interlude: I Am the Shield Hero Part 2

I don't own Rising of the Shield Hero or Live a Live…

Teresa woke up, rubbing her eyes as she noticed Farrie preparing breakfast. "Morning, Teresa," he said happily. The female martial artist began to stretch. "Whe(aaaaahhh)ere are the others?" she asked with a yawn, just as she heard the sound of metal clashing — the mage said they were sparring with.

Terese got up and followed the noise. She found Welt sitting on a rock, watching Shield Hero block Bakta's swings. The shield was currently in Medium Shield form, resembling the Bullfinch they had killed the day before. Hero was sparring with the Count/Hunter. "Hey Teresa," Welt said, she approached the Rogue and about the situation. "Oh, those two? Bakta is training 'Nao' to block." Teresa stared at him blankly. 'Nao?'

The two had been training for at least an hour. Naofumi had been attempting to parry but kept falling flat on his backside. After falling for the twentieth time, Bakta called for a break and helped Naofumi back up. While he still couldn't get the hang of blocking, at least he had figured out how to use skills without the menu and was improving his dodging.

"So, are you two done?" We asked, startling them. They turned to find the rogue and the martial watching and g. Naofumi blushed in embarrassment while Bakta sighed. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked. Teresa blushed while Welt shrugged.

The four of them returned to camp, where Farrie finished preparing food. Eating and preparing to leave, Naofumi decided to grab his native clothes from his shoulder bag and store them in a shield, which was classified as an . He pressed a few icons until he reached the item menu, where he could see monster parts, other materials, his clothes, and his wallet... "Huh... I swear something is missing," he thought, unaware that his phone was closed by…

They continued their journey along the path, a sudden sound pierced the air, and an arrow thudded into the ground ahead of them. "What?" Naofumi exclaimed, startled, as a group of men emerged from the trees, surrounding them.

"Bandits," Bakta said, gripping his axe. The outworlder observed the bandits, who were dressed in typical bandit attire— fur pelts, bandanas, wielding axes, etc.

"Well, well, it seems we've hit the jackpot, boys." One of the bandits said. "Hey boss, are you sure about this? These ones seem to be adventurer types," he asked the now-identified leader, a lanky man with a messy reddish-brown hair and beard styled like a goat patch. He rested his axe across his shoulder and gave an annoyed look.

"I know that dumbass," he snapped, pointing at Farrie. "I'm talking about the grey-haired pretentious-looking twat beside them. That's a noble if I ever saw one." This piqued the interest of his fellow bandits.

Meanwhile, the party remained prepared for confrontation. Bekta felt a nudge from Naofumi, who winked at him. After a moment, Bekta understood and nodded, turning towards the bandits. "So, you must be the boss?" he asked, gathering the leader's attention.

"Well, yes, shit-for-brains.." the boss replied; Bakta had his hands up. "Now, now, let's not..." As Bakta was distracting the leader, Naofumi tapped Farrie and gestured for him to look up. When the mage did, he noticed several archers stationed in the trees, and the others also noticed. They ready themselves for the hero's signal.

"Now!"

Music: Final Fantasy Mystic Quest - boss theme

Without warning, Farrie cast a Thunder spell at one of the archers, causing him to fall into a bush and shocking the bandits.

"WHAT THE—"

Bakta rushed in, taking down two of the bandits, while Welt and Teresa went for them ones behind. Other archers fired at Farrie, but Naofumi blocked the arrows and ordered Farrie to get behind him, which he did. Farrie continued firing at the archers, eliminating a few more of them.

One bandit attempted to strike Teresa from behind, but she executed a spin kick, knocking him out. Welt managed to take down two more bandits, when he noticed Farrie struggling to hit the last archer, Naofumi gripped a blade and threw it, hitting the archer in the shoulder.

Before Naofumi could let out a sigh, a bandit rushed towards them, swinging an axe with the intent to strike Farrie.

CLANK*

Naofumi managed to block the attack by switching to the Bullfinch shield and pushed the bandit, who was too shocked to react. Naofumi then shouted, "!" And he slammed into the bandit, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

The three adventurers stared in shock at Naofumi's strength. Even Naofumiwas taken aback, leaping in terror upon receiving a notification: CRI HIT!

Naofumi looked at the notification with annoyance. He turned towards his party, minus Bakta, and was about to ask him, when suddenly, another bandit flew by them and crashed into a tree. They turned to see Bakta had already taken down bandits who, besides their boss, who's now crawling away, begging for mercy. The Hunter simply approached him before slamming his foot into the man's chest and raising his Axe.

The Party gasped in shock and horror "BAK-" but the hunter brought the axe down, and everyone closed their eyes

...

The Head Bandit opened his eyes to see the Shield Berger blocked the Axe wielder's strike, to everyone's shock and relief, he had both on holding the shield; he was shaking and panting heavily... He turned to face the shocked Bakta and pushed him away.

The two stared at each other; Naofumi continued panting before telling him. "No killing!" He yelled, confusing the man. "no... killing? THEY ARE BANDITS!" Bakta yelled at Naofumi, who just glared at him. "OH, THAT'S GIVES YOU THE RIGHT YOU KILL SOMEONE WHO UNARMED!" He asked the older man.

Two stared at each other before the Shield hero spoke, "Look, I was summoned here, to help you guys to save your world, not to kill human beings..." He said before adding. "...and they seem in agreement."

Bakta turned to see the shocked expressions of Welt and Farrie while Teresa was disgusted. "Yeah, we didn't sign up for this," she remarked; Bakta just gazed at the party before he sighed heavily and hung his head in shame. Naofumi just let out a sigh of relief, nearly toppling down out of exhaustion.

The Head Bandit tried to crawl away slowly. "hem-hem." He stopped and turned to see the Green-haired girl looming over him. "So what should we do with them?" She asked, Shield Berger stared at him before asking the man. "Do you have any Rope?"

The Party rounded up the bandits, all but the boss was out cold. They are preparing to tie them up. Naofumi took one of the bandit's ropes, looked, and got an idea.

"Hey Naofumi, pass me the rope," Terese asked; she turned to see that Naofumi's shield looked like a coiled rope with a green jewel in the middle. "ummm?" Everyone just stared as he started pulling the rope, which caused shield circling; he gave it to Terese, who started to tie them up, some were regaining consciousness.

After a short while, the bandits were bounding bandits tied tightly around their wrists. Naofumi was surprised at how much rope his new shield had. The Bandit leader just stared at him, before asking. "So are you really the Shield Hero? This shocks his group.

"what? this guy?"

"He looks like a twig"

"Yeah if Axe wielder looks for more the part than him

"If he had a figure like Saint Rogers, that I would believe"

The bandits were remarking, but that last statement caught his attention. "Saint? Rogers?" he asked; the bandits just stared at him bewildered. "You don't know Saint Rogers?" one of them asked.

Terese quickly explained that Rogers was the Shield Hero of the Age of Heroes; over 700 years ago, the greatest hero who liberated Melromarc from Faubrey's conquest when the Bow and Spear defected.

Naofumi asked. "So what's his full name?" Teresa before would say, the other bandit spoke. Oh, that's easy, Rogers America," he said, only to get called out by his peer. "You Pinhead, It's Steve Rogers, dumbass," he said.

Naofumi just stated blankly before realization hit him like a truck. "WAIT! ARE YOU ALL TALKING ABOUT CAPTAIN AMERICA!" He exclaimed, prompting one of the bandits to respond. "Oh yeah, he was known by that. Apparently, he was some soldier in his original world," He said happily, causing Naofumi's jaw to drop.

This surprised his party. "Wait, you know him?" they asked, leaving the Hero momentarily stunned. "Yes... and no," he replied, confusing them, he clarified. "I mean, he's not real; he's a Fictional character in my world." This revelation shocked everyone.

Naofumi calms them down before asking them what they should do with them since they can't leave them in the forest. Bakta jokingly suggested just killing them. The party shot him with disapproving glares.

Then, Welt piped up with an idea. "Well, I think there is a village nearby, so take them." so we could take them there." The party nodded in agreement, they began to lead the captured bandits and march through the forest….

Music: Romancing Saga 2 - Village theme 1

Sometime later, The Shield Party arrived at the village's outskirts with the group of defeated bandits stumbling behind. Welt said the village is called Lute

They were halted by a small group of guards; all but one were wearing common clothing, while the other one, who Naofumi thought to be a captain as he was wearing knight armor. "Halt, identify your-" The armored individual stopped as he noticed someone. "Wait... Welt?" he said in surprise, the rogue greeted the guard. "Heeeey Eric! How are you been doing?" he said, giving the man a high five. "Pretty good, how's your sisters?" He said, and the rogue just laughed "Hahaha sorry man, but they are still unable, hahaha. The Rouge laughed, and the guard just gave an annoyed look. "oh ha ha ha, anyway I see you decided to finally turn a new leaf", he said, causing Welt to widen, much to the others confusion.

"Well, anyway, we brought these bandits," he said, trying to change the subject. The Guard narrowed his eyes before shrugging. "Very well, bring them in," He gestured as he led the party through the street; the villagers paused to watch the group, with their captives…

"Roudy the Runner, it seems, you have a habit of getting yourself into trouble," said the head guard, holding up a wanted poster and comparing it to the bandit now identified as Roudy. The Shield Party was currently in the cell block at the guard office with the head guard; the bandits had been divided into three jail cells, with Roudy having his own.

The guard himself was a young-looking adult man with blonde hair and was armored like the guards at the castle, though he had gold trim. He identified himself as Sergeant Lawfer.

Naofumi glanced at the poster and was surprised to see Roudy had a bounty of 900 silver, dead or alive. "Wow, he must be dangerous," he commented, which caused the guard to chuckle. "Dangerous? Oh no, he's just a petty bandit who is infamous for escaping from prison eleven times." This surprised everyone at the party, even the other bandits. "WHAT?" Roudy let out a nervous chuckle in response.

Later, the party followed Lawfer to his office, where he sat at his desk. "Well, I want to thank you for dealing with those ruffians. I presume you would like a reward?" he said. Naofumi, taken aback, replied, "Oh no, we just—" but was interrupted by the guard. "I insist on rewarding you and your group," he said. Naofumi turned to his party. "What do you guys think?" he asked. They exchanged glances before responding, "Well, you're the boss; the decision is yours." Naofumi thought for a moment before answering, "How about we take half?" He told the guard, who stared at him before chuckling.

"Eh, eh, eh, you're too modest, Sir Hero," Lawfer said, surprising them. "… How did you know?" asked Farrie. The guard simply replied, "Well, by his shield, sir," pointing at Naofumi's shield, which remained in its rope form. This elicited a nervous chuckle from the group. Lawfer laughed. "Ahahaha Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. Anyway, we—" Suddenly, the door burst open, and a guard rushed in, his face flushed with urgency. "SIR LAWFER!" Everyone jumped, shocked by the intrusion. "WHAT?" Lawfer stood from his chair, demanding an explanation. Panting, the guard relayed the alarming report. "A miner from a liquid metal mine has appeared at the village gate, begging for help. He claims there is a serious problem deep within the mines." Lawfer paled and quickly left the office. The party exchanged exhausted glances before nodding in agreement.

Outside at the village gates, Eric and another guard stood beside the panting miner as he shakily drank some water. Lawfer soon arrived, asking, "What happened?"

The miner responded in shaky words, "We were attacked by A Monster."

"Monster?" Lawfer turned to see the Shield Hero and his party.

"Yeah... I didn't see it, but I heard screams, and then my superior ordered me to get..." His voice trailed off into a terrified whisper.

Lawfer facepalmed and let out a long sigh of frustration. Naofumi looked at the head guard. "What's wrong? Can you send your men?" he asked. Lawfer glared at him. "We can't..." he replied, shocking the hero.

Lawfer explained, "We don't have enough guards. Most knights qwere transferred to larger towns. Hell, I am not supposed to be in charge here..." Naofumi was shocked. "But you're—" he started, only to be interrupted by Lawfer. "My superior, Lieutenant Arngrim, and the Village lord left to see the King. And what I heard, Arngrim basically told the king to F myself. Now I don't know where they are," he said while groaning. The party looked at the other guards and noticed how few there were.

Naofumi turned toward the mine. "Where is the mine?" he asked, surprising everyone. Bakta placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure about this?" he said in a worried tone. Naofumi assured him, saying it was their duty to help. The others agreed, and Bakta sighed, turning toward Lawfer. "Well, you heard him. Where is the mine?"

Music: Final Fantasy XIV - Deep Down

Naofumi's group arrived at the entrance of the mine. According to the miner, it was primarily a coal mine, but valuable minerals could be found there, including liquid metal ore. Naofumi was confused, so Farrie quickly explained that this special metal is resistant to magic and melts at relatively low temperatures. It is often used to coat armor, providing it with resistance against magic attacks.

Once they stepped inside, they noticed the faint glow of oil lamps illuminating the narrow, winding passageways. As they ventured deeper into the mine, they observed broken tools scattered across the ground—bent shovels, shattered pickaxes, and crushed lanterns, all abandoned in haste.

Naofumi knelt down and carefully picked up a pickaxe head; its handle was snapped and jagged, with a bit of drool on it. He inserted it into his shield and pressed to absorb it, unlocking the Pickass Shield.

"Hey, Naofumi! Heads up!" Welt said as he passed Naofumi a piece of metal, which was surprisingly smooth. He absorbed it, unlocking the Liquid Metal Shield.

They crept through the winding tunnel, and then Naofumi stepped on something that made a sickening splash; a chill ran down his spine as Bakta's hand pressed firmly on his shoulder. "Don't look down," he warned, his voice low and urgent. But a gnawing curiosity got the better him, and he glanced down.

What he saw nearly made him lose his footing—a dead miner. Panic clawed at his throat, but Bakta's grip steadied him just as a piercing scream shattered the thick air. They turned sharply to find Welt trying to hush Teresa, who was gasping for breath, her face pale and freshen.

When suddenly they heard screaming, turning to see three of the miners emerge from the shadows, screaming in terror, running from a pack of... What Naofumi thought to be wolves, but as the miners fled, the beasts came into view.

They were not wolves but monstrous, feral, and malnourished; their fur was matted and filthy, and their bloodshot eyes.

Bakta stared at them in horror before exclaiming, "Wave Monsters!" His sudden shout shocked the others and confused Naofumi.

The beasts charged at them, but Naofumi swiftly drew the Bullfinch Shield and brought it crashing down on a pair of the creatures, creating an opening for Bakta to slice them in half. Welt intercepted another while Farrie finished it off with a precise ice spell. Terese seized one by the tail, slamming it fiercely into another beast.

Once the immediate threat was neutralized, Naofumi gasped for breath. "Are these things are Wave monsters?" he inquired," The others turned to their older companion, who was closely examining the lifeless dog-like creature. "If we don't address the waves soon, these beasts will spread across the land," he exclaimed, grimacing as he lifted one of the creature's front paws. "But these ones are..." He trailed off as Naofumi and the others stepped closer, revealing the dog's bloated sores.

Naofumi felt a wave of nausea wash over him at the sight. He quickly checked his menu and noted a new shield: [Plague Dog]

Equip bonus: poison resistance up

"Were they sick? They seem to be affected by some plague" he asked, while Farrie held his chin, deep in thought. "Ah, that explains it. They must be originating from Misou..." The news struck the adventurers. Naofumi tilted his head in confusion. Bakta explains that Misou is or was, a village that is now off-limits because of a plague, and these monsters must have passed through before reaching this area.

They turned to see the miners trembling behind them. "Are you alright?" Naofumi called out, and they nodded, quickly conveying that more of their comrades were trapped deeper in the mine and were under attack from even more wave creatures. Without a moment's hesitation, Naofumi's anger surged, and he rushed forward, the others following closely behind him into the depths of the mine.

Music: Final Fantasy 9 - Battle 2

He entered a more open area of the mine where the remaining miners were desperately trying to fend off the dog monsters. One of the beasts had managed to pin a miner down, but Naofumi quickly intervened, forcefully knocking the creature away with his shield. The group stared in disbelief at this enigmatic figure who had come to their rescue. "What are you all waiting for? Get out of here!" he commanded, and soon his allies arrived, providing cover for the miner to escape.

As the dog monsters lunged at the retreating miners, Naofumi and his companions stepped up to protect them, successfully holding off the attackers.

Before long, they dispatched the last of the dogs and turned their attention to the few remaining miners, offering assistance. "Thank you, I was about to lose hope..." one miner began, but his expression quickly changed to one of fear. "We are not safe yet!" he urged. "We need to get out, there's..."

Music: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - Galian Beast Boss Theme

His warning was abruptly cut short by a deafening roar. They all turned to see a monstrous figure emerging from the shadows: a massive two-headed black Rottweiler with piercing red eyes. Its body bore fresh cuts and bruises, and one of its heads sported a deep scar. With a feral growl, it swung a broken claw at Bekta, hurling him against the wall.

"BAKTA!" they shouted in unison, adrenaline surging through them as the beast lunged, targeting them next. Reacting swiftly, Naofumi directed Teresa to aid Bakta while instructing Farrie to escort the miner to safety. He and Welt took it upon themselves to distract the threat. The rogue hurled a few knives at the creature, but it soon realized the hero was attempting a flanking maneuver. In swift motion the beast mangend to kick the hero away, Welt quickly rushed over him, The Dog shifted its focus upon seeing the martial artist, who was busy assisting Bakta and began to charge at them

But Farrie fired an ice spell, stopping it, and continued firing the spells, but the beast tanked it and lunged at him while managing to dodge a few swings, it ultimately pit the mage down. Suddenly a rope lassoed around its neck. The beast, snarling and disoriented by the lasso, jerks its free head violently to see Naofumi and Welt pulling the rope.

The monster, now fully enraged, roars and begins to charge toward the two adventurers.

The Hero throws Welt away, and as the monster lunges at him, its massive twin jaws bearing, Naofumi closes his eyes.

He opened his eyes, and the creature's two jaws snapped shut on both his shoulders. Unfazed, he noticed a solid glow around him and turned to see a panting Welt's hand glowing. "haha, Support Spells, remember," he said with a laugh.

The beast snarls in frustration when struck by a Thunder spell by Farrie, causing the right head to let out, allowing Naofumi to swap to his pickass shield, swung at the right head, hitting in the eye, and snarls in pain.

Then changed to Bullfinch Shield and slammed against it repeatedly until it became stunned; Teresa jumped on its back and started pumping it, causing it to collapse.

The Beast struggled fiercely, but Teresa headlocks the left head, allowing Welt to stab it, killing it. The remaining head thrashed wildly in a desperate attempt, but Naofumi stuck its jaws, and Farrie fired a load of thunder spells, annihilating the last head.

As the four companions caught their breath, panting from the intensity of the battle, Naofumi collapsed to his knees. Welt smacked Naofumi on the head. "That was risky, dumbass!" he said, Naofumi looking down but Welt extant towards the hero. "But thanks." helping him up and pats him on the back. Ferrie, exhausted, sat on a rock.

Meanwhile, Bakta, having finally regained his footing, was approached by Teresa, who began to heal his wounds. He looked at the others with a warm smile…

The party returned to Lute Village with the remaining miners. Lawfer and the guard assisted them. Naofumi tried to help one of the miners, but the man refused. "Get away from me, Shield D—" he shouted, but then was punched by his colleague. "How dare you! He and his party risked their lives to save you! Show some respect, you ungrateful ASS!" The miner hung his head in shame and deeply apologized to Naofumi.

However, Naofumi insisted that there was no need for an apology. Just then, a new voice chimed in. "My, my, how modest!" she said, drawing everyone's attention to a little blonde girl wearing a pink dress with a short cape trimmed in white fur.

"Lady Jelanda," Lawfer said as the girl approached the party. "My name is Jelanda Lute. I am the daughter of the lord of this land. I wanted to thank you for your bravery," she said, bowing, which made Naofumi feel uncomfortable. He quickly tried to stop her, clearly uneasy with the display. Jelanda let out a playful laugh at the sight of him flustered, trying to hide his embarrassment.

After a brief pause, she announced her desire to show gratitude in a grand way and planned a celebration to honor the party's bravery. Naofumi was shocked. "That's... no need for that—" he protested, but the noble insisted, and the villagers agreed.

They celebrated in the village tavern, where the room hummed with laughter, clinking mugs, and the warmth of a roaring fire, deep into the night.

Music: Dragon Quest IV - In a Town (Night)

After the celebration, the party turned in for the night. The local inn graciously offered them accommodations at no charge; while Bakta, Welt, and Farrie accepted the offer, Naofumi and Teresa insisted on paying their share.

As dawn broke, Naofumi awoke early, feeling refreshed. Honestly, he was getting in the habit of waking up early. He decided to take a leisurely walk to clear his mind, he brought up the menu, where saw the newest shields:

[Two-Headed Black Dog Shield]

Special equip effect: Dog Bite

Equip bonus: Alert Shield

[Energy Shield]

Equip bonus: SP increase (small)

As he strolled through the village, he spotted a man busily loading haystacks onto a wagon held by two large birds-like creatures, which resembled Chocobos from Final Fantasy.

Naofumi helped the man. After finishing it, the man, who was an elderly tan-skinned man with wild and somewhat spiky gray hair, thick sideburns, and a forked beard, thanked him. "Well, Think you, young…" he said with an accent before trailing off when looking at him. "Hey… Aren't you that Shield Hero?" he asked, Naofumi just blushed before nodding.

"Oh, Oh, Oh, I never thought I'd see a weapon hero. The name is Filolial Bill; nice to meet ya." The man exclaimed with enthusiasm, Naofumi just stared blankly at him. "Wait? Your name is 'Filolial Bill'?" he questioned, the man chuckled. "Darn-tootin!" He said proudly. The Shield Hero turned towards the birds. "And the Filolials are those large birds next to your wagon," he asked, the man nodded affirmatively

"Huh… I suppose you're off to your farm then." Naofumi remarked, prompting another chuckle from Bill. "Welp, I just finished picking up the eggs for my ranch. My grandkids are probably worried about me. He said, Naofumi nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I get it. Things have gotten more dangerous since the waves began," he replied, drawing a look from Bill. "OH no, I normally get my eggs at a place near Misou, but after that, those routes were cut off..". Bill clarified, his expression turning serious.

"Oh Yeah because of disease, right?" Naofumi said, remembering what Bakta had mentioned earlier. Bill nodded gravely. "Yup, Misou was destroyed by an undead plague…" Naofumi was taken aback. "Wait, undead?" he exclaimed, his surprise evident.

"Yeah I guess that's what happens when you don't properly dispose of a dragon corpse," Bill remarked, leaving Naofumi in a state of shock and bewilderment. "Wait, wait? A dragon?" Naofumi exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. Bill nodded in affirmation. "Yep, a dragon. One that just decided to make its nest in a cave near the village. The fools thought it would be a good idea to kill it to take its treasure, so they hired some Hero too–" but interrupted by the outworlder. "WAIT A MINTED! How does killing a dragon cause a Zombie outbreak?" Naofumi asks.

Bill rubbed his beard in, though, before responding, "Well, I'm not sure, But I'd think that dragon was a Dragon Emperor, the purest breed of dragons. The poor thing was left to rot, the decay might have affected its Core, causing it…" He trailed off as he noticed the Hero's head tilting in confusion. Clearing his throat, he clarified, "A Monster Core is like a special organ that grants the creature power. Also, these cores, once removed, can be used to upgrade equipment and weapons. What I understand is that pureblood dragons have a dragon core that has several effects. I've heard stories of ordinary animals consuming these cores and transforming into Dragon Emperors themselves". When he finished, Naofumi was left in awe.. but he was terrified when realizing if the plague was a zombie plague, what if… "Don't tell me the Dragon was resurrected as…" He exclaimed, dread creeping into his voice.

"As Undead Dragon? Yes…" Came the reply. Bill, upon witnessing the horror on the boy's face, reassured him, "But don't worry, those dragons tend to remain within their territories…" He said.

Naofumi felt a mix of relief and undefined anxiety wash over him. He made a mental note to tell the other heroes that they needed to confront that dragon… Then he noticed Bill rummaging through the wagon. To Naofumi's surprise, Bill grabbed an incubator in hand, cradling a single egg inside. "Here, this should help on your journey," they stated, extending the incubator towards Naofumi. The unexpected gesture left Naofumi momentarily stunned. "It is a Filolial egg, it should be hatching in a week from now." He said, prompting bewilderment from Naofumi.

"Umm Sir? Are you aware of just how large a bird can grow right? I might not be from here, but even I know that a chick takes more than a year to fully develop!" He exclaimed, Bill just stared blankly at him before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, Oh, Oh, don't worry! Since you're a Hero, that chick will grow in no time," he reassured, only serving to confuse the Hero even further. "According to legends, a Filolial raised by a hero tends to grow much faster, and it won't even reduce its lifespan!" he added enthusiastically, while Naofumi was skeptical, he decided to accept the man's offer and took the incubator…

He made his way back to the Inn, where the others were slowly waking up. After breakfast, he explained what happened. Both Farrie and Ter confirmed the legends, although the former wasn't sure about it. Bekta was a bit doubtful but mused that perhaps a chick could serve as a stress-relief pet.

He decided to remove some items from his bag to make room for the incubator, uncertain if the weapon's store system would freeze any of his items, but he grabbed the hourglass the merchant had given him, after pondering a moment, deciding to absorb it, transforming the shield into a Square shape shield with the hourglass elegantly embedded in the center.

He marveled at his new shield and eagerly brought up the HUD to check its stats… his eyes widened in confusion: [Dragon Hourglass Sand Shield]

Equip skill: Portal Shield (Lv 30 requirement)

"Wait? Dragon Hourglass? Are those artifacts that signal when these waves approach? Before he would comprehend, he noticed something new in his vision:

[Wave countdown: 3 weeks, 2 days…]

"A timer?" He thought it must be a warning for the waves… but wait, did that guy get his hand on the hourglass, and why would he give it to him… unless he knew who he was… Who was that Merchant?

Remembering the blacksmith said, Melromarc is rivals with Siltvelt, maybe they or another nation sent an agent? He pounded about it until Welt called him to hurry up; he chose to set those ponderings aside for now….

The Group, after preparing supplies, was ready to embark on their next journey. When suddenly, one of the village guards came rushing toward them, his face flushed with a mixture of worry and exhaustion.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Welt asked, worried in his voice; after panting for a bit, the guard explained. "The bandit leader that you captured yesterday... he managed to escape," the guard said, eyes wide with alarm.

The adventurers paused for a moment, exchanging knowing glances. "should we do something?" Naofumi asked, but Bakta calmly spoke. "Don't worry about it," he said with a reassuring tone. "What I heard, this Roudy was hardly a threat, especially one who was already caught. If we run into him again, we'll handle it then." he finished.

The others nodded in agreement, some with chuckles, others with confident smirks. The guard expressed his gratitude before departing, leaving the adventurers…

Music: Last Remnant - Creeping Shadows

Elsewhere, Roudy, panting from his escape, ventured deep into the forest... Of Course, he had to abandon his group behind, who all cursed him. "Hey! Every man for himself," he thought, laughing at the idea of revenge against the shield guy who had imprisoned him.

Suddenly, a rustling sound caught his attention. He saw two figures in the distance, unaware of his presence. The first redhead girl was wearing leather armor and a purple dress underneath and the other was a blonde guy with bronze armor.

With a sinister grin, he crept closer, his hand resting on the hilt of his knife. These two were alone and looked tired, he saw this as a perfect opportunity.

His voice broke the silence, a low growl escaping his lips. "Hand over your-"

But before he could finish, the blonde traveler swung a wooden sword at him. The attack surprisingly didn't hunt him... but the force was enough to send him against a tree, rendering him unconscious.

Music: Final Fantasy V - What

The Blonde Swordsman approached the unconscious bandit and gently poking him with the sword to ensure he was still alive. Satisfied, he decided to leave the man be.

"Ummm... Sir Oersted, are you sure to just leave this bandit here?" asked Mein, unsure. The Knight just smiled, sheathed his sword, and replied, "Sure, am sure. In my experience, there are two types of bandits: the confident ones and the fools. This Man," he points at the bandit. "Is a fool" With that, he turned and walked away, the noblewoman following in his footsteps, leaving the would-be robber behind.

Notes

The 2nd part of Naofumi's chapter is done and this is probably the last one for the year. Next time return to follow Oersted

Also it seems that the timeline already has changed, stemming from what happens in Misou… Wait? Isn't the village that Ren killed the dragon?

For the context of the Captain America reference: He's from a version of Marvel's Avengers (the 2020 game) where he did actually die on A-Day, after being summoned, he fought the waves until Faubrey Empire launched an invasion at Melromarc with Spear Hero and Bow Hero decided to join the Imperials.

The Captain led a small army alongside the Azure Samurai, the Sword Hero who was against the invasion. As the war rages on, the pope provides crucial support to the duo by summoning heroes from the Shield's world by using vassal weapons: the claw, the hammer, and the gauntlet.

United Heroes defeated Faubrey and the last wave, Following their victory, Captain America and his comrades decide to return to their world, while the Swordsman chooses to remain behind before vanishing, legends tells that he was called to another world.

The Bow and Spear were branded as the Cardial Villains, while Captain America canonized by the Church of the Three Heroes, as one of the few shield heroes worthy of their acknowledgment.

And Lastly… As I was writing this, I realized that I unintentionally made Naofumi's/Ren's Party into a parallel to Oersted and his party.

- For instance, Welt and Farrie a duo of a blonde blade wielder and a grayish-haired mage, simpler to Oersted and Streibough

- Bakta an old Warrior and hero, draws parallels to Hasshe

- While Terese may not align perfectly with Uranus, they serve as healers and both are "monks" (just one is a D&D monk, while the other is a literal monk.