Ren and the others had killed the Wave Boss, and as he looked up to the sky, he could see the rift inside of Rozemyne's barrier rapidly closing.
The Wave was over. Now all they had left to do was slowly leak the monsters out of the barrier so that they could kill them little-by-little.
Or, that had been the plan.
As Ren watched, the golden winds which were holding the monsters in the air started to grow more and more rapidly, until it looked like the orb they were in was a massive whirlpool which was tearing the monsters to pieces and sending bits of bone and rotten flesh everywhere.
Ren was shocked by this, until he turned his head to look in the direction that Rozemyne had been in, only to see smoke rising up into the sky, accompanied by the distant sound of explosions.
"Rozemyne!" Ren shouted before running full speed in the direction of the sounds of violence, hoping to reach his friend in time to save her.
He shouldn't have left her alone. He should have assigned his own party to guard her from danger. With her focusing on the shield in the sky, was she even able to protect herself?
Worry pushed Rin harder, and he ignored what few monsters he passed in order to focus on reaching Rozemyne as quickly as possible.
However, as he brought out of the trees, he was met with a much different sight than he had been expecting.
There were around twenty knights, all lying on the ground, unable to move. They were giving off horrible noises, sounding as though someone was pressing down on their chests with a massive weight. And standing in front of them, cloaked in a powerful golden aura, was the Lady Rozemyne, the gemstone in the center of the Legendary Holy Shield glowing like a golden sun.
"Rozemyne?" Ren said unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
Her face turned towards him, and the kind and gentle smile she was known for was gone, replaced by a mask of indifference, two eyes that shone with the light of a rainbow, yet somehow managing to seem cold and cruel, locked onto Ren, who nearly staggered as whatever weight was on the Knights suddenly transferred to him. And while he could take it, it was definitely a staggering pressure.
Seeing Ren struggle, the young woman turned her gaze elsewhere, letting him breathe easy again.
"These men. They were attacking the village, attempting to break the barrier I had set up to protect the villagers." Rozemyne said, her voice echoing with the power of mana, seeming completely void of emotion. "These Knights. They care so little for the people that they would slaughter them for no reason at all."
The angry words were accompanied by a pulse that caused many of the Knights to cough up blood.
"Rozemyne, stop! You're killing them!" Ren said, confused by this development, but knowing that he didn't want Rozemyne to be made a killer.
"...I can't." Rozemyne said, as she closed her eyes, pulling back the pressure, but unable to stop the golden aura that radiated from her body. "I can't stop it. I grew too many levels. I can't control my mana anymore. The Shield can't contain it anymore. It is running too wild for me to channel it properly."
Ren had a sense that she was frightened, despite her monotone voice.
The magic stones on her body had turned to dust, causing her hair to fall and start to wave about in the wind of her unrestrained power.
She looked like some kind of evil spirit, or perhaps a vengeful Goddess.
But that didn't matter to Ren, as he heard her cough and saw a trickle of blood leaving the side of her mouth.
"Rozemyne!" Ren said, rushing towards her. The weight of all of that mana was crushing, but Ren didn't care. He pushed through until he reached her, and grabbed a hold of her. "You need to get a grip! You're killing yourself!"
"I can't." Rozemyne said, her voice void of emotion. "Until I bring my mana down to levels where I can control it, it will continue to rampage."
Ren bit his lip before coming up with an idea. "Then I'll just take some of that mana!" He held his sword up to her shield, letting their two stones touch and started to absorb the rampaging mana.
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL 6]
[Next level: 0/10,000]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL 7]
[Next level: 0/20,000]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL 8]
[Next level: 0/50,000]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL 9]
[Next level: 0/100,000]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL Max]
[Error!]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL Max(+1)]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL Max(+2)]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL Max(+3)]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL Max(+4)]
[Holy Sword(Base Form) - Mana Surge LvL Max(+5)]
Ren's world spun as the overwhelming power went from the Legendary Shield, into the Sword and then into Ren himself.
He felt as the mana overwhelmed him, pain surging through his body. Though the young swordsman could taste blood in his own mouth.
"Ren!" Rozemyne said, sounding worried again, though her mana was still rampaging.
"Don't worry… I can handle it." Ren lied. He felt like he was being ripped apart.
Rozemyne looked terrified, but quickly closed her eyes again. Her schtoppe appeared in her hand and she cast a spell. "Finsumhang."
A robe, black as the night, with tiny star-like specks of light, formed around Rozemyne, and as it did, the glow that had been surrounding her body died and her eyes returned to their pale golden color.
With the disappearance of the light show, the pressure disappeared as well, and Ren could breathe easy again. "Looks like… You're back in control, huh?" Ren said with an attempt at a grin, before collapsing in the girl's arms.
"Ren!" Rozemyne panicked, starting to heal him with magic as the others finally caught up to him.
Ren smiled in his sleep, as the mana that had been running through him had stopped hurting and the Legendary Holy Sword's crystal core had remained a golden yellow.
It felt as though he had been dyed in Rozemyne's color.
"Rozemyne, what happened back there?" Ren asked.
After he had been healed and given a moment to rest, he had recovered his consciousness.
With a brief explanation of what the knights had done, all four heroes were in agreement that they needed to be arrested and their behavior reported to the King, even if Rozemyne was skeptical that they had done anything that the nobility would consider 'wrong'.
With that tiny bit of business done, the party stepped into carriages and started to return to the castle, as summoned by the King, much to Rozemyne's annoyance, as the carriage was bumpy and awkward.
It would have probably hurt her butt, if she hadn't been the Shield Hero.
"I… suppose there is no use trying to hide it." Rozemyne said as she looked down. "Ren, you know that I have been avoiding leveling up, don't you?"
"...I thought you were just afraid of monsters." Ren admitted.
"No. I have been avoiding leveling because I have been trying to avoid letting my magic power increase." Rozemyne explained. "Where I am from, one's rank in society is related to how much magic power you have, and I… have a lot, more than anyone else alive. I actually possessed more mana than most entire Duchies by myself. Actually, I have more mana than anyone who has ever been born."
"...How much mana are we talking about?" Ren asked.
"If you want the numerical value that this world has assigned to it. At level 1 I had over 2.5 million MP. Now, because of leveling in that last wave, I have over 250 million. If you want to know the scale of what can be done with so much mana, with enough golden dust, I could create a hundred cities."
"...250 million?" Ren said, unable to wrap his head around it.
As a level 56 Sword Hero, with all of the bonuses and training methods he had unlocked, Ren had 2,000 MP.
Rozemyne had as much mana as everyone in the capital city put together. No, even more than that. She probably had more mana than the entire rest of the country.
"How do you control that much mana?"
"To be perfectly honest, I don't. I cover myself in Feystone that absorb the magic energy and empty them often. I constantly cast spells in order to keep my mana levels from getting too high. I dump enough mana into the land to grow an entire forest of high quality magical herbs. I create barriers large enough to cover entire cities. I create large structures and raw materials by overloading thousands of Feystones until they turn to dust. I unleash blessings upon thousands of people, guarding them from sickness and weakness. And even after all that, I've usually had some to spare. And that was back when I had only 2.5 million." Rozemyne admitted, her hands fiddling with the replica of the Cloak of the God of Darkness that was wrapped around her. "Right now, I'm using this cloak to control my mana. …I'm not sure what I am going to do when it comes time for me to sleep. I don't know if I can maintain this spell in my sleep."
"...Are you going to be alright?" Ren asked.
"I'll figure something out." Rozemyne said before frowning. "You were reckless, approaching me while I was losing control over my mana. If I hadn't been trying to protect you from it, you could have died. …Actually, how are you not died?"
"Luck of the Hero, I suppose." Ren said, crossing his arms and attempting to look cool.
"I suppose so." Rozemyne chuckled before looking out the window at the surrounding landscape. "I guess I really can't get married now. Even Ferdinand had barely had enough mana to have a chance before."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Ren said, puzzled by the sudden mention of marriage.
"I don't know if it is the case here, but where I come from, if two people don't have similar amounts of mana, they can't have children together. Even before I leveled up, there weren't many who could even maybe be compatible with me. Now, no one is. It is a good thing I had already adopted an heir, or else this could be a problem."
"...You know, marriage isn't only about having children."
"It is for the nobility. Having powerful children and building political ties is all that matters to them. Love sometimes comes into it, but only if it is convenient. My past engagements have never had any love in them."
"...Past engagements?" Ren said, seeming worried.
"I've been engaged three times. First was to my adopted brother, Wilfried, as part of a political move so that Wilfried could maintain his position as the next Archduke of Ehrenfest. He was nice as a brother, but… he resented me, because people kept comparing us and claiming that he was unworthy of me. He viewed himself more as my handler than my future husband. The person selected to hold my leash." Rozemyne said sadly. "After that was the Crown Prince Sigiswald, who was to marry me in order for the Royal Family to maintain control over the country. I was to be his third wife."
Ren's face became bitter, hearing that people had viewed Rozemyne as being a political pawn for marriages. The idea of someone 'holding her leash' made his blood boil. Her becoming a 'third wife' of someone who was probably double her age, for all he knew, was equally outrageous. He didn't care if the guy had been a prince.
"Finally, I became engaged to Ferdinand so that the two of us could escape the Royal Family's politics. It was perhaps the arrangement I most enjoyed. Mutually beneficial with us getting to live the lives we wanted, but there was no romance involved. He'd been my guardian since I was seven. He and I were like family, not lovers."
"Has there ever been anyone who you've loved?" Ren asked, trying to only sound curious, though fighting down a flush.
"No. Not in the way you are thinking. There were plenty of people who I loved like family, but… When your life is controlled by politics and you are chronically ill, romance doesn't really play a role in your plans." Rozemyne said with a small hum. "I guess there I had crushes back when I was a girl in Japan. But after dying and becoming Myne, I just stopped having them. Maybe it was a difference in ideals, but I never really clicked with anyone after that. And the Romance novels that my mother wrote were a little… flowery worded."
Rozemyne blushed a bit, thinking about Elvira's novel series, though Ren was caught up on something else.
"...Wait, when you were a girl in Japan?" She'd told him in the past about having been adopted into the nobility, but he couldn't recall anything about her being Japanese.
"Hm… Yeah. I used to be Japanese, before I was reincarnated as Myne. Haven't I mentioned that before?" Rozemyne said.
"No! You haven't!" Ren shouted, causing the girl to jump and cover her ears.
"Eep. Sorry! I… I must have forgotten. Teehee." Rozemyne said with a bit of a goofy smile. The kind she'd only started to make around him when she had become comfortable with him. "I always used to get in trouble for forgetting to report small details like that."
"That isn't a small detail! That is a very important detail!" Ren said, facepalming. "Honestly."
He looked up to see her smiling at him, her mood greatly improved by being yelled at for being an idiot.
…To think this was the girl he would develop a crush for.
Name: Rozemyne
Level: 52
HP: 1,581
MP: 250,736,925
SP: 2,203
ATK: 1
DEF: 79,132
AGL: 987
INT: 82,335
COOKING: 300
Title(s): Saint Hero of the Shield, Avatar of Mestionora, Legendary Bookworm, Walking Mana Catastrophe, Blameless Innocent, Mother of Orphans, Potions Sales Girl
Rozemyne was glad that she had modeled for that otaku-like seamstress in town. It had given her several dresses to work with for formal occasions, and with a bit of creative magic, she changed one of them to being a match for the Cloak of Darkness in time for the congratulatory ball held in the Heroes honor.
Raphilia and Lynna, the raccoon and rabbit Demihuman girls turned women, were acting as her escort knights in snazzy outfits of their own.
It was to be a feast, but Rozemyne and her guards had made sure to eat their fill beforehand, and she had warned the pair not to accept anything offered directly to them.
She had potions on hand for treating several different types of poison, but she would prefer not using them.
Despite being the royal castle, it was surprisingly small and lowkey compared to those Rozemyne was used to. But they didn't have the advantage of being able to create them out of the Ivory Stone that every building in her world had been made of.
It was a castle built through physical labor, rather than by channeling mana through the Duchy's foundation and snapping your fingers. Rozemyne could build a castle bigger than this one in maybe thirty minutes, including drawing up the blueprints.
The magic of this world really was different than the kind Rozemyne was familiar with, rewriting aspects of nature was a lot harder than channeling the powers that define that nature. The local mages didn't have the advantage of having a schtoppe, a shard of divinity absorbed into their bodies, to help them control their magic power either.
The daycore and music would also not have received passing marks from Rozemyne's attendants. The food also had that classic problem among nobles that it put presentation above taste. Though it was surprisingly being held in a buffet format and no one appeared to have brought their own plates.
People really weren't worried about being poisoned, were they? The little voice in the back of her mind that sounded like Ferdinand whispered reminders of how many poisonous substances she had inside of her item space, and how she should give the entire court diarrhea as punishment for their foolishness.
Rozemyne walked out into the center of the social floor, waiting to be invited into a conversation… but surprisingly wasn't.
She received a lot of looks from the eyes of men and women alike, but the moment they noticed the large golden shield attached to her arm, a copy of Rozemyne's replica of the Shield of the Goddess of the Wind, they quickly pretended not to notice her.
Very strange behavior.
It wasn't because she was a Hero. They were flocking around Itsuki and Motoyasu. Perhaps it was because of her Demihuman bodyguards.
Well, it's not like she actually cared. She just found a table to sit at and brought out a book. It was a book on the Kingdom's architectural styles among both the nobility and commoners, outlining the different buildings one would put in a newly constructed village.
She wasn't terribly interested in the subject, but it was reading and it was useful.
Unfortunately, someone didn't feel like just leaving her alone and came on over. "Rozemyne. It's good to see you made it to the party." Motoyasu said as he leaned up against her table, flashing her a smile. "You and Ren were pretty wiped out after the Wave, so I wasn't sure you would make it."
He looked pretty dashing in his silver and red armor, with his golden hair pulled back in a ponytail. Like a knight in shining armor out of a children's story. He might even be able to rival people like Ferdinand and Sylvester in terms of looks.
But just like Rozemyne's adopted father, the way he carries himself makes him hard to take seriously. Only Motoyasu was doing it in the middle of the public eye.
"I will probably bow out early in order to rest, but it would be shameful of me not to do my best to make an appearance when invited by the King himself." Rozemyne said with her noble smile.
"You're tired?" Motoyasu asked, seeming a little concerned for her.
"Using magic power is tiring, even for someone as used to it as I am." Rozemyne replied. "I'll be fine with two or three days of rest."
"Two or three days!?" Motoyasu shouted in surprise.
"It's been longer in the past, but I feel as though the Legendary Shield is protecting me from the backlash, to an extent." Rozemyne said, as if it was no big deal. "Don't worry. I used to lose consciousness and be bedridden for at least a week after using magic like that."
"That isn't something you should… uh… never mind." Motoyasu said, rubbing his head. "So that sphere thing in the sky was magic huh? Not one of the Shielder's skills."
"That's right. Its technical name is the Wall of Judgment. It is a reproduction of the effects of the Goddess of Wind's blessing using magic circles. Usually, you put it around a point you wish to defend and it will stop all aggressors and attacks from passing through, while letting the innocent pass unharmed, but I have used it to contain large beasts in the past. This is the first time I had ever used it to contain a horde though. I underestimated how much the hundreds of small attacks would drain me. And the attacks from those Oath Breaking Knights did not help matters."
Putting up two barriers at once, putting out fires, and maintaining her highbeast, took a lot of skill. Skill that Rozemyne didn't really have. So she replaced skill with pure power, forcing what she wanted to happen even though she didn't have the control needed to pull it off in a graceful fashion.
"And people where you come from can just… do that?" Motoyasu said in disbelief.
"Naturally. It is taught the fourth year at the Academy to those taking the Archducal Candidate Courses. With each of the twenty Duchies having seven Archducal Candidates on average, there are at least a hundred people who can use it." Rozemyne said.
Of course, she never took said course, nor would anyone but her, and maybe Ferdinand, be able to perform it at such a scale and without the assistance of magic tools, but she didn't need to tell them that.
"Then, would you be able to teach someone how to do it?" Motoyasu asked. "Even if it was something on a smaller scale, it would still be an incredibly useful spell to have."
"Ah… Forgive me, but I don't believe that is possible." Rozemyne said with a shake of her head.
"What!? Why not!?" One of the women with Motoyasu interjected, a redhead with flattering looks, even if the clothes she wore lacked the modesty of a noblewoman.
"Myne…" Motoyasu said, looking concerned at the woman, and confusing Rozemyne.
"The spell can be cast one of two ways, either as a prayer to the Goddess of Wind, who cannot hear us in this world, or through the use of a schtoppe." Rozemyne explained.
"And what is a schtoppe?" The woman demanded heatedly.
Rozemyne briefly wondered who this woman was to so confidently snap at an Archduchess and recognized Hero like that. Then she decided that she actually didn't care, and would much prefer she just go away rather than answering such a question.
"It is a shard of divinity, obtained by a noble of my home country from the furthest hall when they are at the Royal Academy. It is an instrument used for casting spells, kind of like a wand." Rozemyne said, placing a hand against her cheek. "I could create a magic tool that does a similar job, but that would require a lot of expensive parts."
"You can make something like that!?" Itsuki said, butting into the conversation and showing that he had been listening in.
"In my homeland, it isn't that uncommon to attach spells like that to important buildings. Though few of those can withstand serious magical attacks. The foundation stones though could produce barriers strong enough to stop attacks over something as large as a country." Rozemyne explained, annoyed that people were continuing to disrupt her reading, but putting on a noble smile regardless.
"And what about one for personal use? Like a belt or something? Could you make one that just guarded an individual?" Itsuki asked.
"Oh, I see. The Bow Hero wants to get over his weakness at close quarters by having a safety bubble for himself." Motoyasu said, crossing his arms. He didn't seem to like Itsuki interrupting him while he was talking to Rozemyne. "Shouldn't you be thinking about protecting entire villages instead?"
Itsuki bristled at the insult. "Isn't it natural. It is the Shielder's duty to focus on the defense during large scale battles, while those of use with higher damage focus on dealing damage as efficiently as possible."
"You say that, but I think the last Wave speaks for itself." Ren said loudly as he stepped forward. "Rozemyne didn't just hold the monsters back. She exterminated hundreds of thousands of them at once."
This silenced both Itsuki and Motoyasu, as well as what appeared to be the entire party of nobles near enough to hear him.
"Even so, what Itsuki said is true, in a way. I can defend any nearby areas during the Waves and he would be more effective if he could attack without worrying about being targeted by attacks. Even if I think he should plan to coordinate with others." Rozemyne said gently. "Besides… It would be better if I could not get my level any higher than it already is."
Ren opened his mouth to object, but didn't, sighing instead. "Point taken."
"But given the circumstances, I couldn't afford to make such an item as a gift. I would have to charge you for it, and I'm afraid it would be quite expensive." Rozemyne said, turning towards the Bow Hero.
"How much would it cost?" Itsuki asked, sounding determined. Perhaps being shown up during the Wave had left him hungry for the ability to close up his weaknesses.
"I'm just estimating but… I'd say around 5,000 gold coins should be sufficient." Rozemyne said, shocking everyone who heard her.
"You… You can't be serious!" Itsuki said in disbelief. "5,000? An A-rank request at the Adventurer's Guild only pays maybe 100! Just how expensive are these materials!?"
"While the material cost is high, it is more of the opportunity cost that is driving up the value currently. After all, if I am spending the time designing and creating a magic tool for you to use, I am not doing other things, like this." Rozemyne said, gesturing towards her book and stack of papers where she was preparing her blueprints.
"And… that is?" Motoyasu asked, not sure what he was looking at.
"Preparations for a spell that will construct a new village, to replace the one damaged during the Wave. I will also be restoring their crop fields." Rozemyne explained, shocking the audience again. "From my understanding of the cost of construction from this book, and the loss of profits from the damages and the reallocation of labor, the reconstruction of the village should cost in the range of 500 gold coins. And that village isn't the only one in need of such treatment. Others were even more seriously damaged during the first Wave, before our summoning.
"In the time it would take me to make the magic tool you are requesting, I could create ten whole villages and grow enough food to feed an entire nation. So if you want me to have the time to make your magic tool, I would need money equal to the amount it would cost to pay others to reconstruct the villages."
"Such magic exists?" Motoyasu said in shock, the gathered nobles also whispered in earnest, some with very desperate faces peeking out from underneath noble masks.
"It is the entire reason why Archdukes are given such privileges. It is our duty to create and maintain the Duchy." Rozemyne declared. "Though usually, others are given the task of healing the land, I learned it during my time at the Temple. It is harder, in this world where my prayers cannot reach the Gods, but it is still doable."
"Then, you really can grow crops with your magic?" One of the noble said, unable to contain himself, despite him speaking up in front of his betters, with the Legendary Heroes greatly out classing him. "Forgive my rudeness, Lady Shield Hero. I am Viscount Jewels and my territory is currently in the middle of a terrible famine brought about by crop disease. I am more than ready to pay 500 gold coins if you could repair the damage done to our farms."
The Heroes and many of the surrounding nobles were surprised as the man came forward to beg for assistance, but his boldness seemed to had broken some kind of dam and noble after noble came forward, almost pushing one another aside to speak to Rozemyne.
"Wait, I will give you 1000 gold to restore my lands!"
"Please, our emergency food stores are starting to run out! We've lost so much to banditry already!"
"I'll swear my soldiers to you if you will just help us!"
"Lady Shield Hero!"
These noblemen had been hearing rumors about the Shield Hero's miraculous powers of causing crops to grow and how any land she set foot on would immediately see a change to its harvest.
They had been kept at bay by the King and Church's hatred for the Shield Hero, but the knowledge that their people were dying and that they were on the brink of riots had the men desperate enough to even go against the powers that be.
"Enough!" Rozemyne said, her voice carrying power and authority enough to silence the nobles. "Appoint three from among you to act as representatives and we will hash out a route so that I can visit all of your lands."
The nobles were relieved, but sheepish about having been seen in such a state, calming down after giving their thanks to the Saint of the Holy Shield.
Rozemyne kept a gentle smile on the surface, not revealing her innermost thoughts as they fetched a map so that they could start planning.
She was about to get a super payday!
Based on the numbers I am using, an average person at level 100 would have about 200,000 mana.
So at level 1, Rozemyne had more than ten what people believed to be the theoretical max. Now she has ascend to an even higher level of ridiculous.