Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter Pr

Prologue: An Exchange of Otherworldly Information 

“That was a pretty easy wave today.” 

“Indeed. I can only hope that we keep on winning like this,” Glass replied. We had been taking on the waves in Kizuna’s world and just landed the killing blow on the boss of the latest one. 

“Naofumi, kiddo, you and your friends are all super strong. Much stronger than when you returned here,” L’Arc commented. 

“You guys are quite a lot stronger too,” I replied. “I guess it helped to be fighting with my original weapon.” 

“You’re much stronger than when we first met,” L’Arc agreed, “so that would make sense.” 

That was the reason why we had defeated this wave so easily—we had gotten lucky and been matched with the world that my allies and I were originally responsible for. As a result, my weapon had been transformed from the mirror into my shield, with which I was far more proficient. As soon as the wave started, our levels had also taken a huge jump upward. Our levels here in Kizuna’s world were added on top of the levels we originally had back at home. As a further bonus, we’d had access to all the magic that we otherwise couldn’t use here. That had allowed us to just cut through the wave and resolve the issue at the source, prior to any damage being caused. 

“I think the Bow Hero performed the best during this battle,” Raphtalia commented. 

“Raph,” added Raph-chan, the pair of them praising Itsuki. 

“Itsuki, well done!” Rishia said. 

“Thank you,” he said. 

“He gets my vote too. That situation definitely suited Itsuki the best,” I said. We’d been able to use our sealed holy weapons again, and from the perspective of levels and numerous other factors, Itsuki definitely had the highest attack power in our party. My own focus was placed on defense, meaning I couldn’t really hog the spotlight when we were on the attack. As a result, there was nothing strange at all about Itsuki having the highest attack power in our current group. 

“I guess we got lucky that it was your world we collided with,” L’Arc said. 

“It made for an easy victory, but it’s hard to say anything is good about the waves,” I replied. 

“Naofumi, maybe we shouldn’t stand here chatting . . .” Itsuki said. 

“I know,” I replied, nodding and looking around. We needed to poke our heads into our world, see how things were going, and help out with the fighting over there. Itsuki and I, however, had crossed over using pretty unique means, and so getting back was also going to be a bit of a pain in the ass. 

I really wanted to avoid as much hassle as possible. 

In the world to which I had originally been summoned, one of two people would likely be leading the charge against the wave: the Sword Hero, Ren Amaki, or the Spear Hero—frankly, total nutcase—Motoyasu Kitamura. Peering into the split caused by the wave, I could see an image of the other side—albeit warped, as though through some kind of lens. 

“It’ll be a pain if they close the crack from the other side,” I said. “We need some people . . . I think Raphtalia and Rishia would be best suited to go over and explain what’s going on. If the two of you cross over, you should be able to explain that things are going pretty well for us over here.” 

“Yes, good idea. It is definitely worth letting them know that we have all met up safely,” Raphtalia agreed. 

“What about me?” Filo asked. 

“You suck at explaining things,” I said smartly. 

“Hey!” she replied. The Demon Dragon gave a snort upon hearing this exchange. I knew she didn’t get along well with Filo, but I wished she would avoid such open hostility. 

“What was that noise for? You got a problem with me?” Filo retorted, glaring at the Demon Dragon. 

“If you want to fight each other, go do it elsewhere. We don’t have time for this,” I told them. 

“This scale head started it! Bleh!” Filo replied, puffing up her cheeks in rebellion. 

“If you are going across to the other world, take this along with you. It’s a message for the Dragon Emperor on that side—the one who tried to consume me. It will let him know the situation without any messing about.” The Demon Dragon proceeded to spit up what looked like a shard of crystal—a Dragon Emperor fragment—and then gave it to Raphtalia. It looked like a pretty nasty piece of work, and Raphtalia had a really unsure look on her face as she accepted it. 

“Okay then, we’ll be right back,” Raphtalia said. 

“We’re counting on you, Rishia,” Itsuki offered. 

“Yes, okay! I’ll see you soon, Itsuki!” Rishia replied. Then the two girls jumped into the wave crack. 

“A shame we don’t have a bit more time,” I commented. I might have felt like a cool superhero, having my strength back, even just for a limited period. In fact, it was a complete pain in the ass to not be able to maintain this level of strength at all times. If that was possible, we’d have no trouble wiping out the scum called the Vanguards of the Waves, Bitch, and all of the other annoyances festering in this world. 

We waited. After about five minutes, Raphtalia came back through the wave crack. There was someone else tagging along with her, although I wasn’t sure why. 

“So this is what it’s like to cross to another world,” said the newcomer. 

“Indeed. Quite the experience, but we don’t have long, so please make this quick,” Raphtalia said. 

“Very well,” came the reply. 

“Eclair. Hi there,” I said to her. 

“Ah, Master Iwatani,” Eclair replied. “Raphtalia has told me what you’ve faced. You never have things easy, do you?” 

“Not really. How are things back there with you?” I asked. 

“That’s what I’m here to talk about,” she responded. “I know we don’t have long, so Rishia is discussing things back there.” 

“Okay,” I said. It made sense to leave one person behind while the other brought someone back to report to us. We could confer and align our information later, once there wasn’t a time limit. This felt like a suggestion from Trash. 

Yomogi and Tsugumi looked over at Eclair and made some noises to show they were interested. 

“Three birds of a feather, all flocking together. If we ever have more time, I’d like to have you spar a little,” I said. They had similar temperaments and would probably get along well. 

“What was that? But no . . . we don’t have time to fight here,” Eclair said, her brow furrowing, but she kept herself under control. I wasn’t sure what was up with her . . . but I also didn’t really care. 

“What do you think he meant?” Tsugumi asked. 

“I mean, there is something about her . . .” Yomogi pondered. “Maybe if we get a chance some time, it might be fun.” It definitely sounded like they were feeling something. 

“Why did you come, Eclair?” I asked. 

“The king selected me to explain things,” she replied. Just as I’d expected. Since he came back to his former glory, he didn’t waste a single second—the epitome of efficiency. He really was the Wisest King of Wisdom, everyone understanding him and always getting results even though it felt like he was skipping all sorts of steps. 

“Where’s Trash now?” I inquired. 

“He’s received the deciphered pages from Rishia and is looking over them—while also placating the Spear Hero and Wyndia’s dragon at the same time,” Eclair explained. Hearing that, Filo almost bolted. No doubt Motoyasu was raving about Filo just being within reach and how he would break through any barrier to reach her. I had made the right decision leaving the village in Ren’s hands. 

“Are you sure we should have left her and come back?” Raphtalia asked. 

“The king said that we would only keep Master Iwatani waiting if we tried to deal with that ruckus. We didn’t have a choice,” Eclair said. It sounded like things had been pretty crazy. “The Spear Hero looks like he’s paying attention, but then he twists what he hears . . .” 

“Maybe we can use Filo as a carrot to control him,” I pondered. 

“That might work some of the time, but right now he is completely out of his head. There’s no explaining things, no talking him down,” Eclair replied. So Trash wasn’t going to be able to make it. “Luckily for us, he might not get along with Queen Melty, but he does at least listen to her . . . It’s just taking her a while to arrive.” If Trash had sortied to fight the wave back home, I could easily imagine that Melty would have hung back to provide support from the rear. Even having awoken again as the Wisest King of Wisdom, Trash would still be fighting on the front lines. Based on his code of conduct, that was the most efficient place for him to be. 

“Excuse me . . . but what are you talking about?” Kizuna asked, tilting her head in puzzlement. 

“Nothing for you to worry about. Just some issues with a moron on our side,” I told her. 

“If you say so . . .” she replied. 

“And Gaelion is upset about something too?” I asked Eclair. 

“Yes. The moment he took that Dragon Emperor fragment or whatever it is Raphtalia brought over with her, he flew into some kind of rage. According to Wyndia, he is desperate to come over to this world, no matter what, and won’t listen to reason. Throw the Spear Hero into the mix and there’s quite a ruckus going on,” Eclair explained. 

“Hah . . . that’ll teach him.” The Demon Dragon gave a crafty smile, as though she’d got one over on Gaelion somehow. I should have known better than to let her send anything over! Just because he almost scrubbed her from existence, that was no excuse for causing this kind of trouble in retribution! “I let your Dragon Emperor know everything that is going on,” the Demon Dragon explained, looking at me intently as she defended herself. “He just lacks control over himself, clearly. Losing his mind to something so minor, honestly. He hardly sounds like an emperor to me.” She paused for a moment. “However, it might just be an indication of how involved he is?” 

“You’d better be ready to pay the tab for this,” I warned her. 

“I am more than capable of paying anything it requires! Shield Hero, as punishment I am willing to become your slave,” she said. 

“Where did that come from!” Raphtalia shouted. 

“Boo!” Filo added. 

“That would be a reward, not a punishment for you. If you want to try and overcome everything through love, go sleep with Kizuna,” I fired back. 

“Why are you bringing me into this?! Leave me well alone!” Kizuna exclaimed. 

“Gah . . . that’s one tab I certainly couldn’t pay. Well played, Shield Hero,” the Demon Dragon bemoaned. So far, she seemed capable of little other than sexual harassment. She also liked to play favorites, with little explanation of her choices, stirring further unrest. If she hadn’t proven so useful during the battle at L’Arc’s castle, I would have got rid of her by now. 

“Raph . . .” Even Raph-chan looked like she’d already had enough of the dragon’s antics. 

“Shall we just ignore the Demon Dragon?” Eclair suggested. “We need to wrap things up quickly or all sorts of problems may occur.” We didn’t have any more time to mess around. We needed to complete the exchange of information—and fast. 

“Causing all these additional problems, right when we have the remaining wave time to worry about . . .” I shook my head. They were like unruly children; they really were. Rather than getting worn down by their antics back home, I decided to look upon this trip to another world as a nice break from all that hassle. If someone wanted to call that avoiding reality, I wasn’t going to stop them. 

I proceeded to quickly give Eclair a breakdown of what had been happening in this world. 

“We met up again with Raphtalia pretty quickly after reaching this world and also took out the guy who stole the scythe vassal weapon. Then we saved the Hunting Hero, Kizuna, but got dragged into a whole other mess as a result.” I pointed to Kizuna to introduce her, hoping Eclair could keep up. 

“I’m Kizuna Kazayama,” Kizuna said. “I was summoned to this world as the Hunting Hero. Can I call you . . . Eclair, was it?” 

“Eclair Seaetto, hero from another world. I hope you will give all the aid you can to Master Iwatani, Raphtalia, Rishia, and the others,” Eclair responded, and the two of them shook hands. 

“I see, I see!” Yomogi said. I wish they’d stop looking at each other. They did have a similar atmosphere around them, but one big difference was that Eclair didn’t care about her love life. 

“I only got the basics from Raphtalia, but it sounds like you can’t use your holy weapons anymore?” Eclair asked. 

“That’s right. It’s got something to do with S’yne’s sworn enemies. Even worse, Bitch showed up with them,” I replied. I felt a strange pressure coming from S’yne, who was standing close behind me. It was kind of the same as what I’d felt in Q’ten Lo, but this time it felt even more pronounced. 

In any case, we had been in some serious trouble until the mirror vassal weapon showed up, and we’d still barely made it through. We had been aided immensely when Bitch, Itsuki’s former underling Armor, and the former holder of the musical instrument vassal weapon Miyaji all got into an argument that had played more like a bad comedy routine. After that . . . we’d faced so many more struggles that I felt sick even trying to recall them. 

We saved Kizuna, but she had been forcibly attached to a weapon cursed with sloth and then turned to stone. Even once we’d turned her back to normal, she had basically become a NEET. This had led to us heading out to a dungeon called the Ancient Labyrinth Library, which was managed by Ethnobalt, in order to find a way to destroy the cursed accessory. The contents of a small, mysterious vial of liquid we had found there had been able to break the curse on Kizuna. 

Meanwhile, the power-up method for the mirror had turned out to be eating, and so I’d been cooking up a storm. With all the powerful enemies we’d been facing, we needed to get as strong as possible. As a result, however, Kizuna and her allies had been getting distressed at having to eat so much. As a compromise, I decided to look into whether there was more efficient food that wouldn’t require such large servings. This led us to a place called Seya’s Restaurant, but that resulted in a bizarre cooking battle. Seya, the owner of the restaurant, was also a Vanguard of the Waves. After winning the battle, we saved the town that was under Seya’s control and obtained all sorts of rare ingredients. When we tried to extract information from Seya, however, his head—and his soul—proceeded to explode. 

Next, we decided to revive the Demon Dragon, hoping to obtain a means to combat the nullification of support magic that the enemy was sure to use against us. We managed to obtain the collaboration of the dragon, but at the cost of what amounted to her endlessly sexually harassing me. 

That was when S’yne’s sister got some more Vanguards of the Waves together and came to attack L’Arc’s castle, sneaking close in the guise of volunteer fighters. They even unleashed a twisted beast into the battle, having taken a monster from this world and given it the powers of a corrupted holy weapon. Some good things came out of that attack too, though—we managed to eradicate one of Bitch’s allies, known only to me as “Woman B,” alongside another Vanguard of the Waves. 

When I laid all the facts out for Eclair, it really struck me again just how much shit I’ve had to go through. 

“Now to the big news, Mr. Naofumi. Everyone in our world already knew that the former princess has crossed to this world. They seem to have discovered it after we departed,” Raphtalia reported. 

“What does that mean?” I asked. It sounded like they already knew that Bitch was here in this world—like something happened after we left. Trash was still over there, after all. I wouldn’t put it past him to find out something like that. Eclair nodded and opened her mouth. 

“It appears that the former queen ordered certain individuals on a special mission to search for and spy on the former princess. However, things took a turn before the information they discovered could reach her majesty . . .” Eclair trailed off. Getting attacked by Takt was certainly “taking a turn.” After that, Trash had taken over the duties of the queen. 

“So what did they find?” I prompted her. 

“A letter left by the spy who obtained the best information indicated that they were about to cross to another world with the former princess. Even though they would be unlikely to be able to report again, they swore to continue their duty to get revenge and give the former princess a taste of hell,” Eclair continued. That was some spicy language. 

“I don’t know who wrote it, but it sounds like they have their own stuff going on with Bitch,” I commented. 

“I haven’t been told all the details either, but apparently many of the spies were selected from among those with personal issues with that particular princess,” Eclair confirmed. So now it looked like we’d had spies among Bitch’s forces all this time—spies with grudges against Bitch—and the final information from one of them had let everyone at home know that Bitch had crossed to another world. Of course, we had encountered her before acquiring this information, so it didn’t really do us much good now. 

“Understood, anyway. Anything else to report from your side?” I asked. 

“Nothing in particular. We aren’t facing any major problems at the moment. As Ren said, we just have to pray that nothing untoward happens,” Eclair replied. 

“Okay,” I said. 

“It sounds like you have been making considerable progress here, Master Iwatani,” Eclair commented. 

“Yes, we have. We’ve discovered the truth behind these ones who call themselves the Vanguards of the Waves and also determined some good information on the one ultimately behind the waves,” I told her. 

“Tell me more,” Eclair said. 

“These Vanguards of the Waves—people like Takt—it turns out, are also here from Japan, just like me, Itsuki, Ren, and Motoyasu. We’ve been able to theorize that they died once back in Japan and obtained illicit access to these other worlds by being reincarnated here. All of them have been selected due to having personalities just like Takt, so there’s no way we can have a reasonable discussion with them,” I told her. Everyone had surely read stories about this kind of fantasy situation. The protagonist dies, but their death was a mistake by God; unable to bring them back to life in their original world, they get reborn somewhere else. All the trouble these guys were now stirring up was part of the invasion by the one who was really behind the waves. 

“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘reincarnation,’ exactly . . . but I understand the gist of it. We have been aware for a while that we’re facing some unpleasant enemies. Uncovering the truth about them is certainly progress. What about the one leading them, then?” Eclair asked. 

“The one who assumes the name of God . . . that’s all we’ve really got on them. It sounds like they’ve got someone pretty powerful in their corner,” I said. 

“Hmmm . . . I’ll share this with the king, Ren, and the others later and align our information with them,” Eclair said. 

“It might help if Trash came here to discuss it,” I pondered. He could often come up with some pretty crazy ideas that we would never think of ourselves. I cursed at Motoyasu for screwing things up again. 

“The king is still conflicted about doing harm to the former princess. He has little confidence he will be much help in this matter. He told me that you should end her if you get the chance, however,” Eclair reported. 

“Understood,” I replied. She had fallen so far but was still the daughter he had once doted on, and that was likely to affect his thinking—even as the Wisest King of Wisdom. He was unable to provide any advice because he had to remain impartial. That said, his understanding of the human mind allowed him to preempt his enemies. So it was a mixture of the good and bad. In any case, it would definitely be a bad idea to have Trash fight her. 

“Master Iwatani, do you require any reinforcements?” Eclair asked. 

“Hmmm,” I pondered. A good question. This situation would allow us to bring over anyone else we needed. A few more of the seven star heroes might not be a bad idea. There was Fohl and Trash over there. Rishia was already here with us . . . This line of thought made me realize that S’yne’s sworn enemies had quite a few of the seven star weapons. It was probably best to consider the ones that were unaccounted for to have been taken . . . so the axe, hammer, claws, and whip were likely in their hands. To be honest about it, I would have liked it if both of them could come over, but that would also leave our world too exposed. Ren and Motoyasu could probably handle it, but removing both Trash and Fohl was going to greatly increase the risks, making me worried about security at home. There was no guarantee that they would use all their stolen seven star weapons in this world, after all. 

Mulling it over, I decided it would be too hard to bring Trash and Fohl over. It sounded like a good idea right now, but it would make things much harder on us if our home then got attacked. We wouldn’t be having these problems if there was a video game guidebook telling us what was coming next. In reality, any hints of such information had almost always turned out to be nothing but a trap. 

All of this really was such a pain. 

“Is there anyone who actually wants to come over?” I finally asked. 

“Many would do so if you ordered it,” Eclair replied. “The king and Queen Melty are the only two who said they would have to decline.” That made sense. They both understood the situation. 

“It’s likely that S’yne’s sworn enemies are also active over there. Keep on searching for them,” I instructed. 

“As you command, Master Iwatani,” Eclair replied. At that moment, two shadowy figures emerged from the crack. 

“So this is another world?” one of them said. 

“It doesn’t look all that different,” the other one commented. “Eclair, they said that you’d better wrap things up.” It looked like the newcomers were . . . the old Hengen Muso lady and a strange-looking Raph species—one that was all fluffy and looked more like a therianthrope. It wasn’t a bad look. The fact that it could talk, like Filo and Gaelion, wasn’t something I was overjoyed about, but appearance-wise . . . top marks. 

“I’ve got it covered,” Eclair replied, calm and collected. “What about Rishia?” 

“She said she’d be right here,” the Raph said. I recognized that voice though. As I looked intently at the Raph-chan with the therianthrope-like voice, the old lady talked to me. 

“Saint. I have heard of your progress,” the old lady said. 

“Okay,” I replied. 

“I wish to see this new world along with you!” she exclaimed. 

“What about your son?!” I shot back. This old Hengen Muso lady had trained Raphtalia, Eclair, and Rishia. She continued to train my forces in my village, teaching the Hengen Muso Style that allowed even non-heroes to become much stronger. We’d faced hardship together when Takt attacked, but that incident had also made the old lady’s son finally get serious about his training, and I’d thought the old lady had given up on travel between worlds in order to focus on that. 

“How lucky I am!” she said with a laugh. 

“You can’t just shut me down like that. Tell me why you’re here!” I replied. 

“Actually . . .” Eclair stepped in, rather than the old lady. “It was her son who noticed that she wished to come along with you, Master Iwatani. He has been training with Fohl and me, even when his mother isn’t around, and will still have plenty of chances to get stronger. So he told her to come and experience this new world.” 

“Okay . . . fair enough,” I said. It sounded like this was her son’s doing. If she wanted to come along, she could have just spoken up the first time. But if the situation had changed, then there was no need to turn her away. “Whatever you like. You should know that you won’t be able to understand the language here unless Therese casts some magic on you.” 

“Saint, words are unnecessary if you can speak with your fists,” the old lady said. 

“Just keep your mouth shut then,” I warned her. Violent conversations were the last thing we needed. 

“Hurrah!” the old lady crowed. “New techniques and new students await me in this world!” She seemed pretty positive about this entire experience. 

“On to the next thing . . .” I turned my gaze to the Raph-chan therianthrope. 

“Shield Hero! Look what I can turn into now!” That clinched it. 

“Yes! I knew it was you, Ruft!” I exclaimed. From his voice and his appearance, I had been pretty sure that’s who it was. 

“That’s right! After I performed the Raph-chan-type class-up, now I can turn into this!” he said excitedly. I was definitely excited too. I reached over and stroked Ruft’s face. 

“Yay! The Shield Hero stroked me!” Ruft said happily. He felt a lot like Raph-chan . . . definitely not a bad sensation. 

“Mr. Naofumi? I’m seeing something I really need to ask all sorts of questions about. Maybe you can explain it to me later?” Raphtalia said. 

“Raph?” quizzed Raph-chan. 

“Can you fight?” I asked him. 

“I’m more sensitive to magic than when I’m demi-human! I think I get a strength boost too!” Ruft said. I really couldn’t have been happier. 

“Can’t you do this too, Raphtalia?” I asked. “It might boost your combat power, like the killer whale sisters . . . I mean, it’s fine if you just end up looking cute.” 

“You are really scaring me right now! Mr. Naofumi! I’m a vassal weapon holder, so I can’t have a class-up!” 

“Right, of course . . . but there has to be some way to make it happen!” I exclaimed. 

“Please don’t look for one!” Raphtalia exclaimed back. 

“If you could turn into a Raph-chan, Raphtalia, I would lavish all of my attention upon you. Ah, so many versions of Raphtalia to enjoy!” I rejoiced. 

“Saying that isn’t going to get you anywhere. Am I meant to be excited by such a prospect?” Raphtalia could be stubborn too! As we talked, Ruft looked over at Shildina. Shildina looked uncomfortable, averting her gaze and standing woodenly still. 

“I was surprised when you suddenly vanished like that,” Ruft finally said to her. 

“Oh my. I was surprised too,” Shildina replied. 

“Yes. Both of us surprised,” Ruft said. 

“You’ve changed, Ruft,” Shildina replied. 

“Good, isn’t it?” he responded. Shildina didn’t reply to that for some reason. I couldn’t be happier with the results myself. 

“Does this mean I have to go back?” Shildina asked Ruft and me, looking a little displeased at the idea. Shildina hadn’t originally been among the team planned to come to this world, but some kind of accident had brought her here. Sending her back was definitely an option. Ocean-dwelling monsters gave better experience, so she was suited to helping boost the levels of everyone in the village and prepare them for the waves. That was the job I had actually given her before we left. 

“About that. The king suggested that it wasn’t some kind of accident, but that Shildina got dragged into things intentionally, perhaps by the vassal weapons. If that’s the case, he said there was no need to rush her back,” Eclair said. Ruft also nodded at that explanation. 

“That means maybe Shildina has some kind of big role to play!” Ruft added. 

“I mean, you guys are the ones defending our world. If you think it’s fine, I guess Shildina can stay here . . .” I said. 

“I would very much like to fight alongside you, sweet Naofumi,” Shildina replied, making a clear statement of intent. 

“Good luck, Shildina. I’m going to try my best too, so tell me all your stories once you get back,” Ruft said. 

“Yes. I’ll talk your ear right off,” Shildina replied. 

“Queen Melty and her father are both so incredible. Spending time with them shows me how much further I have to go. I’ve got so much more I need to learn,” Ruft said. I was impressed by him taking this so seriously. 

It was also true that we really shouldn’t be calling Trash “Trash” anymore after his awakening. I saw now why the departed queen had been unable to let him go. 

I took a moment to look at L’Arc. I didn’t get mad at him like I had at Trash, but he also didn’t really feel like a king to me. L’Arc was more like . . . a general, I guess. Or a Nobunaga-type, declaring he would unify the world just to be betrayed by one of his underlings and burnt alive. Maybe that was a bit too specific. For the sake of Ruft’s education, anyway, I decided it was best not to reveal that L’Arc was a king. 

“Naofumi, kiddo, stop looking at me like that. You’re thinking something rude, right?” L’Arc said. 

“Why is it that everyone around me appears to acquire the ability to read minds?” I pondered. I really needed to spend some time in front of my mirror, working on my poker face. 

“The way you picked that moment to look at me, how could I not have some idea what you are thinking?” L’Arc retorted. Sure, that was a good point. 

“Sounds like we’re done here,” I stated. “If you can, try and find a way to resist the nullification of support magic.” 

“Very well. We will need to make some minor adjustments, but defeating the waves as quickly as possible is our common goal . . . Ah, Master Iwatani, the people from your village were also asking when you think you will be returning,” Eclair asked. 

“Honestly, I can’t say at the moment . . . I’ll do my best to get us back as quickly as possible,” I replied. 

“I will let them know. See you later.” 

“Shield Hero, see you soon!” Then both Ruft and Eclair were gone—leaving just as Rishia came back through. 

“It was all go for a moment there,” Kizuna said. 

“I’ve got lots of friends now,” I replied dryly. Kizuna proceeded to take her Hunting Tool 0, which had been obtained from the red liquid we found in the Ancient Labyrinth Library, and perform an experimental slash across the wave crack. Of course, everyone on the other side had been told that we were going to do this. The wave crack started to make a noise and then close. 

“Oh?!” I exclaimed. It looked like the whole thing was sparking and crackling. The wave ended, and the sky returned to the normal color. 

I immediately looked at the time before the next wave. 

“Huh. I thought the cycle of waves reaching this world was pretty short?” I said. 

“Yes, it should be,” Kizuna confirmed. The cycle had been short, maybe because three of the four holy heroes were dead. Waves were happening between every two and two and a half weeks. That had now been extended, however, to a month and two weeks. That was pretty much the same as back home. 

“Do you think attacking the cracks with Hunting Weapon 0 has the effect of slowing the next wave down?” I asked. 

“That would be amazing! However, it also places more of a burden on Lady Kizuna,” L’Arc commented. 

“I can handle it. It’s more than worth it, honestly, if it means we can slow down the next wave,” Kizuna responded. She was right. This endeavor had paid off. 

Our exchange of information complete, we retreated away from where the crack had been.