by Aneko Yusagi
I would be attempting to hold the front line.
As we were setting everything up, we began to get news of the Spirit Tortoise’s advance.
Already five cities, three forts, and two castles had fallen. Many, many people had died.
The tortoise itself was gigantic. It was surrounded by flocks of servant monsters.
It sounded like the tortoise was knocking everyone down, and its servants were finishing off any survivors. The reports suggested that the monster was purposefully targeting human life.
“Do you think the heroes are still alive?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“How can you be sure?”
“The Church of the Four Holy Heroes in Faubrey has a device that can confirm the status of the heroes. I had them look into it, just in case, and received an answer that they were still alive.”
That was good news. Rishia looked relieved.
If we could find some way to defeat the Spirit Tortoise, then there might still be hope for them.
The worst situation would be if the other heroes died and I had to find some way to defeat the monster on my own. Even if I won, Fitoria would come hunt me down and kill me.
“Where are the seven star heroes?”
“I’ve sent for them, but it may take them a few days to get here.”
We could wait for them, but a lot of people would die in the meantime.
And we didn’t know if they were going to be powerful enough to even help us.
I didn’t know if I was powerful enough to defeat it either.
If we did nothing, it would be the end of the waves, but we couldn’t just let it rampage and kill everyone.
We had to fight back.
Was Fitoria even telling the truth? If we let the Spirit Tortoise do what it pleased, would the waves actually stop coming?
“We have to fight back. What can we expect from these soldiers?”
“Our neighboring country has supplied us with knights, soldiers, and adventurers to fill out the army. But another country has already launched an offensive, and they were unsuccessful.”
“They attacked before the heroes got there?”
“The Spirit Tortoise had already entered their lands. Their cities were in danger.”
“Right.”
It might have been reckless, but they hadn’t had a choice.
I understood how they must have felt.
“So I’m the only hero we can count on.”
I really wasn’t fond of heroics.
Wasn’t it foolish for a single hero to go up against a monster that was so destructive, especially if that hero was a shielder and incapable of attacking? Was I being foolish? Regardless, the first step was to go see the monster in person.
“There it is.”
The queen pointed from the rattling window of the carriage.
I squinted at the horizon—I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“I think I can see a mountain on the horizon. It seems to be moving.”
THAT was what I had to fight against?
It was so far away that I couldn’t really make it out. But it was like when a giant, mountain-like dragon appears in the game where you hunt monsters. Only it was bigger.
It made me think of those ancient myths where people thought the entire world was supported on the back of a tortoise.
Its shell was like a mountain and it looked like there was a ruined city on its back.
So that was the Spirit Tortoise.
“Queen, in the legend of the heroes, when they fought the Spirit Tortoise, how did they defeat it?”
“They were able to get inside the shell through cracks in the mountain range on its back. Then they attacked and sealed its heart, to seal the whole monster away.”
So the way to stop it was from inside. But it was so large! Stopping it looked impossible. While we tried to get inside of it, it would decimate the army.
“Do you have a plan?”
“A basic one. It appears to target human life, so we are evacuating all the towns, villages, and forts in its path. We will attempt to lure it into an area where it will be easy to attack.”
“I’m sure there’s more to your plan, right?”
“Yes. Just like in the legend, the heroes will find a way inside of its body, then attack its heart.”
What was I supposed to do? Use the Shield of Wrath and then iron maiden and blood sacrifice?
I had just gotten rid of the curse from the last time. But if the enemy was as powerful as it appeared, then I suppose I didn’t have a choice.
“Won’t there be a lot of casualties?”
The beast would probably rampage the whole time we were inside of it.
Which meant a lot of people would die before we took it down.
“Yes.”
“Let me go! I won’t fight! Shield! Send the Shieeeeeeld!”
“...”
Trash was writhing in the seat next to the queen.
She grabbed his chin and used ice magic to create a frozen mask over his mouth.
Things weren’t looking good.
“I understand that. But we do not know of any other way to defeat the monster.”
Trash had put me on edge.
What was he there for? He was supposed to be a military general of some kind, but what good would his experience be against an enemy like this?
“No, it won’t work.”
“What do you mean?”
“Obviously your husband will be no help. I mean, we can’t allow the monster to continue its rampage. Too many people will die.”
If we didn’t know what the Spirit Tortoise’s attacks were like, we couldn’t come up with a strategy to defeat it.
We had to find out how the fallen cities had lost their battles. We needed to know exactly what had happened.
“I will call the army leaders together for a meeting.”
“Good.”
I told Raphtalia and the others to wait for me at camp. Then I went to the assigned meeting place for the coalition army.
“Oh! Shield Hero!”
“You must save the world!”
“Please help us. That thing destroyed my country.”
The assembled military commanders looked ragged and pale. The situation was looking desperate. If I ran away now, they’d be left without options.
“First we must come up with a plan for how to fight that giant.”
The queen addressed the room. Trash was nowhere to be seen.
Had he come he would have just been in the way.
“Right. What are the heroes supposed to do against a threat like that?”
I was a hero myself, but I had to ask.
In the past, I’d managed to defeat a very large monster myself: the Inter-Dimensional Whale.
But this thing was much larger than that. I had no idea what to do or where to start.
“Let’s start at the beginning. Does anyone know how to seal the monster away?”
“Yes. We held an investigation and discovered the method.”
“And is it a type of magic that we can use?”
“Well...”
The queen fell silent. I guess not then.
So no easy solution was going to fall into our laps.
“Oh!”
“But the coalition army wizards can cast it if they all work together.”
“So we need to weaken the Spirit Tortoise so that the wizards can seal it away?”
“Yes.”
There was a map on the table. I looked at it to see what city was closest to the tortoise’s current location.
It was very close. If we didn’t do something, the city would be in danger.
“Have you evacuated the city?”
“Not completely. Not yet.”
“Damn. So we need to find a way to buy some time.”
I didn’t know how we were supposed to fight the thing, but it was looking like we didn’t have a choice.
The earth was shaking beneath ou
r feet as it walked.
Had we been any closer, it probably would have felt like an earthquake. What were we supposed to do?
And the monster seemed to have a clear goal. We needed to get that city evacuated.
“How advanced are the evacuations?”
“They will not be able to finish before the Spirit Tortoise arrives.”
There would be casualties. A lot of them.
Sacrifice for the fate of the world. If I ran away, I’d survive the waves with only a ruined name.
But I had to help. I had to do what I could.
It wasn’t for justice or anything like that. It was for the people who believed in me, for Raphtalia...
I had fallen silent. The queen took the opportunity to explain what she knew about the Spirit Tortoise.
“But that . . . Can it be?”
“You speak the truth?”
“Yes. If the Spirit Tortoise rampages over the land, it will put an end to the waves.”
“Who could believe that? Where did you hear such unfounded absurdity?”
“But what is better? A destroyed world or a world with survivors that can carry on our civilization?”
It was hard to call that optimistic.
Did we force people to die and save the world? Or did we save the people and destroy the world? Weren’t there any better options?
I looked through the flap of the tent at Filo, who was resting outside.
Fitoria could have taken the beast down.
But there was no point in thinking about it. She’d given up on the heroes.
The other heroes were still alive, but there was no guarantee that we could all get along.
But if they had lost, if they came to understand that they really were weak, then maybe they would be more willing to listen to what I’d been trying to tell them. With any luck, Fitoria would change her mind, too.
“What do you think?”
“What is Faubrey doing?!”
“That country is always slow to enter the fray. They only take steps after the problem is already there!”
“We must wait here with the Shield Hero for the arrival of the seven star heroes!”
“But how many cities and forts will we lose while we wait for them?”
“That’s easy for you to say. Your country hasn’t taken any damage yet! We have to defeat the beast as soon as possible!”
“For the sake of the world?”
“The Sword, Spear, and Bow Heroes have already gone missing!”
The tent was in an uproar.
What was I supposed to say to make them feel better? The heroes had already lost a lot of respect.
There would be resistance to what I said, no matter what it was. I had to be prepared for that.
If the other heroes were still alive, then I was going to have to clean up this mess.
To tell the truth, it didn’t matter how many of these people died. They had never been decent to me.
But I had promised to fight for the people who believed in me.
Raphtalia believed that I would fight to save the world, that I would fight to limit the casualties. She was like a daughter. I wanted her to be proud of me.
If this was the only way to save the world, then what good was a world like that?
Fitoria knew it.
“We have to defeat it and save everyone we can.”
If this is how things were going to be, then I couldn’t act the way that I had up until now.
I had to play the role. I had to be the Shield Hero that saves the world, the champion of justice.
Even if I didn’t really believe in it.
I had to do it for those that believed in me.
“The only reason we are in this situation in the first place is because the heroes are so undependable! Look, only one of them is here! Where are the other three?!”
“The other three are currently unaccounted for.”
“See! It’s all just empty talk! What is the Shield Hero supposed to do for us anyway? He can’t even attack!”
“Then you tell me: what is a hero?”
“W . . . Well...”
Everyone fell silent, unsure of how to answer.
“A hero has strength and uses it for justice. A hero is brave.”
The queen understood what I was saying and supplied the answer.
Perfect. If she understood, I’d carry on.
“Heroism is a matter of the heart. It is the hero that doesn’t give up in the face of despair. Heroes fight to protect the people!”
What was I saying?
The words sounded strange in my mouth. I felt a chill.
I was not the sort of person I was pretending to be.
But everyone likes that kind of thing, don’t they?
Justice, protection, and willpower and so on...
“If all of you in this room together do not have enough strength, then I will lend you mine. I will be your shield.”
“Shield Hero...”
Some of the generals appeared moved and speechless.
I spoke as loudly as I could. People outside the tent had probably heard me, too.
“Shield Hero. Please forgive my earlier grievances.”
“Not a problem. The nobility’s. . . Everyone’s complaints about the heroes are fair. I accept your anger and frustration.”
I held my hand up and spoke to the whole tent.
“But for now, please, lend me your strength! We must work together! We must defeat the beast!”
“Yes!”
A general ran forward and grabbed my hand. He shook it and nodded.
Piece of cake.
That got rid of the problems that we’d face after the Spirit Tortoise fell. And it got the whole army into a fighting mood.
Now we just needed to make a plan to defeat the monster. I would just have to play the part of the hero of justice, like I’d announced.
“Back to the matter at hand. Everyone, don’t give into despair. We must think of a way—any way— to reduce the casualties. Even one person saved is a success.”
The queen was regarding me strangely.
Anyone that had known me before would immediately know that I was faking all this.
She nodded and the meeting was back on.
“We will implement the strategy once the preparations are complete.”
The meeting ended. I left the tent to see Raphtalia stalking over to me, sighing deeply.
“Mr. Naofumi, what did you do this time?”
I’d spoken as loudly as possible, hoping that people outside the tent would have heard me, too.
But judging by her sigh, she must not have heard what I’d said.
“Nothing. It’s just like when I taught that charlatan in Cal Mira a thing or two.”
“Well, I don’t know what you mean. But okay.”
“Sis! Master said that all the people in the world...”
“Shut up, Filo.”
If Raphtalia hadn’t heard me, then that was just fine.
She would just worry anyway.
Hm? Rishia was gazing up at me with sparkles in her eyes. What was that all about?
“I was very moved! I’m scared, but I’ll do my best!”
I guess Rishia had heard me, too.
Then why hadn’t Raphtalia been able to hear me?
Apparently she had been off fetching water.
By the time she came back the tent was in an uproar like I’d caused a fuss.
Up until now, every time she found me in a situation like that, I’d pissed someone off. So it was only natural she’d think the same thing had happened.
“I was quite moved by it as well. The Shield Hero has a dirty mouth, but he sure can give a speech when one needs to be made.”
That was Eclair.
She was unbelievably serious and severe, so I’d assumed that she thought little of me this whole time.
“What are you talking about? Hurry up and tell me.”
“The Shield Hero... ”
“Don’t tell her. I was only bluffing.”
“Bluffing?”
“If I’d run away from the responsibility, the heroes would have lost face. So I just lined up some pretty lies for them.”
“Mr. Naofumi, what did you say?”
Raphtalia was sighing again.
But Eclair was speechless.
“I just say what I have to say to get what I need from a situation.”
“Even if you act like you’re proud of...”
“I was moved! Take it back!”
Eclair was acting offended by the whole thing now. I didn’t care.
“I’ve been framed and oppressed. I’ve been lied to. I learned not to take people at their word without proof. You have to learn that bluffing can be important.”
“Ms. Eclair, Mr. Naofumi has a harsh way of speaking, but he always acts fairly. So please believe him.”
“Hrm . . . If Raphtalia says so.”
Eclair calmed down when Raphtalia talked to her. It made me feel a little strange.
Was I jealous? I was normally the one that Raphtalia had to talk sense into.
“Yes, sometimes one must bend the truth,” the old lady said, nodding. “I know of a seven star hero who once did the very same thing.”
The old lady knew one of the seven star heroes?
“If only the other heroes would awaken to their true calling.”
Who was she talking about?
Whatever. I’m sure we’d meet this hero friend of hers someday.
“Alright, I’ll tell you what we decided in the meeting.”
“Okay.”
“We attack the Spirit Tortoise, and I take the lead. The coalition army will follow behind us, casting powerful magic to support us.”
“Just like how we’ve battled the waves?”
“Isn’t that the simplest way? The thing looks really big, but first we have to see how it fights—that will help us buy some time. There is a town in its path that hasn’t been evacuated yet.”
“Then I guess we don’t have a choice.”
“Okaaaay!”
“Understood. But Mr. Naofumi, are you going to be okay?”
“The servant monsters can’t hurt me. Now, I just need to find out if I can withstand an attack from the Spirit Tortoise.”
I could always switch to the Shield of Wrath and use it to block the monster’s attack.
But could I control my emotions? I’d have to rely on Raphtalia and Filo to help me there.
“Rishia, get it together.”