Sword and Shield

Game On 6

"Hey, Old Man! We're back!"

The bell of the weapon shop jangled merrily as the door slammed shut.

"Shield boy, back in one piece I see? I hope you and your kids have been… doing… well..?"

The Old Man behind the counter trailed off, an almost comical look of surprise on his face as his eyes focused on the ever present two figures behind the Shield Hero's back.

"Hmm," Naofumi raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

The Old Man didn't answer, his attention solely focused on the two smiling demi-humans that greeted him warmly. In most aspects, these two were the exactly the same when compared to a few weeks ago when this ragtag group had first set out for Riyute Village, but now he didn't have to bend down anymore if he wanted to look them in the eye.

Both of them were now adult sized with Raphtalia half a head shorter then Naofumi and Shirou every bit as tall as the Shield Hero. They were decked out in a complete set of Leather Armour, containing a thick chest piece, padded gloves, thigh high boots, and a short skirt for Raphtalia and leggings for Shirou. Simple but effective. Not knives, but full sized swords were sheathed at their sides.

The Old Man whistled, impressed. "Damn, I barely even recognized you two. You guys must have been Levelling like crazy for results like these. Have you been doing nothing but fighting?"

"Of course not," Raphtalia said, ears twitching happily at the Old Man's appraising words. "We've also been working on gathering up as much money as we can. Besides, I've also been learning proper table manners from Shirou. Right, Shirou?"

"She's a quick learner."

"Not like learning how to hold a fork correctly is all that impressive," Raphtalia jabbed the smiling Shirou in the side with her elbow.

"To be honest, I was worried what would become of the both of you at first," the Old Man admitted, looking relieved at the natural comradery the demi-humans were exuding and how healthy they appeared compared to when he first met them. "But now I see this old man was worrying over nothing. The difference is like night and day. You really did a great job looking after these two, Shield Boy."

"If you say so," Naofumi gave a careless shrug. "I'm just relieved Raphtalia has gotten over her cough and night terrors. She's also been eating well and her physique has gotten a lot better."

A chocking sound escaped Raphtalia. "Naofumi-sama! Goodness, don't say it like that! You make it sound like I've gotten fat!"

"Well, both you and Shirou have been eating like crazy lately. Maybe it would be good to cut back on the food a bit in the near future."

"Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia sounded scandalized.

A deep, booming laugh escaped the Old Man. "Nonsense, Shield Boy! Just look at her. She's become such a looker. And if I were a woman or into men, I'd reckon I'd say the same thing about the boy. He certainly isn't a scrawny pipsqueak anymore."

Shirou's lips twitched at being called a pipsqueak, even if it was in the past tense.

"…Think so?" Naofumi said, sounding less then sure.

"Well aren't you a stick in the mud," the Old Man sighed, good cheer fading a little bit.

Naofumi's permanent glower deepened. "Hey, I was surprised too. I can't remember how many men have gone out of their way to compliment Raphtalia's looks and give her free stuff and whatnot. And I swear I've seen a couple woman check out Shirou from time to time as well..."

"Eh," a sound of surprise escaped Shirou.

"I swear this entire country is filled with lolicons," Naofumi huffed.

The Old Man looked at Naofumi like he had grown a second head. "Shield Boy, are you telling me you don't know about demi-humans? Hell, haven't you noticed anything… different about your companions?"

"Different like what?"

The Old Man shot a questioning look towards Raphtalia and Shirou, who shook their heads. Raphtalia mouthed that they would explain later.

"Anyway," the Old Man clasped his callused hands. "I'm assuming you came here for more than just showing off your kids, Shield Boy. What can I do for you?"

Before Naofumi could even open his mouth to answer Raphtalia quickly cut in, "We would like to buy Naofumi-same some new armor." Shirou nodded in agreement.

"Say what," Naofumi let slip in surprise. "What are you talking about. I'm fine because the Legendary Shield keeps me safe. We came here to buy you both better weapons and gear."

"I'm glad you want to buy the best possible equipment for us, Naofumi-sama, but I would prefer it if you thought about yourself a bit as well."

"Master's Defence has always been the core of our strategies during combat," Shirou backed Raphtalia up. "It makes sense to further capitalize on that."

"And, to be frank, Naofumi-sama, disregarding your shield you look like an ordinary villager. You're a Hero remember. You have to have a little regard for appearances too!"

Naofumi found his objections being overruled by his slaves before he could even voice them. It was not like he didn't have a solid reasoning to prioritize Raptalia's and Shirou's equipment over his own. He hadn't been injured yet since coming to this world, his Defence keeping him safe from harm. It just seemed like a waste to further build on that, excessive as his Defence Stat already was, instead of enhancing his slaves own defensive and offensive capabilities.

In spite of that solid reasoning, it was clear that Raphtalia and Shirou weren't going to back down. He had to hold back a sigh, not yet giving up the argument, but silently pondering how assertive and stubborn they had gotten lately. They had always been that way to an extent, but now they'd openly argue with him and criticize him when they were of different mind than him.

It was vexing, but he didn't stop them. His slaves only argued with him if they honestly believed that going another route than what he intended would be beneficial for him. Spiteful though he was, he was not conceited enough to believe that he always knew best. So long as they continued to do their best supporting him, he would let some lip slide.

"The time for the next wave is approaching, isn't it?" Raphtalia said. "Now is the best time to reequip yourself."

"I could say the same about you guys," Naofumi countered.

The Old Man clapped his hands together, the sound reverberating like a gong through the weapon shop. Everyone turned to look at him. "How about you first tell me how much you have to spend and we go form there?" he said, sounded exasperated. "I'd rather not having you arguing in my shop for the entire day."

Naofumi broke his staring contest with his slaves, shrugged and took a heavy looking bag from his waist. It made a satisfying thunk when he unceremoniously dropped it on the counter in front of the Old Man. "Here it is, 673 pieces of silver in total."

The Old man raised a brow, impressed. Most rookie adventures would be lucky to make that much in a year, much less a few weeks. It was all the more impressive considering this one's reputation in this country. "You have been working hard. How did you make so much money in so little time?"

"Hard work and aggressive negotiations."

"Negotiations?"

"Very aggressive negotiations," Naofumi said, putting particular emphasize on the very.

Seeing at how exasperated both Raphtalia and Shirou looked at that blatant admission of less than stellar negotiating tactics, the Old Man decided to drop it and get straight down to business. "I… see. Anyway, you can buy quite a bit with this amount of money."

At first, the Old man offered Naofumi some Chainmail, something with a high Defence rating and was easy to move in. It was the most balanced piece of armor in his shop, but…

"No way in hell am I wearing that thing," Naofumi spat, gritting his teeth at the suggestion.

Both Raphtalia and Shirou appeared taken aback at Naofumi's reaction. Considering what had happened to the Chainmail that Naofumi had bought the first time he had come to his shop, and, more importantly, on whose recommendation he had bought it…

Yeah, he should have expected that reaction.

The Old Man scratched the back of his head, a pondering expression on his face.

"You know, considering your speciality as the Shield Hero and your funds, I'm thinking a custom made set of armor would be best."

"Custom made?"

The Old Man hummed and nodded, a winning smile on his face. He took out a large chart scrawled full with lists of materials and diagrams. "This is a pet project of mine. An upgraded set of Barbarian Armor. You won't find this anywhere else on the market."

"Barbarian Armor," Naofumi tested the name. "Sounds nasty."

"It really isn't. It's not like it's cursed or something. I don't deal in that sort of crap," the Old Man snorted.

Naofumi focused his eyes on the chart in front of him. It was scrawled full with the foreign language of this world that looked like nonsense to his eyes. The Legendary Shield automatically translated speech, but it didn't come with an auto translator for the written tongue. Honestly, he thought that was a criminal oversight in the functions of the Legendary Shield.

"I can't read this."

"Oops, my bad, I forget you aren't from this world," the Old Man coughed and started explaining.

"… I see," Naofumi nodded. "So long as we provide some of the materials, the cost will only be 360 pieces of silver."

"As expected, you only focus on the price."

"You know me so well."

Shirou rolled his eyes at the barbed bantering and stepped forward, searching through the various bags fastened to his waist. "Luckily, we have most of the materials right here. It's fortunate we didn't head straight for the market to sell our loot."

The Old Man mentally checked off the materials spread out on his counter. Usapil and Porcupine skins. Pikyu Pikyu feathers. And Eggug shells. He nodded. "That's nearly everything I need. The only other thing I need is several bars of bronze and iron."

"Okay! We will go and buy those right now! Let's go! Let's go!"

"Raphtalia?! What the hell are you doing?!"

Raphtalia grabbed Naofumi by the hand and dragged the protesting Shield Hero out of the weapon shop. The girl had practically exploded with excitement and would not be dissuaded.

"Come on, Naofumi-sama! Don't you want to look like a real Hero finally?"

"I really don't care… Hey, hold on a moment, Raphtalia! Shouldn't we wait for Shirou?"

"It's fine! We'll be back shortly. I'm sure he won't mind waiting for us."

Both Shirou and the Old Man listened and watched in bemusement as Raphtalia forcibly took off with the Shield Hero, heedless of his protests. They could hear the two of them from far down street until finally their voices finally disappeared.

"… Shouldn't you go after them?" the Old Man asked with a raised brow.

"Like Raphtalia said they will be back in short order. And they don't need me to buy some bronze and iron bars," Shirou said, then shrugged. "Besides, didn't you have some questions?"

The Old Man got the hint. Raphtalia and Shirou had split up their party on purpose so that they could talk in private. "I see. Anyway, what the hell is up with Shield Boy? Is he suffering from a curse or something? How could he not notice what kind of effect Levelling has had on the two of you? There's a limit to how unobservant a person can be."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you that."

The Old Man blinked at the sudden rejoinder.

"What the hell happened to Master before he bought us?" Shirou asked, eyes on the Old Man with piercing focus. "It's clear that there is something wrong with his mental state. We've heard the rumours going around about our Master, but there is clearly more to the story. Despite how he acts, it's clear he isn't a bad person at heart, and yet he acts and is treated like a common criminal."

"So that's how it is," the Old Man scratched his head. "He never told you what happened?"

"Both me and Raphtalia have asked why he had to resort to buying us, but that only makes him mad. He clams up tighter than an oyster whenever we bring it up."

"Hmm, boy, what do you know of this country?"

"It's called Melromarc, demi-humans are treated as second class citizens and slavery is legal."

"Never heard of the Church of the Three Heroes? This country's national religion?"

Shirou's expression conveyed that he had not.

"I had assumed as much," the Old Man mumbled.

"What does religion have to do with Master's reputation?"

"The answer is in the name, boy. The Church of Three Heroes, not four. The Sword, Spear and Bow Hero are considered divine in this country, living gods. The Shield Hero on the other hand… well, according to the Church's religious texts, the Shield Hero is a devil, the patron deity of our enemies and the great evil of this world. Their words, not mine."

"Wait, so that's why they call him the Devil of the Shield." Shirou said in disbelief. "Religion?"

"Hmm, mmm," the Old Man hummed and nodded. "That, I highly suspect, is the reason why he was framed for a crime less than a day after he was summoned."

"Framed for rape you mean," Shirou hissed at the Old Man's grim nod. "Fuck."

Shirou wasn't one usually to swear, but he felt that the situation warranted it. Being summoned, or kidnapped in another words, to another world, being stringed along by kind words, only to be stabbed in the back at the first opportunity. Hell, it was even worse. They didn't even the common decency to send him back home, if they even could, now that they presumably had what they wanted from him. They kidnapped him, used and abused him, and then left him to rot because they thought they could get away with it.

Hell, considering the circumstances, it was like they were telling him to go out and die, broken, alone and hated by everybody.

All of that because of religion. Shirou could feel the fury at the injustice building so much that he felt sick to his stomach, the bile rising in his throat. No wonder Naofumi had a perpetual aura of hate and sour emotions around him.

"Why didn't Master say anything?"

"I doubt he knows, or, at least, not all of it," the Old Man said. "He's never mentioned the Church of the Three Heroes, has he? And I doubt anyone would go out of their way to inform him. I certainly haven't."

"Why didn't you?"

"What good would that do? It's not like knowing the cause will solve the problem in this case. I was afraid that if I told him that it would kill his motivation. Better that he believe he was merely screwed over by a few greedy statesman instead of being set up the fail from even before the beginning."

Shirou was dubious. "Are you sure? I don't think being kept ignorant, no matter the motivation, is a good thing."

"It has worked so far, hasn't it?" the Old Man countered.

"I don't know…"

"The Shield Boy has it rough, yes, but with the aid of you two he has slowly been dragging himself out of the hole he had been put in. Do you really want to jeopardize that?"

"No, but you realize I can't lie to him, right? The moment he asks, I will have to tell him."

"Only if he asks. And he has no reason to ask so long as you don't give him one."

True, but still…

"Please, boy. If the situation changes you can tell him, but as it is right now, I think it's better if things stay the way they are right now."

Seeing how earnest the Old Man was being, Shirou, though with great reluctance, agreed.

"Fine, but I still don't like it."

"Considering the situation, I thought that would be a given."


"See, just like I told you. Fits like a charm!"

The next day, after having brought the Old Man all the materials necessary the day before, the Shield Hero's party once more found themselves in the weapon shop of the Old Man.

Shirou whistled, impressed. "You sure work quick."

"Only when I feel particularly inspired," the Old Man waved off his praise.

"You're right, though," Raphtalia was beaming, eyes sparkling. "It really does fit you, Naofumi-sama. You look so dashing!"

In contrast to Raphtalia's praise filled words, the Shield Hero himself looked dubious. The Barbarian Armor was now equipped to his person. Like the name implied, it was a wild and rugged looking armor set with its primary colour scheme being green and brown. The base of the armor was formed by a green pair of pants and a brown shirt made of leather harvested from Usapils and Porcupines, adorned with an assortment of belts and buckles. A secondary layer of armor was placed over this in the form of pauldrons, vambraces, hip guards and thigh highs boots made out of specially treated and hardened leather and stuffed full with PikyuPikyu feathers for comfort and shock absorbers. A fluffy white collar made out of Usapil hides protected his neck and a simple, but thick metal chest piece protected his vitals. A long, green cape finished the ensemble.

"I look like a bandit leader or something…"

"Don't be like that, Shield Boy! It's defensive features are top notch, its easy to move in and it suites you like a T. Hell, I even threw in the Air Wake feature for free!"

"Air Wake. The spell that lightens armor through the use of ambient magic?"

"That's the one."

"Not bad," Naofumi muttered, revaluating his opinion of the Barbarian Armor set. He stretched and rolled his joints, noting that it was much easier to move in than one would initially expect.

"Not only that, but this Barbarian Armor set was made with the express intent of being upgraded in the near future. As soon as you have the necessary materials and funds, you know where to find me and I'll make it even better."

"I will keep that in mind," Naofumi said, accepting the list of materials for future upgrades. He looked it over and scowled. "I should really learn the language of this country," he muttered.

"Probably a good idea, Shield Boy, but I can't help with that," the Old Man said, shrugging. "Now, if I am not mistaken you still have quite a bit of funds left over, right? Want some extra gear for your companions?"

"Of course," Naofumi grunted, stuffing the list in his pocket. "Their equipment right now was a gift from some villagers we helped a bunch a little while back. It's not exactly what I would call top of the line stuff."

"I wouldn't say that," the Old Man murmured, checking over the demi-human's equipment with a focus bellying his experience. "Their Basic Swords aren't anything to write home about, but their Leather Armor is not half bad and is often used to form the base of more elaborate armor sets for people who prefer Speed over Defence."

Naofumi rubbed his chin. "So, your advise would be to sink the rest of our funds in their weapons, then?"

"Most of it, yes," the Old Man confirmed. "For 50 pieces of silver I can give you two sets of supplemental armor that you can place over the Leather Armor: Iron Vambraces, Iron Hip guards and Iron Greaves. It will give them an extra layer of protection without sacrificing much of any speed."

Naofumi thought it over for a moment, before nodding his assent. "Seems fine by me," he said, separating 50 pieces of silver of their remaining funds from the pile on the Old Man's counter. "With that, we still have a little over 260 pieces of silver…"

"What would you suggest?" Shirou cut in, with Raphtalia looking interested.

"For 260 pieces of silver? A pair of Magic Steel Swords would probably be best," the Old Man took no time answering, pulling out two polished longswords with simple round guards from the rack behind the counter. "These blades are still pretty basic all things considered, but their attack power is far higher than what you have now and the Blood Clean Coating applied will ensure these blades will last with the minimum of care."

Shirou and Raphtalia accepted the blades as the Old Man handed them over, doing a few test swings and feeling their weight.

Naofumi, seeing that his slaves were satisfied, made his decision. "We'll take them. I would also like to turn in their old weapons if that's an option?"

"No problem. I will give you a good price for them." They made the exchange, leaving them with few pieces of silver remaining, but fully equipped for the coming Wave of Calamity. Speaking of which…

"So, I guess you will be going to the Hourglass of the Dragon's Era next?"

"Heading to the what now?"

The Old Man blinked at Naofumi's perplexed expression, before mentally smacking himself. If Naofumi wasn't aware of the Church of Three Heroes, why did he assume that he would be aware of the Hourglass of the Dragon's Era? "Did no one tell you?"

"Tell me what?" irritation laced Naofumi's words.

"The Hourglass of the Dragon's Era is how we tell when the next Wave is coming," the Old Man said. "It's located in a church at the centre of town. The instant that all the sand has fallen down the Wave will begin and the Heroes and their companions will be teleported to the place where the calamity will take place. Or so I heard, at least."

Naofumi's brow twitched. "Why wasn't I told anything?" he growled.

"Did you ask?" at the silence that followed the Old Man could only release a weary sigh. "Anyway, I'd suggest you go and take a look. If you don't want to get caught with your pants down I'd hurry on over if I were you."

"I will," Naofumi nodded. It was common sense to be aware of when and where you would be placed in danger. So long as you couldn't avoid it entirely, at least. He turned to leave.

"Shield Boy, I know I sound like a broken record crystal, but don't die," the Old Man spoke. "You have been a good customer and I rather like you. So do me a favour, come back in one piece, both you and your kids. It would suck to lose your patronage after having done you so many favours."

Naofumi paused at the door, his feet having stopped just before the threshold leading to the street. The man turned to look over his shoulder and though he didn't look happy, there was a lightening of the permanent shadows around his eyes that made him look much more kind, surprising the Old Man and Shirou and delighting Raphtalia. "Thanks for all the help, Old Man. We'll see you tomorrow. I promise."

And with that, the Shield Hero's party left.

"See you tomorrow!" the Old Man called out after them.


Shirou, following after Naofumi and with Raphtalia walking by his side, had left the Weapon Shop of the Old Man in a great mood. They were now fully equipped for the coming battle, they'd received valuable information and Naofumi had seemed, if not happy, at least a little bit better. The relieved expression on the man's face was enough to make Shirou feel better as well, but as they walked down the street towards the church, the poorly hidden malice - the whispered insults and looks filled with hostility - were once again making the Shield Hero's face sour into the permanent scowl it had been in since he had first met the man.

Shirou wanted to give all of them a stern talking to, tell them how wrong they were and make them apologize to Naofumi on their hands and knees. He held himself back, but the urge was there and the only reason why he did that was because he knew it wouldn't help and would likely make Naofumi's situation even worse than it already was. Not like they would listen. Still, the injustice of the situation was galling, especially because he couldn't see any way to fix it. And when they arrived at the church, a large and ostentatious building with a massive crest displayed prominently at the front being made up of a sword, spear and bow certainly didn't help.

Naofumi was less than impressed as well, if his grumbling underneath his breath was anything to go by. Still, the man didn't pause in his stride and headed straight through the heavy oaken doors kept open to welcome the faithful, his slaves as ever hot on his heels.

The inside the building was stereotypical of a western church. Pews filled the main chamber from front to back, though precious few people were there to fill them at this late hour. Immense columns of granite, polished to a high sheen, lined the room. The walls were lined with exquisite paintings and stained glass windows that threw beams of light throughout the massive space. A lush red carpet was rolled out over the central path in between the row of pews, and at the end of that path was the one thing they had come for.

The Hourglass of the Dragons' Era. Calling it huge was putting it lightly. It filled the antechamber at the back of the church almost entirely and was easily visible from the front of the church, dominating the space. The Hourglass consisted of several glass chambers filled with red sand, golden metal inlaid with a scale like pattern enveloped and supporting the domineering, but fragile looking structure.

It was an impressive sight, but Shirou was much more focused on something that, to his mind, was of much greater importance. The sand in the top chambers… almost all of it had dropped to the bottom most of the chambers of the Hourglass.

Like the Old Man had said, it was almost time.

As they walked down the carpet towards their destination, they were met halfway by a pair of nuns.

"The Hero of The Shield, I take it?"

The lead nun spoke, voice frigid and posture guarded and radiating hostility. Her fellow nun glared daggers at Naofumi. Again, Shirou was assailed by the desire to do something, anything, to stand up for Naofumi. And again, he held himself back. Making trouble here would not be in his companions best interests, so he kept his peace even as he bristled inside.

"This way."

In spite of their less than warm welcome, the nuns still led them towards the Hourglass when informed of why they were here. They departed as soon as they had done their task, throwing them a final foul glance before leaving.

Shirou felt another stab of fury at the treatment. He suppressed it with difficulty.

As soon as they were in front of the Hourglass, Naofumi suddenly started. The jewel in the centre of his shield flashed once, than went silent again.

"Naofumi-sama?"

Naofumi did not respond to Raptalia's words. He was looking off into space, probably checking some kind of popup in his menu Shirou realized, and had gone pasty white.

The man was muttering to himself, so fast and low Shirou could barely make out the words, but…

"Fuck… only twenty hours…" those words he heard loud and clear, and they made him swallow in an audible fashion.

The Wave was going to hit sooner then Shirou, then any of them, had thought. In less than a day they would find out if their efforts up to this point had been worth it or not. And if they had not… well, than they would all probably die. It was only natural to feel anxiety at such a prospect, even if they had known beforehand it would come to this. Shirou took a deep breath, steadied his heart and took a moment to harden his resolve. It was do or die soon. In other words, soon they would be thrown into the field of battle. Time to see if he really had in him to be hero, like he had promised. It was to be his, their, trial by fire.

No pressure, he inwardly joked. It did little to lighten his sudden bout of nerves.

"EW! GROSS! WHAT IS THE CRIMINAL SHIELD HERO DOING HERE!"

Shirou started at the almost obnoxiously loud voice that echoed throughout the antechamber, the high pitch grating to his ears. The three of them turned towards where the shout had come from and his breath hitched at the palpable feeling of malice that suddenly erupted from Naofumi.

"…Naofumi-sama," Raphtalia spoke up hesitantly. "Are these people… friends… of yours...?"

Raphtalia trailed of at the expression on Naofumi's face. It could only be described as haunted, mixed in with a more than fair dose of what could positively described as frothing at the mouth rage.

"Me? A friend of Naofumi? Bah! I would never call a criminal like Naofumi a friend."

Shirou watched as a group of five people haughtily approached them, one male and four female. The three females in the back were barely noticeable, trailing as they were behind the two in the front who took up all his attention. Not so much because they were so much more noticeable, but because their expressions at seeing Naofumi were the most unpleasant he had seen so far.

The male looked disgusted at being in the same room as Naofumi, the female had a sadistic gleam in her eyes. Both of their expression were mixed with scornful disdain, and Shirou found himself immediately disliking them. This in and of itself was a surprise. Usually he could get along with pretty much anybody, but not these two.

The male was decked out in beautiful silver and crimson armor, protecting al his vitals and limbs, the pale shine it exuded donating how expensive it must be. At a glance one could see it had a high Defence rating, even an amateur could tell. The man's skin, what little could be seen, was pale, a trait that was underscored by his light red eyes. His hair, held in a high ponytail, was a vivid blonde. He carried a spear with a white shaft and a gleaming arrowhead shaped spear tip. A gleaming, bright red jewel was set into the base of the spear's blade.

The woman at his side wore equally elaborate armor, inlaid with elaborate carvings and eye catching jewels, that protected her body and highlighted her feminine beauty in equal measure. A pale white cloak that reached her midback hung from her neck and a short sword was sheathed at her side. She had flaming red hair that reached past the small of her back, fair skin and emerald eyes that would've been soothing to look at if not for her scornful expression.

Shirou did not focus on them for long. He couldn't. The very moment he laid eyes on the spear in the male's hands a headache erupted behind his eyes that made him wince in pain. The now familiar rush of information was there, but the information was unclear, garbled, twisted inside and out as it entered his mind. Shirou grabbed the side of his head with one hand as static played across his vision. What the hell is this? The information was present in his mind, but he couldn't understand it, and it caused him physical pain to take it in. He had never had this happen before.

"What the hell, Naofumi? What's with that getup? You look like a bandit. It fits you, I suppose…"

The headache ebbed away quickly, but Shirou's scowl did not lessen. The man's words were ripe with disdain and his backhanded compliment did little to endear him to Shirou.

Naofumi did not respond. He didn't turn to look at them, even as man's posse began to hurl abuse at him, saying that he should 'show the bare minimum of curtesy' and 'acknowledge his betters'.

Shirou was about to step in and tell them off, but someone else beat him to it.

Raphtalia, expression fixed and arms spread out to either side as if to form a wall, placed herself between Naofumi and these less than kind strangers. "Excuse me, but would you people mind telling me who you are? And why are you harassing Naofumi-sama?"

"Who is this girl?"

"An adventurer, maybe?"

"What a strange woman, to not know of Motoyasu-sama."

"How cute…"

At the last whispered sentence, there was an awkward pause as everyone looked at the spearman with varying expressions. The man walked up to Raphtalia, heedless or simply ignoring her gobsmacked expression, and took her hands in his own.

"Fine day, milady," the man, Motoyasu, pulled Raphtalia close. "I'm the Hero of the Spear, Kitamaru Motoyasu. Say would you perhaps be willing to save the world alongside me? Please do, I swear I will keep you save the entire way and I'll show you the wonders of the wo-"

A hand planted itself on the Spear Hero's breastplate and gently, but firmly pushed. Surprised, Motoyasu released Raphtalia and took several steps back, blinking for a few moments at the sudden change in his position.

"Excuse me," Shirou said beside Raphtalia, retracting his hand. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't get so needlessly familiar with my companion. I don't know about you, but invading someone's private space like that is rather rude."

"Right," Raphtalia coughed and gathered her wits about her, nodding. "Besides, we are already with Naofumi-sama, so I'll have to decline your offer regardless."

"You're with Naofumi?" Motoyasu repeated, as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard. "That's not a good idea. Do you know what that guy has done, what he's known for? Especially you, milady, will be in constant risk so long as you're around a guy like h-"

Suddenly, Naofumi was in Motoyasu's face, his expression a rictus of fury.

"I dare you," the Shield Hero spat the words out like poison. "To finish that sentence, and I'll-"

"Do what?" Motoyasu asked mockingly, sneering as he cut Naofumi off. "You only have a shield and can't attack. Any threat coming from you is shallow and empty, just like your character. Besides," the man continued, the contempt clear in his voice. "I was saying nothing but the truth."

The girls behind the Spear Hero's back giggled scornfully. The redhead pulled down her eyelid and stuck out her tongue. Naofumi was gritting his teeth so hard that Shirou could hear it clearly over the laughter and giggling of these people he was swiftly coming to detest.

Naofumi was about to lose it, but Shirou wasn't far behind. He just hid it better.

And then he was pushed over the edge.

Motoyasu suddenly grabbed Raphtalia by the hand again. "Come with me, milady. I do not know why you follow that trash, but you will find only suffering by his side. Certainly you have at least heard the rumours? What he has done? I, on the other hand, will treat you like a queen and-"

The Spear Hero continued to wax poetically, once again ignoring Raphtalia's disinterest in his advances and, more importantly, ignoring her slowly building anger. After Motoyasu had finished his spiel, the man smiled and tried to pull Raphtalia in like a prize fish on a hook.

"Forget about the useless Shield Hero an-GUAOH!"

Motoyasu's smug expression was wiped off his face as Shirou's fist suddenly struck his cheek with the force of a wrecking ball and sent him careening towards the ground. The Spear Hero's behind literally rebounded from the ground, so hard did he come down.

The giggling and laughter suddenly stopped. Everyone, including the dumbstruck Motoyasu, stared at the flushed and heaving Shirou with disbelief. The few other people in the church who'd been quietly listening in on the confrontation between Heroes had frozen in place.

Time seemed to have stopped, as if reality itself had to take a moment to realize what had just occurred. The sudden tension could have been cut by a knife but it wasn't further violence that broke the silence. Instead, it was a few simple words.

"I," Shirou whispered, body tense and tail puffed up in anger. "Really don't like you."

The Spear Hero, his companions, the nuns nor the churchgoers got much chance to react, both to the sudden assault and his words. Shirou's actions had given Naofumi the chance to calm down, and he'd realized into what kind of precarious position this might turn into if he didn't act quickly.

"Raphtalia! Shirou!" the man barked. "We're leaving! Follow me!"

The Shield Hero stormed off, his slaves following behind him after a moment of indecision. They vacated the church as quickly as they could, having gotten what they had wanted and leaving behind a pissed off Hero, his peeved companions, scandalized nuns and shocked onlookers.


Shirou had expected a lot of things after they had left the church and he had managed to calm down. He had expected to be berated, told off for getting physical with a stranger out of petty anger. He had expected some sort of punishment, possible via the use of his Slave Crest. He had expected to be held accountable for whatever consequences his actions might have in future and be told as such by Naofumi. He had expected for something unpleasant to happen in short order.

But what he did not expect was for Naofumi to take them out of Castle Town entirely. Silent as the grave, the man had led them to the rolling, lush green fields just outside of town. Shirou and Raphtalia shared a look, not quite sure what was going on, but silently agreeing that they didn't like it.

"Naofumi-sama…" Raphtalia started.

"Quiet," the Shield Hero ordered and Raphtalia's mouth shut with a click, not because of the Slave Crest enforcing it, but because of Naofumi's tone of voice. His voice had been low, but there was no mistaking the barely hidden rage. "I don't want to talk about."

"No matter what I do all I have is a shield," Naofumi hissed under his breath, making a beeline for the nearest cluster of Balloons. Raphtalia and Shirou drew their swords, but stopped in confusion when Naofumi ordered them to stand down. He was surrounded in short order with Balloons hanging of every limb, his slaves hanging back. He seized one of the Balloons and without a word started wailing on it like a man possessed, as if he was trying to break his knuckles on the Balloon's face.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!

Naofumi continued to punch the Balloon like until it popped with a satisfying noise, a process that took well over ten minutes. Than he grabbed the next one and continued on punching. Not saying anything, not even pausing for breath, he continued to punch until well over a dozen Balloons had met a similar fate. Even still he continued until he had eradicated every single Balloon in his line of sight and he was heaving for breath between clenched teeth.

Trembling in exhaustion and rage, Naofumi despaired.

It wasn't fair. Here he was, abducted from his home and stuck in this vile world where he couldn't fight back, loathed by everybody for a crime he did not commit and the only people who stood by his side were slaves. Slaves who only aided him because they had no other choice and would no doubt give him the same disgusted look the second they heard the lies about him.

After all, why would they disbelief the stories considering their circumstances? They were his slaves. It didn't matter that they had no choice in helping him even if they hated him. No matter how you looked at it they were not his allies nor his friends. In the end they were nothing more than what their designation in his Menu implied: slaves.

Raphtalia was a girl, the same gender as the one who had betrayed him. If the Slave Crest were ever to be removed she would turn on him the first chance she got. She would probably run into Motoyasu's arms, jeering at him all the way. And Shirou, the justice loving little idiot, would probably do the same, seeing him as little more than a selfish monster that needed to be removed for the "good of society". Never once taking in the fact that said society was the reason why Naofumi could even buy him as a slave in the first place nor the fact that the reason he had to resort to such measures was because of the leaders of said society. He was just as much the victim of this reality as they were, but no one would believe that for a second.

The only outlier was the Old Man, the one person who aided him of his own volition. But one man, no matter how well meaning, could measure up against the contempt of an entire society. Nor could the Old Man do more for him than he was already doing.

Naofumi was well and truly alone in this world. He had known that since the beginning, but the last few weeks of progress had repressed that cruel knowledge, allowing him to push it to the back of his mind in an attempt to stave off his anger and despair. A single confrontation with the bastards to blame for his shitty circumstances had ruined that. Whatever sense of accomplishment and happiness he had managed to achieve in the last few weeks was wiped from his mind, because in the end, in spite of all his efforts, nothing had changed. He was still the useless, criminal Shield Hero who was only fighting to survive, because he simply had no other choice.

Shirou and Raphtalia watched grimly as Naofumi had his freakout. The man hadn't been broken down in tears, but it was a near thing, and all they wanted to do was sooth him. Unfortunately, even though they knew what was wrong and the bad hand he had been dealt, all they could do was stand there and watch, because…

Quiet. I don't want to talk about it.

… Naofumi's orders, enforced by their Slave Crests flickering beneath their clothes, would not allow them to do so. It had been a general order, but precise enough that it prevented them from speaking about Naofumi's circumstances. Shirou grimaced. He should have ignored the Old Man's advise and gone with his gut, but now that option was closed. He had no other choice and watch the Shield Hero stew in the anguish born of his own mind. If only he could talk to him…

Then again, would Naofumi even believe them? Shirou very much doubted it.

Not that it mattered. Shirou and Raphtalia shared another look. If they couldn't prove their belief in Naofumi with words, their actions would have to speak for them.

It was the only path remaining.