Authors Note : Okay , sorry that this chapter was a bit late but college has been a real bitch to me and its going to get even harder soon , so I apologize if updates might slow down . I'll try to stay on schedule the best I can , but I can't make any promises about that if you know what I mean . College is a real bitch honestly and I'm constantly questioning my decision to go there .
Anyway enough about me questioning my life decisions , lets talk about this chapter .
Big thanks to both Qinlongfei and Putain de Plagieur for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and suggestions .
Qinlongfei actually wrote the first scene of Naofumi's POV in this chapter and it was because of him that this entire chapter went through a major retcon that caused me to have to make edits to chapters 1 and 2 to have it make sense . Kudos if you can actually spot the very subtle changes I made to some dialogue .
Also big thank you to drmcgraw186 for pointing out a certain mistake I made of forgetting that the Legendary Weapons don't translate written language . I'll admit that was definitely a huge oversight on my part . But with some help from Qin , we were able to come up with a fix for that , so thank you again for pointing it out !
With that said , let's get this chapter started !
Chapter 4 : Truth and Lies
Mein quietly followed Naofumi to the plains outside the city walls . At the moment Mein was looking at the Shield bearer with slight confusion . It had been just about an hour since the trial , and Naofumi suggested that they should go do some monster slaying .
He still hung on to the villagers clothes he wore . Mein must say that the clothes didn't look half bad on him , the leather boots were much more practical for monster slaying than those simple shoes that made him look like a servant rather than a hero of legend and the green pants and cloak did look nice on him , since it blended well with the color of the gem on his shield . But he still wore the chainmail over his pure white shirt with gold trimming around the collar .
But his clothes weren't what made her confused about him , instead it was the silence that he was putting up . After getting his money and equipment back and leading the way back to the plains , he had been ... unnaturally quiet all this time . While initially Mein thought that he was simply trying to reel in from the shock of nearly being convicted of rape , this was simply an unnatural amount of silence coming from him .
When they had finally reached the grassy plains they had been to yesterday , Naofumi stopped and took shade underneath a tree and a rather serene silence overtook them . Even though, it was not said Naofumi had something he wanted to say .
" Master Naofumi ... are you okay ?" Mein asks , not being able to handle the silence any longer .
It takes a the Shield Hero a few seconds to respond " Yes Mein ... I am alright "
That couldn't have sounded anymore like a lie .
The Shield Hero Naofumi sighs heavily before turning to face her " Listen Mein ... I really am grateful to you for sticking up for me in that trial " He expresses his gratitude towards her but is far from done " But ... I'm going to ask you something very important and ... depending on how you answer will change how I see you "
Mein eyes widen a bit at that , what could he possibly ask her ? Does he know her true identity ? Has she been made ?
" So please don't lie to me ..."
Mein could only watch in anticipation as Naofumi's asks his question .
" Why did you steal my armor and money ?"
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
A soft breeze blew against them as Naofumi's question hung in the air ...
Mein's eyes widened in shock all the way at his question and she couldn't hold back the gasp she got from the surprise of this question .
Shit ! He knows it was me !
She has no idea how he had managed to figure it out but right now she needs to deal with the crisis at hand .
The Shield Hero lets out another sigh " I guess based on your reaction just now ... that means its true "
Mein mentally slaps herself on the back of the head , how could she let her shock to the situation reveal her hand !?
" How ... did you know ?" How did he manage to figure it out that was the question on her mind , there couldn't have been that much evidence of her theft ? Could there ?
" I uh ... found a note in my coin bag that pointed to you as the thief " Naofumi stuttered over his words .
That was definitely a lie .
Thinking about it , Mein tries to narrow down to who could have found it . The Heroes were out since they were all present at the trial , so does any of the staff of the inn since she doubts they wouldn't even know where to find where she stashed it .
The only person who could deduce it was her ... was the very same knight who interrupted the trial and returned the Shield Hero's belonging's back to him . He was the only one who had the chance to slip a note like that into his coin bag and he was the one who claimed to have found them in the first place.
Mein did notice some faint signs of lies when he suddenly arrived during the trial but she hadn't thought too much on it . But it makes more sense now ...
Damn him ... she swears she'll make that rat knight pay .
But there'll time for that later , now she needs to put out the raging fire that is right in front of her .
The Shield Hero is silent for a moment before speaking again , clearly deep in thought " I ... don't want to believe that you did it and I don't have any real evidence to prove whether what that note says is actually true or not ... so I wanted to hear you out first . "
So he wants to believe her innocence yet seems to be torn up about the brutal reality of situation . Mein couldn't help but feel relieved , if he really did detest her for what she did , than he would have instantly ejected her from his party right when he found about it .
She needs to think about this carefully , every single word she's about to say and every single reaction Naofumi gives ... is going to determine what's going to happen next .
After some thinking , she decides to do the one thing she never thought she would ever have to do .
" Yes , Master Naofumi ... it is all true , I was the one who stole your money and equipment "
She decides to tell the truth ...
She's obviously not going to tell him the whole or exact truth per say ... but the ones that'll paint her in a sympathetic light and hopefully salvage the situation to the absolute best of it .
Naofumi didn't look all that surprised ... in fact he looked like he had expected this , like he had already mentally prepared for it .
" I see ... well , thanks for being honest at least " Naofumi's words sound half meaningful at best " How did you do it anyway ? I thought I locked the door before I went to sleep "
So he's interested to know how she did it ? Understandable since it would be quite confusing for him to try to figure it out on his own .
" You did lock the door Master Naofumi , which is why I used the window instead ... please do not ask me how " Mein could feel her skin crawl at the thought of having to touch dirty gutters .
" I see ... now moving back to the main question " Naofumi steps closer to her making her back up until she can't anymore . Her back hits a tree and somehow even though they were around the same height Naofumi seemed to be towering over her .
" Why did you do it ?" Naofumi's spits out every last word of that question , almost seeming to refuse to believe it .
Mein looks up to him , to look at him straight in the eye . Just from one look alone his eyes seem to contain too many emotions for her to count and yet ... none of those emotions seem to include anger or at least none that she could tell . So he wasn't angry at her or at the very least moderately angry .
Okay this is good , she can use this . The fact that he hasn't discarded her and wants to listen to her explanation presents the opportunity to salvage this .
She did not just cross the leader of most powerful religion in the country just to give up now .
Its a good thing she always comes prepared .
" Sir Naofumi ... before I answer that question , may I please sit ? " She uses the fact that he's invading her personal space against him .
" Oh , sorry ... Mein " He backs away at her request and she takes a deep breath to settle her heart .
" It is fine Sir Naofumi ... if anything I should be the one apologizing " Mein takes a seat down on a nearby log and keeps her head low so he can't properly read her expression .
Alright , now she need to come up with a lie well enough for him to keep her in his party , staying in his good graces is currently a secondary priority . Right now if she can just get him to keep her in his party she's confident that with enough time she'll be able to make her way back on his good side ... among other things .
But right now the matter of seduction will have to wait , now she must once again play the role of a sympathetic person.
" Sir Naofumi ... I know that you don't have much of a reason to trust me at this point considering what I have done , and I wouldn't blame you if you did " She bows her head down and lets a few tears threaten to spill " But please listen to my reason for doing what I did at least ! I beg of you ! "
Mein feels a hand gently touch her shoulder and she looks up to see Naofumi , looking at her with sympathy in his eyes " Just tell me the truth Mein ... and I promise I'll try not to hold it against you "
She had to hold herself back from smiling creepily , everything was going her way but now was no time to get overconfident . She wasn't out of the woods just yet .
Mein took a deep breath as she came up with the next part of her little story " Before I continue , I want you to understand who I really am Sir Naofumi ... " Mein pretended to fidget with her fingers to feign nervousness " Mein Sophie is my real name , but I'm not your typical adventurer , I am actually a daughter of a cadet branch of a noble house , House Sophie to be exact "
Not a complete lie , but not the full truth either .
" You're from nobility ? " Naofumi looked surprised at this .
" I ... was " Mein makes a purposeful pause between words to add a bit more emphasis .
" Was ? "
" House Sophie had lost its aristocratic standing in Melromarc a century ago , even if you asked around nobody would even remember our name , it had torn itself apart due to internal conflict between members of our family . We're barely scrapping by these days ..." Mein feigns a tone of sadness .
" Okay ... but how does this come back to you robbing me ? " Naofumi tries to remain neutral but the slight sympathy did not unnoticed by her .
" It was some time before you were summoned that ... they came to me " Mein decides to be vague to reel him in .
Naofumi raised an eyebrow at this " Who's they ? "
" I never saw their faces , they were a group of cloaked men " Mein was not entirely lying about this part with the Pope's offer and all " They came to me with an offer ... they told that on the day of the Hero Summoning , they wanted me to join your party and ... and ..."
" Frame me for rape right ? " Naofumi finished her sentence for her .
" Yes ... that is what they asked me to do " Mein feigned an expression of remorse " I know that rape is an awful thing to do someone , but framing someone for it is even worse ... but please understand Sir Naofumi , the deal they made me was almost too good to pass up "
" What was the deal ? " Naofumi inquired .
" The deal was ... if I held up my end of the bargain , they would ensure that House Sophie would be restored to its former glory ..."
" I know it may seem like I'm making excuses ... maybe I am , but I want you to at least understand why I did what I did " Mein told the absolute truth here , that it was nothing personal.
" I ... I see ..." Naofumi tries to reel in his shock as best as he can as he ask his next question " And who are they ? The men who asked you to ... you know "
And now to get to where she's been dying to get to " I haven't the faintest idea on who they actually are Master Naofumi , they covered their faces so I couldn't see them , but I suspect them to fanatics of the Three Heroes Church "
Naofumi's eyebrow raises at that , as he looks at her with confusion now " Three Heroes Church ? What's that ?"
" It is the state religion of Melromarc ... well technically the official religion of Melromarc is the Four Saints Church " Naofumi's twists into an expression of even more confusion , but she is quick to follow up on her explanation " To put things simply , the Three Heroes Church branched off of the original Four Saints Church , its teaching differ slightly from the Four Saints mostly concerning the Shield Hero . While the Heroes of the Sword , Bow and Spear are worshiped as gods , the Shield Hero is considered to be the ... devil of the religion "
Naofumi's eyes expectedly widened at this " Devil ?! Me ? How could this be ? What could have possibly have caused something like this ? "
" That's ... a long explanation Sir Naofumi , one that spans throughout the centuries which involve the past Shield Hero's " Mein knew that trying to explain the reason why the Shield was disliked by human supremacy countries would take hours . Time that she does not have " But to keep it short , the Shield isn't particularly welcomed in this country "
" Alright fine ..." Naofumi lets out a sigh " ... Listen Mein , I know you're not a bad person but ... is there anybody that can back up your story ? "
So he requires even more proof ? Smart . It would be naively stupid for him to accept me back right away .
Mein thinks hard before she comes up with a way to finally put this matter to rest .
" There is ... " Mein stands up and walks past Naofumi in the direction of the city " We need to pay a visit to the Adventurer's Guild "
Naofumi's POV
The building Mein leads him to is larger than the inn they stayed at . Two, or maybe three floors tall depending on how high the ceiling is inside. It lacks worded signs (neo or painted) from his world, having those strange looking decorative symbols and a wooden board cutout like Erhard's smithy or Daedric's Inn instead. In this case, the cutout isn't an anvil, or a bed, but a sword, a spear and a bow crossed over.
The shield isn't part of the board.
He follows his only companion inside despite his trepidation. Not knowing where that friendlier knight is, she's his only source of information. Even if she's not being entirely reliable.
The inside feels like a Dragon Quest convention to him. Most of the first floor is a large hall with long benches lined against the walls, table large enough to hold a small banquet with chairs in the middle of the floor, and a few booths near the corner, presumably to give a little bit privacy.
Teens, young adults, and slight older people in their late 40s or early 50s wearing half, or full armor chat with each other. Mages wearing robes or traveling cloaks pouring themselves over with books, scrolls or maps. A few adventurers in their cloth, or armor are holding some pendant in their hands with their heads low, kneeling or sitting with what look like prayer positions.
And ... was it just him or did some of them have weird cat ears or other animal features ?
One warrior who seems to sulk by himself wears a metal helmet, and a full costume of leather armor. It makes him wonder for a minute, that maybe he isekai'ed into Goblin Slayer's world. At least till he remembers that world didn't have a convenient JRPG like leveling system and MMORPG user interface.
He wonders if there's a way to get this possible Goblin Slayer to join his party. The man has an air around him that suggests he knows what he's doing.
While he's looking around like a country brat came to the big city for the first time, Mein has already made her way to the counter.
"Good afternoon miss , how can I help you ? " The receptionist also has red hair, but a few shades deeper than his companion. She gave her and Naofumi a polite smile.
"Yes miss receptionist, can you please look up my adventurer's sheet. My companion here requires some clarification." Mein gave a gesture to Naofumi and the receptionist seemed to have understood .
"Of course miss, your name and rank? "
" Mein Sophie, sapphire rank."
He wishes he knows how the ranks work in this world to grasp how strong Mein is. It certainly doesn't follow the usual Isekai standard of bronze, silver and gold.
"Hmm... never seen you around. New to the capital branch ?" The receptionist grabbed a book from underneath the desk and held it up while making some small talks.
"Used to base myself in the northern part" Mein nods along. "Do you try to remember everyone you meet ?"
"I try to, yes. Make our members feel appreciated that they are treated more than a common merc or sellswords. Name's Micah, by the way." The receptionist runs her finger down the book. "Ah, here it is . Mein Sophie from the branch of House Sophie. First registered in Rabier County, adventurer for the past year and is currently ranked sapphire. Level 15 last checked."
"You may want to update that , its actually 17 now " Mein corrected while resting her hands around her waist, a sense of pride and confidence evident in her voice.
"It'll only take a second... done!" Micah stands up and shakes Mein's hand. "Welcome to the capital, warrior of the north. We here in capital and further south have all of you to thank for our peaceful lives."
"You are very welcome..." Naofumi notices his companion's feet seems to shuffle a little. He wonders what the exchange is about. Is this country under some constant threat from north in addition to the Wave ? It would have been helpful, if the king informed them in their first meeting.
Then again... with what just happened to him earlier, there's clearly a lot of things the king and everyone else were likely going out of their way to hide from his fellow heroes. He needs to start digging into it on himself, not getting it second hand from Mein... or anyone else.
"Is there anything more I can do for you today ?"
"Yes, I would like to have my new companion registered at adventurer's guild. It still comes with a first time healing, and ration package, right?"
"Yes, in addition to further supply all members are entitled to every month after your first promotion, depending on your rank." Micah turns to smile at Naofumi, making his cheek feel warm. She hands him a piece of scroll, a quill and a small ink well. "Please fill up your information and hand it in.
"Oh, of course !" He stammers over his words, almost knocking the ink well right into Micah's face. He still gets nervous when he gets attention from pretty girls. Mein accompanies him over to one of the empty booth and sits across from him. The young hero spread the scroll open and start reading... only to realize he can't make any sense out of it.
It's filled with strange symbols in the same style as those decorative symbols he saw on walls.
How can this be ? The note that was slipped to him was in Japanese, why didn't his shield translate the scroll for him?
Unless... the note was written in Japanese to begin with, and the shield's translation matrix doesn't include written words?
"What's wrong, Sir Shield Hero ?" Mein's eyes moves from his face, to the quill in his shaking hand, to the scroll in front of him.
"Can you write it for me, Mein? I just remembered I'm not too good with a quill." Naofumi pushes the scroll and ink well forward, all but shoves the quill into Mein's hand. It's not even a lie, but he doesn't want to reveal he can't read their language yet.
Mein stares at him in the eye for a few seconds too long before nodding her head. "Certainly."
It doesn't take them too long to complete the form. Apparently most of the questions are simple enough, that his companion doesn't even have to ask him for the answer. The two of them go back to the counter, and hand everything back to Micah.
"Let's see... name: Naofumi Iwatani. Kutenrou style name ?" Micah's eyes looks up from the parchment and rest on top of Naofumi's head. The pause is long enough to make him feel a bit uncomfortable, like she's inspecting an exotic animal. "...interesting."
"Level, 2. Occupation... the, THE SHIELD HERO?!" Micah's sudden makes the hall gone completely quiet. He swears he can hear the sound of ink drips onto the floor from one mage's quill.
Everyone stares at him, none of them warm or friendly. And the Goblin Slayer look alive seems to ball his fists while his body shakes with barely contained rage... so much for the idea of inviting him into the party.
But Naofumi did notice that a few of those people who had animal features were practically staring at him in awe instead of scorn , which makes him equally uncomfortable as those who are glaring at him .
Micah takes out what looks to be some kind of dogtag from under the desk and uses some kind of special pen to etch something into it . When she was finished , she pushed the tag over to Naofumi .
" This is your adventurer's tag , please have it on your person at all times in case something happens to you " Micah's voice is no longer sweet or polite , but rather cold professionalism .
Naofumi tries not to look her in the eye as he takes the tag , quickly noticing that the tag itself is made out of an odd material .
Is this ... porcelain ?
Naofumi can only assume that means he's currently the lowest rank there is in the adventurer's guild .
Micah quickly snatches two bond up packages, and practically flings them to Mein who catches it calmly "Basic healing kit including five vials of minor healing potions, five vials of basic common antidote, and a roll of bandage. Basic ration pack have five days worth of preserved food. Have a nice day, and good luck on your adventure."
Naofumi knows a 'goodbye and get out of my sight' when he hears one.
" Thank you for your help miss " Mein gave a polite nod to Micah before turning back to him " Let's go Sir Naofumi "
Mein grabs Naofumi by the arm and starts dragging him to the exit , Naofumi doing his absolutely best to avoid eye contact with anyone in the guild . He could practically feel the stony looks and death glares being sent his way by would-be Goblin Slayer .
They would have been out the door in no time ... if not for the fact that one of the adventurer's who had been glaring at him suddenly got up and blocked their way out .
" Sir , could you please move ? " Mein asks in a flat tone , clearly not in the mood to be dealing with this while Naofumi gulps and tries not to look nervous.
The man didn't seem like a rookie if his armor and grizzled face was anything to go by . And he was taller by about a few inches than him or Mein.
Naofumi's HUD activated and he saw that the man's level was 24.
That was 7 levels higher than Mein's and over 10 times his own level .
" Sons of whores like you don't belong here Shield Demon ! " The man was angry like a timebomb ready to go off as his glare was levied against both him specifically " After what your pillaging cunt beasts from Silvelt did to this country you have no right to prance around like you're a hero ! You worthless son of a bitch ! "
Naofumi couldn't help but flinch at that .
" Sir ... please calm down " Mein spoke again in a frighteningly calm tone ,holding up an arm as if telling Naofumi to stay back as she stood against the more experienced adventurer .
" You're a traitor to your own kind if you defend this savage piece of shit ! " The man yelled again , pointing a finger at her " Don't tell you're one of those animal loving whores-! "
Naofumi sees anger flash in Mein's eyes before she grabbed the man's arm and twisted and pointed it down immobilizing him before she sent a very , very hard kick to his groin .
Mein followed up by slamming her forearm into his face , causing him to double over and fall to the floor with a dull 'thud ! ' .
" God , my fucking nuts ! " The man writhed on the ground in pain , clutching his groin .
Naofumi instinctively squeezed his legs together and felt a tinge of sympathy for the man .
" Anyone else ? " Mein sarcastically asks the rest of the room , who seems to all be looking away now " No ? Good . Let's go " Mein grabbed his arm again and pulled him out of the guild .
Naofumi made a mental note not to ever mess with Mein .
Once they had exited the guild , Naofumi turned to Mein with a perplexed look " What the hell was up with everybody in there ? "
" Like I said Sir Naofumi ... the Shield isn't particularly welcomed in this country " Mein let out a sigh and before Naofumi could even ask why , she continued " You saw a few of those adventurer's in there who had animal features or were full on animal right ? "
Naofumi thought back briefly to when he was surveying some of the adventurers , he had definitely noticed a couple of them had animal features .
" Yeah , I saw a couple of them " Naofumi nodded .
" They are called demi-humans or beastman . They worship the Shield Hero as a god , there's a whole religion that's essentially the exact opposite of the Three Heroes Church that worships the shield "
" A-A g-god ? " Naofumi had no idea that people would actually consider some of the heroes or weapons god like beings . That was just flat out insane . Then again considering religion in his own world , maybe its not so farfetched .
" ...Yes " Mein crosses her arms as she continues " Some decades ago another demi-human country invaded Melromarc and occupied the land for almost a decade . During that time it was considered 'Hell on Medea' for Melromarc . The demi-human invaders did as they pleased , they raped , pillaged , killed and did whatever they wanted for almost a decade before the Alliance of Men managed to drive them back ...or so I have read "
Rape , pillage and murder ? Holy shit ...
" It is for this reason that demi-humans and beastman are hated in Melromarc and by extension the Shield " Mein says in a somber tone " It was because of the war that the 4 Heroes Church fell from grace and the Three Heroes Church rose to power ... that is the reason for why people 'dislike' the Shield "
Dislike would be putting it mildly . It all adds up now , why nobody joined my party , why the King treated me with such hostility ... it all makes sense now.
Naofumi doesn't know whether to feel relived at knowing the truth or more dejected ...
" So Sir Naofumi ... " Mein's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as she looked at him " What do you intend to do now that you know the truth of it all ? "
Naofumi thought it all over ... Mein had stolen from him yes , that much was undeniable ... but she hadn't really lied about anything had she ?
Naofumi gave a meaningful look at Mein " Well ... I'm not happy obviously ... you did steal my stuff but ..." Naofumi did his best to speak from his heart " You did it to try and save your family which I can't fault you for ... and when push came to shove you did the right thing so ..."
" So ...? " Mein gave him a hopeful look .
" So I guess what I'm saying is ... I want to be companions again " Naofumi scratched the his hair " If you'll join me "
" Of course Sir Naofumi , its the least I could do after the humiliation you had suffered " Mein gives a modest bow .
" No , don't call me 'Sir ' , just call me Naofumi " Naofumi corrected " I want to stand on equal footing with you Mein ..."
" Very well , Naofumi ..." Mein said correctly this time " If we're going to be a party than it would be wise that we officially establish ourselves as one "
" Huh ? "
" There is still a lot of things I need to explain to you , things that I ... purposefully neglected to mention yesterday . First , allow me to explain about the party system that exists in our world " Naofumi's expression turns to one of confusion , but Mein is quick to follow up before he can interject " While we are technically one party , there exists a function in status magic that allows people to pool and share all of their claimed exp together . It is used by adventurer's to make sure that everybody gets a fair share of the exp "
" But the Legendary Weapons are special in this regard as they have the ability to amplify the amount of exp they gain from slaying foes . This is the reason why the Legendary Heroes and their respective parties are able to reach the higher levels much more quickly than regular adventurer's . I can slay enemies at a much quicker rate but lack any sort of exp boost so if we were to form a party it would really speed up your development as well as mine " Mein finishes her explanation , as Naofumi seems to process everything she's just said .
Naofumi looks up his status and quickly finds the party function . It reminded him so much of MMORPG's that it didn't take him too long to figure out how to send an invite to Mein .
" Alright Mein , I just sent you an invite "
Mein accepted his invite without hesitation .
" So I guess its official then " Mein moved closer to him " We are officially a party once more ..."
Naofumi nodded with a small smile , pleased with the result " So I guess we should probably go grind some levels huh ? "
" Agreed ... Naofumi " Mein gave him a sweet smile .
It didn't take them too long to make their way back to the forest and they were quick to get back to grinding levels . With them now officially a party , Naofumi could finally start rising through the levels more quickly . He was overjoyed when he finally reached level 5 . It wasn't exactly a monumental achievement but Naofumi was happy about it anyway .
Mein suggested that they head a little further into the forest to try and find some tougher monsters to fight . Balloons could only supply so much EXP before it was just pointless grinding .
Naofumi lifted his head as Mein stepped out from behind a tree " Nothing ? "
Mein let out a sigh " No , just more balloons . I was hoping to find a usapil or mush around here "
Naofumi didn't say it out loud ... but he was glad he had accepted Mein back into the party .
It wasn't just because he didn't exactly have many other choices for companions with the entire country hating his guts but ... even though she had stolen from him , she had stood by his side when nobody else did and Naofumi both appreciated and respected that .
She was braver than he was at least and Naofumi trusted her .
Mein gently smiled at him " Come on , let's keep moving "
Latching onto his arm as she guided him through the forest . Naofumi blushed a bit , he had never been so close to a girl in his life even back home he never had any female friends unless he counted his cousins which wasn't exactly an improvement .
But despite that Naofumi was glad that Mein was with him , her smile somehow motivated Naofumi to push forward and keep looking . It was just something about Mein that interested Naofumi , the way she talked , the way she smiled , the way she would knowingly tease him just for the sake . But it was always in good fun .
Naofumi didn't say it ... but he was appreciative of Mein .
As they walked , they came upon a small pond with a couple of tree's nearby and some plants growing beneath said trees .
Mein suddenly came to a stop , as she stared at the plants beneath the trees for a few seconds before letting go of Naofumi's arm .
" Naofumi , come over here " Mein urged him over as she inspected the plants . He walked to stand beside her , leaning over her shoulder .
" Mein , what is it ? "
Mein didn't answer right away but rather she was gently inspecting the leaves with a critical eye before turning back to him " These are Aelo leaves Naofumi , they are a common ingredient in many basic tonics and potions "
" So ...? " Naofumi was still confused at his companion's sudden curiosity .
" So we can sell them to an apothecary for some quick coin . With the waves going on , medicine has been flying off the shelves and I'm certain that an apothecary wouldn't object to having more supplies to make potions " Mein explained patiently and it clicked for Naofumi .
" That's a great idea Mein , let's grab all that we can carry " Naofumi quickly took out the two bond up packages that Micah had given them earlier . Naofumi had already deposited all of the supplies into his shield for safe keeping . They can use the packages as a sort of makeshift satchel .
He was about to rip the plant out in a single pull when Mein suddenly stopped him , grabbing his hand a bit roughly .
" Wait , wait , wait ! " Mein said over and over making Naofumi let go of the plant .
" Why what is it ? " Naofumi asked alarmed at the sudden actions of Mein .
" You can't just rip out the herb like its a weed , you need to be careful or else you'll end up damaging the herb's quality " Mein explained as if she was a teacher of some kind .
" Oh , really ? " Naofumi had legitimately not known that
" Yes , really " Mein knelled down beside Naofumi , putting her hands around his " Here , grab it from the very base of the stem and pull it straight up , don't use too much force or you'll rip the whole thing out "
Naofumi did as instructed and sure enough the plant came out much better looking than if he just ripped out .
" Huh , you learn something new everyday ..." Naofumi looked up at Mein " Thanks Mein "
Mein playfully smiled " What would you ever do without me ? "
Naofumi chuckled at Mein's playful nature , she certainly knew what she was doing .
Naofumi took a single leaf from the Aelo plant and deposited it into his shield .
A second later , a notification for a new shield popped up .
Leaf Shield
2+ Defense
Effect : Absorption 1 +
Leaf Shield ?
Naofumi simply thought of the shield's name and his shield suddenly transformed into a shield in the shape of a leaf .
What the ... so just by thinking of the name of a Shield , I can instantly change to them ?
And what's this effect , Absorption 1 + do ?
Before Naofumi's question could be answered another notification popped up
Small Shield Mastered !
Defense 3 +
What the- It says I mastered the Small Shield ?
Mastery ... first time I ever heard of it , what does it even mean ?
As if answering Naofumi's question , another notification popped up .
MASTERY
After equipping a shield for a certain amount of time that
Shield will become 'mastered' and its skills and effects will
become available regardless of whether the Shield is equipped or not .
Mastering a Shield will also grant permanent stat growth to the user .
As Naofumi read this new information , his mind was already hard at work .
So by mastering shields , I can increase my own stats and get new skills for me to use even after I upgrade to another one ?
" Naofumi , what is that green shield ? " Mein asked , running her hand over the metal plating of the leaf shield .
" This is the Leaf Shield , I unlocked it from one of the Aelo leaves " Naofumi explained " It has this effect called Absorption 1 + , but I don't know what it does "
Mein placed a hand to her chin " Maybe it has something to do with plants ? "
Naofumi narrowed his eyes at the other Aelo plants " Maybe ... "
Naofumi knelled down , with the Leaf Shield equipped , he carefully plucked the Aelo plant out the way Mein taught him too . And the second he plucked the plant from its root , the plant faintly glowed and Naofumi received a notification on his HUD .
( Aelo Leaf : Good to Excellent )
Naofumi cracked a smile at this " It improves the plants quality "
Mein clapped her hands , smiling brightly " That's amazing Naofumi ! With this we should be able to make a tidy profit off of these medicinal herbs "
Naofumi quickly thought up of a plan " I should probably be the one to pick all the herbs since I'm the only who has the Leaf Shield , you can watch my back in case any monsters come creeping up on us , alright ? "
Mein nodded , unsheathing her sword " As you command , Naofumi "
Naofumi got quick to work , picking all the nearby medicinal herbs . It took a bit longer than he would have liked following Mein's methods , but he quickly got into the rhythm of carefully picking out the medicinal herbs . While he did this , he could hear the sound of Mein killing off any brave balloons who tried to attack them .
While he worked Naofumi couldn't help but feel happy , with Mastery he had finally found a way to get stronger and who knows , maybe even raise his attack stat up a bit so he can fight by himself ? The possibilities excited Naofumi and he could not wait to try them out .
After about an hour of picking herbs and killing monsters , the two bond up packages were filled with medicinal herbs .
" Mein , I think we got enough herbs , we can go now " Naofumi stood back up .
" Oh , are you already done ?" Mein sheathes her sword as she walks over the skins of dead balloons .
" Yeah , I think we got more than enough , lets head back to the city to sell this stuff off "Naofumi hands one of the bond up packages over to her and they both walk back to the main road back to the capital . Naofumi saw a few balloons on the side , but they didn't even try to get close , he wonders if they were afraid of sharing the same fate as their friends .
" Naofumi , look " As they walked Mein pointed towards the darkening sky and it looked like it was about to rain .
" Oh man , its going to rain " Naofumi and Mein pulled the hoods of their cloaks over their heads to at least keep their heads dry as they walk back to Castle Town .
" Sorry about this Mein ... we probably should have stopped earlier when we had the chance " Naofumi apologizes to her but Mein simply smiled at him , she didn't have her veil up so he could see her face
" It is no problem Naofumi , besides ..." Before he could properly react , Mein had latched herself onto my arm causing him to blush slightly at the sudden contact " We are companions are we not ? So its only logical that we're both by each others side no matter what "
" O-Of course ... " Naofumi's nervousness was clearly showing as Mein giggled at his embarrassment .
Somehow the rain didn't seem as cold as it probably should have been with Mein by my side .
" Damn boy , this is some really good stuff , where did you two find this ?" The apothecary asked inspecting some of the herbs they brought back to him , his face showed that he was clearly impressed with the quality .
Mein had guided them to a medicine shop that she knew that sold potions and would likely be willing to buy off all the herbs they had .
" In the forest behind the castle . Have you never gone there before ?" Naofumi held his tongue on telling him where the plants actually got their increased quality . Mein suggested it would probably be wise not to tell the shop keep about the Leaf Shield ability , since it would probably be for the best the apothecary didn't know exactly how the quality of the plant got so good .
" I have . I would have gone myself if I knew I could find something of such high quality . I was certain that herbs like these would have been much more average in such weather and conditions "
" How much are they worth ? " Mein asked , crossing her arms .
" Hang on a second ..." The apothecary checked both of the packages of herbs , seemingly counting the number of herbs and checking their quality . His face twisted in minor frustration .
" Well ... this is a bit of a problem " The apothecary placed a hand to his chin .
" What is it ? " Naofumi asked " Is there a problem with the herbs we brought back ? "
" No its not that " The apothecary waved his hand " The herbs you brought me back and the quantity of them are quite impressive , but that's where the problem comes in . I'm not sure I can actually pay you both in full what these herbs are worth , to be honest I was expecting them to be in bad shape with how some adventurer's just pull the herb out like its a weed "
Well , then its a good thing Mein taught me the proper way to do it . If she didn't our profit would have ended up being reduced .
" This does pose a bit of a problem " Mein commented " Perhaps you can simply pay us half what you owe now and the rest later "
" That sounds reasonable " Naofumi nodded .
" That doesn't sound a like a half bad deal ..." The apothecary seemed to have thought of something at that moment " Or maybe ..."
The apothecary reached from under the counter and placed a book in front of them " Perhaps this could be of value to you , its a book of recipes of how to make mid level potions " The apothecary smirked at the two of them " So how about this , I pay you half of what these herbs are worth and the rest with this book , which I am certain should be of value to you "
" A book about how to make potions ... doesn't sound a like a half bad deal , what do you think Mein ? " Naofumi turned to his red haired companion .
" I think we should take him up on his offer Naofumi , learning how to create our own potions could be a valuable skill " Mein seemed to have thought it over already .
" Then its settled " The apothecary pulled out a bag of coins handing it to Naofumi " 50 silvers is half of what these herbs are worth , thank you again for your business "
" No problem , pleasure doing business with you " Naofumi pocketed the money , taking the book with them .
" If you find anymore of these herbs please bring them to me , I'm always to happy to do business with you Sir Hero " The apothecary flashes him and Mein a toothy smile just before they left .
" Well Mein , I'd say that was a pretty successful day " Naofumi smiled at how well the day went .
Unlocked a few new shields , learn about the mastery system , got a book about how to make potions , not a bad day by my standards
" Agreed Naofumi , you know ... other than balloon skins and other monster remains , we could also sell medicine . We easily just made 10 times that of what we made selling a few balloon skins yesterday by selling herbs , imagine what we could make selling actual medicine "
Naofumi's ponder Mein's words for a moment .
She's definitely right , the herbs we sold just now were much more valuable than the balloon skins we sold to that merchant yesterday .And if we could make our own medicine than money would be practically no problem .
" That's a great idea Mein . If we can , we should try to bring back more herbs to sell next time we're out in the forest " Plus , its an easy way to get more money and its certainly better than being reliant on the king for financial help .
Naofumi had to move the balloons that were still stuck to his right side to his left just before Mein grabbed on to him again .
Mein's POV
The sun had begun to set already soon after they had left the apothecary shop , Naofumi suggested they stop their leveling up for the day and continue tomorrow . She supposes she should be grateful that Naofumi is considerate of her physical health . She must say this adventuring is much more ... tedious and kinda boring than she had previously imagined . Well , she supposes that is to be expected since the most she's been fighting are balloons that even a child could kill and the fact that she had spent the entire day with the Shield Hero picking up medicinal herbs .
While it is not exactly in her nature to seek danger ... she hopes they encounter a real challenge soon enough , nothing crazy like a dragon , but perhaps a low level dog or porcupine .
But it is fortunate that Naofumi listened to her suggestion of selling herbs and medicine whenever they encountered them in the forest , since it is certainly better than constantly relying on father to handle their expenses .
They both stop to have their dinner at a local tavern called the 'Crack in the Void ' , quite a stupid name if she would say so herself .
The food served there is nowhere near what she eats on a daily basis in the castle of Melromarc , oh how she wishes she could be lying in her soft bed right about now .
But sacrifices must be made , as she had once heard .
Right now she is seated right next to the Shield bearer who has barely touched his own food , instead he seems to be focused on that book the apothecary gave him . Looking over his shoulder she read the book as he flips through the pages , she can understand the recipes and steps to make specific potions and medicines .
Finally , Mein decides to ask him about it " Naofumi is there a problem ? "
Naofumi turned to her , surprised that she could tell something was wrong . Not that it wasn't written all over his face .
" You've hardly eaten and you've been staring at that book for the better part of almost 10 minutes , what's wrong ? "
" Well ... I can't seem to read this world language " Naofumi admitted .
What ? He can't understand it ?
" But doesn't your Shield's matrix language translate everything for you ? "
" It does but ... " Naofumi gave a troubled look at the book " It doesn't seem to apply to written language , it just look like a bunch of gibberish to me "
So the Shield can only translate spoken language , but not written words ? Interesting ...
" I didn't realize it before but a lot of the signs and words written here are from a language I don't understand " Naofumi scratches the side of his face in confusion " Its really weird because ... that note that was slipped to me earlier was written in Japanese "
Japanese ? Well that's something she hasn't heard in a while ...
" Wait , really ? " Mein says in surprise " Can I see the note please ? "
Naofumi doesn't even attempt to argue as he pulls the note out of his pocket and hands it to her . Mein looks over the note with a critical eye , trying to ignore the fact that this note incriminates her . It is as she suspected , this is written in the decoded language of the heroes .
" This is decoded language of the heroes " Mein mutters , as she hands the note back to him .
" Decoded language ? " Naofumi raises an eyebrow at her .
" A few dozen centuries ago some researchers managed to decode the written languages of the heroes " Mein explains with a shrug " Although obviously it isn't something that is widely learned throughout the world due to its extremely limited use "
Funny enough , one of the most common uses of the heroes written language was that it was used as a kind of code to throw off any spies that may have intercepted some important information or message .
" That's a shame ... I was really hoping things really were written in Japanese here ..." Naofumi sounds mildly disappointed at this revelation .
Mein doesn't let this bother , if anything this presents a great opportunity for her. " Don't worry Naofumi , I can teach you the language of this world " Mein leans in, smiling at Naofumi " I'll be sure to teach you everything I know "
Mein purposefully said that last part a bit seductively just to tease Naofumi a bit .
" T-Thanks Mein ..." Naofumi tried to cover up his blush , only to fail completely.
After they were finished with their dinner , Mein followed Naofumi out of the tavern and into the street . As they continued walking , Mein could hear the footsteps coming from behind them , she gave a quick glance behind her and saw three men following a distance behind them .
" Naofumi , I think those 3 men are following us " She whispered to him , trying to make it as unnoticeable as possible to the group following them .
" I know , I saw them at the tavern they were looking at us while we were eating . What should we do ?" Naofumi trying to keep his voice down as much as possible .
" Let's try to lose them in that alley " Mein quickly grabs Naofumi's arm and steers him to the alley . If this turned into a full on fight , than she doesn't want any witnesses to see them .
The group behind them picked up the pace as they entered the alley ... only to find that the alley came to a dead end . Mein mentally cursed herself for leading them into a dead end alleyway .
" Mein get ready , they might be armed " Naofumi slightly turns his head around to address the group directly behind them getting closer " Is there something we can help you with ?"
" Yeah , shut up and hand over your money Shield " Mein fully turned around at the mocking voice , she saw that one of them was fat and other two looked like dirty street punks .
" Hand it over quietly and maybe we won't take your companion while we're at it too " Mein grit her teeth , how dare they insult her in such a manner ! She swears , she'll have their heads for this .
Naofumi was silent for a moment before speaking " You know ... if you had said that earlier , you could have saved us a lot of trouble " Before Mein could react , she saw Naofumi reach to his right side to grab something .
Mein quickly realized what he was going to do and prepared herself accordingly ...Mein had already asked whether he wanted her to pop them earlier but Naofumi had actually refused .
"Wow , never would have thought it would be so easy to rob a supposed 'Hero of Legend ' " the fat one arrogantly insults him as he hold out his hand to take the money .
But it wasn't money that Naofumi had reached for .
Naofumi swiftly turned around with a balloon in one hand and grabbed the fat man's hand with his left to keep him from pulling away , he quickly attached the balloon to his hand as he cried out in pain .
" AAAAGHH !" The high pitch scream of the fat man pierced through the stillness of the night .
Taking that as a signal to attack , Mein takes out her sword and slashes at one of the men in both of his knees , making him fall to the ground in agony . Naofumi was busy attaching another balloon to the fat mans body , at that point the pathetic urchin had fallen to the ground from the pain he felt from the balloons munching on him .
" You bastards ! " The leader took out a knife and attempted to stab Naofumi , but the Shield Hero was fast , he blocked with his shield and attached a balloon to the mans arm .
" You worthless son of a - AGH !" The leader was cut off when Mein kicked him in the crotch from behind .
" You are the only worthless one here ... you scum " Mein didn't even hesitate as she slash at both his knees making him fall to the ground screaming in agony .
"Pathetic ..." Mein slashes the blood off of her sword , as all three men writhed on the ground in pain and agony .
She sheathed her sword and took out her dagger , she wasn't through with these idiots yet she still needed to make sure none of them talked .
" Ugh ... what the - " Before the leader could pick himself back up , Mein slammed the knife right in between his legs , her intent made clear in that one movement .
" Shut up and listen well , you pathetic urchin ..." Mein keeps my voice low so that Naofumi couldn't hear " You and your friends are going to pick yourselves back up and NEVER speak of this day for the rest your lives understand ?" If looks could kill Mein's eyes would be making new holes in this urchins head.
" Y-yes ! I understand ! " The look on his face is one of pure fear , it was satisfying but she wasn't done yet .
" And if I EVER hear about you or your friends going around robbing people , you will wish you died today " Mein towers over him and his friends , as she focused her mana into her left hand . Feeling the mana awaken deep from within her , she feels the heat start to form in her left hand and lights up the dark alley and illuminates her beautiful face , which she thinks makes her look even more terrifying .
" Now leave ... YOU SCUM !" Mein raises her voice to scare them and surely enough it worked ,as they all picked themselves up and ran away ... well some of them needed a hand since they were injured .
Once they all scrammed , Mein turns to see Naofumi walking up behind her .
" You okay Mein ? Are you hurt ?" Naofumi asks , reattaching the balloons back onto his body .
" No , I'm fine Naofumi , I just can't believe we let those urchins get away ..." Mein had half a mind to have killed them right then and there , but that might be a little too much for Naofumi .
" I didn't know you could do magic " Naofumi eyes narrow towards the small ball of fire in her left hand .
Mein quickly extinguishes it " Oh its nothing , almost everybody can do magic as a matter of fact . My affinities are for Fire and Wind . "
Naofumi seems to think about what she said " Fire and Wind , huh ?"
" Should we report this to the guards ? If those guys are going around robbing people than we should let them know " Mein can't help but feel that it is ironic that the supposed 'Devil of the Shield ' is so law abiding when many scriptures of the Three Heroes Church paints him as one who does as he pleases .
" No , it would probably be best if we kept this under our hats , knowing those scumbags they would probably try to twist this to make it look like its our fault " Mein feels internally annoyed at this , while she could use her status as a princess to order the guards to arrest the urchins it would run the risk of alerting Naofumi of her identity " Plus , with those injuries I doubt they'll be robbing anybody for a while "
" Well okay then , lets get going " Naofumi lets out a yawn indicating he is getting sleepy , which Mein thinks a sleepy Naofumi is quite adorable .
Mein latched back onto his arm , fortunate that Naofumi had the wisdom to relocate the balloons onto his other side to keep them from biting her .
If not for the fact that they almost got robbed , than it was a decent enough day in Mein's opinion .
Once they had settled into an inn for the night , Mein instantly fell onto the soft bed , letting her whole body be taken by the softness as it makes her just want to fade into it , was a tempting thing to do . Today had been particularly tiring , she still had no idea how veteran adventurer's managed to do this on a daily basis , as she lays on the bed she remembers from her Father that it is mostly due to their levels providing physical strength that veterans are able to carry on in battle . Hopefully when they reach the higher levels , this will become much easier for her .
Levels and stats are no substitute to training.
Malty faces the ceiling as she thinks about the day . She had managed to lie her way into having Naofumi keep her in her party and get herself back in his good graces , now all she has to do is get him wrapped around her little finger and mission accomplished .
She didn't pick the name Mein Sophie for nothing .
It was one of her aliases that she had forged an actual fake adventurer's identity , she hadn't spent all those nights on the town just raising hell . She had her fair share of underground connections , some of which were able to craft an adventurer's identity just for her .
So many possibilities , so many choices , so many things to do ...
Mein let out a yawn as sleepiness started to set in . She fell back on her bed , choices can wait till tomorrow morning .
And like the light of the lantern , she was out like a light .
Goddamn this chapter was one heck of a bitch to write since I had to cut down on a lot of stuff that was originally going to be in here . Mostly just pointless exposition so I had to shorten it .
But I promise you all that its all going to be worth in the next chapter when we finally get to the point that I have been dying to get to since starting this story . I won't spoil too much cause I like to make people wonder but let's just say ...
I named this story a specific way for a reason you know .
That's all I'm going to say on the matter for now , have fun guessing .
With that said , see you all in the next one .
Angel Out .