Naofumi sat on the bed of his room in the inn, checking out the statuses of his companions. He was intrigued, considering the girls' levels had capped out at Lv.40, and had a golden star next to their names; which only made it weirder, taking in consideration that he had turned Lv.41 yesterday. The hero pondered or a while, hopping to reach an answer soon.
He shrugged, right hand scratching his chin. I need to shave soon, was what went through his mind. Raphtalia entered the room a few moments later, Shadow a few steps behind her. Naofumi motioned for the girls to come closer, showing the screen to both of them.
"Any of you know why there is a star close to your names? You also stopped leveling up." He asked. Raphtalia gave him a helpless look, shaking her head sideways.
Shadow, on the other hand, seemed taken aback by the screen.
"This worthless one knew leveling up with the heroes brought on amazing results, but for us reach promotion levels this early, master really blessed this pathetic shadow." Naofumi rose one of his brows as Shadow went on her knees and took off her mask. "Master, this worthless one forgot to mention, with all the recent events, but Raphtalia-dono, Firo-san, Dera-san and this wothless one have reached our peak-performance by levels alone. Right now we need to head back to the capital to perform Class Upgrade."
"Class Upgrade?" Naofumi asked. As his eyes focused on Shadow's individual profile, her information screen expanded and one line shone in particular, the job function. He couldn't see more as the lines were greyed out, but it was obvious that there were more options for the girls to get stronger. "Guess we are going back to the capital then." He sighed, some frustration slipping in on his voice. "Let's just get this done with quickly so that we can hit the road."
The girls nodded. Naofumi closed off his menu and was about to reach for one of his grimores to read when Firo rushed inside the room like a child topped off on sugar. She ran up to him and began circling around him, telling the hero about her new and awesome friend. Naofumi off-handedly acknowledged her remarks, busy on with his grimore. It was when Shadow suddenly dissapeared that the hero rose his atention, noticing a new person entering his room.
Blue, frilly dress and a proper appearance beffiting a noble, Meru entered his room. The girl stopped when she was close enough for a proper conversation, presenting herself full of manners, reminding him of some mangas he had read when a noble-type character was introduced.
"Excuse me for the disturbance, Saint-sama. I was wondering about the possibility of you allowing me to ride your carriage until we reach Melromark's capital." The girl looked down for a bit, raising her eyes to match his and finish her request. "I ended up separated from my guards, and haven't managed to find them. Please, only until the capital."
Naofumi eyed her for a while. What kind of useless guards would leave such a prim and proper girl out here? She seems to be high-born, so leaving her like this will surely bring about harsh punishment for those guys. Well, fuck it, it's not my problem if they are incompetent, more money for me. He continued his examination of the girl, trying to pick out any other detail. She resembled someone he knew for sure, but the question was who.
Raphtalia and Firo hugged his arms, the blonde loli being the overly clingy one.
"Come on, master~!" Firo begged, pulling the left sleeve of his casual shirt.
"Naofumi-sama, we are going to the capital anyway, there is no harm in bringing her with us, right?" Raphtalia said, hands resting on his right shoulder.
The hero kept his pose for a few instants, arms crossed over his chest. After a while, Naofumi released a sigh.
"Your papa better have some filled-up pockets." He said to Meru, the girl's eyes lighting up in hapiness.
"Of course, father will pay for sure!" Meru kept a smile on her face. She bowed to Naofumi and exited his room. "I'll wait for you in the morning!" With this said, the blue haired girl left.
The hero eyed the open door with annoyance. He grumbled something under his breath while Firo ran and played inside the room. Naofumi looked for Dera, the now four-headed snake curled up close to his bed, almost like a puppy. A scaled, 200-pound (90 Kg), four-headed puppy, but hey, it's the thought that counts. Anyway, the hero closed the door and walked back to his bed. He waved his hand in the air, clicking his fingers twice. Shadow descended from her hinding spot on the roof, appearing at his side.
"Now, Shadow, mind informing me who is miss blue-and-manners there?" Naofumi asked in a calm manner, eyes more focused on reading his grimore. Shadow shifted in place, seemingly not comfortable with something. "Shadow?" He focused his gaze over the girl.
"..." Her response continued to be silence.
Sigh~ Naofumi released a rather high sounding sigh, making Raphtalia and Firo look his direction. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, figuring something troublesome was about to drop on his lap. "Firo, Raphtalia, mind stepping outside and giving us some privacy?" Naofumi asked.
Raphtalia looked right into his eyes, her soft-colored pupils staring into his green ones. After a few seconds, the girl nodded. "Sure, Naofumi-sama! Let's go, Firo. Naofumi-sama has something important to talk with Shadow-san."
Firo pouted and started whining, throwing her arms up in childish tantrum. "No way~! Shadow wants to get clingy with master alone~!"
The raccoon girl took a few minutes, but she managed to hoist Firo on her shoulders and carry the blondie away from the room. "Naofumi-sama, just call us if you need something." The japanese man nodded.
With the girls out of the room, Naofumi let Shadow in her previous position for a while as he focused on his grimore. A few minutes of silence passed, the only sounds came from the farther side of the inn, some patrons eating, drinking, and talking loudly, if the sound could reach his room. The girl shifted in her place, the Shield hero content on reading the grimore.
"You can start anytime now, Shadow." Naofumi said, still fully-focused in his grimore. He waited for the girl to start her explanation, passing pages of his book rather slowly.
"M-Master...t-this worthless o-one..." Her speech came out trembling and her voice seemed to crack a few times. Naofumi was aware that sometimes he could come out as a stand-off person or intimidating, but for someone from his own party to become like this, it was a surprise for sure. He closed the grimore and placed the leather-bound book on the matress, focusing on his slave. His eyes trailed her form, a slim build with only necessary muscles. Slender and precise fingers, white skin just slightly tanned, but now blemished by his mistake. Dark purple-black spots, proof of his cursed flames and his lack of control over his own hatred marred her skin. The hero presented one hand to the rogue/assassin girl.
"Come on, away from the ground. You and Raphtalia are still in treatment, don't be in a rush to kneel like that. Besides, it's still weird for you to do that." He said, hand still extended to grab the girl's. As Shadow took too long to comply, he closed the distance and grasped her hand, pulling her away from the ground and setting her by his side. "Now, let's try this again. What about Meru got you so spooked?" He tried to soften his face and speech, but the growing stubble only added to the intimidation factor.
Shadow, whom was wearing civilian clothes too, visibly relaxed as his voice softened somewhat. She, rather shyly, rose one hand to grasp at his black, long sleeved shirt. A few breathing exercises later, the girl matched his gaze, her soft brown pupils focusing on his green ones. "Master, the one you call Meru is royalty. Her true name is Melty Q. Melromark, she is the second princess of Melromark, and the one chosen to assume the throne when Queen Mirelia is relieved of her duties." The words that exited Shadow's mouth were like a bomb on the Shield Hero's lap.
Fuck, so that's why I was finding her face so familiar; she is fucking royalty. Wonder-fucking-ful! Why not, right!
The gem on the [Magic Tome Shield] started being dyed in red tones, Naofumi's anger riling up. He closed his eyes, right hand shooting to grab Shadow's left one. The move startled the girl, making her flinch, but she stayed by his side.
She is still here. Raphtalia, Firo are still here. They haven't taken them away from me. Shadow is here, Dera is here. There is nothing to worry about, they are safe by my side.
...But are they?
Naofumi breathed deeply, his left hand coming to massage over his eyelids in circular motions. Shadow's left hand, which was in his grasp, increased her hold on his. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She flinched a bit, but managed to maintain composure.
"Master, I was scared of your reaction when hearing about Melty-sama. When I was under the Queen's orders, she requested that we suport Melty-sama, seeing as her first daugther is...master has knowledge."
"She is a bitch!" Naofumi filled-in her sentence, hanging back his head to calm himself. "Shadow. You know my circumstances in depth; you know why I can't trust people. I need to know, Shadow," The hero turned his head to the girl, his eyes fully focused on her frame. The girl found herself under the staring eyes of the Shield Hero, the green pupils so soft before, now having becoming something rather fearsome, that with their sudden slitted shape. "With whom lies your loyalty."
The girl felt a metaphorical sledgehammer hitting her. Her master was doubtful of her loyalty due to her actions. Even if non-intentionally, she had withheld information from him, and that rift made him suspicious. She had made her master suspicious. He, whom saved her from a pityful death, and had chosen to put his hopes in her, wasting his precious money and time by taking care of her and raising her once more to her current powerful self.
The rogue/assassin rose from her seat beside her master and stood right in front of him; her fingers made short work of the strings that held her top in place with no hesitation whatsoever. The clothing fell, revealing her bound chest. Quickly and precisely, her fingers unbound the cloth that protected her moderate chest. Naofumi sputtered, seeing the girl undress herself with speed. He was about to say something, but found his throat to be suddenly dry.
"Master." Shadow called his atention to her face, which his eyes quickly rose to match. Different from Raphtalia and Firo, whom he saw as daugthers, Shadow didn't had any massive appearance changes since he bought her from the Slave Dealer. She had filled up, of course, since she was no longer starving, but she didn't suddenly became older or changed from a bird to a girl. Combined with her usual calm and collected behavior, you couldn't blame Naofumi for not having a proper response to her current actions. "Look here, please." The place she was beckoning him to look at was her abdomen, more specifically her chest.
The hero kept his eyes focused on hers, but she grabbed his face and lowered it, making he look at her chest. Moderate B-cup breasts, lovely shaped, just like two small mounds, with her nipples being of an amazing pink color. Naofumi's face went scarlet, but soon his eyes found what he supposed she was trying to make him see. The cursed slavery crest painted in the middle of her chest.
"This is the mark of my master. I serve the one who painted this crest in my chest, no one else. There is no shame in showing this to master, for this worthless self has nothing of her own anymore. Anything that I have, belongs to master as my rightful owner." Shadow's tone was serious. Naofumi couldn't help but stare at the crest. He had enslaved a person. He certainly was no saint or hero. Yet, he couldn't find any shame or guilt in his heart. The hero nodded to the girl, eyes raising from the crest to her soft brown pupils, his own pupils turning back to their round, emerald green shape from before.
Shadow then proceeded to sit on his lap, hugging his chest and resting her head on his right shoulder.
"Ehh, Shadow?" Naofumi's somewhat nervous voice questioned the girl. "You know, if the girls return and see us like this, they will make a fuss." The hero turned his face away from the girl's, trying to ignore the mounds pressing against his chest, separated only by the layer of cloth that was his shirt. "Besides, it must be embarassing for a girl to be topless in front of a man." Naofumi tried focusing on anything else that wasn't Shadow.
The girl shook her head sideways, arms hugging around his neck, making the hero's head snap her way with speed, her chest firmly pressed against his. "Everything this worthless one has belongs to master. If he were to take what is his, no one would complain." The brunette spoke those words close on his ears. The hero once more blushed, his body showing a physical reaction he hoped it wouldn't right now. Under his rough and brute-ish behavior, Naofumi was still a man, and while he had been more focused on his survival, he was still a man.
The two never perceived the small shine of an orb tucked away inside the hero's belongings.
Yours for the taking...
...my...property...
His hands rose from their position at his sides and slowly rose to Shadow's shapely and lightly toned hips. And-
Rapist.
...
...
...
He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back from his frame.
"Thank you for your full trust in me, Shadow. I-I...Let's wait for the girls to come back. We have a full morning tomorrow." He stated, eyes focusing on the gem of his shield.
Shadow seemed surprised, but then she quickly rose from her position. "Master, this worthless one begs your forgiveness!" The hero waved off, head turned away from her naked chest. The girl quickly redressed herself and sat by his side on the bed. The silence that followed was somewhat awkward, none willing to start conversation again.
Shadow slowly moved her hand until it lightly touched the hero's, which made him turn his head slightly towards her. He turned his hand, making the palm face upwards. Shadow then eased her hand unto his.
"Master, I belong to you."
[Confidant's Shield unlocked] [Companionship Shield unlocked]
Something warm pulsed in Naofumi's heart . It happened the first time with Raphtalia, now again, as these words left Shadow's mouth.
Maybe there was a reason as to why he had been chosen as Shield Hero. Naofumi squeezed Shadow's hand, a tiny smile slipping on his lips.
Two days on the road and the group was close to the capital. The trip had been somewhat uneventful, nothing outstanding had happened while the group was the road.
There was the fact that the previous night, Naofumi almost had a heart attack when he only found Melty's clothes on the ground next to a sleeping Firo. He, Raphtalia and Shadow had immediately hounded the philorial, only to find the bluenette had taken off her clothes and dove right into Firo's feathery embrace. It was a surprising discovery, finding out that Firo could hold a person inside her fluffy feathers. Outside of that, he kept his interactions with the royal girl to a minimum; it would not do for him to be acused of kidnapping or something like that.
Besides, who would know what she had in her mind. Shadow tried to assure him that Melty was not like her sister, but the hero stuck to his own experiences. The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree, so the girls had surely inherited some atributes from their mother. He surely wasn't going to stick around to find out for himself.
They reached the capital during day-hours, the hero instructing Firo to go towards Erhart's shop. He parked his wagon behind the store, letting Firo take a short brake as he and the girls took off their armors and weapons, donning civilian clothes.
Melty (still thinking he knew her by Meru) bowed to him. "Thank you very much, Saint-sama. I'll be sure to talk to my father about your payment." She even did a curtsy, bowing her head with elegance expected from royalty. Naofumi did his best to not get annoyed.
"Firo, take her to her home and be sure to collect our reward." He instructed the overly excited blond girl. She threw her arms in the air in excitment, happy that she would be a few more minutes together with her friend.
"Farewell, Saint-sama!" With that, Firo escorted Melty back to the castle. Naofumi released a sigh.
He clicked his fingers, Shadow dropping down from the roof of the carriage. "Think she knew you were there?" He asked the rogue/assassin. She shook her head.
"Melty-dono was entirely unaware of my presence, master." She said.
Naofumi nodded, making Raphtalia glance curiously at the two. He dispelled her worries and headed inside the shop, the girls following in right behind him.
The door bell did its job of telling the smith that customers had entered, so the tanned man turned to see his clients. Seeing the familiar face of the Shield Hero, Erhart couldn't help but smile.
"Look who it is, my favorite customer! Shield-nii-chan, welcome in!" The man exited his counter and came close to the hero, a thick hand slamming on the back of the japanese. Naofumi barely moved from the blow, although he was sure anyone else would be crippled from such a blow. "What can I help you with?"
Naofumi dropped his armor on the counter, together with the materials from the zombie dragon, including the dragon core. "Found myself some top-notch stuff and was in need of an upgrade, can you get to that? The girls also need some top gear, so don't mind the price." Naofumi changed his shield to the [Currency-Holder II Shield], the previous little chest atop now resembling a magnific treasure chest filled with miniature glittering coins.
Raphtalia was the first to protest. "Naofumi-sama! Don't you think you are expending a little too much with us? Your gear is just as important!" He waved off her concerns. Shadow was about to voice her opinions too, but Naofumi extended his hand to her first.
"Shadow, give me your Metal Thread Wire." With no hesitation, she gave her neat spool of metalic thread to her master. The hero put the spool on the counter, showing the weapon to the smith.
"I wanted to know if you could mix this with these." Naofumi also pulled from his hip pouch another spool, this one having a black, glistenning thread. The same thread she had spun back when the group was making Firo's current dress. "Can you mix these two? Combine them into one, just like mixing two metals to make a stronger one?" The smith looked at the spools with a thoughtful face, hands coming to scratch his goatee as his burly arms were crossed over his chest. A few moments and the smith nodded.
"Sure thing! I love a good challenge, this one, combined with your new armor will be great work! Give me two days; now, for their equipment, how about..." The smith and the girls went about, viewing weapons and the armors. Naofumi took the time to go pet Dera, the four-headed snake melting into a scaly puddle by his feet. This is nice, the hero pondered. One hour later, both girls were fully equipped with brand new armor and weapons, their looks matching those of experienced adventurers. Naofumi let a satisfied expression paint his face.
"Come on, we still need to get holy water for both of you. Let's get going!" The girls nodded at his request, waving their farewells to the smith.
The walk through town was calm, seemingly no one recognizing him as the Shield Hero. Having the [Magic Tome Shield] sure was a blessing, the book being a ticket for a non-stressful shopping trip. He quickly approached the church, the building still as elegant as ever. If only the people inside weren't so bothersome. Shadow quickly vanished from sight, working on collecting information as per his command, while he and Raphtalia made their way inside the white building.
Nuns quickly began whispering and muttering, making the hero scowl and harden his gaze. He approached the altar where the symbol of the church was at, the rosary of the three holy weapons being a somewhat obnoxious sight for him. As he walked up to the altar, a figure showed itself.
Pristly garbs in white color, with a long and decorated hat and glasses, the man seemed to be someone important here. He heard one of the nuns gasp and say something along the lines of "The Holy Papal Excelency!". He sighed in his mind, picturing a bothersome talk if the man's holier-than-thou atitude was anything to go by. Head priest of a religion, huh? I remember seeing him on the palace when Motoyasu challenged me to a duel. Still the same face from them. Do you also follow Earth's style of religion and touch little boys?
"What might be thy business, Hero of the Shield, with our holy temple?" Naofumi held in a snort, Raphtalia holding his head as she had already pictured what his atitude would be.
"I want three vials of your best holy water. The strongest for curses." The pope did a praticed smile to the hero, eyes hidden under the flare of his glasses.
"I see. Well then, please make a donation for the church." Even the voice of the old man was full with a sense of superiority.
Naofumi once again held in a snark. "How much?"
"'Three gold coins will be sufficient." The small hand gestures of the pope made Naofumi realize that this guy must have a ton of practice with dealing with crowds. Those hand movements were to draw attention away from the eyes, distracting the audience and reinforcing whatever message or motive he wanted to preach to whoever would listen to him. Considering the power the church had, many were willing to listen. It was a scam that politicians and con-man were used to do. It was one of the first lessons that he learned back in his university, how to identify these types that would such you dry of your money.
Naofumi nodded to the "donation" price, the pope asking one of the nuns to bring the requested items. A few moments later, a nun brought the vials in a platter and presented them to Naofumi. The hero rose his brows as his eyes glanced at the vials. Even without his [Appraisal] Skill, a bonus skill from one of the first shield he unlocked, he could recognize a poor-quality item when it was presented to him. He was a economics student, and a merchant, after all!
Poor Quality Holy Water 3x
"Excuse me if I'm being blunt, but if that's what the church calls High-grade Holy Water, I think I'm going to try to make my own with piss and spit. Seems to be what these are made of. No way they are worth three gold coins." Naofumi laid in thick with sarcasm, many nuns gasping at his rude remark. The pope eyed the vial, his glasses lighting and hiding his glaring gaze over the nun who brought the items.
"My child, why have you brought these inferior items?" Even when the pope said this with a soft tone and an easy face, the temperature in the room decreased several degrees. "Our Holy God is generous. Why must you blemish God's name with your selfish actions in search of your depraved sense of justice?" The nun resembled a twig, shaking like crazy in front of the old man. She yelped a apology as she ran off hurriedly. "Forgive us for her transgressions." It was creepy how the man could maintain such a calm façade, the fixed smile in his face never dissapearing.
"Not a problem. I just want what I paid for." Naofumi could start an argument, but that would not be beneficial. Trying to start fights with religious powers was for those fearless and/or dumb enough. He wanted to book it as soon as possible, fighting here would not be the way to go.
A little while, a different nun approached them, this time carrying three vials of potent holy water. Naofumi nodded in thanks as he took the vials and pocketed them in his hip pouch. The hero once more nodded to the pope and made his exit, raccoon companion following right behind him.
"Give thanks to God, all that is, is due to Him..." The pope said, eyes fixed on Naofumi's back as the hero exited the temple.
"Fucking wanker, talking as if he did some miraculous blessing for us." Naofumi said after he and Raphtalia were a little away from the church. The raccoon girl was eyeing the streets, when she noticed a knight approaching them. It was a young man, running as calling them.
"H-hello there, Shield Hero!" The young knight shouted at them, making Naofumi loudly click his tongue.
"Raphtalia!" He grabbed her hand and began running the opposite way from the approaching knnight. "Find Firo and get go to the old man's shop." Naofumi ran ahead and did a few signs up in the air. Raphtalia followed the command and rushed away from the hero. The knight tried to follow Naofumi, but ended up falling face-first onto the ground.
He checked to see if anything had got his leg, but there was nothing stuck to him. The knight eyed some loose stones, but dismissed the thought that they could cause his fall. He rose and continued running, hopping to catch the hero.
High on the ceilings of the closeby buildings, Shadow dropped the other stones she had in hand and ran away stealthly, avoiding the other individuals that were hidden in the rooftops. Master is going to be angry when he finds out that the Queen's Shadows are snopping around. I hope my new weapon gets ready soon, I need to test it.
Naofumi managed to run and slip away from the pursuing knight. He ended up on the busy streets of the market, many people going about their business. He sighed and almost made to a street stall selling fruits.
Almost
"YOU SHIELD-BASTARD!" Naofumi recognized the bothersome voice and whom it belonged to. What the hero wasn't expecting was for Motoyasu to come flying out of the crowd, his spear ready to attack. He jumped back just in time for the spear to strike his previous position, causing debree to fly all over the place. "How low can you be, NAOFUMI!" The blonde swiped his spear once more, this time in a circular motion. Naofumi dodged it just in time by ducking under the swipe, the attack raising a cloud of dust as it struck the nearby stalls.
"What the fuck is your problem, you god damn lunatic!?" Naofumi shouted at Motoyasu. "I know you are fucking blind, but I never knew your fucking eyes were that bad! Look around you, this is the middle of the street, you wanker!"
"That's my line, you fucking slave-owner-fucker!" Motoyasu did a smal twirl with his spear and pointed his finger at the Shield Hero.
Naofumi stared at the blonde in front of him almost as if to ask Are you serious?. "Really? This bullshit again? Raphtalia is with me because she wants to!"
"Not that!" Motoyasu continued his antics, akin to a child who had been refused candy. "You enslaved a girl who looks just like Freon-chan!"
You could hear a pin drop in the background, the silence on the street only broken by Naofumi's question, which embodied all the people around.
...
...
...
"...What?"
Motoyasu's face shone with a bright smile as he put on a "suave" smile. "I have a thing for angel, moe type girls!"
Naofumi face-palmed hard.
"As long as there is a hole, you'll try to stick it in? Naofumi asked in obvious disgust. Motoyasu angrily shook his fist at Naofumi, charging once more to try and pierce the hero.
Naofumi dodged once more, changing his shields to [Chimeric Viper Shield]. Another swipe dodged, another street stall destroyed by the Spear Hero.
The Shield hero eyed the crowd around them, trying to find someone that would help him. As he searched, his eyes found the rest of Motoyasu's party, the various girls, Malty included, smiled at his distress. You know what, fuck it! He raised his right hand in the air, quick signals pointed at the Spear hero charging him once more.
Suddenly, a knight placed himself in between the two heroes. Motoyasu was about to stop his charge, but something hit his cloak and pinned it to the ground, the blonde falling with his back to the ground. Motoyasu turned and looked at his cloak, finding three throwing knives pinning the cloth on the ground. He turned his head to look at Naofumi, eyes wide as a cloaked individual appeared beside the hero.
"Master." Shadow called Naofumi, the hero nodding to her presence.
"Spear Hero, please, stop!" The knight took the chance, seeing Motoyasu busy pulling the knives from his cloak and dropping them on the ground. "Where do you think you are, sir?"
Naofumi rose one brow at the knight protecting him. Isn't he the kid from earlier? Why is he...
Motoyasu assumed his charging position once more. "Who the hell are you?"
The young knight pleaded. "This is a residential area, Sir hero! Stop this nonsense at once!"
"No! This is a legal duel, pronounced on the authority of the kingdom. Get out of the way, knight!" Malty loudly declared. Her voice pissed off Naofumi, the hero weighting the risks of using his [Shield of Anger(Wrath Shield I)] and [Self-Immolation Curse]. The redhead showed a scroll with the royal signature, her smirk and smug expressiong a clear sign that she planned to keep this farce up.
The young knight trembled, but he still didn't move away.
"Insolent! Do you plan to ignore a royal decree?" Malty shouted at he knigth, making the man flinch and tremble even more. Naofumi was about to order Shadow to attack and rip the damn scroll to shreds, but someone else entered the circle.
"Personal duels between the heroes are prohibited. Sir Spear Hero, please, back off!" Blue, frilly dress and regal aura, Melty approached the heroes in their stand-off, the girl also carrying a royal scroll with her. "Elder sister, What nonsense are you playing about here?!"
"Little sister, what might you be refering to? I'm merely doing my duty and supporting the Spear Hero!" Malty's voice faltered for a short while, making Naofumi raise one brow. So Melty really is the next in line for the throne. No kid could play authority like this.
"Calling for a deadly duel in a civilian district full of people. It this your idea of supporting the heroes, elder sister?" Melty's voice tone made the redhead's face sour.
Naofumi took the chance and grabbed Shadow's hand, lightly squeezing it in a silent question. The girl squeezed it back, making the hero nod slightly. They slowly stepped back and away from the confusion, but before they could get away, Raphtalia and Firo ran in the circle, making the hero groan at their bad timing. Considering that Firo was in human form, all the more trouble for him.
"Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia called out, the hero turning his head to face her. His girls closed in, but Motoyasu was faster than what the girls expected, since in an instant the hero knelt in front of Firo, grabbing her hand in a "gentleman-like" manner.
"Oh, lovely angel, may I ask for your lovely name?" The cheap act almost made Naofumi puke out. He whispered to Shadow.
"Where is Dera?" The rogue/assassin pointed to the roof of a nearby building. Naofumi's eyes followed her gesture, finding the four-headed Hydra with all her heads focused on the Spear hero, just waiting for a chance to strike. "Go get her and don't let her attack. Motoyasu has not seen her, let's save one trump card against him and this fucking bitch."
Shadow nodded and vanished from sight once more. She did that just in time, seeing as Motoyasu was once more twirling his spear in the air and trying to hit Naofumi. The shield hero parried the blow towards the ground, and once the spear dug into stone, he stepped on the shaft, keeping the weapon burried. Swapping his shield to [Iron Stake Shield], Naofumi bashed his weapon against Motoyasu, pushing the hero away as counterattack activated and stabbed into him.
The blonde was pushed away a few steps, but quickly struck a pose, pointing his spear at Naofumi. "Don't get cocky, you scumbag!"
Melty shouted at Motoyasu. "Spear hero, I said to stop this duel right now!"
He ignored her, but could not ignore Firo, standing right in front of the hero.
"Firo-chan, step aside please, or I won't be able to get rid of this bastard!"
Firo stared at Motoyasu with angry eyes and a pout. "Spear guy is mean! You are mean to master, you were mean to me the first time. I hate Spear guy." A quick puff of smoke and Firo was in her big bird mode. It was a surprise for Motoyasu to find Firo, the moe girl, was that bird. He had no time to try to sweet-talk her as she punted him in the crotch, her kick throwing the hero against the already destroyed stall from earlier.
As panic set over the Spear Hero's party, Naofumi burst out, laughing like a man who heard the most hilarious joke of the century. Before any person in this clusterfuck could stop and analyze the fact that the Shield Hero was laughing at the misfortune of the Spear Hero, Shadow appeared right behind him, Dera in tow. The rogue girl threw something in the ground, smoke bursting out and quickly spreading over the street. It was gone in a few seconds, leaving no trace of Naofumi and his group.
What remained was only Motoyasu, holding his crotch in pain. Malty, desperate to help him. The knight, confused as to how things had become so chaotic, and finally, Melty, sad that she hadn't managed to help and not even talk properly with the Shield hero.
From the crowd, a woman wearing armor entered the area.
"Mister Shield Hero, I have something to talk to yo-" The female knight looked all over, but there were no sign of Naofumi or his group.
"Kid, you do know I have got work to do, right?" Erhart asked, hammering away at a glowing ingot.
Naofumi waved the smith off. "Don't mind me and continue your work." The smith shook his head and took the advice.
The group had managed to get away from the mess earlier without being followed, so Naofumi counted that as a win. He took one of the holy water vials in his pouch and fed it to his shield, vial and all. [Holy Shield unlocked] popped on his notifications, but he ignored it for now. Getting another vial, he opened and poured the liquid into a bowl, soaking some bandages and calling Raphtalia and Shadow. It was time to reapply their bandages after all.
He was about to start the girls' treatment when the door of the store opened, the same young knight from before entering the shop. Naofumi cursed under his breath as the man hugged the door, leaving the group no escape unless they either broke through the windows or door.
"Shield hero, sir!" The young knight placed one fist over his chest and called out Naofumi, whom sighed and leaned against the ccounter.
"You are very persistent, I'll give you that!" Naofumi crossed his arms over his chest and motioned for the young knight to speak. "I'll hear you out, speak already."
"Sir, would it be possible for you to take us knights with you during the waves?" The question surprised Naofumi. Why would they want to come with me? The other heroes would guarantee them fame, while sticking with me will have the inverse effect. "Me and my platoon, we're very impressed with how you fought the last wave, and we heard all about how sir Shield Hero can't fight properly if there is no one to help, so we tried to find you to propose our help to you."
"I can't see how fighting by my side would help your career!" Naofumi bluntly stated, making Raphtalia call him out.
The knight lowered his head, his helmet shadowing his face. His voice broke a bit, but he managed to speak out. "I'm from Ryute Village, and my family lives there too. My village was on the brink of being wiped out, and only you, sir, moved to help. I know my duties as a knight, protect the people and the kingdom, but I feel that reducing casualties is also our duty. Being with a hero would speed up the process and help the people much more than simply sitting here and waiting ffor reports..." The young knight finished, his tightly closed fists shaking, no dout in frustration.
Naofumi wondered if he was sighing too much these days as another one left his mouth. The hero searched his hip pouch for a few moments, and held out his hand to the knight.
From the hero's closed hand, a necklace emerged. A well crafted, silver colored chain that had a shield-shaped pendant.
"I don't trust people, but I trust money. 150 silver coins, that's the price of this necklace. Buy it from me and you can earn my trust. It's a steal, to be able to buy a hero's trust for mere 150 silver coins." Naofumi said, eyeing the knight's reaction. The young man pondered something in his mind for a while, before shouting an affirmation.
"I'll arrange for the money right away, sir!" With that said, the young knight rushed out of the building.
Naofumi waited for a few seconds, Erhart's complaining voice already telling him what the smith thought about his mercenary-like behavior.
"Shield-kiddo, that was..."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a heartless bastard and a penny-pincher, yadda yadda. Girls, let's go. We have to see about that class upgrade." The smith heard Naofumi mention Class upgrade and congratulated the hero.
"Aren't you working hard, already being able to class up! Normally that takes a normal adventurer quite some months, in some cases years." Erhart joked, cracking his fingers and picking his hammer. "Yosh! As a gift for you, I'll work extra hard on your armor!"
Naofumi laughed, hand gesturing for his slaves to follow him. The girls were right on his back, with Dera being the most literal one, coiling around his abdomen and weighting him down. He grumbled under his breath about having spoiled the hydra, Firo already breathing down on his neck about him being clingy with the snake/Hydra.
They exited the shop and walked to the temple where the Hourglass of the Dragon's Era was located, the building also under the Church's jurisdiction. The group entered the buiding, finding many nuns milling about. He approached the golden hourglass, one of the nuns coming closer and questioning why he was here. After he explained that his group needed a class upgrade, the nun in charge smirked at him told him about a price.
"15 gold coins? Are you out of your fucking mind?" He just short of shouted at the nun, the woman flinching away from him.
"Is that expensive?" Firo innocently asked.
Raphtalia immediately answered. "It is crazy expensive Firo!"
The nun recovered from her tiny shock, two more sisters coming to back her up. A small smug smile settled over the nun who was attending him, which made the hero exhale rather strongly. "Raphtalia, Shadow, you go first." Firo started whining about his decision, Dera shifted and tightned herself against him to show her displeasure too. He apologized in his mind and promised that they would be next.
The nuns appeared surprised he was willing (or even could) to pay the amount. One of them rushed away to fetch something, coming back with a scroll with a rather recognizable seal.
The head nun took the scroll and coughed to gather the attention of the group. "The Shield Hero's party is banned from class up! It's a royal decree!" As soon as the words left the nun's mouth, Naofumi clenched his teeth. Raphtalia's surprise was evident, and Shadow was nowhere to be seen.
The hero snarled, his voice just short of a roar. The nuns, who previously were smuggly smilling, flinched in terror
"Firo, Raphtalia, we're going!" A purple-ish black aura surrounded the hero, his very steps seemed full of malice and hatred. The group almost exited the building, but Naofumi stopped by one of the bigger pillars of the place. It was a well crafted piece, carved from white marble. Naofumi extended one hand and grabbed the pillar. The nuns were curious of his reaction, but soon they heard cracking sounds coming from the pillar.
No way!
It's impossible. No human being has that kind of physical strength!
What is this devilish strength!?
It mattered not for the hero. His shield flashed black for a small instant, but it was enough. The supporting pillar cracked and broke, raising dust as Naofumi and his party finally exited the temple.
[White Marbled Shield unlocked]
"So you can't provide me a class up either?!" Naofumi asked the Slave Owner. He opted to visit the tent, remembering that the man had slaves with high levels, but it seems as if the merchant couldn't provide the service either. Shadow finally reappeared, approaching him and whispering on his ear a few details. "Well, I guess it's time for me to pack up."
The Slave Owner looked at Naofumi with curiosity. His eyes then lit up as he managed to spot Shadow. "A mighty fine work with this one too, huh? I guess you really have the spirit to fix and improve broken items, Shield Hero-sama! I have completely fallen for you!" The penguim suited man tried to approach Naofumi, extending his lips in a kissing motion. Raphtalia drew her sword and Shadow her dagger, the duo of girls standing in front of their master to protect him from the creep. "What protective slaves! For them, of their own accord, to protect their master! And for one to be a master at intel gathering, you might not even need my advice about using another country's dragon hourglass.
Naofumi smirked at the Slave Owner. The smirk then became a vicious expression, hatred dripping from the hero. "This shitty country doesn't offer anything useful for me anymore, might as well toss it aside like the garbage it is. Only problem is that the next wave is just around the corner. Fuck, Melromark is such a shitty country!" The hero spit out the country's name, eyeing the shop. His eyes settled over one particular item.
"How much does that cost?"
The group made their way back into Erhart's weapon shop. Considering there was nothing else they could do here, the best they could do was help the smith progress on his armor and see about extra weapons.
As they entered the shop, the hero found the young knight and his platoon of about fifteen people inside the shop. The group turned and faced him, many of them showing happy expressions at his presence there. The knight approached him with a happy expression and a coin purse. Well, color me surprised.
"Sir, we all managed to collect the 150 silver coins that you wanted. Everyone helped a bit!" The hopeful expression of the young knight made Naofumi sigh. Instead of accepting the money, the hero pushed the purse back to the young knight together with the necklace.
He messed with his menu for a few moments, leaving everyone in the room confused as to why he hadn't taken the money. Soon, a screen appeared before the young knight.
The Shield Hero has chosen you as a squad leader under his party. Will you accept it?
-[Accept] [Refuse]
"I don't fully trust you, but I guess this is a good start. Keep the money, buy your group better equipment with it." The young knight's eyes shone as he nodded at the hero's proposition.
"So you were testing them. Should've expected some shenanigan like that from you, kiddo!" Erhart laughed.
"Less laughing, more working on my armor." Naofumi said with a huff. "Girls, get some rest. I'll discuss with the old man here a few plans before I hit the hay. We'll hit the road early to get some use out of the time before the wave." Naofumi handed the girls a handful of silver and turned to face the smith. The girls went their way to the usual inn the group stayed at, while the soldiers went about chosing their new equipment, some soldiers taking the talk to talk with Naofumi.
The hero had no reason to refuse their small talk, so he indulged the soldiers a bit. The fact they were staring star-eyed at him had nothing to do with it, nothing at all.
Naofumi sat alone on his table, amusing himself with a tankard of mead. It had no effect on him, he was drinking it more to pass time than anything else. The bar had more people drinking in than one was supposed to find. He looked a lot like a regular, since his armor was being upgraded, his casual clothes and [Magic Tome Shield] doing an amazing job of taking the usual target off his back.
He sipped from his drink, the alcohol barely tickling his throat, and observed those around him. On one of tables in the far corner, he spotted Itsuki and his group, merrily talking and drinking. The usual bow was missing from his back, and his clothes were a lot less ostentatious than usual, which passed to Naofumi the message that the Bow Hero was going incognito.
The Shield Hero closed his eyes and took another sip from his drink, letting the drinks do the hard work on those around him. He tried to listen to any worthwile conversation, nothing standing out from the crowd except the drunken ramblings and complaints from the townsfolk. His tankard empty, Naofumi ordered another drink and focused his efforts on Itsuki's group, which were not making any effort to be silent in their merry-making.
One of the members of his group, a tall fellow in armor and a ludicrous mustache, spoke to the Bow Hero. "Sir, our investigation concluded that the current lord is overtaxing the population, and has hired some muscle to keep things in check. Such uncouth behavior, from a landlord no less, what has the kingdom become? If you were the lord, sir, I bet the land would be more than prosperous!"
Naofumi couldn't help but sputter his drink. He drew some attention to himself, which he hopped to have warded off by pretending to be drunk and laying on the counter.
"What was that?" Itsuki asked his group, the party waving off his concerns.
"Nothing for you to worry about, Itsuki-sama. Must have been some drunkard." One of the girls said.
Oi, oi, oi, what the fuck was that, Itsuki? Are you some cult leader? Naofumi fixed his stance on the bar stool, telling the bartender to not worry about him and keep the drinks coming. The more he heard Itsuki's party speak, the more he was convinced they saw him as some sort of Messiah, the amazing hero who came to save the world from the Waves. Naofumi was on his tenth drink when the Bow Hero's party finished talking about the details pertaining to this town and the famine going on.
So even with that seed, things are still tough out here, huh? Well, the situation won't magically solve itself after all. Food prices will likely still be high for a while, considering the situation with the waves and all of that. I guess food carts have not been frequent to this part. The lord is probably tied up with what to do. If he lower the taxes, he most likely won't have funds in case something happens; he raises the taxes, the population starves and the chance of a revolt is high. What a troublesome situation.
"I see! So the Lord here must be corrupt! Let's teach him a lesson!" The Shield Hero almost choked on his drink. Once more, he ended up drawing attention to himself. His salvation came in the shape (very lovely shape, by the way) of a girl leaning on the counter by his side, blocking the Bow Hero's party view. She was dressed in a common dress, something a bar attendant would wear. Normally, Naofumi would not believe someone approaching him like that, but one look at the face of this girl and he felt relieve wash over him. Shadow was here to the rescue (in civilian clothes, without her mask and looking very much like a snack!).
"Itsuki-sama, let us leave this place. This sort of seedy place does not fit your image." The bulky fellow in armor said rather loudly, making some of the present patrons stare at the group, a rather tense mood forming in the pub.
Thanks for being a blockhead, Knight-wannabe-kun! Your sacrifice will be forgotten very soon, but thank you anyway. Naofumi snickered in his head. Shadow approached her face to his, whispering in his ear.
"Naofumi-sama, I have the information you wanted. It might be best we pretend to have hit off and leave before the Bow Hero-dono and his party notice us." Naofumi nodded to her suggestion. To those looking from outside, it seemed to be a common sight, a drunk has striken some bargirl's fancy sights, and they were about to "know each other better". A perfect setup.
The Shield Hero pretended to be drunk, leaning heavily on Shadow, the girl sticking close to him as they left the pub. The other patrons either scowled at the Bow hero and his party, or at the stranger who had scored for the night.
The bartender shook his head lightly, quickly picking the small pile of coins left close to the tankard. The money was a bit over the tab, which meant one thing. A tip. The old bartender smiled to himself.
Next day
Naofumi and the girls were bartering and trading goods on the town. That's what Naofumi wanted to say, but the barren land and poor state of the place made it clear that he either was not going to profit here, or would have more trouble than necessary.
Lo and behold.
The townsfolk almost swarmed to his wagon, many outright begging for him to trade with them.
An old fellow presenting some sort of wooden idol.
A thin and bearded middle-aged man offering a big wooden spoon.
A housewife offering a firewood bundle.
It was rather depressing. Outside of the money factor, it was harsh seeing people starve like this. Fuckin' hell!
"Raphtalia, bring me a big pot." He asked the raccoon girl, directing his eyes to the mass of starved in front of him. "I can tell you aren't from this country. Not a problem for me, but there is one thing you can pay me with." Naofumi said to them, making some in the crowd stare at him with discomfort. "Information. That's what I want as payment." Many relieved sighs escaped from the crowd, to the hero's confusion.
Information is the life and soul of a merchant business. Shadow is already out gathering info too, we cross it with what I acquire here and discover why no help has come so far. I don't believe King Trash doesn't know what is happening in the country.
Naofumi was definitively sighing too much. There was a saying back in Japan, every time one sighed, they let out a bit of their hapiness escape from their body. Well, he must have let out all his, considering all the bullshit he had gone throught.
"You really want me to look like a bandit, right?" He asked Erhart. The smith merely smiled at the hero.
"Come on, Kiddo! It looks amazing and you can't deny it! It has not changed much in appearance, but those dragon materials you brought were a real boon! That dragon core rose the magical defense throught the roof! I had to polish off some bits, but I managed to insert them into other parts to enhance their defense too. You will be a real wall out there, hero!" Erhart joked.
The armor had really not changed much. Some extra metal reinforcements were added, nothing that would restrict movement, but enough to cover up some more. On the chest piece, the purple dragon core was embedded in the middle, two smaller pieces also adorned the corners of the metal. The hero checked his stats, and fair enough, his defenses had increased even more. Calling Naofumi a living tank was not far from the truth, if he kept this pace.
Shadow was checking out her new weapon. Different from before, when all she had was a simple spool bundle, now the rogue/assassin had a proper spinning apparatus from which her reforged Metal Thread Wire was dispersed from. The smith managed, with a little help from Naofumi, managed to fuse the metal wire and the magic thread, making a grey thread that responded to Shadow's every move. All she needed to do was pump some magic throught the thread and it would move as if alive. New, reinforced leather gloves, with little metal tips on the fingers for extra grip and care when handling the sharp thread, and now Shadow could cosplay a puppeter, although a deadly one.
Raphtalia already had her new equipment, so the girl was satisfied with watching her master in his dashing, rogue looking armor.
Firo was bouncing in her place, also admiring the [Barbarian Lord Armor]. She had also gained a new weapon Naofumi had bought her on the Slave Owner's tent, metal claws that would fit her bird form and add to her already absurd kicking power.
Dera couldn't really equip anything, her reptilian shape didn't allow for anything like that. Instead, she had been developing her poison breath, speed and her physical strenght. It was a rather easy task, that with Naofumi being the most durable stress ball/ training partner one could have. Ambush tactics also were right up her alley, considering the Hydra had been following in Shadow's steps, althought not to ambush prey, but to ambush Naofumi for belly-rubs and headpats.
The Shield Hero was confident in his and his party's potential. They exited the weapon shop, hoping to find the young knight and his platoon, but just a few streets after exiting Erhart's shop, Naofumi found two "fellow" heroes. Ren and Itsuki, Sword and Bow heroes.
The duo quickly spotted him and made their way towards him.
"Mind telling me why you have stolen our rewards, Naofumi?" Itsuki less asked and more accused Naofumi. Once more, do add to the list, another sigh left his mouth.
"Could you take that stick out off your ass first? What in bloody hell makes you think I would steal your reward? I mean, what even was your quest in first place?" Naofumi rebuked the Bow.
"Don't play dumb! You are the only hero who would do this type of thing! My quest was to take down a tyrant lord who was abusing his ruling power, but when I went to take my reward, the guild told me someone had already taken it." Naofumi scratched his hair, frustrated with the idiocy of the teen in front of him.
"First things first, I'm not even registered within any guild, so there goes your little theory. Second, did you give proof that you were a hero?" That made Itsuki back off, the teen becoming pale when he noticed that what Naofumi said made sense. "Hiding your identity like some sort of comic-book anti-hero, you do realize that you are a hero backed up by the kingdom, right?"
"W-what is your point?" Itsuki tried to bounce back, but Naofumi cut him short.
"Look, pretending to be an ally of justice may help you to get your jollies, but it sure won't bring money into your wallet, so I suggest you announce loud and clear which quest you're taking next time, and don't hide who you are. Did you expect people to magically know it was you who brought about justice?" Naofumi laid it thick to the Bow Hero, making Itsuki flinch and back off more and more.
"B-Bragging is not what a true hero of justice is about!" Itsuki shouted at Naofumi
"Hero of justice? Do you know what happened to the people of the land you supposedly helped?" The Shield Hero asked the Bow.
"Of course! They are prosperous, since the bad lord was imprisoned!"
Naofumi released another sigh, this time a frustrated one. "As if! The people are so desperate they are sneaking into the neighboring lands to try to get some food."
Surprise painted the Bow Hero's face. "T-there is no way! I helped them!"
Iwatani scoffed and crossed his arms. "If you had properly gathered information, you would have known that the place was already going through a famine. It takes years of experience to have the administration skills necessary to go through something like that. When you took off the tyrant, there was no one skilled enough to administer the place. Those who assumed increased the tax rates even more and almost bled the people dry, hoping to get the money to fix the place. You merely swapped the head, you never fixed the problem."
Ren shook his head, observing the pathetic attempts of the Bow hero to try to pin down the problem on Naofumi. His bad luck was that the Shield noticed.
"Don't think you are free to judge either, Ren!" Naofumi's harsh tone made the other teen stare at him as if doubting he could ever be wrong. "That dragon you killed close to Yama Village; the corpse that you failed to dispose of, that thing brought a fucking plague to the village, almost wiped everyone there. It was coincidence that I was closeby, so I got rid of it. Maybe that's why your quest got cancelled. Don't piss your pants, I don't expect a thanks from you." Naofumi finished.
Ren tried to rebuke with something, but his eyes caught the various curse spots marring both Raphtalia and Shadow. The hero lowered his head in shame, a broken "I'm sorry" leaving his mouth.
Itsuki refused to believe Naofumi, shaking the Sword Hero by the shoulder. "C-Come on, there is no way you believe him!
Ren looked aside with shame. "N-No reason for him to lie."
Naofumi let the two babies to reflect on the consequences of their actions. Itsuki still tried to say something, but at this point the Shield Hero couldn't care less.
He finally managed to meet the soldiers, and planned about their plans for the wave, which It was going to hit tomorrow. He had done his ultmost, it was time to see if his efforts would be worth something.
AUTHOR NOTES.
Next chapter will be fully focused on the fight against the wave and our favorite Glass-chan and her war fans. Who can't wait for Season 2 of the anime? I liked their take on it, and the action scenes were really good. [Iron Maiden] and [Blood Sacrifice] then? Urhgh, I almost nutted when Naofumi chanted for [Blood Sacrifice]!
You know the drill, review and let me know your opinions, Ryujin Maou (Draconic Demon Lord) out!