Hello everyone, Ryuujin here for you all. Thanks for reading this little project I'm doing while working on my other stories. Let me adress some of the reviews we have for our story:

Guest- Thanks for your comment, kind sir? Lady? Person? Yeah, we'll go with person. Thanks for your support. Well, considering your idea, I can't really say for sure that simply shoving in different swords and spears would increase Naofumi's power. I get the idea, but for the seen mechanics of both the anime, manga and LN, I haven't seen anything like that so, I must say no to that ideal. Shield bro could gain new shields based on said swords, but his power is mostly focused in defense and support. The curse series and the like, are in their own twisted way, types of support. What better way to support your allies than to murder all the enemies? There is no CC better than death!

Zennishi- Yes, don't worry your pretty little mind, I'll change the story in ways I see fit such as to make the whole world seem affected by the Waves. Worry not, Naofumi will be smart, or smarter. Just keep following and point out any area you think the story is lacking, I'll try to remedy it.

Shinku- You're in for some amazing surprises. Naofumi will unlock some of the best shields possible. I'll try to do justice upon the whole "Rising of the SHIELD hero" and make him uncover some amazing shields, just stick by and follow the story.

For now, dear readers, that will be all. Thanks for being patient and enjoy your read! Ryujiin Maou(Dragon/Draconic Demon Lord) Out!

Naofumi was working on his compounding with the sound of crackling firewood as his background music. The day had been an exhausting ordeal for sure.

He had taken Raphtalia and entered even deeper in the woods, since the low-level balloons and mushrooms weren't worthwhile exp anymore. It wasn't long after they entered the woods that they faced their first proper monster, a pill rabbit. The critter jumped at Raphtalia, considering she was closest to it, and tried to bite her. He quickly grabbed the being and held it in place for the raccoon girl to finish it off.

It wasn't a pleasant experience, seeing as the girl was afraid of spilling blood. Yet, it was something necessary for the both of them.

"If you can't kill it, I can't continue taking care of you." He said darkly. It was harsh, but it was a truth nonetheless. "Soon, a wave of catastrophe is going to hit this world, and as the Shield Hero, it is my job to fight against it. But as you can see, I can't really fight by myself, so I need others to do it for me."

She was trembling, scared and afraid of going back to the slave dealer. It surely was cruel having to force her to make a choice, yet this was not the time for such thinking. He could repay her all the kindness of the world later, now he needed her to act.

"Y-you are the Shield Hero?" He registered the question to ponder at a later time. She continued staring at him, eyes wide in a mix of fear and surprise. "You are going to f-fight against calamity…?"

"Something like that."

"I understand…" She rushed to meet him head on, short sword poised to stab. It hit the pill rabbit dead on, making blood spill and gush, some of the splash hitting her. She looked at him with a mix of fear and surprise, but now there was something in there he couldn't recognize. Admiration, hope, longing? He didn't know and would not pretend to. "Please, I will be useful to my lord, so please, don't throw me away."

"Do your job and I'll keep you by my side." Saying it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He tried to relief the guilt in his mind with the knowledge that what he was offering her was a thousand times better than what she would have if he returned her to the Slave Dealer.

After the event, they continued their trek, Raphtalia bravely fighting anything that came their way. When they stopped and set up camp, she offered her help in anything she could, although she couldn't do much. He reassured her that so long as she maintained that attitude, she could expect rewards from him.

He displayed to her how to deal with game after killing it. Who would know that watching seemingly silly survival shows and paying attention to biology classes in high school would come handy at such time?

"First you slice the neck and put it upside down to let the blood flow out until it stops. After that, you tie one leg to a tree and skin it." He explained his motions to the girl, wondering if he was messing something up. So far, it seemed good enough.

"Why do you let the blood flow out, my lord?" She asked.

"Blood spoils game really quick, so we do it to assure we can keep the meat for longer and make it have better taste." He answered, somehow finishing to skin the rabbit. The fur was mostly intact, although there were a few misshapen bits. He asked her to get a fire running, which she accomplished with a little bit of help. He also told her to get green leaves and mostly green wood.

He made a basic stand with some twigs and rope and leaned the skinned fur, letting it catch smoke. As with the furless rabbit, he brought it over the river and called the girl to see the next process.

"Start from the bottom and make sure to not cut too deep into the meat, or you could end up piercing the intestines and getting manure all over the meat. That would be a waste." He showed her once more the process, taking as much time as he could, seeing as he was no professional. After removing the internal organs and burying them, he kept only what he could recognize as edible: Heart, lungs, liver and the meat.

His shield changed to [Red Mushroom Shield], which granted a bonus cooking skill, he grilled everything over the fire and let Raphtalia have her fill. She complimented it, saying it was delicious. He doubted it very much, since he tried one drumstick and it tasted much like everything else he had eaten so far. Like fuck all.

He looked at the raccoon girl seriously stuffing her face with the food. As she went for her next piece of meat, she started having a small coughing fit. He searched his smaller bag for a flask filled with a greenish liquid, throwing the bottle to the girl, who caught it with a curious expression on her face.

"Drink it, it will help with your coughing." She promptly took the remedy, lightly cooing at the strangely enjoyable taste of the medicine. Wasn't this one of her lord's better products?

"See, not so hard after all." He gave her a head pat. The racoon girl lowered her head, enjoying the forgotten feeling. "Finish your dinner and go to bed. I'll wake you in a few hours, we will be sleeping in turns." She followed the command.

He took the chance to check on the smoking fur. Seeing one of the ends was rather badly cut, Naofumi took his knife from his belt and trimmed it, making the fur uniform. He fed the fur strip to his shield rather out of habit, and to his surprise his loyal companion never failed to reward him.

[Pill Rabbit Leather Shield unlocked]

[Pill Rabbit leather Shield]

-Increase in defense +3

-Increase in agility +5

The hero smirked. He sat down and returned to his compounding, stocking up on more medicine. This time he had bought proper containers for his potions, but also had brought more leather flasks and canteens. He could feel getting better with each new potion or pill he made, each error a step towards a new recipe or a new finding. This time he also remembered to feed his products to his shield, acquiring more shields.

[Medicinal Shield unlocked] [Nutritional Shield unlocked] [Herbalist Shield unlocked]

Naofumi reviewed the skills he attained, feeling glad for his choice. A skill to better the effectiveness of medicines, one to help in nutritional gains and a chemistry bonus that made him remember some once forgotten chemistry lessons. He patted the shield.

"Daddy?" Raphtalia jumped from bed, tears pooled on the corners of her eyes. A soft headchop stopped her advances to hug the closest person available. It wasn't her father, but the Shield Hero, her master.

"Try again." He said, eyes focused on the window of the room. He looked ready for another day, dressed in his simple leather armor. Not that he needed the thing. At this point, Raphtalia wondered anything was able to get past her lord's defenses. "Get up already, we have shit to do."

She didn't need another callout. She really was thankful her lord was letting her sleep on a warm bed together with him. They had reached Ryute Village three days after her first real kill and made the town their temporary base of operations. Her lord had impressive navigational skills, since he could find his way to the village without looking at any maps. When she asked about that, he had simply pointed to his shield, which had turned into a weirdly book-look-alike. He tried to explain, but his fancy words flew right past her head. He ended up simply telling her that he had the best map possible in his head so she believed him.

It was strange working with the embodiment of a god. For all demi-humans, the Shield was more than a Legendary Hero; he was a benevolent god that would arrive in times of need and protect them from evil, the ultimate guardian. A literal Shield, or so said her deceased parents. She was still having nightmares with their brutal death due to a Cerberus. She still saw Lifana-chan's tired and beaten body when she closed her eyes—

"Raphtalia!" She flinched, ears pointing towards the voice of her lord. "We have work to do." She bowed and apologized, rushing through her preparations for the day.

"Know of a good place where I can make a quick buck?" Naofumi asked the street merchant whom he just finished business with. The plump-ish man made a few faces as he thought.

"Well, there is a coal mine close by that must have some ore for you to mine; won't recommend though. Since the last wave, monsters took over the place and are living there." The merchant explained pointing in the direction of the mine, the outskirts of town.

"Really now? I thought the place was looking a bit down for a village so close to the capital. So that's what happened." Naofumi's statement made the man frown his brow a bit.

"Yeah. I heard word that the king summoned the holy heroes, but no one came to help up to now. We even resorted to the Adventurer's guild, but they also haven't sent anyone. The only good thing that comes from the waves is higher demand for healing potions." The merchant sighed.

Naofumi was about to head out when he saw Raphtalia staring at one of the leather balls that the merchant had in display. She was crouched down, tail swishing lightly.

"Did you win your staring contest yet?" He said, close to the girl. She reacted, blushing a bit in shame. He picked the ball and lightly threw it towards her. She didn't manage to catch it in time and the ball hit and bounced off her forehead, returning to his hands. She blushed harder, in shame of being caught. Naofumi pulled out some coins from the wallet hanging from his hip and gave it to the merchant. "Here, now you can stare at it all you want in your free time." He threw the ball again, this time she managed to catch it.

He turned back and almost completed his first step when her stomach loudly pronounced itself.

"Didn't we just have breakfast?

"I-I'm sorry!" She closed her eyes, waiting for a strike to hit her. All that happened was a hand patting her hair.

"If you need to eat, then let's go."

Her second meal was quick, the girl inhaling the food so as to not waste any more time.

They walked to the mine's entrance and spotted it empty of people. Nobody in sane mind would approach a monster's den, but that made it perfect for Naofumi since he could farm all the monsters inside. He examined the shack closer to the entrance, finding plenty of equipment ready to be used. He quickly absorbed anything that could be useful and "borrowed" some tools like a pickaxe, a map, a torch and sheet of tarp.

[Pickaxe shield unlocked]

[Pickaxe Shield]

-Increase in defense +6

+Passive skill: Mining proficiency (Medium)

Bonus skill: Mining

[Lantern Shield unlocked]

[Lantern Shield]

-Increase in defense +1

+Passive skill: Light magic resistance (small)

+Bonus skill: Focus Light

Naofumi took some glances at the map he found, already having an idea of the places where he would probably find ore. He grabbed another torch and made his way inside the mine, Raphtalia just behind him carrying another pickaxe.

The light of the torch was dim, but enough for him to take peeks at the map of the mine. The duo walked for a bit, following the mining cart tracks. So far, no monster attacked them, but Naofumi was ready to respond to anything.

They had walked for ten minutes when Raphtalia called his attention.

"My lord, look at the prints in the ground…" He followed her eyes and found dog pawprints.

"Judging by these, it looks like our canine friend isn't that big." The hero couldn't help but notice Raphtalia's shaking when he mentioned dog. Is it a biological thing or… "Raphtalia." He got her attention. "Don't worry, I'm here to protect you. All you have to do is fight like we have been doing so far. If things go south, we'll book it."

"Y-yes sir!" He wasn't convinced she got the memo, but they couldn't keep backing out of fights. They needed the exp, and they needed it bad. He continued his trek, and after more ten minutes, they entered an open area with a running water current from above. There were also many crystal formations incrusted in stone, just ready to be mined.

He handed Raphtalia the torch and got the pickaxe. He tried a few swings to get a feel of the weight of the tool, and then brought it down where he thought would be best. Stone was broken and revealed more bits of the crystal he was hoping to get. The raccoon girl was to light for him so he could see where he was going to hit, and keep a lookout.

He swung his pick a few times, but with some elbow grease, he got three reasonably sized chunks of metal. He approached the best of his findings to his shield; the ore cluster being absorbed rather easily by his gem.

[Light Metal Shield unlocked] [Stone Shield unlocked] [Mineralogist Shield unlocked]

"Not bad at all." He commented, looking over the ores he had obtained. He was hoping to mine for a while and accumulate more ore, yet the flickering light of the torch dissuaded the hero of his work. He looked back at the raccoon girl, wondering what was causing her to tremble so much.

His head followed where she was looking. He found the object of her silent horror. A black two-headed dog was looking directly at them, eyes full of primal hunger. The creature was bigger than what the tracks indicated, which made Naofumi click his tongue.

"So that's why there were no other monsters around, you ate them all huh?" He stared at the dog. The demon started to growl, poising to jump at them. "Raphtalia, we'll work with our usual formation." He changed his shield, [Iron Nail Shield] ready to counter anything the demon could throw at them. He waited for the raccoon girl to move, yet she stayed in her place, trembling like a leaf exposed to the wind.

"Raphtalia?"

She was whispering words to herself, eyes fixed at the demonic dog. The hound ran and pounced at her, causing the girl to release a loud scream. Naofumi once more clicked his tongue.

"Air Strike Shield!" A magic green shield manifested in front of the girl, protecting her from the attack, catching the demon dog in the air. Naofumi rushed towards the creature, making his magic shield disappear. As he got closer, the dog tried attacking him; attack which he prevented by parrying the offending head aside, Counterattack immediately activating. The demon yelped; a great deal of tiny stab wounds afflicted over its head.

The dog barked, spit flying from both its two mouths, and made to attack Naofumi once more. He stood his ground and let the demon rush him. The creature bashed heads first into the immovable fortress called Naofumi, one head busing the shield while the other circled around the weapon and biting Naofumi on the shoulder.

"Arhh!" He shouted, really surprised. He had almost forgotten what physical pain felt like, since the majority of other beings' attacks weren't capable of piercing his defense. Apparently, this dog could. The hero grits his teeth. "Raphtalia! There is your chance, attack it!" He could feel the piercing teeth of the dog bite at his skin, blood weakly flowing from the wound. He waited for the girl to take action, but nothing came to his aid.

He turned his head, seeing her, still trembling. She was clutching at her chest, pain evident in her face. She had her short sword drawn, but wouldn't move. Tears fell from her eyes, staining her face. Naofumi released a pained breath.

"Fine then, get the fuck out! I'll deal with this on my own." He shouted. Grabbing the head attached to his shoulder, he wished for counterattack to activate. The demon wailed as it was pierced by Naofumi's shield, however, it couldn't free itself from the clutches of the hero.

"How do you like this, mutt?!" He growled, angry eyes staring at the demon's. The dog wailed again. Naofumi changed to his [Iron Stake Shield], the counterattack effect increasing since the nails had thickened into stakes.

"Blunt Spike!" Above the demon a green, magical spike descended right into it. The hit made the dog slack its hold on Naofumi's shoulder, which the hero took advantage off by punching the demon in the throat. "Blunt Spike!" Another magic construct, this time from under the demon, hit full force and raised the creature in the air. Naofumi panted, his SP bar almost depleted. He eyed the demon struggling to get up, parts of its ribs caved in.

"Raphtalia!" The girl had wide, teary eyes. "Trust in me a little bit, would you? The day I can't protect you is the day I die." She crumbled in the spot, crying loudly. He would comfort her, but there was a rather strong demon close by and he hoped to kill it before it killed them. He examined his bit shoulder, finding that his wound wasn't anything threatening. Surprising for sure, but not threatening.

"I-I'm sorry my lord…Sob sob…I know my job is to fight, but I just froze and…" He sighed, keeping one eye in the still struggling demon.

"I will listen to you in a cinch, but first, why don't you try taking on it?" He pointed to the demon. Naofumi was finally understanding the wonky nature of this world. Magic dominated a lot of aspects here, however, physics still was something you could use. Since the world dictated that he would have low attack, Naofumi had to get creative. Imagination is the strongest weapon after all, huh?

Force is still force. Magic could have mass and be pushed, which means it could be accelerated, F= M.A. That meant that pressure was still a thing here. So what if he couldn't attack in the literal sense of the word? Use enough force and even he, the Shield Hero, could deal some serious damage.

"B-but my l-lord…"

"It's okay Raphtalia, you can do it. I'll be right here, to protect you. However, you still have to fight your own battles. Will you always allow yourself to be pushed around and dealt a bad hand by the world, or will you fight?" The raccoon girl nodded to his words. She firmed her grasp on her blade and readied herself to fight against the demonic dog. Her hand trembled a bit, seeing the creature eye her with malice. Yet when she remembered who was behind her…

~Stab~

Naofumi's level increased! (10 - 12)

Raphtalia's level increased! (10 -13)

[Naofumi Iwatani Shield Hero lv 12]

[Raphtalia lv13]

"My lord, could I ask you something?" He removed his armor and examined the damage to the shoulder area, wondering if he could repair it.

"Sure, go ahead."

"What is your name?" He stopped examining his armor and looked at her. She's right, I never told her my name. A few days in another world and I am like this, huh? "Sure, short stuff. Name's Naofumi. Iwatani Naofumi, Shield Hero."

"Pleased to meet you, Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia opened a smile. He was about to ask her to help skin the demon dog, when…

~Grrrooooowwwwllll~

"Again?" He was exasperated, how much could she eat?

"I'm sorry!"

Three weeks later.

Castle town.

"You turned out to be quite the beautiful young lady, didn't you?" Erhart was complimenting the tall woman with raccoon-like features. "What have the two of you been doing? Not just fighting, I hope!"

"That's about the gist of it." Naofumi commented, lowering his bulky backpack. He rolled his shoulders a bit, groaning when he heard a small pop. "Improving our skills, making potions, getting ready to have just about all of my money taken by you, you know, the usual stuff."

"Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia tried to reprimand him, not that it worked. "I was taught table manners by the innkeeper in Ryute Village; I always wanted to eat fancily, just like Naofumi-sama!"

He scoffed, equipping the [Currency-Holder Shield] and wondering about how much should he spend. "She doesn't cough anymore, is quite good at fighting, eats plenty and improved her physique. Honestly, she seems just fine." Naofumi had his eyes fixed in the bigger treasure pile inside the chest of his shield.

"Naofumi-sama! You make it sound like I have gotten fat!" The raccoon girl whined.

"An-chan, you have got to admit, she's quite the looker." Erhart had a silly smile as he took in Raphtalia's growth.

"The hell you taking about?" Naofumi rose one of his eyebrows. "If anything, this country is full of Lolicons." The hero grumbled, eyes annoyed as he remembered the many men that catcalled Raphtalia. Disgusting perverts, getting attracted to a ten-years old. And they have the gall to call me the sick one.

"Kiddo, ehh…you aren't serious, right?" The smith was stunned at Naofumi for some reason.

"Sir, don't worry about it." Raphtalia whispered in his ears. The smith nodded and agreed to it, leaving Naofumi confused.

"Well, let us leave that aside and focus on what you came here for. What can I do for my favorite customer?" The smith asked, leaning on his counter.

"Upgrade Raphtalia's equipment and get me some better gear. Was bitten by a demon hound a few weeks back, not a pleasurable experience." Naofumi stated, pointing to his shoulder. He eyed some of the armors around the place, many not suitable by being too light on protection or too heavy for maneuverability.

"Thank god, Naofumi-sama! It was about time you changed your outfit." The raccoon girl was looking over some swords and gave her two cents about the situation. "If it wasn't for your shield, you would not look any different from one of the common villagers."

"Someone has gotten quite cheeky over the few weeks, huh? Even though before she used to wet her bed and hold so tight, asking to sleep together. Kids these days sure are a conceited bunch." Naofumi spoke out, eyeing some plated armor. Too bulky.

"NAOFUMI-SAMA!" Raphtalia's high pitched voice made both men wince inside the shop. "You promised me you'd not speak about that!"

"Did I?"

The girl was slowly drawing her selected sword from its' scabbard, eyes unblinkingly staring at her master. She then proceeded to give the sword a few swings, after which she placed the blade over the counter. "I like this one, feels really sharp!

Erhart, eager to not piss off the girl even more, pulled out a piece of armor from under his counter. The rattling of the small, linked chain rings almost triggered something inside Naofumi.

"This is some balanced gear, easy to move in and really great protecting you from slashing attacks. How about it?" As the smith told details about the armor, Raphtalia nodded and agreed to the usefulness of the equipment.

"No." It was a simple statement.

"Naofumi-sama?" The raccoon girl never saw such a dark look on her master's face. It seemed as if the armor had offended her master by merely existing.

The shield hero was holding his fists tightly, the light mood from before totally gone. Erhart sighed, already up as to why the hero was behaving like this. He moved the chainmail out of the hero's sight, but before the armor left the wooden table, Naofumi's hand slammed over the counter, startling Raphtalia.

"I'll pay for a piece of the armor material, but there is no way in hell I'm wearing that thing!" His voice had such poison lacing it that for a moment, the illusion that his shield had changed into something dark settled over him, before it vanished like it was never there.

"Sorry, sorry, don't make such a scary face." The smith sighed once more, stuffing the armor away and showing the hero a small patch of chain-linked mail. "Here, have this one, on the house." The hero grabbed the material and all but shoved it to his gem.

"Listen, if you don't like anything in the shop, how about I get you something custom made? If you have any materials left over, I can even lower the price for you." Erhart said as he brought out a worn-out book. "There are many custom models that work with monster materials, so if anything catches your fancy, say the word."

"I'll leave that to you; all I want is something that protects me and doesn't make me a sitting duck." Naofumi searched his bag for the unsold materials he had. Making potions and pills wasn't the only thing that made money, killing monsters and selling materials from them also did that well. On their way to the city, the hero and the raccoon girl had dealt with anything that got in their way, meaning they had their bags mostly full of monster materials.

Naofumi picked out the best materials he had and put them atop the counter. Pill Rabbit fur, long strips of balloon leather, Demon hound skin, and even some leftover Light metal ore. The last made Erhart's eyes shine with light.

"Ohh! It has been sometime since I have seen Light Metal, especially one so pure like this one. Where did you get this beauty?" The smith picked the ore as if it was a baby, handling it carefully as to not damage it. "I can make you something amazing with this, An-chan! These furs and the demonic skin are also top notch! You could make top money if you sold this, you know?"

"Money doesn't do me any favors if I'm not alive to enjoy them. Make me something good. What about you Raphtalia, anything else you need? We need to be prepared, the Wave is coming soon, I guess." At his words, the smith stopped drooling over the metal and turned to look at the hero. "What, anything funny on my face?"

"Nobody told you? There is a big hourglass in the church, it tells the passing of the time between the waves." Naofumi let the information sink in. He remembered Trash-king telling something about a sacred hourglass, but never where he could find the device. "The latest rumor is that the heroes have been hanging around over there, so I though you already knew."

Bastards! That trash-king must have told them where to find the damn thing while I'm left floundering about like a fish out of water.

Naofumi took a deep breath, trying to calm his temperament. Blowing off and dumping his problems over Erhart wouldn't help any of them. He was lucky he even got the information from the old man, otherwise who knows what would happen.

"How long does it take for you to finish my armor?" Naofumi managed to ask calmly.

"By nightfall I should be done with it."

"How much will it cost?" The smith looked at Naofumi before sighing.

"Let me work on it. If it turns out into something good, I can make your money acquaintance with my wallet; if not, I will get you something to compensate for your materials. Trust me kid, come back by nightfall. What about you jou-chan (shortened way of calling ojou-sama {a beautiful, princess like girl})?" The smith pointed to many of his crafted swords.

"My current armor is enough. I can't wear anything heavy like Naofumi-sama, since I'm focused on mobility. If I were to get anything else, maybe an extra sword or a dagger?" The girl said, eyeing her current equipment.

"Great, I'll separate some good stuff for both of you."

The duo left the weapons shop, walking at a calm pace. The light and joking mood from before was cut short, the Shield Hero apparently pissed off by something. Raphtalia tried to make small talk to lighten their walk.

"Erhart-san is such a nice person, right Naofumi-sama? The price of your armor really went down since we offered all the materials necessary and he even gave me a coating to keep my sword clean. If it is for the shield kid, then it's fine he said." They kept on walking, her master keeping quiet. "He is helping you out my lord."

Their walk was only interrupted when a hungry growl sounded over. Raphtalia blushed and flailed around.

"I swear that it wasn't me Nao—" She was interrupted by her master.

"Yeah, I know. It was me." Naofumi had a dry tone. I keep getting hungry even though I can't taste anything in my food. "Let's get some food and wait for our gear. Might as well check the church while we are at it."

The duo made their way to their usual inn, ordered some food and waited for time to pass. Some people stared at the hero, eyes focused in his shield. He seemed to not care; hardly anything could get past her lord's defenses.

When their meals arrived, Naofumi quietly ate his food, a constant frown present on his face. Not a lick of flavor. He continued eating, not paying attention to the raccoon girl's embarrassed face.

"Naofumi-sama, I'm not a child anymore, why have you ordered me a kid's meal?" Her exasperation was something he wasn't understanding. Whatever the hell did she meant she wasn't a kid anymore?

"Yeah, yeah, stop complaining and enjoy the food. Just last week you were bugging me about wanting to eat it again." He responded with a nonchalant tone. The girl's ears perked up, a blush setting over her face.

"The me from a week ago is already in the past. Could you please not treat me as a child?" He rose one of his eyebrows at her, pointing to her plate with his fork.

"It's obvious you want to eat it, why are you complaining?" The girl lowered her head in defeat.

With that settled, they finished their meal and headed towards the church. It wasn't hard to find it, considering the splendor of the white marble from which the church was built upon. It almost made Naofumi break a piece of something and feed it to his shield merely to see if he would unlock anything new. He suppressed the desire. They already don't like me, best not give them more reasons.

As they entered the church, some nuns in habit passed by. They looked over him and focused on his "weapon", before whispering to each other a few seconds. Soon, the oldest nun, a woman in her early 30's, approached him.

"Sir Shield?" He simply nodded to confirm her words. "To what does the Church of Three Heroes owe the present of a hero?" It was obvious his presence there wasn't welcomed, but she couldn't stop him from entering the temple.

"I heard about the Hourglass of the Dragon's Era and decided it was time to pay it a visit." He spoke in a rather calm tone. No use getting pissed off because of minor inconveniences.

The nun nodded and guided the duo towards the monument. As soon as they entered the room, Naofumi could feel something change in him; the mere presence of the giant hourglass ominously foretold of destruction. He approached the hourglass on his own, drawn to the aura of the object. The gem in his shield shone, synchronizing with the hourglass. A beam of light shot from the golden structure and hit his shield, a new display appearing at the corner of his vision.

20:43:53…

20:43:52…

20:43:51…

Less than a full day. Guess we can stock up on potions and supplies, hope we don't get any serious injuries and ready our hearts for it. If we are lucky, maybe the wave will happen somewhere far from any village or town; if not…well, I will do whatever I can.

"Raphtalia, let's get going." Naofumi just turned when the gates leading to the room opened and a hated bastard emerged from them. Shiny, lustrous armor and totting a spear. Motoyasu and his party had arrived to sour his fickle mood. Great, this bastard! I can already hear the bullshit he is going to spout out.

"What a disgusting getup! I hope you don't plan to fight the waves while using that!" The blonde exclaimed in his ever so boisterous tone. Naofumi grit his teeth and let his hair cover his eyesight. If he directly looked at the spear bastard, he was going to commit bloody murder.

He tried to walk away, but one ever so hateful voice spoke out, igniting the dark flames inside his gut. "Motoyasu-sama is talking to you! Answer his question already." The red headed bitch was running her mouth off, dressed in fancy armor. Thank god he had saved his money from being used by this cunt.

The Shield Hero took a deep breath, hoping that this group of bastards would just leave. Before the spear hero's group could harass Naofumi, Raphtalia stood in between the two.

"Might you be acquaintances of Naofumi-sama? I haven't heard of you." The group of women whispered among themselves, wondering who was the bumpkin that hadn't heard of the wonderful spear hero.

"Cute…" Motoyasu slipped from his group and kneeled in front of the raccoon girl, grabbing her hand with pomp. "Hello beautiful maiden, my name is Motoyasu, the Spear Hero. Would you grant me the pleasure of saving the world with you by my side?" Naofumi was actually surprised by the ridiculous behavior.

As long as it is female, it's okay for him? You sure the rape accusation was blamed on the right guy? The way Motoyasu chases for any skirt, I'd imagine him fathering at least three kids before the waves are over.

"Sir Lance, I'm afraid I must decline. I am already with Naofumi-sama." Raphtalia stated, somewhat off put by the pushy behavior of the Japanese Blonde.

"Naofumi?" Motoyasu laughed as if told a funny joke. He crooked a sneer over his lips and almost shouted, so loud was his voice. "You are in definite danger, staying close to a rapi—" Before the Spear Hero could finish his sentence, Naofumi got close to his fellow hero.

"What is it? I'm saying nothing but the truth!" As if your fabricated truth has any credibility, you bastard.

"Go ahead and finish that sentence, Motoyasu! I dare you; I double dare you!" Naofumi increased his tone of voice, the dark feeling in his gut slowly simmering, getting stronger.

The two heroes stayed like that for a few seconds, tensions increasing inside the hourglass room. Motoyasu's party looked relaxed, not a drop of worry present in their faces. Raphtalia had her hand around the hilt of her sword, tail straight and the makings of a battle stance just ready.

"Raphtalia, we are leaving!" It wasn't a statement, but an order. The hero of the shield made his way out with heavy steps. The raccoon girl did a quick bow to the Spear's party, not leaving time for Motoyasu to say anything else before she followed behind her lord.

They exited the city in a brisk pace, Naofumi looking utterly furious. No city thug tried messing with them, the dark eyes of the hero enough to dissuade any thug wanting a quick chance at coin. The duo easily made their way into the fields, the low-level monsters already circling them. The creatures had such poor intelligence and low-levels that unless extremely obvious that they would die, the demons would charge and try to gnaw on whatever was close.

Not that Naofumi cared right now.

"Naofumi-sama, are we going somewhere?" Raphtalia was worried, wondering why her master had such a wrathful face. She almost pulled out her sword when a balloon appeared, but the hero extended his arm to stop her.

"Don't worry, I just want to vent out a bit." The hero snatched the balloon midair, grabbing the demon and punching it. Two hits and it popped, awarding its 1 EXP. More critters came, more targets for Naofumi to release his anger.

That went on for about thirty minutes, the trash mobs exterminated; even with his low attacking power, he could dispatch these critters. Yet, it's not enough! Naofumi took his time picking up anything useful. He huffed, most of his anger fuel depleted, and turned to Raphtalia.

"I'm going to pick some herbs and fruits, check the left while I check right. Twenty minutes tops, we've to go back to the city and pickup our gear." He instructed to the girl. She complied; her face confused as to these happenings.

As they split and did the simple, but boring task, Naofumi was left alone for some time. His managed to let off some steam, however, he still had dark thoughts running through his mind. Nonetheless, there was work to be done; he could brood and work, multi-tasking was a Japanese specialty after all.

The only reason she is by my side is because she is my slave. Otherwise, she would probably be all over Motoyasu, like the bitches that follow him. Like that Bitch! I can't trust these people, they did this bullshit to me in the blink of an eye after all. This shitty world…why do I have to fight for its sake?

The duo returned to the city in silence, making their way towards Erhart's blacksmith and weapons shop. The city was beginning to pack up, adventurers and soldiers were seen with more frequency and the merchants and stall owners were trying to sell the last of their wares.

They entered the shop and waited for the smith, the sound of metal being hammered was akin to a crude music. Naofumi dropped his bag and sat on the ground, opening his bag and pulling out his chemistry kit. He had bought a simple one in Ryute Village and hadn't had the time to get himself a better one, but it would do for now.

The hero started his usual work, Raphtalia watching him work with attentive eyes. He did most of the normal steps, but this time he couldn't heat anything up for obvious reasons. As such, he ended up with a great deal of salve. Not that he was complaining, since it would also work as a coagulating agent, something important in the aftermath of the battle. Exposed wounds caused more deaths in the battlefield than any sword, spear, arrow, axe or any weapon for that matter, and having a way to disinfect and cover up cuts and bruises was certainly something one would appreciate out in the field.

The work continued for a longer while. When the rhythmic sound of metal on metal stopped, Naofumi stood up and stretched. Erhart came from inside his smithy, wiping the sweat he had built up with a towel.

"An-chan, Jou-chan, you are back a bit earlier than what I was expecting." The tanned man leaned on his counter.

"You done with my gear?"

"Yeah, just need to let the metal cool off and settle it in place and we will be good to go. I also worked hard with the materials you left for me. This will be one of my best works for sure, An-chan!" The smith gave the hero one easy smile. The Shield hero let tension leave his shoulders and placed some of his salve over the counter. "What's this, using my shop to mix your herbs? Do I need to set a rent price for usage?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Naofumi sarcastically laughed, opening his larger bag and pulling out some potions and pills. "I wanted to give you these. Considering the wave in just around the corner, it's never a bad choice to stock up on medicine. Not wanting to brag, but the medicine I make is quite effective."

"Why exactly are you giving me these? I ain't gonna lower the price of your armor no more." Erhart had a bit of a cheeky smile, arms crossed over his chest.

"They are a gift. You did something for me in the beginning, I'm just doing something back." Naofumi simply said, settling the three potions and ten pills for the smith. "You helped me out more than you know. Take them."

"If An-chan is giving me such amazing gifts, then I'll take them. I am warning though, I won't give them back even if you beg." Erhart picked one of the bottles and opened it, sniffing the contents before closing it back. "I recognize the smell of the herbs, although there is something else in there I can't quite pick up."

"Yeah, the taste was terrible before and it was quite your run of the mill medicine. However, I tinkered a bit and managed to find herbs and fruits that match over some medicines quite well. The green one is for colds, the other red ones are capable of healing somewhat harsh wounds. The pills are nutritional supplements and energy boosters."

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to sell me these." The smith picked the orange-ish pills. "Nutri-what know kid? I get that they are supposed to gave me extra energy, but that other thing you said?"

"How can I explain…They help your body if your food isn't giving you everything you need to work all day. They can even serve as substitute for meals, if only for a short period of time. I made them focusing on them being a helper for poor-nutrition food, not as soldier pills." Naofumi finished his explanation, seeing the duo of Raphtalia and Erhart giving hi amazed looks.

"An-chan, that's the first time I hear about something like this. Sure, alchemists and doctors have their tonics and all, but can something so small and compact really do that?" Naofumi once more remembered the one advantage him and the other heroes had in this world besides their weapons. Knowledge.

His [Nutritional Shield] gave Naofumi something besides better nutritional gains. He could analyze anything that could be fed to a person, be it food or medicine, and based on that, he could decide what would be better for a person to eat, depending on their health. His shield gifted him a nutritional table.

Science here is really behind, but considering magic is on the table, they can afford to not know as much. A smile planted itself on Naofumi's lips. A good plan, but that is only if we can survive the wave.

"Too much talking about me and not enough about my gear." Naofumi called the smith's attention. The tanned man sighed at the impatience of the youngster, but went inside his smithy.

"Yeah, not long now, An-chan!" Erhart peeked his head over the door's frame and exclaimed.

"Hey!" Before the smith could duck back in, however, Naofumi once more called him out. "Mind if I watch you work?"

"What about my trade secrets, An-chan? If you pick my blacksmithing and crafting due to that shield of yours as you took to medicine, you could run me out of my store." Erhart made a good point. Which Naofumi hoped to counter by letting 50 silver coins fall over the counter from his [Currency-Holder Shield].

"I can't come back to the city every time my armor has a tiny crack or a hole. I promise to keep buying your equipment, I even can share other information with you about my world. They have some methods and techniques that you would surely appreciate." Naofumi offered the deal.

"I don't know, kid! Everyone has their secrets, and although your deal sounds good, there is no guarantee that—"

"I'll cook your dinner for you!" Naofumi offered. Raphtalia, who was more focused on testing out light swings with her sword, perked her ears and her tail shot up, swishing madly sideways. The girl stormed the counter and grabbed the smith by his leather apron with deceptive strength for such slender arms.

"Take the deal, Sir! You won't regret it, never! I assure you, Naofumi-sama is superb when it comes to the kitchen!" Erhart was taken back by the ferocious attitude of the racoon girl.

"A'ight, a'ight, kid, you can watch me finish up. It is your armor, anyway!"

Raphtalia let him go and nodded, satisfied.

[Barbarian Lord Armor]

-Increase in defense +35

+Physical Strengthening buff (Small)

+Increased Magic Resistance (Medium)

+Increased Curse Resistance (Small)

+Self-repair function (Small)

Naofumi whistled, impressed by the status of the armor Erhart managed to finish up. Raphtalia was gushing with happiness, eyes bright and lit with admiration for the image of her lord.

"Naofumi-sama, it suits you very much. It is so dashing!" She had her hands joined together.

Erhart was proudly looking over his finished product. Naofumi was the only one with a somewhat sour face.

The shield hero was dressed in finely processed and reinforced dark leather pants settled in place by a hardy belt. His boots were brown and had small plates carefully sewn to avoid inhibiting movement. His upper legs were protected by layered Light Metal plates stacked in between pill rabbit fur. His chest was being protected by a layer of Light Metal, worked as to not hinder him, and to hold the metal in place an underpart of both reinforced leather and two headed demon hound skin. To complete the set, a moss green cape was set over his shoulders and covered his back, the collar lined with fur. "The stats are great, no doubt. Yet, I feel like I'm being confused as some thug!"

"I know, right! With your eyes, your expression just screams burglar!" Naofumi released an annoyed sigh at the smith's words.

"Well, you made it for me, and as I said before, the stats are not bad. It would be a shame not to use it." Naofumi said, but his face soon turned devilish. "How much do I owe you?"

"Come on kid, you think I'm going to rip you off? You're buying here with me all the time, and you even gave me the materials to make it so we will settle for about 180 silver coins." It was cheap. About the same price he had paid for his first armor. "You go out there and do your best. I trust what my eyes see, and I know you aren't what people say you are."

Naofumi lowered his face for a few seconds. Raphtalia smiled as she saw the countenance of her master. Naofumi was smiling. For the first time ever since he had been dealt ploy, he hadn't smiled once, always neutral or frowning.

"Thank you!" His eyes held the same shine when he first visited the smith. The tanned man smiled back.

"Don't get all sappy on me kid, you still have to make me dinner!"

Next day

17 Minutes Remaining until the Hero's first wave.

Naofumi and Raphtalia checked out their equipment silently, the mood serious, but not uncomfortable. Many adventurers and knights were moving about, the people were boarding their homes and praying for salvation.

He finished checking the leather pouches around his waist, hidden by his green cape. Potions and pills were okay, so the hero did the last check over his armor. It was a new weight to get accustomed to, but nothing that would impair his fighting ability. He had fought before carrying more weight.

Raphtalia also finished her preparations, putting away the whetstone and oily cloth she was using to keep her new blade sharp. She had one sword strapped to her waist, together with two daggers and one slightly big knife. Her leather armor would be able to take light hits, but the raccoon girl's focus was on mobility.

"Naofumi-sama!" She called out to him, standing straight in his presence. "I just need to get this off my chest before we head out into battle." Naofumi rose one of his brows at her. Pompous speech now, Raphtalia? If this was a game, that would mark this as a red flag. But no matter how game-like this world is, this is as real as it gets. Keep your head in the battle and fight hard.

"I'm just so grateful to have met you, Naofumi-sama. You gifted me new life, and for that I'll be forever grateful. I'm your sword, Naofumi-sama. No matter the place or the time, I'll fight for you and your cause!" Raphtalia finished by putting one hand over her chest. Naofumi nodded at her resolve.

"Don't die out there! I'll do my best to protect us both, but don't grow too reliant. Always be on the move and avoid getting surrounded." He gave out what he thought to be the best advice. Yeah, he was the Shield Hero, but his defense was only so strong. He had been pierced once, it is bound to happen sometime again.

"I realize that."

"Good. Take that to your heart and get ready. It will begin." He saw, eyes focused on the display counting down the seconds.

27…26…25

…19…18…17

…7…6…5…

…2…1…0