Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (LN) - Volume 16 - Chapter 6

Chapter Six: The Staff Hero 

As I opened my eyes, pain lanced through me. I grunted. 
“Nao—” 
“Naofumi!” It was S’yne and her familiar who shouted out to me as I awoke and sat up. Had they been nursing me? There was something on my chest . . . a square gemstone. 
The stone glittered with a pale light. I could tell it was stopping my pain. So the power of this accessory had healed the wounds in both me and the shield? 
Giving the matter some thought again now . . . I wondered who just S’yne was, anyway. 
I mean, I knew she was a vassal weapon holder from another world. But it was also true that there were still many mysteries surrounding her. 
“I’m fine now,” I said. I likely couldn’t talk to them again without the shield here, but even without it, the shield was still lending me its power. “Ren and the others are still in conference?” 
“Yes. About Raphtalia too. She risked her life to save us, and then . . .” the familiar started, but I cut it off. 
“I know what happened.” 
“Raph!” Raph-chan came out from under the bed and leapt up onto me. 
“Even when I was unconscious, I was aware of my surroundings through the weapons,” I explained. “I have some idea of what’s been going on. The queen is gone too?” 
“That’s right. After we escaped from Faubrey . . . none of the treatments could save her,” the familiar confirmed. 
“I saw it,” I said. 
“Melty and Filo are participating in the funeral at the moment,” the familiar said. 
“I see . . .” I’d pay my respects later. 
“What are you going to do now?” the familiar inquired. 
“Grief has closed the eyes of one of the seven star heroes. It’s time he opened them again,” I declared. 
The state funeral had seen everyone crying. 
After it was finished . . . one person was left standing in front of the queen’s coffin, inside which the monarch slumbered so peacefully. Behind them stood Melty, her eyes red, holding hands with Filo. 
“Melty!” I called. 
“Ah, Naofumi!” She came running over to me, crying anew. “My mother . . . my mother!” 
“I’m sorry. I failed to protect her,” I said. 
“No . . . no need for that. Filo and all the others said how hard you tried . . . and I saw how badly you were wounded,” Melty replied. 
“But I still failed,” I said. That was the truth. The queen had done so much for me—never lying, lending me her strength, mobilizing the entire nation to aid me. 
 
“Melty. There’s no need to hold back. I failed to protect her . . . You can hate me, if you need to,” I told her. She gave a scream of anguish and grabbed onto me, tears streaming down her face. It hurt, without the protection of the shield, but this was pain that I had to accept. 
Seeing Melty break down, Filo also started to cry her eyes out. For a short while, I just stood there and comforted the two of them. 
“I’m sorry, Naofumi,” Melty eventually said. 
“No need to apologize. I hope you feel a little better,” I replied. 
“Thank you,” she managed. Melty stood up and moved to leave the church. 
“Are you finished with the funeral?” I asked. 
“I’ve said my goodbyes to my mother. Now I need to prepare for the coming battle,” Melty replied. 
“I see. You’re tough, aren’t you?” I said. 
“Filo!” Melty called. 
“I’m here!” Melty climbed onto Filo’s back and they raced away. They were headed to the same conference the heroes were currently holding. 
“Well then . . .” I proceeded toward the one standing in front of the coffin—Trash. 
The queen looked beautiful, even in death, like she was about to sit up and start giving orders. Trash was quietly looking at her corpse. The images the legendary weapons had shown me had told me how much he loved the queen. Trash had noticed me, but he still only looked at the queen. 

“Have you come to laugh at me? An old fool, unable to protect a single thing that’s precious to me?” he asked. 

“No,” I replied. I placed some flowers into the coffin. Just that simple act filled me with sad feelings. 
The queen had continued to lend me her strength. That was why I’d also done my best to meet her requests. I could have gone to Siltvelt and started a war with this country. It was thanks to the hard work of the queen that Melromarc hadn’t gone to war with Siltvelt. I understood now just how hard that had been. 
Nobles and religions from within the nation had continued to hate and hound me. She must have been defending me from attacks I had no idea about. That would explain why she had always seemed so busy. She’d given herself for the sake of her nation, for the sake of the world, and yet none of it had been rewarded. Now on top of that, she’d tried so many times—countless times—to set her daughter right. 
None of those efforts had taken either. Witch continued to happily knock people down for the sake of her own desires. 
I saw how the queen had been desperate to change the minds of her daughter and husband so they wouldn’t hate me. But all of that was finished now. That same daughter had rejected her mother’s maternal feelings, and in turn it led to her mother losing her very life. 
All Trash had been able to do was watch his daughter’s twisted work. 
“Shield Hero. I leave this nation in your hands. I won’t be fighting,” Trash said. My anger instantly flared up, and I grabbed Trash by the collar. 
“Did your wife tell you to leave this nation with me?! You aren’t even going to try and understand what it was your wife tried to impart to you, as she lay dying?!” I raged. A flicker of reciprocal anger did appear on Trash’s face, just for a moment. 
 
It vanished just as quickly, however, and he looked away. 
“What should I do, then? I can’t . . .” Trash mumbled. 
“Will standing here grieving bring the queen back? Will praying return Atla to life? Will wishing for a miracle bring peace to the world?” I questioned, almost accusingly. 
“Shut up! What . . . what the hell do you know?” Trash’s anger ignited again, and he took a swing at me. I avoided it smoothly. Trash glared at me as though he had finally found something to smash his anger against. 
“You think I don’t understand?” I countered. Trash had no reply for that. 
I thought of Atla. 
The girl who I whispered to, the girl inside my shield, was no longer in this world. She had given up her body in order to protect us all. 
“I am going to avenge Atla. I’m also going to execute your daughter, Witch. She’s nothing but a poison to Melromarc.” I was going to put on a real big show. If the spirits didn’t like that, they’d just have to lump it. “Siltvelt treats the Shield Hero as a god. Melromarc is already mine, and Faubrey will fall next. Then all the major nations will belong to me!” I gave an evil cackle. “The start of a new world order.” 
“What are you talking about?!” Trash raged. 
“Once that happens, you are first on the chopping block, old man. You worthless hero. Then Melty, I reckon. She seems to think I’m a good person. 
 
Big mistake. It will be fun to see how she reacts. Or maybe I’ll do what your wife wanted and make her my sex slave,” I pondered. God, if Melty actually heard any of this, the wounds from Takt would be the least of my worries. Without the shield, even Melty’s magic could really put the hurt on me now. 
Still, I hoped that was enough to make Trash really mad. 
“I won’t allow that!” Trash focused his pure anger on his fist and swung for me. 
I let him hit me. 
I didn’t know what level Trash was. With the shield slumbering, however, I did taste blood in my mouth. 
“I will be the one . . . I will protect the Melromarc that Mirellia so loved! I won’t let scum like you have it!” he declared. 
“Good. That’s the way. See, you can do it,” I said, recovering from the blow. 
“What?” Trash was stunned by my response. 
“I ask you again. Did your wife say to leave this nation to me? She didn’t, did she? She left it to you! The Staff Hero and the Wisest King of Wisdom! You need to listen to the final request of the woman you so loved!” I shouted. With a stunned gasp, Trash’s eyes opened wide and he took a large step backward. 
Then he wiped away his tears. 
“You are right. My eyes have been clouded. I let my sadness, my grief at losing someone so close to me, overtake me . . . and I directed all my hatred from the past at you, Shield . . . Hero Iwatani,” Trash said. In truth, he probably wanted to attack me for failing to protect his wife. Trash still hated me, clearly. They all seemed pretty selfish to me, but he had plenty of reasons to hate the Shield Hero. And yet, from the Trash standing in front of me now, I couldn’t feel a single one of them. 
 
I felt something regal from him now, like when we had been opposed before the arrival of the queen. Indeed, something even more than that, as he looked at me so sharply. 
“My wife left this nation to me. All I can do is abide by her final words. I won’t ask for your forgiveness. But will you still fight for my nation? Please, I beg you!” Trash bowed low before me . . . and I couldn’t help but splutter with laughter. 
“No need to bow to me for that. The queen has already bowed enough for both of you,” I told him. 
“But . . .” Trash started. The queen had said that she wanted my aid in protecting her nation. That she would do whatever she could to aid me in that. The queen had kept her word right up until she died, meaning I had to keep my promise with her. 
Now I had to fight in order to clean away the true trash infesting Faubrey. 
Just like Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki had changed, like I myself had changed, everyone had the potential to change. 
“You’re going to change, right?” I asked him. “Then stop talking and bowing your head and take action.” It was easy to talk about defeating Takt, the one who had killed Atla, to claim you could save the world in an instant. 
 
But someone who was just all talk couldn’t defeat our foes and couldn’t save the world. 
We weren’t going to be playing at politics now. We were going to war. A war we absolutely must not lose. A war to avenge all who had died. 
“What are you still doing here then? Go and get to work for this nation!” I barked. 
“Very well.” Trash lifted his face and gave me a salute with a sharp expression. As though responding to his words, a shining staff appeared in front of Trash. “This is . . .” Yes. The very moment the Seven Star Staff had been waiting for—for the clouds to clear from Trash’s festering eyes. Or in this moment, should I say King Aultcray? 
Trash grabbed the staff. Lightning scattered around him, and the seven star hero was revived. 
Staff Spirit, I’ve kept my promise to you. 
Trash accepted the staff . . . and then took out his ceremonial dagger, cut off his overgrown hair and beard, and then stood straight. 
“Let’s go, Hero Iwatani,” he said. 
“I am with you. Wisest King of Wisdom . . . Aultcray,” I responded. But Aultcray shook his head. 
“I failed to protect the one I loved. ‘Trash’ is the only name worthy of a fool like me,” he said. I had no response to that. “I am Trash. I brought all of this upon us. You should continue to call me Trash,” he told me. He was like a different person. I’d heard that only fools called themselves wise men, but what kind of man called himself “trash?” 
 
I had to believe he was the better of the two. 
“As you say. Trash, I’m leaving our strategy to you. I’m counting on all that wisdom supposedly packed into your head,” I told him. 
“We shall destroy these enemies with the fewest sacrifices possible,” he said. 
We turned from the queen’s coffin and quietly . . . started walking. 
We arrived in front of the conference room where Ren and the others were in discussion. I’d picked up Motoyasu along the way, who had been playing with his three filolials. 
“Ah. The Shield Hero, and . . .” The castle soldier swallowed his words, looking behind me to see S’yne and Trash giving off a radiant aura. An aura you could see in a single glance—truly something only a hero was capable of. 
It was true. Trash looked like a completely different person. It wasn’t whatever I’d felt the first time I saw him but rather . . . a charisma, almost. Like I couldn’t take my eyes off him. 
“Your majesty,” the guard responded, carefully choosing his words. 
“Good man. I wish to talk with the heroes and the coalition army. Will you please open the door?” Trash asked. 
“Your majesty!” The guard gave a salute and then opened the door. We proceeded into the conference room. 

“Naofumi!” As soon as Ren saw me, he stood up and came over. “Have you recovered from your injuries?” 
 
“For the time being,” I responded. There was still pain, but I could move, and I was continuing to recover. Combined with the blessings of the shield, by the time it came to fight the scum, I would be recovered enough to take him. 
“And . . .” Ren saw Trash and stopped dead. “Is that who I think it is?” 
“Yeah, one and the same. I’m just as surprised as you,” I replied. With a stern look on his face, Trash looked over everyone in the meeting and showed them his staff. His face looked so regal it almost made me want to check if it was really him. 
It wasn’t his arrogant face from when I first saw him, or the pathetic and hate-filled one that had come later. If he’d been like this from the start, I’m pretty sure I’d never have beaten him. 
“So the Staff Hero of Melromarc is finally ready to fight, huh? A little too late, isn’t it?” The old genmu guy took an aggressive stance with Trash. 
“I’m not going to deny it. My eyes were clouded before, but no longer. In accordance with the final words of my wife, the queen, I will defend this nation,” Trash said. Even just yesterday, hearing such a comment would have sent him into a rage, trashing the room before being chased out. This new Trash, however, admitted to his own mistake. 
“Melty,” he said. 
“Y-yes,” his daughter answered, standing up straight. She had been running the meeting alongside Ren. Perhaps sensing something out of place, Melty knitted her eyebrows as she dealt with her father. 

“Will you continue this discussion? Hero Iwatani and myself will join you,” Trash said. 

“Very well,” Melty agreed. Trash pulled out a chair for me and then sat down next to me. Just that made everyone hold their breath. It was clear that he had let our past wash away and was showing respect to me. 
It was even freaking me out. All he had really done so far was pull out a chair with a really serious expression on his face, and even I was thinking that something was up with him. 
It was like that old trope when someone who had been completely worthless up until that moment suddenly started pulling their weight and it made them look so cool. The only test now was how far he could exceed the obvious expectations being heaped on him. 
“What are you doing, daughter? Proceed. We have little time remaining to us, correct?” Trash said. 
“V-very well then,” Melty stumbled. She proceeded to take out some documents and start to write on a board placed on the wall. It was a breakdown of Takt’s forces. He had seemingly deployed all sorts of weapons into battle. 
Things looked bad for us, I’d say that much. 
Takt was coming directly for Melromarc from Faubrey. He was calling for the nations along the way to surrender and taking those that wouldn’t by force. For that, his progress almost seemed too fast to me. 
He was even finding the time for all those public executions. 

They would reach Melromarc within a few days, anyway. That was the situation. 
 
“The Sword, Spear, and Bow Heroes have not participated in the defensive line yet?” Trash asked. Melty even went so far as to raise her hand before answering. 
“The Faubrey weapons and abilities of their hero pose too significant a threat. So long as they have their hero, we cannot deploy ours carelessly, and so we made the hard choice to keep them out of the fighting,” she explained. 
“Hmmm. A wise decision. These ‘airplanes’ then. I have some understanding of the kind of weapon they are, but do they really pose such a threat?” Trash asked. 
“Yes. After bombing using airplanes and airships, they drop troops via parachute and occupy the target. Anybody who gets close to them is repelled by machine guns. High-level dragon knights from each nation have attempted close combat, but the pilots remain far too high a level for that to work,” the report continued. The level gap meant just trying to muscle through couldn’t work against them either. 
A simple strategy, but that simplicity itself made it difficult to defeat. Magic or long-range attacks might have proved effective at shooting them down, but the levels of the pilots prevented those attacks from landing too. 
“How many airplanes do they have?” Trash asked. 
“They apparently use a maximum of five. They board close to the battlefield and then drop their infantry from the airspace over the enemy nation and suppress the inhabitants,” Melty explained. 
“I would like to hear the opinions of the heroes about these airplanes,” 
Trash stated. 
 
“I’m afraid we can only provide an outline. I guess they are possible to realize here, but it’s not like you summoned aerospace engineers,” I responded. 
“I need to know how these airplanes are used in your worlds, heroes. How they feature in conflicts, and what other applications they have. As much as you can tell me,” Trash clarified. 
“Is that stuff really important? They have already existed in the past in this world, correct?” I confirmed. 
“They have, but I need to confirm all the possible details or I won’t be able to create a strategy,” Trash said. With that, he proceeded to dig down as deep as possible into our knowledge on the subject, pressing for information so detailed I couldn’t imagine it would possibly be of any practical use. He also asked about guns too. Itsuki turned out to know a lot on that subject, including the names of the parts themselves. 
So he came from a world with superpowers but was a military fanboy himself, I guess. 
I wanted to make such a comment, but it wouldn’t help anything. I decided against it. 
Thinking about it for a moment longer, I realized he would need a gun or a bow or something to use his Accuracy ability. So his knowledge of guns probably made sense. 
“That’s still not enough,” Trash said once we were finished. 
“What?” I asked. 
“There’s still something that feels incomplete,” Trash clarified. After everything we’d already told him, he still pressed us with further questions. The other heroes, Melty, and I considered that attitude with suspicion to start with, but the other heads of state—especially those of around the same age as Trash—were all quietly smiling with reassured looks on their faces. 
 
“Hey. What’s going on?” I asked one of them. 
“That’s proof that the Wisest King of Wisdom is truly back with us. He continues to gather information until he has everything he needs. After all we’ve done to him, that’s how we know he can be relied upon now,” came the reply. 
“Fair enough . . .” I managed. 
“If he isn’t confident in his strategy yet, that means he still hasn’t received a piece of critical information from you. Please continue to aid him,” the man asked. I still didn’t understand where that faith was coming from, but I’d never seen Trash like this either. I decided to remain quietly optimistic. 
“Hero Iwatani,” Trash said to me. 
“Y-yes?” I responded. It still threw me off to no longer have him just call me “shield.” There was an incredible light in his eyes too. Like, I might get sucked into it and start spilling all my secrets, whatever they were. 
“I will leave the leader of our enemies to you, Hero Iwatani. Is that acceptable?” he asked. 
“Yeah. I’m going to crush his face,” I responded. 
“Naofumi, can you handle it? Your shield has been taken from you, right?” Ren asked, concern in his voice. 

“I’m fine. Which reminds me . . .” In the same moment I had the thought, the weapons of the heroes who were present all started to faintly glow. The light moved from Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki, through the place where my own shield had been, and then out to Fohl and Trash. 

“What’s this? ‘Convert?’” Trash queried. 
“Release of the power-up method? An item I’ve never seen before popped up,” Fohl said. Both of them muttered to themselves while tracking something with their eyes. 
That had done it, anyway. The synergy effect between my weapons and the heroes’ weapons had been further unlocked. The power-up method for the gauntlets had also been updated. Trash reverently offered his staff to me. 
“The staff apparently wishes to make a special exception and lend its strength to you as one of your personal possessions, Hero Iwatani,” he explained. 
“Are you okay with that?” I questioned. 
“I am fundamentally a strategist. Weapons are not so important to me,” he clarified. 
“I see,” I said. I gripped Trash’s staff. An item appeared, much like when I still had the shield. Then a system message popped up.

Possession by the Shield Hero permitted as a special exception!　Exception weapon unlocked!

Fenrir Rod conditions unlocked! 
 
Fenrir Rod 0/90 C
<unable to unlock> equip bonus, Fenrir Forcespecial effect: gleipnir rope, rebellion against heaven mastery level: 0 

I proceeded to check my status. When compared to the status I was familiar with, quite a bit had changed. I was going to have to adapt my fighting style a little. 
The rod itself was decorated with an engraving of a wolf biting it. It had chains wrapped around it, making it somewhat difficult to hold. When I checked the weapon book, quite a lot had been unlocked. It looked like the seven star fixed ability called Convert allowed the unlocked status of weapons from the trusted four holy heroes to be carried over. 
That alone provided a pretty big boost in stats. However . . . they were lower than the shield values I remembered. This was likely because the seven stars were lower-ranking weapons than the four holy ones. 
Next I looked at the staff power-up method. 
“Fohl, share the power-up method in your help with us. We’ll tell you ours too. Then put them into practice,” I said. 
“S-sure. I can see it now. I searched all around before and couldn’t find it at all,” Fohl reported. 
“Ren, Motoyasu, Itsuki, you guys understand too, right? Powering up heroes is about trust. I’ll tell you the power-up method on this staff that Trash had, and Fohl will do the same with his gauntlets,” I said. 
 
“Sure thing,” Ren said. 
“Understood, I say!” Motoyasu chimed in. 
“Okay,” Itsuki added. We proceeded to share our power-up methods among ourselves. 
“Hold on a moment. Isn’t that one of the power-up methods that we tried before, and it didn’t work?” Ren asked. 
“It’s used as the seven star power-up method,” I explained. “With the restriction of only getting stronger if the heroes work together.” 
“Like we need another pain in the ass,” Ren grumbled. He wasn’t wrong, of course. This was also likely due to the hindrances caused by the wave enemies. At least I finally had an answer that maybe made sense. 
It was a piece of luck, anyway, that the gauntlets and staff had the same power-up method even though they were different types. I proceeded to perform various enhancements on the Fenrir Rod. 
My status got a big boost as a result, even if it was still not enough to match the Spirit Tortoise Carapace Shield. It would be unfair to compare anything to that, what with the enhancements it had received from the Shield of Compassion that had unlocked thanks to Atla. 
“I’ve unlocked it, but I can’t use the equip bonus yet,” Fohl reported to me. 
“We don’t have long, but get it done. The state will provide any materials you need for enhancements. You can take anything you need from the storeroom in my village too,” I told him. 
“Okay,” he replied. 
 
“Does that conclude our hero business? Then it’s time to narrow down our strategy.” Trash sat in his chair and declared the continuation of the meeting. He then proceeded to continue to ask us for knowledge about our home worlds, digging down into the finest details—so deep that just that information alone might be enough for him to have some kind of revolutionary idea. 
Before I realized it, the sun was starting to set. 
“There’s still more you need?” I asked. 
“I could use some more, but that should be enough for today.” Trash started to write on the board. The castle guards gathered and started to note everything down. The old genmu guy had ordered them to do so. 
The other heroes and I couldn’t help but nod when we saw what he was writing. Even more surprisingly, he even had detailed potential new weapons the enemy might use and ways to combat them. 
I wondered what he was planning to do with all the information we had given him. 
“I think that covers initial proposals,” Trash said, finally finished. Ideas numbered one to twenty were written up on the board, and Trash ordered the soldiers to prepare them all. 
“Looks pretty thorough,” I replied. 
“I’d like you heroes to divide up and operate in separate units,” Trash explained. 
“I understand that much . . .” My eye had caught the date that Trash had written for when Takt would invade Melromarc. “You really think they will attack on this day?” 
 
“Yes. The Faubrey hero will surely attack on this date—because that’s exactly what I would do. If he comes any earlier than that, we can only mock his ignorance,” Trash said. That made sense, as it would indeed suck if they attacked on that day—the day of the next wave. 
That would be the most effective strategy. 
We had all registered the dragon hourglass in Melromarc, anyway. 
“What’s the state of the waves in each nation?” I asked. 
“The shortest is the Melromarc hourglass. The others have more leeway,” came the reply. 
“Okay.” This was still a serious problem. We wouldn’t stand a chance if a wave was called during a war with Faubrey, but we also couldn’t ignore the waves completely. 
Which meant we needed to divide up the heroes. 
“We’ll need the heroes to prepare in advance, too, as quickly as possible. Make use of those fast filolials if you can,” Trash said. 
“Very well! Let’s move, my angels!” Motoyasu almost dashed out of the room with his trio. No one knew where he thought he was going. 
“Then I’ll place you in this unit, Spear Hero,” Trash said. Then he carried on, making some other designations. 
“Something else. Trash, I’ve got some people to introduce to you as further sources of information,” I said. 
“Very well. Who might they be?” Trash asked. One of them was a pure source of information. Filled with pent-up anger, she would surely cooperate with us. She was my slave, first and foremost. She couldn’t turn me down. 
 
As for the others . . . it would be faster for him to see for himself. He’d probably seen them before, but he wouldn’t know the extent of their abilities. 
We set out to make the introductions. 
Evening was closing in, but we needed all the time we could get, so I’d decided to show Trash the situation . . . that was, those in my village who might prove to be useful. He had joined us with the queen in fighting the Phoenix, so he had some idea of what we were working with, but probably no details about our fighting strength. 
“Hey, bubba!” As soon as we returned via Ren’s portal, Keel spotted us and came over. “Are you okay now?” 
“Getting there. Any problems here?” I asked. 
“Nope. This guy here is the one who was next to the queen, right?” she said. 
“That’s right,” I confirmed. 
“This is our first time talking. Everyone in the nation knows my name, so I’m sure you do too. I’m Trash. Call me whatever you like,” he introduced himself. 
“Bubba. Is this guy okay? He’s not another one like Bubba Spear, is he?” Keel asked. 
“He should be okay . . .” I didn’t want him getting too masochistic either —although I was the one who named him. 
“Bubba . . . where’s Raphtalia?” Keel asked. 
 
“Staying alive, I can tell you that much. She’s fine. I’m going to bring her back, I promise,” I reassured her. Raphtalia’s vassal weapon had taken her to Kizuna’s world in order to keep her safe. Once everything here calmed down, I’d go and find her. I just needed her to hold on until then. 
“Okay then, bubba! I’ll do what I can to help!” Keel enthused. 
“Good girl!” I replied and was rewarded with some barks. 
“I’m off to get stronger right away!” she yapped, turning into her puppy form and running off, likely going to raise her level. I’d leave her to it. 
“Trash. Please come with me. Ren, you explain the situation to the others in the village,” I said. 
“I’m on it,” Ren replied. Then I took Trash with me to make the introductions. 
“Oh? Count, are you healed up already?” Rat asked. 
“Getting there,” I repeated. I had arrived in Rat’s laboratory with Trash. There was something floating in the large culture tank. It looked a bit like a carriage. But it looked like it had a tail like Raph-chan. I wondered what the hell it was. 
“Rat, you understand what we’re dealing with here? The upcoming war?” I asked. 
“Yes. It was that seven star hero who injured you, Count, correct?” she confirmed. 
“The one who cast you out?” I asked. 
“Yes. He chose an alchemist, my rival, over me. Our research also overlapped, so it was a total mess,” Rat said. She’d talked about something like this before, but I hadn’t imagined them to be enemies. 
 
It was an advantage to have someone who knew about our foes on our side, in any case. Takt had also made a mistake by letting someone with Rat’s skills get away. 
“They have an alchemist too?” I asked. 
“Yes—an alchemist who still looks like a young girl,” Rat confirmed. 
“She specializes in machinery,” I guessed. 
“That would be the seven star hero. There’s another one. She specializes in the creation of artificial life and, if I recall correctly, also has some skill in physical modification. I’m not sure how she pulled it off, but there’s a chance the special ability to steal hero weapons was somehow provided by her,” Rat theorized. 
“Hmmm . . .” Itsuki had said he had probably been born with it, but there was the possibility it was an ability that was added later. Kyo had used an invention to steal the power of the Spirit Tortoise. Maybe this alchemist had given him that power. 
The description kind of sounded like the one who had been tortured due to Raph-chan II’s trickery. Then there was talk of being the advance guard for the waves . . . so we still needed to get to the bottom of who was behind all this. 
“If you ask me, a pretty average alchemist,” Rat went on. “More knowledge than most when it comes to artificial life perhaps, but not on my level. But I’m a specialist in monsters.” So now we had a young girl alchemist and a sexy woman alchemist—and when making a choice between them, he had chosen the young girl. She didn’t make as much of a strong impression as the one behind it all, however. “I’m still infuriated with her. She gave herself over to romance. I defeated her at alchemy. And he still chose her!” 
 
It sounded like maybe Takt kicked Rat out once he realized she wasn’t going to fall for him. 
“So you got kicked out for not getting along with her?” I asked. 
“More like because the field the seven star hero himself was following and my own research had some overlap. Airplanes, wasn’t it? I remember debating with him that we should just use dragons and griffons,” Rat explained. 
“I also recall that Faubrey are using heavily modified tanks in their invasions,” Trash commented. 
“Is that so?” Rat replied. You only had to look at the culture tank to see that Rat’s current research was into carriage-like monsters. If I recalled correctly, these monsters had a long-range sniping function among their attacks. 
Their areas of research clearly did overlap then. It was just that Rat used monsters and our new enemies used machines. It was unclear what kind of difference that would make. I thought about bringing the concept of levels into it. I guessed machines had the advantage of relying on the level of their pilot. But if they got damaged or destroyed, then a whole new machine was required. Living creatures had to be leveled up individually, but unless they were completely killed, they could then be kept in battle by using healing magic. 
 
I guess Rat had just proven too technically competent a rival, leading to her being kicked out of Faubrey. 
“Raph!” One of the Raph species popped up. Rat was proceeding with her precise investigations into them, and there were loads of them in the village. 
“Good timing. Trash, this is a type of monster that I want to show to you. I think we can make use of them in the operation you came up with,” I said. 
“My wife told me that these were monsters you brought here from another world,” Trash confirmed. 
“That’s right. They started out with a shikigami—a familiar from another world—but have now undergone their own unique evolution,” I explained. I recalled how much Raph-chan had grown before using a class-up to turn most of the village monsters into a totally new species. “We call them the Raph species.” 
“I recall seeing them fighting the Phoenix. There’s a wide variety of types, correct?” Trash said. 
“It’s a type of monster reached using a class-up, meaning many of them still have the original monster mixed in,” I confirmed. 
“I see.” Trash nodded. 
“Raph?” the newcomer asked. 
“I’ll want to use these in the fighting too. We have a severe lack of numbers,” I said. To be brutally honest about it, the Melromarc soldiers were pretty under-leveled when compared to the horde from Faubrey. Hand-to¬hand, I really thought we would be at a disadvantage. Of course, I planned on gathering volunteers from among my slaves, but that still wasn’t going to reach anything close to the numbers we needed. That was why I wanted to also use our monsters, including the Raph species. 
 
“Tell me, then, what kind of abilities do these monsters have?” Trash asked. I turned to Rat. 
“There’s a wide spread of abilities, depending on type. However, all of them can use illusion-type magic,” she explained. They were modeled after Raphtalia, after all, who was skilled at illusion magic herself. Under the category of light and dark, she was good at concealing herself or causing confusion. 
That said, Raphtalia herself didn’t use magic all that much. She was more focused on use of sword techniques. 
“Users of illusion magic, huh? They do sound useful for my strategy. I think we can expect much from them individually too,” Trash assessed. 
“I’ve got some other firepower I can bring to the table. If there are any weapons we need before the war starts, some guys I know will be able to help make them,” I said. I’d be placing an order with the old guy, Imiya’s uncle, and their master Motoyasu II before long. They were skilled and trustworthy. 
“If they can work in collaboration with those from the castle . . . fine. Your explanation has provided much food for thought, Hero Iwatani,” Trash said. 
 
“Glad I could be of help. I’m counting on you to provide the goods, tactically,” I told him. 
“Leave it with me. I’m going to take a look at your other fighters and then return to the castle and hone my strategy again,” he replied. 
“Okay,” I said. With that, Trash started to select those from my village who would take part in the fighting. Trash did provide some advice that, perhaps because we were fighting humans, indicated there were some individuals who probably shouldn't take part even if they wanted to. Those people really wanted to join in, so it wasn’t easy to talk them down. As Trash had indicated, there were some who had the will but not the way—those whose hands trembled once real combat started. There were also those who could probably handle monsters but wouldn’t be able to kill other people. I consoled those who shed tears at not being able to take part by telling them they didn’t need to take part in the violence. There was a tendency for these people to be among those who had originally been in the village. A lot of them had been women and children, after all. 
“Shield Hero. I want to fight too,” Ruft declared, looking me right in the eye with his fists clenched. The way he looked at me reminded me of Raphtalia. They really were related. Their faces looked so similar. 
“Ruft, I’m sorry, but you can’t join us,” I told him. 
“Why!?” he responded. 
“We have something we need you to do . . . but you lack the level, strength, and experience for actual combat. Even to protect everyone here, could you really bring yourself to kill people in battle?” I asked. He had no reply for that. I placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. “I understand how you feel. But you can’t push yourself too hard. Taking too much on and getting yourself killed is the worst thing you could do. I need you to help look after the Raph species,” I told him. 
 
“Okay. But one day I want to become strong enough to protect everyone. After coming to this village, that’s the conclusion that I’ve reached for myself,” he replied. He was really growing up from the young kid he’d been when I first met him. He definitely was a lot like Raphtalia. 
“You stick to it. That feeling is important. If possible, you should look at Melty and Trash as your examples, rather than Raphtalia or me. That would be the best thing for you and also allow you to help us the most,” I told him. Not to mention fulfilling his destiny of making Q’ten Lo a better place. 
“If you say so,” he said, giving a nod filled with resolve. 
As night descended further, I finally asked Ren to take Trash back to the castle. 
Returning to the village, I saw Sadeena and S’yne drinking with some familiar-looking faces. 
“Hey, little Naofumi!” Sadeena waved me over. “Let me introduce the three Zeltoble mercenary gladiators who have rushed to my aid in this moment of crisis!” 
“Huh? Rushed to whose aid now?” I wondered. 
“What are you talking about?” The three in question had much the same reaction as me. Putting aside the pathetic noise I made in response to this statement, Sadeena started to introduce her battle buddies. 
 
“First we have Larsazusa of the bamboo grove! She may also be known as little Sasa, but she’s the big sister to coliseum fighters everywhere!” Sadeena proclaimed with a flourish. 
“What kind of an introduction was that? Stop making up weird titles for me!” snapped a panda therianthrope. I recalled that she had been fighting in the coliseum when I first met Sadeena. It looked like she had a dog—more like a wolf—therianthrope serving under her too. 
“Next we have Elmelo, the earth tremor queen! This popular gladiator, also nicknamed little El, is a fixture in the coliseum’s heavyweight class!” Sadeena continued unabated. 
“S-Shield Hero . . . it is a pleasure,” stammered out a large elephant therianthrope. Perhaps nervous at seeing me, she was wringing her hands terribly. For a moment, I had a flashback to being attacked by that mammoth in the baths in Siltvelt. In any case, there was a big gap with how she’d been when fighting in Zeltoble. Elephant therianthrope or not, it seemed more like she was playing a wolf in sheep’s clothing at the moment. 
“You said there were three?” I asked. The panda therianthrope’s underling shook their head, making clear it wasn’t them. It couldn’t be Shildina either. Was she so drunk she couldn’t even count to three? 
“And finally—” she started. 
“Lady S’yne, the master clown! Keeping her audience entranced with her mysterious and chilling combat style!” S’yne posed proudly as her familiar talked her up—almost as though it was talking about itself! 
 
“You’re having some kind of meeting?” I asked. Sadeena seemed incredibly jovial about the entire situation, so much that it was hard to stop myself from commenting. 
“We were trying to decide which side of the war to fight on, and then we got this summons,” the panda revealed. 
“Hold on!” Sadeena said. “I just introduced you because of the strength you would bring to our side. You guys are in the top five among everyone I’ve ever fought. And yet the two of you are still going to join the Faubrey forces? Sasa? El?” 
“The other side is pretty selfish, just having their way with whatever they like. Folk in Zeltoble are angry at being made such a mockery of,” the panda pondered. 
“Takt and his forces are quite disliked,” the elephant politely explained, looking at me the entire time. “What with all the turmoil they have caused in Zeltoble, and the killing of the heroes.” These two were likely connected to Siltvelt. The panda therianthrope seemed pretty easygoing anyway—easy to get along with. 
“Think you’ve got a chance to win? We might help out, if certain conditions are met,” the panda therianthrope continued, making a circle with her fingers to indicate money. 
“And if they aren’t met, you’ll leave?” I asked. 
“Not necessarily. I’ve heard talk of the Wisest King of Wisdom getting back in the game. A victory as part of the forces of the Shield Hero himself also seems likely to boost my earning potential,” the panda reasoned. Yep. 
 
That sounded like a mercenary working for money. Really easy to understand. I liked her analysis and her way of thinking. 
“Nadia . . . Sadeena was your real name, right? With you here, I reckon the safe money goes on you guys,” the panda continued. Interesting. They were choosing to join this side because they knew how strong Sadeena was. 
“Sounds good. If you’re joining our forces, have at it. Sadeena, you handle the details,” I said. 
“No problem. All shall be as you say, little Naofumi,” Sadeena replied. 
“You’ve got this drunkard completely under your thumb, haven’t you? Sounds like the rumors are true,” the panda muttered. 
“Just so we are on the same page, what rumors are you talking about?” I asked. 
“That you’re a monster when it comes to drinking, Shield Hero. Am I wrong?” the panda questioned. 
“Oh, it’s true. Too strong almost for me to handle,” Sadeena admitted. 
“Sweet Naofumi holds his liquor like no other!” Now Shildina sidled over. This many heavyweight therianthropes in one place was a little overwhelming. 
“Geh! There’s another one!” The panda therianthrope was surprised. 
“This is little Shildina. She’s my younger sister,” Sadeena explained. The panda therianthrope looked like she’d broken out in a cold sweat. I guessed that Sadeena alone had drunk her under the table multiple times in the past. 

“Are we done with this yet? We’d like to get out of here tonight,” the panda said. 

“Oh my. You’re leaving? The night is young! Let’s drink some more!” Sadeena proposed. 
“Let’s drink lots more!” Shildina chimed in. Then the killer whale sisters proceeded to latch firmly onto the panda and elephant therianthropes. 
“Hey! Stop that—” The elephant therianthrope looked at me with pleading eyes. 
“Don’t give them too hard a time,” I managed. 
“Of course not. If you’ll join in, little Naofumi, I’ll let up on them completely,” Sadeena suggested. 
“Oh, good idea!” Both of the killer whale sisters tempted me with a drink. I guess I didn’t have a choice. 
“Just a quick one. I don’t want to cause any trouble for your friends,” I said. I had an image of mercenaries liking to drink, but these two were different, it seemed. 
“Thank you so much! You handle these drinking monsters!” the panda therianthrope said, and the elephant therianthrope and panda both nodded their thanks multiple times, grateful expressions on their faces. 
It turned out that they did like drinking, but not enough to be forced to do it along with the killer whale sisters. 
In just a few days, the war and the wave were coming. 
We were ready. Every preparation we could make had been made.