The Rising of the Shield Hero Vol 09 Read online

I’d let Romina handle the lacquering.

  All in all it came out great. As a set with the katana vassal weapon, it was great. But the sheath could hold its own in a beauty contest.

  When that was done, I’d gone on to make a small cap that would fit over the gemstone in the center of my shield. I based it on a similar object that the old man at the weapon shop back in Melromarc had made for me. I didn’t know what sort of effect to expect from it, but I was excited to see what would happen.

  “Hey Kizuna. Here’s the lure you wanted. Take it to the imbuing specialist if you want something else added to it.

  “Oh!”

  I’d made her a shiny, flashy—honestly quite gaudy—fishing lure.

  “Is it a minnow? A popper? A crankbait?”

  “How should I know? I just made, you know . . . whatever.”

  “How fun! An original! I can’t wait to try it out!”

  I passed Glass the decoration that I’d made for her fans. It was the sort of charm that hangs from a string near the fan’s handle. In this case, it was a circular jewel that the string passed through.

  Oh jeez, she was smiling. She looked excited! Ugh! Couldn’t she just pretend not to be interested for my sake?

  “You can go with Kizuna to have it imbued.”

  “Understood.”

  “It was wonderful watching you work!” Therese gasped, clasping her hands together in a fit of ecstasy.

  That woman was starting to really creep me out. I don’t know what L’Arc saw in her.

  “You really are a skilled accessory maker. I was surprised, to tell you the truth. Working with gemstones is quite difficult.”

  “Yeah, well . . . I had a particularly obnoxious teacher back in the other world.”

  It was a long time ago, but I’d learned these skills from a professional accessory maker.

  Honestly, I didn’t think it was very difficult. And I had skills from my shield that would improve the overall quality of anything that I made, so it wasn’t stressful work.

  But, I guess I did a good job, because everyone seemed really impressed.

  “Kizuna, you could do it too, if you tried. You have one of the legendary weapons, so you should have access to skills that would make it easier.”

  “I guess so . . . But I like having other people make them! It makes it feel more. . . . special !”

  “Don’t go thinking this is a present! You’d better learn to do it yourself! Where are you going to get your accessories once I go back to the world I came from?”

  “Kizuna, please try to make Naofumi something that he would find useful,” Therese said. Why did she think I needed her support?

  When Kizuna noticed how intensely Therese was staring at her, she turned her eyes away and let out a deep breath. She’d been a bit excited too, but seeing Therese’s excessive passion must have snapped her back to reality.

  “You all seem to be having so much fun. It’s a joy just to watch!” Alto chimed in, laughing.

  Looking back on it, I guess it had actually been a pretty good day. These would be fond memories soon. But, all this socializing was something I’d rather see in an anime or manga.

  “Alright, I’m going to bring this over to Raphtalia. Romina, how’s that tool I ordered coming?”

  “I’m still analyzing it. It should be ready before the battle.”

  “I’m interested to see what happens, but I’m not expecting much. Okay then, I’m heading over to the castle.”

  I took the sheath in hand and left for the castle where Raphtalia and the others were busy training.

  Chapter Two: Quick Draw

  A little while later, Alto said that he had something he wanted to discuss with L’Arc, so he left us and went off on his own.

  “How’s progress?”

  We went to the castle courtyard where . . . okay, so they were doing the same thing that we’d done back in Melromarc—training.

  We were in a completely new world, but we were still training as hard as ever. There was no time to rest. When Rishia had the time, she joined Raphtalia and the others.

  “It’s been going very well, I think.”

  “Sounds like you’re pretty confident.”

  “I am.”

  After Raphtalia was chosen by the katana of the vassal weapons, she was forced to flee from her pursuers with L’Arc and Glass. They had seen to her training during that time. During that same period, I spent all of my time making money and raising my levels. I hadn’t done any real training to speak of. I hope she hadn’t gotten good enough to embarrass me.

  “I was just showing Rishia all that I’ve learned about how to control energy.”

  Yeah, I was pretty sure she’d pulled ahead of me.

  “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. You’re talking about the same thing that the old Hengen Muso lady was talking about, right?”

  “Yes. Should I have avoided the topic?”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Anyway, Rishia and Filo were . . .”

  “Feh ?! ”

  When I turned and looked at Rishia, she jumped as if I had startled her. Her eyes darted anxiously around the courtyard. Had I said anything that deserved a reaction like that? Maybe she was just afraid of me. Whatever the reason, I don’t think I’d ever seen her calm and relaxed.

  “How’s Filo?”

  “Excellent question, Mr. Naofumi. Filo seems to have completely mastered energy control.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. Raphtalia glanced over at Filo.

  “Filo.”

  “Whaaat?”

  “Show us how you control that power that Fitoria taught you about.”

  “I don’t wanna! I’m tired . . .”

  Filo seemed to have lost a good deal of her previously impressive stamina when we crossed over to this new world. Now she tired very quickly.

  She lost some stamina, but now she could fly. It wasn’t a bad trade, but she focused mainly on magic during battle nowadays.

  “Just show us a little. Mr. Naofumi will be really impressed!”

  “Okay!”

  Filo snapped to attention and started to focus her power.

  I wanted to see it, but I never agreed to be impressed or say anything nice. Oh well.

  After Fitoria taught Filo how to fight, she became very quick on her feet. Her attacks were sharper too.

  “Whew. I’m too tired, so I have to get some power first.”

  She started gathering magic power around herself. It looked like the technique she’d used during our battle with the Spirit Tortoise’s heart.

  “Glass also knew of a technique that uses energy in a similar way, so we shared our ideas with each other,” Raphtalia explained.

  “Yes, the technique reminded me of my training in prana, a technique we use to gather, increase, and store our energy.”

  The techniques sounded similar. But, I wasn’t sure to what extent the technique would line up with the energy theory the old lady had taught us. I guess we would find out.

  “And yet, I have never seen such things performed so effectively. Therefore, I also have much to learn on this topic, and so, I have been training with Ms. Raphtalia for the last few days,” Glass informed me.

  If that meant that Glass was going to get even more powerful than she already was, I almost felt like I didn’t want to teach her anything. She even said that after training with Raphtalia she had developed the ability to actually see energy. She was a force to be reckoned with. She watched Filo and analyzed her technique.

  “This young girl has incredible potential.”

  “So she’s using the same kind of energy?”

  I’d had Filo assist Rishia with her training for a while now, but now that I think back on it, I’d never had Filo train with the old lady. Actually, I think the old lady had said that Filo didn’t need training.

  I was starting to understand why she’d said that.

  “It’s likely that we use the same kind of ener
gy, though there may be some differences. With more training, I believe we can all improve.”

  “Sounds good to me. Hear that, Filo?”

  “Yup!”

  I shot another glance at Rishia and said, “Raphtalia, Glass, how’s Rishia doing?”

  “Not all that well, honestly.”

  I should have assumed as much. From what I could tell she was making a concerted effort, but the training didn’t seem to be having much effect.

  “The old lady says that she has potential—that a great strength slumbers within her. I’ve seen her.” I turned to Rishia, “I’ve seen glimpses of it myself. I’m still expecting a lot from you.”

  “Feh . . .”

  I wish Glass would teach her something.

  “She has . . . talent? Really?” Glass looked her over with disbelief. “She can use energy? To my eyes, she seems to have less prana than normal.”

  “So you’re saying she has no ability?”

  “Mr. Naofumi, can’t you phrase that a bit more kindly?”

  Rishia had plenty of use outside of battle. And besides, I’d seen her fight as if her abilities were suddenly awakened. I wasn’t ready to give up on her just yet.

  “That’s not what I mean, it’s just difficult to explain. As far as ability, or potential, is concerned, I think you’re correct that she may have a propensity.”

  “I’m getting confused.”

  “Me too,” Kizuna said. “What do you mean?”

  Glass scratched her chin and tried to explain. “It’s confusing for me too, but I’ve seen flashes of brilliance in her as well. Short flashes that quickly vanish.”

  “Hm . . .”

  “To be more specific, it’s a bit like what Filo was just doing, where she supplements her own prana with prana from her surroundings. As far as I understand it, she . . .”

  Glass went on blabbing for a while. She used a lot of specialized vocabulary I’d never heard before, so most of it went right over my head.

  The gist of it seemed to be that Rishia had far less prana than most people do, but that she had an exceptional gift for gathering and absorbing prana from her surroundings. That made sense to me, because of what had happened when she used a bottle of life-force water on herself back in Melromarc. She’d grown incredibly powerful and lost control over herself.

  Glass had seen Rishia’s battle ability skyrocket during the fight with Kyo. Her theory was that this phenomenon occurred as Rishia became more emotional, and then she was able to better control her power.

  “So she gets stronger the more effort she makes?”

  “In a sense, yes.”

  “You could have just said that. I didn’t need to hear the whole speech.”

  “Don’t say that,” Kizuna said. “That’s mean.”

  I wondered if Kizuna saw Glass’s face scrunch up when she defended her.

  Anyway, if Glass agreed that Rishia had some kind of unrealized potential, then it must have been true. I still expected her to prove herself useful with her bookish knowledge.

  “I’m almost jealous,” Ethnobalt said, entering the conversation.

  What now? Why did he have to throw in his two cents?

  Ethnobalt was always relegated to supporting the rest of us in battle. Even though he possessed a vassal weapon, he didn’t seem to be all that powerful—maybe that’s why he was jealous.

  He had only muttered softly to himself, but Kizuna and Glass seemed to deflate upon hearing him.

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Oh right,” Kizuna said. “You don’t know why Ethnobalt has to avoid the front lines, do you, Naofumi?”

  “No.”

  When I thought about it, I realized he did always support the group from a distance, and he hadn’t come with us when we went searching for Glass and the others.

  I’d just assumed that he was the intellectual, magic-using type, and that he used the ship vassal weapon to get around. But, maybe it was more complicated than that. Because I don’t think he had really done anything during the wave battle either.

  I thought maybe he was just taking it easy, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

  The vassal weapons typically conferred a duty in battle on those that held them. I’m not sure I’d ever really seen Ethnobalt fight. He always went out of his way to avoid battle, and no one ever asked him about it. There must have been an explanation for all of this.

  Maybe the ship vassal weapon had limitations, like my shield, or Kizuna’s hunting tools.

  “Members of my race generally do not gain power when their levels increase.”

  What?

  I stared at him in silence. Then I looked over at Rishia, but no one was paying any attention.

  “That’s right. Back when I first got here, Ethnobalt used to go on adventures with me just like anyone else. He gained plenty of levels too, but . . .”

  “I was shocked by how quickly Kizuna’s stats outpaced my own. It didn’t matter how many levels I gained, my stats only grew by insignificant amounts. The power difference between us grew and grew.”

  “Can you make up for it by powering up your weapon?”

  “A little bit. But it isn’t enough, not even close.”

  He must have survived by status bonuses granted when new abilities are unlocked. But it wasn’t enough—he wasn’t strong enough to battle in this world. Admittedly, the monsters, people, and waves in this world were powerful by Melromarc standards. Little status bonuses could only take him so far.

  “I have learned a large variety of magic spells, but my power didn’t grow with my knowledge, and it got to the point where I was clearly holding everyone back.”

  He was saying that he wasn’t even good at supporting others in battle.

  No doubt about it, he reminded me of Rishia.

  “Everyone tried to protect me. If I was on the front lines, I would likely end up getting killed. It fell to others to protect me. But I’m a holder of a vassal weapon! I didn’t want to hold the others back.”

  That’s why he was jealous. He wanted to protect others, not to be protected by them.

  “That all sounds well and fine, but I don’t think your actions are as impressive as your intentions.”

  “Mr. Naofumi, can’t you say something nicer than that?”

  But it was true.

  He wasn’t like me. I didn’t want to battle at all, but I was forced to protect other people. He had a choice in this. He could attack monsters and people if he wanted. He just hadn’t found a way to make it work.

  He had the ship vassal weapon, after all. When we used it to fly through the sky, I noticed that it was equipped with cannons. If he could fire all those cannons at once, then he could probably do plenty of damage if he wanted to. Unless the cannon damage was dependent on his stats, which I suppose was actually a possibility.

  But if he was convinced that everything came down to his stats, then he should stop asking for sympathy and being so dependent on them!

  “Take a look at Rishia! Her stats are so low it’s not even funny! And you have the ship vassal weapon! What are you whining about?”

  “Fehhh ?! ” Rishia yelped.

  “Naofumi, isn’t that a little rude? Not just to Ethnobalt, but to Rishia?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I’m talking about their motivation, about their effort.”

  I waved Kizuna over and whispered Rishia’s stats in her ear, starting with the best ones.

  Rishia had technically become my slave to gain the benefits of my slave maturation adjustment skill. That’s why I knew what her stats were. The more stats I listed, the more color drained from Kizuna’s face.

  “No way! They’re really that low?”

  “Yeah, normally. Aside from the battle with Kyo, that’s what her stats are like.”

  “Wh . . . What do you mean?” Glass asked Kizuna, bewildered.

  Then Glass dropped to her knees before Rishia and bowed until her head was on the floor.

  “Forgive me. I h
adn’t realized that you were so unfit for battle. I should never have put you in danger by bringing you into the battle against the wave.”

  “Fehh ?! ”

  “I don’t think you need to bow to her . . .”

  Kizuna turned on me next, “Naofumi! We’ve brought Rishia into battle without a second thought, but knowing what I know now, we never should have done that! We put her in real danger!” she shouted angrily. Was it really that bad?

  When you really think about it, wasn’t their reaction worse than anything I had done? Raphtalia looked troubled, like she wasn’t sure how to respond.

  “Well, Rishia has always said that she wanted to get stronger, so isn’t it okay if she joins us in battle? I don’t see a problem with it.”

  “Raphtalia, there is a difference between bravery and recklessness! With stats like that, Rishia’s going to get herself killed!”

  What was going on? The conversation was clearly derailed. All I’d wanted to say to Ethnobalt was that he had no right to be jealous of Rishia, if he wasn’t going to make a real effort. Why was everyone mad at me?

  “I see what you are driving at. I lack the level of decisiveness, or courage, that Ms. Rishia has. Is that it?” Ethnobalt said after realizing how devoted to battle Rishia was, in spite of her stats and abilities.

  “There’s no way to know when talent will show itself, when your true strength will be revealed. You think you can wait for levels to do it for you? You can’t slack off and hope that everything will just change for you some day.”

  He held a vassal weapon, after all.

  I understand how discouraging it can be when you don’t seem to be making any progress. But, if Ethnobalt had enough free time to sit around lamenting how weak he was in comparison to others, then he should devote that time to training and self-improvement. That’s what Rishia did.

  “If you’re satisfied with playing a back-up role, then that’s fine. But if you want to be stronger, then you have to put in the work. There’s more to power than stats, you know? If you think there’s nothing you can do, you’re just wrong.”

  “Mr. Naofumi . . . ”

  “You sound so cool, Naofumi. You talk a big game, especially considering that you’re subject to the same sort of limitations in battle that I am,” Kizuna said.