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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I will make this clear in the beginning. I don't own the anime, the manga, the novels, or anything else tied to ROTSH.

"Hmmm, two hundred silver left. With two rooms at thirty copper each per night, and meals for two at 5 copper each. That leaves a little over... 199 silver."

It was night outside the inn room window. The normal clothes that the young man had bought earlier at a general store were stored in one of the room's drawers. His new black and grey chainmail armor hung off the back of the chair next to the one that he was sitting in. The room was lit by the light of one candle resting on the table. He was counting his money near it.

This was the Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani. He was one of four people that were summoned to this world as Cardinal Heroes the day before. The other Cardinal Heroes were Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero. Itsuki Kawasumi, the Bow Hero. And Ren Amaki, the Sword Hero. Naofumi didn't have too much of an opinion of his fellow Heroes just yet. Despite the rather rude attitude that they displayed during their briefing with the King, they didn't seem like bad people.

He took about 30 silver coins and stashed them inside a shield on his arm. "Heh. Look at me, acting like your stereotypical Japanese tourist."

Naofumi finally got up from his chair and laid back on his bed. Feeling absolutely tired. "Holy crap, what a day." He said, staring up at the ceiling in disbelief.

This world operated on gamelike mechanics. He was only level one. And, because he was the Shield Hero, he had the lowest attack stat ever. But he didn't mind it very much. This morning, they'd received party members and money from the kingdom. Because only one person had joined him, he received more money than the other Heroes. He'd already used three-fourths of it to improve himself and his party member. Along with that, they'd gone monster hunting for the first time.

...

'I wonder how it truly feels to kill a monster. Today I just ran around popping balloons...' It'd taken five minutes of punching just to kill one. And he'd only managed to kill three of those little balls of malice before tiring himself out.

...

'I might have no attack… But still, I really am in another world!'

He started shaking around on his bed, squealing with excitement. Even though it was unbelievably weird, he already loved this world. He loved how different it was from where he came from. He loved the smell of the air. He loved the magic he'd witnessed. The gorgeous ladies. The fact that he was actually needed for once in his life.

He even loved how the littlest things reminded him of gaming. From the Status Magic to having levels and stats. He had more experience playing in massive player games as a trader or guild boss and didn't have close to any experience playing RPGs, but hey, what did he care about that? He loved games almost as much as anime. And there was nothing better to him than learning as you go along.

Besides this world feeling like a game, he also loved how real it felt. The feel of the nice soft mattress beneath him felt real. The people he'd interacted with today felt real. The food he'd eaten, oh how real and good it had tasted! He could sing praises to that food for hours if he could! Even the fresh air felt more real than the city air he'd been accustomed to back home.

What was the most unbelievable was an overarching fact. He, an average otaku, had the hottest babe around helping him out. Not Ren, not Itsuki, not hot and tall Motoyasu, him! The average-looking guy of the group!

It was amazing!

'Wow, I'm finally moving up in life.' He closed his eyes in bliss at the feeling inside him at that moment. 'It's about time my luck changed… after how my life was going nowhere back home...'

A prick of guilt went through him at that thought. Sure, his parents were the worst, and they might have taken advantage of his cooking abilities more times than he could count, but he was going to miss his brother. He wished those mages from before would have at least given him some sort of advance notice so he could have left a note for him.

His parents probably wouldn't notice anything amiss. But his brother would realize it when he didn't come back from the library... Maybe the other three guys had a point when they became indignant at getting summoned. Would he ever see his brother or his world again?...

'No. Remember that the King promised we could go back once we succeeded in saving this world.' But how long would that actually take? His stomach churned, contemplating that. What would his brother think if he never made it back home?...

He heard two voices talking outside his door, interrupting his somber train of thought. 'Is that Motoyasu and Itsuki?'

"I'm totally going to outdo you tomorrow Motoyasu."

"In your dreams Itsuki."

Naofumi sat up. They were only trash-talking and all that. Classic gamer talk. It made him smile nostalgically. 'Wow, it's so familiar to what my guildmates told each other all the time… you know, as much as I'll miss technology and anime, as much as I'll miss my brother... I think I'm going to like it here.' His parents would be more than fine if only a little mad that he wouldn't be cooking for them again anytime soon. And once he came back, he could tell his brother about all the exciting adventures he'd had in this world.

"Time for bed. Got to rest well and have an early start for my grand adventure tomorrow and all that." He chuckled to himself. His brother would be so jealous! That drove away the rest of his somber thoughts. Imagining the look on his face when he told him all about bombshell Myne and how she helped him save the world.

He turned to blow out his candle.

"You know, I can't believe how much my party leveled up just from me killing balloons and mushes, I mean, check out their stats!" Motoyasu said outside his door.

"How? I can't see your party's status if I'm not in it." The younger boy grumbled in annoyance.

"Oh, right, sorry. Here, just give me a sec and I'll send you an invite!" Motoyasu quickly replied, sounding embarrassed.

Naofumi didn't blow out the candle. 'Huh? You mean you can look up the stats of your party members in this game?'

He'd mentioned before that he wasn't very familiar with the rules of RPGs, right?

"Don't tell me you were the only one who was actually killing monsters?" Itsuki asked.

"Of course I was." Naofumi could imagine Motoyasu making a pose of flexing his biceps at that moment. "Got to make sure those fine ladies of mine don't so much as scratch a fingernail while I make them stronger."

Wow, what a simp.

"Besides, that's one of the best things about an RPG. If one kills, the whole party benefits."

Naofumi stared at the door in confusion. 'Didn't Myne kill a couple of balloons herself?... but I didn't get anything from that.'

"Yeah, I kind of forgot about that rule early on. It wasn't until we were halfway through the day that I realized I still had to accept the party invites my group sent me when we joined up in the castle. There was a lot of experience we all missed out on." Itsuki said, sounding embarrassed.

"No worries man! I'm sure you'll have better luck tomorrow if you and your whole party are going at it! Just don't make those ladies of yours work too hard!" Motoyasu said encouragingly to the Bow Hero. It sounded like both their voices were getting farther away.

"Good night Motoyasu!" Itsuki responded faintly.

"Night, Itsuki!"

...

Naofumi was standing by the door now, his ear having been pressed up against it to listen to their conversation. 'The others received party invites from their adventurers at the castle? But, but I don't remember getting something like that… didn't I?'

He pulled up his HUD. In the top left, it showed only his health bar and stats. He looked around some more, but he didn't see Myne's stats anywhere. 'Maybe she isn't a member of my party yet... Is there somewhere I have to go to accept the party invite? I should do that now if me and Myne both want to get stronger together. Damn, if only I'd known this sooner. Talk about embarrassing.' He spent the next few minutes tinkering around.

Eventually, he opened his help guide in the bottom right corner of his HUD. He used it to help him get more used to how to navigate through the different menus. Even though a part of him was still tired, he realized this was probably important to get out of the way right now.

Since, knowing him, he might be stupid enough to forget about it by tomorrow morning.

'Let's see. That's how I can check my status. That's how I can check what recipes I have for crafting… where is it- Ah, yes! The party menu. So if I got a party invite… it should have been put in the party menu near the bottom left of my screen.' He looked at the icon labeled [PARTY], smiling in relief when he found it.

Again, the fact that he didn't realize it'd be there should have been telling of how little knowledge he actually had about RPG's.

'And if I have a party invite, it should be under received invites in the party menu.'

He focused on the party menu, and the help guide moved to the side. Two options appeared in front of him. The first one being 'invite to party' and the second one being 'accept invitation requests.' He focused on the second option.

'You have not received any invitation requests at this time.'

He blinked in surprise and tried focusing on it again. However, the message repeated itself. A third time and an additional line of text appeared.

'When you receive an invite, it will alert you on your HUD.'

Naofumi's face scrunched up in surprise. 'I don't have a party invite from Myne?' He was baffled at that. With how knowledgeable she'd been earlier, she should have known how to do all of this. 'Maybe she forgot… but how did she forget when all the other adventurers didn't.'

...

A cold feeling started to enter Naofumi's gut. A cold feeling he knew all too well from back home. It was part of the main reason he'd given up on socializing. It was why he'd allowed himself to sink so far into anime and gaming that he'd proudly taken on the title of otaku.

Something like this had happened to him once before.

But his gut was telling him what was about to happen would be much worse than that time.

'I'll go over it with Myne tomorrow. I'm probably just being paranoid.' He thought brightly, trying to reassure himself. It wasn't like him to be this paranoid over a simple mistake...

He stood there for a moment more despite the hopeful thought. Even though the more optimistic part of him wanted to trust Myne and go to sleep. It'd been a very tiring day for him and he knew he had to rest. Yet he couldn't shake off this cold feeling. The part of him that wanted to investigate and put the matter to rest was steadily getting louder and louder.

There was something very wrong with the lone member of his 'party.' He just didn't know what it was...

Finally, that part of him won out and he opened his door. He entered the hallway of the second floor of the inn and walked silently to avoid waking anyone else up. 'I'll just talk to Myne. Maybe she can help me realize that I'm overreacting over nothing.'

When he got to her door, he knocked gently on it. "Psst. Myne. Are you in there?"

...

He got no response. He tapped his knuckles against it a little louder. "Psst. Myne. It's me, Naofumi." He called again.

...

There was still no response.

He looked around, seeing the hallway was empty. He opened the unlocked door to her room and peeked his head in. By taking one look around, he found that nobody had gone in yet. The bed was still made. The furniture was untouched. Maybe she was still at their table downstairs?

But that had been over an hour ago...

He closed the door and made his way back down the hallway. The candlelight from the various candleholders lit up his unsure-looking face. For some reason, that cold feeling in his stomach was getting stronger the closer he got to where the hallway opened up to the main room of the inn. Where the left wall was replaced with ornate wooden banisters that kept people from accidentally falling down into the dining area.

The thought entered his mind again that he was just being paranoid and should go back to sleep. But he continued onward. It'd be better to talk to Myne now that he knew that she was out of her room. But the lack of noise was oddly disconcerting to Naofumi. Hadn't the diner been full of people when he left earlier? Did that mean everyone was asleep now? What if Myne wasn't there and he'd mistaken which room she had?

It was when he was close to the edge that he finally heard voices.

"Are you sure that this plan of yours will work, princess?"

'... Princess?' A Princess was here?!

Naofumi got down on one knee and leaned forward just enough that his face could look between the gaps of the banisters down below, and he tilted his head just slightly so he could listen to them better.

"Yes, I'm positive it'll work." Myne was talking to a lady donned in a white cloak with a white hood over her head. Although he didn't have much experience in this world yet, it looked to him like something a nun would wear. "In fact, I can guarantee he won't see it coming until it's too late. That idiot's already gone to bed, and by the time he wakes up, guards will have his room surrounded. There'll be no way for him to escape what's coming." She said proudly with a smug, malicious smile.

'Who was it they were calling a princess.' He was confused. He didn't see any girl dressed in an ornate dress or whatever princesses were known to look like.

Though he also didn't like the tone of voice that Myne had been using. It made her seem more, creepy. Evil, even.

"Princess Malty. The Church of the Three Heroes has many resources at its disposal. Why not use some of them as a means of eliminating the Shield Hero from this world right now?" The lady with Myne asked, sounding eager and anxious.

Naofumi's eyes widened. 'What the hell?! Did she just say Myne's a princess!? That means I have a Princess in my party! This is awesome!... But then why is that nun also asking about eliminating me?! Myne would never want to do something like that!' The cold feeling in his gut finally settled its purpose in bringing him out here accomplished.

The thought came through to just go back to bed and worry about it no more. But Naofumi was hooked. He couldn't leave without hearing the rest of the conversation. "Because Father would get suspicious," Myne said with an eye roll. "Sure he doesn't hold much love for the Shield Hero because of those dirty demi-humans doing stuff to his past family. But even he would suspect something if the Shield Hero was killed outright. Then I would never become Queen." She said, anger in her tone. "No, we have to dispose of him properly. While my mother is away trying to appease the other countries."

Naofumi leaned in closer. Staring in disbelief down below. Was that really Myne? It couldn't be...

"And how will this plan accomplish that exactly?" The nun opposite of her asked skeptically.

Myne laughed into her hand. It was like Naofumi was really seeing the actual bitch side of her for the first time. "Oh, accusations of this kind against a poor innocent princess cannot be ignored. My Father will be absolutely furious when I tell him about what the Shield Hero did to his precious daughter. And because his status as a hero will keep my Father from executing him, he'll instead spread the news of what happened throughout all the land, ruining the Shield Hero's reputation before he even steps out the castle doors!" She said with a malicious glee in her voice.

The nun in the white robes pondered for a few seconds, and then a smile spread across her face. "Oh, I see now why Pope Balamus decided to send his agents out to spread rumors of this sort then. If a 'hero' were to be accused of something like this..." She started.

"He would have no one except the worst riffraff vouching to work for him. I've already seen for myself how he is unable to harm monsters thanks to his low attack stat, and after this, he'd trust no one to help him out. By the time the next wave hits Melromarc, he'll be so weak that he'll have no chance of survival." Myne continued.

"Meaning his death will come at the hands of monsters, leaving no one the wiser about his innocence." The nun's smile grew bigger, but then she frowned. "But Princess, what about those adventurers who signed up to work for the Shield Hero? Surely some of them might want to help him even after the news of his deeds travels throughout the land? And what of the other Heroes?" She asked.

The Princess waved her hand in dismissal. She was more of a short-term planner. The long-term aspects of that plan had been given to her already when the Church first approached her about this. "It was only a few demi-humans and some knight from Seaetto that wanted to help him. The knight has been arrested and jailed in the castle dungeons for murdering her assassin, and the demi-humans were executed because of how desperate they were to serve that idiot-"

"Wait, murder?" Altara interrupted. "Are you telling me that one of the shadows that his holiness sent to help you set everything up was killed?"

"Yes, anyway." Myne disregarded the nun's statement. Said nun had to hide her shock and anger as she struggled to maintain a poker face at the Princess's disregard for the life of a faithful. "My Father doesn't know about it, of course. Not that he'll care either; after I tell him how they tried to help the Shield Hero when he was raping me." She said.

Naofumi's eyes widened dramatically. His breathing became ragged. '… rape... she wants to accuse me of...'

...

Cold hard realization hit him. Just like it had that one day when his life in his world came to a grinding halt.

'That was why no one wanted to join my party.'

His mind flashed back to the time when he and the other heroes stood in the throne room. How he'd seen all the other adventurers form up behind the different heroes. How he'd asked why he got no one to help him. And how no one except Myne, no, princess Malty had volunteered to help him.

'They'd already chosen beforehand. Every last one of them. It was never a contest for who they wanted to choose when they saw us. And the reason why I had nobody to support me, was because of HER!...'

He scowled. He felt something hot going down his cheeks. Checking with a hand, they were tears. 'But I don't get it! Why would Myne do such a thing-'

"As for the other heroes. Well, I need someone to be my savior from the dreaded Shield Hero." Myne made a fake crying pose. "Oh, Sir Motoyasu, please save this damsel in distress. Please, Sir Motoyasu, comfort me with your loving embrace. Save me from that horrible creature wearing that horrid Shield." She started giggling maliciously into her hand again after her little act.

"And you think he'll really buy that?" The nun asked in shock.

"Motoyasu's party members have told me how trusting he is to what girls say to him. He'd gobble up my story up in a heartbeat. Since the other heroes trust him more than they trust poor, poor Naofumi, well;" Myne was saying in mock agony, before giggling into her hand and looking up at Altara with an evil glint in her eyes. "It will result in the tragic descent of the Shield Hero."

The nun smiled, but it looked oddly strained. "Princess Malty. I can see why Pope Balamus sent me here to check over the final details with you." She glanced at the exit, looking anxious. "I personally had my doubts about this plan of yours succeeding. But now, those doubts are gone. I'll report the news to Balamus immediately."

Princess Myne laughed into her hand. "Thank you lady Altara. That is high praise coming from one of the noble nuns of the Church." She giggled in delight. "Now, I should get to planting the evidence in his room. That idiot's probably dead asleep by now. And who knows, I might just steal his gear and money while I'm at it. I'm sure Sir Motoyasu would like it even more if I gave my savior a gift of gratitude." She said, a pur coming off of her lips.

"And the Church will make sure that the Shield Hero receives no help from anybody except for the worst, most despicable gutter trash of society." Altara and Myne stood up, shaking each other's hands. And then, Altara walked out of the inn and into the night.

Naofumi had heard enough. Shakily, he got back up. His mind almost refusing to believe it. But unable to deny it any longer. 

Myne was no pretty Princess. She was a complete, and total...

'That two-timing lying bitch!-'

Creakkkkk...

Unfortunately, when he got up, the boards beneath him creaked long and loud from his weight. "Who's there?!" Princess Malty demanded while looking around.

Naofumi stayed still with his back pressed against the wall. Sweat beaded his face as he nervously hoped that she'd think it was some rat or something that'd made the noise. However, he didn't realize that the candle on the wall next to him was casting his shadow on the opposite wall in plain sight until it was too late.

"Oh, you think you can hide from me. No matter. I'll take care of you right away." Myne's sweet voice said in a more deadly tone.

Naofumi's heart hammered at his chest. For the first time since he'd come into this world, fear gripped his mind like a paralyzing plague. He was suddenly reminded that this wasn't a game.

This world was real, and it had very very real consequences.

'All this time. She's been plotting to kill me. No, not just her. But this Church too?! What the freaking hell did I get myself into?!'

It suddenly made perfect sense why he'd never found a party invite from Myne.

At least he knew why now.

The sound of footsteps going up the stairs made Naofumi finally leap into action. He turned around, running back down the hall. There was no hiding his loud footfalls. Not that he wanted to hide them.

Now, he only wanted to get as far away from this evil person as he could get.

Naofumi turned the corner into his hallway right before Myne reached the top of the stairs. He ran into his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Without thinking, he grabbed his chainmail, hurriedly putting it on with one hand. His other hand scooped all the silver coins he'd left on the table back into the pouch. By the time he'd finished with that, his chainmail armor coat was half on, and he hurriedly put the rest on with his other hand while his free hand stuffed the pouch of coins into his back pockets before hurrying to his drawers to grab his spare clothes.

Knocking sounded at his door, freezing him up. "Sir Hero. It's me, Myne. Did you hear somebody run down the hallway just now?" She asked through the door.

Naofumi looked at the door in fear, and then back down at his clothes. He wondered for the space of half a second if he should answer or not… he could pretend that he had heard someone and they'd woken him up. But with all his boiling anger and fear towards her right now, he was tongue-tied.

What if she decided to kill him then and there?! What would his family think?! What would his brother think?!

'What do I do?! Do I try to play along and pretend like nothing's happening?! Should I run away before she accuses me!' Desperation was painted on his face.

He was the Shield Hero. His attack stat was almost nonexistent. Even with all the anger bubbling up inside him, there was no way he could possibly hurt her.

What should he DO?!

...

…

"Sir Hero?" Myne asked again, opening the door into his room. She was holding the sword she'd gotten from the blacksmith earlier that day in her hands.

The candle to the room was blown out, so it took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness in the room. The back window was open. The table and chairs were flipped over as if they'd been quickly searched. The drawers were wide open, and the contents were all emptied. His armor and silver coins were gone. And, most alarming, he was nowhere in sight.

"Sir Hero?!" She yelled.

Oof!

Naofumi landed on his shield arm hard after jumping from the second story of the inn. "Ow…" He groaned in pain. He'd tried to time his jump better but failed to adequately judge when he'd hit the ground. Had his defense stat not been so high for a level one, he would have definitely broken his ankle. He slowly got himself back up off the ground. His legs felt like hell for a few seconds before the pain reverted to a more bearable form of hell.

He did a quick look at his HUD. His HP had dropped about a fourth from the hard landing. But otherwise, he appeared to be okay. The shocking difference between reality and gaming was mind-boggling. But he was too pissed to care about that now.

'What the hell! They go through all this trouble summoning me to their world, just to set up betrayals and false rape accusations within 48 hours of me getting here!? Why even summon me then!?' 

He was angry. Why take him away from his world if they were only planning to screw him over?!

"Sir Hero!?" He heard Myne's voice up above from his open window.

Naofumi looked up through tears. To think she'd been so nice and kind to him, and she'd been planning on killing him?! He'd never hated someone so much as he did at that moment.

Not only that. It hurt. He'd honestly thought Myne wanted to help him. But this hurt even worse than what had happened to him years ago in school.

And what was worse was that he couldn't do a damn thing about it!

'Damn it!'

He wanted to punch the ground, but no. He didn't have time to sit there and stew about it! He took off as fast as he could, down an alley away from the inn.

"Sir Hero?" Myne asked, looking out of the window and at the street below. She looked both ways, seeing no one in sight. When she looked at the ground directly below the window, however, she noticed a dent in the street that looked to be the exact shape of the Legendary Shield.

She was confused at first as to why Naofumi would do something as stupid as jumping out of a window. But then the dots quickly connected in her mind, and a growl escaped her lips. "Damn it! The Shield Hero knows!"

She turned around and walked back towards the doorway. "I need to act now. If he gets to Father before I can tell him what happened, he could ruin everything." She said, dropping a pair of purple lace panties on the side of Naofumi's bed.

"Sir Motoyasu! Sir Motoyasu!" Princess Malty yelled, running quickly out the door.

...

In the shadows of the room, a lady wearing a mask moved from out of her hiding place. She glanced at the door that Malty had left through for a moment. Then, without saying anything, she jumped out of the window and into the night.

Naofumi ran through the streets of the Capital. With it being so late at night, there weren't very many people out and about. What few that were out looked confusedly at him as he ran by like he was being chased by a hellcat.

'They set me up! They betrayed me! They're going to kill me!'

Come on, where were the gates to exit town?! Which way did he go?! Why couldn't he have focused more on learning the layout of the Capital before!?

He felt so stupid. He should have realized that a beautiful girl like Myne would never help him. Why would a girl as hot as her ever want to join some loser like him? She hadn't been prepping him for fighting these so-called waves. She hadn't been getting close to him as a means of becoming friends with him.

No, she'd been setting him up to fail. She wanted to take everything away from him while using this accusation to throw herself into the arms of the Hero she really wanted to be with. The hero she really had her eyes on.

'Motoyasu! You damn womanizer! Were you involved in this too?! I'll never forgive you!'

He stopped next to the wall of some shop. "URGH!" He yelled at himself as he slammed his fist into the wall with a resounding Thud. His anger spiked when he felt little pain from punching a brick wall. "I'm so stupid! I'm a loser!" He berated himself while no one else was around on the street as he punched the wall again and again, but he barely felt it.

"I knew I should have played those RPGs back at home! I knew I should have tried to ask the others more questions! I knew I should have been more suspicious when nobody wanted to join my party! Then I wouldn't have let a bitch like her get close!" He yelled to himself, falling to one knee beside the wall. "I'm so stupid, stupid, ****ING STUPID!"

...

Tears continued to leak from the corners of his eyes. He'd been crying ever since he learned Myne was betraying him.

His heart was shattered.

"Why? What did I do to them? Why does being the Shield Hero make them want to get rid of me?!" He looked up angrily at the sky. "If you hated me already, why the hell would you pull me from my world to this crappy hellhole!?"

This wasn't a fantasy gameworld paradise. It was a nightmare!

…

"Hey kid, you doing alright?"

Naofumi looked to the side. The door to the shop was wide open. He recognized the blacksmith Elhart standing in the doorway. What were the odds? He'd stopped right by Elhart's shop. He wiped tears from under his eyes. "El, Elhar-" He started to say, but he stopped himself.

'No. I have no way of trusting anyone now.'  Who knew how many others were in on the scheme. That nun had mentioned sending agents out to spread rumors about him, right? Who did he have left to trust?! No one!

"Sorry to ask Shield Bro, but your yelling kind of woke me up. Did the pretty lady say no to sleeping in the same room or something-" Elhart asked in an amusing tone.

"Shut up!" Naofumi yelled while glaring at Elhart, much to the latter's surprise. "I already heard what that damn princess is planning to do to me! Don't think I don't know what you're all planning!"

Elhart put his hands up. "Whoa, there, Shield Bro. Calm down-"

"Calm down! CALM DOWN!? Why should I?! How do I know you're not working with that two-timing red-headed whore too!? Huh! Huh-"

Elhart gripped Naofumi's shoulders tightly. Naofumi glared at the large blacksmith. The man leveled a calm gaze back at him. "How about you shut up, come into my shop, and explain what's happening before you make me want to beat your puny little ***." He said. There was no trace of humor in his features any longer.

"Why? So you can distract me? Give me one good reason why I should trust you?" Naofumi angrily asked.

Elhart looked down at Naofumi's angry face. The kid's eyes, which had seemed so warm and full of hope before, were beginning to transform into something cold and distrustful. The transformation wasn't done yet, but it was happening.

Elhart heaved a sigh. 'Damn it, kid. What the hell happened to you?'

"Look. You probably don't have any reason to trust me. But I have no idea what's happening or what Princess you're raving about." He said seriously. "Can you please help an old man out? Or would you rather I investigate a different source tomorrow morning?"

Elhart didn't realize it, but this was the right way to speak to Naofumi. Naofumi, emotional as he was right now, could be reached by logic. His favorite classes in school had involved common sense and logic. He made strategies with dozens of other players based on logic. And to ignore such cold hard truth now would have been an affront to such a strong part of his personality.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll talk... But you better not betray me." He said coldly.

Elhart nodded, and let Naofumi into the blacksmith shop. "Let's hear what you have to say first, and we'll see about that."

Thirty minutes later

"Wow, so all that really went down?" Elhart leaned back in his chair.

The two of them sat around a simple dining room table. A lantern was on, casting light over them both.

Naofumi nodded glumly. The anger at being betrayed by Myne had mostly disappeared. But now he closely resembled the cold Naofumi he had been years ago when a girl had hurt him. It was something he'd thought he'd gotten past.

He hadn't, as he'd just discovered. Life sucked like that sometimes.

Elhart put his hand to his chin in thought. "You know, I could have sworn I recognized the girl that came in with you earlier today. But I never would have guessed she was the first princess. Damn. You really didn't score there, did ya?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't have guessed it either," Naofumi said coldly. "Not until that nun called her that."

Elhart leaned forward. "Do you realize what kind of accusation that carries here, kid? We're not just talking about some plot against a Hero, but we're talking about the state religion of Melromarc plotting with royalty against one of the Four Cardinal Heroes of Legend. If what you're saying is really true, then that'd mean-" He tried to say.

"Then that'd mean that I've been set up to fail from the start," Naofumi said coldly. "Just what I need. Both politics and religion working to screw me over. Why even summon me to begin with?" He asked again.

"I don't know the answer there... But more than that kid, your enemies also include the most powerful nobles in the land. Those who support the king and his daughter, and those who are strong believers in the Church. Not to mention, the many commoners who support them both." Elhart stressed to Naofumi, trying to get him to see the importance of how big this kind of plot was.

"Why should I care?" Naofumi asked coldly, he was sitting sideways in his chair. His head turned to blandly look at the blacksmith. "It's not like I'll be able to do anything about it. Myne is probably with the king and Motoyasu right now, spreading her lies like wildfire through the Capital." The Bitch had said she'd party with that simp, right?

The blacksmith remained silent, but a frown remained on his face. "I mean, it's not like she'll say "oh crap" and forget about me existing. Hell, it'll probably make a stronger argument since I 'ran off' after raping her. That bastard King doesn't like me. Nobody in this kingdom likes me. Even if I'm not executed after I'm arrested, word of what I 'did' to the princess will travel everywhere. In short, I'll have no help to level up. No way of gathering money to improve my gear. No way of being able to trust anyone... And no chance of surviving the waves that are coming." He said despondently, before looking down at his lap.

"Nothing I do will change that. I'm a dead man either way. Why even try?"

...

Elhart took pity on the Shield Hero in front of him. 'Poor kid. He's only been here less than 2 days, and he's already lost all faith in us.'

"Is there any way that I can return back to my homeworld?" Naofumi asked in a begging tone. Maybe if he left now, he could just tell his brother he'd gone camping, or been held up at the library, or held by the police, or, or something!

Anything but what he was going through now!

Elhart shook his head. "Sorry to break it to you kid, but according to the legends, the only way a hero can return to their homeworld is if they beat the waves."

"And if I don't beat the Waves?" Naofumi asked.

"Then we all die, and none of this matters," Elhart said, amusement in his tone.

Naofumi leaned back in his seat again. "Great. I'm screwed either way then." He was starting to hate this world even more now. Thanks, not!

...

Erhard considered it in his mind more. He then sighed, hating himself for what he was about to suggest. "Normally, I wouldn't be caught dead even mentioning this… but there is a way to work around your problem." Elhart grimly spoke out loud, looking up at Naofumi.

"What, are you planning on joining my party now?" Naofumi asked sarcastically.

Elhart laughed heartily. "Heavens no! I'm strong, don't get me wrong, but I don't think I could protect you from everyone in the kingdom. Besides, I still have my business here. And people the Church would go after if I joined you." Elhart became serious once more. "No. What I'm talking about are party members who won't turn on you. Party members that you could trust."

Naofumi looked blandly back up from the floor at the blacksmith. 'Yeah. Like I could ever trust anyone else after this.'

Then again, he was speaking to Elhart now. And the kind blacksmith hadn't turned him away or said he was only daydreaming or something along those lines. Miracles could happen still.

And boy, would he need one hell of a miracle to get him out of this mess.

Along with that, a part of him realized that if there was a way that he could somehow get stronger and survive the waves long enough to return home, then he had to take it. After all, at this point, he had no choice.

"Alright, I'm listening." He said, turning fully to face the bald blacksmith.

Elhart grimaced at how quickly Naofumi had agreed. "If you do go through with this, then I want you to promise me that'll you treat that person better than the way that the First Princess treated you, got it?" Elhart threatened.

Naofumi grimaced back but nodded. "Just get to the point gramps, I don't have all night." He said impatiently. He really didn't. He possibly had hours, maybe even minutes to run away before warrants would be out for his arrest. Maybe he should have just run away altogether? But how far could he possibly get by himself? If Elhart did have a way for him to get someone's help, he had to take it, no matter what it was.

The grimace didn't disappear from Erhard's face. "I'm not much of a fan of it. But desperate times call for desperate measures." He leaned forward again. "And I get the feeling that you'll be a better slaveholder than most other people." He said seriously.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Naofumi looked down at the piece of paper that Elhart had given him. His mind flashed back to what the blacksmith had told him earlier.

"... slaveholder?" Naofumi asked confusedly. "You mean, they actually have slaves in this country?"

Just how vile was this place?

Elhart rested his elbows on the table and grasped his hands together. "I hate it too, but if you're not willing to trust anyone, they're your best bet. Along with that, buying a slave instead of actively searching for party members would get you the least amount of attention from your enemies."

…

Naofumi didn't like it. But Elhart's explanation made a lot of sense.

"The man you need is named Beloukas. He set up shop in the city some years ago. Short and nasty little guy, gives me the creeps." The blacksmith shuddered while Naofumi gave him an incredulous look.

"And you want that guy to join my party?"

"Damn it brat, don't be a smart***!" He took a deep breath. "As I was saying, officially he dabbles in monster trading and raising, but it's just a front for his real business. If anyone would be willing to sell anyone a slave, it'd be him."

Naofumi fumed in his seat. "Why does slavery even exist here?"

"I don't know how it is in your world, kid, but over here, slavery is part of the status quo." Elhart put it simply. "Her Majesty has tried to abolish the whole system in Melromarc altogether, but the nobles backing the throne aren't having it."

"... I hate this place even more now," Naofumi grumbled out, unable to believe that he was actually considering it. Why the hell should he save this world if he had to use a system so, so…

"Fine! But how can I be sure that they won't betray me too?!" Naofumi asked heatedly.

Elhart was almost unable to believe that he was talking about this, with a hero of all people. "A slave can't go against what their master orders them to do, no matter what the order is. They have a special slave crest branded on them that binds them to their master. With it, they're unable to lie. Unable to steal. In short, they're unable to harm you or turn on you in any way unless you allow them to. Otherwise, their crest punishes them."

...

Naofumi put his hand to his chin in thought. It almost sounded too good to be true, yet it was cruel too... But whether he liked it or not, he didn't know what else to do. "And where do I find this... Beloukas fellow?" He asked.

Elhart went to the counter, grabbed a piece of paper off it, and gave it to Naofumi. "Look for an alleyway with this description and follow the instructions."

Naofumi glanced at the paper quizzically. "Umm...is that an advertisement pamphlet or something?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, brat." The blacksmith quickly replied, sounding nervous. "I would never spread word of that place, this is just something that one of my customers gave me today. Some lesser noble lady, looking for a gift for her husband. She thought that it was weird that I had no apprentices and suggested that I should get myself a slave of the Lemo race to help around the shop. … Actually, come to think of it, I could have sworn that I threw it away, why was it back on my counter again… well, whatever." He said in disgust. "This old man still has a long time left in him before he'll ever think of hiring an assistant. And a slave would be my last choice!"

"No, no that's not what I meant." Naofumi awkwardly replied. "It's just that I, uh..." He sounded hesitant.

"You what brat? Spit it out!" Elhart snapped in annoyance.

"I can't read it, alright!" Naofumi angrily snapped back.

…

"Huh?" The blacksmith blanched.

"These letters don't make any sense to me. It looks like a bunch of gibberish."

There was an awkward pause between them for a moment. Then, Elhart sighed as he began reading it to him. "Wait, how am I supposed to remember those directions?" Naofumi asked.

"Damn it, kid, here," He handed Naofumi another sheet of paper and a writing utensil. With that, he spent the next little bit reading over the letter as Naofumi wrote it down in Japanese so he could read it.

Elhart gave a look over once Naofumi was done. "Yep, I can't read that." He muttered. "You'll just have to hope you jotted it down right."

"... As long as this slave can fight for me, I'll be just fine," Naofumi said defeatedly. He got up to walk out.

"Oh, and shield kid." Naofumi turned his head to look back at the blacksmith. "Before you leave the Capital, make sure to bring whoever it is here. I'll have any weapons and armor you might need out and ready for you to choose before you go. I'll prepare a warm bath too since I've been able to smell slaves before I've seen them." He said seriously.

"... Why are you doing this old man?" Naofumi asked.

"Doing what?"

"Why are you helping me? What do you have to gain here?"

Elhart shrugged. "I could gain a potential customer in the future when it's all over. Or maybe I'm just the good Samaritan." He then gave Naofumi a serious look. "You might not believe me when I say this, but I trust you kid. Not only because you're one of the Cardinal Heroes, but because I think you still have a good heart in ya despite what they did. I want to see you keep it so you can beat those blokes and prove that you're not a villain like they say you are." He said seriously.

...

"If you help out a criminal, they might look at it as an act of treason," Naofumi said flatly.

Elhart laughed in response. "I supply at least half of all the weapons and armor around here. If they want to arrest me for helping someone out, I guess I could move my business somewhere else and wait for them to come crawling back to me. I'm sure they'd beg for me to come back when they run short on everything." He said with mirth in his voice.

The blacksmith's reaction almost caused Naofumi to smile. Almost.

He turned to face the doorway again. "If you did that, it might just make my day." He said.

'A good heart, huh… yeah, we'll see about that.' 

...

Naofumi looked at the descriptions on the paper, and then at the alleyway in front of him. He'd followed the directions to the letter. And this alleyway matched up to what the note said. Now, he was supposed to wait for Beloukas to spot him out as a potential customer before proceeding…

He couldn't afford to waste too much time standing there. He didn't know what time it was at night or when the soldiers would come out looking for him. He just knew that if he didn't find the Slave Trader soon, bad things outside of his control would start happening.

He took in a deep breath to calm himself. 'It's okay. If this works out, I'll have someone or a couple of someones who can farm for me. We'll be able to take down monsters together and be able to make enough to have a somewhat decent living while on the run. And maybe, if I'm lucky, these slaves might know of a place or two where we could hide between the waves.'

His mind kept on trying to bring up the fact that whoever this slave or slaves turned out to be could also stab him in the back, slave crest or not. He repeatedly pushed the thought away though. They were definitely annoying, but if they helped him to survive, he'd keep the pessimistic part of him around.

…

"Hey, look at what we have here boys."

Naofumi looked up, hoping for the Slave Trader, but... 'Ah... great.' Three riff-raff-looking guys approached him from the alleyway. Their levels appeared as LV? in his HUD.

He hoped that didn't mean they were way more powerful or something. Again, why did he have to lack knowledge about how RPGs work?

"Looks like we caught ourselves another customer late at night." The big guy in the middle said.

"I wonder how much money he has for us." The smallest of the three who looked like a rogue said excitedly.

While the guy looked small, he didn't look too creepy for a thief. "I have no interest in fighting you three," Naofumi said to them in a calm voice. "Please leave me alone."

"And who says we want a fight? Is it wrong to want to talk with a fellow stranger?" The guy on the left asked, pulling out a knife from his belt. The other two also pulled out similar weapons.

"Yeah, with the equipment you're wearing, it might be more than worth it to talk for a little while!" One of the rascals said excitedly. "And then maybe you could spare us humble folk a pretty coin or two along the way!"

…

The three were caught off guard when Naofumi started to humorlessly chuckle. "Seriously, you really want to waste my time with those puny things." He said as he raised his shield.

One of them growled and rushed forward to stab Naofumi. "Let's see you laugh when this is sticking out the other end of your-" He was saying.

Naofumi swung sideways. The shield slammed into the guy's wrist, knocking the knife off-course and making it stab into the ruffian's own shoulder. "Augh!" The robber screamed in pain as he tried to pull the knife back out.

Naofumi then slammed his shield into the man's face and pushed. The ruffian fell back to the ground, but Naofumi grimaced when the actual damage he did registered as 0. It looked like it had been because of him pushing with his STR stat that the guy actually fell.

The other two hoodrats backed away in surprise. "Are you sure you want to talk to me now?" Naofumi calmly asked, before his face took on a crazed look. His legendary weapon glowed brightly on his wrist. "Or do you filth want to scuttle back to where you belong before I decide to kill you!?"

Three screams sounded at the same time, and all three ran away from Naofumi. Absolutely frightened out of their minds. Naofumi laughed evilly behind them. "That's right, run! Run like the scum you are, you cowards! Ahahahaha!"

Naofumi had the same crazed look he'd made on the spot for another moment, making sure the three screaming would-be thieves were long gone before he suddenly leaned against the wall. Breathing in and out from the fear that had almost made him freeze up when he saw the knife coming for him.

'Holy hell! I'm so lucky that my shield knocked his attack back on himself. Who knows how that could have gone down otherwise...' His thoughts turned to frustration again. 'Damn it! I don't have any good offensive abilities against monsters or even common crooks! If I don't find that slave-trader soon...' He couldn't finish the thought. His future was looking bleaker by the second.

…

"Hmmm, looks like you could use some help, good sir."

Naofumi looked down at the source of the voice.

A short, creepy-looking little man wearing a traditional circus ringmaster's tuxedo stood in the alleyway. The suit part ranged in color from black to grey, the shirt underneath was a clean white, and what looked like a purple feathery vest stuck out from underneath the suit around his neck like a crown. He also wore glasses with a small chain attached to the right side, a pair of white alchemist gloves, a black top hat, and a red bow tie finished up the weird outfit.

His smile spoke volumes in creepiness.

"What are you talking about?" Naofumi asked coldly.

The short man lightly chuckled. Even that sounded creepy. Naofumi knew he'd found the man Elhart had described. It was definitely the creepiest little man that he'd ever met.

At least, he found it highly unlikely that he'll ever meet anyone creepier than this.

"Hmmm, I saw the way you handled those common crooks. It was unbelievable if I do say so myself, good sir. But no matter how good a man is, he can't always win a fight using only a shield, hmmm." The man chuckled again while twirling his mustache.

Naofumi turned back the way he was going. If he was to appear eager, then he'd be overcharged. Maybe so much that he wouldn't be able to afford any slaves.

"Whatever weapons you're offering, I'm not interested." He said while walking away.

"Oh, but what I'm offering you is a service that is far more convenient, good sir." The man said, walking up behind him.

...

Naofumi stopped and looked down at him, his face expressionless. "And what would that be?"

"Interested, are we good sir?" Beloukas pressed.

"Go away," Naofumi responded, turning away again.

Beloukas laughed to himself. "You've got that look in your eyes that I just adore. You're every bit the man the rumors said you'd be."

Naofumi narrowed his eyes slightly. "Rumors huh, so, you already know who I am."

"Of course I do, Shield Hero sir." He raised his face, and Naofumi could have sworn he saw a gleam behind those glasses of his. He suddenly realized no facade he put up would work. Beloukas knew how desperate his situation was.

"If you really want my help, then follow me and we can discuss business. Though if my source is correct, we won't have much time to discuss the details of your transaction, hmmm." He said humorously.

'So I am going to get arrested…' Naofumi's shoulders fell. So much for acting. "Alright. I'm interested." He said honestly.

"Splendid!" Beloukas said.

"But you better not waste my time, or else!" Naofumi added with a low growl.

"Of course, I would never dream of it, good sir! Follow me!"

A few minutes later

"Right this way, good sir," Beloukas said, opening up the flap of a large circus tent hidden in one of the shadier parts of the Capital.

Naofumi looked around at the street one more time. He still wasn't familiar with the town's layout because of only being in it for a day. 'I hope I'll be able to retrace my steps back to that alleyway. That's the only way I know back to Elhart's shop...' He put the little note away and entered behind Beloukas, looking around the interior of the large open tent.

Candles lit up the countless cages all around them, most of which were covered in tarps. The ones that were uncovered appeared to be empty for the most part. And the ones that weren't held people in them that either didn't move and smelled of death or looked back at him with sunken hopeless eyes.

For a moment, Naofumi wondered if this was what hell looked like.

"So, what kind of slaves do you have to offer, Beloukas." He asked.

"Ah, you already know my name then, Sir Shield Hero?" Beloukas asked rather curiously.

"Yes. Let's get on with it," Naofumi replied coldly. His Business Teachers at college would be screaming at him for displaying poor business tact, but he didn't care. He just wanted to grab a slave or two and GO! He didn't even care if they became more expensive or not.

Since he was normally quite stringent with his money, that was saying something.

Beloukas laughed his cold response off. "Of course of course. After all, I run the largest slave-trading business in Melromarc! I'm sure I'll have something here that'll fit your needs!"

Naofumi looked hard at the man. "And they won't betray me?" He asked for confirmation.

"Yes. These slaves are incapable of betraying their masters. I guarantee it, good sir." Beloukas responded as if he already knew what had happened to Naofumi no more than an hour ago. They continued walking past various cages as Beloukas gestured around. "We keep all our slaves in line by placing them under the effects of a curse. A strong seal-based curse. If they misbehave it can even take their very lives." He grabbed the top of his hat. "A very effective countermeasure for betrayals if I do say so myself, hmmm."

So, Elhart hadn't been lying after all… though killing a slave for disobedience seemed a little overkill...

Naofumi hoped he'd never have to use that option. He wished he could be heartless and say it was because it'd put him back at square one... but killing someone so inhumanely didn't appeal to him.

"Well, I know you don't have all night to make your choice here Shield Hero. So what do you think of what you've seen thus far? Any choices… sticking out, hmmm?" Beloukas waggled his eyebrows.

He shuddered. "Nothing so far." It was hard to tell with all these slaves looking so dirty. He didn't even know their price range. How could he possibly buy only one when they all looked like they needed help?-

Wait, he was the one that needed help! This wasn't the time to let his morals get in the way!

"Then let me show you over here, great Shield Hero!" Beloukas led him excitedly onto another part of the tent. "Yes, you have a very keen eye on you! I can tell you have the makings of a wonderful patron in my shop!"

"That'd depend on if I'd come back or not," Naofumi said dryly.

"Ah, yes. Forgive me my tongue brave Shield Hero sir. Your coming back would depend on how merciful the Princess and the Church would be after tonight now that you know of their plans. I was just so caught up in the moment of doing business with one of the great heroes of our age that I lost my train of thought!" Beloukas said apologetically, yet with that great splendor and twirl in his step that was already becoming familiar to Naofumi.

How did this small guy already know so much? That made him even more creepy than before. Just how many people were in on the conspiracy that he'd overheard?

"Just get on with it," Naofumi complained.

"Yes yes, right this way, hmm."

As they continued on, Naofumi looked around some more. He'd thought at first that Elhart and Beloukas had meant human slaves. But most of these creatures didn't look so… human to him. Some of them didn't even look like they were alive.

"Some of them don't look human." He finally pointed out.

"I can assure you they still are, technically," Beluoki responded.

Naofumi frowned, again being reminded of the lack of knowledge.

"Tell me more. I don't know much about this world."

"The creatures that look mostly human but aren't are what we refer to as demi-humans. Don't let the name fool you, of course. It is just a term in our language used to represent all the other races in this world." Beloukas gladly explained as they walked by cage after cage. "The males are mostly used as servants or for manual labor while the females…" A creepy smile came onto his face. "Can vary depending on what their master uses them for."

Naofumi's gaze hardened. "That set of rumors is false and you know it," He said harshly.

"Of course, good sir!" Beloukas gladly said. "Anyways, where was I… ah! Then we have the Beastmen who are demi-humans whose appearance leads more towards the animal side. They're often used as bodyguards or gambled on as participants in death matches."

"I see. But they both fall under the same category?" Naofumi asked. They might make for good party members if they were meant for combat.

"Indeed. And since this country practices human supremacy, and demi-humans are thought to be closer to monsters… well, life can be quite hard for them here. As such, they're treated as slaves."

...

Naofumi felt a small pang of pity for the creatures around him. He'd thought he had it tough. By the sounds of it, these creat- no, people. They'd had it rough for nearly their whole lives. And for the ones who were dead, they'd had to endure it all the way to the end.

His fists clenched. He didn't even know these people, why did he care that they were suffering?

They were nearing a line of fancier, larger cages when Naofumi heard coughing to the side. He looked and saw one lone cage on the ground covered with a tarp. It seemed odd for it to be all alone without any other slave cages around it. Despite that, he walked up to the cage and pulled the tarp out of the way.

Inside was a small girl, dressed in nothing but ragged clothing. The look on her face may as well have said she was already dead. Her eyes, the pupils being a dull red, stared at nothing. Her long brown hair was unkempt and full of knots. Fleas could be seen crawling through her hair. He was hit with such a smell that he almost fell back when he smelled it.

It wasn't that she just stank. He smelt the familiar scent of iron around her. Or, a better term, blood.

Only the sight of her weak hands gripping the chain attached to a collar around her neck showed that she was still alive.

It was a saddening sight to behold.

'A girl...' The pessimistic part of his brain tried to compare this girl to Myne. How he'd want to make Myne look that way-

Just as quickly, he shook away the thought. He hadn't had weeks to be hardened by Myne's accusation, nor did he as of yet have people accusing him to his face. This was a little demi-human girl. She had no connection to that damn bitch. Looking her over, he saw long black scabs around the back of her neck that disappeared under the rags of her back.

Had she been tortured?!

Instead of a pessimistic thought, he felt a moment of connection with her. It was like she was reflecting on how he felt on the inside with her outward appearance.

"Good sir, over here!" Naofumi set the tarp back in place and approached Beloukas. "I'd recommend a creature like this for a high-class gent such as yourself," Beloukas said, uncovering a tarp from a cage and revealing a very dangerous-looking black-furred wolfman gripping the bars of the cage menacingly. Naofumi stared down at it. "It's level 75, and highly capable in battle," Beloukas informed.

Level 75... Naofumi was still stuck at level one. 'A beast like that would allow me to level up in no time…'

It was a tempting offer, but then he looked back at the girl's lone cage. He felt the pessimistic part of him screaming again.

That girl wouldn't be able to help him at all in her horrible condition! She was probably one of the youngest slaves here!... A wave of fresh sympathy for the girl and her plight went through him again, nonetheless.

"Hmmm, are you not interested in my best merchandise?" Beloukas asked, covering the wolf again with a look of uncertainty on his face.

"... You know as well as I do that I could never afford your best merchandise," Naofumi replied dryly, before looking down at the beast-man's cage again. Another thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he voiced it. "Besides, I doubt it's in its best condition if you don't have it out as a bodyguard for the rest of your... wares."

Beloukas recovered and laughed with glee. "Indeed! You have a finer eye for detail than I thought, good sir!" He said happily.

Naofumi heaved an inward sigh of relief, glad that his hunch had been correct.

"This wolfman was a wonderful participant in death matches back in its day, but unfortunately, after breaking its arms and legs in a match, the thing just couldn't keep up anymore. It still hasn't fully healed from the experience either. And so, I'm selling him for the low price of 15 gold pieces." Beloukas explained.

"... I see," Naofumi said calmly. 'So it'd be no good at defending itself against monsters in the state it's in. Even then, 15 gold pieces way more than what I have. I was right that I couldn't afford it.' The pessimistic part of his mind went silent.

He had a feeling most of the slaves here would be out of his price range.

"Well if you don't want my best, let me ask you a question. Exactly what kind of slave are you in the market for?" Beloukas asked curiously.

Naofumi again looked back at the tarp-covered cage behind him. He couldn't see her level on his HUD, it appeared as LV?. What he could see was that her HP bar was low. She was in the beginning stages of an unknown sickness he didn't have the skill to identify. Lastly, there were those worrying wounds he'd noticed around her neck. If she wasn't helped out soon, then her weakened state could possibly kill her. Or her sickness could develop into something worse that'd definitely kill her.

"I just want a cheap slave. Like, say, that one there." Naofumi said, pointing to the cage.

Beloukas and Naofumi approached, and the Slave Trader moved the tarp away to look closely at the girl who was still staring off into nothing. "Are you sure you want her, good sir? Her kind's not well suited for combat or manual labor." He started chuckling as she coughed. "Plus, with her sickness and everything else, this mangy raccoon's not long for this world. I'd recommend-"

"Why should you care?" Naofumi said calmly, his eyes staring down at Beloukas. The creepy man felt a pleasurable shudder pass through him at the strength of Naofumi's glare. "With all those problems, that sounds like a cheap slave to me."

Beloukas felt that shudder pass through him again, and he laughed with pleasure. "Ah yes, you got me there, good sir!"

While the two of them were talking, the half-raccoon girl had slowly closed her eyes. But then she awoke screaming, shocking Naofumi. She closed back in on herself, whimpering in fear.

"Oh, I guess I should mention this girl's previous owner really loved his torture. You should have seen her when she first arrived yesterday!" Beloukas said, before chuckling again.

Naofumi's eyes slightly widened. He'd already guessed it, but to think someone would torture a little girl like her?! He looked at her more closely, and those scab marks poking out around her neck looked like lash marks…

Red filled the corners of his vision. This amount of cruelty was just… was just...

"Hmmm. Are you still certain she's the one you want, good sir?" Beloukas asked more seriously. "I won't have many other cheap options for slaves available for the next couple of days, but I'm sure we could find something else in your price range that isn't dead yet-"

"No. I've decided," Naofumi said with a scary face.

"I'll take her."

The girl, as if becoming aware of her surroundings, at last, looked up at Naofumi. His face made her clutch her chain in fear. If only she knew it wasn't being directed at her. Beloukas, on the other hand, started shivering in glee.

Naofumi got down on one knee, and she looked away. "N-No…" She whimpered.

"How much?" Naofumi asked. He worked on calming himself down before he really felt like killing something, or someone.

Beloukas opened his mouth to say some obviously high price. But seeing the dark look Naofumi still had, a look that said he had no time to deal with any crap, Beloukas pleasurably reconsidered. "I'm selling her for 40 silver."

"Fine. Come on then Slave Trader, let's get this over with so I can leave." He said to the short man, not bothering to address him by name. "I've wasted enough time as is." At least he'd learned some more about this world, for better or for worse. And he'd gotten a slave too.

"But of course, good sir." He replied happily. With the swish of a key, Beloukas opened the cage. Naofumi grabbed the girl by the wrist, pulling her behind him out of the cage. "No! Let me go!" She tried to shout, but her voice came out raspy, followed by a coughing fit. Her other hand weakly hit against the one holding her wrist.

"Come on. I'm going to be your new master, whether you like it or not." Naofumi said. This was for the best. And maybe this wasn't such a bad purchase. Even in her condition, she was still trying to fight him. However, he couldn't have that. He'd have to help her fight monsters in the future.

"No, I don't want to!"

Even if he felt horrid for doing it.

Soon, they were in the central room of the circus tent. The little girl had stopped struggling and now waited to the side, kneeling in the fetal position. "All you need to do is add your blood to this ink here and then we'll be able to get started," Beloukas said, pointing to a bowl full of ink.

Naofumi glanced at it. "Why do I need to add my blood to it?" He blandly asked.

"Ah, for this type of slave crest to work, it requires the blood of the master to be added to this special mix of ink before I apply it to the crest on her chest. That way she'll be tied only to you and no one else." Beloukas explained happily. The little girl cringed in fear on the ground.

Wondering if he even could get cut, Naofumi raised his hand over the bowl. Beloukas did the honors, cutting a small cut at the end of Naofumi's index finger with a knife. It was odd how easy it was with his high defense stat. Naofumi barely even felt it. The blood dripped into the bowl, giving a slightly lighter hue to the black ink in it. He also noticed that the gemstone on his Shield started to glow when the ink was nearby.

Odd.

"Now, let us begin," Beloukas said, carrying the bowl and a brush over to the quivering raccoon girl. At first, she tried to weakly cover the crest on her chest with her hands, but a slight push from Belouka's hand was all that was needed to move them out of the way of her rune. Quicker than Naofumi thought possible, he painted the rest of the crest over it using the ink from the bowl, and it glowed a bright purple. Sealing the slave pact.

"Uhrgh!" The girl bit her lip in pain, almost drawing blood.

"What's with that?" Naofumi asked, trying to hide the worry in his voice.

"Oh, nothing to worry about." He must have failed to hide all his worry. "The pain will dissipate soon." He said as the little girl continued to cry out weakly in pain. "It's just an effect that shows how willing a slave is to work with their new master. It fades away as the girl loses her will to fight against her new master's will." He said with glee, looking back down at the girl who was now on all fours. "Besides, that slave crest will make it impossible for her to defy you. Isn't that what you wanted, good sir?"

Naofumi continued to stare down at her. As he watched, an alert appeared on his screen. The word Contract was first, followed by her stats and a list of rules for the slave crest. Also, to his slight surprise, her HP Bar and other stats moved under his in the top left of his HUD. The title (Companion) was placed next to her name; which was as yet unknown to him. Slave A.

Was that what was supposed to happen when Myne joined his party… Though he found it weird that this girl had a title like (Companion) instead of something like (Slave) or (Party Member).

He shrugged it off. He'd look it up in the help guide later.

"There now, she's all yours," Beloukas said. He happily waited behind his desk for payment.

Naofumi took out what he'd placed in his shield along with eleven extra silver from his pouch. "Here's your money, just like we agreed," Naofumi said, setting the money on the desk before he walked over to the little girl. She was still coughing and crying from being in pain.

"Um, sir. There's one extra here," Beloukas said behind him, holding up the pouch.

"That's your commission. If I ever do come back, I'll expect good treatment." Naofumi responded. 'And so that way I don't have to pay for both her and the slave crest together.'

"Why, of course, good sir," Beloukas said happily.

Naofumi said nothing as he looked down at the little girl with an indiscernible look. She stared back up at him defiantly. This lasted only for a moment before Naofumi suddenly reached down, making her automatically whimper and crouch down while covering her head. Instead of a painful strike, however, she felt herself being lifted up. She opened her eyes in surprise and found herself sitting on her new master's elbow, with him holding her close to his body while her head peeked over his shoulder.

"Let's go. We have somewhere to be." He said coldly as he carried her out. The smell of blood and other things hit his nose.

The girl struggled weakly for only a few seconds before falling limp. She started sniffling.

Her life was about to get worse all over again. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see Rifana one last time before she died.

Rifana...

"It was a pleasure doing business, good sir! I hope we meet again! After your name is cleared of course, hmmm!" Beloukas said to his back. Naofumi didn't look back to respond. And he exited the tent.

...

Beloukas chuckled lightly to himself.

"Well done, Beloukas."

A dark, masked figure appeared from the shadows. Beloukas didn't look surprised in the slightest. "May I ask how you knew he'd choose her?" He asked.

"I didn't. I daresay, I only did what I felt was best." The mysterious lady said.

"Hmmm, so her Majesty doesn't know?" He asked.

"... No, she does not. The others left several days ago to inform her of the illegal summoning and the plots that we had discovered. They tasked me with staying behind to find a way to help the Shield Hero survive."

"If you wouldn't mind humoring another question then, why that girl, specifically?" He asked.

"..." The mysterious lady looked down through her mask at Beloukas, judging him for a moment... "I daresay, I still don't know if I made the right choice." She admitted. "Much of my time has been spent rushing around, trying to find the right slave among a small group of nearby slavers and nobles." She stared at the entrance. "I felt that with his planned betrayal, he would need someone with a kind heart to help him… I only hope that I was right in that regard."

"Hmmm… Well, either way, I'm getting goosebumps all over just thinking about what they'll accomplish together!" Beloukas said excitedly.

"Yes… let us hope that they will succeed." The mysterious lady said. Her shoulders slumped since there was nothing else she could do for now. "I daresay, the safety of our world very well depends on the Heroes' survival."

Several minutes later, Naofumi looked back behind him up the alleyway. It was still the middle of the night, and there was no one out and about yet. Despite that, he'd already almost walked into a squad of knights shortly after leaving the large tent and the shady part of town behind him with the little girl in tow. It had sounded like they were looking for someone, but he wasn't willing to take any unnecessary risks to find out who it was they were searching for. Besides, he felt like he already knew the answer to that particular mystery.

'Let's see. If I remember right, I went over there on my way back from Elhart's shop.' He peeked out of the alley to look at the street.

The girl he'd bought remained silent in his arms. Her hands were clasped together in front of her, and her head looked down as if she was feeling guilty about something. He looked one way up the street that he didn't recognize. Then he looked the other way and breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the blacksmith's shop.

'Alright, maybe we can- hell!' He quickly pushed himself back to hide in the alleyway. A squad of Knights he hadn't noticed coming up the street jogged by the alleyway. They had serious expressions on their faces while their hands rested on the hilts of their sheathed weapons.

'Damn, that was close.' He looked back out of the alleyway again to make sure the coast was clear. The girl remained silent. Awaiting her orders from her new master.

"I guess I should ask what your name is." He said in a bland tone while observing the street.

The little girl didn't speak. She continued to stare silently down at the ground from his arms. "I said I should know your name," Naofumi said again, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.

The girl cringed as if she was expecting to be hit by her new master. He looked back down at her, noticing her reaction. He sighed inwardly. Though he still wanted to act cold and indifferent to this world, he couldn't forget what this little girl had gone through. All he knew about was the torture. He could only imagine what else she'd gone through.

"Look," Naofumi set her on the ground and crouched down next to her. "I'm not going to abuse you like your previous masters. I need you to survive, and you'll need me too if you want to survive. So, can you tell me your name?" He asked her calmly.

...

The little girl slowly looked up at him. His face was still expressionless and hard to read, so she couldn't tell if he was lying or not. "I-I'm R-Raph-R-Raphtalia." She finally spoke weakly.

"... Raphtalia, huh?" He tested the name on his tongue again. The name updated on his HUD. After feeling he had it down, he got up and looked back up the street. "Listen, Raphtalia, I don't know what exactly your previous masters did to you. But I'm going to try to not be like them, okay?"

Funny, he was willing to tell her that even when he wasn't willing to trust her in the slightest. Yet the little girl looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise. 'I wonder how long it's been since anyone tried to be kind to her... poor girl.'

Seeing that the coast was clear, he grabbed her gently by the hand. "Come on, we don't have much time, Raphtalia." He said.

"... Yes, master." Raphtalia followed her new master, her tail twitching slightly in curiosity behind her. She hadn't been a slave for long, but for some reason, it felt like an eternity had passed since anyone had spoken such gentle words to her. At least, what she was able to discern as gentle words despite his indifferent tone. It didn't make him any less scary, but it drew in her curiosity like a mouse to cheese.

Naofumi quickly looked around when they got to the door and rapped his knuckles on it. Within seconds, Elhart opened the door for them. "Good, I was wondering if you had been found by the knights on patrol-" He stopped talking when he saw the little girl huddled behind Naofumi.

"We're good for now, but I don't know how long that'll last. Also, by any chance, did you get that bath ready?" He asked, using two fingers to plug his nose.

Elhart looked down at the girl. 'Hmmm. Not the sort of slave I expected him to get... Poor thing doesn't look like anyone else would have bought her, looking like that...' "Yes. I already have it prepped upstairs. It's behind the third door on the right." He said, letting them in.

Naofumi led the young Raphtalia up the stairs. Once they got to the specified door, he opened it and looked inside. It wasn't a modern bathroom like what he was used to, but at least they weren't at the stage where they had to bring water buckets in to fill a tub or throw their crap out of a bucket onto the street.

Though, after the way he learned the Capital had been planning on treating him, he honestly wouldn't have minded doing such a thing out of spite.

Shaking himself from the thought, he found that, true to Elhart's word, the bathtub (an expensive luxury for such a time period that the old man had gladly purchased for himself) was already filled with warm steamy water. 'I'm liking this old man more by the minute.'

"We don't have much time. I'm expecting you to be bathed and ready by the time I come back up with a change of clothes for you." Naofumi said.

"Master?" Raphtalia asked, pulling on the sleeve of his chainmail. "Why are you letting me use a bath?"

...

Naofumi, very slowly, looked down, struggling to maintain a calm expression. 'Seriously? Her previous owners didn't even allow her to bathe!? What the ****ing hell!' Red hot anger flared through his veins once again. Anger which he masked under indifference. "One, you stink. And two, I don't want you to get even sicker than you already are now just because you haven't been able to eat or bathe properly for who knows how long." He explained. "Now hurry it up." He finished before closing the door behind him.

The auburn-haired demi-girl stood there, staring in awe at the door, and then at the tub.

"Master's, allowing me to take a bath." She said again in disbelief. Had he… had he actually meant what he said earlier? About not abusing her... Whatever her thoughts on her new master were, it was that he was definitely going to be different than the other two. Her tail wagged happily behind her as she wriggled out of her rags and jumped like the little kid that she was into the bathtub filled with warm water.

Water sloshed over the edges and then slowly became tinted red as she sunk down to her face in it. She glanced to look to the side and noticed a bottle of bath foam staring back at her. The perfect addition to any bath.

She briefly wondered if she should ask her master for permission. But he'd said they didn't have long, and it was staring so temptingly at her. So the little girl smiled widely and grabbed it.

Naofumi stood next to the counter, watching as Elhart ran around his blacksmith shop. "So, want to tell me why you bought a little demi-girl?" Elhart asked, looking at Naofumi. The stink-eye that Elhart was giving him said it had better not be because of what the rumors were saying and him thinking it was okay to validate those rumors.

"There weren't that many healthy slaves to pick from. She was also one of the cheapest options that I saw," Naofumi said coldly while looking to the side.

"... and by the looks of it, she's been through hell." He admitted blandly at the end.

It was enough that Elhart dropped the stink eye. 'So the kid does still have a heart in him. I'm glad to see he hasn't been corrupted completely yet.' "Do you think she'll be able to fight for you? If you asked me, she looks a little skittish." Elhart replied.

"I don't know. Maybe," Naofumi groaned, adjusting the collar of the green cloak that Elhart had given him to wear over his cloth chainmail. What was he thinking when he bought that girl?! He needed someone that could fight for him, not some little girl with a disease! "I'll work around that when I get to it."

Elhart stared at Naofumi for a moment more. He let out a small sigh, and then came over with what he'd collected. He didn't like it much, but at least the girl was in better hands now. And he figured that eventually with the way things were going, the safest place for such a girl would be next to one of the heroes.

Especially the one assigned the weapon to protect.

"Then here's a small dagger for her to start out with. And once she's more comfortable with fighting, I have a feeling that this small preowned iron sword will come in handy." He said, showing the other weapon before sheathing them and giving them to Naofumi so he could store them in the pack.

So he could touch weapons, but not when he had the intent of using them in combat. Yeah, like that made any sense. Thanks freaking Legendary Shield. Not.

Elhart also gave him a whetstone and some oil to help with their maintenance. He put these in the pack too.

"How about clothes? Do you have anything that fits her size?" Naofumi asked.

Elhart pulled out a small set of clothes from under the counter that he'd put away after Naofumi led Raphtalia upstairs. The colors were faded from use, but they looked like they'd work for now. "I honestly don't know how well they'll fit. Heck, if you're really intent on leveling up and surviving, she might grow out of them within a few weeks." He said.

"... What do you mean... grow out of them?" Naofumi asked.

"Don't tell me you don't even know that much, kid," Elhart said in surprise.

"Give me a break. I've only been here for two days." Naofumi complained.

"Relax, I'm just messing with ya." Elhart laughed. "Let's just say that Demi-humans are a bit unusual compared to people like us. They are able to accelerate their natural growth by leveling up." Elhart said.

…

"What?" Naofumi said in disbelief. "Is that a joke? Are you messing with me again?"

Elhart shook his head. "Nope. That's part of the reason why the demi-humans are hated here. They can mature physically, mentally, and emotionally by leveling up. I've seen it for myself too… anyway, I'd recommend preparing for that. If you do manage to get her to fight monsters, stay close to a town. Either that or pick up sewing. You're going to need it if you don't want a hormonal demi-human walking around you with clothes several sizes too small for her." Elhart said, waving it off to check around his shop for anything else that could possibly be of use to Naofumi.

Naofumi blanched. He knew he should have asked for more details. This could cause all sorts of problems later on! Now he not only had her sickness and wounds to worry about but the additional problems of puberty, clothes, etc. that he'd have to address!

Screw fantasy worlds! They always had unexpected rules to screw you over with!

"Oh, and make sure she has the birds and the bees talk too. She'll need to be prepared for adulthood if you level her up."

"Oi! Shut your damn mouth old man! I'm not planning on doing anything like that!" Naofumi bellowed at the laughing blacksmith.

"Dig your own grave then if you want, kid."

Naofumi decided to assume that Elhart was just pulling his leg. Though he had no reason other than his growing distrust for people to not believe it. "Hmph." He crossed his arms and pouted.

It looked like Elhart was going to explain something else when he looked at the back room of his shop. "Oh, I almost forgot. I also have a meal ready to go on my table that you can bring with you." He disappeared and quickly reappeared with it, already packaged and ready to go. "I figured whatever slave you brought might need some nourishment." He said, sounding a little more cheerful than before.

Naofumi looked at the weapons, then at the clothes, then at the meal. "How much is it going to cost for all this?" He asked skeptically. He was down to 158 silvers.

Elhart put a hand on his shoulder. "Consider this on the tab. I trust that one day you're going to come back, and you'll visit my store again with plenty of money when you do."

...

Naofumi tried his best to hide his surprise, but in the face of such kindness, he could only do so much before tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. He turned away to hide them. "Damn you, old man." He tried to sound angry.

At least there was one good person in this cold-hearted dark world.

Elhart laughed. "Seriously, it's nothing. Besides, I get the feeling you'll treat that little girl better than how you're going to be treated by the rest of Melromarc. I just wanted to help you do that." He said while leaning back on the counter.

Naofumi was turned away, but a small smile slowly crept onto his face. Looking oddly out of place with all the tears running down it. 'Yeah, I'll treat her well. At least, I hope I do…'

…

Bam! Bam! Bam!

A loud banging sound came from the door, ruining the moment he was in. "Open up! In the name of the King!" A knight yelled from the other side of the door.

Elhart froze in his posture and looked to Naofumi. "You gotta go, bro."

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"I order you to open up, or we will resort to using force!" The knight yelled again.

"Stop the racket! I'm coming already!" Elhart yelled loudly towards the doorway.

Naofumi quickly grabbed the pack while Elhart shoved the food into his arms along with a map. "I'll distract them while you two sneak out through the back. If it helps, there's a place a few hours south of here called Lute Village. Use it as a means of selling monster materials or whatever else you find. I also have some friends there. I'll pass messages along to them to keep an eye out for you so they can warn you of any trouble." He said.

Naofumi nodded and made to run for the stairs. "And Shield Hero." He looked back at Elhart. "Good luck."

Naofumi said nothing but gave him an affirmative nod before running up the stairs.

Elhart sighed, gave his neck a nice pop, and went to the door to answer the pesky Royal Knights.

'Because trust me, you're really going to need a whole lot of damn luck, kid.'

At the end of a chapter, Hero Clips are merely extra scenes that are non-canon for the most part. They are only meant for comedy. Enjoy.

Hero Clips!

Overworked

"Hmmm, so you've been running around the past few days, good sir?"

"Yes, I have."

Beloukas and the mysterious lady stood in the slave tent. The cages all around were gone.

"How much sleep have you gotten the last few days?" He asked.

"... I daresay, I do not know." The lady's posture sagged. She looked tired.

"When was the last time you slept!?"

Her only response was a deep sigh. She'd been so overworked lately, she had no idea.

"Hmmm, then how about I give you a stamina potion for the road, good sir!" Beloukas gladly offered.

"Yes, I daresay, that would be greatly app-" She stopped speaking as she looked into his wide, expectant grin. What was the creepy little man plotting now-

"That'll be ten silvers, please!"

...

He was completely fearless even in the face of her deadly glare. In fact, he was receiving even more pleasurable shudders than when the Shield Hero glared at him.

Maybe it was a fetish of his?

"You slimy little bastard." She angrily muttered. 10 Silvers for a stamina potion, that was highway robbery!

"Ahahaha! You flatter me, good sir! Now, 15 silvers please!" The midget had no fear in him whatsoever as he raised the price.

Everyone can be a client if you're greedy enough.

In the end, the mysterious lady gave Beloukas the money. And after drinking the entire potion in one large gulp, she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Hahahaha! Safe travels, good sir!" Beloukas laughed giddily at her departure.

The mysterious lady hoped she wouldn't have to go by Belouka's place anytime soon.

And she really hoped she'd get a moment to rest too. Gods knew how she needed it after doing everything by herself.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Naofumi didn't bother with knocking as he barged into the bathroom. "Come on Raphtalia, we're going-"

Raphtalia looked up at Naofumi from the bathtub in surprise. Thankfully, her modesty was preserved by the mountain of pink bubbles that she was currently residing in, leaving only enough space for her head to poke out. However, her eyes widened in fear at his sudden intrusion.

Only moments ago she was beyond ecstatic. The white foam had somehow turned pink when it made contact with the bathwater, but this was a mistake. She knew it, she shouldn't have used this wonderful bath foam without permission and now she was going to get punished for it.

Naofumi quickly turned around. He held out her new change of clothes and a towel to the side. "Get dried and changed now. We're leaving."

"... But, but what about-" Raphtalia tried to question.

"Just do it, that's an order," Naofumi said sharply.

Raphtalia's slave crest glowed purple, and she whimpered in pain before quickly exiting the tub and complying.

Naofumi grimaced. He forgot her crest would punish her if she didn't immediately follow an order. He'd have to be more careful with his words in the future.

He didn't turn to look as he felt the towel and clothes leave his hands. He stayed staring at the door impatiently, hearing the girl behind him still whimpering from the residual pain of the order he'd given her. He felt bad but wished she'd hurry it up. Down below, he could hear the knights moving around in the shop. He could also hear Elhart yelling at them.

"Hey, careful! That thing is more valuable than all the armor you're wearing!" Elhart complained.

Crash!

"AUGHHH! NOT MY SIDERITE SHIELD!" Elhart yelled in shock.

"Nothing under here sir!" The Knight reported to his squad leader.

"Keep searching!"

"... I'm, I'm done," Raphtalia finally said weakly behind him.

Naofumi turned around, seeing Raphtalia looking down at the ground. Her long unkempt hair was still damp, and her skin had a slight red tint to it, but at least she didn't smell anymore. And she'd managed to change into the dull red and black outfit he'd given her without needing his help. The almost colorless sleeves went under her slave cuffs, and the red and black skirt fell down below her knees.

Naofumi gave her a nod but did one last thing. He took the slave collar off from around her neck and threw it to the side. "Alright, now you're good." He said. Raphtalia felt at her neck in surprise at the feeling of the slave collar being gone. "Now, it's about time-" He was saying as he cracked the door open behind him to glance outside into the hallway. He quickly shut it though after seeing Elhart at the top of the stairs speaking to the knights.

"Hey, this is my living quarters. Do you really have to search up here too?!" He complained angrily to the Royal Knight's Squad Leader.

"The King's orders were to search the capital thoroughly for the Shield Hero. Several eyewitnesses have reported that they saw someone matching his description yelling outside your shop and then entering it some time ago." The Squad Leader said.

"The guy with the pretty red-haired lass?! Those two bought some stuff and left hours ago! Your information is way outdated! What does the king pay you bumbling idiots for?! I'll tolerate wrecking my store, but if you so much as step foot in my living quarters, then you can bet your rusty metal behinds that I'll have words with his Majesty about this!" Elhart exclaimed angrily.

"Move aside!"

"Make me, bucket head!"

Naofumi looked around the small bathroom they were in frantically. 'What the hell, how are we supposed to sneak out if we're stuck up here!?'

"Master, what's going on?"

He looked down at Raphtalia. She was looking up at him with worried eyes. "Nothing's going on." He lied.

The back of his mind nagged him that he was lying to her because he was afraid she'd get him arrested. He quickly shook the thought from his head. 'Right now, I need to think of a way to get us out of this mess.' He had no time to dwell on doubts over this little girl.

He looked around frantically, and his eyes widened when he finally saw it. 'But- you know what, to hell with it. I've already done it once tonight. Second time's the charm.'

"Master-" Raphtalia began to speak when Naofumi suddenly scooped her up again, surprising the little girl.

"Hang on, and don't scream." He ordered, running around the bathtub and opening the window.

"What- Au-" Naofumi quickly covered her mouth with his hand as he jumped out of the window. Not wanting her slave crest to activate and cause her more pain.

Oof!

Naofumi landed hard on the ground again, using his shield to take most of the impact. This time, he managed to time it right and used the advantage of focusing most of his weight on his shield side so that right as he impacted, his body rolled with Raphtalia clutching him for dear life. He came out of the sideways roll landing on his feet, one arm still holding Raphtalia tight to his green cloaked shoulder.

He still took some fall damage, but it wasn't as bad as earlier.

"Sorry." He didn't sound sorry. "Keep your eyes closed for now. Wait until I tell you it's all over before opening them again."

Raphtalia stayed bunched on his shoulder, covering her face with her hands and whimpering in fear about what was happening. Nevertheless, she obeyed what her Master said to do. He patted her head comfortingly at her silence. Silently thanking her.

Naofumi ran down a different street. It looked like the soldiers hadn't noticed he'd been in Elhart's shop since there were no angry shouts coming from behind him. He doubted that was the only group looking for him though. He needed to find an exit to the city, now.

A minute later, he still hadn't found an exit. However, he did find another group of knights.

Or rather, they found him.

"Over there!"

An arrow flew over his head impacting a sign hanging from a shop. He looked wide-eyed behind him at a squad of knights that came charging out of an alleyway he'd just passed. Some of them were armed with crossbows and were busy rearming them.

His luck was really crappy.

"&^%$#! Don't let go, Raphtalia! No matter what happens, don't let go of me!" He yelled to the little girl before releasing his grip on her, forcing her to cling to his torso like a scared cat. With both of his arms now free, he began to run, pouring all the speed that he could into his legs while deflecting the bolts and arrows directed at him with his shield.

Raphtalia did as she was told, holding onto him for dear life. Thankfully, the chain mail that Master wore was easy to grip onto. It sounded like a bunch of angry people were yelling after them and she could hear things whizzing in the air past them or loudly impacting against her Master's shield. She couldn't make out their words, but they sounded threatening.

She preferred her new master's words to those angry voices.

'They're shooting arrows at me!? Are they trying to capture me, or kill me!?' He thought in disbelief as he kept weaving left and right down the street to avoid the volleys. Even then, some of them scratched his exposed skin, leaving shallow cuts behind. Every impact against his shield dropped his HP by a fraction. Raphtalia obediently held onto his armored chainmail like her life depend on it., being protected by Naofumi's bulk and shield for the time being.

Naofumi turned another corner and finally found himself on one of the main streets of the Capital. His goal was in sight at last. An old and sturdy structure of brick and mortar, the city gate stood tall and proud...

Along with a battalion of guards set up in front of it to block it off.

And just when he'd thought his luck would turn for the better.

"Hehehe, we have the Shield Hero right where we want him." The voice was from a mustached man in full armor. He was the Royal Commander of Melromarc's knights. "Comb the streets! With all the city gates blocked off, he has nowhere to run!" He yelled in a loud booming voice.

Naofumi grimaced and quickly turned around to run up the street. But, as it turned out, that way was blocked too. Squads of knights armed with spears came out of the alleyways further up. They lowered their weapons as they advanced on him. Naofumi turned to run across the street to another alleyway, but the sounds of more yelling and loud footsteps coming from it forced him to instead keep running down the main street towards the gates while dodging and blocking more arrows from the original group of knights that was still chasing him.

'Damn it, if I stop now, I'll be caught. And if I run to them, I'll still be caught! I can't win!' A lucky shot from one of the archers struck his elbow, almost piercing his chainmail. His shield arm went numb.

' %$#$!'

The Commander up ahead smirked, as he saw Naofumi struggle in futility, trying to find an alleyway or some other small passage between the buildings that he could use to escape. The Commander knew that each one had knights with weapons drawn posted there to capture him. Or kill him. He didn't care.

It would be better if they captured the Shield Demon alive of course. But nobody would blame them if they were forced to kill him when he was resisting arrest, right?

"Men, prepare to subdue the Shield Hero! Siege Formation!" He ordered.

"Siege Formation!" The knights in front of him yelled back as they interlocked their shields, making a wall in front of them. An array of lances poked out from the top. Slowly, they spread out, lining the whole main street with a wall of metal bodies.

Naofumi saw it and grimaced to himself again. 'Come on, there has to be a way out of this!' He ducked another arrow and a second one slammed into the pack on his back. He almost fell from the force of that attack and knew that he'd have bruises to deal with later. He took a glance around him as he ran. 'Why the hell am I still running towards them like an idiot!'

Everywhere he looked, he saw knights closing in. The group behind him, and the sets of one or two soldiers guarding the alleyways to the sides to make sure he couldn't escape.

If this had been a chess game, he'd say that this was checkmate.

It was hopeless.

Another arrow almost hit his shoulder, and he quickly looked behind him to see how close the knights were. But while doing that his eyes focused on the girl holding onto his body tightly. The girl who looked so afraid, and had no idea what was going on.

...

For once, the pessimistic part of his mind didn't form a thought against her, but for her.

'If I'm captured, they won't free her. She's a demi-human. They'd sell her off to some other slave owner. She'll probably be forced to go through even more torture for "helping" the Shield Hero. And her sickness would never get treated…'

...

Naofumi's face scrunched up in anger. He hadn't known her for very long, but she was his only hope for survival in this world now. And he was hers. 'There's no way in hell I'm allowing that to happen!'

The pessimistic thought had somehow fueled him with a different kind of emotion and gave him the courage he needed to continue charging at full speed towards the shield barricade in front of him. It gave him the drive and desire to get them both out of there alive. Against all odds, he believed that they would make it. He had hope they would make it.

His shield started to glow blue with power.

"Um, sir. The Shield Hero isn't slowing down." One of the knights pointed out.

"And his shield is glowing. Is that normal?" Another one asked.

Naofumi was two hundred feet away from their shield barricade. And closing the distance fast. He held out the glowing blue legendary shield in front of him, turning himself into a running human battering ram. Several arrows hit his back, but he hardly noticed. The commander's smirk fell off when his eyes met with the determined look on Naofumi's face. 'No way. He isn't-'

"Hold the line! There's no way that even a hero can charge through us at level one!" He yelled, though there was a slight presence of fear in his voice. After all, it was a Cardinal Hero running towards them, and the Shield Demon at that.

He honestly had no idea what the Cardinal Heroes were capable of.

"Ahhhhh!" Naofumi roared, aiming for what looked like the smallest knight in the line. The eyes of said knight, who had blonde hair sticking out from under his helmet, widened in shock when he saw the Shield Hero charging for him.

Fifty feet, twenty feet, ten feet.

"Ake, don't back down, the rest of you hold the line! Hold the-" The Commander tried to order the knights.

CRASH! "AHHHHHHHH!"

Still screaming, Naofumi felt the world around him slow down to a crawl to capture what happened next.

He charged through the line with the ferocity and determination of a star quarterback, knocking the knight Ake away like he was made out of cardboard and styrofoam. The rest of the shield line quickly followed suit, however, they were not knocked away by Naofumi himself, but rather by the force of a glowing blue shockwave, originating from the Shield Hero at the moment of impact. As the shockwave spread out, knocking all the knights down onto the ground, their shields and armor shattered and then crumbled into blue specks of dust as the strange energy washed over them. Only their weapons remained untouched, but none came close to Naofumi.

Naofumi didn't see it happening. Nor did he notice that one of the bars on his HUD, the purpose of which he still had no idea about, had first dropped to zero and then into negative territory.

All he knew was that he had to keep running.

An armorless Ake along with the rest of the Siege Formation slammed into the street. Their weapons landing next to them. Naofumi continued running for the gate, moving his shield over Raphtalia's form to help protect her.

"NO! Close the gates! Close the DAMN gates!" The Commander yelled in fear. He'd never expected the Shield Hero to break through! The knights who had been chasing from behind slowed and stopped firing their crossbows in shock at what the Shield Hero had just done.

The black iron gate started to descend towards the ground. But it was too late. Naofumi slid under it, with Raphtalia still gripping tightly to him. The gate hit the ground with a resounding Thud right as Naofumi slid back up onto his feet and took off running for the forest. His green cloak billowing in the air behind him.

The commander ran up to the gate and beat his hand against it in rage. "Damn you, Shield Demon!"

It looked like Naofumi flipped a finger back at him in response. But he was soon lost in the darkness of the night.

...

"Sir, um, should we open the gate and chase after him?" One of the armorless knights asked.

…

The grimacing Commander backed away from the gate. "I… no. No." The Commander exhaled and his expression returned to its natural condescending look. "What's the point? Where is he going to go? He's level one and all alone. If the other town's guards or the bounty hunters won't get him, then the beasts will."

"... Um, whatever you say then, sir." The knight said nervously, he started to look away for some reason.

"I shall report to his Majesty about what happened here. You all are to go to the armory and resume your posts." The mustached knight said briskly, starting to walk off.

"Um, sir, are you sure you want to do that-" Another knight started to ask.

"I'll tell the King what happened! Now you all go to the armory and get yourselves replacement gear!" The Commander bellowed angrily at his knights. The last thing he needed was for a subordinate to paint what happened in a worse light just to make him look bad. "I want you ready in case we are ordered to pursue the rogue Hero!"

"Sir yes, sir!" The guards said at the same time, averting their eyes from their commander.

The Commander grimaced at his underlings one more time before he took on a professional stance and started walking up the main street back towards the castle. Not noticing that some of Naofumi's stray energy had also decimated the greaves he'd been wearing, revealing the boxers with heart-shaped stickers he wore underneath.

"Heh, huh, heh, huh." Naofumi breathed heavily, leaning against a tree in the forest. The moon was out, shining dimly in the clear night sky and illuminating his surroundings. One of his arms was wrapped around Raphtalia again, holding her to his left shoulder. Her eyes were closed and her knuckles had turned white from gripping his chain mail so tightly.

'How long... did I run for...?' His side ached in pain. It felt like he'd been running for hours. However long it'd been, he was surrounded by forest now. And he couldn't see any trace of the walls of Melromarc behind him.

'I did it. We're both safe... for now.' Naofumi felt relief. Somehow, they'd gotten out of that experience alive.

"*Cough* *Cough*, ow..." Raphtalia started coughing on his shoulder again. Naofumi recovered himself enough to put a hand to her forehead. 'Holy hell, her forehead's way too hot. I should have asked Elhart for some medicine too…' He also noticed that the arm that he was using to hold Raphtalia was feeling sticky for some reason. He sniffed, and he realized he smelt the tang of iron in the air again.

"Raphtalia, can you hear me?" Naofumi asked her calmly. However, he felt fear growing in him. Had he somehow not protected the little girl?

Raphtalia weakly nodded her head after a moment. "My… my back…" She whimpered.

Naofumi set her down and turned her around. His left arm had some blood on it. But no arrow was sticking out of her back. While he felt relieved at that, he saw the scabs at the top of her neck partially open. A slow trickle of blood came from them. Her new clothes already had patches of dark red on the back of them.

Had he not been careful enough? Had he reopened the wounds on her back in his haste to flee?!

'...' Naofumi calmly picked Raphtalia up again, readjusting his grip to put the pressure on her legs instead. Being oddly gentle as he did so.

"You can open your eyes now." He said.

Raphtalia didn't lift her head from off his shoulder. "Look, I know you're not feeling good right now, but I need you to stay awake and watch my back for me. It isn't safe to treat you here." He said as he started walking.

...

"Yes, master." The little raccoon girl said tiredly.

Naofumi sighed to himself. "Hear, how about we get you something to eat. That should help you stay awake for a little while longer. Let's see what we have here..." He set the girl back down and started to rummage through the pack that Elhart had given to him, trying to find the packed lunch when he stumbled onto something else. It was a small glass vial. He couldn't read the label, but the SMS (Status Magic System) helpfully produced a message on his HUD, identifying it for him.

Potion of Healing: Quality Unknown

Naofumi closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he struggled not to cry. 'Damn you, old man. I swear I'll pay you back for this one day.' He put the potion into a pocket in his chainmail, and after further looking and finding other medical supplies, he found one of the packages of food. He opened it, revealing some kind of fruit. "Here, try this."

When it neared her nose, Raphtalia sniffed the fruit, and her eyes went wide. One of her hands immediately grabbed it, shoving into her mouth as much as she could. The sounds, though not the best he'd heard, made him feel better since she was eating something. It felt like it'd been an eternity since she'd tasted anything sweet. So she ate the fruit greedily.

"You must have been hungry?" Naofumi calmly pointed out and picked her up again. A softer look on his face.

Raphtalia stopped what she was doing, her eyes widening as she noticed the juices from the fruit landing on Naofumi's green cloak. "Ack! I'm sorry Master. I didn't mean to-" She started to say out of fear of being punished.

"Relax. I'll wash it out another time. Right now you need to focus on eating and watching my back." Naofumi said, before continuing to walk forward through the forest.

Raphtalia looked from the remainder of the fruit back to her master, then back to the fruit. She started eating it again, though this time with more care than before. She tried to focus on what was behind them, but she let out a small "eep" or "I'm sorry" every time a drop of the fruit's sweet juice landed on his shoulder. This was because of her expectation for her master to get angry at her for letting more of the fruit's juices stain his cloak. But he stared straight ahead, his face blank and emotionless the whole time.

As if to prove he wouldn't be angry with her, when she had finished the fruit, he took out some crackers and gave them to her. "Here, eat these too."

Raphtalia remained silent, looking from the bread crackers back to his face. "What? You're still hungry, aren't you?" He asked. Or had it really been that long since she'd had a decent meal? The thought made him feel angry all over again.

…

Raphtalia slowly chewed on them in silence, not saying anything. Other than the occasional coughing fit that she had. He rubbed her head, taking care not to aggravate her back.

On the inside, she was amazed at how her master was acting towards her. Carrying her since she was too weak and tired to walk by herself. Feeding her some of his food. Walking for them both even though he must have been tired from his night's ordeals… not to mention, the fact that he, a human; was treating her, a demi-human, much nicer than humans in this human supremacist country normally did.

His headpats felt very soothing...

Eventually, the two came into a clearing in the forest. The night sky was filled with stars up above. A calm flowing river went in a zig-zag pattern across the middle of the clearing.

"Let's stop here for now," Naofumi said blandly, setting Raphtalia back down on the ground. "Don't move around yet. I'll take a look at your back after I have a fire going." She tiredly sat as he gathered firewood for a campfire.

A few minutes later, he had a warm campfire going for the two of them. Raphtalia held her hands up to it, her eyes staring in awe at the dancing flames. Naofumi stared at her from across the fire. 'She might have gone through a lot. But at least she still has that look of childlike wonder at seeing things like fire...'

He started to look through Elhart's pack to do a count of what he had on hand. 'Let's see, 159 Silver. A couple of orange balloon scraps. A knife and shortsword. The clothes I was wearing when I got to this world, a couple of extra sets of clothes for Raphtalia… come on, what happened to those medical supplies I-'

"Master, where are you going to sleep?" Raphtalia asked.

Naofumi was shaken out of his thoughts at her question. He grimaced as he realized that they didn't have any camping gear. "Sorry I don't have any sleeping bags with me. We'll both have to sleep on the ground for tonight." Naofumi informed her.

"It's… it's fine. I'm used to it." Raphtalia said quietly, looking down from the fire to her hands.

Hearing her say that pissed him off. But later. He could address that later.

Naofumi finally found the medical supplies buried in the depths of the pack. He got up, heading over to the river. "Strip your shirt and lie down on the ground for me."

…

Raphtalia's face sank, and she began to shake in fear. Yet, she quietly obeyed, lying on the ground and putting her hands over her head submissively as he continued to speak. "Those wounds look serious. The last thing we need is for you to bleed out, or worse."

Naofumi dipped a cloth in the river. Then, he came over, getting down on his knees next to Raphtalia. "Just… stay still for me." He mumbled.

Raphtalia took a shaky breath. She clasped her eyes tight as he began lowering the cloth to her back. However, he quickly backed away. It sounded like he was saying words under his breath. She opened her eyes and turned her head. She saw a furious look on her Master's face. "Master?" She asked fearfully.

The dark look in his eyes faded somewhat. "Sorry. I was just… caught off guard." He said dryly.

Seeing how horrible her back looked… whoever the bastard was that did this, he swore he'd kill him if he ever got the chance. No man deserved mercy for doing this to a little girl.

She was confused again. But he calmly got back into position and began rubbing a wet cloth along her back. At first, the chill of the cloth made her tense. But he didn't press down hard or anything. He was being soft, gentle. It surprised her. Her hands lowered from her head. What was her master doing?

He took the cloth off for a moment, and then reapplied it. He must have added something to it because she hissed in pain whenever it passed over one of her open wounds.

"I know, it hurts. Just bear with it." Naofumi mumbled. He poured more of what he guessed to be medical alcohol Elhart had put in the pack over the cloth and continued. When he was done cleaning the first area, he breathed in calmly. "Okay, now this next part is going to hurt." He handed her a stick from the pile of kindling that he'd used to start the fire. "Bite on this and brace yourself." The girl obediently did so.

The knife, which he'd set blade first into the fire, looked red and angry. Gripping the handle with a cloth, he pulled it out and then paused. His hands were shaking as he looked down between the knife and the horrible wounds on the girl's back. He grabbed his wrist with his other hand, breathing in and out heavily as he felt sweat pour down his face.

If anything, the one who needed to brace himself was he. He understood what he was about to do and why he had to do it. But his body was refusing to move. He'd never hurt anyone before, let alone deliberately. He almost wished his stupid shield would have zapped the knife out of his hands, but that traitorous piece of junk remained silent as if mocking him.

"Masur?" Raphtalia tried to speak through the wood she was biting down on.

With one last deep breath, the Shield Hero pressed the hot blade down against one of the bleeding gash marks.

"NNNGHHH!" Raphtalia screamed around her makeshift gag.

"I'm sorry…" Naofumi sounded like he genuinely meant it. He wished there was a painkiller he could give to the little girl. He hoped he wasn't making it worse by cauterizing her wounds.

He set the blade in the fire and went back to cleaning. She began to quietly sob and cry in anticipation of the next cauterization. Naofumi tried to be more gentle, but there was only so much care you could use with hot metal. She continued to cry and whimper as he continued along. Cleaning an area, and then cauterizing the wound closed.

Every time, he could feel a part of him die inside as the girl cried out and sobbed. The smell of burned flesh started to get thick, making him feel nauseous. Yet there seemed to be no end in sight.

His eyes watered repeatedly, blurring his vision and forcing him to wipe away at his face with his cape every few seconds to not become blinded and, god forbid, miss one of the wounds and burn her for no reason instead. Both of his hands were shaking uncontrollably now.

'Damn it.' He cursed himself internally, trying to force his body to obey his will. He gritted his teeth so hard he felt they were going to crack. 'Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Stop shaking. Stop shaking, you damn idiot. Get a hold of yourself!' He wiped at his eyes again with his sleeve. 'You have to do this. You have to do this or else she's going to bleed out or get an infection and die. And it will be all your fault. Now stop being a coward, own up to your mistake, and, stop, SHAKING!'

At some point, Raphtalia started to think that she was becoming delirious from the pain because she could have sworn that she could hear her new master crying behind her.

A fit of coughs wracked her, and the treatment paused. She felt a hand on her head, lightly rubbing between her ears as she coughed. When the coughing fit subsided, he continued. "Be careful. You opened up a few more of these lashes there with your coughing." Naofumi muttered. It meant that he now had even more open wounds to clean and close.

"I'm… I'm sorry." Raphtalia whimpered.

"It's fine. Just please, be careful... I don't want to do this either." He whispered the last part under his breath.

But she still heard it.

For an hour, he continued the process. He set the knife blade back over the fire to heat again and again. He cleaned and cauterized as best as he could. And, finally, mercifully, he wrapped her back with a clean bandage.

"Alright, that should do it…" He was suddenly very relieved to have passed first aid courses back in High School. He was not proud of his work. Not like this, but he was reasonably certain that she wouldn't bleed out during the night and that the cuts wouldn't get infected.

Raphtalia stayed still on the ground, whimpering in pain. Naofumi comfortingly rubbed her head and helped her put on a new shirt since the old one was soiled with blood. He was surprisingly gentle throughout the entire process.

Then, when she was in fresh clothes, Naofumi took the vial from the pocket of his armor and opened it. "Drink this."

She slowly gulped down the red liquid. On his HUD, he saw her HP bar gradually refill the more she drank. He also noticed that the girl began to relax as she did so as if her pain was disappearing. When her bar was full, there was still some liquid left in the vial. "How do you feel?" He asked.

"... tired…" She said after a moment. Her eyes looked droopy.

...

While she was looking down at the ground, Naofumi had to wipe his eyes again. Elhart, you blessed freaking blacksmith. He corked it and put it away again for later, just in case. "Alright, you should get some rest."

Raphtalia slowly laid herself against the ground, preparing to do so...

She felt a warm weight settle over her shoulders and surround her body. She looked up in surprise to see that Naofumi had taken his cloak off, and put it around her like a blanket. "It isn't much… but it should help you stay warm," He moved to his side of the fire again. He was still dressed in his cloth chainmail armor, but he looked exhausted after trying to treat the little girl's back...

...

Raphtalia stared at her new master across from her for a moment. "Master, sir," He looked at her. "Who are you, and what I mean is who are you really?" She asked curiously from inside the cloak. He was too nice for someone who wanted to be a slave owner.

Too kind.

"... I'm the Shield Hero." He answered, before looking back down at the fire.

"You mean, of the Four Cardinal Heroes?" Raphtalia asked, sounding more excited for some reason.

"Uh-huh." He responded indifferently. "Why does it matter?"

Raphtalia stared at him, her eyes wide. A memory went through her mind of her parents telling her the story of the four legendary heroes.

There was the one with the sword, the one with the bow, the one with the spear, and the one with the shield. Her father told her that the Shield Hero had always been the one who'd been the kindest to her people. That was why he was like a savior to them.

She'd always wished back then that she could meet the Shield Hero. Though the man in front of her claiming to be him wasn't… the Shield Hero that she had pictured in her mind.

"You're really, the Shield Hero…"

"Pretty sure I just answered that," Naofumi replied blandly. He realized he had a few orange balloon scraps in the pockets of his chainmail, so he absorbed them into the gem of his shield. Raphtalia's eyes widened at the action.

'It really is him…' "Master, I'm sorry for being rude, but what is your name?" She suddenly asked him.

Naofumi stayed quiet for a moment. "Naofumi, Naofumi Iwatani." He said.

"Na, Naofumi Iwatani?" She said quizzically. "I like it. But why not master, or sir?"

Naofumi sighed to himself. "Look, while we're at it, drop that "master" thing. It's creeping me out. Just Naofumi is fine, okay?"

'Just… Naofumi…' Raphtalia looked confused, but then she started coughing into her shoulder again. Naofumi sighed and looked at the darkness around him. "Get some rest. You've been through a lot today." He told her. And it was his fault she'd had to go through it.

"But, but what about you mas- I mean, Nao, um, Naofumi?" She asked him unsurely.

"I don't feel like sleeping yet." His tone was hard, not giving an answer.

Raphtalia looked up at him for a few seconds more, but the warmth from the fire and the warmth from the green cloak that felt like a blanket to her made her eyes heavy. She laid her head on the ground. "Nao… Naofumi." She said, her voice drowsy.

"Huh." He said, looking back from the forest to her.

"Th-thank you. For saving me." She whispered. She might not have known what was going on back in the Capital, but to her, it had sounded like he'd saved her from some horrible fate at the hands of those angry yelling people. And he'd saved her again by treating her back.

Despite being his slave, she was grateful that she had been saved by the Great Shield Hero that her parents told her about.

Soon enough, the heat of the fire and the warmth of kindness lulled off to a nice, gentle sleep.

...

He stayed sitting where he was for a few moments more. Studying the little Tanuki girl wrapped in his cloak… tears entered his eyes again. 'I guess this is how I'm starting off my grand adventure in this world…'

He looked sadly into the flames of the fire. 'A fugitive on the run, with little money and equipment. My name and reputation are being tarnished by everyone in this world... And my only source of help is this little, malnourished, tortured… kind, innocent slave girl… who I'm going to have to turn into a child soldier to fight for me.'

Could he even bring himself to train her?

...

Finally, he got up and started walking to the edge of the clearing. His face was dark. And his anger and frustration needed an outlet to be released. He needed something to take it out on until he had nothing left to give.

After walking only a short distance, monsters began rolling out of the trees in front of him. A bunch of creepy, red-eyed, different colored balloons. Small red arrows pointed down on them. He'd noticed them keeping their distance earlier. Now, it was time to face them.

At last, he could finally vent it all out. "Ahhhhh!" Naofumi screamed in rage, running forward towards the main one. He imagined he was punching Myne's pompous face at that moment. He pictured the bastard that had tortured Raphtalia and left her in such a condition.

He pictured himself for having to purchase a little girl to fight for him.

Pow!

With a screech, the balloon flew a dozen feet back through the air. But it was replaced by the swarm of balloons that surrounded Naofumi.

The Shield Hero got to work punching all the low leveled monsters again, and again.

And again.

Back at the Capital

"What is the meaning of this!?"

The Commander of the Knights shook in his armor and heart-shaped boxers before the enraged king. "I gave you one order. ONE, ORDER! And you let that damned Shield Hero escape the city!" He yelled.

The mustached commander shuddered where he stood. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, the Shield Hero plowed right through a Siege formation. He even destroyed our armor and shields as he escaped-" The Knight commander tried to say to defend himself.

"I don't want to hear your worthless excuses! If you spout off anymore, I'll have your head right where you stand!" The King yelled.

The mustached Commander paled and bowed low before the king. "Yes, your Majesty!" He said hurriedly. He then finally noticed his armorless pants issue and eeped as he moved his hands to try and cover them while in the middle of his bow.

Had he seriously paraded through the whole town like this without realizing it?! What kind of idiot was he?!

The King grumbled in his seat. "You're dismissed. But you will make up for your insolence!"

The Commander bowed so low his head almost touched the floor. His position looked rather comical as he then hurriedly got up and left before the King could change his mind. Doing his best to save some form of dignity from discovering he was no longer in his pants.

...

"My precious daughter." The King looked lovingly at the redheaded bitch. "I am so sorry for forcing you to do this again, but please, can you tell us one more time what happened?"

Myne sniffled pathetically. "After, after we got to the inn, the Shield Hero said he required my presence in his room. I, I thought he only wanted to continue talking strategy about a dungeon that we'd planned to travel to. Only, when I got there, he locked the door behind me… and… and then!..." She burst into hysterical sobs.

"There, there Myne. It's going to be okay, you're safe now." The Spear Hero, Motoyasu, said as he wrapped his arms around her. Malty leaned sideways into his embrace, making a show of herself in the process. If she wasn't such a Bitch, she could have made a wonderful actress.

Not.

"He, he said... that the night was still young. That he had a hunger that still needed satisfaction! I thought he was talking about dinner. But, but then, before I could ask what he meant, he, he, he... he forced me onto his bed and started ripping off all my clothes!" She screamed.

Gasps came from both the King and Motoyasu.

"It was only because of Sir Motoyasu hearing my screams that my innocence was preserved! As soon as he yelled that he was coming, the Shield Hero got scared and he jumped out the window!" She managed to finish, still sobbing into Motoyasu's shoulders. "If it wasn't for him, I… I…" She couldn't bring herself to finish and she continued sobbing.

Motoyasu scowled, still remembering the sight of finding Myne in the hallway, her sobbing in her ripped clothes. Before going into Naofumi's room. Finding her undergarments lying on his bed.

King Aultcray had a downright murderous look in his eyes. "What do you think should be done to the Shield Hero, Malty?" He said while trying to speak in a softer tone of voice for the sake of his poor traumatized daughter.

Princess Malty wiped away fake tears from her face. "If that poor excuse of a hero has already escaped the castle walls, then all I can hope for is that the monsters will be able to punish him for what he did to me." She said, hugging her arms to herself while crying.

The King growled in his seat. "To think that we have summoned such scum to our world. Malty, my dear, sweet, precious Malty, I swear that should he so much as try to show his face around the Capital again, justice shall be administered swiftly upon him!" He said.

Motoyasu nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll help to administer that justice myself!" He said loudly in agreement. "No hero should ever stoop so low as to rape a woman and then run away like a coward!"

"... I'm for swift justice myself." The Bow Hero, Itsuki, said from the opposite side of the aisle from Motoyasu and Malty. "But what kind of justice are we talking about here? Death? Imprisonment?"

The King wriggled his nose distastefully. "To even try attempting rape, especially to a princess, is normally punishable by death." He looked straight ahead. "But because of his status and role in saving our world from the Waves of Destruction, I would have left it to making him an outcast among my people and letting word of his crimes spread throughout the kingdom." He then visibly gritted his teeth. "If he had stayed to face justice for what he had done."

The murderous look returned to his eyes again. "However, since he has chosen to run away, he shall receive a far worse punishment. When he is caught, I shall have him thrown into the dungeons. He shall be stripped of everything except his shield. Monsters will be thrown into his cell, ones incapable of killing him, but that will hurt him as he's forced to kill them to level up. He will pay for his meals with their scraps, and only be let out for the waves before being put back in his dungeon when they're over. He will beg for mercy, and none shall be given to him. He will wish he'd never dared to lay a finger on my dear daughter and ran away thinking he could get away with it!" He yelled at the end, leaving no room for an argument.

"This shall be the Shield's punishment!"

Motoyasu looked happy. Malty cried as she hugged him. But the Sword Hero, Ren; and Itsuki. Both of them looked stunned. "That..." Ren said so quietly that only Itsuki heard it.

"Isn't that a little extreme, Your Majesty?" Itsuki asked.

"What would you have me do instead, Bow Hero?!" Aultcray demanded. "How should I treat the one who raped my daughter and fled?!"

"I, well…" Itsuki backed down. "Never mind."

"We'll take our leave," Ren muttered. The two Heroes headed towards the exit.

"I can't believe we got dragged out of our beds for this," Ren muttered to Itsuki.

"Yeah… still, I can't believe Naofumi did such a terrible thing," Itsuki whispered back.

"He didn't come off as that kind of person before. But Myne seems convinced." Ren said calmly.

"... Yeah, and he did run away…" Itsuki trailed off.

"Yeah, I guess he did," Ren muttered quietly. He wasn't sure how it was in the other hero's worlds, but in his Japan, it wasn't innocent until proven guilty. Arrest warrants were only issued by the police when they were certain that the person had committed the crime, so it was guilty until proven innocent. His running away only cemented that fact.

But something about Myne seemed… off. Without Naofumi there to focus on, he'd focused more on her... still, he couldn't tell what it was.

Maybe he was just imagining it?

The King was silent for a moment, staring ahead at something only he could see… "Sir Motoyasu." He finally spoke, grabbing the Spear hero's attention. "I'm entrusting my daughter to you. I pray that you will treat her better than the Shield Hero did." His eyes were glaring murderously at the end of his sentence, giving Motoyasu the hidden meaning of what would happen if he didn't treat his daughter like a Queen.

"No worries your Majesty. Your daughter will be safer with me than even your own royal knights." Motoyasu said happily, planting his spear into the ground. Myne continued to hug him tightly.

"Good, it is late. Now go." He said tiredly.

Motoyasu and Malty both left the throne room. Leaving the King to sit by himself to think.

...

'And here I thought that this Shield Hero wouldn't turn out like my bitter demi-human enemies…' He'd hoped they'd be able to work together to save his kingdom. That they could put aside their differences and get along.

But it didn't look like that was going to happen now.

'What a waste.' The King thought bitterly. What a waste of a Cardinal Hero.

Boom!

He slammed the base of his decorative staff into the ground. The booming sound thundered throughout the whole castle, announcing his displeasure with the situation.

…

The pair of two walked down the hallway together. Myne was giggling over something Motoyasu had said to her. Suddenly, she stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Is something wrong, Myne?" He asked curiously.

"Sir Motoyasu, I'll join you in a moment, I just realized I have something to do," Malty said to him sweetly.

"Oh, sure thing Myne! Take as much time as you need!" Motoyasu said happily, continuing to walk on like a fool in love.

Malty continued with her fake smile for a moment more as Motoyasu disappeared, and then when the Spear Hero disappeared, she scowled. "What do you want now, nun?" She spoke venomously. "Couldn't you tell that I'm about to land with the Spear Hero?"

Altara the nun came out from behind the pillar she'd been hiding behind with the assistance of magic. Still dressed in the same attire as earlier. She'd given a signal to Malty, alerting the First Princess to her presence. "I overheard what was said. Is the King truly going to let the Shield Hero run away? Is that it?" She asked in disbelief.

"... Yes, but it's not a big deal," Malty said dismissively. "If he does reveal himself, then he'll be thrown into some dungeon and released to the waves when the time comes. It's not that far off from what I guessed. In some ways, it's even better." Malty said happily. For one, he'd suffer even more than he would have in her original plan.

Maybe she could even convince papa to let her watch the Shield Demon be tortured by the monsters so she'd have front seat entertainment to his descent to despair.

"That's if the Shield Demon reveals himself," Altara said in a quiet angry voice to make sure she wasn't overheard by anyone. "Because of your failure, the Shield Demon now knows that we're trying to kill him. Meaning that he'll go to even greater lengths to stay hidden from the public."

And if he ran to Siltvelt. It'd all be over!

Malty had to cover her mouth to keep the evil laugh from escaping. "Oh please. The Shield Hero could barely hurt a balloon with how much attack power he has. I didn't manage to steal all his money, but he'll run out of it eventually. And with the news of what he did already spreading throughout the kingdom, nobody would believe that he was being framed, even if he yelled it to their faces." She did a little happy twirl. "The monsters between him and the other countries are too high level for him to deal with himself. I bet he won't even make it to any of the nearby villages."

Altara grimaced. "But-" She tried to say.

"The chances of him surviving the next wave are still little to none. There's nothing we need to discuss." She said, walking away from Altara.

"But, but one of the knights! I overheard him mentioning that the Shield Hero was carrying a-" Altara tried to say.

"Let it rest. I am tired tonight, and I have a real hero waiting to welcome me into his sweet, loving embrace." Malty said in a tone of dismissal.

Altara glared angrily at the back of Malty's head. "I swear if your blunder keeps the Shield Demon alive. Then gods help me, I'll let his holiness himself know that it was all your fault." She said, turning to walk away. The First Princess didn't acknowledge the nun's comment.

As Altara walked away, she was hit with an idea, however.

'Although… I don't see the Pope minding it if one more demi-human is killed... I should inform the shadows of the Church of what needs to be done. We need to confirm where this demi-child that the Shield Hero acquired came from, and strike them both down while they're weak. Yes, the Devil of the Shield cannot be allowed to live a moment more.' Altara thought zealously to herself.

After deciding on her own plan of containment, since the First Princess was too busy to make such plans herself, Altara kept walking on through the hallways of the castle.

...

Myne sighed happily as she opened the door to Motoyasu's bedroom. After a day of awful acting around the Shield Hero and dealing with bitchy nuns, she was finally ready to obtain her reward. "Oh, Sir Motoyasu…" She unclasped her armor as she walked through the door. Showing no shame as the door closed on her naked back.

...

Where Ren had been about to enter his room nearby, he paused. 'Huh…'

Hadn't she just been crying fifteen minutes ago about being raped? Why was Myne suddenly entering Motoyasu's room naked?...

...

His eyes narrowed, finally realizing it. Yeah, there was definitely something wrong here. That wasn't how a person who'd almost been raped should have been programmed to act.

Was it a bug in the system or in the NPC's narrative? He'd played games with that problem before. Those were the worst...

Or... if it wasn't a bug, maybe there was an interesting plot hook in the narrative of this world to discover… and whatever that plot hook was, Naofumi had somehow triggered it?

Ren was too curious. He had to do some digging now.

Perhaps, it was possible Naofumi wasn't guilty of what he'd been accused of at all.

Shocking, since this world also followed a guilty before innocent outlook. But he'd seen that twist happen in anime before. Who knew? Maybe the same thing would happen here.

Hero Clips!

Just Naofumi

"Look, while we're at it, drop that "master" thing. It's creeping me out. Just Naofumi is fine, okay?"

"Um, if you say so, Just Naofumi."

Naofumi looked back at Raphtalia weirdly. But then figured he'd probably heard it wrong. He left to punch some balloon monsters.

"Just Naofumi! Welcome back to my shop!"

Naofumi's eyebrow twitched. "So, you're calling me that too, old man."

It'd been some time. Raphtalia was now a teenager.

"It's what the little miss calls ya by, right?" Elhart asked Raphtalia.

"Yep, Just Naofumi was what he told me to call him!" Raphtalia said happily and energetically. "It even displays it as such in my HUD now!"

"... ugh…" Naofumi facepalmed.

"These herbs are worth around 10 Silver, Just Naofumi."

"You too?" Naofumi groaned again in the apothecary's shop.

"Is there something wrong, Just Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

He gritted his teeth and finished his business with the apothecary before leaving. He wouldn't get mad. He'd just play it off as a long, boring dad joke.

"Just Naofumi! You are under arrest by order of his Majesty!" A random knight proclaimed.

"It's *&^%$#! Naofumi!" He yelled at the squad of knights, a Wave was going on around them. "Why does everyone keep calling me that!?"

"But you said your name was Just Naofumi, not *&^%$#! Naofumi." Raphtalia said curiously.

…

Naofumi gave her a stink eye. He looked like he was about to blow as he went back to defend against the monsters.

"So we finally meet again at last…" Naofumi and Motoyasu faced each other in the center of an arena. He twirled his spear around to show off.

"Ugh, let's just get this over with." Naofumi groaned as he got ready to defend himself-

"You'll pay for everything you've done, Just Naofumi!" Motoyasu yelled.

…

That was it. THAT WAS *&^%$#! IT!

A flaming shield appeared on Naofumi's arm, and he curb-stomped the Spear Hero into the ground before glaring up at the stunned King and nobles. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING! THIS IS NOT FUNNY! IT HAS NEVER BEEN FUNNY! AND IT. WILL NEVER. BE. FUNNY!"

With his shield still flaming, he grabbed Raphtalia by the arm. "Let's go, Raphtalia!"

"Okay, Just Naofumi!" Raphtalia replied cheerily.

…

"AHHHHHHHH!" Everyone was left in stunned silence as the Shield Demon screamed in frustration on his way out.

Some people just didn't know how to appreciate a good dad joke.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

The Next Morning

Raphtalia slowly blinked open her eyes. It had been a long time since she'd been allowed to sleep for as long as she wanted. It'd also been a long time since she'd felt so well-rested.

While her sleep had been peppered with nightmares, for some reason, they hadn't been as terrible as usual. She sat up, ears twitching curiously.

"Good, you're awake."

Raphtalia blinked. Her tail wagged curiously as she looked around and noticed a few different things. First, there was a small pile of orange and yellow balloon cloths lying on the ground next to the fire. Beside that was a small pile of leaves- no, she recognized them. Those were medicinal herbs, not leaves. And then on the ground in front of her was a small meal. It had another one of the fruits that she had eaten yesterday, along with some more bread crackers and some soup that had been heated in a pot over the fire.

She looked up at Naofumi, who was staring down at what looked like a large leaf shield. He had dark areas around his eyes. "Master?" She asked curiously, seeing the tired look on his face.

'I was up all night, taking out my anger and frustration on those balloons... And I only managed to get to level two.' He looked not only tired but frustrated. 'It was an incredible stroke of luck when one of them tripped me and made my shield fall on those herbs. Those three bastards only mentioned that I could absorb monsters to power up. How the hell was I supposed to know that even freaking grass can be used to unlock new shields. If it wasn't for that then that whole night would have been nothing but a damn waste of time…'

"Master?" Raphtalia asked again curiously.

He looked up at Raphtalia. "I told you to stop calling me that. Now eat up. I can't have you working for me on an empty stomach." He said, picking up his own small meal.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Raphtalia's ears fell. She coughed into her shoulder again.

"I blended some of those herbs there into your soup. They should help soothe your cough… I think." Naofumi muttered.

That's what he hoped the herb's description told him. He was so damn tired...

She sniffed at the soup, and then her eyes widened in wonder. Within seconds, she was slurping it down. Treating it like it was the greatest dish ever.

Which, in her mind, it was.

Naofumi looked somewhat surprised at how eagerly and messily she ate it. Then he smiled slightly in relief. People back home used to exaggerate and tell him that he was a natural prodigy at cooking but he always just… sort of threw things together that he happened to have on hand. Sure, he tried to at least keep a basic notion of nutritional value in mind, but…

He took a sip of the soup from his bowl while thinking it over.

His face twisted at the taste, or rather, the lack thereof. 'I can't taste anything?' He stared down at it. He took another sip and grimaced again. 'What the hell? Is it because of my low level? No, wait, I remember tasting the meal at the inn last night…'

Slowly, he forced himself to continue eating. Maybe he messed up somewhere during the cooking process? The back of the woods wasn't exactly as well equipped as a fully furnished Japanese kitchen with cutting-edge gadgets. Plus, he had to take a lot of creative liberties since the produce here was very different compared to his world's, and he had very little to choose from. Elhart was a lifesaver, but he only packed the essentials.

But even if he couldn't taste the food, that didn't mean that he could stop. That would only mean that bitch Myne, the bitch nun from the Church, and everyone else who wanted him to fail would win. He'd show them.

Oh, he'd definitely show them.

"Master, you look tired." Raphtalia pointed out to him after she'd finished eating her whole meal.

'Wow, you think?' He wasn't close to finished yet, and he had as of yet to touch anything outside his soup, but he figured he'd save the rest for later. Who knew, maybe he'd be able to taste it later after he killed a few more balloons. The pessimistic part of his mind, however, was already saying that he was cursed to not taste anything good from this stupid world ever again because of Bitch.

Whether it was true or not, he had to agree with it. Everything was Bitch's fault.

You know what, he preferred that title. He was going to refer to the Princess as Bitch from now on. She deserved nothing less.

"Master?" Raphtalia questioned curiously when Naofumi began staring off into space again.

"What did I tell you about calling me that?!" He snapped.

"Eep!" Raphtalia pulled the cloak over her head, scared at his tone of voice.

Naofumi looked down at the shivering cloak. He groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Calm down… just calm down, you're scaring her.'

"Look, I'm not going to hit you, alright?" Naofumi asked. "Raphtalia."

…

Slowly, the little girl poked her head out from his cloak. He sighed again, seeing that there was fear in her tea-red eyes. "Look, why do you want to call me Master?" He asked.

"Um, well…" She lowered her head hesitantly when the indifferent look on Master's face didn't change. "I… I was taught to address those older than me by their titles… and your name appears as Naofumi (master) in my HUD, Master." She answered.

Naofumi sighed. "Look, I get it if you were taught that, but-"

"And, you've been so, nice to me." Raphtalia sniffled. "I want to respect you for helping me even though I'm your slave…"

…

Damn it. Despite being tired and grumpy, Naofumi sighed in defeat. The sad look in her eyes was killing him, and he'd only known her for a day. "Fine... how about a compromise then."

"A… compromise?" She asked.

"I'll let you call me Master. But you have to say my name as well. Master Naofumi." He hoped it wouldn't sound as weird if she added the name.

"Master… Naofumi?" She tried.

"Hmmm…" It still didn't sound right to him. But she looked happier saying it like that. So he could let it slide… for now.

"Alright, with that out of the way, we're going to start training now-" Naofumi started saying that, but then he gave Raphtalia another look over. Despite looking happier, she still looked tired. Now that she wasn't eating, she sagged somewhat under the weight of his cloak…

He sighed. He'd almost forgotten the wounds he treated on her yesterday. If he trained her now, they'd likely open back up again. "On second thought, how about you rest for today." He muttered.

"What?" She looked up in surprise. Hadn't Master said that they were going to do something?

"You're in no condition to fight right now. I want you to rest so you can heal up as quickly as possible." He muttered.

"But,"

"That's an order." Naofumi lightly glared down at her. "I want you to rest until you're feeling better."

"... But... but what are you going to do, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked, and huddled under the cloak.

"I have work to do." With that, he stood up. However, he placed a sheathed dagger from the pack next to her. "I know I ordered you to rest. But if you're attacked, use this to defend yourself. I'll be back soon."

Raphtalia stared at the handle of the small weapon. She nervously gulped, but shakily nodded her head. Naofumi gave her a pat between her ears. "Rest well." He wandered into the forest again.

The rest of that day slowly passed for the little demi-girl.

She was too nervous to go back to sleep. She swore she saw frightening red beady eyes staring out from bushes at the edges of the clearing around her. However, no monster tried to attack her. Every once in a while, she received a notification in her HUD.

+1 EXP

Was Master… out killing monsters? If he was the Shield Hero, it made sense. But the notification didn't come very often. Was he in trouble? Was he surrounded by a lot of angry, hungry balloons?

Her fears were unfounded, as eventually, her Master did come back. The sun was beginning to set in the evening sky. If it seemed possible, he looked even more tired and worn down than before. Yet he sat down, getting to cooking the evening's meal. She began coughing, and he added more of those herbs to it for her. Then, after they'd eaten, she laid down to go to sleep.

Sometime during the night, balloon monsters attacked their little camp. Her tired Master covered her body with his, protecting her from their bites. He didn't look bothered by them. Only annoyed. He punched the balloons whenever they tried to burrow under him to get at her. Though he didn't get much sleep, the night was uneventful.

Several more days passed like this. He cooked. He checked her back. He disappeared for most of the day. He came back. She received experience notifications several times. But it was always the same one. And it seemed they came less frequently the more tired Master Naofumi got.

...

Naofumi sat in front of their fire again. Bags were starting to appear under his eyes. For all his hard work… he was only at Level 3. Raphtalia had risen to level 2. And while some of his other stats had seen some increases, his ATT stat hadn't changed at all.

His head lowered defeatedly. He'd hoped that stat would at least go up when he leveled up. But it didn't look like that would happen anytime soon.

'I can't do this by myself… but I can't force her to fight either.' He'd tried bringing himself to say the harsh words before. But, he couldn't…

Raphtalia's back was almost as good as new. She was going to have scars, possibly for the rest of her life, but they'd made good progress healing, in no small part thanks to the healing potion that Elhart had packed, which Naofumi had made Raphtalia drink the rest of over the last few days. There was no sign of infection either. Besides her sickness, she was fine… yet despite that, he couldn't bring himself to ask Raphtalia to fight for him…

'What was I thinking?' He held his head tiredly in his hands. Maybe it'd be better to sneak back into the Capital. Give Raphtalia to Elhart, have him promise to take care of her, and then go turn himself in. At least then she'd have someone to look after her and an actual roof over her head instead of being forced to sleep on the cold forest floor surrounded by monsters at all times...

The little girl was eating the breakfast he'd made for her. But she looked up into his face. "Master Naofumi, what's wrong?" She asked.

He gave her a small glare again, but it seemed she was getting used to them now. She still looked at him with wide, worried eyes...

He sighed, curling his arms around his knees. "Raphtalia, I'm sorry, but I can't put this off anymore... I need you to start fighting monsters for me." He said defeatedly.

…

He looked over his knees at the girl. There was fear in her eyes. But along with that, there was an odd, calm acceptance as well. "Is that why you bought me, Master?"

He was briefly surprised, but then he sadly nodded. This little girl was smarter than he'd realized. "I have no attack power… and if I wander too far, I can't hurt any of the monsters." He admitted. "I bought you because I needed someone to fight for me… but if I can't get stronger, I won't be able to get you to the next town for proper treatment. At this rate, it'd be better going back, but..."

There was a long pause between them after that. He slowly ate his tasteless meal.

…

"Alright."

He looked up in surprise. Raphtalia had moved in front of him. Her small hands shakily held the hilt of a dagger. She looked frightened, but her eyes flashed with determination. "I'll… I'll do my best." She looked to the sides as if she was scared a balloon would leap out at any moment. "Just… just be patient with me… Master Naofumi… please." She fearfully said. "I don't like monsters."

...

Tears wanted to come to Naofumi's eyes. He hid them, of course. But nonetheless, he gratefully patted the girl between the ears, giving her ears a floof as he did so. She looked surprised by that, but her tail started wagging happily behind her at the action.

"Alright, just know I'm not going to go easy on you." He said. "We're both going to need to get strong if we want to survive."

With that, he reached behind himself and pulled out a red balloon that had been munching on his back. "Eep!" Raphtalia fell back in fright, almost dropping the dagger. 'Why did Master Naofumi have a monster hiding on him?!' She hadn't expected a monster that soon!

"You said that you'll help me kill monsters. Well, here's your first one." He'd already accumulated several hours trying to punch this particular balloon into oblivion. He got nothing but an ineffectual clanging whenever he punched it. He was starting to figure out whenever he heard a Clang! sound, that meant an action did no damage. "Kill it."

Raphtalia backed away even further from the demon balloon, which snapped menacingly at her. "But, but I'm not ready-" Raphtalia tried to say.

"It's okay. I'm holding it in place so it won't be able to hurt you. You can do it! Just stab it!" Naofumi tried to add some encouragement to his tired voice. However, it came off as an order.

Raphtalia's slave crest glowed purple on her chest, and she whimpered again at the familiar pain that coursed through her. However, it was enough of a motivator to overcome her fear for the time being. Unsheathing the dagger, she ran forward with her eyes closed to stab at the red balloon. Only the blade deflected off its skin, and it screeched angrily at her. Making a very scary face.

"Augh!" Raphtalia screamed in fear, backing away again from the captive aggressive demon balloon.

"Sorry! Put some muscle into it!" Naofumi again yelled. He hadn't meant for it to be an order! Damn it! Stupid slave crest! Couldn't he deactivate it or something?!

He knew he should have read the fine print before leaving Beloukas! If he'd only had time to learn more about the crest itself!

Raphtalia shakily got back up and then charged forward again. "Hahhhh!"

Pop!

This time, the red balloon popped in Naofumi's hands. Red balloon fragments fell around Raphtalia like confetti.

+15 EXP

…

So that's what Itsuki and Motoyasu meant when they said experience was shared with the rest of the party. He hadn't killed it. But he'd gotten the equivalent of killing fifteen orange balloons. That was...

"Good job." He patted the girl's shocked head again. "And… I'm sorry about the order." He added.

The girl came out of her state of shock. She smiled up at him so brightly, he almost thought he'd go blind. "It's okay, Master Naofumi! That was, that was… weird!" She struggled to find the right word for a moment. But she honestly hadn't looked happier since the moment he bought her.

Naofumi smiled as well and turned around, showing several other red balloons chomping on the chainmail on his back. "Well then, can you kill these for me too?" He asked.

The happy moment was ruined. "Aaaahhhhh! Just how many monsters do you have on you Master Naofumi?!" Raphtalia yelled.

"I don't know. Just kill them. They're getting annoying." He replied dryly.

It took some more encouragement, and he was careful not to accidentally activate the slave crest, but eventually, Raphtalia killed all the other balloon monsters that'd made their home under his chainmail. The short exertion had made her tired, but the single "good job" and head pat he gave her made it more than worth it.

Did the Shield Hero amass his army through head pats? She'd believe it. They felt soooooo good!

After absorbing some of the fragments, unlocking the Red Balloon Shield, and storing the rest away, he nodded in satisfaction. "Let's pack up. It's time we moved on from here."

"Right," Raphtalia quickly sheathed her dagger. After helping to pack up their camp, she followed Naofumi into the forest.

"Raphtalia, now!"

"Hahhh!" Pop!

Raphtalia slashed through a balloon Naofumi held captive in his hand.

"Right here!" Naofumi ordered next.

Raphtalia did a sideways slash through a group of three small mush monsters that her master lined up perfectly using his shield. Her blade cut through each series of Mush, killing them instantly.

"One more!" He yelled, having dived to hold down a Mush that was bigger than the others.

"Huahh!" Raphtalia jumped over Naofumi, bringing her dagger down right as Naofumi moved his hands out of the way. The large mush gurgled once as the blade stabbed into it, and then it shriveled up. A core fell out of it onto the ground.

Naofumi looked around at all the other monster fragments lying on the ground. There were no other monsters in sight. "Raphtalia." He said.

"Right." She said, moving from spot to spot to gather the materials and corpses since there were no other monsters around.

It had only been two days since they left their original campsite. Yet the girl looked much healthier than before. He had her resting often, and he still examined the marks on her back. But it seemed the more she leveled up, the better she got.

She stopped to cough into her shoulder. While she was leveling up, her sickness hadn't gone away. But after her short coughing fit, she went back to gathering.

Naofumi watched her. 'Even with her sickness impeding her, she's surprisingly energetic... And quick to learn.' Hell, she'd gotten used to the dagger she wielded very quickly. Though that didn't mean he didn't try to protect her when he could by shielding her from hordes of monsters. Still, he was proud of the progress she was making. Despite her fears, she was helping him.

Also, he had a weird thought while killing monsters with her. He couldn't help but be reminded of a song from his world. It became especially prominent in his mind whenever they faced red balloons. Though, fortunately, they didn't have to face 99 of them at once.

He walked over to the side of the clearing. More balloons munched on his chainmail beneath his cape. It took him only a few seconds of looking to find a patch of leaves he'd noticed while fighting the monsters a few minutes ago.

He plucked the differently shaped leaves from the ground, and a green glow surrounded them. 'Just as I thought.'

His passive abilities from the mush series of shields he'd unlocked earlier identified it as another type of medicinal herb. The equip ability of his leaf shield that he'd unlocked, meaning he no longer had to equip the shield to use it, also improved their quality. He brought the herb close to examine it. The description of the herb and its stats came into view on his screen. Then below that, a notification appeared, saying he had gathered enough different items to use the compounding skill he'd gotten unlocking the equip bonus from one of the Mush series of shields.

Again, the thought of how gamelike this world was, went through his mind.

'So all I have to do is combine these different herbs and monster materials together, and I can get something useful. I'll have to look it up in the guide to figure out if I can compound medicine or not.' He pocketed the herbs in the bulging pack which, thanks to Raphtalia, was starting to fill up with all sorts of monster items.

"Here Master Naofumi," Raphtalia said, handing over the pile of monster materials and corpses she had collected. Including the large Mush's core. He had her collect the corpses of the monsters they defeated not only as a possible money source. But so they wouldn't leave any trace of themselves behind that could be tracked.

He still found the title annoying. But she looked happy saying it, so he was letting it slide. He really hoped she'd get to call him by only Naofumi though. It was weird being referred to as Master Naofumi.

Shaking away his thoughts, he absorbed what was new into his Shield. Unlocking several different shields, including a Mush Core Shield. While it didn't give him any stat increases, its equip bonus increased the effectiveness of the other Mush Shields he'd unlocked the equip bonuses for. 'So my defense goes up on those shields, and I should be able to cook and compound better since I unlocked those skills from the Mush series...' He placed the rest of the materials in the pack.

"Good job Raphtalia." He patted her on the head.

She giggled happily, and a happy smile matched her happy swishing tail. Even though the praise had been said in the same indifferent tone he used all the time. "Thank you, Master Naofumi." She said happily.

While she was distracted, he checked her stats.

Raphtalia, Lvl 6

Naofumi, Lvl 5

'Wow, all this in two days of farming weak monsters.' It had definitely gone better than his days of solo farming had.

Naofumi looked up at the gradually darkening sky. 'Now that we're stronger, we should be able to reach that village soon. Otherwise, I don't know how I'm going to carry all this stuff we've found out here.' He wasn't sure how much more the pack could fit. Plus, they were running low on food, bandages, and other supplies.

He wished that his Shield had an inventory management ability or something like that. That would have been convenient. He also wondered where the monsters he absorbed went after going into his Shield... Maybe his Shield treated them like Trash? Never to be seen again.

He took some of the larger mush out of the pack, absorbing them into the Shield's gemstone. Even though he'd unlocked their weapon forms, the Shield greedily ate them up. He shrugged. At least he had a personal trash can that he could rely on. The real value came from the monster materials anyway, not their corpses.

"What now, Master?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

He pulled out the map that Elhart had given him and tried to find where they were in the forest. He assumed if they wanted to get to Lute Village, they'd have to go further south. But there were several different towns on the map. He wished he could read the writing on the damn thing to figure out which town was… which... wait a second…!

"Raphtalia, which one of these is Lute Village?" He asked.

She looked down at the map and then pointed at a village south of the Capital. "That one."

So she could read, huh? That was useful. Maybe she hadn't been a slave her whole life. Why hadn't he asked her sooner?

Then again, he hadn't exactly tried to pry into her life yet...

"Alright, let's keep going then." He said to her. He'd worry about it later.

Raphtalia cheerfully stood up, happy she'd been able to help Master Naofumi. However, her happiness didn't last long.

"*COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH*"

Naofumi stopped worriedly. "Raphtalia?!"

She coughed a while longer. It felt like her chest was on fire. She nearly toppled over, but Naofumi quickly supported her. "Raphtalia?! Are you okay?!"

She shook her head. Master's herbal soup blend from lunch had worn off.

"Let's get you back to camp."

Raphtalia didn't protest when he picked her up and ran.

The longer she was with her new master, the better off she felt than before. Sure, he still hadn't opened up much since he'd bought her. And while he was scary at times, she was beginning to notice how nice her master actually was. Especially during times like these.

When they got back to the campsite, Naofumi quickly ground up some herbs and added them to a broth that he had been cooking over the fire. After giving some to Raphtalia, the girl felt somewhat better. "M-Master Naofumi." She coughed again. "Am I going to die?" She suddenly looked up at him and asked sadly.

"No, you're not," Naofumi said it dryly. Hiding how uncertain he was. He could hear himself screaming internally. The herbal blends had been working at first, but she was getting worse again. Why?!

After a few minutes, Raphtalia took off her boots and sat on a rock next to the river. She grabbed a small fishing pole that she'd made from a long stick, some strand she'd found off a monster in the forest, and some orange balloon remains. She cast her line into the water. While she waited for a bite, she rubbed her chest and sides, hoping it'd make it easier to breathe.

With Raphtalia feeling a little better for the moment, Naofumi sat down near the campfire. He equipped one of the shields he'd gotten yesterday. By equipping it for a certain amount of time, he'd unlock its equip bonus permanently.

At the moment he looked up, Raphtalia squealed in delight as she caught another river fish and reeled it in. The way she took delight in it and the fact that she was very good at it told Naofumi she must have been raised in a fishing village before being captured and enslaved. He looked back down at the shield's current weapon form. Angler Shield.

It gave him a +1 in defense and an equip bonus that was supposed to make him better at catching fish. Not only could he level up to become stronger, but by absorbing the different things that he found, he could unlock equip bonuses that either gave his passive skills a nice boost or gave him new skills like fishing, compounding, and crafting.

'I wish I could find something that would increase my attack stat...'

So far the balloon remains and other monster drops had only increased his defense or stamina. And the skills they had given him were non-combat essential ones. Like being able to cook better, identify what herb was what, compound and craft materials, etc.

In other words, he still wasn't much more than a shield. In fact, thinking about it, it was like the skills he was getting were making him better suited as a butler.

Raphtalia's butler, no doubt…

He found himself worrying about her again. What if he couldn't heal her? What if her sickness got worse, and...

"Master Naofumi, look what I caught!" Raphtalia excitedly ran up to him.

Naofumi nearly jumped. He'd spaced out for a moment. The girl showed the line of fish she'd caught and hooked to a long stick. He nodded his head at her. "Good job, Raphtalia. I'll see what I can turn this into for dinner tonight." He said, giving her a pat on the head.

Raphtalia smiled widely at the action.

Soon, after cutting the fish into bits and adding different herbs he'd found in the forest, he put a lid on the broth cooking over the fire. Naofumi stayed next to it, occasionally opening and stirring it. He couldn't tell for sure or not, but it looked like the broth was glowing. 'Is my cooking skill affecting it? Damn, this shield is weird…'

Raphtalia watched quietly from the side, her belly rumbling with hunger. She also started coughing into her shoulder again. 'Already? But I just gave her a herbal blend...'

Seeing the way she was suffering, and seeing how she was eyeing the cooking food, he sighed. "Hey, Raphtalia, could you take over cooking for a moment?" He asked her.

Raphtalia looked at him in surprise. So far, he'd handled all the cooking for both of them. "Um, are you sure?" She asked. Tail twitching nervously.

Naofumi nodded. "Just stir it every couple minutes and keep it covered in between."

Raphtalia looked at the pot again, then at him. Eventually, she nodded and took his place.

He watched her for a minute. Making sure she knew how to stir before he got to work.

He laid out the herbs he'd collected so far onto a small flat rock. "Let's see." He muttered to himself, opening up the help guide in the bottom right of his menu.

He skimmed through different options until he got to the crafting and compounding tab, then he found several different tabs from there. His screen filled up with text. "Let's see, medicine, medicine, can I compound medicine- yes! Jackpot!" He found the recipe. "So all I have to do is…"

He picked up a pair of herbs off the ground along with a rock. It wasn't a compounding tool, but it was good enough. He got to work following the instructions.

…

'Damn! This is way harder than the help guide said it'd be!' Another failed compounding creation laid in front of him. He had a leaf cup and some leather flasks he'd managed to craft from some monster skins, but making the medicine itself with rocks was damn near impossible.

He heard more coughing behind him and quickly got back to it. 'I'm doing this to help Raphtalia. I have to learn how to do this.'

…

Finally, the blessed words appeared on his HUD.

Compounding Success! Obtained the following:

Nutritional Pill - Poor Quality

Medicine - Normal Quality

Naofumi sighed in relief as he looked at what he was holding. There was a pill-shaped item in his left hand identified as the poor-quality nutritional pill. And in his right, he held a cone-shaped leaf cup filled with a dark green liquid identified as the normal quality medicine. A leather flask containing the rest of it was laid on the rock.

'Alright, it finally worked… somewhat...' He hadn't been trying to make the Nutritional Pill. But it had come out as a creation for some reason... 

'Well, moment of truth.'

Raphtalia coughed into her arm a couple of times when she noticed a shadow falling over her. She quickly looked up in fright, and then relaxed. "Oh, what is it, master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"Raphtalia, you have to drink this." He said, giving her the cone-shaped leaf cup.

She moved to the side, allowing Naofumi to sit in his original spot again. She sniffed at the contents, and her tail spiked up behind her at the weird smell. "Mmmm…" She muttered to herself unsurely.

"It's okay. It's just medicine. It'll help you feel better." Naofumi said gently.

Raphtalia sniffed tentatively at the cup in her hand again and then, trusting her master, she tried to drink it.

Her eyes widened, and her face turned dark. Trusting her master on this had been a very bad idea! "Peh peh!" She spat to the side. It was the worst thing she'd ever tasted in her life, and that was saying something since slave food was not good food.

"What's wrong!?" Naofumi quickly asked with concern. Had he made a mistake after all?.

"It's, it's so bitter," Raphtalia complained.

...

He sighed in relief and smiled. "Raphtalia, good medicine is supposed to taste bitter. Now come on, drink it up!"

"Wahhhhhh! I don't want to!" Raphtalia whined in childish complaint.

…

"Raphtalia." Naofumi's voice became serious as his smile vanished. "Remember what you asked me earlier? About whether you're going to die or not?"

The tanuki stopped grimacing at his cutting remark and looked down at the tiny cup in her hands. "Because I don't want you to die. I know it's gross, but I promise it'll work."

…

"But, but-" Raphtalia shook. However, she eventually forced herself to drink it. She immediately began gagging.

"No, swallow it. Don't spit it out!" He helped her keep her mouth shut.

Raphtalia somehow choked it down. She began coughing again, but it wasn't from sickness this time. "Whyyyyyyyyy?!"

"Sigh." He sat on the ground. "Was it that hard to do?" He dryly asked.

Raphtalia kept wiping at her tongue. "Why did you make me drink that before dinner?" She complained. "Now everything will taste horrible!"

"Because I said so. Now stop whining about it." Naofumi said, a glint of anger and frustration evident in his tone.

Raphtalia's eyes went wide. She then instinctively covered her head and started whimpering again.

Fortunately, Naofumi was quick to realize why and calmed down. 'Damn it. I was only trying to help…'

Raphtalia was still covering her head with her hands when a warm arm wrapped around her. She looked up at her Master. His other hand rubbed through her hair between her ears comfortingly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blow up at you. I'm just worried. I want this medicine to work. I don't want to worry about your sickness developing into something worse, and then…" He couldn't finish the thought, and he looked to the side. His normally expressionless face holding a trace of sadness. 'Then... I'd be unable to do anything about it...'

Raphtalia looked up at him, her eyes still wide, but not with fear. 'He... he really does care about me.' Tears filled her eyes again, and she tightly hugged Naofumi while crying softly. "I'm sorry, Master Naofumi. I promise I won't complain about having to take bitter medicine again." She cried into his shoulder.

Naofumi looked back down at her. "It's okay... I can already feel your forehead cooling down. I don't think I'll have you take any more medicine for a while." He said.

...

Raphtalia slowly stopped crying and felt at her forehead with her hand. He was right. It didn't feel so hot anymore. In fact, she didn't feel like she had to cough either. She separated from Naofumi, looking at her hands in wonder.

In some ways, this really did feel like a game. Even the medicine worked faster than it did on Earth.

He had to remember that this wasn't a game though. Even one wrong misstep and he could seriously hurt this little girl. "Feel better?"

She nodded. She began smiling up at him again. Her smile, it was so precious...

At that moment, Raphtalia's stomach grumbled again. Naofumi began chuckling as Raphtalia's cheeks flushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-" She tried to say, feeling embarrassed.

"Now that you're feeling better, your stomach is more active than ever," Naofumi said, sounding rather happy. It'd been the first time she'd seen her Master come so close to laughing.

Raphtalia's face turned a darker red from embarrassment, and she quickly faced away. "It's, it's not that! I've just, I've been a slave for a while, and, and now I'm having good food, and, I um-" She tried to say, but she kept on stumbling over her words because of how embarrassed she was. Why did her old stomach have to return now?

"Here. You can serve yourself first. I'll eat whatever you don't want." He said. He took the lid off and dished some of the fish soup into a bowl before handing it to her.

Raphtalia looked down at it, and then up at Naofumi. He was giving her a look that said: 'Go on, I'm not going to stop you.'

...

With that bright smile on her face that was slowly becoming familiar, she grabbed a spoon and started devouring it immediately. He noticed that her eyes, which had looked like a dull-red when he first saw them, looked more lively than ever before. They were starting to resemble a familiar tea he was fond of from back home.

'There, at least now she's starting to act a little more like a kid.'

His happiness was short-lived as he took a sip from his bowl. His smile reverted back to its original frown. 'But of course. Even with my improved cooking skills, I still can't taste a damn thing.' He was going to have to once again force himself to eat another meal. 'The next time I'm able to, I'm going to slug that bitch in the face for taking away my ability to taste any food. It's one thing to have me killed off, it's another to take away the joy of eating.'

Naofumi kept watch during the night. He had his pile of herbs out and was busy trying to turn them into medicine, both to help out Raphtalia and to sell to towns at a later time. Lacking the proper tools though, it was proving to be a long and arduous task.

That didn't keep him from trying though.

Things became somewhat easier after he absorbed another batch of medicine he'd made into his Shield, unlocking the Petit Medicine Shield. It gave him a passive ability that improved the quality of the medicine he made. 'If it really works this well, I wonder how much it would sell for… though I should keep some and continue experimenting. Raphtalia will need more if she wants to be cured of her sickness for good.'

As long as he had every possible advantage he could obtain, he could make living on the run work. He just had to work hard for it. Harder than he'd had for anything else before now. But at least now, he wasn't thinking about turning himself in. He realized he could make this work. He could not only get stronger but find ways to make his and Raphtalia's lives easier.

Things were finally looking up.

...

Sleeping with his green cloak wrapped around her like a blanket, Raphtalia fidgeted in her sleep. Quiet whimpers came out of her mouth at the latest nightmare going on in her mind.

Raphtalia was being carried in the arms of her Father. Both he and her mother were running for the cliff face next to the village. Left and right, other demi-humans were screaming in fear. Some were trying to get the children to safety where they'd be out of reach of the monsters. Others brandished pitchforks, weapons, or magic to fight back against the seemingly endless tide of monsters. There were so many though, and she saw countless people that she'd known her whole life all around, lying on the ground. Their lifeless eyes staring up at nothing as monsters stepped over their bodies to continue their assault.

The kids who hadn't been moved to safety clutched to their dead parents. They cried helplessly over their mangled bodies, begging them to come back. And while her father did his best to cover her eyes, it was already too late. The scene of bloodshed around her would forever be imprinted into her mind. Of both her village and the sky above. Her mom rushed to the children, throwing them into the arms of other villagers while directing them to run.

"Augh!" Her Father grunted in pain when a dog monster with two horns on its head bit into his arm. He managed to make it back away with a quick light spell, and his wife unsheathed a sword at her waist and cut it down. "Keep holding on, Raphtalia! We'll get you to safety!" He yelled at her.

She recognized what they were running away from in the sky. There had been a picture representation of it in the storybook Father used to read to her. It was the large angry-looking swirling circles in the sky that were unleashing all sorts of monsters onto the town below. Her eyes were wide with fear in recognition of what could only be known as the Wave of Catastrophe.

'How can we be safe without the help of the Cardinal Heroes?'

Her parents ran up the cliff face next to the sea that her town was based on. Behind them, the largest, meanest looking demon of them all; a three-headed Cerberus dog was slowly lumbering towards them. Looking around, Raphtalia realized that they were the only targets around.

They were trapped.

Her hands were clasped over her heart. 'No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. I was supposed to meet the Shield Hero. He was supposed to help.' She thought to herself in fear. 'He was supposed to save us.'

What could they do?... what could they...

Her dad put his hand, covered in blood from the wound on his arm, in front of her. "I'm sorry Raphtalia."

"Huh," Raphtalia asked in confusion, not understanding what he'd meant. When she looked up at him, she saw the face of someone resigned to their fate.

"Raphtalia." Her mother looked back at her. "We only wanted to make sure you survived. Please... find it in your heart to forgive us for this selfish desire." She said sadly, the giant Cerberus lumbered closer and closer.

...

Her eyes widened in understanding, but it was too late. Both of her parents smiled down at her despite knowing what was about to happen. Both of them mouthed the same thing at the same time. The words they'd said to her every night before she went to bed.

Then, her father pushed her over the cliff's edge, and she fell down towards the water below.

A soundless scream came from Raphtalia's lips. Her arms reached up towards her parents.

The two rushed forward. Her Father sent off bursts of light. Her mother slashed with her sword.

The monster's three heads bit down.

"NOOOOOOO!" Raphtalia jumped up screaming, eyes wide open and crying.

Naofumi nearly fell off his rock in shock.

"Nooo, mommy, daddy! Please don't leave me!" Raphtalia cried, her eyes now tightly closed. Her hands flailing blindly in front of her.

"What's wrong?!" Naofumi asked, getting down on one knee next to her. All he got was unintelligible crying in response.

"Calm down. Everything's okay." He said, hugging the little girl to his left shoulder.

"Mother. Father. Noooo." She cried more quietly. "They're both gone. They're dead." Tears fell down her face onto his shoulder.

"Don't cry. It's alright." He said, his other hand rubbing the back of her head gently. Trying to help calm the little Tanuki girl down.

She continued crying softly into his shoulder. The wounds in her mind freshly opened again from the memory turned nightmare.

"Mother... father... why did you have to die... please, come back." Raphtalia whimpered.

'... she lost her parents...'

…

He felt sadness well up inside him again. The pessimistic part of his mind didn't speak up. Even that part of him felt bad for this little girl in his arms. His parents weren't the best… but if he lost them...

"It'll be alright. I'm here for you." He said, slowly comforting the sobbing girl back to sleep.

…

"I promise. I'll protect you, no matter what happens."

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Raphtalia sat silently in her spot on the ground, looking down at the dying embers of the campfire in shame. Her ears were flat on her damp head, and her tail was wrapped around one of her legs. She was no longer covered by the Shield Hero's green cloak but was instead wrapped in a towel. Said cloak was soaking in the water of the river in an attempt to clean it. She felt chills from the memories of her dreams from last night, and shame from the mess she'd made on her master's cloak when it'd gotten so bad that her body released its control on her bladder.

Naofumi looked back at her as he finished cleaning up his medicinal area. There were dark bags under his eyes again from spending part of his night making medicine and the other part of it staying by Raphtalia's side to make sure that she was okay. He had lost count of how many times he'd had to calm her down.

'Another night with little to no sleep…' He was a Cardinal Hero, and he suspected that his shield might have had a list of things it could help him out with... but he felt so tired.

...

'Hell, just thinking about what happened…'

His mind flashed back to last night. Raphtalia had cried even in her sleep, reaching out for someone who was no longer there. She didn't stop, even though he'd embraced her in a comforting hug the whole night… and when she said anything intelligible, it was her crying out for her parents…

Naofumi clenched his hands. He swore, if it was because of this kingdom that her parents were dead, then he'd make them pay.

And to make matters worse, every time she cried out loud enough, it grabbed the attention of nearby monsters. He'd had to once again cover her body with his for the entire night so she wouldn't be a feast for Mushes, Eggs, or Balloons...

"Master Naofumi...?"

Naofumi looked up from his area. "What?"

She was still looking down at the fire. Her face downcast, and her eyes droopy. She looked even smaller while wrapped in her towel. Her clothes sat nearby to dry in the light of the fire. "I'm... sorry I kept you up last night... and I'm sorry for peeing on your cloak…" She huddled closer to herself under the towel.

"I know it's not right for a slave to keep her master awake all night worrying for her. You've been so kind to me… and I've been nothing but a burden to you." She said sadly, looking like a little child who was about to get scolded. Tears began to fill her eyes again.

…

A hand started patting her gently on her head, and she looked up in confusion at Naofumi. Though his face was unreadable, the look in his eyes wasn't. "I don't care how much sleep I lose or how many times you wet that cloak at night. You're not a burden. You've helped out in the last couple of days, no? So stop apologizing." He said indifferently.

...

Raphtalia's eyes widened up at him, but before she could say anything he looked blankly behind him and walked over to the stream. "Come on. Get dressed. We'll go deeper into the forest." He said, pulling out his cloak from the river and wringing it out. "Let's try to reach Lute Village by the end of today."

Raphtalia sat still for a few more seconds, staring at the back of Naofumi's head in wonder. He had seemed so bland, yet so caring… "Right," Raphtalia finally said, moving to get changed.

Maybe it'd be for the better to put this morning behind her.

Pop!

The red balloon popped under Raphtalia's dagger. She breathed in and out heavily as the familiar experience bar showed up in front of her face.

+15 EXP

Naofumi studied the number curiously. Even though they were at a higher level, the amount of experience they got from killing the same monsters didn't go down. 'So there's no scaling in this world… that's good to know.'

Power scaling is a gaming term, meaning you get less experience from lower-level monsters the higher your level becomes. However, that particular game mechanic didn't exist in this world. Meaning even if they reached level 100, they would still get the same amount of experience killing these monsters as they would at their current levels.

He did, however, notice that there were fewer monsters attacking them than before. He could see more balloons hiding in the branches of nearby trees, but upon seeing the look he gave them they fled.

So if they grew too powerful, some monsters would be less willing to face them... tch. How annoying.

Raphtalia looked around as well. She could see a couple of Mushes hiding deeper in the trees. But they didn't look willing to try and fight anymore. At seeing her glance, they shrieked in terror and quickly rolled away out of sight into the forest.

"Looks like you scared them off." Naofumi gave her a playful smile.

"Is… is that a bad thing?" Raphtalia curiously asked. It felt different... yet really cool!

"Of course not. It means you're getting stronger." He encouraged her. Even if he did feel somewhat annoyed that their experience grinding was going to get tougher here. Hopefully, they met some tougher monsters soon.

Raphtalia smiled brightly. She hoped she would get really strong one day! That morning already seemed like a distant memory!

Naofumi kept on walking forward, his shield at the ready. Whether it be some monster or a knight or two from the Capital, he didn't want to get caught off guard. Thankfully, he didn't spot anyone besides monsters yet during their travels. But considering how they were still relatively close to the Capital and that they stopped traveling through the wilderness in favor of walking along actual roads, he wasn't willing to take any risks.

"I guess that's our signal to continue on, let's go Raphtalia-" Naofumi was saying back to Raphtalia when the bush in front of him started shaking. Causing him to pause.

Raphtalia quickly raced forward, holding her dagger up at the ready. Naofumi's eyes narrowed, looking towards the bush. His mind went through a list of shields he could possibly use in case it was a Capital Knight. Or if it-

A cute, circular, white rabbit hopped out of the bush. It had a small red arrow pointing down at its head, indicating that it was a monster. His screen called it a Usapil. The Usapil let out a happy squeal.

"... Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia said confusedly as she lowered her dagger.

"Is that, an enemy, rabbit?" Naofumi asked skeptically as he lowered his guard in disbelief. The two both stared. He'd heard of some games that had cute rabbit-like creatures as starter enemies. But to see that happening here too?

'There's no way that's actually a monster-'

The Usapil let out a squeal of anger as it jumped for Raphtalia, baring its two large front teeth, which suddenly didn't look so cute anymore. "AHHHH-!"

"Watch out!" Naofumi yelled, trying to jump in front of Raphtalia. However, he failed to block the Usapil in time.

Fortunately, Raphtalia raised her dagger out of instinct. The Usapil impaled itself on it, and let out a dying screech as blood sprayed out from its wound, covering the shocked, little girl.

Naofumi looked down at her, sighing in relief. 'Damn it, I shouldn't have let my guard down like that. Who knows how badly Raphtalia could have gotten hurt there-'

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Raphtalia's sudden screaming caught him off guard. She dropped her dagger and backed away from the dead, bleeding Usapil. Her eyes were wide. She looked absolutely frightened.

"Raphtalia, Raphtalia?!" He tried grabbing her by the shoulder, but the girl wouldn't stop freaking out.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What is it, talk to me! Raphtalia!" Naofumi said worriedly.

Another screech came from the forest. Naofumi looked up as another white-furred Usapil came charging out of the bushes. He cursed under his breath as he caught this one on his left arm just above his elbow. His other hand grabbed the back of its head, pinning it in place. He could feel its large buck teeth trying to dig through his chainmail into his arm. If it wasn't for his high defense, this would have hurt a lot more.

"Alright, I need you to calm down and kill this thing Raphtalia!" Naofumi yelled.

"... no... NO!"

Naofumi turned his head. Raphtalia was letting out short, labored breaths mixed with occasional weak, pathetic, and high-pitched wails as she continued to crawl back. Her carefree smile from before was gone, now replaced with an expression of abject terror. The pupils of her eyes were wide and dilated and she couldn't stop crying. It looked like she was going to start screaming to the point of not responding again at any moment.

"Raphtalia?!" Naofumi raised his voice, trying to make the girl snap out of it. 'What's happening? She hasn't had any issues with killing monsters before! Not even the first time was this bad. What did that rabbit do to her? The HUD says that she didn't take any damage and she isn't under any status ailments either. What the hell is going on?' He felt angry and frustrated because of how tired he was, but more than anything, he was worried about the young Tanuki. He looked down at the struggling Usapil in his grip and grimaced in frustration.

"Raphtalia! Listen to my voice! I got it! It's not going to jump at you again, so get a hold of yourself and finish it quickly!" He desperately tried to calm her down.

"I... I...…" She began to speak, and some sense seemed to return to her eyes before she suddenly cried out. I CAN'T! I'M SORRY MASTER NAOFUMI!"

"WHY THE HELL NOT?!" The Shield Hero finally exploded, unable to hold back all the stress and frustration of the past few days.

"Because…" She began to hiccup and sniffle loudly. "Because it'll bleed again if I stab it."

...

Naofumi blinked in confusion and looked down at the first dead, bleeding Usapil. Then he looked at Raphtalia, who was covered in the monster's blood. The second Usapil was still biting down on his arm.

Raphtalia took another step back. "I hate blood." She whispered with an eerie certainty in her voice. "There was so much of it at my village… too much… it's too much. I, I can't stab it, Master Naofumi." She started to cry again. "Please, I beg you, don't make me do this!"

…

Naofumi looked down at the blubbering child in front of him and sighed. He then shifted his gaze to the angry Usapil on his arm again. He gave it a punch.

Clang!

Yep, he couldn't damage it at all...

"Raphtalia… I'm sorry if what I'm about to say to you sounds cruel, but if you won't fight for me… then I won't be able to take care of you anymore." He finally said after a long pause.

"M-master Naofumi?" Raphtalia looked stunned at his harsh and merciless words. Especially after how nice he'd been to her. She suddenly forgot about the blood around her completely while he continued.

"Believe me when I say this: I firmly believe that no child should ever be put through what I'm asking of you. Instead of enjoying your childhood and playing with your friends, I'm forcing you to live in the woods and fight for your survival day after day. And there is nothing else in this world that I wish for more than to be able to take this burden away from you. From both of us. But I can't. I'm the Shield Hero. I can't attack worth a damn!" He yelled, punching the Usapil again for emphasis.

Clang!

It didn't affect the monster again.

"I can only defend. I can only survive and grow stronger by relying on others. And you're the only friend I have out here, Raphtalia. If you can't fight for me, I'll never be strong enough to take care of you." Naofumi sadly noted and looked away.

"We may be on the run now, but at some point, I'll be forced to fight the waves of Catastrophe. And if I don't grow stronger by then, I won't be able to survive them. I won't be able to go back home to my world and see my family again." The Shield Hero looked up at the sky wistfully while the girl in front of him paid attention to every word he spoke. "And if I don't survive them, then you'll be all alone again..."

"You're… going to fight the waves?" She suddenly asked with a strange indiscernible emotion in her voice.

"... That's why I was summoned to this wretched world, apparently." He closed his eyes and exhaled. "I have to." 'It's the only way I can return home… it's the only way I'll be able to see my brother again... and it's the only way I can keep people like you and Elhart safe. The ones who are good in this world…'

…

He sighed. Maybe he should ask her if she has any living relatives and try to help her reach them. This was an insane idea from the start. He never had any right to make her-

"I understand." Suddenly, Raphtalia stood up, grabbed the dagger she'd dropped earlier, and gripped it with both hands. Her face took on a determined look. No longer did it look like an innocent little girl standing there. Rather, it looked like the face of someone who was determined to become a warrior.

Naofumi gasped in surprise at the change that came over. "Ahhhh!" Raphtalia screamed, charging in with her blade. He had to quickly move the Usapil so she could hit it.

The blade went into the monster, causing it to squeal in pain as blood came in bursts out of it. Its squeals became weaker and weaker as Raphtalia pushed, until with one last burst of blood it went limp in Naofumi's hands. Blood spattered on his face from the spectacle. It had been so quick, it surprised him.

Raphtalia breathed in and out deeply in front of him. Her blade, arms, face, hair, and outfit were covered with more Usapil blood.

+18 EXP

"Then, then I'll do it." She said. "Master Naofumi, I'll fight for you. I'll fight for you as long as you need me to. Just don't, don't leave me alone again." She said begging him at the end. "Please."

He quickly got down on one knee and hugged the shaking girl close to him. "Never."

Raphtalia wrapped her arms around his neck and cried softly into his shoulder. He continued to hold the dead rabbit while he allowed her to hug him. He could smell the rabbit's blood hanging in the air all around him.

'This is reality.' He reminded himself, looking sadly from the ground to the side of Raphtalia's hair. Even though there were game mechanics to almost everything, he couldn't deny the underlying fact that it was real. Raphtalia wasn't an NPC. None of the people he'd met were NPC's. This was a real world, with real people, and real consequences; not some fantasy novel come to life.

'I want us to live... So there's nothing we can do but fight! That's the only way we'll both get strong enough to survive the waves!'

He separated from Raphtalia. "Put that dagger back in its sheath." He ordered.

Raphtalia looked surprised at his request, but hastily did so under the look he was giving her. He took the sheathed dagger from her, placing it back into his inventory. "Elhart told me to give this to you when I felt you were ready. It's not only got more attack power behind it, but the extra reach should help you to avoid getting blood on you in the future." He said, pulling out the sheathed shortsword.

Raphtalia's eyes widened at it, and then at Naofumi as he handed it to her. "If you hate blood that much, then I'll do everything I can to make it easier for you." He promised.

Tears started to leak from her eyes again, and before he could say anything more she tackled him with another hug. "Thank you, thank you so much master Naofumi," She said. "I promise... I promise I won't let you down."

Naofumi's eyes slightly widened, but then he smiled softly while she couldn't see it. He wanted to hope that'd be true. She hadn't let him down thus far...

"Come on. Let's dissect these things for their meat, then we can continue on." He said, laying the carcass on the ground next to the other one. 'I'm sure that won't be the last Usapil that tries to attack us on our way to Lute Village.'

The sun was nearing midday on the next day when Naofumi and Raphtalia walked over a rise to look down at the valley below. In between where the forest ended and where the rocky cliffs of the mines stood was a village.

'Yes… we made it.' Naofumi tiredly looked down at the shield on his arm. It'd been slow-moving again after the first initial Usapils. He'd unlocked more shields from them, and they'd been attacked by several more before camping again the night before far away from the road. And now, after some careful traveling, they'd made it to what was hopefully Lute Village.

He moved his shield on his back where it'd be covered by his green cloak. 'Whether it's the right one or not, we need to sell the monster materials we've gathered. And above that, we need some good food and rest.'

"Raphtalia. Remember to stay close to me. Once we get to the village, I won't be able to protect you with my shield if we get separated." He said to her.

She nodded her head. "Alright." She didn't question why. Master had said he wasn't well-liked by others.

The two walked down through the rest of the forest. A couple more Usapils as well as some Egg monsters appeared as they walked, but Raphtalia made quick work of them with her new weapon. And while Naofumi noticed she still looked afraid to get any blood from the Usapils on her, she didn't hesitate in killing them as she had before. He dissected them afterward for their monster materials and meat. Using the dagger Raphtalia had fought with before to pull out meat, fur, bones, ligaments and other parts.

In a way, he felt proud of her for grabbing these bleeding monster carcasses for him…

At last, the trees around them turned to farmland, and they walked up the road that led toward the gate of the village. After spending several days surrounded by trees, it felt weird to approach buildings again. There was a village guard standing on one side of the gate. As Naofumi and Raphtalia were about to walk past, the guard stepped in front of them. "Halt." He said in a deep voice.

Naofumi did his best to keep his face and posture calm. Though his heart started to beat rapidly in his chest as the guard glared at him. Raphtalia wrapped her arms around his leg, hiding her face in the back of his cloak. 'Did word already reach this village about me? Are Raphtalia and I going to have to flee back to the forest, or worse, will we have to fight this guy-' He tried to think of a plan.

The guard's eyes narrowed. "Everyone knows you have to pay the entrance toll before you can enter Lute Village." The guard said at last.

Naofumi's racing heart returned to a normal pace. "Sorry, I'm new to the area." 'That's a relief.' He thought. "How much?" He asked in an indifferent voice.

The guard looked him over… he certainly looked new. That face of his was definitely foreign. "50 Coppers." He finally said.

Naofumi took a silver coin from his pouch and tossed it to the guard who caught it in the air. "For the next time we enter," Naofumi said dryly.

The guard moved silently to the side, getting back to his post without saying another word to them.

Naofumi looked back down at Raphtalia, who let go of his leg to stare up at him. "Come on. We have some errands to run." He said, turning to walk into the village.

Raphtalia glanced up at the guard who continued looking straight ahead at the road that led into the village. Then she quickly turned and ran to catch up to Naofumi.

If the front guard had been that scary then she didn't want to be separated from her master at all while they were here.

At first, Naofumi walked around the town, exploring it with a frown and cold calculating eyes. His shoulders under his cloak were tensed. He didn't trust anyone he saw going about their day. Raphtalia quietly pointed out what was what when he asked since he couldn't read the signs and could only somewhat tell what the shops and inn were based on the symbols used on the signs.

However, as he got more of a layout for the town, he gradually began to relax. It was becoming apparent to him that no one was searching for him here. And while people gave him and Raphtalia confused looks, they continued about their days without a second glance.

Based on what Naofumi saw, this was a poor town. It had only a couple of shops and only one inn. The inn was a Silver a night, compared to 30 Copper in the Capital. It seemed that besides the town's shops, they relied on exporting crops and other materials to the surrounding areas to make money.

Finally, Naofumi entered what Raphtalia had identified to be a monster shop. It was a small building near the inn.

"'ello there traveler! What can I do for you this fine afternoon?!" The owner leaned over a counter decorated with all sorts of skins and bones. The wall behind him featured the stuffed heads of many monsters. Almost all of which Naofumi knew nothing about.

"I'm here to trade." Naofumi took the pack off his back, setting pile after pile of various monster materials on the counter in an organized manner.

The shopkeeper's eyes widened. "That looks like several weeks' worth of materials there!" He picked up scraps from each pile and brought them close to his eye to examine them. "And they're good quality too! How long has it been since you last visited a town, traveler?!"

"A while." Naofumi deflected the question.

The shop owner looked at the materials and then at Naofumi. A cold shudder went through him. He at first thought it was a sign of danger. Was it really that rare for somebody to gather this many materials in only a few days?

However, when the shopkeeper opened his mouth again, Naofumi realized why he'd gotten that shudder. "I'll buy all this for 5 silvers."

The shopkeeper was trying to rip him off.

Naofumi gave the guy a deadpan look. "10 Silvers."

"10?! That's crazy talk!"

"Says the guy trying to undercut me at 5 Silvers." Naofumi leaned on the counter. "Give us a moment, Raphtalia." The girl looked up curiously to see her master smirking. "This is going to take a while."

What followed could only be described as the longest, funnest exchange of heckling Naofumi had had in a long time.

This had been one of his favorite things to do in the online games he played. This was familiar territory. And it turned out doing it in real life was even more fun than doing it over a computer screen.

"15 Silvers?!" The owner exclaimed in shock at Naofumi's words.

"You heard me, 15 Silver." Naofumi continued to smirk. "I can understand why the balloon scraps and Mush corpses aren't worth much. But let's face it. The Usapils are the real value bringer here. You even admitted they were good quality." Naofumi indicated to what was at least ten Usapil's worth of materials. "15 Silvers... Or should I go for 25."

"You can't be serious!"

"About as serious as I was while hunting these. How many others do you have hunting Usapils for you?" Naofumi casually asked. "Must not be many if you're surprised by me having this much."

…

"Argh… you drive a hard bargain!" The owner suddenly grinned and shook Naofumi's hand. "You've got yourself a deal!"

Naofumi felt really good. It was possible he was still being ripped off. He wouldn't know otherwise until he had a better layout of this world. But he'd managed to get three times the owner's original offer. That in itself was a win in his book.

As the owner counted out the silvers and handed them to Naofumi, he suddenly asked a question. "Tell me, are you a traveling merchant?"

"Why do you ask that?" Naofumi asked confusedly.

"You seem to have practical knowledge about business. Plus, you haggle like a champ." He laughed at that. "It's been a while since I had so much fun!"

"I guess you could just say that I'm passing through," Naofumi answered.

The two had some surprisingly pleasant small talk after that. Naofumi dodged more direct questions simply by reaffirming that he was passing through and traveling around. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Raphtalia wander from shelf to shelf. Tail wagging curiously at some of the objects she saw and staying still as she examined others.

"Is she your daughter?"

"Wait, what?" Naofumi's attention was dragged back to the owner.

"Is that demi there your daughter?" He asked again.

"Oh, um, uh-" Naofumi looked very caught off guard. "No, she isn't, I just met her a few days ago, and um-" She was only his slave. Nothing more, and nothing less. Plus, she already had parents. And he was way too young to be a Father-

"Not to worry. Whether she is or isn't, you won't have to worry about her here." He said with a wave of dismissal. "Most folks here don't mind Demi-humans much, compared to the rest of the Kingdom."

'Oh… he must think I was watching her to make sure she stayed safe.' Naofumi realized. "That's a relief to hear." His shoulders inadvertently relaxed some more.

Had he been that worried about Raphtalia?

"Be careful though." The owner suddenly sounded serious. "The monster breeder outside of town isn't very fond of demi-humans. He's a very "pious" man if you catch my drift." He put his hand to his chin in thought. "I wonder if Shieldfrieden is nice this time of year…"

Naofumi stared, trying to mask his confusion. It sounded like a baited comment, especially since it had the word Shield in it. The shop owner looked slightly confused at Naofumi's lack of response but smiled regardless. "Either way, I'd hate to see you two antagonized by that monster geezer. So make sure to avoid him when you leave."

"Will do," Naofumi replied. At that moment, he glanced and caught sight of Raphtalia looking with wide eyes at a selection of balls made from balloon scraps. Her tail was wagging so quickly that she was blowing dust through the air behind her.

"I think somebody likes what they see." Raphtalia eeped in surprise as she realized her Master and the owner were looking at her.

"Do you want a ball that badly, Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked curiously.

"Um, uh…" Raphtalia put her hands behind her back and looked abashedly down at the ground. Was it really that obvious?

The owner laughed again. "Here, how about I teach your dad here how to make them. That way he'll have something else to sell during his travels."

Raphtalia stared wide-eyed at them. Naofumi also stared wide-eyed at the owner. "But, but you don't have to do that-" He tried to say.

"It's fine, you've brought me enough materials to make at least several dozen more, and you seem like a nice guy. The materials are easy to gather too. Just got to whop a few balloons, eh?" The owner winked at him, silencing the rest of Naofumi's protests. "Besides, regardless of whether you're a traveling merchant or not, you should network where you can. And while monster materials are great, learning how to craft them into different items will make you even more successful."

...

Naofumi could not argue with that. He gave the owner a smirk. "I'm guessing next time I'm here, you'll want me to stop by your shop with all the interesting goods I've learned to make?"

"Exactly! You've got a business spirit within ya yet kiddo!"

Naofumi was impressed by the guy's cheekiness, but just this once, he figured he'd let it slide.

Naofumi proceeded to learn from the shopkeeper how to craft a ball. And, because it was a special occasion, he had Raphtalia help him in making it. Much to her surprise, and delight.

Shortly after that, Naofumi and Raphtalia left, and thus, they got to go about the rest of their errands for that day.

Naofumi sat back on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling.

'Holy hell… what a day, I'm beat.'

Their visit to Lute ended up quite a bit more eventful than he expected. True to her word, Raphtalia had stuck close to him the entire time. She didn't attempt to pull his cloak from off his back to reveal his shield or call him by his real name or anything. She had been perfectly obedient as they went around the village, selling the herbs, medicines, and other things they'd collected/crafted/compounded out in the forest. It made him appreciate her a little more. Even after his harsh words, she had easily forgiven him.

He'd visited the few shopkeepers that this town had. Thankfully, none of them noticed who he actually was. It was possible that the monster shop owner recognized him, but he was still debating that in his mind.

He'd also been able to sell off almost everything he and Raphtalia had collected. The medicine he'd made turned out to be the real breadwinner. The town was small and didn't have a proper apothecary. And while the locals didn't line up to buy a stranger's first attempt at medicine, there was, thankfully, an actual traveling merchant staying in town. He eagerly bought everything that Naofumi had at a premium. The leftover herbs sold for a little over a silver, while the medicine sold for close to five silvers a flask. The merchant explained that the demand for it was high in other parts of Melromarc due to the waves of Catastrophe starting. Even Naofumi's poor attempt at a nutritional pill had sold for 2 silvers, much to his surprise.

It had been more than enough to pay for their food and night at the inn, buy Raphtalia some more clothes, and buy a couple of sleeping bags so they'd be more comfortable out in the wild. Since he also had some funds from the kingdom that he had leftover, he also bought himself some simple compounding tools from the local apothecarian so he could make medicine more easily, you could only go so far by bashing rocks together…

He'd try those tools out later when he wasn't feeling so tired.

'The food here tastes bland too. I guess it's not just my cooking. Somehow, I can't taste anything anymore.'

That disappointed him. He'd bought a decent meal for himself and Raphtalia. The only thing that had made the meal worth it was the look on Raphtalia's face when she had an actual warm kid's meal placed in front of her. The poor thing couldn't eat with her hands fast enough and had almost choked on her food. It was a welcome change to see her being more open and happy instead of sad and closed off.

However, when he'd asked her about it after dinner, she'd said his meals tasted better. He didn't know if that was the truth or her way of buttering up to him. It made him feel good either way though.

So besides not being able to satisfy his stomach or tongue, it didn't help that the last few days had felt like one giant emotional rollercoaster for him. Alternating between being extremely angry and frustrated because of what Bitch was putting him through, to being worried about the state of Raphtalia's body and mind, and then feeling pride and relief over her overcoming her fears and quickly recovering from her sickness. He also felt guilt about what he'd said to her in the heat of the moment earlier, but he didn't regret it since it had been the truth.

He appreciated the pessimistic part of his mind for speaking the truth. He did, however, think he could have put it a bit more lightly. He didn't want Raphtalia to hate him. Even if he wasn't willing to extend as much trust to her as she did to him quite yet, it would be a lie to say that he hadn't grown attached to the girl. Every time he saw her smile, he couldn't help but feel hopeful that maybe, just maybe, they were going to get through this and that everything would work out somehow. Even if he didn't trust her completely yet, he was going to protect that smile.

He noticed some movement in the corner of his eye and even though he was tired, he got up from the bed and looked at the spot under the window where it came from. Raphtalia was peeking over the windowsill, looking at the empty street outside. It was late afternoon and the sun was slowly starting to set over the horizon but it wouldn't get dark for some time yet. Since most villagers had already finished their work for the day, it was relatively quiet with only an occasional drifter passing by.

The girl was hugging the ball she'd helped him with making close to her body and studying the street with mild curiosity. Her tail idly swished back and forth while her round ears twitched every so often when she noticed something interesting.

Naofumi sighed. Earlier she asked if she could play with her ball indoors, to which he agreed, but a few minutes later the ball bounced off one of the walls of their room, smacking the shield hero in the face. Raphtalia almost freaked out despite his assurance that he didn't even feel it and that it was her surprised yelp that actually took his attention away from studying the help menu on his HUD for anything he might have missed. He managed to calm her down and reassure her that everything was okay but after it happened again only a few minutes later, no amount of convincing helped anymore. She instead sat in front of the window quietly with a remarkable display of restraint to not bother him anymore.

She was putting on a solid brave face, but Naofumi could tell that she was bored. He hadn't been a child that long ago and he could relate. He might be the cool and collected wisecracking cynic right now, but that couldn't be any further from what he had been as a kid. Hell, he'd nearly driven his parents up the wall with his antics. As much as he liked to talk #$%^ about his parents, he was a far cry from Raphtalia's obedient and prim and proper self. The amount of trouble that he'd gotten himself into over the years could only be matched by the amount of trouble that he'd dragged his younger brother into while he was at it. The pranks that they'd pulled together were still talked about in his neighborhood to this day, and might or might not have been archived in several newspaper articles in the library.

So yes, he could tell a bored kid when he saw one.

He walked over to the window, leaning on the windowsill. "Hmm. Looks like the sun is going to set soon." He pondered out loud while examining the empty street below.

"Mhmm." Raphtalia nodded and then stole a quick peek at her master while anxiously shifting in place. "Umm…" She began to say but then hesitated.

"What is it?" He turned his head to look at her with a tired smile.

"No, it's nothing master Naofumi." She forcibly shook her head and tensed her body up, hugging the ball tighter while looking out of the window again. Her tail wagged quickly behind her.

Goodness. She was too precious.

"Still… there is some time left till sunset." Naofumi smirked and looked out the window again. "And there aren't that many people outside right now… Raphtalia why don't you take that ball and go play outside for a bit? I want to look at these new compounding tools I got and I don't want to be disturbed."

Raphtalia gave him a blank stare at first but then her expression quickly turned into a smile so radiant that it was outshining the setting sun outside. "R-really? Can I?"

"I don't know, can you?" He chuckled at her confused face before continuing. "Don't stray too far. Make sure that I'll be able to see you from this window and if anything happens, shout for me, you got it?" He knelt down and patted her gently on the head while instructing her.

"But master Naofumi, you said to not call by your name while we're in town." The girl quizzically turned her head.

"Oh, yeah… I guess I need an alias…" He rubbed his chin in thought. "Oh, how about… Jun? Yea, just shout Jun if you get in trouble, and I'll come running."

"O-Okay! Got it!" The girl nodded enthusiastically and quickly ran out of the door. Naofumi could hear her footsteps as she ran downstairs. Had she been that excited to get out?

"Careful young lady! You might trip if you run around so quickly!" The old innkeeper woman chastised the tanuki.

"Sorry!" The girl hastily apologized before going outside and into Naofumi's range of view. She immediately began to bounce the ball against the ground with her hand and run around, giggling in excitement. Naofumi briefly wondered if he should take out his compounding tools but seeing her so happy was fascinating, so he decided against it. He instead pulled one of the chairs close to the window and sat down, resuming his studying of the help menu while occasionally glancing down to see how Raphtalia was doing. He wished he had some better reading material. He was starting to miss books.

Unfortunately, he had to quickly give that up as trouble stirred on the horizon a few minutes later. He saw three boys approaching the lone girl and he tensed up, getting ready to jump out of the window if he had to.

"Hey, nice ball!" The lead boy who was the oldest and half a head taller than Raphtalia pointed at the orange toy. "Did you get it from the monster shop guy?"

"Um, w-w-well," Raphtalia said nervously. Holding the ball close to herself. It was precious to her. She and Master had both made it together.

"That's awesome! That guy gave us some balls too!" At his words, they pulled balls made from balloon skins out of their packs."O-Oh." Raphtalia suddenly looked less shy, and more curious. Her ears and tail reflected her mood.

"Whoa, and you're a demi-human too." Their eyes were wide with wonder, seeing her tail and ears. "What's your name?"

"R-Raphtalia." The girl answered hesitantly.

"Hey Raphtalia, want to play dodge ball with us? We're one person short for even teams."

Raphtalia stuttered at that, trying to refuse, but one of the other boys egged her on. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

The boys began throwing balls to each other and to her. She eeped, almost missing the first one. But pretty quickly, she was starting to enjoy the surprise playtime.

Naofumi glared out the window at the boys but soon came to the conclusion that they weren't there to cause trouble. They were genuinely curious about Raphtalia and acting like little kids. He gradually shifted back to reading the help guide. It turned out the village kids here were pretty nice. He was glad to learn that. Maybe, it was possible they could stay in this town for a few days. He wasn't being searched for here. It was possible for Raphtalia to have at least part of her childhood-

"OW!" Naofumi nearly jumped from his seat as he quickly looked out the window when he heard the Tanuki's pained yelp.

Raphtalia was on the ground, holding a hand to her face. There were four boys there now, he hadn't seen the fourth one earlier, but he looked bigger than the other kids. The other three boys were yelling at him.

"What the hell man?!"

"You didn't need to throw the ball that hard!"

"What, she's a demon! And my uncle says that demons need to be stoned!" The fourth kid, a snot-nosed brat, defended his actions.

"Your uncle's crazy! No one in town likes him!" The lead boy yelled angrily.

"I like him!"

"You're also a jerk, so your opinion doesn't count!"

The larger boy sniffed. And when the other two began yelling at him to apologize, he ran away, sniffling loudly. "You all are going to hell for consorting with demons! I'll tell my uncle all about this!" He cried loudly.

Naofumi glared at the boy's retreat. But then he looked down worriedly as he saw Raphtalia getting back up. She was still holding a hand to her face. The other three boys looked at her in concern.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to cause any trouble…" She sniffled.

"It's fine. That guy's a real jerkface. Let's just forget about him and continue playing-" The lead boy started to suggest.

Raphtalia shook her head. "No… I don't feel like playing anymore." She turned around, clutching her ball close.

The three boys were surprised at that. And then even more surprised when the door to the inn burst open as Naofumi ran out. He quickly dropped to one knee in front of Raphtalia and began examining her face. The boys were further surprised when he glared at them. "Who was that kid?" His voice said in a low, threatening tone.

"He wasn't a friend of ours sir! We were only playing around when he showed up and beaned her in the face!" One of the boys quickly said.

"Yeah, we don't hang around that guy since he and his uncle are mean!"

Raphtalia sniffled again. With her hand out of the way, he could see a bruise beginning to form over part of her face. He frowned in worry. "You three should head home. It'll be sunset soon."

"Okay… will she be alright?" The lead boy asked worriedly. "We didn't mean for her to get hurt." They looked at the ground guiltily.

"It wasn't your fault. I'll take care of her. Go home before your parents begin to worry." Naofumi said dryly.

"Alright, thank you, mister! Bye Raphtalia! Get well soon!" The boys shouted as they ran off."

Raphtalia was still sniffling as Naofumi led her back towards their room. When they got there, he had her sit down on the bed. He got some ice from the innkeeper, wrapped the ice in cloth, and then gently pressed it against the bruised part of her face. She winced at the cold feeling.

"I'm sorry, Master Naofumi, I didn't call for help when I should have," Raphtalia said guiltily.

"It's fine. You were having fun, weren't you?" He asked.

She slowly nodded. "Then stop looking down."

He held the ice pack to her face for a few minutes longer. After he was done with that, he noticed how she still looked down. Then he saw her hair, which still looked unkempt. An idea to cheer her up formed in his mind. "I'll be right back."

He disappeared for a few minutes. Raphtalia sat on the bed, still hugging her ball close. When Naofumi reappeared though, she was surprised to see him holding a pair of scissors as well as a stool. "Sit here."

Curiously, she got off the bed and did what her master asked of her. She was then surprised when he began trimming her hair. Why was he doing that? However, she didn't complain as the long, unkempt locks fell to the floor.

Naofumi had learned to cut his hair to help save money for his hobbies while in college. He found cutting someone else's hair was far easier than cutting his own hair.

After a while, when their room was only lit by the light of candles, Naofumi stopped. He examined his work, nodded in satisfaction, and led her to the mirror. "What do you think?" He asked.

…

She looked at herself in awe. Her hair looked just like it had before she became a slave. She felt at her braids, which were smoother than before. And, slowly, she began to cry as she hugged her hair.

"Th-Thank you, Master Naofumi."

"It's no problem." He patted between her ears on her head.

Raphtalia raced over to the bed, childlike energy renewed. She picked up her ball and began playing with it indoors. When she wasn't throwing it, she was hugging it and giggling happily.

He had to hold back a chuckle at the sight. As he went to clean up her hair from the floor, the gemstone on his shield began to glow. 'Huh.' Was his shield saying he could absorb her hair to unlock a new shield? Curious, he did so.

Raccoon Shield Unlocked!

Raccoon Shield? But Raphtalia's ears and tail reminded him of Tanukis back in Japan. Sure, they were somewhat related to Raccoons, but not close enough that they were considered Raccoons… huh, he'd have to think more about that later.

As he laid back on his bed again, the ball landed beside him. He looked down from his pillow at it. "Oh, sorry Master Naofumi! I swear I wasn't trying to hit you!" Raphtalia said, quickly apologizing to him.

Naofumi shook his head, having to do his best to hold back an amused smile as he gave her a head pat. Would she ever stop apologizing over every little thing? "I've already told you it's fine."

"Oh, right," Raphtalia said in relief before picking up her ball again. She went back to her corner of the room where she continued to play with it in young childlike joy.

His eyes followed Raphtalia to see her happily distracted playing with a ball.

'There really is so much more to this world than I thought.' He realized. 'Crafting items from materials. Compounding. Fishing. Gathering herbs and other rare plants. Owning slaves. Dissecting and cutting apart monsters for materials... That merchant who bought my medicine even mentioned that I could mine the ore in the coal mines if I was brave enough to face the monsters inside. There are just so many things for us to try...'

The mining part was tempting. On one hand, they could get their hands on some valuable ore. He could unlock some new shields too. On the other hand, the merchant had warned him that the monsters in the mines were stronger than the normal ones they were used to in the forest. But if they could get their hands on that ore, then they'd be able to upgrade to some better equipment. Meaning that they'd be able to get stronger more quickly. And be able to handle the next wave better when it arrived.

'Hmmm, would we really need to do that now though if we're planning to stay here for a few extra days?' He seriously considered making Lute his hideout. However, he was reminded of what Elhart had said to him, and he threw the idea away.

He couldn't be content even if he wasn't in trouble now. That was sure to get him in trouble when the King or the Church came to town searching for him.

The thought gave him a headache. Or maybe it was the lack of sleep that gave him a headache. Either way, he laid back on his own bed. 'I'll make my decision tomorrow morning. After I've caught up on some sleep.' He rolled onto his side, switching to the Raccoon Shield so he could unlock its equip bonus before he closed his eyes.

…

"Um, master Naofumi?"

Naofumi peeked open an eye. Raphtalia's ball was resting on her bed, but the little demi-girl was standing at the foot of his bed staring down at him.

"What is it?" Naofumi asked coldly. Showing his displeasure at being kept awake.

"Is, is it okay if I sleep with you tonight?" Raphtalia asked, looking off to the side. Her tail wagging slowly behind her.

Naofumi's eyebrow quizzically arched up his face at the question. Raphtalia continued looking off to the side. "It's just, I'm afraid of having more nightmares again." She admitted quietly.

...

She didn't need to say anymore. "Come here." He said, raising the blanket and scooting back to allow room for the little demi-girl.

Taking her chance, she quickly snuggled up against him. Her childish face smiling happily as she closed her eyes. "Thanks, master Naofumi." She said, sounding relieved and happy.

"Yeah yeah, just don't wet the bed again. I don't want a repeat of what happened to my cape." He said indifferently.

Raphtalia's face turned red from embarrassment. "Please don't remind me of that!" She complained childishly.

"Yeah, yeah." He said blandly. "Goodnight."

…

"Goodnight."

In the Middle of the Night

Bathump!…

Raphtalia fell back. A pair of hands, her father's hands, reached out towards her. Or had they pushed her…?

'No…'

Bathump!…

Her parents stood on the edge of the cliff face. Smiling one last time for their only daughter.

'No…'

BathumpBathumpBathumpBathumpBathumpBathump!...

The waves of Catastrophe swirled up above. She was falling, falling down the cliff's edge into a black bottomless abyss. Her eyes went wide, watching as the Cerberus Dog's heads bit down. Her Father produced a sword of light, striking at the monster. But its heads bit down on him and mom and-

"Noooooo!"

Naofumi awakened abruptly, hearing Raphtalia screaming in his ear. Her rapid heartbeat pounded into his chest where she was snuggled up tightly against him. She was crying again, eyes closed tight from the nightmare she was having.

"Mother, father." She cried.

"Hey, wake up, everything's fine." He said, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. His left hand moving through her hair in that same calming motion again.

"I don't want to be alone… don't leave me alone…"

Naofumi stayed silent, but he kept his hold on the Tanuki girl. Doing his best to help her calm down...

After another moment of soft crying, Raphtalia slowly opened her eyes. He continued rubbing the back of her head, comforting her from the nightmare.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She shook her head, too afraid and too sad to speak. He wondered what he could do to help her out. How did you help someone out with nightmares…

"Once, a long time ago, there was a boy named Jun."

Without realizing it, he began to tell her a story about his younger brother. "He had everything he could ever want. Friends, loving parents, smarts. However, everyone had high expectations for him. As the strain of it all became too much, he began to change."

Raphtalia's sniffling disappeared. Curious, she listened as Naofumi continued. "He changed his hair color. He started to ignore his teachers. He hung out with the wrong crowd. At one point, he was capable of giving a sailor a run for his money in a swearing contest." Raphtalia giggled at that. He found himself smiling as well.

"Jun's parents didn't know what to do. Had they been too hard on their second son? They went to their first, worthless son. Begging him to help his little bro before it was too late."

Naofumi thought back on the memory with fondness. "He also loved his brother, but because of how he was turning out, his parents chose to ignore him in favor of his younger brother. But despite that, he still had a connection with him that they did not. You see, he had noticed the gradual shift in his brother's demeanor. And after careful observation, he found the source of his brother's problem."

"What was it?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

He smiled. "It was simple, really. The stress of trying to live up to everyone's expectations was overwhelming him, and he had nowhere to relieve that stress. So his brother came up with a solution." Here, Naofumi had to pause. He'd introduced his brother to a dating simulator game, and from there turned him into an otaku. While that had worked, that didn't feel appropriate for a bedtime story in a world where such technology didn't exist.

"He gave him a ball to play with." He settled on that, and he felt Raphtalia's tail wag at that. "He told him whenever the stress became too overwhelming, he could come to him and they'd play together. No matter what he was doing, he'd always be there for his brother when he needed him."

Raphtalia stayed silent. Even if it hadn't been a ball, he still felt tears come to his eyes at remembering his brother. "His brother's idea worked. Jun turned back to himself. He became a star student who later got accepted into a top school for his grades. The parent's appreciated the work of the older brother to save the younger brother. However, he didn't do it to satisfy them. He did it because he loved his brother. And now, his brother knew it…"

...

Almost all thoughts of sleep were forgotten, though it pulled heavily at his eyelids now that Raphtalia had calmed again. He'd paused, trying to hold back his tears, and then realized that Raphtalia was asleep. Seeing that, he finally did allow himself to cry. 'I'm sorry I can't help you more Raphtalia.' He was only one person, suffering from mistrust and fear of betrayal. What could he possibly do to help her?...

"Sh-Shield Hero."

Naofumi widened his eyes in surprise and looked down at Raphtalia. To his further astonishment, she was still asleep. But she had a more peaceful look on her face. "Thank you for saving me, Sir Shield Hero. I know I can count on you to protect me and my family." She whispered, a smile spreading onto her small face. "Thank you for protecting us."

Naofumi continued to stare down in surprise at Raphtalia's face. Even though he knew she was having a dream, his tears came harder, and he hugged the demi-girl more tightly to him.

"Yes. You can count on me to protect you Raphtalia. Even when I don't show it, even when I act like a total $%#! to you, just know that I want to protect you." He said out loud.

Raphtalia might have been his slave, but she was helping to care for him as much as he was for her. She helped him to come back from his anger at being betrayed before it consumed him. She kept on cutting his guilt down with her innocent smile and quick forgiveness. His pessimistic thoughts never held much sway when she was around. She was the one who helped him to be a little more hopeful. The one who helped him to remain human despite feeling like an outcast.

He fell back to sleep, feeling slightly more hopeful that things would get better tomorrow.

Outside of Lute Village

A man in black robes walked up to the edge of the forest. He looked around, checking to make sure no one else was in the vicinity.

"Thomas."

The man jerked his head back and stood at attention. "Lady Altara." He said formally.

"Has the Shield Demon and that demi-human of his arrived at Lute Village?" The nun growled out as she walked out from the shadows.

Thomas nodded his head. "Aye. One of the believers living outside the town reported that a demi-human child had entered the town today along with an older man. His description matched the one you gave our branch here. They're staying at the town inn tonight. Should I rouse the people and have the devil of the shield dealt with?" Thomas asked.

"No." Altara shook her head. "Pope Balamus made it abundantly clear that the devil of the shield has to be taken down by monsters if we want to avoid contention with the other countries before we're ready to deal with them." She said authoritatively.

"But, but my lady. How are we to deal with the devil of the shield if we cannot face him ourselves?" The acolyte Thomas asked.

"Simple," Altara said with a menacing wolfish grin. "The other agent that I have planted here in advance was ordered to disguise himself as a traveling merchant. The Shield Demon would have surely tried to barter with whatever scraps of monsters he has procured and met that shadow. By deliberately overpaying the Shield Demon, he would have earned his favor and trust, allowing him to make an innocent suggestion for him to try and visit the coal mines in this town to get some valuable ore."

"After doing my research, I have discovered where that demi-human slave of his came from, and I've brought a monster here with me from the Church Dungeons that they won't be able to kill." She said, and let out a diabolical laugh before snapping her fingers. A low growl came from behind her, startling the acolyte. His eyes then widened as the form of the beast appeared behind the nun, bound by a rope made of light around its two necks.

"Ah!" The acolyte nearly fell back in terror. "What is that thing?!"

Altara smiled. "I assure you, I have it well under control." The monster tried to break free, but she simply produced a whip made of light and snapped at it. It immediately cowered in terror. "This beast is very territorial, and it won't leave the mines after it makes its home there."

"Wh-Where did you get such a beast?" The acolyte asked.

"One of my loyal knights captured it on the outskirts of Lafan Village, and had a hell of a time bringing it back alive." She said, looking down at her hand. "The Church thought keeping such monsters in their dungeons could help the Legendary Heroes with their training. Releasing them into wild areas right as the heroes are passing through." Her hand formed a fist. "But now, this monster shall be used to end the pathetic life of the Shield Demon! It shall serve a higher purpose than any other monster!"

Thomas finally began to recover from his fright of seeing the monstrous beast and bowed respectively to her. "I shall make sure that no one else from the town approaches the mines then, milady." He said formally.

"Good. That is all I shall need from you, Thomas." Altara said, looking out over the town with a hungry gaze.

At last, the Shield Hero's short blight on her world would be over. A world that should have never allowed for the creation of such a mockery to God...

She only wished she could see the look of despair on Naofumi's face as the monster behind her tore it off of his dying form. After, of course, having watched his demi-human friend get eaten by her greatest nightmare.

She turned around, making sure her white hood still covered her head, before disappearing into the darkness of the forest, the beast in tow.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

…

...

"W-Wait!"

Naofumi groaned while sitting down on a large rock surrounded by tall green grass.

"Come back here!" Raphtalia yelled somewhere nearby.

Naofumi tiredly clutched his shoulder, which had a long quill embedded in it. 'When was the last time that I slept in a decent bed... or ate a meal that had any taste?' 

He could barely remember.

A long time of living out in the wild had taken its toll on the Shield Hero. Even with the good camping gear that he'd bought before leaving Lute Village, this was hell. The latest monster had only served to remind him of that fact.

At first, they only had to deal with Balloons, Mush, Usapils, PikyuPikyu, and other small, weak monsters. Then, as they moved further away from Lute, they ran into stronger monsters. Some of which were capable of hurting him. They did give better shields, but they were far more bothersome than the smaller monsters they'd been killing before.

It was especially tedious when said monsters invaded their campsite at night, again and again, forcing either him or Raphtalia to have to stay up and keep watch while the other slept. It was hard to find good places to camp where they wouldn't have to worry about nightly monster attacks, whilst also allowing Naofumi to gather nearby herbs and compound in peace.

It didn't help that he was a wanted fugitive either. But that wasn't his immediate concern at the moment.

Today, they were grinding outside a place Raphtalia called Mirso Village.

Unfortunately, during their grinding, he had been attacked by a large, deadly, level 27 porcupine the size of a boulder.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the large porcupine needle from his bloodied right shoulder and put it into his shield. It unlocked the Animal Needle Shield.

'I can't believe I let my guard down, again.' Naofumi hadn't thought that it'd pose that much of a threat. The porcupine was much smaller compared to the other new monsters that they'd encountered.

He had severely underestimated it.

"Master Naofumi! It's coming for you again!" Raphtalia yelled in the tall grass.

Naofumi looked up, and the small but deadly, black needled, glowing red-eyed porcupine monster that attacked him earlier came charging out of the tall grass in front of him. Its beady, red irises glared at him with hatred as it screeched again and charged to attack him.

Naofumi stood up, the shield on his arm changing to the Pipe Shield. He'd gotten it by absorbing a piece of rusty iron pipe that someone had thrown away on the side of the road. And, just like the rope, he'd gotten a skill from it.

"Shield Prison!"

Suddenly, the large porcupine was surrounded by a series of plates and chains that formed a large green ball. Five meters in diameter. It wasn't an attack skill, which he still had as of yet to find a shield that'd do more damage; still, it definitely helped him and Raphtalia out in their grinding.

"Hahhhh!" Raphtalia jumped from out of the tall grass nearby and brought her blade down right as the Shield Prison disappeared. The porcupine monster died in a spray of blood all over the ground.

Naofumi allowed himself a small moment to smile before he grit his teeth again. He gripped his shoulder where he'd been wounded. 'Of course. I finally took off all those bandages from getting hurt last time, and I got hurt again.' The taste of victory quickly soured over.

He was lucky to have the legendary shield's powers to dull the pain and quicken his rate of healing. Though he wished that he'd physically recover as fast as his HP gauge did.

+200 EXP

Naofumi: LV. 24

'Oh well. At least we got stronger from killing this thing.' He looked on the bright side. As hard as it was to do it these days.

"Master Naofumi! I did it!"

Naofumi finally glanced at Raphtalia, who now looked very different compared to who she was a couple of weeks ago. For one, she didn't look like a scared little kid anymore. Rather, at level 27, she looked more like a confident young adult. 'I still can't believe that Elhart wasn't messing with me. It's like she changed overnight after increasing 3 levels that one day.'

Besides the level change, Raphtalia had grown a shocking amount. She was up to his shoulders now instead of around his gut. Her outfit was the same as the one she wore as a little kid. He'd been fortunate to take Elhart's suggestion to heart. By absorbing a needle with some thread in it that he and Raphtalia scavenged from an abandoned, overturned cart next to a road, he gained a shield that gave him sewing abilities. Unlike the mining boost he received from the Pickaxe Shield though, the sewing boost he received was like receiving bare apprentice-level training and required him to work hard to make what Raphtalia was wearing now.

Still, despite the obstacles that had involved, he'd managed to remake her outfits into ones that were several sizes larger to fit her new more mature young adult form. She complained about them being tight, but he had no idea why. Was she not satisfied with them?

He couldn't help but feel bothered by the thought that he was turning into some kind of butler.

Raphtalia's tea-red eyes had also remarkably deepened in color and now seemed to hold joyful sparks of energy in them all the time.

The weirdness of her rapid growth aside, Naofumi also began to feel a little awkward in her presence lately. Even if he wouldn't admit it out loud, he often caught himself thinking that she really was turning into a beautiful woman… and he realized he was doing that now. 'Nope. Be still my heart. Don't think of her that way. It's probably because I've been separated from other people for too long.'

He did, however, allow himself to feel a little pride. Seeing this former shy slave girl who feared the sight of blood proudly holding up the bloody porcupine carcass for him. 'She really has come a long way...' He grimaced again though from the pain he felt in his shoulder. 'But I think we're going to need some new and better equipment if I want to be proud of her past the next wave.'

Hearing his grunt of pain, Raphtalia finally took the chance to closely examine him with her eyes. "Master Naofumi! Why didn't you tell me that this monster hurt you!?" She asked him angrily, dropping the porcupine monster to the side so she could use both hands to move the cloak and the beat-up cloth chainmail armor out of the way to better examine his new wound.

"It's fine. I can barely feel- ow!" He yelled at the end after Raphtalia poked the skin next to the wound. The shield might have helped with dulling the pain, but he had yet to check his status window, so he didn't see that the needle of the porcupine had also given him a poison status effect. Making the flesh around his wound more susceptible to pain.

"Yeah, no pain my #%!" She said sarcastically, pulling out bandages and medical alcohol from her pack. According to the status magic window, her master's HP bar hadn't dropped all that much. But he had a bleeding status effect on him that needed to be taken care of along with a poisoned status.

"Since when do you cuss?" Naofumi asked.

"Since you do it all the time," Raphtalia rolled her eyes.

"I do not- holy $#!%!" He yelled at the end when Raphtalia rubbed some alcohol into the wound. Almost immediately after, the poison and bleed status effects disappeared from beside Naofumi's HP Bar in Raphtalia's HUD. It was cool that Naofumi had learned how to compound medical alcohol. Its description revealed that it could cure certain basic status afflictions... but it had to be applied to the affected area, and unfortunately, it still stung like hell on an open wound.

"Case in point." She smirked. "I swear, you act like a little kid every time you're hurt Master Naofumi." She teased, bandaging up his new wound after cleaning it.

Oh yeah, he was definitely annoyed. He hoped this teenager phase didn't last forever. It was such a pain to deal with.

"Who are you to call me a little kid?" Naofumi asked grumpily, though he had to admit, it was getting increasingly harder for him to deny that Raphtalia was the same little kid that he'd known before. Even as she matured physically, it was like her mind and emotions were growing at the same pace. In some ways, she proved to be more mature and rational than he'd been before coming to this world…

Though, in his opinion, she still retained a lot of her immaturity. It also wouldn't have hurt for her to tone down her sass a bit. Where the hell did she even get all this biting sarcasm and lip fro-

"Master Naofumi, I am not a child anymore!" She said, standing up to pout at him childishly.

"Case in point." He rolled his eyes while saying it sarcastica- he paused.

Oh, right. That's where it came from.

"I'm not a child!" Raphtalia again yelled defensively. Naofumi would have smirked if it wasn't for the fact that his wound still felt like hell. "And besides, I think it's about time we got you some new equipment Master Naofumi!"

"I was thinking maybe it'd be better if we upgraded your sword again and got you some armor since I have-" He was saying, trying to point out the fact that she still didn't have armor yet, and that he still had his cloth chainmail he'd gotten in the beginning.

"Master Naofumi, it's time you took care of yourself first for once! That cloth chainmail is so beat up, even that weak porcupine monster was able to tear right through it! If a monster that weak was able to hurt you, how will you survive the wave in three days?!" She asked, getting into his face.

Wait, she thought it was weak?! Then again, she'd killed the thing in one blow, so maybe she had a point...

"I'll be fine, I'm more worried about-" He tried to say. She was supposed to come first.

"Master Naofumi." One of her fingers booped him on the nose as she stared down at him seriously. "Stop messing around with your life." Raphtalia pulled out the sword she had gotten from Dragon village. It was a long sharp blade made from magic iron, with a grip made from dragon scales, at least, according to the blacksmith that she'd purchased it from. "Or you will die!" She said, the blade of her sword shifted diagonally to reflect Naofumi's face on it.

...

Naofumi stared at his own reflection with wide eyes. 'I… I don't know whether she's getting rude, or if she's learning to assert herself more. Either way, it's working.' He finally gave in. "Okay, okay. I'll go to the village with you this time. But my identity still needs to remain a secret while we're there." He said seriously.

That had been the main thing working to his advantage so far. The guard from Lute had been right. The Church had known what Raphtalia looked like as a small child. But they didn't know what she looked like as a young adult. Or that she currently looked like a young adult now. She'd been able to enter a town whenever they came close to one to sell the monster drops that they didn't need, buy supplies they required, and most importantly: gather information about what was happening in the kingdom.

Before the information though, there'd been an unnerving discovery from her selling their items. Apparently, she was a better salesman than he was. She could sell whatever they collected at a higher price than he'd thought possible. And she didn't act or anything. They just thought she was 'cute' or something.

'Are the people in this country a bunch of lolicons?' Sure, she was a young adult, but she wasn't a grown-up yet, even if she complained that she was a grown-up. It was hard for him to picture the girl in front of him without seeing the little girl he'd gotten to know only a few weeks ago.

He still felt guilty about ripping her childhood away like this too. And because he still hadn't filled Raphtalia in on his reasons for wanting to remain anonymous. He always put it off with the excuse: "When you're older, I'll tell you."

Now, as for the information she collected, it turned out the Lute guard was right. The blame for the deaths of the church's agents in that village was placed on Naofumi. However, they had no idea where he'd gone. Thus, they'd fled to a part of the country where they weren't currently looking. The information she gathered helped them to know where he was rumored to be hiding. Thus, they'd been able to evade both the Church and Melromarc's Knights.

...

"Master Naofumi? Master Naofumi?"

Naofumi shook his head. Raphtalia was in front of his face, looking at him weirdly. "What?"

"You just spaced out again. Did you hear what I asked, Master Naofumi?" She asked curiously.

Naofumi groaned. Crap, he really had to remember to not think these things over in his head when he felt so tired. "Yeah. Whatever you think is best."

Raphtalia looked surprised, then she gave him a happy nod. Her tail started wagging happily behind her. "Great! I'll pack up the campsite so we can spend the night in the village!" She said happily, running off to where they had been camping at.

"Wait, Raphtalia-" He hadn't agreed to that?! Had she really asked him that?! However, the Tanuki/somehow Raccoon girl had already disappeared into the forest. He groaned to himself and laid back on the grassy ground.

'She even retains the energy of a kid… what a bother...'

He knew he couldn't complain when she got back. It actually was a good idea for him to rest up at an inn before the wave struck. He could use a little time to actually sleep on a nice soft mattress. Especially now that he had yet another injury to deal with. 'This makes me wish that I had another one of those healing potions that Elhart packed. Or maybe some magic to heal this stupid thing with. I'm getting better at medicine and first aid. But it isn't enough. Not if I want to survive...'

…

After a little while, Raphtalia came running back, looking as energetic and happy as ever. "Come on, Master Naofumi!" She yelled happily, pulling him back up off the ground. "You're going to love it there!"

He grimaced in pain again from the wound. "Careful Raphtalia." He said through gritted teeth.

"Oops, I'm sorry Master Naofumi!"

He sighed, covering his face in a soft facepalm. "Just don't call me by my name in town." He muttered quietly.

"You got it, Master Naofumi!" She replied happily.

"Ugh…" Freaking teenagers...

After paying the toll to the town guardsman Naofumi and Raphtalia entered into the small humble abode of Mirso Village. The sun was high up in the sky, and Naofumi had his cape wrapped around himself along with a green hood he'd made to put over his head and hide his face. 'I seriously can't believe I'm doing this…'

"And that over there is where the shopkeeper who gave me all that free food lives. And over there is the bathhouse that has the best lotions I've ever felt in my life." Raphtalia was telling Naofumi excitedly, pointing from building to building as they walked.

Naofumi sniffed himself and grimaced. That had been another downside of camping for so long. Cold rivers without soap could only do so much to clean oneself. 'I'd stop by the bathhouse, but it'd have to be a private session.'

"Do they allow people to bathe privately there?" He asked Raphtalia.

"Oh yeah! I didn't trust some of the men eyeing me when I first entered, so I got a room all for myself!" She responded happily.

He felt a flare of anger at that. 'If she ever points out those men, they'll wish that they were never born.'

"And over here is the blacksmith's shop where we're going first to order you some new armor!" Raphtalia said happily.

"Yay me." He replied back to her blandly.

"Come now master-" She remembered his order just in time to cut herself off. "Jun!" She said awkwardly. "I bet you'll love whatever it is you decide to get!" She finished happily.

"Sure, and hell will freeze over eventually." He muttered out loud.

Keeping a positive attitude, Raphtalia walked into the shop, dragging her master by the hand behind her. "Oh, if it ain't me new favorite customer!" A big burly man said behind the counter in an accent Naofumi had never heard before. "And what can ay do for ye today lassie?!" He asked her happily with a big happy grin on his face.

'Hmph, what a lolicon. She's a young adult, idiot! Stop thinking she's your age!'

"My friend Jun here needs some new armor. His old armor is starting to break." Raphtalia said happily. "The problem is that he's a little shy around other people and he doesn't like them knowing who he is," Raphtalia said, smiling happily back at Naofumi.

'Ughhhhhhhh… If that doesn't scream suspicious, then I don't know what does. Why did you convince me to do this?' He mentally facepalmed.

Oh yeah, she hadn't convinced him. She'd asked him while he was distracted by the million other things on his mind.

Imagine his surprise then when the blacksmith started laughing jovially. "Ahhhhh… I see, I see. S'alright little missie. I've met me plenty of shy folks in my life. You go and take your friend to the dressing room and take all the measurements for me then!" He said happily.

"As long as I do measurements for her too. She needs armor just as badly as me." Naofumi finally spoke blandly.

He could feel Raphtalia glaring into the side of his head. Was she really mad about that? Teenagers… What a bother.

The blacksmith continued to smile jovially. "Of course, laddie, I'd be happy to make some armor for such a pretty little thing any day, hell I'll do it for half the price!"

Raphtalia beamed happily at the blacksmith. "You would!? Thank you so much, Jerry! I don't know how we could ever repay you!" She said.

"Ah, don't ya worry your wee head about it, lassie. It's not often I get through and pretty looking folks like yourselves to visit me store twice!" He said happily, gesturing over to the dressing rooms where they could get each other's measurements. "Especially ones who buy from me precious stock of custom-made weapons!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He was probably just layering it on so they'd spend more money.

Naofumi entered the dressing room first. It was small, barely six by six feet. Raphtalia entered behind him and closed the curtain on them both. "You're so lucky my armor's coming at a discount." She said icily to him. "Otherwise there would have been no way it could have fit our budget."

"Seriously? Are we going to talk about this now?" Naofumi whispered to her.

"Of course we are." She whispered back angrily. "You know we can't spend our money left and right. Especially with the wave being so close."

"But we have plenty because of the monster drops. And from me compounding medicine and crafting items." He pointed out. He got a huff from Raphtalia at that. "Besides, I already have a naturally high defense. All you have is attack and agility. I'd feel a little better if you had some armor too." He said back with a small amount of care in his tone.

"I appreciate your concern, Master... Jun." Raphtalia didn't sound angry anymore. "But I'd also feel better knowing you could handle yourself should you be surrounded by monsters that are stronger than that porcupine."

Naofumi sighed. 

"Let's just call a compromise and get on with it." She suggested as she pulled out the measuring rope the blacksmith had given her and got to work.

"Sure, like you're totally giving me something in return for doing this against my will." He muttered dryly.

Raphtalia fumed behind him. "I'm getting armor too, aren't I? So just, drop the cloak and armor. Otherwise, the measurements will be too big." She ordered.

Since when had it turned to her ordering him around?! This teenage phase got more annoying by the minute!

Naofumi took off the cloak and chainmail cloth without thinking too much about the changes his body had gone through the last few weeks. After all, it wasn't like there was too much of him that was appealing to begin with because of his former life as an otaku… at least, that's what he thought until he noticed Raphtalia hadn't moved behind him. "Raphtalia is everything-" He was asking as he turned around.

Raphtalia was red in the face staring at him with eyes wide. Her breathing had also gotten rugged, and her eyes were narrowed to slits. Naofumi's eyes widened a little bit in surprise at the sudden way she was acting. "Raphtalia-" He tried to speak.

She snapped out of whatever trance she was in. "Turn back around! I wasn't finished!" She ordered him loudly. The red in her cheeks took on a brighter hue if that was even possible.

"But-" Naofumi tried to say.

"Is everything alright in there, lassie?" Jerry the blacksmith asked from the counter.

"Yes! Everything's perfectly fine!" Raphtalia yelled back, her voice cracking slightly. "Now turn back around!" She ordered Naofumi loudly as she grabbed him forcefully by the shoulders and turned him around.

'YEOWWWW!' Raphtalia gripped his wound accidentally.

She realized what she'd done a second too late. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?!" She asked frantically.

"Never better." Naofumi gritted out as he stayed facing away. Not wanting to risk her having to do something like that again.

"You two be needing any help-" Jerry asked outside.

"NO!" Both of them yelled at the same time. "Just get on with it. Before he gets suspicious." He whispered.

"O-Okay." Raphtalia mumbled nervously.

'Seriously, what the hell is up with her today? First, she overreacts when I get injured, then she gets snippy with me about a budget, and now she's… hell, I don't even know what she's doing now.'

The feeling he'd got from her stare though was the feeling that prey got when they were being stared down by a predator. 'Maybe I'm just overthinking it. This is Raphtalia we're talking about here. She's not into that kind of stuff.' He tried his best to calm down.

Raphtalia quickly went through the various measurements, muttering "I'm sorry." every now and then. After she was done, she turned around so Naofumi could measure her. He tried not to imagine it, but even with her facing away it still felt like she was blushing really hard. 'Seriously, what the hell is up with her? Don't tell me this is another teenage thing in this world. Ugh, not even I was this annoying at her age.' Was it weird to think that when she was still chronologically 10 years old?

But she wasn't a kid anymore. Were demi-humans even judged by their age, or were they judged by how quickly they matured? If it was the former, then it'd suck to mature to adulthood and then have to wait eight to ten years before you were finally allowed to drink.

How was one race capable of making him question everything he'd thought to be normal?!

At least her race didn't operate like the versions of elves he'd read in fantasy stories. He could be an old man by the end of his life twice over and Raphtalia would still be a child. Though he was wondering if he preferred her as a child than as a teenager. At least child her hadn't been so sassy and confusing to figure out.

She'd also been really cute and adorable. And while teenage Raphtalia was still cute, she wasn't innocent cute.

...

'... I never realized how muscular he'd gotten underneath all that cloak and armor.' Raphtalia thought to herself in embarrassment. She never imagined that Naofumi's systematic stress relief in the form of balloon monster abuse, which he partook in on a daily basis to deal with his day-to-day frustrations, would actually transform what had started as a lanky frame into a rugged and well-defined form. Not enough that he'd ever look like a bodybuilder. But enough that he now appeared fit, appealing... and attractive-

Raphtalia's face burned a brighter red. 'Oh no! I can't be thinking about that here! Then it might lead to us kissing, and then… if my parents weren't lying to me, I'll get pregnant! And then things will get really complicated between Master Naofumi and I!'

She tried to think of other calming thoughts. Not on the fact that Naofumi was carefully measuring her without a second thought. It was like being measured by a doctor.

A hot, sexy, attractive doctor.

Eventually, the two walked out of the dressing room. Naofumi had his armor, cloak, and hood back on. Raphtalia's face was still slightly red from the aftereffects of all the blushing and measurements, but at least she had managed to calm herself down.

"Did everything go okay lass?" The blacksmith asked quizzically. "Things sounded a little… different, back there."

"Oh yes, everything went great Jerry!" Raphtalia lied as naturally as she breathed. "Here are the measurements we took of each other as well as our levels!" She handed Jerry their measurements. The blacksmith wrote down the numbers on a piece of paper.

When he was done, Jerry looked over it. "Hmmm, hmmmm... oh, um…

"I don't know how to put this, lass." He finally said, sounding embarrassed.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, um, I don't think there's anything in me inventory that'd fit… and I'm afraid there aren't enough materials in me shop to make armor for the levels you two've attained."

…

Raphtalia's ears fell as some of her excitement disappeared. "Oh…"

"Oh, don't worry though! I do have a friend and fellow blacksmith who could do it for ya!" He said excitedly, attempting to cheer the girl up.

Raphtalia's excitement came back all at once. It worked. "Really?! Where is this blacksmith?!"

"He lives in the Capital!" Jerry said jovially.

...

'There's no freaking way…' "Let me guess, is his name Elhart?" Naofumi dryly asked.

"Why yes, it is!" Jerry responded happily.

'... Great… just great…'

"... Um, Jerry? Is there anywhere else you could think of where my friend and I could go to get some armor?" Raphtalia asked kindly.

"Not if you want to arrive in time before the next wave missie… Raphtalia and Naofumi, was it? Or do you want me to call ya Jun too?" Jerry asked.

He gave a wink to the shocked Naofumi who sputtered at having been found out so easily. Raphtalia's tail bristled in shock. "Of course I knew who ya were laddie! I saw the way you matched Elhart's description the moment you walked through the door! Cold fierce eyes on the lankiest, toughest frame you could lay ya eyes on!" He said with a belly-aching laugh, giving Naofumi a slap on the back that would have felled a normal person that didn't have a high defense stat. "Don't ya worry though, after what me friend Elhart told me, I wouldn't sell out the Shield Hero for anything!"

"Oh, um, what did he tell you-" Raphtalia tried to ask. Other than that one night she remembered gripping tightly to him as she heard loud yelling behind them, and a few vague conversations she'd accidentally eavesdropped on while in other villages, she didn't know why Naofumi wanted to remain anonymous.

"It's nothing." Naofumi quickly cut her off, drawing a curious glance from Jerry and a hurt expression from Raphtalia. "Look, do we really have no other choice?" He was seriously wondering why he wasn't grabbing Raphtalia and running out the door. This person knew who he was! He'd overheard enough conversations the past three weeks between random travelers while hiding to piece together that his reputation, if he'd had one as the Shield Hero, was being ruined left and right by everyone!

Jerry shook his head. "I wish there were laddie, but other people have already cleaned out me higher-end inventory for the Wave, and with how high leveled you two are, the only way ya could get gear best suited for you would be to either go back to the Capital, travel to another city's blacksmith, or search the village blacksmiths out here for one that possibly has any available gear left." He responded.

...

"And, though it pains me pride as a blacksmith to admit this, there's no one I'd trust more to make armor for a hero than me good buddy Elhart."

…

Naofumi sighed. 'I guess we can't always count on the small towns to have everything we'd need to survive.' It didn't help that the next Wave could hit any day now. He hadn't kept track of how long it'd been since he left Lute Village. "Fine, I guess since we don't have a choice... Is there a way we could sneak into the Capital to get to Elhart's shop?" Naofumi asked. "I'm not exactly welcome there right now."

Jerry put a hand to his chin in thought. "There is a way... but you're probably not going to like it," Jerry eventually replied.

"What are you thinking of?" Naofumi asked, already dreading his decision not to run as soon as this blacksmith showed he knew who he was.

Then again, he hadn't run to warn the town guard, so maybe he could be a little trustworthy...

"He was right, I don't like this plan at all," Naofumi said grumpily.

It had only been a few hours, and he was already regretting trusting the blacksmith. Though to be honest, it was because of the sideways look that Raphtalia had given him after he was told the plan that made him agree to it.

Honestly, that girl could be damn scary when she wanted to be.

What happened to the sweet, innocent little kid that made him feel guilty about buying a child soldier to fight for him? He was missing her more and more with every day that passed.

"At least he made this crate big enough to fit the both of us, Master Naofumi," Raphtalia said queasily next to him in the darkness where the only light came from small holes drilled in the sides of the crate. The crate was four feet tall, six feet long, and six feet wide. Sitting in the back with many other crates being pulled by a pair of horses. Even though he couldn't stand up, he could at least sit comfortably.

"Although, he could have done something about the smell. You really stink, Master Naofumi." She admitted.

"Is it my fault we didn't get a chance to go by the bathhouses before we left?" Naofumi asked. 'Or the other shops, or the warm bed of the inn…' He thought longingly in his mind. He hoped the hardwood of the crate didn't make his body sorer than it already felt.

"He did give us an hour before he was going to personally deliver a shipment of 'rare monster drops and ores' to Elhart." Raphtalia pointed out.

"Well, I was hungry for something that was hot and fresh that wasn't cooked by me," Naofumi said grumpily because of the fact that all their plans for how the day would go had changed… again.

"Even though you still can't taste it?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

And that was the other half of why he was so grumpy. "Don't remind me. I'm still disappointed by that." He muttered.

…

Raphtalia made gagging sounds next to him. "By the way, why are you feeling queasy?" He asked. "I can't smell that bad now." Though to be honest, he'd believe her if it was because of him.

"I've, never really been a fan of, carriage rides before." She said more slowly, sounding more nauseous than she had before. She was trying to keep herself from vomiting in the tight space that the two of them occupied.

"Oi! Don't you dare vomit in here!" Naofumi yelled. That was the only way this situation could get more uncomfortable!

A rough bump made her stomach flip, and he didn't know if it was just him or not but her face might have been turning green. 'At least I know she gets motion sickness now. Who knows what could have happened if we discovered this down the road.' Naofumi sighed and put an arm over Raphtalia's shoulders in the dark. Though he didn't see it, Raphtalia's face burned a bright red all over again, eliminating the green color that had been filling it.

"Wh-what are you doing, Master Naofumi?!"

"Here, move your head here and focus on the sound of my heart. Take deep even breaths and drown out everything else." He ordered her.

Almost hesitantly, Raphtalia leaned her head against Naofumi's chest. Soon, she was hearing the sound of Naofumi's heart beating rhythmically in her ears. Tuning out everything else, she found her queasiness starting to dissipate. "Why am I feeling less sick now?" She asked curiously. The road didn't seem less bumpy than before.

"To explain, in my world, we have transportation similar to this. Though it's a lot more advanced. I didn't get queasy, but other kids did… one time, I saw a kid's mom put him in her lap, and had him start doing what I had you do. It worked for him." Naofumi said, quietly reminiscing on his homeworld for a moment. "I figured it might work here too."

...

"Master Naofumi, why don't you talk much about the world you're from?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"I have my reasons for it," Naofumi said dryly. "For one. You wouldn't understand my world."

"You mean like how I don't understand why you don't like using your Air Strike Shield skill very often?" She asked.

…

Naofumi remained silent. She could feel the way his shoulders were tensed though. As if she had stepped on a painful subject. "It's okay, Master Naofumi. If you don't want to talk about it, then I won't push it." She said quietly, closing her eyes to continue listening closely to the beating of his heart.

…

He looked down at her, feeling guilty for almost wanting to lash out at her if it meant her not bringing it up again. 'I want to tell her… but I…' It wasn't that he didn't trust her. Sure the pessimistic part of his mind spoke up every now and then against her. But he couldn't deny that he trusted her more now than he did when he first met her. It was just… there were some things that he'd rather not talk about. With anyone. He just wanted to forget about it and move on...

One of his hands moved to rub the back of her head in a soothing motion. It was his silent way of saying sorry to her. She didn't speak again, but he could feel her smiling against him. After another moment, he could tell that she had fallen asleep. And despite how uncomfortable the crate was, he felt his eyes getting droopy too.

'I hope we both get to sleep in real beds soon. The last thing I need is to sleep on the ground somewhere again.' He thought tiredly to himself.

'Or in some damn tight compact crate that stinks.'

…

Naofumi's head had been resting against something plump and soft when he suddenly woke up. The crate that he and Raphtalia were in was being picked up. The jerking motion from it also caused Raphtalia to jerk awake.

"Wha-" She tried to ask groggily when his hand covered her mouth. Through the darkness, she looked up at him in surprise. If it was dark, that meant it was night outside. And though he couldn't see as well as she could in the darkness of the crate, he gave her a face that clearly told her to remain quiet.

She nodded her head against his hand to let him know she understood. He took his hand away and they both listened to what was happening outside after their crate was set on the ground.

"Hey, I already told the guards at the front gate what I was carrying lad?! Who are you and your goons to stop me and take out all me precious cargo?!" Jerry the blacksmith asked.

"It's a royal decree to inspect everything that goes in and out of this city." Naofumi didn't recognize the second voice. He suspected it was a Knight. "We're only following orders."

"Bull%$#*! I don't remember hearing about any of this!" Jerry cursed angrily at the man. "They certainly didn't tell me no bull like that at the gate!"

"Oh, but the royal decree for it is right here."

The bitchy voice that spoke then was definitely familiar.

Naofumi's blood ran cold, and his body tensed. 'There's no way… is my luck really that terrible?!'

Raphtalia looked up at him curiously. "Master Naofumi?" She whispered. His lips pulled back into a snarl, and a low unnatural growl escaped him. "Do you recognize who that is?" She asked quietly.

Naofumi could feel weeks of pent-up anger and hatred yearning to be released at that moment. She was part of the whole reason that he was forced to live the way he had for the past month. Why he couldn't be seen in public, and why he had to sneak into the Capital inside an uncomfortable hardwood crate. "Yeah. I know who that is." Naofumi said.

"Oh, First Princess, I didn't see you there with the Knights. Oh, and the Spear Lad is also with you?!" Jerry yelled.

"That's Spear Hero, thank you very much. And who else do you know that wields a spear like this?" Motoyasu asked.

Naofumi imagined the simp was likely showing off his spear right then.

"Anyways, we'll be looking through these crates ourselves. After all, it would be a pity if you were carrying something of value in there that the Heroes could use." Malty said in a low, seductive voice.

"Alright, you listen here lassie. Just because you're royalty doesn't mean you can-" Jerry tried to say angrily.

"Oh, but I can." Princess Malty said with a laugh. "After all, you wouldn't want to displease the King's wishes now, would you?" She asked, her voice bordering dangerously on a threat.

'How can Motoyasu stand to be with her!? Can't he tell that she's extorting this man out of his goods!?' He wanted nothing more than anything to burst out of the top of the crate, surprise everyone that was there, and give both Motoyasu and Bitch a new nose job.

However, he didn't because he knew what would happen if he revealed himself. Though at the rate things were going, it didn't look like he'd have much of a choice.

"And just what are ya implying you bi-" Jerry was responding heatedly.

"Jerry, there you are!"

All the talking that had been going on outside stopped. 'Wait, was that-' Naofumi thought in shock.

"Elhart, good to see ya, old friend!" Jerry said happily, most likely giving an embrace to the equally large blacksmith. "How ya been!?"

"First, what's going on here? I've been waiting for you to arrive for three days with the materials I requested." Elhart said grumpily.

"Well I woulda been unloading by now, but you see, the princess and her knights here are trying to take some of the rare items you requested for ya shop! They're giving me some bullcrap about it being some royal decree!" Jerry quickly explained the situation.

There was a short pause.

"WHAT!?" Elhart's yell of anger shook the crate. Naofumi pictured the old threatening man turning to face the group of knights, the Spear Hero, and the second princess. Naofumi was trying to peek out of one of the small air holes to see what was going on outside. But all he could see was a couple of the knights shaking in fear inside their armor.

"It's a royal decree. Anything that could be of value to the heroes in their efforts to prepare for the waves-" Malty was saying in the same arrogant bitchy 'I own the world' voice as before.

"To hell with your royal decrees! If you want some of the rare items in here, you'll have to wait for me to put them up for sale and buy them like everyone else!" Elhart yelled with finality.

Some of the Knights gasped. Naofumi himself was amazed. The balls on this smith were great indeed. He wished so badly he could see Myne's face. He would have loved to see the shocked look from not getting her way captured in a photo. The thought made him smile widely, and love Elhart even more.

You brave, wonderful blacksmith! He knew there'd been something good about him that'd make all this trouble worth it!

"How dare you speak that way to a member of the royal family!" Malty said with venom in her tone.

"I'll speak that way to the Queen if I have to!" Elhart yelled, likely getting face to face with the princess. Naofumi imagined him being a lot taller and being far more intimidating. "First you search my quarters without a warrant, and now this!? Unless you want me to close down my shop, move away from the Capital, and explain to your father why his knights will be under-equipped for the coming waves." He left the last part hanging in the air. A threat about word of this actually getting to dear daddy, who most likely wouldn't approve of this kind of behavior from his precious daughter. Especially after the earful Elhart had personally delivered to him last time about his knights wrecking his store and his living quarters because of a rumor about the Shield Hero being nearby.

Naofumi had to cover his own mouth with his hands. He wanted to laugh so badly it was killing him to hold it all in. 'Elhart, I'm sorry for ever doubting you before.'

He heard an angry huff, presumably from Malty. "Come on! We have other things we need to be doing!" She yelled at the group angrily.

"But what about the materials for my spear-" Motoyasu tried to complain.

"You heard him! We'll just have to wait until he puts them up for sale like everyone else!" Malty said in a commanding tone that left no room for argument. It was most likely her way of saving face from the situation.

Naofumi heard some footsteps going away. He was smiling so widely it was hurting his face. "Why are you so happy, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked. Still not able to comprehend most of what had just transpired. Other than that, apparently, it had been a royal princess and the Spear Hero who had been the reason for the carriage being stopped.

"Let's just say that was one of the best things that has happened to me since I was summoned to this world." He replied genuinely.

At that moment, the crate got lifted back up. Naofumi and Raphtalia felt themselves settle back into the carriage with the other supplies. "Sorry bout that lad. We almost ruined your welcome back party." Jerry said through the wood.

"Yeah, I never thought that this was how we'd meet up again Shield Bro." Elhart's voice sounded through the wood.

"Are you kidding me, that was the best welcome home present I've ever received," Naofumi said lightly with a smile on his face. "The only way it could have been better was if you punched that bitch in the face for me."

"Believe me kid, I was almost tempted there." Elhart chuckled in a deep, booming voice.

"Master Naofumi," Raphtalia said in surprise below him.

"Seriously, if you'd known what she did to me, you'd want to punch her yourself." He said.

"Then why won't you tell me?" She asked.

"Oh, I will... When you're older." He replied.

"You say that to me every time I ask about what happened before you bought me!" Raphtalia complained.

"Because you still act like a little kid when I say no."

"I do not!" She said like a little kid.

Outside, the two grown men looked at each other. "Were they like this when you first met them?" Jerry asked his friend curiously.

Elhart shrugged. "I didn't get to know them for all that long. Maybe you could fill me in on what you know after we put them in a real bed." He replied. "Also, I'm guessing you brought them here because you couldn't provide them armor?" Elhart asked.

"That, and Shield Kid probably still needs to register for the Wave. It's hard to get good materials these days. I barely had the materials handy to make the Miss a proper sword!" Jerry said happily.

Elhart sighed. "And I'm guessing you want back pay for the princess inconveniencing you?" He asked.

"Oh, absolutely!" Jerry readily agreed. "I almost peed me pants when the royal princess stopped me little wagon." He looked down at himself. "Actually, Ay'm mistaken. I did pee me pants."

Elhart sighed again. "This better be one expensive suit of armor the kid wants me to make." He grumbled to himself.

Hero Clips!

Spill the Beans

"Spill the beans, just how do those two act around each other now?"

Elhart and Jerry sat at a table in the back of the blacksmith shop. The two held cups of mead in their hands.

"You wouldn't believe it Elhart. The lad's denser than a pile of bricks! He gave me measurements of the lassie's body, and it's like he's *&^%ing blind!"

"You're kidding me?"

"I mean, just look at what he said her chest size was."

Elhart looked over the measurements himself. He almost wanted to guffaw. "Holy hell, the kid is blind. I know I said little Miss, but she ain't so little anymore. Do you think he needs a pair of glasses friend?"

"Hell if I know. It might explain why the lassie came out so embarrassed. I wouldn't be surprised if he accidentally groped where he wasn't supposed to." Jerry offhandedly mentioned.

"Wait, the two of them measured each other!?" Elhart gasped.

"Yeah, the laddie seemed mighty embarrassed about it too. You'd think he'd never seen a woman's body before."

"Oh, this is very, very interesting." Elhart started to grin widely. He'd have ammo to tease the shield bro with for weeks, years even. He started cackling menacingly. "I need everything else you know. This is a gold mine I can't pass up!"

Jerry suddenly regretted opening his mouth because of the look on Elhart's face. But the mead soon took over again and he grinned jovially. "Why, there was also a break I took before we reached the Capital! I opened the crate to see how they were doing, and the laddie's head was resting on her-"

The world would never know what Naofumi's head had been resting on.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Naofumi walked out of the dressing room. He looked down at himself skeptically. "I appreciate you making this armor for me Elhart, but doesn't this make me look like a villain?"

He was wearing a breastplate made out of light metal that was shaped almost exactly like the legendary shield in its default form. A fur line made out of Usapil hides that he and Raphtalia had hunted was added to his green cloak. His joints, instead of being covered in metal, were covered with thick porcupine skins with Pikyu feathers stuffed in between them. Elhart's reasoning was that he wanted Naofumi to not only keep a high defense rating but a high agility rating as well.

"Oh wow!" Raphtalia said, gazing admirably at the armor from below him. "It's perfect! You look amazing!" She continued in awe.

"I call it, Barbarian Armor. And I've got to say, brat, you're really rocking it!" Elhart said happily while Naofumi held up his cloak, looking down skeptically at the armor. "Now you look like a real bandit!"

"I'm supposed to be a hero, not a bandit." He responded with a tint of anger in his tone.

"But it makes you look so cool and dangerous!" Raphtalia complimented again, finding it hard to contain her excitement. He felt a giant sweatdrop form on his forehead.

Was it his fault she was into that kind of stuff? Damn, he knew he should have done a better job of raising her.

"Well, you did make it for me. It'd be a shame not to wear it." Naofumi said wearily, realizing that there was no way of him getting away from this armor. "It probably didn't help that I said no to getting a new chainmail set."

"Yeah, you put that last one through the wringer kid," Elhart said, the memory of the torn-up black chainmail still fresh on his mind. Yet he happily put an arm over Naofumi's shoulders. "But with this armor, I can upgrade it for you instead of making you a new set when you get stronger! How about that?!"

"I guess that's a plus," Naofumi said skeptically. 'You mean he could improve on this armor? I'm just not a high enough level for that yet… seriously, this world still feels like a game at times.'

"Oi, aye finally finished unloading and organizing the last of the ores Elhart," Jerry said happily while coming out from the backroom. "And damn, ya never fail to impress me old friend! Ya can make even the Shield Hero look like a right and proper warrior! Makes me a little jealous it does." He finished, clapping a large hand on Elhart's shoulder.

Naofumi didn't know whether to feel complimented... or offended.

"That's what you get when you're in the business for almost a long time," Elhart replied back, sharing a mirthy laugh with his friend. "Oh, and I can't forget the finishing touch," Elhart said quickly as he raced to grab something hidden underneath the counter.

"What do you mean-" Naofumi started to ask.

"Tada!" Elhart yelled boisterously as he revealed a set of shiny metal… gauntlets?

…

"Gauntlets? As in, more armor?" Naofumi asked dryly.

"Not just any gauntlets kid!" Elhart said excitedly as he handed them to Naofumi. "I'm calling them Barbarian Gauntlets! You'll be able to use these for close melee combat!"

This piqued Naofumi's interest, and he examined them more closely. He hadn't noticed at first glance, but there were small sharp spikes protruding from the knuckles.

He remembered a game he'd played a while ago. It'd had most of the typical weapons you'd normally see in a game. But there'd also been a warrior class in it that used only gauntlets as their weapon. Some of the attacks those characters could unleash with them were pretty cool.

"Are these normal in this world?" Naofumi asked, looking in awe at them. 'Those spikes look sharp enough to pop a balloon without me having to punch it into oblivion!' The thought excited him.

"Well, yeah, I remember you sharing your frustrations with me about punching balloons while that red-head was looking at armor…" Elhart trailed off as Naofumi glared at him for mentioning she who must not be named. "Cough Cough, anywho, I remember how frustrated you were about not being able to wield a sword... so I came up with these for you!" He finished excitedly.

...

"So, I can actually attack with these?" Naofumi asked for clarification.

"Well, they're still considered armor. I don't want to call them weapons after what happened with the sword. But these should give the wearer a nice attack boost. You can't wield a weapon, but you can still use your fists, right?!" Elhart asked happily.

"Yeah, I can." Naofumi's smile grew on his face.

"Wow, thank you so much, Elhart!" Raphtalia said happily. The way Naofumi was smiling now, it was like he was a child who'd just been given an early Christmas present.

'Yes! Finally! I'll be able to raise my attack stat a little bit! I'll finally be able to do something more than guard with a shield-' Naofumi hurriedly put one of the gauntlets on.

ZAP!

"Ahhhhhh!" Naofumi screamed as he started getting electrocuted by the gauntlet he was wearing.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia cried in worry.

Warning! The Legendary Hero can't wield any weapon other than the Legendary Weapon he or she has been assigned!

The gauntlet wasn't flying off. The warning continued to flash on his HUD as he was electrocuted repeatedly.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Naofumi screamed.

"Ahhhhh!" Elhart and Jerry both panicked.

Naofumi stood panting, cradling his slightly burned right hand to himself. The set of gauntlets laid on the counter as far away from him as possible. He was giving his shield the stink eye.

'REALLY! The gauntlets are supposed to be a piece of freaking ARMOR! THEY AREN'T WEAPONS!'

That was a bald-faced lie and the Legendary Shield knew it. It gave off a faint spark from its gemstone, warning him what would happen if he tried any sudden moves.

...

"Well, um, I guess we can rule out having Shield Bro here use attack gauntlets," Elhart said with a nervous chuckle.

"They're not attack gauntlets!" Naofumi yelled at the blacksmith.

"Um... you going blind there, kiddo?" Elhart waved his hand in front of Naofumi's face. Naofumi slapped it away in annoyance.

"I think maybe if we didn't focus on them as weapons, Master Naofumi's shield might change its mind?" Raphtalia suggested questioningly. Unsure if it would work after seeing her Master get shocked for over a minute straight while she, Elhart, and Jerry tried to pry the gauntlet off.

Last time the sword had just zapped him and fell to the ground. This time, it was like the Shield had wanted to make sure that Naofumi would never try to cheat on it again in the future before allowing the weapon to come off.

"Alright, I'm done with getting equipment for myself," Naofumi said coldly. Still pissed off about the fact that he wasn't even allowed to wear armored gauntlets that had a secondary purpose of attacking others. "How about getting us some armor for Raphtalia?"

Elhart considered the young curious demi-human. "Hmmm, I can try. But I don't know if it'll be ready by the time the wave hits tomorrow."

Naofumi looked from Elhart to Raphtalia. She smiled brightly for him. Freaking teenagers! What did she want!? "You're kidding, right?" He asked.

"I mean, I could rush the job, but then the armor would be more of a detriment if I messed up along the way," Elhart said, crossing his arms seriously in front of him.

…

'Ugh…' "What is there to even rush?!" Naofumi whined. "Just give her something you've already made!"

"Well, shield bro, how do I say this? I might have a few things that would fit her but it's either way beyond your price range or... well umm. Too tight a fit if you know what I mean." Elhart said. "The little miss sure has grown, wow..."

Jerry nodded sagely in the background. "Aye, she is a beut." Raphtalia blushed at their compliments.

What the hell?! It was a ten-year-old girl they were talking about here. Sure, she already looked sixteen, maybe eighteen? Damn it, he didn't know how any of this worked! And Jerry wasn't wrong about her being beautiful- 'Crap, maybe I'm turning into a lolicon now!'

Or maybe it was because the Legendary Shield had fried a few of his brain cells. Either option seemed possible.

What was he thinking about… oh yeah, making armor for her shouldn't have been THAT *&^%ING DIFFICULT!

"Master Naofumi, you're spacing out again, are you alright?" Raphtalia asked.

DAMN IT!

Naofumi sighed to himself. "You know what, we'll get your armor after the wave." He said defeatedly to Raphtalia. He wasn't going to try and fight it. "After all, I wouldn't want you to hit your 'growth spurt' and get choked by your armor while facing a monster." He said sarcastically.

"Master Naofumi, I'm not a kid!" Raphtalia yelled at him.

I wasn't being serious, but whatever.' Naofumi thought tiredly. It probably didn't help that he was still bitter over the fact that he'd had another option for offense taken away from him after being given hope of finally being able to do something offensive rather than defensive in a fight.

Why did he have to be built to be a tank? Wait, he was worse than a tank. He couldn't even punch enemies stronger than balloons without hearing an inneffectual CLANG in response.

He was a wall. A fricking, immovable wall that could only block attacks.

"Oh well. At least we won't go over our armor budget!" Raphtalia said happily.

Naofumi sighed again to himself. Sure, the Barbarian Armor had been 180 silvers, but they still had a good amount left, right?... he pulled up his status screen to open the bank tab. He'd accidentally unlocked the skill a week ago when he tried absorbing a bag of 500 silver coins into his shield as a joke to scare Raphtalia.

Only, his shield had absorbed the whole bag without a second thought before their shocked eyes.

Weeks of grinding, compounding, and mining efforts had been absorbed in less than two seconds...

...

It was fortunate that it hadn't actually eaten the coins. He'd unlocked the Peddler's Shield, a shield that unlocked a bank tab in his HUD. It was a discovery that allowed him to hold their money without fear of it being stolen.

Still, had he not discovered that and if Raphtalia hadn't had the slave crest on her chest to keep her from intentionally harming him... it was very likely that Raphtalia would have killed him for that little joke. Hell, she probably would have found a way around the slave crest just to kill him.

She was just as stingy with their money as he was.

He'd really done a horrible job at raising her.

Back on the subject, he was surprised to find only 120 silvers in their account. 'But how did we get so… Oh yeah, she did say she got her magic iron sword at a discount, but Jerry still charged her nearly 300 silvers for it since everything was more expensive in the village. Then there are all the supplies and the upgrades to our sleeping bags and other camping gear… yeah, I guess it makes sense.'

"Look, kid, I know you probably need a place to lay low for a while before the next wave hits. So how about you continue to stay upstairs for now?" Elhart suggested.

Naofumi grimaced. "You're kidding, right? The next wave isn't for another two days." He said.

"Didn't you hear me earlier, brat? The Wave's hitting tomorrow." Elhart said.

…

Based on the dumbfounded look on Naofumi's face, the blacksmith was able to tell he hadn't paid attention to that detail. Elhart pinched the bridge of his nose. "Geez, kid. Are you that out of it?"

"M-Maybe…" Naofumi turned away in embarrassment.

"Anyway, ya saw what happened when we came into the city lad," Jerry said, resting his arms on the counter.

"And I hate to break it to you kid, but you smell like you have been crawling around in the sewers for the past month," Elhart said seriously, stepping away from Naofumi while covering his nose. "Hell, I'm surprised the guards didn't stop the carriage at the gate with that smell coming out of it. Not even my barbarian armor's fresh new smell is enough to mask it!"

"I took a bath last night! And I didn't hear Raphtalia complaining about it on our way here." Naofumi whined.

Raphtalia looked down at the floor. "Actually, I did complain to you about that Master Naofumi." She said.

...

Naofumi opened and closed his mouth, trying to formulate some response. She was right. She had complained about it. What the hell was going on with his mind?! "And while you did bathe last night Master Naofumi, you still stink worse than that one skunk monster that we encountered last week." She admitted.

'... ouch.' His self-image had just taken a rather large hit because of that.

His defenses were completely shattered.

"The Miss is right ya know! Heck, every man knows a Miss is right when she says that to a man." Jerry said happily.

Raphtalia smiled happily at Jerry. Naofumi rolled his eyes to himself. 'Freaking lolicons.' The familiar thought was accompanied by a tang of jealousy. "Fine, I guess we can continue crashing upstairs for now. But there better not be any Knights like last time. I don't want my bath time to be interrupted!"

"You mean like how you interrupted me during my bath back then?" Raphtalia asked with her hands on her hips.

Naofumi grimaced. "That's a totally different story, that I'll explain when you're older." He defended himself.

"Urghhh..." Raphtalia pouted at once again being told to wait till she was older.

"Don't worry kid. I already gave the King an earful about what his Knights did to my shop before. He's threatened to have any of his Knights beheaded if they so much as touch something I don't want them to touch here." He said, crossing his arms proudly.

"He did?" Naofumi didn't think that Elhart was actually that important to even push that piece of trash around. Or maybe the knights really were acting above their authority before…?

Nah, that's ridiculous, why would that trash care about the well-being of the city's merchants. It wasn't like he was some King or anything.

Elhart was probably just a hell of a specialist.

Naofumi gave them a wave of dismissal as he walked up the stairs to the hallway up above Elhart's shop. "Fine, then I'll take that bath now. Since I stink worse than a skunk monster, apparently." He said sarcastically. 'And so I can forget about the fact that I can't have something to enhance my punches. As dumb as that is.'

He was still bitter about that. Why did his Shield have to be so freaking stupid...

Again, the Legendary Shield on his arm gave no reaction.

...

"Eh, he seems like a nice lad to me," Jerry said, sounding upbeat.

...

Boom!

The door to the bathroom slammed loudly upstairs.

Elhart shook his head humorously. "If you think he's nice now, you should have seen him when he first walked into the shop. Never seen a happier, go lucky guy in my life. It's really a shame that the First Princess ruined that part of him."

"Wait, Mr. Elhart," Raphtalia spoke up. "Are you saying that Master Naofumi used to be nicer than he is now?" She asked curiously.

"Of course. He was probably the nicest customer I'd ever seen in my shop. He was also a little on the naive side, but who could blame him. He'd just been summoned as one of the four Cardinal Heroes." Elhart looked up as he spoke, smiling with fondness at the memory of Naofumi trying to cheat him into selling some armor to the princess for free. He then frowned. "After that princess though... I was afraid he'd want to run away and never return." He finished sadly.

"... um, Mr. Elhart, what princess? And what did she do to Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked nervously.

...

Elhart looked down in surprise at Raphtalia. "You mean, he hasn't told you yet?" He asked.

Raphtalia looked around nervously. "Well, you see. Every time I ask about anything before he met me, he just tells me to wait till I'm older. And I've only heard enough from villages I've visited to watch out for the Shield Demon because he's supposed to be evil. I don't know why they say Master Naofumi is evil... but I could understand why he'd want to remain hidden from people like that."

Wait until she was older? She was practically an ADULT now! That freaking stupid kid!

Elhart sighed to himself and rubbed a hand across his bald head. Maybe it was out of habit from a time when he had hair? "You're telling me he still has trust issues with other people." He muttered to himself.

…

"I think I'll take me leave now. Don't want me anvil to collect dust back in the village you know. Make sure to come by another time lassie!" Jerry waved an awkward goodbye before he left out the back door. Raphtalia awkwardly waved goodbye back but waited on Elhart who was obviously gathering himself.

...

"Wh, why doesn't Master Naofumi trust me?" She finally asked.

Elhart sighed to himself. "Look, I'm not sure how much I can share with you Raphtalia." He said, addressing Raphtalia by name to show how serious he was. "I'm guessing he's still hurting from what happened. And he doesn't want to talk about it because it might push you away."

"Master Naofumi wouldn't be able to do anything at this point to push me away!" She said determinedly, and then she looked shy again. "But, but I wonder why Master Naofumi won't talk to me about it? I mean, I've trusted him with everything about me from before we met." She pointed out.

He sighed again. "Everything?" He asked. That sounded like a bit of an exaggeration to him.

Raphtalia bit her lower lip. Sure, she had shared a lot with Naofumi in their travels. But… "Well, I guess there are some things that I still haven't told him about." She whispered. An image of her destroyed village passed through her mind.

"Any particular reason?" Elhart asked wisely.

Raphtalia's answer came immediately. "Because I don't feel like I'm ready to talk about those experiences with anyone." She said.

Elhart gave her a nod. "That kid's in the same boat. What happened to him hurt him deeply. You'll just have to wait for when he's ready to share the details with you." He then took in a deep breath. "However, while I won't share any details with you, I think it's dangerous that he hasn't told you why he avoids being seen, and why the Capital is a dangerous place for him to be." He said seriously.

Raphtalia, realizing that she was about to learn something very important, leaned in to pay close attention.

Naofumi sighed to himself, feeling weeks of stress, stench, and discomfort leech from his body into the warm bubbly water around him. 'This is nice…'

He couldn't remember a time when he'd last relaxed for a while in a hot bubbly bath. He hoped Elhart didn't mind him using his bath foam. It was like he was sitting on a cloud, looking down at everything below with fresh eyes, no wonder Raphtalia had used it before… even the realization that he couldn't use attack gauntlets didn't bother him now...

Knocking sounded on the door, pulling him out of the cloud back down to Earth. He groaned and wished to sink below the water and ignore whoever it was that wanted to talk to him. He could have sworn he'd only been in that state for thirty minutes when the knocking sounded. And it continued at an annoying rate. "What is it?" He asked grumpily.

"Master Naofumi, are you still taking your bath?" Raphtalia asked.

"Yes, I am, now what do you want Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked, wanting to go back to enjoying his comfort and relaxation. "There better not be any Knights searching for us downstairs again."

"I just, um, needed to use the bathroom." She said.

Naofumi sighed to himself. "Can't you go to the inn or somewhere else to do that?" He asked. After all, she could walk freely around the Capital. Unlike him...

"I'm… I'm scared to go outside, Master Naofumi." She replied nervously.

…

…

Naofumi had never gotten dried and dressed so quickly out of worry in his life. He opened the door and saw Raphtalia looking at the opposite wall. Her tail was hanging low behind her, feeling guilty for interrupting her Master's bubble bath. "Raphtalia, what's going on?" He quickly asked.

Raphtalia slowly turned and looked up at him. She really did need to use the restroom, but... "Is it true that the King is trying to capture you for committing a crime here?" She asked.

...

Naofumi took in a sharp breath, but then he calmly exhaled it out. Still, he felt like he was standing in a minefield. One wrong step and he'd explode. "Did Elhart tell you?" He asked blandly.

"He didn't tell me everything. Only that the King is searching for you because you were accused of something you didn't do." She said quietly.

"Not just the King," Naofumi said, looking pointedly to the side. "The Church of the Three Heroes set me up too." He added bitterly.

...

'So Elhart was right… both of them want to capture Master Naofumi…' She still didn't know why, but their first night together inside the Capital made a lot more sense to her now. Though her memories were fuzzy from sickness and fatigue and a whole slew of other things. "Is, is it okay if I ask you why?" She asked quietly.

… Naofumi stood silently for another moment. Then he shook his head. "I'll tell you when you're older." He said dryly, wanting to drop the subject. "For now, I just want you to trust me and not make any rash decisions. If the Church finds out that you're the same Raphtalia that they tried to kill off with me in the coal mines, then you'll be a target again, just like me." He said, walking away from her down the hallway. He couldn't return to his bath now. Not with all these dark thoughts swirling inside his mind.

"But how am I supposed to trust you if you won't trust me?!" Raphtalia asked angrily behind him. The anger at him was for dodging the subject again. At being kept in the dark. At the realization that what happened long ago had been set up to kill them. Had all that trauma she was forced to suffer from the result of evil people who wanted them dead?!

Naofumi stopped at her words, gasping in shock. "You keep treating me like a little kid, and I'm sick of it! Maybe I don't understand everything that's going on, but I'm in as much danger as you! So tell me what happened so that-..." Raphtalia stopped speaking in shock. The rest of her sentence died on her lips.

Naofumi's shoulders were tightened, his hands were clenched into fists. The gem on his shield started pulsing with a strange red color. "You don't trust me... After everything we've been through together!?" His calm voice was as hard as a rock and as dangerous as a volcano nearing its eruption. "Do you think I'm evil too!? IS THAT IT?!"

Raphtalia realized too late that she might have just pushed him dangerously close to the edge. She whimpered in slight fear and bowed her head fearing what was to come. A trace of her former life as a tortured slave showed through at that moment.

Naofumi heard her whimper, and his eyes widened. 'What the hell am I doing?'

He relaxed his shoulders, face, and hands as his anger and hatred reined back into his subconscious. The gemstone returned to its normal green color. He'd almost unleashed all his pent-up rage and hatred at the world, the King, the Church, Myne, and various other people that he'd overheard in their travels… on Raphtalia…

A guilty look came onto his face.

"I'm sorry... I don't know why I can't trust you Raphtalia. I don't know why I can't trust anybody." He responded tiredly, guilt lacing his tone. "I guess I just wouldn't trust myself if I was in your position." He sounded defeated as he walked down the hall.

"Don't ask me about it. I'll tell you when it becomes relevant. I don't want to make the same mistake again."

'And I don't want you to know what I was accused of… and what I ran away from...' He thought pathetically to himself.

Raphtalia stared at his back as he walked away. She put a hand to her mouth in shock at what she'd just done. Even with her master turned away, she could tell that her words had hurt him. She'd never felt so guilty before in her life. 'Master Naofumi…'

She wanted to chase after him, but her reason for interrupting his bath went through her mind again. And pounded at her bladder. So instead she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

Naofumi finished compounding his latest batch of medicine and stared up at the ceiling. The dinner that night had been a much more somber affair than usual. The food still tasted bland to Naofumi. Elhart had been more mellow than he normally was. And Raphtalia…

'She hasn't said a word to me since the hallway.' He realized.

Hell, he hadn't seen much of Raphtalia since the hallway earlier that day. She'd spent time outside the shop getting last-minute supplies they'd need from different merchants. Spreading out her purchases so that it wouldn't look like she was preparing herself and a Legendary Hero to fight the wave. When he had seen her in the shop, then either he, or she would scamper off to do something else.

That dinner had been an exception since both of them were forced to sit at the table with Elhart. Raphtalia had looked more subdued at dinnertime than he'd ever seen her before. The only time he'd remembered her looking more depressed was when he first found her in Belouka'es slave tent. She'd talk when she was talked to, and ask for food when her plate ran out, but other than that she remained quiet.

He didn't know if she was anxious because of the wave being tomorrow, or because of what happened in the hallway. Either way, he felt guilty about it.

When he walked by the room Elhart had given her after dinner, she was lying face down on her bed. Not doing her nightly work-out like she normally would. As he'd walked back to his room, he felt that guilt inside him double.

'I want to tell her what's happening… but how can I know that she won't just turn on me like that bitch?' He thought pessimistically to himself.

Immediately after having the thought, he shook his head, feeling ashamed. 'Even after everything we've gone through, can I still not trust her?!'

…

Naofumi cleaned his supplies off the desk and stood up. He looked out of the window of the room that Elhart had lent him, glaring at the dim lights of the Castle in the distance. 'I can't trust anybody in this world because of them…' He realized.

'I can't trust them with my past. I can't trust them with my present. And I certainly can't trust this world with my future… not as long as I'm the Shield Demon...'

He sighed, and then sat down on the edge of his bed. 'I wish I could trust somebody with… with something. If I only knew they… wouldn't stab me in the back...'

Lute Village. Mirso Village. Random travelers in the forest. Even the customers that came into Elhart's shop during the day. No matter where he went, it was always the same thing. Everybody, from knights on patrol to merchants peddling their wares, everybody down to the lowest peasant thought that the Shield Hero was a demon, an evil abomination sent to torment them during the Waves.

He'd overheard plenty of gossip about the Shield Hero raping the king's daughter. About how people thought the Shield Hero was this scary psychopath who murdered those who got in his way. Extorted money from those who had little. Brainwashed people into complying with his sinful desires. They spoke highly of the other three heroes that they worshipped like Gods, but him; he was nothing short of the devil to them.

'The Devil of the Shield' is what he'd heard a passing knight describing him as while he listened from his bedroom window.

'Nobody here will believe that I'm innocent.' Deep inside, he dreaded that even Elhart didn't believe him, despite everything that the old man had done for him... but if Raphtalia really didn't trust him, even after all the things they'd gone through together the last few weeks, then he truly had no hope left for this world… He buried his face in his hands.

'Why did I have to be summoned to this forsaken world?... I just want to go home...' He missed his little brother more than ever. What he'd give to see him again... even if it meant having to deal with his parents...

...

He was still in the middle of his depressing thoughts when he heard his door open. He looked up and was surprised to see Raphtalia standing there. She was dressed in nightclothes that Elhart had given to her, which looked big on her to him. She held her hands together in front of her. Her face was looking down at the floor. A moment that felt like a day passed by, and still, she didn't speak.

...

"What is it Raphtalia?" Naofumi finally asked.

Raphtalia stayed still while looking down at the floor. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but couldn't bring herself to. He looked more closely and saw her eyes were red from crying. "Was it another nightmare?" Naofumi asked worriedly.

...

She sniffed and then nodded her head.

What happened back in the hallway was forgotten. "Come here." He said, patting the side of the bed next to him.

Raphtalia quickly took his invitation and sat down beside Naofumi before leaning into him. He moved an arm around her shoulders, letting her settle into his body. For a while, neither one of them spoke… and he allowed her to silently cry...

…

…

"It was about the time after the wave destroyed my village…" Raphtalia started.

"Your nightmare?" Naofumi asked.

…

"Yeah."

A young version of Raphtalia and her friends looked around at the rubble surrounding them. She was trying to cheer the other children and adults up to help them rebuild. It was having mixed results, but they were making progress. And besides, she'd always been told by her parents that things always get better when the world couldn't keep you from smiling. And she didn't want to stop smiling when she and her friends needed to rebuild their village. They needed the hope that came from her smile.

The few adults that had survived looked determined to help rebuild their homes and take care of each other. By the looks on their faces, you wouldn't have thought that they'd just lost their homes, loved ones, and friends to a bunch of monsters. In fact, you'd think they were just moving in, ready to start their new lives in a different place. An optimism that was inspired by Raphtalia's hopeful smile.

" We tried to rebuild the best we could. We vowed that even though the wave had destroyed everything we had, we'd rebuild our village. It'd be greater than it ever was before. Me and my friends couldn't wait for the time when we'd be able to raise our flag over our village again…"

Raphtalia and Rifana held a flag together. Looking it over and imagining it on top of the Church's steeple.

Suddenly, an adult villager nearby screamed. An arrow was sticking out of her chest. Raphtalia stared in shock as the demi-human woman, that had been her babysitter before the wave, fell to the ground, the life draining out of her eyes and her chest.

"What happened?" Naofumi asked.

"Kill the adults! Capture the children!"

"The Knights and Adventurers that the Capital had sent out to deal with the wave came back. And instead of helping us to rebuild, they tore down what was left standing by the monsters." Raphtalia continued bitterly in the background.

Young Raphtalia looked around her in shock. Knights and Adventurers, bearing the cross of the Three Heroes on their clothes/armor came out from everywhere, laughing greedily as they slashed with their swords, swung heavy spiked maces, nocked bows, wielded spears, and set fire to buildings with their torches.

The adults were being slaughtered left and right. Some soldiers in their madness for destruction pulled down the weakened supports of the buildings, bringing them crashing down on the demihumans hiding inside them. Their screams of terror cut off long before the rubble settled.

" They killed… all the adults. They didn't leave a single one of them alive." She whimpered.

Some adult demi-humans went down screaming in terror. Some begged for their lives on their hands and knees, only to be cut down in a spray of blood. A few tried to fight back but were killed as easily as a fly stuck in a spider's net. Blood spattered on Raphtalia and her clothes when one adult was beheaded mercilessly by an ax nearby.

Her breathing became heavy, looking down at the blood on her hands.

"No. Please no." The young Raphtalia whispered to herself.

" The other kids tried to flee, but they were surrounded by the soldiers. Those who tried to resist were knocked out, those who were resilient to the hits were killed."

One of her childhood friends kept on getting back up, even after being hit repeatedly in the head. "Stay down, damn you!" The adventurer yelled angrily, trying to knock out the demi-human again. However, the tiger-like kid bit down on his hand, causing him to yell in pain and drop the sword. The demi-human then stabbed him with his own sword and took the chance to try and flee.

"Urgh! Kill, kill that brat!" The dying adventurer yelled as he pointed to the fleeing kid. Raphtalia thought he would get away. But the archers treated the runaway like target practice, boasting about who'd kill him first. It turned out, several did at once, as several arrows impaled the kid from multiple directions at the same time.

Raphtalia just stood there in the midst of it all, too shocked to make a move.

"Ah, what do we have here?" A Knight snidely asked, picking up Raphtalia by her hair.

The young Raphtalia grimaced in pain. "Why, why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?" She pitifully asked.

"Don't talk back to me you filthy demi-human!" The knight said angrily, backhanding the young Raphtalia across the face. The young girl was shocked by the pain of the hit. She remained silent as she was thrown into the back of one of three prison carriages. She saw some of her other friends held in the other two. She weakly gripped the bars, her young eyes unable to comprehend the scene of bloodshed before her. Unable to comprehend what had just happened to her village.

She had thought the wave had been terrible… but this...

" I was taken from my village, along with all the other kids. The soldiers stayed behind, and they… and they torched the place."

From her view in the prison wagon that slowly started to move away, she saw more of the knights taking out torches. They set many of the buildings, both those that were being rebuilt and those that had been undamaged during the wave. Some of the other soldiers threw the bodies of the dead into the fires. Her heart clenched as she saw those she'd known her whole life consumed by the flames, never to be given a proper burial.

It hurt almost as much as seeing her village's flag taken, and thrown into the largest fire of them all. The flag that had symbolized so much hope for her and her friends… standing near that fire was a figure on a horse. Dressed in white robes and a hood.

"No…" She whispered to herself. Falling back onto the cold hard seat as she was taken away from her home for the first, and possibly the last time ever. "This wasn't supposed to happen… the, the Shield Hero was supposed to protect us…"

Slowly, her smile started to fracture on her face. "No… No…" She whimpered.

...

" After that. We were all separated. I was sold to one Master to be trained to become a maid. But because of my screams at night, he sold me to a noble that owned my best friend. The one who tortured us both… To this day, I still have no clue what's happened to the others, or if my best friend survived that cruel noble's whip…"

Around her, the other demi-human children began to cry. Some screaming in sorrow at having their parents taken away so traumatically. Raphtalia looked at them all, not wanting to believe what had just happened. She tried to cheer them up. She tried to smile for them.

Eventually though, tears filled her eyes, and she started to cry just like all the others.

" The wave might have destroyed my home... but it was those Knights, and whoever that robed figure was, that destroyed my life."

Time returned to the present. Raphtalia had tears falling down her face, and she was clinging to Naofumi. Her body shaking from the memory that had so badly affected her in her sleep. Naofumi was now hugging her to his chest with one arm, while his other hand rubbed calming soothing circles on the back of her head.

'Raphtalia…' He couldn't even muster up the focus to be angry at the Knights. He was too worried about her to even think about being angry.

"I'm… I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it before, Master Naofumi. I didn't know if I was ready to tell anyone about that horrible experience. I didn't think anyone would believe that Knights could ever do such a horrible thing! I…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I didn't know if you'd believe me if I told you." She whispered quietly, her tears continuing to drip onto his chest.

…

"Don't worry. I believe you." He whispered.

Something inside him brought the next words to his lips before he could stop them. "I don't like the Air Strike Shield because of a girl I met in school."

...

Raphtalia looked up at him, wiping tears away from her eyes. "You… you never told me you were a nobleman in your world." She said curiously, her sadness being shelved by her curiosity.

Naofumi almost wanted to chuckle, realizing a little bit more just how much his world was different from hers. "Actually, in my world, all kids are required to go to school. Trust me, it isn't all that great. And I wasn't really much of anything in my world." He said humorously before his face fell. "And you asked about it before… I just didn't know if anyone would believe me if I told them about it or not."

Raphtalia continued to look at him, resting her hands in her lap. "Go on." She encouraged.

...

Naofumi took a deep breath. Part of his mind was yelling at him to stop. But the other part was winning through. It was telling him that keeping this experience bottled up wouldn't help anybody. In fact, it was likely hurting him more than it would if he talked about it with someone who he could trust talking it over with someone.

Did that mean he trusted Raphtalia? He didn't know. But he didn't want to not trust her.

And that meant he had to take this small step and put a little more trust in his Companion instead of telling her again to wait till she was older. "She was the first girl I liked. And I wanted to get her something special to show my feelings for her..."

A young seventeen-year-old Naofumi, dressed in a school uniform, gripped a gold encased locket in his hand. He looked around the hallways of his High School nervously. Students in similar-looking uniforms walked up and down the hallways, absorbed in their phones or books. Each one was studying for their final exams which were later that week like their lives depended on it. And with college around the corner for most of them, their future lives and careers did depend on how well they did right here and now.

Naofumi gulped, clutching the necklace close.  "You see, in my world, those of us who graduated school could move on to a higher school called college. There were different colleges that offered this higher education to us, and this girl and I had chosen different colleges to go to… so on the last day of school I brought a gift for her."

Naofumi walked out from his secluded spot in the hallway past several different students. He felt nervous, but he was also smiling in excitement. Not even the threat of finals could put a damper on his mood.

" I thought she liked me too. She'd led me on with hints over the last few months… I'd gotten her the gift to help her to remember me while we were far apart."

He entered a side hallway where there were no students in view. It was a much less used area of the school, where students would go to hang out with their friends when Finals weren't looming like a two-headed Orthrus Dog. His nervousness was growing, but so was his excitement. He was finally going to do it. He was going to take the first step with admitting his feelings to a girl! His brother would be so proud!

He started to round one last corner, wondering in his mind what he was going to say… only to stop, and then hide back behind the corner.

…

...

"What happened?" Raphtalia asked in the background.

"I found out that it had all been a lie," Naofumi said blandly.

It was that simple. His world hadn't shattered, but his heart certainly had.

Naofumi stared in shock. He saw the girl he'd gotten the locket for, the one he'd thought he was falling in love with, lip-locked with another student. Their hands moved all over each other in this secluded part of the school where no eyes would find them. Naofumi breathed heavily with tears filling his eyes.

"So, when is that one kid coming with your gift?" The guy asked his crush.

"Oh, he should be here any minute now. The poor sap actually thinks I'll think about him after graduation. I'm sure he'll bring me a nice gift like all the other losers though. I heard him say to one of his friends that he was planning on spending a hefty sum of his college money to get it for me." The girl responded seductively to her real boyfriend. "It might just be enough for the two of us to have some serious fun tonight."

"Babe, I love you." The guy said, going back to lip-locking with the girl.

Naofumi felt tears pricking at his eyes, tears that he quickly wiped away. He looked down at the locket in his hand. It wasn't shaped like a shield, but the design etched in it was almost exactly the same as the design shown on his air strike shield.

"I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to think that it might have been a joke. I wanted to think that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't what it looked like." Naofumi clutched desperately at the locket.

"I love you too, Yuno."

He never thought hearing somebody saying those words could shatter his reality. But it happened. He could finally see how false this bitch of a girl was. She didn't even know the meaning of what she'd said, yet she threw that word around like it was a pretty penny. Love.

She didn't have feelings for him. Hell, he could tell she didn't have feelings for that guy. She was just a girl who loved to use people for her own ends. The thought that he'd actually fallen for a person like that without even realizing it...

" I'd realized how she'd played me like a fool. She'd actually thought of me as just another boy. Someone she could bend around her finger and extort to her heart's desire… I was so naive."

Naofumi gritted his teeth and stormed back down the hallway. The locket gripped tightly in his clenched hand. "... And after that, I didn't trust another girl in my world again."

Naofumi found himself staring into Raphtalia's eyes. She had stopped crying and was simply staring up at him. The two were silent for a moment, and then he looked down at his hands again.

"I… I didn't know." Raphtalia murmured quietly.

"I spent some time after that trying to drink myself out of my misery with some friends. But I quickly found out that I have a high alcohol tolerance. No matter how much I drank, I couldn't get drunk. I found the stuff so disgusting that I eventually stopped drinking altogether and became a shut-in instead. I didn't like going out into the real world except to visit the library. I didn't talk to girls if I could manage it. I rarely even interacted with my own family outside of my little brother unless it was serious. I just, I just didn't…"

He trailed off. He didn't know why he'd even started talking about this. It wasn't making it hurt any less… in fact it probably only made him appear weaker in Raphtalia's eyes. Just as it would in that bitch's, as well as everyone else…

"I didn't want to be hurt like that again." He whispered. "And seeing the locket's design on that shield was like a slap to the face about what happened back then." He growled angrily. Because he had been hurt that way again.

His first day in this world and he'd gone and crushed hard on his first party member. The one girl who'd reached her hand out to help him when everything was so different and confusing. But her helping hand had been a lie. A ruse to win his trust, so she could shatter it into a billion pieces.

...

Raphtalia embraced him in a warm hug, much to his surprise. "Did it happen again when you came to this world? Is that princess I hear about responsible?" She asked.

She'd guessed it. Right on the money.

'I thought when I came here that it'd be a new world. I'd have another shot, a new chance for me to find the one... Until Myne turned it all to hell by plotting to accuse me of rape so I'd be killed off…'

"I'd rather not talk about that right now. I think I shared enough for one night." He said, feeling tired. The fact that he didn't deny it though gave Raphtalia part of the confirmation she needed.

…

"Thank you, Master Naofumi." She said quietly.

He looked down at her. "What for?" He asked. Surprised that she wasn't begging for more info like she normally did.

"Thank you for trusting me with a little bit of knowledge of your world. Even if I am a girl." She had a soft smile on her face, hidden by her hugging him. He had finally trusted her with a little piece of his past outside of that bedtime story about his little brother. "... And thank you for still using that skill to save my life. Despite the pain it brings you."

"Well... you're different from those girls. And besides, it wasn't anything like what you told me." He said, feeling a little embarrassed about the whole memory now that he'd spoken it out loud. "I mean, thinking back on it, I can't even remember that girl's name. I just overreacted to what happened."

"Who's to know what I would have done if I was put in your shoes," Raphtalia said. "Had I been there and a guy played me like that, I would have broken both of his arms and legs and hung him outside to make an example of him to anyone else who would ever think that it'd be fun to play around with a girl's feelings."

She said it so casually, she could have been mistaken for talking about something at the dinner table while asking someone to pass the salad.

Naofumi's face paled. 'Seriously, how did I mess up this badly raising her? I'm starting to feel glad that she wasn't in my situation. In my world, she could have gone to jail for doing that.'

Maybe losing faith in girls and fully delving into his hobby as an otaku hadn't been the worst thing he could have done… especially since it'd helped him to save his brother when he fell off the beaten path.

"We might be from different worlds Master Naofumi, but that doesn't mean our past challenges weren't hard for us to deal with," Raphtalia said.

...

Naofumi looked down at Raphtalia in wonder. '... how did this young girl become so wise?' Had he raised her right after all? For once, he could feel emotions other than anger bubbling up inside him, wanting desperately to be released.

When he realized it though, he coughed into his hand. He couldn't be having those thoughts now. 'Nope, those are thoughts that only a lolicon would have. And though she looks closer to my age now, that's still wrong.' She was still a teenager. He just had to wait until she was an adult and... and...

Ugh. He really needed to find out how this world viewed demi-human maturity. This wasn't a problem anyone in his world had to worry about, damn it! Why couldn't common sense work the same in a fantasy setting?!

"Anyways, we should probably go to sleep now. The wave of Catastrophe's tomorrow." Naofumi said.

"Alright… Is it alright if I sleep here tonight?" Raphtalia asked.

Naofumi looked down confusedly at her. "Aren't you a little old for that?"

She blushed a little bit. "I, I'd feel better if I wasn't alone after that nightmare." She admitted.

...

Naofumi sighed to himself, unable to resist the begging Tanuki face she was giving him. "Fine. But you better not wet the bed." He said seriously.

Raphtalia glared at him. "Master Naofumi, I haven't wet anything since your cloak after my first panic attack nightmare with you!" Raphtalia said childishly.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to forget about it," Naofumi replied dryly.

Raphtalia sulked, but she still cuddled up to Naofumi as they laid back on the small bed. It was just like what she did when she was smaller. Was it just him, or was she taking up far more space than was necessary? He wasn't calling her fat, but maybe she was getting a little thick?

He shrugged it off. It was probably just him.

"Goodnight, Raphtalia," Naofumi said.

"Goodnight… and... thank you for believing me. I promise I won't let you down." She whispered. Drifting off into her own dreamworld next to him.

…

Despite his best efforts, a smile forced its way onto Naofumi's face. 'Damn it, I knew it! I am starting to trust this girl! And I don't even mind that I do!' 

…

'I swear if this blows up in my face like that princess bitch and that bratty bitch from school, then I'm not going to trust anyone ever again! Not even Elhart!' He promised himself. Raphtalia shifted her head and moved into the crook of his neck. Her ears tickled his chin, and her tail started to wag gently along his leg in her sleep, showing that she was happy.

...

'Is it bad if I really hope that everything works out though…?'

If anything, he was hopeful that things would work out… that maybe he'd be able to open up to Raphtalia about what had happened when he first came to this world. Because... because he was downright terrified of what'd happen to him if it didn't work out. If she left him after hearing what it was he'd been accused of…

If she left him now, he would lose it.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. That was a worry for another night.

First, they had to survive the Wave of Catastrophe tomorrow.

Hero Clips!

Endless Nightmare

"Ahhhh!"

Motoyasu sat up straight in his bed, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. He looked around, eyes wide with fear until he realized that he was back in his bedroom in the castle. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, man, that nightmare sucked-"

"What nightmare, Motoyasu?"

His eyes widened, and he looked beside him. His breathing became ragged as he recognized one of the two girls that stabbed him to death before being isekaied. "You're not suffering from a nightmare, are you Moto?"

He looked to the other side. Both girls were there. Both of them grinned maliciously at him.

"Don't worry." "We'll deal with that nightmare for you." They pulled out very familiar knives. Raising them up, and-

"AHHHHHHH!"

He sat up in bed again. Even when he recognized the room he was in, he pulled his blanket up to his face. Shivering behind it in fright.

"It's alright… it was only a nightmare… it's not like you're still stuck in a nightmare…"

He quickly looked on both sides. There were no girls there. However, movement in the shadows of his room caught his attention. "Who's there?!" He screamed an octave higher than normal.

"... oh, no one special…"

Motoyasu sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness-" His eyes widened. Wait, that voice-

Naofumi stepped out of the shadows. A grin on his face. "I just have a hunger that still hasn't been satisfied yet." Fangs sprouted from his teeth, and he jumped towards Motoyasu to-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Motoyasu flung off the blanket, jumped out of bed, and ran out of his room screaming. Scared all the way to hell and back.

There was no way! He was stuck in an endless nightmare! He didn't remember this being a facet of his game!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Still screaming, he burst into the castle kitchen. His screams finally stopped as he grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and drank it down in one gulp. He started coughing, some of the water going down the wrong pipe. It was then that he finally realized that he wasn't trapped in a nightmare.

"Oh, thank goodness that's over." He sighed in relief.

"Yawn, I'm so hungry..." He turned in surprise at Myne's voice, only to freeze in horror.

She had no make-up on. Her hair was a mess. She looked at him and then froze.

The Bitch hadn't realized Sir Motoyasu was up this late at night!

"Wait, M-M-Myne-" He tried to say.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Myne screamed, running from the kitchen in terror. She wasn't presentable like this! This had to be a nightmare!

…

"Maybe I should go back to bed and pretend this was a nightmare," Motoyasu said out loud.

After all the nightmares he'd had that night, his mind would definitely believe it.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Naofumi looked around himself from under his hood. After all this time, he'd never thought he'd see the other heroes like this.

Motoyasu and his harem of girls were to his left, and for some reason, the Spear Hero had heavy bags under his eyes. Was he too anxious to sleep before the Wave? Either way, his party members didn't appear to be talking strategy or anything useful really, rather they were just oohing and awing over him; telling him how great he was going to be in the oncoming waves, and so on.

The simp looked so braindead around his party. He could be called an idiot by them and he'd still think it was praise being heaped on him.

Especially if it was from Malty... Myne, Bitch, whatever her face was that hung off him. Her breasts were pressed up against his arm like a common whore.

'What the hell did I ever see in her.' Naofumi's face twisted in disgust. Fortunately, they were walking into a building. He forced his gaze elsewhere.

Ren was calm and composed, as was the rest of his party. Just like on the day of his summoning. Just one look as they walked by and Naofumi could tell that he had a quiet aura of calm and charisma coming off him. Even though his first words to his party had been along the lines of them being worthless to him if they couldn't keep up, his party members trusted him with their lives.

Yet at the same time, there was something off about the youngest of the four Heroes. Did he see himself not only as one of the best swordsmen in the world but the best out of the four Cardinal heroes? He couldn't tell what it was, but Naofumi didn't like him either.

Maybe it was because Ren's whole look and attitude seemed so fake to him. Then again, that could have been because of the experiences he'd gone through so far in this world.

And then there was Itsuki, happily waving to the people around him. Out of everyone, he definitely looked like he was trying to play and act as the common folks' hero. The Robin Hood of the group. Naofumi hadn't heard as much about Itsuki as he had about the other heroes' activities while on the run. What little he had heard didn't sit well in Naofumi's stomach.

Itsuki was definitely like Robin Hood. Taking from the rich and helping the poor based on his own personal sense of judgment to tell who was corrupt or not. And as admirable as that was, Naofumi couldn't help but judge the blonde boy. It was like he was showing off his arrogance that suggested that he was always right and the criminal was always wrong. And right now, Naofumi was unfortunately that criminal.

So Naofumi continued to stand by an empty carriage on the side of the square, with his hood draped over his head. Staying out of view of the other heroes and the people around him. Not talking to any of them.

Based on his short observations of the other Heroes, he now knew that he was screwed. And so was the world.

"Alright, the wave should be starting in twenty minutes and twenty-two seconds," Itsuki said nearby to his party. "Let's make sure that we're the first ones to take down the boss monster.

"Right!" The rest of his group responded simultaneously.

'They even have it down to the seconds, huh? I wonder why he's able to see the timer when I can't.' Was that something else that the world was doing to screw him over?

He'd read something about that in his help guide that morning. He hadn't found where it explained how the heroes got the timer, but apparently, when some timer notification hit zero, all the heroes and their parties would be teleported to the sight of the wave. He just… didn't have that timer for some reason.

Probably meddling from the trash King or the Church, he was sure.

...

Suddenly, because he was either feeling really brave, stupid, a mixture of the two, or maybe because of a lack of interest from everyone else, he dropped his hood. Even if he was recognized now, it wouldn't be long before he and Raphtalia were teleported to the site of the wave. They wouldn't be able to do anything about it. His eyes continued to calmly look around to gauge everyone's reactions.

At that moment, Itsuki looked and noticed Naofumi standing by the carriage. "Wait, is that…"

"Master Naofumi."

Naofumi glanced to the side at Raphtalia. She was facing away. She sat on the back of the empty wagon with her own hood drawn up. "Why did you pull down your hood?"

"Stay facing away from me for now Raphtalia. Just in case." He whispered to her. It didn't answer her question, but she didn't press it for the moment.

"Well, I'm surprised you're even here Naofumi," Itsuki said as he approached, his voice not exactly cold, but not welcoming either.

Naofumi glanced up at him. His own face was a mask of indifference. "I was summoned as the Shield Hero. It's supposed to be my job to fight the waves too." He responded dryly.

"And you're saying a hero is allowed to commit any crime he wants?" Itsuki asked. "Don't you realize that the King wants to imprison you in his dungeon when he catches you?"

"Oh, so that's the punishment that piece of trash and his bitch daughter decided on because I 'bailed' out. Funny, I could have sworn Myne told a nun that the King would make me an outcast for what she was going to accuse me of. Guess she was wrong." Naofumi replied indifferently.

Itsuki looked confused, but his scowl didn't disappear. "Why are you even here Naofumi? You disrespected the king, you disrespected his daughter, heck you even tried to-" Naofumi glared up at him. Something in Naofumi's glare caused Itsuki to shut up.

"I will say this once, and only once." He said darkly. "I didn't do any of what I am being accused of. None of it." He stated blatantly, a snarl in his tone. "I didn't do anything to her. I didn't do anything to those people outside Lute. I did nothing. You can choose whether to believe me or not. Either way, I'm disappearing again after this wave until the next one hits. Unlike you, the people here couldn't give two craps about what happens to me." Naofumi said, before looking straight ahead.

…

"Maybe they'd care a little more if you turned yourself in and told the King yourself what happened," Itsuki suggested.

"... If you really believed any of what I just said, you wouldn't tell me to do that," Naofumi said sarcastically. 'Because the King is likely to believe his own daughter over me.'

"It'd be the just thing to do though," Itsuki said back quickly.

Naofumi chuckled dryly. "Yeah, and I'm sure I'd say the same thing to you if you were in my shoes. Living a life on the run, framed for something you didn't do, wondering if you'll wake up every morning, and then waking up, wondering if you were going to survive the day. Knowing you couldn't do a damn thing about it because the people already hated your guts before you got here."

...

Itsuki frowned. "You'll never know if you don't try." He said. When Naofumi didn't respond, Itsuki walked away to rejoin his party.

'Yeah, you keep on thinking that Itsuki. There are only two other people I care about in this world, and you aren't one of them.'

...

"Do the other heroes really not believe you about what happened Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked.

"... You heard what he said," Naofumi replied dryly. "They just think of me as a common criminal. No, worse than a criminal. They think of me as the devil. Just like everyone else."

"... If you knew that would happen, then why did you expose yourself?" The girl asked.

"Maybe I just wanted to confirm how the others would respond." Naofumi shrugged. "Or maybe it's because this is my personal way of making fun of the king. You know, I managed to sneak back into the Capital without him realizing it, and now it's too late for him to do something about it." He replied. "I mean it's not like we're coming back after this wave."

He knew he'd promised Elhart that he'd come back to get Raphtalia's armor, but the blacksmith probably knew that wasn't happening. There was no way he'd be welcomed back here.

"Is it just because you were made a wanted man?" Raphtalia asked, glancing back at him.

"Not only that… Look at the people around us, Raphtalia." He said, gesturing at the people on the streets that were finally beginning to notice that the Shield Hero was there. Some started to point at him, others whispered amongst themselves, a few looked afraid while others appeared angry. The rest tried to discreetly move away from his area of the street.

"They obviously don't want me here. None of them do. They think I'm lower than the dirt beneath their feet." He let out a sigh at that. "None of them will ever believe me, no matter what I tell them. Even if I'm a hero today during the waves, they'll still hate me."

…

"I wouldn't," Raphtalia whispered so quietly, Naofumi didn't hear what she said. He only heard a slight mumbling from the Tanuki girl.

"Was there something else on your mind?"

...

"Well." Raphtalia looked nervous. "I, I just, I wanted to say…" She took in a deep calming breath. "I'm truly grateful, and honored to have met you Shield Hero."

He turned to face her then. Damn what any of the other citizens thought of him talking to a hooded demi-human. "Why would you be grateful to have met me?" He asked. His voice was dripping with self-loathing. He'd bought her as a child, and forced her to live like a vagabond while simultaneously fighting monsters.

He'd stolen her childhood from her...

"Because… you treated my wounds and cured my illness. You made me warm meals even though you couldn't taste them. You made my toys and clothes even when we were tight on money... you showed care for me when I thought no one in the world thought that I mattered anymore Master Naofumi…"

She had tears at the edge of her eyes. "Most importantly, you taught me how to live."

"Raphtalia, I'm sorry, but your parents aren't coming back. But we can prevent other kids from going through what you experienced.

"You helped me to get through the darkest time in my life, and gave me a reason to live... to fight. To fight the waves. To protect others from going through what I did. And, and that's why..."

She took a proud stance. "I swear to be your sword forever." She pulled her sword out and held it to her side for emphasis. "Wherever you go, I'll be there with you... Even if everyone else hates you, I will never hate you, Naofumi Iwatani." She whispered the last part. "I believe in you."

...

Naofumi's eyes widened at her words. She was saying the words that he'd wanted to hear from someone for so long... He looked off to the side, his eyes now appearing distant. He couldn't think about it now. She might just be saying that right now because of how nervous she is about the coming wave.

"Let's survive this wave first, and then we'll see what happens." He whispered to her.

If Raphtalia was disappointed in his reaction, she hid it well. However, this wouldn't be the last time she'd bring it up to her master. She'd figured out in part why her master wasn't trusting of others. And she was going to figure out the rest of it so she could get through to him. No matter what it took.

...

Itsuki finished talking to Ren, sighed, and approached once more.

"Naofumi."

Naofumi looked up. He hadn't noticed Itsuki approaching. He looked conflicted with himself for a second, but then, the next thing he knew, he'd received a party invitation from Itsuki to be a squad leader.

"What's this for?" Naofumi asked. 'Has Itsuki lost his mind?'

"You need to be with someone who is registered at the dragon hourglass to teleport to the wave. Since it's obvious that you haven't registered at the hourglass…" Itsuki looked away and grimaced. "I'll allow you to come along with me, so you can help out. Regardless of whether you mean what you're saying or not, it wouldn't be right to leave you behind when you're expected to fight in the Wave."

Naofumi stared at Itsuki, allowing his words to sink in. "You're saying you need to be registered to fight in the wave?" The Shield Hero asked.

"Yes. It was even written in the help guide. You have read it, right?" Itsuki asked condescendingly.

Yep, he was still a jerk. An arrogant, self-righteous jerk.

Naofumi didn't respond as he quickly pulled up his help menu and looked at the section on fighting the waves. His eyes slightly widened when he saw that Itsuki was right. Had that information been there before? He could have sworn that he had combed over every inch of the guide multiple times. And yet, he'd never noticed this section earlier. 'You mean, unless we're registered or partying up with someone who's registered, we won't teleport to the wave?!'

...

"Well, Naofumi?" Itsuki asked.

Naofumi barely heard him. He was thinking to himself at that moment. Itsuki's words had made several realizations come to his mind. 'We aren't going to be forced to teleport there. That means, technically, we aren't required to fight in any of these waves. We could just walk away from all this and cut ties with everyone here… we could run away and never look back… besides, I'm sure the three other heroes could handle themselves just fine...'

He glanced from Itsuki and saw Raphtalia, who was staring away from him down the street.

His thoughts about running away, which had seemed so confident before, burned away. Inside, he felt something constrict in his chest. 'But if I were to do that, then I'd risk more people having to go through what Raphtalia went through… and I'd have to face the guilt of letting those innocent people die when I could have helped... and after Raphtalia went through so much during these last few weeks so she could prevent a repeat of what had happened to her village... am I really that evil to be okay with that?'

...

He realized, not only in his mind but in his heart that he couldn't do that. Even if most people would rather treat him like crap for being the Shield Hero. He couldn't stand by and let innocent people die. After all, good had to start somewhere. And if they weren't willing to take that step because they thought he was the devil, then he'd have to take that step himself to prove them wrong.

"How long is it until the wave?" Naofumi asked.

Itsuki became confused. "About fifteen minutes." He said.

'I could accept Itsuki's invite and teleport with his squad… but he obviously doesn't trust me. But the Church is five minutes away, and they already hate me for no reason…'

Naofumi refused the party invitation and turned to walk away. Not in the direction of the exit of the town, but towards the Three Heroes Church.

Raphtalia, already having a feeling what her Master was planning, followed behind him. She was smiling a little, feeling proud of her Master for deciding to fight. 'I'm not going off the back of one of these losers. If I'm going to fight in the wave, I'm going to fight under my rules, not theirs.'

It took a few seconds for Itsuki to overcome his shock at Naofumi rejecting a chance to join him in fighting the Wave of Catastrophe. "Naofumi, what are you doing?!" He angrily asked. "Are you really being a coward now!"

"It's simple, really. I'm going to fight the Wave." Naofumi dryly responded.

"And how are you going to do that?!" Itsuki demanded the answer.

"I'm registering at the Church's Dragon Hourglass, whether they want me to or not," Naofumi responded back dryly. 'Even if they hate me, they won't stop me from helping out in the wave, right?'

"Pay close attention to those bastards in the future. One day, they might be the ones targeting you."

The two robed priests backed away from the locked doors. Looks of fear were on their faces. Surely this would hold the Shield Hero back, right?

"Air Strike Shield!"

A green translucent shield slammed into the doors, bursting them wide open. The Barbarian Armor-clad Naofumi stood in front of the open doors, his hand still extended out in front of him.

"You monster! These ornamented doors are priceless!" One of the priests cried. Indeed, with how much wealth the Church had accumulated over the centuries, even their doors were made of the best materials. Inlaid with the finest cut gems.

Some of which had been cracked by the force of the Air Strike Shield.

"It's all your fault for trying to lock me out and for keeping me from registering at the Dragon Hourglass to fight the wave," Naofumi said blandly.

"We'll stop you Shield Demon! You might have decided to attack us right as most of our Knights were preparing for the wave! But we'll allow no devil to step foot on the ground of this Holy Sanctuary!" One of the priests yelled. Naofumi got the impression that they were still ignoring what he'd been trying to tell them the whole blasted time.

Were they really that ignorant? Geez, he was starting to hate these religious fanatics.

The priests turned around, both of them raising their hands at the double doorway behind them. "As source of thy power-" They started to chant. Preparing to use magic to lock the doors like the last one.

'I guess they won't listen.' He figured he didn't have a choice.

"Shield Prison!"

"Augh!" The set of priests found themselves encased in a green-plated green chain ball.

"Change Shield! Animal Needle Paralysis Shield!"

A series of thin spikes appeared out of the walls inside the Shield. The screams of the two priests were quickly cut off. A second later the Shield Prison disappeared, and they fell on the ground, small holes poked into their robes. Both of them twitched, but couldn't move because of the paralysis status effect they were under.

'I still can't do damage… but that shield's definitely going to come in handy.' At least some good came from that damn porcupine quill. Not only did it allow him to use SP to add needles to the inside of Shield Prison, but for an extra SP cost, he could add a status effect to the needles too. Though he only had paralysis and poison unlocked so far. Naofumi walked past the two downed priests.

"Master Naofumi, did you have to do that to them?" A hooded Raphtalia asked as she caught up to him. She'd finished leading away one of the knight squads that the two of them had run into earlier.

"They kept on locking every door in between me and them. I got annoyed with it." Naofumi replied dryly.

Raphtalia pursed his lips but decided not to press it. "Besides, the Church already hates me for being the Shield Hero." His shield on his arm changed to its default form. "Might as well give them an excuse!"

Naofumi slammed the shield into the doors, damaging them while throwing them open. On the other side was a large dome-like room. On both sides, arranged in columns, nuns and priests who'd been in the middle of some prayer session turned to look at the source of the noise that had interrupted them. There had to be dozens of them.

'Aw hell, I wasn't expecting there to be this many-' However, before he could think of anything else, they all stood up and began to scramble away in fear.

"The devil of the Shield is in the Dragon Hourglass Sanctuary!"

"Our Gods have failed to protect us!"

"Run, run for your lives!"

They all yelled various things as they rushed for the exits to the room. Naofumi stood in stunned silence for several seconds.

'I never thought that being feared as the Shield Demon could have its upsides.' He almost wanted to start pretending that he was a demon right here and now to see how scared he could really make these low leveled nuns and priests. Bow! BOW BEFORE THE DEVIL OF THE SHIELD IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE! BUWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

...

He got the feeling that Raphtalia wouldn't approve for some reason.

"Master Naofumi, up there!" Raphtalia pointed up.

Naofumi looked up above. He saw the Dragon Hourglass from below for the first time. However, he didn't have the time to try and examine it right now. It had taken him slightly longer to go through the Church than he'd expected thanks to those two priests, and he could see that the sand was almost depleted in the top portion of the hourglass.

"Alright, Raphtalia-"

"There he is! Stop him!"

Naofumi turned around and saw that a squad of Knights was running down the hallway, heading for him. It was the original squad that Raphtalia had distracted so Naofumi could get into the Church. Raphtalia thought that she'd lost them, but they must have figured out what Naofumi's target was and found them.

Still, it was too late. Just before the Knights could charge through the double doorway, the hooded Raphtalia slammed the doors shut on them. She then held them closed against the squad of Knights that cursed and pushed on the other side. Their strength wasn't a match compared to Raphtalia. "Master Naofumi! Hurry!" She yelled to him.

Naofumi wasted no time in taking the steps three at a time. He wanted to suggest for them to run, but the Tanuki girl came up with an even better plan. 'Thank you, Raphtalia!'

On the opposite side of Raphtalia, another group of Church knights burst through a different set of double doors. These had been called in by the fleeing priests and nuns. "Up there! Stop that devil!" The knight upfront, who must have been their superior, ordered.

Naofumi booked it up the last flight of stairs to stand on the balcony in front of the Dragon Hourglass. Here, the Dragon hourglass looked much more magnificent. On both sides, gold dragons looked to be taking flight, staring away from the Dragon Hourglass itself. Two red gems shaped like eyes looked back at Naofumi from the center of the hourglass.

"We've got you now Shield Demon-" The second squad of knights was running up the opposite set of stairs.

"Air Strike Shield!"

A green shield was thrust out from his palm and down into the squad of Knights. The zealots, who hadn't expected the Shield Demon to have such a skill, were hit by it with the force of a sledgehammer. Sending most of them falling backward back down the stairs.

'Now that they're out of the way, according to what I read in the Help Guide on the way here, I'm supposed to simply…' He revealed his Shield from under his cloak and approached the Dragon Hourglass. He hoped that it really was that simple, otherwise, he and Raphtalia were about to be in for a world of trouble.

A green beam of light came out from his Shield, hitting the center of the Dragon Hourglass. Had there been any priests or nuns remaining in the room, they would have found the scene blasphemous. The Dragon Hourglass was allowing the devil's Shield to interact with it.

After a second, the beam stopped. Then, finally, a purple hourglass symbol timer appeared in Naofumi's vision.

00:00:15

'Ha, just in time!'

"That does it!"

Naofumi boredly looked down again at the squad of knights that finally came running onto the same platform as him. Raphtalia watched with concern from down below, still trying her best to hold the doors back. "We've got you now Devil!" The Church Knight yelled.

Naofumi was silent for a few seconds, and then he smiled widely. Unnerving a few of the knights. "Do you now?" He asked.

00:00:00

Behind him, the sand finished emptying into the bottom of the hourglass, and a bell sound rang loudly through the air. The Knights looked around in surprise, and then light started to surround Naofumi and Raphtalia down below. Outside, the sky turned a strange blood-red color. Naofumi made a rude gesture at the Knights with his middle finger.

"Better luck next time, losers."

"No, stop him!" The Knights charged forward. But Naofumi and Raphtalia disappeared into the light right as the knights tackled the ground where Naofumi had been standing. It was like watching a heap of metal cussing at itself in front of the Dragon Hourglass.

Down below, the other squad of Church Knights came charging in, looking confusedly around for the demi-human and Shield Hero that had disappeared.

"Curse you Shield DEMON!" The Church Knight yelled to the air.

"Al-Altara?"

The middle-aged nun sighed to herself as she closed the volume that she'd been reading from. Today was the day of the wave, and she'd just been about to finish her studies and head down to the Dragon Hourglass Sanctuary to pray with the other nuns and priests for the success of the heroes during the wave when she'd been interrupted. "What is it, Alice?" She asked.

"Um, well, I was sent to inform you, that, um…"

Altara sighed again and opened the door on her surprised and clearly nervous acolyte. "Just spit it out already. I don't have all day, child."

The blonde-haired girl nervously gulped and moved a hand through her hair. "The, the Shield Hero just broke into the Church and registered at the Dragon Hourglass, my lady. The knights and Shadows didn't see him coming until it was too late." She muttered quietly.

…

Altara's left eyebrow twitched angrily. Alice quickly turned around and ran away. Not wanting to face the middle-aged nun's wrath. 'You mean, not only is that devil still alive, but he also broke into our holy Sanctuary, and-'

"Am I surrounded by imbeciles!?" Altara's angry scream echoed throughout the Church. "How could you let that devil roam our halls like he was God himself!? Idiots, the lot of you!"

Soon after, she slammed her door shut behind her. Those who had been outside nearby trembled in fear.

'I can't believe this! It's like every human left here is an imbecile!' The Holy Sanctuary had obviously been defiled, so she'd pray, alone, in her holy room.

She'd pray that the other heroes would fend off the wave. That none of them would be hurt. She'd pray for the husband and children she lost long ago to help her and the others to remain steadfast.

And she'd pray that God, in his infinite mercy, would smite the Shield Demon for daring to not only live but step foot in and defile the holiest of places to her in this world.

Naofumi and Raphtalia came out of the light onto the top of a hill. All around down below them was a forest. "I still can't believe you thought breaking into the Three Heroes Church was a good idea, Master Naofumi," Raphtalia said.

"Yeah, well it's their fault their priests didn't want me to register for the wave. Now, where are we Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked, looking around. It seemed familiar, but he didn't know why.

"Master Naofumi?!" Raphtalia gasped in shock, looking up to the sky. Naofumi looked up as well, and his face became flat.

Several swirling masses of purple moved across the sky in front of them. Each mass connected by a pink comet-like trail. The Wave of Catastrophe.

'It looks… bigger than I imagined it being.' He understood why it was a world-ending event now. This thing was massive. He then looked over at Raphtalia and saw that she was shaking while looking up at the wave.

He understood why. The last time she'd seen a Wave of Catastrophe, it had killed her parents and destroyed her home. "We're not allowing the same thing to happen again."

She looked at him, and her shaking stopped. She nodded, and they looked back up in time to see hundreds of different monsters come flying out of the purple masses in the sky and down towards the forest below. 'So, they're a lot like portals, huh?' He was shocked at just how many there were. 'This is definitely not a game. This is real.'

He suddenly heard a rockfall below him and looked down to see Motoyasu and the other heroes with their parties running through the forest towards the oncoming wave. "Let's move Raphtalia!" He said to her.

He began to move forward, determined to show how strong he and Raphtalia had become. However, the girl looked to the side and gasped at what she saw. She realized why the area looked familiar. "Look over there! The village of Lute!" She yelled in worry.

Naofumi's original thought process stopped. He realized why he could recognize the area now. Hell, he could recognize the cliffs in the distance as easily as the village near the base of them. "The hell!?" Naofumi quickly reined in his shock. "Was everyone evacuated?" He asked worriedly.

A loud pop sounded, and a flare started to rise into the air outside the village. 'Damn it! How can they evacuate?! The wave just started, and they had no idea where it'd hit!'

He saw more undead creatures starting to fall inside and around the village, making craters wherever they landed. "The castle isn't far away, but by the time the knights get here the village will be wiped out."

Naofumi gritted his teeth. 'Urgh… I can't just leave them defenseless! Some of them might not like me, but some of them helped me and Raphtalia! They don't deserve to die!'

"We're going!" Naofumi ordered. Raphtalia looked at him in surprise because of his tone. "To Lute Village!" He ran towards the village.

"Right!" Raphtalia said confidently as she grabbed her sword.

Instead of chasing after the other heroes, the two ran with all the speed they could muster towards Lute.

The village was crawling with all sorts of undead. Undead dimensional zombies. Undead dimensional bees. Undead dimensional skeletons. You named a monster you saw, it was likely to be A. Undead B. From another dimension. C. Rotting. And D. Very likely trying to kill anything living.

"Ahhhh!" A young villager screamed in fear as a skeleton armed with a sword raised its sword overhead.

Right as the monster brought down its sword, Naofumi got in the way, blocking it with his shield. Before the zombie could register the new threat, another sword sliced its head off. Raphtalia got her sword at the ready position as more monsters approached. "Sir, are you alright?!"

The man grunted an affirmative, he looked to be in pain from some wound. Naofumi quickly bandaged the man up while Raphtalia dispatched the other dimensional skeletons that approached them. A short while later, Naofumi was done, and no other monsters were nearby.

"Raphtalia, help this man and any other villagers you find to evacuate!" Naofumi ordered her.

Raphtalia looked to Naofumi in surprise. "But what about you?" She asked.

"Don't worry, I'll lure these meatheads away from anyone else. Join me again once the villagers have been cleared out!" Naofumi ordered.

"Right!" She replied. He ran off while Raphtalia escorted the hurt villager away. She killed another skeleton that tried to get in her way while doing that.

Up the street, he saw a large group of people surrounded by monsters. They were armed with pitchforks, pickaxes, and any other equipment they had on hand before the wave hit. However, most of them didn't look like fighters. Besides a couple of town guards and adventurers. And almost all of them looked afraid of the monsters slowly moving in to kill them all off.

As Naofumi approached, some of the villagers noticed him. "Huh, one of the heroes is here!"

"Which hero is it?!" Another asked.

"It's the Shield Hero! He's come to save us!"

"You mean the rapist Shield demon?" Someone asked more quietly.

Naofumi ran with his shield covering his head. Dimensional Bees slammed off of it as he charged forward. "Aaaahhhhhhhh!" With a guttural yell, he punched one of the skeletons.

Clang!

The attack did no damage, but it knocked it away from the villager, grabbing it and all the other zombie's attention. "Listen up everybody! Get out while you can! I'll distract the monsters for you!" He yelled, running between the large group of zombies away from the villagers. He punched several more as he went along. Getting more clangs as he did so.

It worked, the zombies started to follow Naofumi. The villagers who had been surrounded before sighed in relief.

"I don't care if he's called the rapist demon or not. That was a selfless thing to do, saving our lives." An old lady protected in the back of the group said.

One of the town guards looked to the villager who pointed out Naofumi as the Rapist Hero. "She has a point."

"Huah!" Raphtalia cut down another zombie standing in her way.

"Th-thank you." The latest almost victim joined the group of villagers that she was escorting.

"This way!" She continued to lead the initial person she and her Master had rescued, along with at least a half a dozen others towards the mines. As they were devoid of monsters, it'd provide not only shelter from the Wave but a decent chokepoint for the villagers to protect themselves.

The initial villager also mentioned that the Lord had weapons stored there. Just in case their village was struck by a Wave. They were glad the Lord had the foresight to prepare the village just in case this scenario happened.

Raphtalia cut down several more of the undead. Then, when they finally reached the perimeter of the village, another zombie shambled out towards them. She prepared to charge at it when it was suddenly cut down from behind, revealing a fully armed town guard escorting another group that was evacuating. The town guard quickly looked over Raphtalia and the other group of evacuees. "Is that everyone from that section of the village?"

"I, I'm not sure," Raphtalia answered. "I've been trying to save everyone I could find. My Master's going through the village, finding others that need help."

The guard frowned, but then several of his compatriots reappeared. "We've cleared a path to the mines. We don't know how long it'll stay safe though. Will got pretty hurt by a skeleton."

"Alright, let's get our people there first, then we'll-" The first guard that Raphtalia had run into replied when her attention was suddenly taken away by the sound of screaming somewhere. It sounded like a child's scream.

"I'll be right back!" Raphtalia quickly dashed out of the village.

"Wait, it's dangerous to go alone-" Raphtalia didn't listen. Her superior hearing helped to lead her away from the destroyed village. She ran uphill, darting around trees, cutting down the monsters that appeared in her path.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

The screaming got louder and louder. It was definitely a child's voice. It sounded familiar. It wasn't until after reaching a clearing in the woods that she found its source.

A boy stood next to a collapsed, burning house surrounded by a bunch of dimensional bees, zombies, and skeletons. The fire was in the back, and slowly moving towards the front. The kid was at the base of the house, trying to pull his parents out from underneath the collapsed wood beams. They were still alive. Raphtalia would have immediately rushed in to help, but she paused as she noticed the screaming kid was the same one who had beaned her with a ball as a child.

"Run, save yourself, son." The boy's father said.

"No, I'm not leaving you!" The son tried pulling with all his strength. But he was small, weak, unable to do a thing for his trapped parents.

"Please, get out of here. Before the monsters-" The mom coughed. "- the monsters get you too."

The boy looked behind him. He saw many skeletons, zombies, and bees approaching them. His body shook with fear. "But… but I can't leave you two." Thick, fat tears fell from his face.

"Your uncle will take care of you. You'll still have him-" The dad tried to say.

"No! It's because of Uncle that the other kids hate me! I don't want to be with him! I want to be with you!" He yelled at his parents.

"Son-"

"You hear that you stupid monsters! You can't have them! None of you can!" The kid stood up and defiantly, yet stupidly faced the horde of monsters.

It was that move that finally snapped Raphtalia out of her stupor. Even if he'd been a bully. Even if he hated her for being a different race. She understood better than anyone what it was like to lose her parents!

The monsters approached. The kid still stood tall, but he shook with fear. "Son, please, get away before it's too late-" The mom begged.

"No! I'm not leaving without you two!-" The boy was interrupted by the sound of a sword slashing through the air. He quickly turned around and his eyes widened in surprise.

An adventurer was slashing through the monsters left and right. She moved so quickly that, at first, he couldn't tell who she was, or what she was. The monsters quickly turned to face the new threat, but they never stood a chance. Having taken too much time to feast on the boy's sorrow and the parent's fear, they were unable to react to the Tanuki's surprise attack and she quickly wiped them all out.

Raphtalia finally stopped, sheathing her sword when all the monsters were killed. The boy's eyes widened in shock when he saw her ears and tail. Without saying a word to him, she ran up to where the boy's parents were buried, squatted down, and strained to lift the massive weight of the wooden beam and the rooftop debris that they were trapped under.

"Urghhhhh!" It was heavy, very much so.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" The boy finally yelled in shock.

"I, know what it's like to lose your parents," Raphtalia said through gritted teeth while straining all the muscles in her body. "That's why I promised, to never allow any child to go through what I went through, ever!" Her voice became a growl, and with all the strength she could muster, she was able to raise the collapsed wood beams just enough.

The boy, stunned by what was happening, almost didn't move to help his parents. However, he managed to come to just in time and helped to pull both of them out, just before Raphtalia's strength gave out and the wood beams collapsed. The rest of the house followed suit, and the fire that had begun out back finally spread to the front, consuming the rest of the wood.

"Why did you run off- holy hell!" Several of the guards from before reappeared. They stopped, however, seeing the dead monsters all around, as well as the crying boy hugging his hurt, but safe parents.

"I dealt with the monsters here. I'm going to try and find anyone else that needs help." Raphtalia said. Her voice sounded numb, but her eyes were determined.

The first town guard nodded. "Blake, help her out. The rest of you, we have another family to escort!"

The guard, Blake, quickly followed Raphtalia towards the village. She could hear more screams already. The rest of them helped the parents to get up, and with the boy in tow, made a beeline towards the mines.

Naofumi continued running down a small side street, looking around for people who were still alive.

"Ah! Aughhhhh!"

"Air Strike Shield!"

A shield appeared between another screaming villager and a skeleton, protecting the villager from the skeleton's sword. "Run, get out of here!" Naofumi yelled to the guy while he continued to run. The skeleton turned to chase Naofumi.

A swarm of dimensional bees flew past Naofumi, and he saw their target in front of him. A little girl and her mom were crying out in fear. "Mommy!" The girl screamed in fear.

"Shield Prison!"

Right before the dimensional bees could attack the two, a green ball of chains and plates surrounded the two. Deflecting the onslaught of bees. Naofumi ran past with the rest of the dimensional bees following him. "When that disappears, run away as fast as you can!" Naofumi yelled back.

Once more, he found himself punching another skeleton to get its attention off a small terrified family of two kids and their father. It did no damage, but the undead monster turned around to run after the Shield Hero. "Go, get out of here!" Naofumi yelled, running off so the zombies and other monsters chased after him.

One of his hands gripped his side. He felt an ache developing in it from running so strenuously. "Damn it." He muttered. 'I'm attracting them alright. But I don't have any way of getting rid of them!'

He ran towards a collapsed building that was on fire, sliding under a burning wooden beam to find if anyone was inside or not. The dimensional bees that had been closely pursuing him paused outside the fire, waiting for Naofumi to come out.

After a couple of seconds, Naofumi jumped back out. Wielding a fiery torch in one hand. The dimensional bees scattered when the fire got too close, but began to circle around Naofumi again. He was really glad that his shield wasn't counting the torch as a weapon, otherwise, he'd be a lot worse off than he was now. 'Good thing no one was inside.' The other monsters surrounded him.

"This way you stupid zombies! What's the matter, can't hold the pace?!" He taunted the undead around him, before running off again. The dimensional bees and skeleton zombies continued their pursuit.

He felt a sword strike at his armor, but his high defense made it glance off. A bee tried to sting him in the face, only for its stinger to break. He was truly the definition of a tank right now. He didn't have to worry about protecting himself. Right now, he was the Shield for everyone around him.

"Air Strike Shield!"

Another shield appeared, protecting a little girl for long enough that she could scramble away.

"Shield Prison!" He yelled again, trapping a group of zombies so an old lady could be helped out of the rubble by her son.

"Lasso!" He switched to the Rope Shield and trapped several dimensional bees together so another small group of villagers could escape the burning building they had been hiding in.

'Why am I risking my life to defend total strangers?' He breathed in and out heavily from the exertion. 'Most of them have done nothing for me, and I have nothing to gain from helping them.' He waved his torch in front of him, blocking a swarm of what looked like undead locusts from hitting him. He continued running for the next villager in the distance. One he couldn't even recognize from his brief time in Lute.

His tired face twisted into a scowl. 'I'm such a fool. But I have to help them in whatever way I can!'

He wouldn't let another tragedy like what happened to Raphtalia's village happen here too. It was the least he could do for these people.

"Air Strike Shield!"

"Everyone! Come this way! Hurry!" Raphtalia shouted to the villagers, directing them towards the rest station she and Naofumi had visited outside the coal mines. Some of the villagers went inside where others were huddled in fear. They gasped in relief when they were reunited with family, friends, and other loved ones.

"But, but the village was overrun-" A husband who worked as a miner thought he'd lost his wife and kids forever and was thus shocked and overjoyed at being reunited with them.

"It was the Shield Hero. He saved us by drawing the monster's attention from us." The wife said, still crying tears of joy at being alive and well.

Most of the villagers remaining outside had turned to face back towards the burning village. Where the Shield Hero who had helped most of them to escape was still at.

"Do you think he'll be okay, momma?" The little girl who was saved before by Naofumi's first Shield Prison asked.

"I don't know sweetheart. All we can do is pray for the Shield Hero." Her mom told her gently, trying to hold her fear at bay.

"I can't believe that the Devil of the Shield protected me." A man said in disbelief to his wife and kid, who held onto him tightly. "If it wasn't for him, I'd be… I'd..."

"Devil or not, he's the only hero I've seen in the village trying to save our lives." The villager who had first called Naofumi the rapist demon was now defending his name to his friends and fellow believers of the Three other Heroes. "And somebody who'd risk his life for people like us is no demon to me." The old lady who'd been saved with him looked at the young man approvingly.

Raphtalia looked towards the village. Not only worried about the villagers that were still left there, but also for Naofumi. 'He's already saved so many… but he must be getting so tired…'

"Raphtalia, right?" A deep voice asked.

Raphtalia turned around and saw the familiar heavy-set town guard from before. "Me and the rest of my men can set up defenses here. Right now, the Shield Hero needs your help." He said.

Raphtalia gave him a nod. "Thank you." She said gratefully. She turned and ran off back towards the village.

"Alright, men! Let's prepare to defend this area if we must!" The guard yelled to his men that had managed to evacuate because of Naofumi.

"Yes, sir!" They shouted in unison. Getting to work to make sure they could make the area defensible should the monsters of the Wave leak out to their location.

Naofumi breathed in and out heavily. His side was aching something terrible, even with his shield's powers. "This won't work. There are too many of these guys."

All around him, most of the monsters who had been initially interested in him had moved on, looking for prey with lower defense. Even the dimensional bees were ignoring him now. At the rate the monsters were losing interest in him, the village would be destroyed before he could gather them all away. It didn't help that he didn't have any solid offensive capabilities to use against them.

"I can't draw them away. I've got to minimize the damage to the village somehow."

Looking ahead, he saw a wooden guard watchtower poking up above the houses of the village. Having an idea come to mind, he ran for the tower. 'It'll cause a little bit of damage, but it should prevent a lot more if it works.'

"Air Strike Shield!"

He made another diagonal shield in front of the only zombie in the way and used it as a stepping stone to jump over the zombie. With the path now clear, he ran for the ladder of the guard tower. Still holding tightly to his torch since it'd be an essential part of his plan now.

"Get the hell out of here. Just stay back!" Two of the town guards, who had been caught off guard and didn't have the time to put on their armor, yelled at the monsters surrounding them. They brandished their swords threateningly at the undead that had them cornered. There were so many though, and the guard sounded more scared than confident when he yelled at them.

"Get away from me!" The other yelled, definitely in a scared voice. "Stay away, you hear what I said-"

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

At that moment, the guard tower's warning bell started to ring loudly again and again. At the sound of it, all the monsters in the area turned away from their targets and looked to the tower.

'Well, that part worked…' Naofumi looked down below at the monsters approaching from all around. Then he looked up at the sky that was still full of the swirling wave masses, releasing hordes of more monsters to fight. 'Why hasn't the wave stopped yet?' A look of frustration came onto his face. 'What are those guys doing? Aren't they supposed to take down the boss?! What the hell could they possibly be waiting for-'

The rest of his thoughts were cut off as the guard tower shook violently. He grimaced and looked down below, where zombie skeletons were climbing on top of each other. Trying to get up the ladder to reach him. Dimensional bees flew all around the Tower, trying to discover where the source of the noise had come from.

'Alright, I hope my Shield allows me to do this.' He dropped a bottle of oil he'd gotten for his lantern from a shop in Mirso Village a few days ago onto the floor and onto the ladder down into the face of the closest zombie. Hoping his own plan didn't kill him, he dropped the torch to the floor, immediately igniting the highly flammable liquid.

He didn't have an attack stat, but this wasn't him attacking. This was him setting fire to the environment.

The fire quickly traveled down the ladder to the zombies, which lit up even better than the dried tinder of the tower.

He jumped through the rapidly spreading flames. Gravity took its hold to bring him to what would be a painful landing with the ground down below. His Air Strike Shield still needed a moment to recharge, but luckily the other part of his shield was still usable. "Lasso!" The Rope Shield on his arm unraveled. Gripping it with both hands, he used the rope to try and catch himself onto a burning wooden beam. However, while it did slow him down, he had misjudged the beam's strength, and it broke almost immediately after catching himself on it with the rope. The rest of the building collapsed around him in a heap of rubble.

Naofumi groaned as he pulled himself out of it. 'At least I'm alive.' He looked back at the burning guard tower. All the zombies that had been around it were being consumed by the flames. The guard tower itself collapsed into the town square, squashing swarms of dimensional bees and more zombies under it. Yes, environmental damage did work!

But even though the monsters were dying, he got no EXP for it. It made sense, since it was the fire or building killing them and not himself.

Still, despite all the monsters that were killed, more zombies began to appear from different streets. The remaining dimensional bees were being joined by more of their brothers and sisters coming out of the portals up above. 'I don't have any more ideas. There's nothing I can do-'

"Hahhhhhh!"

Raphtalia appeared from behind the skeletons. Beheading the whole group in one smooth motion. "Master Naofumi!" She called, running towards the pile of rubble that he was buried in.

"Raphtalia?!" Naofumi was surprised. "But, but the villagers!- *Cough* *Cough*" Naofumi tried to say before he started to choke on the dust particles around him.

"Lute's town guards are setting up defenses for them at the coal mine. I found the last group and convinced them to evacuate. Right now you need me more." She said determinedly, refusing to leave as she pulled him from the rubble. After she'd pulled him out, she handed him a glass bottle filled with a liquid.

"What is this?" He asked, not recognizing it.

"It's a high-quality healing potion. I helped the monster part shop owner to evacuate on my way here and he told me to give this to you." Raphtalia quickly explained.

Now that she said it, it looked familiar to what Elhart had packed in his pack. Naofumi drank it and sighed in relief as he felt the pain of the injuries that he'd received during his fall numbing and then starting to disappear. Even the one that he'd acquired in his shoulder from the porcupine a couple of days ago healed over.

He was more than happy to accept this freebie. Even basic health potions were well outside his budget because the waves were making their price soar. He briefly wondered if his compounding skill would eventually allow him to brew such potions as well. They could bring in quite a lot of money. Questions for later, he supposed.

"Alright, but stay close." He ordered, as more zombies and dimensional bees appeared around them. 'I didn't want her in the main fighting since she doesn't have any armor, but I guess I have no choice if we want to deal with these things.'

"Got it!" Raphtalia replied.

For the next few minutes, all Naofumi saw was fighting. He punched, he defended with his shield, he took the enemies' attention away so that Raphtalia could sneak in and dispatch them with one slice of her deadly sword. Without having to worry about the safety of the villagers anymore, the two were finally able to fight, focusing on protecting each other and the properties of the villagers around them.

Naofumi could be angry about not having a usable attack stat all he wanted. But his skillset made him perfectly capable of defending Raphtalia from these simple monsters so she could easily dispatch them. Unlike earlier, now, experience notifications flooded across his vision thanks to his companion.

"Shield Prison!" Naofumi yelled. He was being more careful using his skills. His SP bar slowly recharged as they fought, but not fast enough for him to use his skills left and right.

The familiar green plate and chain shield wrapped around a large zombie, leaving only the head visible. It struggled in vain to try and get its body below its neck to escape in time. "Hahhhh!" Raphtalia jumped over it, slicing her sword through the center of its head in the process. She then used its body to jump high into the air and slice through a swarm of dimensional bees.

Naofumi turned to the side, seeing another group of zombies approaching. "Air Strike Shield!"

The green shield thrust outwards from his open palm and went flying towards the zombies. It impacted the center of each one, sending them flying back. "Now, Raphtalia!" Naofumi ordered.

Raphtalia quickly ran back from the group of monsters that she had been turning into her latest victims. Cleanly slicing off their heads before they could get back up from the ground whilst running by.

Naofumi punched away another bee and then saw a large zombie bringing its massive arm down towards him. He barely raised his shield in time, blocking the oncoming blow from it. It still pushed him down onto one knee, and his HP bar dropped slightly.

Before the massive zombie could raise its fist up again for another strike, a series of gashes appeared on its body all at once. Blood burst out simultaneously from all of them, and then Raphtalia landed on the ground next to him. "Are you alright Master Naofumi?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Good job Raphtalia." He said as the large zombie fell away. He looked back up around them. They had already increased two levels and were close to another level up from fighting all these monsters, but more were still appearing all around them.

"Lasso!" His shield let out a length of rope, and it wrapped around another group of zombie skeletons. Immobilizing them for long enough that Raphtalia was able to dispatch all of them. He then charged in and jumped into a large zombie warrior's face, allowing Raphtalia to come in from the side and dispatch it in a series of quick slashes.

"Their numbers aren't diminishing." Raphtalia was heavily breathing.

"Guess that means we'll have to keep on fighting," Naofumi muttered just as tiredly. Seeing the waves of monsters in front of them not slowing down.

Before the two could charge forward, Naofumi heard a series of loud sounds and looked up to see several streaks of yellow light shooting into the air from outside the village. "What's that?" Naofumi asked, shocked by its appearance.

The lights met up far above and then coalesced into a bright yellow ball that exploded soon after and rained down arrows of light around them. Naofumi's eyes widened at it.

"Look out!" He quickly grabbed Raphtalia and put his shield above them both. It changed into his light metal shield, and a blue dome of protective magical energy appeared over them. The arrows hit against it and the ground and buildings all around. Raphtalia could do nothing but watch in wide-eyed shock from underneath Naofumi's cloak at what was happening outside their dome of protection. The monsters were all killed, but buildings, carts, and anything else outside his immediate area was also hit by the arrows. Damaging, or in some cases, completely destroying whatever they touched in the process.

'What the hell. That did more damage to the village than the monsters!' Naofumi looked furious. 'Just who would be stupid enough to do something like-!'

"Well now, this is a surprise."

A group of knights walked out from the wall of smoke that surrounded the area now. "The Shield Hero here? I knew we were dispatched to take out the monsters, but I didn't think I'd get lucky enough to get a shot at you too after hearing that you broke into the Three Heroes Church." A mustached knight said smugly.

"Are you &^%$#!# kidding me, are they trying to kill us while we're fighting the Wave for them?" Naofumi muttered to himself.

Raphtalia's eyes shone with righteous fury. A growl escaped her lips. Before Naofumi could do anything, she flew right out from under his cloak and tried to strike at the knight.

Unfortunately, one of the knights beside him got in front of his officer just in time to deflect the blade. However, the look on the mustached knight's face was priceless at how he'd almost been beheaded. "Did you know Master Naofumi was here?!" She asked threateningly. "Answer me or I'll have your head!"

The knight looked back at the others. "Draw swords." He ordered his comrades.

Raphtalia backed away as the other knights took out their swords. "What's this demi-human doing with the Shield Hero?" The mustached knight asked, recomposing himself to be the brave and fearless leader again. "I thought he ran away from the Capital alone."

"I am Master Naofumi's sword." She said in a calm angry tone. "Anyone against him has to go through me!"

"Damn demi. How dare you point your blade at the royal knights alongside that piece of filth!" The mustached knight responded in the same condescending tone. It sounded familiar.

'Wait, it can't be. Isn't that the guy who tried to capture me when I was escaping the Capital?' Naofumi groaned.

Raphtalia's lips curled, and she looked ready to kill the knight if she had to. "What type of knight neglects the people that he's supposed to defend!? What person would release a powerful attack to try and kill one of the Cardinal Heroes!?" She asked.

She recognized who this knight was too. She remembered his voice over the many others from that scary night after she'd been bought. But even more than that, she remembered his face. From the day when her village had been raided by the white-robed nun.

"... Raphtalia, forget it." The Shield Hero said as he approached beside her.

"But, I-" She tried to respond.

"Just let it go. It's not worth it." Naofumi responded blandly, gripping one of her shoulders to let her know he was being serious.

"Excellent advice Shield Hero. If you stay out of our way, we'll even make sure to not beat you too much on our way to see his Majesty for breaking into the Three Heroes Church, alongside your other crimes." The Royal Knight Commander said with a smug smile.

"I guess you're right," Naofumi said, much to the knight's surprise. "I guess it does look like I broke into the Three Heroes Church since I couldn't register for the wave anywhere else." He pointed out. "So if you'd rather not have me fight, then I suppose I could just sit back, and watch the zombies munch on all you morons." His face took on an evil look.

"Which wouldn't be the worst idea for scum like you!"

At that moment, the knights finally realized that a large zombie with reinforcements had appeared right behind them. The mustached knight turned around, and his face took on a look of fear. "Hold your ground, get into formation!" He ordered the other knights quickly. However, the large zombie was already striking down at him with its large arm. He came so close to screaming like a girl.

Ksch!

A loud sound emitted as Naofumi blocked the strike with his shield, and the knight fell back onto the ground in shock. 'Did they really think that I was so evil that I would stand back and do nothing? This knight's opinion of me must be as low as the King's.' "So, do you still want me to stand off to the side and do nothing, you idiot?!" He sarcastically asked the knight on the ground. "Now Raphtalia!" He ordered.

Raphtalia jumped over Naofumi onto the zombie's arm. And then jumped forward, slicing through its head and chest. The large zombie fell on the ground dead. Raphtalia landed next to Naofumi, and both of them faced the horde of monsters approaching them.

"I didn't break into the Church to cause trouble! I only did it so I could do my job and fight off this wave! If any of you believe me, then listen up! We're going to buy you time! Use it to get into formation so we can protect the village together!" Naofumi yelled, not looking away from the monsters. "Raphtalia, take off!" He ordered.

"Got it!" Raphtalia yelled, running forward to slice another zombie's head off. She succeeded, and Naofumi took her place, blocking a revenge strike aimed for her by another skeleton. Then Raphtalia took his place, killing the monster that had tried to strike at Naofumi. The two kept on working together in this way, taking down monster after monster. Even the other large zombie of the group didn't stand a chance, with Raphtalia jumping onto its head and stabbing down into it. It fell to the ground, revealing a knight who stood there in awe, watching the Shield Hero and his companion work.

"Let the Shield handle this!" The Royal Knight Commander yelled. "We'll let them exhaust themselves, and then take them captive after the wave ends!" He walked away as he ordered the rest of the knights to fall back.

However, the vice-captain who'd originally blocked Raphtalia's strike stood in his spot. He and a few of the other knights looked uncertain about doing this to the Shield Hero. Especially since that put the village at an even bigger risk. "Get over here! That's an order!" The Commander yelled at them.

Naofumi blocked another strike with his shield, and then Raphtalia took his place dispatching the zombie. The vice-captain stared hard at them both as if he was having an internal conflict within himself. Seeing the burning buildings around him though, knowing that the fires had been caused by their own foolishness, he finally made his decision.

"All Knights! Support the Shield Hero! Phalanx Formation!"

Ake and the other knights looked surprised but then smiled widely. They quickly gathered in front of the Vice-Captain in two rows, their swords, and shields at the ready. "Phalanx formation!" They all yelled enthusiastically.

The captain pointed his sword forward. "Charge!"

The group of young knights charged forward, screaming as their formation cut into the ranks of the monsters. The knights easily dispatched the zombies and dimensional bees left and right with a bloodthirsty excitement that was marvelous to behold.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia yelled to a tired Naofumi. "Look at the knights!"

Naofumi stared in surprise at the knights that were supporting him and Raphtalia. 'They actually decided to help us'

The Royal Commander grimaced. "Those idiots." He muttered to himself, however, he and the two other knights with him didn't walk away.

Naofumi finally smiled a small smile. 'I think we'll be able to hold them off now.' He saw another large zombie burst from a wall to the right of the knight's formation.

"Shield Prison!" He yelled again.

Just like the previous one he used the skill on, this one was encased up to its neck before it could strike down at the surprised blonde knight, Ake. Ake, in turn, looked at Naofumi. "Is this the same Shield Hero I saw that one night?" He murmured to himself out loud.

He remembered that night well. How the Shield Hero at only level one had burst through a shield wall he and the other knights had set up. Destroying all their shields and armor in the process. He had been told like all the other knights that he was a threat and needed to be captured.

"But he just saved our lives." He muttered to himself.

"Hah!" Raphtalia appeared from behind the trapped large zombie and sliced up its back through its head. When the Shield Prison disappeared, it fell forward. Blood oozing from out the large cut.

"Air Strike Shield!" It was the last of his SP.

Naofumi had already turned, forming another shield in the air below Raphtalia. She landed on it and used it as a springboard to jump onto the roof of a building. She ran across it before jumping back down. Bringing her sword down in a horizontal arc that sliced off the heads of two large zombies and several dimensional bees.

Naofumi appeared beside her, blocking an attack to her head with his shield again. All around them the knights pressed at the ranks of the monsters. Destroying many, and pushing the rest farther and farther away. "Come on! Their numbers are starting to thin!" Naofumi said excitedly. He and the knights continued to fight against the monsters.

After some time, as they finally reached the perimeter of the village, Raphtalia felt a change in the air. The same thing that had happened when the three-headed Cerberus dog was killed in her village. She looked up, realizing what it was. "Master Naofumi. The sky."

Naofumi looked up. At that moment, the swirling portals of the wave up in the sky glowed brightly. Then, after the brightness faded, it revealed a normal blue sky, with the sun closer to the western horizon than it had been before.

"We, we actually did it," Naofumi muttered to himself.

It had taken almost half of the day. But the wave of Catastrophe had finally ended.

As if on cue, the remaining zombies that stood in front of them shrieked in pain at the appearance of the sun. The dimensional bees fled into the forest outside the village, suddenly looking a lot weaker than they had been before. The skeleton zombies and large zombie warriors started to fall into heaps of armor and bones onto the ground. The remaining knights that were still standing looked around themselves happily.

"We did it!" One of them yelled.

"We fought off the monsters!"

"Woohoo!"

The knights gathered together, basking in the victory they had obtained by protecting Lute Village. Naofumi looked towards them, his face as calm as ever. 'As much as I don't like them, at least they helped us...'

"Master Naofumi."

Naofumi turned, and Raphtalia approached with some of the monster materials and corpses that had been lying on the ground. "I can go through the rest of the village to make sure there are no more monsters while grabbing these." She said.

Naofumi took the materials from her. He was oddly reminded of the days when he first trained her to gather monster materials after the fighting was done. "Go ahead. Make sure the villagers know that it's safe to come back. And check the forest for more monsters while you're at it." Naofumi ordered her. He was already absorbing some of the monster corpses into his shield while placing the monster materials in his backpack.

Raphtalia gave him a nod and then ran off to do as he said.

"So, the Shield Hero doesn't keep a leash on his demi-human."

Naofumi turned from where Raphtalia had run off to face the smirking Royal Knight Commander. "That's too bad since it would have been better to bring you both in before his Majesty." He said. "I guess we'll have to settle with stripping you of everything and throwing you into the dungeons in the name of the King." Naofumi noticed the Knight Commander had at least dropped breaking into the Church off his list.

Naofumi glared at the guy. "Do you want to make me regret saving your life earlier?" He asked, his tone filled with venom.

The knight laughed at him. "I don't care how many times you save my life Demon, I'm supposed to bring you before the King. And I'm going to do just that." He said.

Naofumi glared at him and the other knights and was about to say something when the vice-captain stepped forward. "We won't be bringing the Shield Hero in on arrest charges, nor will we be stripping him of his equipment. Rather he'll be invited as a guest for the celebration the King has prepared for the Cardinal Heroes."

The Commander looked at his subordinate. "What?!" He yelled down at him as if he'd gone mad.

The vice-captain coldly glared up at his superior officer. "He is one of the four Cardinal Heroes, who helped to protect one of our Kingdom's villages, unlike you, sir. Whatever his misdeeds were in the past, he can be forgiven for this one night of celebration in the face of your blunder, can he not? If I recall, he also saved your life. You owe him a debt of gratitude." The man sounded smug as he crossed his arms.

His superior gave him a look of menace The vice-captain's cold face only became colder. "Or would you rather have me tell the Queen about how her cowardly commander tried to destroy the village instead of fighting the monsters?" He calmly asked.

The Commander gritted his teeth. "Are you threatening me-"

"If that isn't enough, I guess I could just stand aside and let the demi-human have at you when she learns you tried to arrest the Shield Hero." The vice-captain added, looking down at his gauntlets boredly as if examining them was more interesting than protecting his superior.

...

A look of fear came over the Knight Commander. If he was being honest, he had never felt more scared of anything before in his entire life. The look of hatred that had been on that girl's face... And if his knights wouldn't protect him…

The Commander huffed. "Fine, for this one night, I swear on my honor as the Royal Knight Commander that the Shield Hero and his demi-human will be allowed inside the Capital and granted immunity from arrest for their previous crimes. But I make no promises for what his Majesty might do during that time!" He walked off with his two subordinates to find the other heroes.

Naofumi looked from the three to the vice-captain. "What was that?" He asked.

The vice-captain looked at him coldly as well, before sighing and looking away. "You saved our village. No matter your past misdeeds, you deserve a reward like the other Cardinal Heroes. So, if you choose, feel free to join the celebration at the palace." He said calmly.

"Okay. Sure, and I think the King would love to have me there." Naofumi responded sarcastically. Why return when he could just take off with Raphtalia after they were done with the cleanup?

"Our commander swore on his title that no soldier there would touch you. Being the Royal Commander of all of Melromarc's forces, not even the King can write a royal decree to try and break such an oath. It's a promise that for at least one night you will have diplomatic immunity inside of Castle Town." The Captain explained. "Breaking that oath will mean he'll lose his head."

...

Naofumi thought to himself calmly. 'If I go, the King might still try to pull something off on me… but I'd be able to stop by Elhart's shop to get Raphtalia's armor. And maybe the apothecary to learn how to make better medicines and those Healing Potions if I have time…' Plus, if that bastard did break his oath, hmmm...

Naofumi nodded. He was seeing more pros than cons from this.

Plus, he was oddly tempted by the idea of flaunting his diplomatic immunity at the King's party and watching the man glare at him while being unable to do anything. That last part seemed particularly appealing to him. Surely that would be reward enough? "I'll come then," Naofumi responded.

The vice-captain gave him a curt nod and looked at his fellow knights. "Let's go back and inform his Majesty of what happened here." He ordered them. "And by that, I mean all of us. And not our fame stealing Commander."

"Sir yes sir!" And with that, the Captain and the rest of the knights left to return to the Capital. Leaving Naofumi to ponder over the decision he'd made.

A couple of hours later

Naofumi stood at the entrance of the village, looking out towards the road leading to the Capital. Behind him, various villagers who'd come back from the coal mines were hard at work cleaning up the place. A couple of them were still being bandaged. A few stood over several graves. The few that Naofumi had failed to save.

He looked down at the ground in shame. 'Damn it! I tried so hard to keep everyone alive and I still failed!'

That had been the worst part of the last couple of hours. Seeing the bodies of those he'd failed to save being lowered down into the ground. He almost swore that he recognized two of them. Not from his past time being in Lute, but because he had used a skill or a fist or, or something to save them from a skeleton. A swarm of bees. Then he'd run away hoping they'd known how to get out of there as there were more to save...

He'd tried looking towards the graves, but seeing a daughter and her father crying over where their dead mother and wife had been buried brought tears to his eyes. He faced away so nobody would see them. The woman had been one of the two he recognized. And now he'd failed her family in keeping her alive.

'DAMN IT!' He wanted so badly to just punch something and for that punch to do something.

...

"Master Naofumi…"

...

"What is it Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked tiredly.

"There aren't any more monsters here. I killed them all." She said. Her voice, for once, wasn't filled with emotion. Rather, it seemed she was still in a state of shock.

...

"That's good," Naofumi responded tiredly.

"I guess it is… but did we win?" She asked.

Naofumi glanced back at the fresh graves from before. There had to be at least half a dozen that had been buried in the town's graveyard. 'I don't know if this was a win if I'm being honest…' He was sad. It seemed like so many people. Especially when a couple of them had been ones he tried to save...

"Sir Hero!" A voice called out behind him.

"Hmmm?" Naofumi turned at the voice.

The Lord of Lute and many more of the townspeople stood behind him. The Lord was bowing to Naofumi. "Thank you very much. Please accept our gratitude, there's no way we ever could have survived without your help and courage."

Naofumi was caught off guard by the Lord's statement. "Well it wasn't me, we were lucky," Naofumi responded.

"No, if you and your friend hadn't been here, we would have never been able to push those monsters back all on our own." A younger villager who had been fighting the monsters said.

"Our homes would have been destroyed." A woman holding a little girl said. "We'd have nothing. But thanks to you, we still have something."

"We'll never forget what you've done for us." A big burly town guard said. All the villagers bowed with their lord.

"None of us will." The villager who'd called Naofumi the Rapist demon before said determinedly.

...

"Yeah, whatever," Naofumi said while turning around. Again, he felt tears pricking at his eyes. 'Damn them!' People had died, yes, but many more had survived because of him and Raphtalia. He might have failed those people, but he had managed to save their friends and loved ones.

That had to count for something… right?

The villagers eventually turned away and walked back towards their various homes.

"Master Naofumi, they looked truly grateful," Raphtalia said more happily to him. Her eyes were focused on one of the villagers holding a little sleeping girl lovingly to her shoulder.

"I… I guess," Naofumi said tiredly.

"Well, one thing's for sure at least." She looked down at the ground. "We did save some kids from going through what I did…"

"... yeah. We did…"

…

"... Master Naofumi… …" Raphtalia sniffled. The bout of happiness had finally pulled her out of her shock. Now, the emotions that had been held back by it were unleashed. "I killed, so many monsters." She said, holding back tears from her eyes.

Naofumi turned to look at her. His eyes, though tired, were sad as well. 'I wonder how much she had to fight against her memories of the wave that destroyed her town during today…' He felt guilty that she had to go through it to protect him...

"Come here." He said, embracing her in a hug. One of his hands moving to rub calming circles on the back of her head. She finally let the tears start falling onto his shoulder as she cried.

Had he noticed, he would have realized it should have been impossible for her tears to reach that high since the top of her head barely reached his shoulder. But he didn't.

"I killed so many… but the pain from watching my village getting destroyed isn't gone." She cried harder.

"It's okay Raphtalia. I'm proud of you." He told her quietly, trusting her with being this close even out in the open where everyone could see them. "You helped the people here Raphtalia. We won today. Because of you."

Raphtalia sniffed again, and one of her hands moved to wipe some of her tears away.

He backed away a little bit, wiping away the rest of her tears. The action caught Raphtalia off guard. "I'm sure your parents would be proud of you for what you did today."

She looked surprised, and then four familiar children ran up to them.

"Hey, miss! You're the one that saved us from those monsters earlier, right?!"

"Oh, um, I-" Raphtalia wasn't sure what to say.

"We never got to thank you for saving our lives! So thank you for saving us, Nice Warrior Lady!"

"You're really strong! I want to be strong just like you and Mister there when I grow up!" The third kid said excitedly.

It took a moment of confusion on his part, but Naofumi eventually recognized the kids. They were the same ones that played with Raphtalia only a few weeks ago. Did they not recognize her anymore since she was a young adult?

He also recognized the fourth kid. He glared at him. He was the bully who had formerly beaned Raphtalia in the head as a child.

The other three kids looked at the bully, who looked oddly shy now. "Come on. You promised you'd do it." The third kid said to him.

The bully balled his small hands, but then he lowered his head. "Um… for a demi… … … y-you're pretty cool, Warrior Lady."

The other three continued to look at him expectantly. "And, um… thanks for saving me and my parents! I'll never forget what you did for us!" He quickly turned around and ran off, crying big fat tears of shame.

"Hey, come back!" The other three kids immediately chased after the bully. "You didn't even try to shake her hand!"

"Shut up!"

Naofumi smirked as they disappeared into the village. Maybe this whole experience would help that kid down the line. Hopefully, the next time he saw a demi-child, he'd try to be friends first instead of a jerk.

"Thank you."

Raphtalia's words dragged him out of his thoughts. "For what?" He asked as he looked at her again.

Her head was bowed. But when she looked up, she was smiling. The tears running down her face though were no longer tears of sadness and heartache for her lost village. "You were right. I kept those kids from having to go through what I went through… my parents would be proud. Thank you for reminding me of that, Master Naofumi."

Naofumi patted her head between her ears. Her head lowered again, this time in enjoyment. She didn't look ashamed in the slightest to be enjoying it despite being a grown-up. Did this mean he was finally seeing her as more than just a young adult?...

Naofumi looked up at the sun that was nearing the western horizon. Even though the day had been a dark one, it looked to be ending for the better.

"Let's go. Apparently, we're being allowed in the Capital for tonight to celebrate." Naofumi said. "Let's take advantage of it while we can."

Hero Clips!

It's Treason Then!

"Or would you rather have me tell the King of how his cowardly commander tried to destroy the village instead of fighting the monsters?"

The Royal Knight Commander glared at Naofumi, the vice-captain, and the group of knights behind him. They stood in the middle of the Commander's office at the Castle. The Commander gritted his teeth. "Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"

Naofumi was wondering how the hell they'd gotten there, when the vice-captain stepped forward, activating a purple lightsaber. The other knights with him activated lightsabers as well. Since when did they have those? And why were they in robes instead of armor?!

Wait, he was in robes too?! What the hell had happened to his armor?!

"Commander, I place you under arrest by order of the Melromarc Jedi Council." The vice-captain said.

Jedi Council!?

"... So, it's treason then!"

Naofumi looked down at his Shield. It looked… very different.

What the hell was going on?!

The commander let out an unholy shriek and spun forward through the air while simultaneously activating a red lightsaber. Naofumi quickly stepped in front, blocking with a green Lightsaber Shield. The others quickly surrounded the Commander, striking at him from all directions. Naofumi kept on having to move around to protect the Jedi Masters from being massacred.

How did such a shield even exist?! He didn't care! It was actually going very well! Maybe he could actually attack with it and-

He tried, but the Lightsaber Shield bounced off the Commander with a familiar Clang!

'... YOU'RE KIDDING ME?! IT'S A FREAKING LIGHTSABER! HOW DOES THAT NOT WORK!?'

Words appeared on his HUD.

In this world, your attacks are determined by your ATT stat. Not by physics or biology, idiot.

Did it have to add that insult at the end?!

Seriously, what kind of bull$#%! was this-

"HAH!" He'd been so distracted that the Royal Commander's red lightsaber got under his guard and attempted to penetrate his gut.

However, to everyone's surprise, it bounced off with an ineffectual Clang! as well.

The Commander looked at Naofumi, who looked at him. Okay, that wasn't normal at all.

Likewise, opponents cannot damage you if their ATT stat doesn't outrank your DEF stat. Meaning not even lightsabers will pierce you.

...

Okay, that was still kind of bull%$#!, but it was the good kind. That more than made up for not being able to attack.

This experience also helped him realize that he probably shouldn't use his world's common sense in a fantasy world where the laws of physics gave way to game mechanics.

"You, what kind of monster-"

"HUAH!" A blue blade sprouted from the Commander's chest. A look of shock plastered onto his face, and then he fell, revealing Raphtalia. She was donned in the robes of a Jedi Knight. "I did it, did you see that Master Naofumi!"

…

Welp, common sense or not, at least he had his strong, faithful Lightsaber to kill people for him. He never had to worry as long as he had her by his side to attack for him.

Take that, Stupid Shield.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Talented musicians played a calming, beautiful tune on their stringed instruments. Servers went about bringing dishes and drinks to all the various guests. All sorts of high-class nobles talked amongst themselves or tried to speak to the Cardinal Heroes or their parties.

The celebration was in full swing. The King had chosen a multi-floored room for it. He, his advisors, and some of the highest nobles in the kingdom were up top. Down below, the Cardinal Heroes sat at their various tables amongst the nobles.

And Naofumi. He sat with only Raphtalia at a side table. No noble wanted to be seen near him.

"It's unbelievable how the addition of the Cardinal Heroes turned back the wave of Catastrophe so easily." A nobleman said graciously.

"We owe everything to our heroes." A sweet-looking old noble lady agreed.

"It wasn't just them. I did my part as a royal knight, and stood my ground against a giant monster." The mustached Royal Knight Commander boasted in his group.

'Wow, this is one boring party.' Naofumi looked towards the King where he sat on a throne up above. The King was staring pointedly in a different direction so as not to look at the stain on his kingdom's celebration.

Naofumi smirked. 'There, much better.'

Naofumi smiled to himself at the memory of what had happened when he walked into the party and sat at his current table like he owned it. The king had gone from shocked, to outraged, to downright furious. The first being because the Shield Hero had come to his celebration. The second being because the SHIELD Hero had come to HIS celebration. The third being because the Shield Hero had come to his celebration, and because of his idiotic Royal Commander he couldn't do anything about it except sulk… and possibly take the head of his Commander later.

Naofumi honestly hoped he would. The bastard deserved it.

Annoying the King was his main reason for being there and enjoying the celebration. Much to Raphtalia's ire. He didn't want to converse with anyone or eat any of the food. He just wanted to sit at his table, smiling like a kid at a pinata party while his one night of diplomatic immunity infuriated the Trash King to no end.

It was pleasing in a way Naofumi had never thought possible. It was almost a crime how much pleasure he took in it.

He hadn't seen much of the other heroes and their parties so far despite being on the same floor. Although, he did catch Ren glancing at him every now and then. Some of Ren and Itsuki's party members were sitting one table over from Naofumi. Itsuki was talking to many other different nobles. And Motoyasu, well if that wasn't a scowl Naofumi kept on looking at, he didn't know what it was. Maybe part of his face had been hurt during the fight with the Wave Boss, and now it was to forever look like he was scowling at everyone.

'Probably still thinking that I raped that bitch or whatever.' He didn't really care as he looked away.

"Yeah right, we were the ones that did all the fighting while you cowered behind a barrel shaking in fear."

Naofumi looked at the source of the disturbance. The young Knight, Ake it looked like, had approached the boastful Commander and his group of nobles with a few of his fellow knights. "Don't listen to this man." Ake continued. "We were the ones who fought all the monsters while he cowered behind us."

"What, I don't know what you're talking about-" The commander started to say indignantly.

Ake gasped. "Sir, there's a Zombie Warrior behind you!" He said, pointing behind the Commander.

A large hand grabbed the Commander from behind, and a high-pitched girlish scream escaped the Commander's lips. Ake, his fellow knights, and the one knight that had grabbed the Commander from behind started laughing.

"Ake!" The mustached Commander bellowed.

Naofumi felt his sides aching. It took him a moment to realize he'd been silently laughing at what he'd witnessed. 'Okay. So I guess some knights aren't so bad.' Naofumi watched the now disinterested nobles move away from the distraught Royal Knight Commander, still chuckling with mirth.

One of them passed by a familiar-looking face resting against a pillar. He tried to remember where he had last seen it when he finally made the connection. 'That's the nun that talked to Bitch.' It'd been a while since he'd overheard the two scheming together in the dining room of the inn. But he could still remember that face.

At that moment, their eyes met, only for her to scowl and walk away. Naofumi's smirk grew larger as he leaned back in his chair. 'Heh, I guess she's still mad that I'm alive.' It was weird to take joy in having such thoughts. But he couldn't help it.

He'd learned shortly after arriving at the party that, apparently, Altara and the rest of her Church had never received confirmation if he and Raphtalia had survived the mines or not. They'd suspected the two had lived since they eventually found their dead agents and pinned their murders on him. But it hadn't been until he'd broken into the Church earlier that day that they'd finally known for sure that he was very much alive. The ritual spell that had damaged a lot of Lute Village had been a desperate attempt meant to kill him and Raphtalia off since they were surviving the monsters. But after seeing his shield withstand the attack and after seeing how angry the monsters had become towards them, the Church Agents who had been hiding amongst the knights fled back to the Capital to report their failure and blame it on the Commander.

Oh, and the reason Naofumi had learned about all of this was because he overheard two drunk knights with rosaries on their chest plates complaining about it out in some hallway when he went to the bathroom. He'd almost wanted to jump out and scare them as the Devil of the Shield… he'd really been sorely tempted to do so. But the more they ranted, the more valuable info they dropped. So he listened in and learned some interesting stuff.

Back on hand, he noticed the nun glance back at him. She looked almost rabid with how angry she was. 'Seriously, I wonder what her problem is. She already hated me after I was summoned. Did I not bow properly or something?'

Then again, he could have easily accepted Itsuki's party invite and avoided the damage he'd caused to the Church on his way to the dragon hourglass.

But where was the fun in that?

There was one issue, however, he also learned from the ranting knights. The Church was aware that Raphtalia had grown up now since she'd fought by his side during the Wave. He figured they couldn't hide that fact from them forever. However, now that it was known, he realized that it was going to be much harder for them to sell their wares in whatever village they went to. He and Raphtalia would be instantly recognized by the Church's agents unless he could come up with another way to hide their identities.

But this was future Naofumi's problem since right now, present Naofumi knew that nobody could lay a finger on them. No one wanted to deal with him since they were afraid of the rumors circulating about him and his demon-like tendencies.

Who knew that'd again work to his advantage?

"Mmmm, master you should try this. It tastes delicious," Raphtalia said happily next to him as she dug into some dessert. It looked like a rich creamy chocolate cake. No doubt it was made from the finest ingredients.

He smiled at her. "Sorry, Raphtalia. I still can't taste anything." Naofumi pointed out.

Raphtalia rolled her eyes. "Come on, you haven't even tried it." She said. She put some on a fork and moved it towards Naofumi's mouth. "Eat." She ordered.

"I already said I don't want to," Naofumi said, rolling his eyes at her as he crossed his arms and looked away.

Raphtalia pouted. "Master Naofumi. You're acting like such a kid." She scolded him.

"Okay, I am not acting like a-" Naofumi said, facing her again. "Umf!"

Raphtalia smiled in victory. "I can't believe the same trick you used on me when I didn't want to eat something also works on you." She said happily.

Naofumi gritted his teeth, forcing himself to feel the food Raphtalia had put in his mouth. Besides the different texture to it, it tasted the same as everything else he'd ever eaten. Like nothing was there. He swallowed it. "There, I still couldn't taste anything, happy now?" He asked her grumpily.

She smiled widely for him. "Of course." She said happily.

Naofumi groaned. 'Yeah, right? And to think Raphatlia wanted to explode earlier when I said we were going to the palace to annoy the Kin- I mean, to celebrate.' Which was understandable. She didn't trust the knights or their promises. She also didn't want to see her master get thrown into a dungeon because he wanted his unarrestable presence to infuriate the King.

However, as soon as she'd seen the food they were offering here, it was like she had completely forgotten why she hadn't wanted to come. And now she was eating like she had been before she grew from a child into a young adult.

"Careful, you'll get fat if you continue eating like that," Naofumi said dryly, with a hint of humor in his voice.

"After how much I leveled up today I don't care, I'm starving!" She said, not even trying to defend herself.

Naofumi's stomach grumbled unhappily in response. He grimaced as he looked down at it. 'She has a good point. I think we both increased 4 or 5 levels because of the wave today.' It had been the most they'd ever gone up in a day before. Just to make sure, he quickly checked their levels. His had gone up to 29, and hers had gone up to 33. 'Hell, we did go up a ton today! No wonder why she's so hungry!'

"And I'm sure it'll make up for us not getting any reward money Master Naofumi," Raphtalia reasoned happily, continuing to eat.

...

Naofumi realized that Raphtalia made a very good point. So instead of teasing her more, he accepted her logic, steeled himself, and grabbed some food off a passing server's tray. "Then continue eating till you can't eat anymore. If that piece of Trash won't pay us for defending his kindgom, then we're going to eat him out of house and home."

"Mmkay!" Raphtalia shouted happily through a mouthful of food.

Naofumi looked down at what appeared to be a slab of steak with some vegetables on the side. It looked like it had been cooked to perfection, but one bite confirmed that it still held no taste despite receiving the best cooking. 'Damn… just... damn…' When would he regain his taste buds?!

He forced himself to continue eating. 'Someday, I'm going to figure out why I can't taste food anymore. Then I'm going to learn how to taste food again. Because I'm getting sick of this bland taste in my mouth.' Not even the nasty glares he received from the king every now and then were enough to improve his mood while eating.

"And the latest reports say that there were very few casualties. Less than ten in the whole village." He heard a nobleman say nearby in a different conversation.

"But in the last wave, there were hundreds of casualties in the region of Seaetto." A noble lady said in surprise.

'I'll ask Raphtalia about that later. She did say her village was destroyed in a wave. I wonder if that was the area it was in.'

"We can thank our heroes and knights for keeping the numbers so low." The nobleman replied.

"Are we sure we can thank all the heroes though?" The noble lady asked skeptically.

He could have sworn the two nobles were glaring at the back of his head at that moment. "To believe the nerve of that Commander. Letting that useless thug into our midst." The lady snorted indignantly.

"There's nothing we can do about it, Lady Diana." The nobleman said to her calmly.

"Then why don't our heroes try to do something to deal with this filth?" Lady Diana asked the nobleman.

Naofumi stopped listening to their conversation. 'Because they're too busy with the party to want to bother with me. And unlike you, they realize that Raphtalia and I were defending that village.' Honestly, this was also why he and Raphtalia got a table for themselves. He could have never survived having to talk to the puffed-up idiots in tuxedos and gowns around him since it looked like all of them hated him for one reason or another. For the shallowest and most ignorant of reasons.

Smh. Typical of nobles.

"Wait, one of them is going to him now." The noble lady behind him said excitedly.

Naofumi looked up and saw Itsuki. Only, the lady had been mistaken. He was walking by, not going to him. "Hey, Itsuki, do you still think it was a good idea for me to come here?" He asked loud enough that he knew the Bow Hero would hear him.

A small frown appeared on Itsuki's face, other than that he ignored the Shield Hero and went to converse with some other nobles that wanted to talk to him. 'Yeah, that's right. Eat your words from earlier you spoiled Robin Hood brat. They wouldn't believe me even if the evidence was right in front of their faces. Surely you can see that now.'

"So Master Naofumi, how much longer are we planning to stay here?" Raphtalia asked.

"Well, since you reminded me that the King decided to take the reward money he had set aside for me and used it to finance this party... We'll leave after I feel like you've eaten back all our reward money." Naofumi responded, smirking up towards the king. He received another glare in response. 'Hell, I might receive my reward just by watching the faces the King is making right now. Why are there no cameras in this world?'

"... why do you keep making those weird faces?" Raphtalia asked.

"What do you mean?" Naofumi asked.

"I can't help but think that you're thinking rude thoughts whenever you make that face of yours, Master Naofumi."

…

"Just eat before your food gets cold." Naofumi dryly said.

"Got it." She responded happily before getting back to eating.

Could she tell his thoughts just by reading his face? Crap, he hoped that didn't come back to bite him in the future.

'Anyway, if I'm seriously getting no reward for defending a whole village, then I might as well get my money's worth out of this.' And based on how much Raphtalia had already eaten, and the rate that she was eating, he was very sure he'd reach it within the hour. 'Though that also means that we might not be able to afford everything we'll need before leaving the Capital…' Naofumi then realized. 'Damn. Would I even be able to afford Raphtalia'a armor from Elhart? That King just keeps on wanting to screw me over, doesn't he?'

...

He had taken another bite of his food and noticed that Myne had managed to detach herself from Motoyasu to go up above to speak to the King. But before he could think much of it, somebody sat down in the chair next to the Shield Hero. He turned his head and saw that it was Ren, the hero of the Sword. He had his legs crossed and his face held a distant, almost aloof expression on it. "You do realize that it was a mistake to come to this party, right Naofumi?" Ren asked without turning to face him.

Naofumi shrugged. "I helped with the Wave. I was promised that I wouldn't be harassed by the knights while I was here. I deserve at least something for doing that." He responded.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Ren said, he turned his face away as if to make talk with one of his party members sitting across from him at the other table. The other table's seats were full, as all of Ren and Itsuki's party members were now sitting, eating, and chatting with each other. It looked perfectly reasonable for Ren to sit at Naofumi's table so he could talk to his party members. Only, one of his party members, Welt, a swordsman, already knowing Ren's plan, started to pretend to talk back to Ren while Ren actually spoke to Naofumi.

"The Knights are all sworn to not attack you tonight because of the Commander's Promise. But the Knights of the Church of the Three Heroes made no such promise."

Naofumi froze mid-bite. "What do you mean?" Naofumi asked, his curiosity hooked.

Ren didn't face Naofumi and continued as if he was talking to Welt. "Some of the knights here aren't Aultcray's.." Ren nodded his head, and Welt talked back meaningless chatter to fulfill the ruse. They didn't want it to be shown that one of the four heroes was talking to the Shield Hero, lest Ren was suspected by Myne too. Fortunately, Myne and her Father were busy talking with each other in hushed tones.

Naofumi glanced in the direction where Ren had nodded his head, and saw a knight in full armor glaring at him from a side hallway. He did not look like Ake or any of his fellow knights. And when looked at closely, the Knight had a rosary etched on his chest plate.

Realization lit in Naofumi's mind while Ren continued to speak. "The Church of the Three Heroes has some of their own knights planted here, and I doubt the King realizes it. They're not as strong as his Knights, but I overheard that as soon as you and your slave friend leave this party, they're going to ambush you out in the courtyard and make it look like you were attacking a squad of Knights. When that happens, the Commander's promise will become void since everyone will be convinced that you initiated the attack and they'll be able to imprison both you and your friend." Ren said seriously.

Naofumi's eyes narrowed down at his plate. 'What the hell. Couldn't I just have one night of $%^&$#! peace since I helped with the WAVE?!' He'd figured the Three Heroes Church would be angry with him for breaking into their Church and registering himself to the Dragon Hourglass without their consent, but this was ridiculous! He freaking fought off the wave and likely protected some of their followers!

"Any idea why they're going that far to bone me?" Naofumi asked.

Ren shook his head. He'd only overheard some drunk knights in a random hallway. And having his party members listen around had confirmed his suspicions.

"Raphtalia, I want you to finish up," Naofumi said to the still eating demi-human.

"Hrmm?" She asked through a mouthful of food.

"Finish up. We're leaving." Naofumi said to her. 'And I was really hoping to stop by Elhart's shop. I guess we won't have a choice now. Not like we had much money to spare anyway.'

After eating through three cakes, enough parts to make a whole pig, and goodness knows what else the servers had passed by with on their trays; she was starting to get... somewhat full. She could have eaten another pig if she wanted to though. Increasing five levels really gave the Tanuki girl a serious appetite. If they were in trouble though, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

"Even if you try to leave now, it sounds like they'd be ready and waiting for you with speed reduction magic on hand for your exit," Ren warned. "You won't be able to avoid them."

"Then why are you telling me about this?" Naofumi asked Ren, doing his best to keep down his frustration.

Ren still pretended to talk to Welt. "Because I found it suspicious that night when the King's daughter claimed that you raped her, only for her to quickly end up in bed with Motoyasu." Ren turned his head to glance at Naofumi. "I had a good friend back in my world who almost got raped in a VRMMO. Even though I managed to save her in time, she was conscious of other people outside that game we played for years. I know what rape victims look like. And Myne hasn't acted like a rape victim at all since you left." His eyes narrowed. "I don't fully trust you, since you did run away back then, Naofumi, but I trust that Princess even less. And I get the feeling you stumbled upon a plot hook none of us were meant to activate."

'... Well, he still comes off as a jerk. But if he's really willing to help me out...' Besides, Ren was supposed to be worshipped by the Church. It was likely that he knew more about them because of that… But despite the Sword Hero's seemingly reasonable explanation for his actions, Naofumi found it hard to trust him. Or anyone else. The fact that he called what he was going through a plot hook did not help, at all. Did he still think this was all just a game?!

Still, he had nothing to lose so he humored the guy. "Alright, let's pretend for a moment that you're not part of the Church's elaborate plan to lead me somewhere out of sight into an ambush. How do you propose for me and Raphtalia to get out of here without the Church Knights attacking us?" He asked in a mocking tone.

"You don't." He looked towards Motoyasu at that moment. Naofumi followed his eyes and saw that the Spear Hero had Myne at his side again, and she was whispering something into his ear. "Through my party's eavesdropping, I also figured out that Myne is looking for the perfect idea to hurt you since you can't be formally arrested tonight. I had a squadmate leak some information to Myne. If she's really the type of person I suspect she is, and if she goes through with it, I'll be convinced that she's working to ruin you."

Naofumi saw an angry look move over Motoyasu's face. He then glanced and saw the King observing the lower floor without any hint of glaring, looking more thoughtful instead. As if he was thinking about how to intervene in something at a moment's notice. The Spear Hero stood up, calmly looking in Naofumi's direction. "What did you leak to her?" Naofumi asked, having a feeling of dread settle in his gut.

"Something that will keep the Church Knights from being able to openly interfere now. Just don't ruin your chance, and expose Myne. Otherwise, Itsuki and I won't be able to help." Ren said as he got up. He went to where Itsuki was standing to talk to him.

Naofumi looked back down at his plate and took the last bite of his meal. Ren had given Naofumi all the puzzle pieces, he just had to figure out how to put them together. Though the approaching Motoyasu had him unsure if he should just bolt right now instead of figuring out Ren's end goal.

"Master Naofumi, I'm ready," Raphtalia said around a bite of cake as she stood up.

For some reason, Naofumi didn't get up. Internally, he decided to see where this would go. It might have been the last bit, Ren telling him to expose Myne, that made him sit down long enough for Motoyasu to approach.

He'd do anything to ruin her.

"Naofumi."

A glove hit the ground in front of Naofumi. Naofumi looked down at the glove, and then up at Motoyasu's face.

"Time to fight," Motoyasu said in a deadly calm voice.

All chatter in the dining room stopped, and everyone stared at the two of them.

...

"It's about time somebody stood up to that piece of garbage." A noblewoman said.

...

"What are you talking about-" Naofumi started to ask in a confused voice.

"I've heard that you made this poor girl here your slave." Motoyasu continued in that deadly calm voice, interrupting Naofumi. "And that she obeys your every command." He stated it as a fact, not a rumor.

'... ... Damn you, Ren!' How had he learned about that!?

Still, he had to admit, it was a pretty good out Ren had given him. If he was forced to fight Motoyasu then he couldn't be attacked by the Church's knights and imprisoned unfairly.

The problem was, he had to fight Motoyasu, instead of a group of Church Knights. And he somehow had to expose Myne while doing that.

The Sword Hero must have been really bad at creating these on the fly plans.

"So what if Raphtalia's my slave? Why do you care?" Naofumi asked, his voice bland.

"Watch your tone," Motoyasu said. "You can't seriously be saying that it's alright to enslave others!" He said a little more angrily.

"Really?" Naofumi asked while standing up. "Cause I'm pretty sure that more than half the nobles in here also have slaves back at their own manors!" Naofumi yelled, making sure he was heard by everyone. Including the King.

"In case you didn't notice, slavery isn't illegal here Motoyasu."

Raphtalia set her plate down. "Um, Spear Hero, this really isn't necessary. Master Naofumi has been good to me-" She tried to say.

Motoyasu's face twisted into a scowl. "As if. You can spout your lies all you want Naofumi, but I'm here right now to free this fair maiden from your clutches!" He yelled at Naofumi.

"Did you not just listen to a word she said? Raphtalia said I've been good to her!"

"Myne told me how slave crests work! She's not allowed to say anything that'll go against what you want her to say right now!"

Raphtalia got up angrily, her tail bushing out in agitation behind her. Naofumi glanced from Motoyasu to Myne to the King. He also saw Knights beginning to assemble near the exit.

The puzzle pieces Ren gave him came together. Though Motoyasu didn't see it, Naofumi could already see through the plot Myne had made with her Father.

'So, that's how they want to play it, huh?' He thought. 'They want us to resist and try to leave so they can separate me and Raphtalia and set up a duel on their terms. And if I attack them, the Commander's Promise will become void and I'll be thrown into the dungeons… and Motoyasu is trusting enough of Myne that he'll follow whatever it is she tells him... Thank goodness Ren gave me advance notice.' He still wanted to punch the guy. This was stupid! Couldn't he have come up with some OTHER grand idea to get his %$# out of this mess?!

Regardless, he had to play with the hand he'd been dealt.

"Alright then. If you won't take Raphtalia's word for it, then you're on," Naofumi said. Much to Raphtalia's, Myne's, and most everyone else's surprise.

"I accept the duel!"

There was a moment of shocked silence. Allowing Naofumi to think things through his head.

'Even if I try to refuse and manage to get me and Raphtalia into the hallway by intimidating the Royal Knights, we're going to be ambushed by Church Knights after we leave. And if Myne really wants me dead, she'll take it as an opportunity to have Raphtalia killed for supporting me. Blaming her slave crest as an excuse for having to take such a drastic measure. I have to do this willingly now on my terms if I want to keep Raphtalia and me from having to suffer at their hands!'

Since it was still silent, Naofumi began speaking again. "If I win, then I get to keep Raphtalia, and we'll both be allowed to leave the Capital without further harassment from anyone!" Naofumi yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. Including the King and Bitch.

"But, but that's not fair." Motoyasu tried to complain. Myne also opened her mouth to speak.

"And if I lose." Naofumi cut off the red-haired bitch. "You can set Raphtalia free and only throw me into a dungeon!"

Raphtalia stared at him in surprise. "But, but Master Naofumi-" She tried to say to him.

He looked at her, and she saw the look of sadness in his eyes, but also the look of determination. He shook his head at her, telling her to be quiet. She remained silent. 'That's what Myne had plotted to do to me, and that's exactly what I've heard the King planned to have done to me.' He looked back at Motoyasu. "Those are my terms. I have more to lose than you Motoyasu. And you'll never have to see my face again. Do you accept?" Naofumi asked, his voice containing a challenge to it.

Motoyasu growled. "Fine, you're on." He said before Myne could come forward to intervene. To try and convince him to go for a different deal. He almost wished Myne had spoken before Motoyasu. Maybe that would have been enough to convince Ren and Itsuki.

But now the duel was set. On his own terms.

That was what Naofumi had been counting on. Motoyasu accepting before his bitch princess could interfere. 'Take that, bitch.'

Naofumi looked around at the assembled nobility. "While I'm at it, I want to make it clear that no one wanted to help me from the beginning! Everyone who signed up to support me was either executed or imprisoned, though I doubt that you'll believe me on that! I also doubt that you'd believe I learned of people plotting to have me killed! But from my point of view, I had no other choice but to run away and purchase a slave if I wanted to survive!" Raphtalia looked surprised next to him after learning what had happened to Naofumi's original support group. "Raphtalia may be my slave, but at least I've done my best to treat her as a person instead of an item to be tortured and abused, unlike some of you!" He paused to glare harshly at some of them. "... yet if you worthless idiots are so determined to think of me as a heartless criminal that's siding with the devil, then you can burn in hell for all I care! Mark my words, one day you'll get what's coming your way for everything that you've done!"

Having made his point, and with some of the nobility either feeling ashamed or enraged at his words; Naofumi looked directly at the king. "Well, Trash King?! Do you want us to duel here amongst your guests, or did you have someplace else in mind!?" Naofumi asked the King with a challenge in his tone. "After all, I'd hate to tear up this giant garbage dump that you call your castle!"

The King growled down at him. He'd been hoping that the Shield Hero would try to resist so he could make it more unfair on Naofumi. But to do that now would make him look like the bad guy instead of the Shield Hero. And some of the nobles appeared troubled by the words that Naofumi had said. He couldn't have this… fiend turning his own nobility against him! No, he'd rather die.

"There will be no fighting in my palace." King Aultcray said calmly, before looking to the Knights. "Prepare the arena!" He ordered them.

"Yes, your Majesty!"

Everyone began clearing out of the room, heading towards the arena in the middle of the Castle Gardens.

Naofumi stood in an almost pitch dark cellar. To the side of him was a stockpile of various weapons. He tried to grab for a sword, only for his hand to get shocked away. The familiar notification that he couldn't use a weapon other than the legendary weapon appeared in front of his face. 'Damn, so I'm still stuck at level 29, with low attack power to deal with Motoyasu.'

He pulled up his shield menu to look at the shields he could possibly use for this fight. Because of some of the monster drops Raphtalia had brought to him, he'd gotten even more passive defense stats. A stinger from a dimensional bee had increased his attack stat!… by 1...

It was something.

Oh, and there was also the- oh, wait. That shield increased his agility, not his attack. Damn it.

However, the real game-changer for him was that she'd managed to bring him a few pieces of the chimera monster that the heroes had fought in the forest that drastically raised his defensive stats. He looked over one shield in particular. 'This… should I use it?'

He was surprised to have gotten such a shield with a powerful counter on it, but it wouldn't look good if he used it. It might just make people think he really was evil if he used it on someone else.

He dropped the shield menu and looked down at his hands. On his right wrist right above the shield was one of the slave cuffs that Raphtalia normally wore.

...

The two of them stood in the dark unlit room together. Raphtalia was helping to make sure that his armor and cloak were on properly. "Master Naofumi, forgive me if I'm being rude, but I just noticed and I can't help but wonder: what are these squirming bulges that you're trying to hide under your cloak?" She asked.

"Oh, it's just a surprise for Motoyasu. I picked them up on the way to the Capital. Just in case I needed to threaten someone." Naofumi said lightheartedly to try and cheer her up. She'd looked so sullen ever since he'd accepted the duel with Motoyasu.

…

After a moment, Naofumi sighed. "Look, I know you don't approve of this Raphtalia." He said seriously to her. "However, I didn't have a choice. It was either try and get out of the King and Princess's scheme or walk head-on into another one that had a higher chance of killing us. Of killing you."

...

"You're regretting going to the party now, aren't you?" She asked sadly.

He shrugged. "Maybe a little bit… but it was fun while it lasted… …"

Raphtalia looked up into his eyes. "Would the other way have allowed me to protect you, Master Naofumi?" She asked sadly. "Here, all I can do is watch from the sidelines."

"Hey, you can still keep watch in case they try to do something to interfere with the duel." He said. When that didn't make her feel better, he gripped her shoulder. "Raphtalia. I know you would fight for me if you could. But this is my fight." He smirked. "And I have no intention of losing it. Or you."

Raphtalia blinked up at him, even as tears filled the corners of her eyes. She quickly unclasped one of her slave bands off her wrists and handed it over to Naofumi. "Here, take it." She said quietly. She didn't need them really since Naofumi never chained her. Rather she used them to keep her sleeves from moving during a fight. They had become as much a part of her as anything else.

"Why are you giving me this?" Naofumi asked her curiously.

Raphtalia clasped her hands nervously in front of her. "Because I don't want you thinking you're going into this battle alone Master Naofumi." She said quietly. "And I know that I'm not worth much just like this slave band... but if it helps you to remember that you have someone there who supports you, then-" She tried to continue.

"Raphtalia." Naofumi cut her off. "At this point, I could care less about what you think you're worth." Her eyes became sad at what he said.

"... because a bag of gold coins would be worth nothing compared to you."

Raphtalia looked up at Naofumi in surprise. "Don't undervalue yourself Raphtalia. You've been keeping me sane ever since I bought you. I've trusted you and told you things I never told anyone else before. And you haven't stabbed me in the back." He clasped what Raphtalia termed as her 'worthless' slave cuff to his right wrist, just above his shield. He handled it as if it were a priceless heirloom. "It's going to take more than a stubborn idiot hero and a foolish trash king to change that." He said seriously.

For a moment, Raphtalia was shocked. Then, her eyes softened, and a tear fell down the right side of her face. Her tail wagged happily behind her. "Thank you, Master Naofumi." Before Naofumi knew what was happening, Raphtalia hugged him and laid a quick kiss on his cheek. She then backed away, her face flushed a bright red in the darkness of the room.

"Be careful out there. Sir Shield Hero. I'll be rooting for you."

…

Naofumi's thoughts returned to the present. 'Damn it! I'm not a lolicon! I'm so not a freaking lolicon!' He shouldn't be having these thoughts about Raphtalia! She looked like a freaking high schooler for crying out loud! And more than that, she was only ten years old! He was literally twice her age-

He wanted to groan, why did he keep automatically judging her by his human standards? The fact that she matured much more quickly than a human was more than enough evidence to suggest doing that was a very bad idea.

That'd be like saying a toddler could be legal just because he was fifty years old. That's beyond stupid! At what point does age get thrown out so a fantasy race can be judged by ACTUAL factors pertaining to them?! He really needed to get his common sense adjusted to this fantasy world, otherwise, he was really going to offend a lot of different people!

"The duel between the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero will now begin!" A voice announced outside to the crowd, dragging Naofumi out of his thoughts. He slapped himself to try and focus. His very low attack power, glaringly obvious now, kept him from feeling the slap. 'I guess there's not much else I can do now.' Though one of his hands ghosted the side of his face where Raphtalia had kissed his cheek.

Odd, even with his high defense, he could still feel the warmth that the brief kiss had left behind on that area. '... ...'

"The duel will end only when one of the combatants is either pinned or admits that he has been defeated."

After a moment, the doors in front of him opened, revealing an empty hallway. He walked out through them towards the field of the duel arena. He breathed in and out calmly. 'Alright. All you have to do is expose Myne. That's all you have to do, and then you're out of here.' He thought encouragingly to himself. 'It'll be easy. You just have to not distract yourself with thoughts of Raphtalia.'

He walked out into the large arena.

Up above, the nobles cheered for Motoyasu, who came out of the wall opposite of him at the same time. Naofumi saw that on his left was King Aultcray with several of his knights around him. On his right was an older man on a similar throne. He was dressed like those Church people, except his robes looked more elegant, and he had what looked like a Pope hat on his head. Several nuns and priests, including Altara, sat around him.

All around them in the stands were the various nobles and even a few citizens of the Capital who'd come to watch the Sacred Duel. Down below by the left wall was Malty, and by the right wall was Raphtalia.

"This duel will take place in the presence of King Melromarc, and the Pope. And it is thus legitimate, and official." The announcer for the duel yelled over the din of the people.

'Scratch that. This won't be easy. It's going to be difficult as hell.' Naofumi thought realistically. How the hell was he supposed to get Myne to expose herself? Did Ren think that she'd interfere with the duel?!

"Sir Motoyasu! Best of luck!" Malty said happily to her favorite hero. Motoyasu gave her a smile and a wave while approaching Naofumi.

Hmmm, now that Naofumi thought about it, it didn't seem farfetched. Maybe he didn't have to win. Maybe he just had to gain the advantage.

Raphtalia said nothing, but she gave him an encouraging smile. He felt grateful that she had chosen to be down on the battlefield as well, even if she wasn't participating. He circled the slave cuff on his wrist. 'Raphtalia… I'll win. Somehow. I promise.' He thought while touching the spot on his cheek where she had kissed it. He tried his best not to imagine it in a romantic sense. But the thought helped to bring him determination.

Up above, Itsuki and Ren sat next to each other in one of the back rows. Both of them calmly watching the two heroes down below. "You were right," Itsuki said to Ren. "Myne did exactly what you said she would..." He leaned forward in his seat. "So there really is a chance that Naofumi was telling the truth."

Ren's eyes narrowed at Naofumi down below. Myne really did want Naofumi out of the picture. Yet he didn't know why she had a personal vendetta against him. Or maybe it was for a different goal altogether. One that Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu hadn't been told about yet.

Why didn't he know anything about this storyline from his game? It was infuriating how this was the best he could come up with to expose the princess.

"Let's just hope that Naofumi doesn't lose this duel outright and that he provokes Myne into interfering. Otherwise, there'll be nothing we can do to help him." He'd be able to investigate Myne and the Church, but by the time he'd expose them, it might be too late for Naofumi if he was imprisoned after the duel.

Motoyasu and Naofumi stopped in front of each other. Both giants in their own right. One which represented the people of the Kingdom, and the other which represented the outcast they'd branded as a devil.

Naofumi found it ironic since it was obvious now that the real devils were supporting Motoyasu.

"Hey Naofumi, in your world, did you ever hear the folktale about the unstoppable spear and the immovable shield?" Motoyasu suddenly asked.

Naofumi said nothing. Motoyasu shook his head in response to the silence. "Well, never mind that then." The Spear Hero spun his spear around and then held it in an attack stance. "Naofumi, be a man and admit defeat!"

Naofumi continued to calmly stare him down. "And spend the rest of my life in a dungeon?" He asked. "Not happening." He opened the menu on his shield and changed the shield on his arm to the Light Metal Shield. He held it up in a defensive pose in front of him.

Motoyasu didn't reply, and instead did the same thing Naofumi had done. Changing the tip of his spear into a different spearhead that looked reminiscent of a thick three-pronged trident.

The two stood in their stances. Waiting for the start of the duel...

...

"Ready, begin!" The announcer yelled.

"Hahhhhhgh!" Motoyasu yelled as he charged forward, and jumped high up into the air to attack Naofumi from above.

It was Naofumi's first real fight against another person in his life, yet he quickly blocked one strike to the front, a second from the side, and a third in front again. His armor didn't impede his movements in the slightest. 'Thanks, old man. Your armor idea actually does work.' He appreciated the extra agility.

Motoyasu was in the air above Naofumi, his spear still trying to pierce the shield on his third strike. "Not too bad! I guess the Shield Hero has a few moves!"

"You got that right," Naofumi spoke in a calm voice. "So in this folktale battle between a spear and a Shield." Motoyasu was caught off guard by the calm look on Naofumi's face. "Did you know that the spear actually lost, when it couldn't pierce the shield!" He yelled before he finally pushed Motoyasu back with the shield.

Motoyasu landed on the ground over a dozen feet away. "Face it Motoyasu, you lost the moment your spear couldn't pierce through my shield!" Naofumi yelled tauntingly back.

"Urgh! Nobody here would ever accept a defeat like that!" Motoyasu yelled, pointing his spear at Naofumi as he activated a skill on his HUD. "Chaos Spear!"

He dashed forward quickly thrusting at Naofumi again, but at over four times the speed he had before. Naofumi moved his shield as quickly as he could left and right, trying to block all the strikes, but one of them near the end knocked his shield out of the way. He jumped back gasping in pain as he felt blood surge out from two new wounds in his shoulder and side.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia yelled worriedly.

"Keep going sir Motoyasu!" Malty yelled from her side. "Show the Shield Hero how worthless he is in a fight!"

Motoyasu grimaced, however, when he saw that the skill had actually done little to no damage to Naofumi's HP bar. The wounds were very shallow. Barely little more than papercuts under Naofumi's armor. 'Damn it. Naofumi's higher than average defense stat might actually make this a little more tiring than I imagined.' Naofumi couldn't deal any damage by himself but it'd take a lot more than that to bring him down.

He grit his teeth as he stood back up. 'I won't win by standing still.' He charged forward.

Motoyasu was caught off guard by how quickly Naofumi ran due to the way his Barbarian Armor was designed. He tried to charge forward to impale Naofumi with his spear, but Naofumi moved the spear out of the way and punched Motoyasu in the gut with his shield, lifting the Spear Hero up into the air.

Clang!

Malty started laughing into her hand. "He's trying to strike using the shield? That'll never-" She stopped speaking though, and her smirk was replaced with a look of surprise.

"Ow! What?!" Motoyasu yelled in pain as he stepped back to look down at himself. How had Naofumi's punch hurt?! He'd heard the ineffectual clang that accompanied it too!

A single orange balloon was now chewing on Motoyasu's side. It hadn't been just a punch. "Ow! Get it off!"

"A balloon?!" Malty yelled incredulously. "Used as a battle weapon?!"

Raphtalia smiled widely on the side, finally realizing what the bulges beneath his armor had been. 'That's Master Naofumi for you. Fighting dirty like always.'

Naofumi backed away and finally opened his cloak. A smirk came onto his face as he showed the half dozen or so balloons munching on his body underneath. Shocked gasps and outcries came from the crowd up above. 'Ha, even if he takes no damage, he still feels pain when he's attacked by monsters.' Maybe that was another perk of his shield.

"Tell me, what the hell are you up to?!" Motoyasu said angrily.

"It's true that I don't have any attack power, but I have no intention of losing against you. So if you want to fight me, then I'm going to use whatever I have to hurt you as much as I can to win!" Naofumi yelled, hurling another balloon from off his body at Motoyasu.

"To hell, you will!" Motoyasu yelled, swinging his spear through the balloon and popping it. He then charged for Naofumi to impale him with a different spearhead, while Naofumi's shield glowed as it changed to a different shield. "Come on Shield Hero! You're going to fight fair-"

His spear came in contact with a different shield. Unlike the others, this one had two dog heads on it. Naofumi smirked as the dog's eyes glowed red, before extending to bite at Motoyasu. "Ow, hey, get off of me!" Motoyasu yelled as he tried to jump back. But the dog heads elongated further off the shield and kept following him to bite at his arms.

'Counter skill of the Two-Headed Dog Shield. They bite at the target for up to thirty seconds after being attacked directly. While their damage output is low, they hurt almost as much as the real thing!' Naofumi noted. He didn't need 30 seconds for what he did next.

"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi yelled. A green shield appeared in front of him, and it thrust forward into Motoyasu's gut similarly to how he'd used it on the monsters in the wave. Spittle came flying out of Motoyasu's mouth from the force of the hit.

"Shield Prison!" Naofumi yelled, throwing several balloons at Motoyasu at the same time.

The Air Strike Shield dissipated just as a familiar green-plated chain ball appeared around Motoyasu, trapping him inside. Motoyasu shook his head and gasped, trying to recover the air he had lost from the last hit. However, his eyes widened in fear when he saw several pairs of glowing red eyes appear in the darkness around him. Eyes that lit up the teeth of some hungry-looking balloons.

"Ow! Hey! Stop that! No! Hey, that hurts!" Motoyasu yelled inside the death trap that moved around with his struggling. With how small the ball was, he couldn't maneuver his spear around to hit the balloons. So, like Naofumi, he was having to resort to using his fists to try and deal with them.

And, unlike Naofumi, he didn't have fists of steel to punch balloons with.

"Ow! My fingers!" Chomp! "Aughhhh!"

Naofumi smirked in his spot. 'Wow, at the rate I'm going, I might not even have to use that shield.'

Malty growled in her spot. "There's no way." "The Shield Hero is actually overpowering the Spear Hero." Some of the nobles started to mutter to each other in the crowd up above.

"The Shield Hero is really overwhelming the Spear Hero."

"How is he doing that?"

"There's no way. He has no attack power."

Altara looked at the Pope worriedly as the nobles whispered amongst each other. He couldn't just be allowed to break into and desecrate their Church with his presence! Yet the Pope was softly smiling. "Patience Altara. The Spear Hero won't go down that easily. Have a little faith." He said to her in a calm voice.

"Does the lowly Shield Hero really think he can best the Spear Hero?" Lady Diana said loudly in the crowd.

"Have you no honor for a sacred duel?!" A nobleman said angrily.

Naofumi approached the Shield Prison, glancing at Raphtalia as he did so. She was smiling really widely for him at that moment, letting him know how proud of him she was. For some reason, he smiled back. Even though he could hear the nobles up above trying to yell discouraging things to him. The fact that Raphtalia was smiling at him made him not care about what was being hurled at him from up above.

They didn't matter.

"Is it time for you to admit defeat, or do you want to get embarrassed even further, tough guy?!" Naofumi yelled confidently.

At that moment, the Shield Prison disappeared. Motoyasu was leaning on his spear, with several balloons still munching on him. "And why would I ever surrender now?" He tiredly asked.

Naofumi looked down at him with a blank face, seeing determination still shining in Motoyasu's eyes. "Alright I see," Naofumi said. He grabbed two more balloons from under his cloak. "I guess I'll have to take aim at that handsome face and precious manhood of yours if you don't want to give up!" He said, his face taking on the same crazed look he'd found effective on the thieves long ago.

"Uh!" Motoyasu suddenly didn't look so sure about continuing now.

Naofumi raised his arms above him. "Might as well since you think of me as a cowardly cheat!"

A look of fear went over Motoyasu's face. "Aughhhh! No-" He yelled while he curled in on himself.

Raphtalia's eyes widened. "Master Naofumi! Behind you!" She yelled.

Naofumi gasped in surprise and turned in time to see what looked like a physical gust of wind heading right for him. His shield quickly changed from the Pipe Shield to the Light Metal Shield, and the dome of magic energy encompassed him right as the spell hit against it. Just like it had when the magic skill Burning Arrows had been falling down all around him in the Village of Lute. This time, he strained to keep his footing as the wind surged around him.

'What the hell?' He was confused. The balloons he'd been holding were carried off by the wind.

Naofumi looked past the barrier he'd made, and saw a smirking Malty standing in her spot. Her hand was outstretched, still glowing pink from the spell she'd just cast.

"There." Itsuki pointed out the magic spell Myne had cast.

Ren's eyes narrowed. "Alright, let's go and stop this duel now." The two of them stood up from their seats.

"That's cheating!" Raphtalia yelled.

'You mean, she can use magic too!' Naofumi realized. He hadn't thought this was how she'd interfere. He deeply scowled. 'That bitch!' The warm feeling in his chest was displaced by the more familiar rage and hatred he had bottled up for this bitch ever since the night he'd learned that she was going to betray him. "Aughhhh!" Naofumi screamed in rage. Up above, Ren and Itsuki stopped moving and looked back down below at the screaming Naofumi.

"Yaghhhh!" Motoyasu got back up, clearing the last balloon off his body before flying forward, his spear raised to strike at Naofumi.

Naofumi quickly turned, his eyes widening as he barely avoided the attack that went sideways past his head. 'The fight!' He had to stop this fight so he could slug Myne! Why expose her when she was, she was-

"Doesn't Motoyasu realize that Myne interfered?" Itsuki said incredulously.

"Didn't you see that?!" Naofumi asked in disbelief as he blocked the next few strikes that came at him. "Myne just tried to cast magic on me! That's illegal interference! I've won!" Naofumi yelled at Motoyasu as he blocked another direct strike to his chest area, pushing him back away from Motoyasu.

"Myne would never do something like that, you coward!" He yelled, bringing his spear back. "Now, Lightning, Spear!" Motoyasu yelled. Motoyasu's spear glowed a bright blue as electricity coursed through it, and then Motoyasu launched the beam of energy at Naofumi.

"Crap. Why is that idiot still fighting?" Ren asked.

Naofumi quickly brought his shield up in front of him, but he hadn't realized how grateful he'd be to still have the Light Metal Shield equipped. Because even with its extra defense, the elemental skill attack managed to burst through and pierce into his gut. "Argh!" Naofumi gritted his teeth, feeling the jolt of electricity go through his body and bring him to one knee. His HP bar dropped sharply from the attack.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia cried worriedly.

"Give up Naofumi! I won't let you win no matter what you try!" Motoyasu yelled.

"What can we do?" Itsuki asked Ren.

The nobles were whispering to each other near them. They'd obviously seen the wind magic coming from Myne. But most of them looked at the King, and then shut their mouths to continue watching the duel. Ren observed their behavior and then grimaced.

"Even the King is in on Myne's scheme," Ren realized.

Naofumi growled and stood back up. He set one foot back and leaned forward slightly. 'I might not wield a sword... but Raphtalia still helped me learn how to move fast!'

His heel dug back into the ground, and then he burst forward through the air. Almost as quickly as Raphtalia had when she nearly lopped off the Knight Commander's head at Lute. Motoyasu's eyes barely had time to widen before Naofumi slammed his shield into Motoyasu's face, his other arm wrapping around Motoyasu to bring them both down to the ground.

"Augh!" Motoyasu gripped at the shield covering his face.

"How about you try escaping from this Motoyasu!" Naofumi yelled as he moved to bind the Spear Hero with his body.

However, right as he was about to complete the hold to allow an effect called grapple to work, Motoyasu's armor glowed brightly, and an unseen force sent Naofumi flying off him several dozen feet away.

"What the hell?!" Naofumi yelled as he got back up. 'Was that more magic or something!?'

Motoyasu, however, was smirking knowingly this time as he got up. He rubbed at his nose. "I guess you wouldn't know about it, Naofumi, but you can have armor and other equipment enchanted in this world. My current armor not only gives me resistance to fire and wind attacks, but it also has an enchantment that gives me full immunity to being immobilized by my enemies!" Motoyasu yelled.

Naofumi blinked in surprise. What kind of bullcrap enchantment was that?! His face twisted into a look of horror. 'No. If I can't grapple him, then even with that shield I won't win-'

"Meteor Thrust!" Motoyasu continued the assault, no longer satisfied with going soft on Naofumi. He twirled his spear, forming a blue portal. Then he thrust his spear up, moving the portal so it was above Naofumi.

"Shield Prison!" Naofumi yelled, surrounding himself with his own green-plated chain ball skill in an effort to buy himself time to think of a way to take down Motoyasu. He was out of balloons thanks to Bitch's spell.

A blue ball of energy like a meteor came out from the portal, slamming into the top of the Shield Prison. In one second, the ball shattered around Naofumi, launching him back into the air. He had a stunned look on his face. 'You mean he has a skill powerful enough to break that!?' 

He slammed into the ground, and groaned as he worked on getting back up. "Air Strike Javelin!"

The red gem tip of Motoyasu's spear started spinning, and then he threw a red ethereal javelin at Naofumi.

"Air Strike Shield!"

The green shield appeared in front of Naofumi. But right before the Air Strike Javelin struck it, it curved and traveled around the shield, striking Naofumi in the side. The force of the impact was so strong that Naofumi was launched back into the back wall of the arena, leaving an impact crater where he hit. He crumpled to the ground at the foot of the wall.

"Owww…" Naofumi groaned in pain. 'Why… why is this happening?'

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia yelled worriedly.

"Yes! Keep it up Sir Motoyasu!" Myne yelled with new vigor filling her tone. The nobles up above cheered the Spear Hero for turning the battle around seemingly on his own.

"Crimson Thrust!"

The tip of Motoyasu's spear burned with fire, and as he thrust forward, the burst of fire exploded forward. Covering the Shield Hero in flames.

Naofumi let out a pained groan, but even though it hurt, he still tried to get back up. He still had half a bar of HP left. He still had a chance. Somehow, he had a chance. He couldn't let it all end here…

"Still want to fight, Naofumi?! If you aren't going to give up, then you leave me with no choice," Motoyasu said as Naofumi turned to face him. He lifted his hands into the air. "I, Motoyasu the Spear Hero, have deciphered the laws of creation." He started to chant.

Naofumi's eyes widened. 'You mean he can cast magic too?!'

"I command the elements to heed my call. To gather themselves, and to strike my target with a fiery vengeance!" He raised a fist in the air. "I call forth, Hundred Fiery Javelins!" Motoyasu finished.

In the air above Motoyasu, many hot, fire-covered javelins appeared one after the other. Like row upon row of burning soldiers. Their red, crackling, blazing tips all pointed at one shocked Naofumi. A Naofumi who moved back against the wall, fear plastered on his face. 'What the hell is that?!' He cowered in the face of such a powerful fire magic spell.

Again, the nobles cheered at the sight of such a powerful spell in a sacred duel. Even Altara and some of the nuns with her cheered for the Spear Hero. 'Yes! Finally! It'll finally be the end of the Shield Hero!'

Aultcray smirked happily.

"This is the end for you Naofumi! I will free Raphtalia from your evil clutches once and for all!" Motoyasu yelled. He didn't have enough SP for his other skills, and this attack was going to cost all of his MP, but it was his strongest magic-based attack. There was no way even Naofumi's Magic Resistance would stand up against something like this.

"Yes, do it Sir Motoyasu!" Malty said excitedly. "Beat him so we can save that girl!"

Naofumi growled like a cornered animal. Their words bothered him for some reason, but he couldn't tell why. 'I'm going to die because of her! And no one's going to care that the king's daughter interfered!' He despaired.

He found his thoughts heading towards that same dark place from before. He had honestly never felt so much hate and hopelessness coursing through him before in his life. 'What's the point… this whole duel was obviously rigged. No one would believe me, not with the King and the head of the State Religion here…'

It had all likely been staged so that Myne could interfere without anyone caring. Because everyone here wanted to see the Devil of the Shield fail… something Ren probably hadn't accounted for.

Why did he even set this all up? Ren should have realized there was no way Naofumi could have won on his own. Not when he was the most worthless hero in terms of attack power.

Or was he right? Ren had been in on this too.

He'd been a fool to think the Sword Hero actually wanted to help him.

'There's no way I can win. I never had a chance...' He hung his head, accepting what was about to happen.

...

"Master Naofumi!"

He gasped, being pulled out of his thoughts. He looked to the side. Raphtalia was standing close by, holding her hand over her heart. She no longer looked worried and was smiling for him. Everything else was pushed aside, even the current duel as the scene focused on her.

"I know you can do this Master Naofumi... I believe in you!"

…

The darkness disappeared from Naofumi's mind. 'Raphtalia.' He glanced down at the slave cuff on his right wrist. He had almost forgotten the whole reason he'd been fighting so hard this whole time. Could he really give up now...

Ren stared from up in the stands at Naofumi. Myne had already exposed herself like he thought she would. Itsuki was still asking what they should do. But he stood there, indecisive.

Naofumi stared down at Motoyasu and breathed in calmly. 'No. I can't lose here. I won't!' He thought determinedly. Not here, not now. Not when everything was on the line. He'd find a way to win! He would win this duel! 'I won't lose Raphtalia and everything else I care about here! I won't let it happen!'

Stupidly enough, he started to walk slowly toward Motoyasu. His eyes burned with determination even though everything was literally pointing to his end.

Motoyasu shrugged. "Suit yourself." Motoyasu brought his hand down. "HAH!" The rain of fiery javelins passed over his head and flew toward Naofumi. Sounding like an incoming gust of much deadlier wind than what Myne had conjured earlier.

Malty laughed into her hand again, after seeing Naofumi staring down the incoming javelins. "Really, is he that desperate to lose? He's walking right toward his defeat." She asked out loud as Naofumi made no move to dodge.

Up above, Ren and Itsuki watched with wide eyes. "What is he thinking? There's no way he could dodge that many javelins!" Itsuki shouted.

Ren began to move. He realized that Naofumi wasn't going to dodge. He was walking headlong into them. "Come on, we both saw what Myne did, we can still stop this before Naofumi gets killed and-" However, he noticed something that made him stop. "Wait, is his shield, glowing?" He asked.

Naofumi's gem had switched over from its natural green glow to a light blue. This time, the glow extended out from his Light Metal shield, forming a glowing blue wall of energy that pulsed with power in front of Naofumi as he walked forward. Hope burned brightly beside his determination in his green eyes. Brighter than all the javelins flying right at him.

"What is that-" Itsuki started to ask.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...

The fiery spears slammed into Naofumi's figure, exploding against the barrier one after the other. The nobles, the nuns, the King, the Pope, Ren, and Itsuki all had to look away as the dust cloud enveloped them. Down below, Myne covered her face with her hands, while Raphtalia covered hers with her cloak. 'Master Naofumi…'

The whole arena became covered in dust and smoke. The booms that came from the still-hitting Javelins were deafening, causing some in the crowd to have to cover their ears. Finally, after a few seconds that felt like an eternity, it stopped.

It took a moment, but then the dust settled enough to reveal Motoyasu smirking. The smoke and dust were thick in front of him. There was no way Naofumi was going to get back up after that attack. Up above, everyone slowly turned to look back down below. "Did he…" "Is it…"

Ren and Itsuki watched with critical eyes. "Do you think he..." Itsuki trailed off, looking down below.

"Come on Naofumi," Ren whispered. "Prove us wrong and show us what that shield is really capable of."

Thinking his victory was assured, Motoyasu sunk the tip of his spear tiredly into the ground. "And that is that-" He was saying.

However, he was stunned into silence when Naofumi came charging out of the smoke. His cloak trailed dramatically behind him, and his shield glowed a bright blue in its Light Metal Shield Form. In fact, the Light Metal Shield almost looked like glass with how translucent it was. His health bar had dropped to almost 25%, but he didn't seem to have a single new scratch on him from the last attack. His face still held the same calm determined glare. The one that said he'd refuse to lose now.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia yelled happily. Her tail wagged furiously behind her with glee.

"What?!" Myne yelled with shock. Similar gasps of surprise came from up above in the noble's section.

"Just how tough is Naofumi," Itsuki said in shock. Honestly looking impressed that Naofumi was still standing after that spell.

"I knew it," Ren said with a smirk. His defense was tougher than Motoyasu's spell. Maybe being a tank had more advantages than he'd thought.

He wouldn't be so quick to discount the shielder class in the future.

"What the hell-" Motoyasu tried to yell.

"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi yelled.

Naofumi didn't waste time as he decided right then and there to take over the duel. Another large green shield thrust from Naofumi's shield, slamming into Motoyasu's chest again. Motoyasu was knocked back at least a dozen feet from the force of the hit. He quickly worked on getting back up, the Legendary Spear reappeared in his grip. "How are you still standing!? That spell's supposed to have enough power to bring down a boss monster-" He was yelling in shock.

"Shield Prison!" Naofumi yelled, pointing at the ground below Motoyasu's feet this time.

Motoyasu was thrust up into the air by the green chain-plated ball that formed beneath him. "Wahhhh!" He yelled in surprise and shook his arms at being launched.

"Rope Shield! Lasso!" Naofumi yelled. His shield changed and unraveled to form a fifteen-foot-long rope with a lasso tied at the end. Spinning it around, and with an accuracy that could have only come from the effects of the shield, Naofumi thrust the lasso through the air and caught Motoyasu. Securing the lasso around his chest before Motoyasu peaked in the air.

"Hey, what are you- wahhh!" Motoyasu was suddenly screaming again as he was spun around again and again and again high up in the air.

Up above the nobles were staring in shock at what was happening down below.

"No way."

"How is the Shield Hero still standing?"

"For him to take that spell head-on…"

"No, it can't be," Altara said in shock.

Ren sat back, a satisfied smirk on his face. "I'll be damned," Itsuki said next to him. "That is impressive."

Ren didn't reply. He only continued to smirk. 'Come on Naofumi. You're almost there.'

"Keep it up Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia yelled encouragingly. "You're going to win!"

"Sir Motoyasu! Stop playing around and break that rope already!" Myne yelled, agitation filling her voice.

"I'm, I'm trying!" He yelled back in worry. The multiple revolutions Naofumi was putting him through were beginning to make him nauseous. And he couldn't get a good grip on the rope wrapped around him with one hand still clutching the Spear. He moved it to his back, but it was still hard to try and grip the rope through the dizziness. 'Did I use too much energy using that one spell!?'

He'd never looked closely at the spell's description before. Had he looked a little more closely, he would have noticed it had a cooldown timer for when he could cast magic again.

A timer of about... two hours at his current level.

From the outside, it looked like Naofumi was spinning Motoyasu faster and faster. Despite the continuous revolutions, he wasn't feeling dizzy at all. In fact, he'd never felt more energized in his life!

'I can do this! I will do this! I won't allow this world to beat me down! I will win! I WILL WIN!'

At that moment, an option for a combo skill appeared in front of his eyes on his HUD. He didn't question what he had to do. He had never used a combo skill before, but somehow he knew it would work. So with one final twirl, Naofumi released the rope and pointed at the air.

"One more time! Air Strike Shield!"

Boom!

The rope disappeared from around Motoyasu, and he flew out of his arc back into another green translucent shield. A pained gasp of air escaped the Spear Hero as he slammed into the shield that now looked the same color as his face.

"Add Shield! Form, Compression Shield Prison!"

"Ack!" Motoyasu was suddenly encased in the very familiar ball of chains and plates. On the inside, the Air Strike Shield jutted out instead of disappearing, pressing him fully against the Shield Prison's surface. "N-Naofumi-" He gasped.

Naofumi held an open palm in front of him. "One more!" As his mouth opened again, his eyes glowed a bright blue as his shield changed to the translucent Light Metal Shield. The nobles gaped in shock at the display.

They'd all called him a devil. They'd all claimed that he was evil.

Yet, at that moment, he had the eyes of a towering angel, glaring judgment on his trapped victim as he glowed with power.

"FOOLISH MORTAL!" Naofumi's voice sounded different. "YOU STAND CONDEMNED FOR YOUR UNRIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENTS HERE TODAY! I DISPENSE MY JUSTICE ON YOU, AND STRIP YOU OF THAT WHICH PROTECTS YOU MOST! I CAST MY WORDS TO THE HEAVENS!" The ball of chains and plates started to glow bright green in response to his words. Motoyasu's screams came from inside.

Naofumi closed his fists.

"NOW SUFFER! HOPE! ASUNDERRRRRRR!" The Shield Hero roared with every ounce of his hope and determination to win backing his words.

Kch!

This time, the thing that had happened that day in the Capital long ago happened again. The Air Strike Shield and Shield Prison's glow changed from green to blue. Then the two skills both shattered, dropping Motoyasu out into the open air.

In slow motion, the blue energy covered Motoyasu. And then one by one, bits of his armor shattered just like the two skills had, dissipating into blue energy. His gauntlets, his chest plate, his leggings, his arm guards, all of it shattered into a blue mist.

"*Gasp*" With a gasp of shock, Motoyasu fell back down to the ground, dressed in only his under briefs.

Naofumi breathed in and out heavily, his SP bar drained on his screen until it was close to 0. His shield stopped glowing blue at last and turned back to the Rope Shield. 'That skill…' It had been just like the day he'd run from the Capital.

The looks of shock on the crowd up above were priceless. Ren and Itsuki leaned forward in their seats, both looking speechless. Both the Pope and the King were wide-eyed at what they'd just witnessed. Even Malty and Raphtalia were shocked down below.

"There's no way," Malty said in disbelief. "The Shield Hero... just shattered... Sir Motoyasu's expensive armor..."

It was impossible. Yet it had happened.

Raphtalia grinned widely. "I knew Master Naofumi could do it."

Motoyasu groaned as he slowly tried to get back up. His armor might have been gone. He might have had no more SP or MP. His HP bar might have taken a beating from the skill... But if he could crawl, he could still win. He could still free Raphtalia. He could save that fair maiden from…

"Lasso!"

Rope wrapped around Motoyasu's body, pinning him to the ground. The effect grapple finally appeared on Naofumi's status screen. It had been something Naofumi had read in the help guide after reading on the waves. Apparently the higher his defense was, the easier a time he had keeping opponents still, especially unarmored ones that didn't have bull crap enchantments helping them out.

So unless his opponent had an attack stat that could beat his defense stat he could hold onto them for as long as he had to with the rope.

"No, ack!" Motoyasu yelled in pain as Naofumi forced the rope to tighten.

"Face it, you've lost Motoyasu!" Naofumi yelled.

"Never, I'll never give up to the likes of you!" The armorless Motoyasu, who despite his nausea, yelled as he struggled to free himself from the rope.

"You have nothing left Motoyasu! I still have one last shield up my sleeve you haven't even seen yet! Just give up now and admit defeat!" Naofumi yelled down angrily. He just wanted it to end. He wanted Motoyasu to admit that he'd won!

The nobles up above watched in stunned silence at what was unfolding down below. Motoyasu continued to struggle. Naofumi grimaced as Motoyasu began to fray a section of rope. 'Damn, just how high is his attack stat?!'

"I'll never give up! Not until that girl is freed from the likes of scum like you!" Motoyasu yelled angrily up at Naofumi.

...

He'd thought it'd only been his form of trash talk this whole fight. But Motoyasu was saying it as if he really believed he was nothing but scum. But why? What had he done? What were they accusing him of this time… unless…

"Do you… no, you think I'm raping Raphtalia." Naofumi said in a quiet voice.

"Of course I do! That's why I'm trying to free her from you, bastard!" Motoyasu yelled back at him as he intensified his struggles.

...

'IS THAT THE WHOLE REASON WHY HE CHALLENGED ME!? IT WASN'T TO FREE MY SLAVE! IT WASN'T TO GET BACK AT ME FOR MYNE! IT WAS BECAUSE THIS PIECE OF CRAP ACTUALLY THINKS THAT I'D RAPE RAPHTALIA!' His mind quickly became consumed with rage. It was nothing like what he'd felt towards Myne.

This... this went beyond that. For him to suggest that he'd even do something like that... to Raphtalia of all people! All on the word of a lowly bitch!

"That does it! Chimera Viper Shield!" Naofumi yelled, fury completely filling his words.

The shield on his arm changed at his voice command. Motoyasu looked up as he was freed from the rope, but his eyes widened at the new menacing shield that appeared over his face. It was bigger than Naofumi's default Small Shield and was mostly green with two gold vipers intertwined on it in the middle of the ornate gold design. One of them released itself from the shield to hiss down at him.

"What the hell?!" Motoyasu yelled.

"Normally this shield would help give me a certain amount of poison resistance!" Naofumi explained the shield's properties. "But one of its other useful abilities, Snake Venom Fang, makes the vipers come alive at my bidding. They then bite whatever target is foolish enough to get close to me!" Naofumi said, his face taking on a crazed angry look. "The snakes hold the same venom as the chimera it came from! And that means they're just as capable of fatally poisoning monsters as they are of poisoning you! I hope you have a strong antidote handy Motoyasu. Because the normal ones won't work on stuff like this! And even if they did, this should be enough to leave ONE HELL of a massive scar on that handsome face of yours! Much more than what a balloon would have done!"

The head started to slither down towards Motoyasu's face. "Wait, PLEASE, have mercy!" Motoyasu yelled in a begging tone as he backed away.

"Give up the duel and leave me and Raphtalia alone! I won't ask so nicely again!" Naofumi yelled angrily. His face was red with fury. "What'll it be Motoyasu!?"

Motoyasu looked up at him, his eyes wide with fear. Naofumi continued to glare down at him. Part of him was pleased with the fear Motoyasu held for him now. Another part was hoping that Motoyasu would say no just so he could poison the stupid jerk. After everything, he'd had to go through because of that bitch…

Said bitch was watching in shock. Even she hadn't expected Naofumi to have a shield like this unlocked already. And if she were to try and cast wind magic now, it wouldn't be quick enough to stop the snake from biting her favorite 'hero'. Naofumi, realizing this, laughed evilly in his mind. 'Finally, they fear me! Now no one will step down on me! No one will stop me! I'll show them their place in the natural order! I'll show them! I'LL-'

A hand gripped Naofumi's shoulder, and he looked up in surprise. Raphtalia was standing over him. Tears were in her eyes. "Please… please stop this, Master Naofumi." She said quietly.

'Ra… Raphtalia?' He thought confusedly. What was she doing? Why was he interrupting the moment of his greatest triumph?

"I know this isn't you. I know you don't want to hurt anyone. Please, stop this."

Naofumi gasped and looked down at the terrified Motoyasu. All of a sudden, all the rage, all the dark thoughts that had been coursing through his mind vanished.

'What the hell am I doing?!' He'd only wanted to win. He hadn't… he hadn't wanted...

He immediately backed away from Motoyasu, the viper retracted back onto the shield and the shield changed into the Small Shield. "Ra, Raphtalia?" Naofumi said to himself, tears filling his eyes. He didn't like Motoyasu all that much, the guy was a naive idiot who went to bed with BITCH!

But he didn't want to kill the guy...

Raphtalia quickly hugged Naofumi. "It's okay. You did it Naofumi. You won." She said, crying into his shoulder. 'For a moment, it felt like he was going somewhere far away. Somewhere where I felt he'd never be able to return from.' She looked up into his face. 'Thank goodness he managed to pull back in time.' Relieved, she rested her head on his shoulder again.

Naofumi sighed, and rested his head on top of hers, releasing a few of his tears. He almost felt like a little child, because he wanted to break down in her embrace after what had just happened. And while he didn't visibly break down, the tears came falling from his eyes as he tightly embraced the Tanuki girl.

Motoyasu quickly backed away, grabbing his spear from his back to point between him and Naofumi. 'That damn-' His thoughts stopped. "... what?" He whispered.

Naofumi was gripping this girl in a way that he recognized. He'd seen it enough times in his life being the womanizer he was. It was like she was the most precious thing in the world. Naofumi didn't care what was happening around him at that moment. All he was thinking now was that he didn't want to leave that moment… And how he never wanted to let her go.

Seeing what was happening, Motoyasu let his speartip drop back to the ground. The heartfelt moment being shared between them was enough. The exhaustion and faint nausea might have also played a part.

There was no way their feelings could be faked.

"Alright, Naofumi. You win." He said defeatedly.

Up in the stands, Itsuki and Ren sighed with relief. Naofumi had won. Even without that, they'd seen what Myne had done. They knew who was in the right now. And it looked like they didn't have to interfere after all. They began to walk away.

Naofumi and Raphtalia both looked at him. The two realized that the duel wasn't over. But the tired look on Motoyasu's face filled them with hope. "What?" Naofumi asked, not sure if he'd heard him right.

"I, the Spear Hero, admit defeat," Motoyasu said.

…

Naofumi almost felt like cheering. It was over. It was finally-

"That's illegal interference!"

Naofumi looked to the side in surprise as did Motoyasu. Malty was approaching with the King and several knights. "That demi-human of his interfered by walking onto the battlefield! The Shield Hero has lost this duel!" Malty yelled victoriously.

Gasps of surprise came up from the crowd up above. Ren and Itsuki stopped in their tracks.

'... what?' Ren thought.

'... what?' Itsuki thought.

'... what?' Naofumi thought in shock, as he and Raphtalia looked at each other.

The audacity of this bitch...

'There's no way anybody would seriously buy that BS… right?'

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

…

"What? But, Myne-" Motoyasu finally tried to say something. He had lost, hadn't he?

"It's obvious that he used the slave crest on his slave and forced her to cast a spell to destroy your armor," Myne said, her snotful arrogance lacing her words. "There's no way that the Shield could have that kind of power!" Oh, she definitely knew that Naofumi had that power. But, she had the title of the most hated bitch in the world to live up to, and Naofumi was in the way of that title. Or was it supposed to be the title of Queen?

Either way, Naofumi was in her way.

Naofumi backed away along with Raphtalia, both of them looking shocked at what was happening. This girl was spouting BS. Raphtalia didn't even know any magic!

…

And yet, the crowd above them started to cheer for the Spear Hero's victory. Slowly at first, but it gradually grew over the course of fifteen seconds, until it was a triumphant roar mixed with thunderous applause. Despite how absurd Malty's statement was, everyone had taken it wholeheartedly at face value.

'But… Raphtalia was on the field... she didn't cast a spell or anything… it's absurd… but nobody is checking to see if Myne is lying or not… why are they not checking?!'

"Yeah, that's right!" Motoyasu said more excitedly. After all, it made no sense for Naofumi to be capable of something like shattering his armor. He must have used the command he had over his slave to make her do it. That was the only explanation. Way to go Myne! He couldn't believe that he'd almost fallen for the Shield Hero's tricks! "You really are sick Naofumi! Forcing your slave to cheat for you!"

'No… please no…' Naofumi's vision was starting to get blurry and distorted. Some sort of static ringing in his head was overpowering the ambient sounds around him. He looked up above, but couldn't see Itsuki or Ren. All he saw were the nobles. Every single one of them cheering at the fact that the Spear Hero had won. That he had trounced the great devil of the Shield in the end.

Naofumi had never truly realized how dangerous a group of idiots could be until now. Especially when they had a manipulative bitch at their head leading them along.

"But I don't know any spells like that!-" Raphtalia tried to say.

"Save it Naofumi. We all know what you did. Stop trying to make her deny it." Motoyasu angrily cut her off.

Naofumi's worst thoughts had been confirmed. They were all willing to accept it. Even Motoyasu was willing to accept it. The Shield Hero had cheated somehow. Maybe not by Raphtalia using a spell to shatter Motoyasu's armor, but no one cared. These people couldn't bear the thought of their precious Spear Hero losing fair and square in a duel to the weak and lowly Shield Demon. Motoyasu himself was diving right into the lie without so much as questioning his teammate because he thought the Shield was useless. Even Itsuki and Ren, who had claimed to be on his side, had left Naofumi high and dry.

Raphtalia was speechless at the farce unfolding around them. Did these people really hate Naofumi that much?

Naofumi finally found the ability to speak again. "No! That's not true!" He cried out. "She doesn't even know any magic!" He continued, pointing at Raphtalia. "Even if Raphtalia did know magic, this b-bitch interfered first!" He finally pointed an accusing finger at Malty. "With that wind magic from earlier!"

"How dare you! Myne would never do such a thing!" Motoyasu was quick to come to the princess's defense.

"But it's the truth! I know that someone must have seen it!" Naofumi was getting desperate as he yelled up above at the nobles. "Surely at least one of you saw it!... Please! Say something!" He yelled. Someone had to believe him... anybody…

"I have no idea what you're talking about. My daughter would never interfere with a sacred duel." King Aultcray said haughtily, glaring down at the Shield Hero.

...

Naofumi lost hope. Ren and Itsuki weren't up above anymore. They had likely abandoned him. No one would believe that the Shield had won. Not one person. They were all determined to think of him as a villain. As scum. As the lowest of the low. They wanted him to lose, so he'd be thrown into the dungeons, never to be seen again.

Naofumi growled angrily. These people sickened him.

"You're just saying that because she's your daughter, aren't you!?" He asked angrily. The King narrowed his eyes at him. "You think I didn't see you two plotting together earlier at the celebration?! You wanted me thrown into the dungeons the moment I walked through that door! You set this whole thing up just so your bitch daughter could interfere with that duel and you know it you cowardly piece of trash-"

"That is enough!" The King yelled angrily, cutting Naofumi off. "You dishonor my daughter, then you run away from your crimes, avoid arrest for a month, sneak into my Capital, break into our nation's Church, and now after all this, you DARE to accuse my dear Malty?!" He seethed at Naofumi, shocking him into silence. "Knights, bind this scum! That girl of his has suffered under the curse of being his slave for long enough!" The King ordered.

Suddenly, several knights grabbed Naofumi from the sides. Kicking him down onto his knees. "Master Naofumi-" Raphtalia tried to grab the hilt of her sword, but she was also grabbed from behind by several Knights as well.

"Raphtalia!-" He tried to yell but was forced down into the ground, cutting off his sentence. The knights behind him used their combined stats to lock him into a grapple effect. "What are you doing?! Let my friend go! We agreed that you wouldn't hurt her!" He yelled at the Knights.

"Any friend of the Shield Demon is an enemy to us." The knight on Naofumi's left whispered quietly enough for only him to hear. "But don't worry. Since the king is watching, we'll let her go after this. It's a shame really. We wanted to inflict punishment on the demi-human bitch for helping you desecrate our Inner Sanctum, but at least we'll still be able to inflict God's Divine Punishment on you."

Naofumi managed to look up and saw the rosary hanging around the Knight's neck. Naofumi's eyes widened when he realized it wasn't a group of Royal Knights holding him down. 'No! Gods please no! Damn you, Ren!'

Had this all been some heinous plot to give him hope only to take it away at the last second?!

"Now, after your slave is freed, we'll be able to take you away. And no one will stop us from giving the Devil of the Shield the treatment he so rightfully deserves." The Church Knight whispered in his ear. Malice dripping off his tone like venom off the forked tongue of a venomous snake.

No, this couldn't be his fate! He couldn't be all alone in this world now! Not after everything he had to go through!

"GET OFF OF ME!" Naofumi elbowed a knight, but it did nothing. But when he bashed his head back into a knight's helmet, the force of the helmet hit the Knight's face, making the man fall back and cuss as he gripped at his bleeding nose.

He continued to struggle, but the armored knights holding him down forced his face into the ground again. As a shielder, he could use his defense stat instead of his attack stat to try and break free from a grapple effect. But his defense stat, as high as it was, was nowhere near high enough to outclass their combined stats. The hurt knight rejoined angrily, and Naofumi's face hit the ground so hard his nose started to bleed.

They must have also had some pretty high attack power too, because that hurt!

He tried to focus so he could get his shield to change back to the Chimera Viper Shield to attack them. He didn't care if they'd die from the poison, he had to-

"Too bad Shield Hero."

Naofumi barely managed to lift his head up enough to see Malty standing over him with a smirk. No one besides the Church knights was nearby to overhear her. "Better luck next time... Oh wait, there won't be a next time for you. After all, I doubt you'll last long in the cold dark dungeons all by yourself." She said before she started to laugh like the bitch she was into her hand.

'That… that…' Naofumi's vision was clouded with rage. 'That *&^%$#! bitch!'

"Get the hell off me!" Naofumi yelled, feeling enraged at the knights and at Malty. He was enraged with everyone there. Yet all that hate was being drawn like a black hole, focusing in on this, this… BITCH! All the other emotions he was feeling didn't matter. He had to slug this bitch in the face, now! And then use that ability on her! Only for a bitch like HER! "Let me go! Damn it, let me go!" Said bitch continued to laugh as he struggled.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia yelled to him when she saw the way that he was being treated. In her worry, she struggled to free herself. Almost managing to break the wrist of one of the knights in the process.

"Gag and bind her, this slave crest is a powerful one, it needs to be removed immediately!" The King ordered.

"No- Umph! Mmmph!" The knights complied, and Raphtalia found herself straining at binds around her hands and a gag over her mouth. Though she still tried to scream through it in worry at Master Naofumi's treatment.

Naofumi's attention was taken away from Malty back to the present situation. "Raphtalia!-" Naofumi's face was dug into the ground again by one of the knights holding him down. 'Urghhh! I have to get to her! I have to get us out of here! I have to-'

"There there dear." The King said in a more gentle voice to the struggling girl. He gave her a reassuring pat on the head that made the fur on Raphtalia's tail and ears bristle. "In just a moment you will be released from your servitude to this rapist, and you won't have to defend him anymore."

…

Naofumi's world stopped.

He looked up, and he saw a wide-eyed look on Raphtalia's face as she stopped struggling. It was a look of disbelief, shock, and… and…

'No…' He thought in horror. 'This isn't how I wanted her to learn about why I ran away… this wasn't supposed to happen... please don't believe them Raphtalia...' He looked down at the ground in pain. 'Please don't believe them…'

His surroundings darkened. No longer did he see the people in the stands up above. The knights holding him down disappeared. But he was weak, unable to do anything but observe what he was seeing.

Raphtalia, not the strong young adult, but the child that he had met in Belouka's slave tent so long ago, stared at him with her dull, tea-red eyes. The slave cuff disappeared from his wrist and reappeared on hers. The gag and binds on her also disappeared.

"Raphtalia…" He said weakly. "You don't believe them… do you?"

...

"Is it true?" She asked quietly, her voice sad.

"No. I swear it's not-" He tried to say, but it ended with a gasp when she was turned away by a knight. The front of her ragged shirt was lowered enough to reveal the slave crest on her chest.

She didn't resist.

"Let us begin." A priest handed the bottle he was holding to Motoyasu, who had just been healed up by a wizard. Though he was still only in his briefs.

"It's high time that somebody fixed this wrong," Motoyasu said.

"Wait. Please. You have to listen to me Raphtalia." Naofumi weakly called out to her. Yet she didn't resist when Motoyasu poured the liquid over the seal on her chest. It easily dissolved it, leaving the spot of skin clean and pristine, like the slave seal was never there in the first place.

Contract with Raphtalia: Terminated

Raphtalia's name and stats disappeared from below his.

Just like that, it was over. It was all over. "No!" Naofumi screamed.

"There, you're free now. Be grateful for Sir Motoyasu's kindness." Malty said in a sweet voice to the young Raphtalia as the soldiers who had been holding her released her.

"Go on. I'll make sure to protect you from that rapist from now on." Motoyasu said in an encouraging voice to her.

"You're free to forge your own path from here on out." King Aultcray said to the young girl. "Without this Demon trying to manipulate you."

…

The young Raphtalia stared blankly at Naofumi for a few seconds… he stared back beggingly. His last strand of hope was hanging in front of him. She wouldn't leave him now?... would she? "Please… don't go…" He whispered.

…

She turned to walk away. "Wait, Raphtalia!" He cried out desperately. "None of what they said is true! I'm not a rapist! I'd never do that to anyone! I'd never do that to you! Please, you have to believe me!"

His thoughts from last night came back to haunt him. If she left him… "You said you'd always believe me, didn't you?! Please don't leave me now!" He cried out.

She stopped walking to glance back at him. The look in her eyes was still dull, and still a little sad. Like she felt… sorry for him.

"Goodbye, Naofumi." She whispered.

Raphtalia turned back around and walked away.

...

Naofumi breathed in and out heavily. Even as Raphtalia got farther and farther from view. 'No…'

Boom!

Her fading footsteps sounded louder in his ears. Like thunderclaps of lightning overhead. 'No… you said you'd always believe me… you… you promised...'

She never looked back as she disappeared into the darkness.

…

'No…'

…

'No…'

She had left him. She'd broken her promise.

…

'No… she… she…'

…

The realization hit harder than a brick wall.

He'd been betrayed for the last time.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He tore the shield off his arm, throwing it away from himself.

The Church Knights, Motoyasu, Malty, the King, and everyone else around him disappeared. The last strand of hope he'd been holding onto, the hope that Raphtalia had helped him to nurture all that time, had burned away. Naofumi let the cold pessimistic part of him take over again. But now it felt hot, the lingering chill replaced with a burning all-encompassing feeling of hatred. Berating him deservingly for the fool that he had been for trusting someone else.

It was always as if a small part of him had known that this would happen when she learned what he'd been accused of. Wait till you're older? What a joke. It could have been ten years, twenty years and she still wouldn't have believed him, just like she didn't now.

She didn't believe him. She never had. Elhart didn't believe him. The town guard and monster shop owner in Lute didn't believe him. Jerry didn't believe him.

No one believed him.

Breathing in and out heavily, he turned and started to run away. "That's it! I'm done! Get me out of here! Get me away from this stupid world! I can't take it anymore!"

A bright green light flashed, blinding Naofumi for a second. Then the Legendary Shield reappeared on his arm. He looked down at it, and his eyes widened in rage. 'Does this world really hate me that much!? Does this world really think I want to be here!? After everything that everyone in it has done to me!'

…

"I'll never be rid of it." He realized.

He'd never go back to his world. He'd been doomed from the start. He'd never be rid of the distrust that followed him. This whole world was plotting against him. The whole world hated him!

That's why it summoned him here! To take the last bit of hope he'd been cherishing from his dead-end life from before so it could crush it mercilessly in its grasp! The people of this world would always look at him as if he was nothing other than a devil! Whatever lies they would spin the world would believe!

Who was he kidding?! He'd never stood a chance!

"No one will ever believe me! No matter how much I run in this world!"

This world…

Naofumi looked up. It was like he'd dawned on a great realization. "A messed up world…"

Screw that he was a Hero. Screw that he was supposed to protect others with his shield. If this world was so messed up that it'd turn even sweet innocent Raphtalia against him…

...

"This messed up world..." Everything in his vision slowly became absorbed in black.

...

" I$ N&T W&8TH S*$%!G!"

The gemstone on his shield burned a bright fiery red. At the same time, a new notification surrounded by red took up his view.

Requirements met, Cursed Series Unlocked

That was what Naofumi had seen in the dark corners of his mind while enveloped in the crushing and suffocating embrace of his own despair.

But the reality around him could not have been further from it.

After Raphtalia's slave crest was removed, her bindings and gag were taken off. "There, you're free now." The princess nodded in satisfaction with a malicious smile. "Be grateful for Sir Motoyasu's kindness."

The Spear Hero approached her with a gentle and understanding smile, reaching out with his hand to cup her face and reassure her. "Go on. I'll make sure to protect you from that rapist from now on."

"You're free to forge your own path from here on-." King Aultcray began saying this to the young woman.

But he was unable to finish his sentence because of what happened next.

CRUNCH!

"AAAHH!" Motoyasu cried out in pain as he fell backward, clutching his broken nose.

"Sir Motoyasu!" Malty shouted his name in surprise while everyone gasped or stared with their mouths wide open.

"M-mai noth!" The Spear Hero whined, trying to stop the blood flow by holding it with both hands. He looked up at Raphtalia in confusion and disbelief, only to shrink back and start to crawl away in fear as she stepped forward.

"You…" Raphtalia glared down at the Spear Hero's pathetic crumbled form with the fury of an angry goddess. The top of her face was hidden in shadow. She held her right hand in front of her, balling it into a fist so hard that her nails were digging into her own skin. Blood, his blood, slowly dripped from it on the floor. "You. Worthless. Spineless Worm! Liar! Cheat!" She yelled every word with every step she took forward while Motoyasu crawled back over the floor of the arena, stumbling and smearing himself in the dirt.

"How, DARE YOU! I didn't interfere in your duel and you know it!"

A few dozen feet to the side, Naofumi was on his hands and knees staring at the ground, not paying attention to his surroundings. The Church Knights still held him down, smirking maliciously at their lowly captive who was no longer struggling, despite Raphtalia's outburst. It angered Raphtalia in a way that nothing else could!

Motoyasu continued to look up at her, his body shaking both from the chill in the evening air, his own fear, and very unfortunate memories that were suddenly being brought up in his mind. "You filthy animal! How dare you strike Sir Motoyasu after he so kindly set you free! You ungrateful, worthless sla-" Malty shouted and ran up to Raphtalia.

SLAP!

"Shut up, you BITCH!" Raphtalia cut Myne off with a harsh slap to the face. It held enough force to make the Princess turn around on the spot and stare off into space in a daze.

"I never asked for anyone to free me! I was never acting under that slave crest! I was with Naofumi by choice!" The demi-human girl continued heatedly, deeply offended by what Malty had just said.

Before the disgraced princess could respond, Motoyasu timidly spoke out from his spot on the ground. "Buth, buth I sought saht Naofumi wath raping yuu!" He protested weakly.

"You thought that he was raping me!? Why would Master Naofumi rape anybody!? You obviously know nothing about him!" Raphtalia angrily glared at the Spear Hero again, making him shrink back once more.

"He did rape someone though, me!" Myne replied heatedly while clutching the burning side of her face. She had finally managed to regain her senses after that last slap.

…

Raphtalia stared at the princess for a long moment. And then, she threw her head back and laughed. It wasn't a laugh that came from hearing a good joke. Rather, it was a laugh that said she didn't believe it... at all. The laugh caught Myne off guard. "You? You seriously think that I'll believe that Master Naofumi raped you? A blackhearted ugly sow like you!? You'd be lucky if one of the pigs in the pens outside your castle would look your way! Master Naofumi would never stoop that low!"

Malty's mouth opened wide while the people around her gasped again while nervously looking away from the first princess of Melromarc. She flapped her mouth, trying to respond to the scathing words, but couldn't stop choking on her own rage as her face turned even more red than the palm print on her cheek.

"And besides, you just lied saying that Master Naofumi lost because I interfered with magic!" The demihuman girl continued. "Now you expect me to believe something even more ludicrous?!"

Myne sputtered. Motoyasu also tried to formulate a response, but honestly couldn't. This wasn't how he was expecting Raphtalia to act now that she was no longer under the conditions of the slave crest. Nor had anyone else seriously given it much thought as they were all equally stunned.

"Master Naofumi has never abused me, not even once! He only activated my crest when I was too scared to fight! And he did it to protect the both of us!"

Motoyasu angrily slammed the bottom of his spear into the ground, after tossing an empty healing potion bottle away and standing up. His face and upper body still looked like a mess but he seemed to be more focused now. "And that's the problem! Nobody should ever be forced into a fight! Especially a beautiful girl like you!" He tried to argue.

"Would you rather I hadn't fought and allowed both me and Master Naofumi to die when we faced a monster!?" Motoyasu sputtered at her comeback. "Master Naofumi can't use any weapons!" Raphtalia immediately followed up. "If I didn't fight for him then we would have both died long before the wave! The Shield defends, so someone has to fight for him! Somebody has to be his sword!"

"... But you don't have to be that person. Don't you think he'll put you in danger every time to save his hide?" Motoyasu tried to reason with her. His voice was filled with honest concern for her well-being.

"You don't know him as I do," Raphtalia said seriously. Indeed he did not. None of them did. "Master Naofumi has always defended me, even when badly injured he's defended me!" She yelled, counteracting his concern with the truth.

She thought back to the time when he summoned the Air Strike Shield to protect her from the Orthrus dog, despite how much he hated that shield then. There had been a time similar to that when they'd been hunting in a forest only for Naofumi to push her out of the way before a metal trap meant for a monster snapped over one of his legs. Only his high defense had kept his leg from being cut clean off, but his calf still bore a scar from the event. Had he not pushed her out of the way when he had...

Tears touched Raphtalia's eyes. "He's always defended me from monsters! Even the ones that plague my nightmares at night because of my village being destroyed by Melromarc's Knights!"

Gasps came from up above. Motoyasu was speechless. "He saved me from dying in a slave tent! He's always been willing to protect me and comfort me when I needed it!" Raphtalia continued heatedly, tears were falling from the corners of her eyes. "He's shown more care for me than he ever has for himself!"

"No… no way... he isn't that kind of guy," Why was Motoyasu denying it. Even though Raphtalia could now speak the truth about her Master if she so wished. And yet she was still defending him.

Did that mean what she was saying was the truth?

"Well then know this; Master Naofumi is not a rapist! He had the opportunity to do so after he first bought me! But he didn't! He instead treated the wounds on my back that my previous master left and cried as he did so!" She had finally learned enough. Not just from what had been said to her but what she'd overheard at dinner, during their talking on the field, and from the nobles and knights up above to fit the pieces together. She put her hand to her chest. "He took the time to feed me every day. Healthy nourishing food, anything that I wanted even though he couldn't taste any of it. He gave me valuable medicine and treatments that cured my illness! He shared everything he had with me, a traumatized slave girl who had nothing... tell me! Do you think you'd be capable of such kindness?!"

...

Motoyasu looked conflicted. "Of... of course, I would!" He finally replied heatedly! He was a Hero! Of course, he would do all that and more-

"Then where are they?" Raphtalia coldly cut him off.

"... Excuse me?" Motoyasu looked confused.

"Where are your slaves? Where are the grateful people that you have saved? The ones who want to pay you back for your kindness? The ones who are willing to stand up for you! To speak for you! To die for you!" She shouted as she stared right into his face. "Because from where I stand, the only person that I can see taking your side right now, is this lying two-faced bitch!" She pointed to the side at said Bitch.

"How dare you say such things!" Malty yelled. "Take that back you filthy DEMI-HUMAN!" Malty yelled at Raphtalia with all the indignation centered around the last word.

"I'll never take back the truth! Naofumi is right to call a black-hearted person like you a bitch! I'd rather be a demi-human than a human like you!" Raphtalia said angrily, much to Malty's surprise and anger, before looking back at Motoyasu. "Do you really trust someone like her to make you a better person Spear Hero!?" Raphtalia heatedly asked. "Do you really think this, this, sow here wants to help you?! Or is she just using you to hurt others like my master!?"

Motoyasu again backed away another step. "I… I…" He didn't know how to answer. Myne was looking increasingly indignant, waiting for her hero to respond in her defense. This demi-human had just called her a pig! She deserved death!

...

"This chatter is pointless." The King, who had been standing to the side this whole time, finally snapped out of his shock and started to speak. "The Shield Hero lost. According to his terms, he will give up everything he has, you will go free, and he will be thrown into the dungeons-" He said as he approached Raphtalia. He had a deal to uphold. She would go free, and the Shield would-

"HE DIDN'T LOSE!" Raphtalia roared, drawing out her sword in the process.

"Draw swords!"

The Knights all-around immediately drew their swords at once to defend his Majesty. Motoyasu backed away in shock. The nobles up above became silent. The Pope observed what was going on. If Raphtalia had looked angry before, then the look adorning her face now was absolutely feral. Her fangs and her sword were pointed at the stunned king. Those close to her backed away and gathered around the King, suddenly realizing just how dangerous this demi-girl was.

"Your daughter lied. I didn't interfere." She said icily, her glare causing some of the knights to tremble in fear. "If you try to take him away, then I will not hesitate. I swear I will cut you all down right here and now." She didn't sugarcoat anything. The knights facing her realized she wasn't joking around, and that scared them even more.

"My dear, there must be some mistake-" The King tried to say in an appeasing voice.

"The only mistake here is the fool in front of me who thinks he and his sow daughter can do whatever they want." Raphtalia cut him off icily. "You might be royalty, but I will never, ever, allow you to hurt Naofumi." Raphtalia finished determinedly. She had been a weak sick girl when Naofumi had first found her. But now, because of him, she was strong. Not just physically, but she resolved she'd do what was right. And right now, the right thing was to stand up and defend him from this fool in front of her. And kill that fool if that was truly necessary.

…

The King lost all pretense of being nice as he glared at Raphtalia with pure unadulterated hatred. "You filth." He said with disgust, finally revealing his true thoughts on the demi-human girl before him. "I have heard enough from you today, and I will not tolerate it anymore." He said venomously. "Unless you feel like joining this devil after gaining your freedom-"

"I think that's enough."

At that moment, Ren and Itsuki finally walked out onto the duel arena that was on the verge of becoming a battlefield. They would have interrupted this farce far sooner, but after the bull crap Myne had spouted, Ren was indecisive about what to do. What if she was more influential than he'd realized? What if he only caused more trouble by trying to speak?

Upon hearing Raphtalia's words though, resolve had finally formed. And after witnessing all that crap, Ren and Itsuki truly felt more disgust towards the King and Princess than they ever had for anyone else in their entire lives.

And that was saying something.

Their timely arrival prompted whispers from the nobles up above. Both of them appeared calm, but their eyes held back anger and disgust at what was going on. They'd heard and watched enough. Both the Princess and the King were truly rotten to the core.

They couldn't believe they'd ever thought about listening to them before. How horribly could an AI possibly be programmed?

"What is this now?" The King asked, forcing himself to calm back down.

"Myne. I have to ask about your illegal and magical interference in that duel." Itsuki said, calmly ignoring the King.

"What are you talking about? I did no such thing." Malty responded, sounding nervous.

"Illegal interference?" Motoyasu asked in bafflement.

"Hey Motoyasu, sorry to break it to you, but you not only lost that duel at the end but halfway through," Ren said. Motoyasu gasped. "Obviously, someone shot a powerful wind magic spell at Naofumi near the middle of the duel. If he hadn't used his shield when he had, then it would have been hard to tell. But the light metal variant exposed the wind magic to everyone watching in the stands." He directed a look at the nobles up above, watching as they shuffled nervously in their seats.

...

"Myne?" Motoyasu asked confusedly after a few seconds. The King was remaining silent now that the two other heroes were accusing his daughter.

"I think you imagined it." She tried to fake a happier innocent tone as she looked up at the nobles. "The audience didn't see a thing-"

"The King has ordered everyone to keep quiet. Some of the nobles revealed to us privately that there was foul play." Itsuki said, completely blowing away Malty's argument.

Malty went silent, unable to think of something to defend herself with now. Her face twisted into a scowl. "They also don't believe that Raphtalia interfered. She said it herself without a slave crest on her. She knows no magic. You were just trying to find a reason to have Naofumi locked up." Itsuki's stinging accusation made Myne scowl more deeply.

Ren shook his head. Their cowardice really did sicken him. Naofumi had proved himself through pure strength, grit, and determination in that duel. Yet here they were, spitting on that image out of what, spite? He couldn't tell. Naofumi had done nothing wrong to them, and yet they hated him. What kind of malicious A.I. was this?

It sickened him more than their cowardice.

"I can't believe royalty would interfere with a sacred duel," Ren said, his gaze looking condescendingly at the King. The King looked off to the side, unable to meet the Sword Hero's piercing gaze. He knew he'd been caught. "Guess it wasn't so sacred to you after all if it meant getting what you wanted in the end."

…

The king looked like he was about to shout orders to his knights. "Here is the deal, your Majesty," Itsuki spoke out first. "If you are going to order your people to lay even one finger on Naofumi and this girl, then we'll refuse to help out Melromarc with any more waves," The Bow Hero finished his ultimatum.

He still didn't know Naofumi all that well, but he did believe in truth, justice, and fairness. And if the King was going to go back on his word and that of his Commander's when Naofumi had won the duel not just once, but twice, then he saw none in this situation. No matter what Naofumi had been accused of in the past. It wasn't right.

The King looked shocked at that. "But, but we need you to fight the waves-" He tried to argue.

"You need him too," Ren said, pointing to Naofumi. "Our help guides all say that if even one of the heroes is killed or goes missing, then the waves will become almost impossible to beat for the other heroes. Right, Motoyasu?" Ren asked the Spear Hero.

Motoyasu stuttered for a moment at being put in the spotlight like that. Eventually, he answered by silently nodding. Not trusting himself to speak. He had read the same thing in his help guide.

Ren, feeling inspired, looked up at the stands towards the Pope and his followers. "I heard that Naofumi had to break into the Three Heroes Church so he could register for the Wave. Yet at the same time, you were praying for our success out on the battlefield. Were you idiots thinking your prayers would make it easier for us to fight the wave without the help of one of the four Cardinal Heroes? Do you think you're above the rules just because you worship us?" He calmly asked in an accusatory tone.

The Pope frowned slightly but didn't respond to Ren's calm accusing tone. What was the Sword Hero doing?

Ren looked back at the King. Where was all this coming from? He'd been so anxious to act like this before. Could it be that Raphtalia's words had moved him more deeply than he'd realized? Whatever it was, he continued to speak. His voice confident, very much unlike what it had been back in his world. He felt... like an actual hero.

"If we had gone ahead with your plan to lock Naofumi away in a dungeon, then he would have been so weak that he would have never survived the Wave of Catastrophe. You would have doomed this whole world because of it, and yet..." Ren's calm facade started to fade, revealing the anger he held towards the king and his daughter. "Do you two even care about protecting your kingdom and the others from the waves?! Don't you care that Naofumi saved the people in your village from being slaughtered?! Or do you both really hate the Shield Hero that much?! Which is more important to you King Aultcray!? Saving the lives of your people, or satisfying your own vain foolish pride!?"

…

He paused, allowing the question to sink in. "If you value your pride more than your own people, then our help here is wasted. Because this world will end... no matter what we choose to do." He finished calmly. Yet out of everything else he said, those words hit everyone there like a bucket of ice water being thrown on a sleeping person.

Everyone remained silent. In the face of such cold hard and indisputable words, not one argument against it could be mounted… the nobles up above were silenced. The Pope, Myne, and even the King were silenced…

Was it enough? Ren finally felt the weight of his own words. He hoped it was enough. He felt so timid now that he wasn't sure he could say anymore.

…

The silence was broken by the sound of a sword being sheathed, and the sound of footfalls.

Raphtalia walked past them all, unarmed and standing tall like a royal queen. Nobody dared to oppose her. Nobody dared to look her in the eyes. The glare she gave the Church Knights standing near Naofumi was so deadly, that they backed away from her out of fear.

"All of you... Go away… and never… ever… bother us again." She said to them slowly, and icily, as she directed her glare at the Knights, then at the King and Myne, and her words ended when she glared up at the Pope and his followers.

The meaning was clear. She was directing the same words and threats to all of them. Anyone who tried to harm and take away Master Naofumi from her again would have to go through her sword. And she wasn't afraid to inflict the same harm on them that they had wanted to inflict on Naofumi.

The Pope continued frowning at the way this whole predicament had unfolded.

"Pope Balamus, let us strike now. We may still be able to incapacitate the demi-human-" Altara, the ever hate-inspired nun, tried to say quietly to the Pope.

"Then we'd truly risk losing the Sword Hero, the Bow Hero, and possibly the Spear Hero over to their side entirely." Pope Balamus cut her off. "If we haven't already lost them now, that is." He said sadly at the end. It was possible they were even swaying the King to his side. And if that was the case...

Altara stayed silent and looked down below in shock. There really was nothing they could do in this situation. Not without provoking the Sword and Bow to turn on them… and possibly the Spear Hero if Raphtalia was attacked.

No, they would have to wait before they tried to make a move again. Altara still bit her tongue in frustration. "I am afraid, my child, that God won't be meting out his judgment today." The Pope said.

...

King Aultcray clenched his fists and grit his teeth. He hated being made a fool of by others. Especially when he'd been so wise before.

However, he knew there was nothing he could do about it. As much as he hated the Shield Hero, he couldn't lose the support of the other Cardinal Heroes. He couldn't do something that'd end their world. He definitely couldn't do something that'd make his wife hate him forever, even if what he was doing was to protect their family.

The only thing he could do now was to give in and save face... again.

"You two... have till the end of tomorrow... to get out of my Capital." He said back to Raphtalia as if the words were poison in his mouth. "After that... you'll be hunted by my Knights like the dogs you are without mercy! Damn the waves!" King Aultcray yelled with finality before he turned and stalked away.

Malty looked at her Father with shock. "But, but father-" He really couldn't be suggesting they let them go!? But seeing how she'd already been humiliated enough by what had happened, and not wanting to make a further fool of herself, she closed her mouth and walked away after him while nursing the side of her face that still stung.

The knights down below, both Church and Royal sheathed their weapons, despite looking unsure and left. The King's orders had been crystal clear, and they no longer had a reason to be there. Nor did they want to risk facing Raphtalia's wrath. The Royal Knights followed the King. The Church Knights followed the Church. The nobles began filing out of the stands. Many of them left stunned by what they had all witnessed.

After a few moments, it was just Raphtalia and the four Cardinal Heroes of Legend down in the duel arena. No one else.

And that was what had really happened while Naofumi was blinded by the dark corners of his mind.

...

Raphtalia breathed in deeply to calm herself. Then, she stared down at Naofumi's form. Even after everything that had happened, he was still on his hands and knees. His eyes clenched tightly shut.

Inwardly, it was like she understood what was happening... Naofumi was somewhere far away in his mind, almost unreachable… almost impossible to pull back at this point… she couldn't even begin to realize how much he must have been suffering… how much he'd been scared to reveal why he'd run away.

Had he really not held as much trust for her as she'd thought. Even after everything they'd gone through together...

...

"Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia finally said.

Naofumi opened his eyes, glaring down at the ground below him. He couldn't see the slave cuff that was still on his right wrist. He was stuck in his own dark world. His own, lonely cursed dark world. "Why'd you come back?" He asked bitterly. "You're free now, aren't you?"

…

"... but, but I didn't leave-" Raphtalia tried to say.

"I don't need a traitor, get lost." He said. His tone was angry and bitter.

Raphtalia stared down at him, her eyes sad. 'He really is suffering from this…' She hadn't realized it, doing her best to make him proud every day. But having only one person constantly supporting you… and fearing that person leaving you when she learned the truth…

"I, I know you were accused of terrible things Master Naofumi... I learned about them during the party, listening to the other nobles." She admitted.

Naofumi gasped in shock. 'She knew!... She knew even before the duel! So was all this just a plan between her, Ren, and the other heroes to get her FREE?!'

Raphtalia's eyes took on a determined glint. "And yet I believed, no, I knew that you would never ever do such a thing-"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Naofumi yelled in anger at the ground...

Raphtalia became concerned. "Master Naofumi-" She said as she tried to approach.

"STAY AWAY!" Raphtalia stopped just a foot from him. Still, even though she was uncertain about what to do, she knew that Naofumi needed her at that moment.

She tried to reach down. "Please, you have to listen to me."

Her hand was almost on his shoulder when he reacted. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Naofumi yelled with rage, pushing Raphtalia's hand away. The action caused the slave cuff to come flying off his wrist, and to roll across the ground of the arena. Raphtalia gasped in surprise and hurt.

"Thanks to your savior Motoyasu you're free now! GO! I never want to see you again!" His insides felt like they were breaking into pieces. She'd thrown away the last bit of hope he'd had for this world. Why should he allow her back? Why?! "Or are you hanging around just to get one last look at this loser's face before he's dragged off to the dungeons for the rest of his miserable life?!" Did she really have to come back to rub that fact in his face! Did she have to rub in the fact that he was as good as dead now!

Raphtalia shook her head, holding her hands to herself. "Master Naofumi, please,"

"Just!... just leave me alone." He said, his voice now filled with despair. The deepest, darkest despair imaginable. "I don't care if you hate me now Raphtalia. You don't deserve to be like me... Just leave, leave me alone and hate me like everyone else..." He started crying at the end.

"It'd be easier for everyone to hate me…"

...

'... … Naofumi...'

...

He was all alone in this world. This world of cursed, lonely darkness. Where he'd never have anyone to support him. Never have anyone to help him. Never have anyone to calm him. Never have anyone to hold him, to believe him, or believe in him. He was all alone, with no hope, and nothing else but his burning shield on his arm. This cursed shield that he hated so much…

...

"I believe you, Master Naofumi." Raphtalia's voice sounded in the darkness of his mind. "I really do. Tell me, what can I do to make you believe me?" Her voice sounded far away to him in his dark isle of hate where he hid in the shadows.

…

"Believe you? After you betrayed me? After you plotted against me?" He asked, his tone deathly flat.

"I will always be on your side! Even if you never believe me!" She said confidently.

"Liar!" He covered his head up further under his hands. "You're just saying that to trick me again! I won't let you!"

"No, I-"

"Just shut up!" He buried his head deeper into his hooded cloak. "What else are you people going to accuse me of!? What else are you going to plot to push me down!?..."

He revealed his face, showing there was an unnatural red color over the whites of his eyes along with red lines on his cheeks. "I tried to deal with being pulled from my world! I tried to be content with being able to only fight with a shield! I tried to do what I thought was right, I tried to help everyone out, I tried to hope that things would get better, but it was over before it even started! The damn royalty hate me, the zealots all hate me, even the common people spread false rumors about me that everyone believes!" His eyes became sad for a moment. "And those who would have supported me in the beginning... they were either imprisoned, or they were killed. All because they wanted to help me… and now there's nobody left to help me… I'm all alone!" He looked down in anger at his shield. "This damn shield is a curse!"

He tried to rip the fiery red shield in his vision off his arm. "Urghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I hate it!..."

…

A small hand appeared over the burning gem on the shield. "I don't." It was from the same young Raphtalia. But this time she was dressed in the clothes he had gotten for her at Elhart's place. She had the same haircut he had helped her to get before the dog monster… the... the same lively look in her eyes. "This shield has saved my life over and over. It has never let me down when I needed help." Raphtalia said quietly.

He looked up at her in surprise. Somehow, she'd pierced into this world, this veil of darkness surrounding him. Not the real her in the real world, but this young version of her had cut through his agony into his mind.

"Don't you remember… during the wave?" She continued. "How you tried so hard to protect everyone?"

Her speaking about it brought memories through his anger around him. He saw times during the wave when he used a skill, a shield, or even his own body to save an individual, a family, random groups of strangers. Air Strike Shield. Shield Prison. Rope 'Shield. Small Shield. Light Metal Shield…

"Even though you knew you couldn't fight. You still used your shield and your strength to defend everyone. You risked your life to save the lives of so many others, Master Naofumi."

Naofumi looked shocked. He could see those memories of fighting off monsters during the wave clear as day. The monsters he had so courageously fought, the burning houses he'd ran in to make sure everyone had made it out safely... risking his life over and over again… "To be honest, I didn't do any of that for the villagers. I..." He tried to reason with her, to find something that'd keep him in this dark world, but his words sounded hollow, even to him.

"You must see that it doesn't matter." She cut off his thought process. "You still fought hard, and you still saved everyone. You saved me." She said, reaching through to his humanity. "You pushed yourself, more than anyone else to protect them."

"No. I'm not that nice a guy Raphtalia." Naofumi denied. "I just wanted to survive, even if just for a day longer, by any means necessary, and you were just a tool for me do that! You were the only way I could survive in this world!"

He tried again to push her away with his words. Wanting to be left alone in this isle of hatred, where he'd never have to feel anything other than his rage. Where no one in the world could ever hurt him again.

"Even if I was only a tool..." She looked from the shield to him. "It doesn't matter because you still rescued me." She continued. "And it doesn't change how I feel about you. Even if you have been using me this whole time, my feelings for you will never change."

He backed away in shock and fear at her words. "No! Stop it! It was… it was all about how I could save myself! How I could-" He tried so hard to find the words to push her away. He didn't deserve someone like Raphtalia to support him. Not a cursed individual like him.

He had to be alone! He had to!...

...

However, he found he was powerless as she got on her knees, slowly leaned in, and lightly embraced him in a warm and loving hug.

...

The shield on his arm started to glow blue again, battling with the red fire on its gem. Naofumi's eyes widened, and he slowly gasped at the surge of emotions that went through him, purging through his feelings of hatred and self-loathing. 'What's… what's happening…'

…

...

…

"Master Naofumi," Raphtalia finally spoke. A small smile was on her face. "I bet I know you better than anyone else in the world."

She remembered some of her own memories of Naofumi as she thought of what to say. Like the time they made a ball together.

"I know how kind you are."

She remembered the first time she'd been laying on her stomach. Naofumi crying over her as he treated the horrid wounds on her back.

"I know how generous you can be."

She remembered the day after they'd gone into the mine. How she'd been playing with her ball in front of the inn again when a different group of kids visiting the town came to bully her and steal her ball. Naofumi had been there to get the other kids to back off, though. She smiled, remembering how he threatened them with a balloon.

It was such a classic Naofumi move...

"I know how much you want to protect and serve others."

She remembered the nights he'd spent hugging her close when she suffered from some nightmare. She remembered him covering her body with his, even as monsters tried to get at her. He rubbed the back of her head, telling her everything would be alright.

She especially remembered how tired he always was the next day, and yet he never visibly complained or said it was all her fault. Sometimes, she'd even get him to smile by being in such a good mood after a rough night.

"Even if it meant you having to sacrifice everything to help those you care about…"

A tear landed on Naofumi's cloak. Raphtalia tightened her hug, allowing the torrent of emotions to flow through her.

It had only been a month, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed. These were some of the happiest memories in her entire life. Even if she were to die tomorrow, she would treasure them forever. "So… so even if the whole world speaks ill of you, I'll always tell them that they're wrong." She said determinedly.

Naofumi could do nothing but sit on his knees in shock. His arms hanging loosely beside him. He was almost unable to believe what he was hearing... Almost.

"I'll defend you. And remind them of all that you've done. You are the one who saved my life." She spoke with conviction. "You are the one who cured my illness, who helped me to overcome my fears and traumas, who gave me a sword, and showed me that I still had a purpose."

At that moment, the red fire finally gave way to the blue light being emitted from the gemstone of Naofumi's shield. Naofumi shakily breathed out, the red disappearing from his eyes and face. The hatred and self-loathing were gone… the darkness around his mind was gradually lifting...

Raphtalia finally backed away. She looked like a young adult to him again. "You've always believed in me. Now I will prove that I believe in you…" She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I swear to be your sword forever, and to always stand beside you, through hellfire and brimstone." She smiled at him. "I could never hate you Master Naofumi. Never."

...

…

...

Naofumi felt tears pricking at his eyes. 'I've… I've always wished… someone... would say those very words to me…'

His mind flashed back to earlier that day by the carriage.

"I swear to be your sword forever… Wherever you go, I'll be there with you... Even if everyone else hates you, I will never hate you, Naofumi Iwatani… I believe in you."

His mind returned to the present, and Naofumi lowered his head in shame. The tears were close to escaping. 'I guess… I didn't believe her before.' He was ashamed. He hadn't believed Raphtalia… honest, sincere Raphtalia...

Raphtalia continued to smile. Bringing light back into his darkened world. "This is a world where it's hard to find people to trust. It's even harder to find someone you can trust to be yourself with… your past, your secrets... your feelings... But I know I can trust you Master Naofumi because you saved my life." She spoke from the bottom of her heart. "You gave me a purpose when I thought I had none. You showed me kindness when I thought it no longer existed."

The hallway of Elhart's house flashed before her mind. When she'd yelled at him, asking how she could trust him.

She knew the answer to that now. It had been in front of her the whole time. "And because you showed me who you really are… I... I really... I really do trust you!"

The darkness that had been around him for so long vanished entirely. He opened his eyes to a different world than what he'd been seeing before. The stars shone brightly in the sky up above. The moon shone even more brightly than the stars. The stands around him were empty. The Cardinal Heroes stood nearby.

But Raphtalia, on one knee in front of him, outshone everything else. Or, at least, the woman who had been Raphtalia before.

A gasp of surprise escaped his lips.

Her auburn hair was the same length, but it had deepened in color and appeared more vibrant as it swayed in the light breeze. Even though they were both kneeling, he could tell that she had grown more in height. Her body and assets had matured to the point that had he seen her on campus, he would have mistaken her for a hot college student… In short, she wasn't a young adult. She was a beautiful, young woman that rivaled the prettiest girls he'd ever met. Actually, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever met.

"The great Shield Hero." Raphtalia finished happily, the same smile still on her face. The smile and her deep tea-red eyes held the same sincerity as before. And she fully believed it. He was a hero to her.

How… when had she become like this?

…

"... Raphtalia, is it, is that really you?" He asked. His hands shaking at his sides.

"Yes, Master Naofumi. Who else could it be?"

"But, but how?" He asked, still unable to believe what he was seeing. "You don't look the same as before."

"... Yes. I'm not a kid now." She said shyly. "I haven't been for some time… And it's time for you to stop seeing me as a kid." She said seriously, before staring bashfully down. "I mean sure, I might get a little emotional sometimes… and act like a little kid when I want to… I may be a burden, but, but please." She looked back up to his face. "Please let me remain by your side."

Naofumi gasped in air again and felt tears threatening to escape. With more power than ever before. "I need you, and you need me. We're a team. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than here with you." She said sincerely. "Please, please don't push me away again. Let me help you, Naofumi."

…

Naofumi couldn't hold it back anymore. He fell forward onto his hands and knees, tears dripping down onto one of his hands below as he sobbed. It was all too much. His perception of the world was crumbling down, and he could do nothing to stop it. He'd thought everything was bad. He'd tried to push away Raphtalia, and yet she'd stayed.

Raphtalia put her hand over his hand, shielding it from his falling tears. She then wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes as she embraced him. He embraced her back, and continued to cry onto her shoulder, his sobs forcing their way out of his system. Her kindness only caused him to sob harder. To grip the Tanuki girl as he would an anchor.

It was all too much. Too much kindness all at once after being in that dark, lonely cursed world for an eternity...

…

The three other Cardinal Heroes of legend stood off to the side, having watched what had been going on silently the whole time to their fellow Hero...

Motoyasu clutched his spear tightly. "Urgh, I don't believe it." He said.

"Even after watching all of that?" Itsuki asked incredulously. 'Does Motoyasu not have a heart?!'

"Don't you know that it's wrong for a hero to have a slave? Or, maybe, maybe Raphtalia's only doing this because she's been brainwashed." He said out loud, trying to find a reason to justify what was going on other than the real one. Myne, one of his most trusted companions, couldn't have lied to him! There had to be a reason why this was happening!

"I'm not so sure about that," Ren said calmly. Causing Motoyasu to look at Ren.

"You too? But, but don't you think it's wrong?!" Motoyasu asked.

Ren looked calmly at Motoyasu. "Of course I think it's wrong for a hero to own a slave. But does it look like Naofumi treats Raphtalia like one?" He pointedly asked.

"I mean, just look at them," Itsuki said. "It's not like a master and slave relationship. It's... it's different."

The three all turned to look at them again. Itsuki's words were true. Only an idiot could look at the pair and think the same thing Motoyasu had.

Naofumi was still being held in Raphtalia's embrace. He had tears leaking from his eyes, but he was no longer sobbing. He looked so tired and emotionally drained. Like a dam had broken, and everything that had been held back was gone.

Raphtalia was still smiling softly down at him, holding him close. She was sad that Master Naofumi had gone through so much pain, yet she was also glad to have him there with her at that moment. Glad that, after all the times he'd comforted her, she was there to comfort him in his time of greatest need.

"You've gone through a lot of pain," Raphtalia spoke softly, her hand making similar motions on the back of his head that he'd used so many times to comfort her before. "But from now on, you won't need to be alone with that pain." She rested her head against his. "I'll shoulder it with you forever, Naofumi Iwatani. Because… because I love you."

She had no problem admitting it out loud now. After everything Master Naofumi had done for her, she could hold no other emotion towards him. "I love you." She confessed again. "And because I do, you'll never be alone. Don't ever forget that."

Naofumi still had tears leaking from his eyes. 'She… Raphtalia… she loves me…'

…

Naofumi sighed, and closed his eyes, relaxing into Raphtalia's embrace. The tiredness caught up to him. His hand rubbed along the edge of the green gem, blue glowing legendary shield… the legendary shield, which as it turned out, wasn't so much of a curse after all.

The shield's gemstone flashed a brilliant blue in response.

Ren smiled a little bit. Itsuki was still as calm as ever. And Motoyasu… he appeared to be conflicted. "But… but he…" He couldn't find the words. The foundations for his thoughts of Naofumi had already taken a severe beating and were now shaking on the verge of collapse at that moment.

One more move and his world would come crashing down like Naofumi's… 'Did… was Myne lying to me earlier about Naofumi abusing Raphtalia?' It seemed impossible for one of his closest companions to lie to him, but even with Raphtalia freed she was staying with Naofumi. And she had said of her own free will that she loved him… did that mean that Myne had lied to him?

Itsuki put a hand on Motoyasu's shoulder. "Come on Motoyasu. Those two have had enough for one night." He began to lead the Spear Hero away. "Let's leave them alone."

Motoyasu was in such a stunted mental state that he allowed himself to be led out.

Had the simp even realized how naked he was in only his undergarments? Disgusting.

Ren continued to watch for a moment more. His heart softening at the visual display in front of him. 'It's still wrong that he owns her… but if that NPC girl wants to stay with him...' And that same NPC had said something that inspired him to act. To actually fulfill his role as a Hero...

It didn't help that it brought back some of his own memories... of a girl he knew from home...

...

Raphtalia was still holding Naofumi, who had fallen asleep when she looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps stopping in front of her. Ren stood over the two of them, his face expressionless. He said nothing, but he slowly took out a blanket from his sword, and then he placed it over Naofumi's peacefully sleeping figure. Without saying a word, he turned around to walk away.

...

"Why?" Raphtalia asked.

Ren stopped a few footsteps away and then glanced back at her. Though his face revealed nothing, his eyes showed he understood what the question was. Why did he help them? "I left a girl behind in my world when I came here. A girl who'd do anything to help out those around her, no matter the circumstances, or the consequences." He said softly, before turning to face forward again. "She was always willing to help out those around her… and your words earlier reminded me of that. I knew then that, if she'd been here to see how I was reacting to my plan falling apart, she would have beaten me up if I didn't continue to try and help." He might have been joking at the end, but it was hard to tell.

He hated that his anxiety had kept him from acting. He thought he'd left it behind entirely after dying and coming here...

...

"She must have been a great girl," Raphtalia spoke softly, looking down at Naofumi's sleeping face. Her hand gently traced one of his cheekbones. She was grateful that the Sword Hero and the Bow Hero had intervened when they had. If they hadn't… "Thank you. Sir Sword Hero."

…

'You have no idea… and I'd give anything just to see her again...' Ren sadly walked away, not trusting himself to say more. The persona he'd hidden behind since being summoned had been shattered. It would need some time to be rebuilt.

...

Raphtalia held onto Naofumi for the rest of that night… staying in her kneeling position so Naofumi could rest peacefully.

Sometime during that night, the shield's gemstone slowly started to transition from the blue glow to its normal green color. Yet Naofumi kept a smile on his face.

For once, his restless sleep was at peace. His hope had been restored, and his perception of the world had forever changed… all because a Tanuki girl had cared enough to help, to carry his burdens, and to light the darkness that had been hiding inside his soul since the night of his betrayal.

He had never been more grateful for anyone in his entire life...

...

...

Requirements Met, Blessed Series Unlocked, Shield of Hope [A Shield Made with the help of a Half-Tanuki, Half-Raccoon Girl]

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: This is just a final disclaimer note I want to put at the end of this first arc, which you probably noticed didn't converge very far from the original story (don't worry, future arcs won't have that issue).

I don't own The Rising of The Shield Hero. I want to thank Aneko for writing such a great world with great characters in it. The LN's are the best. I can't wait for the anime to adapt the rest of them. I look forward to seeing what kind of story will unfurl thanks to the changes covered here early on.

Naofumi breathed in, allowing the breeze coming over the castle walls to revitalize him. Even with the cool early morning breeze, he felt strangely warm and well-rested. More so than he'd felt since being summoned to this world…

'Did… did all that really happen last night?'

It was weird. He was standing just a few hundred feet away from where the duel with Motoyasu had happened. Last night felt like a dream to him. Yet he could still remember it so clearly... it was like he hadn't been an active participant in the events that unfolded shortly after the King had called him a rapist. Being so locked up in his rage and despair that he'd been a prisoner in his own mind...

Again, he felt guilt prick at him for trying to push Raphtalia away. But at the same time, he felt gratitude, happiness, and a whole heap of other emotions because of her refusing to leave him. Those emotions, he knew he'd have to sort through them himself when he felt he'd be able to.

But not now. Later. For now, he stared in awe at the beautiful city laid out below him.

'Everything's changed… yet it's all the same...'

…

He pulled up his Shield Menu on his HUD and looked in his series of shields for the two series he'd somehow unlocked last night. But they were nowhere to be found. There wasn't mention of them in his help guide either.

That had to be the greatest oddity out of everything else that had happened. He usually received updates to his help guide whenever he came across something new with few exceptions. He remembered vividly the notifications he'd received for the Cursed and Blessed Series. And yet, he could find no information on either.

...

He was so focused on his help guide, he almost didn't see the Tanuki woman approaching him with food in her hands. Almost.

"Good morning, Master Naofumi. I made something for us." Raphtalia carried sandwiches for them both.

He closed the help guide and looked up at her. "You made them by yourself?" He asked.

"I... had some help from the castle cooks." She admitted sheepishly, handing one to him. "But doesn't it look yummy?"

Naofumi stared at what she'd made. It looked like the steak from the night before had been sliced into thin pieces. The lettuce came from the salads. There were some unfamiliar condiments on it.

It looked nothing short of amazing. "It does." Naofumi agreed, a note of sadness in his voice. "It doesn't mean I'm likely to taste it…"

…

His eyes looked from the sandwich to the expectant Raphtalia. He looked over the new, beautiful grown woman she'd become without him realizing it. The woman who admitted she was in love with him…

"Raphtalia, is that really you?" He asked.

Raphtalia looked caught off guard by the question. "Sorry," Naofumi said suddenly, turning to look away. "I guess I need a little time to get used to this." He looked back down at his sandwich. "I just didn't think something like this would happen after… after Bitch."

'I mean, I did think when I first got here that I'd find the one for me. We'd fall in love with each other and... I just didn't think that'd be possible for me anymore.' He didn't say it aloud. But Raphtalia could tell what he was thinking.

She smiled again for him. "It is sudden. I was just a little kid when we first met." She could remember how it'd only been a little over two months ago, she'd been a young child playing ball with some of her friends in the village.

"Elhart mentioned it once to me before… but are you really grown up now?" He asked.

"... Yes. That's why demi-humans are seen as unnatural creatures here in Melromarc. It's why we're often abused and discriminated against since we have the option of not going through our childhood like everyone else." She explained.

Naofumi looked down guiltily at that. "Yeah… I stole your childhood from you…"

"Yes, but you also gave me something far better. Something far more meaningful." She said gently.

"You mean… you don't hate me for stealing your childhood from you?" Naofumi quietly asked.

She shook her head. "We all have to grow up eventually, Master Naofumi. To be honest, I think I started to grow up after I buried my parents." She might have not been leveling then, but she'd taken charge, she inspired the others to rebuild their village. Even if she was small, she had the heart of someone twice her size.

"But… your ball. And…"

"I did say that I still like to act like a child sometimes, didn't I?" Raphtalia asked with a smirk.

She had a point. Hell, even though he was twenty years old, he'd still acted somewhat like a kid before the big betrayal and all that.

Even now, his thoughts could sometimes be described as childish and petty.

Naofumi continued to stare down at his sandwich.

He really didn't deserve her. But she wasn't going to allow him to feel that. "Elhart told me the night I bought you… he warned me this would happen, but I didn't imagine it'd be like this…" He looked towards the city again. "I don't know if I'm ready for this yet…" He admitted.

'The old man really wasn't lying to me before. Damn it! I want to feel like this isn't right… But she's not a human. She's… what did that notification say last night? Half-Raccoon, Half-Tanuki? Either way, I know trying to use my world's logic is stupid. This is nothing like my world! She's a freaking different race from me. What she went through is the norm for other members of her race… and it really, really doesn't help that she doesn't look like a kid anymore either...'

He was getting a headache just thinking about it. He didn't even know if he loved her or not. Why was this such a big deal?! It was so stupid that he just wanted to forget what was normal and what was weird in his world.

Raphtalia giggled happily as she took a bite of her sandwich. "Hey, this sandwich really does taste good. Why don't you try yours, Master Naofumi?" She said, coaxing him to try and eat with her.

Naofumi looked down at the sandwich she'd given him. His thoughts were heavy with everything that had been going on. 'Might as well give it a shot… not that I'll taste it. But hopefully, it'll distract me from all of this.'

He bit into it.

…

The food was stuck in his mouth. He stared down at the rest in shock.

"Is something wrong?" Raphtalia asked, looking concerned. Naofumi had never looked like this before while eating.

…

Tears came into his eyes. "I… I can... actually… taste it." He murmured softly.

Raphtalia's face brightened up, and Naofumi started to dig into the rest of the sandwich. Tears continued falling down his face. The steak slices were surprisingly soft! The lettuce had a nice crunch! The condiment Raphtalia had added tasted similar to mayonnaise. And the way their tastes combined with the bread!

He smiled as his taste buds once again sang praises to this world's heavenly food. It was the best feeling ever, after having to eat bland tasteless food for so long… he didn't even care that he was crying again. It was that good.

He wanted to meet the chef that helped Raphtalia to make this and give him the world's biggest hug.

Raphtalia smiled happily. 'He can finally enjoy food again!' Her tail wagged behind her. "Let's make a deal." He stopped mid-bite to look up at her. "Let's promise to eat lots of delicious food from now on, okay?"

Naofumi still had tears in his eyes from being able to taste again. But... "Can I make an adjustment to that deal?" He asked.

She looked surprised. "What, what do you mean?" She asked confusedly.

He set the rest of the sandwich aside. "Let's eat lots of delicious food, together." He said. Stepping in close to hold her hands. He then laid a peck against her cheek. He resolved to himself. Whatever he'd done in the past. He refused to let it stop him from going forward. He didn't know how he felt. But he did care about Raphtalia. And after everything she'd done for him, he wanted to thank her for that.

...

When he backed away, Raphtalia's face looked to have taken fifty shades of red on it. 'Uh oh… it's times like this I wish I had more experience with girls.' He realized he'd probably done something wrong. "I'm sorry, was that over the line?" He asked in concern. Maybe she didn't mean that kind of love? Maybe she looked at him as more of a parent-

Raphtalia quickly shook her head. "No, it, it wasn't Naofumi!" She said quickly. "It was just... a little unexpected is all. You didn't warn me." She finished meekly, holding her arm while looking off to the side. "But it was nice."

Oh, good. It wasn't parental love. Thank goodness. That could have spawned a very long misunderstanding on his end had she not clarified it herself.

"You're telling me," Naofumi said. "Three weeks ago you were just a little kid who loved head pats. I never would have imagined you'd be an adult by the first wave."

"Master Naofumi, I am not a little kid anymore, and I don't love head pats!" Raphtalia said irritably. Her tail bushing up behind her.

…

Naofumi calmly patted a hand on her head between her ears. The look of anger was replaced with a look of joy, and Raphtalia's tail started to wag furiously behind her.

"Wow. You could have fooled me."

Raphtalia finally came to the realization as to what had happened. She would have slapped him if it wasn't for the hand on her head that felt so good! And the smirk on his face that told her he was just playing around. It was different, but it was nice.

Raphtalia blushed again and looked off to the side. Naofumi did so too. He wasn't used to the concept of flirting. He didn't even know if he had been flirting there or not. Damn, he was going to be thrust into this without any preparation whatsoever! Did he even love this girl?! Or was he actually grateful that somebody loved him?!

"So… I guess what now?" Naofumi asked, lowering his hand.

"I don't know," Raphtalia admitted truthfully. "We have till the end of the day to leave the Capital-"

"That's not what I meant."

Raphtalia looked up at Naofumi, who breathed in deeply. "I don't know how I feel about you, Raphtalia. I'm not even sure if I love you… I never really had much experience with girls in my world." He admitted. "I just don't know." He said sadly.

…

Raphtalia again softly smiled. And this time, she hugged Naofumi. Her head was now able to rest comfortably in the crook of his neck. Had she always been that tall? Past events suddenly made more sense. "Believe me, I'm still sorting through all of my emotions, Naofumi… I have so much to sort through from growing up so quickly, and it doesn't help that I didn't think much about guys before, especially the hero kind." She joked at the end. It got a small smile out of him. "That was more of what my best friend did... But I, at least, know what I said is true. I love you, and I want to stay by your side."

Naofumi sighed, one of his hands moving along her locks of hair on her back. That brought up a concern in his mind. 'What if I want to return to my world after everything is over?... will Raphtalia be able to come with me? Would I want to stay here dealing with everything that I've had to deal with up till now if Raphtalia couldn't leave?... ...'

He buried the thought deep in his mind. He decided he could address it far later after much more time had passed. For now, he was hopeful that things would get better. Someway, somehow, things would improve for the two of them.

Plus, while he didn't know if his feelings for Raphtalia were as strong as hers, he liked the feeling of her being close like this. His mind wandered. 'Maybe it was fate that I found out about that bitch's plot when I did. Had I been thrust into it head-on without knowing about it, I could have turned into a much more bitter person… Elhart might have never helped me then… and maybe, I never would have met Raphtalia…' Maybe.

You never know how fate will intervene in one's life.

"Yeah, we'll just continue like this for now then," Naofumi said. It was a start. It was more than what he would have allowed any other girl.

…

…

The two released. Naofumi looked down sheepishly. "You know, if any of my friends from back home learned about this, I'd be stuck with the terms Lolicon and Furrie Lover for the rest of my life." He found the thought so funny he started chuckling to himself.

Now that he thought about it, those terms didn't sound too bad. After all, he was already being called a devil and a rapist. Compared to that, Lolicon and Furrie couldn't hold a candle as insults.

"What do those words mean?" Raphtalia asked curiously. She heard what Naofumi was saying thanks to his shield's auto-translation function, but she didn't know their meaning.

Naofumi continued to chuckle. "I'll tell you... when you're older."

...

Raphtalia started to pout again, and his chuckling broke into full-on laughter. "Master Naofumi!" She complained.

'Oh hell, this is too much fun! I'm going to have to pick on her whenever I can cause her reaction is just adorable!' He thought happily.

"Were you just thinking something rude!?" She angrily asked. "Stop making that face!"

"Ah, I figured we'd find you here."

Naofumi stopped laughing in surprise. The two looked behind them and saw Ren and Itsuki approaching.

Oh yeah. He'd thought the two Heroes had abandoned him last night. However, it was because of them that he and Raphtalia hadn't been killed. Maybe they weren't as bad as he thought… though he still looked at them distrustfully.

"Here, take it, it's yours," Ren said calmly, handing a pouch to Naofumi. The contents inside jingled a familiar tune.

"What's this for?" Naofumi asked skeptically.

"The King gave me and Ren a little extra to try and convince us to stay in Melromarc. And Ren-" Itsuki was explaining.

"You mean you." Ren cut in calmly.

...

Itsuki grumbled to himself after a long pause. "We..." He emphasized. "Decided it'd be best if you and your party member got what you deserve for defending the village." Itsuki finished calmly. "And since the King doesn't want to reward you, we decided to reward you ourselves."

"And… it's an apology, for not acting sooner." Ren muttered quietly, looking away from Naofumi.

Naofumi still looked distrustful, but as he opened the pouch to look inside, his mouth gaped. "What the… just how many coins are in here?"

"About 800," Itsuki confirmed.

Naofumi stared at the bag, blown away by the amount of money they were giving him. "We had a talk with the Lord from Lute Village after the duel last night. He said that if you two hadn't stayed to defend his village, there would have been a lot more casualties. Himself included." Ren recovered his cool. "We can't let your actions go unrewarded."

He looked at Itsuki, who was trying to be silent again. He nudged the blonde kid on the shoulder, signaling for him to speak. "Well, erm, even if Myne was telling the truth about you trying to rape her, it wouldn't be fair for you to not receive a reward for doing your small part in the wave," Itsuki said.

…

The cocky bastard! Naofumi almost wanted to punch his face because of how prideful he sounded! Though, by the sounds of it, he and Ren no longer believed the Bitch.

These two were actually on his side...

First Raphtalia's confession, then the sandwich, and now this… Naofumi felt tears leaking into his eyes again. 'Damn everyone! They're trying to make me like them now!' And yet somehow, he didn't mind that.

"Now don't think that means I approve of a hero owning a slave," Itsuki said, feeling some need to quickly defend himself. "Because I don't!"

And of course, Itsuki had to ruin it, again. Couldn't he just learn to keep his mouth shut and be grateful he was going up the scale of approval in Naofumi's mind?

"Sir Bow Hero," Raphtalia spoke gently before Naofumi could retaliate, catching Itsuki off guard. She stepped in front of Naofumi and bowed respectively to Itsuki. "On behalf of Master Naofumi, we'd like to thank you both for your kindness towards us, Itsuki-Kun and Ren-Kun."

Itsuki stepped back at the unexpected praise. In Japanese, the suffix Kun held the meaning of calling an individual your close friend. And Itsuki and Ren both knew that. What surprised Itsuki was the praise being directed at him. Even though praise was what Itsuki secretly thrived on.

Naofumi smiled a little at that. The blonde kid didn't look so prideful now. He actually looked abashed.

Ren calmly smiled back while Itsuki sputtered. "It's no problem for me. 800 Silvers will be worth nothing after me and my party slay the evil dragon haunting Mirso Village." He said. His legendary sword changed to a stronger-looking sword as he said it. Naofumi blinked, looking at the sword curiously. He could have sworn he recognized it from somewhere.

Raphtalia smiled happily for Ren. "And what about you, Itsuki?" Naofumi asked.

Itsuki finally recovered from his unintelligible sputtering. "What about me?" He asked confusedly.

"What are you going to do next?" Naofumi asked.

...

Itsuki looked thoughtful. "I was planning on following the storyline I'm familiar with in my game… but I need to ask. Were you serious at the party when you said most of the nobles owned slaves?" Itsuki asked Naofumi curiously. He then looked at Raphtalia. "And did Melromarc's Knights really destroy your village?"

...

Naofumi looked to Raphtalia, who nodded her head after a moment. "Yes." Upon hearing her give the affirmative, Itsuki's face fell.

So she hadn't been lying before.

"After the wave… Knights came and killed all the parents in front of their children. They then enslaved me and everyone else that was left... Before Naofumi, I was owned by two different slaveholders. They were both nobles. The first one tried to train me to be a maid, but the second one…" She paused to sniff, and wipe away a tear from below her eye. "I saw him at the celebration last night. I saw you talking to him shortly before the Spear Hero challenged Naofumi. He was the one who tortured me. Idol Rabier." She admitted.

"You're, you're kidding?" Itsuki asked in a shocked voice.

Raphtalia shook her head. "There were others just like me he owned. Most of them were women and children, including my best friend Rifana. That noble loves to torture others, especially demi-humans… he hates them… And he tortured my best friend, even though she was sick, even though she was only a child. I don't even know if she's still alive or not since it was a little over a month ago when I last saw her..." Raphtalia looked like she wanted to cry. Naofumi felt he should put an arm over her to comfort her. But would such a gesture be appropriate here?

Before he could think if that was a good idea or not, her face took on an angry look as she glared at Itsuki. "I don't ever want to hear you complaining about Naofumi owning me again! You got me?!" She yelled, mimicking the same words Naofumi used for her whenever he was angry or serious.

Itsuki took a step back in surprise at her anger. "But, but I-" He tried to say.

"No! Not until Naofumi is the only slaveholder left in this kingdom! In this world! Because he's one of only a few people I know of who treats his slaves like people instead of as objects to be tortured, killed, or abused at a moment's notice! And I'll reaffirm that till the day I die!" Raphtalia said fiercely, getting into Itsuki's face.

Itsuki breathed in sharply as he backed away from the fierce-looking demi-human. Naofumi quickly stepped forward beside Raphtalia and put an arm in front of her to calm her. She then clutched to his arm as if her life depended on it. "I need no saving from the man I love." She said seriously. "But my best friend, the rest of my village, and countless others all over Melromarc need help. Now, what will you do Sir Bow Hero?!" She asked. "Will you also try to pry me from Master Naofumi like the Spear Hero?!"

Itsuki immediately shook his head. "No. I'd never do that. Never... I planned on helping out other people while preparing for the next wave. I just…" He'd wanted to do what he was familiar with. But learning about this... A determined glint appeared in his eyes. "If what you say is true, then I'll free them. I'll free every last demi-human this kingdom has ever enslaved!" Itsuki promised. "I'll make Melromarc and its nobles pay for what they've done to your people!"

...

Naofumi was shocked to hear such words come from the young boy, and with such determination in his features too... … he found himself smiling, and internally, he reevaluated his standing on Itsuki. 'So I'm annoyed about his Robin Hood like sense of justice, but maybe it'll accomplish some good if it's aimed in the right direction.'

"Do you know if the guild has missions for doing that?" Ren asked Itsuki.

"I don't care if they do or not. I'm not in this for the money… not all the time at least. But certainly not in this case! If there are people out there being tortured for some nobleman's fun and pleasure then screw the guild and their money! They need my help, and those nobles need to be put in their place." Itsuki said, pounding a fist into his hand.

Okay. He still sounded like a prideful little snot. But it wasn't as annoying as before.

"They're going to regret the moment they ever thought they could abuse another person for fun and get away with it!" The way he said that… Naofumi stared at Itsuki. He realized he was taking this more personally than he was letting on. Maybe it wasn't just his Robin Hood sense of justice guiding him after all...

Raphtalia smiled. 'If one of the Heroes helps them, maybe Rifana and the others will stand a chance…' It made her feel happy that another of the four Cardinal Heroes was standing up to help her race. After all the persecution they'd received in Melromarc…

It made her remember something else her Father had told her. How legends talked of a time when the Bow Hero was a friend of the demi-humans.

"This isn't much, but there is one noble I know of who helps out demi-humans and treats them kindly in his land. His name is Van Reichnott. If you find him, then he should be able to help out any slaves you manage to free. He also knows the names of most of the nobles who commit horrible atrocities to their slaves." Raphtalia said. 'Including the one next door to him where Rifana was when I left… Idol Rabier.'

"Van Reichnott. There. Got it bookmarked on my weapon's menu. Well, I know where I'm off to now. See you all later!" Itsuki said quickly, before running off to find his party members. They had one hell of a quest to embark on!

"Well, that settles it for Itsuki. What about you Ren?" Naofumi asked Ren.

Ren crossed his arms as he calmly looked at Naofumi. "You know I still don't fully trust you, right?" He admitted.

"... I wouldn't expect you to," Naofumi said honestly. "I still don't fully trust either of you after last night… but I did run away, and I never tried to defend myself from Myne's accusations. Maybe this whole mess could have been avoided if I was upfront with that at the castle."

Ren nodded his head. "You did run away. You also broke into a Church." He added, much to his chagrin. "However, I don't think any of Malty's accusations against you are true." He gave a brief explanation of what happened that first night.

Somehow, Naofumi wasn't surprised that the Bitch was also a Whore. He felt even better about not falling in love with her. It sounded like he'd dodged a bigger bullet than he'd realized.

"I had my doubts after that. I kept track of her afterward by having to… endure talking with Motoyasu." Ren shuddered.

Poor guy. The stories he must have heard. The things he had to have endured being around that simp.

"I knew something wasn't right. And after last night at the celebration, after seeing her cheat in the Arena, I no longer have any doubts that she lied about it all." Ren admitted. It'd taken a lot to get through that cultural bias of guilty till proven innocent.

But Bitch was bad enough that she'd managed to accomplish even that for a Japanese person.

"... well, thanks, I guess," Naofumi muttered quietly. It was hard for him to try and express how grateful he felt that, finally, somebody else believed him instead of that THOT.

"Also, after seeing the way she and the King treated you last night, I highly doubt you'd have been given fair treatment for turning yourself in. So in a way, I'm glad you ran away. I wouldn't have been motivated to look into this otherwise." Ren admitted. Much to Naofumi's surprise. "However, there's still something else I don't like about all of this. The fact that the Church was trying to get at you during the celebration."

"Would you believe me now if I told you that I ran away because I heard that Bitch discussing the details of her plan to have me killed with a nun?" Naofumi dryly asked.

"Hmmm…" Ren's face darkened somewhat at that. "To have you killed... that's a little extreme this early on in the story... Are you sure that's what they said, Naofumi?" He asked.

Naofumi nodded, a cold hard look in his eyes. "I am absolutely &^%$%^& positive that that is what they said."

"But you're only a Shielder. You shouldn't be that big of a threat... There's too much that doesn't add up for me." Ren said to himself.

Naofumi scowled. "Hey, I'm not useless!"

Ren shook his head. "Either way, I won't extend to you my full trust right now, but that's for my own reasons." He added before Naofumi could angrily retort. "I'm not going to throw away what you told me. I'm going to think it over and try to figure out what's going on. And, maybe, someday down the road, things can be different." He looked to the side again. It was taking everything he had to try and sound cool and aloof.

However, Naofumi was finally beginning to realize it. Ren was putting on an act. This wasn't the real him he was talking to. That was what had felt off when he observed the Sword Hero before.

...

Though it still stung that Ren thought it weird for a religion to kill off because he was a useless shielder, he found himself having to reevaluate his opinion about the young Sword Hero. 'It's not because of what happened that he doesn't trust me or others… and his pride isn't the issue either. I was mistaken to label his actions as being prideful. No. It's because of anxiety that he doesn't act like himself around others, isn't it.'

Whether it was something that had happened before he came to this world or just a part of Ren's personality, he wasn't sure. But he had a good feeling that that was the reason why Ren didn't trust him right now.

"I'm off to get stronger, as strong as I can possibly get. But while I'm at it, my party and I are going to keep an eye out for more information." He said, before turning around. "If I learn anything, we'll talk during the next wave. Maybe by then, I'll have a plan of action for what we can do."

"The next wave…" Naofumi looked in the corner of his HUD. A red hourglass had appeared there. It said the next wave was in 45 days. "Before you go, can I ask where you got that sword?" Naofumi asked. 'I swear I've seen it somewhere before.'

"This, this is a Magic Silver Sword," Ren said with a shrug. "You can find it in any blacksmith shop and use it once you reach level 40."

'Wait, that was one of the swords Elhart showed me when I was first looking at buying a sword!' He finally remembered. It had been alongside an iron sword, a magic iron sword, some other weird name for a sword, and a regular Silver sword. "What monster did you absorb to get that?" Naofumi asked.

"I didn't absorb a monster. I acquired it using the Weapon Copy System," Ren answered.

"... Weapon Copy?"

"All you have to do is pick up an item similar to your legendary weapon, and then it copies it over. Itsuki and Motoyasu have been using it too." Ren said.

'What? How come I don't know about it!?'

Ren sighed, seeing the look on Naofumi's face. It was just like their first night in the castle when Naofumi knew nothing about what was going on. "If you didn't know about the Weapon Copy System, I should probably mention this. Our levels as heroes are unimpeded, but the rest of your party will need a class upgrade at the dragon hourglass when they reach level 40. I doubt the Three Heroes Church will let you use theirs, so I'd recommend finding somewhere else to get her class upgrade when the time comes." Ren suggested, pointing to Raphtalia before walking away.

Naofumi looked at Raphtalia, who looked confused. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about weapon copy, but he is right about the class upgrades, Master Naofumi." She admitted.

"Got it." 'We might not know about the Weapon Copy System... But Ren isn't lying about the Class Upgrade. And I don't think Ren has been lying to me so far…' Even though Ren was naturally distrustful of others he didn't know very well, he'd still taken the time to help him.

...

"Hey, Ren!"

Ren was almost to the stairs leading back down from the wall when he turned around to look back at Naofumi. "Just remember that this isn't a game! If you or Itsuki die trying to help me and Raphtalia, I won't forgive you!" Naofumi yelled after him.

...

Ren cracked a small smile, then he turned around. "I'll keep that in mind Naofumi." He responded, walking away from the two while giving them a wave of goodbye. "Don't get yourself killed either. I'd rather we both got to live at the end of this whole mess." Naofumi heard him say before Ren disappeared to find and gather his party.

The two stood there side by side, looking at where the Sword Hero had disappeared for a moment more. "What about us Raphtalia?" He asked her.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Was he taking it back to the topic of what their relationship would be like from here on out again?

"You said we had until the end of the day to leave the Capital. But I'd feel safer if we left before midday. So what do you want to do before we leave this place?" He asked.

Raphtalia thought to herself for a moment. "First, I want to get myself a new slave crest." She decided.

Naofumi sputtered in surprise. "Are you sure- I mean, no, I don't want you to get one-" He tried to say.

"Master Naofumi." She said seriously. "I want you to be able to trust me at all times to never lie to you. Even about my feelings. And if I need something to scold me to help me remember to fight at your side, then I don't care." She said determinedly. "I want it back. I want the symbol of my loyalty to you."

He stared down at her in surprise. She didn't say it, but even after hearing the false accusations against him she was willing to go as far as trusting him with herself. To put herself in a position where she'd have to follow any order he gave, no matter what…

'She… she really trusts that I'm not an abuser…'

Tears reappeared in Naofumi's eyes. He didn't know how he'd done it back then, but he truly realized he'd won the lottery buying Raphtalia. "I already trust you… far more than anyone else I've ever known my entire life. But if it's what you want, I won't try to stop you." He said.

He also remembered that the gemstone of his shield glowed to glow when it was near the slave ink. Now that he knew it signified something that could unlock a new shield, he could, perhaps, absorb some ink and see what it unlocked?

Raphtalia smiled happily for him.

"As long as we also stop by Elhart's to get you that armor afterward." He added.

…

Raphtalia started to pout again. He found it so adorable on her adult form, he patted her head in mock sympathy. Then he started to laugh again.

"Master Naofumi!" She complained.

"Unless you're telling me your body is going to get bigger than what it is now," He joked. "A promise is a promise."

"Gah!" Raphtalia started to blush and turned away. Unsure of how to respond since she wasn't sure if what he'd said would be worse or better. She was already… very well developed as it was.

Naofumi also started to blush awkwardly, not meaning to have implied what he said at all. 'This… this is going to take some getting used to.'

...

When he looked at Raphtalia again though, his small smile returned. 'But something tells me I won't mind getting used to this.'

Finally, the pessimistic part of him had stopped fighting against Raphtalia. It had accepted her and this world as if she'd been the missing piece for him to live on.

In a world, which his more hopeful perception was helping him to realize...

... wasn't so bad after all.

One Week Later...

"So, is that what the King has been up to?"

A royal figure with long, flowing purple hair looked out the window onto the Kingdom of Faubley. Her maids stood around her, helping to make sure her outfit was fit and pristine for her meeting with Faubley's Ruler. Outside the window, a mysterious cloaked figure with a familiar mask over her face crouched down on the window ledge. Hiding out of view of Faubley's soldiers patrolling the walls with their old-fashioned rifles resting on their shoulders.

"He has. I'm sure Princess Malty must have talked him into it. I would have had to intervene if it wasn't for the Sword and Bow Heroes acting when they did." The lady responded.

"Interesting. I'm glad you didn't have to. It would have revealed more of my hand than what I want to share right now." The Queen then sighed. "Still, it's a shame to think my once wise husband has turned into such a fool…" She sighed regretfully again. 'I knew it. He still harbors ill will towards demi-humans after they killed his sister all those years ago… but I never imagined he'd take his need for revenge this far.' She recomposed herself. "How is the Shield Hero holding up?"

"I'm sure the other Shadows have informed you how I set up the Shield Hero's procural of a demi-human girl from a slave trader a while back. I daresay, she has been of greater help to him than I could have hoped. They have been sticking out of sight better than most Shadows, and have managed to avoid capture by the King and the Church thus far."

"And the other Heroes?"

"... It appears that the Sword and Bow Heroes are listening to the Shield Hero, while the Spear is still seduced by your oldest daughter."

"Is that so?" The Queen asked curiously. "Well, besides the part about my daughter, that is a relief. I'm glad the Shield Hero has more support." She brought her fan up to cover the bottom half of her face. "However, news of Melromarc summoning of the Four Cardinal Heroes is making no small impact here. Though it pains me to do so, I must stay and continue to divert part of our forces to make sure we prevent our neighbors from meddling in our affairs and the affairs of the other heroes for now. No matter what."

"Never fear my lady. We'll continue to keep a watchful eye on events in and around the Capital."

"Good. I'm counting on you." The Queen replied.

The mysterious masked lady stayed on the windowsill. "Before I go, there is one last thing you should know, my lady."

"Hmmm?" The Queen hummed curiously.

"The King still holds to his hatred for the Shield Hero, but my observations lead me to believe he is not foolish enough to do anything that'll start a war. His actions have been motivated by his love for you and his family. Yet… I've overheard rumors of the Three Heroes Church preparing to remove the Shield Hero by any means necessary. I fear they will bring us to war with Siltvelt and Shieldfreiden before the coming of the Next Wave of Catastrophe should they do so." She added to her report.

…

…

A troubled look came onto Mirellia's face at first. "I will have to double down to ensure that doesn't happen." However, after saying that, a smirk replaced her worried frown. "But my, Pope Balamus must have more nerve than I gave him credit for." The Queen of Melromarc responded upbeatedly. "If he makes his move soon, I could be allowed to leave this dusty old kingdom to squash a rebellion. A rebellion that has long since been overdue." She did sound genuinely happy. If things worked out, then maybe their troubles could end far sooner.

"Keep watch over the Shield Hero and his companions, Shadow. And help out the Bow and Sword Heroes wherever you can. They must survive if events are to unfold exactly as I want them to in our Kingdom."

"Yes, your Majesty." The masked lady replied. "It will be as you command."

"And Shadow. Thank you for bringing this information to me so quickly." Mirellia added.

"..."

One second she was there, the next second, Shadow disappeared from the window ledge. The Queen, however, continued to stare off at the smokestacks of the kingdom of Faubley out the window. A smile resting on her face.

'Hmmm, I've been waiting a long time for Pope Balamus to make his move… he's always been a little too political for his own good.' She sighed to herself as the maids got down to the finishing touches. 'He has been my last obstacle to trying to establish lasting peace with the demi-humans. Even if Aultcray didn't like it, at least he supported my actions. We have to be united if we want to survive the waves together...'

She thought about it some more.

'Maybe, yes, I'll allow Melty to leave and see her Father. Goodness knows she's been bugging me for quite a while to do so… if only we could travel as fast as my Shadows. Still, if I hire a good carriage, it should shorten her return trip from a month to three weeks. Maybe, hopefully, she'll be able to talk some sense into Aultcray and get him to stop hunting the Shield Hero. And then maybe, just maybe, if things work out, we'll be able to rid Melromarc of the Three Heroes Church. Before they bring about war again with Siltvelt.'

Finally done, she turned around and exited the room.

Till Next Time

Allen