Chapter One: The Broken Path.
Naofumi watched as Myne drew a sword that she'd had at her waist and swung it twice in quick succession. With the slashes, the opposing duo of balloons were swiftly defeated in one hit each.
Whoa... Was I really THAT weak?
Naofumi considered this, quickly realising that just the shield alone wouldn't win any battles. It would make more sense to have Myne fight, and he could handle the defence of the party, which he voiced aloud to his companion.
"Okay," she nodded.
Naofumi's brow furrowed.
Party.
How was he supposed to level up exactly, if it took him five minutes to kill the lowest of the low level monsters at a rate of one measly EXP point?
Now that he considered this, he could see his own name, level and respective bars to the top left of his vision, there was nothing for Myne. Was that normal? Shouldn't he be able to see his party's stats at a glance? Better yet...
"Hey, Myne. Did you get any EXP from that?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. A point, each."
"And I got one from mine..." Naofumi murmured, before asking louder, "how exactly do parties level up? Isn't there an EXP share for party kills or something?"
For a moment, Naofumi could've sworn something flashed in her eyes, but quickly wrote it off.
"Ah, yes, you're right of course sir hero."
"Oh, then how do we set it up? I mean if we don't, I'm going to be stuck at the first level if you're doing most of the fighting!" He laughed.
Myne laughed with him, making Naofumi grin. She slowly opened her menu and navigated for a few moments, seemingly in thought.
Maybe it's been a while since she's been in a party.
Finally, he got the the notification.
Myne Sophia has invited you to join her Party! [ACCEPT] [REJECT]
After accepting, Naofumi glanced to the top right of his vision and was greeted with a smaller addition.
Myne Sophia LV 19
Level 19?! Whoa, with her help I'll level up in no time! Wonder what that crown icon is about though... Maybe because she's the party leader?
They stayed in the fields for many more hours until the sun started to slant downward in the sky, fighting any orange balloons they came across and also discovered some yellow balloons.
"If we press on farther, we'll encounter some stronger monsters, but we better head back if we want to be in the castle by dark." Myne advised.
Naofumi considered this with slight disappointment, "well I kind of wanted to fight a little bit more..."
It feels like I'm finally getting used to it defending and Myne attacking, I kind of want to keep going.
"Let's head back early today and use the extra time to revisit the weapon shop. If I get some new equipment now, we could go that much farther tomorrow."
Naofumi conceded with a nod, thinking deeply.
I am already level 5 now, so it's a decent start... Wait, new equipment? Myne is level 29, so how...
The feeling of uneasiness hung like a dark cloud which Naofumi attempted to ignore, instead trying to calculate the potential profit from the gathered loot.
After the stop at the weapon shop for some new gear, they were left with 200 silver pieces.
How much are daily expenses though, Naofumi mused, we'll need to figure out how much food and lodgings will cost us, then I can work it from there on how much we need to make. The monster drops can be sold, so the same will probably be for any skins, maybe there's magical potion ingredients to sell too...Man, hard to believe they still use precious metals as currency here. Could make a killing with these back home.
As they walked through the streets basked in the orange glow of the setting sun, Naofumi observed the citizens go about their final business before going homes for the city's collective slumber.
In this sort of society, there isn't much of a night life, Naofumi noted.
Some wagons were being unloaded at stores from a days travel, goods being shifted when the businesses would be expecting a downturn of customers. Much of the other folk however seemed to be going home or the inn where they have a room.
One thing he wasn't looking forward to however was the medieval sleep cycle. He remembered reading a study about how the consecutive sleep came about during the industrial era, and their ancestors had a segmented sleep broken into two chunks.
He himself had experienced what it had described at times before, when you wake up in the middle of the night and were unable to get back to sleep. Usually people spent that time doing some quiet busy work, maybe even visiting neighbours or in the case of couples, getting busy.
Naofumi paused as he saw out of the corner of his eye an older man directing what looked like children to unload one of the carts loaded with crates.
"Myne, what are those people called?" Naofumi asked quietly with a hopefully unseen gesture towards the group. It was probably rude to point at people, regardless of clear animal features such as furred ears and tails. Maybe he was wrong, for it looked like they had... were those collars?
Pets? Familiars?
Up until now Myne had been mostly pleasant, perhaps even a tad cheerful. However upon seeing the children, her lip twisted.
"Demi-humans," She stated simply, "well, the human part might be a tad generous. They're closer to monsters than people."
"But... those are children," Naofumi stated, not entirely sure what point he was making but the way Myne was talking about them, it was almost as if...
"Sir Hero, I understand you are not from our world, so perhaps you do not understand. Monsters get stronger based on their levels. They grow with them, you see? They're not, ah, children. They're low level monsters."
"Do they speak?" Naofumi questioned as the sinking feeling in his gut grew.
"Hm? Oh yes. They can hardly take orders if they don't understand language," Myne laughed as if it was obvious.
In other words, they're intelligent. Collared intelligent life treated as animals.
Naofumi exhaled, trying to ignore the implications. It really hammered home just how different this world was. Though perhaps they were just animals. Familiars, or something. Smart animal companions. Yeah, that made sense.
Why would you shout at and threaten to strike your familiar or animal companion, though...
When they arrived at the inn, Myne took the lead after the innkeep quoted the price for a night, 30 coppers.
"We'll need two rooms," said Myne.
"Isn't one enough?"
"But..."
It doesn't seem like she's going to budge, I'd rather save money if we could. Uh... fine.
"Two rooms, please."
"Very well then. If you will."
Coins were exchanged and the inkeeper showed them to their rooms, wringing his hands the entire time while Naofumi budgeted in his head. From what he could tell this was one of the higher end inns, given meals were not included and dinner cost five bronze coins a person in the attached restaurant.
"So those fields we were hunting in today, were... here, right?"
Naofumi gestured to a part on the map he'd unrolled on the table between them. It was a good purchase he'd made on the way back to town, providing much needed visual geography of the local areas. He'd considered asking his fellow heroes but from the way Ren and Motoyasu had acted earlier in the day, they probably wouldn't have provided much useful information and any snippets they would have wouldn't have been worth the additional mockery of being a 'shielder'.
Myne nodded.
"Yes, that's where we were."
"So based on what you said earlier, once we leave the fields we enter the forest, right? Is that the next best training ground?"
While Myne further explained their next steps in heading to a dungeon outside a village named Lafan on the other side of the forest, Naofumi examined the map further to get a sense of the area.
Have to think about getting a world map too, Naofumi mused. I'm guessing these Waves will be hitting more than just the one country.
He'd look into visiting the cartographer shop at some point this week. They were left with a not quite round 190 silver coins, given the 30 copper cost each for rooms and of the area map. He guessed that a world one would be quite a touch more expensive. Given they would be done by hand, that would drive the price up.
Unless they have a printing press, or some sort of magical copying spell? Who knows.
"Hey, don't you drink wine?"
The restaurant had given wine with the meals, but Naofumi had yet to touch his drink.
"Ah, no. Not really."
Naofumi wasn't a lightweight, far from it. But he had seen what drinking can do to people, he didn't much care for it. Maybe this stuff would be stronger, and he'd rather not make a fool of himself on the first day in this new world.
Plus, wine was just nasty.
"Is that so? You could just have one glass?"
"No thanks. I really don't like it."
"But..."
"No thanks."
"Oh... all right then."
Naofumi noted that Myne looked upset, but concluded it was simply down to him refusing to partake.
"At least we were able to get a plan together for tomorrow. Let's get to bed early tonight."
"Sure. See you tomorrow, sir hero."
Pushing his plate to the side, Naofumi turned his back on the loud bustling restaurant to go to the room he'd been previously shown.
Sighing at the still unfamiliar weight of the heavy chainmail, Naofumi slipped out of it and threw it over the back of a chair. He then dropped the money pouch on the bedside table.
199 pieces of silver coins. Humming, he considered transferring the round 100 into a single gold coin for better keeping. Then again if what he had learned over the course of the day was accurate, most traders dealt in bronze and silver, not the gold coins.
He guessed it was simply down to the wealth disparity in such an age, if the living amount for most peasants was somewhere under forty bronze coins.
Naofumi hoped he was done with most of the up front expenses for starting off otherwise their budget could end up looking a little tight. Need to get a proper budget plan, Naofumi mused while toying with the leftover copper coins, and check what can actually be profitable to get a return on, selling monster drops or something. Don't want to be too dependant on the King, after all.
To settle his growing anxiety regarding their money situation he defaulted to old habits for a semblance of comfort, storing 30 of the silver coins in the backside of the shield.
Regardless of those worrying thoughts, he felt reassured. He knew how to fight a monster, he got some decent levelling in on his first day and he had a companion to back him up.
Above all else however, he felt excited. This seemed like a grand new adventure from the stories, sure he was behind the other heroes but he had his own path to follow. Beyond growing stronger to defend people, he had no specific goal in mind. He could do whatever he wanted, without the disappointing gaze of his parents.
He could finally be worth something. Be someone.
The thoughts was quickly banished by a wave of homesickness. He would miss his brother. He'd return one day, once these Waves had been dealt with, and what stories he'd have to tell him!
Yawning, Naofumi settled down to try and get some sleep and extinguished the lamp.
It was a restless sleep however, he could have sworn he heard the door rattle. It sounded like people were still drinking and yelling downstairs, too.
This was such an odd sleep, he felt... heavy. Weighted. He was tired, he wanted to sleep, but his body was fighting it for some reason.
Then the voices, no, voice, sounded closer. He couldn't make out the whispering. Someone was gently pulling at him.
"...So easily tricked... can't wait until tomorrow... oh yeah, that stupid party. Ugh."
Who...
He had been close to waking up, in the middle of that hazy state between awakening and bliss, when a shrill noise blasted like an alarm clock.
Party disbanded by Leader!
Startled, Naofumi nearly rolled out of bed and knocked into the beside table, sending the coins he had secreted away scattering to the floor and rattled on the wood.
"What the-!"
There was someone in his room! Heart pounding Naofumi leapt into action, literally as he threw himself from the bed into the dark silhouette. He managed to grip them as they tumbled, crashing into the chair with his mail.
"Who the hell are y-" Naofumi choked on his outburst as he managed to make out familiar features and fiery hair.
"M-Myne?!"
"Let go of me!"
Naofumi darted back, slamming his back to the wall. Hands searching, he managed to reignite his lamp.
Myne was breathing heavily with her chest visibly rising and falling, something he could notice due to the absence of her armour.
"What are you doing in my room?!" Naofumi yelled, confused to hell and back. He had been sleeping and she had snuck in, and it wasn't even sunrise, and- where the fuck were his clothes?!
"You had to wake up, didn't you?!" Myne snarled at him as Naofumi gaped. "Why did you have to send that damn invite, you ruined everything!"
"Ruined- wake up, what... what the fuck are you talking about?!"
Myne hissed as she stood up, rubbing her arm.
"Even with no Attack stat, that damnable shield stings!"
As she did so, Naofumi noticed what she had in one hand.
"That's my money pouch! What are-" Naofumi's brow furrowed as he pieced it together with a growing rage, "are you trying to rob me?!"
"Hardly stealing is it, hero? You shouldn't have even been given anything!"
Naofumi hadn't felt pain since he came to this world, but the words felt like a physical blow which had breached his Defence stat.
Naofumi lunged and grappled with his traitorous companion, pinning her against the wall as he slammed her closed fist into the structure, forcing her to drop the stolen bounty.
"I'm going up to that castle and telling the King about what you tried to do," he hissed lowly, ignoring the scattering coins. "you tried to play me for a fool, but you're not going to get away with it."
It had been a lie all along, of course it had been! She saw him as an easy mark and jumped ship from that damn Motoyasu to steal from him! Had she done it alone, or had that prick told her to?! The Shield Hero is weak don't worry about him fighting back he has no damn attack power, he's an easy target!
Myne stopped struggling and then started to laugh. Before he had thought it was a pleasant sound when she gave those small giggles, but this was like a building madness.
"Who do you think the King is going to believe? The Devil of the Shield, or his daughter?"
"His-"
Naofumi felt a cold shiver overcome him.
Myne stopped squirming and Naofumi realised his grip had slackened.
"Yes. I'm his firstborn daughter, a princess. And who are you, hero? The Devil of the Shield. Do you really think he'll believe you, especially after I tell father what you done?"
All of a sudden, he remembered that book that brought him to this world. The only girl mentioned was a princess, manipulative and obsessed with the heroes, trying to turn them against each other. The same book that had archetypes that the other heroes strangely filled.
The others had games in their worlds giving them an idea of what they'd be up against, but the book, had it tried to warn me? And what about those odd dreams, the one I had the same day? I... I had that shield, and there was a mountain...
"What- I done...?"
He didn't recognise the woman in front of him. The curtain had fallen and the play was over, he'd thought he'd seen it lurking in her eyes but had hoped...
"Yes of course. You coerced me into your room, and attempted to rape me. After all I had done for you too," Naofumi backed away from her after the mad giggle she gave before continuing, "who are they going to believe? Melromarc is a Matriarchy, Shield Hero. You tried to force yourself onto someone of royal blood!"
"I- I'll tell the other heroes! They'll believe me!"
They had to right? He was like them!
Myne however just laughed harder.
"Please, we all heard the rumours of your little discussion last night. The useless 'shielder', right?"
Her eyes suddenly glistened with vicious joy.
"Sir Motoyasu will believe me without any issue when I ask to re-join his party, after having my pity be taken advantage off."
Of course, she came from his party, Naofumi remembered with dawning horror. Was this all just a scheme they cooked up together? Myne fleeces him, Motoyasu gets her back with extra!
Naofumi was jerked out of his thoughts when Myne suddenly sneered, "Of course you had to go and ruin everything, didn't you? In a couple of hours I'd have been up at the castle with Sir Motoyasu. Guess I'll have to do it early."
It wasn't even panic that drove him in the next moment, but blind rage. Before she could open the door, Naofumi charged for her. Eyes widening, Myne attempted to draw her sword that he bought, only to have it battered out of hand by his shield. Then with his right hand, he grabbed her by the throat before she could scream.
"What are you going to do," the bitch wheezed out, "with your measly attack? You couldn't properly kill a damn balloon, what are you going to do to me?"
"They burst eventually though didn't they?" Naofumi snarled, teeth bared in a vicious grin, "Five minutes it took. How long before your bitch head bursts? Half an hour? If I'm going to be killed, might as well do something to deserve it, no false accusations, eh?"
There it was. Fear in her eyes. Just what he'd been looking for.
This was supposed to have been FUN. An adventure, just like the stories! But she'd ruined it.
So he'd ruin that lying bitch!
"W-wait, please! He-my father, the king he wouldn't kill you!" She whimpered before he could bring his fist down.
"You're lying," Naofumi said, eye's narrowing and fist hovering, "just like you have all day. Maybe I'll try choking the air out of you. Better not to breathe than to breathe a lie."
"N-no. No I'm not, I, I swear. He wouldn't have a hero executed. He can't. It would be war if he did!"
Naofumi hummed, weighing his options. If she left this room, there would be no stopping her running to that pig king. If he killed her, he'd probably be executed regardless of being a hero or not.
Either way, if she lives, she'd follow through with her plan and he'd be screwed. Unless...
If he stayed, he'd be seen as guilty, defence or not. Nobody would believe him over her. But if he ran...
"Why were you going to wait until morning, eh? Why not just do it last night," Naofumi hissed.
Myne swallowed, he knew this since he still had a steady grip of her throat.
"I was going to take your money to keep and equipment to give it to Sir Motoyasu. The gates are kept shut until sunrise and locked at sundown."
Of course, she'd need to run crying to him first, Naofumi realised, then go run to the guards. But... what was her plan to prevent this sort of situation, or me waking up early?
"Why, why do all of this? What was the damn point!"
"Politics. What else?" Myne spat out, "the damn animal kingdoms of Siltvelt and Sheildfreeden would've used you to rally their people for another war. We'd just been hit by the Waves too, and mother's right hand man had been killed in the first one! So father summoned all four heroes to buy time, after all nobody would attack a country with all four of the Cardinal Heroes."
A lot of very useful information, but nothing he could use right now, he'd think on that later.
"One last question, bitch." Naofumi snarled, "What was the plan to stop this, huh? I could've woken up early just like I planned, or oh I don't know, maybe during you ransacking my room!"
Myne glared before answering, "Potion. Sleep Potion. Your food had been laced, but it didn't seem to be enough, so-"
"You were planning on spiking the wine too," Naofumi realised. No wonder I felt so tired, god, if I had drunk... this could've worked. Hell, the food alone, if it wasn't for the alert...
"The remaining potion. Give it."
It wasn't what he imagined, for the 'Sleep Potion' was deceptively small vial with a dropper seal. Naofumi examined it.
Potion of Lethargy: quality: Good.
He needed to buy time to flee. He couldn't stop her running back to that trash king, but he could delay her enough for him to prepare and get out of the city.
"Turnabout's fair play, bitch. Drink."
Myne looked confused, before her features morphed into horror.
"You- no... please..."
Disgust welled inside Naofumi. "I don't plan on following through with that."
"Then-"
"I ask the questions, you answer. Questions are done. Now do as I say or I'll splatter that tomato head like the fucking fruit across the wall."
Myne paled and quickly downed the potion. Already he could see it quickly taking effect. Was it due to drinking it directly, or were there stats having an affect? He didn't know.
"No matter what you do... or say... nobody will call you a hero." The bitch hissed as she slowly slumped against the wall. "You're nothing. Nobody important. Disappointment."
Rage had been building through every venomous word she spat, when she finished Naofumi was already seeing red.
Naofumi backhanded her across the head with the shield, sending her flying into the bedframe where Myne collapsed into a heap, already slumbering.
He could feel the adrenaline wearing off however, and panic was setting in for Naofumi.
The fuck am I going to do? Their damn royalty is scheming against me, even the other heroes can't be trusted! Is Ren in on this? Itsuki? Or was their reward just getting their kicks from knocking the useless shielder down a peg or two?!
He wanted to scream, but if he did, he'd alert the rest of the inn and draw attention to his room.
"Dammit," Naofumi cursed quietly, tugging at his hair while pacing, "need a plan, need a plan..."
First things first. He needs to get out of here.
Naofumi rushed to don his armour and grabbed the money pouch, scrambling to pick up the dropped 30 silver coins from his shield.
"How do I get out of here?" Naofumi murmured.
A quick check of the door showed there was a bolt lock he had ignored previously to lock from the inside and Naofumi's brow furrowed in thought.
"Ah, of course..."
Naofumi quickly bolted the door and dashed to check outside the window. The streets seemed clear, and it seemed like a relatively small drop. Perfect. Pausing, Naofumi glanced back at the slumped form of Myne, the rather expensive sword and the strewn bedcovers.