by Aneko Yusagi
“Fehhh . . .”
“Glass and the others are counting on you. Do your best.”
I had to prepare her to be able to take on any challenge.
“In addition to that manuscript, I also talked with one of the four heroes over there and we worked things out. Glass and L’Arc agreed to a truce, too, albeit a temporary one. So even if we happen to run across them again, the likelihood of us fighting is extremely low.”
“Understood. It does indeed seem that there would be little value in being any more cautious than we already are, in our current situation, with the waves having ceased for the time being.”
“We also brought back several items from the other world. I’m not sure if they’ll function properly here, but there’s quite an assortment.”
I showed the queen the bag of items that we had received from Kizuna and the others. If everything worked out, not only would the items help us deal with the waves, but they were all things we could easily make a fortune off of, too. There was equipment that could emulate the drop function of the legendary weapons, as well as the Scroll of Return, also known as Return Transcript, which was equivalent to a teleport skill and could summon the user to an hourglass just like during the waves.
“Now then, there’s something important I’d like to address before anything else.”
I took a step toward the queen to make a suggestion, or perhaps I should say request.
“During the next three and a half months, it’s imperative that we recover from the curse that came as a toll of our battle.”
That’s right. Right now, Filo, Raphtalia, and I all had drastically reduced stats due to the aftereffects of the All Sacrifice Aura. Even worse, full recovery was still a long way off.
“I had no idea . . .”
To be honest, we were in pretty bad shape. We wouldn’t be able to really push ourselves until we had fully recovered from the curse. Even a normal battle would likely be pretty tough right now.
According to the doctor in Kizuna’s world, full recovery would take around three months. I planned on trying out various methods of recovery on my own, too, but we would still have to get by with reduced stats one way or the other until we had fully recovered.
Still, it was too bad, because I knew that at one point I had become ridiculously strong after meeting with the other heroes to discuss our power-up methods. Luckily my defensive power had been spared from the effects of the curse, so we could probably still manage somehow.
“In three and a half months, the Phoenix’s seal will be broken, and the battles we’ll face after that will probably grow more difficult as well.”
I’d heard that the monsters being stronger in Kizuna’s world had something to do with the waves. The situation was slowly getting worse, so the heroes had to be considered indispensable. There was no way I could handle everything on my own, and Raphtalia couldn’t be expected to take up all of the slack, even if she did possess the katana of the vassal weapons now.
I had given Fitoria my word, too.
At the very least, we needed more solidarity among the four heroes.
“Considering what lies ahead, I think the heroes need to get together and have another discussion. The four heroes and the vassal weapon . . . err, the seven star heroes, I guess?”
I figured that the term “vassal weapon holders” probably corresponded to the seven star heroes in this world. I wanted to talk with them and learn about their power-up methods, if possible.
“. . .”
The queen covered her mouth with her folding fan upon hearing my words.
“I have taken your words into consideration, Mr. Iwatani. As for the meeting with the seven star heroes . . . I will contact Faubrey and the other countries and do my best to make it happen.”
The queen’s response confused me. Just the seven star heroes? What about those three idiots—the remainder of the four heroes?
“Wait a minute. The four heroes . . . what happened to the other three?”
The queen averted her eyes when I asked.
“Hey!”
“I . . . I’m very sorry, but . . . just several days ago . . .”
In addition to myself, the four heroes consisted of the Sword Hero, the Spear Hero, and the Bow Hero—Ren Amaki, Motoyasu Kitamura, and Itsuki Kawasumi, respectively.
The three of them were convinced that they had ended up in some kind of game world and ran wild, relying solely on their knowledge of games from their own worlds. They had confronted the Spirit Tortoise and been defeated, after which they were captured by Kyo and used as a power source to control the Spirit Tortoise. I remembered seeing Eclair and the old Hengen Muso lady carry them off just before we set out for the other world.
Anyway, this is what had happened according to the queen.
The heroes had yet to awaken and remained unconscious at the hospital until several days ago, when there were reports from the hospital that each of them had regained consciousness. According to the examining doctor, each of the heroes was told what had happened and finally came to the realization that they had confronted the Spirit Tortoise and been defeated.
“And then?”
“The same day that they woke up . . . I’ve been told that later that night, all of the heroes suddenly disappeared . . .”
I could feel my cheek twitching.
Those half-wit heroes! They must have run away using their teleport skills! I had no idea why they would run. It wasn’t like they had done anything bad . . . Although it was true they had made themselves look really bad.
“We have implemented an information blockade, but there are still rumors among the people that the defeat of the other three heroes is one of the reasons for the Spirit Tortoise’s increased violence. The heroes’ situation is concerning.”
“Ugh . . . I don’t know where they went, but please try to see to it that they are protected, if possible.”
“I will do my best. However, it is possible that if they feel they’re being blamed for the spread of destruction, they might behave rashly. I have ordered that they be handled with caution.”
Jeez . . . Just how much trouble did they need to cause before they would be satisfied? Those fools!
“We must consider the possibility that another country might attempt to take advantage of the heroes’ emotional vulnerability resulting from defeat to gain their favor and secure the country’s position as the leading world power.”
“Ah, so there are groups that might try something like that after all.”
“Of course, such an act would be criticized harshly. We would not stand by quietly, nor would Faubrey, I am sure.”
“Umm . . . That’s the huge country that first attempted to summon the four heroes, right?”
“Yes. The country is closely involved with the four heroes. If another country were to attempt such a thing without the consent of Faubrey, war would likely be unavoidable.”
I’d thought that war and all of that mess was less of an issue here than in Kizuna’s world, but I guess that kind of thing was always just right around the corner.
So if the heroes were to flee to a country attempting to gain their favor, they would risk being used as political instruments. I had refused such an invitation without even realizing it and so nothing ever came of it, but those guys were definitely liable to fall for something like that. What a bunch of good-for-nothings! Of course, I didn’t really have room to talk since I was part of their group.
So for the time being, all we would be able to do is call together the seven star heroes. I wasn’t sure whether I should consider them friends or foes, but I needed to meet and speak with them either way. It was critical that we shared our power-up methods.
Of course, there was the issue of whether or not they would be willing to talk. There could always be someone like Kyo from Kizuna’s world, so I wasn’t sure if the seven star heroes could be considered allies yet. Still, I had to get them to share their power-up methods somehow to make up for my
stats being lowered by the curse.
“Understood about the heroes. Other than that, with the extent of the damage . . . is recovery even possible?”
Upon hearing my question, the expressions of the queen and her advisers grew even grimmer. So it really was that bad, after all.
“The coalition army itself suffered significant losses during the incursion into the Spirit Tortoise’s body and also while distracting it outside.”
“Sorry I couldn’t protect them.”
As the Shield Hero, it was my job to think about how to prevent casualties and act accordingly. And yet, there had still been considerable losses.
“Oh, no . . . They were there because they wanted to be, I am sure. Everyone that participated in the incursion has indicated that it was thanks to the Shield Hero that any of them were able to escape alive.”
“Well, I’m happy to hear that.”
“Our neighboring countries have also been dealt a heavy blow and recovery will likely require quite some time.”
“I see.”
“To be honest, providing you aid will also be a bit more difficult now, Mr. Iwatani.”
I couldn’t argue with that. If they had been able to continue providing massive amounts of aid even after suffering such heavy damages, I would have been suspicious about where the money was coming from.
“We will provide what aid we can, but compared to what we had initially planned . . .”
“Yeah, I understand. If I need money, I’ll work it out on my own.”
On the contrary, I should probably have been helping gather reconstruction funds. I decided to bring up the plan I had been considering.
“Hey, aid doesn’t have to be money, right?”
“Indeed. In fact, other forms of aid would certainly be preferable considering our current situation.”
This was related to an issue I had noticed while leading the coalition army and something that I had been thinking about for a while.
“In that case, how about you grant me a territory?”
That’s right. Seeing Kizuna and the others made me think about how the waves should be dealt with. At the same time, I figured it was the best I could do to show my thanks to Raphtalia. Assuming the world achieved a state of peace, I wasn’t planning on sticking around like some kind of fool. I’d return to my own world without hesitation. But what about Raphtalia?
For Raphtalia, this world was her home. She had believed in me and stuck with me in both good times and bad, so she deserved a place where she could live out a happy life.
“A territory? That’s not a problem, but may I ask why? Until now, you have been . . . Pardon my rudeness, but you seemed indifferent about such things.”
I figured I should give her the official reason.
“The hero in the other world had trained a group of acquaintances to deal with the waves without the assistance of heroes. After careful consideration, I believe it will be necessary for us to do something similar.”
Ultimately, it had been us that defeated the Spirit Tortoise, but since I was limited to defense, it only made sense that the company I kept would become more and more important.
“I believe I understand your reasoning, Mr. Iwatani.”
“Without the coalition army, we would have lost to the Spirit Tortoise. I want to be clear about that. That said, surviving the coming waves will prove difficult with the coalition army as it is now. To be honest, they’re weak.”
“Ugh . . .”
Being a proud bunch, knights could be difficult to deal with.
“I’m saying the overall military power of the army is weak. Considering the Spirit Tortoise’s connection to the waves, there’s a very high possibility that even more powerful monsters will appear going forward. That’s why I want to build a private army that is prepared to deal with the waves. I’ll need money, too, and a territory would provide a basis for all of this.”
“That makes sense. I am beginning to understand your line of thinking, Mr. Iwatani. We needed to reward you anyway, so this is a good chance.”
The queen closed her folding fan and pulled out a map.
“Somewhere close to the castle town would probably be best. Do you have a place in mind?”
“Here.”
Without hesitation, I pointed to a coastal area near the port. The port was the one we had departed from when heading to the Cal Mira islands.
“Wha . . . ?”
Raphtalia had started to say something but held back.
“Hmm . . . That area . . . Yes, that’s where Miss Seaetto is currently serving as governor.”
“You mean Eclair? She’s got more going on than I expected.”
“Yes. I had been planning to assist with the reconstruction of the territories in that area as well, but according to reports, the current situation . . . doesn’t sound very promising.”
“I see . . .”
I’d heard that the area had suffered extensive damage in the first wave, the one that occurred before I had been summoned. I’d passed by it several times. It had been a desolate area filled with abandoned buildings. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the wave, but even the plant life seemed to lack vitality. Reconstruction would be a difficult task.
It had only been two and a half weeks since the most recent disaster, too.
“I would like to recommend another area, if possible. That area suffered extensive damage in the first wave and is in ruins.”
“I’ll be developing the land, anyway. It will be easier to do things my way there than somewhere that’s already been developed, like the areas near the castle. It works out perfectly.”
“Understood. Now, if you are going to have a territory, you will need to be given an appropriate rank.”
“I plan on returning to my own world once the waves have ended anyway. I don’t need a successor. In fact, you should just return the territory to Eclair at that point. Actually . . . If she’ll let me do things my way, I wouldn’t mind if she just stays the governor.”
It’s not like Eclair was a stranger, and I figured she’d do just fine, considering she had shown an exceedingly earnest determination to get along with the demi-humans.
“I cannot allow that. Mr. Iwatani, you are not giving yourself the credit you deserve. If we did not reward you appropriately, we would be giving other countries cause to attack Melromarc.”
I was being lectured by the queen for some reason.
“I shall grant you the rank of Count.”
“Wait a minute . . .”
Wouldn’t the fact that my shield had translated her words as Count mean that the rank was hereditary?
I knew about the noble ranks and titles from some manga about nobility that I had read fanatically a long time ago. The manga had been set in the early modern period and not the Middle Ages, but still . . .
Duke, Marquess, Count, Viscount, and Baron.
These were known as the five ranks of nobility and were ordered from the highest rank to the lowest.
Noble titles were generally divided into two categories: hereditary and territorial. In my world . . . In Europe, owning territory usually meant having a title, and those who ruled over territories were collectively referred to as the aristocracy . . . or something like that.
That meant that members of the aristocracy who owned multiple territories would, of course, have multiple titles as well. And having a title meant that you were a member of the aristocracy who owned at least 10,000 acres of land.
I wasn’t sure if all of that held true in this world, though.
“There is always the possibility that you will have a child, Mr. Iwatani. We must keep that in mind. Perhaps, for example . . . with Melty.”
“Not happening.”
Did she really want to have me and Melty get married that bad? That girl was still a child. There’s no way I was going to feel any kind of sexual desire for a 10-year-old kid.
“Just a moment, please. We must perform the conferment of title ceremony.
”
“What a pain . . .”
“Perhaps, but the dignity of our country is at stake. The formalities and the reward must be fitting of your performance.”
I couldn’t really argue that just simply handing over some money to the hero, who had defeated the chief villain that had caused so much damage, wouldn’t look too good.
“To think that the Shield Hero—worshipped by the demi-humans—would request the Seaetto territory, which is known for its acceptance of demi-humans even in Melromarc . . . Well, Miss Eclair’s father was quite popular, and a man that I trusted dearly.”
The queen had completely seen through my plan. She kept glancing over at Raphtalia.
“This could be good for publicity, too. I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
The queen handed me a ceremonial sword.
Normally, it would have been rejected by the shield, but that wasn’t a problem as long as I had no intention of fighting. I was supposed to unsheathe the sword and hand it to the queen, who would then tap each of my shoulders with the sword and attest the conferment of title. That would complete the ceremony.
“We hereby commence the conferment of title on the Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani!”
The castle knights sounded their bugle-like instruments.
I marched confidently through the doorway and into the throne room toward the waiting queen. I then assumed a blatantly pretentious pose and lowered my head before unsheathing the sword at my side and handing it to the queen.
“In accordance with the customs of this land, I hereby grant you the rank of Count in recognition of your most recent noble efforts.”
The queen returned the sword to me.
“I look forward to your continued success.”
I returned the sword to its sheath and stood up.
“And that’s it. Truthfully, I would prefer to perform the ceremony on a much grander scale, but . . .”
“Too much trouble.”
“I expected that would be your response, so I kept it simple. Regardless, I do plan to make this known to the people.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I had a feeling that my days of openly roaming the castle town streets were now over.