The next morning.
After finishing breakfast, we waited impatiently for the King to summon us.
We couldn't very well cause a ruckus first thing in the morning, so it was probably past ten by the time the sun had climbed a bit before we finally received our summons.
Overjoyed at the long-awaited call, we headed to the audience chamber with eager hearts.
"The Heroes have arrived."
When the doors to the audience chamber opened, there stood roughly twelve men and women dressed in various adventurer-style outfits.
Some wore knight-like attire.
Wow... the King's aid is really something.
We bowed to the King and listened to what he had to say.
"The other day, I called for volunteers to serve as companions to the Heroes and journey alongside them. It seems each of you has a Hero you wish to accompany."
If each person had three companions, that would even things out.
"Now then, future heroes. Depart with the Hero you wish to serve."
Huh? You're not the ones choosing?
That caught even us off guard.
Well, when you think about it, it does make more sense to let the citizens decide rather than leaving it to a bunch of unknowns from another world.
We were made to line up somehow.
The companions marched over to us one by one and gathered in front of their chosen Hero.
Ren: five people.
Motoyasu: four people.
Itsuki: three people.
Me: zero.
"Hey, Your Majesty!"
What is this?! This has got to be some kind of joke—no matter how you look at it, this is way too harsh.
My complaint made the King break into a cold sweat.
"O-Oh my. Even I did not anticipate such a turn of events."
"You certainly lack popularity."
To add insult to injury, the minister cut in with a dismissive look.
At that moment, a man in robes whispered something privately to the King.
"Hmm, so that rumor has spread, has it...?"
"What's going on?" Motoyasu asked with an awkward expression.
This was clearly beyond unfair. What was this feeling—the same as being the only kid left out when forming teams for a game in elementary school?
Nobody told me that being summoned to another world could make you feel like this.
"Hmm, you see... it appears a rumor has been circulating within the castle that among the Heroes, the Shield Hero is ignorant of this world's principles."
"What!?"
"The legends state that Heroes possess an understanding of this world's principles. It is said that he may not meet that condition."
Motoyasu nudged me with his elbow.
"Yesterday's casual conversation might've been overheard, you think?"
That thing about not knowing any similar games? Was that why I was being left out?
And what the heck was that about legends?
I may not know the details, but I'm the Shield Hero, for crying out loud!
Sure, from what the other Heroes say, my weapon puts me on the losing team, but this isn't a game!
"Hey, Ren! If you've got five, share some with me, would you?"
Adventurers who wanted to join Ren—including several men—huddled behind him with eyes like frightened sheep.
Ren scratched his head with a "well, this is awkward" look.
"I don't like dead weight. If you can't keep up, I'm leaving you behind."
He said that in a dismissive tone, but the group showed absolutely no sign of moving.
"Motoyasu, what do you think? Isn't this ridiculous?"
"Well..."
Incidentally, the gender ratio was odd—the women outnumbered the men.
In a sense, a harem was half-formed.
"I wouldn't exactly call it balanced..."
Itsuki wore a troubled expression while making it clear through his body language that he couldn't bring himself to reject the companions who wanted to follow him.
For the record, all of Motoyasu's companions were women. Was this guy just cursed to attract women wherever he went?
"Splitting them evenly with three each would be ideal, but forcing the issue might hurt morale," Itsuki said reasonably, and everyone present nodded.
"So what, I'm supposed to travel alone!?" I protested.
I'm the Shield Hero! According to your logic, this is the weapon of the losing class!
How am I supposed to get stronger without any companions?
"Oh, Hero, I'd be happy to go with the Shield Hero."
A female adventurer who'd wanted to join Motoyasu raised one hand and volunteered.
"Oh? You sure?"
"Yep."
She was a cute girl with shoulder-length red hair.
Her face was actually quite pretty, wasn't it? She had a slightly youthful look to her, but she was only a little shorter than me.
"Is there no one else who wishes to go with Sir Naofumi?"
Silence... not a single person raised their hand.
The King let out a sigh of resignation.
"There's nothing to be done about it. Sir Naofumi, scout companions of your own choosing to fill out your party. I will distribute a monthly stipend, but in exchange, I will increase this initial grant beyond what the other Heroes receive."
"Y-Yes!"
A reasonable decision.
If they didn't like me, the best thing I could do was find people who wanted to be my companions and fill in from there.
"Now then, here are your preparation funds. Heroes, receive them properly."
Four bags of gold were distributed before us.
They jingled with a satisfying, weighty sound.
Among them, a slightly larger bag was handed to me.
"For Sir Naofumi, eight hundred Silver Coins; for the other Heroes, six hundred each. Use this to equip yourselves and set forth."
"Yes!"
We and our companions each saluted, and the audience concluded.
After leaving the audience chamber, we began introducing ourselves.
"So, Shield Hero, my name is Malty Sphere. Nice to meet you."
"N-Nice to meet you."
Malty spoke to me in a friendly, easygoing manner, showing no trace of the awkwardness you might expect after what had happened.
It must have been because of that whole ordeal, but I felt a little shy. Regardless, she'd chosen to be my companion.
I had to treasure my companions. After all, I was stuck with the weapon of the losing team compared to the other Heroes.
"Shall we head out, Malty... san?"
"Sure!"
Malty nodded cheerfully and followed behind me.
Crossing the drawbridge that connected the castle to the town, we found ourselves in a splendid townscape.
I'd glimpsed it yesterday, but seeing it up close really drove home the fact that I'd been transported to another world.
Stone-paved streets lined with houses and hanging signboards.
The delicious smell of food hung in the air, and I couldn't help but be moved.
"What should we do first?"
"I'd like to go to a shop that sells weapons and armor. With this much money, we should be able to buy some decent equipment."
Right—I only had my shield, so I needed a weapon first.
Without something to fight with, I couldn't take on monsters, and catching up to the others would be impossible.
After all, they had weapons that grew stronger with them.
If I didn't at least get a head start, I'd be left in the dust in no time.
"I know a good shop—I'll take you!"
"Could you?"
"Absolutely."
Malty led me to a Weapon Shop with a bouncy, skipping gait.
After about ten minutes of walking from the castle, she stopped in front of a shop bearing a large sign shaped like a sword.
"This is the place I'd recommend."
"Ohh..."
Peering through the shop door, I saw weapons hanging on the walls—exactly what you'd expect from a weapon shop.
They also carried a full range of armor and other equipment you'd need for adventuring.
"Welcome!"
As soon as I stepped inside, the shopkeeper greeted me warmly. Standing behind the counter was a powerfully built man—the very image of a weapon shop owner drawn from a storybook. At least he wasn't some blob of flabby fat, which would've been a different kind of off-putting.
I really was in another world.
"Wow... so this is a weapon shop..."
"Oh, first-time customer, huh? You've got a good eye—that's the best stuff in the store right there."
"Actually, she recommended it."
I pointed at Malty, who raised her hand and gave a little wave.
"Thanks, sweetheart."
"Oh, no need~ The old man's shop is pretty famous around here."
"That's kind of you to say. But say, what's the story with your boyfriend and those funny clothes?"
Right—my current outfit was straight from another world.
At best I looked like a clueless country bumpkin, and at worst, a weirdo.
"You can tell, right, old man?"
"That means you're one of the Heroes! Well, I'll be!"
The old man stared at me intently.
"You don't exactly look the part, though..."
Ouch.
"Tellin' it like it is, eh?"
Fair enough—I probably did look unreliable. That was exactly why I needed to get stronger.
"You'd better gear up good, or people'll walk all over you."
"Yeah, I figured..."
Ha ha ha—he seemed like a genuinely good-natured guy with no pretense.
"Let's see... you're the dud one?"
*Crk—*
I felt my cheek twitch.
Why did my reputation travel so fast?
Well, whatever. If I let it get to me, I'd lose.
"My name is Iwatani Naofumi, the Shield Hero. I'll probably be a regular customer, so I hope you'll take care of me."
I made sure to introduce myself properly.
"Naofumi, eh? Well, if you become a loyal customer, that's all good with me. Nice to meet ya!"
Quite the energetic shopkeeper.
"Hey, old man, got any good gear?"
Malty asked the shopkeeper with a playful look.
"Let me think... what's your budget?"
"Hmm..."
Malty looked me up and down as if appraising me.
"Somewhere around two hundred fifty Silver Coins?"
Out of eight hundred Silver Coins total, two hundred fifty... factoring in lodging and the cost of hiring companions, that seemed about right.
"Oh? In that range, I've got just the thing."
The old man leaned over the counter and brought out several weapons from the shop display.
"Kid, got a weapon you're good with?"
"Not really, no."
"Then I'd recommend something easy to handle, like a sword—good for beginners."
He lined several swords on the counter.
"All of these have Blood Clean Coating on 'em, so this range is your best bet."
"Blood Clean?"
"A coating that keeps the blade sharp even after cutting through blood and grime."
"Nice..."
Come to think of it, I'd heard that bladed weapons in my world lost their edge after repeated use cutting through flesh.
So these were swords that never dulled.
Sounded like some serious craftsmanship.
"From left to right—iron, magic iron, magic steel, and silver iron. They get pricier as you go up, but the quality's guaranteed."
Was this about the hardness of the ore used?
Iron-tier weapons, basically.
"There are better weapons, of course, but with a total budget of two hundred fifty Silver Coins, this is about your range."
That was how it worked, huh?
In console games, the first town's weapon shop rarely had a great selection, but this place was surprisingly well-stocked.
That meant it was closer to an online game's world. No wait—it was a real other world, so naturally a big country's weapon shop would have a good selection.
"Iron sword, huh..."
I slowly gripped the hilt.
Yeah, it definitely had some heft.
My shield was so light I hadn't noticed before, but weapons were actually pretty heavy too.
This was the weapon I'd use to fight monsters...
*Crack!*
"Ow!"
Like I'd been hit by a strong electric shock, the iron sword was suddenly knocked from my hand and sent flying.
"Hm?"
The old man and Malty looked at me and the sword with puzzled expressions.
"What happened?"
I picked up the dropped sword.
That strange sensation from before was gone.
What had that been?
As I thought about it, I turned my attention back—
*Crack!*
"Ow, ow, ow!"
This time I glared at the old man, suspecting some kind of prank, but he just shook his head.
It couldn't have been Malty, but I looked at her anyway.
"It looked like the sword just bounced right out of your hand."
No way.
Disbelieving, I stared at my own palm.
That was when words appeared in my vision:
*"Legendary Weapon Rule Violation: You attempted to wield a weapon other than your designated weapon."*
What was this?!
I hurriedly pulled up the help screen and searched for an explanation.
There it was:
*"A Hero cannot use any weapon other than their own Legendary Weapon in combat."*
You're kidding me!?
So I couldn't use anything other than my shield?!
Fighting with nothing but a shield—what kind of crappy game was this?
"Um, apparently I can't hold any weapons because of this shield."
I gave a wry smile and looked up.
"What kind of principle is that? Could you show me?"
I held out the hand with my shield for the old man to examine.
Since it wouldn't come off, I had no choice.
The weapon shop owner muttered something in a low voice, and a small ball of light flew toward the shield and dissipated.
"Hmm. At first glance it looks like a Small Shield, but something's off..."
"Oh, you can tell?"
He'd correctly identified it as a Small Shield.
The Status Magic screen had also listed it as a Small Shield.
There was the "Legendary Weapon" tag on it, though.
"There's a core gem right in the center, see? I can feel a powerful force coming from it. I tried a鉴定 spell, but... couldn't read it properly. If it were a Curse, I'd pick that up instantly."
The old man finished his examination, turned his gaze toward me, and stroked his trademark mustache.
"You've shown me something interesting. So—want to buy some armor too?"
"Please."
"I was thinking of putting together a weapon-and-armor set for two hundred fifty Silver Coins, but since you already have the shield, that leaves armor."
The old man pointed at several suits of armor displayed in the shop.
"Full plate'll slow you down too much for adventuring. A chain mail is about right for a beginner."
Following his suggestion, I reached for the chain mail.
*Clank clank...*
It was a suit of linked chain rings.
Pretty self-explanatory—the defense was exactly what it looked like.
Hmm? An icon had popped up.
Chain Mail — Defense Up — Slash Resistance (Minor)
Hmm, so the reason the sword icons hadn't appeared was because I couldn't equip them.
"How much is that one?"
Malty asked the shopkeeper.
"Special price—one hundred twenty Silver Coins."
"Buyback price?"
"Hmm? Well... for a used one, I'd buy it at one hundred Silver Coins."
"What's that about?"
"She was asking what the buyback price would be if the Shield Hero outgrows it," Malty explained.
Right—I was only Level 1, and once I grew stronger, I'd probably be able to wear better equipment.
There was cheaper stuff available, but for now, this seemed like the best option.
"I'll take this one."
"Thanks! As a bonus, I'll throw in an undershirt for free!"
I was so grateful for the shopkeeper's generosity that I was momentarily speechless. I handed over one hundred twenty Silver Coins and obtained the chain mail.
"Want to change into it here?"
"Yes, please."
"This way, then."
I was led to a fitting room, where I changed into the undershirt and chain mail I'd been given.
The clothes I'd been wearing went into a bag the shopkeeper provided.
"Oh, now that's more like it. You look like a real adventurer."
"Thank you."
I was pretty sure that was a compliment.
"Now then, shall we go find some things to fight, Hero?"
"Yeah!"
Dressed like an adventurer at last, I left the shop alongside Malty with a spring in my step.
We headed for the city gate and passed through it.
Along the way, a guard who looked like one of the kingdom's knights gave us a polite nod, and I returned it with enthusiasm.
The adventure was just beginning.