Naofumi and Raphtalia ended up returning to their inn and sleeping away their problems. The hero had a surprisingly good night's rest. He woke up early and together with his slave, the duo made their way over to the inn's common room.

Raphtalia quickly walked to the counter and talked with the woman commanding it. The duo exchanged a few words and soon Raphtalia returned to his side holding two itens covered in cloth.

"Here, Naofumi-sama, you must be hungry." She gave him one of the bundles. He unwrapped it and discovered it to be a sort of sandwich, with many dishes he recognized from yestersday's fiasco party. He looked at her, the girl just waiting for him to start on his meal for her to eat too. He shrugged, not like it would have any taste-

!

Naofumi was taken aback by the flavors filling his mouth. Tasty! I can taste the flavors again...He looked once more at his raccoon eared companion, the girl smiling at him.

"Since so much food was just going to be thrown away, I asked the kitchen staff if they would let us have some leftovers. They were very pleased to hear of it!" She eyed her bit sandwich with amused eyes. "Many were impressed that you managed to defeat Sir Spear Hero-sama." She bit her food once more.

Naofumi focused on eating his meal, let it be damned if it was leftovers. He finished his meal faster than he expected.

"Naofumi-sama." Raphtalia had his full, undivided attention. "From here on now, please, share your thoughts with me. Your troubles, your worries, whatever my lord desires, I'll be at your side to help you." She declared witha firm expression. It would be a touching moment, were it not for the food crumbs left on the corners of her mouth.

He sighed and gave her a half-smile. His right hand rose and brushed aside the crumbs, making the raccoon girl flush in embarassment. He laghed, amused by her reaction, and patted her head.

"Mouh, stop treating me like a child!"

The duo left the inn and made their way to the closest apothecary. The hero wanted to stock up in supplies and upgrade his beginner's equipment in regards to chemistry. They entered the shop and were greated by an old man smoking a pipe.

The thin man had his hair done in a ponytail and his old eyes looked over the duo behind thin glasses.

"Buying medicine?" The hero asked, right thumb pointing to his strapped backpack.

"Might be, let me have a look." The old man let loose a cloud of smoke and set aside his pipe. Naofumi put the many containers with his homemade itens, many interesting the owner of the store. "These seem different from the usual potion." The man uncorked one potion and sniffed the contents, enjoying the citric aroma the potion emmited. "These have been introduced in the market recently and many merchants hog the things rather viciously. How have you acquired these?"

"I make them." The simple response made the old man raise one eyebrow before his eyes settled over the shield Naofumi had strapped to his arm.

"Shield Hero, right?" The old apothecarian searched the bookshelf behind him, taking a few books and settling them on the counter. "I'll buy all your remaining medicine. Take the books as a freebie." This time it was Naofumi's turn to raise his eyebrows.

The senior picked his pipe again and gave it another puff.

"I have relatives over Ryute Village; you saved them and even healed their wounds."

"I merely did my job. They paid for the potions, it wasn't charity. Why?" Naofumi eyed the man with suspicion.

Another puff of the pipe, another line of smoke released.

"It's second-hand, nothing really worth anything. Merely a thanks." The apothecarian pushed the books over to Naofumi. "They should have medium-level recipes, those will earn you a nice penny."

The hero eyed the books and the old man for a few seconds before he sighed. He opened the first one in a random page, a mixing part if the drawn ilustrations were anything to go by, and almost grimmaced. He couldn't understand jackshit of the writing. Even so, he grabbed the rather heavy books and put them inside his pack.

"Give me a advanced compounding kit." The hero said as he grabbed his beginner's chemistry kit and pointed it at his shield's gem. A quick meal for the shield and another skill tree opened for him.

"Hundred silver coins. You already know how to work with advanced tools? They are quite fragile." Even as he said so, the old man still attended to the request, setting the many glass containers over the counter.

Naofumi merely smirked, pointing to the potions on the counter. "I made the first back of these with riverstones as mortars and leatherflasks as containers, give me the proper containers, apropriate tools and the needed materials and we both will be swimming in cash." The apothecarian gave Naofumi an apraising eye. He closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"I see. The Holy Shield chose a merchant and a warrior, a odd combination for sure, but one that is highly appreciated. I'll contact my people, they will search the market for rare ingredients." Naofumi put the required silver coins on the counter and held his hand out. The apothecary looked at the hand in confusion.

"In my world, successful bussiness are settled with a handshake. I will hold my end of the bargain, will you hold yours?" The hero asked in a serious tone, the easy air from before left aside. The old man took another puff of his pipe, quickly extending his hand to grasp the Japanese's. "I'll be using Ryute Village as my base for a while, if you get the ingredients, send word." The two man nodded and agreed in the way only businessmen did after scoring a big contract.

"What is going on?" Raphtalia asked, many questions going over her head. She had been paying attention to the entire conversation, hoping to learn something from it. Her master and the apothecarian had seemingly exchanged simple words, but their conversation took on an entire different ending than what she was expecting.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The lady from the magic store also wanted to have some words with you.

Raphtalia let her ears perk up. It seemed that word of her master's heroics was spreading. She puffed her chest in hapiness.

Naofumi wondered for a few moments if he should meet this new lady.

Of course I should. Acquiring reliable contacts within the city is important. Erhart old man, this guy here, even those merchant bastards, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. Getting information about this world will also be a boom for Raphtalia and I. Speaking of which, we need to increase our party. If the knights were that incompetent with the Waves in the first stages, only the heroes and their teams will be relevant in the long term. Huhh, shitty king, shitty princess, shitty knights, can Melromark get any worse? No, Naofumi, don't! These things can always get worse, don't set any flags you don't want to deal with.

"Your affinities lie with healing and support."

Naofumi almost regretted coming to this place.

The magic shop, ran by a plump lady in witch garb, was almost like a library. The smell of old books was calming, they reminded Naofumi of home, of Japan. There were many trinkets and lay abouts over the place, but the majority of the shelves were filled with books and scrolls about magic, or so Naofumi though. He wasn't a mage, for all he knew, this place could be filled to the brim with weird shit.

He breathed in deeply, enjoying the smell of old parchment, eyes turning to stare at the clear eyes this lady had. She had an easy going expression and a personality to match, seeing as she was effortlessly talking with Raphtalia as if they were old friends already. She was the type of pushy old lady that always managed to get away with what she wanted, merely due to being pushy about any subject.

She hovered her hands over the magic orb on her table, eyeing Raphtalia with a jovial expression.

"Well, well, young lady, your affinities are somewhat rare, light and dark. They are a good combination, surprising versatility, something rather appropriate for a raccoon demi-human." The witch moved with a surprisingly fast step, darting from place to place, getting another stack of books that Naofumi gave the stink eye. I guess I can't really avoid the subject any longer. Surprisingly, I made due this far without being able to read anything here. Another project to add to the pile.

"These are beginner-level grimores, packet full of simple spells. It's a bit harder to learn magic using grimores, but the efficiency is much higher than simply learning one single spell from a spell orb. I would teach you myself, but I have some urgent matters to attend, so these will have to do." The witch apologized in the end, the hero already thankful for her help. Raphtalia was almost squealing in joy, hands joined and eyes shining.

Wait. Spell orbs?

"The fuck is a spell orb?" Naofumi couldn't help the cuss. The old woman looked at him curiously.

"You didn't know? The king ordered a bunch of them for the heroes. I personally would prefer to give them grimores, considering the many limitations of spell orbs, but royalty does what royalty pleases. I swear, the Queen must be quite tired if she plays the game of the aristocrats. Oh, forgive me, we're talking about Spell orbs, right? Basically, they are magic stones that grant one magic spell upon whoever uses them. As I said, magic that originates from proper study is much more efficient, but today's youth is so impressionable that they forget the value of hard work. How troubling for this lady" If Naofumi ignored the rising anger inside his gut, he would actually enjoy this coversation equivalent of gossiping.

Figures that that Trash of a king would do something like this. That redhead cunt must be enjoying it, getting skills and special equipment like that. The fucking coffers of this place are, at least, stacked. Give me five minutes inside and my [Currency Holder Shield], you wouldn't find a single copper left behind.

Raphtalia saw her master's face darken for a few seconds. She was about to reach out a hand and touch him, but his anger seemed to settle down as he released a sigh, one too many for being so early in the morning.

"Hey lady, thank you for the help." The hero once more packed more books, grimores really, inside his already heavy packback. "Let's get going Raphtalia, we still need to visit one more place." The duo of hero and slave left the magic shop, waving their hands at witch. She saw them off, wide smile in place.

"What a fine lad!~ If I were a couple of years younger, I would try to join his party." The lady commented to herself, waking back to her table. She was about to return to her book when a glimmer of metal caught her attention. A neat stack of 50 silver coins.

The witch smile grew even more. Did her niece finish her magic studies?

"If she were to marry the Shield Hero, would their kid have high defensive magic or the best supportive type of the magical branch? This old lady can still dream after all. Ohohohohoh." The witch laughed and did a spell, calling a vial of ink and some parchment to come to her table. She had some letters to write.

"What a fine product indeed! Merely a month ago she was sickly and dying, yet after such short time she was raised into top quality." The Slave Merchant was huffing like a pervert, rubbing his hands in a disgusting manner. The fucker even had a blush, his glasses lighting with a weird flash. "Even without her virginity, she would sell likely for 20 gold coins."

"Ptff-" Naofumi spit and hacked, hearing a rather large amount of money being suddenly offered for Raphtalia.

"Wha-? Of course I'm still a virgin!" Raphtalia shouted in shame, a violent blush over her face. Twenty gold coins...

"Seriously!? Then, 35 gold coins! No, 40!" Naofumi widened his eyes at the amount. Raphtalia's tail frisked and she looked at him, expecting him to say something.

Forty gold coins...

"Naofumi-sama! If you don't say anything, I'll get angry!" The hero blinked a few times, his pupils changing to their normal shape instead of the coin format it had taken previously.

"Of course I'd never sell you, Raphtalia. It's just...quite a deal of money." The hero assured the girl. She looked away from him, inflating her cheeks to display her anger. "You are irreplaceable." He simply said what was on his mind. It appeared to be effective, the girl's fluffy tail swishing sideways, even if she still had her back turned to him.

Raphtalia eyed him from the corner of her eyes, pouting.

"Well, dear customer, if you aren't here to sell her," The penguin look-alike left the question to be filled by the hero. Naofumi rolled his eyes, spotting something he hadn't seen before. Atop some wooden crates, a box sat with its lid open.

He walked closer to the box, seeing it full of white eggs marked with the same pattern of the curse crest. "Hey, Slave Owner, what are these?"

"Oh, what a sharp eye, my lord! These are our specialty, monster eggs; they are our most requested item. For merely 100 silver pieces a try, you can acquire a obedient monster. Our batches are top quality, you can acquire at the very least a Philorial, and the biggest prize, a dragon!" The Slave owner explained, twisting the tips of his mustache as he pointed to one of the eggs.

Naofumi eyed the box, suspicion written all over his face. "How do I know this won't be a scam?"

"My lord!? There is no way we would tamper with the products we display to our customers! I run a honest business, tricking my customers is not something that ever occured to me!" Cheap lip service or pride? Not that Naofumi cared. In the business world, no matter the type of business, it was rather chaotic. People would tell you that being fair and mindful of others was the way to go, but turn your back and those same people'd be the ones owning sweatshops that overworked their "employees" half to death. Japanese Black companies (term for business that force their employees boderline inhuman workind hours and requests) were rather infamous for being one of the most harsh enviroments one could find yourself into.

"Yeah, sure!" Sarcasm dripping from his voice, Naofumi eyed the eggs rather carefully. Raphtalia was curious as to her master's plans for why he had come back here. The place didn't bring pleasant memories, but it was where her lord had found her. Was he planning on...

"This one and this one." The black haired hero pointed to two eggs, the Slave Owner's expression shifting to his disgusting smile. Rubbing hands in that way that made you wash yourself in alcohol, then lit the match, the merchant approached the box and picked the two eggs. He placed them inside glass incubators, but before he placed the glass over the eggs, he asked Naofumi to put some blood in the ink for the process. A slight prick and a few drops of blood later, the eggs had been registered as Naofumi's.

Naofumi acquired Monster Egg(A), Monster egg(B).

"Anything else you might like to acquire, my lord?" Counting the coins handed to him, Slave Owner offered. Naofumi observed someting only he could see, eyes shifting before he nodded.

"Since I'm already here, might as well. I've some cash to spare, show me more slaves, same as last time. Not totally broken, nor anything crippled." Naofumi spoke, holding one of the incubators while Raphtalia carried the other.

"Naofumi-sama, should we really be spending this much money right now?" The raccoon girl wasn't up to par as to their finances. They always lived frugally, so spending so much so soon was not something Raphtalia was accustomed to.

"We accumulated a great deal selling all those potions and pills, remember? Besides, we need more people." They had obtained victory last time against the waves, but it wasn't without cost. The major damages to Ryute Village; those that died before Naofumi could shield them. He wasn't naive to believe people hadn't died there before his arival, doing so would be foolish. He needed more party members to assure even 1% more his chances of survival. He had time, forty-six days and seventeen hours to be exact until the next wave hit them, to train and prepare.

Problem was, Naofumi would not trust anyone right now. People were looking out to fuck him over, he could not lower his defenses. Slaves were the best bet. Raphtalia had turned out fine under his tutelage, the others would do so. He wasn't looking to torture or maim anyone, and inflicting injuries upon them was retarded to the utmost level. Why in seven hells would he damage his property?

Sure, it was a grim, inhuman way to look at people, but as he had just said, why would he willingly damage his tools? Would a blacksmith mistreat his hammer and anvil for sadistic pleasure? Was a swordsman going to drag his blade through dirt because he enjoyed it? Only idiots did such retarded shit, and Naofumi was no idiot.

"Add onto that the fact that with more people with us we can hunt more prey, gather more items and be safer. I only see benefits to acquiring more."

Raphtalia could not counter him.

"Here we are, sir!" Slave Owner pulled the curtain that led access to the slaves, the smell of disease not even bothering Naofumi anymore. Raphtalia had hard eyes, looking over the condition of her fellow demi-humans, but before her hands could start trembling at the memories of the cages and chains, her master grabbed her shoulder. She tightened her hold on the incubator.

"First we look out for us and our own, then we can help others." The hero approached and whispered in her ear. Normally, such proximity against her master would be enjoyable, his normally stand off-ish nature aside, but now she clung unto the ray of hope he presented to her.

Many eyes focused on the new arivals, but soon they faded away. A new master, a new dirty slave, did it matter?

"Can't you at least clean up the place?" Naofumi complained to the Slave Owner, eyeing the many slaves in their cages. Think properly on who we want to buy. I can do the tanking and support, but having another one person helping would be good. Raphtalia's focus is on mobility and damage, but she seemes more like a fighter than a rogue. Should I train a Crusader-type or get someone specialized in stealth? The hero's eyes searched the demi-humans, but no one seemed good. His eyes scanned the stats and he pondered his options.

"If I might suggest, my lord." Slave Owner appeared behind the hero, circling him."Why not visit the castle dungeons?"

Naofumi tilted his face sideways. "Why the hell would I go there?"

"Were you not informed, my lord? By the king's decree, any person skilled in any art is required to help the heroes, should their skills be deemed necessary. I believe that no one would complain should you brand criminals with the slave crest and offer a pardon on their sentence should they work properly for your cause." The Slaver suggested, working on another batch of cursed ink.

Naofumi clicked his tongue, anger once more painting his face. The hero did a few breathing exercises, focusing his mind in not murdering Trash king. Of course I would be the last one to know about this. The Shield Hero cycled through some ideas, did some calculations and looked at the slaves in sale.

His eyes scanned the names and levels, many ideas for combinations going on his mind. Come on, one of you has to have something for me. It seemed that not everything was lost here. Weirdly enought, Naofumi found someone in Level 1. Raphtalia was one thing, considering she was a child at the time, but all the current slaves here were at least level 2-3. Finding someone level one was strange.

The hero walked in the direction of the Level, considering the nametag merely had "?". He arived in front of the cage and confusion spread on his face. The shop was full of demi-humans, yet the person in front of him was definitively human. Dirty brownish hair, white-ish skin, dressed in slightly better rags than those around her, a woman was there. She had a blank expression, eyes staring out into nothing.

"Hey, you." He called her out, her head slowly turning to meet his eyes. "What is your name?"

"This one has no nome, degozaru." Degozaru? What the hell? Since when has this turned into a Sengoku-period drama? Weirded out, the hero turned his head to the owner of the place.

"Oi, what's with this one? I thought slavery was prohibited for humans, why is she here?" The question made the Slave Owner take off his tophat and polish it a bit.

"Well, it is prohibited for sure, but in special cases that can be pardoned. War prisoners, bandits, and those banished by royalty can have the Slave Crest applied no problem. Worry not, my lord, I would never let you get into trouble." Smirking, Slave Owner rubbed his hands and motioned to the girl. "Our usual costumers have no interest in her, considering her expressionlessness. I bought her from a noble close to the royalty, but she hasn't been much use. How about it sir? 300 silver pieces and she is all yours!"

"300 silver pieces? No fucking deal! I bought Raphtalia far cheaper than that." Naofumi argued, crossing his arms and staring at the tuxedo dressed man.

"Naofumi-sama! Please, don't imply that I'm a cheap girl!" Raphtalia shouted at her master.

"My lord, you have to understand that I run a business here. I can't lower her price anymore, otherwise I'd be losing money here." Slave Owner pleaded, tiny crocodile tears at the corner of his eyes.

Naofumi hardened his gaze over the man, eyes narrowing in a rather intimidating matter. "That sounds like a you-problem. She is low level, is wearing rags and looks like she is about to keel over and die. 75 silver pieces, considering I'm doing you a favor." The hero presented his deal, making the Slaver almost cry for real this time.

"S-sir!? 75 silver coins is a little...her skin is still supple, and if one ignores her lack of expression, she has a considerable face and body. Her speech is polite and she behaves rather well. How about 150 silver coins?

The Shield Hero almost growled. "I hope you aren't implying what I think you're implying!" The small shield morphed into [Two-headed Demon Dog Shield], the two hounds also snarling at the man. Lower the price a bit more! That had to have intimidated you a little bit.

"Far from it, my lord. I heard from my sources that you have been making and selling medicine. While your reputation can certainly shoo away bothersome thugs, wouldn't it be better to have a proxy to sell your wares? Buyers tend to loosen their purse-strings after seeing a pretty face, and amateur merchants frequently underestimate women. Teaching her will be easy for sure, you are making a killing by acquiring her for 120 silver pieces." Wiping some sweat from his forehead, Slave Owner proposed.

Naofumi still stared at the man for a few longer seconds.

"Good enough, I guess. How generous of you to offer better clothing to hide her Slave Crest!" The hero pushed, pulling the required coins from his shield. Slave Owner wanted to say something, but gave up and nodded, smirk soon settling back on his lips.

"That is why I love you, sir! You are not afraid to drive hard bargains, and your eyes!" The man shivered while hugging and foundling his body, making Naofumi step back a few steps. "Your eyes are the best!" The merchant tried to approach Naofumi, a heavy blush and steam coming out of his body. The hero raised his shield, the two black hounds barking to snap the Slaver back into reality.

"Pardon me~" Slave Owner said.

"Fucking weirdo." Naofumi muttered, releasing a sigh.

The group left the shop quickly, the Shield Hero not wanting to stay any longer next to the Slave merchant. He changed his shield into the more common [Iron Shield] and shifted its position to his right hip. Raphtalia, having already received her instructions, distanced herself a bit and went to ask the locals the whereabouts of the dungeos or where the prisioners were kept.

While she didn't return, Naofumi waited by, his newest adition silently staying by his side. He eyed the girl, who had Raphtalia's height, wondering if his purchase had been correct. No use crying over spilled milk. Better make sure she doesn't get any weird ideas. He coughed lightly, making the girl look his way.

"You hungry?" When in doubt, use the food approach. Conversation flows smoother if you have a full belly. She stared at him for a few seconds.

"Worry not, master. This one can satisfy any wish you desire, there is no need for bribes, degozaru." Her dead tone was only broken by the silly attachment at the end. Why does everyone only think of sexual favors when the talk is slaves?

He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. "Yeah, about that, can you not?" He scratched his hair, wondering how to deal with the situation. "It's a simple question, no strings attached or anything. I can't have you fighting on an empty stomach." Her dead eyes glanced at him in confusion.

"Fight? Master hasn't bought this one to satisfy his carnal pleadings?" He groaned hard at her phrase.

"How do you people get this impression of me?" It was less of a question and more of a murmur to himself, but the girl's next answer made him narrow his eyes.

"The Holy scriptures call the Shield a Devil. Murder and rape are telltale signs that the Shield Devil has awakened."Her flat tone made hard for him to decide if she believed in her saying or was merely recalling information, nevertheless, it was new information. Shield Devil, huh?

The hero got closer to a street stall and ordered some meat skewers. Receiving his order and paying up, Naofumi offered two of the current seven sewers in his hands to the girl. She eyed the meal, but didn't take it. Naofumi pushed the meal unto her hands and made a signal for her to follow him, Raphtalia returning with their information.

"Naofumi-sama, this way." The raccoon girl guided the group to another district of the city. It was close to the castle, but closer to a rather poor area. Even in the capital, places like this would no doubt exist. Guess they would call this the Slums.

The cobblestone was a bit uneven, a muffled sound echoing as the trio made their to the "Castle Dungeon". Naofumi offered Raphtalia some skewers and proceeded to eat his share. Once or twice the hero would slightly turn his head to look at the slave girl, surprised to find out she had already finished her meal. Not hungry, my ass.

"Here, eat." He presented the girl his last skewer. She didn't take it, making him release an annoyed huff. Raphtalia took the skewer and slowed her pace, matching the slave girl. Naofumi nodded and changed shields, [Cartographer's Shield] showing the close-by area. Not that it was necessary, considering he could already see the location.

Reaching the stone building, the hero changed his shield into the usual form and walked foward, meeting the guards.

"Halt! Identify yourself and your purpose for visiting the Castle prison." Why the prison was not under the castle, but separated from it, it was anyone's guess.

Taking a deep breath, Naofumi prepared himself.

"I'm Iwatani Naofumi, Shield Hero. I came here, under royal orders, to look for potential recruits to my party. I request that you grant me access to the dungeon." He had no reason to be rude to the guards, since they hadn't pissed him off. Yet.

The guards looked at each other, the younger soldier looked like he didn't knew what he was talking about. Slaver, if you have lied to me, I'll skin you alive and sell you as exotic animal hide!

The older soldier clicked his tongue and looked sideway, before noticing the two women behind Naofumi. He grew a smirk that the hero wasn't pleased.

"Oh, Shield hero, of course! No one would want to party with a criminal, so searching among the criminals is rather befitting of you." The tanned older man laughed, scratching his growing stubble. "I might have heard of such decree, but I'm not so sureee~~." Naofumi locked his jaw in place, arms crossed. And there it is.

"Maybe, if one of those beauties would come closer, I might remember about it." Naofumi grew a rather large tick mark. He eyed the guard with narrowed eyes.

"Raphtalia." A simple command and the girl was beside him. "Please, entertain this honorable soldier. It seems he has a weak memory, help him recover it." The raccoon girl stepped up and got closer. The guard had a growing blush, forgetting his junior at his side. He approached the girl with his back hunched, hands moving up to cop a feel. All that he felt was a boot connecting to the side of his helmet, a loud "CLANG" emmiting from the impact. He kissed the ground and passed out.

"How about you, junior? Your memories good, or do you also need help remembering things? I can provide your help myself." Naofumi declared, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"R-right t-this way, s-sir." The younger guard never bothered to pick his fallen spear or his fellow soldier, grabbing a nearby torch and guiding the trio to the currently occupied cells. They had to walk a few minutes, many of the holding cells empty.

"These-e are t-the currently-y occupied ones." The young soldier pointed to the corridor holding at least ten rooms. Torches lit the way, the damp stone building giving a musty smell.

"Thanks for the help, we can take it from here." Naofumi said, patting the soldier on the shoulder. The young man flinched, but seeing no further threats from the hero, he nodded and was about to return to his post before the hero called him out again. "We need the keys in case we decide to open up one of the cells."

"R-right, of course!" fumbling a bit and even dropping the thick keys, the young soldier handed them to Naofumi with trembling hands. The hero took the ring of iron keys and thanked the soldier once more.

As the soldier made his way back, Naofumi glanced inside one of the cells, seeing a man laying on a makeshift strawbed. Tattoos inked on his arms, cropped hair and thug-like expression. Typical burglar, won't obey orders and will keep on harassing the girls. The hero proceeded to the next cell. A thin individual dressed in worn out clothing and a red bandana. He eyed the hero and sneered, buckteeth jutting out of his mouth.

This could take a while...

This is new.

The hero had searched just about every cell, only finding ruffians and bandits. Naofumi was confident in his defense and in persuassive tecniques, but he hoped to not have to resort to them. It was scary to know what someone could do to another person with basic science, specially in this magic and sword world were tecnology was not fully advanced. He was almost giving up when he glanced inside the last cell. Color him surprised to see a soft pink haired woman in knight armor chained to the wall. She seemed to be okay, but you never knew.

He tried a few different keys in the slot of the wooden door. Third time is the charm. He joked in his head as he opened the door, the woman raising her head to meet his gaze.

"Did they finally contracted a Bandit Lord to break me?" The knight lady mocked, eyeing him with suspicion. Naofumi deadpanned. I knew I looked way too like a bandit. Damn it, old man.

He exhaled in exhasperation. "How about some introductions first before we reach conclusions like that? I'm Iwatani Naofumi, the Shield Hero." The japanese presented himself, showing his shield to the lady. "These are my current companions, Raphtalia and..., we are still working on a name for her." He pointed to the girls, who entered the place a few seconds later.

"Shield Hero?" The woman seemed pensive. "Why are you inside a dungeon, Sir Iwatani." Naofumi almost cringed. I'm only 20, why am I being called "Sir"?

"Searching reliable companions." He stated. The female knight looked at him weirdly, surely wondering if a few screws weren't missing in his head. Who would search for party members inside a prison? "It's a long story. Believe me, it's not the first place that comes to my mind either, but I think this conversation would be better if I could know who I'm talking to."

The woman closed her eyes and smiled to herself, as if something amused her.

"My name is Eclair Seatto. A knight serving under the Queen Mirelia Q. Melromark. Or so I would like to present myself, but as you all can see, these chains hold me as a mere prisoner here." The now named Eclair declared. Naofumi approached her and eyed the chains holding her on the wall. He tested a few other keys, unlocking the female knight from her binding. She fell without warning, almost meeting the ground. His and Raphtalia's quick reflexes allozed them to hold Eclair before she became aquaintaced with the ground. The duo slowly lowered her to a sitting position, the pink haired woman rubbing her wrists to get some blood flowing in them. "Might I inquire the reason of my sudden release? Last I knew, King Aultocray was still in concordance with the church as to keep me contained."

Naofumi first got his canteen and shook it sideways, making the water inside slosh noisily. "Have some water first. Don't know for how long you've been in there, dehydration might be a issue, so drink first." He offered the canteen, but the knight eyed him suspiciously. Naofumi sighed, taking a swig of it and making a show of loudly swallowing the drink. "Enough proof that I haven't poisoned or laced the water?"

"Thank you." Eclair said, taking the canteen and immediately gulping it down, some spilling out of her mouth. Not that she seemed to care.

Raphtalia looked a bit jealous of the knight drinking from Naofumi's canteen.

After finishing her drink, Eclair took a few extra moments to compose herself, giving back the hero's empty water container.

"As I was saying, I came here to recruit companions. King Tra- Aultocray has given the heroes authority to recruit whoever was necessary in order to fight the waves, and out of all the thugs and thieves here, you seem to be the most reliable. Care to help me?" Naofumi waited the knight's answer. She remained in deep thought for some moments, eyeing the current companions he had.

"Might I ask why is your party solely formed of females, Iwatani-sama?" Her question made him look at the group. True to her afirmation, his party right now was consistent of him being the sole male in it. The mere thought of looking like Motoyasu made Naofumi disgusted. He focused back on Eclair.

"Their sex has nothing to do with it. I merely picked whom I thought would be useful to me. Wouldn't it be idiotic to ignore them just because they are female?" He merely answered the truth of what he thought. It would not matter to him, be it men or women, if you were useful and wouldn't try to stab him in the back, Naofumi would welcome any.

Eclair looked at him as if he had spoken some ancient secret. She smiled and nodded. "You certainly make your point. I beg your pardon for my erroneous judgement." She slowly rose from the ground. "I wish to help you in any way I can, but first I must ask for your cooperation, Iwatani-sama. I must speak with the Queen."

Naofumi let one of his eyebrows up. "I always hear everyone talking about how Melromark is a matriarchy and all, but since my arrival here, I've only seen the King displaying any power. I don't really get along with him, so our best option right now is head out and get stronger to face the Waves." He declared strongly, making Eclair look his way with a troubled expression.

"Shield Hero-Sama, I understand this is a rather selfish request, but the reason I must speak with my Queen has correlation to the waves. I have been locked in here before I could report to her, so it's extremely urgent that I relay my report to her." The hero narrowed his eyes at the woman.

"Look, I get it, but not even us heroes met with her when we arrived here." His response made Eclair widen her eyes, clear surprise on her face. "I don't doubt your loyalty to the throne, nor do I really care for it. The reason I'm here is to get a party member to fight the waves. Don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but has it occured to you that there are people that don't want you to report to the Queen?" Raphtalia whined at him, telling him to be gentler with his words, but Naofumi pressed on. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone put you in here and expected you to either die or rot with whatever information you have for the Queen. I hate wasting time and I have spent all the time I aloted to this place; decide now. Come with me, get stronger and have a better chance of meeting your Queen, or stay in this cell and rot. The King seems happy to have you here, the nobles even more, if what you told me is true."

Naofumi finished his piece and waited a response from the female knight. He almost missed the subtle reaction that his new slave did. She moved her head to the side, eyes firmly focused on the ground. Guilty of something? Does she know something? I really lucked out with this one, didn't I?

The hero waited with crossed arms, seeing Eclair's expression shift. The knight seemed to be battling against her pride or something like that. Being proud is good and all, but too much of it is troublesome. She being level 39 is a huge help, but if she stays this loyal to the Queen, it could lead to trouble down the line.

"Iwatani-sama, I-...must refuse your offer. My duty is to my country; being a knight means that I must trust the judgement of those I swore myself to and-" Her long speech was interrupted by the hero. He immediately turned his back and motioned for the rest of his party to follow him.

"If you have the time to waste away in a cell, you're welcome to stay in here and rot." Naofumi's harsh tone made the knight recoil as if she had been lashed at. "Arrhhh, wasted too much time here, we could have reached the forrest by now and be leveling her up." The hero scratched his hair in annoyance. "If pride is all you have, stay here and wait until I finish your job, Knight. Are you all just fancy trinkets for the royalty?" Complaining more to himself in a loud voice, Naofumi exited the cell together with his party, leaving behind one stunned Eclair. That's about what I should have expected of a knight belonging to this country, all talk, no action.

"Iwatani-sama, wait!" He heard Eclair call for him. Not that he cared anymore. At least he left her cell open. The hero absorbed the key he used to unlock her cell, and proceeded to exit the dungeon, the Knight's voice calling him once more.

"Naofumi-sama, shouldn't we have listened to her a bit more?" Raphtalia asked the hero. They were making their way to Ryute Village once more, the prospect of a more jobs and extra income all that Naofumi needed to remember. He shook his head sideways. They had also passed by Erhart's place and picked some basic adventurer's kit for the slave girl. She was still silent, not speaking any words and merely following her master.

"Raphtalia, we don't have time to be dilly-dalling and listening to every poor sob's story. If Eclair wants to be useless and let villagers die because she is too busy being all knight-of-honor, let her do so. Remember what I said before? We look out for us and our own first, then we help others. Stop to help a beggar in a city and you won't walk again." The hero said so, fixing his backpack. "The waves won't wait for us, we must get stronger. Eclair was going to be plus for sure, but what is lost is lost. Let's hope that what come out of these monster eggs will help us out."

The raccoon girl couldn't rebuke it. The silence they fell into as they walked was a bit unconfortable for her, so she opted to change the topics of their conversation. "Well, we can always train hard. Besides, we have...what is your name?" Raphtalia asked the slave girl.

"This one requires no name, degozaru. Shouldn't master be letting me carry his luggage?" Instead of a name, Raphtalia received a question. The girls turned their eyes to Naofumi, the hero walking ahead and carefully carrying out the incubator.

"You look like you can barely sustain yourself in place. Get stronger first, then you can think about carrying weight." His response made Raphtalia smile. Yeah, her master was sometimes scary, but he had kindness in his heart. No one would treat a slave like he does. "Besides, cut that "This one need no name" stick. You expect me to call you Slave A everytime I need something from you? Come on, spill out a name already. It doesn't has to be your real name, I don't care for your past and whatnot, even a nickname is okay. You're my slave now." Normally, such words would be harsh and ill seen, but for some reason the slave girl found those words somehow encouraging her.

"Shadow...call this one Shadow, degozaru."

"See, not so hard, Shadow." Naofumi continued his trekk, the girls following behind him.

"Shadow-san, don't mind Naofumi-sama. He sometimes says harsh words and can be petty and villanous, but he is a good person." The raccoon girl smiled at the newly dubbed Shadow. The brunette nodded, still expressionless. She eyed her own body, dressed in simple leather armor. She'd resemble a young Raphtalia, the only difference being that her clothing was more on dark blue shades. Shadow focused her eyes on her new master. The hero advanced with confidence, unburdened by his weighty backpack. She stealthly dropped the rosary she had hidden with her, a silver symbol of a Bow, a Sword and a Spear fused together in a circle. The church may believe in the Three Holy Heroes, but it seemed that she was saved by the Shield, the Devil. How ironic.

The Trio arrived in Ryute Village and immediately started working.

That is said in the most literal sense, seeing as when the trio approached the place, many villagers were around one bloody corpse. It seemed to be the corpse of the Chimera, the boss of the last wave. It had its three heads chopped off, but the body was still there. The villagers asked them help, Naofumi promptly lowering his backpack and grabbing a hacksaw to help break the body in more manageable parts. Many other monster corpses still littered some parts of the village, making Naofumi help the villagers with cleanup. Those wankers think this is game? Of course corpses won't just dissapear! There is no need to say that the hero was pissed off that day.

Raphtalia and Shadow went to help out in whatever they could, their first day since arriving in Ryute Village a busy one due to the ongoing reconstructions.

Naofumi was ever present in the village, helping with anything he could and receiving payment in any way the villagers could affort. Considering the village would need a great deal of money, the hero settled mostly with being taught some skills by the villagers and well as bartering any items with them for payment.

[Carpenter's Shield Unlocked] [Blacksmith's Shield unlocked] [Tailor's Shield unlocked] [Lumerjack's Shield Unlocked] [Chimeric Viper Shield unlocked] [Chimeric Viper Bone Shield unlocked] [Chimeric Viper Hide Shield unlocked] [Craftsman's Shield unlocked] [Peddler's Shield unlocked] [Hammer Shield unlocked] [Saw Shield Unlocked] [Wood Shield unlocked] [Wood Saw Dust Shield unlocked] [Ash Shield Unlocked].

Naofumi also took this time to learn how to read and write, together with Raphtalia. Their learning speed was faster due to Shadow, the brunette easily helping them in their endeavors to learn. She also was quick to level up, becoming a rather speedy individual.

Shadow opted to use daggers instead of swords, her quick and precise strikes easily debilitating any enemy they faced. She also seemed to be quite good with sneak attacks and traps. The girl was able to track down monsters with precision and even had some knowledge in dealing with poisons. The hero took advantage of her abilities as best as he could, training battle formations and tactics for hunting. Raphtalia sometimes complained when Shadow easily remembered some of the more complicated strategies Naofumi developed, now that their numbers allowed for more diverse planning.

Their fifteen days spent in the village were very productive.

Naofumi was awaking up due to someone shaking him. He had stayed late the night before, working on some grimores, and apparently he slept sitting on his chair. He massaged his stiff neck and opened his eyes, a yawn leaving his mouth.

"Naofumi-sama, one of the eggs! It's hatching!" Raphtalia exclaimed excitedly, shaking his right shoulder. Shadow just entered the room, carrying some breakfast on a plate. She had taken to wearing a hoaded cloak and even fashioned herself a mask, buying the necessary materials from the pocket money Naofumi gave her. She placed the tray on the table besides the grimores and books, and stood by his left side as Raphtalia stood by his right.

Cracks spread over the egg, a tiny white wing popping out of one of the cracks. More and more the cracks spread, and Naofumi could hear a chirping sound being emmited from the egg. And suddenly, all egg broke and revealed a white excited chick. It chirped and skipped in place, jumping and nestling in Naofumi's messy hair.

"A bit too excited, don't you think?" He complained, one hand ready to catch the chick in cause it fell from its place.

"Maybe it thinks you are its parent?" Raphtalia said excitedly.

"A Filorial. It is a good monster, Master." Shadow said, handing Naofumi his plate with breakfast.

The hero took the plate and took a bite, offering some of it to the chick on his head. It ate with vigor, happily chirping and singing at him. He picket the remains of egg shell and fed it to his shield. [Monster Owner Shield I unlocked] [Monster Tamer Shield I unlocked].

Crack~

The entire group snapped their attention to the noise source, the second egg also started cracking. The group closed in on the incubator, waiting for their new member.

Instead of exploding like the Filorial's egg, this one cracked once at the top, the shell casing moving apart to reveal what Naofumi could only call a snake. The reptile yawned, exposing her pink, fleshy insides and some pearly fangs and slowly slid off her egg, allowing the hero to see the greenish blue scales of the monster. It slowly curled around itself, Naofumi estimating its size to be only 10 cm. Its eyes focused on him, a purring-like sound escaping its throat before it slid its way to Naofumi. The hero extended his hand to the snake, the reptile curling and wrapping around his hand.

The Filorial chick started complaining and whining atop his head, the hero pating it with his other hand.

Raphtalia cooed, hands joined together and tail swishing.

Shadow looked apathetic, merely waiting to pass Naofumi his drink.

The hero once more fed his shield the egg scraps, his Shields becoming even better.

[Monster Owner Shield II unlocked] [Monster Tamer Shield II unlocked].

"Well, let's get going, we need to train." The hero equiped his [Monster Owner Shield II], a simple shield with the image of a black dragon wrapped around the gem, and stood up, both his monsters nuzzling into him. He checked their levels, happy to see their increase in ability.

Naofumi Iwatani lv27.

Raphtalia lv31.

Shadow lv15.

Filorial lv1.

Snake lv1.

Author Notes:

Soo, I'm accepting species name and proper name for our new monster. Any ideas?