The Rising of the Shield Hero Volume 03 Read online

  With both Raphtalia and Filo, we wouldn’t have enough money to cover it.

  But there was still time until the next wave came, so I guess we would just have to focus on making money with the time we had left.

  “Raphtalia, you class-up first.”

  “What? Just Big Sister?!”

  “We don’t have enough money, so there isn’t much we can do about that. You can class-up the next time we come here, so just relax. I’ll get you a treat on the way home.”

  She sighed in exaggerated discontent.

  I’d been meaning to treat her to something anyway, ever since she delivered that good kick to Motoyasu, so it was good timing.

  I took a bag filled with 15 pieces of gold, Raphtalia’s portion, and showed it to the sister.

  The sister’s face suddenly flushed, and she ran to retrieve some documents from the desk at the front of the room.

  “The Shield Hero is prohibited from classing-up.”

  “What?! What’s that supposed to mean!?”

  “It is a royal order. The Shield Hero and his party are prohibited from classing-up.”

  That Trash king! He sure did know how to piss me off!

  First they set an illegal price, and then when I show that I can still afford it they say that I’m prohibited from even trying! Give me a break! If I couldn’t class-up, what could I do?!

  Why would I have to fight on without a job change? Was this some kind of “new game +” playing strategy for hardcore gamers?

  “Give me a break!”

  “It is the rule. And besides, the Shield Hero has, right from the very start… oh… Never mind.”

  “From the very start WHAT?”

  When I jumped to my feet, some knights that had been mulling about the back wall all snapped to attention.

  “Geez! Fine…”

  I put all my strength into my legs and pounded my feet loudly as we walked out of the room.

  I should have spent longer with the younger princess. What if she had really wanted to help me?

  She was in line to inherit the throne, and if she really did want to be on my side, she might have been able to do something about this stupid rule.

  And besides, if they were putting the brakes on my ability to class-up, that was a good enough reason to go see her anyway.

  “What are we supposed to do?”

  Raphtalia whispered. She looked upset. She was right. This was a major problem.

  “Hey! What’s that big hourglass? I wanna look at it more!”

  “Calm down.”

  I decided to look at the help menu.

  I found the section on class-up. I’d better read up.

  Class-up is a ceremony to increase the possibilities for party members of a Hero.

  The ceremony is performed at the Dragon Hourglass.

  We suggest you wait until there is a star by your name before attempting to class-up.

  There are no limitations on the growth potential of a Hero.

  There were no limitations on a hero’s growth potential? That must mean that I, and only I, was able to level past 40?

  But… But that was no good at all!

  If there was no way to class-up Raphtalia and Filo, then they’d be in a tough spot when it came time to battle, and that would leave us without any way to attack.

  “There’s nothing we can do. Let’s come back to this later.”

  It would be fine. I hadn’t planned on doing much more leveling until the wave had passed anyway. We could worry about all this after that.

  Maybe we’d meet an adventurer or two that had a certificate allowing the bearer to class-up. We could get Raphtalia to team up with them to get to class-up—or something like that.

  We had some cash to throw around. Certainly we could come up with something.

  But that reminded me—the slave trader had slaves that were over level 40. I didn’t really want to spend more time with him than I had to, but I guess I didn’t have a choice.

  “All right, let’s go see the slave trader.”

  Filo suddenly looked very scared.

  “Are you going to sell me?”

  “I’m not going to sell you, so just calm down.”

  She was sniffling, but she seemed to relax, and we all made for the slave trader’s tent. Even still, I was in a terrible mood. Whenever I felt myself getting grumpy, I closed my eyes and tried to recall Motoyasu’s face after Filo had kicked him. That made me feel a little better.

  “Mr. Naofumi, that’s quite a smile you’ve got there!”

  Raphtalia never knew when to shut up. What was wrong with laughing a little to myself?

  Chapter Six: Welcome

  We went to see the slave trader.

  “Ah, if it isn’t the Hero? What can I do for you today?”

  “Before we get into that…”

  I couldn’t help but focus on what he was wearing.

  He seemed suddenly very rich. His clothes and jewelry looked much more refined than they had before.

  “You look like you’ve run into some success recently.”

  “All thanks to you, Hero. Yes sir.”

  “Huh?”

  “Since you’ve been out on the road selling your wares, I’ve used the opportunity to make some money myself.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  I had a few theories on what he might be talking about, but I didn’t have the confidence to accuse him of any of them.

  “First of all there was the Filolial Queen excitement. Many nobles and wealthy families have stopped by to inquire where they might find such a creature.”

  So just seeing Filo in the streets, pulling my cart, had helped advertise his store. It only made sense—considering what a rare creature she was, people would look into where she came from, and then they’d find the “monster trainer” pretty quickly.

  I’d met plenty of wealthy people who’d tried to buy her off of me directly.

  Come to think of it, that was probably why the younger princess had tried to get close to us in the first place.

  Not only was she a big help in battle, but she was a useful business tool also. Too bad for them, I wasn’t planning on selling her.

  “Well, I’ve gained a reputation because of that, and now many people come to purchase monsters from me. Yes sir.”

  “Good for you.”

  Of course, as for what makes a Filolial become a queen, no one actually knew—and we weren’t any closer to an answer. So of course I couldn’t sell her.

  Maybe if the Filolial was raised by a hero she’d become a queen? It was hard enough taking care of Filo, I couldn’t even think about trying to manage two of them.

  “Aside from the monsters, people have also seen your slave and come to learn that the slaves I supply are of superlative quality. That’s led to some handsome profits. Yes sir.”

  He was talking about Raphtalia. And he was right. Even I couldn’t help but notice that she had a beautiful face and body. If people caught sight of her, they were sure to consider this slave trader to be trustworthy.

  But I suppose this meant that I was largely responsible for his new business and profits.

  “Now then, why have you come in today? Are you looking for a slave? Or are you looking to assist with my Filolial experiments?”

  “Slave Trader, what do you know about classing-up?”

  “Classing-up?”

  “Yeah. The Trash has declared that no one in my party is allowed to class-up. It’s becoming a real headache. Then I remembered that you were selling slaves over level 40. I thought there might be a certificate, or some way around the rule.”

  The slave trader turned to me and tenderly rubbed his chin in an impression of deep thought.

  “I regret to inform you that I will be unable to assist you regarding your problem. I do not have any certificates.”

  “You don’t? Oh well, guess I came to the wrong place…”

  So I guess he wasn’t able to level those slaves up t
hrough any sort of special authority he had.

  “If you want to class-up, why not go over to our neighboring country? If you can gain their trust, then you should be able to use their Dragon Hourglass to class-up.”

  “What?”

  Did that mean that there were dragon hourglasses in countries besides this one?

  “You mean there are other dragon hourglasses outside of Melromarc?”

  “Yes, but it can take a very long time to earn their trust.”

  Time was the one thing I didn’t have. I wanted to class-up as soon as possible.

  I wondered if my poor reputation had already spread to the neighboring country. If it had, then I might as well not even bother.

  “If you are looking for a country that will be relatively easy to win over, may I suggest the mercenary kingdom of Zeltoble? You could also give some thought to the demi-human kingdoms of Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden. Yes. Other kingdoms will not be so easy.”

  “I didn’t know there were so many.”

  “There are. For you, Hero, I’d recommend you try Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden. They should let you over their borders without much trouble.”

  “Hmm… How long would it take to get there from here?”

  “They are all about the same distance. About a month on foot or two weeks by boat.”

  The slave trader pulled out a map and showed me what roads I would need to take.

  He was right. If you calculated backwards from the average daily distance we could cover, the borders were all very far away. Filo could probably cover the distance in two weeks or so. Just to be safe, I decided to call it three weeks.

  “If you had a flying dragon you could get there faster, but considering the modes of transport available to you right now, these are pretty much your only options.”

  “They’re so far…”

  But if I wanted my party to get stronger, it looked like I didn’t have any other options.

  I’d just have to make up for lost time later. If I couldn’t get Raphtalia and Filo’s levels up any higher, then there was no point. It was pretty much inevitable: we’d have to make for the nearest demi-human country. It was our only real option.

  “Once the next wave passes, let’s go.”

  I swear, the Trash would do anything to drive me crazy. It was his singular passion in life.

  “Hero, was that the only reason for your visit today?”

  The slave trader was wringing his hands. It was starting to look like he wasn’t going to let me leave so easily.

  “Have you given any consideration to getting some weapons for your Filolial Queen there?”

  “A weapon for Filo?”

  “A Weeeeepon?”

  I guess I really hadn’t purchased anything for her but those clothes.

  She really did already have a pretty great attack power, but with the wave coming it might not be a bad idea to try and get her some equipment. If I did, I’d talk to the weapon shop guy first. He made the best stuff. Some claws for her made from dragon bone or something would be good.

  “Just so you know, monster equipment is only dealt with by monster trainers. So a normal weapon shop won’t carry the things you are looking for. A normal shop might be able to do a custom order for you, but the cost would be through the roof.”

  Damn, he knew exactly what I’d been thinking.

  “Can you do it?”

  I’d promised Filo some kind of treat. This could be it. Just thinking of her kicking Motoyasu with some claws equipped put a smile on my face.

  The slave trader’s eyes moved over Filo.

  Filo, in her human form, had been humming a song to herself, but when she noticed him looking at her she quickly ducked behind me to hide. She really didn’t like him.

  “A weapon for her would be either a horn for her head, or some kind of spiked horseshoe for her feet. If you are looking for armor, they make some for Filolials…”

  Thinking about Filo’s body shape though, I doubted there was any armor made that would fit her.

  We could get a piece of armor custom-made for her unique body type. But Filo transformed into human-form a lot, and if the armor couldn’t change shape with her then changing in and out of it would be a real pain.

  “What do you have in mind when you say, ‘Horn?’”

  “It’s a type of helmet that fits over the head and is spiked. It turns a head butt into a deadly attack.”

  “Hmm…”

  The horseshoes he mentioned must have been some kind of hard shoe.

  “Finally, there are claws.”

  “Well, well. Filo, what do you think?”

  “Hm?”

  Filo still looked nervous. Was she so afraid of the slave trader that she had stopped listening to the conversation?

  “There’s a helmet for your head, or shoes for your feet. Then there is armor.”

  “But I like to transform, and I don’t want the armor to pinch me, so no thanks!”

  I wonder if that thread the tailor had given her in the past was still working for her?

  We had a tailor make Filo some clothes for when she was in her human form. They were made from magical fabric that turned into a simple ribbon when she was in her Filolial Queen form.

  The helmet would work fine when she was a bird, but it would be way too big and heavy for her human form. The horseshoes would hurt her feet, and the armor would never fit. What else was left? We could go back to the tailor and see if there was some kind of metal version of the clothes we made—but that was sure to cost a small fortune, and the defense rating would probably be a joke.

  “If you’re looking for something that can easily be taken on and off, may I suggest the claws? Yes sir.”

  “Sure. What do you think, Filo?”

  “Okay!”

  “I’ll just get your measurements then. Can you transform into your monster form for me?”

  “Hear that, Filo?”

  “Okay!”

  There was a puff of smoke, and Filo was back in her monster form. She held out her foot so that the slave trader could measure it.

  But the slave trader did not move. A subordinate of his emerged from the shadows and measured Filo’s foot.

  “Hmm… She’s much larger than an average Filolial.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Luckily enough, I think we have this size in stock. Will iron claws work for you?”

  I didn’t know how to answer that because I didn’t know what sort of attack power I could expect from different materials.

  Is it more important for them to be hard? Or is it better that they are sharp?

  “I have a little spare cash, so give me the best you have.”

  “Right away, Sir. The best I can do at the moment is magic iron.”

  “And how much will that cost me?”

  “Well you are a loyal customer, so I think we can offer you a special price. How does 5 gold pieces sound. It’s half the market price.”

  “Can I haggle you down?”

  “Your parsimony never fails to impress me, Hero. Very well, I will accept 4 pieces.”

  “That’ll do it. Throw in some reins too.”

  “Absolutely!”

  The slave trader was looking very excited. He was easy enough to manipulate, but I was getting the feeling that I was being used too. In that sense he was very skilled at business. I’d have to be on my guard.

  He brought out a pair of large claws from the back. They were made of metal, and were just large enough to fit Filo’s feet.

  “I can’t believe you keep claws that big in stock.”

  “They are actually designed for flying dragons. It’s the largest size we carry.”

  So they weren’t for Filolials.

  “They go on my feet?”

  “Yeah, those are your weapons.”

  The claws were lined up on the floor. Filo stepped into them.

  “They look like a perfect fit.”

  They really did. All you had to do
was tie the strings over her feet to keep them on.

  Filo raised one of her feet into the air and wiggled it to get a feel for the claws.

  “They feel so weeeeird!”

  “Get used to it. With those on, your attack power will be way higher than it used to be.”

  Her legs were already really strong. If her attack power went up even higher…

  I found myself mentally replaying the scene of Filo kicking Motoyasu.

  It has been such a funny thing to see, but if she kicked him with these on she’d probably rip him in half. It was funny to think about, but if it really happened he’d be in real danger.

  “Filo, from now on when you see that guy with the spear, you can only kick him if you are not wearing those claws, okay?”

  “But why?”

  “Because he wouldn’t get out of it with just a pair of smashed balls.”

  Sure he was a jerk, but he was still a hero. Who knew what would happen if we killed him? Maybe it was even too late to try and restrain Filo.

  “Hmmm…”

  It looked like she was focused on exploring her new claws and was only half-listening to me.

  Was she really listening?

  I gave four 4 gold pieces to the slave trader.

  “Thanks for your help.”

  “If you’d like to express your gratitude you may.”

  “No thanks, but that reminds me of something. Is there anything she can practice using those claws on?”

  “Do I get to kick something?”

  “Unfortunately, I would be in a tough position if you were to kill any of the monsters I have here. Yes sir.”

  So I guess he was saying he didn’t have anything that would survive a kick with those claws.

  And yet if we tested them in the field and it turned out that they were of poor quality, that would put US in a tough position.

  I guess we could go just outside the town gates and try them there—but the balloons were too weak to really try them out on.

  “I’d like to try them on some strong monsters, but where am I supposed to find any?”

  “If you head for the coliseum in Zeltoble, you should be able to fight whatever you like.”

  “But it’s really far, right?”

  “Yes.”

  That wouldn’t work. We didn’t have that much time before the wave came.