Author's Note: First of all, I would like to apologize for how late this chapter came out. I decided that a proper break was in order, considering we have reached the middle of the Shield Hero's story (Or a little over but that's ok!) When I first began writing, I never thought that I would get very far into the story, but luckily, I found many great readers in all of you guys! I appreciate the kind words and helpful suggestions many of you have provided me, as they have all helped me continue writing or flesh out my story with new unique acts and details.

Now, without further adieu, chapter 15!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield hero or any of its characters, only my own.

"Dialogue."

"Writing."

Thoughts.

Shit.

Leo stood firm as he peered through the small glass window of his ballistic shield, his covered face staring holes into his opponent. Observing Glass, he noted how she held a relaxed posture, but kept in mind that she must feel overconfident in her ability to beat him in a fight, considering her earlier feat of strength. The other three heroes and their respective parties held a ready stance as they watched Leo and Glass have a stare - down.

"Well Shield Hero? Are you going to simply stand there? Or is it that you are admiring what you see?" Glass mocked the soldier. Her statement caused Raphtalia's face to grow angry and cold.

"For the record, you're nowhere near my type. And if you're going to complain about me standing here, well, you seem so high and mighty, so I'll let you have the first swing. Don't worry, it'll be your last." Leo taunted back as he leaned forward, bracing himself for an attack.

"Ah, so you do speak. Very well." Without skipping a beat, Glass immediately attacked with the same strike that she had used to kill the Soul Eater. Upon making contact, Leo recoiled back due to the power behind the hit. Rifana quickly helped him back up as he grit his teeth, his arms shaking from the shock.

"Meteor slash!"

Deciding to join and help his ally, Ren utilized his strongest attack on the woman standing before him and the other heroes. As the dust settled, Glass simply stood without a scratch. Ren looked on in shock before returning to his neutral outlook. "You're not alone in this fight Leo, don't let anyone say otherwise. You had our back against the Soul Eater, so now we have yours. Let's go everyone!"

At Ren's small motivational announcement, Leo smiled upon seeing Ren and Itsuki's party's get into a fighting stance.

Lowering his shield for a second, Leo took a defiant pose in front of everyone. Holding up a fist, he spoke with authority only a true leader could muster. "Fireteam Eagle, your light is green! Get going!" At the command, everyone, excluding Motoyasu and Malty, began to attack from all sides. Metal clashed with metal, magic was shot and averted, and potions were utilized.

As the fight went on, Leo continued to deflect attacks where he could in order to prevent anyone from being hit or even killed. Ren kept up a fury of quick and successive strikes while Itsuki rained hell from his bow. The magic casters healed as their friends and party members were hit. Raphtalia and Rifana worked in tandem, sword and tomahawk, trying to attack when Glass left an opening.

Glass had to admit, she was quite impressed. Even if most of them are weak and unskilled, their numbers are truly beginning to prove challenging, especially those two females with the Shield Hero. While she was fighting many people at the same time, a few managed to land a small hit or two on her. She clearly underestimated the willingness to fight within these people.

"Enough of this!" She suddenly exclaimed as she began to glow. "Zero - Stance Rondo: Reverse Four Seasons!" Slashing her fans, large, blade - like strikes shot out at everyone around her. Multiple people took cover behind Leo as he raised his shield, his own party included. As the attack continued to hit Leo's shield, one strike managed to make Leo stumble, leaving himself slightly exposed for one of the final blades to cut open his right arm, causing him to grunt in pain for a second.

After quickly utilizing some healing magic on himself, Leo looked at the scene around him. Almost everyone besides himself, his party, and Ren were knocked out, while a few were simply too injured to fight. Itsuki himself had multiple cut wounds throughout his body, although they did not appear deep. Motoyasu seemed less injured and more just unconscious than anything else.

"Leo, are you alright?" Raphtalia quickly asked the man.

Leo gave her a nod as he moved his arm to make sure his healing magic had done its job. "Yeah, I'm alright. Are we the last few standing?" When Raphtalia silently nodded, Leo gave a small curse. "Alright, stick to the plan. Filo, go now!"

"Right!" As fast as she could, Filo flew into action, attacking with multiple kicks in quick succession. It appeared as if Glass was about to comment on it, but before she could, Rifana and Raphtalia came from behind, swinging their weapons down onto the woman. After Glass blocked the attack with both of her fans, Rifana swung her tomahawk in an upwards motion, causing Glass' arm to twist before bringing her weapon down to stab into her side.

Glass barely had time to block the attack due to her slight shock at the uniqueness of Rifana's weapon. Backing off, Rifana allowed Raphtalia to take the forefront of the attack next. Swinging her sword, Raphtalia found her momentum lost when her opponent ricocheted her blade of the metal of her fans. With speeds that made Raphtalia blink, Glass swiped her bladed fans, cutting Raphtalia's sword in half. In the momentary distraction, Raphtalia pulled out her pistol and fired two shots at Glass' torso before pulling back with Rifana to regain their senses.

What was that weapon?! How did it get past my defense…? Glass clutched her side as blood began to seep onto her clothes, the pain from the gunshots causing her to grit her teeth. Leo took this opportunity to run in and smash his shield against her face. While the attack stopped only due to Glass' quick reflexes, the force behind the hit had already been applied to her body, causing the area that was shot with Raphtalia's pistol to end up squirting more blood than Glass would have liked to lose.

As she was recovering from the new shock of pain that ran through her body, Leo switched to his smaller Breath of Death Shield before running at her. Jumping, the soldier delivered a hard hitting dropkick to her torso. While all of these attacks barely dropped her HP, the force behind the attacks still applied, knocking her backwards and slightly injuring her.

Looking at the clock, Leo saw that he had less than a minute left before the Wave ended. "Raphtalia, Rifana, Filo, we need to keep her busy! We have thirty seconds before it ends! Hold fast! Charge!" At the signal, all four members of the fireteam launched at Glass with all their might. Filo striked fast and hard, her talons keeping Glass distracted as Rifana and Raphtalia attacked together once more. Leo kicked and hit where he could, albeit it barely effectively, but nonetheless kept her attention as well.

00:00:04

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Pushing Rifana off of her, Glass slowly stood up clutching the area where she was shot. "It appears you won today, Shield Hero. Next time however, you won't be so lucky. I'll be ready for your tricks!" Using her fan to blow a large gust of air at the group, Glass quickly made her escape as she flew into one of the portals in the sky and vanished from sight.

Jumping onto Filo as the ship began to drift downward, Leo waved towards his two other companions. "Come on, we have to go! This ship won't stay afloat forever!" He exclaimed as he took hold of Raphtalia's hand and pulled her up. Once Rifana was on, Filo jumped off the side of the ship and landed on a nearby cliffside a moment before the ship crashed. Exhaling a breath that he did not know he was holding, a smile soon grew onto Leo's face. We did it. We held off the Wave. Thank God for that too, as our casualties were surely higher than last time due to how long this one was. Wait a minute, the others! "Filo, get us to the ship! We have to check if the others are ok!"

"Ok master, hold on tight!" With that, the group made the small trip over to the crash sight. Upon arrival, Leo saw that some of the adventurers aboard were waking up and providing health potions to others.

Stepping over to the waking Sword Hero, Leo helped the teenager up before sitting him on a nearby rock. "Take it easy Ren, you took a hard hit." Leo told him as he rubbed his aching head. Going back to help the others, Rifana and Raphtalia were currently getting the unconscious people out of the wreckage. Picking up the other teenage hero, Leo carried Itsuki over to the same rock as Ren and put him down against it.

While the process of helping the rest of the fighters get onto solid ground again, two knights approached Leo as he sat on the ground and drank from his canteen. Leo immediately recognized the two as Ake and the cowardly knight commander.

"Sir Hero, are you ok?" Ake asked in a concerned manner. Leo finished taking a drink before flashing the young knight a thumbs up.

At the same time, the knight commander stepped forward and spoke with no concern, only slight disgust. "Shield hero, the king requests your presence at the castle immediately. You are to cease your activities and come with us. Now." The commander ordered. Leo simply sighed before putting his canteen away.

Whistling, he caught his party's attention. "Fireteam Eagle, our, or my, presence has been requested at the castle. Let's get a move on." As the others prepared to head out, Leo went over to Ren for a moment. "Hey, look out for everyone while I'm gone, alright? My carriage is in the village nearby, and it's loaded with medicine. Go ahead and get everyone there."

"Alright. Good luck with the king, and uh, thanks for your help. We really needed it." Ren said with a nod. After nodding back, Leo made his way onto Filo before she ran back to the capitol.

Remember what I said, this isn't a game.

After a mostly silent ride in which everyone was mainly recovering from the Wave, the group arrived at the castle steps. After being led towards the throne room, Leo entered alone, having been informed that only he, not his party, were allowed to enter. Leo simply gave in, not willing to cause a ruckus over something so small, so after ordering his team to wait outside, he went in.

Sitting on the red and gold throne, Aultcray was watching a recording from a crystal ball which was showing Leo's use of his Thunder Run skill, alongside his skill in attacking with his ballistic shield.

After clearing his throat, the king spoke with a neutral tone. "After observing you and your fellow heroes' actions through the crystal ball, I must say, you did well in quelling this Wave, even if I hate to admit such a thing."

There it is. He still cannot swallow his pride, even after I and the other heroes saved this country's sorry ass a second time. "Now, as for the reason as to why I summoned you, hero. I want to know how you managed to acquire such strength as the Shield Hero. The powers you possessed during the Wave are not the abilities of the shield. So I will ask you this one time, how did you acquire such power!" The king half questioned, half commanded.

Leo was dumbfounded at the king's request. I help defend this country as a hero should, and he wants to know how I got this power? Heh, like hell. Crossing his arms, Leo let out a slight chuckle at the command. "You dare laugh at me? The king?! I order you to speak! It is your duty as the hero to reveal how you were granted such abilities."

"My duty?" This elicited a chuckle from Leo. "You know what my duty is, your majesty? Not telling you shit. If you want to know, then how about you get off your ass and come down here on your hands and knees and beg. Maybe I could teach you a few tricks while you're at it." Leo taunted. This caused everyone in the room to gasp in shock at Leo's response, while Aultcray simply became angry at the insult and defiance.

Losing his composure, the king burst with anger at Leo. "YOU INSOLENT CUR! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME, YOUR KING, THIS WAY!" At the outburst a group of knights surrounded Leo and drew their swords.

Looking at the small group, Leo eye'd them each closely. "If you really wish to fight me, go ahead. I'll kill all of you before you can even blink. As for you, your majesty." Leo went on as he stared directly into Aultcray's eyes. "You are not my king. The only royalty that deserves my respect is the Immortal Queen back in my world. All you've done is make me and my party's life a living hell, and you're not really in power, the Queen is! So tell me your majesty, WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU ANYTHING?!" Leo shouted back at the top of his lungs.

Slamming his first onto the armrest of his chair, Aultcray stared daggers into the blank goggles at stared back. Losing all rational thought and control, he gave his knights an order. "Guards, kill the Shield Hero! His disrespect cannot go on any longer! The other three heroes can handle the Waves without him!"

All the guards throughout the room looked towards one another, unsure about carrying out the order. It was as Leo said earlier, if any of them attack, he can easily kill them. Their fear made the king's rage even greater to the point where he made his worst decision yet. "Fine then, if you will not be harmed," He said as he looked around the room at the knights, "Then your slaves will take your punishment for your defiance instead."

It wasn't even three seconds later when Aultcray found himself on the ground with Leo standing over him, a fist ready to punch him in the face. Speaking with a voice full of darkness, Leo changed to his Breath of Death Shield before stating, "I can deal with you making my life hard, threatening to kill me even, but the moment you threaten to take away my girlfriend or any of my companions, my friends, things will get ugly. If you ever act on your threat, we will storm your castle and kill everyone standing between us and you. And when we find you, we will break your arms, and then your legs. Next, we'll cut out your tongue so you cannot speak those idiotic words you enjoy so much. And after all that, I will leave you in a room of gas and watch as you shrivel and die a fool's death as you slowly cough up chunks of your lungs. Am. I. Understood."

The king's face went pale under the dark gaze of Leo's tinted goggles. The knights within the room all took a step back in fear at the sight of this man threatening to kill their king in such an agonizing way. Stepping off the older man, Leo began walking out of the throne room, his anger radiating throughout the chamber.

Getting up, Aultcray decided now was the best time to insult the soldier some more. "Curse you Shield Hero! You and those filthy demi - human slaves of yours will pay for this! We will have your heads on pikes! Do you hear me?!" Leo simply continued to exit the room through the large wooden doors. As they closed, the echo of Aultcray's voice could be heard throughout the castle.

Breathing a sigh of relief at leaving the king's presence, Leo walked down the steps that led into the throne room. Damn King, thinks he's all high and mighty as a ruler. Fuck him. Fuck all of them. He and his bastard daughter can go to hell for all I care. God, where is the Queen when you need her. Oh right, trying to fix Aultcray's fuck up… I need Raphtalia. As he continued down the final steps in thought, a woman with a red dress passed by him.

"You have done well this time around, I dare say Shield Hero. You displayed quite the spectacle during the Wave and the confrontation between his majesty, I dare say." She simply complimented. This caused Leo to turn to the female with a surprised look underneath his mask and goggles.

Just how does she kno- actually, Aultcray was crying like a baby so I don't doubt she heard the commotion. But the Wave, how does she know? Did she watch a recording as well? Leo thought suspiciously. "How do you know about what happened?" He asked the female.

She continued on as if she ignored his question. "Your exploits have become quite a joyous feat to see. You're causing many of the people to begin watching you, including certain groups in power who do not appreciate the interference you have provided." Taking out a pendant, she held a cross like necklace in front of Leo. The symbol of the Church? Sorry lady, I already figured that they were against me. "On the surface, they are a virtuous bunch, but underneath, they are connivering and conspiring against those they deem a threat, you included Shield Hero. If I were you, I would tread lightly around them, I dare say." Once she was finished with her information, she turned and began walking up the steps.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question! How do you know all this? Who are you?" Leo asked in a wary tone.

The female in red stopped for a moment before looking over her shoulder. "The Queen sends her regards, Shield Hero." With that, she continued on her way, ignoring the few calls Leo made.

Putting a hand to his chin, Leo went back into his thoughts. The Queen sends her regards? Who is she and what connection does she have to the Queen? Perhaps she is with those cloaked individuals back when I raced Motoyasu? Hm, maybe Melty can help. "I dare say…"

Deciding to focus on it later, Leo continued on his way out of the castle. After linking up with his party, Raphtalia could tell that Leo was in a sour mood.

"Hey, Leo, are you alright? You seem... upset. What happened back there?" Raphtalia asked him as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

With a sigh, Leo slowly stopped before turning his head to face his party. "Let's get to Erhards, then I'll tell you." To anyone, he would appear to hold a calm, neutral stance and tone. Raphtalia knew him better however, and she knew that he was fuming within at something.

"Right, ok." She simply replied. Looking over at her childhood friend, Rifana gave her a concerned look, showing that she also knew something was wrong. Backing off from Leo, Raphtalia let Filo go ahead of her so as to let the girl try to talk to Leo.

"Something bad definitely happened between him and the king. I bet the king tried to cheat him on a large reward for saving everyone from the Wave." Rifana commented with a fist. "I swear, the next time I see that old bastard, I'm going to kick him where it counts."

Raphtalia gave a slight chuckle at the notion of Rifana effectively ending someone's bloodline just by kicking them. "Yeah, good luck trying to kill the damn king of all people. But seriously though, I'm worried for him. The longer we stay here, the more fucked over we get by the higher ups in society. I just wish I could do something to help."

Calming down, Rifana placed a hand upon her dejected friends' shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure things will get better, we just have to wait for the Queen to return. As for helping him, you're his girlfriend, his partner, so I'm sure your presence alone helps him." She then gave Raphtalia a confident smirk and nod.

Taking a deep breath, Raphtalia slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, you're right, just have to wait for the Queen. Thanks for that Rifana."

As they concluded their conversation, the two demi - humans saw that they had arrived at Erhards store. Entering it behind Filo and Leo, they saw the large man in question standing behind his counter, a joyous smile plastered on his face once more.

"Welcome back! Man, am I glad to see that you're all still alive. How'd the Wave go?" Erhard asked with interest as he leaned on the counter.

"Eh, it went alright. After helping the other defeat a difficult boss, another showed up, nearly knocked all of us out of the fight in one go. We, as in all four heroes and their parties, managed to defeat the second boss, albeit only due to the timer. That thing was incredibly difficult to hurt, so we really just had to stall for time." Leo vaguely informed the blacksmith. "After we won, the king called me for a session back in the castle."

Erhard couldn't help but notice just how disgusted Leo sounded when speaking of the king. "Huh. Well, I'm glad you managed to live and make it back. Say, what happened between you and his majesty? I know you two don't exactly get along, but right now you seem quite pissed."

This elicited a sigh from Leo before he sat down and locked his goggles onto their place on his helmet. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a moment to gather and calm himself down. "That damn tyrant ordered me to tell him what the source of my power as the Shield Hero was. Said it was my "duty as hero" to tell him. Of course, I told him to fuck off, which he then proceeded to order his guards to kill me."

At the mention of Leo having been ordered to be killed, Raphtalia gasped in shock which quickly turned to anger. Rifana tightened her fists and grit her teeth before punching a wall, leaving a small hole. Filo began to cry before asking if Leo was going to die, with him quickly calming her down and reassuring her that he was not going to die anytime soon. Erhard simply exhaled a breath of disappointment and rage for the king.

"Did any of the knights actually try to attack you? If so, I will find them and gut them like a pig!" Raphtalia exclaimed in a fit of rage as she unconsciously placed a tight grip on her sword's handle.

Leo shot up out of his chair and placed a hand on her own that was gripping the handle, causing her to slowly calm down. "No, none of them moved a muscle. But that didn't stop Aultcray, because since nobody tried, he threatened to have you three taken from me. I swiftly put an end to that, maybe even threatened to break every bone in his body and leave him in a room of gas."

Raphtalia, Rifana, and most of all Filo, could not fathom being taken from their leader, their friend, and in the demi - humans case, their savior. "I promised to protect you, all of you, from harm's way. While that promise has more or less been broken in the field, I truly mean it. If something were to happen to any of you, I would never forgive myself."

With that said, Leo quickly pulled Raphtalia into a reassuring hug, causing her anger to fade and a sense of calm to take over. Filo quickly joined in on the hug, wrapping her arms around Leo's waist. Rifana chuckled before including herself into the group hug as well.

"You know, I hate to intrude on moments like these, but I gotta ask kid, what about your class upgrades?" Erhard stated, causing the group hug to slowly break apart. "Considering what you did to the king, I highly doubt they'll ever let you use the hourglass here."

Leo nodded at the blacksmith's prospect. "Yeah, near impossible at this rate. We were thinking about heading over to another country for upgrades instead, either Shieldfreeden or Siltvelt. I was personally thinking Shieldfreeden, considering they are the most tolerable nation here it seems." Leo noted as he stared at a map Erhard had pulled out.

"Agreed. Shieldfreeden accepts both demi - humans and humans as equals, and they have a more democratic way of rule, with that council and all. Siltvelt, while it does hate humans to the point of slaver, similar to here, they shouldn't have a problem with you. You see, they worship the Shield Hero, same way as this country worships the other three. As you said, I personally would choose Shieldfreeden, but it's your choice." Erhard said as he stood tall over the group.

Filo's eyes lit up at the possibility of traveling again. "Master, are we traveling again?" When Leo nodded and asked why, she simply exclaimed in excitement, "Yay, I get to pull the wagon! We get to go on another adventure!"

Tuning her out for a moment as she jumped for joy, literally, he informed their blacksmith friend of one last thing. "Hey Erhard, is it possible for Raphtalia to get a new sword? Hers broke during the fight with the boss during the Wave."

Erhard shrugged at his question. "I don't see why not. I'll have it ready before you set out. In the meantime, I have some goods in the back ready for you to take for your travels. If you go load that up for me, I could work on her sword so you can get on the road faster, deal?" He said as he extended his arm for a classic handshake.

Smirking, Leo took the offer and shook it. "Deal old man. Raphtalia, Rifana, come on, we have some supplies to load up. Filo, get ready for transport."

"Let's do it./Alright./Okie dokie!" The three responded in tandem. After they walked off towards the back of the shop to get the food and other items loaded up, Erhard turned to Leo for a moment.

"So, you and the little lady huh." He said with a wink.

Leo rolled his eyes at the attempt to embarrass him. "Yeah, me and Raphtalia. I swear, if she wasn't there when I got her, I doubt I would even want to try and help this country with all of its corruption, let alone be alive." Leo firmly stated as if it were a fact.

Erhard leaned against the wall before speaking. "Damn well job I say. From the day I saw her all grown up, I knew she was a keeper. Hell, I knew she would stay the second I saw her reaction towards you when you brought her here after buying her."

Rubbing the back of his helmet, Leo smiled and lightly laughed. "Alright, alright, enough of that, you have a sword to make." Leo replied before shooing Erhard off.

The man simply laughed heavily as he walked into the backroom to get Raphtalia's sword made. Walking outside and to the back of the shop, Leo met up with his party who was nearly done putting everything on the cart.

"Here, you guys go ahead and get on, I'll get these last bags." Leo said as he walked up behind them. His sudden appearance startled both Rifana and Raphtalia for a moment before they turned around. Rifana lightly punched Leo's shoulder while calling him a jerk, erecting both her friend and leader to start laughing.

After having loaded up the last of the supplies, Erhard came outside with a bag and Raphtalia's new sword. Passing the weapon to Raphtalia, the blacksmith quickly waved Leo over. Once he was away from the group, Erhard gave him the bag. "Take care of them, alright? I'd hate to see you guys get hurt." Erhard simply said. Leo nodded, gave his friend a quick salute and thanks, then went back off towards the carriage. With a flick of the reins, they were off, Filo jogging as she pulled the cart.

Within ten minutes, the crew found themselves back in the countryside a few kilometres from the capitol. Rifana was in the back taking inventory off all the supplies that had been loaded. So far, they had around two weeks worth of food, plenty of medicine, and even a weapon repair kit.

"Erhard really made sure to kit us out, huh? I'm surprised he had everything ready for us. Must've been waiting for our arrival." Rifana called out at the front of the cart.

"Yeah, and thank God too. Honestly, I'm just glad we get to finally leave this place. The longer I stay in this damn country, the more I live to hate it." Leo replied as he began to open the bag Erhard gave him.

"Likewise. Who knows, once we get our class upgrades, maybe we can finally go out to look for Keel." Raphtalia added in a hopefully manner. Rifana simply sulked a little at the mention of their friends' name.

"I miss Keel. I swear, the second I get my hands on Idol, I'm going to make him bleed." Rifana said with a slightly sadistic voice.

Leo brought her back from her anger before she could say anything more. "Hey, hey, don't worry, we'll find them. Once we get our upgrades, we'll hunt for Idol and help everyone he's enslaved. Until then, he probably lives with a battalion's worth of guards, and while we could definitely save them now, I really don't want Melromarc's entire army after us." He informed the duo. "For now, let's just focus on getting to Shieldfreeden."

His demi - human companions nodded without hesitation. They knew they could trust Leo to always follow a plan whenever he made one, especially one so important to them. Opening the back Leo took out a while sheath and handle alongside a note. Opening it, Leo began to skim over it. "Same sword as before… old reliable. Yeah, that's true. Mana sword?"

Putting the note down, Leo unsheathed the sword, expecting to have some sort of glowing sword. Instead, all he got was a handle. "Uh, Leo? Are you sure that's a sword?" Raphtalia asked as if she was stating the obvious.

Putting the handle back into the sheath, Leo was equally confused as her. "Yeah, the note said it was some sort of mana sword. Hang on. Mana sword… sword for enemies with no physical form. Hm, so maybe it's more of a 'they feel it, but can't see it type thing?'" Leo questioned. Both Rifana and Raphtalia shrugged at him. Sighing, he put the weapon off to the side before reaching in and taking out a pair of blue gloves. "Hm, strength of a hundred men. Damn, what did he infuse these gloves with? Whatever it is, I could definitely use that on my own pair." Leo commented as he flexed his hands.

As the evening began to set in, Leo had Filo stop so they could set up camp. Getting a fire going, Rifana brought over a few sets of steak and some mugs. Raphtalia carried some crates to the campsite to act as chairs so they could sit and eat.

As the food was slowly cooking, the sounds of a multitude of horses could be heard getting closer. "Found you!" A voice exclaimed. Stopping dead in his tracks, Leo sighed, put down the stick he was going to use, and face the one and only Melty.

Filo's smile grew as her friend neared. "Mel, you're here!" Filo cried out. Waving her arms, the rest of the crew could see the princess with a smile on her face as she waved back.

Once her carriage came to a stop, she hopped out and began walking over towards Leo's camp, but not without Filo jumping at her friend to give her a hug. Leo smiled at the sight, pleased to see Melty once more. Good thing she's here, I really have to talk to her. Hopefully she'll understand. "Evening Melty, good to see you." Leo politely greeted.

"It's good to see you too, Sir Shield Hero. I'm afraid I do not have much time, so I shall keep this brief: I must request that you return to the capitol immediately and speak with my father once more." She firmly stated. Leo frowned underneath his mask. Back on this again? Doesn't she know just how much he hates me?

Leo waved her off while keeping a neutral tone. "Sorry princess, but I simply can't do that."

Melty appeared shocked for a moment before regaining her composure. "But you must! I wish for you to apologize to father due to your conduct. Please!" She slightly pleaded.

Leo shook his head again at the girl. "Melty look, I'm never going to apologize to your father, especially after what he said today. During the meeting that took place, he threatened to have my companions taken away from me and potentially killed. So if I have to apologize, then he must beg for forgiveness first." Leo said coldly as he grit his teeth, his anger seeping out a little.

If Melty was shocked before, she was now. With that newfound knowledge, she could understand Leo's hesitation at going back. "Sir Hero, I understand how you feel, but please, you must reconcile! How would you be able to survive without father's economic assistance! Surely that will change your mind?" She now pleaded.

"Economic assistance? Sorry Melty, but don't make me laugh. Your father hasn't helped us once since I was summoned. No money, no party, not even a thank you for saving this country's sorry ass. It was the people who helped me gain a party, the people who helped me financially through my trading business, not the king. So, like I said before, if I go back, then your father must beg for forgiveness first." My friends here are the only reason I'm staying. If it weren't for the progress I've made so far, I would have ditched this place a long time ago.

"WHY WON'T YOU EVEN TRY?!" Melty exploded, no longer able to control her anger. "A HERO AND A KING SHOULD NOT BE FIGHTING! THEY SHOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER! Please Shield Hero, come back and reconcile or else mother will return and be mad at him!" She begged one last time.

Leo did not budge, however, he simply let her shout until she was done. When it was over, he calmly walked over and kneeled in front of her. "Melty, I wish it were that simple, but it's not. Your father has kept money from me, accused me of crimes I never committed, and even cheated me out of victory time and time again. Hell, he blocked our access to class upgrades." Leo took a deep breath before continuing. "You have a good heart, Melty. You want to do good by us, but it cannot happen. The king's hatred for me is too far for me to even try apologizing."

Leo placed a gentle hand on Melty's shoulder as a few tears began to roll down her cheeks. Before either of them could speak further on the matter, Rifana called something out. "Hey, what are you doing?" Looking up, Leo saw that one knight held a crystal ball in his hand. The hell? Are they… recording? Wait, this is a-!

Suddenly, one of the knights rushed forward and drew their sword. Shit, he's aiming for Melty! Grabbing the princess, Leo changed to his Ballistic Shield to block the attack. Without wasting another second, Leo gave an order that would send shockwaves throughout the entire kingdom once it was shown to the king, edited of course.

"Open fire!"

Author's Note: And there we have it, chapter 15 ends! I felt as if the fight between Glass and Naofumi in canon was meant to show that, with all his power, it was nothing against her. Now with Leo's arsenal, Glass wasn't prepared to fight against modern guns, which gave her a shock and allowed a little bit of damage to actually be applied. Also, if you caught it, the immortal queen is Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, AKA the meme: The Immortal Queen.