Disclaimer: The Rising of the Shield Hero belongs to Aneko Yusagi. This story is non-profit fiction. I just wanted to write something about this series.
English is not my first language. If you notice poor grammatical structure, mistaken verbal tenses, wrong conjugations, etcetera, please tell me to correct it. For me, it is a language-development experience.
B/N: Once more unto the breach, boys, and girls.
The Shield Hero who came from another world
Chapter 6
The days after the mine's battle were not easy days for Naofumi's party.
Ferrie had run to the mine when she realized Naofumi's health had dropped to zero, and after finding him and Raphtalia naked in the water she had not taken it well – and that was when she realized she was inside a closed, dark mine, thirty meters underground, promptly collapsing from the mental breakdown.
It had taken her an entire day to recover from that, and when she woke up Naofumi was forced to indulge her demands until she recovered. First, she had forced him to cook for the two girls, which made him feel awkward, given his fears of making a mistake as he had in the past. Fortunately, it had gone simply fine. Ferrie had eaten everything slowly, smiling while a slight blush colored her cheeks, so she could enjoy the flavors and preserve them in her memories.
As for Raphtalia... she had been ecstatic because she had never had such great food in her life. By the time the night ended, Naofumi noticed that Raphtalia had eaten enough food that would have left ten people completely full and wondered if it was tied to how quickly her level had grown. Still, it had been worth it, if only for Ferrie's face.
However, the following few days were made worse: Raphtalia and the chick monsters started to grow incredibly fast.
Aria and Terry had been small enough that Naofumi could hold each of them in one hand at the same time. The morning after the fight at the mine, the two had been tall enough to reach Naofumi's hip. After spending an entire day eating and nesting with Raphtalia, they were now of a height with Naofumi's chest.
Raphtalia's growth spurt was a lot worse, though: Naofumi measured her and saw that she was really growing at a rate that should normally take years. For most of the three days, she had been left bedridden, whimpering in pain as her bones repeatedly cracked and enlarged, and as her muscles were torn and remade again and again. And, even though Naofumi made sure to give her food as needed, it was almost like there was an infinitely deep hole in her stomach.
As he took care of her, Naofumi also kept checking Raphtalia's slave crest, taking notes on everything that happened as she grew. The raccoon girl was mortified, due to the position of the crest, but never complained about it. Ferrie noticed, though, and as the girl's growth finally began to peter out, she decided to needle Naofumi.
"Hey, Fumi, what are you studying, Raphtalia's crest or her breasts?" she asked, grinning, as Raphtalia quickly covered her chest, turning red from shame. Naofumi, who had been writing in his notebook, was shocked out of his musings and made a scratch.
"Ferrie, shut up," Naofumi grumbled. "Raphtalia may be growing a lot from the level up, but she's still ten years old, so do me a favor and never joke about it."
Ferrie noticed that Raphtalia was hurt by the comment, even if she tried to hide it. Clearly, her growth was not only physical, but mental, and she was starting to develop feelings for the Shield Hero, or rather, for Iwatani Naofumi, but the boy was both still in mourning over the deaths of so many he had loved – and dense. He had been the same way back in her previous life, ignoring how other girls acted around him unless they told him of their interest to his face.
Worst, though, was that it seemed like Naofumi just did not want to get through that phase of his life. Almost like he enjoyed the feeling of loss – or, more likely, he just did not want to lose his last connection to the three girls he had fallen in love with. She would have to talk with him about it later.
"So, why are you interested in that crest? Do you want to create your own version?"
"Something like that. But for the most part, it's because I want to understand why my runic arrays haven't been working properly since I came to this world. I almost got killed by the Cerberus because of that."
"Strange. I've been using the array you taught me without issues. The only problem I've had is the slow flow of energy."
"Yes, that's the same problem I have. But I think the cause may be how runic magic actually runs in this world."
"I don't get what you are talking about, Fumi."
"In my original world, there's a legend about a god called Odin or Wotan, and the trials he had to go through so he could learn how to use runic magic. For some reason, Aztlan's runic magic used exactly the same symbols, and here it seems like they also do that, but with changes. If you see here, the runes around the triquetra, some of them should be familiar. This one, for example, is like Ansuz, but turned a quarter turn to the left, and then with Isa overlayed on it."
Ferrie leaned closer, to see what Naofumi was pointing to, in the process getting close enough to make Raphtalia even more uncomfortable, but Ferrie did not notice.
"Yeah, I think I can see it."
That was one someone knocked on the door. Naofumi went to open it while Ferrie jumped away from Raphtalia, having noticed too late how close she had been to her chest, while the raccoon girl fixed her clothes with a red face.
"Shield Hero," the inn owner said, his look distressed. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"Your monsters got out of their stables and started to fight each other, although at least they had the decency of doing it outside the town. But, while they fought, they grew in size."
"What do you mean 'they grew in size'?" Ferrie asked, approaching the visitor.
"Better if you see this for yourselves," he replied, turning around and motioning for them to follow.
The three of them rushed out of the inn and followed the noises of battle between the two creatures, which, as the innkeeper had said, were somehow even larger than they had been but a few hours before, now surpassing Naofumi in height. Naofumi palmed his face in anger and let out a groan before approaching the two monsters.
"Aria! Terry! Stop fighting at this moment!" Either they did not hear him, or they did not care, because they kept clawing and pecking each other. He decided the situation required something stronger. "IT'S AN ORDER!"
Both crests reacted immediately, but neither Aria nor Terry stopped, powering through the pain as they attempted to give the killing blow to each other. They did step away, but it was obvious they were just planning their next attack.
"Aria!" Raphtalia yelled, stepping in front of the griffin. It only took a moment for the creature to notice Raphtalia's upset look and realize she was in deep trouble. Terry had not seen her and tried to advance, but Ferrie had already stepped in front of him, and her disappointed gaze stopped him on his tracks.
"Terry, were you planning to keep fighting Aria even though Raphtalia was already in the middle? You are in big trouble, mister."
Both creatures bowed their heads in shame, tears in their eyes as they realized what they had done.
"He started it, mommy, he called my feathers dirty."
"She's lying, mom, she called me a Filolial nugget and said I was the most disgusting thing in the world. I don't know what a nugget is, but I'm not disgusting!"
"I don't care who started it! You two could have hurt each other and other people! Now, apologize to each other and the towns-" Raphtalia replied, stopping herself as she realized what had just happened.
"Wait," Naofumi said, "Did you two just talk?"
"That's... I mean, I've never seen a speaking Filolial or Griffin," Ferrie said, as astonished as Naofumi was from the reveal.
"Yes, we can talk, mom. Why are you so surprised?" the black Filolial said, ignoring the gaping people around them.
"Well, Terry, if you think carefully, the tiny Filolials couldn't talk to the humans yesterday, and you and I just learned how to do it a while ago," Aria explained.
"Puagh, you are right. And that's revolting," Terry replied.
"I'm not revolting. You are the revolting one. Yesterday you were burping in front of daddy, mommy, and mom without a care, you Filolials are disgusting."
"Oi! At least I wasn't throwing fur balls and getting mommy's hair dirty with mud, dumbass!"
"It was an accident, bird brain! I already apologized for that!"
"You too are a bird brain, dummy, or do you forget how your head looks fake bird?"
"I'm not a fake bird, I'm a graceful Griffin who can soar the skies, not like you, slow runner!"
"That's it!"
The two monsters leaped towards each other, avoiding Raphtalia and Ferrie by going above them, and ready to continue their fight where they had left it.
"Air Strike Shield!"
The two bumped into a translucent green shield that had suddenly formed right in the middle of their leap, and both creatures fell to the ground, one on top of the other, looking as Naofumi gave them an ugly look.
"Are we in trouble, dad?" Terry asked from under Aria.
"Trouble? You'd be lucky if you were just in trouble," Naofumi said.
"It's not fair, daddy, he started it," Aria tried to explain.
"And yet you have no problem in following his lead." The Griffin girl grunted. "Now, you two are coming with me, and we're going to have a talk. And if you try to keep fighting each other it'll be worse."
Their heads hung down, the two creatures meekly followed Naofumi, along with Ferrie and Raphtalia, to the forest, where Naofumi turned to look at them.
"Alright, you two. What happened there? Why were you fighting?"
"I'm sorry, dad," Terry said.
"I didn't want to make trouble, daddy," Aria stated sadly, knowing she had upset her father.
"First of all, I'm not your father, I am your owner," Naofumi replied, causing both monsters to raise their heads to stare at him.
"What are you saying, dad? You are our dad."
"Yeah, you raised us since we hatched, that makes you our daddy."
"And mom and mommy are our mothers too... even if mommy is now taller than mom."
"Yeah, but mommy fed and played with us."
"And she also scolded us like mom."
"Alright," Naofumi said, trying to regain control of the conversation, "but even then, I'm not your –"
"Naofumi," Ferrie said, holding his shoulder to make him turn around. The girl was shedding tears, and her other hand rested on her chest. Naofumi feared what was going on in her mind. "They called me mom, Fumi."
Yep, there it was.
"I never thought someone calling me mom would make me feel so happy. No, I'm excited! They are not our monsters, but our children! It doesn't matter if you dislike it, you must accept it, Fumi!"
"Wait, ours? Don't you think you're projecting something that isn't even there?" Naofumi asked, only to be interrupted by someone hitting the ground. Turning, they saw Raphtalia lying on the ground, her face red for some reason, as she started to mumble something Naofumi could not understand.
"I think the situation broke her," Ferrie told herself, as the two monsters showed their heads from behind the adults, watching the raccoon girl with bemusement.
"What are you talking about."
"Nothing, Naofumi. Just... girl stuff." Naofumi decided to do the wise thing and shut up, while Ferrie turned to Aria and Terry. "Alright, kids, that part was a pleasant surprise, but don't feel bad if Naofumi doesn't let you call him father. Just give him time before he gets used to it."
"We understand, mom," Terry answered, and Aria nodded.
"Is there anything else we should know? Because there are many things we need to do."
"Well, there's something else," Aria said, and suddenly a cloud of smoke was covering her and Terry. When it cleared, there were two children, a girl, and a boy: the girl had shoulder-length brown hair, pale skin and a pair of brown wings growing from her back, while the boy had short black hair, tanned skin and a pair of black wings.
And they were both naked.
"We have human forms," the boy – Terry – finished.
Immediately, Ferrie moved to cover Naofumi's eyes, only to be surprised when Naofumi did the same to her.
"Why did you just cover my eyes, Fumi? Also, we need to do something about these new facts."
"To the first, I return the same question. To the second, I don't have an idea of how to deal with this."
"Why are you covering each other's eyes?" Terry asked, tilting his head.
"Humans are odd," Aria sentenced
After finding the two some clothes they could wear, they returned to the village, where the mayor, an elder with experience dealing with demi-humans, was able to help them: Castle Town's witch was a friend of his, and she could make a magic thread that would allow a skilled tailor to craft clothes the two monster-children would be able to wear without tearing them up when transforming back to their monster forms.
At the witch's shop, while the two children complained about their mana getting depleted for the making of the magic thread, Naofumi had an idea and asked the elder woman about it. Unfortunately, it turned out that a past Hero had come up with the same idea – and it had not panned out. The results had been documented so future generations knew what could or could not work.
"Using magic thread to sew formulas on clothes is risky and unstable, Sir Shield Hero. The best results are obtained on a solid conductor, like wood, leather, or magic steel. You can use ink to write your magic formula, or you could also carve them, which is what the kingdom's Magic Knights do to empower their weapons and armor."
"That's odd. In my previous world, my magic teacher could make magical writing on clothes or leather, just using normal thread. Maybe each world has entirely different rules of magic?"
"It's something many scholars have been wondering for centuries, but the only knowledge about it is what the heroes from different worlds have provided. The last Gauntlet Hero, for example, was able to seal a Directional Beast using a mix of magic from his world and ours."
"What is a Directional Beast?"
The witch looked outside the window and shook her head.
"I don't think we have the time for me to share that story. The only person I know who can work with magic thread will be closing her store soon, and the sooner they have their new clothes the better. I'll tell you how to go there."
The witch was interrupted when something broke, making a splitting noise that made everyone turn to it: one of the ores used in the making of the magic thread now lied on the ground, divided in two.
"The shiny stone is broken," Terry announced.
"Well, it was to be expected," the witch replied, sighing. "That ore was already worn out when you arrived here."
"How much would it cost to replace the ore? We broke it by using it, after all," Naofumi asked, but the witch shook her head.
"As I said, it was worn-out. Its usefulness was almost over."
"Can I buy the pieces? I think I could do something with them."
"You can keep them. They have no more value for me, but if the Shield Hero can make use of it, I'll be glad to help."
When the witch gave him directions, Naofumi felt like he was familiar with them, but it was not until they arrived at their destination that he realized why.
"Oh, it's her," he grumbled, reluctant to enter the shop.
"You know her?" Ferrie asked.
"I came here on my first day to buy some clothes. Then I discovered she is a Fujoshi that wanted to pair me up with Motoyasu."
"Yuck, gross," Ferrie said: having shared a year of life with him and his family in her previous life, there were 'facts' she had learned about Japanese culture, and the 'boys' love' subculture had been part of it. "Thanks for the picture."
"No problem."
"What is a Fujoshi?" Raphtalia asked.
"Yeah, that word sounds funny," Aria said, repeating it under her breath multiple times, making Naofumi shiver.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about that?" Terry asked, and Naofumi could easily tell the boy was really reluctant to learn more.
"Raphtalia, Aria, one piece of advice for the future. Follow Terry's advice and be always afraid of anything attached to that word," Naofumi warned the girls.
"Do what he says, and never ask again about it," Ferrie added. "I'm still disgusted, knowing what it is."
"Dad praised me, and you weren't, Aria!" Terry said, grinning. Aria just glared back.
"Shut up and come in, stupid bird," she growled, opening the door.
The moment the group entered the store, they were beset by the seamstress, who immediately started to screech over how cute the two-winged children were. While Naofumi was glad he was spared the woman's attentions, Ferrie and Raphtalia were clearly displeased at how she was reacting.
"They're so cute with these little angel wings on their backs, I had heard there were winged demi-humans but I'm sure they aren't as perfect as you two little sweethearts!"
"Thank you for your words, pretty lady," Aria said, smiling.
"Look, we're here because we need you to make clothes for these two," Naofumi stated, trying to finish business quickly: as far as he was concerned, the sooner they got out of the shop, the healthier he would be at the end of the day. "We already have the magic thread here."
The seamstress turned to look at him.
"Sorry, but – do I know you from somewhere? Your face reminds me of someone."
"I don't know what you mean," Naofumi deflected. "The witch from the magic store told us about your talent for making transforming clothes, which is why we're here."
"And you are in the best place in all of Melromarc for that, for the best clothes these little demi-human angels will ever have!"
"They are actually monsters that can take a winged human form. She's a Griffin, and he's a Filolial."
"Oh, my! I'd love to see their transformation!"
"Er, not the best idea. This room is not big enough. Terry's at least two and a half meters tall, and Aria is three meters long. There would be no room for anyone else."
"And the clothes they are wearing to cover their modesty would shred," Ferrie said. "I'd rather not have my children running around naked."
"Dad, if I sit on the ground, I can show her," Terry suggested.
"I could do that, too, but my wings are too big," Aria complained.
"We don't have time, but you can show her when we come back for your clothes, alright?"
"Alright, mommy, we do that."
"Eeee, they are so cute! I promise I will be done with the clothes this time tomorrow! We'll have to check the smaller details, but they will be finished! Now, little angels of black and brown wings, I need to take your sizes, stand here."
Fortunately, the measurement took little time, and the seamstress picked up the monster childrens' suggestions on what they wanted to wear. Naofumi also joined in by suggesting a cape, which could help hide their wings – an idea both of them loved.
Returning to the inn for the night, there had to be changes that were not to the liking of Raphtalia. As Aria and Terry could now sleep with them, they were too many people for the same room, and the final decision was that Naofumi would share a room with Terry while Ferrie, Raphtalia, and Aria took another room. For Raphtalia, who had got used to sleeping next to Naofumi, it was a pain: even if Naofumi thought she was still suffering from her nightmares, it was still worth it since she could hug him while she slept.
That night, Aria found herself a target for Raphtalia's hugs.
While the girls slept, Naofumi spent most of the night making potions and feeding new materials to his Shield, creating new shields that could eventually be unlocked. Terry was able to stay with him for a while, helping, but he turned in early, and soon he was sleeping like a log.
Fortunately, their night was bereft of shocks or reasons to be awakened, and by the time the sun rose Naofumi's party was well-rested and ready to continue.
"We need to restock for the next days," Naofumi stated as they broke their fast. "The next Wave is coming closer by the day, and we must obtain anything we need before that moment comes. Fortunately, Aria's and Terry's clothes should be ready within the day, but you two, don't transform unless you really need it or until we get the clothes."
"Yes, dad."
"Yes, daddy."
"Raphtalia and I will get the food, the tarp, more wax, a couple of mess kits for the children and... that's all, right, Naofumi?"
"Yeah, that's all. I'll take the kids out of time to get herbs and materials for the Waves, and after that, I'll see if the carpenter can make us another set of wood frames for the new tent."
"Alright, 'Fumi, I'll see you in four hours," Ferrie said, turning to the two kids. "Aria, Terry, be good kids and follow Naofumi's orders. And if your Papa does something wrong, you tell us so we can scold him."
"Yes, mom, we will tell you," both children chorused, while Naofumi sputtered.
"Oi! I'm your owner, not your father!"
"Something like that, mom?" Aria asked, pointing at Naofumi.
"Yeah, something like that, honey."
Deciding he had suffered enough, Naofumi turned around and waved.
"Come on, you two! We are late already!"
The group split up to follow the plans the adults had made: as Naofumi had said, all the supplies would be required if they were to get through the Waves.
The girls' first stop was the general shop, where they bought the ingredients,they would need to cook while out of the city: Raphtalia felt awkward at seeing Ferrie's reaction as they picked what to buy.
"Ferrie-nee-chan, why are you so happy buying these?"
"You see, Raphtalia-chan, Naofumi is going to be cooking for us while we are traveling, and that's a good reason to be happy about. Or do you disagree? If memories serve me, you ate everything he cooked, you hungry girl."
"That's different, I was really hungry," Raphtalia replied, pouting.
"But you won't deny that his cooking skills are the best you have tried in your life, right?"
"Well... yeah," she admitted. "Even mom couldn't cook as well as Naofumi-sama does. But that's not what I mean. After yesterday, you are so happy... is it because Aria and Terry called you mom?"
Ferrie fell silent, and Raphtalia was not certain of how she felt about the matter: while she had the body of a maturing young woman, mentally her age was still of the child she had looked like a few days before.
"From the moment I became conscious of who I am, I fell in love with the Filolial species," Ferrie started, her eyes wistful from the memories. "I always wanted to have one, but I never had the time, the space, or the means to get one. And now... Terry and Aria are exceptional, Raphtalia. Creatures that can transform into demi-humans and back, that can communicate directly with us... I feel so happy about it, and I don't want to forget this joyous moment in my life. Naofumi gave me this chance, and I'm grateful for that."
Raphtalia felt something she had never noticed before as she heard Ferrie speak: she had a heartache, but she did not know the cause, and she did not dare ask the thought that was forming on her mind – so she just focused her gaze straight ahead, on their task.
Meanwhile, Naofumi had taken the two children outside of Castle Town, and when they arrived at the forest, he told them to take off their cheap clothes and transform into their normal selves – and sent them out to hunt monsters.
Cheering at the fact, Aria and Terry quickly did as Naofumi said, and soon they were moving into the forest, looking for balloons, mushes, and other monsters to kill – and, sometimes, eat them. As Naofumi expected, the two children only went up one level, even after two hours of non-stop hunting: even if they had not participated, the Cerberus' death had caused them to climb fifteen levels at once, and after that Ferrie and Naofumi had been exterminating various pests near town.
There was a purpose behind the trip: Naofumi wanted the two children to get used to what they could do at their new levels and skills, and by killing low-level monsters they would also help find materials he could use. By the time they were done, he was quite pleased with the results.
"Alright, you two, you guys have hunted enough. Now, you two help me collect herbs; we're going to need them to make potions for our stock."
"What type of herbs do we have to get, daddy?"
"This one," he said, showing them a plant with reddish leaves in the form of a palm. "It's called Aello, and it's a basic plant for healing potions. There are also these other herbs we need, but Aello is the one we need most. But here's the thing, you must only find them, not pick them up: if I don't do it, the bonuses the Shield gives me won't apply. Any questions?"
The two children shook their heads, and Naofumi set them on their way. The children would find a plant and call Naofumi, who approached and carefully picked them up while they kept seeking more of them. It was after half an hour of work that Terry approached Naofumi – and the Hero realized he was hesitating about something.
"Dad, can I ask you a question?"
Internally, Naofumi despaired once more at the fact that he would never get these two to accept he was not their father. Still, he did not let that show.
"Sure, you can. What's on your mind?"
"I was wondering... do you have a cart that I can use to pull, Dad?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Just because." Naofumi did not fall for it, and eventually, the boy gave in to the pressure of his gaze. "Fine, I've seen other Filolials in the city pulling carts, and they seem happy to do it. I really want to pull a cart."
Right, Ferrie mentioned how much Filolials like to pull a cart. Serves to improve their self-esteem or something like that. I don't think they actually die of sadness because of it, but I'd rather not risk it, Naofumi thought, scratching behind his head while Aria stayed on the sidelines, looking at her 'brother' with annoyance.
"Well, right now we don't have one, but maybe we can buy one later, but the problem here is that we would have to make an order for one, and I don't know how much that will take. I think you'll have to wait a while before you can pull a cart."
"Oh! Thank you, dad! I'll be waiting for it."
In spite of his hopeful expression, Naofumi was able to tell that Terry was sad for not getting what he was asking for, and something inside him got twisted.
He really did not like that feeling.
"Dad?" Terry asked, leaning his head.
"Yes, Terry?"
"Don't you have something I can pull from?"
That was certainly an unusual request. But... maybe he could actually come up with something, using the things he had in his Storage.
Soon enough, combining the Rope Shield, an old tarp he was not using for a tent, and a couple of weighted objects, led to the black Filolial running from side to side enthusiastically, crossing the middle of the forest and even taking up an old road that Naofumi believed went to another nearby village, but as far as he was concerned his biggest worry was not falling from the tarp Terry was pulling.
He had to be honest: this was fun.
Meanwhile, Aria flew nearby... and she was not happy. Her father was too busy paying attention to her fellow monster, and she disliked it. So, when she found the opening, she 'accidentally' fell in front of the Filolial, forcing him to make a sudden stop. Naofumi suddenly found himself sliding forward a few meters before instincts kicked in and he jumped to the side to avoid crashing into Terry.
"Aria, don't do that! What if I bump into you?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, I'll be careful next time, but don't you think we've wasted enough time with your game already? We have work to do. Plus, you look kinda pathetic, pulling a lonely tarp."
"Oi, I'm not pathetic! This is training for when Dad purchases my cart!"
"Sure, you are, Daddy doesn't have the money to spend on your frivolities-"
"Aria," Naofumi attempted to catch the griffin's attention.
"And how do you know how much money Dad has?" the young Filolial fired back.
"When Mommy was growing up, I heard Daddy and Mom talking about how much money they had to save, and when we were with the carpenter, I asked him how much a cart would cost. Daddy doesn't have the money for that!"
"Aria!"
"Dad will find a way to buy a cart!"
"I wonder if that's true, Daddy will realize how valuable I am, I'm faster than you when I fly and I can move anywhere Daddy wants me to. I'm worth more than you!"
"ARIA!"
Naofumi's angry warning came too late, as Terry quickly kicked Aria in the neck, causing her to fall to the ground, hurt, while Terry fled, crying in shame at everything he had heard.
"Aria," Naofumi said, exasperated. "You shouldn't have said anything. I may not have the means to buy a cart now, but that doesn't mean I will never be able to buy one. And either way, we're going to need it in the future, and if Terry wants to pull from it, then I won't stop it.
"But I can fly, Daddy, I'm faster than him when he runs!"
"Yes, you are, but that doesn't mean you get to look down on others or think them useless. There will be many situations where your flight will become useful, but do you think you will be able to transport all of us and every other person that joins our party, as well as their things?"
Aria hung her head, sad. Naofumi was right, she realized, and while she believed she could transport Naofumi, Ferrie, and Raphtalia (and maybe Terry), she might not be able to do more than that.
"Go back to Ferrie and Raphtalia. If they ask why I sent you to them, you are going to tell them everything that just happened here, without trying to hide anything from them. We'll decide what to do when I return."
"Fine, Daddy," she replied, saddened, but Naofumi knew she would do as ordered. After he gave her the clothes she was wearing after entering the forest, she took off for the city in search of her mother figures, her tail figuratively between her legs. Naofumi sighed as she went into the horizon.
"I'm definitely still too young to have this kind of talk with a son or daughter," the hero sighed, his thoughts turning to the runaway he now would have to look for. "Seriously, I don't even have a girlfriend, how did I suddenly get two children to look after? Alright, now, if I were a heartbroken Filolial, where would I go?"
Eventually, he managed to find Terry, who had turned back into a boy, and was hiding in a group of bushes, his head between his knees, clearly still crying, which left Naofumi with an awkward feeling in his chest. Taking a while to recenter himself, he approached the boy, wondering if this was what happened after he gave him that name.
In the end, I was the one to give a child the name you chose, Raphaella. Would you have liked this?
"Leave me alone!" Terry yelled.
"Tough luck, we are going to talk about what happened."
"I don't wanna."
Naofumi decided not to speak up, at least for a while: his initial reactive reply might have actually hurt the boy in a troublesome way.
Man, I didn't have the best relationship with Dad, and Uncle Mamoru wasn't a better choice than him, but, hell, I'd love to have one of them here so they could help me, he thought as he sat close to the boy, keeping a distance while making sure he knew that he was there.
"I'd... like to have a cart for myself, Dad. Is it possible?"
"Yes, it is. But it is going to take time before I can find one."
"How much?"
"If it to be made from scratch, it would take an entire month. I could pay the carpenter right now and request one, but I'd have to sell some stuff so we could get what we need for the Waves, although it would be nothing we require, so there's that. I might also be lucky and find someone willing to sell their cart, which hopefully would cost less money and would just require fixing it up. There are options, Terry, you just need to be patient."
"How much is a month?"
"About... six times the time since you hatched."
"That's a lot of time, Dad."
"For you, yes. For me, it's a brief time."
That actually cheered Terry up, who looked up from his small refuge.
"When I grow up, I want to be like you, Dad."
Naofumi smiled: the kid may not be his son, but what he had just said had gone straight into Naofumi's feelings.
"You can use me as an example, Terry, but it's better if you become your own person. Now, let's get back, the girls will want to know you are alright and we need to get you your new clothes."
"Seriously, that woman was starting to rankle me," Ferrie said as the group left the seamstress' shop.
"I know exactly how you feel, Ferrie. It's the same as when I first came here."
"At least, you could say she knows how to use the needle," Raphtalia commented, trying to see the good side of the day as she regarded Aria's and Terry's new clothes.
Aria's suit was similar to Ferrie's: a wine-colored sleeveless blouse, with pink trimmings, white fastening buttons and a golden griffin proudly showing its claws and wings at the front, and a pair of olive-green breeches that reached mid-calf.
As for Terry, he had a white shirt covered with a black vest, black shorts held by a woven belt with patterns that resembled a running bird in bright colors, and a pair of black gloves that covered his forearms.
Both of them had openings on their upper clothes to let them get their wings through, and both of them were shoeless. Not that they seemed to care about that – they were walking through the stone-paved streets without a sign of discomfort.
"Why are you so upset with that lady, Mom, Mommy, Daddy?" Aria asked.
"She was breathing too hard near you," Raphtalia said.
"It was obvious she was having inappropriate thoughts," Ferrie added.
"She was the same to me when she brought up my clothes. I thought she was only interested in adults, but I never believed she would stoop so low," Naofumi stated.
"She was so excited because we were wearing what she had made, not for what you are thinking," Terry said, and Aria nodded at the answer.
"How do you even know what we are talking about?"
"That's the funny thing, Daddy. We eat stuff-" Aria said.
"-and know things," Terry finished. Ferrie smiled and gave two claps.
"Oh! Look at you two! You are already ending each other's sentences, like twin siblings! What do you think about our children, honey?" she asked, hugging Naofumi's arm. He could tell what was going through her head, so he decided to follow her lead.
"You are absolutely right, sweetie. A few hours ago, they were tearing each other apart, and here they are now. What do you think, babe?" Naofumi unconsciously asked, turning to Raphtalia. The girl had been distracted by the way the two of them were acting, and it took her a while to understand what was going on. The moment she realized what Naofumi was asking and how he had called her, and promptly went mind-blank as she attempted to comprehend what she had heard.
"Wha-whe-whi-"
"Naofumi, you broke her," Ferrie complained.
"Yes, you are right. It wasn't my intention, though."
"WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT!" the two children finally yelled.
"Mom, I know you are still mad, but I already apologized."
"Well, Aria, you need to learn to control your ego, otherwise you'll get in trouble, and we may not be able to help you."
"They scolded you," Terry sing-songed, pointing in Aria's direction.
"Terry, keep quiet," Raphtalia said, having recovered from her brief shock, and the Filolial shut as bid.
"Raphtalia, I'm glad you decided to rejoin us in the world of the living," Ferrie teased her.
"Please, Ferrie-nee-chan, don't start again," Raphtalia begged, her face red as a cherry.
The group was walking towards Erhard's store, intent on reviewing everything that had been bought and touch base with the blacksmith. In spite of the hiccups, Naofumi was happy with how the day developed, and even with having to deal with the fiasco between Aria and Terry, it had been an enjoyable day. Nothing could ruin–
And that was when he saw her.
Red hair was not strange in this world, but that particular shade of red and that particular hairstyle only belonged to one person in the entire world, as far as he knew: the bitch who had tried to frame him as a rapist, Myne Sophia.
He did not want to, but he kept his eye on her. She was accompanied by two other girls. The first was the one that had supported Myne during the trial: since he did not know her name, he might as well call her Girl 1. The one thing that was obvious about her was that she behaved as if she owned the entire place, judging everything and everyone as if they were beneath her.
The second girl, he did know her: it was Rino.
But there was something wrong with her: she was shaking, like she was afraid of something. Her eyes were completely red, and she was crying, tears running down her cheeks. And her body language yelled, no, screamed terror.
That was not right: Rino was a happy, gentle girl with a good disposition. Something was going on there, and it did not look good.
"What's happening, Naofumi-sama?" Raphtalia asked.
"There's something wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"I just saw some people together that should not be, and I don't like the looks of them."
"Who are you talking about, Fumi?" Ferrie asked, the kids observing in silence.
"I just saw Myne with an adventurer I met a while ago. And while the two of them knowing each other is not impossible, I really doubt there's something good going on there."
"Which adventurer? I might know them."
"Her name's Rino. She actually mentioned you when I met her."
"No, that name doesn't ring a bell. I might have seen her at the guild at some point."
"Who is Myne, Naofumi-sama?"
"She accused Naofumi of a terrible crime against her, but fortunately I was able to help him prove his innocence."
"And I thank you for that, but I think she wasn't as innocent as she tried to make herself look like, and I don't think she has the best of intentions," Naofumi told his party, and Raphtalia grew mad about it.
"I will teach her a lesson, Naofumi-sama, tell me who she is!"
"You aren't going to do-" Ferrie started to say, but Naofumi clapped his hands, cutting her from continuing.
"You are right, Raphtalia!"
"I'm right?"
"She's right?"
"Myne doesn't know you, so if we follow her, she won't recognize you. Come, Raphtalia, we'll lose her if we don't hurry now," he said, grabbing Raphtalia's hand and starting to run in the direction he had seen the bitch walking towards.
"Wait! Naofumi! Don't you dare leave me behind!" Ferrie yelled, but Naofumi ignored her as he kept running. The talk they'd had had distracted him from his target, but they were lucky, and eventually, they had managed to see Myne and her sycophant coming out of an alley – one he knew all too well. The fact that Rino was not with them was significant.
The bad feeling he had felt the past minutes went over the charts, and he started to run down the alley and into Beloukas' tent.
"What a lovely surprise to see you here, Sir Hero," the slave master greeted him. "What do you need? Is it another slave, or another egg monster? Don't bother to pay, though, your lottery idea has earned me a tidy profit, and I could give you an egg or two for free as a thank you for all the coin I've earned from your idea."
"Shut up, Beloukas, I'm here looking for a blonde girl, she came here accompanied by a redhead noblewoman and another woman, where is she?"
"Oh, such authority in your words! You are the best customer I've ever had! Unfortunately, I saw no one of that description. Sorry for not being of help, kind sir."
"Damn!"
"Oh, but what am I seeing?" Beloukas said, having noticed Raphtalia. "She is not the scrawny bag of bones I sold you but a few days ago! You are such a dutiful master, to help her grow into this beautiful girl! She could easily fetch you twenty gold pieces even if she's not a virgin!"
"I am a virgin!" Raphtalia answered, offended and indignant.
"Lovely, lovely! Thirty-five gold pieces, then! What do you say, Sir Shield Hero?" Beloukas asked, twirling his moustache.
"Look, I'm not here to sell Raphtalia, I'm here to look for the blond girl, if you didn't see her, I'm leaving."
"Of course, of course! I'm sorry I couldn't help you in-"
His speech was interrupted when one of his employees came to the wicked man and whispered something into his ear, causing his usual slasher smile to turn into an ugly scowl. Naofumi knew that whatever he had heard, would end up in whoever angered him suffering.
"My apologies, Sir Shield Hero, but I might be able to help, after all. Is the girl you are looking for named Rino, perchance?"
"Yes, that's her name! You know where she is?"
"I'm afraid I do now, kind sir. One of my men thought of doing business of his own to line his pockets with a few extra gold pieces and decided to do something that might end up hindering my business here."
One of the tent's entrances opened up, and in came four men, who were holding a fifth that was fruitlessly attempting to free himself from their grasp. The men threw their captive in front of their boss, who promptly stabbed him in the back with his cane. The one in the floor howled in pain, as the first worker to come handed Beloukas a scroll.
"My, my, this information is so interesting. Did you use the slave crest without my permission? That alone would make you the newest addition to my merchandise. But not only that, you were dumb enough to fall for this document!"
"That is a legal document, sir," the man on the ground groaned. "It's got the Royal stamp and the signature of a member of the Royal family."
"You are so stupid that you didn't realize what was happening in front of you. It is an official document, yes, but its very contents show its very illegality!"
"What is going on, Beloukas?" Naofumi asked.
"This document has the Royal stamp, but it was not signed by the right people, which makes it completely illegal."
"What does it say?" Raphtalia asked, surprised and a bit scared.
"This is, purportedly, a royal decree that accuses the adventurer Rino of Mirso of the crimes of theft against various members of the Adventurer's Guild, as well as the Spear Hero's party, and condemns her slavery. And it is signed by the first princess, Malty S. Melromarc. Only, that the only people allowed to issue and sign such decrees are the King, the Queen or a judge authorized to do so, and I quite doubt there was a trial for that young girl this upstart idiot just marked!"
Naofumi quickly grabbed the man from his neck and created three small Hedron Shields right in front of him, and the man quickly grew pale with fear: clearly, he knew what they could do.
"You can talk now, or I can let my shields do the talk for me."
The slave handler fell unconscious, and foam began to froth out of his mouth.
"I must say, Shield Hero, sir, I love how you handle your interrogations! Pity that it didn't work in this case," Beloukas stated.
"My usual method is actually to grab a wooden plank and spank them until they spill their guts, or until I get tired. Whatever happens first," Naofumi nonchalantly revealed, causing Raphtalia and the other handlers to feel a shiver going down their spines.
"I didn't imagine you to choose that kind of entertainment, sir."
"It wasn't entertainment, it was boring as hell, and the only way my enemies would spit where they were keeping their captives. Now, where can I find Rino? And how the fuck did Myne ever get her hands on a royal decree?"
"I'm afraid I don't know who these women you mention are, but that idiot you are holding did mention selling a girl in the red district."
"Where is the red district?"
"Closer to the walls, around these slums and the merchant district," one of the other slave handlers said. "I would hurry if I were you, maybe you'll find her after pleasuring some clients."
Naofumi glared at the man and set off one of the shields to shoot him at his right knee: while he would still be able to walk, he'd have a hard time healing the injury. Totally worth it, though, and even Raphtalia thought so, judging by her smile.
But that was not enough to forestall his worry as the two of them ran to the red district: it was almost sunset and finding a particular blonde girl in the place was going to be troublesome.
And his gut was telling him it would only get worse the longer he took to find her.
"How about we separate to look for her?" Raphtalia suggested.
"You don't know how she looks like, Raphtalia."
"Wavy blonde, blue eyes, as tall as I am. Am I wrong?"
"No, you're not. But what if someone tries to do something to you?"
"Ferrie-nee-chan has taught me how to defend myself. I can handle it, Naofumi-sama."
The Shield Hero looked at the girl and made a choice. Opening Storage, he retrieved a bastard sword with a straight cross-guard and handed it to her.
"This is a hand-and-a-half sword, you can wield it with one or two hands. Only use it to defend yourself, understood?"
"Understood, Naofumi-sama."
"If you don't find her or me in two hours, go straight to the inn and ask Ferrie to help." Raphtalia nodded, and the two split off. Naofumi looked in every place where that bastard could have sold Rino, bars, brothels and such, but no sign of her.
My anxiety is going to drill a hole in my stomach if I don't find her soon...
"Naofumi? Is that you?" a familiar voice said and turning Naofumi saw the Spear Hero.
"Motoyasu? What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to a bar, have a couple of drinks to relax before an escort mission I am doing tomorrow, I'm supposed to protect a caravan to a southern town suffering from a food shortage. And you, what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for a girl I met a few days ago. I just saw her this afternoon with Myne and that other party member of yours Myne hangs out with, and something was really off with my friend, she was terrified of something, and when I tried to find her, I just saw Myne and her friend on their own while my friend was just sold as a slave."
"What?! How do you know that?!" Motoyasu exclaimed.
"I followed them and didn't find them until after my friend disappeared, somewhere near the slave trader. When I asked if he knew something, it turned out that one of his men had just enslaved her with a fake royal decree accusing her of stealing from you and several adventurers."
"That's horrible! I'll help you find your friend, Naofumi, but I need to understand something. You said you saw Myne with her? At what time, exactly?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Just humor me, Naofumi."
"Just a few hours ago, maybe 4:30 pm."
"Now I'm concerned, at that time Myne and my party members were at this spa in the north of the city, too far away from this place for her to be here. Maybe someone is trying to cause trouble for her, after the trial?" Motoyasu wondered, his hand on his chin as he thought.
"Are you saying what I believe you are saying? Oh, my God, you're actually saying it," Naofumi said with dread. Is this guy serious?
"I will help you find your friend, Naofumi, and then I'm going to let Myne know that someone is trying to damage her reputation by impersonating her. I will stop whatever is happening right now, and protect Myne and your friend, Naofumi! I swear!"
And Motoyasu started to run along the street.
Without direction.
And before he learned what the girl he was supposedly looking for looked like.
Naofumi was speechless and then covered his face with both hands.
"For fuck's sake. Why did I believe he could help me with this? He's an idiot – and I'm a bigger idiot for thinking he could actually be helpful."
He started walking in the same direction Motoyasu had come from, only for his steps to halt when he heard someone calling for help, a woman. Following the cries, Naofumi was guided to a building nearby, and the moment he was close enough, he realized who it was.
The voice behind those cries for help... he knew it.
Would you be willing to accept me in your party then?
Rino was asking for help. Rino was behind that door, suffering the worst fate any woman could suffer.
It was Raphaella, Atalanta and Melissa all over again. He was furious, incandescent even – but, at the same time... he felt powerless.
The girl who had helped him without asking just a few days before was now a few meters away from him. If he had been just fast enough to stop her, when they met outside of Erhard's shop... if he had just tried to talk to her that day... maybe...
… maybe he would not feel so weak. Weak and pathetic.
It was them, all over again.
Had he been stronger, Melissa would still be alive.
Had he been faster, Raphaella would be alive.
Had he been smarter, Atalanta would be alive.
Had he been more powerful, he could have settled, hold his baby Aria or Terry in his arms, be the father he wanted to be.
But he was not.
D̷̨̦̥̩̭͔͍̭̆͛͑͜o̷̭͇̪̗̒͒̈́̈́̀̈́̿̎̈͠ ̶̧͕͇̫͙͎̲͍̟͈̞͇͍̳͉̄̚͠ỹ̴͔̖͉͚̪̹̤̯̥̎̀͌́̊̿́̂̐͗͌͝͝o̴̧̜͖̯̺̗̖̫̘̬̞̦͎̰̅̍͋͌̂̂͆̀͘͜u̶̪̒͗͐͐̔̃̈́̋͑̋̄̇̚̕͝ ̵̢̪̯̩͚͕̪̹̩̖͉̯͋́̐̅̐̾̑͊͘s̶̨̛̼̠̓̒̀̈́̿͌́̍́̍͊́͠e̵̢̛̊̒̍̾̀̅̍̇͘͘̚͝è̸͍̹̳̘̠̱̫͑̓͜k̸̛̳̲̞͙̇͜ ̷̢͎̫͙̩̜͕͚̘̦̤̳̠̚̚͜͜p̶̡͈͖̙̩̻̗͉̹͕̭̝̼̫̽͆̿ơ̸̭̱͒̆̒̉̈́̑̀w̵̤̗͇̣̻̆̿̀̓͐̓͂͝͝ę̵͔̗͖̮̰̦͉̻̮̯̻̌̽̅̓̾̐̆͝͠r̴̰̦̜̞̓̀͐̉̾͑͑?̲̼̻͎̪͖͖͇̯͔̥̘͕̀̒̇͐̓́͌̀̓
He did not want power.
He wanted forgiveness.
Forgiveness for his weakness, for how short-minded he had been in the past.
He kicked down the door.
He stepped inside, intent on looking for the girl that had helped him at the beginning of his journey... but he found worse.
Young girls, young women, human and demi-human. All of them naked.
Multiple men. All of them naked too. All of them forcing the females.
And...
... and children. Demi-human children.
Also naked.
Naofumi felt his gorge rise.
Children? In this kind of place?
Ď̶̬̼̝̓̑̐́̏̇ͅò̶̧̫̰̠͍̑̃͌͊̃͜͝ ̶̜̲͚̭̆̈̈́̀ͅý̷̲̤̣͈̤̙̗͈͍͖͋͗̐̿̀̕͜͠o̸̡̡̫̲͉͔̠̫̿̍̀̇͐̀̿̉̔͛̍̈́̍͜ư̶̢̼͓̰͇̟̘͔̦̳̼̠̓̎̎̀͗̌̈́̈́̇̐͛̊̚ͅ ̴̰̥̞̖͎̩̩͎͐͆̒̕͜w̸̢̛̤̹̯̬͜ą̴̳̝̈̈́̓̌͗̔̇̀̉̉̔̂͐͜͝͠ṇ̷̒̓̐̋̎͂̊̆̈́̾̃̈́͠͠t̷̛̝̀̆̉̈́̔̂̒̽̑͝ ̵̢̰̥̖͈̙̻̝̮̳͇̯͕̀̀͒̾͘̕͜͝t̴͔̺̳́͂̈̒̐̊̿̆͌̍̅̏̅̅̚ơ̵̢͉̪͍͆ ̸̛̘̟̻̰̥͍̜̖͒̌̐̆̍̉͘͘͝ͅg̴̨̣̙̀͋̔̔͆̂̊̾̅͂̽̂͝ͅi̴͎̱̫̼͌͌͌̓̚v̷̡̞͇͈̲͇̝́̓̔̊̔̓̎̃͐̈́̈́͊̈́͜͝͝é̵͚͈͖̠̘̖̟͓͔̩̬͖͜ ̶̮̞̙͎̟̋̂͂̎͘̚͝t̷̻̥̓͒̕ͅͅḩ̷͚̞̱͕̣̄͗͊e̶̡̮̳͚̫̘̻̮̥̫̮̓͊̐̇̋͐̒̈́̚͜͝m̴̨̩̘̖̟̭͇͇͉̝̭̈́̀͌̔̊͘͜͝ ̸̪̚ỳ̴̢̡̨̡̟̰̙̎̅̅̍͗̃͑̚͝͝ͅͅo̸̢͔̜̠̲̻̮̝̲̭̤͌͗̇̿̀̓̔̈́͜ų̶͉̥̟̮̻̖̪̱͈̭̔̉͑̈̈̚͘͜ŕ̵̯̬̭̖̹̻̓̋͗̎͐̎͊̏̇̃̆͜ ̸̦͕̝̜͕̇r̸͍̗͇̃̐́̕ȃ̸̡̡̧̧͓͔̭̩͙̞̺̙̲̏ͅͅg̶̡̙̹̖͚̺̤͇̈́̔͋̕e̷̡̹̐̏̿̃?̴̢̗̞̙̻̳͈̘̳̦̫̣̎̓̑͑̀͒̋̒̀͝͠
These things deserve more.
Ď̴̛̙͉̩̻̝̳͈̑̌̃̌̽̃o̴̡͎̮̗̜͙̲͖̺͖̻̩̜̮̦͋̓̅ ̶̧͎̗̫̝͓͙̤͉̰̬̯͗̍͋̑͑̚͜ͅy̸̧̱̬̞̯̗̤̼̍́̂͂͂̒͑͑̀̕̕͜͝ó̵̙̝̣͈̭͍̥̙̮̍͑̃͋̾͆͊͊͝͝ͅų̸̘̼̠̘̺̖͎̫̝̮̗̦̺̞͒̏̍̉̉̋͋̌̕ ̴̰̫̫̮̣̫͂̇̓̐̂̃͝ͅẘ̴͔̼̘̝̣̰͎̝͓͔̗̇͘͜ȃ̷̩̬̩̞̱͔̈́́̉̅͌́̕n̵̢̨̦̫̭͖̰̻̺̯͇̟̂͜͜t̴̝̳̦̖͒͊͊̔̂̑ ̵͓̗̼͈̻̹̤͔̱͎̓̃̎̾̈̌̓͝t̸̪̥͉̰̥̮͙̺͑͘ơ̵͉̪̤̝̝̥̝̭̂̒͛̀ͅ ̸̯̼̼̬̦̑̆͐̔́̓̀̓̔̏̇ų̵̢̥̩̏́̇̑̈́͒̔̾͑̊͝͝n̶̨̫̙͔̯̜̣̾l̷̡͙̫̫̼̞͇͎̲̯̮͖̲͚̿̇͋̌ȩ̸̨̣̱͇͉͖̝͉̬͍̽̉̒͛ͅḁ̵̢̨̫̭͓̥̬̰̣̑̈́͂̉͛͗̈͒̌́͝s̶̨̢͕̜̳̫͎̀̃̅̄ͅh̴̢̧͈͕͐̋͛̚ ̸̖̊̅̈́̈́͘͜ỳ̷͎̮̝͚͙̝͍̓̄̑o̸̫̥͇̠͖̤̪͇͉̙̠͉̟͌̀̇̍̏͒̿̽̊̒̈͌̚ų̵̡̖̳̲͒͛͆̋̓̀́͒̍͒̉̕ŗ̷̩̤̈́́̄͊̈̀̿̇͂̑̚ͅ ̵̜̝́͌̀̒̄̾̌́̕͝i̵̟̗͗̂͛̈́̽̿͊̓͛̀͂̋r̴̰̠͛̆͌̽̐͊̽͘͘͝͝e̷̛̳̩̥̼̔̓̀̒̒̋͛͑̔̋̓̂̚͘?̴̝̯̻̽̇͐͛
Unleash? That would be too nice to them.
D̴̺̘͖̹̻̰̖̩̲̱͌ͅo̴̻̼̼̱̺̊̐̔̃̋͋̆̾̈̄̓̓̚̚̕ ̶̨̨̘̘̹͍̬̍̔̐͐̑͌̆͐͋̀͠ÿ̴̫̭̮̗͓́̉̔́o̴̧̢̡̬̘̰̱̗̠͈̤͖͊̂̋̌́͝ǔ̷̲̠͍̠̜͓̀ ̵̡̨̫͇͇͍̥͔̝̤͎̬̖̪̣̎̆͑̊́̌̈́̓̀̋̽͘ŵ̸̨̢͎͇̪̱̠̟̪̫̥̌̀̔̑̔̆̾̅̍̒̎͒̕ă̷̩̤̝̂͐͝n̴͇̥͇͌̽̅͆͆̉̈́̒̏̿͘͘t̸͙͒̈́͗̎̆̏̊̈́̾͒̈́͆̎̚͝ ̴̡̛̞̼͔͍̣̻̯̣̲͍̻͇̮̖̌͑́͗̀͐̃̑͝t̶̡̛̛̥̟̮̳͓̖̻͔̹̥̘̲͂̽͂̈́́̍̀͂̅̕͠͠ọ̸̡̢͉͇̹̰̖͕̞̟̦̍̿̅͂̃͒͗̀͗̌̄͋̈́ ̸̧̟͚̣͙͚͎̲͚̜͔̙̱̥͗̃̿͒̊͗̅͘͜d̷͖̻͇̻͛̂̈̔͘è̸̡̜̺̜̳̙̯͔̞̺̗͔̟͛͆̒̇̿̀s̴͓͇̻͍̯̱̼̪̗̖͙̅̑̅̊̀͂͐̽̓͝ẗ̶̯̮̯̲̲̬̱̝́̂̾̓͛̀̓̓r̴̨̮̤̗͎͙̰͎͙͚̦̺͛o̴̧̢͙͖̪͓͈͈̯̰͖͙̦͋̆̅̍̽ỳ̷͓̟̥̭̞̏̅̎̐̔͝ ̷̡͍̟̩̱̎̍͂̈́̊͘t̵̮̟̯̥̯̹͕̰̗̼̥̭̥̳̀̓̑̃ͅh̷͉͕͎̮̞͙̫̥̤̲̿̓̀̀̕ͅͅͅe̸̢̧̛̳̫̩̭̭͖̳̜͇̙͌̀̀̊̑̍̄͋̉͗͊̒m̸̝̙̲̙̗̥͎̈́͑͆͑̽̉̚?̶̙̙̙͙̈́̑ ̴̼̓̅̌͗͒̂D̴̡͚̃̋̎̆͋̑̿̈́͆̈́̄͊̚̚e̶̝̎͊̃̇̂̋̐̅͂͑̈́̃ś̷̛̮̩̖̼̀̈͛͛͘̕͝t̶̻̮͉̰͕̑͛̂̓̃̓̊͛̉́̒̉́͝r̵̼̣̤̪̯̤̪̬̖̆͆͊̆̑̽͋̽͊̀̄̂̈́̚͝ơ̴̘̲̜̖̺̿̌͗̚͘ý̸̛̫̬̗̗̋̌͗̈́͂̄͂̌̓̀̕͜ ̶̛̳̏͗̐̓͒̊̓̔̉͊͌͒͘͝w̸̧̡͈̖͔͖̙̠̖͈̠͊͐͂̈́͑̋͌͗̓̊̍͊̄͝ͅh̸̡̨̨̳̟̫̫̯̫̲͒̑̐̍́̀͑̓̈́̊̊̒͘͠a̵̡͚̩̳͖͕̠̘̬̣͇͙͚̍̋̉̊̊͊̍̍̔͒̆̈́̚͘͜͝ẗ̵̢̟̹͙̬̹́̈́͌ ̸̙̮̞͍̍̄̈́̔̒̀̓̍t̶̻̦̞̣̞̟̳̗̱̩̄͑̑͒̈̓̓́̕͠͝h̷̟̾͒̽͑̍̔͑̆͝é̶̥̖̹̝͋̅́̽̄̔̈͆͝y̴̘͖͉͉̪͛̀̿̋͋̚ͅ ̴̨̻̯͖̪̩͈̙͔̤̖̩̫͇̺̍r̴̢̢̤̦̘̼̬̣̘̯̥͂͂̒͒̉͒̊̈e̷̳͗̇̓̊̓̌͜p̵̝͉̞̗͔̖̈́ṟ̷̬̝̆͗̔̒́̽͗͑̏͛̍͜è̵̠͍͎̫̈́̂̈́͌̀̃̈ś̶̨̛̪̘̠̟̳͙̭̙͓͕̳̬̼͆͐̃̔̌̃͛́̓̋̕͘ͅĕ̶͙̱͇̰̫̖̟̗͔̫̻̘̌͌͑̈́n̵͎̠̝̮̍̽t̴̫̀̆?̷̡̡̧̟͓͓͇̯͔̦̠̔͌̀̂̊͊̽ͅ
Yes, I want to d̷͖̻͇̻͛̂̈̔͘è̸̡̜̺̜̳̙̯͔̞̺̗͔̟͛͆̒̇̿̀s̴͓͇̻͍̯̱̼̪̗̖͙̅̑̅̊̀͂͐̽̓͝ẗ̶̯̮̯̲̲̬̱̝́̂̾̓͛̀̓̓r̴̨̮̤̗͎͙̰͎͙͚̦̺͛o̴̧̢͙͖̪͓͈͈̯̰͖͙̦͋̆̅̍̽ỳ̷͓̟̥̭̞̏̅̎̐̔͝ ̷̡͍̟̩̱̎̍͂̈́̊͘t̵̮̟̯̥̯̹͕̰̗̼̥̭̥̳̀̓̑̃ͅh̷͉͕͎̮̞͙̫̥̤̲̿̓̀̀̕ͅͅͅe̸̢̧̛̳̫̩̭̭͖̳̜͇̙͌̀̀̊̑̍̄͋̉͗͊̒m̸̝̙̲̙̗̥͎̈́͑͆͑̽̉̚.
C̶̢͈̠̪͕̱͉̻̥͚̝̻̿͑̓ų̸̢̹͉̳̲̫͖̩̝͉̝̽̉͆̈͜͜r̶̢̘͒̈́̈͂s̴̹̿͆̊́͆̽̉̑̂̂̊̇̿͠͠ė̸̛̛͕̺͇̠̲̻̰̝̖͕̼̠̲̉̾͐͑͋̈́͛͂͜͠ ̴̨̨̖̟̼͍͓͙̓͛͗͋̈̏̓͝ŝ̵̡̡̛̙̩͙̪͔̞̲̆̏̈́́̿̑͛͒͗̚͘̚͜͠ę̸̨̡̠͇̭̰̼̖̬̬͍̫̩̈́̄̓̉͑̀̿͑̿̎̎͆͒͝͠ŕ̴̻̺̙̱͖͎͇̪͔̏ì̴̛̥͂̈e̶͈̪̼̦̯͇̭͎͔̤͈̫͕͚̒̓̏̋͛͂͘s̷̛̺̗̜̹̦̞͓̲̟͎͙̯̠̯͉̄͌̽̃̓̀͋̂͑̏͋͘͠ ̵̲̣̫̜̭͐̐̓̈́͂͗̾̎͝C̴͈̖̮͕̫̈́̓̎̍̆͛͑͂̾͋́ơ̷̱̇́̀͗̀̄̋̈͒͋̊͝ñ̸̡̼͕̻̘͊̂̎̽͛̀̇̆͊͒̀́̃̑͜d̸̨̟̪̫̜̘̯̪̫̲̰̬͙̏̍͐͝ī̷̧̛͉͇͍͈̫̗͎̱̠̱͠t̵̡̗͇̯͓͚̟̣͓̤̼̫̞̘̮̓͌̓͗̓̿̄͠͝i̸̜̺̪̫͙̹͒́̒̽̀͘̚ö̷̙̟̟̗͖̰̠̗̞͕̼̺̟̞́̊̎̒̑͐̈͋͋͛̽̂͝͝ͅǹ̸͎̜̻̠̯͔̰̥̦̽̽̀̃̈́̓̈́̊̚͜͠͠ͅ ̵̧̢̛͇̘͈̻̼͕̟̝̮̿̓̂̄̏m̸̭̰̞͇̼͔̥̈́͌̄̑͑ề̸ͅț̷͑̈́̄̑:̷̨̡͕̺͔͚̯̹̗͎̗̦̟̑̒̊̆̉͒͜ ̶̢̛͙̳̩̫̘̝̫̮̟̻͑̉͘͘
̷̛͇̰̒̊̌̋̋̊̊̉̍͗̃͆͘̕S̴͉͇͖̞̭̗̙̗͕̈̏h̴̨͙̹͇̞̲̼̍̈́̌͘͝i̶̛̫̍́́͌̓̀̽̓̓̚͠e̶͕̩̫͓͎̫͓̗̗̘͖̯̓̈́͊̂̋̃́̆͘͜͝l̷̩̲͎͈̖̪̏̂̃͌̌́̔͆͑̈́̊̈́̉d̷̨̛̤̖̰̪̫̭͉̣̿̄ ̷̧̜̯̪̯͈̹̪̋͗͑̕͘͘͠o̵̡̳̤͕̠̪̭̳͆́͋̇͐̎̊͝f̵̛̻̝̲̪̗̦̖͔͎̤̦̓͑̈́́͛̓̅̿́́̀͘ ̴͔̰̠͉̮̝͓̻̫̣̝͓̟̀̎̇̋̀͗̋͛͝͠͝ͅR̸̪̠̲͕̤̻̙̎a̴̬̻̓̓͗̈́̔̂g̴̖͇̼̀̇ẻ̴̹͉̏̋̓̔͐͗̚ ̷̢͙̻̫̤͈̖̳̺͗̕͜ͅų̸͓͇̲̪͖͈͚͙͓̰͚̮͈̠̇̾͋̉̔̈́͗͛̒͂͐͠ñ̶̨̡͈͙̻̲̺̞͚̪͔̩̟͐̎́ļ̷̮̠̈́̓̽́̃̓͋́́̋͘o̴̱̦̅̍͛c̴̡̧̛̼̳̳͈͇̱̯̟̲͙̗͔̤͛͛͂̽̕k̸̛͇͕͓̠̘̄̈́̍̀́̅͝ͅe̵̯͖͖̳̦̝̠̪̔̊͒̈́͂̀̅́͠͝͝d̵̛͍̗͇͎̥̝͉͓
The green gem of the Legendary Shield became red as the fresh blood dripping from a wound.
As red as the eyes of the Shield Hero.
As red as the cursed marks covering the Shield Hero's skin.
A new shield appeared in front of the men that were trying to force Naofumi out of their establishment.
They reaped the hate they had sown as the cursed flames of rage turned them into ashes.
And this went to dark too fast to my like. But well, the story went there, so what can I say.
I give an apology for the time it takes me to finish this chapter, but this one was too difficult to write for obvious reasons. The next one would show us the consequences of these events, started by yours, Myne Sophia.
See you next chapther.