Chapter 10: Aftermath
("But this is all a mistake!")
("I had an inkling the first time I saw you. Of course you would sully yourself, you little demon!")
("Demon?! What did I do?")
("Of course things turned out this way. I felt it immediately—that you were a little different from the rest of us.")
("Me too. Even at that, though, I never thought you'd stoop so low. You must think you're somehow entitled to whatever you want!")
("This isn't all about you! Show some respect!")
Naofumi woke up with an angered expression, hating to relive that exact moment all over again.
As he awoke from his slumber, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, prompting him to be on guard as he thought of the worst case scenario.
"Raphtalia! Filo! Garfiel!" He shouted as he prepared to jump off the bed only to hear someone respond:
"Calm down, Shield guy, yer not in any danger."
Naofumi turned towards the demi human boy, finally having noticed him, sitting next to the bed all relaxed.
"Where are we?"
"Yer in th'castle thanks t'Melty's efforts."
Naofumi didn't like this since he hates being here...but considering that he was out for who knows how long, he should be grateful. He moved onto the next question:
"Where's Raphtalia and Filo? Where am I?"
"Told 'em t'go and eat. It's been a day since they haven't eaten. Ain't healthy t'do th't."
"Then why aren't you with them?" The Shield Hero questioned. Garfiel noticed how serious his voice was though that didn't faze the Shield of Sanctuary.
"Sword guy came and got me somethin'. Not hungry right now."
As Garfiel said this, he pulled out what seemed to be a bag full of food.
"Come on, eat up. We got some talkin' t'do."
'Talking? About what?'
Naofumi was curious what the demi human boy wanted to talk about while also grabbing the bag of food, having finally felt himself being hungry.
Once he had the bag, he opened it to see that it's bacon.
"Look, I don't wanna distract ya from eatin' but as I said, we got's to talk. Do you remember what happened at th'end of th'wave?"
"..." Naofumi remained silent as he began to eat, taking this moment to think back on what had happened.
Everything was vague since the last big thing he remembered was taking on Glass.
This made him continue to think carefully about what had happened during that fight until he remembered the moment that made his mind blank with rage.
This caused him to stop eating as he felt that anger grow deep within him once again.
"...that bitch..."
"Yea, I figured ya would remember real quickly." Garfiel said as he remained calm despite knowing how fearful Naofumi can be when he's enraged. "I agree with ya, she's a bitch and she'll get what's comin' t'her."
Naofumi continued to eat as the memory of his little outburst started to come back to him all at once, especially the moments where he had caused Raphtalia and Filo to worry as well as forcing Garfiel to put himself in harm's way.
This eventually had him pause for a second just as he had a piece of bacon left.
"...ya gonna finish th't?" Garfiel asked, having noticed the sudden pause.
Naofumi didn't respond to Garfiel's question and just looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds before turning towards the demi human boy, noticing that his arms were covered with some burned marks.
"I'm sorry."
Naofumi had thought he had said those words but he realized that it was Garfiel who apologized, confusing him for a brief moment.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"I...well, ya see, it's hard fer me t'accept when I'm wrong but I was wrong when I punched ya a while back."
Naofumi looked at Garfiel with a serious expression, having not really thought back on that moment until this boy had brought it up. Garfiel continued:
"Ya see, I was kinda a stubborn moron."
"Still are, but continue."
Garfiel glared at the Shield Hero for that comment before continuing.
"Cap'n came along and knocked some sense into me, so I was hoping t'do th'same with ya cause ya were kinda wrong but I see now th't I was wrong. So, I'm deeply sorry fer being stupid."
Naofumi stared at Garfiel for a moment before laughing, finding this situation and conversation completely wrong.
"You have some timing, Garf. Out of all the moments, you chose this moment to apologize after I made a big fuck up."
"Hey! I'm being serious!" Garfiel raised his voice a bit, not liking that he feels like he's not being taken seriously.
"I know you are, moron. I can tell that you are being sincere, I just find this situation backwards since I should be the one to apologize to you, Raphtalia, Filo, and the others for my behavior."
"They don't care 'bout th't, they just want ya t'be okay."
As Garfiel said this, he got up as he turned around to look at the kingdom from the view that can be seen in the room they were in.
"Ya should rest fer now. Th'king wants to see ya."
"See me? For what?" Naofumi's voice turned sour when hearing this while finally finishing the bacon. Garfiel just responded in a casual manner:
"Don't know, told him t'fuck off."
"Hold on, when did this happened?"
Garfiel paused when he heard this question, recalling the events earlier this day.
Garfiel was going into town to grab some food, having been a day since the events of the wave.
His body was still recovering but thanks to his divine protection somehow being active, if only barely, being able to heal him at a slow rate.
He walked around with one of Ren's party members, Farrie.
The two were walking around all the while having a conversation related to Naofumi and his party members.
"How's the girls holding up?"
"Eh, they're fine. Worried fer Shield guy."
"I mean, he had lost control." Farrie said a bit concerned since that was a scary situation. Garfiel had noticed the tone of voice the axe wielding warrior was speaking in.
"Yea but he was justified t'be mad. Th't bitch hurt Talia."
"You are right, Mai deserves to be punished for what she did but that's not going to happen."
"Yea." Garfiel said in a bitter tone. "Th't bitch got's th'king around her ugly ass finger."
Farrie didn't add much to this part of the conversation since he doesn't want anybody to overhear them speaking ill about the king's oldest daughter, even if she's a scumbag. He change the subject of the conversation to Garfiel.
"Shouldn't you still be resting? That body of yours needs to rest after the hell you took."
"I suppose yer right." Garfiel said as he put his hands on the back of his head. "Ram would be mad at me if she saw th't I wasn't takin' care of myself."
"Ram?" Farrie curiously asked.
"Yea, th'girl I like."
Farrie was interested in this.
"Tell me about this girl you like."
"Aight." Garfiel smiled as he always likes to talk about Ram. Just as he was going to do this, he along with the axe wielding warrior noticed a few knights approaching the two. This prompted the Shield of Sanctuary to be on guard, not liking how they were approaching them.
"Stay calm, Garfiel. We don't want to give them a reason to arrest you."
As Farrie said this, Garfiel lowered his guard as one of the knights approached him, looking down on him.
"Are you the one named Garfiel Tinsel?"
"Yea." Garfiel spoke with a blank expression, curious what exactly they wanted with him.
"You are to report to the royal castle at once."
There was a momentary pause. Garfiel knew that the king wanted something from him if he sent some guards to come and fetch him.
This prompted him to respond with a slight bit of aggression,
"...Why should I?"
"Doesn't matter, you're coming with us."
Garfiel noticed that although the knight was being aggressive, he didn't try to grab him or anything, causing him to speculate that perhaps they are aware of what he's capable of.
Although he could just say no and force his way out, he doesn't want to give Naofumi future trouble for this, prompting him to turn to Farrie to say:
"Aight, let's just get th's over with."
"Hold it." One of the knights spoke out. "Only the demi human is summoned."
"Eh? Why can't he go with my amazin' self?" Garfiel spoke with an annoyed tone.
One of the knights prepared to draw his sword only for another to stop him on his tracks while trying to diffuse the situation.
"The king has ordered that he wants you alone, demi human."
"Tsk. Course he wants th't." The Shield of Sanctuary turned towards his ally to tell him, "Let Sword guy know what's goin' on."
Farrie nodded as he watched Garfiel being escorted to the castle, having a bad feeling for whatever the king wanted with him.
As Garfiel was heading towards the castle to meet up with the king, he was thinking about what he would tell Brotto and the Captain when he sees them again.
He had a lot of stories to tell them now once he found a way back home, especially the big fight he had with an enraged Shield Hero.
'I wonder how they'll react. I feel like I can get th'Cap'n's attention at least but Brotto might ask lots'f questions.'
With this keeping his mind busy, he eventually reaches the throne room of the king he honestly doesn't give a shit about. He looked at the king as he was alongside the pope from the three heroes church, causing him to take a look around.
He had a bad feeling about this but for now, he continued to play ball with the scenario he's in. Once he was a few feet away from the pope and the king, he crossed his arms as he asked:
"Whaddaya want?"
"Show some respect, demi human. You are lucky he wants to talk to you, otherwise you'd be dead where you stand." One of the guards spoke out as he held his spear with a tight grip.
Garfiel was annoyed and wanted to leave but once again, he didn't want to give Naofumi a hard time, especially after what happened at the end of the wave.
"*Sigh*, fine. What do ya want, yer majesty."
The king looked at Garfiel with disdain since he had noticed the disrespectful tone when referring to him yet he needed to put that anger and hatred aside.
"I want you to answer this, boy, who are you?"
"Eh?" Garfiel looked with confusion. "Whaddaya mean?"
The king and the pope both looked at each other for a moment before turning back to him with the pope adding onto the question:
"We should be more specific, my child." He turned to one of the knights holding a crystal ball.
As it began to show images, Garfiel was slightly amazed that he got to see himself facing off against Naofumi, only in the perspective of an audience member.
"Wow, my amazin' self's a badass!"
The pope and the king had an eyebrow raised by this, not expecting Garfiel to act like a kid that's discovering something new for the first time.
"Cap'n told me 'bout stuff like th't back home."
"Captain? Are you perhaps referring to the Shield Hero?" The pope asked in a respectful manner. Garfiel took notice of the question, prompting him to correct the pope.
"Nah, Cap'n is someone y'all aren't aware of. Shield guy is just Shield guy."
Although this did clear things up...sort of, the king couldn't help but ask the demi human boy:
"Just how old are you, demi human?"
"Fourteen."
The king was baffled by this as well as a few knights, not expecting Garfiel to be this age and be strong enough to take on one of the legendary heroes.
"No wonder you have a foul mouth, you were taught no manners." The king commented, annoyed. "Your parents must feel so proud."
"Don't know 'bout th't. The old hag taught my amazin' self pretty well."
"Old hag?"
The king questioned but before he could press on, the pope took this opportunity to redirect the conversation to the reason Garfiel's here.
"My child, you faced a Devil of the Shield without any kind of weapon. Just by pure will, which is commendable but also concerning. So, we wish to know who exactly are you?"
Garfiel took a moment to process what the pope had just said, seeing that they were curious why someone like him was able to handle a legendary hero when the four heroes are supposed to be the strongest in this world.
The equivalent to this would be if someone came from a different world to his world and suddenly was able to go toe to toe with the Sword Saint. Having this context in mind, he responded with:
"I'm a fighter, someone who'll fight th'strongest'n beat 'em. After all, I'm the Shield of Sanctuary."
"The Shield of Sanctuary, quite an interesting title." The pope said, finding this information intriguing. "Who gave you this title?"
"I did."
"Okay then, where do you come from? You don't seem to be from around here." The King spoke out in frustration, wanting something to use either against the Shield Hero or something that could help him in the long run. Garfiel paused himself before he answered.
("Brotto, quick question. As a merchant, how do ya handle when guys ask too much of ya.")
("Well, I always tell what is needed. The rule is always to not tell more than what's necessary. Otherwise they might take advantage of the information they shouldn't have.")
"That doesn't matter, I'm with Shield guy now."
"You will answer the question." The king shouted as he slammed his fist on the chair he was sitting on. "Are you a part of Siltvelt?"
This question caused the room to suddenly have high tension, something Garfiel was doing his best to avoid. Since this failed, he began to turn around to leave only for two knights to be on his way.
"Look, I'm not gonna say anymore. I got things t'do."
"You won't leave unless the king tells you that you can."
"Tsk. Fine." Garfiel said reluctantly, as he once again thinks how causing trouble will come back to bite him as well as Naofumi in the ass. "Anything else ya wanna talk 'bout?"
"You will answer my question, are you a part of Siltvelt?"
"No, don't even know what th'hell's a Siltvelt."
The pope looked closely at Garfiel before turning towards the king, giving him a signal that the boy was telling the truth. The king noticed this before asking:
"Then are you from Shieldfreeden?"
"Don't know who they are, so no."
The king turned towards the pope to see that once again, the boy was telling the truth which left the king with even more questions.
"Then where are you from?"
"Th't's none of yer business." Garfiel immediately responded.
"You will answer my question, boy, if you know what's good for you."
Garfiel gave him a very serious stare as he responded to the king's threat:
"Let me remind ya, I ain't here fer trouble but I won't allow ya t'push me around. If all ya want is information on my amazin' self, then fuck off. I got important shit t'take care of."
The two gave each other a stare down before the king allowed Garfiel to leave, seeing that he's nothing but trouble. Right as Garfiel's about to leave, the pope had one last question.
"Why do you follow the devil of the Shield?"
"..." Garfiel paused himself as he heard this question, hating the phrasing. Although he wanted to correct him, he did thought about the question since he hadn't really put much thought into it.
"I dunno. First time I saw him, thought he was cool Then I saw his ugly sides but somehow th't didn't turn me away. Guess I saw somethin' in him th't reminded me of Cap'n."
"Is that so?" The pope said, finding this information interesting. "And what about the things he's done? Do you simply ignore them when choosing to side with the Devil of the Shield?"
Garfiel thought back to what the Bow Hero had said to Ren after the wave had finished, remembering a specific comment he had said.
("You are a damn hypocrite. After having been against Naofumi when he had taken advantage of Mai, you are now being swayed by him all because of those enslaved under him! What kind of hero sides with a known criminal?!")
"I don't know what happen prior t'my arrival but he ain't a bad guy. He's just…a jackass who's constantly fightin' th'world." He turned towards the pope and the king with a determined facial expression, "He' th'kinda guy th't'll be there fer those he gives a damn 'bout, so fer those th't harm th'one's he cares fer will suffer."
The moment he finished speaking, he left the throne room while leaving the king angry and the pope with a serious expression, seeing that perhaps they'll need to interrogate the Shield Hero.
"And th't's what happened with th't arrogant king and annoying other guy."
Naofumi remained silent as he felt his anger for the king grow, seeing that he wants to interrogate his team members starting with Garfiel. The demi human boy noticed that the Shield Hero was in deep thinking, prompting the boy to say:
"Look, I don't know what happened prior t'being teleported here but I trust ya. Even if ya can be a bit of a jackass."
"Hmph."
Naofumi took note of what the boy had said while he began to get back up, having thought long enough to understand the situation as a whole.
Once he was back on his feet, he looked outside where the two could see the kingdom before turning towards the door leading out of the room they were currently in.
"We should get out of here. I don't want to deal with him."
Garfiel understood this and was ready to leave with the Shield Hero though something did come to mind...Ren and his party members.
Considering that some of the knights might've seen them working with Naofumi and his party members, which also includes him, could put them in trouble with the king.
Just as he was going to say something, Naofumi paused himself as he was going to leave the room.
"Look, what happened at the shop, water under the bridge."
"..." Garfiel was silent.
"Let's just call this event us being even, got it?"
"Aight."
Although not an apology per say, Garfiel took it as Naofumi allowing him to truly be a part of the group since the two have made mistakes now that directly affected the group.
He nodded as the two started to leave the room.
As they were in the hallway, Raphtalia and Filo were both returning from their lunch, having wanted to be next to Naofumi.
So, to their surprise to see him leaving the room with Garfiel by his side caused the two girls to run towards their master.
"Master!"
Naofumi was taken aback by this as he received a hug from both Rapthalia and Filo.
"Alright. Alright."
Garfiel chuckled when seeing this though he was happy that Filo and Raphtalia were happy to see Naofumi back up.
As he watched this, he couldn't help but start to think about those in his world, how he missed them dearly.
'...I gotta get back home at some point.'
Although he was a bit homesick, he didn't feel too alone since he had made friends in this new world. He watched as Naofumi managed to comfort the two before telling all three of them that they should start leaving.
"Aren't we gonna have Sword guy's team join us? They'll probably be questioned by th'king."
"They'll be fine." Naofumi said, sounding more like he had faith Ren and his party can handle themselves without his involvement. "Let's get going."
As he said this, he led the group out of the castle.
While this was going on, Ren had been asked to see the king to which he listened without giving much problems since unlike with Garfiel, he was more respected and kindly asked.
As he was outside of the throne room, he began to think about all that had happened the past two days since the end of the third wave.
He thought about the Blessed series and how it was able to counter whatever Naofumi was being controlled by.
Although this was one of two thoughts he had, the second was a question to himself, what did the king wanted with him? He's aware that Motoyasu and Itsuki haven't been summoned by the king as well as Garfiel having been summoned for whatever reason.
This caused him to speculate the many reasons that could be...though for this to be answered, he would need to ask the king himself. As the knights had opened the door for him, he entered the throne room and the first thing that caught his attention was the pope standing next to the king.
'What is he doing here?'
He was curious by this all the while slowly approaching the king and the pope.
"Sword Hero! It's good to see you."
Ren nodded at the king in respect as one should to a king, despite how stubborn the king can be in particular with Naofumi and Garfiel.
"What brings me here?"
"We wish to ask you about something." The Priest said as the crystal ball began to glow, showing Ren facing off against Naofumi. Although they weren't aware of the power Ren was using, the Sword Hero noticed that it was during his time when he was using the blessed series. "As you can see, you have grown into a strong hero that can stop the devil of the shield when he turns on us."
Ren was silent as he crossed his arms. The King added:
"You are a true hero."
"...I still have a long way to go." Ren said as he thought back about his mistake related to the dragon and the village. The Priest and The King noticed what he said, prompting the King to ask:
"I would like to ask, what was that kind of power? I haven't seen anything like it."
"It's...a power that was gained at the moment. I can't replicate it right now but I'll let you know more when I understand this new power."
Ren partially lied here, since he's aware of the blessed series though he was being honest that he can't replicate this power at this moment. This white lie did allow him to not look suspicious since the Priest was observing him, looking like he's seeing if the hero was being honest. The King smiled confidently as he said:
"With you in our kingdom, you can take out that cursed shield—"
"Hold on." Ren spoke out, interrupting the king. "I don't mean to interrupt you but I won't kill Naofumi."
The Priest and The King caught on to this with the atmosphere slowly tensing up.
"What do you mean? He poses a threat to everyone!"
"I understand and yes, he was out of control but I can guarantee that this was all caused because of that older daughter of yours attacking one of his teammates."
"Wha—? Malty would never!" The King swiftly responded to Ren's comment. The Sword Hero looked at the king before turning towards the crystal ball near him and the pope.
"If that crystal ball can tell you what happened in the wave, it can prove that Mai was the instigator of it all." As Ren said this, he turned towards the pope to ask: "Is there anything else you'd like to speak about?"
The priest continued to have a friendly smile as he responded to the Sword Hero's question.
"As far as the situation involving the Devil of the Shield, I do wish to ask why do you associate with him? Some knights here reported you and your party members training with those from the Devil of the Shield."
"Is it wrong to work with the other heroes?" Ren asked this question to counter the pope's question. He noticed this which prompted him to respond:
"No. It isn't a crime to work with the other legendary heroes but most worry that you'll be corrupted by the Devil of the Shield."
Ren sharply looked at the pope, not liking how he's referring to Naofumi as a devil, especially after how well they've gotten along. He closed his eyes all the while commenting on what the pope had said:
"I can see why it's concerning but the purpose was to train for the wave. Or is that wrong?"
"No, No." The pope swiftly responded, "You did what was needed in order to be prepared for the wave. That's something I must commend you for."
The pope turned to see what the king would say in regards to what Ren had said. The king seemed to be reserved on commenting though he simply dismissed this with:
"Yes, I suppose since we have to work with that criminal, it makes sense to have a plan in taking on the waves."
"Well then, it was good to have seen you, Sword Hero, may—"
"Mind if I ask one question before we end this conversation?" Ren asked as something just came to mind during the conversation. This got the king and the pope's attention.
"Go ahead, my child."
"What's on your mind, Sword Hero?"
The two asked, curious to know what Ren was going to ask.
"Is it possible that one of us legendary heroes could be possessed?"
"Hm?" Both the King and the Priest were a bit surprised by this.
"Possessing one of the legendary heroes? What makes you think of such a thing, Sword Hero?"
"It's only because when facing Naofumi in that angered form...it seemed like he wasn't in full control of himself. That's why I ask. I have reason to believe that something took control of him."
The Priest and The King were both thinking about this for a bit with the King curious now if something like that could be possible on the Shield. The Priest found this possible but even he wasn't sure. He turned to Ren to give him an answer:
"That's something that hasn't happened in previous incarnations of the heroes, but there could be a possibility."
Ren just crossed his arms as he was in deep thought, if only briefly.
"Well then, I appreciate the answer. Allow me to warn the others of this."
"Yes, go warn the Bow and Spear heroes of this possibility." The King said.
Ren noticed that he left out Naofumi though at this point it's obvious he hates Naofumi.
Pointing that out won't really do much.
As the Sword Hero was leaving with the knights showing him respect, the king turned towards the priest.
"What do you think?"
"...it's possible that he's being influenced by the devil of the shield."
"Yes but the power he displayed is unbecoming of the shield hero."
"Yes, that would be something you'll have to ask on your own. I've got to return to the church. God is calling for me there."
"Understood."
The king nodded as he watched the priest leaving the throne room.
Ren stepped outside of the castle just around the same time that Naofumi and his party members had started to leave the castle themselves.
"Oi! Sword guy!"
Ren paused as he recognized that voice as Garfiel. He turned around and to his surprise, he saw Naofumi walking side by side with the demi human boy.
"Naofumi."
"Ren."
"Good to see you are back up."
"It was good having a long nap."
"That's one way of seeing things." Ren couldn't help but feel relaxed right now. "Where are you all going?"
"Off t'th'weapon shop. Join us."
Naofumi slowly looked at Garfiel a bit annoyed, not liking how he just opened his mouth considering that the question was directed towards him.
Garfiel knew that he jumped the gun and that Naofumi was annoyed at him but he smiled while placing his hands on the back of his head.
The Shield Hero glared at him for a couple of seconds before just leading the group towards the town.
"Come on, let's go."
Garfiel, Raphtalia, and Filo started to follow him with Ren joining in since Naofumi didn't refuse his company.
The five of them walked through town with the majority of the citizens all cheering for Ren, being grateful for his contribution in the wave while ignoring Naofumi.
The Shield Hero was annoyed by this though that's because he finds the people annoying.
Ren just kept a straight face, trying to remember that he shouldn't let these cheers get to him as well as knowing that Naofumi deserves these people cheering for him as well.
They went through town until finally arriving at the weapon shop. They entered with the shop owner looking at them.
"Seems like you live to fight another day."
"Good to see you too." Naofumi said.
"Well then, what brings you all here today?" The shop owner said as he got himself ready for whatever his customers might be looking for.
Garfiel was the first to go as he set his rusty yet still intact shield alongside his broken shield right beside it.
"I-uh-need th's fixed."
The shop owner looked at the shield and noticed that something was...off.
"This material..." He paused as he took a closer look at it. "It's unfamiliar to me. Where did you get this type of shield from?"
"Family."
"Hm." The shop owner took note of what was said all the while continuing to observe the broken pieces of Garfiel's shield. "Well then, I can get it fixed for you but it might take a while."
"It's fine. My amazin' self can fight without them fer as long as ya need t'fix them."
The shop owner just chuckled, finding it entertaining how Garfiel speaks differently than any customer he's ever interacted with. Just as he was about to take the intact shield and the pieces of the other shield, Naofumi said:
"Hold on." He grabbed onto the broken piece of Garfiel's shield as he wanted to test something out.
As he set it near his legendary shield, it began to absorb the piece which had caused the menu where all the shields were located to glitch for a moment before creating its own section in the large menu of shields.
Twin Shield: ability locked equip bonus: Attack 25
equip effect: strength defense up
'...wait.'
He checked his stats and noticed that absorbing Garfiel's shield had increased his attack ability by quite a bit. Not by a lot compared to his other stats currently but enough to draw his attention.
'That's...I remember getting an attack boost back when I had absorbed the needles for the Animal Needle Shield but this...'
The Shield Hero turned towards the Shield of Sanctuary to question him.
"What the hell kind of shield do you have?"
"Th'kind th't allows me t'fight. The Cap'n likes th'say, the best defense is a good offense. So'f I use a shield meant fer defense t'attack instead, th' best defense and th' best offense come together, makin' me th'strongest."
"That's one interesting way of making a shield into an offensive weapon." The shop owner commented as he took Garfiel's shield to the back. Raphtalia had noticed that something had surprised Naofumi, prompting her to ask:
"Are you okay, Naofumi-sama?"
"Y-Yeah, it's all fine."
Naofumi looked at the twin shield he was wielding, finding it odd how Garfiel could fight with such a thing. The boy was amazed by this as he looked closely at Naofumi's shield that now resembled his.
"So damn cool!"
"That's pretty interesting." Ren added. "Gathering pieces to create different variations of shields. I wonder if I had absorbed a piece of Garfiel's broken shield, would I get a variation of that shield only in sword form?"
Ren pondered this which even Naofumi was curious as well. Considering that Garfiel and his twin shields weren't a part of this world, perhaps the system made up something since it glitched for a moment after it had absorbed the piece.
"Aside from that, were you able to get your class upgrades?" The shop owner asked as he stepped back into the main room of the shop.
"That might be a problem." Ren said, having just realized that Tersia hadn't gotten her upgrade.
She hadn't complained considering the fact that she witnessed the nuns being unfair to the Shield Hero and his party but it had affected her since she had to be smart during the latest wave.
'I'll need to apologize to her when I see her again.'
"Hm. From what you told me the other day, kid, it's unlikely they will let you use the overglass here." The Shop owner said as his attention turned to Naofumi. The Shield Hero looked at him for a brief moment before looking back at the new shield he had acquired.
"I don't know about Sword Hero here but I've been thinking about heading to Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden for the class upgrades."
Ren was alerted by this while the shop owner couldn't help but smirk at this.
"You know, kid. I've been thinking you'd head in that direction for a while now."
"Really?"
The shop owner nodded as he continued:
"I'd suggest Shieldfreeden. Siltvelt can get a little...crazy."
"Crazy?"
"What do you mean?"
Both Ren and Naofumi asked, curious on what he meant by this.
"Well, they are demi-human supremacists, and they turn humans into slaves there. Kinda the opposite of Melromarc."
'I see. Considering I'm human, it probably isn't the best option.' The Shield Hero thought as he now made up his mind to follow the shop owner's suggestion. Just as the shop owner was going to say something, Ren added:
"Hold on, if I'm not mistaken, they worship the church of the shield."
This information caught Naofumi and his party members.
"They do but it would be dangerous for either of you to go. They view the other heroes as worthless and might want to harm you while they might overwhelm the Shield hero."
"Sounds like a cult." Garfiel said, having a chill when saying this as it reminds him of a specific cult back in his world that is infamous. Naofumi could tell that the word 'cult' bothered the demi human boy, prompting him to have this as something to ask the boy eventually.
"Then we will head to Shieldfreeden."
"I'll also join you guys." Ren said, feeling excited for an adventure. Naofumi turned towards him with a calm but serious expression.
"Why? You aren't obligated to join us."
"...well, you see one of my party members didn't get the chance to upgrade and I already told those nuns that I wouldn't use this country's hourglass because of it."
"Hmph." Naofumi wanted to chuckle as he recalled that though he turned towards the exit. "That's not my problem."
"Ah come on, Shield boss, don't be like th't."
"I'm not responsible for his party members. So if you wish to go to Shieldfreeden, then you can go. I'm not here to hold your hand."
"...?"
Ren couldn't help but tell that Naofumi isn't against him joining them though he has a very...interesting way of saying it.
"Well then, I'll need to gather my party members before you all leave."
"I said—"
"I know but it's my choice to join you guys."
Naofumi remained silent for a few seconds, seeing that Ren has caught on to his wording. This prompted him to eventually say:
"You better hurry then, we have no time to waste."
"Understood." Ren nodded and just as he was going to leave the shop, a familiar knight along with another knight entered.
"Shield Hero!"
"Hm?"
Naofumi looked and recognized the knight, he was the leader of the small group that wanted to join his party back before the wave started.
"What brings ya here?" Garfiel asked.
"The Shield Hero is requested at the castle." The other knight spoke with a firm tone, having just noticed the Sword Hero was in the shop.
"No thanks. You're a pain." The Shield Hero immediately responded, knowing that this was trouble for him. The other knight heard this and was mad, hating how disrespectful the Shield Hero was being.
"Please, Shield Hero. Please come with us."
"..." Naofumi looked at this knight and knew that he along with the other two knights and two mages had listened to his every command. It wouldn't be right to ignore him now, especially considering how he had caused a ruckus for everyone. "Geez. Fine but only because I owe you. That's the only reason I'll do this."
"Thank you so much!"
The knight said while the other seemed to just not care for the conversation. Naofumi turned towards Raphtalia.
"You are in charge of packing everything up. I shouldn't take long."
"Understood, Naofumi-sama." Raphtalia smiled as she responded, seeing that she was indeed trusted by her master. Garfiel was fine with it though he was a bit worried for Naofumi's sake considering that the king would want to have some excuse to harm the Shield Hero.
Once inside the thorne room, Naofumi just felt hatred all over again, having been in this room where everything went to hell. He looked forward and noticed the king, one of two people he hated with a passion. Once he was in the center of the room, he asked:
"What do you want?"
"Silence"! You are before the king!"
One of the knights spoke out as he along with other knights got themselves ready for a fight. Naofumi noticed this but he just remained silent, something the king noticed.
"It is incredible to think about it, but I hear you were able to fight back the wave, Shield...until the end."
"..."
"Nothing to say for your betrayal!"
Everyone was on guard when the king said this, prompting the knights to pull out their swords.
"As much as it pains me, you did pretty well until you showed a power that isn't becoming of the Shield. So, you will tell me exactly what happened."
Naofumi looked at the king with an annoyed facial expression, not really wanting to give any information to him. This was something one of the knights noticed, finding it blasphemy which prompted him to shout:
"You WILL answer the King!"
"Is that so?" Naofumi turned towards him and his look completely scared the hell out of the knight, causing him to take a step back. "I dare you to do something."
"That's no way to speak to my knights!" The king shouted, which got Naofumi's attention.
"I won't deny that I did some damage by losing control but that power I can summon again."
"You are bluffing!"
"Really?" Naofumi stepped forward which almost caused the knights to charge at him as they were frightened by the way the Shield Hero was acting. "Do you think any of you can take me on if I lose control again?"
"Tsk. We will call the others—"
"By the time they get here, you all would be dead."
"Tsk."
The King froze up as he could see how serious Naofumi was about his threat. This angered him since he's the king, he deserves respect.
"You bastard! You think you can get away with threatening me?! The King?!"
Naofumi looked at him with a serious expression after having calmed down, not really planning on losing control again.
"Don't ever summon or speak to me again, Trash. When the waves are over, I'm out of here. Until then, I will do what I have to. But don't get in my way."
As he prepared to leave, the king just gave the Shield Hero a death stare.
"You dare speak with such insolence! Perhaps those slaves of yours should be punished—No, perhaps that boy, Garfiel Tinsel, should be punished in your stead."
There was a moment where Naofumi paused himself, making the king think that he's got him with a trump card only to realize all he really ended up doing was pissing him off even more. He turned towards him with eyes that had murderous intent.
"You can use all the dirty underhanded tricks you can think of, I'll protect my team no matter what you do. You'll never take anything from me again. I DARE you to lay a finger on them. I'll chase you to the ends of the earth. And make you regret ever being born."
The king was taken aback by just how threatening Naofumi was, making him both scared and angered. Naofumi continued to give him a death stare for a few more seconds before turning around and just leaving the throne room, finding this a waste of his time. Just as the Shield Hero was about to leave, the king furiously shouted:
"I won't forgive you! I won't forgive you, Shield!"
As the king's scream echoed through the castle, Naofumi retorted:
"That makes two of ussssss!"
The Shield Hero's shout echoed around the castle as well all the while the doors to the throne room closed. As he was leaving the castle, a woman that looked like she was from nobility passed by him. As the two passed each other, the woman spoke to him:
"Zank you for all your hard work, Zir."
'Zir?'
He turned around to look at the woman while she continued:
"Your efforts have become somewhat impossible for anybody to ignore any longer. Including certain powers, to put it mildly, aren't taken too kindly to your interference, zir."
As she finished speaking, she pulled out something that resembled a combination of weapons.
'That looks familiar.'
"Virtuous on the surface. And conspiring behind the scenes. You should exercise the utmost caution, Zir. You and the Sword Hero. They are watching him closely. I hope you understand the situation, zir."
Once she finished saying this, she continued to walk deeper into the castle, leaving Naofumi confused for a second before thinking carefully on what was said.
'They'll be watching Ren closely? Hm. That's probably because he's associated with me.'
Taking this into consideration, he starts to see that perhaps having Ren and his party join them might be for the best.
Once he steps outside the castle, he quickly makes his way towards the weapon shop as he wishes to leave the kingdom as quickly as possible.
It took him a few minutes before arriving at the shop. The moment he arrived, he noticed a carriage with Garfiel, Raphtalia, Filo, Ren, and Ren's party members all ready to go.
"There ya are. Talia and Filo were startin' t'get worried."
Garfiel said as he was the first one to spot the Shield Hero. The others noticed this which prompted Filo and Raphtalia to approach Naofumi.
"Master!"
"Naofumi-sama!"
Naofumi felt comfortable seeing the two girls before noticing Ren approaching him.
"What did the king and priest want?"
"The priest wasn't there and the king is an annoying bastard like usual."
"Hm. Th't's weird. White robe guy was there when th'king wanted a chat."
"I wonder where he went then." Ren said as he crossed his arms. Naofumi was silent as he recalled something the woman had said not too long ago.
("Virtuous on the surface. And conspiring behind the scenes. You should exercise the utmost caution, Zir. You and the Sword Hero. They are watching him closely. I hope you understand the situation, zir.")
Naofumi thought on the words that the woman had said, prompting him to tell everyone:
"Let's get moving."
As Filo was managing to pull the large carriage despite it having more people than usual, the combined group of the Shield and the Sword heroes had managed to reach out of the castle town, Naofumi and Ren were on the front as their respective party members were on the back with the supplies, each of them having a chat about the wave with all of them leaving out the battle with Glass and Naofumi.
"We packed a lot of things for the trip, hopefully it'll last us the journey to Shieldfreeden."
Naofumi took a look at the supplies once again, seeing that there was indeed a numerous amount.
"We should be fine."
"I hope so."
"...you worry too much. It's annoying."
"You are right, apologize."
The two remained silent for a bit, trying to think of a better way to inform the other of the information they have that'll prove useful for both parties to know. Before any could even form some small talk, Garfiel taps Naofumi in the shoulder as he hands him a letter.
"It's from th'shop owner. Wanted ya t'read it."
Naofumi grabbed the letter from Garfiel's hand and began to read it, curious to know what the shop owner had written.
Kid,
I got you some gifts for the road. Use 'em if ya like.
For the kid, a shield accessory. It can analyze a shield and do tons of other useful stuff.
For the missy, a mana sword. Use it on enemies with no physical form.
For the boy, a bracelet to help his defense increase while I work on repairing his shields.
If, God forbid, the fowl lassie can't draw the wagon anymore, this item will help. Put this on, and gain the strength of a hundred men! Even you could push the carriage.
As he finished reading this, he looked at the bag next to him to see the items that were referenced in the letter. This made him feel comfortable since the shop owner was one of the few people he could trust. As Filo continued to move the carriage a couple miles away from the castle town, they eventually stopped in order to give everyone a chance to stretch their legs while Filo took the chance to relax. This was the perfect opportunity for the two legendary heroes to speak in private, away from everyone else.
"Mind if we chat for a moment? I got something that might get your attention."
Naofumi looked at Ren for a moment before looking at the others, seeing that everyone was busy talking among themselves. He turned back to the Sword Hero before crossing his arms.
"Make it quick."
As he said this, he had his back on the carriage as he allowed himself to rest for a bit all the while listening to what Ren had to say.
"The blessed series, I believe there are seven different types."
"Okay. Elaborate." The Shield Hero said as he was curious about it.
"The one I had unlocked was Temperance, meaning—"
"—it's possibly a counter to the curse series."
"The curse series?" Ren tilted his head a bit when asking this. Naofumi was silent as he closed his eyes, recalling the rage he was in during the end of the wave.
"Yes, that's what I had unlocked during the wave. The curse series, wrath."
"Wrath...if the curse series contains the sins of man, then the blessed series are the virtues of man."
The two heroes thought more into this correlation.
"Would the mindset of the legendary heroes unlock these two series?"
"It's a possibility." Naofumi said, suspecting that Itsuki and Motoyasu might just end up unlocking the curse series rather than the blessed series like Ren.
"Did you tell the King or the Priest about this?"
"No, I kept it from them. I don't trust the two with this information."
"Good, because you and your party should leave this country."
"Hm? Why?"
"I don't think you realize but you are now a target."
Ren closed his eyes as he crossed his arms, thinking carefully on his conversations after the wave.
"It could be because I've associated with you since the hourglass incident. That's probably why I might have become a target."
"Regardless, it's your life, you can do whatever you want. I'm just informing you of this because I owe you."
"Well then, I appreciate the heads up."
Ren nodded as he turned towards the party members of Naofumi and his, starting to view this world differently. He once thought of this world as nothing more than a videogame, a place where he was the main character but now he views this world like an actual world, one with real people in it.
'I...I want to protect them.'
"We should get going." Naofumi said as he prepared to let the others know. Just as he was about to inform the others, Ren had one last thing to say to Naofumi.
"Thanks. For setting me straight."
"..."
("You come to another world and treat your companions this way? You're trash.")
("I agree. It's very difficult to sympathize with him.")
There was no easy way for Naofumi to accept these words from Ren, especially since that day is scarred into Naofumi's very soul as the day he rejects everyone of this world...but then he recalls the first days with Raphtalia, the first time he met Garfiel Tinsel and how he respected him despite not even knowing the situation, Filo's first days in this world, and even a few okay moments with both the shop owner and the slave trader.
Those feelings of ease as well as truly watching Ren grow was what allowed him to be okay with the Sword Hero. He still doesn't see him as a friend but as a companion will do.
Naofumi just gave him a nod before telling everyone:
"Let's hit the road. We have a long journey ahead of us."
Once he said this, both party members understood this and started to pack up back onto the carriage.
As they were about to leave, Garfiel smelled something familiar which prompted him to look around.
"Come on Garf, we have to go." Raphtalia said, not knowing that he smelled something was off. As Garfiel looked and looked, he noticed a couple of carriages approaching them.
"Oi, Shield boss, we got some company."
"Hm?"
As Naofumi and the others caught on to what the Shield of Sanctuary had said, they turned to see someone approaching only to notice a familiar girl:
"We finally caught up with you!"
"Ah, Mel!" Filo shouted with a smile, happy to see her friend.
As Melty's carriage continued as the other knights were approaching, Raphtalia approached her master, noticing that he didn't want to interact with the second princess.
"Naofumi-sama, it may not have been for long, but we traveled together as a party."
"Master...Mel-chan's a good girl, y'know?"
"..."
Naofumi just looked at Filo with an annoyed facial expression. Garfiel just approached the Shield Hero as he patted his arm.
"No need t'look so annoyed, Shield Boss. Just play nice th's one time'n we can head off without her followin' us."
"...fine, I'll play nice."
Wanting this to end quickly, he's choosing to play nice. Melty got out of her carriage alone with a crowd of knights behind her, watching as she was closing in on the Shield Hero and Sword hero's respective party members and their position.
"Melty-sama." Ren's party said in unison as they bowed with respect.
Melty looked at the Sword Hero, having just noticed him, before nodding with respect.
"Sword Hero." As she said this, her attention turned towards Naofumi. "Shield Hero, I'd like you to return to the capital and meet with King Aultcray once more."
"I refuse." Naofumi spoke without hesitation.
"Damn. No hesitation." Garfiel spoke out his thoughts, sounding impressed. Melty looked at him for a moment before turning back towards the Shield Hero, annoyed.
"I want you to apologize for your conduct and reconcile."
"I refuse!" Naofumi once again spoke out, slightly aggressive this time.
This caused her frustration to start to show.
"We need your help to stop the Waves."
"That may be true but King Aultcracy hasn't shown any signs of giving Naofumi here fairness." Ren stepped in, cutting Melty from finishing what she was going to say. This forced her to turn her attention to the Sword Hero. Ren continued: "I understand that he's your father and you are doing your best but how can you guarantee that the King will be fair."
"Because mother will make him pay if he doesn't." Melty spoke out in a low tone of voice, not really enjoying giving this kind of information.
"Wait, the queen will punish the king?" Tersia questioned, finding this quite interesting. The other members of Ren's party were also curious by this.
"...look, Shield Hero, just come back with me. I promise that I'll create a space for you and father to make amends." The second princess spoke to the Shield Hero, desperately trying to convince him. Garfiel turned towards Raphtalia as he wanted to see what she was thinking about this situation.
"Oi, Talia, any thoughts?"
"Well..." Raphtalia was silent for a moment as she didn't want to say anything that would be against Naofumi but at the same time, she knows Melty means well.
"Doesn't hurt t'be on th'opposing side 'f th'Shield boss."
"It would be bad if they were against me, Garfiel Tinsel." Naofumi spoke out with a stern tone of voice.
"Aw come on, yer not always correct."
"That's...probably not the wisest thing to say, Garf." Raphtalia warned, knowing that Naofumi doesn't trust people who would willingly go against his opinion. This was something that got everyone's attention, prompting a possible argument to break out only for Naofumi to turn around and head back to the carriage.
"This is a waste of time. Besides, we don't have time for this."
"Wait Shield Hero! You need to go back to apologize to father."
"I don't have to do anything!" Naofumi said as he stopped on his footsteps. Garfiel understood the sentiment and knew that he wouldn't convince the Shield Hero at this point nor those he care to.
As they were all turning to leave, the demi human boy paused as something didn't feel right. Naofumi also felt this as he just recalled that there was a crowd of knights standing behind.
'This feeling...it's similar to the situation with that bitch.'
As Naofumi turned around, he suddenly felt blood hit his face, leaving him in shock.
Author's note:
Here we go, another chapter as promised and the end of Arc 1. As for the next chapter, yes, it will be a while since well Koolken likes to take things slow while I'm just a speedy writer, so we agreed that we will write a couple of chapters with the added context of the novels and anime before posting them again, so await for the next chapter and I hope you all enjoyed this one.