Chapter 12: Rewards

Naofumi and Raphtalia entered the audience chamber with heavy hearts.

After the stunt they had done the previous night, they're pretty sure that the King wouldn't be very happy if they went there. But they needed the money, and considering what they had at the moment, they didn't have any choice.

Entering the room, they saw the other Heroes as well as their companions already there. Motoyasu, as well as the bitch, threw him glares of hatred upon seeing him walk in, but EMIYA's three companions smiled at him and sent him waves.

The reaction of Itsuki was interesting, however. Seeing Naofumi entering the room, he opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but then he closed it immediately and looked away.

Then Naofumi remembered. The last night, when the bitch's fireball nearly obliterated him and Motoyasu, someone fired an arrow to stop it. Could it be…?

But before he could reach the Bow Hero to ask, the King had entered the chamber, followed by his band of ministers. He threw Naofumi a glare of disdain, but didn't say anything. He sat down on the throne, and his eyes swept around the room, staying a little bit longer on EMIYA's face.

A chamberlain behind him walked up, opened a scroll and announced.

"Now, we're going to distribute the reward funds for your performance in the last battle, and also your preparatory funds for the next Wave. The amount each of you will receive is based on your performance during the Wave."

An attendant entered the room, holding bags of money in his hand. EMIYA noticed that there were only three bags.

"To Sir Motoyasu, the one with the best performance in the Wave, we present 4,000 silver. We would expect more of that stellar performance in the future."

Everyone knew immediately that was a blatant play of favorite from the King. The one with the best performance? Pfft. Naofumi clicked his tongue in annoyance, while EMIYA's face was still as impassive as always. He didn't need a big reward, after all; money could be made later from doing businesses with the merchants.

"Next is Sir Itsuki. News of your heroic deeds has echoed throughout the land, and your performance in the Wave was remarkable. Your reward is 3,800 pieces of silver. Keep up the good work."

Itsuki received the money from the attendant with a sigh. Obviously, he had expected to receive a bigger reward; EMIYA could see him glancing at Motoyasu with a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

So he's spent all the month walking around helping people, huh…

Something in those words irked EMIYA so much he just wanted to punch something.

Still, if the boy actually has the heart to help people in need, then good for him. This world really needed someone resembling a hero to help it, if everywhere in the world were the same as this rotten kingdom.

"Now, Sir Shirou. Your reward is 1,000 pieces of silver."

There wasn't even an explanation. Everyone looked surprised hearing that declaration from the chamberlain, and EMIYA's companions were pissed.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Welt raised his voice angrily. "Shirou-sensei was the one who did the most during the Wave! Had it not been for him, those two wouldn't have been able to do anything to the Wave boss! Why doesn't he get as big a reward as those two?!"

"Why you little…!" Motoyasu started angrily, but Welt didn't even flinch. He snapped back.

"Did I say anything wrong? Weren't you and the Bow Hero nearly killed by that chimera before sensei arrived?"

"Urk…"

"That's enough, Welt!" EMIYA cut in with a sharp voice. "Do you think it's worth it?"

"But…!"

The boy winced when he felt the Sword Hero's hand gripping his shoulder. He grudgingly relented, but it didn't look like he was happy at all.

"Ahem," the chamberlain coughed. "Even though the Sword Hero did well during the Wave, he didn't do anything to help the citizens of the country during the month of preparation, unlike the other two Heroes; that's why his reward is lower than those of the Spear and Bow Heroes."

"That's right!" Motoyasu shouted. "We did a lot of favors to people during the last month, unlike you, lazing around playing with your sword until the Wave came!"

Tersia cracked her knuckles. "Sensei, can I punch him? I really want to punch someone right now."

"Oh yeah?! Try me you little-!"

"ENOUGH!"

The King bellowed. He had stood up from the throne. "If you continue this charade, I will take back all of your support! Even from you, Spear Hero!"

Motoyasu gulped. He glared at EMIYA's disciples, but didn't say anything else.

Strangely, Itsuki didn't say anything during the whole argument. He just looked at the scene in front of him with neutral eyes, if not a little bit guilty.

EMIYA grabbed the last bag of money from the attendant's hand. His eyes narrowed.

"Wait, there are only three bags. What about Naofumi's?"

The King snorted. "The reward for the Shield was supposed to be 500 silver, as he was the one who did the least during the Wave. However, because he insulted my authority last night, humiliated me in front of the whole audience including every governor of this country, and didn't even say a single apology, that reward would be revoked!"

Raphtalia was furious. She opened her mouth, ready to shout at the King…

…when Naofumi started laughing.

"Naofumi-sama…"

"Well, it's not like we haven't expected this to happen, isn't it?" Naofumi shrugged. He grinned menacingly. "Still, our trip here managed to do something, after all. Now everyone saw how petty the King of this country is, even to the people who are supposed to protect this world!"

Then he turned around. "Raphtalia, let's go! If we can't get the money we deserve to have, we are going to work hard to cover for it!"

He started walking out of the chamber. But before exiting, he turned back and looked at Itsuki.

"Itsuki, thank you for shooting the arrow which saved me last night. Had it not been for you, I wouldn't be standing here now."

"Ah… uh…"

He slammed the door close behind him a little bit harder than necessary, to the King's and Motoyasu's party's disdain.

The chamberlain coughed. "Now that the distribution of rewards for the Heroes is done, the meeting is adjo—"

"Not so fast."

EMIYA's voice rose coldly, cutting the words of the chamberlain short. He was glaring at the King with a look full of hostility.

"What now?"

"There's something I want you to make clear, Your Majesty," the Sword Hero's voice boomed around the chamber. "Last night, during the banquet, my disciple Tersia said that the royal knights rained fire down their heads when they were trying to fend off the monsters assaulting Ryute Village. What do you have to say about that?"

The King and the ministers glanced at each other nervously. "Ah, well, about that… it's just an unfortunate accident, you see…"

"An accident?" Farrie raised her eyebrow dubiously. "I'm also a magic user; I know for sure that you can't just 'accidentally' cast a spell like that. That was a high-powered spell designed to destroy small armies. How can you say that it was an 'accident'?"

"Ah… uh… well…"

"Is that true?" Itsuki suddenly asked. He was glaring at the commander of the royal knights, who was standing at the left side of the room. His voice was full of anger and disbelief. "Did you really order a bombardment on the village, knowing that there were still people in there?"

"N-no, of course not, Sir Itsuki!" the knight denied hastily. "I-I didn't know that there were still people in there, so…"

"That's a load of bullshit!" Tersia shouted. "Do you even remember what you said back then? 'So the Shield Hero is that tough', 'You're lucky I haven't cut you all down right there for treason'. You knew that we, as well as Sir Naofumi, were there, and you aimed your spell at us with the intent to kill! A lot of people there could be our witnesses, including your own knights, and half of Ryute Village's population!"

The commander's face went chalk white. "Why you-?!"

"ENOUGH!" the King bellowed. "Sword Hero, as the ruler of this country, I sincerely apologize for the foolish mistake of my subordinate. I will make sure something like that wouldn't happen again—"

EMIYA didn't let him finish his sentence. "Apologize? Do you think that an apology is enough?! What might happen to Naofumi is not my business, but this bastard tried to murder in cold blood not only one, but TWO of the disciples I spent the whole month training and bonding with. I don't want empty apologies or promises. I. WANT. RETRIBUTION. I WANT THE HEADS OF THE BASTARD WHO ORDERED THAT BARRAGE, AS WELL AS OF EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO CAST IT," he stressed those words with a tone full of anger.

He unsheathed the Legendary Sword from his back, and the weapon started glowing; some kind of menacing energy started leaking out of its blade. The air suddenly became 10 times denser than normal; everyone in the room felt like choking on their breath.

There was one thing they knew for sure: the Sword Hero, Emiya Shirou, was out for blood.

"Shirou-san!" Itsuki yelled, horrified. He ran into the taller man's way. "Isn't that a bit too much?! Killing him is one thing, but that…"

EMIYA stared straight into the boy's eyes. "Itsuki. Tell me. If you see one of your companions being attacked with the intent to murder even though they didn't do anything, and the culprit just stands there laughing, looking at them as if they were some kind of insect who deserve to be trampled on the ground, what are you going to do?"

The Bow Hero hesitated. "Well, I… but, still, taking the lives of so many people at once is just too much! That's not how a hero should work!"

EMIYA only gave him a harsh glare. "Well, I'm not you. I never consider myself a hero, and I, sure as hell, will never let anyone who dares to touch the people precious to me get away with what they did. Even if that person is the KING himself. Now, STEP ASIDE."

The ex-Guardian shoved Itsuki out of his way, and walked toward the commander, who was now on the ground with his face completely lacking life. The used-to-be-haughty man glanced around, trying to find support from his knights, but no one even moved a single muscle; they were either disgusted by the action of their leader, or scared shitless by the menacing aura coming from the Sword Hero.

Now he understood thoroughly what the Shield meant when he said those words the previous evening; what had he been thinking when he thought that he could get away with messing with this… this monster?!

The blade of the Legendary Sword glowed brightly, and EMIYA raised it over his head, ready to bring down retribution…

The King suddenly stood up from his throne.

"Sword Hero. Can we make a deal about this?" he said slowly, considering every word carefully. "How much money do you want to settle this? Just name the number, and I will provide you, as long as you let this go."

He was not being kind or generous. The commander of the royal knights was not someone indispensable, but every member of the magic squad was either nobles or children of the most influential governors of the country, who held in their hands the military and economy might of the whole land. If news spread out that the royal knights went around trying to murder the Sword Hero's companions and got all executed by the man himself, the country would definitely go down in flame, especially after what had happened the last night; the royal family's reputation had already gone low enough.

And he knew that the Sword Hero at this moment wasn't the same person he had been able to shut up by threatening as he had done a month ago. If he foolishly tried to do that again now, there's a risk of the whole royal family being massacred under the hand of the red Hero. And considering what people told him about how he slew hundreds of monsters during the Wave with just one single attack…

Therefore, the best thing he could do right now was to hold his nose and negotiate, even though he didn't want to.

EMIYA laughed dryly. There was no humor in his voice at all, however. The dry, cold laughter echoed around the audience chamber, chilling the spines of every person in the room. "Seriously? Bribery? So in your mind, the lives of my trusted companions can be bought by a few coins?"

The King didn't back down, however, and EMIYA knew he should not push his luck too much. If he went too far, chances were the King would realize he couldn't have a hold on him and order the deaths of all four Heroes so that he could summon a new batch which he could put under his control.

Of course, he was by no means afraid of that, and Motoyasu probably deserved it, but the two other Heroes hadn't done anything bad enough to deserve that fate.

He raised his hand and spread out two fingers. "Two thousand."

The King breathed out in relief. Two thousand silver pieces were not that big of a price; he could easily fulfill that request in a blink of an eye. "Get two thousand silver pieces from the treasury and—"

"Did I ever say silver?" The Sword Hero cut in before he could finish his sentence. "Two thousand gold pieces."

The number given by the Sword Hero made everyone turn toward him in horror. Two thousand gold pieces meant two hundred thousand silver pieces. With that amount of money, one could buy a rather big piece of land and still had enough to build a reasonable house there. The King sputtered. "Now listen here, Sword Hero…"

"So are you trying to take back your words?" the ex-Guardian asked sharply. "To you, the lives of people aren't worth trading a few gold coins for?"

"Urk…"

The King knew he had been cornered. Glaring at the chamberlain standing next to him, he gritted his teeth. "Get… two thousand gold pieces… from the treasury… and give it… to the Sword Hero," he choked out.

The money was brought out after fifteen minutes. EMIYA grabbed the bag from the attendant's hand and took a glance at the content inside. Then, he said in a chilling tone.

"Take this as an example. What you do to anyone in this kingdom is not my problem; I will fulfill my duty as someone summoned to this world to protect it as well as I can. However…" he lowered his voice dangerously, "…if anyone dares to try to do anything to me, or to the people I consider precious… then that person should wash their neck and wait."

He glared at a certain princess when he said those words. Then he walked out of the room with his team, slamming the doors close behind.

"That was SO cool, sensei!"

Those were the first words Tersia said after exiting the royal palace.

"Yeah," agreed Farrie enthusiastically. "You completely overwhelmed them with your speech! Even the King couldn't say anything!"

EMIYA chuckled. "That was just an act, you know. Killing them in there would obviously make us an enemy of the whole kingdom. I was just bluffing to see how they would react, and they actually bought it."

"That's a relief," the girl sighed. "But…" her voice became hesitant, "…you weren't planning to kill them for real, were you?"

EMIYA glanced at the girl. "Who said I wasn't planning to kill them? They had better watch their own backs, because if they dare try that again, their corpses are not going to stay in this world intact."

Farrie's face twisted into a half-horrified, half-appreciating expression.

"Oh my god," she gasped. "Our sensei is a freaking psycho."

"Isn't it clear enough already?" Tersia said dryly. "Only a psycho would force teenage girls to run laps around the freaking town after doing hundreds of sit-ups and push-ups."

That earned her a slap on the head from her sensei.

"But sensei…" Welt, having been in silence for a while, chose this moment to raise his voice. "Why didn't you say anything when Sir Shield Hero said that the Bow Hero shot the arrow to save his life? Why did you let him take the credit for something he didn't do?"

EMIYA looked at the fight in the arena with worried eyes.

He had expected Motoyasu would try to do something after the Wave. He wouldn't expect any less from him; after all, he was having his eyes on Raphtalia before they departed for the Wave.

He just didn't think that he would go for a duel to the death.

Even though the Spear Hero looked like the oldest one among the three other Heroes, his head was just that of a little brat. A duel to the death wasn't something anyone could joke about; it was a matter of life and death here. And yet, the horny bastard had looked so excited about it when the King announced the duel between him and Naofumi.

That had disgusted EMIYA to the core. Being excited about killing someone was already terrible enough, but for reasons as stupid as an insult, or the hand of a girl? That Motoyasu was not just stupid; he was ax-crazy.

In this duel, it was obvious who the one with disadvantages was. Motoyasu was favored by the king and the princess of the country; obviously they would jump in if things went south for the Spear Hero. At the same time however, they would want nothing more if Motoyasu somehow managed to kill or maim Naofumi in this duel; with that they wouldn't have to dirty their hand doing anything to the Shield Hero. In their minds, it's not like Naofumi had any chance; he couldn't attack, so there's no way he could defeat the Spear Hero, who was supposed to be the strongest Hero in terms of combat.

But that kind of thinking was only true in a video game. On a battlefield, a shield could do more than just blocking attacks if used in the right way, in the right hand. And EMIYA was pleased to see that Naofumi, while still a little bit awkward, was doing much better than what he had expected from him. His way of fighting was simple, but so far it had proven to be very effective, and he was handling his newest shield pretty well. Even more, it seemed that he was overwhelming Motoyasu in combat, something no one could ever expect.

Then his eyes narrowed when a surge of magical energy suddenly rose from the far side of the arena. Someone standing at the far corner was firing a spell at Naofumi's exposed back. From what he could see, it was a wind bullet; as wind is invisible to naked eyes, you could only see it if you paid attention to the ripple in the air when it moved. EMIYA was pretty sensitive to magical energy even when he was a teenager, so he could realize the attack easily even before it was launched.

The spell hit Naofumi's back, and did absolutely nothing at all. It couldn't even make Naofumi lose a strand of hair.

Focusing his sight further, he could see clearly the person who fired that spell. It was the First Princess, and she looked clearly shocked realizing her spell couldn't do anything.

He heard Naofumi complaining about being attacked from behind, but he didn't pay attention. Sweeping his eyes around the audience, he could see that a few nobles on the stands also noticed the sneak attack, but some of them were taken away by soldiers before they could open their mouths to say anything.

He snorted. Just as he had expected; of course they're going to do this, weren't they? Their action was just like that of despicable bullies. Unable to use Motoyasu to do anything to Naofumi, they decided to cheat, then use force to silence the ones who noticed their cheating.

But their effort was for nothing. That kind of sneak attack was only enough to cause a distraction, and it had already failed. If anything, it only made Naofumi warier and more careful. Even the most foolish person wouldn't dare repeat that stupid trick once more.

In the arena, it seemed the fight was coming to the finale. Motoyasu seemed to have reached his limit; his footsteps couldn't keep the speed they had been at the beginning of the match anymore, and he was having trouble standing upright. A few more minutes and he's going down for sure.

Suddenly EMIYA tensed up. What was this dreadful feeling he was sensing?

He glanced at the far side of the arena, and his eyes widened.

A huge ball of fire was forming in front of the First Princess' palms. That kind of magic spell wasn't something used for distraction anymore; at this level, it would be a bombarding spell used to level buildings. And the stupid woman was aiming it at Naofumi with an expression full of hatred on her face. She was planning to kill the Shield Hero… no, scratch that, with Motoyasu facing Naofumi right now, there was a chance that the spell would kill both of the combatants in the arena. And if somehow the two Heroes could avoid it… it would continue its way to the audience stand he and Itsuki were at and murder everyone.

The gears in his head spun furiously. He must do something to stop her… But what?

He didn't have access to any skill with long enough range to reach her or the attack. He could run into the arena, but the attack would have been launched before he could reach the range.

If only he still had a bow…

He stopped. There was a bow he could use… but the Legendary Sword would shock him to death if he tried anything.

But there's no time to hesitate. If he does, more than one life will be taken tonight.

Taking a deep breath, he snatched Welt's bow from the ground next to his seat and drew an arrow from the quiver, before the boy could even say anything.

Electricity immediately ran through his body. He gritted his teeth to stop himself from screaming out loud; even though he had been familiar with pain from the countless battles he had taken part in, being shocked by electricity was never something he wanted to experience. It's not simply pain; the human body and high-voltage electricity weren't born for each other after all. He could feel the fury of the Legendary Sword with each arc of electricity piercing his body; his body was already starting to lose sensations. He didn't know how long he could withstand this before his heart stopped beating.

But he needed to do this, at all cost, and quickly, or else so many people would have to die.

Gripping the bow tightly in his left hand, he reinforced the arrow on his right hand with all the magical energy he could muster. The arrow glowed in a blue light, and he nocked it on the bow with his trembling hand.

The Legendary Sword was shocking him more and more fiercely; electricity ran through the bones of his arms, threatening his inner organs, and he knew he wouldn't be able to last any longer. Biting on his lips to keep his hands stable, he took aim and when the fireball was released from Malty's hands, he let the arrow fly.

"I don't want to attract any attention," EMIYA shook his head. "Who would believe that the Sword Hero was able to fire an arrow? Besides, I think doing something to get the Heroes closer to each other is something we need to do, if we want to protect this world. If that can fix the relationship between the Heroes, then I'm happy to do that. At least Naofumi wouldn't be as hostile to Itsuki as he did before."

"How did you even do that, though?" Tersia half-asked, half-complained. "Firing an arrow that accurately is already difficult enough, and somehow you managed that in three seconds, while being shocked to near death! Do you know how scared we were when you fell to the ground after doing that?! If Farrie weren't there…"

"Well, what can I say?" EMIYA chuckled. "I can use almost all types of weapons, but archery is actually my best skill."

Farrie shook her head. "You know what, I think right now it's better to ask you what you cannot do than what you can do. Seriously sensei, are you even human? No human can do half of the things you already did! Why are you even summoned as the Hero of the Sword if you're such a peerless marksman?"

EMIYA shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe because I am the bone of my sword?" he joked.

The three disciples stared at him in disgust. "Sensei, just… don't," Tersia deadpanned. "What are you, an eroge protagonist?"

He pouted mentally. Does my Reality Marble chant sound that perverted?

"Can you teach me how to shoot like you, sensei?" Welt asked hopefully. EMIYA chuckled and rubbed his hair.

"Of course. After all, that's what I'm planning to do anyway. I'm going to grind you to the ground until you can shoot as well as me. Prepare your ass, because it's not going to be pretty, I tell you."

The boy let out a light "meep".

"Sensei… about the money we've just got from the King…" Farrie suddenly said, "…do you think we should share some of that with Sir Shield Hero?"

EMIYA looked at the white mage. "Why do you think so?"

"Well… um… because I think he wasn't treated fairly by the King and the other Heroes at all," the girl blushed. "He did a lot during the Wave, but they didn't even give him any reward. Besides… he was also one of the people who got attacked by the knights, wasn't he? So I think he also deserves compensation."

The Sword Hero looked at his other two companions. "What do you two think?"

"I think so, too, sensei!" Tersia nodded enthusiastically. "Sir Naofumi is a much better person than I thought he is; I don't think he actually did that terrible thing the princess told us that he did! He deserves to be treated better than people are treating him right now!"

"Mm," Welt also nodded in agreement. "If everyone agrees, then I guess it's okay for me too. Besides, it's not like we're going to need all that money, aren't we?"

EMIYA looked at his companions with satisfaction. He had been planning to do that anyway, but his disciples being the ones who proposed that made everything easier. I'm so proud of these brats.

"All right then," finally, he said. "Let's go find Naofumi and Raphtalia. I have a feeling that I already knew where they are now."

Holding the heavy bag of money in his hand didn't cheer Itsuki up a little bit.

There were too many things in his head right now for him to even think about the money. The world in front of him just wasn't the same world he had thought it was anymore.

The King and this kingdom definitely had something against Naofumi; he's sure about that now. He might not have that much experience in life, as he had just turned 17 a few days before that truck hit him and sent him to this world, but even he would know when someone harbors an unreasonable grudge against someone, to the point they would frame that person for crimes he didn't do.

Had he not opened his eyes when the Sword Hero pointed out that the rape claim on Naofumi was false, he would have had a completely different view of everything now.

He still didn't understand, though. Bullying wasn't something he hadn't seen in his life; hell, he had been a target of bullying himself for quite a while, just because he was "useless", quoting the words of some of his favorite bullies.

But that… what happened to Naofumi… couldn't be called bullying at all. That's just straight-up harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. What did he even do to deserve that fate? Before he was summoned, no one had even known who the man named Iwatani Naofumi was. Where's the justice in that?

Also, there's still the thing about that arrow fired the previous night to stop the spell that would have taken both Naofumi and Motoyasu's lives if it had hit. Naofumi had thanked him for shooting that arrow, but… he wasn't the person who did that. Hell, at that moment, he had been crouching under his bench in fear of being obliterated by that fire spell which had threatened to obliterate the whole audience stand had it hit.

But if that's the case… then who was the one who fired that arrow?

Considering how fast and accurate it hit the target, that arrow could only be fired by a very skilled archer. And from how it managed to stop such a powerful bombardment spell, it should be as powerful as a skill fired from the Legendary Bow itself.

But who in this world could be a good enough archer to launch such a powerful shot?

The only person with a bow he remembered seeing in that stand last night was that male companion of the Sword Hero. But he's just a newbie adventurer who had just started travelling with the Hero a month ago; there's no way he could be such a good archer with a freaking month of training.

Could it be… it was the Sword Hero himself who fired that arrow?

He shook that thought off his head immediately. There's no way that could even happen. The Cardinal Heroes were tied with their Legendary Weapons; the Sword Hero wouldn't have been able to even lift a bow up to use as a weapon. No matter how good he might be, there's no way he could have done it if he didn't have access to a bow.

But if that's the case… who might that mysterious archer be?

That question haunted him all the way back to the inn where they stayed the night. Even when he went to bed, the question still hovered in his head, tossing him around for hours before he could force himself to sleep.

"Wow. That… that's just messed up."

Erhard could only shake his head after hearing Naofumi's recollection of the last night.

"I know that the Spear Hero is problematic, but I can't imagine him being such a despicable coward," the blacksmith continued with a sigh. "I'll never sell any weapon to him in the future."

"Wouldn't that cut your income down?" Naofumi pointed out. "From what I can see, the Heroes are the ones who buy weapons from you the most, aren't they?"

"I know," the blacksmith sighed, "but letting him touch my weapons is such an insult to those weapons themselves. My weapons are created to fight honorable battles, not to backstab others and then brag about it."

"Aren't weapons created to take lives?" asked Naofumi dryly. "I really don't think there's anything honorable in taking people's lives, to be honest."

The blacksmith shook his head. "You don't remember what's lying on your arm? The shield is also a weapon, but it is created to protect people, not to hurt people. Aren't you doing that very well until now?"

The Shield Hero chuckled. "You got a point. And speaking about protecting…"

He placed the Barbarian's Armor, folded neatly, on the counter. "I think I have to return this. It helped me a lot in the Wave, but I don't think I have to money to pay for it now. That bastard…"

Erhard winced at the miserable face of the Shield Hero. "Shield Boy…"

"I knew I could find you here, Naofumi."

Everyone turned toward the entrance, where the voice had come from. The Sword Hero and his team were entering the shop, grinning brightly.

"Shirou-sama," Raphtalia greeted them politely, and Tersia grinned before giving her a big hug, which she reciprocated with a smile of her own.

"Thanks for siding with me last night at the fight, Shirou-san," Naofumi said, and EMIYA chuckled.

"You're welcome. Speaking about that, I have something for you here."

He placed a bag on the counter next to Naofumi. The Shield Hero glanced at the item warily.

"What is this?"

"Something I got from the King as compensation for the attack on you and my students yesterday," answered EMIYA. "Since you and Raphtalia were also its victims, we thought you deserve your own part of it."

"I don't need…"

"Like hell you don't," EMIYA cut him short before Naofumi could finish his sentence. "We were also here the other day; we know that you spent all of your money on the armor Erhard sold you. Besides," he added before the Shield Hero could protest, "this is not my idea, but my team's; if you turn it down it will be an insult to all of them."

Raphtalia looked at the three disciples in surprise. "You guys…?"

"Yup," Tersia answered with a grin. "If you refuse our goodwill, I will be really sad, Raphtalia-chan." She made a sad face, and the raccoon girl melted at the expression.

Naofumi shook his head. "You guys are the weirdest people I've met since I arrived in this world, you know that? Why do you go so far to help me, considering I'm the outcast of this world and no one wants me to be here?"

"Maybe because they think you're much more likable than the two other Heroes, I guess?" EMIYA shrugged.

The Shield Hero sighed. He took the bag from EMIYA's hand with a defeated smile. "If you say so…"

Opening the bag, he was shocked. There was more gold in there than he had ever seen in his life; with this, not only could he pay back all the money he owed the blacksmith for the armor, but he could also buy all the shields he wanted from the shop to bolster his arsenal, as well as finding more companions to help him in his journey! He looked at Raphtalia; the girl was also having the same shocked expression on her face.

He turned to the Sword Hero and his companions. "Shirou-san, everyone, thank you very much."

They grinned in response.

"Naofumi-sama…" Raphtalia suddenly said in a determined voice. "Since we have money now, let's get back to the slave trader and have him reapply the slave crest for me."

Everyone turned toward the girl. "What?" Naofumi stared into her eyes. "You know that slave crest is only to ensure that you will not betray me, don't you? Now there's no need for it anymore."

The raccoon girl nodded. "I know, but… that slave crest has a lot of useful function, doesn't it? I remember that you have a shield that makes slaves registered to you more powerful as they level up. If I get the slave crest back, I can become stronger to help you more, can't I?"

She was referring to the Slave User Shield, unlocked when Naofumi let the Shield absorb a droplet of the ink Beloukas used to draw the slave crest. During the last week of the preparation month, he had gone back to the slave shop and got it, together with, unknown to Raphtalia, a bottle of slave ink remover. He had thought of releasing the raccoon girl from the slave crest, but the shield he got from the ink was too useful, anyway, so he had decided to leave it until later. The trash king had helped him do that before he could, anyway.

"Besides…" she continued, suddenly blushing deep red, "…I want it as proof that our bond will never be broken again. It will be the proof that I will forever be yours… and yours alone."

Everyone looked at her in horror, even Naofumi himself. Farrie gasped.

"Did… did she just propose to Sir Shield Hero?!"

"Sir Naofumi!" Tersia glared at him angrily. "How dare you seduce my sweet Raphtalia-chan like that!?"

"I didn't do anything!?" Naofumi protested weakly before the death glare of the sword-wielding girl and the disturbed stares of Erhard, Welt and Farrie.

EMIYA walked toward him. He patted the Shield Hero's shoulder with a look full of both pity and sympathy.

"Man, be careful with that. Making one girl falling in love with you is fine, but do not let it turn into a harem. You wouldn't want to turn into another Motoyasu, would you? Don't walk into that hell."

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS?!"