyond that.

"I was informed by a few of my new... " Ayane paused for a second, pondering on what the correct term to use before settling with, "subordinates... that the Shield Hero was tasked to deliver a carriage full of herbicide to that very village."

The group grew worried upon hearing this fact in connection to how Naofumi mentioned about meeting with a client. While they knew that Naofumi and his own party were capable fighters in their own right, they were unsure of whether or not the Shielder's party could handle a fight of that magnitude.

It didn't take much convincing on the girls' part in postponing their relaxation in the hot springs-... err their level grinding in the flame dungeon. After all, they would never turn their backs on their friends.

To add to that, Arthur was ecstatic that he would get to see Ginny again so soon, so he eagerly transformed into his Filolial form to get ready to draw the carriage.

However, just as the Sword Hero and his friends were about to climb aboard the carriage and depart to the direction of the western village after checking its location and direction on the map, Ayane had one more thing to discuss with them. Or to be more specific, on Kirin. It may not be as urgent of a topic as the first one, but it was still a very important matter that needed confirmation before reporting to her Lady.

"By the way~~..." Ayane mused as her serious face melted away and was replaced with a mischief-filled grin.

The Shadow then grabbed both of Kirin's shoulders with a firm grip (as if to keep her in place) while keeping her mirthful eyes focused on the Toudou clan heiress.

"What was this I heard, that you and Sir Eugeo actually shared a bed last night~? Hmm~? Miss Kirin~?"

"EEEHHH!!! How… how do you even know about that?!"

"My 'new subordinates' informed me of your night of 'intimacy' with Sir Eugeo. So…? What do you have to say about that? Hm, Young Miss??" Ayane interrogated teasingly.

Needless to say, the next few minutes were filled with exploding blushes and embarrassed squeals as Ayane relentlessly grilled Kirin for details about their developing relationship. Eugeo was left alone for the most part (much to his relief), as Ayane still felt obligated to be respectful to the Legendary Sword Hero. Unfortunately for Kirin, who grew up under the watchful eyes of Ayane and the other Toudou Shadows, Ayane had no trouble interacting with her despite being the clan heiress.

As this embarrassing fiasco went on, Alice began to think quietly – while trying not to get distracted by the hilarious situation Kirin and Eugeo were in.

Ayane seemed rather… what was it – uncertain whenever she mentioned those new subordinates… And if they knew that Eugeo and Kirin were sleeping in the same bed last night, then there were only two explanation she could think of as to who Ayane's new subordinates were: One of the staff of the inn where they stayed last night, or…

As Alice reached her conclusion, she waited for Ayane's teasing and Kirin's flustered reaction to subside before having Eugeo ask Ayane about her deduction.

And as this was going on, Anna tried to mention to her that she and Rifana were also in a relationship with Eugeo. But was frantically halted by Eugeo as he covered her mouth with his hand.

"Just because we all agreed on you girls sharing me..." Eugeo said in an embarrassed whisper, "doesn't mean that I am comfortable with announcing it to the rest of the world you know!"

Thankfully for Eugeo, Ayane and Kirin seemed too distracted with each other to notice Anna's attempt of revealing their 'special' relationships.

"Aww… You're no fun, master~" Anna pouted as she whispered back.

Rifana on the other hand quietly blushed to herself… She may have agreed to sharing their Hero as well, but she had to agree with what Eugeo had just said; she wasn't exactly ready to have their polygamic relationship revealed yet either.

She was having trouble coming up with how she would even tell Raphtalia, or even Keel about this when they found out about it.

And knowing her and Raphtalia's respective Heroes' close comradery, it was only a matter of time before Raphtalia found out about her and the other girls' relationship with Eugeo.

As for Arthur, he was in the same room his Father and Auntie Kirin had slept in last night, so he didn't really have much to say about it. Though he was a bit irritated that Father Eugeo hadn't given Mother Alice much attention the previous night because of some 'talk' he had to have with his other aunties.

But back to Kirin and Ayane…

"… and intimate, my foot! All I did last night was just hug him and chat with each other until we fell asleep! Please, Miss Ayane, don't tell mother about this just yet! I'm not yet ready to announce this to anyone!" Kirin pleaded.

"You do realize that even I can't keep this a secret from Milady forever, right? If anything, she would be delighted to hear this piece of information" Ayane said, looking as if she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

"I know, and that's what worries me… She'll tease me to no end!"

"Oh, she won't… not too much, anyway~" Ayane grinned.

"You're not helping!" Kirin cried out.

It looked like it may be a while before the two stopped their argument. So, Alice decided to pull Eugeo into her mindscape to tell him about her deduction about Ayane's new recruits.

When Eugeo heard Alice's explanation, he couldn't help but agree that it made sense. After thanking Alice for her input, Eugeo exited the mindscape and finally decided to cut in between Ayane and Kirin so that he could ask Ayane about Alice's deduction – as well as spare Kirin from any further embarrassment – she already had enough of them for one day.

"I'm really sorry to cut in on your 'clan affairs', but I need to ask you something, Miss Ayane," Eugeo said.

"Oh? Please ask me anything, Sir Eugeo" Ayane answered.

"These 'new subordinates' of yours… Are there six of them, and do they happen to be former Shadows of the Three Heroes Church? Specifically, the ones who tried to harm Anna and Rifana last night?" Eugeo asked, surprising everyone that heard his question, especially Ayane.

"H… How did you…" Ayane stuttered, caught off-guard. Eugeo quickly answered.

"Kirin and I sensed the Shadows' presence last night and were ready to take action if they broke into our room. So, if your subordinates knew that Kirin and I were sleeping together last night, then there are only two explanations: One, some of the inn staff were your Shadows, or two, they were the Church Shadows from yesterday. But I have a hunch that it's the latter" Eugeo paraphrased Alice's earlier deduction.

Ayane stayed silent for a few seconds before breaking out into a smile.

"You and Miss Kirin continue to amaze me, Sir Eugeo. Yes, as you have deduced, my new subordinates are indeed those former Church Shadows you encountered last night" Ayane confirmed, surprising the rest of Eugeo's group.

'Looks like your guess was right on the mark, Alice… But do you really think we can trust those Shadows?' Eugeo asked.

'Honestly, I'm just as skeptical as you are… Actually, since Ayane is here, I think it would be better to ask her myself…' Alice answered.

'You mean you want to show yourself to Miss Ayane?'

'Yes. There's something I would like to test out as well, anyway' She said.

'Alright… I'll tell her then…' Eugeo replied before returning to reality.

"Miss Ayane? If you want, there is someone that wants to talk to you" Eugeo said.

"Oh? And who would that be?" Ayane asked with a quizzical look on her face as Eugeo drew his Legendary Sword and held it in front of him.

"Me" A voice came from the Legendary Sword before enveloping them all in a brief flash of light as the Sword changed its form.

This time, Ayane was caught completely by surprise, as the unbelievable happened before her.

As the light from the sword faded, it was replaced by a young woman of utmost beauty. The woman had long, unbraided golden hair and sapphire eyes; she was also wearing a knightly armor that matched her golden hair and eye color. To top it off, she had angel wings on her back that folded and disappeared as the lights faded.

Eugeo stared in surprise. Looking at the armor Alice was wearing, he almost thought that Alice the Integrity Knight had somehow been summoned from Underworld. But as the armored Alice looked back and flashed him a familiar soft smile, he knew instantly that she was still his lover Alice.

The other members of Eugeo's party also stared in amazement. Although they had seen Alice in her physical form multiple times, they had never seen her wearing this particular armor that practically made her look like a guardian angel in the form of a righteous knight sent from the heavens!

"Looks like it worked… I believe that this is our first time meeting face to face, Miss Ayane. I am Alice Synthesis Thirty, the Spirit of the Legendary Sword" The angelic knight said to her.

Ayane, who had been completely dumbfounded at this sudden miraculous event, immediately snapped to her senses, got down to one knee, and bowed, humbled by her presence.

"So, those men were not lying about the angel of the Legendary Sword appearing in front of them to rebuke them for siding with the Three Heroes Church yesterday… Milady had told me and my comrades that she had seen the Spirit of the Legendary Sword during the King's banquet… I am truly honored and humbled to be in your presence, Lady Alice" Ayane said in reverence.

Alice smiled as she approached. She cast a silencing spell around them just in case there were eavesdroppers.

"Please, be at ease. I may be a Spirit as of now, but I am certainly not a God" Alice requested. Ayane did as she was asked and slowly stood back up.

"Now, to get to the point: I would like to ask you a question, Miss Ayane"

"Anything, Lady Alice"

"Those former Church Shadow subordinates of yours, are you certain that they can be trusted?" Alice asked her question.

Thus, Ayane began explaining as her expression turned serious once again.

"When they first appeared to the Toudou Clan compound earlier in the morning today, it caused quite an uproar; we thought that the Church had discovered our true intentions. But we were completely baffled when they showed themselves and informed us that they had deserted the Three Heroes Church and wished to become the Toudou Clan's subordinates.

"Of course, most of us – including Milady and I – had a hard time believing their story at first. They even informed us that they had left resignation letters to the Pope immediately before coming here. And one of my trusted subordinates – who had been keeping an eye out for the Church – came in just then to confirm that the Pope was currently very vexed that one of his most trusted and talented squadron of Shadows had suddenly resigned after being sent on their most recent mission.

"And lastly, they told us that the reason they had abandoned the Three Heroes Church was because during the mission given by the Pope to eliminate the demi-humans that were in Sir Eugeo's party, a Holy Angel of the Sword – you – appeared in front of them and rebuked them and the Church. They said that you had told them that the Three Heroes Church was a fanatical cult that spreads not salvation, but hatred and discreetly made innocent people suffer; and that they (the deserter Shadows) were also responsible for the silent suffering that the Three Heroes Church had brought to Melromarc; to both humans and demi-humans."

"They admitted that they pleaded for mercy and were told by you that you would forgive them only if they leave the Three Heroes Church and help the Heroes – especially the Sword and Shield Heroes – fight against the Waves, and lastly, never discriminate between humans and demi-humans.

"After giving us that information they pleaded to let them join us. We were of course, still skeptical, but they also gave up more information regarding their former allegiance – many of which are too long to explain. And during the entirety of their confession, those men looked genuinely spooked – most likely because of what you had said to them, Lady Alice" Ayane paused her explanation before continuing.

"To summarize, while Milady and I are still suspicious of them, we decided to let them into our ranks to keep an eye on them and see if they keep the promise you had them make. Milady seemed more or less convinced on their stories when they mentioned the angel of the Legendary Sword. But regardless, please do not worry – we will keep them in line" Ayane informed.

"I see, thank you," Alice said to her and the rest of her group also thanked the Shadow.

"Oh no, I believe that I should be the one to thank you on behalf of Milady and the rest of the Toudou Clan, Lady Alice…" Ayane said, surprising them.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, confused.

"The deserter Shadows revealed during their interrogation that they had found out that the Toudou Clan had secretly been working against their now former sect and have discreetly helped the Shield Hero." Ayane revealed.

Eugeo's party was, of course, very alarmed at this revelation, especially Kirin.

"How did they find out?!" Kirin asked.

"Fortunately, they had only found out yesterday – immediately after the Pope sent them to eliminate your demi-human party members. As to how they found out, it will take too long to explain. But rest assured, the Pope and those loyal to him and his cult will not be hearing about this piece of information anytime soon.

"It was thanks to you convincing them to abandon the Three Heroes Church that this critical information did not reach the Pope's ears, Lady Alice. Our Clan would no doubt have been in a very precarious situation indeed if that had happened. We have begun preparations to go into hiding in the event the Three Heroes Church or the King discover where our true loyalties lie."

"It was also part of the reason why we decided to let them become my subordinates; to keep them from leaking this critical information to our enemies, just in case they suddenly change their mind again" Ayane finished her long explanation.

Everyone present was both stunned and relieved to hear this. Eugeo and the rest of his party looked at Alice, silently asking her to confirm the former Church Shadows' testimony.

"Yes, everything those Shadows have told you regarding me is all true. So, I think you should give them a chance but at the same time, I advise that you do not let your guard down around them" Alice said as she nodded.

"Agreed… they have provided valuable and solid information so far about the Church, the King, and the nobles that support their cause, but we will continue to be vigilant, nonetheless. Again, you will have the gratitude of Milady Aoi and the Toudou Clan, Lady Alice. For if it had not been for you, the Three Heroes Church and the King would have been on a manhunt against our Clan before we were prepared" Ayane said, for which Alice smiled.

"I am glad that I was able to help your Clan as I have. Please, tell Lady Aoi to stay safe. And I believe that it would be best for now that news about me isn't spread out too rapidly to the rest of the other nations, as that might lead to some serious repercussions in the future. So please let my existence be known to only those you can trust" Alice requested.

"I shall do as you ask, Lady Alice; I shall also pass Milady your words as well. Now as pleasant and informative as this meeting was, I really must insist that you all start heading over to where Sir Naofumi is right now. He may be needing your help in dealing with the mess the Spear Hero has caused" Ayane reminded them of their new mission.

"Right!" They all said.

"Good luck, all of you; especially you, Miss Kirin. I will keep your relationship with Sir Eugeo a secret from Milady for the moment. But please don't make me wait too long" Ayane winked, making Kirin and Eugeo's faces flush red for the umpteenth time that day. The other ladies watched in amusement.

After saying farewell to Ayane, Alice reverted back to her Sword form and they all got in on Arthur's carriage to start heading over to Lerno village as fast as they could.

Although Anna had to ask the question that was probably on everyone's mind:

"Lady Alice? That armor you were wearing when you showed yourself to Miss Ayane, was that the armor you wore back in your world? Because I haven't seen any of the knights in this world wear anything like it" She asked.

"Yes, it was the most beautiful armor I had ever seen!" Rifana chimed in.

"I wanted to ask about that as well… That armor was worn by the Integrity Knights back in our world… but Alice… technically, you've never worn their armor before, have you? So how is it that you were able to take form with that armor?" Eugeo asked with great interest.

"Well, although I myself have never worn the armor, I've watched my… 'alter ego' wear the armor plenty of time in the Central Cathedral… So, I drew a strong mental image of myself wearing the Integrity Knight's armor as I materialized before Miss Ayane. Honestly, even I'm surprised that it worked as well as it did…"

"I see… it makes sense… Mental imaging played a large role in casting Sword Skills and even Sacred Arts back in our world, after all." Eugeo said.

"So… did you all really think that the armor suited me?" Alice asked rather shyly.

The others were quick to agree and showered her with compliments of how beautiful and regal she looked. Eugeo had to agree as well. Seeing his love Alice Zuberg being in the armor of Alice the Integrity Knight, it was quite a refreshing sight indeed.

"Well… thank you for your compliments… Then maybe I should wear this armor more often when I materialize in the future" Alice said, grateful that she was back in her Sword form so that no one could see how red her face currently was.

The rest of their group were slightly confused about Alice's explanation though. Alter ego…? What was she talking about? But that thought got pushed to the side as Arthur announced that he could see their destination – as well as the vast amount of overgrowth that covered the entire vicinity of the Lerno village.

So, they all prepared for combat as Arthur picked up the pace, eager to see his female counterpart that was certain to be where they were headed. Rifana was also eager to see her friend again, even though it had only been hours since they went their own ways.

As Eugeo and his group began their detour towards Lerno Village...

"Faust Guard!"

Naofumi and his entourage were currently fighting their way through the numerous plant monsters that were spawned by that accursed seed. Since the mutated vegetation primarily uses poison-based attacks, Mash advised (based on her past experiences with plant type monsters) that it is the perfect time to use his defensive spells to protect his allies from the toxic plants. A greenish aura then envelopes the girls as their overall defense stats were boosted by a significant margin.

With the girls now protected from the majority of the plant monsters' toxins, they can now charge forward without many constraints.

"High Quick!"

Guinevere lets out a multitude of powerful kicks and eradicates a small group of flower-humanoid-looking monsters called [Plantriwe] that normally attacks by breathing out poisonous pollen.

" "Horizontal Arc!/Spinning Slash!" "

Raphtalia and Rino unleashed their own attacks on their respective opponents. Their opponents being the tall, immobile-fortress type monster called [Mandoragora]. The plant creature has two vertical eyes across its body, multiple tentacle-like vines growing from its sides that spit acid from its tips, and a gaping mouth at the top of its misshapen head.

Raphtalia held her sword (now glowing yellow) next to her waist before leaping forward with a horizontal swing from left to right before flipping her wrists and chaining another horizontal swing in reversed path from right to left.

While Rino spun her spear (which glows bright purple) over her head before making two simultaneous, horizontal slashes. Using the momentum from the spin for additional power and range.

Upon the two powerful attacks connecting, both [Mandoragora] monsters were quickly reduced into a gooey mess. Disgusting plant matter bursting out from the deep cuts that the girls made in the creatures' hides.

"Nice work." Naofumi absent-mindedly complimented them all before blocking another poison gun from a newly spawned [Mandoragora] before gazing for a second on Rino's spear, "I see that you're getting the hang of your new Spear Skills."

"Y-Yeah." Rino replied in a mild stutter while she dodged another vine that tried to grapple her, "I still can't use the harder ones from the Scroll yet, but I should be able to master all of them eventually."

Naofumi gave the blue head a nod of approval before sending out another {Shield Cannon} skill at the obstructed path up ahead. Resuming their march towards the village's infested center.

They were actually making good time in clearing out the plant spawns as they made their way to the main plant root. With Naofumi providing physical and magical support with a few {Shield Cannon} skills here and there, along with the full offensive force of Raphtalia, Rino and Guinevere, they all eventually reached the dubbed 'Final Plant Boss' without getting seriously injured.

The main tree was of impressive size with a large flower at the top of its trunk; with the addition of an unnervingly large eyeball at the center of its flower's petals.

"If we take that thing out then it'll all be over, huh? I hope it's that easy." Naofumi said out loud as he gave the mutated tree a quick scan.

The Shielder then gathers from his Appraisal Skill that the tree was named the [Cursed Bioplant]...

it is currently at Level 45...

it has the potential to become even stronger as it grows bigger in size...

and finally, its weaknesses are fire and ice-based attacks.

'Of course, it wouldn't be that easy.' Naofumi groaned in his head at the rotten luck that none of them have the right elemental affinities to cause maximum damage on the boss. Sure, he may have a fire-themed shield somewhere in his arsenal, but it didn't come with any useful Weapon Skills.

'Then we just have to rely on what we have, Kouhai.' said Mash in a determined voice as she observed the main plant monster preparing its vines for battle, 'Try fighting it for a few minutes. I'll see if I could find any weaknesses that your Appraisal Skill might have missed.'

'Roger that, Senpai' Naofumi replied before turning his attention on Guinevere...

"Ginny! Try taking out that eyeball! I'll cover for you!"

"Yes, daddy!"

With that brief discussion, Guinevere quickly charged forward while dodging and smacking away the vines that tried to grapple her. As the young Filolial dashed along the plant's extended vines in midair...

"Air Strike Shield!"

...a green astral shield suddenly appeared beneath her feet and acted as an extra platform for her to jump from. Allowing Guinevere to reach the Bioplant's flower before straight-up mutilating the unnerving eyeball with a powerful swipe of her talons. This took out quite a chunk of the monster's HP despite being just one hit, signifying that the eyeball (like almost all living creatures) is also a vulnerable weak spot.

But to everyone's surprise, the supposedly crippling damage that Guinevere caused didn't last long as the [Cursed Bioplant] quickly regenerated the eye that it had lost. It even recovered a small bit of its HP as it grew more vines from the earth and tried to capture the Filolial who injured its precious eye. Fortunately, Guinevere was fast and agile enough to evade capture and managed to get away to rejoin with the others.

'It regenerates way too quickly. So normal attacks aren't going to work' Naofumi pondered in his head upon witnessing this.

'I guess that's one thing it has in common with the monsters that I fought long ago.' Mash said in reminiscence as she continued to analyze the creature before them, 'This tree might be a monster, but it's still a plant by nature. So, it's no wonder it has impressive regenerative abilities.'

When Naofumi heard this thought, he was hit with a stroke of inspiration as he just came up with an idea. Pulling out two bottles of herbicide and tossing them over to Raphtalia and Rino for them to catch in midair.

"Raphtalia, try splashing that herbicide right on that eyeball! Rino, see if you could do the same on the tree's main roots!"

"Yeah, right away."

"Understood Master Naofumi."

Raphtalia then proceeded to climb on Guinevere's back to ride a full offensive while Rino decided to run around the tree in an attempt to approach it without being noticed and getting captured by its grappling vines. Guinevere then charged forward with much better efficiency as Raphtalia took care of some of the vines. Allowing the avian mount to concentrate in parkouring across the distance and reaching the abominable eyeball once again.

Seeing an opportunity with an idea forming in her head, Raphtalia decided to use Guinevere as a springboard. As she leaped forward to cross that one last bit of distance, she quickly threw her bottle of herbicide right at her intended target. Smashing the bottle open in midair (with her sword) with all its contents splashing all over the cursed flower along with a portion of its trunk.

(*SCREEEECH*)

The mutated plant wailed hysterically in pain, as not only did it lose its eye again, but that bottle of herbicide alone had caused a much more devastating effect than Naofumi thought possible. Taking away a larger chunk from the Bioplant's HP than even Guinevere's prior attack with her talons.

Things only got even worse for the Bioplant as Rino succeeded in sneaking up to the now disoriented beast and followed Raphtalia's lead. Smashing her own bottle of herbicide against her spear and splashed the potent chemical on the tree's roots. Shrinking the monster's HP even more and forcing it to go all the way down to its halfway mark.

'That worked even better than I thought' Naofumi couldn't help but mumble to himself in mild disbelief. Truthfully, he didn't really think that his out-of-the-box idea would work out so well.

'It might be an accident on your part Kouhai, but you just sped up my analysis tremendously' Mash half-teased and half-cheered as she now has a plan on how to take this monstrous tree down in the most effective fashion possible. But just as Mash was about to convey her findings to her junior Shielder, they heard the screams of the two girls who were trying to get away from the mutated tree.

Their attention soon went over to Raphtalia and Rino as countless new vines sprung out of the Bioplant's trunk and branches. Thanks to the herbicide that destroyed its eyeball and damaged a few of its roots, its efforts in healing itself is a bit slower than normal. While fighting a blinded opponent is sometimes a great advantage and the deciding factor for victory in a fight, this also has the unfortunate tendency to cause some opponents (humans and monsters alike) to go berserk in an effort of self-preservation.

"K-KYAAAHH!!!"

Like what the [Cursed Bioplant] is doing right now...

"Master Naofumi, please don't look!"

...as every last one of its newly spawned vines went completely nuts! And much to Raphtalia and Rino's horror... every last one of them concentrated solely on them!

Naofumi couldn't help himself and blushed ever so slightly at the situation that his companions (with the exemption of Guinevere, who got away in time) found themselves in. After all, seeing two attractive girls being hoisted up high in the air... by countless tentacle-like vines, no less, so that the underside of their skirt was showing… it made out to a rather… 'stimulating', but embarrassing sight. The two girls using their somewhat free arms to keep their skirts from showing off anything inappropriate.

They tried to reach for their weapons, but with how their arms were restricted, they couldn't do much to cut themselves free.

Naofumi may not be a slimy pervert like Motoyasu, but he was still a guy who was somewhat familiar with the so-called "Tentacle Genre". Not his cup of tea, but he was still familiar with it.

Ginny covered her mouth with her wings to hide her laughter while Naofumi averted his gaze. Sparing some of Raphtalia and Rino's dignity before getting sternly reminded by Mash-Senpai that it was time for them to put her plan into motion. With its eyeball still in the process of being healed, the [Cursed Bioplant] could only rely on its sense of touch through its vines. Which is why it was the perfect moment for a follow-up attack while it was completely distracted.

And so, under Mash-Senpai's advice, Naofumi took out another bottle of herbicide and poured it all over the Legendary Shield's green gem...

[Herbicide Shield Unlocked]

[Quality: Low - Base Defense: 20]

[Mastery: 0/70 - Resonance: 0%]

[Equip Bonus: Poison Resistance (Low)]

[Exclusive Ability: Potent Touch (Plant Exclusive)]

Level 15 Required

'Well... that's convenient.'

'Quite so Kouhai.'

Now armed with the newly unlocked shield, Naofumi casually walked towards the [Cursed Bioplant] without a care. The plant monster already had its eyeball back by this point, so the Shielder was quickly entangled by a multitude of vines; much to Raphtalia and Rino's alarm and worry. But to everyone's shock and amazement, instead of getting subdued by the vines and joining the two girls up in the air. The vines started to smoke and dissolve upon making contact with the Shielder.

"Wow! You're so amazing, daddy!" Guinevere cheered as she watched her father figure easily breaking free from the grappling vines and reached the tree's trunk without any issues.

"So that's... that's what the Shield Hero is capable of," Raphtalia mumbled in amazement at the sight.

"He broke through those vines without even breaking a sweat," Rino added her piece also as they watched the Shield Hero press his shield against the Bioplant's trunk.

The effect was quite fascinating to see as the trunk began to melt and got infected by the poisonous touch, encouraging Naofumi to press the Legendary Shield deeper into its bark. The Bioplant writhed and screeched in pain as its HP steadily got lower and lower until it finally hits zero, the rest of its body beginning to die soon after.

"Hey, it worked," Raphtalia commented in awe as she and Rino can now feel the grip of the vines starting to loosen. This allowed the two entrapped girls to break free from their bindings.

"Both of you, get back!" Naofumi ordered as Guinevere made a quick stop to pick them up before retreating. The [Cursed Bioplant] made one last defiant screech before the entire tree toppled over and crashed to the ground with a resounding thud. But their battle wasn't completely over though as Naofumi noticed just how many fruits were still attached to the dead tree's branches.

"Those ripe seeds could cause more trouble. Gather as many of them as you can!" Naofumi ordered.

But just as the girls were about to get to work in picking up the leftover fruit, they heard a familiar voice coming from behind.

"Hello, everyone," the familiar voice turned out to be Eugeo along with his party, now waving at them in awkward greetings, "I'm guessing that we're already too late to do any kind of help with Motoyasu's mess?"

"Not exactly..." Naofumi replied with a more a teasing smile as he gestured over to the numerous fruits that are still scattered all over the place.

"You guys can still help us clean up this mess. We need to collect all of these fruits so that those mutated plants won't grow anymore" Naofumi says with a chuckle with Eugeo laughing along in good humor.

"With pleasure. Arthur? Girls?" Eugeo requested.

"Understood, Sir/Master Eugeo/Father," They said.

As the two Heroes' party got themselves busy collecting all the fruits that they could find (with Guinevere cheerfully offering some fruit to Arthur so he could have a taste), Naofumi and Eugeo got busy absorbing the parts of the plant monsters to unlock new weapons.

[Plantriwe Sword Unlocked]

[Quality: Medium - Base Attack: 50]

[Mastery: 0/100 - Resonance: 0%]

[Equip Bonus: Intermediate Compounding Recipe 2]

Level 25 Required

[Mandoragora Sword Unlocked]

[Quality: Medium - Base Attack: 55]

[Mastery: 0/110 - Resonance: 0%]

[Equip Bonus: Plant Analysis]

Level 27 Required

[Plantriwe Shield Unlocked]

[Quality: Medium - Base Defense: 50]

[Mastery: 0/100 - Resonance: 0%]

[Equip Bonus: Intermediate Compounding Recipe 2]

Level 25 Required

[Mandoragora Shield Unlocked]

[Quality: Medium - Base Attack: 55]

[Mastery: 0/110 - Resonance: 0%]

[Equip Bonus: Plant Analysis]

Level 27 Required

Finally adding the seed of the Bioplant's fruit to his shield, Naofumi unlocked the [Bioplant Shield]. Looking at its effects, Naofumi thought out loud, catching Eugeo's attention.

"Well, this is interesting…"

"What is it, Naofumi?"

"I just unlocked something that just might help us in preventing those plant monsters from growing again by absorbing the seed of the fruit. Mash-Senpai is looking into the details of the new shield now. Here, see for yourself" Naofumi explained as he handed one of the seeds to Eugeo for him to absorb.

Eugeo absorbed the seed to see what it would unlock.

[Bioplant Sword Unlocked]

[Quality: Unique - Base Attack: 65]

[Mastery: 0/130 - Resonance: 0%]

[Equip Bonus: Poison Resistance (Medium) Paralysis Resistance (Medium)]

[Exclusive Ability: Plant Modification]

[Extra Exclusive Ability: Vine Whip]

Level 35 Required

Alice looked at the effects of the new sword with interest. While the {Vine Whip} Ability is an unusual skill for a sword to have, it just might come in handy when used in the right circumstances. The {Plant Modification} on the other hand...

'Hmm… This is interesting… From what I can see, this sword gives you the ability to modify a plant's seeds. Its growth rate, its reproductivity, and even manipulate the kind of fruit it grows or the color of the flowers it can bear. Naofumi can use the Bioplant Shield to prevent the growing plants from turning into monsters' Alice explained.

'You read my mind, Alice. We should start modifying the seeds as soon as we go back to the encampment and get some rest, Kouhai' Mash declared. Naofumi grunted in agreement.

"I see… Wait, so it gives me the freedom to manipulate plant seeds to my liking? May it be the growth speed or what the seed will bear?" Eugeo asked as he perked up. Alice and Naofumi were a bit surprised at his outburst.

"Well, more or less" She confirmed.

Eugeo stared at his newly unlocked sword pensively.

Alice, Naofumi, and Mash started to wonder what was going on in Eugeo's head as she saw him be in deep thought.

'Eugeo? What are you thinking?' Alice asked her hero.

'This… just might work…' Eugeo thought to himself.

"I… I'll explain later. Now, if we're done absorbing the plant monster parts, why don't we go help our party finish the cleanup?" Eugeo asked. The others agreed.

Fortunately, with the extra pairs of hands that Eugeo had brought, the cleanup was nearly complete by the time it started to get dark.

The two Heroes' party started heading back to the refugee camp, with both Heroes in deep thought about how they could put their respective plans into action using their newly unlocked weapons.

Author's Explanation:

- Rino doesn't know about the full scope of the Hero's Teleport Skill since a Hero needs to be at least Level 50 to use it for fast travel. Motoyasu was still underleveled during Rino's short time with him and Naofumi is also in the same situation. The Canon Heroes in the anime don't speak much about their Cardinal Hero mechanics in general anyways.

- The same could be said with the Communication Ability that Naofumi and Eugeo now share. Rino doesn't know that the two Heroes can bypass the normal limits of the Communication orbs. Causing her to wrongly assume that the two Heroes can't contact each other when they're too far apart like ordinary Communication orbs do. Although this is just me guessing.

NEW VOTING POLL AND QUESTIONS:

1.) It was never mentioned in the anime and I couldn't find the answer in the internet. Since I really don't want to read the source material so I don't get spoiled, I humbly ask those who know the answer of the question below.

A person gets his/her 1st Class Upgrade once they reach Level 40. But what level should he/she reach that they would need to get a Class Upgrade again?

2.) We already know that Naofumi and his crew would be visiting Mirso Village to collect the Dragon fragments that Eugeo left behind for him to absorb. But while not a complete disaster like what happened with Ren as the Sword Hero, Naofumi would still have to fix the loose ends that Eugeo unintentionally caused. Which is the monster that took Gaelion's place when he vacated his den. So what kind of monster would you readers like Naofumi and his party to fight?

- A Mutated Griffin (like one of the boss monsters from the SAO: Ordinal Scale movie)

- A Screaming Death (the mutated Whispering Death from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise)

- A Cockatrice (a mythical beast which is essentially a two-legged dragon or serpent-like creature with a rooster like head)

3.) I did some researching in the internet (without getting too spoiled) and found out that 3 out of the 4 Legendary Heroes in Glass's world are already dead. Largely because they also mistook their world as a videogame and didn't take it seriously. The last surviving Legendary Hero is called the Hunting Hero, but they never mentioned the titles of the other 3 Heroes.

For those who knows the answer, please reply. Depending on the answer, I just might add another SAO character into the story. Hehehehe...

What are the titles/weapons of the other 3 Legendary Heroes in Glass's world?

As always, thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows. I'm open for compatible suggestions and any advice that you readers could give. As for those nasty Reviewers who loves to Insult us authors, please just leave us alone.

Stay safe from the Coronovirus and stay indoors as much as possible!