The Shield of Miracles

by Sakon Kaidou

  “Damn right. And yeah, just like you said, when he’s going back after the festival is the best time to go at it. Though, uh...”

  “I know. If we get a chance to gank him while he’s here, we’re taking it.”

  Chapter Two: Ichiro Shijima

  Paladin, Ray Starling

  By the time the sun was exactly south of us, we’d already experienced most of what the festival had to offer, so we decided to return to the Shijima family home. The fact that the sun was south during noon meant that this continent was in the northern hemisphere, but since it was also the only continent in the game, that didn’t matter all that much.

  “Welcome back,” said Farica, seemingly done with her work. “Where’s Louie?”

  “We ran into one of his friends, and they went off to play together.”

  “I see...” she sighed. I couldn’t really understand why, but there was relief in both her tone and expression. Would it have inconvenienced her if Louie was here with us? “I’m sorry, but I still have some mending to do. Just two more articles of clothing, and I’ll be free to help you...”

  “Ah, that’s fine. Please don’t mind us and focus on your job,” I insisted.

  And so, B3 and I ended up having to wait a little more.

  Nemesis felt that she could make some progress in the new skill analysis, so she returned to the crest and focused entirely on that.

  I thought of whiling away the time by talking to B3, but I noticed her taking a metallic cylinder out of her inventory and holding it tightly in her hand. Upon closer inspection, I realized it looked somewhat like a bullet cartridge.

  “What’s that?” I asked her.

  “It’s an add-on item for a piece of my equipment,” she answered. “They have to be filled with MP before use, and I neglected to fill this one. I figured I’d do it while we wait.”

  An add-on item...? Why don’t I recall her using it in her battle against Rosa? I pondered. Well, knowing her, she probably just wasn’t using the equipment she mentioned. From what I can tell, she switches between her countless shields all the time, so the item might’ve not fit the situation.

  B3 and I continued to chat until Farica completed her work twenty minutes later. Then it was time for us to get to the matter at hand.

  The three of us sat around the living room table, B3 and me on one side and Farica on the other.

  B3 didn’t waste any time. “Now, let us ask you some questions. Two, to be exact. First, did Mr. Shijima ever say anything about his life on the ‘other side’? And second, did he do anything odd shortly before he disappeared?”

  “Umm, before that, can I make something clear?” Farica asked.

  “Certainly.”

  “I... I don’t believe there’s a need to search for my husband.”

  “Eh?” I voiced my confusion.

  What was that supposed to mean? Shijima, her spouse, had been gone for half a year now. Why would she be against searching for him?

  “But since Louie wants it, I am willing to tell you about him.”

  “Please do,” I said.

  Farica nodded, and then she began telling us what she knew of the man.

  ◇◇◇

  About Shijima

  Farica’s first impression of Shijima could be summed up as “a man who gives far too much.”

  Their first meeting was the dramatic moment when she and her son Louie were attacked by monsters in the Fadl Mountain Pass.

  Shijima appeared out of nowhere, fended off the horde of beasts, and saved both of them, which was more than enough to make him a savior figure in her eyes. But that wasn’t even the only thing he did for them. Shijima showed no hesitation as he used his own healing items to give Farica a first aid treatment, and he happily volunteered to guard them on the rest of the way to Torne.

  Once they arrived, he helped them move into their new home, as Farica’s leg injury made it a challenge. He even called a black-haired Bishop he knew to take a look at her leg and heal it.

  After that, he continued visiting them at least once every two weeks, never neglecting to bring treats they enjoyed.

  In a word, his consideration for them was “excessive.”

  Though Louie, pure as he was, thoroughly enjoyed all that Shijima gave them, Farica found it a bit strange, if not downright eerie.

  After all, their relationship didn’t go beyond that of a savior and the saved. There was no reason for him to care so much about them, and he definitely didn’t treat everyone else as well as he did them. It was only natural for Farica to think that Shijima had some sort of ulterior motive.

  She decided to ask about it the next time he arrived, even if it would bring an end to his boons.

  As usual, he came in riding on his Gringham, bringing a lot of remberries, a luxury fruit, as a souvenir. Louie was overjoyed, and the boy’s gleeful expression made Farica hesitate.

  Still, she knew she had to make things clear, so she re-composed herself before inviting Shijima to talk in private.

  Though the man found it strange, he left his Gringham and Juno to look after Louie and followed after her.

  Once they were alone, Farica got straight to the point and asked “Why do you look after us so much? What do you want from us?”

  Upon hearing her words, she regretted using such blunt language. The words got her point across, yes, but she felt that a bit of sugar-coating wouldn’t have hurt.

  Overly blunt or not, the words were honest, and Shijima instantly understood her question and why she asked it. For some reason, the man’s expression became regretful.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you uneasy.”

  Farica couldn’t understand what made her deserving of an apology.

  “You’re right,” he continued. “I went a bit too far. I’m sorry. I just don’t know the standard when it comes to this.”

  Another apology. It truly seemed as though he felt that he’d made a mistake.

  “When it comes to... what?” asked Farica.

  “I don’t know how much I have to do for someone when expressing gratitude.”

  “Gratitude?”

  Who here is deserving of gratitude? He’s the one who saved us, she pondered.

  The words he spoke next completely blew away that thought of hers.

  “I only wanted to thank you for saving me.”

  Those words made her doubt her ears. She and Louie were the ones who had been saved by him, not the other way around.

  His words didn’t stop there, however.

  “Getting to save you while you could do nothing but wait for death made me the happiest I’ve ever been. It... it meant a lot to who I am on the other side.”

  His words were dense with all sorts of emotions, and Farica wasn’t able to read them all. Even so, there was something she could easily understand.

  Back on that fateful day, Shijima had saved Farica’s life, but that heroic act had also saved Shijima’s own heart.

  That meant everything he’d done for them was completely genuine.

  She then noticed that Shijima was on the verge of crying, which made all her suspicions vanish as though they were never there.

  “Again, I’m really sorry,” the man said, seeming fully aware of his mistake. “I don’t want to trouble you again, so I’ll just...”

  He readied himself to leave their lives forever, but Farica stopped him.

  “Would you like to have dinner with us?” she asked.

  “Eh?” Shijima exclaimed, completely stupefied.

  “I’ve invited you to join our meals many times now, but you have yet to accept even once.”

  “B-But I...”

  “You have given us so much now... so please, let me give something back. In fact, I would like you to join us every time you visit.”

  “Miss Farica...”

  “You gave us your thanks, so now let us give ours,” she beamed, making Shijima smile in return. “Please wait while I prepare something. Oh, I s
hould get Louie to help me.”

  “Um! May I help, too?” the man asked.

  “Of course. Please do.”

  A short while later, Louie and Juno came back home to find Shijima and Farica preparing food together. Shijima seemed completely inept at it and made many mistakes, but both he and Farica were clearly having lots of fun doing it.

  Though Louie found the sight strange, watching them laugh together made him happy.

  Juno didn’t say a word, but she seemed proud, like a mother pleased by her child’s growth.

  It wasn’t long until Shijima began living with Farica, and the year after that, they exchanged marital vows.

  It was the 27th marriage between a Master and a tian.

  Shijima, Farica, and Louie had become a family, and few could match them in peace and happiness.

  Though Shijima was Farica’s second husband and Louie’s stepfather, there was little to no distance between them. Biology didn’t stop them from being a natural family.

  Until a major change happened in their lives — Farica became pregnant.

  It took a while for her to realize it. At first, she merely thought that she’d eaten a bit too much and that it was showing. No one could blame her. After all, she’d thought that Masters and tians couldn’t produce children.

  But her stomach grew larger with every passing day, and she eventually got her first morning sickness. She’d been with child once, so she quickly realized that yes, she was pregnant.

  Even the Doctor said that there were no two ways about it — Farica was going to have her second baby.

  It made her happy beyond words. Even though Farica loved Shijima and didn’t want anyone else but him as a husband, she’d always thought that their family would never grow bigger. She had been plenty satisfied with just him, Louie, Juno, and Gringham. But now that she knew that someone else would be joining them, she thought that it would make them all even happier.

  Besides, she really wanted to see Shijima’s joyous face when he heard the news.

  She returned home and announced her pregnancy when they were all having dinner.

  Louie was unreservedly gleeful. Juno didn’t say a word, but she congratulated them with applause.

  Shijima, on the other hand, was crying.

  There was pure happiness in those tears, but at the same time, Farica felt as though he was lamenting something. Being his wife for over two years had made her perceptive of such things.

  That night, the two of them talked in their bedroom.

  Shijima repeatedly thanked Farica for bearing his child, but then, he spoke a resolution.

  “Farica,” he said. “I have something I must do on the other side.”

  “Is it related to our child?” she asked as she caressed her stomach.

  He nodded vehemently and said, “If I want to meet our baby, I have to go through a certain trial. And it’s... it’s so dangerous that it might cost me my life...”

  “Oh no!” she gasped.

  “I would’ve been fine spending the rest of my days living the life we have right now. But I really want to see our child... I want to live in a family that includes him.”

  And apparently, to do that, he had to take this “trial.” Farica could tell he was determined, and that the endeavor was unavoidable.

  “If you survive the trial, when will you return?” she asked.

  “...After a month, at best. No, wait, that’s three months in here. Well, it could be half a year, if not more.”

  “That’s so long...”

  “But no matter what, I will come back. Believe in me.”

  No trial on the other side could separate him from his family. She believed that.

  Farica nodded and said, “We’ll be waiting. Louie, I, and the child within me will wait for you for as long as we have to.”

  “...Thank you.”

  The two exchanged an embrace, full of love for each other and for the baby.

  The next day, Farica woke up to find that Shijima had disappeared.

  She asked Louie about him, and he said that Shijima had said goodbye to him and gone off somewhere. That was enough for her to conclude that he had gone to take his trial on the other side.

  Farica didn’t tell Louie that Shijima could lose his life, as it would only make him worried.

  Besides, she thoroughly believed that her husband would return to his family.

  ◇◇◇

  Paladin, Ray Starling

  “He will definitely come back,” Farica concluded her story. “So I don’t think there’s any need to search for him.”

  Both B3 and I had no clue how to respond, and had no further questions. After all, she’d just given us everything we needed to complete the puzzle.

  Shijima had left his family and was now on the “other side,” doing something that required lots of determination.

  That, combined with the information we’d gathered so far, gave us a good idea of what kind of environment he was in.

  “Sorry,” B3 broke the silence. “Would you mind if Ray and I had a brief private talk?”

  “Not at all,” Farica replied.

  “Let’s go, Ray.”

  Unable to say anything, I followed after her as she left the house and entered the carriage.

  “This whole matter might be impossible to solve,” she said right after the door closed.

  “But...”

  “Ray. You have an idea what happened to him, too, don’t you?”

  Yes, I more or less had an answer to the mystery of Shijima’s disappearance. It was a combination of several factors.

  First, for a Master like him and a tian to have a baby, he had to have been online longer than it was biologically possible for any normal player.

  Second were his feelings towards Farica and Louie.

  Third was the so-called “trial” he had to do on the “other side.”

  And fourth were his own words: I would’ve been fine spending the rest of my days living the life we have right now.

  I had all I needed to form a proper conclusion.

  “Shijima is— Hn?”

  Before I could finish, the carriage suddenly began to shake. It continued for a short while before stopping.

  “An earthquake?” I wondered.

  If so, it wasn’t all that strong. If I had to gauge it, I’d probably put it at Shindo 3.

  That wouldn’t cause much harm to people, and though the buildings here had a medieval appearance, Altar’s architecture involved the use of magic strengthening, so the earthquake wouldn’t damage them at all. The festival could go on without any problems to speak of.

  However, it was possible that a utensil or something would fall off and hurt Farica.

  “Let’s go check on Farica,” I said.

  “Very well.”

  Inside, we found an open cupboard with some of its contents lying shattered on the floor. Thankfully, Farica didn’t seem to be hurt.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  “Yes, none of it hit me,” she replied.

  “Let us help clean up,” B3 said.

  “But...” she tried protesting.

  “You’re pregnant, so please don’t burden yourself. Ray, do you have any cleaning tools?”

  “I do.”

  We each took out a broom and dustpan and began cleaning up the shattered tableware.

  By the way, my broom and dustpan came from a Cooking Set I’d hit on the gacha. Weird to see something I’d thought was a bad roll becoming somewhat useful.

  I gathered the shards into the dustpan and put them in an empty bag.

  “...Huh?” I noticed something mixed in between the shards.

  The things that had fallen out weren’t just plates, so it wasn’t strange for there to be more than porcelain. However, that particular piece struck me as odd. It was a small piece of silverwork, probably made using the Carving skill.

  Though it wasn’t unusual for a household like this to have such items, it felt somewhat off
, as though it didn’t really belong here. Also, I couldn’t help but feel that I’d seen the design before.

  “Ah!” I silently gasped as it came back to me. “Farica, have you seen this silverwork before?”

  “Oh, that’s something my husband used to wear before our marriage,” she answered. “He stopped wearing it afterwards, so we just left it on top of the cupboard.”

  “I see.”

  Apparently, Farica didn’t know anything about the group this piece of silverwork symbolized. No one could fault her for that, since she’d moved here from the capital about four years ago. And from what I could tell, this village didn’t have any of their establishments.

  “...So that’s how it is,” muttered B3 as she noticed what I was holding.

  Naturally, she knew exactly what it meant.

  “Apologies, but we have to leave for a moment,” she said while facing Farica. “Oh, and we will finish cleaning up when we return, so please don’t do anything.”

  “Eh? All right...”

  B3 took me by the hand and led me out of the house.

  “Ray, do you have a group talk app installed on your mobile?”

  “I do.”

  “Then please log out and connect to the group with this ID. He should come soon, too.”

  She then told me the ID, and repeated it to help me remember.

  I got it in my head and logged out.

  ◇

  Once offline, I went to my mobile, activated speaker mode, and turned on the app. A few moments later, I heard B3’s voice — or rather, Fujibayashi’s.

  “Seems it went well,” she said. “I’ve already contacted him, so he should be here in a moment.”

  A brief while passed, and I heard a man’s voice.

  “Apologies for the wait. I was told you wish to talk?” It was none other than The Lunar Society’s second-in-command, the King of Assassins, Eishiro Tsukikage. “Lady Tsukuyo is busy at the moment, so I will speak in her stead.”

  “No, you are the better person in this case,” said B3, and I couldn’t help but agree.

  “Tsukikage,” I spoke up. “You knew all about Shijima from the very start, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. Indeed I did,” he replied as though it was nothing. “Since you arrived at this conclusion, I assume the madam told you about... No, you found physical evidence, did you not?”