by Aneko Yusagi
“Yeah, I know,” I sighed. When I thought about it now, Raphtalia did seem to have grown stronger through this battle. “Also, as Sadeena said, now I can finally have you wear that miko outfit without any further troubles.” As I happily puffed up my chest, Raphtalia almost took a tumble from the sill, and I almost reached out to grab her. Falling from that height wouldn’t be pleasant!
“After all this, that’s what you’re worried about?” she gasped.
“It’s very important! It’s the gear that suits you the best, Raphtalia.” Putting Raphtalia in that outfit had been the start of all this, but I ultimately thought things had turned out pretty good. We’d punished the scum who had simply watched Raphtalia suffer and as a result saved Q’ten Lo from its festering corruption. Raphtalia’s relative and Shildina both looked, for the time being, to be heading in a better direction too.
“Well, that means—heh heh heh—now both Siltvelt and Q’ten Lo belong to me!” I said.
“No, that’s not what I want to say either,” she groaned. Yeah, I knew that. But even if we weren’t going to become supreme overlords, we had created connections in Siltvelt and Q’ten Lo. When it came to the crunch, we’d be able to ask for cooperation from them. “Seriously, Mr. Naofumi. You push forward so hard, so fast, it really is hard to keep up with you.”
“That’s quite the compliment.”
“I’m getting tired of having to put you right. That’s enough for now.”
The sunset really was beautiful. Thinking that, we continued to watch the sun go down.
“Anyway, let’s take a look later at your parents’ possessions, Raphtalia. Their mementos, trinkets. You want to take a look too, right?”
“Yes. Sadeena and others from Q’ten Lo have told me stories, but now I want to know more about my parents for myself.”
“Then let’s take a bit of a break here. It’s all been pretty crazy, so this looks like the perfect juncture to rest up a little. There are hot springs here too.”
“If I can take a rest with you, Mr. Naofumi, then I’m happy to do so.” Sakura lumina petals drifted gently into the room. The castle itself was made using sakura lumina lumber, and sometimes it appeared to glow a soft pink in response to Raphtalia.
“Maaaaaaaaster! Make your special food for me!” Another noisy nuisance returned. I did make that promise though.
“Hey, Mr. Naofumi. Filo has a job for you. Make your special food for her today, please.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll make it to celebrate Raphtalia finally being able to wear the miko outfit free of trouble.”
“Why are you bringing that up again?!”
With that, we left the room. As we did so, I caught a glimpse of something—but it had to just be a trick of the sunset. For a moment, I thought I saw a man who looked like Raphtalia, and a kind-looking woman who also looked very much like her, waving gently after her as she departed.
Then, heading toward the kitchen in order to cook for everyone, I started down the steps, Raphtalia in tow.
The Rising of the Shield Hero Vol. 14
(c) Aneko Yusagi 2016
First published by KADOKAWA in 2016 in Japan.
English translation rights arranged by One Peace Books
under the license from KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Japan
ISBN: 978-1-64273-039-5
No part of this may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher. For information contact One Peace Books. Every effort has been made to accurately present the work presented herein. The publisher and authors regret unintentional inaccuracies or omissions, and do not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the translation in this book. Neither the publishers nor the artists and authors of the information presented in herein shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.
Written by Aneko Yusagi
Character Design Minami Seira
English Edition Published by One Peace Books 2019
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