Chapter Four: Specially-Arranged Funding

Finally, the dawn arrived.

We finished eating breakfast and were waiting in anticipation for the king’s summons. It was only natural to give us a little spare time in the morning. No one wants to feel rushed out of bed. Finally, when the sun was pretty high in the sky, probably around ten o’ clock, the king called for us. We could hardly contain ourselves, and hurried to the audience chamber, our hearts dancing in our chests.

“The Heroes enter.”

The doors to the audience chamber swung open to reveal a group of twelve strangers, all dressed as though they were about to embark on an adventure of their own.

There were knights among them.

The king certainly knew how to show his support.

We all bowed to the king, and settled in to listen to his proposal.

“As we discussed yesterday, I have called for others to assist you in your journey. Apparently my call did not go unheeded.”

If there were three assistants provided to each of us, we might just survive.

“Now then, gathered adventurers, please choose the Legendary Hero with whom you will travel with.”

Wait, So THEY got to choose?

That came as a shock to all of us. Though when I thought about it, it only made sense. We all came from another world, so what did we know about our journey? Better to let the experienced citizens make the decision.

The four of us lined up.

The gathered adventures shuffled over in our direction, and formed little clumps before their intended partners.

Five people stood before Ren.

Four people stood before Motoyasu.

Three people stood before Itsuki.

And before me? Yeah—zero.

“But sir!” I called to the king. How could this be? It was so unfair!

The king was unnerved by my protest. He spoke, “I did not anticipate anything like this.”

“He’s not very popular, is he?” The minister sighed, as if there was nothing he could do about it. The king, for his part, seemed disinterested.

The men in robes were whispering something to the king, and they all seemed to laugh. But why?

“So there are rumors?”

“What is it?” Motoyasu asked. He wore a strange expression.

The situation was so unfair. I couldn’t make sense of it. It was like being in elementary school, when we’d split into teams. I guess I was the last one picked? How could they do this to me, here, in a completely new world?

“It seems that people are whispering around the castle. They are saying that among the four Heroes, the Shield Hero does not know very much about our world.”

“What?!”

“The legends say that the four summoned Heroes will have an understanding of our land. People are wondering if you will truly be able to fulfill the conditions set out in the legends.”

Motoyasu poked me in the side with his elbow.

“I guess someone was eavesdropping on us last night.”

He meant our conversation about games. They were leaving me on my own because I hadn’t heard of a game?! Besides, what kind of a legend was this, anyway? I might not know much about their kingdom, but I was still the Shield Hero! For whatever reason..

According to the other guys, I was stuck with the most useless class.. but this wasn’t a game to begin with!

“Ren! You can’t even use five people! Let’s share!”

The adventures standing around Ren (and men among them) all suddenly huddled behind him, quaking in their boots. They were behaving like terrified little sheep.

Ren looked annoyed, and scratched his head, perplexed. Then he said, “I’m more of a loner, myself. So if you can’t cut it, I’m leaving you behind.”

He said it relatively forcefully, but none of the people behind him showed any signs of moving.

“Motoyasu! What do you think of this? Isn’t it horrible?!”

“Well..”

By the way, I’d like to point out that there was not a single man among the adventurers with Motoyasu. It looked like he was setting up a brothel or something.

“Well I don’t want to be biased here.. but uh..”

Itsuki looked a little confused but seemed to be saying that he couldn’t exactly refuse the help that he’d been offered.

All the adventurers gathered around Motoyasu were women. I guess he really did have a way with them. It was like some kind of involuntary attraction.

“I suppose it would be fair to split them evenly, with each of us getting three. But then again, it’s not gentlemanly to deny them once they’ve made their decision.” What Itsuki said sounded fair enough, and everyone in the room nodded along.

“You mean I need to go it alone?”

I was stuck with a shield! THEY were the ones who said it was the worst class! If I don’t have a party to travel with, how was I supposed to get stronger?

“Sir, if it please you, I could serve with the Shield Hero.” One of the women with Motoyasu raised her hand to volunteer.

“Hm? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

She was cute, and had shoulder-length red hair.

Her face was pretty too. She was relatively tall, just a little shorter than me.

“Are there any others among you that would throw your lot in with Mr. Naofumi?”

..No one moved a muscle. The king sighed heavily.

“I suppose there is no way around it. Mr. Naofumi, you’ll have to recruit others to accompany you while you are traveling. Each month, I will supply all of you with the necessary funds for your journey, though in compensation for today’s events, Naofumi’s first payment will be higher than the others.”

“Y..Yes, sir!”

It seemed like a fair resolution.

If no one wanted to work with me voluntarily, I would have to find people to help me.

“Now then, Heroes, I have set aside these funds for you. Please accept them.”

Attendants placed envelopes in front of each of us.

I could hear something heavy and metallic rattling inside the packages. A peek inside revealed a rather large money pouch.

“I have set aside 800 pieces of silver for Mr. Naofumi, and 600 pieces for the rest of you. Please take these funds and begin your journey.”

“Yes sir!” We all answered in unison.

Each of us made our obligatory bow of gratitude before backing out of the audience chamber. Once we were all out of the room, we made our introductions.

“Um, so it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Shield Hero. My name is Myne Suphia.”

“Pleasure.”

She didn’t seem to be very shy, and she spoke without reservation. With all that was going on, I suppose I forgot to mention that she was the girl who agreed to come with me.

I believe in taking care of your friends. Especially considering that, according to everyone I’d met so far, I had been dealt a losing hand. On top of it all, Myne was a girl, and I was the >Shield Hero. It would be up to me to protect her.

“Very well then, let’s get going, shall we? Ms. Myne.”

She smiled and nodded before following me out of the room.

There was a drawbridge strung between the castle and the town. Crossing it, I got my first real view of the town.

Granted, I’d gotten a little glimpse of it from the window last night, but standing there now, in the middle of it all, I really started to feel like I’d come to a different world.

The cobblestone streets were lined with stone buildings, many of which were furnished with wooden signs. There were delicious smells wafting from many directions at once.

“What should we do?”

“I think it would be wise to try and get some better equipment and armor.”

“Good idea. With all the money the king gave us, we should be able to get some real quality stuff.”

The only equipment I had was a shield, so procuring a weapon was of paramount importance. Without one, I wouldn’t stand a chance against any monsters. I wouldn’t even be much use to my teammates without one. Regardless, the other heroes all had weapons that would level up with them. If I didn’t hit the ground running, they’d overtake me in no time.

Considering all they’d gone through to summon me here, it didn’t seem right to slack off. And besides, even if I was stuck with a weak class, Myne had still teamed up with me. I needed to do what I could, for her sake.

“Well, I know a good store if you’re ready to go.”

“I am.”

“Great.”

Weapons are important, but all you really need are friends. Myne led me down a path to the weapon store she knew. She walked as if she was skipping.

We’d been walking away from the castle for a fair amount of time when Myne finally slowed her pace and stopped before a shop. There was a large sign in the shape of a sword hanging over the wooden door.

“This is the shop I was talking about.”

“Wow.”

I stole a glimpse of the interior through the open door. There were weapons of all sorts hanging on the stone walls. It was exactly what you imagine when you think of a “weapon shop.” It looked like they also stocked armor and other goods necessary for adventuring.

“Welcome,” the owner called out to us amiably. The owner, too, was exactly the sort of guy you picture when you think of a “weapon shop.” He was leaning on the counter, and the whole scene felt like a painting. I was relieved, as I was fearing a fat, pudgy type of owner. I really was in a whole new world..

“So?this?is a weapon shop..”

“I see this is your first time in one. Well, you sure know how to pick ‘em.”

“Actually, my companion here told me about your store.” I pointed over at Myne, in response to which she raised a hand and waved it in greeting.

“Why, thank you very much.. Miss.. Hey, haven’t we met somewhere?”

“I’ve been here before, sir. Also, your shop is very well known around here.”

“Well, isn’t that kind of you. By the way, if I may ask, who is this strangely-dressed friend of yours?”

I guess that only made sense. In this other world, they would think?my?clothes looked strange. I probably looked like a bumpkin touring the kingdom, or just a crazy person.

“I think you already know the answer to that, sir.”

“You mean.. you’re one of the.. the Heroes? Wow!”

The man began to look me over carefully.

“He doesn’t really look that strong.”

I couldn’t believe my ears!

“Tell me how you really feel! Geez!”

But the old guy was right. I really didn’t look like I would do anyone much good. That’s why I needed to get stronger.

“Listen up, Hero-Boy. If you don’t get yourself some decent equipment, the other adventurers will wipe the floor with you.”

“I suppose..”

I kind of liked the guy. He seemed honest.

“Looks like you got the short stick?”

I felt my face twitch in recognition. How did gossip spread this quickly? Whatever. I shouldn’t admit loss before I even got going.

“I am the Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani. Things might get rough from here on out, so I’ve come for your assistance.” It was an aggressive way to introduce myself, but I had to convince myself too.

“Mr. Naofumi was it.. Well then, here’s to hoping you become a regular of sorts around here. Let’s see what we can do!”

He was an amicable guy, to be sure.

Myne walked over and spoke up. “Hey, sir, don’t you have any good equipment for my friend here?”

“I’m sure that I do, but how’s your budget looking?”

“Well..”

Myne was looking me over in some sort of appraisal.

“We could probably spend up to 250 pieces.”

We only had 800 to start with, and we were preparing to spend 250 on equipment. Was that going to leave enough for inns and food, and for recruiting other party members?

“That much, huh? Well then, you should start looking over here,” said the owner, as he walked around the shop and pulled various weapons from their spaces on the wall.

“Tell me, kid. You have a favorite kind of weapon?”

“Not yet.”

“If so, then I’d recommend a sword that is light enough for beginners.” He proceeded to set a number of swords out on the counter. “All of these are coated with Blood Clean, so they’re pretty easy to handle.”

“Blood Clean?”

“Gore and blood on a blade will erode the edge, making upkeep more difficult. These swords don’t have that problem.”

“Wow..”

I was surprised, but thinking on it for a minute, I realized that even in my own world people spoke of knives losing their edge after cutting through meat. I suppose he meant that these swords would stay sharp for a long time. I stared at the swords for a short time. They were much higher quality than any of the replica swords I’d seen before. They looked like serious weapons.

“Those are, in order: Iron, Magic Iron, Magic Steel, and Silver Iron. They get more expensive as they go, but the increase in quality is tremendous.”

Were they hardened to different degrees based on the ore used in their production? It seemed they were all made from iron.

“There are also weapons of higher quality, but in the 250 range, this is really what you’ve got to pick from.”

I’d heard of things like this before. It was just like a video game, how the weapon shop in the first town does have very good weapons available. This shop, however, seemed to have a really wide variety. That made it more like an online game. But then again, this WASN’T a game. In the real world, in any real world, the weapon shops in the capitol were sure to have good materials available, right?

“An iron sword.. Hmmm..”

I took one of them in hand, and, sure enough, it was very heavy. The shield I carried was so light that I took little notice of it, but these weapons had significant heft. I’d have to use them to fight any monsters we encountered..

“Woah!”

Suddenly, as if receiving an electric shock, the iron sword I was holding flew out of my hand.

“Huh?”

The shop owner and Myne were both looking at me, and then at the sword where it lay. I reached for the sword again, assuming I’d dropped it. It sat in my hand as if nothing strange had happened at all. Just what was that?

I was wondering what had happened when the pain came shooting back up my arm.

“Ouch!”

What was going on? I glared at the owner, thinking he must have been up to something, but he shook his head. I didn’t think that Myne would want to interfere with me, but just to be safe I looked over at her as well.

“It looked like it just flew out of your hand.”

But it couldn’t be.. It just couldn’t. I stared at my own palm for a moment. As I did, words began to appear in my periphery.

“Legendary Weapon specification: a weapon besides the assigned equipment was held, violating the rule.”

What the hell?

I rushed to bring up the help screen and read quickly through the articles there.

I found it!

“The Heroes may not hold a weapon, aside from their assigned Legendary Weapon, with the intent to fight with it.”

What?! Was that supposed to mean I couldn’t use anything other than a shield in battle? What kind of crappy game only let you fight with a shield?

“Well,” I said, wincing and raising my face to the others. “It looks like I’m only allowed to use a shield..”

“But why? Can you let me see that?”

I held my shield arm out to the shop owner, but that was all I could do, as I was still unable to put the shield down.

The old guy whispered something to himself, and a small ball of light shot toward my shield, only to bounce off harmlessly. “Well,” he said. “It certainly looks like a normal Small Shield.. but it behaves..”

“Oh, do you know it?” I asked.

The shield was also called a Small Shield on my status screen, with “Legendary Weapon” added in parentheses to the side.

“You see this jewel lodged in the center of the Shield? I feel a great amount of energy emanating from it. I tried looking into it with my appraisal magic but was unable to glean any information. If it was somehow cursed, I should have known that instantly.” He sighed and looked at me, stroking his trademark beard. “Well, you’ve certainly shown me something interesting. I guess you’ll be wanting some defensive goods?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’d like to give you what I can for 250, which probably means a suit of armor.”

Considering I already had a shield, I had to agree with him.

The owner pointed to a variety of armor suits that he had around the shop.

“Full plate armor tends to inhibit your movement, so it’s not well-suited to adventuring. Regardless, chainmail is better for a beginner, anyway.”

I reached for a suit of chainmail. It rattled and clinked in my hands. It was a whole shirt made from chains! I guess that was it though. Was that all he had to offer?

An icon was flashing at me, and I quickly opened it.

Chainmail: raises defensive power

Use: slice resistance

Size: small

Ah hah. No information came up when I touched the swords because I was unable to equip them.

“How much does this cost?” Myne asked the owner.

“I’ll give you a discount. You can have it for 120.”

“What could we get for it?”

“Hm.. I suppose you could get 100 or so.”

“Why’s that?”

“I was asking because if the Shield Hero outgrows it, we could probably sell it back.”

I was starting to understand. I was still at level one, so as I leveled up, I would be able to equip better things, meaning this chainmail wouldn’t necessarily be useful for all that long. It looked like the shop had better armor available, but that was about the best I could do at my current level.

“All right then, we’ll take it”

“Thank you very much! I’ll throw in some inner-wear to show my gratitude.”

We said our thanks, passed 120 silver pieces over to him, and received the chainmail.

“Will you change into that here?”

“Yes.”

“Very well, right over here.”

He led me to a changing room where I changed into the undershirt and chainmail. He then took my original clothing and packed it away into a sack for me.

“Hey now! You’re starting to look the part, lad!”

“Thank you.”

I guess he was trying to say something nice.

“All right then, Hero. Shall we be off to battle?”

“Right on!”

I was starting to feel like a real adventurer when Myne and I left the shop.

We made our way back to the castle and entered through the main gate. On our way through, a knight bent his head to me, so I waved back in response. I was feeling good.

How exciting! My adventure was finally beginning.