by Aneko Yusagi
Everything hinged upon whether or not he knew what was going on. And then, almost as if they had arranged it beforehand, everyone present clasped their hands together in unison and began to pray.
“May all be as our Lord the Shield wills it. We are thankful for this food that nourishes our mortal bodies. May it give us the strength to carry out the wishes of our lord, the protector of this world.”
“May it give us the strength!”
Holy shit, I almost fell out of my chair! What kind of prayer was that?! I mean, I’d been called the saint of the bird god before, but this was way more awkward than that! I never imagined being worshipped this openly would be so creepy!
But whatever. I’d ignore that for the time being. Without saying a word, I put a bite of stew in my mouth and pretended to swallow it before spitting it out in a napkin. Then I looked around. Hmm. I stood up and pointed at the stew I’d been served.
“Ahem! So you all just prayed to me, your ‘Lord the Shield.’ Well, as the Shield Hero, I’m ordering you all to eat a bite of this stew stuff that was served to me and my companions. Right now,” I said.
“Umm, as you wish.”
Werner and several other members of the Siltvelt leadership did as I ordered and ate a bite of the stew.
“Go ahead, Atla,” I said.
“Understood!”
In a flash, she leapt behind the members that hadn’t eaten the stew and delivered a quick jab to each of their backs.
“Gah! Wh-what’s the idea?!” one of them shouted.
“She’s just following my orders. Now then . . .” I said.
I pulled out several powerful antidotes from my shield and tossed them to the ones who had eaten the stew.
“I don’t know how fast-acting the poison is, so you should probably go ahead and drink the antidote. Now then . . .” I continued.
I leaned back and put my feet up on the table, like an ill-mannered twerp, and glared at the members of the leadership.
“So who wants to explain?” I asked.
That’s right. The food we’d been served had been poisoned. My shield and Raphtalia’s katana had the ability to detect poisons. The ability was called “poison sensing,” but that was beside the point. If we put any kind of poisonous plant in our weapons and analyzed it, a warning would pop up.
I had no intention of forgiving the scoundrels who had so blatantly tried to assassinate me and my companions. Being a political enemy was no excuse. Anyone willing to make an attempt on another’s life needed to be held accountable.
“Apparently you weren’t involved,” I said as I glared at Werner.
It seemed like he really hadn’t known. He was in a state of shock. The person in charge of tasting for poison must have been in on it, because he was looking at me with a disgusted look on his face.
“What were you thinking!?” Werner slammed his hands down on the table and shouted at the members we’d exposed.
“Ugh . . .”
“I’m absolutely horrified! Execute them at once!” he continued.
“That would be letting them off easy,” I said.
I looked over at the lion therianthrope who hadn’t eaten the stew. He thought no one had noticed, but I saw him smirk ever so slightly when I pretended to take a bite.
And then without delay, I swung into action. We left breakfast uneaten and moved to the throne room. I sat on the throne and had the perpetrators kneel before me.
“I’ll see to it that everyone who was involved is smoked out. Please give me some time,” Werner said.
“Sorry, but I’m done waiting. I’ve had enough of your stalling!” I shouted.
I glared at Werner and he simply bowed his head. I guess that meant he wasn’t going to try to argue.
“Listen up. We want to get to Q’ten Lo as soon as possible and we need you to arrange for that to happen. I have no interest in doing anything that will cause problems for any of you. If you want to engage in a power struggle, that’s fine, but leave me out of it,” I said.
There was no way I was going to stick around with a bunch of bastards who’d tried to assassinate my whole party. The lion therianthrope had been staring at the ground, but he looked up and took a step forward.
“Making such a demand is easy, but if there is backlash from the people, I don’t know if we will be able to keep them under control,” he said.
“You ‘don’t know’? Bullshit,” I replied.
“Not at all. I’ve heard that assassins are being sent to your territory. If there is backlash, I can’t deny the possibility that some of Siltvelt’s citizens might join those assassins in their mission,” he went on.
“Oh really? And why is that?”
“Is it not obvious? A Shield Hero who is content with staying in Melromarc is of no value to them. To them, such a Shield Hero is but an imposter, presuming to be a god. It would be no surprise if we saw the emergence of a faction of citizens driven to violence by their own sense of justice,” he explained.
I had to admit that what he was saying did make sense. So in other words, he wanted to say that it was my fault that there was unrest within Siltvelt.
“It’s only natural that we would want you to do everything you can to help resolve this issue. Whether you do that directly or leave it to your underlings is of little consequence,” he continued.
“And what exactly do you want me to do?” I asked.
“I’m sure you already know the answer to that. It’s the same thing Werner desires as representative of the shusaku. The same thing all members of the Siltvelt leadership desire. Indeed, it is the same thing that all of Siltvelt desires,” he replied.
I stood there silently, looking at the lion therianthrope and wondering what he wanted to say.
“First of all, it goes without saying that you would commit to acting as the Shield Hero solely on behalf of Siltvelt,” he said.
“Solely?” I asked.
After the incident with the Spirit Tortoise, the waves had stopped occurring in this world for the time being. But that was temporary, and when they started again it would be up to me, Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu to travel around the world taking care of them.
That went for the seven star heroes too, of course. I didn’t know where they were or when I would see them, but if we didn’t all cooperate to put an end to the waves, we would most likely end up facing the same kind of problem Kizuna’s world was up against. I really wanted to talk to the seven star heroes about all of that now, before the waves started again.
“That is correct. You would act not on behalf of our enemy Melromarc, but as Siltvelt’s hero, and only Siltvelt’s hero,” he replied.
“The heroes have to fight waves all over the world. Are you saying you have a problem with that? If there’s something you want me to do here in Siltvelt, then I might be able to agree, depending on what it is,” I said.
The lion therianthrope sneered and gave an instigative response.
“Are you that naïve? Do you really think Siltvelt is going to send its hero to other countries? Don’t be absurd. Leaving the country without permission would be inexcusable,” he said.
“So basically, you want to put me under house arrest here in the castle.”
What a joke! I was so mad I could feel smoke coming out of my ears. I’d experienced all sorts of ridiculousness in this world, but it had been a long time since a request had pissed me off so much.
“Furthermore, you will take one wife from each tribe and produce an heir with each. Once you have done that, you will have fulfilled the absolute minimum of your obligations as the Shield Hero. Do you even have any idea how much discontent has accumulated among the tribes?” he continued.
So he was saying I was supposed to form a harem and get all of my wives pregnant?
“If you cannot even do that much, the tribes’ dissatisfaction with the current Shield Hero is certain to remain. You say Q’ten Lo assassins are being sent to your territory? That’s your own fault. That country
is undoubtedly after you, the Shield Hero. To say that they would come after a pathetic racoon such as her is absolutely ludicrous,” he went on.
And to top it all off, he glared at Raphtalia like she was a piece of trash while he insulted her. I wasn’t sure I could resist the urge to kill him anymore.
That did it. I’d activate my Shooting Star Shield and parade around the castle town, declaring that the country’s leaders were rotten to the core and needed to be overthrown immediately. I’d start a revolution. If I didn’t, I was never going to get to Q’ten Lo.
“Jaralis! Hold your tongue! Shield Hero, I beg of you, please ignore him!” Werner exclaimed.
He must have sensed my anger, because he got down on the ground and prostrated himself, begging for forgiveness. But I wasn’t the type to let something go so easily.
“Do not misunderstand. What I have told you is the collective opinion of the people of Siltvelt. That is a fact. However, I am not like them. Leave the arrangement of your trading ship to Q’ten Lo to me, Shield Hero,” Jaralis said as he approached me.
He clenched his fists tightly as he openly defied Werner.
“Jaralis! You bastard!” Werner shouted.
“That is right, Shield Hero. I shall prepare a ship for you. You have my word,” Jaralis continued.
“Hmm . . .”
Did this guy think I was an idiot or something? The members who’d tried to poison us were all glaring at him, and it was obvious that they wanted to say, “That’s not what we agreed on!”
He probably just planned on running if I pointed it out. But surely he, of all people, knew just how much influence I had as the Shield Hero. I might have even been able to get away with having Raphtalia and the others kill him right there on the spot by just saying I’d told them to.
“Heeeey Maaasteerrr, why is that person saying something he doesn’t really meeeaan?” Filo asked.
She pointed at Jaralis.
“Are you implying that I’m lying? Ha! I wonder what gives you that idea,” he said.
“Huuuh? But when you said you would prepare a boat, you had the same look in your eyes as a person who’s lyyyying. Just like Mel-chan’s big sister or that armor guy that worked for the bow guuuy,” Filo replied.
Just like Witch or Armor, huh? Yeah, this guy was definitely just about as untrustworthy as those two.
“It’s unfortunate that you think that. Regardless, I am being quite sincere,” he said.
“Huuuh? But when Master was about to eat that stew, you were clenching your hands under the table in anticipation. I saw yooou,” Filo replied.
“I saw that too. You should have done a little better about hiding it,” I said.
“Y-you’re mistaken! That’s purely a coincidence! Does clenching one’s fists make one a criminal?! Do you enjoy framing people, Shield Hero?” he asked.
Hmph. So he knew about my past trauma and was using that to try to manipulate me. But I saw him smirk ever so slightly when I pretended to eat the stew. He was undeniably rotten. It was obvious he was trying to use me for his own political purposes. Now I just needed to decide how to cook his goose.
“Framing, huh? I have no problem with presuming innocence when in doubt, but I saw you smirking. Or do you have an excuse for that too?” I asked.
“Your eyes were clearly playing tricks on you,” he replied.
That was a ballsy answer. So I guess he was going to insist that what I’d witnessed was just me seeing things.
“That’s not truuuue. You were acting fidgety before Master took a bite toooo,” Filo said.
She really was good at seeing through others’ lies.
“Why are you doing thiiis? Why don’t you tell the truuuuth?” she asked.
With a little bit of guidance, she could come in handy during the interrogations. Actually, I guess I’d used her against Melty before too. Her tactics didn’t work on me, though.
“Alright then, maybe I’ll put Filo in charge of questioning the poison taster. If he doesn’t know anything, then we’ll just question the next person. You’ll be last. Then again, even if things don’t lead back to you, you’ve done plenty of other shady things too. I refuse to trust you,” I told Jaralis.
“Oh, dear!” he replied.
He made an exaggerated show of being mortified when I pointed at him.
“Reprehensible! I can bear no more of this!” Atla declared loudly as she took a step forward.
“Huh?”
Chapter Seven: A True Siltveltian
“What is this insolence? You and your brother are hakuko half-breeds. You have no right to speak here! Be gone!” Jaralis shouted.
“Half-breed? Right to speak? Pathetic! Have the people of Siltvelt — those of you here in this room, especially — not forgotten the most important thing of all?” Atla replied.
She may have only been a child, but she brushed off Jaralis’s angry response as if she were completely unaffected.
“What?!” shouted Jaralis.
“Hold your tongue!” yelled another member.
“A-Atla?” Fohl stuttered.
“I will not. I would not be able to forgive myself if I stood by and watched this farce without speaking up. My intellect, my intuition, and my heart are all telling me that your actions are wrong,” she replied.
As Atla was speaking, I could sense some kind of energy erupting from her body. The energy took on the form of a tiger and bore down on the Siltvelt leadership. It felt similar to bloodlust, but not quite the same. I wondered if it was some kind of advanced application of life force.
Atla stomped a foot down in front of her and the impact caused the floor to split open. The surrounding members of the Siltvelt leadership gulped.
“C-could she be . . .”
“Impossible . . .”
The way they were trembling in fear seemed to imply they knew something I didn’t, but that wasn’t really my concern at the moment. I decided to just cross my arms, sit there like a king on a throne, and hear her out.
“I want you all to recall the original purpose of Siltvelt. Recall why it came to exist in the first place. You say you worship the Shield Hero, but here you are treating him like dirt!” she shouted.
“Wh-what are you saying?! Have we not welcomed the Shield Hero back — ”
“Then tell me, why does Mr. Naofumi, the Shield Hero, look so upset?! Do you really think we have not noticed the innumerable times you have treated Mr. Naofumi rudely since we arrived?!” she continued.
They were all trembling like a group of children being scolded by their mother.
“I’m ashamed that I ever admired your so-called religious devotion!” she shouted.
Oh yeah. Atla had gone on about how fantastic their devotion was several times earlier. I’d been planning on having a talk with her about that before long.
“Now then, people of Siltvelt, do you know how this country was founded? Can you tell me why it exists?” she asked.
“O-of course! It was founded by the Shield Hero and exists for the sake of the Shield Hero!” one of them replied.
He’d taken the bait. Atla pointed at the man.
“That’s right! Siltvelt was built by the Shield Hero, just like that village in Melromarc was rebuilt by Mr. Naofumi! And yet you make veiled threats of sending assassins to the village! Your actions are a disgrace to the founding of your own country!” she exclaimed.
“N-nonsense!”
“Siltvelt is a huge country! That village in Melromarc is — ”
“And did Siltvelt start out as a huge country? Are you saying the village that Mr. Naofumi, the Shield Hero, is rebuilding is insignificant simply because it is small?” she snapped.
There was no end in sight to Atla’s castigation. She was really on a roll.
“Do you want the history books to tell of a world that longed for something fresh and new rather than settling for worn, old fossils?” she asked.
“Ugh . . . But . . .”
“What is the pu
rpose of our power — these claws and these fangs of ours — in the first place? Think about it! Is it world domination? Or is it to protect others? It is neither! It is all for the sake of Mr. Naofumi, the Shield Hero!” she shouted.
The members of the leadership — Werner, in particular — began nodding repeatedly.
“Have you not spent years upon years sharpening those fangs to prepare for when they would be needed? You can insult me and call me a half-breed if you like, but that doesn’t change what this blood running through my veins is telling me. It demands my loyalty to Mr. Naofumi!”
Some kind of strange aura began to form around Atla, and the leadership gradually began clapping. I couldn’t believe it. Would they swallow anything dished out to them?
“That’s right! The waves of destruction are upon us! The fate of future generations lies in the hands of the Shield Hero! Have we not sharpened our fangs so that we may assist him? Then declare your loyalty to Mr. Naofumi! Serve him as a retainer should!”
The roar of applause filled the air. I was only looking on vacantly. Raphtalia had a look of disbelief on her face. There was a single lion therianthrope, along with his sidekick, who refused to join in on the applause. It was Jaralis, standing there with a scowl on his face.
“A-Atla?” Fohl muttered again.
He was staring at her with a look of amazement.
“I don’t know. Nothing she said seems outright wrong, so I can’t really argue with her,” Raphtalia said.
She seemed to mostly agree with Atla.
“Yeah. Her reasoning for being loyal to little Naofumi and her willingness to fight can’t be faulted,” Sadeena replied.
“Hm? We fight against the waves because Master asked us to, right?” Filo said.
They all voiced their support like it was completely obvious. Seeing this, the members of the Siltvelt leadership all knelt down, as if they had suddenly returned to their senses.
“I can’t believe I had to be told such a thing by a little girl like this. But it is just as she says,” Werner replied.
“We exist for the sake of the Shield Hero! Our purpose was supposed to be to rescue the world from the coming destruction. And yet we tried to treat the Shield Hero like a tool to gain power for ourselves. It’s unspeakable!” shouted another one of the members.
