When we reached the village, the monsters that had spilled out of the Wave were just starting to run wild.
The stationed knights and adventurers were barely managing to fight them off, but they were vastly outnumbered. The defensive line was on the verge of collapsing.
"Raphtalia, guide the villagers to safety."
"Huh? What about you, Naofumi-sama?"
"I'll draw their attention!"
I rushed toward the front line and charged into the swarm of locust-like monsters with my shield.
Of course, the impact made the sound of striking metal and dealt absolutely no damage.
But it was enough to grab their attention.
This was no different from what Raphtalia and I had been doing.
"Gyi!"
Small insect-like monsters swarmed toward me. Besides the locusts, there were bees and ghouls—the variety of monsters seemed pretty limited.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Whether it was thanks to the Barbarian Armor or the shield's effect, I still wasn't taking any damage.
"A-Are you… the Hero?"
"Yeah… while I've got their attention, get your defenses back in order, fast!"
A lot of the people in Ryuto Village were familiar faces to me.
"Y-Yes!"
Taking advantage of the situation, even those who weren't seriously wounded pulled back, leaving the entire defensive line to me alone.
"Hey…"
What the hell were they thinking?
Half exasperated, I watched as the monsters attacked me with their fangs, needles, and claws.
They made clanging noises, but it didn't hurt or even tickle. The only unpleasant part was the sensation of things crawling all over my body.
I slammed my shield into the monsters.
Wham!
Seriously, why was everyone in this world so useless, leaving everything to other people?
The Wave had barely started and I was already getting irritated.
"H-Help—!!"
The innkeeper I'd been staying with was being attacked by monsters behind me.
Just as the monster's claws were about to pierce through the innkeeper, I shouted on instinct.
"Air Store Shield!"
I cast the skill and summoned a shield to protect the innkeeper.
The innkeeper was startled by the suddenly appeared shield but turned to look at me.
"Run, now!"
"…Th-thank you."
The innkeeper, legs giving out beneath him, thanked me and left the scene with his family.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
A textbook bloodcurdling scream.
I looked to see monsters swarming toward a woman who seemed to have been slow to flee.
I moved into range,
"Shield Prison!"
I summoned four shields to protect the woman.
The sudden appearance of the shields caused the monsters to redirect their targets toward me.
That's right. Come at me. I'm the only one you need to target.
Before Shield Prison's duration expired, I lured the monsters away and retreated back to the village's defensive line.
Wham! Wham!
Guh…
More and more monsters piled onto me, weighing me down.
Then, fire rained down from above.
Peering out from the monster swarm, I could see the knight order had arrived, and the mages among them were raining fire spells in our direction.
"Hey! There are allies over here!"
Well, just me, but still.
In an instant, the monsters caught fire and blazed up.
Since there were a lot of insect-type monsters, the fire magic made them go up in flames.
It seemed I had high magic defense in addition to my physical defense.
Amid the blazing defensive line, I was furious about the friendly fire, but I strode toward the knight order, glowering at them, my cloak billowing as I scattered the flames.
"Hmph, the Shield Hero, huh… tough bastard."
The one who seemed to be the captain of the knight order took one look at me and spat out.
A shadow burst forward and raised a sword to strike.
The one who'd spat was met with a clang as he drew his own sword and locked blades.
"What are you doing to Naofumi-sama! Depending on your answer, I won't forgive you!"
Raphtalia declared with killing intent in her voice.
"A companion of the Shield Hero?"
"Yes! I am Naofumi-sama's sword! I will not tolerate such insolence!"
"…You'd defy the knight order, a demi-human?"
"Those who neglect the people they're supposed to protect and indiscriminately burn their own allies with magic—whether they're knights or not, I won't forgive them!"
"You're in one piece, so what's the problem?"
"That is not okay!"
The knights surrounded Raphtalia as she strained in the sword lock.
"Shield Prison!"
"Y-You—"
I locked the swordsman in a cage of shields and glared at the knights who were trying to outnumber me.
"…The enemy is the monsters crawling out of the Wave. Don't get things twisted!"
At my rebuke, the knights looked away, knowing they were in the wrong.
"What would a criminal Hero have to say?"
"Then… how about I leave, and you handle the rest on your own?"
From the blazing front line, monsters surged forward boldly and charged at me where I stood at the forefront.
I was enduring all of it, and the knights turned pale.
I was still, after all, the Shield Hero. There was no way they could handle this alone.
"Raphtalia, are the evacuations done?"
"No… not yet. I think it'll take a little longer."
"Got it. Hurry up and get everyone to safety then."
"But…"
"I just got hit with friendly fire from allies, and it didn't hurt or tickle. However… if you think I'm helpless and plan to act all high and mighty…"
I patted Raphtalia on the shoulder while glaring down the knight order.
"…I'll kill you. No matter what it takes—I'll even feed you to the monsters and escape myself if it comes to the worst."
My threat seemed to work, as the knights held their breath and stopped their spellcasting.
"Now then, Raphtalia. We'll start fighting once we've gotten rid of these annoying people. Don't worry—there are plenty of enemies to go around. We can take them on after."
Surprisingly, it seemed I could endure this after all. I'd be fine.
"Y-Yes!"
Following my instructions, Raphtalia sprinted toward the village.
"Damn it! A criminal Hero, of all things…"
The moment the Shield Prison's duration expired, the idiot who seemed to be the captain started yelling at me.
"Oh, so you wanna… die?"
The monsters were closing in behind me.
Realizing that if I wasn't protected, they'd be next, the idiot shut his mouth and backed off.
Good grief. Not a single one of them was worth a damn.
If I weren't the Shield Hero, whose only ability was protecting others, who the hell would willingly help these people?
After that, thanks to the effective stalling, the monsters that had poured out of the Wave were mostly dealt with.
Once Raphtalia finished evacuating the stragglers and returned to the front line, I went on the offensive.
Using the knights' support as best I could, the rift in the sky finally closed after several hours.
"Well, that should about do it."
"Yeah, the boss this time was a piece of cake."
"Yes. With this, the next Wave should be easy too."
The Heroes who had been fighting at the forefront of the Wave were chatting casually in front of what appeared to be the main boss—a chimera.
They'd left the evacuation of civilians to the knights and adventurers, and now they were talking like that… After a whole month, they still hadn't snapped out of their gaming mindset.
It was too much hassle to even bother scolding them, so I ignored those shitty Heroes and felt relieved that we'd survived the Wave.
The sky had returned to its usual color. Before long, it would be dyed by the setting sun.
At the very least, I could survive for another month now.
…The reason I hadn't taken damage was probably because the Wave was still weak. Honestly, I wasn't sure I could handle the next one.
When the day came that I couldn't endure anymore… what would happen then?
"Well done, Heroes. The King has prepared a feast for the party of Heroes who survived this Wave. He wishes for you to come, and rewards will be given."
I didn't want to go. But I had no money. So I tagged along with the others who were heading back.
I was pretty sure they were supposed to give us the same amount as the initial summoning fee at regular intervals.
Five hundred Silver Coins. That was a fortune to me right now.
"U-Um…"
The people of Ryuto Village approached me as soon as they saw me.
"What is it?"
"Thank you. If you hadn't been here, I don't think any of us would have made it."
"It just worked out that way."
"No."
Another one rejected my response.
"It's because you were here that we were able to survive like this."
"If that's what you think, go ahead and think that."
"「「「Yes!」」」"
The villagers bowed to me and went on their way.
Their village had taken heavy damage. The rebuilding ahead of them was going to be tough.
They'd only thanked me because I saved their lives, even though they usually looked down on me… What a bunch of hypocrites.
"Naofumi-sama."
After the long battle, Raphtalia—covered in mud and sweat—ran up to me with a smile.
"We did it. Everyone's grateful."
"…Yeah."
"This way, there won't have to be more people like me. It's all thanks to Naofumi-sama!"
"…Yeah."
Whether it was from the post-battle high or because she was comparing it to her own past, Raphtalia's eyes were welling up with tears.
"I… tried hard too."
"Yeah, you did great."
I patted Raphtalia on the head and praised her.
That's right. Raphtalia had followed my instructions properly, fought well.
That had to be properly acknowledged.
"I defeated a lot of monsters."
"Yeah, you were a big help."
"Hehe."
Seeing Raphtalia smile happily gave me a slightly uncomfortable feeling, but we headed toward the castle.
"My, my! As expected of the Heroes! The damage this time is worlds apart from last time—even I cannot hide my surprise!"
After the sun had set, at the grand feast held in the castle, the King made his grand declaration.
For reference, I didn't know how many casualties there had been last time, but apparently this time the dead and injured were in the single digits.
…I had no intention of claiming credit for anyone's exploits.
Those other Heroes had apparently been defeating the monsters as they poured out, so I couldn't claim it was all my doing.
But I personally felt that before long, this level wouldn't cut it anymore.
The hourglass teleported us to a nearby area, so it had been fine this time, but what if the Wave occurred somewhere the knights couldn't reach in time?
There were a lot of issues…
I opened my menu and checked.
Regarding the battle during the Wave
When summoned by the hourglass, it is possible to simultaneously teleport registered personnel if preparations are made in advance.
Wait—couldn't the knights have been registered too and gone with us?
With their attitude, there was probably nobody who'd agree to be registered by me anyway.
But… those shitty Heroes hadn't used it either.
Why was that?
If it was a game they knew, they should have made arrangements.
…They probably just figured it wasn't that serious, or they hadn't bothered to check. Something like that.
It was tiresome even to think about.
I sat in a corner of the feast and ate my food without ceremony.
"What a feast!"
Raphtalia's eyes sparkled at the mountain of food she normally wouldn't get to eat.
"Go ahead and eat as much as you want."
"Yes!"
I hadn't been able to give her much in the way of good food… Now was the time to let her eat whatever she liked. Raphtalia had more than earned it with her performance in battle.
"Ah… but if I eat too much, I'll get fat."
"You're still growing, aren't you?"
"Hmm…"
Raphtalia was making a troubled face.
"Just eat."
"Does Naofumi-sama like girls who've gotten fat?"
"Huh?"
What was she talking about?
"Not interested."
The word "woman" alone was enough to bring that awful woman to mind. Feelings like or anything similar didn't come up at all.
The very concept of women was something I found physiologically distasteful.
"Of course. Naofumi-sama was always like that."
As if half-resigned, she reached for the feast.
"It's delicious, Naofumi-sama."
"Good."
"Yeah."
Ugh… this feast was a pain. When were we getting the rewards?
Looking at this gathering of scum was enough to make my blood boil.
…Come to think of it, it might not be until tomorrow or so.
Was it a wasted trip? No, the saved food expenses made it worth it.
Raphtalia was a demi-human in her growth phase—she ate a lot, and the food cost was nothing to scoff at.
"If we had containers, we could've taken some home."
Since it wouldn't keep, it'd only last until tomorrow, but thinking about the money, it was wasteful.
…Later I'd ask the cook to wrap some up. I could also take some extra ingredients while I was at it.
While I was thinking about all this, Motoyasu—wearing an expression of pure fury—came pushing through the crowd toward us.
Seriously, what was it now?
Not wanting to deal with him, I tried to dodge into the crowd, but the bastard followed, glaring at me the whole way.
"Hey! Naofumi!"
"…What?"
With theatrical flair, he removed one glove and threw it at me.
That was supposed to signify a duel, right?
Motoyasu's next words caused a stir among the crowd.
"I challenge you to a duel!"
"What the hell are you talking about out of nowhere?"
Had he finally lost his mind?
Come to think of it, this idiot had the brain of a game player through and through.
He was the kind of boar who'd abandon the people he was supposed to save and charge straight at the boss—the Spear Hero, my ass.
"I heard that Raphtalia-chan, who's been hanging around with you, is a slave!"
He pointed at me, burning with fighting spirit, as he made his accusation.
"Huh?"
The person in question was happily piling her plate high with food and eating away.
"So what?"
"'So what'…? Are you serious right now?!"
"Yeah."
What was wrong with using a slave?
There was nobody who'd fight alongside me like that. So I bought a slave to serve me.
This country didn't prohibit slavery in the first place.
What was his problem?
"She's my slave. So what?"
"People… shouldn't enslave other people! And as Heroes from another world, such behavior is unforgivable!"
"What's with the sudden speech… there are slaves in our world too, you know."
I didn't know what Motoyasu's world was like, but it was impossible that slavery had never existed in human history.
Change your perspective, and every corporate worker was a slave to their company.
"Unforgivable? Maybe in your world! In your world!"
Making up his own rules and forcing them on others… this guy was out of his mind.
"Unfortunately, this is a different world. Slaves exist here. What's wrong with me using one?"
"Y-You…!"
Motoyasu leveled his spear at me.
"Let's settle this! If I win, you release Raphtalia-chan!"
"Why should we have to settle anything? What do I get if I win?"
"Then you can keep Raphtalia-chan! Like before!"
"That's not even a negotiation."
I turned to leave, ignoring Motoyasu. There was no benefit for me in a duel.
"I've heard what Lord Motoyasu has to say."
The crowd parted like the Red Sea and the King appeared.
"A Hero, of all things, using a slave… I'd only heard it in rumors, but if Lord Motoyasu objects, then I shall order it. Duel!"
"Like I care. Just hand over the Wave rewards already. Then I'll leave this place on my own!"
The King sighed and snapped his fingers.
Soldiers appeared from somewhere and surrounded me.
I noticed Raphtalia was being held by other soldiers.
"Naofumi-sama!"
"…What is the meaning of this?"
I stared down the King with all the intensity I could muster.
This guy hadn't believed a single word I said.
On top of that, all he did was get in my way.
"In this country, my word is absolute! If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to confiscate the Shield Hero's slave by force!"
"…Tch!"
He probably knew how to remove the Curse placed on slaves, or had the kingdom's mages who could.
In other words, if I didn't fight, Raphtalia would be taken away from me.
Don't screw with me! She was finally becoming useful!
Did he have any idea how much time and money I'd invested?
"There's no need for a duel! I—mmph!"
Raphtalia was gagged with a cloth to keep her quiet.
"There's a possibility the slave has been Curse to suffer if she doesn't support her master's side. Let's keep the slave quiet."
"…You can force someone into a duel, right?"
"Why would the prize of a duel need to participate?"
"You—"
"Then let us hold the duel in the castle courtyard!"
The King cut off my complaints and declared the location for the duel.
Damn it, I had no attack power! This was a fixed match!