"Man, I really lucked out getting a ride on the Divine Bird's carriage."
"The Divine Bird?"
That day, I'd taken on a merchant who wanted a lift to the next town, so I let him ride along.
"You don't know? Um, you're the owner of this carriage, right?"
The merchant pointed at me, not at
I'd been having Raphtalia pose as the carriage's owner to play the part of the alchemist, but still.
"That's right, but..."
"You've gotten quite famous, you know. There's talk going around about the Divine Bird pulling a carriage, spreading miracles while doing business everywhere it goes."
Inside the rattling carriage, I turned my gaze toward
But I had no idea what "miracles" they were referring to.
Huh?
"KEEEEEEAAAAAAA!"
Filo suddenly let out a shriek and took off at full speed.
"Whoa!"
Me, Raphtalia, and the merchant all grabbed onto the carriage railing so we wouldn't go flying.
"---GYYYYYAAAAA..."
"---Lord Filooooo..."
Rattle-rattle-rattle-rattle!
The wheel noise made it hard to hear what was happening outside.
Filo does this from time to time — just goes on a rampage.
This was the fourth time since we started peddling. She really is unpredictable.
"Watch it — it's not just us in here," I muttered.
"Okaaay — wait, no... KEE!"
We whispered back and forth so the merchant wouldn't overhear.
Having a monster that talks tends to attract attention, and it could invite unnecessary trouble.
...Though I had a feeling we'd already attracted plenty.
The merchant was staring at me with a look of shock.
"I heard she could speak, but this is incredible."
"Yeah, I think so too."
Come to think of it, even if understanding human speech is one thing, actually being able to talk — just how high-spec is that creature? You'd have to chalk it up to the extraordinary potential of monsters. In that sense, she might be incredibly rare.
"We just do normal things — peddling medicine, acting as a carriage substitute, that sort of thing," I said, steering the conversation back.
"The story about a saint riding in a carriage who saves the suffering sick just by having them drink a special medicine has become quite the talk," the merchant said.
"Oh... really?"
That stuff I made is a bit pricey, but still within reach of common folks. It's a Healing Potion.
By the way, you can also vary the herbs depending on the symptoms.
The first Healing Potion I made was a general-purpose type with low quality. It had a slightly stronger effect on respiratory ailments, but that was about it.
Now that I had access to a wide variety of herbs, I made potions tailored to different uses.
Fever, lung disease, digestive problems, skin conditions — the effect changes depending on which herbs you use. They're all just lumped together under the label of Healing Potion.
The Intermediate Recipe book had detailed information on all of that. Plus, the Skill unlocked from the Shield showed me assists based on which herbs I blended.
"It's just a regular Healing Potion, you know."
I pulled a Healing Potion out of the goods box and showed it to the merchant.
"So this is the miracle medicine."
The merchant removed the cap and sniffed it.
"Indeed... it has the same scent as a medicine I took long ago."
"...You can tell?"
Is this guy running a Potion Shop too?
I asked my question, but the merchant shook his head.
"No, it's just a vague feeling, really."
So you can't tell!
Well, I didn't really want to push on that point, so I let it go.
"So what kind of merchant are you?"
"I'm a gemstone merchant."
So gemstones exist in this world too. I figured as much.
I imagined he dealt in accessories and such for the nobility.
"Gemstone merchant, huh... and you're traveling alone?"
A wealthy merchant doing business would normally need a proportional guard. Traveling solo was a bit suspicious.
"You've hit a sore spot there."
The merchant answered with a light chuckle.
"There's a wide spectrum. Strictly speaking, I suppose you'd call me an Accessory Merchant."
"How's that different?"
"Would you like to see my merchandise?"
With that, the Accessory Merchant showed me his luggage bag.
Looking inside, there were indeed brooches, necklaces, and the like. Plus some bracelets.
However, the metals used were noticeably iron and copper. And the gems set in them — how should I put this — they had a dullness that made calling them "gems" feel a stretch.
"This time around, I mainly have cheap stuff."
"Huh... did your business fail or something?"
"No, the accessories I'm dealing in this time are for low-income adventurers."
"Oh... really?"
According to the Accessory Merchant, accessories could have magical infusions applied to them, granting effects that supplemented one's abilities.
"By the way, roughly how much does one sell for?"
"Let's see... this iron bracelet with an attack power boost, for instance — about thirty Silver Coins."
Oof... that's pretty steep. Even my Healing Potions don't sell for that much.
"With Magic Power Infusion, one would easily go for a hundred coins."
"Is that so?"
"Mm-hm."
Hmm... there's definitely room for thought here.
The medicine sales had hit a plateau. We were nearly selling out each batch, but since I also had to purchase herbs, the profit margin wasn't that great.
There was no way I could keep up just by gathering them myself. It would have been fine before we started peddling, but gathering and crafting was far too inefficient.
"For something like that, do you just craft it by hand?"
"More or less... shaping the form is straightforward enough, but I'll be doing Magic Power Infusion afterward, so if you include that, I suppose it's crafting."
I see — so you shape the accessory, then have magic infused into it, and only then does it become effective.
Magic Power Infusion... that was the troublesome part.
It had an unpleasant ring to it. How to put it — it was a term that occasionally showed up in potion alchemy too. It was heavily involved in the recipes for Magic Water and Soul Healing Water.
That meant it required someone who could use magic.
"That was very informative. Thank you."
"Oh no, thank you."
"Master — something's coming!"
Filo called out in a slightly tense voice and came to a stop.
Raphtalia and I quickly looked out from the halted carriage.
Figures emerged from deep within the forest.
Every one of them carried weapons, and their demeanor was the farthest thing from friendly.
Their outfits were ragged, but each wore armor and looked savage. They appeared to be mountain bandits or something of the sort.
"Bandits!"
The Accessory Merchant shouted in a panic.
"Heh heh heh... hand over anything worth money and we'll let you go."
What a stock line. I was half-amused.
Isn't it better to attack without saying anything? What's the point of announcing yourself?
Oh — Filo noticed them first, so they just went ahead and attacked.
Their expressions said they figured they could win easily.
"We know! We know the gemstone merchant is riding in this carriage!"
The bandits started screaming at us.
I turned to the Accessory Merchant inside the carriage.
"Didn't you just say you didn't have anything worth a high price?"
"Well... not in what I'm selling, no..."
Hesitantly, the Accessory Merchant reached into his coat and clutched something protectively.
"There is an accessory that trades for a large sum."
"So that's what they're after."
I'd ended up picking up a troublesome passenger.
"I was trying to save on guard fees since the merchant supposedly only deals in cheap goods and wouldn't be worth robbing on personal grounds..."
"You idiot... honestly..."
All I could do was sigh.
"I'll be charging you a trouble fee later, you know."
"...Understood."
The Accessory Merchant nodded with a grim face.
"Raphtalia, Filo — they're enemies."
"Right!"
"Yep!"
At my command, Raphtalia leapt from the carriage into a combat stance.
Dragging the Accessory Merchant along, I followed.
"Don't ever let them separate you from me."
"Y-yes!"
I switched the Shield from Ability Release mode to a combat form.
"Oh — you're the shield..."
"Yeah."
When the Accessory Merchant realized the owner of the Divine Bird's carriage was the infamous Shield Hero, he was stunned.
"What's that? You looking for a fight with us?"
"Yeah — I've got to swat away the embers that fly my way if I want to keep on living."
I glared at the bandits and answered.
The important thing in this fight was not letting the enemy achieve their objective.
That meant making sure the Accessory Merchant's possessions didn't get stolen.
"Raphtalia, Filo — can you handle it?"
"Well, if we don't handle them, they'll handle us."
"I was getting bored anyway."
"Good. Then... attack!"
The moment I gave the order, the bandits also charged with weapons raised.
There were roughly fifteen of them — a decent number.
"Air Store Shield!"
I conspicuously conjured a shield in midair for the charging enemies. Then I calmly activated the next Skill.
"Change Shield!"
Change Shield was a Skill that transformed the shields appearing from Air Store Shield and Shield Prison into shields I recognized.
I designated the Bee Needle Shield.
Its unique effects were Needle Shield (Small) and Bee Venom (Paralysis).
"Huh — the shield just appeared out of nowhere! Gah—!"
One bandit ran face-first into the suddenly materialized shield, toppled over, convulsing from paralysis. The unique effect had activated perfectly, which was a relief.
"Shield Prison!"
"What the—"
Then I trapped another bandit inside a cage of shields.
Each had a time limit. Change Shield had a cooldown of thirty seconds, so using it continuously was tough.
Still, it削减 the numbers accordingly, making it highly effective.
Three bandits were right in front of me now. They probably figured I was some fool for carrying only a shield despite being a guard.
I stepped in front of the merchant, bracing for the attack.
Sparks flew where the shield met the incoming blows, and the bandits' attacks bounced back with a metallic ring. It seemed none of them had enough attack power to exceed my defense.
The shield I currently had equipped was the Chimera Viper Shield.
Its unique effects were Snake Fang (Medium) and Hook.
The serpent carving on the shield came to life and sank its fangs into the bandits who had attacked me. Snake Fang was a poison counterattack against enemies who struck me.
"GAAAAAH!"
"You — is this all you've got — gah!"
"I-I feel... dizzy..."
Snake Fang poisoned the attacker directly. Those with resistance were less affected.
The poison was potent. I hadn't tested it on humans, but the power was clearly high. The fatal flaw was that it didn't deliver a finishing blow.
From the shield, I activated Hook. The serpent ornament on the shield wrapped around one of the bandits and restrained him.
The Hook effect had no attack capability, but it had a two-meter range — useful for snagging things or climbing up cliffs.
The bandits' movements deteriorated visibly, and some began to fall.
"Th-this guy — he's the Shield Hero!"
Tension ran through the bandits.
They had finally realized they had encountered the famous Hero of this country — the one with the worst reputation.
But now it was too late. And they understood immediately that this terror would only disadvantage them further.
"Yah!"
"Hah!"
Raphtalia used her sword to slash at a bandit who'd left an opening. He managed to block with his armor, but Raphtalia's cut was so powerful he was sent flying and hit his head on the ground, knocked out.
As for Filo, she darted around at high speed, kicking bandits one after another with her powerful legs. Each time, a bandit went flying like Motoyasu had — no, twenty meters — tumbling end over end.
...Are they dead?
In the blink of an eye, the bandit numbers dwindled. Only six were still standing.
"Tch — retreat!"
"Not happening!"
I trapped the bandit who looked like the leader in a Shield Prison, and Raphtalia, riding on Filo, captured the ones trying to flee.
They were surprisingly weak, which was a relief.
Or rather... Raphtalia and Filo had taken most of them down.
"Now then."
I eyed the tied-up bandits.
"If I hand these guys over to some town's Self-Defense Corps, will there be a Bounty?"
"At these times, I'm not sure they'd pay that much..."
Raphtalia answered with a troubled expression.
"Do you know?" I asked the Accessory Merchant.
He shook his head, too.
"But I think you should hand them over to the Self-Defense Corps."
"Hmm... yeah, but..."
The one who seemed to be the bandit leader looked at me with a stupid grin.
I could pretty much imagine what scenario was playing out in his head.
"'We were attacked by the Shield Hero. We're just innocent adventurers,' is that it?"
The leader's face twisted in displeasure.
"That's right! What — the Self-Defense Corps would believe us over the infamous Shield Hero any day!"
"Well... that possibility does exist, I suppose..."
Why was my reputation so terrible? When you really thought about it, it didn't add up.
All because of that wretched princess and that wretched king — even when I did the right thing, nobody believed me.
Sigh...
"Fine. I'll have you killed then."
Thinking he'd never pick that option, the bandits — their faces instantly turned blue.
Some tried desperately to loosen their ropes, but Filo kicked them into unconsciousness in one swift strike.
"Might be fun to let my dangerous monster taste human flesh..."
I muttered toward the bandits in a menacing voice.
"Food?"
Filo stared at the bandits, drooling.
"H-HIIIIIIII!?"
"What should I do..."
"Th-this is the Divine Bird's carriage! How can you kill people when you're supposed to be spreading miracles!"
"I never claimed any such thing. It's only natural to swat the embers that fly my way, isn't it? You've been sucking off other people your whole lives. Now it's your turn. Just accept it."
"S-just spare our lives!"
"Then hand over your valuables and gear, and tell me where your hideout is. You're welcome to lie as much as you want. But I absolutely hate being deceived. Lie just once, and the Divine Bird will tear off your limbs one by one and eat them."
I answered the trembling bandits in a casual tone.
Because of my fearsome reputation as the Shield Hero, it was incredibly effective.
"O-okay! Our hideout is located—"
I checked the location on a map.
Pretty close.
"All right. We have a deal."
When I lowered my hand, Filo delivered a single blow with enough force to knock every bandit unconscious.
"Strip them of their valuables first — oh? This guy's got good gear. Raphtalia, it's yours now."
"Stripping people of their belongings... that makes us no different from bandits."
Saying that, Raphtalia nonetheless followed my instructions and efficiently stripped the bandits of their equipment.
"Then give the poisoned ones an Antidote and load them into the carriage. Hurry — we're stopping by their hideout too."
"Okaaay!"
We verified whether the bandits' hideout was real, and the lookouts there suffered the same fate — stripped bare.
After loading all the bandits' accumulated treasure into the carriage, we tied everyone up at the hideout.
The variety of treasure was impressive.
Gold, food, alcohol, weapons and armor, precious metals, cheap items like Heal Pills, and more.
They had considerably more than I'd imagined — a windfall I hadn't expected.
These guys might have been the bandit crew that had been raiding this area.
"Wh... what ruthless cunning..."
The Accessory Merchant had been half-stupefied by everything that had transpired and was staring at me.
"So — how much of a trouble fee are you going to pay?"
My question snapped the Accessory Merchant back to his senses.
"A few Silver Coins, perhaps..."
I applied a bit of pressure.
This whole mess was because of you. If it ended with just that, you'd be getting off easy.
We settled on the condition that he hand over one accessory from his stock.
"...Not yielding even when attacked by bandits for nothing... I'm deeply impressed."
He seemed genuinely moved. The Accessory Merchant's gaze toward me was more intense than before.
I didn't think he was lying.
"Very well. I'll lend you my personally crafted pieces with Magic Power Infusion, and introduce you to my distribution channels."
"...Isn't that a bit much?"
No matter how you looked at it, the reward was too generous. That was actually suspicious.
There was a high chance he was doing this out of spite for having one accessory taken.
"Oh no, not at all. These days, merchants like you — greedy and unwilling to give anything away for free — are becoming so rare."
"Aren't there plenty of greedy people around?"
"You're missing the point. What's needed is someone who can see the right balance — not someone who squeezes everything out of people and discards them, but someone who keeps them alive while wringing out value."
"Keeping them alive while wringing..."
I glanced at the bandits who were wrung out by me and tied up.
They'd been doing well for themselves — their clothing was quality — so I'd stripped them of everything, including gear...
It was their own fault, but it was still the end of everything taken from someone.
"Is that so?"
"They tried to take money and lives from both you and me. But you compromised — you kept them alive and only stripped them of their belongings. Life is precious; dying would have been the natural outcome. Compared to their fate at your hands, this is the best result they could have hoped for."
Well, given my infamy, there was every chance the Self-Defense Corps would believe the bandits' testimony over mine. Then again, there was also a chance they wouldn't.
"They purchased their own lives from you with everything they owned."
"That's one way to put it..."
"And then... if they try to take revenge by amassing more wealth, you'll squeeze them again!"
The Accessory Merchant was grinning cruelly.
What the hell is this guy!? He was starting to look truly despicable!
"W-well, I'll drop you off at the next town."
"No, I have much to teach you. I won't be getting off until then."
What exactly did this Accessory Merchant intend to pound into my head?!
His unusual enthusiasm was unsettling, but...
In any case, our peddling journey continued — with our pockets nicely warmed by the treasure we'd taken from the bandits.
If it matters — there was a Merchant Guild member who sold information about our location to the bandits. Apparently, that person was purged later on.