When I returned to where the big boss-like enemy had been, the volunteers and villagers were guarding the unconscious Heroes.
What unnecessary trouble...
Now, the fun task of absorbing the Wave materials into my shield. But this time, the Goblin Assault Shadow and the Lizard-man Shadow were shadows by name and nature, so I couldn't absorb their materials. Well, technically I tried absorbing the shadowy mass, but there was only one of those, or something like that.
Shadow Shield
Ability not yet unlocked... Equipment Bonus: Dark Resistance (Slight)
The rest of them all only had Equipment Bonuses that raised stats, so I'll skip those.
What remained was a large ghost-like fish that seemed to be what the other Heroes had defeated.
"Feed me~"
"Don't eat that."
Filo had grabbed it and was about to eat it headfirst, so I ordered her to stop.
Did you even know why this bird went berserk this time?
It was obvious, wasn't it? She'd carelessly eaten the cursed dragon's core.
"Aw, man..."
She let go with extreme reluctance and was about to hand it over when it slipped through my hands and hit the ground. That startled me.
"How were you even holding that?"
"I had wind magic wrapped around my hands to hold it."
"...Seriously?"
A strange fish you couldn't even touch barehanded.
While the other Heroes were being transported by the volunteers, I asked around, and sure enough, a special weapon was needed. When I asked if anyone had one, only a single person owned a cheap elemental weapon, so I borrowed it and dismembered the fish.
Following Filo's example, I used the same principle as Magic Power Infusion—channeling magic into my hands to hold it.
I absorbed the head portion.
Soul Eater Shield
Ability not yet unlocked... Equipment Bonus: Skill "Second Shield," Soul Resistance (Medium), Mental Attack Resistance (Medium), SP Up
Unique Effect: Soul Eat, SP Recovery (Negligible)
The fact that only the monster name showed up from the head alone meant that dismantling this thing was almost pointless. I tried absorbing other parts, but nothing changed.
But what was this "Second Shield" skill? Soul Resistance was... probably resistance against this type of attack.
The unique effect "Soul Eat" bothered me a bit. I'd really rather not be able to eat souls.
I slowly changed the shield's shape. The design looked like the head of this monster—the Soul Eater—made directly into a shield.
...Its defense was lower than the Chimera Viper's.
If the unique effect "Soul Eat" let me consume souls, then I should have been able to wield the Soul Eater itself.
So I reached out.
But I couldn't touch the Soul Eater's flesh.
Apparently, that wasn't how it worked.
Good.
I really didn't have the kind of taste that involved eating souls.
It was probably some sort of counter-type effect—latching onto the enemy's soul and draining their SP, something along those lines.
Now then, what was this skill, "Second Shield"?
I gave it a try.
"Second Shield."
The display in my vision shifted from Air Store Shield → Second Shield.
"Air Store Shield!"
After confirming the Air Store Shield had appeared, I shouted once more.
"Second Shield!"
...Another shield materialized.
There it was. Within the duration of the Air Store Shield—which I'd only been able to deploy one of—I could now summon a second one.
It seemed like it had plenty of uses, though the performance was a bit of a mixed bag.
Then I turned my attention to the remaining Soul Eater.
"I'd like to absorb all of it and make those three squirm, but..."
If I did that, it'd get too noisy.
Besides, the other Heroes being weak didn't just cause trouble for the people of this world.
Even if I got stronger alone, I couldn't relax if those three stayed weak.
Sigh... I'd leave some for them, I supposed.
"My master~! If there's leftovers, let Filo have them!"
The bird was making a fuss, drool dripping from her beak.
"What a pain..."
From the spine down to roughly where the tail began, I butchered it and tossed the pieces to Filo.
She gulped them down in one bite.
"Even though it's bone, it's got a slime-like texture~"
"Wait a second, bird. When exactly did we ever meet a slime?"
"Well, see, the thing is—"
Everything from here on was irrelevant, so I'll omit it.
The end result was that I got angry. Let's just leave it at that.
In the sense that the shield couldn't absorb it.
"All right, next we help with the village recovery."
With our tasks done, the volunteers and I began processing the monster carcasses and assisting with damage recovery.
Naturally, we couldn't handle everything on our own. So we prioritized cooking for the displaced and treating the wounded above all else.
"Yes, sir!"
Those volunteers had no hidden agenda or anything—they simply followed my instructions without question.
So there was no reason to suspect them anymore.
After one night following the long battle, the knights finally arrived.
The commander of the knight order was absolutely furious that I'd recruited the volunteers.
"You! How dare you take soldiers from my knight order without permission!"
"It's not the Hero's fault! We volunteered because we wanted to be of use to the Hero—we merely asked for his help!"
"What?! Even so, are you not honored soldiers of Melromarc?! To be misled by a mere shield!"
"Hey, buddy... looking at this devastation, you're really going to discipline your subordinates for 'improper conduct'?"
The volunteers had stood up for me, honestly stating their own opinions.
From what I'd heard, the knight order's upper brass had been coordinating with the Heroes. The plan had been for a select few to be teleported ahead, with the rest departing the castle to catch up later. The volunteers had believed that was the case as well.
"If these people hadn't been here, the damage would have been far worse, don't you think?"
The villagers who'd come to meet the knights nodded in agreement with my response.
"Also, the Heroes you're counting on and all their companions were defeated by a powerful enemy that appeared during the Wave and are being housed in that building over there."
Villagers had carried them into their homes unasked, and the Heroes and their companions were receiving treatment. They'd been given some basic medicine, but full recovery would probably take several days. They seemed to be healing quickly, though, so they'd probably regain consciousness by the end of the day.
"Hurry and move the Heroes and their companions out! Send them to the medical ward immediately!"
"Hey... those three are relatively fine. There are villagers with far more serious injuries—prioritize them first—"
"Protecting the Heroes and their party is in the best interest of this country—and the world!"
What an arrogantly dismissive response...
Well, I'd expected as much. I'd already prioritized treatment for the villagers, so there was no issue.
"Sure, sure. Take them and go. I'm busy."
"Wait, Shield."
I tried to wave them off, but the knight commander, having heard the situation from the volunteers, called me back.
"Now what...?"
"I'd like you to come to the castle to file a report."
"No way. Too much hassle."
"Enough of that—come with me!"
As if I had time for this. There were things that actually mattered to deal with, so why did I have to waste my time on something pointless?
I ignored him and turned to leave, but the volunteers bowed their heads at me with pleading eyes.
"Please, Shield Hero. Won't you come with us...?"
...Well, they had followed my instructions properly and acted in good faith.
I couldn't just brush them off. Besides, I needed to pick up the metal wagon I'd ordered from the Weapon Shop owner anyway.
"Sigh..."
I scratched my head vigorously and turned back.
"Fine. I'll go, okay? I'll go. I'll grant these guys' request this once."
"Thank you!"
I gave a reluctant nod to the volunteers, who expressed their gratitude both verbally and physically.
And so we set off straight for the castle.
The next day.
We arrived in Castle Town and entered the castle.
"The Shield Hero's companions will wait in a separate room."
"So after coming all this way, it's just me?!"
Why did these people have to be so high and mighty?
"Hey, can we just go home already?"
They weren't going to say anything worthwhile—it'd just be a waste of time.
"That won't do. There are many things I must ask you about."
"I already told you on the way here."
I'd already explained how the other Heroes had been defeated and how we'd defeated their enemy. The volunteers had witnessed the whole thing from a distance, so there was no reason to doubt it.
In the case of the Trash King, he might fabricate something—but if that happened, I could just make a quick escape.
With my current strength, and with Raphtalia and Filo at my side, they couldn't easily capture me.
"Silence! You stand before the King!"
I was led into the throne room with a creaking sound, and the Trash King greeted me with a grim expression.
The story had already reached him, apparently. He carried the irritation of someone who'd bitten down on a bitter worm.
"It is deeply regrettable, but well done in subduing the Wave, Shield. I do not believe it, however."
"Is that how you thank someone?"
"How insolent! ...Well, fine. I have a question for you. I think it's a lie, but—"
"What now?"
Every single sentence ended with something about not believing him or it being a lie. Irritating.
"Shield, how did you outperform the other Heroes and obtain such strength? I don't believe it, but you have an obligation to explain. Now speak. I think it's a lie."
...So this was that, huh. The Trash King was directly confronting me because he was worried about the other Heroes being weaker than me.
Sigh. He was so pathetic it left me speechless.
Honestly, I didn't know why we'd been able to fight Glass on equal footing when the other Heroes had been completely defeated.
If anything, the Heroes had been the ones to challenge despite being the underdogs—they should have won.
Was it simply a matter of compatibility? Were our opponents exhausted? Or were the well-informed Heroes just that weak? The speculation was endless.
I'd have to look into that eventually, but I didn't have time for it now.
But this was a classic moment, wasn't it?
Yeah.
I flashed the Trash King a brilliant smile and gave him a thumbs-down.
"If you want to know so badly, get on your knees and beg."
"Hah?"
The Trash King froze with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
What a hilarious face. I wished I could take a picture.
"Didn't hear me? You must be going deaf, Trash. I'm telling you to scrape your head along the ground and beg if you want to know!"
"Wh-wh-wh-what—"
"What's wrong? Making monkey-like screeching noises. Oh, I see—the king of this country is nothing more than a piece of trash below a monkey, isn't he? I don't believe in trash monkeys, you know."
I mimicked his speech patterns and mocked him until the Trash King's face turned beet red, glaring at me with eyes full of murderous intent like I'd killed his parents.
Ah, that felt really good.
"You—! You—! You—! You—!"
The Trash King's scream echoed throughout the entire castle.
My enemies were the Catastrophe Wave ahead and Trash behind.
But I intended to lose to neither of them.
And so, I truly and definitively parted ways with the Trash King.