My SI Stash #37 - A Slippery Shield by Wheenesss (ROTSH)

-Don't know what's up with ROTSH!SI fics but they almost always have a 5Head MC, ain't complaining tho~

Synopsis: ???

Rated: M

Words: 72K

Posted on: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/a-slippery-shield-rotsh-waifu-catalog.13136/ (Wheenesss)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics/originals mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 0+1

I was the kind of person who hadn't really minded the idea of dying as long as it was on my own terms and I was able to say goodbye to my loved ones beforehand. I used to think it was like that one part of that song from Hamilton, 'dying is easy but living is harder'. Life itself felt like it was becoming more and more of a chore as time went on.

If I had the opportunity to meet my past self, the first thing I would do is punch him in the face because my death was anything BUT clean. There was a huge thunderstorm that night, one of the trees in our front yard fell down right on top of the house. More specifically, right through my bedroom and right on top of my body. That was an awful way to wake up in the middle of the night.

The pain was excruciating, the sensation of my ribs shattering underneath the weight of the tree and rubble. I tried to claw my way out from under the tree but I was too weak, and I could feel blood pooling in my lungs from where my ribs had punctured them. I couldn't breathe, and any attempt just made it hurt more. I think I heard crying? I don't quite remember if it was mine or my sister as she and my parents tried to lift it off of me. But it was too heavy. It was at least a relief when I stopped being able to feel the pain and my eyelids grew too heavy to keep open.

But then, I woke up in a strange place. It was an office. I was sitting in a room across from a strange smiling man (some gut instinct told me that he wasn't a man, that he wasn't human at all) at a desk who told me I had choices to make. I couldn't speak, and I couldn't get out of the chair I was in. All I could do was look around the room and pick up the pamphlet I had been given.

There was a window in the room. But outside it was a sight that I'll never forget. It was... hard to describe. It was a constantly shifting mess of colors and shapes. I don't want to call it a kaleidoscope, because that doesn't do it justice. I don't know what it was. I do know that it was definitely alive, and it was looking right back at me. I felt so miniscule before its gaze, so infinitesimally small like an amoeba being held up to a microscope. If I wasn't already dead I was sure it could kill me one trillion times over. Hell, it might still be able to.

So I turned away from it to look at the pamphlet, and after making sure I understood everything to the best of my ability, I made my choices. Some might call me a coward for playing along with the machinations of these beings, but I knew deep-down that there was nothing I could do to persuade them not to do what they did. The fact that they were giving me any choice at all in the matter was a kindness that they did not have to extend, and I immediately recognized this.

It doesn't make what I did, what I do, what I will continue to do right by any stretch of the imagination. My 'benefactors' wanted to see interesting things, and I was but their humble jester before them. I still didn't care whether I lived or died, I was just afraid of what they'd do to me if I bored them regardless of what my fate ended up being in this new world.

///

("Naofumi" POV)​

*THUMP!*

Suddenly, I was alive again. It almost felt like I was coming up for air after holding my breath underwater for a few minutes.

I had also landed face first. I was in a dark room, with the only light coming from the door leading outside and the glowing magic circle on the floor.

"Gnnnh…" I grunted, moving to stand up.

I could feel my heart beating properly again, and so I looked down at my hands, and more specifically what was attached to my right forearm.

The Legendary Shield.

It was then that I realized that my hands were much paler than they had been before, but it didn't feel wrong. I wasn't wearing the same clothes I was when I had died, but these still felt like my clothes.

The answer came to me immediately. I am now Iwatani Naofumi. I have his memories. I remember growing up in Japan with a completely different family, and having a pretty normal life all things considered before touching that library book a few moments ago. I had two distinct sets of memories, both of which felt like they were mine, but they didn't conflict with each other in my brain. I can clearly see where one ends and the other begins.

"Fantastic! The summoning was a success! O, brave heroes! Won't you please save our world from evil?" a voice calls out in this dark room.

Oh right, I've been Isekai'd. That's a thing. I looked around, seeing about a dozen dark-robed figures (cultists aiming to kill us, one set of memories told me) standing in front, and to my side were the other three Heroes. Kitamura Motoyasu, Amaki Ren, and Kawasumi Itsuki. Just by looking at them now, I realized this wasn't like a dream or hallucination. Their faces were too real, everything was too real. They weren't just drawings on a page or words on a screen anymore.

Motoyasu looked like he had mixed European-Asian ancestry, which would explain the blond hair. Guess that answers whether or not he dyes it. Ren was downright handsome. Itsuki on the other hand… wow, he looked really young. The dude had a total babyface. Which was ironic since Ren was the actual youngest among us.

"Is this for real?" Motoyasu muttered, the Legendary Spear in hand.

Oh you sweet summer child, it's far more real than any of us will ever truly be comfortable with.

"What do you mean it's in need of saving?" Itsuki asked.

"The story behind it all is long and complicated, but suffice to say that you are the Four Cardinal Heroes, and you were summoned here using an ancient ritual." the lead cultist answers, him being the only one with his hood down.

"Our world is in a most fragile state, and teeters on the brink of destruction. So we beg you, o brave heroes, please lend us your aid." the man begs, clasping his hands together.

"Forget it."

"I also refuse."

"You can send us back home, right? Do that and maybe we can talk."

As expected, the three of them refused. If I hadn't known they were trying to fuck me over, I would have at least heard them out. But I said nothing. It's not like they really cared about what I had to say anyway. I was their 'Demon of the Shield' after all.

Ren stepped forward, pointing the Legendary Sword at them. "You brought the four of us here without our consent! Don't you feel the least bit guilty?"

Dumbass. Even if I hadn't known what was coming, it was foolish to act so uppity to people who knew more about the situation than you. Even Nao-.... The me from before I had another life dumped into my head would have thought it was rude, granted I was too polite to ever say it aloud.

"Not to mention, if you throw us out as soon as we restore peace, we'll have done all that work for nothing." Itsuki added.

Although to be fair, 'fuck you pay me' is a valid thing to say in a scenario like this. I'd certainly want payment for sticking my neck out in a situation like this. Not that anyone here would give me money.

"How willing are you to accommodate our requests? Depending on your answer, we may end up as your enemies instead of your allies." there goes Motoyasu.

"Good sirs, before I say anymore I'd like you to have an audience with the King of Melromarc. You can negotiate your rewards with him directly." the priest in black answers.

Right. Aultcray. Trash. Formerly known as Lüge something Faubrey.

"Alright, fine."

"I suppose we'll consider their offer."

"Sure, it doesn't matter who we talk to cuz' our demands won't change."

It might just be because I was predisposed to not liking them given the show, light novel and web novel but Dear God they sound like assholes. Then again, these schmucks explicitly weren't their weapons' first choice in wielders. Only Naofumi, or rather pre-summoning me, was. I couldn't help but wonder if I was worthy, even now? I doubt it.

Still, it's better to make friends than enemies. They weren't bad people, just flawed. It's not like I could claim to be perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I bet they picked me exactly because I'm into this kinda fucked up stuff. I followed the three of them as we were taken to meet the usurper-in-all-but name. I mean sure, Malty was the one with actual aspirations to overthrow her mother but her father certainly wasn't any better even if he wasn't directly intending such.

The castle and throne room itself were quite frankly beautiful places to behold. Shame it belongs to such a shitty country.

As the King drawled on to explain the Waves of Calamity, all I could do was think. Given my choices, maybe it'd be wise to play things as close to canon as possible until after the second Wave? It'd suck majorly, but at least I would know what to expect from the people around me.

While he's talking and the others are showboating, let's check my status. Now was it bottom right corner or bottom left corner? I know it's one of those two.

Name: Iwatani Naofumi

Class: Level 1 Shield Hero

Equipment:

Small Shield (Legendary Weapon)

Shroud of Power (Death)

Attack: 2

Magic: 20

Physical Defense: 70

Magical Defense: 44

Dexterity: 18

HP: 213/213

SP: 57/57

MP: 60/60

Skills: None

Spells: None

Click to expand...

It was then that I realized I was reading this in Japanese, and I understood every single bit of it. Makes sense, all things considered but it was still surprising to the part of me that had not long ago just been a filthy American weeb. I took the time to plan over what I could and couldn't afford to do at this point in time.

However what really stopped me for a moment was the fact that the Shroud of Power was listed as Equipment. I mean, the description said there were supposed to be hitodama floating around me, but there weren't any. Of course I wasn't complaining about it because THAT would have been hard to explain even if I pretended that I didn't know what was happening either. There were no Other-World Clothes listed so presumably they had already been 'eaten' by the Shroud? Still, did that mean I had to manually activate it later when I had some privacy to experiment? How would I do that? Do I just need to focus on activating it, and it'll respond to my thoughts? I know it has to be at least partially active right now because even if I don't remember the exact specifics, I do know my stats were higher than my other self was at Level 1. I also needed to think about what I can and cannot afford to change-

"Oi, Naofumi!"

"Eh?" I blinked in confusion, coming out of my thoughts. Before I knew it, we were now in the quarters they had set up for us. I glanced outside to see that it was almost night. Shit, was I really zoned out for that long? Got to break that habit soon. It could get me killed in a fucked up place like this.

I glanced up to see Motoyasu looking at me, he pointed back at Itsuki and Ren.

"Tell these guys I'm not crazy. This place is totally the same as Emerald Online, right?" he asks.

Itsuki rolled his eyes, "And I'm telling you, this place is Dimension Wave."

"No way, it's Brave Star Online." Ren but in.

Right, stage one of my 'master plan'. Getting the other Heroes more on my side, even if indirectly. I can't say too much now because I know someone is eavesdropping, leading to that BS rumor that lands Canon Naofu-well that just sounds weird to say. That lands the Other Me with no party members.

I shook my head, feigning confusion. "Sorry, but none of those games sound familiar to me. Although this place is a dead ringer for a really popular light novel series called 'The Rising of the Four Heroes'. The first five episodes of the anime had just aired before this happened."

Technically correct! The best kind of correct.

"Aw, what? How could you have never heard of Emerald Online? It's been at the top of the charts for ten years!" Motoyasu whined, leaning back in his chair.

"An old school MMO over a VRMMO like Brave Star? As if." Ren commented. You know, he kinda sounds like Riku from Kingdom Hearts now that I listen closely.

"I've never even heard of a light novel series by that name." Itsuki ponders.

I shrug, "Well, it's just a theory, but what if we all come from alternate Earths? We were all avid fans of media that seems to reflect this world, but we've never heard of what the other is talking about. If a place like this can exist, why not alternate universes?"

So we tested our respective knowledge of Japan, and as expected, none of it matches up.

"Geez, alternate universes too? What a wild ride this is." Itsuki remarks.

"What's with you by the way, Naofumi? You've barely said anything this whole time. What? You scared?" Motoyasu said with a teasing grin.

I shook my head, "Sorry, no it's not that. Honestly, I'm kind of in shock. It's just that...." I trail off, feigning reluctance. "I died before I came here. So the fact that I'm alive again feels weird."

Well, that part wasn't fake at least.

"... You too, huh?" Motoyasu replied empathetically, sitting back.

"I think I got hit by a truck on the way home from prep school. I was waiting at a bus stop looking down at my phone and then suddenly everything was black." Itsuki admitted.

"I died as well. I was on my way home from school too like Itsuki. But I was with a friend of mine when I got caught up in a murder case. I remember saving my friend and the criminal getting arrested but..." Ren answered, trailing off as he rubbed his side. Where he got stabbed.

I shuddered, "There was a really bad storm. A tree fell on my house and landed right through my bedroom on top of me." Remembering it made me feel nauseous, "My ribs were completely broken and I could feel the blood pooling in my lungs. The last thing I saw was my little sister crying as my parents tried to lift the tree off me."

There was a reason my ideal death would be lethal injection while I'm already unconscious. Can't feel any pain that way.

"Damn, that sucks." Motoyasu said, his eyes softening as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well uh… in my case, I have-er… had, quite a few girlfriends."

"You seem like the type." I deadpan.

"With that dyed hair? I'd believe it." Itsuki joked.

"You look like a member of a boy band." Ren smirked.

The wannabe Lancer pouted, "Oi, let me finish will ya?! And my hair is perfectly natural, thank you! My mom is from Europe! Seriously, I get that enough back home in my version of Japan. Anyways, things got a bit… complicated."

"They found out about each other and stabbed you to death or something?" Ren chuckled

Motoyasu's eyes widened in surprise, him nodding solemnly. "Yeah. Women are scary, y'know?"

Honestly given the way these three all died, why did they spend so long in the story thinking that this world is just a game? In hindsight, the other Naofumi should have been the only one thinking this was all a dream since he just went to the library before being summoned.

I took a deep breath, "Hey. What matters is that we're all alive again now, right? But, there's another reason I was so quiet earlier." I take on a determined expression, "Did any of your games go into depth about the story?"

"I skipped out on most of the story stuff in mine, too much text." Motoyasu waved it off.

"The story was paper-thin in Brave Star Online. It's more well-known for the deep gameplay and how revolutionary the VR tech is." Ren shook his head.

"Dimension Wave didn't have much of one either." Itsuki answers.

"Well, I didn't want to say this before because there were too many people around, but I don't think we can trust the King or anyone here right now."

The blond young man of mixed ethnicity raises an eyebrow, "Why do you say that?"

"In the light novel I read, the weapons functioned basically the same way, but the Heroes were summoned to four different nations across the globe. Not all in one place. Which makes sense if you think about it. If the Waves of Calamity affect this entire world like the King said, why would we all be brought here? Especially if proximity to each other impedes our progress? It doesn't make any sense to keep us so close to each other even if we're supposed to go our separate ways later." I said, folding my arms. A convenient lie with just enough of the truth sprinkled in.

"Really? That doesn't sound like Dimension Wave, but given what that King said…" Itsuki put a hand on his chin in thought.

"Plus well, in the light novel." I brought my voice to a low whisper, "Melromarc was one of the evil factions. They were a human supremacist nation that kept slaves of the demihuman and beastman races. Technically slavery was illegal but no one cared as long as they weren't human. You can't be considered a slave if you're not human, after all."

"Shit!" Motoyasu's eyes widened, "You mean we've been summoned by the bad guys?"

I sighed, "I don't know for sure to be honest. For all I know this could be closer to your games than my story. But I think I know what'll clinch it."

"What is it?" Ren asked seriously.

"One of the primary antagonists was the Princess of Melromarc. A pretty, red-haired girl with green eyes who disguised herself as an adventurer. She's an unrepentant bitch who was passed over by her mother the Queen-oh, by the way, this place is a matriarchy so the King isn't even really in charge here. Anyways, she was passed over by her mother as heir to the throne in favor of her little sister. In the books, she makes a false sexual assault claim against one of the heroes after pretending to join his party in order to ruin his reputation and keep him from getting any help. She secretly conspired with a prominent religion in the country to overthrow her parents and become the next Queen." I further explained.

Now normally, I don't think they'd fall for something like this. At least not so easily and not on my word alone. Two days from now, they might justify it as me trying to pre-emptively discredit Malty before I can assault her. However due to the effects of Social Talent and Siren Song they'll at least remember it even if they don't fully believe it.

"Which of the heroes was it?" Itsuki asked, gripping his bow tightly.

I gulped, staring down at the Shield on my right forearm. "T-The Shield Hero. Or in this case, me. In the light novel, they couldn't control which Hero that each of the four countries got with the summoning ritual. The Shield Hero from the book just so happened to be summoned to Melromarc, where the main religion there treats him as the fucking Devil due one of the past Shield Heroes starting a demihuman slave rebellion and starting a new nation where they could be free. Which is why the Church helped the Princess frame him. They worship the other three Heroes."

That just rendered them stunned to silence with wide eyes. I felt bad about lying to them like this, but well, better me manipulating them than the Church or Malty.

"Dude… Fuck, man. I was going to say you drew the short end of the straw just by being the Shielder Class, but damn you're unlucky." Motoyasu said.

I pulled at the collar of my hoodie, my face scrunching up in false anxiety. "I-I mean. It can't all be true right? The version of Melromarc we're in now might actually be decent? After all, if they summoned all four Heroes then who knows what else could be different, r-right?!"

The other three Heroes looked at me and then at each other with concern.

Ren put a hand on my shoulder, "What else happened in that light novel?"

"W-Well eventually the nation that the past Shield Hero started, Siltvelt, threatened to wage war on Melromarc due how they treated him, but since the Waves were an issue that affected everything in the world, they couldn't really go through with it. There were also these things called 'Vassal Weapons', that were basically 8 lesser versions of the Legendary Weapons. They had many of the same abilities but could be around each other without interfering with their wielders' growth. They were typically used by natives of this world instead of summoned people like us. The Waves were caused by worlds colliding into each other, and the other worlds had Heroes of their own. One of the ways to stop the Waves in the story was to have someone wielding a Vassal Weapon travel to another world and kill all of that world's Cardinal Heroes, since they help protect their world from the Waves just by existing." I spun the tale.

"So people like that could be coming for us?" Motoyasu asks.

"They could be? In the story, there were two Vassal Heroes from another world who tried to kill the Cardinal Heroes. One with a scythe and one with a fan." I said.

Sorry, L'Arc. Sorry, Glass. I can deal with being hated by Melromarc as a whole but I need the other three Heroes on my side. At least for now. I'd like to avoid Death By Fitoria as a possibility if I can't get them to work together.

"We have to find some way to confirm this without tipping anyone off. Otherwise, we could be in big trouble…" Itsuki says, his eyes serious.

"I have an idea. One of you three go find someone and ask about demihumans? If I ask we won't be sure because they might be lying because I'm a 'demon'. Find a nobleman or someone important looking. Try to be casual about it. If they say something racist or talk about having slaves of their own, then we'll know." I suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Ren nodded.

From there, Itsuki was chosen by us to be the one to go. Motoyasu wanted to check it out, but the rest of us shut that down due to his obvious weakness for cute girls. 10 minutes later, Itsuki came back, and he did not look happy. He was gritting his teeth and his fists were clenched. Luckily for me, the kid ran across some fat dumbass who bragged to him about having a demihuman slave boy that he liked to molest. It took all Itsuki had to maintain his composure and not try to punch the tub of lard in the face.

After that, we agreed to share information and help each other even if we couldn't directly be part of the same team, which is what I��d been hoping for all along with this facade. They shared information on how each of their individual games worked, while I shared 'crucial plot details', and we all fiddled with our weapons. Because of Siren Song, I was able to get them to believe that all of what they said to each other might be true, which allowed all of us to get each other's Weapon Strengthening Methods right off the bat!

I could even see it reflected in the help menu for the Legendary Shield.

Smelting, Weapon Mastery, Spirit Enchantment and Status Enhancement from Motoyasu.

Level Link, Mastery Level, Energy Transfer, and Rarity Up from Ren.

Rarity Strength, Ore Enhancement, Item Enchantment and the Job System from Itsuki.

I even told them what I knew of the Shield's Power-Up Methods from the Light Novel. Sharing, Trust, and Energy Boost. I apologized for not being able to share my fourth method with them, because the light novel honestly hadn't revealed it yet. But the others said it was fine, saying that the story details and what little I did now about my weapon's system was enough.

Now some might ask why I went through this charade when I already know of the methods from the anime? Put simply, it's not enough to just know that it exists. You actually have to encounter the other weapon user and have them explain their method to you according to the light novel.

"Damn, these bozos almost made complete idiots out of us." Motoyasu grumbled, sitting on his bed now.

"So where do we go from here? Obviously we can't stay in this country." Ren pointed out.

"I think we should play along for now, so they aren't too suspicious. We're all Level 1 right now. They could crush us easily. We use their resources to get stronger, then once we're powerful enough we bail out until the Queen gets back since she's supposed to be an actually decent human being." I sighed, "Of course, I'll still need party members to do any damage for me with an Attack Stat of fucking 2."

"Well the King said they were gathering party members for us to meet tomorrow, right? Hopefully one of them will join you even with the crappy religion this place has." Itsuki said.

"But we won't be able to trust them because it's the King picking them." Ren answers.

"No, Itsuki's right. We don't need to trust them. We just need them to carry us until we're strong enough to strike out on our own and find party members we're sure aren't working for him." I agreed.

Or in my case, find private time to 'unbox' my chosen party members. Preferably after acquiring Raphtalia. So with the business settled, we shook hands in agreement, sealing our 'secret' partnership.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

It was then that we heard a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, Sir Heroes? We have prepared a meal for you all before you turn in for the night." the voice of presumably what was one of the castle staff told us from the other side. We opened the door, and allowed the attendant to guide us towards the dining hall. Dinner was… odd but nice. The food was definitely tasty. but it was clearly made from monster meat so it mostly looked unlike anything I had seen on Earth before. I ate something that looked like an omelet but tasted more like some kind of citrus fruit.

Crawling into bed not long after the food, I sighed internally. Sleep did not come easily that night. I was scared of possibly being killed while I was resting by one of the Church's Shadows for knowing too much, something that was a very real possibility while I was still a meager Level 1. Then again, that would immediately tip off to the other three Heroes that what I said was right. Who knows with religious zealots? They're fucking nuts. In that scenario, they might think they'd be able to convince them that I was lying to them. Joke's on them though, killing one of the Cardinal Heroes makes all the subsequent Waves much stronger and even with that I told them I very much doubt that Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren would take this seriously enough to survive.

I absentmindedly wondered if dying that way would be considered amusing enough for the Entities that 'randomly' picked me for this challenge. Sure it was way too fast but it legitimately wasn't my fault. Well, unless they decided that telling the other Heroes stuff while knowing that we were being eavesdropped on was a stupid decision and punish me for it. �� Which was also a very real possibility now that I think about it. Maybe I told them too much? Or perhaps I didn't tell them enough?

Fuck. Had I screwed up before I ever really got going? Will I wake up back in that strange, otherworldly office again in the morning? Should I jump off the balcony now and make a run for it? I'd probably survive the fall. Even at Level 1, I was now a cut above how I had been in both of my previous lives. Was I just overthinking it? Maybe I'm being paranoid.

This was going to be a long night.

- - -

Chapter 1

(Malty POV)​

I am Malty S. Melromarc, firstborn Princess and rightful Queen of Melromarc. All I have to do is get my bitch mother and bratty little sister out of the way and the throne will be mine. Daddy was already wrapped around my finger so he won't obstruct me.

Yesterday, with some pleading from me and some concerned words from Pope Balmus, Daddy had ordered the summoning of the Four Holy Heroes. This marks the beginning of my plan to seize the throne, with help from the Three Heroes' Church. After framing the Shield Hero for assaulting me, I would attach myself to one of the other Heroes. Mother 'Dearest' wouldn't dare upset one of them by even thinking of sending me off to marry that fat pig of a king in Faubrey. Not when the Waves were such a big threat. And by helping the Church keep their 'demon' weak and helpless, they would endorse me as the future Queen of Melromarc and do their best to convince the rest of the populace to support me as well. After all, if a Hero chooses me as his bride, then obviously I must be superior to my sister. It's only natural then that I should be the Queen, with my Hero husband as the King.

Or at least that's how it should have happened. Although in hindsight maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. I hadn't put much stock into the Church's belief that the Heroes were somehow 'above' normal people in body and mindset. After all, Daddy was one of the Seven Star Heroes and he's just as pliable as every other man I've encountered in my life. In that respect, I had it nailed. I'd observed them from a distance, and they weren't any different from most guys around my age. Especially that blond one, the Spear Hero. He seemed like the type that I could lead around with ease.

But the legends had said that the Four Cardinal Heroes would be summoned with knowledge of this world. From what the Church's Shadows had told me after eavesdropping in on their conversation, that part was true. The Sword, Spear, and Bow Heroes all kept referencing some strange game they played in their worlds that gave them knowledge of how their weapons worked. Neither the Shadows nor I could really understand what they were talking about. The Shield Hero's knowledge however, was much more damaging to my plans.

He had apparently read about our world in the form of a novel, a storybook. He knew about my plan and Church's plan, warning the other three Heroes not to trust me or them. A part of me found it natural that even people in other worlds would write stories featuring me in it. Another part of me greatly objected to being called a 'villain'.

Please. Villains are losers. Malty S. Melromarc is a winner. History is decided by the victors after all.

But thanks to that, the Church was hesitant about supporting me. The fools. This is just a minor setback. Men have been warned about me before, but in the end all it took was a few crocodile tears, and they'd fall in line like the rest. Still, this makes things harder. The Shield Hero was obviously the most knowledgeable one, so he'd be the hardest nut to crack. The other Heroes trusted what he told them, so if I can get him to trust me, then the others will follow suit. My plan is still perfect. I just have to convince him that I'm not the same as the version of me he read about before ruining him. From what the Shadows had gathered, in the story he read the Heroes were properly summoned to four different nations instead of just Melromarc, so he already knows things won't be quite the same. It's a bit of a shame though. The Shield Hero is actually the most handsome of the four of them. That mole really brought out his eyes. If he had been summoned as one of the other Heroes I could see myself picking him as the best one to attach myself to.

So here I stand this beautiful morning, with my best smile on and wearing my adventuring outfit. For now, I was Myne Sophia. I stood amongst the peons that had been chosen to be the Heroes' potential party members. None of them would pick the Shield Hero. Except me of course, and I'd have to make sure it stays that way. If I'm his only party member, then he has no choice BUT to trust me.

All four Heroes are visibly anxious when they notice my presence, but the Shield Hero is the most on edge out of all of them. He's glancing at me with a look that's full of curiosity and contemplation? Odd. I had expected the former but not the latter. I can work with that.

I put on my best disarming smile, and the curiosity disappeared from the Shield Hero's face, his gaze turning straight back towards my father. Hmph. Rude.

"Once per month, I will supply each of you with the necessary funds to continue your journey. And as we discussed yesterday, I have called for others to assist you in your journey. As you can see, my call did not go unheeded." Daddy began, all formal and imposing as a senile old man like him could be. "Now then, gathered adventurers, please choose the legendary hero with whom you will travel."

Showtime. I and the other peasants began to move for the heroes. As expected, no one moves towards the Shield Hero. Except for me that is. The boy didn't seem to expect anyone actually picking him, judging by the clearly puzzled and surprised look he's giving me. Maybe I can work with that?

���Hm… Well this is certainly a troublesome arrangement. Does no one else want to join Sir Naofumi on his adventures?" my father asks, looking down at them.

No one moved. The Shield Hero sighed, "Well, I can't say that this wasn't unexpected. Your Highness, if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to request slightly extra funds just this once so I can recruit more party members in the future?"

Daddy nods, "That is a fair arrangement."

Four attendants came forward, each of them holding a bag full of coins. "Just this once, Sir Naofumi will receive 800 silver coins while the rest of you will receive 600 silver coins."

The Heroes nodded, all of them taking the bags and placing them atop the round gemstones on each of their weapons, causing them to disappear inside. Hm, so the Four Cardinal Weapons can store items inside them just like the Seven Star Weapons? Daddy hasn't explained how his Staff works but they must be quite similar. It would have been more convenient if the Shield Hero didn't know about that little feature so I could take that money when it was time to make my move, but oh well.

"Now Heroes, go forth and begin your quest!" my father declares.

The four Heroes bow, "Yes, sir!"

With that nonsense out of the way, everyone left the audience chamber for the outside of the castle to make their introductions to each other. Hands behind my back, I put on my best 'innocent and excited to be here' act with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Shield Hero. My name is Myne Sophia." I introduced myself.

The Shield Hero raises an eyebrow at me, "I feel the same way. My name is Naofumi Iwatani." he gave his own name in an even tone.

"So as a native to this world, and presumably this town as well, do you know a good place where I could buy some better equipment and armor?" he asks.

I nod, "But of course! I know an excellent store if you're ready to go right now?"

The boy gestures towards the drawbridge, "Then lead the way, Ms. Sophia."

I took him towards the store and helped him pick out a decent set of Chainmail Armor. From there we went to the basic grinding area outside of town for low-level adventurers.There was nothing around here except for Balloons.

"Now, since we'll probably be spending a lot of time together, I think it's best for us to get to know each other before we begin trying to get stronger." he begins with a serious look. "So tell me about yourself, Ms. Sophia. Why did you decide to become an adventurer?"

I fed him a dumb story I had prepared beforehand, "My father is a retired adventurer, Sir Shield Hero. When I was a little girl, I always admired how strong he was and how he would tell me stories of all the good deeds he did. I apologize if it sounds a bit childish, but I wanted to be just like him."

He nods, "I see. I can understand idolizing one's parent. But as a Hero, I'm duty-bound to fight the Waves, and as one of my party members you would naturally be expected to follow me into them when they occur. That's a fair bit above what's expected of a normal adventurer in this world I imagine. Aren't you scared of dying or getting hurt?"

"That may be true, but I'm sure that as the Shield Hero you'll do an excellent job of making sure nothing comes to harm me!" Appeal to his ego.

"Of course," he smiles sheepishly, "Although... I must admit that I don't currently have anything in the way of offensive capabilities, meaning you'll need to be strong enough to make up for that. At least until we gather more party members."

Ha! How pathetic! What use is a Hero who can't destroy his enemies?

"I'm sure I'll be up to task, Sir Shield Hero! You can count on me!" I put on a cutesy, determined look, prompting a laugh from the man.

"Please, just call me Naofumi. We'll be spending enough time together that it'll be awkward if you keep referring to me by just my title."

"As you wish, Sir Naofumi." I nod.

"Now I do have one more question. While I can understand wanting to join up with a Hero, why me specifically? I seem to be the least popular one here seeing as you're the only one who joined me this morning. Plus I couldn't help but notice that the looks many of the townspeople were giving me on the way out here were… less than friendly." he asks.

As if you don't already know the reason behind it. I guess he's fishing for confirmation?

"Well…" I make an effort to look conflicted, "Melromarc has a bit of a checkered history, Sir Shield Hero. Did you see those people with animal traits walking around?"

He nods, and I continue, "Those people, beastmen and demihumans, well… They were slaves, to put it bluntly. This country views humans like you and I as the only worthwhile race of intelligent beings. I don't share such beliefs, of course, but that's just how it works here. The Royal Family, most of all, buys the most non-human slaves."

That last part wasn't even a lie. I don���t know why Mother tries to pretend to be so much better than me or Daddy about how we treat the filthy mutts. She only cared because she was trying to avoid another war with Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden. The hypocritical bitch.

The Shield Hero doesn't look surprised, as expected. "That's interesting. Continue."

"See, the reason why is that in the most recent war, our major enemies were two nations that are predominantly inhabited by beastmen and demihumans. One of them in particular, was founded by a previous Shield Hero."

"So they don't like me by association?" he asks, and I nod.

The man sighs, "It figures. But that just makes me more curious. Why join the least popular Hero? If they don't like me, then I'm pretty sure they'll start to not like you as well if you keep spending time with me."

"Because I knew that no one else would. You're going to be risking your life to save our entire world!" I shake my head, "It's not fair!"

He laughs, "Then I'm glad that I was lucky enough to meet such an upright person like you! Alright, let's get to grinding."

The Shield Hero sent me a party invitation, and I accepted. Sure, he'd gain some EXP but as long as I sandbagged myself and pretended to have poor stamina he wouldn't gain very many Levels, which would satisfy the Church. No 'moral' man would be willing to force someone else to fight for them past their limits after hearing such an impassioned act like that. Everything is going according to plan.

- - -

Now, you might be wondering why Malty didn't change her plans at all. The simple thing is? While she's a complete bitch and an accomplished liar, she doesn't actually learn from any of her setbacks in the light novel. She senselessly burns every bridge she could have potentially had. Which means she's dumb and stubborn. There's a reason that the Church was okay with nuking her too when they decided to kill all four Heroes. The girl is a liability no matter what side she's on, even her own side, which is the only one that really matters to her.