by Aneko Yusagi
Soul Eater Shield: ability locked: equip bonus: skill “Second Shield” spirit resistance (medium): Spiritual Attack Resistance (medium): SP up:
Special effect: Soul Eat, SP recovery (weak)
The shield unlocked with just the tail, and it didn’t reference any other parts—which probably meant that further butchering the Soul Eater wouldn’t do me any good. I tried letting the shield absorb other parts, but nothing changed.
But what was this Second Shield thing? Spirit resistance probably meant that I could hold off spiritual attacks.
The special effect Soul Eat sounded kind of interesting. I hope it didn’t mean that I could eat souls. That didn’t sound so good to me.
I slowly changed the shape of the shield. It was like the whole thing was made from the monster, from the Soul Eater’s head. It was a strange design.
And the Chimera Viper Shield had a higher defense rating.
If the special effect Soul Eat meant that I could eat souls, then I should be able to hold the Soul Eater. So I reached for it. But my fingers weren’t able to actually touch its flesh.
I guess I was wrong. Good. I wasn’t interested in eating any souls.
It was probably a counter attack of some kind. Maybe it “ate the enemy’s soul” in the sense that I absorbed their SP.
Okay next, what was this Second Shield skill? I tried it out.
“Second Shield.”
Air Strike Shield to Second Shield.
That’s what the icon flashing in my field of vision said.
“Air Strike Shield!”
I waited to make sure that the Air Strike Shield appeared in the air before continuing.
“Second Shield!”
Another shield appeared.
So that’s what it meant. Up until now I could only use one Air Strike Shield at a time. But now I could apparently summon two. There were probably a lot of different ways to use it, but it didn’t excite me all that much.
I looked back at the remaining inter-dimensional Soul Eaters.
“I kind of want to absorb them all and leave nothing for the others.
But they would never let me live that down.
Besides, if they didn’t get stronger it wouldn’t be good for anyone, let alone for me. If I was going to have to fight with them, they would have to be strong too. Sure, in this fight I was definitely the MVP. Still, I decided to leave materials for the others.
“Master, let me eat the leftovers!”
Filo shouted, a long trail of spittle dangling from her beak.
“Can’t fight nature.”
I cut through the spine and tossed a tail over to Filo. She gobbled it up.
“The bones are so slimy!”
“Wait. Did we run into any slimes?”
“Um…”
The rest of the conversation wasn’t interesting, so I’ll just cut it off there. Let’s just say that I ended up angry because I didn’t get to use them to unlock any shields.
“All right! Let’s head for the next village and see if we can help them rebuild.”
We had finished what we had come to do. So the volunteer soldiers and I started to help with cleaning up the bodies and making repairs in the next the village.
We obviously weren’t going to be able to help with all the jobs that needed to be done, so we focused on feeding the survivors and treating their wounds.
“Thank you so much! We’ll do all we can!”
The volunteer soldiers listened to my orders and obeyed them without issue. I guess it meant that I didn’t need to doubt their sincerity anymore.
A day had passed since our long and trying battle—finally, the knights arrived.
The leader of the knights was very upset that I had summoned the volunteer soldiers to the wave with me.
“You bastard! You think you can steal my subordinates and use them to form a private army?!”
“It’s not the Hero’s fault! We came to him and offered to lend out services. He merely accepted our offer.”
“What? And you call yourselves soldiers for the great land of Melromarc?! You’d sell yourselves to the Shield?!”
“You fool. Are you really going to focus on scolding your subordinates when you are surrounded by all this tragedy? Do you have any idea how bad the damages would have been had they not been here?”
The villagers had gathered around to hear what was going on. They all nodded in agreement with me.
“And just so you know, those other heroes that you depend on so much, they were defeated along with their parties during the wave, and now they’re relaxing in that building over there.”
No one had asked them to do it, but the villagers had gathered together and brought the unconscious heroes back to town so they could nurse them back to health. They had the medicine they needed, but it would still be a few days before they were back on their feet. Still, they were recovering quickly, and they’d probably wake up before the day was over.
“Hurry and bring the Heroes to me! I will send them to an excellent hospital!”
“Their wounds aren’t as bad as the others around here. There are villagers in much worse shape. You should prioritize them!”
“We must prioritize the Heroes for the sake of our great country. No, for the world!”
This guy sure was impressed with himself.
Regardless, I’d assumed they would behave that way, so we’d been prioritizing the villagers’ treatment anyway.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, hurry up and get them out of here! The rest of us have things to do.”
“Wait, Shield.”
I waved them away, but the knights had been talking about the situation with the volunteer soldiers, and now they called out to me.
“What is it now?”
“Your presence is requested at the castle.”
“No thanks. You’re a pain.”
“You WILL come with us.”
I’d like to see them try to force me. We had more important matters to attend to. Why were they always in my way?
I ignored them and turned to leave, but the volunteer soldiers stepped forward, petitioning. They bowed to me.
“Please, Shield Hero. Please come with us.”
They had done everything I asked and obeyed all my orders. It didn’t seem right to ignore them now. Besides, I did have that new carriage that I needed to pick up from the guy at the weapon shop.
“Geez.”
I scratched at my head and slowly turned around.
“Fine. All I have to do is go with you, right? I owe these soldiers, so that’s the only reason I’ll do it”
“Thank you so much!”
They were all clearly thankful that I was going with them. I slowly nodded.
And so we all made for the castle.
We arrived the next day and entered the castle.
“We’d like for your companions to wait in the other room.”
“You’d bring us all this way and then send them off?”
These people drove me crazy.
“Mind if I just get out of here?”
It wasn’t like they were going to do anything nice for me. All this was a waste of time.
“You may not leave. We have a great deal of information we need to learn from you.”
“I told you everything on the way here.”
I’d already told them about how the heroes were defeated and we were left to face the final enemy alone. The volunteer soldiers had seen it all happen, albeit from a distance, so there was no room for them to doubt what I was saying.
The Trash might try to make something up, but if he did I would just run way.
I was strong enough to get away now, and if Raphtalia and Filo were with me then I should be able to outrun anyone who tried to pursue us.
“Silence! You are before the king!”
The door hinges squealed as the door opened, and we were lead to the thrones, where the Trash sat and looked down severely at us.
I’m sure he’d already
been told everything. He was obviously irritated at how successful I had been during the wave.
“It is incredible to think it, but I hear you were able to fight back the wave, Shield. As for myself, I don’t believe a word of it.”
“Is that how you express your gratitude?”
“Insolence! I have a question for you—not that I can trust your words.”
“What?”
How awful was this guy? Did he need to indicate his distrust after every single sentence he spoke?
“Shield, I hear that you have discovered a strength that has made you more powerful than the other Heroes. I don’t believe it, but you have an obligation to tell me if it is true. Speak now. Not that I believe you.”
He was so transparent, the fool. He was wondering if I was stronger than the other heroes, but he wasn’t honest enough to ask me directly. He made me sick, the Trash.
Honestly though, I had no idea why Glass retreated after she defeated the other heroes.
She’d mistakenly thought that I was the strongest hero, and so we started fighting. But then a counter indicating a time limit appeared, and she retreated.
I could tell that the hourglass timer had something to do with what happened, but the rest of it was a mystery. What would have happened if the counter had run out?
There were too many questions remaining. Eventually we would have to find the answers. But I didn’t have time for that now.
But still. I could tell what was going on here. I turned to the Trash and smiled, jabbing my finger at the ground before me.
“If you really want to know, crawl down here and bow to me.”
The Trash King was so shocked he froze up for a moment. His face was hilarious. I wished I could have taken a picture.
“Did I stutter? Are your ears plugged up? If you really want to know, come down here and put your nose on the floor!”
“Uh… Uh… Uh…”
“What are you grunting like a monkey for? Or do you only aspire to be as wise as a monkey? The king is trash! Not that I would believe the words of a monkey anyway.”
As I parodied and mocked him, his face grew red and stiff. His eyes glared at me, full of hate. You know what? It felt great.
“You bastard!”
The Trash roared. His shout echoed through the halls.
The first enemy was the wave, and the second was the Trash. But I wasn’t going to lose to the Trash.
“Don’t you ever show your face here again!”
“You’re the one who asked me to come! You don’t have to ask me to stay away!”
And so I said my final farewell to the Trash.
Chapter Fourteen: On the Road Again
“I’ll have your head!”
The Trash wasn’t happy with my behavior.
“Uh-oh! How are you going to get me to the guillotine?”
There was a clatter of armor as knights began inching toward me from their posts around the throne.
“Are you guys forgetting? I’m the one that defeated the enemy—the one strong enough to take down all the other heroes.”
I readied my shield and faced the knights. They all stopped moving.
I was a hero, after all. They did all know that I’d survived the wave where others had fallen, so why would they risk drawing close?
Even if I was half faking it…
“What are you doing?! Kill this insolent fool!”
“Hey now.”
I turned back to him and spoke threateningly.
“Don’t you understand? I’m strong enough to march into this castle, kill you, and make it out of here unscathed. You see that, right?”
“Uh…”
The Trash King looked very upset.
“If you don’t believe me, I can demonstrate.”
I’d learned that some tricks and threats were necessary to negotiate effectively in this place.
I had to use the tools available to me if I was going to restrain the Trash.
“Those heroes you depend on were defeated by the enemy—an enemy I then defeated! Now you want to make me into your enemy?”
“Ughhhhh…”
He was so angry he was grinding his teeth.
“The only reason you can speak that way…”
“I’ll kill you if you touch my party members.”
I thought it best to tell him how that would play out.
Iron Maiden was a very powerful skill. It had defeated the Soul Eater, so I knew it was capable of killing someone. At the very least I could use self curse burning and give them all some serious burns.
Trash’s face was pale. Apparently he finally understood his place.
“Don’t ever summon or speak to me again, Trash. When the waves are over, I’m out of here. Until then, I will do what I have to. But don’t get in my way.”
I couldn’t pull any punches when I threatened him—and I couldn’t use my trump card either. I had to save that for when I didn’t have any other options left. If I killed him here and now, nothing would change. Whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes would just pop up and take his place.
Still, if I had to fight the other heroes directly, I didn’t know if that was a fight I could win.
And if I had to fight them all at once, I was sure to lose.
“Later.”
I turned and left the throne behind.
“I won’t forgive you! I won’t forgive you, Shield!!!!!!!!”
His screams echoed through the castle.
“That makes two of ussssss!!!!”
I shouted on my way out of the chamber.
I left the castle and was walking down the stairs when I passed a woman who looked like she was from the nobility.
She hid her mouth with a fan, and she was wearing an expensive-looking dress. I couldn’t see her whole face, but I could tell she was pretty. I wonder how old she was? She was probably in her early twenties. Her hair was purple. That was a rare color.
“Zank you for all your hard work, Zir.”
Zir? Crap, I almost turned to look.
Huh? The woman was followed by the younger princess.
“Ah.”
I ignored her and kept walking. I didn’t have anything to say to the Bitch’s younger sister.
“Mz. Melty…”
“I understand, thank you!”
Yes, at the time I thought nothing of it, and kept walking.
At the time I wouldn’t have thought, not even in my wildest dreams, that the younger princess would be the key that unlocked the door to dramatic change.
By the way, Raphtalia and Filo were waiting for me back in the room. Apparently they had thought that I might cause a ruckus and had been planning to come after me. I didn’t know if I should be happy they understood me so well—or if I should be bothered by it.
I left the castle, and the first thing I did was stop by the weapon shop to see if the carriage I’d ordered was ready.
“Hey kid. The carriage is all ready to go.”
“Well that was fast. Old Dude, you sure do work with metal quickly. You manage everything I ask of you so fast.”
“I just organize it all. I have friends that help out with the actual work. I didn’t actually make the carriage!”
Yeah, I suppose it only made sense that he’d get a local blacksmith to help him out.
“I was just thinking that you’re one of those guys that can make anything happen for the right price.”
“Kid, I swear it’s depressing to hear you talk like that. I’m not young and skilled like you are.”
“I’m not skilled.”
What kind of person did he think I was?
“It’s parked out back. Come have a look.”
“Right on, can’t wait to see it. By the way, I was thinking about Raphtalia’s…”
Before I could finish my sentence, Raphtalia reached out and grabbed my hand.
“What is it?”
“You don’t need to mention the sword. I have a back-up sword anyway.
So let’s save whatever money we can for now.”
“Hmm… Well, if you really think so, then I guess we can.”
Filo’s attack had gotten so powerful that she was doing most of the damage anyway. If Raphtalia could take on a support role, that should be fine. And she was probably thinking that we might find a better sword than the old guy could make for us.
We made our way out to the back of the shop, and sure enough, a large metal carriage was waiting for us.
The carriage was metal. Even the roof was metal. It reminded me of a little tin wagon my parents had bought for me in the past—only this one was life-sized.
“Wow!”
Filo’s eyes were wide and sparkling. I’d never seen her look so excited.
She tottered over to the front of it, and slowly reached for the reigns.
“I’m allowed to pull it, aren’t I?”
“Sure.”
“Yay!!”
Her eyes were fluttering, and she readied her grip on the reigns. She was so excited she looked like she might explode.
“Let’s load it up first.”
“Understood.”
“Okaaay!”
We went to the old carriage, took all of the luggage out of it, and then moved everything to the new carriage.
I couldn’t help but notice that we were spending more and more of our time moving things and carrying luggage around.
“What do you think, kid?”
The old guy poked his head out to see how it was going. I gave him a “good job” thumbs up.
“It’s just what I wanted.”
“Great. Though I have to say, it looks pretty heavy. Think the bird-girl can handle it?”
“Yeah!”
“No problem. She was pulling the last carriage with three carts linked to the back.”
“Impressive.”
“She might even start whining that it’s not heavy enough.”
“You know what I like? Hard ones!”
Maybe it was a Filolial thing? Did they compete to see who got to carry the heaviest, hardest objects?
“Ahahaha. You can do it! Hey, that has me wondering. Where are you off to now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard all about it. You did something crazy at the castle?”
