Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari - ch 1 - 37

"Huh?"
I was dropping by the
neighborhood library for a
quick read.
I, Iwatami Naofumi, am a
sophomore[1] from a local
university. I'm quite self-
conscious about being somewhat
more of an otaku compared to
other homo-sapiens[2].
I've embraced countless anime,
games, and other aspects of
otaku culture, but I do take my
studies seriously so that I can
lead a proper life.
Actually, my parents had
swiftly given up on me and
invested their hopes onto my
little brother by sending him
off to attend some famous cram
school.
This brilliant eyesore of a
brother finally snapped one day
and transformed into a
delinquent due to all the
accumulated stress. He bleached
his hair and went full yankee
mode once he arrived home one
fateful day, and thus marked
the start of our family's dark
age.

That was when I, the messiah,
made his debut!

I tenderheartedly welcomed this
ill-humored and tongue-clicking
brother of mine and recommended
him to a famous galge[3].

"Haha!? Would you look at this
mess!"
"Wut, I was fooled, just wait
until I get the hang of this
and you'll see."

I knew it all. All about the
cause of my delinquent
brother's transformation.
On one hand you have me, who
grew up doing whatever the hell
he wanted, while on the other
hand my brother was forced to
study like a mad man.
Therefore, once a slacking-
specialist like me baited him
with a few games, he instantly
became hooked like an addict.
As far as I was concerned, the
world's otaku count had once
again increased by one.
Afterwards, his room turned
into a castle of galge goodies
from the games I recommended.
However, the vexing part was
that once all the steam and
stress vanished from his
system, he graduated from that
certain famous cram school with
ease and headed straight down
the road to becoming one of
society's top dogs.
As a result, thanks to my
heroic achievements, my parents
pampered me to an even greater
degree. I was granted a
fulfilling college life with
the utmost freedom included.
To sum it all up, I am the
useless leech of the Iwatami
household.

Now enough with the rant, I was
dropping by the neighborhood
library for a quick read.
My monthly war chest, funded by
my parents, amounted to 10,000
yen. Such a meager amount
lasted only for a moment when
faced against manga-adaptions-
of-light-novels, eroge[4],
erohon[5], and other great
products from far and wide.[6]
Part-time jobs during the
summer and winter seasons got
me another 50,000 yen worth of
war funds, but when one decided
to partake in the local
festival, this amount of money
would soon disappear.
Yet when my brother desperately
begged as if his life depended
on it, our parents agreed to
provide us with lodging within
the festival's general vicinity
for its entire duration, but
that still wasn't enough...

Well, to maintain one's
livelihood, one has no choice
but to learn how to conserve
one's wallet; which is just
barely enough for tuition and
basic life necessities.
Thus in order to save money,
even though it pains my heart
to do so, I have to read old
books from second-hand
bookstores and the library.
During my free time, I usually
play net games that proved to
be infinitely time-consuming as
I tried to master each one of
them.
I'm the type that likes to play
around with a wide array of
trivial knowledge to begin
with.
Reaching max level in a game
wasn't as interesting and
addictive as hoarding money to
me. Even right now, the
character that I created was
currently vending on the
streets while trying to sell
off rare items.
Hence, the real me with nothing
to do was quite bored.

That's the reason.

The reason behind the incident
that was about to occur.
I was lurking around the
section that dealt with old
fantasy books.
At any rate, when compared to
mankind's history, the fantasy
aspect seems to be quite
outdated. Even the Holy
Scriptures could be considered
as a type of fantasy.

"Four Heavenly Weapon's
Manual?"[7]

For some reason, only this
ancient looking, retro-sounding
book had fallen from the
bookshelves.
Most likely, some random guy
must have quickly shoved this
book onto the shelf and went on
his merry way.
This must have been a sign of
destiny calling.
I sat down on a chair and
started reading the Four
Heavenly Weapon's Manual.

Flip... Flip...[8]

The story began with the
description of a parallel
world.
To summarize, it prophesied the
world's demise.
Sooner or later, waves of
disaster will assault this
world one after another until
it's finally destroyed.
To escape the impending doom,
they have to summon heroes from
other worlds and request their
aid.
... Ok. The plot's a bit
overused, but since this is a
retro-fantasy book, it doesn't
seem to be out of place.
The four summoned Heroes all
possessed their own respective,
unique weapons: Sword, Spear,
Bow, and Shield.
Aiya ~ to begin with, a shield
can't even be considered a
weapon, right? ~
I chuckled sarcastically as I
continued with the story.
The heroes then ventured
separately, in order to gain
power in preparation against
the waves of disaster.

"Fuwaaa[9]"

Crap, I'm getting sleepy.
A regal urge to sleep swept
through my body. Even though
this book is ancient, there has
been no cute heroine appearing
at all.
Although, even if a princess
were to appear, she would
undoubtedly smell like an
irritating slut in heat with a
harem involving the four
heroes.
Enough with the princess, let's
take a glance at the heroes'
characteristics, onto the first
one.

The Sword Hero probably had
overwhelming combat strength,
while the Spear Hero was
probably the considerate type
of guy.
I wondered if the Bow Hero
would be able to get rid of a
horrible dictator like Robin
Hood did.
Huh? The story was shifting
towards the Shield Hero.

"A-re?"[10]

As I flipped to the next page,
I instinctively let out a
voice.
The page concerning the Shield
Hero that spread out in front
of me was white.
No matter which angle or
direction I looked at the page,
it was pure white through and
through.

"What the heck?"

Right when those words left my
mouth, my consciousness drifted
away.
Never in my wildest dreams
would I have ever thought that
I would awaken in a parallel
world.
Hero Introduction[edit]

"Oooh..."
A voice full of admiration
brought me back to my senses.
As I settled down, what filled
my view was a bunch of men
wearing robes, looking in my
direction with dumbfounded
expressions.

"What?"

Following the robed men's line
of sight, I found three others
who also seemed to have trouble
grasping the situation.
I inclined my head as I
thought: What on earth
happened?
A while ago I was in the
neighborhood library... where
was I now?

I restlessly checked my
surroundings, and all that I
found were brick walls in every
direction.
So this place was made out of
bricks? I didn't recall seeing
anything like this place
before. It certainly couldn't
be the library.
Below me, there was an altar
and various geometric patterns
that were painted with
fluorescent paint.
They resembled what magic
circles or alchemic formulas
may look like in a fantasy
setting. It was that sort of
vibe which they gave off.
And on top of the altar stood
the four of us.


Why do I have a shield attached
to me?

That's the gist of it... but,
why do I have a shield attached
to me?
The shield fit perfectly and
was strangely light. Not
knowing why it was stuck to me,
I tried to remove the shield by
slamming it against the floor
with all my might, but it
refused to dislodge from my
arm.

"Where is this place?"

The guy with the sword gave
into his anxiety and asked one
of the robed men.

"Ooh, Please brave heroes!
Please somehow save this
world!"
""""WHAT!?"""""

All of us said unanimously.

"What did you mean by that?"

What was with this cliché line?
I felt as though I may have
read it in a web novel before.

"To put it simply, due to
various circumstances, we were
able to summon you brave Heroes
through an ancient spell."[11]
"Summoned."

Mhmm. That's the word. The
chance of a shocking revelation
for this situation was oddly
high. But for now, we'll keep
listening to their story to see
what it has to offer.

"This world is currently facing
a global state of crisis. Brave
Ones, please lend us your
might."

The robed man bowed deeply to
us while saying so.

"Well... This is a bit
sudden--"

"What a pain."
"Is that so?"
"Can I just go back to my old
world? I already heard this
kind of story before."

While I was engrossed with
their story, the other three
interrupted me midway.

Wait?

Did they just immediately give
an answer to this desperate guy
who's bowing so low as if
giving the ground a mooch?
They jumped the gun after only
hearing the intro of this
story.
The other three were all
glaring intensely at me now
while I was pondering in
silence.

... I gave them a half smile.
The tension in the room was
rising to a delicate level as
time passed.

Aren't you jerks actually
happy?
Well isn't this a cherished,
world-leaping dream come true
here...
Your attitudes are pretty
cliché, huh? But dudes, this is
the part where you need to hear
them out.[12]

"Aren't you people guilty over
summoning us without our
consent?"

The guy with the sword, who
looked like a high school
student, pointed his sword at
the robed men.

"For instance, we won't just
fight for world peace and then
return to our old world empty
handed, right?"

The guy with the bow scowled at
the robed men's direction.

"You guys don't seem to take
much consideration into our own
plans, do you? Depending on
what you have to offer, we
might end up becoming this
world's enemy instead, got it?"

So that's what was up. They
were demanding tribute after
confirming their social
standings.
These guys are quite macho, I
felt like I've lost in a very
meaningful department.[13]

"Well first, I'd like you all
to have an audience with the
king. We can discuss your
reward then."

The representative of the robed
men opened the heavy looking
door to guide us through.

"...Guess it can't be helped."
"Right."
"Duh, the guy we'll be meeting
changes, but I bet the story's
still the same."
The macho bunch arrived at
their own conclusions before
following. I hastily trailed
behind them.
We left the dark room and
passed through a corridor made
out of stone.

...I wonder why? Was it due to
my limited vocabulary that the
atmosphere here could only be
described as 'delicious'?

Our breathes were taken away as
we took a peek at the scene
outside of the window.
Spanning off into the horizon,
a town much like one from
Medieval Europe could be seen.
All too mesmerized by the
townscape laid before us, we
walked down the corridor and
reached the audience chamber in
no time flat.

"Hou[14], are these fellows the
Ancient Heroes?"

On the throne in the audience
chamber sat a prideful grandpa
who began evaluating us when we
arrived.
For some reason, I didn’t get a
good impression of him...
I personally do not fancy the
act of licking other person's
boots.[15]

"I am the king of this country,
Aultcray. The thirty-second
ruler of Melromarc. Brave ones,
please raise your heads."

I wasn't even looking down!
Damn, I felt like punching this
bastard, but I'll refrain from
doing so for now.
He speaks as if he was
superior, but I guess it
couldn't be helped since he was
a king and all.

"Now then, let me explain our
situation. This country, and
moreover, this whole world is
facing its demise."

To summarize the king's story.
Currently, there is a prophesy
predicting the world’s end.
This world will be assaulted by
waves of calamity which will
one day turn everything to
ruin. To save the world, these
waves must be repelled before
they can be dispersed.
This era marks the prophesied
year.
There exists a giant, ancient
hourglass which continues to
drip down ceaselessly. It has
the ability to forecast when
the waves will arrive and it
began its warning a month ago.
According to the legends, each
wave will come in roughly one
month intervals.
Initially, the residents of
this country were not too
concerned over the prophecy.
However, as prophesized, when
the hourglass had completed its
first turn, a wave of disaster
occurred.
A dimension crack appeared in
this country, Melromarc, where
hideous and brutal demons crept
out in large quantities.
Other adventurers and knights
barely managed to repel them.
However, the next incoming wave
would be even more powerful.
It seemed like the worst case
scenario was about to occur.
At this rate, the disaster
won't be repelled.
That was the basic outline of
their situation.
By the way, it looked like our
legendary armaments had the
ability to translate languages
for us.

"I understand your dilemma. But
who gave you the right to
summon us into doing manual
labor for free?"
"That is one hell of a
convenient story."
"... Even if that is the case,
and this isn't me being selfish
or anything, but if this world
is going into ruin then let it
be destroyed. This matter
doesn't even concern us."

The person in front of me
laughed loudly. Aren't you also
secretly jumping for joy inside
that heart of yours, dude?
Well, I guess I'll take
advantage of this situation
too.

"Certainly, we have no
obligation to help you. In the
end it'll just be fruitless
labor for us. And once peace
comes, you guys will just go
'sayonara'[16] as if nothing
happened. So to prevent such a
sad outcome from occurring, I'd
like to hear some form of
insurance from you. Surely you
have something to present us,
right?"
"Fumu..."[17]

The king sent his vassal a
glance.

"Of course, we planned on
rewarding the Brave Ones fully
for their efforts."

Including me, the Heroes made a
guts pose[18] with a clenched
fist.
Jackpot! First phase of
negotiations complete.

"I had already made
arrangements to aid your cause
with money. And surely, since
the Brave Heroes will be
protecting our world, I have
already prepared a fitting
place for you Brave Ones to
rest."
"Eh~ ... Those are all well and
good promises then."
"Don't think that we can be
tamed with only this much
though. You'll have to continue
giving your cooperation if you
don't want us to turn rogue."
"... That's right."
"Righto~"

What was wrong with these guys?
Always looking down on people.
The immediate threat right now
was us becoming the kingdom's
enemy.
Well, we need to stay on top of
things or else all our efforts
will be in vain, with nothing
but empty pockets to show for
it.

"Well then, Heroes. Let us hear
each of your names."

Hold on a sec. Wasn't this just
like the book, the "Four
Heavenly Weapon's Manual," that
I read awhile ago?
We have the sword, spear, bow,
and shield.

Coincidentally, we were also
called Heroes. So doesn't that
mean we got sucked inside the
book's world?
The Sword Hero stepped forward
and began his self
introduction.

"My name is Amaki Ren. Age 16,
a high schooler."

Hero of the Sword, Amaki Ren.
First impressions: a bishounen
[19] high school student would
best describe him.
He seemed to have taken great
care of his facial features.
Although he was a bit short,
only about 165cm.
If this guy cross-dressed, no
one would ever doubt that he
was a girl. A perfect trap[20].
His short-cut hair was a light
brown color.
Long, slated eyes and white
skin, he somehow gave off a
cool vibe.
He looked like a slender
swordsman.

"Okay, next up will be yours
truly. My name's Kitamura
Motoyasu. 21 this year, a
university student."

Hero of the Spear, Kitamura
Motoyasu. First impressions: he
looked like the carefree type
yet gave off the vibe of a real
man.
I've lost. His face was too
refined even for a handsome
guy. At least one or two
girlfriends, that was his image
as an experienced playboy.
He was sporting a ponytail: a
hairstyle that didn't match a
male, yet somehow it didn't
look out of place for him.
He had a caring older brother
kind of feel.

"It's my turn next. My name is
Kawasumi Itsuki. 17 right now,
another high school student."

Hero of the Bow, Kawasumi
Itsuki. First impressions: a
timid boy who enjoyed piano
lessons.
He seemed to lead a fleeting
life yet also possessed a
reliable, tenacious strength.
His aura was quite vague and
mysterious.
A few curly hair strands made
him look like he had a wavy
perm hairstyle.
He gave off the feeling of a
docile younger brother.
Everyone looked Japanese. It
was quite surprising with the
whole foreign setting.
Whoops, it was my turn already.

"And lastly, I'm Iwatani
Naofumi. Age 20, university
student."

The king casually looked past
me.
A weird feeling shot through my
spine.

"Fumu. Ren, Motoyasu, and
Itsuki, huh?"
"My liege, you forgot about
me."
"Oh sorry, Naofumi-dono."[21]

Seriously, this old man had
some short-term memory issues.
That was just... Somehow, I was
feeling out of place here;
please don't forget about me at
least.

"Now then, everyone please
confirm your own status. As a
matter of fact, I would like
you all to visually check for
yourselves."
"Eh?"

Just what is this 'Status'!?

"Etto[22], how do I go about
seeing this?"

Itsuki timidly asked for the
king's guidance.
Well duh, you don't just go
around throwing the word
'Status' without a proper
explanation!

"The hell, man. You guys didn't
even notice that much after
coming to this world?"

Ren was utterly shocked by his
colleagues' ignorance.
How should I know! It was like,
what exactly was there for me
to notice, your face?

"Well whatever, do you see that
icon in the corner of your
vision?"
"Eh?"

When he said that, I noticed a
weird, dim icon along the edge
of my vision.

"Focus your mind on it and
you'll see."

Pikon~ And as it light lit up
silently, a browser with bigger
icons similar to a PC's popped
into my view.

Iwatani Naofumi

Occupation: Hero of the Shield
Level 1

Equipment: Small Shield
(Legendary Armament), Parallel
World's Clothes

Skill: None

Magic: None

There was a bunch of other data
but let's omit that part.
So this was the 'Status'.
But what the hell was this! It
was strangely like a game.

"Level 1 huh... this doesn't
look very reassuring."
"Right, I don't even know if
it's possible to fight like
this."
"That's exactly what I meant."
"Tools like these don't exist
in the Brave Ones' world? This
Status magic can be used by
everyone in this world, helping
to improve ourselves."
"Is that so?"

Your real body's prowess was
represented by numerical values
and could be naturally raised
through these numbers. This was
quite surprising.

"So then, what should we do
now? Our current values seem
rather troubling."
"Fumu. From now on, you Brave
Heroes will need to venture
forth so that you may hone and
strengthen both yourselves as
well as your legendary
armaments."
"Strengthen? Does that mean
that our starting equipment
isn't strong enough?"
"Yes, the legendary weapon of
each summoned Hero has their
own special method of
enchantment. By doing so they
can become very powerful."
"Legend this, legend that. It's
fine not to change weapons as
long as it can function
properly as a weapon, no?"

Motoyasu whirled his spear
around while commenting.
That was indeed correct. But
mine was a shield. It wasn't
even a weapon and was something
that needed to be upgraded
regularly.

"That doesn't matter right now,
so we can leave it for later.
More importantly, what we need
is to improve our own
abilities, right?"

This was a moefic[23] situation
where Heroes from parallel
worlds were summoned.
Like a springtime of youth
where one's reckless emotions
swelled up from deep inside.
The number one dream filled
with exciting adventures that
will never cease.
Focusing on their weapons was
usually the case for everyone
that was involved in such a
situation.

"So are we going to form a
party with the four of us?"
"Brave Heroes, please hold for
a moment."
"Huh?"

Even though we were advised to
set out right away.

"Each of you Brave Heroes will
need to recruit your own
companions and begin your
adventures separately."
"And the reason for that is?"
"Yes. According to legend, it's
said that the legendary
armaments will reject one
another should you Brave Heroes
band together, interfering with
the growth of both the owners
and the weapons."
"I don't really get it, but if
we act together, we can't
increase our power?"
Huh? Wasn't it suppose to be
something along the lines of:
'If we group the legendary
weapons together, they will
help each other?'
Everyone shared a glance with
one another.
Attention. If those who possess
the legendary weapons worked
together on a united front, a
repulsing reaction will occur.
Therefore, let us move
individually as much as
possible.

"That really does seem to be
the case..."

Just what was up with this
game-ish explanation?
It seemed like I have entered a
completely game-like world.
The instructions for this
weapon were conveniently lined
up for me and were described in
great detail. However, I don't
have the time to read
everything right now.

"Between improving ourselves
and recruiting comrades. I
wonder which should be done
first?"

"Allow me to prepare your
comrades. At any rate, the sun
is already beginning to set.
Brave Ones, please take your
time and rest for the day. You
may depart for your journey
tomorrow. During that time I
shall make arrangements and
scout for talented individuals
who can accompany you on your
destiny."
"Thank you very much."
"Thank you."[24]

After saying our thanks, we
rest in the rooms that were
prepared by the king for the
day
Heroes' Discussion[edit]

Sitting on the luxurious beds
inside the guest room, everyone
was staring intensely at their
own weapon as they went over
its description.
The sun outside the window had
already set before I even
noticed.
That was how focused everyone
was at reading the
descriptions.

Etto, unlike regular weapons,
the legendary weapons didn't
require routine maintenance.
Based on the owner's level, the
weapon will be able to absorb
different raw materials; the
Weapon Manual will also fill up
as we defeat monsters.
At a glance, it seemed to
contain a variety of branches
[25] which the weapon could
change into.
I clicked on my Weapon Icon
which opened up the Weapon
Manual.

Tada---------------------------
-----!

Tons of picture icons popped up
and spanned onwards, even
beyond the menu window in front
of me.
I didn't have the ability to
change into any of these
shields right now, but they
were all described in detail.
Incredible...

Fumu fumu, it seemed that some
arms could only be unsealed by
evolving its predecessor first.
This type of setup; wasn't this
similar to the skill trees
utilized in online games?
Learning new skills was like
evolving the weapon, as both
were necessary to unlock your
true potential...

Seriously, this was just like a
video game.

"Yo, doesn't this all seem
pretty game-like?"

Might as well request some aid
from my other colleagues.
However, my question was only
met with silence.

"Seriously dude, isn't this an
actual game? I've known some
which are like this."

Motoyasu proudly boasted.

"Eh?"
"Are you saying that you don't
even know about this famous
online game?"
"Well no, but was there a game
that even a splendid otaku such
as myself didn't know of?"
"So you scrubs really don't
know? This is Emerald Online,
man."
"What's that? Never even heard
of that one."
"Just how ignorant can you guys
be? It's such a famous title
too."
"Of course I know games like
Odin Online and Fantasy Moon
Online, aren't these pretty
popular too?!"
"What are those? This is the
first time I've heard of them."
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"If I may interject, everyone.
This world isn't a net game,
but more like a console game!"
"That's wrong, bro. This is a
VRMMO, right?"
"Hah? Well for instance, isn't
this world similar to games
where you click and use a
controller to operate?"
Confused, Motoyasu tilted his
head with a dumbfounded
expression during our
conversation.
"Click? Controller? What kind
of retro games are you
referring to? Don't people
usually mean VRMMO when they
say 'net game' these days?"
"VRMMO? As in Virtual Reality
MMO? What kind of sci-fi[26]
world setting are you trying to
create? Are you daydreaming
here?"
"HUH!?"

A loud sound of disagreement
was released.

Come to think of it, this Ren
guy was the first to notice our
"Status" magic.
He gave off the impression of
someone who was accustomed to
this.
"Well then... gentlemen, I'd
like to ask each of you to name
a game from your world which
bears the closest resemblance
to this one."
Itsuki requested with his hand
slightly raised.

"Brave Star Online."
"Emerald Online."
"None. I mean, this is simply a
game-like type of world,
right?"

I could understand that this
place felt game-ish. But
seriously dudes, you guys
thought that I couldn't even
tell the difference between a
game and reality?

"Ah. As for myself, this world
is like a console game called
Dimension Wave."

A game title which no one else
knew of yet again.

"Hold on for a minute, let's
reorganize our information."

Motoyasu said while putting a
hand on his forehead as he
tried to calm us down.

"Hey. Tell me what you know
about the situation with VRMMO,
will you?"
"It's common where I live."
"Itsuki, Naofumi. What about
you guys?"
"If I recall correctly, it only
exists in Sci-fi."
"I remember reading about it in
a light novel before."
"Is that so. I suppose I did
get that vibe off of you. Then
back to you, Ren, what's this
Brave Star Online? Is it a
VRMMO?"
"Yeah that's right, VRMMOs are
ones like Brave Star Online. It
has a world system very similar
to this world's setup."

Just for reference, VRMMO
involved a technology where
one's brain waves were analyzed
and deconstructed into data,
which allows that person to
dive into another world
produced by a computer. That
was my understanding of it more
or less.

"If that's true then, does that
mean the world that you two
came from only has retro games
like the ones you both
mentioned earlier?"[27]

He said with his head
inclined.[28]

"Reviewing what I know about
gaming history, those type of
computer games clearly did
exist at one point. But for
some reason I don't recognize
any of those supposedly famous
titles which you guys
mentioned."

Motoyasu and I both nodded.
Without question, not knowing a
popular online game was
certainly strange.
And while there was a chance
that our preferences were
simply too different, it was
blatantly impossible not
recognize a single renowned
title between all of us.

"Let's try asking a common
question. What's the name of
the current Prime Minister?"
"Hai hai." [29]

Everyone nodded.

"Let's say it together."

Gukurin...[30]

"Yuda Masato."
"Yawahara Tsuyoshi Tarou." [31]
"Odaka Enichi."
"Itsufuji Shigeya." [32]

""""...""""

These were Prime Ministers I
had never even heard of before.
It's not the kind of mistake I
would ever make in a history
class test.
After that we asked about
famous internet slang, net
pages, and more online games.
And thus, we arrived at the
same conclusion of not knowing
anyone else's information.

"Apparently, it seems that we
all came from different
Japans."
"Looks that way. You guys
definitely didn't come from the
same Japan as me."
"This means there's another
Japan for each distinctive
world."
"There's a high chance that
each of them belong in a
separate era too, since they
don't match each other at all."

This was an explicit gathering
of four weird individuals.
But even so, we all came to an
understanding that everyone
here was an otaku. So there was
no need to panic.

"Based on this pattern, I think
everyone has a different reason
for being here."
"Idle conversation isn't one of
my hobbies, but I guess it's
necessary for us to obtain
information."

Ren awkwardly scratched his
nose; though I was totally cool
when people revealed their
insecurities.

"I was walking back home from
school, when I unfortunately
encountered a troubling murder
incident."
"Fumu fumu."
"I tried helping my childhood
friend who was with me at the
time, and somehow I managed to
capture the killer, but that's
as far as I can remember."

... Ren explained his
circumstances while rubbing at
his side the whole time.
Saving your childhood friend;
what kind of hero were you
trying to make yourself out to
be? I had a strong urge to play
the straight man but showed
some restraint for now.
Look man, capturing the perp
was good and all, but if you
got your sides stabbed at the
end then what good does that
do?
Such a false display of
chivalry here; this fellow Hero
needs to be placed in the
untrustworthy category. Though
I'll let it slide this time.

"I was already in this World
before I even felt a thing."
"I see, a heroic situation[33]
where you save your childhood
friend."

I coolly[34] feigned while
complimenting him with a
chuckle. I've already heard
enough, bro.

"Then I'll go next."

Motoyasu pointed at himself and
began to speak.

"For me, it was because I had
too many girlfriends[35]."
"Yeah yeah, that totally was
the case."

This guy seemed like the
annoying onii-san[36] type who
gave off a booty-chasing image
[37].

"And after doing a bit of this
and that..."
"Did you get stabbed for two-
timing or three-timing?"

That idiot Ren asked with a
straight face.
Motoyasu's eyes blinked with
surprise before he gave a small
nod.

"Man... Girls are really scary,
aren't they?"
"GOD DAMN IT![38]"

I was overcome with anger and
shoved my middle finger into
his face.
Die, asshole. I mean, were you
summoned into this world
because that's how you died?
Otto[39]. Itsuki had a hand on
his chest and was already
beginning his confession.[40]

"I guess it's my turn now. When
I was crossing the street on my
way home from cram school... a
dump truck took a sharp corner
turn. And afterwards..."
"""..."""

In all likelihood he was run
over... that was one hell of a
pitiful ending.
Eh?
Wait a second, these stories
didn't seem to mesh well with
mine?

"Um... Do I absolutely have to
recount my story on what
happened before I came to this
world?"
"Well duh, we already told you
ours."
"I suppose so. Sorry to say,
guys. But as far as I remember,
all I was doing was reading a
suspicious book inside the
library."

"""..."""

Everyone's gaze felt so cold.
What? We couldn't be friends
just because I came into this
world without a tragic ending?
The three of them began to
secretly whisper amongst each
other while leaving me out of
the loop.

"But... that person... has the
shield..."
"Right... same as our place?"
"Oh..."

Why did I feel like I was being
treated like a fool?
Let's try changing the topic.

"Well guys, how would you rate
this world now that we know the
rules and how its system
works?"
"So-so."
"It's not that bad."
"It's nice in its own way."

I see how it is... I was being
treated like a total noob[41]
here!
That was mean.

"Hey, hey. Can't you guys teach
me how to fight and stuff?
Since my world didn't have this
kind of game after all."

How can you guys be so cold-
hearted? Motoyasu and Itsuki
were staring at me with awfully
charitable eyes.

"Alright, Motoyasu onii-san[42]
here will teach you the very
basics at least."

Motoyasu raised his hands up to
his putrid phony face.

"So first, according to my
knowledge from Emerald Online,
Shield... [43] people who use
shields[44] as their main
weapon are usually..."
"Yeah?"[45]
"First of all, you have high
defense. Secondly, even though
your defense is high, if you
keep on taking damage like an
idiot, you'll die."
"Okay..."
"So your loser class will never
be able to reach a high level."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
[46]

I didn't want to hear that
part!
What kind of death flag[47] was
this?! I was stuck with a
deadbeat occupation right off
the bat. OI! [48]

"Update! Shouldn't there be a
patch update?!"[49]

There was a thing called job
balancing[50], right?!

"Nope, it's a totally pitiful
class when pitted against
Bosses and even common mobs.
That's why they just leave it
alone. And also, there was that
class-abolishing decision..."
"Aren't there job upgrades?!"
"Perhaps that only happens when
you die?"
"Then how about a job change
option?!"
"You can't change to another
class skill tree anyways,
right?"

GEH!? [51] If all of this was
true then I was stuck with this
backbreaking occupation and
somehow had to make do?
I glared at my shield as I
thought.
Hey you, why do you have such a
bleak, chocolate-colored
future?[52]

"How about with you guys?"

I look imploringly into Ren's
and Itsuki's eyes.[53]
Both of them casually averted
their eyes.

"Sorry..."
"Same here..."

EK! Did this mean that I was
condemned to be a failure?
The three of them were giving
me side glances while they
talked about each of their
respective games.

"So how's the geography?"
"The names are different but
hardly anything else. It's very
likely that the performance and
distribution of demons are the
same here too."
"Our weapon hunting locations
are roughly the same, but let's
not hunt at the same place as
each other."
"True enough, we need to take
efficiency into consideration
as well."

Why was it always them? Why
didn't I also awaken with a hex
ability? That was what I had
been brooding over.
... That's right.
If I was weak, then couldn't I
just find companions to rely
on?
How come I hadn't thought of
this sooner?
Even if I'm no good, I can
still grow stronger by joining
a party.

"Fufu... It's all good. This is
a special parallel world. So
even if I'm weak, I'll be able
to manage somehow."

The three of them looked at me
as if I was a pitiful
existence. But fear not, I
won't be defeated by you guys.
To begin with, my equipment was
only a type of armor so it was
different from a game. I could
just focus on strengthening
another weapon and ignore this
shield's special growth.

"YAY! I'll work hard at it!"

I shouted to invigorate myself.

"Brave Heroes, your meals have
been prepared."

Oh? Apparently we'll be eating
dinner now.

"Hai hai"[54]

Everyone stepped out of the
door, the guide then lead
everyone to the knight's dining
room.
The castle's banquet hall was
like a scene from a fantasy
movie.
A complete feast filled the
table in a buffet-like fashion.

"Everyone, please go ahead and
eat whatever you desire."
"What the? Are we eating the
same stuff that your knights
eat?"

A small grumble was heard,
whoever said that sure was rude
as hell.
"Of course not."

The guide shook his head.
Eh?

"This cuisine was specially
prepared for the Brave Heroes
and will be divided once you
have eaten."

I looked around as he said so.
I noticed that the noisy bunch
of people were actually cooks.
I see, so there was also a
ranking order when it comes to
meals.
Eating here was a form of
initiation, meant to introduce
us to the knights.

"Thank you, let's dig in."
"Umm."
"I suppose."

And thus, we thoroughly enjoyed
this parallel world's cuisine.
The smell and taste was a bit
odd, but there was nothing that
couldn't be eaten.
Well, the food had a unique
kind of twist to them, like an
omelet type food which tasted
like an orange.
After finishing our meal, we
headed back to our room for
some rest.

"Do they have baths here?"
"This place is pretty
medieval-ish... So I guess the
chance of it being an open air
bath is fairly high."
"Personally, I don't think they
have any."
"Well it's only our first day
right now."
"I suppose. Time to hit the
sack. We'll begin our journey
tomorrow, so let's give it our
best."

Everyone nodded at Motoyasu's
words and went to bed.
My epic adventure will start
tomorrow!
The other three and I went to
bed, awaiting impatiently for
the next day to arrive.



Specially Arranged Gold[edit]

The next morning.
After breakfast, we were
impatiently called upon by the
king.
As expected, there wasn't much
noise this early in the
morning; it should be around 10
AM based on the position of the
sun... We received the summons
just as I was thinking that.
We quickened our steps, our
chests filled with excitement
while we made our way towards
the audience chamber.

“The honored Heroes have
arrived.”

The audience chamber doors
swung open, and inside were
twelve people clad in various
styles of adventurer outfits.
There were also those dressed
in knight-like garb.
Hoh... The king's influence
sure is amazing.
We bowed down to the king and
listened to what he had to say.

“As promised yesterday, I have
recruited companions who will
accompany you on your journey.
Apparently, everyone gathered
has already decided which hero
they wish to follow.”

Each of us should be getting
three people if we divided them
up evenly.

“Now then, future champions
[55]. Please set forth with the
Hero to whom you shall swear
your allegiance to.”

Eh? We didn’t get to choose?
It was a surprising
development.
Oh well, if I think about it,
this parallel world’s
government would be more likely
to place its citizens' wishes
above some unknown person’s who
came from another world.
We were lined up in a
sequential order.
Our future allies then walked
over and gathered in front of
each of us.
Ren, 5 people
Motoyasu, 4 people
Itsuki, 3 people
Me, 0 Homo Sapiens

“OU-SAMA[56], PLEASE WAIT A
MOMENT!”

What the hell! Isn't this
clearly simple harassment?
Cold sweat ran down the king's
face as I voiced my complaint.

“We-well. Dear me, I would
never have thought such a
situation could occur.”
“There's quite a difference in
charisma amongst them.”

The minister painted his whole
face with amazement.
A robed man then began to
secretly whisper into the
king’s ear.

“Fumu, did such a rumor
spread..?”
“Did something happen?”

Motoyasu put up a sympathetic
face and asked.
Like I thought, this reeked of
extreme prejudice.
What the hell, this was like
being the only kid left out
when children were forming
sport teams in elementary
school. [57]
I wanted to ignore this feeling
which existed even in a
parallel world too.

“Fumu. To be honest... there
seems to be a rumor spreading
around the castle about you
Heroes, or more specifically
the Shield Hero.”
“Hah!?”[58]

"According to the legends,
Heroes that come to this world
must meet a certain condition.
It appears that you alone
didn't fulfill this condition,
such is the rumor.”

Motoyasu poked me with his
elbow.

“Did someone eavesdrop on our
chat yesterday?”

Is it because I didn't know
about the games? Was that the
reason why everyone was
repulsed by me?
I mean, what’s wrong with these
legends?
Even though I’m unfamiliar with
them, I’m still the Shield
Hero, you know!
I might have a loser's weapon
according to the other heroes,
but that doesn't mean I'm
playing around, okay!

“Hey, Ren! Give me someone
since you have five people.”

The female adventurers,
including one man, shrank
behind Ren and looked at me
like frightened lambs.
For some reason, Ren was
roughly scratching his head
before he shook it.

“I hate being tagged along by
others. Anyone who doesn't have
the resolve to follow me,
please leave.”

And even after saying such a
heartless statement, absolutely
no one showed any signs of
moving away from him.

“Motoyasu, my friend! Don’t you
think that this is too cruel?”
“Well...”

By the way, there seemed to be
an oddly high ratio of women in
here.
This smelled like a Harem
declaration of war.

“This is such a shit load of
bias.”

And why were Motoyasu's
companions all women? This guy
seemed to be a chick magnet
wherever he went.
Itsuki also wore a worried
face, which revealed his
reluctance of parting with any
of his beloved companions.

“I guess you've got your fair
share of 3 people... so it’s
not good to take someone by
force.”

Itsuki nodded his head, at a
loss for words.

“So then, do I really have to
depart alone?!”

It’s a shield, yo! A loser’s
weapon according to the
theories, yo! [59]
Just watch me grow stronger
even without comrades!

“Ah, Yuusha-sama[60], I'd like
to accompany the Shield Hero
instead.”

One of Motoyasu's former female
companions raised her hand and
expressed her candidacy as my
ally.

“Oh? Really?”
“Yes.”

A lovely girl with semi-long
crimson hair.
Her face is pretty cute, isn't
it? She has youthful facial
features, yet she's slightly
shorter than me.

“Is there anyone else that
wishes to fall under Naofumi-
dono’s protection?”

At this scene... no one showed
any sign of moving.
The king let out a grieving
sigh.

“So, there is no one else.
Unfortunately Naofumi-dono, it
appears you will need to scout
for additional talent yourself.
But fret not, for I shall be
giving you a bonus on your
monthly war fund which will
soon be distributed.”
“Ye,yes!”

A wise decision.
Since I’m the one with the
least amount of allies, I'll be
the one with the largest
financial budget.

“Now then, here are your
monthly war funds. Brave
Heroes, please use this with a
clear goal in mind.”

Four pouches full of money were
distributed to us. And a
slightly larger moneybag was
handed over to me.
I heard heavy chinking sounds
coming from inside.

“Naofumi-dono will receive 800
silver coins, while the others
will receive 600 each. Please
use this money to buy equipment
for yourselves.”
“ ” ” ”WOAH!” ” ” ”

Every one of us each gave a
salute, and thus the king's
audience was concluded.
Afterwards, our self
introductions began.

“Errr Shield Hero, Mein Sophia
is my name. Let us work
together from now on.”


Mein Sophia is my name.
“Yo, Yoroshiku.”[61]

Mein is such a splendid person
for talking to me without a
hint of bias.
But after that unsightly
incident from earlier, it’s
kind of awkward to start a
conversation. On the bright
side, however, such a caring
girl is now my ally.
I have to treasure this
companion of mine. Therefore, I
won't lose to the other heroes
by upgrading my legendary
weapon.

“Let’s go then, Mein,-san.”
[62]
“Okay~”

Mein vigorously nodded and
followed behind me.

Crossing the bridge connecting
the castle to the town, a
splendid city laid before me.
Even though I caught a curious
glimpse of it yesterday, seeing
it up close made me realize the
vivid charm of this parallel
world.
The streets were paved with
stones and there were signs
hanging on the buildings.
The place was shrouded with the
savory fragrance of food. I was
truly moved, both deeply and
emotionally.

“What should we do now?”
“First, we should go to some
Item Shops, and probably a
Weapon Shop in order to gear
ourselves up. This will consume
most of our funds.”

Right, the first order of
business should be me, who only
has a shield, to acquire a
weapon.
Without one, it'll be difficult
for me to fight monsters and
catch up with those guys.
After all, they have actual
weapons that can evolve.
In order to get a head start
[63], we definitely need to
resolve this problem quickly.

“Alright. I know of a good
shop, so allow me be your
guide.”
“Are you really okay with
that?”
“Most certainly.”

Mein was skipping about as she
led me to the Weapon Shop.
After 10 minutes of walking
from the castle, Mein stopped
in front of a conspicuous store
with an oversized sword printed
on its sign.

“Here is my recommendation.”
“Oh...”

Stepping through the door, one
could see weapons hanging from
the walls, exactly as one would
imagine when mentioning a
Weapon Shop.
There were also other
necessities for adventuring,
such as complete suits of
armor.

“Welcome!”

The shop owner cheerfully
greeted as I entered the shop.
He was just like I had
imagined, someone ultra buff
who stood behind the weapon
store counter. It would have
been rather revolting if the
owner was a flappy fatty.
This really is a parallel
world.

“Heh... so this is a weapon
shop...”
“Oh, a first time customer. It
seems that you came in without
knowing what you're looking
for.”
“Yeah, I was introduced to this
shop by her.”

I said while pointing at Mein.
She raised her hand and waved
back lightly.

“Thanks a lot, Meinu-chan.”[64]
“No problem~ It's simply that
Oyaji’s[65] shop is famous
around here.”
“Oh ma'am, you’re flattering
me. But isn't the outfit of
your boyfriend over there a bit
weird?”

Right, my current clothes are:
"Parallel World's Clothing."
Can’t you see that this is a
classy attire, weird dude?

“Oyaji thinks so too?”
“So that means you’re a Hero!?
Wow!”

Oyaji took a long, hard look at
me.

“He doesn't seem to be very
reliable...”

So snide.

“How straightforward.”

Before he even said that, I
already knew I was unreliable
right now. That’s why I wanted
to become stronger.

“You need better equipment.”
“I suppose...”

Hahaha... It’s not the
personality but the appearance.

“Are you... that misfit?”

Piki, [66]
I felt like my cheeks were
cramping.
Rumors about me seemed to be
traveling unexpectedly fast.
Well whatever. Only losers
would care.

“My name is Iwatani Naofumi,
the Hero of the Shield. I'll be
troubling you from this point
onward, so please take care of
me."

I gave my introduction to Oyaji
just in case.

“So, Naofumi. It’s good to hear
that I'll have your patronage
from now on. Best regards!”

Again, he sure is an energetic
one.

“Well, Oyaji. Do you have any
good equipment?"

Mein leered at Oyaji as she
asked. [67]

“Right... How much do you have
to spend?”
“Let me see...”

Mein began appraising me.

“Around the range of 250 Silver
Coins.”

We had 800 Silver Coins yet
we'll only be using 250... I
guess she considered the value
of hiring our future comrades.

“Oh? If that’s what you’re
looking for, then how about
this here?”

Oyaji left the counter, picked
up some of the weapons on
display, and came back.

“So lad.[68] which one of these
do you want?”
“Umm, I have no idea which is
good.”
“I would suggest swords since
they're good for beginners."

I looked at the swords aligned
on the counter.

“These are my new
recommendations since they all
have blood-clean coating.”
“Blood-clean?”
“It’s a coating which prevents
dullness due to gore.”
“Heh...”

I remembered that back in the
old world, I once heard that if
a knife was used to butcher
meat, its sharpness will fade
over time .
In other words, the edges of
these swords will never dull.
I guess it’s like a “Sharp
Sword”.[69]

“From the left we have: Iron,
Magic Iron, Magic Steel, and
finally Silver. Each of their
performance is guaranteed to be
top notched.”

Does the material used affect
its durability?
These weapons seem to belong in
the ore based category.

“There are better weapons
around here, but these are the
ones which fit your budget of
250 Silver Coins.”

I see.
Console games usually don't
have better equipment in the
first town. Despite that fact,
this place has quite a good
line-up.
This world once again resembled
an online game. Usually, big
countries had better stocks of
weapons, this seemed to be the
case for this parallel world
too.

“Iron Sword, huh..?”

I slowly grasped the sword’s
handle.
Ah, it truly was heavy.
I hadn’t thought about the
weight since my shield was
extremely light. But weapons
seemed to be considerably
heavy, huh?
So I'll be using this to defeat
the monsters...
BACHIN!*[70]

“Ouch!”

A sudden, intense surge of
electricity repelled the Iron
Sword in my hand and sent it
flying.

“Oh?”

Oyaji and Mein were staring
alternately between me and the
sword with mystified looks.

“What the..?”

I picked up the fallen sword.
No sign of that strange thing
happening.
What was all that about?
My previous thoughts returned
as I recalled them.
BACHI!*

“Ouchie!”

I glared at Oyaji, thinking he
was playing a trick on me. Yet
he shook his head repeatedly.
It shouldn't be Mein, but I
turned toward her anyways.

“Did you see how it was
suddenly repelled?”

Such bullshit.
I stared at my palm while
thinking about such
impossibility.
Then, words began to emerge
into my view.

[Violation of Legendary
Weapon’s Convention: you had
touched another specialized
weapon with the intent of
possession.]

What the fuck?
I quickly located the help
option to summon up the
description.
Found it!

[Excluding their own Legendary
Weapon, the Hero cannot equip
any other weapon for combat
purposes.]

What did you say!?
My benevolent self couldn't use
anything else besides this
shield!?
How in the world could I fight
with only a shield? [71]

“Etto. Thanks, but it seems
that my shield is the
possessive type.”[72]

I laughed bitterly while
looking up.

“How does it function? Can I
take a look?”

Seemed Oyaji had taken an
interest in my shield as he
held it up with his hands.
It'll never come off because
such a method doesn't exist.
The Weapon Shop’s Oyaji chanted
something under his breath,
then a small ball of light flew
towards the shield.

“Fumu. Even though it looks
like a Small Shield, there's
something mysterious about
it...”
“Ha, did you find out
anything?”

I know that it’s a Small
Shield.
It was also called by that name
in my Status window, with the
(Legendary Weapon) tag attached
to it.

“Probably this jewel engraved
in the middle? I can sense a
strong source of power from
there. While I could somewhat
identify it through my
Appraisal magic... I couldn't
fully grasp it. It seems to be
a type of curse.”

After finishing his appraisal,
Oyaji faced me while playing
with his trademark beard.

“You've shown me something
interesting. Then do you want
to buy some armor instead?”
“Yes please.”
“You’re buying armor instead of
weapons within the 250 silver
coin range, then I guess this
armor will do.”

Since I already possess a
shield, it doesn't seem like I
have many other options.
Oyaji brought back several
pieces of armor that were on
display.

“The full plate armor isn't
very popular with adventurers
since it’s quite chunky, a
chain mail would provide better
movement.”

With that said, I reached out
towards the chain mail.

Jing-a-ling...*[73]

Looks like cloth sewed with
metal chains.
This seemed fine. But I
wondered if it only increases
the defense of the protected
areas?
Huh? An icon opened.

[Chain Mail Defense Power Up
Tolerance against enemy’s slash
attack (small)]

Fumu fumu, the sword’s
description didn't pop up
before since I couldn't equip
it.
“How much is this worth?”

Mein asked the shop owner.

“At a discount, it'll only be
120 Silver Coins.”
“Should I buy it?”
“Hm? I suppose... if it’s still
relatively new, I guess I can
resell for 100 Silver.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Since this is indispensable
for Shield Hero-sama's [74]
growth, I just want to
reconfirm the price, that’s
all.”

That makes sense... I’m only at
Lvl 1, but I'll have to upgrade
my equipment as I grow stronger
after all.
This seemed like low-level
gear, but it was also the best
I can get in my current state.

“Okay then, I'll be buying
this.”
“Thank you! I'll be sure to
give you a bonus for next
time!”

The shop owner expressed his
thanks while sending me words
of gratitude. 120 Silver Coins
was handed over and the Chain
Mail was obtained.

“Do you want to put it on now?”
“Yep.”
“Then please come this way.”

I was led to the changing room,
and I donned the Chain Mail
over my undergarments.
My old clothes were put inside
a bag provided by the shop
owner.

“Oh, don’t you look quite
handsome now.”
“Thanks a lot.”

Keep the compliments coming.

“Then shall we go hunting now,
Yuusha-sama?”
“Okay!”

Looking like a true adventurer,
I loudly exited the shop while
Mein accompanied me.
We then headed over to the
gate, about to leave the castle
walls.
On the way, the guard knight
bowed to me and I happily
returned it with a nod.
The start of my exciting
adventure was about to begin.


Reality of the Shield[edit]

Upon exiting the gate, one
could see the green meadows
spreading far into the horizon.
Now, I was only one step away
from leaving the stone paved
streets and entering the trail
which led into the boundless,
uncharted grasslands.
This was like a field trip to
Hokkaido.[75]
It was the first time I had
personally experienced how vast
the sky and horizon truly were.
With only this much excitement,
a Hero needed to stay composed.

“Now then, Yuusha-sama. Shall
we engage in some mock battles
against the weaker demons
inhabiting this area?”
“Right. This'll be my first
combat experience, so I've got
to fight to the best of my
abilities.”
“Please give it your all.”
“What? You’re not going to
fight with me, Mein?”
“If I fight then I won’t be
able to gauge Yuusha-sama’s
potential.”
“Th-that’s true.”

Come to think of it, Mein
should have more battle
experience than me; I didn't
even know how much I was
capable of right now.
Let’s try fighting against a
monster that Mein had marked as
a safe choice.
I wandered the grassland for a
while. Then some weirdly
conspicuous, orange balloon-
like creature came into my
view.

“Yuusha-sama, please wait. Over
there is an Orange Balloon...
and although it’s one of the
weakest monsters, it’s very
aggressive.”

That was some crude naming
sense. You called it an Orange
Balloon just because it was
orange and round?

“GAH!”[76]

With an atrocious cry, a pair
of hostile, villainous eyes
were staring directly at me.
Originating from the meadow,
the balloon-shaped thing
charged at me like a beast upon
spotting my presence.

“Yuusha-sama, please do your
best!”
“OOOO!”

I've got to show her my good
side.
With my right hand, I used the
blunt side of the shield to
strike the Orange Balloon.
Bash!
Boyon~![77]
It rebounded off my shield at
the point of impact. This
monster is surprisingly
elastic!
Even though I thought that it
would break right away...[78]
The Orange Balloon bared its
fangs and started biting me.

“Hii!”[79]

Kang!
I heard a solid impact.
Yet it didn't hurt, it barely
even itched.
The Orange Balloon was biting
my arm, but it had no effect at
all.
It seemed that the shield was
gently emitting a protective
barrier around me.
I looked wordlessly at Mein.

“Go on, Yuusha-sama!”
“ORAORAORAORA!” [80]

... I didn’t receive any
damage, but I couldn't deal
much of it either.
So I continuously struck the
Orange Balloon like a Kung-Fu
master.[81]
Five minutes later...
Pop!
A faint sound was heard
followed by the Orange Balloon
bursting.

“Hah... hah... hah... ”[82]

The [EXPː 1] value popped up
along with a “Pikon” sound.
I think I received a single
experience point.
Seriously, all this work just
to kill one balloon... I
couldn't help but pity myself.
That was a tough fellow. My
bare hands could only do so
much.
Pachi Pachi Pachi. [83]

“I’m proud of you, Yuusha-
sama.”

Mein gave me her applauds, yet
it somehow felt hollow.
Suta suta suta! [84]
Then I heard footsteps.
Looking behind me, I saw Ren
along with his companions
jogging onward.
I thought they would be
chatting amongst themselves
along the way, but all of them
were wearing a serious
expression while moving
silently.
Ah, three Orange Balloons
appeared in front of them.
Zuba![85]
With one swing of his sword,
Ren sent an Orange Balloon
popping.

1-hit kill!? Hey dude... just
how different could our attack
powers be?

“...”

Mein awkwardly turned her head
away multiple times, avoiding
my eyes.

“It will be alright. Every Hero
has their share of struggles
after all.”
“... Arigato.”[86]

It’s my first fight anyways.
And I suffered zero injuries
since my defense is super high,
even with the Orange Balloon
biting me for five whole
minutes.
Just as I started ransacking
the remnants of Orange Balloon,
the Shield let out a 'Pikon'
sound.
When I brought it closer, the
shield glowed gently with a
pale light and absorbed the
remnants.

[GET: Orange Balloon Skin]

As this line popped up, the
Weapon Book Icon also blinked.
I opened it to confirm, then
the Small Orange Shield Icon
popped up.
While I couldn’t transform my
shield yet, I now knew what
materials were required.

“So that's the power of the
Legendary Weapons.”
“Yep. Looks like it needs to
absorb materials in order to
transform.”
“I see.”
“By the way, how much could I
get from selling what was
dropped earlier?”
“It should be about 1 Copper
Coin.”
“... And how many Coppers do I
need to get 1 Silver?
“100 Copper Coins.”

Oh well, it couldn't be helped.
It was a weak monster so of
course it'll drop equally poor
loot.

“It’s your turn next, Mein.”
“Hm, I suppose so.”

At that moment, some Orange
Balloons approached us.
Mein took out her sword from
her waist and swung twice.
The Orange Balloons then burst
with a pop.
Uwaa... Am I that weak..?
My name is Iwatani Naofumi. A
20-year-old university student.
Right now, my mouth is being
covered by both of my hands.
I had been summoned to a
parallel world and became its
hero for 2 days now.
After 5 minutes of combat with
a suitable monster, I had come
to perfectly understand my
role.

「Hero Aptitude Test」
Four people were given this
test. The most rational result
shall be swiftly delivered.

CHECK!

>>What is your hunting
aptitude?

Whoopsie, looks like I lost
myself for a moment there.
Anyways, I had become painfully
aware that I am, or rather my
shield, was super weak.
It seemed that it was more
efficient to simply let Mein do
the fighting.

“Okay then, Mein. Please attack
while I'll be in charge of
defense. Let’s see how far we
can go with this setup.”
“Hai.”[87]

Mein immediately replied.
After that, we roamed around
the meadows until the sun began
to set. We encountered more
Orange Balloons and some Yellow
Balloons, where it seemed their
strength differed by their
color.

“We can encounter slightly
stronger monsters if we press
onward, but it will soon be
nightfall if we don’t return to
the castle.”
“Mhm. I wish we could keep on
hunting a bit more though...”

I had yet to receive any
damage, since the Balloons’
attacks were so easy to defend
against.

“Since we’re returning early,
let’s take another look at the
Weapon Shop. Because upgrading
my equipment will allow us to
go even farther than today.”
“... Come to think of it, that
makes sense.”

I was able to improved myself
and gain a little exp for my
starting level, so I suppose
we've made good enough progress
for the day.
By the way, the shield also
absorbed enough to satisfy the
transformation requirement; I
now had a Balloon shield
equipped to my arm.
In the long run... I guess I
could still level up and
transform my shield some more.
Oh well. As the first day of
adventuring ended with many
uncertainties, we began heading
back to the castle town.


The Trap & Arts of Betrayal
[edit]

That evening, we dropped by the
Weapon Shop again after
returning to the castle town.

“Hoh, well if it isn't the
shield lad. The other heroes
had also dropped by earlier.”

Did everyone buy from this
shop?
Oyaji greeted us with a pleased
expression.

“Oh right. Do you know where we
can sell this?"

I presented Oyaji with an
Orange Balloon skin and he
pointed towards the front of
his store.

“There’s a shop that buys most
of the monster drops if you
bring them over there.”
“Thank you.”
“So, what business do you have
with me?”
“Haha, it's for Mein. I want to
gear up my companion.”

Mein was quietly staring at the
equipment inside the store when
I turned toward her.

“So what’s your budget?”

I had 680 silver coins
remaining on hand. I wondered
how much I should spend?

“Mein, how much should I use?”
“...”

Mein was comparing equipment
with an extremely serious
expression.
So serious that my words didn't
reach her at all.
Since I didn't know the cost to
rent a room at an inn, I
couldn't estimate how much we
would need for a month's worth
of lodging.

“Your companion’s equipment?
Hmm... I suppose anything that
looks good while providing
decent stats would be fine,
right?”
“Sounds good.”

Since I had next to nothing in
terms of firepower, it was a
better idea to focus on gearing
Mein up.

“You can give me a discount on
expensive equipment since I’ve
been accompanying you twice
today, isn't that right?”
“Hoh, please keep those
hilarious fantasies to
yourself, dear brave hero of
ours.”
“80% discount!”
“Please don’t be unreasonable!
20% discount!”
“We can go a bit higher, no?
79% discountǃ”
“Never in my wildest dreams
would I have guessed that you
were the type to haggle on
products!”
“Wha-whatever! 90% discount!”
“Tsk! 21% discount!”
“At least give me a better
deal! Full discountǃ”
“What the hell, Yuusha-sama
[88]! FINEǃ 50% discount.”
“Too small! 92%―――”

Then, as this continued for a
while, Mein brought over a set
of armor with a cute design and
a seemingly useful metal sword.

“Yuusha-sama, I would like
these.”
"Oyaji, what’s the total? 60%
discount.”
“The total is 480 silver coins
including the price reduction,
which is a 59% final discount.”

Since I had been haggling with
Oyaji before Mein made up her
mind, the price was greatly
reduced.
Yet as expected, being left
with only 200 Silver Coins was
a bit rough, no?

“Mein... can’t you wait a bit
longer? I’m trying to save us
as much money as possible for
our lodging.”
“Isn't it fine, Yuusha-sama? If
I get stronger, we can defeat
bigger and more dangerous
monsters, which also means more
income, right?”

With her eyes sparkling, Mein
pressed her breasts against my
arm as she pleaded with me.

“I-I suppose so...”

With 200 silver coins
remaining, I wondered what Ren,
Motoyasu, and Itsuki would do
to get their hands on this
amount. Their original funds
could only take them as far,
barely covering the initial
gear for their entire team.
It seemed like 200 silver coins
is an amount which will let a
person live comfortably for a
whole month.
Recruiting companions, leveling
them up, and increasing your
own income doesn't sound like a
bad idea.

“Alright Oyaji, please take
care of this.”
“Thanks for your patronage.
Really, you’re one hell of a
hero.”
“Haha, not like money has eyes
to see.”

I had always been a money
hoarder in net games.
Buying items at the lowest
price from auctions and
reselling them at the highest
price possible.
Nothing is as easy as haggling
with another person. Money will
blind their eyes after all.

“Thank you, Yuusha-sama.”[89]

Mein teasingly kissed my hand.
This meant ‘Intimate UP’! [90]
Tomorrow’s adventure will be a
walk in the park!
After we bought Mein her
equipment, we headed over to
the town’s inn. 　 30 copper
coins a night per person...

“Two rooms, please.”
“Wouldn't one room do just
fine?”
“Yuusha-sama...”

Mein silently pressured me.
We-well it couldn't be helped.

“Two rooms then.”
“Hai hai.[91] I owe you a
favor.”

The inn owner was rubbing his
hands together as he led us to
our rooms.
The price was standardized
based on the number of people.
After that we went out for
dinner in the inn’s tavern.
We were charged 10 extra copper
coins for our meals.

“In other words...”

I spread out the region map
which I purchased along the way
and asked Mein.

“Today, we were hunting in this
meadow over here?”

This map showed the geographic
landscape of the surrounding
region. If I had asked before,
Motoyasu would have definitely
shown me the ropes. But looking
back at his attitude yesterday,
that didn't appeal to me at
all.
I also had no reservations in
outwitting my other
competitors. I wanted to get
ahead of them by learning where
powerful demon lairs were
located first.
Therefore, I asked Mein to
teach me the area of this
region.

“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Earlier you said something
about if 'we had pressed
onward', were you talking about
this forest that's within
walking distance from the
meadow?”

With this map I could get a
rough understanding of this
country’s geography.
There's a highway that cuts
across the castle meadows and
leads into a forest. From
there, mountains appear along
the edges of the map with a
river nearby.
Since this wasn't a very big
map, I couldn't see any other
villages that might have been
further ahead.
As expected, this map doesn't
provide any information beyond
the forest; it would be
suicidal to fight without
knowing what monsters spawn in
there or the safe path through
the area.

“Yes. Although it isn't
recorded in the map, there’s a
village called Raffan inside
the forest. This is where we
should go next.”
“Fumu... interesting.”
“There’s also a novice dungeon
outside of the village.”
“Dungeon...”

The dream land! Although there
was nothing to do besides
killing the monsters inside
when it came to net games.

“The rewards won't be too bad
either. Yuusha-sama would at
least gain a few levels from
that place.”
“I see.”
“We're also well equipped, and
along with Yuusha-sama’s superb
defense, it should be a
breeze.”
“Oh ho, why thank you. I'll use
this as a future reference.”
“Not at all. By the way,
Yuusha-sama? Why haven’t you
touched your wine?”

I had gotten carried away with
the tavern's atmosphere and
ordered a glass, but I hadn't
even taken a sip yet.

“Ha ha, I'm not very fond of
alcohol, you see.”

Its not that I couldn't drink.
As a matter of fact, I could
hold my liquor quite easily.
I just wasn't interest in
drinking.
Back in my college fraternity
when there was a party and
everyone, including me, was
chugging down drinks like
alcoholics, only I stayed sober
while the rest had gotten
beastly drunk. After that
certain event, they all came to
hate my guts.

“Is that so... but one cup
wouldn't hurt, right?”
“Sorry. But I really, truly
hate to drink.”
“Buuut...”
“I’m sorry.”
“O-Okay.”

Mein dejectedly withdrew the
glass of wine.

“Well then, I'll be retiring
for today. Please take care of
me tomorrow as well.”
“Hai, see you tomorrow.”

I hastily finished my meal
inside the noisy tavern and
returned to my room.
As expected, I had to remove my
Chain Mail since it was
uncomfortable to sleep with it
on.
I hung it on a chair
afterwards.

“...”

I then placed the bag of silver
coins on the table.
So I had 200 silver coins
remaining, huh... Actually,
make that 199 silver coins
since I paid the inn in
advance.
Unable to calm down, I couldn't
help but feel anxious the whole
time. It must've been my beggar
blood acting up since I've
always been lacking in the cash
department.
Like a stealthy, Japanese
tourist who's on vacation, I
hid 30 silver coins inside my
shield.
Yep. I could finally feel
secure.

Much had happened today.
So this is the feeling you get
from defeating monsters.
Those balloons didn't inflict
any pain though.
I was sitting on the bed, so I
lied back down without a second
thought.
What an unfamiliar ceiling, and
it was only yesterday that I
came into this world.
I needed to relax.

From now on, the curtain to my
glorious daily life will open.
Although I had a late start
compared to my fellow heroes, I
would be walking on my own
path. 　 I didn’t need to become
the strongest, just doing the
best to my abilities would be
enough.
For some reason... I suddenly
gotten so sleepy... I could
hear a cheerful voice coming
from the direction of the
tavern.
I think I heard voices similar
to both Motoyasu and Itsuki
conversing in the next room.
Are those guys lodging here
too?
I reached out my hand to
extinguish the room lamp.
It’s a bit early tonight, but
let’s just hit the hay...

Chari Chari...[92]
W-what in the world is that
sound?
Are the tavern’s drunkards
making more ruckus again?
Munya...[93]
Scratchy scratch...[94]
It was so hot... these clothes
were so sticky.

“Huh?”

It was cold...
The sun shone brightly on my
face, as if announcing a new
morning.
Disoriented from drowsiness, I
got up and took a look outside
the window.
It seemed that I had fallen
asleep before I knew it. The
sun had already risen quite
high.
According to my biological
clock, it should be around 9
AM.

“A-re?”[95]

I was only in my underwear. Did
I unconsciously take my clothes
off?
Oh well, whatever.
As I eyed the scenery outside
my window, I spotted crowds of
people come and go as if it was
the most natural thing in the
world.
It was quite the spectacle
seeing busy restaurants and
food stalls cooking their
ingredients for the day's lunch
rush. There were also carriages
being pulled along the street;
and I unwittingly fell into a
trance of sorts.
Haha, this really is a
wonderful parallel world.
It seemed that the bird or
horse drawn carriages were the
two most popular types. The
bird looked like a particular
type of ostrich; I believe
their official name in a
certain game would be Chocobo.
If anything, the horses seemed
to be more of the luxurious
type.
Once in a while, a carriage
would be pulled by a cattle;
this medieval setting is
unbelievably wonderful, isn’t
it? [96]

“Now then, it's time to start
breakfast and quickly depart
for another adventure.”

I searched the bed for my
clothes which I supposedly
removed during my slumber.
... Weird. They weren't here?
The chain mail that was hung on
the chair...
Could not be found.
The bag of silver coins on the
table was gone too!
Not only that, even my original
spare clothes were gone!

“What the...”

OH SNAP!
Nighttime invasion!? [97]
I was robbed during my sleep!
This inn had some serious
problems with their security!
Anyways, I had to hurry over to
Mein and warn her!
Bam! I rushed out and knocked
on the door next to my room.

“Mein! There’s a problem! Our
money and my equipment--!”

Don don don! [98]
There was no sign of Mein
coming out no matter how hard I
knocked.
Tah tah tah! [99]
Noisy footsteps could be heard
approaching my direction from a
bit further down the corridor.
The castle knights came over
and stared at me.
Since I was the victim of a
night-raided invasion[100],
they were going to help me
arrest the culprit, right?
This thief must have been quite
a fool to rob a hero in his
sleep.

“You guys are knights from the
castle, right? Please hear me
out for a moment!”

I faced the knights and eagerly
appealed to them.
Mein, please come out of the
room quickly, I’m in serious
trouble right now.

“Its the Shield Hero!”
“Well, yeah. That’s me.”

What in the world? They seemed
to be strangely hostile towards
me.

“The king has requested your
immediate presence. We are to
accompany you along the way.”
“Requested my presence? No, I
have a reason for looking like
this, I was a victim of a
bedroom invasion. The Culpri―-”
“Come along now!”

Squeeze.[101]

“That hurts! At least listen to
my story.”

The knights forcefully gripped
my arms and took me by force.
I'm still in my underwear here.
What kind of treatment is
this?!

“Hey, Mein! Come quickly--”

The knights refused to listen
to my situation, and thus I had
to leave Mein behind at the inn
while I was being dragged back
to the castle.
A carriage like the ones I saw
earlier was there waiting for
me.
I had no idea what was going
on. All I knew was that I was
being treated like a criminal
while the real one was
somewhere roaming free.

False Charge[edit]

Many things happened. After
being abducted, I was dragged
through the castle. Once I was
within the audience chamber,
the knights pointed their
spears at me.
Inside we have a pair made of
an ill-mannered king and his
minister.
As well as...

“Mein!”

Itsuki, Ren, Motoyasu, along
with their respective merry
companions, were also gathered
here.
After calling out to Mein, she
hid behind Motoyasu and I was
dumbfounded.

“W-what’s with that attitude?”

Everyone was staring at me as
if I was a villain.

“You really don’t remember?”

Motoyasu cross-examined me with
an imposing posture.
What in the world was his
problem?

“Remember what? Wait a sec...
that chain mail!”

That bastard Motoyasu was
wearing my bloody chain mail!

“So you’re the bedroom
intruder!”
“Who the hell is a bedroom
intruder?! Don’t even think of
escaping from your sins using
that nonsense!”
“Sins? What sins?”

As if in response, the audience
chamber began emitting an
atmosphere much like a criminal
trial.

“Now then, what is the charge
against the Shield Hero?”
“Charge? Charge for what?”

“Sniff... Hic... Shield Hero-
sama got drunk yesterday...
Hic... Th-then he suddenly
burst into my room, gave into
his beastly desires and forced
himself on me.”
“Huh?”
“The Shield Hero said that,
'The night is still young' and
violently tore my clothes off.”

Motoyasu then comforted the
sobbing Mein.

“I-I was horrified... I ran out
of the room, screaming for my
dear life when Motoyasu-sama
appeared and defended me.”
“... What?”

What was that?
Yesterday evening after I
separated from Mein, I headed
straight to bed. So when did
all that happen?
The mortified Mein did nothing
but sob.

“What are you saying? After
dinner last night I went
straight to bed.”
“Stop spewing such lies, you
bastard. It’s clear as day that
the reason Mein's crying is
because of you.”
“What secret motives do you
have for protecting Mein?
Forget that, where did you
steal that chain mail from?!"

You have only met her for the
first time yesterday, no?

“Er, well, yesterday I found
Mein drinking alone in the
tavern, and she gave me this
chain mail as a gift.”
“Huh?”

That was mine no matter how you
looked at it.
Of course, there’s the
possibility that it was bought
by Mein with her own pocket
money, but Motoyasu got one
right when mine disappeared.
This was all too suspicious.
Motoyasu’s story was full of
shit. I had to convince the
king of that.

“Right! Your highness! My
bedroom was raided and
everything inside was stolen
except for this shield! Please
arrest the culprit.”
“Silence, you fiend!”

The King flatly declared and
ignored my plea.

“You brutally committed rape
against my dear countryman,
villainǃ If you weren’t a hero,
I would've executed you on the
spot!”
“This is a huge
misunderstanding! I didn't
commit any crimes!”

Unfortunately, everyone here
had already judged me guilty
before the trial had even
begun.
I could feel my blood boiling
and my fury rising.
What the hell? What the hell is
this? What the hell is this
shit?!
I don’t recall any of this
crap, so why should I be abused
like this?!
I locked eyes with Mein while
trying to convey my plea for
help. In response, Mein
mirthfully stuck her tongue out
while everyone was focused on
me.


Mein mirthfully stuck her
tongue out...

... That was when I realized
it.

I glared at Motoyasu.
I could feel a deep, dark
emotion swelling up from within
me, seeping into my guts.

“You fiend! You must have
thrown away your clothes and
money to create an alibi for
your crimes!”

Motoyasu pointed at me and
accused with an extremely loud
yell.

“What! Are you trying to say
that I’m a serial rapist?ǃ”

Motoyasu shielded Mein with his
body, trying to uphold his fake
heroic act.

“Don’t fuck with me! I've
already spent all of my money
to gear up my comrade!”

It seemed that Mein, who
originally intended to be
Motoyasu’s companion, plotted
this beforehand. Since I was
the loser who could only use a
shield, I bought her all of the
good equipment. And after
acquiring everything she wanted
with her sweet flattery, Mein
then ditched me and stole the
rest of my money. She later
came back crying to the king,
acting like the victim, and
driving me into ruin.

... This is so messed up.

Ever since the beginning, Mein
had always called me by my
title, Yuusha-sama, while she
called Motoyasu by name. [102]
If this wasn't enough evidence
then what is?
Does that mean this world only
needs one hero?

“Even after coming to a
parallel world, I still have to
put up with this garbage of an
associate.”
“Yeah, I guess, but I hold no
sympathy towards you.”

Ren didn't hesitate to condemn
me as guilty.
I see... So everyone here was
in on the conspiracy from the
very beginning... Since I used
a shield, since I was weak, and
since I didn't know anything;
they had already intended to
get rid of me because I was
nothing more than dead weight
to them.

――Cheap bastards.

No matter where I go, these
types of filthy maggots always
pop up.
The people of this country held
no regard towards me from the
start.
You know what?! Why the hell do
I even need to protect you
people?ǃ
Perish already! This god
forsaken world!

“... Fine, I don’t give a shit.
Just return me to my old world
already, won’t you? After that,
just summon a new Shield Hero."

A parallel World? Hah!
I wouldn't even want to come
here in the first place if I
knew this kind of shit would
happen!

“Running away when it’s
inconvenient? What filth.”
“I suppose you’re right. But as
long as I fulfill my
obligations properly, then a
few forceful relationships with
women shouldn’t be that much of
a problem...”
“Go home, be gone! I refuse to
accept this kind of trash as a
fellow hero!”

Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki
glared at me with bloodlust.
It was a fun experience, I
suppose, being in a parallel
world. Yet it was all ruined by
this jerk.

“Okay! Now send me back to my
old world already!”

Then, the King groaned as he
held his head.

“Unfortunately, there isn't a
known method to send heroes
back to their own worlds...
Even if we wanted to re-summon
new heroes, all of the current
ones would first need to
perish.”
“... Wh-why?”
“What the...”
“I-It's got to be a lie...”

The other three heroes,
bewildered, responded in
unison.
There’s no magic that could
return us to our old world?

“Then I can’t go back home
now?!”

Don’t fuck with me!

“Give me a proper explanation!”

I violently shook off the
knights' restraint.

“Hey! Stop resisting!”
“Let me go!”

One of the knights hit me.
Guh!
A nice sound was heard, but it
felt kind of ticklish rather
than painful.
I quickly punched that knight
back, but instead of hurting
him, my hand grew numb instead.

“So, King? What’s my
punishment?”

I asked as I held my hand,
waiting for the numbness to
pass.

“... Right now, you shall not
receive any discipline due to
your value as our trump card
against the incoming wave.
However, we will spread the
rumors of your crimes to the
citizens. That will be your
punishment. Don’t even think
about finding suitable work in
my country."
“Haha, thanks oh so much for
your lenience!”

That means I am only left with
adventuring in order to level
up and prepare for the incoming
wave.

“The next wave is predicted to
come in one month. Even though
you’re a criminal, a fiend like
you is also the Hero of the
Shield. You won’t be able to
escape from your role.”
“I know! Since I’m weak and all
that. Time is pretty precious
to me, you know!”

Chari...
Ha, as expected. Even after
everything, only this shield
stayed loyal to me.

“Yo! You wanted this, didn't
you?!”

I took out my pouch with all my
remaining 30 silver coins and
threw it in Motoyasu's face.

“Uwa! What are you doing?! You
bastard--!”

I just pretended that
Motoyasu’s disparagement didn't
reach my ears.
After leaving the castle and
entering the main road, people
looked and pointed at me while
gossiping amongst themselves.
Really, word sure travels fast.
Isn’t that just amazing?
Whatever, everything already
looks hideous in my eyes.
That's why I'll only place my
trust in cold hard cash... and
nothing else. So now the
curtain of my new adventuring
arc rose in the worst possible
way.

Fallen Fame[edit]

One week had passed since then.
I was still hanging around the
castle's vicinity.

“Hey, Shield lad.”
“Wah!?”
After storming out of the
castle, I was called out by
Oyaji from the Weapon Shop,
half-naked with nothing but my
underwear on...
To be more accurate, I was
strolling past the entrance to
his store.

“I’ve heard about your
exploits. You raped that
companion of yours, didn’t you?
Mind letting me get a punch
in?”

He seemed to have heard the
rumors and was boiling over
with rage, announcing his
intentions while grasping his
fist.

“You too, asshole?!”

This guy's probably the same as
everyone else, they'll never
listen to my side of the story.
Ah yes, I had absolutely no
idea what passed off as common
sense in this country - or
rather - this world when I
first arrived. But raping a
woman must have been one of the
cardinal sins.
Ah, damn... When I saw Oyaji,
the face of that slut rose into
my mind.
I was about to get beaten into
a pulp.
He violently grabbed me and
scowled.

“Hu… Bastard…”
“What? Don’t you want to hit
me?”

Oyaji loosened his fist and
dropped his stance.

“No... I won't do it.”
“That so? Sure was cutting it
close.”

I was pretty confident that
despite my low attack power, I
could still go blow for blow
and outlast anyone in a fight.
Unfortunately, pulverizing
people would never convince
them to believe me. That's why
I chose to focus on saving
money for any future
occurrences.
Although, venting my
frustrations on the balloons
did help clear my mind.

“Hold on a second!”
“What do you want?!”

I was about to leave through
the town gate when was stopped
by Oyaji.
A small bag was thrown at me.

“You won’t get very far with
that appearance. At least let
me give you this parting gift.”

Inside the bag contained some
cheap linen clothing and a worn
out mantle.

“…How much are you charging?”
“Let's say 5 Copper Coins. It’s
on a bargain sale.”
“…Got it. I'll come back to pay
you later.”

It was a bit weird moving
around in my underwear. Guess
the old man never passed up a
chance to do business.

“Remember to pay me back in
full, since the only thing I
believe in is cold hard cash.”
“Ah, sure thing.”

I put on the clothes and donned
the mantle, then I headed to
the meadows.
After that, I went in and
subjugated a horde of Balloons.

“ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA
ORA!”[103]

It took roughly 5 minutes to
kill one of them, but it wasn't
too much of a problem since I
received 0 damage no matter how
hard they bit me.
In order to distract myself, I
fought all day long and
obtained some Balloon skins as
a result.

Level UP!
I'm now at Lv 2.
Conditions for Orange Small
Shield and Yellow Small Shield
have been released!
Now then, time to carefully do
my various daytime chores[104].
I became hungry as evening
approached.
I reluctantly returned to the
castle town, and headed
straight for the Merchant's
Shop where they buy various
materials from monster drops.
The merchant was a little
chubby, and he let out a phony,
unpleasant laugh upon seeing my
face.
……Looks like he was looking
down on me.
I understood him with only a
glance.
There was a prospective
customer ahead of me who had
come to trade in some goods.
Coincidentally, he was also
selling Balloon’s skins.

“Let’s see…… how about I buy
these for one copper per two
pieces?”

The merchant assessed while
pointing at the Balloon’s
skins.

2 pieces for each Copper Coin……

“Please do.”
“Thank you for your patronage.”

The customer left and I was
next in line.

“Hey. I’ve brought some monster
materials to sell today.”
“I humbly welcome you.”

Thought I didn’t hear your
little laugh at the end, you
moron?

“So you do have some. Balloon’s
skins, I see. How does ten
pieces for a copper sound to
you?”

One fifth of the original
amount! This bastard's looking
down on me way too much.

“Didn’t you buy two pieces per
copper from that other guy just
a little while ago?”
“Did such a thing happen? Why
can't I seem to remember that?”

Bullshit, he keeps making up
some dumb excuses…… so you want
to do THAT kind of business.

“Hmph. Fine then.”

I grabbed the merchant’s collar
and pulled him toward me.

“Guh, wh-, what――”
“You want to buy THESE guys?
They're still alive and are
very energetic, you see.”

Gupu![105]

I took one of the Orange
Balloons that was hidden inside
my mantle and let it bite the
merchant’s nose.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”[106]

After pulling the Balloon away
from his face, I kicked the
stumbling merchant down.

“The meadow's a pretty
dangerous place as you can
tell. So, do you feel like
doing some proper business
now?”

I flipped open my mantle a
little to show him the 5
Balloons hidden underneath it.
Since it doesn't hurt at all
when they bite me, I figure
that they can be quite useful
in case some asshole picks a
fight with me.
Regrettably, since my attack
power is close to 0, I'm not
much of a threat.
But thanks to my ingenious
strategy, the negotiations were
successful.
This pig understood his
position. With this little
demonstration, he could picture
a future where none of his
bones remained once these
balloons were done with him.

“I’m not demanding any
extravagant costs from you. I
just hate being looked down
upon with people trying to
exploit me.”
“You won’t get away with
this――”
“Tell me, if a merchant was
extorting money from an
adventurer, and others were to
find out about this, I wonder
what will become of him?"

Trust was a merchant’s greatest
ally, so he would have already
defeated your average
adventurer. But sadly for him,
his opponent was me.
Which is why I kindly provided
him with the alternative of
going bankrupt from lack of
customers instead.

“Guh……”

The merchant glared resentfully
at me with bloodlust lingering
in his eyes. However, he soon
gave in.

“……I got it.”
“Haha, please don’t be so
obvious when overcharging
people in the future. From now
on I'll be a regular of yours,
so I'll be expecting some
reasonable deals from you.
“I'd very much like to refuse
your offer, but I suppose money
holds no sin, no matter where
it's from. I'll look forward to
your business.”

I guess he was the type of
villain who knew when to call
it quits. My Balloon skins were
then purchased at a price
slightly below market value.

“Haha. Feel free to proclaim my
greatness by spreading it to
others. It'll serve as a good
lesson for the merchant who
tried fooling around with the
Balloon industry.”
“Yeah, I got it. You, dear sir,
are one bloody hell of a
customer!”

And thus, I received enough
money to pay for the clothes
that Oyaji threw at me.
I stopped by at a restaurant
for dinner. However, the food
didn’t have any taste. At first
I thought that I was scammed by
the restaurant, but it seemed
there was an actual problem
with my taste buds.
How about the Inn? Since I
didn't have money, I had to
sleep in the meadows! But that
was no problem since I wouldn’t
feel any pain even if a Balloon
attacked me all night long.
The next morning, there was
also this bird-like creature
which joined in along with the
Balloons. So I pounded on it to
relieve my stress.
And I got myself some morning
pennies!
A person will learn how to
treasure money once they have
struggled greatly to acquire
some.[107]
First, I looted some tradable
goods from the Balloons.
Then, I saw some herbs
clustered together in the
meadows.
I remembered that the Pharmacy
in town sells medical herbs, so
these should add up to quite a
sum.
While I was clearing away the
surrounding weeds, the shield
reacted. I slowly let the
shield absorb them.

The requirement of Leaf Shield
had been unsealed.

Come to think of it, I totally
forgot about the Weapon Book.
I went ahead and checked the
shields that were lit up.

Small Shield
True power[108] unsealed!
Increases Defensive Power by
3+!

Orange Small Shield
True power sealed……Equipment
bonus: 2+ Defensive Power.

Yellow Small Shield
True power sealed…… Equipment
bonus: 2+ Defensive Power.

Leaf Shield
True power sealed……Equipment
bonus: Collection skill 1+.
I opened the Help menu for more
details.

「Weapon Transformation and
seals on their True power」
Weapon transformation refers
to: the instance where the
legendary weapon takes on a
different shape.
In order to perform weapon
transformation, the owner must
place their hand on the weapon
and silently conjure the
desired weapon’s name.
True power unsealing refers to:
the instance where the user
receives permanent stats and
abilities from the transformed
weapon.

「Equipment Bonus」
Equipment bonus refers to: the
abilities that will be given to
the user if they equip this
certain weapon.
For example, when equipped a
weapon with ‘Erst Bash’ the
user will be able to use the
skill ‘Erst Bash’.
If 3+ Attack Force is the bonus
when equipping that weapon, the
user will be granted 3+ attack
power.

I see, so by unsealing their
true power I'll permanently
receive the bonus even without
equipping that particular
weapon.
Perhaps in the long run, it
would be wiser to gather
materials along the way instead
of just blindly massacring
enemies.
Just how much more game-like
will this world get?

After contemplating matters, I
became interested in the
equipment bonus of Leaf Shield.
Collection skill 1+
This skill will most likely be
giving me some sort of bonus
when I gather herbs.
Right now I have no money.
With all things considered,
this seems like an easy, high
paying job.
I equipped the Leaf Shield
without a shred of hesitation.
Shun…… a sound like something
cutting through air was made,
and my shield transformed into
lush green, earthy leaves.
……There’s no decrease in my
Defensive Power. The Small
Shield was too weak to begin
with.
Now then, should I begin
collecting these clustered
medical herbs?
Puchi. [109]
A nice sound was heard as I
easily collected one of them.
Pa……[110]
The herb really did glow when I
picked it up.

Collection skill 1+
Aero Herb : Normal Quality ->
Great Medical Value

Its icon also shined and
changed its form.
Heh……a nice, brief description,
this will be surprisingly
useful.
Sunset came quickly as I
wandered around the whole day,
stuffing my bag with medical
herbs.
By the way, I don’t know if it
was due to all the collecting
or its short time requirement,
but it seems the Leaf Shield’s
true power was successfully
unsealed.
Other colored Small Shield
Series were also unsealed that
day.
I returned to the castle town,
planning to sell the big bag of
medicines in my hand.

“Hou……This is quite a
collection here. Where did you
get them?”
“From the meadow spreading
outside the castle. You don’t
know about these?”
“Fumu……you do indeed have a lot
of them…… but it seems the
quality is a bit bad……”

I then sold the herbs after
some small talk. Today’s
profits were 1 Silver Coin and
50 Copper Coins.
A considerable amount compared
to my previous days: a new
record.
On a side note, there was this
one fellow that came over to me
while I was eating, saying that
he wanted to be my companion.
I was getting tired of these
guys with their nefarious
faces.

……Today’s food didn’t have any
flavor either.
Since I couldn't taste
anything, I just ordered enough
food to fill my stomach.

“Shield Hero-sama, please let
me be your companion.”

She came over and spoke to me
with an air of superiority.
Speaking as if you’re my boss,
that meant nothing but trouble.
And after taking another look,
she was a goddamn woman like
that slut from before.

“Well then, let’s confirm the
terms of our contract, shall
we?”
“Hai.”

Gah!!!!
Calm down, this is the part
where I withdraw, just like how
I practiced it beforehand.

"First of all, it'll be a full
time job. I suppose you know
what that means, right?”
“Nope.”

I want to kill her already!

“We'll be distributing income
obtained from adventuring. For
example, let's say we get a
fund of 100 Silver Coins, I'll
be taking at least 40% of it,
and the rest will be given out:
depending on your efforts.
Since you're the only other
party member right now, the
amount will be divided between
you and me. But since we won’t
know anything until I see you
in action, I'll be distributing
the money at my own discretion
for now.”
“What the heck, aren’t you just
trying to hog all the money
with this roundabout talk?!”
“Didn’t I say it depends on
your efforts? If you work
properly then you’ll get paid
appropriately.”
“Well then, I suppose that’s
all well and good. Let’s go buy
some equipment then.”
“…… Go buy it yourself; I have
no obligation to buy YOUR
equipment.”
“Tsk!”

Most of the time, these type of
people are only after the
chance of scamming free
equipment off of me.
I can see through their facade.
They'll just ditch me the
moment I pay for their stuff.
What a dirty method. Just like
what the bitch has done.

“Fine then. Hand over all your
money.”
“Ah, why is there a balloon
here?!”

Gabuu!

“No! Stay away!”

A Balloon was wreaking havoc in
the tavern, but it's not any of
my business. After pulling the
Balloon off of her hilariously
bitten nose, I put away my meal
and exited the establishment.
In the end, there are no good
people in this world.
All they think about is how to
prey upon others.

Anyway, I continued earning
money as my daily routine. And
before I knew it, the second
week had already begun.

Something Called a Slave[edit]

One, two, three...
Two weeks and only 40 silver
coins.
It seems that I have gathered a
bit more than what I had thrown
at that bastard spear hero
This was all pointless.
The places I could go with my
attack power was extremely
limited.
I did try going into the forest
once since I wouldn't take any
damage.

---

Was that a Red Balloon?
When I struck it with my bare
hands, I received a shock
similar to hitting a can.
Even after 30 minutes of
pounding, the monster wasn't
getting any closer to dying.
I had enough and left the
forest.
Basically, I couldn't fight any
monsters beyond what was found
in this grassland.

---

By the way, after two weeks I
was now at level 4.
Though I don't know how much
those other bastard heroes have
leveled.
The Red Balloon was still
relentlessly biting my arm,
trying to sever it.
Had it already been a week
since I went into the forest?
Maybe I should give it another
shot.
BANG!*

"Hah..."

Nope. My attack power was still
too low.
Since I couldn't deal any
damage, I couldn't defeat any
monsters.
And since I couldn't defeat
anything, I received 0
experience points.
And with 0 experience points, I
couldn't raise my attack power.
What a detestable loop.

---

From the tavern, I was walking
through a back alleyway which
led into the meadows.
However, today was a tad
different compared to all the
other days up until now.

"Looks like you're facing quite
a predicament."
"?"

A strange man wearing a
tailcoat and a hat, which looks
to be made of silk, stopped me.
This eccentric gentleman was
wearing - how should I say
this? - a pair of super obese
sunglasses.
He really is a weird guy.
He left the impression that
deviated away from the medieval
theme.[111]
It's best to simply ignore him.

"'I don't have enough
manpower.'"

Bull's eye!
A direct hit right into my weak
spot.

"'I can't defeat any
monsters.'"

He was the type that continued
making unwanted conversations.

"If that's the case, then I
have something just for you,
kind sir."
"And here's where you're gonna
advertise some companionship
service to me, right?"

I don't have the time or luxury
to babysit some loser who's
only after my money.

"Companion? No no, I'm not
providing such an inconvenient
substitute."
"Huh... Then what are you
providing?"

That man swiftly came closer
and asked.

"Are you interested?"
"Don't get too close to me!
It's disgusting."
"Fu fu fu, I like the look in
your eyes. Good, I'll tell
you!"

The weird gentleman teasingly
shouted while waving his cane.

"A slave, of course."
"A slave?"
"Yes, a slave."

'Slavery is a system where
certain people are are forced
into labor and treated as
tradable property. Slaves can
be held against their will;
deprived of their basic
freedoms such as leaving,
demanding compensation, and
refusing to work.'
This was written on a Wikipedia
page, I think.
So slave trade exists in this
world. Wow.

"Why would I want a slave?"
"In order to have a person
who's both competent and
loyal."

Twitch...

"We cast a curse that will kill
the slave should they ever
betray you."
"Huh..."

Very interesting.
Die for disobedience. Someone
who wouldn't foolishly think
about taking advantage of me
was exactly what I needed.
I had low attack power, so I
wanted party members. But they
were all disloyal money
mongers.
Therefore, I couldn't afford to
keep them around.
But slaves will never betray
you. Because betrayal means
death.

"What's your reply?"
"Let's have a look."

Smirking, the slave trader led
the way.

---

We walked through the back
alleys for awhile.
It seems this nation has its
own state of corruption.
Ducking into a dark, hidden
side street, we came across
what looked like a circus tent.

"Right this way, Sir Hero."
"I'm coming."

The slave trader walked
creepily. How should I describe
his steps? They were too big to
be called hops, at least.
Then, as expected, the slave
trader led me inside.

"Now, I'm gonna say this just
in case. But if you're thinking
of conning me..."
"That must be the so-called
'Balloon Release' which has
made you infamous around town.
Planning to escape amidst the
chaos, are you?"

Huh... They're calling it by
such a nickname now.
Well, it was a convenient way
to punish idiots. So its fame
was only understandable.

"There was a customer who
wanted to enslave a hero. So I
intended to approach Sir Hero
with that open possibility, but
I've changed my mind. Oh yes."
"?"
"You have the qualities of a
fine customer, both good and
bad."
"What do you mean?"
"Who knows? What do you think?"

I don't get this slave trader.
What does he expect from me?
GACHANG!
The heavy gate opened from
inside the circus tent.

"Huh..."

The interior was dimly lit with
a faintly necrotic odor hanging
in the air.
Because of the strong, beastly
smell, I could easily tell that
the environment wasn't clean.
Within the numerous cages,
humanoid shadows wriggled and
squirmed.

"Now, this one here is my
recommendation."

I approached closer to the cage
and checked what was inside.

"Grrrrrrr... GRAR!"
"It's not human."

Inside the cage partially
resembled a human with fur,
fangs, and claws.

"This is a beastman. It's
classified as a humanoid, more
or less."
"Huh, a beastman."

A species which shows up fairly
often in fantasies, mostly as
enemy monsters though.

"I'm a summoned hero, so I'm
not well-informed regarding
this world. Tell me more."

Like those bastard heroes, I'm
completely clueless when it
comes to this parallel world.
But without a doubt, I've
noticed people with dog or cat
ears in town. And I do get a
phantasmic feel when I look at
them, since they are rare.

"The Melromarc kingdom has a
human superiority custom, which
makes it a difficult place for
demi-humans and beastmen to
reside in."
"Huh..."

While I certainly do see those
species around, they're only
venturing merchants or vagabond
adventurers. In other words,
they are segregated from
society and can't hold a proper
job.

"So, what are demi-humans and
beastmen anyway?"
"Demi-humans closely resemble
humans, yet they have defining
non-human traits and features.
Beastmen are even less humanoid
than demi-humans. Oh yes."
"I see, so they belong in the
same category."
"Correct. And since these
demi-humans are thought to be
closely related to monsters,
they have trouble living in
this nation. Therefore, they
are often treated as slaves."

Every world has its own
darkness. And in this place
which is fully aware of the
non-human sentiment, there's no
creature more convenient to use
than them.

"And you can punish a slave."

The slave trader snapped his
finger. A magic circle appeared
on his arm while a similar
circle implanted into the
werewolf's chest started to
glow.

"GRAAARRR! GHAAAAA!"

The werewolf held its chest and
twisted in pain.
When the slave trader snapped
his fingers again, the magic
circle disappeared.

"With one simple action, as you
can see."
"A very convenient spell."

I whispered, looking at the
werewolf who fell on its back.

"Can I use it too?"
"Certainly. You can change the
trigger command, so it doesn't
need to be with a snap of your
fingers! The trigger can be
implemented as a conditional
clause as well."
"I see..."

It's got a pretty convenient
design.

"However, a ceremony to input
your body's innate code into
the spell will be necessary."
"So it won't be confused by
commands from other owners?"
"Your sharpness on this subject
is greatly appreciated."

The slave trader smirked
creepily.
What a weird guy.

"Anyways, how much does this
cost?"
"As you know, this werewolf is
from a capable species..."

When it comes to money, I'm
sure there are many rumors
about me.

"How does 15 gold coins sound?”
"I'm not sure about the market
price... But you're stating a
modest fee, I trust?"

1 gold coin is equivalent to
100 silver coins.
There's a reason the king
delivered them with roses.
Because of their high value,
the gold coins are hard to
exchange.
The shops in town mostly dealt
with silver coins, since they
were more commonly used.

"But of course."

...
The slave trader smiled as I
stared back.

"You showed this to me knowing
I couldn't afford it, didn't
you?"
"Yes. You will become a
prominent person one day, and
it'll be inconvenient for us if
you aren't aware of our high
standards. We can't have some
other incompetent trader sell
you inferior goods."

He's a peculiar guy either way.

"This is the status of the
slave, for your reference."

The slave trader showed me a
small crystal. An icon began to
glow and words appeared.

Battle slave Lvl. 75. Species:
Werewolf.

Other skills and techniques are
displayed as well.
75... Almost 20 times my Lvl.
How easy will fighting be with
someone this powerful under my
command? It's likely stronger
than any of the other heroes
right now.
Though the pricing was iffy for
its quality.
Because of its poor state of
health, it was probably still a
drawback even if it could
follow my orders.
And does this price include all
the other troublesome fees?

"It had previously been
fighting at the Colosseum. I
picked it up when it was
discarded due to its broken
arms and legs."
"Huh."

So this is an inferior model.
Weak despite its level.

"Now that you have seen our
best product, what kind of
slave is to your liking?"
"Something cheap and not
crippled."
"Neither for fighting nor
labor? So according to the
rumors..."
"I didn't do it!"
"Hu hu hu, either way is fine
with me. So what other
qualities are you looking for?"
"Being domestic will be
inconvenient. And of course a
sex slave is out of the
question."
"Huh... Seems like the rumors
were indeed false."
"... I didn't do it."

Yeah, I can say it, since I
didn't actually do it.
What I need now is simply
someone who can defeat monsters
for me, as long as they're
usable.

"Gender?"
"Male would be preferable, but
I won't stress over it."
"Huh..."

The slave trader scratched his
cheek.

"The quality won't be good
enough to be deemed as a pet.
Is that alright?"
"What do I care about looks?"
"Even though its level may be
low?"
"If I want strength, I'll train
it myself."
"... A humorous answer for
someone who doesn't trust in
people."
"A slave isn't human, is it?
Training a slave is no
different than practicing with
this shield of mine. So long as
it doesn't double-cross me,
then I can train it."
"You've got me there."

'Pft pft.' The slave trader
held back his laughter.

"This way, please."

We walked through the cage-
filled tent for several
minutes, passing the chaotic
area into one which was less
noisy.
I turned my gaze and saw both
decrepit youths and the elderly
with forlorn faces.
After walking a bit more, the
slave trader stopped.

"These are the cheapest slaves
which we can provide to Sir
Hero."

He said while pointing to three
caged slaves.
The first one was a bunny-eared
guy around the age of 20 with
an arm bent at an odd angle.
The second was a bony girl
around the age of 10 with
circular dog-like ears and a
strangely fat tail, shuddering
and coughing in fear.
The third was a blind lizard
man. He radiated a strangely
evil aura, however, he looked
much too human to be a lizard
man.

"From the left, we have a
rabbit species with a genetic
disease, a raccoon species
afflicted with panic and
ailment, and a beastman lizard
man.

Ah, so the third is a beastman.

"All of them seem problematic."
"Only these fulfill your
requested conditions. Anything
lower than this, well
frankly..."

The slave trader looked to the
back. I did the same.
I could tell even from afar:
the stench of death. That
highly concentrated smell
similar to a funeral. Something
in there...
The necrotic odor was coming
from there too.
I didn't want to look: it would
be mentally scarring.

"What's the price, by the way?"
"From the left: 25, 30, and 40
silver coins."
"And their level?"
"5, 1, and 8."

Looking at the current
standings, the beastman lizard
man seemed to be the best. But
the price and genetic disease,
not to mention he was very
thin.
Although the rabbit guy can't
use one of his arms, the rest
of his body should be fine. His
expression was awfully grim...
though it was the same for
everyone else here.

"Speaking of which, they're
very quiet."
"They'll be punished if they
make noise."
"I see."

Either they were well trained,
or the trader didn't show me
the untamed ones.
The lizard man was probably
useful in battle, but not for
anything else.

"Why is this middle one so
cheap?"

Although she was skinny and
scared, she was still a girl.
Her face wasn't all that
pretty, however.
A raccoon species, literally a
raccoon dog.
But a girl closely resembling a
human could be sold for other
specialties.

"The raccoon species is
somewhat inferior
aesthetically. If it were the
fox species, then it could be
sold at a high price despite
any problems."
"I see..."

Too inferior to be a pet then.

"Her face is below standards
and she panics during the
night, so we're having
difficulties with her."
"So this is one of your goods
in stock?"
"Wow, right into the heart of
the matter."

Not suited for labor compared
to the other two. Her level was
the lowest as well.
It's hard to decide which of
these three is the best.

My eyes met with hers.


My eyes met with hers
Then. I noticed my emotions
suddenly swelling deep inside.
Yes. This one is a girl, the
same sex as that bitch.
Looking at its frightened eyes,
I can feel the intense desire
to dominate her.
It's good to imagine her as if
I enslaved that woman. So even
if I die, my soul also won't
bear as much of a grudge that
way.

"Then I'll buy that slave in
the middle."
"Your immensely wicked smirk is
very gratifying to see."

The slave holder took out the
key, let the raccoon girl out
of the cage, and chained her to
a leash.

"Hee!?!"

Looking at the fearful girl, I
felt extremely satisfied.
What a nice feeling to imagine
that woman making this face.

Dragging the girl along, the
slave trader returned and
called someone from inside the
semi-opened circus tent to
retrieve a vase.
Then, he poured some ink into a
small saucer and directed it
towards me.

"Mr Hero, please share some of
your blood. Then the ritual
process will be complete, and
this slave shall become yours."
"I see."

I used a knife to slightly cut
open a finger.

If someone else tried to stab
me, the shield would respond.
But it was unresponsive if I
ever harmed myself.
Furthermore, it won't activate
outside of battle.
I waited for blood to ooze out,
then dripped several drops into
the saucer.
The slave trader used a brush
to soak up the ink, then he
tore the slave's clothes down
to her waist and painted the
stigma on her body.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The slave stigma started to
glow, and an icon appeared in
my status window.

Obtained a slave.

A message with terms of service
agreement appeared.
Numerous terms and conditions
are listed.
I skimmed through it and set
the punishment for betrayal to
extreme pain.
I checked the companion icon
next to the slave entry.
Since her name was unknown,
'Slave A' was written in there.
It seemed like I can change the
specifications however I
wanted. I'll read it closely
later.

"Now this slave is yours, Sir
Elderly Hero. Please complete
your purchase."
"Yeah."

I handed over 31 silver coins.

"There's 1 extra."
"It's for the ceremony service.
You were going to demand it
anyways, weren't you?"
"... You know me quite well."

If I pay the service in
advance, he can't complain
about it later either.
Though if he planned to demand
more, what should I do?

"Well, it's fine. Since we
cleared out our inventory too."
"How much were you going to
charge for the ceremony, by the
way?"
"Haha, our services were
included in the 30 silver
coins."
"Is that so, who knew?"

The slave trader laughed, so I
chuckled back.

"You really are too sharp! I'm
shocked."
"Feel free to say whatever you
want about me."
"We're looking forward to your
next visit."
"I'm sure."

---

I commanded the slave to follow
and left the circus tent.
The slave trailed behind me
with a dark expression.

"Tell me your name."
"...*Cough*..."

She turned her face away,
refusing to answer.
But that reaction was foolish.
The slave disobeyed, so the
punishment was activated.

"A, UGHHHHHH!"

The slave held her chest in
pain.

"Now then, say your name."
"Raphtalia...*Cough* *cough*!"
"Raphtalia? Okay, let's go."

After announcing her name, the
pain stopped and Raphtalia was
able to breath again.
Holding her hand, I continued
to walk through the back alley.

"..."

Raphtalia looked up to me, at
the hand which held hers, and
walked along as well.

Kid’s Lunch[edit]

“You....”

Oyaji was completely dumbstruck
when I brought Raphtalia along
with me to the Weapon Shop.
Yep, in order for her to fight
efficiently... she needed more
offensive power.
So it would be absurd not to
buy her a weapon.

“Give me a weapon within the
range of 6 silver coins that
this girlie can use.”
“... Hah.”

The Weapon Shop’s Oyaji lets
out a deep sigh.

“Is this country really that
corrupted, or did you become
completely rotten to the
bone... but whatever, I’m
getting 6 silver coins out of
this.”
“Do you still have any left,
things like ordinary clothing
or a cape?”
“... It’s fine. I’ll add those
in as a freebie.”

Oyaji muttered with a detested
tone while bringing out several
knives.

“These fall under the 6 silver
coins and below category.”

From left to right, we have
knives made from: Copper,
Bronze, and Iron.
They all have the same attack
range[112] but different
prices.
I made Raphtalia hold each of
the knives a few times before
choosing the one which she was
most comfortable with.

“This one's good.”

Raphtalia’s face paled as she
looked at me and Oyaji with the
knife in her hands.

“Here, your free clothes and
mantle.”

Oyaji handed them over with a
brusque shove and guided us to
the changing room.
I seized Raphtalia’s knife and
then instructed her to wear the
donated clothing.
Raphtalia tottered into the
changing room while coughing;
she then got changed.

“She still looks rather
messy... let’s give her a bath
later on.”

There was a river flowing near
the meadow.
In this country, the river
splits into various branches as
it flows downstream. My camping
grounds have recently been
relocated in that area.
It's a great spot since I can
always fish for food.
Some of the fishes that I
caught were absorbed, unsealing
the effects of the ‘Fish
Shield’ and acquiring Angling
Techniques 1 as a result.

Raphtalia timidly tottered over
to me after she finished
changing.
It seemed she understood that
disobeying will bring about
pain.
I squatted down to Raphtalia’s
eye level and spoke to her.

“Now then, Raphtalia, this here
is your weapon. From now on,
you and I will be fighting
monsters together. You get what
I’m saying?”
“...”

Raphtalia nodded at my words
with frightened eyes.
Good, because it'll be painful
if she didn’t understand.

“Now then, with that knife in
your hand――”

I took out the Orange Balloon
that was hidden within my cloak
and placed it in front of
Raphtalia.
“Hack and slash this thing.”
“Hii!?”[113]

When I showed her the hidden
demon, Raphtalia screamed in
shock and dropped her weapon.

“Eh... N-...No.”
“That’s an order. Do it.”
“I-, I can't.”

Raphtalia shook her head
vigorously. However, she was
then struck with a surge of
pain due to her disobedience
from the slave spell.

“Guh...”[114]
“Come now, it'll only continue
hurting if you don’t stab this
thing."
“*Koho...koho!*”[115]

Raphtalia’s face contorted in
pain as she firmly gripped her
weapon.

“You...”

Oyaji was rendered speechless
as he witnessed our little
theatrics.
Raphtalia firmly steeled her
will to kill as I shoved
against the Orange Balloon that
was biting on my arm.
Buni...[116]

“That’s weak! Put in some more
effort!”
“..!? Ei!”

Startled, Raphtalia recoiled
back for a moment. Then
immediately using the momentum,
she once again charged at the
Balloon with great force.
POP!*
The Balloon burst with a loud
noise.
EXP 1
For the first time, a text box
popped up and indicated that my
ally had defeated an enemy.
Once again, my head was filled
with bloodlust.
That bitch. She never had any
intention of staying with me or
teaching me how the system
works.

“Good, you did well.”

I patted Raphtalia.
She then looked up at me with a
mystified expression.

“Alright, the next one will be
this.”

The strongest balloon that I’ve
encountered was still attached
to me, trying to devour me with
its bites. I held out the
munching Red Balloon just like
I had done with the last one.
The Red Balloon didn’t eat or
drink anything for about a
week, so it should have been
weakened considerably.
But even so, this thing could
probably endure an attack from
a sick, newbie girl.
Steadily, Raphtalia nodded her
head and pierced the Balloon’s
eye more firmly than before.

POP!

EXP 1
Companion EXP 6

It was then that the icon
caught my attention.

“Good, from now on, just keep
fighting like this; let's go.”
“... *Koho*”

Following my orders, Raphtalia
sheathed her weapon around her
waist and obediently followed
me.

“Hah, hey buddy. I have
something to say to you.”
“And that is?”

Oyaji grumbled while scowling
at me.

“DON'T YOU, EVER, DIE,
DISHONORABLY, you hear?”
“I'll take those kind words to
heart.”

I returned his sarcasm with one
of my own.
On the way towards the meadows,
I noticed some stores and
street stalls along the side
road which continue stretching
into the horizon.
While Raphtalia held my hand
and walked beside me, she
glanced around the town
restlessly.
The food stalls were releasing
a delectable aroma.
Remaining money after my
purchases: 3 silver coins...
Speaking of which, my belly was
a bit empty.
Gu...[117]
Such a sound was heard from
Raphtalia’s direction.
She averted her gaze with an:

“Ah!”

While trying to deny what just
happened...
I wondered why she was holding
back.
Right now, if Raphtalia doesn’t
have the strength to fight
enemies, then I won’t be
getting income anytime soon
either.
A dull knife is useless. She
won’t be able to muster any
strength when she’s hungry.
I went inside a restaurant
which seemed affordable enough
for our budget.

“Wel-...come!” [118]

Our server guided us to a table
with a displeased look, due to
our shabby appearance.
Along the way, Raphtalia looked
over at a parent/child pair who
were sitting elsewhere.
With a finger to her mouth,
Raphtalia seemed quite envious
of the child digging into that
kiddie lunch.
I guess she wanted to eat that.
We sat down and quickly ordered
before our server left.

“Etto[119], I'll have the
cheapest meal on the menu,
while this little lady will get
whatever that kid over there is
eating."
“!?”

Raphtalia stared at me with
clear astonishment. Was it so
surprising for me to order that
lunch for her?

“Understood. That comes to a
total of 9 copper coins.”
“Here.”

Handing over a silver coin, our
server then gave me back the
difference.
I looked around the store
absentmindedly while waiting
for our lunch to be served.

...

People around us began to
gossip after noticing my
presence.
Yep, it's totally a parallel
world in here.

“Wh-,y?”
“Hm?”

I lowered my gaze towards
Raphtalia after hearing her
voice.
She was staring up at me with a
face full of wonder.

“You looked hungry for that
meal, no? Or did you want to
order something else?”

Raphtalia shook her head so
fast that a bustling sound can
be heard from the movement.
This is quite a delicate topic
for her.

“Wh-, why, would you let me eat
that lunch?”
“Like I told you, I ordered it
since you seemed to want it.”
“But...”

Why was she being so persistent
on this subject?

“Anyways, eat some food and get
some nutrition. You’ll die if
you’re too skinny, you know.”

Well, since I just bought my
new slave, I can’t have her
dying on me before she paid me
back with interest.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Our meals have finally arrived.
That’s the lunch which I
ordered for Raphtalia? It’s a
bacon meal set (?)[120] about
as big as a person’s arm.
Mhm. The presentation is in
pretty good taste at least.

“...”

Raphtalia froze on the spot
while having thoughts like “is
this kid’s meal really meant
for me?”

“You don’t want to eat?”
“... Is this really alright?”
“Hah... it’s fine, so eat up.”



Raphtalia timidly began
eating...
Raphtalia’s face contorted a
bit upon hearing my
instructions.

“Okay.”

Raphtalia timidly began eating
her kid's lunch with her bare
hands.
Well, it couldn’t be helped
since she grew up in a harsh
environment.
It somehow seemed that the
amount of gossip floating
around had increased once more.
Though it's not a matter worth
concerning myself with.
Raphtalia adoringly held the
flag which had stood at the
chicken rice-like summit of her
meal.
Munch Munch Munch [121]
Raphtalia then began savoring
each and every morsel of her
lunch.
So I'll be eating my meals with
this slave from now on... just
a solitary thought which
crossed my mind.

Accomplishments of a Slave
[edit]

After our lunch inside the
restaurant, we headed off into
the meadow.
Raphtalia was humming
cheerfully by the way.
However, upon seeing the
meadow, she began to tremble
with fear lingering in her
eyes.

"It may be scary but I will
definitely protect you from the
monsters."

She tilted her head upon
hearing my words.

"C'mon, these small fries can
only make me itchy when they
bite, I don't even feel any
pain."

Raphtalia was dumbfounded when
I showed her the gallery of
Balloons hidden under my
mantle.

"That's not, painful?"
"Nope."
"Then..."
"I'll tank."[122]
"Yes... *Koho*..."

I was a bit concerned over her
coughing, but she seemed to be
fine.
We picked up medicinal herbs
along the way while heading
towards the forest.
Oh, here they come again.
Three Red Balloons came flying
out from a bush inside the
forest.
I sacrificed myself to make
sure that none of them bit
Raphtalia.

"Alright, just do it like we
had done it awhile ago."
"... Hai!"[123]

A motivated Raphtalia
vigorously charged and
backstabbed the Red Balloons.
POP!* POP!* POP!*
With this, Raphtalia raised her
Level to 2.

The requirement for Red Small
Shield has been unsealed.

Red Small Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
Bonus: 4 Defensive Power

I immediately changed my
shield.
Raphtalia's eyes popped out
when she saw my shield
transform.

"Goshujin-sama[124]... just who
are you?"

She didn't seem to know that I
was the one and only Shield
Hero. Well up until now, she
was nothing but a demi-human
slave after all.

"I'm a Hero. The Hero of the
Shield."
"The legendary hero?"
"So you know?"

Raphtalia timidly nodded.

"That's right, I'm a summoned
Hero. There are 3 more people
like me... but I'm the weakest
of them all!"

I began biting my fingernails,
trying to contain this sudden
outburst of rage.
My head was filled with nothing
but bloodlust when the face of
that fucker popped up.
Raphtalia was frightened by my
eyes, instinctively knowing
that she shouldn't dig any
deeper into this.

"For the time being, today's
task will be hunting monsters
in this forest. I'll seize them
and you'll pierce them."
"Hai..."

She had become somewhat
accustomed to this as Raphtalia
nodded obediently.
And then, whenever we
encountered enemies inside the
forest, we'd always use the
common tactic where I aggro'ed
and disabled them while
Raphtalia went in for the kill.
Midway through, we encountered
an enemy other than Balloons
for the first time.

Roux Mush[125]
A white, moving mushroom. It
had sharp slanted eyes, and was
roughly the size of a human
head.
I tested my attacks on the Roux
Mush and it gave off a response
identical to a Red Balloon's.
Raphtalia then knocked this one
down too.
There were Roux Mush of other
colors such as Blue Mushes and
Green Mushes
Requirement for Mush Shield has
been unsealed.
Requirement for Blue Mush
Shield has been unsealed.
Requirement for Green Mush
Shield has been unsealed.

Mush Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
bonus: Plant Identification 1

Blue Mush Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
bonus: Simple Compounding
Recipes 1

Green Mush Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
bonus: Apprentice's Compounding

There were no status bonus; all
of them gave level-based skill
[126] bonuses.
Compounding... Mass producing
medicine will be very valuable.
By the end of the day,
Raphtalia's Level increased by
three, so in total she was now
at Level 5.
We walked through the meadow
and camped around the riverbed
in the evening.

"*Koho*..."

Raphtalia arrived at my side
without voicing any complaints.
I suppose it would do her some
good if she learned to
appreciate money by
experiencing the difficulty of
making some.
After we lit a campfire with
some firewood by the river, I
took out a towel from inside my
bag and gave it to Raphtalia.

"Go wash yourself for now. When
you're done, come back here and
warm your cold body with the
fire."
'... Hai."

Raphtalia removed her clothes
and dove into the river, where
she then began cleansing
herself.
During that time I began
fishing in order to prepare our
dinner.
I properly kept an eye out for
Raphtalia while doing so.
There should only be weak
Balloons lurking around this
area, but it would be wise to
never let my guard down.
I took a look over today's
harvest.

An abundant amount of 'Meadow's
Wild Medical Herb'.
A splendid amount of 'Medical
Herbs that don't usually grow
in the Meadow'.
A reasonable amount of
'Balloon's Balloon'.
A reasonable amount of
'Assorted Mush'.
Number of shields unsealed: 4
types.

Mhm. An obvious difference in
efficiency.
Buying a slave was the right
choice.
That's right. I should try to
challenge compounding.

I called forth some simple
recipes.
A window popped up, showing
combination formulas that can
be made with the medical herbs
which I collected.
As for equipment... I suppose I
can only make a limited amount
using the rocks and pebbles on
the riverside. So let's try the
recipes that can be made from a
mortar.[127]
However, the simple recipes
didn't have any record of
mixing techniques within it.
Gori gori gori*...[128]
I tried imitating how the
pharmacy owner mixed his
medicine in order to witness
the results.

Heal Pill has been made!
Heal Pill Quality: Bad -> A Bit
Bad. A pill that hastens a
wound's recovery, needs to be
applied on the wound to receive
effects.

This type of Icon [129] floated
in front of my eyes.
Nice, it was a success.
The shield was reacting, but I
decided not to let the shield
absorb the medicine for now.
Alright, time to challenge an
unfamiliar recipe.
Sometimes the compounding
failed and the stuff turned
into a jet black waste. This
was more fun than I expected.
Pachi pachi pachi*...
The sound of fire crackling
could be heard.
Raphtalia was done bathing and
had gone to warm herself up by
the campfire.

"Are you warm yet?"
"Yes. *Koho*..."

This looked very similar to a
cold. The slave dealer did say
that she was plagued with an
illness.
Coincidentally... there was a
cold medicine amongst the
experimental remedies.

Regular Medicine Quality:
Somewhat acceptable. This
medicine is effective against a
mild cold.

"Hey, drink this."

I was a bit anxious, but this
was better than nothing.

"... So bitter, dislike it...
guh..."

Raphtalia tried to say
something selfish but held her
chest in pain instead.

"Here."
"Y-, Yes."

Raphtalia trembled as she
swallowed the medicine that I
passed to her.

"Haa... Haa..."
"There there, good girl."

Raphtalia once again gave me a
perplexed stare when I patted
her head.
Ah, these tanuki[130] ears sure
were fluffy.
She hugged her tail while
blushing, refusing to let me
feel it. Did she think that I
would try touching her tail
when I looked at it?

"Here, this is your dinner."

I handed a grilled fish over to
Raphtalia, and then returned to
compounding medicine.
I've always loved working on
these kinds of delicate
projects.
The sun had already set but I
kept on compounding, using the
campfire for light.
Fumu... This was fun in a lot
of ways.
Having already finished eating
her fish, Raphtalia drowsily
stared at the campfire while
letting out some subtle snoring
sounds.

"Go to sleep."

Upon hearing my order,
Raphtalia repeatedly shook her
head.
Was she being shy? She was
refusing to sleep like a
spoiled child... Well, I guess
she was one.
Anyways it seemed like she
would fall asleep eventually.
Come to think of it, was the
medicine effective? I hadn't
heard her cough since then.
Afterwards, I examined the
remedies which were made from
my experiments, and most of
them had simple effects.
Those deemed inferior were
absorbed into the shield.

Requirement for Petit Medicine
Shield has been unsealed.
Requirement for Petit Poison
Shield has been unsealed.

Petit Medicine Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
bonus: Raises Medicine's
Effects.

Petit Poison Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
bonus: Poison Resistance (
Small )

Both of them seemed to be
related to the Leaf Shield and
Mush Shield. Though I had no
idea how 'Raises Medicine's
Effects' works.
Does it increase the effect of
the medicines that I use on
myself, or the effect of the
medicines which I create?
Well, whatever.
There was no mistake that
today's harvest was a good one.

"No... help me..."

Raphtalia let out a strange
voice.
The sleeping Raphtalia seemed
to be having a nightmare.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOO!"

I felt like my ears went deaf
for a moment there.
This sucked. Balloons were
coming our way; they probably
got attracted by her screaming.
I quickly went over to
Raphtalia and covered her
mouth.

"H――――――――――――――――!"

However, a loud noise could
still be heard, I then recalled
the slave dealer's concern
about this dilemma.
This certainly was problematic.

"Calm down, just settle down
already."

I held the sobbing Raphtalia in
my hands and cradled her.[131]

"Noo...a-san...o-san."[132]

Was she calling for her
parents? Raphtalia could do
nothing but cry and stretch out
her hand, begging for help.

"It's fine... it's alright,
you're safe now."

I patted her head and continued
cradling her.

"Don't cry. Be strong."
"Huhu..."[133]

I continued to hug the weeping
Raphtalia.

"Grah!"

A Balloon that was attracted by
her cries appeared.

"Fu..."[134]

Really, even at a time like
this.
I held Raphtalia close to me
and charged at the Balloon.

"Uwoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
[135]

Chun... Chun!*[136]

"Is it morning?"

What a terrible night.
By the time I finished with the
horde of Balloons that
appeared, Raphtalia's cries had
also begun to quiet down. But
when I tried to separate myself
from her, if even a little, she
would start wailing out loud
again.
Then the Balloons would appear
once more.
Which is why I was unable to
get a wink of sleep.

"Nn..."
"You awake?"
"Hiii!?"[137]

Raphtalia widely opened her
eyes in surprise since I was
holding her up in front of me.

"Ha... I'm tired."

There was still some time
before the town's gate opened.
So I planned on taking a quick
nap for now.
Today, I would be selling the
medicine which I had made
yesterday; this should yield
more profit than the raw
medical herbs.
If the herbs' value were higher
than the medicine's, then there
would be no point in people
making them.

"I'll be sleeping for little
while. As for breakfast...
would the leftover fish from
yesterday suit your taste?"

Raphtalia timidly nodded.

"Then good night. Call me if
any monsters appear."

It was painful just to keep my
eyes open, so I was quickly
lulled into a slumber full of
dreams.
I still didn't know the reason
behind Raphtalia's panic
attacks. And I wasn't too
interested in hearing about it
either.
It's most likely due to the
shock of being sold by her
parents, or maybe from being
kidnapped.
Even if it was the latter, I
had no obligation to return
her. This gentleman here had
paid big bucks for this slave
after all.
It was fine if she held a
grudge over this. I needed to
do all I could in order to
survive.
I have to find a way to return
to my old world, that's all
there is to it.

What’s Yours is Mine[edit]

Around high noon, I opened my
eyes and Raphtalia was there
waiting for me.

“Are we going to the castle
town? *Koho*”
“Ha ha.”

She’s coughing once again.
I silently handed her the
‘regular medicine’ and
Raphtalia took it while
frowning.
After that it was time to drop
by the pharmacy to do some
business.

“Fumu... the quality of these
isn't bad. Yuusha-sama, are you
familiar with pharmacology?"

Since I was no longer a
stranger to the store, I was
able to catch glimpses on some
of the medicine’s production.

“No, it was my first time
making some yesterday. Compared
to selling raw medical herbs,
which one is more profitable?"
“That’s a difficult question.
Although medical herbs are
cheaper to use, medicines can
usually save lives.”

Although the pharmacist frowned
when he saw Raphtalia, I knew
from observation that he didn't
use cheap lies and was speaking
honestly.

“The price of medicine has
skyrocketed recently due to the
prophecy, so demand for them
are very high right now.”
“Fumu...”

Either risk failing to craft
them for better sales, or
selling raw materials to their
production line directly; it's
debatable on which of the two
will yield more gold.
However, everything has its own
silver lining. There’s no
disadvantage in continuing to
collect more.

“Hey, does this mean you’re not
coming anymore?”
“... Didn’t I say something
along the lines of: ‘For two
weeks, I'll be selling medical
herbs around town’?”

The pharmacist understood my
answer and looked at me with an
odd expression before laughing.
This time around he gave me
some hand-me-down equipment and
taught me how to use them,
taking my medical herbs as his
payment while still buying the
medicine off me.
I received various tools
besides the mortar.
Laboratory equipment like:
measuring device, flask, and
distiller.
These should last me for quite
a while before I have to get
some new ones.

“Since these used goods were
only collecting dust in the
warehouse, you won’t know when
they might break.”
“I suppose it’s a good enough
set for beginners.”

Anyways, with this I'll be able
to try out more formulas.
I just have to dispose of the
Balloon skins now.
While on my way to the Balloon
buyer, I caught sight of some
children from my peripheral
vision.
It seemed those Balloon skins
that the merchant bought were
used as material to make
actual, marketable balloons.
The children were playing
around with one of those as if
it was a ball.
Raphtalia was looking at those
kids with envy.

“Naa[138], what’s that?”
“Yes?”

I pointed at the ball those
children were playing with and
asked.

“Well, that's one of the
practical applications of what
we do with the Balloon skins.”
“I see, then can you make
another using the goods we're
about to sell?"
“Eh, well... if you really want
one.”

We headed over to the buyer to
sell our goods and left with
money in hand. He then let me
have one of the balls that was
made from a Balloon skin.

“Here.”


I threw the ball and Raphtalia
caught it
I threw the ball and Raphtalia
caught it.
With wide eyes, Raphtalia
alternated between the ball and
my face several times.

“What? You don’t want it?”
“M-, Mhm.”

Raphtalia laughed merrily,
waving her head around.
She laughed for the first time.

“Once we’re done with today’s
work, you can go play around
with it.”
“Yay!”

She was somehow very energetic.
This is good progress.
Because an energetic Raphtalia
will be more beneficial for me.
After that we returned to the
forest, exterminating monsters
and collecting herbs just like
yesterday.
We were able to go in deeper
thanks to my enhanced defense.
... Apparently there is a
village if we continued to
advance into the forest.
However, I refused to follow
that bitch’s advice.
It was profitable and we
discovered various things. It
was likely due to the fact that
we were approaching the foot of
the mountain range.
Oh? We've found a new enemy.
An egg-like creature.
This thing looked like it
belonged to a branch of the
Balloon family.

“We’re fighting this monster
for the first time. I'll be
going in first. Once I give you
the signal, rush in for the
kill.”
“Un!”[139]

That’s a good answer.
I charged at the monster; it
also noticed me and bared its
fangs my way.
Gan!* [140]
It really did no damage. There
wasn't any pain or so much as
an itch.
Rapharia’s blade flew through
the air and easily impaled it.

“Taha!”[141]

We cleared monsters more
vigorously compared to
yesterday.
An Eggy.[142]
Another one of the earlier
enemies.
Followed by a 'Parin*' sound,
Eggy crumbled into pieces with
egg yolk splattering everywhere
when it died.

“B-ue[143], this is nasty!”

Couldn't the shell be sold?
This was such a waste.
It smells rotten so I guess
it’s inedible.
I absorbed the shell pieces
into the shield.
Since she got used to it,
Raphtalia was able to pierce
the Eggy in an experienced
manner.
Requirement for Egg Shield has
been unsealed.

Egg Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
bonus: Culinary 1

Another level based skill
bonus.
This time was cooking, huh?
We continued hunting the
different color variations of
this monster.

Requirement for Blue Egg Shield
has been unsealed.
Requirement for Sky Egg Shield
has been unsealed.

Blue Egg Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
bonus: Judgement 1

Sky Egg Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
bonus: Beginner Cooking Recipes

Weird, it has only been skill
bonuses lately.
Does it depend on which type of
enemy we defeat?
Oh well, in the meantime I'll
just utilize my herb collecting
skills more.
The day seemed a little bit
longer while up in the
mountain.
Still, I was a bit concerned
over Raphtalia’s equipment.
Here are today’s results:

Me: Level 8
Raphtalia: Level 7

Damn. She almost caught up to
me already.
This was undoubtedly due to
Raphtalia dealing the finishing
blows.
Gu*...

“My stomach's empty...”

Raphtalia made a troubled
expression as she said this to
me.

“I guess you’re right, let’s
head back for our meal.”

We ended our exploration and
headed back to town.
After returning, I sold the
Eggy Shells that looked
unusable for compounding.
We made 9 silver today,
including what we sold this
morning.
It was doubtful that we could
make much from these shells.
However, they were bought from
me for an unexpectedly high
price.
The medicine and herbs also
fetched a good price, making me
reconsider what we should eat
today.
Well, considering that
Raphtalia had been drooling all
over the food stalls for awhile
now...
I had no intention of pampering
her, but she should be rewarded
for her good work. So, why not?

“Let’s drop by, just for
today.”
“Eh? Is it okay?”
“You wanted to eat here,
right?”

Raphtalia nodded fiercely at my
question.
She had become quite honest.

“*Keho*...”

She’s coughing once again.
I silently handed her a
'regular medicine', then I
ordered what looked like
hardened mashed potatoes on a
skewer from one of the stalls.

“Here, you worked hard today.”

After swallowing the medicine,
Raphtalia happily accepted the
skewer I held out and stuffed
her face with it.
“Thank you!”
“N-, no prob...”

... I’m glad that she had
become so energetic.
I looked around for a cheap Inn
while eating and walking.

“Do you want to stay here
tonight?”
“Aaah.”
Raphtalia crying all night long
was troublesome enough already,
please at least spare me the
fights with the Balloons.
We went into the Inn.
Upon entering, the Innkeeper
blatantly scowled,[144];
however, he instantly switched
on his business smile.

“There's a chance my companion
here will be crying at night,
is that alright?”[145]

I dangled the Balloon concealed
under my cloak threateningly in
front of the other party as I
asked.

“Tha-, that’s a bit――”
“I can count on you, right?
We'll be keeping the noise at a
reasonable level.”
“Y-, yes.”

Ever since coming to this
world, I had learned that
blackmailing was an important
part of business.
This whole damn country had
made me into a target of
ridicule; the damn king
wouldn't be able to fully
comprehend the damage his
actions caused me.
No, even if he did, he would
probably say something like 'it
couldn't be helped'.[146]
Seriously, all these parallel
world elitists.
I paid the fee and then
unloaded our luggage inside the
room we rented.
Raphtalia’s eyes sparkled while
looking at the ball.

“Come back before nightfall.
Also, stay as close to the Inn
as possible.”
“Yaaay!”

Good grief, she really did act
like a child her age.
Demi-humans seemed to be the
object of contempt, but there
shouldn’t be any problems if
she was seen and treated like
an adventurer.
Looking out of the window, I
saw Raphtalia playing with her
ball. I then did research on
more methods of compounding.
Approximately... 20 minutes had
passed since then.
That was when I heard a loud,
childish scream.

“Why is a Demi-human playing in
our turf!”

What was that? I peered out of
the window.
No matter how I look at it, all
I saw was some shitty bullies
pointing at Raphtalia and
harassing her.
Good grief, no matter where you
go there will always be these
type of kids lurking around the
place.

“This brat. You have a nice
toy, so hand it over.”
“Eh-, a-, that’s...”

Raphtalia seemed to be aware of
the demi-human’s low standing
in society. So their reaction
wasn't strange to her either.
Ha...[147]
I went out of the room and
headed downstairs.

“I told you to hand it over.”
“N-, no...”

These fucking punks were
intending to use violence as
they encircled the frail and
defiant Raphtalia.

“Hold it right there, you
little shits.”
“What do you want, old geezer.”

Guh, old geezer he says!
Whatever, I’m only 20 this year
and I don't care about this
world's standards for age.
I don’t even care if I’m an old
geezer to them.

“What reason do you have for
demanding other people’s
belongings?”
“Hah? That isn't your ball, is
it?"
“It’s mine. I’m lending it to
this girl. If you stole it from
her then that means you stole
it from me.”
“Just what are you saying, damn
geezer.”

Sigh... It seemed they couldn't
even understand that much with
all the blood rushing into
their brains.
Even if he was a kid, I never
intended to forgive him. Those
who steal from people deserved
to be punished.

“I see I see, then I’ll give
you an EVEN BIGGER BALL.”

Noticing my demeanor, Raphtalia
squeezed out her voice, telling
the startled children.

“Run away!”

However, the eyes of those
little shits underestimated me.
I silently snickered deep down
while I took out the Balloon
that was biting my arm.
GABU!*

“MY ASSSSSSSSSS!”[148]

The Balloon immediately paid
the brat a visit with a bite on
his ass.

“So kids, that one was a REAL
ball, you guys want some too?”
“Ouuchhhhh!”[149]
“That was not a joke.
Dumbasses!”
“Die! Retard!”
“I’ll kick your ass too, you
little shit!”[150]

I turned back towards the Inn
with the brats cursing me as
they ran away.

“Er, umm...”

Raphtalia grabbed my mantle.

“Oi, there’s a Balloon still
living in there.”

The frightened Raphtalia
quickly flinched her hand away,
her timid look making me laugh.

“Arigatou.”

What was she talking about?

“Oh...”

While stroking Raphtalia's
head, we both returned to the
Inn.

Remedy[edit]

The sun had set and the night
grew cold; it was about time
for Raphtalia’s stomach to
grumble. Leaving the luggage
behind at the inn, we went to a
nearby restaurant for dinner.
We had some snacks just awhile
ago.
Raphtalia got them from an
unfamiliar shop, though I had
no idea what was so good about
them.
Good grief, I needed a way to
fatten up my wallet. I guess
camping out will be our plan
from now on.
So I'll let you eat your fill
for now!

“Let’s see, Delia-set for two
people and a Neapolitan[151]
please.”

After giving the order to our
server, our dinner soon
arrived.

“Let’s dig in.”
“Un.”

Raphtalia began eating by
stuffing food into her mouth
with her bare hands again.
Judging from her growth, I
would say that she was roughly
around 10. She had been eyeing
my plate, so I went ahead and
ordered extra.

“Eat up while you can since
we'll be camping out from
tomorrow onward.”
“Ha-gu-i!”[152]

Nodding and eating at the same
time is bad table manners. But
since she’s eating so
gratefully, I'll excuse her
behavior this time.[153]
After that, we returned to our
room where I took note of
Raphtalia’s appearance yet
again.

“Your hair is a mess, let’s
trim it a bit.”
“... Hai.”

I patted Raphtalia head with a
'pon*' since she was making an
uneasy face.

“It'll be fine. I'm not going
to give you a weird haircut.”

Besides, it was her current
appearance that looked weird.
Using a knife, I began trimming
off the excessive hair with a
‘gushi*’.
I trimmed her hair to about
shoulder length before I was
done.

“Alright, this much should be
good, right.”

Compared to her old hairstyle,
this one was at least more
presentable.
With this, she would look quite
nice after dressing up.
Raphtalia began twirling
around, her face swelling with
confidence.[154]
I wonder what she's so happy
about.
The shield reacted when I was
cleaning up the leftover hair.

...
I never would have imagined
that.
Suuu*...[155]
I opened my status to confirm.
Though it appeared that my Lvl
and ‘Tree’[156] were still
insufficient.

“Hm?”

Crap, she turned around.

“Now then, you should hurry up
and go to bed.”
“Un!”

She was being strangely honest,
unlike yesterday.
Well, that’s good.

She might weep again, so I
busied myself by compounding
inside the room.
...

Nutritional Supplement was
created.
Nutritional Supplement Quality
Bad -> A Bit Bad. A medicine
that relieves fatigue, it is
also effective as a method of
rapidly recovering from
malnourishment.

Recovery Potion was created.
Recovery Potion Quality A Bit
Bad -> Normal. A medicine that
treats certain illnesses. It
will be less effective against
more severe diseases.

Fumu... there are various
things that can be made using
the mountain and forest herbs.
Because of this, I can trade
these at the pharmacy for a
splendid sum of money.
It was just that the materials
were consumed at a fearsome
rate that was borderline
hazardous.
Altogether, I made 6
Nutritional Supplements and a
few other remedies.
However, it was still very
difficult to make high quality
medicines; I had no chance of
winning against a specialist.
Since I'm the Shield Hero and
not a Pharmacist.
... Let’s absorb some of them
into the Shield then.

The requirement for Calorie
Shield has been unsealed.
The requirement for Energy[157]
Shield has been unsealed.
The requirement for Energic
Shield had been unsealed.

Calorie Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
Bonus: Stamina Boost (Small)

Energy Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
Bonus: SP Boost (Small)

Energic Shield
True power sealed …… Equipment
Bonus: Stamina Consumption
Decrease (Small)

For the time being, all of them
gave status related bonuses.
Just what is ‘stamina’ anyways?
[158] Is it like physical
fitness?
It seems that I'll need to
experience this myself.
Next we had the medical herbs,
but... I wonder if it'll become
more difficult if I continue to
recklessly learn more crafting
skills.
I want more combat bonuses.
Or maybe it's because I can't
meet the unsealing requirement
with only the herbs I had
collected.
Well, that’s fine.

“Nn~...”[159]

While stretching and preparing
to go to sleep, I spotted
Raphtalia squeezing her eyes
tight. Looks like she wasn't
able to get a good night's
sleep; that was a sign she was
about to weep.

“Kya――”

I covered her mouth right
before she screamed, then I
held her in my arms while
gently patting her with a ‘pon
pon*’. [160]
Phew, I was somehow able to
calm her down tonight.
But she would cry again if I
tried to let go of her now.
Guess it can’t be helped. Let’s
sleep together then.


... It felt kind of chilly.
Feeling the sunlight shining on
my face, I opened my eyes.
Raphtalia, who was supposed to
be sleeping next to me, was
trembling in a corner of the
room.

“What’s wrong?”
“Gomennasai gomennasai,
gomennasai gomennasai!”[161]

I furrowed my eyebrows at
Raphtalia who was desperately
muttering apologies; I could
roughly guess the reason due to
this damp chilliness which was
coming from underneath me. I
see... Raphtalia wet the bed.
Haa...[162]

She thought I would be angry.
I had never heard of a 10 year
old wetting the bed, but there
was no way I could be angry
after looking at those
frightened eyes of hers.
I went over to Raphtalia.
I reached my hand out,
startling Raphtalia as she
curled herself up into a ball
and shielded her head.

“Good grief...”

I used that hand to pat the
shoulder of a trembling
Raphtalia.[163]

“Wetting the bed wasn’t
something that you can control,
right? Come now, hurry up and
undress so you can wash
yourself up.”

She'll need a spare change of
clothes too, I suppose.

“Eh...”

Raphtalia looked at me with a
mystified expression.

“You’re not angry?"
“How could I lash out at
someone who's been regretting
their actions? You reflected on
what you did, so I'm not
angry.”

The sheet was stained. I
wondered how much I'll have to
pay the Innkeeper... we'll keep
it as a piece of cloth for the
time being.
After that, I explained the
situation to the Innkeeper,
paid for the damages, and then
rushed off to buy some spare
clothes from the Weapon Shop.
Although the well water was a
bit cold, I washed the sheet
clean and packed it in our
luggage bag.
It seemed like a great idea to
dry this sheet by tying it on a
branch and hanging it as we
walk through the meadow.

“Now then.”

It's getting a bit irritating
to walk with Raphtalia, who
continued apologizing.

“I told you not to worry about
it!”
“... Hai.”

Haa... She really was an
obedient child.
However, it would also be
troublesome for me if she had
no motivation.
Guu*...
Raphtalia’s stomach grumbled
again.
Oh, and her face was flushed
with shame.

“I guess it's about time for
breakfast.”
“Un...”

Raphtalia walked besides me
while holding onto the hem of
my shirt.

“...*koho*”
“Alright then, you'll need to
take this medicine as
punishment.”

I handed a ‘recovery potion’
over to Raphtalia.
It seems like a persistent
illness, one which required a
regular intake of medicine, so
this is exactly what she needs.
Raphtalia’s face turned
extremely sour after just a
sniff. However, she was very
enthusiastic about drinking it
since this was her punishment.

“Uwaa... So bitter...”
“Just bear with it.”

Gokugokugoku*[164]
Raphtalia, who finished
drinking the whole thing, had a
blenched face and looked about
ready to vomit.
By the way, that compounded
medicine seemed to fetch a good
price. But since the quality
was poor, the horrible taste
was even worse.

Taking a Life[edit]

Exiting the meadow, we arrived
along the fringe land between
the mountain and forest.
Raphtalia’s fighting style had
greatly improved thanks to her
experience, and her movements
were more skillful too.
Our herb collecting was going
well. Monsters steadily kept on
coming and provided us with
exp, while our luggage was
being overstuffed with all the
item drops.
But then 'it' happened.
Before we had only fought
fable-like monsters. But now we
had finally encountered our
first animal class creature.

A one-headed... chestnut
rabbit?
Usapiru.[165]
That’s a weird name.

“Pyo!?”[166]

The Usapiru spotted our
presence and leaped at us,
attacking with its huge buck
teeth.

“Watch out!”

It targeted Raphtalia after
judging she was weaker.
I jumped out to protect her
like usual.
Chomp! Chomp![167]
It seemed that my defensive
power was still higher than its
attack.

“Alright! Stab it.”
“A... Aah...”
“What’s wrong?”
“A, a living thing, will, will
have blood, right..?”

I was barely able to make sense
of Raphtalia’s stuttering
words.

“Deal with it, we'll be
fighting these kind of enemies
from now on.”
“B-,but.”

Chomp! Chomp!
Usapiru repeatedly bit me with
its teeth.

“Brace yourself and bear with
it. Or else you'll become too
much of a burden that I'll have
to abandon you.”

That’s right. Even if she’s my
cherished slave; if she can’t
fight then she isn't needed.
I'll just have to visit that
perverse slave dealer and buy
another slave, one who can
fight properly.

“N-, no!”

Frightened with her eyes shut
tight, Raphtalia stabbed the
Usapiru multiple times with her
knife.
Blood began spewing after she
pulled her weapon out.

“Ah...”

The Usapiru died with a thud
and laid motionless on the
ground.
Raphtalia stared at her own
knife while trembling, the
scene thoroughly burnt into her
eyes.
Her complexion became pale; she
looked as if she wanted to
escape from all of this.
However, we mustn't feel any
remorse.
Because we'll be fighting
monsters like this again and
again for hundreds, even
thousands of times.

“Pyo!”

Another Usapiru appeared out of
a bush and it leaped at
Raphtalia, trying to bite her.

“Ah――”

I immediately prevented the
attack by jumping in between
the two.
Chomp!

“... Sorry. To be honest, I had
to push you. Because I can't do
anything but protect others. So
I have no choice but to leave
you with all the dirty work.”

The Usapiru was chewing on my
arm while I told this to
Raphtalia.

“I can’t get stronger if I
don’t do this. For this
purpose, I need your help..”

If I don’t, then there won't be
a future for me. The time limit
is fast approaching and the
waves of disaster will soon
appear.
I had no confidence in
surviving with how things stood
now.

“... But...”
“Within one week, a world-
ruining wave will spawn."
“Eh!?”
“Because of that, I want to
become stronger, even if it's
only a little bit.”

Raphtalia was trembling as she
listened to me.

“Are you... fighting against
that disaster?”
“Haha, I was told that this was
my role. So I'm not doing it
because I want to... Guess
we're similar in that regard. I
was forced to defend against
the wave; there's no sense of
obligation or duty in it for
me."
“...”
“So, please try to understand
that I don't want us going our
separate ways.”

Having to raise another slave
will definitely be a waste, and
sending her back into that cage
won't make me feel good about
myself either.
But unfortunately, I have no
money. If I want to buy a new
slave, then I'll have to sell
her.

“... Understood. Goshujin-sama,
I... will, fight.”

Color gradually returned to her
pale face. She slowly nodded
her head and thrust her blood-
stained knife at the Usapiru’s
vital point.
For some reason, her demeanor
was the polar opposite of what
she was like before, her eyes
now shined with determination.
At the sight of the Usapiru
squirming and convulsing,
Raphtalia silently closed her
eyes.
Then a moment later, she
changed her grip on the knife
and began skinning the rabbit.

“Let me do that. I don’t want
you handling all the grunt
work.”
“Hai.”

I took out a knife used for
dismantling, and with that the
body of the Usapirus was soon
dismembered.
This is reality, not a game.
It was understandable for
someone to want to look away.
But after killing a living
creature for the first time, I
truly understood what it means
to be alive in this world.
With the Usapiru’s blood
staining my hand, I was able to
understand what Raphtalia had
just gone through.
I dismantled both rabbits and
absorbed the pieces into the
shield.

The requirement for Usa Leather
Shield[168] has been unsealed.
The requirement for Usa Meat
Shield[169] has been unsealed.

Usa Leather Shield
True power sealed...Equipment
bonus: 3 Agility

Usa Meat Shield
True power sealed...Equipment
bonus: Dismantling Techniques 1

I equipped the latter shield
then stood up.

“Goshujin-sama. Please, don’t
abandon me.”[170]

Raphtalia begged me while
raising her face.
She probably hated the mere
thought of going back to that
place, where she cried at night
and was sick and famished.
Without proper care, she'd
probably die in there. That
would certainly leave a bad
aftertaste in my mouth.
Although I'd love to imagine
ridiculing that bitch until the
climax of her death, it would
be impractical for it to
actually happen. [171]

“You’ve properly fulfilled your
role, so I won’t abandon you.”

Besides, I would be troubled if
Raphtalia were to die.
But then again... That's right.
She's a creature of the similar
gender just like that bitch...
the exact same as that bitch!
I shook my head repeatedly.
I need to stop thinking like
this. It's bad for my heart.
Right now, I have to find a way
to grow stronger with this
slave of mine, even if just a
little.
EXP 7 x 2

“I want to, lend my strength,
to goshujin-sama, desu.”[172]

From then on, Raphtalia was
unbelievably enthusiastic about
charging in and skewering the
monsters which appeared.
Someone who I always needed to
keep safe was now being so
aggressive without any
inhibitions.
This was some good development,
but it seemed like... she was
motivated for the wrong
reasons.
The way I handled matters is
not praiseworthy
It was entirely for self-
interest.
But still... these sort of
things needed to be done no
matter what.

When evening came, we decided
to rest within the forest. For
that purpose we found a
spacious area, lit some
firewood, and began setting up
camp.
We made a stew out of the
Usapiru’s meat and edible herbs
which we collected.
The remaining meat was grilled
over the campfire.
Although our plan was to return
back to town by tomorrow
evening, we have no proof that
the monsters’ meat will even
sell.
Since I was a bit skeptical, I
used the ‘Judgement’ skill to
identify the food and see if it
was safe to eat.
I cut a piece of the cooked
meat to confirm that there was
nothing wrong with it. But I
still had no idea what it
tasted like.
They were just grilled and
boiled so it couldn't be
considered a proper cuisine.
I also activated my ‘cooking’
skill, and the quality turned
from ‘normal’ to ‘a tad good’.
So they shouldn’t taste
terrible either.

“Here, eat up.”

Raphtalia then began devouring
the cooked stew and grilled
meat.

“O-, Oishii!”[173]

Her stomach grumbling in
anticipation a little while
ago, Raphtalia heartily ate
with shining eyes.
After today’s fights, I became
a Lvl 10 and Raphtalia also
became a Lvl 10.
She finally caught up with me.
Oh well, it couldn’t be helped.
I started compounding under the
light of the campfire.
Our immediate goal is to
gradually save up money, then
to gear ourselves up. Which is
why I'll try to create the most
expensive medicine in order to
sell it.

grind grind grind [174]
I grounded the medical herbs
with the mortar, then mixed the
extracts together before
transferring the solution into
the beaker.

Recovery Potion was made.
Nutritional Supplement was
made.

Again, these recipes were ones
which I had already discovered.
This was the limit of “Simple
Compounding Recipes 1”. Even
these two drugs were
miraculously made with
intuition.
The shield’s power - which was
fueled by an ‘eternal torch’
that will-, who am I kidding -
[175] of ‘compounding’ had
reached its limit.
Basically, most of the
qualities were somewhat bad.

“... Ah chou*”

Did the effect of the medicine
run out?
I silently passed her a
‘recovery potion’, and
Raphtalia drank it while
frowning.
Anyways, in order to acquire
new sources of income, we will
need to grow stronger.

“I'll watch over the campfire,
you go ahead and sleep. So
yeah... I'll wake you up after
awhile.”
“Understood.”

She was strangely obedient. One
could see a huge difference
between this and our first
meeting.

“Good night.”
“Haha, pleasant dreams. Oh
right, we'll be selling those
tomorrow. So go ahead and use
the fur as a blanket.”

I passed Raphtalia the fur,
which was fumigated while I was
cooking in order to drive away
fleas.
It was a little small, but it
should keep the body warm after
bundling yourself up, right?

“Hai.”

Raphtalia frowned a bit after
sniffing the fur’s scent.

“Is it smoky?”
“Yes. It's very smoky.”
“I thought so.”
“But, it looks very warm.”

Raphtalia snuggled up to me,
leaned against my back, and
closed her eyes.
Oh well, this was fine.
I continued to make medicine
and threw more wood into the
campfire, just waiting for the
moment when Raphtalia would
begin shrieking like a banshee.
... sigh.
I wonder how long this
lifestyle would continue.
It might only last for one week
more, huh.
Although I shouldn’t be
thinking about dying anytime
soon, I should always be
prepared for that possibility.
... It’s about time. Since
we've been together for three
days, I could somehow sense
when she was about to make
another uproar.

“Nn...”

Raphtalia gently rubbed her
eyes and slowly got up.

“Are you awake?”

She didn't scream.
Ah, I see. It was because she
was contently sleeping against
my back.
It may be a trauma, but it
seems like she'll be fine if
there's another person’s warmth
besides her while she slept.
Guu...

“... My stomach's empty.”

She got hungry again right
after the feast she just ate.

“Hai hai.”

I gave Raphtalia the grilled
meat which was meant to be
reserved for tomorrow's
breakfast.
Raphtalia delectably stuffed
her mouth full of the meat.

“Well then, I'll be going to
sleep now. Wake me up if
anything happens.”
“Hai!”

Raphtalia nodded while munching
her food.
Good grief, she became a lot
more energetic. But look at how
much of a glutton she turned
into.

Traits of a Demi-Human[edit]

We took turns sleeping until
morning came.
At around noontime, a certain
incident occurred.
While we were hunting some
Usapiru that had appeared
before us.

“Ah...”

pokin The knife in Raphtalia's
hands had snapped off
completely.

“Show it to me.”

It couldn’t be helped. The
knife had done its job and
broke only after killing the
last Usapiru which had been
gnawing at my arm.

“I’m sorry.”
“Nothing lasts for an eternity.
So it was inevitable for this
knife to break.”

It was a cheap knife, not to
mention it had never even been
polished.

“We'll stop here for now before
returning to town.”
“Hai.”

The bag that Raphtalia carried
was splendidly stuffed full of
loot.
On a side note, I've become a
Lvl 11 and so has Raphtalia.
Along the way we had
encountered several monsters,
but we somehow managed to get
by with my spare knife.
Later on, we sold off our
spoils, including the
compounded medicine, for a
grand total of 70 silver coins.
Chari chari...[176]

“I wonder which one we should
get.”
“You mean a knife?”

Raphtalia murmured while eating
her lunch inside a street
stall.
We should be able to cover our
living expenses by camping
outdoors.
And there wouldn’t be a problem
with food if we skinned the
Usapiru[177] for their meat.
I stopped thinking about that
for now.
Since I didn’t have a favorite
store or know of any other good
places to shop, I at least
wanted to know more about the
details of our purchased
equipment.

“Well, guess we should go over
to the Weapon Shop.”
“Un.”

Guu...
I heard a grumbling noise
coming from behind me.

“My tummy's empty.”
“Didn’t you just eat a moment
ago!?”

Is it a growth spurt!?
Just how many times a day were
you planning to eat!

“Haa...”[178]

Right, Engel’s Coefficient
would skyrocket with her in the
equation.[179]
We need to start hunting again
as soon as possible. At this
rate our food expenses alone
will bring us to ruin.

――――――――――

“--And that's what happened,
Oyaji. I'd like some weapons
and protective gear within the
range of 65 silver coins, plus
a cheap knife.”

For some reason, Oyaji groaned
with his palm on his head.

“Well…… it's none of my
business, but please properly
maintain your equipment at
least.”
“Sorry about that. I thought
the blood-clean coating would
take care of everything, so I
didn’t plan for it beforehand.”

Right. The Balloon, Mush, and
Eggy were creatures made from
inorganic substances after all.
And the bodily fluids of the
Eggy could definitely be wiped
off without much effort.
However, the blood of the
Usapiru stained the weapon.
Not only that, but the blade
seemed to deteriorate even
faster because of improper
care.

“But I'm amazed this girl's
complexion is so much better
after just three days. And
haven't you gotten quite plump
now?”

Raphtalia nodded at him with a
proficient smile. Just what was
Oyaji talking about?

“Hoh? That’s a fine
expression.”
“Un!”

Alright, let's get down to
business.

“Oyaji, please prioritize the
weapon’s durability when you
show us the wares meant for
her.”
“And how about you?”
“I don’t need any.”
“You don’t want anything?”

Raphtalia looked up at me and
asked.

“Does it look like I'll be
needing any gear?”

Up until this point, I had yet
to receive a single wound from
a monster’s attack.
Didn’t those dipshit Heroes
once say that: 'shields are
easy at the beginning, but suck
towards the endgame?'
That's why I didn’t feel the
need to buy myself equipment
until we got to the point where
I start taking damage.

“Uun.”[180]

Raphtalia groaned, looking
unconvinced. Her hands were
preciously holding onto the
ball which I had bought for her
before.

“Well, I guess this must be
karma at work. I'll give you a
little something as a bonus.”
“I'll be haggling if the cost
is too high.”
“I'm already selling to you at
dirt-cheap prices here. If I
tried to increase the price any
further, you would be throwing
those Balloons around right?"

The merchant incident from
before must have started that
rumor. Well it's fine, since
the end result will be the same
either way.

“An eye for an eye, that’s all
I'm doing.”
“... Not that it matters to me.
But even if I came up with a
countermeasure, you’ll just
find another way around it.
That’ll be just like you,
right?”
“You certainly know me well.”
“Anyone can tell with a glance:
That you, sir, are a shrewd
businessman under the guise of
a Hero.”[181]
“I'll take that as a
compliment.”
“Well then...”

Oyaji rubbed his chin while
looking at Raphtalia.

“It’s about time this Jou-chan
[182] stop using a knife and
start equipping a sword.”
“Will it be alright?”
“Seems she's quite enthusiastic
about it. A sword proves to be
a rather fine weapon for a
beginner, no?”

Oyaji searched through a corner
of his shop. *gacha gacha*

“So that's it.”
“Will I be using this sword?”
“Looks like it.”
“I'll be tutoring her on how to
use one.”

Then a tanned hide breastplate
was brought to us from the back
of the store.

“An iron short sword and a hide
breastplate. Although they're a
bit old, please bear with it.
At least the size fits you.”

Oyaji handed Raphtalia the
sword while the breastplate was
worn on top of her casual
clothes.
Guu...

“Again!?”
“Duh, she is a demi-human,
right? Since she’s still a
child, this much should be
expected if she keeps leveling
up.”

Wait, what? Is that common
sense around here? This world
sure worked on weird standards
that I couldn't comprehend.
A long time ago, I did hear
about the tale of Hina the
crow, where she'd die if she
wasn't continuously fed.

“So there is some truth to that
story... guess it can’t be
helped. Just stay here and
listen obediently to the
lecture, I'll go buy you some
food while you practice.”
“Haaai!”

Seeing our conversation, Oyaji
bursted out laughing for some
reason. *gahaha*

“Okay listen up, I'll now teach
you all about the basics--”

I left the Weapon Shop and
hurried towards the market.
Demi-humans are truly a strange
race, using hunger to
compensate for level raising.
Although her condition grew
favorably and her self-
consciousness also gradually
became more resilient.
But still, the food expenses
were no joke.
To make a long story short, I
bought some food from the
vending stalls and returned to
find Oyaji teaching Raphtalia
how to grip and swing a sword.

“Here you go.”
“Thank you!”

She then munched away as Oyaji
diligently taught her evasive
maneuvers.
Even in such a situation, the
mood didn’t change at all.

“What about you?”
“I’ve got those evasive moves
memorized.”
“Well, you do seem like the
blocking type. It would be
rather dangerous for you to
gawkily upset your balance."

That marked the end of Oyaji’s
crash course on sword handling,
I then paid the bill.
After that, Oyaji passed me a
small slab of white stone.

“What’s this?”
“A whetstone. The ‘coating’
wasn’t applied on the weapon
this time. So it'll break in no
time if you don’t regularly
maintain it.”
“Hmm...”

The shield reacted when I
slowly grabbed the whetstone.
Which is why I ended up
absorbing it.

“H-,Hey!?”
The requirement for Shield of
Whetstone[183] has been
liberated.
Oh? This was the first shield
that wasn’t in English.[184]
Well whatever, it’s still a
shield.
I should absorb more minerals
from now on……
Ah I see, this isn’t a new
branch[185], but one that's
combined with the Sky Egg
Shield and Usa Meat Shield.
Was it because the whetstone
was as indispensable as a
kitchen knife?
The huge defensive power of the
Egg Shield was quite
frightening.
It's likely that I would get
the ‘Usapiru Shield’ if I
absorbed the whole Usapiru
without dismembering it.

Shield of Whetstone
True power sealed …… Equipment
Bonus: Mineral Identification
1+
Special Effect: Automatic
Polishing (8 Hours), High
Consumption

A Special Effect?
I clicked the 'help' confirm
button.

「Special Effect」
An exclusive effect that will
only be usable when equipped
with a specific weapon.
The effect won't be usable by
other weapons even if its true
powers have been unsealed.
Therefore, one will need to fit
a specific weapon into a slot
for this special ability to
take effect.

So it's something like that?
A type of effect that grants
immense power like in those ○○
　games.

I quickly changed my shield.

“Huh!? What the, heck is that?”

Shield of Whetstone, it looks
like the Small Shield but is a
whole lot bigger. A huge shield
made of whetstone.
But there's a pattern of slots
on top of the shield, with the
multiple holes varying in
shapes and sizes. Some are fat
while others are thin.

“Hey, you! Tell me what's going
on.”

Fumu... Just what did
‘Automatic Polishing (8 Hours),
High Consumption’ mean?
Although, I am expecting it to
do what it's advertised...

“Hey!”
“Huh? What's up, Oyaji.”
“What on this flat Melromarc
[186] is that shield?!”
“Don't you know already? It’s
the legendary shield.”
“I’ve never seen or heard
anything like this!”
“You saw it before, though it
was a Small Shield back then.”
“Huh!? Then why on Melromarc
[187] did it turn into a
whetstone?”
“I guess it's because it
absorbed the whetstone?”
“...”

At this rate, Oyaji wouldn’t be
able to comprehend this
situation anytime soon.

“You must have heard that the
Legendary Weapon hold
mysterious powers. This is just
one of its powers."
"... You didn't hear this from
the other Heroes?” [188]
“I hadn't seen them recently.
You were the first one to
transform your weapon right in
front of me.”

Our natural adversary will be
spawning in about one week. So
shouldn’t they be sharing what
they know with others, even if
just a little? It seems those
bastards were too selfish to
even assist their peers
properly.
I don’t even have an ounce of
trust for those type of people
either.

... But then again, it may not
be necessary for them, since
they weren't in the ‘loser’
category like me.

“So, what are you troubled
about?”
“Haha, it seems to have an
effect of ‘Automatic Polishing
(8 hours) High Consumption’.
But I don’t know if it's really
possible to polish without
using anything else.”

I didn’t know what would be
consumed.

“Fuuumu...”

Oyaji went to grab a rusty
sword from within his shop and
inserted it inside one of the
slots in my shield.

“I'll give you this trash
weapon as a bonus. Use that and
see what it does.”
“Ooh, you have my thanks.”

There was an icon which popped
up in the corner of my screen:
「Polishing」.
There was a lot of pressure.
Then, I felt a heavy weight on
my shoulders.
I immediately glanced at the
Icon and opened up my Status.
In there, I saw my ‘SP’
gradually reducing.
I previously thought that
something physical would be
consumed, but I guess this
shield can be used in this way
too.

“Now then, guess we'll be
taking our leave.”
“We’re going?”
“Haha.”

Stepping out of the Weapon
Shop, I continued to stroke
Raphtalia’s head for a short
while.
So now, in order for us to
raise our level and procure
food for the ever-growing
Raphtalia, I'll need to go on
another journey.

“Ah right, Oyaji.”

Glaring heedlessly at me, Oyaji
said with an exasperated tone.

“... You still need something?”
“Do you know about the dungeon
that's located near the forest
village?”

I asked while opening up a
cheap map and pointing at the
spot where that bitch had
recommended.
I want to have another person's
reference just in case. Though
actually trusting them is
another matter entirely.

“The monsters are different
from the forest; I heard
they're more similar to the
ones which show up along that
village's highway.”
“I see, guess we'll see for
ourselves once we get there.”

Right now, we have to evolve my
shield and earn as much money
as possible before the next
wave.

Preparations for the Wave[edit]

Requirement for Rope Shield has
been released
Requirement for Pikyu Pikyu
[189] Shield has been released
Requirement for Wood Shield has
been released
Requirement for Rock Shield has
been released
Requirement for Butterfly
Shield has been released
Requirement for Pipe Shield has
been released
ETC...

Rope Shield
Unsealing[190] completed……
Equipment Bonus: Skill -「Air
Strike Shield」

Pikyu Pikyu Shield
Unsealing completed……Equipment
Bonus: Beginner Rank’s Weapon
Repair Techniques I

Wood Shield
Unsealing completed……Equipment
Bonus: Lumbering Techniques I

Butterfly Shield
Unsealing completed……Equipment
Bonus: Paralysis Resistance
(Small)

Pipe Shield
Unsealing completed……Equipment
Bonus: Skill - 「Shield Prison」
ETC...

It had been eight days since
then.
After parting with Oyaji, we
journeyed to the new village.
The village’s name was Riyuuto.
It seemed like a good,
operational base for
adventurers. But since there
was only one Inn around, the
fee was one silver coin per
night.
The Merchant Buyer[191] dropped
by this place only once every
two days.
There was no pharmacy store, so
I had to sell cheaper medicine
directly to the villagers in
order to compete with the
castle town's pharmacy imports.
To compensate for this, the
medicines I sold were all
subpar in quality.
By the way, my notoriety had
spread quite far. When I first
I arrived, I had to punish
quite a few morons with my
'Balloon Release'.
And that's the gist of it.
Thanks to the monsters around
town, the medical herbs, and
the lumber, I was able to
absorb them all and create
multiple shields. I also
learned a lot of new skills and
techniques.
There were also various stat
increases, but I won’t go into
that since it's such a hassle.

“Wait―!”

Raphtalia began chasing the
porcupine-like monster who,
upon realizing its
disadvantage, fled the battle.
Raphtalia’s level had raised
considerably. I was now at Lv
20 while she was at Lv 25.
Her growth was surprisingly
fast.
... On a side note, I was still
fighting in my ordinary
clothes.[192]
And since I had yet to take any
damage, not to mention all the
monster attacks seemed quite
weak up until now, this
incident became a real head
scratcher when I thought about
it.
Yet it served as a painful
experience for me.
Overestimating my defense, I
went into battle with a weak
shield, and it hurt like hell
when I had gotten hit.
Astonishingly, I had received
some small scratches from this
Porcupine's ambush attack.

“Ouch, that hurt a bit. It's
been awhile since I last felt
like this.”

I promptly smeared the wound
with a ‘heal pill’ to prevent
the bleeding.
That needle sure stung when I
got hit, naturally.
I've already forgotten about
these sort of sensations ever
since coming to this world and
receiving the shield’s
protection.

“Like I said before, it hurts,
right? Naofumi-sama should just
give in and buy some equipment
already.”[193]
“No... It was only because I
was using a weak shield.”

Since when did Raphtalia start
calling me ‘Naofumi-sama’
instead of ‘Goshujin-sama”?
Well whatever. It wasn't such a
bad thing since it had a nice
ring to it.

Anyways, my shield could cover
up my whole body. So it
wouldn’t make any sense to also
wear individual pieces of small
protective gear.
Just in case, I had always
defended with the sturdiest
part of my shield, and I hadn't
received a single injury up
until now.
So this is my very first time
experiencing damage. That's all
there is to it.
I watched the Whetstone
Shield's auto-polishing at
work. It really was quite a
convenient shield, one that I
always used.
The polishing time period was 8
hours. There'll be no effect if
I pulled any weapons out
beforehand.
The only drawback was that
while in use, my SP won't
recover since I'll be
continuously drained.
Ah, speaking of which, I guess
I should try utilizing the
other abilities in my skill
set...

“Air Strike Shield!”

It's the first skill which I
learned. It summons a shield
within a range of about five
meters.
But it served no purpose if I
was alone.
It felt like everyone was
forced into having a
specialized role.
I focused my mind, imagining
the desired location to call
forth my Air Strike shield;
this mysterious ward which will
vanish once its duration time
is over.
Alright, just a little bit
more.
The porcupine stumbled in
surprise due to the sudden
appearance of my conjured
shield.
However, it immediately
regained its balance and
resumed its escape once again.
Kuh...[194] And here I thought
that five meters was more than
enough distance to catch up
with you; this one was
surprisingly fast at fleeing.
Guess I’ll have to use this.

“Shield Prison!”

A skill which allows me to
summon an enclosed cage[195]
anywhere within a six meter
radius.
This time around, I'll be
dropping it directly on my
target, the porcupine.
Although this skill was
intended for protection, it
could also be used as a
restraining device to trap a
target inside.
Indeed, it was both an
offensive and defensive skill.

“Kii!”[196]

No longer able to escape, the
Porcupine rampaged inside 'the
Shield Prison'.
Its duration period was 15
seconds.
During that time, Raphtalia
rapidly approached the ‘Shield
Prison’. Then right as its
effect had ended, she pierced
the Porcupine with her sword.

“Kii!?”
“I did it!”

Raphtalia triumphantly returned
while gripping the dead
porcupine.

“Nice!”

EXP 48

An adequate harvest.
We defeated our quarry,
properly dissected its remains,
and then absorbed the pieces
into the shield so that it
would undergo transformation. I
only discovered this last week,
but it seems the Balloon, Mush,
and Eggy were all classified as
‘material’[197]. Well, that
hadn't been anything worth
noticing back then, really.

I immediately dismantled the
porcupine into needles, meat,
and skin. It was quite easy
after learning the trick to it.
All of them were precious
materials and must be handled
with care.
I absorbed the leftovers into
the shield.
The bones belonged to the bone
category, which required
several other bones from
different monsters, while the
skin belonged to the pelt
category and granted some
additional stats through
equipment bonuses. Of course,
there were some cases where I
lacked the required Lvl or
category in order to unseal.
The meat belonged to the
cuisine category. A topic which
certainly caught my attention.
[198]
I'm looking forward to what the
needles will do. They are a
porcupine's trademark after
all.

Requirement for Animal Needle
Shield has been unsealed.

So it's a shield made of an
animal’s spikes. A needle
shield... I'm excited to see
what the unsealed effect will
be.

Animal Needle Shield
Sealed[199]……Equipment Bonus:
Offensive Power 1+
Special Effect: Shield of
Needles (small)

Hell yeah! An increase in my
offensive poweeeeeeeeeeeeer!

Yeah. I know. It's only a
measly increase of 1+.[200]
Although I didn't know what
‘Special Effect: Shield of
Needle (Small)’ could actually
do, I was able to acquire an
offensive shield, which is far
more important.
This was just the beginning.
From now on I'll be able to
attack too if I kept absorbing
items that are connected with
this shield type category.
The defensive force was
slightly lower than the others
belonging to the mineral
category, but that should be
alright.

“How did it go?”
“Haha, it seems that this
shield will increase my attack
power.”
“So you finally got one, good
for you. But how about its
defensive force?”

Raphtalia pointed at my wound
with a dubious look.

“It’s so-so, I guess.”
“Is that so... Um, I wanted to
ask if my sword could be
polished but...”
“Got it. Let’s end our hunt and
return to the forest for now.”
“Hai!”

I equipped the ‘Whetstone
Shield' and inserted
Raphtalia’s sword into one of
its slots.
Currently polishing...
Now then, our levels rose
considerably after a full
week's worth of extensive money
making, and we saved up a grand
total of 230 silver coins.
A moderate amount of medicine
was sold, and the business on
lumbering and mining was
booming thanks to my new shield
skills.
There was a shallow cause for
concern, however, as it seemed
that my online gaming
tendencies were influencing how
I had been acting.
Well, I was too preoccupied
with choosing the best possible
method in order to earn money.
And I didn't waste time on
pointless actions which didn't
strengthen me either. So it
couldn’t be helped since this
was what I needed to do to
survive.

“Well then, we should return
soon and upgrade your gear,
Raphtalia.”
“... Naofumi-sama?”

Huh? For some reason, Raphtalia
was softly smiling at me. Yet I
couldn’t help but feel a
strange, spine-freezing chill
at the mere sight of her.

“Although, I very much welcome
the idea of buying new
equipment, but can you please
pay a little more attention to
yourself and how you're
dressed?”
“Do I look weird or something?”
“Except for that shield, you
look like a common villager.”
“W-...well, it wasn’t really
necessary... but I guess a
small change in my attire
should be alright?”

Gashi!*[201]
Raphtalia threateningly gripped
my shoulder with a smile.

“Didn’t you just get injured a
short while ago?”
“Like I said, I was
deliberately using a weak
shield... so it should still be
fine, right? Your weapon's much
more important than me right
now, so it's better to invest
our――“
“Naofumi-sama? Do you know that
you'll be dying very soon if
you keep on joking like
this?”[202]
“Death!?”

With spare sword in hand,
Raphtalia was poking me with it
forebodingly.[203]
Although, I supposedly couldn't
be harmed by her due to the
slave’s restraining spell.

“... To begin with, shouldn’t
you worry more about your own
equipment? The deadline is
approaching, isn’t it?”
“... haha.”

Come to think of it, she's
right.
There were only a few days left
before the wave of calamity
spawns.
I'll need to continue growing
stronger until then.
Though I've certainly become
anxious about dressing up like
your average townie.
The ends and the means had
truly been misplaced.[204]

“Haa……”[205]

Even though I wanted to raise
my offensive power a bit
more...

“Instead of me, let's hurry up
and find Naofumi-sama’s
equipment right away.”
“I guess so, we'll be buying my
equipment for the time being.
But we'll use the remaining
money to get your weapon.”
“Hai.”

Although it's fine with me
since I've gotten used to it,
she sure has become rather
cheeky...
Her violent actions have
escalated recently along with
her stubbornness. I really
wanted to know why our
positions were somehow
reversed.
She's become quite a bossy
slave if I do say so myself.

Armor of the Savage Tribe[edit]

“Oh well, if it isn’t the
shield lad. It's already been
over a week now.”


Please don't phrase it as if
I'm getting fat

After returning to the castle
town, we had gone straight to
the shopping district.
Yet for some reason, Oyaji had
his mouth wide open when he
looked over at Raphtalia.

“We're only meeting again after
a short while... and look at
how much of a beauty you've
become.”
“Haah?”

Just what was he saying? Why
was Oyaji mumbling incoherently
like this?

“You've developed so nicely...
this is far too different from
your previous, famished
complexion.”
“Please don’t phrase it as if
I’m getting fat.”

Seemingly bothered by his
statement, Raphtalia fidgeted
while fiddling with her
fingers.
That reaction of hers was
repulsive!
She reminded me of that bitch
of a woman.

“Gahaha, you grew up into such
an adorable mink.”[206]
“Grew up? Well, her level
certainly rose.”

A week ago she was at Lvl 10,
and now she was at Lvl 25. But
did her physical appearance
really change that much?

“Fuumu... you’re quite cynical,
you know that?”
“I have no idea what nonsense
you're talking about.”

It was true that anyone would
find a little 10 years old girl
cute[207]. But since she had
only been eating meat, meat,
and more meat all day long, it
might have made her a bit
chubby.
Every time her stomach
grumbled, we would immediately
cook up the meat from the
monsters we had encountered.
I was afraid she might turn
into one of those beriberi
people[208] due to her
unbalanced diet. So I started
adding medical herbs into her
meals, even though it broke my
heart and wallet by doing so.
She hadn’t been coughing
recently, probably thanks to
the recovery potions finally
taking effect.

“What were you up to this past
week? Hunting?”
“The village inn staff had
taught me some table manners.
Since I wanted to be able to
dine as elegantly as Naofumi-
sama someday.”
“Looks like you’re well on your
way.”

Unexpectedly, Oyaji was in a
real good mood. At this rate
he'll probably sell us some
high quality wares.
So keep on flattering him,
Raphtalia!

“So, what’s your business with
me today?”
“Haha, I plan on purchasing
some equipment.”

I said while pointing at
Raphtalia. In response, she
firmly gripped my finger with
an eerie smile on her face.

“Please consider Naofumi-sama
and his protective gear this
time around.”
“Gotcha. But for what reason?”
“I'd like to ask that you take
a moment to ponder it over
yourself.”
“Mmm... Well, to prepare for
the incoming wave, I guess?”
“Just what are you two getting
at? I seriously don't have the
slightest idea of what this
Jou-chan is saying
here...”[209]

Just what in the world were
these guys even talking about?
Both Raphtalia and I had
already decided that we'll be
buying my equipment, right?

“So, seems like we’ll be
getting you some armor. Around
how much are you looking to
spend?”
“Within the range of 180 silver
coins, if you would.”

Raphtalia rattled off our
budget range without my
consent.
Now, that had ticked me off
some.
If we settled for that price,
then we couldn't buy a new
weapon for her!

“Let’s see... well, my best
balanced armor for that amount
would be this chain mail here.”
“That chain mail... BAAH!”

Dark emotions began creeping up
from deep within my gut.
It'd be utterly humiliating for
me to re-buy a piece of
equipment which had originally
been mine.

“Well... if the shield lad
hates this so much, I suppose
we should go with something
else.”

Oyaji replied while scratching
his head, understanding my
reaction, as he turned to his
other armory in stock.

“To be honest, it's kind of
hard to find an appropriate
gear within this price range.
How does an iron plated mail
sound to you?”

He asked while pointing at the
armor in question.
It was a huge sheet of iron
morphed into... a full guarded
plate. The armor was decorated
with the castle town's symbol.
I knew about this! Back in my
old world, this was what people
called a ‘full plate mail’ or
something like that. This type
of armor was said to be
extremely tedious to move in;
the wearer couldn’t even stand
by themselves; and finally,
they were the fastest to sink
in a swamp.

“Some physical stamina will be
needed in order to wear this.
Its only fault is that the ‘Air
Walk' feature isn't applied to
it.”
“Air Walk feature?”
“A function which allows the
wearer to lighten their weight
by consuming their own magic
power. A truly magnificent
ability.”
“I agree.”

Basically in this world, if a
full body armor didn't have the
Air Walk function then it was
nothing more than an immobile
sandbag.
That's not quite right. If the
wearer was physically capable
then they should be able to
move around somewhat.
However, I don’t have much
stamina at this point in time.

“Seems like we can make it
lighter and cheaper by removing
the bulkier looking parts...”
“So lad, you were thinking
along those lines after all.”
“Isn’t that a given?”
“Iron breastplates are indeed
cheaper to buy. But their
protective coverage is very
limited.”
“Fumu... While high defense is
a must, losing your mobility in
exchange would make it
meaningless.”

It was good and all to become
as solid as a wall, but it
would be a huge problem if I
could barely move at all.
I'd like to refrain from
equipping gear which decreased
mobility as much as possible.
The Air Walk feature, huh? I
wonder how much it would cost
to add that function on.

“With that said... I might be
able to craft a custom made
armor if you can bring me the
materials...”
“Sounds good, I enjoy doing
these sort of things.”
“You have a satisfied
expression there, lad... Guess
we'll go with this plan.”

Oyaji spread out a parchment
with the names of various
materials written on it.

“I can’t read this.”

While it was possible to
communicate directly thanks to
the shield’s translation
feature, I still couldn't read
the writings of this world.
Oyaji looked troubled, so he
went ahead and explained
everything to me.

“You can buy some cheap copper
and iron from the atelier over
there. After that, bring me
some Usapiru and Porcupine
hides, and then a few
Pikyupikyuu feathers.”
“Here are the hides and
feathers.”

With a smile, Raphtalia happily
took out the hides and feathers
from inside our luggage sack.
Those were used as our blankets
and bedding since they were
warm and fluffy. But... well, I
suppose it's fine either way.

“The quality of the armor will
be a bit bad. But it's still
good for practical use.”
“Then what’s the reason for
making it?”
“This is the Barbarian Armor.
Its performance is on par with
the Chain Mail and covers the
majority of the body. It may be
a bit cold to wear but it's
very strong.”
“Oh...”

Barbarian Armor... Somehow the
phrase sounds a bit unpleasant.

“There’s a trick to add some
magical options as a bonus, but
this step can be done later
when you’ve finished with
gathering the other materials.”
“That’s reassuring. Well then,
let’s go and buy some iron and
copper.”
“Let’s go! Let’s go right
away!”

Raphtalia energetically pulled
my hand along while rushing me
outside.

“What’s the big deal?”
“Naofumi-sama is going to look
like a real adventurer. I can’t
wait to see it.”
“W-well... I guess so.”

She did say that I looked
exactly like a villager.
Although the equipment would be
a bit barbarous, it wasn't like
I had much choice.
We then headed towards the
metal atelier and bought the
required amount of iron and
copper.
They seemed to have heard about
us from Oyaji, so they sold us
the goods at a surprisingly
cheap price.
They also said that Raphtalia
was cute and gave us a little
extra.
The ossan[210] from the metal
atelier was grinning widely
while looking at her. Raphtalia
graciously waved back at him in
return.
I didn’t even want to start
preaching about the pedophilia
morality to this world. [211]

“That was some quick material
gathering.”
“It’s all thanks to your own
efforts, isn't that right,
lad?”
“Well, yeah. Since a lot of
Oyaji’s acquaintances are
lolicons. I can already point
out two or three of them."
“Lolicon? What on Melromarc are
you saying?”
“You don’t understand what
lolicons are? I thought you
would understand this word
through the shield’s
translating feature.”
“Not that, I just don't get why
you think my co-workers’
preferences are for young
girls...”
“They said that Raphtalia was
cute so they sold the goods
even cheaper to us.”
“Lad... could it be that you
seriously don't know?”
“Don't know what?”
“Oyaji, it's fine for now.”

Raphtalia said that while
shaking her head.
Oyaji somehow understood.
Resigned, he slumped his
shoulders and threw me a
glance.

“It'll be done by tomorrow, so
please wait until then.”
“That’s fast, I thought it
would take at least two days
minimum for you to finish.”
“Hmm, that might be the case
for some stranger. But it's
different for you, lad.”
“For once, you have my
gratitude.”
“Wahaha, that sure was a butt-
scratcher[212] of a reply."

He sure was making fun of me
just because I showed him a
little appreciation.

“So, what’s the price of this
custom made armor?”
“Including the fee for copper
and iron... about 130 silver
coins. In addition, you can add
some optional enhancements.”
“Is that the base cost? I
thought it would be fine so
long as I got the required
materials.”
“Waha, those were already taken
into account at the 130 coins
price tag, I can't go any lower
than that.”
“I understand. Then it's good
enough for me.”

I took out 130 silver coins and
handed them over to Oyaji.

“Thanks for your patronage.”
“Ah, that's right. Oyaji, I
want to buy a weapon within the
range of 90 silver coins.”
“I guessing it’s for this Jou-
chan here?”
“Haha...”

That's right. The ordinary
sword which we bought last week
was newly polished now. So we
should ask for a trade-in?

“Raphtalia."
“Hai.”

Raphtalia pulled out the sword
from her waist and put it on
the counter.

“I want to ask for a resale. So
here, include this sword into
the payment amount.”
“Fumu... looks like you've
properly maintained it this
time around.”
“All thanks to my shield.”

The polishing maintenance would
end by the next morning if we
inserted the weapon inside the
whetstone shield before going
to sleep.
It also kept the blade nice and
sharp for ease of cutting.

“That’s a convenient shield...
I want one too.”
“You won’t be able to equip any
other weapon, you know.”

I'm just a moving wall without
any attack power.
I would gladly hand this over
to anyone who wanted it. If
only that was possible.

“That part is quite
bothersome.”

I waited for the trade-in to
commence while enduring Oyaji’s
obnoxious laughter.

“There’s not a speck of rust on
the blade. As expected of the
legendary shield, its
performance is superb.”

Oyaji stated his open
admiration while inspecting the
sword's durability.

“Let me see... with this much
left over, I can sell you a
magic iron sword.”

Magic iron sword was definitely
higher than an iron sword in
terms of weapon ranking.

“It should be a given that
blood-clean coating is
included, right?”
“Urg, I’ll add that as a bonus.
I know full well that you're
working hard, lad!”

Oyaji sure was a great guy. If
you think about, he had been
giving me various extras ever
since the day I had been robbed
and was left with absolutely
nothing.

“Thank you...”
From the bottom of my heart, I
expressed those sincere words
of gratitude to Oyaji.

“Lad. It's good to see that
same glint in your eyes just
like the first time we met.
You've shown me some fine stuff
today.”

Oyaji somehow seemed satisfied
as he handed the magic iron
sword to Raphtalia.

“Good weapons will only become
powerful in capable hands,
while they'll only turn into
worthless junk in the hands of
the talentless. However, I
believe that you'll be able to
fully master their strength.
Give it your best shot, Jou-
chan.”
“Hai!”

Raphtalia sheathed the sword on
her waist with sparkling,
motivated eyes.

“Now then, please come again
around this time tomorrow.”
“Aarg.”[213]
“Thank you very much!”[214]
“Until then.”[215]

And thus, we left the weapon
shop.
With our business there done,
we headed off thinking about
what to eat and what we should
do for the remaining day.
Even though I couldn't taste
anything, I still needed to eat
since I got hungry like
everyone else.
In my hands were 10 silver
coins. What we managed to save
up in one full week had
vanished instantly.
Oh well. This was well within
expectations, and these coins
should be good enough to make
our future investments.
Fortunately, there were plenty
of ways to earn money.

“Ah, that's right. Do you want
to eat at the shop that we went
to a while ago?”
“Are you sure it's alright?”
“I'm looking forward to seeing
Raphtalia’s gluttonous manners
as she devours the food off her
plate again.”
“Please stop that! Mou[216],
I'm not a child anymore!”

The previously cheerful
Raphtalia was now getting angry
as she puffed her cheeks.
Why would you suddenly try to
be an adult when you were
acting like a kid only a week
ago?
It looked like our little girl
had just hit puberty.

“Yeah, yeah. You honestly want
to eat. I understand that, I
truly do.”
“Naofumi-sama isn't even
listening to a word I'm
saying.”
“It’s okay. You're totally an
adult. With that being said...
you really want to chow down,
don’t you?”
“You think I can’t see through
your true thoughts behind those
kind eyes used to patronize
children?! I don’t need that
kind of sympathy!”

Good grief, she sure was at a
difficult age.
Should we still get a Kid's
Lunch for her? We entered the
same shop which served those.

“Welcome!”

Oh? Our server courteously
guided us to our table this
time.
Was this the effect of changing
Raphtalia's hairstyle? People
sure were cruel over the
smallest things back then.

“I'll be ordering the cheapest
meal set you have, while this
girl will get the lunch for
kids, the one with the little
flag on it.”
“Naofumi-sama!”

The employee confirmed our
orders with a perplexed
expression while alternating
between me and Raphtalia.

“Err, please give me the
cheapest table course meal as
well.”
“Y-yes.”

Our server nodded at Raphtalia
and returned to the kitchen.

“What was that for? Do you
really dislike the kid's lunch
that much?”
“As I said before, I've already
grown up.”
“Um... okay?”

Guess it couldn’t be helped.
I'll let Raphtalia indulge in
her selfishness for now.
I suppose my only current
obligation is to let her eat
what she wants to eat.

Dragon Engraved Hourglass[edit]

The next day, we showed up at
the weapon shop.

"Well, if it isn't the lad."
"How's our order coming along?"
"Done! I've finished it a long
while ago."

Oyaji said while bringing out a
set of armor from behind the
counter.
What came out was a rather
rough and lawless looking...
set of unrefined armor; there
was a wild vibe to it.
The Usapiru hides made up the
fluffy wool portion around the
neck, while the chest area was
comprised of a metal plate.
The joints weren't connected by
metal, but by the Porcupine
skins. Putting my hand in, I
could feel the Pikyupikyu
feathers fully stuffed between
the dual skin layers.

"... I'm going to wear this?"

How should I say this, it
looked like the type of armor
that bandit lords would wear.
[217]
Just what were they thinking by
calling this the 'Barbarian's
Armor'? I would look like one
of those small time yankees
back in the 90's if I wore
this.

"What's wrong, lad?"
"No, I'm just thinking this
looks like the armor of a
wicked scoundrel."
"What are you saying at this
late hour, lad?"

Huh?

"Are you implying that I'm
already a wicked scoundrel to
begin with?"

I certainly made the most
efficient choices when it came
to making money, but that
didn't make me a villain, okay?

"It will definitely suit you,
Naofumi-sama!"
"Raphtalia... you--"

Wasn't that like admitting I
was one of them?

"Anyways, just try it on for
us."
"Urg... I would avoid it if
possible... but there isn't any
other choice since we went
through so much trouble in
making this armor."

I immediately got changed after
entering the dressing room.
... I couldn't even begin to
describe my amazement on how
perfectly fitted the size was.
It truly was something that
could only be made by Oyaji, a
true owner of a store who deals
with weapons and armory. He
could tell my specific sizes
just by looking. [218]
I came out of the dressing room
and presented myself to both
Oyaji and Raphtalia.

"Fumu... your face may not give
off that barbaric vibe, but I
can see the glint of a lawless
thug within your eyes."
"Hah? Are you saying that I
have nasty looking eyes?"
"Lad, you sure are quick on the
uptake regarding important
details."

Damn it, just what did you mean
by that?

"Naofumi-sama, it suits you so
well and you look so COOL!"

Raphtalia gushed over with a
smile.
I glared at Raphtalia in
silence.
Using the meanest look and most
hurtful eyes as possible...

... That was my intention
anyways.

Just what kind of environment
did she grow up in?
Ah, I forgot that Raphtalia was
a Demi-human. It was probably
because of that that she had a
different aesthetic sense
compared to me.
I confirmed through the status
that this armor's defense was
on par with the chain mail.
Rather, it was a bit higher.
Oyaji sent me a wink. So this
was his bonus for us, that was
quite considerate I must say.

"Haah[219]... Thank you."

Frankly speaking, this kind of
thing wasn't a hobby of mine,
but I couldn't do anything
about it since I had to prepare
for the incoming wave.
I convinced myself using that
reasoning.

"Now then, what should we do?"
"That reminds me, the town's
atmosphere had been kind of
tense lately."
"The wave will probably be
coming very soon, but where and
when will it spawn?"
"Huh? Nobody told you, lad?"
"About what?"

Information that Oyaji knew but
I was ignorant of... About this
country's counter measures
against the calamity. I
secretly cursed while listening
to what Oyaji had to say.

"You've probably seen this
country's huge, famed clock
tower in the town plaza,
right?"
"Well, only a glimpse. I've
usually been operating around
the outskirts of town."
"The Dragon Engraved Hourglass
is inside that building. When
the final bit of sand from the
hourglass drips down, the
Heroes along with their merry
band[220] will be teleported to
where the wave of great
calamity will occur."
"Oh..?"

Without a doubt... that shitty
king probably told this tidbit
of info to the other heroes and
their companions beforehand.

"If you don't know when the
wave will appear, why not stop
over and take a look for
yourself?"
"I... guess."

I'll be very troubled if I had
no idea when I would be warped.
I planned on dropping by that
place for some reassurance.

"Well then, Oyaji."
"So long then!"
"Until next time."

We said our farewells and
headed for the clock tower.
In the entire town, the clock
tower was the tallest structure
around. From up close, it would
rival the height of modern city
buildings.
For some reason, the clock
tower's roof was dome-shaped
very much like a church.
It seemed that there was no
entrance fee; the gates were
wide open and people were going
in and out.
Wearing an outfit similar to a
nun, the female receptionist
was eyeing me suspiciously. She
probably recognized my face.

"Are you the Hero of the
Shield?"
"Haha, as you can see, I'm here
since the time limit is just
around the corner."
"Then, please come this way."

I was then guided towards an
hourglass enshrined in the
middle of the church.
A gigantic hourglass with a
whopping height of
approximately 7 meters.
It was decorated and gave off
an indescribably divine aura.

... What was it? My spine felt
tingling, like a surge of
electricity was rushing up.
Just by looking at it, my
instincts kicked in and a
strange sensation began to stir
from within my body.
The color of the sand... was
red.
I turned my gaze upon the
smooth, dripping sand.
I immediately understood what
would happen once the last
grain fell.
Letting out a "piin*" sound, a
single beam of light flashed
from my shield and into the
center of the dragon engraved
hourglass, striking the jewel
from within it.
Then a digital clock appeared
in my peripheral vision.

20:12

The 12 value soon turned into
11 after a short while.
I see, so the exact time
remaining was translated for my
own understanding.
Using this will allow me to act
accordingly.
However... the things that I
could do within a 20-hour time
frame were extremely limited.
All things considered, the best
option was to gather as many
meadow herbs as possible for
the rest of the day.
I also needed to prepare some
healing medicine.

"Huh? Isn't that Naofumi over
there?"

A loathsome, despicable voice
resounded from within the
tower's interior.
Walking around with a huge
harem of women, the Spear Hero
Motoyasu casually came over to
me.
What a pain, I want to
immediately send his ass
flying. But considering the
time and place, I restrained
myself from doing so.

"Did you also come here in
preparation for the wave?"

That was one hell of an
indescribably lascivious look.
He looked me over from top to
bottom with a single, scornful
glance.

"What the hell, man. Are you
planning on fighting with
equipment of that level?"

And what if I am?
Who do you think I have to
thank for putting me in this
situation? You and that goddamn
bitch behind your sorry ass.
Motoyasu's gear was vastly
different from a month ago, one
can tell how high-leveled he
was with a single glance at his
equipment.
It wasn't iron-based, but a
shiny armor made from silver.
He wore cloth underneath which
emitted a beautiful pale green
tint, most likely due to the
extra effects blessed by those
clothes. Not only that, but
there was the layer of chain
mail worn in between those two;
it was as if Motoyasu was
boasting his absolute defense.
His legendary weapon wasn't in
its original, sorry state
either. And although it is
vexing to admit, the spear's
design was simply downright
awesome to be honest.
It was a pike... well, I guess
that was still a spear.

"..."

Talking with this guy was such
a pain.
I turned my back on Motoyasu
and ignored him while heading
back to the clock tower's
entrance.

"What in the name of Melromarc
[221], Motoyasu-sama is talking
to you! Open your ears wide and
pay attention to him."

A fangirl bitch from behind
Motoyasu said as they all
glared at me with eyes full of
contempt and bloodlust. [222]
After that came the
stereotypical mockery. They
began to provoke me by sticking
out their tongues and jeering.
This bitch, I'll kill her
someday.

"Naofumi-sama? Who are these
people...?"

Raphtalia inclined her head and
pointed at Motoyasu's group.

"..."

I tried to walk away, deciding
that it was best to simply
leave and not answer her.
At that same moment, Itsuki
came waltzing through the
entrance.

"Tsk."
"Oh, Motoyasu-san and...
Naofumi-san."

Itsuki seemed displeased with
me clicking my tongue at him,
but his 'good boy' features
soon returned.

"..."

Ren had also come and walked up
to us in silence, pretending to
act cool. His equipment was
undoubtedly much stronger than
when his journey began.
And then, both of their
companions popped up one after
another.
The population within the clock
tower quickly escalated.
4 + 12 + 1
We, the four summoned heroes,
along with the twelve
adventurers chosen by the king,
and finally Raphtalia.
That added up to a grand total
of 17 people, a rather
disappointing amount of troops
for the impending threat.

"Haa..."[223]
"Just who is this beauty? She's
simply adorable."

Motoyasu pointed at Raphtalia
and uttered.
This guy, he's fine with anyone
as long as they're female?
To think that a hero would lust
after a little girl... this
country was finished.
On top of that, he approached
Raphtalia with filthy motives
while affectionately
introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you, young miss.
I was summoned to this world as
one of the four great heroes.
Please call me by my name,
Kitamura Motoyasu. I'm honored
to make your acquaintance."
"Ah, yes... so you are one of
those heroes."

Raphtalia nodded timidly while
her eyes eluded his gaze.[224]

"May I have the pleasure of
knowing your name?"
"Umm..."

A troubled Raphtalia looked
over at me and darted her
glance back to Motoyasu.

"I'm Ra-Raphtalia. It's nice to
meet you."

She had probably guessed that I
was quite ticked off. I
understood that much from the
cold sweat running down her
face.
This girl also wanted to ditch
me and join Motoyasu's fanclub,
didn't she?
Goddamn it, I've already tried
to make a peaceful retreat
here, so why did these bastards
still have to fuck with my
heart?

"What's your business here
today, cutie? For what purpose
are you carrying around such a
dangerous sword and equipment?"
"I am here to fight along with
Naofumi-sama, that's why."
"Hah? For Naofumi?"

Motoyasu turned and stared at
me with eyes full of suspicion.

"... The hell are you looking
at?"
"You fiend, why are you
dragging such a cute girl into
these dangerous places?"

Motoyasu said while looked down
on me with his eyes.

"I don't need to tell you the
reason, asshole."
"And here I thought you would
shoulder this battle alone...
so you're just leeching off
Raphtalia's kindness in the
end."
"Damn, delusional retard."

The trash spewing out from this
son of a bitch, who trusted
this parallel world's biggest
whore more than a fellow hero,
was seriously beginning to piss
me off.
I headed toward Itsuki and
Ren's direction in order to
make my exit.
Those two and their merry
companies opened up a path for
me.

"Let's meet again during the
wave."
"Don't be a burden to us."

I walked pass them with Itsuki
giving off a professional
response, while Ren gave a
cruel, bossy one like a real
lone wolf hero.
Surprised by my suddenness,
Raphtalia quickly rushed over
to my side while looking around
restlessly.

"I'm going."
"Ah, hai! Naofumi-sama!"

After hearing my voice, she
finally returned to her
energetic self.
Good grief, that was painfully
unpleasant.
Exiting the clock tower at
last, I quickly passed through
the castle town and made a
beeline towards the meadow,
growing more and more
frustrated with each passing
second.

"Um, Naofumi-sama? What
happened to you?"
"Nothing really..."
"Back then..."
"What?"[225]
"Never mind..."

Sensing my awful mood,
Raphtalia hung her head
dejectedly as she followed
behind me.
... Then a wild Balloon
appear![226]
Raphtalia immediately
unsheathed her sword.

"Wait, let me handle this one
alone."
"Eh... but--"
"Just let me!"

Raphtalia cowered in surprise
from my sudden shout.
The Balloon appeared before my
eyes.

"Ora ora ora ora!"

Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit
shit!
Distracting myself by pummeling
the balloon, I was able to calm
down a little.
I checked the remaining time
from the corner of my vision.

18:01

18 more hours.
I needed to do what I could
until then.
After that, I went on a Balloon
Hunt and collected medical
meadow herbs along the way.
They still needed to be
compounded into beneficial
medicine in preparation for the
incoming wave.
Then came evening... after
returning to the inn to rest,
Raphtalia humbly spoke to me.

"Naofumi-sama."
"... What?"
"The people this morning were
heroes just like Naofumi-sama,
right?"
"... Urg."

She had to remind me of that
terrible experience.
And here I had finally
forgotten about it after all
that diversion.

"Just... what happened between
all of you?"
"I don't want to talk about it.
If you want to know then go to
a bar and ask around."

No one believed me when I told
them the truth anyway. This
girl was probably the same as
the lot of them.
However, a big difference
between Raphtalia and others
was that she was my slave.
If she refused my orders, tried
to escape, or rebelled against
me then she would be tormented
by the curse.
Judging it was for the best,
Raphtalia didn't press the
issue since I wasn't going to
talk.
To prepare for tomorrow, I
compounded medicines until I
fell asleep; I continued doing
so for a long while.

Memory / Black Beast[edit]

00:17

In just another 17 minutes, the
anticipated wave will spawn.
This news should already be
well-known around town.
Squadrons of knights and
adventurers were geared up and
ready to dispatch at a moment's
notice, while the civilians
barricaded themselves in their
own houses.
Since I was a hero, I couldn't
even attempt to escape from the
wave's outbreak due to the
hourglass' power.
The same was applied to my
party member; it was likely
that Raphtalia would be
teleported along with me.

"It's almost time, Raphtalia."
"Hai!"

Raphtalia nodded with a
strangely enthusiastic and
excited response.
Well, I didn't voice any
objections since it was a
blessing to have her so
motivated.

"Naofumi-sama... may I talk
with you for awhile?"
"Hm? That should be fine,
what's your concern?"
"Ah no, somehow I felt so moved
since we'll be fighting against
the calamity soon."

... Why was she murmuring this
and raising her own death
flag?[227]
I'll protect her since it would
be a pain if she died... Wait,
that was so unlike me; I was
being influenced by too much
anime and manga.
Although this world was like a
game, it definitely wasn't one.
This world was real.
And look at that, those shitty
heroes had such fine equipment.
I didn't even know if my armor
was strong enough or not.
It was likely that I would
suffer some wounds.
It would be great if this
battle ended with only
injuries, since I might even
lose my life.
If that were to happen, the
trash heap of this country
would rejoice at the sight of
my corpse.

――A criminal's fitting end.

... Let's stop that. If I keep
thinking this way then I won't
be able to fight.
In order for me to survive for
another month.

"The truth is that... I was
enslaved due to the spawning of
the first calamity."
"... Is that so?"

Certainly, I thought there was
a slim chance that that might
have been the case.

"I used to live in a remote
region of this country. The
demi-human village that I grew
up in focused on agriculture
and farming; it was also the
spawn point of the very first
wave."

Her parents were kind and
everyone in the village lived
peacefully.[228]
However, a huge horde of
Skeleton Soldiers came out from
within the wave of disaster.
The Skeleton Soldiers only had
large numbers at first, so the
adventurers within the vicinity
were able to suppress them.
But the beasts and giant
beetles kept overflowing in
massive quantities. Because of
that, the line of defense was
soon breached.
Then a pitch black, three-
headed Cerberus appeared. And
the villagers were trampled
upon like they were helpless
wilderness buds.

As Raphtalia's village was
desolated beyond recognition,
the villagers desperately tried
to escape.
Unfortunately, the monsters
were merciless; they murdered
everyone as if it was the
greatest sport in the world.
And like all the others,
Raphtalia's parents took her
and fled until they finally
reached the edge of a sea
cliff.
Knowing that escape was futile,
both parents faced Raphtalia
and smiled.
They didn't use that time to
escape, but to gently stroke
her frightened head instead.

"Raphtalia... from now on, you
will surely find yourself in a
terrible situation. You might
even die from it."
"But you know what, Raphtalia?
Both of us want you to continue
living... so please forgive us
for our selfishness."

Even though she was young, she
knew in her heart that her
parents were only trying to
keep her safe.

"Noo! Mommy! Daddy!"[229]

Don![230]
Their single greatest wish was
for Raphtalia to live, and so
they pushed her off the cliff.
[231]
While she was falling,
Raphtalia witnessed the scene
of her parents being pounced
upon by vicious monsters.

Raphtalia plunged into the sea
with a huge splash, yet she
miraculously survived and was
washed ashore at a nearby
beach.
After regaining her senses,
Raphtalia rose up and returned
to the cliffside in search of
her parents.
By then, the monsters were
already subjugated by the
adventurers and knight
squadrons.
Walking through the sea of
corpses with great difficulty,
she managed to locate her
parents.
On that spot was a vast amount
of blood... and scraps of meat
scattered everywhere.
Realizing her parents' death,
Raphtalia dropped down as
something deep within her burst
opened.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"[2
32]

She then wandered around
aimlessly, sobbing and
sincerely wishing for the
warmth of her parents in an
effort to escape reality.
And before she knew it, she had
already been imprisoned within
that dark corner of the circus
tent.
That place... was comparable to
hell.
Every day, someone would be
purchased or returned.[233]

Raphtalia was also among those
cases.
In the beginning, they
considered making her into a
servant. A well-buffed noble
bought her and tried teaching
her multiple things.
Not only was the coughing
troublesome enough, she also
shrieked like a banshee at
night.
Thus, she was promptly refunded
back to the tent the next day.
The next buyer also attempted
to teach Raphtalia various
stuff, but again she was
immediately returned the
following day.
The owner before me was the
cruelest buyer of them all.
They purchased her one evening,
whipped her throughout the
entire night, and resold her,
tattered and torn, the very
next morning.
I wasn't the least bit
surprised that this country had
sickos who would take pleasure
in inflicting pain upon
others.[234]
She was wrecked by illness, her
heart was almost broken from
the recurring nightmares, and
she was used and abandoned
countless times... that was
before she was bought by me.


"You know, I'm very glad to
have met you, Naofumi-sama."
"... Yeah."
"You were the one who taught me
how to live a proper life after
all."
"... Yeah."

I absentmindedly replied to
Raphtalia's story with a
mechanical tone.
This didn't matter much at any
rate.[235]

"For that reason, please allow
me a chance. A chance to
confront this wave."
"... Yeah."
"With that said, I'll do my
best!"
"Ha... ha... give it your best
shot."

Even I thought that I was
acting a bit too cruel.
However, my past self could
only act in such a pitiful
manner.

00:01

We have one more minute before
it's time.
I took my stance, prepared for
the teleportation.

00:00

Bikin![236]

A deafening sound echoed
throughout the world.
The very next instance, my
vision was flushed away and the
scenery around me changed. I
was probably being warped.

"The sky..."

Dyed an eerie wine red, cracks
began peeling away and
expanding outward through the
sky due to the dimensional
rift.

"So this is..."

While assessing the scene,
three shadows dashed passed me,
followed by twelve other
people.
Those shitty heroes.
I also tailed them since it was
the obvious thing to do, but
where were they heading off to?
While sprinting onward, I saw
enemies come crawling out and
pushing against each other
through the large crack in the
sky.

"This is the vicinity of
Riyuuto village!"[237]

Raphtalia anxiously exclaimed
after examining the surrounding
area.

"Since this is all farm land, a
lot of people should still be
dwelling here!"
"But everyone should have
already evacu--"

Then a sudden realization hit
me.
We never knew beforehand where
the Wave of Calamity would
appear, right? Then how the
hell would we know which
locations needed to be
evacuated?

"You fools, wait a minute!"

Refusing to heed my calls, the
three idiotic heroes dashed
straight towards the source of
the wave.
During that time a group of
monstrous spiders, having
separated themselves from the
overflowing monster horde,
headed straight towards the
village's direction.
Wait, the buffoon hero troupe
had shot something like a
bullet flare up into the sky,
signaling a sort of message.
It must have been to inform the
knight squadrons and rally them
to their location.

"Tsk!! Raphtalia! Let's go
protect the village!"

I was indebted to many of the
people from Riyuuto village.
I'd definitely suffer from
remorse if they got killed by
the wave!

"HAI!"

We then rushed to a different
direction, separating from
those shitty heroes.


Wave of Calamity[edit]

We arrived right on time as the
demons overflowing from the
wave started to wreak havoc
within the village.
The adventurers and soldiers
stationed there were barely
able to defend against the
horde's onslaught. They were
greatly outnumbered...
... and the line of defense was
about to break.

"Raphtalia, please evacuate the
villagers."
"Huh? What about Naofumi-
sama..?"
"I will aggro the enemy!"

I flung myself into the
frontline and bashed my shield
against a group of locust-
looking monsters.
The sound of metal colliding
was there but the damage
obviously wasn't.
However, I was able to grab
their attention.
It was the same as what I had
always done with Raphtalia.

"Gugi!"

The herd of tiny locust-like
monsters charged at my
direction. Moving on, I
immediately decided on my next
targets: the ghouls and the
swarm of wasps.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Was it thanks to the
barbarian's armor, or was it
the shield? Either way I
received zero damage as usual.

"Yu-yuusha-sama?"
"Ah, right... You guys go and
reorganize yourselves while I
hold them back!"

I saw a lot of familiar faces
within the Riyuto village
bunch.
"Y-yes sir!"

Fortunately, no one was fatally
wounded among the survivors
even though I was the only one
on the frontline.

"What the..."

What was that thought just now?
How unpleasant.
While I was dazed, the monsters
attempted to knock me out of
commission with their claw,
fang, and needle attacks.
Even though there were the
sweet sounds of impact, I
didn't feel any pain, only a
bit of an itch. However, the
feeling of them crawling all
over my body was beyond
disgusting.
Hence I beat the crap out of
the mobs.
WAMP! [238]
Damn it, didn't any of the
inhabitants of this world know
how to leave people alone?
But I guess it couldn't be
helped since the wave of great
calamity was happening and all
that.

"He-help m―!"

Behind me, the innkeeper whom I
was indebted to was being
attacked by a monster.
Right before the innkeeper got
decapitated by the monster's
claw, I shouted:

"Air Strike Shield!"

I cast the skill, and a
lifesaving shield was
immediately summoned and
rescued the innkeeper.
He was surprised at the sudden
appearance of the shield and
looked towards my direction.

"Run for it!"
"... Ooh, thank you."
After he bowed from his waist
and voiced his gratitude, the
innkeeper left the scene along
with his family.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

A stereotypical, ear-deafening
shriek.
It was the sight of a damsel in
distress fleeing away with a
gang of pursuing monsters.
I approached the vicinity.

"Shield Prison!"

I called forth a box of shields
to surround and protect the
damsel.
With the shields' sudden
appearance, the monsters
switched their target to me.
That's good. Come over here.
I'm very delicious.[239]
Before the duration time of the
Shield Prison expired, I lured
the monsters away and returned
to the frontline.
WAM! BAM!

Haah haah...
My body steadily became heavier
with the increasing number of
monsters.
Then, a rain of fire poured
down on top of me.
Behind the horde of monsters, I
could spot the knight
squadron's arrival. The magic
users among their ranks were
shooting out their magic; so
this was the cause of the fire.

"DUDES! There are allies over
here!"

Although, there was only me
here.
The monsters were quickly
ignited and turned into
cinders.
Since there were a lot of
insects they burned nicely.
Apparently, not only was my
physical defense high but my
magical defense was as well.
The front line was burning
brightly with a crimson red.
Anger swelled up from within me
while questioning the motive
behind this friendly fire; I
glared and approached the
knight squadron amidst the
mayhem as my cloak fluttered,
scattering the flames.[240]

"Hmph, so that is the Shield
Hero... He's surprisingly
resilient."

The person who appeared to be
the knight commander threw me a
glance and spat on the ground
while uttering those words.
Then a shadow dashed at him,
brandishing a sword.
And with a loud 'Klang!', the
knight commander quickly
unsheathed his own sword and
locked blades with his
attacker.

"What was the meaning of your
actions against Naofumi-sama?!
I will cut you down depending
on your answer!"

Raphtalia declared with great
bloodlust.

"A companion of the Shield
Hero, huh?"
"Correct, I am Naofumi-sama's
blade! I shall not forgive any
act of disrespect!"
"... How dare a demi-human try
to speak on the same level as
us knights?"
"You have neglected your duties
of protecting civilians and
attacked your own allies,
specifically Naofumi-sama whom
you tried burning along with
all the monsters using your
magic. For those reasons, you
people are unfit to be called
knights!"
"Isn't it fine since he's still
safe and sound over there?"
"No it's not!"

Raphtalia passionately
continued arguing with the
knight commander while the
others began to surround her.

"Shield Prison!"
"Damn, you basta――"

I confined the encircling
knights with my shields and
stared down at the knights who
tried to usurp my hard work.

"... Aren't the real enemies
here the monsters spawned from
the wave? Don't mix up your
objectives!"

Ashen-faced, the knights turned
their heads away after my
rebuttal.

"A criminal Hero doesn't have
the right to say such crap."
"Oh well... I'm fine with
anything. So I guess it's safe
to say that you guys want to
make an enemy out of me?"

The frontline was brimming with
fire blazing monsters who were
crawling all over my face, with
more and more from the wave
joining the fray.
Looking at me withstanding all
of that, the knights' faces
turned completely blue.
After all, I was the Shield
Hero. 'Do not mess with this
guy' or other lines of
reasoning were there.

"Raphtalia, did you finish with
the evacuation?"
"No... it's not done yet. I
believe that it will take a
little bit more time."
"Understood, then hurry up and
evacuate the civilians."
"But..."
"Though our allies had rained
fire on me, it wasn't even
painful or ticklish. It just...
left a feeling of being licked
on my arms and legs."

I patted Raphtalia's shoulder
and followed with a glare at
the knights.

"... I will definitely kill
you, no matter what it will
take. I'll lure the worst
monsters here and abandon you,
for example, as well as all
that other fun stuff too."

My threat was effective; the
knights stopped chanting magic
and gasped.

"Now then, Raphtalia. The
fight's already started; let's
remove the disabled away from
the battlefield, discarding all
this dead weight.[241] Wow,
look at that. There sure are a
bunch of enemies.[242] Yes,
let's do just that."

Unexpectedly, since the knights
can seemingly hold their own...
it should be alright to ditch
them here.

"Y-yes!"

Upon my orders, Raphtalia
rushed back to the village.

"Shit![243] Putting on airs
even though you're just a
criminal Hero."

The knight commander bellowed
at me like an idiot right when
the Shield Prison's duration
time expired.

"Alright, so you... want to
die?"

Monsters began to stir towards
me.
The idiot shuts up, knowing
what would happen if I were to
abandon them and only protect
myself.
Geez, I couldn't seem to find a
decent person amongst all of
these people.[244]
These guys were the type that
thought that I wouldn't be able
to do anything other than
protect others since I was
nothing but a Shield Hero. Who
the hell would ever help others
for the fun of it?

[245]Afterwards, the cleanup of
the stranded monsters from the
wave was completed to some
extent.
Once she was done with
evacuating the civilians[246],
Raphtalia returned to the
frontline, that was when I
commenced my retaliation.
Using the knight squadron as
our human shield, we finished
off the monsters by baiting
them into our encircled
formation.[247] And a few hours
had passed by in no time at
all.

"Alright, I guess that's the
end."
"Seems like it, this boss was a
cakewalk."
"Yep, at this rate, the next
wave will also be a cinch."

Our bravely fought heroes were
simply chatting at the heart of
the frontline; where the corpse
of a Chimera, the wave's Boss,
laid.[248]
It was as if the job of
evacuating civilians were only
the adventurers and knights'
responsibility...
Even though a month had already
passed, these folks still think
that all of this is nothing but
a game.
It was quite a hassle for me to
ignore these shitty heroes, but
I was relieved that I managed
to survive this wave.
The sky's color was still pitch
black. Although it was only a
matter of time before it would
be dyed orange by the setting
sun.
With this, I should be able to
stay alive for at least another
month.
... Although I didn't receive
any damage, that was probably
due to the wave being weak: for
now. I honestly don't know if I
can endure the next one.
Sooner or later I'll be unable
to withstand their attacks...
what in the world would happen
to me then?

"A job well done, oh brave
heroes. The king has properly
readied a feast in celebration
for your achievements. We
humbly invite you to join in
since we will also be handing
out your rewards there."

I naturally didn't want to
participate. However, I had no
more money. So I'll bless them
with my presence. Let us depart
together!
Indeed, it was expected for
them to prepare our tributes,
ones which equal our efforts
for every wave.
500 silver coins. That was
quite a sum of money for me at
the moment.

"Ah, um..."

The Riyuto villagers saw me and
came over to talk.

"What?"
"Thank you very much. We would
all be dead if you weren't
here."
"It would be the same if I
wasn't around."
"No."

Another villager refused my
comment.

"It was thanks to you being
there that we were able to
survive."[249]
"If you think so, then just do
whatever you want."
"""YES!"""

The villagers bowed to me and
went back.
Their village was violently
raided. I suppose that it would
be quite a hassle to
reconstruct it afterwards.
They merely expressed their
gratitude to their life savior,
whom they usually despise...
what a calculating bunch.[250]

"Naofumi-sama!"

After the long battle, a muddy,
sweaty and smiling Raphtalia
came running over to me.

"We really did it! Everyone is
expressing their gratitude."
"... I guess."
"With this, there will be
nobody who'll end up like me.
It was all thanks to Naofumi-
sama!"
"... Haaa."[251]

So this was what they called a
post-war bliss, famous
throughout the history of my
birthplace;[252] Raphtalia was
moved to tears.

"I too... tried my best."
"Right, you did well."

I praise her while patting her
head.
That's right. Raphtalia had
followed my orders and fought
devotedly.
It would be a folly of mine to
falsely evaluate that.

"I defeated a bunch of
monsters."
"Haha, that certainly saved
me."
"Guhehe."[253]

I felt a bit uncomfortable with
Raphtalia laughing so
blissfully like this, dood;
[254] we headed towards the
castle.


"Well well! As expected of our
heroes. I cannot contain my
surprise after seeing the
difference between the
casualties from this battle and
the last."

Once the sun had gone down and
the night sky had taken over,
the king declared loudly to his
grandiose banquet held within
the castle.
On that note, I had no idea
what the casualty count was
before, but this time the
casualties were within the
single digits.
... Though I had no intention
of taking credit for that.
I didn't resent that bunch of
muscle-headed heroes at all
[255] for charging in and
beating the crap out of the
monsters while leaving me
behind to do all the cleanup.
However, I thought to myself
that we'll eventually be left
in a sorry state at this rate.
We were lucky this time, but
who knew what would have
happened if the knights didn't
arrive on time. It was thanks
to the sand hourglass for
sending us close to them.
This was such a heavy
subject...

Cry out for help, and aid shall
come.[256]

It was about the battle[257]
against the wave.
Mobilizing knights to accompany
us when we got teleported by
the hourglass was a valid
possibility.
But didn't the knights get left
behind right after we were
teleported the last time?
It must have been their
attitude! Those people didn't
want to acknowledge me as a
hero, so that's why they
weren't teleported!
But... didn't the party of
those shitty heroes get
teleported too?
Just, how the hell?[258]
This kind of setting was weird
as hell if this was a game.
... Anyways, aren't we in big
trouble? This is the part where
they will drop their guard just
because aid arrived.
In short, it's complicated
stuff.
I ate my share in an
appropriate looking corner
while the banquet was being
held.

"This is such a feast!"

Raphtalia stared at the
mountain of food which she
normally couldn't get a chance
to eat with eyes shining like
stars.[259]

"Go and eat whatever you want."
"Yes sir!"[260]

I don't usually give her a lot
of good food to eat... so it
would be wise to let her eat
whatever she desired here. Once
she ate her fill, she would be
an even better war asset. [261]

"Ah... But, I'll gain weight if
I eat too much."
"You didn't even hit your
growth spurt yet, right?"
"Urg..."

For some reason Raphtalia was
making a very troubled
expression.

"It's fine to eat whatever you
want."
"Do you prefer fat girls,
Naofumi-sama?"[262]
"Huh?"

What was she saying?

"Not at all."

Just thinking about women would
only make me imagine that
bitch. A lot of unpleasant
feelings would also pop up.
To begin with, that woman was a
life form that was repulsive to
the mind...

"I suppose that's right. That's
just like the usual Naofumi-
sama."

She said as if giving up on
whatever was on her mind.

"Naofumi-sama, this is so
good."
"That's nice."
"Yes."

Hmm... This banquet was such a
waste of time. Just when will I
get my reward?
This place was like a cesspool
of garbage, just looking around
made my anger boil.
... Thinking back, it was quite
possible that the rewards would
be handed out tomorrow.
Then was this a fool's errand?
No, since the food was good
I'll let it fly.
It's not the same for normal
people since Raphtalia was in
the middle of her growth spurt!
By no means I am a fool to pass
this chance up.

"I wonder if they have
something like a container in
order to bring food home."

One should always think about
tomorrow and never waste money.
... I'll have ask them to let
me have the rest and re-cook
the food later. Anything that
can be considered food will be
fine.[263]
Amidst the crowd, a raging
Motoyasu was pushing his way
through, heading towards our
direction. [264]
Really, just what the hell is
wrong today?
Since it looked like a pain in
the ass, the crowd split apart
and made way for that trash,
Motoyasu, as he glared at me
with intense hatred.

"YO! NAOFUMI!"
"... What?"

He removed the glove on one of
his hands and threw it at me.
If I was right, that guy wanted
to challenge me to a duel.[265]
The crowd was stirred into
motion by his following
statement.

"Duel with me!"
"Just what are you talking
about?"

Was his brain finally fried?
You'll turn into an idiot if
you kept on thinking about
games all day long.
The goddamned spear hero who
charged in to kill the boss
like a madman, ditching all the
innocents that he should have
defended.

"I know it all! Raptalia-chan
was only tagging along with you
just because she's your slave!"

He was burning with fighting
spirit as he pointed at me and
denounced.

"Hmm?"

The person in question was
feasting upon her piled up
delicacies.

"So, what about it?"
" 'So, what about it?'... you
say?! Did you seriously just
say that!?"
"Haaa."

What's wrong with possessing a
slave?
There was nobody that was
willing to fight alongside me.
Hence, I bought and used a
slave.
And this country didn't have a
ban on slavery anyway.
So, for what reason did he go
on a rampage for?

"She's my slave. What's it to
you?"
"It's... it's not the
enslavement that's wrong! It's
because we're heroes with
different worldly ethics than
the people here which makes
your actions wrong!"[266]
"Isn't that a bit too late...
there were plenty of slaves
back in our world, right?"

I didn't know anything about
Motoyasu's world. But it was
literally impossible for
mankind's history to be without
the existence of slavery.
A different way of interpreting
it would be: members of society
are slaves to the higher
corporations.

"Unforgivable? Are you even
using your head? Think with
that goddamn brain of yours!"

Forcing others to follow their
own biased beliefs... This
guy's mind has problems.

"But it's such a shame that
this is a different world.
Slaves exist here. And what's
the problem with me using
them?"
"Bas... tard!"

Gritting his teeth, Motoyasu
swung his fist at me.[267]

"Duel with me! If I win,
release Raphtalia-chan!"[268]
"Why would I have to accept
this challenge to begin with?
What's in it for me anyways?"
"You can do whatever you desire
with Raphtalia-chan! Just like
now."
"Are you retarded?"[269]

I attempted to ignore Motoyasu
and leave, since this duel had
nothing to offer me.

"I have heard Motoyasu-dono's
story."

The excited crowd made room for
the king to pass through.

"I heard that one of the heroes
was using slaves... although
only as a rumor. If you refuse
Motoyasu-dono's proposal then I
shall order it. Duel!"
"My ass. Just hand over this
wave's reward already. I have
no time to waste in a place
like this!"

The king sighed and twitched
his fingers.
The soldiers appeared out of
nowhere and began to surround
me.
When I looked over at
Raphtalia, she was detained by
the soldiers.

"Naofumi-sama!"
"... Are you threatening me?"

I said while staring him down
with all the force I could
muster.
This guy, he didn't believe
what I said at all.
So that's the case, didn't know
that I was intruding here.

"If you're in this country then
my word is absolute! I can even
forcibly confiscate the Shield
Hero's slave if it comes down
to that."
"... Tsk!"

Things like undoing the curse
placed upon a slave, the court
magicians probably knew about
such techniques.
In other words, to preserve my
connection with Raphtalia, I
have to fight.
Don't fuck with me! I barely
even got any return from my
purchase on this slave!
Whose money and time do you
think was invested on her?

"This match is meaningless! I
am――uuuuurg!"[270]

A piece of cloth was rolled up
and stuffed into Raphtalia's
mouth so that she wouldn't be
able to say anything.

"The owner has the power to
strengthen the punishing curse
of the inflicted individual.
Therefore, let us stop this
slave from speaking any
further."
"... You just did that so that
I would have to participate in
the duel."
"Aren't we simply granting you
the participation prize?"
"What! You bas――"
"Well then, the duel shall be
held in the castle's garden!"

That asshole of a king
interrupted my complaint and
declared the duel location.
Shit, don't you people see that
I have no attack power? This is
like a gimped race!

Contradicting Actions[edit]

[271] At this very moment, the
castle's garden had turned into
a dueling arena.
Along the edge of the vicinity,
torches were brightly lit and
the joyful folks from the
banquet expectantly gathered
around to witness a duel
between heroes. [272]
Unfortunately, the outcome of
this duel was already
predetermined.
I, who ultimately dealt zero
damage, versus the Spear Hero,
Motoyasu.
A match between the parties of
both the Shield Hero and the
Spear Hero! ...not! What was
about to take place was a one-
on-one duel between Motoyasu
and I.
It seemed that the proposal for
a team battle was rejected by
Motoyasu due to his overflowing
pride, and thus we came to have
our solo matchup.
Everyone already knew how the
duel would turn out.
No sounds of people placing
their bet could be heard.[273]
Although this event was taking
place within the royal palace,
among the varying mix of nobles
were adventurers who aided in
the wave-effort.[274]
Hence it was natural not to
start a gambling circle here.
[275]
Everyone unanimously believed
that I would end up being
defeated.
As spectators, Ren and Itsuki
could be seen looking and
laughing from within the castle
terrace.
They seem to have pleasure in
witnessing the moment when I
have my slave stolen from me.

Shit. Shit! SHIT! FUCK IT ALL!
[276]

Every last one of them thought
of nothing but to harass me.
For example, raining fire down
on me amidst the battlefield
confusion during the wave.[277]
In the eyes of the people in
this world, I am nothing but
the object of scorn and
ridicule.
... That's just great. Defeat
might have been the only choice
for me all along. But, I won't
be defeated without putting up
a fight.
"Now then, let us commence the
duel between the Spear Hero and
the Shield Hero! The victor and
the vanquished shall only be
determined either before the
finishing blow is directly
dealt or when one of them
accepts their defeat!"

I twisted my joints, cracked my
fingers, and shifted into my
battle stance.

"Who will fall first, the
shield or the spear? Such a
match... this will be a joke."

Motoyasu spitefully stared at
me and hissed with his nose.
Are you mocking me?

"Well then―――"

Motoyasu, I'll show you that
only knowing how to fight won't
defeat your opponent.
If one were to ask a merchant
whether the sharpest weapon or
the sturdiest shield is the
'strongest' equipment a person
can have, then that merchant
will just contradict themselves
over the meaning of
'strongest'. As a matter of
fact, the word itself holds no
meaning.
However, even if the word is a
contradiction in and of itself,
I will accept such a
contradiction.
And to begin with, what
elements decide the outcome of
this duel?
Isn't this just the same as
Shogi and Go?[278]
Even if that's the case, how
would this affect the outcome
of the duel?
The ultimate purpose of a spear
is to kill your opponent.
The ultimate purpose of a
shield is to act as your
guardian.[279]
If one was to carefully analyze
and think about it, the
sturdiest shield will always
triumph over the sharpest
spear.
Their purposes were
fundamentally different. The
spear and shield that is.

"Begin!"
"Uwooooooooooooooooooo!"
"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"[280]

I rushed at Motoyasu with a
Falcon Punch while Motoyasu
rushed at me with his spear
leveled, preparing to pierce
me.[281]
The distance was shortened in
an instant. Motoyasu thrust his
spear at me, utilizing our
momentum to amplify the
penetrative force.
There is no attack that cannot
be blocked if one is able to
see the direction it's coming
from.

"Chaos thrust!"[282]

Motoyasu flicked his arm and
his spear instantly appeared to
have multiplied several-fold.
A Skill! That certainly came at
an unexpected moment.
But my rush was unstoppable.
I charged through while holding
the shield over my head.
Clang!
Whoosh!
Arg... I could feel pain run
through my shoulders and into
my legs.
Although they were only
scratches, attacks from a hero
sure were different as
expected.[283]
However, Motoyasu's Skill came
to a sudden halt; it seemed to
have entered its cooldown
period.

"Eat this!"

But Motoyasu continued to
thrust his spear at me.[284]
The spear, its weakness lies
within its range.
Like any other polearm, it is
specialized for mid-ranged
combat. Once inside of this
range, its difficulty of usage
becomes apparent.
Usually this doesn't matter as
you only need to defeat your
enemies before they have a
chance to get close. Not for me
though, my shield won't
collapse to a single blow.
I dodged Motoyasu's thrust by a
hair's length and charged with
my whole body weight, focusing
everything on a single point.
And thus my fist dug splendidly
into Motoyasu's face.

Guh!
Tsk! It's impossible for me to
deal any damage after all.
However, my attacks won't end
with just that.
That bastard Motoyasu didn't
even seem to move an inch from
my attack and just rolled his
eyes.

Let's see how long you'll be
able to keep that face, hmm?

I pulled a deadly weapon from
within my mantle and threw it
towards Motoyasu's face.[285]
GABUUU!

"GO!"

My stockpile was completely
wiped out earlier during the
wave and the fiery rain, so I
picked up a few along the way
to the castle for negotiation
usage.

"Wait? WHAT!?"

Kukuku... look at that idiot
Motoyasu speaking in a confused
and puzzled voice.
NOM NOM CHOM!

"Ouch, OUCH!"

Motoyasu writhed in agony from
the pain of his oh-so-precious
face being bitten.
Yep, my attacks aren't just
barehanded only.
There is also the existence of
a convenient weapon invented by
humanity's experts, BALLOON!
[286]

"ORA ORA ORA!"

Two on the face and an extra
one to his crotch ensure that
he's unable to get back up.

"Wh-, WHY THE BALLOONS!?"[287]

The spectators shrieked.
Now you know!
I kept adding kicks with all of
my weight to the balloon that
was feasting upon his crotch.
[288]

"Kuh... Asshole! What sort of
move is this?!"
"I can't win anyways so I'll
just harass you to the utmost
of my abilities! The targets
are: the face – a popular guy's
lifeline – and the crotch[289]
– the proof of your manhood!
Inside those balls of yours are
just gross otaku-substances!"
"WHAT!? STOP
ETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"[290]
"Don't ask for the
impossibleeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

I relentlessly knocked
Motoyasu's loins with one heavy
kick after another.
Motoyasu managed to peel off
the balloon on his face, but
was unable to muster any of his
impotent strength[291] to lift
his spear.
To buy even more time, I
decided to throw the previously
peeled off Balloons onto his
face once again.
And of course the Balloons
weren't the only weapons I had,
there were Eggies too.
Motoyasu's situation was like
sitting on a throne of needles.
I'll have my fill of harassing
him this time around.
I will lose either way, so I'll
carve the utmost trauma onto
his soul.[292]

"ORA ORA ORA!"
"ARG! DAMN YOUUUUUUUU!"

Motoyasu concentrated all of
his power into lifting my
weight off his body, but I
continued with my malicious
strikes.
FUFUFU![293]
This is invigorating! Let me
hear more of your tormented
cries!
My laughter and smile naturally
surfaced from deep inside me.

"GUAH..!"[294]

Suddenly my back was forcefully
pushed and I ended up
staggering forward.
I looked back at the direction
from where the staggering force
came from.
What I found was that bitch!
[295]
Mein was hiding within the
crowd of people with her hand
extended toward my direction.
Most likely, that was a type of
wind magic.
To be more precise, Wind Blow
is a spell that accumulates and
fires a condensed, fist-sized
mass of air.
Since the condensed mass of air
is transparent, it wouldn't be
noticeable if not closely
observed.
That bitch Mein smirked then
pulled down one of her eyelids
and provokingly stuck out her
tongue.[296]

"Biiiiiiiiitch!"

I staggered again in mid-shout
due to Motoyasu's
counterattack, having regained
his stance thanks to the
reduced weight on his body.
Motoyasu panted as he pushed me
down, threateningly holding his
pike at my neck. All of my
Balloons were shaken off at
this point.

"Haa... Haa... My, WIN!"

While holding his spear,
Motoyasu declared with a tone
ever more desperate than when
he fought against the wave of
calamity.

What I Wanted to Hear[edit]

"What do you mean by 'win', you
coward!"
Our one-on-one duel was
interrupted, right!?

"What are you talking about?
You lost because you couldn't
stand up to my strength."

... You bastard, you're
seriously saying that.
What was that crap about
heroes! That they shouldn't own
slaves!
You trash, acting like a hero
while rigging this battle to
satisfy yourself.

"Your comrade interfered in the
middle of our fight! That's why
I staggered!"
"Ha! Is that lie the bitching
of a loser?"
"That's not it, you asshole!"

That coward Motoyasu looked
down on me, ignoring my
complaints while feeling
victorious.
Even though there really was an
intrusion... that bastard!

"Is that so."

The spectators had their eyes
on Motoyasu.
Did they not see what
happened..? Everyone was
completely silent.

"There is no need to believe
the words of a criminal Hero.
Hero of the Spear! It is your
victory!"

That asshole!
Just like that, the king boldly
announced the result.
Even then, some of the crowd
were unsure. They looked around
as if they wanted to speak up.
However, there was no one who
would challenge what the king
had declared.
Because the king had silenced
all dissent.
This kingdom was a complete
dictatorship!

"As expected of Motoyasu-sama!"

The bitch who was the
instigator of this incident
shamelessly rushed to
Motoyasu's side.
Furthermore, the castle's
magicians only cast healing
magic on Motoyasu, treating his
wounds.
Looks like they had no
intention of helping me.

"Fumu, as expected of the Hero
whom my daughter, Malty, has
selected."
The king says as he places his
hand on Mein's shoulder.

"W-what..!?"

Mein is the king's daughter!?

"Ah... I was also surprised at
the time upon hearing that Mein
is a princess. She used a fake
name in order to slip amongst
us."
"Yes... I wanted to help for
the sake of world peace~"

... I see. So it's like that.
It seemed strange how easily I
was labeled a criminal with
just the victim's testimony.
So that's what it was... The
king overlooked his idiotic
daughter's selfishness and
pushed a false crime onto me
using fake evidence. For the
sake of the Hero that his
daughter had chosen, he
sacrificed me and reclaimed my
money because I was the weakest
among the Heroes.
And because Motoyasu saved the
princess from me, they ended up
becoming closer, more so than
all the other girls around him.

This also explains why I
received additional funds at
the beginning.
In other words, she was able to
obtain good equipment for
herself as well as support her
chosen hero, Motoyasu.
If Motoyasu alone started off
with equipment far better than
the other Heroes, then even he
would find it suspicious and be
wary.
With such meticulous planning,
there's definitely no way to
find the truth other than from
the culprits themselves. In the
end the result was a worthless,
criminal Shield Hero and the
Spear Hero who magnificently
saved the princess.

Piece by piece, everything
began to make sense.
There was no evidence other
than the blow[297] I received,
which did no damage apart from
making me stagger. There was no
clear evidence that the
princess was cheating.
Any objections to this rigged
match were probably silenced
behind the scenes.
So she could interfere in our
duel and cover for her favored
hero, Motoyasu.

In that case, it must have been
planned from the start for
Motoyasu and I to have this
duel.
...Oh, it's so simple. All she
had to do was whisper this to
him:

"'That girl has been forced
into slavery by the Shield
Hero. Please save her.'"

A chance to both test her
potential husband as well as to
show herself in a good light.
If it's her, she definitely
won't let that chance slip by.
If they do get married in the
end, this will become a heroic
tale of how they rescued a
slave from a criminal.
And in the distant future, her
name will be carried on as the
wife of the virtuous Hero who
defeated the evil Hero.
Shit! This trash king and bitch
princess!

No, wait... the princess, a
bitch...?

This phrase, where have I heard
it before?
Where? Where did I hear such a
thing?
... I remember now. I read it
in the 'Four Heavenly Weapon's
Manual'.[298].
In that book the princess was a
bitch who whored herself to all
the Heroes.
If the book I read in the
library is related to this
world, then it makes sense that
the princess is a bitch. The
same can apply to all these
other shitty Heroes.[299]

A seething rage from the very
depths of my body enveloped me.

Curse Series
The conditions for unlocking
this shield have been met.

My vision distorted as my
shield was swallowed by the
pitch black emotion overflowing
from my heart.

"Now then Motoyasu-dono, the
girl which the Shield Hero has
kept enslaved is waiting."

The crowd separated as the
magicians began to release
Raphtalia from the slave curse.
The magicians brought a bowl
overflowing with a certain
liquid and smeared it on the
slave mark etched onto her
chest.
The mark faded away before my
eyes.
Raphtalia was now officially
freed from her enslavement.
My stomach churned as my heart
was consumed by a dark feeling.
It's as if this world was
ridiculing and scorning me, all
the while laughing at my
struggles.
All I can see... are the dark
grins of the shadowy presences
around me.

"Raphtalia-chan!"

Motoyasu rushed over to her.
Raphtalia, with the gag now
removed from her mouth and
tears flowing down her face--

--slapped Motoyasu.

"You... coward!"
"... Eh?"

Motoyasu had a dumbfounded look
on his face after being hit.

"I never asked to be saved by
your cowardly tactics!"
"B-but Raphtalia-chan was being
exploited by him, right?"
"Naofumi-sama has never forced
me to do anything! Only when I
was too afraid to fight did he
ever use the curse!"

Slipping in and out of
consciousness, I couldn't hear
what was being said.
No, I could actually hear it.
But I did not want to listen to
anyone.
I just want to hurry and run
away from here.
I want to return to my world.

"He shouldn't have done that!"
"Naofumi-sama can't defeat any
monsters by himself. That's why
he has to rely on someone else
to defeat them!"
"You don't need to do that!
He'll just use you until you're
broken!"
"Naofumi-sama has never once
let any monsters harm me! And
if I become tired he lets me
rest!"
"N, No... he's not the type to
be so considerate..."
"... Would you be able to offer
your hand to a dirty slave
wrecked with illness?"
"Eh?"
"Naofumi-sama has done so much
for me. He allowed me eat
whatever I wanted. He gave me
precious medicine when I was
sick. Would you be able to do
that?"
"I- I would!"
"Then you should have another
slave by your side right now!"
"!?"

For some reason... Raphtalia
ran over to me.

"S-stay away!"

This... is hell.
A maliciously created world.
Women - no - everyone in this
world scorns me as if to
torture me.
If she touches me, then I'll
just be reliving those bad
memories.
Raphtalia witnesses my
condition and again glared at
Motoyasu.

"I've heard the rumors... that
Naofumi-sama forced himself
onto his companion, that he is
an awful Hero."
"A-Ah. He's a rapist! As a
female slave, you should
understand that, right!?"
"Why would I!? Naofumi-sama has
never once laid his hands on
me!"

Raphtalia then grabbed my hand.

"L-let go!"
"Naofumi-sama... How can I earn
your trust?"
"Let go of my hand!"

Everyone in this world accuses
me of a crime I didn't commit.

"I didn't do it!"

Pompf...

My frenzied self was covered by
something.
"No matter what, I will always
believe in Naofumi-sama."
"Shut up! You people are just
going to pin more crimes on
me!"
"...I don't believe those
rumors. You are a person who
would never do such a thing."

I heard the words that I've
been wanting to hear ever since
arriving in this world.
Gently, the shadows that
clouded my vision disappeared.
I received the tender warmth of
another person.

"Even if the whole world blames
Naofumi-sama, I am different...
No matter how many times it
takes, I will refute them all."

When I lifted my head, what
laid in front of me was not a
little girl, but a young woman
around the age of seventeen.
While her features looked like
those of Raphtalia, she was an
unbelievably cute girl.
What should have been dry,
cracked skin was now a healthy
complexion, with beautiful hair
that was slightly dusty in
color.
The body that was once all skin
and bones was now curvy with a
fit, robust figure.
Most prominently, her eyes were
no longer filled with
hopelessness, but brimmed with
a strong will.
I could not recognize a girl
like her.

"Naofumi-sama, now let's go and
place the curse on me again."
"W-who are you?"
"Eh? What are you saying? It's
me, Raphtalia."
"No-no-no, isn't Raphtalia a
little girl?"

She claimed to be Raphtalia.
Troubled, she tilted her head
while trying to convince me.

"Geez, Naofumi-sama is always
treating me like a child."

That voice... is definitely the
voice of the Raphtalia I
remember.
However, her body was
completely different.
No-no-no, this is strange even
if she was Raphtalia.

"Naofumi-sama, I'll say this
due to the circumstances."
"What?"
"When young Demi-humans raise
their level, their bodies also
mature quickly in order to
match their level growth."
"Eh?"
"Demi-humans are not like
humans. It is the same with
monsters."

Embarrassed, the girl who
claimed to be Raphtalia
continued.

"Although my... my mind is
still that of a child, my body
has already become similar to
an adult."

While telling me this,
Raphtalia once again buried my
head into her voluptuous chest.

"Please believe me. I believe
that Naofumi-sama has not
committed any crimes. You are
the great Shield Hero who has
saved my life, given me
precious medicine, taught me
how to survive and how to
fight. I am your sword, and I
will follow you no matter what
hardships we may face."

Those were... the words that I
wanted to hear.
The words spoken ever since
Raphtalia swore to fight
alongside me.

"If you don't believe me, then
make me your slave or do
whatever you wish with me. I
will always stay with you."
"Ku...u....uu...."

From the first kind words that
I received since arriving in
this world, I unwittingly began
to weep.
Although I felt that I
shouldn't cry no matter what, I
couldn't stop the tears from
falling.

"Uuu..... uuuuuuuuu..."

"The duel just now... Motoyasu,
you are disqualified."
"Haa!?"

Ren and Itsuki appeared from
within the crowd and said.

"We saw it clearly from above,
your companion targeted Naofumi
with wind magic."
"No, but... That can't be."
"The king has become silent.
You understand from that much,
right?"
"... Is that what happened?"

Motoyasu's head swept through
the room, looking at the
audience.

"But he attacked me with
monsters."
"They did no damage. You can
check it for yourself."

Acting self-righteous now, Ren
scolds Motoyasu.

"But... He! He aimed for my
face and crotch!"
"Using dirty tactics after
being forced into a fight where
he had no chance of winning. We
should overlook something like
that."

After hearing Itsuki's words,
Moyotasu gave up arguing with a
displeased look.

"This fight seems to be your
mistake this time, so just let
it go."
"Hmph... what a shitty result.
I'm still suspicious that
Raphtalia-chan is being
brainwashed."
"How can you still say that
after looking at them like
this?"
"That's right."

With the atmosphere turning
awkward, the heroes began to
leave while the crowd returned
to the castle.

"... Hmph! How boring."
"Yes... this was quite a
disappointing result."

The two royalties who were
dissatisfied with the match's
conclusion left in irritation.
Only Raphtalia and I were left
in the yard.

"It must have been tough for
you. I didn't realize it at
all. From now on, I want to
share in your hardships."

My consciousness drifted away
when I heard her kind voice.

After that, I slept while being
embraced by Raphtalia for about
another hour.
I was surprised. I didn't
realize Raphtalia had already
grown up so much.
Why didn't I notice?

... I was too stressed,
probably.

I didn't have the luxury of
noticing Raphtalia's growth.
All I could see were her rising
stats in the status screen.
The feast has long ended. So I
fell into a deep sleep in a
dusty unused room, originally
prepared for the servants.

Someone believes in me. With
just that, I feel like a burden
had been lifted from my heart.

The meaning of this became
clear the next day during
breakfast.
For the first time since I was
betrayed by Mein, my sense of
taste had returned.

Shared Pain[edit]

Just like last time, we
assembled around 10.
This damn trash king is simply
jerking me around... he should
have just told us what was
going on.
Now I have to meet up with
these dicks. What if I end up
getting an ulcer?

"Now then, I will distribute
this wave's bounty reward and
support funding."

Bounty?
An assistant appeared carrying
bags filled with money.

"For each of the heroes."

I looked at the bags.
I see, just for monthly living
expenses we would require at
least 500 silver coins.
500 coins... would not be
enough for preparation costs.

"Good job."

Raphtalia smiled while facing
me.

"Ahh."

What should I buy with the
money?
Maybe some weapon for Raphtalia
would be for the best? Or maybe
strong armor this time around?
Ahh, it's also about time to
buy some new tools for mixing
medicine. The truth is, the
shield reacted to my current
tools, so I'm curious what
would happen if they were
absorbed.
I fantasize about what to buy
while hearing the coins
clinking inside the bags.
I receive the bag and check its
contents.
One, two, three... yup, 500
pieces.

"For completing requests and in
expectation for Motoyasu-dono's
other great deeds, we award
4,000 coins."

Oi!
I stare dumbfounded at the
heavy looking bag that Motoyasu
was holding.
I feel like I'll be endlessly
complaining if I start now, so
I hold it in, clenching my
fists.

"Next is Ren-dono, for
displaying similar bravery
during the wave and completing
requests, we award 3,800
coins."

You too!?
Ren coolly received the bag
while making a face as if
annoyed that he lost to
Motoyasu. Even cursing
silently, "All because the
princess favors you..."

"Itsuki-dono... Your heroism
echoes throughout the country.
For your great work in times of
strife, we award 3,800 coins."

Itsuki acts as if this much was
to be expected while looking at
Motoyasu enviously.
What are these 'requests'?

"Hmm... Shield needs to work
harder, you only get living
expenses."

Who's 'Shield'?! Is that
supposed to be my name?!
I felt like a blood vessel
would soon burst.
Even after going through all
that bullshit from yesterday!?

"Um, Sire?"

Raphtalia raises her hand.

"What is it, demi-human?"
"... That is, what are
requests?"

Raphtalia was also curious.
Ignoring how little we
received, we should at least
investigate the reason.
"Requests are assigned to
heroes to resolve problems that
occur in the kingdom."
"... Why did Naofumi-sama not
receive any requests? This is
the first we've heard of this."

"Ha! What can Shield do?"

Asshole!
The audience snickered.
Ahh, not good. I feel like I'm
going to start rampaging.
Is what I thought until I feel
Raphtalia grasp my hand as she
whispered to let it go. I
suppressed my anger while still
trembling.
... It's fine, I can bear it.

"Be thankful for even receiving
this much!"
"It's not like you helped us
out at all."
"Right. I didn't see you during
the wave at all, what were you
even doing?"
"You're an embarrassment to us
heroes. Completely useless."

My irritation had peaked. I
spat out a sarcastic retort.

"Great heroes, abandoning the
lives of the villagers to fight
the boss sure was heroic."
"Ha! Just leave that stuff to
the knights."
"The knights are useless,
leaving it to them would have
resulted in a massacre. You
bastards who only aimed for the
boss wouldn't understand that."

Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren all
look towards the leader of the
knights.
That bastard just nods back at
them.

"Don't get ahead of yourself.
Without the heroes dealing with
the source of the wave, the
casualties would have been far
greater."

This bastard... how can you say
that?
Acting all haughty while
relaxing back at the castle.
Anyways, I'm also a hero. Or
are you implying that the
Shield Hero isn't one?

"Yeah, yeah. I'm busy with lots
of stuff, so if there's nothing
else we're leaving."

There's no point in arguing
here. Let's just leave it at
that and go.

"Wait, Shield."
"Hah? What. I'm busy unlike you
assholes."
"You have been a
disappointment; that money is
our way of washing our hands of
you."

Wha!?
So for all future waves I will
get nothing. That's what you
mean, right?

"That's great, Naofumi-sama!"

Raphtalia replied with a wide
smile.

"... Eh?"
"You don't need to waste your
time coming here anymore.
Instead of dawdling, you can
now focus on more important
things."
"O... Oh."

It feels like Raphtalia has
become really reliable.
She tightly held my hand while
calming me down.

"We will be taking our leave
now."

Cheerily, she pulled me along
and we turned to leave.

"The whining of a loser."

Motoyasu said while Ren and
Itsuki just shrug.
... Yeah. Rather than an
uncomfortable partnership, this
was much better.

"Now then, let's head over to
the slave tent and redo the
curse."
"Eh?"

Leaving the castle, Raphtalia
said while turning to me.

"Otherwise, Naofumi-sama will
not be able to trust me
completely."
"Well... Not really..."

I recall her words from
yesterday.
With those words I felt that I
could trust Raphtalia.

"It's... fine if you aren't a
slave anymore."
"No."
"What?"
"You shouldn't lie. Naofumi-
sama doesn't trust anyone other
than a slave."

... Maybe I raised her wrong.
Well, even though it's true
that I only trust slaves,
Raphtalia is an exception.
Yeah.

"Um... Raphtalia."
"What is it?"
"It's fine even without the
curse."
"No, I want it."

... Why is she so adamant about
this?

"I also want something to prove
that I trust you, Naofumi-
sama."
"Haaa..."

First, what a weird person...
that thought came to mind.
Second, I was reminded of Mein
and got annoyed.
Why? I don't know why, but it's
not like I'm angry at
Raphtalia.
Normally I would feel...
something else? What a strange
feeling.

"So let's go."
"Fine."

If she insists, then I won't
stop her.
To handle this matter, we
headed back to the slave tent.

"Oh, if it isn't Hero-sama. How
may I be of service today?"

The gentle owner of the slave
shop appeared flourishingly to
welcome us.

"Oh?"

Surprised, he looked at
Raphtalia curiously.

"What a surprising change. I
did not think you would grow so
well."

He said in a disappointed voice
while slumping.

"... What?"
"I thought you would be more
like us, how unfortunate."

What does he mean? But I'll
just keep that question to
myself.

"Real slave traders would raise
high quality slaves by keeping
them half dead."

He casually continued.

"Then the slaves you know of
were discarded after being
used, right?"
"N-Naofumi-sama?"

Raphtalia looked up at me
concerned.
I've become a lot more
confident now.
My current situation is much
better than last time.

"Fufufu... Is that so, how
exciting."

The slave owner, perhaps amused
by my reply, let out a laugh.

"Then, looking at her
condition... she has grown
quite well. For a non-virgin...
how about 7 gold coins?"
"Why are you talking like I'm
going to be sold! Also, I am
still pure!"

Shocked at Raphtalia's words,
the slave owner let out a gasp.

"Oh my! Then how about 15 gold
coins? May I confirm if she is
a virgin?"
"Naofumi-sama!"

15 gold coins for Raphtalia!?

"Naofumi-sama! Hey, please say
something?"

15 gold coins would be enough
to buy the Level 75 male wolf!
While I was having those
thoughts, Raphtalia tightly
grabbed my shoulder with a
scary look on her face.

"Naofumi-sama... If you keep
playing around, I'll get mad."
"What's wrong? You have a scary
look on your face."
"You're not defending me at all
even though I might be sold."
"I'm just playing along."

--That's how I'll have to play
it off as. Although I did think
it over, Raphtalia saw right
through me.
I shouldn't pretend to consider
selling the one person in this
world who believed in me.

"15 gold coins...."

Her grip became stronger when I
murmured this.

"Ow, ouch!"

Raphtalia's offensive
strength... had become greater
than my defense.
This was reliable in a combat
sense.

"... I'll run away, you know."
"It's a joke. I was just
thinking of how amazing and
beautiful you've become."
"T-that... Oh, Naofumi-sama..."

For some reason, Raphtalia
became bashful all of a sudden.
It's kinda irritating.
... Is what I thought, but why?
What did I say?

"Well, she's not for sale."
"I see... that's too bad. So
how may I help you?"
"Ah, didn't you hear about the
commotion at the castle?"

The slave trader grinned at my
question.

"I have. The slave curse was
removed, no?"

"If you understand already,
then this will be simple...
Don't ask in the first place if
you know beforehand."

Since I'm already tired from
dealing with Raphtalia.
Good grief...

"Of course, you know, despite
what the king declared, the
slave system will still exist."
"Hmm, I thought the nobles
didn't buy slaves?"
"No, not at all. There are many
slaves owned by the wealthy.
After all, they are quite
useful, of course."
"That trash king, saying those
things while supporting
Motoyasu, the Spear Hero...
Won't the nobles become
rebellious? I would if I were
them."

It'd be quite funny if that
happened.
Although it'd be quite bad for
the kingdom.

"Well, there are many factions
within the kingdom. If they did
rebel, the ones who will end up
losing would be the nobles
themselves. Yes."
"That bearded old man has that
much influence?"

Was it because this kingdom was
a complete dictatorship?
Then maybe the kingdom will
eventually collapse due to an
uprising.
Since the kingdom currently had
a trash king who will be
succeeded by a bitch princess.

"Actually, in this country,
rather than the king--"
"Um... back to the matter of
the slave curse..."
"Ah, yes."

We've digressed. Now that I
think about it, I don't care
what will happen to that trash
king.

"So, you've come to reapply the
curse, yes?"
"Yeah, is that possible?"
"Whenever you wish."

With a snap of his fingers, an
assistant appeared with the
same jar used when we first
marked her.
An embarrassed Raphtalia took
off her armor and exposed her
chest.

"H-how is it?"
"How is what?"
"... Haa..."

?
Why is she acting so
embarrassed?
Even sighing afterwards.
Did I do something?
Just like last time, I added my
blood to the ink and the mix
was coated on Raphtalia where
the old mark used to be.

"Although the mark was erased,
it is possible to restore it."
"Ohh--"

The erased mark began to
reappear as Raphtalia's chest
glowed.

"Ngh..."

As expected, it seemed to hurt.
Raphtalia tried to bear the
pain.
The mark was restored before my
eyes.
I need to check the reaction
from disobeying orders.
... It should be fine to go
easy this time.
Raphtalia became a slave again
to gain my trust. So I should
trust her now as well.

"Now then."

While thinking about what to
do, I noticed that there's some
ink left on the plate.

"Hey, can I have some of that
ink? I can pay for it."
"Sure, go ahead."

I spread the remaining ink from
the plate onto my shield.
Suu- my shield absorbed the
ink.

-The requirement for Slaver's
Shield has been unsealed.
-The requirement for Slaver's
Shield 2 has been unsealed[1].

Slaver's Shield.
True power sealed... Equipment
Bonus: Slave growth+ (S)

Slaver's Shield 2.
True power sealed... Equipment
Bonus: Slave condition+ (S)

Slaver's Shield... well, that's
somewhat expected.
Something new appeared in the
tree, branching from Small
Shield series. It was not that
strong.
However, the equipment bonus
caught my attention
Improved growth.
But two items were unlocked
from just a little bit of ink?
I carefully look at Raphtalia.

"What is it?"

That reminds me that the shield
absorbed her hair before.
'Racoon Shield' was unlocked at
that time, but maybe that also
fulfilled some of other
conditions.
That was probably for Slaver's
Shield 2. With those conditions
fulfilled, two shields were
unlocked.[2]
I logically reasoned.
In that case...

"Raphtalia, give me a bit of
your blood."
"What, why?"
"There's something I want to
test."

Puzzled, Raphtalia makes a
little cut on her fingertip and
spreads some blood onto the
plate. I drip it onto my
shield.

-The requirement for Slaver's
Shield 3 has been unsealed.

Slaver's Shield 3.
True power sealed... Equipment
Bonus: Slave growth+ (M)

Yes! As expected!

"Naofumi-sama? You seem like
you're having fun."
"Ahh, an interesting shield
appeared."
"That's great."

I change my shield to the
Slaver's Shield and waited for
it to unlock.[3]

"Now then... Hmm?"

We've finished our business
here and began to leave, but a
wooden box filled with eggs
caught my eye.
I don't remember seeing these
last time. I was curious.

"What is that?"

I ask the slave trader.

"Ahh, that is what we sell as
our business front."
"What business is that?"
"A monster shop."
For some reason he answered
excitedly.

"Monsters? In that case, are
there also monster tamers?"
"How perceptive, was Hero-sama
not aware of this?"
"I don't think I've seen
any..."
"Naofumi-sama."

Raphtalia raised her hand.

"What?"
"Filo Rial are monsters raised
by a tamer."

The name of a monster I've
never heard of. I have no idea
what she meant.

"What is that?"
"It's a bird used to pull
carriages instead of horses
within the city."
"Oh, those things."

Those birds that looked like
chocobos. [4]
I thought those were just
animals unique to this world,
but I guess they were monsters.

"In the village I lived in,
there were also people who
raised monsters. They were
raised for their meat in many
of the farms."
"Ohh..."

Is that how it was? In this
world it seems people who
worked on farms also count as
monster tamers.

"So then, those eggs are..?"
"It's difficult for people to
handle monsters otherwise. This
way is easier to do business."
"Is that so."
"Would you like to see the
cages with fully raised
monsters?"

If I showed interest he would
try selling them to me. The
slave trader was a businessman.

"No, it's fine."

I have other matters to attend
to.

"So what's that sign on top of
the box filled with eggs?"

Although I don't know what's
written there, I saw an arrow
pointing to the box and
characters which looked like
numbers.

"One try for 100 silver coins,
a monster egg lottery!"
"100 coins is pretty high."

We currently have 508 silver
coins. That was a hefty price.

"Because they are expensive
monsters."
"Just making sure about Filo
Rials, how much are they
normally?"
"Starting at 200 coins for a
grown one. They also provide
lots of byproducts like
feathers. Yes."
"So chicks are cheaper than
adults? So this is the price of
a Filo Rial egg... but there's
also the cost of raising one?"
"No no, we also have other
types of eggs in there."
"I see... since it's a
lottery."

So he's saying there are losers
and winners.
So a loss is worth less while a
win is more than the attempt.

"So there's probably no winners
in there, right?"
"What! Hero-sama thinks that we
would pull such a scam!?"
"Am I wrong?"
"We have pride in our business!
Although we do like to trick
our customers, we would never
misrepresent our products."[5]
"You like to deceive, but won't
lie..."

What kind of logic is that. I
wonder dumbfounded.

"So? What is the winning
prize?"
"An easy way to explain it to
you would be a Kiryuu."

Kiryuu? That's maybe... a
dragon that a knight commander
would ride?[6]

"A horse-like dragon?"
"These are the flying types.
They are quite popular... so
nobles often vie for them."

Flying dragons... like in
dreams.

"Naofumi-sama?"
"The market price for one of
these winners is about 20 gold
coins."
"What are the chances? Just for
the Kiryuu."
"Right now there are 250 eggs
in the lottery. Among those,
one."

So 1/250.

"Strong magic has been cast so
you can't tell from the look or
the weight. Only after
customers acknowledge they may
not win do we allow them to
play."
"What a good business."
"Yes, if one wins we make sure
to get their name. And from the
publicity we get many
participants."
"Of course, it's just luck..."
"If one buys 10 attempts then
we allow them to pick another
one from the box. Yes."
"But, how about excluding the
Kiryuu?"
"Yes. Nevertheless, there are
ones worth 300 silver coins."

Hearing that made me smile.
Wait a second... Isn't this
just CompuGacha? Hey![7]
It's easy to reap huge profits
with something like this.
I was nearly tricked again.

"Hmm..."

Still, I ended up seeing
something interesting here.
Thinking about it, I feel
somewhat vulnerable with just
Raphtalia.
So which would be better,
buying another slave or raising
a monster?
It would be interesting to try
out the new Slave Shield.
Raphtalia's level has already
gone up, so it would be
difficult to get the benefits
of Slave Growth+.

However, I was reminded of
Motoyasu.
That guy sure was annoying
about freeing slaves...
Although, maybe it was just
because Raphtalia was a pretty
girl.
There were also many times when
Raphtalia was in a lot of
trouble.
Additionally, I would have to
buy equipment for the slave.
This would be a problem for my
penniless self.

"Okay, then I will buy a single
try."
"Thank you very much! This time
I will also throw in the slave
ceremony for free."
"Oh, how generous. I like
that."
"Naofumi-sama!?"
"What's the matter?"
"Are you going to buy a monster
egg?"
"Ah, I was thinking that our
last battle was tough with just
Raptalia. Equipment for another
slave would be expensive, so I
thought raising a monster would
be interesting."
"Haa... But monsters can also
be troublesome."
"I know that. Don't you want a
pet though?"
"... But aren't you aiming for
a dragon?"
"Even a crappy Usapiru is
fine."

It's not like I hate animals,
even MMOs have pet taming
features. Hopefully, raising it
would be just as relaxing.
Either way, as long as it's
able to obey orders like a
slave, then it should have a
higher attack than me.
I notice that since I have a
bit of extra money now, I'm
starting to be reckless with my
spending. However, this should
be a good investment.
Anyways, with the Slaver's
Shield it makes sense to own a
monster.

"Selling it off after raising
it won't be as painful like
with a slave."
"Ah, I see. That makes sense."

Although we may end up becoming
attached to it, we have no
money so we'll just have to
bear it should that happen.
Since a slave is another
person, having to sell them
would be very sad. If for some
reason I need to sell a slave
whom I've become close with
like Raphtalia, I'm not sure I
would be able to do it.
However, monsters aren't able
to talk, so no matter what
it'll just be slightly painful.
Leaving them behind with a 'I
hope you meet a good master'.

"So you also provide those
services?"[8]
"I'm excited by how insightful
Hero-sama is! Yes!"

This slave owner gets really
enthusiastic.
Let's just look at the eggs for
now.
He said something about there
being no way to search through
them.
Well, I guess just randomly
picking one is fine.

"This one then."

Using my intuition, I pick one
out from near the right.

"Please mark this seal with
your blood to remember which
one you chose."[9]

Like he instructed, I smeared
my blood onto the design on the
egg.
A bright red light shined as an
icon representing the monster
tamer appeared.
I guess this is the same as
restricting what slaves can do.

... Setting a punishment for it
if my orders are ignored. I'll
make it more severe than the
one on Raphtalia.
It's a monster after all. Since
it can't understand my words,
then it would be better for the
punishment to be harsh.
Though it hasn't even hatched
yet.
While grinning, the slave owner
opened an incubator-like
machine.

"If for some reason it doesn't
hatch, I'm going to ask for
compensation."
"How admirable! For the Hero-
sama who won't take a failure
lying down."

I take note of the slave
owner's mood and attitude.
Geez, isn't this guy a bit of a
masochist?
Although I don't get off on
verbally abusing other guys...
well, I do want to see the
suffering faces of those shitty
heroes.

"Even though it's just words
now, I really will come. I'll
unleash my violent slave on
you."
"What are you going to make me
do!"
"Duly noted."

The slave owner was seriously
in a good mood.

"Around when will it hatch?"

I ask the slave owner after
handing over 100 silver coins.

"It is written on the
incubator."
"Hmmm..."

The number-like characters were
changing.

"Raphtalia can you read?"
"Um, Just a bit... it says
around tomorrow."
"So fast. Well that's good."

"We will await your next
arrival."

In the end we left the tent
with our egg.

Chapter 25: Gift of Life[edit]

Now then, what's next?
I remember the leftover potions
from the wave.
Even though I had them prepared
beforehand, I never used them
in the end. It might be better
to just sell them to a medicine
shop.

"Let's go to the medicine shop
and then, the blacksmith."
"Naofumi-sama, we won't be
receiving any more aid so we
need to be more careful with
our money. We should refrain
from what we've been doing up
until now."
"Understood."
"Right now, we'll be fine with
our current equipment. Let's
consider buying them only when
we really need them."
"..."

Fumu, that is a good idea.
However, we only have cheap
goods compared to the equipment
of the other Heroes.
I think it would be a good idea
to get Raphtalia a better
weapon when we start fighting
stronger enemies.

"It has only been a few days
since we got new weapons.
Imagine what Oyaji would
think."
"Yeah..."

The Oyaji from the weapon shop
has given us various services.
Although he allows us to trade
in our equipment, we won't be
able to afford better gear with
our current funds...

"Alright, let's save up then."
"Yes!"

Well it wasn't a bad idea to be
frugal with your money.

"Then, let's go to the medicine
shop."

And so, we went to the medicine
shop. The owner had a friendly
smile when he saw us.

"What? What's going on?"

Normally, he had a sour look on
his face when he saw us, so
seeing him smile sent a shiver
down my spine.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to
thank you if you came."
"Huh?"

We were both confused.

"I heard that you guys saved my
relatives in Riyuuto Village.
They told me to help you out if
possible."
"Oh... I see."

When the wave ended, everyone
from Riyuuto Village got
together to thank us. It seems
like his relatives were among
them.

"So, thank you for that."

The shop owner retrieved a book
from a closet and handed it to
me.

"What's this?"
"You've been making beginner
level medicines, this book has
a bunch of recipes for mid-
level medicines. This will be a
good time for you try them
out."
"..."

I gently opened the book of
mid-level recipes. The binding
was in bad shape, but the
letters were printed clearly.
Yup. Can't read it.

"T-thanks. I'll try them out."
I should show him some
gratitude for helping us out.
Recipes for medicines with
higher sale value should
probably be found in here.

"I'm happy to hear that."

I felt pressured because I
might not be able to answer his
goodwill.
I already gave up reading the
language of this world... but
it might be a good idea to
learn.

"The owner of the magic shop
also told you to drop by."
"Magic shop?"
"Naofumi-sama, it's the shop
that sells magic books."
"Oh, I see."

I thought it was just a
bookstore... but now that I
think about it, they had things
like crystal balls at the back.

"Where is that?"
"The big store along the main
road."

... Ahh. One of the biggest
bookstores in town.

"So, how may I help you today?"
"Ah, today's--"

I sold my potions for higher
than the usual amount.
I also bought new tools using
that money before heading to
the magic shop.

"Oh, you're the Shield Hero.
You've been a great help to my
grandchild."
"Uh..."

I had no idea who she was
talking about, but it was
probably someone from the
village. The old lady at the
magic shop politely greeted us.
The old lady was a bit plump
and wore witch-like clothing.

"So what do you need?"

I looked around the magic shop
that I thought was just a
bookstore.
There were rows of stale books
and lots of crystals placed
behind the counter.
Along with stuff like staffs,
it definitely felt like a magic
shop.
Anyway, how do you use magic in
this world?

"Is that young lady over there
your companion?"
"Hmm? Ah."

I nod at Raphtalia.

"Please wait a moment."

The old lady said and retrieved
a crystal ball from behind the
counter, then she began to
chant some sort of spell.

"Okay, now then Shield Hero-
sama. Can you take a look at
the crystal ball?"
"Ah, sure."

What's going on?
Is what I thought as I gazed
into the crystal ball.
... It was shining a bit but I
didn't notice anything else.

"Hmm... it seems that Shield
Hero-sama is suitable for
support and healing magic."
"Eh?"

I'm suited for magic!?
Hurry up and teach me then...
well I can't really complain
since I wouldn't understand.

"Next is the young lady there."
"Ah, okay."

I step to the side as Raphtalia
looked into the crystal ball
next.

"Hmm. As expected, the young
lady of the Raccoon race is
suited for light and dark
magic."
"'As expected', as in that's
normal?"
"Yes... her race is skilled at
illusions using light
distortion and darkness
concealment."

I see. So the Raccoon race is
similar to Tanukis. It seems
that even in Japan, Tanukis are
a sort of creature that can
transform into humans.

"So what now?"
"Here, just something from this
old lady at the magic shop."

The old lady then handed us
three books.
Books again! Even though I said
I couldn't read, why were you
also giving us books?

"I actually wanted to give you
a crystal ball, but this old
lady's livelihood would be
endangered if I did."
"What do you mean?"
"Doesn't Shield Hero-sama know
that you can learn a spell by
releasing compatible magic from
a crystal ball?"

What!? That means that I can
use magic even though I can't
read?

"The country recently made a
large order... of crystal balls
for the Heroes. A lot of them
were delivered, does Shield
Hero-sama not know?"
"I had no idea."

Because of that trash king.
They were probably given to the
other heroes.
Geez, they left me out to die.

"Although magic books are a
bother, one could learn 10
spells in a single month with
dedicated studying."

So, 1 spell with the crystal
ball and around 3 spells per
magic book; though I still
can't read it yet. No, since
she said a month maybe there's
something more to it.

"My apologies."
"No no, these magic books are
more than enough."

Raphtalia answered while
smiling. I nod along.

"So how much magic will we be
able to use?"
"These are all beginner level.
For higher level... please buy
them."
"Ah- Ah."

It is a shop. So we shouldn't
be ungrateful since she was
hurting her own business by
giving these books away.

"Thank you."

It was hard to express but we
accepted the magic books from
her.

"Ha..."

I let out a sigh.
I don't really like studying.
What could someone with low
grades like me do with these?
Fine. I'll definitely decipher
the recipes and spells in these
books.
Is what I want to say.
I kind of wish my shield had a
'written language translation'
ability.
There's a high chance that my
shield has recipes for various
medicines. I should be able to
use them if I try.
However, I wonder which option
would be better, spending the
effort to search through the
branches of my shield or
learning the language to
understand the medicine recipes
from the books?
With the latter, I would have
to deal with costs and other
problems.
Still... just thinking about
the possibility of my shield
having a way to translate this
world's written language made
me lose my willpower.

"Let's learn magic together."

Raphtalia happily said to me.

"But I can't read the language
of this world..."
"Eh, that's why we should learn
it together."
"Well... I guess that's fine."

Well, it doesn't hurt to study
while making medicine.

"Anyways, when is the next
wave?"
"Hm? Ah, one moment."

I looked at the icon in the
corner of my vision and check
the menu for the next scheduled
wave.
Next: 45 days and 14 hours.

"In 45 days."

Wasn't it every month!?
Hmm, well looking back, it has
only been around 2 months since
I was summoned here.
In that case, maybe the time
limit is longer this time
around.
It had only been a few days
between Raphtalia becoming a
slave and then meeting me.
A month is... a long time then.

"Well, having a lot of time is
also good."

It's possible that there isn't
much we can accomplish in that
period.

"For now, have we finished all
we needed to do here?"
"Hmm... we have reapplied the
curse and sold the medicines.
We have also received the
books. I think that's it."

Raphtalia confirmed.
Since coming back here because
we forgot something would be a
waste of time.

"Let's get some food then grind
some levels afterwards."
"Okay."

Today's breakfast surprised me.
Because my sense of taste had
returned.
I can now say that something
tastes delicious.

Requirements for Mortar Shield
has been unsealed. (note:
mortar as in pestle & mortar)
Requirements for Beaker Shield
has been unsealed. (note:
beaker as in beaker & flask)
Requirements for Yagen Shield
has been unsealed. (note: does
this have an english name? it's
pretty much the same as pestle
& mortar)

Mortar Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Novice Mixing

Beaker Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Liquid solutions bonus

Yagen Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Harvesting skill 2

After eating, we left the town
and headed in the direction of
Riyuuto Village.
Nearby was a place with a
moderate amount of monsters.
I don't know the grinding spots
of the other Heroes. Because
the only way to find these
spots was either by asking the
locals or searching for them
yourself.
Finding a decent hunting spot
just from looking at a map was
pretty difficult; enough to be
called a challenge.
Although it was not like we
were competing, it was slightly
frustrating to fall behind the
other heroes. It was just that
fighting new monsters and
letting my shield evolve
doesn't sound too bad.
While I've left out many
details, a lot of shields have
been unlocked. Although my
abilities have risen, that was
also a small problem on its
own.
Because of my shield, my
defense had increased a lot. My
other stats such as agility,
stamina, magic power and SP
have all risen. Everything
other than attack.
For that reason, during the
last wave I didn't really
receive any injuries.
While we were en route...

"... By the way, can I absorb
any monsters from the wave?"

I completely forgot about it
after returning from the
invasion, but I want to see if
my shield will react to them.
So near Riyuuto Village, we
found the mob corpses from the
wave.

Requirements for Netherworld
Locust Shield has been
unsealed.
Requirements for Netherworld
Bee Shield has been unsealed.
Requirements for Netherworld
Corpse Eater Demon Shield has
been unsealed.[10]

Netherworld Locust Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Defense +6

Netherworld Bee Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Agility +6

Netherworld Corpse Eater Demon
Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Decay Prevention (S)

Next I checked to see if any
other shields would be unlocked
from these.
However, the requirements for
this shield series were not
fulfilled and only one of them
was unsealed.

Requirements for Bee Needle
Shield has been unsealed.

Bee Needle Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Attack +1

Special Effect: Shield of
Needles (S) Bee's Poison
(Paralysis)

With this we continued onward.
The villagers were in the
middle of disposing the Chimera
corpse.

"Sup."
"Ah, Shield Hero-sama."

Because of our efforts the
other day, the villagers warmly
welcomed us.

"Is that the boss of the wave?"

I grumble while looking at the
Chimera corpse.
I closely look at the thing
called a Chimera, but for some
reason... it doesn't quite look
like the monsters in this
world.
Maybe it's the color or
something, but I can't pinpoint
why.

"What a fearsome thing."
"... Yeah."

The villagers and I agree.
I wonder if the other heroes or
knight brigade already
harvested it. What's left of
the meat and fur are carved up.

"Can I take some of it as
well?"
"Please go ahead, we're having
trouble disposing of it
anyways. Do you need us to help
process and prepare the parts?"
"That doesn't sound too bad...
but there doesn't seem to be
much I can use."

The fur was carved up so it
isn't possible to make
something like armor. So, all
that are left are... the meat
and bones... and the snake
tail.
The heads have been removed and
taken. Looking at it, it seemed
that it had 3 heads.
Well whatever, Raphtalia and I
cut apart the corpse and let my
shield absorb the pieces.

Requirements for Chimera Meat
Shield has been unsealed.
Requirements for Chimera Bone
Shield has been unsealed.
Requirements for Chimera
Leather Shield has been
unsealed.
Requirements for Chimera Viper
Shield has been unsealed.

Chimera Meat Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Cooking Skill+

Chimera Bone Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Darkness Resistance (M)

Chimera Leather Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: Defense +10

Chimera Viper Shield
True power sealed... Equipment
bonus: [Change Shield] skill,
Antidote Mixing+, Poison
Resistance (M)
Special Effect: Poisonous Snake
Fang (M), Hook

The last one seemed to come
with lots of useful bonuses.
The defense increase was pretty
high too.
However, using the shield
requires a high level and
unlocking more of the Chimera
Series.
It should be fine to do this
later, but there's a big chance
it could be important for the
next wave.

"What about the rest?"

I ask the villagers.

"We were going to bury it
anyways, so take whatever you
need."
"Okay..."

Although it was a bit of a
waste, all that was left were
mostly just meat and bones.
I guess we can hold onto the
bones, but I think we can use
the meat for jerky.
There was no way it would be
edible though.
So it was like that. I felt
like it could be used for
ingredients in some magic
potions.
... But I'm not sure if anyone
would ever buy it... Plus, it'd
be bad if the remains went
rotten. It would also be scary
if it somehow regenerated from
not being preserved properly.
About the bones, I think they
should be fine.
However, even then we should
probably be careful.

"Then I'll take as much as
possible."
"Um, but it will be quite
heavy."
"Can I have the village look
after the rest?"
"Eh? If Shield Hero-sama
asks..."
"Just take the meat and dry it,
but leave a bit and see if
there's anyone who would want
to buy some. That should help
with the reconstruction. There
should be people who would buy
the meat of the wave monsters
in order to research it."
"Yes, there should be."

The villagers seemed interested
in the reconstruction fund so
they accept my suggestion.
I dealt with the innards and
other easily decayed parts by
absorbing them into my shield.
The sun has set by the time we
finally reach Riyuuto Village.
The village was half-destroyed,
but the survivors all stayed
together in the remaining,
intact houses.
We received a room in a safe
inn and quietly spent the rest
of the day resting.

"... Although I do want to help
out with the reconstruction, we
don't have the luxury to worry
about others right now."

Today, we were taken care of by
the people of Riyuuto Village.
They were grateful for our help
with the chimera parts, but for
us to receive a free meal and
room might have been overdoing
it.

"You're right. But it would be
great if we could do something
that would be mutually
beneficial."

A villager who could read and
write had provided us with a
chart of this world's alphabet.
In other words, the Hiragana
table. Or the alphabet table in
English.
Afterwards, since Raphtalia
could read a bit, I had her
point out characters and teach
me the pronunciation until I
slowly deciphered the table.

With this, maybe even words can
be formed, but figuring it all
out would be difficult.
For now I don't need to rush to
learn the letters.
In between making medicine, I
worked hard at memorizing the
characters.

Firo[edit]

The next morning, Raphtalia
overslept due to staying up
late last night. I groaned with
the magic book in one hand.
Eh? I was brewing medicinal
herbs into medicine.
While I prepared to leave and
regain some time from
oversleeping.

"Ah, it's hatching."(Naofumi)

I left the egg by a window in
the room. Raphtalia noticed
that the egg, which I bought
yesterday, has started to
crack.
A fluffy wing with feathers
could be seen peeking out from
the between the cracks.
It's trying really hard to
break free from it's shell.

"Okay."(Naofumi)

I'm interested in what was
going to hatch from the egg.
I watched the egg as more
cracks appeared.
The cracks noisily spread with
a PikiPiki sound, the face of a
baby demon emerged from the
egg.

"Pii!"(Fledgling)

With soft, fluffy feathers and
eyes of a demon the pink
fledgling looked at me with a
piece of shell on it's head.

"Pii!"(Fledgling)

It jumped cheerfully and
collided with my face.
It wasn't painful at all, and
the demon seemed to be very
energetic despite just being
born.
Although I don't know the race,
it seemed like the physical
condition was good and it would
grow up well if it was properly
taken care of.

"What kind of demon is this? Is
this thing from the Pikyu bird
race?(Naofumi)

Pikyu is a demon that was
similar to a condor that could
not fly high due to it being
deformed.
I observed the newborn chick's
body.
The body seemed more agile than
the balloons and I could expect
it to attack when it grew up
due to it's beak.

"Hmm... Well I am not familiar
with demons."(Raphtalia)

Raphtalia answered with an
embarrassed face.

"It can't be helped. Should we
go ask some
villagers?"(Naofumi)

Because this was a purchased
demon, it shouldn't be
dangerous to bring around. If
there was any trouble, it would
obey my commands.
When I extended my hand to the
demon chick, it ran up my hand,
onto my shoulder and jumped on
top of my head to settle down.

"Piiii"(Fledgling)

SuriSuri* slipping from my head
to my cheeks
This is... really cute.

"Fufu, Naofumi-sama, it must
think of you as its
father."(Raphtalia)
"Oh, it's probably due to
imprinting."(Naofumi)

It might be registered
beforehand because the one who
moved it first was me, so it
must have assumed I am it's
parent.
When I picked up the egg
shards, my shield reacted.
It might inform me what demon
this is if I absorb a fragment
of the egg.
Therefore, I let the shield
absorb a fragment.
Requirements for Demon Trainer
Shield has been revealed.
Requirements for Demon Egg
Shield has been revealed.

Demon Trainer Shield Unsealing
completed... Equipment Bonus:
Demon Growth Correction (Small)
Demon Egg Shield Unsealing
completed... Equipment Bonus:
Cooking Skill +2

...A shield I wasn't expecting
came out. I'll change it into
Demon Trainer Shield from Slave
Trainer 2 Shield because it
seemed more convenient.
"Did you discover
something?"(Raphtalia)
"No, but a shield I wasn't
expecting came out
though."(Naofumi)
What kind of demon was this
young chick? Hopefully the guys
from the village will know.
I thought about where to Level
Up today while walking through
the village that was in the
middle of reconstruction.
Maybe we could go to the bog
area near the western part of
the village? I also want to
search for a suitable enemy
near the North-west mountains.
I saw a villager that I
recognized.
"Ah, Hero of the Shield-
sama."(Villager)
"Good morning."(Naofumi?)
"Good morning."(Raphtalia?)
This was where I was defending
last week during the wave, it
seemed like there was a lot of
familiar faces here rebuilding
the village.
"Good morning."(Villager?)
He bowed his head very deeply.
I was feeling a little
embarrassed.
"Pi!"(Fledgling)
The chick on my head chirped
rather cheerfully.
"Oya?"(Villager)
The villager looked at the
chick on my head.
"What's wrong?"(Naofumi)
I pointed at the chick on my
head.
"I bought an egg from a demon
dealer."(Naofumi)
"Aah, I see."(Villager)
"However, I don't know which
demon I bought. Do you guys
know what kind of demon this
is?"(Naofumi)
The villagers stared intently
at the chick.
"Let's see... Do you think that
is a Philorial?"(Villager)
"Eh? The birds who pull
carriages?"(Naofumi)
It would seem I made a little
more than the money I paid...
Well, only if what the villager
said was true.
"Yeah, you can go see check
with the ranch near the
outskirts of the
village."(Villager)
"Then I'm going to go
see."(Naofumi)
We arrived at the house of the
fellow who was managing the
ranch. The ranch seemed to have
been damaged during the wave,
half the bred demons were
killed.
"In short, is this demon a
Philorial?"(Naofumi)
The ranch man nodded when I
ask.
"Let's see. This is a female
Philorial."(Ranch man)
The young chick sat still while
the ranch man appraised her.
"This breed of the Philo Aria
Philorial species is good,
however unless she pulls a cart
she'll be restless."(Ranch man)
"... What kind of creature is
that?"(Naofumi)
"Is there something
strange?"(Ranch man)
Oh, It's not strange if you're
born in this world.
Hmm... I wonder if to these
birds the carts are treated as
their nest that protects their
eggs.
"Well, at least I didn't lose
any money."(Naofumi)
This wasn't bad, when she
matured, she'll go for at least
200 silver coins. Quite a good
deal for 100 Silvers.
Though, I don't know how much
time and money she will need
before maturity.
"Pi!"(Fledgling)
The young Philorial chirped on
my head.
"What does this fellow
eat?"(Naofumi)
"In the beginning something
soft, like boiled beans. After
she matures anything is
fine."(Ranch man)
"I see, Thanks."(Naofumi)
I was surprised I could bow and
say thanks this easily.
For now I should look for
boiled beans inside the
village.
"Well, what should we name
her?"(Raphtalia)
Raphtalia asked me while
stroking the chick.
"You're going to name a pet
which may be sold?"(Naofumi)
Well, you will be attached the
moment a name is given, and
when it is time to sell, you
won't be able to.
"Do I call this Philorial chick
all the time?"(Raphtalia)
"Mu..."(Naofumi)
This is surely troublesome.
"Then... let's call you
Filo."(Naofumi)
"... So cheap."(Raphtalia)
"Shut up."(Naofumi)
"Pi!"(Filo)
The young chick chirped
cheerfully when she understood
that she was named.
After we had breakfast we
headed out to hunt with Filo.
"Where should we go
today?"(Raphtalia?)
"Pii?"(Filo)
"Let's see... A place we can
walk to safely."(Naofumi)
"Okay"(Raphtalia)
Raphtalia was very reliable.
Fights were very easy compared
to before.
Filo was happily chirping on my
head.
It was noisy, but very
comfortable.
When evening approached I
noticed some strange sounds.
There were a lot of unexpected
encounters with demons, but
they were defeated easily.
It was probably due to the
brand-new weapons and armor. I
could defeat enemies coming
from the front.
Today's results were:
Me Lvl 23
Raphtalia Lvl 27
Filo Lvl 12
Though I hardly fought, I got
enough experience for a level,
while Filo's Level soared.
This was good. For young Demi-
humans I heard the body grew
rapidly when leveling up, it
seemed demons were the same.
But... I wondered...
Filo's appearance changed
considerably.
Before, Filo was a small chick
that could be held with both
hands, but now she was big and
grown up.
Well... Her figure seems to
resemble a steamed bun.
And her feathers grew lighter,
the color changed from pink to
light pink.
I stroked the wings slowly for
feathers.
Requirement for Demon Trainer
Shield 2 have been released.
Demon Trainer Shield 2
Unsealing completed...
Equipment Bonus: Demon Status
Correction (Small)
Still, I noticed Filo's growth
when I didn't even notice
Raphtalia's.
"Piyo"(Filo)
She changed her chirp and was
beginning to walk on her own
with a pitter-patter, because
she was heavy.
Guuuu......
There was an unpleasant
premonition from Filo who was
constantly chirping.
Though I bought a little too
much feed, it seemed grass on
the roadside was already a
suitable substitute.
Her appetite was unending...
This was the proof of her rapid
growth.
"Umm... Naofumi-
sama..."(Raphtalia)
"I understand. Demons are
amazing."(Naofumi)
To grow so much in one day...
It was only a matter of time
before she could be rode.
Though her body was strong, it
was a little scary that her
mind would be immature.
Therefore I performed a
considerably severe limitation.
I returned to the hotel and
showed the storekeeper Filo and
asked where I could put her.
Afterwards, we were guided to
the stable of the hotel and
substituted straw for a nest.
"Hm? The meat and bone of the
Chimera were put
here."(Naofumi)
It seemed this place hasn't
been corrupted yet so the
materials would rot slower.
"For the time being, I am
waiting for it to soften so it
will be easier to
process."(Villager)
"Eh..."(Naofumi)
It isn't for food, does that
make it easier to process and
handle?
"After that, I'll make dried
meat and look for buyers.I am
still looking forward to
selling them. It seems a few
mages are coming."(Villager)
"That's good."(Naofumi)
Because it was quite a big
chimera, there seemed to be a
lot of stock. The meat was
probably equivalent to two
cows.
It was inedible, but there were
many who still wanted to
research it.
This would be a place to
acquire it.
"Piyo"(Filo)
Guu...
Are you still hungry?
Though I got additional feed in
the village and fed her, it
still doesn't seem to be
enough.
Where does it all go?
Biki... BikiBiki...
Is that the sound of meat and
bones creaking? You're still
growing up?
"To grow up so much in one
day... That's pretty
unreasonable"
The shopkeeper watched my face
anxiously.
"She is still level
12."(Naofumi)
"Eh? 12?"(Villager)
The storekeeper is surprised at
my answer.
"I think it is necessary to be
around level 20 and it needs a
few days to grow up but as
expected of the power of a
Hero-sama"(Villager)
Hmm... There was the
possibility of Demon Growth
Correction (Small) having an
influence.
It changed every time I checked
her status. What growth.
I still can't send her to
battle yet.
"Piyo"(Filo)
Filo who was growing up quickly
and healthily chirped.
After I pet Filo to confirm if
she was asleep, I headed back
to Raphtalia and my room. I
would study this world's
letters afterwards.
The problem was that there were
too many letters in this
language.

Growth[edit]

The next morning.
Raphtalia had been studying
until late last night, so I
woke up and discreetly slipped
out of the room in order to see
Filo.
It would be particularly
troublesome if she were to die
from hunger.
I gathered the medicinal herbs
since I hadn't finished
compounding them yesterday.
"Kweek!"
I heard a hoarse voice coming
from the stables.
Looking at her figure, the feet
and the neck got longer,
remolding herself as if she
were a manjū [11]. I'll say she
looked very much like an
ostrich.
It was an amazing change. Her
growth was entirely different
from the birds I knew.
Her height was around my chest
level, so it was still
impossible for a person to ride
her.
Gū...
It seemed that she was hungry.
That was why I bought some
animal feed from the farm and
brought it here.
The consumption of gold was
quite severe but it was still
cheaper than having to buy
equipment.
Seeing how rapid she was
growing in just a day... I had
a terrible feeling about this.

"You. Only a day had passed
since you were born."
"Kweeek!"
'Surisuri' Filo clung to me and
I smiled softly and naturally.
This doesn't particularly mean
my love towards animals has
awoken.
I'm just excited about what she
will do when she grows up.
Earning her keep as a
substitute for a carriage... my
chest swelled with
anticipation.
Wait, I can see a tinge of
white and cherry blossom colors
when I look carefully at the
feathers.
I let the shield absorb the
feather as a way of grooming.
The requirement for Demon Tamer
Shield III has been met.
Demon Tamer Shield III. True
power unsealed... Equipment
Bonus: Growth Revision (Medium)
Nothing... So it didn't have to
be blood. Then it might also be
good to cut Raphtalia's hair
and absorb it again.
She played and ran
energetically, even though Filo
was still a newborn.
"Kwek!"
Although she wasn't a dog, I
played with Filo by throwing a
tree branch a distance away,
where she then picked it up and
returned it to me.
Her legs seemed fast, swiftly
catching the branch before it
even fell on the ground and
quickly returning it.
She was quite intelligent.
Kukuku... it looked like my
luck has finally turned around.
I was playing with Filo until
Raphtalia woke up.
It was a rejuvenating type of
therapy, these pets.
"Mu.. I've never seen Naofumi-
sama showing such a refreshing
smile until now."
Raphtalia came over to me while
softly murmuring her
displeasure.
If anything, it was an impish
smile.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
"Kwek?"
Chon, Chon. Filo's beak peck
lightly at Raphtalia.

It seemed she wanted to engage
in some skinship.
"Ha~a... Guess it can't be
helped."
Raphtalia smiled while
caressing Filo's face with both
hands.
"Kwee~ek..."
Filo snuggled up to Raphtalia,
squinting her eyes from the
pleasant feeling of being
caressed.
"Now then, where should we
explore today?"
"That's right. How about going
to the southward grassland in
order to save food expenses for
Filo?"
"Fumu... I guess so."
The medicinal herbs as well as
weeds have grown in abundance
within that vicinity. I also
think that it's a good place to
go.
For now, the purpose was to
save money for better
equipment.
"Yoshi, Let's go then."
"Kwek!"
"Yes!"

Well, we blithely went to the
grassland while fighting
monsters and leveled up
slightly.

Me: Lv 25
Raphtalia: Lv 28
Filo: Lv 15

Picking medicinal herbs among
other things, we focused on
Filo's food and several other
harvests.
We defeated various monsters,
releasing shield requirements
at best status bonus around +1
or 2.
... The shield's Intermediate
Compounding Recipe has still
not been found.

Evening of that day.
Filo had grown into a splendid
Filorial.
"It's early..."
The inn's shopkeeper and the
farm owner are both surprised.
The reason might be because of
Growth Revision (Small) and
(Medium)
"... Raphtalia, incidentally,
when I bought the ink did you
recognize..."
"A wa wa..."
I wonder if Raphtalia also
wanted to grow up like that.
Biki...
A sound similar to a bone
creaking was heard.
"Kwweek!"
Shortly, Filo, who grew up so
much that a person could now
ride her, sat in front of me.
"You want me to ride?"
"Kwek!"
Turning her head as I rode on
her back, Filo chirped as if it
was natural.
"Then let's go."
But was it all right to not
attach a saddle or rein?
While thinking about it, I got
on since she wanted me to ride
her. I was sturdy thanks to the
shield.
It would be all right even if I
fell.
Riding her... wasn't so bad
thanks to the feathers.
There seemed to be no problem
even with maintaining my
balance properly.
"Kwek!"
Filo readily stood up.
"Uwa!"
The view was quite high.
I felt deeply move as I
proceeded to ride an animal,
even though I don't know a
thing about horse riding.
"Kweeek!"
Filo started running while I
was thinking, her chirp is very
cheery!
"You, hey!"
"Na, Naofumi-sama--"
Dotadotadota!
Wa, so fast! The scenery passed
behind me in no time, and
Raphtalia's voice became
distant in an instant.
Dotadotadota!
I wanted to test Filo. When she
lightly went around the town,
and stopped in front of the
stables.
And sat, then I got down.
"Are you all right!?"
Raphtalia ran up to me
anxiously.
"Oh, yeah. I'm all right. But
it sure is fast."
Filo appeared to not even be
that tired and started tending
to her own feathers.
I was surprised when it
exceeded the speed which I
imagined. I might have got a
good bargain.
"Well then, that's enough for
today, let's return to our
room."
And then, someone grabbed the
collar of my armor.
When I looked behind, I saw
Filo seizing my collar with her
beak.
"What's wrong?"
"Kwweeek!"
I got called to stop by a chirp
that seemed like a wail.
"Hn?"
Oh well.
And, when I tried to leave, I
got grabbed once again.
"What is it?"
"Kwwwek!"
Filo cried in a slightly
displeased way and stamped her
foot on the ground.
"Huh, have you not played
enough?"
Filo shook her head when
Raphtalia asked.
She understood words?
"Are you lonely?"
I nodded impudently at the two.
"Kwweek!"
She started her appeal by
unfolding her wing.
"That said..."
I'm reluctant to sleep in the
stable, and I can't take such a
big monster to a bedroom inside
the inn.
"Let's accompany her here until
she falls asleep."
"Mu... well, fine."

This girl has a big body,
although it has only been 2
days since her birth. Whether
if it's an animal, it's too
early to leave her in a stable
at night.
That day at the stables, I
studied this world's letters
together with Raphtalia.
Filo watched us quietly while
resting tensely in her nest.
Biki
"Ah... you really can't read
letters easily!"
If there was a shield like
that, I want to find it fast.
"It can't be helped. I think
the appearance of Naofumi-sama
isn't good if it depends on
anything like a legendary
shield."
"... Raphtalia. You've learned
to even say things like that
now huh."
"Yes. Therefore, let's learn
magic and language together."
... Shit.
There was nothing which would
make this thing easier. While
praying that my efforts won't
be wasted, we continued to
study at the stable until Filo
fell asleep.
Afterwards, we returned to our
room and began making medicine
with the newly obtained herbs.
The result, well, don't ask -
since I wasn't able to decipher
the recipe.

Exit by a Kick[edit]

The next morning. Raphtalia
woke up early today, so she
came with me to show our faces
at the stable.

"Gua!"

When we got there Filo let out
a happy-sounding shout and came
running up to us.

"Is your body an adult now?"

Somehow...I feel like her head
has grown one size since
yesterday, but it was not
clear.

"For the most part, about this
size is average, right?"
"Now that you say that that's
about right."

Filo's form was about the same
as the appearance of the
Filorials I saw around the
castle town or on the road.
Her color has turned white...
well, there was a little pink
mixed in.
It was a beautiful mix of
colors.
That slave dealer. He actually
does a pretty good job.

"Are you not starving today?"
"Gua?"

Filo tilted his head and
chirped.
Yeah. Looks like the growing
period has passed.
Biki...
She was still making that weird
noise though.
Well whatever.
After that, we finished
breakfast and thought about
what to do from now on. In the
middle of that.

"Gua..."

While going the the town Filo
looked at the wooden carts with
jealousy.

"Looks like you want to pull
those?"
"Probably so"
"Is something the matter,
Hero-sama?"

While pointing to the carts and
chatting with Raphtalia a man
from the village asked us.

"Right, my filolial was looking
at the carts, so I was talking
about whether she wanted to
pull them."
"Well... filorials have that
kind of habit after all."

The man nodded and look
satisfied and turned toward my
filorial.
"Right now this village is in
the middle of rebuilding our
buildings and we don't have
enough people. Hero-sama, would
you be willing to hep out if we
gave you one of the carts?"
"Mu..."

That was not a bad offer. I
finally got a monster like this
so there was no reason not to
use it.
If it goes well it seemed like
we could do some other work
while moving things.

"What would we have to do?"
"In the nearby forest we are
cutting some timber, so we
would like you to bring it to
the village"
"The forest...."

Now that he mentioned it, we
haven't gone to that forest.

"We'll be back late but is that
ok?" "Yes" "I got it. We'll
take it on."

And so I took on the villagers
quest and received one of their
carts.
The wheels and stuff were all
made of wood. It was small and
cheap-looking, but I got it for
free so no helping that.
It wasn't new, seemed a little
old.

"Gua♪"
We set up Filo with her own
cart. She seemed happy and
started pulling the cart.
The villagers also prepared a
bridle for us. If I just looked
at it, it seemed like something
for a horse.

"Ok! Today we're setting out
for the forest!"
"Okaaaay!"
"Guaaaaaa!"

I pointed to the way we were
going and Filo, filled with
energy, started pulling the
cart.
Thud! Thud!
So the cart lightly...
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Bumpbumpbumpbumpbump!
Gradually a loud noise sounded
from the cart. Like yesterday
the scenery swiftly passed by.

"Too fast! Too fast! Lower the
speed!"
"Gua..."

We slowed down, and Filo bumped
the cart along letting out an
unsatisfied cry while walking."

"Uu... somehow I've started to
feel bad..."

Raphtalia might have been
getting motion sick. She
slumped down and laid down in
the cart.

"Are you okay?"
"Yes... but, please don't shake
it too much..."
"I see, Raphtalia gets motion
sick."
"...It looks like it. Are you
okay Naofumi-sama?"
"I've never gotten it..."

Getting drunk from alcohol and
getting motion sickness were
unrelated.[12] When I was a
primary school kid, I
remembered guys sitting next to
me watching me read light
novels or manga and said it
made them feel sick so they
changed seats.
Also, I remember when we took
the voyage that lasted about a
day to see our relatives, my
entire family was down with sea
sickness while I was playing
phone games inside the ship.

"Well take it easy, me and Filo
will carry you to our
destination" "I'll take you up
on your offer..."

Raphtalia said weakly as she
laid down in the cart.


In the middle of that
journey... I met someone I
didn't want to on the road.

"Buha! What is that! Haha, oh
no, that's just too funny.
Buwahahahahahahahahaaha!"
He looked at me and clutched
his stomach while laughed out
load. That bitch stood behind
him and laughed along.
I don't know what tickled their
funny bones, but just being
laughed at irritated me.

What's with you Motoyasu, right
off the bat.

Motoyasu found us on the town
road while being surrounded
with women and started
laughing.

"I-I mean right! You're super
lame right now right!"
"What is?"
"Did you start peddling? I
guess people without money get
desperate. Your bird is lame
too!

Mu... peddling! That's not a
bad option.
Depending on Filo's ability it
could be possible. I'll start
thinking about it seriously.

"Laaaame! It's not a horse but
a bird, and what's with that
color. There's that thin pink
mixed into the white. It's
normally just white right. Plus
it's slooow!"
"I don't know what's normal
but..."

I don't get this guy's sense of
humor.
This is becoming a waste of
time. I'll ignore these guys
and get going.
While I was thinking that
Motoyasu got close to Filo
while pointing.
Right after that

"GUAAAA!"

Filo aimed at Motoyasu's crotch
and kicked up with her tough
leg.
I saw it.
I saw Motoyasu's stupidly
laughing face distort into
shock as he flew back about 5
meters while spinning.

"Ugeh...."
"K-Kyaaaaaaaaa! Motoyasu-sama!"

Haha, that must have crushed
his balls.
I felt really exhilarated. Just
being able to see this made
buying Filo worth it.
As expected of my monster. She
must have gotten revenge for
me.
Filo, tonight I'll specially
let you eat something
delicious.

"GUAAAAAAAA!"

While flapping her wings
around, Filo steadily took off
running.
After just a bit I couldn't see
Motoyasu's group.
Wow... I'm feeling the highest
exhilaration. I didn't even
dream I'd be able to see a
scene like that.

"Wh-what happened?"

Raphtalia who had been lying
limp lifted her face and asked.

"Hm? Nothing."
"... in spite of that you're
making a radiant face I haven't
seen before."

Oooh. It's showing on my face
huh.
Still, that's some amazing leg
strength, to send the hero of
the lance flying that far.

"Umm... please go a little
slower."

I ran Filo with a radiant
feeling, enough that
Raphtalia's words didn't enter
my ears.


After that, Raphtalia threw up
during the trip and when we
reached the forest she seemed
to be at her limit.

"Uu...uuuuu..."

Raphtalia moaned with a white
face. I realized I had gone too
far and felt sorry.
It's all Motoyasu's fault. He
had made me feel so energetic
and exhilarated.

"Sorry"
"Gua..."

Filo, same as me, looked sad
and sorry.

"I-I'm al...right"
"You definitely don't look it.
It'll be nice if we could find
a place to rest but.."
"Ah, Shield Hero-sama"

There was a cabin near the
forest. A villager that looked
like a lumberjack came out of
it.

"Aah, the villagers asked me to
come and get some lumber but.."
"Umm... is your companion
alright?"
"I think, probably not. I want
to let her rest, but do you
know a good place?"
"Well then there's a cabin over
here, let's let her lie down."

He said that and led us to the
cabin. I supported Raphtalia's
shoulder and laid her down on a
bed.

"If we say that Filo can only
fight easy-ish enemies, then
for today we'll focus on
transporting things."

Raphtalia seemed to be weak to
vehicles, so until she gets
used to it let's not go fast
enough to bump the cart around.

"So, sorry but could you place
the lumber on the cart, we'll
be back in a little while."
"Ah, yes."

Filo was unhooked from the cart
and was looking in at us from
outside the cabin.

"Okay, let's go."
"Gua!"

She had kicked Motoyasu that
far into the air. It seemed
like I can expect quite a bit
from her attack power.
Let's take a little stroll
around the forest. (!)
We went into the forest and
unexpectedly didn't encounter
any monsters.
I walked around the quiet
forest with Filo.
It might have been me getting
immersed in the forest, but I
felt like the air was really
clear.
Come to think of it... this was
the first time since coming to
this world that I took the time
and looked around at my
surroundings.
I wonder why.
Seeing Motoyasu's pained face
must have blown all my troubles
away.

... No.

I think it was because
Raphtalia believed in me.
That Raphtalia was now motion
sick and not here.
I felt kind of lonely.
Thinking about it I've only
been with her for half a month
or three weeks or so. Even so,
it seemed like we've developed
a natural relationship.

"It would be nice if there was
medicine that worked on motion
sickness."

For now I'll gather any herbs I
see around here.

"Even so... no monsters are
coming out huh.."

I've been walking for a while
but there was no presence of
monsters.

"Gua."
"Hm?"

I heard Filo's voice from
unexpectedly far away.
I ran towards it and saw that
Filo had just put something
into her mouth.
... Was it just my imagination?
That looked like an animal
resembling a rabpill.
Eventually Filo swallowed with
a gulp.

"Gua!"

Filo walked over here like
nothing had happened.

34 EXP gained.

... Let's not worry about it.
After a little under an hour,
we finished foraging around the
woods and returned to the
lumberjack's cabin where we saw
the lumber had been packed onto
the cart.
Entering the cabin, Raphtalia
was still lying limp on the
bed.
This was a problematic effect.
Raphtalia won't last if Filo
ran at top speed.
This might require some
training. If Raphtalia doesn't
get used to vehicles we won't
be able to do any
transportation work.

"Seems like some training is
needed to get used to the
cart." "Uu...uuuu"

Raphtalia let out a moan in
response to my words. As I
thought, it seemed tough.

"Umm... I finished loading the
lumber but.."
"Ah, yeah. Then I'll head to
the village and back, so can I
leave her to you?"
"Yes! If she's Shield Hero-
sama's companion then I'll
protect her no matter what."

I'm a little worried, but I
don't have the patience to sit
around doing nothing.

"Then we'll get going."

I got on the cart and gave the
order to Filo, who was all
prepared, to set out.

"Guaaaaa!"

Letting out an energetic voice,
Filo took off running.

Those with Wings[edit]

I didn't encounter Motoyasu on
the path back.
I thought he probably would
have gone mad with anger and
searched around for me, but it
looked like that was a needless
worry.
After I dropped of the cargo at
the village, I returned to see
Raphtalia feeling better.

"Were you okay?"
"Yes"
"Th-that was fast..."

The lumberjack was surprised at
how quickly we had returned.

"Seems like this guy is a good
walker."

I answered the lumberjack while
petting Filo.

"Gua!"

Filo answered energetically.
Yeah, you're fast.

"Well then, shall we start
seriously searching the
forest?"
"Yes"
"Run slowly on the way back
okay."
"Gua!"

Biki....
What is that? That noise, her
growing period should be over
right?
I heard if coming from Filo.
It's okay if it's not a strange
disease but..
That day's harvest was pretty
good.
Raphtalia put in a particularly
good effort and while she was
at it, I got to see Filo's
movement and attack power.
To be honest, she might be
beating Raphtalia in speed and
hitting power.

Me, Lv26
Raphtalia, Lv29
Filo, Lv19

The requirements for White
Rabpill Shield have been met.
The requirements for Dark
Porcupine Shield have been met.
The requirements for Rabpill
Bone Shield have been met.
The requirements for Porcupine
Bone Shield have been met.

White Rabpill Shield Ability
released.....Equipment bonus,
defense +2

Dark Porcupine Shield Ability
released.....Equipment bonus,
wit +2

Rabpill Bone Shield Ability
released.....Equipment bonus,
stamina up (small)

Porcupine Bone Shield Ability
released.....Equipment bonus,
SP up (small)

They're all great status up
types.
It would be good if I could
unlock a high performing shield
by being more efficient, but I
don't know places that have
good money or exp or
efficiency. No choice but to
honestly put in the work to
raise the ability of the whole
shield.
What all these abilities I've
unlocked add up to... there are
too many so I don't know.
In the first place I haven't
used the beginning equipment
like the Orange Small Shield
even once since unlocking them.
At best I've just been using
the shield's with exclusive
effects like the Whetstone
Shield when I need them.
If it's not exclusive then it
effects all the shields after
all.
Well at least, I won't be using
the four from today again after
unlocking them.


The sun went down as we walked
slowly back into the village.
Raphtalia required training to
get used to the cart after all.
During the trip over and over
she started to feel sick so we
rested then went and rested and
went, making progress.
In the end, we made it back
after the sun had mostly set.

"I'm very sorry."
"Don't worry about it, it's
fine to just gradually get used
to it."

Even I think it's odd that I
don't get sick at all, but I
have no intention of just
telling other people that they
have no willpower.
I've hear that if you get used
to it then you can heal motion
sickness.
So I want to get Raphtalia used
to the cart quickly.
Well, if something happens then
the sprinting Filo will be at
fault.

"Gua!"

At this time, something strange
was already happening.
To be correct it had been
happening for quite a while,
but we still hadn't noticed it.
No, we noticed it but decided
to ignored it.


The next day.
Even I noticed the change at
this point. Raphtalia was the
same as me, deep in thought.

"Guaaa!"

When we showed up at the
stable, the change had already
ended.
Filo had... no matter how you
looked at it, grown far larger
than the average Filoliara.
Filoliaras usually grow to
about 2m 30cm. This about the
same height as an ostrich.
But, Filoliaras' have a larger
skeleton, in particular their
heads and necks are larger.
However...Filo's height had
passed 2m 80cm.
She was already at the point
where if she stood up her head
would reach the ceiling of the
stable.

"Did I really buy a Filoliara's
egg? I'm starting to want to
think that I bought some other
thing."
"Yes... I also think that."
"Gua!"

Gulp, and Filo swallowed
something down.
Looking closely, the chimera
meat I had left in the stable
was gone.
There should have been about
two cows' worth of it, but it
had tragically all disappeared.
Was what she just ate the last
of it?
"I had thought she lost her
appetite but..."
"Um, is it possible that
Naofumi-sama's shield's power
caused her to grow this big?"
"It's plenty possible. The
Familiar Shield III had a bonus
called growth compensation
(middle).
Na-naofumi-sama... there was a
Slave Shield as well right?
"Yeah, the Slave User Shield
had a similar bonus with it."
"...Um, the power is affecting
me?"
"Yeah, it was unlocked a while
ago. It is affecting you a
little."
"Nooooooooo!"

Raphtalia ran out of the stable
while screaming.

"Ra-raphtalia!?"
"Recently, I thought my body
felt light. It was just because
of Naofumi-sama right!"
"Ca-calm down!"
"A-am I going to become big
like Filo!? That's scary!"
"You're not making any growing
noises right!"
"O-oh, that's right. Thank
goodness, really thank
goodness!"

... This doesn't change the
fact that we can't make guesses
in this situation.
While imagining a Raphtalia
that's grown to be super macho,
I turned my gaze to Filo.

"Are you thinking something
rude?"
"... What should we do?"

I ignored Raphtalia's question
and advanced the conversation.

"I think it would be good to
return to that tent and get
confirmation."
"Right"

No helping it. I don't like the
idea of returning to the castle
town for no reason but... there
was no other way.

"Gua!"

We put Riyuuto Village behind
us as Filo energetically pulled
the cart and I worried over
Raphtalia as she fought with
motion sickness.
During the trip, Filo stomach
rumbled, so I fed her some food
and we fought with a few
monsters. When we got to the
city it was after noon.

"Oi..."

I noticed that Filo's
appearance was still changing.
Her legs and neck were
gradually getting shorter. By
the time I noticed she had
changed to a body with short
legs and a long torso like an
owl.
Even then she enjoyed pulling
the cart, and kept pulling it
without change.
However, there was a big change
in how she pulled it.
Right now she was skillfully
using her hand-like wing to
grip the cart's harness and
pull it along.

"Kue!"
Even her call was different,
and she was becoming pure
white.

"Hm?"

As I slowly got off the cart I
got a look at Filo's height.
She shrunk?
She had shrunk to about 2m
30cm. However, she was wider
too, and it seemed like she
might be more intimidating. To
put it badly, she looked like
an amusement park's mascot,
strangely fat.

"Kue?"
"No, it's nothing"
Had Filo noticed her own
change?
It was to the point where you
couldn't tell what kind of
animal she was.


"Well... I wonder what this
was, thinking about it I had
nothing but words of surprise,
yes.

The slave trader, while
repeatedly wiping away his
sweat, closely looked at Filo.

"Kue?"

Filo had gotten an even larger
breadth and width, making her
look like some kind of owl
monster.
Where did that friendly
ostrich-like form go to.

"So, I wanted to ask directly.
This guy is the monster hatched
from the egg I bought from
here. What kind of egg did you
give me?"

Depending on how this turns
out...
I whistled with my finger and
Filo threatened to attack.

"KUEEEEEEEE!"
The slave traded seemed to
panic and check over some kind
of document several times.

"Th-that's weird. The supply
papers we have show that the
egg Hero-sama bought definitely
had a Filolial inside of it."
"This is a Filolial?"
"Kueeeee!"
I threw a fairly big piece of
food to Filo and she skillfully
caught it in her mouth and
swallowed it down.

"Ummm..."

Come to think of it, I feel
like that growing noise that
had been coming from Filo
stopped.
Did she finally grow into an
adult body...?

"Still, even though it's only
been a few days to have grown
it this large, as expected of
Hero-sama. I'm moved."
"Don't use flattery to get out
of this. Hurry up and tell me
what kind of egg I bought."
"Uh... did this monster have
this shape from the start?"
"No"
I gave the slave trader a
rundown on Filo's growth from
when she was born to now.

"Well then, she was definitely
a proper filolial up to the
middle right?"
"Yeah, it's gotten so that you
can't tell what kind of monster
she is now though."
"Kue?"

While tilting her head is a
somehow cute pose, Filo seemed
to pick up on my slight
irritation.
Who's fault do you think it is
that I have to do this.

"Kueeeee"

Using her whole body, Filo slid
up and snuggled me. Being
hugged by her fairly large
wings I felt Filo's body heat
that was hotter than a bird's.
Truthfully it was just hot.

"Mu..."

Raphtalia frowned and grabbed
my hand.

"Kue?"

It somehow seemed like
Raphtalia and Filo were talking
with their eyes.

"What's with you guys?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Kue kue"

Both of them shook their heads
to convey their intentions.
What was that?

"So? What is it?"
"Uhh... umm"

The slave trader was very
troubled.
He deals with monsters but does
he not know how monsters grow?

"For the time being, I will
quickly contact a specialist
and investigate, so could I
have you leave her with me?
Yes."
"Yeah, don't make a mistake and
kill her so you won't have to
say 'I don't know'"
"Kue!?"

"I understand of course, but it
will take a little time for the
specialist to come here. Yes."
"...Well, that's fine. I'll
leave it to you. If something
happens I'll just take
compensation money."
"Kueeee!?"

At my response Filo flapped her
wings like she was protesting.
However, the slave trader's
workers put a collar on her and
moved her to a cage. It might
have been since I was close by,
she entered the cage
surprisingly obediently.

"Alright then, I'll be back to
get her tomorrow. Have an
answer by then."

I warned him just in case, and
left the tent with Raphtalia.

"KUEEEEEEEEE!"

I still heard Filo's loud voice
even after leaving the tent.
That night...I was staying at
the inn when suddenly the inn
keeper called out to me.

"Um Hero-sama."
"Hm? What is it?"
"There's a customer here to see
you."

Who is it? I thought as I went
up to the counter where the inn
keeper was waiting. There was a
man I hadn't seen before.

"What business do you have?"
"Umm, I... am someone from the
monster trader."

Monster trader... ahh, the
slave trader. He definitely
can't make a public
introduction that way.

"What happened?"
"Um, my master has ordered me
to ask you to take the monster
you left with us back."
"What!?"

It's only been a few hours...
what exactly happened.
I went to the tent with
Raphtalia to hear Filo's cry
still echoing.

"I'm sorry to disturb you so
late at night. Yes."
The slave trader, seeming a
little tired, came out to greet
us.

"What happened? The plan was
for you to take care of her
until morning right?"
"That was my intention, but
Hero-sama's monster is a little
bit of a problem."
"KUEEEEEEEEEE!"

Filo had been flapping wildly
with her wings and finally
calmed down when she saw us.

"She's broken 3 iron locks,
I've had 5 workers who tried to
subdue her sent to the
hospital, and 3 of the monsters
I use have suffered serious
injury. Yes."
"I'm not paying for that."
"I tip my hat to Hero-sama
who's first concern even now is
money."

Is this slaver trader serious?

"So, what happened? Did you
figure it out?"
"No... just, I've found an
eye-witness report that says
she has a body similar to a
filolial king."
"King?"
"To be correct there's talk
that there is a filolial that
rules over a group. It's quite
famous among adventurers."

It looks like the slave trader
used all his information
network, checking if there was
some kind of hint.
And, it seems like there's a
large group of wild filolials,
and he heard talk that the one
who runs it is a king.
The filolial ruler that seldom
appears before humans is a king
but...there the guess that Filo
might be one too.

"Hmmm"

This is hearsay.
If I unlock the shield crest
for this monster, I might be
able to determine whether it's
true or not, but that would
mean killing Filo.
Even if I use her feathers or
blood, she's my monster so the
only thing to come out would be
the Monster User Shield. It
seems like a light bulb isn't
coming to me....
I don't have the needed level
or series.
I look closely at Filo.

"... Kue?"

The monster's species name
doesn't come up in the part
monster status... if it's an
enemy I can get it though.

"So, what do you call that kind
of monster."
"It's called a filolial king,
or queen."
"Filo is female so I guess
queen."
"R-right... if it's this
attached to Hero-sama, then as
it stands if you tried to sell
it to me I'd be troubled."

She went wild while crying out
and broke 3 iron locks, was it?
Damn! My plan was completely
ruined!
Well, I didn't plan on selling
her though.
"...ter"
"Hm? Did you just hear a
strange voice?"
"Well now? I feel like I heard
a voice like that too."
"U-um..."
While covering her mouth
Raphtalia pointed to the cage
Filo was in. Looking the same,
the slave traders workers also
pointed to the cage.
The slave trader and I tilted
our heads wondering what was
going on and turned around.

"Master-"

There, with a faint light
remaining, white... with white
wings was a naked girl inside
the cage reaching her hand out
to me.

Transformation Ability[edit]

"Oyaji! Oyaji! Oyaji!"

I knocked on the door of the
closed weapon shop over and
over.
After I did the disgruntled
weapon shop Oyaji reluctantly
opened the door.

"What is it all of a sudden
shield an-chan[13]? The shop
closed a long time ago."
"It's not like that!"

I showed Oyaji Filo who I had
dressed in my cloak.

"An-chan, don't come bragging
because you got a good slave."
"You're wrong!"

What does Oyaji think I am!
If I met the me that's inside
Oyaji's mind, it seems like I
could kill him without regret.

"Master? What's wrong?"
"You be quiet."
"No way."

Damn! What the heck is
happening!
After that there was no end to
the panic.
That slave trader, he had his
mouth hanging open while
pointing. His men were also too
shocked to speak.
Even Raphtalia was speechless.
Filo had really wanted to be by
my side so she became human.
By the time I noticed I had
carried her over to Oyaji's
shop.

"Ha-hachoo"

Poof! Sreeeech!
She transformed and I heard the
sound of the cloak I put on her
ripping.
In a moment Filo transformed to
a Filolial Queen's (pending)
body.
This bird! Cloaks aren't free
you know.

"Wha..."

Oyaji also lost his words. He
looked up at Filo.
Filo returned to a human form,
and grabbed my hand. A thing
that resembled a mantle fell on
top of her head.

"... do you get the situation?"
"Ye-yeah."

Oyaji led me into the store
with a really complicated face.

"So, the reason you came to me,
is for that girl's equipment?"
"Just leaving aside defensive
power, isn't there some outfit
that won't break even if she
transforms?"

I knew it was unreasonable as I
asked Oyaji.

"I mean why is she
transforming!?"
"An-chan, calm down a bit."

That's right. Thinking about it
carefully why is Filo
transforming into a human?
Maybe there were the remains of
her true form but there were
wings growing out of her back.
She was a blond and blue-eyed
girl so she kind of looked like
an angel.
On top of that, she was so cute
she had a face like a painting.
She looked around 10 years old.
Her physique was like
Raphtalia's from a while ago.
Guuuuu....
A classic loud stomach growl.

"Master I'm hungry."
"Bear with it."
"No way."

Ku! What the heck is happening.

"For now do you want what I'm
having for dinner?"

Oyaji said as he brought a pot
out from the back of the store.
It seemed like a soup.

"Sto-"
"Yaaaay, thanks for the food"

Filo stole the pot from Oyaji
and drank it down, the entire
pot.

"Hmm... it doesn't taste that
great."

She gave the pot back to Oyaji.
Oyaji looked at me, stunned.

"Um, sorry."
"... An-chan, treat me to a
meal after this."

I felt more and more like
despair was waiting for me.

"Right... I feel like I might
of had some clothes for demi-
humans that had transformation
powers but... I mean go to a
clothes store an-chan."
"Are you telling me to go to a
clothes store that doesn't know
me at this time of night with a
completely naked girl? On top
of that the girl can change
into a monster you know?"
"... that's true, hold on a
sec."

Rustle rustle, Oyaji rummaged
through the back of the store.

"I don't know if the size will
fit, and they're some odd
clothes so don't expect much."
"I got it."

In the end, Oyaji spent some
time before coming back.

"Sorry. None of the clothes
look like they'll fit her after
she transforms."
"What, was that!?"

This was my last option, what
should I do now. Are you
telling me there are no clothes
for this young girl who looks
at me dearly and comes into
contact with me?
With this, the recent good
opinion I've gotten is going to
take a steep dive.

"Master"
"Don't transform!"
Even if I have to use the magic
crest, there's no choice but to
forbid her from transforming
into a human. A monster
transforming into a human has
to be pretty rare.

"No way."

Ku... what does this kid what
to do!
Plus she's completely going
against what I say.
Is it her rebellious phase? She
shouldn't be allowed to enter a
rebellious phase a few days
after being born.

"'Cause... if I'm in my true
form master won't sleep with
me."

Filo tightened her grip on my
hand and smiled with her whole
face.

"... why do we have to sleep
together?"
"'cause I'm lonely."
"Ahh... how to say this, an-
chan. You have it rough huh?"

I didn't come to this world to
take care of kids though...

"Come to think of it where's
Raphtalia?"
"I finally caught up."
Raphtalia entered the shop
breathing heavily.

"You suddenly took off
running... I searched for you."
"Ah, sorry."
"Ahhh Raphtalia onee-chan."
Filo happily waved her hand.
"I'm not giving you master ok?"
"What is this child saying!"
"Not giving me, I'm not your
thing. More like you guys are
mine right?"

Meaning they're slaves.

"Well, for now I'll see if
there's a way to tailor clothes
for her so go back for today."
"Right, sorry about this."
"Thanks for the food~"
"Man... you manage to surprise
me again and again, an-chan."

I left the weapon shop and
started tiredly making my way
towards the inn when Raphtalia
called out to me.
"Ah, that sla-... the monster
trader asked you to come back."
"Hm? Got it."


We returned to the tent and the
slave trader, who was just
waiting for us, came out to
greet us.

"Well, that was a surprising
development. Yes."
"Yeah."
"So, I've realized why
sightings of filolial kings are
so rare."
"Oh? You figured it out?"
"Yes. I mean, I think Sheild
Hero-sama will also be able to
understand."

What? The slave trader's using
quite a round-about why of
speaking.

"You don't understand?"
"... no so tell me."

The slave trader pointed to the
human shaped Filo who was
wearing the torn up cloak.

"Filolial kings have a high
level transformation ability,
so they transform into regular
filolials to avoid human eyes,
is what we think."

I see...they have the power to
transform and hide so that
people won't realize they're
the filolials' boss on sight.
They could also use it to
transform into humans.

"Well well, to be able to see
with my own eyes the filolial
king that can rarely be
studied, I'm moved by Hero-
sama's high monster taming
ability. Yes."
"What?"
"To raise a normal filolial
into a queen... what raising
method would you use to raise a
queen do you think?"

... I understood the slave
trader's aim. This guy wants to
hear how to raise filolial
kings from me and mass produce
them.
It must be a pretty rare class
of monster, plus it has
transformation power. He'll
raise them at minimal cost and
sell them at a high price for
huge profit.

"It's probably, the legendary
shield's power I think."

I reasoned that the power of
growth compensation raised her
to this height, otherwise it
wouldn't be worthy of being
legendary.

"When Hero-sama is vague like
that, it makes me all tingly.
How much would I have to pay to
have you teach me I wonder?"
"That's not what I mean!"
"Well then, I'll present you
with one more filolial, so
please try-"
"I refuse!"

If they increase any more my
wallet won't hold out. I
already have to do something
about Filo's clothes, if my
food expenses increase any more
it will be downright indecent.

"Sigh... thinking of any other
possibilities, I guess there
was that."
"What was it, if you please."

Uu... the slave trader's eyes
are sparkling.
It was sickening.

"I fed her meat from a huge
monster that was beaten during
the wave, so I can't deny the
possibility that affected her."

Well, even I think that that
sounds crazy.
But she did eat the chimera's
meat so I'm not saying anything
wrong.

"Hmm... then no helping it."

The slave trader didn't believe
it either, but he didn't want
to irritate me so he backed
off.

"I'll give you a filolial
anytime, so please try raising
one. Yes."
"If possible I want to decline
but..."
"If you raise it to be easy to
use the money will pile up."
"Hm, if I'm not busy I'll think
about it."

With that one phrase, I became
even more self-aware that I'm a
miser.

"Have you finished talking to
him?"
"Yeah."
"By the way what shall we do?"
"About want?"

Filo was drawn into the
conversation so she had a
question mark above her head.

"About your treatment."
"I'm sleeping together with
master~."
"I won't let you!"
"Ahh no fair! Raphtalia's
onee-chan, you're trying to
keep master to yourself~"
"No I'm not!"

What are they getting so worked
up for...

"Alright, then Filo will sleep
in the stable attached to the
inn."
"No way!"
I was clearly rebelled at by a
bird.

"I'm sleeping with master!"

... this is the same as a child
having a tantrum because they
want to sleep with their
parents.

"I see I see, no helping it."
"Naofumi-sama!?"
"Even if I reject her, she'll
just keep being selfish so I
should meet in the middle
somewhere right?"
"Well... yes, but.."
Raphtalia muttered like she
wasn't satisfied.

"But make sure you're not naked
in front of other people."
"Okaaaay!"

Does she really get it? Well
whatever. I'll pray that the
weapon shop owner can do
something about it tomorrow,
nothing to do but return to the
inn.
I returned to the inn, paid the
inn keeper for one more and
went back to my room.
Studying or mixing potions...
the free time for that
disappeared when Filo
transformed into a human.

"Yay! A soft bed~!"
I warned Filo who was jumping
on the bed and decided to turn
in early.


... It's hot!
Why is it hot!?

"Uuu..."

My body won't move as I want.
What's happening?
I fearfully opened my eyes and
the world was pure white.
I was wrapped in wings.

"Su... su..."

This bed is breathing!
I slowly raised my to see I
wasn't sleeping on a bed. I was
on top of Filo's belly after
she had returned to her real
form.
At about the same time, Filo's
original body rolled in her
sleep, falling off the bed
while hugging me like a pillow.

"Wake up! You fat bird!"

Who said it was okay to return
to your original form.

"Noooooo..."

This guy was speaking even
though she was in her real
form.

"Wh-what are you doing!?"

Raphtalia yelled at me while
looking half asleep.

"Oh, Raphtalia, help me!"

This guy was not waking up even
if I punched her. My attack
power was just too low.

"Wake up Filo!"

Filo rolled over on the floor.
Creak creak creak...
I heard an ominous noise coming
from the floor. With just a
wooden floor, we were near the
breaking point.

"Get up!"

However, Filo kept smothering
me showing no signs of waking
up.

"Wake up now!"

Raphtalia forcefully pulled
Filo's smothering arm open.
I didn't miss that chance and
somehow managed to escape.

"Whew... it's only morning and
it's already terrible."
"Nnya?"

Filo realized I was gone and
opened her eyes.
Filo noticed me and Raphtalia
glaring at her and tilted her
head.

"What's wrong?"
"First return to human form!"
"Ehhh... I just woke up."

Ku! This is the last thing I
wanted to do but no helping it!
I used the status magic and
chose the monster icon and in
the restrictions index I put a
check on the part that said my
orders were absolute.
If I do this she won't be able
to go against any kind of order
I make.

"Become human!"

I faced Filo and issued an
order.

"Ehhh... I want to sleep with
master for a bit more."

After taking action against my
order the curse mark on Filo's
belly emerged.

"Eh?"
"If you don't listen it's going
to hurt."

The shining red curse mark
spread across Filo's body.

"Noooooo..."

Some kind of pattern showed on
Filo's wing. It flew to the
curse make and, with a fizzle,
the mark stopped.

"Huh?"

I checked the monster icon. For
some reason the part of the
restrictions index I had marked
had become unmarked.
I tried to check it again, but
even if I messed with it it
didn't change.
Damn! I brought a monster
because it would listen to my
orders.
Slave trader... I'm heading to
your place right now, so wash
your neck and wait.[14].

Carrot and the Stick[edit]

"Slave Trader!"

First thing in the morning I
barged into the slave trader's
tent.

"What is it from so early in
the morning Hero-sama? Yes."
The curse mark from your place
was defective. Depending on
your answer, my dangerous slave
and monster will start going
wild in here, okay?"
"My stomach is empty so I'll do
it later."
"... if you don't start
behaving I'll turn you into
breakfast."

The curse mark on Filo won't
activate like it should. On top
of that it isn't going away.

"Huh? What does that mean?"

I explained to the slave trader
what had happened this morning.
After that it was horrible. I
somehow managed to coax Filo
into human form and we went to
the tent.
Filo was led here by Raphtalia
who was on constant watch for
Filo doing anything weird.
Seems like it's tough.

"It seems that a normal curse
mark won't restrict a filolial
queen. Yes."
"And that means?"
"A normal curse mark won't bind
a high rank monster. The dragon
that was the prize of that
lottery has a special curse
mark carved on it."
"In other words a normal curse
mark won't work on this guy?"
"Yes."

The slave trader was writing
something in his notebook very
excitedly.

"So, will you apply that
special curse mark?"
"No no, that would not be
something we could give for
free. Yes."
"What was that?"
"This isn't something that will
be cheap, so giving it for free
would be tough. We've also
neared the limit of the damage
we can take."

Ku-! It seems I can't expect
any more service.
Well, they did suffer that much
damage so I guess there's no
helping it...

"How much?"
"Expecting much from Hero-sama
in the future, how does the
great discount of 200 silver
coins sound?"

Kuuuu... that's expensive.

"Couldn't you-"
"By the way 800 silver coins
would be cheap in the current
market. I'm expecting much from
Hero-sama so I'm not lying."

Gah!
My wallet took a lot of damage.
I admitted defeat and very
regretfully handed 200 silver
coins to the slave trader.
"... If it is a lie my
dangerous underlings will raise
a festival of your blood."
"Of course I understand."

Raphtalia led in Filo by the
hand while Filo was looking
around in her filolial queen
form.

"Stand still right there Filo."
"Why?"
"If you stay still then
afterwards I'll give you
something good to eat."
"Really?"
"Yeah."

Filo had sparkling eyes as she
headed to where the slave
trader was pointing and stood
still.
Alright, if we're casting the
magic now's the time.
I gave a signal to the slave
trader with my eyes. He nodded,
called 12 of his underlings who
had their faces hidden with
robes, and had them surround
Filo.
They poured some kind of
chemical on the ground and
started chanting magic.
The floor shined with light,
and a magic square formed with
Filo in the center.

"Eh, wh-what?"

Filo tried resisting and sparks
flew, but it was no use and the
magic square started corroding
into Filo.

"Ow,Ouch----! Stop it-!"

Feeling the pain of the update
to the curse mark, Filo started
thrashing around. At that the
magic square gave off sparks
and started to sway.
The Slave trader's underlings
let out voices of surprise.

"Just in case, I had a lot of
people cast the magic but... to
be able to move under this
pressure, the future of this
young one is scary. Yes."

Come to think of it she is
still only lvl 19. If she was
to become lvl 70 like this
exactly how strong would she
become? I nodded to the slave
trader's words.
Eventually, the magic square
was completely carved onto
Filo's stomach, and it became
quiet.

"It's finished. Yes."

My display also showed a more
advanced monster icon than
before. Without hesitation, I
checked the part that made what
I said absolute.

"Haa... haa..."

Filo walked towards me while
breathing heavily.

"That was horrible master, it
hurt a lot."

Even I thought I had an evil
smile on my face as I ordered
Filo.

"First, change to human form."
"Ehhh, that hurt so no way.
Give me something tasty!"

She rejected my order in an
disrespectful tone, while she
was asking for food the curse
mark shone.

"Eh, no! What, no no!"

Filo sent some kind of magic at
the curse mark, but this time
the curse repelled it and
activated.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Filo fell over from the curse
mark's pain.

"If you don't listen to what I
say, it'll hurt."
"Ow, ow! Uuu..."

Filo unhappily transformed into
human form. After that the
curse mark's light faded.

"Hm... this time it properly
activated. Good job, slave
trader."
"Yes, it is a fairly strong
pattern, so it's not easily
tampered with. Yes."

I went in front of the
collapsed Filo and told her.

"You yourself were 100 silver
coins, next that curse mark was
200 coins. In total I'm out 300
silver coins. I'll have you pay
that back by obeying my
orders."
"M-master..."

Filo swayed and reached her
hand out to me.
It kind of hurts my conscience
to say this to a child with
such a pure face, but even I
don't want to leave someone
selfish to the wilds. (!)

"Listen to what I say."
"N-nooo"
"I see I see, If you don't want
to listen to what I say no
matter what, then I'll sell you
to this scary old man here."
"....!?"

Filo seemed to finally
understand her position as her
face distorted into fear.
The slave trader was wearing
some kind of troubled yet happy
expression while looking at
me...

"How much would you buy this
guy for?"
"Let's see. She is rare so even
including the fee for the
trouble I'd want her even for
30 gold coins. A effective
curse mark is already carved on
her so she won't be able to go
wild anymore, there would be
many ways to use her. Yes."

Even the slave trader who
didn't like buying back goods
was willing to this high of a
price on her.
I don't know his true
intentions, but if Filo falls
into his hand I expect her life
would be over.
However Filo was looking up at
me with an incredibly fearful
expression.
This is tough... my conscience
which was supposed to be gone
was speaking up.
But depending on Filo's
attitude I might really have to
choose that future.
I'm not a kind older brother or
someone who spoils their pet.

"That's how it is. This time
even if you go wild I won't
come to see you... you'll drink
really bitter medicine, and
have your body messed with a
lot and in the end... you'll
probably die...?"
"N-nooooooo!"

Filo rejected that in a loud
voice.

"Master don't hate me..."

Filo clung to my legs and
begged me.
Ku-! This is tough...
Even so I can't back down.

"If you honestly listen to what
I say then I won't hate you.
From now on properly listen."
"Y-yes!"
"Good good, then when we're
sleeping at the inn don't turn
back into your real form no
matter what. This is your first
promise."
"Yes!"

When Filo smiled with her whole
face, what was left of my
conscience ached.
Okay, today after this we have
to head to the weapon shop...
As I moved my gaze from Filo, I
saw the slave trader smiling
with an unbelievably fun
expression.

"Such a wonderful bad guy
method. It sent shivers down my
spine. You are truly the
legendary hero of the shield!"

I feel like his way of praising
me was off... but complaining
about it doesn't seem right
either.
And, beside him Raphtalia was
also looking at me with a
difficult expression.

"Naofumi-sama... wasn't that a
bit too..."
"If I don't do this then she
won't listen to me right. Even
you were like that at first
right?"

At my reply Raphtalia nodded.

"Now that you say that, I was."
"Selfishness has parts where it
can be forgiven and parts where
it can't."

After hearing my, her master's,
true thoughts she couldn't
challenge them.

"Carrot and stick right? I
understand. Yes."
"I wasn't talking to you slave
trader."

Also, don't just decide you
understand me.

"I guess I caused you a lot of
trouble."
"If that's what you think then
please, raising it so it will
be easy to use, take a filolial
that we will prepare and
train-"
"Now then, we still have places
to go today. We'll be leaving
now."
"At hero-sama's strong will
that keeps from getting caught
up in our pace as much as
possible, I hold true feelings
of respect. Yes."

With this we ended our
discussion and left the tent
behind.

Reward[edit]

Firo was wearing my mantle as
we head to the weapon shop.

Old Man: "Hey lad."

The old man waved as we
approach.

Naofumi: "Did something
happen?"
Old Man: "Yeah. Wait a moment."

The old man closed the weapon
shop and guided us.
We arrived at the magic shop
where I received the magic
book.

Magic Shop SK: "Oh my."

The aunt from the magic shop
beamed when she saw the old
man.

Magic Shop SK: "Why don't you
guys come in?"
Naofumi: "Right, Firo, don't
change into your true form
until I permit you to."
Firo: "Okay."

At the back of the magic shop,
there was a workplace that
smelled of nature.
We were guided to the
workplace.
The ceiling was quite high,
about three meters.
In the middle of the floor was
a magic square with a crystal.

Magic Shop SK: "I'm sorry it's
a little crowded because I'm
working."
Naofumi: "No it's fine. Anyway,
is there any clothing for
children here?"
Old Man: "This aunty from the
magic shop is an acquaintance
that could help you."
Magic Shop SK: "That's right~"

She removed the crystal and put
an old design sewing machine on
a pedestal.[15]

Magic Shop SK: "Is that child
really a demon?"
Naofumi: "Yeah, let me take off
the mantle first before she
changes. Firo, return to your
original form."

There should be enough room in
here for her original form.

Firo: "Ok."

When I gave the command, Firo
removed the mantle and returned
to her original form.

Magic Shop SK: "Oh my, oh
dearǃ"

The magic shop aunty looked up
at Firo who had returned to her
Philorial Queen form in
surprise.

Firo: "Is this all right?"

The scene was very strange due
to Firo's voice contrasting
with her body.
Even though this was a fantasy
world, it was still weird...
I looked towards Raphtalia

Raphtalia: "What is it?"
Naofumi: "Nothing"

That reminds me, Raphtalia was
also a Demi-human.
Now that I think about it, in
the past when I could feel
something like romance, I might
have been be very excited, it
seemed Motoyasu was the same,
though that was in the past.

Magic Shop SK: "So what clothes
do you need?"
Naofumi: "Can you make
something that won't break when
she transforms?"
Magic Shop SK: "Strictly
speaking, I'm not sure I can
make clothes."
Naofumi: "What!?"
Magic Shop SK: "Hero-sama, what
do you see?"
Naofumi: "Magic shop... And a
witch."
Magic Shop SK: "That's right. I
only have some knowledge on
transformation."

Though I don't really
understand the common sense of
this world... I know that
witches can transform into
animals.

Magic Shop SK: "Oh my, it takes
a great amount of magical power
and a very troublesome
procedure to transform yourself
into an animal. Wouldn't it be
bothersome to put on clothes
every time you transformed?"

Hm? So it seems it was possible
for witches to transform.
The aunty answered while
working on the bobbin.
By appearances alone it
resembles a sewing machine from
my world.

Magic Shop SK: "Staying in her
true form at home is fine, but
if she transforms in a crowded
place, it would be pretty
serious."
Naofumi: "Yeah, that's right."

Clothes are my main concern.
Walking around naked would
stand out.

Magic Shop SK: "Therefore, it
would be best if the clothes
could be stored safely when
transformed and re-equipped
when reverting"
Naofumi: "I see."

True, if the clothes just
disappear after transforming,
the problem would be solved.

Magic Shop SK: "It's a
technique passed down by demon
category of Demi-humans. A
famous one is a vampire's
mantle." [16]

Yeah, like when they
transformed into bats or
wolves. That was in this world
too?

Magic Shop SK: "Well, this
bobbin machine makes the
materials for those clothes."
Naofumi: "Interesting... What
do the clothes transform to?"
Magic Shop SK: "Strictly
speaking, what are clothes?
Something visible to others,
correct?"

I tilted my neck and gave the
aunty of the magic shop a
puzzled look. What does that
mean?

Magic Shop SK: "What I mean is,
this item can transform thread
to magical power and magical
power to threads. Therefore,
the user can change a thread to
magical power at any time."
Magic Shop SK: "To put it
simply, the user can change the
thread to magical power and
vice-versa."
Naofumi: "Oh, I understand."

Now I understand why the old
man from the weapon shop
brought us here.
It'll certainly be weird to
call these clothes. When not in
human form the magical power
circulates the body, and takes
shape once back to human form.

Magic Shop SK: "This is Firo-
chan right? Turn the wheel on
this slowly."
Firo: "Ok"

Firo begins to slowly turn the
wheel on the bobbin machine.
A thread comes out immediately
and the aunty wrapped it around
a spool.
Then, thread started to gather
on the spool.

Naofumi?: "Hmm? It feels
weaker."
Magic Shop SK: "This changes
magical power to threads. It
should be tiring, but I just
need a little more to make
clothes."
Naofumi: "Hmm... Interesting."

Firo was still a child who was
barely one week old.
Firo looked tired while
spinning the machine.

Naofumi: "Endure it, I'll
promise you something."
Firo: "Food? Delicious food?"
Naofumi: "Yeah."

I am a man who keeps his
promises. I'll let you eat your
fill of delicious food later,
Firo.

Firo: "I'll do my best!"
Firo begins to energetically
turn the bobbin machine.
Firo: "Yay, I'll do my best!"

The aunty seemed surprised at
the speed.

Naofumi: "Old man, I owe you a
meal. Are you free after this?"
Old Man: "I left a note at the
shop explaining I'll be closed
till early afternoon. What're
you going to treat me to, lad?"
Naofumi: "How about this, can
you prepare a big iron plate?
Old Man: "What're you going to
use that for?"
Naofumi: "I'm going to cook."
Old Man: "The lad's home
cooking? I was expecting
something different."
Naofumi: "What was that?"

I was slightly offended by the
old man's disappointed
expression.

Old Man: "Oh well, what did I
expect."
Naofumi: "Raphtalia, go to the
market to get meat, vegetables,
and charcoal. Firo can eat
enough for 5 people."
Raphtalia: "Understood."

I handed some silver coins to
Raphtalia to go shopping.

Firo: "Food~ Food~"

Firo was in high spirits while
spinning the bobbin machine.

Magic Shop SK: "That's enough.
You can stop spinning now."

After awhile aunty told her to
stop.

Firo: "Will there be more food
if I turn it more?"
Naofumi: "No. you can stop."
Firo: "Yay~"

Firo returned to her original
form.

Firo: "Master~ food~"
Naofumi:"Hold on a bit."
Firo: "Eh-..."

Firo sounded very disappointed.
Raphtalia hadn't returned yet,
so there was no food.

Naofumi: "When we leave the
shop, return to your humanoid
form."
Firo: "Ok"

Do you really understand?

Magic Shop SK: "You can use
this to make your clothes."

The magic shop aunty showed us
the thread.

Old Man?: "I'll go ask someone
who knows how to weave this."
Naofumi: "I have high hopes for
that fellow. Firo, let's go."
Magic Shop SK?: "What should I
tell the young lady who went
shopping?"
Naofumi: "Tell her we'll be
waiting at the gate that leaves
castle town."
Magic Shop SK?: "Understood."

Following the old man from the
weapon shop, we left the magic
shop.

Magic Shop SK: "As for the fee,
I'll be sending it to the
weapon shop~"
Naofumi: "How much would that
be…?"

I asked a little anxiously.

Magic Shop SK: "Making the
magic string? Because the
crystal is expensive, I'll
charge Hero-sama 50 silver."

Damn! Firo was expensive.
In the future, we need to be
careful with clothes, it was
like wearing money.
We headed to the weaver with
the thread.

Weaver: "This is some unusual
material, I could do a lot with
this. Go to the dressing room
and measure your size. I should
be able to complete the dress
tonight. You can pick it up
later."

We went straight to the
dressing room.
Although there was only a
mantle, it still took a while.

Sales Clerk: "Wow...... that's
a very cute child."

The sales clerk was a girl with
glasses and a scarf.
She seems a little plain. By
that, I mean she looks like the
kind of girl from my world who
would write doujinshi.

Sales Clerk: "Her wings are
just like an angel. She seems
similar to a Demi-human... I'll
work on your order now."
Naofumi: "Is that so?"

The old man puts a hand on my
shoulder.

Old Man: "There are Demi-humans
who have hands or feet that
resemble birds. But this child
only seems to have wings, so
it's pretty great."
Firo: "Hm~?"

Firo tilted her neck while
looking up at the sales clerk.

Naofumi: "Yeah... This fellow
is a demon that can transform
into a humanoid. When she
reverts to her true form, her
clothes break."
Sales Clerk: "Interesting......
So that's why you need clothes
made from magical power."

Her glasses gave off a
dangerous light.
As I thought, this girl
reminded me of an Otaku.
I felt a little nostalgic
because I had an acquaintance
selling doujinshi within a
circle. She would often give me
admission tickets for the
circle and was quite friendly.
Sigh... There was no such thing
in a different world.

Sales Clerk: "This material is
perfect for a one piece dress,
It will be unaffected as well
since it'll just turn to
magic."
Naofumi: "Eh? Uh sure?"

Firo was measured again after
she put on her mantle and then
the clerk started designing
something.

Sales Clerk: "I want to see her
true form!"

Firo looked at me with a
troubled face. I gulp and
looked around.

Naofumi: "It seems to just
barely fit here."

Firo's changed form will just
barely fit under the ceiling
less than two meters.

Sales Clerk?: "Can you sit
down?"
Sales Clerk?: "Yeah, that's
good."

Firo changed back to her demon
form while paying attention to
the ceiling, and stared at the
girl.

Sales Clerk: "Oh-... This gap
is good!"

Not even being shaken by Firo's
true form... This dressmaker
can do it!
As expected of a character who
sells doujin. I'm glad this is
a different world.

Sales Clerk: "I'll bet a ribbon
will suit her."

Firo's neck size is measured by
the dressmaker and she begins
to design clothes again.

Sales Clerk: "Well I'm going to
wait for materials to arrive!"

She seems excited while
answering.

Old Man?: "This fellow is a
good craftsman."
Naofumi: "I guess..."

She was the type to be absorbed
in her work and will accomplish
it by all means.

Old Man?: "Well, it will be
completed tomorrow."
Naofumi: "That's fast. How much
is this going to cost in
total?"
Old Man?: "I recommended you to
this place so it should be
around 100 silver pieces."

Ugh... I received a shock.

Naofumi: "Firo, do you
understand? I spent a large sum
of 400 pieces of silver on you.
I expect you to work
diligently."
Firo: "Okay!"

Do you really understand? We
left the shop with Firo in her
human form.
We joined up with Raphtalia,
who was waiting at the gate of
the castle town.

Raphtalia: "Naofumi-sama, I
bought the ingredients you
asked for."
Naofumi: "Firo costs 400 pieces
of silver. Raphtalia was
cheaper."
Raphtalia: "Please don't say it
like I'm a cheap woman!"

Sigh... Is this going to be
okay?

Naofumi: "Alright, old man,
bring the iron plate. Firo, get
a cart and carry it from the
weapon shop."
Firo: "Ok!"
Old Man: "Alright..."

Firo left with the old man for
the weapon shop and came back
pulling a cart.
Why is she pulling it in her
human form?
An iron plate within the size I
was imagining was within the
cart.

Naofumi: "Alright, let's leave
the castle town and go to the
riverbank near the grassy
plains."

We arrived at the riverbank.
I took out the iron plate, put
it on a griddle and immediately
put charcoal under it.

Naofumi: "Raphtalia and Old
man, take care of the fire."
Old Man: "Yeah yeah."
Raphtalia: "Okay"

As expected of the old man of a
weapon shop, it seems managing
fire is his forte.

Firo: "What about Firo?"
Naofumi: "Stand watch so that
balloons don't approach us..."
Firo: "Okay~!"

I told Firo to do something
else because she would likely
fail doing anything here.
I cut the meat and vegetables
that Raphtalia brought into
appropriate sizes and put it
near the grill.

Old Man: "Lad, the charcoal is
ready."
Naofumi: "Yeah."

Raphtalia and the old man
heated the plate as per my
instructions, so I put the
fatty meat onto the grill for
the oil.
Then I spread out the
vegetables and meat so they
aren't directly on top of the
fire.

Old Man: "You sure are
skilful."

I used a stick and a knife to
turn the meat and vegetables so
they don't burn.

Naofumi: "Well, this should be
fine."

Yup. Today's lunch is a
barbecue by the riverbank.
Firo's reward.

Naofumi: "Firo, it's ready."
Firo: "Okay~"

Firo was already drooling from
the smell when she took the
skewer I handed her.

Firo: "Yaay~! This is
delicious!"

Firo started throwing meat and
vegetables that were just
cooked into her mouth.

Naofumi: "Hey don't eat
everything, this is for
everyone."
Firo: "Mfkay~"

Firo nodded while stuffing her
mouth.
Do you really understand?

Naofumi: "Let's eat I guess..."
Raphtalia: "Okay."
Old Man: "Sure."

I distributed the meat and
vegetables onto some leaves and
handed it to Raphtalia and the
old man.

Old Man: "Oh, this is
deliciousǃ I'm surprised
grilled meat tastes so good."
Raphtalia: "For some reason,
this dish that Naofumi-sama
makes is strangely delicious."
Naofumi: "I'll take that as a
compliment"
Old Man: "I'm not flattering
you. Why does it taste so
good?"

The old man looked at his plate
with a puzzled expression.

Naofumi: "It's probably the
result of the cooking skill
from my shield."
Old Man: "The power of the
shield?"
Naofumi: "Well, at least I
think so."

From the corner of my sight I
see, Barbeque is now available.
Quality: Good -> Great quality.
To think that such a strange
icon would exist.

Old Man: "That's such a
mysterious shield. I'm quite
envious."
Naofumi: "I can't take it off
so it's quite inconvenient."

Not to mention the non-existent
offensive power.
Oh right, there was the special
effect from the Bee Needle
Shield that I can counter
attack enemies with called
[Shield of the Needle].
Although the enemy would have
escaped before I beat it,
unless it's slow like a
balloon.
As expected, even if the demon
runs away, I'm at a
disadvantage.
Sometimes, a smart monster
would ignore me and aim for
Raphtalia.

Old Man: "Haven't you become
quite strong?"
Naofumi: "I don't know...
Compared to the other
heroes..."
Old Man: "Is that so, are the
legendary weapons that
powerful?"
Naofumi: "That's right, I
learned from experience."
Old Man: "I see"
Naofumi: "Then-"

Because skills could be
acquired in various ways, the
power of a legendary weapon was
way above average.
Moreover, accumulating status
improvements whenever a shield
was unsealed was good.
There are a bunch of conditions
that unsealed new shields, such
as absorbing monsters and other
materials, levelling up and the
skill tree.
Besides, any exclusive effects
of any shield that was released
gave permanent bonuses.
Even a weak shield could be
helpful if I unsealed it.
Due to the Equipment bonuses
carrying over, the more shields
I unsealed, the stronger the
skills I could use.
I can see how many bonus stats
I got. My stats in general were
higher than Raphtalia's. Maybe
it was because I'm a hero.
Especially in the aspect of
defence. I have 3 times more
and that's not including the
permanent bonuses from
unsealing other shields.
Because I originally never
attack, all the gear went to
Raphtalia. After all, the
potential ability as a Hero of
the Shield is in defence. The
price for that is 1/10th of
ATK.
The difference between a
resident of this world and a
hero would be from any effects
granted by this shield.
Otherwise, I can never beat a
monster with just defence.
After all, the only reason a
hero is different from a normal
person was because of the
legendary weapon.
It could be considered that you
are only a hero because you
have the legendary weapon.
I hate it, but I am only a hero
because of this shield.
It seems there is an influence
from being the companion of a
hero.
Raphtalia is superior to normal
Demi-humans because of the
ability from Slave trainer
Shield and Firo's abilities are
on par with her despite the
level difference.
I don't know how much effect
Growth Correction had, but it
seemed to be quite large.
The effects of Slave Trainer
Shield and Demon Trainer Shield
were good. I wonder what
effects Friend Shield would
have, if that even existed.
It seems the existences called
companions are essential for a
hero.
Friend huh...... an existence I
don't have.

Old Man: "I see... It seems
heroes really are different
from us commoners."
Naofumi: "That seems to be the
case."

Travelling around the world,
absorbing various demons and
materials to grow stronger.
Honestly, there's just so much
more to examine.
I don't understand how much I
can improve the shield.
But if I don't do anything, the
wave of disaster will strike.
I don't know how many times it
will come either.
It's been twice already. Maybe
5 times, 10 times, or even 100
times, I don't know.
Whatever it is, I can't just
sit around and do nothing.
That reminds me...There seems
to be a worrisome shield called
Curse Series.
At that time when I almost lost
Raphtalia, the Curse series was
released and started eroding
the shield.
I've looked for that skill tree
many times.
However, I can't find it no
matter how hard I look.
I'll try asking for help.

[Curse Series]

I hesitated to ask.
I only type in that sentence.
Besides, I checked many times.
I felt a shock and the letters
change.

Curse Series Armour that grants
power and consumes the user.
Hero! Do not use it.

Therefore, I decided to stay
away from this topic.
When I need it, the power will
appear. This shield seems to
have many limitations.

Firo: "Master~ there's no more
meat"
Naofumi: "What!"

When I looked, there was no
more meat. Everyone had already
finished eating the stuff I
prepared.
All that was left were
vegetables.

Firo: "Is it already over? Firo
still wants to eat more."
Naofumi: "Uhmm, well... Go to
the forest and catch 5 Usapiru.
I'll cook those too."
Firo: "Okay~!"

Firo rushed to the forest at
full speed.

Old Man: "Oh man, that was
delicious. Totally worth it."
Naofumi: "If you think that,
then discount the price of
clothes."
Old Man: "Lad, there's already
a heavy discount, it'll be a
large loss if I discount any
more."

Oh well, we barbecued next to
the riverbank till evening and
then called it a day.
By the way, Firo caught 10
Usapiru.
I barely had time to eat.
Mostly managing the barbecue
and dismantling Usapiru to
roast.

Peddling[edit]

The next day, that childish
otaku greeted us with a smile
when we enter the dress shop.

"Yes, it's here. The clothes
have been made. It took me all
night."

The tired dressmaker was ready
to split, her eyes giving a
tension-filled, red-eyed stare.
She then brought Firo's clothes
from the back of the shop. [17]
The dress's colour is mainly
white. The colour blue
contrasts it in some areas and
decorating the middle is a
large ribbon of the same hue.
It can be seen as rustic and
old-styled, but it's very
beautiful all the same.

Firo: "Master, I'm going to
wear this?" [18]
Naofumi: "Yeah."
Firo: "Yay!"

Firo, who had worn a cloak to
cover herself until now, became
nude on the spot.

Raphtalia: "Firo, no!"
Firo: "Eh--"

With Raphtalia urging her to
stop, I guided them both to the
back of the shop.
I was waiting for you to come
get dressed in here...

Sales Clerk: "Alright, change
into your demon form." [19]

I could hear the dressmaker's
voice from the depths of the
store.

Firo: "Why~?"
Sales Clerk: "If you wear this
ribbon, I'll give you meat."
Firo: "Yay!"

Don't just casually say
something so terrifying.

Firo: "Understood~"

I could hear the transformation
sounds.

Sales Clerk: "Yup. As I thought
you look good..."

I could hear an enchanted
voice.

Sales Clerk?: "Alright, let's
go."
Firo: "Ok!"

The two girls appeared from the
back of the store.
My eyes turned towards Firo.
Alright, her figure which was
already angel-like is even more
stunning.
Pure white wings, matching the
white one piece... And a blue
ribbon on her chest. What was
it?
Right, she looks like an angel
heroine from the 2-D world.

Firo: "Master~?"
Naofumi: "Hm?"
Firo: "Well? Does it suit me?"
Naofumi: "Yea, it suits you."

This otaku dressmaker is able
to take full advantage of
Firo's specs and make suitable
clothing for her. Her talent is
quite outstanding.

Firo: "Ehehe."

An embarrassed Firo laughed
while her clothes fluttered.
Seriously, what a terrible
expenditure.
I let Firo pull the cart while
we head back to Forest village.
When Firo changes to her demon
form, the clothes disperse and
the ribbon turns into a collar.
That function is very
convenient.

Magic Shop SK: "Oh, it’s Hero
of the Shield-sama."

Before we leave the castle
town, we coincidentally meet
with the aunty from the magic
shop.

Magic Shop SK: "Are you heading
to Forest village?
Naofumi: "Yeah"
Magic Shop SK: "I happen to
have some business there too.
May I tag along?"

The aunty from the magic shop
asked with a smile.
Oh well, I don't really want to
decline her since she has
helped us out with various
things.

Naofumi: "I don't guarantee it
being comfortable, is that
fine?"
Magic Shop SK: "Yeah."

Raphtalia looks ahead and
already starts fighting against
motion sickness.

Magic Shop SK: "Well then,
let's get going."

The magic shop aunty gets on
the cart.

Naofumi: "Good, Firo. Don't go
too fast."
Firo: "Okay~"

The pedestrians who pass by
look at Firo with surprise.
Talking demons are probably
rare.
The cart rolls along with a
pitter-patter.
I feel that in these past few
days, I have been really busy.
Actually, I'm usually busy,
it's just that recently have
been especially busy.
The whole situation could be
summed up with Firo...

Magic Shop SK: "So, how's your
study of magic going?"
Naofumi: "Uh..."

The magic shop aunty attacks
where it hurts.
To be frank, I made no progress
at all.
Should I retort with a "you
should have given me a crystal
ball"? No, she helped procure
the threads to make Firo's
clothes at a discount, I can't
complain.

Naofumi: "Because I am from
another world, I can't read
these letters."
Magic Shop SK: "Oh... I'm
sorry."

I felt bad seeing her
apologize. I lament at my
insufficient studying.
I was defeated.
I repaid a good intention with
bad feelings.
Therefore, I want to repay
aunty for the help.
I must learn it as fast as
possible.
I don't have any support,
unlike the other fucking
heroes. That's why I have to do
my best to learn.
Also, I need to acquire better
equipments to survive the next
wave.
Let's not forget about
translating the medical recipes
either.
Though it would take a lot of
time, I decided to learn the
letters first.

Firo: "Fuaa... it's light."

Firo was yawning while pulling
the cart steadily.
You're calling a cart with 3
people light?
That's great. I already have a
certain plan. This can't be
done without Firo.
The aunty from the magic shop
gives me 25 coppers when we
arrive at Forest Village.

Naofumi: "What's this for?"
Magic Shop SK: "Transportation
fee."
Naofumi: "Oh I see."

I can use this.
Forest village is reviving
nicely. A storekeeper welcomes
us pleasantly.
I have already apologized for
the chimera meat.
Although keeping that meat
there was my idea in the first
place.

Naofumi: "Now then, Raphtalia,
let's go on some motion
sickness training."

I promised to help with the
reconstruction to compensate
for the meat. Although it's
only a little, I still get some
compensation.

Raphtalia: "Eh!?"

Raphtalia has a bitter face. Oh
dear, it's not good if you
can't overcome something like
this.

Naofumi:"From now on, our
transportation is Firo pulling
the cart, so you must get used
to it."
Raphtalia: "O-Okay"
Firo: "Okay~!"
Naofumi: "Firo, you’re
pulling."
Firo: "Yup!"

Philorials really like pulling
carts. Firo's eyes shine.

Raphtalia: "Uhm......Are you
thinking of something?"
Naofumi: "Yeah, I think we
should start peddling."
Raphtalia: "Peddling? Why?"
Naofumi: "Although we don't
have a lot of goods, I want to
stock up on an assortment of
medicine."
Raphtalia: "Sigh......"

Raphtalia doesn't seem to see
the appeal. Oh dear, do I have
too high expectations? However,
to have such a precious cart,
it's a waste not to make full
use of it.

Naofumi: "Though when you get
used to the motion sickness,
Firo can pull the cart
everywhere at maximum speed."
Raphtalia: "I understand the
reason..."
Naofumi: "I know a place that
would make it hard to get
drunk. You should get
accustomed there."
Raphtalia: "Is there really
such a place?"
Naofumi: "Yeah."

Before starting the today, we
head to the place where it is
hard to get drunk. I told
Raphtalia to get on Firo. [20]
[21]

Firo: "I'm fine with master,
but why is Onee-chan on my
back?"

Firo muttered as Raphtalia gets
on her back.

Raphtalia: "It's the same for
me. This is embarrassing."

It's a strange sight to see
Raphtalia in a semi-crouching
position on top of Firo's owl
shaped body.

Naofumi: "Is it hard?"
Firo: "Nope, this is easy."

Firo seems to have no problems
at all.

Naofumi: "Well then, let's go."
Firo: "Ok!"

Firo pulls the cart with
Raphtalia on her back.
Her weight shouldn't be too
heavy.
I began decoding the book of
Intermediate recipes while
learning the letters.

Rumble...
Rumble......
It is difficult to concentrate
with the sound of a wheel as
background music.

Raphtalia: "Uhmm..."

Rumble………

Raphtalia: "Uh-Uhmm…"

Hm?
I looked at Firo and see her in
human form piggybacking
Raphtalia. Raphtalia seems
troubled and tried to get my
attention while the passers-by
whisper and point at us.

Naofumi: "A strange rumour is
going to circulate!"

My reputation is going to drop
again because there is going to
be a rumour that I forced a
slave girl to do manual labour
by pulling a cart and carrying
another person.

Naofumi: "Well..."
Naofumi: "When you pull a cart,
do not turn into a humanoid."
Firo: "Okay."
Firo nods and, seemingly
dissatisfied, returns to her
demon form.
I'm getting bored. Raphtalia
doesn't seem to have motion
sickness yet.
It will probably be okay if we
go faster.

Naofumi: "Alright, Speed up!"
Firo: "Okay~!"

Firo nods energetically and
begins running.
GaraGaraGara!
The wheels on the cart turn
noisily.

Raphtalia: "Wa!"

Raphtalia was surprised and
clings to Firo.
At least, we will arrive at our
destination today.

Journey on the Carriage[edit]

Hrmm…

“Uuu… Did we make it?”

As we’ve arrived at our
destination, I take a look at
Raphtalia who looks like she’s
just about to collapse and I
let out a bit of a woeful
groan.
It didn’t look like she was
having trouble earlier, but it
looks like having Firo run amok
may have been too much.

“We’ve made it to the hut?”

Looks like Firo didn’t have
enough, as even after she
stopped pulling the wagon, she
was letting her legs loose and
frolicking about.
Raphtalia looked dreadful as
she staggered on her feet.

“Well, let’s load up the lumber
now.”

I aided the lumberjack who came
out of the hut in loading the
lumber onto the wagon.
I also helped out a bit in
cutting down some trees. Thanks
to my [shield] skill, the
quality of the lumber was
raised.
While I did that, I had
Raphtalia continue her riding
training. On a side note I got
a reaction from the lumber so I
let [the shield] absorb it.

The requirements for the Kino
Tree shield have been unlocked.
The requirements for the Les
Tree shield have been unlocked.

Kino Tree Shield
Ability remains locked… Equip
bonus – Woodworking Skill I

Les Tree Shield
Ability remains locked… Equip
bonus – Low Level Wood Working
Recipe

It’s the Wood Shield branch.
These two trees seem to be the
most common types used for
woodworking.
The Kino trees are like the
Hinoki (Japanese cypress) from
my world but with a bit of an
aromatic fragrance. The Les
trees sort of resemble the Sugi
(Japanese cedar), but the grain
of the cut tree seems to differ
depending on the location. It’s
a bit of an odd tree.
Well, not like that matters too
much.

A few days later.
Pound, pound, pound.
With a wooden mallet in hand, I
work vigorously in modifying
our wagon into a full horse-
drawn carriage.
It seems my skill has improved
considerably which I suspect is
due to the Woodworking Skill I
I unlocked the other day.
I begin to affix a frame on top
of our wagon. After that I’ll
need to cover the top with some
thick cloth.
The Ryuuto village
reconstruction is proceeding
swimmingly, and it looks like
they’ll be fine without our
help now.
The villagers noticed I was
working on upgrading my wagon
into a carriage and even lent a
hand.

“Alright, this seems to be
pretty ok.”
“Looks like it’s done.”

I, along with the few villagers
that helped me out, let out a
bit of a cheer upon finishing
the carriage.
It’s a horse-drawn carriage,
but the one pulling it will be
a Philo Rial… Well, whatever.

“Thanks for helping me
everyone.”
“It’s no problem at all. Hero-
sama has helped us out so much,
this is the least we can do.”

The villagers all helped me out
with kind smiles.
They’re treating me kindly as
I’ve saved their lives, but I
can’t spoil myself by staying
here. Still, I’m honestly
grateful to the people here.

“I’m glad you feel that way.”
“You’ll be peddling goods you
said?”
“I’ll mostly be a guy that does
odd jobs. Travelling from
village to village, town to
town carrying transporting
goods, selling whatever
commodities I come across,
escorting people.”
“I see…”

Yeah, the villagers don’t seem
to really get what I mean.
Well it’s true that it’s not
typical hero behaviour like
what Motoyasu would do.
It’s not like I’ve envisioned a
clear cut path to success here,
but I’ve got Firo now, and it
only makes sense to make the
most out of her.

“Hm? Woah… The wagon turned
into a carriage-.”

Firo, who was in her human form
and playing about, had a look
of surprise as she notices how
large the wagon has grown.

“Is Firo going to be pulling
this?”

Firo asks, her eyes positively
glimmering.

“Yeah, that’s right. From now
on you’ll be pulling this
carriage as we travel all over
the country.”
“Really!?”

Firo cheers, brimming with
happiness.
Man if it were me I’d
absolutely object to doing so
much manual labor…

“Are we really going to?”

Raphtalia mutters dejectedly.
It seems Raphtalia doesn’t
sound very enthusiastic about
our journey on the carriage as
she has yet to completely get
over her motion sickness.

“You’ll get over it eventually.
Just bear it until then.”
“Fine.”

I face Firo and go over this
multiple times.

“Firo, what is your job?”
“Uhmm, Firo’s job is to pull
the carriage to wherever master
wants to go.”
“Right.”
“And to kick that spear guy if
I ever see him.”
“Correct.”
“One of those is wrong! Just
what are you making her do?”

Raphtalia objects to my words
in bewilderment.

“What… You’re looking at me as
if I said something crazy.”

If you see Motoyasu, kick him.
I see nothing wrong here.
Seriously, I’ll get nowhere if
I have to micromanage each one
of them so much.

“Alright then, we’re off to
peddle our goods. I’ll be
hiding myself in the carriage.
Raphtalia, whenever we hit a
village or a town, try to sell
what we’ve got.
“Okay… I will.”

Outside of Ryuuto village, I
still have a pretty bad
reputation. So if I were to
come out and try to negotiate,
things might go awry and I
won’t be able to sell a thing.
That’s why I’ve appointed
Raphtalia with the task of
selling and haggling our wares.
She has a fairly attractive
appearance and is not
particularly shy either. She
might be pretty well suited to
jobs handling clients.

“Well, let’s head out.”

Our preparations complete, we
load up the carriage with our
baggage and have Firo draw us.

“Ah, Hero-sama.”
“Hm? What is it?”

Within the mass of villagers
seeing us off, a man stepped
forward in front me and was
dressed several notches above
everyone else.

“I am the lord who is in charge
of the area in which Ryuuto
village resides. Shield Hero-
sama, I thank you for
everything you have done.”
“Don’t worry about it. This was
just a nice place for me to set
up a base.
“…Please, take this.”

The lord says that as he hands
me a sheet of parchment.

“This is?”
“As you’ll be selling goods,
I’m sure this will be useful.
It’s a Commerce Amnesty.”
“A Commerce Amnesty?”
“Yes. In this country, if you
sell goods, at each and every
village or town you visit you
must pay a fixed amount to that
region’s lord.”

… Is that so. Well, if I just
flaunt my authority as a hero
then… Nah, since I have such a
shitty reputation, that’ll
probably just backfire.

“But that’s when you can
present this Commerce Amnesty
with my stamp on it. If you
have this then you’ll be exempt
from paying the region’s lord.
I hope you will find this
useful.”
“Uhmm… Is it really ok?”
“Yes. I won’t be able to face
my people if I don’t present to
Hero-sama proper remuneration
for the services he has done.”

Now that I think about it, this
is the agricultural sector of
the Merlot Mark region. It’s a
place that gets quite a bit of
traffic, so the lord of the
region must have the same
degree of influence and dignity
to match its affluence.
It must’ve been brought to his
attention by the villagers that
I minimized the possible damage
that could’ve occurred to
Ryuuto village during the wave.
With my bad reputation spread
about, the king would scorn any
nobles that would assist me. So
for his villagers he’ll force
himself to bear such
humiliation… But instead what
faced me was a cheerful smile.

“… I give this to you out of
concern that your poor
reputation may detriment your
future business.”

He’s giving it to me with
purely good intentions. Then I
can respond with honest
gratitude.

“Thank you. I’ll make use of
it.”
“May you have a safe journey.”
“…Yeah, I’ll be off.”
“If there’s anything we can do
you aid you Hero-sama, please
allow us to help.”
“If you guys can just live long
and prosper, that’ll be
plenty.”
“Of course!”

And with that our journey as a
jack-of-all-trades doing odd
jobs began.

At first we began with selling
medicine.
We didn’t have much, but we
were able to sell it below the
market price.
Our main items were remedies
and nutritional supplements.
These specifically I was able
to make in higher level quality
and we were able to sell it for
a fairly high price.
And whenever we stopped by a
village I would buy the
medicinal herbs that I knew
about and synthesize them into
medicine on the road.
Firo was quite fast, so most of
the time we made it to the next
village within a day, but on
some occasions we have to camp
out.
When that happens we stop the
carriage, set up a campfire and
have dinner.

“Master! The space next to Firo
is open! Let’s sleep together!”

Pat, pat, in her Demon Form
Firo signals to me to sit
beside her.

“It’s way too stuffy being next
to you…”

It seems Firo really wants to
sleep next to me. At an inn,
I’ve ordered Firo to never
change to her Demon form, so
when we camp outside like this
she indulges herself a bit
more.
Well, if we’re camping outside
there’s no one around so there
won’t be any trouble. I guess
it’s fine to let her off the
hook a bit every now and then…

“Firo, you really do like
Naofumi-sama don’t you.”
“Yup! I won’t lose to you,
Raphtalia onee-chan.”
“How did you end up with that!”

Whenever Raphtalia and Firo
argue, it’s in some fine line
where I can’t tell whether
they’re on good terms or bad
terms.
Firo is still a kid, so she can
throw a tantrum at just about
anything.
Oh wait, Raphtalia is also
actually a kid herself isn’t
she. So mentally they’re about
the same age.

“Yes, yes. Hurry up and sleep
you two. I’ll wake you up when
it’s time to switch- .”
“Ahh- you’re treating Firo like
a kid again-!”
“That’s right! Please stop
treating me like a child!”
“Oh that’s right-! Raphtalia
and Firo are both grown ups
aren’t they-!”
“You don’t think so at all!”
“Yeah! Master you’re so
meeean!”

And with silly conversations
like that, our days of peddling
continue.

Rumors of Our Hero[edit]

Naofumi: "Hm?"

About an hour before arriving
at the next village, I heard a
strange sound while working in
the carriage.
There are wheezing sounds
coming from a carriage next to
ours. When I look outside, I
saw a man with an impatient
expression on his face, holding
onto a bag.

Naofumi: "What's the rush?"

The key to being proficient in
business is the ability to act
curious.

Naofumi: "Hey, you over there,
what’s wrong?"
Villager: "I need to return to
the village on the other side
of the mountain quickly."
Naofumi: "Why are you in such a
rush to return to the village
over there?"

The man wanted to buy medicine
for his parents but Firo ran
past him.

Villager: "Yes, every second
counts."

I understand the circumstances
of this man who caught up to my
carriage.
Hmm...The cost of getting to
the other side of the mountain
should be around 50 coppers.

Naofumi: "Firo, how fast can
you get there if you go at top
speed?"
Firo: "Uhmm, let's see… If I
were to run without pulling the
carriage we would arrive
quickly."
Naofumi: "Understood."

I glanced at Raphtalia who read
my mind and nodded.

Naofumi: "I'll take you there
for 1 silver is that fine?"
Villager: "Eh!?"

The man has a shocked
expression.

Villager: "I just bought
medicine, I don't have any more
money..."
Naofumi: "One silver is already
cheap you know? You can repay
me with medical herbs when we
get there. That's my final
offer."
Villager: "In that case......"
Naofumi: "Alright it's done.
Firo!"
Firo: "Okay~!"

Firo leaves the carriage on the
side of the road and turns
around.
I pick up the man and put him
in the wagon on Firo's back.

Villager: "Uwah!"

Firo carries the wagon with
both hands and dashed at full
speed.
Raphtalia is waving away from
the carriage.

Firo: "I'm leaving!"
Villager?: "Oh!"

Dotadotadota!
When Firo runs seriously, she
is two times faster than an
average Philorial.
We arrived at the man's house
in the village across a
mountain in no time.

Villager: "What frightening
speed......"
Naofumi: "Don't you need to
give your parent the medicine?
Don't drop it."
Villager: "Oh, right!"

The man enters the house. I
enter after him as I have yet
to receive my compensation.
It is a very normal house in a
farming village.
I heard coughing sounds as I
stepped inside.

Villager: "Mom, I brought
medicine. Endure it and drink."

As I walked towards the voice,
I saw a pale old woman who
looks as if she is about to die
at any time.
What medicine is that? The
effects seem greater than any I
know.
Hm...

Naofumi: "Hey. Before you let
her drink it, boil it in hot
water first."
Villager: "Is that ok?"
Naofumi: "Pass me the
medicine."

I received the medicine from
the man and fed it to the old
woman while rubbing her back.
The skill Medical Effect Up
seems to be working.

Old woman: "Cough......
Cough......"

The old woman somehow managed
to finish the medicine.
In my eyes, I can see some
light scattering.
Apparently it was pretty
effective.
The old woman's condition seems
to have improved by leaps and
bounds. Some redness returned
to her complexion and her
coughing has decreased.

Naofumi: "You should rest for a
while. Your son will bring you
food immediately."

The old woman looks up at me
while trembling.

Naofumi: "Now then."

I leave for the kitchen where
the man is.

Villager : "Oh, did she drink
it properly?"
Naofumi: "Yeah, her condition
seems to have stabilized as
well."

The man's shoulders sag in
relief at my answer.

Naofumi: "You can pay me
later."
Villager: "Okay."

I leave the house and head to
where Firo is waiting.
Before we leave the village,
the man's expression becomes
tense.

Villager: "Um..."
Naofumi: "What’s up?"

I answered the man while
packing up peddling goods.

Villager: "Because of you,
mother's complexion has
improved remarkably."
Naofumi: "It’s not necessary
for you to thank me."

I have a bad reputation, so if
people hear this, they will be
doubtful.

Villager: "At least tell me
your name."
Naofumi: "I have no reason to
tell you. The medicine did all
the work. Now, bring a silver
piece or some suitable herbs."
Villager: "O-okay!"

The man brought some items and
some food from his house and
gave it to me.

Naofumi: "Thanks, best regards
and see you later."
Villager: "Thank you very
much!"

The man seems to be a lot more
cheerful.
As a side note, on my next
visit, the old woman seems to
have become very energetic...
Maybe a little bit too
energetic for an old woman.
I got back on the wagon as we
return and begin compounding
medicine while translating the
intermediate recipe book.
The intermediate recipe book
seems to be easier to translate
than the magic book.
I was exhausted after being
able to barely translate a
treatment potion.
I've gotten pretty far.
Various things have happened in
this past month, I wonder if I
can meet my brother some time…
[22] [23]

Raphtalia: "Naofumi-sama, I've
finished selling items."

We arrived at the village
sometime in between evening and
afternoon.

Naofumi: "Can you take this
baggage and letter to the next
village?"
Raphtalia: "Sure"

I get off the carriage and load
the baggage.
This luggage must not be worth
much to trust an unknown
peddler with it.
Since it might be stolen, it
should be full of cheap things.
Well, it's not my problem since
I can earn some pocket change.
I continue from village to
village, town to town in this
manner.
If I feed someone medicine
directly, it seems the effects
do improve.
After two weeks, I've become
famous for being a peddler with
a rare demon.
As my credibility increases,
customers who want a ride also
increase.
I've been saving up money
slowly.
There's some merit in being a
travelling peddler.
First is being able to sell
medicine smoothly.
Then, any demons that were
defeated on the way were
absorbed, increasing my stats.
On this trip, I found out that
every region has different
demons.
As a result of peddling, my
shield seems to be getting
stronger.

I also overheard various
information.
I didn't know what the other
heroes, Motoyasu, Ren, and
Itsuki were doing before.
Motoyasu seems to be in south-
western region, I heard he
solved a famine for a village
by providing some legendary
crop.
That knowledge seems to have
come from a game.
Ren is in the south-east region
where atrocious devils are
residing. It seems there's a
rumour about him dealing with a
violent dragon.
And Itsuki... Well, he seems to
have brought down a tyrant in a
small country to the north.
But there's no evidence of who
Itsuki took down. There are
also vague rumours that claim
Itsuki of the Bow is the
strongest hero.
Before I came to this strange
world, I read about the 4 holy
weapons and the events that are
happening resembled what I
read...
The journey continues with
these thoughts.
Our levels after two weeksː

Me Lv 34 Raphtalia Lv 37 Firo
Lv 32

We have grown.
Firo's growth is abnormal
because she is a demon...
Especially her physical
abilities; before she needed
both hands (Wings?) to pull the
carriage, but now she can do it
with one while yawning. [24]
The person in question saysː

Firo: "This carriage is too
light, my motivation is
dropping."

Oh well. That's a good thing
It seems the Status Up bonuses
from my shield are effective.
Though there are other changes.

Pickaxe Shield
Unsealing completed… Equipment
Bonus: Mining Skill 1

Crystal Ore Shield
Unsealing completed… Equipment
Bonus: Craft Skill 1

I wonder. When we arrived at a
prosperous mining town, I found
a broken pickaxe on the road
and absorbed some crystal ore
which was thrown away.
Although these two skill
bonuses seem good for making
money, I lack information.
If I fail in processing some
ore, it would become trash. I
think a recipe would be
necessary.
In the first place, I had to
solve the intermediate recipe
book I got.
The deciphering was completed
in 2 weeks. There were 3 weeks
before that when I couldn't
understand anything and had a
staring contest with the book.

Antidote
Herbicide
Healing Ointment
Treatment Medicine (Already
able to make)
Nutritional Supplement (Already
able to make)
Gunpowder
Strong acid
Magic Power Water
Soul Healing Medicine
Insecticide

That is what I have deciphered
so far. The basics of the
intermediate class is that the
effects change depending on how
it's mixed.
Although I can't be certain,
understanding the recipe seems
to provide a bonus.
I let my shield absorb some of
the intermediate recipe book.
And the results wereː

Book Shield Unsealing
completed……Equipment Bonus:
Magical Power Up (Small)

Yup. I had high hopes that an
intermediate recipe shield
would appear. It seems to be a
waste. Besides, the defence is
very low.
However, during the next
morning when I finished
deciphering the Intermediate
Recipe book, Demon Treants
appeared but were quickly dealt
with and then absorbed.

Requirement for Treant Shield
has been released.
Requirement for Blue Treant
Shield has been released.
Requirement for Black Treant
Shield has been released.

Treant Shield
Unsealing completed……Equipment
Bonus: Plate Appraisal 2

Blue Treant Shield
Unsealing completed……Equipment
Bonus: Intermediate Compound
Recipe 1

Black Treant Shield
Unsealing completed……Equipment
Bonus: Half Compounding

Is this some kind of bullying?
Right after I finished
deciphering that book too!
All I learned was the Heal
Ointment? Perhaps, those
monsters are materials for a
recipe.
I cried when recipe 2 and 3
popped up.
I don't know how to make
gunpowder, but it seems these
treants are materials for
herbicide and the healing
ointment.
It seems that gunpowder can be
substituted with some king
flammable grass called
Crackling grass.
I experiment with the gunpowder
by collecting it into bags and
creating make-shift bombs.
After setting the bags on fire,
I hurl them at an enemy. After
throwing it, I dive to the
side.
Oh my, it seems the power of
the bombs was terrible, it just
burnt the bag and turned to
ash.
It seems I'm not even allowed
to attack with tools such as
bombs. That's actually kind of
amazing.

The strong acid that I store in
a glass bottle seems to be a
little less acidic than
sulphuric acid.
This is not a medical herb, but
it seems I can mix it with
water. I don't know what I can
do with this yet so I'll just
let my shield absorb it.

The Magic Power water restores
magical power when drunk. But,
the materials are rare and hard
to get.
It is an expensive medical
herb. If I create this, I
should sell it.

The Soul Healing Medicine seems
to restore SP. It also seems to
be rare and difficult to
prepare.

Insecticide was easy. I just
dissolve and mix grass that
repels insects until it
hardens.

Of the new recipes I learnt,
the antidote, heal ointment and
insecticide seem to be popular.
However, the herbicide seems to
only sell in small quantities
since people don't need that
much.
I let my shield absorb the
extras.

Requirement for Anti-Poison
Shield has been released.
Requirement for Glyphosate
Shield has been released. [25]
Requirement for Medicine Shield
has been released.
Requirement for Plant Fire
Shield has been released.
Requirement for Killer Insect
Shield α has been released.

Anti Poison Shield
Unsealing completed… Equipment
Bonus: Defence Power 5

Glyphosate Shield
Unsealing completed… Equipment
Bonus: 5% Damage Reduction from
Plants

Medicine Shield
Unsealing completed… Equipment
Bonus: Medicine Effect Range
Expansion (small)

Plant Fire Shield
Unsealing completed… Equipment
Bonus: Fire Resistance (Small)

Killer Insect Shield α
Unsealing completed… Equipment
Bonus: 3% Damage Reduction from
Insects

Perhaps I originally would have
received the anti-poison shield
for Poison Resistance
(Intermediate), but that
probably changed because I
acquired the Chimeric Viper
Shield first.
The skills that I have acquired
change due to the fact that I
already had them, so instead of
replacing the current skill, it
gets replaced by something new.

I am also confused as to what
the range expansion from the
Medicine shield does.
Does it make it so that
medicine is effective at a
range or will be it effective
to its surroundings?
I think the latter makes it way
too convenient.

I wonder if the Plant Fire
Shield is also effective
against magic.

What Is Glyphosate? It's the
chemical name for an herbicide.
As for the Killer Insect Shield
α... Maybe it will turn into
Killer Insect Shield β if I
increase the amount of herbs
mixed.
The effect of reducing damage
from specific enemies seems to
be convenient.

The problem is deciphering the
magic book. It seems to be
considerably difficult.
Raphtalia seems to have gotten
the hang of it, but she can't
use any magic effectively yet.
A ball of light floats in front
of Raphtalia for a few seconds.
You're making this prestigious
hero look bad.
Therefore, after Raphtalia goes
to sleep, I asked Firo how to
use transformation magic.
Though it's difficult to call
that magic, I am grasping at
straws.

Firo: "Uhmm. Imagine what you
want to become and feel the
power gushing from the bottom
of your body."

Yup. I completely don't
understand.
I'm done thinking.
It seems that even after
deciphering characters to read,
I can't use magic.
I can't get the feeling of
magic flowing since I am
originally from a world without
magic.
Still... I must learn magic.
I must live up to the
expectations of that magic shop
aunty.
Not participating in a wave
would be a problem. Since no
one else is protecting the
villages and towns, it has
become my job.
Sooner or later, being able to
use magic might make a
difference.
Though there is also the option
of buying a crystal ball, a
book is much cheaper.

Therefore, recently while
riding the carriage, I've been
groaning with a magic book in
one hand.
It seems Raphtalia's
explanation on magical power is
the same as Firo'sː it’s a
feeling in your body that comes
from the soul.
The feeling of sensing magical
power that even Firo has, what
kind of sense is that?
I continuously ponder that
question in my head.
Oh well, such are the results
of two weeks.

Snatching Everything But Your
Life[edit]

“Ohh… I am so fortunate as to
be able to ride on the carriage
of the Holy Bird.”
“The Holy Bird?”

That day we met a merchant who
was looking to head over to
next town so we gave him a
lift.

“Did you not know? Uhm, you are
the owner of this carriage
correct?”

The merchant who was chatting
with Raphtalia points to me
rather than her.
He pointed me out even though I
try to make it seem like
Raphtalia was the owner while I
pretended to simply be the guy
who synthesizes our goods.

“I am…”
“You guys are getting quite
famous. Word has it that there
is a carriage drawn by a Holy
Bird whose proprietors wander
about bringing miracles as they
sell their goods.”

The carriage rattles about as I
take a look from within the
carriage at Firo.
People seem to think pretty
highly of you, when in truth
you’re just a glutton who wants
to be spoiled.
But just what are these
miracles that he’s talking
about?
Hm?

“KWEEEEEH!”

Firo suddenly lets out a
strange call and runs rampant.

“Uwah!”

The three of us who were in the
carriage (Me, Raphtalia, and
the merchant) grasp at the
carriage’s handrails to keep
from falling.

“----GYAAAAA….”
“-----YASU-SAMAAAA….”

Gararara!
The wheels let out a loud
rattle so I couldn’t hear what
was going on outside.
Every now and then Firo flips
out and causes a ruckus like
this.
This is the fourth time since
we’ve started peddling. Such a
capricious creature.

“Watch it, it’s not just us two
in here you know.”
“Oka-y, I mean…. Kweh!”

I whisper at her so that the
merchant doesn’t hear.
It seems that a talking monster
sticks out quite a bit, and I’d
prefer not to invite any
needless attention
… Though I have a feeling I
might already be getting that
attention.
The merchant is giving me a
look in complete surprise.

“I’ve heard that it can
understand our language, but
it’s really amazing.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”

Now that I think about it, just
understanding human language is
pretty amazing, but being able
to speak our tongue too? Such a
high spec monster.
I’ll consider it as the
expansive possibilities that
the monster race can have. But
even in that sense she might be
something unbelievably rare.

“We just peddle plain old
medicine and pick up any jobs
that would benefit from our
carriage.”

I respond going back to our
original topic.

“It’s said that a saint riding
the carriage bears special
medicine, and the sick and
ailing who drink this special
medicine from his hand will be
saved.”
“Is that so…”

It’s a bit expensive, but it’s
medicine that most anyone can
afford.
On a side note, it seems I can
change which kind of herbs to
use to make medicine that would
best target specific symptoms.
The first medicine I made was
an all-purpose one so its
Quality was quite low. It
might’ve been pretty good at
stopping a cough.
But now that I’ve gotten my
hands on a wide range of herbs,
I can cater the medicine
towards a specific purpose.
Fevers, pulmonary problems,
digestive problems, skin
problems, the efficacy of the
medicine towards each of these
issues depends on the type of
herbs I use. I’ve just got all
kinds of these targeted
medicines on hand.
This type of stuff was covered
in pretty fine detail in the
intermediate recipe book.
Though I still use the shield
skill [menus] to help me out
when mixing herbs.

“Plain old medicine you say?”

I pull out a bottle from our
goods box and let him have a
look at it.

“Is this the miracle drug?”

The merchant pulls out the top
and takes a whiff.

“Well it certainly… Does smell
like the medicine I’ve taken
sometime ago.”
“… Do you know what it is?”

Is this guy also an apothecary?
As such questions go through my
mind, he shakes his head.

“Nope, that’s just the feeling
I get.”

So you have no idea!
I considered interjecting, but
just let it slide.

“So, what kind of merchant are
you?”
“I’m a jeweler.”

When he means jewels he
probably means that. It’s
probably in this world too.
He’s probably off to sell
accessories and the like to
some bigshot nobles.

“A jeweler huh… You’ve got
money selling valuables to the
nobles and yet you’re dealing
alone?”

If there’s that much money
riding on this merchant then it
would make sense to bring with
a comparable envoy to guard
him. And yet he’s alone, which
makes me quite suspicious.

“Your words hit a sore spot.”

Hahaha, the merchant responds
with a short laugh.

“Jewelers come in all kinds. If
I had to be more specific then
I’d say I’m an accessory
merchant.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Well then would you like to
take a look at my wares?”

As he says that, the accessory
merchant pulls out his baggage.
When I take a look inside, I
see things like broaches and
necklaces. Seem to be a few
bracelets in there as well.
But the ores used seem to most
all be iron or copper. As for
the affixed gemstone… How can I
say this, actually calling it a
gemstone would be somewhat of a
gray area.

“This time around I mostly just
have cheap goods.”
“I see… Did your business not
do too well?”
“Nope, this time I’m just
selling low-profit accessories
to adventurers.”
“Is that right…”

According to the accessory
merchant, accessories can be
Enchanted which could boost the
wearer’s abilities.

“By the way, how much would
each of these go for?”
“How much you say… This iron
bracelet that increases the
users Attack Power would go for
about 30 Silver.”

Ooh… That’s quite pricy. Even
my remedies don’t sell that
high.

“If it was Enchanted it would
go for 100 Silver.”
“Is that so.”
“It would.”

Hmm… I should definitely give
this some thought.
My medicine business has more
or less plateaued at the
moment. I typically get pretty
close to selling out, but since
I have to buy herbs as
materials, there isn’t much
profit.
I wouldn’t be able to keep up
with sales if I had to go out
and gather the herbs.
They might have been fine for
use back then, but the medicine
made from gathered herbs are of
too low efficacy to be sold.

“You would make these with
Crafting correct?”
“Hmm… Indeed, making the
accessories into this form
would be crafting, but then
I’ll be Enchanting them. Till
that point it would be Crafting
I’d say.”

… I see. So you could craft an
accessory, but it wouldn’t be
effective until you Enchanted
it. Enchanting… this seems to
be the kicker.
It has an unpleasant ring to
it. Why would it be? I’ve seen
the term a few times when I was
making medicine. It came up
quite a few times in the Magic
Water and Spirit Water mixing
instructions.
This is something you can’t
make unless you’re able to use
magic.

“This has been quite
educational. Thank you.”
“No problem at all, the
pleasure is mine.”
“Master-, looks like something
is coming.”

Firo warns me in a slightly
wary voice as she brings us to
a stop.
From the suddenly stopping
carriage, Raphtalia and I take
a look at our surroundings.
And from within the forest came
several figures.
All of them bore arms and
approached us with a look that
was anything but good.
They looked rather ragged, but
they had pieces of armor here
and there which resembled
barbarians. It’s most certain
that they’re mountain bandits
or something of the like.

“Bandits!”

The accessory merchant called
out in distress.

“Hehehe… You lot, bring out
your valuables and leave ‘em
here.”

I was almost astonished at such
a cliché line.
It’s that sort of thing isn’t
it. Is there really any point
in charging into these
situations?
Ah, I’m sure Firo already
realized it but charged
straight in anyway.
It’s written all over her face,
‘I can beat these guys, they
sure are making light of me.’

“We know you’ve got a Jeweler
holed up in there!”

The bandits shout at us.
I look over at the accessory
merchant.

“I thought you said you didn’t
have anything that was of
really high value?”
“Yes… I don’t have anything of
the like this time…”

Very nervously, the accessory
merchant puts his hand to his
shirt pocket as if he’s
covering something important.

“I do have an accessory that
would sell for quite a bit.”
“I see… So that’s what they’re
after huh.”

Looks like I’ve let on a pretty
risky passenger.

“I thought they wouldn’t target
a merchant that’s carrying
mostly nothing but cheap goods
and going for personal matters
rather than official ones, so I
skimped on security.”
“Are you stupid? Geez…”

All I can do is sigh.

“I’ll be charging you an
annoyance fee for this.”
“… I understand.”

The accessory merchant nodded
with a solemn look.

“Raphtalia. Firo. They’re
enemies.”
“Right!”
“Yup!”

On my signal, Raphtalia jumps
out of the cart and arms
herself.
I pull the accessory merchant
with me as I follow suit.

“Do not leave my side.”
“G, Got it!”

I change from a shield that I’m
working on releasing the
abilities from to a shield
meant for battle.

“Y,You’re the shield…?”
“Yeah…”

The owner of the carriage of
the Holy Bird was actually the
notorious Shield Hero. At that
fact, the accessory merchant
was dumbfounded.

“What’s that? You guys wanna
have at it?”
“Yeah. One must protect
themselves from whatever danger
comes after all.”

I answer, glaring at the
bandit.
The goal of this fight is to
prevent the enemy from reaching
their objective.
In other words, it’s to prevent
them from stealing what the
accessory merchant is holding.

“Raphtalia. Firo. Are you
ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready when you are.”
“I was just about to die of
boredom.”
“I see, then… GO!”

At my call the bandits also
brandished their arms and
charged forward. From what I
can see there are about 15
enemies give and take. There
are about that number of
targets.

“Air Shield!”

I distract the enemies running
towards me with the shield that
suddenly appears out of thin
air, then quickly activate my
next skill.

“Change Shield!”

Change Shield is a skill that
allows me to change the shields
that appear from Air Shield or
Shield Prison into another
Shield that I know.
The shield that I change it to
is Bee Needle Shield.
Bee Needle Shield’s Special
Effect is Shield of Thorns (S)
and Bee’s Poison (Paralysis).

“Wha, The shield suddenly…!
Gaah---!”

One of the people charging
after me runs head first into
the shield that suddenly
appeared. He then tumbles to
the floor, gets paralysed, and
starts convulsing. Nice, it
looks like the Special Effect
is actually kicking in.

“Shield Prison!”
“The hell is---“

The cage that comes from the
shield then traps one of the
other bandits.
Each of the shields have
different time limits. Change
Shield’s cooldown time is 30
seconds. It’s not something I
can really use repeatedly.
But it lets me bring down their
numbers so it’s quite
effective.
Three bandits appear in front
of me. They must think I’m
stupid as even though I’m an
escort I’ve got nothing on but
a shield.
I stand in front of the
merchant and block the attack.
Sparks fly from the point it
hits the shield, and I deflect
the robber's attack as a
metallic clang reverberates. It
seems his Attack Power is below
my Defence Power.
The shield I’m currently
equipping is the Chimera Viper
Shield.
Its Special Effects are
Poisonous Snake’s Fang (M) and
Hook.
The snake sculpture on the
shield begins moving and bites
the bandits who come to attack
me.
The Poisonous Snake’s Fang
retaliates with a poisonous
counterattack to whoever tries
to strike me.

“Guaaaahhh!”
“I, I won’t go down with just….
Ugh!”
“I, I feel sick...”

Poisonous Snake’s Fang poisons
all who attack me. It’s not too
effective on things that have
resistance. It seems to be
working. I’ve never tried it on
people before but it looks to
considerably effective. Also,
it’s not really a detriment,
but the poison is actually
lethal.
I order the shield to use Hook.
The snake ornament on the
shield comes out and grabs one
of the bandits. The Hook’s
effect has no Attack Power, but
just pulls anything from within
2 meters. It’s pretty useful
when trying to climb a cliff.
The bandit’s movements begin to
dull and a few of them start to
fall over.

“T, This guy is the Shield
Hero!”

The bandits start to get a bit
spooked.
It seems they’ve just realized
that they bumped into one of
the country's famous heroes.
But it’s too late for them at
this point. With that fear the
bandits quickly affirmed their
own disadvantageous position.

“Tei!”
“E-i!”

Raphtalia, with sword in hand,
takes a swing at the bandit
when she spots an opening. His
armor protects him from the
cut, but with the sheer force
from Raphtalia’s swing, the
bandit is smashed to the floor,
hits his head, and collapses.
Firo moves at a breakneck
speed, kicking one, then
another, with her powerful legs
that sends the bandits flying.
Each kick, the bandits flew
about 5 meters like Motoyasu
did… No wait. That one just
flew 20 meters.
......I’m pretty sure you would
die from that?
In no time at all, the bandits’
numbers dwindled, and those
that can remain standing
numbered 6.

“Shit! Retreat!”
“You think I’d let you?!”

I capture the guy who looks to
be the leader of the bandits
with Shield Prison. The
remaining bandits who try to
run are captured by Raphtalia
who is riding on Firo.
I’m glad they were weaker than
I thought they’d be.
Though Raphtalia and Firo sure
did quite the work.

“Now then.”

I pass my judgment on the tied
up bandits.

“Maybe I can turn you guys in
for some kind of bounty?”
“At times like these I’m not
sure there’s money to give for
that…”

Raphtalia responds with a
troubled face.

“Do you know?”

I ask the accessory merchant,
but as expected he shakes his
head.

“Even so I believe you should
turn them in anyway.”
“Hmm… Is that so…”

The leader of the bandit troupe
is looking at me with a
flippant smile.
I can easily imagine what he’s
thinking.

“‘We were attacked by the
Shield Hero. We’re just normal
adventurers!’ is what you’re
thinking?”

The leader gives an unpleasant
scowl.
That’s right! The officials
will probably take our word
over yours, you no-good Shield
Hero!

“Well, I can’t root out that
possibility.”

Just why is my reputation so
bad… I think about it now, and
I just can’t really accept it.
Thanks to that fucking princess
and king, even if I do good
deeds, no one would believe I
did it.
Sigh…

“It can’t be helped. I’ll just
kill you all.”

As they didn’t think I’d fathom
that choice, the bandits all
instantly turned pale.
Within the bunch one of them
was frantically trying to undo
the ropes, but Firo quickly
came in and kicked him and he
fainted in agony.

“I guess I can have my
dangerous monster here learn
how human flesh tastes like…”

I say that to the bandit troupe
in a low voice with a hint of
duress.

“Food?”

Firo says that as she stares at
the bandit troupe, drooling.

“H,Hiii---?!”
“I wonder what I’ll do.”
“Y-You’re the Carriage of the
Holy Bird aren’t you!? You’re
supposed to bring miracles and
yet you’re about to commit
murder!?”
“It’s not like that’s a title I
made up. One must protect
themselves from whatever danger
comes, right? I’ve been taking
it up the ass from everyone
else up until now. But now it’s
your guys’ turn, so just give
it up.”
“A-At least spare our lives!”
“Then give me all your
valuables and equipment, and
tell me where your hideout is.
You’re fine to lie all you
want. But you know, I hate
being lied to to death. If you
tell me one lie, I’ll have my
Holy Bird here rip out each one
of your four limbs one by one
and eat them.”

I say that casually as the
bandits tremble in absolute
fear.
Since I’m the notorious Shield
Hero, it’s very much effective.

“I, I got it! Our base is---“

I confirm the location on our
map.
It’s close.

“Alright, looks like
negotiations succeeded.”

As I bring my hand down, Firo
lets out a kick with such force
it knocks out all of the
bandits.

“In any case, let’s strip off
any valubles they may have. Oh?
This guy has some pretty good
gear. Raphtalia this will be
yours.”
“Stripping the bandits of their
goods… What we’re doing is
exactly the same as them.”

So Raphtalia says as she
follows my orders and quickly
strips the equipment off of the
bandit.

“Now give the guys that are
poisoned some antidote and load
them onto the carriage. Quickly
now, we’ll be bringing these
guys to the hideout as well.”
“Oka-y!”

After confirming that the
bandit’s base is really there,
I proceed to strip the guards
who were on lookout of their
valuables in the same manner.
We then crammed the
considerably abundant stockpile
of treasure onto the carriage,
and got all the bandits and
tied them up in their base.
The various treasures were
quite bountiful.
Things like plain money, food,
liquor, weapons and armor,
precious metals, healing pills
and other cheap medicine.
It’s far more bounty than I
imagined and an unexpected
bonus income.
These guys might be the bandits
that are raiding people all
over the region.

“Such… Boldness.”

The accessory merchant, who has
been following my actions in a
confounded manner, looks deeply
at me.

“So, how much of an annoyance
fee do I charge you?”

The accessory merchant comes to
his senses at my question.

“Maybe a few Silver Coins…”

I proceed to threaten him.
Thanks to you, this whole
predicament happened. I didn’t
put in all this effort just for
that much.
After negotiations, we agreed
to one accessory as proper
recompense.

“… That mindset to not just
take the bandit attack without
something back… I’m deeply
moved.”

Something seems to have sparked
inside of him. The accessory
merchant has been looking at me
with a fire in his eyes. Yeah
he’s probably telling the
truth.

“Okay then. I will tell you my
secrets in Crafting and
Enchanting as well as the
trading routes.”
“… Isn’t that a bit much?”

That is way too much
compensation, to the point it’s
making me a suspicious.
There’s a good chance that he’s
trying to trick me somehow
since I took an accessory off
of him.

“Not at all. Greedy merchants
such as yourself who wouldn’t
take a single hit without some
sort of recompense are becoming
a rarity.”
“I’m sure there are countless
people who are greedy out
there.”
“That’s not what I meant. It’s
how you squeeze every last drop
of profit out of someone. Not
just using them then disposing
of them, but to keep them going
in order to wring out
everything they have is what
I’m saying is necessary.”
“Using then disposing huh…”

I look over to the bandits whom
I’ve wrung out everything from.
They seemed to be pretty well
off judging by how good their
clothing were, so I just
snatched all the equipment they
had.
They’re just getting their just
desserts. Having all of their
goods taken away from them
feels like a fair curtain call.

“By doing that?”
“These guys tried to take our
money and our lives. However,
you negotiated and compromised
to let them live so long as
they gave you all of their
possessions. They were after
your life, so it would’ve only
been natural for you to kill
them. From your standing, [who
had their lives in your hands],
this is the best possible
outcome for them.”

Well I do have a terrible
reputation, so even if I tried
to turn them in, there’s a good
chance the officials would
believe their testimony over
mine. Though there was also the
chance they would believe me.

“They bought from you their
lives by giving all of their
possessions.”
“I guess you can look at it
that way…”
“And then, when you could have
had your just revenge, you used
that as leverage to increase
your own profits and wrung
every last drop out of them!”

The accessory merchant let out
a heinous smile.
What’s with this guy?! I can
see that he’s absolutely
atrocious!

“W, Well, let’s I’ll let you
off at the next town.”[26]
“No way, I have so much I must
teach you. I won’t get off
until I’m done.”

Just what is this accessory
merchant aiming to teach me!
I’m a bit worried about how
fired up this guy is getting...
But with that we carry on with
the goods we snatched away from
the bandits and this merchant
who seems to have warmed up to
us.
This bit might not be of any
worth, but the one who sold out
the accessory merchant to the
bandits was apparently a
merchant union member. It seems
that after that act he was
excommunicated from the union.

Learning Magic[edit]

For some reason, the accessory
merchant joined our peddling.
I'm not complaining since there
is payment, but I don't know
what this fellow is up to.
The accessory merchant started
teaching me various things
after he found out about my
Hero status during the bandit
fiasco, which he seemed to have
enjoyed.
Apparently, he wants to refine
my talents...
While the accessory merchant on
the surface is someone who is
gentle and teaches apprentices
kindly, he actually holds
considerable influence within
the merchant guild. Apparently,
the thieves around this area
are notorious. It seems that
they were tipped off by
associates within the merchant
guild.
The first thing he taught me
was where to mine for the
gemstones needed to create
jewellery. Next is processing
precious metals into
accessories. I am currently
capable of making various
designs. Because I am somewhat
of a picture otaku, my
creations were quite nice.
The tools needed to work are
also cheap. In this world,
there are magic tools that were
powered by magic stones,
similar to how fuel works.
There are several points that
seem similar to the burning and
grinding process of
metalworking in my world. [27]
To process any hard iron, I
would need to go to the
ironworks and work with a metal
mould. Having crafting skills
really help out with preventing
any mistakes that might have
been made. Although the Shield
is reacting, I can't just let
it absorb my work because it's
expensive.
Back to the main issue, I
wanted to start working on
enchantment magic.
As expected, I need to be able
to use magic. I groaned while
holding the magic book in one
hand and the accessory merchant
is curious.

Accessory Merchant: "Is Hero-
sama unable to use magic?"
Naofumi: "Yeah, even though my
slave can already use magic..."
Accessory Merchant: "Ah I see…
"

The accessory merchant took out
some small transparent fragment
and handed it to me.

Naofumi: "What is that?"
Accessory Merchant: "It's a
piece of an extremely rare ore.
It’s quite expensive."
Naofumi: "Wow..."
Accessory Merchant: "Can you
read the letters?"
Naofumi: "Yeah... Only the
simple ones though."

I've been seriously tackling
the letters of this world for
about a month. I can't read any
of the more difficult words,
but I can understand the simple
ones.

Accessory Merchant: "It's
enough for you to be able to
feel magic first, learning how
to use magic will come after."

Hmm... What you said just now
is quite difficult.
I play with the fragment while
thinking.
The fragment begins to shine.
What can I say... This feels
like I just found another hand
within myself that I had no
idea about.
Until now, I had no idea of the
existence of such an “organ”,
but it doesn't feel out of
place. Seems quite similar to
how even when a bird doesn't
know how to fly, it still knows
how to flap its wings.

Naofumi: "What a strange
feeling."
Accessory Merchant: "I grew up
knowing the magical power was
there. However, you had no idea
of its existence until
recently, but you seemed to
have succeeded"
Naofumi: "Is that so…?"

I am now conscious of another
“arm” called magic power.
I open to the part of the magic
book which I have already
deciphered. The letters begin
to shine. This is a magic
engraved by me and only usable
by me.

Naofumi:“I am the Hero of the
shield who commands the origin
of power. I have read and
deciphered a law of nature. May
the power of nature defend me!”
Naofumi: "Fast Guard!"

A target mark appears in my
view. I selected myself as a
test.
A light shines over me. Then I
check my status and it seems to
have risen.

Naofumi: "Oh..."
Naofumi: "I seemed to have
learnt it somehow. Well then,
teach me some magic."

The accessory merchant
disregarded my excitement and
begins another lecture.
Though, it wasn't that draining
to use such a spell. Then I
recall the enchantment magic
taught by the accessory
merchant.
I try and apply magical power
to a processed jewel.
I had trouble at first but my
shield corrected some of my
mistakes.
It gets difficult when I try
mixing power from a different
gem. Also, I seem to be able to
draw out magical power from
medicine and apply it.

Accessory Merchant: "Well,
that's the basics. Please keep
improving and apply it to your
business afterwards."

The accessory merchant gets of
the carriage and heads off.
Thus, I learn how to craft
something besides medicine.
Because it is necessary to use
ores, when we arrived at a
mining town, I started mining
immediately.

Owner: "Eh? Is that an
introduction letter?"

The coal mine owner asked in
surprise when I showed him the
accessory merchant's letter of
introduction.

Owner: "This is certainly a
letter from him. How did you
manage to get something from
someone so stingy?"
Naofumi: "What do you mean?"

Apparently the accessory
merchant is a very stingy
person.
The owner of the coal mines was
suspicious when I appeared with
a letter of introduction from
that scrooge, but was shocked
when it was the real thing.

Owner: "Since the letter is
real, how much do you want to
buy? Since you have the letter,
I'll be flexible."
Naofumi: "Uhm, may I mine it
myself? It would be cheaper."
Owner: "Eh? Well... That's
fine, take whatever you
mine..."

I left the business to
Raphtalia and Firo as I head to
a cave with my pickaxe. I'm
interested in the mining skill.
The sound of pickaxe striking
stone echoes through the cave.
To be honest, it's quite noisy
and the air is hot and stuffy.
As expected of a different
world, a crystal is exposed on
the wall and shines.

Owner: "This cave is safe
unless there are extreme
circumstances, so there are no
problems wherever you may want
to dig. However, the risk of
collapse is not zero."

I was guided to several places
within the mine by the coal
mine owner.
As I raise the pickaxe slowly,
a cross-hair emerges on the
wall.
What? Do I strike there?

Naofumi: "Tei!"

I swing the pickaxe down with
momentum.
With a clang a crack emerges
from the wall. The crack
spreads and the wall falls
apart.

Owner: "Whoa!"

That was a very fragile wall.

Naofumi: "Hm?"

The coal mine owner looked at
me as if I'm crazy.

Owner: "That hard bedrock... In
one strike?"

That was hard…?
Due to the mining skill, walls
collapse whenever I swing and
ores were collected at a
terrifying pace.
But there are still walls that
I can't collapse no matter
what…
Maybe it's because of my low
skill level.

Naofumi: "Well I’ll just work
with this."
Owner: "O-okay."

I filled a bag with gemstones
and leave quickly.
By the way, gemstones were even
able to be found near the
entrance of the mine. I just
had to dig near a few mulberry
trees.
It is surprisingly easy to find
in the neighbourhood.
Although the uncut stones close
to the surface seems to be of a
lower quality for magic.
According to my knowledge of my
world, there seems to be a
famous place where jewels were
dug up simply by digging in the
field.
Even though this is a different
world, I believed the good
quality gems will be buried
deep underground.

Ruby Bracelet was made!
Quality: Good -> High Quality

Even though I originally made
that as a trial, It seems to
have turned out well.
I also tried to imbue the
bracelet with magic.

Ruby Bracelet (Fire-Resistance
+)
Quality: High Quality -> Normal

Ugh... The quality fell a lot
after magic was imbued.
I dabbled in making accessories
as the peddling continues.
By the way, it is very hard to
make accessories on a moving
carriage, so I can only work on
them at night.
It seems my shield is not of
high enough level to absorb a
finished gem. Time to sell it.
The bracelet that was created
earlier was for 80 silver
pieces. The value of gems in
this world seems to be lower
than my world. It takes time to
create the foundation.
It might be worthwhile to make
new designs in the wagon.
Though, it's a little
inconsistent.
It seems anything will be
popular. What's popular in my
world might be popular here
too.
Though I don't know much about
expensive jewellery
However, production takes quite
a while.
That said, there is money to be
earned. It might not be a bad
idea to improve our equipments.

Requirements for Iron Ore
Shield have been revealed.
Requirements for Copper Ore
Shield have been revealed.
Requirements for Silver Ore
Shield have been revealed.
Requirements for Lead Ore
Shield have been revealed.

Iron Ore Shield
Unsealing completed...
Equipment Bonus: Smelting
Ability 2

Copper Ore Shield
Unsealing completed...
Equipment Bonus: Smelting
Ability 1

Silver Ore Shield
Unsealing completed...
Equipment Bonus: 2% Damage
reduction from Demons

Lead Ore Shield
Unsealing completed...
Equipment Bonus: Defence Power
1

A skill which seems to be
useful for the old man from the
weapon shop appeared.
It's pretty useless to me at
the moment anyway.
The Lead Ore Shield seems to
have displaced another skill.
I'm not going to use that skill
anyway.

Every day of peddling was
passed with such a feeling.
Having stopped at a southern
town, through a certain
reliable source (Accessory
Merchant), I heard of a
province that wants to acquire
large amounts of Herbicide.
Apparently there's a lot of
money to be made so we leave
for a south-west village in
haste. Judging by speed alone,
Firo seems to be a match for a
God Bird... [28]

Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
Chapter 38 –The Reason it was
Sealed

After hearing that there was a
village that had huge demand
for herbicides, we quickly
rushed over...
It might be that Firo was
excessively fast, but we were
able to make it to the region
in just a few days.