Now then, what should I do next?
That thought reminded me of the Recovery Medicine left over from the Wave.
I'd prepared it just in case, but since I hadn't used it, I might as well sell it to the Potion Shop for some cash.
"I'll hit up the Potion Shop, and then maybe the Weapon Shop."
"Naofumi, you're not getting any more aid money, so keep your purse strings tight, okay? Doing what you did last time will only tighten the noose around your own neck."
"I know."
"As far as equipment goes, we're not hurting for anything right now. Wait until you actually need something before you buy."
"..."
Hmm, that made sense.
But the gear we had was pretty bottom-tier compared to the other Heroes. If anything, I thought it would be wise to get Raphtalia a better weapon so we could take on stronger enemies...
"And it's only been a few days since you last bought new weapons, right? Think about what kind of face the old man at the shop is going to make."
"Mm..."
The Weapon Shop owner had definitely hooked me up with all sorts of deals. Trade-ins and discounts and whatnot. With my current funds, I doubted I'd be able to afford anything with a meaningful difference in strength...
"Fine. I'll save my money for now."
"Great!"
Buying everything once I had a bit more financial leeway wasn't a bad idea either.
"Alright, let's head to the Potion Shop."
True to my word, I showed up at the Potion Shop, and the moment the owner laid eyes on me, he broke into a friendly smile.
"What? What's going on?"
Usually he gave me this grumpy look every time I came to buy medicine, so this warm smile sent a chill down my spine.
"Well, you see. I wanted to thank you if you ever stopped by."
"Huh?"
Both Raphtalia and I tilted our heads.
"A relative of mine from Ryuto Village came and told me you saved them. They asked me to return the favor if there was any way I could help."
"Oh... I see."
When the Wave ended, the people of Ryuto Village had all lined up to thank me. Apparently one of them was a relative of the Potion Shop owner.
"So this is my way of saying thanks."
The Potion Shop owner pulled a book from a cabinet and handed it to me.
"What's this?"
"It's a collection of Intermediate Recipes—higher-level formulas than the beginner potions you've been making. I figured it was about the right time for you to give it a shot."
"..."
I slowly opened the Intermediate Recipe book. The binding was a little worn and questionable, but I could tell there was writing inside.
Yeah. Can't read a word of it.
"I... appreciate this. I'll do my best."
It would be rude to refuse such a generous gesture.
Surely in here there were potions that could sell for a good price.
"I'm glad to hear you say that."
Ugh... the pressure of someone else's kindness I couldn't reciprocate was getting to me.
I'd given up on it since I couldn't read the writing of this world, but... maybe I really should learn.
"The Magic Shop told me to come by too."
"The Magic Shop?"
"It's a shop that handles books for learning magic, Naofumi."
"Oh, right."
That place I'd thought was a bookstore was actually a Magic Shop... come to think of it, there were crystal balls in the back of the store.
"Which shop is it?"
"The big one on the main street."
...Ah, so one of the first or second largest bookstores in Castle Town.
"So what brings you here today?"
"Ah, this time—"
He bought my Recovery Medicine at a higher price than usual.
With that money, I replaced some equipment and, as instructed, paid a visit to the Magic Shop.
"Oh my, the Shield Hero. My grandchild was telling me how you helped out."
"Huh..."
I had no idea who they were talking about, but they were probably a resident of Ryuto Village. The old lady at the Magic Shop welcomed us warmly.
She was kind of plump, dressed in a witch-like outfit.
"So what do you need me for?"
I looked around the interior of the Magic Shop, which I'd mistaken for a bookstore.
Old books lined the shelves, and behind the counter sat a multitude of crystals.
There were also staffs and other things that definitely gave off a magic-related vibe.
Come to think of it, how did people learn magic in this world?
"Before that, is the young lady next to you your only companion, Shield Hero?"
"Hm? Yeah."
I looked at Raphtalia and nodded.
"Then just wait here a moment, would you?"
The old lady stepped behind the counter, brought out a crystal ball, and began chanting some sort of incantation.
"Alright then, Shield Hero, take a peek into the crystal ball, will you?"
"S-sure."
What on earth is this supposed to show?
I peered into the crystal ball with that thought in mind.
...It was glowing, but I couldn't really see anything.
"Let's see... the Shield Hero has aptitude for support and healing magic."
"Huh?"
She was diagnosing my Magic Aptitude!
If she'd just told me sooner, I might have actually understood... well, I shouldn't complain, but she really glossed over the explanation.
"Next is the young lady behind you."
"Ah, yes."
I stepped aside, and Raphtalia peered into the crystal ball.
"Hmm. As expected, the young lady of the Raccoon species shows aptitude in light and dark magic."
"'As expected'—is that common knowledge?"
"Let's see... the Raccoon species is known for being skilled at illusion magic that uses refraction of light and the vagueness of darkness."
So that's how it was. The Raccoon species was similar to raccoons or tanuki. In my world's Japan, tanuki were thought of as yokai that could shapeshift and fool people.
Maybe there was some overlap between the two worlds in that regard.
"So what's the verdict?"
"Here you go. This is what the old lady at the Magic Shop wanted to give you."
What she handed us was three books.
Books again! I can't even read—why did people keep so kindly giving me books?
"Truth be told, I'd like to give you crystal balls, but then I'd have a hard time getting by."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you know, Shield Hero? If you release the magic sealed inside a crystal ball, you can learn the corresponding spell instantly."
What!? So even if I couldn't read, I could use magic?
"A long time ago, the kingdom placed a bulk order for Hero-use... and shipped out a fair number, but you didn't know about it?"
"Didn't know."
That scumbag king. He'd probably just distributed them to the other Heroes later.
Seriously, this deliberate exclusion made me want to kill him.
"With magic books, it's quite tough, but if you study seriously, you should be able to learn about ten spells in a month."
Crystal balls gave one spell each, while magic books offered around three per volume, roughly speaking. That was assuming I could read, of course. Well, she said a month, so maybe there were even more.
"Sorry about that."
"No, it's more than enough that you're giving us the magic books for free."
Raphtalia smiled and handled the response, and I nodded along.
"So roughly how powerful are the spells?"
"They're all beginner-level. Anything higher than that... you'd have to pay for."
"A-ah."
Business was business for her too. She was practically giving these to us at a loss, so I had no right to be picky.
"I appreciate it."
I'd probably come across as awkward, but we left the Magic Shop with the spell books in hand.
"Ugh..."
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
I'd never been much of a student. With my grades, what was I supposed to do?
I knew. I needed to buckle down and decipher these books to learn the recipes and spells.
Or more like... I couldn't help wondering if the Shield had something like an "Otherworld Text Translation" function.
The potion recipes might very well already be in the Shield. If I looked, I might find them.
But would it be less effort to search for the corresponding shields, or to memorize the characters, read the books, and learn to craft on my own?
The latter had the advantage of a lower price and the ability to take on other challenges too.
But still... whenever I thought about the possibility of a translation function existing in the Shield, the effort of learning felt like a waste, and my motivation to study wilted.
"Let's learn magic together!"
Raphtalia called out to me cheerfully.
"I can't read the writing of this world, you know..."
"Yes, that's why we should learn together."
"Well... I guess that's how it'll be."
No harm in picking it up between potion-making sessions. Probably.
"Come to think of it, when is the next Wave coming?"
"Hm? Ah, hold on a sec."
I fiddled with the icon in the corner of my vision and pulled up the Wave's arrival schedule.
45 days and 14 hours remaining.
"There's 45 days!"
It wasn't every month?
No, well, it wasn't two months either... but thinking about it, this country had summoned us after things had already started.
So the timeline might have more leeway than I thought.
If you factored in the number of days between Raphtalia becoming a slave and meeting me, this result seemed natural.
One month had been a pretty rough estimate.
"I mean, having time on our side is a good thing, but..."
Thinking about how much I wanted to accomplish in that span, it might actually not be that much.
"So is our business here done?"
"Let's see... we've re-registered the Slave Crest, sold off the equipment and potions, and we got the books, so I think we're good for now."
I double-checked with Raphtalia.
Coming back because I'd forgotten something would just be a waste of time.
"Then shall we go grab a bite to eat and then head out to level up?"
"Sure."
This morning's breakfast had been a pleasant surprise. My sense of taste had come back.
Good food gave you energy.
Mortar Shield conditions unlocked.
Beaker Shield conditions unlocked.
Pestle Shield conditions unlocked.
Mortar Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Novice Compounding
Beaker Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Liquid Compounding Bonus
Pestle Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Gathering Skill 2
After finishing our meal, we left Castle Town and headed toward Ryuto Village.
That area and beyond had monsters of an appropriate level.
I didn't know about any secret hunting grounds the other Heroes might have. So my only options were to hear about them from the locals or find them on my own.
Finding a suitable spot by spreading out a map was no easy task, but there was a certain satisfaction in that.
It wasn't a competition, but being behind those other Heroes did sting a little. Still, fighting unfamiliar monsters and winning made the Shield grow, so it wasn't a bad deal.
I'd been skipping a lot of the explanations, but all sorts of Shields were popping up. The problem was that most of them were stat-boosting types.
More defense boosts made sense, since it was a Shield. Beyond that, my Agility, Stamina, Magic, and SP—basically every stat except Attack—had gone up.
That was why I'd come out of the last Wave almost completely unscathed.
Along the way...
"...Come to think of it, can I absorb Wave enemies with the Shield?"
I'd forgotten since I'd just gone straight home, but it might be worth trying for the Shield's growth.
And as we approached Ryuto Village, we found a fair number of Wave monster carcasses scattered about.
Dimensional I-Nago Shield conditions unlocked.
Dimensional Lower Bat Shield conditions unlocked.
Dimensional Corpse-Eater Shield conditions unlocked.
Dimensional I-Nago Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Defense 6
Dimensional Lower Bat Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Agility 6
Dimensional Corpse-Eater Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Prevents Item Decay (Small)
I also tried dismantling them to see if other Shields would unlock, but it seemed like I could barely satisfy the conditions for this series—I only managed to unlock one.
Bee Needle Shield conditions unlocked.
Bee Needle Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Attack 1
Unique Effect: Needle Shield (Small), Bee Venom (Paralysis)
I figured that was about it and kept walking, when I spotted villagers clearing away a Chimera carcass.
"Yo."
"Ah, Shield Hero."
Whether it was the influence of yesterday and today, the villagers welcomed me warmly when they saw me.
"That was the Wave boss, huh..."
I murmured as I looked at the Chimera's remains.
It was hard to pinpoint, but... when I looked closely, even though it was called a Chimera, something about it felt different from the other monsters of this world.
Whether it was the coloring or something else, I couldn't quite put it into words.
"It was a terrifying thing."
"......Yeah."
I agreed with the villager's voice.
The other Heroes and the knight order must have stripped it for materials—it still held its shape, but the skin and flesh had been carved away.
"Mind if I take a little off your hands?"
"Go right ahead! We were having trouble disposing of it anyway. Want us to process it and turn it into equipment?"
"That's not a bad idea, but... there's not much usable material left."
The skin had been peeled off, so it was out of the question for armor. The meat and bones... maybe the snake portion of the tail was all that remained.
The head section hadn't been cut off. From the look of it, there had probably been about three heads, but...
Whatever. Raphtalia and I dismantled the Chimera carcass and absorbed it into the Shield.
Chimera Meat Shield conditions unlocked.
Chimera Bone Shield conditions unlocked.
Chimera Leather Shield conditions unlocked.
Chimera Viper Shield conditions unlocked.
Chimera Meat Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Improves Cooking Quality
Chimera Bone Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Dark Resistance (Medium)
Chimera Leather Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Defense 10
Chimera Viper Shield
Ability locked... Equipment Bonus: Skill "Change Shield," Improved Antidote Compounding, Poison Resistance (Medium)
Unique Effect: Snake Fang (Medium), Hook
That last one had a whole bunch of useful bonuses. The defense was pretty high too.
But to transform into it, I needed a much higher level, and it seemed like I had to unlock several other Chimera Shields first.
Putting it off for now was probably fine, but it had a high chance of becoming my main shield during the next Wave.
"What should we do with the rest?" I asked the villager.
"We're just going to bury it anyway, so please, take whatever you want."
"Hmm..."
It felt like a bit of a waste, but what was left was almost entirely meat and bone.
The bones were durable, I supposed, but the meat... you could make jerky out of it or something.
It was definitely not for eating, though.
Actually, it gave off the impression of being ingredients for magical potions.
...That said, I had no idea where or to whom I could sell it, and I didn't want it to rot. If I tried to preserve it poorly and it got reanimated or something, that would be terrifying.
Same could be said for the bones. Though those at least seemed safer somehow.
But... being overly cautious about it seemed a bit much.
"Fine, I'll take as much as I can carry."
"But that's going to be quite a lot?"
"You can store it in the village, right?"
"Huh? If the Shield Hero says so..."
"I mean, turn the meat into jerky, keep a little for yourselves, and sell the rest to peddlers or anyone who wants it. It should cover some reconstruction costs. If you tell people it's meat from a Wave boss, there are probably those who'd buy it for research purposes."
"You're right, there might actually be buyers for that."
The villagers wanted reconstruction funds too, so they accepted my proposal. I had the Shield absorb the innards and other spoilage-prone parts, and by the time we reached Ryuto Village, the sun was already starting to set.
The village was half-destroyed, and the survivors were grouped together in houses that had sustained relatively little damage.
We were given a room in an inn that was mostly intact, courtesy of the owner, and spent the rest of the day resting.
"...I'd like to help with the reconstruction, but I don't have the luxury of worrying about other people's problems right now..."
I'd been mooching off the people of Ryuto Village all day today.
They were grateful for how I'd handled the Chimera carcass, but getting free meals and lodging felt a bit wrong.
"That's true. If we could do something that benefits both us and the village, that would be ideal."
I had someone in the village who could read and write draw up a chart for deciphering this world's writing.
To put it simply, it was like an hiragana chart. In English, you'd call it an alphabet chart.
Then, Raphtalia, who could read a little, pronounced which characters corresponded to which letters in my world's writing, and I converted it into a deciphering key.
Combined with actual vocabulary, the decryption would probably still be difficult.
But... it never hurt to at least give it a try.
Between potion-making sessions, I struggled and wrestled with learning the characters.