After waking up with a random 10 year old looking boy on his lap, Midoriya and Raphtalia took a moment to put two and two together. When they did they decided to head back to the capital and talk with the slave trader.
"Why are we coming here Master? Can't we go get something to eat instead?" Asks Denki as the group enters the slave merchant's tent.
"Well get something to eat after, but first there's something we have to take care of. If you behave yourself, you'll get a pretty good meal out of it." Answers Midoriya, not really knowing what to do.
"Ah, Sir Hero back so soon. Is there anything I can do for you? Yes sir." The Merchant asks as he sees them come in.
He spots the boy next to Midoriya and continues "Interesting. Are you here to sell me a slave. I've got to say I did not expect that from you, yes sir. I think I like you more than before."
He starts inspecting the boy. Denki turns to Midoriya and upset, asks "Are you really going to sell me Master?"
"Can you please call me Midoriya, Master really makes me uncomfortable." Midoriya comments. He looks at the boy with compassion and continues "I'm not gonna sell you. We're here for a different purpose."
"If you aren't here to sell, then are you here to buy?" Asks the merchant.
"We're here for information!" States Raphtalia, with a bit of disgust in her eyes as she looks at the man who once held her fate in his hands.
"Mhhh. Not something I usually give out for free, but I'll make an exception for you, Sir Hero." Beloukas states.
Midoriya removes the cloak off of Denki and asks him to transform. He happily obliges and in the blink of an eye transforms into his King Filolial form. The slave merchant looks at the Filolial stunned and starts inspecting him.
"I'll give you 20, no 30 Gold Pieces for him." The Merchant says excited.
"As I said he's not for sale!" Midoriya reiterates. "I just want to know if this is normal. I've seen no other Filolials like him and none that can turn human. Is this normal what's the deal here?"
"To answer your question sir Hero. No this is not normal for a Filolial." The Merchant says. "There are however stories and legends about the Queens and Kings of Filolials. Supposedly there's one for each flock and they are even capable of very advanced feats, such as transformation, which allows them to blend in with their flock. In this case it means as a Human. Yes sir. Although I must say, sir Hero, I've never seen one in person." The merchant explains, He stays silent for a moment and continues "Would you be willing to raise another filolial to see the results? I'll even give you the egg free of charge."
Midoriya thinks for a moment and answers "Maybe next time, for now there are still some things we need to figure out. Like the clothes situation and how to get him to stay in one form until told otherwise. He seems to transform when he wants to, the usual be kind and he'll respond the same strategie doesn't seem to work."
Denki's stomach rumbles and he states "Midoriya, I'm Hungry!"
"Any chance you can help us out?" Midoriya asks while looking at the merchant.
The Merchant let's out a twisted smile and answers "Why most certainly sir hero. Yes sir."
The Merchant calls his assistants over giving them each a different job. One fetches food for Denki, another starts inspecting him in many ways and another prepares a ceremony for a new monster crest.
"Just sit back and relax, while I take care of the situation." The slave merchant says, sitting them down. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No thanks. I'm already worried about what you're doing." Midoriya comments.
Denki finishes his food and then they perform the ceremony to upgrade his crest.
After the merchant approaches Midoriya with a couple pieces of paper in hand and says "Interestingly enough your filolials magic affinities are both Wind magic and Lightning magic. Quite rare, usually Filolials only have access to wind magic. I've also applied a new monster seal to him, one that he shouldn't be able to resist, so now he'll have to obey you, when you tell him to stay in one of his forms. I've also researched about the clothes problem and like Beastmen, it's an easy solution you just have to go to a tailor, with magic thread and they'll make some clothes that transform with the Filolial."
"What's magic thread? Where can we buy that and how much does it cost?" Midoriya asks.
"Oh no, my dear sir, you misunderstand. Magic thread isn't something you buy. It has to be catered to each individual. It's made from one's mana. It cannot simply be bought." The merchant answers.
"Where can we obtain this magic thread?" Asks Raphtalia, before Midoriya can, feeling a bit left out of the conversation.
"You need to find a store with a Magic spinning wheel. The only one I know about is the magic shop in town." Beloukas responds.
Midoriya pays the man his for his work and they leave to obtain some clothes for Denki, sadly the Spinning wheel at the store was broken and needed a new Gem, that won't be available for quite some time. Midoriya agrees to help her out as soon as he can.
Not having anything else to do they set off to their adventure in the Village of Boken.
They head by Carriage. On the way they pass by a man in desperate need of help. He's transporting some valuable medicines to his grandmother in their Village. Since it's time sensitive and important Midoriya agrees to help out and gives him a ride. Once they arrive Midoriya administers the potion himself, so the effects are more effective. The woman does a full recovery in seconds. In gratitude they give him a bit of food for his travels, which Midoriya happily accepts.
They keep going in the direction of Boken, where they have a mission for the Adventurer's guild, stopping every once in a while because of Raphtalia's motion sickness.
At one of the pit stops Midoriya holds Raphtalia's Hair up as she pukes onto the ground, he gently smiles at her. In the meantime Denki plays around a bit, exploring their immediate surroundings.
After she's done she lies down for a bit and asks "Why do you smile every time I get motion sickness?"
"Uhm, ah, I was smiling?" Asks Midoriya.
Raphtalia blushes and answers "Yeah, everytime, I was just wondering if there's a reason."
"I'm sorry." He says. "It's just... you remind me of my best friend. I really miss her."
"Oh, sorry if I brought back some painful memories or everything." Raphtalia blurs out, now knowing what to say.
"It's fine. Do you feel better now?" Midoriya asks
"Yeah. I think we can keep going." Raphtalia answers
They continue on with their journey.
A day later while on the road they run into a nice couple, who have a cart with a broken wheel, they quickly stop to assist.
"What's the problem?" Asks Raphtalia as they stop, at this point she's just glad to be on solid ground, as she was starting to get motion sick again.
"Oh, thank god someone ran into us." says one of the two.
"We were afraid we were going to be stuck here until nightfall and that the monsters would eat us." the other one adds.
"What happened?" Asks Midoriya concerned while inspecting the broken cart. He notices a part that has been cut with a sword.
"It was bandits. They came at us as we were transporting our produce to the next town, we were gonna sell it, but they took everything. They then broke our carriage and scared our filolial away." Answers the woman relieved that someone stopped to help.
"Raphtalia, you and Denki, go catch the Filolial. I'll get the spare materials we have from when we fixed up our wagon and repair their cart." Midoriya suggests.
Raphtalia nods and they both go to do their separate tasks.
After 10 minutes Midoriya finishes fixing the cart.
"Thank you so much. Ehm... What's your name?" The man asks, thanking him for his kindness.
"You can call me Deku." Midoriya answers.
"Thank you so much Deku, you really are our saviour, we would've likely died here if it weren't for you." The man says.
"It's no trouble at all." Midoriya says.
A couple minutes later Raphtalia and Denki return with the filolial and both parties go on their respective ways.
2 hours later, the group runs across a band of 5 bandits that are harassing a merchant's cart. They broke off a wheel so that they couldn't escape and took the filolial, that was previously pushing the cart.
Midoriya stops their cart and he and Raphtalia step out.
"Is there a problem here?" Asks Midoriya to prepare for a fight.
"No problem at all. We're just having a small conversation here, best you be on your way." Answers one of the bandits.
Midoriya looks at the merchant who owns the cart, he has a terrified look on his face, he's clearly fearing for his life.
"What are you talking about?" Asks Midoriya. "I'm sure it's interesting."
The Bandit pulls out his sword and points it at Midoriya, causing Raphtalia to reach for hers, but Midoriya puts her at ease.
"Listen here buddy. I was going to be nice and let you go, but you're sticking your nose too deep in my business, so now I want everything that's in your cart." The Bandit says trying to sound menacing while showing a smile.
Midoriya nods, he activates one for all, lets himself fall and sweeps his opponents legs, since he has a bad stance he falls easily, MIdoriya grabs him before he hits the ground and throws him against a tree. At the same time Raphtalia pulls the sword and rushes at two of the bandits, taking them out with ease. 2 other bandits run at MIdoriya, but Denki takes them down with some of his Lightning magic to electrocute them.
"Thanks." Comments Midoriya looking at the Filolial.
"No problem." Answers Denki.
"He's learning fast." Comments Raphtalia.
"Yeah, we haven't fully gotten the first magic down and he's already at zweite level, he's unnatural. But I wish he'd stay quiet when there are other people around." Midoriya responds.
While Midoriya uses the Rope Shield to tie up the bandits Raphtalia makes sure the Merchant is alright. They strip the Bandits of their weapons and what they stole and after making sure that the Merchant was alright they leave, passing by the closest guard station later to drop off the bandits.
They keep traveling and on their travels they help out whoever they find in need of it, some were in need of food, so Midoriya shared a bit of theirs, others were being attacked by Monsters, so they helped fight them off.
After 3 days of travel they finally reached Boken, a Village to the south of the country, it would've only taken 2 if they hadn't stopped so much for Raphtalia and to help others.
They park the wagon away from the Village. Midoriya informs his friends of his plan.
"I'm going to go into the Village and find as much as I can about these Bandits that keep attacking them." He says. "After we'll go to wherever their hideout is and take them down. If the 3 of us were asking around they might be concerned, but just one person shouldn't raise too much suspicion."
He puts on his hood and hides his shield, in order to conceal his identity. He then heads to the village.
As he approaches he notices a couple different adventurers around. He approaches the gate and one of the adventures says "Halt! State your business!"
Not having prepared an excuse or anything he only manages to get out "Uhm-I-I'm here too..."
"Leave these poor people alone!" The adventurer shouts. This gets the attention of the Villagers who gather to witness what's happening.
Hearing the signal that they decided on the adventurers that were waiting around the village got in position, some even went direct for Midoriya.
Seeing the attack coming, but not having enough time to get out of the way, Midoriya grabs his shield and blocks the attack.
When the Adventurer's sword makes contact with his shield the poorly made sword shatters into many pieces.
The Villagers look at the encounter stunned and immediately figure out that he's the shield hero. The Adventurer's also figure out who he is and stand down.
"What are you doing here Shield Hero?" Asks one of the adventurers.
"I'm just here to help. Found out from the adventurers guild that this village was being attacked by bandits." Midoriya answers.
"The Shield is the worst of the heroes, he's worthless!" Says one of the villagers.
"Get out of here and get one of the real heroes! You suck!" says another.
"We don't want your help!" says another.
The others agree with him and some start grabbing rocks and throwing them at him. Understanding the situation, Midoriya leaves, blocking the Villagers attacks, not wanting to engage in a fight with them.
"How did it go?" Asks Raphtalia as Midoriya returns to the carriage.
"Not very well." Answers Midoriya.
"What happened Midoriya?" Asks Denki sitting upside down to pass the time.
"They chased me out as soon as they found out I was the Shield Hero." Midoriya explains.
"I thought you were going to conceal your identity." Raphtalia states.
"That was the plan, but things didn't turn out as I thought." Midoriya explains. "By doing that they thought I was a bandit and attacked me. I had to use the Shield to defend myself. Well time to come up with a new plan."
He grabs a map and starts strategizing, trying to figure out where the Bandits hideout may be. The situation bores Denki a bit so he leaves to fight some monsters and explore the nearby area, while Midoriya and Raphtalia think of possible locations.
20 minutes Later Midoriya calls Denki back and they set out, but before they can get far one of the adventurers from before runs towards them shouting "Sir Shield Hero. Please. Help us."
Midoriya stops the cart, gets out and asks "What's the problem."
"We need your help Sir Shield Hero. The Bandits they're back. We thought that the called adventurers would be enough, but it seems that the Villagers calling us only made them angry. They took us all down swiftly and took some of the kids in the village hostage." Answers the Adventurer, while holding a broken arm.
Raphtali looks at Midoriya, with determination and worry in her eyes, remembering the past events in her life, such as when her village was looted by the knights. "Midoriya..." She lets out.
Midoriya looks at her and before she can say anything else he says "Right, let's go save those kids."
He turns to the adventurer and while pulling out his map of the region asks "Do you know where they went? Or where they're hideout is?"
The adventurer grabs the map and signals on it while saying "They headed north, there's an old abandoned stronghold here, it's likely that they'll be there."
"Thank you." Says Raphtalia, with determination in her eyes.
"Let's go." Says Midoriya
They head too close to the stronghold, where they leave the wagon. Moments later Midoriya uses One for all to kick in the door.
"What the... What are you doing here?" Asks one of the bandits.
They all get up, ready to fight.
"One last chance, drop your valuables and leave and we'll forget this ever happened." Another one says.
"Hand over what you took from the village and the hostages and we'll leave peacefully." Midoriya states.
"Yeah like that's gonna happen!" One of the bandits shouts while charging at Midoriya with a sword. Raphtalia parries the attack before it reaches Midoriya and strikes the bandit down.
Midoriya activates one for all at 15% and rushes at many of the bandits, he hits them in the stomach incapacitating them easily, while Raphtalia and Denki take care of some of the others.
"Where are the hostages!" Demands Raphtalia after they've cleared the room, while throwing one of the bandits against the wall.
"I-I-I don't know." Stamers the Bandit. His eyes wander over to the others in the room. When he looks at Midoriya he says "I would answer if I were you."
"Th-Thi-Third Floor." The bandit answers.
"Thanks." Midoriya says, kicking the man in the stomach.
"We don't know how many more people are here, so I think we should split up and clear the building." Midoriya suggests.
They put his idea into effect and take down all the bandits room by room, easily until all that's left is the third floor.
The group burts into the room, finding 7 bandits along with a couple of kids, tied up in a corner.
Raphtalia unsheathes her sword rushing at one of the bandits, incapacitating him quickly. She hits him with the fuller over the head.
"First light!" She then shouts, blinding another bandit who was rushing at her. Hits the sword out of the first one's hand and strikes at the second one, making a small cut in a nonessential area.
While that was going on Denki in his Filolial King form jumped at one of the bandits, grabbing him with his claws and throwing him against another.
At the same time one of the other bandits rushed at Midoriya to take him out. Seeing a move similarity to one bakugo once tried on him, Midoriya grabs onto the man's wrist as he swings from the right. He spins around and pivots the man onto the ground. Another bandit approaches him from behind, so Midoriya kicks him in the gut, with enough force to throw him against a wall.
The seventh bandit, seeing his comrades drop like flies runs to the kids and grabs one. He pushes his sword against the child's throat and afraid says "Leave me alone. Leave this place or the kid gets it."
Midoriya hesitates for a moment. He then raises his hand, causing the bandit to clench the knife and put it closer to the kids neck.
"Air Strike Shield." Midoriya shouts.
A shield appears between the Kid and the bandit's blade. Seeing an opening Raphtalia slicing at the man's arm, causing him to drop the weapon. Denki then uses a bit of lightning magic to incapacitate the man.
Midoriya runs to the child's side and asks "Are you alright?"
The child looks at Midoriya with a lot of fear in her eyes. Midoriya says "It's alright, everything's gonna be fine. We're here now."
Since the situation is taken care of Raphtalia starts freeing the children, her and Denki keep them at ease, while Midoriya uses the Rope Shield to tie up the bandits. There are too many to take, so instead they load their cart, with the stolen valuables and the children and head back to the Village.
The children run to their families, while the group hands the Village their possessions and rations back.
After the situation is resolved the Village gathers, the lord of the town takes the forefront and with a bit of hesitation and reluctancy says "Thank you very much sir hero. From the bottom of our hearts please accept our gratitude and our apologies. We were wrong to dismiss you just because you are the shield hero. Our religion has taught us to demonize the Shield and rely only on god and the other 3 heroes, but we've been waiting for four months for the capital to send help, so we thank you. What can we do to repay you."
Midoriya thinks for a moment and answers "Two Things. First, please don't tell anybody I'm the shield hero and second I'll just take the reward you promised the adventurers guild for solving the situation."
"Right. To the adventurer Deku, the Village of Boken rewards you for helping it and it's inhabitants." The lord says, while handing Midoriya a bag of 20 silvers.
After Midoriya asks the other adventurers for help taking the bandits to a guard station. Most just leave not wanting to help, but others decide to help, if only to get the possible rewards on the bandits heads.
Having helped the Village he heads back to the capital, the long way around this time, mainly because he has 2 more quests on the way. On the way back to the capital the group passes by a farm infested with monsters, who keep terrorizing the farms. There the group helps drive the monsters away and they help set up a secure area so that the farmers can work again. He takes his payment in produce so he doesn't take too much money from the farmers. He later gives the food to a starving Village a bit further northwest. After another five days of traveling the group returns to the castletown. Once there they sell many of the materials they gathered along their travels, to earn a little more money.
After earning more money they head to the Weapons shop.
"Oh hey kid, haven't seen you in a while." Says Erhard as he sees them enter the shop. "What have you been up to? Need anything specific?"
"We've been going around the country helping people out a bit, doing some missions for the Adventurers guild. It's been alright. We're here to repair our equipment and upgrade a bit. Maybe get Denki a weapon if he wants one." Midoriya answers.
"Sounds interesting, I'd love to hear about." Erhard says, while Raphtalia browses through some armours and Denki looks at some weapons.
After talking a bit with Erhard Midoriya takes off his armor so Erhard can do some repairs, as the durability was a bit low. Raphtalia selects a new armour for herself, to improve on her defense stats and Denki decides it's more fun to fight with his magic and firsts than with a weapon, he just feels it cramps his style.
Izuku heads back to the Adventurer's guild in order to get some new missions and quests.
"Hello Deku, you've had quite an impact on your adventures haven't you?" The receptionist asks as they enter the shop. "What types of mision are you looking for today?"
"Anything I can help out, really." Midoriya answers. "Unless there's a magic gemstone as a reward, we kinda need one of those."
"Well, we don't seem to have one of those at the moment, but you can always have a look at the board." The receptionist answers.
The party heads to the mission board and looks around, they see many missions. One that strikes Midoriya as an interesting one is a dragon that's causing havoc near Mirso Village. Raphtalia and him pick out a couple other quests and set off to Mirso as their first priority.