Rise of the Alternate Shield Hero

by MajorRaphSim

Hello people of the internet! This story is about a American named Maddox Fulbright who is summoned instead of Naofumi, but he has all the knowledge of the world and events from the Anime and LN of our world. I made the story following the same major plot, but changed the details and smaller events. This contains major LN spoilers, so be ready. Anyways, Enjoy!

2. Erhard and the Slave Trader

I walked through the streets of the Melromarc capital, map in hand. I found out that my shield works similar to a storage unit, being able to hold things that I couldn't carry about myself. I had put the maps inside of it for the time being, and it might've unlocked a shield, but I assumed my level wouldn't be high enough to use it, so that's why I merely put it into storage.

Unrolling the map, I figured that I wasn't going to be able to read it, as it's most likely in the Melromarc language. "Huh? It's in english?" I said, looking over the map. "Hmm. I mean, Naofumi and the other three heroes were Japanese, so it would make sense that they wouldn't be able to read it. However, shouldn't they at least be able to recognize it as the American language?" I mulled it over in my mind as I walked down the busy streets of Melromarc.

There were also certain points of interest, written in beautiful handwriting. Of the most important, the best weapon shop in Melromarc's capital was written down, as well as the best Tavern/Inn, and strangely enough, the slave trader tent was marked in a back alleyway. It wasn't labeled slave trader though, it was actually labeled monster trainer in quotation marks.

All of these locations were very important, however I wasn't sure which order would be the best going about it. Looking at my map, I was currently closest to the weapon shop, so I figured I would go there first, meet the old guy, whose name I remembered to be Erhard, then come back later after I rescued Raphtalia. I needed to go by the tavern too, as I assume Malty was still going to attempt to frame me for rape, despite me being 17 and her being like 20-something, and I needed to get evidence ahead of time to prove I didn't do it. I already had a great argument in mind, however a witness testimony and factual evidence will only help my case.

By the time I had made my game plan, I had arrived at the weapon store. I walked inside, and I could tell it was the real deal. Sets of armor and various swords and spears lined the walls, but I noticed that there weren't very many shields on the walls. I mean, Shielders aren't a very good class for most, as you have to have a very certain magic affinity and the ability to handle pain well, but for me as the Shield Hero I am most likely the only exception.

"Hey hey hey! I haven't seen your face around here before!" The guy behind the counter said.

"Yeah, I'm new around here. I heard this is the best weapon shop in Melromarc. Looks like my sources were right, eh?"

The old guy gave a hearty laugh. "Haha! Don't think flattery will get you lower prices, though I appreciate the compliment. Anyway, those clothes you are wearing sure are strange. And I see you already have a shield?"

I nodded. "Yeah, as you've said, I'm not really from around here. You heard that the heroes were summoned yesterday, correct?"

The old guy nodded, then a little bit of surprise came across his face. "Oho? You claim to be the Shield Hero, I presume?"

I gave a little dramatic bow. "The one and only."

The old guy laughed. "Well, well, well. I can't believe I have the one and only Shield Hero in my store!" He lowered his voice. "Listen here kid, I can tell you are a good person, so I'm gonna give you a little bit of the lowdown. You're the Shield Hero, right? For sure?" I nodded. He stood up a little straighter. "Alright then, I'm gonna give it to you how it comes. You are aware of the importance of the heroes, correct?" I nodded again, already seeing where he was going with this.

"Well, I'm sorry to say, but… you got the short end of the stick. The Shield Hero is considered a demon in the Melromarcian religion, sort of like the 'anti-hero'. There are numerous different reasons for that, and I'm not going to go into all of them. All I'm saying is that get yourself a party that trusts you, and you trust them. There are gonna be people that approach you, attempting to leech off of you. Be wary of who you trust, and remember your allies." I nodded again, feigning ignorance.

"I see. Why do you think it's important to tell me this? You seem like an honest guy, however you were under no obligation to help me out."

The old guy shrugged. "I honestly don't really know. Something about you wants me to place my trust in you, and call me crazy, but you seem… familiar, almost. Like I've seen you before, however I can't recall a single memory that shows me anything about you." I thought for a moment. "Anyway, I may just be going senile." The old guy laughed at the end.

"No, I agree with you. I feel as if I've known of you for a long time, and it almost feels like a first-hand experience of how dependable you can be. What you told me about the Shield Hero proves that."

The old guy scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "Thanks kid, I'm glad I'm not crazy. So anyway, let's get down to business. Whatcha lookin' for?"

I looked around the shop at all the different armors. "Well, I'm currently getting the lay of the land around here. I don't have any experience with combat or the sort, though I have a general understanding of how the world works. I'm doing some first hand research on each of the important parts to the beginning of my adventure."

The old guy smirked at me. "In other words, you're window shopping?" I chuckled a little.

"For now, yes. I wanted to get on good terms with you before I made any decisions. I'm hoping to get some stuff custom made, specifically for me as a shielder, but I want to help gather resources and materials to make it, hoping to cut down on costs for a bit." The old guy nodded.

"I see. Well, I'll be here if anything comes up. I'll start sketching some idea's while you're gone. You better come back though, so my time doesn't go to waste."

I laughed. "I promise I'll come back. I have a feeling that I'll keep coming back my entire hero career, so count on it." He laughed, and I said my goodbyes.

Outside on the streets, it had only become more crowded as the day led on. Vendors now filled the streets, selling all sorts of different foods. I realized that I hadn't eaten since coming here, except for a couple of cookies from the night before. A vendor close to me seemed to be selling chicken kebabs, so I walked over and quickly bought a few to take with me as I go.

The next destination on my map was the slave trader tent, and I figured I had waited much too long to save Raphtalia. I finished up my kebab as I walked down the dark alleyway, and this seemed like the place where I would get mugged at. I decided to put my money in my shield storage, as it was too dangerous to just have it hanging around in my pocket or at my waist.

After a bit, I entered what seemed to be some sort of courtyard. There was a single tent there, fairly small, definitely too small to house slaves in. Then, I remembered in the anime there was a staircase leading underground, so I figured that it would be the same case here. I walked through the flaps of the tent, and called out.

"Hello? Anyone here?" There was only silence, but suddenly, a voice spoke right behind me.

"Oho? Have you come looking for some monsters?" I secretly jumped on the inside, but I managed to keep my composure. Turning around, I saw a short, mildly obese man standing there, dressed in a rich, noble outfit.

"Perhaps, but what if I was telling you I was looking for your 'other' line of work?"

The slave trader got a glistening look in his eyes. "Well, then I'd have no other choice but to show you around, yes sir."

I nodded as he led me to the back of the tent. There was a secret room that revealed a staircase descending into the ground. We walked down it, and I was trying my best to mentally prepare myself for what I would see.

"So, I haven't done business with you before, no sir. Are you new in town?"

I shrugged. "I guess you could say that."

He looked back at me. "You seem to be wearing some interesting clothing, yes sir. I've never seen anything like it."

I shrugged again. "It's pretty common from where I come from, though I do come from very far away, so maybe that's why you have never seen it before." The slave trader eyed me.

"Maybe indeed, yes sir."

As we fell deeper and deeper into the underground, the smell started to reach my nostrils. It smelled rank, insinuating death and disease, and very unhygienic standards.

We reached the end of the staircase, and the cavern was enormous. "Welcome to the underground!" The slaver trader proclaimed. "Please don't ask about my balls." I thought to myself.

Cages were lined up in piles, stretching towards the ceiling of the room. The cries of demi-humans and roars of feral monsters rang out throughout the entire room.

"So, what is it you are looking for?" he asked as we walked over to a cage. "Perhaps a powerful, feral wolf-man?"

Inside the cage was indeed a wolf demi-human, though he looked much more beast than man. His right leg was hurt, however, just like I thought it would be. Even still, I looked him over.

"Hmm. What level is he? I see he has a bad leg."

The slave trader smirked. "A proud level of 76. He fought in the Zeltoble colosseum before he was injured, and easily won fights against three opponents versus him alone in the lower level tournaments."

The wolf-man stared at me, and despite being in a horrible life position, he seemed… curious of me, almost. However, whenever the slave trader spoke, he started to foam at the mouth, and growling fiercely.

"He seems very aggressive." I stated. "You have something a little more… submissive?"

The slave trader chuckled. "Well, well, well, I didn't know that's what you were looking for, no sir. You seem to be a little young, however who am I to stop a fellow man who wants to fulfill their own insatiable desires, yes sir?"

I scowled at him. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I need something cheap too, maximum 30 silver. I assume this wolf-man is at least several gold, so no need to flex your products so hard."

The slave trader went back into business mode. "Hmm, well, for that price, we'll need to dig a bit deeper. However, I'm sure I can find a slave that fits your expectations." He turned around and walked deeper into the catacombs, and I followed suit.

As we walked, I noticed several demi-human children cowering in cages, rank with disease, and all skin and bones from lack of proper nutrition and exercise. I honestly wanted to help them, though I knew this wasn't the time or place to do so. I promised myself that I would come back and liberate as many of the children as possible.

I soon noticed that the slave trader had stopped, and he snapped his fingers. Just then, several people in robes came rushing through the dark, pushing carts with cages on them. There were three in total, and the men lined up the cages so that I could see. Through the bars, I could see three figures in shoddy clothing. One was a rabbit demi-human with a twisted arm, another was a lizardman with a crazed look on his face, and lastly, the one I was looking for.

She seemed no more than a small girl, hair all bundled in knots and tangles, scrapes and scars all over her body, wearing what seemed to be an old potato sack, if that. Though I knew, past the dead look in her eyes and what she seemed to be, she was the one I wanted by my side.

"Well," The slave trader said, "here we have a rabbit type with a birth defect, a lizard type with a mental disorder, and a raccoon-type that has lost any will to live. Anything interesting?"

I kneeled down in front of Raphtalia. I stared at her, long and hard, though not unkindly. She stared back, with that lifeless look in her eyes.

"You have struggled, haven't you?" She just kept on staring at me. "Do you know who I am?" I asked.

She kept staring, then shook her head in the slightest of motions.

"If I told you that I could give you a new life, would you believe me?" She kept staring, not responding. It made my heart ache to see her so… gone. There wasn't anything of the Raphtalia I knew in there. So, I had to remind her of who she was.

I looked back at the slave trader. "I'd like the raccoon type, if that's all right." I said to the slave trader.

The slave trader chuckled. "I see. In that case, we shall preform the ritual right away." He snapped his fingers again, and once again a person in robes came from the dark, holding a key. He moved towards the cage, but I stopped him.

"Sorry, but I'll be transporting her from here on out." The man in robes bowed, then handed me the key. I unlocked Raphtalia's cage, and held out my hand. She cowered back a little.

"Can you walk? I can carry you if you wish?" She looked at me, still dead inside, then shook her head. She crawled to the front of the cage, and attempted to step out, but she started to fall. I caught her before she could hit the ground, and I held her for a moment. She looked up at me.

"W…Who…?" She asked in a raspy voice.

I gave her a gentle smile. "I'm afraid I'm your new owner. But just between you and me…" I lowered my voice so that the slave trader couldn't hear. "I'm the shield hero."

That lit a little spark of hope in her eyes, and I hoped that spark would only grow stronger as I nurtured her back to health.

"Can you walk?" I asked her. She nodded, then managed to shakily get to her feet, pushing off of my shoulders. I stood up as well.

"Would you like to hold my hand?" I asked. She still had that dead look in her eyes, but I could see the smallest, tiniest fire of burning hope too, and she slowly nodded. I took her hand in mine, and we followed the slave trader back through the maze of cages.

Raphtalia coughed quite a bit on the way, and I gave her some soothing words. "I'll heal up that cough soon enough, don't worry."

The slave trader, nosy as ever, observed me and Raphtalia as we walked. "I have a question for you, humble traveler, yes sir. How did you manage to get the demi-human to walk beside you so willingly? It would prove very useful if you shared the information, yes sir."

I thought about what I should respond with, trying to give nothing away. "Well, a little kindness goes a long way, Mr. Slave Trader. I want people to like me, but how do I expect them to like me if I don't show I like and appreciate them first?"

The slave trader chuckled. "That's a mighty fine way to live, yes sir, even if it is just an idealistic sentimentality." He flashed me a grin. "Though based on the way you are acting with her, I presume you have some history with her, yes sir?"

"No, I have never met her before." I responded with absolute certainty in my voice. It wasn't a lie at all, though I did know OF her, I have never actually met her in real life.

"Hrmm. I see." responded the slave trader.

We arrived at another clearing, this one with several men in robes surrounding what seemed to be a magic circle. They all stared at me as if waiting on something.

"Now then, it is time to equip the slave seal." the slave trader declared.

I nodded, and kneeled down to Raphtalia. "Listen. I hate what I'm about to do, but it's better in the long run if we do it. You understand that you have to be under the slave seal, correct?" She looked a little frightened, but nodded.

"The thing is, I already trust you enough for you to not have to wear it. However, I need you to fight for me. I'm equipping the slave seal for a number of reasons, but one of which is for me to be able to push you beyond your limits, in order for you to find inner strength. I believe there is so much potential in you, however it's sometimes hard to awaken the potential on your own. I'm here to help you with that, okay?"

She looked a little lost, as I did just unload a giant train of thought on top of her in a broken mental state, but she nodded, and seemed to understand her situation just a little bit better.

"I'll have this slave seal on you, however I want you to become your own person. Therefore, I shall have zero of the commands that hurt you, other than when in combat. You have the ability to run away, fight back, or if you ever just resent me and want to give me a hard punch in the gut, I give you the right to do so."

She looked at me, and that hope in her eyes kindled a little further. Still silent, she nodded. "I plan to protect you till the day I die, and whenever that day comes, I want to have prepared you enough to be able to protect yourself. Unfortunately, applying the slave seal is one of the pains I cannot protect you from. I'm asking you, can you be strong enough to fight through the pain, for both of our sakes?" Her gaze looked like she finally gave into the growing hope inside of her. She nodded, and gave me a determined look.

"O-Okay Master." She walked over to the circle, and they started to prepare the ritual.

"Hey slave trader," I asked, "Would it interfere with the ritual if I held her hand?" The slave trader thought for a moment, then called a robed person over. They conversed in whispers for a moment, then he said to me,

"It doesn't seem like it would, though I suppose anything is possible." I nodded, and walked over to Raphtalia.

She looked intimidated by the strangely dressed men, and didn't really want to do this. After all, who would?. She turned around as I walked over, and looked at me, frightened.

"Would you like to hold my hand?" She nodded, gratefully.

I sat down just outside of the circle as the robed people pricked her finger and started mixing a bowl of something. One of them, holding the bowl and a quill, walked over to Raphtalia. They started to pull her top down, and she looked really embarrassed, though I think she has gone through this before and she understood the practice by now. I averted my eyes slightly, just enough to not be able to see anything and respect her privacy as much as possible, and the robed figures started chanting. Raphtalia started to moan in pain, then it turned to almost a scream. But just as the worst part hit, she gritted her teeth and squeezed my hand, refusing to cry out, and then it was over. Coughing, she quickly pulled her top back up, and looked at me for affirmation. I smiled at her, and said, "Great job. I'm glad I have such a strong ally already." She nodded, a little abashed, and we stood up together.

"Such a strong sense of bond already, yes sir." The slave trader interjected. "Now then, that'll be 90 silver."

I frowned, glaring at the slave trader. "He's trying to extort money out of me, knowing I have a close bond with Raphtalia already. Not happening pal." I pretended to think. "Hmm, that's strange. First off, she is level 1, just a child, so that should easily bring the price down. Second, she is starved half to death, riddled with sickness, and bearing a broken mental state. Third, and this is the strangest part, I heard that you sold her to nobles for between 20-30 silver, and she was returned recently in a damaged state. So, what makes her so much more valuable now, after she is actually in a worse state than before? Or did you see my kindness towards her and think that was an opening to increase the pricing, hmm?"

The slave trader laughed. "I see you have done your research. Very well, it shall be only 20 silver for the girl, yes sir. I'll even throw in a discount for the sealing process."

I nodded. "Actually, I would like some of that ink used for the slave sealing as well. Could we call it 25 silver?"

The slave trader nodded. "That seems like an excellent price, yes sir!"

I took a little silver out of my shield, though I disguised it as taking it from my pocket, and handed it to the slave trader. In the meantime, a robed figure once again emerged from the dark, and handed me a vial of dark red liquid, almost black, and I quickly slipped it into my pocket. I nodded to the slave trader, and he grinned nastily back. I turned to leave, but the slave trader had one more thing to say to me.

"One last thing, yes sir. I believe that the young girl has a reason she kept on being returned so frequently. Would you like to explain to your new master?"

Raphtalia hid behind me from the slave trader, still holding my hand, then looked up at me. "U-Um, Master? I-I get really bad nightmares at night. I disturb everyone close by whenever I sleep, and I interrupt a lot of other people's rest. I-I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, please don't leave me here!" She desperately finished.

I gazed at her, feigning confusion. "Is that all? If that's the worst thing about you, then that's something that we can easily work through. I wouldn't expect anyone to not get nightmares after what all of you slaves have been through. I won't leave you here, okay? Plus, I technically already bought you, so you are kinda stuck with me even if you did want to stay here."

She looked surprised, her tail swishing back and forth. I smiled at her. "Her tail is just too adorable."

The slave trader interjected, one last time. "Well then, you shouldn't have any issues then, no sir. I wish you luck on your journey," He said, smirking at me, a little evilly. "Shield Hero." I didn't feign shock or anything of the sort, as I knew he would find out eventually, though I had tried to keep that under wraps at least until the next time we met. My gaze hardened.

"Same here, slave trader." I took Raphtalia's hand, and led her out through the staircase and into the great wide world above.

…

Raphtalia put her hand over the sun, shielding her eyes. She looked at me once more, as if astounded by me, though I'm nothing special. Just a regular kid summoned to this great open world.

"Now then," I said, "Shall we go?" She nodded her head, and we walked through the dark alleys back to the main street. I noticed we were getting some strange looks as we passed people, most likely due to Raphtalia's current condition, and both of our strange dressing styles. I had noticed a clothing store on the way to the old guy's shop, so I quickly made our way there.

"M-Master?" Raphtalia asked. "Wh-What are we doing here?"

I gazed at her kindly. "Well, I think we are in need of some different clothing that better fits our environment. Do you agree?"

She slowly nodded. "I-I saw some people looking at us weird on the way here. Was that because we aren't dressed normally?" I nodded, a little proud of her realizing that.

"You have a good eye. Yes, I presume that is why, but also because it's strange to see a 17 year old walk around with a 10 year old without any supervision. That's not your fault, Raphtalia."

She nodded again, and we walked inside. There wasn't anyone to greet us, so I figured we could just look around. "U-Um, Master?" Raphtalia asked nervously. "H-How did you know my name and age?"

I was looking at a one-piece dress for her, trying to figure out if it was the one she wore in the books and anime. I pretended to examine it closely, but in reality I was thinking how to respond.

"M-Master?" She asked, worrying if she overstepped her boundaries.

"Well, Raphtalia. That might take a bit to respond, so let me start from the beginning. You know the legend of the four holy heroes, correct?"

She nodded. "I-I believe that they were summoned from another world to fight the waves, right?"

I nodded approvingly. "Very good! Now, this may be a bit sensitive, but do you remember how you felt whenever you first were enslaved?" She flinched, but nodded. "Well, that's how I felt my entire life in my old world. Trapped, hopeless, but somehow still full of hope that I could one day escape my bonds and ties to that world. My life wasn't exactly like a slave's, though I often felt forced to live a life that held no meaning to me. Life was boring, but not only that, the ray of hope that kept me going wasn't even a real thing. Until I realized that it was, and that moment was whenever I found a strange book on my bed, and was teleported to this very world you live in, Raphtalia."

She looked confused, so I added, "There are a lot of things that don't make sense right now, especially about me and my relation to this world. However, whenever the time comes, I promise I'll tell you. I understand if you don't trust me, but will you at least fight by my side until I can prove myself worthy to you?"

She looked shocked. "P-Prove yourself to me?! I-I'm just your slave though, I don't think that's how it works..." I kneeled down beside Raphtalia and looked into her eyes. Her eyes were beautiful, a deep tea-red color, and I told her how I feel.

"Raphtalia. You aren't just a slave, not to me. In fact, you are anything but a slave to me, if only slave in name. You may not realize it, but your importance to me, my willingness to fight for this world comes from you Raphtalia. I really don't care about fighting the waves or saving the world. Heck, though I'm the shield hero, I hate pain, physical and emotional. However, I am letting you know, I would do ANYTHING to protect you Raphtalia, and if you ever perished, I would end my own life there and then, regardless of anything around me. You are my everything Raphtalia, and even if you don't understand why, I beg of you to stay by my side, just until you start to trust me even the tiniest bit. If you end up hating me, despising my guts, then so be it. If that ever happened, I would never blame you, only myself, and I would work harder to become the person that you look up to."

She looked overloaded, full of different emotions she didn't really know how to deal with, so I gave her a little out to it. Picking up the dress I was looking at, I can confirm that it was the one that she wore in Naofumi's adventure. "Would you like to try this on?" I asked.

Raphtalia still looked distressed, but nodded in agreement. I led the way to the changing room, and she closed the door shut. I waited for a moment, then another, then another. I knocked on the door.

"Hey, you okay in there?" There was a little squeak, then she hurriedly opened the door. I looked her over, and though she was still dirty and her hair was a mess, she at least looked like she was a normal wild-child type of kid. "Do you like it?" I asked. She nodded, a little abashed. "Alright then. If you like it, it's yours. How much silver does it say on the price tag?"

Raphtalia fumbled with the tag for a moment, then read off unsteadily, "T-Ten S-Sil-lver?"

I nodded in approval, once again. "I'm glad you can at least read a little bit of the language of this world, Raphtalia. I'm not good with languages myself, so maybe once you trust me more we can help each other out with it, huh?" She nodded, a little more enthusiastically than I expected. I figured it would be some good bonding time during late nights, and though this nation's language seems similar to my own, it may have some minor differences.

I looked around the store once again, looking for some sort of clerk or checker. I didn't realize whenever I walked in, but there was a singular desk with a woman behind it. She was glaring daggers at me, as if I just told her I killed her dog in Minecraft or something. I pulled about 30 silver out of my shield, and asked her, "I would like to purchase this clothing for my companion and I. Would that be okay?" Immediately her gaze softened up and she smiled.

"Oh sure! I'm sorry for glaring at you, I was worried you were just gonna walk out, as your 'companion' is wearing MY clothes." She made it painfully obvious that she thought we were gonna steal from her.

"Oh, I am so sorry. My ally's clothing was in horrible condition, torn and ragged and stunk to high heaven. I already threw it away, as I didn't see it to be fit for her to put it back on again." I put the 30 silver on the desk. "10 for her clothing, and 20 for mine, correct?"

The clerk nodded, still smiling. She took the coins and put them in a bag under the desk. "Well, is there anything else you need?" She asked, but I could tell for whatever reason she was not in a customer friendly mood. I cracked my neck, then shook my head.

"No, but thanks anyway." I took Raphtalia by the hand and left the store.

On the streets, Raphtalia looked amazed at the clothing I had just bought for her. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, though I did like the outfit quite a bit. She looked cute in it. "Alright, we're going to go eat first, then I want to introduce one of my new friends." I asked Raphtalia. She flinched a little, then nodded nervously. I ruffled her hair a bit. "Hey, don't worry so much. I haven't known him for very long, but I can trust he's a good dude. I'm hoping he'll teach you a couple things about swordsmanship."

She looked at me, scared. "S-Swordsmanship? B-But I…" She trailed off, perhaps nervous that I was going to reprimand her if she argued.

"Raphtalia." I said, "Remember when I said I bought you for a number of reasons? This is one of them. Being the Shield Hero, while blessed with extraordinarily high defense, I have an attack stat that couldn't defeat the simplest of monsters. That's one of the reasons I chose you. I needed someone who had high amounts of determination and attack power. Right now, you may think you have neither. However, as you grow and fight for yourself and become more confident, you'll realize you have a much greater destiny than being a slave your whole life."

I looked away as I got a sad look on my face. I didn't want her to see. "I'm sorry for putting you through this. However, the pain and strife we go through will only increase our abilities. If there was a way to level up without having to harm anything, I would gladly use that process. However, I'm not sure if there is anything like that in this world." I looked back at Raphtalia. "So I need you to be strong for me, okay? I need you to fight for me when I can't. And I know it seems daunting and frightening now, however there will come a time when you can easily fight on your own and protect more than just yourself, but the people you care about. I'm giving you the opportunity to get stronger, get it? It's ultimately your choice to take it." Smiling, I ruffled her hair again.

She looked straight into my eyes, and it seemed that dark cloud of despair had finally cleared in hers. Her eyes, beautiful tea-red, were filled with hope and determination. Suddenly, for a moment, I thought I saw an older Raphtalia in front of me. After a split second, she was gone, and the young girl before me started to smile.

"O-Okay! I'll do my best, Master!"

I chuckled. "Thank you Raphtalia. I'm glad you'll fight beside me. However, just one thing." She looked a little confused, swishing her tail back and forth.

"Wh-What is it?" She asked.

I kneeled down before her. "Call me Maddox. I'm not worthy to be called anyone's Master." I gave her a quick hug, just to let her know I cared, then started to stand back up, but she grabbed my wrist. Suddenly, there were tears in her eyes.

"W-Wait a second. Ma… M-Mr. Maddox? If it's okay with you… um… can I have a little bit longer?" She was sniffling a bit now, and I think it would feel cruel if I refused. I kneeled back down, and she wrapped her arms around me. I hugged back, and soon her small shoulders were wracked with shuddering breaths through her tears.

I enjoyed every moment of it, not because it was a hard moment for her, but because I honestly didn't know how long I had with Raphtalia. Despite her being important in Naofumi's story, this wasn't his adventure. This is MY story, and things may go a bit differently than expected. My story… I decided on a name, while Raphtalia was still in my arms. We both let go, and Raphtalia seemed better. I extended my hand.

"Shall we go?" She nodded, then gratefully took my hand. "This is it. What I always wanted. My very own story." I mulled over the thought, and I decided. "Hey, Raphtalia. Let's make the best of our lives, alright?"

She nodded. "Okay, Mr. Maddox. I'll try as hard as I can." I smiled at her. This was it. The beginning of my life in a new world. The Rise of the Alternate Shield Hero.