Naofumi knew these humans for maybe a minute, and she could already tell; all three of them were demanding idiots. They all just arrived to this world and each of them were getting on her nerves. They were already making demands. If she had done something like that to Inari, Naofumi's head would be on a spike. The humans held themselves with pride, which was good to have. Too much pride was dangerous though. The summoners asked the heroes to follow then to meet the king. The others agreed, while Naofumi stayed silent and followed the group.
The fox had decided to hide her ears and tails for a bit longer. Humans tended to show their true selves when in the presence of another human.
The summoned heroes were following the cloaked people up a spiraling stone staircase. Half way through the venture, Naofumi peakes through an opening that had three metal bars through it. Naofumi peaked through the bars to see dirt roads and buildings with red roofs. If she focused even closer, she could see a shopping district. People were walking through the streets going about their day.
"Even the air here is different..." Naofumi mumbled, letting a breeze rustle her dark locks.
A voice spoke up, "Have you never left Japan before?" Naofumi looked up to see that the voice belonged to the young man with a bow. His voice sounded slighlty judgmental like he thought he was better than her, even though they had just met. Naofumi hasn't lived this long without learning a thing or two.
"Judging by the breeze, I would say this place has a fairly standard Mediterranean climate." The one with a sword spoke.
Naofumi blinked, "No, I never left Japan. You'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge for now." Naofumi let her stare be drawn back to the outside. It was true she never left Japan technically. She did go to the underworld for a few assignments, and she frequently go back a forth from the spirit realm to the human world.
"That's fine," the spear wielder spoke up. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of tim to explore this world. How about you and me go out together for a bit after this meeting?"
Had he no shame? They only had just met, and he believes himself to be a suitable mating candidate. It was obvious the man was a flirt. The fox gave the man a smile. Naofumi politely refused the blonde's invitation and apologized for keeping the group waiting.
They passed a multitude of people in the halls in outfits Naofumi wasn't familiar with. The bystanders all whispered to one another in hushed tones about the summoned heroes. Naofumi heightened sense of hearing could make out that they were calling her the 'devil of the shield'. What a strange name to call someone you just saw passing by. Naofumi waved to the gossipers, who blushed at the sight of her face. Kitsunes were naturally bewitching and attention grabbing no matter what. It was only natural a person would feel the heat rush to their cheeks at the sight of one in human form.
When group arrived at the throne room, they stood side by side. A man in purple robes sat in a throne. His face was stern and purple eyes stared intently at all of them. Naofumi noticed when his eyes were on her, they filled with disgust.
"My name is Aultcray Melromarc the 32nd, ruler of the country of Melromarc. Brave heroes, please introduce yourselves." The king asked, his voice projected through the room.
The young man with the bow was the first one to introduce himself, "My name is Kawasumi Itsuki. I'm a 17 year old highschool student."
"I am Amaki Ren, age 16. I'm a highschool student as well." Ren wore an uninterested expression on his face.
"The name's Kitamura Motoyasu. I'm a 21 year old college student." He sent a wink to one of the noble woman to his right.
Naofumi opened her mouth to introduce herself, but was interrupted by the king. "Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu are your names? Hm."
"Excuse me, you skipped over me." Naofumi called out.
The king sent a glare her way, "Forgive me, I must have not seen you. Introduce yourself, shield hero." Interesting, the king of this country already didn't like her. Naofumi refrained from rolling her eyes.
"My given name is Iwatani Naofumi. I work at a shrine." Naofumi said. It wasn't a lie. She did work at a shrine, but it was more so as a protector and a divine messenger. She also granted blessings when people made offerings. Naofumi also had forgotten her original name. The name she used was given to her by her goddess Inari.
"Hey Nao-chan, you didn't state your age." Motoyasu grinned at her.
Right, she couldn't give her real age if she wanted to play human for a bit longer. When did she stop aging? The last time she physically age was maybe three centuries a go. When Naofumi asked Rika, the maiden said the fox looked like she was in her early 20s. Naofumi will go with that. "I'm 20 years old. Sorry, I must have forgotten." Naofumi stated. Most of the people in the room gave the shield hero a confused look. How could she forget her own age?
The king didn't acknowledge Naofumi's introduction and continued, "I owe you heroes and explanation to why you are here."
The king went on to explain the waves that were plaguing his world. Waves that were taking lives and bringing countries into ruin. The soldiers had tried to stop them, but they barely made it out alive the last wave. Naofumi thought for a second. This exactly was the plot of that book she was reading.
Ren slammed the tip of his sword into the red carpeting, "Ok, we get the gist of what your saying. Don't expect us to work for free though."
One of the king's advisors spoke up, "You need not worry heroes. Once a month you will be given funding. As well as every wave you defeat, you will be handsomely rewarded depending on how you contributed."
Motoyasu grinned, "Seems we have no choice, but to take you in your word."
"But don't think you can tame us." Ren added.
Itsuki nodded, "We won't take any of you looking down on us."
Naofumi held back her urge to roll her eyes and keep her calm composure. These men seriously need to get their attitudes in check. What did Inari always say? No matter how beautiful a man is, ugliness can still show. A man who appears ugly may have a beautiful soul. Though, her goddess had a habit of saying such words when she was drunk off of wine. Inari, you were so insightful at the worst of times.
"If we have reached an argeement, I will ask you heroes to check your status." The king spoke.
"What's a status?" Naofumi inquired. The heroes gave the king a confused look except for Ren.
"Didn't you all notice? Look in the corner of your vision there's an icon. Try focusing on it." Ren explained.
Naofumi did see this so called 'icon' and did as the youngest hero said. A transparent screen appeared in front of her with various numbers. By her name it said she was level one, was that a good thing?
"It says I'm only level one," Itsuki spoke. "That seems troubling."
Motoyasu rubbed his chin, "Yeah, how are we going to be able to fight like this."
"Do you mind explaining to us what this is?" Naofumi shut her status screen and looked over to the king.
"It's called status magic," his advisor spoke. "It's an ability exclusive to the four cardinal heroes. In order to get stronger, you must set out on an adventure to develop and upgrade your weapons."
"Hm, so the four of us will have to form a party? Don't worry Nao-chan, we'll make use of you even with that shield." Motoyasu smirked. Naofumi seriously felt like vomitting. She wasn't a woman who needed to be protected by any means. People usually found that out the hard way.
"One moment, legend says that the four heroes should not form a party together. It will only hinder the development of your weapons. Tomorrow, brave volunteers will be distributed among each one of you. Until then, I will advise you to rest in your prepared rooms." The king said.
He waved his hand, and a maid approached the heroes. The maid did so. Midway through their trip, Motoyasu proceeded to ask Naofumi to stop by his room so they two of then could get along better. Naofumi agreed, but urged the other two heroes to join after dinner.
Naofumi took a seat on the couch in Motoyasu's room after dinner. All four heroes were in the room. Naofumi scanned through her status screen not paying much attention to the other heroes in the room. Motoyasu sat at the edge of his bed, legs crossed. His spear casually leaning on his shoulder. Itsuki sat across from Naofumi in a red cushioned chair. Ren had his arms folded as his back was pressed against the wall. Naofumi knew they were conversing, but paid them to mind. It seemed like all her stats were low. Maybe? There was no number by her attack stat, but there was a two dashed line. Did that mean it was immeasurable? She was an other wordly being. Did that have some effect on her stats?
"Hey Nao-chan, you've been silent this whole time. Are you shy? I promise I don't bite." Motoyasu smirked at the disguised fox.
Naofumi exited out of her status screen. "Sorry, is there something you wanted?"
Motoyasu grinned, "We were talking about how this world seems like a videogame."
"A videogame?" Naofumi mumbled. A videogame? What was that again? Oh, that's right. She had seen some maidens playing one of those. Naofumi simply just looked on and didn't join, but it seemed like fun.
"Yeah, like Emerald Online! This world is exactly like it." Motoyasu pointed out.
"What are you talking about? This world is like Dimension Web." Itsuki disagreed with the spear hero.
Ren spoke up, "You're both wrong. This world is like Brave Star Online."
Naofumi was confused by these strange names being thrown around wildly. She let out a sigh as the three others argued. Naofumi clapped her hands like she was grabbing the attention of children. It worked though, so she wasn't complaining.
"You're all giving very different answers nd are saying that something like that didn't exist in your world," The fox spoke. "I believe it is possible that we all came from different worlds."
"Different worlds?" Itsuki questioned. "What made you come to that conclusion?"
Naofumi hummed, "It's just a hypothesis, but lets test this theory. Who is the person on the 1000 yen bill?"
As Naofumi expected, all of them said different answers. That wasn't enough for the others, who continued to test Naofumi's theory. The questions never received the expected answers.
"So we are all from parallel versions of Japan," Itsuki spoke. "How odd."
"Even though you all are from parallel worlds," Naofumi began. "It appears you have a great deal of knowledge about this world from your 'videogames'. Unfortunately, I don't have much knowledge on the subject."
Naofumi didn't really like this new world. She'll stay her for another day before she leaves. If she opens a portal to the spirit world, she should be able to transfer herself between worlds. Until then, she'll just have to deal with it.
"Do you mind telling me about the shield since you all have know so much about this about this?" Naofumi asked.
The others stayed silent, but Motoyasu approached the seated woman. "Well as the oldest, I'll give you the run down about the shield." He put his face right in front of her's. "It's a class nobody really cares for because it's usually for beginners who have no clue about the game mechanics. It's the weakest class."
Naofumi pushed his face away, "Is that true for the two of you as well?" She faced Itsuki and Ren with a smile. Both young men had to suppress a blush at the sight.
Itsuki let out a cough, "Well, it is true. The shield is a useless class."
Ren looked away,"Sorry to say, but he's right."
Naofumi let out a grin and clapped her hands together, "Well doesn't that sound interesting! This is going to be fun!"
The other heroes looked at the woman in shock. They did hear her right? Fun? After they all just said the shield was useless?
Motoyasu let out a nervous laugh, "Fun? Nao-chan, did you hear what we just said?"
Naofumi nodded, "Yes, I said fun. I think it would be really entertaining to see what will happen. My weapon is completely useless from your point of view. I'm curious about how this will hinder me. The best entertainment is one that you don't expect."
Naofumi knew kitsunes had an odd view about things they found fun. The foxes lived a long life, and it's only natural that they would seek out new sources of entertainment.
Motoyasu let out a hesitant chuckle, "Well, if it doesn't bother you-"
Naofumi abruptly stood up and patted down her pants, "It doesn't. I think I'll rest for the rest of the night. Have a goodnight you three."
Naofumi left the room to go to her own, leaving the three to sit there in silence. Motoyasu took his seat on he couch and leaned back, "She's a strange one? Like, she seriously thinks it going to be 'fun' having the weakest weapon."
"That's not the only reason why she's so odd," Itsuki began. "When introducing herself, she said she forgot her own age. Iwatani-san, also didn't speak much about her world. She wears the clothes of a shrine maiden, but I don't think she is one."
"So you think she's lying? Can't say I blame you. She seems a bit off. It would be best to keep an eye on her in the future." Ren reasoned.
Motoyasu just shrugged, "I mean with a face like that, she can do whatever she wants. Seriously you two, have you ever seen someone so eye catching? Well, besides me off course." The older blonde bragged. He effectively earned a sigh from the two younger heroes.
It was the next day that the summoned heroes were called to the throne room once again. There were two rows of people lined up, staring intently at the heroes. Naofumi twirled a piece of hair around her finger. She couldn't wait to go and explore this world. The fox almost left this morning, but was stopped by the guards telling her to go to the throne room.
The king seated in the same throne looked at the four heroes. "Brave heroes, these individuals have volunteered to help you in your quest. They shall be loyal and by your side to assist in growing and strengthening you weapons. Now implore you brave souls to go a choose the hero you want to serve."
The volunteers with a set hero in their heart approached the four other worlders, and stood behind them. Unfortunately, none of them were behind Naofumi. Naofumi let out a hum. It seems like no one in this world liked the shield. It didn't bother her much, but she was hoping to find someone loyal enough to be her maiden.
"It seems the shield holds little favor amongst the crowd," the king said. Naofumi heard the slight sound of happiness when the king said that. He wanted Naofumi to adventure alone, didn't he?
Naofumi smiled, "It seems that way doesn't it. Oh well, no changing what already has been done."
The king was taken a back with how little this bothered the shield hero. She surely needed people to help her level up, but she seemed to not have a care in the world. Why didn't she show the slightest bit of concern?
"Is that all? Can we leave now?" Naofumi questioned. The king jumped a bit in the seat. Truly, nothing phased this wench. She was addressing the king like she was speaking to a child. The king had to bite back a growl. How dare she-
"Wait," A female voice rang out. "If the shield hero doesn't have an companions, I would be more than happy to accompany her."
Naofumi looked over to a red headed woman in leather armour that was a bit to eager to go over to Motoyasu's line. The woman wore a bright smile on her face, but Naofumi wasn't an idiot.
"No," Naofumi returned the smile. "I would hate to force anyone to join me."
"It really is no problem, shield hero. I believe no adventurer should ever be alone." The girl insisted. "My name is Myne Sophia, and it would be an honor to serve you."
The smile Myne wore seemed genuine to anybody who wasn't Naofumi. She knew Myne had a plan, but the fox didn't know what. That was troubling, but she'll allow it. The moment she finds out Myne's plan, she'll make the decision whether the girl lives or not.
Naofumi gave the woman a smile, "Well if it's alright with you. I hope we get along."
Once the heroes and their parties received their fundings, it was time to begin their adventure. Naofumi was given 800 silver coins to begin with. It was more than what the other heroes were given, since she had to bribe or recruit other people to join her.
Currently, the pair of woman were walking down a busy street of the shopping district. Naofumi was easily distracted by the various stalls and people, she wasn't really speaking to her scheming companion. The fox did notice people with animal ears on top of their heads. It was a bit surprising. Normally, in public with crowds of humans such features were hidden. It would be bothersome to be stopped ever two minutes by a human seeking a blessing.
"Shield hero, I think it would be wise to go and buy some armour." Myne spoke up, breaking Naofumi from her own thoughts. The woman insisted on carrying the Naofumi's money in her hands.
"Armour? I suppose that would be helpful in battle for you. Pick a shop." Naofumi said. The fox didn't really need armour. She was quick. Many battles have taught her that skill was much better than expensive armour or weapons. Humans were more delicate and needed the extra protection.
"Of course!" Myne agreed, running towards a blacksmith's shop with Naofumi trailing behind her.
Entering the shop, they were greeted by a bald headed, middle aged man with muscles that showed years of experience. Naofumi took one look over his display of armour and knew he took pride in his work.
"Welcome! What can I help you two ladies with?" The man had a grin on his face as he leaned forward resting his arms on the wooden counter in front of him. Unlike Motoyasu, the grin wasn't flirtatious or have other motives. It seemed like he generally liked what he did here. If he proved himself worthy, Naofumi will give him a small blessing of good fortune.
"We would like some weapons and armour," Myne smiled. "Our budget is about 250 silver pieces."
"I would like to see your blades if you will." Naofumi added. "I don't have a preference to what kind of blade though."
"Hm, I'll be right back." The man said, and exused himself to the back of the shop. Myne went to look at a set of armour that caught her eye. Naofumi stood in the same place as her party member gathered equipment. The shopkeeper came back with a variety of blades in his arms and set them in a row on the table. Naofumi started to inspect each one, before reaching a hand out to touch the handle. A shock ran through her finger tips, causing her to retract her hand. A transparent screen appeared in her line of vision.
Legendary Weapon Breach of Agreement!
A hero may not use another weapon with the intent to fight with other than the equiped legendary weapon!
Naofumi blinked at the notification. What a pesty little shield. Though, it didn't matter too much. Naofumi had slain plenty without weapons before.
"Sorry, but it appears that my shield prohibits me from using other weapons." Naofumi apologized.
"Really? That's too bad then. A shield isn't really much of a weapon for any active adventurer." The man said. Their was a glimmer of sadness in his eyes that Naofumi noticed.
Myne set down a set of armour on the counter. She picked up one and gave it too the shield hero. "Here, I believe this chainmail will be perfect for you. I'll get this set of armour."
Naofumi looked over the silver colored armour Myne was so intent on getting, as well as the chainmail placed within her arms. "How much will all this cost?"
The shopkeeper thought for a second, "All together, it'll cost about 400 silver with a first customer discount."
"Discount?" Naofumi questioned.
"Well since you two are new customers, and I can't supply one of you with weapons, it only seemed fair. As long as you continue your patronage here, I have no problem." The man grinned. He was unexpectedly kind.
"Isn't this great, shield hero?" Myne said. "We'll have plenty of money left over for our other expenses."
"You're right," Naofumi said. "You should go put your armour on, while I pay." Myne nodded and almost skipped to the changing room with her new expensive armour.
"You're not going to put on your armour, kiddo?" The man asked.
Naofumi shook her head, "I'll save it until my current clothes can no longer be worn. I would hate to ruin your work's quality so quickly."
Once Myne was done changing, the pair left the blacksmith's shop. Before they exited, Naofumi lightly tapped the door frame. She gave the man's shop a small blessing of fortune. It would simply attract more customers, nothing too big. She forgot to get his name. Next visit she'll ask.
The next stop for the pair was the meadow outside the city's walls to level up. In the distance, Naofumi saw Ren training. The sword wielder's party members were looking, but not joining their hero. Ren paid no mind to that as he hacked through monsters.
Naofumi then felt a weight being pressed against her left arm. Upon closer inspection an orange ball with teeth was gnawing into her.
"Myne, what is this?" Naofumi poked the ball with her other hand.
"It's a ballon, shield hero. It a lower level demon, but their quite aggressive. Sadly, without a weapon-"
Pop!
Myne looked at the shield hero, who defeated the small demon with just her bare hands.
From the corner of her vision, Naofumi saw her exp rise by a measly 1. That wouldn't do at all. Naofumi blinked, "Hm, we should find some more. Come along, Myne."
It was later in the day that the two decided to head to an inn for the night. Naofumi raised her level to 2 by the noon time, before she found herself bored with such weak prey.
The two woman were dining as Naofumi looked over a map. There seemed to be a dungeon not to far from the meadow they trained in. Hopefully, there will be stronger monster there. The balloons were an unsatisfying foe.
"Shield hero, are you not going to drink?" Myne asked, taking a sip of wine. Was that her plan? To get Naofumi drunk? It was the oldest trick in the book.
"I'm sorry. I don't drink," Naofumi said, pushing the glass away and getting up. "I'll be going to bed now. We have a long day tomorrow. I suggest you do the same, Myne. Goodnight."
Naofumi went to her room and shut the door behind her. Now for the real exploring to begin. Naofumi opened the window above the wooden desk in the room and slid out. It was a quick climb to the roof without the people below noticing.
When Naofumi was on the roof, she proceed to jump from building to building. The fox looked down at the city. This world had an active nightlife just like her own. Her siblings would love it here. Her younger brother would be invested in the history, while her sister explored every corner of this world. It would be a nice vacation from their usually busy lives. Naofumi sat on the roof of what appeared to be a mansion, looking over the city.
How long had it been since she was a naive human? One that could foolishly have the luxury of being oblivious to the world. From what Naofumi remembered about her human life, she never was naive. She couldn't afford to be.
Naofumi let out a sigh. As much as she liked this world so far, it would be wrong not to report her findings to Inari and tell her siblings where she was. Naofumi stood up. She'll have to make a portal to the spirit world and from there return to her own world.
Naofumi held out her hand and a dim gold like began to shine. There was another shock that zapped her hand. Naofumi pulled away from her spell.
Breach of Contract!
A hero may not return to their world until all waves are defeated!
Another rule for Naofumi to follow. This stupid shield is doing more harm than good. She let her finger trace along the shield's edges. Surely, it had some use.
All to suddenly the sun began to rise. Had Naofumi really been out that long? Oh well, she had to return to Myne if she wanted to keep this oblivious human act up longer.
When Naofumi had returned to her room through the open window, she found that her possessions had disappeared. The chainmail she had bought and all her money were gone. It wasn't like Naofumi was planning to wear the chainmail, but she was going to use the money.
The fox hummed and rubbed her chin. Was she really gone for that long? Someone obviously snuck it her room when she was on her stroll through the city. Obviously, the person didn't know about Naofumi's keen nose. The fox started to sniff around and found a familiar scent. It was Myne's.
Naofumi wasn't too surprised. She was honestly expecting this to happen but not this soon. Oh well, the fox in disguise will just have to track the girl down. It took some time out of her day that she was going to use to explore some more, but she really wanted that money back.
Suddenly, a loud knocking was at her door. The banging was furious. Naofumi thought the door was going to fly off the hinges if she didn't open it. Naofumi was more than irked now. Couldn't she have just a moment of peace?
Naofumi opened the door, only to be faced with a spear tip mere inches away from her nose. Naofumi looked at the soldier holding the weapon with a bored expression. There were other soldiers behind the main offender, all in a battle ready stance.
"Is there something you need?" Naofumi asked. She let one finger go to the tip of the blade and gave it a light poke. They should really sharpen this blade. It was almost dull.
"Shield Hero, you are under arrest for scheming the sexual assualt of your party member!" The soldier harshly called out. "You are to be brought to the castle for a trial!"
Naofumi quirked an eyebrow. A party member? Was the soldier talking about Myne? This was starting to give the fox a headache. Whatever, she should just get this over with.
"Well, I guess I should go to the castle. Are you all going to escort me?" Naofumi questioned. Naofumi made a movement and began to walk down the hall with the guards close behind her. She felt the tip of a blade press against her back as if it would threaten her.
"Don't you dare think about escaping!" One soldier barked, as he prodded at Naofumi.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Naofumi gave the guard a smile. "Let's hurry. I want to get this over with."
During the walk to the castle, Naofumi was surrounded by various armored men.
When she arrived in the castle's throne room, Naofumi was forced to her knees. Naofumi went to her standard seating positon. Her spine straight, legs folded, and feet tucked underneath her body. She placed her hands in her lap, folded on top of one another. It didn't really bother her that spears were pointed at her. Honestly, she's been in much worse situations.
The King stood in front of his throne with a furious expression on his face. Nobles stood around, whispering to themselves. They let their stares pierce through Naofumi's being, judging the shield hero intensely. Her fellow heroes were standing a few feet in front of her and behind them was Myne, looking like a frightened little lamb.
"Myne, do you mind telling me what happened? I'm very confused about my current situation." Naofumi calmly stated.
The king stood up from his seat and gave the shield hero a sneer. "Silence! Trash like you has no right to speak!" The king let out a sigh and looked at Myne who shook in her spot. "I hate to ask this of you, but would you please explain what happened last night once more?"
"Last night, I was preparing for bed. The shield hero had barged into my room, reeking of alcohol. She wanted me to sell my body for money that she had gambled away. When I denied her, she flew into a rage." Myne sobbed, "She proceeded to beat me and tear away my clothes. I managed to escape and find Motoyasu-sama who was staying at the same inn! I was so scared!" The sobbing woman put her head in her hands as she cried. Motoyasu secured his arm around her in a comforting manner, letting the woman cry into his stolen chainmail.
"To think I was actually worried about you," Itsuki stated. "I thought there was something off about you, but to think you would do something so vile to your own party member."
"Guess you think in this world, you can do whatever the hell you want." Ren said.
In just two days, Naofumi could read the other heroes' personalities. Motoyasu just wanted to make himself look good. The way he was toying with his spear, he was throwing it around with no care. It just proved he didn't know what he was doing. He also couldn't think for himself. He believed the words of a sobbing girl who was clinging to him. The action just stroked his ego. Itsuki seemed to be very judgmental. He was choosing to believe in a girl who seem to need his help. It was obvious he needed to feel like he was needed. No, he needed to feel like he was better than everyone else. Naofumi had a bit of hope for Ren, but the sword wielder didn't need any of her pity. The fox noticed a slight upwards turn oh Itsuki's lips. He was enjoying watching this so called trial. From her first impression of him, Ren wanted to be the cold, loner type. It seemed like he values stength above anything else, judging by what she saw in the fields yesterday. Naofumi had met men like them in the past, and all of them had very unfortunate endings.
Naofumi hummed, "Well, it wasn't me. I was out for a stroll last night. When I went back to my room, all my belonging were gone. Honestly, I think I'm the victim here. Especially with Motoyasu wearing my stolen armour."
Motoyasu laughed, "Stolen? This armour was given to me by Myne yesterday. Stop getting off topic and admit to your crimes already!"
Naofumi was not amused. Was he really playing hero right now like this was a game?
"Well, what evidence is there to convict me?" Naofumi rubbed her chin. "If I had tore her clothes off, where are the shreds?"
The king growled, "In our custody, you animal!"
"Then why don't you bring them out? Unless you're lying about having them." Naofumi's eyes darkened. Myne seemed to have started to sob harder at Naofumi's words. Motoyasu pushed her behind him, block the red head from Naofumi's view.
"You want her to relive what happened last night! Are you a monster?" The spear hero yelled at Naofumi. "I knew there was something off about you the moment you got here!"
"Normally, you would be executed for forcing a person into sexual slavery! You're lucky you're a cardinal hero if not, your head would be on a stick!" The king roared.
Naofumi didn't seem fazed by his words at all. She just let out a sigh. "Fine, since I'm not wanted here then I guess the only option is for me to return home. Surely, you can summon another hero in my place." Naofumi then let out a yawn. This was going on for too long for her liking. If she can't go home by herself, the king must know how to get her home.
"So you're just going to run away when things get tough? How low can you get?" Ren scolded her.
"Are you seriously going to abandon a world in crisis?" Itsuki said. "How much more despicable can you get? It's like you don't even care-"
"I don't," Naofumi interrupted to everyone's shock. "Why would I care about a world that is prosecuting me without a fair trial? If you would please send me back to my world."
"Why you-" The king growled. "Unfortunately, you can no be returned to your world as much as I would like to. Legend dictates that the four cardinal heroes can not be returned to their world unless all of them perish."
The three offensive users looked shocked at the news, except for Naofumi how was getting more and more annoyed by the minute. "So there's no way I can return home?"
"Not yet, but there is a way. You must defeat all the waves in this world, then you will be able to leave this world forever." The king said. "A lowly criminal like yourself can do that, shield hero. Until then, you must live with the shame of a criminal. Feel lucky, I'm allowing you to live."
Naoumi was more than irriated now. These people didn't deserve her help, but it looks like she had no choice. From the corner of Naofumi's eye, she saw Myne stick her tongue out in a teasing manor. It was too bad for Myne that Naofumi was an apex predator. The fox had just found her prey. Naofumi's eyes visibly dulled.
This wasn't fun.