Hey, S2 is releasing this October. Meaning that if I keep this rate up, I'll be well into the next arc before the anime is doing it. That'll be a lot of fun.
To prove I'll be in the next Arc by that point, we're finally hitting it.
Enjoy the chapter everyone!
Chapter Nine: News from Cal Mira
Melromarc: 22 Days Before the Wave of Catastrophe
"Sir Naofumi?"
Sunlight was streaming in through the windows, lighting up an accessory that Naofumi held in his hands. He ignored the irritating voice trying to bother him as he looked over the fruit of his labor.
It was a thin steel chain with a small sword made out of silver attached to the end of it. The hilt was made of gold, and it had a tiny sapphire embedded in it. It kind of reminded him of the accessories attached to the bottom of blades in a game series he'd tried out a few years ago.
Sword Accessory: Attack Up (Large), Agility Up (Large)
Quality: Excellent
All of his hard work experimenting with accessories was finally starting to pay off. This was probably his best one yet. He almost felt tempted to tell Ren that he'd failed and would have to start over just so he could wear this himself, but Naofumi decided against it.
The percentage-based(?) attack boost would help Ren out far more. The Shield Hero speculated that he'd have to wear at least one hundred of these same enchanted accessories if he ever wanted to kill a balloon with one punch…
"Sir Naofumi!?"
Naofumi looked at the next accessory. It was similar to the first, but it wasn't finished yet. It held the shape of a bow made of gold. A piece of amber was embedded on its front. He just had to fine-tune the shape a little more, and then begin the process of enchanting it, then he could-
"SIR NAOFUMI!? Will you look up from your desk and pay attention for once!?"
His eyes rolled to the top of his head. That irritating voice was becoming very distracting.
"What is it, Second Princess?" Naofumi asked with an annoyed sigh.
"Stop calling me that!"
"Whatever, now again, what is…" Naofumi turned around to speak, only to shut up in surprise.
"Hmmm, so this is where you live, Sir Naofumi." Melty was standing near the doorway… right next to her Mother, who looked around the room curiously. "I must say, you have good taste, if I do say so myself."
Naofumi's mouth moved, but no words came out.
"Two beds… so you and Miss Raphtalia aren't sleeping together?" Mirellia asked curiously. "Does that mean your relationship is going through a… rough patch?" She looked down at Melty. "Why didn't you tell me sooner Melty? I could have made the arrangements to have you married if that was the case."
"M-Mother!" Melty yelled indignantly.
"Why are you so shocked, my dear? Would you be against such an arrangement?"
"YES! I WOULD VERY MUCH BE AGAINST MARRYING THIS BASTARD!" Melty pointed at Naofumi.
Naofumi blinked in confusion. What the hell was going on now?! Why was the Queen of Melromarc standing in his room?!
"Fufufu." The queen laughed in a good-natured fashion while covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers. "Your language is becoming so rough, Melty. I see that living out in the country is starting to change you."
Melty's face turned a bright red, and her lips struggled to produce any coherent words. "I guess it was a bad idea anyways," The Queen continued. "You seem busy enough as it is." Mirellia smiled amusedly as she rubbed the top of her daughter's head. Even though she'd been offended seconds ago, Melty made like her namesake and melted under her mother's loving touch, smiling widely in the process.
"Wh-wh-what are you doing here?!" Naofumi finally managed to sputter out in surprise.
"Tsk tsk tsk." The queen clicked her tongue playfully. "Sir Naofumi, you still haven't answered my question." Mirellia held her folded fan in front of her face. He couldn't see or tell what she was feeling at all. "Are you and Miss Raphtalia having relationship problems? If so, I can recommend-"
"No, we're not!" Naofumi protested. He was starting to blush.
"Oh, then why do you sleep in separate beds-"
"That is irrelevant!" Yeah, sure, he was in a relationship, but that didn't mean that he was all that comfortable with sleeping with Raphtalia… not every night at least.
Plus, who knew what'd happen if they did so. If things progressed rapidly and then he got her pregnant… yeah, it probably wasn't such a great idea to have a child during the Waves. Abstinence was the best policy! And separate beds were the best way to keep things from happening!
Separate rooms or separate homes might have been an even better policy. But he felt better having Raphtalia nearby and he doubted that she would go along with such an arrangement anyway.
"Again, what are you doing here!?" Naofumi tried to change the topic again.
"Hmmm…" It almost looked like she was going to tease him some more, but she folded her fan back up, revealing that her playfulness was gone. "Sir Itsuki brought me at my request." Mirellia lightly bowed her head as she answered. "I wanted to share some news privately with the Cardinal Heroes."
Naofumi lightly glared at Melty. "And you didn't think to tell me about this because...?"
"Well, I uh. In my defense, I just learned about it myself." Melty admitted bashfully.
…
"... So you came here unannounced." Naofumi turned to face Mirellia again.
The Queen nodded. "Yes. I apologize for the intrusion, but as I said, there is something important that I wish to share."
Naofumi looked at her, and then at Melty. He then put his tools down on his desk, and stood up. "Fine. Where's everyone else waiting?"
"They're already down in your living room." The Queen promptly answered.
"Why my house? Wouldn't the Church be better?" The Shield Hero's eye twitched in annoyance.
"Fufufu. I can't risk being seen in your territory while my body double is putting forth so much effort into making it look like I'm still at the castle." Mirellia chuckled.
Naofumi rolled his eyes and said nothing more as he followed Mirellia and Melty first out into the hallway, and then down the stairs into the living room. Itsuki, Ren, and Motoyasu were already there, sitting on his various pieces of furniture.
"Ah, there you are Naofumi." Itsuki said with a friendly wave.
"What was that you were yelling about upstairs?" Motoyasu asked curiously.
"It was nothing, now get out of my chair." Naofumi forced himself to remain calm as he shooed the Spear Hero out of his favorite rocking chair, forcing Motoyasu to join Itsuki and Ren on the sofa next to the coffee table. The Shield Hero then took his seat and gestured for Mirellia to begin.
"Ah, the Heroes are finally gathered… Melty, I'd like you to stay as well." Mirellia nodded to herself before addressing her daughter.
Melty, who'd been about to sneak out through the back door, stopped in surprise. "Oh, really? But I'm not a Hero-"
"As you're the official governor of… Sir Heroes, have you perhaps, assigned a name to your city-state yet?" Mirellia asked in confusion.
The four young men shifted around uncomfortably. "I mean, we've been calling it Lurolona…" Ren shrugged.
"Although there are some people who call it Seaetto," Itsuki mentioned.
"Huh. I could have sworn I heard somebody calling it New Siltvelt the other day." Motoyasu answered thoughtfully.
"New Siltvelt?!" Naofumi exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, what about it?" Motoyasu cocked his head to the side.
"... hmmm, regardless, Melty, you're the official governor here. What I'm here to share will very well have an impact on you too." The Queen explained calmly.
"Oh, um, okay…" Melty sat down at the table near Motoyasu. The five of them stared expectantly at Mirellia as she looked them all over.
"So, um, what's so important that you wanted to tell us in secret?" Ren awkwardly broke the silence that ensued.
"Did you find out where the Church is hiding?" Itsuki made a guess.
"Did something happen with Siltvelt?" Naofumi contemplated as well.
"Is one of the Guardian Beasts awakening?" Motoyasu asked tersely.
…
The other three heroes looked at Motoyasu. One in confusion, and two in horror. "What?! I mean, if it's serious, then-" Motoyasu tried to explain.
"No, we don't know where the Church is hiding yet. I have my Shadows carefully searching as we speak. Siltvelt's army has since returned home without incident. And thankfully, no, none of the Guardian Beasts show any sign of awakening anytime soon." Mirellia quickly answered, relieving the growing tension in the air.
Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki visibly relaxed. Naofumi just looked around in confusion, but he didn't press. Ren's question still hadn't been answered yet.
"I was thinking of how to say this, but the news I wanted to share with you all is this: The Cal Mira Archipelago phenomenon has activated." She answered Ren's question.
…
Naofumi was confused. What was this Cal something something, and why was it so important that it had activated-
"No way! That's great!" Itsuki stood up excitedly.
"That's… just, wow." Ren was smiling widely. It looked good on him.
"Oh, heh." Motoyasu chuckled. "Too bad that I've already gotten past level 70. It won't do much good for me now."
"Hmmm, so you heroes already know what this means?" Mirellia asked curiously. She'd wondered how to break the news, but it seemed the Heroes were already aware of what this meant.
"Well, we're not sure if it's exactly like what we knew before," Itsuki said. "But if it is, then that means-"
"Um, guys…" Naofumi raised his hand awkwardly, interrupting Itsuki. "What are you all talking about?"
…
…
It was the first time that he'd seen Itsuki, Ren, and Motoyasu all facepalm at the same time. Mirellia sweatdropped. Maybe not all the Heroes were aware of the significance of this.
"Of course," Ren muttered.
"Naofumi obviously wouldn't know," Itsuki muttered as well.
"Why couldn't he have played a similar game like us?" Motoyasu muttered last. "Things could have been so much simpler."
"Oi! Just answer the question!" Naofumi yelled angrily at them.
"Alright, where to start? Hmm..." Itsuki began to explain.
"There's an event in Dimension Wave known as the Activation event. During it, EXP given by monsters in a particular area is doubled over a period of time."
"The spawn rate of monsters also goes way up." Ren continued. "So grinding them gives you a lot of EXP really quickly. You also get a lot more items because of all the monsters you're killing."
"The EXP gains begin to drop after you reach Level 70 though, and the boost disappears entirely once you hit Level 80. So it's not an event me or my party would have much interest in." Motoyasu chuckled nervously.
Motoyasu: LV: 75
Rino: LV: 71
Elena: LV: 69
"It'll definitely be useful for the rest of you though! You and your parties have plenty of room for level growth! Including you, Naofumi!"
Naofumi: LV: 49
Itsuki: LV: 61
Ren: LV: 59
The three Heroes sweatdropped. Yeah, it'd definitely help them if they could gain a bunch of levels, especially those party members who had the seals on them now. Besides the work Itsuki had done slaying monsters for another country, and Ren helping Fitoria with a Wave, they really hadn't had time to grind out levels.
Honestly though, all the rare items that they would acquire, as well as all the new weapon forms that they could get from fighting the various monsters inhabiting the island chain would be even more beneficial for powering themselves up via the strengthening methods than the increase in levels.
They didn't say it out loud though, because they'd come to know at this point that Motoyasu would not agree on that matter for some bizarre reason that none of them knew. And it was too tiring to try and ask anymore.
"I'm guessing that since we're not arguing about each other's details that it's the same in all of our games?" Ren asked the other two. Motoyasu gave a thumbs up in response, and Itsuki nodded casually.
"Huh…" Naofumi wasn't sure, but that was one of the few times that the other three's game knowledge had ever lined up about something outside of the Waves of Catastrophe.
Mirellia nodded in satisfaction at their answers. "Yes, you Heroes really are well informed about this. Fufufu, I shouldn't have expected anything less from those of another world."
"... Um… I hate to be that guy, but aren't we forgetting something?" Naofumi asked.
Itsuki, Ren, and Motoyasu all fell backwards out of the sofa.
"Are you kidding, what could we be forgetting?!" Itsuki yelled.
"We're talking about free level-ups here! The easiest grinding session and item gathering event of all time!" Ren shouted passionately as well, standing up behind the Bow Hero.
"Monsters, tons of monsters! Just think about all the drops we could find! All the gold we could make!" Motoyasu towered behind the two, his arms raised high in excitement. "We'd never go into debt ever again!"
"And with the Hero Service Seals that our friends got to make themselves stronger, this will be the perfect opportunity to put them to good use!" Itsuki continued.
"And you could even use this as an opportunity to sell all of your cool accessories and potions to the other adventurers at Cal Mira!" Motoyasu finished.
Naofumi was honestly surprised at Motoyasu's statement there. If this was all true then it really would be a good business opportunity. Still, the three fumed at him, steam coming out of their ears. Naofumi sweatdropped.
He guessed, there really were times where not having gaming knowledge of this world came at a disadvantage. "I mean, yeah, that makes sense, but how could we possibly go?" Naofumi asked with a shrug.
…
The Shield Hero could have sworn that he could actually see the dots over their confused heads. "We just dealt with a slaver raid the other day. If we left, wouldn't that leave the town wide open and vulnerable to more?"
The air visibly deflated from the three stooges. They all fell back into the sofa, defeated looks on their faces.
"Yeah…"
"I guess you're right…"
"I didn't think of that…"
"If the people were stronger, it'd be worth the risk… but…" Naofumi sighed.
"Perhaps, in any other situation, you'd be correct Sir Naofumi," Mirellia spoke out again. "Which is why I'm sharing this with you Heroes."
"... eh?" They looked at her in confusion.
"Officially, the activation event happens every ten years. But the exact time during the year varies." She lifted her fan over her face. "Fufufu, and as we are in the midst of the Waves, and dealing with a cult hiding amongst traitors. So it is my right to inform only those I trust about this. I figure, besides you Heroes, and some adventurers, I can make do with keeping most of my nobility in the dark."
The four stared at Mirellia. Was she seriously suggesting…?!
"You mean, you'd really do that for us?!" Ren asked incredulously.
"Your Majesty, your kindness truly knows no bounds!" Itsuki said excitedly.
By not informing the majority of her nobles, the information would have to be passed by word of mouth. Meaning they could, theoretically, be there and back before their enemies learned they'd left to get stronger.
"I don't know, I'm still a little iffy about leaving everyone here unprotected," Naofumi muttered.
"Well I say, since I won't benefit from it much anyway, so I can stand my ground to make sure everyone remains safe and sound!" Motoyasu said happily.
…
The others looked at him weirdly. What was with his voice there? It was even weirder than normal.
"Urk." Motoyasu's face twisted into a look of shock at what he'd said. 'WHAAAAAAAAAAT?! What the hell am I thinking?! There's no way I can run this place by myself!? Why would I even suggest that?!'
Motoyasu's mind flashed back to the time back when he was Lute's Lord. Putting the large taxes over the people. Ignoring their complaints. Everyone moving out and rebelling.
Getting his butt kicked by a town guardsman.
'No! I wouldn't be able to handle doing it again! Why did I open my stupid fat mouth!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' Motoyasu began rolling around on the ground, arms covering his head in a panic.
"Uhhhhh…" Ren, Itsuki, and Naofumi all looked at each other. They didn't need to speak aloud to agree that it was almost like watching a scene from an anime. Naofumi sighed, and he thought they'd done so well avoiding all these stupid tropes lately.
"Um, Sir Motoyasu, if you're that worried, maybe I could-" Melty started to sadly say. She'd been excited about possibly getting to go to Cal Mira, but if she was really needed here, then-
"I'm afraid not, Melty." Mirellia closed her fan. "That is my only condition for telling the Heroes about this. I would prefer that worrying about my precious daughter's safety stay at the bottom of my list of priorities. Especially since you chose to not get the Hero Service Seal." She said with finality.
"Urk! But, that's only because I don't trust Sir Naofumi with putting a slave crest on me!" Melty pointed at the Shield Hero.
"And you couldn't have assigned yourself to another Hero?" Mirellia asked curiously.
"Well, errr..." Melty stumbled to find something to say.
"Oi, I already said it doesn't matter!" Naofumi huffed, crossing his arms on his chest and looking away haughtily. "Besides, even if she did want it, I'd rather not deal with a Second Princess that was irritating, annoying, and powerful."
"Wahhhhh! You're so meannnnnnn!" Melty began pounding on his back with her small fists while throwing a childish tantrum.
However, it did absolutely nothing to the Shield Hero. It only hurt her fists. It was like punching a stone wall over and over again.
"You make it sound like we're already going," Ren said while trying to hide a small smirk that came to his face from the familiar comedy routine playing out in front of him.
"Am I hearing that you don't want to get stronger and save our world?" Mirellia suddenly looked far bigger, and far more intimidating. Was that ice beginning to cover her fan?! "Was my time here perhaps wasted, Sir Heroes."
"Nope! Not at all, Your Majesty!" Ren almost squeaked as he said that. S-Sc-SCARY!
"Tch. Fine. How many can we bring with us?" Naofumi sighed in acceptance. Melty had at least stopped hurting her fists and was pouting behind him now.
Why did Naofumi have to be so mean?! It was so unfair! He cared for Filo like his own daughter, and Raphtalia like they were married! Why couldn't he at least be a little nicer to her!?
Naofumi, meanwhile, almost felt tempted to needle her by calling her Second Princess again. Then he thought better of it and listened to Mirellia.
"Since Sir Motoyasu has volunteered to stay behind, the rest of you should be able to bring all your party members along," Mirellia informed them. "The ship to Cal Mira departs tomorrow morning from the port southeast of here. I do hope you make sure to stay inconspicuous during that time." She explained further. "After all, as much as I want to our enemies in the dark, I'd rather it wasn't revealed that the Heroes had left their territory to train together. That kind of information could spread far more quickly than you'd think.
"These are your tickets." She handed each of the heroes several small, thin strips of paper. "As you're going incognito, do not expect lavish treatment on your arrival. The Lord there has already been informed to treat you as normal adventurers. Follow the local laws, and don't do anything to antagonize the other adventurers. Is that understood?"
"Of course, um…" Itsuki looked at the others nervously. "There is one last thing though. I think if we go, once we get within a certain distance of the islands, our Portal skills won't work. If we needed to portal back, we'd have to get a certain distance away from the event before we'd be able to do so."
"So in other words, if we commit to this, we won't have a way to contact the Queen should things go south, and we'll have to trust Motoyasu with the safety of the people here for an entire week," Naofumi concluded.
The Shield Hero then looked at Motoyasu, who looked as white as a ghost. 'A week. A whole week running this place…' Part of his soul trailed out of his mouth. 'Oh no, I don't think I can do this...'
"Do you think you'll be capable of protecting everyone in the meantime, weak sauce?" Naofumi dryly asked.
"Who are you calling weak!" Motoyasu immediately stood up straight in anger. "I say, I won't let nary a hair fall off from the people's heads while you're all away!"
He said it proudly but then he started to pale after realizing what he did again. 'Seriously, why the hell am I doing this!?'
"Do not worry. Should something come up, I'll let you know." Mirellia said.
"Do you have a way to send messages to Cal Mira?" Itsuki asked.
"How do you think I received news of the Activation Event so early? Fufufu." Mirellia chuckled into her fan.
"Fine, well, if the Second Princess has to come with us, then she better start leveling right now," Naofumi remarked.
"So rude! Give me one good reason why I should listen to you!" Melty angrily huffed.
"Well, unless you want to be stuck at the level cap right after we've arrived," Naofumi smirked while gesturing at what he and she could see over the Party HUD.
Second Princess: LV. 38
Yep, he'd labeled her as Second Princess. And there was nothing that anyone could do about it either. No amount of stink-eye from Raphtalia and Filo would make him budge on this.
Melty looked at her stats, and paled in realization. "M-M-Mother! I need my class-up!" She stuttered out.
"Well, then you better get your levels quickly dear. I don't think that Sir Naofumi wants to go all the way there and then be forced to come back just for you." Mirellia said with absolutely no sympathy in her voice whatsoever.
Melty rushed out of the door. "F-Filoooooooooo!" She called out for her best friend's help.
"Grab Eclair too! She could use that class-up before we go as well!" Naofumi yelled after her.
Eclair: LV: 39
"... Can't they both technically be classed up now?" Ren cocked his eyebrow. "You don't need to be at the level cap, you just have to be over level 30."
"Sure. But the Second Princess didn't want a seal, and neither did Eclair. Getting class-ups early stunts later growth. So unless they want to further stunt their growth by getting their class-ups before the cap, they better get to level 40 by this evening." Naofumi smirked evilly. "Otherwise, they'll grow to be even weaker than the others."
…
Ren and Itsuki both sweatdropped. "Sometimes, I forget how evil Naofumi can be."
"He's definitely thinking evil thoughts right now."
"It's almost like he's punishing them for not getting the seal." Motoyasu shook his head in mock disgust.
"So unfair." They all agreed.
"Oi! One of you better be ready to take them to the Capital for their class-ups!" Naofumi yelled at them.
"Of course, Naofumi." The peanut gallery agreed.
Itsuki took Mirellia back to her castle via his portal skill. During the time he was gone as he waited for the cooldown timer on his skill to finish, Naofumi and Ren gathered their parties, minus Melty, Eclair, and Filo, and explained what was going on. Once that was done, they sent them out to explain to the villagers that the three of them would be gone for a while, and that they should "proceed as normal" in the meantime under Motoyasu.
Keel was definitely sad that Brother Shield and Raphtalia-chan were going to be gone for a while. Anya and the other kids almost cried, but they promised to be good while Sir Itsuki was away. They became energetic almost immediately after and said that they'd do their best to help Sir Motoyasu run the village!
Hopefully they didn't help Motoyasu run this place into the ground.
Motoyasu left for part of the day. However, he returned around midafternoon with a familiar old woman. When asked by the others, he explained that he couldn't just skip training. So he convinced the Hengen Musou Granny to train him in Lurolona while they spent their time leveling in Cal Mira.
Naofumi was almost surprised by how smart Motoyasu was at that moment. Granny would definitely be useful for defending the village. He'd seen for himself how crazy fast and strong she was.
It was, however, ruined as he finally got to observe how exactly Motoyasu was 'training' under her.
"Urghhhh! You make this look so easy!" Motoyasu was struggling, quite literally, to press his finger into a stone.
…
What.
Like, he was literally pressing his thumb into a rock. That was all he was doing.
"As I've said before Spear Hero, you must concentrate your life force to the tip of your finger! Then you must learn to release it into the stone in your hand, like this." The old lady explained as her own finger disappeared inside of the rock she held. "You've made great progress despite your low innate talent! Once you master this, it'll be far easier to use your life force to attack!"
"I know, I'm trying, I say!" Motoyasu sweated in determination.
"Do or do not, there is no try!" Naofumi blinked rapidly upon hearing that. What the hell was he looking at here?! "Do it!" Granny chopped the back of Motoyasu's head with her hand.
"Agh! Alright alright, I'm sorry! I'll master this! I'll master this so I can become the strongest hero again!"
"That's the spirit!"
Naofumi rolled his eyes and walk away after observing that. Perhaps Granny wasn't as wise as she was old. How disappointing.
No wonder Motoyasu was the weakest of the bunch. Life force? He'd never heard of it, much less, knew why Motoyasu would try his hand at such a thing.
He went off to gather some herbs, and when he came back, he learned a small commotion had been caused by Rishia and Granny during Motoyasu's training. From what he understood, it seemed like Itsuki's friend had caught the old lady's attention for some bizarre reason.
It didn't involve him though, and he decided he wasn't remotely interested in Motoyasu's training or miss Granny anymore. Since he still had other tasks to do, he didn't press to learn anything more about it.
Melty, Eclair, and Filo finally came back in the evening. The Princess was gripping to Filo's back, tired as hell. Eclair also looked a little winded, and leaned on Filo's wing for support. However, they both came back level 40, with stars next to their names.
Itsuki took the three to the Capital to get them class-upped with the Filolial class-up. At least they'd have the double boost to their stats.
Now that none of the hero's party members had to worry about the Level 40 limit, besides Dou-Lon's LV. 60 limit, they'd be able to spend as much time as they needed focusing on leveling up and gathering as many materials as they could during their week at Cal Mira.
As Naofumi prepared dinner for everyone that night, he found himself getting kind of excited for the trip. It was his chance to finally catch up to the other Heroes so he wouldn't be at a level disadvantage anymore.
More importantly, it was his chance to not fulfill the role of village cook for a whole week! Hooray!
He was in the middle of cooking his last meal for a while when he was interrupted while seasoning the meat.
"Hey, Naofumi."
"What is it, Ren?" Naofumi looked up.
"It's about the accessory you made me." Ren held up his sword. The keychain was attached near the pommel, beside the gemstone.
"Is there something wrong with it?" Naofumi asked, setting the cutting board and meat off to the side. He wondered if he'd put a flaw in it, or-
"It's just, I'm wondering how you were able to do this," Ren said. He didn't look angry or frustrated, rather, he looked awed and impressed.
"Do what?" Naofumi looked up the stats on the accessory. His question, however, was quickly answered when the description came up on his HUD.
Sword Accessory: Attack Up (Large), Skill Change: "One Hundred Swords" to "One Thousand Swords"
Quality: Good
"Skill change?!" Naofumi yelled incredulously. "I don't remember it having that!"
"I mean, when I looked at it, it wasn't there. But when I equipped it, the agility bonus disappeared and gave me this instead."
"... Did you try it out?" Naofumi asked.
"Well…" He led Naofumi outside and pointed to an area further down the beach.
Naofumi had never seen so many small impact craters in his entire life. It was like a warzone had occurred in the sand. Had this been the noises he'd heard earlier while cooking?
"I… …" Naofumi was speechless. Was this a normal component of accessories? But Ren looked just as confused as he was. "Is this normal from your game?" Naofumi asked.
"No. I asked Jerry about it, but he had no idea either. He's betting you made a one in a million... If I understood his accent correctly." Ren said.
"How the hell did I manage this…" Naofumi thought over the process of creating the thing. But nothing really stuck out to him besides the extended length of time he'd spent working on it. It was also different from other accessories he'd tried to make. He'd made it specifically with Ren in mind.
Was that the trick? But Raphtalia nor Filo had changes like this from their accessories. And he'd made theirs especially for them too.
He was entirely stumped for once. And he had no one that could explain what he'd done. Maybe Elhart, or perhaps that one Accessory Merchant? It'd been a while since he'd seen that particular midget. At least he was more tolerable than Beloukas.
"Well, regardless, why did the quality drop? Was it because of the skill change?" Naofumi asked.
"No… it dropped after I tried using the skill," Ren said.
"Huh…" Naofumi looked at it again. Now that he looked closely, the accessory wasn't shining as much as before. It also had a small barely noticeable crack on the silver blade. This bastard had freaking ruined all his hard work! "My best guess would be… it only has a certain amount of uses before it breaks?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Ren looked flustered. He couldn't believe he'd tested it out on dirt and sand. Why couldn't he have waited to try it on some monsters so it would have at least had some use!?
"Still, thank you for telling me this," Naofumi said. "If I can figure out how to make accessories that'll make our skills stronger, we'll stand an even better chance against Glass."
Ren became wide-eyed at that. "If I used this, she wouldn't be able to dodge it at all!" Combine that with leveling up, using the strengthening methods, etc.
He could already picture it. The look of shock on the woman's face as thousands of ethereal blue swords appeared in the air all around her. He'd be laughing evilly as he sent every last one at her from all directions.
It would be the best curb stomp in the history of curb stomps.
Naofumi sweatdropped. "That evil look really doesn't suit you." He said dryly.
"I-I wasn't thinking anything!" Ren quickly denied the accusation.
"Surrrrrre. Just don't go breaking it, or else."
"But it'll break if I use it more."
"Then you better make sure not to use it."
"That doesn't make any sense!"
A few minutes later, Naofumi had everyone's dinner ready. Ren thanked Naofumi again before carrying his party's portion over to his house. Raphtalia took a portion to give to Itsuki and his party. Dou-Lon, Eclair, and Filo carried portions down to the village.
Naofumi took another portion to carry to Motoyasu's house.
He found the simp out front. Still trying to dig his thumb into a rock.
Naofumi had seriously considered making an accessory for Motoyasu as well while they were gone. If only so he'd actually be a little stronger than before. But upon seeing the simp doing this, he had second thoughts.
Had Motoyasu seriously been wasting his time with this kind of training for the last three weeks? Damn. Only a stubborn idiot could put forth so much dedication and effort to this kind of stupidity. What was Motoyasu thinking?!
"Ah, hey Naofumi!" Motoyasu yelled at him with a wave. However, his other hand continued with what it was doing.
Naofumi rolled his eyes. "I brought dinner for you and your party," He said dryly.
"Alright! Thanks! It smells good! Could you bring it in for me! I'm almost done with this, but I think my girls are starving!"
"Huh?" Now that Naofumi observed more closely, it looked like Motoyasu's thumb had sunk into the rock… somewhat? Motoyasu was also furiously sweating.
Whatever. He wasn't interested as he couldn't tell what Motoyasu was actually trying to do, so he'd just leave him be. He went inside and approached the table, where Rino and Elena were already sitting.
"Ah, thank you, Sir Naofumi. Your meals are truly the best." Elena thanked him as he set the food on the table.
Today, it was two simple dishes made from herbs and mushrooms he'd gathered in the forest as well as some vegetables Itsuki purchased in the Capital. It also included some leftover meat he'd cooked from some Usapils yesterday. One dish had mushrooms and vegetables wrapped in meat. The other had everything thrown together in a stew he seasoned with salt and something that almost tasted like his world's equivalent of garlic.
It was a rather simple dish he'd once made for Raphtalia several days before reaching Mirso Village. It brought back fond memories even if he couldn't taste what he'd made back then.
"I wouldn't call them the best. It's only because of my Shield that they taste so great." Naofumi muttered.
"You give your weapon too much credit," Rino said calmly. "Were the Waves not going on, I could see you making a decent living as a chef."
"I don't particularly enjoy cooking either," Naofumi mumbled. He really wasn't that good. And even if he was, his parents had abused his cooking skills to the point that it wasn't all that enjoyable anymore.
He could make a dish look good, but it was because of his Shield that it tasted like the food of the Gods. He swore that was the reason.
"That's too bad. Everyone else seems to enjoy your meals. I know I do." Elena bit into one of the meat-wrapped mushrooms, and she melted into her chair. "Mmmmm, so yummy."
It almost felt like the people here were abusing his cooking skills too. Naofumi was becoming more and more grateful that he would be leaving for this Cal Mira place soon. If only to get a break from this.
"Itadakimasu." Rino took a sip of the stew, and she visibly relaxed. "It's good."
At least she knew how to show proper appreciation for good food.
If Motoyasu ever got his head off of his daughter, he might want to consider Rino as a potential dating candidate.
"Alright, I'll get going then-" Naofumi turned to leave.
"Before you do that, can you talk to Sir Motoyasu for us?" Rino asked.
"What for?"
"He's trying to hide it. But he's nervous about being left in charge while you're gone." She said.
Naofumi frowned. He still had a few tasks he had to do. "What does he have to be nervous about? It's not like-"
"He has already run one village into the ground, Sir Naofumi," Elena stated. She remembered the events very well since she'd been there in the background, not really participating in the spoils, but not trying to stop it either.
She could still remember the destroyed look on Motoyasu's face as they'd been forced to leave the village behind. How she'd been amongst the knights that dropped a few silvers on the pile, as if that would ever be enough to apologize to the people for the actions of Bitch and the other girls in Motoyasu's party back then. She realized that she still felt guilty about the whole ordeal.
"I believe he's worried about repeating the same thing here." Elena finished after a small moment of contemplation.
"I agree. I don't think he'd be capable of doing such a thing now. But regardless, some words of encouragement from another Hero might be of help." Rino said.
"..." Naofumi mentally groaned. Rino was giving him a calm stare, even as she took another sip of his soup. "He better not run this place into the ground."
"Then tell him that yourself." Elena winked at him.
Naofumi walked out the front door.
Motoyasu was still sitting on the stairs. However, the rock, which had a small imprint of his thumb in it, was resting next to him on the balcony instead of in his hand.
"Oi, so you're worried about screwing this place up, huh?" Naofumi dryly asked.
"Wha- who told you!?" Motoyasu spun around and stood up.
"Who do you think?" Naofumi pointed at the door behind them.
…
"Yes, I'm nervous about doing this. Okay?" Motoyasu rested his head in his hands. "I don't exactly have a good track record with being in charge."
"Why didn't you just tell the rest of us that then?" Naofumi asked.
"Wouldn't you be embarrassed about being afraid of being in charge of tons of people?" The Spear Hero asked.
…
Naofumi crossed his arms and glared at him. Motoyasu was confused by the reaction, and then he remembered what'd happened at the last wave. "Oh… heh, heh." He chuckled nervously. "I guess you understand that all too well."
"Yes, yes I do." Taking command of Siltvelt's army had been nothing short of nerve-wracking.
Motoyasu sighed. "Still… I made so many mistakes at Lute Naofumi. You wouldn't believe how much I got the people to hate me."
"Yes, yes I could."
Motoyasu pouted at him. "Could you at least try to be helpful?!" He whined.
"I'm only agreeing with the facts."
Motoyasu huffed, but eventually, he continued. "I screwed up, really, really badly. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes here. But I'm afraid that's what I'm going to end up doing-"
"First off, do you honestly think things are the same?" Naofumi cut him off. Motoyasu sputtered at the interruption, but Naofumi continued. "For one, you're not as stupid as before."
"Hey-"
"Two, you aren't treating this like a game. Three, you don't have that Bitch breathing down your shoulder controlling you. Four, you have helpful party members willing to back you up. Five, you're far more willing to listen to what others have to say. And six, the people here, as well as the rest of us, trust you."
Motoyasu stayed silent. Naofumi uncrossed his arms. "From what you told me about Lute, it seemed like everything was rigged for you to fail. That isn't the case here. You'll have the support of everyone while we're gone, as long as you don't do anything stupid to ruin that trust."
"... Still… I don't want to let anything bad happen," Motoyasu said. "If we're attacked and I'm not strong enough…"
…
That was a genuine concern, giving the way he'd been training lately.
"Well, if you're honestly that worried about protecting everyone, I can ask Fitoria to send part of her flock here," Naofumi said.
"R-Really?!" Motoyasu stood up in surprise.
"Sure. The forest has plenty of monsters for them to eat. And I bet Fitoria could spare a few Filolials to stand watch around the perimeter of the village."
"Wow, that's, thank you-" Motoyasu started to say gratefully.
"Just don't do anything to them, or else you'll have to answer to Fitoria. You already know how scary powerful she is."
Motoyasu paled somewhat. "Of course, I wouldn't plan on doing anything to some Filolials! That wouldn't be right, I say!... they don't happen to turn into angels too, right?"
Naofumi rolled his eyes. With how he acted around Filo, he wouldn't put it past Motoyasu. "Of course not. They won't turn into angel daughters unless you raise one yourself."
"Wait, that's all there is to it!?" A gleam appeared in Motoyasu's eyes. Crap, had Naofumi just made a big mistake telling the Spear Hero that?
Wait, if this could get Motoyasu off of Filo while motivating him to do a good job, then…
"Tell you what. You run this village well enough, I'll see about getting you some Filolial eggs as a reward." Naofumi said. The Spear Hero could use some more party members anyway. Who knew, maybe it'd get his attention off his daughter once and for all if he had some angel kids of his own to take care of.
"You'd, you'd seriously do that!?" Motoyasu stood up tall and proud. "No harm shall befall this village I say!" He loudly proclaimed, slamming his hand to his head in a firm salute.
'OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!' He might have hit his head a little too hard with the salute.
"Good." Now that Motoyasu's motivation was at an all-time peak, the Shield Hero's job was done.
As he walked away though, Motoyasu called to him again in a more normal voice. "Thanks, Naofumi! I promise the village will be in good hands while you're gone!"
Naofumi simply waved his hand back, and continued walking to his house.
Motoyasu picked up the stone next to him again. 'Alright, you can do this! You just have to focus! If you can manage this, you'll be able to run this place! All those weeks of hard work are finally going to pay off! All those times Granny smacked you in the back of the head will be worth it!'
He focused on his core. Just as Granny had said, he could feel something there. Something warm, flowing, as if from his heart. His very essence, his life force.
He wanted to direct that flow. Move it up his arm, into his hand, into his fingers!
Come on! He strained, willing with everything in his power! He had to master this! He couldn't let everyone down! He just had to get it, he just had to-
'Release!'
His thumb sank entirely into the stone, which then promptly exploded into bits covering the ground in front of him.
Motoyasu began to laugh, teetering from the sudden exhaustion that pounced on his back. "I did it! Yes! WOOHOO!"
He leaned tiredly against the wood railing of his porch. Still, his training had finally paid off! He'd managed to release pure life force successfully while not using a spell! YES! FINALLY!
Now that he was well on his path to getting stronger again, there was no way in hell he'd fail to run this village!
After dinner, Naofumi did a quick check over the Bio-Plants to make sure they weren't growing out of control. They weren't, much to his relief. They'd grown a little taller, but not much. And there were only two new plants that he hadn't planted himself.
The grass around the plants was dying. But that was probably because of the plants being similar to trees.
With his final task done and the sun setting on the distant horizon, he approached the entrance of the village. However, an unfamiliar voice stopped him.
"Hey!"
He looked behind him.
Standing there was a tall red-haired man, holding a large scythe over his shoulder. He also had a scythe tattooed on his left shoulder. Walking alongside him was a turquoise-haired woman wearing a brown circlet. Besides those oddities, both were dressed in classic adventurer gear. Naofumi didn't recognize it though.
"Do you live here?" The stranger asked curiously.
"... Me?" Naofumi asked, after looking around and seeing nobody else.
"Of course, who else could I be talking to, Kiddo?" The man smiled and leaned both his arms back over his weapon.
He didn't seem hostile. He'd never met him before though. But that nickname...
"Yes, I do," Naofumi said dryly.
"I heard this place was destroyed by a Wave. Doesn't appear very destroyed though."
"... it was destroyed. I just wasn't here when it happened," Naofumi said, looking to the side sadly. "Everyone here now is helping to restore this place to what it used to be."
"Oh, good on you Kiddo." The man smiled brightly.
"I'm twenty you know."
"Oh, my bad. I talk that way to everyone who looks younger than me."
Naofumi looked annoyed. "Is there anything you need?"
"No, we're just passing through. I just wanted to see the area for myself. Thanks for offering though Kiddo!"
Naofumi felt the urge to facepalm as he was called 'kiddo' again. The woman tugged on the stranger's sleeve. "L'arc, we should get going."
"Alright, Therese." He smiled and waved at Naofumi. "Take care! And good luck with what you're doing!"
"... right… whatever." Naofumi turned around and walked through the village.
…
"After hearing all those rumors, I thought the place would have looked more… destroyed," Therese said to her travel companion.
"I guess those rumors were wrong." L'Arc shrugged.
"... No, I could feel a heavy presence there. Like the stones themselves were crying. A Wave definitely occurred here."
"Wow, you and your stones again."
...
"Relax, I was just kidding," L'Arc said when he noticed Therese glaring at him. "I guess, maybe there is some truth in those rumors about the world's Heroes restoring an area devastated by the Waves. As hard as that is to believe."
"Hmmm…" Therese frowned, for multiple reasons. "I wish we could have had time to find out more about them. That nice man might have had better info than anyone else we've met so far."
"At least we know where they are now. After we level at Cal Mira, we can scout it out and talk to more people to see how powerful the Heroes Glassy faced really are." L'Arc's smile dropped.
"If Glassy wasn't able to defeat them on her own, then we'll need all the power we can get."
"Right…" The two continued walking on into the night.
"This way, tickets please, everyone."
Naofumi, Itsuki, and Ren stood together in a long line of people. Their party members were dispersed throughout all the various adventurer-looking types in the line. They'd gotten there that morning via Filo's carriage, which was now resting next to the stables of the port town.
Filo was sad to be parted from her carriage again. But Naofumi had pointed out it wouldn't be very useful on an island chain. That didn't make her any less reluctant to leave it behind, however. Sigh...
Naofumi wore his Mask Shield over the top part of his face. The trio of disguised heroes was approaching an official next to a gangplank allowing the adventurers onto the ship.
Itsuki shivered in excitement. "Guys, I still can't believe we're going."
Ren eyes the ship warily. "I can hardly believe it myself."
"I mean, if it's like what it was in my game, Cal Mira should have one of the best hot springs in the world," Itsuki said.
"... Yeah, and there'll be some great beaches to relax at too." Ren loosened up just a little bit.
Naofumi's arms were crossed. "Remember, we're using this as an opportunity to level and make some money. It's not a vacation."
The two younger heroes looked sourly at Naofumi. "You're not expecting us to level into the night too, are you?"
Naofumi narrowed his eyes. "If that's what it takes for me to catch up. I'll do it."
"Well, um, we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Ren said, then he froze in place. "Wait, there'll be bridges from one island to another, right?" He asked.
"There wasn't any in my game as far as I'm aware. I think my character had to rely on paddleboats for some islands. And others I had to swim between since they were closer ." Itsuki said. "Why do you-"
"Next!" The official yelled.
"Oh, never mind, I'm up! Talk to you guys later!" Ren dashed up to the official, presenting his ticket before dashing onto the ship.
"... any idea what that was about?" Naofumi asked Itsuki.
"No clue…" The two shrugged it off. After a little while, the two of them, as well as the rest of their friends were on board the ship. And fortunately, there were no incidents with the boarding process at all.
"Remember, we're here undercover," Naofumi told his party. "That means no special treatment, Second Princess."
"Hmph!" Melty pouted and crossed her arms. Her hair was down, and she was finally dressed in something besides her normal royal outfit. A simple dress outfitted with leather padding for protection. Raphtalia had used some illusion magic to change her hair color to auburn and her eye color to green, since her blue hair was a dead giveaway to her real identity. "It's not like I need the royal treatment anyway."
Raphtalia smiled. "It might help if you call her by her real name, Naofumi." She suggested.
"Hmph." Naofumi huffed. Raphtalia, however, continued to smile while admiring Melty's new look. It was almost like she was looking at what her and Naofumi's future daughter could look like…
She tensed up, her cheeks filling with a deep red blush. Perhaps she should consider changing her look so other people didn't make that comparison. Or should she keep it so people would make the comparison, and thus make her feel closer to Naofumi?
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
"I'm expecting all of you to behave with whomever you're with and not cause any trouble." Naofumi looked at Eclair and Dou-Lon specifically as he said that.
"Why are you looking at us?" Eclair asked.
"I just get the feeling you might force your cabin mates to train." He said dryly. "And Dou-Lon has a tendency to go into worship mode at the drop of a hat whenever the Shield Hero is mentioned."
"I would never!" Eclair said. Dou-Lon, however, blushed as what Lord Naofumi had said was the truth.
"I promise we won't let you down, Lord Nao-"
"Drop the Lord title here. Remember, we're just a group of normal adventurers." Naofumi told him.
"Ack!" Dou-Lon choked at that. Did that mean his great God wanted to call him by his given name!?
How could he ever bring himself to do such a thing!? It seemed so sacrilegious coming from his own lips!
"Now now, Naofumi. I'm sure everyone will behave." Raphtalia patted his arm with a smile, before looking at everyone else. "Right?" Her voice sounded normal, but a cold aura radiated off her figure. The other three tensed up.
"Yes."
"Of course."
"I'd never."
Dou-Lon, Eclair, and Melty said one after the other, looking anywhere but at the frightening Tanuki girl.
'Huh? What's with them all of a sudden?' Naofumi shrugged it off. "Alright, that should be everything, I'll see you all again later."
"Come on Hakuko, you and I have some training to do." Eclair dragged Dou-Lon towards another part of the ship.
"B-But I don't wanna Miss Eclair!" Dou-Lon whined. He was so sore from being deleveled, leveling up a little bit, and training non-stop the last few days! He wanted to REST!
"Too bad. If I can't train anyone else, then I'm stuck with you." Eclair said dryly. Dou-Lon continued to whine as he was dragged away by the tail.
Why did Miss Eclair have to discover his tail was his weak point?! It was so unfair!
"Hey Mel, let's find our room!" Filo said excitedly as she dragged Melty off.
"W-Wait, Filooooooo!" Melty and Filo disappeared below decks.
"Who do you think we'll be staying with during the voyage?" Raphtalia asked Naofumi curiously.
"I don't know. I just hope whoever it is will want to keep their distance from us."
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia could admit to herself though that she wouldn't mind such an arrangement.
They walked down the hallway. It looked like the two of them would be sharing a room near the front of the ship. Since no one else was around, Naofumi took the Mask Shield off his face and hid it under the cloak of his armor. "At least her Majesty got tickets that put us in the same room." Raphtalia smiled happily.
"Yeah. Maybe if we're lucky, our bunkmates won't be in there, and we'll finally have a chance to spend some time together before-" He said as he was opening the door.
"Wha- oh, hey Kiddo!"
"Ack!" Naofumi froze, and slowly turned his head to look inside. No, it wasn't possible! The odds were extremely low that this would happen!
The room wasn't much. There were four beds built bunk-style into the wooden walls on both sides, and a small desk was underneath a small window in the hull of the ship.
But sitting in the chair in front of the desk was a familiar turquoise-haired woman. And standing next to her was a brightly smiling and annoying L'Arc.
"I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"
…
Oh, boy was this voyage going to suck.
Author's Notes:
Finally, finally getting to Cal Mira. I really can't wait. Too bad Motoyasu had to stay behind. It would have been hilarious writing scenes involving him and L'Arc together.
Hope you guys enjoy the two omakes here.
Hero Clips!
Return of the Dad Joke
"Ah, hey Kiddo!" L'Arc said happily.
"My name is not Kiddo," Naofumi said.
"Sorry, I say that to anyone who looks younger than me."
"I'm twenty, just how old are you?" Naofumi asked.
"Somewhere between twenty-two and twenty-four. Not really sure since birthdays aren't really ever mentioned in the main canon." L'Arc said with a shrug.
"Yeah, what's up with that," Naofumi said.
"Not really sure. Maybe we just have longer years or something, I don't really look at the details." L'Arc said.
"Huh. Can I be frank with you?"
"I don't see why you can't call yourself that."
"Well, I still don't understand how time works here compared to my world, and- Oh… oh no," Naofumi said in realization. "Please don't tell me-"
"What did you want to say, Frank?" Therese asked curiously.
Naofumi's face fell in horror. "No, please Gods, just stop-"
"Who the hell's Frank?" Motoyasu appeared out of nowhere.
"Apparently, it's Kiddo here." L'Arc smiled at Motoyasu.
"That's Frank? I thought he was Just Naofumi?" Motoyasu asked curiously.
"Yeah, weren't you going by Just Naofumi back in Chapter Three for some reason?" Itsuki asked.
"He was," Ren said. "Pretty weird name if you ask me. Frank sounds much more fitting."
"Just Naofumi? But Kiddo told me he was supposed, to be Frank!" L'Arc said.
"Is everything alright, Just Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"Guys, don't interrupt, Frank is trying to tell us something." Therese snapped at everyone.
"No. No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naofumi/Just Naofumi/Frank screamed to the heavens.
He really should have just been… frank with them to begin with. He would have avoided this entire dad joke otherwise.
Hero Clips!
Bling Bling Naofumi
"Ahhhhh!"
"Run for your life!"
"What the-" Bitch stumbled as the remnants of the Three Heroes Church ran away in terror all around her.
"What's going on?! I demand to know what's happening!" Bitch yelled.
Her answer, however, was quick to come, as ominous jingling sounds came from the distance. A chill traveled down her spine. It was like death itself was approaching.
She caught one of the fleeing men by the arm. "Wh-What's coming towards us?!" She screamed in fear.
The man, who was nearly hysterical and whimpering in her grasp, struggled to form the words. And then, he saw something, and screamed "BLING DEMON!" before escaping her grasp and running away in sheer terror.
"HEY BITCH! GUESS WHO?!"
Malty's jaw hit the floor as Naofumi appeared from behind a tree. He was slowly and carefully, but still threateningly approaching her under a cacophony of metal jingling noises.
He was wearing at least three sets of jewel-encrusted sunglasses stacked on top of each other, as well as an oversized stereotypical disgustingly opulent king's crown and sable fur-lined mantle. His neck was adorned with countless gold and silver necklaces. Half a dozen rings of various materials and jewelry were on each of his fingers. Countless expensive belts were wrapped all around his body. He had grills in his teeth and wore many, many gaudy earrings. He was also carrying at least a dozen different canes.
As if it didn't look ridiculous enough, his barbarian armor and cloak were completely covered with various gold accessories. Everything he was wearing provided an Attack Up (Large) boost.
He proceeded to punch a nearby boulder, and it loudly exploded into a cloud of dust on impact.
"HOW ABOUT A REMATCH!?"
Bitch looked on at the war crime against fashion in front of her for only another moment before letting out a screech of primal terror and bolting after the rest of the fleeing followers.
Naofumi laughed. "THAT'S RIGHT! RUN BITCH! RUN WHILE YOU STILL- Urk!" He tried to give chase only to realize that his pace was that of a snail's due to being so grossly over-encumbered.
"... Filo, can you give daddy a hand please?" He turned his head with a lot of effort, nearly choking from all the necklaces and chains that he was wearing.
"No." Filo flatly stated while shaking her head in disappointment. Her mother held her by the shoulders and mimicked her body language.
Naofumi clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Damn, I knew I should have made a few that boosted my speed instead of going all-in on attack. Back to the workshop, I suppose... uh oh."
He lost his balance and collapsed on the ground. He was unable to get up under the sheer weight of his bling.
Filo sighed. "Filo wishes Daddy would rely on us more to attack for him."
"Mommy wishes that to sweetie," Raphtalia said while rubbing Filo's head. "Mommy wishes that too."
"Huh, what do you mean my attack stat was still only raised by ONE!?" Naofumi yelled when he looked at his stats and finally made the discovery.
Text appeared on his HUD.
0 x 100000000000 is still 0.
"My attack stat isn't zero! Screw you stupid Yandere Shield! You just want to keep my attack low so I'll be forced to defend!" Naofumi yelled.
The shield didn't answer his accusation with anything more than a harsh ZAP!
The shock from his shield hurt a lot more due to all the metal he was surrounded by.
Even if the multiple accessories boosts had worked, it would have definitely been a lot simpler relying on others to attack instead of making all those accessories, much less, moving under the weight of all that bling.
Till Next Time
Allen