Chapter 12

Motoyasu's dragon reacted slightly faster, which got him a quick headstart, but Firo quickly closed the distance and surpassed him.

"Huh?"

Motoyasu was surprised by Firo's speed as she quickly rounded the corner and left Motoyasu in the dust. Lyn noticed some magic gathering up ahead and soon found a knight chanting something.

An earth spell? Seriously?

A small pit appeared right in front of Firo but Lyn was already prepared.

"[Airstryke Shield]!" Lyn yelled as he summoned a glowing shield on top of the newly formed pit. Firo ran over it like nothing happened and they successfully turned the corner and completed the first lap.

"Way to go Shield Hero."

"Keep it up Firo," Raphtalia waved at them.

As they continued to ride, Lyn felt several people nearby gathering magic. To his left four knights in a semi-circle were preparing something.

Oh hell no.

"[Shield Prison]!" Lyn yelled, and a big metal ball made out of shields trapped the knights inside, blocking their magic from reaching Firo.

They continued onward, Firo kicking up large clouds of dust as she ran.

"Go Shield Hero! You're almost done!" some villagers cheered Lyn on.

They quickly finished the second lap and noticed Motoyasu up ahead.

Are we about to lap the guy? Should I slow down and... wait this guy has a speed aura around him. Plus the fate of this village is in my hands so... let's demolish him.

"On your left," Lyn said as Firo passed his dragon and kicked dust in his face.

"Wha-*cough*."

"Firo, let's finish this."

"Gua!"

Firo started running even faster and crossed the finish line before any more knights could interfere.

"Victory! EZ! Shield 2, Spear 0!" Lyn yelled as he hugged Firo.

"Well done Shield Hero. Thanks to you, we won't have to worry about taxes we cannot afford."

"You did good Firo," Lyn said, as he pulled out some random cooked monster and gave it to Firo, while still sitting on her and petting her head. Suddenly a green glow surrounded her, and Lyn felt himself being lifted a bit higher while also sinking inside something warm and fluffy. The glow faded and revealed Firo, now a giant chubby bird instead of a big ostridge.

"You cheater! You didn't tell us that your bird was actually this tub of lard!"

"Look who's talking. You literally tried to have an army of people slow me down with a combo spell, made pits, and sped up Motoyasu, and you STILL lost. Well, at least you took me more seriously and used more people than you did in the duel."

"How dare you?! Do you have any proof?"

"The Shield Hero is right," a cloaked figure said as she appeared seemingly from nowhere surrounded by other cloaked figures. "We have found traces of magic on the course."

"I-it was that criminal, obviously."

"Hey, Myne!" Lyn pulled out the cristal shield and lifted it for her to see. "How was releveling?"

Myne shivered at the sight of the crystal shield and took a step back.

"F-fine. We shall leave for now," she said, as she turned around and walked away with her army. A few seconds later Lyn saw Motoyasu and his dragon finally finish the third lap.

"H-how could I lose again?! Lyn! What cheats did you use this time you bastard!" Motoyasu jumped off his dragon and angrily stomped over to the Sheild Hero with his spear in hand.

My god. So annoying.

"My offer is still active. If you can swallow your pride and ask me for help like a no..." Lyn began but Motoyasu cut him off.

"S-shut up! Just watch me! I'll get stronger than you and then I'll prove once and for all that I'm better than you!" Motoyasu yelled and walked off.

This is gonna come back and bite me in the *ss later, isn't it?

Lyn turned to the villagers.

"So what do I win?"

"Our village is indebted to you, Hero of the Shield-sama. You saved us from unaffordable taxes and imminent ruin. But ... could you please wait a few days? We will definitely collect money for you."

"Nah, if I took money from you now, all my efforts would go to waste."

"Shield Hero-sama, have you ever thought of becoming a traveling merchant?"

"Yes, actually, I could use a carriage for my Filolial."

"Of course Hero-sama. I could also provide you with a merchant pass."

"That would be very helpful."

"I would also advise you to make an alias so that your title as the Shield Hero does not interfere with your trade."

"Thank you for your advice. I'll visit this village after the next wave to see how you fare."

"We will be looking forward to your next visit."

"Well then, let's get back to work."

The villagers and Raphtalia nodded in unison and went back to repairing the village.

"Gua!"

Firo bounced around impatiently, waiting for Lyn to finish fixing the carriage.

"Aaaaaaand... done."

"Gua!"

Lyn attached the carriage to Firo and hopped on.

"Raphtalia! We're going!"

"Coming!"

Raphtalia hopped into the carriage and sat next to Lyn. He pulled out a vial and downed it in one go.

"Firo, let's start slow and speed up as we go."

"Gua."

She started to pull the carriage at a slow and steady pace, the carriage rocking slightly as they went. Lyn sighed.

"This brings back memories."

"What memories?" Raphtalia asked.

"Oh, it's nothing you need to worry about. It was a while ago anyway."

Raphtalia noticed how Lyn looked saddened when he said that and didn't pry any further.

They rode for a few more minutes in silence before Raphtalia spoke up again.

"Lyn-sama... could we please stop... for a moment?"

Lyn looked over the green-faced Raphtalia and nodded, pulling Firo by the reins to get her to stop.

Raphtalia immediately jumped out of the carriage and threw up in the nearest bush. Lyn pulled out two tents and began to set up camp. After a fire, a pot full of water, two tents, and some meat, he walked over to Raphtalia. She was bent over, coughing up whatever she ate this morning. Lyn patted her on the back and handed her a vial of medicine.

"This should help a bit for now. I'll make proper medicine by tomorrow morning."

"Thank... you..."

She took the vial and downed it in one go.

"Go lay down and sleep for now. We'll continue in the morning."

Raphtalia nodded and went to her tent. Lyn walked over to the campfire and pulled out some herbs.

"Gua~."

Firo sat next to Lyn and leaned on him, warming him up. Lyn threw his jacket into his shield and continued to compound medicine.

About an hour later he felt Firo stir in her sleep. Lyn took a glance at her before returning to his medicine. Suddenly a bright light enveloped Firo, as the weight on Lyn's side got lighter. Lyn realized what was happening, but it took a second to process.

On his lap lay a naked girl with wings coming out of her back.

"..."

.

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.

.

.

.

Ohmyf*ckinggodhowcouldiforgetaboutthetransformationaftertheevolutionofthedifferentspeciesraisedbyheroes,nowI'mgonnaneedtofindsomerandommagicalcrystalinordertomakemanathreadinordertomaketransformingclothesforher!

While Lyn was internally screaming at himself for forgetting this important detail, Firo turned in her sleep like nothing happened.

"Sigh*."

He covered her with his jacket and continued compounding medicine.

I'll deal with this in the morning.

Erhard was tidying up his shop when someone opened the door. It was none other than Lyn.

"What does the lad of the shield want now?"

It was then that Erhard noticed Firo wrapped a cloak.

"Lad, did you come here to boast about buying a good slave?"

Grumble*

"Master~ I'm hungry."

Lyn took the cloak and pulled out some food at random, handing it to Firo, who turned into her bird form and ate it in one bite. Erhard was at a loss for words.

"I need transforming clothes."

"Hmmm... Well, I know there are clothes for Demi-humans that transform... But this is a weapon shop, what you are looking for is in a clothing shop."

"Got anything temporary? And where is the clothing shop?"

"Nothing to fit her, and down the road."

"Thanks, Erhard. Firo, whatever you do, don't transform right now."

"Okay~!"

"Lyn *pant* sama."

A panting Raphtalia appeared at the door. Lyn used [All Speed] and [Omega Aura] to arrive here quickly, completely forgetting about Raphtalia.

"The slave merchant *pant* called."

"F*ck him, let's go to the magic shop and deal with him later."

"Shouldn't we go to the clothing shop?"

"No. We need to get a magical thread from the magic shop to get the material for the tailor. So the magic shop is our first stop."

"Oh my."

The woman from the magic shop beamed when she saw the team walk into her shop.

"Hello. We need some magic thread for transforming clothing for Firo."

Lyn pointed to the Filolial, who transformed into her human form. Lyn gave her back the cloak.

"Hm. I see. Unfortunately, I'm all out of magic crystals used to make the magic thread."

"I see."

Of course, nothing is ever easy. IT ALL HAS TO BE SO F*CKING HARD!

"Well, Firo. Let's get you something temporary for now ok?"

"Okay~!"

"Wow... that's a very cute child! Her wings are just like an angel. She seems similar to a Demi-human... I'll work on your order now."

A girl that worked at the clothes shop bounced around Firo.

How do people have this much energy is a mystery.

"We need some clothes for her. Something quick, anything will do."

"You got it. I have some clothes close to her size, so it won't take long."

"Raphtalia, keep an eye on Firo. I need to get a few things before we leave the capital."

"Alright."

Lyn walked back to the blacksmith shop.

"Hey, Erhard."

"What else do you need shield lad?"

"You got any rope? I need a lot of rope."

"How much is a lot?"

"How much you got?"

"Jeez. What do you expect to make with a bunch of rope?"

"I'll figure something out."

"Alright. Good luck I guess."

Erhard pulled out several roles of rope.

A set of armor caught Lyn's eye. It was very light armor, perhaps it was made for beginners.

"25 silvers in total."

"I'll also take that armor set."

"65 silvers in total."

Lyn nodded and handed over the money, throwing all of the rope and the armor into his shield.

"So what happened to the other set you had?"

"Got stolen. Can I place an order on the rope?"

"I suppose I could get you some rope. So how much do you need me to get?"

"As much as you can get me. The more I have, the stronger I get. So the more rope you can get me, the more you're contributing to the fate of the world. I'll pay for everything in full."

"Alright. I'll get you some rope next time I see you. Good luck, shield lad."

"Thanks, Erhard. See ya."

Lyn left the store and walked back to the clothes shop. On the way there he looked over his status. It took 2 meters of rope to unlock the [Airstrike Shield]. Lyn looked back to one of the methods of strengthening his weapons.

[Weapon Stack-ability]. This allowed him to combine two of the same weapons and double its stats. So he could copy a sword and then double its stats by combining the copy and the original. For the skills, it depends on the weapon. For some, it can decrease the cool-down, for some, it increases stats, and sometimes it increases the amount. Of course, he couldn't just feed the material he used to unlock the shield to stack its stats, he would have to craft the weapon. However, the weapon could craft anything that has been absorbed into the shield as long as it had the materials.

And the best part of all of this is that other than the enchants, the upgrades were stacked as well.

Weapon stack-ability was also great for protecting a hero from the [Weapon Re-lock].

Lyn set the shield to craft the rope shield and entered the clothing shop.

"She's so cute, she looks like an angel. Wait, she has wings on her back, so maybe she really is one?"

"Master~, am I cute?"

Firo turned around to face Lyn. She was wearing a small pink dress with golden buttons.

"You're absolutely adorable."

Lyn said as he pet Firo.

"Yay~."

Firo hugged Lyn's leg as he continued petting her.

"Aaaaw. Your daughter is absolutely adorable."

The dressmaker smiled as she looked at Firo.

"Daughter-?"

"Master, are you my father?"

Lyn raised his hand to protest, but quickly put it down.

"I... guess... I technically am? Yeah, we'll go with that."

"Is Raphtalia-oneechan my mother then?"

"Moth-?!"

Firo looked at Raphtalia who blushed and stumbled back.

"Technically yes? But it's up to her if she wants you to call her mother or not."

"What do you mean technically?!"

Raphtalia yelled at Lyn, her face as red as a tomato.

"We did take care of her since birth, so she is technically our adopted daughter. Anyways, let's get going. The earlier we leave the capital, the better."

The group walked out of the shop and back to their carriage, Firo in her monster form.

Lyn handed Raphtalia some medicine so that she wouldn't get sick again. Just as they were about to depart, the woman from the magic shop walked up to their carriage.

"Shield Hero-sama, are you headed to Lute by any chance?"

"Yep. We need a few more things from there before we fully depart. Would you like a lift?"

"Yes please."

The group of four began to make their way back in silence until the old woman broke it.

"So, how's your study of magic going?"

The shop owner asked Lyn and Raphtalia.

"Well, the books helped me adjust to the magic of this world and figure out how compatible my magic from the other world is with this one. I also got reminded of all the different spells I might have forgotten and learn a few new ones. Your gift was very helpful to me."

The old woman smiled.

"Glad to hear it Shield hero. And what about your companion?"

"Well..."

"We were mostly busy dealing with everything under the sun. A lot of things had happened."

"I see."

When they arrived, the woman handed Lyn 25 copper coins. Lyn nodded and put them into his shield that he quickly turned into a small accessory and hid in his pocket. Then he used [Equipt] to instantly change his clothes from his usual attire to the new set he got from Erhard.

"Well, we should start peddling now. The sooner, the better."

"Please wait a moment Shield hero!"

A voice called out from the village. The village elder walked up to him with something bright in his hand.

"Please take this! This is the merchants pass I was talking about. It should help you avoid paying tolls when arriving at each village."

Lyn took it and looked it over.

"Thank you. I'll see you around. Firo, let's go."

"Okay~!

Firo nodded and began happily pulling the carriage, leaving the village behind and starting their adventure as merchants.

They were driving towards a nearby village when they saw a man running on the road. He was running with a bottle in his hand and he looked like he was about to collapse.

"Hey man. Need a lift somewhere?"

"Yes! Every second counts. I need to return to the village on the other side of the mountain as fast as possible."

"We can get you there in a couple of minutes for a silver coin."

"B-but... I spent every coin I had to get this medicine?"

"We'll discuss the payment later. Raphtalia, watch the carriage."

"Understood."

Lyn took the carriage off of Firo and hopped on.

"Get on. We'll get you there quickly."

"Ah. Thank you."

Lyn helped the man onto Firo.

"[Omega speed]."

A bright aura surrounded Firo and she sped off at incredible speeds, almost throwing the man off. But in just a few minutes they reached the village.

"What frightening speed, and your spell. Just who are you?"

"Some rando with magic. Now, don't you have a person to heal?"

"Right!"

The man ran inside a house and Lyn followed. A coughing sound could be heard inside.

"Mom, I brought medicine. Endure it and drink."

"May I?"

"Huh?"

The man looked at Lyn.

"I'm a healer. I can make medicine a bit more effective. Go get your mother some food."

"Alright. Please do what you must."

The man left the room. Lyn picked up the medicine and helped the old woman drink it.

This woman. She is no ordinary old lady. The traces of chi flowing through her body are really strong. She must have been controlling chi and using it in fights for a long time until she got sick.

"Cough... Cough..."

"[Omega Heal]," Lyn muttered under his breath.

"You'll recover soon, just rest for a bit."

Getting on her good side could help me out later.

Lyn walked into the kitchen and looked at the man.

"She'll recover soon. Just give her some food and let her sleep. Should be walking by tomorrow."

"Really? Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah. So about the payment. You could give me a silver coin or some food for the road. I'm not picky."

"Ah, right away."

Lyn walked out of the man's home and looked at his status menu. His shield finished making a few rope shields. Lyn fed his original rope shield the crafted rope shields and looked at its effects.

[Rope Shield] (Awakened) Lv. 17 3 4 20/20 LR

Stacked Amount: 8

Abilities Mastered: [Airstrike Shield] (x8), [Airstrike Shield Dome] (x2)

Special Effect: [Rope] (16 meters)

Ore Equip: [7 Defence]

Item Equip: [6 Speed, [2 SP Recovery]

Soul Equip: [6 Speed]

Food Equip: [7 Speed]

Gem Equip: [19 Mana Recovery]

Money Equip: none

Stat Level:

Defense Lv. 3 [0/8: [3 Defense]

Speed Lv. 5 [0/10: [5 Speed]

SP Recovery Lv. 4 [0/9: [4 SP Recovery]

Mastery Lv.: 100

Item Enchant Lv. 9: 27% MP recovery

Status Enchant Lv. 7: 14% SP Recovery

Spirit Enchant: none

Magic Residue Enchant: none

Money Enchant: none

Exp Enchant: none

Weapon Assimilation: [Pipe Shield, , , , ]

...

It's a common shield, and I over-buffed it this much.

...

Worth.

And now for the other shield which was pretty compatible with this one. Luckily he already thought of it before and currently had 11 pipe shields inside his inventory which he now put to use.

[Pipe Shield] (Awakened) Lv. 14 2 1 20/20 SR

Stacked Amount: 12

Abilities Mastered: [Shield Prison] (x12), [Shield Bunker]

Ore Equip: [4 Defense]

Item Equip: [6 Defense,

Soul Equip: [4 Defense]

Food Equip: [3 Defense]

Gem Equip: none

Money Equip: none

Stat Level:

Defense Lv. 2 [0/7: [2 Defense]

Mastery Lv.: 100

Item Enchant: none

Status Enchant: none

Spirit Enchant: none

Magic Residue Enchant: none

Money Enchant: none

Exp Enchant: none

Weapon Assimilation: [Rope Shield, , , , ]

"Here you go, good sir."

The man gave Lyn a bag of potatoes.

"Alright, this will do."

Lyn turned around and walked towards Firo.

"Wait! May I know your name?"

"Call me whatever you want. I don't care."

"Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Take care. Firo, let's go."

Firo ran back to the carriage and reattached herself.

"So how did it go?"

"Pretty well. Got the guys' mother healed up and got myself a sack of potatoes. Win-win."

"That's good to hear."

Lyn turned his Shield into the [Hourglass Shield], put it under a sleeping bag and any other unimportant things he had in his shield, and started to stock up on energy with the help of the [Hourglass Shield].

They continued to ride from village to village, selling medicine and sometimes giving people rides. This way they spent a week and managed to earn quite a bit of silver. Also, Firo got a class-up from Lyn. She is now at level 42.