by Aneko Yusagi
I moved silently, so that I wouldn’t draw the attention of Kyo, who was still in a shouting match with L’Arc. Silently, I touched my shield and changed it into the Shield of Wrath.
But the shield wouldn’t let me!
“No. That shield cannot break the core.”
I heard a mysterious voice. I turned to its speaker and saw her there, struggling against the cords of light that bound her. Her face bore the same pleading expression she’d had when I first met her.
“So . . . It is finally time for my remaining strength to find shape in the holy shield.”
The sound of rushing wind filled my ears, and the shield in my hands changed shape.
Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield conditions met
The information appeared in my field of vision. I quickly knew that it was by far the best shield I’d come across. I was shocked to see that it had already been powered up to a certain extent.
Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield (awakened) 80/80 AT
abilities unlocked: equip bonus: protection of the dragons
special effect: gravity field, C soul recovery, C magic snatch, C gravity shot
life-force up: magic defense (large), lightning resistance, SP drain nullification, magic assistance, spell support
exclusive special effect energy blast 100%
mastery level: 100
The physical shield looked a lot like the Whale Magic Core Shield. But the specifications were incomparable. When I used the new shield, it changed the efficacy of protective magic, and the shield’s stats rose to be more than twice the previous shield.
“Please . . . You must defeat me . . .”
The shield’s “energy blast” option was blinking. I felt like she was telling me to use it.
But . . . If I did . . .
All the day’s events came flooding back into my mind, and I realized with a shock that I’d only been fighting with Ost for a single day. I felt as though we’d spent so much more time together than that, which spoke to the depth of the difficulties we’d faced together.
“Do not hesitate . . . You must . . .”
“But If I . . .”
“If everything had gone according to plan, we would not have met. The heroes would never learn what the Spirit Tortoise really was, only of its role, and for that, they would slaughter me without ever knowing my true form. I would have fulfilled my purpose, only to disappear. That was our fate.”
I knew that. My head told me that it was true. But my hands were shaking.
Of all those I’d faced that could talk back to me, I’d only had to kill a few. Actually no, I’d only killed the high priest. But we had never had a real conversation, much less understood one other. He had simply tried to kill me.
When I fought him and killed him, I told myself that it was in self-defense. That was how I’d gotten through the shock of taking a life. So even though I knew what I’d done, I had never had cause to regret it.
But if I used the energy blast here, the Spirit Tortoise—Ost—would die.
And she’d do it for the world. She’d die for us.
We’d fought together. She was my friend. And when I thought of killing her, my emotions didn’t want to accept it.
“Your hesitation is touching. Possessor of the holy shield . . . Shield Hero, please . . . Help me to fulfill my mission.”
“Aren't you upset by your fate?”
People hated her. They wished for her death. She was destined to be killed by heroes, the embodiment of “justice.” It was too sad—too sad to bear.
“Upset? No, of course not. I can nourish all the life in the world, helping it to thrive. I am not sad.”
Even I felt like I could understand the draw of sacrifice. But why? Could I really die for the sake of others—without hesitation? I’d been framed for a crime, thrown out into the streets penniless and alone. I’d hated the world with all my heart. And now Ost’s sacrificial, selfless love was threatening to undo all of that pain.
“I know . . . I know that you understand. If you did not, you would not have fought so long, so hard, to stop me.”
I remembered how I felt when Raphtalia and Filo believed in me, and I knew she was right. I wanted to protect my friends. I wanted to protect the people that believed in me. I understood what Ost meant. She was saying that that feeling extended to everyone in the world.
“Now . . . I know it is much to ask of you . . . but it is all that remains.”
“What the hell are you doing?!” Kyo suddenly noticed me and sent a stream of pages flying straight at me.
I blocked them with my shield. I didn’t flinch. His attacks no longer bothered me.
“What? How did you block that?! Whatever—you won’t stop this one!”
“No!” Rishia shouted. “I will! The justice of which Master Itsuki speaks compels me to stop you!”
She took aim and threw her sword straight at Kyo.
“Ha! Good luck! This barrier is stronger than it’s ever been—you’ll never get through it! It’s more flexible than the last one! You don’t stand a chance!” Kyo shouted condescendingly. He deployed a few pages to block the flying sword.
But the sword pierced straight through them, hit the barrier, and kept on going.
“Damn! It’s so . . . fast!”
The sword broke through the barrier and sailed through the air. Then it landed, with a dull thud, in Kyo’s chest.
“Ugh . . . You!”
It was time! I turned to look at Ost. She nodded.
It felt like time slowed down. It felt like only Ost and I could feel the seconds pass.
I held up the shield and imagined the energy beam firing.
The shield sprouted four legs to support its weight, and crosshairs appeared in the air before me. Then it summoned an enormous amount of energy from around me and formed a ball of crackling energy—the same energy the Spirit Tortoise had shot at us outside.
The shield grew into a shape like the barrel of a gun, and a wing-like pedestal appeared behind me. The crosshairs came into focus, and I set them on my target.
It was time. Time to grant Ost’s final wish.
I nodded, and the beam fired.
Everything went white. I couldn’t see anything but the crackling energy.
“Damn! I don’t think . . . !”
Kyo ran to block the beam from hitting the core, but there was too much energy for him to stop it, and it blew him out of the way.
“Aghhhhh!” He climbed to his feet and ran to attack me directly. But before he could, the barrier that he had been using appeared and . . . protected me instead!
“What? Not at a time like this! Nooooo!”
The shield was filled with the power of the Spirit Tortoise. The Spirit Tortoise’s heart—Ost—protected me.
As long as we were inside the Spirit Tortoise and I had that shield equipped, I couldn’t be hurt.
I had to use its energy to break the Spirit Tortoise’s core—that’s what Ost wanted.
Then I . . . I had to help her!”
“Ugh.”
The beam grew stronger and wider. The barrier protecting the core cracked.
The crack widened, and the beam burst through the opening, slamming against the next barrier. Then it broke through that barrier and went on to the next.
Again and again, the beam shattered the barriers in its way. Then, finally, it hit the core itself.
There was a loud piercing, shriek-like sound, and the core shattered into thousands of pieces.
The chamber was bathed in blinding light, and I couldn’t see anything for a while.
Cough . . . Cough . . .
The blast was very powerful. I blinked to get my bearings. The chamber filled with light, but it wasn’t the blinding light of the energy beam. No—it was light from outside.
The chamber was silent. The projection on the wall that Kyo had used to monitor what was happening outside had vanished.
A column of smoke rose from my shield. The gun barrel shap
e that had appeared when I fired the energy beam turned into glowing light before vanishing.
Finally, I saw my friends lying on the ground, where they had ducked under the beam.
“Mr. Naofumi.”
“Kiddo.”
I smiled and waved to them. “Alright, back on your feet. We still have work to do.”
The enemy wasn’t gone yet. It wasn’t over.
“You!”
That’s right. The enemy was still standing.
“You ruined my plans! Ruined by the stupid Shield Hero!”
“Stupid? Coming from you?”
“Yeah!” Rishia shouted, running over to support me. A sphere of magic hovered over her outstretched hand. She had defended herself against Kyo’s powered-up attacks and had scored impressive critical hits against him, too. What had caused her awakening? Her emotions? Her Hengen Muso training? She moved so quickly, so fluidly.
“Come on everyone! Let’s get rid of him once and for all!” Rishia shouted.
Raphtalia, Filo, Eclair, the old lady, and then L’Arc, Glass, and Therese all readied their weapons for a final face-off.
And then Ost appeared behind me, wrapped in light.
“Ha! None of you stand a chance against me, so you all have to team up. Is that it? What a laugh! Oh well, I guess it’s time!” Kyo barked, a pained expression crossing his face. He looked like he’d swallowed a bug.
“You’re not getting out of this one. You’ll pay for your crimes with your life!”
“Will I? I’ve already accomplished what I set out to do. A genius knows when it’s time to step away.”
Soft light spiraled into Kyo’s hands.
It looked like the Spirit Tortoise’s energy!
I looked back at Ost to find her trying to stretch out her arms, but she couldn’t move fast enough.
Glass and Eclair leapt at Kyo, but he was just a little too fast for them.
“Aha! You didn’t think all the energy would disappear when you destroyed the core, did you? Too bad! I developed this thing myself, so don’t expect that energy to return to the earth! Ahaha!”
The energy formed a ball in his hand, then floated into the air above him. It glowed with a faint light before quickly condensing to form a ball of gravity so powerful that it warped space and tore a hole in the air.
“Thanks for the fun! Later!” Kyo shouted. He jumped into the hole and vanished.
But before he vanished completely, he pointed Rishia and I and shouted, “I’ll kill you for what you’ve done here. Prepare for your execution!”
He was really pissing me off!
“Wait!” I ran after him, but he vanished into the hole before I could catch up. I couldn’t let him get away! If he escaped now, he’d only show up again later, even stronger. I couldn’t let that happen!
When I reached for the hole to chase after him, it sparked and repelled me.
Action not permitted.
Holy heroes are not allowed to invade another world.
Invade? Another world?
Did that mean that the hole led to yet another world?
“Mr. Naofumi!”
“Naofumi!”
Raphtalia and Rishia called after me
I turned to face them, only to see Ost lying there, half transparent. She looked like she might disappear at any moment. But she didn’t seem to be in any pain.
“Hey . . .” I tried to protest, but there was no point. I’d destroyed the core, so it was only a matter of time before Ost disappeared. We’d talked about it before I fired the beam. There was no time to wallow in regret.
I had a responsibility to her. I had to make sure I listened to her final words. I had to make sure she left us without leaving anything unsaid.
On my way back to Ost’s side, I passed L’Arc, Glass, and Therese. They were walking towards the hole in the air, their weapons and arms outstretched.
“We will find out where he has run to. Please wait for our return.”
“Alright . . .”
They would carry on the investigation where I wasn’t able to follow. Glass had appeared through the rifts that came with the waves, and so had L’Arc. They knew where they were going.
Epilogue: Ost Horai
I turned back to Ost.
She wavered, like a fragile mirage, but she looked satisfied.
“Thank you. Shield Hero, you finally defeated me.”
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t want to do this.”
I wasn’t happy at all. I felt awful. I kept thinking of ways I could have changed things. My mind flooded with “what ifs.”
“Ah . . . heh . . . I thought you might say that. We didn’t have a lot of time together, but I feel like I know you.”
“Shut up.”
“Mr. Naofumi, you don’t need to speak that way . . .”
“You’re right. We haven’t spent very much time together, but in that short time, I realized you were a friend that I could trust.”
“A . . . friend? I am destined to be destroyed by the heroes, but I became your friend instead?”
“That’s right. My friend. Even if you are a crazy monster.”
She’d put herself at risk to protect me in all the battles we’d faced together. I wasn’t sad to lose her because of her skills. I was sad to lose her as a friend. That’s how much I had come to trust her.
Damn it! Why was it that every time I started to trust someone, they turned out to be my enemy?
“How’s the turtle lady?”
“Filo . . . calm down. Ost is finally free from her mission. We have to see her off—you see?” Raphtalia said, patting Filo’s head. Filo was just starting to realize how sad everyone looked.
Filo had been pretty upset when our journey with Melty ended. I didn’t want to think about how she would react to the death of a friend.
“Do we have to?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere . . . I am . . . part of the world.”
“Really?”
Ost smiled as she cushioned the blow with kind lies.
Maybe they weren’t lies.
She was the Spirit Tortoise, a benevolent beast that absorbed sacrificed lives to protect the very world itself. Maybe she really was part of the world. Maybe the world needed her sacrifice to go on surviving.
“Please express my gratitude to the queen of the filolials. It was because of her that we were successful today.”
“Okay!”
Ost turned to Rishia next.
“Thank you very much. We were only able to destroy my core because you distracted the enemy. Our success is due to your efforts, and the efforts of the queen of Melromarc.”
She was right about that. It was Rishia and the queen that first realized the Spirit Tortoise was the cause of the calamities. They were the ones that read through those thick, ancient reports. We never would have made it this far without their research.
And of course, Rishia’s actions during the final battle were decisive.
“Feh . . .”
“Don’t look so sad. The Shield Hero is alive because of you. The power of your will, and your passion, paved the way for our victory.”
“But I . . . I was never able to help the way I wanted. I wish I were stronger. If I was the . . .”
Rishia looked even sadder, more despairing, like she had after Itsuki expelled her from his party. She thought that if only she’d been stronger, we’d have secured a better future for ourselves. If only . . .
And so she faced her regrets. Was there no other way forward? Did we have to overcome our regrets to make progress? It sounds like a joke, but I was starting to realize that it was true. There was nothing left to do now. There was nothing that could change the harsh truth of what was happening.
People say that you have to keep moving forward. But I was never going to forget what had happened that day, and I felt like doubts and regrets would always plague me. It felt like a curse, something I would always have to
deal with. Ost—I mean, Spirit Tortoise! Damn you!
I tried to hate her, thinking it would alleviate my guilt. But it didn’t work. I had to accept it.
“It is okay. I’m happy. Besides, I was destined to stand against the heroes to guard the earth. I’m supposed to be an enemy. Do not let my death sadden you.”
She was asking for the impossible. How could she even ask that of us? Who could watch a friend die without feeling sad?
“And if you have the time to spend worrying about me, please, spend it on the heroes that were held captive.”
“Oh! You’re right! Master Itsuki!”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“Me too!”
Eclair and the old lady accompanied Rishia to go check on the other three heroes.
Ost had managed to change the subject. I glared at her, and she smiled back at me.
Damn her! She had such evil-looking eyes, but she was so selfless and pure. Why couldn’t she just present herself honestly?
“Good, they’re still breathing.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re out of the woods yet. We better hurry! It could be a matter of life and death.”
“I will try to supply them with energy to help heal!”
Rishia and the others looked after the three heroes.
They’d taken a real beating, so I couldn’t say for sure, but still, those three seemed to survive everything they went through. They would probably be fine.
“Ost, if you don’t want people to be sad when you die, then you should treat them worse. Why can’t you just pretend to be a jerk? Have you thought about how we are supposed to move on after you’re gone?”
“I’m sorry. But if I had done that, Shield Hero—no, Naofumi—could I have earned your trust?”
She hit me where it hurt.
She was right, too. With those eyes, if she had been nasty or cold, if she’d run around barking orders at me, I never would have teamed up with her.
“I guess you’re right.”
“Mr. Naofumi. Please, think about the words you use,” Raphtalia said, chastising me. I guess she was right—I shouldn’t criticize the personality of a dying woman.